Already Read it, Already Believe it! How about you?

You are a gift!

5 minutes giving it all I got with not edits ...

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It was a gift to spend time with my good friend Ginny yesterday. We walked, getting the exercise I need and we talked, about the things that matter most to us. We chatted about Real Women, we went on to talk about excess, and rich in generosity. I know we could talk for hours. We laughed and we shared lunch together. It is a gift to spend time with her and I love that we find ourselves talking about the gifts we have received from the Lord.

It seems there is nothing quite like the gift of a girlfriend who shares her faith in conversation.

It's a GIFT to spend time, recalling the GIFTS from His hand, through the GIFT of conversation with the GIFT of my good friend Ginny. I love you my friend way more!

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Joining Lisa Jo here:




 

thinking about purging excess

If someone had told me I would sit down and read the second half of the book of Deuteronomy in one sitting I would have said, “No Way!” Yet that is exactly what I did this afternoon. To read another book that will explain a book of the Bible feels like cheating to me because I am not just getting Jesus’ words but someone else’s words too.

 But when it comes to the Old Testament, believe me I need all the help I can get.

I love what Billy Graham says, “Our faith is not dependent upon human knowledge and scientific advance, but upon the unmistakable message of the Word of God.”

So today, I did spend some time in What the Bible is all About by Dr. Henrietta Mears. Mears breaks down the book of Deuteronomy into three parts:

• Chapters 1-4 Moses’ first address Looking Back
• Chapters 5-26 Moses’ second address Looking Up
• Chapters 27-34 Moses’ third address Looking Out

It is important to note that along with the book of Deuteronomy I began reading
7 an experimental mutiny against excess today also.

So when I opened to Deut 17 and read on through Deut 22 and counted over ten times Moses says “You must purge the evil from among you” can I just say that it was no mistake to read this passage in one sitting. There must have been a reason that he repeated this pharse so many times; don't you agree?

That was just one of the many verses that spoke to me here are a few more:

When you enter the land the Lord your God is giving you, do not learn to           imitate the detestable ways. Deut 18:9

For the Lord your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory. Deut 20:4

Keep away from anything impure. Your camp must be holy, so that he will not see among you anything indecent and turn away from you. Deut 23:9, 14

Oh Father, as I continue in your word may I be one who follows theses decrees and laws; carefully observing them with all my heart and with all my soul. This day may I declare that the Lord is my God and that I will walk in His ways and that I will keep his decrees, commands and laws, and that I will obey Him. May this be a choice not only for me but for my children, and grandchildren. May we live and love the Lord our God, listen to his voice and hold fast to him.

Praying today!

May you Father continue to have regard for Amber ....
deliver her
protect her
preserve her life
sustain her
restore her

And Father for the HopeWatchers may they desire to do your will and may your law be within their hearts ... Psalm 40:8

And Father for me ...
Cause me to look carefully at how I walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the most of my time and understanding. I pray that I would be trustworthy in how I handle wealth and that I would be
single-minded in my devotion to You, recognizing that I cannot serve both God and money.

Love knowing and believing that I am already amazing!

I have had the privilege of receiving a copy of You’re Already Amazing  byHolley Gerth from Revell Publishing Company for review. In this book Holley begins by saying, “Imagine I ask you to have coffee with me—which is exactly what I do with my dearest friends.” This is Holley’s style of writing. She writes, just as if she was sitting right across the table from you in your local coffee shop.

As I read chapter two, Who am I really? I found that Holley was great at dispelling the lies that we sometimes believe as women and replacing them with truth. On page thirty nine she begins with a sentence that has come to my mind a time or two and maybe yours … “You, (Beth) are not enough …. But she pauses and hears God finish the sentence with …in Me you are more than enough. I love this! I want God to finish those negative thoughts that come into my mind often with these words.

She continues with truth as she writes:

o   We are much more than pretty … we are wonderfully made.

o   We are much more than likeable … we are deeply loved.

o   We are much more than okay … we are daughters of the King

Each chapter has questions we can ask ourselves as women to go deeper in our thoughts and actions; questions that can make us more intentional about how we are living life, what we  are thinking, saying, and doing! In fact, reading and reviewing this book, during a time in my life when my thoughts have been at times discouraging, has been transforming.

It’s good to hear you look amazing, wouldn’t you agree? But it’s even better to hear from the One who knows you the best, your Maker, “(Beth), you are Amazing!” Holley says that “no matter what renews us, the source is ultimately the same … Jesus”. She continues, to point us, over and over again to the source.

I believe You’re Already Amazing, Embracing Who you are, Becoming All God Created you to Be, is a must read for women of all ages.

