Tag Archive | God

What’s in Your Glass Today?

I received this message in an email a couple of days ago and immediately requested permission to share it…

“A young lady confidently walked around the room while leading and explaining stress management to an audience; with a raised glass of water, and everyone knew she was going to ask the ultimate question, ‘half empty or half full?’….. she fooled them all… “How heavy is this glass of water?”, she inquired with a smile.

Answers called out ranged from 8 oz. to 20 oz.

She replied, “The absolute weight doesn’t matter. It depends on how long I hold it. If I hold it for a minute, that’s not a problem. If I hold it for an hour, I’ll have an ache in my right arm. If I hold it for a day, you’ll have to call an ambulance. In each case it’s the same weight, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes.” She continued, “and that’s the way it is with stress. If we carry our
burdens all the time, sooner or later, as the burden becomes increasingly heavy, we won’t be able to carry on.”

“As with the glass of water, you have to put it down for a while and rest before holding it again. When we’re refreshed, we can carry on with the burden – holding stress longer and better each time practiced. So, as early in the evening as you can, put all your burdens down. Don’t carry them through the evening and into the night… pick them up tomorrow.”

My friend added ******”But, I would have to add to this message – why even pick them up tomorrow? Give them to the Lord!”. She is sooo right!!!

I would say why not just empty the contents out completely…Pour out your burdens to Jesus!!!

Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved. Psalms 55:22

What’s in Your Glass Today?

Love Lee ♥

How Much Are You Willing to Pay

Jan26

No one ever said it would be easy to be a follower of Christ…In-fact the price one must pay is quite expensive.

He was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.” (Luke 9:23)

To pursue a life with Jesus can be a huge challenge, especially when it is our nature to make everything personal and centered around our needs and desires. We are a selfish people with most of our decisions based on what works or is best for us. Often we do not even consider how our decision will affect others. In-fact many of us have never denied ourselves of much in life; if we want it we pursue it at all cost.

How awesome would it be if we pursued Jesus with that same passion? To say I will follow Jesus no matter what the cost…Popularity, Acceptance, Employment, Possessions, and/or Relationships…

Think about it…Jesus didn’t say follow me if it is popular with the world or accepted by our friends…Nope, he said we must put aside our selfish desires, personal preferences, and expectation of others and pursue Him.

So I ask, are you willing…

Stop making everything about you?
Lay aside your plans and dreams?
Stop what you are doing at any moment?
Allow Him to be in control of your life?
Put others first?

Are You Willing To Deny Yourself and Pay the Price to Be a Follower of Jesus…

Love Lee ♥

Can’t Touch This

Jan24

Today I had cause to think about Job and all that satan put on him in effort to get him to curse God. But what I find interesting…

Before Satan was allowed to touch Job, he had to have permission from God.

“Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land. But stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face.” The LORD said to Satan, “Very well, then, everything he has is in your hands, but on the man himself do not lay a finger.” Then Satan went out from the presence of the LORD. Job 1:10-12

Now how cool is that??? Satan had to approach God and request permission to tempt a child of God…WOW!!!

I take great comfort in knowing I am the King’s kid and absolutely nothing or nobody can touch me without God’s permission!

So, you ask why would God give Satan permission to tempt us…

Because, our Father knows us…We are His and He believes in us!!! We are allowed to go through the test because He knows we will pass! Bottom line God knows us better than we know ourselves!

When We Say…. He Says…

“I can’t go on” “I am Your Sustainer”
“I am thirsty” “I am The Living Water”
“I am scared” “I am Your Protector”
“I am hungry” “I am The Bread of Life”
“I am lost” “I am The Way”
“I don’t have enough “I am Your Provider”
“I’m not” “I AM”

He knows us, He loves us, He has a hedge of protection about us and Satan does not cross that hedge unless given permission by your Father! Most importantly…God told Satan “but on the man himself do not lay a finger” and he…

Can’t Touch This!!!

Love Lee ♥

Hoop Hoop Hurray She Made It!

Jan23

New to basketball with approximately three hours of practice under her belt, Cheyenne gets a chance to score…

Cheyenne #22 does an outstanding job at defense but also does a great job at offense in this game. In-fact she received an award for outstanding offense.

