WEDNESDAY WEEKLY WORD..."The fountain of life"

Have you ever noticed that people who are really good at something seem to come by it easily?

-look at how easily a guitarist fingers walk up and down the neck of a guitar.

-notice how beautiful and skilled a figure skater glides across the ice.

It may look easy, until you pick up a guitar and begin to strum or you lace up a pair of ice skates and instead of grace you experience bruises from falling down. We can never excel at something merely by watching from the sidelines.

WISDOM is similar to this. Obtaining wisdom is not as easy to obtain as it may seem. Have you ever noticed a person who has the ability to calm conflict and who oozes with self control? We may think it is their personality or that they are even-tempered. In reality, what this type of person possesses is WISDOM!

THERE IS A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WISDOM AND KNOWLEDGE. Knowledge is having wisdom in your head. Wisdom is practicing that knowledge in your life. Wisdom is like the skilled guitarist, you can learn it in your head but to bring it into action - it takes effort, rehearsal and patience.

In the book of Proverbs, Solomon writes many interesting proverbs about the contrast between wisdom and folly (or foolishness). In fact, Solomon writes over 40 times about a fool.

PROVERBS 12:15 "A fool's way is right in his own eyes, but whoever listens to counsel is wise."

How does one choose between wisdom and foolishness? commitment. A commitment to learn, to listen and to grow.

Solomon refers to wisdom as a "fountain of life". (Prov. 13:14) I hope you are not picturing a fancy fountain found in a city square - the fountain he is speaking of is a spring that brings water to a village, a spring that literally brings life to the dead desert. Wisdom, godly wisdom, is the fountain of life that will make your life better and it will enable you to share the "living water" with others.

Not only is commitment a big part of having wisdom, but Solomon says that listening is a big part of wisdom. In fact, Solomon mentions listening more than 10 times in the book of Proverbs. So it must be important.

If you desire to be wiser, you might try listening more. We rarely give our full attention to what another person is saying. In fact, while someone is talking - we are already thinking about what we are going to say back to that person or we are not paying attention at all and we are thinking about something entirely not related to what the person is speaking about.

Last week's YOUR OPINION MATTERS POLL was about listening and how well we listen to others. I asked the question, "What are your listening habits?" The top 3 responses were:

1. 52% voted and said that they look people in the eye and try to listen to every word.
2. 17% of those polled said that they multi-task while listening to others.
3. 17% also said that they try to listen but often find themselves thinking how to respond.

If we could only learn to listen more. We might prevent alot of arguments or disagreements.

PROVERBS 18:13 "The one who gives an answer before he listens - this is foolishness and disgrace for him."

Listening is not only important in our relationships, but it is imperative for gaining wisdom. Alot of wisdom is passed on by word of mouth and by listening to other people's experiences.

~ Someone tells you about a great auto mechanic. Bored, you tune out them out and barely hear a word they are saying. Later you find yourself in need of a mechanic and wish you knew of a good one. ~

PROVERBS 18:15 "The ear of the wise seeks knowledge".

The "ear of the wise" is always busy listening for information and wisdom of the experiences of others. People will trust you if you are a good listener. The benefits of listening are undeniable...

~SILENCE is sometimes the best policy. People sometimes anger you with their words or actions. Our first reaction may be to vent back with words of anger or gossip. Solomon says that a man with understanding will be silent (Prov. 11:12). How can anyone be angry with you if you do not vent in anger or gossip?

PROVERBS 29:11 "But a fool gives full vent to his anger anyway".

Listening is wise. Speaking is often what gets us in trouble.

James tells us to be "quick to hear and slow to speak" (James 1:19) - this is a habit worth cultivating. A WISE habit worth developing.

I have been studying the book of PROVERBS. I encourage you to make a habit of reading the Proverbs, it gives us wise counsel! Develop a habit of listening to people more and learning from people. You could become a student of wisdom and observation by watching and observing people, and then journal what you learn. I hope this study of Proverbs has wet your appetite for the wisdom that is found in God's Word! Next week, I will begin a study on the book of Colossians...Please join me!

