The confines of the comfort zone...

I don't know about you, but I'm a comfortable kind of person. I like my favorite comfy gray sweatshirt, I like my favorite pink comfy lounge pants, I like my comfy bed and my comfy chair and my favorite comfort foods. I like to be comfortable in temperature - not too hot or too cold. I like to be comfortable in my surroundings - feel safe.

I'm a comfy kind of girl.

I think we all are, though the specifics might vary. We're Americans, and we're spoiled - let's be honest. (I might never recover from the sight of the public restroom in Cozemel during a cruise vacation last year.) We have it GOOD here, people. And we're used to that and expect it and feel entitled to it.

That's probably a post for another day.

There's a different kind of comfy, though. A comfy that we linger in when we're afraid of stepping outside of our boxes. We all have our own specifically defined comfort zone, and we HATE crossing over those lines.

But what do we miss when we refuse?

What blessings do we say "no thanks" to when God calls us to do something a little daring, a little scary, a little unnerving? When He prompts us to go talk to the new guy or new girl but we refuse because we're feeling shy too? When He prompts us to tell someone about Him, about Grace, about the Gospel - but we shake our heads, deeming ourselves not worthy or not prepared or not able to use the right words. When He prompts us to start that ministry, and we say "not me, God" because we don't know the logistics of how to start or have the money to put behind it? When He gives us an opportunity to teach or speak for Him but we pass because we're afraid of microphones and video cameras?

We're missing SO MUCH.

I had a chance to step outside my comfort zone a few nights ago. I can't share the details but it involved a phone call with total strangers, and being very vulnerable. Very real. And guess what?

I was BLESSED.

I can't believe that I hesistated at first and almost skipped the phone call altogether. What a shame that would have been. Instead, I stepped outside the lines and directly into God's will and what He had for me that night.

What better feeling exists?

Don't get too comfy, friend. There's so much life outside the lines.

Worth it all?

I know I've been posting a lot of music videos lately, but it's just because that's how Jesus has been ministering to me! I hope you're listening to them and finding His peace and joy and encouragement in the lyrics and the melody.

He's there.

Here's a new song (BRAND NEW) from Meredith Andrews, who I would really love to just sit down one day and have a mocha with! I'm so inspired by her heart for Jesus, and I love this video because it's so raw and real and honest. I love watching her about halfway through because of how excited she gets, she very clearly BELIEVES what she is singing and that's so refreshing.

I wanna be like her when I grow up.

(Get this - she wrote the song "Not For a Moment" months before going through a dark time in her life, and God used her own song to minister to her. How amazing is that? His timing is perfect. And that song has blessed thousands or more world wide.)

Take a minute to check this out and let me know what you think!!

Ever been scared?

Book Info

About Fear, Faith, and a Fistful of Chocolate:  Are you ready to strip fear's power over you and become the confident woman you were meant to be? Have you found that tolerating your personal fear monsters only makes them growl louder? Okay, sister - take my hand and let's boldly step up and yank the masks off those shadow-lurking, anxiety-churning, worry-generating beasts. With her own brand of off-beat wit and wisdom, inspirational humorist Debora Coty addresses heart needs of women worn down by everyday fears - financial, health, relationships, loss, pain, the unknown, the what ifs ... With fresh spiritual insight, Debora shares hope, true life stories, scriptural lifelines, and a few LOL's along with simple, practical tips for sidestepping fear with faith. And a fistful of chocolate! Link to buy the book: http://ow.ly/hyrj3       Meet Debora:      Debora Coty is an occupational therapist, a piano teacher, and a freelance writer. She's also involved in the children's ministry at her church and is an avid tennis player. Debora began writing to fill the void when her last child left for college, and it has since become a passion. Debora has a real knack for getting across sound biblical concepts with a refreshing lightheartedness as attested in her monthly newspaper column entitled "Grace Notes: God's Grace for Everyday Living."

Blog Tour Schedule
Landing page:  http://litfusegroup.com/author/dcoty

I really loved this book. It came in my mailbox at a very timely time - right from the Lord. I sat down and read most of it in one afternoon. It's one of those to keep handy so you can re-read and re-read, and let God speak His truth over you time and time again.

