Emotional Purity - an affair of the heart

01/28/12 - Daily Bible Reading

2012-01-28T11:11:00.004-06:00

One of the spiritual disciplines we as Christ followers should be striving towards, is daily bible reading.

Honestly, writing the word "striving" makes it seem like the disciple of daily bible reading is within our power. Quite frankly it's not! In our flesh we're unable to please God.

When you are plugged into the power of the Holy Spirit reading your bible daily becomes a pure delight! You long for those times and look forward to what God is going to say to you out of His love letter!

Whenever anyone is just getting started in the disciple of daily bible reading I encourage them to start with the Proverbs of the day. So today someone would read Proverbs 28. This at least gets someone in the habit of daily reading.

In different seasons of my life I've had to change up how I "do" quiet time and I'd like to share a few different ways I've grown this muscle of daily bible time.

When I was single I could spend a day reading, fasting, and praying. I could feast on God's Word for hours at a time. Those times were so precious to me and I would encourage any single to use this season to feast, get to know the Word, and fall in love with God and His Word!

Since I've been married my quiet times have gone through different seasons. I've had to adjust with what is going on around me and what is required of me.

When the demands of my time were the greatest (during the newborn stage and having two boys 15 months apart) my quiet time was pretty much whatever I could get in throughout the day. I left my bible in places I could easily grab and read...next to my nursing chair, in the van, in the kitchen, in the bathroom.

I also printed up verses and posted them above my kitchen sink. This way I was filling up, albeit nibbles, on God's Word.

As the boys have gotten older I am entering a new season of what quiet time looks like. At times I am able to turn on piano worship music, have a couple of different translations of the bible with me, a journal, and a pen. I read a passage, I read the footnotes, I read it in the other translation,I may read a commentary, and I journal.

This year I am going through the book of Psalms.

I've also taken a chunk of scripture and read it over and over and over for months. For example last year I read the sermon on the mount for 8 months.

You may even want to read the entire bible. Cover to cover is a great way to read the Word, but also reading it chronologically helps give one a different perspective of the bible.

My husband will go to www.biblegateway.com and read the verse of the day. Then he'll read that entire chapter. This is one way for him to get some reading in at work.

Of course we're going to all have different times, different ways, and different methods to reading our bible...the the same should be that we're ingesting God's Word daily!

What do you do for your quiet time?

01/26/11 - Things Done in Secret

2012-01-26T11:50:00.000-06:00

"Satan wants us to sneak things in secret. Things hidden and done in secret clues in the father of darkness into our weaknesses and open the door for him to assault us with targeted schemes." Lysa TerKeurst Made to Crave

If we fool ourselves to think what we do in secret is safe, we're wrong. It just opens us up for going deeper into sin and farther away from God. "Roof off with God, walls down with others".

Declare today as the day you getting painfully honest with yourself, God, and others with whatever your secret struggle is! You'll find freedom and will be the first step to a revived heart!

01/24/12 - Getting Real

2012-01-24T10:04:00.003-06:00

Have you seen the video "Why I Hate Religion, but Love Jesus"

There's been plenty written about this...what he said wrong and how he could have said it better. I've appreciated his mature, teachable, humble response to critics.

But the message I know he wants to get across is we need authentic Christianity!

We need people who live what they say. We need people who live transparently. We need people who say what they do, and do what they say.

I agree with him in the plea to live authentic Christian lives. You see Christians acting like the world and it's sickening. They have one foot in the culture and one foot in the door at church.

We have to be intentional about purging hidden sin from our lives. We have to avoid the things of the world that are rubbish in our thinking. We've got to tear down the masks that keep us at arm-length from God's people. We've got to forgive and have true reconciliation with those in our lives. We have to allow people to get close enough to be "iron sharpening us". We must saturate our minds with God's Word so we can fight the battle.

Don't sit on the sidelines. Don't play Christian. Don't go to church on Sunday and live the other 6 days for yourselves. Don't dishonor what Christ did on the cross!

I hate false religion and people who play Christian and love Jesus!

1/11/12 - Friendgirl

2012-01-11T10:34:00.002-06:00

I read the best article about "Friendgirl"!

Your Friendgirl deserves better

Guys...this is a must read!

12/31/11 - Start the Year Off...

2011-12-31T09:54:00.002-06:00

With Passion 2012!

On Monday 70,000...yes 70,000 college students will be descending upon the Georgia Dome to worship Jesus as King!

Maybe you're going!

But if you're not, you can watch the whole thing on a live stream: Passion 2012 Live Stream

Starting Monday night at 7 pm EST.

