why worry?

Andy Stanley just finished a 3 part series called, "Why Worry?" He said, “Today’s worries often wipe out God’s past faithfulness.” This statement struck me and I asked myself this question, Where, when and how has God has been faithful to me in the past? It was an amazing exercise that led to great worship:

1. He has protected me from unhealthy, dead end relationships that could have resulted in marriages doomed for failure.
2. Can we get candid? He has spared me from physical abuse, unwanted pregnancies and STD's. Thank You, Jesus.
3. He has restored and renewed in me a new love and desire for a personal relationship with Him.
4. He has redeemed me from the pit of depression and rebellion.
5. He has saved me and promised me eternal life with Him in heaven.
6. He has given me second, third, and millionth chances.
7. He has replaced the father who abandoned me with 3 amazing and godly stand-in fathers: Uncle John, my step-dad, and
my sister's father-in-law.
8. He has brought women into my life who love me unconditionally, speak truth into my life, and hold me accountable on a
daily basis.
9. He has been faithful in His provisions in helping me get completely out of debt in 2/2008.
10. He strategically placed me in a family who loves the Lord their God with all their hearts, souls, and minds.
11. He brought me to NPCC in 10/2003 and provided a job within the first week of arriving.
12. He has provided abundantly above all I could ever ask or imagine without full-time work for the past 7 months.
13. He has brought a new and exciting opportunity into my life recently in starting a new business.
14. He brought the Pehrson and the Elmer families into my life. They have loved on me and taken me in as their own.
15. The closer I get to 30, the more I feel like I am comfortable being the person He created me to be.
16. He has provided me with several community groups in the last 5 years to walk through life with.
17. He created Andy Stanley and brought me to his church in 2003. Enough said.
18. He has recently brought THEE most amazing man into my life to demonstrate God's love to me most... when I deserve it the least.

so I ask, “Why Worry?” God has been ridiculously faithful in all of my life. I am deeply thankful.

The World Must Be Shown

by Elisabeth Elliot

When Jesus was speaking with His disciples before His crucifixion, He gave them His parting gift: peace such as the world can never give. But He went on immediately to say, "Set your troubled hearts at rest and banish your fears.... I shall not talk much longer with you, for the Prince of this world approaches. He has no rights over me, but the world must be shown that I love the Father and do exactly as he commands" (John 14:27, 30-31, NEB).

A young mother called to ask for "something that will help me to trust in the Lord." She explained that she had several small children, she herself was thirty years old, and she had cancer. Chemotherapy had done its hideous work of making her totally bald. The prognosis was not good. Could I say to her, "Set your troubled heart at rest. God is going to heal you"? Certainly not. Jesus did not tell His disciples that He would not be killed. How do I know whether God would heal this young woman? I could, however, remind her that He would not for a moment let go of her, that His love enfolded her and her precious children every minute of every day and every night, and that underneath are the Everlasting Arms.

But is that enough? The terrible things in the world seem to make a mockery of the love of God, and the question always arises: Why!

There are important clues in the words of Jesus. The disciples' worst fears were about to be realized, yet He commanded (yes, commanded) them to be at peace. All would be well, all manner of things would be well--in the end. In a short time, however, the Prince of this world, Satan himself, was to be permitted to have his way. Not that Satan had any rights over Jesus. Far from it. Nor has he "rights" over any of God's children, including that dear mother. But Satan is permitted to approach. He challenges God, we know from the Book of Job, as to the validity of His children's faith.

God allows him to make a test case from time to time. It had to be proved to Satan, in Job's case, that there is such a thing as obedient faith which does not depend on receiving only benefits. Jesus had to show the world that He loved the Father and would, no matter what happened, do exactly what He said. The servant is not greater than his Lord. When we cry "Why, Lord?" we should ask instead, "Why not, Lord? Shall I not follow my Master in suffering as in everything else?"

Does our faith depend on having every prayer answered as we think it should be answered, or does it rest rather on the character of a sovereign Lord? We can't really tell, can we, until we're in real trouble.

I never heard more from the young woman. I neglected to ask her address. But I prayed for her, asking God to enable her to show the world what genuine faith is--the kind of faith that overcomes the world because it trusts and obeys, no matter what the circumstances. The world does not want to be told. The world must be shown. Isn't that part of the answer to the great question of why Christians suffer?

Discerning the Call of God

by Elisabeth Elliot

As a little girl I especially loved the story of God's call to the child Samuel as he lay sleeping in the temple. I wondered if God would ever call me. Would I hear Him? What would He say? Throughout my growing years I read missionary stories and heard them told at our dinner table by guests from many lands who came to stay with us. I was always eager to know just how they were called. As a college student I worried much about whether I would fail to follow the Shepherd, would be deaf to His call. I thought it such a bewildering matter.

