The Music in Me

I was in a clothing store the other day, looking for a pair of jeans and a blouse. This was the first time I had gone to this store, but I had heard they had some really great deals. And I wasn't disappointed with the many selections. However, I was shocked by some of the music playing in the background. The words of one particular song was very x-rated, and I had my young daughter with me! Is nothing sacred any more? No wonder kids have a hard time with morals. Their heads are filled with a lot of junk.

In my car we listen to Christian music. My kids love the songs. They know most of the words, and when they listen they are filled with hope and truth. My son's ipod contains many of those same songs. And he paid for those tunes!

Music has such a strong influence on people. That's why it's important to watch what we put into our heads. Should we purposely allow garbage to go in when God's Word says, "And what communion has light with darkness? (2 Corinthians 6:14c)" I'd rather have something positive, like good Christian music. It helps me praise my Lord, and it makes me remember Who it is I serve. I really like this music in me!

Blessings

I had a wonderful book signing this past Saturday. It was the first one for my new book, The Declaration of Independence from A to Z, which was held at Blue Chair Children's Books in Glendora, California.

The Lord blessed me with great weather (it had rained the night before, so the weather was beautiful), a perfect location at a very cute children's store in the old town district, a wonderful hostess and owner, and lots of family and friends and friendly people who came in to buy my book. We actually sold out!

The night before, though, I had gotten nervous because I didn't know what to expect. There were too many unanswered questions. My heart was stirred to pray. I felt overwhelmed, not at what could happen exactly, but just the amazing opportunity that God had opened up for me. I needed to pray to thank Him for His blessings.

There is a perfect Scripture for what I was feeling. It was a prayer by King David when God had blessed him with so much. He said, "Who am I, O Lord GOD? And what is my house, that you have brought me this far?" (2 Samuel 7:18) I got on my knees and prayed this, because, frankly, I was, and still am, overwhelmed by all that God has done for me in my short writing career.

What is the secret of my success? Following God's leading in everything. I gave Him my writing career from day one. And He has blessed. Thank you, Lord!!

Open

Are you open to the plans God has in store for you? Or are you afraid to take that step of faith even though you know God is calling you to do something beyond your comfort zone?

When we grow in our Christian faith, we will find that God will mold us and move us into areas we aren't always comfortable with. Perhaps He wants you to be more bold in your faith. Or maybe he wants you to reach out to someone you don't particularly like. Whatever it is, God has His reasons for stirring your heart into action. He hasn't made a mistake when He called you personally to take care of this situation. He knows you are capable because He is ready and willing to give you the resources you need. You aren't going in alone. All He asks is that you are open to His direction; that you are willing, in obedience, to be sold out for Him.

If we call Him "Lord" then we must submit to His will. He has promised never to leave us or forsake us. So if you know God is calling you to do something, be open to His leading. Then He will equip you to do far beyond what you ever expected to do for His glory.

Reflection

"They cried to You, and were delivered;
They trusted in You, and were not ashamed."

Psalm 22:5

A Salute

Today is Presidents' Day. Originally it was only about George Washington, our nation's first president. He set the standards for what a president should be like: a person of honor, dignity, and integrity; a person who tried his best to be the best leader he could possibly be, despite the differences of opinions of those he led.

Washington was a great role model. He is a tough act to follow. Hopefully on this Presidents' Day, people will remember that the character qualities that made Washington a hero, are those qualities we need to copy. If more Americans would follow his lead, and stand for the principles he held dear, we would be an even greater America than we are today.

Thank you, General Washington, for being a fine example for all Americans.

Time to Relax

I'm so looking forward to this weekend. It seems as if I've been inundated with a whirlwind of activity lately. Everywhere I turn there is something to do and somewhere to go. I really could use a bit of rest and relaxation. But is that even possible? Most of my activities revolve around transporting children and running errands. And with the kids home for 4 days, I can't even take a simple nap without the noise that a small household creates.

But it is necessary to take a break. Even Jesus took time off with His disciples to refresh and renew. We can get so caught up with life that we forget that our bodies need to be rejuvenated every so often. So, I will try hard to take off my shoes and just sit. I'll read a book, or maybe I'll draw some cartoons. Whatever I decide to do, I will use the time to relax and unwind, so I can be ready when the next week begins.

