Talk is Cheap

“May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.” Psalm 19:14 NIV

Twitter, facebook, texting…these are the new ways of communication in the 21st century. We receive “words” from people without ever hearing their true voices. Sometimes these ways of communicating can be very convenient for our busy lifestyles. Other times they can cause miscommunication between two people because of the lack of face-to-face interaction. As we go about our daily business, we need to be aware that even though we may not be communicating through the words we say, the words we write, tweet or text can be just as powerful. We are still “talking” no matter the form of communication we choose to use.

Our focus verse today reminds us that we should strive to please God through what we say and what we think. Talk is cheap if we don’t have actions that back up what we say. Our mouths (or fingers) can say one thing, but if we don’t really believe what we say, our words are meaningless. How many times have we passed someone and said “How are you?” but don’t take the time to really hear their answer. Do we really care how the other person is doing?

One thing I’m working on in my own life is to make time to get to know people on a deeper level. I’m convinced that meaningful relationships with people are the way to encourage each other as well as further the kingdom of God. I want my words and actions to be pleasing to God. If I say I’m going to do something for someone, I want to do it.

I encourage you today to consider how you are using your words. Are you building up people or tearing them down with what you say (or write, tweet, text)? Make encouraging words a priority and see how great an impact you can have on someone’s life.

Chosen by God

“The word of the LORD came to Jonah son of Amittai: ‘Go to the great city of Ninevah and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.’” Jonah 1:1 TNIV

I love reading the story of Jonah. I remember growing up hearing the tale of Jonah and the whale in Sunday school. The teachers always made the story so exciting and intriguing. As I’ve grown older and have read the whole story of Jonah, I have realized that God uses us in the same way He used Jonah to save the people of Ninevah.

Sometimes Christians think just because they have accepted Christ that their lives will be easy and free from trouble. Not so. Jesus says in John 16:33b “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” There are times when our troubles may be God using us in a way that will further His Kingdom and bring Him glory. Look at Jonah. God called him to go to Ninevah, a very wicked city, to preach against it and condemn them to death if they did not change their ways. If you know anything about Jonah you know that he got swallowed by a big fish because he was disobedient and ran away from the task God gave him.

I think that God calls us into similar situations today. All you have to do is pick up the newspaper or watch the news to know how much wickedness is going on in the world today. Modern day Christians are called to stand up and proclaim the word of God to help save the world from its wickedness. Sometimes God places us in the heat of battle so that our lives may affect more people. Maybe you’re facing a troubled relationship, a serious illness, loss of a loved one or a loss of job. Take heart…maybe God is allowing this trouble to help further His Kingdom. Know that God is always in control, and that He has chosen YOU to proclaim the message of His love. What an honor to know that through your trials you are serving God!

Downcast Soul

“Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.” Psalm 42:5-6a

I have to confess this is not one of my better days being a Christian. I’m being very stubborn about something, and that is making me miserable. My soul is downcast because I am tired of waiting. Now, what I’m waiting on is really not that important. It truly is a petty issue. But, in my life, it’s a big deal to me. I’m finding out though that being stubborn makes my soul become depressed. And when my soul is depressed, nothing works out right in my life. Thus begins the cycle of depression, things going wrong, depression, etc. You get the picture.

So, this morning as I was having my quiet time, I remembered the focus verses from Psalms. I know the way I’m feeling is wrong and certainly not beneficial to me or God. I am trying my best to do what the last half of the verses say, and that is to put my hope in God and praise Him. It’s hard sometimes when life isn’t going your way. The last thing you want to do is to put your hope in someone else when everyone else has disappointed you. And praise? Who feels like doing that when their life is falling down around them? That’s how I feel today. But, I had another reminder from God’s Word. We are commanded in Philippians 4:6 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”

Two phrases stand out to me—in everything and with thanksgiving. No matter what we’re going through God wants us to pray about everything and give thanks to Him in every circumstance of our lives. What’s the benefit of that? Well, the next verse in Philippians says “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” That is what I want! I want peace in my situation and my heart and mind guarded so that I don’t become depressed when things aren’t going my way.

I challenge you today (and myself) to take all your cares and burdens to God. Praise Him for what He has already done in your life and what He is going to do. He will give you peace and guard you from depressing thoughts. Praise His name today!

Hearts at Home

Motherhood is a valid profession.

It is that belief that inspired Jill Savage and a group of women to plan the first Hearts at Home conference 16 years ago. Today these conferences are a place where moms can go to find the encouragement and education they need to do this mothering thing right!

