Friday Matters

Everyday Sick Day

A few times a year I take a “sick day”, and I stay in my pajamas all day. I feel alone. I have issues and even though I KNOW better I don’t feel better. I put my head under my covers and wondered how long I could stay in bed. I talk to God. He reminds me of Hebrews 4:15 telling me He understands everything I’ve been through because He went through it too AND He doesn’t condemn me for our feelings.

Sometimes when we feel closed in, we think God is disappointed or mad at us. But He’s not. He loves you and me, and He cares about what we care about no matter how distressed we may be. He hears our hearts, and He knows what we’re thinking even before we speak. Give it all to God. Tell Him your heart and receive the peace He has for you no matter what or where you’re at…everyday.

Thursday Matters

Everyday Prayers

Often our prayers are ones where we cry about all that is wrong, and we list what needs fixing. Just so you know, it’s more than OK to do this. God cares about our pain and all that happens to us. But sometimes we stop praying and give up on God because He didn’t answer the prayer like we thought – our sick friend got sicker and the marriage we prayed would stay together ended in divorce. That’s hard.

I’m sorry if that’s been the outcome for you in a prayer, but please remember this; GOD WILL NEVER GIVE UP ON YOU. Nothing you do or don’t will cause Him to withdraw His love and nothing is too small or too big for Him to take care of. He loves us personally. There is something redeemable in your mess and pain right now and if you can manage to get up and serve someone else who’s having a hard time, you’ll find hope. We all need a cup of hope and encouragement no matter who we are…everyday.

Wednesday Matters

Everyday Blood of Christ

We’ve all made mistakes because we’re all sinners. Our sins hurt us and others on some level. God loves us and will use our messes to help ministry to others, but Satan will always try and condemn us, and he also works in others with his lies. You may have someone trying to convince you that your past can’t be forgiven unless you follow their rules of forgiveness. Or maybe it’s you are thinking, God couldn’t possible forgive “that” sin. Listen to 1 John 1:9; “If we confess our sins to Him, He is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from every wrong.” Okay so think about how our kidneys work in our bodies, continuously cleansing us from impurities.

Well, there IS POWER IN THE BLOOD of Jesus Christ which cleanses us, not just in the body, but in the spirit, continuously. Our responsibility is to admit we’ve sinned and CONFESS. We don’t ever want a sin blockage so our prayer life is polluted, and we can’t hear His voice of truth and healing…everyday.

Tuesday Matters

Everyday Living Christ

I know Jesus lives. He died and rose again. I can say it, and I believe it. But the real question is “Do I live my life as evidence that I believe Jesus is alive in me? Jesus died and He rose again and from His greatest act of love, His greatest power flows. The living Christ is then certainly not a dead hero.

The Christian lives in Christ and Christ lives in the Christian by the power of the Holy Spirit. Think about it; we are empowered to lead a new life where sin has no place and if we don’t really believe or live this way then where is our faith? When I woke up today, I was worrying about our son’s future and choices, but I certainly wasn’t acknowledging the power of the resurrected Christ who lives in me and receiving the peace He had for me concerning our son. How often are we unwilling to believe that we have been transformed and that the impossible has become possible through Christ who loves us and our children more than we could ever imagine …everyday.

Monday Matters

Everyday Ask God

Should I do it? What do you think? Maybe I should put a poll out on social media? Sure, it is wise to ask advice from others and in Proverbs 15 we can read that plans fail for lack of counsel but with many advisers they succeed. But it’s also important to care most about what God thinks. Often when we pray, we make all these requests but then fail to wait and LISTEN. God knows your heart and loves you. He has the best advice.

In the Bible when Paul was talking to the Colossians, he told them that they could have a peace in their heart when a decision was made. It’s important that we aren’t seeking the approval of others or just relying on our feelings. God does answer us. Sometimes the answer is “no” and sometimes we can’t hear because we tell God what we want and ask Him to bless it rather than asking Him if it’s a direction He even wants us to take. Feelings come and go but the peace of God will remain…everyday.

