The Important Things in Life :)

 

 

God has been doing some super and amazing things in my life recently. Well, He always does, we know that….but recently what He has been telling me and showing me I have tried my best to heed. I am making an attempt to really listen and learn and apply what He is showing me. I am taking a Spiritual Formation class right now at Liberty and I am loving it! I took Spiritual Formation at Mt. Olive but I was sooooo not ready for it then. Don’t get me wrong, I learned a lot even then…but not like now.

It still amazes me that I graduated with a degree in Religion and was not even saved. I actually started Seminary AND planned and to go on a mission trip overseas because I was even saved (I had very good intentions but you know what they say about good intentions…). I guess Satan knew what was going to happen in those days because the attacks started and boy oh boy was it ever hard. I mean…not just hard, but impossible. Have any of you tried to fight the evil one without Jesus? Yea….that was me. Trying to do all ‘I’ could do! HA! I suggest NEVER doing that. If you know don’t God and you haven’t been building that relationship that your Lord and Savior that He so badly wants to have with you, please take a moment now to think about why and what you need to do. It is the most important thing in this life!

Well, on to what God has been showing me more recently. As I started this Spiritual Formation class I have been convicted about my time with God. And here it is…my confession…I have had NO time with God. Yes, I work in the church. I help people. I work with the children on Sundays and Wednesday. I work at the soup kitchen. I randomly pray here and there for those people in my life who are hurting. But is any of that really time with God? The answer I got when I asked that question was a big ol’ no! Wow!

So, what am I doing about this….I am taking time with my Lord every single day! I am getting up earlier to come to Him in prayer and to study His word. Do I miss that sleep? Well, when that alarm goes off YES! But once I get to talking to my Father and listening to what He has for me all thought of that lost sleep is gone. Spending time is with God is more important than sleep. Do you hear what I am saying? I mean, answer this question: Is God more important than anything else in this life? I am sure many of you would say yes BUT then in the next thought you probably put sleep above Him…and eating above Him…and your job above Him….and your family above Him. I know we don’t do it on purpose but we DO it EVERYDAY! You make time in your life for what you really and truly want to do….it is time to make time in life for the One that provides for us all we need to be doing the very things we love. If it were not for Him we could do nothing.

Get up 15 minutes earlier to give that time in prayer to God.

Spend your lunch reading His Word instead of gossiping with friends.

Spend your evenings in prayer or in Bible study instead of staring at the TV screen.

Plan time for family devotions.

Read a chapter in the Bible a day instead of spending that time on social media.

Take a look at your life and decide what is more important….yourself or God.

Be blessed!

 

My thoughts on Psalm 5

Psa 5:1-12
(1) For the choir director: A psalm of David, to be accompanied by the flute.
O LORD, hear me as I pray;
pay attention to my groaning.
(2) Listen to my cry for help,
my King and my God,
for I pray to no one but You.

Something is weighting heavy on David's heart as we can see from verse one. He is groaning. In verse two he is crying out for help. Whatever is bothering him he knows he cannot handle it all by himself. He needs God's help in this situation. He affirms in verse two that God is the only One he prays to and the only one that can help.

Prayer comes in many forms. I can groan and cry out to my God. Emotions should not rule over us but they can affect the way we pray. Also, God is the only One we should pray to. This also reminds me that He is the first One that we ought to run to. ..before family or friends.

(3) Listen to my voice
in the morning, LORD.
Each morning
I bring my requests to You and
wait expectantly.

David prays every morning. The NRSV says that he pleads his case to the Lord in the morning. The NLT says he bring the Lord his requests in the morning. The MSG says he lays out the pieces of his life on the alter every morning. Then David looks up and waits. This is his morning routine. He says in "the morning" showing this is what he does every single morning....not just the morning this was written....

Everywhere God is pointing me toward shows God leading me towards starting my day with Him. This is what He wants and it is also my desire. I will start my day with my Father giving everything to Him....every part of me....and then I will wait and go ONLY where he leads.

