I Don’t Believe In Luck

March 13, 2013 By 4 Comments

I’ve never been one to believe in luck. Or coincidence. Or superstitions. It’s not because I’m a realist – I’m a dreamer, a romantic, a lot of other things – but I don’t believe in luck.

What I do believe in is a God who blesses us beyond anything we deserve. I believe in a God who makes all things work together for the good of those who love Him. I believe in a God of second chances…and third…and more. I believe that working hard and praying harder will take us places we never dreamed of going. I’m thankful that I don’t have to live my life hoping for good luck – I can live in the hope of an awesome God. His grace says it all.

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How’s Your Heart?

February 13, 2013 By 6 Comments

How’s Your Heart?

 

Psalms is my favorite book of the Bible.  Any time I’m afraid, discouraged, worn down or facing a battle, that’s where I run.  The Psalms are so full of raw emotion – nothing held back, nothing prettied up, just life with all its ups and downs. And most of all, with God’s unrelenting love.

I started leafing through Psalms recently, looking specifically for things about the heart, and a couple of verses really stood out to me:

Psalm 19:14  Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my rock and my Redeemer.

Psalm 62:8  Trust in Him at all times, O people; Pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us. Selah.

This month, there will be a lot of focus on heart disease and physical health.  It takes hard work to keep your physical heart healthy – but it’s even harder to keep your spiritual heart healthy.  These verses get right to the root of keeping your heart and mind focused on God.

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD…

One of the first signs that I’m not spending enough time with God is when my heart and mind start to wander.  I find emotions like envy and bitterness trying to take a foothold in my heart.  My mind gets restless and I find it hard to focus.  When I feel the symptoms coming on, I can look at my quiet times and see that they are absent or at a minimum.

When I’m not putting God first in my life, I pay the price.  Life takes a toll sometimes, and the only way to combat that is to keep my focus on God.  Take some time this week to evaluate your quiet times and make sure you’re guarding your heart by spending time in Bible study and prayer.

Pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us.

People would probably think I’m either crazy or a heretic if they could hear some of my conversations with God.  I take the “pour out your heart” advice seriously.  Some days I pour out joy – but a lot of days I pour out my stress, my heartaches, and my questions.  I’ve learned that keeping it all bottled up inside only makes things worse, and nobody’s a better listener than God.  He’s more than big enough to handle my questions, my doubts, and my fears – and He always gives me just what I need.

During your prayer time this week, open up to God.  Pour out your heart.  Tell Him everything, good and bad.  You might be surprised at His loving response.

Take time to care for your heart – you’ll find that the effort has a huge payoff!

 

(Image courtesy of graur razvan ionut / FreeDigitalPhotos.net)

Filed Under: Battles, Spiritual Tagged With: , , , , 6 Comments

My One Word: Reckless

January 7, 2013 By 7 Comments

I’m a very shy person.  (To my close friends who are reading this and laughing – stop.  I know you well, so you don’t count!)  Until I get to know someone, until I’m comfortable in a situation, I tend to be withdrawn and quiet.  I don’t like to make waves.  But this year is going to be different.  This year I’m going to be bolder, more daring, ready to take chances.

I’m going to be reckless.

It may seem like a strange choice for my one-word resolution, but I’ve never been so excited about a New Year’s resolution, and I’ve never felt God leading me to one as strongly as I feel this.

So what inspired it?  There were a couple of big influences.  First is the Jeremy Camp song by the same name…

Next is Francis Chan, whose book Crazy Love completely changed my life and my faith.  Kat at Inspired to Action shared this video a few weeks ago, and this sums up what God has been dealing with me about recently:

How much of my life have I spent hugging the balance beam, trying to love God and be safe?  But “safe” doesn’t do great things for God – reckless does.  God loves me with reckless abandon – how can I give Him anything less?  This year, I want to step out of my comfort zone and see where God takes me.  It’s scary…but it’s exciting, too, and I’m ready to be reckless.

