Encouragement Cafe Grand Opening!

Today I am thrilled to make you aware of something so exciting that has been in the works for months. My fellow P31 speaker, Luann Prater, has been holding Gods hand as He led her down a brand new fun adventure, that only He could have ordained, called The Encouragement Cafe.

The Encouragement Cafe is an on-line radio show that will air every Saturday, beginning tomorrow, from 2:00pm-3:00pm Eastern Standard Time. This is going to be so neat, and as you listen, you should feel like you are sitting around the red checkered table in the cafe and hanging out with sweet friends. There will be 'daily specials', interesting guests, and listeners will be invited to call in and interact with the guest on the show through the toll free number.

At the cafe, Luann and her special live guests will discuss all kinds of topics that are on the hearts of all women. Over the past year, they have surveyed women at salons and schools, and gathered lists from counselors who deal with these issues every day, to find out what topics would be of most interest to everyone. I cant wait to tune in myself!

The grand opening is really exciting, because Dave Ramsey will be the first guest to kick things off and get it started with a bang. (This first show will be taped, not live, because of Daves schedule this weekend) Going forward, many of the Proverbs 31 Speakers, including myself, will be guests on the shows, in addition to lots of other special guests. Keep an eye on the website for the schedule.

I want to cordially and officially invite you to join in tomorrow, and every Saturday! You can log into the radio show by visiting www.wtru.com at the appointed time according to your time zone, and visit the cafe website at www.encouragementcafe.com .

Have a wonderful weekend, and dont forget to tune in!

Will The Real God Almighty Please Stand

Have you ever watched the movie Bruce Almighty? It is a movie about Bruce (Jim Carey) who, at the end of what seems to be the worst day in his life, angrily ridicules and rages against God.

Bruce doesn't think the world is treating him fairly, and life just doesn't seem to go right for him, so he blames God for all of his problems (sound familar?!).

One of the most memorable scenes of the movie was when Bruce was at the end of his bad day, standing by the river broken and in utter despair, loudly begging to hear from God. When he didnt hear anything or get any "signs" as he had asked for (even though he actually got lots of signs, but didnt recognize they were from God), he yells out "SMITE ME, OL' MIGHTY SMITER!"

And prior to that defining moment, he had even said to his girlfriend, "I am not being a martyr. I'm the victim. God is a mean kid over an anthill with a magnifying glass, and I'm the ant. He could fix my life in five minutes if he wanted to, but he'd rather burn off my feelers, and watch me squirm!"

As a result of hearing these inflammatory words, God responds to Bruce in human form, and endows all of His divine powers onto Bruce, challenging him to take on His job to see if he can do better at running the universe.

Once Bruce realized the power he held in his hands, he thought everything would be great, care free, perfect, and just as he had always wanted. However, what he didnt realize was that just because he had power to make things happen, didnt mean he knew what really needed to happen. His powers were worthless, without the divine knowledge to go along with it.

Have you ever felt like you were a little ant on a hill, and a large magnifying glass from the sky was burning off your emotions and energy and making you squirm? Have you ever felt like God was the ol' mighty smiter?

I know, I know. None of us would ever want to admit that we have ever thought that way. A good Christian should be thankful for their troubles, and believe that we will become a better person because of them. Right? We should recognize that God ordains and allows all of them, and trust that God has a purpose and a plan for these trials.... right?

Those are definitely the ways that God wants us to think, but sometimes it is just so hard to think like Him, when we are caught up in being ourselves. It is hard to face overwhelming hardships and difficult challenges with a positive outlook, when the present circumstances are so negative. Its hard to believe that something good, can come out of something so bad, when we are drowning in hopelessness and despair.

Friends, that is where Gods grace comes in. If you are anything like me, I not only get sucked into wishing I had Gods powers to change things in my life, but then I feel guilty for not trusting that God knows is best! But God knows my heart, and gives me His grace and forgiveness, as He does for you.

Sometimes I still find myself secretly wishing that I was Bruce Almighty, aka, God Almighty. I wish I had the power to make disease leave the bodies of my loved ones; to mend relationships that were destroyed; to fix things within and about myself that I dont really like; to give my loved ones financial security; to make my kids get along better; to change things in our world and our economy; to turn our country back to Jesus.

Hmmmmm...... but if I did have those powers, would I really know how to make the right choices? Would I know which things to change, and in what way to change them? Would I understand the domino effect of consequences that could occur, even by making positive changes? Would I realize how I might alter Gods ultimate plan by forcing things to happen in the ways that I thought best? Of course not, which is why God is God, and not me.

The thought of having the power to change things seems exciting at first, but if we consider all the aspects, it also seems overwhelming and scary. I would much rather leave the future in Gods hands, instead of trying to figure it out on my own, which is the conclusion that Bruce came to in the movie.

