That Which Never Changes

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.  

– Hebrews 13:8

Yesterday was one of those no good, very bad days.  Every hour it seemed like I would get more bad news.  I was sitting at a friend’s kitchen table getting hit again when my 3pm alarm sounded.  One disappointment after another washed over me.  I felt completely helpless, like a small kite in a fierce lightning storm.  

Here’s the damage:  I had valuable possessions stolen from my home, discovered someone I trusted betrayed me, feared for the safety of a loved one when his life was threatened, heard that a woman who I deeply respect intentionally lied and stole what didn’t belong to her.  What is this world coming to?

Have you ever felt like you’re caught up in a storm that continues to grow bigger and more out of control?  Have you ever felt crushed by disappointment and despair?  What do you do?  Who or what do you cling to?  How do you find your footing in a rocking boat?

Jesus never said this life would be easy.  In fact, He said, “In this life you will have trouble.” (John 16:33).  Often, our lives get harder the more we follow God’s plans for our lives.  I believe this is a spiritual battle, because we become a greater threat to the enemy who comes into this world to “kill, steal, and destroy.”  (John 10:10).  But don’t get discouraged because Jesus said in the same verse, “Take heart.  I have overcome the world.”  He also said that He came to give us “abundant life”, that’s a life full of God’s goodness and grace where blessings abound and joy is found even in the midst of life’s ups and downs.

That’s great news!  When our lives are spinning out of control, Jesus has an amazing rescue plan.  He will show up during the thunderstorms, comfort us with His presence, give us peace instead of panic, save us through His power, redeem the darkness, and guide us through into the light of day. Believing Jesus is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow gives us our sure footing and allows us to thank and praise Him while the storm rages on.  

The Power of Giving God Thanks Will Ignite Your Faith and Change Your World!

Thank You for Being a part of the 3 O’Clock Wake Up Movement

Unashamed

For there is one God and one mediator between God and humanity, the man Christ Jesus.  

– 1 Timothy 2:5

I live in a part of the country where being a Christian is not very popular.  Many people see Christians as old-fashioned, out of date, too conservative, and overall just plain un-cool.  When we first moved to Boulder CO, I was embarrassed to explain that the reason I was late picking up my daughter from preschool every Wednesday was because I attended a Bible Study.  When I told one mom, she was surprised and said, “I didn’t think people still read the Bible.  It’s so old.”  Then one day, I noticed another mom who always late on Wednesdays.  I soon learned she attended a Bible Study across town at a different church.  We became fast friends.

Do you tell people you read the Bible?  Would you be quick or slow to tell someone you meet that although we live in a nation quickly moving away from God, you still believe He is the one true God?  Would you let others you know follow Jesus?

When the apostle Paul was encouraging the first believers in Rome, he told them not to be ashamed of their faith. Instead, he reminded them that the power of God is alive in all who receive salvation through God’s one and only son, Jesus.  (Romans 1:16).  God was speaking to us, too.  God desires for believers to be unified.

Think for a moment about the oneness of God.

• One Father - God
• One Son – Jesus
• One Spirit – Holy Spirit
• One Body – The Church
• One Faith – In Jesus
• One Hope – Salvation through Jesus
• One Mission – Glorify God

As Jesus followers we are one in body, spirit, hope, and love.  Let’s thank and praise God today for our oneness and never be ashamed to share where our faith comes from.

The Power of Giving God Thanks Will Ignite Your Faith and Change Your World!

Thank You for Being a part of the 3 O’Clock Wake Up Movement

You Gotta Love The Mean People, Too

Be devoted to one another in brotherly love.  

