Day 10: "A Heart of Worship"

Welcome back readers & WELCOME to new readers!! Today is DAY 10 on our journey through the book: A Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here For? by Pastor Rick Warren.

I am in COMPLETE AWE of how God works in our lives. The WORK of SURRENDER I did this morning was work that I thought I already did. It was DEEP rooted. DEEP. As I've been writing these blog posts...I tend to look forward to the next day and what the topic will be & I didn't yesterday.

Let me tell you somethin'! If you ASK the Good Lord to ENTER into your life...If you ASK Him to SHINE LIGHT on situations... If you ASK him to BLESS you...HE WILL DO IT....and you better be ready. I can't really explain it. Let me just tell you that he is REVEALING MORE to me the second time around with this book, than he did the first time. He is not only telling me now....He is MOVING me. He is MAKING me move. I mean it when I say this book is LIFE-CHANGING.

The first line in this chapter: "The heart of worship is surrender." Most of us look at a word like surrender as weakness. I feel like society as a whole goes through a kabillions (prob not a word) of BAND-AIDS to cover up the hurt and the weaknesses that we DON'T WANT TO SURRENDER. I am telling you now...there is SOMETHING (& maybe several things) you have to SURRENDER to God to get closer to Him & break the devil's hold on your life...AND that something or THINGS you probably don't want to touch, or think about, or don't want to let back in. You WANT to sweep them under the rug. ASK GOD to clean you out & take the devil's hold off of you. He will do it in a loving way & he will place the right people in you life to HELP you do it. Be prepared for potential exhaustion. Be prepared for a LIFT in SPIRIT.

He spoke a stripped down, raw & honest TRUTH to me last night & this morning he took the BURDEN I had been carrying (that I thought I had released) from me. Just like that. He just took the devil's hold & BROKE it. BROKE IT! It is GONE. He revealed a hold on me I didn't KNOW was there, made me aware, made me affirm it, & has blessed me.

As you go through this chapter & you learn about Paul & you read the words he preached to people & how he URGED them to surrender, The Spirit will start to stir. He didn't go into great detail. He just asks us to do it. The first time I read this book I didn't "GET IT." I am intrigued by Paul. I got the importance. I got the NEED to do it, but I didn't understand it at the level I NEEDED to understand it. Paul experienced God's GRACE & SUPREME VISION regularly, BUT you can't really EXPLAIN that to people in a way they will understand. What I "GET" now is: You have to have FAITH. If you have faith...INVITE GOD IN. If you invite God in he will SHOW you. He will HELP you SURRENDER & then he will cause you to continually SURRENDER. Doing work on you gives GLORY to God & SAVES you.

Warren writes: "There are three barriers that block our total surrender to God: fear, pride, and confusion."

5 areas to FOCUS on today:

1) "Can I trust God?" Pastor Warren sums this up: "You won't surrender to God unless you trust him, but you can't trust him until you know him better....The more you realize how much God loves you the easier surrender becomes." I had a conversation with someone once about how to find Jesus in some of the REALLY difficult moments: a painful disease, a rape, a beating. How do people find TRUST in God in experiences like that? We are all born with The Spirit inside us. EVEN IF YOU ARE MAD AT GOD...ASK Him to show you where he was & He will. He WILL NOT give us ANYTHING we can't handle & his PLAN for you transcends that pain.

2) "Admitting our limitations." "We don't want to admit that we're just creatures and not in charge of everything...That desire - to have complete control - is the cause of so much stress in our lives." Well put Pastor Rick! Yeah...I was wound up in all of that like a lot of others...still am in some areas. I believe now....that he wants to take care of the HARD & icky stuff. RELEASE it to him. Don't get me wrong. We have to DO WORK, but we don't need to CREATE unnecessary work.