(4) O God,
You take no pleasure in wickedness;
You cannot tolerate the sins of the wicked.
(5) Therefore,
the proud may not stand in Your presence, for
You hate all who do evil.
(6) You will destroy those who tell lies.
The LORD
detests murderers and deceivers.

God hates evil in a way that I can't imagine. I cannot love as God loves but I also cannot hate as God hates. It says God hates all who do evil. Those who do evil are the enemy of God. I can see them as His enemy but cannot see Him hating them. God teaches to love one's enemy. I believe a better translation would have been that those who do evil are God's enemy.

In seeing how much God hates sin and how it says he will destroy the evil doers I can rest in the fact that God's got it covered. When someone wrongs me or someone that I love, I don't have to worry about fixing it or making it right (revenge). I don't even have to be angry. God will make it right in the end.

(7) Because of Your unfailing love,
I can enter Your house;
I will worship at Your Temple with deepest awe.

David knew that on his own he had NO right to enter God's house or worship in His Temple. It was only through the Lords unfailing love that this was possible. Because of God's mercy and David's holy fear and reverence.

I must constantly remind myself that I also have NO rights. All I do and can do is solely because of the Lord and His love for me and mercy on me. This includes every single part of my life. I would have and be nothing if it were not because of my Father.

(8) Lead me in the right path, O LORD,
Make Your way plain for me to follow.
or my enemies will conquer me.

When David said for God to make the path 'right' he was asking God to show him His way. The righteous way. God (Jesus) is the way, truth, and the life. We must go that way for freedom and to evade our enemies. This means following God's laws and direction. David is asking God for discernment so that he will know the best way. The only way.

I need to never make a move without talking to God and asking for His direction.
I need to stay in His Word to learn His laws and what He expects from me.

(9) My enemies
cannot speak a truthful word.
Their deepest desire is to destroy others.
Their talk is foul, like the stench from an open grave.
Their tongues are filled with flattery.
(10) O God,
[My enemies still...]
declare them guilty.
Let them be caught in their own traps.
Drive them away because of their many sins,
for they have rebelled against You.

I can see how very small I am in comparison to God and all that He has and wants from me. He know what I am capable of when I submit to Him. I am capable only in His power. When I am not in His power (His will) I will fail...I will trap and destroy myself!

Up to this point David has humbled himself before the Lord. He knows he is not worthy but He also knows he is a friend of God and he sees his enemies as God's enemies, which they are. In v9 he describes his enemies in detail and in v10 he asks for their destruction. He knows they will destroy themselves with their own evil ways. He knows that we must have God's protection and forgiveness to not destroy ourselves.

I can also be caught in my own traps and destroyed by my own devices if I do not come to the understanding and belief of God's sovereignty over my life. I cannot do anything on my own. I must follow God in all things or I also will rebel. The only way for me to know God and know what he expects is by spending time with Him in prayer and in His word.

(11) But let all who take refuge in You
rejoice;
let them sing joyful praises forever.
Spread Your protection over them,
that all who love Your name may be
filled with joy.
(12) For You bless the godly, O LORD;
You surround them with Your shield of love.

David is praying for a blessing over God's people. He knew that God would always love and protect His people. David refers to the people that God will bless as godly or righteous. It is only through God that we can ever be godly or righteous. We cannot do this on our own ever. We must seek God in all things and allow Him complete control over our lives.

If we want God's blessing we must strive to be like Him. Jesus tells us all to follow Him. He is our example. There is no way to follow such an example without God's wisdom in us. This only comes from the Lord through prayer, His word, and all of the many spiritual disciplines that He calls us to.

Running....ugh!

Well, I haven’t ran in a couple of days and guess what! My back doesn’t hurt! This is just one example of how we push ourselves to do things that aren’t even what we want or need to be doing. Don’t get me wrong…I love to exercise. I love working out and spin class and swimming and hiking and long walks but I AM NOT A RUNNER! So why in the world do I run all the time?!? That is a very good question and is exactly what this post is about.

