Habbakkuk

     As I finished up the old testament over the weekend a scripture verse in Habbakkuk has become my favorite:
     Habb. 3:18-19...Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior.  The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to go on the heights.
     What I took from this, especially this time of year is we have to remember to praise God for what he has done for us.  I don't mean just the everyday blessings or the tremendous miracles he has done. 
     The best thing he ever did for us is have a son that would evuantually take the ultimate sacrifice.  If it were not for this gift being born we would not have this time of year.  We celebrate the birth of Jesus because God was willing to have a son who would forgive us for our sins and mistakes!  We must praise God for that, for him to bless us with this awesome holiday...because don't forget we also have Easter.

Promises and Blessings

     That is the title of the desk calendar I have flipped through everyday for about 2 years!  It has a different inspirational scripture verse for everyday and here was todays!  That is the thing I am going to leave you with today...no need for eplanation for this one:

     You're blessed when you are content with just who you are-no more, no less.  That's the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can't be bought.  You are blessed when you have worked up a good appetitie for God.  He is food and drink in the best meal you will ever eat.

Friday Challenge!

     Every Christmas people go into debt...credit cards, layaway...whatever it takes to give the people they love what they want for Christmas.  Why?  Why do we as americans choose to do this?  Aren't we missing what the true meaning is?
     My family and I have a budget.  We start saving in September and whatever we save by about the middle of December is what we have to spend.  We pick a price for each person...usual the same for each and then that is what we use.  We take money out of every pay check and then we have cash come December.
     Craig and I don't want to teach Silena(and future children) that the meaning of Christmas is about things!  That is not what God wants from us as parents...we want her to be willing to go with less so that others can enjoy receiving as well. 
     This is my challenge for you this season...starting saving now and pay for presents in cash!  Decide on a price for everybody and stick with it.  Then when summer comes you won't be still paying off Christmas!

Always delivered!

     I just finished reading the book of Daniel.  Although I have done an in depth study of the book of Daniel I enjoyed reading it again.  For some reason it really struck me this time how much God challenged Daniel and really pushed him and his faith.  Yet, no matter what challenges were brought against Daniel he stayed strong in his faith and love of God! 
     Daniel must have been one strong dude...he was given so many trials and God chose to deliver him from every one.  I think that is our lesson: no matter the trial we are going through we will be delivered.  It may not be the way we want, but God is always faithful and will never make us go through what he doesn't think we are strong enough to handle:)

Being Thankful!

     I have always known about God and have always been raised in the church.  I grew up Catholic and even though I didn't have a clue about why we did half the things we did I loved going and loved learning about God.  In fact I think I was the only high school kid who loved going to CCD, but of course, I played it up with my friends because I wanted to fit in so bad.
     I continued going to church when I went to college and I just went to a small campus church that had mostly college kids and then a few older adults.  My dad came and picked me up one easter weekend and we went to that church for Good Friday before we left.  It meant so much to me that he would take the time to invest in where I was going and that he was proud of my continued pursuit of my religion. 
     This Thanksgiving I am thankful for my parents who started taking me to church when I was born and always instilled in me what an important part of life that is!  I am also very thankful that I live someplace where I can talk about my love of Jesus openly and honestly:)

A good memory verse!

     Once a week I am a tutor at Silena's school.  Last week I had to help one of my students with her memory verse and it really got me thinking.  Here it is:
     Ephesians 2:8-10...For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-not by works, so that no one can boast.  For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
     As I was helping her to memorize this scripture I was trying to help her to understand what it meant.  The things in this verse we are told over and over again as kids but for some reason it really sunk in when I was explaining it to her. 
     We don't get salvation because we deserve it, we get it because of the grace and faith God has for each one of us.  This isn't our right to have salvation it is truly a gift that God did not have to give us, I could not imagine what it was like watching as his child was tortured and hung on a cross for something he didn't do!  All for us...
     It also doesn't matter what we do or how much we give that gets us to heaven.  God doesn't really care about that...somebody could give millions and have a really selfish and unkind intention.  Somebody else could give all they have and give it with a cheerful heart but because they didn't give more than they can't get to heaven?  That is why the part of this scripture about "no one can boast" is very important.  God is telling us it doesn't matter how much we give or what we do that gets us to heaven.  It is our love and faithfulness to him that gets us to eternity:)

They will not leave...