3) "What it means to surrender." This one gets deep. EVERYONE needs to read it. I'll try and keep it short. Pastor Rick's words: "Surrendering to God is not passive resignation, fatalism, or an excuse for laziness. It is not accepting the status quo. It may mean the exact opposite: sacrificing your life or suffering in order to change what needs to be changed. God often calls surrendered people to do battle on his behalf. Surrendering is not for cowards or doormats." AMEN! It ain't easy folks & it ain't for sissies & you will NEED God's GRACE to keep you moving. The Bible says, "Surrender yourself to the Lord, and wait patiently for him." I KNOW I've begun this process. There is work I have to do & he is STRIPPING my EGO away from it. It is NOT ABOUT ME. It is about doing HIS work.

One more thing from the book that spoke to me was when Pastor Warren discussed the most difficult area of surrender, which is this thought: "'I want to live for God but I also want to earn enough money to live comfortably and retire someday.'" If you are SURRENDERING...NOTHING competes with God. This was TOUGH for me, but I have AMAZING FAITH that He will PROVIDE everything I need & WHEN we need it & I know that all of our solutions are right in front of us...it's just like putting a puzzle together.

4) "The blessing of surrender." Here is what you will experience: PEACE...(Don't we all want some peace.) Then...FREEDOM. He's talkin' freedom from the binding ties the devil & his army uses. Lastly, "you experience God's power in your life." & yes you do. "Surrendered people are the one's God uses." Examples would be: Mother Mary, Paul, Joseph, Noah, Joshua....

5) "The best way to live." How we live, what we do, what we allow, how we react...is ALL our responsibility. We have to OWN that & stop BLAMING everyone else. In this section we are URGED to give it ALL to The Holy Trinity. We have to PRACTICE this because we will have to continually surrender & sometimes it will be easier than others. Paul said: "I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him who infused inner strength into me, that is, I am self-sufficient in Christ's sufficiency." 

Today's "Point to Ponder: The heart of worship is surrender."

Daily Verse: "Surrender yoru whole being to him to be used for righteous purposes. " Romans 6:13B (TEV)

Daily Question: "What area of my life am I holding back from God?"

From my journal: I'm trying to control it and fix it and fix people and fix myself and get better and do better and make more money. I will give it all to him and even talk to Kyle (my husband) about it too. I know this will be hard and will have to be done over and over again, but I will!

Buck Up Baby & RIDE with Jesus! Nope...won't be easy, BUT will be worth it! God Bless!!

Day 9: "What Makes God Smile?"

Welcome returning & new readers. We are on Day 9 as we continue our journey through the book: The Purpose Driven Life: What On Earth Am I Here For? by Pastor Rick Warren .

Day 9: "What makes God smile?"

"Point to Ponder: God smiles when I trust him."

Daily Verse: "The Lord is pleased with those who worship him and trust his love." Psalm 147:11 (CEV)

Daily Question: "Since God knows what is best, in what areas of my life do I need to trust him the most?"

What I wrote in my journal after reading the first time around: Relationships with family, friends, and acquaintances. He will guide me in ways to console, love, and forgive and will condition the hearts of those in just the right way needed.

Building/Having a place to live. He will provide & shine light on everything necessary to make that happen.

This is a DEEP chapter & the person from the Bible that Pastor Warren chose to EXPLAIN this chapter is NOAH.

From the first page of this chapter: "In Noah's day, the entire world had become morally bankrupt. Everyone lived for their own pleasure, not God's. God couldn't find anyone on earth interested in pleasing him, so he was grieved and regretted making man. God became so disgusted with the human race that he considered wiping it out. But there was one man who made God smile. The bible says, 'Noah was a pleasure to the Lord.'"

