Did you ever wonder about what it is that you were created to do? Do you ever think, I was put on this earth to ______. Are you stumbling and fumbling through life in survival mode? Maybe you are skating through life and you are successful by the world's standards, yet something is missing or just not quite right.
I am leading a bible study with the book "CHAZOWN" by Craig Groeshel. I belong to an awesome church where we are greatly inspired to be who God created us to be. My pastor challenges us to step out of our comfort zone and dig out that ridiculous God given dream we have buried deep down for so long. God uses him to wake us up to GOD's reality!
So here is my question for you. Are you intentional about your purpose or intentional about mere survival? Unsure what your God given calling and destiny is? Well, start in prayer and ask HIM. Write down your dreams even if they sound silly and unobtainable. Read Chazown. Jot down your talents and gifts. Open your mind up to the fact you also have talents you haven't tapped into yet. Then consider your past experiences good and bad......battle scars make a great springboard for who you will identify with and who you can reach for God.
Then consider your biggest fears. I will share mine. I struggle with what people think. I never liked being vunerable especially in a group of women. I went to an all girl high school, need I say more? I always hated public speaking. Oral book reports in the 6th grade made me ill. Then God got a hold of me and when you put together my experiences and the gifts HE has given me....I know that I know I am called to speak to & encourage women who are struggling w/ marriage and relationships. To do that I have to be open and honest about who I am and how I feel....yes I have to be transparent and vulnerable.
Guess what? I LOVE IT, God shows up, it blesses me, I am energized my it, I was created to do it! So what the enemy wants to intimidate you with, GOD has already perpared you to do it! All you need is FAITH. When HE calls HE always equips!
So what is it in your life that keeps you from stepping out into your destiny? Fear of failure? Lack of finances? What others will think? I think you should ask yourself a better question. "What if......?"
My thoughts on how to "rise above" our daily lives and grasp God's promises of an abundant life through Jesus Christ....while being a wife and raising three kids!
Sunday, April 29, 2007
Sunday, April 22, 2007
Can You Here ME Now Part 2
John 10:27 says "My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me."
If you clicked on the title of "Can You Here ME Now Part 1" it would have linked you to this passage.
How can we "hear" God's voice? The book of Matthew tells us that John the Baptist heard God's audible voice when he was baptizing Jesus. God spoke in a big way! God still speaks today. HE could do it audibly of course, but what about that still small voice? Sometimes we think it is our conscience, but who convicts us of our wrong doing to begin with? That would be God through His Holy Spirit.
Now I shared with you my fun T shirt experiences and my friends will back me up that the stories are all true and I am not a complete nut. Maybe just a partial one! I will share some ways that God has spoken to my heart and try to explain it the best way I can.
One example was when I was going through my troubled marriage. My first instinct was to leave. I was having thoughts in my head that said the kids would be better off if Mike & I divorced. I remember crying telling God that I did not understand why He would help me recover from my first bad marriage only to lead me to this one. Yet in that I told HIM I believed HE saved me before and HE would do it again. The "thought" that came over me was a deep impression from my gut that flowed upward to my mind. It was loving and gentle but very firm "inner voice" that said "Lisa how will you look your 3 children in the eyes in years to come and when they ask you 'mommy why couldn't you try one more time with daddy?' How are you going to say you couldn't? How are you going to raise Christian children to trust ME when you don't trust ME with your marriage?"
Here is how I KNOW that was God: Because it hit me in the gut, it washed me with peace, it gave me hope in a terrible situation. It was contrary to what my natural instinct thought I should do. Also God said "ME". I knew that I knew it was not my own thoughts but those of a loving, merciful God. Also most importantly it lined up with God's Word, the bible, because it was telling me to trust God in my marriage!
Since that time I have heard many other things, such as "Rise Above" which popped in my head in the shower which was confirmed by a Billboard (see Part 1). So again I learned that that "thought" was God. Sometimes He speaks softly, other times deeper and louder to your spirit and your heart. I am convinced that as you listen to HIM and "practice" you will learn how to hear His voice regularly.
