God has used my writing this week to speak to me and help me work through letting go of some things. For example, my many devotion email subscriptions. As I shared with you in my last blog post I recently had COVID. One of the lingering symptoms for me has been what is called COVID brain fog. I am still struggling with focusing or concentrating for long periods of time. As I have gotten back into my morning devotion routine I have continued to have difficulty reading all the devotions that I usually read. For several weeks I felt guilty that I wasn’t able to get it all read. However, this week God has reminded me that He doesn’t have a prescribed formula that He expects for our time together. Those expectations were made by me and God’s love for me is not based on how many devotions I read every day. In the song we have be breaking apart this week, “Truth Be Told”, Matthew West sings, “Can I really stand here unashamed knowin’ that your love for me won’t change? Oh God if that’s really true then let the truth be told.” Romans 5:8 says, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” NIV

As I said, I receive many devotional emails. Over time I have kept adding more and more. My unread emails have accumulated over the last few weeks and sometimes have reached over 100 in my primary email. That causes me to be anxious when I look at my phone and see all those unread emails. Through my writing this week, God has allowed me to let go and get back to the basics. So tomorrow when I am able to sit and study a little longer, I will also set time aside to go through all of my emails and unsubscribe to most of them. I am still praying about which ones to let go of but I know I have to cut my list significantly. The point is I had to be open to God telling me the truth this week. I had to be open and listen.

How about you? Is there an area of your life that God is speaking to you about? Are you looking at other’s lives and making expectations for how your life should look? Is God wanting you to open your eyes and heart for the truth to be told? Today I encourage you to find a time that you can sit and listen to God. You don’t need a devotion book or email for this time. Just go back to the basics of just you and God. Be still and quiet and allow God to speak the truth to you. 

Below is a list of most of the devotionals I receive each day. All of them are wonderful. Maybe one of them is just what you are looking for.

First Things First by Christine Caine

Proverbs 31 Ministries

Daily Hope with Rick Warren

Devotional Daily

Girlfriends in God

Steven Furtick 1 minute motivation

Chocolate & God

Tony Evans

Promise: a declaration or assurance that one will do a particular thing or that a particular thing will happen.

Last week Julie encouraged us to carry God’s promises in our pocket. This week I have shared some of the many promises of God. The Bible is full of promises. In fact if you Google “scripture about promises” you will have a list of many sites to refer to. However, sometimes there are those instances when you just don’t know what to say or pray. In those trying times, there is one promise that I have learned to always turn to.

“In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.” Romans 8:26

What a comforting promise. Can’t you just imagine it? When we are at a loss for words, the Holy Spirit groans on our behalf! The Holy Spirit intercedes for you and me! The Holy Spirit helps uswhen we don’t even know how to help ourselves!

I have to admit, this scripture has been the promise I needed this week. My family and I have been battling with COVID over the last couple weeks. Praise God that our symptoms have overall been minor. But there were moments that I felt overwhelmed and worried and unsure of what to pray. Actually some of the symptoms I have had the hardest time with are low energy level and what is being called “COVID brain fog.” I am having trouble getting going in the mornings and concentrating which has made my devotion time routine rather non-existent. As I have shared before, my morning devotion is the glue that holds me together. So this last week it was a struggle for me to even write for my daily posts. Each of these days when I wasn’t sure what to say to you, the Holy Spirit interceded for me and groaned on my behalf. God gave me the inspiration and Julie has been so helpful! I have been writing my posts in the evening and sending it to her and she posted for me each morning. What a blessing and an answer to the prayers I didn’t know how or what to pray! 

What’s going on in your world today? Do you find yourself at a loss of words for your current situation? Do you feel like you don’t know what to say? I encourage you to make Romans 8:26 one of the promises you put in your pocket. Spend some time today memorizing it and committing it to memory. Then call on this promise whenever you find you are at a loss for words.

I must admit, I am not always so flexible. In fact, this week I found it hard to write about being flexible because I was stepping on my own toes. Sometimes instead of being open to being flexible, I am grumpy and resistant. Recently I have had a life lesson on being flexible. 

As I have shared before, my devotion time in the mornings is sacred time. I love getting up early, before everyone else, to pray, study and share with God. Over the last couple months my daily routine seemed to be lacking the same passion, focus, and zeal as usual. I couldn’t really say why, but my morning time was lacking something and left me feeling like I was not as close to God as I wanted. However, in the last 2 weeks my routine has been turned upside down.  Over Christmas a new puppy was an addition to our family. So in the mornings when I would come out of my room to get my coffee and have my devotion time, the puppy would hear me, whine and then be in the room with me and Abby (our Yorkie). Needless to say, I spent my usual quiet time being a referee and never could settle down to study and pray. Not having my quiet time made me grumpy! After a few days of this chaos, Clark suggested I just give up and sleep later instead of getting up so early since I wasn’t getting to have my time. But I wasn’t ready to give up completely. Instead, I prayed for God to lead me in ways I could be flexible. What could I do to ensure quiet, alone time? God told me I needed to think outside of the box. So the picture from today’s blog is my current devotion spot.  I now tiptoe to the kitchen to get my coffee and then retreat to my closet. While this spot is not beautiful nor is the seating ideal, it is now a sacred spot for me. This is where God and I meet each morning. 

