FOMO.. It's a thing

Wisdom has built her house…she has set her table…she calls from the highest point of the city.  Let all come in here! – Proverbs 9:1-2, 4

While running around frazzled the other day, my eighteen-year-old daughter jokingly mentioned that she was in the throes of “FOMO.”  In response to my confused look, she described this “Fear Of Missing Out” as being anxious about too many social choices.  If she went with one circle of friends, she said, she’d be missing out on fun with another.  

While the name makes it sound like a teen problem, if we’re honest, we all suffer from some degree of FOMO.  If you have a Facebook account, it’s probably a little worse.

How do you feel when you see pictures of friends at a party or wedding that you couldn’t attend or, worse, that you weren’t invited to?

In Luke 14:15-24 Jesus tells the story of a man who prepared a great banquet for many people. When the guests received their invitation, they gave excuses and declined to go.  So the host called to anyone in the streets and in the surrounding countryside to partake in all that had been wonderfully prepared.  I bet the banquet host was hoping for a little bit of FOMO from his invited guests.

Similarly, in Proverbs 9, titled Invitations of Wisdom, Wisdom prepares a feast for her guests, saves a place for them at the table, and calls when everything is ready.  Her guests also have a choice.  Will they her receive wisdom and enjoy her company? God is asking us the same question. 

God communicates His wisdom through His word, divine circumstances, and the counsel of others. Unfortunately, we are often too busy, make up excuses, or care more about what other people think, and God’s voice goes unheard.  

• What if…your FOMO applied more to God’s wisdom and less to the callings of the world? 

• What if…you went into each and every day listening for invitations from God?  

• What if…you anticipated wisdom’s call and already agreed to respond YES?

God’s wisdom IS calling you.  You are invited to follow Jesus, be transformed into His likeness little by little, and grow in your faith each and every day.  Remember, fear is the first step towards wisdom (Proverbs 9:10).  

The fear of the Lord is a good fear, not a fear that produces anxiety like FOMO.  No, the fear of the Lord is a godly fear that causes your feet to walk in wisdom, so you don’t miss out on the wonderful journey God has planned for you. 

Thankfully, you are invited.  Wisdom is calling.  Will you say YES and GO?

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

God's Got This

There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the LORD. – Proverbs 21:30

Do you ever play tug of war with God?  You loosen your grip on an area of your life, but then quickly grab it back from Him.  Because who knows what needs to be done better than you do?

I play this game with God all the time. I trust that He’ll keep my three teenagers safe, but track them on their phones day and night.  Every week, I lose hours of sleep playing tug of war with God.

I used to think that it was a lack of trust that kept me tugging.  But recently, I’ve come to think that it may instead be a lack of understanding.  

By this, I mean that although I may often thank God for his “limitless power,” I don’t fully understand it, so I sometimes have trouble fully relying on it.

What keeps us from understanding God’s power?  Could it be that:

• It’s easier to let our complicated circumstances obstruct our view of God’s invisible power at work in the background?

• We equate God’s unlimited power with our own very limited “manpower,” selling short His ability to take control?

God gave John a glimpse into heaven so he could reveal His power to us in the Book of Revelation:

Great and marvelous are your deeds, Lord God Almighty.  Just and true are your ways, King of the ages.  Who will not fear you, O Lord, and bring glory to your name? For you alone are holy.  All nations will come and worship before you, for your righteous acts have been revealed. – Revelation 15:3-4

These passages highlight that God is…

great, marvelous, almighty, 

just, true, righteous, 

king forever, alone holy, 

worthy to be praised by all nations.

God’s power has no end.  It is infinite, everlasting, and more than capable of caring for all His children.  So let’s drop the tug of war rope.  God’s got this.

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

No Matter What

The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. 

– Psalm 103:8

Are you a “people watcher” like me? 

While waiting at school to pick up my daughter, I love watching all the students and teachers come and go. While shopping at the mall, I focus more on those around me than on what’s in the store windows. If I went to a World Series baseball game, I’d probably spend more time watching the fans than the field.  

Recently, while having lunch at a local diner, I watched a little three-year-old girl, complaining to her father. She shouted, “NO Daddy, I won’t eat that. Yuck! You can’t make me!” Then she jumped down from the table, ran a few feet away, plopped down on the ground, and pouted. 

