Hope For The Future

I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God lives in you, and you have overcome the evil one. – 1 John 2:14

A few nights ago, I went to a concert by the Christian worship band from Australia, Hillsong United, at the Pepsi Center in Denver.  Colorful lights, fast moving videos, and misty fog filled the stadium as over twelve thousand people sang and worshiped.  As inspirational as the music and praise was, what I will remember most about the night is who was sitting in the rows in front of me.  

Do you find that when you’re thinking about a particular thing, it seems to pop up all around you?  For example, if you’re wanting to test drive a Honda Pilot, then from that day on, the roads seem to be filled with them.  I recently heard a sermon where the pastor prayed fervently for our “fatherless” nation.  He explained that today more kids are growing up without a father in the home than ever in history.  For days after hearing this disappointing news, I kept bumping into single moms.  I hadn’t been able to stop thinking about “fatherless” kids all week.

Then at the Hillsong concert, hope replaced worry for the hundreds of thousands of kids living without a father at home.  The rows right in front of where my husband and I were sitting were filled with young men, their strong arms raised and their bright, youthful faces lifted up, shouting praises to God. They were moved by the music and they worshipped Jesus boldly with conviction and courage.  My eyes welled up with tears of joy and thankfulness, for right there in front of me was the next generation, running strong after God’s word.

God’s word will guide these young men to be faithful husbands and strong, Christian fathers.  I leaned over and shouted above the loud worship music to my husband, “Look at those guys!  There is HOPE for our country!”  

Let’s pray for the next generation who are fathering children and leading families.  They will need to stand firm and put on the full armor of God if they are to defeat the enemy’s schemes and temptations (Ephesians 6).  With God leading them, all things are possible!  There is great hope for our nation!

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

Susan's Heart

You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence – Psalm 16:11

My dear friend Susan shared with me recently that when she receives her daily 3pm Wake Up Call from God that it gets her heart “unstuck.”  The condition of Susan’s heart is very important to me.

Several years ago, I stood at Susan’s bedside after a cardiologist had implanted a pacemaker in her heart.  Her pale face smiled with an exhausted relief, but her eyes still twinkled with joy as she read the prayer I had written for her.  We hugged long and hard after her doctor gave her permission to leave the hospital and get back to life.

Think for a moment about your heart.  Place a hand over it and feel it beating.  What’s the health of your heart?  What fills most of the spaces within it?  What would God hear if He listened into your heart?

 As Susan and I “pondered life” one hot summer evening, she shared with me that God has used her heart’s “weird rhythms” to teach her a vitally important truth: Every day is a gift from God.  Loving her grandchildren is a gift.  Camping with her husband is a gift.  Walking to her daughter’s house is a gift.  As long as her heart beats, she is determined to enjoy and be grateful for her family and friends.

Susan’s heart beat might be off a bit, speeding up or slowing down in strange patterns, but I can attest that her heart is in incredible condition because it is filled with grateful joy.  What’s awesome for me is that her heart condition is contagious.  I truly feel closer to God when I’m with her.  As I look into her eyes, I see love and acceptance.  When I share my struggles and highest hopes, I feel heard and important because she is present and intently listening.  

When I ask her how she does it, she answers “I am present in God’s presence.  I live every moment because it is a gift from God.  I don’t know how many days I have, so I don’t worry about tomorrow.  I choose to love today.”

Wow!  I sat back in my chair and took a deep breath as my heart filled with joy.  That’s cherished truth from a wise heart.  

Regardless of our health or how many days we have left on this earth, let’s choose to get our hearts “unstuck” like Susan’s.  Let’s choose to be present in God’s presence today.  It it there where our hearts are filled with joy.

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

More Month Than Money

Wisdom builds the house and understanding establishes it. – Psalm 24:3

Have you ever gotten to the end of the month and thought to yourself, “Where in the world did all my money go?”  After saying that yesterday, I did the “wise” thing and sat down to look through our bank account.  After looking over my families’ spending, I about fell off my chair.

