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Discipline

DISCIPLINE. This is the word that took me out of bed at 3:30am this morning. I woke up thinking about my dog, Bowser, who is away at training (aka doggy boot camp). My mind was swirling with all of the lessons and DISCIPLINE he is learning and struggling with. Why is he so stubborn? Why isn't be learning faster? He could have so much more peace if he would just learn to trust "his humans". (Maybe doggy yoga would have been better??:))

But the truth is, he most likely learned these bad habits from me. Just like a child learns bad habits from their parents, dogs do the same thing. 

One year ago I thought we were on the right track to training. Kyle & I signed Bowser up for "Basic Obedience" to teach him to "come", "stay", "heal" etc. (Wouldn't it be nice if they had this class for parents??) He was head of his class. Bowser is a very smart dog indeed... his mom on the other hand got an F in this course!  (that's me:-p) I got an F for FAILING to practice obedience, leadership and discipline with him. 

Just like kids, dogs do not prosper without practice. I got lazy. Letting him on the couch to snuggle was too enjoyable. Letting him "take me on a walk" was just "easier". And all of this lead to him running the house and stepping up as "pack leader". 

In the animal world dogs need their humans to be the pack leader in order to create a balanced environment. They need to be able to trust that you know what is best. Dogs also react to energy, so if I was ever nervous or anxious Bowser picked up on that. Like I said- put a BIG FAT F on my forehead.

And so just like everything else in life God puts these things on our plates as an opportunity to learn and grow. If you don't see it that way, you will never learn and grow. It is clear to me that I need to learn discipline. Not just for Bowser, but for God...for my family...for my future...for everything. Bowser is not the only one that needs "boot camp"!

This is the reading that God lead me to this morning:

Living on the Ragged Edge by Charles Swindoll

I've thought about what the Scriptures are teaching on Wisdom and I've come up with this: Wisdom is the God-given ability to see life with rare objectivity and to handle life with rare stability. 

When we operate in the sphere of the wisdom of God, when it is at work in our mind and in our life, we look at life through the lenses of perception, and we respond to it in calm confidence. There's a remarkable absence of fear. We are not seized with panic. We can either lose our jobs or we can be promoted in our work , and neither will derail us. Why? Because we see it with God given objectivity. And we handle it in His wisdom.

 
We can dip into an unexpected valley or we can soar to the pinnacle of prosperity, and we can cope with both extremes. His wisdom provides us the necessary objectivity and stability. That's the way life is when it is lived in the palm of his hand. This is not some dreamland fantasy. It is reality. It is the ability to live above the drag of human opinion and horizontal perspective. It is what happens within us when wisdom goes to work.

Proverbs 3:5 was also very helpful this morning.

Trust the Lord with all of your heart, and don't depend on your own understanding. Remember the Lord in all you do, and he will give you success.

Blessings hidden in trials

Somehow God always delivers JUST the message I need. I hope that this lesson from "Streams in the Desert" inspires and heals you just as much as it did me. God Bless!

October 6, 2011

What grace it requires when we are misunderstood yet handle it correctly, or when we are judged unkindly yet receive it in holy sweetness! Nothing tests our character more than having something evil said about us. This kind of grinding test is what exposes whether we are solid gold or simply gold-plated metal. If we could only see the blessings that lie hidden in our trials, we would say like David, when Shimei cursed him, "Let him curse... It may be that the Lord will repay me with good for the cursing I have received today" (2 Sam. 16-11-12)

Some Christians are easily turned away from the greatness of their life's calling by pursuing instead their own grievances and enemies. They ultimately turn their lives into one petty whirlwind of warfare. It reminds me of trying to deal with a a hornet's nest. You may be able to disperse the hornets, but you will probably be terribly stung and receive nothing for your pain, for even their honey has no value.

May God grant us more of the Spirit of Christ, who, "when they hurled their insults at him,...did not retaliate...Instead he trusted himself to him who judges justly" (1 Peter 2:23). "Consider him who endures such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart" (Heb. 12:3).

Redeem your riches

Lesson for 8-2-11

Inspired by Joyce Meyer

Never let anything you own become so important to you that you can’t walk away from it or let it go if God asks you to.

There are 1,420 minutes in every day- how do you spend your time?

Men don’t have any problem at all spending half a day watching football or playing 6 hours of golf.

Ladies? We don’t have any problem spending 3 hours at the spa or 4 hours out for drinks with the girls, do we?

But if we are asked to spend one hour with God we think, “when am I going to find time to do that?” Many of us only think about God when we have a disaster.

If you REALLY made it a priority, you would wake up a little bit earlier to spend time with God. We put time into what’s important to us! All he is asking for is a relationship with YOU… he chose YOU.

3 things to put on a sticky note and post to your fridge, car dash or office desk

• If you do not put God first with your time, NOTHING ELSE WILL WORK OUT IN YOUR LIFE.
• Develop a habit to NEED God 1 hour every morning and watch your life flourish.
• Stop trying to work God into your schedule and work your schedule around God.

