Updated on November 16, 2013
Sunday Scripture: 11/10/13
But even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed. And do not fear their intimidation, and do not be troubled, but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence; and keep a good conscience so that in the thing in which you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ will be put to shame. – 1 Peter 3:14-16
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May God Bless You,
Shelly
Updated on July 3, 2014
Recommendation Saturday: Just Start!
Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword, a spear, and a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have taunted. This day the Lord will deliver you up into my hands, and I will strike you down and remove your head from you. And I will give the dead bodies of the army of the Philistines this day to the birds of the sky and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, and that all this assembly may know that the Lord does not deliver by sword or by spear; for the battle is the Lord’s and He will give you into our hands.”
– 1 Samuel 17:45-47
Yeah, Yeah, I know. It’s hard, right?
I have big plans, too…. big plans to stop letting fear or doubt or other schemes of the devil stand in the way of what God is calling me to do!
Some days it’s as simple as making that phone call I’ve been putting off. Some days it’s a move to forgiveness in an impossible situation. Some days it’s another baby step to making a dream come true.
No matter the dream or plan God has placed in your heart today, I have some advice for you!
(Ahem, and for me too…. 😉 )
Just…. Start!
Wherever you are, in spite of your fear, stop procrastinating, grab that bull by the horns, take a deep breath and Step Out!
If God has given it to you, He will help it to blossom…. in fact, He will cause it to bloom!
Do you trust Him? Really trust Him? Then let’s begin!
We’ll take this first step together, shall we?
1….. 2…… 3…….
START!!
(I’ll be praying for you and I hope you’ll pray for me, too!)
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May God Bless You,
Shelly
Updated on July 3, 2014
What is Your New Name in Christ?
And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children of Abraham. You are his heirs, and God’s promise to Abraham belongs to you. – Galatians 3:29
photo credit: Prabhu B Doss via photopin cc
S low
H elpless
E ver a burden
L imited
L azy
Y earning
I always thought it was so much fun in school to do acrostics like this. I loved anything having to do with poetry, and these were so fun. We could write one for a friend or a boy we liked or our parents, and put in any words we could think of that started with the letters. We would make them to fit how we felt about that person.
I have some acrostics that friends of mine did for me long, long ago, still safe and sound in my keepsake box. They meant that much to me, these words of my friends that represent their feelings toward me.
The funny thing about an acrostic is that you could write one for the same person each and every month for a year, and get a different result each time! Twelve different acrostics for the same person! This is because the words we choose change with our moods or our relationship.
But the acrostic that God would write for me would look the same, 12 months a year, 365 days a year. Doesn’t matter how many times He writes it, it would look the same every time. Unchanging love does that.
I challenge you today to write your own acrostics. You’ll need to make two. On the first, be brutally honest about your self-image, as I did above. On the second, pray and ask God to help you see His words for you. Then compare the two. I promise you the second one you write will be the Truth.
S aved
H opeful
E nough
L oving
L ovable
Y ielding
Unchanging love, unfailing pride, never-ending promise…. that’s what He feels toward you. Frame your new “name” in Christ, memorize it, repeat it to yourself every day until you are certain of it.
Welcome to the truth.
Dear God, help us to see ourselves as You see us. Help us to help others to see themselves in that same way! Thank You for Your undeserved love. In Jesus’ Name, Amen…
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May God Bless You,
Shelly
Updated on July 3, 2014
Pain Relief
No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it,but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead… – Philippians 3:13
photo credit: Wendy Longo photography via photopin cc
During childbirth with my first son, I learned a very valuable technique for keeping as calm as possible in a painful situation. It actually even helped the pain to feel less intense. Now I will say, this was childbirth, people, it hurt. And at some point even this technique was useless, but I was surprised with how far it got me!
I was thinking about that the other day, in conjunction with another constant problem I have, which is letting go of my old life and abilities. Yes, again. Life is like that, isn’t it? We continually have to beat down the same old demons.
The technique I used was something I read (don’t remember where) that if you keep your face smooth and your hands loose, it will help the pain and will help you be able to stay calm for longer. This is a perfect technique for someone with a problem letting go, isn’t it??
Here I sit, dreams tightly grasped in my fists, white-knuckling it through the pain of the birth of something new that God is doing in me.
In the grip of that pain, techniques to help are not something that come readily to mind. I must focus and remind myself constantly. I must check my face and hands, my breathing, to ensure that they are following my own instructions.
Breathe in, breathe out, in pattern that is differing dependent on the level of pain. Keep your breaths steady, breathe away the pain.
He himself gives life and breath to everything, and he satisfies every need. – Acts 17:25
Keep your face smooth, your eyes lightly closed in trust. Refuse to grimace, don’t furrow your brow. Let your face be a placid and peaceful beacon in the midst of your storm.
When You said, “Seek My face,” my heart said to You, “Your face, O LORD, I shall seek.” – Psalm 27:8
Now lay your hands lightly in your lap. Keep the fingers relaxed. Refuse to make a fist, release your grip. Let the old slip through your fingers, and keep your hands open for the new.
Behold, I will do a new thing,
Now it shall spring forth;
Shall you not know it?