I was quickly reminded of a quote I heard awhile back from Rick Warren: 

After some frustrating introspection, I came to several conclusions:

• Summer is Expensive: school’s out, vacations happen, summer fun and cooling off come with a hefty price tag.

• Teenagers are breaking my bank: food, travel, camps, clothes, sports… and more food.

• If you put your head in the sand and let your emotions dictate your spending rather than sticking to a budget, you too will find more month than money. 

I think we need to call a family meeting and put the “Budget Brakes” on!  These teenagers have jobs and have help out more, or I need to get on a plane and really put my head in the sand… maybe Costa Rica or….?  That plan sounds wonderful because if I escape, I will no longer hear, “MOM, we have no food in this house!”  

 Truly though, I know what I really need to do is Wake Up and ask God to give me more self-control, wisdom, and understanding so I can return to the budget that tells my money where to go before my money walks out the door to the mall, or pool, or the Thai restaurant.  

What about you?  How’s your summer spending?  Do you need a Wake Up Call too?  If so, ask God for His wisdom and understanding.  Then, set aside time to track where your money needs to go.  By creating a budget, you are telling your money its place before it puts you in yours… hopefully not on the floor with me.  Let’s be “wise stewards” and thank God for all He has given us then spend smart and be wise.  

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

Brand Spanking New

Sing to the LORD a new song. – Psalm 96:1

Isn’t it wonderful that God is in the business of NEW?  The Bible tells us His mercies are new every morning, we are a new creation in Christ, and God is making us new from the inside out.  That’s great news! 

Maybe that’s why we like new things.  We love wearing a new outfit to an important event, the smell of a new car, and the comfortable feel of a new couch.  New things are clean and uncluttered.  New looks good.

I bet even those of you who collect antiques agree that some things are just better new.  Like crisp sheets on the bed, freshly painted toenails, or an unread book.  

I can’t stand waking up on a new day with yesterday’s messes still laying around:  the dishes piled high in the sink or stacks of papers and tasks left undone.  

Even worse than yesterday’s dishes is yesterday’s guilt.  When we carry our guilt and shame from the past into a new day, God must shake His head and say, “No my child, you are forgiven now forgive yourself.”  God wants to free us to enjoy this new day.

The Psalm above encourages us to sing to the LORD a new song.  He tells us how this song is to sound.

Sing to the LORD a new song; all the earth.

Sing to the LORD, praise His name;

Proclaim His salvation day after day.

Declare His glory among the nations, 

His marvelous deeds among all peoples. 

- Psalm 96:1-3 

So today, let your heart sing a new song of thanksgiving because God’s mercies are new every day, Let’s declare the great deeds God has done in our lives and know that day by day, He is making us new. 

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

The Least Of These

I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.

– Matthew 25:40

Last Sunday, my family had the privilege of working with our church to pass out peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to the homeless of downtown Boulder.  I call it a privilege because every time I serve people on the fringes of society, I come away feeling more blessed than those simple lunches could have possibly blessed.

My thirteen-year old daughter handed a brown paper bag lunch to a young teenage girl around her own age.  Their eyes met during the exchange and they both smiled.  Later while driving home, my daughter stared out the window, contemplating a while before stating “It must be scary to be homeless at night.”

When was the last time you stepped into another’s shoes and contemplated what it would be like to live where they live, to do what they do, and to have what they have? 

Jesus lived a humble life of service.  He was born in a stable, grew up in a poor family, and traveled with next to nothing.  While on earth, He fed the hungry and taught others to care for the poor, widows and orphans.  From heaven, Jesus calls us to serve “the least of these.”  When we feed the hungry or give a cold drink to the thirsty, we are humbly serving like Jesus did.  Our small acts of service align our hearts with Jesus’ heart.  Maybe that’s why mine was overflowing with love while handing out bag lunches.  Maybe that’s why my daughter’s heart was overflowing with compassion for a teenage girl living on the streets. 