So grateful for authors like Deb who are willing to share their experiences in such a way that bring inspiration, encouragement and even giggles at a time when we might be finding none. God is always faithful to provide! And He tells us not to fear. This book is chockful of encouragement and verses to help you beat that. Maybe not once and for all, because there will always be battles of fear to fight. But it helps us plug into the resources God gives us to effectively fight back  :) 

A beautiful exchange

I've always loved music.

I mean, what seven year old girl DIDN'T like singing along at the top of her lungs to Trisha Yearwood's "She's In Love With the Boy"? Or belting out Ariel's masterpiece "Part of Your World" while riding their pink streamered bike up and down the driveway?

But I've never been one of those people who NEEDED music or connected with it to the degree that it was practically life. I've never had the urge to produce it or do more than belt out Carrie Underwood in the car (alone, so I don't torment my preschooler) or in the shower. (because really, who can hit her notes in public anyway?)

Never been one of those people.

Until now.

Now - if I don't have KLOVE radio station playing on my computer at work, I can NOT get through the day. Absolutely without a doubt, NOT going to happen. I need the music.

But here's the neat part. It's not the music.

It's Jesus in the music. Its the words and lyrics and melody dedicated to bringing HIM glory and Him then giving me peace and encouragement and comfort through it all.

A beautiful exchange.

Some of my favorite songs right now (in no order) include:

Hurt & Healer - Mercy Me
Promises - Sanctus Real
You Are I Am - Mercy Me
The Great I Am - Phillips Craig and Dean
Strangely Dim - Francesca Battistelli
Worn - Tenth Avenue North
Good Morning - Mandisa/Toby Mac
Need You Now - Plumb
Not For a Moment - Meredith Andrews
All This Time - Britt Nicole
Times - Tenth Avenue North

What songs speak to you right now?

I dare you....

I dare you to listen to this and not be healed.

Just a little.

Try it.

A message from John Eldredge you can't miss...

I receive the John Eldredge Ransomed Heart ministries newsletter, and I hope this isn't breaking any copyright rules by reposting this here, but this was too good a word to miss. You can't afford NOT to read this. (gotta love a double negative)  :)

 

To sign up for more of John's monthly newsletters and daily encouragement, go to these links.

 

http://ransomedheart.com/newsletters 

 

http://ransomedheart.com/

 

 

 

 

February 2013

Dear Friends,

One of the most beautiful stories in the Gospels is the restoration of Peter (recorded in John 21). It is a very human and tender story, full of redemption and hope.

Peter, as you recall, is the man who denied Christ at his moment of greatest need. The  rooster crowed and Peter went out to weep bitterly. As any of us would. Maybe a week and a half later, post resurrection, Jesus finds Peter and the boys out fishing and has them to breakfast on the beach. Then he takes Peter aside and restores him – three times, just as the betrayal was three times. Peter goes on to become a leader in the early church, and a contributor to the New Testament. That ought to give us all hope.

But the treasure I want to point out is named in Luke, when Jesus says to Peter, “And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers” (Luke 22:32). Strengthen your brothers. This is what Jesus longs for you – to be strengthened. The theme carries on through the New Testament…

Judas and Silas, who themselves were prophets, said much to encourage and strengthen the brothers (Acts 15:32).

I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being (Ephesians 3:16).

May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy (1 Thess 3:13)

It is good for our hearts to be strengthened by grace (Hebrews 13:9).

One of the major spirits of our age is a spirit of surrender. You see it in the world as “a soft acceptance of all things.” For the Christian it brings a kind of weariness of heart that causes us to drop our guard. Prayer seems like a hassle; going to our small group seems irritating; holding onto the truth seems unnecessary. It is, in fact, a spirit of Defeat, and its subtle approach is to get folks to surrender. Bit by bit, month by month, it wears away at our spiritual strength, the strength of our hearts. That is why we need to be strengthened.

So, here at the beginning of the year, I want to suggest some ideas that will help strengthen your heart…

Turn down the noise. We are bombarded every day – commercials in taxis, at gas pumps, in elevators, on our computers, our phones. Wherever you can, turn down the noise in your life. Use your drive time for quiet, for something that enriches you.