From Noah's experience we ALL can learn 5 ACTS OF WORSHIP:

1) "God smiles when we love him supremely."Noah loved God more than ANYTHING else in the world. He wants a relationship with us & that kind!! I am by no means an expert at the Bible, but as I try to LEARN & wrap my head around the word It seems to me that He sent his son, the way he sent him for a VERY precise reason. Jesus walked the walk. He did the tough things. He was ridiculed, beat, cursed, shunned, or questioned his ENTIRE life here on earth...BUT the LIGHT of GOD & the LIGHT in their followers urged him onward. Even as I work through my emotions from day to day I REALize how there are SO many different KINDS of ANGER....of HAPPINESS...of LOSS...of STRUGGLE...of PAIN...of TRUST...of LOVE... I really believe that Jesus experienced ALL of it & sits at the right hand of the Father to HELP him understand our sin here on earth. Jesus was FAITHFUL & God FULLY understands the INTENSE strugGLE we all face & Jesus said to him on that cross: "Forgive them Father. They know not what they do." Luke 23:34 (KJV) & God TRUSTED him & in his FINAL dying breath...SAVED AN ENTIRE WORLD FULL OF SINNERS. That to me...is PROOF that he WANTS a relationship with us & that he loves us & he will TRUST us, if we talk to him.


2)"God smiles when you trust him completely." Noah trusted God when it didn't make sense. The book discusses the 3 main issues Noah faced:

1. "Noah had never seen rain, because prior to the Flood, God irrigated the earth from the ground up."
2. He lived in the middle of dry land hundreds of miles from ANY large body of water.
3. He had to figure out how to round up ALL the animals.

BUT...he did it...without a complaint.

3) "God smiles when we obey him wholeheartedly." Boy...do I have to work on this one & is he ever lettin' me know it! Noah followed ever single direction God gave him...down to the last detail...without question. The book says: "That means doing whatever God asks without reservation or hesitation." THIS IS HARD. HARD...I TELL YOU! This means...not taking the time to pray about it...not working it through in your head...not figuring out the right time....SIGH...INSTANTLY acting... Pastor Warren also says: "Instant obedience will teach you more about God than a lifetime of Bible discussions."

4) "God smiles when we praise and thank him continually." Noah praised God before, during, and after his journey on the Ark. I praise God CONTINUALLY in private, BUT now I am working on CONTINUALLY praising him in PUBLIC.

5) "God smiles when we use our abilities." This part of the book is SUCH a good description of this act of worship! Once Noah completed his journey God said: "Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth...Everything that lives and moves will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything." Genesis 9:1-3  He wanted them to LIVE. There is not a thing on earth that we can not give to him in worship....washing dishes, caring for livestock, cooking dinner, painting with our children, building a business, selling a product or service, singing a song, enjoying the view......the list could go on for the rest of our lives.

Whew! It's A LOT to take in & I have LOTS of work to do!! Buck UP Baby and Ride with Jesus! He will URGE you to ride in the rain & the hail & the EXTREME wind & ASK you to PERSEVERE through it all & TRUST that he is taking you to a MUCH greener pasture. IT IS NOT EASY, BUT DON'T BE A SISSY!!

Day 8: "Planned For God's Pleasure"

Welcome readers!! For new readers we are going through Rick Warren's: A Purpose Driven Life: What On Earth Am I Here For? We are going through a chapter each day. I'm laying out how I have applied, am applying, OR try to apply these principles in my life. I've read the book through once & now am spending a little time with each chapter.

Here are the topics of discussion for today:

Day 8: "Planned for God's Pleasure"

"Point to Ponder: I was planned for God's pleasure."

Daily Verse: "The Lord takes pleasure in his people." Psalm 149:4A (TEV)

Daily Question: "What common task could I start doing as if I were doing it directly for Jesus?"

What I wrote in my journal the first day of reading the chapter: Talking to Jesus when I start a new task or project. Thank him for the opportunity. Ask him to bless it. Ask him to protect me & light my path.

Common Task: Shower....I've now added washing dishes.

This is a VERY important chapter because it goes into DEEP discussion about WORSHIP: what it means to God, the different ways we can worship, how to offer our routine daily living to God as worship...and SO much more.