At the end of the movie, when Bruce had had all he could take at trying to be God, he raised his hands in the air and screamed out these words to the heavens: "Okay, You win. I'm done. Please, I don't wanna do this anymore. I don't wanna be God! I want You to decide what's right for me! I surrender to your will! "

That is what God really wants to hear from us too. Even though we may wish with all our hearts that He would instantly meet our prayer requests, answer our pleas, and change our circumstances, we have to believe that He always knows best. That His timing is perfect. That His ways, are not our ways, and just because we dont understand or agree, certainly doesnt mean that He is an ol' mighty smiter. In fact, I bet God doesnt even own a big magnifying glass.

Smiles.

But what if I dont like reading the Bible?

Thanks for dropping by my blog today! I am so glad you are here. If you read todays Proverbs 31 Devotion, Ancient Words, you will understand title above! Todays devotion is about how important Gods Word is in our lives, and how we should treasure it as priceless antique.

(pssst......Look for a chance to win a free gift at the end of this post!)

But the fact is, that not everyone reads the Bible, even Christians with strong faith. Why? Actually we can come up with lots of excuses, such as.... it can be confusing! It can be intimidating. It can challenge our intellectual intelligence and even cause us to doubt our grammar skills as we muddle through all the names of biblical characters and cities. It isnt in order of events. It is often repetitive. It doesnt apply to real life. I am already a Christian. I already know the Gospel.

Lets be honest now - have you ever found yourself thinking or saying any of those excuses? I know I have!

However, God has certainly done a work in my heart over recent years when it comes to reading His Word. The Bible no longer seems like this looming responsibility hanging over my head, sitting on the coffee table collecting dust, eerily calling out my name, making me feel guilty and faith-less because I dont grab it for pleasure reading. Now I realize that the Bible is a treasure, and it is alive with Gods Word, packed with more action than Indiana Jones and more passionate love stories than The Notebook!

Sometimes people are under the impression that the time they spend at church, fellowshipping with Christian friends, praying, daily email devotions, and reading inspirational books is surely sufficient for getting a strong dose of Gods Word - but nothing is a viable substitute for the real thing.

Are we actually told in the Bible that we should read the Bible? Yes! Lets look at a few examples:

John 8:31-32 Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (NKJV)

Joshua 1:8 Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. (NIV)

Matthew 4:4 Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God. (NIV)


These verses above are just a few of the countless verses in the Bible that reiterate that we are to spend time in Gods Word. But for some people, this truth can cause immediate stress! Some people begin condemning themselves because they dont read the Bible, even if due to simply not knowing where to start.

If that describes you, then help is on the way! Here are a few tips to get started on learning how to read the Bible:

* My P31 sister, Wendy Blight, is beginning an on-line bible study on her new book Hidden Joy. Moody Publishing is providing ten free copies of the book for the first ten people who sign up for the study. The study will begin on June 17th and go through the summer. Wednesday will be the day that Wendy post her thoughts on the chapter for the week and the questions. Visit Wendys blog for all the details on how to get involved!

* Pray before opening Gods Word. Ask for discernment to apply His Word to your life.

* If something seems confusing, read that passage several times. Read some
commentaries on line to help discover the true meanings.

* Dont try to read large amounts of the Bible all at once.

* Start with the New Testament first (people who try to start with Genesis, usually never continue reading through to Revelation). Below is an idea you can try:
-Read "Mark."
-Read "Matthew."
-Read "John."
-Read "Luke" then "Acts."
-Read "Galatians."
-Then read the rest of the New Testament starting at Romans and going to
Revelation.
-Then you can back and read the Old Testament.

* Purchase a Chronological Bible, where the Bible stories are actually arranged in the order in which they occurred,with designated daily readings to help keep you on track.

* Purchase a Devotional Bible for Women.

* Form a small bible study group; pick one book of the Bible or a few chapters, per week or month, and read and discuss the details.

* Join a bible study at your church, and dont get intimated by the titles or the authors.

* Do a topical study for yourself; look up words like hope, faith, anger, or topics that are applicable to current struggles in your life.

* Keep a journal of what God leads you to read and what verses seem to jump off the page; keep track of prayers and answered prayers; this is very motivating when you find yourself in a reading rut.

Hebrews 4:12 says, "For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart."

Still wondering if you should start reading the Bible consistently? Here are a few other reasons to consider.

Because Gods Word is alive, and the more you expose yourself to it, the more God will expose Himself to you through it. The Bible is His message to us, and if we want Him to hear what we have to say, we should also listen to what He has to say.

Because God speaks to us in varied ways that we can understand, and can also speak directly to our hearts, but if we have His written Word in our hearts and minds, we will better be able to judge whether it is His voice we are hearing, or just the enemy trying to deceive us.

Above all, because God wants a relationship with us, and He is not going to love us any more or any less because we do or dont spend time in His Word. Reading the Bible is for our own gain, and helps us grow spiritually.

