The wind and waves had kicked up around them. From shore, Jesus could see his disciples struggling with the ores of their boat. So Jesus walked across the lake to them. When they saw him, they thought he was a ghost and cried out in fear, but Jesus said to them in Mark 6:50, "Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid."
Jesus offered his words of encouragement to his disciples, giving them the courage that they lacked. I can have faith that Jesus is always with me too. When I am filled with God's light and love, even challenges become possibilities for growth, understanding, and blessings for me. Anything is possible with God.
1 Thessalonians 5:11 "Therefore encourage one another and build each other up."
Today I Pray
Dear God,
Encourage me to find strength through you to see new possibilities in every challenge.
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Peace through Trust
Philippians 4:7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
The harder I try to bully my life and circumstance into submission, the more unsuccessful I am at moving forward. While God loves me exactly the way I am, He refuses to leave me the same. My life is in a constant state of change. When I trust that God's plan will bring about my full potential, I am filled with peace.
Today I Pray
Dear God, Through trust in your divine plan I am open to your guidance so I may reach my full potential and be filled with peace.
Monday, August 2, 2010
The Joy in My Heart
I've got that joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart! Where? DOWN IN MY HEART!... that's right!
I have spent many moons depending on outside forces to feel joy and repeatedly, I have turned up feeling disappointed. My husband looked at me crooked. My children pushed my last button that sent me through the roof. Someone else got the big promotion that I had worked so hard to earn. It never failed. When turning to others or circumstance for the experience of joy it was always a fleeting moment that left me feeling irritated, guilty or upset.
So where, then, is joy hiding?
This past year has been one of great discovery for me, an Eat Pray Love sort of journey without the hassle of traveling for a year by myself to Italy, India, and Indonesia (as if that wouldn't be ideal). After retreating into my own personal hell while alienating my faith, husband, family, and friends I had nowhere left to turn but the mirror. I expected to see a crazy, possessed woman that I hardly recognized. And I did.
So what was left to do, but pray? And I did. I prayed often and fervently to be guided out of misery and delivered into a joyous life (the one that was there, patiently waiting for me to wake up!). Through my newly formed, desperate, and doubtful relationship with God I was, in fact, lead out of my darkness. In search of balance and understanding I began writing about my life as I experience it through God's word. It isn't always easy and I am not always shown things I want to admit about myself, but it has brought me back. It has given me a clear map in which I want to model my life, the one I have been given. And THAT, brings me joy.
This post is part of SOYJOY‘s What brings you joy contest. Learn more here.”
I have spent many moons depending on outside forces to feel joy and repeatedly, I have turned up feeling disappointed. My husband looked at me crooked. My children pushed my last button that sent me through the roof. Someone else got the big promotion that I had worked so hard to earn. It never failed. When turning to others or circumstance for the experience of joy it was always a fleeting moment that left me feeling irritated, guilty or upset.
So where, then, is joy hiding?
This past year has been one of great discovery for me, an Eat Pray Love sort of journey without the hassle of traveling for a year by myself to Italy, India, and Indonesia (as if that wouldn't be ideal). After retreating into my own personal hell while alienating my faith, husband, family, and friends I had nowhere left to turn but the mirror. I expected to see a crazy, possessed woman that I hardly recognized. And I did.
So what was left to do, but pray? And I did. I prayed often and fervently to be guided out of misery and delivered into a joyous life (the one that was there, patiently waiting for me to wake up!). Through my newly formed, desperate, and doubtful relationship with God I was, in fact, lead out of my darkness. In search of balance and understanding I began writing about my life as I experience it through God's word. It isn't always easy and I am not always shown things I want to admit about myself, but it has brought me back. It has given me a clear map in which I want to model my life, the one I have been given. And THAT, brings me joy.
This post is part of SOYJOY‘s What brings you joy contest. Learn more here.”
Today I Pray
Dear God,
Through time spent alone with you I am rejuvenated and gain a new perspective.
Through time spent alone with you I am rejuvenated and gain a new perspective.
Rest in Prayer
We are reminded again in Mark 1 how important it is for us to rest. Jesus gives us another example of taking time alone after a long day on the job. The very next morning, after driving out several demons and healing many diseased, Jesus "got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed."
There have been so many instances in my past where I have tried to push my way through struggles and stresses. I had an "I" mentality. I needed to work harder, or I needed to make changes. In reality, the only thing that soothed my racing heart and mind was spending time alone in prayer and meditation. There was nothing I could do alone. With faith in God the possibilities are limitless.
Psalm 46:10 "Be still, and know that I am God."
There have been so many instances in my past where I have tried to push my way through struggles and stresses. I had an "I" mentality. I needed to work harder, or I needed to make changes. In reality, the only thing that soothed my racing heart and mind was spending time alone in prayer and meditation. There was nothing I could do alone. With faith in God the possibilities are limitless.
Psalm 46:10 "Be still, and know that I am God."
Sunday, August 1, 2010
The Power of Prayer
Prayer does not come easy for me. It doesn't feel natural and sometimes even seems unheard or unnecissary. But, God commands us to pray! So I pray anyway...
Thankfully, along with His command we are also given His promise in Luke 11:9, "So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you."
Even when it is uncomfortable for me to pray, I am reminded that there IS power in prayer.
A NOTE: I have been wanting to practice praying more and praying with a purpose. So often I start out my prayer with intention, then end in a sort of babble from subject to subject. For this reason I decided to start a prayer journal on this blog. Please feel free to post your prayer requests and join me in praying for those in need.
Thankfully, along with His command we are also given His promise in Luke 11:9, "So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you."
Even when it is uncomfortable for me to pray, I am reminded that there IS power in prayer.
A NOTE: I have been wanting to practice praying more and praying with a purpose. So often I start out my prayer with intention, then end in a sort of babble from subject to subject. For this reason I decided to start a prayer journal on this blog. Please feel free to post your prayer requests and join me in praying for those in need.
Saturday, July 31, 2010
The Shack by WM Paul Young, Book Review
It was an incredibly smooth read, but did tend to drag on a bit in places. The book was about a man named Mack who experienced a great tragedy in his life through the loss of his innocent daughter. His loss was overwhelming and brought upon him "The Great Sadness". His life was forever altered causing him to blame and judge God for the evil of the world.
One day he received an invitation from God to meet him back at the shack, the very place of his daughter's brutal murder. Here, the holy trinity (who was represented by a colorful and refreshing interpretation) was on a mission to transform Mack's heart back into union and relationship with God.
The Shack didn't grab my attention until about 200 pages into the 250 page book. However, the message in the last 50 pages was worth every bit of history I had to read through to get to the point. The Shack is a reconfirmation of faith and love. It re-introduced the positive relationship God intended for us all to share.
"Humans, ...,have a knack for taking a verb that is alive and full of grace and turning it into a dead noun or principle that reeks of rules - then something growing and alive dies."
This is a book I can reference over and over again to help me gain a fresh perspective while struggling with my own experiences of "The Great Sadness", as life doesn't exclude many from times like these. The Shack is a great reminder that we never have to face them alone.
A Quote to Consider
We are going to the Maker's Festival at The Henry Ford Museum today. In anticipation, I decided to draw some inspiration from the wise and respected Henry Ford himself.
This quote is so amazing and can apply to just about any aspect of life; work, sports, relationships, you name it!
Friday, July 30, 2010
Today I Pray
God, I use your gift of my miracle body to love and serve others.
Matthew 25:40, "I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me."
Matthew 25:40, "I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me."
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