Luke 2:52

People Skills- Godly wisdom expressed through relationship

Leadership 101

Follows are some study notes from Andy Stanley, the son of Charles Stanley from the book of Joshua on leadership.

*The less you do, the more you enable others to accomplish.
* Focus on doing only what you can do. Don't be a hindrance to others by doing it all so it can be done right. (or so you think)
*Develop leaders around you. Don't hold people back by keeping yourself in the spot light.
*Helping another to succeed is what Christ had in mind for us when he told us to love others as ourselves.
*Remember Romans 12:6-8 tells us that we all have different gifts. My gifts are no better than yours or any less valuable than yours.

I Must Decrease So That He Might Increase --John 3:30

"The Christian life can be explained only in terms of Jesus Christ, and if your life as a Christian can still be explained in terms of you--

your personality, your willpower, your gift, your talent, your money, your courage, your scholarship, your dedication, your sacrifice, or your anything---

then although you may have the Christian life,

you are not yet living it."

-----------Ian Thomas

The world tell us that a woman fully alive to herself is a woman truly beautiful. Watch out for this lie. For the Bible tells us that a woman completely dead to herself is to be alive in Christ.

The world is telling us, and the church seems to be buying into the lie, that we can simply 'tack on' our Christianity to our self indulgent lifestyles. We'll wear one piece swimsuits instead of bikinis and idolize Christian bands instead of listening to secular music.

We won't send our children to public school but we also won't take upon ourselves the responsibility of Deut. 6 to teach them daily as we live our lives before them in complete surrender to self.

We'll preach morality at the expense of losing sight of the true Christian life, one of complete and utter abandonment to the One who died for us and deserves nothing less than our all in all.

I must decrease so that he might increase. John 3:30

I Don't Know

?

I don't know.
I don't know.
I really don't know.
I haven't the foggiest idea.

Today is my birthday. I sit here sick with the flu. Kind of a nice birthday really. My two main objectives to accomplish today 1) finish The Mark of the Lion trilogy and 2) blog. Not a bad birthday when you view it like that, sick or not.

I have been wanting to post for some time on the thought of "I Don't Know." I've been using these words more and more lately....and for the better.

I don't use them because I can't make up my mind. I don't use them because I hide behind them in insecurities. I don't use them because I haven't thought the question through or because I don't have an opinion.

So why have they become such a large part of my vocabulary lately?

Because as I grow in my Christian walk and look to Christ and the Word of God for direction in my life, I learn again and again just how much I don't know. (Isn't there a blog out there called this? LOL!)

This is so liberating to me on many levels. Is it being the first-born, having a type A personality, or just the sin of pride that has made me think for the better part of 34 years that I had to have a concrete answer for most everything? I really don't know. (grin) Maybe a combination of them all.

My eyes have been open to the fact that while I don't know everything, I know the ONE who does. I rest in that. Not everything is black and white and all tied up neatly in a cute little box. Life is messy and complex. There are entire dimensions to time and space that I can't even see or perceive. What a relief to realize that there are lots of things that I simply CAN'T know, and that all the research and reasoning in the world will fall short of knowing.

I am human. I am limited. God is God. He is truth. I am created. He is creator. He is everywhere and knows everything. I can't even see behind me. (I'm a mom but I really don't have eyes in the back of my head as some claim.) And these thoughts liberate me!!!

I don't know!!!!! But I KNOW the ONE who does KNOW!

Others May, I Cannot!

Others May, I Cannot!
by G.D. Watson (1845-1924)

Living my life for Christ, with the Holy Spirit living inside me causes me to be different from the world.

It also calls me to be different from other believers.

Comparing myself to other believers would cause me to completely miss the mark of what God has in store for me. The Christian life is all about sacrifice to self and to serving both God and others. It is not about how happy I am or what God can 'do' for me.

The above quote from Watson floats through my head at times when I feel life is unfair, when I find myself measuring God's standard for me by comparing myself to other good people. This quote often calms my soul and gives me strength to continue to live a life of obedience before My God.

