Finish Strong

Don’t be misled: No one makes a fool of God. What a person plants, he will harvest. The person who plants selfishness, ignoring the needs of others—ignoring God!—harvests a crop of weeds. All he’ll have to show for his life is weeds! But the one who plants in response to God, letting God’s Spirit do the growth work in him, harvests a crop of real life, eternal life. So let’s not allow ourselves to get fatigued doing good. At the right time we will harvest a good crop if we don’t give up, or quit. 

There are certain times of the year that my students are tempted to coast to the finish line. This is one of those times. When we return from a break at Thanksgiving, there are a couple of weeks and then Midterm exams. It is a test of character for middle school students to stay the course until Christmas break. Often there is a drop in grades because they are thinking about the upcoming holiday and not have the grit to finish strong. I cannot count how many times I have reminded them that people who start strong are "a dime a dozen." The people who finish strong are the exceptions. 

As I am approaching 60 on my next birthday, I must ask myself the question…Am I coasting or am I running with endurance to the finish line? Many people my age are looking forward to a mythical retirement. It is the dream of most Americans to quit work one day and begin to live out our dreams. We want  to travel to far away places. We envision that we will have "time" to finally start to living because our 40-50 hour a week job keeps us busy and too exhausted to do anything else. We must be careful to not coast towards a perceived finish line. 
The finish line is not retirement from a job. The finish line is when I meet my Lord Jesus Christ face to face. At that point, I will be crossing the finish line and not a minute before.

God's word is clear. We will reap whatever we have sown. I can not bear the thought that I will face a crop of weeds due to my selfish habits. I want to finish strong. Even though I may become weary and want to quit or slow down because of age, God promised that I will harvest a good crop if I persist. 

I want to run with endurance the race that is set before me and not quit a minute too soon!

'We have all these great people around us as examples. Their lives tell us what faith means. So we, too, should run the race that is before us and never quit. We should remove from our lives anything that would slow us down and the sin that so often makes us fall.' Hebrews 12:1

Explosions in Marriage

Mark and I were talking and I sweetly mentioned one little thing…and Mark exploded in anger. Did you catch the phrase "one little thing?" Mark calls these "one word explosions" These explosions happen when one of us mention a topic that reminds our spouse of a ongoing disagreement. I asked Mark if he had taken care of something and he said he had not had time. I innocently said ,"you had time to watch the game last night." I knew when I said it that it would cause an argument. Why do we do that? 
There are topics in every marriage that we can't seem to get past. It is a different topic for every couple. I am married to a football coach. Football has been a part of our marriage for many years. There is absolutely nothing wrong with football. But football represents to me a different thing than it may to you. It reminds me of taking our boys to a million practices by myself. It reminds me of ballgames on Friday nights when I would rather have date night. It represents the fall season devoted to football on TV when I would love to watch a movie together. It reminds me of just being by myself a lot.We have been through this issue more times than I care to count. So when I say "you had time to watch the game last night" it means I am pushing the button. 
Now I must say, I have come a long way in understanding Mark's love of football. I look forward to football season and seeing the joy on Mark's face. He grieves in January when all the games are over and we have to settle for another sport. I am proud that he is pouring into young lives by coaching them in football. But there is still the time issue that we deal with and hence the comment I made. 
You have an issue that is your hot topic in marriage. It is the one that keeps coming up. When a hint of that topic creeps in…an explosion occurs. We were talking about this in our young married's class last Sunday. One of the guys suggested that we also know the one topic that brings a smile every time to our spouse. For me it is a short comment from Mark, "Hey slim." I guess that stems from years of being overweight and finally doing something about this three years ago. When Mark mentions something about me looking young, it is like a deposit in my bank account! I could live off that compliment for a long time. For Mark, it is a mention of how thankful I am for his constant leadership in our family. I could say anything that reeks of respect! I could have thanked Mark for all the times he has taken care of things instead of making a remark about the one time he did not.
I have to ask myself, "Do I want to make a deposit or a withdrawal to Mark's bank account?" Full bank accounts are nice to have. Having an emergency fund is a wise thing. It is not smart to jerk money of our spouse's emotional bank account when we could have avoided it. 
Remember, "A soft answer turns away wrath, But a harsh word stirs up anger." Proverbs 15:1

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November is a Good Month

There is something special about the beginning of November. It usually brings cooler weather. The leaves begin to change into beautiful colors. Families can squeeze in a visit with each other. We get to wear fall clothing:). I always forget how much I love to wear some different things. Put away the summer things and get out the sweaters and fall colors. If you are a teacher as I am, the routine is set. I can be more creative because I am not trying to learn their names and habits(good or bad). Our home decor can be spiced up a little with fall wreaths, pots of colorful mums and pumpkins by the front door.

