Conformed or Transformed?

I am amazed at all that happened this year....and these pictures from msnbc don't even cover it all. We live in a world that has exciting things and devestating things happening at the very same time. These pictures remind me that I need to be praying for our world! And so much more than "Bless the people in Africa" type prayers. I am also reminded of God's greatness in creation. What amazing beauty he has given to us. The space pictures are incredible! Rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep. Lord, we need you!

I made grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch and why is it that every time I have to burn at least one sandwich? I started thinking about this and much of it is attributed to the fact that I always do things at warp speed. I tend to think that if I push through as fast and hard as I can, I will get the maximum results. I cook at a higher temp so the food will get things done faster. I would rather run on the treadmill at a 6 incline for 10 minutes rather than a 1 incline for 60 minutes. But is there something wrong with my philosophy? In my food, am I missing maximum taste by cooking it as fast and hot as I can? Am I gaining the maximum results by exercising at maximum levels? In my relationship with the Lord.....am I missing out on miraculous opportunities that God has for me, because I am so busy doing my spiritual disciplines as fast as I can?

There are some meant to sing this song. Have you heard this version in your church? ( Make sure you listen to the song all the way to the end!) http://mikepiera.com/

I read Neil Anderson's daily devotional. I thought this one was especially good and worth passing on....it speaks for itself..... 2 Corinthians 5:17 If any man is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. Being a Christian is not just a matter of getting something; it's a matter of being someone. A Christian is not simply a person who gets forgiveness, who gets to go to heaven, who gets the Holy Spirit, who gets a new nature. A Christian, in terms of our deepest identity, is a saint, a spiritually born child of God, a divine masterpiece, a child of light, a citizen of heaven. Being born again transformed you into someone who didn't exist before. What you receive as a Christian isn't the point; it's who you are. It's not what you do as a Christian that determines who you are; it's who you are that determines what you do (2 Corinthians 5:17; Ephesians 2:10; 1 Peter 2:9, 10; 1 John 3:1, 2). Understanding your id

Wow, how quickly a week goes by! I just spent some time reading email updates from two of our missionary friends, the Yosts in Sonora, Mexico and Blake Wood in Cairo, Egypt. I was touched by the impact they are having on their communities. Every day is a new adventure and is focused on "doing something that has kingdom value". Wow! It's the Christmas season and I am looking forward to a few days of spending time relaxing with our immediate family, but also with extended family. Even though I have been prepared for Christmas for a while and everything is wrapped and under the tree, I feel the "stress" of Christmas. I do not feel like I have focused and reflected with thanksgiving on the reason for this season sufficiently......nor focused on doing things with kingdom value. Points to ponder: What if every day was spent looking for opportunities to do things of eternal worth? How would your priorities change? Would that mean drastic changes for you? How many thing

Last night as I was doing some cooking in the kitchen, the smoke alarms went off in the house. Now, some of you who know me, wouldn't really be suprised by this and are laughing at me right now, but I wasn't burning anything.....this time! We had company visiting, and I looked at them and said "Wow, that shouldn't be happening, I'm not doing anything worthy of that!" I decided to head down the hallway to fan the alarm, realizing that small children were sleeping and I needed to get them off (especially, since all the alarms in the house are connected and it was not only going off in the hallway, but in each of the bedrooms too!) As I walked down the hallway, I smelled smoke. I knew it was more than my cooking that set the alarms off. I ran into my bedroom, where my daughter was sitting on the bed crying and next to her was a burned kleenex from the candle burning in my bedroom. I made sure all the pieces were blown out and got the alarms off. I discussed with

I took a quiz about what theological world view I have. I am Holiness/Wesleyan! Good thing, since I am pursuing ordination in the Wesleyan Church! Here are my results: You scored as Evangelical Holiness/Wesleyan. You are an evangelical in the Wesleyan tradition. You believe that God's grace enables you to choose to believe in him, even though you yourself are totally depraved. The gift of the Holy Spirit gives you assurance of your salvation, and he also enables you to live the life of obedience to which God has called us. You are influenced heavly by John Wesley and the Methodists. Evangelical Holiness/Wesleyan 86% Reformed Evangelical 50% Neo orthodox 46% Fundamentalist 46% Emergent/Postmodern 32% Roman Catholic 29% Charismatic/Pentecostal 29% Classical Liberal 29% Modern Liberal 21% What's your theological world view?

A woman was Christmas shopping with her two children.. After many hours of walking down row after row of toys and after hours of hearing both her children asking for everything they saw on those many shelves, she finally made it to the store elevator with her two children in hand. She was feeling what so many of us feel during the holiday season time of the year, getting that perfect gift for every single person on our shopping list, overwhelming pressure to go to every party, every housewarming, taste all the holiday food and treats, making sure we don't forget anyone on our card list, and the pressure of making sure we respond to everyone who sent us a card. Finally the elevator doors opened revealing a crowd in the elevator. She pushed her way in and dragged her two kids and all her bags of stuff in with her. As the doors closed she couldn't take it anymore and blurted out, "Whoever started this whole Christmas thing should be found, strung up, and shot." From the

Our small group is studying the book Chasing Daylight by Erwin McManus. This week's topic was about influence. "Human beings are created for influence, to be influenced by the lives of others and to influence others." My take away from tonight: What if someone seriously said "I want to model my life after YOU!" What would their life look like?

