Tag Archive | Christianity

This I Love

This morning as I was waiting for my cup of coffee to brew, I began my morning quiet time with an “Attitude of Gratitude”. As I looked around our kitchen, I thought to my self “I really love that arrangement” or “That picture belongs right there” and then I became flooded with the memories of where those items originated or who had given them to me. Then I began to thank God for the provisions He has given me and the people He has placed in my life.

Then, I allowed my mind to broaden and think of many of the people He placed in my life over the years. While most were amazing, not all were easy or a pleasure. I might add, some of those individuals were exhausting…They would suck the life right out of me with their:

Low Self-esteem
Under Developed Communication Skills
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Inadequate Support System
Difficulty Coping

Oh Wait…I Just Described Myself!!!

Yep, I have personally experienced every one of those things listed above at some point in my life. Oh, and believe you me…about the time I think I have things under wraps a wave hits and I find myself gasping for air.

Let me ask you something, Do you think this comes as surprise to God? Absolutely not!!! and the wall decor in my kitchen serves as my daily reminder!

He knows me…He really knows ME!!! Jesus gets me, understands me, tolerates me, and most of all He celebrates me!!!

Do I break His heart? Yes, I do on a daily basis!

Do I ask for His forgiveness? Yes, I do on a daily basis!

Does He beat me over the head with shame and condemnation? Absolutely not! In fact the scripture that assures me of this is Romans 8:1

“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus“

So, why does God place people in my path that remind me of my failures, deficits, past, lack of support, and my inability to cope or resolve my own problems?

To remind me:

I am Broken
I need to support and lift others up
I need to work to do better every day
I need to continue to work on my communication skills
I need to develop empathy

And sometimes…He is teaching me I need to set boundaries.

Whatever the reason…

Jesus Knows Me…This I Love!

The Stuff in The Middle

Jan30

During a conversations with a friend yesterday at work, he said something profound which shook me to my core. “If God showed us The Stuff In the Middle would we take our first step toward the vision He has given us?”

Where [there is] no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law , happy [is] he. Proverbs 29:18

God places a vision, goal, idea, a desire in our hearts. We can see the end results. We may not know how we will achieve the concept but a true believer trusts God and steps out in faith…

But, would we take that first step if we could see all we were going to have to go through to achieve that which God has birthed within us? Probably not!!!

So to ensure we complete that which He has compelled us to do, He gives us a glimmer of the end results and hides from us…

The Stuff In The Middle

Love Lee ♥

The House is On Fire

Aug9

What an awesome lesson my daughter presented to “The Fall Out” (a group of 5th, 6th, and 7th graders) last night. Below is the summary of the lesson written by my daughter Brandi Booth…

Great Bible study and fellowship time tonight! Tonight we talked about Trust & Obey! “The House is on Fire” activity went something like this:
There were four different rooms in our house that had an adult in each waiting for the kids to come and try to round them up. The adults were instructed that no matter what…they were to ask questions only…and refuse to be lured out of the house.
The Fall Out was told that they had 2 minutes to get everyone out of the house, before it “burned down.” The only rules for them were (1) they couldn’t tell the adults that the house was on fire! (2) they were not allowed to use force!
After the two minutes, and a million scams, bribes, and attempts to get the adults to evacuate…the house “burned down” with everyone in it!

Sometimes God wants us to “move” and we may not always know why…but ultimately if we stay in one spot and refuse to budge and only ask questions…eventually the house will burn down. We have to TRUST God! He sees the big picture…actually, He’s the Artist! He knows the right timing for everything! As hard as it may seem, even when we don’t understand something (or like it!)…we should OBEY God. Just like The Fall Out demonstrated tonight…God will do everything He can to get you to move…but, ultimately obedience is up to us and if we wait to long…we may be ignoring His protection…or miss out on a blessing!

Whenever we submit to His will and plan, it brings glory and honor to His Name through us! That is a powerful witness and testimony! Are you limiting yourself to what God has planned for you by your refusal to move or are you delaying His blessings by asking questions? Your next question could be the last chance you get to obey! Trust in Him and obey His calling for your life.