This may seem like an easy chapter, but let me tell you...(at least for me) the number one thing that came rising up was my EGO. This is why I told you a few chapters ago...that EGO was one of the things I struggle with the most & would venture to believe most others do to. KNOW THIS: EGO IS UNGODLY. Most of us are SO chalked full of EGO...it will probably take a LIFETIME to put it to the side. We really think we are THAT important that we have the ability to FIX everything & that OUR way of thinking is the right way & only way.

I have said it before & I will say it again. I HATE housework. I feel like I am lacking in the ability to create a system that works for me. I WILL figure it out & I have improved (although my husband may beg to differ). When the chapter asked me to choose an everyday activity...I chose shower & I LOVE showers..and (brace yourself) UNFORTUNATELY I don't get one EVERY day. SO...I thought what if I make it a daily point to do it directly for Jesus? Here's the thing...He's already got that...maybe not daily. But I pray and have Jesus time when I have shower time. So then my thoughts went to doing dishes..................I REALLY don't like doing them. I can't wait until I have a dishwasher again. I mean...I don't like them sitting there, but I don't like to do them either. (For the record...I KNOW how silly this sounds. It's gotta be done for crying out loud!!) Anyways....I thought to myself...I CAN'T GIVE THAT TO GOD! Why would I give him something I don't like? GUYS...that is my ego, trying to control & justify what is and is not good enough to give to God. HE WANTS IT ALL!!! So...long story short...if you are ever over & I'm washing dishes...you will probably here me singing "Give GLORY to God, Give GLORY to God" OR "Jesus Loves Me."

This chapter says: "Bringing enjoyment to God, living for his pleasure, is the first purpose of your life. When you FULLY understand this truth, you will never again have a problem with feeling insignificant." I can tell you I do not FULLY grasp this yet & really feel like I'm a long way from it. Here is something I want you ALL to think on. It is a lot to think about and I'm not going to discuss it within this blog post. It could get one all its own. GUILT, EGO, & PRIDE are not from God & quite frankly...I'd like them to GO TO HELL & STAY THERE. They jack with your everything. They STOP us from GRASPING exactly what this chapter says. "You are a child of God, and you bring pleasure to God like nothing else he has ever created." Read that line about five more times.

You will STRUGGLE (just like I do) once you pass this chapter & go on to apply other things. Guilt says we are not worthy & don't deserve to be THAT special. Ego says we have to accomplish these things & act this way & then I will be fit to be that special, OR it may say I am active in the community, I go to church every Sunday, & I love Jesus. I'm giving him enough glory. I'm doing my part. Pride will STOP us from HUMBLING ourselves before God & before others...& could make it really hard to give God all the glory.

I didn't even want to type the last paragraph, BUT I want everyone to understand what I understand. Now wipe that train of thinking from your thoughts, b/c it will do you NO good.

Repeat this again...as many times as you need to: "You are a child of God, and you bring pleasure to God like nothing else he has ever created." OWN that! BE that...and REMIND ME to be that too!

GOD IS SO GOOD & wants us to drop all that crap where we stand, but will LOVE us through figuring out how.

I didn't feel like writing this blog today. This book MAKES you do the work & I was feeling pretty exhausted today. God knows I'm not perfect....even though I really want to be & he wants me to use my imperfections to help others...even if I don't FEEL like it all the time. BUT...We've all gotta BUCK UP BABY & RIDE WITH JESUS! He did a lot of things he didn't feel like doing too.

God Bless!

Day 7: "The Reason for Everything"

Welcome friends!! Please feel free to comment & discuss. For first-time readers: This is a daily discussion of the chapters in Pastor Rick Warren's Book: The Purpose Driven Life: What On Earth Am I Here For?

Day 7: "The Reason for Everything"

"Point to Ponder: It's all for him."