The best way to get started with reading the Bible, is to take that first step, whatever the best first step is for you, and just get started! Your increased faith and closer relationship with Christ will be well worth the effort!

** I will have a drawing on Friday for everyone who subscribes to my blog today! Just look for the side bar on the left of the screen to find the subscribe button. The winner will receive a free copy of a book called The Asended Life: When the Position Becomes A Relationship, written by Bernita Conway. it is a great first step to taking your faith walk to the next level!

Blessed To Be The Bad Guy

I turned into an old lady again this morning. Someone who my daughter just "doesnt get".

Just because the old blue jeans are too short now, doesnt mean they would make an excellent choice for cut off shorts, or so I thought. The fact that they are way too tight for any human to breathe in, should not determine whether or not they are feasible clothing options, or so I thought. Just because everybody looks like they rolled out of bed and ran off to school, doesnt mean that dirty sweatpants and t-shirts actually look nice. And just because a ribbed tank top is at least as wide as two fingers on the shoulders, doesnt mean it is an appropriate clothing item for a young lady to wear to school... according to this old lady, of course.

Nope, they just dont get me. So this morning, Im the bad guy (or girl) again. Unreasonable. Unrealistic. Not undertanding teens today. Not knowing that everybody else is wearing it. Then the infamous words, "whatever", were spoken, resulting in my being the temporary owner of a little black cell phone.

What they dont understand, is that I do understand. In fact, I vividly remember trying to back out of the house when I was in high school, so that my mother wouldnt see how snug my new black parachute pants (which she had told me not to buy) were fitting to my skinny teenage body. In my defense, that look was the trend in the mid-80's, and in defense of my daughters, the trend now is to sometimes dress older than your age, or just downright sloppy. But then and now, just because everyone else is doing it, doesnt make it right.

My mom didnt really have an issue with me dressing inappropriately when I was a teenager, partially because I didnt have any desire to really, but also because that really wasnt the trend then, as it is now. Todays teens are bombarded with images of sexy outfits, low cut shirts, lacy bras and thong underwear. In fact, the trend seems to be the more skin that shows, the better, and the sexier the look, the more attractive they believe they are.

So sad that our culture has bred a generation that thinks this provocative look is not only appropriate but required. I get so sad when I see beautiful, young girls dressing so immodestly, and thinking that they are pretty because of it, instead of being pretty because of who they are, and who God made them to be.

By the grace of God, both of my girls dress very modestly on any given basis, with a few unthought-out choices occasionally. They have been to several REVOLVE tours, and have learned about how important it is to stand up for your faith, live by your values, and recognize what impact your clothing choices have on the opposite sex. But nobody is perfect, and sometimes the pull of the world is stronger than the pull to make the right choice. And sometimes, its simply that it is the trend, and they just "dont get" why it matters, which in all honesty, is not really their fault, but instead the blame lies in the value-less culture of todays America.

So this morning, I am thanking and praising Jesus for winning the battle for my heart years ago, so that I could fight the battle for my childrens hearts, against the enemy who would love to get them in his grasp.

It would be so much easier to look the other way every time my children do or say something that is disrepectful, defiant, or downright ugly.

It would be so much easier to give a thumbs up to every outfit that is put on.

It would be so much easier to say yes to every request for weekend outings and sleepovers, even if I didnt know the details, the family, or whether or not there would be appropriate supervision.

It would be so much easier, to be an easy parent, that my kids could "get".

But God called me to be a mom. To be the best parent I can be, and to raise up my children to know and love Him and teach them His ways. And if that means being the bad guy every now and then, then I guess I can live with that.

Life

I woke up this morning, and after laying in my warm, cozy bed for a few minutes, hearing my daughters getting ready for school upstairs, and seeing the streaks of sunshine peaking through the blinds in my bedroom.... I thanked God for life.

You see, yesterday on my way home, I got caught in a 4 mile long parking lot on the interstate near my home. What should have been a twenty minute trip, took over an hour, as I crept inch by inch, at about 2 miles an hour, for miles.

As we got closer to the accident scene, I tried to determine what had happened, and immediately knew that it couldnt be good. There were at least six police cars with flashing lights, positioned strategically around a vehicle covered with blankets; a fire truck and an ambulance, but all the firemen and EMT personnel were standing around talking; a blinking road sign, directing all the cars into one lane; and a news helicopter hovering above the location of the accident.

I found myself praying for the people involved in the accident, even though it wasnt a car that I recognized, and felt sure I didnt know the people involved. I told my children that they should say a little prayer for them too, because surely there was a family right now - who was receiving some terrible news, about the loss of a brother, sister, child, mother, father, or friend.