I'll be catching as much as I can (in between homeschooling, laundry, and being a mom!)

12/17/11 - Being Real

2011-12-17T14:41:00.002-06:00

People crave real authentic people. We live in a world where our interactions are so one-dimensional...with blogs, facebook, twitter, and other social outlets. We often only allow people to see the side of us that we want them to see.

We often don't share the pain, the yuck, the junk, or the sad things in our life. I am not advocating that we use these social outlets as a chance to bear our souls for shock value or to just to vent.

But those people in our real life, are they seeing us for who we really are? Are we wearing masks to keep up the pretense that all is well?

You know, no one has it all together! No one has a perfect marriage, perfect life, perfect parents, perfect body, perfect anything! We live in an imperfect world. We're sinners...all of us!

I appreciate friendships where there is no "playing", no pretending, but authentic fellowship for the glory of God. May God allow all His people to be in community with others where there's no masks or pretending!

12/12/11 - What comes out...

2011-12-12T14:58:00.002-06:00

When someone bumps into your selfishness, what comes spilling out?

Jesus? Grace? Patience?

Or Anger? Frustration? Critical words?

We live in a culture that is always looking to blame someone else. (let's face it, Adam blamed God and Eve way back in the very beginning!) No one wants to take personal responsibility for their our actions or responses.

My five year old's classic line is, "Miles made me do it mom!"

I have always remind him that he is in charge of his emotions, his attitude, and his response.

That lesson is one we all have to remember. When someone mistreats us, speaking mean to us, gossips about us, or intentionally hurts us...our response to them is still our response. We have a choice to let Jesus spill out or a sinful fleshly reaction.

I am not saying it's easy to let Jesus spill out...it's downright impossible without the aid and help of the Holy Spirit.

Next time your looking to blame the guy for cutting you off on the road that caused you to yell and scream...think again...that anger is already in there, he just bumped into it!

12/09/11 - Stuff, Christmas, and Gifts

2011-12-09T12:21:00.002-06:00

In the last couple of weeks there's been a deep stirring in me about Christmas.

A couple of things have happened, but it's more of the overarching theme of this year. My heart wants simplicity, wants to honor God, wants to be Christ-centered, wants to be moment by moment walking in the Spirit.

As Christmas comes I have begun to search what can I do different? I am tired of stuff! I've spent this whole year getting rid of stuff, stuff that clutters my mind, my house, my ability to live fully for Christ.

John and I try to go small at Christmas. We don't spend more than about $100 to $125 on all three boys. We normally don't exchange gifts with each other. We don't exchange gifts with cousins on one side of the family. We try to keep it all under $250 (we do buy for our parents, renters, and secret Santa exchange)

But Christmas has nothing to do with us! However in our culture we've made it all about us, with wish lists, overspending, busyness, and buying toys for our kids who already have loads of stuff.

So what does this mean? No gifts at all?

No...but refocusing our gift giving. Read this blog post...it speaks so deeply to my heart and what I'd like to do next year: A Radical Christmas

12/8/11 - Merry Christmas

2011-12-08T10:37:00.002-06:00

MERRY CHRISTMAS

We chose to use our church, Christ Community Church, as the back drop for our Christmas card picture, because much of our year was intertwined with our involvement at church.

In February we had the privilege of hosting a marriage conference. That stirred in us a desire to do more marriage ministry and in September we began a class for newlyweds. God has also brought about some deeper ties to the body of Christ we serve and fellowship with at Christ Community Church!

We’ve also been blessed with a trip to Disney World with John’s parents and sister and Thanksgiving in the Dells with Heather’s family. What great memories we made this year with family!

We’ve continued home educating the boys and joined a local group of homeschoolers. The boys have enjoyed making new friends who, to their surprise, also have school at their homes!

Our prayer for the year to come is that we will be more God-honoring, Christ-Centered, and Holy Spirit filled, all for His glory!

John, Heather, Miles, Luke & Clark

11/21/11 - The Power Source

2011-11-21T15:43:00.004-06:00

Today I watched the sermon The Power Source by James McDonald and it made my heart just beat with passion!

Too many Christians are trying to walk the Christian life on their own strength. They read the commands to forgive, love, be patient, be kind, give to the poor and the list is endless...and find that it is just too plain exhausting to do in their own strength.

We're not called to "be" Christians in our own strength. We are given the Holy Spirit, the indwelling of Christ, in us, to fulfill what He wants us to do.

Many Christians are living in "flesh auto pilot", trying to work out their walk in Christ all on their own. They are plain worn out, not victorious over sin, and tired of trying to be good. Worship becomes "going through the right motions". They lack joy and see little spiritual fruit in their life.

