I'm a dreamer.
And it's not that I plan big and have lofty goals for life: I seldom get a good nights sleep without vivid dreams. At times they are so real I've almost told someone what happened "the other day" only to realize it was actually just a dream. The majority of them however are truly epic and exhausting. Often I wake up even more tired than when I went to bed. Last night, for example I escaped a flood with my children only to be stranded on a snowy, volcanic island which was about to erupt. Few of us survived the avalanche before the major eruption though...
The human mind amazes me. God made us so complex with the ability to imagine and dream such wondrous things. We compose soul stirring symphonies and great works of life-like sculpture and art. Our inventions build on one another till it seems we could accomplish anything. Yet God is incomprehensible. The mere presence of His angels drop us to our knees with awe, and no man could live who beheld His face.
My God is amazing.
That's why I like the daytime. I can control daydreams a lot better. It's also why I love to read Job 38:1 - 41:34. God describes Himself with the best terms we could understand - and even those are a bit confusing. I can't wait to ask Him which animals really are the Behemoth and Leviathan!
Take some time today to dream about God. I believe He created us this way for this purpose. For when I am daydreaming about Him, I discover I've begun to worship Him for who He is in His majesty and glory and not just for what He's done for me.
Friday, August 27, 2010
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
A Small Group
Are you studying your Bible with a small group that has discussion somewhere?
If not, you need to.
Why?
The Bible: Need I say more if you plan to model your life after Jesus Christ who is the Word made flesh?
A small group: In a group of fifty people, how likely is it that you will stand up and tell them of your daily struggles and ask them to keep you accountable while you do the same for them? Remember, that means there are another 49 people you are going to keep up with and keep tabs on. Everyone needs a small group they can bond closely with who will help keep them from going astray.
Discussion: We were created to communicate. That mean talking back and forth- not just listening or just talking. I've discovered that the most profound things learned about myself and other issues have been while discussion/debating something. Some times I play the devils advocate in order to have a person stand up for and defend their beliefs. Other times, giving different views and opinions have sharpened or cut cut away previous assumptions and knowledge. Either way, the ability to "hash it out" solidifies our stance while helping to purify it as well.
Wherever you are in life and at whatever stage of Christian growth, you need to have a small group who you can lean upon in your walk with Jesus Christ. No, they won't be perfect, but they are needed. Even Jesus had the 12 He walked and talked with. Why would we think we could do it on our own if He didn't?
If not, you need to.
Why?
The Bible: Need I say more if you plan to model your life after Jesus Christ who is the Word made flesh?
A small group: In a group of fifty people, how likely is it that you will stand up and tell them of your daily struggles and ask them to keep you accountable while you do the same for them? Remember, that means there are another 49 people you are going to keep up with and keep tabs on. Everyone needs a small group they can bond closely with who will help keep them from going astray.
Discussion: We were created to communicate. That mean talking back and forth- not just listening or just talking. I've discovered that the most profound things learned about myself and other issues have been while discussion/debating something. Some times I play the devils advocate in order to have a person stand up for and defend their beliefs. Other times, giving different views and opinions have sharpened or cut cut away previous assumptions and knowledge. Either way, the ability to "hash it out" solidifies our stance while helping to purify it as well.
Wherever you are in life and at whatever stage of Christian growth, you need to have a small group who you can lean upon in your walk with Jesus Christ. No, they won't be perfect, but they are needed. Even Jesus had the 12 He walked and talked with. Why would we think we could do it on our own if He didn't?
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
It's Finally Here!
Today is the day I start a Bible study group I have been waiting 3 years for!
Well, not for this particular study, but for the time frame. I've been blessed to have a Wednesday morning Bible study group for the last three years and I love those ladies with all my heart! However, because it's during the day, there are many who can not come because they work, and I've not been able to offer a class in the evenings since that's when my husband works and I have the kids at home. God has decided it's finally time!