Filed Under: One Word, Revolution, Spiritual Tagged With: , , , , , , 7 Comments

More Than a Mother’s Love

December 21, 2012 By Leave a Comment

I’ll never forget the joy I felt as my husband and I brought our boys home from the hospital. Each time was an amazing, incredible experience, but there was some nervousness, too.

With our oldest, we felt a good dose of outright fear. Shortly after bringing him home, my husband looked at me and said, “You know, you have to have a license to drive a car and even to get married, but when you have a baby, they just send you home with it.” He was right. The hospital staff basically handed us a diaper bag and our son and said ‘Here you go – have a great life.’ That’s scary.

I think those emotions are common to any new parent, but I’ve often wondered how much those feelings must have been multiplied for Mary. Coupled with the natural nerves of a first-time mom, Mary also had the unthinkable responsibility of raising the Savior of the world. And the scariest part – she didn’t get details. She was raising the Son of God, but Mary still didn’t get the instruction book every mother longs for. She faced the same unknowns that millions of other moms have faced since the beginning of time.

I’ve heard people criticize the Christmas song “Mary, Did You Know?” by saying, “Oh, she knew – the angel told her. She knew.” If you look at the Bible, though, you’ll see that she didn’t know…not really. All she was told was:

Luke 1:30-33
(30) The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God.  (31) “And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus.  (32) “He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David;  (33) and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.”

There were so many things that Mary did not know.

She didn’t know that her son would get lost when he was 12, and that she would search frantically for him for days. She didn’t know that when her son started ministering, he would be shunned by many. She didn’t know that she would watch her son die an agonizing death on a cross. She didn’t know that one day, she would have to let go of Him as her son and embrace Him as her Savior.  Most of all,  she didn’t know that her son’s love would go far beyond the love even a mother can give – His love would save the world.

It’s hard to imagine anything deeper than a mother’s love – but Jesus’ love is so much deeper than anything we can give.  As much as I love my boys, He loves them even more.  He gave the ultimate gift with His birth, His life, His death, and His resurrection.

Life is full of uncertainty, but one thing we can rest assured of is that we have the greatest gift of all – the love of Jesus.

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When God Sings To You

November 9, 2012 By 2 Comments

It’s hard to give thanks when you’re fighting a battle.

When it feels like your prayers are bouncing off the ceiling, when you don’t know what the next day – or even the next minute – will bring, praise is truly sacrificial.

During so many of these times, when I’ve been at my lowest point, I’ve heard God sing to me.  I turn on the radio, and I hear the perfect song, exactly what I need to hear to lift me and encourage me.  Many times, I have found myself driving as tears stream down my face, listening to the words that I so desperately need at that moment.

Over the years, I’ve seen a pattern of the right song coming out at the right time.  Each time we’ve faced trials, I’ve found a “theme song” for that time in my life.

In 2005, when doctors told us that our unborn son might have Down’s syndrome, our song was Hillsongs “Let The Peace of God Reign.”  We played that song over and over as we begged God for our son’s safety, not knowing what challenges his future, or ours, held.  We played it, sang it, and lived it, until God’s peace did pour over us.  We played it more when he was born without Down’s syndrome, but a month premature, facing a new set of health challenges.

In 2006, as we faced two moves and the betrayal of close friends, we were left reeling.  So many times, I cried out to God and felt as if my prayers were hitting the ceiling.  I had never been so hurt and so broken.  I was battle weary, wounded and exhausted.  During all of this, Superchick’s song “Stand in the Rain” came out and became my theme.  I’ll never forget singing and praying the words – “Stand through the pain, you won’t drown, and one day what’s lost will be found…”

Months later, in early 2007, we faced our third move in a year – this time leaving our lifelong home state of Arkansas behind – and Bebo Norman’s song “I Will Lift My Eyes” was released.  After all we had faced in the previous two years, I didn’t know how much more I could take.  This song reminded me it’s not me – it’s God.  He can do what I can’t.

