I have a deep passion and commitment to the ongoing development of spiritually strong and emotionally healthy individuals, marriages, families, leaders and cultures, helping you achieve your God-designed and appointed destiny.
All tagged spiritual growth
Obviously, to say waiting has been a life-long struggle for me, is a grand understatement. It’s as if I’ve placed myself in the position of judge and jury, determining the speed and direction in which everyone or everything around me should move - even God Himself. When non-movement is the perceived response, judgmentalism can ensue, causing me to be frustrated with the world and God alike. Although I am sure there are “groups” for people like me, please tell me I’m not the only one!
I’ve heard it said, by Dr. Henry Cloud, no less, that there are three types of individuals - Wise, Foolish, and Evil. In pondering this concept, I’ve come to a few conclusions.
I killed a snake yesterday. I really did. And it felt great! No one was more shocked than me. Just a month ago, it would have been impossible for me to muster the courage to do such a thing. But yesterday…I mustered. I felt empowered! I was courageous! I was strong and fierce! “Don’t mess with me!” I boldly declared. I certainly unleashed my inner Redneck on him.
My soul is my most precious possession. It belongs to me and only me…unless I decide to give it away. It is then that my soul belongs to whomever or whatever I choose. Only I can make this eternal decision. It is said that your soul is made up of three parts: body, soul and spirit. It is priceless, and along with my heart, it is the greatest commodity that I possess.
We’ve all had prayers that we feel haven’t been answered. I know I have. You may even be in the midst of earnestly praying for something right now, and you’re wondering if God’s even listening. I’ve heard it said that when we are praying to God, there are three possible answers: Yes; No; or Not now. But I believe there’s one more possible answer: “There’s a bigger picture here. Are you willing to trust Me?”
So what’s your “crazy”? If you believe you have no “crazy,” can I respectfully challenge you? All families have it, because we’re human and imperfect. By taking the time to identify the crazy, we can then take it to God, allowing Him to heal and restore – showing and enabling us to live a new and better way. It is then that the power of the past, even if it is that of our great-great-grandparents and beyond, is broken.
Years ago, as a result of what I now identify as a moment of temporary insanity, Stan and I came up with the brilliant idea to get our boys, then three and seven, a dog. Looking back, we had extremely idealistic, even romantic, visions of our boys learning great responsibility, working together and maturing, as they willingly took on the grand responsibility of feeding, walking, loving, and bonding with the little cherub of a pet that would come into our home as the fifth member of the Wilson Household.
Tuesday night I had the opportunity to do one of my favorite things – teach a workshop Biblical Journaling. I can't even describe how my heart dances when I witness others comprehend that they can actually hear from God as they journal and spend time in His Word. I came home excited, fulfilled and encouraged, as 34 men and women gained a greater understanding of how to develop a more intimate relationship with Him, experience true transformation, and learn how to hear His voice. And it all started with our getting honest about the barriers or struggles in this area - things like fear, confusion, apathy, schedules, distractions, TV, social media, discipline, perfectionism, etc. It was awesome to say the least!
Do you ever feel like you have a million things coming at you from a million different directions? You’re that gerbil on a wheel going round and round, faster and faster, and for the life of you, you can’t figure out how to get off. I woke up that way this morning – a bit panicked; a bit tired, and a small piece of me wondering how in the world I was going to straighten all of this out. Between work, church, home, friends, family, aging parents and a 15 year old dog named Lucy who needs our assistance to stand up, there’s just a bit too much to do. And don’t even tell me how many weeks until Thanksgiving or Christmas! Seriously – I automatically translate that into the number of paydays, which causes my insides to flip out, my mind to race, and yes, my toes to tingle. Ugh!
Whenever my breath is taken away by something other than Jesus (definitely not as good of a feeling), it usually involves something that is traumatic, shocking, or out of my control. It can feel much like shock-waves going from the top of my head to my toes, causing my brain to scramble in an effort to figure out what is happing. My toes have even been known to get tingly. I hate that feeling.
Have you ever felt like you’re literally going around in circles, not making any progress? In fact, it seems you keep re-visiting (over and over and over) the same things or issues, without ever arriving at a destination. It can seem like it's "same ol', same ol." It’s frustrating, aggravating and can cause us to abandon hope and loose heart, wondering if God remembers, hears, or sees us at all.
Recently, after praying with a dear friend regarding difficulties in her marriage, I had no sooner said the word, “Amen,” then she replied, “I wish I could pray like that.” Really? I was surprised to hear that, as I felt I had fumbled through the entire prayer, never finding the right words, ultimately limiting my ability to take the proper requests to our Father. On the contrary, I would have guessed that she would have thought my poor attempt at partnering with her in prayer was pretty pathetic, even embarrassing - especially for a pastor.
It’s been said (great sermon, BTW, Stan-my-man) that there are two obstacles that keep us from becoming fully-engaged, fully-devoted followers of Jesus Christ. These two challenges also keep us from fully pursuing and acquiring emotional and spiritual health and freedom. First obstacle – we simply don’t know what to do. Second obstacle – we know what to do, but we don’t do it.
Have you ever been afraid to pray certain prayers? For instance, "God, please make me more patience." That one's a killer! Earlier this Summer, more like late Spring, I came across a portion of scripture that I am sure most of us have read dozens of times, Psalm 51:10-12, "Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit with me.
