To know Him

This holy week as we prepare in our hearts and minds for Easter, I am thinking of not only what Jesus Christ has saved me from, but what He has saved me for:  His abundant life.

Yes, Jesus rescued me from a life of sin and depravity. Yes, He delivered me from satan’s kingdom of darkness, transferring me into God’s eternal kingdom of Light. Yes, He forgave me of all my wrongs and made me white as snow, in right standing with God.

But even more, Jesus died, was buried, and rose from the grave to give me abundant life. To set me free with His truth. To give me all that God desired for me. To help me become all that God designed me to be from birth, for His glory. 

But most of all, to know Him and love Him.

Do you know Him?

To learn more about Easter and knowing God, tune into my podcast this week, After This:  Resurrection Power.

View this short video clip below of “The Stoning” from Mel Gibson’s The Passion Of the Christ movie (although historically,  Mary Magdalene was not the same woman as the woman caught in adultery).  This movie scene was SO powerful!

After this: Resurrection Power

We as Christians believe that Jesus died on the cross at Calvary so we could be saved from our sins. Yet we often fail to go past this basic foundational truth to grasp the other parts of this picture: His burial (burying the old man) and Jesus’ resurrection POWER which resides INSIDE of us!   Join Beth today as she encourages you to grab hold of ALL that Jesus died, was buried, and was resurrected for to give you – His ABUNDANT LIFE!

Praise report on the car!

Recently I shared the humorous video here with you of our only car smoking from the engine, after breaking down (again!) on the highway on our way to eat out as a family. I told you that I’d soon be sharing the praise report with you of how God answered our prayers for another car. 

After a month of not having a car with Ray having to walk to work a couple of blocks each shift, sometimes in the snow or rain, us looking at different cars, praying much, and waiting on the Lord for a car that we believed we could make payments on, God answered our prayers.  Praise the Lord, we now have a car:  a 2004 Saturn Ion.  Thanks so much to all of of you who prayed for us! 

What is it that you are praying for and believing for?  Remember, God wants to answer YOUR prayers, too.  He hears your voice. To learn more about answered prayer, click here.

“O give thanks to the Lord! Call upon His name; Make known His deeds among the peoples!  Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him; Talk of all His wondrous works!  Glory in His holy name; Let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the Lord!  Seek the Lord and his strength; Seek His face evermore!”  (Psalm 105: 1-4, NKJV)

Here are the pics of  God’s blessing to us:

Making your vision board

Do you have a vision for this year, goals you’re really wanting to achieve? One tool to help you accomplish those goals and dreams is a vision board. This week I came across this idea on the net, and I remembered a friend who had done this.  I was intrigued.  What is interesting about these vision boards is that many times, people who create one accomplish these things on the board within one year of doing it.  Some call it “The Law of Attraction,” others say it’s positive thinking and focus. I just believe it lines up with God’s word! 

Habakkuk 2:2 (The Message) says to write down the vision so that he who reads it may run with it. The Message version of that scripture says, “And then God answered: “Write this. Write what you see. Write it out in big block letters so that it can be read on the run. This vision-message is a witness  pointing to what’s coming. It aches for the coming—it can hardly wait!  And it doesn’t lie. If it seems slow in coming, wait.  It’s on its way. It will come right on time.”

It says write what you SEE.  What do you see for your life? What do you WANT to see?  Dream big - no limits!  With God nothing, nothing, NOTHING is impossible!  (Luke 1:36)

It’s interesting that this version says, “So that it can be read on the run.” Doesn’t that exactly describe today’s busy, hectic society? 

Some people have a certain way they do a vision board. They put a lot of thought and time into it, taking all day to do it – first deciding what it is they really want, who they truly are, who they want to be, and then carefully proceeding so that when they make the board, those things will be drawn into their lives like a magnet.

Although  a vision board will help you to slow down and think about what kind of life you desire to live, setting some concrete goals, I was far more casual with my board.  I wanted to just have FUN with it and get a visual glimpse of my dreams, ambitions, and goals this year!  Think of it as a creative way to capture your dreams on paper (poster board).

You can create your board in whatever way you want, taking as long or as little time as you want and need.  It doesn’t require expensive equipment, and you can make it in a random or an orderly way. This is YOUR board, so let it fit YOU.  It will help you to define your dreams and goals, where you want to be in the year ahead, and will help you to get there by having that vision continually in front of you.

Here is a video of how to make your vision board. Others advise not just rushing in and tearing or cutting out magazine pictures, but really thinking about what’s deep inside of you and what you want first. That might prove helpful for you, but I created mine just this morning without a lot of forethought and am very satisfied with it. It’s now sitting against the wall, where I can glance over at it from my laptop as I work.  I just let the magazine pictures and words speak to my heart as I was working on it, and they even confirmed what was already in my heart to do and to be.  Have fun! I’d love to hear about your vision board, so feel free to comment after this post!

