I know I have written about my belief in the importance of goals (and vision for our lives) before, but now that we are into a new year, I thought it would be fun to look back on my list of 2012 goals, and see how I think I did.
Here are a few of them that I made:
1. start homeschooling Kinsey (main focus - teach to read) - Done (and I started teaching her Kindergarten stuff August thru December, and still going strong. I gotta say, I love this one!)
2. read 2 non-fiction books: Biography of Suzanna Wesley - Done. The Overcoming Life by Rick Joyner - Almost Done (only half way by years end -whoops.)
3. drink more water - Done (pregnancy was helpful for this one, made me more thirsty)
4. start and finish the Song of Songs Study by Mike Bickle - Done (and loved it!)
5. write more on my blog - Done (more than any other year before!)
6. start a prayer meeting - Done (started in December, but it still counts, and it is still going)
7. tithe my time to the Lord = 18hrs/week - Somewhat Done (the goal at least helped me be more intentional, but my average was more like 12 hrs/week)
8. read thru the Bible in a year - Failed (but I blame pregnancy, reading was hard when i was preggo. I know, excuses, excuses. I never even got started on this one. whoops.)
9. give more away - Done (we gave more money away this year than any year of our marriage previously, and we gave lots of other 'stuff' away too! It felt so good to be able to give so freely)
10. pray more consistently - Done (my schedule had regular prayer meetings included and I became really good at sticking to those prayer commitments. I give props to the grace of the Lord though, because I know He made me stronger in this area this year)
11. start an etsy business - Failed (but it is still in my heart, I just didn't feel the timing was this year, so although this goal was not met in a year, it is still floating around in my heart and mind)
12. have a healthy new baby & go into labor naturally - Done and Done! (my most awesome labor ever and baby boy is perfect!)
So, those are my goals from 2012. Pretty reasonable, right?
Well, now lets look at a few of my 2013 goals. These are so exciting to me right now! I feel so empowered by how well I did with my 2012 goals (the Lords grace was surely upon me), that I started to make some new kinds of goals this year. Some of these are not even real goals, so much as faith declarations that the Lord will have to help me fulfill, but I know He can do it, and so I wrote them down in faith!
Here they are:
1. start first grade homeschool with Kinsey in August
2. teach my children to pray by praying with them more consistently (consistently is the key word)
3. read 2 nonfiction books: Love and Respect by Eggerichs and The Mission Minded Child by Dunagan
4. read thru the Bible in one year
5. do a new Bible study/book study
6. stay committed to praying consistant at scheduled times (again, consistently is the key word)
7. do weekly exercise (start with abs)
8. cut out more sugar and processed foods from my family's diet
9. cut out extra gluten sources in our diets (things other than bread, we love bread too much)
10. clean my house more diligently and stick to my cleaning schedule (oh, this is a hard one!)
11. organize and keep organized our family files/records
12. renew my passport
13. blog at least once a week (well we can all see how well I'm starting out on this one...whoops, but there is still time to correct this goal!)
14. finish more craft projects than I start
15. give more away (than even last year, not sure how, but I believe if the Lord wants to use us this way, then He will give us the means)
16. walk in greater spiritual authority and discernment (I feel like this one is in the Lords hands as much as mine)
17. learn to maintain my peace and joy, even in the midst of transition (this one will really get tested as our move to TX draws near)
18. make new and deep friendships (even while I'm here in SC, but even more so when we arrive in TX)
19. send out at least 4 care packages to missionary friends overseas
20. start to learn a bit of spanish
21. hug and show my affections for those I love in a more regular way (I don't want to move away from my SC friends and have any regrets about the way I loved them. Love is an action, so I want to show my love more often, with my actions and words!)
22. design a new garden (somewhere, anywhere, doesn't even have to be for me....)
There you have it. Pretty crazy, right? I feel like some of these are big, but not too big for God, who is my strength. So I am moving forward, and if I don't ace all of these in a year, I'm not going to beat myself up about it. I will focus on what I did get accomplished and thank the Lord for what has been fulfilled!
Be inspired! The Lord is mighty, and His strong right hand is willing to move on our behalf if we ask Him. You better believe I am asking Him for some divine help, but in the end, I will be better for having stretched myself. My hope is to be very......... flexible, by the end of this year!
Hugs!
PS. It is not my intention to intimidate anyone with my lofty goals, it is my hope that you will be inspired. So it is also worth mentioning, that I have been making goals for a few years now, but the first year that I made goals my goals were not nearly so big.
Start small, make a manageable list, and keep it somewhere where you will see it often. Keeping your list before you will help you remember to keep going for the goals, and not forget about them. We as women are prone to forget, so don't give yourself that easy way out. I keep mine in my day planner, and I look at them at least every two weeks if not more. The sight of them spurs me on, to do better and more!
Hope that helps.
Thursday, March 7, 2013
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
The Swap
Although I could probably fit some uber spiritual theme to that title, for this time, I am actually talking about a physical swap. Just a normal, every 6 months, clothing swap between me and some of my mom friends. But, oh, what a swap it was!
I attended my first swap when I lived in Kansas City. I had hardly anything to bring because I was a missionary, and well, I just didn't have much to swap, but it was still such a blessing. No one in our circle of friends had a lot, so we all came with the little we had. All of us had a blast trying on clothes together though. It was great fun just to be silly girls together for a few hours, without our children or our worries, and then we all went home with at least one new outfit!
Amazing!
So amazing in fact! That friends can get together and swap a commodity (clothing), that is so overly expensive to buy new. Then each of us is able to walk away with at least one new outfit without spending a dime! It is important to mention, that the clothes we were bringing were not trash, we were just no longer in love with them. So we brought them, and swapped them for something new and exciting.
