Feed Your Spirit

Summer break has officially begun.  Yesterday my boys were home from school and so was I.  My husband’s truck broke down, so instead of getting up with him at 4:30 a.m. to take him to work, I stayed home.   The boys slept in and we took our time getting around.  One important priority of the day for me was to have some God-time with them.  It is a time where we can spend talking to God and reading his word… the Bible.

My husband and I have been trying to teach the boys at a young age how important it is to feed your spirit daily.  Everyone focuses so much on feeding their bellies that they forget about their spirits.  Each time we read the Bible and talk to God it helps us to grow inside.  When we neglect this important element of our walks with God, we starve ourselves spiritually.  Eventually we can begin to die inside.

It says in Matthew 4:4…
“People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” (NLT)

We want the boys to have their own relationships with God.  They can’t live on our faith alone forever.  A personal relationship with God is just that… personal.  We want them to experience God for themselves.  We have given the boys tools to help them grow in their walk with God.  They have Bibles that are easy for them to understand and we encourage them to read them.  We also try to carve out time to make it happen.  Kids have good intentions, but they don’t manage their time well (or maybe it’s only my kids that struggle with this). 

We don’t want our boys to just know about God, we want them to know Him personally.  We pray with our boys every night and give them opportunities to pray and talk to God too.  They pray for us, the food, the day, and one is even the chaplain of sorts for their Boy Scout Troop.  But talking to God goes beyond saying a simple prayer, it’s communicating with Him daily.  It’s sharing the good and the bad.  It’s talking to God like you would a best friend.  We encourage the boys to seek out special time to be alone and talk with God daily.  We know if they will draw closer to God on their own that they will experience Him for themselves.

James 4:8 says…

“Draw close to God, and He will draw close to you…” (NLT)

Yesterday I decided to help the boys facilitate time with God.  We met in their room and I had each of them ready with their Bibles and instruments.  My oldest is learning to play the keyboard and my youngest is learning the guitar.  I decided since they both each knew one song pretty well that they could lead us out in that particular song for a worship time with God.  Gavyn played “How He Loves” and Trey did “God is Able.”  It was amazing.  They did such an awesome job!  It touched my heart to hear them sing and play for God… such sweet, tender hearts hungry for God.

After we finished singing I had each of them read part of a chapter in the Bible and then we prayed.  It was a simple, yet powerful way to start the day.  I want them to learn that it doesn’t have to be anything fancy, but feeding our spirits is important.  It builds us up on the inside and makes us stronger, so we are ready for whatever may come our way that day.

When we neglect to feed ourselves spiritually we become weaker by the day and when Satan comes to attack, we are defenseless against him.  Learning to feed our spirits and help others do the same is a process.  I remember the long process of teaching my children to eat by themselves unassisted.  They were messy and uncoordinated, but eventually they figured it out.  I couldn’t spoon feed them meals forever.  Eventually they would have to grow up and learn to do it on their own. 

The same is true with feeding our spirits.  Our children, spouses, friends, and family have to learn to feed themselves spiritually on their own.  One Sunday morning message from a minister at church isn’t enough to last us all week spiritually.  Would one big buffet dinner one day a week keep our bellies full all week long?  I don’t think so!  We need to feed our spirits daily!  Our faith needs to rub off onto others so much so that they want to grow their own.  I feel at times like a mother bird watching my babies jump out of the nest and learn to fly.  It can be painful, but that’s how they learn and grow.

You may be reading this and you are at a place where you don’t even know God or maybe it’s been awhile since you have been close to Him.  I encourage you to draw close to God and experience Him for yourself.  There is more to God than you realize.  He is alive and real and you can know Him personally.  I encourage you to get a Bible and start reading in the book of John (the story of Jesus).  Learn about God and start to talk to Him.  Share with Him the good, bad, and ugly of your life.  I think you might be surprised at what happens.  I am available and ready to talk with you anytime.  Send me an e-mail and I would love to share with you my story.  I’m excited to see what God has in store for YOU!

If you have a relationship with God, then it’s time to get busy.  Think about it!  Who are you helping grow in God?  If you can’t think of anyone, perhaps it is time to get creative.  You need to find a place to use your giftings to help others grow.  It could be a children’s ministry, youth ministry, soup kitchen, homeless shelter, or prison.  The list is endless.  God has the perfect fit for you to pour into others and help them grow.  As you begin to pray and pursue God in this area, He will reveal to you where you need to be.  You will be impacting your world for God one heart at a time!

