There Is A Winner Within

Wow, who would have thought…

Landau Eugene Murphy Jr takes the stage and appears to be the least likely person to audition much less win America’s Got Talent.

As you will see in the video, none of the judges were expecting to hear such a spectacular audition. In-fact their body language and reaction to Landau’s appearance indicates they have absolutely no confidence in his ability. In-fact, the judges had judged him before he had even opened his mouth.

As I watched this episode of America’s Got Talent and then watched again in the video, I couldn’t help but wonder…How would we respond if Landau had walked through the doors of our church and sat down next to us? Oh I know, we all would like to believe we would welcome him with open arms. But, would we really?

As much as Christians hate to admit it we are such a judgmental group of people. I’m sure you are thinking… “Not Me!” Are you sure about that? Below are some scenarios, as you read them being totally honest with yourself…What would be your gut reaction to this person who decides to sit next to you in church?

A 15-year-old female wearing Daisy Dukes
A derelict who reeks of alcohol
An elderly man who’s clothing smells of old urine
A teenage boy wearing a baseball cap
A group of young men wearing black trench coats
A woman in her 40’s wearing a t-shirt and no bra
A young mother with a screaming baby
A teenager eating a hot dog and drinking a coke

Hmmm…did you get up and move from your pew, ignore them, or embrace them?

I would venture to say if we are totally honest with ourselves if we did embrace them, we did not embrace them with our heart but in gesture only.

My friend, we cannot continue to judge a book by its cover. We must open up the hard external cover of broken lives and begin to read the pages chalked full of experiences. We must begin to see the internal person; the one screaming to come out.

We are so bound by tradition and religion we lose track of who we are and our calling. We are called to love the “Unlovely” and the “Rule Breakers”.

“Church is not a household for saints. It is a hospital for sinners.” ~Robin Butler

“Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn others, or it will all come back against you. Forgive others, and you will be forgiven. Luke 6:37

Don’t Judge the Book by Its Cover…

There Is A Winner Within!!!

Love Lee ♥

There Is A Way Out

Sep18

Are you feeling trapped by circumstances beyond your control? Perhaps you can’t make your bills, the kids are out of control, or you are forced to deal with difficult people.

There is a way out!!!

The trap in which we are held prisoner is our mindset. We allow our perceptions to set our limits…Often times we perceive the situation to be worse than it is because we cannot recognize it for what it is.

The Way Out is to Change Your Mindset

Rather than view everything as negative we can choose to view each and everything we endure as our Testimony. Our very own story of how God has been so good to us. Think about it…Would you be able to truly testify of God’s goodness if you never had those difficult challenges in life?

I like to view the adversity as “Walking Out My Testimony”.

I could not testify to God’s provision if I did not know financial ruin.
I could not testify to God’s healing hand if I did not almost died from Lyme’s Disease
I could not testify to God’s comfort if I did not loose a loved one
I could not testify to God’s grace if I did not sin
I could not testify to God’s peace of mind if I did not have to trust Him with my children
I could not testify to God’s love if I had not felt what it was like to be unloved
I could not testify to God’s understanding if I have not been misunderstood
I could not testify to God’s companionship if I had not know what it was like to be alone and without a friend

You see every form of adversity is part of my testimony if I believe God is with me and believe…

There Is A Way Out…

He is my Way Out no matter the circumstance!!!

Love Lee ♥

Footprints on Our Lives

Sep17

This morning after my quiet time I was reading my Facebook Newsfeed and saw the following post by my sweet friend Angela Dilley…

“People come into your life for a reason. Some to guide and teach you, and some just to help you grow. No regrets, I wouldn’t be who I am today without those experiences. Live and learn… Everyone that has come into my life has left a footprint which has helped mold me. I love my life….”

What a great perspective on all the different personalities that touch our lives. Those that…

Love us
Motivate us
Exhilarate us
Balance us
Mentor us
Tolerate us
Hold us accountable

And yes, even those that…

Challenge us
Anger us
Frustrate us
Anger us
Test us
Abandon us
Embarrass us

They all have left…

Footprints On Our Lives

Love Lee ♥

Getting Those Brownie Points

Sep16

You know, for years I worked myself to near death trying to obtain ‘Brownie Points”. Whether it was to gain favor with another individual or God, to be accepted, to be noticed, or just because it was expected, I thought I had to “do” something. No let’s get real…I thought I had to do EVERYTHING!!!

But then I realized…

Brownie Points Were Getting Me No Where!

God’s word says…

“not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit,” Titus 3:5

Wow How Liberating!!!

I realized, I didn’t have to work for it…I am accepted and have approval because He has shown me mercy!

Now, I perform for an audience of one. I am now able to ask myself. What would God want me to do and no longer worry about doing EVERYTHING to gain those…

Brownie Points

Love Lee ♥

The Ultimate Friend Request

Sep15

I love it when I open Facebook and find a notification of a friend request. It is especially sweet when it is someone I have been friends with forever but have lost touch with.

I am of the belief …Friends are the most important ingredient in this recipe of life and everyone is a friend, until they prove otherwise. Often the value of friendship is understated…

Friendship Provides:

Companionship
Conversation
A Helping Hand
Laughter
Advice

Strangers are just friends waiting to happen. Sometimes you pick your friends, sometimes they pick you!

When my best friend sent me a friend request it didn’t come via Facebook, email, or a phone call. It came via a gift of love!

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

I am a Friend of God…He Calls Me Friend!!!

He has also sent you…

The Ultimate Friend Request

Love Lee ♥

It’s A Heart Condition

Sep13

A little girl goes to the doctor’s office for her pre-school check-up. The doctor walks in and introduces himself. He proceeds to listen to her heart and lungs. As he lays his stethoscope on her chest, he gasps and says, “Is that Barney I hear walking around in your heart?”. The little girl looks up with a big smile and replies, “No Silly, that’s Jesus in my heart…Barney’s on my underwear!”.