God’s unstoppable power

Do you need a best friend who will be there for you forever?  Have you been praying for something for awhile and haven’t seen any answers? Do you have dreams in your heart but haven’t seen them manifest yet? Has the enemy satan been having a heyday with your life?   Then cling to Jesus!

As we draw nearer to God in prayer and in reading His word each day, we will begin to understand our true identity in Him, tap into our great potential and destiny, and walk in His authority wherever we go.

Your prayers matter. Your prayers make a difference. Your prayers are effective.  With faith and trust in Christ, you will discover GOD’S UNSTOPPABLE POWER in prayer!

God hears your voice. Do not stop praying! 

To learn more about this unstoppable power in prayer, click here for my LIVE recorded audio of my teaching in Phoenix, Arizona, Clinging to Him.

Don’t stop believing

Today’s post is a second guest blog from Jonathan Pearson, an anointed young man whose posts I ran across on Twitter and I asked his permission to use them here at Tablet Of My Heart.  He has deep insights from God’s word that I believe will bless you as they have me.

***

Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. Hebrew 11:1

I’ve heard this verse all my life.
I’ve heard about how we are to live out our faith in our every day lives.
I’ve taught about how God is bigger than your biggest problem.
I’ve seen how God has brought people through tough times in the past.
I know God’s promise that He’ll never leave us for forsake us.
I believe that what God’s done in the past, He can do again.
I’ve witnessed a cancer patient receive the news that their cancer is gone.
I know that God loves His people. 

I’ve come to realize, however, that hearing and believing are easier when they’re not required.

When you have no clue how you’re going to pay the bills.
When you sit up nightly waiting on your wayward teen to come in.
When you get the news that someone you love has only months to live.
When you feel like you’re the only person you know without a child.
When you are tired of getting constantly ask when you’re going to get married.
When what you’re facing seems larger than life.

It’s tough to trust sometimes.
It can be tough to put all of your confidence in something you can’t see.
There’s nothing that anyone can say.
There’s no scripture that you can read.

Sometimes, you just have to hope.
Sometimes, you just have to wait.
Sometimes, you just have to let God prove again that He can do it.

No matter what you’re facing…
Don’t stop believing!
(No, “Hold on to the feeling,” comments please

What are you hanging on to God for today?

***

Jonathan Pearson is a young leader with a heart for people that have never encountered Christ.  His passion is to lead people to live in their full potential, in Christ.  He graduated from Charleston Southern University in December 2009  and married the love of his life a week later. They moved to a small town outside of Orangeburg, S.C. to serve some amazing people. In his spare time, you will find Jonathan watching sports, talking about sports, or doing anything with sports. 

His blog is designed with the common person in mind, and his desire is that people learn from each other as they seek to become common people of uncommon faith. For specific questions, you can contact Jonathan via email at JonathanFPearson@gmail.com. You can also connect with him on Facebook, Twitter, Vimeo, and Flickr. You can read the above orginal post at http://www.jonathanpearson.net/2010/01/dont-stop-believing.html.

Red Sea moments

Today’s and tomorrow’s posts are guest blogs from Jonathan Pearson, an anointed young man whose posts I ran across on Twitter and I asked his permission to use here at Tablet Of My Heart.  He has deep insights from God’s word that I believe will bless you as they have me.

***

Life hurts.

It often seems like life is a series of unfortunate events.
When you think you’ve found the conclusion to one problem, two more pop up.
When you think you’ve survived one storm, another is on the horizon.

When you feel you’re growing, something tries to tear you down.
When you think you’re doing right, something goes wrong.
When you follow the rules, someone that isn’t reaps the benefits.

Life hurts.

It has since Adam and Eve in the Garden.
The Old Testament is filled with “Life hurts” kind of stories.

But also…

Life comforts.

Sometimes, life does have it’s highs.
Sometimes, we feel like we’re exactly where we were meant to be.
Sometimes, we find the good in difficult circumstances.
Sometimes, God does the unimaginable in what seems like the inescapable.
Sometimes, God parts the seas and allows us to walk through on dry land.
Sometimes, God drowns the enemy that has pursued us.

We all have those “Red Sea” moments in our life.
It’s these moments that we must remember when we’re facing a “Life hurts” moment.
You’ve always made it through.

Life hurts.

But, God has been faithful in the past.
He’s never let you slip away.

Remember the Red Sea moments.

