The Power of a Story and Help With Your Christmas Shopping

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I attended the Allume Conference a few weeks ago. I leisurely strolled the tables displaying businesses and products. None really grabbed my attention initially. It takes a lot to get me to stop if I think you want me to spend my money. So I’m very careful to move at an appropriate pace so as not to be caught.

When I reached the table for Ever Thine Home, I stopped. Willingly. Abruptly.

I love beautiful things, but I love beautiful things with meaning so much more. I don’t want a house full of beautiful things with no story. I want a home that tells a beautiful story.

The entire table of Ever Thine Home products was nothing but beautiful things that tell a story or help you share a story.

Stories. We are missing good stories today. We are too busy running after life and chasing what we will never catch. In the process, we are missing grasping the most beautiful gifts and moments wrapped in the package of a story.  Stories shared in relationships.

That is what captured my eye. A table full of beautiful home decor items that opened the door to the stories. That created a reason to unite in relationship.

I was drawn into this table and began talking with the lady at the table. She was so lovely – her name was Laura.

Her story captivated me. It’s her story I continue to hear the Lord whisper to me.

She told me how her mom was gifted artistically, but knew the Lord wanted her to lay down her talents for the season of raising her children. I believe they had 6 children. And it was AFTER her children were grown that the Lord led her to pick up the gifts and talents He’d given to her to create art to be used beyond her home.

I’ve thought of this many times over the weeks. What obedience. As moms it’s easy to feel that life is passing us by. When the Lord gifts us or places passions in us, it’s easy to believe He must want us to do something with them now. Right now.

I wonder sometimes if He allows us to see the gifts and talents He’s given us, yet He asks us to use those in our homes first. And to save the dreams for when He says Go. I wonder if we chase our bigger purposes and miss the greater purposes?

I’ve thought how much I admire Laura’s mom for her obedience. Obeying isn’t always easy. Especially when our gifts are itching to be used.

In the season of motherhood, those gifts are never wasted. They are used in the loveliest of ways right inside our homes. When they are given in our homes, they will reach outside the home. And then a season comes where the Lord might say, “Ok, now go.”

I likely scared poor Laura silly. I think when you set up a table, you are expecting to have to “sell” someone on your products. Tell them why they would love them. Laura didn’t have to sell me on a thing. I get it. So get it. And so want others to get it that my excitement can be a bit uncomfortable at times.

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So that is what happened when I discovered these Untie Your Story napkin ties. I started babbling about how much I’m in love with them before I’d even bought them.

 

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I bought every kind of Untie Your Story she had. Memories, Gratitude 1, and Gratitude 2.

And then I proceeded down the table. Ornaments. Oh goodness. One day my dream is to have Seeking Christmas ornaments produced and packaged and sold with the book. And part of the reason is that I never find beautiful Christmas ornaments that tell His story.

Until now. My friends, you are welcome.

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It’s hard for me to give a gift that simply has no meaning to it. These napkin ties, make the perfect gift to keep on hand. Teacher’s gift, a thank you gift, birthday gift. Obviously, Christmas gift.

We should really share stories more with each other. Remember my coffee post last week? Stories open doorways through which relationships enter.

Today, share a piece of you with someone. Tell a story. You never know how the Lord will use it in their life down the road.

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An Alternative to Birthday Parties and Gifts

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Fall is birthday season in our home. Zachary kicks off with Labor Day, Andrew ends us on Thanksgiving Day (depending on the year), and Steve and I fall in between.

Rather than hosting birthday parties for the boys this year, we had an experience with each of them. For each child, we chose something different.

As their birthdays approached, we looked at how much money we spend even on the simplest of birthday parties. They receive toys they don’t really need. It’s fun, but it’s over within hours.

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Zachary is an adventure-seeker, he’s athletic and loves a challenge. He is also social, which means he would definitely want his brothers along rather than a private experience.

Andrew is not an adventure seeker, so for Zachary’s birthday we took Zachary, along with Jacob, to the U.S National Whitewater Center in North Carolina. Andrew happily spent the day with a friend and thanked us for not taking him along. Happy to oblige as we’ve had years of experience dragging him along on adventures he wants no part of.

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Jacob loves all things sports and is very much a quality time kinda guy. For his birthday, Steve and Jacob went to the Tennessee/Georgia football game. They woke up at 5:00 am, stopped for doughnuts, tailgated, watched the game, and spent the night in a hotel. Jacob said it was one of his best memories ever. (He says this frequently, but that’s ok. I hope to fill their memory tanks with lots of special times.)

