Love Each Other

My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. John 15: 12

If you have someone who is a challenge for you to love today, think of something extraordinarily nice you could do for them. Pray for them, and determine in your heart that no matter what happens, you will love them as unconditionally as God loves you.

A Smile

 Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with shouts of joy. Psalm 126:2

Put a smile on your face and ask God for a double dose of His joy. Refuse to take on the negativity or cynicism of the world. Be cheerful and pass that cheer onto others with a simple smile. A smile can slowly change the day to one filled with laughter.

The Evening Sacrifice

Let my prayer be set before You as incense, the lifting up on my hands as the evening sacrifice. Psalm 141:2

As you leave your place of work today or move from on task to another at home, make it a point to say "goodbye" in a tangible way to the day that is past. That may mean closing the office door, turning off the light, or just switching off your phone before leaving work. At home that could mean finishing up cleaning task, straightening up, and putting way the clean laundry before moving on to the evening.

Embrace the new day by leaving the previous day behind. Whatever you have accomplished today is your "sacrifice" of time, energy, ability, and resources to your Lord and Savoir. Mark its end with a firm "Amen."

Unique Melody

How shall we sing the Lord's song in a strangle land? Psalm 137:4

Listen selectively by mentally tune out all but one sound for awhile. Sit for a few minutes and listen to a friend, sister, or child. Once we listen and truly hear the "tune" they're playing, their unique melody will always be distinct to us. The chaos of the day will be weeded out, and God's music will be easier to hear. 

In the midst of a busy day, it takes effort to hear all the melodies of those around us which make up the symphony of our life. But as each strain becomes distinguishable, a pattern emerges, and you can rejoice in God's unparalleled creativity in His world.

My Prayer Box

I made myself a Prayer box. I'm reading Fervent by Priscilla Shirer. It's the book that the movie the War Room is based on. I wanted something portable but didn't want another notebook since I have a collection already.

The book and my Prayer Box.

The inside of my prayer box. I have a tea box that I covered in contact paper, a pen, pages from a small daily bible verse calendar, and a printable 31 Prayer For Our Husbands. I made the 31 Prayer printable from Time Warp Wife about a year ago.

I used the Daily Dwelling post Personalized Prayer Journal topics of prayer ideas for my cards.

I made 10 cards sections of topics for prayer:

1. Scripture
2. Praise
3. Self
4. Husband
5. Children
6. Friends
7. Family
8. Church
9. Neighbors
10. Reaching Beyond

The areas of concern are:

Praise
Holiness, Mercy, Faithfulness, Patience, Holy Spirit, Forgiveness, Love, Calvary, Deliverer, Heavenly Father, Friend, Counselor, Healer, Provider, Peace, Comforter, Blood, Power, Hope, and Coming Again

Self
Wisdom, Wife Role, Mother Role, Marriage, Words, Thoughts, Prayer Life, Bible Study, Confession & Repentance, Faith, Ministry, My Children, Health, Relationships, Diet, Exercise, Obedience, God’s Will, Temptation, and Finances

Husband
Priorities, Daily Devotions, Husband Role, Father Role, Work, Finances, Personal Walk, Sexuality, Health, Humility, Protection, Integrity, Thought Life, Words, Leader, Self-Control, Wisdom, Peace, Relationships, and Love

Children
Future Spouse, Siblings, Respect for Authority, Walk with God, Obedience, Holiness, Purity, Self-Control, School, Heart, Thoughts, Words, Protection, Health, Gifts & Calling, Repentance, Friends, Diligence, Wisdom, and Forgiveness

Reaching Beyond
President, America, Governor, Presidential Advisers, Local Government, Supreme Court, Public Schools, Media, Military, House & Senate, Enemies, Missionaries, Economy, Jerusalem, Poor & Defenseless, Crime & Terrorism, Prayer Warriors, Nations, Other Religions, and Body of Christ

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Moments of Joy

One things I have desired of the Lord, that I seek... to behold the beauty of the Lord. Psalm 27:4

Beauty feeds our soul like food nourishes our bodies. It opens our hearts to that which is greater than ourselves. We need  to slow down to find moments of joy, in those things we hurry by each day. You have to make time for beauty. Make a date to stroll through a park on a cold day, sip hot cocoa, and linger over a chat with your spouse. Take the time to read poetry or listen to music, at least once a week. Sit quietly and remember the moments of joy and the memories of your life. Let God use the beauty He created to awaken in you the desire for more of Him.

