"Above all else guard your heart for it is the wellspring of life." Proverbs 4:23
Guard your heart? What does this mean? Tuck it away safe so no on can hurt you? Or does it mean to treasure it with all that you have because it is good, it is needed?
I think it's the later. We have been given a new heart. A heart that is good, filled with desires, hope, truth. We are to treasure our hearts as well as guard them. This proverb doesn't say lock your heart away because it is bad. It says to guard it because it is the wellspring of life. It is where Jesus lives.
How do we guard it then? I know one thing... we can't do it alone. Think of all the movies and books where the warrior sets out... he never goes alone. He always has support. Even Jesus had his 12 and he was Jesus!
A year ago I could have named several people who I knew had my back... had my heart. They were fighting to protect the part that I gave them.
Today I'm not so sure...
In John Eldredge's Waking the Dead at the end he talks about community. What does true community look like? He even addresses how so many churches today are doing the small group thing. That is great but how many of them are really successful? Our church is doing that but it seems to me that it's just another program that they are trying to save the sinking ship. The heart isn't really there.
True community is where people fight for you... fight to protect the piece of your heart that you've entrusted them with. They encourage you. They pray for you... Really pray for you... not just "Lord help so and so." They sometimes spend hours praying intentionally for you. You do the same for them.
This type of community is also vehemently opposed. The enemy comes to steal, kill and destroy. His greatest tool is to divide and conquer. That is what happened to me. He divided and conquered us. He prevailed... this time.
I've allowed him to wage a battle against my heart for too long. I've allowed him to bind me up with lies about relationships for too long. Now it's time to win the war...
I'm bringing out the big guns.... J E S U S.
He is my warrior.
He is my healer.
He will conquer and win this war over my heart...
Come Jesus Come....
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
"What are you waiting for?"
I recently read "What are you waiting for? The One Thing No One Ever Tells You About Sex" by Dannah Gresh for my Blogging for Books program. What an excellent book!
This book addresses what God intends for marriage. Not only in physical terms but also the spiritual connection between a husband and wife. He wants us all to have yada!
Dannah addresses topics such as how far is too far, masturbation, kissing, having a plan before hand and more. She addresses these topics without bogging you down with too many words. She also is sensitive yet direct and truthful.
I will definitely recommend this book to all my friends. It is a must read for every young woman, married woman and moms of daughters. I will also be sharing this book with my own daughter when she is older.
(If you get a moment, rank this review below! The more ranks I receive, the more my rank goes up so that I can review more books! Thanks!)
This book addresses what God intends for marriage. Not only in physical terms but also the spiritual connection between a husband and wife. He wants us all to have yada!
Dannah addresses topics such as how far is too far, masturbation, kissing, having a plan before hand and more. She addresses these topics without bogging you down with too many words. She also is sensitive yet direct and truthful.
I will definitely recommend this book to all my friends. It is a must read for every young woman, married woman and moms of daughters. I will also be sharing this book with my own daughter when she is older.
(If you get a moment, rank this review below! The more ranks I receive, the more my rank goes up so that I can review more books! Thanks!)
Monday, May 23, 2011
Emailing it would be so much easier...
Why is it you can be so sure in your heart about a decision, choice or circumstance... only to question that same decision, choice or circumstance down the road?
I really wish someone would develop a system or something so that God could just email us! It would be so much easier to know. Just think of all the things we could do for him!
Heck if someone can know when he is going to return then why can't they get this email thingy going?
Decisions... choices... the fork in the road... sometimes it would be easier to just be a puppet...
I really wish someone would develop a system or something so that God could just email us! It would be so much easier to know. Just think of all the things we could do for him!
Heck if someone can know when he is going to return then why can't they get this email thingy going?
Decisions... choices... the fork in the road... sometimes it would be easier to just be a puppet...
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Betrayal, deception & yada
This morning I read that Arnold Schwarzenegger has admitted to fathering a child with a staff member 10 years ago. I read a few weeks ago that he and his wife Maria Shriver separated after 25 years of marriage. According to the news, he didn't tell her about this affair until just recently when he left the governor's office.
I don't understand how he could live with his wife for the last 10 years knowing what he had done. How could he look her in the face? How could he deny love to the child he fathered?
Deception
That's how.
He has lived a false life for years. He has lied to cover up his lies. He has been drowning in deception.
I am not necessarily a fan of Arnold but my heart breaks for this family... for our society. Why is this happening more and more? How many times is this going to happen before we say enough?
It doesn't help when celebrities and "experts" speak out against marriage. These are people that society "looks up to". Where are the celebrities and experts that are supporting marriage? They are out there but the mainstream news doesn't want to hear about it.
Is it because they we to live like the Corinthians? Is seems that our society wants to live however we want to live, do what we want to do regardless of the consequences. We don't want any accountability.
But we aren't living the lives we are truly meant to live. Jesus came to give us life. Not just a boring, legalistic Christian life... he came to bring us a full and abundant life. A life full of joy, love, desires, fun and so much more.
We must take a stand for marriage... for life. He wants us to see the full and abundant life that he wants for us! Not the deceptive, false life full of yuck but a life full of yada. We as Christians need to stand up and speak against this stuff!
Jesus come... we desperately need you... show us the life you want for us...
I don't understand how he could live with his wife for the last 10 years knowing what he had done. How could he look her in the face? How could he deny love to the child he fathered?
Deception
That's how.
