What One Meal Can Teach You

A few Loaves & Fishes feed 1000’s (John 21: 4-6, 9-12)

Jesus had compassion on the crowd and wanted to feed them.
He is aware of my needs and looks for ways to help me.

The crowd did not ask for food.
He loves me enough to give me more than what I ask Him for.

The disciples felt the task was impossible.
I am guilty of believing only in what I can see.

Jesus asked for what was available?
What can he do with what I have (house, money, skills, talents, job, friends, car, time, etc.)?

He gave thanks for the small amount he had and gave it away.
Am I thanking Him for what I do have? Am I willing it give it to Him to use for others?

They all ate and were satisfied.
He can do more than I can imagine with what I have.
Satisfaction! He acts on my behalf to satisfy my needs.

There were a lot of left overs.
The servants were not left out. He over-delivered for them as well.
Everyone involved was on the receiving end.

Jesus is a giver! a multiplier! a satisfier!

Be Inspired by Shelly

I pay attention to people who do new things. Shelly Thompson is one of those ladies. I’m featuring her in my blog this week as someone who truly inspires me to Dream Big and Go For It!  I want to tap into what motivates her, so I sent her the following 5 questions through facebook. Prepare to be inspired by Shelly.

1. What new things have you tackled in the last 20 years?

I got married and became a parent.  I joined the girl scouts and became possibly the worst girl scout leader ever.  When my daughter’s pee wee cheerleading team needed a coach, I volunteered and learned how to cheer.  I coached cheerleading on and off for the next 9 years.  I stopped when they got bigger than me and kept wanting to pick me up in the air.

Kickboxing was fun until I took a good punch to the face and I haven’t done that since.  I joined the White River Pageant Association as a volunteer and for a while, was a pageant mom.  I quit smoking after 22 years.  That was hard.  I became a Hair Stylist, something I have wanted to do since I was 18.

Somehow I turned myself into a long distance runner.  The first mile I ever ran without stopping was August 1 2008.  Since then I have finished the Little Rock half marathon, the River Trail 15k, the spa 10k, and about 12 5k’s.  I placed in some of them, but i have yet to win a first place finish in my age group.  recently I climbed Pinnicle mtn.  It’s harder than it looks.

2.  What inspires you to try new careers, hobbies, goals?

The first 20 years of my life I was afraid of making a fool of myself. Now I realize that no one is paying that much attention to me. Also, we only get so much lift to live, better get this stuff in now.

3. What are you afraid to try? What have you wanted to do that you haven’t tried yet?

I have stage fright and I am the worst singer I have ever heard. But, I really want to sing on stage in public. October 13th is my debut, and yes, I’m scared.

4. What’s next on your to try list?

I was planning on running the Little rock FULL marathon, but my training has been side tracked by the flu. That will have to wait till 2011. I am trying to get my 5k time under 30 minutes and November 21 is the race that I’m hoping to accomplish than in. after that: ballroom dancing! I would love to go to one of those competitions!

5. Who inspires you? why?

Shelly: Aretha franklin. She is a woman that does not fit our society’s traditional ideal of beauty, but she did not let that hold her back. She is more beautiful because of it. And she can really sing.

Ashlyn Batson, Miss Arkansas 2008. She was born with a speach problem, she has not only overcome it, but she is becoming a speach theripist to help others. Also, she is the definition of persistance. I watched that girl set a goal for herself to be Miss Arkansas and accomplish it in 5 years. She put a plan in place and worked her bootie off to achieve it. Even when everyone told her to quit, she kept her eye on the prize. She is young, I think 23 now, but I look up to her as a role model because I saw how hard she worked for something she wanted.

Tory Thompson, my daughter. She is not afraid of anything. Period. She has reinvented herself too many times to count in her 18 years.

Two more things off the top of my head that inspire me about Shelly are her boldness to radically change hair color and the fact that she has been married to the same man for twenty years today.  Happy Anniversary Shelly and Jeff!

Love takes Energy

Love is not easy when you are tired. In fact, I think that being tired is a love deterrent because love in action takes energy.

In Brennan Manning’s book, the Ragamuffin Gospel, I learned that you should not make important decisions when you are Hungry, Angry, Lonely, or Tired.  These words form the acronym – HALT.

