Take It From Jesus!

Our family is looking at our lives different these days, and Skipp challenged us to live stress free. So here is what I am learning...

Looking behind and pressing ahead during this time of year is not only important it is imperative. In our home we have begun to do things differently this year than we have in years past. I really blame it on reading the bible. Have you ever just been going along in your life totally oblivious to whom you have become and then right in the most inopportune time the Holy Spirit whacks you in the head with the obvious?

Romans 12:2 speaks that we are to be transformed by the renewing of our mind. This doesn't mean some trans-meditational awareness, but rather allowing the words of Jesus to come into your being and cause you to become something more than you are. So, here I am, laptop open and biblegateway.com up on my screen and all I can say is how have I missed this until now? Missed what you asked? The perfect Christmas plan!

That's right, in red letters in Matthew 6; Jesus tells us exactly how to live out the craziness of the holidays. I know what you're thinking, that I am drawing some pretty big assumptions that Jesus used Matthew 6 as a road map of the holidays but hey, work with me here!

If you look at the headings that break up the chapter here is what you have; Give to the needy, pray, fast, treasures in heaven, and do not worry.... Doesn't that about sum up what Christmas should be? Let's take a quick look at what Jesus says about these.

Give to the needy in private away from public view and you will be rewarded by the Father. That is pretty clear, right? How many people do you know right now in your life that could use something you have or possess? It might be a meal, some money, or possibly even your time, but what is it that you have an abundance of that you can bless others with? Stop for a moment and look around, what do you see? Look at the lives of the people around you and ask God what you could do for them, and then simply do it!

Pray, pray, pray, and then pray some more! I am not talking about hour long devotion times I am talking about in everything keeping your heart and words open to God. The best way to go through your life is to keep a constant conversation going with God about everything. For the record a conversation is two ways so take some time to listen to what he is telling you...

Fasting is one that I am pressing into this year. You can fast from about anything from food to Facebook. The idea behind fasting is to offer yourself to God in place of what you would be doing during that time frame. If it is fasting your meals then during your meals you spend time with God. If it is fasting your iPhone then every time you would check your phone you don't, and you talk to God instead. Whatever you choose it is to honor God, diminish yourself, and draw closer relationally to Him.

The whole treasure in heaven is kind of a big deal at this time of year. So instead of buying a bunch of gifts for people that either you don't really like or won't appreciate your effort try and offer them something that is timeless. Today's treasure becomes tomorrow's garage sale so you might as well just skip the stress and strain! How many things do we really need? I am seriously thinking about buying everyone toilet paper, because we all need toilet paper! I am just kidding, don't worry!

Finally the last thing Jesus leaves us is, "Do not WORRY"... What you need to realize is if you do the above things correctly then you won't worry or stress. Christmas is about the sacrifice of Jesus leaving the perfect fellowship of the Father and Holy Spirit, coming to Earth clothed in humanity while choosing to lay down his deity, and saving mankind through the sacrifice of his flesh. Sacrifice, it wasn't just as he hung on a tree, it started the moment He became Immanuel, God with us. So in light of all of His sacrifices wouldn't it be a slap in the face or a nail in the hand if we His children and friends walk around greedy, self absorbed, grumpy, and anxious?

We live our lives out loud in front of others, so do our lives show that we have anything to offer the world during the holidays? There is enough stress, strain, and greed to go around but shouldn't we operate differently than the world? Aren't we supposed to be IN the world but not OF the world? Then join our family and take it from Jesus; live your Christmas out loud following His word!

Thank Who? Thank You!

The thirty days of Thankfulness are wrapping up and you can tell it by fewer people posting to Twitter and Facebook. I found myself pretty cynical about the whole thing, not that I am cynical about being thankful. Friends posting that they are thankful for modern conviences, hankful for all their wealth and riches, while some are thankful for family and friends. Now I know I am sounding a bit like Scrooge here, but I think we miss the point of being thankful all together.

It is not enough to be thankful for what you have; you must be thankful for who He is!

The bible is full of scripture telling us to give thanks to God as part of our worship. How many of you when going through this thirty days of thankfulness have really thought about why you have what your thankful for? A blog ago I talked about my "why" questions and how God isn't afraid of them. I choose to ask him this powerful "why" question...

"Why do you bless me beyond what I deserve?"

