Spiritual Makeover

New Book Coming Soon!

2012-08-28T09:35:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited to tell you that my new book, Bless These Lips: 40 Days of Spiritual Renewal is due out on September 1st!

Those of you who have followed my blog know that in 2011 I embarked on the search for a Mouth Makeover. Not with a $50 dollar lipstick. Not with lip exfoliators, balms, or liners. I needed to change what came out of my mouth--not what I put on it. Too often I suffered from foot-in-mouth disease. I frequently regretted what I said. So I studied what God had to say about our words and began to put His instructions into practice.

In the process I discovered the power of words and decided to write a book about what I learned.

I'm excited about Bless These Lips because I believe it will help women in an area we all struggle with. And I want you to be the first to know about it!

In the coming weeks Bless These Lips will be featured on some awesome blogs and you will have the opportunity to win an autographed copy of the book along with some other cool prizes.

Bless These Lips is Bible study that will help you makeover your words to influence your world. It's not about putting on the latest lip gloss, but it does use lipstick analogies for a fun factor.

In this book, you will learn how to:

Exfoliate: Scrub with Forgiveness
Soothe: Comfort with Encouragement
Plump: Enlarge with Praise
Line: Speak with Truth
Color: Choose Words with Grace
Gloss: Shine with Thankfulness
Seal: Protect with Discretion
Smile: Share with Joy

By God’s grace, a mouth makeover can improve our relationships and affect our attitude toward life. Our words can enrich our connection to God as we spend more time in prayer and praise. Most important, God desires that we use the gift of speech to give Him praise, encourage others, and verbalize our faith in Christ as Lord and Savior.

If you want to preorder the book visit cph.org!

God's Mirror: He Bends Down to Listen

2012-08-23T07:30:00.000-07:00

Because he bends down to listen, I will pray as long as I have breath!

Psalm 116:2

Picture yourself at a party. The room is crowded. People are struggling to carry on conversations over the sound of the music.

You notice a man and women across the room. She is trying to tell her companion something, but he can't hear her. She repeats her words. He shakes his head, he still can't understand what she is saying. He bends down and puts his ear next to her mouth. Once more she speaks and now his whole face lights up in a smile. He throws his head back and they share a laugh.

A picture of intimacy.

Sometimes this whole world seems like one big, crowded, noisy room. No one can hear what we say. No one even cares if they do.

In the mirror of the world, it looks like our words don't matter.

But...God tells me that He bends down to listen. He wants to hear my voice. He puts His ear next to my mouth so He can hear every syllable.

Jesus is saying to you:

This world is a noisy place. It's easy to feel ignored. But I care. I want to hear every word you speak. Although it may seem no one hears your voice, my ears are open to your joys, your pains. I want to hear what made you laugh today, what made you cry. I am bending down to listen.

Hold this in your heart today:

God is saying: "I am bending down to listen to you."

Can you picture God bending down to listen to you? What feelings does that picture evoke?

Two Questions to Ask Yourself When You're Looking for the Right Words

2012-08-21T07:30:00.000-07:00

"Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn."

Romans 12:15

Sometimes we struggle to find the right words. Or the right way to say them.

But perhaps all it takes is putting myself in the other person's shoes for a minute. What if I pictured myself in my friend's fashionable pumps before I spoke? What if I imagined I were wearing her Sketchers this very minute? What would I be feeling?

Is it joy? Then my words should be full of exuberance and elation--even if I'm having a bad day.

Is she feeling pain? Then my words need to be subdued and thoughtful--even if I'm dying to share some good news.

I'm still struggling with this. I can be as dense as a 6-inch platform shoe sometimes. But I'm learning to heed the words in Romans:

"Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn."

I'm learning to use empathy. To ask God before I speak for just the right words. To imagine what I would like to hear.

Two questions to ask yourself when you looking for the right words to say:

What would I be feeling if I were in my friend's shoes?
What words would I need to hear?

How do you rejoice with those who rejoice?

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God's Mirror: You Are Mine

2012-08-16T07:30:00.000-07:00

"I have called you by name, you are mine."

Isaiah 43:1b

When I was a kid, I hated gym class and recess time. I know, most kids can't wait to get out from behind their desks. But me? I would rather stay in the classroom.

Gym class meant team games. Team games meant choosing sides. Choosing sides meant team captains calling out the names of the people they wanted to play with.

And my name was never called.

I would stand at the wall and wait until everyone else's name was spoken. Then the teacher would point me to the team that needed one more player. No one wanted me.

Thank goodness for friends who don't care if I can't hit or kick a ball! But even now it's easy to feel unwanted when I look in the mirror of the world. In the world of publishing, I get many more rejection letters than acceptances. My name is not called.

You may feel the same way. Someone else gets the promotion. Or the job. Or the invitation to the party.

It's easy to feel unwanted. It's natural to feel you don't belong.

But when I look in the mirror of God's Word, I see that is not true.

God says to me:

"I have called you by name. You are mine."

Isaiah 43:12

He reassures me:

I have chosen you. I have hand-picked you to be with me. I am calling your name. Listen. Hear my voice above all the others. I want you to join me.

You belong. To Me.

