swerve.lifechurch.tv blog today

http://swerve.lifechurch.tv/2007/11/26/spiritual-esteem-1-of-5/ excellent post today at swerve about 'spiritual esteem' as opposed to 'self esteem'....how true.....Craig defines 'spiritual esteem' as "To find our identity in Christ, not ourselves, our performance, or our ministry."

good word! I appreciate the reminder and want those I have influence over to truly understand who they are in Christ.....that is our security...that is who we/you are....

again, copying from Craig Groeschel at swerve...
No amount of “self-esteem” could fix my problem. I needed (and still need) true spiritual esteem. I need to know “who I am in Christ” and find my security in Him alone.

You are not what you did, what you do, or what you are going to do.
You are who Christ says you are.

shut your mouth please.....

reading a post this morning at www.stevenfurtick.com about rumors...speaking to his experience of how rumors can affect the work of the Lord when they are spread about those in ministry....Furtick said, "I have tried to remain devoutly committed to the sacred practice of keeping my mouth shut when presented with the opportunity to say something negative about someone God is using. Even when the criticism is valid (because even the most anointed people stumble and fall), I see no value in spreading the criticism like gangrene. Now, if I have a relationship of influence with the person, I do my best to talk with the person about the issue in a spirit of love and encouragement. I’m not talking about sweeping stuff under the rug. But if I can’t talk to the person, I’d rather pray for them than talk about them. That’s just my philosophy. It has served me well. And it is thoroughly Biblical.

So, whether it’s how much Joyce Meyer’s jet cost, what cuss word Mark Driscoll said, or the dumb decision your pastor made last week, do yourself and the Kingdom of God a favor:
Speak truthfully, pray sincerely, and then practice the sacred act of shutting up. After all:Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls.

awesome thought! our toungue can be so harmful to others and to the work the Lord wants to do in our lives and that of others...when there is gossip flee, don't be a part...when there are rumors...don't participate and do your part to stop them....

EGO!

EGO! Exalting God Only!
or
EGO! Edging God Out!

I want to be all about Exalting God Only in all I do! Lord, I pray that I would be humble and all about you. That you would increase that I might decrease! It is not about me but about You! Keep working on me, show me, teach me, mold me! Amen!

thanks to Ken Blanchard in his book "Lead Like Jesus" for sharing this with me
www.leadlikejesus.org

Happy Anniversary!

Wow! Our 25th anniversary is today....expected yes, tough times?...a few (not many) but more than anything many wonderful memories!...the Lord has been good to us!....we are closer today, have more fun, and love each other more today than ever...you are a blessing!...thanks sweetheart!...I love you!...I had a great time on our little trip we took!...I am so thankful that the Lord was so good to me in bringing us together...to think back of the time when we began dating and then, married 10 months later seems like a short time ago...it has gone fast...all of the kids are older and gradually moving into their own areas of life...no matter where they are they still need their mother and father...it is a privilege to be there for them...you have been and are a fabulous mother and a wonderful wife!...how blessed we are by you!...thank you for all you do!...do you want to go on a date Saturday night?...we have been going on dates weekly and I think we need to keep it up, cool thing to me is that we both enjoy it and look forward to going!...I love being with you!...I promise to serve and love you more every day!

Proverbs 31:28-30
28 Her children rise up and call her blessed; Her husband also, and he praises her:
29 “Many daughters have done well, But you excel them all.”
30 Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing, But a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised.

fall in love.......

Lord, I ask You to break my heart with the things that break Your heart!
Lord, use me!
Lord, disturb me!
Lord, I desire to fall in love with You in a way that I cannot even comprehend!
Lord, teach me to love You with all my heart!
Lord, help me to love people as You do!

Reflect upon your blessings, of which every man has plenty, not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some.....

Charles Dickens

today...our kids will?...be tomorrow....

Seth...in 8 months he will finish hair design school, then will be working in a salon and doing well taking care of his clients hair needs....
Rachel...enjoys politics, getting her degree in poly sci and criminology and working towards going to law school, probably at the University of Tulsa...then?...
Cooper...pursuing a career in photography, being creative and finding his niche in the photography business as he attends school....
Hannah...enjoying playing soccer and golf in college, my guess in 4 to 5 years she will be working with and blessing special needs children...
Kramer...attending school, doing some welding part time,...plus he is passionately driven to become a professional skateboarder....
Quincy...a little over 2 years of high school left, says she will attend OU, then become an RN working in labor and delivery...

let's see what happens.......

Susie and I pray that each of our children will find their passion...that they will enjoy what they choose to pursue...that each of them will seek to be fully devoted followers of Christ...

Contagious Generosity!

While I am certainly blessed and blown away by acts of generosity, I am also hit in the face with a tough question: How am I being unusually generous to others? The thought occurred to me this morning that when God uses people to be unusually generous to me, it's a call for me to be unusually generous to others. It's contagious generosity. So, I wonder whom God will bring into my life today who needs an unusual act of generosity? It might call for me to be generous with my time, maybe a little money, who knows. But here's the really cool part: contagious generosity turns into multiplying generosity - it just keeps on going. Who can you be unusually generous to today? Who knows, your generosity just might start a wave of contagious generosity. Or, your generosity to others might extend the wave of contagious generosity others have shown you.
Either way, be generous...it's contagious!

copied from www.jayhardwick.com, posted by Jay on 11/12/07

ouch.....good stuff!.....

“Don’t worry about the things in the Bible you don’t understand. Worry about those things which you do understand but don’t do”. attributed to Corrie Ten Boom

serve and love one another.....life choices?...

was having a discussion with one of my girls this weekend about a young man in her life...our discussion centered around the way she felt she was being treated because she was unhappy and hurt...I asked her if she ever saw his parents mistreat each other in anyway, no!...do you see the dad serving and loving the mom, the mom loving and serving the dad, yes!...what you see in their parents is probably what you can expect from him and what you receive today is what you might expect tomorrow.....how about at our house...do you see me doing things to your mother or acting in ways that I shouldn't?...she said no even though there are times when I am not what I should be...the bottom line is that I want her relationship to be one in which she and her friend understand that they are to treat each other (serve) in the manner in which Jesus has called, no commanded us to serve and love each other....this is the example that I want her to see at home and I can do a better job of this...it reminds me of my need to be more like Jesus and as Phillippians 2:5 says 'in my life I must think and act like Christ'....praying that my children will see Godly relationships...see their parents serving and loving each other and that this would be their expectations as they move toward the life changing decision of whom the Lord would have them marry....what an honor for my girls to look for someone like their daddy and for the boys to look for someone like their mommy....Susie and I pray that we will be a Christlike example to our precious children.....

are you the greatest?...

"The greatest one will be the one who thinks the least about being the greatest, because he loses sight of himself in seeking God and His kingdom." Andrew Murray