Wake up my Heart!

Scripture of the Day: Psalm 25:5 Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my  hope  is in you all day long. Short and sweet post on this morning as I have slept in and feel quite wonderful and on the verge of possibility!  On this morning of New Year's Eve, I sit feeling hopeful and excited for what is to come! January 1st is my day to "start over" with God if you will. There will be a new bible in a year to begin, a new chance to commit to a Beth Moore Study, a new chance to pray more often, a new chance for me to be more open to what God has to teach! I start off the first few months of each year being pretty diligent and tend to be less disciplined the further we get into the year.  Maybe this year will be different and I will stick it out! I think that is my greatest hope/prayer for 2014. This year, I hope that you, too, will look to learn more about our God, in all forms -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. If you haven't tried a d...

Scripture of the Day: Luke 2:14 ‘Glory to God in the highest heaven,      and on earth peace to those on whom his favour rests.’ Tonight I went to an excellent, Scripture driven, Christmas service. A church in town had an "Eve of Christmas Eve" service. This girl, who cannot make Christmas Eve or Day services anymore, was beyond stoked to attend a celebration of Christ's birth! The candlelight ceremony at the end while singing "Silent Night" was a glorious site to behold!  Jesus may not have been born on December 25th. We don't know the date. But it doesn't matter. Scripture gives us details of his birth and if believe those words, then regardless of the day, his birth deserves celebrating. When we celebrate Jesus' birth at Christmas, we are acknowledging that our Heavenly Father sent Jesus to earth. We are celebrating our God, made flesh. And when we celebrate, we are saying "Glory to God in the highest heaven and on earth peace to those ...

Scripture of the Day: 1 Corinthians 14:33 For God is not a God of confusion, but of peace. Taking a pause in my Christmas Carol posts for a life update. Here is a confession of me needing prayer...yet again!  I am in the midst of beginning treatment for Crohn's disease and just got the call yesterday that I probably need surgery for some ovarian cysts (I am going to attempt a second opinion). Regardless, 2013 (and what looks to be the beginning of 2014) have been, and look to stay, kind of rough! I came across the verse above last night and that is my prayer right now. I am needing that feeling of God being a God of peace...because right now I am just confused! Note...I'm not confused in my faith and God and I are all right, I just need a little bit of His peace. If you could pray that peace for me, that would be great! Another great verse is Romans 15:13,  May the  God   of  hope fill you with all joy and  peace  as you trust in him, so that...

Scripture of the Day: Matthew 28:18-20 18  Then Jesus came to them and said,  ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.   19  Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,   20  and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.’ Lyrics of the Day: Go tell it on the mountain, over the hills and everywhere. Go tell it on the mountain that Jesus Christ is born! It could be because of its catchy beat, or more likely the fact that my son sings to those lyrics, but "Go tell it on the mountain" is becoming my favorite Christmas song this year!  I know most of you reading this have children. They may be grown, but think back to birthday celebrations when they were younger. Did you have a birthday week? Or even a birthday month? Did you count down to the big day? Through Christmas tun...

Note this post was from last year...but slightly edited as my kiddo is another year older!  Scripture of the Day: Psalm 127:3 Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb a reward. Song of the Day: Thank God for Kids by the Oakridge Boys (lyrics below in case you have never heard this gem!!)                                                If it weren't for kids have you ever thought There wouldn't be no Santa Claus Or look what the stork just brought Thank God for kids. We'd all live in a quiet house Without Big Bird or a Mickey Mouse And Kool Aid on the couch Thank God for kids. Thank God for kids, there's magic for a while A special kind of sunshine in a smile. Do you ever stop to think or wonder why The nearest thing to heaven is a child? Daddy, how does th...

Scripture of the Day: Luke 2: 8-11 8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields near by, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. Song lyric: What Child is this? What child is this, who, laid to rest, On Mary's lap is sleeping? Whom angels greet with anthems sweet, While shepherds watch are keeping? This, this is Christ the King... Can you imagine for a second, being those shepherds? Terrified by the glory of the Lord, only to hear the best news in the universe. The Savior, who can bring joy to all the people, was born. This child is Christ the King. Friends, stay in the shepherds shoes. Would you have believed? Would you have run to Bethlehem to see fo...

