Words… they can heal or hurt. When we talk about ways to make others feel safe, we need to consider our words. Are they positive or are they negative? Do our words lift others up or do they tear down? The best available numbers show that we use about 16,000 words per day.
Wow! 16,000 words per day? What are those words used for? Praise, adoration, gossip, self-glorification, slander, instruction, discipline, encouragement, prayer? I have always heard that God gave us 2 ears and 1 mouth for a reason. What would we do if we didn’t get all our 16,000 words said in a day? Sometimes, the best thing is to hold our words.
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Being Real With You
We have been talking about being real and so today I am going to practice what I preach.
I have been working on the blog for today and have not been able to focus. A dear friend of ours lost his daughter yesterday morning in a head on collision. She was only a senior in high school. She was a sweet girl who loved the Lord with all of her heart. So, my heart has been heavy for he and his family causing my concentration to be at the level 0. If you don't mind please lift up a prayer of comfort and encouragement for the Brinkman family. He also has a young son that is grieving the loss of his big sister. I think he is 13 yrs. old.
Thank you for understanding and for praying for this family. I will be looking forward to next week and would love any discussion that you might want to add between now and then.
I have been working on the blog for today and have not been able to focus. A dear friend of ours lost his daughter yesterday morning in a head on collision. She was only a senior in high school. She was a sweet girl who loved the Lord with all of her heart. So, my heart has been heavy for he and his family causing my concentration to be at the level 0. If you don't mind please lift up a prayer of comfort and encouragement for the Brinkman family. He also has a young son that is grieving the loss of his big sister. I think he is 13 yrs. old.
Thank you for understanding and for praying for this family. I will be looking forward to next week and would love any discussion that you might want to add between now and then.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
A Safe Place
I John 4:7 “Dear friend, let us love one another, for love comes from God.”
I John 4: 11-12 “Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.”
“ No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and His love is made complete in us.”
Wow! I think the Lord has made it clear for us that we should love one another. His love for us is not conditional. Therefore our love for one another should not be conditional. This is the first thing we must understand in our walk of “being real” with one another. We need to offer a place of safety for others to come to us and share their burdens, trials, temptations, and joys. When we do this, we have also made a safe place for us to do the same.
What makes a place of safety? Well, that would be a place where there is no judgment or ridicule, but accountability through love and compassion. Where what is said is held in confidence and not made subject of gossip or “prayer request”. Where there is a shoulder to cry on and ears to just listen. Sometimes we feel like we need to “fix” the problem or the person with the problem, this is our human nature. But, we need to rely on God’s wisdom and let Him give direction. We need to remember that words are not always necessary.
Where do we start? I think the best place is with family and friends. God chose our families for us for a purpose, and even though we may not see eye to eye with them all the time, I believe He gave us our family as a place of refuge when we feel like there is no other. So, I guess we have to ask ourselves if we have made it a safe place for each of our siblings, parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc… You may be asking “does this include my spouse’s family?” I think it does. Matt. 19:5 “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” God has chosen this family for us too. We should treat them the same. Then He blesses us with friends. These are people we are drawn to through our love for Christ, similar interests, etc… To grow this friendship we must be willing to “over look” certain characteristics. We seem to do this easier with our friends than we do our family. Why is that? Anyway, when we can make a place of safety in these two areas then we are able to start to open ourselves to our church family and those we encounter on a daily basis.
What a great way for us to show God’s love for one another. I know it is scary to do this and that will be our topic for next week.
I John 4: 11-12 “Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.”
“ No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and His love is made complete in us.”
Wow! I think the Lord has made it clear for us that we should love one another. His love for us is not conditional. Therefore our love for one another should not be conditional. This is the first thing we must understand in our walk of “being real” with one another. We need to offer a place of safety for others to come to us and share their burdens, trials, temptations, and joys. When we do this, we have also made a safe place for us to do the same.
What makes a place of safety? Well, that would be a place where there is no judgment or ridicule, but accountability through love and compassion. Where what is said is held in confidence and not made subject of gossip or “prayer request”. Where there is a shoulder to cry on and ears to just listen. Sometimes we feel like we need to “fix” the problem or the person with the problem, this is our human nature. But, we need to rely on God’s wisdom and let Him give direction. We need to remember that words are not always necessary.
Where do we start? I think the best place is with family and friends. God chose our families for us for a purpose, and even though we may not see eye to eye with them all the time, I believe He gave us our family as a place of refuge when we feel like there is no other. So, I guess we have to ask ourselves if we have made it a safe place for each of our siblings, parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc… You may be asking “does this include my spouse’s family?” I think it does. Matt. 19:5 “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” God has chosen this family for us too. We should treat them the same. Then He blesses us with friends. These are people we are drawn to through our love for Christ, similar interests, etc… To grow this friendship we must be willing to “over look” certain characteristics. We seem to do this easier with our friends than we do our family. Why is that? Anyway, when we can make a place of safety in these two areas then we are able to start to open ourselves to our church family and those we encounter on a daily basis.
What a great way for us to show God’s love for one another. I know it is scary to do this and that will be our topic for next week.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Here's to Being Real
Well ladies it has been a long time since I posted last. So much has changed in my life. We have moved our ministry to Merkel, Tx. Todd is now the pastor of First Baptist Church. Everyone is so nice here and we are excited to see God’s purpose unfold.
