Never-Ending Student

April 19, 2010Leave a comment

Hello Fellow Positive Women,

As we start off another week, I want to encourage you to keep your eyes open to the learning opportunities God places in your life. Read my devotional below and I look forward to seeing you next week at PWC. Be sure to RSVP to Donna at Dskell@roaringlambsministries.org. See you soon!

“Knowledge and experience are the best two feet anyone can have to equip him for successful living.” John Wanamaker

This week I had the privilege of going with the wonderful young moms in my connection group from church (Christy, Stephanie, Tandy, Becky – love you all) to hear John Townsend talk about setting boundaries with kids. It was a tremendous time of learning, and I highly recommend any of John’s books (www.JohnTownsend.com) and especially Boundaries with Kids if you are a parent. It’s funny, but I thought I was going to the event just to encourage and support the young moms in my group, yet oddly I walked away with a wealth of wisdom which I needed to apply to my own life and relationships as well. We never stop learning and growing!

On Saturday I went to speak to the ladies at First Baptist Lewisville and funny thing, God wanted me there so I could learn as well. I attended one of the break-out sessions mainly because I wanted to just hear what the teacher had to say on a certain misunderstood topic in scripture (mainly submission), and once again I not only walked away with a wealth of wisdom, but also a fair amount of conviction.

This morning I picked up my dad’s latest book, Your Daily Mental Vitamin (by Garry Kinder), and the entry went like this: Read and inwardly digest one book each month. Feed the mind as you feed the body. Leaders are readers and readers are leaders. I think the lesson for the week, at least for me, is never stop learning. Be intentional about growing and learning. We learn from books, from the people God places in our lives and most importantly from God’s Word.

As a fellow student in the classroom of life, I invite you to join me in the adventure and joy of learning and growing. Don’t be discouraged if you still feel like you are a never-ending student. Remember that He who began a good work in you will carry it out to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

The Greatest Adventure

April 11, 2010Leave a comment

Hello my PWC friends,

I hope you are having a good week. Be sure to mark your calendar for the next PWC, April 27 at Prestonwood Country Club and April 28 at Cottonwood Creek. I look forward to seeing you soon. Here’s a devotional thought about the greatest adventure of knowing Christ.

“Adventure isn’t hanging on a rope off the side of a mountain. Adventure is an attitude that we must apply to the day-to-day obstacles of life – Facing new challenges, seizing new opportunities, Testing our resources against the unknown and in the process, Discovering our own unique potential.” John Amatt (mountain climber)

This past week I went on a little adventure of my own. I drove to Bartlesville, Oklahoma to speak for a Christian Women’s Club luncheon, then drove on to Coffeyville, Kansas to speak at an evening event in the beautiful Brown Estate Mansion. It was wonderful getting to know fellow sisters in Christ in these precious “villes” and it was a joy to share the powerful truths of God’s love and forgiveness through Christ Jesus.

On the way home, I decided to take an adventurous detour to visit the Tulsa Zoo. What fun! Here I am riding a camel.

My long drive from Texas to Kansas and back within 24 hours could have been viewed as a burden, but I chose to see it as an adventure. It was an opportunity to make new friends, share God’s love, see new sights and enjoy God’s great creation. The point I want to make is that every day offers opportunities and adventures. The person God places in your path today is a creation of God and a treasure just waiting to be discovered. The difficult detour in your life is an opportunity to trust God and discover new skills. You can always look at a frustration or a challenge in your life from a new angle and look with anticipation for ways God can bring hope and redemption. Yes life has many opportunities for adventure through the good days and the bad.

There is one great adventure in life which is available to each and every one of us. I’m talking about the adventure of knowing Christ. The apostle Paul said, “I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord….I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings…”

There is no greater adventure than knowing Christ! Not just knowing about Him, but truly knowing Him in a vibrant relationship and as the Lord of your life. Pursuing Christ makes life meaningful, joyful and fulfilling. As we come to know Christ, we recognize we are dearly loved and we experience his strength and power in our lives each day. We can look to Him for guidance and direction. Take a step today toward the great adventure of knowing Christ, seeking His face, and drawing close in His loving arms.

Easter all Year Long

April 5, 2010Leave a comment

Hope it was a great Easter for you. We had a tremendous time with our daughters (and our mastiffs) down in Austin. The bluebonnets were in full bloom and more brilliant than I have ever seen them before.

Joy and Angel

Grace and Bentley

The week before Easter I was a t lunch with some friends and one of the girls asked, “So what’s everyone doing for Easter?” We all answered with about the same answer: going to church, enjoying a family meal, coloring eggs and giving Easter baskets (yes we still that even though the girls are grown), but after I got home from my lunch with my friends I started thinking about what I really should be doing for Easter. In light of what we are celebrating on Easter Sunday, I wish I would have answered my friends by saying, “I’m going to give the gift of mercy and grace to everyone I encounter because that’s the gift Jesus gave me on the cross. In honor of Him I’m going to die to my rights to hold something against another person. I’m going to love and serve others as Jesus did.”

