This week I am most thankful for the opportunity to be a part of the Gratitude Community on Multitude Monday. This process has been healing.

61. Friends who care enough to just let you cry.

62. Laughter. Ok, I have listed this one before, but there are so many types from so many peeps, it just keeps coming up.

63. A spectactularly splendiferous husband, who truly does love me no matter what.

64. Sunshine on a cold day.

65. Dead plumage.

66. Nature outside my window.

67. The chance to always have another chance.

68.Smiles.

69. The happiness I received when a friend’s son invited me to hug him, not once, not twice, but three times.

70. Transportation.

71. Foam hockey pucks.

72. Finger prints of the windows and walls.

73. Open windows.

74. Time.

75. Dinner with extended family.

76. Weeds.

77. The opportunity to be chosen to watch my children grow.

78. The ability to recognize when I am not thankful.

79. Pencils.

80. Opportunities.

Take a moment to be a part of the Gratitude Community, even if just by reading others lists. Learn more by visiting the Gratitude Community by clicking here.

Each of us has gifts from God; some revealed some yet to be revealed. We recognize these gifts as we deepen our relationship with Christ and His timing is right. Yet having gifts does not mean we are without weakness.

And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.  ~2 Corinthians 12:9

This passage affirms that each of us is weak. It is in our weakness that we can more easily struggle with our faith. What is weakness? It is anything that creates a malfunction. Our weaknesses are the areas in which we are feeble and frail; unable to move forward without help. No matter what our weakness, it has a serious impact on our ability to handle the conflicts and trials in our lives. It is this that can test our faith like no other.

There have been conversations with friends during intense trials in my life when I have been asked, “How can you handle all this and still be so smiley?” The facts of those times were that I was not happy as in, “Wahoo! I just love when my life is tanking!” I had faith that God was in control and would not allow me to be captured and subdued by the enemy; in that I could find peaceful joy.

Weakness is a part of the musical score of our lives. You see our weakness forms the framework or music hall for a grand performance of divine power. Without weakness we would be without a place to demonstrate God’s awesome grace and mercy in our lives and we would not know how to pray, come before Him, or present ourselves for transformation; all essential instruments in the orchestra. Paul is a wonderful example of how easily we can misdirect our prayers, even though we have a working relationship with God. At times he didn’t know how to pray because he was “fighting” God’s will by asking for his affliction to be removed. He wasn’t thinking about the big picture of God’s ultimate plan to use his affliction for a strong example of His power. I can relate to this, because this has been true for me at different seasons of my life as well.

What I have come to realize is that our weakness is our humanity. We are completely weak. The strength we receive comes from accepting our humanity and asking God to transfer His strength and character traits that we need to handle it. When we choose to let God be the conductor, the notes we play with the instruments He gives us are not only harmonious, but others are drawn to it, giving us the opportunity to return the glory of our lives to Him with our living testimonies.

So dear friends, do you know what this means for us? We are not perfect, and for good reason. We can now say, “Sayonara!” to Super Woman, Super Wife, and Super Mom, because God doesn’t want us to be them! Those self-reliant women are not daughters of the King. We, in all our weaknesses are.

Let’s Dance!

We are working behind the scenes (technical issues) here at Simple Journey Ministries. We will be back up and running in full mode shortly. Thank you for your patience.

There are books in my life that carry so much impact on my thought process so that I am compelled to read them again and again; each time extracting new gems of information that I did not see before. You likely have had much the same experience with the Bible over the years. I am fascinated by the workings of the human mind, and then must remind myself that that Holy Spirit gives us the “eyes” to see what the Lord wants us to see at the most appropriate times in our lives. This has been proven to me time and time again, and most recently with a wonderful quote from C.S. Lewis’s Mere Christianity.

There are also occasions on which a mother’s love for her own children or a man’s love for his own country have to be suppressed or they will lead to unfairness towards other people’s children or countries.

Oh how clearly this rang in my bell tower of a brain. As mothers, we are very quick to speak of our children and to our children in front of others without thinking about those we are speaking with or who may be listening. How easily we ourselves can begin negative internal thinking by the mere sight of another woman. We compare ourselves in a way that is not Godly. How many times have you begun to feel inadequate as a parent when in a conversation with another parent about your children? A mother speaking of how well her children spell, how respectful they are with adults, their self-motivation and drive to progress in certain areas, or about a specific talent which the child excels in. Phew! Any of those can send my mind into overdrive.

It is important for us, as mothers, to keep our mind focused on God’s will for our lives, including our mothering. Each one of us was specifically chosen to be the mother of each of our children. God handpicked us for a purpose; His purpose. If a child grows to become a Senator, professor, scientist, pastor, professional sports player, infamous journalist, etc, it will mean absolutely nothing if he/she is not a good Godly Christian. One aspect of that is watching what and how we speak around others. Let us watch our words so that we do not crush the spirit of those parents or children around us in the process of discussing our own child’s blessings.