Andrew’s birthday is Thanksgiving. Poor guy spends every single birthday driving in a car either to or from Atlanta. Andrew loves hotels. Any hotel, but particularly hotels with a breakfast buffet, an indoor pool, and an elevator. His birthday we will surprise him with a hotel night with the whole family.

Whenever we give Andrew the option to have one-on-one time, he always begs to bring his brothers along. He would NOT want a hotel night away from his brothers.

We will pack tons of games, a movie to watch in the room, swim in the pool, and eat pizza. He will love it!

We began giving our kids more experience gifts over material gifts a few years ago at Christmas. It is interesting to listen to their reflections. They rarely remember the gifts they open. Rarely. They never forget an experience, which creates a memory.

I’d love to hear how your family celebrates birthdays!

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Lord, help me. I’m about to blow it with my kids.

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The whirlwind called morning finally landed us in the car heading to school. As we began our 25 minute commute with christian music filling the silence, I felt my heart rate slow.

My frustration and anger brimming over how 4 of us sinful beings can bring out the nasty in each other when hunger and tired eyes present themselves in the wee hours of the mornings.

Buttons aren’t merely pushed, they are held down with force until the other person can take no more. The cycle begins. Honestly, it doesn’t matter what system we use (and trust me we’ve tried many). We do the whole ‘set your clothes out the night before’, ‘don’t come downstairs until clothes on, beds made, teeth brushed’, ‘pack your lunch the night before.’ We do all that.

We are as Pinterest-pretty organized as humanely possible. We’ve even done the cutesy charts, which my boys dislike greatly.

Sin doesn’t cower or bow to systems, organization, or good intentions.

Sin is present on the inside no matter what we attempt to do on the outside. It’s in the heart the battle is waged.

Since my boys were tiny, all we’ve ever listened to is christian music. K-Love is the only station programmed in my car. Because I NEED it. They NEED it. I need to at every minute be reminded of truth.

The in-between time is when truth seeps in.

In between the battles of sin is when the Holy Spirit begins whispering to me. Often these in between moments place me in the car, listening to truth sung over airwaves.

This morning was no exception. Everyone followed the system. But brother aggravated brother, brother hit brother, brother used words as weapons, brother cried hard. And mother?

Well, mother tried to ignore. She prayed silently the Lord would intervene and grip their hearts. Then the Lord didn’t answer as quickly as one hopes. So sin won out as my tone turned sharp, my blood pressure rose, I proceeded the daily lecture on the attitudes of the heart.

And then we made it to the car. K-Love played songs of the power of the cross, sin has no power. My shoulders began to let go of the tension.

The music ended as the disc jockeys began to speak on their annual fundraising drive. Normally, my boys love listening to this. They love hearing the testimonies of lives changed when people listen to christian music.

Today the D.J asked, “Do you feel the tug on your heart?”

Andrew asked, “Mom, what’s a tug on your heart mean?”

“Well, you know how when you act ugly, then you come to me later and tell me that your heart hurts, and we talk about how that is the Holy Spirit speaking to you, instructing your heart? Well, that is what it means when someone says that God is tugging at your heart. It’s the Holy Spirit speaking to you.”

“Hmmm.”

The D.Js began using analogies of tug boats and they ran hard with the use of the word tug.

Andrew became more and more agitated with each use of the word tug.

“Mom, turn it off. I don’t want to hear them talking about tugging anymore. I can’t take it!”

“Andrew, I’m not turning it off because the rest of us want to listen.”

After asking 5 more times, he realized I wouldn’t turn it off, so he decided he would simply ruin it for the rest of us. He moaned and wailed loudly. He rolled his window down to freeze us out. He covered his ears proclaiming, “I can’t stand to hear about the tug.”

Lord, help me. Please keep me calm and patient because I feel I’m on the verge of exploding.

I tried using reason. But have you ever tried to reason with someone out of their mind at the moment? Reason makes no sense to them.

In a perfect world, I would gently and lovingly talk to my child about how we by nature are sinful creatures and aren’t we thankful we have Jesus. That we are selfish and think more of ourselves than we think of others. Aren’t we glad for Jesus? And for some moms, this works. This would work on Jacob and Zachary. They have completely different personality types.

But when your child is cemented in his ways, no sweet words are going to do the magic trick.

