I thought for sure a lot of you would like to know.

My dinner was a delicious healthy grilled chicken salad – but it was very nearly something else.  Something decidedly less healthy for sure.

Why did the healthy salad come home with me instead of some other options?

Well, I was able to reason through my choices and decide to go with the ‘right’ option.

That I can do that is a blessing from God.

How about you?  If you have the ability to think clearly, consider your options and choose rightly – this is a gift.

If you have that ability to choose right, yet consistently choose wrongly – I want to give you a wake up call.

I witnessed an absolutely crazy conversation the other day at the doctor’s office.

The sheer level of dysfunction that exists in some families is shocking to behold.  The ignorance and mean spiritedness of the exchange made me wonder if I had stumbled into a shooting of a reality television show.  I could see that these women were operating out a fog of pure confusion,  As they argued, they contradicted themselves over and over.  Their opinions and substantiating stories morphed and changed the longer they sat there.

I thought, ‘Can’t they hear themselves?’ and of course the answer is no.  They open their mouths and close their ears.

I know these people. I come from these people.  I used to be them.

Thankfully, God didn’t leave me there.  He called out to me, saved me and planted me in a church with awesome some people who proceeded to teach me how to use this beautiful mind that God gave me.

• I learned that every thought in my head, didn’t have to come out of my mouth.
• I learned that I am responsible for managing my thoughts.
• I learned that I can have the mind of Christ if I’ll study the Word.
• I learned that listening involves shutting up.
• I learned that I could choose to do what is right when every part of my flesh wants to do what is wrong.

Amazing.

Has He done the same for you?

Do you use that beautiful mind He has given you to choose what is right?

We have a BORN right to choose how we live.

We have a BLOOD bought right to leave old self defeating choices behind us.

We have a ROYAL right to pursue the best for our mind, body and spirit.

Don’t take it for granted sisters.

I miss my ‘home church’ up north and there isn’t a week that goes by that I don’t think about that church family.  Then there’s the small local church here close to home that I feel quite cozy in.  And finally, there is the big church that I take my Aunt Evie to on Sundays.  (She has recently been told not to drive anymore and I committed to going to church with her to be her ride.) I like the big church and always have – but I never felt like it was home.  Given my own bend, I’d be going to the small church just a mile down the road from me – but it’s all good.  I may have made the offer to benefit my Aunt originally but I am getting all the benefits now.  I love the time I get to spend with her!

She is not an Interruption of my Life.

This fall I decided to participate in a women’s bible study at the small church and the topic was Jonah and his interrupted life.  I went for the fellowship, not really expecting to be greatly impacted by the topic.  Thankfully, God does unexpected things!

Life happens, I had some issues pulling at my time so I wasn’t able to finish the study with the group.  I did keep plugging away at it here at home though and I’m glad I did.  It’s one of the most enjoyable devotionals I’ve done.  In the end I was deeply touched – and challenged!

Looking for a new devo? I definitely recommend it.

Jonah: Navigating a Life Interrupted

It says ‘Member Book’ and that’s because it’s created to be used as part of a weekly group meeting, but don’t worry – you can use it on your own and simply skip over the video questions.

I am not easily offended.  It’s not that folks aren’t saying things that could offend me, I’m just not picking up the offense and holding onto it.

Some take offense where none is intended.

Some actually look for offense on purpose to support a preconceived notion about the other person.

Some grab up an offense and hoard it, a reason to withhold trust and push others away.

All of this is a crap way to live.

Offenses Are Everywhere

The truth is that people will offend you, on purpose or on accident.  It’s gonna happen.  Big offenses, little offenses.

But YOU get to decide whether to take offense and I want to encourage you to start dealing with them differently.

Be Resilient!

When someone says or does something you find offensive, you can make like a duck and let it roll off your back. Imagine that you’re an elastic super hero and flex away from the offense – just don’t let it land on you!  You can do it if you will do it.

Assume the Best.

Did she really mean to cut you down like that or was she simply unaware of how it would make you feel?  Choose to believe the best about her. Wouldn’t you want others to believe the best about you?

Forgive.

Whether an offense is accidental, inconsiderate or downright mean spirited you need to find a way to forgive the offender.  Holding on to unforgiveness is a sure way to become bitter and unhappy.  You’re hurting yourself, not the other person.

Consider praying this simple prayer:  “Father God, I forgive ____ for ___________.  I forgive ____ for making me feel _____________. Please bless ___ and show me how to move on…”

• For example: “Father God, I forgive Trina for leaving me out of her wedding.  I forgive her for making me feel unimportant and left out.  Please bless Trina and show me how to move on with our friendship.”

It may be emotional and difficult to go through but it is ultimately a freeing experience.

Maybe you’re going to want to let the person know you’ve forgiven them, but maybe not – pray about that too.

Let it Go!

When you forgive someone, you choose to let the offense go.  You put it down and walk away from it forever.  Forgiving someone doesn’t ensure that they’ll never hurt you again – resist the urge to run back and pick old offenses up.  You’ll undo all of your good work and make things worse.

Just Let It Go!  Yes it will be hard!  Ask God to give you the grace to do it and I believe He will certainly do so.

That’s how I received an advance galley copy of Pathway to the Palace: Becoming the Person of Influence God Has Called You to Be by Danette Joy Crawford in February. I packed it in my bag to read on the plane while I traveled that week.

I opened the book several times and closed it again after just a few pages – not feeling all that engaged or inspired to keep reading.

This probably has a lot more to do with me and my heart more than anything else – sometimes we’re just not open to a message. Thank goodness God keeps working on us to let His truth come in.

Two weeks ago I finally sat down with it again, firm in my commitment to give the whole thing a quick scan through – just enough to give a review of what was inside. (Being honest here!)