Hold this in your heart today:

Jesus is saying: "You are Mine."

Have you been feeling like you don't belong lately? How can Jesus' words change that for you?

Two Questions to Ask Yourself When You're Angry

2012-08-14T07:30:00.000-07:00

Fools vent their anger,
but the wise quietly hold it back.

Proverbs 29:11

It seems to me that anger produces one of two responses: Either you let out your anger in loud yelling or you give the silent treatment.

I tend to be one who uses the silent treatment. At least silent with my mouth. I don't talk to the person, answer their questions, or look them in the eye. But I slam drawers, pound pans on the stove, and close doors with a crash.

Somehow, I don't think that is exactly what the writer of Proverbs meant when he wrote, "the wise quietly hold it back."

What can we do when we feel like yelling and shouting or slamming and pounding?

Lately I have found it helpful to examine my emotions when I'm angry. I try to look under the feelings and see what is really going on. First I ask myself, "Why am I so angry?" I have to admit it sometimes a matter of pride. Things simply were not going my way. Sometimes it has been a matter of fear. Perhaps doubts over finances or relationships have fueled my rage.

Secondly I ask myself how I can express my emotions without intentionally hurting the other person. If I take a little time to clarify my thoughts, I can avoid the ranting and yelling, the "You always..." and "You never...!" Instead I can calmly express my feelings and the reasons behind them.

When you're angry (and you feel like slamming cupboard doors!) ask yourself two questions:

Why am I angry?
How can I express my feelings without hurting the other person?

What advice do you have to offer for expressing anger in a healthy way?

God's Mirror: You Have Captured My Heart

2012-08-09T07:30:00.000-07:00

"You have captured my heart, my treasure, my bride."

Song of Songs 4: 9a

Remember when you first fell in love?

Feelings of elation and joy were a part of every waking moment.

Especially when you found out he felt the same way.

Maybe he didn't even say the words out loud at first, but you could tell. He called you at odd little moments of the day, just to talk. He brought you little gifts, saying, "I saw this and I thought of you." You could tell that he thought about you almost as often as you thought of him.

You had captured his heart.

The book of Song of Songs can be read as Jesus' love poem to you and me--His bride, the church. And in this love letter, God tells you,

"You have captured my heart."

It's easy to forget this. When I look in my mirror I often feel forgotten, ignored, unnoticed. In the eyes of the world I am ordinary--nothing special.

But then I hear my Savior's voice:

You are treasured in my eyes. You have totally captured my affections. I can't stop thinking about you--even for a minute. You are on my mind and in my heart night and day. You are loved.

In God's mirror I am special.

Hold this in your heart today:

Jesus says: "You have captured my heart."

When you hear Jesus' words, "You have captured my heart" how does that change your view of yourself?

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Two Questions to Ask Yourself When You Need Encouragement

2012-08-07T07:30:00.000-07:00

"Those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed."

Proverbs 11:25b

I have heard it said that the best thing you can do when you feel the need for encouragement is to encourage someone else. When you feel the need for pat on the back, look for someone who needs it even more. When you need a word of comfort seek out someone who also needs a hand to hold. In the process of encouraging someone else, you yourself will be encouraged.

Proverbs 11:25 backs this up: those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed.

Sharon Jaynes, author of The Power of a Woman's Words, calls this the Bucket Principle. She writes:

"I believe that each of us is given a bucket of encouragement that we are to pour onto those around us. As we dip out of our bucket and pour onto others, God miraculously fills it back up."

I have experienced this myself. When I have made a point of giving someone a word of appreciation even when I'm feeling like I'm the one who needs that supportive message, God comes through. Perhaps my encouragement bucket is refilled later in the day by another person who says, "Thank you," or maybe it's the "'Atta girl" God whispers in my heart.

Two questions to ask yourself today (especially if you need encouragement):

At the beginning of the day, ask yourself, "Who can I encourage today?"
At the end of the day, ask, "How did God refill my encouragement bucket?"

How has God refilled your encouragement bucket lately?

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God's Mirror: You are Beautiful in Every Way

2012-08-02T07:30:00.000-07:00

"You are altogether beautiful my darling, beautiful in every way."

Song of Songs 4:7

How would you describe your relationship with your mirror?

I have a love/hate relationship with mine. The shiny surface comes in handy to check if I have lipstick on my teeth or bits of powdered sugar doughnut clinging to my lips, but I don't always like what I see in the mirror.

I look in my makeup mirror and see a new wrinkle. I glance in the vanity mirror and see hair that refuses to arrange itself the way I would like. I gaze in the department store dressing room mirror and see my figure flaws from three different angles.

I do not feel altogether beautiful.

But God tells me something different. His Word is a true mirror of our nature because in it God tells us how He sees us. Compared to God's mirror, all the other reflections we see are like the images we see in the carnival fun house mirrors--distorted.

Looking into God's mirror we can see who we really are, what we really look like from heaven's perspective.

In the book Song of Songs God tells me,

"You are altogether beautiful, my darling, beautiful in every way."

The beautiful book of Song of Songs is a love story that can be read at several different levels: as a beautiful love story between a man and a woman, as a manual for a husband-wife relationship, and as Christ's love poem to us as His bride, the church.