C.S. Lewis gives an excellent illustration of just how individual each person’s walk with the Lord is and how God’s timing in each life is everything.

Strictly speaking, there are no such things as good and bad impulses. Think once again of a piano. It has got two kinds of notes on it, the ‘right’ notes and the ‘wrong’ ones. Every single note is right at one time and wrong at another…

What a wonderful illustration that each choice and consequence set before us and our children can be the right one, if “played” at the right time; God’s time. It all comes down to our motivation of why we are communicating certain things. When we stop and think of how we are speaking about our children to others, we can have an awesome impact on others. We present the opportunity for others to see our living testimony and be uplifted for His glory when we are careful with how we commnicate about our children. At the very same time we are giving our children an awesome and real life example of how to communicate with others in an edifying manner. Appropriateness is a essential to relationships.

Verses for Meditation:

Ephesians 4:16

Ephesians 4:29

You find out there is a toddler playgroup that meets in your town at a local park one day per week. After a little thought, you decide you will head over there to see what it’s all about. The kids are dressed and excited to run around and climb. You grab a couple bottles of water, shove them in your bag, snap the kids in their car seats, and out the driveway you roll.

Upon arriving at the playground, you notice several minivans and lots of children running around. You hop out, unbuckle the kids, grab your bag and head on over. You are warmly greeted by other moms and you begin to chatter about many different topics. At the end of the day, you have exchanged phone numbers and emails with some other moms. One mom seems as if she would be a good match for your family. Her kids are the same ages as yours and you found yourself engrossed in conversation with her more than any other mom.

Fast forward 2 months. You have been spending a lot of time with your new friend and her children. There are a few things that she and her children have said that really irk you. No matter the topic, you find that she always has something to say that leaves you feeling low. Her children regularly make remarks to your children that imply your children are not as good as they are. Now what?

We have all had people in our lives that seem as though they might be people that you want to spend time with, only to find out that they are a little different than what we originally thought. A way to avoid getting caught up emotionally is to take time to get to know people before you plow full force into a friendship. Over time, people will reveal themselves. Upon first meeting people put their best foot forward. But this puffed up personality type is extremely difficult to navigate. God gives us excellent guidance to evaluate people over time.

“So that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men (human philosophy), but in the power of God.”  ~1 Corinthians 2:5 AMP

This verse instructs us to bring everything to God and to rely on His wisdom instead of the wisdom of men. By taking a slow path towards friendship and truly getting to know someone is an example of applying God’s principles in your life (wisdom) instead of man’s emotion lead actions.

But how do we get to know someone? How do we take the slow path to friendship? How do we discern whether or not to let someone in to our lives? I am a woman who likes everyone. I rarely have come across a person who just makes me want to run in the opposite direction. I enjoy different personality types. However, I allowed myself to fall into the above type of situation several times. As I have worked with God on helping me to me more discerning to eliminate the fall out that typically comes after the realization that a person may not be a good fit for me, I have learned something very valuable; proceed with caution, ask questions, and good discernment comes over time.

Before rushing in to embrace that new co-worker, potential boyfriend, friend, or neighbor, take a breath and allow yourself time to observe. Examine words, responses, and actions in various situations. You cannot do this in the first few meetings or play dates. Take the opportunity to view how the person interacts with others. How does she handle confrontation? Is she approachable? Does she listen? Is she able to admit when she is wrong? Is she gracious and accepting that others may live life differently? When a conflict arises, how does she handle it? If family members are involved in the potential relationship, you will want to observe and ask these same types of questions about them over time as well. If you are unclear as to how she handled something, her views on a topic, or how she responded to a specific situation, ask clarifying questions.

If you take time to prayerfully evaluate people as they come into your life using God’s principles, you will find that the above situations occur much less frequently. Others may be evaluating you in the same way, so don’t be offended if someone takes her time to get to know you in a slow manner. Don’t forget that your children are watching you. As they observe how you make friends, they will do the same.

These are my thoughts.

G U I D A N C E

I received this email yesterday that was a perfect fit for our theme this year. The email didn’t credit the poem or the image to anyone, so to whomever put this all together, thank you! I pray this encourages you today.