Lord, help me. I need you to make me the parent you want me to be. Because, Lord, right now I’m about to blow it. Help me.

We parked the car. The sweet girl we carpool with and Zachary scurry away inside the building. Jacob hangs with me. Andrew continues digging in. Refusing to walk into school. Anything he can to push me over the edge. I’m tottering. I’m swaying. When will I tip?

Jacob is trying to get my attention. He has big issues. Forgotten homework, lost piece of paper. Big in a 12 year old world. He’s got a mama who is at the school for a conference in her wet hair pulled in a ponytail about to football carry a 60 pound child and leave him at the door of his classroom.

Lord, help me. 

I finally deposited him in the school. I made my way to Jacob’s teacher for our conference. I entered her classroom, which was the most glorious shade of quiet. I sat in the chair, and my shoulders released that tension again. It was the in-between. Praise for the in-between.

The in-between is the gift He gives us. The in-between is when we can release all that tension back to Him, to soak up the silence of that moment – however brief it may be.

The in-between is when we are most likely to hear God speak to us.

The in-between is when we feel that tug. That tug that sent Andrew on a spiral descent.

I ended my conference. I got in my car. Another in-between. Silence to reflect. To pray. To listen.

The tug was physically painful for Andrew to listen to. Physically painful. If you heard how my car sounded this morning, you would get what I’m saying.

The enemy knows the power of that tug. He’s no idiot. He knows that if we obey that tug, he loses in an instant. That tug is the last thing he wants us to be aware of. He wants us to ignore the tug.

Andrew fought the tug. Fought hard.

Normally, I would’ve lost it. This morning, by God’s grace, I didn’t simply because I couldn’t. I had to drive carpool. I had a conference at 7:30 am.

Temptation was great for me to lay into Andrew for his poor behavior. For his selfishness. For his anger outburst. If I wanted I could justify my position. I could do all of that.

When temptation is great to sin, He always leaves a door of escape open for us. I’ve found the door of escape easiest to take is a simple silent, “Lord, help me. I need you right now.”

I can’t control my children. Parenting is the greatest display of my weaknesses. I can write about the Lord. I can sit and speak with women about our need for Jesus. Then my children can push me to the point of questioning why in the world the Lord could possibly use me in ministry.

Fight the temptation to go there, friends. When our thoughts go to how awful we are, we begin to think too much of ourself and not enough of Him. These are the moments to fix our eyes on Him. Off us, on Him.

Eyes off us, eyes on Him.

Then that tug comes. That tug that reminds me that He uses us when we are completely dependent on Him. He’s not looking for a perfect mom. He’s not looking for the Pinterest perfect morning routine. He’s looking for a heart that loves Him and cries out for Him.

So we pray for our hearts. We pray for our children. We let the tugging begin. We don’t resist the tug. We let Him tug us all the way to Him. We let go, falling completely into Him. He lifts us up. He strengthens us for the job. He sends us back out, still holding that rope to Him. Too much slack, He’ll gently tug. In desperate times, He’ll pull with full force. He never lets go.

Don’t let go of that rope today. Hold tight, so you feel His tugs. The gentle and the firm. Loosen your grip so you can fall into Him today.

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Mom, you are always on your phone!

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Steve and I stumbled across videos from when Jacob and Zachary were about 1 and 3. We both sat mesmerized by the videos not believing how quickly the time has gone by and fully aware it will not slow down.

Afterwards we found ourselves struck by the same observation. He and I were 100% in the moments we watched on tape. We both seemed so relaxed, wearing contentment on our face.

Something was different about us in those videos.

We were distraction free. Completely.

We didn’t own smartphones. We had no devices. When we were together, we were all in, and the outside world wasn’t invited to crash the party.

We took video for our private viewing, not for the world to like.

No dings, alerts, or alarms chimed barging in on our time.

Whatever crisis took place in the world, we found out about hours after the kids went to bed. No worry and doom lingered over us forcing us to plaster smiles on our faces while our thoughts were miles from the moments.

All the moments were all in moments.

When we were with the kids, we were with the kids. I wish I could say the same is true today.

I continued thinking of those tapes long after they were stored away again.

I’m so glad smartphones weren’t around when my kids were babies.

What might I have missed along the way?

