bhag

big, humongous, audacious goal
i heard this on the radio tonight and am sorting out my life goals into big, but definitely reachable vs bhags

another good quote:
don't react to your life, but be proactive

a good day

i think sometimes when you have a good day you just need to share it with the ones you love.
today was such a day. it was different, to say the least. instead of being in front of the class most of the day i took the back seat to others, wiser and more experienced...my bosses. it was sweet. not because i didn't have to "work," but because i got to learn. my direct supervisor will be teaching a bible study on the book of Romans this summer, and it was so, so good today. she is a great teacher. she's also been playing some songs by big daddy weave and having us listen to the lyrics...amazing stuff if you take the time to hear what's being said.

here are some things that i was encouraged by just as i was reading through Romans 1
v5 through (Jesus) we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations
i still get all stirred up every time i read about "the nations." and paul realized that it was for the glory of God that he was being sent into the nations with the gospel
v8 your faith is proclaimed in all the world
wow! paul is telling the Roman believers that their faith is known throughout the world. what does the world say about us? about believers in the USA? i have a sad, sad feeling it's not our faith they're talking about.
v18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth
unrighteousness suppresses the truth. is there anything i'm doing that is hindering the truth from being spread?

another sweet moment today happened during our reading of the old testament this morning. we've been reading through 2 kings and keep coming upon kings that "followed the Lord, but/nevertheless/however..." didn't follow Him completely. they compromised. they left up the high places. they didn't inquire of the Lord. they weren't men after His heart. one of the girls said something really profound. we've got to live life with "no conjunctions."
i'm seriously thinking about putting that on a tee-shirt.

when is it ok to say no?

this is a question in my life right now. i'm reading a book about boundaries, but apparently i need to read faster.
so, i'm just throwing the questions out there friends...
how do you set boundaries?
when is it ok to say no?
what if you feel like saying no isn't an option?

happenings

last week i read a book called the shack. i can't decide if i recommend it because it's a little on the mystical side, and i would only want to truly recommend something that's based on truth. but this book did make me want to know Jesus more intimately, and i believe there is truth woven in.
the book is about a man's struggle after his daughter was kidnapped and evidence is found in an abandoned shack that she was murdered. several years later he receives a mysterious note from "Papa" (the name his wife intimately calls God) inviting him back to the shack. Mack decides to go for it and meets the Trinity there.
ponderings while reading:

• our perceptions of God are not always correct
• God desires that we be one with Him, and that is so, so intimate
• God did His part that all peoples might come back into right relationship with Him, the rest is up to man
• predestination...though God knows who will chose Him, He desires for all to come...He's not sending man to hell in His wrath...man chooses it for himself
• God knows how many times He has to teach us something before we get it; each time we don't get it we are disciplined or rebuked by our loving Father but He rejoices in "only 46 more times to go!" (i don't know how much truth is in that, but i thought it was funny)
• we are judgemental beings...and we have no right to be

as i was reading the book i also read John 15:15, "I have called you friends." i shared with my students the other day that we can be friends with Jesus and that i've been praying for that side of our relationship to be strengthened (because i have no friends here in florida!). one of them was funny...she said, "i never thought of ms. angela needing other friends. i thought we were enough. i guess i never thought of life outside." oh how small their worlds are!

we also are reading through 1 kings right now. solomon just finished building the temple and prayed "that all the peoples of the earth may know that the LORD is God and that there is no other" 1 kings 8:60. we talked about what a blessing it was that solomon prayed for us! later in the day we read john 11 where mary and martha tell Jesus, "if only you had been here our brother would not have died." we talked about our "if onlys... and yeah, buts...." and Jesus' response is, "Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?"

oh that all the peoples of the earth would see the glory of God!

so, now that it's almost over i feel that i can share about my fast...my 40 day no tv or movies fast. it's been rough some days, i'm not gonna lie. the last 2 fridays i've just wanted to veg after a long work week!
it all started with that Beth Moore study. God just kept bringing it up...getting rid of the things that don't glorify Him, or edify me; letting Him sanctify me through and through. i wasn't sure what to cut out so i just did it all. really, really hard thing to do considering there is a tv in almost every room in the house AND outside on the back porch. i must admit, a few times i turned around when someone was making a great golf shot (i don't even like golf), or when i overheard a really funny commercial, but i usually tried to keep my distance.
what i've learned:

