Finding Contentment in a "Earthly" World

How many times do you find yourself envious of others?  How many times a day do you drive down the highway and see your "dream car" driven by someone else or drive past your "dream house" occupied by another person?  It is in our human nature to desire things and to be jealous of others' possessions.  I am guilty of this daily.  When my husband and I are taking back roads to Rockwall I occasionally ask him not to drive through certain neighborhoods because I get so jealous of the beautiful mansions and the lifestyles of others.  I can't help, but wish I could live in "that house" or drive "that car."  I even imagine how happy they must be to have all the things they desire.  I am guilty of even jokingly telling my husband that I would be SO happy "if" I had a mansion like the ones I see or "if" I was driving my dream car.

 

When I think about the word 'happiness,' I often think about my wedding day, the day my sons were born or what it would feel like driving around in my brand new, fully loaded car and what it would feel like to walk around in my new million dollar mansion.  Children can imagine happiness on Christmas morning when they see what gifts "Santa" brought them or at a birthday party when they see all of the presents stacked up on the table.  For my 3 year old son, happiness is running through the sprinkler in his underpants or drawing on the sidewalk with chalk.  Everyone wants to be happy and will chase whatever it is that they think will make them happy.  Some will spend money on things only to discover that those things didn't satisfy them as much as they thought, which creates another desire to get something else.  Sadly it is the pursuit of happiness that causes many marital problems and financial nightmares.  We are never satisfied with what we have and constantly try different avenues to find happiness only to discover that didn't make us happy either.

In Philippians 4:10-20, we find Paul's writings on contentment.  He writes in verses 10-13:

"I rejoice greatly in the Lord that at last you have renewed your concern for me.  Indeed, you have been concerned, but you have no opportunity to show it.  I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.  I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty.  I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or want.  I can do everything through him who gives me strength." (NIV)

Paul was content in his life because he could see life from God's point of view and he focused on what he was supposed to do and not on what he should have.  His priorities were in order and he was grateful for the things God gave him.  In verses 19-20, Paul reminds the Christians in Philippi that God will supply their needs:

"And my God will meet all of your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.  To our God and Father be glory for ever and ever.  Amen."

We trust that God will always meet our needs, not our wants. Paul knew how to be content whether he had plenty or whether he was in need.  Learning to rely on God's promises will help you be content.  If you always want more, ask God to remove the desire to want everything you long for and ask Him to help teach you contentment in every circumstance.  He will supply your needs, but in the way that He knows is best for you.

We live in a materialistic society where we desire everything we don't have that others do and we can never have enough money.  Jesus teaches us about the dangers of money in Matthew 6:19-24:

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.  But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rusts do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also....no one can serve two masters.  Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.  You cannot serve both God and Money."

Jesus makes it clear in this passage that having the wrong treasures leads to our hearts being in the wrong place.  What we value the most will control us.  If the desire for money and "earthly" things become more important to you than your service to God, then you need to step back and gain control of your desires as you also ask God for forgiveness.  Jesus calls for us to be content with whatever we have because we as Christians have accepted Him and are heirs to the King!  Our riches are in Heaven which is where our hearts and desires should be focused.  We have chosen an eternal richness over temporary, earthly treasures.  As Christians we know that what we do for Christ here on earth is blessed beyond our riches.  The things we desire here on earth will not be taken with us once we leave this world behind.  We can spend years collecting worldly things that we find temporary happiness in, but those things will break down, rust or get stolen just as Jesus reminds us in verses 19-20.  Can you honestly say that God, and not the desire for money, is your master?  If you spend more time thinking about money or earthly things than you do thinking about your service to Christ and reaching the lost, then money is your master!

The next time you see your "dream house" or "dream car," remember the promises of God. He supplies all of our needs from His riches (Philippians 4:19) and He meets the needs of those who seek His kingdom and righteousness (Matthew 6:33).  Psalm 34:10 says,"Those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing." Be content with what you have and do not be jealous of how God has chosen to bless others.  If you find that the desire for earthly things overpowers your desire to be content, ask God to remove the longing for material things and to reveal to you the things that He has blessed you with.  You will be surprised about all the things you do have that were hidden by your desires for more.  Ask Him to take away the desire of wanting everything you don't have and reveal to you those things that He knows you need.  When you find contentment in your every day life, you are more focused on Christ and His plans for you.  Don't take lightly the things He gave you for He can also take them away.