Look around your city or town this week.  Who is in need or living on the fringe?  Who are call “the least of these” near your home or work?  Could you give them a bottle of cold water, a banana, a granola bar, a PB & J sandwich?  Remember that when you do, you are also giving to God.  Then… expect your heart to overflow with the same emotions Jesus experienced while He served the poor, the sick, and the outcasts.  

If you do feed someone hungry or give someone thirsty a drink, send me a quick note.  We’ll collect our “small acts of service” and I’ll share them so we can all celebrate Jesus’ presence still alive on earth today.

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

Through The Fog

Accompanied by trumpets, cymbals and other instruments, the singers raised their voices in praise to the LORD and sang: “He is good; His love endures forever.” – 2 Chronicles 5:13

Our church worship band is made up of people of all ages.  Occasionally, there’s a thirty year spread up on stage.  Last Sunday, a young woman sang a song she wrote about Jesus calling her to move out of her comfort zone and go to music school in another part of the country, far away from family and friends.  I imagine everyone in the room, regardless of age, could relate to her nervous anticipation and excitement to go where God is calling her.

What emotions rush through you when you know that God is leading you to move, or change jobs, or reach out to someone, or raise your voice, or go in a different direction?  

Friends of ours will move this week from Colorado to Massachusetts with their two young sons.  They are following God’s lead, in spite of all the unknown.  Will the job be a good fit?  Will the boys like their new school?  Will the neighbors be kind?  Are Boston drivers really be that bad, and who can understand their accent?

The Bible is full of real people following God’s calling into the unknown.  God called David and his son Solomon to build a temple.  The passage above describes the worship that took place after it was finally completed.  While God’s people were singing, “He is good; His love endures forever,”  God’s presence filled the temple in the form of a great cloud.   

Many times in the Old Testament God’s presence is seen in the form of a cloud.  In Exodus 13:21-22, God led His people through the wilderness by a pillar of cloud by day and fire by night. Iin the New Testament, when Jesus revealed His true identity as the Savior of the World to Peter, James, and John on a mountain top, a “cloud appeared and enveloped them.”  (Mark 9:7)  

Sometimes when we need to go where God is calling us, it might feel like we’re enveloped in a cloud, and our visibility is foggy.  When that happens, let’s do exactly what the Israelites did so many years ago: sing praises to God then move forward into the unknown, trusting in the One who is leading us.

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

Open The Door

Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name. 

– Psalm 100:4

I love to start my days by reading Jesus Calling by Sarah Young, a daily devotional written as if Jesus is talking directly to me.  Today’s short message begins like this:

“Thankfulness opens the door to My presence.  Though I am always with you, I have gone to great measures to preserve your freedom of choice.  I have placed a door between you and Me, and I have empowered you to open or close that door.  There are many ways to open it, but a grateful attitude is one of the most effective.”  

I read Sarah’s words this morning nodding in agreement with a big smile on my face. She’s right on the money! Thankfulness gets all the credit for the faith growth I’ve experienced.  

When my 3 O’Clock alarm first started going off, the door between God and I had been shut, locked, and adorned with a sign that read “I’ve got this God.  I don’t need your help.”

Like many young adults, I’d walked away from my relationship with God.  My heart ran on self-reliance and independence.  I knew God still existed, but I rarely thought about His presence.

A simple practice of looking around and giving thanks to God when my 3pm alarm sounded somehow flung the door of my heart wide open to His presence.  One day at 3pm I was teaching my young son to ride a two-wheeled bike.  I thanked God for my son’s courage to try this new challenge and his ability to catch on.  In that quick, silent moment of thankfulness, it’s as if God showed up with us in the neighborhood cul-de-sac.  My heart was wide awake to His closeness.

Is the door between you and God wide open?  Do you feel His closeness at 3pm and throughout your busy days?  

God’s presence is always available to us but we must “enter His gates,” or open the door.  There are many ways to experience God’s presence but I know one sure way.  Give God thanks and praise!

