Thoughts From Church...

Have you ever been to church, heard a good sermon, wrote lots of notes, and walked out?
I have plenty of times.
Today was different.

We're in this series called, "Healed."
The first couple of sermons were what I described above.
They were really good, but I've kind of had a couple "off" weeks.
I've been really distracted.
I know that Satan has been making it hard for me to concentrate on just worshiping God.
It seems that each week, we sit by the most annoying people who talk through the worship, communion time, and sermon.
I just want to ask "Did you come to church this morning to talk to your friend or to worship?"
Now I'm pretty sure that isn't the most Christ-like thing I could say, so I've kept my mouth shut.
Today was different.

Worship was great.
I was focused.  The songs were amazing.
I felt that I was actually praising my Lord.
I forgot about my husband. {I know...that sounds bad.}
I was focused on God. Only God.
We sat by people who were intent on listening, rather than talking.
I was not distracted.
The message was really good.

Growing up in the church, I knew everything that was said.
But sometimes I just need a refresher.
And encouragement.

Today, our minister talked about being spiritually paralyzed.
It was something that I've just been thinking about all. day. long.
He shared with us some things that paralyze our potential:

• fears about the future
• regrets about the past
• doubts about our abilities

We all have had these emotions at one point in our life or another.

I'll be the first to say, "Heck yes!  I've definitely had all three of these emotions."

I've had fears about our future...especially when moving to St. Louis.  

Part of me was really exciting about moving from everything that I've ever known. 

The other part of me was scared because I didn't know anything or {basically} anyone.

I've regretted many things that I've done in my past, and I've doubted many times that I wasn't good enough to do something, or lead, or work on a project.

Good news!!

There is absolutely NO reason for me to feel these emotions.

Say what?!?

That's right!  

Did you know that the Bible says, "Fear not," 365 times?

That's a verse each day of the year.

Knowing God's promises helps ease the fears you have.

One thing that Brian, {our minister} said that really struck a chord with me was this:

"The better you get to know Jesus Christ, the fewer fears you will have."

Isn't that SO true?

When you first meet someone, you know very little about them.

You don't know if they're a serial killer.  Or something equally as bad.

But the more you spend time with them, talking with them, hanging out with them, the better you get to know them. 

And you eventually realize they genuinely care about you.

Same with God.

At first, when I became a Christian, I knew that He loved me.

But through the past 13 years that I've walked with Him, I've come to realize he loves me more than I can ever fathom.

He will take care of me when I can't care for myself.

He will always love me.  No matter what.  

There's nothing I can do to make Him hate me.

He will always be true to me, even when I'm not true to Him.

He will never leave me, even if I leave Him.

When I talk to Him daily, read His Word daily, and listen to Him daily, I'm getting to know Him better.

I'm learning more about Him, and I'm trusting in Him more.

When walking with the Lord, I've come to know that God erases the guilt from the past, too.

I'm a sinner.  I've done some pretty stupid things in my life.  I've also felt the guilt from it.

When you ask for forgiveness, God forgives.  Right. Then. And. There.  Amen?

"So far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us."

Psalm 103:12 (NIV 84)

Forgiveness is a gift.  You can't earn it.

We all need forgiveness.

Another thing that got me thinking...

God forgives us as soon as we ask for forgiveness.

Why can't we do that with other people?

"[Love] keeps no record of wrongs."

1 Corinthians 13:5 (NIV 84)

I am so incredibly guilty of this.  But I'm working on it.

My flesh wants to hold grudges against people, but my spirit tells me differently.

Life is SO much better when all is right with people.

I know there are people who need to forgive me for doing what I did or saying what I did.

I know it's not easy, but it's definitely worth it.

And it's a relief to me when someone comes up to me to say, "I forgive you."

I try to do the same with others. 

It's not easy.

Knowing the freedom of forgiveness is liberating.

I pray that I can be a person of grace, mercy, and forgiveness.

I want to be that person.

God also allows you to do what you think is impossible.

"Jesus looked at them and said, 'With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."

Matthew 19:26 (NIV 84)

God really can do anything.

He gives you the power and ability to do whatever He's asking you to do.

He may ask you to do some tough things, but He will be there with you all along the way.

When we really see God for who He is, our problems shrink.

When we see God for who He is, we're focused on Him instead of our problems.

God can do anything.

He is all powerful.

He can heal you.

I pray that I won't get caught up saying, "I'm never going to be able to ___________."

I pray that I won't get caught up saying, "Well, that's just the way I am.  I've been this way my whole life."

I pray that I won't get caught making up excuses {because that's what those are} for why I can't do something.

God will give me the power to do whatever He's asking me to do.

I don't want to be spiritually paralyzed.

I want to be growing with Him each and every day.

I want to be able to use my potential with no excuses.

I want people to be able to see Christ in me.

Are you spiritually paralyzed?

What is God asking you to do?
Faith is a verb.

Don't just sit there...do something!

And next time you are worried, anxious, or afraid...find one of God's promises in the Bible to meditate on.

Remember, the better you know Jesus Christ, the fewer fears you will have.

Real Life

I'm sorry, today I'm not sharing any recipes with you.  Instead, I'm going to tell you the reason why.

I'm exhausted.