God knows we are insecure. We women often obsess about our looks. Even when we are at our best, we can quickly identify our flaws. So God wants to reassure us. He says to me, He says to you:

You are beautiful in every way. You may not feel that way today. You may be painfully aware of where your beauty falls short of the world's ideal. But in my eyes you are altogether lovely. Turn away from the mirrors of fashion magazines and retouched photos. See yourself in the reflection of my eyes.

Hold onto those words today. Hear Jesus say to you:

You are beautiful in every way.

Do you feel beautiful in God's sight? What Scriptures do you go to when you need to see yourself through His eyes?

Two Questions to Ask Yourself When Your Mouth Has Messed Up

2012-07-31T07:30:00.000-07:00

"I have resolved that my mouth will not sin."

Psalm 17:3

David, the psalmist, resolved that his mouth would not sin.

I wish it were that easy for me.

After my mouth has messed up for the millionth time, I vow, "Next time I will do better." But then I say something stupid. I talk without thinking. I hurt someone with my words.

One thing I learned during my Mouth Makeover in 2011 was that even though my mouth was improving, it would never be perfect. I'm sure I will always struggle with saying the right thing.

I have a tendency to hang onto guilt. I beat myself up, play the mistake over and over in my brain. But I'm discovering that is not very productive. So now when I mess up, I do these three things:

I ask God for forgiveness. He wants me to realize that I don't have to continue to carry the guilt. When I go to Him after I have messed up, He forgives me. He buries my mistakes. He removes them, erases them, completely forgets about them. Grace is available every time I confess.

I ask those I have hurt for forgiveness. To my great relief my family and friends are also generous with their forgiveness when I go to them and admit my mistake. They are so gracious that often they will say that they don't even remember me saying something hurtful. When I receive their forgiveness, I rejoice in the clean slate that they have given me.

I learn from my mistake. I ask myself: Why did I mess up? Did I lose my patience because I was tired? Did I speak before I knew all the information I needed? Was I too focused on myself? When I examine my mouth errors, I can hopefully avoid them in the future.

Two questions to ask yourself when your mouth has messed up:

Have I asked for forgiveness? From God? From the other person involved?
What can I learn from my mistake?

Don't continue to carry around the guilt. Receive God's forgiveness and grace.

What do you do when you have said something you wish you could take back? Do you lose sleep over it? Or do get a clean slate as soon as possible?

The Worry Handbag Part 8: The Duffle of Deliberation

2012-07-26T07:30:00.000-07:00

"Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."

Philippians 4:8

So far we've talked about the Clutch of Concentration, the Bag of Belief, the Satchel of Seeking, the Tote of Today, and the Purse of Prayer.

I hope you are not too tired of my alliteration because I have one more:

The Duffle of Deliberation

Of course I chose "deliberation" because it is a "d" word, but it truly fits the idea I want to get across:

We need to be deliberate with our thoughts.

Often when I find myself carrying around a handbag of worries, I give it to God only to wrestle it out of His hands moments later. I get frustrated with myself. Why can't I leave it in God's care?

Perhaps the answer to this problem is found in Philippians 4:8: "think about these things." I need to be deliberate in my thinking. I need to retrain my mind.

When the situation troubling me resurfaces in my thoughts I need to think about what is true and noble about the circumstance. I need to concentrate on what is excellent and praiseworthy in my life.

Right now my daughter and her family are living in China.

The mother part of me finds it very easy to worry about their welfare. But when I find my mind drifting over into anxiety, I remind myself of Philippians 4:8. I concentrate on what is true--God is in control. I reflect on what is right and noble--their desire to serve God. I focus on what is excellent and praiseworthy--their dedication.

Being deliberate in my thoughts helps me to give my concerns back to the One who cares.

Question: Are you currently experiencing anxiety? Can you find something true, noble, excellent, or admirable in the situation?

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The Worry Handbag: Part 7: The Purse of Prayer

2012-07-24T07:30:00.000-07:00

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

Philippians 4:6-7

Do not be anxious. About anything.

Impossible, you say.

Anxiety and the temptation to worry are hard to avoid. But when they come, we have an alternative:

"Let your requests be made known to God."

A few years ago I attended a retreat led by author and speaker Donna Partow. One thing she said in that retreat really stuck with me.

Turn every little worrisome thought into a prayer.

For some reason, I had never done that before. I had always struggled with the instructions in 1 Thessalonians 5:17: "Pray without ceasing." But then I realized that when I'm worried about something, I think about it all the time. My anxiety doesn't just show up once in the morning and once at night. If I turned every anxious thought into a prayer, I would certainly be on the track of praying without ceasing.

Obviously, I am not totally successful with turning all of my anxiety into prayer. In fact, recently God pointed out to me that I had not prayed about an issue that has been plaguing my worry center for over a year.

But when I do remember to pray, the peace that God promises floods my soul. That tranquility truly is beyond understanding, for the issue is not settled. God's peace guards my spirit and keeps out the anxious thoughts when I remember:

Turn every little worrisome thought into a prayer.

Question: Have you tried turning all of your worries into prayers?

