Filled Up

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

A Recipe for Rest

Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” 

– Matthew 11:28-29

Aren’t some days heavier than others?  I love the ones that unfold easily and enjoyably, but unfortunately, today is not one of them.  Today feels like I’m slogging through two feet of mud carrying a hundred pound backpack.

I blame Facebook.  Before pouring my coffee, it sent me a prompt to wish my friend Alice a Happy Birthday.  I flipped my phone over to hide the screen, because I’m sure even Facebook hasn’t yet figured out how to deliver birthday wishes to heaven.

Then, before leaving the house to drive my daughter to school, I received an urgent prayer request for a family friend’s teenage son who is lying in the ICU, fighting for his life after complications from his lung transplant surgery. I shook my head to try and displace the thoughts of his family pacing the hospital floors, desperate for a miracle.

Two hours later, the phone rang and one of my dear Bible Study friend’s daughter was on the line. She got right to the point and told me that six weeks of chemotherapy and radiation were now absolutely essential for her mother to battle her fifth relapse of cancer.  She is the fourth woman in my Women’s Bible Study over the past two years to be fighting cancer.  We’ve already lost three battles.  We have to win this one!

My knees were wobbly.  My heart was aching.  I raised my white flag and called it quits and headed home.

At home, I could openly cry out to Jesus and say, “This is too much.  I miss Alice. I need her help here.  Why aren’t you answering my prayers?  I hate cancer!”

As the tears started, I remembered the passage in Matthew where Jesus says “take my yoke.”  That passage had confused me for a long time, but now I see clearly what Jesus wants us to do when our burdens are heavy. Jesus says…

• Come to me.  
• Link up with me.
• Learn from me.

When we do these three things; pour out our hearts to Jesus through prayer, draw strength from His closeness, and follow His ways, we experience Jesus up close and personally.  His presence is gentle. He listens to our heart’s cry. His power is strong and steadfast.  He longs to lightens our burdens and give us rest.  The kind of rest that our souls long for on heavy days.

When your day is hard and heavy, remember Jesus is waiting for you to come to Him, link up with Him, and learn from Him.  That is a three-part recipe for rest we all need for our souls.  

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

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

Have a Dream

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.  This is what the ancients were commended for. – Hebrews 11:1

Today, across our nation, many schools and businesses close their doors to honor Martin Luther King Jr’s powerfully influential life.  

As a civil rights activist and Christian preacher, Martin Luther King Jr. had experienced firsthand the hatred, prejudice, and evil of the racial struggles our nation faced in the 1960s.  So on the day King gave his most famous speech on Capitol Hill, he made sure to weave in God’s love, truth and hope.

Martin Luther King Jr.’s I Have a Dream speech will be quoted today more than anything else he spoke from a podium or pulpit.  Here are a few examples of how he proclaimed God’s truths:

When King voiced “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character,” he was encouraging Americans to see each other the way God sees them.

1 Samuel 17:6 - The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.

When King proclaimed, “I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, every rough place will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight,” he was quoting Isaiah the prophet whose words comforted God’s people during their captivity.

Isaiah 40:4-5 - Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain. And the glory of the LORD will be revealed and all mankind together will see it. 

As King concluded his speech, he called for freedom to ring throughout our nation; from the north to the south, from the east to the west.  He also called God’s children to unite across racial and religious boundaries.

God promises in John 8:36 - If the Son (Jesus) sets you free, you will be free indeed. 

God teaches us in Galatians 3:28 - There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

Today, allow yourself to dream big like Martin Luther King, Jr. did over fifty years ago.  

• Who do you love and long to see soar?
• Where do you dream of seeing freedom from captivity?
• Who do you believe will one day unite?
• How can your faith spur you on to link arms with others and love across barriers?
• What are your biggest dreams?

Write down your dreams.  Written dreams become spoken dreams, and spoken dreams, with the power of God, can one day become a reality.  

Here is my big dream that I’ve written down, spoken out, prayed for God’s power, and trust in His time will become a reality. Please believe with me.

I have a dream that One Day…. across our nation and around the globe, people will unite to give God thanks and praise every day at 3 o’clock. 

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

Thank You, God

Give thanks at all times. – Ephesians 5:20  

Do you ever hope, dream and pray for something to happen, then when it does, you quickly move on without thinking about it.  In the blink of an eye, you’re on to the next task, thinking about the next idea, or dreaming the next dream.

Our fast paced culture pushes us be forward thinkers, big dreamers, and high goal setters. I’m guilty of grabbing the gifts I’m given without even taking a moment to say, “Thank You, God.”

Every once in a while, God stops us in our tracks to remind us of His important truths…even when we’re on vacation.  

Recently, twenty members of my extended family met in Costa Rica to celebrate the Christmas/ New Year’s holidays. While driving, I stared out the window amazed at the sometimes overwhelming poverty. I would see large families living in tiny dilapidated tin-roofed shacks, stray dogs scrounging for food, and shirtless children playing in the dirt without toys. I wasn’t prepared for these snapshots of poverty. 

One thought kept scrolling through my mind, like a song stuck on repeat: None of us had a choice.  They were born poor in Costa Rica and I was born “rich” in America. 

Then I remembered the Bible passage that states, “To whom much has been given, much will be expected” (Luke 12:48).  But what could I possibly do?  The scenes of poverty kept flashing through my mind as I unpacked in our beautiful vacation “Villa,” leaving my stomach in knots and my head spinning. 

The only prayer I could pray was, “Thank you God.”