Feed your spirit today and find someone else to teach to do the same.   But don’t stop there… teach them to find someone else to teach as well.  It’s a domino effect of growing in God!  Simple truths, but they bring powerful results when applied to our lives.

Living to leave a legacy,
Julie

"A Focused Heart"

I came across a message I shared with a group of college students almost ten years ago that still speaks volumes today.  I thought it was worth sharing again.  Be blessed as you read.

(Let’s look at someone who had a heart completely devoted to God)

Luke 10:38-42 says…
“As Jesus and the disciples continued on their way to Jerusalem, they came to a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. Her sister, Mary, sat at the Lord’s feet, listening to what he taught. But Martha was distracted by the big dinner she was preparing. She came to Jesus and said, “Lord, doesn’t it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me.”

“But the Lord said to her, “My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.” (NLT)

How can we have a “Mary Heart” in a “Martha World?”

1.  Quiet your Spirit

Martha was all wrapped up in doing “things.”  She was distracted and not fully focused on Jesus.

Some times we can get distracted by being “too busy” doing… attending church activities, family obligations, work functions, hobbies, etc… We may not be doing things that are necessarily bad, but we are missing the point of taking time to be with JESUS!

Mary set everything aside to give her complete attention to Jesus.  Nothing else was more important to her at that moment.  We can take a lesson from Mary.  When Jesus is there, give Him all of your attention!  Nothing else matters!

How can we have a “Mary Heart” in a “Martha World?”

2.      Be content with “Just Jesus”

Mary didn’t want to be anywhere else or with anyone else, she was content with just Jesus.

Martha thought doing something for Jesus was just as important as being with Jesus.  But she missed the boat.  Jesus was the main course and nothing else really mattered.  Their spirits needed food more than their bodies or flesh did.

Mary recognized her need for more and sat at Jesus feet.  She wanted to be as close as she could get to Him so she wouldn’t miss a thing. She soaked in His presence taking it all in, hanging on His every word.

Being content with “Just Jesus” is hard.  It’s easy when you are single because He is all you’ve got, but when you add a boyfriend or girlfriend, a spouse, and then kids, it gets even harder.  But the question you need to ask yourself is:  If everything in my life was stripped away from me, would I still be content with Just Jesus.  That is the place He wants us to live daily.

How can we have a “Mary Heart” in a “Martha World?”

3.      Throw out YOUR agenda

We all have our own idea of how we think things should go in certain situations, but we’ve got to throw our agenda out the window when it comes to being with Jesus.

Jesus just wants to be with us… what happens after that is a surprise.

Martha couldn’t let go of her preparations that in the long run wouldn’t even matter tomorrow.

Mary let everything go.  Whatever she had planned she set aside to be with Jesus.  She gave Him her complete attention and it changed her.

Sticking to “our agenda” can get in the way when it comes to our relationship with God.  If we do what we’ve always done, we will get what we’ve always gotten and no more.

BUT, if we do what we’ve never done, we are going to experience

God in ways we never have before!

How can we have a “Mary Heart” in a “Martha World?”

4.      Seize the Moment

We need to seize the moment when it comes to moments of intimacy with Jesus.  There may never be another opportunity like today to experience Jesus in this way. 

Mary took advantage of every moment she had with Jesus.  She expressed extravagant love in extravagant ways.  She wasn’t in a hurry!  She was on His schedule and stepped into His flow for her life.

John 12:3 says… “Then Mary took a twelve-ounce jar of expensive perfume made from essence of nard, and she anointed Jesus’ feet with it, wiping his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance.” (NLT)

For a whole day I’m sure wherever she or Jesus went, people associated them together by the smell of the beautiful fragrance that was soaked into them.  What an awesome picture!  We should smell of the fragrance of Christ each time we are with Him.  Others should notice and associate us together.  They should see evidence of our time spent together shining through us without us ever saying a word.

How can we have a “Mary Heart” in a “Martha World?”  Focus your heart on what is really important.  Think about it.  What are you wasting your time on?  What is making you too busy to be with Jesus?  Seize the moments you have to be with Him.  It could change the whole course of your day and maybe even your life!

