The day football and faith collide

Are you excited about the Super Bowl? I think everyone is, regardless of whether or not they are big fans of either of the two teams playing. The game and the half time entertainment are always fun to watch and definitely a great excuse to get together with friends. The other fun thing to watch is the commercials, of course, and this year I will be watching for one in particular.

My focus over the past few weeks has not been on the football game so much, as the Tim Tebow ad. I have been praying for him and his family and for the amazing pro-life message that he has taped to air during the Super Bowl, that is being attacked mercilessly by pro-choice groups such as NOW (National Organization for Women)

Today I not only heard more about this, but also about about the nomination of Dawn Johnsen to serve as Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legal Counsel - meaning she will be responsible for deciding what is constitutional, and what is not.

In case you dont know who Dawn is, I'll give you some background information, excerpted from www.sba-list.org.

In 1988, attorney Dawn Johnsen argued that the Catholic Bishops needed to choose between either having the Catholic Church stripped of its tax-exempt status as a religious organization or keeping their opposition to abortion to themselves. The Catholic Bishops defeated Dawn Johnsen in the Supreme Court Case United States Catholic Conference v. Abortion Rights Mobilization.

After the case was concluded, Dawn Johnsen was rewarded for her legal work on the case by being granted the position of legal director of the National Abortion Rights Action League (NARAL), where she worked from 1988 – 1993. Now, President Barack Obama has re-nominated her to head up the Office of Legal Counsel and is pushing for the Senate to ratify her nomination this week.

Her radical views and statements on “abortion rights” are notorious:
-- Choosing life for a child is comparable to “involuntary servitude”
-- Pro-life activists use the “intimidation carried out by the Ku Klux Klan"
-- Being pregnant turns mothers into “fetal containers”
-- Conceiving a child is analogous to “being struck by drunk drivers”
-- Pro-abortion leaders should never portray “abortions as tragedies”

Just these few comments above are so appalling to me, that I can barely read them, much less comprehend how anyone could believe them to be true. For several reasons, God has instilled in my heart a great passion for promoting pro-life and for being a mouthpiece to support one of the most important things that matters to our Lord and Savior - life.

The mere thought of someone who is so anti-life and such an advocate of abortion being in a position of decision-making authority over our country and the life of future generations, is extremely heart wrenching for me. How sad it is that because pro-choice advocates had their voice heard so many years ago, that they are now trying to adamantly squelch the voice of those who still value life.

If God has pricked your heart about this situation, and if you are a pro-life supporter, will you join forces with me in support of Tim Tebow, and the value of life? I have already sent letters to our senators and government officials. It only takes a few minutes. Your voice matters, and a choir of voices can save countless lives. If Gods people dont stand up for what is right, who will? As of this past Monday, over 50,000 people made their voices heard, and every single one counts.

If you want to support Tim and his family, and their courage to stand up for the tiniest ones who dont have a voice yet, please visit the websites below:

Email your US Senators

Block Hard for Tim Tebow

Article about NOW - why are they so scared for this ad to run?

But what can I do?

Good morning friends!

I know that each of you have heard the bad news, and seen the horrific images, of the devastation in Haiti. It has touched all of our hearts and prompted millions to pray, and some people have even donated their time and money. But not everyone can go to Haiti, get involved in local missions, or send money. So what more can those of us who fall into that category do to help these people, other than pray for them?

When the earthquake hit Haiti, Compassion had a team on the ground within 24 hours. They were providing emergency relief and preparing to help rebuild. And because I so strongly support the work of the Compassion and their mission to rescue children from poverty, in the name of Jesus, I posted a blog post called Compassion for Haiti, offering information about ways to help Compassion meet the overwhelming need, and these options are still available if you are interested.

But today, the She Seeks division of Proverbs 31 has a really cool way that you can help Compassion, without costing a lot of time or money that you may have not available. They are hosting a Speak Up Challenge, and I would love for you to join them.

God calls each of us to be the hands and feet of Jesus. He calls us to serve the least of these. He calls us to speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves.

So if you have been wanting to help the people of Haiti, but not sure what you had to offer, visit the She Seeks site today and find out what it is all about.

I promise you will be blessed!

Hugging Power

I think the power of a hug these days is way underestimated.