Daily Bible Verse: "For everything comes from God alone. Everything lives by his power, and everything is for his glory." Romans 11:36 (LB)

Daily Question: "Where in my daily routine can I become more aware of God's glory?"

What I wrote in my journal: My heart and mind went straight to the business of getting my kids off to their schools. We can wake up earlier and be less rushed and/or enjoy the moment in the journey. I googled "glory" when I started reading this chapter. Glory seems to me like the journey and perseverance on that journey that gets to the accomplishment/goal, so...instead of letting it pass by in a rush - I will try to be more present in the many moments along my journey.

The day I initially read this I went for a run. No matter how you start applying these principals there will still be things that happen to you that you don't understand OR people you don't understand. I was stressed to the hilt on this day & I had been in the presence of a person that just DRAINS me, but I know I am called to LOVE THEM, but it sure is hard to like them sometimes. So I went for a run & as I was running and the negative thoughts & anger about some of the things that come out of their mouth was causing me to run faster. I was lost in it & didn't even realize it UNTIL I became flat winded. I looked up to Heaven & smiled b/c he was using MY BODY to SHOW ME how those deep-rooted feelings were ONLY affecting me & making me tired.

Those thoughts & that anger didn't just subside, BUT I started thanking GOD for EVERYTHING along my path: the leaves, the grass, the beautiful blue sky, the gravel beneath my feet, the ponds I got to pass as I ran, the cows grazing, the shoes on my feet, my socks preventing blisters, the water to quench my thirst, the ability to run, the butterflies flying, the gift of life, the choice to choose which direction to run....EVERYTHING. Giving thanks to Him helped me to put things into perspective & NOT WORRY about someone else. It's all a diversion from what is most important. It also made me feel like all WE (the world) need to fix and cure and mend EVERYTHING is right before us. We just have to peel the crap away to see it.  

On the subject of other people: This chapter tells us something Paul said:" 'Accept each other just as Christ has accepted you; then God will be glorified.' " Sigh... EVERY person is fighting their own battle & EVERY person is UNIque & EVERY person you encounter is a child of God. There are things that you might do better than me. There are things that I might do better than you, BUT that does not make any one person MORE important than the other. It takes ALL of us to ACCOMPLISH God's plan...or we wouldn't be here.

The devil & his army are ever-present & you better believe he will use whatever & whomever he can, when he can, and how he can. So we (myself included) have to remember when, that anger & negative emotion starts rising up to ASK GOD to cast the devil's ploys FAR away from you & the person you are harboring anger toward. Ask Him for EXACTLY what you want. My prayer for this particular person is: "God please shine your LIGHT on our relationship. Help condition both of our hearts to UNDERSTAND each other & MEND the broken parts of our relationship. Cause us to LOVE each other, just the way we are & APPRECIATE each other for the GOOD you put in us. Put a wall around our relationship that the devil can not enter. Let the whispers that form our thoughts ONLY come from YOU Lord God & BLESS us, so we can bless others. Amen." WE HAVE TO PRAY FOR OTHERS. People's level of understanding differs on...pretty much everything. We NEED each other to make it through. This prayer may not "fix" all my problems in this relationship, but it will STOP the devil in his tracks. We'll have to work through what hurt has already been done, BUT everything that builds from this point forward, will be God's work & not the devil's.

Another side note that I have observed since finishing this book & since typing out the prayer of protection (which I never SPOKE out loud until just a few minutes ago). We can KNOW what needs to be done, but we have to DO IT. That's it. Let me tell you the peace & the "Jesus-moment" I had on that run I will remember forever...BUT do you think I have CONSTANTLY practiced that, since.....NO. WE HAVE TO HAVE OTHERS TO CONTINUE TO URGE US ON. My close friends KNOW that I have asked them to check me, if I need checking. Straighten me out!! We have been conditioned from a young age to see & think & act certain ways. There is a lot that is subconscious.