However, November brings about an obsession with food like no other time of the year. We believe that we must try new recipes. We must celebrate the season by drinking a lot of pumpkin drinks and eating pumpkin cookies and making pumpkin bread. None of these are bad in itself. But the worship of the food becomes a problem. We have less time to exercise because of the special activities of the season. We throw up our hands and say "In January, I will begin a diet. I will start over." 

Don't  make these last two months of the year about food. Statistics show that the average weight gain during the holidays is 4-5 pounds. But it doesn't have to be that way. The last two months could be about working on a heart of gratitude by doing one minute planks and praises. The last two months could be about finally fueling yourself and not feeding yourself. The last two months could be about loving on your family more. The last two months could be about giving to a few needy families(use the money you save by not going out to eat so much). The last few months of the years could be about really spending time with our precious Heavenly Father. Wake up a little earlier and rejoice because you can "walk boldly before the throne of grace." I am smiling just thinking about that. November is going to be a good month!

Lose Some Things to Gain Some Things

Lose Some Things to Gain Some Things

Paradoxes intrigue me. The Bible is full of them. Give away your life to gain the whole world. Give away your possessions here on earth to gain eternal rewards in heaven. Those who are meek are great in God's sight. The list goes on and on. This particular blog will be specifically about losing weight to gain health. 

At the end of October the last two months of the year are all about food and celebration.Halloween, then Thanksgiving followed by Christmas. Pintrest is bombarding us with new recipes to make the holiday special for our family and friends.  How come the food does not make us happy then?  In fact, we start off the new year with a 15 pound weight gain and a depression and disappointment in ourselves. For a moment, it meets our needs. It holds so much promise to make us satisfied. But then we crash deeper than ever.
I would like to offer a solution. Is it an easy solution? No way. The good things never are. In fact, the Bible portrays the good things as the narrow way and very few travel this way. But here goes…
I want to offer a Challenge group that will offer a meal plan, an exercise plan,  accountability with others and some scripture to meditate on every day. Will it cost you anything? Yes, indeed. I have NEVER stuck to anything that was free. Weight Watchers,  Jenny Craig, MediWeight Loss, you name it. They are all great. I have tried them all. If you have a plan that works, by all means, stick to it. I am not knocking any plan at all. But I am assuming that you are looking for something different or you would not be continuing  to read this blog. 

If interested, click on the link. Start now with this plan (or any plan) and start January without the extra pounds and more joy in your step. 

Challenge Group
Challenge Group

Making Marriage a Priority

I spoke to a group of young women last week about making marriage a priority. I decided that other women may want to hear what I said. By no means am I am expert! I just spoke what I feel like God led me to say. This is the "edited" version. Safe for all viewers:)
Making our marriage a priority means it comes before all other relationships in our life. I think we all have to come to grips with the battle we are in against the enemy. We cannot afford to take this lightly. The older I get, the more I realize that the verse "he comes to kill, steal and destroy, " is for real. He really means that. The enemy wants to destroy your marriage, steal the joy you can find in marriage, kill the love you have for each other. He is crafty. He will pick the very things that will accomplish his plan. The thing that will drive you the craziest. Because when he destroys your marriage, he harms your children, your testimony, your faith. This was the first relationship that God established...before children, before jobs, before church ministry.