Living to leave a legacy,
Julie

SNEAK PEAK

This is an excerpt from my book...

  "Surviving Life's Mud Puddles"

    Chapter 4 (Perspectives from a Ditch)

Revenge

(Genesis 37)

Have you ever been on a road trip before?  Some trips are fun while others can be frustrating depending on how long you are traveling and who is traveling with you.  My kids drive me crazy when we are traveling.  My husband and I constantly hear... “Are we there yet?  How much further?  When will we ever get there?”  I’m sure I probably asked the same questions from the back seat when I was younger.  Someone gave me the idea once of giving them a road map from one of the gas stations along the way.  They assured me that it would cut down on the questions.  I don’t think they ever met my kids.  One son in particular increased his questions.  “Is this the next town on the map?  How many more miles until this city?  What exit number is this?  This is awesome!” … maybe for him, but not for me. 

Can you imagine Joseph’s road trip?  He traveled alone, probably on foot, for sixty plus miles looking for his brothers only to find out that they weren’t where they were supposed to be.  Some unnamed man he meets along the way directs him to where he thinks they may have gone.  Actually it says… “a man noticed him wandering around the countryside (vs. 15).”  He must have looked suspicious or frustrated.  At this rate, Joseph could be walking all over the country trying to find his brothers.  His mind may have been filled with thoughts of “…Hopefully they stay put for now until I can get there.  I promised father I would check on my brothers, but how far should I go?  He would have to give his best effort… his word was his word and he would keep it. 

Are you a person of your word?  When you say that you will do something, do you do it?

When Joseph finally saw his brothers in the distance, he was probably relieved.  No more wandering all over the countryside to find them.  We are not told at this time, how long he had to travel to actually find them.  It could have been days, or weeks.  I’m sure his father sent him with food and provisions to give them.  We do know he sent Joseph wearing that special coat he gave him as a gift (Gen. 37:23).  When his brothers spotted him, they had a different reaction than Joseph.

Some quick, sharp-eyed spotter saw Joseph in the distance and probably said… “Guess who is coming to visit us!”  Just the sight of him ignited a deep hatred within them.  I’m sure the conversation turned to name calling and unmentionable comments being spewed in Joseph’s direction.  They were immediately inspired to plan to kill him.  Wow… that was harsh.  I get angry with people at times, but just the sight of them does not provoke me to want to kill them.  There is more going on here than we know.  This seething hatred toward Joseph isn’t something that just happened.  It has been growing and festering inside each of them for years.  Sin left unchecked in our hearts can cause us to do things we never dreamed we would ever do (Genesis 4:1-8, 2 Samuel 11, Romans 7:15-25). 

Is there anything in your heart or life that you need to confess to God so you can be free?

I heard a cute story recently of what one woman did with her anger. 

There was once a man and woman who had been married for more than 60 years. They had shared everything. They had talked about everything. They had kept no secrets from each other except that the little old woman had a shoe box in the top of her closet that she had cautioned her husband never to open or ask her about. For all of these years, he had never thought about the box, but one day the little old woman got very sick and the doctor said she would not recover. In trying to sort out their affairs, the little old man took down the shoe box and took it to his wife's bedside. She agreed that it was time that he should know what was in the box. When he opened it, he found two crocheted doilies and a stack of money totaling $25,000. He asked her about the contents. "When we were to be married," she said, "My grandmother told me the secret of a happy marriage was to never argue. She told me that if I ever got angry with you, I should just keep quiet and crochet a doily." The little old man was so moved that he had to fight back tears. Only two precious doilies were in the box. She had only been angry with him two times in all those years of living and loving. He almost burst with happiness. "Honey," he said, "that explains the doilies, but what about all of this money? Where did it come from?" "Oh," she said, "That's the money I made from selling the doilies."

We all get angry at times.  It is what we do with that anger that makes a difference!

Living to leave a legacy,
Julie

Find Your Shine!

My family experienced an exciting adventure over spring break. Instead of traveling to some tropical location to spend a week in the son, my son, Gavyn, had his tonsils and adenoids removed. He has been having a lot of trouble with sore throats and strep infections over the past few years. He had two infections in a row just over the winter months. We didn’t want to wait and take a chance of it getting any worse, so we scheduled the surgery.

