Consistency Is Key

I just noticed that I have not written a post since July 1st, and here it is July 11th. OOPS - a little behind the proverbial eight ball! :-) I believe that I will be a better writer if I write a little bit every day (and a WHOLE LOT when preparing a book proposal! :->) No matter what you love to do, practicing each day at your craft will make you more proficient. Consistency. It is the key.

That same thought made me think of my life with Jesus. If I am consistently seeking Him and spending time with Him each day, I will feel closer to Him. Sound easy? It is not, but it is SO worth it! The last few months, I have felt absolutely unorganized and overwhelmed with work deadlines, long commutes, making sure my hubby and stepson are well-loved and taken care of. I am ashamed to say that the Lord has been down around fourth place, and that breaks my heart! I know it breaks His as well. Glynnis Whitwer's book "I Used To Be So Organized" has been invaluable to me because she talks at length about keeping God first in all things. No one can nurture my relationship with Him except for me, so it is my responsibility AND my privilege to sit at His feet and praise Him each day. Lord, how I love You!

Take baby steps toward Christ each day. He cannot wait to meet with you. Consistency. It is the key. You will be glad you did.



Simple Things

It hit 106 degrees in Atlanta this weekend - double YUCK!! I am a Southern girl and do not handle hot temperatures very well. Everything was going along swimmingly until our power went out completely - along with the AIR!! My hubby came back from running errands, and I met him at the door with the lovely news. He had a smile on his face and said the words I love to hear, "Let's just go out!!" YIPPEE!!

We proceeded to enjoy dinner and a movie together. Simple things. Just spending time with my man made me forget about my lack of air conditioning. It also made us think about other things that are equally important - like having fun conversation without our rather large flat screen TV going on in the background. Talking about our favorite ice cream flavors. Wondering if our friends are handling the heat. Holding hands. Eating said ice cream (what good is ice cream if you just talk about it?? :->)

No matter what season you are in, do not forget to enjoy the simple things. And do not forget how much the Lord loves you. Even when it is 106 degrees. And you are sweating. A LOT!! :->

“These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

The Power of Words

I have really been marinating in the power words can have to heal and to hurt. By now, you all have heard about Karen Klein, a lady who is a bus monitor in upstate New York. She is overweight, and a handful of middle schools students on the bus began to rip her apart with their harsh and hateful words. They called her fat, ugly and even had the audacity to say that she was so ugly that her children should just kill themselves. Little did those kids know that one of Mrs. Klein's children had killed himself in the last couple of years.

What on earth possessed those students to say those things to her? I sat there in disbelief as I watched that video on Fox & Friends. Most of it had to be bleeped out because of the students' foul language, but Mrs. Klein's tears were not edited - they were very real.

I was a really sensitive kid in school, and I got teased on the bus. To this day, I can still remember the taunts. I wonder if those kids are thinking about how they made Mrs. Klein feel? Are they sorry? Are they remorseful? I surely hope so.

James 3:5-6 says that "[l]ikewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. ⁶ The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. "

It is amazing to me that our words have the power to make someone smile as well as the power to make someone cry. Our words have the power to encourage as well as the power to discourage. I pray that we are raising a generation of children who will love all people in the name of Jesus.

Words can scar someone for life. They can also heal someone in the midst of their suffering. Let's all keep our tongues in check and remember that old adage, "If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all."  

Greetings!!

Greetings! This ministry has been a lifetime in the making, and the Lord has graciously carved His perfect timing for right now. I am a daughter of our Mighty King, but I spent a huge portion of my life .... about 15 years in fact ... at war with myself. I hated the way I looked, and I thought God had made a huge mistake when He created me. That self-hatred led me into a 10+ year battle with anorexia nervosa. I thought that if I strived to look perfect, to get perfect grades, to dress perfectly - that I would like myself. Unfortunately, all those goals had the opposite effect. Each day, I grew to despise myself all the more. Have any of you felt that way?

Fast forward to now .... I have felt the yearnings of Christ moving in my life to start this ministry so He can reach others through me who are experiencing or who have experienced the same pain that I did. Boy, am I glad that I listened to Him! Jesus is so amazing!

I look forward to hearing from new and old followers alike very soon! Please let me know how I can be in prayer for you.

Remember .... each one of us were created in His perfect image! And God don't make no junk!! :->

Blessings,
Lara