Friday Matters

Everyday Real Tolerance

Not everyone likes us, and I know that’s not a news flash. When we follow Christ and call ourselves Christians it doesn’t mean that we agree with all Christians. I have friends of diversity with different beliefs and lifestyles and some things we agree on and some things we don’t. I love people. Only people last forever and how we treat others will be the true legacy we leave behind. No matter who someone is I hope to always listen and learn while being kind. Real tolerance is treating one another with respect regardless of our different opinions or beliefs.

Honestly, I like to be challenged. But I’m not ashamed that I believe John 3:16: “God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him will not die but have eternal life.” This view doesn’t make me popular with everyone but let’s seek God’s approval, not men. Let’s give God’s grace and treat others with kindness and respect no matter who they are…everyday.

Thursday Matters

Everyday Flesh

I have a strong will. I’m sure someone listening right now can totally relate to the fact that while our spirits may be strong and willing our flesh fails us time and time again. Jesus tells us we do not "watch and pray". The flesh does not conquer the spirit. The flesh is weak - as Jesus said - and the flesh is a stumbling block to our spirit. I want to go to church on Sunday mornings but I’m tired, so my flesh gets its way and later I have regrets. I have to pray and set my mind and will the night before to get up in the morning.

My prayer is often this simple, “God You’re stronger and You live in me. Help. Amen.” Sharing areas of weaknesses with someone also helps with accountability and strength too. You can overcome. Jesus is here. He’s not mad at you and when you do fall, He will help you get back up. He loves you and He’ll never give up on you. Don’t give up on yourself…everyday.

Wednesday Matters

Everyday God Bless Work

Jan wrote, “I try to be compassionate and kind with a sense of humor but today I was feeling small-minded, hurt and mean spirited. Jan had commented on my Facebook post about loving others, “When people are less than kind it’s then that I have a hard time 'loving' them.... mostly at work. The office can bring out the worst in people…including me.” Oh my, I so get it. Sooooo, when someone hurts me I try and pretend their “nasty” aimed at me was only a sneeze and I respond (mostly under my breath) with “Bless you!” and guess what? It works!

Because God tells us in Luke 6:28 to bless those who curse us. Because if Satan works through a person to hurt us and we end up hating that person back because we’re hurt than the enemy’s job has been accomplished two times over. But if we respond to another’s curse with a blessing then we’ve gotten Satan back and he’ll wish he never laid a finger on us. God bless you…everyday.

Tuesday Matters

Everyday Performer

I am performer. I love the theater and the stage and taking on a new character to present to an audience. But when it comes to real life I don’t want to put on a performance. I aim to be real, honest and sincere. No matter how long we’ve known Jesus personally or professed ourselves as a believer it’s still important to go back to the ABC’S of Christianity: Admit, Believe and Confess. Admit we can’t go at it alone, (we need God’s grace) and believe Jesus is who He says He is. And then confess our sins and stop trying to point out everyone else’s.

Just think if your “thought life” was recorded from just yesterday? Think about how you judge others, including yourself. I’m so thankful t? e’s a God who knows EXACTLY our thoughts, dreams, hurts, motives and desires. He’s there with perfect love with no conditions. He is always on the move with redemption and grace. This love comes from a relationship with Christ and not through religion…everyday.

Monday Matters

Everyday Questions

God will never tire of us seeking Him or of all our questions. I think of my kids and especially when they were younger and all the questions they had.. But I always want them to know I love them no matter what. I imagine it’s a lot like God with us. As T.S. Elliot put it; “Oh my soul, be prepared to meet Him who knows how to ask questions.” I imagine questions from God might be? Did you know Me and how I much I loved you for all eternity?

There are things about God that are mysterious and secret, things we will never know about Him. But there also are things revealed, and those belong to us. Deuteronomy 29:29; “The Lord our God has secrets known to no one. We are not accountable for them, but we and our children are accountable forever for all He has revealed to us, so that we may obey all the terms of these instructions.” I follow and trust God because I know He loves me no matter what …everyday.

Friday Matters

Everyday The Cross

I’m a mom of four adult sons and I husband I’ve been married to for 32 years. I’m so grateful. Recently at Easter we were all together and after church went out for pancakes, French fries, and bacon and there we talked about the meaning of “The Cross.