I believe a hug can heal hearts, soothe away pains, and infuse a sweet feeling of love like nothing else. Granted, I come from an extremely large family that is very "touchy-feely" as some might say, and grew up thinking that hugging everyone, especially the people you loved, was not only the normal thing to do, but crucial in letting people you know you cared about them.

Maybe that is why hugs are so important to me now, even as an adult. In fact, I have spent the last sixteen years devoted to passing the hug tradition down to my own children, and although sometimes they may get a little bit tired of moms hugging obsession, deep down, I know it makes them feel loved and valued.

You see, I dont believe that hugs are simply a form of affection, but instead, an outward symbol of the deep love that someone holds for you in their heart. And I think that for most women, there is no bigger need in our hearts than to receive those special hugs from the people we love, especially from our husbands.

I can always tell when I am feeling a little empty inside, and hug-needy. I can recognize within myself when I begin to feel discouraged, a little joy-less, even feeling a little unloved, and unnoticed. Maybe it is not because of anything that has happened, but simply because of a lack of hugs. Similar to the aching hunger we feel when we are without food for long periods of time, our hearts can ache too for the affection that God created us to desire.

I know that women need more affection than men, and as a result, many men just do not realize how powerful a hug can be. How one sweet, tight hug - full of genuine love and intended for no other reason except to wrap their arms around the person they love - can boost a womans heart so much, that her joy returns, and things seem all better again.

But Jesus knows the power of a hug, and His love for us runs too deep to measure.

Today someone sent me a photo in email, of a hug. Not just any ol' hug, but a Jesus hug.

As I stared at this picture, at this girl held so tightly by her Heavenly Father, I found myself longing for such a hug. In fact, kind of aching for such a hug. I sensed a feeling of discouragement come over me, simply because I so desperately wished deep in my heart that Jesus could hug me like that, with His arms wrapped tightly around my waist as I melted into His chest, my head nestled under his bearded chin, and feeling more secure, loved, adored, and safer than ever before. But when I looked at this picture, in my heart, I began to feel the power of a spiritual hug.

I think we all have those days when we just really could use a hug. A hug that makes us feel loved, appreciated, noticed and valued. A hug that soothes away the hurt, and fills us with joy that warms our heart. I think I got this email today, because God knew I needed a spiritual hug. I needed to be reminded that He is holding me just as tightly, and that His hugs are readily available through the Holy Spirit every day.

Maybe we cannot physically feel His strong arms wrapped around us, but we can feel His love and presence wrapped around our hearts. We can feel the power of the Holy Spirit residing in our hearts. We can choose to believe that Jesus knows when we need a hug, and those are the times that He will be there with open arms.

Jesus knows when my heart is longing for reassurance and comfort, and He offers me comfort through the pages of His Word. He knows when I need a friend to lean on, and He pricks someones heart to call me out of the blue and ask me out to lunch. He knows when I am struggling with problems in my life, and He arranges for a special "irony" to occur to remind me that He is aware, and at work.

He knows when my heart is sad, and then one of my children will feel led to just spontaneously give me a big long hug. Now, that is a hug from Jesus.

Our Daddy knows when we need a hug, and He is always willing to give us one - maybe through His Word, maybe through a circumstance, maybe through a friend, maybe through a child, or maybe through the arms of a husband.

He knows our needs, but sometimes it helps to talk them over with Him. Sometimes these spiritual hugs are blessed upon us without request, but sometimes we need to ask to receive.

Do you need a hug today? Just ask Jesus for one. Other than our husband, Jesus is the single most important man in our life, and His hugs matter too.

The Courage to Get Real

If you are a young girl, teenager, or young woman who has hopped over to my blog from the RadRevolution blogsite, then welcome! I assume you may be here as a result of reading todays post on the Radrev site called "Get Real", and if so, I also assume that you are trying to be a Godly girl in the middle of an unGodly world... and you will probably agree, its hard!

The pressures that are placed on young girls today are huge. Having two teenage daughters of my own, I am very aware of the types of things that they are faced with each day, and how so many girls that they know are not only struggling with peer pressure, but caving into it. It truly breaks my heart.

Even though my daughters have been going to church since the day they were born, and have both accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior, they will be the first to admit that it is hard to live out their faith and be real, in a world that does not value faith at all. And regardless of faith, they still stumble, make mistakes, and struggle at times.

