Home Sweet Home

One of the best parts of the Stories That Teach Girls Book Reading Tour so far was being back home in Louisiana. Before the 2 tour stops in LA, it had been a little over a year since I'd been physically present with any of my family, so naturally, I was excited to see them. I was even more excited for them to be with me as I poured God's word into girls' hearts. My family knows what God has called me to do, and they see some of it through social media and hear of it when we talk, but because I've lived states away for almost 14 years, they never really get to share in it with me.

I was honored to share with a group of super excited girls at the first Louisiana stop, and grateful that my mom's church, The Living Gospel Church of Harvey, so willingly opened its doors to host that book reading session. My mom was there to assist with whatever I needed before the session, and she was my right hand girl as we were bombarded at the book signing table after the session.

The icing on the cake, though, was having my older sister and my 2 nieces, her daughters, there. They even brought a friend with them! One of my nieces, Tari, pitched in and helped as well. I was so grateful to have the girls there because, finally, after all the girls the Lord has had me to minister to over the years, MY GIRLS got to hear from the Lord in a large girl group setting, which was worlds different from those one-on-one talks with their Tee Tee. They got to interact with God's word and get involved in the lesson in a way that they definitely hadn't done with me before. I loved every minute of it!

Then, it was time to go to Lake Charles, LA, and I was more excited about this stop than I could even explain. Not only would I be visiting my college friend, Milena, whose husband pastors the church that was hosting the book reading session, but I would be bringing my first niece, Jazmin, along with me as my assistant. I couldn't wait! I'd been longing for months for some quality time with my girl.

See, Jazmin, who also happens to be my godchild, was born when I was in high school, so by the time life started "moving" for her, I was 5 hours away from home in college, and then, immediately after college graduation, I was states away into adulthood and beginning ministry. I would see her and the rest of my nieces and nephews when I'd visit home ever so often, but that was it. Sure, my visits were regular enough that I didn't miss them growing up, but there were definitely some gaps; I missed a lot.

As Jazmin and my other nieces and nephews got (and get) older and mature enough to handle conversations about the route their lives were taking, I became intentional about having those conversations, and especially with Jazmin. She's so much like me, it's scary, but that's all the more reason for me to use whatever wisdom I have to help guide and direct her. When it was time for her to apply for colleges, I couldn't be there physically, so I prayed about the best way to guide her from afar. I made it my business to be ALL UP IN her business so she can avoid unnecessary pitfalls and walk wisely through her years in school. And I'm SO proud of her! She killed her first year and she's handling the second year well too! Even more than that, though, her character is intact and her head is on straight. She sets goals and works hard to reach them. She's sure of herself and doesn't need others' validation to feel secure. She walks with her head held high, and her eye is on the prize. I count it my responsibility to cover her how the Lord leads me, and since her school is only an hour away from where the book reading session was in Lake Charles, I wanted her to see how the Lord tells me to cover other girls too.

My girl was the PERFECT assistant! We gelled like we'd been working together for years. From setting up for the session, to handling book sales...from taking pictures and getting video coverage, to packing up and shutting down...I had the best help!

And every time I looked over at her while I was teaching, I know the Lord was teaching her too. I watched her countenance as He spoke to her heart, reminding her how precious she is to Him. I saw her taking in the scriptures and planting them in her heart. I watched her eyes and knew that God telling me to bring her with me was a divine assignment. I may never know just how much our day trip impacted her, but I know it did; I know seeds were planted that will blossom into greatness. I love how this trip surpassed my visit to her campus last year, and how next year's trip will top this one. I look forward to continuing to pour into her life (and my other nieces and nephews) the way the Lord leads me. I treasure every laugh and every word of every conversation I had with my girl. She sure made Sweet Home Alabama Louisiana reeeeaaal sweet!

And she didn't go to sleep on me in the car. Major points!

• Get your Stories That Teach Girls: A 30-Day Walk Through Girls' Life Lessons With God's Word book here: http://www.ianthasinsight.com/author.html.
• Interested in having a book reading session for your girl group, youth group, dance team, etc.? Join in on the next tour! www.ianthasinsight.com.

Meet Kembrel

"If I can reach just one, it was well worth it.  I've done my part."