Tyler and I have not really had a weekend to ourselves since before the 4th of July.  We went home to my home the weekend after the 4th of July, Tyler's parents came the weekend after that.  This past weekend, my family was here.  Tonight, we're driving to Kansas City for my best friend's wedding reception.  Next weekend, I may have a chance to breathe.  All that's on my radar screen is a Cardinals game.

Let's just be honest...because this is what this blog is all about:  Real life.  I don't remember the last time I cleaned my apartment.  Yeah...it's a disaster because we're never home.  I come home from work at night and all I want to do is sit on the couch because I've been so tired.  I go to bed at 10 every night so I can get my full 8 hours of sleep in (yes, I am that person).

So my house is a mess.  The laundry hardly gets done anymore, as it sits in the dryer most of the time.  And I'm tired.  Oh, and I hurt my back last week, so now I've been going to the chiropractor after work.

If you think about it, will you pray for me?  I've been taking an iron supplement.  I've been eating really healthy and paying attention to the things that I'm eating.  I've been trying to tweak my diet to get the nutrients that I need.  I make myself walk a lot, but I'm still tired.  I don't really know what's going on, other than I've been running and running and running and I haven't caught my breath yet.


I am not superwoman.  I can't go all week long and then keep going every, single weekend.  And honestly?  Superwoman needs a break too.  She has to recharge her batteries somehow.  I don't even think Tyler and I have had a moment to ourselves because we just keep going.  

Maybe next weekend will be the puzzle piece that I'm missing.  I hope so, but I'm wishing it would come sooner.  God has been sustaining me these last few weeks, and I'm not kidding.  Every day I pray that I can just make it through the day.  He is good.

How about I make ya a deal?  You pray for me, and I'll pray for you. :]  That's what being a Christian is all about...praying for each other; carrying each other's burdens (Galations 6:2).  If you have specific requests, leave it in the comments and I'll put you on my dashboard and pray for you everyday on my way to work. :]

Sometimes real life sucks.  But because God's Grace is sufficient, His power will be made perfect in my weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9).

Prayer Changes Everything

Prayer has always been important in my relationship with God.  Most anyone who has a personal relationship with the Father will tell you that prayer is important.


Recently, I have just been convicted that I don't pray enough!  It's true.  I know God is there.  I know He listens to me, and I do pray everyday.  But how is it, in the busyness of life, do we forget about Him most of the time?


Frances Chan says in his book Crazy Love, "On the average day, we live caught up in ourselves.  On the average day, we don't consider God very much.  On the average day, we forget that our life truly is a vapor."


It's true.  It's our nature to be caught up in our lives and what's to come, rather than focusing on the moment.

James 4:13-14 says,

"Look here, you who say, 'Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town and will stay there a year.  We will do business there and make a profit.'  How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow?  Your life is like a morning fog--it's here a while, then it's gone."

My mom would tell you that I've counted down my whole life.  First it was to when I could get my ears pierced.  I had to be 13 years old before my parents would let me get it done.  So I counted down to that.  Then it was my driver's permit.  Then my driver's license.  High School graduation.  College.  End of semesters.  College graduation.  My wedding day.


Yes.  I like to count down.  But I don't have anything to count down for right now.  Wanna know something?  That's okay.  I feel so perfectly content in my life right now.  I'm trying to find the joy in each day, and just live in the moment all while praising my God who gave me that day.


Every morning on the way to work I pray.  I stuck a post-it note on my dash and wrote down the people and things that I need to pray for that week.  Every morning, as soon as I get on 270, I pray.  I thank God for my blessings and pray over my family.  This is the only good thing about my 25 minute commute.  I'm focused on praying for others and not the traffic getting upset about the traffic.  


It's helped me become a more thankful person.  I'm grateful for time with my Savior each morning.


Frances Chan goes on to say, "When you are truly in love, you go to great lengths to be with the one you love.  You'll drive for hours to be together, even if it's only for a short while.  You don't mind staying up late to talk.  Walking in the rain is romantic, not annoying.  You'll willingly spend a small fortune on the one you're crazy about.  When you are far apart from each other, it's painful, even miserable.  He or she is all you can think about; you jump at any chance to be together."


This is true.  When Tyler and I were dating, we'd make plans to be together when we were far apart.  We would go out of the way to see each other for only a few minutes.  When we weren't together, we'd be talking on the phone to each other.  


Why don't we do this with God?  The same is true...when you're far from God, it's painful and miserable.  We should be so in love with Him that all we can think about is Him!  We should be thinking about what ministry we could invest in, rather than investing in our 401 (k) or in worldly possessions with that extra money in our account.  We can't take those things to Heaven, but we can take people.  We should be making time to talk and listen to the One who created us.  I pray that I will always be yearning for that precious time.


I also have found that my attitude has changed when I'm praying for someone or something.


Frances again states, "The fact is, I need God to help me love God.  And if I need His help to love Him, a perfect being, I definitely need His help to love other, fault-filled humans.....Our prayers for more love result in love, which naturally causes us to pray more, which results in more love..."


It doesn't happen right away, and I'm still praying for a complete healing of my heart, but it will change.  The only way I can change is if God changes me.  We should always be striving to be better.  We should always want God to change us.


I pray that you will take time in your day to talk to Him.  He's the only One who can really help you and really change you.  Find the joy in each day.  Live in the moment.  Thank Him for the blessings He's given you.  Remember Him throughout the day.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 says,

"Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."