Focus Friday

Today's challenge: Listen to this music video and read what God has to say about his love for you on the slides.  Then, tell Him you believe Him, and live like it's true.

Think on it Thursday

ROOTS

My little house sits beneath a canopy of trees.

I am grateful for them. They provide beauty,

relief from the summer sun and they are a home to many things that

delight my family; a tree house, a tire swing and lots of little

creatures …birds, owls, squirrels, chipmunks and even

raccoons. These trees are strong and mighty and they have fought

off many storms. When the weather gets fierce, I hear them

battle the wind and I wince at the thought of one of them

crashing to the ground. But they still stand.

They stand tall because their roots are strong. I did a little

research on roots as to not strain myself thinking back to

high school biology. Here is what I learned.

Roots store essential food reserves, absorb and

transport water and minerals from the soil to the tree

and they provide an anchor for the tree.

I think God created moms to be like trees;

to display His splendor, His beauty for all to see,

to provide comfort and protection beneath her branches,

to welcome the living to find a home within her shelter,

to produce fruit, fruit that sustains her family.

This fruit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,

faithfulness, gentleness and self control.

(Galatians 5:22-23)

We brave the storms

and wrestle winds with courage and tenacity.

We are a stronghold for all who find rest beneath our covering,

but only if we have roots…strong, growing, thriving roots.

Jesus wants to be your roots.

He wants to speak to you through his word, the Bible,

and give you every nutrient you need to grow.

He wants you to absorb his teachings and let them

permeate your life and transform you.

He wants to be your anchor,

holding you as you meet life’s challenges.

So how do we begin to grow our roots?

We read the Bible…

Blessed is the one who delights in the law of the Lord (the Bible),

and on it she meditates day and night.

She is like a tree planted by streams of water,

producing her fruit in season.

Her leaves will not wither and

whatever she does prospers.

(Psalm 1:1-3)

Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord,

her confidence is in Him.

She will be like a tree planted by the water

that sends out its roots by the stream.

She does not fear when the heat comes;

her leaves are always green.

She has no worries in a year of drought

and never fails to bear fruit.

(Jeremiah 17:7-8)

You may not feel like magnificent tree.

I know there are days I certainly don’t.

The good news is that Jesus calls you just as you are.

He binds up broken hearts,

He brings freedom,

He rescues,

He comforts

And he wants to give you a crown of beauty

and clothe you with praise.

He will call you an oak of righteousness,

His own planting,

For the display of His splendor.

(Isaiah 61:1-3)

Begin today.

Pray and ask Jesus to ground you in Him.

Open His Word this week and spend some time

growing your roots.

~written by Rachel McKenna

Wisdom Wednesday

Our teaching today comes from Frann Wohlers and is based on Isaiah 61, titled "How Jesus Sees Me." It is inspiring to say the least! She graciously stepped in to teach with only a few days notice after we learned that Michelle Pemberton would not be able to teach today due to a family funeral. Michelle's talk originally scheduled for today is going to be post poned to another date (check the 'Calendar' tab for updates). Our prayers are with Michelle and her family as they celebrate the life of her uncle today.

ISAIAH 61—"HOW JESUS SEES ME" Scripture References
by Frann Wohlers

Proverbs 29:18
18 Where there is no vision, the people perish. NKJV

Isaiah 61:1-3
1 The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; and release from darkness for the prisoners, 2 to proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, 3 and console those who mourn in Zion--to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor. Luke 4:16-20 16 He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. And he stood up to read. 17 The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written: 18 "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." 20 Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him

John 10:10
10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

Philippians 4:13
13 I can do everything through him who strengthens me.