I hope you can nod in agreement, smile with me, and recognize that giving God thanks at 3 o’clock has indeed brought his presence into your everyday life.  If you have a story to share, I’d love to hear it.

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

Stepping Forward

If the LORD delights in your way, He makes your steps firm; though you may stumble, you will not fall, for the LORD upholds you with His hand. - Psalm 37:23-24 (personalized for you)

Have you ever taken a step forward and immediately regretted it?  When I was (very) pregnant with our first child, we lived in an old duplex in Burlington, Vermont.  Its dirt floored basement always scared me. Musty, dimly lit, and criss-crossed with spider webs, it wasn’t good for much except storing gardening tools and bikes.  

It was probably “nesting” that drove me one day to weed the garden, in spite of the bowling ball in my belly.  I went to the basement to get the rake.  Like the soon-to-be victim in a bad horror movie, I shuffled forward in the dark, squinting while whisking aside spider webs and fumbling with outstretched arms for its handle.  A rolling sensation of the rake under my foot was followed immediately by a lightning bolt of pain from its handle swinging up into my face. 

My husband still remembers the looks of disgust he got while walking around town over the next two weeks with his black-eyed, hugely pregnant wife.

Can you laugh at some of the foolish steps you’ve taken?  In the moment, these missteps are often extremely painful, but time allows healing, even to the point where we can laugh them off.

God is pleased when our steps follow Him, when we trust and walk in His ways.  God desires for us to ask Him which way we should we go before we take our first step.  He wants to guide us with His light, particularly when we’re scared and can’t see in front of us.  

In this life, fear will always meet us on our path.  God knows that fear can block us from doing the good He has planned for us, which is why the Bible says, “Do not fear,” over 365 times (one for every day of the year).  When fear creeps into your day, remember to ask God for His strength to keep moving forward.  Let your faith combat fear and watch as God’s light penetrates the darkness and illuminates your way. 

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

Umm.... No

Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld His love from Me!  

- Psalm 66:20

I love to watch TED Talks.  In eighteen minutes, you can learn how to spot a liar, what it’s like to have a stroke, why we should be eating bugs for our protein. Recently, I got up the nerve to audition to present the 3 O’Clock Wake Up Call at the upcoming Denver TED Talk.  I filled out the online application, said a quick prayer, then sat back and waited for an acceptance email.  This week, I was rejected.  

Although I didn’t make the cut out of this year’s 807 applicants, they at least liked the idea and recommended I apply for future talks.  I should have been encouraged, but instead all I could think was: I was rejected.  

When was the last time you were rejected?  How did it make you feel?  Were you gracefully accepting or did you want to kick the nearest cat across the room?

On his first job search out of college, my husband was turned down so many times that he was able to wallpaper almost an entire wall with the rejection letters.  He still has them in a file folder.  This is the opposite of my reaction to rejection, which is to lash out and burn the letters.  Which one of us can you relate to?

But God…. There are so many amazing “But God” truths in the Bible!  One powerful one is, people or jobs might reject you but God never, ever does. He will never withhold His amazing love, no matter how unqualified we may be for the "job."  

Here’s another amazing truth: God has a divine plan for our lives.  He uses the world’s rejections to teach, humble, encourage, and move us in the right direction.  With that understanding, I am trying to humbly accept my TED talk rejection as a message that God is calling me to learn more about His truth and improve my speaking skills before allowing me to take the 3 O’Clock Wake Up Call Movement to a bigger stage.

Are you willing to take a rejection, reflect on it, learn from it, and continue to run after the dreams you have for your life?  It’s a tough road, but it’s worth getting back up after the rejection to find yourself stronger and more determined to keep on keeping on knowing that God is with you and for you. 

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

Pray With Power

The prayer of a righteous one is powerful.  