I have a great husband, I mean it, the kind of guy little girls dream of. I have three men-in-the-making who are going to change this world for God. I live in a country where I can worship who, where, and when I choose. I have a lovely home, plenty of food, and more than this girl can really even wrap her head around and all I can come up with is, "why God?"

"I AM, WHO I AM"

God can't help but be a great Dad! He is who is character is, which is love, peace, steadfastness, gentle, just, protective, HOLY, and I could go and on. God is... that is why we offer our thanks to him. Everything I am, are, or will ever be is because He is.

I do not want this to be a normal Christmas season focused on gifts, and stress. I want this to be a peace filled, joyful, holy, special season just like He is. Today I stand up, with hands raised in the air, to just say THANK YOU GOD! FOR YOU ARE....

Flush Away the Flesh

SWHOOOOSSSHHHH.... That would be the sound I hear quite often in my house. Yep, my toilet it seems gets much use in a home with four guys and a little ole me. Not only does it flush when in use, hopefully, but also because it flushes when it is cleaned. I clean clean those toilets all the time because as I said above I have four guys living in the house. Now this might seem strange but God and I have lots of talks while I am around that bowl scrubbing. Don't get me wrong, this isn't the only time God and talk but for some reason I seem to hear him better next to that small white throne. Maybe it is in preparation for the Great White Throne one day!

We have a small group that meets at our house every Friday night, and like most women I feel judged if everything isn't just so. In a week that is often busier than I would like the house and especially the bathrooms can get quite gross. Friday is my dedicated clean day. It is the day of the week that I try not to plan anything, and force myself to stay home. Yes I said force, but I will get to that in a minute.

This last week I had worked longer hours and had taken on some additional responsibilities at work which meant I used additional brain power. So physically I was tired and mentally I was empty. Friday rolled around and I all I wanted to do was go and have fun. Fun for me usually would mean having lunch with a friend or shopping. Even with the temptation of a friend to go lunch I knew I had to clean because of the commitment I made to host our small group. So there I am cleaning most of the morning in my "mad" cleaning mode.

Do you have a mad cleaning mode? My family usually knows when I am irritated by the fast and furious pace at which I clean and by the constant sighing as if I was a martyr. There was no family around; instead I proceeded to put on quite a show for the dogs and God. I made my way to the bathroom and as I started to clean I started to complain. Complaining loudly about how I got stuck doing this and why doesn't anyone help me more. Feeling like I deserved more I sat there and stared at the toilet and yelled, "I hate you, you stupid toilet. Why are you always so gross?" Yes, I realize how this must have looked not only to my dogs but more importantly to my God.

Here I am in a nice house, with a nice job that kept me busier than I wanted but God used to provide. I have cleaning supplies to make my job easier, and in all honesty my family did do more than they usually do to keep the house picked up. Yet here in this moment all I could focus on was.... ME. Me, me, me, me, me... I call that my "flesh" speaking. Romans 8:5, " Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires."

Your flesh is that part of you that doesn't like the things of God. It is what tells you that you don't need to spend time with God, read your bible; it is what tells you that you are better than your neighbor. The flesh we have in our lives is really what hinders us more than anything else in our pursuit of a God-filled life. The Apostle Paul struggled with it and he talks about it in Romans chapter 7 verses 13-24. We all have flesh in our lives that crave to do the exact opposite of what the Spirit of God wants for us.

So I am cleaning this toilet, my flesh is crying out, and what do I hear? The sweet Spirit of God whisper in my heart, "Flush your flesh!" Yes, I needed to send the ugly that comes out of my exactly where the other ugly goes, down the toilet. I was in this position with a toilet brush in my hand because God trusted me! There are a group of people that he is entrusted to us and by providing them a warm and inviting place to meet it blesses them. God gave us this house, should I not use it for his Glory?

I might add that there is also a very practical blessing that happens as well. On Saturday the house is clean and we actually get more family time. So I have the opportunity to serve God, serve my family, and serve others. Isn't that what the Christian life is all about? It makes me more like Jesus, so of course my flesh wouldn't want me sacrifice. I am pretty sure that you will all laugh the next time you clean your toilets at the thought of me yelling at mine. I just pray that you do what I did next: FLUSH THE FLESH~ AWAY!