Even harder, is finding the courage to be themselves at times, without worrying about what everyone else will think. They are just normal teenage girls, trying to find their way in the world, without losing their real self and doing what they know is right. But there are so many pressures, and so many opportunities to do what everyone else is doing, that most of the time, it us just down right hard to be a girl of faith.

Unfortunately, that struggle really never ends, because even when young girls grow into adult women, the desire to be popular and well-liked is still in our hearts. The desire to be accepted is still in our hearts. The desire to do things that we know are wrong, may be still be in our hearts. And the longing to be loved is still in our hearts. Even though the circumstances of life are different, the insecurities and feelings are the same. So the truth is, that even grown women, myself included, often struggle with being real.

Regardless of age, we worry about what other people think about us, just as I mentioned in the devotion on the RadRev blog today. The only way to overcome that, whether we are a teenager or an adult, is to recognize how beautiful we are in Gods eyes, and to understand that He does not expect us to be perfect, so that we dont have to be consumed with what other people think.

Sometimes being real has consequences - maybe people wont like us for who we are; maybe we wont be in the most popular clique; maybe we will lose some friends who want to do things that we dont agree with.... but in the long run, we will come out on top.

One thing I always try to tell my children when they are worried about what other people think, is that in a few years, those people whose opinion they are so worried about, will probably not even be a part of their life. The people who love them for who they are, will still be their treasured friends.

You see, one of the keys to being real is knowing who your friends are. Your true friends will love you and accept you no matter what, and your relationship with them will grow even stronger as you get to know each other better and better. If we have to be fake around certain people in order for them to like us, then they are not people we really need as friends anyway.

Im not saying that being real is easy. I still find myself wishing I had the courage to tell my friends some of the things I am struggling with, but I hesitate to do so because I would be embarrassed or worried about what they would think of me. So I have to pray about this, knowing that God calls us to be open and honest about who we are, what we need prayer about, what we are struggling with - so that others can pray for us, and so that we can grow in our faith through their prayers and desire to get real for Him.

Why should we risk being real? Lets look at the benefits:

* we learn who our real friends are
* we learn who we can trust
* we learn to be confident in who we are by believing that God loves us, mistakes and all
* we learn to call on God when we need comfort, and strength to be ourselves

* we build closer friendships
* we build a stronger relationship with Christ

So even though being real can be hard, in the long run, it is so worth it! You will be so blessed as you allow God to work in your heart, and work through you to impact the lives of the people in your life. And just possibly - your willingness to be real, and to live out your faith even if other people criticize you for it, could result in you being such a great witness for Christ, that someone comes to you to find out more about Him. God can use you to impact His kingdom, regardless of how old you are. :)

So, friends, just remember, God loves you!! And He will always love you for exactly who you are.

If you want to talk about this subject with me, leave me a comment! If there is another subject you want to talk about, leave me a comment about that too. I will also be responding to comments on the RadRev site today, if you want to chat there. See ya!

The Danger of Pride

The past couple weeks in my chronological bible study, the focus has been on the book of Job. I have to admit, that until now, although I was familiar with Jobs story and how God had allowed Satan to test him by taking away everything he had, I have never actually read the entire book of Job.

I mean, seriously, who wants to read multiple accounts of Job complaining, his friends accusing, then Job complaining more, then his friends accusing him more, then Job complaining more and declaring his innocence, and then.... well, you get the picture.

But I have to tell you, God has really revealed so many truths to me over the past two weeks as a result of really digging in to all these conversations between Job and his friends and God, more than I can even talk about.

But I will begin by saying, that as a result of having never read the entire book of Job, for years I have pictured Job as this poor innocent man who was caused unspeakable suffering, simply because God wanted to prove his faith to Satan. I thought he was an incredibly strong man, who despite his suffering, continued in his faith without blinking an eye. But in actuality, that is not the story at all.

You see, Job was a faithful man. He loved his Lord. He spent much of his life doing good things and trying to please God. But in his heart, he felt prideful. The story leads us to believe, in my opinion, that Job had begun to think that his attempts to live a righteous life, and his good deeds, made him superior to others, and perfect in Gods eyes. That my friend, I think was his biggest mistake, and the real reason that God allowed suffering to be brought into his life.