Honor to Serve

A couple of weeks ago I received my annual jury summons to appear at George Allen Court Building.  Like most of you, I immediately got frustrated for being summoned.  It seems that within the last couple of years I get one every time the rotation goes around.  My husband laughs when it is me and not him which adds to my frustration.  I contemplated coming up with an excuse to get out of it.  I could have put that I was the primary caretaker of a child under 15, but that would have been dishonest since he was going to be in daycare that day anyway.  Then I thought I would postpone it and then when the next one came along I could claim that I no longer live in Dallas County since we are moving into Kaufman County, but that would have also been dishonest.  Being a Christian sometimes makes being dishonest hard because we are overcome with this sense of guilt for even thinking about tricking the government.  I finally decided to serve my time and fill out my juror questionnaire online.  

When the day finally arrived, I found myself sitting with hundreds of other "lucky" citizens who were also summoned to appear as a juror that day.  While I was sitting there I was praying that God would help dismiss me from jury duty, so I could go home.  I even started thinking to myself, "I hope that person and that person get picked, so I don't have to do it."  The morning started off with a 25 minute informational video about what we would expect if we were chosen to serve on a jury and included testimonials from jurors who felt honored to serve.  As I watched the video the key statement the producers wanted to interject was that it was an honor to be chosen to appear in court that day and an even bigger honor to actually be picked to serve on the jury.  They did a really good job portraying that message because by the end of the video my anxiety and frustration turned into calmness.  In fact I felt so calm that I had to take my mind off of it because I had determined that the Lord was calming my nerves to prepare me for my number being written on the board to appear in a particular court room.  Could this be it??  Would my number be called?  During all of my jury duty appearances, I was fortunate to never be called out of the juror's room.  I was always dismissed.  Had my "luck" finally run out?   Finally 3 hours later I received the dismissal I had been waiting for all morning.  I was finally free!!!  

Later that evening while I sat down for my quiet time it dawned on me that what I had experienced that morning was the experience that Christians face daily.  Once we accept Christ we are summoned to appear before others to share Him with the lost.  We are summoned to serve with honor just as the court indicated while I was at jury duty.  How often does God send us a summons when He places someone on our hearts to talk to on a specific day?  He expects us to accept it and serve Him, not make excuses to get out of it.  Most of the time, we as Christians, expect our pastors and spiritual leaders to be the ones who reach the lost while we go through the motions of a Christian, which includes going to church, praying for others and giving our tithes.  We come up with excuses that we are not spiritually mature or ready to share Christ with the lost.  We come up with an excuse that we are too busy taking care of minors or invalids to accept the summons from God.  We also, too often, start pointing fingers at other people and hope that God summons them to appear before the person He placed on your heart, so we can be dismissed.  We may also complain that God is always summoning us to appear before others and not this person or not that person.  When God summons us, He has a specific reason as to why "us" and not "them."  People are placed into our lives for specific reasons and God uses those encounters to further His Kingdom.  

As Christians, we must consider it an honor to serve Christ and share His love and Word with others.  We cannot look at it as a duty that others should be picked to do as we hope for when we receive a jury summons.  Serving Christ needs to be something that we look forward to doing and pray that God sends us a summons to appear before someone that He has placed on your heart.  When you think back to the day that you accepted Christ, aren't you thankful that God sent someone a summons who considered it an honor to talk to you about Him?  Without God placing you on the hearts and minds of the people who reached out to you, where would you be today?  

God may also summon you to serve within your church.  He calls people to serve in some capacity in their church, so that they can contribute to His work as the church reaches others within that community.  How often have you ignored this type of summons?  I Corinthians 12 specifically discusses spiritual gifts and what Christians are expected to do with them.  I Corinthians 12:14 states, "now the body is not made up of one part but of many."  That section of Scripture goes on to say in verses 21-27, "the eye cannot say to the hand, I don't need you.  And the head cannot say to the feet, I don't need you.  On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor.  But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there would be no division in the body, but that the parts should have equal concern for each other.  if one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored every part rejoices in it.  Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it."  Each one of us are given a God given gift which He expects us to use.  As a body of believers each of these gifts work hand in hand and contribute to big parts of His church.  

