The Lenten Project: Day 2

Today was a good day. Nothing extreme, but certainly a good day. I did have a moment this morning that made me smile. I am pretty sure God was smiling too. We do that sometimes, smile in tandem.


I have a Bible app on my phone called You Version. With it comes a daily verse and I love this feature. They are completely random and more than once God has used this to speak to me. Today was one of those days.


The verse was Isaiah 61:7. Instead of your shame you will receive a double portion, and instead of disgrace you will rejoice in your inheritance. And so you will inherit a double portion in your land, and everlasting joy will be yours.


After what seemed like a defeat yesterday, this came as a music to my soul. Every day comes to us a fresh, and He wanted me to remember that. He knows my words before they are spoken, and still he gives me a double portion.


Disappoints are a part of life, But that can not be my focus. Everlasting joy is not a thing of the past, it is right here and now. If I'm not careful, I'll miss out on the joy trying to fix what He has already forgiven me for.


I don't know if God just smiled or not, but I sure know that I just did.

The Lenten Project: Day 1

I hopped out of bed this morning, excited and terrified at the same time. Today was my kickoff, the beginning of a new me. Jesus girl 2.0. if you will.


I arrived to work with ashes on my forehead and a spring in my step. The ashes on my forehead would have been more impactful if they weren't lost in a sea of red bangs. Aside from that, I was ready for whatever God had in store for me.


It was mid morning and time for soda thirty. Translation: Soda thirty is when a group of us venture out for a pop. This lead to the conversation I would replay in my head the rest of the day. Someone asked me if I gave up anything for lent.


I said no.


Technically, I said "no not really". Which was true. I had not given up anything traditional. Anyway, this was my pact with God and it was none of their concern.


Except I am blogging about it and it is in no way a secret.


So why didn't I tell my friends.....my non "churchy" friends, that is. I have told a number of people about my plan. So why did I hesitate?


To tell you the truth I don't know why, but I have 40 days to figure it out.

The Lenten Project

I have been thinking a lot about Lent this year. I don’t know why, so it must be a God thing. I can’t shake the idea that God wants me to do something, but what? Eat fish on Fridays, give up Diet Coke, or maybe just go to an extra church service.

That just feels inadequate. What if this Lent marked the beginning of a new season in my life? What could I do to strengthen my relationship with Jesus, the one who gave up everything for me? What if I finally decided to “let go and let God”?

Here is what I decided. For the 40 days of this Lenten season, I will focus on the self in self-denial. I give Jesus free reign in my heart, my head, and my soul. What better sacrifice than the very thing we all cling to, control.

But I really don’t want to do this alone, so I ask you all to join me. I will be blogging my daily progress and I would love for you all to share your experiences in the comments section. After all, wherever two or more gather online, He is with us…..or something like that.

 So, join me in a change of focus, where the one life that we will be changing is our own.

Upcoming Events February Edition

Want an opportunity to fellowship with others? Are you busy running kids to church and school activities? Do you have meetings on Wednesday nights? Boy do we have an opportunity for you!!! Starting in February, meals are available on Wednesday night from 5:30 to 7:00 pm (come and go) in the Family Life Center. Free will offering - Open to ALL. To help us know how much food to prepare email Becky by noon each Tuesday at zibell84@gmail.com.

February 5 - Walking Taco's

February 12 - Baked Potato Bar/Salad

February 19 - Chili

February 26 - Spaghetti/Salad

Come check it out, it is guaranteed to be special!

Politics and Religion

Emily Post once advised that it was "bad manners" to discuss politics or religion in public. Here I am about to discuss both. If I were to be completely honest, I would tell you that I was tempted not to blog on this topic. There is nothing that gets people wound up quicker than politics. It is for that reason, I thought I would just skip it. Then I realized, that would be just thing that would cause Jesus to call attention to a bit of lumber in my eye.

So here I am, talking about the thing, that I desperately want to avoid. But that is how he works, isn't it? Bringing the uncomfortable to the forefront in hopes that we will learn just a little. For me, the Lord has been prompting me to pray for those people who make my life difficult. And I don't mean " Dear Lord, please make sure Jane Doe gets whats coming to her." I mean to genuinely ask that the Lord be with her.Can you imagine what would happen if each time I wanted to lip off about what a bad job congress was doing, I prayed for them instead.

Now maybe, I should take it to take it to the next level. Instead of getting on my soap box, I just look in the mirror. Could I learn something from their actions. Maybe the reason it hits a nerve, is that I see a bit of myself in it all. After all, those that don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it.

Pastor Dennis has certainly given us something to think about. What has this sermon cultivated in your heart? Share below what God has laid upon your heart.

Get Your Glow On

I need to be honest with everyone. When I first heard the title of this weeks sermon, Go, Grow, Glow, I wondered if Pastor Hector was speaking on gardening....though I was not sure how glow figured into it. But, true to form, he delivered a passionate and spirit filled sermon. So much so, that it caused me to ask myself "how do I grow as a christian?"

The answer was sitting on my night stand. It was not my cell phone or Aaran's half eaten cookie. It was also not the TV remote or my glasses. It was, however; what my glasses rested on. It was the Bible.

I can't tell you how many times I have whined that I wish life came with an instruction manual. All this time, it has been sitting right there.

Here is the thing, it is not "cool" to read the Bible. You are all thinking it. I know you are, because I have thought it too. Maybe cool is the wrong word. Let's try a different word, how about relevant? How does what happened to Peter, John, and James on a mountain top relate to little old me? How  can I get anything out of a book that was written over 2000 years ago?

Essentially, I was judging a book by it's cover. Once I got past the cover and into the word of God, things started to happen. I can't explain it. To be honest, I think it is a miracle of it's own. Once you start reading on a regular basis, it starts speaking into your own life. And it doesn't stop when you close the book. For hours (and sometimes days) after reading, things will come to me. Maybe it's an answer to a question I prayed about the day before. Or maybe it's a sense of peace about a situation that I have been upset about.

So give it a try. It's not as hard as it sounds. Start with a chapter a day. (Not a book, a chapter. Genesis 1, then Genesis 2, and so on.) If I'm wrong, you can always stop. But if I'm right, they can use the glow from Evangel for next years super bowl!

Praying it Forward

Tonight, Pastor Dennis brought our sermon series on prayer full circle. We have spent 4 weeks circling or dreams, fears, and concerns in prayer. As we bring our "circle" to a close, I can't help but wonder "was I ever the center of a circled prayer?"

I have no doubts that the answer is yes. My teenage years alone, sent my mother to the hair color isle in Wal-Mart before the age of 40.  It's an interesting thought, isn't it? To think that someone would invest their time and energy praying for little ole me.

Just for a moment, let's think. Maybe, just maybe, we are still here on this earth because of someones circled prayer for us. Or more to the point, maybe we are living a life of victory, with Jesus Christ as center because of their prayers.

The next time I start to doubt if prayer really works, I have a plan. I think I will just look in the mirror. No, I won't just look in the mirror..... I will look in the mirror, thank mom, then hit my knees and pray for my own daughter.

Now that's what I call "praying it forward".