A PIECE OF MY HEART..."stuff" that builds-a-christian

FRUSTRATIONS...
the kids~ your boss~ your spouse~ your job~ the clerk at Wal-mart

Are you frustrated with all of the STUFF that is piling up on you? finances, sick kids, grumpy spouse, angry boss, strife with co-workers, nosy neighbors, back stabbing friends

STUFF pops up in all of our lives. Some of the stuff is good and some of the stuff is bad. No matter how we look at it - the stuff that frustrates us, is actually molding and making us. Without the stuff - we would be like a teddy bear with no stuffing - just empty, with no purpose. We would be incomplete.

This reminds me of the times I have taken my daughter to that wonderful (and expensive) place ~Build a Bear Workshop~. This is the store that your child can pick out a stuffed animal that they would like to "build". The first thing to do is pick out a heart for your animal and this is placed inside and then my favorite part is going over to the stuffing center. This machine shoots out the stuffing into your animal and WHAM! you now have your very own "stuffed" animal. There are other fun things to do over at the Build-a-Bear Workshop, like give your new creation a bath and pick out outfits for it. The very last thing (before you put a dent on your credit card) is print out a "birth certificate". It is very cool.

SO WHAT KIND OF "STUFF" ARE

YOU PUTTING INTO YOUR COVERING?

We are given one shot at this thing called life, and if we let all of the stuff get in the way of doing what we are called to do - then like the animal with no stuffing - we cannot function or be complete in fulfilling God's purpose for our life. The heartbeat of each Christian should be to be all they can be in Him, thru Him and Because of Him. You were made for a purpose and God has a plan for each of us. God has already put His stamp of approval on your certificate of life, it is sealed with the blood of Jesus. Don't let the "stuff" rob you of living completely for Him!

BUILD-A-CHRISTIAN...what a splendid new concept!

do you know someone who is frustrated because of the "stuff" in their life?

HOW DO YOU REACT TO SOMEONE WHO IS FRUSTRATED?

do you blame them? "I think it must be you that has the problem!"
do you lift them up? "You have such a negative attitude!"
do you separate yourself from them? "I can't help you - you are too difficult to figure out!"

The Bible instructs us to be encourager's. To hold up our brothers and sisters. And this is not implied to be done only when things are cheery, and upbeat. The time that I need encouragement the most is when I am discouraged!

what kind of a boss are you? do you lead by encouraging?
what kind of a friend are you? do you express concern thru prayer and action?
what kind of a spouse are you? do you build up or tear down?

what kind of a co-worker are you? do you offer help and assistance in difficult situations?

When people are bogged down with alot of stuff - they need to feel appreciated, loved and not defeated. When stuff weighs heavy on their minds, and in their life...what they need most is a few Aaron and Hur's to surround them....

EXODUS 17:12 "But Moses' hands became heavy; so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it. And Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until going down of the sun."

Who has God placed in your life to encourage and build up?

Is it someone you work with? Is it a friend?

Is it a church member? Is it a family member?

Why not accept the challenge to be

a Aaron and Hur to someone today!

AND THAT'S A PIECE OF MY HEART TODAY;

AT THE WELL...interruptions, delays and inconveniences

Lori from ALL YOU HAVE TO GIVE is leading us this week in our discussion over AT THE WELL. We are all seeking to be more like the Titus 2 woman and Lori reminds us of what Titus 2 says: "to be kind," and she asks each of us this..."but are we really as kind as we can be in our daily lives or are we so focused that we only see the interruptions, delays and inconveniences as frustrations instead of the opportunities that lie in them for God to reveal Himself."

So today, the discussion around the Well goes like this....

• How do you handle interruptions in your days?
  Do you plow right on over them missing opportunities God has placed on your path?
• What interruptions frustrate you the most?
• How are you working to overcome that?

YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY

To Interrupt is to hinder or stop by breaking in upon.

The Greek Lexicon word for interrupt is EGKOPTO, which means to cut into, to impede one's course by cutting off his way, hinder .

