A daily life pattern {#hellomornings}

I'm a work in process.  Sometimes I enjoy it and sometimes I don't.  These past several weeks - not so much.  I could give you a list, but what would that accomplish?  
Suffice it to say that I KNOW God is at work.  
How do I know that?  Because He does things like shake up my life - all of it...marriage, kids, work, school, finances, business, everything.   Yeah, He loves me THAT much.  
Know what else?  He urged me to sign up for the Winter - Hello Mornings Challenge.  I didn't look into it...I just went and signed up.  What are we studying you may ask...Why, Job of course.
Job.  
Go figure.  I love the Bible.  And I know it's God's love letter to me.   But really God? Job?   Now, in this season?   Yes daughter, in this season.
He loves me SO much, He's reminding me how a man, a regular man, with a wife, 10 kids, and all of the stuff that we deal with on a daily basis, dealt with a boat-load of adversity.
We finished the first chapter today.  Yep, just the first chapter...
Actually, I could have parked there for weeks.  So much.  So real.  So life.
Let me share a few of my "take-aways" from this first chapter...
1.  Job was a regular guy.   He had regular issues.  He had a wife and kids - 7 sons and 3 daughters.   I'm sure he had some sort of job because verse 3 lists his possessions and ends with "this man was the greatest of all the people of the East."  He was a busy and important guy.
His lifestyle wasn't wrapped up in that though.  Verse 1 indicates that Job was "blameless and upright, and one who feared God and shunned evil."  My Bible has a great footnote that says because Job was blameless and upright doesn't mean he was without sin, it means his daily life pattern was toward righteousness and away from evil.
A daily life pattern.  Toward righteousness.  Away from evil.
In verse 8, God describes Job as blameless and upright.   Now, who on earth wouldn't want Almighty God to say that about them?
2.  Job was not exempt from trials.   We all know the book.  We may even know some of the trials he faced.  But have we stopped to think that he was a regular guy facing these trials?
Now, God was aware of what was happening - He always is.  In verse 12 - He even put a limit on what satan could do - he couldn't "lay a hand" on Job - he couldn't touch his physical body.
So satan did what he does - what he still does to this day.  He used people - the Sabeans and Chaldeans as well as natural elements - fire and wind to take away Job's children and possessions.  
3.  Job's response was exactly what God expected. Verse 20 "Then Job arose, tore his robe, shaved his head; and he fell to the ground and worshipped."  WHAT?  His kids, his stuff it's all gone and he's worshipping?!?
If only I could say that that is my response to trials.  I can't.  More often than not, I complain, cry, moan and groan but I don't set my heart to worship in those times.
And finally, verse 22 - "In all this Job did not sin nor charge God with wrong."  Again, I wish I could say this is my response, but honestly, this Jesus-girl has a long way to go when it comes to dealing with trials.  
In my mind, I can almost imagine Job in the midst of his worship saying something like...
"This - all of this is not God's fault.   And because it's not God's fault,  I'm going to worship Him through these situations,  because I KNOW that I know HE is faithful,  HE is true, and HE loves me."
I don't know about you, but I want that to be my response in all matters, my prayer at all times.  I want to become a woman who lives her life toward righteousness and away from evil - daily - creating a daily life pattern that is pleasing to God - so pleasing in fact that He can't help but take notice...
What do you think?  Are you reading through Job too? How do you handle trials?

Balance of Intake & Outflow

It's quiet here tonight. Everyone is at church - Chris is on security and the kids are all at Youth Group.

I probably should have stayed for Bible Study. That probably would have been the right thing to do.
But I just feel so full right now.

So much so that if I take in one more teaching my brain may explode.  In the last month I've attended Quitter with Jon Acuff, a Deliverance seminar at church, watched the keynote speakers from Allume on video, attended a full weekend of guest speakers at our church last weekend which also included a Women's Breakfast attended by 170 women! That doesn't include my Hello Mornings, Bible in 90 Days, Reading / Lesson Prep for Life group next week, a book review, and 31 18 days of Practice, all of which I tried to keep up with in October.

