From Acorn to Oak

(The acorn) is a marvelous little thing, a perfect shape, perfectly designed

for it's purpose, perfectly functional.  Think of the grand glory

of an oak tree.  God's intention when He made the acorn was the 

oak tree.  God's intention for us is "...the measure of the stature of 

the fulness of Christ."  Many deaths must go into our reaching

that measure, many letting-goes.  When you look at the oak tree

 you don't feel that the 'loss' of the acorn is a very great loss. 

The more you perceive God's purpose in your life, the less

terrible will the losses seem. 

- Elizabeth Elliot -

Passion and Purity

So you want to speak in front of 300 people???

     This past weekend God provided an opportunity for me a share a testimony of His work in my life.  I was greatly humbled that He would open a door for me to speak and that He filled me with His enabling grace to accomplish what I couldn't have done on my own.  I am truly grateful that I had the opportunity to honor Him while standing on a stage, but I also know that the majority of the Christian life isn't lived under the spotlight.
     The truth is, God wants us to use all of the opportunities He gives us, big or small, to honor Him and depend on His grace.  It's not just the big moments when lots of people see us that He wants to equip us, but each and every day.  Whether we eat or drink, walk of run, stand before 300 people or sit before one, we are to do all thing for His glory.  He simply asks us to be faithful to Him and He will decide how many people are impacted by our lives.
     We put a lot of stock in opportunities that promise us greater quantities of people we can influence.  However, success in God's kingdom isn't measured by facebook likes, applause or numbers.  Instead, He chooses to use what He has done through us to whatever extent He wants.  Our focus can't be on the numbers but rather we must be fixated on Christ and humbled any time He does choose us to proclaim the truth, whether the audience is vast or very minimal.

Is it the bond servant's business to say which work is large and which is small, which

unimportant and which worth doing? 

Amy Charmichael

     God used me by setting me on a stage for 8 minutes.  He might choose to use you differently, but that doesn't mean that what I did was more important that what God has called you to do.  Sovereignly, God gives His children different tasks to complete but the value of the task is not wrapped up in what it is but rather who we are doing it for.  Our Captain is Christ and that is why even the most menial task should be done joyfully and wholeheartedly, because He commissions us to do them.

     Apart from me, you can do nothing....

John 15:5

      With an elevated understanding of our ability, we often think we only need God's help with the big things in life.  However,  His enabling grace is needed all day, every day.  The Christian life is impossible.   Do you understand that?   "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself." (Luke 10:37) Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)  Can we do this on our own?  We cannot.  The only way we can run the course of the Christian life is with God enabling, strengthening, and empowering with every step.  Apart from Him we can do nothing so may we abide in Him, asking Him to help us day in and day out. 

He is the one who works, He is the one who determines the outcomes.  Humbly submit to His plan. 

Since we have the same spirit of faith according to what has been written, "I believed

and so I spoke," we also believe, and so we speak, ... so that as grace extends to more and 

more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God.

2 Corinthians 4:13-15

If you would like to see the video of the presentation I did, click here.

I was asked to give the speech because of some work that I have done with the organization, Fellowship of Christian Athletes.  I have acted as a counselor or " huddle leader" for summer camps and I run on a cross country team called, Team FCA Cross Country.   Through both of avenues, God has enabled me to both disciple and evangelize fellow peers and young girls. 

Check this out!

Think it's impossible to be a missionary for 12 years and not be saved? Think again.  Please take some time to watch this powerful testimony and hear the story of how God showed this woman the true state of her heart.  
"Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!" (2 Corinthians 13:5)

"Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God." (Hebrews 3:12)

Wednesdays In The Word: Galations 2:16

We know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, 

so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and 

not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.

Intolerant, Uncomfortable and Appalled

I can think of no more dangerous position than to learn to tolerate evil in order to be accustomed to reality.  The one who becomes comfortable with that which is corrupt is quick to accept it, and what one accepts, he will soon embrace.  I pray that I will always be shocked by the evil of the 'real world'.