The problem is, not everyone can attend a Hearts at Home conference, so Hearts at Home University was created!

Hearts at Home University is a new resource designed to encourage and equip you in your journey as a parent! These live web casts, affordably priced at $15 each, allow you to tap into continuing education as a mom on a regular basis right from the comfort of your own computer.

The topics that will be covered over the Spring and Summer Semester include:

“Is There Really Sex after Kids” with Jill Savage
“She’s Gonna Blow” with Julie Barnhill
“Redefining Romance” with Mark and Jill Savage
“Keeping Your Ducks in a Relative Row” with Karen Ehman

For information on dates and times, or to register go here.

Hearts at Home

Have you ever felt alone as a mom? Lost in your chosen field of mothering?

There is an organization that was created to encourage, educate and equip women in the profession of motherhood. Hearts at Home helps thousands of moms love their lives through their many resources including conferences, website, and books.

Recently I partnered up with this organization as a blogger. Over time I hope to share with you the many resources this ministry has to offer (old ones and new). To learn more about the Hearts at Home Blogging team go here.

In the meantime I would like to encourage you to explore their website and blog for an immediate dose of mothering encouragement.

Hospitality Begins at Home

Last week I shared how we can welcome others into our home and make them feel special. This week I want to offer some tips on how we can minister to our families. After all, hospitality begins at home.

Mealtimes
Make mealtimes special for your family. Even though we live in such a busy society, I encourage you to try to eat together as a family at least 2 to 3 times a week. Mealtime doesn’t have to be elaborate. You can make mealtime special just by letting each family member know how much you are thankful for them.

Use mealtime to catch up on each other’s day. Give everyone an opportunity to share what they like about the day as well as what was not so fun. Share prayer requests and have your family pray together for these requests. This is a great way for your family to draw closer.

Try having a theme night. Maybe you can do this once a week or just once a month, but the idea is to get everyone excited about the special theme night. You can have a game night, Mexican night, movie night, scrapbook night or book night. Plan your food according to your theme. Put up decorations to make the mood more festive. Your family will love that you’ve taken the time to help them have fun.

Around the House

Celebrate successes and special occasions. When your child has done exceptionally well at school, have a small celebration and present her with flowers to show her how proud you are. For birthdays, go all out and decorate with balloons and make sure you have a cake. Celebrate as a family what God is doing in your lives.

Write encouraging notes to each other. Leave notes in lunch boxes and briefcases to let your family know how much you love them. They will be pleasantly surprised to find them throughout the day.

Create a wall of faith. Hang pictures or framed Bible verses that show how God has been at work in your family’s life. You might even have other memorabilia that could be put in shadow boxes. Use this as a conversation piece when you have company over. It’s a great way to share your testimony.

Our family should come first when we think about hospitality. Try some of these ideas to show your family how much you care about them. I’d love to hear your thoughts and suggestions as well.

What's Your Name?

My family recently returned from a cruise to the Western Caribbean. We had such a great time together. Reflecting on our trip I realized that one reason we had so much fun was because of our waiter, Martin. He was a wonderful young man from the Czech Republic. With his beautiful accent and charming ways, he made sure we felt welcome when we came to dinner each evening. Now, I realize that he was doing his job, but observing his service made me think about ways we can make our guests feel more comfortable when we invite them into our homes.

The first thing Martin did when we met him was to learn our names. You might think that is standard for all the waiters, but it is not. We actually did not meet Martin until our second evening on the cruise. We originally had a different seating time and waiter. Our first waiter was very nice and attentive, but he never inquired about our names. We were moved to an earlier seating the next day and were placed in Martin’s care. Martin not only addressed us by name at dinner, he remembered us whenever he saw us on the ship.

Our names are important. Everyone wants to be known by someone. What I am taking away from this experience is that if we really want to get to know someone, we must know their name. And by knowing their name, we get to know them and who they really are. With our fast paced and hectic lives we do not take the time to get to know people on a deep, intimate level.

My challenge this week is to invite someone into my home with the purpose of getting to know them better. By forging bonds with other people, we create a sense of community that I feel is lacking in our society today. And when we develop community we strengthen our own families and churches. We have more of a desire to minister to others.

I pray for you this week that God will reveal to you someone you need to encourage by getting to know them better. Please add your comments to this post and share how you get to know others.

APRIL GIVEAWAY
This month’s giveaway is the book The Busy Mom’s Guide by Kathy Peel. If you leave a comment on my blog anytime in the month of April your name will go into a drawing for the book.