Turn off the news. Really – I mean it. The news is a product sold every day; evil sells. “Three children were told today they are loved” doesn’t make headlines; “Three children found dead” does. The evil one uses the news to celebrate darkness. Turn it off.
Forgive. Bitterness and resentment eat away at the heart like cancer. It’s time to let it go.
Name your fears, and turn them over to Christ. Fear is also a cancer (usually felt as “worry.”) Name it, and lay it at the feet of Jesus. Everyday if you have to.
Play worship as background music in your home, your car. For one thing, the demons hate it and don’t like to be around it. But more so, it enriches your spirit, mind and heart.
Stay with one truth at a time. Distraction doesn’t nourish. Pick one truth God brings you and spend a week with it before you rush on to the next thing. Marinate.
Sabbath. I don’t mean an hour at church and then grocery shopping, paying the bills and homework. I mean, where is the rest in your life? Weekly, what do you do for Sabbath?
One night a week. Most of you are running hard; the pace of life is in itself an assault. Give one night a week to quiet, to God, to joy, to whatever strengthens your heart. (It won’t be TV; television does not strengthen the heart.)
Recover what once brought you joy. What was it? Running? Playing an instrument? Reading? Taking walks? Go take it back; joy strengthens the heart.
Distance yourself from draining people. I don’t mean stop loving; I mean set some boundaries for heavens sake. This may be hard but the relief will be worth it.
Beauty. You need beauty in your life – nature, music, visual beauty. It’s life.
Pray Ephesians 3:14-19 for yourself, often. This is God’s will for you – that you be strengthened by his power deep within. My goodness – ask for it!!!
Tell Jesus you love him, several times a day. As we make a practice of loving Jesus, it strengthens our hearts because this above all else is what your heart is made for.
My friends, I hope you understand we are living in soul-draining times. The enemy very much wants to break the power of God’s people. And remember – an affair doesn’t happen in a day, nor does an addiction, or a suicide. All the woes of the human heart happen over time, subtly at first, as we yield to surrender, to the spirit of Defeat. You do not want to surrender your heart, not in these times, not when you need every bit of strength you can possibly find. Strengthen your heart. Seek those things out that Jesus is using to strengthen your heart.
It matters.
Offered in love,


John

Encouragement for today...

Several encouraging articles from iBelieve.com


http://www.ibelieve.com/faith/trust-and-the-winding-road.html

http://www.ibelieve.com/motherhood/true-love-waiting.html

http://www.ibelieve.com/faith/faith-like-abraham.html

http://www.ibelieve.com/faith/plugging-into-prayer.html

The Lover of our souls...

Happy Valentine's Day - from the Lover of your soul.
You are not alone.

Brutally real

I can't go into details, even here on my being real blog, because of protecting people I love.

But I can say that I'm in the darkest valley I've ever been in, and prayers are appreciated, coveted, NEEDED.

Nevertheless - God's got this, and God's got me, even though it hurts. And the word hurts feels like such a joke. The word could never do this pain justice.

So that's me being brutally real today. If you can relate, I'm so sorry. But the same truths are true for you.

GOD WILL PROVIDE.

GOD WILL TAKE CARE OF YOU.

GOD HAS NOT FORGOTTEN YOU.

GOD HAS NOT ABANDONED YOU.

GOD HAS NOT REJECTED YOU.

He is good. He is able. He is constant. He is sovereign. He is holy.

And I WILL praise Him in this storm.

Will you?

A sacrifice of WHAT now??

I blogged over at Girls, God and the Good Life on the topic "A Sacrifice of WHAT?"
Come share your thoughts! I love comments and even debate ;)

www.girlsgodgoodlife.blogspot.com

Saving the world one puzzle piece at a time...

Or so my dear friend Katie Ganshert is going to try!

http://katieganshert.com/adoption-2/adoption-good-bad-ugly/

Katie's journey to adopt a son has been long and rough and expensive and full of ugly twists. But she and her husband are staying faithful to what God has called them to do, and they are even getting really creative in the meantime.

Check out this fundraising idea:

http://ganshertadoption.blogspot.com/2013/02/puzzles-pieces-t-shirts-and-tax.html

How awesome is that??? SO unique. So timeless and just...awesome.

If you feel led to give, please do so. This is a fabulous, God fearing family that I personally know and can vouch for. Katie is a Christian fiction author like myself and has some great books out with Waterbrook publishers. If God is nudging your heart to buy a puzzle piece, just know that donation means the world to not only Katie and her family, but also to a little boy across the ocean who is trying to get home. Who God has already set aside for them, to bear the name Ganshert and to one day know he's the son of a Heavenly Father.

Driving through pea soup

The past few mornings have been like driving through pea soup.

