Action Plan For Peace

You (God) will guard him and keep him in perfect and constant peace whose mind (both its inclination and its character) is stayed on You, because he commits himself to You, leans on You, and hopes confidently in You. – Isaiah 26:3 (AMP)

Do you ever wake up at night and your mind rewinds through the day? Pretty soon you’re wide awake, right? Isn’t it crazy how small conflicts become bigger and resolved issues return as problems in the dark? It drives me nuts!

The enemy knows we’re a captive audience in the middle of the night. He sneaks in to steal our joy, rob us of peace, and poison our thoughts with worry and un-forgiveness. But God has given us a promise to cling to all day and night. 

Isaiah 26:3 highlights God’s promise for peace and explains our part in the pursuit. It’s a team effort; a collaboration of our heart, mind and spirit with God’s. Here’s an action plan for peace. 

God promises to:

• Guard you, watch over you, and protect you. 
• Keep you in perfect and constant peace.

Your part to play is:

• Keep your mind fixed on God. 
• Commit yourself to God.
• Lean on, trust in God. 
• Hope confidently in God.

Let’s break down our part some more. Picture yourself following these steps toward peace.

You keep your mind on God when you remember His presence is available 24/7. No matter the circumstances, as soon as you begin to thank Him for His presence, you are not alone. 

You commit yourself to God when you place yourself under His authority and follow His ways. When you do, God’s power goes to work protecting and guiding your steps.

You lean on and trust in God by acknowledging His ways are better than your own. When you look to His plans for your life, the adventure of a lifetime begins.

Your confident hope collides with fear when you wait patiently believing God is mighty to save and all things are possible with Him.

Here’s is a real life example of how God’s peace can overwhelm the darkness.  

A single mom lost her job as a social worker due to budget cuts. She doesn’t know how she’ll feed her two young children next week because the pantry is almost bare. She goes to God in prayer and gives Him all her worries and concerns. He comforts her with a whisper, “I’m with you. Sister Carmen can help.” She trusts that still small voice and visits the Food Bank that afternoon. As she’s loading groceries into her car, a staff woman approaches and hands her a job application. Their eyes lock and the woman states, “If you know anyone looking for a job in social work, please pass this along. I’m looking to hire immediately.” A peace that surpasses understanding washes through the parking lot.

The peace of God, which transcends all understanding, 

will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. – Philippians 4:7

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

"Of Course" often gets us off course

Jesus spoke to the people, He said, “I AM the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” – John 8:12

Have you ever noticed that when you walk into a grocery store, the first things to catch your eye are the sales items?  Pineapples are ninety-nine cents each?  Chocolate brownies are half off!? Incredible! Before you've even looked at your grocery list, the pineapples and brownies have been dropped into your shopping cart. This happens to me all the time.

Every day we are enticed to spend money, time, and effort  hundreds of different ways. Commercials constantly stream on your radio, TV, phone, and computer. We think we’re tuning all these distractions out, that they're  not moving us to action, but could their influence be greater than we realize?

I believe it’s easy to fall asleep in our faith and be oblivious of who or what is actually enticing us and luring us away from Jesus’ light. Before we know it, we wake up and find ourselves surrounded by darkness.

Play these scenarios out in your mind… How do you picture them ending?

·    A woman whose husband travels frequently misses him greatly. At night when her loneliness is painful, she jumps on Facebook to chat with an old boyfriend whose wife died recently. Their friendship is rekindled by supporting each other through their loss and pain. Of course they should stay at the same hotel for their high school reunion.

·    She’s been working so hard at her stressful job. The hours are long and draining.  At night she just wants to relax and unwind before bed. Of course a few glasses of wine will help her find peace and rest.  It works so well that wine becomes her new best friend. She invites co-workers to Happy Hours during the week, attends parties on the weekend, and keeps a few bottles in her trunk just in case.

·    Her New Year’s Resolution is to lose ten pounds, so she shops smart, eats healthy, and exercises daily. Just like that, ten pounds vanishes and the positive comments multiply. She looks in the mirror and targets another ten pounds to go. Of course she should ramp up her exercise and decrease her food intake to find greater success. Like magic, more weight loss! The voice in her head to lose more gets louder and louder.

How do these stories unfold? I see tragic endings and the enemy rejoicing. All three scenarios had two key words, used to entice and lure her away; “of course”.