Way to Go Cheyenne!!!

It is so fun to watch not only my only granddaughter celebrate her successes, it is also fun to watch my kiddo enjoy being a Mommy… which is Brandi’s greatest joy!!! I so grateful Brandi ensures Cheyenne is involved in positive and uplifting activities while maintaining a healthy balance…

God, Family, Friends and Activities

Hoop Hoop Hurray…

Love Lee ♥

Be All You Can Be

Jan20

How many times have you heard…someone refer to another by their appearance?

She’s smoking hot
She has such a pretty face
Her hair is always perfect
He’s built
He’s got those bedroom eyes

You know…you’ve heard them all.

I know you have seen or been on a conference call where they put the picture of the person speaking up on the screen so everyone will have a face to go with the voice.

Today, I was face on the screen…I was the guest speaker delivering information to a group of salesmen.

The phone rang and the hotel manager on the other end of the line introduced himself and said, “I am going to patch you into the conference now”. I then heard a woman introducing me.

We immediately went into the subject matter and spoke to the group for about 15 minutes followed by a question answer session. Then to my surprise the audience applauded…

Oh My Gosh…I realized it was a conference room FULL of people…It was at that moment I realized putting my picture up on a screen in no way gave those people a clue who I was and I was reminded we are sooo much more than our appearance!

It is my voice, my knowledge, passion, enthusiasm, and excitement…Not just my appearance that defines me!

Now don’t get me wrong…anyone who knows me also knows I must be really ill if I have not applied my makeup or fixed my hair for the day. I am a firm believer in being the best me I can be at all times…

Do I do that for others?

NOPE! It is all for me…I love routine but I also love spontaneity so I kill two birds with one stone.

Routine: I have the same regimen every morning…
spontaneity: I’m always dressed and ready for any fun that might come my way!!!

While I may have been a face on the screen today…I am sooo much more. For that God gets all the glory cause He don’t make no junk!!!

My Father created me in His image…He loves me and is crazy for me!

Pssssst….

He feels the same for you!!!

My sweet friend…

Be All You Can Be…FOR HIM!!!

Love Lee ♥

Whatcha Thinking About

Jan19

My mouth shall speak of wisdom; and the meditation of my heart [shall be] of understanding. Psalms 49:3

Meditation…what exactly is meditation?

The dictionary defines it as “A devotional exercise of or leading to contemplation”.

The use of Meditation for healing is not new. Meditative techniques are the product of diverse cultures and people around the world. It has been rooted in the traditions of the world’s great religions. In fact, practically all religious groups practice meditation in one form or another. The value of Meditation to alleviate suffering and promote healing has been known and practiced for thousands of years.

The author of Holistic-online.com does a fabulous job of defining the benefits of meditation.

Physical Benefits

Deep rest-as measured by decreased metabolic rate, lower heart rate, and reduced work load of the heart.
Lowered levels of cortisol and lactate-two chemicals associated with stress.
Reduction of free radicals- unstable oxygen molecules that can cause tissue damage. They are now thought to be a major factor in aging and in many diseases.
Decreased high blood pressure.
Higher skin resistance. Low skin resistance is correlated with higher stress and anxiety levels.
Drop in cholesterol levels. High cholesterol is associated with cardiovascular disease.
Improved flow of air to the lungs resulting in easier breathing. This has been very helpful to asthma patients.
Younger biological age. On standard measures of aging, long-term Transcendental Meditation (TM) practitioners (more than five years) measured 12 years younger than their chronological age.
Higher levels of DHEAS in the elderly. An additional sign of youthfulness through Transcendental Meditation (TM); lower levels of DHEAS are associated with aging.

Psychological Benefits

Increased brain wave coherence. Harmony of brain wave activity in different parts of the brain is associated with greater creativity, improved moral reasoning, and higher IQ.
Decreased anxiety.
Decreased depression.
Decreased irritability and moodiness.
Improved learning ability and memory.
Increased self-actualization.
Increased feelings of vitality and rejuvenation.
Increased happiness.
Increased emotional stability.