- James 5:16

Colorado summers can get so dry that many roads have signs displaying, like a car’s speedometer, the current fire danger.  Once the spring snows melt, the needle quickly moves from “low” and “medium” to “high” or “extreme,” where it’ll stay until winter.  When the blazing red “FIRE BAN” sign goes up, it means that we’re a lightning strike or errant cigarette butt away from disaster.

On July 9^th, a poorly extinguished campfire outside of Boulder started a blaze that burned for over a week, consuming over 600 acres and several houses. When I reached out to a friend who lives in the fire zone, I was impressed by her response to my offer of help.  After explaining that her family of six was safe a relative’s home outside of Denver, she said that the best thing I could do was pray. 

All too often, our first response to a stressful situation is to get to work on a fix. It’s only when we’ve run out of options that we reach out to God.  I’m guilty of blazing full speed ahead in a crisis, only to wake up days later, exhausted and depressed, remembering that God’s been there all the time just waiting for me to pray. 

James tells us that when we’re in a “right” relationship with God, our prayers are powerful.  I believe that a “right” relationship begins with us believing that as children of God, we can pray directly to Him.  God is our loving Father who can’t wait to hear our needs, requests, fears, and concerns.

I hope your 3 O’Clock Wake Up Call continues to remind you to invite God into your life’s messes every day.  He has the answers to your deep questions and holds the plans for your next steps.  He can be trusted in the “storms of life” as well as when things are easy and simple.

So when a tornado hits your path, pray with power.  Why?  Because you 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

Liar, Liar, Pants On Fire

Let your “Yes” be yes, and your “No” be no.  

- James 5:12

Are there certain things people do that drive you nuts?  One of my greatest pet peeves is being lied to. I think it happens to me so often because my “BS meter” is broken.  I’m quick to trust that people are telling me the truth.  I take their “Yes” to mean yes and their “No” to mean no.  A few mechanics, salespeople, and construction contractors have really liked this.

You’ll laugh when I tell you about our first construction project.  Prior to moving from Massachusetts after Dan’s residency, we hired a construction company to renovate part of the house we had recently bought in Vermont. I was tasked by Dan as the “project manager.” Giving this job to the mother of a newborn and two kids under five was, in hindsight, not such a good idea.  All the diapers, laundry, dishes, and round-the-clock nursing must have fried my brain, because at some point I thought that giving the contractor access to our bank account was a smart and easy way to pay their bills.  

It didn’t take long for them to get comfortable withdrawing money.  We paid for a porch roof that was mistakenly built three feet to the side of the door it was supposed to be directly over.  Then we paid for them to take it down and re-build it in its proper place.  Plumbing had to be expensively re-routed because walls were mistakenly torn down. 

I had assumed that they’d know where roofs go and which walls have pipes in them.  As they assured me these were routine hiccups and unavoidable mistakes, our renovation crept 30% over budget.  I could never get clear, honest answers and by the end, I was pulling out my hair and screaming curses into the phone.  (Sorry James, I know we’re not supposed to do that).  I was blown away by all the lies. 

Do you have wounds from people lying to you?  I’ve learned the hard way that un-forgiveness keeps these wounds open and leads to scarring rather than healing.  The bitterness hurts only me, not those who wronged me.  When I finally forgive, I feel set free.  It’s not easy, which is probably why Jesus told His followers that forgiveness is something you have to do over and over again.  

Looking back, if instead of cursing the construction company owner I had prayed for him every day at 3pm, it would have sped up the healing process and I would have been a happier person.  When you pray for someone who has wronged you, as tough as that sounds, it softens your heart and positions you to better see them from God’s point of view.  Give it a try and see how prayer does indeed have the power to heal your heart and relationships.  It really works!

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

Keep Humbly Shooting Arrows

Humble yourself before the Lord, and He will lift you up.  - James 4:10

When was the last time you complimented someone for being humble?  Aren’t we much quicker to applaud the assertive, the confident, and the strong? 