Maybe I would’ve missed:

the way his little hands clapped hard at the bubbles in uncoordinated attempts.

the moment he held the lady bug and tried hard to find her smile.

the time he accidentally kicked that boy’s shin and how he reached down and patted his back until he knew he was ok.

the first time I saw him hold a door for a little lady.

the time he swept the garage and I noticed the proud smile he wore unaware.

the time he, shy and scared, joined the group and the fleeting moment when his face showed the relief of acceptance

I have the opportunity to record millions of small moments that create one amazing journey of life. I have an opportunity to be both an observer and participant in the trivial moments of their days.

Sometimes the trivial moments of the day become the ones they remember most.

I can watch the life in front of me, or I can watch life partially through a screen. I can catch glimpses and not realize how much I’m actually missing. Only when I put down my phone completely am I fully aware of all I’ve missed with eyes darting up and down.

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I’ve told myself I don’t have a problem with distraction because I’ve justified my need for screens. My excuses range from ‘I don’t have a home phone, so I need to have it with me at all times in case of emergency.’ Or ‘I don’t want to miss a photo, so I need it close by in case they do something worthy of a capture.’ Or ‘someone will be contacting me and I can’t miss it.’ Or…..the list goes on and on.

In all honesty, I do have many valid reasons I’m on my phone not simply distracted. Life is pretty much completely online now. My work is on the computer, my bills are paid on the computer, I communicate with people on the computer. It is necessary for me to be on a screen at times. The problem is that it never seems to stop. And it creeps in and takes over without us even realizing it.

I find myself out loud telling the kids what I’m doing on my phone. I want them to know I’m not checking out on them but that I’m doing things that must be done.

The other night I followed Andrew up the steps to tuck him in and read stories. As always the phone came along. Because….Steve might need to reach me….or an out of state family member might need something….or a classmate might need to reach one of the boys….or….

And because phones simply never respect my desire to spend time with my children, my phone alerted me to two texts while we headed up the stairs. Andrew was mid-story, I checked my messages, and out of instinct I began to type responses. Andrew stopped talking for a minute then said, “You are always on your phone!”

I halted, dropped the phone, then my flesh became defensive. (Not sure about you, but when I become ultra defensive, it’s because a nerve has been struck, and I know there is likely truth behind the words.)

I began defending myself and explaining all the important reasons why I have this phone attached to my fingers all the time. Then I stopped. I put the phone hidden away in my bedroom, and I continued about our evening.

Andrew’s comment haunted me. How many years have I been blogging about making the most of the moments we have been given? How many posts have I written about the intrusion of electronics on family life? How passionate have I been about protecting our family in a screen driven world? And how little by little I’ve allowed it to creep in. Quietly and slowly.

My kids don’t compare my electronic consumption to the rest of the world’s. All they know is they want my time. They want to know I’m actually listening to their stories. They want to know I actually saw with my own eyes their accomplishment. They don’t care if I missed a photo. We have 100 others we’ve captured this week to make up for it I’m sure.

The world shouldn’t revolve around my kids. And they don’t need to think that they come before everything in life. But when they are away from me 7 hours a day, I need to capitalize on the times I have with them. I care about what they will remember about how I spent my time with them.

When my kids draw a picture of mommy, I don’t want to see a phone in my hand.

While I’m so grateful for the moments I had in their baby years that my phone didn’t steal from me, I can’t put my guard down now. I didn’t want to miss the baby years, and I sure don’t want to miss the preteen and teen years either.

When my boys were small, many wiser women told me to learn to step over the mess so I wouldn’t miss the moments with my babies. Times have changed. Now we battle less learning to step over the laundry piles, and we battle instead the need to put down the phone instead. Lots exists on my phone that is as important as the laundry and dishes, but if I thought it was important to leave some housework undone, then I need to apply the same logic in the digital age.

It all seems urgent and pressing. But sometimes we actually get more done when we put it down, are all in with our families when we are with them, and pick up the phone when we are apart.

It’s time I take a personal offensive position against the invasion of screens in our family life. Even the necessary uses of them. And that doesn’t mean throwing them out the window.

I’m taking the advice I gave my kids. If we want to protect ourself from temptation, I need to decide ahead of time what I will do. We must set our boundary lines before we find ourselves having to fight for self-control.

Social media, phones, news feeds, the latest coolest gadgets, they are all here to stay. But my kids aren’t. And there is nothing my phone can feed me that will take away the regrets of missing some of the sweetest moments of my life.

Yet it is more than missing the moments. If I allow electronic distractions into my life on a daily basis, I miss the call God has placed on my life in this season. What has He called me to that I’m missing because I’m on my phone? Even on my phone for good things.