Someone said to me the other day that I have such a blessed life. This caused much contemplation. We all have many layers to our life; many of which we do not let others see. We only let others see what we want them to see. God’s word says that we are to “carry one another’s burdens”, Gal. 6:2. This can not be done if no one knows our burdens? We must feel safety from judgment from our fellow brothers and sisters. I would like to look at this question over the next few weeks. Please join me and let us discover together how to share our burdens with one another so that our load may be lighter.
Hope to see you next Wednesday.
Darla
Someone said to me the other day that I have such a blessed life. This caused much contemplation. We all have many layers to our life; many of which we do not let others see. We only let others see what we want them to see. God’s word says that we are to “carry one another’s burdens”, Gal. 6:2. This can not be done if no one knows our burdens? We must feel safety from judgment from our fellow brothers and sisters. I would like to look at this question over the next few weeks. Please join me and let us discover together how to share our burdens with one another so that our load may be lighter.
Hope to see you next Wednesday.
Darla
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Relationship Checkup
Well, here I am, the mother of 2 college students and 2 junior high students. As a mother, I will do anything for any one of them. Sit up with them in the middle of the night when they’re sick, go to the store late at night for that item they forgot they needed the next day, put off getting something I need so they can have what they need instead.
Why do I do these things? I love them and I want them to know it.
Now, I think of all my heavenly Father has done for me. Why? He loves me and wants me to know it. He desires a relationship with me.
Sometimes we get so busy or so comfortable with our salvation, that we don’t stay hungry for our relationship with Him. When I spend time with my children and know who they are and they know who I am, then it is easier for them to show me respect and honor. Likewise, when I spend time with my Lord, I know who He is and He knows me. This is when it is easy to give Him the respect and honor He desires.
Do we need a relationship checkup?
Travelling this road together,
Darla
Why do I do these things? I love them and I want them to know it.
Now, I think of all my heavenly Father has done for me. Why? He loves me and wants me to know it. He desires a relationship with me.
Sometimes we get so busy or so comfortable with our salvation, that we don’t stay hungry for our relationship with Him. When I spend time with my children and know who they are and they know who I am, then it is easier for them to show me respect and honor. Likewise, when I spend time with my Lord, I know who He is and He knows me. This is when it is easy to give Him the respect and honor He desires.
Do we need a relationship checkup?
Travelling this road together,
Darla
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Fix Or Repair Daily
Psalm 20:7 ~ "Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; But we will remember the name of the Lord our God."
Some are familiar with our ongoing issues with 'the truck'. As one of my dear friends likes to say, "FORD stands for Fix Or Repair Daily." Regardless of our vehicular loyalties, we all have put our trust in the ability of man-made things.
This weekend, my chariot, with all it's 274 horses, failed me. Halfway between point A and point B, it just quit. I was frustrated, angry, hurt (that my beautiful symbol of strength had let me down) and unsure about what to do. Stranded on the side of the road, I was hit with the reality of the uncertainty of anything except the Lord our God.
What are we putting our trust in? Is it some material thing that we believe will never let us down, or possibly our ability to do and achieve? Maybe we need to be reminded that our life, our strength, our hope is in the Lord Almighty.
Maybe F.O.R.D. ought to be our spiritual standard. Now THAT's a better idea!
Some are familiar with our ongoing issues with 'the truck'. As one of my dear friends likes to say, "FORD stands for Fix Or Repair Daily." Regardless of our vehicular loyalties, we all have put our trust in the ability of man-made things.
This weekend, my chariot, with all it's 274 horses, failed me. Halfway between point A and point B, it just quit. I was frustrated, angry, hurt (that my beautiful symbol of strength had let me down) and unsure about what to do. Stranded on the side of the road, I was hit with the reality of the uncertainty of anything except the Lord our God.
What are we putting our trust in? Is it some material thing that we believe will never let us down, or possibly our ability to do and achieve? Maybe we need to be reminded that our life, our strength, our hope is in the Lord Almighty.
Maybe F.O.R.D. ought to be our spiritual standard. Now THAT's a better idea!
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
My girls and I watch old comedy/love stories. One of our favorites is “If a Man Answers.” with Sandra Dee and Bobby Darren.
In the film Sandra Dee’s mother tells her to use a pet training book to help her marriage. She uses the book thinking all along that she is “training” her husband until her mother points out that it has actually been training her.
Now, you may be asking “What was the purpose in that little story?” Well, ladies, if we stop and think about it; we love, cuddle, and spoil our pets. Imagine if we treated our husbands the same way. We should shower them with praise. We want our husband to be our “Knight in Shining Armor” so maybe we should treat him like he is. We need to acknowledge the things he does in a way that makes him feel worthwhile and needed.
Also, how many times have we wanted our husband to go shopping with us or to a romantic movie? But, how many times has he gone hunting, fishing, golfing, or any number of things and we had no interest in sharing it with him. Maybe, if we took the time to be interested in his interests, he would not mind so much making that trip to the mall or the flee market.
So, I am putting my theory to the test. Will you join me? Let me know what you discover.
Travelling this road together,
Darla
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