Sigh. It was so satisfying. Only a woman can understand how much so.
Now, here I am, the morning after my fourth ever swap, looking through all my goodies. Can we say, exciting!
This time I felt I had a lot to bring. People had been giving me clothing on and off for the past 6 months, some of which didn't fit me, or wasn't my style, etc. So when it came time to swap, I brought all of those items with a few of my own things. Then I walked away from that night with a whole clothes basket full, and I wasn't even hoarding. There were at least six trash bags of clothes that were left to be donated to the Salvation Army the next day.
Those of us with an abundance, brought our many gifts. We organized it somewhat, and then we 'shopped'. Some of us tried on clothes, and all of us enjoyed some great fellowship and snacks. And we all went home with at least an armful of new clothes.
This time I got a great pair of shoes, a couple pairs of pants, and some comfy shirts. I also found some earrings and a few necklaces. Oh, and a new summer purse too! It was so much fun!
So now, it will be a long time before I need anything new again. I have new summer clothes and winter clothes, and even a few new maternity clothes (for that next pregnancy which is no where near happening yet).
To all my readers out there, who else likes clothing swaps? If this is a new idea to some of you, though, feel free to ask questions too! I've been through enough of them now, I feel a bit like an expert, of sorts.
Peace to you all!
I attended my first swap when I lived in Kansas City. I had hardly anything to bring because I was a missionary, and well, I just didn't have much to swap, but it was still such a blessing. No one in our circle of friends had a lot, so we all came with the little we had. All of us had a blast trying on clothes together though. It was great fun just to be silly girls together for a few hours, without our children or our worries, and then we all went home with at least one new outfit!
Amazing!
So amazing in fact! That friends can get together and swap a commodity (clothing), that is so overly expensive to buy new. Then each of us is able to walk away with at least one new outfit without spending a dime! It is important to mention, that the clothes we were bringing were not trash, we were just no longer in love with them. So we brought them, and swapped them for something new and exciting.
Sigh. It was so satisfying. Only a woman can understand how much so.
Now, here I am, the morning after my fourth ever swap, looking through all my goodies. Can we say, exciting!
This time I felt I had a lot to bring. People had been giving me clothing on and off for the past 6 months, some of which didn't fit me, or wasn't my style, etc. So when it came time to swap, I brought all of those items with a few of my own things. Then I walked away from that night with a whole clothes basket full, and I wasn't even hoarding. There were at least six trash bags of clothes that were left to be donated to the Salvation Army the next day.
Those of us with an abundance, brought our many gifts. We organized it somewhat, and then we 'shopped'. Some of us tried on clothes, and all of us enjoyed some great fellowship and snacks. And we all went home with at least an armful of new clothes.
This time I got a great pair of shoes, a couple pairs of pants, and some comfy shirts. I also found some earrings and a few necklaces. Oh, and a new summer purse too! It was so much fun!
So now, it will be a long time before I need anything new again. I have new summer clothes and winter clothes, and even a few new maternity clothes (for that next pregnancy which is no where near happening yet).
To all my readers out there, who else likes clothing swaps? If this is a new idea to some of you, though, feel free to ask questions too! I've been through enough of them now, I feel a bit like an expert, of sorts.
Peace to you all!
Friday, February 1, 2013
The Patriarch Lesson
So I am on this reading plan - one of my goals for 2013 - to read thru the whole Bible in a year. I am doing really good, in that I am ahead of schedule in reading it, but I haven't yet reached Deuteronomy and Numbers yet, which I expect to slow me down, just a bit.
Anyhow, reading about Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Moses, has been so interesting for me. For sure, I have read these stories before, but the Word is living and breathing. The Lord shines fresh revelation on scriptures, even if we have read then a hundred times.
Right now, the lesson the Lord is highlighting, is how bad these Patriarchs of our faith messed up. They were so flawed. They had some big time tests that they failed, or just bad character flaws in general, etc.
The point that stands out to me is, not only did they have these big failures, but that these failures were recorded in the scriptures, to be remembered for all time. They were considered righteous men, and they were, but not because they were any more prefect than me or you. They were considered righteous men because they believed and fellowshipped with God. They even got it right a good portion of the time, and obeyed the Lord's commands and followed thru for the long haul. Yet it was their faith in God, in the bad, and even in the good times that made them righteous.
It brought me back to a statistic I heard somewhere once, that the Lord focuses on the 85% that we get right (that is an overly generous percentage I know, that is like for a saint or monk or something, not me personally)
Yet I find myself almost constantly focusing on the 15% that I get wrong. Or that other people get wrong. Why do you think the Lord has no problem forgiving our sins and seeing the goodness in us?
Because He is looking for the goodness, the good stuff. He sees us and He sees our potential as well as our hearts, and He smiles because He doesn't make junk, and He made us. He can see our beginning from our end, and everything else in between. So when He does comes across the bad in us, He is never surprised by our failures. He just picks us up, and dusts us off, and tells us what else He sees! There is a whole lot more to us than our failures, so lets start focusing on the good in us. Especially what makes us really good, which is Christ in us, our hope of Glory!!!!
Anyhow, reading about Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Moses, has been so interesting for me. For sure, I have read these stories before, but the Word is living and breathing. The Lord shines fresh revelation on scriptures, even if we have read then a hundred times.
Right now, the lesson the Lord is highlighting, is how bad these Patriarchs of our faith messed up. They were so flawed. They had some big time tests that they failed, or just bad character flaws in general, etc.