Scripture of the Day: Isaiah 9:6 For to us a child is born,      to us a son is given,      and the government  will be on his shoulders. And he will be called      Wonderful Counselor,  Mighty God,      Everlasting  Father,  Prince of Peace Last December I my blog focused on various Christmas songs and I am going to attempt the same thing this year! The verse above is word for word on our Veggie Tales Christmas CD in a song called, "For unto us a child is born," and inevitably gets stuck in my head!  I love that between 700 and 800 years before Christ was born those words were written! I also love what those words imply about our Savior. There isn't anything condescending or bad there, instead all of the words ring out with hope and with comfort. Especially during this Christmas I need to focus on the fact that this child who was given to us all needs to be my focus. I am a ...

Scripture of the Day: Psalm 118:24 This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. On this week when we celebrate Thanksgiving, let's take those words to heart! Every day we have is a gift and every day has something in it that we can rejoice in, whether it be big or small. Of late, it is the little things that I rejoice in the most. Cuddles with my son. Sleeping in. The fact that I am home and not in the hospital. Family coming to visit. A roof over my head. Christmas ornaments dating back to when I was one and the memories of each ornament on my tree. The laughter of a child. Enough money to pay the bills. Life. What are you thankful for? Take some time today and make a list. I guarantee it will be longer than you think! And that my friends, is just how God intended it to be! Have a Happy, and a blessed Thanksgiving!

Scripture of the Day:  Psalm 57:3-4 My heart, O God, is steadfast,      my heart is steadfast;      I will sing and make music. Awake my soul! When I chose the name for this blog, I never would have guessed how important Psalm 57 is in terms of healing. But when I am ill (just had another hospital stay), it seems there is no other place for me to turn! Interestingly enough, Psalm 57 is what we studied on Wednesday night at my church during the prayer service and God had me in the right place at the right time. Instead of just praying for my health, our church prayer group prayed yet again for my soul to awake and thank goodness, it has!  Psalm 57 covers the spectrum, David needs mercy, he needs rescuing, he is scared. But regardless of his circumstances he is thankful and steadfast in his faith. That is where we can take our lesson from, and where I find myself today. Trying to remain steadfast in my faith! When you world is ...

Scripture of the Day: As he passed by, he [Jesus] saw a man blind from birth.   2  And his disciples asked him,  “Rabbi,  who sinned,  this man or  his parents, that he was born blind?”   3  Jesus answered,  “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but  that the works of God might be displayed in him. All right, reading crew, as I write this post, I am more stupefied than I have ever been about the miraculous ways of God! If you go back three months, you will find a post after I was in the hospital. Then I typed that we presumed God healed the bleeding issues when I was in the hospital...but if you couldn't tell from the tone and words in that post, there was a little bit of doubt on my end. At that point I had  to believe God healed me because the alternative (multiple errors on the account of the hospitals) would have driven me absolutely crazy. We will start with yesterday and then work our way through some "stuffs...

Scripture of the Day: 1 Corinthians 4:7b-8a What do you have that you did not receive?  And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?   Already you have all you want! Already you have become rich! I am afraid I am in a "want" phase currently. This applies largely to things that we don't have and I should note, things that we don't need! We are just fine where we're at. God is trying to work on this in me through this verse today - just as he was doing the same thing back in 2009 (I was writing in an old journal and came across an entry from 10/14/09 in which I was working on this very thing). Oh, how I wish I could learn a lesson just once and it would stick. Instead I am just like my 3 year old and need to be gently reminded (or more severely reprimanded) over and over and over!  I may not have an overabundance of "stuff" but everything I do have, I have because the Lord has blessed me with it. My new favorite quote i...

