This week I am on vacation with my husband while he attends Apple’s World Wide Developers Conference in San Jose, California. This is the event where Apple announces all of the new and exciting Apple things!
Yesterday we spent the day hiking in Big Basin Redwoods State Park.
Wow! The weather is amazing here!
It is important to take time for your spouse, have fun and make memories. Life can get hectic in the midst of raising kids, so find something that you enjoy doing together, and do it. We love to hike and the Redwoods didn’t disappoint!
Wanted to give you a quick update on what I am working on outside of the blog.
First, Thank everyone who voted for me in Jen Weaver’s writing contest! I am one of the finalist’s and won a publishing appointment with Leafwood! I will be preparing for that meeting, and I would really appreciate your prayers!
Second, I will be pitching a Bible Study that I have been working on for the past year. I am currently teaching that Bible Study to the fabulous Bible Babes, and am getting great feedback from them!! Over the course of the next few weeks, I won’t be posting as much on the blog as I prepare for the upcoming appointment and finish writing and teaching my study. I would really appreciate your prayers, as I write, edit, and teach this study.
Third, I wanted to give you a sneak peek of Glynnis Whitwer’s new book Doing Busy Better: Enjoying God’s Gifts of Work and Rest! I am excited to be a part of the launch team for this book! The book releases July 4, 2017, but you can get a sneak peek here at Doing Busy Better. I will be talking more about this book in the coming weeks, but if you are busy and struggle with overcommitment or feel like you are not experiencing the soul rest that God has for you, then you are gonna want to pre-order a copy of this book for yourself!!
One of the things that God showed me when I started reading Doing Busy Better is that I am always busy and that I am in need of soul rest. So even though I am in the midst of a busy season, I am trying to approach it from a place of rest.
As women today, we can be consumed with how we look, and fight the aging process tooth and nail, but if we look at Proverbs 31 we learn that our beauty, charm, and favor will diminish with time, but what makes us praiseworthy is that we fear the Lord.
“Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain but a woman who fears the Lord shall be praised.” -Proverbs 31:30
[ctt template=”2″ link=”H20GV” via=”yes” ]The woman of Proverbs 31 is one who fears the Lord.[/ctt]
I am acrophobic! Acrophobic comes from the Greek: ἄκρον, ákron root, meaning “peak, summit, edge” and φόβος, phóbos, which means “fear.” I have an irrational fear of the edge or precipice. I am not afraid of heights per say, but I am absolutely terrified of the edge of almost anything. Anytime I am more than two inches off the ground I get an uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach. It doesn’t matter if I walk upstairs in my own home, I can’t get near the railing and look over. It practically undoes me. I get the same feeling if I have to sit in the balcony area at church, or when I visited GTNP or the Grand Canyon. I have an unhealthy fear of the edge, and I am frightened by it. Is this the kind of fear the woman in Proverbs 31 has?
What does it mean to fear the Lord?
Moses exhorts the Israelites to get their hearts right in Deuteronomy 10, and we learn several things in the passage about the fear of the Lord.
“And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.” Deuteronomy 10:12
From this verse we four important things the Lord requires of us.
Fear God – We often think of fear as being afraid, but we are not to be afraid of the Lord. Fearing God doesn’t mean that we should be scared of God, instead of the meaning of fear in these verses is awe and amazement of the Lord. We should stand in wonder toward the Lord with respect and honor! Our God is truly awesome! Because He is awesome, we are to be bold in our faith. In fact, in 2 Timothy we learn that we are not to have a spirit of fear. “I have not given you a spirit of fear but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” 2 Timothy 1:7
Walk in His ways – We are to walk humbly with God. Micah 6:8 says that “He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” God despises the proud and the haughty. He wants us to be in constant communication with Him as we go about our daily life. When we spend time with Him and in His word, he shows us what to do and where to go. “Your word is a lamp to my feet and light to my path.” -Psalm 119:105
Love Him – “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.” – Deuteronomy 6:5 God loves us so much that He sent His one and only son to die for us, and in return, He wants our love. He doesn’t require it of us, but his hearts delights in our affection for Him.
Keep His Commands – Do what He tells you to do and follow His commands. Just like it pleases us when our children obey us, God wants us to listen and follow Him.
What else does the Bible say about the fear of the Lord?
In the book of Proverbs, we learn that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.
