Thou Art Worthy

 Happy Sunday, today the prompt it "worthy."

Equipped for good Work

All of life is equipping you for something. When you are a baby your parents are equipping (training) you for what you need to become a more mature child. When you are a child school is preparing you for college or life. When you are in high school your teachers are more focused on equipping you for what you need for college, trade school, or a job. Once you get to college your teachers are equipping you for your career. If you are working your supervisor is equipping you on how to be a better worker.

In the Morning

 

Love never fails

Love never fails. It does not end, it is lasting.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 1 Corinthians 13:4-8

Life is a Gift

Today's writing prompt is gift.

What immediately popped into my head is my favorite verse with the word "gift" in it.

Let Your Light Shine

As Christians we are called to be children of the light (1 Thessalonians 5:5).

As children of the light we are to be the light, not adding to the darkness of this world. 

You are what you think

I am sure you have heard the saying "You are what you eat." Well, today the writing prompt is "think."

To that, I say, you are what you think.

Always

The things of this world will pass away. 

The people of this world will pass away.

But, one thing will ALWAYS be true: Jesus is with us, ALWAYS.

Share Four Somethings October 2021

Happy OctNovDecember. I think everyone is confused about what time of year it is. I was in Target yesterday and I saw a display caddie with Halloween and Christmas decorations on it. Seriously! Had I not been in a hurry I would have snapped a picture of it.

The Straight Path

 Today the prompt is path.

My word for the year is "surrender" and the verse that the Lord placed on my heart for this word is 

Being Still

Being still in a world that loves to rush forward can be hard. We struggle with silence and doing all we can to get ahead. We struggle with the stress of trying to get it all done and doing it all well. We don't stop to think before rushing off to do the next thing. But, what if there was another way?

Do not be afraid

 Afraid.

Anxious.

Frightened.

Nervous.

Scared.

Timid.

Taste and See

Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him. Psalm 34:8 NIV

Making an Effort

Today's writing prompt is effort. 

Effort is the mental or physical energy to do something! 

It is an exertion of force. 

Being Kind

Kindness matters. How we treat others matters. God is very clear on how we are to treat one another, it is not always easy, but we need to be obedient. I have recently read a book and Bible Study on Kindness and here are a few of my takeaways:

Trust Without Borders

We were living overseas the first time I heard the song "Oceans." I remember being in this room that
looked like a schoolroom, sitting on the back row, and hearing the words "Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders let me walk upon the waters wherever You would call me, take me deeper than my feet could ever wander and my faith will be made stronger in the presence of my Savior."

Temporary

Temporary means not permanent, for a brief time, or season. While most people long for things to be
permanent, like their career, or their house, or a relationship, there is comfort to be found in the temporary as well. 

Finding Treasure

When I think of treasure I think of the verse,  “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.  But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal." Matthew 6:18-20. 

Pressing Toward Christ

 One of the lessons I try to teach my youth group is that we are either moving toward Christ or away from Him. Every single decision moves us in one direction or the other. 

Redeemed

I am redeemed. Jesus has paid my debt and taken my place. 

What did I do to deserve it? Nothing. 

What do I do each and every day to be worthy of this sacrifice? Nothing. 

Everyone

Today's writing prompt is "everyone" and it will probably be the hardest one for me. I have vague
thoughts like "everyone is welcome in God's kingdom." But no direction or concrete steps. 

Above All

The Lord is above all and for all, he was before all things and he will be after all things. His name is great and greatly to be praised.  I am thankful that God is above all and Jesus gave all.

Establish my work

When I first saw today's prompt (establish) I did not know which direction I would go with it. But, there is a prayer that I pray every day and it's one that is good to pray:

Finding Power in prayer

The first thing I thought of when I saw today's prompt, power, was Acts 1:8. There is nothing more powerful than God. You might try to convince me otherwise, but, spoiler alert, you can't. I am stubborn that way. When we accept Christ as our Savior we are filled with the POWER of the Holy Spirit. That should set us on fire as nothing else can.

Complete

I have to be honest when I saw that today's writing prompt was "complete" I was like I have nothing, nada, zilch. Just an empty head. So, I sat and pondered it a while, and then a line from a movie that I have not seen in years popped into my head..."You complete me." Does anybody know what movie that line comes from (or would you have before you saw the meme?)...Jerry McGuire. It's probably been 10 years, at least, since I have seen that movie. So, what is it that made that line so completely memorable? I think it is just the sweetness of the moment. I think in our own way we all want someone to say to us "you complete me." We want to be half of a whole. We want someone to

complete us. Someone we can laugh with, cry with, share moments with, and grow old with.  While it is a nice and comforting thought that another person can do that for us we are never fully complete until we have Christ in our lives. Nobody, no matter how much they love us, and care for us, will ever complete us in the way that Christ does. He takes our broken and makes us whole, He takes our mess and gives us a message, He takes our wandering and sets us on a path, and He takes our purposelessness and fills us with a purpose. He, who is before all things, loves us in a way that is better than we could ever imagine, and He accepts us just as we are.  