Some days, it’s just hearing the song I need in that moment…like the day I was headed to school, beating myself up for all my failings and mistakes, when Francesca Battestelli’s song, “Beautiful, Beautiful” came on…”Like sunlight burning at midnight, making my life something so beautiful, beautiful, mercy reaching to save me, oh and I need You, it’s so beautiful, beautiful…”

God amazes me.  He will speak to me, reach out to me, comfort me, in any way He can.  The God of the universe…the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob…the Creator…He loves me enough to sing to me, to comfort me, to whisper to me that He knows.  He loves me that much.  I’m so insignificant…but His love for me is endless.

No matter how fierce the battle I’m facing may be, He is enough.  He loves me, He knows me, and that is enough to be thankful for.

Filed Under: Battles, Emotional, Spiritual Tagged With: , , , , , , 2 Comments

Anything But Safe

October 12, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Image courtesy of James Baker / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

 

I’m a huge Narnia fan…I’ve read the series several times, and we own all the movies that have been released so far.  By far, one of my favorite scenes is the conversation in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe between Lucy and Mr. Beaver about Aslan…

“Then he isn’t safe?” said Lucy.

“Safe?” said Mr Beaver; “don’t you hear what Mrs Beaver tells you? Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good…”

In the past few months, things have been changing a lot for me.  I knew that God was getting ready to do something, to move me in a new direction.  He started  giving me new dreams and goals, and bringing back to the forefront dreams that I had pushed aside years ago.  He’s been making things even clearer the past couple of weeks.

I’m excited…but I’m also shaking in my boots.  Scared out of my mind.  Absolutely terrified.  I’m standing on the brink of huge new God-sized dreams, and I’m thinking to myself, “You have lost your mind.  You’re insane.  What on earth were you thinking?”  But I think that’s exactly what God wants.

I think we’ve made a terrible mistake in our Christian walk.  God has called to us to dream big, to be world changers – but we think He’s simply called us to be safe.  God is anything but safe.  He’s good…but He’s never safe.  Abraham wasn’t safe when he left his homeland to follow a God he’d never known before.  Joseph wasn’t safe when he was sold into slavery.  The disciples certainly weren’t safe when they gave up everything to follow Jesus.  But they chased their dreams anyway – and they changed the world.

If our dreams aren’t leaving us feeling at least a little scared, they’re probably not big enough.  College still scares me almost every day.  After I graduate, one of my dreams is to go on short-term medical missions trips.  Am I excited?  Yes!  But the thought of leaving my family for 10 to 14 days and flying off to a foreign country leaves me a little nervous.  As I take the first steps toward some of the other dreams God is speaking to me about, I’ve found myself literally shaking as I forge ahead.  I believe that God is going to honor my steps of obedience, especially in the face of my fears.  My fears are laced with a lot of excitement about where He’s going to take me.

Are you ready to take steps toward God-sized dreams?  I would love to chat with you.

What’s your big dream – the one that leaves you shaking with both excitement and fear?

Filed Under: Mental, Spiritual Tagged With: , , , Leave a Comment

More Than Just Me

September 10, 2012 By 1 Comment

Welcome! We’ve created a Special Series for you this month! We’ll
take 4 weeks and focus on 4 elements to ‘Reset’ our lives for Him.
We’re calling it ’4×4 Reset’. If you missed the introduction, you
can find more details here. Each post will feature a READ IT
(scripture verse), a SEE IT (motivation), & a DO IT (challenge/
call to action). Our 4×4 Reset Toolbox is available and has links
to all the posts and to our resources, including our Build a Firm
Foundation Printable tracking page. Be sure to subscribe to not
miss a day, & join us on Twitter & Instagram using our hashtag
#4x4Reset!

 

More Than Just Me

And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.  Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.  
                                                                                                                    Romans 12:1-2 NLT

We’ve been trying something a little different with our kids lately.  They spent most of the summer swimming, but now that we’re getting back into the routine of homeschool and tighter schedules, we wanted to make sure we kept them exercising.  Not to mention the fact that my husband and I both need to get more exercise, and I have my first 5K coming up next month – so we started taking them to our local high school track to run and walk as a family.  We discovered something that kind of surprised us: our boys love to run.  Although I’ve been training for this upcoming 5K, I got showed up pretty badly…by my 7 year old and my 10 year old.