The "Why" Heard 'Round the World

"Why, whhyyy..." It was the "why" heard around the world on January 6th, 1994. American ice skater Nancy Kerrigen was clubbed on her right knee seven weeks before the 1994 Olympic Winter Games. News outlets played this video of her crying "why" over and over. Everyone was shocked and outraged by the brutal attack that came from the hand of the ex-husband of her rival. I actually mimic her voice when I ask "why" sometimes.

Why, it is such a powerful three letter word. It means "for what reason, for what purpose" and it is asked over and over by most two and three year olds and every child of God.

"Why, Lord?"

"For what reason, Lord?"

We all have times in our lives that we go to God and ask him why. I have had big why moments in my life like, "Why God was my son born legally blind?" To every why question we ask do we always receive an answer. I believe we do, because God does everything for a reason and purpose. Now, with that said, do we always know what the purpose is? The simple answer to that is - no.

The Children of Israel asked it, Moses asked it, Elijah asked it, Isaiah asked it, Jeremiah asked it, David asked it over and over,  and even Mary asked it: "Why Lord?" Some of those above not only asked why then took it a step further and proceeded to ask God to kill them. (I don't think my life has ever gotten quite that bad, but again, I wasn't an Old Testament Prophet either.)

I am in a season of life right now that I don't always see the value in, and I think that is why we begin to ask the question, "why?" We feel like there has to be value in what we do, that someone surely has to be getting something from my going through this valley. I remember a particularly hard period in my life when I was questioning God about why I was going through this rough patch and his answer was loud, clear, and astonishing:

"For my Glory and for your good."

God spoke that so clear to my heart, the message that there are times I am going through things that don't make sense at all. There seems to be no rhyme or reason to the events that have overtaken me, yet for God's glory and my good... That kind of stops you right there in your track. What if you are going through all kinds of horrible, terrible times in your life and God tells you that it is simply for His Glory and your good; would that be enough?

What if you never know the "why" of what you're going through? What if you never see the person who gets saved because of watching your life? What if you never know that your struggles helped another person walk closer with Jesus? What if you never see your kids become the men/women of God that they were supposed to be because of what you walked through? You can tell yourself that everything is terrible, that nothing will change, it was always be this way and walk through life like Eeyore, or you can realize that everyone has something that they have to walk through that will take them to their core. God is simply not afraid of your "why" question. He will answer you, but are you prepared for His answer? That is the better question...

Nancy Kerrigan went on to skate the best two performances of her life and walk away with the Silver Medal of the 1994 Winter Olympic Games. Some said if it wasn't for her experience of having to come back from her injury she might not have even placed in the medals. You see she might have missed the US Figure Skating Championships but went on to train harder, and pushed herself to a place that she would have taken for granted had she not experienced the tragedy of that day. Today's "why" is for His glory and for your good... So, ask "why" then tell yourself,

"Why NOT?"

In Sickness and in Health

When you are 17 and getting married I have to tell vows aren't really important. The dress and the honeymoon were all I really cared about, so I didn't put much thought into the vows I made to Skipp. I do remember however using the traditional words like cherish, obey, rich or poor, sickness and health, and something about until death do us part...

As I have been dealing with a lot of sickness in our house lately I have noticed a couple of things:
1. People are tired when they are sick.
2. People are grouchy when they are sick.
3. People are less tolerant of others when they are sick.
4 People are self-focused when they are sick.
5. People have to decide to take steps to get well, it doesn't often happen on it's own.

When dealing with anyone who has an illness you know that you need to have patience, and love. In the vows I took, I agreed to have patience and love with Skipp when he was sick, but I also agreed to have patience and love when he was well. How are we as a church doing with those around us who may not be physically sick, but spiritually sick?

I think those are spiritually sick exhibit the same symptoms of those who are physically sick. They are tired, grouchy, less tolerant, self-focused and trying to decide if it getting well is worth the effort. I have been sick both spiritually and physically and can attest to feeling those ways. I also know what a struggle it is to get well.

How do we take care of those around us who are spiritually sick, or how do we take care of ourselves when we get sick spiritually? Before you go on and on about how we are redeemed children of God and we never are spiritually sick let me remind you that all of us fall short of the glory of God and from time we do get sick spiritually. Sometimes it is because the disease of sin sneaks in, sometimes it is the bruises of life that beat us down, and sometimes a brother or sister in Christ will unknowingly break your leg!

