on gratitude.

Thanksgiving is nearly here and I can't hardly wait.  I so dearly love this time of year.  Holidays, family, memories, festive decorations, parties, hot chocolate, Christmas shopping...It all just warms my soul.  I find though, that it's really easy for me to take a lot for granted.  With the speed of life, it's really easy to get caught up in all the festivities and moments without taking time to soak it all in and cherish each and every little intricacy.  It's really easy to forget to be grateful.  So, in an effort to NOT take all of the blessings in my life for granted, I've decided to compile a list of all the things for which I'm grateful, a "Thanksgiving Tally," if you will.  Here goes:

Thanksgiving Tally:  things I'm thankful for, but often overlook...
-My family...I really couldn't ask for more loving parents or a more insightful sister.
-My friends...They are continually and unashamedly supportive.
-My job...it's definitely a gift.  I couldn't ask for more.
-My house...I have a warm home, a dry bed, and plenty of food to eat. 
-The freedom to worship...God chooses me and allows me to worship Him.  And I live in a country that allows me to do the same.
-The opportunity to serve...People all around are hungry and I have access to the food they need.  What a humbling opportunity.
-Students...Oh boy, my joy.  They are such a blessing to know and be with.
-Our church body...So many people that love the Lord and seek to do His will.  What an encouragement they are.
-Mentors and advisers in life...The Lord is so faithful in placing in my life such valuable people that have so much wisdom and knowledge to share, and a real passion for sharing such.
-My Savior...How often I go without giving credit where credit is due.  I am nothing without the redeeming blood of Christ.
-Unconditional love...I am so undeserving, yet nothing can separate me from God's love.  How grateful I am.  

This list really doesn't do my life justice, I don't think.  I know there are many other people and blessings in my life, but this exercise has given me plenty to reflect on and praise the Lord for!  I hope that you would consider stopping and thinking through your life during this season.  My prayer is that we wouldn't get caught up in what we lack when really, the Lord has blessed us so bountifully.

Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever.  Psalm 118:1

7/24 tips

Over the past few weeks, Pastor Hosea has issued the 7/24 Challenge, a challenge to each and every member of the body of Christ to spend 24 minutes, 7 days a week interacting with God's Word.  I'm so excited about this call.  I'm excited about the growth that meeting this challenge will produce, both in my own life and in the lives of those around me.  I realize though that a challenge does not come without it's obstacles...hence the word challenge.  Duh.

If you're anything like me, having the desire to spend time with the Lord isn't necessarily the issue (although I, in my flesh, can sometimes be quite unmotivated and uninterested).  The real challenge lies in getting started and then sticking to it.  With that in mind, I thought I would put together some tips that I've found helpful for starting and maintaining my quiet time with the Lord.  So, here are some ideas:

1.  X marks the spot.  Determine a specific place--a quiet closet, a comfy chair, a front porch swing, the kitchen table--to go to every day.  For me, it's the overstuffed chair in my dining room-turned-study.  The important thing is finding a spot that you are distraction-free, at rest, and able to focus on the Lord.

2.  Rise and shine.  Morning isn't necessarily my favorite time of day, I'll just go ahead and admit it.  However, I find that when I intentionally start my day in the Word and seeking the Lord, my attitude, thoughts, actions, and words align more with Him.  Getting up earlier may be a drag at first, but after a few days, your body will adjust, and you may just end up becoming a morning person.

3.  Wash, rinse, repeat.  The best recipe for success in many endeavors includes a large dose of persistence.  Consistency is the key to developing any kind of routine.  Spending time with the Lord is no different.  Make it part of your daily routine, just like washing your hair--only more essential--and stick to it.

4. A-tisket, a-tasket.  Next to my quiet time chair sits a basket that houses everything I utilize in my quiet time:  my prayer journal and pen, notecards for memory verses, my study Bible, a couple of different devotional books, and a prayer guide.  Having everything together in one spot helps keep me consistent and focused.

5.  Pencil it in.  On days that my routine changes, like the weekend, I find myself with a to-do list a mile long.    I've developed the habit of including "spend time with the Lord" in my list, just like I would "call Kristin" or "meet up with Rachel".  Seeing that item written on my list helps me mentally block off time for meeting one-on-one with the Lord so that it doesn't get put on the back burner.

6.Try, try again.  Let's be realistic.  We're human and at some point, we're bound to fail.  What do you do when you fall off the horse?  You get back on, right?  Yes.  If you miss a quiet time, don't sulk or marinate in your guilt; just get back on track for the next time.  The beauty of serving an omnipresent and omniscient God is that really, you can meet with Him at any place and at any time.  So if you miss your "scheduled appointment," there's nothing that says you can't reschedule for another time that day.