“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.” Proverbs 9:10
“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever!” -Psalm 111:10
When we combine our knowledge of the things of God, with wisdom we apply God’s word to our lives. We will have a healthy fear of the Lord. We will see Him as a loving Father that we do not want to disappoint, but we will also stand in amazement of who He is. If we want to be truly beautiful and praiseworthy Christian women, then we should begin by standing in awe of God.
If we want to be truly beautiful and praiseworthy Christian women, then we should begin by spending more time in the Word of God, and devote our lives to prayer and praise Jesus.
Recently, I had a pretty major surgery and woke up groggy and hurting in the hospital bed. My nurse handed me a morphine pump for pain. Anytime I began to experience any pain I could push the button and get relief. As I laid in my hospital bed unable to move, I played praise and worship music and prayed continuously to God.
Later, I began to think of all the times in my life when I cried out to Jesus for rescue. When I came to the end of myself and knew I needed a Savior, or when death came calling to those closest to me when I broke both of my arms or during the excruciating pain of childbirth. Many times in my life I have cried out to Jesus, and He has always been there to comfort me and guide me through the storms of life.
[ctt template=”2″ link=”118dX” via=”yes” ]There is something about times of pain that cause us to cry out to Jesus![/ctt]
David, who was a man after God’s own heart cried to God on many occasions. I especially like what we can learn from Psalm 86.
A Prayer of David. Incline your ear, O LORD, and answer me, for I am poor and needy. Preserve my life, for I am godly; save your servant, who trusts in you—you are my God. Be gracious to me, O Lord, for to you do I cry all the day. Gladden the soul of your servant, for to you, O Lord, do I lift up my soul. For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving, abounding in steadfast love to all who call upon you. Give ear, O LORD, to my prayer; listen to my plea for grace. In the day of my trouble I call upon you, for you answer me. – Psalm 86
In this prayer, David knows his spiritual condition and need, but He also knows the only one who can help him. He cries out to God for help because He knows God will answer Him because He knows that God loves Him and will forgive him.
As a mother, I want to protect my children from pain. I don’t ever want anything bad to happen to them, and I don’t want them to fail. My husband in his great wisdom, always tells me to let them make mistakes, to let them fail. My instincts as a mom are to protect my boys from harm and from pain.
[ctt template=”2″ link=”Eh0_I” via=”yes” ]If pain leads me to Jesus, then why would I want to keep my children from experiencing pain?[/ctt]
I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth. – 3 John 1:4
If the storms of life and suffering associated with them are what it takes to cause my boys to cry out to God and put their faith and trust in HIM in their time of need, as much as it breaks my mother’s heart I want the Lord to have His way with them.
I love the lyrics of Bring the Rain by Mercy Me. There is a stanza that says,
“Bring me joy, bring me peace
Bring the chance to be free
Bring me anything that brings You glory
And I know there’ll be days
When this life brings me pain
But if that’s what it takes to praise You
Jesus, bring the rain”
Whatever it takes Lord. Bring the Rain or the pain, just don’t leave me the same.
My eldest son Jacob graduates Magma Cum Laude from the Honors College at Houston Baptist University this May with a Pre-Law degree! I can’t believe how quickly time has flown. It seems like only yesterday he began college, and all those years of homeschooling are now a distant memory. Here he is pictured below the first week of school.
All incoming freshman have to wear their HBU beanie the first two weeks of school, and students in the Honors College must also wear a colored cape that Jacob decided to wear as an ascot. He looks so young in this picture. What a difference four years makes. Especially, when boy meets girl. Pictured below is Jacob and his fiancée Jane.
I can’t believe my baby is graduating from college and getting married!
My son,
As you graduate here are a few things I want you to know.
Follow the Lord with all your heart.
My prayer for you is Proverbs 3:5-6.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.
If you Trust God and have unwavering faith in Him, no matter what circumstances come your way in life He will show you what to do and where to go. Be sensitive to the work of the Holy Spirit in your life and allow God to direct your steps.
You are never alone.
Jesus is always with you, and he will never leave you nor forsake you. Your Dad and I will always love you and you will always be our little boy no matter how old you are.
Remember, that you are your brother’s keeper. God has given you a tremendous blessing as the firstborn son. Your brothers look up to you, never take that responsibility lightly.
Remember the Parable of the Faithful Servant found in Luke 12:48 ESV,
“Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required.”
Let wisdom be your guide. Always remember the instruction of your Father and the truth of Proverbs 4 that you memorized as a boy.