Bible Journal

I recently ran across the concept of a Bible Journal. I think it would appeal to many people who like altered art type journals and adult coloring books. It seems from most of the pictures that I have seen a lot of the people doing it are using bibles with wide side margins to allow the art to not completely take over the text.

I’m giving it a try by using one of the many bibles that I own. The one I chose has some extra space in the side margin but not a lot. The point is to study the bible and create a visual to represent what was important to you. I admit it’s hard to write in my bible. I am reserved about underlining text, let alone using art supplies to color in the margins and cover portions of the text. I figure as long as I’m not using my main bible, I could take the risk. I find bibles all the time at thrift stores, so if you decide to give it a try there are low cost bibles available. 

I don't think I could do it like some of the pictures I've seen, although they are beautiful. The concept does make me feel a freedom to be more expressive in my bible than what I would normally do. I’ll be sticking to the margins and not cover up text in one of my extra bibles. 

 

Have you heard of a Bible Journal? Or do you have one?

A few links I found:

https://www.pinterest.com/susanjenkinson/bible-journal/

https://www.pinterest.com/jessmeier/illustrated-faith/

https://www.pinterest.com/saralaughed/bible-journaling/

https://www.pinterest.com/saralaughed/advent-bible-journaling/

https://www.pinterest.com/dorrice32/faith-journaling/

Proverbs 30:7-9

“Two things I ask of you, Lord;
do not refuse me before I die:

Keep falsehood and lies far from me;...
give me neither poverty nor riches,
but give me only my daily bread.
 
Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you
and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’
Or I may become poor and steal,
and so dishonor the name of my God.

~Proverbs 30:7-9 (NIV)

Matthew 6:25-34

Do Not Worry 

“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?

“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 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—you of little faith?  So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. 

~Matthew 6:25-34

My Strength Study

Praise Songs on Strength

 

Strong Enough by Matthew West

I know I'm not strong enough to be
everything that I'm supposed to be
I give up
I'm not strong enough
Hands of mercy won't you cover me
Lord right now I'm asking you to be
Strong enough
Strong enough
For the both of us

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8JsRxVczmQ

 

Voice of Truth by Casting Crowns

Oh what I would do to have
The kind of faith it takes
To climb out of this boat I'm in
On to the crashing waves

To step out of my comfort zone
Into the realm of the unknown
Where Jesus is
And He's holding out His hand

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KwsvqVmFV6Y

 

You Are My Strength by Hillsong

You are my strength
Strength like no other
Strength like no other
Reaches to me
You are my hope
Hope like no other
Hope like no other
Reaches to me

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwvGFWKBo4o

 

Everlasting God by Chris Tomlin

Strength will rise as we wait upon the Lord
We will wait upon the Lord, we will wait upon the Lord
Strength will rise as we wait upon the Lord
We will wait upon the Lord, we will wait upon the Lord

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yubLGTOcm8c

In Christ Alone - Brian Littrell

In Christ alone
I place my trust
And find my glory in the power of the cross
In every victory
Let it be said of me
My source of strength
My source of hope

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rInAgpnmMnA

 

Scripture on Strength

The Lord is my strength and song,
And He has become my salvation;
He is my God, and I will praise Him;
My father’s God, and I will exalt Him. Exodus 15:2

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13

So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:16-18

My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart
and my portion forever. Psalm 73:26

In the day when I cried out, You answered me, And made me bold with strength in my soul. Psalm 138:3

Strengthen the weak hands,
And make firm the feeble knees. Isaiah 35:3

being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, Colossians 1:11

but those who hope in the Lord
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint. Isaiah 40:31

 

Quotes on Strength

 

Continuous effort - not strength or intelligence - is the key to unlocking our potential.
Winston Churchill