Before we go any further, understand that marriage is not just a sweet little thing about sex, date nights, love notes, making you happy. It is a relationship that defines you, sanctifies you, bring glory to God's name. How can we fight for this marriage? Read first Corinthians chapter 13 if you don't know how to love. Love is not defined by how that person makes you feel. When God says he loves you, you don't bring a thing to the table, not your talents, your looks, your wisdom. He simply "loves." By the way, God does not give a rip about your happiness...do you know that? He cares about your holiness. When the Bible says that "Jesus lives to intercede for us." It means that in heaven, right now, he is discussing you and what it will take in your life to make you more holy, more like him. And that will never be accomplished by "no suffering" life. My favorite phrase is "suffering makes you grow up."

Thinking about marriage in this way brings a whole new dimension to things. When our husbands don't meet our needs, when our husbands offend us, when our husbands sin...how we react to this is the issue,  not the thing our husbands did to us. Find that in the Bible that says where that says "when a person makes you mad enough times, sins enough times, disappoints you enough times, that it is okay to be done? When you have been married 30,40 even 50 years...what our husbands become will be a reflection of OUR prayer life. If we complain about our husbands for 30 years, nothing much may change. But find a woman who prays fervently for our husbands for 30 years, wow!

So down to the practical issues. How can we love our husbands in their language? I think arguably, our husbands greatest need will be physical need of sex. We can't program them to think like we do. Just because we get wrapped up in kids, jobs, and life and we are not interested in sex for long periods does not change the fact that our husbands did not lose interest. They are not made that way. After 36 years, my husband still seems way too interested:). In fact, one reason he may say that he loves me is that he realizes that what HE needs is more important to me than what I need. After years of marriage, I have to continually lay down my happiness and put Mark's happiness before mine. At the time I am writing this, I am mad at Mark. So I have two choices. I can nurse this anger and feel justified in it. I can tell God that I am mad about this thing and see if I can get God to "side" with me:). Ha. I already know what God will say about this. His word is full of his answers of grace, mercy, unconditional love. I know what you night be thinking here. What if he does not serve me back. Guess what...If I serve Mark and forgive Mark without Mark reciprocating, ...guess what, God noticed. 

Last time I checked, the world is still advertising a lot of explicit sexual activity, the wrong way to look at women, lies about women's value. So I want to be the safe place for Mark to have his needs met. Different things work in different relationships in different season. The single most important thing I do is to look as attractive as possible for Mark, not for the world. I am not advertising to other men. You have to ask yourself this question when you walk out the door. Who am I am advertising for today with this outfit? When mark walks in the door, I am thinking about what mark would like to see. He has thanked me a million times for advertising. 

Mistakes I have made are becoming very overweight. Mark still loved me. But he really appreciates that I try harder now.  You know why...I want to be the girl he wants to come home to each night. Our husbands are visual. I want to be his vision.  Every time I tell you things that I do right, I can name ten things I do wrong. I get too busy with other things and do not want to hear his stories. Are you too busy with kids or jobs and you don't want to hear his story? One day you could regret that. 

Things that we do right may be making friendship bread and dancing when we put it in the oven, serving together in ministry, riding bikes together, dancing at end of rented movies together. Traditions is the key word. We could get some security when the world was falling apart but we knew we had a tradition with each other.

The single most used list of things to tell Mark when I want to be loving, but not not feel like it. He does not know this list exists.

http://momlifetoday.com/2013/03/62-things-to-say-to-make-your-husband-feel-great/


Draw a line in the sand and say,"I will put my husband before my kids, my job, my ministry, etc." If you don't decide that today, your marriage will be different in twenty years, when your kids move out and live in California, your job has changed, your ministry may have changed directions.  If you make a commitment to your marriage,  in twenty years you will have a vibrant, growing marriage that has withstood a lot of storms together. Your love for each other will have grown deeper and you will be married to the love of your life!

Do You Want to Be Strong Without Depending on Chocolate?

Isaiah 30:15-16 (ERV)

15 The Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, says, “If you come back to me you will be saved. Only by remaining calm and trusting in me can you be strong.”

But you don’t want to do that. 16 You say, “No, we need fast horses for battle.” 

On any given day, okay most days, I need to find the strength to get through the day. I feel like there are way too many items to check off my to do list! I feel defeated before I even start the day and want to give up because I feel so discouraged…like the battle is too overwhelming for me. So at that point, I have two choices. 