He was such a trooper through the whole procedure. We even came up with fun signals for him to use with me when he got home to make things easier which helped a lot. His favorite signals though were clapping loudly when I was in the other room and whimpering to get my attention. These were not pre-approved signals (smile). He is really good at pulling at mom’s heart strings for sympathy. It’s just a little tiring when mom has two at home to entertain… for a whole week. One was sick and the other was simply jealous. No fun!

Gavyn spent a lot of time resting over his spring break. Netflix, DVD’s, video games, and some books were very helpful in entertaining him. The only problem is that he wanted mommy by his side every minute of the day. It killed him that his brother could go outside, shoot hoops, ride his bike, and hang out with friends. He hates missing out on anything, but his only job for the week was to rest.

Mommy kept pretty busy as Gavyn’s nurse after surgery. He needed pain meds. every four hours, antibiotics twice a day, and he had to eat or drink often to prevent scabs from forming in the back of his mouth. This helped make sure it wouldn’t hurt as much later as it healed. I also had to check his throat throughout the day to see if it was swollen or bleeding.

The problem with the “throat check” was that my flashlight kept disappearing every time I was ready to check it. The only one I seemed to find was a small bluish tinted one, with a dim light, in need of new batteries. Why is it that when you really need a flashlight you can’t find one and when you do find one it always needs new batteries? Interesting…

We are currently on day 14 of the healing process and Gavyn is doing great. He’s not ready to sing any solos, but he can talk and the pain is almost gone. Yay! We survived! A scripture came to mind often as I shined a “light” in my son’s throat for a week.

Matthew 5:14-15 says…"Here's another way to put it: You're here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We're going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don't think I'm going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I'm putting you on a light stand. Now that I've put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine!” (MSG)

I love the way the message version puts it… “…we are here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world…shine!” God has called us to be light to this world. What does that mean? He wants us to become reflectors of Him for others to see. When others look at us, they should see Jesus.

Jesus followers should have “evidence” showing their connection with Him. Some of this evidence or proof can be found in…

Galatians 5:22-23…“But the Spirit produces the fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.” (NCV)

Whatever you plant inside of your life will come out? When we cultivate our hearts and lives with the things of God, we will begin to produce the fruit of God. Reading our Bible, praying or talking with God, going to church, and surrounding ourselves with people who want the same things will help us to shine brighter for God.

2 Corinthians 3:18 says… “…our lives are gradually becoming brighter and more beautiful as God enters our lives and we become like him.” (MSG)

One summer my family and I decided to tackle a garden. I DO NOT have a green thumb, but my boys wanted to try it. What could it hurt? If anything they would learn the process of growing things. We were renting a house from a farmer at the time. He just so happened to have a portion of land free behind our house that was empty and fully tilled. We approached him and he was gracious enough to allow us to practice our gardening skills there.

We chose the seeds carefully, read all of the directions, and chose the perfect time to plant. The boys were ecstatic! They couldn’t wait to see the fruit of their labor. Labor is the key word. They didn’t like to weed the garden or take the time to water it when it didn’t rain. It was too much WORK especially when there were so many other fun things to do. Mommy helped as I was able, but little by little the garden died. All we had left was one measly tomato plant surrounded by weeds. I kept encouraging the boys to go water and weed their plant, but they never got around to it.

One day while the boys were in school the farmer’s wife decided to mow around our house. She saw the small patch of grass in the field and assumed her regular mower must have missed it. She mowed over it. As she looked back over her shoulder to make sure she didn’t miss anything else, she saw the spray of splattered tomatoes. She felt horrible. She had destroyed our garden… or what was left of it.

Later that day we received a gift…canned peaches. It was a peace offering of sorts for demolishing our tomatoes or should I say the lonely tomato that survived. My boys learned a huge lesson that day. Put the work into weeding or you will lose the fruit of your labor. So true!

The same is true in our walk with God. Letting God’s fruit shine through us is difficult at times. It takes hard work to bite your tongue when you want to say something else. It takes hard work to be patient for everything to work out. It takes hard work to show love to that person especially after the way they treated you. It takes hard work to experience God’s peace when it feels everything is out of control. But with God’s help He will begin to cultivate His fruit in us.