I've heard this said many times by those who have committed their lives to reaching, teaching, and guiding others. Preachers, motivational speakers, coaches, teachers... they all understand that when they're fishing to catch the masses, not everyone will "bite". They know, though, that after preparing bait and prepping the boat and waking up early in the morning to get the right catch, there's beauty and fulfillment in pulling in that right one, even if it's the only one.

Such has been the case with me on the Stories That Teach Girls Book Reading Tour. At every book reading session, many have taken the bait, but there has always been, on every stop of the tour, that one girl who I was able to pull in and know that my day of fishing was just for her.

Meet Kembrel.

I met Kembrel at the book reading session in Lake Charles, LA. As is the routine for each book reading session, I read a portion from one of the stories in the book, The White Scarf, and I teach a lesson that ties in with the story. The girls do a couple activities inside the lesson and then we end with a book signing, because after getting only a portion of that story, THEY CANNOT WAIT to purchase their books to read the rest of it.

As girls come up to the book signing table, I ask their names and ask them to spell it for me. Several girls had come through before Kembrel, so by the time she got to me, I was in a groove.

I asked her her name. She said, "Kembrel." (prounounced Kim-brell)

I heard her, but I didn't really, because even when I ask their names, my ears are already tuned in to hear the spelling of the name so I can write it and then write their personalized messages.

I said, "Okay, spell it."

She spelled it. And I stopped in my tracks. I looked up at her and said again, "What's your name?"

She said it quietly. 

I said, "One more time?"

She repeated it.

I said, "Okay, spell it for me one more time."

She did, but she did it very quietly. I barely heard her. There were people all over the room, talking and laughing. I asked her to spell it again, and she did. And it finally clicked.

I looked at her and repeated her name back to her, and then asked, "Your name is Kembrel?"

She shook her head yes, and a chill raced through my body.

What KEmbrel didn't know, but was about to find out, was that there's a story in Stories That Teach Girls whose main character is named KImbrel. Before writing that story, A Special Design, I had never even heard the name. In fact, I didn't even want to use that name. The story had been completely written with another name for the main character that I can't even remember now, and the 7 lessons for the story had been written too. But one morning when I entered my writing session to draft some other portion of the book, the Lord was tugging on my heart to change the character's name, and Kimbrel was the name He gave me.

I fought with it. I kept saying, "Lord, why? That's not a common name. People won't be able to relate to that name when they read the story. I never even heard of that name. Why Kimbrel?"

I didn't want to do it. I liked the name I had. I tried to move on and write other things, but I couldn't even focus. Nothing was happening in that writing session, and the Lord would not let it rest. He kept telling me to change that name, so I went through the entire story and all of the lessons and changed the name from whatever it was to Kimbrel--IN EVERY PLACE IT WAS WRITTEN.

I said to her, "Girl, do you know that there is a story in this book whose main character's name is Kimbrel?" I had chills when I said that to her!

I said, "I've never even met a Kembrel. I had never even heard that name before I wrote the story, and I didn't even use that name when I first wrote the story. I used some other name, but the Lord told me to change it to Kimbrel."

She smiled. I sat there and shook my head. I had an encounter with the Lord in that moment that no one else would even be able to understand. 

I said to her, "My God! This story was written just for you, girl! I don't know what the Lord is going to teach you in those lessons or what, exactly, is in there just for you, but I believe with my whole heart that IT'S JUST FOR YOU. He wouldn't even let me rest until I changed that name."

She smiled some more. I was stunned! It took me a minute to even get myself together to write in her book.

While I was talking to her, her grandmother was standing off to the side. As I handed Kembrel her book and got up from the table to hug her and get a picture with her, her grandmother said to me, "And she wasn't even supposed to be here."

I looked over at her to read her face and see what she meant. She went on.

She said, "She's from Texas. She is visiting us, and she wasn't even supposed to be here."

I could've cried! I had "gone fishing" that day in Lake Charles, LA just for that moment, to "catch" Kembrel.

See, there was so much more to that moment than just the shock of knowing that her name was KEmbrel and that there was a story in the book about a girl named KImbrel. 

There was more to that moment than learning that Kembrel wasn't supposed to be there, but was there anyway because it was ordained by God. 

