Evening Reflections

Today was a day filled with good intentions. Generally, as soon as we hear “good intentions,” we think we know what’s coming next: “but….” However, today I saw that expression through a different filter—a positive one!

I intentionally chose to start my day with God. I intentionally wrote a list of things to accomplish. I was intentional about limiting myself to fifteen minutes of the morning news. I intentionally completed a task I had put off far too long. I chose to be intentional about reading the blogs I follow and learning from the “bite-sized wisdom” found in the “tweets” of a few great leaders I follow on Twitter. With great intention, I completed my Bible Study homework early in the day so that I could meditate on it before tomorrow—as opposed to hoping that if I run into the building fast enough, the ink will dry before I sit down! I was intentional about completing a full day of work on a lengthy book I’m editing. And I intentionally waited until this evening to write a blog post.

My church had a huge Celebration Sunday yesterday, and this morning, it was easy to think that it’s all downhill from here—that it can’t get any better than yesterday’s day of rejoicing. You see, I woke up with a “blessings hangover,” and oddly enough, I felt too “blessings depleted” to write an encouraging blog post.

So I determined in my heart—made an intentional decision—to make choices that would allow me to look back at the end of the day and realize that the rejoicing can continue! God didn’t run out of blessings! God’s mercies were brand new this morning! His strength did not falter overnight! There’s more than enough for today and for every tomorrow He gives me!

Maybe that’s why tonight, I intentionally chose to pray the following words:

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Be intentional about continuing to move forward with your goals for walking, reading, and writing! Take one minute tonight to set an intentional goal for tomorrow’s efforts.

______________________

Thank you for taking time to read “Evening Reflections.”

Are you being intentional in your choices?

Feel free to leave a comment sharing

one “intentional goal” for tomorrow.

By Petals from the Basket | February 12, 2013 | Contests, Events, God-and-I-Time, Ideas |

Street Art Detroit

This is a unique and hurried post tonight (in case the site maintenance starts sooner or takes longer than planned). It’s a little long, so that I can explain it to you, but please bear with me and let me share my heart about something exciting I learned about tonight and invite you to be a part of in a very simple way. I’m hoping this will be in your Inbox on Sunday so that you’ll have a few minutes to read it all.

While living in Detroit, I was privileged to cross paths with a young couple, Timothy and Rebekah, who probably have no idea how much they have taught me. Their compassion for those in need—physically, socially, and financially—has given them the opportunity to live Christ in the midst of those for whom they have a burden, and He is blessing that! They would not want me to dwell on them, because that is not where their focus is. But I wanted to share with you a thumbnail print of the background for something important I want to share with you.

The “Street Art Detroit” Facebook Page was created yesterday to showcase the art of some amazing Detroit residents. (Even if you don’t have a Facebook account, you should be able to use the link to see the artwork.) Before you head over to the page to see what these kids are doing, let me share Rebekah’s note to me when I asked her about this project:

“We have been meeting a lot of young people in poverty who are trying to get jobs and finish high school, but are not finding any hope. They (their families) have no phone, no car, no computer, no driver’s license, no future, no example. They have been coming to church with us and been very open to beginning a walk with Jesus. This Valentine’s Day project originated because one of the kids has hundreds of dollars of court fees due in a few weeks, and has been actively seeking any work, but no leads. Where they live (in the hood), no one even shovels their sidewalks, so he couldn’t earn money that way.

Anyway, found him and his sweet girlfriend some scraps of wood, spray paint and markers, and this is what they came up with! They want to keep doing this for each holiday. It is so wonderful to see hope and accomplishment in their eyes. Their world is very dark and oppressive, and Jesus knows and sees their pain and reaches out to them shining light into the darkness. It’s beautiful to see Him go after the forgotten!

It is overwhelming when you walk in their shoes, and it gives me SUCH a new appreciation for how Jesus lived His life on earth. With all these people, loving them, taking time with them, lifting them up, encouraging them! He is so glorious, and we just want to be like Him to those we encounter.”

So, we’ve been talking about putting our faith into practice (“using our wet sponges for good!”), and I honestly think this is a very worthwhile way to show support and love to these young artists-in-the-making! The art is created on wood, it’s rough and not perfect, but it’s some of the most beautiful work I’ve seen because of its origins and its purpose.

There is a PayPal account in place to allow you to purchase these items. There are just about 30 items in all, I believe. Simply click here to go “shopping!” What an incredible way to teach others the love of Christ on this important holiday! I’ll close with a picture of this young boyfriend and girlfriend who are learning of God and His people and who are using His gifts to them to diligently earn funds for honest needs. May God be glorified in the compassion we show!

By Petals from the Basket | February 10, 2013 | Events, Friends, Ideas |

Talking Household Sponges

Quick announcement first (especially for those overseas): The hosting company for this blog site is doing routine maintenance tonight, starting at midnight (Eastern time). My understanding is that the site will be temporarily unavailable during that time—only a matter of a few hours at most.

Early this morning, I prepared to wipe off my bathroom counter top. When reaching under the cupboard to find the sponge I had used yesterday, my hand bumped into a little plastic container of water that I had completely forgotten was there. I reached in to take it out and found a nasty, disgusting, smelly, water-soaked slimy sponge that had been sitting there for…I have no idea how long! I immediately dumped it into the trash can!