Sarah Mally, Before You Meet Prince Charming

The Recital of Life

     Playing an instrument often brings along the opportunity to perform, whether it be for a large group of people at a recital or some unsuspecting guests who, at your parent's request, have to listen as you put on a mini consort.  Although you may try, it isn't easy to wiggle out of these opportunities that arouse in you emotions of both excitement and fear.  You prepare and practice, hoping that when it comes time to perform, everything is perfect.  As I was sitting at the piano practicing, I began to contemplate how much life is like a recital.
       The nerves and fear of making mistakes when performing usually escalate as a room fills with people ready to hear you play.  It's the audience that causes you to become nervous as you think about playing a piece of music you have practiced without care many times before.  We do not fear that they will find a flaw in the music but a flaw in our ability to portray the music as it was originally intended. 
      It is the same way in life.  Whether we like it or not, people are always watching us.  For those who have truly been born again, there is a deep desire to live for Christ, honoring Him in our words, actions, attitudes and deeds.  We should want to live lives "worthy of the gospel of Christ." (Philippians 1:27)  Longing that those around us might be pointed back to The Composer, we want to play the notes written out for us in God's Word with precision and accuracy.  All to often, however, we are distracted by a fear of messing up.     
     There is a difference in performing and playing.  We perform when we need to meet a standard.  The freeing truth of God's word is that the standard has already been met!  We have become the righteousness of God.  Christ took our sin and gave us His righteous perfection. (2 Cor. 5:21)  God now see's us through the lens of Christ.  There is no need to perform but rather the ability to play for the audience of One.
      When our eyes are set on what people think of us, we loose our heavenward focus.  On the other side of eternity we will have to give an account to God, not to man.  Remember this as you assess whether or not your life is filled with a living that is more to the tune of performing than playing.  We do not need to meet the standards of man but rather we should wholeheartedly long to obey the commands of God.  This longing is driven by a love for God with our focus fully set on Him. 

In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works 

and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

Matthew 10:16 
~ 
For to me to live is Christ....
Philippians 1:21

      "Oopps! I messed up!"  Don't worry, I have too.  Let me just encourage you, don't allow your mistakes to keep you from Christ.  Our weakness, sin and failure so often drives us away from the very One we need to run to as our pride tells us we can work harder or fix it on our own.  You can't.  Only He can.  Run to Him to find the mercy, forgiveness and the grace you need.  He readily bestows it when we repent.

For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;

as far as the east is from the west,
so far does he remove our transgressions from us.

Psalm 103:11-12 

May the music of our lives be in key to the tune of God's Word rather than to the tune of this World as we seek His Kingdom first!

Wednesdays In The Word: John 4:23-24 - With Video!

But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship Him.  

God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.

Helpful Advice

Be content with every stage of life and wherever God has you; use your 

time wisely and invest in things that will last for eternity.

- Godly advice from Mrs. Duggar -

Taken from, Growing Up Duggar

HELP! My day is not going as I planned!

     I planned, I prepared and them I planned some more.  With boxes aside each of the items on my to-do
list, it was my desire that each one would be checked off by the end of my day.  Enthusiastically, I started the day with a prayer, "Lord, may Your will be done in my life today. Help me to accomplish all that I have set out to do for Your glory. Amen."  The day started and just as quickly, all my plans fell apart.  Things were not going to go the way I had anticipated.
     Maybe your have found yourself in my shoes.  Having diligently planned things out, your circumstances change, things come up and in frustration and disappointment you feel like everything totally flew out of control.  Time is a precious commodity.  Planning and scheduling is a good thing but what is our response when it all falls apart? How should we respond on a daily basis when things don't go our way?

Refocus
     As human beings we are notorious at living for the wrong things.  When we should be living for Christ, our focus often get's fogged over with school work to complete, children who need cared for and housework that can't be put off any longer.  When your plans fall apart, have you ever stopped to look and see what you are picking up?  Are the fragments you collect things that are eternally important or temporally insignificant? All to often I find myself picking up the pieces of a misguided course where the temporary has become more important to me than the things that have eternal value.

Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.

Colossians 3:2

    The higher purpose in whatever we do should be to glorify God and serve Him, not man.  As you pick up the pieces of your plan gone bad, take the opportunity to refocus on Christ.  As you set your sight on Him, the aim of your day will no longer be to check things off a list, but rather to honor, serve and glorify Him.

Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men,

knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. 

You are serving the Lord Christ.

Colossians 3:23-24

~

So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

1 Corinthians 10:31

Yield

     Often, I imagine myself scurrying around like the mice in Cinderella.  As the beads of my plans fall to the ground, scattered as the loose thread of my limited control is pulled apart, I frantically try to pick them up and grasp them with a clutching hand, not wanting to let any of them go.  But God asks that we hold our plans loosely, offering them to Him.  As Leslie Ludy once put it, we must yield to Him on a moment by moment basis throughout our day.  Let us lay our plans at the feet of our Savior, that they might become submissive to His will.  My petition to the Lord the other day went something like this:

"Lord, this is not what I had in store for my day but it is what you have laid before me.  Help me to lay down my will and joyfully take up Yours with a willing heart.  I can't do this on my own, please help me." 

Simply surrender! 

Praise Him with Thanksgiving!

Give thanks in all circumstances...

1 Thessalonians 5:18

~  When the baby is screaming and the toddler just wrote on the wall...give thanks.
~  When everyone is sick and caring for them takes priority over schoolwork...give thanks.
~   When life is overwhelming and nothing goes your way...give thanks.