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The Worry Handbag Part 6: The Tote of Today

2012-07-19T07:30:00.000-07:00

"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."

Matthew 6:34

“Touch a button and hear, at every level of your life, the iron doors shutting out the Past—the dead yesterdays. Touch another and shut off, with a metal curtain, the Future—the unborn tomorrows. Then you are safe—safe for today!”

Sir William Osler

So many times when I worry, it's about the future. I get all tied up in knots about what might happen.

Jesus speaks to me through the words He spoke on the mountain, "Don't worry about tomorrow." Live life one day at a time. Carry the tote of today.

Sir William Osler gave a speech to a group of Yale students back in 1913. It seems that worry has always been a popular topic. Osler urged the students to live a life in "day-tight compartments" because, he told them, “the load of tomorrow, added to that of yesterday, carried today, makes the strongest falter.” (Dale Carnegie, How to Stop Worrying and Start Living p. 24)

If my life is a novel, I am to concern myself with the page that I am on, not all the twist and turns that the plot will take later on in the book. This should be easy, since I know how the story concludes. Because Jesus is my Savior, a happy ending is guaranteed.

And yet I struggle with concentrating on the here and now. I constantly need to remind myself that these worries can wait. I continually need to tell myself that what I think may happen will probably never come about.

So I look into the tote of today. Guess what? There aren't any worries inside that bag. Right now all of my concerns are about the future.

Today I'm choosing to stay in my "day-tight compartment."

Question: Do you find it difficult to follow Jesus' instruction on not worrying about tomorrow?

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The Worry Handbag Part 5: The Satchel of Seeking

2012-07-17T07:30:00.000-07:00

“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”

Matthew 6:30

Worry is a distracting care. Concentration on God's provision is an answer to the distraction.

Worry is a lack of trust. Belief in God's care for me can help me overcome that anxiety.

Worry is searching for the wrong thing. Seeking God puts our focus in the right place.

Instead of carrying the Handbag of Worry, let's use the Satchel of Seeking.

A satchel can be a fashionable purse, but it can also mean a shoulder bag meant for schoolbooks.A satchel is for searching, for learning, for seeking.

In Matthew 6:30, Jesus tells us that seeking is a way to avoid anxiety. What are to seek? God’s kingdom and His righteousness.

But what do I spend a lot of my time seeking? “All these things.” What exactly are “these things”? In the previous verses of Matthew 6, we see that Jesus was talking about what I will eat, what I will drink, what I will wear.

Jesus is urging me to not be distracted with the physical stuff of life. This was probably not an easy task for Jesus' original audience for the Sermon on the Mount The people sitting on that mountain had to struggle daily for food and water. They had to walk to a community well and carry water home. Their diet consisted of mostly barley bread and vegetables that had to be prepared by hand each day.

I have never been too concerned about getting enough to eat, but when I worry, it is often about the physical stuff of life: “Will we have enough money to pay all the bills? Will the roof on the house hold out for one more year? How will we pay for the kids’ college education?” I may not worry about having enough clothes, but I may worry about having the right clothes. My kids may bug me for a certain brand of tennis shoes or I see a designer bag I simply “must have.”

God invites me to concentrate on His goodness and provision instead of what television commercials declare I need. He asks me to seek His kingdom. He invites me to concentrate on what is eternal instead of what is fleeting.

And then He promises me that He'll take care of the rest.

Question: When anxiety threaten to take over your thoughts, what do you tend to worry about?

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The Worry Handbag Part 4: The Bag of Belief

2012-07-12T07:30:00.000-07:00

“If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

Matthew 6:30

Little faith = Big worries

When I reread Jesus' teaching on worry in the Sermon on the Mount I noticed that He began with, “Do not worry” in verse 25 and continues with, “O you of little faith” in verse 30. It seems to me that Jesus is connecting worry with a lack of trust.

I think He is saying, “Little faith = Big worries.”

Instead of carrying the Worry Handbag Jesus is asking me to use the Bag of Belief.

In verse 31 Jesus repeats the words, “Do not worry.” The Greek verb tense for don’t worry is present imperative—in other words, it’s a command. Jesus doesn’t say, “I suggest that you don’t spend your time worrying” or “You know worrying really is not a great idea.” He comes right out with the order, “Don’t worry.” When I am dwelling on my concerns, I am disobeying Christ’s instructions.

However, I believe Christ’s statement, “Don’t worry,” is also an invitation, an offer to carry my handbag of concerns and apprehensions.

Jesus asks me to carry the Bag of Belief and exhibit to the world that I have a loving Father that will take care of my needs instead of acting like individuals who do not have God as their source.

Truthfully, my human mind sometimes makes God small; it attempts to craft God in my image. I limit His goodness and power, because I subconsciously picture Him to be like me: powerless, selfish, and unwilling to help.

But God is Big and so I need a BIG bag of belief. God assures me that He is in control of the situation. Jesus told the crowd on the mountain, “Your heavenly Father already knows all your needs” (Matt. 6:32 NLT).

Before I even voice my concern, before I yearn for something more, before I can even conceive a new desire, my Father knows what I long for and what I require. Do I really believe this or am I still thinking that I know what I need or want better than my Maker and Designer?