Without an ounce of anger or frustration, her father calmly walk over, knelt down, scooped her up in his arms, placed her on his shoulder, and lovingly carried her back to where she belonged. I was spellbound, thinking to myself … 

How many times have I complained to God yet He still compassionately shows His love to me? Too many times to count.

The little girl at the diner reminds me of the prodigal son in Luke 15. Blatantly insulting His father, the son took his inheritance and spent it all on “wild living.” When the money ran out, he came to his senses and returned home. His father, who had every right to teach him a lesson, didn’t criticize, but instead chose to show his son compassionate love. 

God is the same with us. His love is constant, on both our good days and our bad. Even when we complain, pout, or throw a temper tantrum, our father in heaven doesn’t stop loving us. Nothing we do or don’t do changes God’s unconditional love. 

Take a few moments today and imagine a time in your life when you know you went against God or walked far away from Him. Imagine Him scooping you up into His loving arms and gently calming you with His compassion. 

Thank God that He is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love (Psalm 103:8).

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

Course Correction

Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates correction is stupid. - Proverbs 12:1

In the passage above, God sure isn’t beating around the bush. When He calls something “stupid,” we should probably listen up.

I think it’s safe to say that most people are searching for more wisdom in some area of their lives.  In our world, more wisdom leads to greater rewards:   

• College students who master the curriculum get As.  
• Business owners who understand the market make more money. 
• Parents of toddlers who figure out the terrible twos get more sleep.

Everywhere we look, we find people searching for more wisdom and understanding. 

We care about WHAT we need to do to become wise, but God cares more about WHO will make us wise. WHO, He asks, is your source of wisdom?

God packed Proverbs 12 full of clear paths to wisdom.  Just like a good parent, He gives us choices between wise and foolish living.  He also lets us know how wise choices will be rewarded and rebellious choices (which are stupid, remember) will result in more disciple.  For God, wisdom is not just knowledge for the head, it’s a full body experience.  

If God is your source of wisdom then:

Your HEART will: love correction, accept discipline, and be filled with faith rooted in Jesus Christ.

Your MIND will: think plans through before acting, overlook insults, filter your words before you speak, and learn from your mistakes. 

Your MOUTH will: praise God, speak kindly to others, be quiet enough to listen, share honestly, promote peace, and be truthful.

Your HANDS will: work hard, be diligent, and stay consistent.

The rewards for this wise living include: His favor, stability, escape from trouble, praise, joy, and an abundantly fruitful life.  

So choose God as your source of wisdom and follow His course corrections. In time, His paths lead to greater rewards than anything this world can offer.

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 Commencement Address of an Uninvited Speaker

She walks in step with God, her path blazed by God, she’s happy. If she stumbles, she’s not down for long; God has a grip on her hand. – Psalm 37:23-24 (MSG)     

(I changed “he” to “she”) 

This weekend my daughter Abby graduates from high school. If I could take the stage at the commencement and speak a blessing over them, I’d say “I hope and pray that you live out Psalm 37. For this is what I want for you: walk in step with God, let Him blaze your path, be happy with Him, and remember when you stumble God’s got you in His powerful hand. He will always lift you up.”

Unfortunately, I don’t think my words would resonate with many of the graduates.  

The world around them is screaming just the opposite… walk independently, not with God. Blaze your own path because only you know what makes you happy. And when you fall, pull yourself up. Don’t ask for help, but trust in your own strength, and take the world by storm. 

This pep talk might be inspirational, but eventually they’ll smack into the reality that, as Khalid the rapper tells them, they’re really just “young, dumb, and broke.” 

But weren’t we there once? Didn’t we think we were smarter than our parents, destined to do amazing things with our lives? Nothing and no one could stop us from living out our dreams. Maybe you’re still like the graduates, full of skyrocketing high hopes. Or perhaps you’re like me, and you wish to dream big again.

Just imagine, if you could step back in time to when you were 18 years-old. What would you tell yourself? Can you count on one hand five key truths you’d cling to?