Scripture of the Day: Genesis 17:15-19 15-16  God continued speaking to Abraham, “And Sarai your wife: Don’t call her Sarai any longer; call her Sarah. I’ll bless her—yes! I’ll give you a son by her! Oh, how I’ll bless her! Nations will come from her; kings of nations will come from her.” 17  Abraham fell flat on his face. And then he laughed, thinking, “Can a hundred-year-old man father a son? And can Sarah, at ninety years, have a baby?” 18  Recovering, Abraham said to God, “Oh, keep Ishmael alive and well before you!” 19  But God said, “That’s not what I mean. Your wife, Sarah, will have a baby, a son. Name him Isaac (Laughter). I’ll establish my covenant with him and his descendants, a covenant that lasts forever. In case you need a refresher, the story above is about Abraham. Abraham had a son, Ishmael and he was envisioning (even asking) that God would spread the blessings He had promised through that line and was having trouble picturing his wife ...

Scripture of the Day: John 17:17 ...Your word is truth I think I have mentioned this before, but to reiterate - I spent most of my life not believing that Truth existed. In fact, my favorite Sociology professor in college used to tell us that there was no "truth" with a capital T. My how things have changed! I feel like God is hitting me over the head with this verse (which actually is my 3.5 year olds memory verse of the week). This past weekend I was lucky enough to attend a Beth Moore conference and what I most took out of it is that the Word is important. And in order for that word to really impact you, you have to believe that it is True! The Bible tells us that there is indeed Truth. The word of God is truth. What he says, he means. What he promises, he fulfills. What he makes a covenant to do, will be done. The Word also applies to us. What he tells us we should do...we should do! This "doing" goes across many levels - it tells us how we should act, ho...

Scripture of the Day: 1 John 4:19 We love because he first loved us The other day as I was making dinner, my little man told me that God put love in my heart. It was out of the blue and just about the sweetest words I have ever heard! He was at the table and it made me cry over at the counter :). The words were particularly needed because I was having a rough emotional day and love toward everyone was NOT what I was feeling. A 3 year old changed my perspective (note - this happens frequently because out of the mouths of babes come some words that convict!!). He was right. God put love in my heart. And the reason that he did this is because he loves us. And thus we love. There is a Sunday School song with the lyrics: Oh, how I love Jesus Oh, how I love Jesus Oh, how I love Jesus  because he first loved me. Friends, God put love in your heart. He didn't put it there so you would revel in it and be happy and content in your own little bubble. He put it there so you co...

Scripture of the Day: Colossians 3:12 Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Oh goodness, isn't that great advice?! As a mother of a young child, how I wish I could "clothe" myself with the characteristics in the verse above! Sadly, patience is often hard to come by and even kindness and gentleness are hard to come at some moments! God desires we have these qualities, not only as parents, but because we are His children. Rather than going about our day, instilling qualities that the world may desire we have (greed, ego-centrism, and even a little bit of impatience to name a few) - we are to be prepared every day to go out and be the face of Christ. That face is always kind, and is capable of having "tenderhearted mercy" for the people we meet. I love the qualifier on the mercy, because I think mercy is good enough on it's own, but when you ...

Scripture of the Day: Nehemiah 8:10b Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength. (note: the word "strength" used in Hebrew means "refuge, stronghold, fortress, place of protection") Joy is a tough one for me to figure out sometimes. This past weeks bible study has made me focus on the topic and Kelly Minter sums my problem out for me quite nicely, "Obtaining joy felt much like trying to catch a butterfly with a torn net-- I could never quite get at it. The problem was not so much the net but that I was chasing the wrong butterfly. I ran around grasping and striving for pleasure and happiness while joy just perched there quietly on my shoulder as if to say, 'Hey...I'm right here.'" What butterflies do you chase trying to find joy? Several things could be added to pleasure and happiness...we chase after the love of our lives, having children, "enough" money, quality time, material goods, being the "right" ki...

Scripture of the Day: 2 Corinthians 1:21-22 21  Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm  in Christ. He anointed  us,   22  set his seal  of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come. Sometimes the Bible is my "comfort food" if you will. The verse above is a fantastic example of that! When I read that it is God who makes us stand firm in Christ - that we belong to him - and and that the Holy Spirit is like a deposit in my heart, I feel great. I feel safe, content, peaceful and even like a weight has been lifted.  So, what is this deposit? I am no biblical scholar but I think it could be several things. Because the Holy Spirit is of God, that deposit could be the tiny awareness in you that heaven exists. It could be why we are hopeful (certain even) that when we die, we get to see Jesus face to face. The deposit could be the gifts of the Spirit ( love,  joy, peace,  forbearance...

