4 Tips for Managing Your Heart

                                           Image courtesy of Vichaya Kiatying-Angsulee at FreeDigitalPhotos.net


Hello, friends! I have an article on Single Matters today that delves into a very personal topic: the heart. God is so sweet to constantly pursue, heal, fill and restore my heart as I open it up to Him.  I hope you'll check out my thoughts on the matter and continue to read over at SingleMatters.com...



The way you pack a suitcase says a lot about you. Maybe you’re the “list” type with a 450-point checklist for your weekend excursion, down to the exact number of Q-Tips you think you will need for optimal hygiene. Or maybe you’re the “whatever” type who chucks in a little bit of this and a […]

Read the rest of the article on Single Matters

Prayer for the Persecuted

                                                                                           Image courtesy of dan / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
 

Father in heaven, I ask you to have mercy on your children. Hide your little ones under the shadow of your wing and protect them with your mighty power. Stop the advance of evil against your people. Send your angel armies to push back the enemy and end this violent bloodshed. Let the justice of heaven build a wall around your people that the minions of hell cannot breach. You are never the initiator of war and violence, God, but your justice demands an answer. I pray for righteousness to prevail over injustice, for heaven’s glory to suffocate violence, for peace and freedom to be established on the earth in the name of Jesus Christ. Let Your Kingdom come, Lord, on earth as it is in heaven! Silence your enemies! Help your children! Use our prayers as fuel for your good and perfect will to be done. Please unleash your Holy Spirit to cover and fill those people being targeted, hurt and killed because of your name, Lord Jesus. Where words fail us, hear our groans for our brothers and sisters enduring such pain right now.

“May God arise, may his enemies be scattered; may his foes flee before him.”
Psalm 68:1

“Arise, Lord! Lift up your hand, O God. Do not forget the helpless. Why does the wicked man revile God? Why does he say to himself, ‘He won’t call me to account’? But you, God see the trouble of the afflicted; you consider their grief and take it in hand. The victims commit themselves to you; you are the helper of the fatherless. Break the arm of the wicked man; call the evildoer to account for his wickedness that would not otherwise be found out. The Lord is King forever and ever; the nations will perish from his land. You, Lord, hear the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry, defending the fatherless and the oppressed, so that mere earthly mortals will never again strike terror.”
Psalm 10:12-18

Uncover Repeating Patterns

We are creatures of habit. We like predictability and regularity. We like to know what’s coming. Some of us might seem more adventurous than others or might like to live with a little spontaneity; but for the most part, the way we perceive and order our lives is by repetitions.

Sun up, sun down. Repeat
Wake up, go to work, come home, sleep. Repeat.
Work, work, work, work, work, weekend. Repeat.
Winter, spring, summer, fall. Repeat.

Games and recreational activities are built on patterns and cycles that repeat themselves. Music is formulated on a repeating scale using repeating patterns. Even in language, the way we learn is by patterns and repetitions!

My family just moved to Berlin, Germany a few months ago, and we are straining our ears to learn the language. I am amazed at how much more I can understand now than even just a few weeks ago. Now when I listen, I am beginning to recognize words, patterns of speech and regular form! It doesn’t sound like chaotic nonsense to my ear anymore! (At least, not as much chaotic nonsense …)

What about your life? Have you picked up on any repeating patterns?

 Click here to finish reading my article on SingleMatters.com.

Burn, Baby, Burn!

                                                     Image courtesy of arztsamui / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Light is a big deal.  

As a Christian, light is your identity. Jesus said it Himself in Matthew 5: “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.” When you opened your heart to Jesus, you became a sanctuary for THE Light, and the whole world can see it. The light of God’s glory has been deposited in you and dwells in you. That is truly amazing!

For years I lived my Christian life with the knowledge of this miraculous situation, but never understood the magnitude of it. Then one day I stumbled upon Isaiah 60 as I was flipping through the Bible. As I read the first couple of verses, I saw something new.

“Arise, shine; for your light has come! And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you. For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people; but the Lord will arise over you, and His glory will be seen upon you.” Is. 60:1-2

I heard the Holy Spirit call to me, “Arise! Shine out the Light of my presence, because that is your purpose! People all around you are groping blindly in the darkness and praying for someone to bring in a light. You ARE the light for them. Establish the light everywhere you go. Set up spiritual beacons and mark off territory for My kingdom with every step you take.”

