Adventures Ahead

Start of the day coffee

end of the day coffee

Is anyone else’s week absolutely crazy?! Where do the hours in the day go? I am pretty sure that I had a cup of black coffee in my hand all day yesterday (no, not the same cup… which is probably why it was so hard for me to fall asleep last night. That and the fact that my schedule kept running through my mind).

Anyways, today’s post is purely selfish. I have a favor to ask of each of you. Do you remember a while back when I told you about the kids book I am writing? Well this Friday (at 1pm CST) I have my first meeting with a Christian book company! YAY!! I would appreciate it if you would say a pray for me. Specifically take a moment to pray these things:

• Pray that the Lord would guide me in writing this book
• that He would help me to handle his Word accurately (as it is a kids book about the Bible)
• that His Will would be done
• glory would be brought to Him
• that He would be present in every step of the way

There are so many other prayers that go along with this adventure, but for now those are the main prayers on my heart for the book. I am a firm believer that prayer changes things; therefore, YOU are making an impact! 🙂 Thank you!

Have a blessed day!

Getting Fit

For all of you who have learned to enjoy running- God bless you! Recently Husband and I have begun running and I will tell you what, it will literally kick your butt! Praise the Lord he has agreed to run with me because without his encouragement I would probably end up walking most of our 4-5 mile runs. While I know that these runs are good for my body, they have also been good for my heart. No, not just in a physical way. Running has actually encouraged me spiritually in more ways than I would have ever imagined. I feel as though I am getting fit in two different ways. This past Friday I was given the opportunity to speak in front of a group of people and the Lord really laid 2 Timothy 2:5 on my heart. (This is probably because we have been a Precepts study on 2 Timothy and last week happened to be about chapter 2 and the soldier, the farmer, and the athlete.)

Anyways, after doing more digging the Lord taught me 5 key points based off of this verse. I would go into all of the details and tell you all of the stories that I included, but let’s be honest, then this post would be pages long and you wouldn’t read it. So I will give you a condensed version.

As Christians, it is important to understand that the way we live our lives and the way we walk with the Lord is a lot like the way we should play a sport or train athletically. The Bile makes a plethora of references to the fact that we are fighting for a prize or that we are running a race. There are 5 lessons that we can learn from athletes and apply to our lives as Christians

1.)  Be disciplined.

• Simply wanting to fulfill God’s Will for your life is not enough. It takes discipline, not just desire, to grow closer to Him & to do His Will.
• 1 Corinthians 9:24-26, 1 Peter 1:15
• You must train regardless of the season.
  • Runners run even when it’s cold, even though warmer weather is preferred
  • Christians will experience seasons of spiritual highs and spiritual droughts, seasons of blessings and seasons of trials

2.)  Avoid this that hinder your growth & cling to the things that promote growth.

• When athletes stop training they get out of shape, fat, loose strength, develop bad habits, etc.
• If you want to win a competition or tournament or get in shape not training or not eating well will never get you to your goal.
• Hebrews 12:1, Philippians 3:1, Matthew 4:4, 1 Peter 2:2
• Just as you must train daily in sports, you must train daily for God
• Feed yourself nutrients through the Word otherwise you will grow stagnant and will not get stronger.

3.)  Follow the guidelines

• 2 Timothy 2:5, Colossians 3:23-25
• We know that Lance Armstrong worked hard, was disciplined, fed himself nutritious meals, one 7 Tour de France titles, medaled in the Olympics and made millions from sponsors.
  • But recently we learned that he did not compete according to the rules so he was stript of every award he ever received.

4.)   Find your Teammates

• Proverbs 27:17
• We are called to sharpen one another and make one another  stronger.
• One ex: When running there are many times when I want to give up, walk or slow down, but with my Husband by my side he encourages me to be the best that I can be and to keep pushing me towards my goal. I am always stronger and faster with his encouragement and help.

5.)   Keep your Eyes on the Goal

• Philippians 3:13-14, Romans 11:36, 2 Timothy 4:7
• We know how much time, money and energy athletes spend working towards a perishable goal. How much more should we be doing for an imperishable goal?
• The race of Christianity is not a race of who comes in first; it is a race of endurance. Who can finish with faithfulness.

So looking back we know that we must

• Be disciplined
• Avoid things that hinder our growth & cling to things that help us grow
• Follow the guidelines
• Find your teammates
• Keep your eye on the goal

{feeling good after one of our runs}

Incomprehensible Love

{via}

A few days ago we watched a video in class. It was a video that had seen a plethora of times, but it still just moves my heart. If you have seen it before, you know how inspiring it is. If you haven’t, grab a box of tissues.

This dynamic duos story really began in 1977 when Rick Hoyt, a spastic quadriplegic with cerebral palsy, told his dad that he wanted to participate in a 5-mile benefit for a Lacrosse player who had been paralyzed in an accident.  The dad, who was not a long distance runner, agreed to push him in a wheelchair. The night after the run, Rick told his father, “Dad, when I’m running, it feels like I’m not handicapped.” From there the duo began running half marathons, marathons, Iron Man triathlons (yes, a full 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike ride & a marathon 26.2-mile run) and more. In 2009 the duo completed their 1000^th race and in 2011 they completed the Boston Marathon (the dad was 70)!  And according to their website, they still aren’t done racing! Can you imagine the love that Father must have for his son!? Now try comparing that to the love our Heavenly Father has for us… Incomprehensible.