The greater gifts are those that are more beneficial to the body of Christ.  Paul made it clear that one gift is not superior to another, but he urges the believers to discover how they can serve Christ's body with the gifts God has given them.  Your spiritual gifts are not for your own self-advancement.  They were given to you for serving God and enhancing the spiritual growth of the body of believers.  When God summons us to further His Kingdom, whether it be to appear before a specific person or serve in a specific capacity in our church He eases all of our anxiety and uncertainties.  He creates a calmness over us which gives us the motivation to follow through with the summons.  

So the next time God sends you a summons, accept it with the highest honor and pride knowing that God chose YOU to be an important part of His Kingdom.  Instead of praying to get out of it or being frustrated that you always get summoned to do something for Christ, start feeling honored to serve God.  Christians are part of a rewarding and honorable experience.  When you follow Christ, you live with no regrets and have a sense of pride knowing that you are doing your part.  Then one day when you come face to face with God, He will say to you, "well done, good and faithful servant!  You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things.  Come and share your master's happiness!"  (Matthew 25:23)

Forgiveness Revisited

Last month I posted a blog about forgiveness.  In the blog, I encouraged you to ask God to reveal people in your life that you needed to forgive and relationships that you needed to mend.  I have heard from a couple of you about how God has been revealing people to you and I am so glad!  I wanted to share one story in particular about a friend of mine who messaged me just this morning about how God has been working in her life.

My friend has custody of her grandchildren and has been harboring bitterness towards one of the granddaughters' biological father for many years.  She despised him and often spoke of what would happen to him if he ever tried to come back and see the granddaughter.  She had good reasons to think so awful of him because he has had nothing to do with her in over 4 years, but she decided it was time to ask God to help her forgive him.  This morning she messaged me to tell me that the biological father appeared at her doorstep unannounced this past weekend.  He stood at the door unsure of how he will be received and I imagine fearful of what might happen.  My friend welcomed him and gave him the last 3 years of her granddaughter's pictures.  He told my friend that he would begin sending money to help take care of his daughter.  She even invited him back to see his daughter again!  Praise God!!!  God knew that several years ago if he showed up at her doorstep she wouldn't be ready to welcome him.  She put him on her prayer list and turned it over to God who worked a miracle in her.  He gave her strength to face him and welcome him without passing judgement or reminding him of his past mistakes.  She was able to face him without anger and without hatred.  God can do mighty things when we allow Him to work in our lives!

I encourage you to continue to pray that God heal a broken relationship in your life and ask Him to give you courage to take the first step into totaling forgiving those who have wronged you.  It may take lots of prayer and patience, but God will reveal to you the perfect opportunity to make amends and will give you the opportunity when He knows you are ready.

Sand & Stone

What is sorrow and why do we have to go through it?  Webster's dictionary explains sorrow as, "a feeling of deep distress caused by loss, disappointment, or other misfortune suffered by oneself or others." When was the last time you experienced sorrow? Why does God allow sorrow into the lives of those who have eternal life in Him? Shouldn't we as Christians be exempt from all pain and sorrow? In Romans 8:28, Paul writes that "in all things God works for the good of those who love him." This does not mean that all that happens to us will be good. Evil is evident all around us, but God is able to turn every circumstance around and make it good. We may not see the results quickly, but once we go through the valley and reach the hilltop, we realize the good that God worked out for His glory. Billy Graham mentions in his devotional that times of afflictions and sorrow are included in the "all things."


 The Bible talks about three types of sorrow. The first one is sorrow over others. We experience sorrow over a family member who we know is lost and dying who continues to reject Christ even after our constant persuasions to accept Christ. Parents experience sorrow when their children and grandchildren choose paths that will lead to destruction. We experience sorrow when those we love hurt. There is no other feeling of helplessness than when we know someone is hurting and can't do anything to take away the pain. When our loved ones lose loved ones and go through things that we just can't understand, we feel helpless and inadequate. We would do anything to take away their pain. We mourn with those who mourn and rejoice with those who rejoice.


