doubt

March 21, 2018

He is Near

What’s your first thought when seeing the sun diffusing through clouds high above? As the light streams down from radiant beams I’m always reminded of God’s presence. It’s like He’s showing me He’s near and present, even if I cannot physically see Him.

Winding down on our #BePresent series this Lent, we’ve discussed being Purposeful and being present in Real life with Eyes open to the world around us, even when it’s Stressful. We understand the importance of making Every moment count and we do this by remembering God is near as we strive to do the same. N=Near

God is near to us in so many ways we cannot always see or even fathom. Remember how Elisha prayed for God to open the eyes of his scared servant so he could physically see how God’s heavenly army was surrounding them?

“Don’t be afraid!” Elisha told him. “For there are more on our side than on theirs!” Then Elisha prayed, “O Lord, open his eyes and let him see!” The Lord opened the young man’s eyes, and when he looked up, he saw that the hillside around Elisha was filled with horses and chariots of fire. ~2 Kings 6:16-17

The same is true for us, God is always near; we just can’t always see Him the way we want. This I why I love huge displays of God’s glory in sunbeams, rainbows, beautiful creatures or just the simple beauty of a sunrise. It’s a reminder of God’s presence but also how He is present with us. In the busyness of life, I don’t want to miss the beauty of these simple expressions of God and how to be present in them and with others.

Trust #God is near us in every moment, showing us His #presence and how to #BePresent #faith

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David knew God was present and could sense His presence even when he couldn’t see Him. I wonder if He knew God was near when seeing sunbeams as I do? It makes me want to praise Him with joy as David did:

But let the godly rejoice.

    Let them be glad in God’s presence.

    Let them be filled with joy.

4 Sing praises to God and to his name!

    Sing loud praises to him who rides the clouds.

His name is the Lord—

    rejoice in his presence!

19 Praise the Lord; praise God our savior!

For each day he carries us in his arms. ~Psalm 68:3-4, 19

Each day, each moment God is carrying us. He’s that near to us. It’s our job to have faith and trust in God’s ability to #BePresent even when we cannot physically see Him. Let’s choose to be present and also sense how God is near us in all those moments we want to make matter like:

Holding a loved one’s hand without saying a word.
Reading silently yet still present with each other.
Opening up the Bible to the exact message needed that day.
Loving acts of kindness in the world around us.
Laughing, loving and being near in the big and small moments.

Life is full of moments and how we choose to live and see them makes a difference, not only in our lives but also in those whose moments intersect with ours. Let’s remember God is near in all of them. We can seek His love, peace, guidance, and strength through a simple prayer. We don’t need a giant sunbeam to remind us, only simple trust in His presence as we seek to #BePresent.

Linking with #ChasingCommunity & #HeartEncouragement

March 14, 2018

Every Moment Matters

What’s special about this moment, right now? For me, it’s conveying thoughts to you in this blog post and for you, it may be gleaning insight or encouragement by reading it. Every moment has an inherent specialness simply because we’ll never have this moment again.

Thinking of our moments as finite fragments we’ll never relive causes me to pause. Maybe because I work with those experiencing memory issues or because I’ve walked alongside loved ones at the end of their earthly moments, but I’m learning to appreciate my moments more. Am I spending them well? Am I being fully present as I follow God’s plan for my life?

As we continue our #BePresent Lenten series, we’ve explored how to be Purposeful, be present in Real life, with Eyes open and to seek God’s path when Stress threatens. Whether stressful or blissful, each moment of our lives is important in God’s plan. I’m realizing this significance and how being present includes making every moment matter. E=Every moment.

There’s a reason MemoryMinders tagline is making moments memorable. Our moments are measured by God. He gifts us with only so many, so I want to help others remember and cherish them. I try to do the same, but sometimes life’s challenges and distractions steal them away. How can we truly make every moment count?

It begins with being present and I sense that’s the reason for this series. But being present includes measuring every moment not only by how we want to live but also by how God wants us to live.

Being present is measuring moments not by how we want to live but how God wants us to live #BePresent

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In my moments, am I blind to what God wants to show me by only seeing my wants and needs? Am I overcome by stress or seeking God’s answers to a problem? Am I wisely pursuing things, people, and experiences He wants for me or am I too busy comparing, lamenting, blaming, or worrying about what I cannot control?