I will even make a road in the wilderness
And rivers in the desert. – Isaiah 43:19
Faithful Father, thank you for making me new. I am so sorry that I am sometimes such a stubborn creature. Help me to keep my grip loose today, so that I can see what this new moment will bring. In Jesus’ Name, Amen…
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May God Bless You,
Shelly
Updated on July 3, 2014
The Proper Working (If My Body Doesn’t Work Well, Can I Still Be Useful to God?)
photo credit: EL@Seattle via photopin cc
Today’s blog posting is featured at Rest Ministries!
Please head there to read it, and while you’re there have a look around!
Rest Ministries is an amazing place for chronically ill people!
Here is the link to the Devotional for today!
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Shelly
Updated on July 3, 2014
I’m Gonna Burst Your Bubble
For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. – Romans 8:18
photo credit: Steven | Alan via photopin cc
Oh the days that I have felt like the puppy in this picture!! Poor little guy, he looks terrified, doesn’t he? When I first saw this picture, I thought, “Silly dog, doesn’t he know that’s just a bubble?” My next thought, I’m sure straight from the Holy Spirit’s conviction was, “Don’t you?”
There are some pretty daunting troubles in this world, and many of us face more of them at once! Chronic illness, pain, disability, failed marriages and wandering children, a stack of bills, addiction, impossible choices…. the list could go on and on. Are these problems real? Very much so! Are they scary? Absolutely!
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But in comparison to God’s glory and power, these problems… yes all of them, and even multiple of them at one time… are mere bubbles. Seemingly substantial, but gone with a touch of the Master’s hand. Colorful and swirling, but actually transparent and inconsequential.
Only because we have eternity secured. What can separate us? What can mere man do to us?
Let’s cling to the very real, substantial hand of Christ our Lord through today’s trials. Let’s meet our bubbles head on, recognizing them for what they are!
Dear Lord, Your mercies are unfathomable to me. Help me to recognize that You are building me for a higher purpose than these bubbles that keep me filled with fear. In Jesus’ Name, Amen…
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May God Bless You,
Shelly
Updated on July 3, 2014
Finding Peace
You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you! – Isaiah 26:3
Peace, Dude! 😉 The word “peace” has changed so much over the past couple hundred years! Because of that, this notion has crept into our churches and our very hearts, the notion that God’s peace is a feeling. My struggle is chronic illness and disability, but we all wake to some sort of struggle daily, don’t we?
And in the midst of all of the chaos, we are trying to “find peace”. Just like in Finding Nemo, we all band together, or sometimes set off on our own, to look for clues about where peace has gone. We travel long distances and go through many challenges to try and rescue peace, to bring it home with us.
Here’s a little gem that the Lord shared with me recently through the above scripture… peace isn’t lost!
Peace is not a feeling to be attained, it is not an elusive emotion to be rescued, and it is not a “state of being” that we can capture. Peace is a knowing. Knowing the nature of God, knowing His word and having it written on our hearts, knowing that we have open access to the very Prince of Peace!
And how can we know peace? By recognizing that it is not a feeling. By growing in our knowledge of the Lord, through study of the Bible. By reaching out to Him and knowing that He hears and answers prayer. As the scripture says, by fixing our thoughts on Him! Peace isn’t lost just because we can’t feel it… it’s exactly where and what it’s supposed to be, and we have only to access it.
Heavenly Father, we know that Your promise to fill us with Your peace and keep us in perfect peace are fulfilled through the Holy Spirit and Your Word. Thank You for these great gifts. Help us to always keep our thoughts fixed on You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen…
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May God Bless You,
Shelly
Updated on July 3, 2014
Sunday Scripture: 11/3/13
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“And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing,yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?” – Matthew 6:28-30
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Shelly
Updated on July 3, 2014
Recommendation Saturday: Speak Life
So they rolled the stone aside. Then Jesus looked up to heaven and said, “Father, thank you for hearing me. You always hear me, but I said it out loud for the sake of all these people standing here, so that they will believe you sent me.”
– John 11:41-42
Words are powerful things! Spoken words, even more so! This month, as we get our Thankful on, let’s practice speaking life. Tell someone you are thankful for them. Thank a stranger for a small act of kindness, or a job well done. Praise God out loud. Wield your power well, my friends!
Let me get us started by saying (and hear me saying this right out loud to you!) I am thankful for each of you, for the encouragement you give me each day through your presence and your comments and your solidarity!
May God Bless each of you today!
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May God Bless You,
Shelly
Updated on July 3, 2014
Scars
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So then, since Christ suffered physical pain, you must arm yourselves with the same attitude he had, and be ready to suffer, too. For if you have suffered physically for Christ, you have finished with sin. You won’t spend the rest of your lives chasing your own desires, but you will be anxious to do the will of God. – 1 Peter 4:1-2
Your scars draw me in
my scars I try to hide
But just like Yours
they tell my tale from the inside
Hands and feet
scarred for me
to give me life
to help me see
that scars can have beauty
their worth is pure gold
when taken and treasured
rare lessons retold
Hands and feet
holding me
the scars grasp
gently and tenderly
to prove that my scars
can be useful in Your kingdom
can be showcased for Your glory
should be highlighted, never hidden
Hands and feet
I thank You for
Your lessons, Your love
given evermore
oh beautiful scars
pain in common with my Lord
not to be ashamed of
but to help me teach Your Word
Dear Lord, help me never to be ashamed of my scars, but to see them as kinship with You. Help them always to be showcased for your power and glory. In Jesus’ Name, Amen…
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May God Bless You,
Shelly
