I have been struggling over this blog entry for over a week. I know what it has meant for me, and I just can't stay quiet anymore. My friends and family have heard my testimony from a week ago, and now I believe is the time for me to share on this blog. This entry is different from my others, because it is an experience.
I am probably very similar to the majority of the American world right now in this; I have an iPhone. The luxury of the world is at my fingertips 24/7. I never have a minute to be bored or silent in my thoughts or QUIET before the Lord unless I deliberately UNPLUG.
One week ago, I had a doctor's appointment and like most of my appointments for me or my children, I am fingering away at my iPhone, checking emailings, Facebook, playing games, reading stories, etc. So I walk in, sign in at the front desk and go find a comfortable couch to relax on and use my iPhone. I immediately felt a tug on my heart, it was kind of surprising at first. "Put your phone away!" "Look up, talk." I thought this whole notion was just crazy. Who am I really hurting by playing a good ole' game of suduko, I mean, I'm friendly most other days, but today is my day off, can't I just play a game and relax? The feeling became stronger and stronger, and finally I shut off my phone, put it away in my purse dangling from the couch and held my hands and glanced around. There SHE was.
I whispered, "Lord, what do you want me to say? If anything? I'm not sure what you are doing, but I am going to trust you." I took some deep breaths and realized how ridiculous it was for someone with my extrovert personality to be scared to speak to strangers, I mean speaking to strangers has always been something I enjoyed, BUT I realized, I haven't done it as much since the world of TECH has overtaken my mind, perhaps If I am really honest even my heart? I swallowed deeply and smiled. SHE looked down quickly, panic was rested in her big eyes, there was hurt. "Lord, what do I say, she doesn't look like she wants to talk? Give me words to these feelings inside." Just as I began to say how are you today, the nurse called HER name. As she stood in her early youth, long blond strands down her shoulders, very thin I noticed a small "bump" around her tiny form. What does God want me to do now I prayed. She is leaving, I wasted too much time. I smiled again as she walked out of the waiting room and just sat there silent.
A few moments later I was called back, and weighed and had my blood pressure taken and all that WONDERFUL stuff, then something very odd happened. I was placed in ANOTHER waiting room. This has never happened to me at THIS doctor. It has at other places but not here, they usually don't call me unless there is an open room. Hmmmm. I sat down and reached for my iPhone again, when I heard light footsteps entering and I looked up....YUP, there SHE was. Now we were alone in a tiny 6 chair waiting room, almost knee to knee.
"Lord, be my words, I don't understand what you are asking of me, but I will obey." We began to chat, and I found out a lot of "her story" most of which I am choosing to not share on social media for many reasons, but I will share, she is still in High school and pregnant. She was alone for her first ultrasound. I could see and hear her fear, and God only asked of me to encourage, uplift, love on and pray for this young beautiful child who had a hard road ahead. I was obedient to the best of my ability.
I was emotional as I left the waiting room last Friday. I deeply wanted to build a relationship with this girl. I wanted to walk this journey with her but that doesn't make sense right? I mean I don't even know her. God laid her deeply on my heart and I began to tell close friends and family to pray for this young lady I don't even know.
THEN, that moment God shakes you to your core happened. That moment you realize GOD is so much BIGGER than our little, pitiful attempts at life. 5 days after my doctors visit, I found out this girl IS connected to my life. Again I am not ready to share this on social media, but KNOW it's a GOD THING. God is BIG! ENORMOUS! Soak HIM in.
Like I said earlier, I was hesitant to share this story and wanted to make sure I kept what needed to be confidential, confidential. But God kept tugging at my heart to share for this reason. Had I NOT allowed HIS voice to pierce my heart last Friday at the doctors. Had I not, shut off my IPHONE and listened to HIS voice. I would have missed HIM. That's the message of today's blog.
DETOX TECH DEVICES more than LESS. Allow God to use YOU as a LIGHT in your COMMUNITY. Tech is a good thing, but don't let it come in between the voice of God in your life. There is a world around us hurting and longing for God, let's share HIS LIGHT with them, instead of glaring at the LIGHT on our devices.
HUGS, SJ
Friday, March 27, 2015
Sunday, March 8, 2015
Detox those FABULOUS FEARS Smoothie
I absolutely LOVE my job! I feel so blessed to have a job that is AWESOME. Before you get jealous, I must tell you, anything AWESOME comes at a high price. I have a deep struggle that I don't like to admit publicly. But in the midst of God wanting to cleanse me from toxins that are keeping me from a vital and healthy spiritual life, he wouldn't let me shake admitting this struggle.