The point that stands out to me is, not only did they have these big failures, but that these failures were recorded in the scriptures, to be remembered for all time. They were considered righteous men, and they were, but not because they were any more prefect than me or you. They were considered righteous men because they believed and fellowshipped with God. They even got it right a good portion of the time, and obeyed the Lord's commands and followed thru for the long haul. Yet it was their faith in God, in the bad, and even in the good times that made them righteous.
It brought me back to a statistic I heard somewhere once, that the Lord focuses on the 85% that we get right (that is an overly generous percentage I know, that is like for a saint or monk or something, not me personally)
Yet I find myself almost constantly focusing on the 15% that I get wrong. Or that other people get wrong. Why do you think the Lord has no problem forgiving our sins and seeing the goodness in us?
Because He is looking for the goodness, the good stuff. He sees us and He sees our potential as well as our hearts, and He smiles because He doesn't make junk, and He made us. He can see our beginning from our end, and everything else in between. So when He does comes across the bad in us, He is never surprised by our failures. He just picks us up, and dusts us off, and tells us what else He sees! There is a whole lot more to us than our failures, so lets start focusing on the good in us. Especially what makes us really good, which is Christ in us, our hope of Glory!!!!
Sunday, January 20, 2013
Sugar Detox - Round 2
Three years ago (approximately) I detoxed myself from sugar. What a wonderful and stupid thing it was to do. Wonderful, because it is always a good idea to detox from any addictive substance, and stupid, because I didn't really think about what the consequences might be. Therefore I detoxed without a plan for what to do with all the "junk" that a lack of sugar stirred up in me. (white refined sugar to be specific)
Seriously, I was raging on the inside. Most people wouldn't look at me and say, "she is a woman who deals with anger", but I'm telling you flat out, I had murderous thoughts about people for the seven days it took my body to detox from sugar. It was scary, even to me.
I'm telling you, it was wild! Thankfully, most of the war with my flesh occurred in my mind. Still, it was like taking a bandaid off of a big nasty infected wound. Instead of dealing with anger or frustration as it cropped up, I had just kept putting a fresh bandaid on it every time it would begin to ooze through the old. Sugar was my bandaid.
I would hazard to say that lots of us stay at home moms use sugar as a bandaid, because heck, what else can we do in the moment. The kids are out of hand, the house is a wreck, and I (we) have a whole, well stocked cabinet with baking supplies at my (our) disposal. Let's whip up some cookies and eat away our troubles.
Some of you may laugh, because it sounds funny, but also because you know it is so true. Scary true.
Now back to the detox. The detox forced me to look at the vicious cycle I had been supporting. I would have a bad day, but instead of taking my burdens and troubles to the Lord and allowing Him to help me invest into those areas where I was struggling, I just baked cookies and pacified my flesh.
Therefore, the fresh bandaid was applied, and I didn't have to look at or deal with my issues.
No everyone uses sugar this way, but I would guess that we all have something that we turn to as a comfort when we feel 'stressed' or 'on the edge'. So we pacify our flesh, you, me, and lots of people, right? Yet I took the plunge three years ago to be brave and rip that bandaid clean off, and then be more brave to look at what was underneath (in my heart).
I am sharing all of this to encourage you to try it too. Be brave. Try to quit some habit that you turn to when you are having a bad day. See if we are really walking in that fruit of the Spirit called Self Control.
It may not be pretty, and it probably won't be fun, but it will be healthy and a very good learning experience. It humbles me to look at the true condition of my heart. I did my first detox, like I said, almost three years ago. Since then, I try to do them periodically (sugar detox), as a litmus test to see where my heart is. It is a pretty accurate test.
If I can be friendly and walk in compassion and love without my beloved sugar, then I'm doing pretty good with allowing the Lord to transform me from the inside out, and not just covering up my boo boo's.
If I can't be civil or say a kind word to my husband, children and housemates, and I want to swerve my car to hit innocent creatures while driving, and I want to ram my cart into someones car who parked to close to my passenger side so that I can no longer easily load my children in after an excursion into a grocery store (just being real here, I never actually did these things, I just wanted to), then i would say I have been using sugar as a boo boo cover again, and need to take these heart issues to the Lord afresh. I need to let the Lord cultivate in me some Fruits of the Spirit, because lets face it, if we really have the fruit, then it will still be there when the sugar is gone, right?
So in the last three years I would say I have done pretty decent, my detoxes have not be terribly dramatic, like my first, but this one, the one I started a few days ago, has been interesting. Hard. Ugly.
It started with a massive headache, which at least reduced me to passive parenting (red flag 1). Then, when the headache passed, I was using sharp words with everyone in my house. I knew I didn't feel as strongly as I was speaking, but I just couldn't seem to control my tongue (red flag 2). Now, I find myself feeling somewhat depressed when I walk in the kitchen, like nothing will satisfy me (red flag 3).
Then later, I blew up on my housemate about the most ridiculous thing, and spent the next 20 minutes pacing around our townhouse complex crying. Not because I was sorry, but as a release for all the rage that was burning under my surface. Then, after praying in tongues for a bit, I was finally able to come in and apologize to our housemate and look at the situation rationally (big ol' fat red flat 4).
So now my questions is, "how did I let sugar creep in and take so much control again?" The answer is pretty simple, and a long story (so I will not go into it), but the bottom line is, I was again using sugar as a crutch to deal with the somewhat hard things in my little world.
Wow. Food is such a powerful thing in our lives. To be used for good, and evil.
And for me, white refined sugar, is evil.
Which brings me to another point that I feel ready to mention. I will need to be learning these lessons, of how to run to the Lord with my problems, instead of sugar, in the coming months.