Matthew 11:28-30
28 "Come to me, all you who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

Whose Day Tuesday

Whose Day Highlight: Christy T.
Family Stats: Husband Don Fowler; daughter Emma Lee, 5
Spiritual Gifts: Hospitality (party planning, cooking), Relational (talking one on one)
Spiritual Pathways: Activist
Passions: Raising my daughter to be strong and grow in Christ.  To truly love God with all my heart, soul and mind.  I love 80’s music!
Pet Peeves: Personalized license plates that are meaningless to others and slow drivers in the fast lane
Secret Shames: I’m controlling and lack patience
Books That You Love: Skippy Jon Jones, Where the Sidewalk Ends, One Minute After You Die
Can't Live Without: Coconut Coffee Mate and my family
Favorite Room In Your House: Master Bedroom—I just redid it last year; it’s my place to relax and feel the most comfortable
Favorite Tradition: Halloween Party

Memorize-It Monday

1 The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; and release from darkness for the prisoners, 2 to proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, 3 and console those who mourn in Zion--to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor.
~Isaiah 61:1-3

Focus Friday

Like the art for Michelle, God’s message was very intentional during her “still” time.  The following were words that Michelle needed to work on to increase her love for herself and worthiness.   Answer below what the words to mean to you and how they relate on your journey in life.

LOVE:

HEART:

MIND:

SOUL:

STRENGTH:

COMPASSION:

PASSION:

GRACE:

COURAGE:

BEAUTIFUL:

HOPE:

JOY:

What words do you think God has been nudging you to work on?  Not sure?  Pray for God to bring you clarity on what he wants you to grow in and be obedient to what lies ahead.  His plan is perfect.

Think on it Thursday

WHO I AM

I played “house” as a little girl.
I was always the mom and I would kindly persuade one of my younger
sisters to play the part of dad.
I made up names for myself. I carried a pretend driver’s license.
I wore my mom’s high heels and carried a purse with plastic keys and lip gloss inside.
I carried my baby dolls everywhere;
to the grocery, the shopping mall and on every single vacation.
My dolls and I were inseparable and I was a good little mommy.

Many years down the road, I sat in a hospital bed and pushed as my husband
counted to 10 and squeezed my hand. One last push and the doctor
lifted my beautiful baby into the air.

“It’s a boy!”

Unbelievable! I laughed, cried and celebrated the miracle that just happened
right before my eyes.That moment was better than I ever imagined and
I could hardly wait to get home and “play house”…
for real.

I soon realized being a mom wasn’t anything like “playing house”.
Nothing looked the way I had imagined, especially me. I certainly wasn’t prancing
around in cute high heels and driving around town to the grocery and
shopping malls to show off my new baby.

I looked more like a frizzy haired crazy lady, unbathed, undone, still in her robe,
holding a baby to her breast, still looking 6 months pregnant,
surrounded by piles of laundry and an unruly house.

A few things contributed to my craziness. First, I had a great deal of physical healing to do. I will spare you the details. My husband had to work long hours because he had recently started his own business. I had trouble nursing. But what really pushed me over the edge was this; it was still winter and we were advised to stay home for 6 weeks because our sweet baby had been born early and it was RSV season. Uggh.

I had a lot of expectations of who I would be as a stay-at-home mom.
Under these conditions, I was not living up to them. The harder I tried, the more I failed.
The more I failed, the more I cried. The more I cried, the more I forgot who I was.
I needed help.

I picked up my Bible and started reading. I found verses that spoke to me.
I wrote them down on little tiny cards and flipped through them throughout my day.
I clung to them desperately.

They were like food and water for my soul.

God began teaching me who I was and who I was not.
I was a beautiful reflection of my Creator,
and I was designed to experience His love.

I began resting in it, craving it and basking in it.
My time with Him, through prayer and reading, nourished my soul.
He gave me new vision, to see myself the way He does;
with grace, patience, kindness, forgiveness and unconditional love.
He put rest in my restless heart
and gave me a new "to-do" list,

To seek the Lord and love Him,
to love myself and to love my neighbor
(daddy and baby)
I accepted my new mission
and soon began to give myself grace in all the other details of my day.
I was no longer defined by the size of my laundry pile, the cleanliness of my house or the extra tummy hanging over my jeans. I was no longer defined by my failures,
the dark circles under my eyes or even the wildness of my undone hair,
thank goodness.

God is still making me new each day...
and filling me with a new love; for myself, for my family and for the people around me.

How do you define yourself?