I’m called to love Him above anything else. Above staying current on the news or up to date on the lives of everyone I know.

I’m called to be a wife. I’m called to be a mother. I’m called to raise my children to love and fear the Lord. I’m called to ministry in so many different venues – we all are.

Without self control, I will miss fulfilling my callings to the best of my abilities. My phone is just one small area I need to practice self-control. But it’s a good place to start.

Last night I pulled the covers snug up to Andrew’s chin. I looked in his eyes and realized he is still young enough that he looks at me with complete adoration. He pulled his arms out of his covers, squeezed my cheeks, kissed all over my face, then pushed my face away so he could look in my eyes.

In that moment, I remembered all over again that there will come a day where he will not look at me like that or kiss all over me like that or give me butterfly kisses with his eyelashes. He will be too old, too big, too mature.

It is worth it to put my phone away so I can be all in when I’m in.

No more excuses, no more justifications, and no more comparisons. Today I choose to be with my people when I’m with them. For me that means that my phone isn’t invited into these times. My people are more important than my feed.

I’ve written many posts on electronics and the family. On the sidebar of my blog, click the electronics category to find them.

The most popular is a letter to my boys on why we limit electronics and has been viewed over 3 million times. You may also enjoy:

 

Dear Kids- A Little Secret About What Electronics Is Stealing From You

How To Rob A Childhood And Miss The Sacred Of Parenting

Why Shutting Off Electronics Is Good For Kids

Exploring Limiting Electronics With Kids

5 Benefits Of An Electronics Fast

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Dear Boys, Saying No To Sex Starts Today

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Want your teen to stay sexually pure? Here's a conversation to have.

Dear Boys,

We’ve been talking about sex for a lot of years now.

You know how dad said, “I know it’s hard to believe, but one day, all you will think about is girls.” And how you all laughed and said, “No way!” Also, remember how dad said that you would begin to experience feelings and urges that are very powerful? And how you looked at us with confusion?

It’s hard to believe, but one day you will understand what we are talking about.

Right now, at 10 and 11, it’s easy to say you will remain pure. It’s easy to say you will not have sex until marriage. It’s all easy when you aren’t in the situation.

The reason it’s easy is because you have never been overcome by hormones, passion, or infatuation. The forces of these have brought the wisest of men down. (Think Solomon) The forces of these have brought down “a man after God’s own heart”. (Think David)

We can learn from their mistakes. And we can learn from the wisdom of others. The choice to remain pure until marriage can literally save your life.

How do you say no to premarital sex in a culture that shrugs its shoulders?

  • You first recognize you are powerless to say no
  • You ask God to give you wisdom to make good choices and the power moment by moment to say no
  • You decide now, right this very moment, that you will remain pure. Don’t wait until you are facing temptation. Otherwise, it might take you down.
  • You stay out of situations where you might say yes to sex before marriage. When it comes to sexual temptation, God says to flee. He doesn’t even want you in that situation. He knows the power it holds. (1 Cor 6:18). At the same time, if you find yourself in temptation, He provides a way out. (1 Cor 10:13)
  • Choose to obey God. No. Matter. What.

Out of this list, I want to stress one decision you must make today. It’s a decision today to remain pure no matter what.

Let’s talk about how ahead of time decision-making played out for Daniel. Daniel, along with others, was brought into the royal court by the king of Babylon. The king instructed that this court be given choice food and wine.

Now Daniel loved God very much. He knew that this food and wine would cause him to sin against God because the food was offered to idols and the wine poured out on pagan altars.

Daniel knew in his head and his heart that he should not take part in this food. Daniel 1:8 “But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way.”

Did you notice that phrase…Daniel resolved not to defile himself.

Before Daniel sat down with a plate of this delicious buffet to tempt his watering mouth, he made a choice to say no. Daniel did not wait to decide when faced with the decision. He took the offensive position. He took the upper-hand. Daniel said no before he faced temptation.

Follow Daniel’s footsteps. Choose to abstain from sex before marriage before you are faced with a girl telling you how much she wants to be with you, and that it’s not a big deal, and everyone else is doing it.

How can you be a Daniel in a sex-saturated teen culture?

  • Decide now to remain pure
  • Decide with friends to remain pure and hold each other accountable.
  • Pray for yourself and your friends

Daniel and his 3 friends held strong together. Together we are stronger. Stand with friends to remain pure together.

