Sharing...

Just gonna go ahead and share this post at Bohemian Bowmans for today. Read it. Think about it. Examine your own life.

4 miles!

Remember this?

So, this morning, I totally ran the Ocean Springs bridge. Yep. From the OS side to Biloxi side with a little extra (which was a full 2 miles)...then walked back to the bridge and ran back almost to the top of the main hill before walking again for a tenth. Then, ran the last tenth up and ran down the rest of the way!

So, with only walking about a quarter-mile, I ran 4 miles!!

I'm super excited at this jump in my progress. I was talking with my bestie/training buddy just yesterday about how most of my struggle is mental. So, today, I was determined to overcome that...and I did!

I figured out that my shin splints were probably caused by the tight turns at the gym track...so, not running there anymore unless I absolutely have to. Gonna try to stick to early morning outside runs - they simulate the race, anyway!

Hope everyone is having a fantastic Monday!

Remember, "this is the day that the Lord has made...rejoice and be glad in it!"

ALSO, "give me THIS day my daily bread."

God has enough grace, mercy, patience, love, kindness, joy, faith, and whatever else you need TODAY.

What's the farthest you've run without stopping? (C'mon, I know there's a few marathoners out there!)

Will you?

“…your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven…”
~Matthew 6:10

Are you actively seeking God’s will in Your life? Or do you settle for surviving each day and pursuing your own wants and desires?

I say “surviving” because I believe that’s all we do when we only seek our own will and not God’s. We make it through the day. Or we survive the week. Or we just barely endured this month. God has SO MUCH more in mind for us than merely “surviving.” He wants to help us LIVE more abundantly than our measly human minds can imagine.

So, what’s the plan for today? Get through it? It’s Wednesday, middle of the week… if you can just make it until Friday…what? What happens then? Do you LIVE for the weekend?

What if we LIVED for EVERY DAY? How would that look? Think about how God could use us if we surrendered to His will every day. Think about how every day could be an opportunity to do something amazing to the glory of God.

Keep in mind that seeking God’s will is not always a huge decision, but it is always life-changing. Taking the small step of humility each day, putting others before yourself…or choosing to not engage in certain conversations…or simply being flexible about your time so that God can use you.

Father, help me abandon my own will – my own wants and desires – so I can become more in tune with Your will. Help me put aside everything that does not bring glory to You.

A Full Life…

Are you struggling with contentment? Wanting more out of life than what you see day-to-day? If I only had __________, my life would be complete. How would you fill in that blank?

What does it mean to have a “full” life? A typical American might say a full life includes a fulfilling career, a spouse, and a couple of children, possibly good health and just a little more money than necessary, to be able to travel or at least take extended vacations, perhaps having an interesting hobby like art or sailing (and maybe a few infomercial gadgets). Other cultures might place more emphasis on one or another of those qualities. Many people in the world have good intentions and place their “fullness” of life solely in their family; as long as they have that, their life is “full”.

I would like to propose that not only are none of the above things necessary for a full life, but that having them can actually take away from the fullness of life. Hear me out…

A year ago I was expecting twin girls. On this date last year, I was almost 12 weeks along. We were about to make the official announcement. I was noticeably excited. And I truly thought that having children was going to make my life FULL. And if I had asked anyone around me, they probably would have said, “Yes, your life will be very full now – with twins!”

But God had other plans. His story for my life was going to be different than I thought. Life doesn’t always turn out the way we expect.

So, my question for you to ponder is: Is my life less full now that I don’t have the girls?

I’m here to praise God that it isn’t so. My life today is fuller than my life was a year ago. Why?

Is it because I filled my time with Seminary classes, volunteering at my church, remodeling my house, and directing a children’s camp? Is it because I spend more time with my husband and my friends? Is it because I started running and training for a half-marathon?

No. My life is fuller because before doing any of that stuff, I came to realize what makes life FULL.

“I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” 

~Jesus, in John 10:10

Jesus didn’t come to the earth, die on a cross, and rise again 3 days later just to save you…He came so that you can have a FULL LIFE. A life full of HIM. He is what fills life to the brim, so that everything else pales in comparison.

What happens when a cup is full of water and you try to add more water? It spills over. THAT is the abundance of life God wants for you. HE wants to fill you up so that everything else in your life is an abundance, a spilling over!

Do you have this abundant life that Jesus talks about in John 10:10? Don’t you WANT IT? What more could we ask than for Jesus to come into our lives and FILL IT UP?!

Water282...

Today I want to tell you all about a new ministry that is very quickly becoming close to my heart. A friend of mine from college recently had some life changes (don't we all know about those?) and God is leading him in a new direction that is very exciting.

Presenting...

In a remote area of the bush in Zambia, far off the beaten path lies a village. In this village there are babies dying each year from dehydration and disease. There are children running around, supervised only by their older brother or sister because their mothers are tied up several hours each day gathering water. The ladies all have severe back problems from carrying 40+ pound containers on their heads for hours every day. The children are not in school. The men are nowhere to be seen because they are walking and hitchhiking into the nearest town to try to trade their meager crops for shoes or clothes, but most of the time because they have no irrigation they have nothing to trade. In this village, disease and sickness are the norm instead of the exception.