Me, I’d tell myself to:

• Give God thanks every day, because each one is a gift from Him.
• Love God and others on purpose, because love lasts forever.
• Commit to long lasting friendships. Hold on to the ones who knew when...
• Trust God every step of the way, in good times and bad. 
• Follow Jesus, because His plans are even better than your biggest dreams.

I may not be speaking on a stage this weekend, but I will speak these truths to the one 18 year-old dearest to my heart, my daughter Abby. Who can you share your treasured truths with? 

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

A Champion's Hope

Even youths grow tired and weary and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. – Isaiah 40:30-31

This Memorial Day Weekend, our youngest teenage daughter will play in a soccer tournament near Denver.  Instead of attending BBQs, fun runs, outdoor festivals, and Sunday Church service, we, along with hundreds of other families will cheer from the sidelines, hoping for a championship trophy.  My husband keeps saying that “it’s just youth soccer,” but his furrowed brow and restless pacing tell me he doesn’t really believe that.

Soccer cleats of all sizes will be in constant motion over the thirty or so fields in the sprawling complex.  The little ones make me smile. Their uniforms hang down past their tiny knees as they trip over the ball and tumble over one another.  For these kids, the half-time snack is the highlight of the game.  

That all changes by the time they reach their teens.  They now play at top speed with a laser sharp focus.  With an almost desperate intensity, parents and coaches yell from the sidelines, erupting with every goal, foul, and missed call by the referees. 

When the final whistle blows, one team walks away as the champions, while the other drives home with their dreams deflated, wondering why second place feels like a million miles away from first.  

I wonder what God thinks of all this? As He oversees all our daily activities, I picture Him much like a mellower version of the parents and coaches on the sidelines. He’s cheering each one of us on, day after day.  When we grow tired and weary, He’s there to renew our strength, when we place our hope in Him.  

Placing our HOPE in God can be as simple as… 

• Remembering to thank Him for the beautiful weather or our healthy bodies.
• Believing in His available strength, even in the midst of life’s huge distractions.  
• Trusting His good plans for our lives whether we win or lose the game.

Yes, our strength will be renewed when we listen to God’s voice above the crowd.  His voice will remind us that Jesus endured great opposition, defeated the grave and rose victoriously.  Jesus won, therefore we win.  So don’t lose heart or grow weary (Hebrews 12:3).  When we place our faith and hope in Jesus, there’s no second place, you win the grand prize: eternal life in heaven and abundant life on earth. 

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

Treasured Truths

Dear friend, do what I tell you; treasure my careful instructions.  Do what I say and you’ll live well.  My teaching is as precious as your eyesight—guard it!  Write it out on the back of your hands; etch it on the chambers of your heart. – Proverbs 7:1-5 (MSG)

When was the last time someone you love gave you unsolicited advice or asked hard questions?  It’s never fun to be on the receiving end of questions like:

• Why don’t you join Weight Watchers with me?
• Are you drinking too much?
• How much Netflix are you watching?

Critical questions catch us off guard, but we often need the truths they reveal to re-focus our priorities. It’s amazing how quickly good things can grow to throw our lives out of balance. 

• In the process of learning new recipes and making delicious meals for your family, you embrace the fact that everything tastes better with cream sauce and real butter.  Thirty pounds later, you’re wondering why you’re out of breath climbing the stairs.  
• Soon after a vineyard tour ignites an interest in wines, you go from researching dinner pairings to drinking a bottle a night. 
• When the Netflix series you binge watched ends, you realize how much you miss the screen’s ability to distract, and find glued to it most nights of the week in order to escape. 

God wants us to enjoy our lives with good things but warns us that where our eyes go, our minds and feet will follow. That’s why in Proverbs 7, God tells us how important His word is to our lives.  We are to see the Bible as a priceless treasure, a precious guidebook worthy of being tattooed on our hands and in our hearts.

Think for a moment, what Bible passage do you think is precious enough to be tattooed on you? (Regardless of whether you’d actually get one or not.)

I know a local pastor who tattooed Grace on one wrist and Truth on the other.  Every day, when he lifts his son up into his arms, he wraps Grace and Truth around his child and is reminded of Jesus’ powerful message to all of us. 

God knew we’d need reminders to hold fast to His truths.  After all these years, my 3 o’clock alarm snaps me out of whatever thoughts or desires are monopolizing my mind and switches them to God’s truths. I hope it is doing the same for you.