From the sidelines I yell to my daughter, “You’ve got this!” and in the car on the way home I puff her up with things like, “Great job girl!  You dominated out there.”  At home I’ll talk to her about workout plans, healthy eating, and physical fitness.  She’ll pay attention, occasionally nodding in agreement, but the look on her face tells me that the extra training is most likely not going to happen. 

It dawned on me the other night that I have a similar resistance to much of the good advice James gives in the Bible.  Instead of heartily leaning in to James’ “To Do List” for Christian living, I often find myself trying to work around it.  I’ll procrastinate rather than prepare, choose anger over understanding, and exude pride rather than humility.  

What about you?  When you hear good advice are you inclined to put it into practice or to push back against it?  You know you need to ____________, but instead you ______________.  Do these recurring struggles make you feel like you’re constantly missing the “bullseye” that is God’s will for your life? 

Thankfully God is patient, forgiving, and understands that we’ll never completely hit the target.  He just wants us to keep trying.  It’s my sincere hope that you’re using your 3 O’Clock Wake Up Call as a daily reminder to keep shooting the arrows.  Whatever you’re working towards; humility, patience, or even simple peace, ask for it at 3pm.

I’m cheering for you.  You can do it!  You’ve got this!  Go for it!  

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

Heavenly Wisdom

The wisdom that comes from heaven is…. 

- James 3:17

How would you finish the passage above?  I don’t know about you, but I could really use heavenly wisdom as I make future plans, juggle financial decisions, and parent my teens.  Where do you need more wisdom in your life?  What does heavenly wisdom even look like?

As Jesus’ half brother, James grew up observing God’s son perfectly maneuver difficult relationships, make hard decisions, and “grow in wisdom and stature.” (Luke 2:52).  (Imagine James’ frustration when asked “why can’t you be more like your brother?”)

Maybe that’s why James is able to make it so clear what heavenly wisdom looks like.  He teaches us that it comes out of a humble heart with pure motives.  It is peace-loving, considerate, merciful and sincere.  Heavenly wisdom does not stem from pride, bitterness, selfishness or envy. 

Ouch!  That’s a “Wake Up Call” to the heart. When I think back to my earlier years, I cringe at my own lack of wisdom.  Can you relate to this timetable?  

In my ….

• Teens – I knew everything.  
• 20’s – I knew how to make the world a better place.
• 30’s – I knew how to manage the world’s increasing demands on my own.
• 40’s – I’m clueless, help me God!

I used to think age had nothing to do with wisdom.  Now I recognize and humbly apologize for the times I steam-rolled others when I thought I knew best, for the times I acted out of pride, bitterness, envy, or selfish motives.  Life has a way of humbling us doesn’t it?

If you’re older than me, and can add decades on to the list above, how would you describe each one? (I’d love to hear from you).  Would your current decade, like mine, contain an admission of “cluelessness” and surrender?  Maybe that’s the first step towards “heavenly wisdom.”

Dear God,

Forgive me for thinking I was wise when I was really foolish and prideful.

Help me to follow your heart that is humble, pure, peace-loving, considerate, merciful, and sincere.  Pour yourself into my heart and delete the darkness that you see in mine.  I desire to grow in heavenly wisdom.  

In Jesus 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

Mixing The Pot

Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing…this should not be.  - James 3:10

My husband and I just spent three days on Lake Powell with four teenagers. Besides being light years ahead of me in understanding technology, they also speak a different language.

I don’t Snapchat or Instagram but I do ask a lot of questions. Here are a few of my inquiries from the first day on the boat with the teens:

• Why does your bathing suit have so little fabric on the bottom?  
• What’s up with all the bad language in your music?
• Were those shorts that short when I bought them?
• Just how well do you think your tiny top is going to stay on when you hit the water?  

Do you want to know what their response was every time?  They said over and over again, “Mom, you’re such a pot mixer.”  A what?  Living in Colorado where marijuana is legal, I thought they were calling me “high.”  That only made them laugh more.  Finally, I got the truth out of them.  