The evening news confirmed my suspicions, and a 71 year old man had died in this accident. A man, obviously young at heart, driving a shiny silver convertible, enjoying the crisp air and beautiful sunshine, and then life was over. Suddenly. Unexpectedly. Tragically.

I try to be consistent in my thankfulness to God for my blessings in life, but I have to admit, I rarely thank God for the simple gift of life. For the gift of waking up each morning. For the gift of each breath that fills my lungs. For my sight, For my sense of touch. For my hearing.

Life can be hard, challenging, disappointing, and sometimes painful. Life can also be fun, exciting, fulfilling, and brilliant. But either way, life is so fragile, and so precious. The number one blessing. Let us simply be thankful for life today.

Many Are Called, Few Are Chosen

Matthew 22:14 Many are called, but few are chosen.

The first time I ever read this verse, I wondered if I was worthy enough to be chosen, and immediately determined that I was not. Then I wondered if I would ever be worthy to be chosen, and again, determined the answer was no. However, after spending time learning about this passage, I now understand what verse 14 really means.

At first glance, this parable in Matthew 22:1-14 could appear to be just about a wedding. A story about inconsiderate people who thought they were too snooty or too busy to attend a wedding they had been invited too. A parable about how some seemingly undesirables, got invited to a respectable occasion simply because nobody else could come. But if we delve deeper into it, we can begin to see the underlying meaning.

The people who were invited off the streets, who were not on the original "invite list", symbolize the ones who accepted Christ, and all those who refused to come, symbolize the many people who rejected Christ.

Now when we think of the word "many", we typically think it means "most, but not all". However, in the Greek language, the word "many" is inclusive, as opposed to exclusive. In other words, if I say in English that “many of the people came to my party”, it implies that some people came but most of them did not. But if I were to say that “many of the people came to my party” in Greek, it would imply that practically everyone did, and only a few did not come. So when this verse says "many are called", it really means that everyone was called, not just most of them.

So everyone was invited to this "wedding banquet", but nobody came, because they did not have time for Christ. The banquet is actually a metaphor for the invitation to salvation. The people who chose not to come did so because their hearts were filled with hypocrisy, instead of righteousness, and as a result they missed the opportunity to celebrate the gift of Jesus. Even one person who did come to the banquet, was thrown out, because his heart was not in the right place, and he did not wear the right wedding attire, the armor of God. His heart was not surrendered to Christ, and therefore he could not partake in the gift of salvation.

Now keep in mind, that these "many" people did not miss out on salvation because it was not offered to them, but instead because they did not accept the invitation to receive the free gift. They chose to follow their own agendas instead of take time to accept Christ and live a life that gloried Him.

Selfishness, financial gain, personal goals, career aspirations, etc., drove their desires, and therefore prevented them from desiring to know God, and separated them from God for eternity.

Does that sound a little more familiar now?

How many people do you know that simply do not have time for Christ, are too tired for church on Sundays, think they are doing fine on their own, or are too busy or having too much fun in life to worry about what will happen when their life comes to an end?

Do you know anyone who is so caught up in living life the way they want to, that they are blind to the life they could have if they chose to follow in the ways of Christ?

This parable explains that many people (meaning all) were originally called to the wedding-feast, that is, to salvation, but few wore the wedding-garment, the righteousness of Christ, and were chosen to attend.

Every living being from the beginning of time to the present to the day that time ends, is invited/called to the banquet, but only those who are sanctified in the Spirit will be chosen to come in. Only those who accept Christ as their Savior will be allowed to enjoy the royal feast that God prepared.

We are those undesirables, sinners called off the streets, invited to a royal banquet which we dont deserve to be at, but welcomed as beloved children because we have chosen to love Christ and believe that He is the Son of God.

Regardless of your religious beliefs, your denomination, your personal convictions, or even your rejection of God - YOU HAVE BEEN CALLED.

First, called to accept the gift of salvation, and secondly, called to live out Gods will for your life, in whatever way He has called you to serve.

So are you and I worthy to be chosen? No. But if we accept Gods offer to attend the banquet, we become worthy. Chosen.... not because of who we are, or what we have done, but because of who He is, and what He has done.

If you have accepted the calling to become a child of the most high King, then you have been chosen to attend the most royal of all banquets. You are a welcomed and treasured guest, approved, loved and accepted by the King.

If you have rejected the invitation to the banquet, then you are walking away from the gift of salvation, and one day, will forever be separated from Christ. But take heart, it is never too late to open your invitation and partake in the feast.

Lastly, I want to reiterate that this parable does not mean that God calls a lot of people, picks over them, and keeps only a few that He thinks are worthy. If that were true, the middle of the parable would have no meaning. Instead, it means that God calls everyone and gives them all the power to respond.

To be chosen, we must respond to the call, using the power God gave us for that purpose.

You have been called, and you are worthy to be chosen. Whether or not you are chosen, rest in your own hands.