Throughout the course of my day, I have many interruptions. Some days it starts before I even set foot out of the bed. No matter what plans the day may hold, it can all come to a crashing halt when I hear these words before my sleepy eyes are even thinking about opening.."Mom, I don't feel good."

Those words are quickly followed by the thermometer verifying that my day is not going to go as planned.

SO WHAT DO I DO?

1. Rearrange
2. Realize
3. Recharge

If you have been hanging with me for any period of time here on my blog site, you know that I am OCD (over compulsive disorder). I like order. I like having a plan. I like lists. More than anything, I like to cross things off of my list.

When things go "bump" - it sometimes frustrates me because I will not be able to accomplish what I had set out to accomplish. Getting upset, frustrated or anxious does not fix any of it so the only thing reasonable to do is REARRANGE! I may have to rearrange my "to do" list, rearrange the importance of what is on my list and many times I may have to rearrange my entire day.

• ~Sick kids~
• ~car in the shop~
• ~sibling having an unexpected surgery~
• ~boss called in sick...can you do the sales meeting?~
• ~tractor/trailer accident on freeway, traffic jammed for hours~
• ~can't find your car keys~

We have all had one of those "Egkopto" days -a day that things "cut into" our agenda. Hindrances get in our way of accomplishing our plans. When this happens, we often times forget that our plans are not always His plans.

ISAIAH 55:9 "For as the heavens are higher than the earth; so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts."

We have to stop and REALIZE that God may have a reason to alter our day...

If your car had not been in the shop....you may have been involved in the tractor/trailer accident on the freeway on the way to work!

If your boss had led the sales meeting, you would not have had the chance to meet with Susan for lunch afterwards and you would have missed out sharing about Christ with her.

RECHARGE. When the delays, inconveniences and interruptions pop up, it is my prayer that I have already recharged my spirit. If I hadn't ...then it will be much more difficult to handle my circumstances. It will be much easier to get grumpy. I most likely will get angry. Frustrated. Most definitely I will become anxious. It is so easy for us become hindered by things, and circumstances and not spend time with our Father.

ROMANS 15:22 "For this reason I also have been much hindered from coming to you."

When your heart and spirit are recharged with His Spirit - it will be much easier to rearrange and realize that interruptions, delays and inconveniences are part of tweaking our christian character.

SO YOU WANT TO INTERRUPT MY DAY HUH?

Go ahead....make my day!

Thank you for joining in on the TITUS 2 weekly study. We meet around The Well each Monday. Chelsey posts our topic for the week HERE, why not join in on the discussion! You can visit LORI and see what others have to say about their interruptions, delays and inconveniences.

THEN SINGS MY SOUL SATURDAY...while I'm waiting

It has been a few weeks since I have been able to participate in THEN SINGS MY SOUL SATURDAY. There are so many songs and videos that speak to my heart. And that is what I love about this meme that AMY from Signs, Miracles and Wonders leads us in, what a wonderful way to share with others God's blessing thru song and praise!

I finally went to see the movie FIREPROOF, alot of my fellow blogging friends have blogged about the great message of this movie - so I will not repeat anything they have said. If you haven't seen the movie...get your tickets and go see it (you might want to pre-purchase your tickets - its been sold out the last two weeks.) If you know someone who is struggling in their marriage and who does not know the Lord - what a great witnessing tool - invite them along with you.

There was a song in the movie that I really loved. I had never heard it before. "While I'm waiting" - by John Waller: what are you doing while you wait for a change?

...a change in your marriage

...a change in your job

...a change in your finances

whatever you are waiting on!

ISAIAH 40:31 "But those who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint."

CLICK HERE to view other beautiful worship blog posts!

FUN FRIDAY...how to get in heaven

I am switching today from WORD POWER to FUN FRIDAY. I am sure many of you have had a hard week and by now you may need to laugh alittle. My week definetly needs to end with a chuckle or two...

HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED ABOUT HOW TO GET INTO HEAVEN?

An exasperated mother, whose son was always getting into mischief, finally asked him, "How do you expect to get into heaven?"