Another type is personal sorrow. Personal sorrows come into play when sorrow affects us directly. It could be the result of a termination of employment, loss of relationships, loss of loved ones, or loss of a home. Personal sorrow is the most detrimental to our Christian walk. It is through personal sorrow that we begin to doubt God and question His plans. We are more likely to get angry with God and cut off our communications with Him for awhile. We begin to blame God and sometimes turn away from Him. In the worst case scenario, we completely cut off all ties with church and God because we feel that we were unjustly treated.


The last type that the Bible describes is Godly sorrow.  Paul writes in 2 Corinthians, "Even if I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it.  Though I did regret it - I see that my letter hurt you, but only for a little while - yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance.  For you became sorrowful as God intended and so were not harmed in any way by us.  Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regrets, but worldly sorrow brings death" (2 Corinthians 7:8-10). Godly sorrow stems from our personal remorse for living sinful lives to such a degree that we feel guilty that Christ died on a cross for the sins we choose. It projects out when we begin to realize that we broke God's heart and contributed to Christ's death on the cross. Our daily decisions that may lead to sin causes us to regret and humble ourselves before God. It comes once we realize that we must fall down on our face before Christ and ask for forgiveness for our sins. It is the point in our lives where we come to the realization that we have betrayed Christ when we choose things of this world over Him and His plans for our lives. A Godly sorrow is when we come to the realization that we must ask for forgiveness and come to Christ heartbroken over our sinful choices. It is when we turn back to Christ and repent.


I came across a saying the other day at Mardel that made me stop and think. The thought provoking saying was printed on a rock that said, "Write your sorrows in sand...carve your blessings in stone."  How often do we complain about all of the sorrow in our lives, but neglect to remember the many blessings that Christ has bestowed upon us that we didn't deserve. When we begin to reflect on this quote we can be comforted in counting our blessings instead of keeping track of our sorrows. God doesn't work to make us happy all of the time, but to fulfill His purpose in our lives. We as Christians trust in God, not life's treasures; we look for security in Heaven, not on earth; we learn to accept, not resent, pain and persecution because God is with us.


We have always heard the phrase, "God will never give us more than we can handle" and have held it close as a reminder to get us through tough situations. However, after our experiences with grief and sorrow, a new phrase is more true. "God will never give us anything that we can't handle THROUGH Him." He can give us more than we can handle, but it will never be more than He can handle. So remember the next time you experience sorrow don't keep track of the hurtful times, but remember that God's blessings will come.  A popular song comes to mind when I think about sorrow.  Derrell Evans' song "Trading My Sorrows" goes like this:


I'm pressed but not crushed persecuted not abandoned
Struck down but not destroyed I'm blessed beyond the curse for his promise will endure
And his joy's gonna be my strength
Though the sorrow may last for the night His joy comes with the morning.


The next time you or someone you love experience a sorrowful time, remember this song and God's promise to never leave you or forsake you then hold on and weather the storm.

Why Must I Forgive THEM??

Forgiveness....what a difficult concept! How can we forgive a loved one who has betrayed us? How can we forgive a family member who has torn the family apart? How can we forgive a co-worker who made our lives miserable? How can we forgive someone who has brought accusations against us? Believe me, this is a very difficult topic for me. There was a point in my life where I believed things were close to perfect and in a way I considered my family untouchable. Boy, did the Lord open my eyes. He allowed my family to endure something that no family should ever have to endure. Our family certainly felt like Job. When I was praying for the Lord to reveal to me a topic for the next blog entry, He kept telling me forgiveness. Since it was a rather "touchy" topic for me until just recently, I kept putting it off. The Lord really got my attention when there were three totally different people who came to me to discuss the very topic! Wow, you talk about the Lord trying to make you do something. I finally gave in and decided that the topic of forgiveness needs to be addressed.

My experiences through the last couple of years have shaped me into a totally different woman. I was perfectly content with not moving past my circumstance and was perfectly fine with NEVER forgiving those that hurt my family. I had already decided that I would NEVER see the person whom hurt our family again and I had already "forgotten" about the person. I was determined to never let the person hurt my family again. Boy, was I wrong! The whole time I harbored hatred towards the person and unforgiveness towards them I was hurting myself. I was hurting myself physically and spiritually, as well as, hurting my marriage. During those two rough years I played like everything was fine, but the anger and bitterness I felt towards the individual made me a miserable person. I can't explain it any better than I really became depressed. I put on more weight, and I had short patience in dealing with Darren and my students. I even felt further away from Christ because I was ashamed of myself. I just felt like I had this dark spot in my heart that I was allowing to take over aspects of my life and I couldn't do anything about it. Honestly when I prayed about it, I wasn't ready to let it go so as a result, I didn't fully allow the Lord to work in me.