Scripture of the Day: Isaiah 1:17 (from The Message) Learn to do good.  Work for justice.  Help the down-and-out.  Stand up for the homeless.  Go to bat for the defenseless. Oh man. I read that verses in a half-sleep stupor the other morning and felt like I was hit by a bus! (If you really want to see more, look at the verses preceding this one...God was definitely trying to get our attention!)  How are you with faith-in-action? I confess I am not really there! The most "action" I  see in my faith life is writing this blog, going to church and going to a weekly prayer service. I don't do much for justice. I don't stand up for the homeless. I don't speak up much for the defenseless (unless that defenseless person is my son and he is being mistreated at a play ground by an unruly child - then mama bear comes out to roar!). As a whole I go through my life blissfully ignorant of what is going on in the world around me...and that is NOT how God intended it...

Scripture of the Day: Philippians 4:6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. I wonder how many times I have written on that verse! And I shall predict it will not be the last. Unfortunately...or fortunately, depending on how you look at it! I have posted before about how important prayer is and how I so want it to be a main focus of my life. At one point I was determined to do a prayer journal (big fail). But prayer is again sneaking up on me and maybe this time it will stick! I will say that I pray much more frequently than I have ever done before and about more things and people...but my prayer is largely focused on supplication. I spend most of my prayer time asking God for things and that is about it. Have you heard of praying by A.C.T.S? I have heard it many times but the acronym always leaves my mind. I think through the latest book I am reading, it is ingrained! ACTS is praying in...

Scripture of the Day: Ephesians 5:33 However, each one of you also must love his wife  as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband. Love and respect. We have all heard about these topics before. From a biblical perspective, we are taught that in a marriage relationship the woman needs love to feel loved and the man needs to be respected to feel loved. I have seen this play out in my marriage at times, but it has never seemed so apparent to me as when I look at the different triggers we have when it comes to dealing with our son. Confused? Here is my tie-in!  The characteristics I try to instill in my son the most involve love. When he is unkind (i.e. won't do something as simple as pick up something when someone's hands are full, or refuses to give someone a hug good-bye), it makes me crazy! I call him out on it, and ensure that he apologizes or corrects the behavior. What amuses me here is that my hubby, although he may get hurt feelings, will let the beh...

Scripture of the Day: Nehemiah 1:5-6a “ Lord , the God of heaven, the great and awesome God,  who keeps his covenant of love  with those who love him and keep his commandments,   6  let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear  the prayer  your servant is praying before you day and night..." It is powerful to pray Scripture. The Word is God breathed and when you breathe those words back to God, it means something! Please note I am NOT saying God doesn't hear you when you pray your own words. I am not very good at praying Scripture (except the Our Father because that is ingrained in me), because I am not very good at memorizing verses. I am at a point though, where I would like to try! I figure if my 3.5 year old son can memorize a verse a week, I should be able to as well. :)  Would you like to join me? If you choose to do this, let me know - I will help hold you accountable to memorize a verse a week, and you can do the same for me! ...

Scripture of the Day: Nehemiah 1:4 When I heard these things, I sat down and wept.  For some days I mourned and fasted  and prayed before the God of heaven. The above verse is Nehemiah's reaction to hearing the state of Jerusalem, after a remnant returned home after 70 years of exile. Things were not good. But Nehemiah's reaction was! His people and his land were hurting and in response his heart broke. (I have to note here I am doing a bible study on Nehemiah, by Kelly Minter and it has the title of this particular blog - A Heart that can Break. It is fabulous!) What is your response when you hear bad news? Do you have a compassionate heart? Does it break when you find out terrible things have happened to those you love? Or take it down a notch, does it break when you see a person in need? Or when you hear of a crisis somewhere in the world? I admit that I'm not sure I have the compassionate heart I probably should. I prefer to stay in ignorant bliss when it comes ...