There was another time I was finally alone and planning to run some much needed errands. I again was upset that my marriage was in such a bad place. I wondered if God was hearing me at all. I felt this urge to drive to our church's prayer room. I did not have the time or the energy but could not get the thought to leave me. I went in and knelt down feeling rather foolish to be honest. Why would I have to be in the prayer room when I could pray in my car? I happened to kneel where the prayer list was laid out for the intercessors (people who pray for others). I glanced down to see MY prayer request I sent in a few days earlier, ON TOP of a large pile of other prayer requests! I left there with a renewed hope and joy in my heart that God did hear me and He was in control.
One time Mike was helping a man in a parking lot who was having chest pains. He said "Lisa I just felt like I should have prayed for that man." Mike wasn't comfortable at that time just praying for someone he did not know, so afterward he felt very bad that he didn't. I explained that the kids and I did while we waited in the van, but explained "that was God telling you to pray, when you hear that voice again, you will know it was Him." So it was a strong impression that told Mike something contrary to his natural tendencies and that too lined up w/ scripture.
(Side note: It was a heart attack and Praise God "George" survived!!)
As we "tune in" and listen we will have a sense of peace knowing that even if our sitauation is difficult we are never alone. That if we "tune in" we will be led by God. (John 16:13-15)
If you clicked on the title of "Can You Here ME Now Part 1" it would have linked you to this passage.
How can we "hear" God's voice? The book of Matthew tells us that John the Baptist heard God's audible voice when he was baptizing Jesus. God spoke in a big way! God still speaks today. HE could do it audibly of course, but what about that still small voice? Sometimes we think it is our conscience, but who convicts us of our wrong doing to begin with? That would be God through His Holy Spirit.
Now I shared with you my fun T shirt experiences and my friends will back me up that the stories are all true and I am not a complete nut. Maybe just a partial one! I will share some ways that God has spoken to my heart and try to explain it the best way I can.
One example was when I was going through my troubled marriage. My first instinct was to leave. I was having thoughts in my head that said the kids would be better off if Mike & I divorced. I remember crying telling God that I did not understand why He would help me recover from my first bad marriage only to lead me to this one. Yet in that I told HIM I believed HE saved me before and HE would do it again. The "thought" that came over me was a deep impression from my gut that flowed upward to my mind. It was loving and gentle but very firm "inner voice" that said "Lisa how will you look your 3 children in the eyes in years to come and when they ask you 'mommy why couldn't you try one more time with daddy?' How are you going to say you couldn't? How are you going to raise Christian children to trust ME when you don't trust ME with your marriage?"
Here is how I KNOW that was God: Because it hit me in the gut, it washed me with peace, it gave me hope in a terrible situation. It was contrary to what my natural instinct thought I should do. Also God said "ME". I knew that I knew it was not my own thoughts but those of a loving, merciful God. Also most importantly it lined up with God's Word, the bible, because it was telling me to trust God in my marriage!
Since that time I have heard many other things, such as "Rise Above" which popped in my head in the shower which was confirmed by a Billboard (see Part 1). So again I learned that that "thought" was God. Sometimes He speaks softly, other times deeper and louder to your spirit and your heart. I am convinced that as you listen to HIM and "practice" you will learn how to hear His voice regularly.
There was another time I was finally alone and planning to run some much needed errands. I again was upset that my marriage was in such a bad place. I wondered if God was hearing me at all. I felt this urge to drive to our church's prayer room. I did not have the time or the energy but could not get the thought to leave me. I went in and knelt down feeling rather foolish to be honest. Why would I have to be in the prayer room when I could pray in my car? I happened to kneel where the prayer list was laid out for the intercessors (people who pray for others). I glanced down to see MY prayer request I sent in a few days earlier, ON TOP of a large pile of other prayer requests! I left there with a renewed hope and joy in my heart that God did hear me and He was in control.
One time Mike was helping a man in a parking lot who was having chest pains. He said "Lisa I just felt like I should have prayed for that man." Mike wasn't comfortable at that time just praying for someone he did not know, so afterward he felt very bad that he didn't. I explained that the kids and I did while we waited in the van, but explained "that was God telling you to pray, when you hear that voice again, you will know it was Him." So it was a strong impression that told Mike something contrary to his natural tendencies and that too lined up w/ scripture.
(Side note: It was a heart attack and Praise God "George" survived!!)
As we "tune in" and listen we will have a sense of peace knowing that even if our sitauation is difficult we are never alone. That if we "tune in" we will be led by God. (John 16:13-15)
Friday, April 20, 2007
Can You Hear ME Now? Part 1
When I was in the 6th grade I remember thinking, "why would God speak back then and not now?" If He is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow, then He should still speak today.