First choice, eat!!!  Eat something that will make me feel better, give me energy, give me strength. I can't tell you how many times I take the first choice. It may be evening time and I have too much schoolwork to get done and I will spend my evenings working on that, as well as laundry and dinner and a host of other things. Eating something unhealthy seems to be a great solution to give me the energy I need. I can sit down and get busy and have a "snack" right beside me and I tell myself this will be perfect.  Only problem is when I finish that snack and I have to stop and get another snack and then another and suddenly I realize that the thing that was supposed to make me strong made me feel weak. Has that ever happen to you?

Read what it says in Isaiah, “Only by remaining calm and trusting in me can you be strong”But you don’t want to do that. 16 You say, “No, we need fast horses for battle.” .

I took that right out of the Bible!  I thought,"God, you read my mind."  You told me that if I wanted to be strong, the way to accomplish this is to remain calm and trust in you.  But instead, I say "I don't want to do that. You were not enough for the kind of strength I needed." God's ways are always going to seem contrary to the world's logic. When the world says to go shopping and buy something you don't need then you will feel better, God says remain calm and trust in me. When the world says to yell at your kids or your spouse and you will feel better, God says just trust me. When the world says to go through the closest drive-in and order something very unhealthy because you had a bad day, God says "Can you trust me, instead of food?' 

The second choice is always the choice that works every single time! There is not enough energy in a candy bar or bag of chips to help you through your day. The enemy will lie to you every time and a lot of time you will listen to him. And then you know what he has the nerve to do…condemn you for eating the whole thing. You just cannot win if you choose that way. Next time you get to this point where you are desperate for some strength, remember this promise:

Isaiah 40:29 

He helps tired people be strong. He gives power to those without it.

How God feels about me

In Psalms 51:3
Going through the motions doesn’t please you,
    a flawless performance is nothing to you.
I learned God-worship
    when my pride was shattered.
Heart-shattered lives ready for love
    don’t for a moment escape God’s notice.

I was over at my 10 month old grandson's house today watching him play with his toys.  I was enjoying seeing him crawl around, pulling up on everything in sight and trying to stand by himself for a few seconds. He is so close to taking that first step.
At lunch time, my son placed little baby bites of chicken, sweet potatoes, cheese and his favorite…blueberries on his tray and Zeph would gobble them up. I was amazed at how easy it was to feed him "normal" food and not have to mash things up for him. After lunch, he would get to play all over again until nap time.

I was so full of love at watching him take those tiny steps toward maturity.   I was amazed and wondered if anyone had grandchildren as delightful as mine.  My grandchildren enchant me.  They have brought to life a heart approaching 59.  Grandchildren do that…make you feel young again.  And then he did it…he turned and spotted me and held out his arms for me. Are there words to describe how this feels?  When he says Pat-pat for the first time, I will start crying as I did when my other grandson said it.

My son said the most profound thing when I remarked how big of a deal that is to see your grandchild turn to you and reach out for you.  He says,"Can you imagine how God feels when he has been watching you do the things he has created you to do and he sees you growing in maturity and then all of a sudden…you turn and notice Him. you not only notice him but you reach out your hands for him to grab you in his strong arms."  Read that again to get a grasp of the way God feels about you.

He is not that impressed when he sees me "going through the motions" of the Christian life.  I am boring him to death when I am busy, busy, busy doing all the amazing things in my own power and strength. I bet he weeps when I say "I am independent now. I don't need you anymore. I'm fine. I grew up to maturity. I am strong without you." If you think for a moment that this is not truth, imagine how I would feel if my grandson say to me,"Pat-pat, I am fine and I don't need you anymore. In fact, I am too busy doing great things so I won't have time to look at you anymore." What a knife through my heart that would be,

Shatter my pride and do whatever it takes to help me realize how much it delights you, Lord, when I turn to you everyday and reach out with weak, powerless arms.

If God asks me to give up cheesecake…is that too much to ask?