We need to learn to be who we are…who God intended us to be…no more…no less. Each and every one of us is different. We aren’t all going to be small, or tall, or have long beautiful hair, or….be a super running star….LOL! I mean, if I think back to my past I remember that running is one of the main reasons I got out of the military and it has been my nemesis ever since. I have realized that I am trying to prove to myself that I can run because I have been told and made to feel for so long that I could not run. Well, maybe I just don’t want to. I don’t have to do something just because it is what others are doing. I have so many friends running in the next 5k and I just didn’t want to be the one who couldn’t. But, here is the thing…I CAN do it! But, I just don’t want to….running HURTS!

When I feel like I can’t do something then I want to do it all the more…always trying to prove myself. Of course, for me…I try to prove that I am super woman which I am NOT! We ALL live differently and not one way is right or wrong. We have to stop doing what the world thinks we should be doing!

So….I am from this moment forward embracing gentle nutrition along with gentle exercise (both I.E. principles). There is no reason to harm myself just to stay healthy. Live well and strong in what you know is best for you J

Are you in shape? I am...my shape is round :)

Well, Wookie and I just finished week one of our C25K training! YAY! My sweet little pup is totally getting the hang of running with me (without pulling me and tripping me). Of course, I think he gets hot when he is running with all that hair he has...it is time for a trip for to the salon for my pooch anyway so I will be having him shaved soon (even though he looks a bit like a rat with no hair.....LOL.....it is okay, I still love him).

So, I am planning on making a little book with the pics I take as Wookie and I run together all the way through our first 5K. It really is a big deal. I mean, I used to run miles and miles but I also used to be 20....LOL! Times have changed but I gotta get back into shape.

What does being in shape mean anyway? I used to think it meant teeny tiny and thin but I am learning that all shapes are good...even if the shape tends to be a bit round.

Now, I am not saying that we should all just eat dessert seven times a day and not worry if we get big as a barge. What I am saying is....we need to quit focusing on what our shape is and focus more on how long we are going to live. As I was thinking about taking pictures for the picture book I am making of our jogging journey I started thinking how I needed to get up and fix my hair and make up and stuff so that the pictures would not be bad...and ever worse....I started thinking about how I needed to suck in my tum-tum for each pic. REALLY!? Wow...I catch myself downing myself on the regular. And ladies....thinking you have to wear make up every single day and have a wash-board tum-tum is just a new way of putting yourself down! So STOP DOING IT!

I have a challenge for every lady out there: Go one week....seven full days....and use NO make up and NO hair product (except some shampoo of course...LOL). Can you do it? No? Why not? What do you see when you look in the mirror? Ask God to start showing you what He sees instead? You may be surprised at how freeing it really is when God shows us how much we are loved and how much our inner beauty really does radiate out and makes us amazingly beautiful...with or without all the make up! Loves!

Week One Day One of C25K with my pup!

Well, today I started my C25K running program. It was great because I took my Wookie with me and I learned that he loves to run!

I had started the program already and finished week 2 but it was boring running myself. I knew I needed a running partner and there is no one in my family willing to get up early and run. Then I remembered! There is actually two members of my family that would love to get up early to run! Their names are Cloe and Wookie.

Now, Cloe is bigger and loves to run but she runs WAY TO FAST! She would kill me and that is only if I could control her long enough to even do the run. But Wookie....he is just small enough to not knock me right over. And he did soooo good! He ran right next to me almost the whole time. There was a couple of times that he tried to go chase something but I just said, "No Wookie!" and he came right back to run right next to me!

Of course,  I don't think that everyone in my neighborhood thinks this is a good idea. There was an older lady slowly walking her cute little dog and saw us and said, "Awwww, poor doggy." Oh come on....dogs love to run. I can't help it if her pup is just super lazy...LOL!

So, I can't wait to continue this journey and I of course praise the Lord for giving the ability and desire to do this! Praise God!

Do you put God first....or does He come last???

Psa 1:3 They are like trees that grow beside a stream, that bear fruit at the right time, and whose leaves do not dry up. They succeed in everything they do.