On the other side of the world, in a little town in the United States, there lies a church. In this church there are people who want to make a difference in the world. They know that there are huge problems in the world, but they don’t feel like their little church could possibly make a dent in the problem. This church is full of people with great hearts that have the willingness and the resources to do something, but don’t know where to start.

The Zambian village and the American church are going to change each other’s lives. They just don’t know it yet. The church is about to dig a well in the village, to provide the 300-400 villagers with fresh, safe water for the next 25 years. The story of the African village is going to touch the hearts of the church so much that they are overflowing with generosity towards the village. All the church members are going to grow closer together as they tackle this common goal and rally together to attack such a huge need in the village. They will know beyond a shadow of a doubt that they had done something awesome to change the world and impact hundreds of lives in a huge way.

That connection is the reason for the existence of Water282. We believe that we can do something big to change the world in a sustainable way, and use the model of connecting one church with one village in need of water to accomplish this. We will visit a specific African village and tell the story of that village through video and pictures so that the church knows the people they are helping and the depth of their plight. Church+Village+Water. That’s how we are going to do our part to end a very solvable problem.

"We believe that...the church will really connect with the villagers' stories and will be changed as much by being the hands and feet of Jesus to those people as the villagers lives will be changed by having water. I think that dual impact is what makes our ministry different. That we don't just ask for someone to shell out some money to a good cause, but we let the villagers tell their own story and then let God work in the hearts of the church as they see how their lives can make a tangible impact to people that they know in a way."  ~Jacob Eubanks

Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity.

~2 Corinthians 8:2

I'm asking my readers to Get Involved. What does that mean? Well, first of all: PRAY. Yep, right now...

Yes, really, right now: Pray for the villagers who will be receiving the wells and the Gospel one day soon. Pray that God would move people’s hearts to fund the ministry. Pray for the churches that will be partnering with us to dig the wells.

Also, you can: GIVE. Fundraising is very important at this early stage of the ministry. Contact the ministry at water@water282.org to find out how you can give.

And finally, CONNECT. You can help by connecting the ministry with pastors or local churches who we can speak with about partnering with us and adopting a village to dig a well. I'll be speaking to my church; won't you speak to yours?

Thanks for reading about what God is doing through my friend and this incredible ministry.

Visit the website to watch VIDEOS, learn about VILLAGE LIFE in Zambia, and to GET INVOLVED.

We constantly pray for you, that our God may count you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may fulfill every good purpose of yours and every act prompted by your faith. We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace or out God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

~2 Thessalonians 1:11-12

Abundant Life…

This morning I was listening to the radio on my way to get McD’s for breakfast and Joni from Joni & Friends was speaking at some kind of event. (I caught it halfway through, so I don’t know all of the details.)

Now, before I go on, let me say that I had NEVER heard of this lady before so I had no idea what her life was like. And, of course, this was on the radio, so I couldn’t see her. As I listened, she started speaking about attitude. And about how Americans lately have a really bad attitude about life…how everything’s going downhill and our country will never be the same, yada yada. Then, she offered a “what if”: What if, instead of being so pessimistic all the time, we had a positive (but still realistic) attitude about life? What if we woke up each morning determined to make the best of each day? What if we shared that POSITIVE attitude with others and it spread? What if, as the Bible tells us, we had a Christ-like attitude as laid out in Philippians 2?

Here’s where she inserts a personal story from her own life. You see, Joni is a quadriplegic. Yep. AND, recently was diagnosed with breast cancer. Yep. She talked about her struggle each morning waking up and facing the day. Facing quadriplegia and breast cancer. Facing the fact that someone would have to give her a bath and put on her clothes and feed her. Facing GIANT struggles that most of us have no idea about.

Talk about perspective! And here she is, appropriately telling us to put on our big girl panties and DO LIFE. But not just survive…LIVE ABUNDANTLY.

I know there are days when I just want to stay in bed. And sometimes I feel like I have good reason to feel that way. You may be struggling with these same feelings or be in a situation where you just want to survive the day and go back to sleep!

DON’T. Jesus said that He came to give us life to the fullest. Abundant life. (John 10:10)

SO, how do we do this? Is it as simple as willing ourselves into a positive attitude? Is is simply a matter of personal choice?

Not exactly. I mean, like I said yesterday, I have good intentions all the time. I really WANT to have a positive attitude and to live life abundantly. But my want-to doesn’t translate into DOING so easily.

I think the key is the Holy Spirit. You see, without Him, you will never experience the abundant life Jesus came to give you. In John 10:9, Jesus says “I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved…” So, FIRST, enter the door! Not sure how? Check out this story…

THEN, learn to trust Jesus with each day of your life. He knows what’s best. Ask Him what He wants for you TODAY.

And then, in the power of the Holy Spirit (who resides in every believer), LIVE ABUNDANTLY.

What will it take for you to embrace a Christ-like attitude and live abundantly?