Go ahead, grab a cup of coffee, and go on over to:  www.(in)courage.com and join in the bloom book club and hear Holley and her friends tell you You’re Already Amazing!

Better yet, feel free to sit right down with Holley, at her blog here: http://www.holleygerth.com/

Hoping and will you hope with me too?

Kindof (is that a word) excited about this smash book idea for the summer writing program for the 900 students who go to Edinbrook Elementary.

See it here:
http://youtu.be/_PFsArr4Z1s
I am on the reading committee and this was one of the ideas so ... I am hoping to get 900+ journals donated for the students from different retailers in the next few weeks as I go and ask. He says, "ask and you shall receive".

Would you hope with me too?

I am continuing to count my gifts from Him. Sometimes I get distracted by the  things that don't matter much and I begin to complain. I often don't know why this happens. I know that I am not alone in this but I do want to be transformed in my heart so I will walk in joy and gratefulness more often. So once again I am linking up with Ann and counting my gifts.
http://www.aholyexperience.com

824. waking up reading Galatians and knowing that I have grace and peace from You

825. hearing and watching my youngest lead in worship at NHC yesterday

826. hot coffee as I read

827. family (close and far away)

828. friends in need of prayer http://thetumordiaries.blogspot.com/ please pray for Amber today!

829. music in the background

830. burdens that don't seem so heavy today

831. a repentant heart

832. friends both present and online

833. Hannah and Rachel being led to participate in a 30 hour famine

834. time to relax and read

835. signs of spring

836. walking with the golfer

Is Jesus Clearly and Obviously your Lord?

Another Sabbath and another profound message regarding Living Sent! Take away today for me was:

"When Christians are indistinguishable from non-Christan
they are useless."

The text today was Matthew 5:13-20

But the whole story is in Matthew 5 often referred to as The Beatitude's or the Sermon on the Mount hence the reason I thought this You Tube by Ann was profound as well!

May I remember to be useful, for when Christians intrigue the world they attract the world.

Grateful for a game of basketball!

Grateful for a game of basketball in the gym with the boys on Monday!

I am a teacher, I work with 4, 5, and 6, grade black boys who just happen to have Emotional Behavior Disorders (EBD). I walk into the darkness each day from 9-3:30.  I cry out to the Lord for these boys at night as I lay my head on the pillow. I pray for them on my way to work. When one of them gets angry at me during the day and tells me to "f" off or calls me a "b", white woman that I am, I bring peace and calm and I begin to pray for them. I bring empathy and compassion as one boy says, "Mrs. P. when I got angry today at you, it wasn't you I was angry at. It was just that my mom told me last night that my grandma committed suicide". He cries and I listen. It's true I walk into the darkness daily but I bring the light because I am Living Sent. 

 I come home today after a full day with the boys. I remember that I belong to Him and my heart is full of gratefulness.


Gratefulness knowing that I have been on the receiving end of gracious comments too, the ones He whispers in my ear, "you are mine, you are worthy, and you are amazing".


I know the power of well-chosen words. I speak them as a teacher and I hear them from the students; "Thanks Mrs. Pederson, Can you help me Mrs. Pederson?"


Still counting and speaking my gratefulness


807. a cold winter day

808. the cardinal on the bird feeder

809. the amazement of the grandchildren as they watch the birds and squirrels eat

810. warm coffee

811. reading Bible stories to the kids

812. a day for warm pj’s

813. heat for the house on a cold weather day

814. sitting face to face with Him

815. His love washing over me

816. a warm embrace from the golfer

817. just a simple egg and toast 

818. grateful that my life is not defined by my own pain but by my union with Christ

819. warm chili served by the hands of the golfer

820. a good night’s rest

821. knowing I am loved, chosen and called

822. a game of basketball in the gym with the boys

823. grateful to have a teaching job


I speak these words to Him, make me an "oak of Righteousness," partnering with You in the restoration of the shattered lives of these boys. 

5 Minute Friday .... Empty

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Not sure I can write for 5 minutes on this but will try anyways

Empty; it's how I felt today cause I did not have to go to work and I did not put anything on my to do list

Empty; it's how I felt yesterday when I learned that my daughter-in-law had lost her baby the second time around

Empty; it's how I feel when I long to be close to my daughter in Texas and her kids

Empty; it's a feeling that has been coming over me due to the deployment soon of my youngest daughter

Empty; it's how the house feels on any given day

Yet, I think about the opposite of empty and that is full .... full of memories of fun and fellowship and family and times of reading the Word and once again being filled with His promises to meet me where I am either feeling empty or full or even in between ...
God is Good, All the Time! All the Time, God is Good!

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