The first thing that I tell my kids to do when they are sick is rest! We all require rest, and I believe God knew exactly what he was doing when he introduced the idea of resting on your Sabbath. Here is the thing though, rest is not the absence of doing rather it  is allowing yourself time with God to recharge. Jesus himself took times to go and just rest with the Father. Rest is not the absence of activity, rest is coming to Jesus because he promises to give rest to those who are weary and burdened.

The second thing I do when taking care of someone who is sick is feed them the right nutrition. If they have a stomach issue then clear soups and lots of fluids are perfect. So when you find yourself weak and needing nutrition when you're spiritually sick, dig into God's word. Not only is it honey on our lips and water to our soul, it is the whole nutrition we need. Jesus himself is the word made flesh, when we are sick we need Jesus!

Finally when treating those physically sick you might have to take them to the doctor and get them medicine. There are times in our lives when you are spiritually sick and it will run its course like a virus. You just need rest and nutrition to get over it, but there are times when you need to see someone who can give you the right medicine to cure you.

We are entering a season where stress and sickness abounds. I want to remind you that Jesus came into the darkness to be a light to all mankind, and that includes you. So whether you are called to take care of someone who is sick or you realize that maybe you're not as healthy as you want to be, call on the name of Jesus. He will answer you, he will take care of you, and he will heal you.

I will be taking sometime this season to self-care and make sure that I take care of the people around me. I will remember my vow to take care of those in sickness and health...

Answer Me When I Call

That is the title to Psalm 4 in my bible... "Answer me when I call". How many times have I said that to my husband, my children, or even my mom when I try and call them. Here I am needing to tell them something or I need some help from them and for whatever reason they don't answer. As I leave a message all I can think is, "what are they doing that they can't answer their phone!" Be honest we have all had this happen to us, right?

"Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have given me relief when I was in distress. Be gracious to me and hear my prayer!"

Here is King David telling God to answer him, because when he is distressed he goes to God for comfort. If you read the Psalms then you can see David telling God like it is, so to speak. He speaks to God honestly and doesn't hold much back. He shows his anger, his disappointment, his joy, his discouragement, his fear, and does it with boldness.

"O men, how long shall my honor be turned into shame? How long will you love vain words and seek after lies?"

Today I can feel the discouragement in lives of many of my friends; some are Christians and some are not. Life is hard, whether your a Christian or not, the bible even warns us that it will be. Life can be hard for many reasons, but everyone endures hardships, the questions is where do you go?

"But know that the Lord has 'set apart' the godly for himself; the Lord hears when I call to him"

David knew that even when he wasn't perfect, (remember he cheated with another man's wife then had him killed) God still loved him, and heard him. Do you know that?

"Be angry, and do not sin; ponder in your own hearts, on your beds, and be silent. "

David is reminding himself that it is okay to be angry about what he's going through, but staying angry leads to bitterness. Scripture says that God was angry, so don't you think God can understand that you feel angry?It is what we do with that anger that determines where we go from here. David tells us to get on our beds and be silent. Most of us when we are angry we let the whole word know!

"Offer right sacrifices, and put your trust in the Lord."

Want to get over feeling discouraged or distressed, or angry? Then give! The bible is clear that you get what you give, we Christian's call it "reaping what you sow". When your in that dark place, do you reach out and offer what you have to others? Do you put your trust in the Lord? Maybe you have prayed a prayer, or you took a walk to an altar a long time ago, but is your life different today because of it?

"Ther are many who say, "Who will show us some good? Lift up the light of your face upon us, O Lord!" You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and wine abound."

I have had times of plenty and times of want, but my outward circumstances shouldn't dictate my inner strength. You can every single pleasure that this world offers and it will never compare with the joy of a relationship with Jesus.

"In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety"

So maybe God has you here, right here where you are to show you that you can never really be happy without Him. You can never really lie down and sleep in peace and safety without him. The great thing about God is when you call him up, he always answers! He is always there on the other end waiting for you to come to him and share your heart, honest, and open. You don't need fancy words, you just need a couple of very simple ones...

"I need you Jesus"

Today, I took up the fight for many in my life who were struggling and my prayer is that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be heard, and He will make you dwell in safety. I love that God always "Answers me when I call"...

Holding Out for a Hero

"Where have all the good men gone..." It is a line from a popular 80's song used as a thematic element for the movie Footloose. For those of us old enough to remember Bonnie Tyler raging that she needs a "Hero" and she is holding out for the right one, we might look around and ask a similar question.