And all of us in agreement know we are made worthy, NOT by what we do, or how we perform, and certainly not by our righteousness but we’re made worthy by God’s great mercy. The sacrifice of Jesus washes away our sins and His resurrection secures our future. We are forgiven and set free to live with no condemnation or fear. Our faith walks may look differently but we know our righteousness comes from what Christ did on the cross. Paul speaking to the Colossians said, “God reconciled everything to Himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ's blood on the cross.” Receive this gift Jesus offers you too with the hope to live …everyday.

Thursday Matters

Everyday Judging

It’s so easy to judge others, isn’t it? We often do it when we feel crummy about something inside of us, so we find someone else’s problems to judge. When we begin to sinfully judge others it is characterized by a feeling of superiority or resentment. Sinful judging often involves deciding what others’ motives may be. It reveals the absence of genuine love. We get together with others to discuss someone’s problems when instead we should be praying for them.

A listener wrote to me about this problem with, "The sad truth is that when we judge someone’s heart, perhaps because we’re angry and hurt, there is often gossip involved. The one judged, becomes what I call, ‘boxed and labeled’ by the accuser and the gossip-hearers.” Exactly. God promises us vindication. Isaiah 54:17 reads; “No weapon turned against you will succeed.” Wait on God and He we will silence those voices who stand to accuse you unjustly. God promises redemption and vindication…everyday.

Wednesday Matters

Everyday Sacrifice

How do you know when you’ve given enough to get to God? You don’t. Yet many people believe that there are many roads to God and that true spirituality is just to love your neighbor and help the poor. What about the people that have been taught to hate? Are the poor just virtuous? That sounds right, but it is not what Jesus said.

Jesus said you cannot earn salvation by taking the executioner's cross yourself. We instinctively know this. If a soldier drapes his body over a grenade to save his friends, we recognize it as a sacrifice. Something we honor, but not something we can pay him back for. In fact to suggest we could pay Him back is an insult to His sacrifice. The same is true with Jesus. He loves us for who we are and not for what we do. The good things we do, like soup kitchens for the poor, are out of our love for Him but no matter what He loves right where we’re at by His grace…everyday.

Tuesday Matters

Everyday Recompense Payback

I get to share Cindy’s breakthrough in giving real forgiveness. I had been mentoring Cindy and even though she said she’d forgiven her father she continued negatively talking about him and avoided him. “I did forgive him, but you don’t know how much he hurt me.” She had become bitter. So, I told her; “Based on what the Bible says it really doesn’t matter how great the offense was. We serve a God Who is greater and if we will handle the offense in the right way, He’ll bring justice and recompense when we allow Him to.”

God says in Isaiah 61:7, “Instead of your former shame you shall have a twofold recompense.” A recompense is a reward. It’s payback for past hurts. Think of it like worker’s compensation. You work for God and as long as you do, if you get hurt on the job, HE WILL PAY YOU BACK! Cindy finally let go and forgave her dad. She’s set boundaries but they’re reconciled. Remember God is your Vindicator…everyday.

Monday Matters

Everyday God Speaks

Are you listening? Jesus is speaking. Hear His voice; “You are forgiven. Today is a new day. God’s Word from Lamentations 3:23: “Great is My mercy. It’s new every morning and great is My faithfulness. Everyday I try to “be better” by choosing what I should think on and how I should behave which often means I remain silent, shut my mouth and pray. Just think of the amazing gift God offers us! We have an opportunity to receive God’s forgiveness which means our soiled sin rags are washed and made t white by the blood of the Lamb.” (Revelation 7:14)

Don’t be discouraged. There’s a whole lot of us who so wanted to be faithful, but who at times got defeated, beat-up by life and tested by trials. We have the bloodied garments of life’s tribulations, but through it all we clung to the faith. This is the Gospel of Grace. So with me, let’s celebrate. Let’s raise “a glass of hope,” receive and share this love and grace with others. Carry on Christian Soldiers, onward and upward…everyday.