It's time to carry the bag of belief.

Question: Do you agree with the equation: Little faith = Big worries?

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The Worry Handbag Part 3: The Clutch of Concentration

2012-07-10T07:30:00.000-07:00

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

Matthew 6:25-27

Today I'm going to ask you to change your purse.

No, I'm not going to ask you to switch from a Gucci to a Coach.

I'm not going to ask you to stop carrying a Vera Bradley and start using a Dooney and Bourke.

I'm going to suggest that trade your handbag of worry in for the the clutch of concentration.

In Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, He spends a good bit of time talking about anxiety. In Matthew 6:25, Jesus tells us, "Do not worry about your life."

The original Greek word that Jesus used for worry here in Matthew is merinnao which means “to be anxious about, to have a distracting care.”

When we worry about something, it is always on our minds.

Whatever we are doing, the problem returns to our thought pattern.

Even if something important is happening at the moment, the concern distracts us.

When we worry, we focus our mind on the problem, but instead we need to learn to concentrate our thoughts on something else.

We need the clutch of concentration.

One technique to teach your brain not to be distracted by worry is to literally tell it, “Worry about that later.” Research has shown that if people set aside a specific time to worry, they can learn to tame the worrisome thoughts.

How to have a successful "worry time":

Schedule a time each day to devote to worrying.
Don’t worry at other times.
If you start to worry at other times, write the concern down on a Worry List and tell yourself you will worry about it later.
Use the list to think about your problems during the "worry time."

This all may seem rather silly, but the process seems to train the brain to turn off the worrisome thoughts, instead of letting them run wild at all times of the day and night, preventing you from productive work and restful sleep.

Of course, as Christians, we can do more than worry during our "worry time."

We can pray.

We can give our concerns to God who knows so much more about them than we do. He has the solution all worked out. Coming to Him reminds us that He has everything under control.

So change your purse. Grab the clutch of concentration instead of the handbag of worry.

Question: How do you tame your worrisome thoughts?

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The Worry Handbag: Part 2 Physical Symptoms of Worry

2012-07-05T07:30:00.000-07:00

"Anxiety in a man's heart weighs him down."

Proverbs 12:25

How heavy is your purse?

It seems to me that suitcase-sized handbags are appearing everywhere.

A large bag allows us to carry everything we need (wallet, phone. hairbrush, makeup) and maybe even things we don't need (month-old grocery lists, program from the dance recital last year, Happy Meal toys our kids didn't like).

Sometimes we end up carrying a lot of things we don't mean to keep but forget to throw away.

Sometimes our worry handbags are like that too.

We throw more and more of our anxieties into a bag of worry that we continually carry around.

The trouble is that these worries can weigh us down. Just like a heavy purse can wreak havoc with our posture and cause shoulder pain, worry can cause physical symptoms.

Here is list of short-term symptoms that anxiety can bring about:

fast heartbeat
headaches
inability to concentrate
muscle tension
nausea
rapid breathing

When we worry, our bodies release stress hormones into our bodies that, over time, can cause more serious health problems:

suppression of the immune system
digestive disorders
raised blood pressure
higher cholesterol level
heart attack and stroke

The book of Proverbs tells us, "Anxiety in a man's heart weighs him down."

Over the next few blog posts I am going to talk about some alternatives to worry.

For more information on the physical effects of worry, check out these sites:

Question: Have you experienced any of these physical symptoms of worry?

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Make Me New

2012-07-03T07:30:00.000-07:00

Make me new.

This is my prayer. God has redeemed my heart and washed me clean. He has changed my soul and yet,

I know I have a long way to go.

And so my prayer is:

Lord, make me new. Make me into the person You want me to be, the person I was meant to be. Don't let me settle for a mediocre life or for what others want me to be. Make me new.

In January of 2010, I wrote and recorded a song to be used on the teaching DVD for my book Divine Design. Here are the words:

Make Me New

Verse 1

Looking at the same old me

Seeing mediocrity

Wondering if this was all that I was meant to be

But I don’t want to be the same

Make me into someone new

Alter my whole spirit into something You can use

Chorus:

Make me over

Transform my heart

Refashion my spirit and take me apart

Make me over

Renew my soul

Knit me together and make me whole

Make me like You

Make me new

Verse 2

Peel away the layers of

Selfishness and stubborn pride

To be more than I am now is like an ache inside

‘Cause I don’t want to be the same

Make me into someone who

Looks less like me and more and more like You

Chorus

Bridge:

Lord, design my heart to match Your grace

The empty years You can erase

Fashion my heart ‘til there’s no trace of me

‘Cause I don’t want to be the same

Make me into someone who

Looks less like me and more and more like You

Chorus

Recently, I figured out how to get the song on iTunes and other online music retailers. If you want to hear a snippet or purchase the recording go to iTunes and type in Sharla Fritz or click here.

Lord, make me like You.