As some of you may already know, we are moving again, across country again, this time to land in Texas. I am both elated and apprehensive. I am so excited for the adventure the Lord is leading me into, but I am not as eager to start all over in a new place.
I have built some of the most amazing friendships of my life here in Charlotte, NC, and it will be a very hard day for me to say goodbye to these people who mean so much.
It may be 7 months away (July-ish), but I know myself. I will need the Lord to be my comfort as the time draws near. I don't want sugar to be my comfort. I want the Lord! He is my comfort and my shield.
If you think of it, pray for us, that the Lord would make this a smooth transition and that the Lord would also be preparing me some new friends in Texas. I already know that I'm going to need them like air. There is nothing like another woman friend to cry with, laugh with, and share life with.
Natalie, Tabitha, Katy, Carolyn, Bree, Katie, Ashely, Lauren, Lindsay, and Ashleigh, you ladies have made my life so good here in South Carolina. There are others, of course, but these are my fail-safe groupies, that help make being a mom so much fun for me!
Bless you all!
Seriously, I was raging on the inside. Most people wouldn't look at me and say, "she is a woman who deals with anger", but I'm telling you flat out, I had murderous thoughts about people for the seven days it took my body to detox from sugar. It was scary, even to me.
I'm telling you, it was wild! Thankfully, most of the war with my flesh occurred in my mind. Still, it was like taking a bandaid off of a big nasty infected wound. Instead of dealing with anger or frustration as it cropped up, I had just kept putting a fresh bandaid on it every time it would begin to ooze through the old. Sugar was my bandaid.
I would hazard to say that lots of us stay at home moms use sugar as a bandaid, because heck, what else can we do in the moment. The kids are out of hand, the house is a wreck, and I (we) have a whole, well stocked cabinet with baking supplies at my (our) disposal. Let's whip up some cookies and eat away our troubles.
Some of you may laugh, because it sounds funny, but also because you know it is so true. Scary true.
Now back to the detox. The detox forced me to look at the vicious cycle I had been supporting. I would have a bad day, but instead of taking my burdens and troubles to the Lord and allowing Him to help me invest into those areas where I was struggling, I just baked cookies and pacified my flesh.
Therefore, the fresh bandaid was applied, and I didn't have to look at or deal with my issues.
No everyone uses sugar this way, but I would guess that we all have something that we turn to as a comfort when we feel 'stressed' or 'on the edge'. So we pacify our flesh, you, me, and lots of people, right? Yet I took the plunge three years ago to be brave and rip that bandaid clean off, and then be more brave to look at what was underneath (in my heart).
I am sharing all of this to encourage you to try it too. Be brave. Try to quit some habit that you turn to when you are having a bad day. See if we are really walking in that fruit of the Spirit called Self Control.
It may not be pretty, and it probably won't be fun, but it will be healthy and a very good learning experience. It humbles me to look at the true condition of my heart. I did my first detox, like I said, almost three years ago. Since then, I try to do them periodically (sugar detox), as a litmus test to see where my heart is. It is a pretty accurate test.
If I can be friendly and walk in compassion and love without my beloved sugar, then I'm doing pretty good with allowing the Lord to transform me from the inside out, and not just covering up my boo boo's.
If I can't be civil or say a kind word to my husband, children and housemates, and I want to swerve my car to hit innocent creatures while driving, and I want to ram my cart into someones car who parked to close to my passenger side so that I can no longer easily load my children in after an excursion into a grocery store (just being real here, I never actually did these things, I just wanted to), then i would say I have been using sugar as a boo boo cover again, and need to take these heart issues to the Lord afresh. I need to let the Lord cultivate in me some Fruits of the Spirit, because lets face it, if we really have the fruit, then it will still be there when the sugar is gone, right?
So in the last three years I would say I have done pretty decent, my detoxes have not be terribly dramatic, like my first, but this one, the one I started a few days ago, has been interesting. Hard. Ugly.
It started with a massive headache, which at least reduced me to passive parenting (red flag 1). Then, when the headache passed, I was using sharp words with everyone in my house. I knew I didn't feel as strongly as I was speaking, but I just couldn't seem to control my tongue (red flag 2). Now, I find myself feeling somewhat depressed when I walk in the kitchen, like nothing will satisfy me (red flag 3).
Then later, I blew up on my housemate about the most ridiculous thing, and spent the next 20 minutes pacing around our townhouse complex crying. Not because I was sorry, but as a release for all the rage that was burning under my surface. Then, after praying in tongues for a bit, I was finally able to come in and apologize to our housemate and look at the situation rationally (big ol' fat red flat 4).
So now my questions is, "how did I let sugar creep in and take so much control again?" The answer is pretty simple, and a long story (so I will not go into it), but the bottom line is, I was again using sugar as a crutch to deal with the somewhat hard things in my little world.
Wow. Food is such a powerful thing in our lives. To be used for good, and evil.
And for me, white refined sugar, is evil.
Which brings me to another point that I feel ready to mention. I will need to be learning these lessons, of how to run to the Lord with my problems, instead of sugar, in the coming months.
As some of you may already know, we are moving again, across country again, this time to land in Texas. I am both elated and apprehensive. I am so excited for the adventure the Lord is leading me into, but I am not as eager to start all over in a new place.
I have built some of the most amazing friendships of my life here in Charlotte, NC, and it will be a very hard day for me to say goodbye to these people who mean so much.
It may be 7 months away (July-ish), but I know myself. I will need the Lord to be my comfort as the time draws near. I don't want sugar to be my comfort. I want the Lord! He is my comfort and my shield.
