My Hope

July 13, 2020Leave a comment

It’s easy to talk about the problems in our society, but it’s not as easy to discover positive solutions. When I think about journeying down the road to recovery, here are a few things for which I pray:

Love, instead of hatred
Conversations, instead of angry discourse
Listening, instead of demanding
Prayer, instead of ignoring God
Humility, instead of pride
Hope, instead of fear
Nuclear families strengthened, instead of dismantled
Wisdom, instead of foolishness
Biblical values, instead of cultural ideologies
Loving God, instead loving the world
Compassion, instead of self-centeredness

What would you add to the list? It may seem like pie-in-the-sky thinking, but I believe we can each take steps toward healing and hope. Will you join with me in praying for our nation? And as we pray, let’s seek God’s heart on what we can do to make a positive difference in our own communities.

If you are looking for a way to be proactive, I invite you to join the volunteer team with Engage Positive Parenting Initiative. Our desire is to strengthen and restore families through parenting discussion groups. The Engage program not only encourages fruitful conversation and stimulating ideas, but it also builds relationships across the racial divide.

Currently we are holding classes online. Our next Volunteer Training will be Wednesday, August 12, 10:00 – 1:00 CT via zoom. You can find out more information about Engage and sign up for training at www.EngageParenting.com

Five Ways to Boost Your Confidence

May 20, 2019Leave a comment

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How many times have you said no to something simply because you lacked the confidence to do it? Granted, we don’t need to say yes to every crazy opportunity that presents itself, but there are times when we ought to step forward and have a little faith in our own abilities. In fact, that’s what the word confidence means – with faith. So how do we increase our belief in our own abilities? Let’s consider five ways:

Try New Things – You never know until you try. Your belief in yourself grows when you try something new and grow from the experience. Don’t be afraid of mistakes – they happen. What is important is that you step forward in courage and face the fear of the unknown.

Grow from Every Blunder – Instead of beating yourself up and thinking of yourself as a failure, use every mistake as a growth opportunity. Allow errors to make you smarter and stronger. Most success stories are built on the foundation of lessons learned from mistakes.

Build on Your Strengths – What are you good at? Take stock of the things you do well and continue to strengthen those areas of your life. As we learn, grow and build in our areas of giftedness, we continue to get better and better at what we do and of course our self-confidence grows as a result.

Manage Around Your Weaknesses – Just as each of us have areas of strength, we also have a few weak spots. Don’t let them get you down, rather learn to work around them. Figure out ways to delegate or get the help you need so that your limitations don’t stifle you or impair you from doing what you do best.

Stop Comparing with Others – It never helps to think of yourself in relation to other people. Comparisons only breed pride or poor self-esteem. Be thankful for the unique way that God has created you, and use your gifts to serve and help others.

Ultimately our confidence is built on a belief system. If we believe that a loving God designed us, formed us and created us for a purpose, then we can walk in confidence knowing that He has a plan for our lives. We can also have the assurance that we do not walk alone. His Spirit leads us and guides us each step of the way as we look to Him for wisdom, strength and hope.

Where do you lack confidence? Ask God to help you face your fears. And remember, God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love and a sound mind.

Photo by Guilherme Stecanella on Unsplash

For more on Confidence check out my book, A Woman’s Secret to Confident Living.

Childlike Faith

April 23, 2018Leave a comment

Being a grandparent is a blast! In the last few weeks, I’ve played with puppets, run through mazes, slid down slides and experienced the awe and wonder of observing elephants at the zoo all over again. I love the simple joy of a child’s heart.

Interestingly, Jesus said that the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like children. Think about the attributes of little children. They tend to:

Live with faith.
Love generously.
Depend on their mommy and daddy.
Be filled with wonder.
Laugh freely.
Cry when they are hurt.
Require grace.
Ask for what they want.
Persist.
Believe, hope, dream.

Jesus’ words had a bit of a shock-value to the religious leaders of the day. The pompous, rule-following Pharisees prided themselves on their own self-righteousness and personal perfection, while children were considered undeserving and lowly. Perhaps that’s exactly why Jesus chose a humble child as His example of what a follower of Christ really looks like.