***
Jonathan Pearson is a young leader with a heart for people that have never encountered Christ.  His passion is to lead people to live in their full potential, in Christ.  He graduated from Charleston Southern University in December 2009  and married the love of his life a week later. They moved to a small town outside of Orangeburg, S.C. to serve some amazing people. In his spare time, you will find Jonathan watching sports, talking about sports, or doing anything with sports. 

His blog is designed with the common person in mind, and his desire is that people learn from each other as they seek to become common people of uncommon faith. For specific questions, you can contact Jonathan via email at JonathanFPearson@gmail.com. You can also connect with him on Facebook, Twitter, Vimeo, and Flickr. You can find the above original post at http://www.jonathanpearson.net/2010/01/red-sea-moments.html.

One at a time

Yesterday I finished the last class of my 2010 Spring Clean Your Business coaching class with Cindy Rushton, and learned, among many other wonderful things, that in order to get to where we as writers and speakers desire to be, we need to take one step at a time. Reaching for those goals by accomplishing our to-do lists. Pushing through every obstacle to the finish line.  When one task is done, going to the next priority A thing, not losing any momentum.  Doing and becoming what God has called us to do and to be for His glory.

Today my daughter Leah and I made home-made pancakes. Since this was not a boxed pancake recipe, we had to carefully measure each ingredient: the flour, sugar, milk, vanilla, egg yolks and egg whites (separated), salt, and baking powder. If we stirred the mixture too much, the baking powder wouldn’t react correctly. The pancakes with butter and raspberry syrup turned out delicious. To cook the pancakes though, we had to take one ingredient at a time.

In life sometimes things happen that we don’t understand, or we have prayed and nothing seems to be happening. Has God gone on vacation? Is He chatting with or texting someone else on His giant Iphone?  We as humans with our finite minds just don’t get everything that God is doing. Maybe we never will fully understand God and His ways, which are so much higher than our ways. But we must learn to trust Him and to obey Him.

We get through the dark valleys and climb the mountains of glory in life one simple way:  we take every moment, every day, every situation, one prayer at a time.

God hears your voice. Don’t stop praying.

“Everything in the world is about to be wrapped up, so take nothing for granted. Stay wide-awake in prayer. Most of all, love each other as if your life depended on it. Love makes up for practically anything. Be quick to give a meal to the hungry, a bed to the homeless—cheerfully. Be generous with the different things God gave you, passing them around so all get in on it: if words, let it be God’s words; if help, let it be God’s hearty help. That way, God’s bright presence will be evident in everything through Jesus, and he’ll get all the credit as the One mighty in everything—encores to the end of time. Oh, yes!” (1 Peter 4:7, The Message)

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Did you enjoy this post by Beth?  Learn more about prayer here.

Serendipity

Sometimes you are just having an ordinary day when suddenly – serendipity.  In simplest terms, “serendipity” means “a pleasant surprise.”  Today when the last class of my 2010 Spring Clean Your Business coaching program with Cindy Rushton was finished (her coaching programs are awesome), I went to check my email and discovered that I had been nominated for a blog award!  Since I’ve received only one other award in my whole life (for my Toastmasters’ speech contest), I was excited about this. (Yes, I know, I need more of a life, lol.)  

My blog was nominated for the “Beautiful Blogger Award” and “One Lovely Blogger Award” by Alex Headrick. You will have to check out her blog Journey To Beauty, on finding your true freedom, identity, and joy in God.

Here are the rules for the “Beautiful Blogger Award” and “One Lovely Blog Award”:

The  best part about it is that this award is meant to be passed on. Thank and link to the person that gave you the award. A big thanks, Alex!  Pass this award on to 15 fantastic bloggers you’ve recently discovered. Contact the Bloggers and let them know they’ve won. State 7 things about yourself for all to see. Here are mine:

1.  I passionately love Jesus and my family.

2.  Traveling is one of my favorite things to do. I want to travel to every continent, many times in my lifetime. A short-term missions trip to Africa is very much on my heart right now.

3.  Chocolate, new shoes, and Sharpie ultra-fine pens just make life so much better.

4.  I hate being hot. So why do I want to do # 2? (go to Africa?)

5.  In social situations I am quiet and shy until you get to know me a little – then you can’t get me to shut up!  (Just ask Ray.)

6.  It’d be fun to meet my website’s (female!) readers and listeners in real life at Starbucks one day.

7.  This is the year for us to reach our goals and see our dreams come true! God is the dream-giver and dream-fulfiller.

Your precious value

Do you know your priceless value?

Matthew 6:26 says that God feeds the birds of the air, and how much more value we His children have. You and I are very precious to God. 

Here’s a short video clip of the snow here in Missouri and the birds eating from our neighbor Leetha’s feeder.

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