A Strange Place....

I recently shared this at the Cafe.....thought you may enjoy it as well.

I recently looked out my window and saw the strangest sight. Now for the outsider looking in, I am sure they would not even noticed it. For many, it would not have been in the least bit unusual. But, for us, it was a strange sight. In fact, it was worthy of calling the whole family around to stare out the window in disbelief!

Are you wondering what this amazing sight could have been?

It was a large white and gray colored CAT prowling around the INSIDE of our eight foot privacy fence!

What could be strange about a cat wandering around our yard, you wonder?

Well, we don’t OWN a cat! In fact, we own a LARGE dog who absolutely was going crazy at the thought of an intruding feline invading his space!

Our yard was NOT this cat’s home. In fact, this yard could have been very dangerous to the animal if we would have allowed our dog to have his way and let him outside. But, watching the cat, you would have never known that. He seemed completely comfortable roaming around this strange yard. In fact, he LOOKED like he “owned the place.” Our yard, to any passerby, appeared to be his home.

But, it’s not.

I thought about how I can so easily forget where my home is as well.

I make the mistake and believe this world is my home, strolling through, completely comfortable, as if I “own the place.”

“Friends, this world is not your home, so don’t make yourselves cozy in it. Don’t indulge your ego at the expense of your soul.” 1Peter 2:11, The Message

Many times I walk around “too cozy” or too comfortable in THIS world, accepting things that are not glorifying to God. Sometimes I have been distracted and deceived, led astray by my longings for the “worldly” things my flesh desires. Other times, I seek the approval of the world, instead of God. And, there are times when I mosey along in this world, not even aware of the danger, like the cat in my yard. Oh, how I want to remember at these times that THIS WORLD IS NOT MY HOME!

The NIV translation puts it this way:

“Dear friends, I urge you, as strangers and aliens in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul.”

Lord, help me to remember this world is NOT my home. Help me to remember that You have set me apart from “the world.” Lord, help me to never be “cozy” here, but to keep my eyes and heart to be set on “things above.” Thank You, Jesus for Your forgiveness and Your Power to live this way! In Jesus’ Name I pray. Amen.

Join me today at Laced With Grace where I will be talking about ROOTS....

AND the Cafe where I will be talking about childhood phases....and growing out of them!

Join me at the Cafe today....

Do you notice Ashley's name printed on this beautiful Barbie? Join me at the Cafe today to read more about it.....

Click HERE.

At the Cafe today.....

Are you a "WINDSHIELD STALKER"?

Do you even know what one is???????

OK, be honest.....do you look in people's windshields as they drive by?

Join me over at the Cafe today to read more!

I will obey....later!

Do you ever struggle with obedience?????

When you know God is calling you to do something (or to NOT do something)....how do you react?

Mmm.....

Obedience can be a bit like parking. Parking?????

Now that I have your attention, come on over to the Cafe to hear more!

I'm writing at the Internet Cafe today and would love for you to join me there.

I'm at the Cafe today!

BUSY...BUSY....BUSY...BUSY.....BUSY....BUSY......

Please stop by the Internet Cafe today as we are talking about having a MARY Christmas!

Garbage Day....at the Internet Cafe!

Please join me today at the Cafe... where I am talking about taking out the garbage!

Rockin' the Dock...at the Internet Cafe

Did you go to Vacation Bible School as a kid? Do you ever join the fun now, as an adult?

There is just something AMAZING that happens at VBS.

This year there were snakes, flies, frogs, boils, and even a big CROC!

Please visit me at the Cafe today to read the lessons God spoke to me this summer at Crocodile Dock!

This is War!

I have been been in a war the past few weeks, and at times, I must admit, I have felt DEFEATED! With whom am I battling, you ask? Who is this enemy?


It is the dreaded Japanese Beetle!

To read about how the enemy of our souls resembles this WICKED bug, please visit me at Laced with Grace today.

To finish reading this devotion, please visit me (click on) at Laced With Grace!

Making the Bed...at the Internet Cafe

Do you like making the bed? Have you ever thought making the bed is like MARRIAGE? I wrote about it today at the Cafe.....

To read this devotion, please come over to the Cafe. Click here.

Do YOU run?

Do you run? I have NEVER run in my life. I have walked, including power walking for years. In college I worked out in the gym daily, doing aerobics, step aerobics, stair steppers, treadmills, and various weights- both "free" weights and machines.

But, I have never RUN.

It's not that I didn't WANT to run. I have always envied runners when I see them. I longed to be able to run with long strides, sweating, arms flowing. And, it seems that runners perform the activity with such ease!

I have always had a "vision" of me running and a dream of someday running in a marathon. But, every time I tried to run, I would take a few strides, my legs would start burning, and I would just quit.

To finish reading this devotion, please visit me at the Internet Cafe! Simply click here.

Happy Spring!

Spring has Sprung!