Hear, O sons, a father’s instruction, and be attentive, that you may gain insight, for I give you good precepts; do not forsake my teaching. When I was a son with my father, tender, the only one in the sight of my mother,he taught me and said to me, “Let your heart hold fast my words; keep my commandments, and live. Get wisdom; get insight;do not forget, and do not turn away from the words of my mouth.Do not forsake her, and she will keep you; love her, and she will guard you. The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom, and whatever you get, get insight. Prize her highly, and she will exalt you; she will honor you if you embrace her. She will place on your head a graceful garland; she will bestow on you a beautiful crown.”
Hear, my son, and accept my words, that the years of your life may be many. I have taught you the way of wisdom; I have led you in the paths of uprightness.
When you walk, your step will not be hampered, and if you run, you will not stumble.Keep hold of instruction; do not let go; guard her, for she is your life.
Do not enter the path of the wicked, and do not walk in the way of the evil. Avoid it; do not go on it; turn away from it and pass on.
For they cannot sleep unless they have done wrong; they are robbed of sleep unless they have made someone stumble. For they eat the bread of wickednessand drink the wine of violence.
But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day.The way of the wicked is like deep darkness they do not know over what they stumble. My son, be attentive to my words; incline your ear to my sayings. Let them not escape from your sight; keep them within your heart. For they are life to those who find them, and healing to all their flesh.
Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life. Put away from you crooked speech, and put devious talk far from you. Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you. Ponder the path of your feet; then all your ways will be sure. Do not swerve to the right or to the left;turn your foot away from evil.
Let Love be your Guide.
Follow the Golden rule and always be kind and loving. Treat others the way you want to be treated. Even when others are not kind to you. Love the Lord with all your heart and love others, because that is why we are here.
And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.This is the great and first commandment.And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” – Matthew 22:37-40 ESV
Son, know the Lord has a special plan for your life that only you can fulfill. If you seek Him, You will find Him, and He will be your guiding light all throughout your life. I look forward to this next season in life and I pray that you will live an abundant life with all that the Lord has for you!
On April 9th, my first devotion for Philanthropy Fashion was published on their website Philanthropy Fashion Blog. I would like to share it with you here today in case you missed it. See my original post on Hope for the Future at PhilanthropyFashion.com and be sure to check out the rest of their site while you are you there!
“Each of us has a capacity for God and an ability to relate to him in a personal way. When we do, he brings to us pardon for the past, peace for the present, and a promise for the future.” – Ralph Bell
Whenever life doesn’t seem fair, remember God doesn’t miss a thing! He sees everything that we go through. He knows each detail of our lives. Trust Him. His plan for you is good. Aren’t you so glad that we can believe that the Lord has good plans for us? He declares to us in Jeremiah 29:11 that we have hope.
Jeremiah 29:11 ESV – “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”
[ctt template=”2″ link=”cxv20″ via=”yes” ]Our hope comes when we put our faith and trust in Jesus.[/ctt]
In the book of Matthew, Jesus invites us to come to Him.
“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” – Matthew 11:28-30
Jesus begins with an invitation, and He invites us to come to him. He wants us to know Him. He desires a personal relationship with us because he loves us. As we come to Jesus weary and heavy laden with the problems of our world and with the guilt of sin, we exchange our burdens for the gracious gifts of a loving Savior. When we confess our sins and cast our cares upon Him, we trade that heavy weight of sin for love, peace, forgiveness, grace, hope, and all of the gifts of the Spirit. This exchange makes our burden light. In Jesus, we have peace and rest for our weary souls because of what He did for us on the cross of Calvary.
As we approach Easter, it is my prayer that you will draw near to Jesus and experience afresh his great love for you. If you do not know Jesus as your personal Savior, that you would humble yourself before Him and embrace His Great love for you. Cast the cares of this world and the weight of sin at the foot of the cross. Let the blood of Jesus cleanse you from sin so that you may walk in the newness of life that Christ freely offers.
For those of you who are believers, my prayer for you is that your love for your Savior would grow stronger each day. I pray that you would hunger and thirst for Jesus like you never have before and that you would pursue Him with renewed passion. As you fall more in love with Jesus that you would pour out the love of our Savior on those all around you who so desperately need Him.
Praise the Lord that when we place our faith and trust in Him, we have the hope of everlasting life, and because of that we have a bright hope and a future.
One of the things that drew me to Philanthropy besides the obvious things—the great people working at their stores, the beautiful clothes and their unique style—was that they were a retail company that has a mission for prayer and to change people’s lives. Philanthropy considers it a privilege to intercede on behalf of those who cross their paths and is evidenced by the prayer chapels in each store.
