Don't Just Drink On Sundays
What would happen if you only drank on Sundays? So the only liquid refreshment you got all week was between 10 and noon on Sundays. I think it would make for a pretty rough week. There would be repercussions in your body. Repercussions that could easily be avoided if you just drank more often.
Just to be clear I am not talking about alcohol.
And to be even more clear, Iâm not talking about liquid either.
Iâm talking about the refreshment that comes to us through the Word of God - the River of Life that is available to spring up from within every believer.
Your literal drinking habits may be different from mine, but for me, I have to work at drinking more water. For some reason I donât need to remind myself to drink coffee every morning or mark my calendar to stop by a coffee shop during the week, but drinking pure water is a discipline I embrace.
Indulging in Godâs word can be like that. For some, it is only a Sunday morning experience. For others, it is mixed in with morning de...
Three Quality Questions to Upgrade "Those" Family Conversations at Christmas (or anytime)
Family is wonderful! They have history with you, are there for you and will always be a part of who you are.
That's why their stuff is so important.
You care deeply about them, and to be honest their decisions affect your life.
I don't know about you, but for me having quality conversations about tricky subjects can be really difficult. On the one hand, I want to be interested in people's lives but I don't want to be invasive. On the other hand, I want them to live their best life and not be stuck in a difficult set of circumstances that seems to be sucking the joy out of them.
The most common responses to "that" situation or person are two ends of the spectrum: avoidance or dominance. Avoidance just dances around the topic and diverts conversation to more pleasant topics. Dominance busts in unannounced and imposes its preferred action steps.
Here are some thoughts on partnering questions that can be truly caring and offer connection. They could change the trajectory of a person...
I'll be Happy When...
I'll be happy when....
- I get out of this tunnel
- This season is over
- That event is done
- I'm making enough money
- I get noticed
- My break comes
The list could almost be endless.
I'm sorry to say that I regularly add to the list. And the sad part is that I already have many of the things I previously said would make me happy... Here's my story.
Awhile back I was thinking an "I'll be happy when..." thought in my head and I felt like God stopped me up short and asked me a question back. "Really Cindy, will you really be happy then?"
I realized right there that if my happiness was contingent on acquiring or accomplishing something that I was pushing off happiness for later. How sad!
What if God wants us to be content IN the meantime? Joy in the journey and all that can be much more than a trite saying.
Don't get me wrong. I know "I'll be happy when...."Â is just a common expression and likely it's depth is shallow, but when God asked me that question, it really got me thinking...
Build Disciples not Dependents
In the famous Great Commission verse, Jesus challenges his followers to âgo and make disciples of all nationsâ (Matthew 28:19). In its simplest definition, a disciple is a follower of Jesus. So how do we go about making disciples like Jesus asked us?
One way is to follow Paulâs advice in 1 Corinthians 11:1 which says, âAnd you should imitate me, just as I imitate Christ.â This verse comes right after 1 Corinthians 10 where Paul talks about how to decide whether to eat meat offered to idols or not. Notice he doesnât say whether people should or shouldnât but rather he gives guidelines about how to make good decisions.
"Encouraging builds disciples, telling builds dependents."
We donât really have the option to eat meat sacrificed to idols in our society, but we do have plenty of other decisions to make that may be questionable to some people. Encouraging people to make their own decisions is a great way to make disciples, not dependents.
Disciples look to God to guide their conscien...
The Absolute Key To Finding Your OWN Easter Eggs!
Did you know God has things hidden just for you?
Isaiah 45:3 says:
I will give you hidden treasures,
    riches stored in secret places,
so that you may know that I am the Lord,
    the God of Israel, who summons you by name.
and Isaiah 48:6b-7
From now on I will tell you of new things,
    of hidden things unknown to you.
They are created now, and not long ago;
    you have not heard of them before today.
So you cannot say,
    âYes, I knew of them.â
Thereâs always more!
His resources and truths are endless. His love for you is personal and thereâs always more!
God is offering you truths. Personal truths. Keys to relating well with others. Impact ideas for the kingdom. Freedom. Life abundant. Hope.
As long as you are living there is more. More to be found. More to be experienced.
So, whatâs the absolute key to finding the treasures God has for you?