That’s what the enemy does.  He takes our deepest desires, twists them with his lies, and lures us into his darkness. 

But Jesus who is the Light of the World wants to shine His light into our lives and lead us into God’s truth. 

·    Jesus wants to comfort us when we’re lonely. The enemy tempts us to ruin relationships and destroy families.

·    Jesus wants us to find peace and rest in His presence. The enemy tempts us to tangle ourselves up in addictions.

·    Jesus wants us to find our true identity as His beloved. The enemy tempts us by telling us we’re not enough or worth unconditional love. 

God promises that if we follow Jesus, we will not walk in darkness. Let God’s truths be a guiding light to your path. Step by step follow the Light of the World and you will shine bright, bringing great glory to God as you stay the course and resist the “of course” lies. 

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

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Joy and Heartache

Jesus wept. – John 11:35

In a Bible study last year, I asked a group of fifty women, from their mid-twenties to early eighties to write down, on one half of a heart-shaped piece of paper, one or two things that filled their hearts with JOY.  On the other side of the heart, I asked them to write down a current heartache. 

Now it’s your turn.  What brings you JOY?  What causes your heart to ACHE?   

When I later sat down to read the hearts I’d collected, my own heart was overwhelmed with both thanksgiving and grief.  I thanked God for their abundant joys, then cried out to Him for the deep aches of these beautiful women.

I was deeply moved by the pain they openly expressed.  When I sorted their joys and aches into categories, it quickly became apparent that the most common cause of both their greatest joys and deepest aches were their closest relationships.  (With more than 75% of these coming from their families.)  

• We love our spouse and JOY abounds after thirty years of faithfulness.  But when we lose our spouse to death or another woman, the ACHE in our hearts almost unravels us.  

• We receive so much JOY from raising our children or grandchildren.  But when bad influences steal their innocence or drugs rob them of God’s plan for their lives, we ACHE from shattered dreams. 

• We adore our family celebrations and vacations when JOY is shared.  But when cancer comes or dementia debilitates, we ACHE with what the future holds. 

As I read the joys and aches of these women who I adore, I wept.  As the tears fell, I remembered the shortest verse of the Bible, “Jesus wept” (John 11:35).  I could see Jesus sitting with Mary and Martha whom He loved like family.  The sisters mourned for their brother Lazarus.  Jesus was moved by their heartache and wept with them.

I believe that when we weep, Jesus weeps with us, as He did with Mary and Martha.  Let that reality wash over and comfort you.  Yes, you can be comforted by Jesus’ closeness when your heartaches start unraveling you, when your dreams are shattered, or when the future looks desperately dark.

Jesus was fully man while here on earth so He understands our joys and our aches and, as God, He rejoices with us when our hearts are full of JOY and He weeps with us when our hearts ACHE.  Jesus was and is our Savior. After weeping with Mary and Martha, He looked up to God, thanked His Father in Heaven, then raised Lazarus from the dead.

Like the sisters, we can thank Jesus that He alone can save us, give us eternal life, and comfort us every day.  

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

Comforting out of Your Comfort

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. – 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

None of us wake up in the morning hoping for trouble or suffering. But sometimes they just show up uninvited, without warning. 

While preparing to teach a class later that day, the phone rang. “Mrs. Busse this is officer Margo with the Boulder Police. Your son has been in a bicycle accident. He’s in the back of an ambulance now. I suggest you come down here. We’re right around the corner from the high school.”

The first question that popped out of my mouth was “Was he was wearing his bike helmet?” After a short pause and discussion with the EMT’s, she confirmed my fear. NO he was not wearing the helmet I’d bought him. Helmets weren’t “cool” in 9^th grade. The exact reason for our argument at that morning’s breakfast. 

Standing next to the ambulance with its back doors swung open, I could see blood dripping down my son’s face. There was a deep gash on the side of his head where he’d crashed into the asphalt after flipping over his bike. A spot that would have certainly been protected by a helmet.

When our eyes locked, my son smiled and chuckled, “It’s ok mom. I’m fine.” I hung my head fearing this was just the beginning of a long and dangerous road ahead. Raising a teenager who thinks he’s invincible is sure to bring unwanted heartache and intense suffering. It did.

Paul in 2 Corinthians 1:3-4, praises God for being the Father of Jesus and our Father of compassion who comforts us in all our troubles so we can comfort others with the same comfort we received from God. 

