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How We Can Act Like the Body

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If you’ve done any running you know there’s a lot of techniques out there. Get the right shoes, have the right form, relax your arms, that sort of thing.

I try to run regularly. Sometimes I pay attention to these things and sometimes I don’t. This particular day I did. I noticed toward the end of my route that I used my arms more than usual. Pumping them back and forth in sync with the rhythm of my body propelled me along faster without tiring out as quickly as in previous days.

I immediately thought of the body of Christ. When the arm swings in unison with the legs running, in time with the heart beating, the breath going in and out of the lungs, the feet pounding the surface at just the right time and angle – the body is working smoothly and effectively.

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A Story of Faith: Trusting God Even in the Silence

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Eyes of Faith. They actually see things other eyes don’t.

Imagine you’ve just walked up a flight of stairs and you’re now standing at the doorway of a large guest room. You look around and see a bed, beautifully made-up with red satin sheets overlaid with a plush, rich comforter and topped with 2 throw pillows. Beside the bed is a rustic, hand-crafted nightstand with an antique lamp on top.  An oriental rug covers the floor and fancy curtains adorn the window. In the corner sets a small, round table with two chairs, and a mirror hangs above. It’s a beautiful room.

So beautiful you want your best friend to see it too. You call her upstairs and excitedly show off the room to her. Her expression baffles you. She looks confused and even a touch mad. You ask her if she likes the room. “What do you think of the lamp, the bedspread, the table?” you ask.

“What bed?” she replies. “I see no bed, no lamp, no table!”

“What?” you reply. “Then what do you see?”

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To My Generation Who Thought Following Jesus was Cool & Flashy

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I grew up in the 90s.

Deena Carter’s “Did I shave my legs for this” often played on my radio.

I loved my bell-bottom jeans.

I didn’t have a cell phone till I was 16 and that was a bag phone.

My parents bought their first computer after I moved out.

I loved my youth group. I attended all the rallies and church camps complete with the campfires and cute guys.

Maybe you did too.

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What What Would Happen If I Said Yes

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The Five Minute Friday theme this week is the word

YES.

In five minutes this is what Yes spurred in my mind…

My son told me the other day I’m the best negative thinker he knew.

But I can be. So often my first response is “No”.

“Mom, can we….”

“NO!”

Unfortunately, it’s my automatic reaction to my Savior as well.

“Julie, that lady over there…”

“No!”

So to hear the prompt Yes, means to me, challenges me to say Yes.

Say yes to my kids, or at least hear them out before I knee jerk the answer no.

Say yes to my husband when he needs a favor.

And most importantly, say yes to my Lord when He nudges me to do something. Even something I don’t want to, like talk to the lady at the gas pump. Ask her how her day is. Say Yes to get to know people instead of  just brushing by them in my haste to make it home and do the daily chores that are always there and pressing.

Yes, I want to say yes.

What about you? What would it look like for you to say yes, or explore the possibilities of instead of just saying no, I don’t have time. No, I don’t have the money. No I can’t possibly – what would that look like?

Here’s to Yes!

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4 Ways to Avoid Ashley Madison Temptations

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If the erogenous website Ashley Madison was a hurricane, it would be classified as a category 5 storm. Damaging winds have reportedly spread debris over all but three zip codes in the entire U.S.

For adrenaline pumping storm chasers this might sound like the storm of the year to track. But beware: travelling too close to these 155+ mile an hour winds leaves you liable to be sucked up in the raging vortex yourself. For we weren’t created to withstand that amount of force against us.

Just ask Josh Duggar.

The bottom line to me in this story is one Ashley Madison illustrates beautifully: Your sin will find you out.

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When Doing Big Things for God Went Bad

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I don’t know if you noticed or not, but last week crickets were chirping rather than words being posted here on this blog.

“Did she finally run out of words?” you may have wondered.

Oh no. It wasn’t that. It’s the continual battle I have with what to do with these words! I’ll admit it again – I can have BIG dreams and as I posted last time, I easily grab the wheel of life and steer the ship myself when I think God is taking too long.

The question “Are you satisfied in ME?” really challenged me. I didn’t want to take it lightly and brush it off too quickly.

Honestly, I felt the prompt in my Spirit to stop publishing posts for a week and just listen. So I did. Then as a family, we read the story of Jehu.

Jehu could be classified as one of those “Yay-Hoos” for the Lord. Even the way he was anointed King was crazy. Read for yourself:

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When Are We Truly Satisfied?

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“If we have a purpose of our own, it destroys the simplicity and the leisureliness which ought to characterize the children of God.” Oswald Chambers, Utmost for His Highest Aug 5

Somehow last week I started charting my own course, trying again to control my destination. I think it started by cramming way too many writing assignments into a space already jam packed with house remodel projects, laundry, time with friends, and keeping all my thoughts and priorities in correct alignment in my head.

Plus, I dropped off my daughter to an overnight church camp for the first time! Pre-teen camp. Since when did she turn into a pre-teenager? And where did she get this bravery to spend 4 days at a camp without knowing anyone else there very well?

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When You’re Running Into the Son

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It was one year ago that I felt this prompt, this whisper in my spirit to set the alarm for 5:30am, actually wake up, lace up my jogging shoes and meet the Lord on the back roads for a morning jog. I ignored this prick for weeks, and finally, to see if I was just hearing things, or if there was any validity to my thoughts, I decided to do it.

As I warmed my legs up that first morning I prayed as I made my way to what would be my starting point. I prayed for God to show me something in this quiet time with him. I didn’t want to just exercise physically, but also spiritually.

I surrendered every part of the run I could think of, down to where to go and how far. Could He, does He lead in details such as that?

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“Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death!”

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Said Patrick Henry, persuading the crowd of Virginians to enter the Revolutionary War.

We seem to be entering Revolutionary times again. There’s so much fuss  about what rights we have. American rights, Black, White, Male, Female, those who are confused somewhere in the middle, we all have rights, right? We all say we want this thing called Freedom. Liberty. Rights. But what does Freedom really mean anyway? And what does it really look like?

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