And so, dear brothers, I plead with you to give your bodies to God. Let them be a living sacrifice, holy—the kind he can accept. When you think of what he has done for you, is this too much to ask?  (Romans 12:1)

I have noticed that over the past two years, as I have denied myself the junk foods I used to enjoy, the Lord has increased my focus on him. So many Christians do not realize the power of a "denial list." Daniel created a denial list when he was forced to leave his beloved homeland and was taken to Babylon. The richness and temptations of the kingdom of Babylon(like America) could have sent him spiraling down a dangerous road. Instead he decided that he needed to protect his body, his mind, his walk with God by taking certain things out of his life. 

If you recall, Daniel was the guy who got thrown into the lion's den because he bowed down to God and not King Nebuchadnezzar. The background to the story involved Daniel giving up some sleep, maybe lunch or perhaps popularity in order to continue to pray many times a day. I am sure it was not the popular thing for the chosen group from Israel to be against the traditions of Babylon.    

Also, in the beginning verses, Daniel made a denial list about food. Read what happened:

"But Daniel made up his mind not to eat the food and wine given to them by the king. He asked the superintendent for permission to eat other things instead." 

Interesting. He made up his mind that he would not eaten certain foods.  Have you ever done that? Have you decided that once and for all you will stop eating things that have no nutritional value and add way too many calories that you simply do not need? Have you considered allowing "your body to glorify Christ" and not detract from your testimony? There is a clear decision to be made. Is there a single item of food that you could look at and say,"you are not worth more to me than what I will gain if I deny myself a bite"? Cheesecake is a precious food item to me.  I love Cheesecake Factory!  However, a couple of years ago I looked at cheesecake right in the eye and said,"you are no longer worth it to me."

Look at the next part of the story:

"Well, at the end of the ten days, Daniel and his three friends looked healthier and better nourished than the youths who had been eating the food supplied by the king!"

I have been rewarded by denying myself certain foods.  I look healthier than I used to two years ago.  A lot of people have commented on this. Not only do I look healthier, I feel more confident and more focused in other areas. God did something similar to Daniel.

"God gave these four youths great ability to learn." 

God is patiently waiting for us to do things his way, instead of our way. His ways are always going to help us and not harm us. Truthfully, it seems like he is trying to harm us and make us give up wonderful things. But the reality is he is all about us doing things that will bring glorify to his name. Being healthy brings glory to his name. Back to the beginning verse:

"When you think of what he has done for you, is this too much to ask?" 

The End is Worth It:)

Let your roots grow down into him and draw up nourishment from him. See that you go on growing in the Lord, and become strong and vigorous in the truth you were taught. Let your lives overflow with joy and thanksgiving for all he has done. Colossians 2:7

I have been thinking a lot lately about the quality of my life…physically, emotionally and spiritually. Obviously, they are intertwined. One cannot be unhealthy in one area and not affect the others. 

In the past two years, I have made some much needed changes in the quality of my life physically. Hard changes. Confrontive changes. Grit-my-teeth-and-do-it kind of changes. I try to eat a healthy diet and lost about 35-40 pounds. I began to lift weights and ride bikes. Not a day goes by that I do not have to negotiate whether I will make the right choice today. Some days I do. Some days I don't. 

Because it is summer, I ride bikes a lot. I actually would rather not do that. My thighs hurt. I want to quit pedaling and rest. It is very hot and I am uncomfortable. When I am finished with the ride, I am ecstatic! We stop and get a drink at the store and it tastes unbelievable! What motivates me to get out there and ride bikes? The finishing treat, of course. 

The same would is true spiritually in our lives. In order to let our roots go down deep and draw up nourishment, we have to allow ourselves to go through hurt and pain. In James, it says,

"Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow…"

Do I like the trouble when it shows up? No, the pain is not pleasant to me just as working out with weights or riding bikes are not pleasant to me.  But I like how I feel when I walk through a valley with my hand in God's hand and end up on the other side and rejoice over his faithfulness. I want to tell everyone I meet how thankful I am for his goodness. I like the end part so much and I keep my focus on that and not the pain that I am experiencing for the moment. In fact,

2 Corinthians 4:17 
For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.

I want to finish strong in every area of my life. I am looking forward to that treat. It keeps me going when I want to give up. 

