Thank Heaven My Soul Doesn't Wear Pants!!

I will begin with the scripture I read this morning:

From the Message: 

Ephesians 5:15-20

So watch your step. Use your head. Make the most of every chance you get. These are desperate times!

Don't live carelessly, unthinkingly. Make sure you understand what the Master wants. 

Don't drink too much wine. That cheapens your life. Drink the Spirit of God, huge draughts of him. Sing hymns instead of drinking songs! Sing songs from your heart to Christ. Sing praises over everything, any excuse for a song to God the Father in the name of our Master, Jesus Christ. 

From KJV:

See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,

Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.

And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;

Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;

Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;

There were three parts in this passage that spoke the loudest to me, i'll get to all of them as the day lets me. The one i'm feeling compelled to share with you today is:

Drink the Spirit of God, huge draughts of Him.

If you read KJV, it's 'And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit.'

I looked up the word draught, it means a large and hurried swallow. So, we are not told to sip at the Spirit of God, we're to take HUGE FAST GULPS!! (this will bring on a whole new blog all in itself, but for now, lets stay focused)

I'm an over-eater. Don't worry, it's not a secret, my pant size may be hidden, but my assets are not. Can you blame me?! There's some pretty tasty food out there! There's Italian cuisine, comfort food, southern food, can't forget tacos! The good Lord knows I love me some tacos! So, yes, as I enjoy these wonderful delights, my soul is not fairing too well. I'm supposed to be drinking the Spirit of God....huge draughts of Him!! Yeah, from what I've noticed, that's not really on my daily menu.....yet! I intend to add it in starting today.

I was asked what drinking the Spirit of God would look like. My mind immediately went to what would it TASTE like. I imagine that it would come in a spiffy can or bottle. One with an awesome logo and catchy slogan. It would taste heavenly! Better than ice cream! Better than tacos! Better than tacos topped with ice cream! (that was for my prego friends) Not only would it taste amazing, it would be healthy! It would contain all the nutrients your soul needs! It would taste so good, that you wouldn't just stop at one serving. You would drink it non-stop! Stores would be out of stock! Distribution companies would not be able to delivery it fast enough! People would buy it by the cases, better yet, the truck load!

Think of something unhealthy, that you consume throughout the day. Mine is soda. I could drink 5 cans if I let myself! And it doesn't even taste that good! Now, imagine if that soda was replaced by the Spirit of God.

If I spent as much time feeding my soul as I feed my body, my soul would need elastic pants!

I often hear that people wish to pray more, to have a closer relationship with Jesus, and I'm one of those people. For today, every time I drink my water or soda, i'm going to pause and picture myself being filled with the liquid Spirit of God. Try it! 

All Good Things Come From God

What a blessing it is to see so many of my family and friends showing thanksgiving through social media sites like Facebook and Twitter! I love it!

In a world where there isn't much time dedicated to giving thanks for the things we have, I can always count on November to roll around and see how cheerful people can be when they stop for a moment and give thanks. It doesn't matter whether they are Christians or not, they are still thankful. In that small moment of time, we get to see how each other are blessed in different ways. Of course it creates the beautiful opportunity to witness to people when their hearts are joyous for the blessings they have noticed in their lives.

I am one of the best examples of not giving thanks the way I ought to. I am dedicating the next 365 days to the term Eucharisteo. I love saying it, kinda rolls off my tongue after a while. I want to learn to give thanks in all situations, all blessings, all encounters, everything! It's going to take practice. This is where the book Unglued will come in handy as I try to stay focused on all the good things. It's easy for me to get distracted. Now that I think about it, I may need a book about restraint, foot-in-mouth disease, and self control ;) it may be a long year.

When I looked up Eucharisteo, I found that it didn't just mean giving thanks. It also meant with grace and joy. I give thanks a lot of times, but sadly the grace and joy isn't there. It's a 3-parter, can't have one part without the other to live this word for the next year. I have a need, a desire, a calling to embrace a Eucharisteo filled life. I will try my hardest to live according to His Word to accomplish the full spectrum of Eucharisteo...once again, its so much fun to say!! I should start a list of words that rhyme with Eucharisteo, I might be able to come up with a catchy tune!

I was told that the word 'thanks' or 'thanksgiving' appears about 40 times in the bible. I'm excited to have a few moments to find them. It'll be a like a little scavenger hunt!

I'm also following Ann Voskamps 1000 Gifts Joy Dare. She posts a monthly list of topics to inspire you to write 3 things you are thankful for daily. I just started it, and already enjoy it.

I am also challenging YOU to keep posting what you are thankful for well after Thanksgiving. When you are faced with a tough situation, you will have more strength going into that battle if you remember all that you have been blessed with throughout the year. Let's call it a Eucharisteo Bank. Make sure it stays full, and you are always adding to it, that way, when Satan is trying to bring you down, and situations seem unbearable, you can draw from your Eucharisteo Bank, draw closer to God and trust Him to carry you through.

In search of myself

and so the investigation continues. I am searching for a female, approximately 5'4, although some will argue i'm off by about 2", no matter for the weight, just a hefty load of beauty and brains, not sure of the age, but born in '79. Last seen @ 6yrs ago, finishing college, full time job, desire to work with children, many friends, reaching goals, a light in a dark tunnel for almost everyone. She has some questions to answer in regards to her whereabouts the past few years. Wanted, dead or alive, preferably alive so her smile can rekindle emotions, feelings, and desires once again.