Let me give you an example. A VERY much God-fearin' woman took her children out to eat. She studies the Bible, ministers to people, & is devoted to serving others. She sits down & says "Okay let's say the blessing." Her 3 year old says "Mom, we can't pray HERE." She's taken aback & she grabs her little one's hand & says "Well we sure can!" & they do. Her thoughts went to: What have WE done (in the past 3 years) to make my sweet baby feel like it is unacceptable to say GRACE over our food in certain places?  

SOME PEOPLE DON'T KNOW! They don't know HOW. They don't know WHY. This chapter also says: "Once we know the truth he expects us to share it with others." It is our duty!! Once you know....you are held responsible. Chew on that one for a minute. It makes things mean SO MUCH MORE..I'm sure.

Buck Up Baby & Ride With Jesus!! We have to TELL it! We have to LEARN it! We have to SHARE it! We have to PRACTICE it! We have to KEEP REMINDING EACH OTHER about our obligations!!

May GOD BLESS you on your journey! JOIN our trail ride & ride along with Jesus!!

Day 6: "Life Is a Temporary Assignment"

Welcome!!! Today is Day 6 on OUR journey through Rick Warren's book: The Purpose Driven Life: What On Earth Am I Here For?"

This chapter has not left me since I read it. It truly AMAZES me at what strikes a cord with me...& what strikes a cord with others. Sure SHOWS me unIQue we are.

From the second paragraph in today's reading: "To make the best use of your life, you must never forget two truths: First, compared with eternity, life is extremely brief. Second, earth is only a temporary residence. You won't be here long, so don't get too attached."

I said in yesterday's blog how all of the choices and actions I make tend to have MORE purpose than what they did before. I think it is because THIS chapter has helped me tie up SOME loose ends. I had a moment where I realized that I wouldn't have forever to be a Mom, or a wife, or WASTE my time with worry.

MAN!! I used to be chalked FULL of worry. I worried about moving myself up the ladder. I worried about impressing new clients. I worried about if other people in the company were going to do their job. I worried about how others were treated in comparison to myself. I worried about impressing my bosses, my co-workers, my family. I worried about how much weight I gained. I worried about the decisions I made. Man I worried!! I'm not sayin' it NEVER creeps in anymore. It does....BUT it makes me stop to look around b/c the Holy Spirit is tryin' to tell me something.

I have been free from the corporate shackles for 6 months now. I had to work through the mindset of having to answer to someone else and having to look busy & over the past few months that anxious/edgy feeling has left me for the most part. I still get anxious sometimes before an auction or birthday party or whatever, but it's a different kind of anxious...a good kind. I'm not clouded by thoughts and opinions and frustrations that really DON'T matter in the grand scheme of things. NOW, when I get that icky anxious feeling I believe it is the Holy Spirit talking to me. He's causing me to PAY ATTENTION.

Like we learned yesterday: God has entrusted us with gifts, talents, and blessings. Family, friends, business relationships, our house, our car, our talents (which could be anything like: crunching numbers, caring for livestock, building relationships, caring for the sick, teaching young people, or protecting our country) are GIVEN to us....NOT to use for ONLY ourselves, but to bring glory to God. He gave MY BLESSINGS TO ME. Therefore, when I feel like they are being endangered...it is MY RESPONSIBILITY to PROTECT them. They are entrusted to me for a purpose I don't yet know, but they are mine & I have FAITH that God won't give me anything I can't handle & doing the best job I can with the blessings HE gives me...will get me closer to meeting my friend & brother Jesus.

So....Here are the specifics for today:

Day 6: "Life is a temporary assignment."

"Point to Ponder: This world is not my home."

Daily Bible Verse: "So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." 2 Corinthians 4:18 (NIV)

Daily Question: "How should the fact that life on earth is just a temporary assignment change the way I am living right now?"

From my journal the first day of reading: I should be sure that all I am doing is bringing glory to God...in ALL situations: How I care for myself & my family, How I use the gifts God has given me, how I handle ALL situations: Good & Bad, Easy & Difficult, how I praise Him.

