Posts Tagged 'strength'

be encouraged :)

Published May 13, 2013 enemies to intimacy , Genuine love , Holy Spirit , living , prayer , saving moses , seeing Jesus , spiritual 2 Comments
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You & I have various challenges that are happening in our lives & sometimes the challenges are big & many but other times the challenges are small & few.  Nevertheless, we all have challenges.

Here are some benefits of the various challenges that we have:

  • challenges can force us to look outside of ourselves to get help and for resolving
  • challenges can help us to get stronger
  • challenges can foster teamwork & creative solutions that can be amazing!
  • for me, challenges often force me to trust God more and trust myself less, which ultimately helps me to be closer to God
  • challenges often help me to get more focused & less distracted
  • challenges make me pray more :)

balancing multiple demands

Published April 16, 2013 Holy Spirit , living , prayer , saving moses , seeing Jesus , spiritual , travel 2 Comments
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Well friends, I’m back from Angola with Saving Moses & life continues to maintain its seemingly hectic pace.  Do you ever feel like there’s more work than time or energy?  It seems to me that often when I return from int’l trips that I have lots to catch up on & this return home seems no different than any others:  using a snorkle to keep swimming until I can come up for air.  But here’s something that is really encouraging to me today as I try to catch up from last week’s travels:  keeping my focus on Jesus helps me to not get overwhelmed with all of the things I need to get done.

As I was praying this morning, I just was encouraged to remember that Jesus already knew about everything that I need to get done with the limited quantity of time that I have.  With this in mind, I receive great strength knowing that if I keep my eyes on Jesus, He will help me.  It’s when I get my focus off of Jesus & onto the Mount Everest size work in front of me when I seem to get discouraged.  So, let’s keep our eyes on Jesus & keep swimming ,)

Opposition & Resistance

Published March 21, 2013 Genuine love , Holy Spirit , living , prayer , saving moses , spiritual 5 Comments
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Lately, it seems like I’ve had a lot of opposition & resistance. To be clear, some of this is self inflicted but it seems to me that many of the difficulties in which I find myself are kind of random & just the nature of remaining faithful to God. It’s easy to stay faithful when things are smoothy, groovy. But it can get tricky when we seem to be continually bombarded with opposition & resistance.
Here are some things that are helping me now:
*”now” is a key word – rehearsing the past & worrying about the future can deflate & contaminate the present
*keep going & trust that God will give you wisdom, rest & strength for each moment
*learn – take full advantage of this season to increase your wisdom & trust in God
*get strong – opposition can build strength if we don’t quit
* smile & be confident that God working out everything way beyond well as we stay in love with God & aligned with God’s purpose :)

Wait a second!!

Published December 6, 2012 enemies to intimacy , family , Holy Spirit , living , prayer , relationships , spiritual , travel 1 Comment
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I was in a security line at the airport early this morning & it was moving rather slowly. Thankfully, most of us in the line were still pretty groggy so there wasn’t much complaining, except for the guy right behind me. He was really gripey & for me, gripey & groggy aren’t a good combination. Thankfully, God helped me to keep my mouth shut because when it was all said & done, we weren’t waiting for more than 10minutes – which points out a bit of a challenge for our modern living.
I think that if we aren’t careful, we can easily fall into the impatience trap & neglect to learn & practice waiting on God. There are LOADS of verses that speak to the importance of waiting on God & I would encourage you to explore what God says about waiting. But from my personal experience, waiting on God is a great way to be in God’s presence & God’s presence is my priority :)
So wait a second & grab some God time ,)

Something encouraging

Published October 26, 2012 enemies to intimacy , family , Holy Spirit , living , prayer , relationships , spiritual 2 Comments
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I was reading this morning about how Jacob in the bible married Leah & Rachel. The Bible says that Leah was hated but Rachel was loved. There’s lots to be said about these marriages, but I love that Leah looked to God for strength & help – naming her 1st 4 sons: Reuben (God sees me), Simeon (God hears me), Levi (attached) & Judah (I praise God).
Regardless of what’s happening in your life:
*God sees you & has compassion on you
*God is listening with ears of lovingkindness
*attached – let yourself be completely attached to God
*never neglect to praise & give honor to God :)

the trouble with being strong

Published September 24, 2012 enemies to intimacy , Holy Spirit , living , prayer , spiritual Leave a Comment
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Our culture applauds strength & independence and these are good things to have – they can serve us well in lots of different ways.  The tricky part for us humans is that we tend to struggle with the practice of balance.  For some of us, independence & strength are the fortress in which we live, sometimes at the expense of fellowship with others and experiencing the amazing and indescribable power and wisdom of God.  I’ve made it my goal to know & be close to God.  With this decision, I get to adventure through various weaknesses in my life so that I can begin to experience God’s immense but gentle strength, God’s tenacious and faithful love, along with God’s wisdom that far exceeds my puny mental gyrations. In the end, I’ll take God’s strength, fellowship & communion anytime – it is far superior to any comfort from my own strength or independence.  God’s ways are higher than my ways :)

God is for you!