I need to always go to God first. He is the stream that keeps the tree strong. No one else can do that! With Him I can get through everything. I thank God for every single circumstance that I have gone through and each one that I will go through in the future. These are all opportunities for us to grow just like the tree by the river. Just like the tree depends on that stream....we must depend on God. This means we must go to God in everything FIRST! Not after we go to our friends and family going to God when nothing else works. How would you feel if you had a friend that only contacted you when he or she had no one else to go to....you always being very last option. I would feel horrible if I knew a friend only wanted to do something with me because they could find no one else yet we do that very same thing to God all the time. He tells us that we WILL prosper in all we do if we would just listen to Him! If we would just go to Him in everything! So....what is stopping us?

Memory Verse Time :)

Psa 1:1 Happy are those who reject the advice of evil people, who do not follow the example of sinners or join those who have no use for God.

Psa 1:2 Instead, they find joy in obeying the Law of the LORD, and they study it day and night.

Okay, so we are to meditate on His word day and night! That means to meditate consistently always! How are we to do that? Can we walk around with our noses in our Bible all day long? Well, we can read our Bibles more than we do but that still isn't going to allow us to do it day and night....every second. To do this we have to start memorizing scripture. So, do you memorize scripture? That is a loaded question and one that I ask myself also because my answer would be no. UGH! I hate to admit that but it is just true. I have memorized verses in the past but not consistently. And is memorizing a few verses here and there enough? What would happen if you no longer had access to a Bible? Would a few verses here and there be enough to sustain you? We need to be doing more!

We are told in verse one to not follow the example of sinners. Well, the easiest way to do this is to INSTEAD.....meditate on scripture. This reminds me of when Jesus used the Word against Satan when he was trying to tempt him. Jesus is our example! Did He pull out the Bible right then and there and read it to Satan? Of course not! He knew it! He had these laws memorized!

So, this is our challenge.....memorization! With God you CAN do this!

What will you choose for today?

Luk 10:38 As Jesus and his disciples went on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha welcomed him in her home.
Luk 10:39 She had a sister named Mary, who sat down at the feet of the Lord and listened to his teaching.
Luk 10:40 Martha was upset over all the work she had to do, so she came and said, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself ? Tell her to come and help me!"
Luk 10:41 The Lord answered her, "Martha, Martha! You are worried and troubled over so many things,
Luk 10:42 but just one is needed. Mary has chosen the right thing, and it will not be taken away from her."
Wow, I am sooooo totally Martha! I am the first to make sure everything gets done and as soon as it is done there is more to do. I realized this Sunday morning during the sermon. I was actually thinking about leaving church early to get some stuff done! WOW! I didn't leave but I prayed before the sermon started that I would get something out of the sermon. My thinking was, "If I am going to stick around for this instead of getting done what needs done then it needs to be good." Are you serious? I mean.....helloooooo! What am I thinking these days?! Everything God does is good and even He rested! So here I am, beginning to think that what I have to do is more important than staying in church. This is just crazy! I am glad that I am still a work in progress. It would just be horrible if God left me all on my own to figure this out because I am such a complete and total mess. Praise God that He doesn't leave us alone and that He wants what is best for us and that He knows what is best for us. We are totally clueless!
Psa 27:4 I have asked the LORD for one thing; one thing only do I want: to live in the LORD's house all my life, to marvel there at his goodness, and to ask for his guidance.

God asks for relationship with us. That is what he wants. We can't have a relationship if we are constantly running to and fro trying to do what WE want to do and not even giving Him a thought. I do want to live in the LORD's house all my life. We should marvel at His goodness always. When was the last time you just really looked around your life...your house....your family....the nature all around you...your many many blessings and just got overwhelmed and said WOW...look at His goodness, I do not deserve this. Because we truly do not. When we make a choice in the morning of how to live we need to choose this every single day. If we do not choose to let God lead us then we are choosing wrong.

Quote from last Sunday's sermon: "Sin isn't ot just choosing evil of God....it is also choosing good over God...."

God wants our everything and He is leading us. When we start taking things in our own hands....even the good things....we need to stop and think about what we are doing. For me this means to take the time every day to really stop and think about what God is calling me for that day. I put SOOOOOOOO much unnecessary stress on myself every day because I try to do so much that God doesn't even ask me to do....that is crazy! We need to be listening to what God has for us. He wants what is best an only He knows what is best.

