So this morning while I was running, God gave me this analogy (what does that say about how the run was going), either you are all in or you are out.  There is no in between.  You are either on the boat or you are swimming in the water.  God is not going to allow you to be pulled behind on a tube.

In life we are called to be all in or to step out.  In our marriages, in raising our children, in our faith, in our friendships. The problem is that too many parents or spouses live with the thinking that half foot in is an acceptable way to live.  My kids go to daycare so I can work.  Most of their time is spent in the hands of others.  So I must carefully guard the time outside of that, choosing to be all hands on deck in my parenting. Yes, that means I can’t do all the things I would like to or be all the places others feel I should be.  That also means I must make sure to spend quantitiy and quality time with my kids.  I have to say no to things because God has given me two very precious gifts and told me to watch over them.  I will not be like the man who burried his talents in the ground.  In marriage you can’t have one foot in and one out because marriages are created by a jealous God.  He knows what it is like to feel jealousy and wants no part of it in a marriage. We have to totally invest in our spouses knowing that God has created this union no matter what we have turned in into.  Because of that we must take the time to say no to other things (even good things) to make sure we are investing our hearts, our time, and our talents into our marriage and into our spouse.  Many people live thinking that there is such a thing as living as a lukewarm Christian.  I beg to differ. Christ says he will vomit such a thing out from his mouth.  Would he do that to someone that truly loves him? No.  Even in faith you are either in or out.  In the boat or in the water sinking.  You can’t have it both ways.  If you choose to live for HIm that do just that.  If you chose otherwise, be aware that this is the choice that you have made.

In a Revelations study that I am in, last night I realized something comlpletely new to me.  See I have always lived under the belief that when rapture happens and then later when Christ comes again, all the people who were in Hell would get another chance to choose Jesus.  That is in fact not the case.  They have already made their choice and there is not another one for all of eternity. 

Yes you read that right.  If your friend Bob dies as an unbeliever today, then Bob will spend eternity in the despairs of Hell.  Get in the boat.  Get out of the water.  Stop trying to live for the world and its expectations.  Chrsitians are the worst at protecting their time and the things that God has given them as blessings.  Not material things, but marirage, children, realtionships.  We get so wrapped up in good stuff that we loose focus on God’s plan and his desires for our lives.  It is time we realize the severity of what eternity WILL bring for those who are not sold out for Christ. We must choose to jump in the boat, all hands on deck, pursuing the all mighty God with every once of being that He has given us, protecting the talents He has given us, and working to further His kingdom by spreading the news of Christ Jesus.

I am so excited about the possible outreach opportunities to serve the community through PNCC.  I can’t be more excited about the planning that is going into it and am so thankful for all the people working hard to plan to make this vision a reality!

Today I honor and celebrate the birth and life of my husband, Matt Brown.  He is truly a wonderful man who has shown such Godliness and strength throughout our marriage.  Thank you Matt for your love and understanding ways, and for the fun that you bring to my life each and every day!  I love you as my husband, father to my children, and as my friend!

This has been turning over and over in me…I am really getting tired of seeing, hearing, and experiencing people being so self absorbed that they don’t take the time to notice those around them.  It amazes me how many times people ask the impossible of others without offering any help or ideas.  they expect everyone else to rearrange their lives to accommodate, but can’t put themselves in that person’s shoes for one minute to even try to relate to them much less experience what they are going through.  everyday is not peaches, roses and kittens for everyone.  before we decide to place judgements on others or to impose our standards on them, maybe we should step back and take the time to talk to them about what is going on with them.  People wonder why suicide rates are so high.  We put expectations on ourselves that are unrealistic then add on top of that the expectations of others add onto that people’s judgements!!!   Thank God that He exists to free us from the ideas of others.  Thank God that He makes the opinion of others irrelevant.  Praise God for f freedom from the condemnation of others.  For those who are those condemning others, maybe it is time to walk a mile in our shoes.  Try to think for one minute what life must be like for us.