After watching the remake of the move Footloose yesterday; I saw the same story line of good verses evil, righting the wrongs of injustice, with a love story as a back drop. It is the same story line of the ages, and one that somewhere in our culture we have lost. Where are the Othneil's who attacked an entire city for Caleb's daughter in the first chapter of Judges? If you were to ask me where have all the good men gone, I would tell you probably playing video games on their mother's couch.

Men like Othneil were King's Men, valiant and brave, ready to draw sword for the love a good women. The better question would be this, "where have all the daughter's of the King gone to inspire men to greatness?"
Yes, that is where the whole thing starts doesn't it? We as women raise them, we as women emasculate them, we as women complain about them, we as women rob them of greatness.

Think about the way God designed his Kingdom, there are men to fight and women to fight for. If we as women do everything for ourselves and stick out our tongue while we do it while chanting "Anything you can do I can better" then why would a good man stick out his neck and fight for us? I look around at the good men in my life and what I see are women who have raised above the lies of the enemy and called greatness into their men with God's help.

I have a Mighty man, and King's man in my life, and for that I am grateful. I knew he was a King's man before he knew it himself, and it was job to raise up that warrior inside. I have three young men in my charge, and it is my job to inspire greatness in them and raise up the warrior inside them. How do we as women accomplish this?

You begin to admit that you need them, and then you do what is the most unnatural thing to do: serve them selflessly. We must give men a reason to fight, a reason to set down Modern Warfare and pick up a sword. Men want to fight, we see this in the statistic that men ages 18 to 34 are the biggest purchasers of video games with war games being the top sales. We as women must speak words of life into them, challenge them to raise above their culture! It all starts with women, and we must not listen to the lies of the enemy that we are better than men. We are not better than men, we are better WITH men.

Men, finally a word to you if you were even brave enough to read this. We need you! We desperately need your strength, your valor, your wisdom, your protection and your leadership. I, as a women, promise to speak words of life to you, to give you a reason to fight whether you are my husband, my son, my family, or my friend; I owe you that much. So, today I instead of holding out for a hero, I am praying for one...

Rainy Days on a Sunny Afternoon

This morning while doing my normal Monday busy work, which consists of sifting through emails and preparing for my work week, I kept hearing the old Michael W. Smith song, "Healing Rains". Let me be honest for a second, I never really liked the song very much. I felt it was a bit cheesy and everytime it would pop into my mind I would push it back out. While going through my emails I saw a prophesy bulletin and it kept talking about rain. On Facebook someone shared a scripture in Leviticus about God giving rain in the right season. (26:4) With all the references to rain I finally succumbed and went to You Tube to see what the song, "Healing Rains" was about.

"Healing Rain, is coming down. Is coming nearer, to this old town. Rich and poor, the weak and strong, it is bringing mercy; it won't be long. Healing rain is coming down, it is coming closer to the lost and found. Tears of joy and tears of shame are washed forever in Jesus name. Healing rain it comes with fire, so let it fall and take us higher. Healing rain, I am not afraid to be washed in heavens rain. Lift your heads, let us return to the mercy seat where time began. In your eyes I see the pain, come soak this dry heart with healing rains. And only you, the Son of Man, can take the leper and let him stand. So lift your hands, they can be held by someone greater, The Great I am.." The chorus then repeats...

As I listened tears began to pour down my cheeks and my heart softened to the voice of Jesus speaking. " I will send the right rain, in the right season. You must be ready to receive what I give, when I give it."

I began to search scripture and websites about the significance of rain in scripture. I am pretty sure even though we here in Springfield are getting ready to receive some heavy rains tonight, that He was not talking about literal rains.

Rain is a sign of a couple of things in the bible. First it is a sign of blessing, and His grace. Second, it is a sign of the Holy Spirit. In Israel, they have a different planting season than we do here. In the States we get the ground ready in the Spring and plant the seed. The seed then matures over Summer and is harvested in the Fall with the land laying dormant over the Winter. In Israel, the planting starts in the Fall, the seed germinates and grows over the winter months, and then harvest starts in spring and the ripening process happens all summer.

In Mid-October God would send the first rains to soften the ground from the parching of the Summer so when the seed was laid it would be able to germinate and root. The Summers are hot and useful for maturing and drying their fruit crops, but not for new growth. The Winter brings the time for pruning of the vines and the Spring would provide later rain to sustain the crops until final harvest.