Scripture of the Day: Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. Do you ever wonder where on earth you are heading? Do the paths you travel seem to make sense? Are you lost? If the answer to any of those questions is yes, I would ask you another question. How are you trying to get where you are going? Are you trying to make you own way or are you trusting God to lead you? The best way to let God lead your life (including major decisions) is to trust him - even when what you think He wants doesn't make sense, seems counter-intuitive, or goes against what the "world" is telling you that you need.  I am becoming all about practical application and encourage you to do the same! Look at your life this morning...what is God asking (or telling) you that you should do (or not do)? I am amused myself because I have been contemplating yet ag...

Scripture of the Day: Philippians 4:6 Do not be anxious about anything,  but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. Well, yesterday was another miraculous day! For the past couple of months, I have been scheduled to have surgery for some large, complex, ovarian cysts. Surgery was to be Thursday. But...with the healing that happened in the hospital in August my awesome husband was pretty sure God healed me of everything so he wanted me to have an ultrasound before surgery to make sure the cysts were still there. Long story short, the cysts are still there, but both have shrunk and surgery is no longer needed! I have an ultrasound again in 2 months to check their size, but am feeling positive that things will be fine! Can anyone join me in praising the Lord??!  This morning I was praying for a verse that summed this up and rather than find one on healing, the verse above came right to mind.   Friend, don't worry ...

Scripture of the Day: John 16:33 " I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” This blog post is going to be short and sweet and intended to simply be a pick-me-up. This verse has been in my head all week and every time I think of it, I cannot help but smile.  Do you ever feel heavy because of what is going on in the world? Whether it is the world pushing down on you specifically (job, money, pressure to have it all, etc), or because the world itself just scares you bejeebers out of you (what on earth going on in Syria)?   When you feel that way, read this verse. It is so full that I am not going to insert anything or even give my opinion on it! Just remember:  " I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” Jesus overcame the...

Scripture of the Day: 2 Timothy 1:7 ... for God gave us  a spirit not of fear but  of power and love and self-control. and also Psalm 34:4 I  sought the  Lord , and he answered me      and delivered me from all my fears. Well ladies and gentlemen (I do know of 1 man who reads this anyway!) - can you tell what topic has been on my heart of late? Fear. Which usually can also be translated as a lack of trust!  The sermon at church this weekend was on the verse from 2 Timothy and it was a sermon that seemed to speak right to me - but if you had told me how fearful I was before the sermon I would have scoffed at you! I realized at church that I have been worried (sin 1) about money (sin 2) and how in the world we are going to survive paying my hospital bills (sin 3). In short, I have been living with a spirit of fear. God doesn't want me to be afraid. He wants me to have a spirit of power, love, and self-control. And to top that all o...

Scripture of the Day: Psalm 9:2 I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High This post is being written on behalf of my little man, who has music in his soul. He LOVES to sing. Real songs he knows and little nonsense songs he makes up himself. My favorite songs he sings are related to the Lord. I don't think that he, at 3.5 years old really comprehends that praising God is what he is doing...it just so happens that the songs he knows are mainly about Jesus! But every time I hear him sing "Jesus loves me," or "God makes messy things beautiful", or a simple "Rise up, rise up," my heart does a little singing of its own.  As you know, it has been a rough month! God and I on our own are doing just fine...but God and I through my son are doing fantastic! Not sure if that makes sense, but I see the love of God more through my kiddo than just about anything else. And because he can sing on a little plastic microphone at...

Scripture of the Day: Psalm 57 1 Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy! I look to you for protection. I will hide beneath the shadow of your wings until the danger passes by. 7 My heart is confident in you, O God; my heart is confident. No wonder I can sing your praises! 8 Wake up, my heart!... It has been several weeks since my last post, and for that I have to apologize. I am at a place where God has me confused and rather than try to write through that, I have just stopped trying altogether. That is not God's intention and so tonight I am going to work through the writer's block. Warning - it may be an interesting ride! In a light bulb moment, this evening I was thinking in that place where many great ideas happen...the shower! I felt like God was telling me to go back to the beginning (meaning the blog). And so 30 minutes ago this is the conversation I feel I had with God in my head: God: What is the name of this blog?  Me: Wake up my heart devot...