Then it hit me.  Before the 3 O’Clock Wake Up Call, I rarely thanked God. As a young child, I didn’t thank God for my safe, warm house in America, my own bedroom full of toys, for clean water, or a refrigerator full of food.  These were just parts of a normal life.  I didn’t recognize them as gifts from God.  But as an adult, God has woken me up to the truth that He is the giver of all good gifts (James 1:17). 

When we give God thanks…

• He gets the credit for the good in our lives and we appreciate His goodness.
• He gets the glory and we are humbled.
• He gets the honor so we can’t become prideful.  

The quick moments we take to thank God multiply into a powerful mind altering habit that keeps us grounded and in our “right place” on this complex planet.  It’s from here, in this place of gratitude, that we can be generous, gracious, and kind to others who have so much less.  

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

Rope of Hope

When I am afraid, I will trust in You.

– Psalm 56:3 

My husband signed me up to go zip-lining through the jungles of Costa Rica over Christmas break.  “It will be a super fun adventure with the family,” he said, purposely leaving out the fact that we’d be over fifty feet above ground.  I’m deathly afraid of heights.

When the guide clipped me into the first rope, I felt panic brewing in my belly.  Before I could call it quits, he shoved me off the wooden platform and I was completely out of control.  I couldn’t slow down, jump off, or stop myself so I did what every terrified middle-aged woman would do, I screamed, “OH MY GOD!”

Let’s face it.  We all have fears.  Some people would rather endure physical torture than speak in public.  Some people drive for days because they’re too afraid to board an airplane.  And some people hide in the back of the room, sweating because they might be called on to read aloud or answer a question.  Even if they know the material cold, hearing their name called upon would be terrifying.

What are you afraid of?  When was the last time you had to step out in faith and jump?  

David, who slayed Goliath and later became King of the Israelites, had to flee for his life when the previous king chased him into enemy territory.  David found himself surrounded by men who wanted him dead.  In Psalm 56, David cried out to God and declared that he would trust God not matter what.  

David gives us the steps to take when we must face our fears.

• Call out to God and remember His presence.
• Proclaim your trust in the LORD.
• Praise God for His power to help you and save you. 
• Thank God for being with you every step of the way.

I accomplished the first step as I screamed out to God while zipping across the jungle.  When fear overwhelmed me, I gripped the rope so tightly that when I came to a stop, my fingers felt numb and my legs wobbled like Jell-O.  I told my family how I felt as I planned my escape.  But when one of my teenagers reminded me of a blog I wrote last summer where I referred to myself as the Jell-O woman, something clicked in my mind.

If I am encouraging others to face their fears and step out in faith to follow Jesus, then I’d better walk the walk, even if the path takes me high up in the middle of a jungle. I looked at the ropes of the challenges I’d be facing shortly.  I whispered this prayer to Jesus, “I place my hope in You, not the ropes. Help me face my fears and guide me through this coarse. I will trust You.”

Not only did Jesus calm my fears, He gave me one of the most exciting days of my life.  I had a blast!  

When my 3pm alarm sounded that day, I was free falling into a mountain pool after zip lining through a beautiful waterfall.  I emerged from the cold pool, looked up at the canopy above, and thanked God for being my rope of hope.  He powerfully replaced my staggering fear with strength and faith.  

Call out to Jesus today.  Give him your fears, place your trust in Him, and thank Him for extending you a rope of hope no matter where you are.  

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

Choose Joy!

Joy is: “The settled assurance that God is in control of every detail in my life, the quiet confidence that ultimately everything will be all right, and the determined choice to praise God in all things.” 

– from CHOOSE JOY by Kay Warren 

When my oldest daughter was in middle school, she would start complaining about going to school as soon as she woke up in the morning.  Her complaints continued throughout the entire twenty-five-minute commute.  Without fail, as we’d pull into the “Hug and Go” line to drop her off, my last words to her were “Abby, choose joy!”  She hated hearing that every morning, but at least she had something else to complain about: me.

Rick Warren’s Christmas Eve service this year was all about “joy.”  (What a great way to transition from one year to the next.)  In it, he quoted the modern day theologian, Kay Warren (his wife). Since she has written a book about “joy,” he quoted her definition: 

Joy is: “The settled assurance that God is in control of every detail in my life, the quiet confidence that ultimately everything will be all right, and the determined choice to praise God in all things.”

I believe this is the most brilliant definition of JOY I’ve ever heard or read.  It’s complex yet simple.  It’s challenging yet comforting.  And it’s encouraging and energizing!

The reason joy is complex is because it goes against my human nature to give up control and let someone, let alone a God I can’t reach out and touch, be in charge of my life.  But at the same time, knowing God is in control of every detail in my life gives me peace and joy, because I can let go and let Him call the shots.  

Joy is also challenging because I want my confidence to come from me and my accomplishments.  But when I strive for confidence on my own, my efforts rarely produce joy.  Joy comes when God meets me in my weaknesses and comforts me with His joy that surpasses understanding.

And lastly, the joy of the Lord is encouraging because when I am joyful, I always feel that His presence is near.  The joy I experience while walking close with Jesus is energizing because it lifts me out of the mundane and turns my eyes to Him.  Living intimately with Jesus causes my soul to sing praises because joy is available in all things.

I am grateful for Kay’s insights.  As a mother who has endured incredible heartache and loss, I know that if she can choose joy, then we can too.  

Yes, choose joy today wherever you go, whatever you do, and no matter how you feel.  

Be assured that God is in control of every detail.  Be confident in His strength and power to guide you.  Praise Him every step of the way, and JOY will follow.

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 Movement

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

Faith Growth Happens

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 in 2017?”  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 2017.  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 2017!  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