Chapter after chapter, we are told of Jobs continued confusion, defiance, and claims of innocence, and how he continued to claim that he had never sinned, proclaiming his righteousness before God, and all the while, also proclaiming that God should be punishing the bad people, instead of him. In other words - God had messed up.

Needless to say, God does not mess up - ever. He is all-knowing, all-powerful, all-omnipotent, and there never has been and never will be any knowledge or power that surpasses his. So why would he choose to allow suffering to a man who had seemingly devoted his entire life to loving the Lord? It seems to all boil down to one point - his pride.

God hates a prideful man, or woman. Proverbs 11:2 says, "Pride leads to disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom", and Proverbs 16:18 says "Pride goes before destruction, and haughtiness before a fall." Why do you think God despises pride so much? Why is it so sinful to believe that we are righteous or good or successful or attractive, especially if we have spent our lives trying to be a good person and a good servant? The answer is simply because pride can become a barrier between us and God, and that does not please God at all.

You see, Job felt so righteous and prideful that he eventually began to see himself as good as God. He was confident that he was sinless, and that he had done everything that could be done to please God. But in his heart, he was full of pride, and that pride brought him destruction.

Job had a great friend in Elihu, in Job 35 and 36. Here are just a few of the many, many truths that Elihu shared with Job, to help him see that his pride was a problem in his heart, but also to reassure him that God still loved and adored him, and wanted to save him from future problems:

Job 35:12 And when they cry out, God does not answer because of their pride.

Job 35:5 God is mighty, but he does not despise anyone! He is mighty in both power and understanding.

Job 35:7 If they are bound in chains and caught up in a web of trouble, He shows them the reason. He shows them their sins of pride.

Job 35:15 But by means of their suffering, he rescues those who suffer. For He gets their attention through their adversity.

Job 35:16 God is leading you away from danger, Job, to a place free from distress.

Elihu is careful to point out that Jobs works meant nothing to God, it was his heart that God cared about, and God was willing to do whatever it took to get Jobs attention, and unfortunately, that meant suffering. But although God allowed this suffering, he sent friends to mourn with him, he sent friends to argue with him and cause him to start doubting himself and his existence, and he sent Elihu to gently draw him back in Gods presence and help him again see the loving God.

Nobody wants to suffer - and even moreso, nobody wants to suffer as a result of their own actions. Today it might be time for us all to consider how much we really think of ourselves. Although we love the Lord, do we possibly do things in order to gain His approval? Are we always doing these good deeds with the right heart, or because we think it makes us look good in our church or community? Do we see ourselves as better than other people, because of our strong faith and good deeds?

It is a fine line to consider, and I can attest to the fact that we have to swallow a lot of humility to do this kind of self examination. But in the end, dont we all desire that God love us for our hearts, not for our deeds? Dont we all know deep down, that we can never be like God, because we are born as sinners, even if we think our sins arent 'all that bad'?

Every believer longs for the day when they when they meet God face to face, and can hear the words, "you have been My good and faithful servant". If we serve God with the right heart, without pride standing in the way, I feel confident that we will hear these sweet words, and what a glorious day that will be. :)

Prayer for the day: Lord, please expose any pride in my heart that needs to come out. Help me to see myself for who I am, nothing less, and nothing more. Cleanse my heart and nudge my soul each time pride tries to creep back in. Make me aware of times when I am judgemental or critical of others, and prick my conscience when I am beginning to feel superior in any way. Thank you Lord for loving me enough to remind me when I need to turn back to you. In Jesus name, Amen.

Quitting vs Persevering

Have you ever wanted to throw in the towel, and just be done with a situation once and for all? Have you ever wanted to just walk away and leave it all behind?

I know I have, especially when my emotions get tied into the situation, and my feelings start doing the thinking instead of my brain. In fact, sometimes I find myself thinking that it would be easier to surrender to defeat, admit there is no hope for improvement, and just quit, rather than choosing to persevere.

The question I have to ask myself though, when I finally start referring to what my brain thinks and not my heart, is whether or not the consequences of that quitting will be worth it....and usually the answer is no.