The ladies at the Internet Cafe are hosting a wonderful giveaway in celebration of Spring. For a chance to win some fabulous spring gifts, they are asking that we blog about spring and how we can REFRESH and RENEW our SPIRITUAL LIVES.

SPRING has been on my mind lately, as well. When I was out walking earlier this week, I mediated on the beauty of God and how He illustrates LIFE, DEATH, and RESURRECTION through the incredible miracle of Spring. I blogged about it here.

What I love about Spring is the freshness and clean-ness of the AIR. I love to breathe deeply, drawing the crispness.... refreshing, exhilarating.

I had my girls sit on the front porch the other day, eyes closed, breathing deeply. The breeze was blowing in our hair. The sun was shining down upon our upturned faces and we were WORSHIPPING! We talked about how God is all around us. God is in the still, small voice....the gentle breeze.

I realize I need to do that as well, spiritually. I need to BREATHE God in. I love the song, "Breathe." The lyrics continually say, "You are the air I breathe." I want to breathe deeply, drawing His Spirit of refreshment into my spirit.

Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. James 4:8

To me, Spring also means CLEANING! I love to clean out closets, wipe down cabinets, clear out cob webs... It feels so good to shine windows so they are sparkling. Everything seems "right" when it is clean. It smells good. It feels good. It is inviting.

I know that I also need to spend time CLEANING out the closet of my heart! I need to wash the windows of my mind. I need to get rid of the "junk". I need to clear away the dust. I want to continually wash myself in His Word. I want to open my heart to Him for some MAJOR "Spring Cleaning." I want Him to wash away all of the impurities. Colossians tells us to put off the "old self", the old way of living and put on the new self. It tells us to clothe ourselves with compassion, put on love, and let the peace of Christ rule in our hearts. (3:12-17)

And, finally, Spring is a time of PLANTING. God has so much to teach us through gardening! Reaping and sowing....when you sow to the Spirit, you reap life. When you are walking in the Spirit, the FRUIT of the Spirit flourishes in your life- love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness, goodness, and self-control.

I know that as God plants His Word in my heart, I must tend to the garden. I must water the Word, pull the weeds, fertilize the plants...nourish it. My heart must be good soil. I must have a solid root system in Jesus Christ (being rooted and established in Love). I must tend to that relationship so that it flourishes.

How do I do any of this?

Spend time with God.

Enjoy Him.

Walk with Him.

Read His Word.

Pray.

Rest in Him.

Make sure you head over to the Cafe to check out the DELICIOUS giveaway!

Happy Spring!

I'm at the Cafe Today...talking about BEAUTY!

Please join me for at the CAFE today.... we'll be talking about..


*gulp* BEAUTY!

Have you been spending too much time in the mirror (or the opposite extreme of avoiding looking at yourself altogether)?

Been considering Botox?

No matter what your age, women today are under pressure to look a certain way....please join me today at the Cafe to ponder it!

I'm at the Cafe Today....Please visit me there!

I have a 12 year old son who loves the Star Wars Saga. There are many awesome lessons to teach through these movies. But, as we were watching Episode III the last time, I realized again how important it is to LISTEN to what is being said (both intentionally and unintentionally), talk to my kids about the "message," and always remember that the secular world is usually not a "friend" to Christianity.

In this episode, Anakin, the once noble Jedi knight, has alligned himself to the evil Dark Side.

When he is battling his teacher, Obi Wan Kanobi, Anakin says,
"If you are not with me, you're against me."

Master Kanobi responds, "Only Siths (evil) deal in absolutes."

When I heard this, a chill went down my spine. I had probably watched this movie at least three times before, but hadn't noticed it until now.

Anakin's words sounded much like Jesus' when He said,

"He who is not with Me is against Me..." (Luke 11:23)

Evil Siths deal in abolutes.

Absolute Truth= Evil

Is the Bible absolute truth? Is the Bible like the Siths?

Do you see the confusion a child may have?

It can be a confusing to be "in the world, but not of the world "(John 7:14-15). As Believers, we LIVE in this world and we are to be SALT and LIGHT to those around us in the world, but we don't want the "world" to BE IN US.

To finish reading this devotion, please visit the Cafe!

Have a "Mary Christmas!"- Sit awhile at the Cafe today!

Tuesday-Aly's Christmas Concert at School, Wednesday-All-Church Family Advent Night, Thursday-Christmas Party at the "Smith's." Send out invitations for an annual Cookie Exchange at our house. Send out invitations for our Christmas party for Brian's employees. Send out invitations for Ashley's birthday party....... Wow! Is your calendar as busy as mine? AND- it's only the first week of December!

As we begin to jump into the Christmas season, and all of the activities that surround it, I am again reminded that I must keep grounded on what Christmas is all about- the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. It is so easy to get caught up in all of the busyness, the things on all of our “to-do” lists, the shopping and entertaining…

Please visit me at the Cafe to finish reading this devotion.....