What that moment was really about was (1) the joy of knowing my obedience to the Lord created that moment. It was a private celebration between God and me for the fruit of obedience. (2) It was also a celebration for knowing the Lord was about to use that very moment, created by my obedience, to "catch" Kembrel.

I don't know. Only God knows. 
My job is to just be obedient.

God could've wanted me to put KImbrel's name in the book because maybe KEmbrel doesn't like to read. Maybe knowing her name is in the book could be the "bait" He uses to pull her into the stories that were written to teach her. Maybe this is how He wants to draw her closer to Him.

Maybe the situation that KImbrel faces in the story is similar to something KEmbrel faced or will face, and the Lord wants to use that to encourage her heart and/or teach her how to handle it, which will draw her closer to Him.

Maybe KEmbrel wasn't hearing a thing I was saying while I was teaching that night, but because she learned that there's a story with her name in it, she may feel like the whole book could actually have something for her. She may decide to read back through what I said and what I taught and get a grip on it because she now knows the Lord hand picked her to be there that night.

There are endless possibilities for why God chose to use KImbrel to "catch" KEmbrel, but whatever it is, I KNOW it's marvelous! He confirmed that in my spirit just as sure as her name is Kembrel! 

And her name is definitely Kembrel!

Umph, umph, umph! KEmbrel, KImbrel, KEmbrel...

• Get your Stories That Teach Girls: A 30-Day Walk Through Girls' Life Lessons With God's Word book here: http://www.ianthasinsight.com/author.html.
• Interested in having a book reading session for your girl group, youth group, dance team, etc.? Let me know! www.ianthasinsight.com.

Excuses, Excuses, Excuses...

Many of us have life-changing dreams and ideas living in our hearts. We have plans. We have goals. There are books inside of us. There are business ideas seeping out of our pores. We have detailed, play-by-play road maps of how to make our visions reality, but why aren't they reality? Why are those dreams, ideas, plans, goals and visions still lying dormant inside of us, rather than living and breathing in full operation outside of our personal thinking spaces?

I submit to you that our EXCUSES are keeping us from (are delaying us in) making our dreams reality.

 

Understand This
We are all created by God ON purpose FOR a purpose; we all have specific assignments in the earth. And each of us has a particular set of skills and different gifts to fulfill our purposeful assignments. For example, I've been gifted with the ability to speak (publicly), teach and write. There was no question, even in childhood, that I would be an educator of some sort, and eventually, an author. God placed my specific gifts inside of me when He created me in my mother's womb, and throughout my life, my gifts were sharpened so they could one day be used at maximum potential in the assignments that He would eventually call me to.

And the same is true for you. God placed some specific gifs inside of you when He knit you together in your mother's womb. There are some things that flow naturally from you that don't take any real effort for you to do well. No one had to teach you how to sing. You just opened your mouth and the ability was there. Sure, over time, you've grown in that gift, and you've sharpened your singing skills, but the ability was there all the time, ready to be used. Your gift of singing was given to you to be used in the assignment(s) that He calls you to.

No one taught you how to create and design. You've always been good with your hands. You've always been able to take random objects and make art. You've always been able to envision a picture in your mind and bring it to life. And sure, over time, that skill has been sharpened with schooling and practice, and you've grown in your ability to make masterpieces with your hands, but even without the sharpening, you were already masterful. It was always in you, and those gifts were given to you to be used in the assignment(s) that He calls you to.

Whatever our individual giftings, they're all designed to be used to help others in some way. And because God created us with these gifts with the intention of using them to help others, He sometimes gives us DIRECT ORDERS to do so.

Your Assignment
That dream you have to start a shelter for battered women and children... Yeah...that's God telling you to get to work because there are people who need what you have to offer. There are women and children who need you to put your gifts of compassion, nursing, and administrative expertise to work so they can be taken care of. They're crying out to God for a place to go. They're praying and pleading with the Lord for someone to care enough about what they're going through to provide them some relief.

And He hears them.

So He tells you what He wants you to do to help them.

But...

You give Him excuses.

And that book that you keep waking up in the middle of the night outlining with details on all you've learned from being a teenage mother: finances, self-respect, honoring one's body, following God's plan vs. your own, forgiveness... Yeah...that's God telling you that someone needs to hear your story. He wants you to use your gift of writing and use your newfound gift of financial planning to help others who are walking the same path you once walked. He wants you to share your experiences to save all the young women who are about to do the SAME THINGS you did. He sees them. He wants to save them because He hears their prayers. They're asking Him how to get out of the relationships they're in. They want to get out, and they know they should, but they just don't know how. And He can help them, but He knows what He put inside of YOU to help them, so when He hears their prayers...