This will relieve the stress and busyness of my life and make my assignment more clear.

Well....let me just tell you. It has done just that. It hasn't fixed all my problems. We are supposed to have problems. Our problems prepare us for future problems. My focus has been sharpened. I've still got some sharpening to do, but you better believe there's been PROGRESS.

This is a cliff note of this chapter. You can apply it a totally different way at each reading. I really URGE you to get this book & really read this chapter, so you can begin to wrap your head around it.

BUCK UP BABY & RIDE WITH JESUS!!! Join in on the discussion!!

God Bless!!

Day 5: "Seeing Life From God's View"

Welcome! Welcome!! For everyone that is a NEW reader...we are going through a book I recently finished reading. It is a chapter-a-day book: The Purpose Driven Life: What On Earth Am I Here For? by Pastor Rick Warren.

I am inviting others to join in on the discussion. You can comment here OR on my Facebook Page. I am going back through each chapter to discuss it & share how I've started applying it to my daily life, the struggles I have/had with the discussion, & so on.

Today is Day 5!

 Day 5: "Seeing Life From God's View."

"Point to Ponder: Life is a test & a trust."

Daily Bible Verse: "Unless you are faithful in small matters, you won't be faithful in large ones." Luke 16:10A (NLT)

Daily Question: "What has happened to me recently that I now realize was a test from God? What are the greatest matters God has entrusted to me?"

From My Journal the Day of Reading:

Recent Happenings That Were a Test: My past work experiences, situations & disagreements with certain family members, less than ideal business transactions

The Greatest Matters Entrusted to Me: Sharing my spiritual journey, human nature - learning & understanding it, the exchange of goods & services, using personal connections to shine light to each other.

I can say...when you START thinking like this (How God views our lives) ALL the B.S. starts fallin' by the way side. There is plenty of drama that you can get caught up in...other peoples' drama, your drama, the drama you crEatE with your mind, the drama others create with their mind.....that literally... DOES NOT MATTER.

When you realize & AFFIRM that our time on earth is limited; you start making your actions matter more & you start focusing  on yourself & your family versus everyone else's opinion. You focus on your mission (if you know what that is.) If you're not sure what that is take a look at your gifts. They are sure enough clues.

I KNOW that I am supposed to BLESS people through auctions. I can't tell you EXACTLY how I'm supposed to do that...and I don't think there is an exact way... Since I have gone FULL-time at it I KNOW that I have created an atmosphere or setting to help estranged family members start mending their relationships. I've seen severed friendships MEND. I have created an environment where complete strangers are helping other complete strangers ALL because they have LOVE for one of the people involved OR they have gone through something similar. I have GENERATED IDEAS of how larger entities can help smaller entities & EXHIBITED how. I have SEEN a cancer patient become FILLED with SO MUCH LOVE for the people that came out to SUPPORT her...ENOUGH to take with her on the LONG journey ahead of her. I have witnessed people most would have forgotten about, find PURPOSE that they didn't KNOW they had. I have been a key player in generating LARGE sums of $$$ (a little from everyone with a little) - to really HELP someone in need. I have seen families of tragedies HELP other families of tragedies. I have seen causes with a small intent BALLOON out to WAY more than what they expected. I have seen families & communities RALLY around others that are down. I have made life-long friends out of COMPLETE strangers. I have been URGED forward by people of ALL kinds. I have made CONNECTIONS with other GIFTED & BLESSED people that I will be able to work with.

I also KNOW now that ALL the difficulties I have faced, have gotten me to where I am now. ALL the false perception, all the INTENSE feelings, the words from ALL the critics, all the disagreements.....EVERYTHING are tools to put in my tool bag for MY journey....BECAUSE there will be a time when it will REALLY matter & God is equipping me with the tools to OVERCOME it.

