THANKING Stephanie Ackerman today for sharing her AMAZING talent with us today! Stop by and remind her just how talented she is!

Welcome to WFW!

There are very few rules, in fact the beauty of this ministry is the creative expression that God reveals Himself thorough. We marvel at the creativity that participants post! It’s a blessing!  We encourage the ” post behind the picture,” or the reflections that many of the participants share. We ask that for WFW that participants refrain from using non-biblical. If you’ve got the time we also encourage you to visit a few of the WFW contributors! It’s always a blessing to see the Scripture and story that creatively appear across the screen.

WFW is not about books, authors, artists… it’s about God and HIS WORD ONLY. WFW is about celebrating the gift of creativity through God’s Word and sharing the creative Word!

Please join myself and some other wonderful ladies as we share the creative gifts God has blessed us with by signing into to the Link below to participate in WFW!

It is time to dive into the second part of discovering our passions in our year long look at living intentionally.  If you missed part one, you can find it here.

God is the author and perfecter of your life. He has put you in this world for such a time as this and placed you within your family, community, employment, and ministry.  He intends to use you as you are, in those particular situations.  He knows exactly how He wired you and longs to draw out your full potential.

By discovering your passion, you can seek opportunities to operate in that strength within your domain.  Your passion becomes a secret weapon in keeping you from wanting someone else’s life, when you realize that your life is part of God’s perfect design.  Through looking closely at the uniqueness of your circumstances and wiring — the good, the bad, the ugly, and the beautiful — you will discover how God is using all of it to shape and define your Kingdom purposes for His glory.

Once you’ve identified what you are passionate about (using the resources provided here), you can turn to the Scriptures for capturing your passion in a verse. This, in essence, becomes a guiding verse, also known as a life verse.  Of course, you might have more than one if your passions are varied.  This guiding verse can be used to remind you of the calling God has put on your life as you make decisions and strive to keep healthy boundaries.  A life verse that reflects your passions also provides hope during times of discouragement and trials.

To understand the purpose of discovering your passion and the benefit of selecting a guiding verse, consider this scenario: Imagine you are approached by your church to be involved in children’s ministry, because they recognize your commitment to raising your young children and assume, therefore, that you must be passionate about children’s ministry.  What they may not realize, however, is that your passion isn’t children per se, but motherhood and family. They may not be aware of the fact that your true passions lie in caring for the elderly and you spend time each week visiting a nursing home.  While saying yes to serving as a Sunday School teacher may look like a good thing — and a God thing  — serving this way could be an incredible source of frustration and emotionally drain you  as you are pressed beyond your natural wiring and God-given passions.

What if you already find yourself committed to a responsibility that is outside of your passions?

As a Christian, it is so important to follow through with your commitment and seek God to meet you in that place, teaching you whatever He has in store.  However, in the next opportunity that arises for you to extend yourself, consider whether it lines up with God’s purposes for your life as you consider your natural and unique passions.

Discovering your passion is a wonderful way to hit the pause button on life as you inventory the past and praise God for His provisions.  By seeing His purposes worked out in the most intricate ways, you will find that your faith will grow strong and your confidence in the Lord will grow dramatically.  As you move forward, seeking opportunities to operate within your passions, you will find that your life becomes more and more of a spiritual act of worship as you seek to answer the call the Lord has put on your life for His utmost glory.

Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.  Romans 12:1

Application & Reflection

1. If you haven’t already done so, take the time to download the Passions Worksheet and use it to discover your God-given passions.
2. When you feel ready, capture what God has revealed to you and share it in a blog post. Then link up with us in a comment below.

Make the most of a collection of free resources available at Passion and Purpose Life Coaching.

Come back on the March 1st for our next part in the Living Intentionally Series. 

Click here to learn more about our year long focus on Living Intentionally.

We seem to be a people known for giving gifts and tokens of love to those we cherish most.  This year I wrapped a Christmas gift for Jesus, so it seems right that I also give Him a Valentine.  Here then, is a love letter to the One Who Is Himself love:

My Dear Lord Jesus,

It feels odd to be writing this letter to you. I don’t know if I have the words to express all that is in my heart. You Who gave everything for me, a lost and bitter woman, how do I thank You?

How do I describe You? Glory beyond glory. Someone beyond imagination, in fact so far beyond imagination I struggled to believe in You. What a day it was when I surrendered that first time, giving You entry into my life, knowing that things had to change. And change they did indeed! Because of You. Because of Your love. Because of Your patience.