     I know I wrote about this yesterday but I think the book of Isaiah is really cool and insightful.  Today's verse is Isaiah 59:21:
     "As for me, this is my covenant with them," says the Lord.  "My Spirit, who is on you, and my words that I have put in your mouth will not depart from your mouth, or from the mouths of your children, or from the mouths of their descendants from this time on forever," says the Lord.
     How awesome is that...the Lord had every intention of these words to go into our hearts and pass them on to future generations.  The bible is not given to us to sit on a shelf and collect dust, these words are to be used in our daily life.  These words are to be taught to our children so they know how to act and react to situations while growing up.
     I also think the first sentence is quite insightful...covenant is an agreement or promise!  That means this is the Lords promise to us that if we follow his word and accept it as truth then he promises us the world:)

Isaiah

     I think the book of Isaiah is an awesome book.  Especially Isaiah 40:28-29!  Let me tell you what those verses are:
     Do you not know? Have you not heard?  The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.  He will not grow tired and weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.  He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.
     I think what God wants us to take from this is no matter our situation we have hope and we have strength.  The situation may be hard and it be tough to walk through it but with God as our strength we will have power no matter the situation.
     I remember those tough years with Silena.  The days it seemed the tantrums never ended..those days where all I said was boo and she would go into a rage.  Some of you may be saying, "well, kids throw tantrums."  These weren't your normal toddler tantrums...they would result in her room being completely destroyed, hitting, kicking, screaming, spitting and sometimes even getting peed on.  I look back now and the only reason I made it through those and came out stronger is because God was increasing my power and he was my strength when I was weak.
     We can never understand why he has us go through the "stuff" we do here on earth, but we can know that he will be right there with us giving us power when we are weak and strength when we are weary:)

Friday Challenge!

     Today, November 18th, is no different than any other Wisconsin November morning.  Cold, windy, and of course...we get cold without snow!
    But we get the comfort of our house, apartment or condo.  We get to sit by the fireplace or front of the sun with a cup of hot chocolate and enjoy looking out at our beautiful weather from the warmth of our house. 
     We know there are people today that don't have a house, apartment or condo!  That makes me very thankful for the money God has provide me so I can have a warm place to stay.  So that is my Friday Challenge this week.
     Wheather we like our house or it's starting to drive us nuts...we need to be thankful we have a house to live in and someplace to get out of this freezing cold morning.  So go around your house and really revel in what God has given you:)

Don't Panic!

    So our pastor has been giving a series of messages these last few months about having true faith and what that means:
1. Believing in miracles
2. Believing that if it happens to other people it can happen for you
3. Disciplining your thoughts
4. Faith WITH deeds
5. DONT panic

The last one is probably the hardest but the one that is the most important.  The more you panic in a situation the more control you give the enemy, the more control you give him the more he is going to bother you.  It's okay to take a little time, my pastor says 24 hours...to panic, cry, and get upset.  After that it is up to you to pray about it and let the situation be.  Whether it is God's plan or will for it to happen is up to him, but if we let it go and quite panicking, God can truly work his magic!   

Challenge Friday!

     Today my challenge for you is to think, not only of 5 things your thankful for...I am challenging you to think of 5 people you are thankful for and why! 
     What have these people taught you?  What lessons have you learned from these relationships?  What do these relationships mean to you? 

     This is a very thoughtful time of year and we need to think not only of the material things God has graced us with but also the things that can't be replaced.  These are the things we should be thankful for everyday not just one time a year.  So over the weekend or even the next week think of who is irreplaceable in your life!

Have a great Friday:)

Always Listen!

     So todays lesson is one that I don't think any of us learn until it's too late...
     Yesterday was the first snowfall of the year!  It was so beautiful and kind of nice knowing it's only weeks away from Thanksgiving.  I went to workout, like a usual weekday morning and after I was done I was going to go and donate plasma.  By the time I was done it was snowing heavier and the roads were starting to get slick.  I thought I would be fine because I had a half hour to get to the other side of town and if I just went slow then I would be okay.  Yeah, well I got in my car and my gut immediately told me...you are a block away from home just go home...didn't listen!
     I got about 2 miles away from home and slipped just a little and again my gut told me "turn around and go home"...still didn't listen!  As I went another mile or so my gut was practically screaming at me...by this time it was too late.  I hit a slippery patch in the road, proceeded in doing a donut ended up in the oncoming traffic lanes and while trying to get my car back to my side of the road, it couldn't get any traction.  Another car came and as she turned to avoid me we hit and she proceeded to drive up on the sidewalk and hit a mailbox.  
     We both got out of our vehicles unharmed and our vehicles only had minor damage...her hubcaps were cracked and her drivers side mirror broke when she hit the mailbox.  And my bumper will need to be replaced.  The "Godwink" of this story...there were no witnesses to the accident!  Which means only one thing...we were the only two cars on the road at the time of the accident. 