• we waste a lot of time watching tv
• we watch a lot of things we, as Christians, shouldn't
• we tolerate, thus accept, a lot of immorality by watching said programs
• i'm challenged to watch less tv during the week, maybe none monday through thursday
• i'm challenged about the shows i watch...will i continue to tolerate the sexual innuendos, the swearing and cursing, the murder, etc?

i'll say it again...this is HARD! i would consider myself to be a pretty intolerant person when it comes to immorality in the media (my brother would consider me extremely intolerant). but perhaps i need to be more intolerant.

being at home with God anywhere

i was reading My Utmost for His Highest on Monday and was challenged about my spiritual habits. i'm not talking about disciplines, i'm talking about human habits we make for ourselves. like 'don't disturb me with your ministry need now, this is my prayer time' or 'God can only speak to me during my quiet time which is on the flowered couch in my living room.'
"Jesus was at home with God anywhere. Is there anywhere where you are not at home with God?" i just prayed that God would give me ears to hear Him anywhere, specifically while i'm reading through the Bible with my girls each day. in school we are reading through the Bible in a year, old testament passages in the morning and new testament in the afternoon. there is also a little story that goes along with one of the verses.
so i'm just praying that i would be at home with God and that He would speak to me every day as we are reading and that i can share that with the girls.
i have such a sweet opportunity for discipleship. i NEVER thought i would find a job that included speaking truth into people's lives and encouraging them in their walks' with Christ. i mean, i asked for that kind of job...so i shouldn't be surprised but i still am.

where do i begin?

So, I think I'm going through a time of pruning. My Thursday morning Beth Moore study is When godly people do ungodly things. Friends, this is an eye-opening study about people who love Jesus dearly, walk with Him faithfully and yet, are led astray by the evil one into sin. It's so challenging and so good. The verse that i've been meditating on the past couple weeks is:
"May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it." 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24
So I've just been praying that He would sanctify me through and through, and that required a little action on my part. One of the quotes from the study says, "I truly loved the Word and had begun to study it fervishly, but the enemy could still have victory over me because I was unknowingly blocking the power and protection of the Word from parts of my life that I either ignored or denied." I'm realizing that I rationalize sin away. Ugh! Things that so much of the world, even many believers would not consider sin. Such as, going 2-5 miles over the speed limit; watching certain shows on TV. God wants ALL of me. His word, thankfully is able to do a lot of the sanctifying...to the deepest parts! Check out Hebrews 4:12 in the Amplified version
"The Word that God speaks is alive and full of power [making it active, operative, energizing and effective]; it is shaper than any two-edged sword, penetrating to the dividing line of the breath of life (soul) and [the immortal] spirit, and joints and marrow [of the deepest parts of our nature], exposing and sifting and analyzing and judging the very thoughts and purposes of the heart."

So, speaking of joints and marrow...my doctor thinks I have gout. I just have to say that this makes me think of the Lunch Lady Song (aka Sloppy Joe) by Adam Sandler. However, I now think that it's terrible that he used gout in a song because it's a horribly painful ordeal. Unlike the lunch lady (who had to wear brown orthopedic shoes 'cause she had a bad case of the gout), mine is in my hand. Right hand, pointer finger to be exact. You'd be surpised how little you can do when your dominant hand/finger are in excrutiating pain. I did get medicine, which I was supposed to take until the pain went away OR I got sick to my stomach. Hmmmm, can't quite decide which was worse: crying myself to sleep and waking up everytime I moved or not sleeping through the night because I have to go to the bathroom every couple hours. I'll stop there with the details. The pain did go away for 3 days...but it has unfortunately started to return. For those of you who know anything about gout and are wondering, I will answer the question you know you want to ask, "NO I have not been on a beer drinking binge." I don't think that would line up with being sanctified through and through.