Isn’t that amazing? God has a purpose for our troubles and sufferings! He comforts us with compassion so we can turn around and comfort others facing similar troubles. That’s wonderful news, but if you’d told me that while I was walking through the lowest valleys with my son, ant any one of his several accident scenes, I might have punched you in the mouth. (Just keeping it real.)

My suffering was too excruciating at the time to turn to someone else and offer them help. I had to cling to God with both hands and pray that my son would make it through high school alive. I called these cries to God my S.O.S. prayers. Every day when my 3 O’Clock Wake Up Call alarm sounded, I’d look up to God and shout, “Save Our Son!”

Now years later, my hands still pray for my son but the first thing out of my mouth is not “HELP!” it’s “Thank you God!” After having endured the valleys of suffering and reached a good place with my son, my hands are free to hold another mother’s hands that are wringing with worry about her son.

I can comfort others with the same compassion and comfort I received from God. I can also teach truths about God that I have learned along the way. Here are several precious ones I call GO with God:

• God never leaves us, especially while we walk through troubles and painful times.
• Our loved ones are loved by God even more than we love them.
• God is available 24/7. We can cry out to Him all day and night.
• Our trust in God only grows during a time of trouble and testing.
• God still performs miracles today. He’s looking for people who will believe He does.
• Our troubles and trials have the power to transform us into Jesus’ likeness.
• God’s plans far exceed our biggest dreams.
• Our suffering will not last forever. 

Whatever troubles come today, know that God is right by your side comforting you. He will see you through the valleys and eventually bring you to other side. As you stand thanking God, don’t forget to look back and comfort others who find themselves in those same valleys God has brought you through. 

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

Brain Based Bible Study

Pay attention to (focus on) what I say; turn your ear to my words. Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart; for they are life to those who find themand health to one’s whole body. – Proverbs 4:20-22

When I was an elementary school teacher in Shelburne, Vermont my team of educators were given the initiative to explore the latest and greatest teaching practices available at that time. We set out to revolutionize how kids thought about school. Our goal was to make it so kids would jump out of bed in the morning, excited to go to school.

If you have children, you know this is a gigantic goal. Think about your own childhood. When you were in elementary school, did you jump out of bed excited because you couldn’t wait to attend school? Not me, but I set out to create an educational space that defied boredom. 

What I discovered is that when children’s brains are activated through their five senses, or Brained Based Education, powerful memories are made. 

In our classroom, we built rocket ships and hot air balloons to teach gravity and Newton’s third law. We wrote poetry from the point of view of young immigrant children. We read science journals and planted flowers in various degrees of sunlight. When learning was engaging, inspiring and collaborative, we lost track of time and laughed a lot.

As I was planning a Women’s Bible Study kick off event to start this new year, I prayed to God for direction and inspiration. As I began to daydream of my classroom in Vermont, it occurred to me that a Brain Based Bible Study could be just as effective and fun.

Here’s what I came up with. Hopefully you will find these seven steps easy to understand and they will activate your brain while you study God’s word. Feel free to try this with a few friends and see if you too lose track of time and laugh a lot.

Brain Based Bible Study

A Head – Heart – Hands Approach 

Step #1 – Access

• Create a space in your home to meet with God as you read His word. Make it comfortable & have your supplies accessible. (Bible, pens, glasses, highlighters, devotionals, study workbooks…) How can you minimize distractions in your “God space”?
• Commit time to God. Prioritize this “divine date” and write it on your “To Do” list.

Through Jesus we have access to the Father by one Spirit. – Ephesians 2:8

Step #2 – Attention

• With your eyes focused and wide open, read God’s word expecting to discover treasures that will transform your life such as; God’s promises and plans for you.
• Pay attention to how God is speaking to you though the Bible. Lean it and believe you can hear His voice through His word. Don’t be surprise when He pops words of the page.

Pay attention to (focus on) what I say. – Proverbs 4:20

Step #3 – Assess 

• Think about what your reading. Mediate on God’s word, repeat a verse or two over and over. Let it sink deep into your mind. What does God want you to think about?
• Ask yourself if you agree with God’s word. Assess how scripture can grow and change you. 

As you think, you become. – Proverbs 23:7

Step #4 – Activate

• Let what you’re thinking about sink into your heart. What emotions are you experiencing? Embrace how the word of God impacts you.
• Activate your memory by writing down God’s word and your thoughts in a journal, on 3x5 cards, or in your Bible. Writing increases your recall ability and recording your thoughts outlives your life.