The Worry Handbag

2012-06-28T07:30:00.000-07:00

Purses come in all shapes and sizes. I prefer a medium-sized bag large enough to carry my wallet, planner, and phone. My friend Deb routinely carries a teeny-tiny pink bag just large enough for her phone and a few credit cards. On the other end of the spectrum, my friend Sophie carried a ten-pound mini-suitcase every day. We teased her, but guess who we turned to when we needed a Band-aid, toothpick, sewing kit, tape measure, hand sanitizer, cough drop, aspirin, Tums...?

In my spiritual life I have often tried to carry a Sophie-sized bag stuffed with my worries and concerns. Each time another problem came along, I stuffed it in my knotted macrame bag and dragged it everywhere I went.

Jesus encourages me to carry a new handbag: a renewed reliance in God's care for me. Jesus told the crowd on the Mount of Olives, "Your heavenly Father knows that you need them all" (Matthew 6:32). Before I voice my concern, before I yearn for something more, before I can even conceive a new desire, my Father knows what I long for and what I require. Do I really believe this, or am I still thinking that I know what I need and want better than my Maker and Designer?

Instead of carrying a handbag of worries let's try a new accessory: trusting that God already knows what we need and that He loves to give good gifts to His children! I admit that even now I am experiencing anxiety over an overfull to-do list. I really can't see how I can get everything done! But God reminded this morning that nothing is too hard for Him. So I have given Him the list and am counting on Him to multiply my time or help me to prioritize or...? I know He has it under control!

I am refusing to carry the purse of anxiety and am learning to hold onto God's provision.

This post is adapted from my book Divine Design: 40 Days of Spiritual Makeover (Concordia Publishing House)

How Do You Increase Your Faith?

2012-06-26T07:30:00.000-07:00

“Increase our faith” (Luke 17:5)

I had to search through four stores, search through hundreds of pairs of pants and try on 15 pairs of slacks in order to find one pair of black slacks that fit me. The search was worth it because the slacks are a wardrobe staple.

Just as that black pair of pants or stylish skirt is essential to our physical clothing, faith is essential to our spiritual wardrobes. The writer of Hebrews tells us, “Without faith it is impossible to please God” (Hebrews 11:6). But I can’t find faith at the thrift store. Where do we go when we need faith?

Jesus’ disciples once approached Him and said, “Increase our faith.” I think we can also pray that prayer. After all, faith is a gift to begin with. Paul tells us that we have been saved by grace through faith and faith “is not from yourselves it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8). So let’s pray the disciples’ prayer, “Increase our faith.”

What other practical steps do you take when you feel low on faith?

Here are a few of the methods I use:

1. First, I go to God’s Word. Black slacks are found at thrift stores. Faith-builders are found in God’s Word. Romans 10:17 says, “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.”

2. I find promises in God’s Word that strengthen my faith and give me something to hang onto. For instance I used Micah 7:7—“But as for me, I will watch expectantly for the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation. My God will hear me.”—during a long period of waiting.

3. I sing. Great hymns like “Great is Thy Faithfulness or “How Great Thou Art” fuel my faith.

4. I remember all the tough times that God has already brought me through. This helps me to remember that He is faithful and trustworthy.

Let’s appreciate that we do not have to hunt through thrift stores to find faith. God is more than willing to give it to us. We can find it in His Word, in His faithfulness in the past, and through His Spirit who grows that faith in our hearts.

Please share practical steps you use to grow your faith.

Essential Footwear Fashion

2012-06-21T07:30:00.000-07:00

"If the shoe fits, buy it in every color."

My sister bought me a pillow with that saying--I think she knows me pretty well! I like shoes. I probably have too many and yet, I never seem to have just the right pair for every outfit.

The other day a fashion consultant on TV suggested five essentials for everyone's shoe closet:

1. one pair pumps in a neutral color for work or going out to dinner
2. one pair ultra-dressy shoes or sandals in gold or silver for special occasions
3. one pair flats to wear with jeans or slacks
4. one pair sneakers--but not the kind you wear to the gym--think Sketchers
5. one pair tall boots

All of this got me thinking: What essentials do we need in our spiritual footwear? Does the Bible list five necessary footwear fashions for our spiritual wardrobe?

God makes it even easier than the fashion guru. In my quick search of the Bible, I found only one footwear essential--willingness to go and tell others the good news of Christ. Ephesians 6:15 says:

"Your desire to tell the good news about peace should be like shoes on your feet" (CEV).

We don't need fancy pumps or special occasion shoes. We don't even need stylish flats or cool sneakers. What God thinks is beautiful is the desire, the longing, and the aspiration to tell His good news to others. Other versions say the "readiness" or the "preparation" to spread the Gospel.

If I'm honest, a burning desire to tell others about Jesus is not the most central thought in my mind each day. And sometimes when God has placed an opportunity to tell about Jesus in my life, I have not been ready. Maybe you feel the same way.

Let's examine our spiritual footwear by asking ourselves two questions:

1. Do I have the desire to spread the Good News of Christ?
2. Am I ready to tell about Jesus if the opportunity comes?

I'd love to hear your comments on how you answered these questions and how you do prepare yourself to tell about Jesus in your everyday life.

photo credit

Five Checkpoints of a Quality Day

2012-06-19T07:30:00.000-07:00

Thrift store shopping requires a keen eye for quality. Many of the clothes in resale shops are wonderful buys, but there are also a lot of garments with stains, torn seams, and pilled fabrics. Sometimes I get so excited about a fashionable find that I forget to check all the details. Later, when I am about to wear the new sweater or skirt, I discover a flaw that makes it unusable. To help you avoid my mistakes, I offer this list.