A bunch of kids at their high school were discussing “girl drama” one day and a friend said, “She’s always stirring the pot.”  Then another girl chimed in, “Yea, you’re right.  She’s loves mixing the pot.”  Then one gal in the crowd yelled, “She’s a POT MIXER!”  And it stuck.  

When was the last time you were with a “Pot Mixer?”  Or maybe you are one!  If you like to add intensity to the conversation or get jazzed by heated discussions, then you, my friend, like mixing the pot.  According to the teens, the worst kind of “pot mixing” is telling lies or spreading rumors about someone.  I tend to agree.  

I’m so thankful our God is not a “Pot Mixer.”  He tells us truths we can cling to:

• Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life.  (John 14:6) 
• Jesus gave us His Holy Spirit that guides us into truth.  (John 16:13) 
• The truth about Jesus will set you free.  (John 8:32)

Let’s be reminded today that although it might be tempting to “mix the pot” by getting involved in daily dramas, God has called us to live by His truths.  Let’s be Truth Tellers not Pot Mixers.  

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

What's On Your "Therefore" List?

Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.  

- James 2:17

I used to think that when James said “faith without deeds is dead,” he must have missed Paul’s letter to the Romans, in which he states that our faith in Jesus alone is what saves us. Now I understand how they can both be correct.  They actually compliment one other.  Our faith in Jesus is enough to save us, but once we’re saved, the Holy Spirit spurs us on to do God’s good works.  

Think of a time when you stopped to help, serve, or even just talk to someone in need because, in that moment, you knew you had to.  

God places people and things in our paths because He uses us to carry out His plans on earth.  Yes, we can ignore God’s nudges or promptings, but as James warns us, that is faith without deeds. 

“Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food.  If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed, but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it?” (James 2:15-16)

Faith in God changes us on the inside first, then we see changes on the outside. Has this been true for you?

• I am saved, therefore I give thanks to God.
• I am loved by God, therefore I love others.
• I am growing in my faith, therefore I share it with others.
• I am following Jesus, therefore I walk in His ways.
• I am trusting God, therefore I go where He leads me.
• I am adopted into God’s family, therefore I give God praise.
• I am gifted by God, therefore I share my gifts with others.

The “therefore” list goes on and on.  Others will see your faith in action when you live it out loud, day by day.  Let’s walk and talk and love and serve, not because we have to, but because we get to. What’s your faith statement these days?   I have faith therefore…

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

Teacher's Pet

“As believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don’t show favoritism.”  

- James 2:1

In elementary school I always wanted to be the “teacher’s pet.”  When I found out Ms. Wolf, my second grade teacher at Carmel (Indiana) Elementary School was our neighbor, I snuck over to her house, rang her doorbell, gave her a gift I’d made, and invited myself in. 

When have you wanted to be the “best friend,” the favorite on the team or in the small group?  Kids often push their way to the front, jump in the spotlight, or convince others they’re the best.  They’re kids, right?  As adults, though, many of us are guilty of the same thing.  We fall into the “comparison trap,” ranking others, and picking our favorites.

Isn’t it wonderful and relieving to know that God doesn’t have favorites?  We are all equally loved.  It doesn’t matter what we do.  He will never love us more or less than He does at this very moment.  Like the Sunday School song says:

“Jesus loves the little children.

All the children of the world.

Red, and yellow, black, and white,

They are all precious in His sight.

Jesus loves the little children of the world.”

Lately when we turn on the news, the focus is on the heated racial tensions. The violence that has exploded breaks my heart.  How do you think all this violence makes God feel?  Jesus wept when His dear friend Lazarus died.  I can picture Jesus weeping in heaven as His loved ones are killing each other because of the color of their skin.

When we get to heaven, every color, gender, ethnicity and nation will be praising God together.  How can we, as believers in Jesus, the one who called ALL people to be loved and saved, love others the way Jesus does? 