The boy thought it over and said, "Well, I'll just run in and out and in and out and keep slamming the door until St. Peter says, 'For heavens sake Jimmy, come in or stay out!' "

Now that isn't really how we get into heaven, but I know if you are a Mom - you can relate to this "running in and out" and "slamming the door" bit!

Have a FUN-filled weekend!

THANKFUL THURSDAY...missions

Today is THANKFUL THURSDAY. Oh how the list can go on and on for the things that I am thankful for! Every October in our church we host a "Missions Convention" and we are right dab in the middle of our 2008 missions celebration!

Today, as I join IRIS and all of the other Thankful Thursday participants, I would like to give thanks for MISSIONS.

2 PETER 3:9 "The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance."

This scripture is the heartbeat of every Missionary! To bring the Good News to all those who otherwise would not hear it. Why else would they:

• go to a foreign land.
• give up the conveniences of what the states offer. (such as running water, electricity, Oreo cookies, coca cola, and ICE!)
• leave behind family and friends.
• live without decent health care.
• eat things that are still moving.
• go to a place that is dangerous.

Missions should not only be the heartbeat of those who have answered the call to GO but it should also be the heartbeat of those of us who are able to SEND!

Not all of us can go to foreign land for an extended period of time. But many of us can participate in missions in other tangible ways.

One way is to participate in a missions trip. If you have never been on a missions trip before, talk to your Pastor to see if your church can participate in one. Missionaries could not build new churches, and Bible Schools without MAPS teams. These are churches from the states who send teams to assist Missionaries in projects for a week or two weeks. I have had the privilege of going on 3 trips such as this. They are life changing!

This is me on a missions trip to Ecuador. We moved piles of brick from one place to another!
In Ecuador, we worked on building the first christian campground, this is me showing the locals that women can move some dirt!!!
Clayton and I posing with the grounds family outside their home located on the campground site. Even though we could not speak much of their language, they were precious and we felt God's love in them!

Another way you can participate in missions is giving money. Face it, Missionaries could not do what they do without our money. I have found that in some of these countries just the basic needs of construction are far more expensive than what we find in the US. Hired labor is expensive. Construction tools are expensive and limited. Giving of our finances is one way that we can partner with Missionaries.

One of the most important ways we can partner in missions is by praying! On more than one occasion I have heard testimonies from missionaries how they were in dire need in the middle of the night; their child was deathly ill with no medicine available; their vehicle had been stopped by the authorities and they were being detained on bogus charges, etc. It was the prayers of prayer warriors back in the states that carried them thru their crisis. The urgency felt in their spirit to pray, only later to find out that at that very moment the missionary was in need! We are partnering with our Missionaries when we pray for them.

During our Missions Convention at our local church, we will have Missionaries speak to us who represent Asia, Guatemala, Equatorial Guinea, The Netherlands, and Honduras. Reaching out to the lost is the heartbeat of these Missionaries as they preach and teach on foreign soil.

Who is willing to GO and preach and teach the gospel to those in the US?

~In your state? ~In your town? ~ At your work? ~In your neighborhood?

LUKE 10:2 "The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest."

AREN'T YOU THANKFUL FOR THE MISSION FIELD?

HAVE YOU ANSWERED THE CALL TO "GO"?

Be sure to check out GRACE ALONE where other grateful hearts are gathering to share what they are thankful for this week. Find it all over HERE!

WEDNESDAY'S WEEKLY WORD..."Feeling Frenzy"

In last week's

YOUR OPINION MATTERS POLL,

I polled the readers on the following,

"What describes the emotion you are feeling now?"

The top 3 responses were:

52% of those polled said they were CONTENT.
21% of the readers felt FRUSTRATED.
10% voted and said they were DEPRESSED.

EMOTIONS ARE POWERFUL!

• DEPRESSION can paralyze us...
• LAUGHTER can lift us up...
• JOY takes us to new heights...

In the original STAR TREK series, Mr. Spock tried to learn the mystery of human emotions. He found out that emotions can make us great, but at the same time weak.

