Friday, December 31, 2010

Slow Down

Today, I have shared the following devo with the readers over at LACED WITH GRACE. You can find wonderful Christian writers sharing from their hearts over at LWG Monday thru Friday. Go check it out... www.lacedwithgrace.com

Todays Devo...SLOW DOWN!

As a child I can remember being spun on the merry-go-round. At first, spinning really fast was so much fun. But after awhile, I got dizzy and just wanted to get off. It seems like my life is much like a spin on a merry-go-round … it just goes around faster and faster.

Its hard to not take on too much, but if truth be told, most Christians take on more than they can handle. Many of us are juggling careers, family, hobbies, and doing ministry. The problem with taking on too much at one time is that we cannot enjoy what we are doing and even worse, we do not do the best job that we can because we feel dizzy from the whirlwind. It doesn’t take long before we feel just like riding on the merry-go-round, we get to the point of wanting to throw in the towel and jump off of the ride.

God did not intend for us to take on the world all alone. It is His desire that we slow down, sit at His feet and do what He wants us to do. The problem is we try to do the latter part but we forget to slow down to sit at His feet.

Recently, I came across a poem written by a young girl who was fighting against cancer. The poem did not list her name, so I cannot give her credit but I think the message in her writing is exactly what I need to apply to my New Years Resolution…to slow down and allow God to pace my steps.

It is my prayer for the New year that each of us will slow down enough to hear the music before the song is over!


Have you ever watched kids
On a merry-go-round?
Or listened to the rain
Slapping on the ground?


Ever followed a butterfly’s
erratic flight?
Or gazed at the sun
into the fading night?

You better slow down.
Don’t dance so fast.
Time is short.
The music won’t last.

Do you run through
each day on the fly?
When you ask, “How are you?”
Do you hear the reply?

When the day is done
Do you lie in your bed
With the next hundred chores
Running through your head?

You better slow down.
Don’t dance so fast.
Time is short.
The music won’t last.


Ever told your child,
We’ll do it tomorrow?
And in your haste,
Not see his sorrow?

Ever lost touch,
Let a good friendship die,
Cause you never had time
To call and say,’Hi’


When you run so fast
to get somewhere
You miss half the fun
of getting there.

When you worry and hurry
through your day,
It is like an unopened gift….
Thrown away.

Life is not a race.
Do take it slower
Hear the music
Before the song is over.

Thursday, December 30, 2010

THANKFUL THURSDAY...what's in a day?

I was looking ahead in my new 2011 calendar.
Filling in important upcoming events. It already looks like the new year is going to be a full one.

Sometimes I find myself all wrapped up in what my tomorrows hold and forgot all about the importance of "today". This is exactly how some people look at becoming followers of Christ...they imagine that one day they will give their hearts totally to God. Maybe they will serve Him nobly one day, possibly in another country doing great things for His Kingdom.

Its noble to want to do great things for God, but the problem is we don't have to wait until a certain time in our life, or when we are able to travel to foreign soil, we can all serve God right where we are, right now. We must not miss out on seizing the opportunities that swirl around us today!

2 CHRONICLES 16:9 "The eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him."

  • Before David defeated Goliath, he was taking food to his brothers on the front line. But as he was faithful in a small way - God gave him more.
  • When God called Gideon to lead Israel, Gideon was threshing wheat.
  • When Elijah called Elisha into the Lord's service, Elisha was plowing a field.
  • When Jesus called Peter and John to become fishers of men, they were mending their nets.
You see, not one of these great men of God sat around wondering, "I wonder if God will ever do anything in my life?" Instead they were busy with the work that was at hand.

Its one thing to plan ahead, but sometimes I think while we are looking for distant opportunities, we miss out on the ones that are right before our eyes. I am thankful that God gives each of us new opportunities daily. Each day is new with Him. May we realize all that God has for us in a day!

Today is THANKFUL THURSDAY. Iris is hosting this week and we invite you to share your grateful heart by linking up with us. CLICK HERE to join us!

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

WEDNESDAY WEEKLY WORD...change of plans

I look forward to the joy and the blessings that 2011 is going to bring, but in addition to that, I also anticipate some sadness and trials and tears. The hard stuff is never easy to go thru but yet it is what strengthens us and molds us.

Some of us will go into the new year with a plan of making changes in our lives.
We will change some habits. We will change some of our attitudes. and we may even change our appearance. In the last YOUR OPINION MATTERS POLL, I polled the readers the following question, "What are you hoping to change in the new year?" The top 3 answers were:

1. 83% voted and said they hope to lose some weight.
2. Another 83% responded and said that they hope to read God's Word more.
3. 66% voted and said they hope to have more joy.