Find a friend, find a brother, but find someone today that will walk the road of purity with you.

Now, Daniel was faithful to God. And God was faithful to Daniel. But it still ended up with Daniel being thrown into a lion’s den later in life.

Don’t think for a second that just because you have made a decision for purity that you won’t find yourself in a lion’s den. You likely will.

God will deliver you from the lion’s mouth. Stay steady and sure in your faith. Never waver for one second. Don’t be scared by the lion’s den. Remember, God sends His angels to shut the mouths of the lions.

You have nothing to fear.

Daniel never regretted choosing God.

You will never regret choosing purity.

When you say your wedding vows, the greatest gift you can give your wife is the gift of saving yourself for her. When you take your wife, if you remained pure, I promise you will not look back and say, “Wow, I wish I hadn’t waited for this.”

Listen carefully, you are in your training years. When Daniel made the decision to abstain from the king’s food and wine, he was in his training years. Those are the years that God prepared him to be able to sit among the lions fully confident in the one who held those lions back.

You are in your training years. It won’t be easy, but the places God will take you because of your faithful obedience will blow your mind. What God has in store for you because of your obedient faith, doesn’t hold a candle to a moment of pleasure. One that could very well end or change the course of your entire life.

Be a Daniel.

Decide ahead of time that you will say no to sex before marriage.

Keep yourself out of temptation.

Don’t fear. God holds you secure.

And remember, God isn’t trying to withhold anything good from you. He’s trying to protect you so that He can give you the VERY BEST.

Psalm 119:9-11

How can a young person stay on the path of purity?
By living according to your word.
10 I seek you with all my heart;
do not let me stray from your commands.
11 I have hidden your word in my heart
that I might not sin against you.

I love you with all my heart. I pray daily you will choose a path of purity. I pray you love God more than you love the pleasures of this world. They are enticing and deceitful. If you remember who God is, you can remember that He would only desire what’s best for you.

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I highly recommend the book series God’s Design for Sex. We’ve used these books for years with our kids. It gave us the tools to begin the conversations. We started as early as we can remember so that we would always have open dialogue. Ultimately, our kids will make their own choices. As parents our responsibility is to pray them towards purity, to prepare them with knowledge, and to keep open the doors of communication. Kids today are very confused, and they are going to the wrong sources for information.

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When I Was Held At Gun Point

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Two men entered my home. One stayed in the shadows. The other had the appearance of a robot. Like C3PO. The robot man told me to stay on the couch and not move. I began screaming at them to get out of my house.

They said they were looking for gold. I told them we had none. We don’t store up treasures here. We store them where rust and moth don’t destroy!

He told me to stop screaming and to move aside. He pointed his gun at the place I moved from. He pulled the trigger. There was no bullet. Only a red laser light and a loud sound.

I wasn’t scared at all. I got up from the couch and moved to another room. Suddenly everything in the house was moving, shaking, tossing around. I thought I was seeing the way the robot man would see but realized I was seeing as everything was actually happening. It had the feeling of an earthquake.

I made it into the kitchen. I could hear the men tossing my stuff around in search for gold. The kitchen window was open. In the window was a nest with a beautiful mama bird and her two babies tucked secure under her wings.

A black shadow came toward the window and my heart quickened, and I bit my lip just knowing those babies were about to be plucked from their nest.

The shadow came and went. The babies remained securely in the shelter of the mama’s wings. The mama bird held her position with no fear, completely confident.

Then I woke up.

Dreams have always fascinated me. I took a psychology class on dreams in college and it was by far my favorite class ever. Then again, I was an accounting major. Just about any class is more fascinating than debits and credits.

Typically, these types of dreams bring on a wave of fear. I wake up and look around, realize I’m safe, and thank God it was only a dream. This one felt different. I wasn’t scared in this dream. At all. It was weird.

I know that people say we’ve been saying since the beginning of time the world is getting worse, and I agree with that. But you can’t deny it’s getting worse by giant leaps today. We’ve crossed boundaries and broken covenants. We’ve redefined what only God can define. We’ve taken life that only God can give or take. Our world has changed because the choices we have made. And it will never be the same again until He makes all things new. But don’t lose heart. Hold fast to the faith you once had.

As a christian we look around and feel like strangers in a strange land. And we are! But we can’t dismay. While it is maddening to watch culture glorify sin and mock God, we know that it only means we are that much closer to eternal glory. And that is worth getting excited about.