Thoughts on Friendships

He told Peter and the two sons of Zebedee to come with him. Then he began to be very sad and troubled. Jesus said to Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, “My heart is so heavy with grief, I feel as if I am dying. Wait here and stay awake with me.” (‭Matthew‬ ‭26‬:‭37-38‬ ERV)

I was reading a John Piper devotional last week and he used these scriptures to talk about how Jesus dealt with depression and anxiety. I was floored by the application.

Jesus was clearly hurting. He realized what was ahead. "He began to be very sad and troubled."  Have you felt that way before? How do we deal with that?

Jesus did not need these three men to deal with his pain.  Even though he was fully human, he was fully God and could call on an angelic army to bring him comfort. But he modeled a way that I can use to deal with pain or anxiety or fear or depression.

Notice that he spoke " to Peter and the two sons of Zebedee".  He called on his core group, his pit crew, his inner most circle of friends. Gracious! Who do you call on in a time of depression or fear? Who is your small group of trusted confidants? Can you name them right now? I believe that this should be a group that is totally outside your family. I adore my family. They are the best!  Our families are indispensable but they are not always the best group to gather with in a time of crisis. They are not always objective. They may not even share your beliefs. Love and cherish your family but this is not the group that Jesus was refering to.

Maybe you can't think of a group. Pray without ceasing until you get one. Invest heavily in this group with your time and unselfish acts. Love these people unconditionally because they will disappoint you at times because they are not perfect. Hopefully, they will love you unconditionally when you disappoint them when you act less than perfect.

God has blessed Mark and I with a small group of friends that attend my church. He literally "dropped" them in my lap about 15 years ago. I do not think it was coincidence that we all served together in a ministry at church. Serving with friends in a ministry is a great way to find the type of friends that Jesus was referring to. It may be one of the best ways to find this group. Join a Bible study. Can't find one? Might be time to start one so that you can meet the quality of people that you want to call your core group. My inner circle is TOP QUALITY and I thank God for bringing them into my life.

The interesting thing about my small group is that we are so radically different. My husband and I often feel like the "weak link"  in our pit crew. There have definitely been times when I needed them more than they needed me. I am incredibly thankful that they haven't kicked me out yet:). God chose women in my group with varying gifts in the body of Christ. But they all have the gift of servanthood. They open their homes to others. They don't feel like they own their possessions. On the contrary, they are much like the church in Acts. They would give anything they own to others in need. More important, they are prayer warriors. We have seen many answers to prayer in our small group. We send out a group text if a prayer need is urgent.  They will pray right at that minute. I depend on that kind of support.

Another application from this verse...be open and honest with your friends. Don't pretend around them. I have learned not to pretend that my kids are doing okay when they are in a crisis. I have learned to swallow my pride and admit that my world is crashing in around me. Only prideful people keep their problems a secret. Jesus said "My heart is so heavy with grief, I feel as if I am dying. " What if he had pretended that he could handle this crucification thing all by himself? Even though the disciples did not have the power to deliver him, he modeled for me to be transparent with my inner circle.

Often I don't feel like I fit into my small groups of friends. When I feel this way and share it with my friends, they usually remind me that I have been wandering off from the herd too much:). Staying close to the herd provides great protection from getting eaten by the predators. Jesus said "Wait here and stay awake with me.” He was showing me that "not wandering off" is the way this friendship thing works.

I am always falling more and more in love with Jesus for so many reasons. But this was a great reason to love him more. He showed me what to do in a crisis and how to call on your friends. Jesus absolutely did not need these weak, sinful guys in his time of crisis. But Jesus showed us that we DO need our small group of friends to call on in stormy times.

A safe place

Psalm 121:3-4

New International Version (NIV)

³ He will not let your foot slip—
    he who watches over you will not slumber;
⁴ indeed, he who watches over Israel
    will neither slumber nor sleep.