Let this be written for a future for a future generation, that a people not yet created may praise the LORD. – Psalm 102:18

Step #5 – Accuracy 

• Check for understanding. Ask yourself if your thoughts and feelings align with God’s promises and truths.
• Tap into your prior knowledge. Are you building on what you already know about God’s character, His values and attitudes? Are you headed in the right direction, a wise way? 

For the word of is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. – Hebrews 4:12

Step #6 – Articulate

• Speak aloud what you are learning. When you tell someone else what you’ve discovered, your knowledge increases and your “own it” more.
• As you share your faith stories with others, you can expect your faith and confidence to soar. God can connect dots in your mind as you articulate your Biblical findings.

We will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the LORD, His power, and the wonders He has done.  – Psalm 78:4

Step #7 - Apply 

• Put your growing faith into action by applying what you’re learning.
• The Biblical knowledge and wisdom you are gaining by reading, thinking, writing, speaking, and teaching others must be applied to all areas of your life to truly be effective. 
• The Holy Spirit is leading you into greater wisdom and understanding, will you follow, trust and obey?

Do not merely listen to the word, and do deceive yourselves. Do what it says. – James 1:22

Faith without deeds is dead. – James 2:26

There it is, your Brain Based Bible Study approach for 2018! First your mind is engaged by thinking, mediating, and questioning. Then your heart is activated by allowing your emotions to align with God’s thoughts and truths. And finally, when you take action by owning your faith and sharing it with others, you’ve embraced a Head – Heart – Hands Bible Study Plan for the new year. Enjoy and let me know what you think!

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 it Simple

Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me.” – John 10:14

Do you ever get accused of complicating things?  When was the last time someone told you to “keep it simple!”  To me, those words often sound more like criticism than advice.  

When I walk in the door at 7:45pm after a long day and my husband sees me pulling out pots and pans to start dinner, I often hear “Laura, let’s just keep it simple.” I really want to make a big pot of pasta with roasted vegetables, grilled chicken in a pesto cream sauce, but we both know that if I do, we won’t be eating until 9:15pm.  So instead, we pull out the leftovers (again)…keeping it simple.

We can also over-complicate our faith in Jesus.  By incorrectly believing that we need to spend forty minutes a day studying, memorizing the Psalms, contemplating the Trinity, and praying scripture, we forget that all Jesus really says is, “Come and follow me” (Matthew 4:19).

If we see Jesus as our good shepherd, this relationship simplifies our faith in Him. Think for a moment, what do sheep really need?

Sheep need to know their shepherd’s voice.  We get to know Jesus’ voice by inviting Him into our busy days.  Before your feet hit the ground in the morning, you can simply say, “Jesus lead me through this day. I will follow you.”  Then you can walk and talk with Him all day long.  When your 3pm alarm sounds, thank Jesus for being right there with you.  Spending every day life together is a simple and sure way of staying close to your good shepherd.

My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. – John 10:27

Sheep need daily protection.  The enemy sets up many distractions, detours, and dead ends trying to move you off God’s good path.  But if you stick close with your good shepherd and ask for His help, He will fend off the enemy and guide your steps around the traps.  

The LORD is my shepherd, He guides me along the right paths. – Psalm 23:3 

Lastly, sheep need food and rest.  The good shepherd knows what depletes you and what fills you up.  He leads you to be still in His presence and reminds you that He is your faithful provider.  Your soul is nurtured by remembering God’s good and His grace. 

The LORD is my shepherd, He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters, He restores my soul. – Psalm 23:2-3

The next time you’re tempted to complicate your faith in Jesus, just remember “keep it simple.”  Jesus is your good shepherd, simply follow Him.

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

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Everlasting Eyes

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

Chaperoning my oldest daughter’s soccer team in Las Vegas this past weekend was an eye opening experience to say the least. Casino lights welcomed us off the airplane, billboards advertising sex lined the streets, cigarette smoke filled our hotel lobby, and skimpy dresses and high heels appeared to be the dress code.

Dressed in informal athletic wear, we stuck out and got more than a few sideways glances. At dinner the first night, I observed how the scene affected our team of seventeen and eighteen-year old high school seniors. 