Five Checkpoints of a Quality Garment

1. Is the garment clean, without stains?

2. Is the fabric in good shape? Or is faded, worn, or pilly?

3. Is the stitching tight and secure?

4. Are the buttons reinforced?

5. Does the garment have a wide, even hem?

The lessons from quality garments can apply to our lives as well. It can be a good practice to examine our days just as we examine our clothes. Here are some features to look for in a day well spent.

Five Checkpoints of a Quality Day

1. Was the day cleaned? Did it include a time of confession and receiving God's forgiveness?

"Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me."

(Psalm 51:10 NIV)

2. Were joy and laughter included in the fabric of the day?

"The joy of the Lord is your strength."

(Nehemiah 8:10 NIV)

3. Was the day stitched with love?

"Do everything in love."

(1 Corinthians 16:14 NIV)

4. Was the day reinforced with God's Word?

"Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path."

(Psalm 119:105)

5. Was the day hemmed in prayer and thankfulness?

"By day the LORD directs his love, at night his song is with me— a prayer to the God of my life."

(Psalm 42:8)

I pray that God will bless your days with love and laughter, with His grace and guidance. May you count your blessings and enjoy His fellowship!

The Original, Shimmering Self

2012-06-14T07:30:00.000-07:00

Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to finding yourself, your true self. What good would it do to get everything you want and lose you, the real you?

Luke 9:25 The Message

Have you lost the real you?

Awhile ago I read Telling Secrets by Frederick Buechner. One passage that spoke to me was this:

"We try to make ourselves into something that we hope the world will like better than it apparently did the selves we originally were. That is the story of all our lives, needless to say, and in the process of living out that story, the original, shimmering self gets buried so deep that most of us end up hardly living out of it at all. Instead we live out all the other selves which we are constantly putting on and taking off like coats and hats against the world's weather."
(Telling Secrets, HarperSanFrancisco, p. 45)

Do you find this to be true in your life as well?

Sometimes I find myself putting on a "coat and hat" in order to feel good about myself, and later a totally different set of clothes when the first set didn't work. I keep trying on different outfits, none of them fitting exactly right. I begin to lose the real me, cover up the "original, shimmering self" that God made me to be.

Ironically, Jesus tells me that the way to finding my true self is not to add new clothes to my life but to give my "self" away. To sacrifice my rights to myself. To lay my life in His hands so that He can restore the shimmmering self, the person I was meant to be.

Of course, this is always easier said than done. My sinful self is always arguing with my authentic self that this will be too difficult, too scary, too painful. And truthfully, at times sacrificing my rights to myself is challenging and agonizing. But when I have been able to quiet the sinful self and lay my life with its hopes and dreams in God's hands, He has led me to joy, hope and self-discovery.

So let's abandon the "other selves" we are tempted to wear and shut out the arguments of our sinful self in order to find the "original, shimmering self" that God intended each of us to be.

photo credit

Clothes and Compliments

2012-06-12T07:00:00.000-07:00

Do you have an outfit in your closet that always reaps compliments?

Many clothes in my closet are a deep peach color. This is because whenever I wear them, they draw comments like, "That color looks fabulous on you." or "You should wear that color all the time!" So of course when I'm not sure what to wear I am likely to choose one of the deep-peach variety. Who doesn't like a compliment?

One of my favorite books is Having a Mary Spirit, by Joanna Weaver in which she talks about a long-held false belief she had. That belief was expressed in this formula:

MY PERFORMANCE + OTHERS' OPINIONS OF ME = MY SELF WORTH

Can you relate? I certainly can. Not only do I sometimes choose an article of clothing because I consciously or unconsciously know I am likely to receive compliments on it, I may also choose activities and tasks that will make others notice me.

Mark Twain said, "I can live for two months on a good compliment." I agree. Positive words fuel my spirit. They give me strength to keep going.

But what happens when others don't notice us? When our hard work is behind the scenes and no one says, "Great job!" When people don't offer compliments or praise. Does that mean we are not valuable?

No! Even when we may feel unimportant, insignificant, even worthless, we can hang on to the truth in God's Word:

“Since you are precious and honored in my sight, and because I love you, I will give men in exchange for you, and people in exchange for your life.” (Isaiah 43:4)

I am precious to God—valuable in His sight, treasured in His kingdom, and cherished in His heart. I am an honored and privileged part of His kingdom. He loved me so much that He gave His own Son in exchange for my life!

So when our self-esteem is a little low, when compliments have been few and far between, let's do some new math:

GOD'S LOVE FOR ME + JESUS' SACRIFICE FOR ME = MY SELF WORTH

Armani Desires

2012-06-07T07:30:00.000-07:00

"He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD." Deuteronomy 8:3

One of the things I love most about shopping at a thrift store is that virtually anything I find there is within my price range. Over the years I have purchased an Ann Taylor sweater set for $4.99, a Liz Claiborne trench coat for $5.50, and a Jones New York jacket for $4.00. In a resale shop I can usually buy anything I desire.