So, I’m noticing that I am more easily frustrated and less forgiving over the last week or so.  My will to love those that frustrate me has taken a fall. (I am convinced that real love is a decision rather than a feeling.) I am pinging on at least 2 of the 4 words in HALT.

A battle happens in my mind and it goes something like this:

1. “Who says things like that to people?”, “He/she is unbearable”, and “I have done all of this, and that attitude is the thanks I get?”

2. But I want to honor that person, so I won’t say anything about this.

3. Oops, I just let that negative comment slip anyway. But she brought it up!

4. Oh …. one day I’m going to be brave and say what I think.

5. No … I am going to focus on my own faults and realize they are equally as frustrating to others.

and back to number one again only to repeat the cycle.

When I am not tired, I have more mental energy to choose forgiveness. It takes energy to keep “selfishness” at bay and make the choice to love a person anyway.

Today I am aware that in order to love well, I need to rest well.  And for me, resting well includes giving up my role of “helper of the universe”. I am learning that without rest, I do not have the energy to be patient, kind and gentle.  Busyness keeps me from acknowledging WHO is the source of my strength, my power and my love.

Thankfully God has an endless supply of energy. Tonight, I want to plug into the source of the love I need for all that tomorrow holds. I am grateful that He is a reliable and sustainable source of energy and love for me.

Asked and Answered

“…asking is the rule of the Kingdom.”  This short quote by Charles H. Spurgeon got my attention.  Could it be true? I believe the verses below, but am I living these? Do I ask? Does He answer?

“Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. ⁸ For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. (Matthew 7:7-8)

Ask me and I will tell you remarkable secrets you do not know about things to come. (Jeremiah 33:3)

So I did a word search on biblegateway.com.  Wow… There are so many accounts of people asking God for help and God supplying their answer or need.  Here are just a few that I found.

Hannah wept bitterly before the Lord asking Him for a son. … And in due time, she gave birth to Samuel. (1 Samuel 1)

David asked the Lord, “Should I go out to fight the Philistines? Will you hand them over to me?”The Lord replied to David, “Yes, go ahead. I will certainly hand them over to you.” (2 Samuel 5:19)

Check this out. Here are just a few places where God invites people to ask Him and tells them He will answer.

That night God appeared to Solomon and said, “What do you want? Ask, and I will give it to you!” (2 Chronicles 1:7)

Ask the Lord for rain in the spring, for he makes the storm clouds. And he will send showers of rain
so every field becomes a lush pasture. (Zechariah 10:1)

The truth is… I forget to ask. And frankly, that is ridiculous. I don’t forget to use my key to start my car. I don’t forget to use my credit card at the gas pump.  These are givens in my life. I don’t forget to ask people to help me accomplish things at work. I need help, so I ask.  Then why don’t I automatically ask Him (the creator of the universe, the lover of my soul, the most powerful force) for help?

Here are my top 5 reasons:

1. Pride – do I want to prove that I can figure it out myself?  Do I want to prove I can live without what I would ask for?

2. Fear – am I afraid to ask because I might not get the answer I want? Am I afraid of “NO”?

3. Guilt – do I feel like I don’t deserve the blessing? I am afraid that there is unconfessed sin in my life that will keep God from blessing me with the answer.  Am I ashamed to admit that I mess up? Am I too afraid to even notice it?

4. Lies – are lies from my enemy blinding me to the truth of who God is and how much He loves me?  Has the truth taken a back seat because I have ignored the need to remind myself of the truth about God and His love for me?

5. Absence of accounts of His power in today’s world – am I hearing others tell how He is working in their lives? When I do hear it, am I really listening and connecting the dots to WHO GOD IS?

Lord, please forgive me. I can be so foolish! Thank you for using that small simple quote to get my attention and bring me back to reality.

My reality is…

I asked You to help me submit to you and David, and you did just that. And my life has never been better.

I asked You to help me be the wife David needed and you did just that. I realize I need to keep asking!

I asked You to help me go to work for You, and now I work at Woodland Hills Family Church.

And the list goes on and on.

Thank you for God for giving me good gifts, the best of what you have to offer. Thank you that I can trust that you will give me and all who are yours – more than we can ask or imagine because you are the most powerful and your are love.