In order to meditate it is essential to shut down the mental “chatter”. Turn off the inner critic, negative thinking and brain chaos and instead allow your mind to quiet and meditate or reflect on God, His mercy, grace, and love. Allow the world around you to disappear for a few moments and totally reflect on Him. Once your mind is stayed on Him the wisdom will flow…

Think about it…doesn’t junk and negativity flow from our mouths when our minds are not on God?

So if you’re not thinking about Him…

Whatcha thinking about?

Love Lee ♥

Why Am I Here?

Jan18

Have you ever wondered, Why am I here…Why am I here on this earth, in this place at this time?

Last Wednesday First Baptist Church Brazoria began learning the music for our annual Passion Play. While all of the music is awesome there was one song that has ministered to me and has answered the question “Why am I Here?”.

As I was driving to work one morning this week, a light bulb went off in my head and I became abundantly aware of why I am here.

I’m here to WORSHIP THE KING!!!

Worship:

Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God-this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is-his good, pleasing and perfect will. For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully. Romans 12:1-8

We are here in this moment for one reason only…It is to WORSHIP THE KING…

Worship The King

by BJ Davis

I bow in rev’rence in the courts of royal majesty. Honoring His presence, I’m here to worship the King. I’m here to worship the King. Blessing and honor and power be to Him alone. Holy, holy, holy, we join the angel’s song. Come, let us worship the Lord, and crown Him Lord of all. Come, let us worship the Lord, and crown Him Lord of all, Lord of all! We join the angel’s song. Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty. I’m here to worship the King. I’m here to worship the King.

Have You Worshiped the King Today?

Love Lee ♥

Cheyenne’s First Basketball Game

Jan15

Up bright and early today…we were headed out to see Cheyenne’s first basketball game. When we arrived she was already out on the court warming up and looked as though she had been playing ball for a good while when in-fact she had only had 2 practices before today’s game.

Upwards Basket ball is an awesome program. The kids not only learn about basketball but Biblical principles as well. The game was started with a word of prayer and during half time a devotion was delivered by the pastor of First Baptist Church of Lake Jackson. After the game the coaches met with the team and issued awards. Cheyenne received the Christlike award…Of all the awards that would be the one I would want!

After the game I so enjoyed watching Tori and Brandi play a game of tetherball…Brandi played her daddy and Michael too. Then Brandi proceeded to the teeter totter…Some kids just never grow up!

Makes a mom proud to see her kids and grandkids enjoying life!

Love Lee ♥

Is the Grass Always Greener

Jan13

How many times have you seen this while driving down the road? That poor cow always trying to get to the grass on the other side of the fence. Aren’t we much like that cow? How often is it we want what we can’t have and pursue it without thought of the consequences?

There is much to be said for finding contentment with what we have rather than always pursuing that which is just out of reach. Oh wait, before you go there…I am all about goals…defining goals, planning a path to reach the goal and celebrating the achievement of goals.

I am not referring to goals…I am referring to the constant state of discontent. Are you always looking for something or someone to make you happy; that perfect job, perfect mate, perfect party, or perfect friend?

…godliness with contentment is great gain. 1 Timothy 6:6

We celebrate being a Christian and being born again…we try to live our lives as Christ would have us live by acting right, talking right, walking right or anything else right…BUT are we content?

Are we content in knowing Jesus is our Lord and Savior and He is in control; that all we have belongs to him and…. all we are is because of him??? Well…we should be…In finding contentment in Jesus all the other “stuff” does not matter!!!

My friend, I am here to tell you…The grass IS NOT always greener on the other side!!! Stop looking for that something or someone to make you happy…Start looking for GOD!

Love Lee ♥

But How Do You Know

Jan12

Recently I was reminded of how not all is as it seems. Just because the clouds are dark and heavy it does not mean the sun is not shining. In fact the sun is shining so bright it is a blinding light. This picture proves my point. At the edge of the clouds…The Sun Is Shining!!!

So things are tough, not enough money, the kids are fighting, no one understands you, jobs got you down, your spouse has left you and you are lonely…Things are gonna get better!!!

I can hear you asking…

But How Do You Know

Well, it is quite simple…God said,

Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you. Isaiah 46:3

When it gets too much to bear…

He will CARRY you
He will SUSTAIN you
He will RESCUE you

He’s got this covered…No matter where you are or what is going on! God is still there whether you can see Him or not just as the sun is there…He’s got this!!!