Oct 27

cookie?

Oct 26

sharpening the skills…

“Sharpened skills are an effective tool in the hand of God. He wants to use you to your full potential. Your activities and work will produce more lasting results when you take the time to hone your skills. God wants to use your life to cut through life’s issues like a sharp knife slicing through a juicy ripe tomato. Submitted skills fulfill His will.” Boyd Bailey

“Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15).

God expects us to do our best; to work ‘as unto the Lord’. So how do we do that?

“As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another” (Proverbs 27:17).

Like-minded friends seem to be a key. Sharing what God is doing in your life – and being encouraged and held accountable.

The main tool to use for the sharpening is the Word of God. Memorizing and meditating on Scripture?

Here are a few questions to think about:
A. D0 I see my work as a gift from God?
B. Do I do my work as unto the Lord?
C. Am I showing excellence and diligence in my work?
D. What three work relationships need more time?
E. Do I view my work as a job or a calling?

Oct 25

My rose-colored glasses

Straight from Wikipedia -(idiomatic) An optimistic perception of something; a positive opinion; seeing something in a positive way, often thinking of it as better than it actually is.

While at the beach, I realized that I needed some sunglasses if I was going to read at the pool. The ones I chose had a pink tint – and I like that. They are also polarized, which is fabulous!  They made it easy to read, easy to see to drive, overall happiness.

Here’s what ‘they say’ about rose tinting

  • Rose/Red: Rosy tints increase contrast by blocking blue light. These tints have a reputation of being soothing to the eyes and more comfortable than others for longer wear-times. They also help with visibility while driving, and seem to be a favorite among computer users as they reduce glare and eyestrain.

At the end of last week, I did quite a bit of driving. At this time of year the fall colors are beautiful – and I was on some stretches of interstate with lots of opportunity to see the trees. It was really nice!

THEN – I took off my rose-colored glasses. Guess what? The colors were not all that vibrant! With the glasses I was seeing lots of bright red and orange and yellow. Without the glasses – not so much.

Thinking back to Charles T. Carter’s annual “Come Before Winter” sermon, autumn is where the leaves show their true colors. During summer months, the color is masked by green chlorophyll. As it disappears, the true colors emerge. (Dr. Carter is the interim pastor at FBC, Alabaster – and will be preaching this sermon for the 43rd consecutive year. The text is II Timothy 4:9, 21. It focuses on “the beauty and brevity of life’s passing opportunities”.) This is really a great reminder to do what needs to be done without delay or hesitation – just obey. But that’s not the rabbit I’m chasing…

SO – am I seeing the true perspective (and the color I want to see) or am I skewing my view to be more optimistic of the circumstances or situation? Do I want to see from His perspective? Or am I content and comfortable seeing what I want to see?

Col 3:1-4 The Message
So if you’re serious about living this new resurrection life with Christ, act like it. Pursue the things over which Christ presides. Don’t shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you. Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ—that’s where the action is. See things from his perspective. Your old life is dead. Your new life, which is your real life—even though invisible to spectators—is with Christ in God. He is your life. When Christ (your real life, remember) shows up again on this earth, you’ll show up, too—the real you, the glorious you. Meanwhile, be content with obscurity, like Christ.

Oct 24

Book Review: A Century Turns by William J. Bennett

I’ve had this book to review for quite a while, and to be honest it’s been a struggle to read. I picked it on booksneeze.com because it sounded like it might be an interesting perspective on the past couple of decades. Bennett takes the years 1998-2008 and gives his perspective on them. However, reading through the last twenty years of history is no more encouraging or positive than living through it! That is unfortunate.

Bennett picks up the history trail in 1998 with the Clinton years. He covers the political and cultural changes over the next twenty years. This includes the technology boom of the 90s, the war of terror, the changing political face of world governments and Communism, and the election of the first black President of the United States.

While I didn’t really enjoy reading this book, it is not the fault of the author but the content that I didn’t like. Although I can’t endorse the enjoyment factor for A Century Turns, Bennett does a good job of presenting the history of these two decades and their importance in our country’s legacy.

Oct 22

boy & 4 girlfriends

As I was skimming through Google Reader this morning, as I do most days – this caught my eye. I almost didn’t read it, but it’s one of those that made me stop and think. I’ve copied it below – read it and let me know what you think. It’s intriguing to me, but I don’t have any solid thoughts to share about it yet.

Once upon a time there was a boy who had four girlfriends.

He loved the 4th girlfriend the most and adorn her with rich robes and treated her to the finest of delicacies. He gave her nothing but the best.

He also loved the 3rd girlfriend very much and was always showing her off to neighboring kingdoms. However, he feared that one day she would leave him for another.

He also loved his 2nd girlfriend. She was his confidant and was always kind, considerate and patient with him. Whenever this boy faced a problem, he could confide in her, and she would help him get through the difficult times.

The boy’s 1st girlfriend was a very loyal partner and had made great contributions in maintaining his wealth and kingdom. However, he did not love the first girlfriend. Although she loved him deeply, he hardly took notice of her.