I heard about a book today called 10-10-10, by Suzy Welch which I may buy to read soon. But the description discusses how Suzy gives the suggestion that whenever you are faced with a decision, ask yourself three questions, which are: What are the consequences of my decision in 10 minutes? In 10 months? And in 10 years? Sounds simple enough, but the decisions we make each day can have huge consequences on our life, now and in the future.

Those consequences can occur in 10 minutes, 10 months, or in 10 years - or all three and some times in between. So when it comes to quitting on something or someone, we really have to take time to make the best decision, rather than making knee jerk reactions based on feelings or emotions. I have found, that the best choice is usually not to be a quitter, or at least not until you have prayed about it and feel confident that quitting is the decision God wants you to make. Think about it, we tell our kids that they cant be quitters, so why should we get any more leniency than them?!

The truth is, that the desire to quit is natural, and also universal. People all over the world, of all ages and genders consider quitting something every day. Students want to quit school, people want to quit jobs, spouses want to quit on their difficult marriages, friends want to quit on each other when conflicts arise, family wants to become estranged when they cant get along.

We think if something is not turning out to be the deal we signed up for, but instead is an ordeal we dont like, then we decide we want a new deal.

But the problem with quitting, is that it leads to more quitting. As we walk away from problems or people or situations, looking for the new deal that will certainly be better than the one we have, we may actually find it temporarily. But what happens when the new deal becomes an ordeal as well? That thought of quitting creeps in again. It can become a life altering cycle. The more we do it, the easier it becomes, and the consequences can be in 10 minutes, 10 months, or 10 years.

The good news is that perseverance leads to more perseverance, which leads to victory.

Today my son was complaining about having to go to school, again, because at ten years old, he simply does not realize the huge importance that an education will have on his future. All he sees, is that he hates getting up early, he hates having to sit in class, and he hates homework. So I began to tell him that sometimes we have to go through things we dont enjoy, but that we have to persevere. And even more important, we have to choose to have a good attitude and trust that God knows best and has a plan, while we are in the process of trying to persevere.

I tried to help him understand by telling him about a similar situation I used to be in. I once worked for a large international firm in a very stressful, demanding environment. On more than one occasion, I drove to work in tears, with knots in my stomach, dreading my arrival to the office. But I knew that I had to persevere, for the good of our finances and my family. And after several years, I realized that while I thought I was just trying to get through each day, that God had a reason for that suffering.

You see, so many of the skills and talents that I learned and developed in that position, were the skills that God needed me to learn before I could step out in faith and do what He had eventually called me to do. I did not know that at the time, and believe me, I wanted to quit more times than I can count, but I persevered, and realized that God rewarded me for not quitting until the time was right, and under the right conditions.

Was persevering fun? No way. Did I enjoy it? Of course not. Was it worth it? Absolutely. Just like my son needs to continue going to school because that is what is best for his future, we are called to persevere in our own situations because we trust that God is at work, and that He knows best.

Think back on a time when you stuck with something that was hard, painful, or difficult, but your perseverance paid off. Maybe it was a job, maybe it was a relationship, maybe it was a child, maybe it was a marriage. Think about how good it felt when you realized that all your hard work paid off, and what a blessing it was to see how God had been at work all along. Remembering those times helps me face the situations that I am trying to persevere through now. It helps me to stay focused on the fact that God really does have a plan.

Whatever the case, perseverance is what God calls us to do. Anyone can quit, but it takes a special person to persevere. As for believers, we have the extra benefit of seeking the power of the Holy Spirit to give us strength, when we are flat wiped out of our own strength. We have the power of God within our reach, to walk us through hard times, which can cause the desire to quit to become blurred as we keep focused on what God may have in store for us when we become an overcomer.

The last couple years that I worked in that difficult position, God stalked with me a verse. A verse that I underestimated and didnt quite understand, until I began to see a few pieces of Gods plan begin falling into place.

That precious verse was Jeremiah 29:11, For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

God had a plan for my trials then, and I believe that His promise in Jeremiah 29:11 holds true for the things I am facing today as well.

So today, I choose not to quit. I choose to have a new attitude. I choose to forgive. I choose to love. And I choose to put my trust in God, and wait for more puzzle pieces to begin to fall, in the hopes that soon, I can reap the rewards of perseverance, and see His sovereign plan becoming a reality in my life.