23 Clearing the Jungle
SUMMARY:
If we don't make a point of clearing a place for the Lord in our lives other things will naturally take over that space.
It's takes effort to clear the jungle of our lives to give room to spiritual matters
22 Poured Out Offering
Summary:
Sometimes our ministries can feel like poured out offerings
Did how I served even matter? Did anyone notice or care?
Did the way you let something go or forgave a wrong feel like it went unnoticed? Did you do something that needed to be done but nobody took note or maybe you went out of your way to encourage someone and it wasn't appreciated
Don't be discouraged... God sees our efforts and If we are doing it to His glory we can humbly go unnoticed
21 Running Late
Summary:
Do you tend to run late?
Sometimes I'm tempted to think God is running late when things aren't working out the way I hoped yet He is always on-time
20 Living in the Dash
Summary:
The dash between our entrance and exit of this life can be spent on ourselves or for the Lord and others ... how will you will live out your dash?
19 Too Many Travel Mugs
Summary:
What are you hiding in your cupboards?
Do you have a drawer or a closet you don't want anyone to open?
What about your heart?
We all have nooks of shame we work hard to hide... yet God sees everything
Do we open our whole lives to the Lord? Letting Him search us?
My prayer has been “Create a clean heart in me oh Lord!”
18 Trials of Gold
Summary:
Jesus says that we should desire the gold that has been through the fire. Pure Gold is sold, malible and reflective. When we walk through trials God works on our hearts. He brings the dross out so we aren't hardened by sin and dingy.
Have you ever looked at trials this way?
What would it look like if you did?
Join me on the podcast as we talk about gold by fire.
17 Hunger Pangs
Summary:
Often we find ourselves craving the wrong foods or pushing off hunger pangs bc we are too busy.
Our souls long for the deeper spiritual fruits only found in time with The Lord.
What are you really hungry for?
16 Tulip Mania
Summary:
Have you heard of tulip mania? Holland and much of the world went crazy over tulip bulbs during a time. People were selling everything they had just to buy these sought-after after bulbs.
This seems ridiculous to us today, yet what are we chasing? It might not be a flower, but unless it's something eternal, like the colorful tulip, it too will wither away.
What are you chasing?
15 The Good Gardener
Summary:
Are you going through a time of pruning?
Check out the episode
Link in bio
A good gardener knows that sometimes to help the plants grow, pruning must take place.
The Lord is our good gardener, always trimming back the parts of our lives that distract from His master plan. It can often be painful but we can trust Him to know what is best ...
14 Pristine Journals
Summary:
Do you find yourself saving things to keep them nice? The good dishes, a favorite shirt or perhaps like me a box full of unused journals.
Are you waiting for some future event when it's a better time to use your talents or gifts?
Does if feel safer to never try because then you can't make mistakes?
I have messed up a journal page or two ... we all have but God can still use those pages of our lives.
13 The Hidden Manna
Summary:
Jesus says that He is the bread of life.
We often want to find answers and satisfaction in other places ... although these things may fill us temporarily, Jesus is the only lasting answer.
This is a hard saying that even the disciples struggled with at times, yet Peter said "To whom shall we go? You have the words to eternal life?"
I think of his words often when I'm struggling and want to run to other things besides the Lord
12 I Must Decrease
Summary:
John The Baptist, referring to Jesus, said, "He must increase, but I must decrease."
Not a popular saying today
John's words are a great reminder that as we journey through life, we want more of God and less of us.
Reworking our schedules to have time with The Lord. Going to prayer first in every trying situation. Praising God when you feel like sinking Into self-pity. Starting or just joining a small Bible study or mom's group or lunch group at work where you can find community.
In the podcast I talk about a woman who simply started reading a Christian book aloud in her kitchen and attracts a crowd. She never thought something so small would grow so big.
We just never know where things will go when God is involved.
11 Name That Baby
Summary:
The Lord can use you to encourage others to recognize and use their gifts for His good purpose
If you see a gift or talent in someone; name that baby, like Ruth's neighbor did at the end of the book of Ruth
She saw something special and wasn't afraid to name what she saw ... don't hold back, tell people the good gifts you see in their lives
10 The Tied-Up Donkey
Summary:
In Luke, Jesus sends the disciples to collect a tied-up donkey.
But, they have an obvious concern.
What if the animal's owner asks why they are taking the donkey?
Jesus's answer has always struck me.
Just tell him the Lord has need of it.
Simple as that.
What if the Lord has need of something of ours?
Will we untie it?
09 Closed-Off Mansions
Summary:
In the last episode, we talked about how our lives can be open cabins for God to use to bless others ...
Yet sometimes, we become closed off to letting God use us. We can easily go into isolation and start to board up our hearts. We feel fearful of being hurt or used. We are tired of the grind of life and don't want to be open to ways God might be calling us.
We are dealing with exhaustion, sickness, or feel too busy already. What starts as a season becomes a pattern and then a lifestyle.
While there are times to pull back we can't stay there, eventually we need to open our door and ask the Lord to use our Iives as he would see fit (that can be a scary thought) especially when we have built a beautiful mansion in a safe neighborhood.
08 Open Cabins
Summary:
God uses us to do His good work
To comfort
To nourish
To encourage
To disciple
To provide shelter in a storm
Are we available?
Are our doors open when God sends someone our way?
Where has God provided open cabins when you needed a rest?
Join me in a cup of conversation about friendship and sharing and the life in-between on The French Press
07 Bonus Mini Episode: Your True Love
Summary:
A valentine's day special
Who is your true love?
What does real love look like?
Check out this mini bonus episode
06 Stirring of the Heart
Summary:
How does the Holy Spirit move in our lives?
Sometimes, it's a stirring in our hearts.
Exodus paints a beautiful picture of how God moves His people to join in the work of the kingdom.
We usually don't feel equipped, yet he calls us where we are and offers us a chance to use our gifts for a higher purpose.
05 Is Everybody Happy?
Summary:
So often, when we try to make everyone happy, we end up making nobody happy.
So, as Christians, what's the goal? The world tells us to make ourselves happy, "Do what makes you happy."
Is this biblical?
Yet, is it our job to make others happy?
We actually stand before an audience of one, and when we serve Him, we won't make everyone happy.
But that won't matter.
Nobody, not even God, can make everybody happy. So why do we try?
04 Puppy Train Your Brain
Summary:
In my quest to find more joy in life I realized that I needed to first deal with my negative thought patterns.
What does the Bible have to teach us about the battle in our minds when it comes enjoying the good things God has for us?
Joy is much deeper than happiness, but sometimes we have to fight for it.
Much like when house training a puppy, we need to put those negative thoughts (often lies) outside where they belong.
Sidenote:
I felt bad for calling Scout the worst dog ever on this podcast and was going to say there are probably worse dogs out there, but right at that moment he threw up on the carpet, so the title remains his.