He tells you EXACTLY what to do to help them.

He gives you specific instructions on how to get it done.

But...

You give Him excuses.


God Got Angry at One Man's Excuses

430 YEARS!

That's how long the Israelites were enslaved under Egyptian rule, and Pharaoh (the Egyptian king) made sure their labor was tough. Generation after generation of Israelites cried out to the Lord, asking Him to free them of their slave labor. They prayed and prayed, and the Bible speaks of many times that the Lord heard their prayers and He, himself, provided for them so they could have some relief in their captivity. BUT...in that 430th year, when the Lord decided that it was time for the Egyptian rule over the Israelites to end, He didn't work alone in getting it done. God gave a very specific ASSIGNMENT to Moses to do the work of having the Israelites freed from Egyptian rule.

The Lord said, "I have surely seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows. So I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians..." (Exodus 3:7-8)

Then He said, "Come now, therefore, and I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring My people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt." (Exodus 3:11)

As soon as God said He was sending Moses to Pharaoh, Moses was like, "What?!? ME?!?! Who am I that you would send me?" And then came THE BARRAGE OF EXCUSES.

Moses went back and forth with God, pointing out reason after reason why He shouldn't be the one sent to Pharaoh. Moses' first question was (1) Lord, why me? The Lord told him not to worry because He would be with him when he went to Pharaoh. Then, because he still felt so unqualified to be called to such a great ASSIGNMENT, Moses said, (2) When they ask who sent me, who should I tell them? The Lord told him, "I AM WHO I AM, so tell them that I AM sent you."

Poor Moses was still terrified at the magnitude of the assignment so he kept on with his questions. He said, (3) Okay, Lord, what if they don't believe that you sent me? What if they don't listen to me? The Lord answered Moses by giving Him the power to perform 3 miracles before the people if they didn't believe him. The Lord knew that seeing those miracles would cause the people to believe that he was sent by God. And THAT, you'd think, would have been enough for him to believe God and trust that He would have him covered. But nooooo...Moses had yet ANOTHER concern. He was done getting answers to his questions from the Lord, so he began with his excuses.

He said (4) But Lord, you know I don't speak well. You know I'm not eloquent. The Lord then answered with a question.  He said, Who has made man's mouth? Have not I, the Lord? God let him know that He could cause him to speak perfectly if He wanted to, whenever He wanted to.

Moses opened his mouth one more time, but God had had it with his questions and his excuses. Moses said (5) Lord, please send somebody else. The Bible says...and I quote..."So the anger of the LORD was kindled against Moses..."

And wouldn't your anger be kindled too if you told your child to do something that you KNOW s/he's capable of doing and s/he came back to you FIVE TIMES telling you why s/he couldn't do what you already knew could be done the moment you said do it?

Wouldn't your anger be kindled if your gifted child, who's full of wonder and greatness, found every way out of doing the very thing that you know will bring him/her the joy and the fulfillment that s/he seeks?

That's how God feels with our excuses. He feels like that parent. God knows what He's placed on the inside of us. He knows what He created us to do. The assignments He gives us line up with who we are and with what He's created us to do. He wouldn't give us the assignments if He didn't KNOW we could get them done. And when He calls us and gives us the assignments, HE WANTS THEM DONE!

What Are Your Excuses?

Lord, you have me outlining this book, but you know I don't write well. You know there are people our there writing books who write waaaaay better than me. Nobody will even read what I write.

Lord, where will I even get the money to create this thing I keep seeing in my head? I have all these student loans and I have a 6-year plan to pay them off. I won't be able to do anything until then.

• Lord, what if I can't get this grant?
• What if I can't get that approval that I need?
• What if they say something about me being fired from my previous job?
• What if they tell me my GPA isn't high enough?
• Can't you find someone who knows more about this to do it instead?
• But I really don't have time when I get home from work. I'm tired when I get home.
• These kids...
• My husband...
• My wife...
• My health...
• I need to do this around the house...
• I have this deadline at work...