That moment of revelation helped me to see the action part of the equation. I could understand that I was a light-filled being, but I had never understood that I could really do something about the darkness. I just imagined myself like a little candle, and wherever I walked I had a little circle of light around me. That preschool song is painting the wrong picture, folks! There’s nothing little about your light!

My view had been way too small for way too long. What God was showing me was how BIG His glory is—and that you and I can deposit His glory in physical locations on planet earth and set up outposts for His kingdom. As I allow myself to be filled with the Holy Spirit, fire and electricity and power can flow out of me in the spirit realm. When I am “on assignment”, I have the ability through the Spirit to end darkness where I am. The Holy Spirit can give me words to say, Scripture to proclaim, prayers to pray or whatever is needed at a particular moment—and through it, the darkness flees because the light of the glory of the Great I AM sits down in that spot.



Whoa.

He wants to do that same thing through you. Trade in your “candle” picture of yourself and let God show you what you really look like in the Spirit. You are a giant of light. What you say really matters. Where you are assigned is not an accident, and if you listen to the Spirit, you will have the opportunity to establish pillars of fire all over this planet and help bring an end to the darkness.

Lord, I hear You calling me to get up and shine! I want to shine out Your glory! Thank You for living in me and for resting the flame of Your Spirit upon me. Please fill me up to overflowing with Your presence, and let a pillar of fire rise up in me. I will listen to You—tell me when to speak, when to pray, when to be still and just stand. I want to see Your kingdom come on this earth as it is in heaven, so sign me up for Light duty! You are great and awesome, Lord. I am so humbled to be an ark of Your presence. Bless Your name, great King of all Kings!

38 Years of Wisdom. Or Something.

 Image courtesy of mrsiraphol / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

I'm celebrating my 38th birthday today! Actually, I'm taking my kids roller skating, but I TURN 38 today. Which got me reminiscing about life...and all its beauty. And all its ugly. And all of the in-betweens. And how much I love it. All of which led me to making a list of things as they came to mind...

So, from me to you, here are my best take-aways from the first 38 years of my life:

1.  Liquid eyeliner is clearly superior to any other kind.
2.  Sometimes you just need to eat donuts.
3.  Singing your heart out is therapeutic.
4.  You can do ANYTHING you put your mind to.
5.  Your tastes will probably change over time.
6.  Chiropractors are your friends.
7.  Downtime is as essential to your life as oxygen.
8.  Crying is soul-cleansing.
9.  Laughter is the best medicine.
10.  Rejection is part of living.
11.  Triumph is also part of living.
12.  Failure is not the end.
13.  Parenting is mostly hard work.
14.  Parenting is a brutally joyful experience.
15.  Marriage is mostly hard work.
16.  Marriage is a brutally joyful experience.
17.  Oneness with your spouse is deeply soul-satisfying and worth fighting for.
18.  Flexibility is one of the best character traits you can cultivate.
19.  Rising from the ashes of your life is always possible.
20.  ANYTHING is possible.
21.  Faith is empowering.
22.  Coffee is a gift from God.
23.  Flowers make you smile.
24.  Listening is a skill you should develop.
25.  People are treasures. Even the stinkers.
26.  Forgiving other people sets YOU free.
27.  Anyone can come to Jesus and be transformed.
28.  Changing people is not my job; loving people with a tenacious God-love IS my job.
29.  Understanding people is not a prerequisite for loving them.
30.  You learn how to lead by first learning how to follow.
31.  Having a positive attitude/outlook is entirely up to you; you are the only person responsible for your moods.
32.  Depression can't snuff you out unless you give it permission.
33.  One word from God is more powerful than a lifetime of believing Satan's lies.
34.  God still heals people.
35.  The Holy Spirit is still on the move and will empower you when you are open to Him.
36.  My view of God is still too small and one-dimensional.
37.  Your life is what you make it.
38.  A lifetime of pursuing God's heart is rich and full.

...and one to grow on:

39.  Every person can be matched to a Muppet. Just think about it.

Happy birthday to all you Januarians out there! It's gonna be a great year!