It is Wednesday again! {isn't it funny how that happens every week. hee hee} Take a look at the video and leave me your thoughts!
So glad you clicked back to study James with me!
What’s your take on James 2:17--faith with out works is dead?
How do you see faith and works as two sides of the same coin?
What is one thing you can do TODAY to live out your faith?
I just returned a text from my girlfriend, Erin, asking how I'm doing. I wanted to text back, "grt, thx," but I decided to get real with her so I guess I will get real on the world wide web while I'm at it.
Join me on Wednesdays for the next few weeks to study the book of James.
Lets dig into James 1 a bit more... {would love to read your thoughts so post a comment with your answers!}
1) Read James 1:1 again. Focus in on the word JOY and give me your definition of the word.
2) What is your definition of the word TRIAL? How do you feel about putting the word JOY and the word TRIAL in the same sentence?
3) I talked in my video about saying to God, "Bring it on" regarding future trials that will come my way. Does the thought of saying that to God freak you out? Why or why not?
4) Read through the rest of chapter one. Anything else stand out to you?
I would love to hear your thoughts...
See you next Wednesday!
Lets talk jobs and career again.
The corporate world is vicious, conniving and thrilling all at the same time. The good news is that it is all the more exciting when we work every day side by side Jesus. With our professional strengths and weaknesses in mind, He guides us toward success defined only by His Word. Success defined by the Lord is drastically different than the world’s definition. Godly success is:
I want to hear form YOU!
~What is your personal definition of godly success?
This week was my turn on She Seeks. If you are checking in after reading my post, WELCOME! If you haven't had a chance to read {i heart the skinny mirror} please go check it out.
DEBT. An ugly word. You are not alone if you find yourself uttering this four letter word.
"No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.”( Matthew 6:24)
This is Jesus speaking to his disciples and directly to you and me about the love of money and elevating it to a place in our heart higher than Him. Quite a dangerous place to be, according to him. Often times, with the love of money, comes the shackles of debt.
Maybe you find yourself in a similar spot as Heather. ( I found this in a news story)
"Heather Schopp is a chiropractor in California dealing every day with her clients' physical pain. But her own pain is financial: At age 29 she is more than $170,000 in debt.
"I think about it every day," Schopp says. "I mean, I lay in bed, thinking in my head, 'Okay, how much money do I have? What will I have to do tomorrow? Do I have to buy anything?' "
Schopp is part of the exploding number of young women who are rapidly turning into "Generation Debt." These twenty-somethings are weighed down by hundreds of thousands of dollars of credit card bills and student loans.
Schopp works two jobs, six days a week, just to make ends meet and keep pace with her debt, but it is still not enough."
Cheap PINK Shiny Lipgloss: 3 times, $8.00 each
Coffee from coffee shop: 10 times, $5.00 each
Books, Books and more books: 4 times, $15.00 each
Quarts of Ben&Jerry’s Icecream: 8 times, $6.00
Cute, funky, cheap shoes or jewelry: 10, $19.00
Your list might consist of many different types of things like makeup, videos, iTunes or extra trips out to dinner. As long as they are not necessities, these items qualify to go on the list. Now, multiply each item by the number of times you purchase and then add it all up for your grand guilty pleasure total.
Over the course of four months my grand guilty pleasure total is $372!!!
Yikes, over the course of a year, I spend about $1,488 on stuff that doesn’t fill that momentary void of emotional spending. Can you imagine if we made a list of all the items on our guilty pleasure list?!
When we worship Him instead of money paying down the debt becomes easier. I would venture to say that $1,488 would make a nice dent in a long standing credit card bill or a student loan. Going forward, lets rethink our need to purchase and redirect that need toward worshipping our God. Nothing is impossible for Him...nothing.
So tell me. What was your grand guilty pleasure total? How can you use that extra money to pay off some bill or loans?
This is part of a series of ideas I want to share from my own experience. I’m a girlfriend who wants to share so that you, my friends, might learn from me rather than deal with the heartache yourself. This topic is so tender on my heart that I am almost tempted to scratch the whole post. But, here it goes anyway...
Ephesians 3:19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
This is part one of a series of ideas I want to share from my PAST experience. I’m a girlfriend who wants to share so that you, my friends, might learn from me rather than deal with the heartache yourself. {disclaimer: I haven’t dated in years. In His beautiful mercy, God brought an amazing man into my life to be my husband. But...BUT...it wasn’t until after I dealt with the woes written below that I was able to see that there are great, godly men out there. So hold tight, sister...}
Most of us have seen the recent movie, He’s Just Not That Into You. I reluctantly rented this chick flick as I was not too crazy to be reminded of the many guys I dated in the past who well...were just not that into me. You know the situation. You meet a guy while out with your friends and you both connect over your common obsession of the television show, 24. I mean, who wouldn’t want to connect with a guy who not only resembles Jack Bauer, but also has that low-toned, mysterious growly voice like Jack, too. You give him your number and part ways hopeful that this guy will be THE ONE.