The fog is unbelievable, and today is the worst day of all. It's super thick out there!

Ever been in a dark mood, and walk outside to a sunshiney day, and get a little irritated because you wish it was overcast and drizzly to match your emotions?

This pea soup is my current state exactly.

Fog. Confusion.

I had to drive somewhere this morning at 5 a.m. and it was so thick outside with low clouds I almost had to pull over, just to breathe and fight off a panic attack. It was literally suffocating. And bright headlights just make it worse, illuminating how far reaching the fog spreads.

I made it home, collapsed in bed, and woke up a few hours later for work to...more fog.

And it's still in my spirit.

I'm getting real today. Because I had to drive through pea soup and I'm having to live through pea soup at the moment. And I know I'm not alone. Who else is struggling today? Having a morning of suffocating confusion, wishing you could just SEE and being helpless to change any of it?

I hate pea soup.

But pea soup has lessons to be learned.

Notice how bright headlights make the fog worse. When we shine a light on our troubles, our problems are illuminated. They spread. They grow and become more insurmountable. Thicker. Denser. More dangerous.

But when we get the lights on low and keep plodding on, we get through it safely.

I want that to be true for my personal bowl of pea soup today. I'm trusting Jesus that it is. My lights are dim, my gas tank is full and I'm inching forward. Somewhere out there is home. Somewhere through the fog is hope and clarity and peace and a warm bed to fight the chill.

Keep going, Friend. And keep the lights on low. And your eyes fixed on Jesus. He's guiding you through the fog. And me too.

To stand or to leap?

I've shared this song before, but I need it today, so I thought maybe you could use it too.

He is constant. NO MATTER WHAT. No matter how dark it is. No matter how hopeless it feels. Our emotions are not reality. God is our reality.And He is able. Constant. Good. Sovereign.

And He gives us just enough light for the step we're on.

Sometimes it takes more faith to stand still and wait then it does to leap.

And a lot more faith to know the difference.

Prayers appreciated today! Thank you.

God speaks

God speaks to us.

Do you ever see something everywhere you look?
Comes in the form of a text from a friend or a billboard
Or a song on the radio. A sermon topic or devotional title.
A Bible verse. The same theme everywhere jumps at you.

This is God speaking. You can be extra confident in that
When you're seeking God and asking Him to reveal
Himself to you.

He talks. Are you listening?

Confessions from a think-a-holic

Rest.

Do you?

I mean really. Do you even just STOP and REST?

Or is your mind always churning (like mine) of what you still have left to do or change or accomplish or write or read and put away?

When I do sit down and try to relax, it's like this in my head:

There's towels in the washer if I don't get the laundry out of the dryer soon they're going to wrinkle beyond repair did I unload the dishwasher yet or is it still dirty oops I really need to finish writing that workshop for that conference I'm teaching next month and I haven't met my wordcount today for my novel gotta do that ASAP when is Little Miss's next snack day at school oh yeah her class fee is due so I better get up and write that check and do the laundry and dishes before I forget again oh goodness the hubby left his pjs on the floor let me just shove those in the drawer real quick OH MY GOSH I haven't updated our banking in a few days, I better catch that up too so I'll do that, feed Little Miss, play Princess Dominoes and then try to write before bed oh goodness we're out of Coke Zero so maybe a quick trip to Dollar General before I make her lunch for tomorrow's school day...... 

It's exhausting to be me sometimes. And that's NOT what God wants from me, not how He wants me to live. (you either!) I'll admit - somehow, usually, I get it all done. But I stay weary. Burned out. Short tempered and irritable with the people who deserve my best.

God's been working on me in this area, and I've gotten somewhat better about the emotional part of it and behavioral part of it toward others - but not the "stop it" part. I've just stuffed it down, convinced myself I really can do all of this and do it well and all by myself and be perfect because its' expected of me and my loved ones deserve my best and the best of everything I can give them....

and I'm weary.

Who can relate? Come on, fess up. Give me some company here :)

In the name of Jesus, let's REST.

I'm at work today, and there's a party for Little Miss's friend after school, and we can't avoid life - but at some point today, in my spirit, I'm going to just rest. And hopefully later this evening, physically as well.

I'm praying that God reveals your need to you for the same, if it's a need, and that you'll be able to close your eyes today and bask in His presence and blissfully--nothing else at all.