Sunday Spotlight: Upward Not Inward

Each Sunday in November I will be spotlighting guest posts written by women who have blogs which inspire and encourage me. This week's Guest Blogger is Falen from:

Confession time: I wanted a break from reality this weekend. I just wanted to run far away, a brief escape, forget about responsibilities, and rest my mind. So much to do, so much waiting, so much persevering, so much...

So, what did I do? I called in back-up and talked two girlfriends into a 7:00 a.m. Saturday morning hike! Two of us had been to this place before, and knew it would be a good ole time. We pull up, and there it is:

Do you see it? Here’s a closer pic:

First, how cool, right?! Second, it reminded me of this:

"Yes, my soul, find rest in God;

my hope comes from him.
Truly he is my rock and my salvation;

he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.

My salvation and my honor depend on God;

he is my mighty rock, my refuge."

Psalm 62:5-7

While I wanted this mental mini-vacation, there was this more than obvious reminder that God’s got this! It’s okay. This scripture is like God whispering to me:

Find rest.

Remember where your hope comes from.

You are not your own rock.

You don’t do the saving, I do.

You are protected and safe, sturdy and firm.

I’ve got this!

Whatever you are going through right now, be encouraged...

God’s got this. Keep going. Don’t give up.

One day at a time. One battle at a time. One step at a time. One prayer at a time.

One victory at a time.



Sunday Spotlight: Jeremiah 29:11

Each Sunday in November I will be spotlighting guest posts written by women who have blogs which inspire and encourage me. This week's Guest Blogger is:




"Bee" Alert

There used to be signs along the Interstate that said "Bee" Alert, with a big bumblebee to let drivers know they needed to stay alert to avoid an accident. Our sweet daughter, who was just a little girl at the time, thought there were actual bees we were being warned to watch out for. Yes, we laughed at her and explained what the signs meant. I read scripture recently that brought the signs back to mind....

I Peter 5:8 -

Stay alert!

Watch out for your great enemy, the devil.

He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.

Many years ago, as a Sunday school teacher, I gave an illustration of how sneaky the devil can be. The door to our life might be partly open....just a little crack, but enough for Satan to get a toehold. Once we allow him to get that far, then he proceeds to swing the door open a little wider if we aren't careful to see that our life might be headed in the wrong direction, until finally the door is wide open and we're in over our heads. The best thing to do is to grasp the thought, or the action as soon as it happens and to slam that door shut. Just as Joseph ran from Potiphar's wife, we need to run in the opposite direction that Satan is leading. In my own life, I have to stay alert by keeping in His word on a daily basis....praying....listening to Christian music....whatever it takes to keep me as close to HIM as possible!!!

Another thing is to make scripture personal to us.....

Hebrews 4:15

Jesus understands my weaknesses because He faced all of the same testings I do.

Yet He did not sin!!!

All of these things help me to "Bee" Alert!!!

Sunday Spotlight: Tales of Beauty for Ashes

Each Sunday in November I will be spotlighting guest posts written by women who have blogs which inspire and encourage me. This week's Guest Blogger is:

Hey ya'll, I'm Becky and I blog over at Tales of Beauty for Ashes. To read the meaning behind my blog name, go here. WARNING: That is a pretty vulnerable post

SO if you want to get broken in easy, read the post below first! 

I am a woman, who tries so hard to keep things simple in real life. Today, I am here to tell you about ways to KISS in marriage.

  

Okay, this isn't a post on kissing technique. Rather, it is on the technique to keep things fun and simple in your marriage. It isn't always going to be as easy as (wedding) cake.

Life is hard. This is truth we all know. If you aren't deliberate about keeping things simple in your marriage, it will go downhill. Fast.

Here are some tips on ways to keep the fun in your marriage and who knows, you may end up getting some kissing in too!

1.      Remember what first attracted you to your spouse. It is so easy to lose sight of this. It's there – look for it!

2.      Don't focus so much on the little things. Your spouse is going to bother you. Just like traffic will bother you. Check yourself, is the thing that is bothering you a big deal or should you just let it go. Remember, keep it simple!

     3. Look for reasons to appreciate your spouse. It may seem hard at first. Trust me, if you look hard enough, you will find SOMETHING!      

4. KISS. Okay, this time I really mean it. Find ways to touch each other. Make an excuse to kiss your spouse. Not only does it increase those happy hormones, but it burns calories, too!

5.       Enjoy each other. Your spouse has their quirks. So do you. Enjoy who you married, they are a gift to you!

How do YOU keep things simple in your marriage?

 Please join me for the month of November, as we do the 30 Days to a Better Marriage Challenge!
 

I would love to get to know you more! Please stop by and say hello!

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Sunday Spotlight: Life With Joys

Each Sunday in November I will be spotlighting guest posts written by women who have blogs which inspire and encourage me.  This week's Guest Blogger is:

 

I am thrilled and honored to be writing a guest post for Beckey today. When I opened my e-mail and read her request, I smiled from ear to ear!:-) Thanks Beckey!!


My name is Marci and I blog over at Life with Joys (www.lifewithjoys.blogspot.com). I am a mama of 3 blessings and a wife to my dear, sweet, extremely patient husband. I am a Jesus girl and I love to share Him with people. I am not legalistic by any means. I follow the Bible and the teachings of Jesus, not rules created by man. I did not grow up in a Jesus loving, Jesus following home. I did not discover His true love and redemption until I was an adult. I have been forgiven much and, therefore, I love much. I want my life to honor Him in a way that He gets all of the glory and spotlight. He is truly awesome!       Worry....we have been best buds at times in my life. I practiced worry and became quite good at it. Let's just say, if worrying were an Olympic sport, I would be a gold medalist and few could come near my record. Yes, it has been that bad at times. Uggh! I shudder as I think of the times that worry and fear ruled me. I have been so worried before that I literally could not see straight.

My worry usually began, and still sometimes begins with "what if...."

What if my husband thinks someone is more beautiful than me....

What if he no longer finds me attractive....

What if no one likes me....

What if people are talking about me...

What if what I said sounded dumb...

What if something happens to my kids....

I have layed awake at night pondering all my made up endings. My husband teases that when I hear a problem (or make one up in my head) I go straight to Z. I don't even go down the line of possibilities. I head straight to the worst case scenario and camp on it. Actually, I do more than camp on it. I make it my home, decorations and all!

Matthew 6:25-27   Therefore, I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? -Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

Wow! The last question convicts my heart. My worrying does no good. The only thing I accomplish when I worry is pull myself away from God. The harsh reality is that when I worry I am telling God I really don’t trust Him. Ouch! That’s difficult to swallow.



Three things have helped me when the worry bug bites me:
1. Philippians 4:8-9…Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable-if there is any moral excellence and if there is any praise-dwell on these things. Change my thinking. I have to consciously choose to think Jesus thoughts.

2. I can go through all of my worry and work myself up. However, if I remind myself that no matter what, Jesus is with me, I feel better. For example, If I worry that something will happen to one of my children I can say, “If ____________, then Jesus. He is with us through everything…even when it’s stinky stuff!

3. Replace the worry with the name Jesus. Instead of throwing things around in my mind, I just say, “Jesus, Jesus, Jesus…” as many times as I need to.

Girlfriend, worry will invade our minds at times. It can be a whisper, or it can be a scream. Regardless, we can make a decision to be held captive to it, or we can let Jesus set us free. When you feel helpless and hopeless, remember, NOTHING is impossible for Jesus. Peace is yours for the taking, all you have to do is ask. He will rush to you faster than you can even blink. His love for you is endless. Let’s choose to camp on that rather than the nasty practice of worry.


Much love to you my dear sisters in Christ.