Love many things, for therein lies the true strength, and whosoever loves much performs much, and can accomplish much, and what is done in love is done well.
Vincent Van Gogh

We can be tired, weary and emotionally distraught, but after spending time alone with God, we find that He injects into our bodies energy, power and strength.
Charles Stanley

Nothing is so strong as gentleness, nothing so gentle as real strength.
Saint Francis de Sales

Endurance is nobler than strength, and patience than beauty.
John Ruskin

A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles.
Christopher Reeve

The spirit of man is more important than mere physical strength, and the spiritual fiber of a nation than its wealth.
Dwight D. Eisenhower

There are two ways of exerting one's strength: one is pushing down, the other is pulling up.
Booker T. Washington

The turning point in the process of growing up is when you discover the core of strength within you that survives all hurt.
Max Lerner

Give us grace and strength to forbear and to persevere. Give us courage and gaiety and the quiet mind, spare to us our friends, soften to us our enemies.
Robert Louis Stevenson

We are born weak, we need strength; helpless, we need aid; foolish, we need reason. All that we lack at birth, all that we need when we come to man's estate, is the gift of education.
Jean-Jacques Rousseau

When I use my strength in the service of my vision it makes no difference whether or not I am afraid. Audre Lorde

A key to strengthening spiritual muscles and enduring hardship is finding strength in the Word of God.
Walter Martin

Being forced to work, and forced to do your best, will breed in you temperance and self-control, diligence and strength of will, cheerfulness and content, and a hundred virtues which the idle will never know.
Charles Kingsley

Strength is the capacity to break a chocolate bar into four pieces with your bare hands - and then eat just one of the pieces.
Judith Viorst

Our Deepest Fear...

".....Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others....." by Marianne Williamson (Quote from her book "A Return to Love".)

I want to LIVE LIKE THAT

I can’t even name all the service projects my family has done together through the years but if I have failed to teach my children to love and serve each other I have failed with MY LIFE’S WORK. If you can walk up to a stranger with respect, grace and love not knowing their sins and spend a day showing Christ’s love can you not do the same for those YOU LOVE? It’s hard I know this sinful world causes hurt but I want to live my life sold out for Christ and that means I chose forgiveness and love. I will give all I have cause I want to LIVE LIKE THAT.

I love the lyrics to "Live Like That" – by Sidewalk Prophets

Was I love
When no one else would show up
Was I Jesus to the least of those
Was my worship more than just a song

Am I proof
That You are who you say You are
That grace can really change a heart
Do I live like Your love is true

All of Life is Worship to God

“But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” Matthew 6:33

He asks me to focus on Him, as a lifestyle, and then everything else will be added to me. As I go through my days in faith, seeking His wisdom and guidance and being willing to follow I don’t have to strive or try and get it all right; I just have to trust that the Holy Spirit is working in me as I lean into Him and obey. As I lose myself in Him, as I unbecome, He does.

And Life Becomes Worship.

Sweetly Broken

To the cross I look, to the cross I cling
Of its suffering I do drink
Of its work I do sing


For on it my Savior both bruised and crushed
Showed that God is love
And God is just


Chorus:
At the cross You beckon me
You draw me gently to my knees, and I am
Lost for words, so lost in love,
I’m sweetly broken, wholly surrendered


What a priceless gift, undeserved life
Have I been given
Through Christ crucified


You’ve called me out of death
You’ve called me into life
And I was under Your wrath
Now through the cross I’m reconciled


Chorus:
In awe of the cross I must confess
How wondrous Your redeeming love and
How great is Your faithfulness

(2x’s)

Chorus:

by Jeremy Riddle

Psalm 103

Psalm 103


Of David.


1 Praise the LORD, O my soul;

all my inmost being, praise his holy name.


2 Praise the LORD, O my soul,

and forget not all his benefits-


3 who forgives all your sins

and heals all your diseases,


4 who redeems your life from the pit

and crowns you with love and compassion,


5 who satisfies your desires with good things

so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.


6 The LORD works righteousness

and justice for all the oppressed.


7 He made known his ways to Moses,

his deeds to the people of Israel:


8 The LORD is compassionate and gracious,

slow to anger, abounding in love.