Only something was different.  The words reached off the paper and shouted into my heart. The same words I was bored by a couple of months ago were coming alive and ministering to me in a very timely way.

The subtitle of the book is ‘Becoming the Person of Influence God Has Called You to Be.’

The recurring theme is that God is looking for those who will set a standard.  God wants to use us where we are, in what we’re doing today – He has a plan to use what you’re going through, whatever it is.  She uses many examples from the Bible. Esther, Joseph, Ruth… as you read you’ll realize how much you have in common with them.  Once hopeless and frustrated – soon delivered and redeemed.

That gives me so much hope and joy.  I hope it does for you as well.

Danette’s message is strong: God wants us to have strong character and humility so that He can work through us. We have a responsibility to submit to God’s hands and let His Word live in us.

I’m halfway through the book. The next chapter is about Pride… uh oh

“I’ll make no resolutions, I find no need for such. I have a set from least year that hasn’t yet been touched.”

Faith goals differ from a typical resolution because these goals require faith for them to be possible. By including God in the process, a goal turns into a covenant between you and God rather than a man-made goal.

While you may have given up on setting new resolutions this year, setting a faith goal can be different.

Faith goals provide direction. Living a life with purpose is important, and setting goals throughout life, even small ones, can be a great way to move forward and achieve.

Faith goals help to focus intentions. Try to write down general intentions and activities. By documenting goals, it will help you remember them as well as work towards achieving those goals. Think about posting a list of goals on the fridge or another place in your home to remember a faith goal every day.

A faith goal is an affirmation of God’s plans for your life. Everything in life happens for a reason, and our lives have a purpose. By making a faith goal, we recognize those purposes and seek to make our lives more like our Creator intended.

Faith goals, like any other goal, can be difficult to accomplish. However, by setting a goal with faith, we rely not only on ourselves, but also on God and His plan for our lives. Set goals that have a purpose and are in accordance with Biblical principles and work to achieve those goals with His help. Take on a positive attitude while working to accomplish these faith goals and, not only will work be done, but God will be glorified in the process.

Grab your own faith goals kit here.

• ‘I care about America’s soldiers – IF YOU CARE TOO YOU MUST REPOST THIS.’
• ‘I’m putting this status up for one hour today to stand up for ___ rights.  If you feel the same way YOU MUST POST IT TOO – IF YOU DON’T I’LL KNOW YOU DON’T CARE!’
• I just gave $_ to ___ because I love ___ – if you love ___ you’ll do the same RIGHT NOW.  If you DON’T you’re a cold, mean, heartless person!’ (Ok, I may be exaggerating here.)

We get it.  You feel strongly about this.  Reading your message you’re sending is akin to being whapped over the head with a frying pan though and we’re not going to re-post your message.

We Christians take Facebook Guilt to a new level with unresearched prayer requests.

• ‘Pray for sweet so and so who shot himself in the face with a ____, he’s hanging on for dear life so he needs all of our prayers!  REPOST this if you believe in the power of prayer!’

I think it’s great to share prayer requests with your family and friends on Facebook – but when you see a sensational, heart tugging story I encourage you to do a quick search in Google to see if it might be outdated or even a fake story altogether.  The internet is loaded with ‘urban legends’ and sadly that includes some of these emotional stories.  When you post them without at least doing a quick fact check, you’re contributing to the problem.

This situation came up just this week, a friend of mine joined Facebook and came across this request and posted it.  I recognized it and sent her a link to show her it is at best outdated, at worst, a complete lie.  She was relieved to hear it and sad to know she’d been praying for a situation that didn’t exist.

The worst sort of Facebook Guilt I’ve seen perpetrated by believers goes something like this (again, loosely quoted – I actually held back some of the worst of it):

“I believe in Jesus and I’m not ashamed to post it here for all the world to see.  Do you believe in Jesus?  If yes, repost this status on your profile for one hour today to prove it to everyone.  Some believers will do this.  Some will not.  Those who don’t are denying their savior.  I know who my Christian friends are and I’ll be watching to see who stand for Christ with me!’

As I read this, my heart filled with horror.

• First, they’re embarrassing the Body of Christ with this threat laden nonsense.  Imagine what the un-churched think as they read it.
• Second, just because they felt it was important to make a public confession at that moment, how dare they demand it of others?  Do I have to act like a bonehead in public just because you have?
• Third, how could they suggest that those who prefer not to post about their faith on Facebook are denying Christ in some way?

I’m sure they had the best of intentions, I don’t believe they meant to be so mean spirited.   Consider that the next time one of your well meaning Facebook friends posts something like that and send them a private message with a link to this post.

Facebook and other social media sites can be a great mission field.  When we live out our live on these sites we have the opportunity to demonstrate our faith through kindness, encouragement and friendship.  If you feel led to share your love for Jesus with your friends and family, I pray that you’ll do it with wisdom and love.

I understand that some folks don’t believe in God – but to think of them promoting their lack of faith to others is shocking to me.  Sure, it’s America, they’re welcome to express their opinion.  I get that.  I support that.

The board says that you don’t need God ‘to hope, to care, to love, to live’.

And they’re right.  You don’t need God to hope, care, love or live.

Unfortunately they’re forgetting about what happens after life.

Check Terry out on her website.

Many children cry when they are told the truth about Santa.  Others feel embarrassed to have believed longer than their siblings or classmates and some even feel angry to learn that their parents and other family members lied to them.  All of these reactions are completely understandable.

Of course Santa isn’t the only lie we tell our children when they’re young, don’t forget about the tooth fairy.

Today, I’m against teaching children to believe what isn’t true.  It’s not that I have a specific problem with Santa – it’s just that I think it is possible to make Santa part of Christmas without lying. Children know how to use their imagination and have fun with stories after all.

What do you think?