One night after we came home, I was thinking about how amazing it was that we found this love of exercise in our boys.  What really amazed me is was the realization that fitness is about a whole lot more than me.  It’s about setting an example for those around me, and especially for my family.  My boys both love to read.  That’s not too surprising, because I’ve been reading to them since they were babies.  Reading is one my favorite hobbies, and they’ve learned to love it because I love it.  Our boys also love dogs because we’ve had a dog their entire lives.  Some of the things they love are uniquely their own, special, God-given talents and passions.  But so much of who they are and what they do is formed from what they see.

Fitness and health are no different.  My sons are learning their eating habits from us, their parents.  They are learning the importance of exercise from us.  They are learning how important caring for our physical body is from us.  So what are we teaching them?  What kind of example are we setting?  Knowing that completely changes the way I look at my fitness routine.  My sons are learning and forming habits that will last a lifetime.  I want to – I have to – do all I can to empower them to create good habits.  It’s not just my health on the line – it’s my family’s health too.

Read It:

See It:

Source:Free Printable found on Pinterest. Click image for direct link to the printable at itworksforbobbi.com.

 

 

 

Filed Under: 4x4Reset, Physical Tagged With: , , , , 1 Comment

Sabrina Fair

August 29, 2012 By 1 Comment

My favorite movie says a lot about me.  It tells you that beneath my tomboyish, “boy mom” exterior, I’m a pretty sappy romantic at heart.  It explains my strange desire to go to Paris and sit by a bridge with my coffee and my journal.  It also tells you a lot about my battles with self-esteem.

Ever seen Sabrina?

I’ve seen both, but I heart the “new” version with Harrison Ford, Greg Kinnear, and Julia Ormond.  If you’ve never watched it, go rent it.  It’s awesome.  I can quote large portions of the movie.  I’ll give you a quick summary.  Sabrina is a chauffer’s daughter who lives in an apartment above the garage with her widowed dad, who works for the mega-rich Larrabee family.  She is a shy, awkward, frizzy haired girl who is in love with David Larrabee, the youngest son.  In an effort to end her fixation with David and help her find herself, Sabrina’s dad sends her to Paris to work for a fashion magazine.  She returns home transformed, and – well, you’ll just have to rent the movie to find out the rest.

The movie came out in late 1995, when I was a sophomore in high school.  I fell in love with it when I first saw it.  I was a young Sabrina, and I longed to become a beautiful, sophisticated, talented woman like she did.  I was tall, skinny, awkward, clumsy, and painfully shy.  While most of my friends were getting their braces off, I was just getting mine on.  I had a few close friends, but a shy book lover who lived and breathed horses and horseback riding didn’t fit anywhere in my very cliquish high school.  I wasn’t pretty, athletic, or outgoing.  Add to that a messed up family background and having to constantly explain why my grandparents were raising me – and you had a pretty big mess with tons of emotional baggage.

Things started changing for me as I grew up a little, as they often do, but it’s hard to shake that inner voice that tells you you’re not good enough.  It followed me into my marriage and into motherhood.  It followed me for years, until one day I started listening – really listening – to what God had been trying to tell me all along.  He told me:

Jeremiah 29:11

‘For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.

Psalm 139:13

For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb.

Isaiah 49:16

“Behold, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands; Your walls are continually before Me.

God made me, and He made great plans for me.  He gives me my value – not my looks, my brains, my abilities, or anything else in this life – and to Him, I’m a priceless treasure, a treasure worth dying for.  If He feels that way about me, nothing else matters.  I may never get to Paris, and I’m certainly no Sabrina Fairchild, but I’m something far better – I’m precious in God’s sight.

That gives me all the confidence I need.

Filed Under: Battles, Emotional Tagged With: , , , 1 Comment

How’s Your Quiet Time?