Please pray for our very diverse and amazing group of ladies we will have both tonight and in the morning. I'm thinking we may have a total of 40-50 ladies in both groups combined! Pray for our amazing baby sitter who will be coming over to my house every Tuesday. The kids love her, so that shouldn't be a problem, but any time I leave them it's hard. I guess pray they don't drive her nuts and will listen!
What a blessing to see a prayer come to fruition! Thank You God for Your amazing mercy and perfect timing. Thank You for letting me be a part!
Well, not for this particular study, but for the time frame. I've been blessed to have a Wednesday morning Bible study group for the last three years and I love those ladies with all my heart! However, because it's during the day, there are many who can not come because they work, and I've not been able to offer a class in the evenings since that's when my husband works and I have the kids at home. God has decided it's finally time!
Please pray for our very diverse and amazing group of ladies we will have both tonight and in the morning. I'm thinking we may have a total of 40-50 ladies in both groups combined! Pray for our amazing baby sitter who will be coming over to my house every Tuesday. The kids love her, so that shouldn't be a problem, but any time I leave them it's hard. I guess pray they don't drive her nuts and will listen!
What a blessing to see a prayer come to fruition! Thank You God for Your amazing mercy and perfect timing. Thank You for letting me be a part!
Monday, August 23, 2010
I Quit!
Do you ever have days you just want to quit? I do. To be quite honest, often I'm not even sure what it is I want to quit! All I want to do is yell, "I QUIT!", find a nice hole to crawl into and have a mute Hatian wipe my memory. (It's a Heroes thing. Sci-fi can be interesting.)
I've come to realize these are beneficial times for us. How? For one thing, we are forced to be honest with ourselves. If I run to God first and am candid with Him, I know that my heart has been in the right place recently. That, in and of itself, is a comfort. If I discover however, that I sit there bemoaning my situation while trying to cover it with food, television, a good book, or any number of other things, I begin to realize that a large part of the problem is I have fallen away from Him. That gives me something to do in order to fix the problem. No matter what it may be, I can draw closer to Him.
Another positive aspect of wanting to give up is realizing that we are not as all-powerful as we like to think we are. We can't control the world around us, we can't save ourselves nor the ones we love, and we couldn't take another breath without God. It causes us to call on Him.
I called to the LORD in my distress, and I cried to my God for help. From His temple He heard my voice, and my cry to Him reached His ears.
Psalm 18:6
For You, Lord, are kind and ready to forgive, abundant in faithful love to all who call on You.
Psalm 86:5
The LORD is near all who call out to Him, all who call out to Him with integrity.
Psalm 145:18
There are 22 verses in the Psalms alone which speak to calling out to the Lord. We are created to lean upon Him, and to be quite honest with ourselves, how often do we do that when everything is going great?
So next time you want to quit, go right ahead.... that way you might let Him take control again.
I've come to realize these are beneficial times for us. How? For one thing, we are forced to be honest with ourselves. If I run to God first and am candid with Him, I know that my heart has been in the right place recently. That, in and of itself, is a comfort. If I discover however, that I sit there bemoaning my situation while trying to cover it with food, television, a good book, or any number of other things, I begin to realize that a large part of the problem is I have fallen away from Him. That gives me something to do in order to fix the problem. No matter what it may be, I can draw closer to Him.
Another positive aspect of wanting to give up is realizing that we are not as all-powerful as we like to think we are. We can't control the world around us, we can't save ourselves nor the ones we love, and we couldn't take another breath without God. It causes us to call on Him.
I called to the LORD in my distress, and I cried to my God for help. From His temple He heard my voice, and my cry to Him reached His ears.
Psalm 18:6
For You, Lord, are kind and ready to forgive, abundant in faithful love to all who call on You.
Psalm 86:5
The LORD is near all who call out to Him, all who call out to Him with integrity.
Psalm 145:18
There are 22 verses in the Psalms alone which speak to calling out to the Lord. We are created to lean upon Him, and to be quite honest with ourselves, how often do we do that when everything is going great?
So next time you want to quit, go right ahead.... that way you might let Him take control again.
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