It is easy to allow the world to define us…by our homes, their size, their style, our exercise program, our wardrobe, our dress size, our hobbies and talents, our college degrees or lack thereof. The list goes on and on. At least it does for me. So I have to cling to the words of God and He is always faithful to tell me…

He will make me sparkle like jewels in a crown.
Zechariah 9:16-17

He has given me a new self, renewing me daily to reflect His image.
Colossians 3:10

He lives in me.
I Corinthians 3:16

He has given me gifts, unique to me.
I Corinthians 12

He loves me, not because of anything I do, but because I belong to him
Ephesians 2:4,8
Ephesians 3:16-21

May you begin to seek the Lord for your identity. Ask Him who you are.
He has been waiting to tell you.

~written by Rachel McKenna

Wisdom Wednesday

To read the biography of Michelle Gressel, our guest speaker, click HERE.

For today's discussion questions, click HERE.

Weekly Bible Study:

Luke 10:27 “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind.’ And, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”

How do you begin to LOVE yourself as you LOVE your neighbor.

What is LOVE to you?

What does love look like? Smell like? Feel like? Sound like?

When do you know that you are enough without all the extras that society puts upon you?

What do you need to “Be Still” and listen to God’s prompts to love ourselves?

How do feel that “fire” within yourself as you do in a new relationship?

What type of validation do you need to have to know you are loved? By God? By husband or significant other? By Children? Co-Workers? Church Members? Community Members?

How can you LOVE yourself without feeling/being selfish?

Corinthians 13:13 “There are three things that will endure – faith, hope and love…and the greatest of these is LOVE”

How can we authentically LOVE ourselves and feel the "fire" in your soul like a new, exciting relationship?

How can we grow in the passion of loving ourselves and knowing that we are worthy?

***It is ok to LOVE ourselves like our neighbor because LOVE is the greatest of all the gifts that we can receive in life.

Whose Day Tuesday

Whose Day Highlight: Julie B.
Family Stats: Hubby of 8 years, Kevin; Thomas 4; Megan 3; Dylan (newborn)
Spiritual Pathways: Intellectual
Passions: My kids, my family, organization
Pet Peeves: When my hair is staticky
Secret Shames: HUGE reality TV fan
Books That You Love: Anything by Emily Giffin
Can't Live Without: Coffee
Favorite Room In Your House: Kitchen
Favorite Tradition: Our meatball dinners at my Grandma's

Memorize-It Monday

...Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’
~Luke 10:27

Focus Friday

Your Challenge: Start your day by praying and asking God to help you see his love throughout your day. Then make an intentional effort to notice and write down the ways God is showing his love to you through nature, through kind words spoken to you or around you, through kind gestures, through his word, through his grace directly or through grace of others, etc. Now express your gratefulness for these things to God and to someone close to you. There is power in proclaiming these things. Finally rest in his love and allow his peace to fill you.

Think On It Thursday

A New Song

I grew up in church.  Ever since I was a little girl I have heard the words,

“God loves you.” 

I sang all the words to the songs they taught, believing it was true.

“Jesus loves me. This I know.  For the bible tells me so…”

You may even know these lyrics yourself.  Somewhere along the way, however, they became too familiar, almost elementary. 

For me, the words lost their meaning and became

regular, normal…ordinary.

I need to hear a new song.  I need to hear a new tune in the moments I feel alone, exhausted, overwhelmed and defeated.  I am on a journey to discover God for myself. 

I want to know what He says.  I am searching the Scripture.

 As I do, I am beginning to discover He has written a song for me. 

When I read the Bible, the melody begins and I hear these words…

My dear one, I know you.  I know what you treasure.  I know your triumphs.  I know your fears.  I know your failures.  I know what your heart aches for.  I know what brings a smile to your face and what makes your heart beat faster.  I know every tiny detail about you.  I created you.  I delight in you.  I love you, not the woman you are trying to be, but the woman you really are.  I have been calling out your name since the moment you took your first breath.  I have been displaying my love for you in every sunset, every snow capped mountain and every starry night.  As every wave crashes the shore I whisper to you, I love you.  I love you.  I will fight for you.  I will level mountains for you.  I will break through gates of iron and give you treasures so you will know who I am and that

I am calling you by name.