In my quandary, I realize full surrender and obedience is the best course of action. We cannot worry about the future, argue about the past and still embrace each moment well. So I stop and ask the simple question-what would Jesus do?

This simple question we teach our kids points the way to making every moment matter. I doubt Jesus would continue to argue, worry, sulk, mentally check out, or procrastinate. Following His lead, let’s ask ourselves-in this moment of sadness, how can I comfort? In this moment of anger, how can I forgive or be kind? In this moment of frustration or worry, how can I fully surrender to God and trust?

In this moment God has given, how can I spend it well?

It’s not that Jesus wasn’t ever angry, sad or didn’t want to experience the difficult times of life. Think of when He cleared the temple, wept for Lazarus, or prayed fervently in the Garden.

He was fully man AND God and fully understands how life’s moments can be less than blissful. Yet, He always chose to spend every moment well. This, this is what I want.

How to do this is often where I struggle. But God’s word provides direction as always:

Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. ~Romans 12:2

How to make every moment matter stems from letting God transform how we think.

Never stop praying. ~1 Thessalonians 5:17

Having problems with anything in life? Pray-not just once, but continually!

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. ~Matthew 16:24

Lent reminds us to focus on the cross and Jesus’ saving sacrifice. All we need to do is look at His life of making every moment matter as a model on how to live ours. Sin and the enemy will threaten to steal our moments or insert roadblocks as we follow. In these moments, let’s spend them wisely by looking to Jesus as our guide. Let’s seek, pray and surrender to the One who created our moments. Then, we simply follow.

Linking with #ChasingCommunity, #HeartEncouragement & #GraceMoments

March 7, 2018

Take Me Away!

God is speaking to me this week. It sounds weird, but when a repeated topic comes up, I don’t believe it’s happenstance. It’s God. Already slated to speak on a topic next week, a speaker on a similar topic fell through for a different group, so I stepped in. Coincidence? Nope, it’s just another opportunity to talk to others (and myself) on a topic I need as much as they do: stress.

God often talks to me through what I share with others: clients, family, friends and here on the blog with you. It’s been a stressful few months (actually over a year) and I sense more is coming. Hence the extra opportunity from God, perhaps?

As we pursue being PRESENT this Lenten season, we’ve discussed being Purposeful, showing up in Real life, and keeping our Eyes open to the world around us. But being present can also be Stressful. S=Stress.

Sometimes, we don’t want to be present; preferring to shy away from difficult or less than desirable situations or people. We don’t always want the stress of others or even our own issues. It reminds me of the old bubble bath commercial-take me away!

Yet we can’t run from our lives. God often allows us to be in valleys for a reason. Maybe it’s to be His hands and feet, learn (or relearn) a lesson, or because it’s His plan for someone else. It’s not always our place to wonder and ask why. Although we often do…

In the middle of a mess, stressful situation or valley of life, it’s our job to walk through it, knowing we are never alone. God is always present and a presence in our lives. We never walk alone, which should ease our stress. Should is the keyword.

I should take comfort knowing God is always present. But so often I feel like I have to do things all on my own, in my power. Hard places and seasons of life cause us to look only at the problem. We don’t want this issue so we get stuck and stress begins to build. If you’re like me, you then try to power through the problem. Instead, we should be seeking and sensing God’s presence and following His lead.

This reminds me of the Israelites as they journeyed to and lived in the Promised Land. Along the way, they thought they knew better than God and ended up wandering in circles for forty years because of it. Finally settled, they still didn’t quite follow as God asked. And so began the slippery slide to further sin, punishment, and exile.

It’s time for a better way.

In a recent stressful season as well as other pivotal times in my life, there was one thing I knew without hesitation: God was there. I clung to the truth He was present and would see me through. In many of these moments, I didn’t know how things would work out. So I simply trusted. It wasn’t fun, easy or good, but I did what I could do and gave the rest to Him.

Now on the other side of it, I’m tempted to go back to my way of managing it all. But God is here again speaking, just like He’d warn the Israelites. Let it go, surrender your stress to me, He’s saying.

This life is not our own. Difficult situations will continue and the stress of being present in them should not be our focus. Stress relief comes when we shift our eyes from the problem to the Problem Solver. If all we think about is the problem, that’s all we’ll see and where we’ll wallow. When we shift our attention and stress to Jesus, we find comfort and the next step as He lightens our load.

