Toni was born and raised in a small town in Oklahoma.She graduated from East Central University with a Bachelor's of Science Degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Economics.After college, she returned to her hometown to marry her best friend, Charles.Toni is a stay at home mom to their three teens, two boys and a girl, whom God led them to homeschool.Her goal is to raise her children to love and serve the Lord.They live on a farm where they grow produce to sell at several farmers markets.She also plays the piano at church and teaches piano.
Are you using “Christian speak” out of habit or out of thoughtfulness?
What does that phrase mean? Have you listened to what you say? Why did you say that?
As Christians, we tend to have our own insider language. I have been thinking about this lately. I post a daily prayer on Facebook and as I typed these prayers out, I started thinking about the words I was using. We pray these words and say “churchy” things, but what exactly do these words mean?
Consider these “churchy” phrases:
Lead, guide, and direct us.
We’ve all heard these words said in a prayer. Think about it. They all mean the same thing! Why do we feel like we have to be redundant? Do we think by using more words in our prayer God will be more likely to listen? I do not believe God works that way. He hears ALL the prayers of His children. “God, help me!” is enough. Or are we just trying to sound good? Are we being like the Pharisees and doing things for show? Shouldn’t we keep our prayers simple?
Hedge of protection.
Really?! Do we want a “hedge” around us to protect us? Rather, why don’t we say, “Protect them?” That is what we want, right?
The Christian comedian Tim Hawkins has a joke about this, and it’s so funny!
Be with…
God is ALWAYS with us so why are we asking Him to be with people? It is a generic term. I guess it makes us feel better. I prefer to be more specific as in, “Heal Jane of this cancer,” or, “Keep John safe on his trip.”
If you use these phrases in prayer, I do not mean to offend you.
God wants us to pray/talk with him. He doesn’t expect us to pray perfect prayers. Because He loves us, he wants us to communicate with Him. We can release all our emotions to him along with all our words, or we can simply cry out with the minimum amount of words. Our prayers do not have to be flowery or complicated. Just talk to Him!
However, I think we need to be more aware of what we say or pray. Sometimes, we pray these words because that is what we hear others say. It sounds good so we do not give it much thought. We just repeat what we hear. Let’s encourage each other to put more thought into our prayers and avoid saying things out of habit.
“The more deeply we grow into the psalms and the more often we pray them as our own, the more simple and rich will our prayer become.”
― Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Sometimes there are moments when life consumes and your heart feels gagged in the ability to lift up any words in prayer. Sometimes the clouds of our life overshadow us and we can’t find the words to say to Him. At other times, we have plenty to say and are experiencing a rich and beautiful time with Him. No matter where you are in your prayer life, meditating on His word through the Psalms offers us a deep and divine place to experience Him.
His words of truth and goodness bring forth life. Here is a Psalm that has been on my heart lately. I wrote down some of the words and thoughts that came to me as I meditated on this Psalm.
Psalm 30
I will exalt you, LORD, for you rescued me. You refused to let my enemies triumph over me.
Psalm 30:1
I seek to be in a posture of worship and gratitude to the One who rescued. May the fullness of that rescue be felt deep as it resonates in and through my worship.
O LORD my God, I cried to you for help, and you restored my health.
Psalm 30:2
I acknowledge that in my worst moment of depravity and soul-marring sickness, He heard my cry; He redeemed and restored.
You brought me up from the grave, O LORD. You kept me from falling into the pit of death.
Psalm 30:3
I can see the place of certain and eternal death that I was cascading fully into. I can see how He reached down and brought me up to a place of beauty and life for eternity.
Sing to the LORD, all you godly ones! Praise his holy name.
Psalm 30:4
I have placed my hope and trust in Him–may my words and thoughts echo the awe of a now-rescued soul.
For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime! Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning.
Psalm 30:5
Where His holiness demanded separation, He provided a way that those who are His find His love and mercy…forever. His covenant of grace is fully extended to me. In a fallen and broken world, where sin roams freely, a sovereign Lord binds my redeemed heart to His. My sorrow experienced here on earth is comforted by the hope I have in the eternal place of joy to come.
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Challenge yourself.
Choose a psalm to read and pray daily, for a week or a month. Let the words draw you closer to Him. Let the words grow your understanding and knowledge of who He is.