In his book Win the Day, Mark Batterson says, “The key to sustained growth in any area of our lives is routine, but once the routine becomes routine, you have to reinvent the routine.” I had to be flexible and open to change and because I was, my morning routine has been rejuvenated! 

This week, as I have prayed and read scripture about the word flexible, I often came upon Romans 12:2, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is-his good, pleasing and perfect will.”  And here I am back at my word of the year, transform.  So as I learn and grow in regards to my word “transform”, I must be flexible. 

How about you? Do you have a routine that has become too routine? Do you have a routine that needs to be transformed? Are you being open and flexible? Is your flexibility allowing God to reinvent your routines?

Transform: (verb) make a thorough or dramatic change in the form, appearance, or character of

This year makes the 5th year Julie and I have chosen a word of the year.  For us it all began after we had been choosing a word of the day for a while and thought  a word of the year would encourage us to be even more intentional over a longer period of time.  This week I shared my previous words of the year; joy, hospitality, intention, and impact.  I found it even more difficult to settle on my word this year and I accumulated a list of possible words over the last few weeks. In fact, a few weeks ago I shared on a live video that I thought I knew what my word would be for 2021 and actually that was only the first of five words I wrote down before arriving at the word transform.Perhaps I just perceived it as difficult, but actually it was the process God needed me to go through to be prepared for the word transform. The list of words actually became my God wink for the scripture God led me to for affirmation of the word transform: listen, pilgrimage, unselfish, generous, willingness.

“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.  Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is-his good, pleasing and perfect will.”             Romans 12:2 NIV

Please take a moment to read the entire chapter of Romans 12 to see the surrounding verses that confirmed my word for me.  Those verses embody listen, pilgrimage, unselfish, generous, and willingness.  In other words, all of those words support being transformed. 

God has laid upon my heart that with His guidance I must transform myself, my family, my home, and my work.  God will lead me in transforming myself physically, spiritually and in relationships.  I am excited and nervous to see where God leads me, one day at a time. 

How about you? Have you chosen a word to shape and guide 2021? If not, it isn’t too late. You can choose a word at any point. Just this week a dear friend lent me the book One Word (that will change your life) by Jon Gordon, Dan Britton, and Jimmy Page.  The book is a quick read and is a guide to choosing a word of the year. I have recently began listening to Jon Gordon’s podcast “Positive University” which has been of great encouragement to me and heard him talk about his process for choosing a word of the year. 

If you have already chosen a word for 2021 and would like to share it for accountability, please reach out to Julie or me in the next week.  I currently have a list of those of you who shared with us for 2020 and will be in touch with you to see if you have a new word on your heart. 

Today is the first day in the year 2021. We have a blank slate to write on! As you probably know, I love Disney World. One of the older attractions is The Carousel of Progress at the Magic Kingdom. The theme song from the ride is one of my favorites:“There’s a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow”. Click the link below and take a moment to listen to the words of the song. Let’s allow God to lead and guide us into our new year. I plan to be transformed! What word will be your guide?

https://youtu.be/20FcZDAIAO8

#love #waterwalkinggirls

All week we have explored love: Christ as love in human form, acting in love, showing others you are a Christian by your love, allowing love to bind us with other Christians, and loving ourselves. Now comes the hard part…love your enemies.

Do you think you have enemies? Often we think of enemies on a grander scale such as countries that are at war or groups who battle one another.  An enemy is a person who is actively opposed or hostile to someone or something. Hostile means unfriendly. Now think again…do you have enemies?  I want you to choose one of your enemies and specifically have him/her on your mind as you continue to read. 