Living in the power of the Holy Spirit gives you all you need to live a very full life, hidden in Christ Jesus. We're no longer seeing the world through the flesh, but through the Spirit. We operate at a totally different level. (Oh and this is totally opposite world to live in the Spirit...just be warned you may be looked at like a nut case!)

If you are struggling in your walk with Christ, if you wonder why it's so hard to be good all the time, if worship doesn't just excite you, or if you are just tired, please take time to listen to this message. I believe that if every Christ follower tapped into THE POWER SOURCE we'd turn the world on its head!

11/17/11 - Unresolved Conflict

2011-11-17T02:31:00.000-06:00

Unresolved conflict in a church family is like cancer that grows and festers. I've heard stories of people who had no idea they had cancer until it was in later stages. Then it takes some extreme measures to rid their bodies of the cancer.

Same with unresolved conflict in a church (or in a family), it spreads and does damage and from the outside the "body" might look healthy, but inside there's a foreign substance eating away at the body.

Not only does it eat at the fabric of a church body, it grieves the Holy Spirit! Many times in scripture we're commanded to not have divisions and be united. Yes, there's going to be conflicts, that's why Jesus lays out in Matthew 5 and 18 how to be a peacemakers with others. It's a command to resolve conflicts!

Are there people at your church you just avoid because you don't like them?

Are there people you haven't forgiven for something they've done or said?

Are you holding onto any grudges because you think you need to be justified or defended to someone?

Are you gossiping or slandering people you go to church with?

Have you heard a rumor but not checked the facts, so your attitude towards someone is cast in a negative light?

Are you living at peace with all men, so much as it depends on you?

Are you willing to humble yourself and admit your wrong with a person who you don't think "deserves" your apology?

Oh may the body of Christ rid itself of cancer. Let it start with me, with us, and spread! I'll tell you there is absolute FREEDOM in dealing biblical with an unresolved conflict. Having conflict weighs down your heart and will effect everyone you worship with!

11/16/11 - The Company You Keep

2011-11-16T01:56:00.002-06:00

I wish that young (well and older) people realized the damage of keeping bad company! If close friends aren't challenging you to become more like Christ, chances are they will make you less like Him.

It's sad to watch a strong Christian young person head off to college, ready to take on the world, but be so blown over by the strong winds of the world.

And it starts by the company we keep. Not just the once a month encounter with friends, but those people you hang out with all the time. The longer you spend time with people the more you become like them.

What do they talk about? What excites them? Do you feel uncomfortable talking about spiritual things with them? Do they bubble over with Jesus?

It's important to ask tough questions of our friendships and be the type of friend that pulls people to become more like Christ!

11/15/11 - Brokenness Is the First Step in Revival

2011-11-15T03:26:00.001-06:00

Are you spiritually dry? Going through the motions, but having no joy and feeling like you're just spinning your spiritual wheels?

In the last three years God has begun to show me the importance of walking in brokenness. To walk in brokenness, you have to let God break you. You have to allow Him to show you your sin, you have to be willing to see it for what it is: sin.

Sin breaks the fellowship, that intimate, sweet fellowship with our Lord. So many of us have become callous to this sin that our hearts are hard. We have a hard time seeing our sin for what it is. We have fancy names for our sin to avoid really seeing them as sin.

True brokenness will lead to revival in your spirit. Once you live with the "roof off with God and walls down with others" you will find a freedom in Christ that is sweet.

If you don't know where to start, can I recommend: Seeking Him bible study. This will lay out a fresh look at revival and why you need it to feel the fresh wind of God's Spirit in your life.

11/14/11 - Becoming The Person God Wants Me To Be

2011-11-14T09:00:00.004-06:00

Over the past couple of months my heart has been stirring with many thoughts. I think about coming to blog, to write it out, but the words fail me and the Holy Spirit stops me.

God is refining me. I am not the same person I was a month ago, a year ago or even 3 years ago. When I think about who I was even three years ago I shutter. His sanctification process has been so intense, but exciting. Learning to be like Christ is an endless frontier

He's showing me even more the importance of 1) Being Christ-centered in every action of every day. 2) Living out biblical womanhood in my life and 3) Being focused on the ministry He's called me to (being a wife/mom and starting a marriage ministry with my husband)

This has allowed me to have a single, pin point, focus in a way I've never experienced before. Again hard to put into words, but in this book I am reading (Entrusted with the Heart of a Child) she talks about how God gives us a puzzle when we're saved and as we go about the process of sanctification the puzzle takes shape and we start to see the bigger picture of what God has called for us to do.