Do you realize it is Mid-October? That we have all come through a hot and dry Summer season! The previous years crops have been harvested, and prepared for the nourishment of the next year. It is time to allow our lives and hearts to soften to the new "seeds" that God wants to drop in your heart. Some of you have become so bitter because you have felt abandoned and fruitless. God is telling us that it is a new season, and it is time to soften our hearts to the new crop for the coming year. So whether it is sickness, or pain, addiction, or affliction, brokeness, or disappointment, will you lay it down today and ask God to bring you Healing Rains to soften your dry heart?

So today I sit here while it is nice and sunny and allow God to bring those Mid-October rains to soften this dry heart and allow His seed to germinate in my life to sustain me for another year. God I am ready for receive all that you have...

The Ships of Life

 This weekend I found myself in the same, unusual, sitituation over and over. I was alone, well actually I was never by myself, but I was alone. Skipp, my husband of 19 years, was gone on a "man" weekend celebrating the wonderful entrance to teenagehood with our son Noah. For three days I went about our normal weekend routine with a "me" instead of a "we".

Friday night is our small group night and we welcome many into our home with a big meal. I felt a new and unusual weight that night with Skipp being gone. Usually I am the "Martha" in relationship on small group nights; in the kitchen busily preparing our food. This night I had my usual "Martha" role but also very much had to pick up his "Mary" role. Now before you think I am calling my very masculine husband a "chick", understand  what I mean is he is so very great at spending time at the feet of Jesus just as Mary, Martha's sister did. (Before all you bag on me remember we need both in the kingdom. If your not sure what I am talking about then read Luke 10:38-42)

I was alone in my dual roll as hostess and small group leader. I thought I would feel more pressure, and more nervousness than I did. Instead, as we were all sitting around the fire, I found myself saying words that were not my own. My Father had business to do in my heart and in the hearts of those in that group. What came out of my mouth may be a new mission for me to grow and study in.

God has given us as a gift all kinds of "Ships" in our lives. Friendship, Relationship, Fellowship, and Discipleship are all gifts bound in the love of a God who knows us better than we know ourselves. Here I was alone, or at least without the love of my life, and I was still not alone. There with me all the time was God, ready to cover me with his love. Also, I was in the middle of a group of people whom I have relationship with, some that I share a friendship with, all that I fellowship with and we are purposing to develop discipleship within a community.

What I see in the church as a whole is what I call the "lone sheep" syndrome. People who are disconnected from the body either by choice or by design, are waiting prey for a very real Wolf. When I am in a company sounded by the "Ships" of my life, I feel a sense of security and wholeness. This Wolf's purpose it to steal, kill, and destroy. He will let you get close enough to other people to give your a false sense of security but he has you bound on a chain to never really let you get away. That is why you need a Shepherd to come and break the chains and then run to herd of other sheep and find protection in numbers.

The church is God's design, not man's. If you have found yourself unhappy where you are, whether that is in church or out of church, I would ask you to examine the "Ships" in your life and ask yourself these questions:

What relationships have I made with those whom God has put around me?
Do I actively pursue the friendships that God has made for me?
Do I fellowship regularly with other like-minded believers?
Will I allow someone in my life to disciple and be discipled by?

When you can answer those questions positively then you will have found a fleet of "Ships" that will endure for life. Remember relationship was around long before man was, and we are created in the image of God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit....

The Mother of all Missions

Over the last couple of days I have been focusing on what the bible says about the bible and if it lines up with my beliefs. I went on chase that looked more like a dog after his tail than a girl in hot pursuit. I came to a couple of conclusions...


One, God has a mission for me, a plan for my life that only I can fulfill. Two, I believe in "Biblical Inerrancy", which is just a fancy term meaning I believe that bible is true from start to finish. Now that I have this as my basic understanding where does this leave me?


I, Becky Phipps, have the mother of all missions... It isn't one for wimps, oh no it is the ultimate mission. Actually we all have this mission, did you know YOU also have the mother of all missions?