If you think of it, pray for us, that the Lord would make this a smooth transition and that the Lord would also be preparing me some new friends in Texas. I already know that I'm going to need them like air. There is nothing like another woman friend to cry with, laugh with, and share life with.
Natalie, Tabitha, Katy, Carolyn, Bree, Katie, Ashely, Lauren, Lindsay, and Ashleigh, you ladies have made my life so good here in South Carolina. There are others, of course, but these are my fail-safe groupies, that help make being a mom so much fun for me!
Bless you all!
Saturday, January 12, 2013
Awareness Day
Lot of thoughts float through my head on any given day, but lately there has been a recurring theme. I come upon this theme fairly regularly, because it is one of those things that has always pierced my heart. It is one of my greatest passions for intercession, but I warn you, it is heavy, and sometimes hard to read about. It is....
Human Trafficking - the Sex Slave Industry.
Because that's what it is, you know, an industry that exploits women & children sexually.
It makes me sick to my stomach when I think about it. The injustice, the evil, the victims, and yes, even the perpetrators.
Sexual crimes in general have a huge affect on me, especially since I got married and experienced sexual intimacy for the first time. I realized then what a beautiful and wonderful, and yet very vulnerable experience it can be and should be. After than, even when I would read about a rape in the newspaper I would be reduced to tears and feel a heavy knot in my stomach. The wrongness of this sin stirs me inside like few others do.
Sometimes I still cry about it, when the reality of it grips me afresh. Mostly though, I take that sick feeling in the pit of my stomach now, and turn it into intercession. Lately I have had a wave of thoughts concerning this very topic again. The Lord just keeps highlighting the industry to me, and my heart is gripped with the desire to speak out about it. Then I realize it is Human Trafficking Awareness Month. Go figure.
My excuse is no longer "how can I share about this", but when and to who. So here is one of the places I have chosen (my blog).
It was National Human Trafficking Awareness Day yesterday, January 11th! Yet this whole month has been declared by President Obama to be National Slavery and Human Trafficking Awareness Month (January). Even Obama can get some things right, and I bless him for that, but I hope it leads to him pushing also for the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) to be renewed through Congress. Click the link above to read more about it.
So now I just want to highlight a ministry that deals with this very issue. Not some foreign mission, far across the ocean, although there are plenty of those. Great and powerful ones that work to rescue and then support women and children being brought out of the sex industry.
Still, I am choosing to highlight a ministry that is much closer to home and one that I think plenty of us have a skewed view of. I know I use to misunderstand these women.
Prostitution, right here in the United States of America.
We sometimes write these women off as "they should have known better" or "they chose that lifestyle for themselves", but they are as much victims as any, and their Father in Heaven is broken hearted over them as much as anyone else.
So here is the ministry - Hookers for Jesus!
I first heard about this ministry watching the movie Nefarious.
Never heard of that movie? It is a movie that exposes the extent of human trafficking that is happening around the world. It brings awareness to the plight of women and children all across the globe.
"Why would anyone want to watch a movie about that?" you ask.
I would, and thousands of others too, because we desire to be gripped and ruined with the issues that grip and pain the father heart of God. Sure it is painful to see and watch. I was crying uncontrollably during several parts, especially where children were involved, but it is pain with a purpose!
It moves me to do all I can (in my small world of influence) to pray about it, talk about it, learn about, and walk with a heart of compassion.
So there you go. Please try to read about Annie's story on the Hookers for Jesus site if you can. It will not be easy. Her story paints a very painful picture of brokenness, but it has a good ending. One that leads to a powerful outworking of the redemptive work the Lord has done in her life.
If you are also interested in learning more about the Nefarious video, and other Human Trafficking awareness materials, then please visit Exodus Cry!
Have a blessed day.
Human Trafficking - the Sex Slave Industry.
Because that's what it is, you know, an industry that exploits women & children sexually.
It makes me sick to my stomach when I think about it. The injustice, the evil, the victims, and yes, even the perpetrators.
Sexual crimes in general have a huge affect on me, especially since I got married and experienced sexual intimacy for the first time. I realized then what a beautiful and wonderful, and yet very vulnerable experience it can be and should be. After than, even when I would read about a rape in the newspaper I would be reduced to tears and feel a heavy knot in my stomach. The wrongness of this sin stirs me inside like few others do.
Sometimes I still cry about it, when the reality of it grips me afresh. Mostly though, I take that sick feeling in the pit of my stomach now, and turn it into intercession. Lately I have had a wave of thoughts concerning this very topic again. The Lord just keeps highlighting the industry to me, and my heart is gripped with the desire to speak out about it. Then I realize it is Human Trafficking Awareness Month. Go figure.
My excuse is no longer "how can I share about this", but when and to who. So here is one of the places I have chosen (my blog).
It was National Human Trafficking Awareness Day yesterday, January 11th! Yet this whole month has been declared by President Obama to be National Slavery and Human Trafficking Awareness Month (January). Even Obama can get some things right, and I bless him for that, but I hope it leads to him pushing also for the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) to be renewed through Congress. Click the link above to read more about it.
So now I just want to highlight a ministry that deals with this very issue. Not some foreign mission, far across the ocean, although there are plenty of those. Great and powerful ones that work to rescue and then support women and children being brought out of the sex industry.
Still, I am choosing to highlight a ministry that is much closer to home and one that I think plenty of us have a skewed view of. I know I use to misunderstand these women.
Prostitution, right here in the United States of America.
We sometimes write these women off as "they should have known better" or "they chose that lifestyle for themselves", but they are as much victims as any, and their Father in Heaven is broken hearted over them as much as anyone else.
