Authentically YOU!

I try to live my life as genuinely and transparently as I can. I have made some mistakes like making hurtful comments or making the wrong decision in a situation. One thing I try to always do, though, is to never apologize for trying and for being who I am. 

As many of you know, I have a twin sister. She is the one who tells someone of their wrongs in such a loving way that they embrace being told of their mistakes or wrongs. I'm different than my sister. When I tell someone about something they did wrong, I am blunt and to the point. It's not that I don't want to explain or counsel them in their wrongs in love, like my sister. It's that I prefer to acknowledge the error and move on. It's just who I am. Can anyone else relate to me?

When my sister and I were 12, our parents got divorced. We grew up carrying a house key around our necks while our mom worked outside the home. We remember various aspects of our life at that time in different ways. Certain things impacted us differently and I believe shaped who we are today. Now, my sister is a teacher at an international school in Poland, and I am a public affairs specialist in a national youth organization. 

See, the point here is that no matter where you came from, you can go in any direction in life that you choose and that the Lord leads you to! This is one of my favorite quotes from Walt Disney right now:

The adventure and journey of life is unique for each of us, even twins. We must be willing to be authentic, genuine, and who we are on our journeys. No one else can do the things we can in the way that we can, and that is why God made us each so unique!

Care to share your story of being authentic and genuine? I'd love to hear! 


Lyn~
Come for the journey, stay for the friendship!

Seek the Lord...in Serving My Family!

 I am a writer.  I am also a mother, a home educator, a blogger, a public affairs specialist, a wife, and a homemaker.  I enjoy telling others about Jesus and sharing the love of the Lord with the lost, unsaved and unbelievers.  When I started my blog, I thought it would be relatively simple to write a quick paragraph or two about life lessons the Lord was showing me each day, or, at the very least, each week!  What really happens is that I find myself often spread too thin to concentrate on my blog or my writing or my lesson plans for the week or my contact calls for those in the youth organization I work with or to be the wife and mother my family needs me to be. 

This week, I am working on prioritizing my work.  Everything I do this week will be with my family in mind first, and the work will be done to the best of my ability as unto the Lord.  I've been reading Darlene Schacht's book, "The Good Wife's Guide" and have been so inspired to seek the Lord in serving my family.  Whether we work outside the home or not, God has called wives and mothers to certain roles within their family, and we need to realize our jobs once again.  

      One of my favorite verses is Proverbs 32 (Kerri Pomaroli)..."She rises late and her children make her breakfast!"  The reality is, there IS no Proverbs 32.  And you and I have been commissioned by the Lord to be diligent in all we do.  We can take on as many tasks as we want, but if it's not what the Lord would have us do, we're going to burn out quickly and accomplish little in the things He has called us to do.

   Read Proverbs 31 and Titus 2 this week.  Don't be intimidated that you aren't out making clothes and buying land and guiding older moms into lives of reverence.  Concentrate on the last part of each scripture...Her children respect and bless her; her husband joins in with words of praise:

As wives and mothers, we owe it not only to our families but to our Heavenly Father to do the best work we can and not take on more than we can successfully complete with a degree of excellence and completeness.  What will you do this week for your family?  What will you do for the Lord that will allow you to humbly work with the best job you can do? I'd love for you to share!


Lyn~
Come for the journey, stay for the friendship!

Seek First...

I am a people pleaser. I hate to let people down, and I don't like to say I can't do something for someone when I'm asked. This leads to increased stress for me because I'm not putting first things first. Can you relate? So how do we get around this people-pleasing mentality? We turn to the Word!

First, we can meditate on those Scriptures that remind us of the benefits of putting the Lord first in all that we do. I've listed some here:

Next, ask yourself if doing that thing, whether it's driving someone to appointments or organizing an event for a particular group, etc., is moving you toward your goals. Now, I don't mean to say that you would tell a friend you can't drive them somewhere because it doesn't align with your overall vision and goals! Surely, I'm not suggesting that! 
I want you to think if the investment of time in those things that will occur on a regular basis fits in with that. For example, I do well with the details of my organization's annual banquet such as planning the opening ceremony, the guest speaker, and the course of events throughout the night. I don't do well, however, with the planning of the food, drinks, and desserts. So in this case, I have no problem saying I will help with this, but not with that. And you can have that same ease of saying 'no' in similar situations.

Finally, remember to take care of yourself before you agree to take on more tasks. You've no doubt heard 'you can't pour from an empty cup.' It's true! Before you make a commitment to make breakfast for everyone in the church on Easter Sunday or to drive a group of teens to weekly sports events or even to host a weekly coffee group, ask yourself if taking on these tasks is because you don't want to let someone else down or because it fits into your overall goals.

Are you a people-pleaser, too? What are some ways that you overcome the fear of letting others down? I'd love for you to share!


Lyn~
Come for the journey, stay for the friendship!

Self-imposed Curse

A little over a year ago, I began a wonderful weight loss journey! I've learned many things about choosing healthier options in food to the importance of moving or working out regularly. On this journey, however, I struggled with meeting a goal I had set for myself. I'm all about creating goals or deadlines and rewarding yourself for the progress you've made toward achieving goals, so this was big for me. The trouble began for me, though, when I failed to meet that goal.