Dancing With God

When I meditated on the word  Guidance,
I kept seeing “dance” at the end of the word.
I remember reading that doing God’s will is a lot like dancing.
When two people try to lead, nothing feels right.
The movement doesn’t flow with the music,
And everything is quite uncomfortable and jerky.
When one person realizes that, and lets the other lead,
Both bodies begin to flow with the music.
One gives gentle cues, perhaps with a nudge to the back
Or by pressing Lightly in one direction or another.
It’s as if two become one body, moving beautifully.
The dance takes surrender, willingness,
And attentiveness from one person
And gentle guidance and skill from the other.
My eyes drew back to the word  Guidance.
When I saw “G”: I thought of God, followed by “u” and “I”.
“God, “u” and “I” dance.”
God, you, and I dance.
As I lowered my head, I became willing to trust
That I would get  guidance about my life.
Once again, I became willing to let God lead.
My prayer for you today is that God’s blessings
And mercies are upon you on this day and everyday.
May you abide in God, as God abides in you.
Dance together with God, trusting God to lead
And to guide you through each season of your life.
This prayer is powerful and there is nothing attached.
If God has done anything for  you in your life,
Please share this message with someone else.
There is no cost but a lot of rewards;
So let’s continue to pray for one another.

I hope you Dance in Your Salvation!

Words of Wisdom

As wives and mothers we are called to use wisdom daily. How we handle trials and affliction is a model to our children, husbands, extended family, brothers and sisters in Christ, friends, and neighbors. This requires wisdom. The methods we choose to manage our time, money, and resources require wisdom. The manner in which we care for ourselves and our family members requires wisdom. The training of our children, you guessed it, requires wisdom. Every aspect of every moment of every one of our days is an opportunity for us to use spiritual wisdom. But how can we be confident we are genuinely using Godly wisdom?

Before we can begin to formulate an answer to that question we need to have a working definition of wisdom. Basic definitions of the word wisdom are astuteness, clear thinking, balance, discernment, judgment, and knowledge. A working Biblical definition is prayer + knowledge + application = wisdom. Knowledge, in this formula, is the study of the word plus the guidance and revealing thoughts the Holy Spirits gives to us. If you look at the original dictionary definitions, you can see that the defining words are decisively integral parts of the Biblical process to gaining Godly wisdom. When we engage God in this process in regards to our calling as women decision making becomes a more flowing and effortless task. In other words, it is easier to make decisions, the process becomes more expedient for us, and we ultimately make better decisions.

Yes, we need to use wisdom everyday to make good decisions. However, wisdom is one fundmental key to our transformation into Christ likeness. We could say that using wisdom in our everyday lives is doing the right thing at the right time to achieve the right outcome; God’s outcome. Won’t you take time with me this week to seek God and specifically ask for nourishment and cues in using His words of wisdom to procure your calling as a woman according to God’s will?

Verses to meditate on:

• 1 John 5:14 
• Ephesians 4:23-24 
• Proverbs 2:1-6
• Proverbs 2:9-11

Something exciting is about to begin! I have been waiting to tell you all about the new club being formed over at the Girl’s Gathering Place. Now, I have been given the go ahead to do just that. So, read on and find out what all the chatter is about! You are going to be as excited as we are.

First of All

• We hope you and yours enjoyed the recent holiday season! It is so great to connect with you again!

Thank YOU!

• For your responses to our survey. They were instrumental in helping us pray for God’s will to serve your specific needs.

THE REVEAL—So What Exactly Is Happening at the Girl’s Gathering Place in 2010?

• Drum roll please!

• A TALKING BOOK CLUB!

What Book Are We Going to Read?

• Ready for a makeover—a character makeover? That’s what our book, Character Makeover, written by Katie Brazelton and Shelly Leith is all about.  
• Together we will explore 8 character qualities: humility, confidence, courage, self-control, patience, contentment, generosity, and perseverance.
• We will discover how to join God in this collaborative effect of our character makeover journey…our goal is to become more and more Christlike!
• Want to buy a copy on-line? Click the link of your choice in the side-bar of the blog

Want to Get a F.R.E.E. copy of Character Makeover?

• We are giving away TWO F.R.E.E. COPIES OF CHARACTER MAKEOVER

• Enter your name in the draw by filling out the TALKING BOOK CLUB form at the top of this blog BEFORE MIDNIGHT ON MONDAY JANUARY 25.

• Winner will be announced on Tuesday January 26!

When is the Talking Book Club?

• Each Monday for 8 weeks, beginning February 1, a new 30 minute podcast will be available over at the Girl’s Gathering Place Talk Shoe page. Listen in as Leslie and Kathy talk about the current week’s chapter and share what God is doing in their personal character makeover journey.

• Each day, Monday to Friday, we ( Leslie and Kathy) will be posting on our blog about our own character makeover stories as well as things we are learning from the book.

• On the 9th week, we will be doing our Talk Shoe call LIVE! We are inviting you to not only join us, but tell us some of your character makeover stories—a second big reveal of how God been changing your life. We can’t wait to hear them!

How Will It Work?