I love that…no inhabitions!!! Her response was so matter-of-fact and with such conviction. We as adults could learn so much from this little girl.

Often the external display of behaviors, conversations, and associations do not indicate Jesus is anywhere near our hearts. Often we exhibit negative responses based on emotion. Below are some examples of negative emotions and the underlying cause(s).

Emotion/ Underlying Source

Fear: Aversion
Anger: Displeasure or Hostility
Guilt: Inadequacy
Depression: Pessimistic
Pride: Exaggerated elevation of one’s self
Jealousy: Threatened
Self Pity: Inability to cope
Anxiety: Overwhelming apprehension
Resentment: persistent ill will
Envy: Hyper awareness of what others have coupled with an unhealthy desire
Frustration: Unresolved problems or unfulfilled needs

So, when talking with an angry person who is frustrated you are better able to recognize you are really speaking with a displeased person with unfulfilled needs.

Hmmm…this insight might just put a whole new spin on what you hear that person saying. While you can’t change the circumstances that lead to the negative emotion from this person, we just might be able to have more compassion towards them when interacting with them.

In addition, if you recognize you might possess these emotions you should consider trying to find the source and begin to work through the issues.

When conscious of these emotions we can be somewhat in control of our interactions and reactions. We can adjust our responses and conversations to cater to our audience. What we need to remember is we live for an audience of One. We should speak and live to bring to honor and glory to Him…Father God.

It’s A Heart Condition

So, I ask you my friend…

What condition is your heart in? & Who is that I hear walking around in your heart?

Are you speaking to others and responding to others while bringing Glory and Honor to Your Father?

I have some work to do…How about you?

Love Lee ♥

Get Real and Cut the Bull

Sep11

Do you find yourself being who people expect you to be?
Are You always putting on a front?
Do you have difficulty sharing your views and thoughts?

Perhaps it’s time to

Get Real and Cut the Bull

I love what Beth Moore has to say about Cutting the Bull…

Is it time for you to Get Real?

Love Lee ♥

Their Hearts Are Hurting

Sep9

So you wake up each morning, hang your legs over the side of the bed and say to yourself, “How Can I Screw Up This Day?” Right???

WRONG!!!

However, there are those who would believe otherwise. In-fact, it becomes their goal to critique you on everything you do. You know…that person who makes it their personal goal criticize your every move. Have you ever wondered what make the critical person tick? Having had my fair share of criticism I have recognized the following commonalities of a critical personality:

Internal Anger:

Often the critical person has deep-seated anger carried within. This anger could possibly be generated by unmet goals, emotional abuse, or the belief their rights had been violated. This person walks miserable and by being critical they ensure everyone is as miserable as they are.

Upbringing:

A person can be overly critical because this is how they were wounded as a child. Then, carries the wound in the subconscious mind making him/her overly critical and unbearable to be around. This person has received negative messages as a child resulting in an overly critical and sarcastic adult. The negative messages that this child constantly received as a child turned into a way of thinking that lead him to become an overly critical and sarcastic adult.

Lack of Self-Confidence:

The person who lacks self-confidence frequently puts himself down. This person is full of negative messages and these negative messages are transmitted to others in the form of criticism.

Now when you encounter that constant overly critical personality you no longer have to become defensive because your are able to recognize the criticism is not always warrented. In-fact, now rather than seeing an overbearing critic you are able to see a wounded child who is angry and lacks self-confidence.

So how do you respond to the criticism? Do you retaliate or withdraw? Dealing with Criticism is an awesome article I found that is full of advice for you on how to deal with criticism.

To deal with the critical persons…pray for them!

Their Hearts Are Hurting!!!

Love Lee ♥

Dealing with Difficult People

Sep8

“Life is too short to spend your precious time trying to convince a person who wants to live in gloom and doom otherwise. Give lifting that person your best shot, but don’t hang around long enough for his or her bad attitude to pull you down. Instead, surround yourself with optimistic people.” ~Zig Ziglar

Ain’t That the Truth!

I would rather rob a liquor store than be around that person but unfortunately you have to work with that person or worship with that person or perhaps even live with that person. We have all had to deal with that difficult personality who is miserable and wants to share their misery with everyone else by being…

Negative
Hateful
A Bully
Vindictive
A Kill Joy
Angry
Unrealistic
Passive aggressive

You get the picture and I am sure someone’s name or face came to mind as your read the list of negative descriptions. So, how do you deal with this person you are forced to interact with?

Recognize The Enemy:It is spiritual warfare. Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 1 Peter 5:8
Put Your Armor on: Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. Ephesians 6:11
Say to Yourself: “They are not the enemy”. You are not fighting against flesh and blood. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high [places]. Ephesians 6:12
Pray: Take a mental pause from the ranting and raving to whisper the name of Jesus over your situation. And pray that we may be delivered from wicked and evil men, for not everyone has faith. 2 Thessalonians 3:2
Love: We are instructed to love our enemies so when this difficult person is acting out make a conscious decision to love. But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, Matthew 5:44

It is easy to get caught up in drama but we must be the rational healthy one and recognize we can not change this person but God can. And remember that is why they are refered to as…

Difficult People

Love Lee ♥

Trusting His Heart

Sep6

It has been a week…

We have been reminded life is fleeting and we are only promised the here and now. With Richard’s mother in ICU fighting for life, our grandson lost his half-brother in a car wreck today, and my loss of a beloved pet our hearts are hurting.

When life doesn’t make sense or seem fair and we feel all alone we have to learn to trust His heart…

This song is so incredibly perfect for where we are in our lives today…Listen closely to the words of this song. When everything in our world falls apart we have to…