Itâs simple really, but not at all easy.
You have to search for them. Really look. God has personal words for us hidden all t...
Iâm So Glad You Asked!
I just love a question that makes me glad you took the time to ask or answer it! How about you?
Hereâs 10 options to use in your conversations (or to ask yourself) as we close out one year and open another.
â If you had to choose one word or one phrase for the last year what would it be?
â What are three things you accomplished this last year?
â Who is someone you invested in this last year?
â What is a prayer that was answered for you?
â Who made a difference in your life in this last year?
â What is one event did God loved in your last year?
â Where do you intentionally want to invest time and energy this next year?
â Who is someone you want to pray for this next year?
â If you could reach just one goal this next year what would it be?
â What character quality is God offering you to experience in a greater way this next year?
Happy New Year!
I pray you have some meaningful conversations with others and that you and God connect in new and exciting ways in the New Year!
Two Devo Hacks That Way Upped My Life Connect!
Most of us have high hopes for the New Year. Every year. We start thinking about it sometime before Thanksgiving, or any time we have a twinge of guilt or hope about a change we want. And we envision what our lives would be like if that change were made.
What would it really look like to have a closer relationship with God?
Reading through the Bible in a year?
Half hour of morning devotions, six days a week?
Praying for a specific person or situation till there is a breakthrough?
I spent many years wanting to do the right thing. I was truly intending to set appropriate goals and keep them, but usually I found myself falling short of my dreams and pinning my hopes on the next year.
Then I found 2 simple practices and 1 overarching truth that changed everything, including me.
Practice #1:Look for something(s).
When you read the Bible â look for something, or more than one thing. I found that when I read If I am looking for specific things it changes my reading. When Iâm intenti...
Two Keys To Keep What You Have Worked For!
Maintaining the gain can be tricky. We have probably all done it â worked hard to get somewhere and then slipped back to our old ways.
Maybe you started that new habit of daily devotions, only to break your streak with a lapse over vacation and then find yourself demotivated to jump back in.
Perhaps you lost weight but then it found you. Some how you worked out less, or had a few too many rewards and found that number on the scale more represented the old you than the new one.
Or possibly you started that project and truly made some traction, but then some busy season stole your time and attention and now itâs overwhelming to think of restarting.
Hereâs two failsafe tips that can make all the difference.
1) Make a plan for self-evaluation and/or gathering feedback.
Self-evaluation is something you do on your own but it only works if you do it and for most that means if it isnât on a schedule itâs only some sort of vague sensing of where you are at regarding the focus area.
Thi...
Fours Steps To Moving Right Along
Defining your dream is a great start. And removing obstacles is a game changer.
But just like putting a destination in your GPS, and getting in your car is not enough, you canât really get anywhere till you start driving.
Once you have decided where you are going, and you have done the hard work of defining and owning your obstacles, itâs time to start moving toward your goal.
Forward movement requires a few items.
- Define a path.
- Move forward on that path.
- Make adjustments as needed.
- Repeat until you arrive.
Sounds simple but it can truly be difficult at times. Itâs easy to lose heart if you thought the pathway you were on would surely get you there and some obstacle gets in your way. Thatâs why #3 is so important.
Heb. 11:39 talks about those who died without receiving the promises they had hoped for and yet these folks are listed as a part of the great cloud of witnesses.
What if the win is about the journey and not so much about how many destinations you actually hit...
Obstacle Illusion
Thereâs an unusual pathway near our home where you can see a quarry lake (thatâs when a former quarry fills up with water) on one side of road about a 100 feet down. On the other side of the road is a steep drop about 300 feet to a river that is disconnected to the lake.
One day as we were walking down the path something unusual happened with the sun or something and the river appeared to be only 10 feet away. It must have been some odd kind of reflection. Both my husband and I noticed it and I said, âThatâs weird, it must be some kind of obstacle illusion.â
Freudian slip perhaps. But I believe God had something in that phrase for us. Sometimes we think things are something they really arenât.
 
 What if the obstacle that has been holding you back is just an optical illusion?
What if there is a path around the hurdle you feel you canât get over?
What if you could move forward in victory instead of living your life looking backward as a victim?
What if what you thought was fact w...