     Giving thanks doesn't mean always having an optimistic outlook on circumstances.  Life is hard and isn't always filled with roses.  That is why our ability to offer praise to God must not be tied to our circumstances.  Instead let our praise pour forth from hearts enamored with who He is and what He has done.  Thank God for your circumstances because I can assure you two things, He is in control of them and He has a purpose for them in your life.  Offer thanksgiving to God for who He is and what He is doing in your life!  And let me tell you, the product of thanksgiving is unhindered joy. 

Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good,
for his steadfast love endures forever!

Psalm 106:1

*This verse is repeated 7 times throughout

 the Old Testament!* 

     You never know what life is going to throw at you!  But may you be assured that even when your plan seems to be falling apart it might just be beginning to fall into place.  Take this opportunity to offer your life to God afresh, yielding to His plan and praising Him every moment of every day!
 Soli Deo Gloria!
(Glory to God alone)

Wednesdays In The Word: Lamentations 3:22-25

The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end;

they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

“The LORD is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.”

The LORD is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him.

The Set Apart Woman

Click the link below to get a $2 off coupon for Leslie Ludy's new book, The Set-Apart Woman.  Also, you can download a free wallpaper for your computer!  Be sure to check out the book and even consider purchasing it.  Like any of her others books, I am sure it will encourage and challenge you in your walk with Christ.  Act soon! Offer expires tomorrow (7th).

http://www.setapartgirl.com/set-apart-woman-promo-voucher

Definition: An Idol

"Any satisfaction that does not find its origin in (God)

is an idol."

- Paul Washer-

Got Siblings?

     "I wish I hadn't waited so long to start purposefully investing in my sibling's lives."  As I read the article that this confession was made in, a mental post-it note was added to the cork board of my brain.  It doesn't take a rocket scientist to calculate the huge ministry opportunity many of us have in the form of our siblings.   In His sovereign plan, God has divinely put us in the family that we are in and surrounded us with brother(s) and/or sister(s) we can impact right now!  However, many of us don't see our siblings in this light or we put off making a conscious effort to invest in our family relationships.  So today I am here to encourage and challenge you: make the effort and take the time to invest in your relationship(s) with your sibling(s).  Don't wait till it's too late.
    Now for the practical part.  The problem that I have, as well as some of you is this, I have a lot of siblings.  If I divided up all my extra time between them, it wouldn't amount to much.  Consequently I have started implementing what I like to call Sibling Of The Week.  Every week I focus on making a concentrated effort to reach out to one sibling. Not that I ignore the others, I just focus on that sibling.  Each of the siblings get their week going from youngest to oldest and the rotation starts over every five weeks, since I have five siblings.  By implementing S.O.T.W. into my schedule, it allows for me to prioritize my sibling relationships and not get so busy with other life activities that I leave my family in the dust.  Life get's busy so if you want to make sure something happens write it down.  I have a spot in my calender where I label which sibling's week it is.  Although there are many ways to build your sibling relationships, I have found having a set rotation helps me prioritize time for what is most important. 
      I know we have some readers who are more creative than this writer, but here are some suggestions of special things you could do.  Hopefully this will help you get the idea of how it plays out and get your own mental juices flowing!

• Sit down and read books together
• If you can drive, plan a special date such as going to the park or stopping at an ice cream shop.
• "Do you want to build a snow man?" 
• Or go on a walk
• Or jump in a leaf pile
• Or go climb a tree
• Whatever activity the season my allow:)
• Have a sibling sleep over in your room
• Plan a special time in the Word and in prayer with an older sibling.
• Make a special treat

• This is very effective if you have brothers ranging in age from 10-20:) The way to a young man's heart is through his stomach.
• Write a little 'love note' and leave it on their bed.
• You could always add a piece of candy to make it extra special!

•  Do what they enjoy with them

• My brother really enjoys basketball.  At times I will go out and play, most often acting as his personal coach since I seriously lack skill in any sport involving a ball.
• For those of you with sisters, plan a tea party.
  
• Play games together
• Print off coloring pages and let your artistic side come out! 
• If you have siblings out of the house, send a friendly text message or e-mail.  You could even bless their day with a scripture verse.

     The list of possibilities is endless.  It's not a matter of what you do but more of why you do it.  Are we ready and willing to love?  Then we must also be ready and willing to give of our time and our efforts to purposefully love our siblings.  However, sometimes those who we live with everyday seem like the hardest people to love.  We can only sacrificially love through Christ.

~ We love because He first loved us.  ~

Wednesdays In The Word: Romans 4:20-21

No distrust made (Abraham) waver concerning the promise of God,

but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God,

fully convinced that God was able to do what He had promised.