One day, the boy fell ill and he knew his time was short. He thought of his luxurious life and wondered, “I now have four girlfriends with me, but when I die, I’ll be all alone.”

Thus, he asked the 4th girlfriend, “I loved you the most, endowed you with the finest clothing and showered great care over you. Now that I’m dying, will you follow me and keep me company?”

‘No way!’, replied the 4th girlfriend, and she walked away without another word.

Her answer cut like a sharp knife right into his heart.

The sad boy then asked the 3rd girlfriend, “I loved you all my life. Now that I’m dying, will you follow me and keep me company?’

‘No!’, replied the 3rd girlfriend. ‘Life is too good! When you die, I’m going to marry someone else!’

His heart sank and turned cold.

He then asked the 2nd girlfriend, ‘I have always turned to you for help and you’ve always been there for me. When I die, will you follow me and keep me company?’

‘I’m sorry, I can’t help you out this time!’, replied the 2nd girlfriend. ‘At the very most, I can only walk with you to your grave.’

Her answer struck him like a bolt of lightning, and the boy was devastated.

Then a voice called out: ‘I’ll go with you. I’ll follow you no matter where you go.’ The boy looked up, and there was his first girlfriend. She was very skinny as she suffered from malnutrition and neglect.

Greatly grieved, the boy said, ‘I should have taken much better care of you when I had the chance!’

In truth, we each have 4 girlfriends in our lives:

Our 4th girlfriend is our body. No matter how much time and effort we lavish in making it look good, it will leave us when we die.

Our 3rd girlfriend is your possessions, status and wealth. When you die, it will all go to others.

Your 2nd girlfriend is our family and friends. No matter how much they have been there for us, the furthest they can stay by us is up to the grave.

And our 1st girlfriend is our Soul, often neglected in pursuit of wealth, power and pleasures of the world. However, our Soul is the only thing that will follow us where ever we go. Cultivate, strengthen and cherish it now, for it is the only part of you that will follow you to the throne of God and continue with you throughout Eternity.

“For we know that if the earthly tent which is our house is torn down, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For indeed in this house we groan, longing to be clothed with our dwelling from heaven; inasmuch as we, having put it on, shall not be found naked. For indeed while we are in this tent, we groan, being burdened, because we do not want to be unclothed, but to be clothed, in order that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life.” 2 Corinthians 5:1-4

Oct 20

His Presence

“Lord, send me anywhere, only go with me. Lay any burden on me, only sustain me. Sever any ties but the tie that binds me to your service and to your heart.” — David Livingstone

God is omnipresent. It’s one of His attributes. There’s a great sermon about this if you want to listen to it. 🙂 It’s had me thinking about God being with me all the time. The omniscient attribute ties in here too. It really just blows my mind that God is not defined in any way we can measure – and that includes time. He IS with me when I was a child, and now, and on my deathbed. Amazing! And comforting!

Exodus 33:14-15(two different Bible versions)

“The Lord replied, ‘My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.’ Then Moses said to him, ‘If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here.'” (NIV)

“God said, ‘My presence will go with you. I’ll see the journey to the end.’ Moses said, ‘If your presence doesn’t take the lead here, call this trip off right now…'” (MSG)

Oct 20

humor? a legacy

A college student at a recent football game challenged a senior citizen sitting next to him, saying it was impossible for their generation to understand his.

“You grew up in a different world,” the student said loud enough for the whole crowd to hear. “Today we have television, jet planes, space travel, man has walked on the moon, our spaceships have visited Mars, we even have nuclear energy, electric and hydrogen cars, computers with light-speed processing … and uh….”

Taking advantage of a pause in the student’s litany, the old geezer said, “You’re right. We didn’t have those things when we were young; so we invented them, you little twit! What are YOU doing for the next generation?”

Oct 19

Book Review: Outlive Your Life

I’ve been reading Max Lucado’s latest book – Outlive Your Life. In the same style I’ve appreciated in his previous books, Lucado gives a powerful message in short, easy to read chapters. However, the message is NOT easy to digest. I’ve found myself reading back over a chapter instead of moving on through the book. Images of injustice and poverty in our world are not pretty to see, but if we are to follow the leadership of Christ, we must be see the world with a broader perspective than our own. We must see the world through God’s eyes. We need to hear the cries of hungry children and women bound in human trafficking to be moved to do something, and not wander through life in our selfish little world.

In the same vein as Stearns’ Hope in the Gospel, the message of this book is huge and life-changing if you let it be. The idea is that you can be a part of something bigger than yourself through the Gospel. It’s amazing powerful message allows us – as human beings – to be part of God’s master plan. There are people working to share the Gospel with those who are hungry and enslaved around the world. Will we join them or stay sheltered in our world of plenty?

Thanks to Thomas Nelson and BookSneeze for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

Oct 18

a modern day Proverbs 31 lady

Do you have any Godly Mentors in your life? I’m blessed to have several. Some for a season, others for longer periods of my life. For lots of girls, their mothers and grandmothers and aunts fit the bill. Other women come in at transitional times of life – like marriage, children, moving to a new city, health issues, etc..