I have lost so many desires for the things of this world. They have grown tasteless. And those that still retain a taste, it is bitter and unpalatable. It is You I seek. It is You I desire. I want to soak in Your fragrance, the sweetness and spice. You spoke to me once about waiting in a garden for me and that I was to make myself ready. Are you still waiting? I couldn’t bear to think You had already gone.

I love You, Lord Jesus; even as I am not sure I know You, I love what I know. And I love what I have imagined. I love knowing that you searched for me as a lost lamb and hold me gently in Your arms. Oh, to feel those arms around me. Perhaps I am afraid to come close because once in Your presence I would never want to leave. Help me to surrender again, all that I am and all that I have, so I would have no fear of leaving something behind and can fully get lost in Your presence. Perhaps then I can take that presence to others who do not know You.

Here I am, my Lord, my Savior, the only One who could redeem my life. Here I am waiting. Help me to come into Your arms. Help me to love as You love. So when I say “I love You, I love You, I love You” it is with the love that You Yourself taught me.

Have you ever taken a moment to write words of love to the Lord?  As you pour your heart out to Him in prose or poetry, plain or fancy, I believe He will meet you and speak back to you, telling you just how much He loves you.  If you take the time to listen, perhaps you will hear something like what He shared with me:

Don’t you know you are already in My arms? I have not for one moment ever let you go. There are times that you feel I am distant, but it is you, not I whose thoughts wander away. My thoughts are for you, not against you, always and forever. The forces of the enemy and the forces of the world you live in would have you imagine there is distance between us, but that is not the truth. There is not even a breath between us. If you could really feel how close we are, you would feel cradled and warm. Not a thought of yours escapes Me. I know your thoughts before you do, My dearest one. I know when you will be misled and I ache until your thoughts return to Me. Yes, I still wait for you, will forever wait for you. For even as I have you, I want more and more and more of you. The same hunger that you desire to have for Me, already burns within Me for you. You are the one I bled for. You are the one I died for. You are the one I claimed as My own when I rose again in victory. 

Is it hard for you to understand My ways? I spoke to My disciples in parables. But let Me be clear now. My love is here and My love is true. Nothing will change My love for you. It was and is and ever will be, just as I Was and Am, and evermore Will Be. Learn to rest in that truth and shut out any voice that tries to tell you otherwise. 

And yes, you are questioning if your love is good enough for Me. That makes Me giggle, it tickles Me. Who do you suppose instilled that love in you? It is already My love living within you, My dear. But if you want to give Me more, then give Me more, I will receive it!

May the joy of love fill you, today and every day as you continue seeking Him.

If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God.  And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.   God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. 1 John 4:15-16 NIB

keep living and loving for His glory…

“And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ.” Ephesians 3:17b-18

Do you have any idea how much God loves you? I don’t think I do either. I’m trying to “grasp” this love as Paul exhorts us to do. But, it’s not an easy task, is it?

The other day I was at the pharmacy picking up a prescription. My youngest son was with me and was actually just sitting on a bench waiting for me instead of rearranging all of the pain relievers and laxatives.

While I was waiting, I looked over at him. He wasn’t doing anything but just sitting and waiting while I waited. He was not quoting a scripture that he memorized. He wasn’t putting away the dishes without being asked. He wasn’t showing love and kindness toward his brother. He was just there. And the love I had for him welled up inside of me and I had to fight back the tears.

Because who wants to see a grown woman cry in the Wal-Mart pharmacy?

That is how God loves us. Just for who we are. Yes, a life of obedience to Him and being in fellowship with Him throughout the day gives Him joy, but He loves us because that is just who He is. He is love and He cannot not love us. He loved us enough to sacrifice His only Son for us.

If you are a parent, do you love anyone enough to sacrifice your child for? Yeah, me neither. When I think about the love I have for my own sons, I think I get a glimpse of just how much God loves me.

Friend, rest today in the fact that our God, the Great I Am, the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last…loves you completely and without reservation. And our only reasonable response to Him should be giving Him our complete lives.

In this bold act of faith, I believe true joy and contentment resides.

Sometimes I hate Hallmark.

Well, not really. Sorta…. I don’t hate the store but I sincerely “dislike” what I call “Hallmark Holidays.” You know these days, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Grandparent’s Day, Ground Hog Day (well maybe not this one) and the sometimes dreaded…..

