If God Brings You To It …

23 Jan

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“If God brings you to it He will bring you through it.”

I see this sign each time I walk in to the counseling center. I see it and long to be encouraged by it, but instead I’m often saddened because some of my worst situations are all my fault. The “it” I’m in is of my own choosing, my own sin, or mine and others poor choices. So what then? I feel as if I’ve brought myself to it. If God didn’t bring me to it, will He still bring me through it?

First, I think there’s a few lies in my own response that need to be corrected. The biggest lie is the belief that I got myself into this mess. Yes, sin and poor choices can get us into situations and there are consequences. But can we really do anything that a sovereign God doesn’t allow? He gives us free will but He’s still sovereign. Nothing can happen to us that He doesn’t allow.

“When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider: God has made the one as well as the other.” — Ecclesiastes 7:14

I like how The Message puts it in Proverbs 16:1:

“Mortals make elaborate plans, but God has the last word.”

So in that way he brought me to “it” because He’s allowed it, even if what He allowed was for me to make poor choices.

A similar sentiment is in the lyrics to Mandisa’s “Stronger,”

“‘Cause if He started this work in your life
He will be faithful to complete it”

I hear that and similarly think — but God didn’t start it; I did, meaning I caused this hard time. But “this work” isn’t necessarily a present hard time. Philippians 1:6 says that very thing: “… he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”

When did that good work begin? I believe God’s good works began at the creation of the world, after all he saw all that he created and called it good. He created man and called man “very good.” But specifically, in my life, it began when he made me.

Psalm 139:13: “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.”

That’s when the good work in me began. So even if I mess up along the way and have hard times as a result, — for all have sinned and fall short — this promise to bring me through it and complete a good work is still mine.

I think Satan wants us to believe that we can no longer lay claim to that promise, that if we cause our own pain then it’s all on  us and all our fault and there’s nothing God will do. But that’s not true. Our Heavenly Father desires more than anything for us to not fall to such lies but to believe He’s going to work all things out to our good — all things. Even sin. Even poor choices. Even _____ — whatever we put it in that blank. There may be still be pain and consequences but he never leaves nor forsakes us (Deut. 31:6). He began a good work, and He will be faithful to complete it.

Book Review: Fresh Brewed Life

19 Jan

Fresh Brewed Life book cover

I was excited about this book because that creamy, cinnamony cup of coffee on the front cover looks so inviting. I was just sure that the words that followed would be just as warm and comforting as the front image made me feel. To an extent, that was true.

I love the coffee analogy. Author Nicole Johnson writes:

“To take pleasure in coffee and benefit from all it has to offer, it must be savored, not merely consumed,”

Her take is that life is like coffee — to be savored and not just consumed.

The book covers lots of areas — relationships, friendships, beauty — all through the lens of enriching your experiences. The portion that stood out most to me was the chapter on journaling. Johnson writes:

“Journaling gives us the opportunity to learn by paying attention. By writing what’s happening and what we are feeling and thinking and what’s happening, we can look at the pieces and study them more closely. … I don’t write in my journal just to record. I write in my journal to grow. Nothing else gives me the opportunity to process my life through my own observations like my journal. Because of my dogged commitment to be honest in it, God can work through it, and I can learn and grow from the lessons of life.”

Her recipe is to find a great notebook, a great pen, an amazing scented candle — “one that makes you want to crawl inside it” — and designate a quiet place in your house, early in the morning, for journaling. First, make your grocery list or your to-do list or whatever else is in your head that will distract your thoughts. Get it out of your system. Then start writing. When you’re writing you’re thinking and processing and working things out. Keep your journal with you at all times, or pretty nearby, for whenever you need it. Your journal is private so feel free to be completely honest. Don’t censor or cross things out or edit. You’ll learn the most from capturing your feelings just as they are. These are just some of Johnson’s many excellent journaling tips; enough to entice your to get started and maybe encourage you to pick up her book if you’d like to know more.

“When we are struggling, he will meet us on the pages. When we are sinning, he will reveal that to us. When we are weeping, we’ll hear his gentle words of comfort. And when we write in celebration, we can sense his joy coming through our own. … You may hear so much that you can’t write fast enough.”

Like a warm mug of coffee, this book is best consumed in sips. It’s not the kind to sit and read in one sitting or over a few days straight through. It took me much longer to read it than I thought, I think because I read the e-version. I think I would have read more diligently if I’d read the hard copy.

I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program.

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Rosemary Sprig

11 Jan

Today some friends and I painted my kitchen green, rosemary sprig to be exact.

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I had the idea a while back to change the wall color to better go with some Scripture tiles I wanted to hang and to upgrade to a paint that could more easily be cleaned after spills and splatters. I mentioned this to my friend Tracy, who offered to help. Tracy has painted many times in her own home, so she has both the expertise and the supplies.

Here’s Tracy painting at my painting birthday party last month.

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Here’s Tracy painting in my kitchen.

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She used to be “my friend Tracy from bunco,” but I think now I’ll just call her “Tracy, my painting friend” :)

Here’s Priscilla, another bunco friend, who joined us too. It definitely went faster with the three of us!

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It actually only took us less than three hours! The paint covered perfectly in just one coat. We started around 10:30, and by 2 p.m. we were done.

I am thankful for friends who know how to paint and who were willing to help and hang out, and thankful for my new bright, cheerful kitchen.

Oh, one more funny thing. I asked Tracy’s 4-year-old son how he liked the green, and he said he liked it. Later, when his dad was there to pick him up, he told his dad that he liked the green better, that the brown it used to be was terrible! LOL. Kids!

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Another Year Older

9 Jan

Several friends and I celebrated my birthday last month by taking a painting class at Spirited Art. We went on an Open Studio day so we could each paint what we wanted, from swirly trees, to a cross with Scripture, to a purple giraffe, to my Tree of Life. We had a great time, and I am so thankful to have such good friends willing to celebrate with me in such a unique way!

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My painting — “Tree of Life” — is below. Can you find the hidden “32″? My biggest criticism of my own work: I think my birds look a little too much like fish.

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Our finished masterpieces!

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