Excuses, Excuses, Excuses!

 

 

 

 

When Moses finally laid down the excuses and trusted that God would be with him to give him what he needed every step of the way... When he finally did what God told him to do, He helped free a nation! God wanted to show Moses His power, and He wanted the Egyptians to know His power and know that He is God. Don't miss your opportunity to show forth God's greatness in what He does through you. At the end of the day, that's really all it's about--God being great in you and showing forth His glory through you. Complete the assignments that He's given you. He already knows you can. Don't incite His anger with your excuses.

Teacher Tales: I Pledge Allegiance

When I first started teaching, my prayer life was jacked up! You would think I would've prayed more because of how much I'd taken on and how much I desperately needed Him to figure my way through those first days, but the opposite was true. Instead of going to Him and laying every concern at His feet, I got completely tied up in the busyness of planning lessons, writing tests, creating seating charts and ability groups, grading papers, writing meaningful feedback, and doing assignments for the classes I was taking for my Master's program. I did everything BUT pray. Sure, I talked to God because our relationship was accustomed to constant conversation, but I wasn't TALKING to Him. I wasn't spending quality time with Him, allowing Him to talk back to me. And I was suffering. I was doing so much in my own strength that it began to show. My hair began to shed. I was already a small little something, and I just got smaller. I was ALWAYS doing something for my students, even when I was with family and friends. I'd be grading papers and entering grades into my grade book at holiday gatherings. And one day, the Lord convicted my spirit to change all of that. He knew I needed Him. He'd watched me suffer long enough. Plus, He just WANTED to be with me. He longed to hear my heart and to share His heart with me. (Isn't it sweet to know that the Lord desires to talk to you and wants to be with you?) Enough was enough. He was going to get my attention.

Every morning, at the school where I was teaching at the time (and in every school where I've taught since then), we started the day with the Pledge of Allegiance before morning announcements. This particular morning, just like every morning, I stood with my students and saluted the flag. I recited the pledge with full volume to set an example for my students. As soon as the pledge was coming to a close, "...with liberty and justice for all," I heard the Lord say quietly to my spirit, "You salute the flag and recite the pledge at the same time every day, but you haven't said one word to me today. You honor the country, but you forget about me."

Talk about conviction! Talk about shame! Oh, how my heart hurt to know that the Lord had to even say that to me! I was embarrassed! I thought, "How could I let the busyness of my profession steal the intimacy of my relationship with the Lord?" It was a hurtful, heartbreaking eye opener, and it changed the way I see my relationship with Him.

EVERY school year, I have to revisit that conviction. Every. Single. Year. I take great pride in getting my students what they need, and that passion gets me SO wrapped up in the "doing" of it all. Every year, I hit a point where I get too involved and begin to pull away. Every year, I find myself fighting with grading papers and planning lessons and doing all that teachers do, and MAKING quality time to be with Lord. But every time I stand to say that pledge, I'm reminded that I can do none of what I do for my students if I'm not filling up on Him. There have been times every school year when I've gone a week or two without consistently, SERIOUSLY meeting with the Lord to have that intimate time with Him, but thankfully, that pledge won't let me go for long. In fact, it reminded me today.

I rushed out of my house this morning because I stayed up late working on details for summer dance camp. That caused me to sleep a little later than usual, which made this morning's "work session" go a little later than it normally does. I did some talking to the Lord while writing a chapter in my book, but that wasn't intimacy. When I stood for the pledge at school this morning, I heard His voice reminding me, once again, to put first things first. He pulled my heartstrings and told me that He wants to sit with me. He wants me to talk to Him, and He wants to talk to me. He reminded me that I pledged my allegiance to Him with my heart when I gave Him my life and that my daily pledge to the flag should be secondary to my daily "pledge" to Him.