There you have it:  a few tips that I've found helpful for getting in the groove and having a steady devotional time with the Lord.  What about you?  Do you have tips to share?  Add a comment and leave a tidbit about what works for you!

Be blessed and encouraged today!

rbcgirls: gno|sleepover

You're invited to a sleepover, rbcgirls style! Grab your pj's, your sleeping bag, your favorite munchies, and come on over!  We'll have all the necessary sleepover elements: food, music, games, a movie, girltalk times, and even a few surprises along the way!

Where: Sherry Godfrey's house 
When:  Friday, December 11th, 8pm until Saturday, December 12th, 10am
What to bring:  sleeping bag & pillow, toothbrush & toothpaste, pj's, Bible, notebook, pen, and snacks (see below)

Snack List
7-8th grade girls--bring a 2 liter drink to share
9-10th grade girls--bring a salty snack to share
11-12th grade girls--bring a sweet snack to share

 Hope to see you there!

something greater than me.

I don't know about you, but one of my favorite parts of being a child of God is that I get to be a part of something so much greater than myself. I love that. I love the feeling of community, the sense of belonging. Throughout my college years, my favorite extra-curricular activity was singing in the SBU Chorale. I thoroughly enjoyed rehearsals and concerts alike. Yes, it was terribly hard work a lot of times. Yes, I spent hours locked in a practice room, wood-shedding my part until I could sing it in my sleep. Yes, I stressed out about singing tests. But there was something so powerful about creating a sound formed by 48 voices--something so powerful about creating harmonies and countermelodies that took on a life of their own. Each one of those experiences played a part in developing me. So many of them are beyond words. The encounters reached far beyond time and space. Those moments...they were transcendent.

The beauty of those moments for me isn't the tone quality, the pitch, or the words we sang; the beauty is that in no way could I possibly ever recreate that sound, that frequency on my own. No matter how I tried or what I used, I could never capture the essence of those moments in a solo. The wonder of those timeless transcendent moments was encapsulated by the idea of a body. A body made of many different parts, but all working together for a common good.

As much as I miss singing with the Chorale at SBU, my sole purpose in life was not to sing forever in that choral ensemble. However, the principles that I learned and came to hold so dear in Chorale exist in other facets of life as well. See God didn't create us to live as a soloist in the spotlight. He created us to be a part of His story and to function as a whole.

1 Corinthians 12:12-13 says, "For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body-Jews or Greeks, slaves or free-and all were made to drink of one Spirit.
We are each individually significant, but as a whole we are complete in Christ. Just like a choir is not complete if it lacks an appropriate number of tenors, so the body is not complete without all of its parts.

Right now, we have a huge opportunity to act as the body and accomplish something greater than ourselves, something greater than we as individuals can accomplish. Springfield 1 is knocking on our door and I really believe that God can do great things through this event. In fact, I'm trusting and claiming in faith that He will do great things. But what am I doing to see that He does?

Am I praying? Am I asking God to move? Am I looking for opportunities to share about God and invite my friends to come to the rally? Am I operating as a part of the body and working toward the common goal of seeing students come to know Christ? Or am I alone in a corner trying to polish and shine my microphone so that my voice is heard?

So how about it, will you join the choir?
We could really use your voice.

everything.

Last Sunday night's worship really impacted me.  It was intense.  And inspiring.  But oh-so-convicting.  As we sang "With Everything," I couldn't help but hear a voice inside saying, "Really?  Do you mean that?  Are you really proclaiming to shout MY praise, shout MY glory, to live for me 'with EVERYthing'?"  I was taken aback.  This voice wasn't harsh or condemning; rather it was gentle and sincerely pursuing. 

This whole idea, this concept of everything shouting for God's glory has haunted me this last week.  As I've processed and prayed the past several days, I've realized a couple of profound truths. 

One is this:  The Lord is so eager for me to be completely His.  Forget condemnation or lost time.  There's no room for regret.  He's waiting in eager anticipation, in excitement for me!  He delights in me, whether I know it or not, whether I like it or not (Zephaniah 3:17).  And He desperately wants to have me all to Himself.  That is when He is most glorified. 

1 Corinthians 10:31 says, "So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God."  In everything, glorify Him. 

So what does that actually look like?  What does it actually MEAN to be completely God's, to worship Him with everything?  This is my current quest.  And I'm finding that the answer may be a journey in and of itself.  But I'm okay with that.  Regardless of all I don't know, one thing I do know for certain:  God wants ALL of me, and He deserves every bit of me. 

Today I'm asking the Lord to show me how to glorify Him with everything.  I'm asking for discernment and wisdom in every decision that I make so that my Heavenly Father is honored and glorified.  I'm asking for awareness and conscienceness that causes me to actively pursue God from moment to moment.  And then I'm believing that He will be faithful in answering. 

Will you join me?