The poll results made me realize that whether we try to change things about our physical being or change something spiritually, that joy will come from a peace within. We can make all the plans we want for the new year, but the truth is that surprises will always pop up and mess up the plans that we make. We may be surprised by some of it, but God is NEVER surprised. We can do alot of things to make changes but the most important change of all is putting God back in charge of things.

Whenever we look to our plans in life and they seem to disappoint us, may we remember that "God knows the plans He has for us." (Jeremiah 29:11) In the new year, it is my prayer that I will stick to the plan...not mine, but His!

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

A PIECE OF MY HEART...cleaning up.

Have you ever wondered how a messy person and an ocd person can live under the same roof? Well, from experience, I can tell you its not always easy! lol

I am by nature a clean freak, my children say I am ocd, I don't think it is quite THAT bad but, I do like things to be picked up and orderly. However, not everyone who lives with me in my house has the same thinking. For instance, right now, you could go into either one of my children's bedrooms and see what I mean. Total disarray. Complete messiness.

It is difficult for me to understand how or WHY people live like that. When I tackle a cleaning job around the house, I do it all the way, I clean from top to bottom. I move things out of the way to dust or clean and put it back. "Cleaning" means something else to other family members ... my daughter often tells me that she cleaned her room, but yet when you go to inspect, it is difficult to see where exactly she has cleaned.

Unfortunately, some of us have this same cleaning technique when it comes to our spiritual well being. The Bible says that we are ALL sinners, saved by Grace. And I am thankful for that reassurance, but the truth is that many of us take on an attitude of "well, I am not sinning all that much!."

"If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness" (1 John 1:8–9 NLT).


Many times we go about "cleaning up" the sin in our life like we do cleaning around the house. Some of us are procrastinators. We put off what we should do. We half heartily clean up the mess. If we would all just get alittle ocd with our spiritual well being, we might realize that cleaning up the small messes will keep us from having a bigger mess. May we repent on a daily basis and keep our heart clean before God.

Now...if I could only get the kids to clean their room daily!

Thursday, December 23, 2010

THANKFUL THURSDAY...The greatest gift of all!

Have you ever noticed the difference in our gift giving for Christmas and that of the three wise men? Instead of toys, their gifts consisted of gold, frankincense and myrrh and most likely their gifts were not wrapped in snowman wrapping paper, in fact, they probably were not wrapped at all.

Another big difference in our gift giving traditions and that of the Magi is that we give gifts to one another while the three wise men gave the first Christmas gifts to Jesus! As I look under my tree, I noticed that all of the gifts are addressed to us, instead of Jesus.

One of the greatest gifts we can receive is the gift of the love, joy and peace that Jesus Christ brings. This is also the best gift we can offer others. This year, it is my desire to give someone the gift of Jesus. It will be a gift that will keep giving for a lifetime! No batteries required. Only acceptance.

"When the saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. (11) And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mry His mother, and fell down and worshipped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankicense and myrrh." (Matthew 2:10,11)



Iris is hosting THANKFUL THURSDAY this week. Please join us this week as we give thanks for the greatest gift of all...Jesus! May we all join our hearts together as we give Him praise and thanks! CLICK HERE to link up your TT post!

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

A PIECE OF MY HEART... Christmas shoes

We have come down to the deadline of finding that last most precious gift. As the shopping days come to an end, I can't help but think of this song "Christmas Shoes". For some people, this may be the last opportunity to find that perfect gift for a loved one. Just thinking about that makes my heart hurt for others.


Let's all keep our eyes open for someone buying some shoes...it may be their last. God can use us to invest in others this Christmas season!

Thursday, December 16, 2010

THANKFUL THURSDAY...in everything - give thanks!

I know that we have already passed the Thanksgiving season and we are sitting right on top of celebrating Christmas, but for some reason my heart is reflecting on giving thanks during this festive season.

Sometimes, we forget as we get busy in the hustle and bustle of the holiday. The shopping. The parties. The concerts at school. The baking. The Christmas Cards. The decorating. Some more shopping and then there is all of that wrapping to do...we forget to sit back and give God thanks for all that He has blessed us with.

This year has been tight for us financially and we are not able to give like we have given in past years to friends and family. I know alot of people who are in the same boat as us, and in fact, presents under their tree are going to be very, very slim. But that's ok. God said to give thanks in EVERYTHING and even when we can't give monetarily, we can always give from our heart - and that is definitely something I am thankful for!

1 THESSALONIANS 5:18 "In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."

This Christmas season, whether you have extra money or not, remember to give from your heart! This week, Iris is hosting THANKFUL THURSDAY, click HERE to link up your post!