My Mother's Love Still Teaches Me

I remember being so sick once as a teenager that all I could do was sleep. And for about 3 days, that's all I WANTED to do. I could barely lift my head from the pillow when I was awake and it hurt to even try. I didn't want to drink. It took too much effort. I definitely didn't want to eat. I didn't even have enough energy to chew. My mom knew, however, that me not eating or drinking would only hurt me; it wasn't going to help me fight whatever bacteria had invaded my body. She knew if I was going to regain strength and eventually get back to my normal self, I would HAVE TO eat and drink. She would make her way to my bedroom several times those 3 days and make me sit up to drink apple juice. I would be a groggy, pained mess, but she would still place one of her hands firmly on my back to steady me, and use the other hand to carefully and very surely tilt that cup just right so I would get a few sips in my system. And like clockwork, she would enter my bedroom with a bowl of chicken noodle soup and, again, sit me up and steady me, no matter how much I cried and moaned and murmured that I just didn't want to eat. She didn't care. She knew I HAD TO eat. She would patiently, spoon after spoon, shovel that soup into my mouth until she felt I'd had enough to sustain me until the next feeding. I didn't know it, and I didn't realize, but with every feeding, I was regaining strength.

I remember the first day of my illness having to have my mom hold me up every time she fed me, but that next day, by the second feeding, I was able to raise my own flesh from the bed. I was still very weak, but I was stronger than before. I would've only grown worse and maybe even have died had my mom not exercised her wisdom to MAKE ME eat even when I didn't want to. She refused to let me lie there and waste away.

What a sweet reminder the Lord gave me this morning of my mother's loving care for me. I'd completely forgotten about that time, but He didn't. He had me to recall how she consistently fed me, day after day, because she knew I needed it. He wanted me to remember that specific instance so I could see what I need to be doing now: consistently feeding myself, day after day, even when I don't feel like eating; it's vital for my strength.

I struggled with talking to the Lord and studying His word this morning. I struggled yesterday. I've learned over time, though, that in our relationship, some days will just be like that. On those days, I don't have a lot to say. I don't know what to say. I feel like He's quiet. I feel like I'm not getting any answers. And because the push is so hard, I really don't want to go to Him  to "eat". I would much rather just get on with my day. But EVERY time, I'm reminded that if I don't feed myself...if I don't open my mouth to talk to Him or open His word to receive some nourishment, even if it's a little,  I'll be weak. Even if I don't want to "eat", it doesn't mean that I don't need to.

I've learned over the years in my relationship with the Lord, just like in my relationships with others, there will be times and days when He's more quiet than others. There will be days when I'll read His word and I won't get any huge revelation. There will be days when I pray and He won't say anything right then. That doesn't mean that I shouldn't go and "eat" though. Just as it happened with my physical strength after eating food consistently and how it eventually caught up with me, the same will be true for my spiritual food. On that first day, I ate the morning meal with my mom, and at lunch I was still weak. I ate the afternoon meal, and at dinner I was still weak. The next morning at breakfast, I was still weak, but by lunch that second day, I'd gotten some strength. I'd gotten enough strength that I was able to lift myself up. I still needed some help, but I was slowly getting back to myself. By dinner I was able to eat more than I had in two days! My capacity to receive was greater. I was stronger! And it was all because my mom didn't stop feeding me. I didn't feel the effects of the food immediately, but it was working all the time.

Just because it seems quiet sometimes when you're reading and studying and praying, it doesn't mean that you're not getting nourishment. No food can enter your body and it not do what it was consumed to do. By the simple laws of nature, food will do in you what it's supposed to do. The Word of God, your spiritual nourishment, is no different, so "eat" even when you don't feel like it. "Eat" even when you're tired. "Eat" even when He seems quiet. The things you're putting in will eventually "wake up" to give you the strength and power you need to live.


"Eat" Light

I've learned to "eat" light on days when praying and studying is just plain hard. The truth is, there are some days when we just don't have much of an appetite. On those days when I feel too weak to eat a big meal, I go to Proverbs to get light bites. There's SO MUCH practical wisdom there! I tuck my light bites away so they can be used to sustain me. I may not be eating much, but I know I won't die, and I know those light bites are building blocks for my strength.

Change Up Your Diet

I'm grateful that God has used people to write books that encourage us to live for Him and walk in His ways. Some days, when I don't have the appetite to "eat" directly from His Word, I pick up on a book I'm reading and allow the Holy Spirit to use it to speak to me. He has already spoken through the author, so when I choose to read a book, I pray that the author's work will encourage and speak to me. Right now, I'm reading Sincerely Jesus by Edward Goble. The book is SO rich that I've started and stopped it 3 different times. Every time I stop it, I have to start it all over again. And every time I start it, it's like I'm reading it for the first time. It's THAT rich! It's taught me (and it's teaching me) so much. It causes me to go to the Word of God and dig deeper, and just as was the case this morning, I didn't hear directly from the Lord for myself, but I didn't go lacking on some nourishment. It wasn't the food that I originally planned to "eat", but I DID "eat".