Many of the girls seemed uncomfortable as they watched young women confidently flaunt cleavage and bare legs. Others, though, seemed at ease, almost envious of the freedom they’d soon have to express their sexuality this way. My heart ached a bit for the fact that this type of sex appeal is the norm in our culture today.

Two thousand years ago, Paul’s heart ached for Jesus followers living in the city of Corinth. They too were surrounded by opposing views. God emphasized the importance of their character, attitudes and hearts, whereas Corinth valued wealth, power, and immoral pleasures. Are we really still trapped by the same things today?

I believe so, which is why we need to submerge ourselves in God’s word daily to remind us of who we are to Him and how we are to see ourselves. 1 Samuel 16:7 states that “Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” 

When the name of God is capitalized, as it is in the passage above, it reminds us that God is our creator. He knit us together in our mother’s womb and loves us with an everlasting love. We are absolutely beautiful in His eyes because He’s our father who created us. Why is it so hard to see ourselves in this same light?

I believe it’s because we’re bombarded with lies our culture places upon us. Lies such as:

• You’ll be more beautiful if you’re skinnier.
• You’ll be more important if you’re wealthier.
• You’ll be more lovable if you’re prettier. 

God absolutely opposes these lies. All sizes are beautiful to Him, no one takes their bank accounts to heaven, and His love is unconditional. Today, give thanks to God that He is your creator, provider, and is constantly calling you to become more like Jesus. Your confidence in this culture will blossom as you look to God for love and approval not others in this crazy culture. 

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

Seek & Find

You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart. – Jeremiah 29:13

Do you remember playing Hide & Seek when you were a child?  I vividly remember the entire floorplan of my grandparents’ house in Tipton, Indiana because when all the cousins came together for Thanksgiving or Christmas, I searched every inch of that old house looking for the very best hiding spot.  Our version of Hide & Seek was called, “Big B” because we always made our oldest cousin, Brad be the seeker first.

We might think playing Hide & Seek is only for children.  But if we really think about it, haven’t we been playing a form of this game our whole lives?  Do we search for the perfect school or job believing it will secure our future?  Do we pursue a particular position in hopes it will satisfy our desire for power?  Do we constantly seek other people’s approval to gain a deeper sense of belonging?  

What if God designed us to be seekers because He wants us to seek Him, instead of positions, power, or people?

The prophet Jeremiah clearly communicates how we are to seek God.  He writes in Jeremiah 29:12-14, “You will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.  You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me will all your heart.  I will be found by you, declares the LORD.”

Through this passage, we discover our part to play in God’s promise.  We are to seek, come close, and pray.  When we do, God promises to listen and be found by us.  When I was trying to picture in my mind what seeking looks and sounds like, it was helpful to learn its definition.  To seek means to search or pursue.  It is to make an effort to find, or an attempt to discover.

Just like the seeker in the game Hide & Seek, seeking God is active.  We have to make a strategy and then work the plan.  We take our desire to find God and put it into action.  We carve out time to read His Word.  We learn more about Him from listening to sermons or asking others who know Him intimately hard questions.  We pray at 3pm and invite God into our busy days.  We talk to Him at different times of the day and night.  We worship Him with songs and praises.  And we thank Him in all circumstances.   

How do you actively seek God, besides Waking Up to Him every day at 3pm?  Each day holds endless possibilities to pursue God.  What is your strategy to seek Him?  God promises that when we do our part and seek Him, He will be found by us.  Once we find God, then we can live closely and love intimately.  

Instead of Hide & Seek, God plays Seek & Find with us.  

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

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Filled Up Fully

Jesus said, “It is written: Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” – Matthew 4:4

What’s your relationship with carbohydrates?  Are you mesmerized by the thought of bread, pasta, cakes and pies, or do you view them as the enemy of your waistline…like rocket fuel for putting on pounds? 

My stepfather loves to have bread with every dinner, no matter what’s on the menu. My youngest daughter orders mac-n-cheese in a bread bowl whenever we have lunch at Panera.  Those two carb lovers can’t go a day without bread. I don’t have a strong opinion when it comes to eating bread but Jesus sure does.

Not only did Jesus teach us to pray to God each and every day for our “daily bread,” but He also fought Satan’s temptation in the desert by quoting Deut. 8:3, “Man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from God’s mouth.”  When Jesus said this, He had been fasting for forty days. Satan tried to test Jesus’ power by tempting Him to change stones into bread to satisfy His obvious hunger.  Jesus looked to God’s word to sustain Him, not a quick fix of carbo loading.