So.....how do I apply all of this to my life? Well, for starters, I start my day on my knees. I ask God to please lead me through this day. I ask Him to please control my thoughts and help me to remember that I am NOT in charge. I am NOT in control. And I don't want to be in control. Life is sooooo much better when we give it all to Him.....

Have a super blessed day with the Father!

~Dawn~

What are you willing to give up?

Mat 19:21 Jesus said to him, "If you want to be perfect, go and sell all you have and give the money to the poor, and you will have riches in heaven; then come and follow me."

Mat 19:22 When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he was very rich.

I know that if someone were to come up to me and ask, "What are you willing to give up for the Lord?" I would answer EVERYTHING with the quickness. But, am I really? I mean, when you think of everything you tend to think of all the excess that you have. But there is so much that we think we need...are we willing to give up the things that we think we need? What is a necessity and what is a want? What is our desire and what is God's desire for us? These are questions that we should really think about every single day. We are living in a land of plenty! Even if you are sitting back thinking right now, "Dang, I am straight up broke and I don't even have something to give up!" Well, I would say you must have something to give up since you have the time and ability to be reading this post. I don't think we have to give up every little luxury in our life to be a Christian but we need to be willing to. The second you put something above God you are committing idolatry! That is a fact. Even the good things God blesses you will can become idols if you let them. Do you have idols in your life? Ask God to reveal to you anything that you have put above Him.

Be blessed!
~Dawn~

Mission time! :)

Wow...it has been long time since I posted anything. It is ironic that my last post was about my daughter's cell phone because she doesn't have a cell phone anymore. It got stolen and I used it as a chance to just not get her another one. Don't get me wrong....she was really good with it but I just regretting get her one so young. I will get her one again when she is 15 or 16.

Today I went to the church to see the team to Armenia off. I really thought that I wanted to go but I thought, "No, I am not going to go to Armenia because I want to save and go to Kenya." There is of course part of me that wants to see Armenia again and maybe one day I will make it to Kenya also but God has revealed to me through it all that these trips are not for me. Sometimes we want to do something that is not God's will for us This doesn't mean that it is something bad. I mean....going to Kenya to help build pole houses is a good thing....but just not God's will for my life now.

So what is God's will in my life now? Now THAT is a loaded question! I have a lot going on right now and some of the things are things that are soooooo far our of my comfort zone it is just blowing my mind. But these are the things that God wants in my life right now. I am leading a ladies' class on Monday nights and doing the children's class on Wednesday night and these are both definitely lead by the Lord because I COULD NOT do either on my own. And of course...I am still in school and God grants me the time to get my assignments in every semester....because that also is NOT me. But I gotta tell you...the biggest thing that I have going on right now is that I am headed to Deep Impact with the youth at our church in about a month. This is what is definitely out of my comfort zone. You would think that I would be more worried to go over seas than to a simple week of missions with the youth. Well, I have realized that it is just not that 'simple'. It is a God ordained thing for my life which makes it BIG! HUGE! AWESOME and AMAZING! And I am more nervous than I was when I went to Armenia! I can't wait to see what God has planned in all of this :)

Loves to you all! ~Dawn~

Cell Phone Contract

My daughter tends to use the cell phone ALOT! Almost to the point that I regret letting her have one. It is time for some rules so here is the new cell phone contract:

Cell phone contract for 2011

You may have bought the phone yourself but your mom can still take it from you at any time. It is s a privilege to have a cell phone so try your best to appreciate it every time you are using it.

You will not set a passcode on your phone.

If it rings, answer it. It is a phone. Say Hello. Use your manners. NEVER EVER ignore a phone call from family…ESPECIALLY your mother.

Phone will be turned off and plugged in to charge by 9pm. It will not be turned back on till after school (after 9am on non-school days). The charger will stay on the bar at all times.

The phone is never on during school.

If the phone gets lost, stolen, or broke it is up to you to replace or fix.

We will put a $30 card on it each month. If you want a $45 then you will have to pay the extra $15 out of your allowance.

Never use your phone to lie, fool, scare, or deceive any other human being, even if it is just as a joke.

