Time Well Spent

My husband, Donald, and I went on a breakfast date the other day.  We have a special, out of the way place that we like to visit often. As we sat across from each other over a table of pancakes, bacon, and fried eggs, we reminisced about what our “dates” used to look like not that long ago...

Back when we only had two little ones, Donald and I used to work opposite shifts.  Even with our crazy schedules, we still had to utilize daycare.  Did I mention that our two oldest daughters are only 15 months apart? Well, they are.  That meant we had two babies in diapers at once. On top of that, one was on very expensive, super-special formula.  (One would have thought that each can was painstakingly crafted by hand by some sort of powdered formula artisans and packaged in a 14 carat gold canister, but I digress.)

Anyhow, we had no extra money at the time.  Like zilch.  That meant there were no movie dates or fancy dinners out.  Plus, since we worked opposite shifts, we really couldn’t take advantage the free babysitters we had. (Shout out to all the grandparents and Auntie Jill!)

Donald and I reached the point where we needed some way to have a “date” without leaving the house and without spending extra money.  That’s when I had the idea to start renting movies from the library.  It was free, I could request whatever we wanted to watch, and we could watch it at any time.  Plus, did I mention it was free?!? That’s when we also discovered that Aldi has some tasty (and inexpensive) snacks!  So for our “date nights” we would watch a movie and eat our special snack.  It wasn’t super fancy but it was exactly what we both needed at the time. 

Looking back I treasure those at-home “date nights”.  I wouldn’t trade them for anything.  Those evenings brought us time together as a couple to reconnect, have some laughs, all while we snuggled up on the couch.

Now we find ourselves in yet another season.  The season of all three kids in school all day.  The season of me staying home and Donald having a day off during the week that we can use to catch a matinee movie or enjoy breakfast out. And it’s amazing.  I like to think that we are even closer now and stronger as a couple for having endured that season of our marriage back then. Investing in your marriage in the here and now will always pay off as the years go by. 

And I like to think that’s how it is with our relationship with the Lord as well.  There will always be different seasons.  Seasons when you can dig down deep into His Word with no regard to time and seasons when maybe all you can read is but 5 minutes before the baby starts to cry.  Times when you are experiencing incredible closeness and times when you wonder if He is near (which, He so very much is, by the way). Seasons when you are on the mountaintop, praising Him and seasons when you are in the valley, crying out in prayer.

But can I tell you, it is so worth it to keep that relationship going.  It is so worth it to adjust and figure out a new way to spend time with the Lord when what you are used to gets mixed up. Maybe that means hanging out in your car just to get a moment alone and singing along to some worship music.  Maybe that means shifting your prayer time from the wee hours of the morning to the end of the day.  It could even mean putting down your phone (eek!) and picking up your Bible. Because the thing is, the closer you draw near to God, the closer He will draw near to you.  Your relationship with Him will grow deeper and stronger. And I promise you, just like a date with your sweetheart, it will never be time that is wasted but time well spent.

“I love all who love me. Those who search will surely find me.” Proverbs 8:17 (NLT)

Post by: Marcy Gates

The Names of God

When I was a little girl my Pappy would call me his Peach or Peaches. My dad had a nickname for me too, he called me Buckaroo. When I played basketball in middle school my nickname was Little Red. In high school some of the kids called me James. While in college I had a group of friends that would switch the first and last initials and we would all call each other different names. I was, Limmie Jee. I fondly remember all these names. I can remember the person who started the nickname and look back affectionately on those relationships and what they meant to me at the time. 

I met my husband in college and quickly learned that names were also important in his family. The funny and also sweetest thing is how their nicknames for each other would morph. I can’t remember all of them. The best way for me to explain it is that they started out as one name, take Kenyan for example (my husband’s running nickname), and morphed into something completely different, like Yommers. Kenyan to Yommers? See hard to explain. Nonetheless it was an endearing quality I experienced in his family and he somehow now affectionately calls me Bagel. You’ll have to ask him how that started! (Because I can’t remember) He mostly just calls me babe though and rarely calls me by my actual name, Jimmie Lee. 