Think about the beauty of the cross and ponder the power of the resurrection. Romans 8:11 reminds us that the same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead, lives within us. He is able to give me what I need to love, serve and forgive the people around me. The power of Christ’s resurrection is the cornerstone of our faith. It is a reminder that we too will live with Christ in eternity. It is also a reminder that His spirit gives us strength and power to love like Jesus loved and live like Jesus lived every day we are here on this earth.

Yes, this Easter I still plan to give out baskets filled with goodies, but I also plan to give something much more significant. I plan to give grace and mercy to the people around me and reflect Jesus’ love on Easter. I plan to walk in the power of the resurrection knowing that God is able to do a mighty and transforming work in and through me.

Positive Mom Moment: Now that Easter is over, encourage your kids to continue to celebrate Easter all year long. Talk about how you can continue to give kindness, forgiveness and love to others to honor Jesus. Use one of the leftover Easter baskets (after they have eaten all the candy of course) to put little pieces of paper with random acts of kindness which you all can do for others. Sit down over dinner one night and brainstorm random acts of kindness together as a family. Holding the door open, being nice to someone lonely, baking a cake for the new neighbor, writing a note to lift someone up…all of these can be written down as acts of kindness. Then pick a piece of paper each morning and look for opportunities throughout the day. Share at the dinner table how you were able to carry out your deeds.

“Easter is to our faith what water is to the ocean, what stone is to the mountain, what blood is to the body.” Raymond Linquist

The Transforming Power of Christ

March 29, 20102 Comments

Hello Dear friends,

It was great to be with you last week at PWC. I hope that the truths from Philippians 4 are enriching your life this week. Remember whenever you feel the temptation to worry or be fearful, pray and turn your fears over to the Lord. Rejoice in the Lord always, and let your gentleness be evident to all because the Lord is near.

Here is an additional Easter encouragement from God’s word:

The Bible says if anyone is in Christ, then he or she is a new creature. Old things are passed away, behold all things have become new. That’s a big change! We are talking about a major transformation, a total overhaul, a complete new creation. What does it mean to be a new creation? The Bible tells us that when we place our faith in Christ:

We become children of God and a part of His family (John 1:12)

We become citizens of Heaven (Philippians 3:19)

We become God’s possession (Ephesians 1:13)

We are holy and dearly loved (Colossians 3:12)

We have the Holy Spirit dwelling within us (Ephesians 1:13)

We are declared righteous (Romans 1:17)

We are no longer controlled by our sinful nature (Romans 7:9)

We are no longer condemned (Romans 8:1)

We are forgiven (Colossians 2:13, Ephesians 4:23)

Paul put it this way, he said as Christians we have taken off our old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. I’m thankful for the difference Christ’s presence makes in my life. You know in Biblical times, Roman citizenship was highly honored and revered. People paid large sums of money to acquire the right to be a Roman citizen if they were not born into it. Those who were Roman citizens were proud of it and were expected to live up to the honor.

We have the great privilege of being citizens of Heaven. Our citizenship was bought at a high price, the blood of Jesus. May we walk in a manner worthy of our calling, our high calling as daughters and sons of the king. Take some time today to thank the Lord for calling you to Himself and the great honor of becoming a new creation and a part of His family.

Snowy Surprise

March 21, 2010Leave a comment

Hello My Friends. Can’t wait to see you this week at the Positive Woman Connection.

Tuesday at 12 at Prestonwood Country Club and Wednesday at 12 at Cottonwood Creek Baptist church. Here’s a devotional for the week:

We just celebrated the first day of Spring, yet oddly here in Dallas we received several inches of snow last night. This is not typical weather for March 20 in Dallas Texas. We expect sunshine and warm breezy days, not this. But isn’t that just like life? Surprises happen all the time. How many times have you said the words, “This isn’t what I had planned?” Whether it is a day that started off with a normal routine and ended up in the emergency room, or your life that seemed to be going in one direction and now doesn’t look at all like what you had hoped or planned.

Surprises happen. Things Change. Plans get sidetracked. The question is how can we passionately live the life we didn’t plan? I believe it is important to grieve the loss of the old plan, but don’t stay there. Begin to ask God, what He has in store for your in the new plan. Ask for his help to navigate the new road ahead of you.

Some surprises are good and happy, but many can catch us off guard and be a bit scary. The apostle James said, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” But he didn’t leave us standing there saying “What do I do now.” James went on to say, “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.” So if you find yourself in the life or situation you didn’t plan, ask for God’s wisdom and direction to make it a great new plan. Pray together as a family and be open to the ways He may be directing you. Sometimes He leads us through His Word, or through circumstances or through a wise and trusted friend. Sometimes He leads us through His still quiet voice. Take time to listen to pray and to listen to His direction.

I hope you enjoy your day today. As for me, I’m going to go play in the snow.