“The delightful study of the Psalms has yielded me boundless profit and ever-growing pleasure; common gratitude constrains me to communicate to others a portion of the benefit, with the prayer that it may induce them to search further for themselves.”
― Charles Spurgeon, preface to The Treasury of David
Wife, mom, daughter, teacher, blogger, crafter, organizer - but most and best of all, I am a Christian. I am passionate about my family and my God. I am married to my best friend and am blessed with a one year old son who keeps me busy all the time staying at home with him. And I am glad to be in the service of our incredible and awesome God.
I love Christmas. The tingle and bite of winter air, the rosiness that rises to your cheeks when you’re outside thrills me. I love the music, the twinkle lights, the house lights. I love that people who often don’t think of Christ have their minds bent on goodwill and giving. And yet, for some–for many more than we probably realize–Christmas is a hard season. It is a bittersweet time, full of memories of those we have lost, either to eternity or conflict or distance. The other side of Christmas can be lonely, painful, or even depressing.
And while I don’t think that should lessen our joy, I do think that we can and should be aware of those struggling and sensitive to their burden. What can we do?
Pray for them.
Pray specifically for them–for comfort, for peace, but also for courage. And let them know that you are praying for them. It is a powerful and wonderful tool that we can intercede for each other on our knees before the awesome Maker of all things.
Spend time with them.
Many gifts are overrated and underused. They are cast aside in an ever-growing pile of “stuff” which sucks us into a world enamored with materialism. But the gift of your time is not only something that can help a lonely person, it is something precious and remembered. It says, “I love you enough to give up other things to just be with you.” It may even be good for you to have some perspective shed on what the “other side” is like.
Listen.
One of the most valued and least developed skills is listening. Listening–and listening well (with interest, love, and warmth)–can be an enormous gift, especially to someone with struggles. Being able to talk about a loved one who died or the particular challenges of a serious illness can help heal an aching heart. And it is something that you can do no matter what your Christmas gift budget is.
So, today, go out there and bless someone who wasn’t expecting it. In return, you will be blessed beyond measure.
I am a recovering Army brat who loves to travel and start new adventures. My handsome husband and I met at Oklahoma Christian University and he whisked me away to Kansas. So, I bought some ruby red high heels and made Topeka my home. I have a rough and rowdy Princess 4-year-old girl, amazing twin boys (almost 3) and a newborn baby girl who all make every day an adventure. We are grateful to be part of an amazing church in Topeka who regularly challenges and encourages our whole family. I have been both a full-time working mom and a stay-at-home-mom and/or both at the same time at one point or another. I am constantly seeking God’s wisdom on “balancing it all” and following His plan for my life, not mine.
My husband is Superdad. He sent me away for a weekend with my mom to Beth Moore’s Living Proof Live Simulcast in Wichita last year.
Spiritual Nourishment
I don’t know about any of the other moms of little kids out there, but I’m drained. Don’t get me wrong, I love being a mommy, but I’ll tell you it seems to take every ounce of everything I have to give–every day. In the best way of course!
Spiritual nourishment during this season of life can be especially hard if Sundays are spent nursing babies, wrangling young kids during the service, or being distracted by an active toddler who may or may not have escaped down the aisle while you are trying to worship Jesus. Right.
Sometimes, it’s even hard to get out the door to Bible Study. I find myself seriously craving some meaningful corporate worship with fellow believers. Don’t get me wrong, I know it’s not all about “me getting fed,” but let’s be honest, in this season it seems like I’ve got an appetite for spiritual food and I’m just still hungry all the time.
Church Camp for Women
Anyway, I cannot tell you how grateful I was that my husband encouraged me to go to this conference. Praise the Lord, seriously! If you get a chance to do something like this such as Women of Faith or a Living Proof event or Abundance, etc., please go! Do it.
This was Mommy church camp and I loved every minute. Walking in, you could absolutely tell the Holy Spirit was there and He was ready to work.
It would take me longer than I have room to write here to talk about everything Beth discussed this weekend and how the Lord worked in my heart. However, I want to highlight the point that set the theme and struck a chord that has echoed in my heart all day.
Audacity
These are days that require audacity in our faith. Beth defined audacity as “intrepid boldness, disregard of normal restraints.” It is not an absence of apprehension, but it is a courage found only in Christ. Audacity in Christ means we must be characterized by boldness for Him because our witness as individuals, and as an entire Church, is at stake. We should not be afraid because our birthright is in Christ and we are secure that He has won the war.