Surrender

One of the frustrating things about being human is that we're going to often repeat our mistakes. Even though we try our best, we still keep stumbling over something or other in our lives. It may be a bad habit we're trying to overcome, or a character flaw we're trying to correct, or even constantly dealing with anger issues. Whatever it is, because of our imperfections, we are destined to keep making those same errors many times.

But we don't need to feel like failures. As we surrender these things to the Lord, we, under the power of the Holy Spirit, will eventually be free. As we keep trying, we will overcome. It could take a long time, but if we want to follow Jesus, we are to daily deny ourselves, take up our crosses, and follow Him (see Matthew 16:24). Denying ourselves means surrendering our fears, inhibitions, failures, doubts, selfishness (the list is endless) to Him because He is God and He can handle all these things that we cannot and are not supposed to handle.

What areas of your life are causing you to stumble? Have you surrendered it to Jesus? It may be a daily effort to rise above these flaws and failings, but we can succeed as we daily turn it over to the Lord.

Spots

The Super Bowl has come and gone. Lots of money was paid to make those short commercial spots. But to be honest, I wasn't very impressed. Maybe it's because we've been spoiled with those classic ads such as being squashed by a pterodactyl for a Fedex ad, or that kid giving Mean Joe Green a Coke. Sure, the supposedly-controversial Focus on the Family ad, was very good, and I did enjoy all the spots for Doritos, but seeing a bunch of men walking around in their underwear, or the weird humor of the beer commercials was a bit much. But what can we expect when people are trying to promote things or services to make our lives happier and more productive?

The only thing that we really need is Jesus. He is the One who will bring us true happiness. When we submit ourselves to Him, He will make sure our needs are taken care of. He will allow us to fulfill His purposes, which will end up being the true desires of our hearts. And guess what? We don't have to pay for high class ads or high fees for these services. Accepting Jesus into our heart is free because He already paid the price for us when He died on the cross for our sins. All we have to do is to acknowledge that we need Him as our Savior, and that He is now our Lord.

Commercial spots won't really give us all we need, but Jesus will. Why don't you ask Him into your heart?

Hope

Do you know it's easy to find hope? All you have to do is open your Bible and start reading. Begin with the Psalms, or even with Genesis. You will see example after example of triumph over trial, hopefulness over hopelessness, victory over defeat.

The secret to hope is God. When we turn our lives over to Him completely, and I do mean completely, then we are covered by His protections, His promises, and His faithfulness. This doesn't mean we won't experience trials (Jesus said we would definitely have them); but we have the assurance that we do not go through them alone. The King of kings and Lord of lords is with us every step of the way.

Are you looking for hope? Your answer is God and you can read all about Him in the Book of hope, the Bible.

Realities

I got my copies the other day of my new book, The Declaration of Independence from A to Z. From start to finish it's been just shy of three years. It's now a reality; yet it almost seems like a dream. But what a blessing this is! God is so good. And to think I just started writing about eight years ago.

Sometimes we can't believe when our hearts' desires come true. Isn't that funny? Here we pursue these avenues and goals, but when it becomes a reality we're surprised by it. God wants to give us the desires of our hearts (as long as they are in line with His will). If we follow His commands, trust Him to lead, and give our all to Him and for Him, then we should not be amazed when He blesses.

I'm thankful to the Lord for this recent reality. Now I need to seek what goal He would have me pursue next!

How Do You Start Your Day?

How do you start your day? Do you start if off with a cup of coffee to get those eyelids open so you can slowly ease into your day? Or are you a scrambler, hopping out of bed at the last minute because you slept through all the snooze alarms. Or do you wake up with a smile, knowing that it's going to be a good day?However you wake up, I hope you are remembering to pray and to give the day to the Lord.

Personally, I like to start my day with my Bible open and my mind set on the Lord. I make sure I'm up before anyone else so I can have some uninterrupted time reading His Word. Then I get up and pray in my head as I get ready, asking the Lord to bless my husband, family, and friends, and to bless my day with whatever He has planned for me. I don't feel right if I haven't given God His time. It's almost like tithing my day: giving Him the very first part of it.

Now I know everyone can't start their day out like this, but there is always time to pray. We don't have to be prostrated on the floor or down on our knees (although there are definitely times when we do need to do this when we are in deep and earnest prayer to our God); we just need to have an attitude of prayer where we are conversing readily and are listening intently to what He has to say. This can be as we're driving to work, taking a shower, or running errands, or whatever free time we have where we can talk to God and share our heart with Him.

How do you start your day? I hope you're starting it with God in some way, shape or form, so He can direct your day.