As Christian believers, we are to live a life of prayer. It is our joy and honor to pray for others and is an important part of our Christian life. In the Old Testament, only the High Priest was able to enter the Holy of Holies, the inner sanctuary where the presence of God dwelt in Tabernacle.
We now have direct access to God the Father since Jesus tore the veil. We can talk to God like we talk to our friends. Anywhere. Anytime. We have direct access to the same God who spoke the world into existence, and yet He is the same God that knew us in our Mother’s womb and numbers every hair on our head.
Not only did Jesus make way for us to have direct access to communicate to God the Father, but he also modeled for us on several occasions how to prayer. Prayer was an important part of Jesus’ life, and it should be an important part of our life as well.
Throughout the book of Luke, Jesus gives us several examples of prayer. Let’s take a look at some of those examples.
What a beautiful picture we see here as Jesus prays and the heavens opened. When Jesus is baptized, and the Holy Spirit descends upon him in Luke 3:21-22 ESV we see Jesus is praying.
“Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heavens were opened, and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form, like a dove; and a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” – Luke 3:21-22 ESV
The night before Jesus called the disciples, Luke says that Jesus prayed all night to God.
“In these days he went out to the mountain to pray, and all night he continued in prayer to God.” – Luke 6:12 ESV
From this, we learn that when Jesus had an important decision to make, he committed his decision to prayer. We can learn from His example, and when we have difficult decisions to make we should also commit them to prayer, even praying all night if necessary.
In Luke 9:18 Jesus prays alone as he was with the disciples, and He asks them”Who do the crowds say I am?” They answer, with various answers like John the Baptist, Elijah, or a prophet of old, but Peter confesses Jesus as Christ. Jesus was in constant communication with the Father, even when he was with others.
Later in that same chapter of Luke in verse 28, we see the Transfiguration of the Lord. As Jesus prays “the appearance of his face was altered, and his clothing became dazzling white.” The glory of God changed the countenance of Jesus, and it will transform us too! Spending time in prayer and praise changes our whole demeanor.
Finally, in Luke 11, one of his disciples asks Jesus to teach us how to pray. Jesus responds with what we now know as the Lord’s Prayer by giving us the Lord’s Prayer in Luke 11:3-4 (below in the ESV)
“Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread, and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation.”
Jesus’ example to us was, to begin with, praise to the Father. Acknowledge His will and His Kingdom, and to ask God for our daily provision. We should ask for the forgiveness of our sins and forgive others who sin against us. Finally, leading us not to temptation.
Prayer was important to Jesus, and prayer should be important to us too! If you have a prayer request, you may leave it below, or just leave your name or a word. God intimately knows your situation, and we would be honored to pray for you.
How was your weekend? We had a Blessed Easter Weekend, celebrating Easter with a fantastic church service followed by a relaxing day of fellowship with family.
We experienced great praise and worship in the service and our Pastor shared about the resurrection from Matthew 28. Jesus is the resurrected Savior who overcame death, hell, sin, and the grave!
“Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, as he said.” Matthew 28:5-6 ESV
Easter is over, what’s next?
After we celebrate Easter and put away our church clothes and Easter baskets, what’s next? We just experienced an amazing holiday celebration. So now what? Do we just go on with life, business as usual? If we continue reading in Matthew 28, we find the answer. Matthew 28:1-10 we learn about the resurrection and the following verses 11-15 are about the report from the guard. The chapter closes out the first book of the New Testament with the Great Commission. So what do we do next? We tell others about Jesus and make disciples.
We are to tell others about Jesus!
“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:11-15 ESV
After conquering death, hell, and the grave, all authority in heaven and on earth was given to Jesus! After the resurrection, the first thing Jesus says is for us to tell others about him and make disciples of all nations. Once we tell people about him, and they accept him as Lord and Savior, then we are to teach them to follow his commands and baptize them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Jesus concludes that passage by telling us that he is always with us, even to the end of the age.
We are blessed with the gift of the Holy Spirit. We are given the Holy Spirit to comfort us and guide us through life. No matter where we go we have access to the throne of God the Father, because of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, and the gift of the Holy Spirit. If we are sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit, we will have opportunities to share the love of Jesus Christ with others. Find out what happened with my divine interruption Mastermind Group Interrupted by Divine Appointment.
Now that we have experienced the great love and forgiveness of Jesus, we should tell as many as we can about the good news of Jesus Christ. I recently wrote about an experience my friend had in Why didn’t anyone ever tell me about Jesus?