One of the truths about God that we find hardest to believe is the fact that he never dozes off and is never caught off guard by an event. If we were at our very best, totally rested, totally focused...we still could be unable to take care of those that we love. Our loved ones could get very sick.  Our friends could be hit by a drunk driver. We could lose our job. The truth is we can be blindsided by an event.
Because we believe that God is like us, we think that He turned his head or took a power nap. As a result, a horrific event happened and he was unable to protect us. However, in Psalms it states that he will never let your foot slip.  What? Never let me stumble? I stumble so often. Life happens even in my best effort to protect myself and my loved ones.
Then what is this saying? I believe that it means that though I stumble, he grabs my arm and pulls me to safety. He is the ultimate security guard. What a comfort to know that when we are caught off guard by tragedy, God saw the entire event and he will walk us through the dark valley. The dark days are still dark. We are humans. We are weak. But he is the powerful protector. He is the body guard on duty 24 hours a day.
In the book of Job, Job cried and complained for about 40 chapters. That makes me feel better when I can't get a smile on my face in the midst of sad times. However, Job believed that God held the trump card. Satan whispers lies to us and says that God cannot take care of us. He tells us that God was sleeping. He tells us that God can't provide for us. He doesn't have the finances. He doesn't have the wisdom.  Satan has so much to gain if you listen to his deceit. Do not give audience to him. He wants to kill, steal and destroy.
Instead, rest in the truth about our Father. He does not slumber! He is right there! He owns the cattle on a thousand hills if your foot is slipping over lack of resources. He has the strength when you don't have the inner strength. He has the answers when you don't have the answers concerning your next step. A body guard like that must cost more than I can afford. Funny thing about his fee…I can't pay for it. Jesus paid the full amount for me.

Investments over time

Growing your wealth over time

"Making consistent investments over a number of years can be an effective strategy to accumulate wealth. Even small additions to your investment add up over time. Of course, a program of regular investing does not ensure a profit or protect against a loss."

I copied this right off my financial advisor's website. Everyone has probably read this at one time or another. I doubt any of us would disagree with the idea of saving consistently over time to accumulate wealth.  A quick illustration to solidify the point:

I went to a calculator on the Internet and plugged in a monthly contribution of $100 per month, starting at age 21, earning 7% interest and continuing until age 65. I used the same numbers but started the contributions at age 41, a still relatively young age. The results were startling. The 21 year old would earn over $330,000 upon retiring, while the 41 year old would only earn $72,532 by the same age...a difference of about $257,468!  Neither person is even sweating over the monthly amount, about than $3 a day. But the consistent, early investor is going into retirement with a little more emergency money than the late investor. Just thought I would add one more investor, the 51year old. He would only net about $2500 at age 65!

Obviously this blog is not going to be about finances. There are hundreds of articles dealing with investment strategies. However, the principals remain the same in every other area of life. If we want to make some significant changes in our life, we have to make small, consistent deposits over long periods of time. If we want to invest in our kid's lives, we must make small but daily deposits in their emotional bank accounts. Spending quality time with them each day(the younger, the longer the period of time needed) over many years will yield stronger bonds in the relationships. We can't wait until we see signs of our relationship unraveling and try to cram in more time all at once. Doesn't seem to work with time or relationships

In the area of health, guess what? Same principal applies. To enjoy better health in our 60's and 70's, we can increase our chances by exercising 30- 60 minutes, several times a week over as many years as possible. My dad walks 18 holes of golf, 6 days a week for as many years as I can remember and he can easily walk around at age 87. He did not start golf at age 65. He started it many years before that. My husband has exercised several days a week his entire life and has not had to slow down as he approaches age 60 in a few months. He can do everything now that he could do at age 21!  I am not kidding about this guy. 

Same principal applies to eating. We cannot wait to change our eating habits at age 60 simply because we have developed health issues. The time to start is now because we are investing in our healthy future. We must consistently eat the rights foods everyday. The changes in our appearance will come gradually, but we will sustain them because we are investing in our future.

But the most important area of consistency is spiritual. You can wish a lot of things to be true when you are 65, but your joy and strength will come from your walk with the Lord. Many people…most people have a desire to know the Lord. I have observed over my years of working with young adults that the desire is hindered by a long term vision. Who do you really want to be at age 50 or 60 or even 70? Be kind to the older person you will become. Invest in that person!!! If you spend your whole life intending on starting a plan and never quite doing it, you have squandered the years of consistent investments. The same principal of money holds true with Christian growth. Years of spending consistent times with the Lord and reading his word pays huge dividends!!! 