I follow the blog of a woman who seems crazy to me. She’s taking the Proverbs 31 thing literally for the next year! You can read more about the experiment here, but below is what she says about it…

This means, among other things,  rising before dawn each day (Proverbs 31:15), submitting to my husband (Colossians 3:18), growing out my hair (1 Corinthians 11:15), making my own clothes, (Proverbs 31:22),  learning how to cook (Titus 2:3-5), covering my head when in prayer (1 Corinthians 11:5), calling Dan “master” (1 Peter 3:5-6), caring for the poor (Proverbs 31:25), nurturing a gentle and quiet spirit (1 Peter 3:4), and camping out in the backyard for the duration of my monthly period (Leviticus 15:19-33).

I say ‘Good Luck’ with that! In my opinion, Proverbs 31 is a model for us as women – that is to be adapted to our own culture. This women needed to know how to cook and sew and was married – that doesn’t fit all women in my culture. After all, they didn’t have shopping malls and drive-thru’s, right?

One of my favorite people is a great example to me of being a modern-day Proverbs 31 woman. She will object to this comparison – which makes it all the more appropriate. 🙂 Now, she’s not perfect – but she has consistently been a godly influence in my life for many years. I met her when I was in transition from high school to college – from small town to Birmingham, from knowing my role in life to a wide open world full of choices and opportunities. She was first my boss – and I can thank her for a second chance and for giving me a challenging project that saved my job. She and her family gave me a home-away-from-home on more than one occasion – I was their college kid ‘moocher’ before there was ever a program like that a Shades – I went to their home to do laundry, to play games, to eat, to laugh and relax, and to sleep when the dorm was closed! She drove me home when I was sick and let me wear her yellow sweater when I was cold. She shared her life with me – personal family issues, church blessings from Shades, health concerns, and a love that truly cared about ME! We’ve been Bible study partners and discussed some deep issues. I’ve always known that I could count on her love and wise counsel and especially her prayers! I’ve observed and experienced God’s love in and through her life for almost 30 years.

Happy Birthday to my mentor, my prayer warrior, and my friend! I’m not her biological child, but I will claim to be one of her ‘kids’ and I’ll rise up and call her ‘blessed’. I love you Olivia!!!

Oct 15

Adam’s Disease

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.” 1 John 1:9-10 (NIV)

This post taken from Proverbs31 by Rachel Olsen

I remember the day I realized I have Adam’s Disease. It took me awhile to notice—in fact, most people with this debilitating condition don’t ever recognize it. But the best doctor I know pointed out its symptoms, and though I hated to admit it, I’ve frequently displayed them. Could it possibly affect you as well?

Adam’s Disease is an insidious condition that interferes with the patient’s ability to grow. It does this by preventing the patient from admitting and taking responsibility for their sin. Take a look at the first confirmed case:

Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden. But the LORD God called to the man, “Where are you?”

He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.”

And he said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?”

The man said, “The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.” (Genesis 3:8-12, NIV)

What we have here is a textbook case of acknowledgement-avoidance and blame-shifting. Classic traits of Adam’s Disease.

Adam hid because he sinned. He did the very thing God personally commanded him not to, and he knew it. He ate the fruit. He held it to his mouth, bit in, chewed, felt the juice dripping from his chin—and then his eyes were opened. Opened to what he had done, and opened to how miserable it feels to disconnect from God.

Trying to change the subject and avoid talking about his sin, Adam said he was hiding because he was naked. Nakedness … a lesser offense. A problem, not a sin. A state that wasn’t really his fault. After all, he didn’t make himself naked. God did.

And that’s where the second most prominent feature of Adam’s Disease kicks in: blame-shifting. After trying to minimize the severity of their sin, the patient enters a frenzied state of denial and begins casting blame. He searches for a scapegoat. God will do; other people work even better, particularly those who are not without sin either. So the patient shifts attention away from themself by leveling accusations (no matter how old) on others.

If those of us suffering from Adam’s Disease are skilled orators or experienced arguers, these tactics often work for us. The problem is, we walk away from the confrontation feeling victorious rather than convicted. We actually talk ourselves into feeling self-righteous after sinning.

However, without conviction there is no repentance. Without repentance, there is no grace to change. Without change, there is no growth. Only future sins to be committed, glossed over, denied and forgotten. And in the process we don’t realize how miserable we truly are – how sick our souls become.

The doctor that pointed all this out to me, the Great Physician, said He could heal me of this disease if I would come to Him with a humble heart, confess and be cleansed. He showed me that confessing my sin rather than concealing it would set me free. And He showed me it will not hurt to say, “I’m sorry.”

For those outside the faith, Adam’s Disease is fatal. For followers of Christ, it is completely curable. So, could it be you? Could you suffer with this tendency too? My best girlfriend advice – make an appointment with your Great Physician for a check-up today.