This is seldom true in the outlet mall near my house. I love to browse there and sometimes find wonderful items within my budget. However, on one such browsing session I wandered into the Armani store. Now I knew Armani was an expensive name, but I thought this is the outlet store, right? Looking through the racks I found a beautiful blouse. This would be perfect, I thought--until I looked at the price tag: $221.00!

That was definitely one desire that would remain unmet.

The other day when my quiet time included reading Deuteronomy 8, it was like God flipped a switch. I saw something in verse three that I had never noticed before. Moses told the people of Israel that God humbled them, causing them to hunger. He did not immediately meet their needs. And when God did feed them, He gave them manna. This was a miraculous food to be sure and it kept them full, but it did not totally satisfy their appetites. They still longed for the taste of fish, cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic (Numbers 11:5).

God purposely caused them to hunger, let their mouths water, their stomachs to growl. Why?

To teach them that "man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD." God caused the hunger, gave them a desire that He didn't immediately meet in order to show them that what they really wanted was not what they thought they wanted.

Let me say that again: What they really wanted was not what they thought they wanted. Their deepest need, their most intense desire and our deepest need, most intense desire is to hear God's words. We need to recognize His voice and experience a real relationship with Him.

Looking back on my life, I see many times when I have had a deep longing, an intense desire, a pressing goal. I worked hard to get what I wanted and prayed with all my heart, yet what I longed for remained just beyond my reach. Now I see that it was during those times that God was withholding that desire, delaying the answer to the prayer long enough for me to see that what I really wanted was Him. To realize that Jesus is enough. The desires I had were to lead me to true satisfaction in the Lord--in His words of life to me.

What desires do you have? Does it seem that God is withholding a key ingredient to your happiness? Maybe He is trying to show you that what you really want is to hear His voice. Take time to do that today. Read His loving words to you. Be still and listen. He is the One who will give you what you really want.

And it isn't something you can buy in the Armani outlet.

Becoming a Mirror (or How Our Lives Are Like a Piece of Mica)

2012-06-05T07:30:00.000-07:00

Many years ago I was in a Christian singing group called Joy, Inc. We were a bunch of college kids who took off a year from school to perform contemporary Christian music in churches across the country and Canada. It was a faith-stretching experience I would never trade for anything.

One of the songs we regularly sang was written by James, our keyboardist. Even now it is one of my favorite songs and an anthem for my life. The song is titled “Mirror”.

I long to be your mirror, Lord

I pray that You will be

the one Who will be noticed

when people look at me.

They’ll see You . . .

Jesus.

What a beautiful picture of Christian life.

I truly desire to reflect Christ, function as a mirror that displays His mercy and love. When I do, the focus is on Jesus, not on me. Part of my nature wants all the attention to be directed at me, me, me. But ultimately this is not satisfying. One of the great paradoxes of the Christian life is that I am more fulfilled when I’m small and God is great. As I direct attention away from myself to my Savior, I experience my greatest purpose—to bring honor to God.

Paul used the image of a mirror in 2 Corinthians 3:18:

And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.

During a concert one night, my friend James told how he was inspired to write the song, “Mirror”: One warm, sunny autumn day, he was hiking in the Black Hills of South Dakota where he discovered a large piece of mica on the ground. Mica is a rock which is made up of many thin glass-like layers compressed together. (See the picture of mica above.) The upper layers were cracked and dirty. He began peeling off some of the soiled, dusty pieces and was surprised by a sheen that he had not suspected was under all that dirt. As he continued to remove more layers the glassy plates became clearer. Finally, the process revealed a surface that had been hidden deep in the rock, but now shown as a brilliant mirror.

James observed that our lives are often like the dirty mica, lacking the beauty that God intended us to have. Our Lord is patiently waiting for us to allow Him to peel away the impure layers of our lives, so He can restore our polish and sheen. Then we will become mirrors, reflecting the life of Jesus into a darkened world.

That process of stripping away the film of our old nature and the deposit of dirt from the world transforms us into the mirror we were meant to be. The process is not always painless.

Like a little child who does not want to take a bath, we are reluctant to shed our layers of filth. Sometimes the Lord wants to peel away something we think is important in our life, something we perceive as essential to happiness. But when we submit to the procedure, we discover joy in Him, not mere happiness with ourselves.

For just like James discovered a beautiful mirror beneath the dirty layers of mica, so we discover our true selves when we allow God to peel away what is getting in the way of reflecting Him. Our authentic form will appear when Jesus has sloughed off all the grimy, unnecessary deposits that cover my life. Then we can truly shine in His glory.

Do you long to be a mirror of the Lord? Allow Him to peel away the layers that are preventing your true self from shining. Look into Jesus’ face and reflect His love to the world.

Dear Lord, I do long to be Your mirror. I pray that when people look at me, all they see is You. Peel away any layers of my old nature that are getting in the way of reflecting Your grace. Amen.

This post is adapted from my book, Divine Design: 40 Days of Spiritual Makeover.