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I dont want to be guilty of not trying……I want to be guilty of doing something!!!! See why i do what i do and how it will impact your kids!!! Come see – but beware – Im on fire today!!!

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Cant Wait to hear from you! Im leaving for vacation in a few days…. lots of posts to come!!

Thanks, Leigh

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How has God lead you to not be ashamed of Him? I know so of His requests do not make sense, but respond always with – But Because you say so!!! You can do it!!!

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Well, 7 is going along pretty good, but I want there to be more of a heart change in my life than just a physical change. How can that really happen when I am living in the land of plenty………….Thoughts??

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Starting day 2 of fighting excess with Jen Hatmaker from the book 7. I am eating a salad and a smoothie each day. I have covered the food groups and am sticking too it – Got to get rid of this evil excess. Let me know how you are doing. Thanks

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Been a while since I popped in. Here is what I am up to – Fighting Excess with Jen Hatmaker and her new book – 7. Take a look and please feel free to join me.

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Taking a Bully Out…A Christian Mother’s Dilemma

By Cheri Douglas

My son Matt was the sweetest kid. He was a gentle soul who was kind to everyone and spent time in heady pursuits that fascinated him.  It wasn’t at all unusual to walk into his room and find him reading an Encyclopedia…long before the internet was available. He discovered a whole world came to life in those books. When he wasn’t reading, he was playing video games. Developing people skills didn’t occur to him, or to me, until a local bully began to target him after school.

At 9 years old, Matt was larger than most kids, a tall and lanky boy. But he was easily intimidated by obnoxious behavior, because he had no tendencies or skills in that direction. So when I started to notice he was especially quiet and troubled, it took a while to get him to tell me of this kid, Michael, who was harassing him and calling him names after school.  I was so appalled that someone would do that to my son!

I search my soul and prayed for what a wise Christian mother could do. I had raised him to “not hit” people, and now I wanted to tell him to punch the kid out!! I could go to the parents or principal, but that might make the situation worse when no adults were around. I wanted my son to learn something, but I wasn’t up for ,”just turn the other cheek”.  This was my first born!… My precious flesh of my flesh! Surely the Lord didn’t want him to be abused??

While I was still stuck for an answer, Matt came home the next afternoon crying and dirty. This time it was physical, Michael had knocked him off his bike and then threw his books in the dirt in front of a group of laughing jeering onlookers. I am sure what I did next came directly from the Lord, because I had no way of knowing how well it was going to work. And, it was anything but the normal reaction.

I looked at Matt and said, ”OK. If we want someone to be a friend, we have to make him a friend. Let’s go invite Michael to go ice-skating with us! Matt looked at me with a quizzical expression and said, ”Uh,OK”. So, we dropped everything, grabbed his sister and ice skates and jumped in the car. We had been ice skating at a local rink a lot and Matt and his sister had gotten to be pretty good little skaters. However, in Sacramento, where it rarely freezes, there are not a lot of ice skaters.

Matt directed me to Michaels house and when we pulled up he was playing in his driveway. He took one look at me pulling up to his house and, “OH @*##! “ expletives were on his face, as he dropped everything and ran in the house. In just seconds, his mother was coming out into the driveway with Michael hiding behind her for cover. A stiff .”Hello”, from her told me she had experienced parents coming over to talk with her before.

Matt and I got out of the car and walked up to her, I smiled and introduced myself. Then I said, Michael and Matt are in the same class and Matt would like to get to know him better and wondered if he could go ice skating with us. Michael quickly interjected that he couldn’t skate. I quickly assured him that Matt would be happy to help him. By this time a big grin had broken across Matt’s face and he nodded affirmative that he would “LOVE” to help Michael skate. To that Michael’s Mom shifted from pure shock to a slight smile herself.  She approved and said Michael would enjoy that. So the leery Michael got into the car of the one he had been abusing just 2 hours earlier.

When we got to the rink and got skates on everyone I witnessed the incredible power shift as Michael stepped onto the ice looking like a leggy baby colt trying to take it’d first steps. He wavered and fell all over the place hanging onto Matt for dear life. Every now and then he would break away as though he knew what he was doing, only to fall and have Matt picking him up again.  It was perfect! I felt brilliant, but truth be told I didn’t have a clue where I got this idea, except for the gentle whispered answer from the Lord form a brokenhearted mother’s prayer.