Here are a few extras…just to inspire you to ask and wait faithfully for His answer:

….your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him! (Matthew 6:8)

Don’t you realize that I could ask my Father for thousands of angels to protect us, and he would send them instantly? (Matthew 26:53)

“I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father. ¹³ You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father. ¹⁴ Yes, ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it!  (John 14:12-14)

But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted! (John 15:7)

The Inexcusable

The word “inexcusable” keeps ringing in my ears.  It doesn’t leave me with that warm, fuzzy feeling.

Two things have caused this word to be with me lately. Check them out below:

1. To be a Christian means to forgive the inexcusable, because God has forgiven the inexcusable in you. This is hard. It is perhaps not so hard to forgive a single injury. But to forgive the incessant provocations of daily life – to keep on forgiving the bossy mother-in-law, the bullying husband, the nagging wife, the selfish daughter, the deceitful son – how can we do it? Only, I think, by remembering where we stand, by meaning our words when we say in our prayers each night, “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” We are offered forgiveness on no other terms. To refuse it means to refuse God’s mercy for ourselves. There is no hint of exceptions and God means what He says.  (Clive Staples) C. S. Lewis, Into The Wardrobe

2. Therefore you are inexcusable, O man, whoever you are who judge, for in whatever you judge another you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things. Romans 2: 1

I’m thankful for the power of this word and the change in me that it is bringing.  The word seems to mentally STOP me in my tracks.  Inexcusable is a word that leaves me with no comeback.

I have no excuses for judging. None!

Inspired to Ask

When I read the Bible, my mind automatically finds ideas for prayer. I can almost hear the words in my head, “That is a great prayer! This is what God desires”.

I am inspired to pray this scripture today:

And as God’s grace reaches more and more people,
there will be great thanksgiving,
and God will receive more and more glory.
2 Corinthians 4:15.

Thank you God for being so loving. This verse shows me that you are giving away your grace – your endless resources to more and more people. I want to witness that and be a part of it. Help me to identify the activities around me in which you are giving away your grace. Use me to point this out to others when I see it.

Inspire me Lord to give away my resources to others so that people can witness who you are in my actions. But please don’t let me get the glory. I want my grace giving it to point to you.  Please forgive me for all the times that I have hoarded my resources and spent them on my worldly pleasures. Please forgive me for all the times that I have taken credit or enjoyed the attention when I have given myself or my “stuff” away.

More and More people! I love this idea that you are not through with the scads of people that have not believed in you and your love for them. I agree with you. I want more and more people to know you – to experience all that you are.  Show me those people.  Help me to love them with you.

Fill my mind and my mouth with a greatfulness to you.  Thank you for the gift of gratitude. It is contagious. It is transforming. It is full of hope.

Thank you for sticking this life out with me and for remaining faithful to me even when I don’t deserve it.

This is your day. This is your world. I am happy to be part of what you are doing.

How would you pray this scripture?  Or is there another one that leaps off the page and  something in you says “Yes, that is what I know in my heart that you want, God, and I agree with you!”

What Was I Thinking?

With a simple search at www.biblegateway.com, I found this:

Psalm 94:11
The LORD knows the thoughts of man; he knows that they are futile.

Psalm 139:2
You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar.

Psalm 139:23
Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.

Jeremiah 12:3
Yet you know me, O LORD; you see me and test my thoughts about you

Matthew 9:4
Jesus knew what they were thinking, so he asked them, “Why do you have such evil thoughts in your hearts?

Matthew 12:25
Jesus knew their thoughts and replied, “Any kingdom divided by civil war is doomed. A town or family splintered by feuding will fall apart.

Luke 6:8
But Jesus knew their thoughts. He said to the man with the deformed hand, “Come and stand in front of everyone.” So the man came forward.

Luke 7:40
Then Jesus answered his thoughts. “Simon,” he said to the Pharisee, “I have something to say to you.”“Go ahead, Teacher,” Simon replied.

Luke 9:47
But Jesus knew their thoughts, so he brought a little child to his side.

WOW!

So, if God (Jesus and His Holy Spirit in me) knows what I am thinking – then why don’t I just talk to Him about my thoughts.