I second guess myself quite often, & in all different areas of my life. There is a sentence from this chapter that GROUNDS me, when my thoughts start whirlin' around: "Our time on earth and our energy, intelligence, opportunities, relationships, and resources are all gifts from God that he has entrusted to our care and management." -Rick Warren

So...when I start thinking about how I should maybe do something like this wife, or this mom, or this business owner, or this sister, or sister-in-law, or friend....I check myself. GOD TRUSTS ME with ALL the gifts, people, relationships, experiences, opportunities, THOUGHTS....EVERYTHING. He doesn't give the same ones to everyone. Everyone does not see what I see or understand what I understand. THEY ARE ENTRUSTED TO ME. On that note...once you wrap your head around this thought....you MOVE faster on the things you KNOW you have to move on.

I can tell you what I still struggle with is: OTHER people trying to get in OUR business. Say some prayers for me, because I don't KNOW the right or wrong way to handle that one. I've just been bringing it back to FOCUSING on MY actions & what I have to do to PROTECT my family & my mission & my blessings. We can't control others...it's not our gig.

Buck Up Baby & Ride With Jesus!! Join in on the discussion. God Bless!!

Day 4: "Made To Last Forever."

Welcome Back!! For NEW readers this is the book that we are discussing & we will for the next 38 days.

I know yesterday was a humdinger. I mean...it got the brain muscle workin'. There will be days in this book that MIGHT mentally drain you. He usually goes easier on you the next day or so after that :).

Day 4: "Made To Last Forever"

"Point to Ponder: There is more to life than just here & now."

Daily Verse: "This world is fading away, along with everything it craves. But if you do the will of God, you will love forever." 1 John 2:17 (NLT)

Daily Question: "Since I was made to last forever, what is the one thing I should stop doing and the one thing I should start doing today?"

From my journal the first day of reading:

Stop: Worrying, waiting, being guarded, over-analyzing

Start: Moving forward with the things that God has placed in my heart & forgive people & forgive myself.

This is my FAVORITE part of this chapter & YES...I'm going to type the whole thing out: "Life on earth is just the dress rehearsal before the real production. You will spend far more time on the other side of death - in eternity - than you will here. Earth is the staging area, the preschool, the tryout for you life in eternity. It is the practice workout before the actual game; the warm-up lap before the race begins. This life is preparation for the next."

I am Catholic & I went to to a mission about a year and a half ago that talked about purgatory. At the time it was somewhat fascinating to me & I was trying to wrap my head around it. I converted from Lutheran when I married my husband, so I never really KNEW what purgatory was all about. What if purgatory is the bundle of layers our souls travel to...to get to Heaven? I think about all of us & how it just seems IMPOSSIBLE for us to FULLY understand all there is to understand about how & why & when things happen. What about the MOSTLY life-long atheist that receives GOD on his deathbed? I'm thinkin' he's not goin' straight to Heaven with the saints, BUT I think God will save him & his soul will have to go the course of whatever journey God has in store for him; to reveal what needs to be revealed, to give him the opportunity to KNOW & LEARN & DEVELOP a relationship with Jesus Christ. Just like the priest said at that mission: "There is gonna be a lot of disappointed Christians, if we all think we are going straight to Heaven." It takes MORE than going to church every SUNDAY, & MORE than living a GOOD life by the accounts of society.

Remember: The two questions God is likely to ask: "What did you do with my Son, Jesus Christ?" & "What did you do with what I gave you?" Are you bringing others to Jesus? Are you bringing yourself to Jesus?

I can say that this chapter has made me look at EVERYTHING differently...in a good way. I've gotten a lot better at not sweatin' the small stuff & being DIRECT about the big stuff & YES...I believe there is MUCH, MUCH, MUCH more past this life. I don't need to KNOW what exactly. I find PEACE knowing that there is!

Buck Up Baby & Ride With Jesus & with all of us too!! Thanks to ALL that have participated in discussion thus far!!