When you come to see Him face to face, and tell Him what you think of His plan, when you are some thousands of years older than you are now, Will you not adore that Wisdom that manages this scheme, and the Infinite Love in which it had its birth? O, what will you then say of that amazing condescension that brought down Jesus to your rescue! Say, Christian, have you not often poured out your soul before your Saviour in acknowledgment of what you have cost Him ... And there seemed to be a kind of lifting up, as if the very bottom of your soul were to rise? And if any earthbound one had seen you, they would have wondered what had happened to you ... That had so melted your soul in gratitude and love. by Reverend Charles G. Finney

This morning as I was praying, I asked God to increase my faith. And, as soon as I did, I said to myself "you know what praying for faith does...it means God will give you something that will require you to have faith". I knew I was in trouble. Why did I pray that? "God, I do want to have faith, but please don't make me......" Here it is 2:00 in the afternoon of the same day.....a husband with some huge life decisions and a choice to worry or trust in faith. Hebrews 11:6 says without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. My job today is to believe he exists and earnestly seek Him....nothing more, nothing less. Hebrews 11 is a great faith chapter filled with those who had faith "even though...." God is bigger than the "even though". I trust that today!

Since last Friday we have been getting dumped on as far as the snow goes. I have been procrastinating putting new tires on my car. They are the low profile summer tires that do absolutely nothing for you but slide all over on the winter roads. Now, don't forget, I live in Northern Michigan. I know how to drive in snow, so getting stuck this early in the game shouldn't happen......especially in your own driveway! AHHHH!!!! This morning I was backing up and hit the brakes and the car spun around almost hitting two trees. We have about a 4-5 inch drop off the edge of our driveway, because we only poured the cement and haven't put the yard in yet, so my car slid off the edge and plowed through the pile of snow from the snowblower. Of course, I was in a hurry because we were late for school....NOW....we're really late. I called my neighbor and asked her to come take Olivia to school for me. She gracious obliged. I figured I would come in and call Brian and have him come home

Our small group is studying Chasing Daylight by Erwin McManus. Tonight we talked about uncertainty and what faith really is. McManus says "Faith is the ability to know that God can be trusted." Sometimes God requires different levels of faith for different tasks. For example, what is the difference in the faith required in the crossing of the Red Sea vs the crossing of the Jordan River? With Moses, God parted the water and they crossed. They watched God at work. With Joshua, the people became a part of the miracle. They were told to step into the water and when they did, the water dried up. No matter what God is calling us to.....we must do so in faith. Sometimes this will mean we need to take action. Other times, it means we need to just be still and know that He is God. Hebrews 11 is filled with heroes of the FAITH. They believed God. God CAN be trusted. Why do I ever doubt?

The past few months have been difficult with my daughter. Has anyone noticed that girls are soo different than boys? My son, now 13 years old, never cared what I picked out for him to wear. He was just glad that I picked them out! My daughter, almost 7 years old, HAS AN OPINION! My daughter and I have been struggling every day with our morning routine. And somewhere in the morning, I get a "NO, MOMMY!" from her. But, today was a different kind of "NO" from her. We have discussed our morning attitudes and she truely desires to do what God wants her to do, because she has Jesus in her heart. So, we started to pray about it together that Jesus would help her make good choices regarding her attitude. She asked me to remind her when she started to get a bad attitude that we should pray. This morning, as she started to get a little testy with me, I said "Olivia, let's pray!" So, we prayed and I asked Jesus to help Olivia have a good attitude this

One summer day, a drought threatened the crop in a small town. On a hot and dry Sunday, the village parson told his congregation, "There isn't anything that will save us except to pray for rain. Go home, pray, believe, and come back next Sunday ready to thank God for sending rain." The people did as they were told and returned to church the following Sunday. But as soon as the parson saw them, he was furious. "We can't worship today. You do not yet believe," he said. "But," they protested, "we prayed, and we do believe." "Believe?" he responded. "Then where are your umbrellas?" The last 24 hours have been tough ones for me. I prayed, yes, but not with my umbrella in hand! Why is it that we pray half-heartedly? Why don't we expect God to to the impossible? He wants to bless us! He wants to give us the desires of our hearts! So, where's the faith? Today it's raining outside.....and inside. God answered pray

A thankful heart is a happy heart! Yesterday I spent the day at home. Just Brian, Me and Andrew and Olivia. We sat around as a family doing NOTHING. It was a fantastic day! We have been so busy running that we needed the break and how blessed to be able to cook the Thanksgiving meal and eat it together. It sounds so simple, but sometimes it's the little things that bless us the most! Later last night we did go to the video store and rent some movies. We all piled on to our bed and watched it in our room. It was a good ending to a great day! Today we head to Midland, MI (about 2 hrs from here) to have dinner with my family and then tomorrow with Brian's family, but both should be pretty low key and allow us to continue in this slower pace of life for a bit. I am thankful for my family and for special times to slow down and remember how blessed I am.