My friend Tami laughs and says that the two of us enjoy putting our thoughts and feelings out on the table and playing with them. Why wouldn’t I enjoy this kind of conversation with God?

Lord – thank You for this revelation of Your Truth. Please help me to feel safe enough to discuss my thoughts with you. Help me not to feel like I must figure things out and then talk to You about them.  I want to relate to You as a best friend.  Transform my thoughts into conversations with You.  Thank You in advance for Your help!

Nothing! Really?

¹² Late in the afternoon the twelve disciples came to him and said, “Send the crowds away to the nearby villages and farms, so they can find food and lodging for the night. There is nothing to eat here in this remote place.”

¹³ But Jesus said, “You feed them.”  Luke 9:12-13

The disciples saw “Nothing!”

1. We’ve done all we can do here.  (We did our part. This looks like a good place to stop.)
2. The people have needs. (Compassion)
3. We can’t meet them. (Impossibilities, Out of Options)
4. We’re done here. (Expectations met or even exceeded. The disciples were trying to have quiet time before the crowd found them.)
5. Advised Jesus what needed to happen next. (Role reversal)
6. Questioned Jesus’ instructions. (Doubt expressed)

But Jesus saw Reality:

1. Saw need and knew Who could meet it. (Focused on God’s characteristics, not human limitations)
2. Did not walk away from “impossibilities”. (Saw what could be: FAITH)
3. Directed the disciples (Instruction without condemnation)
4. Offered what existed to God (Invited God’s power knowing God’s compassionate nature)
5. Watched God exceed their expectations. (Gave disciples & crowd a glimpse of God’s love and ability to provide)

Real faith meets real needs. Real faith takes action. (Hebrews 11)

God will exceed our expectations. (Ephesians 3: 19-21)

Thank You God for showing me how “limited” I see myself and my circumstances.  I want to think like Jesus did. He knew (knows) Your power is limitless and Your love is extravagant.  Increase my faith Lord like you did in the lives of the disciples and the crowd. Reveal to me, Father, the limits I see as unchangeable.  I want to please You with an active faith.  Transform my thinking so that I can react to what seems like “nothing” the way Jesus did.  Amen

———————-

45 Minutes after writing this blog, I read this from: http://30secondprayers.wordpress.com/

NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE

August 3, 2009

Jesus said to (His disciples), “There is no need for the crowds to go away; give them some food yourselves.” But they said to him, “Five loaves and two fish are all we have here.” Then he said, “Bring them here to me.” (Matthew 14: 16-18)

Lord, when I feel  things won’t be enough today, be my more-than-enough God. When I fear things to be impossible today, be my all-things-are-possible God. Amen.

Repeat after me: “I Will NOT Worry”

Matthew 6 is fast becoming my favorite chapter of the Bible. Tonight I have been working on an assignment to memorize Matt 6:31-34.

Here’s the flash card version:

I don’t worry about stuff

Unbelievers do

God knows what I need

I ask Him for answers and help

I live His way

He gives to me….my needs WILL be met

So, I will NOT worry.

When tempted to worry because we don’t have the answers….we should repeat this outloud….rinse our mind out with the truth….and repeat it again.

I WILL NOT WORRY!

Family + Vacation = Inspiration

his list of talents amaze me

feeling secure in his daddy’s arms

We just returned from our first vacation in several years.  It was wonderful!

A – all Southern states, food and dialect

B – good visits with family and friends!

C – long naps almost every day

D – my husband is incredibly generous with his patience, his resources and his time.

E – listening to an interesting book (the 4 Hour Work Week) while driving. Very inspiring!

F – capturing special moments with my camera (one of my favorite things to do)

G – the sound of children laughing and the look of unconditional love on their faces

H – a silent cell phone and stowed away laptop

I AM VERY BLESSED & INSPIRED!

drying beach towels – only one of the common denominators

LSU fans unite in Alabama

Learning a Harry Potter movie song together

his list of talents amaze me

statue of Jesus at the Mobile, AL Cathedral

feeling secure in his daddy’s arms

who’s leading who? Big Daddy & Isaac explore the gulf

wondering what’s in store for her life

she’s a sassy southern girl

you can’t fake this kind of happy!

delighted! for him, this is as good as it gets

transforming because of her influence

Beautiful!

moms make the fun happen