Valentine’s Day.

For many, a day filled with hearts, flowers, and romantic gestures is the norm. But there are the unspoken number of us who this single day punctuates our profound loneliness. It shouts, often in a very public way, that we are unlovable.

Worthless.

Ugly.

We know what it feels like to watch flowers arrive at the office for other women knowing full well that none will be delivered to our desk. The day will be devoid of a box of candy from our spouse or even a phone call from a dad, son, or brother.

This kind of pain starts early as my teenaged daughter said to me, “Mom, I hate Valentine’s Day. I just want to lay low and stay out of site. I don’t want anyone to know I didn’t receive a Valentine.”

I think the most painful place in this day is when you’re married and not any gesture of love is given. Whether you know this or not, it’s a common experience in marriage, Christian or not.

I’ll share with you that for years my husband failed to remember this day for me. No flowers, no card, no mention. I cried. Alone.

But I’ll also share that even in a stubborn, unsaved man like my husband, God can work. God can change. God can love.

My husband now not only remembers this day of “love” but he surprises me by mailing a card, for no reason whatsoever, throughout the year.

But guess what? I first had to learn that all my needs could and would be filled through the amazing and tender love of Jesus. I find it quite a mystery and yet not a mystery. God KNEW I needed to look away from my husband to handle my many insecurities and needs. And that He wanted me to look to Him.

I turned my tears of lost candy hearts over to Jesus and learned He is sufficient for me. Period. The End.

When I finally emerged from that training ground, low and behold, the cards, the hearts, the candy began to arrive. Hmmmmmm. Makes you wonder about God’s ways doesn’t it?

I can’t promise you if you do the same exact thing as I did that one day your man will be bringing you gifts and cards but I can and WILL promise you this: Give this day, your needs, your desires, all of yourself to Jesus and it won’t matter anymore.

In fact, you’ll discover what I did. I give cards and gifts to those around me who I know won’t receive anything on February 14^th. My widow neighbor, my teen daughter, my single son, my married friend at church who is struggling in her marriage.

If this day, Valentine’s Day, brings you pain, turn it around, give joy to another. It will take away the sting and fill your heart. And I can bet at the end of the day as you lay your head on your pillow you’ll hear the whisper of the One who loves you the most and loves you for who you are,

“Well done good and faithful servant.”

For more encouragement in your marriage, please visit me at spirituallyunequalmarriage.com. I care so very deeply for your heart and your married life. Your eternal friend, Lynn

The Cycle of Surviving

Isn’t that how we feel some days?

We worry.
“What about that child? Will she ever get into a college? What if she doesn’t get in? How will she take care of herself?”

We feel helpless.
“I have to find a way to get her in. SAT prep? Build her resume? I’ve got to get some help!”

We feel defeated.
“I can’t afford the prep course. She’s unmotivated; doesn’t care.”

We feel abandoned.
“Why aren’t you helping me God? This life is so hard!”

We worry.
God wants to break that cycle and put us in His own!

“The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and

he helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him.” Psalm 28:7 NIV

 The Cycle of Trust

I choose to trust God.
“Lord, she is Your’s. You are her father and You will take care of my girl! Help me and give me Your wisdom.”

I am helped.
When I trust Him, I allow God to work in my situation to bring Him glory!

I experience joy.
Seeing God move on my behalf brings joy in my life!

I am thankful!
I can’t help but be grateful!

I choose to trust.
I saw His faithfulness and trust again!

God isn’t going to break us out of the cycle; we have to take the first step. We have to first choose to see that He is our strength; asking and trusting for help. We choose to leave worry behind as we move into trusting our Jesus.

Here is the list from my journal this morning of where I need to trust:

* A loved one’s salvation
* Decision on college
* Healing of anxiety for one
* Wisdom for my husband’s work
* Help for a ministry step

All things completely outside of my control and all within reach of His help!

Where do you need to take a step of trust and ask for help today? Take the step; hop off the surviving cycle and onto the cycle of trust.

As you learn to break out of this cycle, you can teach those in your life to do the same! Your children, husband, friends…

Do you have a teen girl that you would love to see start the cycle of trust early? Consider going through “His Revolutionary Love” with her; learn to trust God together!

In Week 2 of the Legacy Bible study we are considering our faith in light of Who God is and answering the question, ‘Is God Who He says He is?’