So here is the ministry - Hookers for Jesus!
I first heard about this ministry watching the movie Nefarious.
Never heard of that movie? It is a movie that exposes the extent of human trafficking that is happening around the world. It brings awareness to the plight of women and children all across the globe.
"Why would anyone want to watch a movie about that?" you ask.
I would, and thousands of others too, because we desire to be gripped and ruined with the issues that grip and pain the father heart of God. Sure it is painful to see and watch. I was crying uncontrollably during several parts, especially where children were involved, but it is pain with a purpose!
It moves me to do all I can (in my small world of influence) to pray about it, talk about it, learn about, and walk with a heart of compassion.
So there you go. Please try to read about Annie's story on the Hookers for Jesus site if you can. It will not be easy. Her story paints a very painful picture of brokenness, but it has a good ending. One that leads to a powerful outworking of the redemptive work the Lord has done in her life.
If you are also interested in learning more about the Nefarious video, and other Human Trafficking awareness materials, then please visit Exodus Cry!
Have a blessed day.
Sunday, December 30, 2012
Wisdom from Julie Meyer
Earlier this week I was looking through my day planner and found a handful of notes that I had taken from a Mom's Meeting at IHOPKC over two years ago.
I have attempted to make quotes from this meeting many times in speaking to my mom friends, quotes to encourage. The seasoned mom who spoke that night (as you have probably guessed by now) was Julie Meyer, the very prophetic worshiper from IHOPKC. She has three boys, two of which are twins. They are grown now, but she was sweet enough to share what she learned in her season of motherhood with a group of us younger moms, who were just starting out.
Here are a few of the things that she said (my comments and thoughts are in parenthesis):
Julie Meyer - IHOPKC Mom's Meeting 4.21.2010
As women and mothers, we are often so busy moving around that we can only get a few drops of the Lord's presence throughout our days. But if we would just learn to sit still before Him, He could fill the whole glass of our life, which would sustain us for longer.
She also encouraged us to make a list of our callings, giftings, and goals and to keep them in a place where we would see them often. (that was huge at the time for me, but since then, I have heard many Christian leaders repeat this very wisdom about goals and visions - keep them where you can see them often.)
She emphasized that the Lord has a tailor made journey just for us, so we can not, and should not compare our journey to others. She then said we should ask the Holy Spirit for wisdom in how to live in our calling in the midst of our current season. Motherhood does not mean that our dreams and life-goals have to sit on the shelf until we are 'free' to pursue them again. We can walk in a measure of our callings even as mothers, even with small babies. Ask the Holy Spirit how.
In reference to that point, she told of how when she was home alone with her babies, that was the training ground the Lord used to grow her in the place of the prophetic. In the season of motherhood, she learned to hear His voice more clearly and to speak His words out prophetically and with boldness! (I want that to come forth while I'm mothering, oh, how wonderful to be able to speak the Lord's words over my family and myself in the season of being hidden in motherhood.)
So she instructed us to listen for Holy Spirit's voice throughout our days and to look for those divine moments. Even as mothers, we are offered glimpses of what the Spirit is doing, if we look for it.
In the training ground of motherhood, Julie learned to be still, listen & trust the Lord's voice at a new level. From there she was able to train her children from the wealth of Holy Spirit revelation she was gathering.
To make your season of training easier, she gave a list of four things to try and do:
1. Look out for the spirit of fear - fear will be a big enemy, and will try to blindside you. To combat fear, step back, talk to the Lord about what you are experiencing, and trust the wisdom He offers.
2. Don't grumble & complain about your season (look for the joy in what the Lord is doing, even in the midst of pain, suffering, or persecution - I have found that worship is warfare against the desire to grumble.)
3. Don't compare your life/ministry/mothering/giftings, fill in the blank, to that of others. Just don't compare! The Lord is working a unique work inside of you, and it will always look a bit different from everyone else you know. (if you can't compare, it either helps keep you humble, or helps you keep from feeling discouraged)
4. Sing the Word/speak the Word - sing it in your house, over your kids, over yourself, in the car, shower, etc. The Word brings life and joy and peace. (We need those things a lot in motherhood.)
Near the end she gave some practical ways to learn to prophesy, here are her three tips to get started:
1. Set your heart toward the Lord, and attempt to sing the Word out loud as often as possible (it connects our hearts with His)
2. Sing prayers from scripture out loud (not a great songwriter? the PrayerRoom.com out of IHOPKC, sings a lot of scripture, so a good place to get started)
3. Turn it around and sing what you hear the Lord saying over you, sing it back to Him.
Lastly, she gave us hope of what we might expect on the other side of motherhood.
In a practical way, there are some parts of our callings as women and leaders, that can not be fully realized in motherhood, but she says, do not worry. And I quote:
"When this season is over, the Lord will open doors and make room for you to move back into the fullness of your calling."
Even still, she encourages us to expect the Lord to meet us and encounter us right where we are right now. Right in the midst of the nitty gritty of motherhood. In the midst of dirty diapers, discipline, and dishes. Be confident. He sees it all, and every time we set our hearts toward Him in the midst of our daily work, doing it unto Him. He sees it, and it counts. It all counts!
Lord, encounter our hearts with the truth of who You are, and how You have been working in our hearts. I speak encounter, not just to mothers, but to women who have lost sight of the biggest goal. The biggest goal is You, Jesus!!!!
Amen. Be blessed.
I have attempted to make quotes from this meeting many times in speaking to my mom friends, quotes to encourage. The seasoned mom who spoke that night (as you have probably guessed by now) was Julie Meyer, the very prophetic worshiper from IHOPKC. She has three boys, two of which are twins. They are grown now, but she was sweet enough to share what she learned in her season of motherhood with a group of us younger moms, who were just starting out.