I'm tired.  And I'm full.  And I just couldn't take in one more teaching right now.

Do you ever feel that way sometimes - full?  Like if you hear one more teaching... Or worse yet, if you don't get some of it out, you'll positively explode?

I know we're supposed to study and increase in knowledge, etc...

"Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." 2 Timothy 2:15

I get it.
 
But is there a point at which enough is enough already? 

At what point should we consider our tank full and begin to release that which has been released to us? 

I'm at that point I think.  I have put or rather, God has poured so much into me recently that I am needing to get some of it out. 

"And further, my son, be admonished by these. Of making many books there is no end, and much study is wearisome to the flesh."  Ecclesiastes 12:12

It is wearisome in some ways.  Isn't it?  Do you ever feel that way?  Filled to overflowing and yet struggling to get it out at the same time? 

Am I saying study is bad? Oh no I'm not. 

What I'm searching for right now is the balance of intake and outflow. How much to take in and what/when to release it.

That's it...it's balance.  My scales are out of balance. I need to spend some time processing what I've taken in so that I can release it. I need to process my notes from the various events, finish that lesson, write that book review, and move forward in a continual motion - inflow and outgo.  

I don't feel I can take anymore in, because I'm so full. The remedy to that is to pour out that which I have taken in. 

Of course - it's a process.  Oh my.  
I've been so busy I couldn't even see this simple truth. 

♥Lori

Honored to be Linking up with:
New Life Steward - WIP Wed
Women Living Well

Determined Abandon

Photo credit: Chelsea Sugar via Kirsty Helen on Pinterest

Okay, so there was this little conference last weekend.  You may have heard of it - Allume.  Well, I didn't go...big bummer, but you can bet I'm already praying about next year!  

I was however able to catch the keynote speakers because the wonderful people at Teach Them Diligently offered them in their entirety.  I have yet to listen to Ann Voskamp's, mainly because of that silly little thing called time, but I wanted to share one of my take-aways from Problogger - Darren Rowse's keynote.

Darren did a great job of lacing blogging gems throughout his testimony, things like the idea of following "sparks" -  those seemingly "little things" that happen, that if we act fast, could produce great results, and if not, we may miss something very special.  He gave several examples in the area of blogging and community, but my takeaway was for life in general - my walk.

How many times, oh Lord help us, but how many times do we miss opportunities at the grocery store or the dry cleaner because we are in a rush to get to the "next thing"?  Maybe it's just a smile that will "spark" a conversation in the meat department that could lead to someone finding some peace - the Prince of Peace in their life storm.  I've seen it happen - when I'm looking.

That was awesome, and I'm still chewing on it, trying to absorb the bigness of it, but his final story was just as powerful. 

Darren told this crazy story about being in a cafe and eating an extra large slice of  mudcake. With a Fork.  Nearby, a little girl got the same {extra-large} size piece of mudcake and she ate it...face first.  She went after that thing.  She wanted it, probably looked forward to it all day, and by golly she went after it.

I could totally picture the whole story in my mind's eye as Darren is a great story teller.

His charge with that story was that we "put the fork down" and pursue God with the same gusto as that little girl. 

He used John 6:57 as a text...

As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me.

Darren also explained that "feeds" in this passage means "feasts"...big difference.

Immediately, I was reminded of something someone said to me awhile back.  

"We should pursue God with determined abandon."

Determined abandon.  What does that mean?   

Determined = resolute, staunch, decided, settled, resolved
Abandon = to give up control of; to yield oneself without restraint or moderation

God really is trying to get my attention, and maybe yours too... He's saying that we need to let go of our preconceived ideas.  Take the lid off of the box that we've put Him in and make a decision to "put the fork down" and follow HIM wholly, completely, without restraint.  Just follow Him, wherever He leads...it may seem crazy at times, but I for one don't want to live so reserved, that I miss the "sparks" or opportunities that He may have for me.