As a woman of God, a daughter of Christ, we must not give up our “birthright” flippantly to this world for things that seem to satisfy us in our lives. Just as Esau gave up his birthright to his brother Jacob for stew (Genesis 25: 19-34), we often have contempt for our Jesus just because we are exhausted, we are depleted, and we are vulnerable to a certain flippancy or impatience that comes with allowing our focus to be distracted from what really matters.
What’s your stew?
Beth asked us all: “What’s your stew?”
What might you be allowing to satisfy your desires instead of Jesus? What might be your focus “right now” instead of waiting on the Lord? Or what is taking precedence in your daily life over Christ? Are you tired or stuck in a routine that does not include prayer and meditating on the Word?
We have so many idols in this culture. I read 2 Tim 3:1 and I think of the world in which we live. The thing is that Satan looks for the vulnerable and seeks a foothold.
1 Peter 5:8 (NIV) says, “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”
Romans 1: 16-18 (ESV) tells us, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.”
Rise Up, O You Sleeper!
Ladies, we must not be asleep! We must be alert and ready as ones who are adopted in Christ to have the audacity to serve the living God as He has called us. Boldness is at stake in our own lives, in our nation, and in our world. Have the audacity to be fervent in your prayers, dedicated to your relationship with Christ, in love with our Savior, bold in sharing the truth and in glorifying Him through the way you live your life.
Scriptures remind us, especially in Psalm 39 and in 1 Peter 1 and Isaiah 40 that our time on this earth is short. Our only real legacy is what we do to further the Kingdom of God. That might look as simple as bringing someone (your children, friends, family, or strangers) to know the Lord or as big as a ministry like Beth Moore’s. Whatever that looks like in your life, be audacious in your faith and be bold for Christ every day. Ask God to show you how you can use your day to be audacious for Him. Pray fervently and be in His word.
Toni was born and raised in a small town in Oklahoma.She graduated from East Central University with a Bachelor's of Science Degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Economics.After college, she returned to her hometown to marry her best friend, Charles.Toni is a stay at home mom to their three teens, two boys and a girl, whom God led them to homeschool.Her goal is to raise her children to love and serve the Lord.They live on a farm where they grow produce to sell at several farmers markets.She also plays the piano at church and teaches piano.
Stress! We live in such a fast-paced society. We always have so much to do. Our to-do list gets longer each day, and it seems as though we will never get it done. So many of us are caring for children, or parents, or even both. We worry about if we are good parents or good children. We worry about our spouses. Women, especially, are told to be the Proverbs 31 Women. I have to be honest here. I tried getting up earlier to get everything done. I was so tired by 8:00 a.m., all I wanted to do was go back to bed. All these demands on us just stress us out.
Stress can have negative effects on our bodies. It can cause high blood pressure, heart attack, and stroke. Those are a few of the “biggies”. It can also lead to weight gain and an increase in viral and bacterial infections due to a weakened immune system. Have you ever felt like you have been sick forever? That can be stress. Stress can wreak havoc on us.
How do we deal with this stress?
Healthy Tip #5
As I’ve stated before, give it to God! Philippians 4:6-7 (NASB) states, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Give it to God and do not take it back. He can handle it; we can’t!
Meditate. I’m not talking about New Age meditation or yoga or anything else. I’m talking about meditating on the Word of God.
Philippians 4:8-9 (NASB) goes on to say, “Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.”
We should memorize scripture related to what we are dealing with and then meditate on it. If we learn to refocus our thoughts on these things, that will lower our stress.
Stress accomplishes nothing. Really, it doesn’t. When was the last time we felt great when we were stressed out? It’s time for us to give it to God.
Cut asparagus into three-inch pieces and blanch in salted, boiling water for about one minute. Pour into colander and let drain for a few minutes. Do not rinse with cold water. Pour asparagus into bowl and add all other ingredients and stir. Let sit to absorb dressing. Serve at room temperature.
This is the fifth installment in my living healthy series.
Ladies, we must not be asleep! We must be alert and ready as ones who are adopted in Christ to have the audacity to serve the living God as He has called us. Boldness is at stake in our own lives, in our nation, and in our world. Have the audacity to be fervent in your prayers, dedicated to your relationship with Christ, in love with our Savior, bold in sharing the truth and in glorifying Him through the way you live your life.