My oldest calls me “Hey Mom” and my youngest calls me mommy. 

That is approximately 9 different names I have had over my life time, not including my actual name. I have a feeling you might have some nicknames amongst your people too! Now let me tell you why I’m writing about names today...

Way back in October I participated in something called a “Hand Lettering Challenge” on Instagram. This consisted of using hand lettering to create a piece of art for each day’s prompt and then posting a picture. The prompts for that month were some of the names of God. Did you know that God has a whole lot of different names?! 

Each time I would hand letter the name for that day, I would also look up the scripture for that particular name. And it occurred to me that each person God has a relationship with has a different name for him. Many times it came from a promise or God’s faithfulness in that person’s life.  It made me think of all the different names I’ve had and all the different names I’ve had for people in my life and it just clicked and made sense. 

Each name had a special meaning to that person. For Hagar it was El Roi, the God who sees (Genesis 16:13) For Abraham it was Jehovah Jireh, God provides (Genesis 22:14). For Jesus it was ABBA, Papa (Galatians 4:6-7).

And of course during this season, it’s no different. He is Jesus, the babe who came through Mary. Emmanuel, God with us. Christ the Messiah. Prince of Peace. Yeshua, Deliverer. And so much more!

I have heard people be confused about how God could have so many different names. But I’m excited that through this hand lettering venture, God taught me a simple explanation that I’m so grateful for! 

Which one of God’s names resonates with you? What promises has He fulfilled in your life that brought you deeper into relationship with Him? How have you seen His faithfulness?

Post by: Jimmie Lee DiIanni

I Should Be...

I should be freaking out right now.  In fact, I should have been freaking out for a month now, at least. 

Deadlines.
Business/work pressures.
Kids.
Responsibilities.
Unexpected bad news.
Holidays.

The month of November has been full of ups and downs. And there’s every indication that December will be more of the same. But this season has been different for me. It would not be unusual for me to have mini meltdowns silently in my head for weeks, fretting over the things on the list above, only to have it all spill out in a major meltdown with tears and snot bubbles.

But this season, I’m finding myself much less stressed.  Things I used to worry about no longer cause my stomach to clench in knots.  In fact, I’m going to be bold and say that this season has been a season of peace. Now don’t get me wrong, I have shed some tears and had a couple moments of silent panic this month but it has not overtaken me.  

So what is different for me this month than in the past? My thoughts.

Philippians 4:6 instructs us not to be anxious about anything.  We are told to bring our prayers and requests to God with a thankful heart.  And then when we do that, the peace of God will guard our hearts and minds.  

But, you might say, “I’ve done that and I am still fearful, worried, stressed, etc....”

Well, let’s keep reading in Philippians, because this is key to moving forward...

“Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things.” Philippians 4:8 (NIV)

After you have prayed, after you have cried out to God – where do your thoughts go? Are they heading back into the mire of worry and stress?  Are they diving deep into the dark unknowns? Are you trying to be two steps ahead of whatever is chasing you down?

As I have navigated this month, I’ve tried to be very careful and purposeful in where my thoughts go.  And I’m not talking about “the power of positive thinking” here.  I’m talking about focusing my thoughts on Christ. After I have prayed and allowed God’s peace to wash over me, I’ve been careful to not let my thoughts wander but to keep them focused on God. My desire is to hold on to the peace He has graciously given me.

“You keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you.” Isaiah 26:3 (NLT)

Where are your thoughts heading today? What’s trying to dominate your mind? May I offer up a bit of direction? Here’s where I have been trying to steer my thoughts to lately... 

Whatever is true – remembering all I know about God from what He has revealed in His Word.
Whatever is noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable – focusing in on Jesus and all He has done for me.
Whatever is excellent or praiseworthy – keeping my eyes open for all God is doing right now in front of me and thanking Him for it!

I hope that helps you, sweet friend, as much as it has been helping me!  May we move forward with our thoughts fixed on Christ and resting in the abundant peace that only He can give!