Thank you Darren for your inspiration!  Even though I wasn't in the room, I received the impartation!  You can be sure of that!

There was so much more I gleaned, but I am focusing, really focusing on these nuggets for now.  I want to get it right.   

I don't want to miss those little sparks of opportunity anymore.  

I'm putting the fork down...
♥Lori 

Honored to be Linking up with:
New Life Steward - WIP Wed
Women Living Well
Allume 

This is Day 18 in my 31 Days of Practice Series 

that I joined for the month of October.

 

It's Bigger Than Me...

It's bigger than me...
It's bigger than us...
What if we...

These are all statements I keep hearing...from different people, in different contexts.

It's the stirring in my heart.  

I don't want to be so self-focused that I miss the needs around me.  And let's face it, that is mighty easy to do given the times we are living in.  Jobs, kids, schedules, it all requires our attention.

BUT, what if?

What's your dream?  

What do you want to DO?  

How do YOU dream of making a difference?

My answers are still forming.  I started this blog in 2008, and only now, four years later, do I have an idea of its purpose - to make some sort of a difference. 

How does that work?  Honestly, I have no idea.  But God does. 

He knows the desires of my heart

Trust in the Lord and do good;
    dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
Take delight in the Lord,
    and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in him and he will do this
^{Psalm 37:3-5}

He knows the plans He has for me (and my blog)

^{"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."  Jer. 29:11}

I have every confidence that what I give to Him, He can use.

So tomorrow I'm taking a step toward making a difference. 
Christian Mommy Blogger is encouraging a Revival Blackout to pray for our nation, the upcoming election, and our President.  

Leighann hit the nail on the head when she spoke in her video about Revival starting with us and reaching our spheres of influence, and reaching their spheres, and so on...what if???  

Bottom line? We are called to pray for our leaders, regardless of how we feel about them or whether we agree with them.  
The call to pray is always bigger than us.

I'm in.  Are you?

♥Lori

Linked with Courtney at Women Living Well. 
                       Mary Beth @ New Life Steward

This is Day 13 in my 31 Days of Practice Series 

that I joined for the month of October.

What are you adorned with?

"Do not let your adornment be merely outward—arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel— rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God."  
 1 Peter 3:3-4

Photo Source


This passage really got me thinking.  

What am I adorning myself with? 

Adorn is "to enhance the appearance of especially with beautiful objects" (Webster's Dictionary)

Does that mean we shouldn't get nice things, stylish hair cuts, use make up, wear nice clothes and jewelry?  Honestly, I don't think so.  It says "...don't let your adornment be merely outward..."  - so basically it shouldn't be the only thing we focus on.  Right?

I think the next verse really clarifies things - what we should focus on is that "inner beauty" - the hidden person of the heart (the soul) - the spirit man if you will.  That's where the bulk of our efforts should go.  Developing our spirit man by spending time in the Word, Worship the Lord, Fellowship with other like-minded believers, those kinds of activities.

I guess the question is this - do we spend as much time adorning "the hidden person of our heart" as we do the outer?  That stings a little bit.  How long do you take to get ready in the morning?  Me, it's about 30 minutes, without interruption - Ha!  Do we spend at least that much time with the Father each the morning?  

Don't get me wrong, I like to look nice and wear nice clothes, and I really do believe God would have us to be presentable because that re-presents Him as well.  Not to mention it's a blessing for our husbands... 

BUT the development of that quiet, gentle spirit is much more important to Him.  Gentle here means - lowly, a humility that is considerate, unassuming, gentle, mild, and meek.  And let me just say this too, meekness is NOT weakness, it's power under perfect control.  