Feed Others

Have you ever heard the saying that goes something like, "Taking care of others takes the care off of you?"  It's true. I sometimes feel burdened when I go to the Lord to talk to Him about my students at school and about everything I know I'm called to do there. And I sometimes feel heavy when I talk to Him about  Praise Movement School of Dance because of all He's placed in my hands to do there. Having my hands wrapped up in kingdom work in those two arenas AND in ministry at church can be plain out tough at times. It can be SO tough that I don't even know how to pray. Sometimes I don't even know where to start. In those times, I begin to pray for others. I take the focus off of me and I lift others up before Him. Before I know it, I'm not even thinking about myself or how heavy I felt. The burden is lifted when I focus on others and tune in to giving their needs to the Lord. I found, too, that as I'm "feeding" others, He's "feeding" me. Things that were on my heart that I didn't even know how to verbalize, He completely takes care of without me even having to say a word!

Even when we don't want to "eat",  we have to. When we're too tired to "eat", we have to. When we can barely feed ourselves, we still have to "eat". We may not "eat" much, and we may have to change up our diets from time to time, but every bite is working in us, building us and making us stronger, even when we can't see it.

My mom doesn't care for me when I'm sick anymore. I have to see about my own well being. I know when I'm physically hungry, I feed myself, and if I'm physically weak, I do what I need to do to sustain myself. Spiritually, I have to do the same. In those moments when I feel weak...when my prayer life is quiet and my reading and studying mundane...I STILL have to "eat"! I may not see it working, but thank God He reminded me with my mom's example that it is definitely working in me, giving me the strength I need to live.

The Discipline Series: Final Words

As the Discipline Series comes to a close, I want to leave you with some practical things (from my pastor) to do to grow in discipline. My prayer is that we make changes as the Lord speaks to our hearts. My prayer is that when He speaks to, and convicts our hearts, we move! He shows us where we need to change and/or grow because He knows where He wants us to go. Will we trust Him with our lives? Will we trust that a call to discipline in EVERY area of our lives is for our good?

Consider the following things to help you live a life of discipline.

1. Have definite goals. A "plan" without specific parameters is simply a thought, and thoughts come and go. Having a goal means you've set measurable confines that you must meet and usually by a certain time. Measure your goals and see them through.
2. Detach from distractions. PUT THAT PHONE DOWN! (I'm definitely talking to myself. I have to leave my phone in a completely different room sometimes. I'm growing in discipline in that area.) TURN OFF THAT TV! And distance yourself from anything else that hinders you from reaching those goals.
3. Pursue with diligence and consistence. To have diligence is to pursue with painstaking perseverance and persistence. If you really want to please God with your disciplined life, don't give up when it gets hard. Push harder!
4. Practice self-control. I'm a witness that if you really want something and you're willing to do what you need to do to get it or achieve it, the Holy Spirit will help you. He honors a heart that truly desires to honor Him. Watch Him make CRAZY ways for you to be successful when you really mean business and you're willing to deny yourself for His sake.
5. Tell yourself "no" by the power of the Holy Spirit. Again, I'm a witness that denying yourself doesn't have to be difficult. When you renew your mind and set within your heart that you want to walk in discipline, the Holy Spirit will help you say "no".

And when you've done all of that, reap the rewards of your discipline. You will...

