Spiritual Growth
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Who Hates Disruptions?
Task oriented people like me! You know, gotta get the job done…today…now! No matter what. What about you? All of us have experienced them. Most of us do not like them. Over 2 years ago the entire world experienced disruption to life as we had known it. In addition to the pandemic, many others also experienced a disruption in their good health, close relationships, face-to-face community we relied on, satisfying jobs, and income that goes with that. And this is the short list. Some experienced continual losses, one after another, along with, and in the middle of, the pandemic. But, what if, for whatever reason, this was God’s plan for…
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Perfect? For Who?
Any other perfectionists out there? Oh, we use the cop out, “we just want to do a great job for the Lord.” But is that really the truth behind our perfectionistic tendencies? I was raised by a perfectionist dad who was a great father, but perhaps his expectations, even of me, pushed me this direction. Add to that I am an enthusiastic, optimistic, Type A, Enneagram 1 personalty, and that’s the makings for trouble if I’m not careful. I can truly say, I’m not as bad as I was in the past, I still struggle to some degree with perfectionism as I was made aware of in reading Ruth Chou…
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Leadership Challenge Blog Share
As I’ve served in various capacities over the years, mostly in the area of women’s ministry, I’ve wanted to continue to grow as a leader, spiritually, relationally, and practically. Often that has included different types of assessments. Today’s blog share is to help you assess where you are, and see were you need to grow as you lead. And ALL women lead! Check out these posts. 1 Be honest as you read 9 Everyday Situations That Say More About Your Character Than You Think by Carey Neiuwhof. 2 I don’t know about you, but listening is not one of my greater strengths! Check out How To Listen as a Leader…
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Reading Recommendation
I am an avid reader and often share what I’m reading on this blog and on social media. If I can inspire someone else to READ, I am a happy girl, especially when I find amazing writings. Today I just want to recommend two memoirs that will touch your heart and that are surprisingly connected…as I just discovered! The first is Elisabeth Elliot’s memoir published after her death using her journals. I’ve read and loved her for over 30 years, and wrote about this book in Who Are You Becoming? I asked her to speak to the women at my church in the early 90’s and her spiritual depth blew…
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Getting the Job Done
I bet many of you reading this post are “get’er done” types. You know, you have a vision, hear a suggestion, get an idea, or see a need and right away, you start strategizing how to get a desired job done. As a believer, our goal is to hear from the Lord daily to get our marching orders rather than just put together our own agenda to accomplish for the day. Being BIG on to do lists and crossing things off, I find myself sometimes doing just that. It’s my idea, worked out in my power. And you know what, it often just feels like a job, not a way…
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As Long As I Breathe
Have you ever heard an illustration used over the years and thought, “that makes sense and helps me understand” some spiritual concept, only to later find out it’s not a correct illustration for that concept? That happened to me this past week. I have so much to learn, even at 70 years of age, and almost 50 years of studying the Bible! Right before I run across my life finish line, I’d love to have a Bible in my hand saying, “hey, did you know this is in scripture?” Then I can take my last breath and wake up in the presence of Jesus! But until then, I’m still learning.…
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He’s Got the Power!
Do you ever waver in your belief in someone? Someone you normally would trust? Have you ever wavered in your trust in God? You know He has all power and wisdom, that He is sovereign, faithful and good, that nothing surprises Him. But sometimes you…just forget? Me too. My Bible reading today included Romans 4. Verses 20-21 became a lifeline to me in a difficult time in ministry years ago. A time when I was just over it, didn’t want to continue. I sought God’s direction of whether to walk away from this ministry position, or stick it out, but couldn’t get a clear answer. Then one day, this verse…
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Genesis to the Cross
You know how you know something, but then someone else writes a comment that just makes you think, “How could I forget that?” That happened this week as I was reading the end of the book of Mark in my NT260 Bible plan. Here’s the comment that made the connection between creation and the cross again for me: “With His death on the cross Jesus paid God’s penalty for the sins of the world, sins that required a blood sacrifice to purify sinners. On the third day, He rose from the dead and defeated death–the ultimate consequence of sin.” Foundations New Testament Did I already know that? Yes. Did I…
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Dealing With Anxiety
It’s everywhere! Maybe you are experiencing this right this moment. So much has been written about this, but how are YOU dealing with it? There’s only a couple of times in my life I came close to having a panic attack (other than a short lived one as I feared for my life and there was a true reason for this panic! Check out my Hurricane Sally series.). I do remember those times and felt, “I just cannot do all this!” I was the mom of twin daughters, in school, and very involved in ministry in my church, even serving in a part time position on the staff. My heart…
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Responsibility Without Authority?
Have you ever been in a place where you were given lots of responsibility, but you weren’t given much authority to go with it? I have, and it’s a hard place to be. You can get little done on the task because you don’t have the authority to make decisions yourself. At least that’s the way it feels regarding our work. Guess who else found himself in this kind of situation? Jonah, who spent 3 days in the belly of a fish. This is not something I’ve ever thought about before studying Jonah in a different way as I completed week two of Scarlet Hiltibidal’s study, Anxious. She points out…