– Romans 12:10

Sometimes, I find it extremely difficult to love mean people.  Yesterday, I was running with my dog, Henry, on a trail that allows dogs to be off-leash.  He was bounding around, having the time of his life.  When I noticed a man coming toward us holding his leashed German Shepherd, struggling to break free, very close, I leashed Henry up, ran on by, and said, “Good morning.”  As soon as we passed, the man released the German Shepherd, who tore after Henry and me, jumping up to rest his paws on my shoulders and stare straight into my eyes.  I screamed, like any rational person would, pushed the dog down, and whipped around to ask the owner for some help.  Silently, he kept walking.  All I could see was the back of his brown jacket moving further into the distance.  I imagined a smile on his face.

Have you ever found yourself in a similarly unbelievably situation where the person you are with is rude or mean beyond measure?  What’s your first response?  Are you quick to know what to say or do you get tongue tied, like I do, because your brain is trying to comprehend the unbelievable and all you can think is, “Is this is actually happening!” 

Fortunately, God is better than we are.  God’s first response is to love, and no one is excluded.  Isn’t that crazy?  Paul, writing in the book of Romans, was trying to encourage Christians to become more like Jesus.  He explained that God loves, therefore we are to imitate Him and love others the way He does.  Yes, we’re to love even the mean people in our lives.  But how?

As I studied God’s love and dug deeper into this question – How to love others like God does– I discovered three key things we can do to make this possible.  

• First, we are to pray for the difficult, hard-to-love people in our lives. By praying, God can soften our hearts to feel compassion for those who would otherwise drive us crazy.  Pray blessings of good health, wholeness, and happiness over them.
• Secondly, we are to “Step into their Shoes” and try to better understand why they are hurting.  Rick Warren teaches that “Hurt people hurt people.”  Isn’t that true?  Most often, hurt comes from a wellspring of pain, anger, disappointment or other negative emotions.  
• Lastly, God thinks positive thoughts about us, so we should try to do the same for others.  Don’t rehash negative events over and over again.  Look for goodness and focus on these thoughts.

Here’s our formula to Love Like God = Pray + Better Understand + Good Thoughts = God can change our hearts.  So thankful He can.

The Power of Giving God Thanks Will Ignite Your Faith and Change Your World!

Thank You for Being a part of the 3 O’Clock Wake Up Movement

Big Sky

Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires and secret petitions of your heart.  

– Psalm 37:4

When our kids were tiny, we lived in a classic older New England neighborhood in Worcester, Massachusetts.  The streets were lined with mature, leafy hardwoods that towered over the sturdy Colonial-style houses.  I thought the shade was nice and kept the house cool.  My husband, Dan, agreed, although he felt a little claustrophobic during the summer months when a leafy canopy would encase the house.  

One evening around dinnertime, Dan went missing.  I looked everywhere and called for him.  Eventually, I went out onto the front porch and spied my husband sitting in our neighbor’s front lawn.  They had cut down many of their trees.  He sat by himself staring up at the sky.  What were the neighbors thinking about us now?  I could just imagine them calling their children away from the windows as they peered out at this strange man.  When Dan made his way home, he shared with me that he longed for “Big Sky.”  Now, fifteen years later, we live in Colorado where the sky is huge and more magnificent than I’m sure Dan’s heart ever desired.

What are the secret desires of your heart?  If you could go anywhere, where would you travel?  If you could experience incredible adventure, what would it look like?  What are the sights and smells that delight your senses?  What in nature brings you closer to God?  Where are you when you feel most alive?  What pours joy into your days?

God already knows.  He knows the desires of your heart.  He knows what brings you delight and where you experience His presence in real and tangible ways.  God knows when you are filled with a joy that deflates the difficulties and hardships and gives you the strength to keep going and believing.  God knows when your heart beats faster because you’re bursting with energy and enthusiasm.  He knows everything about you.

So go ahead and share your heart’s desire with God.  Then, pay attention to the times when God blows your mind and blesses you more abundantly than you’d ever imagined.  Delight yourself in the Lord and dream big, where skies are limitless and joy abounds.

The Power of Giving God Thanks Will Ignite Your Faith and Change Your World!