It is never too late to be part of the Winter Bible study here at Internet Cafe Devotions. That’s the beauty of online Bible study….we each work at our own pace. Want to join us? Go here to register.

Want to find out more about the Legacy Bible study? Need to order a Legacy Bible study workbook? Go here for more information or to order.

NOTE: Are you receiving your Sunday, Tuesday and Friday emails? If you registered for the study and are not receiving the emails, please be sure and check your spam and quarantine folders in your email system.

“But ask the animals, and they will teach you…In his hand is the life of every creature, and the breath of all mankind.”

Job 12:7,10 (NIV)

Serving at the homeless shelter has given me the opportunity to meet many wonderful people. Ms. Pam, Ms. Carole, Mary Z., Jake, and I all have the privilege of working there as volunteers.

Ms. Pam makes crafts with the children on Tuesday night. She never knows if there will be one child or ten, but this is no problem for her. The children are drawn to her big bag of paper, crayons, scissors and glue. Miss Pam entertains the children so the mothers can enjoy spending time in God’s Word.

Ms. Carole and her husband, Jim, come to the shelter every Sunday morning, and have Sunday school around the kitchen table. The residents learn about Christ through their ministry.

Mary Z. serves as a Spanish interpreter. She also drives residents to doctor’s appointments, interviews, or work. Mary Z. helps with miscellaneous chores at the shelter.

We all decided that Jake is the volunteer of the year. He has been visiting the shelter since it opened. Jake lives close by so it’s just a short walk for him, and he comes by at least twice a day.

I lead a Bible study on Tuesday evenings. During the summer, we like to sit on the back porch and Jake usually joins us. Sometimes Jake arrives late, but he’s not disruptive, but quietly finds a seat. Even so, when he arrives, all eyes turn to him, all faces grow soft, and all mouths turn up in a smile.

When Bible study is over and the residents rise from their seats, Jake jumps up, and wastes no time greeting each one with love.

Everyone living at the shelter, from toddlers to grandmothers, quickly comes to love him. Jake is large and the children love to climb all over him and play.

Jake has that quality we all strive for — unconditional love. There’s not one ounce of prejudice in Jake, and he doesn’t care about a

nyone’s past. He’s glad to get to know everyone, so he visits regularly and brings with him love, comfort, and companionship.

I’m sure Jake doesn’t brag about his “volunteer work.” Jake’s own family may not be aware of his frequent visits to the shelter. But they should be proud of him. They must have modeled kindness and shown him a lot of love. They also taught him some other really neat tricks – like how to sit, how to shake hands, how to roll over.

Yes, Jake is a four-legged volunteer, and we don’t know his real name. Someone started calling him Jake, and the name stuck.

I’m thankful God planted the seed for a homeless shelter in the hearts of those who worked to make The Shepherd’s House a reality. I’m thankful God provides board members who ensure continuation of the shelter. I’m thankful God provides staff members and volunteers who have a heart for the homeless people in our community.

I’m also thankful God sent a big, ol’ yellow lab who touches the hearts and lifts the spirits of all of us at the shelter.

Father, I thank you for the gift of pets. Thank You for the way they teach us with love.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.

A pet is someone who listens with their heart,
speaks with a look, and teaches with love.
(Seen in vet’s office)

Like many, each December I begin to pray for God to reveal the one word that will be my focus for the upcoming new year.

My word from 2011 was “obedience” and that one little word grew me in ways I never saw coming.  For example, pride and humility are the twin sons of obedience.  Without the absence of one (pride) and the presence of the other (humility), obedience is impossible.  So in choosing that one word, God took me through others to get to where He wanted me to go.

Through this process, He pruned me of several branches that weren’t bearing fruit. While it was painful at times, the result is worth it.  I needed to rid myself of those branches and now I feel that I can bear more fruit for His kingdom through the lessons he taught while I  focused on obedience.

But this year I felt Him leading me to the word “self-control.”  I read somewhere that “self-control” is listed last in the fruits of the spirit because without the other eight (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, faithfulness, goodness, and gentleness), it’s almost impossible to consistently achieve self-control.

Wonderful.  Yet another word with others that go along with it.

And yet, I’m beginning to see that EVERY word I could have chosen is like this.  One of my friends chose “Love” as her word for this year.  Can we fully love without humility and kindness?  Without possessing a servant’s heart?

Another one of my friends has chosen the word “trust.”  Trust is great friends with faithfulness and obedience.