Those are the traits I want to develop.  I can't shop for them at the mall, I have to develop them in my quiet time of study and prayer, and even more so in the crucible of life.  That's where true gentleness and humility are developed.  Daily life.  The Crazy.  The Mundane.  The Process...

What do you think about this whole adorning idea?

Have a great rest of your week!!
 ♥Lori

Linked with Courtney at Women Living Well. 
                               Mary Beth @ New Life Steward

This is Day 8 in my 31 Days of Practice Series 

that I joined for the month of October.

Baby Steps...

Last week I posted here about becoming more of a Producer instead of such a Consumer and how I almost bailed out of all of it.

And this week with only two other posts written last week - all I can say is I'm working on it.

This past week has been really busy, so realistically, unless I was ultra organized and had posts written and scheduled ahead of time (which is something I aspire to) I wasn't going to post much anyway. 

The baby steps I have taken are these...

*I check Social Media (mostly on my phone) during WAIT times.  WAIT times include car pool, appointments, etc.  It does NOT included times when I'm sitting at home with my family.

*I modified the notifications on my phone.  My iPhone is truly a blessing, but like anything, it can be a real distraction if I let it!!!  Can I get an Amen?

*I some of my app locations on my phone, even creating folders for Producing and Consuming!

*I'm not reading blogs or emails before I finish my Quiet Time / Bible in 90 Days reading.  The only exception to this is Tweeting at 6am with my HelloMornings Friends.  But that is a check in and prayer time...

I read a quote recently (sorry I don't know the original author, please let me know if you do...) that spoke to my heart on this matter.

Don't be a spectator in life, participate in it...

That's how I see this Producer / Consumer thing.  As a consumer, I'm a spectator, basically just watching God work in the lives of everyone else.  As a producer though, I'm able to share what God has been doing in our lives and maybe touch some lives.

Sounds crazy, but this really is my Work In Process...and I'm thrilled with the baby steps I've taken. 

♥Lori

Linked up with WIP Wed @ New Life Steward

                         Women Living Well Wednesday

Today I almost bailed on social media

I did.  I almost went the distance and deleted everything...My  Blog, Twitter, Facebook, RSS Reader, Everything.  

But then I heard a voice.  That familiar, small, still voice that is the source of balance to my heart and soul.  He said, "It's not social media that is troubling you.  It's the way you're using it.  You're a consumer.  You need to shift into being a producer."

Huh?  So I headed to my favorite search engine, and discovered the following definitions...

Consumer:  one that consumes (to eat or drink especially in great quantity, to enjoy avidly - devour, to engage fully - engross, to utilize as a customer)

Producer:  One who produces (to offer to view or notice, to give birth or rise to, to make available for public exhibition or dissemination, to cause to have existence or to happen, to compose, create, or bring out by intellectual or physical effort) 

Ouch.  

I am definitely a consumer.  I read and read and read blogs, tweets, status updates, and seldom almost never respond, reply or comment.  The very definition of consumption wouldn't you say?

Now, am I saying reading these things is bad?  Not at all.  It is truly what is making the world go round these days....think about how much information we have at our disposal all. the. time.  All with just a click of a button either on the computer or phone. 

Now a producer on the other hand has something to offer, to compose, to create and notice it says by intellectual or physical effort...dare I add - discipline?

Ahh Hah!  That is where I've fallen apart.  The effort part.  The discipline part.  I have lots of ideas rolling around in my head all the time.  But they seldom if ever see the light of day.  It's easier to read the dozens of blogs others have written and be satisfied.  

But I'm not.  I'm frustrated.  That's how I knew a shift was coming.  And now I understand what it is.  I need to make that shift from consuming to producing...

So today I'm taking a step and doing some house cleaning.  
1.  My RSS feed.  I'm deleting the ones I don't read much...they are just always there...to read if I decide I want to.  blah blah blah  Truth be told, now that I'm knee deep into Twitter, I almost use that more like a "feed" anyway. 
2.  My iPhone.  I'm going to do some serious rearranging of apps.  And I'll be turning off notifications so that I'm not distracted by them.  I still think having them available for when I'm waiting (ie. carpool, appts, etc) is an ok thing, at least at this point....