~Joy adds energy, while depression saps us!

~Hope motivates, while sadness deflates us!

Most of what we do, we do because of emotion! We all experience different kinds of emotion!

DAVID experienced different types of emotion. In fact, he was frequently depressed and he wrote many of the psalms during periods of stress.

PSALM 6:6-7 "I am weary from my groaning; with tears I dampen my pillow and drench my bed every night. My eyes are swollen from grief; they grow old because of all my enemies."

When David was in exile in the desert running from Saul and later running from his own Son, Absalom, David was alone in his grief. He did not have his best friend (Jonathan) with him to be an encouragement. David prayed, and God kept his grief from overwhelming him. When David prayed he was able to see hope in God.

While it is true that David experienced depression, he also experienced joy!

PSALM 21:1-3 "The king shall have your joy in Your strength, O Lord; and in Your salvation how greatly shall he rejoice! (2) You have given him his heart's desire, and have not withheld the request of his lips. (Selah) (3) For You meet him with the blessings of goodness; You set a crown of pure gold upon his head."

David was strengthened thru the expression of his joy. JOY is what people are seeking. They seek joy in their relationships. They seek joy in their career choices. They seek joy in life!

EMPATHY...People are looking for empathy whether they realize it or not.

ROMANS 12:15 "Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep."

Empathy is the ability to understand someone else's grief or share in their joy. If we want to be the kind of Christian that helps others, we need to understand emotions.

A "Don't worry, be happy" philosophy is not adequate enough for us to take. True encouragement comes from two sources: empathy and hope. In my study of Proverbs, I learned three things about emotions:

1. EMOTION IS HIDDEN...

It may be difficult to share empathy with someone if they keep their emotions hidden. Solomon reminds us of this: "Even in laughter a heart may be sad" (Prov. 14:13). People may hide their emotions for different reasons. One reason may be that they do not want people to know about a problem in their life. Another reason may be that they do not like to show emotion in front of others.

How can you help people when they hide emotions?.... Be a good friend and build trust in your relationship.

2. EMOTIONS CHANGE LIKE THE WIND...

Emotions cannot be the basis of our lives and actions. Just like the wind changes course, so does the circumstances in our lives. Feelings such as joy should not be dependent on our circumstances. Solomon warned us, "Joy may end in grief" (14:13), emotions usually are a result of circumstances but what a blessing to know that God does not change even when our circumstances do!

3. EMOTIONS ARE INFLUENTIAL...

Depression, grief and hopelessness will rot the bones, break the spirit and make it difficult to survive. Stress can cause heart problems and shorten our life. Depression can weaken our immune system. Physical effects of emotion are real and have been medically proven.

There is a much better way to cope with the changing winds of emotion. The hope that joy brings will affect us not only spiritually but physically ~

~It makes our faces glad!~ PROVERBS 15:13 "A merry heart makes a cheerful countenance, but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken."

~It gives health to our bodies!~PROVERBS 14:30 "A sound heart is life to the body, but envy is rottenness to the bones."

~It strengthens our bones!~ PROVERBS 15:30 "The light of the eyes rejoices the heart, and a good report makes the bones healthy."

~It sustains us when we are sick!~PROVERBS 18:14 "The spirit of a man will sustain him in sickness. but who can bear a broken spirit?"

If you are seeking to have more strength in your emotions, strive to keep your emotions healthy and seek to help others who are hurting. To balance out your emotions, you may try keeping a emotional journal. Keep track of your different emotions, who you are with at the time you experience these emotions and if circumstances have triggered your emotion. Ask God to help you to walk in His power when circumstances change, and walk in the joy of the Lord!

I have been studying the book of PROVERBS, it is my prayer that this week's devotion will encourage you in Gods Word. I will conclude this study next week and begin a in depth study of the book of Colossians. Won't you join me by taking a closer look at Gods Word?

YOUR OPINION MATTERS POLL: Please take time to vote in this week's poll. It is asking about your listening habits. Find the poll on the side bar of this blog. THANKS. YOUR OPINION MATTERS!!