Here are a few of the things that she said (my comments and thoughts are in parenthesis):
Julie Meyer - IHOPKC Mom's Meeting 4.21.2010
As women and mothers, we are often so busy moving around that we can only get a few drops of the Lord's presence throughout our days. But if we would just learn to sit still before Him, He could fill the whole glass of our life, which would sustain us for longer.
She also encouraged us to make a list of our callings, giftings, and goals and to keep them in a place where we would see them often. (that was huge at the time for me, but since then, I have heard many Christian leaders repeat this very wisdom about goals and visions - keep them where you can see them often.)
She emphasized that the Lord has a tailor made journey just for us, so we can not, and should not compare our journey to others. She then said we should ask the Holy Spirit for wisdom in how to live in our calling in the midst of our current season. Motherhood does not mean that our dreams and life-goals have to sit on the shelf until we are 'free' to pursue them again. We can walk in a measure of our callings even as mothers, even with small babies. Ask the Holy Spirit how.
In reference to that point, she told of how when she was home alone with her babies, that was the training ground the Lord used to grow her in the place of the prophetic. In the season of motherhood, she learned to hear His voice more clearly and to speak His words out prophetically and with boldness! (I want that to come forth while I'm mothering, oh, how wonderful to be able to speak the Lord's words over my family and myself in the season of being hidden in motherhood.)
So she instructed us to listen for Holy Spirit's voice throughout our days and to look for those divine moments. Even as mothers, we are offered glimpses of what the Spirit is doing, if we look for it.
In the training ground of motherhood, Julie learned to be still, listen & trust the Lord's voice at a new level. From there she was able to train her children from the wealth of Holy Spirit revelation she was gathering.
To make your season of training easier, she gave a list of four things to try and do:
1. Look out for the spirit of fear - fear will be a big enemy, and will try to blindside you. To combat fear, step back, talk to the Lord about what you are experiencing, and trust the wisdom He offers.
2. Don't grumble & complain about your season (look for the joy in what the Lord is doing, even in the midst of pain, suffering, or persecution - I have found that worship is warfare against the desire to grumble.)
3. Don't compare your life/ministry/mothering/giftings, fill in the blank, to that of others. Just don't compare! The Lord is working a unique work inside of you, and it will always look a bit different from everyone else you know. (if you can't compare, it either helps keep you humble, or helps you keep from feeling discouraged)
4. Sing the Word/speak the Word - sing it in your house, over your kids, over yourself, in the car, shower, etc. The Word brings life and joy and peace. (We need those things a lot in motherhood.)
Near the end she gave some practical ways to learn to prophesy, here are her three tips to get started:
1. Set your heart toward the Lord, and attempt to sing the Word out loud as often as possible (it connects our hearts with His)
2. Sing prayers from scripture out loud (not a great songwriter? the PrayerRoom.com out of IHOPKC, sings a lot of scripture, so a good place to get started)
3. Turn it around and sing what you hear the Lord saying over you, sing it back to Him.
Lastly, she gave us hope of what we might expect on the other side of motherhood.
In a practical way, there are some parts of our callings as women and leaders, that can not be fully realized in motherhood, but she says, do not worry. And I quote:
"When this season is over, the Lord will open doors and make room for you to move back into the fullness of your calling."
Even still, she encourages us to expect the Lord to meet us and encounter us right where we are right now. Right in the midst of the nitty gritty of motherhood. In the midst of dirty diapers, discipline, and dishes. Be confident. He sees it all, and every time we set our hearts toward Him in the midst of our daily work, doing it unto Him. He sees it, and it counts. It all counts!
Lord, encounter our hearts with the truth of who You are, and how You have been working in our hearts. I speak encounter, not just to mothers, but to women who have lost sight of the biggest goal. The biggest goal is You, Jesus!!!!
Amen. Be blessed.
Thursday, December 6, 2012
Trees of Life
That is what we are....trees of life.
A woman at prayer today said this, "we are trees of life, we change the atmosphere." She was speaking out of a revelation the Lord gave her when she first arrived at MorningStar.
Yet when anyone starts talking about trees, plants, or flowers, I always begin to dig back in my horticultural training and try to make spiritual and natural parallels. So what is a tree of life in the natural....a tree that is alive!
We are all trees that are alive. Even the smallest in our midst are just young trees growing up under the canopy of the mature trees. Trees were meant (in the natural) to live in community. They grow in forests for a reason. When trees grow in forests they are stronger, they grow to be much older, and they support a whole different kind of ecosystem under their canopy than singular trees.
Note: an ecosystem is a biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environment.
Now, why do they do better in families (forests). Because they were designed to grow best when they are growing up, vertically; NOT horizontally. When they reach toward the light of the sun (in the natural) there is room for them all to grow together into a strong and protective canopy for the younger ones around them. They reach for the light, focused on the light, and grow taller than trees that grow out in the open on their own. They also are stronger because of all their fellow trees around them offering support from the roots, but also from all sides. In a storm, the winds blow, but they rub and lean against one another, and do not fall over.
The beautiful trees that we see planted out in a field by themselves are usually not healthy trees. They may look nice with their long, horizontal flowing branches, but they are under a lot of stress. They waste so much energy putting out those beautiful horizontal branches. They grow horizontal instead of upward, because there is no lack of light, therefore they are not forced to focus on growing in any particular direction. So they grow all over the place, aimlessly sending out branches that will later weigh too much for them to hold up in old age.