• We fit into your unique schedule! No more travelling to a specific location at a specific time to participate in a book club!

• Just download the audios from our page at Talk Shoe directly onto your mp3 player.

• Do you use iTunes? One click on the iTunes button will ensure that all Talking Book Club podcasts automatically update automatically and download every time you open your iTunes.

• Start listening today. Our Talking Book Club introduction podcast is over at Talk Shoe ready for you to listen to right now!

What Does It Cost?

• Besides the cost of your own book, it’s absolutely F.R.E.E.

• Just a reminder: you’ll find links to purchase Character Makeover on-line are on the side-bar of the blog.

So, that’s what’s happening at the Girl’s Gathering Place! Can you tell we are excited? Be sure to fill out the form before midnight on Monday January 25th for a chance to win your own copy of Character Makeover.  

I can’t wait for February 1 to begin this makeover journey with you!  ~Leslie

A Multitude of Gifts: The Gratitude Community

As I have been sharing here the vision God has given me for bringing us all together to dance in our salvation there has been a prodding on my heart to share all of the abundant blessings in my personal life. Acknowledging these blessings, both minute and colossal, is a way to exalt my dance to His glory. One of my all time favorite blogs is A Holy Experience by Ann Vos Camp. She offers a community for anyone to record, along with her, the endless and bountiful gifts God bestows in our lives. As I continue to record these with The Gratitude Community on Multitude Monday, I am certain my dance will be evermore uplifting. Taking time for reflection of the gifts of this past week, I began to realize that when I pray daily, I often pay no attention to some of the most valuable daily blessings.

1.      A few moments for my brain to adjust when my peepers first open each new day.

2.      No a/c.

3.      God having placed friends in my life who are deep enough on their own journey to call me on the carpet, gently.

4.      Magnets.

5.      The ability to read fluently.

6.      Having a laundry line AND a dryer.

7.      Electricity in my home.

8.      Choices.

9.      God’s promises.

10.  A Father who demonstrates unconditional love to perfection.

11.  A husband designed specifically for me.

12.  Soft breezes in the sunshine.

13.  Shoes…and several pairs of them.

14.  My utter and complete awe at God’s creations. So, complex, yet so simple.

15.  Photographs.

Learn more about The Gratitude Community and those involved by visiting the website.

Have you ever had a situation present itself that has your inside tangled in knots that a sailor could not untie? Are you facing a plight that is requiring you to make decisions that may not be widely accepted by others? Are you experiencing apprehension as you find yourself being transformed and wondering about the reaction of others? Do you desire to deepen your walk with the Lord, but have the world standing in your way? Me too!

Over the Christmas season I spent much time studying Mary. I have read her story many times over the years. I have seen her portrayed in several movies. Yet, somehow I missed truly putting myself in her position and digesting what she unquestionably went through. When Mary was faced with accepting that she was impregnated and yet was still a virgin, the magnitude of the situation must have been one of the most gut wrenching times in her life; at least initially. Picture yourself having to tell your fiancé that you are pregnant even though you have not been intimate. Imagine how intensely the anxiety must have been compounded by the fact that you have been given a message from an angel that you are carrying the son of God. Hello? Anyone else see that at any time in the past, present, or future, this may have seemed insurmountable?

Mary must have experienced a lot of anxiety about having to not only explain this to her fiancé, but her family as well. The eyes of her neighbors heavy upon her as she went about each day. The snickers and not so silent chatter gossip swirling around her, as though she were standing in the eye of a tornado. The stress of knowing that her fiancé was experiencing pressure and ridicule as well. WOW! Nevertheless, she stood on her faith. She went about her life knowing that she was in submission to God. I have to say it again; WOW! Moreover, she was able to praise, give thanks, and glorify Him for her life and purpose.

“My soul glorifies the Lord!” Luke 1:46

Amazing! Fascinating! Shocking! Incredible! Mary was faced, as a teen, with a situation that could be thought of as insurmountable. I have attempted to put myself in her shoes several times and know that I would not have chosen to conduct myself, let alone submit myself, so fully…especially in my teen years! Mary chose her Lord as her protector even though she was faced with disownment, abandonment, and stoning; complete trust. She exceeded this as she praised and thanked God for her position. One more time; WOW!

As I convened with God over the last several weeks, I found myself devoting time for praise and thanksgiving in connection with my life purpose as He sees it; putting His hands on the wheel again and again. This emanated into the Holy Spirit gifting me with my theme for 2010, Dancing in Your Salvation. Throughout this year I am praying that God will continue to encourage and inspire me to put forth His message that no matter what position we are in, regardless of the situations that we will face, we can rest in Him if we will only allow ourselves this luxury. Instead of dancing with the stars, we will be dancing with the creator of them! Won’t you dance with me?