Just like a farmer, God scatters seeds, waters, feeds, and grows His fruit inside of us. The more time we spend with Him, the more it grows. It can’t help but bubble out of us for everyone to see.

How can we shine brightly for God?

~Spend time with Him (Talk to Him & read His love letter to us…the Bible)
~Surround yourself with godly things (go to church and find godly friends)
~Live differently (Reflect God in your words, attitudes, and actions)
~Love differently (Let God’s love shine through for others to see)

As we begin to fill ourselves with more of God, His fruit will shine brightly through us in such a way that others will notice. They will begin to see qualities in us that are different than those around them. These evidences of God in our lives could be what draws our friends and family to God. Shine brightly! The world is watching. But no pressure my friend. Remember as we draw closer to God, it just bubbles out naturally. Get your shine on!

Living to leave a legacy,
Julie

Just a Number

March has been a busy month for me. There has been a lot going on with my kids (school projects, Boy Scouts, and extra activities), family events, church events, and not to mention my birthday. I turned a whole year older and now I am officially 29 and holding. I am happy to say… I didn’t throw a pity party, hide my head from the world, or crawl in a hole because my life is HALF over. It’s just a number to me. My birthday was like any other day except for that day I got a little more attention.

We can’t let our age, sex, race, social status, or family background hold us back from being who God created us to be or doing what He has designed for us to do. I am fixated on making the last half of my life count extra for God. I don’t want anything to deter me from whatever God has in mind for my future. I’m ready to hit the ground running.

I will have to admit that the last six years or so have not been exactly what I had expected. When my husband and I got married we vowed to stick together through good times and bad, in sickness and in health, til death do us part. I had no idea we would have to literally live that out. I believed it with all of my heart when I said it, but over the last few years I have experienced it firsthand. I love my husband more today than the day we got married. It has been 18 + years and counting yet the vows we made remain just as true today as on our wedding day.

We have faced sickness together. I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease that my doctor recently shared is a worse case scenario. At my sickest moments, my husband stuck by my bed side, cared for me and the kids, and became mom and dad for a season. His love for me shined through in his actions. He is an amazing man of God and I am blessed.

We have faced financial struggles together. As a result of my sickness, I had to quit my job immediately and my husband had to find a new one. He took pay cuts and worked jobs he hated to take care of our family. In order for me to get healthy, I had to rest which limited my ability to work. My husband picked up the slack in every way. We purged all excess household baggage and did what we had to in order to get by. Even in our lowest times, God has been faithful.

We have faced emotional struggles together. Fear, doubt, disappointment, confusion, discouragement, and feeling stuck to name a few. No matter what we face, we push through it all holding tightly to each other and God. Our lives have been cemented in God from the very beginning. We have chosen to not walk away from Him regardless of any circumstances we face. God has been our refuge through all of life’s storms. I don’t know what I would have done without Him.

I am so thankful this year for so much. Some of these things may seem simple and trivial to you, but they are things I took for granted until they were gone. As I list out a few things I am thankful for, think of what things you have to be thankful for too.

I am thankful for…
~my amazing husband
~my awesome boys
~my family
~to be able to speak
(clearly, loud enough for others to hear, and as much as I want)
~to be able to eat solid foods (whatever I want)
~to be able to stand for long periods of time
~to be able to walk unassisted
~to be able to dress and care for myself
~to be able to leave my house whenever I want to
~to be able to see clearly
~to be able to drive
~to be able to go to church
~to be able to go shopping and carry my own bags
~to be able to hold a baby
~to be able to pray for my kids before bed
~to be able to lead a small group study at my church
~to be able to cook dinner for my family
~to be able to clean my house & do my own laundry
~to be able to have Netflix (I had only Antenna TV when I was sick)
~to be able to go on class field trips with my boys
~to be able to drink with a straw
~to be able to sing
~to be able to work
~to be able to write
~to be able to read
~to be able to get my own mail
~to be able to answer the phone
~to be able to smile and laugh

I am thankful for so many things, but these are just a few off the top of my head. Life has not dealt me the hand I expected, but I can work with what I have been given. Let’s just say that the next half of my life will be experienced walking a little slower. I want to savor each moment making memories that will last a lifetime. We are only given one life to live. I want to make mine count! What about you? What will you do with the life you have been given?

Living to leave a legacy,
Julie