Lesson:  When your gut tells you more than once the same thing...take into consideration what it is telling you. 

Random Recommendation!

     Since I have started on this bible journey, I have bought a new book.  It is called Know Your Bible.  It has a chapter for each book in the bible, it explains who wrote each book, the approx. date it was written, a summary of the book and then it goes into more detail about the book.  I have used it for the last two books I have read in my bible.  It made the books a lot easier to read, once I understood what they were about. 
I thought I should pass that on:)

It's called: Know Your Bible
Author:Paul Kent

Proverbs

     I hope everyone had a fantastic weekend...I did and it ended great with the Packers having another fantastic win.  Although if they keep making me have a heart attack at each game with stupid moves, I may have to jump into the screen and kick some butt:)
     As I proceed with my bible reading...I am finding Proverbs to be very uplifting and bold.  I think besides Job it is probably my favorite book.  I am on Proverbs 20 but on Saturday, I was reading through the earlier chapters and I found Proverbs 12 to be extremely funny but, oh so clear!
    
Proverbs 12: Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates correction is stupid!
     I don't think God could have been anymore clear, we are supposed to follow the rules, follow good examples because he set these rules and examples in place for a reason.  We don't know better than him..he already knows the consequeces and he is trying to give us a chance to avoid those consequences.  If we don't we are just plain stupid!  Also if we follow rules and set the example for others that means we are never past learning something new, and this in turn will keep us humble:)

Gratitude!

     I know, I know...every year about this time we are told to do the same thing.  Think about the things we are grateful for and make sure we remember that when times get hard.  As old as that gets I think it is a really good idea. 
     We should really do it everyday, be thankful and be grateful for the things and people in our life.  God gave us each thing and person for a reason, we need to make sure and treat them with respect!  So now that Thanksgiving is only weeks away...what are you grateful for? 
My challenge: Try naming 5 things and really think about what makes you thankful!

Here's my five things:
1. My amazing husband and daughter
2. The ability to be a stay at home mom (besides being a dance teacher...this is really my dream job)
3. Being able to inspire other women and offer compassion
4. My awesome extended family who is always there to support us
5. Freedom of religion

I hope this makes you think of the things you are thankful for as another holiday season fast approaches:)

Faith, Love and Hope!

     Okay so I am starting to slack a bit on this blog...but I am still dedicated to it and am hoping it is inspiring everybody who reads it!
     I have realized something today and I hope to spread this message.  Everybody has a story...a path their lives have lead them on.  It may have all gone our way, some of it gone our way or none of it.  God has given each of us a "testimony," lessons he has taught each one of us that we can spread to other people that may encourage them.  I believe that is our job until we get to heaven, is to help spread the message of faith, love and hope. 
     I was reading a close friends blog today and checked out one of the blogs she reads.  Her friend was saying she was having a hard time today because she was not pregnant yet, and struggling with the "waiting game."  Mmmmm...see where I am going with this?  If Craig and I were not going through what we are going through and God would not have chosen this path for us then I could not have sent her a message of faith, love and hope!  It's not a club I wish anybody to be a part of, but to be able to send that kind of message to someone makes it a little easier.
     So each one of us has a story and we are too use that to help and inspire others!  Think of how you can use your story to help spread the message of faith, love and hope!


1 Corinthians 13:13- And now these three reman: faith, hope and love. but the greatest of these is love!

We can't please everybody!

Heard the coolest story on the way home:
     An old man, a young boy and a donkey were traveling.  They came to the first town and the people asked the old man why he wasn't riding the donkey... so he decided to start riding the donkey.  They continued to travel along and came to the second town.  The villagers asked the old man why he was making the boy walk...so he got off and put the boy on the donkey.  Well, they continued on their journey and came to the third town.  The villagers accused the boy of being selfish and they asked the man why they both couldn't ride the donkey.  The man thought about it and proceded to get on the donkey along with the boy. Well, they came to the fourth town and the people looked at the old man and the young boy and said they were being mean to the donkey by both riding it.  The old man decided to carry the donkey for the rest of their journey.

Lesson: We can't please everybody and if we try we end up carrying a very heavy burden.  The only person we need to please is God!  As long as we are pleasing him then it doesn't matter who else we please:)