My 2 Valentines

Happy Valentine’s Day! Today I just feel blessed and overwhelmed with God’s love. I know that today we focus primarily on our earthly relationships, but the truth is, if it weren’t for God’s love, my husband and I would not share such a beautiful earthly love.  The only reason that I am able to love is because I understand how much my Heavenly Father loves me. (Okay, I will never actually understand how much He loves me…. But He has given me a glimpse of His unconditional love). He is the ultimate example of love.

So rather than focusing on the gifts that we give each other, the flowers, the cards, or the feelings we share today, I want to focus on God’s perfect example of love. I want to focus on the fact that He is the center of our relationship and that we are beyond blessed.

Because of His love I have been blessed with a man that has captivated my heart, who encourages me in my walk with Him, and who loves and encourages me in ways that I thought I could only dream of. Over the past couple of years the Lord has taught me so much about love through him and I cannot wait to see how much more we will learn in the years to come!

Have a blessed day!

Listen

 

Are you listening? What is He whispering to you in your pleasures, speaking to you in your conscience, and shouting in your pains? Take the time to really listen for Him today.

Autocorrecting Love

Have you ever tried typing into an iPhone the word “love” and found that for some reason it autocorrects to “live?” While I had noticed this in the midst of sending a text, I had never really thought about it. It wasn’t until I started reading “Love Does” by Bob Goff that I gave this a second thought (a blogger I follow recommended it- a great suggestion). He points out that fully loving and fully living are synonymous. Living a life full of love is the kind of life that Jesus invited us to be part of. We are called to live in and walk in love. It’s not enough to simply look the part.

You can tell how much one loves God by how well they love those around them. If asked, would those around you say that you walk in love?

Run the Race

Last week we were given the opportunity to study the book of Hebrews. While Hebrews is only 13 chapters long, one week was not nearly enough time to really study the book. If you are looking for a new book to begin reading in the Bible I highly encourage you to turn here. I feel as though the book of Hebrews has five major themes.

1. The Superiority of Christ
2. The Perseverance believers are called to
3. Having a faith that pleases God
4. Discipline
5. Christian Living

While I think chapter 11 is my favorite chapter in this book (how interesting is the ‘Faith Hall of Fame?’), I also really enjoy chapter 12.  I think this may be because the Lord is teaching me a lot about discipline recently.

In my opinion, the overall theme of Chapter 12 is one of discipline. If one chooses to follow Christ than they must learn to be disciplined as Christ was. By being disciplined one will more easily choose to live a life that imitates Christ. Discipline helps one to develop his or her faith. Chapter 12 also gives warning to those who do not become disciplined in their faith. The author teaches that there are consequences for sin. Furthermore, the author also explains that by not being disciplined and by refusing to become disciplined one will experience danger. Jesus came to make a new covenant and to judge those who do not turn from their flesh. He calls us to truly repent and to be born again.  Our lives are to be changed.

Chapter 12 of Hebrews begins by reminding the reader that every day we will experience troubles and things/experiences that may hinder our spiritual growth. The author of Hebrews reminds the reader that the only way to not stumble is to keep our eyes on Jesus. Jesus lived a sinless life despite the fact that He experienced the same troubles, hindrances, and persecution that we do today. In fact, the struggles and persecution He experienced were even stronger than ours due to the fact that Satan fought much harder against Him and because the Jews wanted to see Him fail. We are called to

“Consider Him who endured such opposition from sinful men,
 so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”
Hebrews 12:3

The chapter continues and the writer reminds us that the Lord loves us, which is why He disciplines us. In the same way our earthly fathers discipline us to help us grow, our Heavenly Father does the same. We learn that this discipline is to shape us and make us holy.

As the chapter continues the writer reminds the reader to “make every effort to live in peace with all men” (Hebrews 12:14) and to be holy so that your life may be a testimony to God’s grace. The author writes to also make sure that no on is sexually immoral or godless. Living in this sinful way only turns individuals away from the Lord.

Do you know the Lord? Can others see that you are disciplined in your faith?

No Regrets

Yesterday’s post was short and simple. Do it with passion, or not at all. Shortly after posting that image I received a link via email to a dear family friend’s blog. This blog is both heart wrenching and inspiring.  How can a blog be both of these things? Well, picture this- a 30-year-old lover of Christ, husband, father of a precious little girl, battling cancer who still finds joy through the Lord. Can you imagine? His post yesterday was about living with no regrets, loving and living well, and living passionately.

I am sharing this with you for a two reasons.

1.)  Life is short, make the most of it. You aren’t promised tomorrow.

2.)  I would love for you to join many others and me in prayer for Andrew, his wife Bailey, & their daughter Ellie.
(Even if it is a one time prayer right now)

Read Andrews blog here and Bailey’s blog here. You don’t want to miss their encouraging words during this difficult time. Their joy is inspiring.

Do it with Passion

 

Pick Wisely