Stress relief comes when we shift from the problem to the Problem Solver #BePresent #surrender #faith

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Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” ~Matthew 11:28-30

Being present can leave us weary with burdens. But God never intends us to shoulder the weight alone. He wants to help us carry the stress and burdens of our lives as we walk with Him.

No doubt more stressful times lie ahead and we’ll be tempted to escape and not be present. Instead of looking for bubbles to take us away or choosing not to be present, let’s cry out to Jesus. Shifting our focus to Him helps us find the next step as we travel through life’s valleys. Let’s choose to be present in any situation that comes, trusting in Jesus’ presence with us.

Linking with Brenda at #ChasingCommunity and Crystal at #HeartEncouragement

February 14, 2018

Purposefully Present

“Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” ~Ferris Bueler in the movie Ferris Bueler’s Day Off

Do you ever feel like you’re missing your life? We blink and the kids are grown or aging parents suddenly need us. And those dreams or plans we had for our lives? They now seem out of reach as we wonder where the time went.

Our society is plagued with information overload, multitasking and our attention span has diminished to mere seconds. Is this the life God planned for us? For me at least, I believe the answer is no.

I want to stop and look around like Ferris says (not that I agree with all of his choices in the movie). I want to be more present in my own life before I miss it. So for the next seven weeks we’ll dig into what it means to truly be present. I love the acronym memory technique so we’ll focus on each letter of the word as we explore being PRESENT.

There are many variations of being present and initially mindfulness and awareness came to mind (pun intended). But for me it all starts with being purposeful. So let’s begin with P for purposeful.

Last week we explored our purpose and realized that OUR purpose comes to full fruition in HIS purpose for us. Our lives are meant to honor and reflect God to the world around us. But if all we are doing is going through the motions as we rush through life, are we truly honoring and reflecting God?

If your answer like mine is increasingly no, then let’s begin to be present by being purposeful.

Living a life being fully present isn’t just about fulfilling our purpose but also about being present ON purpose-with intent. Living present on purpose is intentionally being there even if or when we don’t want to be. It’s being aware of everything and everyone around us and honoring and reflecting God in the midst of it, even the difficult.

Occasionally my children will say “I don’t want to” to something I ask of them. I explain that I do many things daily that I don’t want to! That’s life. It’s the same with being present. Sometimes we don’t want to be fully present in an uncomfortable situation or with a difficult person. But that’s what God calls us to do-reflect Him in every moment, not just the ones we want or prefer.

Jesus was fully present in the hard and ultimately most difficult moment. Let’s not shy away from our moments but find God’s strength to be present in them. I’ve found it’s in these hard moments that I sense God’s presence the most. But only when I’m fully present in them.

Let’s not shy away from difficult moments, but find God’s strength & be #present #BePresent

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Life does move pretty fast as Ferris pointed out. How can we practice purposefully being present so we don’t miss what God has for us? How can we put on our new nature like the apostle Paul reminds us?

Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy. Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God. ~Ephesians 4: 23-24, 5:1-2

Maybe it’s tuning out social media to engage with friends or family in person. Maybe it’s calling or texting someone in need and offering something even if it’s just yourself. Better yet, just show up. In some of my darkest days, my true friends just showed up. They didn’t always say much, but their presence was powerful.

Let’s engage purposefully in our lives and the lives of those around us. It doesn’t have to be incredible gestures. It’s as simple as hanging out with our kids, family and friends. Notice the servers, wave to the crossing guard or say hi to the coworker who seems down. Being aware and acknowledging others is the first step in reflecting God to them.

Let’s also purposefully be present with God. Worship, read His Word, pray and seek Him. God is ever present with us, let’s purposefully seek Him and as He says, we WILL find Him.

For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. ~Matthew 7:8

It’s time to be purposeful and present. Let’s not miss any more of our days, by simply going through the motions. The song Motions by Matthew West sums this up well and became my mantra after a hard season years ago. Living for His purpose has meant many different and at times, difficult moments. But they have been some of the most amazing years of my life.

It’s easy to slip into following the crowd, mindlessly passing our days checking off our to-do list or living with blinders to the world around us. But there’s so much more!