Here are some simple ways to share the love of Christ with others:
Begin with Prayer. Pray about who you can witness to, and how you can show them, love. Make sure to be sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit. Maybe you can invite friends or neighbors to church or Bible Study. Offer to pray for those you know at work or school who are hurting.
Look for opportunities to do random acts of kindness. Live aware of those around you, and look for opportunities to bless. Karen Ehman in Listen, Love, Repeat! calls these “heart drops,” when we have the chance to see into the heart of those around us.
This week I challenge you to share the love of Christ. Leave a comment below and share some other ways that we can share the love of Jesus Christ with those around us.
Remember what looks like defeat on Friday is Victory on Sunday!
Praise Jesus! The sinless spotless lamb suffered for our sin and shame and was obedient unto to death on the cross so that we could be reconciled to the Father!
Have you heard of a Mastermind group? Until I went to She Speaks last year, I had no idea what a Mastermind group even was, but I had a close friend who said we need to start a one. So we did.
The concept of a Mastermind group came from Napoleon Hill’s book written in the early 1900’s Think and Grow Rich. He defined it as, “The coordination of knowledge and effort of two or more people, who work toward a definite purpose, in the spirit of harmony.”
Upon returning from She Speaks 2016, we formed our group for the purpose of holding each other accountable in our writing and pursuit of ministry. Almost immediately after starting our group, God began shaking things up in our midst. Currently, there are three of us who meet every other week to encourage one another, pray for one another, and help each other with our blogs and ministries. We have been praying about hosting a Women’s event this fall, and we are diligently seeking what needs we can meet. We typically meet at my house every other Friday morning, but this week there was a conflict, so we decided to meet up at a restaurant on Thursday evening.
[ctt template=”2″ link=”lh_F5″ via=”yes” ]We thought we were going there to meet up and encourage each other, but God had other plans.[/ctt]
As we finished our food and began our meeting time together, a young boy politely interrupted us and asked if we could help his family. He told us that they were homeless and were trying to gather enough money to get a room.
As we dug into our wallets to for money, my friend pulled out a twenty dollar bill and handed to the boy. The boy tried to give it back to her—he thought she made a mistake, but the look on his face said that he didn’t think he felt worthy of twenty dollars. He tried to take off, but my other friend and I were pulling money out of our wallets to give to him. We stopped him and inquired where his momma was and told him we wanted to pray for them. We watched as he ran across the parking lot to a parked car. The woman and her two young boys cautiously drove back to the front of the restaurant not knowing what to expect.
This wasn’t the first time they had gone into
the restaurant begging for money.
We went to out to pray and proceeded to spend the next couple of hours outside the car, getting to know this woman’s heart, declaring the truth of God’s love for her and her precious children parked right in front of the restaurant. We proclaimed God’s love for them, encouraged and prayed for them, and gave them hope. They had a Bible in the backseat, and my friend shared some verses with the boys. While she was talking to the kids and looking up scriptures, I spoke to the mom.
I cannot adequately describe to you what happened in that parking lot, but what I can tell you is that it was a divine appointment.
For a few moments, time stood still, the sky broke open, and heaven came down. I am still trying to process it all myself. I am humbled that the Lord interrupted our plans to do “big things for him.” God showed us what really matters. Love Him, love others, and tell as many people as we can what Jesus Christ has done for us.
I don’t know if I will ever see that woman or her children again, but I know that I will never be the same.
[ctt template=”2″ link=”UD9b7″ via=”yes” ]The world is full of lost and hurting people if we are sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit we can be a conduit of love and hope.[/ctt]
Lord, rescue us from our mundane lives. Break our hearts for what breaks yours! Help us to live aware of others and be sensitive to their needs. Help us to pray in parking lots, and grocery stores, and neighborhoods, and wherever there is a need. Equip us with love and compassion for the needy and give us opportunities to put your love into action.
Friends, will you join me in praying for a transformative change to take place in the hearts and lives of this woman and her boys through the power of the cross? And for the untold numbers of people like her who need a touch from God, who need to know there is hope, and that they are loved.
As we approach Easter weekend, let us be ever mindful of those who are lost and need to know the hope that lies within us. I want to leave you with two new songs from Elevation Worship, Fullness and Mighty Cross. As we prepare our hearts to celebrate the death, burial and resurrection of our Lord, may these videos bless you as much as they have blessed me this week!
When you walk, your step will not be hampered, 
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