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.

A Season of Change

March 15, 2010Leave a comment

Make your plans to join us at the Positive Woman Connections next week:

March 23 at Prestonwood Country Club

March 24 at Cottonwood Creek Baptist

RSVP: dskell@roaringlambsministries.org

Here’s a devotional for you to ponder.

March is a time when I am reminded of changes. During this month we experience some dramatic changes in the weather from winter to spring and even a time change on the clock. Life often brings about change. In fact very few things in life remain constant. We are always growing, learning and adapting as we face new twists and turns in life whether it is changes in relationships or changes in job or changes in our kids lives.

How do you handle change? Do you welcome it and embrace it, or do you buck against it and resist it. Not all change is good, and yet some changes can be delightful. We may not be able to control the changes that take place in our life, but we can control our response to them. I want to give you three points to ponder when it comes to the changes you face in life.

Remain flexible. Recently I read an article which studied the qualities of happy people. It stated that happy people are creative people because they can always think of new and positive ways to adjust when change happens. Be consistent, but don’t be so immovable and stuck in your ways that you get angry every time plans change.
Enjoy the Detours. Once you realize you are not on the road you had always planned to travel, it is important to choose to enjoy the detour. Plan B may be even better or more beautiful than the original plan. Look for the good, decide to enjoy the change and find fun in every turn.
Find your refuge in God. The Bible reminds us continually that God is our refuge and our strength. He is our strong tower. He is our Good Shepherd. We can turn to Him for guidance, wisdom and strength in the midst of the difficulties.

I’m reminded in James 1 that God does not change like shifting shadows. He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. Although the changes in life may be shocking to you, they are no surprise to God. He is close beside you and will navigate the road ahead. Pour out your heart to Him for God is our refuge.

The Treasure of God’s Grace

March 7, 2010Leave a comment

Hello Precious Friends! I hope you are having a good month. I look forward to seeing you on March 23, 24 at PWC. Mark your calendars now and be sure to invite a friend. You can RSVP to Dskell@roaringlambsministries.org

Here’s a devotional thought for this week:

When’s the last time you received one of those gifts that was less than thrilling? After you wrote your thank you note, I’m guessing you either put the lackluster gift in the “gift closet” to pass on to someone else down the line, or you took it to Goodwill in order to get a tax write off. Let’s admit it, we’ve all received a few gifts that weren’t quite our favorites.

On the other hand, each of us has also received a few gifts that we would consider treasures. We really enjoy them and use them. They make us smile. There are some gifts that are “keepers” with all certainty. The Bible talks about one gift that is the best by far. Paul called it “God’s unspeakable gift.” In his second letter to the Corinthians, Paul urged them not to receive God’s grace in vain (2Corinthians 6:1). The word vain means uselessly. Paul is telling them not to take the treasure of God’s grace lightly or to live as though it is worthless (as we would if we had received a bad gift). Instead we are to take the grace of God seriously, recognizing the true treasure it is to us.

George Barlow said, “Grace is what all need, what none can merit and what God alone can give.” Oh how precious the grace of God. Because of His grace we have hope. Because of his kindness we are forgiven, redeemed, transformed, reconciled and made new. God’s grace is the greatest treasure we can ever receive. It is not a throw away gift, yet how often do we treat it as such? Do we value God’s gift with our lives? Do we live in gratitude each day for the treasure we have received? Do we share this gift with others? Let us not neglect so great a salvation!

May we live each day with thankful hearts for the great treasure God has so lovingly granted! Jesus gave His life so that we may have life. My friend if you have never received this gift through faith, I encourage you to put your faith in Christ who gave his life on the cross for you and for me. He rose again giving us promise of eternal life. “Today is the day of salvation,” Paul said in this very same passage. If you have already received this gift, I want to encourage you to take time today to thank God for His kindness. It is my hope that each of us will reflect the glory of His grace in our daily lives as we radiate the joy of the greatest gift ever given.

What Does Your Uniform Look Like?

February 22, 2010Leave a comment

Looking forward to seeing you this week at the Positive Woman Connection Bible Study. Tuesday, Feb 23 at Prestonwood Country Club or Wed Feb 24 at Cottonwood Creek in Allen.

Here’s a Positive Thought for the Week

Are you enjoying the Olympics? I think it is a thrill to see the determination and competitive spirit in these talented athletes. As I watch the races in the skiing and skating events, I’m always on the look out for the American coming around the curve or crossing the finishing line. The only way to be able to determine the American in the pack is by their uniform. It’s their uniforms that reveal the country they represent.

In a similar way, our love for others reveals who we represent. Jesus said people will know we are Christians by our love. Do other people see a sincere love shining brightly from Jesus’ followers? What about a genuine compassion? How about loving our enemies or forgiving those who have hurt us? If we want to look like we are on Jesus’ team, we need to love like he did. His love went beyond loving those who were easy to love or who loved him back. He loved the unlovely, the sinners, the difficult people and the annoying ones.

Francis Schaeffer said, “Love – and the unity it attests to – is the mark Christ gave Christians to wear before the world. Only with this mark may the world know that Christians are indeed Christians and that Jesus was sent by the Father. “

Let us ask the Father to pour His love through us each and every day. Admittedly we need His help, because true love isn’t so easy in our own strength and power. May the Lord’s love shine brightly through us so that all the world may see whose team we represent.