We must remember that none of this is a surprise to God. None. These things must happen. These things were written about in the Bible. If we’ve been studying, we know where we are in history.

We have a choice to make today. And it’s a choice my husband and I were awakened to by our pastor several weeks ago. Will we be believers or followers? There is a difference.

Remember I wrote about an awakening happening in our hearts? God is waking up His people. We are His sheep, we know His voice.

Our pastor preached a sermon on becoming a true follower, a true disciple of Christ. My friends, it was convicting. And if you sit week after week in church, and you never feel challenged or convicted, then you must ask yourself some tough questions.

Lord, may I never become so comfortable hearing your Word preached that it fails to penetrate and divide my soul and spirit, judging the attitudes and actions of my heart. Awaken me from my slumber.

I wish I could share with you every tiny detail of what God has done in my life, in my husband’s life, and in our kids’ lives over the last several weeks. Since I can’t, I’ll just say, God jolted us awake, and when He did, He lit a fire and a passion in our hearts for Him and Him alone.

I think my passion scares some people. I met with a pastor once when I was marketing Seeking Christmas. As my passion came bursting from my lips, he had a look of surprise on his face. He was quiet, reserved, of few words. As I left his office, he said, “You certainly are passionate.” The drive home I replayed my words, how I should have toned down my voice, not been so animated. Then I realized, I just can’t. It’s who I am. When it comes to my faith, there is no tempering it.

What a time to be awakened. When our world feels like it is spinning out of control, we are alive for such a time as this. He is coming and every day we are here we are here to glorify Him.

All the years God sent prophecies about the Messiah, Jesus was missed by the very ones who were the smartest, most intelligent scholars of God’s Word. They had a lot of knowledge, but look where that knowledge led.

When Jesus came, look at the ones who became His disciples. The ones who chose to go outside the realm of belief and to follow.

I want to encourage you today to ask yourself the question our pastor asked us. Are you a believer or a follower? Do you know the difference?

This culture we are living in needs followers not believers.

A friend 2 weeks ago asked me if I sensed God asking me to focus on the small assignments. Yes. Yes, I do. Jesus didn’t discount the small assignments. The one person who needed to be touched and healed. The one person who needed a word of encouragement.

Jesus mastered the small assignments, which led Him ultimately to the point of conquering the biggest assignment of his life.

What small assignments is God placing before you today? Will you be faithful in the small assignments He places before you today?

Is that not where we begin if we want to follow Him well? Do we not say yes to everything He asks of us? Deny ourselves. Say what? That is radical in a selfish generation that pursues passions and pleasures hard.

To follow Him well, we must say no to us and yes to Him. In a world that is saying “learn to say no”, I say we need to learn to say yes. We’ve mastered saying no. It’s time to master saying yes to Him.

Do you want to stop believing and start following? Take the first step today.

Look for the small assignments. Start there. God will increase your assignments as you learn to follow Him. Follow the example of Jesus. The most humble example we will ever have, the most selfless model we could ever admire.

Jesus said yes to His Father. He said yes to every small assignment the Father asked of Him. Will we follow Him and say yes to the small assignments He gives us today?

If you still don’t know where to start, this is where knowing God gets really fun. He speaks so intimately to His people. If you seek Him with your whole heart you will find Him. Seek Him, you will find Him. He will speak to you. Open the Word. It holds power nothing in this world can stand against.

Happy Monday, my friends. Let’s start this week with a new resolve to follow Him wherever He leads!

I’m so glad you are here with me. This small community is one of the greatest blessings and joys the Lord has given me. A small assignment to write, and He blesses me with your encouragement and your notes. Thank you.

 

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What If We Lived Like Today is Our Last Day?

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“Mom, I think I just heard Jesus tell me I would see him soon.”

I looked at Andrew to see if he wore his ‘I’m just tricking you’ grin. He did not.

“Andrew. Really? No, you didn’t,” I patted his back giving him a playful grin.

“I’m not joking, Mom. I really did. I heard him in my heart. And I really think I just heard him tell me I would see him soon.”

“Well, I can’t wait for the day I get to see Jesus. But even when we are here on Earth, He’s around us everywhere we look.”

On any other day, I would hear his precious words and move right on into our next moment. But in light of this sense of urgency God has laid on my heart, I was unable to shake Andrew’s comment.

I could tell it bothered Andrew that I didn’t believe him. I can relate. I’ve shared my passion and conviction for the times we are living in only to receive a blank stare back, a no response email, or an actual audible laugh.