Singular trees in the open also aren't enough on their own to create their own atmosphere. They only create just enough shade to cover their root system, but not enough to cool the air around themselves significantly. Therefore, their roots dry out quicker, which causes them more stress in trying to get enough water to all those crazy horizontal branches.
Trees growing out in the open do not create a home for creatures to live in. A creature may stop and admire the trees beauty, or stop to take a break in its shade, but it will not live there because it is not a protected place. One tree does not offer enough safety on its own.
It isn't even safe for the lone tree. They are easily damaged in storms and are more susceptible to lightening strikes out in the wide open. With all that working against them, lone trees don't tend to live that long, they just can't stand against all those elements on their own for years and years and years. Rarely will you see a lone tree live much past 50 years, which is a very short life for a tree.
Forests, however, create a different atmosphere. It can be 100 degrees out in the sun, but the forest is cooler, and quieter. In the winter, the forest is warmer too because the many trees together block out the force of the winter wind.
Storms don't destroy whole forests because the trees together take the force of the winds as a united body. They are rooted into each other. Wherever a tree root touches another tree root there is the potential for a root fusion to take place (with trees of same species). With a root fusion, the two tree roots can then share water and nutrients and support one another. And back to the storms, you can't knock down just one tree in a storm because of those roots. The only way one tree can fall in a forest is if it is already dead and the roots are rotten.
Oh, the spiritual pictures we can draw from trees, eh?
It goes on, though.
So if we are trees of life, and we do best in community, then who do we create that atmosphere for? For the younger trees growing up beneath us, yes, but many, many creatures, big and small, find shelter and food in the midst of the forest. We are to create the atmosphere for ourselves as well as all those who need shelter in the world, not just for other trees, but for every creature that needs a refuge (the lost, the broken, the weary).
The world is full of storms, and we are TREES of LIFE, standing firmly together to make an atmosphere to shelter those around us. In the midst of that community of living trees, people will find that it is cooler in the heat of summer, warmer in the cold of winter, and full of water and life for all those who hunger and thirst.
Be blessed. We are the trees of life!
A woman at prayer today said this, "we are trees of life, we change the atmosphere." She was speaking out of a revelation the Lord gave her when she first arrived at MorningStar.
Yet when anyone starts talking about trees, plants, or flowers, I always begin to dig back in my horticultural training and try to make spiritual and natural parallels. So what is a tree of life in the natural....a tree that is alive!
We are all trees that are alive. Even the smallest in our midst are just young trees growing up under the canopy of the mature trees. Trees were meant (in the natural) to live in community. They grow in forests for a reason. When trees grow in forests they are stronger, they grow to be much older, and they support a whole different kind of ecosystem under their canopy than singular trees.
Note: an ecosystem is a biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environment.
Now, why do they do better in families (forests). Because they were designed to grow best when they are growing up, vertically; NOT horizontally. When they reach toward the light of the sun (in the natural) there is room for them all to grow together into a strong and protective canopy for the younger ones around them. They reach for the light, focused on the light, and grow taller than trees that grow out in the open on their own. They also are stronger because of all their fellow trees around them offering support from the roots, but also from all sides. In a storm, the winds blow, but they rub and lean against one another, and do not fall over.
The beautiful trees that we see planted out in a field by themselves are usually not healthy trees. They may look nice with their long, horizontal flowing branches, but they are under a lot of stress. They waste so much energy putting out those beautiful horizontal branches. They grow horizontal instead of upward, because there is no lack of light, therefore they are not forced to focus on growing in any particular direction. So they grow all over the place, aimlessly sending out branches that will later weigh too much for them to hold up in old age.
Singular trees in the open also aren't enough on their own to create their own atmosphere. They only create just enough shade to cover their root system, but not enough to cool the air around themselves significantly. Therefore, their roots dry out quicker, which causes them more stress in trying to get enough water to all those crazy horizontal branches.
Trees growing out in the open do not create a home for creatures to live in. A creature may stop and admire the trees beauty, or stop to take a break in its shade, but it will not live there because it is not a protected place. One tree does not offer enough safety on its own.
It isn't even safe for the lone tree. They are easily damaged in storms and are more susceptible to lightening strikes out in the wide open. With all that working against them, lone trees don't tend to live that long, they just can't stand against all those elements on their own for years and years and years. Rarely will you see a lone tree live much past 50 years, which is a very short life for a tree.
Forests, however, create a different atmosphere. It can be 100 degrees out in the sun, but the forest is cooler, and quieter. In the winter, the forest is warmer too because the many trees together block out the force of the winter wind.
Storms don't destroy whole forests because the trees together take the force of the winds as a united body. They are rooted into each other. Wherever a tree root touches another tree root there is the potential for a root fusion to take place (with trees of same species). With a root fusion, the two tree roots can then share water and nutrients and support one another. And back to the storms, you can't knock down just one tree in a storm because of those roots. The only way one tree can fall in a forest is if it is already dead and the roots are rotten.
Oh, the spiritual pictures we can draw from trees, eh?
It goes on, though.
So if we are trees of life, and we do best in community, then who do we create that atmosphere for? For the younger trees growing up beneath us, yes, but many, many creatures, big and small, find shelter and food in the midst of the forest. We are to create the atmosphere for ourselves as well as all those who need shelter in the world, not just for other trees, but for every creature that needs a refuge (the lost, the broken, the weary).
The world is full of storms, and we are TREES of LIFE, standing firmly together to make an atmosphere to shelter those around us. In the midst of that community of living trees, people will find that it is cooler in the heat of summer, warmer in the cold of winter, and full of water and life for all those who hunger and thirst.
Be blessed. We are the trees of life!
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