Reflect for a moment on the simple and pure faith of a child. Isn’t it wonderful to think that it is this kind of faith that brings us into a relationship with God and transforms our lives?

What about you? In what ways do you reflect a childlike faith as you come to your loving Heavenly Father? Take a look at the list above and consider what qualities you want to develop as you trust in Jesus and walk your journey of faith.

New Arrival!

April 9, 2018Leave a comment

In the past few days, I have had the privilege of welcoming Addison Ann Wright into our family. She is our third grandchild! With the birth of each child, I am amazed by the wonder of creation. I can’t help but see the handiwork of our glorious Designer as I look at Addison’s precious fingers, toes and facial features. Even her sweet eye lashes and fingernails make me realize how God cares for the minutest details. I relish the thought that God has a unique plan and a purpose for Addison, just as He does for each one of us.

It’s interesting to think that God compares the birth of a newborn baby, with the spiritual birth of believers into His family. In His dialogue with Nicodemus, Jesus said, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.” The apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthians, “Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!.”

God does a new work in us when we place our faith in Christ. We are no longer the same. He births in us a heart that has the potential to truly love and forgive. He transforms our old self, which was a slave to sin, into a new creation that has the power to overcome sin. He replaces our despair with hope, our worry with peace and our sorrow with joy. He gives us a rebirth from within – a spiritual transformation!

Thank you, Lord for new life – both physically and spiritually. Thank you that every time we see a newborn baby, we can praise You for your handiwork and be reminded of the new work you have done in our lives. Thank you for caring for us and for being our wonderful and loving Heavenly Father. May we continue to grow and mature in godly wisdom.

If you have a heart that values life, please join us for Council for Life’s north Dallas coffee – April 10 from 10 – 12 at the home of Carla Zeller. For more information email her at: zeller.carla@gmail.com

Facing the Mountains in Your Life

October 22, 20171 Comment

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When I was in high school, my mother took me to a lecture presented by Sir Edmund Hillary. I must admit, at the time I was not overly excited about hearing some old guy talk about how he climbed a mountain. It wasn’t until he started speaking that I realized this man had accomplished a feat that was considered unconquerable. This was a man who faced the seemingly impossible, pushed past the limitations and climbed to the top of Mount Everest. Before his successful expedition in 1953, numerous groups had tried and failed to reach the summit. Even within his own expedition group, all but two of the climbers turned back because of exhaustion at the high altitude.

Despite the obstacles, discouragement and even abandonment of his group, Sir Edmund Hillary persevered. His accomplishment was celebrated worldwide and his influence inspired many others to reach toward their own personal goals. Oddly, Sir Edmund originally earned his living as a beekeeper in New Zealand. He started climbing mountains in his own country as a bit of a hobby. Little by little he progressed to climbing the Alps and eventually the Himalayas. The small mountains led to bigger mountains, preparing him to conquer the highest mountain – Mount Everest.

What are the mountains in your life? Mountains come in all shapes and sizes. They may be in the form of a difficult work relationship or a rebellious child or an overwhelming project that keeps you up at night. Some mountains may develop in our lives in the form of financial issues or a troubled marriage or even trying to lose weight. Actually, there are also mountains in our lives that aren’t expressly negative, some of our greatest mountains may include starting a new business or learning a new skill set or language.

Each mountain that we scale in life, strengthens us and prepares us to face grander mountains ahead. Whether we choose the mountain or the mountain chooses us, we still have a choice as to how we will deal with it. We can either look at the mountains in our lives and grumble and complain about them, or we can choose to begin to climb them and conquer them. The secret to rising to the top of any mountain rests in our attitude and ability to persevere. Sir Edmund Hillary said, “It’s not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves.” From beekeeper to record breaker, Hillary conquered fears, discouragements and failures. It didn’t all happen at once, but he grew from each experience. We too can look at each mountain in our lives as an opportunity to grow and become stronger as a person.

I have learned that in every circumstance that comes my way,

I can choose to respond in one of two ways:

I can whine or I can worship!

Nancy Leigh DeMoss

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