Take a few minutes to read some things he has written for you.

“I have loved you with an everlasting love.”

Jeremiah 31:3

“I will go before you and will level the mountains; I will break down gates of bronze and cut through bars of iron.  I will give you the treasures of darkness, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I am the LORD, the God of Israel, who summons you by name.”  Isaiah 45:2-3

The Bible also says:

“O LORD, you have searched me and you know me…you are familiar with all my ways…You have laid your hand upon me...You created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.”  Psalm 139:13-17

 “May your unfailing love be my comfort.”

Psalm 119:76

“How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!  And that is what we are!”

I John 3:1

“The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save.  He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.”

Zephaniah 3:17

  

There is nothing normal about the way God loves me.  There is nothing ordinary about the way He loves you.  It is a love He is fighting to show you.  It is a most extraordinary love.  It is almost… unbelievable.  But it is true.  It’s real.  And He would love to show you in every ordinary moment of your life.  You just have to invite him in.

He loves you, dear one. 

He loves you

  

Spend some time praying today.  Ask him to help you believe it. 

-written by Rachel McKenna

Wisdom Wednesday

Click HERE for today's Power Point Presentation from Tara Gazaway with an overview and vision of this year's Mothers Together Program.

Bible Study: Loving God with Our All

During our Wednesday session we examined four possible dimensions of love involved with loving God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. Now we are going to further dig into the first two dimensions of love discussed.

Understanding the Depth of God’s Love

Reread Ephesians 3:17-19. Is your relationship in Christ “rooted and established” in love as stated in these verses? If so, in what ways? What’s one step you can take to begin embracing and experiencing God’s love more fully? Be sure to write this in your journal or on the back of the invitation provided to you at Mothers Together.

What does it mean for you to be loved with the vast width and depth of God’s love? What would stay the same in your life? What would change about your life if you really embraced this kind of love God is offering?

Now pray and ask him to help you see more evidence of his love in your life. Maybe he has already revealed to you how he wants to show his love to you. Maybe you want to see and/or be more aware of his presence throughout your day. Maybe you want to more fully embrace that God loves you just as you are and live life more confidently because of this. For me, a few years ago I desired to hear him speak to me more clearly and directly but I needed to clear my brain and schedule to allow him the chance to speak but it still took me a few years to figure this out. He’ll show you the way if you ask.

Take some time to rejoice and thank God for the many ways he shows his love to you. Thank him for specific ways he cares for you, provides for you, nurtures you, calls you, etc.

Loving God Back

It takes God to love God. The greatest gift the Holy Spirit gives to us is the ability to receive God’s love and to love him back. Read Romans 5:5. This should be refreshing to us to know that the Holy Spirit will help us to love God with our all in the way he deserves and desires. We don’t have to do it perfectly. He rejoices when we consistently and persistently try to keep taking steps closer to God no matter how big or small they are.

Here are some additional thoughts about what’s involved with loving God back.

1) Loving God on His terms based on a spirit of obedience. Read John 14:15-23.

a) We each have different struggles. When we sacrifice something important to us or resist a temptation to sin due to our love for God, that touches His heart making Him want to reveal more of himself to us.

i) What is your biggest struggle or hurdle to loving God back?

ii) Identify one step you can take to start over-coming this hurdle. Then as you feel comfortable, share this with your MT group so they can support you in conquering this first step.

b) We will never obey perfectly but what counts is that we continually try to allow God control of all areas of our life. God rewards persistence and does not want us to live in condemnation or guilt.

2) Make a plan to intentionally pursue God with diligence.

a) Read Psalm 91 and focus on verse 14. In the New King James translation of the Bible it says, "Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him on high, because he has known My name.” David was known for being a man after God’s heart because David relentlessly pursued God. Sure he messed up many many times but he always repented or asked for God to forgive him. He came back to God and recommitted his heart to loving God with his all.

Here are a few of the things we can glean about loving God from David’s life:

· Requires making a determined decision to love God with our all.