Are you wearing a MASK???

Isn’t it fun to watch kids dress up at Halloween? They’re so excited to pretend to be someone else. Some choose dragons. Others princesses. Some want to be dressed as courageous heroes while others choose to be something ferocious.

Do you ever feel like you are wearing a mask? Do you ever find yourself pretending to be someone you're not? Pretending to “have it all together," but in reality, your "all togethers" are falling apart? You would never want people to see the “real you”, the person behind the mask. You would be embarrassed if you were ever "found out."

So....we put on our masks, go about our business, and when friends ask how we are, we smile and declare, "Great! How are you?"

Because so many of us are wearing these perfection masks, we look around and think that we are the only Christian mom or wife or daughter who is "messing up." We feel like failures. We would never admit to needing help, let alone actually asking for it! Instead of building one another up and encouraging each other in our faith, we pretend that we are just fine and hide behind our masks.

But, God sees through the mask right down to the “real you”. He sees all the flaws and mistakes and failures and yet loves us completely and unconditionally. Isn't it comforting to know how much He loves us? Psalm 139 tells us that God searches us and knows us. He knows us completely, from the inside out. He knows a word before it even reaches our tongue. He is familiar with our ways. He isn't surprised by us. He knows every thought, every worry, every joy, every hurt. There is no where we can run from His Spirit, no where to escape His love, no mask to hide our person from Him. With God, we can stop pretending, take off our mask, and allow Him to love us.

And, I believe that we can also take off our masks with our sisters in Christ, allow them to love us, and share authentic relationships with them. We might find that we all make mistakes, not one of us is perfect, and we are not the only one in the carpool with a dirty minivan!

Father God, thank You for loving me unconditionally. Thank You, Lord that I don't have to hide anything from You, that I CAN'T hide anything from You because You know me completely. Thank You that I can take off my mask. Help me Lord to be honest, authentic and real with those around me. Help me to encourage others so that they, too feel comfortable taking off their masks. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen.

Internet Cafe Devotions FALL contest....

Internet Cafe Devotions is sponsoring a contest for Fall, Falling for Jesus that is, and the winner will receive a $50 gift card to Amazon.com and have their piece published on Internet Cafe Devotions.

How to enter:
Write about your most treasured God experience following the guidelines listed below.
Post your writing on your blog.
Post the Falling for Jesus button on your blog either in the sidebar (preferred) or with the post.
Link directly to your contest post here using Mr. Linky.
Make sure that you leave your email address in the comments section so that we can get in touch with you if you win.

Guidelines:
writing should be uplifting and void of condemnation.
writing should reflect a Biblical perspective.
writing should contain at least one Bible verse (along with its reference and the translation it was taken from.)
It should be 400-700 words in length, and should be well proofed for errors before submission.
Authors must own the rights to any works that are submitted.
We are looking for writing that shares the God moments in day-to-day life; the honest transparency that brings you closer to the heart of Jesus; and words that guide readers into Biblical truth.

Details:
All entries must be received before October 26, 2008 at midnight.
The judges will be Amy Bayliss, Lori MacMath, Darlene Schacht, and a few of Internet Cafe Devotion's other regular contributors.
The winner will be announced on November 1st.

Please direct all questions regarding this contest to amy@internetcafedevotions.com or lori@internetcafedevotions.com.

I'm at the Cafe

We are intrigued by fear, aren’t we? We tune into TV shows like “Fear Factor,” ride the most thrilling roller coasters, and watch scary movies. We cheer the prospect of being victorious in overcoming our fears.

But real life fears can be different, seizing us and consuming our lives. I have a friend who confessed that she is gripped by fear, afraid of making mistakes as a mom and things happening to her children. Although she didn’t like the feelings of fear, it was apparent that she had come to a place of “living in it.” And, as she shared these feelings with a group of women, they drew the conclusion that fear is just a “normal” part of life and something we just have to live with.

Or is it?

What if……

Please visit the Cafe to finish reading this devotion!

One Country, One Community, One Church....I am at the Cafe Today

Is it really the 4th of July? Could it be? For our family, this holiday is quite different than years past….

We are residents of Cedar Rapids, Iowa. You may have watched our plight on national (or international) news. We experienced the worst flood in the history of Iowa, and possibly the United States. It has been called a “catastrophic event.” The Cedar River crested at almost twelve feet higher than ever in recorded history, 20 feet higher then flood stage. More than 4,000 homes were flooded as 1,300 city blocks were inundated with water. Many of these people can not go back home. They have been “displaced”- living with friends, relatives, in apartments, two shelters set up in area schools, and now possibly FEMA trailers. These people have lost everything. Clothing, material possessions, pictures, keepsakes…..everything. My friend has lost eight homes in her family- it has affected her mother, brothers, sisters, and cousins.....

Please visit the Internet Cafe to finish reading this devotion. Blessings!