Romney ~ the easy road

I went to bed frustrated at the election results. Do you know how much easier it would have been to stop abortion, make people work for what they have, and be accountable for their actions if Romney would have been elected? The burden would no longer be on us as individuals because we would have passed the buck to someone else, someone higher up, someone with the power to just sign a bill and make it all go away. Unfortunately, that obviously was not in God's will. As I went to bed last night, I prayed, like i'm sure many other Christians did. I prayed, and asked God to show me what I can do, since my first plan of taking the easy road flopped. I prayed for our president, that his heart would soften, that he would not be dictated by other countries. (I woke up to hearing about other countries cheering that Obama won, I would too if I was getting away with everything they were)

Looking at abortion, is it possible that if Romney was elected and put a stop to people murdering their babies, that they would never realize that it is a life? Would they miss out on the possibility of hearing God's Living Word? Since it would be illegal, there would be no reason for Christians to reach out to them, there would be no opportunity to get them to make their own choice. Maybe we're meant to join the battle and get out on the front lines and stand firm. Teach the unknown what exactly is going on and the choice they are making. I keep hearing "you wouldn't get mad at a blind man for stepping on your toe" and neither should we get angry and frustrated for a non-believer who just doesn't know or see the truth. It's our job as Christians to lead the way. We need to educate. We need to guide. We need to first get up from our computers and cozy homes and reach out to those who think a pregnancy is nothing more than a blob of cells.

I can't stand when people say Romney was going to take away womens rights. It should never be someone's RIGHT to kill another human being! They say they should be able to do whatever they want to their body, I agree, however, they shouldn't be allowed to harm that baby's body.

I'm concerned for my friends who serve in the military.

I think there's something wrong when other countries are this excited that a president has been re-elected. I think he's way too soft on China. I think our economy is going to go further into the ground. I really hope i'm wrong on this.

On to same sex marriage. I used to have the thought of "what happens behind closed doors is none of my business." If they wanted to marry someone of the same sex, sure why not! but I don't understand the theory that it's unconstitutional for same sex couples to be denied marriage. It's not even a privilege defined in the Constitution, so therefore it cannot be unconstitutional to deny it. I am for the traditional definition of marriage, as it states in the Bible, but the most I can do is equip others with the information that it contains and let them make their own decision.

It's a tough place to be a Christian. Voting for Romney, I was called so many names. I was told that I was judging others, that I was forcing my religion on everyone else, that I was not willing to compromise, that I was racist, and that I wanted to set our country back 100 years. I am none of those things. Just as others have their beliefs, and their choices that they want to make, I have mine too. I did not vote for Romney to judge others, I voted for him so the 3,000 babies who are killed daily may have a chance to not be judged before birth. I did not vote for Romney to force my beliefs on anyone, I voted for him so I can stay true to my own beliefs. I did not vote for Romney because I am racist, many friends, family and co-workers can attest to that. I also did not want to set our country back, I want to hold true to MY values. That's something I should be allowed to do without getting repercussions. We live in a world where people do not share the same beliefs or opinions. That's okay. It doesn't mean that I need to sway with the majority, or that the minority needs to sway my way. It means that we are all different. It means that in this melting pot of a world,  we should not need to conform to one groups ways, theories, lifestyles, etc. or be accused of bullying or being unaccepting. Wouldn't that make people who disagree with me judgemental and unaccepting? Just a thought.

Okay, my rant here is over. Now to take the first step now that the election is over. It's time to pray for our president. It's time to pray that everything goes according to God's will. It's time to stop trying to pass the buck to someone else and stand up for what we believe in. It's time to take action. Go volunteer somewhere. If you are in a woman's group, be a proactive woman's group, not a reactive woman's group. If you are feeling led to start a group in your area for whatever belief or right you wish to hold up, don't just sit on the sidelines, get up and get started. The next person I hear or see complaining about the election results, I will ask them, so are you just going to sit there defeated or are you going to make a difference in your own community? We have to start somewhere, and starting at the top didn't work out so well. I'd love to hear what you as an individual or as a group are doing/going to do from here.

Thankful day 2

Ok, so I'm off to a late start but I've noticed on fb and fellow bloggers pages that people are posting something they are thankful for every day this month.

When I think of things that I am thankful for, the first thing that comes to my mind is our sewage system n toilets. I'm very grateful they are in proper worker order. Aren't you?

Lost in a picture

Looking back at pictures from when I was younger I can see where I was at that time in my life and see how far I've come, how much I've grown and changed.

I know I'm not finished maturing. I know that God is still chiseling away at my heart, teaching me to be more humble, more loving, more Christ-like.

Even from a month ago, I've changed. With Gods gentle hand He has shown me what I'm doing right, and what I'm doing wrong.

I recently had a time of fellowship with a ladies group. I loved it! We were a group of women who put all our cards on the table. No one was fake. No one pretended to have it all figured out. We were real women, with real stress, who are all constantly growing closer to Jesus. Sharing with each other and being encouraging, not judgmental.  No one seemed afraid to show or tell others that they are not perfect or that they may have a situation that they are trying to work through as biblically as possible. The best way I get encouraged is by seeing others grow as a Christian. Ending our time together with ice cream was an added benefit.

I'm doing some self reflection, can't wait to share with everyone how I've changed and what I'm doing to enjoy life a little more in hopes it will encourage others!