We know that without Christ we are lost and undone, but sometimes with Christ you still need to feel “lost” but in a completely different way. Being lost without Christ means eternity in Hell and a life without the grace and blessings of Christ. Being lost with Christ means knowing that He is in control so we let go of the wheel and back off of the driver’s seat giving Him complete control of your life. This means that you must have the confidence in Christ to know that even though you may feel lost and confused at the moment, He is in complete control and knows the path that He has chosen for you. Keeping out of the driver’s seat is the hard part. Knowing that God should fill us up with His spirit and His ways and actually letting Him instead of trying to do it ourselves should be part of our daily focus. Let God find you where you are and take control of all the unknowns.

okay so this morning I took the kiddos for a bike ride. I say this to set the tone that the kids were hungry when we got back. So as I was cooking the kids breakfast, my two year old had a melt down because I gave her brother the pink cup and gave her the blue cup. He has a cold so I didn’t dare switch the cups. She proceeded to tell me that she was no longer happy and instead she was sad.Teaching lesson:
1. Don’t let something like the wrong color cup steal your joy.
2. Sometimes things happen that you might not like, but they are for your own good.

What a way to start my day!

Okay, so I am reading yet another book this summer trying to help me stay fired up with everything else that is going on around me.  The book I am reading talks a lot about finding out who God made me to be by looking back over my life and doing two things: finding things I did well and things that I liked to do.  The author stresses that where these two things meet consistently, that is what God made me to do and be.  For instance if playing in a band was something that meets both of those criteria than and patterns itself through out my past, then most likely, God made me to be involved with music.  I am curious to see how this will play out once I can look deep into myself enough to find out who I really am and who God made me to be.  I just can’t wait to see what God made me to do and to finally find that “sweet spot.”

“Without vision people perish.” We know this to be true so why to we find ourselves and each other time and time again without vision, without purpose? Are dreams taken from us or given up? Are visions compromised when God has asked us to stand firm? You see as I look at the world around us and even within the church as a body, I begin to question where is the vision, the passion, the ultimate purpose set before us by God through his word? Why aren’t we as chrisitians doing our part to end hunger, to stomp out homelessness, abuse, neglect, abandoned children? To me it seems that we can’t find a better way to spread Christ than through loving acts that mimick the actions of our creator. Where is the drive? Where are the risks or even the risk takers? See it is safe for me from behind my computer to throw these ideas out into the blogshpere, but what do I do in the real world? How do I put legs on it? How do I as an individual make a difference?
At some point in our lives we dreamed big, we believed without reservation that we could not only make a difference, but help change the world. Why has that changed? When did we give this up? Why aren’t we making a change in the world that is fast and ferousious instead of being consumed by wordly passions and desires. Why don’t we grab our dreams, our God given desires and make a change. Not a once in a while change, but a life altering change to truly make an impact in the community, in the world. I never wanted to sit on the sidelines playing sports in school, so why be content to do it in life. God is calling for a movement to rise up and be his legs, his hands, his feet to stop sitting back and waiting for opportunities to grab you so you can be who he created you to be; instead, we need to move in outrageous ways to show that we are children of an awesome King, the Alpha the Omega, the king of kings, the Lord or Lords, the alimghty, the all powerful, the creator of everything! How much longer are we going to sit back and fit God into our lives. He has called on us to be the light in this dark world, and that means we need to sacrifice for each other. It means we need to help each other. It means we need to step out in bold faith when God says move, MOVE!

To respond to some people:
Currently on my reading list:
The Search for Significance
Crazy Love
Captivating
In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day
Cure for the Common Life

I am so very pumped to see each and every new thing that God reveals to me through these studies. As Richsa said this morning, it is time we crossed to the other side.
mark 4: 35- 40

well, my books are in and I am now half way through The Search for Significance and let me tell you, it is eating me up! I can’t get over some of the things in this book. I can feel some changes happening already just knowing that God is where my approval should come and that it should not be based on man.

Galatians 1:10 “For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ.”

“According to this passage we can ultimately seek either the approval of men of the approcal of God as the basis of our self-worth. We cannot seek both. God wants to be Lord of our lives, and He is unwilling to share that lordship with anyone else.”

I really struggle with anger based on feeling like others are always disappointed in me. I really feel that these words are eye opening to me. I can’t wait to see what life has in store for me as I move toward God and away from man’s approval.

Not to mention I still have five other books to read!!