9 He will not always accuse,

nor will he harbor his anger forever;


10 he does not treat us as our sins deserve

or repay us according to our iniquities.


11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,

so great is his love for those who fear him;


12 as far as the east is from the west,

so far has he removed our transgressions from us.


13 As a father has compassion on his children,

so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him;


14 for he knows how we are formed,

he remembers that we are dust.


15 As for man, his days are like grass,

he flourishes like a flower of the field;


16 the wind blows over it and it is gone,

and its place remembers it no more.


17 But from everlasting to everlasting

the LORD's love is with those who fear him,

and his righteousness with their children's children-


18 with those who keep his covenant

and remember to obey his precepts.


19 The LORD has established his throne in heaven,

and his kingdom rules over all.


20 Praise the LORD, you his angels,

you mighty ones who do his bidding,

who obey his word.


21 Praise the LORD, all his heavenly hosts,

you his servants who do his will.


22 Praise the LORD, all his works

everywhere in his dominion.

Praise the LORD, O my soul.

Find Us Faithful

We're pilgrims on the journey
Of the narrow road
And those who've gone before us line the way
Cheering on the faithful, encouraging the weary
Their lives a stirring testament to God's sustaining grace

Surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses
Let us run the race not only for the prize
But as those who've gone before us
Let us leave to those behind us
The heritage of faithfulness passed on through godly lives

CHORUS:
Oh may all who come behind us find us faithful
May the fire of our devotion light their way
May the footprints that we leave
Lead them to believe
And the lives we live inspire them to obey

Oh may all who come behind us find us faithful

After all our hopes and dreams have come and gone
And our children sift through all we've left behind
May the clues that they discover and the memories they uncover
Become the light that leads them to the road we each must find

REPEAT CHORUS
Oh may all who come behind us find us faithful
Oh may all who come behind us find us faithful

~Steve Green

Gaither Vocal Band - Find Us Faithful

Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up! Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

There will be a day when each of us are not doing well. If you have friends and family, you have others that will come over and love you through your pain and suffering. We should help each other when we are in need. We are more effective when we work together. We help each other do life with our skills and life becomes a little easier and little better.

Blessed Be Your Name

Blessed Be Your Name
In the land that is plentiful
Where Your streams of abundance flow
Blessed be Your name

Blessed Be Your name
When I'm found in the desert place
Though I walk through the wilderness
Blessed Be Your name

Every blessing You pour out
I'll turn back to praise
When the darkness closes in, Lord
Still I will say

Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your glorious name

Blessed be Your name
When the sun's shining down on me
When the world's 'all as it should be'
Blessed be Your name

Blessed be Your name
On the road marked with suffering
Though there's pain in the offering
Blessed be Your name

Every blessing You pour out
I'll turn back to praise
When the darkness closes in, Lord
Still I will say

Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your glorious name

Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your glorious name

You give and take away
You give and take away
My heart will choose to say
Lord, blessed be Your name

By Matt Redman

Morning Has Broken

Morning has broken
Like the first morning,
Black bird has spoken
Like the first bird.
Praise the singing!
Praise for the morning!
Praise for them springing
Fresh from the Word!

Sweet the rain's new fall
Sunlit from heaven,
Like the first dewfall
On the first grass.
Praise for the sweetness
Of the wet garden,
Sprung in completeness
Where His feet pass.

Mine is the sunlight!
Mine is the morning.
Born of the one light
Eden saw play!
Praise with elation,
Praise ev'ry morning,
God's recreation
Of the newday!

Words: Eleanor Farjeon

Morning Has Broken Sung by Natasha Marsh

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WfBOrtK1sx4

It Is Well With My Soul

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot,
Thou has taught me to say,It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Refrain
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.

Refrain

My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

Refrain

For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live:
If Jordan above me shall roll,
No pang shall be mine, for in death as in life
Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul.

Refrain

But, Lord, ‘tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait,
The sky, not the grave, is our goal;
Oh trump of the angel! Oh voice of the Lord!
Blessèd hope, blessèd rest of my soul!

Refrain

And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, it is well with my soul.

Refrain

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