August 20, 2012 By 1 Comment

It’s hard to believe I can say this, but I love mornings!  I struggled with consistent quiet times for years, but now I truly enjoy my mornings with God.

My wakeup time depends on what’s going on.  When I’m in school (I’m a full-time college student) I typically get up at 5:00 a.m.  When I’m on break I get up around 6:00 a.m.  I keep all my Bible study stuff in a tote bag in my closet.  It’s easy to get to and easy to move around.

My “spot” is our couch.  I love being able to spread my stuff out around me as I study.

It may be messy, but I love it!  I curl up with my favorite blanket, a cup of coffee, and our 6 month old Yorkie.  Miley always brings a bone to chew while she snuggles.

I’m slightly addicted to notebooks, and I have several for my quiet time.  I have a prayer journal, and I also have a daily journal where I write verses I’m memorizing, my “1,000 Gifts” list, quotes I love, and thoughts from my prayer time.  I have a few Bible study notebooks, too, depending on what I’m studying.  I’m a very visual learner, so I also have lots of colored pencils and Post-It notes.

Right now my husband and I are reading through the Bible using the M’Cheyne plan, which goes through the Old Testament once and the New Testament and Psalms twice in a year.  I also love Kay Arthur’s inductive Bible study method.  Right now I’m obsessed with Ephesians – it’s so rich!  I’m going through it chapter by chapter, using different Bible study methods – inductive, and a combination of “S.O.A.P.” and the “Savoring Living Water” methods.

I am so thankful for my quiet times with God – those daily moments are so precious to me!  Hello Mornings made a huge impact on my quiet time and helped me become more consistent.  I’m very excited to be an AC for Hello Mornings for the fall.  I can’t wait to get to know my Hello Mornings: Morning Grace group soon!

Filed Under: Spiritual Tagged With: , , , , 1 Comment

When You Ask for a Good Start…

August 9, 2012 By 6 Comments

God has a sense of humor…I’m convinced of it.  That’s why, when I decided to make healthy changes and work toward my goal weight, He put me in a college nutrition class.  Talk about a kick start to my goals!

Before you think, “Wow, she’s really dedicated to her health,” let me stop you.  That’s not why I signed up for this class.  I signed up because I had to – it’s a requirement for me to graduate in May (281 days from now, but who’s counting).  But you know, God’s timing is perfect, and so, as I find myself ready to make huge changes to my eating and exercise habits, I wind up enrolled in five weeks of “nutrition for the dental hygienist.”  Although I spent six years working for a women’s fitness center, where I did lots of weight loss and nutritional counseling, this college class has turned a lot of what I thought I knew upside down and has given me a new perspective.

For years, my philosophy was, “If I don’t eat right, I’ll take a vitamin – it’ll be okay.”  One thing I’ve learned quickly from my class, though, is that nothing compares to what God made.  All the vitamins in the world can’t compare to the natural vitamins and minerals in good, healthy, natural foods.  I’ve also learned that the effects of poor nutrition can affect everything – my brain function (vitamin B deficiencies can mimic dementia in older people), my immune system, my heart, my bones, and more.

God designed my body perfectly.  He knit me together in my mother’s womb (Psalm 139:13).  I am a temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19).  Yet so many times, I make careless decisions about what I put into my body.  I gorge on cupcakes or mega-cups of sugary coffee because I’ve had a bad day.  I starve myself of the things I need because I want to lose weight fast.  It’s about so much more than just what I eat – it’s also about why I eat, and it’s about a self-disciple that goes far beyond just food.

Thanks to my nutrition teacher, I’m rethinking everything I put into my body, and I already like the changes.  I can tell a difference in how I feel after just a week of adding more fruit to my diet and cutting back on carbs (even though I eat a lot of whole grain).  I’ve noticed that I’m getting full faster.  I’m focusing on food as a way to fuel my body, not as a way to drown my sorrows and stresses.  I’m excited to see what changes my new view of nutrition, paired up with my workout routine that I’ve posted on my personal blog, will bring.



Filed Under: Accountability, Physical Tagged With: , , , , , , 6 Comments
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