If you would not say it in person, then do not text or post it.

If you would not say it out loud in front of your mother, do not say it on the phone to text it. Censor yourself.

Only go to websites that you would look at with your mother.

If you are in public or talking to any other human being, the phone will be silenced or off.

Never send a picture to any person or any website that you would not send to your mother. The only website you are allowed to post any picture on is facebook.

Leave your phone home sometimes and feel safe and secure in that decision. It is not alive or an extension of you. Learn to live without it.

Don’t take a zillion pictures or videos. There is no need to document every little thing. It is okay to take a few…just don’t go overboard. Live your experiences. They will be in your memory for eternity.

Download music that is good for you. Good Christian music or maybe some classical. Don’t always listen to the same thing that everyone else listens to. Be sure you never listen to music that is disrespectful, degrading, or that has bad words.

If you play games on your phone include games with words or puzzles.

Don’t sit around starting at your phone all the time. Keep your eyes up. See the world happening around you. Stare out a window. Listen to the birds. Read a book. Take a walk. Wonder without Googling. You don’t always have to be on your phone.

Your phone will never go in your bedroom or the bathroom.

I, your mother, will also be following all of these rules. We are a team!

Signature: ______________________________ Date: ____________________

Signature: ______________________________ Date: ____________________

Laptop Contract for a Teenager

Well, my daughter and I have very different ideas on how a laptop should be used and where it should be used and why is should be used AND how long it should be used. I thought long and hard about the boundaries that should be set when letting a child use the internet as it can be a very scary place and I (with the help of the wonderful world wide web as many other parents have this same problem) have come up with this contract. Some of the ideas are exclusively mine but most I got from other moms and posts online. So here it is:

Laptop Contract for 2013

I know having a laptop is a privilege. I respect that my mom loves me and wants to keep me safe. My mom respects that I am becoming a young adult and want the privilege of having the use of the laptop. With that in mind, we agree:

The laptop will be kept in a public area of the house. It will never be in used in any of the bedrooms or any of the bathrooms.

I will be on the laptop no later than 9pm on School nights (Sunday – Thursday) and 10pm on weekends (Friday – Saturday). The only exception to this rule is sleep overs. If someone stays the night you can stay on the laptop until midnight.

I will only use the laptop for 2 hours per weekday and 4 per weekend day. This includes internet AND non-internet time.

I will plug the laptop in daily to charge overnight. It will be put on the black shelf in the den every night to charge.

My responsibilities come first. I will not use the lap top at all for any reason until my responsibilities are completed for the day. This includes all homeschool and chores (and anything else an adult in the house tells me to do).

I am responsible for letting someone know if the laptop is having any problems (even if it is just moving to slow or internet not working).

I will ALWAYS tell a parent or another adult immediately, if something is confusing or seems scary or threatening.

I will NEVER give out my full name, real address, telephone number, school name or location, schedule, password, or other identifying information when I'm online. I will check with an adult for any exceptions.

I will NEVER have a face-to-face meeting with someone I've met online. In rare cases, my parents may decide it's OK, but if I do decide to meet a cyberpal, I will make sure we meet in a public place and that a parent or guardian is with me.

I will NEVER respond online to any messages that use bad words or words that are scary, threatening, or just feel weird. If I get that kind of message, I'll print it out and tell an adult immediately. The adult can then contact the online service or appropriate agency. If I'm uncomfortable in a live chat room, I will use the "ignore" button.

I will NEVER go into a new online area that is going to cost additional money without first asking permission from my parent or teacher.

I will NEVER send a picture over the Internet or via regular mail to anyone without my parent's permission. You can post pictures of facebook but that is IT! And those pictures should be taken in a way that people can’t tell where you are. If it is a picture that you would not show your mother, do NOT post it on facebook.

I will NOT give out a credit card number online without a parent present.

I will not video blog unless my mom has seen the video first.

My mom agrees also to limit time on the computer and to never use the computer in the bedroom or bathroom. All computers will be used in public areas of the house.

Signature: _________________________________________ Date: ______________________

Signature:__________________________________________ Date: ______________________