Many people have been scrambling to do whatever it takes to keep the flood waters at bay all week long. Thank you to all of those who have worked so hard to protect the rest of us. May God shower you with many, many blessings for your efforts.
Friday, April 29, 2011
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Warrior Princess Wednesday
Do you ever find yourself feeling blah? Empty inside? Or maybe just generally down? I know I do.
Monday, April 25, 2011
What's Your Favorite Food?
When I ask that question, "What's your favorite food?", for today's purposes, I'm don't mean actual food. I don't mean brownies or cookies, pizza, chips, or all of those other things that come to mind. I'm turning to a whole different menu here, so to speak.
Friday, April 15, 2011
Better Than Icing
Hello, my friends! Today is a very special day and I am so glad that you are sharing it with me. Today we are having a Birthday Party! Beyond Sunday Morning is 1 year old today!
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Things Aren't Always What They Seem
Isn’t it funny how something can look like one thing, but when you take a closer look, it is something completely different? Things aren’t always what they seem.
Such was the case yesterday evening.
Such was the case yesterday evening.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Warrior Princess Wednesday
We've made it to the end of another two weeks. Who has there verse ready?
Here's mine? If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself. 2 Timothy 2:13.
Here's mine? If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself. 2 Timothy 2:13.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Testify Tuesday
Hello my sisters, let's pretend today for just a few minutes. Are you game for that?
Monday, April 11, 2011
Friday, April 8, 2011
Stain Tricks
I'll bet you'll never guess what I was doing last Friday night. Let me assure you, it was not fun! My youngest, most adventurous child kept up tradition by not letting us be bored on a Friday night. She was playing with her baby doll one minute and the next minute, all I could hear was screaming mixed with crying. I thought she had severed a limb! All I could make out was, "It broke!" as Todd and I both ran down the hall to see what was wrong.
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Not A Fan of Verses Such As This
You girls are probably beginning to think I am making an idol out of the subject of idols, but, I promise, I’m not. There is work to be done within me in regards to this subject, so I’ve been trying to let some things soak in and roll around in my mind a bit.
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Can You Walk Away?
Have you been thinking about the things in life that so easily become idols and been surprised? I have. It's easy to assume that an idol is something like a gold statue that you bow down in front of and pray to; but let me assure you, the enemy is much more sly than that. He doesn't always use the obvious to distract us. He knows that we wouldn't fall for some goofy statue, he knows he has to be more creative than that if he wants to move our eyes from God and onto something else.
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Cleaning Up and Cleaning Out
Yesterday I shared with you from Joshua 7:13 NLT
…Hidden among you O Israel, are things set apart for the Lord. You will never defeat your enemies until you remove these things from among you.
Let's look at that same verse from the NIV:
...There are devoted things among you, Israel. You cannot stand against your enemies until you remove them.
…Hidden among you O Israel, are things set apart for the Lord. You will never defeat your enemies until you remove these things from among you.
Let's look at that same verse from the NIV:
...There are devoted things among you, Israel. You cannot stand against your enemies until you remove them.
Monday, April 4, 2011
The Ole Switcheroo
God has really been impressing on me lately the impact of false gods and idols in my life. When I was a little girl sitting in Mrs. Merrick’s sixth grade classroom, I remember looking up at the Ten Commandments posted over her classroom door and reading “Thou shalt have no other gods before Me” many times. As many times as I read it I thought things like this - How would that be possible? What other God would I have? That’s one commandment I can keep.
Maybe that’s where the deception began, I don’t know, but over the past several weeks as I have been reading my Chronological Bible and learning the woes of the Israelites, as well as participating in the study Made to Crave, the subtlety of false gods taking a place of authority in my life has become not so subtle.
It’s a continual game of exchange it seems.
Several days ago, I stopped by to visit with my mom. It was just before lunch time on a Saturday and I didn’t have the girls with me. My mom works during the hours that I am at home, so I don’t get as many opportunities to just visit with her like I used to, so on this particular day, I decided to take advantage of a few moments and drop in.
I entered through the front door, looked into the den to see Dad’s mammoth archaic big screen TV pulled out in the middle of the room sideways. Immediately, I thought I had interrupted one of Mom’s “cleaning fits” where she pulls heavy objects around the room with brute force. We have always said “if we can get our butts behind it, we can move it”, just a perk that comes with wide hips!! Mom came around the corner and I realized that she was NOT in the middle of a cleaning fit, so I asked, “What’s going on?” in an almost fearful tone. I’m just gonna shoot you straight here – you don’t mess with Dad’s TV if you value your life.
She answered, “It died.”
“Where’s Dad?” I asked, not wanting to encounter an irritated grizzly.
“He’s gone to get another one,” she answered as I breathed a sigh of relief knowing all would be well soon.
Assuming he had driven into town to purchase a new television, I was surprised when he pulled in the driveway a few minutes later with not only a TV, but my brother in tow. Why was my brother in tow, you ask? Because this TV was almost as old and almost as mammoth as the one that died. He somehow convinced mother that the TV he was getting would not be as large and occupy such a ridiculous amount of square footage as the old one, but when he and my brother heaved and hoed the thing inside, there was only a couple of inches difference in the size and the frame was silver instead of black.
They did the ole’ switcheroo and there wasn’t much difference.