Taking a closer look at Deut. 8:3, we find that Moses was reminding God’s people of their forty-year trek through the wilderness, when God fed them Manna, bread from heaven that He supplied daily.  Moses prompted them to recall how God was fully responsible for their survival and satisfaction.  Without God and his daily Manna, they would have died only a few days into their epic trek.  

Because the “bread from heaven” would rot after one day, God used Manna to teach His people that they could not store up provisions or fill their stomachs and souls by their own hands.  They had to depend on God daily to be their supplier and satisfier.  He is still trying to teach us just that today, thousands of years later, on our own journeys.  

What are you nourishing your soul with?  Are you filling shopping carts with new things?  Are you filling bank accounts with money?  Are you filling the gas tank of a fancy car?  Are you filling a refrigerator full of comfort food to combat an ache in your heart?  Or are you filling your calendar with events to crowd out loneliness or silence that scares you?

Eventually we’ll Wake Up and find our closets are over-stuffed, the money is never enough, the expensive car is filthy, the refrigerator stinks, and our calendar is exhausting us.  God will use our depleted, dry, and desolate souls to awaken us to what will truly satisfy: Himself.

When we look to Jesus to fill our souls with His daily presence and power, then we’ll stop doing laps in our self-made wilderness and step into our “Promised Land,” the plans God has for each one of us. 

Fill your soul daily with the Bread of Life that fully satisfies. 

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

His Right Hand

For I am the LORD your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, “Do not fear; I will help you.” – Isaiah 41:13

When was the last time you did something for the first time?

I try not to veer too far from my regular routine. I like predictable days, healthy habits, and low-risk adventure. But when my family vacations, predictability flies out the window and the risk factor ramps up. (Not by my choice…) 

Last winter, ignoring my significant fear of heights, my kids pushed me off a zip-line platform, sending me zooming above the Costa Rican jungle (screaming my head off). This year, not caring about my near-crippling sea sickness, they strapped a scuba tank to my back and pushed me off a diving boat into the Atlantic Ocean. 

Bobbing in the choppy waves under dark skies, I tried to calm my rising fears as I practiced breathing in and out through the regulator. I mentally reviewed the list of “do’s and don’ts” from our half-hour training session in a pool the day before. How I’d passed that class was still a mystery. The instructor must not have seen me resurface and gasp for air in a panic (twice). Maybe I could fake it this time too. 

No chance. Once underwater, my mask leaked. I coughed and panic set in. I quickly strategized an escape route. Seeing my dilemma and sensing my panic, the diving instructor reached over and tightened my mask, then pushed me below the surface, down a rope that led to my waiting family, another fifteen feet below. As they waved me down, I breathed in and out praying to God for help. 

Inhale… Every breath is a gift from God. Exhale… Thank you God. Please help! 

With each breath, I repeated these words. The rope ended at a metal square, where my family had been waiting. I gripped the square tightly with both hands and felt the fear rising up again. 

The lead instructor must have seen my white knuckles, because he swam to my side, gently pried my hands from the metal, and placed them on his forearm. We took off, descending another fifteen feet, then swimming along the ocean floor. With my eyes fixed on his forearm, still focusing on every breath, I missed most of the colorful fish and coral around us. 

I remembered Isaiah 41:13, For I am the LORD your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, “Do not fear; I will help you.”  Kicking my fins to keep up, I thanked God for giving me a right hand to hold onto. 

My guide waved his other hand and pointed to something on the ocean floor. For the first time, I let my eyes follow. Unbelievable! A huge cross with Jesus’ body carved out of it sat on the white sand. I reached inside my wetsuit and pulled out my silver cross necklace. When he gave me a double thumbs-up, I realized that I was swimming alone. For the joy of the Lord had displaced my fear. 

The next time you find yourself way out of your comfort zone with fear rising, give thanks to God that you can grip His right hand, receive His help, and let go of fear for good. 

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

Capture Your Runaway Thoughts

Let the Spirit change your way of thinking. 

– Ephesians 4:23 (CEV)

Does your mind sometimes surprise you?  A thought pops into your head and, like knocking over that first domino, sets off a chain reaction.  Before you know it, the last domino falls and you’ve reached some ridiculous conclusion, leaving you wondering, “how did my mind get here?”

