I'm sure you've heard the phrase, "Let it go!" many times. Something bugs us and just like a tick, it gets under our skin. And like the tick... it will fester and bring disease to our bodies. Some of us have control issues. [ahem!] We have trouble letting go, don't we? This scripture jumped off the page when I read it... Let go of your concerns! Then you will know that I am God. I rule the nations. I rule the earth. ~Psalm 46:10 Did you see it too? Then. Then you will know that I am God. And just for good … [Read more...]
The questions... "What makes you afraid?" or "Of what are you afraid?" do not seem to hold the same intensity and emotion as this grammatically incorrect question... "What are you afraid of?" What are you afraid of? Maybe it's surgery, or loss of a job, or loss of a home, or illness, or accident, or... Most of us, if we're honest, we struggle with some sort of fear. I know I do. I have a friend who is anxious about an upcoming court date. Knowing that the judge can rule in her favor or not is almost debilitating. She's asked me to pray for her and I do... but aside from praying all of us feel … [Read more...]
Last week I was doing a fair amount of contemplation regarding this space and decided to share a few of my thoughts with you. It was one of those "streams of consciousness" kinds of posts. Sometimes it's helpful to process our thoughts with others. Sometimes it's helpful to simply write those thoughts down. As I wrote, I surprised myself by writing this... But even more… I want to thrive. I want YOU to thrive. I also created a printable with a thoughtful quote I found. The post went live, and I shared it on Facebook. End of story. Not really. Shelly, a faithful member of our An Extraordinary Day … [Read more...]
Imagine yourself standing in a large atrium in which there are many doors spaced along its walls and no other hallways in which to exit. In my mind, my life is like that atrium. It's filled with beautiful plants, some flowers, and beautiful daylight streaming down from the upper story windows. For too long, invitations to exit into a new world have appeared on countless doors in the atrium. However, the doors are locked and access to the new world is prohibited through those doors. Remember when you were in high school, standing in the hallway at your locker on the first day of … [Read more...]
Did you make a New Year's resolution? I am certain that there are many people who not only made New Year's resolutions for 2015... but have broken one or more already. Fear of failure is one of the chief reasons that so many people don't make resolutions at the start of the New Year. As the year came to a close, I decided I needed to do something for the New Year that did not include the typical Word for the Year or resolutions. I ruminated on this for some time, feeling resistant to set anything down in pen or type. My resistance was undoubtedly mixed with fear of failure and living in limbo and … [Read more...]
Can you believe this is the last Joy Day! for 2014? Weekly we've been gathering together and counting the good and not-so-good things from the year. Often, I feel like I have nothing to give other than just being here and trusting God with you. Kind of like friends who go for a walk together, not saying much, just being together for the journey. Always I ask God to give me something. Something that will encourage your heart and mine. This year has been a trying year. As the hands of the clock turned synchronously with the calendar's pages to the new year, I believed this … [Read more...]
Quiet. Can you hear it? Right now the house is quiet, except that I can hear the fan of the furnace forcing warmth into the air. Sometimes I crave quiet. There's something peaceful and holy in those quiet moments. My body relaxes. My thoughts become like a child in a meadow... running free, arms in the air, twirling, and finally flopping down on the soft grasses and noticing a single blade, a tiny ant, and the scents of soil and wildflowers. In the quiet my senses come alive. My imagination awakes. My creative cells gather energy. In the quiet, the Holy Spirit speaks life and … [Read more...]
Today is the first day of Advent. It seems impossible for Christmas to be upon us, doesn't it? The year has gone way too fast. Do you observe Advent? I know many with younger children click off the days' march towards Christmas with candies or gifts. Others may light candles each night and read verses. And still others decorate a Jesse Tree. Advent is a time of preparation. A time when we prepare our hearts for our Savior. A time when we await his second coming. And a time when we rejoice in his first coming Typically I don't follow … [Read more...]
