Is It My Problem?

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forbes.com

As I am reading through the Old Testament I see that the prophets of old would repent for the people even when they themselves were walking in the ways of the Lord. I read about Moses who throws himself before the mercy of the Lord and begs for mercy for the people and tells the Lord that if he is going to kill the people then to kill him, Moses, as well. 

This past week there was an issue that was happening in our church that was waking me up at night. I was worried about the people who were being caught up and because I am female or maybe just because I am me, I was over-thinking the situation. I felt helpless. 

Then I remembered the prophets of the old testament and their love for God as well as their love for the people. They would repent to the Lord for other’s sin. So I began to pray on their behalf. Isn’t that what intercession is about? Sure, I could say it’s not my problem, but my prayer is that in those areas where I am weak there are people who are praying for me as well. 

Often, I think we come to the Lord with our personal petitions and the petitions of our family and close friends. We throw in some prayers for our internet friends and we move on about our day. Only our maturity in Christ should lead us to pray for the well being of our nation and the nations of our world. It should be prompting us to pray for injustice and also for mercy. I believe that often our own selfishness shines through in the moments of our daily prayer and we miss the opportunity to intercede.

I was reading in Jeremiah where at one point the Lord’s anger is so incensed upon his people that he says to Jeremiah;

Jeremiah 7:16 “Pray no more for these people, Jeremiah. Do not weep or pray for them, and don’t beg me to help them, for I will not listen to you. 17 Do you not see what they are doing throughout the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem?

I thought wow, first off, I never want to be “those people” with the Lord. There was something there that struck me as well. The fact that the relationship with Jeremiah and the Lord was so close that the Lord is venting to His friend about what is going on. Notice, that Jeremiah was pestering the Lord not for his own petition, but in the Lord’s own words, Jeremiah was weeping, praying, and begging the Lord to help them. Jeremiah was in good standing with God, yet he took on the problems of his people.

Let’s begin to take on the problems of our people. Not in a personal way as I sometimes do. Sometimes I try to go and fix problems that are none of my business in my own human understanding. Rather, let’s take on the problems in a way that beseeches the Lord for an answer. After all, if we are the body, the right response is not it’s not my problem but rather, I can take it to the Lord in prayer.

We Are Women

Greeting my uncle who is in his 80’s, we began talking and somewhere in our conversation I referred to myself as a girl. He scolded me saying, “I hate when women refer to themselves as girls. You go through so much to become a woman and then you refer to yourself as girl.” I laughed […]

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Gilbert Caraveo

Greeting my uncle who is in his 80’s, we began talking and somewhere in our conversation I referred to myself as a girl. He scolded me saying, “I hate when women refer to themselves as girls. You go through so much to become a woman and then you refer to yourself as girl.” I laughed and brushed it off in the moment but later I realized that he had a valid point. I’d been mulling it over off and on when I gathered with a group of women for tea yesterday.

I looked around the room. This tea brought 30 women together. We began to speak about the topic at hand that day which was the privilege of being adopted into the family of Christ and what responsibility that carried with it. The women began their stories slowly and softly as is always the case. They began to tell of where the Lord had brought them from and where they thought they were going. These were women who had earned the privilege of being called a WOMAN. Two hours later and a few cups of tea, there were women who were laughing, crying, comforting, counseling and you began to feel the camaraderie of women who had made their way through some STUFF! I realized I was in the company of some strong women, some women who had, as my uncle said, “gone through so much”.

The things that were discussed in that room, stay in that room. Suffice it say that there was breakthrough and prayer and that when women get together and pray SOMETHING HAPPENS. The next day at church, I saw a sparkle in the eyes of those who attended. I saw a look of acceptance and love and knowing, we had opened up our hearts to each other and the payoff was love. One thing I know about women is we can be each other’s biggest enemy but also each other’s biggest ally.

Although we may not have walked in the footsteps of the other, we had walked through things which had hurt us deeply and we had come through. We understood the pain, the trial of overcoming and the triumph. We also understand the gift our God has given us of redemption and restoration and future and a hope.

My uncle is right. We aren’t girls, we’ve come through a lot to be women. Now we need to own it.

Tomorrow is Already Finished In God’s Calendar

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ccfa.org

What’s worrying you this week? Finances? Relationship? Health?

I just want to encourage you to put on the mind of Christ and step into your place as a leader in the Kingdom. Leaders don’t panic when adversity hits them. Leaders plan and access and look for avenues to be victorious. You will come out of your circumstance if you are a child of the king. You are not a orphan living on the street. You are a child of God adopted into the kingdom and as such you have certain rights available to you. Begin to think as your Father thinks.

1 Corinthians 2:16 16 “For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.

Then remember that tomorrow is already finished in God’s Calendar and he says he has plans for you.

Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Remind yourself of all the things that God has brought you through then resolve to stop worrying and live like a citizen of a kingdom who doesn’t conform to the world’s way of doing business but goes about the business of the King!

Sex Trafficking Of Children In The United States

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ariellah.wordpress.com/

One of the things I want to blog about this year, is causes that you must be aware of that I pray you get involved in. Sex Trafficking of children is real and it happens right here in America. We always think this happens in third world countries where parents sell their children in hopes of a better life but it doesn’t. It happens right here in America at an estimated rate of 100,000 kids per year. While the picture of the life of a child should look like the one above, sadly that isn’t always the case.

Sunday, December 6, is the Super Bowl. It’s a day where people gather to watch two football teams who have worked hard to be the best in their division. It’s a day where we snack excessively, wear our team jerseys, yell at the TV and where the commericals are as good as the game we hope will be.