This happens to me all the time.  Here’s a window into how my mind can run away from me if it’s not being controlled by God’s spirit.  

• My husband comes home from a run without our dog. He says that Henry probably just chased a deer into the woods and will be back when he gets hungry. I quickly conclude that Henry’s been eaten by a mountain lion, and all that we’ll find of the best dog ever is his black and yellow collar.  I don’t think I can bear to search for him. How will I ever forgive my husband?

• My close girlfriend for more than ten years doesn’t return my texts or calls for several days, therefore she must have moved on.  I bet she thinks I’m too boring.  She’s found better friends then me.  I start to mourn the loss of our friendship.  

• Our daughter comes home with her hair dyed pink, purple, and blue.  Uh oh, she’s running with the wrong crowd.  She’ll start doing drugs, stop playing sports, drop out of school, and get pregnant.  I’m going to be a grandmother before I turn fifty. Crap, I just gave away the porta-crib!

Am I the only one who jumps to crazy conclusions when I let my mind race?  How many times have you worried yourself sick about something that never even happened?

The good thing is that we can STOP our thoughts before they run off the rails.  God reminds us that the Holy Spirit living within us can change our way of thinking (Eph. 4:23).  We are to take every thought captive and make sure it follows Jesus (2 Cor. 10:5).  

Rethinking the three situations I described above, if my thoughts had been more aligned with Jesus, then when the dog was missing, I would have prayed for Henry’s protection, not labelled Dan as a negligent dog killer, and believed that he would be ok.  (It turns out that he was just playing with another dog in the neighborhood and was home before Dan had the chance to shovel out the car to go looking for him.)

When my girlfriend didn’t respond for several days, I could have asked God for direction and lifted her up in prayer. I knew she had recently taken on more responsibilities at work.  She needed my prayers and patience. Sure enough when she reached out to me, her message was full of love and apologies.  

And when my daughter came home with colorful hair, it would have been much more like Jesus to ask her great questions like, “Why did you choose those colors? Do you like how it looks?  Is it permanent or temporary dye?”  I would have learned right away that it was slumber party silliness and would wash out in a few weeks.  She was still in school with good grades and not even dating anyone.  Good thing…I’m not ready to be a grandmother.

The next time your thoughts start to run away from you, STOP and ask God to step in and slow them down.  He can keep the crazy train on the tracks.

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

Faith, Love, and Hope Live Forever

May God see our work produced by faith, our labor prompted by love, and our endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. – Prayer from 1 Thessalonians 1:3 

Does life sometimes feel way too complicated, cluttered, and chaotic?  Do you long for simplicity and clarity like I do?  

Wouldn’t it be wonderful to wake up in the morning and find God had left you a list of the most important things you are to do that day? Your priorities would then be crystal clear and you could hit the ground running, instead of spinning your wheels and wondering “What in the world should I do first?” 

Sometimes we come across a Bible passage that clarifies what was once vague.           1 Thessalonians 1:3 (above) describes what God will remember when He looks at our lives.  What if we followed its advice and prioritized what God will see and remember?  Let’s try it.

God will remember your work produced by faith.  Recall a time when your faith spurred you on to do something you knew was for someone else but also done for the Lord?  How did you feel while working?  Did you experience God’s presence? His love or His peace?

God will remember your labor prompted by love.  When have you given or received a labor of love this past month?  Is it easier for you to be the giver or the receiver?  Why do you think so?

God will also remember your endurance inspired by hope.  When was the last time you endured hardship, ridicule, or criticism and pressed on with hope as the anchor for your soul?  

These are some examples of work produced by faith, labor prompted by love, or endurance inspired by hope I’ve seen from other people lately.  God remembers each loving, kind act.  And when we take the time to remember, it gives us hope that our world is indeed a good and loving place.

• Susan wrapped more than thirty presents for orphans she’ll never met.

• Jennifer visits her elderly neighbors once a week for tea.  She faithful listens to their stories as they are still harboring hurts from the Holocaust. 

• Zolo, a local restaurant fed hundreds of disabled children and adults a delicious meal for free.

• More than twenty adults and children walked the streets and passed out sandwiches to homeless people sleeping outside.

• Amanda trains hard to get ready for the Winter Special Olympics.  She sets tough goals for herself and inspires others to do the same.  

• Lisa, a bright women born in India without arms or legs encouraged me to believe in my dreams because God knows the desires of my heart.  