What is God prompting you to remember about Him today?  Is it His unfailing love, unearned grace, understanding of your pain, or His unchanging truths?  

What is God asking you to tattoo in your mind and on your heart?

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

Wisdom is a Warning

For a man’s ways are in full view of the Lord, and He examines all his paths.  

– Proverbs 5:21

Years ago, one of my close friends came over and asked my husband and I what we thought about her “martial crisis.”  She explained that she’d walked into their home office to discover an employee sitting and laughing on her husband’s lap.  Startled, my friend screamed, the other woman jumped, and her husband said it was no big deal.  My friend asked us if we thought she was overreacting?  

Looking into my friend’s red, puffy eyes, I could see that she was as upset as I would have been.  I desperately wanted to believe that her husband was telling the truth and their marriage was strong.  My husband was less optimistic, shaking his head and flatly stating “they’re having an affair.”

Over the next several months, we watched a marriage unravel and a family fall apart.  They would never fit the pieces back together again.  The affair continued and the husband moved away. Two children lost a dad, while a wife mourned deeply, saying “this is worse than a death.”

The twenty-three verses of Proverbs 5 describe how easy it is to be lured away by sexual sin.  None of us are foolproof.  As soon as you announce “that could never happen to our marriage,” you become a target for the enemy. 

What does the Bible say we can do to combat the temptations of adultery?  

Proverbs 5:18 encourages husbands to rejoice in the wife of their youth.  I am not a martial counselor or psychologist but I certainly believe in the power of rejoicing.  When we rejoice, we express our joy and gladness as well as our thanks and praise out loud.  

If you’re married, I challenge you to carve out time this week to experience joy and gladness with your spouse.  Make it an everyday practice to say “Thank You” and praise your partner for his/her specific characteristics that enhance your marriage.  

You can also discover each other’s Love Languages (how you best receive love) by taking a simple quiz online.  If you’re not married, you can still take the quiz.  We all give and receive love daily.  Your results will be helpful to all your relationships.  I also challenge you to pray and encourage the marriages around you. We need your encouragement to stay faithful and true.  Your kindness, guidance, and love may be just what we need to keep us on track and in bounds.

God is love (1John 4:8).  He is waiting to be invited into the center of all of our relationships.  There, He has the most power to transform, heal, help, and restore.  There are marriages that overcome affairs with God’s hands leading them and knitting their hearts back together again.  With God nothing is impossible.  He can put the pieces back together again.

Rejoice and be glad, give thanks and praise the One who is always faithful, even when we are not.  His love can be trusted.  He watches over us and guides us along good paths.  We can thank Him for giving us the wonderful gift of marriage.

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

Women's Retreats - Coming This Summer

WHO?                     You Are Invited!

WHAT?                   We are hosting our first annual one day retreats.

WHERE?                 In the mountains only 25 minutes from Chautauqua Park Boulder, CO.

WHY?                      Spend an entire day wide awake in your faith & help our mission.

HOW?                      Sign up today! Spaces limited. To register email – laura@3oclockwakeup.com

SUPPORT?               $50 for materials and lunch – retreats support The 3 O’Clock Wake Up Call Ministry

What could better than a beautiful, summer day in the Colorado mountains with God and other women seeking Jesus?  Here are our first three retreats!

JUNE RETREAT - TRUST AT ALL TIMES

Wake Up to Greater Trust & God’s Great Power

Step into Mary Magdalene’s Shoes

Learn to Trust & Follow Jesus Every Day

Thursday, June 14^th

OR

Saturday, June 16^th

9am – 4pm

JULY RETREAT - PEACE AT WAR

Stand Strong Ready for Battle

Step into Deborah’s Shoes

Learn to Walk Confidently & Lead with Courage

Thursday, July 19^th

OR

Saturday, July 21^st 

9am – 4pm

AUGUST RETREAT - RUN YOUR RACE

You Were Made “For Such A Time As This”

Step into Esther’s Shoes

Learn to Dream, Set Goals, & Live Out God’s Purpose for You

Thursday, August 2^nd

OR

Saturday, August 4^th

9am – 4pm