The past few days I have sensed a great fear inside me. I didn't know why, or where exactly it was coming from. When I notice somethings not right, I go to the scripture as soon as I can, and I read and pray, and pray and read. Then, "low and behold" this morning as I taught the Bible lesson to the children I am responsible for at church this verse, "Wait patiently for the LORD. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the LORD." Psalm 27:14 Then I had the kids help reenact Exodus 32. I love when God teaches me, as I hear myself teaching the kids. When I hear God through my own words, that's when I know how BIG God really is, and how much he longs to teach me every single nugget of truth from HIS words, and thankfully not mine. I heard God, not me.
In Exodus 32 the Israelites were waiting for Moses to come back down from the mountain where God had given him the 10 commandments. He was up there for 40 days and 40 nights. We all know, they couldn't wait that long for a God to worship, so what did they do? Created their own God out of their own possessions. JUST as the words came out of my mouth, it was truly a lightbulb moment for me from the mouth of 4th grade girl. It went like this:
Me: "When you aren't patient enough to wait on God..." and before I could finish she said "that's SIN." I KNOW this. I teach this, and yet today instead of thinking about all the ways God speaks to these children through his word and how is this story relevant to them. I came home and read it for myself over and over and realized how very often I don't have the patience to wait on God. Then I had to admit to myself when I don't I am SINNING. I wanted to go deeper, I prayed to God this afternoon. Reveal my sin when I don't wait. What is the root? And I discovered for me, it is FEAR. I actually admitted out loud, I am FEARFUL sometimes to wait, because I am FEARFUL I won't get my job done, or FEARFUL of what others are saying if I'm not constantly doing, going, moving, producing. Am I really fearful God isn't faithful, NO I know God is faithful. I have been believing a lie, and in that lie to myself, I have sinned.
I am ready to DETOX this fear once and for all. These detox smoothies aren't just a one time deal. Sometimes we may have to drink one specific one several days in a row, maybe even months to shake one of those deep rooted toxins that went unnoticed by ourselves.
Today's Detox FABULOUS FEARS Smoothie:
1. A big scoop of WAITING on the Lord
2. While your Waiting for that smoothie to soften:
3. Be BRAVE and
4. Be COURAGEOUS and most importantly
5. PATIENTLY WAIT, by never losing hope, even if God has not answered your requests in 40 days and 40 nights, still don't sin by creating your own answer to your own prayer. What God has to answer your prayers is so much better than any idea or beautiful thing we could dream up. So do NOT fear, your prayer won't be answered or that God didn't hear it. He will answer it, in His time and in His way.
HUGS, SJ
The past few days I have sensed a great fear inside me. I didn't know why, or where exactly it was coming from. When I notice somethings not right, I go to the scripture as soon as I can, and I read and pray, and pray and read. Then, "low and behold" this morning as I taught the Bible lesson to the children I am responsible for at church this verse, "Wait patiently for the LORD. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the LORD." Psalm 27:14 Then I had the kids help reenact Exodus 32. I love when God teaches me, as I hear myself teaching the kids. When I hear God through my own words, that's when I know how BIG God really is, and how much he longs to teach me every single nugget of truth from HIS words, and thankfully not mine. I heard God, not me.
In Exodus 32 the Israelites were waiting for Moses to come back down from the mountain where God had given him the 10 commandments. He was up there for 40 days and 40 nights. We all know, they couldn't wait that long for a God to worship, so what did they do? Created their own God out of their own possessions. JUST as the words came out of my mouth, it was truly a lightbulb moment for me from the mouth of 4th grade girl. It went like this:
Me: "When you aren't patient enough to wait on God..." and before I could finish she said "that's SIN." I KNOW this. I teach this, and yet today instead of thinking about all the ways God speaks to these children through his word and how is this story relevant to them. I came home and read it for myself over and over and realized how very often I don't have the patience to wait on God. Then I had to admit to myself when I don't I am SINNING. I wanted to go deeper, I prayed to God this afternoon. Reveal my sin when I don't wait. What is the root? And I discovered for me, it is FEAR. I actually admitted out loud, I am FEARFUL sometimes to wait, because I am FEARFUL I won't get my job done, or FEARFUL of what others are saying if I'm not constantly doing, going, moving, producing. Am I really fearful God isn't faithful, NO I know God is faithful. I have been believing a lie, and in that lie to myself, I have sinned.
I am ready to DETOX this fear once and for all. These detox smoothies aren't just a one time deal. Sometimes we may have to drink one specific one several days in a row, maybe even months to shake one of those deep rooted toxins that went unnoticed by ourselves.