However, in doing so, I was reminded of an illustration I shared a few years ago when speaking to a group of ladies whose husbands were attending a preaching conference. {{I hate when my personal illustrations come back to remind me of the present needs in my own life!}}

All too often, those of us who are Christ followers soak in what we hear on Sundays at church. We do so with a smile, a responsive nod, carefully written outlines in our “sermon notes journal,” and perhaps even a hand raised in worship. Yet, when we get home, we place the saturated sponge of learning into a safe place (the plastic container) and let it sit—forgetting that it’s there and neglecting to use it. You guessed it: it begins to stink, and it becomes useless.

The opposite can also be true. We use the “Sunday sponge” over and over again without replenishing its supply of water. We become so busy in giving and doing and caring and sharing and helping and…that we quickly “dry up.” Sadly, we try to keep cleaning with a dry sponge, and we wonder why it’s ineffective in doing what we want it to do.

The solution has two parts. First, the “sponge” of my life needs a heavy dose of spiritual water on Sunday—provided by the God-focused, Word-centered preaching of a godly pastor. Then, I need to go home and use the sponge—giving out the water of life I have received from the precious Word of God. Secondly, I need to renew that water supply to my sponge each day so that it can be used in an effective way—fulfilling the purpose for which it was created!

“If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross daily, and follow me.” —Luke 9:23, NLT

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Remember to submit your points for WRW month via e-mail, comment, or Facebook message. I’m blown away by how well everyone is doing! (It’s not too late to join in if you’re new to Petals from the Basket. The full explanation of the month-long contest and the methods for reporting your points can be found here.)

_______________

Thank you for reading “Talking Household Sponges.”

Please don’t answer this part publicly,

but…how’s the household sponge of your life?

Is it over-saturated and only soaking in;

is it being used over and over again without any replenishment;

or is it able to fulfill its purpose?

Feel free to leave a comment with your

point totals, a verse of encouragement,

or a favorite quotation about sharing God’s love.

By Petals from the Basket | February 9, 2013 | Bible Reading, Contests, God-and-I-Time, Ideas |

Book Review: Unglued (Devotional)

Several of my friends have been insisting that I read Lysa TerKeurst’s book, Unglued, because it spoke to their hearts, and they knew I would love it! So, I signed up to receive it from BookSneeze in exchange for an honest review, and I was super-excited when it arrived. Well…sort of. I hadn’t read the title clearly when I submitted my request for a review, so I had actually ordered Unglued Devotional: 60 Days of Imperfect Progress.

This book is designed as a sixty-day devotional, but it was so good, I read it like a “chapter book,” and I absolutely loved it. Hmmm…maybe I should clarify the word “love.” In reality, it was more of a love–hate thing: I loved her transparently written, biblically based truths, but I hated that it hit right in the middle of the problem areas in my imperfect spiritual heart!

Though I’m now more eager than ever to read Unglued, I would say that you certainly don’t need to read that one prior to using this devotional. (But do read it!) Unglued Devotional stands on its own well-written merits. Each day contains: a Scripture verse or passage, a “bottom-line-it” thought to remember, a devotional from Lysa (taken from the material in Unglued), and a written prayer to top it all off.

I’m actually going to go back through it now—as a sixty-day devotional. This will definitely be one of those read-it-again-and-again books for me! My “imperfect selection process” turned out to be the perfect “mistake!”

By Petals from the Basket | February 8, 2013 | Books, Friends, God-and-I-Time, Ideas |

Where’s My Shovel?

It snowed most of the day in my area of Wisconsin Thursday. From the sounds of it, my friends and family in the Northeast are going to spend much of today and tomorrow getting what we got—and much, much more. So as I sat down to write, I had snow on my mind. Maybe that’s why I thought about this verse:

“Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.” —Psalm 51:7, NLT

As it snowed, I watched the snowplows go back and forth at frequent intervals, keeping the roads cleared and safe for travel. They didn’t wait until the end of the snowfall—late at night. No, those hard-working crews know the basic principle that if you let the snow pile up, it gets packed down, and/or it becomes too difficult to move because of how much has accumulated.

My parents also apply that concept with their driveway. Though their association has a plowing service that comes after a certain number of inches of snowfall, my parents and their sweet next-door neighbors will often have two of the driest, ice-free driveways in the neighborhood. Why? Because they have gone out frequently and not only shoveled the main path; they have also cleared away those areas in the corners that are hard for the plows to reach.

A neighbor in Michigan, Jeff, would often tease me about shoveling after only three inches of snow had fallen. “Hey, Brenda—you know we’re still gonna get five more inches, don’t you?” I would reply that it was much easier for me to do three inches, and then two inches, and then another three inches than it was to attempt to shovel through eight inches of snow at the end of the storm!

This same “shoveling principle” is true in my spiritual life. I see this in three ways, as represented by the three true scenarios above:

(1) If I “plow away” the sin before it has a chance to accumulate, the path is clear for God to accomplish His work in me.

(2) If I frequently take care of the hidden areas of my heart where sin can pile up—even though they’re out of plain sight—my life can shine for Christ in a dark world.

(3) If I follow David’s example in Psalm 51 and ask God daily to cleanse and purify my heart (whiter than snow!), it makes sense that there won’t be an opportunity for the sin to enlarge in its impact and its scope.

Just like plowing away the snow, keeping a “short sin account” keeps the path to victory clear!

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Evening Reflections

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Talking Household Sponges

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Book Review: Unglued (Devotional)

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Where’s My Shovel?

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