Thank You for Being a part of the 3 O’Clock Wake Up Movement

Happy Father Day

The Lord watches over the foreigner and sustains the fatherless.  – Psalm 146:9

Today is supposed to be a day of rest, but instead I will hike, bike, swim, play tennis and grill out.  Why?  Because it’s Father’s Day.  The father of my children gets to plan the day so he will pack it with as many activities as possible.  It’s how he has fun.  

So I write this, knowing I will need a moment to stop and read it on Sunday afternoon. 

Let’s take a moment to pray to our father in heaven, to pray for fathers near and far, and to pray for all the fatherless children in the world.  Please join me.

Heavenly Father, 

Thank you for your incredible love that never ends.

I don’t deserve it.  I didn’t earn it.  But you freely give it.

You are the constant in my busy, ever changing life.

Help me to know you more, love you more, and give you thanks more often.  

I pray for fathers around our nation and the world.  

Help them provide for and protect their families.  

Raise up strong, Godly men who follow You and love You first.

Lord, I pray for all the millions of fatherless children in the U.S. and around the world.  

I know they are precious in your sight.

Be their guide, comforter, and protector of their bodies and souls.  

Thank you for being my loving and compassionate father.

Guide me through the plans you have for my life.

Lead me on.  I will follow you.

In Jesus’ Powerful Name I Pray, 

Amen

The Power of Giving God Thanks Will Ignite Your Faith and Change Your World!

Thank You for Being a part of the 3 O’Clock Wake Up Movement

Tough To Really Understand

See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!  And that is what we are! – 1 John 3:1

I finally made it to the pool!  I found an isolated shady spot under a tree to read but quickly found myself distracted.  I love people watching!  I saw kids daring each other to flip off the high-dive.  I saw the new moms dipping their babies’ toes in the coolness of the baby pool.  Then right next to me, I watched a preteen love drama unfold.

Two middle school girls approached two boys and sang out in unison, “Hi Jack, you’re Izzy’s boyfriend.  We already know.”  They then grabbed each other’s arms, turned, and high-tailed it to the other side of the pool, giggly uncontrollably.  The boys acted unmoved until the girls were out of sight, then Jack said, “Izzy says she loves me and wants us to kiss.”  

It was hard, but I resisted the urge to walk over and give my motherly advice.  I pretended to look away but from a distance I could see how uncomfortable the boys felt in their pre-pubescent bodies.  Soon Izzy, who looked about four years older than the boys, showed up and asked Jack if he wanted to bike home with her.  At age twelve, this awkward attraction to one another is what’s understood as love.

Even for adults, though, love can be tough to understand.  Take God’s love for us as an example.  How can we possibly comprehend a depth of love that would compel a father to sacrifice a child, as God did for us with his son Jesus?  Understanding and accepting that kind of love is hard, especially if your earthly father was or is nothing like your heavenly father.  

If we’ve had a critical, judgmental dad, we can see God as un-pleasable.  If we’ve have an angry, hot tempered dad, we can view God as unapproachable and unpredictable.  And if we have an absent dad, we can pretend we don’t need God and try to pull “ourselves up by our bootstraps” and rely on our own strength. 

As we approach the celebration of Father’s Day Weekend, let’s thank God for the love He lavished on us.  He is our faultless Father.  Let’s pray for those who have lost their dads, don’t know their dads, or don’t love their dads.  Let’s pray for the fatherless children in the world and look to God alone to fill our hearts with His great love.  

The Power of Giving God Thanks Will Ignite Your Faith and Change Your World!

Thank You for Being a part of the 3 O’Clock Wake Up Movement

Fear The Roller Coaster

“Have I not commanded you?  Be strong and courageous.  Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.” – Joshua 1:9 (NIV)

As I’ve gotten older, I’ve noticed that I’m getting more and more afraid of heights. The “heart in your throat” feeling of amusement park rides I used to seek out as a kid, I now avoid at all costs.  The thought of dropping off more than the low dive at the pool makes my palms sweat and heart skip a few beats. 

