MONDAY MUSING: REJOICE

In a few minutes, the work-a-day world will be in full swing.

Some of you will put on your tool belt and report to a construction site.

 Some of you will put on your uniform, and prepare for a day of cleaning, or waitressing, or cleaning car engines.

Some of you will be heading off to the corporate world where the color of your tie or the type of shoes you wear impacts the success of your career.

And some of you will stay in your pajamas or donn a pair of sweat pants as you spend the day chasing after toddlers and running a household.

There is no doubt about it, whatever your profession, the next 8-10 hours promises to be full of pressures and expectations. It's part of the having a job.

It comes with the territory so to speak.

We accept it.

We endure it.

We slug through the day, longing for the 5 o'clock whistle to announce our release.

But is that they way Jesus intended our work life to be?

I don't think so.

Consider the following scripture:

"...I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." (John 10:10)

Jesus didn't say our life would be abundant excluding work.

No, this scripture seems to indicate that all parts of our life can be abundant, joyful, fulfilling.

So my prayer for you today is to embrace all that Jesus has for you in your job today. When the pressures come, thank Jesus for them.

When a co-worker lets you down, ask Jesus to bless them and encourage them.

Rejoice my friend, in the job God has given you because it is in thankfulness and joy that we learn the true secret of living every day with Jesus.

"Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!" (Philippians 4:4)

WEDNESDAY WEIGH-IN: Virtual Models

(Well, even though today is Thursday, I did weigh in yesterday and lost 2 pounds. I've got my groove back and am walking again on my lunch hour, tracking my food, and not eating after dinner. I give God all the glory for His empowering help.)

I discovered a neat little website called My Virtual Model. After you put in your height, weight and body shape, it creates a virtual replica of yourself. Then you can shop for real clothes, and try it on your model to see what you might look like in it. Sometimes, I enter 30 pounds less than I weigh to see what I'll look like when I lose 30 pounds. For me, it's a motivator.

But all of this got me thinking about what my heavenly model might look like to Jesus. Imagine if instead of entering pounds, body shape or height, there was a website where we could enter in our secret struggles and hidden sins. This imaginary site would be for our eyes and Jesus' only, but it would create for us a spiritual image of our true selves. Yikes! I fear it might too frightening to behold because the Bible says all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. But it's an interesting thought isn't it?

So for today, my question to you is... what does your Virtual Model look like, and more importantly, what does your Spiritual Model look like?

Self-examination is a very real part of living every day with Jesus. But the really cool thing is that once we realize that are just helpless balls of dirt, God in His mercy doesn't just leave us in that state feeling hopeless. No, He sends His spirit to us to give us a spiritual makeover.

But until then, remember Jesus loves you and there is always hope in Him.

God Hugs

How would you like to have special favor with your boss? Or have unexpected resources fall into your lap? Or maybe you'd just like someone to advocate for you when the going gets tough.

All of these things are possible when you live every day with Jesus.

Take for example what happened to me today: I applied for approval to attend UMass to pursue a Journalism Certificate. (In order to recieve tuition reimbursement - a company perk - one has to first have their course of study approved.) Admittedly a pretty far reaching expectation since they normally only pay tuition for those individuals pursuing a healthcare degree.

But writing is my passion, so I prayed about it and submitted the necessary paperwork to my boss. Although she was compassionate, she  reinterated that company policy states tuition reimbursement is only for those individuals pursuing a healthcare related field. So basically she was telling me not to get my hopes up.

Well, today my boss came to me with tears in her eyes, and told me she couldn't believe it, but my request was approved!

Amazing things like this don't always happen to me, but when they do, I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that is my Heavenly Father's way of reaching into my world and giving me a great big hug, just like any earthly father would do. Perhaps that is why, the gospels twice records the following passage:

"If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!” (Luke 11:3 and Matthew 7:11)

These kind of wonderful things happen when we live every day for Jesus because we are His child.   Now that doesn't mean we won't have hard times in our lives, because the Bible also says it rains on the just and unjust alike. But the difference between living every day with Jesus, or living without Him is the difference between having someone on our side, or being all alone.

Do you live every day for Jesus? If so, what God hugs have you recieved? Leave a post so that we all can have our faith increased and believe that more God Hugs are coming our way!

Favorite Foods

I woke up with this scripture on my mind this morning:

"Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O LORD God of hosts." (Jeremiah 15:16)

I'm not sure if the prophet Jeremiah actually ate paper, but it's a powerful image isn't it? Imagine loving the word of God so much that you actually gnawed on it.

My favorite food is ice cream. All kinds of ice cream. With nuts or without, covered in chocolate or plain, nuts and candy bars mixed in or not. It doesn't matter, it's the cool, creaminess that draws me in every time!

What is your favorite food? What is it about it that hooks you, and makes you crave it? Now imagine if we craved the word of God like that.

Visions of Dairy Queen may dance in my head, but seldom does Acts 2:38 or Psalm 71. Growing in God and learning to live every day with  Jesus means falling in love with God's words which are recorded in the Holy Bible.

So please do tell me what your favorite food is, but also what is your favorite scripture. And let's spend time chewing on both!

MONDAY MUSING: God's Bufferers

How are you feeling this Monday morning?

Does a job await you?