Post by: Marcy Gates

She Did What?! (Part 2)

Thanks for meeting me back here for Part 2!!  If you missed Part 1 of our story, you can catch up right here: She Did What?! (Part 1)

So when we left "Bible Times" on Friday, Deborah and Barak had defeated the army that was on the verge of attacking them and the leader of the enemy army, Sisera, was on the RUN...

Sisera is in full on escape mode when he finds his way to the tent of Jael.  Sisera assumed that since Jael’s hubby was on peaceful terms with his boss, King Jabin, that this tent would be a safe place to hide out for a while.  Ummm.... Let’s just see...

Jael went out and greeted Sisera.  She invited him in to the tent, told him to make himself at home, and covered him with a cozy blanket (I envision a soft chenille and not some scratchy wooly thing, lol!) He asks for a drink of water and Jael does one better! She gives him some milk. So our girl Jael is really pulling out all the stops.  (Think Martha Stewart with a Pinterest worthy tent, lol!)

Sisera is feeling pretty comfy at this point. So much so that he orders Jael to stand at the entrance of her tent and instructs her to lie... 

“Stand in the doorway of the tent,” he told her. “If someone comes by and asks you, ‘Is anyone in there?’ say ‘No.’” Judges 4:20 (NIV)

Now, I’m not too sure about you but I can just imagine our girl, Jael, screaming inside her own head at this point.  Like, “No, you did NOT just say that to me!!!”  Because while Sisera believed that tent was a safe place, that he had found a friend in a land of foes, he was dead wrong...

“But Jael, Heber’s wife, picked up a tent peg and a hammer and went quietly to him while he lay fast asleep, exhausted. She drove the peg through his temple into the ground, and he died.” Judges 4:21 (NIV)

Now’s the time to say – SHE DID WHAT?!?!?!?!?!?!?

Jael killed Sisera.  With a tent peg.  To the head!

Whew. Sounds crazy, right? But listen, there’s a big lesson to learn from Jael too just like we did with Deborah.  She recognized the enemy and did not hesitate to stop him in his tracks.  How about you? Have you determined the enemy in your tent?  Are you eliminating it?

Listen, I am not saying take a tent peg to your husband because he keeps snoring.  What I am saying is this, we all have an enemy we need to face.  The sooner you address it, the better.  And, I’m not going to sugar coat this, our enemy is Satan.  Often in our lives, we allow things to defeat us and they may have been things we welcomed into our lives, our households, our “tents” so to speak.  My encouragement to you is to be alert.  Be aware of when the enemy is trying to gain a foothold in your life.  And then address it.  Put a stop to it with the tools God has given you (His armor, Ephesians 6:10-19) because you can!

That’s what our heroine Jael did. She saw the enemy trying to make himself at home in her tent, where she lived.  She knew that she had the ability to remove whatever was not for God and/or from God from her home.  And she went to work.  She didn’t run away from it.  She didn’t sneak out behind her tent to talk to the other ladies and get their advice.  She recognized evil and immediately took a stand. 

My friends, we too, can take a stand.  Let’s look at Deborah and Jael as examples of strong, righteous women of God.  They positioned themselves to be used by Him and did not waiver.  They knew what God wanted them to do and were obedient to Him. And through their obedience, God used them for amazing things!

Post by: Marcy Gates

She Did What?! (Part 1)

Ladies, for our time together today let’s take it back to what my kiddos refer to as “Bible Times”. Yes, we are digging into the Old Testament!  Now don’t click away from me just yet! I know sometimes when we hear that we will be focusing in on the Old Testament we inwardly groan and wonder if this is going to be a dry, boring story filled with a long list of people’s names we can’t pronounce. Well, this, is NOT that kind of post my friend!  Stick with me because I’m telling you, you are going to get to the very end of this story and say to yourself, “She did what?!”

We are going to dive into Judges 4 but first allow me to set the scene... The Israelites were in a period of time where they experienced highs and lows in their relationship with God.  They would closely follow the Lord, trusting in Him, and walking obediently with Him.  But then...  well, then they would fall away.  They would start worshipping false gods and drift away from the Lord for whatever was new and shiny.  They would become disobedient and ultimately fall into sin.  And since sin has consequences, God allowed the enemies of the Israelites to overtake them. When the Israelites cried out to God for help, God answered by raising up a judge to lead the people and help guide them back to Him.  Deborah is one of those such people – a judge!