It wasn't until one day God grabbed a hold of my heart and told me, "Who are you not to forgive someone who hurt you when my own Son forgave those that nailed Him to a cross?" WOW!! I felt so ashamed and so embarrassed. If I am supposed to be a Christian and be "Christ like" then why was I not willing to forgive? Here I was, a newly elected missionary, church planter, and pastor's wife who couldn't forgive someone. Not only did I not want to forgive her, but I was so angry at her. Just the thought of the individual boiled up anger in my heart and tears would flow from my eyes. In Matthew 5, Jesus reminds us that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgement. In verse 23-24, Jesus says, "Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother, then come and offer your gift." Here are some good notes from my NIV Study Bible. Killing is a terrible sin, but anger is a great sin too because it violates God's command to love. Anger refers to a seething, brooding bitterness against someone. It is a dangerous emotion that always threatens to get out of control, leading to violence, emotional hurt, increased mental stress, and spiritual damage. Anger keeps you from developing a spirit pleasing to God. Jesus said that we will be held accountable even for our attitudes. Broken relationships can hinder our relationship with God. We are hypocrites if we claim to love God while we hate others. How quick are we to call someone a hypocrite, but in reality are hypocrites ourselves? Our attitudes toward others reflect our relationship with God. I John 4:20-21 tells us, "if anyone says, "I love God", yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother." Matthew 5:21-26 encourages us to get things right with our brothers and sisters before we have to stand before God.

I refer to those awful two years as my darkest time. At the end of those two years, God sent me His personal librarian to pass on a book to me. In his book, Total Forgiveness, R.T. Kendall says, "totally forgiving another person is an achievable act. It can be done, and it is something you and I must keep doing." He also goes on to say that total forgiveness involves additional elements which is praying for God's blessings to rain down on the lives of your offenders. When we can ask God to bless those that hurt us we are allowing God's grace to work through us to remove all bitterness in regards to that person. Lastly, he tells us that totally forgiving someone doesn't mean that we take a vacation with them, but that we release bitterness in our hearts concerning what they have done. God doesn't expect us to become best friends with the person whom has hurt us. I know that my relationship with the individual that hurt me will not be the same. There has been a bond broken that will never be as before. For one, I am hesitant to trust the person again because I am afraid to get hurt again. God expects us to forgive and move on to healing the relationship so that the very thought of them would bring on pleasant thoughts and not unpleasant thoughts.

This week try to sit down and write a list of all the people in your lives that you have been harboring bitterness towards, people that you have held a vengeance against or those people that you have been so angry towards. Then ask God to help you forgive each of them as you mention their name to Him. One thing I did to make it more personal was to pray while holding a picture of her in my hand. At first it was very hard to even look at her picture and after many tears and struggles, I was finally able to actually see her again. Ask Him to allow you to heal from their actions towards you and then ask God to forgive YOU. Yes, I said to ask Him to forgive you. I didn't realize that the whole time I was resenting the individual and thinking awful things about her would be considered a sin. I mean SHE was the one who hurt my family. However, because I hated a sister in Christ and wanted her to hurt just as much as me, I sinned. I literally hated one of God's creations. So you need to ask God to forgive you. Then pray for God to reveal to you steps towards mending the relationship and reconciling. Before Thanksgiving I finally took a BIG step towards mending the relationship. I met her face-to-face and talked. As we shared tears and hurts, we were finally able to heal as we forgave each other. Today, we are continuously strengthening our relationship as we work towards a healed friendship. This was one of the final steps in relieving so much weight that I didn't realize I was carrying for so long. I was overcome with a sense of peace and my spiritual life has been strengthened. God gave me an experience that I can now use to help others overcome their obstacles in regards to forgiveness.