God has an amazing plan for each of us. Let’s live for His purpose, on purpose. Let’s be present on purpose today, this Lenten season and for all our days.

Let’s #BePresent on purpose today living out His Purpose! #Lent #faith

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Join me this lenten season and share how you’re being purposefully present. Use the hashtag #BePresent on social media and let’s encourage each other!

Linking words with my friends Crystal at #HeartEncouragement & Brenda at #ChasingCommunity

February 7, 2018

The Pursuit of Purpose

There are a lot of ‘P’ words floating around my mind lately. Being present and a presence. God’s presence, additional p words (more on that in a moment) and now there’s also purpose. Our pastor spoke on our purpose Sunday and it prompted me revisit mine. Have you ever considered your purpose in life?

After I lost my mom, wow-13 years ago now, I read The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren. It’s a wonderful book we should all read. However, at that time, it felt overwhelming for me. As Christians, we know our purpose and it shouldn’t have been a shock to me that Rick’s revelation and call to us (spoiler alert) were the same as Christ’s-go and make disciples. But then, it all seemed too much.

Back then, I thought, ok, I’ll start here with my family and if you have a bigger plan Lord-lead me to it. So I asked how I could help with my son’s education class at church. I wanted to support the new leader, the mission, and my son. “How about teaching the class?” was not the reply I expected. But I dove in and boy, it was scary getting up and teaching a bunch of 6-year-olds! (You know they have no filter at that age, right?) Twelve years later, I now speak, teach and write to hundreds. God is good, my friends.

He was and is with me in every single, scary, uncertain and “I don’t know what I’m doing” moment. I marvel daily at how He continues to give me words to say. I may not be preaching and making thousands of disciples daily but I think God still uses my words for an eternal purpose and impact. Whether it’s with my children, clients, friends, or family, what I say, do or don’t say or do matters. God uses all of it.

What’s my purpose? I’ve learned it’s living each day for and with God’s plan above mine-whatever that is. Last year and many times over the past 13 years especially, I’ve learned living for God means finding joy in even the joyless. It means stepping COMPLETELY out of my box. It means rejections, disappointments, and hard work that sometimes feels like it’s going nowhere-until it does.

But following and living each day for God also means daily surrendering my stuff in exchange for His. I don’t always know what that is and sometimes take wrong turns. But in it all, even wrong turns, the hard or unwanted, there is one constant-His presence.

Living for God means daily surrendering my stuff in exchange for His #Purpose #PresentPresence #faith

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When trying to push Him and His plans away-He was there.

When taking credit or celebrating me or others instead of His provision, He was there.

When unsure of what to do or who could help, He was there.

When in front of a couple kids, hundreds on a stage or alone in a hospital, He was there.

When doubt crept in and the path was unclear, I always knew one thing:

He was THERE.

He was there and is here with us for a reason.

Wondering about your purpose? God isn’t.

He has one for all of us. He’s got it all planned-we just need to trust in His presence, provision, and plan. You may be familiar with this promise (another p-word) God gave to Jeremiah:

For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. ~ Jeremiah 29:11

Let’s take this to heart. GOD HAS A PLAN for us and it’s good!! Remember Jesus said something very similar:

The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life. ~John 10:10 (emphasis mine)

God’s purpose is to give us a satisfying life, ours is to honor and tell others about Him. So, what are we waiting for?

Let’s not keep trying to find OUR purpose, but lean into and trust in HIS.

Let’s not keep trying to find OUR purpose, but lean into and trust in HIS. #PresentPresence #faith

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Yes, we can make disciples and we don’t have to be Peter, Paul or Rick Warren. Let’s be who God wants us to be every moment of every day. At home, at work, alone or with the rest of the world. Following and honoring God in the small stuff of our lives matters and is our purpose.

Let our purpose be His, trusting He’s with us in every moment.

Thanks to all of you who completed the survey last week and if you haven’t already please do! Find the survey here and chime in with your preferences on how we can Follow His Footprints together this year. Next week we’ll be starting a series through Lent on being present. It’ll be another P week as we use each letter of the word present to explore how to be present in our lives and with our Savior. Hope you’ll join me!

He is Near

Every Moment Matters

Take Me Away!

Purposefully Present

The Pursuit of Purpose

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