All of these words, these traits we choose to develop, are connected because each one of them is from Him.

So in choosing self-control, I have become aware of just how often I must use self-control in my daily life.  Self-control with food.  With exercise.  With spending time with God.  With not having another glass of wine.  With not saying what I want to say because it would make a situation worse.  With holding every thought captive.

I’ve failed several times since the new year began.  I have certainly had too much chocolate a time or two.  My quiet time has been more sporadic than I would like in this season of mothering young children, and I’ve said things I shouldn’t have and thought things that weren’t of Him.

But grace.

Because when God does lay it on our hearts to work on one specific area of our lives, He knows we are going to screw it up sometimes because we are disabled by our flesh.  The main strike against those of us here on earth.

And so He makes room for that and gently leads us, for we are His young (Isaiah 40:11). He is a God that does hold us to His law.  Yet, the thing that drew me to Him in the first place was His abounding grace and mercy I so don’t deserve: yet is so freely given.

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith–and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – Ephesians 2:8

So as we navigate a new year with a new focus and new ideals, allow some room for grace.  After all, the only one who was ever perfect in all of the words we could ever choose died almost 2,000 years ago so we could have it in the first place.

Have you chosen a word for the year and if so, what is it?  What has God taught you so far?

Hello girlfriends!

I’m going to start right out being more real that I want to be. Last night was rough. What kind of rough, you might wonder? It was homework rough. I’m going to be the bad mom in the group and say out loud, I don’t like homework. And it’s not because it is high school trigonometry or anything. We’re dealing with 1^st grade math and reading.

The evening started with me wrestling to put drops in her ears which was a like lassoing an octopus. It seems easy enough but when it comes right down to it, all those arms just get in the way.

Then we set out to conquer her one little math paper. Just one, but in my defense it was both sides. The hardest part is keeping her focused. It goes something like this:

Me: Okay, number one. Let’s draw a word picture for 3 plus 4.

Lauren: What is 3 plus 4?

Me: You have to add it together.

Lauren: Can you add it? How much is it?

Me: Lauren, this is YOUR math homework, not mine. How much is 3 plus 4?

Lauren: Mommy, did you know that _____ stuck his tongue out at me today?

Me: He did? Well that wasn’t nice. Now what is 3 plus 4?

Lauren: *bursting into sobs* It hurt my feelings!!

Me: Okay, I’ll talk to the teacher about _________. Now…back to the paper. What is 3 plus 4?

Lauren: I told the teacher and she said it’s not true. *more sobs*

Me: What? She accused you of lying? *me getting my dander up*

Lauren: ______ told her he didn’t do it and then we played at recess. *sobs turn to smile*

Me: Well good! Okay then, what is 3 plus 4? *dander back down*

Lauren: Mommy I’m thirsty. *dander through the roof*

We did make it to number 2, and eventually finished both sides of the paper. By the end of it all my dander was not only up, but over and around and spinning like a tornado through the kitchen.

I homeschooled my first three kids by the grace of God and I send Lauren to a nice little Christian school with that same grace. I love how He leads all of us in different ways in different seasons. But that’s not the point of this post…that was just a freebie.

Later that night as I tucked her down in bed, I thought about how frustrated I had become with her during the evening and it made me sad. Look at thatprecious little girl all snuggled up in bed. The one that just an hour ago I had threatened with time outs and sugars fasts to get a page of homework done. (The sugar fast would have been for me, by the way. It’s far more punishment for them when I don’t have sugar than when I take it away from them).

As I walked downstairs I thought about how difficult motherhood can be and how God so totally understands that. I tweeted this that night: “Moms: I just want to give you a twitter high five. You are probably way too hard on yourself. #momsrock”

The response was overwhelming. Apparently I’m not the only one beating myself up for being a rotten mom with a sugar addiction. We all struggle, so I want to share this with you:

He will feed his flock like a shepherd. He will carry the lambs in his arms, holding them close to his heart. He will gently lead the mother sheep with their young.  Isaiah 40:11 NLT

If He’ll do this for sheep, I’m quite certain He’ll do it for us. I count on this one. I need Him to gently lead me so that I can gently lead my kids. Gentle doesn’t come natural for me, but it does for Him so I’m bowing before Him to help me.

I don’t always enjoy all the steps of parenting, but I do love my children and know that when I lean on Him, He is there to hold me up.

High five girls, you’re good moms. We got this!