There is a dark side to the Super Bowl as well. There are children who will be sold as Super Bowl Specials to people who want to have a little fun at the expense of a child. Click Here to read how some are trying to circumvent this from happening. There are public service announcements and campaigns going on to make people aware of what is going on. On Sunday evening at 8 p.m. CNN will broadcast a news report called Selling The Girl Next Door which will bring even more clarity to the situation.

We, who call ourselves Christians must be aware, must be concerned and must be active in protecting children.

Groundhog Day

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Today is Groundhog’s Day. We wait in anticipation of whether the groundhog sees his shadow or not. If he does, we have six more weeks of Winter, if he doesn’t we can hope for Spring.

Do you remember the movie Groundhog’s Day? It was about a man whose life repeated the same day over and over again until he learned the lessons he was supposed to learn.

For many of us, our lives have resembled that movie, we seem to be going around the same mountain day after day. Today I want to propose that we focus on those unhealthy habits or situations that keep repeating themselves in our lives. For many of us, we made vision statements or New Year’s Resolutions that are already waning. What needs to change? What is the same old thing we’ve been doing that benefits us none whatsoever?

Today on groundhogs day, let’s remember the movie as we watch for the shadow and let’s resolve that 2011 will be different than any other year to date.

Then let’s go further and say that 2011 will be different and better and more productive to our advancement than any other year to date.

Then let’s really stretch out our faith and say 2011 will be different, better, more productive to our advancement AND the advancement of the Kingdom not only in our lives but in the lives we encounter this year!

Adored

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It’s been really foggy here in the valley. I mean the kind of fog where you have almost no visibility at times. It’s in these moments when I remember that when I was a teen I said I would never live in the valley. Only my kids came along and suddenly my upbringing came into play. The thought of bringing up my kids in a big California city or  raising them in a small town in the valley loomed before me and I chose the small town in the valley.

There is something about not seeing the sun for days on end. It makes the time endless and mundane. Going to work in the fog and coming home in the fog gets old. Wednesday, just when it got to be too much to handle, my husband called a meeting. He decided we’d go to the coast to have a sand seminar. So off we went and 30 minutes later we were driving in full sunshine and 20 degrees warmer. We went to sit on the beach. The temperature was 74 degrees, the sun felt so necessary on my skin and our work still got done thanks to the modern technology of an ipad.

It is those little moments of a two hour break in the sunshine that makes me realize how adored we are by God. He really cares about the little things in my life and letting me have a little moment was so refreshing. Recognizing the blessing of a car, an ipad, a job where I can sneak off for a day, the sun, the warmth, the sand, the shore, my husband. I really have a great life. It’s those little things that make life worth living and in those moments where my selfish self doesn’t take the things that God has blessed us with for granted.

I have to say that I have a husband who adores me as well. The fact that he noticed I needed some sun and that he was able to move some meetings around to take me is pretty great. The fact that he sat quietly and didn’t complain when I brought my work with me wasn’t lost on me. He really is a great guy and he loves me. My heart is full!

Hosting A Party

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thepartydress

There are some great points to remember when you’re hosting a good party. As part of our Etiquette portion of the blog I want to write some of them down.

1. Make sure you plan your party out a few weeks in advance so you are as prepared as you can be.
2. Invite your guests ahead of time, at least a couple of weeks so that they can block the time on their schedule.
3. I always ask if there are things people don’t like or are allergic.

SIDE NOTE: For those of you going to a party, please tell the truth. I once had a party where someone didn’t eat fish and it was the main course. I wasn’t told. I would have rather have changed my menu then to have a guest not be able to eat the main course. It’s not rude to tell your host ahead of time what you can’t/won’t eat. They will appreciate being able to serve you something you enjoy.

4. Atmosphere is key! Checking your cell phone continuously, having a messy house, having the television on, not having guest towels and extra toilet paper in the bathroom, and cooking while your guest entertain themselves is not being a good host. Set the stage for a comfortable, and enjoyable time. Try to be on the back end of the prep when your guests arrive. This means planning your meals in advance, cooking the majority in advance and having your table set and ready. Time yourself, this isn’t the time to procrastinate. Be present!
5. Make sure you have enough drinks and food for everyone to eat as much as they’d like.
6. Pay attention to what is popular. I have a entertainment journal where I keep the favorite dishes of my regular guests.
7. Don’t be overly concerned with perfection. If you’ve prepped it all and cleaned ahead of time, you’ll be fine. Enjoy the time with your guests. If a dish doesn’t go over well, no big deal, you’ll know for next time!

Doing A New Thing

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wavemaker.com

Isaiah 43:18 “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. 19 See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.

Just a quick blog today to point out that everything I read about this one true living God we serve is that nothing stays the same for any length of time. Things evolve, take shape, take new direction, find new avenues to work within. God is not the god of sameness. He is the God of intention and purpose and destiny and that all requires change and an ability to move forward.

So why then do we lament that the church is changing? Why do we cry out for the old music, the old preaching, the old ways of doing things? Could it be that we want to constrain the Constant Visionary King? Why do we admonish the younger generation for their jeans and their service when the Lord says he clearly doesn’t look at the outward appearance? Why do we insist on stifling creativity and movement? I’ll tell you what I think. We are hell bent on making exclusionary clubs for church people. I say hell bent because we will give an account for being comfortably apathetic within the four walls of the church and forgetting about the unsaved, or worse, leaving it up to someone else because we are too tired.

Wake up, lest you be left behind in your good ‘ol days mentality. God says remember where I brought you from and look to where I am taking you. That is the resounding message of the Bible.