My Grandma used to say...Everything in moderation is ok.  Well, yes and no.  But in this case, I think it is.  I just have to balance the scale a bit and spend more time producing and creating....

How about you - any struggles with the consuming - producing balance?

♥Lori

Linked with MaryBeth @ WIP Wednesday
                   Courtney @ Women Living Well WLWW

My thoughts on mentoring

I know I’m a little late getting in on this mentoring conversation, but today’s scripture really struck a chord.  It’s something that’s been on my heart for awhile, but I am really good at putting it on the shelf and “not thinking about it.”  

"...the older women likewise, that they be reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things— that they admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed."  Titus 2:3-5

It’s quite obvious from this passage that as “older” (ahem) women, we are to behave in a certain way…reverent, etc.  Why?  Because we are an example.  Like it or not.  In our spheres of influence, wherever that may be…home, church, home, school, grocery store, home, our neighborhood, other women are watching.  You can bet on it.

I have a couple of younger moms at church, who I know watch my children. My children are teenagers now, but they are well-behaved, courteous, and helpful.  And people see that.  Others want to know “how we did it.”  It’s an example to them…a goal to shoot for. 

Are my kids perfect?  No.  Am I perfect?  No.  But they are certainly welcome to follow me as I follow HIM….mistakes and all.  And honestly, sometimes the mistakes are the best teachers.

For over 17 years, I’ve done just that.  I’ve followed.  I’ve watched.  I’ve taken notes.  This is my example….

This is J.  She is about the best example of a wife and mom I know.  Only recently did we tell her and her husband that they were the models we used for our parenting.  They didn’t even know we were taking notes and implementing strategies, based on what we saw them do.  How many younger couples are watching me, that I don't even know about?  Wowza!  That's a big responsibility!

And ohhhhh how she loves her husband!  I think they just celebrated 25 years, and you would think they are but newlyweds….seriously!  I desire that as well...

All that to say this….we need each other.  We need to have mentors and to be mentors.  My prayer is that I could do just that…have and be a mentor.  How about you?

♥Lori

Linked with:

Good Morning Girls
WIPWed

Wifey Wednesday

 

Wrestling With Identity

Early on in life, before I met husband, or even Jesus for that matter, I had visions of myself as the proverbial career woman (I actually have a BS in Accounting) with maybe a husband but definitely no kids.  In 1988, when I met Jesus, things changed. 

Then in 1995 everything changed - I married, and two years later became a mom. 

I found that my vision for my life had not only changed, but changed drastically.

Now, I loved being a wife and taking care of my home and living life with my husband…still do – even after 17 years!!  And being a mom…words cannot describe it! 

I have spent the last 17 years forming my identity around my family. 

I am a wife and a mom.  Period.  And I have no problem with that, I simply have a questioning, a stirring for more….  Could this be called an identity crisis?

Definition of IDENTITY CRISIS
1: personal psychosocial conflict that involves confusion about one's social role and often a sense of loss of continuity to one's personality
2: a state of confusion in an institution or organization regarding its nature or direction

I am keenly aware of how fast my children are growing up.  They are now 13 and 15.  In five short years, even high school will be a memory. 

Then what will my identity be?  

What direction will I head? 

Could / should I be going in that direction now?

I comprehend the fact that I am first and foremost a Daughter of the Most High God. 

But I will also always be a wife and help-meet, and I will certainly always be their Mom. 

I guess my question in all of this is…

As wives and mothers, how do we keep from forging our identities in the roles of wife and mom?  Shouldn’t there be more?  And if so, how do we get there?

♥Lori

Linked up with:

WIP Wed @ New Life Steward

Good Morning Girls

Wifey Wednesday @ To Love Honor & Vacuum