Friday Matters

Everyday Spouse

“Mom, I decided that I’m gonna do what Dad did and let God choose my wife for me,” said our son Joe when he was a teen. And that’s still his plan as a young adult. God definitely chose my husband Dan for me. I love Dan always and I like him… but not always. Dan has always called me his “Pretty Debbie” and I call him my, “Cute Husband.” We have been in places for better and for worse. It’s with respect, honor and grace that we carry on (no matter how short our hair gets or what the scale says.

When we married, I was more selfish and so I allowed God to change me and then our marriage changed for the better to. I thought, “How can I serve over being served?” Asking that question was great along with talking less and listening more too. Making a covenant with God and committing to His love makes a marriage strong. As Tim Kellor said, “To be loved but not known is comforting but superficial. To be known and not loved is our greatest fear. But to be fully known and truly loved, is well, a lot like being loved by God…everyday.

Thursday Matters

Everyday Old

I am sitting in the coffee shop getting to know a new friend and I’m literally stunned to learn that she’s only 38 which means I’m twenty years older…like I could be her mom. “I thought we were in the same age zone,” I said as I headed to the bathroom. When I come out Shana asked, “Does this age difference bother you?” “Oh, I’m fine but I guess there’s part of me that hasn’t accepted the older me even though she’s wiser and more experienced.”

Real friendships of lasting value really aren’t about age; they’re about connection and give and take. I want my new friend to know that what she sees is someone that is genuinely interested in who she is regardless of really…anything. God’s friendship with us is one with no condemnation and He sees the worst of us but chooses to focus on the best of us. We all have varying degrees of decorating our outsides but just as much time, if not more, should be focused on our insides and living and walking in the grace God give us…everyday.

Wednesday Matters

Everyday Life Changing

When I’m travelling alone at a hotel, I often surf the channels on TV. Inevitably I will come upon a shopping network or paid product advertisement where I sit mesmerized and convinced that if I order in the next ten minutes this product will change my life.

One of our sons walked into the room when I was using this wand laser thing and zapping my face to get rid of the wrinkles. He tried it on his face but couldn’t stand the sting. “Mom, you’re crazy. Why do this?” “I feel it’s working,” I said. Honestly, my attitude was better because I believed this wand was making a difference by erasing years off my face. (Did I mention the whole commercial was in Spanish?). After my son left, I thought; “What really transforms me is renewing my mind from what God has to say about me. If I approach others with the love and grace God gives me, that truly is a game changer. There’s nothing wrong with primping and prep so we feel and look our best but, God sees the heart and that’s what I want Him to work on…everyday.

Tuesday Matters

Everyday Junior High

A couple of years ago I went to my old Jr. High bathroom with the full-length mirror upstairs and cried. I cried remembering my pain at 13 years old. This was the smoker’s girl bathroom where Jenny Baker appeared out of one of the stalls and said, “You don’t have to look. You know you’re pretty? Huh? I was examining my crazy skinny body with no curves except for the curve of my scoliosis. I felt ugly.

My friend Stephanie seemed to be a friend I could hold onto so I would go to Friday night football games with her. Five minutes later she’d disappear and scout for boys. I was left with some loose group of kids sitting by myself when inevitably someone would come up and say, “Ya know, after the game, Jenny wants to beat you up?” I eventually saw who I was and who Jenny was too. The sad thing is Jenny thought she knew what I felt about myself, but she didn’t. We all need to know we’re beautiful and unique in the way God created us. We just can’t always see it…everyday.

Monday Matters

Everyday Biker

As Nathan was training for America’s largest mountain bike racing series, he was thankful that biking had kept he and his brother, Kyle, connected through Kyle’s drug addiction. And thankfully in the last two years of Kyle’s life he overcame his addiction via a 12-step program and a relationship with God. Kyle died in a freak car accident which was crazy tragic. Yet there’s peace and hope that replaced the tragedy because they knew they’d see Kyle again.

The night before the big bike race Nathan made a dedication and said, “I let go of all performance pressures and made up my mind to ride for the love of God, Kyle, and the sport itself.” No matter what the results I was giving this race to God because I realized more than ever that it wasn’t about me. It was about what God was doing in and through me. When Nathan walked up to the podium for his first overall win at this huge race, he never heard such cheering. “Sure, the prestige and prize money are great” said Nathan, “but relationships and loving others is what lasts…everyday.”