In the last year I've seen this puzzle take shape even more and it's exciting.

My faith is strong because of the good things He has done. I look forward to what the next few months and years will bring.

11/03/11 - Twitter

2011-11-03T17:55:00.000-05:00

Follow me on twitter as I tweet about Revive 11!

10/17/11 - No More Game Playing

2011-10-17T08:25:00.002-05:00

Are you playing games with your faith, with God, with your walk?

It's not time to play games.

Either you're full on or your off! Get off the fence.

Throw sin far from you! Repent, turn, get your heart pure, clear your conscience with others, and make a change.

Maybe you feel like you don't know where to start, maybe you want to get back in the game fully, then let me suggest two of James MacDonald's messages on repentance. Part 1 was last week, part 2 was this week's message. Take it serious, God needs us to be full on!

Repentance part 1 and 2

10/05/11 - God Answered...

2011-10-05T00:35:00.001-05:00

Job 38:1 The the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind....

Is your life in a whirlwind. Do you wonder where God is?

Listen, He'll answer even in the storms!

10/04/11 - Emotionally Healthy Church

2011-10-04T03:57:00.000-05:00

I've recently finished a book: The Emotionally Healthy Church. This book is a must read if you are wanting to work in ministry or work with people at all (so yeah pretty much for anyone).

This book is written for pastors and church leaders, but is a valuable resources for YOU!

I don't recall putting a hold on the library for this, but one night my husband brought it home for me. I started reading and couldn't put it down.

It answered a lot of questions and confirmed a lot of my beliefs about emotional maturity.

The author states: If you don't grown emotionally, you can't grow spiritually. That is a power packed sentence.

After giving you a test to asses your own emotional maturity, he goes on to share 5 key areas we must seek to grow in.

Breaking the Power of our Past
Live in Brokenness and Vulnerability
Receive the Gift of Limits (having healthy boundaries)
Embracing Grief and Loss
Making the Incarnation your Model for Loving Well

These five power packed chapters will give you a fresh perspective for ministry, motherhood, friendship, and life!

I hope you take time to read this book, not just for the Body of Christ, but for your own heart!

10/03/11 - Authentic Christian Living

2011-10-03T13:20:00.001-05:00

I listened to Alex and Stephen Kendrick on FamilyLife this week. They are the brothers behind the movie: Courageous. (Which we're going to see on Saturday night with two other couples) They were talking about their own dad and one of them said something that has just replayed over and over in my mind. When talking about his dad he said that he (and their mom) lived out authentic Christian living in their home.

Authentic Christian living modeled and lived out.

Powerful!

Often times in parenting I think about this method or that tool. I contemplate if I am training the correct way. I doubt myself or a certain way I had a situation.

But when my sons are 40 I want them to say, "My parents lived out authentic Christian living"

So what is authentic Christian living?

This topic has been on my radar for awhile, but heightened since having 6 little eyes watching everything I do.

Here are a few things to me that are authentic Christian living:

Living with the "roof off" with God. Being will to admit your mistakes and not hiding any sin from God.
Living with the "walls down" with other people. This is so huge and I think plays itself out in many forms 1) Not holding grudges with other people, being quick to forgive others. 2) Not being critical of others and how they may do things different than how you do things 3) Serving others 4) Not speaking ill of those who are your leaders/bosses/church leaders
Keeping a clear conscience
Not thinking more highly of yourself. Keeping yourself in the shadow of the cross.
You are the same exact person Sunday morning in Church that you are Tuesday night or Saturday night...complete consistency in who you are
Being aware of the Holy Spirit in every moment of your life
Actively pursing holiness, letting your kids know and see this authentic desire for purity in all areas of your life
Prayer is not just something talked about, but something DONE! In all situations and for all things!
The word of God is read, studied, loved, enjoyed, appreciated, and discussed in the home.
Being humble and broken
Being consistent with rules
Look for heart attitude, more than just change the action
Caring more about the inside (heart) than the outside...car, house, clothes, external appearances or behavior
Honoring your parents (the children's grandparents)
Being transparent with your kids (age appropriate)
Having no huge family secrets
Openly talking about feelings about emotionally painful or hard things
Obeying the law
Not using control or fear to get them to obey
Not ever treating your kids like they are a bother or that they are getting in the way of you doing what you want
Serving your family with a genuine love and selflessness
Being hardworking
Having complete integrity
Husband loving their wives
Wives respecting their husbands
Husbands being the servant leader
Wives joyfully submitting to that servant leadership
Laughing together

What would you add to this list? Or what would you take away?