 

No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. 1John 4:12

Being an encourager

Boost

Buoy

Hearten 

Inspire

Reassure

Spur 

Strengthen

Brighten

Cheer

Encourage

Being made Whole

 Abstract

Incomplete

Part

Broken

fraction

unfinished

deficient

empty

Being Patient

When I saw today's prompt (patient) it made me laugh. Because of all the topics that we could have,
this is one that I have probably struggled with the most. I think if we are honest, this is one that we all struggle with quite a bit. Who wants to be patient? Who likes to be patient? We live in a world where it is my way, right now, or 5 minutes ago. Waiting is hard, being patient is even harder.

Finding Comfort

As one who has had multiple health issues over the last month or so, I am seeking comfort, or more precisely, being comfortable! I am weary and worn out, frustrated by the lack of answers, and by seemingly no progress.

Finding peace

What do you think of when you hear the word peace? 

I typically think of quiet and calm. I also think of the universal symbol for peace ☮. Usually, peace is thought of in war times or terms, to be an agreement to end hostilities. Even when we are not in war times we tend to think of peace in terms of living in unity or harmony with our neighbors and friends. 

Learning to be content

 I love the way the Cambridge Dictionary defines content, it states:

pleased with your situation and not hoping for change or improvement

So, yeah, sometimes I am like Paul and I know what it's like to be content in all circumstances. Other times I am more like Martha, "but Lord, if you had only..." (John 11:21)

It's a struggle, one I am sure we all face. Learning to be content with who we are, with what we have, where we see our life going, our jobs, our families, our image and I could go on and on.

You see, the times I am like Paul I am remembering to look UP. The times I am like Martha I am looking around, comparing, listening to the voices of the world.

But, the thing is Paul didn't start out content in His circumstances. He was actually Saul, a murderous dude that hated Jesus and everything He stood for. But then he encountered God and he was CHANGED and he LEARNED what it is like to be content. He didn't encounter God and all of the sudden was all peace, sunshine, and rainbows, no, he had to learn to be content, just like we do.

How do we learn what it means to be content?  

I think it starts with understanding the definition of what contentment means. To be pleased with your situation and not hoping for change or improvement...again, it's not easy, but I think too often we get too distracted and comfortable with the things of this world. To understand true contentment we have to have the broader picture in mind, our eternal home. If we will focus on God, reading His word, understanding why He calls us to do the things He has called us to do, we will see that His plan is better than our plan. Then and only then will our longing for the things of this world be replaced with the longing of God and Heaven. And we will learn, like Paul, to be content in "these" circumstances (whatever these are for you) because this is not our home. God has something better in mind for us.

Why I need to find my voice

I was rolling ideas around in my head for a theme for the 31-day writing challenge. I had several ideas I was mulling over, when I felt the Lord say "finding your voice." Once I heard that I could not remember the other ideas that had been floating around in my head just moments before. I knew it was the right fit. You see, I started this blog in November 2011 and I LOVED it. I loved sitting down and putting my thoughts into a post. I didn't try to censor what I was writing or my even my feelings, I just put it all out there. It was very freeing. 

Then, a few years ago a couple started bullying me. I was not in a position where I could avoid them and even though I tried to get help many times, nothing was resolved. They spoke into my life in ways they had no business doing. They talked about what I posted on Facebook, how I was always negative, they talked about how I parented, about how I taught, they insinuated that things were not right in my marriage, and the more it went on the more I shrunk into myself. I no longer posted freely. I second, third, or 100th time doubted what I should post, what I should say, what I should do. I knew that what they were saying was not true. But, 2+ years of them constantly putting me down had it's toll on me and I lost my voice. I went through a phase where I pretty much only posted Bible Verses on social media because no one could say I was being negative if I did that. I avoided them as much as I could, but it didn't matter, they would just private message me. 

Anyway, that is why I feel the need to find my voice again. I spoke of it a little bit here, but every time I sit down to write on this blog, I freeze up. I can "force" myself to write every once in a while, but I don't love it like I used to because I am so scared of what will be said about what I write. Those people are no longer in my life and I want to completely break the chains they had over me and be able to freely post, write, whatever I want, whenever I want. I need to find my voice again.

So, for this particular challenge, I want to find my writing voice again. It may not look the same as it
used to, but the Lord might take me right back to where I was. Regardless, I know where to look when I need something, and that is to my Lord and Savior. 

One of my favorite songs when I feel needy and down is "Lord I Need You" by Matt Maher.

Lord I Need You by Matt Mayer

Lord, I come, I confess
Bowing here I find my rest
Without You I fall apart
You're the One that guides my heart

Lord, I need You, oh, I need You
Every hour I need You
My one defense, my righteousness
Oh God, how I need You

Where sin runs deep Your grace is more
Where grace is found is where You are
Where You are, Lord, I am free
Holiness is Christ in me

Lord, I need You, oh, I need You
Every hour I need You
My one defense, my righteousness
Oh God, how I need You

So teach my song to rise to You
When temptation comes my way
When I cannot stand I'll fall on You
Jesus, You're my hope and stay

Lord, I need You, oh, I need You
Every hour I need You
My one defense, my righteousness
Oh God, how I need You

You're my one defense, my righteousness
Oh God, how I need You
My one defense, my righteousness
Oh God, how I need You 

You can listen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LuvfMDhTyMA

Is there something you need? What will it take for you to go after it? Let's find the courage to explore our needs together.