Yesterday I was listening to the radio in my car. Mercy Me's "I Can Only Imagine" came on. I have heard it a million times and really like the song, but tears streamed down my face as it ministered to me in a different way this time. I listen to the song and imagine what it will be like in heaven....standing before the Lord. Wow. What a glorious moment! I can only imagine and it WILL be incredible. But what about today? I was overwhelmed with the awe that Jesus is with me here.....NOW....on earth. Every day. Every moment. Am I living my life now in awe of His presence? Am I living with the reality that I am surrounded by His glory? Do I allow His presence to penetrate and change the way I think, talk, and feel? Does it change the things I do, the way I interact with others, the places I go, and everything I do? Today, I will not only imagine what it WILL be like, but I will cherish what it IS like and allow it to transform me. I can only imagine What it will be like When

Romans 12:2 says "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed BY THE RENEWING OF YOUR MIND. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - His good, pleasing and perfect will. I want my life to be pleasing to God. I want to be in His will. I want to know what His will is. But....the only way that can happen is by renewing my mind. So, what does that mean? According to the dictionary, renew means "to become new or as if new again" "to revive, reestablish". When I first became a Christian, everything I said and did revolved around what Christ did for me. I wanted to tell everyone. I was excited. I prayed and sought hard after God. My mind was focused....on HIM. It is essential that I renew my mind daily and make it new again......just like the first day of my salvation. This past week I had a family committment that I was not so excited to be a part of. I didn't want to go. I had a bad attitude and complained

I am taking classes in the Wesleyan church for ordination. Most of the classes I take at FLAME (Fellowship of Leaders Aquiring Ministerial Education) Basically, I do a bunch of pre-work, go to school for a week and then have post work. It has been a great experience, despite how much studying I do. (Brian wonders if I am ever coming out of the den again) I recently went to North Carolina to study Wesleyan History and Discipline and also an Evangelism class. I have some amazing stories to tell. God was soo good. It's amazing what 40 minutes of quiet before the Lord can do for you! I get so busy talking to God and telling Him everything that I don't let Him get a word in edgewise....how sad. God suprised us all by some of the events that took place in our evangelism experience! My Professor for my classes, Mark Wilson, has a blogspot www.revitalizeyourchurch.blogspot.com that tells some of the stories of the week. I would love for you to read some of them...rather than me just r

I have come to really enjoy the music of Aaron Schust. He helps me worship. Christ gave all for me. I want to give my all for HIM. You can hear the song on his web site . I think the words speak for themselves. Listen if you get a chance! Give It All Away Search my heart, search my mind, search my soul Make me clean, make me new make me whole All of my plans, all of my dreams, I lay them down before Your feet All of my time, all that was mine, I now submit to Your design 'Cause You are the one who can make my life complete You are the one who can give light to my feet You are the one and only one who dared to give it all away for me You are my strength, You are my God, you are my King You make me laugh, You make me dance, You make me sing Everything inside, everything outside, I give it all away You never change, but You rearrange my heart more everyday

So today my daughter was sick. I called the Doctor and we got in this afternoon. She has strep throat. We decided to go to McDonalds for our "after the doctor treat" and though I wasn't sure it was the greatest of ideas, we proceeded and ordered some food. She smelled the food and puked. She leaned forward and let it all go on the floor mat. Then, she proceeded to say "Mommy, I'm so sorry I puked in your car!" And of course, as much as I hate puke and wasn't thrilled with it, I was more concerned about her. I just wanted her to get better. Minutes later she was asleep. What can I learn from this experience? When we are in a mess, we go to the Doctor (Jesus) and ask for His treatment plan. We leave and take the prescription AND indulge in the junk "food" that will make us sick. Then, when we get sick from those things that we think we want, we apologize to God and worry about the mess we just made. God is really more concerned about us and our h

Romans 12:1-2 are some of my favorite verses in God's Word. I am supposed to live my life as a living sacrifice...one who is HOLY and PLEASING to God. I do this by not conforming to the world and allowing myself to be transformed by the renewing of my mind. First I look at the word "holy". Holy is being set apart for God's use. Set apart means I am just that....set apart. I am in the world, but not of it. I think differently, act differently, talk differently, AM different. The world says I need to look out for me and please me. Do what feels good and follow your heart. It's easy to get caught up in that, because it feels good at the moment. God says I need to put all of my focus on pleasing HIM and Him alone! I please God by not conforming to the pattern of the world, but by being transformed, and although possibly hard at the time, it has a long-term peace and it feels GREAT. Transformation starts in your mind in allowing God to penetrate every tho