^"15 See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, ¹⁶ redeeming the time, because the days are evil. ¹⁷ Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. ¹⁸ And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, ¹⁹ speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, ²⁰ giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, ²¹ submitting to one another in the fear of God."  Ephesians 5:15-20


Right before the Apostle Paul gives us instructions on how to live out practically the Christian life he drops this little bomb... Submitting, submitting, submitting, is clanging in my ears like a loud cymbal. We all love that word don't we? What, you have a problem with the word "submit"? It is just one little word, and don't we like the word "love" so much better. If it read, "love one another in the fear of God" we would embrace is like a warm, fuzzy blanket. Remember though, I believe in inerrency, that God chose every word for a reason. Want to know why the word submit is there and not any other word? Good, because I will tell you why.


Hypotassō is the Greek word here translated as our word "submit".  It gives us a great picture into the heart and mind of God.  Here is what the Blue Letter Bible says about Hypotassō , "This word was a Greek military term meaning "to arrange [troop divisions] in a military fashion under the command of a leader". In non-military use, it was "a voluntary attitude of giving in, cooperating, assuming responsibility, and carrying a burden"."


God in his greatness is telling us now to not just win the battle but to win the war! When you look at Ephesians 5 and 6 you see God showing you his battle formation. First it starts with being wise with your time and days, being filled with the Holy Spirit, then submiting to others as you would the Lord himself. Loving God and loving people is simply demonstrated by your ability to submit. We as a believers spend so much wasted energy on fighting each other that we lose sight of the enemy and the war. 

I am challenging you, all of you, to fall into the right formation so we can go and win God's war for the souls of all humanity. God wants his kids lined up for battle, ready to lock arms, and fight. If you are weary of the battle, maybe you are in the wrong position. So stand up, position yourself rightly, find the will of God and take on the mother of all missions... Will you join me in submitting?

Laying in Your Made Bed

There is a little known fact about me: I simply cannot sleep in an unmade bed. If I forgot to make the bed earlier in the day I will actually make it before I go to bed. I will make all the sheets tight, pull the covers tight, and even put the pillows in the correct spot. Then, and only then, will I climb in and drift off to sleep.

Have you ever heard the expression, "You made your bed, now you have to lie in it"? Most of us have and when we hear it we most obviously think of it in a negative way. You did something wrong and now you have to live with the consequences. We teach it to our little children when they break a rule, or disobey and have to suffer our discipline.

There are many beds I have made and are laying in right now. I am laying in the bed of a 19 year marriage to Skipp because I made that bed. I am laying in the bed of motherhood because I made that bed. I am laying in the bed of home ownership because I made that bed. Are those beds bad? No! They are consequences of the choices I make, or the investments I make.

There are beds in your life right now that you can make and it will allow you enjoy the "made bed" of  your future. There are people that you can invest in, there are projects you can invest in, but the most important "bed" of your life is your relationship with Jesus. That is a "bed" that you can lay in your whole life and enjoy the consequences of a life of liberty and freedom.

Today you will make choices that will affect your future comfort or discomfort. Every choice, every decision, every action will affect your furture. So, will you make your bed and lie in it? For me, I am enjoying the made beds of my life!

Here a blog, there a blog, everywhere a blog, blog, blog

It seems to me that most people want to be known and heard. To prove my point, how many of us check our Facebook account after we posted something to see if anyone replied. We look to see how many "friends" we have, and how many "likes" our page contains. In a world of over six billion people you would think one would never feel lonely or friendless...

How many of us have felt alone? Most of us at times have felt that way; I know I have! I can be surrounded by my husband, our three boys, and two dogs and yet at times feel utterly alone. How can I be in a community and in relationship in that community and still feel alone and unheard...

Usually it is because I have chosen to allow what is going on in my life to direct my reaction to life. You see we were created to be in relationship first with God. Relationship? That sounds a little creepy to some, but to others it sounds like life itself. You will never feel complete, whole, and totally sound until you are in a relationship with God, through Jesus, by the Holy Spirit. When I feel alone in a community, is simply because I am neglecting my relationship with God.

Sparkler for Jesus is a blog about my relationship with God, my relationship with others, and how I chose to live my life out loud for the world to see. I believe some people can live behind a veil and never show who they really are... If you know me, then you know I am not one of those people. Life comes at me 100 miles a second and keeping Jesus in the center isn't easy, but it is possible. So, with the hurts, the joys, and with raw openess I purpose to live like a Sparkler for Jesus.

My prayer is that through this blog, you will see you are not alone. He is right there with you, if you choose! So, here a blog, there a blog, everywhere a blog, blog, blog....