These moments of love and encouragement shared within our circle of influence most certainly impact our world.  Each act of faith, love, and hope is remembered by God and touches lives forever.  There’s our priority list from God!

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 Call

Elastic Pants

Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?  You are not your own; you were bought at a price.  Therefore, honor God with your bodies. 

– 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

Earlier this week, I shared with you how a comment from my doctor got me thinking it was time for a change.  I’m not getting any younger, so I’d better switch up my exercise routine, if I want to stay healthy.  

My big change was to start taking a class at the gym called Body Pump.  So far the only change I’ve experienced is that it’s a lot harder to get out of bed in the morning when muscles I didn’t even know I had hurt so much.  But it’s the only body I have, so I’ll keep working it and asking God for more strength and discipline.

I was leaving the gym after completing my third straight week of Body Pump, feeling pretty good about my commitment level and perseverance.  Praying for more self-control, as I’ve been doing lately, seems to be paying off.  God has spurred me on to prioritize a change and carve out the time to exercise.  I was pretty jazzed up until... I saw a fitness article in the gym lobby that squelched my enthusiasm: How to Avoid Elastic Pants Over the Holiday

No joke. This is true. Rewind to twenty minutes ago: I finished my Thursday Body Pump class, went into the locker room and quickly changed out of my sweaty clothes into my “comfy” ones.  Right then, my 3 O’Clock alarm sounded.  I stopped, looked up to God, and thanked Him for the workout, His presence even at the gym, and for my comfortable clothes that look like running pants but feel like pajamas (and happen to have an elastic waist).  

I giggled to myself on way to the car because it dawned on me that God has a sense of humor.  There I was thanking Him for something that makes me feel good and comfortable, while the world around me tells me to be a different shape and size.  With His well-timed alarm, God reminded me to keep looking to and thanking Him, even when the zipper is tight or the pants don’t fit.

Thanking God in the middle of our days, does indeed ignite our faith and change our world.  Yes, there is power in thanksgiving… especially when you have to walk around the entire parking lot twice because you forgot where you’d parked the car an hour and a half ago.  (My doctor didn’t mention anything about my brain changing as I got older.)  I guess I’ll ask God to increase my mental strength, too, and trust my whole “temple” in His hands. 

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

Resolve

Make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection and love. 

– 2 Peter 1:5-7

A few months ago, I met with my doctor for my annual checkup.  Everything was routine until we got to the topic of exercise.  Reviewing old notes, she asked if I was still running or hiking four to five times a week.  I answered “yes” (hoping that she wouldn’t make me prove it).  She paused a moment then asked in a somewhat disappointed tone, why I hadn’t changed up my exercise routine in all these years.

Days went by but my mind kept flashing back to sitting in that breezy hospital gown on the thin white doctor’s office paper hearing “So you haven’t changed?” over and over.  She was right. Nothing had changed except that I was older, more wrinkled, more flabby, less flexible, and less strong.  

There is no better time of the year to ask ourselves this critical question, “How is God nudging you to change this coming year?”  It could be a physical habit, a relational focus, a career move, a spiritual discipline, or a financial makeover.  

Think for a moment.  What hasn’t changed in a long time? What needs a new rhythm, a different direction, or a greater emphasis?

2 Peter 1:5-7 (above) gives us a formula of how God often works in our lives to add more of Himself to our faith.  He works in creative ways to add these important attributes to our faith: good character, greater knowledge of Him, more self-control to combat temptations, non-stop perseverance, godliness to become more like Jesus, peace to nurture relationships, and abundant love to overflow from our hearts.

If we look at each godly attribute, one is certainly going to pop off the page and prompt us to change in 2018.  For me, I choose self-control.  What about you?  

The enemy cannot read our minds, but He watches what distracts us, trips us up, and tears us down?  We’re not hard to figure out.  But we do have a secret weapon that the enemy can’t see.  It’s the power of Jesus living inside of us.  His power is greater than any power on earth.  His power can guide us to transform into His likeness and can spur us on in faith growth.   So, what area of your life needs a wake up call, a make over, or a change up?  

Pray about it, ask for guidance, then write it down, share it with someone you trust, and press on in Jesus’ power, knowing that change does happen and you can fight the good fight of faith.  Let’s grow in our faith and know Jesus more intimately in 2018!  We 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