And you wait. And wait. And wait.
Oh the dating games women play.
I most identified with Gigi from He’s Just Not That Into You. There is a scene where Gigi analyzes a recent conversation she had with a guy she met the Friday night before. Her co-worker supports her by paying attention to every minute detail of every word the guy said before the night was over. Then, they both decide to skip the rule of waiting for the guy to call her. Gigi sets out to construct a perfect “follow up” phone call. The scene is quite comical as Gigi, armed with her script, picks up the phone with a nervous grin on her face only to find the call went straight to voicemail. She quickly improvises (she did not write a script for a voicemail call) and flubbs up the whole thing. After watching this scene, I was tempted to pause the movie and go raid the fridge for some comfort food consisting of an entire quart of Ben & Jerry’s Cherry Garcia. You see, I totally saw myself in Gigi and no amount of ice cream could erase the many moments of angst I experienced while dating in the past.
Later on in the movie Gigi tells her girlfriend, “We are all programmed to believe that if a guy acts like a total jerk that means he likes you.”
Games. Games. Games. They drive us crazy.
Now, before this turns into a man bashing session, let me just say that women are just as guilty of this insanity. You can’t tell me that you have never played “hard to get” or flirted with a guy you weren’t interested in just for the fun and attention. Yes, ladies, we too have perpetuated this standard of dating. But, I hope you will allow me to make a statement as a girl who has been there, done that, and got the not so cute t-shirt. Life is too short to get caught up in the anxiety of “will he call?” or “does he really love me?” There are other things we can do with our time rather than obsessively checking our cell phone to make sure we didn’t miss THE CALL. Trust me, years ago I wasted countless hours of my life in this very scenario. Can I share a few pointers that I learned along the way?
**If he really likes you, he will pursue you.
**If he really likes you, he will be interested in what you like and want to get to know you.
**If he really likes you he will RESPECT you.
Here is the big one....
**If he plays games...It is time to move on.
I know that sounds harsh but it is the truth, my sweet sister. Hold out for the guy who treats you like the princess you are. This may mean that you are with out a date on Saturday night for a while. But, here is a truth that I want you to cling to when you feel depressed about your love life: The King is enthralled with your beauty! Psalm 45:11 NIV
The King, Jesus, pursues you.
The King, Jesus, loves you with a fiery passion.
The King, Jesus, will not play games or toy with your heart.
God gives us a template of what our dating and future married life should look like. He doesn’t want you to be riddled with anxiety. He hurts when your heart is trampled on. And, He will encourage you not to settle for anything less than a man who respects and cares for you.
He-Jesus- is just that into you.
So lets encourage each other. If you're a single sister, share your thoughts. If you're not a single sister, share some "words of wisdom."
***My girlfriend Angie wrote a post on this very same movie. Check it out.
22You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
I love the words: PUT ON. It takes me back to the original analogy of shopping {smiles}. God lays out this new clothing of holiness and righteousness like those oh so cute cardigans I saw in the LOFT the other day-pressed and folded nicely. They are there for the taking, but we have to do our part and actually PUT THEM ON. In order to put on the new self, we must first literally take off the old frumpy memories and mistakes. Then the fun begins...
As you are putting on your new attitude; your new, shiny thoughts, see if this mental picture doesn't help.
You know the little shimmy you do as your slipping into a sundress? Or what about the squat to stretch out the newly-out-of-the-dryer blue jeans? That is what I visualize when I PUT ON the righteousness and holiness that Ephesians promises me. Somehow that mental image snaps me back out of the old and frumpy and into the new and shiny. But, I have to continually PUT IT ON for my mind is my worst enemy.
So, I've decided to run with this thought process and see where it takes me. I know that the promises in the Bible are powerful and applicable and I will stand on what I know: Christ gave me a beautiful wardrobe of fresh/new memories and thoughts to run through my mind when He died on the cross for me {and you}. I'm going to take those old, frumpy ones and lay them at His feet.
How about you?
This week I feel like I bore my soul for the entire world to see; I even feel a bit naked. My inspirational entry runs on She Seeks which gets down to the dirty details of where my faith was about two months ago. For someone who puts herself out there as encouraging others to LIVE OUT their faith, it is not fun to admit that I too have had times of Blah faith.
This is something the Lord put on my heart to encourage and challenge my girlfriends who are attending She Speaks. ***But*** If you have now Idea what She Speaks is (www.proverbs31.org) and you are a woman, this might just speak to you as well!
I could squeal with delight at the thought of seeing my friends this upcoming weekend. My heart also flutters with excitement at the expectation of what God has in store because we all were preordained to attend She Speaks this very year. Our desire to serve Him via speaking, writing and leading is what binds us together as we make the trek to Charlotte, North Carolina. But, I am afraid that there is one thing that might very well derail my opportunity to hear from God and connect with my fellow ministry women.