Of course He speaks through His Word the bible. All scripture is God-breathed (2Timothy 3:16). I love how we can read a scripture one time and it says one thing and another time something else is revealed! But God is not in a box and He can use other means to get our attention.
My friends laugh at me because God speaks to me ALOT through T shirts. HEY, if He can create the earth and everything in it, then surely He can speak via a t-shirt or two! Need some examples? GOOD I was hoping you would!
1) When I was at a red light telling God I could not do the "respect stuff" in my marriage, it was too hard; a jogger ran by with this printed on her back!
2) When I was debating becoming a Southern Living at HOME consultant for extra $$ and to help with my public speaking for the ministry, I was in an Outback Steakhouse 45 minutes away when I turned around to see the lady behind me wearing a SLAH shirt. OK I had NEVER seen one before and have not seen anyone wear one since! Yes I joined and it was a great experience! I met one of my dearest godliest friends through it!
Still skeptical? OK.
3) While driving through WV I was wondering why God chose me to start this ministry or any ministry for that matter. A girl in a McDonald's playground had this on her shirt to answer my question.
4) God then took bigger measure when I was wondering about the name Rise Above Ministry. In Pittsburg on a BILLBOARD was a picture of the 16 year old surfer who lost her arm in a shark attack. It said "Me Quit?, Never" "RISE ABOVE". Did you know she is a Christian? Obviously God said "yes that is the name" and here we are!
There are several others, but God may not use a T shirt for you. I always pray for Him to make things VERY obvious so I don't miss Him. He may use a person to speak to you, a song (I did not know how many had "rise above" in them until I listened to Him on the name of the ministry). He may use your pastor or priest. You may find that page in the book that just "jumped off the shelf" that ministers to you. If you doubt it is God, ask Him to confirm it. He is always faithful. Stayed tuned for Part 2 on how I "hear" His still soft voice when a T shirt can't to be found!
Of course He speaks through His Word the bible. All scripture is God-breathed (2Timothy 3:16). I love how we can read a scripture one time and it says one thing and another time something else is revealed! But God is not in a box and He can use other means to get our attention.
My friends laugh at me because God speaks to me ALOT through T shirts. HEY, if He can create the earth and everything in it, then surely He can speak via a t-shirt or two! Need some examples? GOOD I was hoping you would!
1) When I was at a red light telling God I could not do the "respect stuff" in my marriage, it was too hard; a jogger ran by with this printed on her back!
2) When I was debating becoming a Southern Living at HOME consultant for extra $$ and to help with my public speaking for the ministry, I was in an Outback Steakhouse 45 minutes away when I turned around to see the lady behind me wearing a SLAH shirt. OK I had NEVER seen one before and have not seen anyone wear one since! Yes I joined and it was a great experience! I met one of my dearest godliest friends through it!
Still skeptical? OK.
3) While driving through WV I was wondering why God chose me to start this ministry or any ministry for that matter. A girl in a McDonald's playground had this on her shirt to answer my question.
4) God then took bigger measure when I was wondering about the name Rise Above Ministry. In Pittsburg on a BILLBOARD was a picture of the 16 year old surfer who lost her arm in a shark attack. It said "Me Quit?, Never" "RISE ABOVE". Did you know she is a Christian? Obviously God said "yes that is the name" and here we are!
There are several others, but God may not use a T shirt for you. I always pray for Him to make things VERY obvious so I don't miss Him. He may use a person to speak to you, a song (I did not know how many had "rise above" in them until I listened to Him on the name of the ministry). He may use your pastor or priest. You may find that page in the book that just "jumped off the shelf" that ministers to you. If you doubt it is God, ask Him to confirm it. He is always faithful. Stayed tuned for Part 2 on how I "hear" His still soft voice when a T shirt can't to be found!
Monday, April 9, 2007
Florida Trees Don't Move
That was the brilliant statement made by some guy after we crashed into a tree in FL last week. Here we were in a great restaurant watching dolphins for 45 minutes when raw sewage started to pour out of the restrooms....luckily we had finished our meal!!