Start off with a plan of reading 15 minutes a day at the same time. You Version has hundreds of plans to follow. Pick one. My 15 year old nephew has been consistently picking a plan for over a year. I weep at the thought of the man of God he will be when he is 60!!! He will know God's character. He will not have to learn about God second hand and think to himself "Oh, so that is what God is like." He is not being fancy or legalistic. He has just simply begun at an early age to contribute small amounts of time to invest in the man he will be. Small consistent contributions over long periods of time yield powerful results.

 Begin a prayer journal if you are struggling with a consistent prayer time. Assign a day to pray for different topics. Monday can be about your future spouse. Tuesday can be about your unsaved friends. Keep it simple. But keep it consistent. You will soon see your prayer bank account grow because you will begin to see answered prayer.

As you grow older you will find that NOTHING can keep you from having a time with the Lord. You will begin to depend on it because your relationship with the Lord will be a sweet time of fellowship with the one that you love most. You will be like the person in Psalms 1,

"But they delight in the law of the Lord,

    meditating on it day and night.

3 

They are like trees planted along the riverbank,

    bearing fruit each season.

Their leaves never wither,

    and they prosper in all they do."

At 65, I want to be a huge, healthy tree planted along a riverbank and I am investing in the tree today. 

I want to do it my way!

Shoes on the wrong feet!

On a recent beach trip, we had the joy of spending time with our two precious grandsons. One grandson had just turned two:). Everything was "No, Pat-Pat" "No, Pops" or "No, Daddy." He is in the wonderful stage that all babies go through when they assert their rights as individuals. We would be most worried if they did not go through this stage. 

I could not help but realize that striking comparison between Caleb and myself! As you can tell from the photograph, Caleb had insisted on putting on his own shoes. No amount of explaining could convince Caleb that his dad had a better way of putting those shoes on his feet. Finally Ben gave up and "Just put them on yourself." Even after he put them on the wrong feet, he would not allow his mind to be changed about those shoes.

How often do I battle against God when he tries to help me "put on my shoes"? He knows that there is a right way and a wrong way to run my life. How often do I stubbornly tell God," I can do this myself? "  or "I do NOT need your help!"  He sees that I am clearly going in the wrong direction. He who knows all from past to future. He who knows how I am fearfully and wonderfully made. He who knows how I should eat and drink. He who knows how to help me spend my money(is it even my money?). He who loves me perfectly, far more than Caleb's dad loves him. He lavishes good gifts on me like I am his bride or something. We are the bride of Christ, actually.

God continues to warn us if we are putting on our shoes the wrong way. He allows us put on our shoes in the most wrong way! We are not even smart enough to see how ridiculous we look when we do this. Many times others can see that we put on our shoes on the wrong feet but we are blinded by pride and will not admit it.
Sometimes God warns us that the shoes we are about to try are not the correct size. They are too small or too large. Instead of thanking him for his wise intervention, we plow full steam ahead. What happens is that we get blisters on our feet. Even if the shoes are uncomfortable and clumsy, we continue to wear that shoe or worse yet… we blame God for the consequences that we caused. When we go ahead of him in our plans to live with a potential spouse and it ends badly. When we go into a business venture without praying first and asking him for guidance and then it bombs big time. When we eat as WE please and not what fits our health and then we are angry that we can't seem to lose weight. We are head over our heals in debt because we financed everything that we thought we had to have and then we are bitter about that. We ALL do this.

Guess who yells at us the loudness when we put on our shoes the wrong way…the liar, the accuser, the enemy. God does not do this.  Ben smiled when Caleb struggled with his choice and said "Caleb, can I help you fix this?" God, through the Holy Spirit, says gently, "Can I help you fix this?" And he can fix it if we are willing to allow him to do that. Caleb finally, after much gentle coaxing, realized that his way was not comfortable, It was not working at all like he thought it would. So he sat down and let a wise daddy fix those shoes. Might be time for us to quit being so silly and stubborn. Just sit down and allow a wise Father to help us. He wants to and he is able to. The only thing stopping him is our stubborn pride.