Just as distracting.
Still serving the same purpose.
And I thought to myself – That’s what I do with gods. I get rid one and before I know it, I have replaced it with another, almost identical god.
Memories of Mrs. Merrick’s classroom come rushing back, and then I understood the answers to the questions I asked in the sixth grade.
Really these gods are no god at all, they cannot give me life. They cannot sustain me, they have nothing really to offer me.
They come in many forms:
The praise of people
Images to attain and sustain
False senses of joy from food
False senses of status from things
A deceptive sense of security in my abilities
A number on a scale
A perfectly clean house
Trendy clothes
The latest home decor
A number in my checking account
Seeking approval from others
Biblical knowledge without heart change
Serving self with an absence of self denial
God’s words to the Israelites through Joshua in Joshua 7:13
…Hidden among you O Israel, are things set apart for the Lord. You will never defeat your enemies until you remove these things from among you.
Many of the things I listed in and of themselves aren’t bad; it’s where I place their importance that places them in a position of god in my life. When the Holy Spirit points out one, He does that so that I will remove it and place God there, not so that I can do “the ole switcheroo”.
He’s really been working on me about this, so you’ll probably hear more on this in the days to come – just warning ya!!
My Creator God, the issue of false gods is one that I can no longer ignore. Please forgive me for all of the things I have placed on Your throne in my life. I have placed things there that don’t even live or move or breathe and looked for fulfillment from them. How ridiculous am I? I know – you don’t have to answer that – I already know the answer, and that answer is something I want to change. Please open my eyes to the images and statues to where my worship is focused, even worship that I am unaware of and help me to tear down those idols and place You, the One who died for Me in Your rightful place.
Royal Princess Daughter Of The King
Maybe that’s where the deception began, I don’t know, but over the past several weeks as I have been reading my Chronological Bible and learning the woes of the Israelites, as well as participating in the study Made to Crave, the subtlety of false gods taking a place of authority in my life has become not so subtle.
It’s a continual game of exchange it seems.
Several days ago, I stopped by to visit with my mom. It was just before lunch time on a Saturday and I didn’t have the girls with me. My mom works during the hours that I am at home, so I don’t get as many opportunities to just visit with her like I used to, so on this particular day, I decided to take advantage of a few moments and drop in.
I entered through the front door, looked into the den to see Dad’s mammoth archaic big screen TV pulled out in the middle of the room sideways. Immediately, I thought I had interrupted one of Mom’s “cleaning fits” where she pulls heavy objects around the room with brute force. We have always said “if we can get our butts behind it, we can move it”, just a perk that comes with wide hips!! Mom came around the corner and I realized that she was NOT in the middle of a cleaning fit, so I asked, “What’s going on?” in an almost fearful tone. I’m just gonna shoot you straight here – you don’t mess with Dad’s TV if you value your life.
She answered, “It died.”
“Where’s Dad?” I asked, not wanting to encounter an irritated grizzly.
“He’s gone to get another one,” she answered as I breathed a sigh of relief knowing all would be well soon.
Assuming he had driven into town to purchase a new television, I was surprised when he pulled in the driveway a few minutes later with not only a TV, but my brother in tow. Why was my brother in tow, you ask? Because this TV was almost as old and almost as mammoth as the one that died. He somehow convinced mother that the TV he was getting would not be as large and occupy such a ridiculous amount of square footage as the old one, but when he and my brother heaved and hoed the thing inside, there was only a couple of inches difference in the size and the frame was silver instead of black.
They did the ole’ switcheroo and there wasn’t much difference.
Just as distracting.
Still serving the same purpose.
And I thought to myself – That’s what I do with gods. I get rid one and before I know it, I have replaced it with another, almost identical god.
Memories of Mrs. Merrick’s classroom come rushing back, and then I understood the answers to the questions I asked in the sixth grade.
Really these gods are no god at all, they cannot give me life. They cannot sustain me, they have nothing really to offer me.
They come in many forms:
The praise of people
Images to attain and sustain
False senses of joy from food
False senses of status from things
A deceptive sense of security in my abilities
A number on a scale
A perfectly clean house
Trendy clothes
The latest home decor
A number in my checking account
Seeking approval from others
Biblical knowledge without heart change
Serving self with an absence of self denial
God’s words to the Israelites through Joshua in Joshua 7:13
…Hidden among you O Israel, are things set apart for the Lord. You will never defeat your enemies until you remove these things from among you.
Many of the things I listed in and of themselves aren’t bad; it’s where I place their importance that places them in a position of god in my life. When the Holy Spirit points out one, He does that so that I will remove it and place God there, not so that I can do “the ole switcheroo”.
He’s really been working on me about this, so you’ll probably hear more on this in the days to come – just warning ya!!
My Creator God, the issue of false gods is one that I can no longer ignore. Please forgive me for all of the things I have placed on Your throne in my life. I have placed things there that don’t even live or move or breathe and looked for fulfillment from them. How ridiculous am I? I know – you don’t have to answer that – I already know the answer, and that answer is something I want to change. Please open my eyes to the images and statues to where my worship is focused, even worship that I am unaware of and help me to tear down those idols and place You, the One who died for Me in Your rightful place.
Royal Princess Daughter Of The King
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