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.’” Matthew 5:43-44 

Jesus spoke these words as part of His “Sermon on the Mount” which occurs in the Bible just after He returned from His 40 days and nights in the wilderness and time of temptation.  Now think about your interactions with your “enemy”. When do they occur? Where do they occur? Often times we receive our greatest opposition from others when we are doing something for good with the purest of intentions.  Now think about what may be causing that person’s hostility towards you? Is there something you have done that you need to rectify? Or is thepushback initiated solely by your enemy?  In a Beth Moore Bible study I once participated in, she called someone who is actively opposed to you a sandpaper person.  A sandpaper person is someone who may be abrasive and rubs you the wrong way. By definition sandpaper has a thick, abrasive surface and is used to smooth and polish. Aha! That’s how we should treat our sandpaper person, aka our enemy. We should allow our interactions with our enemy to help smooth and polish us into being more like Christ. How can we do that?1) “Kill ‘em with kindness,” as my Uncle Archie used to say.  Whenever we are around our enemy/sandpaper person we should be extra nice. Let’s not match the hostility with more hostility but go above and beyond to be nice to the person.  However we must be aware that just because we are being nice does not mean that person will return our kindness.  In fact, our kindness may cause more opposition initially. Think now about your enemy and when you may encounter him/her again. How can you kill ‘em with kindess? What can you say or do that is kind instead of looking for something in that person/interaction to upset you? Do you need to change your attitude towards him/her?2) Don’t worry about opinions. In her book Girl Wash Your Face Rachel Hollis says, “Someone else’s opinion of you is none of your business.” People form opinions based on their own experiences, beliefs and fears.  In other words, don’t allow the opinions of others to cloud your focus or cause you to fear moving forward with your actions for good. Just be sure your actions reflect love.  Think about your enemy.  What could have caused him/her to oppose you in the beginning? Could he/she be insecure in an area you are confident and strong? What could be the true basis of your enemy’s opinion or the way your enemy feels? Be empathetic as you examine the perspective of your enemy. 3) Pray for your enemy. Be intentional about praying for your enemy. Every day circle your enemy’s name as you pray.  Pray for insight and wisdom.  Pray for your sandpaper person to feel God’s love through you. Most importantly and perhaps the hardest part, pray that God will work on your attitude and perspective towards your enemy.   As you pray, examine yourself.  What causes you to oppose your sandpaper person? How can your words and actions change to make your interactions with him/her be more Christ-like?

As you go about your day and weekend, be intentional about examining your relationship with your enemy. Plan how you will “kill ‘em with kindness.” Set aside time to pray specifically for your sandpaper person. Allow your rubbing interactions to push, stretch and smooth you as a Christian so that you may become more like Christ by being and instrument of love. Love your enemies!

#stillsmallvoice #waterwalkinggirls

If you have been a reader of our blogs for a while you may already know that I have a favorite character in the Old Testament. For various reasons I feel drawn to Elijah. Let me set the stage for today’s scripture. In 1 Kings 18, Elijah basically sets up a show down between God and the prophets of Baal. Guess who came out on top? Afterwards, Elijah predicts that there will be a heavy rain, which was a blessing on the land since there had been a 3 year drought. Then in Chapter 19 a turn of events causes Elijah to fear for his life and run.

“But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree; and he requested for himself that he might die; and said, it is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers.” 1 Kings 19:4 KJV

I encourage you to read all of Chapter 19 for the full story, but as Elijah felt distraught and then slept under the tree he was then awakened twice by an angel of the Lord who encouraged him to eat and drink. After eating he traveled forty days and nights to a cave on Mount Horeb. There, God asked Elijah why he had gotten to this place upon which Elijah basically tells God how distraught he is feeling. God directs Elijah to go stand out on the mountain and wait for the Lord to come by.  

Ok, let’s pause here a moment.  If God told you to go outside and wait for Him to pass by, what would you be expecting? For what would you be looking or listening? I imagine I would be looking for big, powerful and loud.  After all, God had previously spoken through a burning bush and through thunder. Now back to the story.

As Elijah waited for the Lord to pass by, there was a strong wind and an earthquake God was not in either of those. “And after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.” 1 Kings 19:12 KJV

Wow!  God spoke to Elijah in “a still small voice.”  Sometimes God does speak to us in a loud and profound way. However, often He speaks in a small voice and in order for us to hear His whisper, we must be still.  The definition of still when used as an adjective is not moving or making sound. When used as a noun, still means deep silence and calm.  

Yesterday I encouraged you to be still and make a list of blessings or good things that have come from bad. I specifically encouraged you to look for the good that has happened as a result of the pandemic. I listed in the comments that one positive for me has been that I have been forced to slow down. I must admit that early on I spent much time whining and complaining about having to be still. However, over this time I am learning to embrace the stillness even though I don’t always do it well. It is December and the year 2020 is drawing to an end. If you have read our blog for a while then you also know that over the last few years at the end of a year, Julie and I choose a “word of the year” that we want to shape and guide our steps in the New Year. So in the next few weeks I will be spending time being still and prayerfully considering the word God will place on my heart for 2021. While you may be cheering for 2020 to end, I encourage you to also embrace the stillness and listen for God to whisper to you. God will speak. Step away from the busy day to day hustle and bustle, be still, and listen. Julie and I will share more about our words for 2021 and look forward to hearing what word God lays upon your heart.