As many of you know, I am a frequent listener and reader of books by the late Derek Prince. In his book, "Blessing or Curse: You Can Choose," he talks about self-imposed curses, things we speak but don't realize the power our words have. Well, when I failed to meet that goal, I also failed to get the reward I had promised myself. What I didn't realize until recently was that I had actually released a sort of curse over my life. 

I had agreed that once I met this particular goal I would get a haircut. You may think that is such a little thing, but oh! The affect this choice has had on my life in the last year! A little background for you...
I prefer my hair short. Some may say 'short and sassy,' even, but it's just the look I've preferred for years now. Well, when I set the goal, I expected I would be getting my hair cut in a couple of months. That turned into over a year now. And what has also transpired is that I have lost the motivation to ever accomplish that one portion of my overall goal. I changed the approach to my health and fitness journey in an attempt to jump start my passion again, but lost valuable support along the way. On top of that, I've gained back the weight I had lost! All of this, I believe, is because of the decision in January 2018 to not cut my hair until I reached that goal.

Friends, if you've made a decision like this or any decision that you feel has begun to hold you back I have good news for you! You can stop, change your mind, and get back on the right track once again. You can break that thing that is holding you captive or in bondage! 

Pray this prayer with me:

"Lord Jesus, I believe that on the cross You took on Yourself every curse that could ever come upon me. So I ask You now to release me from every curse over my life--in Your name, Lord Jesus Christ! By faith, I now receive my release and I thank You for it!" (Prayer by Derek Prince, "Blessing or Curse: You Can Choose")

Believe you have received and walk in the blessing of the Lord!


~Lyn
Come for the journey, stay for the friendship!

One Word Check-Up

I thought today we could reflect on the impact of the One Word we've each chosen for 2019! Are you seeing some areas in your life where your word has seemed to help focus or direct you? Do you feel as though you might have chosen the wrong word for the year? Don't worry if either of these questions fit your answer! Both are expected at this stage of the year! You're not crazy, weird, or odd.

So let's address the second question first. You chose a word that you felt passionate about, even believed the Lord had handpicked that word just for you. But now, two months into the year, you haven't seen anything close to that word in, on, or anywhere near your life! Maybe I chose the wrong word! Relax, friend. You are probably doing everything right, but Satan is fighting you every step of the way! That's okay! Simply confirmation you're going in the correct direction! Take out a map (or use Google Maps!) and see how far it is to the opposite side of the country that you live in. For me, I'll choose North Carolina because I live in Colorado. Now, if we look at that map, how do we decide which direction to take? Maybe we choose the fastest way, maybe the one with no toll roads, or maybe the most scenic! The point is, there are many different ways to get there, right? And each one is the right way.

As for the first question, that is also something people experience. And it's not because everything is going well now but the bottom is going to fall out soon. I used to think that! No, instead, it's that we are so focused on the Word of God that the One Word we chose for the year has aligned with our faith and the Scriptures.

Think of it this way...a person is ill. The congregation or prayer team comes together to pray for healing for that person. A miracle happens, and the person recovers quickly. Yet another person is ill, the person has others praying for recovery, but that person decides to go to the doctor and receives medication to treat the illness, and he or she recovers. Just as no two healings are the same, neither are the way situations play out in our lives.

Let's consider the battles the Lord won on Earth for His people. The Lord destroyed the Egyptians with the 10 plagues. David overcame Goliath with one little stone propelled by the Lord and David's action and faith. David and three mighty men who were with him defeated the Philistines
The king of Syria tried to make war against Israel, but could not prevail against it. There are so many stories of how the Lord fought on behalf of Israel and caused the people to be victorious, and there are many ways that happened.

Sister, don't be defeated and quit! Hang in there either way! Your One Word is on a trajectory to propel you farther and further for the Kingdom of God!

How is your One Word coming this year? I'd love for you to share!


~Lyn
Come for the journey, stay for the friendship!

A Lasting Impression

As homeschoolers, we are always on the watch for things to enrich our children's life-learning experience. In 2009, we found a wonderful supplemental school not too far from our hometown where our children could attend one day a week classes with their peers. It was a Divine appointment to be joined with this school, and our five children began to thrive in this new environment. In 2016, we decided to have our three remaining homeschooled children take a break from this school. We left on good grounds with the wonderful staff of people we consider friends.

As our two youngest began to approach their final years in high school, they longed to attend the supplemental school once more. I met with one of our friends and she told us about the upcoming registration for the next school year and the new family meeting that would also be taking place soon after. I signed my kids up for the lottery process of getting chosen to attend the school and we attended the meeting a couple of weeks ago.

What was so impressive to me was that the coordinator told me we really didn't have to come down for the meeting. In fact, she exclaimed, "You could probably GIVE the meeting!" Well, there had been a few upgrades to the facility, so my kids and I were eager to see those. After we toured the building and reveled in the beauty of this new annex, we met with the center director. I wanted to know if I should be planning NOW for my kids to return in the Fall or if I would have to wait until we might be called up through a lottery system. The coordinator said, "Oh, your kids are in! No problem!" My kids smiled, and I knew then that we had made the right decision to return for the next school year. I am certain that the favor of the Lord was with us that night!

Do you have a story to share of the Lord's favor on your life? I'd love for you to share it!


~Lyn
Come for the journey, stay for the friendship!