He has lived a false life for years. He has lied to cover up his lies. He has been drowning in deception.
I am not necessarily a fan of Arnold but my heart breaks for this family... for our society. Why is this happening more and more? How many times is this going to happen before we say enough?
It doesn't help when celebrities and "experts" speak out against marriage. These are people that society "looks up to". Where are the celebrities and experts that are supporting marriage? They are out there but the mainstream news doesn't want to hear about it.
Is it because they we to live like the Corinthians? Is seems that our society wants to live however we want to live, do what we want to do regardless of the consequences. We don't want any accountability.
But we aren't living the lives we are truly meant to live. Jesus came to give us life. Not just a boring, legalistic Christian life... he came to bring us a full and abundant life. A life full of joy, love, desires, fun and so much more.
We must take a stand for marriage... for life. He wants us to see the full and abundant life that he wants for us! Not the deceptive, false life full of yuck but a life full of yada. We as Christians need to stand up and speak against this stuff!
Jesus come... we desperately need you... show us the life you want for us...
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Does he see me?
Today as I was raking the moss from our lawn a little girl rode by on a bike. She rode by a few more times during the afternoon. I continued to rake when I had one of those memories... you know the ones where it's like you were back in time?
The memory was me on my bike... riding back and forth, all around the neighborhood I grew up in. But I wasn't just randomly riding around... at least not every ride. On these rides I would ride back and forth in front of a couple of boys' homes who lived in my neighborhood. I would ride in the hopes that they would notice me. I wanted to be seen... I wanted to be noticed... I wanted to know that I was delighted in.
Unfortunately those bike rides and those boys never answered those questions for me. Those questions were also not answered for me at home.
They just continued to linger and intensify...
I made poor choices throughout my teen and early adult years trying to have my questions answered.
But the questions still lingered...
It wasn't until I was into my 30s when I finally got my question answered... but it wasn't while I rode my bike, drove my car. Nor were they answered by a boy or a man... (though he did bring me a great man who does notice me!)
Jesus is the one who answered my questions...
HE sees me.
HE knows me.
HE feels all that I feel.
I am enough in him.
Thank you Jesus that you see me, know me and love me.
Thank you for answering my questions...
The memory was me on my bike... riding back and forth, all around the neighborhood I grew up in. But I wasn't just randomly riding around... at least not every ride. On these rides I would ride back and forth in front of a couple of boys' homes who lived in my neighborhood. I would ride in the hopes that they would notice me. I wanted to be seen... I wanted to be noticed... I wanted to know that I was delighted in.
Unfortunately those bike rides and those boys never answered those questions for me. Those questions were also not answered for me at home.
They just continued to linger and intensify...
I made poor choices throughout my teen and early adult years trying to have my questions answered.
But the questions still lingered...
It wasn't until I was into my 30s when I finally got my question answered... but it wasn't while I rode my bike, drove my car. Nor were they answered by a boy or a man... (though he did bring me a great man who does notice me!)
Jesus is the one who answered my questions...
HE sees me.
HE knows me.
HE feels all that I feel.
I am enough in him.
Thank you Jesus that you see me, know me and love me.
Thank you for answering my questions...
Friday, May 13, 2011
Thursday, May 12, 2011
Yada, yada, yada
I desire yada...
I desire yada in my relationships...
I desire yada with my husband...
I know that I am yada by God...
What in the word is yada?? We've all heard this phrase... "yada, yada, yada". People use this phrase as in "blah, blah, blah". But the real meaning of yada is so much more...
Yada is actually a Hebrew verb. It means to know, to be known, to be deeply respected...
"Be still, and yada that I am God." Psalm 46:10
"O Lord, you have searched me and you yada me." Psalm 139:1
To be known truly, deeply, intimately.
Yada also can be used in this way...
"Adam yada with his wife Eve.." Genesis 4:1
Yes it means he had sex with her... but it was so much more. It was an act of intimacy that transcends the physical. It was a deep connection, a deep knowing of each other. It was what God intended sex to be. Not just shakab. (Another interesting word for another post.)
I recently read a quote from John Eldredge that struck my heart... "We weren't made to be ignored."
That is right because we were made for yada, yada, yada!
So Lord help me yada you, help me be yada by others, help me do yada with my husband and help me show yada to others! Give me more yada!
I bet you'll never see yada in the same way again! :-)
I desire yada in my relationships...
I desire yada with my husband...
I know that I am yada by God...
What in the word is yada?? We've all heard this phrase... "yada, yada, yada". People use this phrase as in "blah, blah, blah". But the real meaning of yada is so much more...
Yada is actually a Hebrew verb. It means to know, to be known, to be deeply respected...
"Be still, and yada that I am God." Psalm 46:10
"O Lord, you have searched me and you yada me." Psalm 139:1
To be known truly, deeply, intimately.
Yada also can be used in this way...
"Adam yada with his wife Eve.." Genesis 4:1
Yes it means he had sex with her... but it was so much more. It was an act of intimacy that transcends the physical. It was a deep connection, a deep knowing of each other. It was what God intended sex to be. Not just shakab. (Another interesting word for another post.)
I recently read a quote from John Eldredge that struck my heart... "We weren't made to be ignored."
That is right because we were made for yada, yada, yada!
So Lord help me yada you, help me be yada by others, help me do yada with my husband and help me show yada to others! Give me more yada!
I bet you'll never see yada in the same way again! :-)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)