Are you preparing  for your kids to go back to school?

Or will you spend this Monday looking for a job,  maintaining your house, or struggling with a chronic illness?

Whatever your Monday holds, I want you to know that Jesus is with you in it.

He feels the dread you feel when the morning alarms goes off in the dark of the early morning.

And He understands the stress of getting school age children dressed and ready for school. Rest assured , Jesus  cares deeply about  your day-to-day challenges.

And for me Jesus' love and care is enough.

That is one of the perks of living everyday with Jesus.

Everday may not be perfect, but everyday is buffered by His sweet presence and by the people He sends into my life to help me.

I was thinking this morning about all the men and women God has placed in my life over the years who helped to  buffer my hard times.

• Brother Kenny, my teen Sunday School teacher, who made it a point to encourage me and build me up in the faith every week.
• Sister Bevens, a sweet eldlerly lady who came to my house to pray and sit with me as dealt with depression.
• Sister Hensel, a mighty prayer warrior who continues to carry me in prayer and speak the truth of God's love to me, even when it's hard to hear sometimes.
• My precious grandfather, who first taught me about Jesus, prayed for me, opened his home to me when I was a teenager, and continues to imprint Jesus on my heart by his words and example.

These are just a few of the many that were willing to sacrifice and gave of themselves to me.   I thank God for every one of them, and I regularly ask God to bless them for the difference they made in my life.

That's the great thing about living every day with Jesus.

We may have hard times, because the Bible says it rains on the just and unjust alike, but we can take comfort in knowing that God buffers all of our circumstances.

Sometimes He acts in supernatural and invisible ways, and sometimes He sends 'people with skin on' to undergird us and strengthen us.

And what about you?

Who has God sent in your life  that has been a bufferer to you?

Won't you honor them and God  by leaving a post as a testimony to God?

"And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death." (Revelation 12:11)

Getting To Know Us

Buddy (My husband) and Me

Good Morning My Friend! It's a glorious Friday to be living every day with Jesus, and I must admit a little more glorious for me personally because I am off work today! (woo hoo!)

Mikensay in my Great Room

I believe that times of rest and relaxation are just as important to our success in living every day with Jesus as times of advancing the kingdom. So since I'm home today, and feeling rather playful, I thought it'd be fun to share with you a little of my world. Because I believe it is only we share ourselves with others that true friendships are forged.

 If we are guarded, or too reserved, we make the other person feel shut out. That is why I try to be transparent in my writing. Granted, it's not always easy to 'tell the world' that I have well over 100 pounds to lose, or that I once struggled greatly with depression.  But when we are willing to be vunerable  (exposed if you will)  we dismantle the enemy of our souls, and forge bonds with others that are not easily broken.

But first some edification to nourish our souls because I'm sure you didn't come by just to read about me:

"No cloud obscured the face of the Father from His trusting child, who could look up into the Divine countenance and pour out the longings of his heart." -E.M. Bounds

Oh, how true this is! One of the most fabulous benefits of living every day with Jesus is knowing that no matter how dark my world gets, or how many struggles I must endure, I always have a safe haven from my loving and protective Heavenly Father!

Safety is a very real reward don't you think? Especially in today's world. To have such assurance and confidence in our Creator that no matter what happens externally in world at large, or internally in our lives or psyche, is one of the most profound aspects of living everday with Jesus.

 Yes, Jesus often gives me loving human hands to provide for me  but over and above all that they could ever  imagine to do, God is there. Keep repeating those last three words to yourself... God is there. When I can't make my mortgage payment...God is there... When my family disappoints me... God is there... Those three little words honor the make of our souls! Be assured my friend, God IS THERE!

Okay, now for some pics to show you what life is like on my side of the computer....

My Dad and Step-Mom

JOY IS A CHOICE

Joy is a choice. The end result of joy may be a feeling of euphoria, but when you live every day with Jesus, joy is a choice.

Circumstances come to all of us that threaten our joy: job disappointments, physical challenges, contentions with co-workers, misunderstanding with loved ones.

Yet, Jesus said there is a source of joy in Jesus that is not affected by any outside disturbance.

So how do we access this river of unending joy?

By declaring the promises of joy in the Holy Bible. The more we speak the truths of joy, the more empowered we become! Here's a few of God's joy nuggets to get you started today:

"For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands." (Isaiah 55:12)

"We're depending on God; he's everything we need. What's more, our hearts brim with joy since we've taken for our own his holy name. Love us, God, with all you've got— that's what we're depending on." (Psalm 33:21)

"I will sing for joy in God, explode in praise from deep in my soul!He dressed me up in a suit of salvation, he outfitted me in a robe of righteousness,As a bridegroom who puts on a tuxedo and a bride a jeweled tiara. For as the earth bursts with spring wildflowers,  and as a garden cascades with blossoms, So the Master, God, brings righteousness into full bloom and puts praise on display before the nations. " (Isaiah 61:10)

Singing songs of praise is another way to immerse yourself in the river of joy. Here's one of my favorites:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4wl0VFgpjY&feature=fvst

Be inspired and uplifted today my friend! Jesus loves you. He is in control of all that concerns you. Drink in the cup of joy today. It's one of the most glorious benefits of living every day with Jesus!