The road that leads to my home has several very large cliffs without guardrails.  If you were to veer a foot or two off the road in some places, your car would roll several times before coming to rest in the gulley below. (You can ask our 18 year old son how that feels.  Thank you God.)  When the road is clear , I’ll cross the yellow line into the oncoming traffic lane just to make sure I’m nowhere near the road’s outer edge.

It gets worse.  The entire South side of our driveway at home drops almost straight off into a ravine.  When our 16 year-old daughter was learning to drive, I would get so nervous that I’d have to walk to the end of the driveway and get in the car when the landscape flattened out.  

My brother and son were once turning a trailer with a boat around in the driveway.  They lost control, and it rolled right to the edge.  Miraculously, the propeller dug into the dirt and stopped it from tumbling 300 feet into the ravine below.   

So what scares you?  What fears do you have that cause you to feel like you’re drowning in a flood or walking through scorching flames?  Isn’t it amazing to know that God is with us when we’re afraid?  He promises to walk with us through the most difficult times in our lives; when the waters rise or the flames shoot up around us.  God is with you when conflicts arise, when disagreements escalate, when the job is lost, a friend’s words betray, or a loved one gets sick.  

God is still a God of miracles.  You can ask Him to perform some in your life.  Like Daniel’s friends, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego who were thrown into a fiery furnace when they refused to bow down to a false god.  God showed up, and they exited the blazing furnace unscathed.  Not even a hair on their heads was singed.  (Daniel 3:27)

God may not always remove the fire, but He will always be available when we call out to Him.  That’s sure worth being thankful for.  

The Power of Giving God Thanks Will Ignite Your Faith and Change Your World!

Thank You for Being a part of the 3 O’Clock Wake Up Movement

Your Body Is A Temple

Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is within you, whom you have received as a gift from God, and that you are not your own.  You were bought with a price (you were actually purchased with the precious blood of Jesus and made His own).  So then, honor and glorify God with your body.

– 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (AMP)

Yesterday, I railed on my body image by calling myself “Jello Woman.”  Later that day, the Bible verse above kept coming to my mind.  “Do you not know….your body is my temple?” 

So today, I’m going to turn my mind around and be thankful for the body God has given me and encourage you to do the same.  Together let’s give God thanks and remember who lives inside us.  And while we’re at it, we may want to set some healthy summer goals.

Quick questions:

• If you believe the Holy Spirit lives inside of you, doesn’t that make your body the “temple” or the dwelling place of God?

• If God’s Spirit resides in you, do you think God cares how you treat your body?

• Are you treating your body with respect and dignity recognizing it as the home of the Holy  Spirit?

• Lastly, if you criticize your body daily, how do you think this makes God feel?  How does a critical spirit contradict how God sees your heart, soul, mind, and body?

Lots to think about.  I took a long walk/jog today and contemplated these questions myself.

I decided to do two things.

• First off, I decided to give thanks to God for what my body can still do.  I can walk, hike, jog, swim and do other fun summer activities.  Thanks God!

• Secondly, I decided to set same healthy summer goals.  I will listen to that still small voice inside saying, “That’s enough.”  I will not neglect my body by being “so busy I forgot to eat.”  I’ll focus on eating smaller portions more often.  And, I will change up my exercise routine because I know more variation will ignite other muscle groups and make working out more interesting and fun.  I’m committed to do these three things until Aug. 1 (at least).

When setting Goals remember to set = Smart Goals = specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, timely!

What about you?  How can you see your body as the beautiful house of God?  Is God’s Spirit leading you to set personal summer goals?   Write to me and share them.  We can pray for one another and be thankful together.

The Power of Giving God Thanks Will Ignite Your Faith and Change Your World!