1. be more orderly and have a less stressful lifestyle. My favorite example is what I shared in this series a couple times about taking out and ironing my clothes for the week. Makes life SWEET! When I don't do it, I'm a mess!
2. feel good about yourself. When I work out, I feel GREAT, and I'm confident. When I achieve a financial goal because I was disciplined in my spending, I feel like a champ. When I know I'm applying God's word and I begin to see Him working on my behalf because of it, I feel like daddy's little girl. 
3. be more productive. I tell my girls (dancers) all the time that productivity breeds productivity. If your life of discipline makes you more productive, you'll fall in love with productivity and want it more and more. You'll see goals being realized and you'll never want to go back to goal-less life.
4. have a positive impact on other people. We don't follow people who slack. Period. No one wants to be led by someone who doesn't have themselves together enough to lead effectively. Think about someone you respect now. Think about someone who's leadership you would gladly follow. Now compare them to someone you wouldn't follow. What are the differences between them that inform your decision? I'm sure whatever it is has impacted you on some level. Your disciplined life will allow you to be that for someone else.
5. have open doors of opportunity. Just like I said in #4, people want to follow those who will positively impact them. And the same is true for employers and other leaders when they're looking for someone to serve on their "team". They want someone who's disciplined. When you're disciplined, it shows in your productivity. It shows in your appearance. It shows in your punctuality or lack thereof. It shows in EVERYTHING. The doors of opportunity will swing WIDE open for someone who proves themselves worthy of the opportunity.
6. reach your goals. That goes without saying. If you're disciplined, it's inevitable that you will see what you're seeking, in full view

I've enjoyed sharing with you.

Until next time...

GOD BLESS!

The Discipline Series: Life Without Discipline - #12 Can God Use You?

Can God use you? Sure, He can. He's God. He can use anything or anyone He pleases. And He WANTS to use you, but will He use you is the question.

In scripture, God is referred to as the potter, and His disciples (Christians) are the clay. When a potter is molding clay on the pottery wheel, the clay never loses contact with the potter's hands. It can't. If it does, the clay will be misshapen, and it won't become what the potter intended for it to be. The clay is in the potter's hands until it is shaped to his liking and becomes what the potter desires it to be. The potter knows, when he sits to the wheel, if the clay in his hands will be a cup. He knows if the clay in his hands will be a vase. He knows if it will be a bowl. So he keeps the clay in his hands and carefully shapes and molds it to its expected end.

Some clay, depending on temperature and other conditions can be a bit stubborn. It doesn't shape quite like the potter desires, but he doesn't throw it away. He clumps it back into the ball of clay that it was when He began so he can try to shape it again later. He can't use that clay for the purpose He had in mind just yet because it won't "bend" to his hands, but the potter finds that sometimes the clay is a bit more pliable after it sits for a while. It gives and bends to his hands a bit more and finally allows itself to take its intended shape.

Some clay, of course, does exactly what the potter expects it to do on the wheel. It forms as he shapes and it becomes what he intends for it to be. That clay--that bowl, that cup, that vase--is able to be used for its intended purpose sooner than the clay that wouldn't "bend".

Some of us are like the stubborn clay that can't seem to adjust to the "temperature" of life and the other conditions that surround us. They take our attention away from what the potter is doing with  us. When the potter puts us on the wheel, we don't allow His hands to shape us. We don't bend. We don't form into what He intends for us to be. We're not disciplined. We're not ready. If the cup He's trying to make, for instance, won't shape properly and ends up with a hole in its bottom and is allowed to dry and harden that way, it won't be any good for drinking. Its whole purpose for being created is ruined. But the potter refuses to waste clay. This is why He would simply ball the clay back up to its original state so he could rework with it later when He thought it was ready.

This is when He grabs the other the clay, those of us who aren't affected by the "temperature" of life and the other conditions that surround us. He grabs the ones who are disciplined. He places us on the wheel and we take shape. We become what He intends, and he releases us to be used for the purpose for which we were shaped.

If we're not disciplined clay...if we don't hear and DO what the Lord says...if we don't allow Him to shape us and bend us as He sees fit, He'll use clay that's READY to be used. It's not that He doesn't want to use us, and it's not that He can't, but we're not ready. Could He use a cup with a hole in it and still see some of its intended purpose come forth? Sure. But a cup's use would be a lot more effective if it was masterfully shaped with full ability to serve the purpose it was created for.

Why don't we settle in our hearts today to take inventory of the areas in our lives where we know we're not disciplined...those areas that we know we haven't given to the Lord...those areas that are holding us back from being used by The Potter for our intended purpose. Why don't we settle in our hearts today that being used by the one who has already determined our design is more important than our comfort. Let's just kick "us" to the side and trust that, even when it's uncomfortable or hard, He knows what He's doing and we should just obey.

He WANTS to use you. He has determined what you are to be as a finished product. Will you let Him shape you?

Tomorrow
The Benefits and Rewards of Discipline