1 Timothy 6:17 “Things that take us away from God”

 As for the rich in this world charge them not to be proud and arrogant and contemptuous of others, nor to set their hopes on uncertain riches, but on God who provides us with everything for (our) enjoyment.

*Perspective: If you have food, a home, clothes, running water- you are considered rich.

He is not saying there is anything wrong with having an abundance, but make sure you don’t put your hope in “the stuff.”

People are working way too hard today on way too much stuff. We are addicted to “things”.

Can anyone relate to this?! I don’t have enough time for God because I need a second job to afford my mortgage and I have to work overtime to afford my new fancy boat. Then I get grouchy and tired so my marriage is in trouble…etc. etc.

Do you get it yet?! Here’s the point… if God comes first in your fancy home or a family worships God together in their big boat, then you are using your “things” to honor Him. If a friend calls and needs a ride and you pick him up in your Maserati, then you are using your “things” for Christianity. Things can be used to bring life to other people, but the thing itself will not bring life to you.

The world abuses people to get things. We need to start using things to bless and minister to people. Everything you own needs to be available to God.

The Bible says: Do not put your hopes in uncertain riches, but keep your hopes in God.

This brings me to a story…something that happened to me this week. On my way home from taking Chloe to Project H.O.P.E. in Pontiac for her heartworm treatment I saw a homeless man on the corner of Telegraph. He held up a sign that said “Homeless family. Hungry. Will work for food.” I was stopped at a red light and I was in the wrong lane to hand him any money so I turned around and handed him $1.50. He was wearing a cross on his wrist and said “God Bless You”.  I smiled and drove away.

But his face stuck with me. I had another $20 in my purse but I only gave him $1.50 because I thought, “what if he uses the money for drugs?” and “I need the cash to get lunch for me & Kyle”. Our society and the news has taught us to be distrustful and selfish. I put myself first and questioned this man’s motives.

So the next day I was driving with Kyle and I told him the story. I decided if I saw the man again I might give him more money. And then I took it one step further… “What if we hire him to pull our weeds? Do our yard work?” I certainly need help around the house and we could feed his family! You can imagine the reaction Kyle gave me (insert quizzical expression here).:)

But here’s the point: I wanted to use my “things” to help this man. Rather than dwell on what the world has taught me (Don’t trust this man’s motives. Be fearful- he could steal from you!), I decided to react with what God has taught me. We are given things to return them as blessings.

That is why I continue to open my house and my heart to dogs in need. I was blessed with “things”, now it is my turn to return that blessing.

Sometimes God “tests” us. It’s not about the homeless man or the dogs or anything else… it’s a test. WiIl you give when you are called upon?

Joyce Meyer shared a great thought, something that I hope will stick with you this week: “If you keep something after God tells you to give it away, it will stop bringing you joy.” We are designed to give. Go out and give back today.

Pet Pardons

My blog today is dedicated to Ashley Owen Hill, founder of Pet Pardons. She put into words what I have been trying to say all along... sometimes we are left with no words...speechless for the things we care about most. Thank you, Ashley for writing this beautiful blog.

http://luckydogrescueblog.blogspot.com/2011/01/test.html

Holy Spirit

This week I have been missing my grandma like crazy and ironically my "homework" for the Starting Point class at church is "Holy Spirit".

We were asked to explore what "the Holy Spirit" is...how do we connect with this mysterious apparition? What does it sound like? Feel like? How do we know it's there... sitting next to us in the passenger seat on the way to work, or maybe next to us in Yoga class?

We are told to honor the Father, Son and Holy Ghost. And we know who the Father and Son are...but who or what exactly is "the Holy Ghost"?

I was in Ann Arbor yesterday for the Art Festival and I parked at Briarwood Mall to take the shuttle. I ran inside to Macy's to use the bathroom and there was a cute older couple in front of me. The woman reminded me SO MUCH of my grandma. How she interacted with her husband, her mannerisms, the way she smiled at me when she opened the bathroom door. I just FELT the presence of my grandma and it made me smile.

I feel like God gives us little glimpses of the people we lose to death... maybe a reminder of the joy they left behind or reassurance that their spirit lives on in the afterlife? Since we had a close, personal relationship with that person before they died, I think God also uses their spirit to get closer to us. God seeks a close, personal relationship with us every way possible. He loves us that much!

At my grandma's celebration of life last September we played the song "I can only imagine" and every time I hear it now I can "feel" her...wrapping her arms around me with a musical hug.

(excerpt from Starting Point) Jesus refers to the Holy Spirit as the "counselor" that lives inside us. Even though Jesus is not visible, we can experience intimacy with God when we listen and follow the prompting of that still, small voice in our hearts. Our intimacy with God is not based on keeping a list of rules. As a member of God's family you have God with you...in you...as a still, small voice and powerful force. Thus living your life with God is simply a matter of following him whenever prompted. And while it's not the same as interacting with a visible person, we can learn to listen to God's spirit speaking into our lives.

"We are not human beings on a spiritual journey, we are spiritual beings on a human journey".

-Stephen Covey

Your heart...

The lord searches every heart & understands every desire & every thought.
1Chron28:9

Knowing & believing this will change your life.