Personalizing it a bit might look something like this:

Others may use birth control, I cannot.
Others may work outside the home, I cannot.
Others may have much time for leisure, I cannot.
Others may uncover their heads, I cannot.
Others may wear jeans, I cannot.
Others may........and so on......and so on.............

This quote also helps me to remember that God's standard for "ME" is not right or wrong for everybody. We walk in the truth that we know. He deals with us where we are. And thankfully, oh thankfully, He cares about what is best for us, each one of us individually.

So, I walk in obedience. No, I walk in HUMBLE obedience, knowing that being submissive to His Holy Spirit and giving Him all the glory is the least of what I can do for the One who bestows His perfect love upon me.

And Yet Another Bank Teller Scripture Passage

1 John 2:29 "If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone who practices righteousness is born of Him."

It is the cry of my heart that my life displays His righteousness for His glory.

His Answer Surprised Me

While getting paint at Wal Mart this past week I engaged in a conversation with the older gentleman behind the counter. He shared that this was the last full week of work for him since he was retiring. I asked him if he was going to enjoy fishing in this beautiful spring weather. He said yes but even more exciting to him was that he would be able to spend ALL of his time working for God within his local church and this community. He expressed that he saw many youngsters out and about town with no parental supervision and a need for Christ. He was going to get out there and tell them himself!

A surprising and refreshing response from someone of his generation. It was also a gentle reminder to look for the positive from the Church and to rest in the truth that God is in control.

Bank Teller

I've really been trying to focus on the presence of God lately. I know that He is close and active and I'm watching for Him daily, expecting Him to be intimately working in my life.

I've been trying to pray every morning that I be Spirit sensitive and led. I pray to love all those whom I encounter. I pray for relationships. I pray that I will sense Him beside me every step that I take. I pray that I bring Him glory through my actions. I pray that I live the day as though it was my last. I pray I choose eternal over the temporal.

And then I begin my day watching with eager expectancy for Him to show Himself.

I have not been disappointed.
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I drove up to the bank window and handed the teller my deposit. I recognized him to be a member of a church that we had visited recently. I smiled in recognition as he smiled back. We exchanged only the most basic of words.

As I waited I thought, "Oh, I should pray for this young man, his wife, and newborn infant." So, I did. I prayed that God would keep them close under His wing and that His blessings would flow in their lives.

He handed me my deposit slip and out of habit I glanced at it to make sure the amount and account number were correct. Written across the top of the slip was Hosea 6:3.



I quickly glanced back up at him as I was already pulling away from the window. I saw him lean towards the glass and give me a big smile. I mouthed 'thank you!' as my van disappeared from his sight.

I couldn't hardly wait. What did Hosea 6:3 have to say? My impatience was short-lived as I had to visit the local superstore and I all but ran to their book section. Pulling one of their Bibles off the shelf I quickly looked up my verse and read:

"Let us acknowledge the Lord;
Let us press on to acknowledge Him.
As surely as the sun rises,
He will appear;
He will come to us like the winter rains,
Like the spring rains that water the earth."

He will come to us! He will come to us like the winter and spring rain (of which we seem to be having both lately living in Missouri)! If we acknowledge Him, He will come as surely as the sun rises each morning! He wants us to see Him! He wants nothing more than for us to know Him.

He wanted me to know that He is there! He personally met with me today and gave me this promise.

I felt like me, God, and this other Christian brother were in our own little world. Even if only for a moment. It was like this magical special secret that I had as I sat there holding this paper. I couldn't keep the big grin off of my face.

MY GOD LOVES ME!!!

Psalm 66 (The Message)

^16-20 All believers, come here and listen,
let me tell you what God did for me.
I called out to him with my mouth,
my tongue shaped the sounds of music.
If I had been cozy with evil,
the Lord would never have listened.
But he most surely did listen,
he came on the double when he heard my prayer.
Blessed be God: he didn't turn a deaf ear,
he stayed with me, loyal in his love.