Start by remembering this:

• All God’s children are made in His image.  All = Everyone.
• Jesus taught us to love our neighbors.  Think about who is your neighbor? 
• God is love.  His love knows no boundaries.  He calls us to love like Him.

Martin Luther King Jr dreamed of a nation where love changes boundaries.  I have the same dream.  One day, I pray God’s children around the globe will stand and give thanks to God at 3pm – every color, in every nation.  Let’s dream 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

Burnin' Down The House

The tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts.  Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark.

– James 3:5

As I write this, over a thousand residents of a nearby town have been evacuated due to an uncontrolled wildfire.  Standing in Boulder looking west, the rising black plume of smoke reminds me of the Bison Fire of 2012.

One lightning bolt from heaven can set a forest aflame.  Four years ago, our house stood just a few hundred yards from where the lightning strike hit that started the Bison Fire.  My mind flashes back to standing on our porch watching bombers lay down strips of orange fire retardant while fire-fighting helicopters dropped thousands of gallons of water on the growing flames.

There wasn’t a cloud in the sky the next day when my 3pm alarm went off.  I paused to ask God to protect our home and put out the approaching wildfire, then got back to work packing and preparing to evacuate.  A few hours later, as if on cue, God brought the first rain storm in several weeks. It was a deluge that ended with a hailstorm, as if God wanted to make His point perfectly clear. I danced and shouted praises to God for this miraculous answered prayer.

In the Bible, James warns us that our tongues are powerful and can be like a wildfire that leaves a path of destruction.  He prompts us to use our tongues for greatness by praising God and boasting about His goodness.  

Every day when our 3pm alarm sounds, we are reminded that God is right there loving us, blessing us, and guiding us.  When we thank Him, we are choosing to bless Him.  When we tell others about what God is doing in our lives, we are boasting in the Lord.  

It’s our choice.  Will we control our tongues and let positive praises pour out?  Or will we set relationships on fire with critical, negative, judgmental talk?  I’m so thankful for the daily reminder of the 3 O’Clock Wake Up Call because many times by 3pm, I need a course correction.  I need to be set straight and prompted to praise.  How about you?

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

Listen Up

Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.  

– James 1:19

I am guilty of talking more than I listen.  When my husband hears me say that, he lets out a huge AMEN!  I have been interrupting that man for more than thirty years.  (We met in high school)

We’re making our way through the book of James, the How To Live Out Your Faith in Jesus book of the Bible.  Its truths are sometimes tough to read, like a punch in the gut.  In today’s passage, for example, James flatly counsels us to “be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.”  This passage in Message Version of the Bible reads, “Lead with your ears, follow up with your tongue, and let anger straggle along in the rear.”  That’s a pretty clear visual of God’s priorities.

Have you ever met someone who talks incessantly about himself or herself?  How they run this, have accomplished that, or their child is the best at…?  These uneasy interactions are less of a conversation than a downloading of information. No need for your input.  How much time do you desire to spend in their presence?  Truth be told, I’ve actually picked up my chair at a soccer game and moved 30 feet down the sideline to escape them.

I’m afraid to admit, though, that I’ve been guilty of doing that very same thing, especially with my husband or children.  I get tunnel vision and process my thoughts aloud, later wondering at what point they stopped listening.

On the flip side is my husband’s friend, Jeff, one of the best listeners I’ve ever met.  He makes continuous eye contact, leans into the conversation, and gives you his full attention. He asks in-depth, personal questions that lead you to thoughtful, heartfelt answers.  After talking with Jeff, you feel like you are the most important person in his world.

I bet Jesus listened with this intensity.  

Just think of how many arguments could be avoided if we followed James’ directive.  Think of how many families could be radically changed if we listened more.  Think about how many jobs have been lost, relationships ended, or children hurt because we snapped and let angry words tumble off our tongues.  James is giving us a Wake Up Call to listen more.  

Let’s give it a try.  This week, even if you have to use a stopwatch, make the decision that you will listen more than you talk in a conversation.  

Now listen up.  You can do it!

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