Today's Detox FABULOUS FEARS Smoothie:
1. A big scoop of WAITING on the Lord
2. While your Waiting for that smoothie to soften:
3. Be BRAVE and
4. Be COURAGEOUS and most importantly
5. PATIENTLY WAIT, by never losing hope, even if God has not answered your requests in 40 days and 40 nights, still don't sin by creating your own answer to your own prayer. What God has to answer your prayers is so much better than any idea or beautiful thing we could dream up. So do NOT fear, your prayer won't be answered or that God didn't hear it. He will answer it, in His time and in His way.
HUGS, SJ
Thursday, March 5, 2015
Detox Selfishness EXTRA Thick Smoothie
Anybody out there love a nice GREEN smoothie? I LOVE the color green, in fact I crave one specific GREEN detox smoothie, filled with nutrition but also wonderfully fruity flavored. However, recently I tried a NEW recipe and it was absolutely AWFUL.
My morning routine at home ends with me making up a special morning smoothie with my Nutri Bullet, then I get straight in the car and drink it on my long ride to work each day. This is my morning meal. Once in the car, with nothing left until lunch... I take a huge gulp... and instead of a fruity addictive, smooth drink, I GAGGED. I did not want to swallow it. To be even more detailed, (I don't mean to be gross but....in light of the point) it tasted like I threw up into a cup with "chunks" and then drank it. Of course now I'm driving down the highway with a huge gulp of AWFUL smoothie in my mouth and a CLOSED drink container with only a straw coming up, and absolutely no where to spit it out. What do you do going 65miles an hour with throw up tasting smoothie in your mouth? That's right, you swallow it. YUCK. And then you don't get breakfast for the day. But it LOOKED so good in my large clear smoothie container. It was packed full with powerful nutrients, but hard to swallow.
Todays God Smoothie for me, was also hard to SWALLOW. It comes from the book of Peter Chapter 4. This Chapter in Peter is stock full of GOOD spiritual nutrition for us. To make room for good, we have to detox something bad. The big S word will be what we are detoxing today.
Those of us drinking smoothies to physically getting healthy have goals: look better, feel better, cure illnesses, end all the medications, lower blood pressure, balance your diet and the on and on. Let's begin with this thought today on why we need to drink God smoothies, ultimately there is only one reason: To THINK and BE like Jesus. If this is your desire then today's smoothie will be a tough one to swallow.
If we want to be like Jesus, he went through so much more than we do. He suffered greatly, he was beaten, and bruised. Today we are going to focus on how He was "selfless." We are going to detox by weaning from our old sin habits of expecting to get our own way (from Peter 4:1, 2). Eeeps! So for us to get the full nutrition of today's smoothie, before adding any ingredients, we FIRST have to pray for any selfish attitude we have. The argument with a family member, the new plans at work that others don't agree with, the new special item you want to purchase that you have been saving up for....Get it, Got it, GOOD. Now it's time to mix those ingredients of how to be like Jesus, and DETOX selfishness.
Ingredients for Selfishness EXTRA Thick Smoothie:
1. ADD prayer FIRST
2. LOVE each other as if your life depended on it
3. Give a meal to the hungry (while you go without)
4. A bed to the homeless
5. DO IT ALL CHEERFULLY.
6. Be generous with the different things God gave you so ALL get in on it.
Alright friends, our smoothie has it's ingredients now let's take a swallow, because yes it will be hard to swallow at times, when that difficult person comes along, or you have to sacrifice something you love for someone who needs it more, BUT if you want to take this DETOX challenge then pick up the cup (God's word and meditate on Peter 4 today) and let's digest this beautiful glass filled with God's bright presence, I would imagine a golden tone and sparkly of course. Hard to swallow but worth the outcome of becoming more like HIM.
Cheers to YOU all.
SJ HUGS
My morning routine at home ends with me making up a special morning smoothie with my Nutri Bullet, then I get straight in the car and drink it on my long ride to work each day. This is my morning meal. Once in the car, with nothing left until lunch... I take a huge gulp... and instead of a fruity addictive, smooth drink, I GAGGED. I did not want to swallow it. To be even more detailed, (I don't mean to be gross but....in light of the point) it tasted like I threw up into a cup with "chunks" and then drank it. Of course now I'm driving down the highway with a huge gulp of AWFUL smoothie in my mouth and a CLOSED drink container with only a straw coming up, and absolutely no where to spit it out. What do you do going 65miles an hour with throw up tasting smoothie in your mouth? That's right, you swallow it. YUCK. And then you don't get breakfast for the day. But it LOOKED so good in my large clear smoothie container. It was packed full with powerful nutrients, but hard to swallow.