09/02/11 - 1 Corinthians 12

2011-09-02T08:10:00.002-05:00

I've been in the book of 1 Corinthians lately. Chapter 12 verse 26 has just struck me in a few different ways. In chapter 12-15 Paul is talking about spiritual gifts. He explains different gifts and the reason for our spiritual gifts.

Chapter 12 he lays out that the body of Christ, is like a body. There's "eyes", "ears"...etc. And we are not to look at someone and say, "Oh I want to be that part of the body."

But it's been verse 26 that has jumped off at me:

Verse 26 says: If one member suffers, all suffer together, if one member is honored, all rejoice together.

We live in a very "island" mentality culture. We think what we're going through isn't effecting others. We think our conflicts aren't effecting others. We think our secret sins aren't effecting anyone. We think what we're going through isn't effecting the "body".

But in this chapter, which is a discussion of our spiritual gifts and edifying the body, it says that when someone is suffering we all suffer along side them.

We're the body, we're connected, we're to bear each others burdens, and we're effected by what others are going through. How can I help the body of Christ be healthy? This should be the question I ask every day!

08/29/11 - Teachable

2011-08-29T18:01:00.002-05:00

How teachable are you?

How teachable am I?

The older I get the more I see having this attitude of being teachable is key to growth, healthy relationships, staying broken and humble, and relying on Christ.

Being willing to allow someone to see the real you, challenge you, ponder what they say, and actually change...that's real emotional maturity!

Being teachable was one quality that my dad told me to look for in a husband (actually dad's advice was aside from their walk with Christ, that being teachable, hardworking, and treat their mom/sisters nice were the three things to look for in a mate) and I am thankful for his advice.

What a blessing to live and be married to a person who is teachable on so many levels!

08/27/11 - Being Foolish

2011-08-27T08:31:00.002-05:00

But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong 1 Corinthians 1:27

God's ways are completely, totally opposite of the things of this world. Do we grasp how backwards His ways are to the watching world?

Are we really ready to be fools for Christ?

What does a fool for God look like?

They realize how little they really know
They are willing to seek reconciliation no matter how wrong they have been
They are not concerned with self at all
They love to serve others
They are desperately aware of their spiritual needs
They are humble at any ministry God may allow them to do
They consider others more important than themselves
They compare themselves with Christ-likeness, not others
They freely offer forgiveness
They are grieved when they sin
They are willing to boldly confront sin
They are full of grace through the power of the cross
They are willing to be obedient, not matter what it may look like
They are dependent on the Holy Spirit for the power to live the Christian life

How we may become fools for our great Savior and King!

08/24/11 - August

2011-08-24T15:51:00.002-05:00

So August turned into one busy month for us!

We've been full swing with homeschooling since July 28th. I am really enjoying My Father's World 1st grade.

We had two birthday celebrations, my husband turned 40 and our youngest turned 2.

John and I had a full 25 hours of kid-free time!

We also celebrated my parents 40th wedding anniversary! You can check out pictures: HERE.

The rest of the month includes another BBQ for the "newly married" class we're starting at our church in September.

Then Labor Day, vacation, our class kick off, and life!

Just wanted to explain where I've been ;-) Much too share, not a lot of time though!

08/19/11 - Power Source

2011-08-19T14:56:00.002-05:00

The other day I was going to vacuum my house. I clicked the button to release the handle and hit the power button...however the vacuum didn't start.

At first I was a bit confused, was it broken?

But I quickly realized that I hadn't plugged it in!

Well, duh! An election vacuum cleaner won't work without being plugged in.

I instantly thought of our Christian life. If you're not plugged into The Source, you'll not be able to function the way you are meant to function.

If you're not plugged into the power of God's Spirit, you'll just sit there, looking nice, with no power.

If you wonder why it seems like you're not working, check your plug....are you plugged in?

07/26/11 - It's Broken

2011-07-26T09:56:00.002-05:00

Why do we look to things of this world and think, "What's going on?" Friends, it's broken! Broken by sin. By my sin. By your sin.

It's broken! We shouldn't expect it to be comfortable, easy, or even to go smooth.

It's not how God created it to be. He created it perfect. We messed it up. Sin messed it up! It's cursed!

If you're talking to non-believing friends just ask them, "How's life going? Is it working like you thought it would?"

"No", would be the answer. It's not supposed to work here on earth apart from God. There's no peace or true joy without Christ.

Friends, it's broken. There's only one hope, one place to put our faith and trust and that's in Christ Jesus and Him crucified for all sin.