Thank You for Being a part of the 3 O’Clock Wake Up Movement

Ironman and "Jello Girl"

The LORD does not look at the things people look at.  People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart. – 1 Samuel 16:7

I got my most recent sunburn this weekend at the Boulder Half Ironman, watching my husband, Dan run, bike, and swim the 70.3 mile triathlon.  It has always amazed me that he has the drive to push his body’s limits. The first time Dan finished a full 140.6 mile Ironman race, I sat in the bleachers in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho watching finishers from all over the world come in after over ten grueling hours of effort.  As each and every finisher crosses the line, the race announcer’s deep voice calls out their full name followed by a booming “YOU are an IRONMAN!”  Every time, the crowd goes nuts, spouses cry, kids cheer, and racers reach their arms up to the sky while cameras click away.

Yes, I’m married to an Ironman.  I’m afraid, though, that he’s married to “Jello Woman”.  As I looked at pictures taken this past weekend of the two of us at the finish line, all I could focus on were my extra layers around the middle.  His stomach is flat, mine has rolls.  I could hear my internal announcer calling out, “YOU, Laura are a Jello Woman!”  

How often are we bombarded with the world’s messages telling us we’re not thin enough, fit enough, or strong enough?  Is that why thousands of us strap on Fit Bits to keep track of our steps?  Are we trying to prove that we’re not lazy, or that we have enough strength to fight the fat?  Who are we trying to impress?  Who are we trying to fool?  

God’s word tells us the truth.  Man looks at the outward appearance and gives people titles and awards based on their looks and accomplishments.  But in 1 Samuel 16:7, we’re reminded that God looks inward at our hearts.  He’s more concerned about our character then our competitions.  He’s more focused on our faith than our fitness.

How could we view those around us through God’s eyes?  Could we see a person’s beauty on the inside, her compassion for struggling children, his inner strength to continue to love even after the enormous disappointments, her faithfulness to serve her spouse day after day, his kindness for the homeless?  What if we looked for goodness, kindness, love, and compassion in others and appreciated those qualities as beautiful?

I am thanking God today for His amazing ability to see me as a strong woman of steadfast faith not as “ Jello Gal.”  Look inside your heart and see yourself as God sees you – beautiful, strong, and faithfully fit.   

The Power of Giving God Thanks Will Ignite Your Faith and Change Your World!

Thank You for Being a part of the 3 O’Clock Wake Up Movement

Be Still? That'd Be Nice

Be still, and know that I am God. 

– Psalm 46:10

Do you find it hard to be still?  I do.  As soon as I sit down to “be still”, someone needs something: the dog starts barking, my phone buzzes, and my “To Do List” reels through my mind.  Maybe I have Attention Deficit Disorder.

When everything in my life feels out of control, my response is first to worry, then attempt to control.  Last night, I vacuumed the entire house because that was the only thing I could control at the time.

We’ve had a terrible virus running through our family for days now.  I’ve had to be Nurse Nelly.  Some of you are really good at being a nurse and helping others when they’re sick.  I’m not like you.  I love teaching.  Nursing stresses me out and sucks the life out of me, rather than feeding my soul. 

I listened to Rick Warren’s Daily Hope podcast on Psalm 46:10 while emptying vomit buckets and changing sheets:

“Let go of your concerns!

Then you will know that I am God. 

I rule the nations. 

I rule the earth.”

-Psalm 46:10 GW

Let Go!  Be still, let go, and give your concerns to God!  That’s what we need to do with our worries.  (I love that the Bible uses exclamation points!)  But how?

Try this.  Recently, I asked a Women’s Bible Study group to write down their worries on sticky notes and then anonymously post them on a “Worry Board.” Before posting them, they were to pray and visualize themselves giving what was on their note physically to God, releasing it to Him, letting it go.  We acted out Psalm 46:10.

You can too!  Take a few moments to write down what’s weighing heavily on your heart these days.  Pray for God’s help and guidance.  Then give these worries and concerns over to the One who rules the nations, who rules the whole earth, who rules your life too.

The Power of Giving God Thanks Will Ignite Your Faith and Change Your World!

Thank You for Being a part of the 3 O’Clock Wake Up Movement