We had pizza on the way home. That was the last day Matt was ever bullied by Michael. As it turns out, Matt was the only kid who had ever befriended Michael. They weren’t to become close. But Michael had a new-found respect for Matt, and Matt a new confidence in himself.

As I saw that confidence grow, I switched from ice-skating lessons to karate. Matt never did fight anyone, but he became the scariest dude around for how fast he could jump into the karate stance and scream the “watch out” yell at the top of his lungs. He loved the shock value and the drama. We often laugh that the other bullies just weren’t sure they wanted to take on this ice-skating screamer. They couldn’t predict what he might do! He might be crazy!

I don’t tell this story because I think this is just what everyone should do to stop a bully.  But I do believe God will guide  prayerful mothers to have the wisdom when needed to find the right solution and do some ministry at the same time. Michael came to church with us a few times and asked good questions about Jesus. He was shot to death at age 19 in a firefight with police. I am happy we have this memory of him and consciences that the Lord can bless.

@CheriDouglas

ARTIST, WRITER, SPEAKER, COACH I thank God for the blessings of each new day. Join me daily for morning devotions and prayer on Twitter and Facebook

The Left Coast · http://PollyannaArt.com

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Connect with Kelli:
Over the top cheerleader for Jesus, hubby, two kids and all things Kingdom. Current roles: Christ Community Church Serve Minister; speaker, writer, blogger.
Blog: http://kelliwommack.blogspot.comFacebook : http://facebook.com/kelliwommack.ministrypage
Twitter: http://twitter.com/KelliWommack

During my Bible reading this morning, I was struck with a couple of sentences in the book of Acts. Paul and Barnabus are doing their thing:  preaching the Word of God to everyone they meet. This particular part of their story places them in Pisidian Antioch, a town with both Jews and Gentiles.

Though initially asked by the Jews to speak at the synagogue, the Jewish leaders had become very jealous of Paul and Barnabus and their popularity.  You and I both know that their ability to attract and influence came from Jesus, of whom they preached. However, the Jewish leaders didn’t see it that way. They determined to have the two men, Paul and Barnabus persecuted and driven out of their town.

What I want you to see and hear and think about is the reaction by Paul and Barnabus:

“Paul and Barnabus shrugged their shoulders and went on to the next town, Iconium, brimming with joy and the Holy Spirit, two happy disciples.” (Acts 13: 51 – 52, Message)

As I read these verses, I had to go back and read them again. Surely I had misunderstood. After these guys were doing what God had called them to do, they got beat up for it, driven out of town, and they were brimming with joy?

I would have been brimming with something, but it wouldn’t have been joy and the Holy Spirit.

So, how do we react to jealousy, persecution, and opposition? I don’t know about you, but I get angry. I cry. I avoid. I run. I give up.

We must be confident in our calling and in the One who calls us. When people come against us, we need to be able to shake the dust off of our feet and move on to the next place in our journey.  We need to be so full of joy and the Holy Spirit that it spills out of us…we are actually brimming with it.

You see, Paul and Barnabus did not REACT to their situation, they REJOICED. May we be so bold.

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Please enjoy this devotion from Jonathan Pearson!  He lives near a place that has a Zakby’s.  ha ha    Jonathan can be found on Twitter!!  Or at www.jonathanpearson.com 

 
About 6 months before my wedding day, I looked in the mirror one day and decided that I needed to lose a few pounds before my big day. My thinking was the my wife deserved me looking my best for the big day.
So, I did what most people would do. I went to our local Target, bought workout clothes and joined the local gym. I was determined to start the next Monday.
I never worked out.
Every time I thought about actually going to the gym, I somehow found a way to convince myself I didn’t need to.
A lot of people are the same way in their relationship with Jesus.
Sure, we see that we have some growing to do, but we’re unwilling to do it.
And so, what happens?
We convince ourselves that we’re ok…
We’re okay because we’ve ‘always been a christian.’
We’re okay because we ‘go to church.’
We’re okay because we say a prayer with our kids before we put them to bed.
We’re okay because we don’t cuss (much
But the fact is, if we’re going to get to the point God desires us to get to (and we really want to get to ourselves), we’re going to have to put in the work, the time, and the investment.
Any relationship takes time.
So, what makes us think that we can get where we want to be with Jesus by cutting corners if we can’t get anywhere else by doing the same?
Don’t try it.
Jesus’ love is too strong.
Jesus’ gift is too costly.
The potential is too great.
For us to cut corners.