We're in the season of gratitude. Don't you feel it all around you? Okay...I've exaggerated a little bit. When we're out in the marketplace we often get the opposite sense of that don't we? Like the person at the car wash who is just coming in behind you and sees that you're in a broken bay, and as you are backing up to switch bays, whips around you to be next in line at another bay, before you. Or what about the child who has a tantrum in every aisle because he isn't getting something he wants. Or, ________ you fill in the blank. We see selfish behavior in … [Read more...]
"Is anything too hard for the Lord? No!" Genesis 18:14 Can you imagine sitting on your porch, resting at the heat of the day, and having the God of the universe stepping towards you on your walkway with two men? Seriously, that is mind-blowing. That was a day in the life of Abraham. If that wasn't enough, God and his two companions sat down and ate a meal with him. During their conversation, God remarked, that a year from then Abraham and his wife Sara would have a son. Now Sara was way, way past child-bearing years, so when she heard this remark, she laughed. Out loud. Of course she … [Read more...]
Today I want to remind you that no matter how difficult the day seems... God has promised rich and glorious blessings to each of us who have chosen to call him Lord. Many of those blessings come in the most unexpected ways. I'll be sharing just one here today. Early each morning, I post an inspiring greeting on Facebook. Today it was this verse: I pray also that you will have greater understanding in your heart so you will know the hope to which he has called us and that you will know how rich and glorious are the blessings God has promised his holy people. Ephesians … [Read more...]
I love reading the book of Proverbs in the Bible. It's so rich with wisdom for living a good life. It's amazing how just a few sentences can open our eyes and set us on the right road. When I was in college and interviewing for my first 'real' job, I memorized Proverbs 3:5-6 from the New American Standard Bible. Trust in the Lord with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight. I remember walking in to the big interview continuously repeating the words in my mind. It gave me peace, despite the trembling knees, … [Read more...]
Have you ever wondered... If God is perfect and complete in every way....why do we praise God? Why does he need, even require, us to do that? I struggled with that concept for a long time. Because I love God and want to obey him, I praised him, but it always seemed strange to me. I didn't get it. What I did 'get' was that when I did, my outlook changed and I had a better view of life, living, and those around me. Knowing that praising produced positive things in me helped me to continue the practice. And then... I had an Ah Ha! moment. Recently in my reading I came across the wise words of two … [Read more...]
How to win the mind battle. Once and for all. Today I'm sharing a simple, doable exercise to help you win that battle going on in your mind. "Once and for all?" you ask. I know...is that really possible? And then I wonder, "Who am I to suggest that this battle can be conquered once and for all?" After all, I just spent the better part of a week on the roller coaster of positive/negative thoughts. Speaking of roller coasters... I'm sure there are a number of reasons that people get on roller coasters. Many ride because it's fun. They love the exhilaration of … [Read more...]
For most of my life I would wake up in the middle of the night, briefly think about the future, and the thought of an endless forever would send me into a panic attack. It was awful. My mind just could not wrap itself around the concept of forever. Though, for the most part, I didn't have a fear of tomorrow, or next week, or even next year, that fear of the great unknown future would freak me out. Our minds are a battleground. How we direct and control our thoughts is critical. This week I read a few experts from C. S. Lewis' The Screwtape Letters (affiliate link). There the demon Screwtape points out … [Read more...]
When was the last time you said to God, "I can't get enough of you!" For most of us the thought never crosses our minds. We may wake up and thank God that we're alive, but do we bless him every time we take a breath? Probably not. Those of you who follow An Extraordinary Day on Facebook are familiar with my nightly sweet dreams post where I share a gorgeous bedroom photo and some inspirational words. I'm amazed at how many people will mention they look forward to it each night. I have to confess, putting up the lovely sleeping room photos is easy. Daily having something of … [Read more...]
Raise your hand if you want God's blessing. Generally when we pray, we ask God to bless us. As I was reading this verse I had an AH HA moment... God tells us what we can do to receive his blessing. Depend on the Lord; trust him, and he will take care of you. Psalm 37:5 We often admire people who are self sufficient. I was brought up to be self sufficient. But...there's a danger in self sufficiency. If we're self sufficient we don't need other people. And we may fall into the dangerous mindset of thinking we don't need God either. And, if we're not "needing" God...we probably … [Read more...]