From the very beginning of Deborah’s story, the amazing thing about her is that she was ready and willing to be used by God.  She led a life that placed her in a position to be used for God’s kingdom.  That makes me want to take a look at my own life for a second.  Am I in a position to be used by God? Am I living a life pleasing to Him? Goodness, I sure hope so!  I want to be living a righteous life, listening for God’s voice and walking obediently with Him.  And if there’s an area where I am not, I want to be sure to bring it to Him.  If there is sin in my life, I need to come to God for forgiveness.

But back to our gal, Deborah... So one day, Deborah is out there, performing her “judge duties” and she gets a word from the Lord.  In Judges 4, she passes it along to Barak (and no, not Barak Obama, lol!) who was a captain in the Israelite army...

“She sent for Barak son of Abinoam from Kedesh in Naphtali and said to him, “The Lord, the God of Israel, commands you: ‘Go, take with you ten thousand men of Naphtali and Zebulun and lead them up to Mount Tabor.  I will lead Sisera, the commander of Jabin’s army, with his chariots and his troops to the Kishon River and give him into your hands.’”  Judges 4:6-7 (NIV)

Basically, Deborah is telling Barak what needs to be done to defeat their enemies.  Now, let’s just take a step back and look at this.  First, Deborah was in a position to hear clearly from the Lord. Which, don’t we all want that?! I love when the still, small Voice of God whispers straight to my heart! Second, she didn’t hesitate to deliver the word she as given. Listen, I know sometimes as women, we second guess, well... everything! We wonder, “Did I hear correctly? What will this person think?” And so on.  But I want to encourage you, if you believe that you earnestly received a word from the Lord for another person, share it with them!  If it lines up with the truth of scripture, if it will encourage and/or build that person up, please share what God has given you. 

Returning to the story... What does Barak do with this information? Basically he tells Deborah, “I’ll do it but only if you come with me.” (verse 8) Deborah agrees, once again showing wisdom, patience, and trust in the Lord.  I mean, listen, girlfriend is going into a battle that God told her they would win. She’s trusting God to keep her, Barak, and their army from getting crushed.  That’s showing some major trust in the Lord!

So, Deborah, Barak, and the army march off to battle King Jabin’s army, headed by Sisera. Side note, Sisera and his warriors were not a group of wimpy dudes either.  Sisera had 900 iron chariots at his disposal plus a ton of troops ready to fight.  Those iron chariots were no joke.  They were one of the most feared weapons of battle back then.  Kinda similar to what an armored tank is like to us today. Yikes!

What happened next??  I’m so glad you asked!  Deborah got word that Sisera had positioned his army and was ready to get the battle going.  She told Barak NOW was the time to head Sisera’s way.  She also reminded him of two very important things:

“Then Deborah said to Barak, “Go! This is the day the Lord has given Sisera into your hands. Has not the Lord gone ahead of you?” So Barak went down Mount Tabor, with ten thousand men following him.” Judges 4:14 (NIV)

First, she reminded Barak that God had promised them victory.  Then she encouraged him with the promise that God had gone ahead of him. And you know what? Those are promises we can hold on to too!  God has promised us victory as well and it is found in our Savior.  Jesus died and rose again three days later.  That, is a stunning victory!  Also, God goes before you, yes, you!  Even in 2017!  That’s not one of those things that happened in “Bible Times” – it is a promise we can cling to TODAY! 

“The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” Deut. 31:8 (NIV)

Now, before the war could even begin, God threw Sisera, his chariot drivers, and warriors all into a straight up PANIC. They were SCARED.  In fact, ole Sisera was so frightened – he hopped right out of his chariot and FLED! Like on foot.  This guy full on RAN AWAY! Barak and the Israelite army pursued Sisera’s men and the whole army was defeated. 