Comparison.
Yep, I said it and I hope that you know exactly what I mean when you read that one potent word. I can be all prayed up and all dolled up as I walk through the doors, but comparison is the one thing that will turn my heart away from God and toward an obsession of “I’m just not enough.” Why is it that we, as women, do this to ourselves? I see a darling sister of mine in the most adorable outfit and that very instant my insecurity over takes me. This insecurity coming from comparison can darn well take my focus off of God and the ministry He has set for me.
Please don’t hear me say that it is bad to look cute and perfectly coordinate your outfit with your shade of lip gloss. I’m the first gal to get a thrill out of my ballet flats that go so nicely with my little pearl necklace, I really am. The fact is, no matter how well put together we are, there will always be someone one in the room that is prettier, has better hair or has that handbag that we’ve been coveting for weeks now. But, that woman I am comparing myself to is doing the very same thing with someone else. Isn’t that wild?
I think I will lean on Colossians 3:2-3 “Set your mind on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.”
I don’t want to miss what God has to tell me this weekend because I can’t get over myself and my insecurity, do you?
So, if I get the awesome chance to meet you this weekend and I compliment you on your super cute necklace, please know that I am celebrating you and how darling you are rather than allowing my insecurity to ruin the moment. Will you do the same my friend?
love,
sarah
If you are clicking on this site from She Seeks, I am so happy that you stopped by. This is a blog post that I repurposed as it fits so well with my topic from this week's She Seeks Inspirational Entry.
Hey Friends,
5The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. 6He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay.7Then go quickly and tell his disciples: 'He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.' Now I have told you."
Would you ever admit to duplicity? {no...not talking about the movie here!} Probably not, I would venture to say. Here is the definition, please take special note of the second definition:
They will be my people, and I will be their God. I will give them singleness of heart and action, so that they will always fear me for their own good and the good of their children after them.
I am loving this Booksneeze book review program as I just read The Vertical Self by Mark Sayers. Wow is all I can say. This book was written in a non-preachy tone with ideas that made me rethink how I see life, my faith and my Savior.
I want a close encounter with Jesus, don’t you? The concept sounds amazing, but it is a bit allusive. I mean, we can’t touch Jesus or see Him face to face, so how exactly do we encounter Him? All I know is that if I need a revival in my faith, more of His presence will do the trick. Maybe this passage in Mark will give us some perspective. 32There some people brought to him a man who was deaf and could hardly talk, and they begged him to place his hand on the man. 33After he took him aside, away from the crowd, Jesus put his fingers into the man's ears. Then he spit and touched the man's tongue. 34He looked up to heaven and with a deep sigh said to him, "Ephphatha!" (which means, "Be opened!" ). 35At this, the man's ears were opened, his tongue was loosened and he began to speak plainly.
Mark 7:32-35
*Jesus knows this man’s heart and maybe this man doubted His ability to heal
--Jesus knows my heart and knows when I doubt Him, too!
*Jesus wanted a private moment with the man away from the noisy crowd
--Jesus wants a private moment with me away from the TV, internet and blackberry {distractions}
*Jesus knew the power of His touch when He stuck his finger in this man’s ear. He not only touched the deaf man’s ear, Jesus touched the depth of this man’s heart-whatever condition it might be in.
--The Lord doesn’t just go through the motions in my life. He knows when and how to get my attention. Sometimes I need His touch more than anything else.
Can you imagine how sweet a sound the man heard when Jesus said, “Be opened?” This man probably lived the majority of his life, if not all, in silence. What a wonder to experience to tune into Jesus’s gentle, yet powerful voice as the first sound he heard in ages. A voice that was not preaching to a large crowd, but speaking straight to this man’s heart in the most intimate way. He had a close encounter with Jesus.
We don’t know what followed this scene. We don’t know how the man lived out his close encounter. But, we do know how we will react when Jesus pulls us aside from our distractions, touches our hearts and speaks into our life. I don’t know about you, but I want to have a close encounter with Jesus EVERY day. This only happens when I come to Him ready, willing and vulnerable. Jesus knows the depths of your heart and just what kind of encounter with Him you need. Are you willing, ready and vulnerable?
Jesus! Touch our hearts and speak to our soul, “Be open!”
I have the privilege of participating in the Blog Tour for Picking Dandelions by Sarah Cunningham.
Sarah's Website: www.sarahcunningham.org
Buy the book here
Today's video looks at the darkest hour before Christ's death and a complete separation from God in order to be our perfect sacrifice.
Let us then fearlessly and confidently and boldly draw near to the throne of grace (the throne of God's unmerited favor to us sinners), that we may receive mercy [for our failures] and find grace to help in good time for every need [appropriate help and well-timed help, coming just when we need it]. Hebrews 4:16
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