Is Your House On Fire?

Love Lee ♥

There Is A Winner Within

Sep19

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 ♥

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 ♥

Just for Today

Aug30

Close your eyes, take a deep breath and imagine with me…

What would the world be like if everyone walked in love…Just for today
What would the world be like if everyone spoke with kindness…Just for today
What would the world be like if everyone helped their neighbor…Just for today
What would the world be like if everyone allowed someone to go to the head of the line…Just for today
What would the world be like if everyone offered a meal to the hungry…Just for today
What would the world be like if everyone was non-judgemental…Just for Today
What would the world be like if everyone put others first…Just for Today
What would the world be like if everyone omitted the words “me” and “I”…Just for Today
What would the world be like if everyone cared…Just for Today

We are only promised this moment in time. To chose to make an impact on the world… Just for Today allows us to breaks down lifetime goals into manageable components of time. We remove so much stress and pressure when we wake up and say…

Just for Today

For I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the LORD your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess. Deuteronomy 30:16

Love Lee ♥

Tread Softly on My Dreams

Aug28

I remember in our early years of marriage Richard and I would sit for hours and dream of the future. Believe it or not…We still do!!! I love sitting out on the swing while having coffee and listening to him as shares his thoughts and dreams. Oh, and I so love the fact he is interested in mine!

When sharing my dreams with others, it is such a reality check to be reminded of my age… The buzz words are “at your age”…I am not quite ready to be an “old woman” and at times can be a sensitive subject for me; I sooo miss my youth!!!

I love this quote by James Dean:”Dream as if you’ll live forever… live as if you’ll die today.” I have always adopted this mindset. We only get one chance in life remembering… Dreams can often become challenging, but challenges are what we live for. ~ Travis White

Dreams are renewable. No matter what our age or condition, there are still untapped possibilities within us and new beauty waiting to be born. ~ Dale E. Turner. So, as Justin Bieber would say…”If you don’t dream big, there’s no use of dreaming. If you don’t have faith, there’s nothing worth believing.”

Having a dream is all the more realistic when I dare to dream with the person I love the most in this world. It is even more special when we both have individual dreams but they are amplified because they complement each other and are intertwined. For me to have a dream and my husband’s dream is the act of creating what I dream for…That is God in His awesomeness further amplifying how we compliment or complete each other….A dream you dream alone is only a dream. A dream you dream together is reality. ~John Lennon

Do you have a dream you are afraid to share with others? Don’t be!

Speak up…Share your dream and conclude with…

I have spread my dreams beneath your feet. Tread softly because you tread on my dreams. ~W.B. Yeats

Love Lee ♥

Powering Up

Aug26

Wow…soft music playing, scented plug-ins, accent lamps…Yep, everything is perfect as I walk out the door for work. A scheduled appointment to show our home was set for the early afternoon. I returned home at 6pm to find a silent house, I can’t smell the plug-ins, and my accent lamps are off.

Yes, you guessed it…the rain storm that blew through took out the power.

Of all days for this to happen! But isn’t that just like our lives?

When we least expect it a storm blows through and we lose our power. With the disconnect from our power source; Jesus Christ, we begin to stop speaking in love, our lights go out, and we begin to stink..

Thank goodness once we plug back into Jesus Christ we power up and our light is restored, our responses are tempered with love, and we take on His sweet aroma…

So, the next time you find yourself out of energy…

Power Up!!!

God is my strength and power: and he maketh my way perfect. 2 Samuel 22:33

Love Lee ♥

Are You Blowing Hot Air

Aug23

Have you heard the phrase “she is just radiant”?

A radiant personality is much like radiant heat.

Radiant heat is a unique transfer of energy that naturally searches out colder objects to warm. Instead of rising like warm air, radiant heat starts by warming the coldest and closest objects from its source.

Radiant heat unlike forced hot air is a gentle slow warming while forced hot air from air vents tends to be dry, dusty and even loud. I am sure you have met that person as well…

So here are some characteristics of a radiant personality?