After last week’s post, for the first time since I’ve started blogging, I received more unsubscribes than subscribes on one particular day. People begin to squirm when we talk about end times. People don’t like to think about things that bring fear or discomfort. The unknown is not fun. And we’d rather read about how much He loves us, and how special we are, and how we are chosen and blessed.

While I don’t want to make you squirm, I do want to remind you that if you are in Him, there is nothing to fear. We are to take heart, to be courageous, to share His love, and wait with excited anticipation, and pray. Yes, excited anticipation for His coming.

At the same time, we feel a sense of urgency because we know the majority of people in our lives don’t hold the same beliefs, and we are desperate for them to know what we know.

While I did receive many blank stares, unreturned emails, or laughs, the Lord was gracious in leading me to others He’s placed the same stirrings in. He crossed my path with others who feel the urgent call to get on our knees and repent, to return to Him, to seek Him, to share with everyone.

Driving to school, Jacob, my insightful and wise old soul, said, “You know, Mom, it’s weird to think how we just go through our routines all the time. We don’t really think about life being different at any given second. We just go through our familiar routines. But then one day, in like a split second, we will see Jesus, and life will never be the same again.”

I’ve pondered that thought all morning. I’ve always been a moment maker, lover of relishing in the moments, tasting and experiencing to the fullest. I understand that each moment is a gift to enjoy because we never know what the next moment holds for us.

But Jacob’s thought has led me in several directions. As christians we often say that we live with eternity in mind. But to be honest, I really don’t live moment to moment with eternity in mind. I’m thinking about what is next on the to-do list, or how to discipline a particular issue, or how to celebrate someone’s birthday arriving in mere days.

Over the last few days, Steve and I have spent more time discussing what really matters in life. I don’t know many believers who disagree that we are living in end times. When you read the signs of the end of the age in Matthew 24, we see all the signs. Jesus tells us they are the birth pains, they must happen, but he also tells us not to be alarmed.

When I was pregnant with Andrew, our youngest, I felt birth pains for what felt like ages. At about 30 weeks, I began having contractions. I went into the hospital for monitoring and went home on bed rest for a short time. For the remainder of my pregnancy, Andrew gave me signs he was ready to be with us always. I got to a point the contractions no longer concerned me. The doctors kept a close watch and everything appeared fine, but the early birth pains remained.

The night of Andrew’s arrival took us by complete surprise. You would think it would have been no surprise, after all, he’d been alerting me with contractions for weeks. But the day he arrived, he became a bit silent. He stopped kicking and squirming as much. Steve made the comment it would be nice if he waited until after Thanksgiving to arrive so we could enjoy the holiday.

10:00 pm Thanksgiving Eve, Andrew went from what felt like slumber to a desperate attempt to escape. We arrived at the hospital in extreme pain, we received no epidural, and Andrew arrived in record time for us.

It happened so fast it took us by complete surprise. Yet, he’d been reminding us all along he was coming.

I feel we are at the same point in our nation’s history. The Bible is clear a date of Christ’s return cannot be predicted, but it is also clear what the signs are leading up to His return. The signs are all around us if we open our eyes.

If we lived like every day was our last, what would our life look like? Would we be a little kinder? Would we speak a little gentler? Would we help with no motives? Would we share the gospel with no fear of rejection? Would we stop caring so much what others think of us and start sharing what matters most? Would we put down our phones and pick up our eyes a little more? Would frustrations suddenly become blessings? Would moments we’ve taken for granted revive us?

If we lived every day like it were our last, would anxiety cease to exist? Is that where true soul rest comes in? When we lay down our worries, being still in Him, and walking in His will. Would today be more than we fathomed because tomorrow wasn’t assumed?

I just wonder what happens to our soul when we live like there is no tomorrow. I wonder if I’d pour out myself with a little more generosity.

Today is September 1st. Today is the day we begin praying for our nation and ourselves to return to God, to seek Him. We pray for a revival and repentance like we’ve never seen. We pray God would heal our land and draw hearts back to Him. We pray for our nation to fall back in love with our God and to serve Him with our whole hearts.

For 30 days, we pray with urgency. All day long as the Spirit prompts, and specifically, 3 times a day we lift our voices together to the Heavens. Thank you for being here. For those who’ve stuck around, thank you. Let’s watch God do amazing miracles before our very eyes.

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