Todays God Smoothie for me, was also hard to SWALLOW. It comes from the book of Peter Chapter 4. This Chapter in Peter is stock full of GOOD spiritual nutrition for us. To make room for good, we have to detox something bad. The big S word will be what we are detoxing today.
Those of us drinking smoothies to physically getting healthy have goals: look better, feel better, cure illnesses, end all the medications, lower blood pressure, balance your diet and the on and on. Let's begin with this thought today on why we need to drink God smoothies, ultimately there is only one reason: To THINK and BE like Jesus. If this is your desire then today's smoothie will be a tough one to swallow.
If we want to be like Jesus, he went through so much more than we do. He suffered greatly, he was beaten, and bruised. Today we are going to focus on how He was "selfless." We are going to detox by weaning from our old sin habits of expecting to get our own way (from Peter 4:1, 2). Eeeps! So for us to get the full nutrition of today's smoothie, before adding any ingredients, we FIRST have to pray for any selfish attitude we have. The argument with a family member, the new plans at work that others don't agree with, the new special item you want to purchase that you have been saving up for....Get it, Got it, GOOD. Now it's time to mix those ingredients of how to be like Jesus, and DETOX selfishness.
Ingredients for Selfishness EXTRA Thick Smoothie:
1. ADD prayer FIRST
2. LOVE each other as if your life depended on it
3. Give a meal to the hungry (while you go without)
4. A bed to the homeless
5. DO IT ALL CHEERFULLY.
6. Be generous with the different things God gave you so ALL get in on it.
Alright friends, our smoothie has it's ingredients now let's take a swallow, because yes it will be hard to swallow at times, when that difficult person comes along, or you have to sacrifice something you love for someone who needs it more, BUT if you want to take this DETOX challenge then pick up the cup (God's word and meditate on Peter 4 today) and let's digest this beautiful glass filled with God's bright presence, I would imagine a golden tone and sparkly of course. Hard to swallow but worth the outcome of becoming more like HIM.
Cheers to YOU all.
SJ HUGS
Monday, March 2, 2015
Detox Worry Smoothie
"To do lists" bombard our Monday Mornings like a bull in a china shop.
Endless things to do at work, at home, for others and with others.
With busyness overtaking our lives and
Overwhelming work loads drowning us from sweet rest,
WORRY of completeing all our tasks in a timely manner slowly seeps in.
No one has time to waste.
And more importantly no one wants to waste time.
We have to have priorities in place to complete those never ending "to do lists".
So what needs to be detoxed from our overwhelming lists of work?
If we turn to God's word in Ecclesiastes chapter 4 we learn a whole list of things that are a complete waste of time,
And in this book it is written after listing each item that wastes our time; "it's like spitting in the wind."
I sure don't want to waste my time spitting in the wind.
I dont want to waste any time that God gives me on earth.
So the smoothie I am drinking in today has a very specific recipe:
Ecclesiastes 4:6
In order to DETOX today you need to add ONE handful of peaceful repose in exchange for 2 fistfuls of worried work. Msg. Version
So my friends, if you have found yourself WORRYING about all the work you need to do,
God wants to help you DETOX all that worry starting TODAY!
All you need is ONE handful of God's peace to replace all that built up fistfuls of worry.
Let's detox today my friends by letting go of those fistfuls of worry and laying them at the feet of Jesus, Jehovah Shalom= God of Peace
Let's drink ONE handful of God's peace TODAY
And let him take those fistfuls of worry AWAY!
May God's PEACE fill your spirit today.
SJ Hugs
Sunday, March 1, 2015
God Detox Smoothies
Detoxing is the NEW thing
Detox, detox, detox for a healthier you
Eat this, NOT that
Drink this, NOT that
Water, water, water but make sure it's purified and not bottled unless its in a BPA free bottle
Bust fat
Speed up your metabolism
We are pulled into an endless focus on ourselves
I want to be healthy
I want to feel good
I want to look good
I, I, I
All this focus on something that is actually good for us
We should definately take care of our bodies, they are God's temple
But our physical bodies are not the only parts of ourself we should take care of or that we should be detoxing
And that my friends is why I feel compelled to ask God what would it look like to detox my spiritual self, my spirit,
My soul?
What would a God detox smoothie look like, taste like?
I turned God's recipe book for the answer
I invite you to join me in this continued Journey to detox from the very toxic things we allow into our thinking on a daily basis
And so my WORD JOURNEY will continue in 2015 with God Smoothies
Sj HUGS
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