Published June 27, 2012 enemies to intimacy , family , Holy Spirit , living , prayer , relationships , saving moses , spiritual 3 Comments
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I had a really nice chat with some friends this morning over breakfast & we were talking about how our moms are totally for us & want us to succeed & do well.  It was a fun to think & talk about that in both the roles of being a mom & being a daughter.  This has started me to think about how much God is for us.

  • God is for you when it seems like no one else is for you
  • God is for you when it seems like everything else is against you
  • God is for you when you can’t encourage yourself
  • God is for you all the way through His death & resurrection
  • God is for you when everything is still & quiet
  • God is for you in the racket, noise & bustle of life
  • God is for you when you’re on vacation & just relaxing
  • God is for you when you make a mistake or when you have an outrageous success
  • God is for you when you get tired of your own self
  • God is for you when you’re happy or sad

God is for you!!

you can!!!

Published May 29, 2012 Angola , enemies to intimacy , Holy Spirit , living , missions , prayer , relationships , saving moses , spiritual 2 Comments
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When my kids were in preschool, I went to the parent intro day & I learned a great lesson watching one of the teachers who was working with a 4 year old.  The 4 year old was having a difficult time trying to do some work with her scissors & when the teacher circled around the room to check on everyone, the little girl said to the teacher, “I can’t do this!!”  The teacher was super patient and stooped to help the little girl, but said very firmly, “Honey, never say, ‘I can’t.’  Instead say, ‘I’ll try’ or ‘I need help’ but never say, ‘I can’t.’”

This lesson has helped me in more situations than I can count.  We often say in our minds or actions, “I can’t” when something is really difficult, or when we’re tired, or when we can’t figure out a problem, etc.  We truly may have reached our limit, but with Christ nothing is impossible and we can do whatever He tells us to do.  We can do all things through Christ Who strengthens us – Philip 4:13!!

something to encourage you :)

Published April 27, 2012 enemies to intimacy , Holy Spirit , living , prayer , relationships , spiritual 4 Comments
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Here are a few thoughts that I really hope will be helpful & encouraging:

If you’re going through:

  • a season of lack – be sure to be open to the variety of ways that Jesus provides in our lives (time, wisdom, creative ideas, unexpected supply, etc)
  • loneliness – don’t underestimate the continually abiding presence of Jesus with you in every moment & situation
  • a time of confusion – listen for the Holy Spirit to lead you into truth & consider reading the verses about Who the Holy Spirit is in John 14
  • some heightened insecurity – you are nothing less than wholly & genuinely loved by your Creator, Who finds you to be nothing less than tantalizing & delightful
  • failure – celebrate because you’ve crossed off an option that doesn’t lead to success!
  • frustration – sometimes the best reward to frustration is the strength that only comes through endurance

I hope you’re well encouraged today!! :D

Some antidotes for worry

Published March 22, 2012 enemies to intimacy , Holy Spirit , living , prayer , spiritual 3 Comments
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Worry seems to be a common ailment. Lots of people worry about lots of things- the economy, health issues, family challenges, school frustrations & lots more! Some worries seem to be justified & some are almost nonsense. Worry is common, but there are a few things you can do to overcome worry:
*pray the answer (God’s Word) more than the problem
*worship – exalting Jesus always makes my problems look smaller & smaller
*be careful about your conversations – complaining can be fuel for worry
*read a Psalm at breakfast, lunch, dinner & bedtime

Don’t let worry be bigger than Jesus in your life!!

sarahbowling

  • A few lessons I've learned from my mom: sarahbowling.me :) 11 hours ago
  • Sometimes the only way to learn to forgive is by consistent practice :) 14 hours ago
  • @DavidHolland - thx friend! Looking forward to seeing y'all nxt wk! :) 1 day ago
  • Don't let your ego write the checks for your future; humility is living today with your feet on the ground :) 1 day ago
  • @LeeGrady you are totally the best my friend! What an incredible honor to get to meet you - thx heaps for your time & ministry!! :) 1 day ago

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  • Through the Lens of a Camera: A First Hand Account of Angola May 16, 2013
  • Meet Moses: Angola’s Most Devoted Father April 29, 2013
  • Raul Donde: A Sign of Hope in Angola April 18, 2013
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