God kept His promises!  He went before the Israelite army and scared the bad guys right outta their sandals.  Then He enabled, equipped, and positioned Barak and his men for victory.  Friends, that is the God we serve to this day – a faithful, promise-keeping GOD!

But wait!! There’s more to this story!! What happened to Sisera, our scaredy-cat bad guy who ran away crying for his mommy?! (Ok, I added that crying part - lol!) You will just have to pop back to the blog on MONDAY (8/28/17) to find out!  And maybe you will be asking yourself... "She did what?!"  

See you right back here on Monday friends!! Have an awesome weekend : )

Post by: Marcy Gates

Keep It Simple

For my time with you this month I wanted to share a little shift I have experienced in my walk with Jesus. My hope always is that it will be an encouragement to you...

As Christ followers today we pretty much understand that having a daily "quiet time" with the Lord is an important part of our relationship with Him. But if I'm honest, I have struggled with this discipline for as long as I can remember. And if I'm super honest, well girl, I struggle with discipline period.

I will choose a certain thing I want to accomplish, like, let's say - lose 10 lbs. I get all psyched up. I make a plan. I'm ready! I eat healthy and exercise regularly for like a week then... I want a cheeseburger and cookies with milk at midnight again!  My intentions start out good but the motivation fades pretty quick because I want the results right away. 

I would approach my quiet time in similar fashion. I get all psyched up. I make a plan and I'm ready to go! But my plan always included some lofty goal so I would quickly get discouraged and give up because I wasn't getting results. 

I used to feel like my quiet time had to result in some revelation or lesson that I could share. It had to include this “big” moment or learning experience. And when it didn't that had to mean I wasn't doing it right... Right? 

Wrong.

There is one small thing that helped me shift my perspective, listening to the Word. 

I have had the Bible app on my phone for a few years now but more recently I began listening to it. There is a feature in the app that reads God's Word to you. You can audibly hear each word and either read along with it, drive in your car, sit with your eyes closed and imagine yourself in the scene, whatever! This feature has been dare I say... "life changing"?!  I started listening to the Bible regularly and two things happened:

1. I realized one day that listening to the Bible being read aloud felt similar to having a conversation with my husband or my best friend. It hit me, my quiet time with the Lord doesn't have to be a lofty revelation of some amazing lesson every single time to “count”. Those times might happen, but day in and day out it's just a sweet conversation with the Lord. Like when my husband shares about his day or my friend updates me on her life, audibly hearing God's Word feels like He's sharing part of His day with me. It doesn't feel as daunting or out of reach anymore. 

2. I understand it in a new way. Listening to the chapters with the narrator's inflections and emphasis helps me to place myself in the story. New things stand out at me. I can highlight a verse or passage and go back to it later to study more if I want to. My favorite version to listen to is The Message. (It's not necessarily the translation, I just like that narrator best. 😊) 

“Instead you thrill to God’s Word, you chew on Scripture day and night. 

You’re a tree replanted in Eden, bearing fresh fruit every month,

Never dropping a leaf,

always in blossom”

Psalm 1:2-3 (MSG)

This has been a game changer for me. Having a quiet time doesn't feel as burdensome as it used to for me. I'll admit, I put that burden on myself, the Lord did not. He just wants to spend time loving me. I, on the other hand, make it into this bigger, weightier thing.

Goodness, it's not about me anymore but about learning who He is! Each time I turn on that feature, I imagine Jesus standing next to me in the kitchen the way my husband hangs out next to me while I'm making dinner. Often times that's how we connect these days and it helps to see my time with Jesus in the same light. It's really pretty cool, I think!  

Our relationship with God is a marathon not a sprint. It's not a microwave fix all, nope. Our relationship is a lifetime into eternity, it's built to last and last. 

“Come close to God, and God will come close to you.” James 4:8a (NLT)

This just happens to be the season I'm in with the Lord. You may be in a different place. That's the beauty about being in a community. I want to hear what works for you! Let's encourage and build each other up! Is quiet time is struggle for you too? Do you have any tips for spending quiet time with Jesus? Have you experienced any shifts in your relationship with Jesus?  Please share in the comments below...

Post by: Jimmie Lee DiIanni