Remember we must forgive those that have hurt us and we must get rid of all anger and resentment towards them. Although the task is difficult for US to achieve alone, it is NOT difficult for us to achieve with Christ. When we let go and let God handle the situation we will feel like a new and improved person. Believe me, I NEVER thought this day would come. Remember I was content with how things were, but I wasn't right. R.T. Kendall sums it up when he writes, "When everything in you wants to hold a grudge, point a finger, and remember the pain - God wants you to lay it all aside."

I haven't ever included a concluding prayer in my blog before, but I feel compelled to close this blog with a prayer for everyone reading it:

Most gracious, Heavenly Father, I thank you for the individuals who lift me up and have helped me during my times of need. I thank you for each of the individuals reading this blog for they have been important parts of my life and have been a blessing to me. Lord, I ask that you give strength to the ones reading this blog about forgiveness. I ask that you reveal to them relationships that need to be mended. I know from experience we deny that someone has hurt us and we pretend that we harbor no bitterness towards others. Lord, I ask that you open their hearts to the truth and that you heal them. I pray that they seek your wisdom and guidance as they reconcile relationships and as they work towards becoming a stronger person in you. I pray that they feel your presence every step of the way as they seek your wisdom and guidance. Lord, I thank you for allowing me to be your vessel and allowing me to speak to these individuals reading this blog through you. I thank you for burdening my heart to write about forgiveness and never giving up on me. Thank you for our many wonderful blessings and for sending your Son to die on an old wooden cross so that I can have an eternal life with you. In your Holy Name, Amen.

Who's First?

"Pick me, pick me!" As most of us can remember, when we were children we always wanted to picked first to be put on the best kickball team or the best "Red Rover" team. We always knew, even as a child, that when we were picked first then we would have the best chance of winning whatever game was being played. As adults the scenario is the same, but we get the chance to pick ourselves first. To many, this is a hard task because we are torn between choosing what is best for us or what is best for our friend. In most cases, we would meekly choose our friend, but deep down inside we really wanted to put ourselves first.

As Christians, we know that we are supposed to put God first, but still fall short. In Isaiah 6:8, we read about how Isaiah called out to God, "Here am I. Send me!" Isaiah, being filled with the Spirit, submitted himself COMPLETELY to God's service. He didn't say, "Lord, I will go when it is convenient for me" or "Lord, I will follow you as long as my friends go with me." He gave his life up completely to His service. No matter how difficult his task would be, he said, "Here am I, Lord. Send me!" Can you imagine if Christians followed Isaiah's example? If we all COMPLETELY gave up our lives to follow Him? Only God can fathom the numerous amounts of people that would possibly come to know Him through those that truly surrendered their lives to His service.

Every day I thank God to have been raised in this amazing country!! I thank God for giving America a strong Christian foundation that provided me the freedom to worship as I pleased. Sadly, this freedom becomes a hindrance to Christians because it gives us "flexibility" to go to church when we feel like it or the "flexibility" to pick and choose what we will do for Christ. We need to be getting into His word DAILY and developing a relationship with Him, so that when we say, "Here am I, Lord. Send me!!" we would truly be willing to do whatever it takes to follow Him. We need to develop such a close relationship with Christ that when we follow Him, we would know that we are following a "friend" that would help me reach out to those who need to hear the Good News!!

Instead of picking ourselves first and giving into our own selfish desires, we need to FIRST surrender to Christ and HIS desires for our lives. The best part of being a mission church and church plant is having the desire to reach new people and get out of our "comfort zone" a little bit. God can't be completely evident in our lives until we break down all of our barriers and all the excuses we put up and begin to look to Him for comfort. This week, make it your goal to seek out new ways to choose God over yourself and to pick Him first as you follow Him.

Made to Crave

Some of us have expressed an interest in a women's book club. The book that was suggested was "Made to Crave - Satisfying Your Deepest Desire With God, Not Food" by Lysa Terkeurst. From what I have read this afternoon, the book talks about how Eve was tempted with food and we've let it tempt us away from God ever since. I have found that it has made excellent points and has grabbed my attention. A couple of us are going to start reading it, so I am inviting the rest of you ladies to join us. The chapters are really short and it has been a quick read for me. If we want to make it into an event where we meet together every other week at Starbucks to discuss it then let me know. I look forward to reading this book and allowing its content to change my food cravings into God cravings.