SO as we were trying to escape the flowing river of yuck, we hop in the van for a quick get a way. All of us were focused on the plumbing trucks. Mike turned back just in time to miss the tree. HOWEVER the trunk of the tree had a knot in it. That knot went thru our back window......thankfully my van was not full of people and the back row was empty!!
The next day we drove back to NC w/ a plastic shower curtain duct taped to the van. That lasted about 45 minutes. The rain held off and we drove home (7 1/2 hours) w/ no back window. Ahh the memories our kids will have of that one!
Then I wondered...why God? why the "stupid tax"? $331 that we could use for something else? No one was hurt, praise God! But why? Maybe it was to remind us to always be careful and ALWAYS keep an eye on where you are going. $331 for our window was better than ER bills if it had been a person. It is better than hitting another car and having to pay for damage to 2. It may have been what detained us just those few extra minutes that saved us from a worse accident....Only God knows.
SO I rose above the broken window and the cranky husband (he was not happy about his error) and thought about how our kids will laugh remembering mommy holding onto a plastic shower curtain as it was blowing off the van at 80 mph on I-95. I chose to think that God somehow did or will used it for our good as His Word says "all things work for good..."
We all make mistakes and we can chose to learn from them so they don't get the best of us!
SO as we were trying to escape the flowing river of yuck, we hop in the van for a quick get a way. All of us were focused on the plumbing trucks. Mike turned back just in time to miss the tree. HOWEVER the trunk of the tree had a knot in it. That knot went thru our back window......thankfully my van was not full of people and the back row was empty!!
The next day we drove back to NC w/ a plastic shower curtain duct taped to the van. That lasted about 45 minutes. The rain held off and we drove home (7 1/2 hours) w/ no back window. Ahh the memories our kids will have of that one!
Then I wondered...why God? why the "stupid tax"? $331 that we could use for something else? No one was hurt, praise God! But why? Maybe it was to remind us to always be careful and ALWAYS keep an eye on where you are going. $331 for our window was better than ER bills if it had been a person. It is better than hitting another car and having to pay for damage to 2. It may have been what detained us just those few extra minutes that saved us from a worse accident....Only God knows.
SO I rose above the broken window and the cranky husband (he was not happy about his error) and thought about how our kids will laugh remembering mommy holding onto a plastic shower curtain as it was blowing off the van at 80 mph on I-95. I chose to think that God somehow did or will used it for our good as His Word says "all things work for good..."
We all make mistakes and we can chose to learn from them so they don't get the best of us!
Thursday, April 5, 2007
EGG DROP!!!!
Well I am back from Florida! I will share how I rose above a restaurant w/ a sewage back up problem and a big tree in the middle of a parking lot a bit later ..But.....THIS IS MORE IMPORTANT!!!!!!
WHAT DO 50,000 EGGS AND A HELICOPTER HAVE IN COMMON?????
THIS SATURDAY APRIL 7th AT PORTER RIDGE HIGH SCHOOL, 2839 Ridge Rd. Indian Land NC ...register at 10 am. Egg Drop at 11 am!!!!! For kids 12 and under. Children ages 1-4 will have Eggland with age appropriate prizes!!
Check out the info at this website!
GREAT PRIZES!!!! Such as a Sony PLAYSTATION, XBox 360, iPODS, Nintendo Wii's and 1000 of other prizes!!! GREAT FUN!!! GREAT CHURCH WHY??? Because we serve a GREAT GOD!!!
DO NOT MISS THIS! Just Don't!! IT WILL BE THAT AWESOME! We missed it last year and we have regretted it! Not this year my friend NO WAY!!
WHAT DO 50,000 EGGS AND A HELICOPTER HAVE IN COMMON?????
THIS SATURDAY APRIL 7th AT PORTER RIDGE HIGH SCHOOL, 2839 Ridge Rd. Indian Land NC ...register at 10 am. Egg Drop at 11 am!!!!! For kids 12 and under. Children ages 1-4 will have Eggland with age appropriate prizes!!
Check out the info at this website!
GREAT PRIZES!!!! Such as a Sony PLAYSTATION, XBox 360, iPODS, Nintendo Wii's and 1000 of other prizes!!! GREAT FUN!!! GREAT CHURCH WHY??? Because we serve a GREAT GOD!!!
DO NOT MISS THIS! Just Don't!! IT WILL BE THAT AWESOME! We missed it last year and we have regretted it! Not this year my friend NO WAY!!
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