· Involves making a plan to intentionally pursue God with diligence.

o Remember God is moved no matter how big or small our steps of pursuit are to draw closer to him.

o Often requires a sacrifice of some sort in order to set aside time to be still with God and get filled up each day. He will honor your sacrifice in ways beyond your expectations.

· Regularly recommit to your plan of pursuit so it lasts and does not whither away. Read about more about David in Psalms 27:4 and Daniel in Daniel 6:10 regarding recommitting and having a plan that lasts.

b) What would a plan to intentionally pursue God look like for you? What would be involved? Be sure to include how and when you would regularly recommit yourself to your plan.

3) Asking and Inviting Him In

a) God waits to be invited in when it comes to matters of the heart.

b) This includes building a group of believers and inviting them in as well to journey with you. Building towards authenticity and honesty with God and others in your inner circle is a process but essential to really experiencing the transformation God desires for your life.

c) Ask God to show you where He wants you to spend time with Him in your daily routine, ask Him to guard this time.

SOURCE: Bickle, Mike. "The First Commandment: Loving God as Our Greatest Life Calling." Web. June 2011.

Whose Day Tuesday

Whose Day Highlight: Tasha C.

Family stats: husband of 16 years Scott Cook

kids: daughter Camryn age 12 (13 in October....hello teenager!)

Holden age 7

Sutton age 3

Spiritual gifts: My spiritual gifts are mercy, faith and intercession.  i am unstructured and love to be with people, connecting and going deeper.

Spiritual Pathways: I am a naturalist and love God through the outdoors... I grew up in the country from a long line of farmers.  While my dad had an office job, he continued to farm the wheat fields given to him from his grandfather.  I think this deepened my connection to nature, land, organics, flowers, water, sunshine...

Passions: I am passionate about our children and their well-being! Aren’t we all!? What they eat, what they learn, how they act, their faith, their happiness, their personalities and how they serve. I also adore reading, time with girlfriends, exercising outside, farmers markets, taking pictures, going to our cabin at Tablerock Lake and drinking loads of hot tea...earl grey with skim to be exact!

Pet peeves: the crazy cardinal that keeps pecking on the window and other loud or incessant noises.  i am overstimulated easily and love QUIET!!Secret shames: My secret shame is that I often succumb to the sin of comparison. I listen to the enemy's voice as I look at other women and their accomplishments and I stack mine to theirs and allow the devil to make me feel the loser in the comparison. I think, o look at her outfit, look at her clean house, look at her homemade goodies, look at her exercise time etc...  as I have learned about our personalities and our giftedness I have taken back control from the devil and I celebrate what others do well and I realize I have strengths of my own... so there devil!!!  This is a daily battle for me.

Book that you love: i love jodi picoult books, just read THE PLAIN TRUTH, suspenseful fiction to zone out.  i am reading a book by glynnis whitwer called I USED TO BE SO ORGANIZED.  its fabulous and soooooo true!!  lots of books i read are rec. on the proverbs 31 ministries website/blog.  most of all i love books on food and health.  i just finished THE END OF OVEREATING IN AMERICA  which was awesome.  but probably my all time favorite book is ANIMAL VEGETABLE MIRACLE by barbara kingsolver.  oh how i wish i could grow or raise everything my family eats for a whole year!  in addition i am fascinated by personalities, birth order, how to be a better mom, how to stay organized etc and have loved the books rec. last year about personalities etc. PERSONALITY PLUS and PERSONALITY PLUS FOR KIDS by florence littauer and 7 WAYS TO BE A SMARTER MOM by kacey johnson.   i highly recommend those and you can borrow mine if you want!

Can’t Live Without: dark chocolate covered almonds and tea, o and our Lord and Savior!

Favorite room in your house: ...outside!
Favorite Tradition: ICE CREAM FOR DINNER WHEN YOU LOSE A TOOTH!  our kiddos are so far apart and this is something fun we can all do together!  i also love making the annual christmas ornament out of the bottom of the tree and finding a hidden baby JESUS, missing from the nativity, on Christmas morning.

Memorize-It Monday

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.
~Mark 12:30