It is not a worry anymore. Experience has taught me that the Shepherd is far more willing to show His sheep the path than the sheep are to follow. He is endlessly merciful, patient, tender, and loving. If we, His stupid and wayward sheep, really want to be led, we will without fail be led. Of that I am sure.

When we need help, we wish we knew somebody who is wise enough to tell us what to do, reachable when we need him, and even able to help us. God is. Omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent--everything we need. The issue is confidence in the Shepherd Himself, a confidence so complete that we offer ourselves without any reservation whatsoever and determine to do what He says.

What He says? But how shall I know that?

He calls us every day, "o'er the tumult of our life's wild, restless sea." He comes to us in the little things, in the ordinary duties which our place in life entails. When I was a child He called me. The duty which my place in life entailed was obedience to my father and mother. In school and Sunday School He called me through the teacher. What she said I knew I was supposed to do. In first grade (yes, in public school) we sang the hymn, "Father, We Thank Thee." The second stanza says, "Help us to do the things we should, to be to others kind and good, in all we do at work or play to grow more loving every day." God's call again.

It's alluring to think of our own situation as very complex and ourselves as deep and complicated, so that we waste a good deal of time puzzling over "the will of God." Frequently our conscience has the answer.

My friend Jim O'Donnell tells how he, a hard-headed, hard-hearted man of the world, found Christ. His conscience was awakened. The call of God was immediate: "Go home and love your wife." The change was so sudden and so radical, Lizzie could not make head or tail of what had come over him. This self-confident and self-interested man had quit living for himself. He had died. An altogether new kind of life was now his. The first difference it made was the difference that mattered most--in his private life. It was there that he began to obey.

We are not talking here about audible voices. Although people in Bible times often heard God speak, we can expect that He will usually speak today through conscience, through the written Word, through other people, and through events. Events themselves, the seemingly insignificant happenings of every day, reveal the will of God. They are the will of God for us, for while we live, move, and have our being here on earth, in this place, this family, this house, this job, we live, move, and have our being in God. He "pulls strings through circumstances," as Jim Elliot said, even the bad circumstances (see Genesis 45:8, 50:20).

Three questions may help to clarify the call of God. Have I made up my mind to do what He says, no matter what the cost? Am I faithfully reading His Word and praying? Am I obedient in what I know today of His will?

"Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul" (Psalm 143:8, NIV).

A New Thanksgiving

by Elisabeth Elliot

Those who call Thanksgiving "Turkey Day," I suppose, take some such view as this: Unless we have Someone to thank and something to thank Him for, what's the point of using a name that calls up pictures of religious people in funny hats and Indians bringing corn and squash?

Christians, I hope, focus on something other than a roasted bird. We do have Someone to thank and a long list of things to thank Him for, but sometimes we limit our thanksgiving merely to things that look good to us. As our faith in the character of God grows deeper we see that heavenly light is shed on everything--even on suffering--so that we are enabled to thank Him for things we would never have thought of before. The apostle Paul, for example, saw even suffering itself as a happiness (Colossians 1:24, NEB).

I have been thinking of something that stifles thanksgiving. It is the spirit of greed--the greed of doing, being, and having.

When Satan came to tempt Jesus in the wilderness, his bait was intended to inspire the lust to do more than the Father meant for Him to do--to go farther, demonstrate more power, act more dramatically. So the enemy comes to us in these days of frantic doing. We are ceaselessly summoned to activities: social, political, educational, athletic, and--yes--spiritual. Our "self-image" (deplorable word!) is dependent not on the quiet and hidden "Do this for My sake," but on the list the world hands us of what is "important." It is a long list, and it is both foolish and impossible. If we fall for it, we neglect the short list.

Only a few things are really important, and for those we have the promise of divine help: sitting in silence with the Master in order to hear His word and obey it in the ordinary line of duty--for example, in being a good husband, wife, father, mother, son, daughter, or spiritual father or mother to those nearby who need protection and care--humble work which is never on the world's list because it leads to nothing impressive on one's resume. As Washington Gladden wrote in 1879, "O Master, let me walk with Thee/In lowly paths of service free...."

Temptation comes also in the form of being. The snake in the garden struck at Eve with the promise of being something which had not been given. If she would eat the fruit forbidden to her, she could "upgrade her lifestyle" and become like God. She inferred that this was her right, and that God meant to cheat her of this. The way to get her rights was to disobey Him.

No new temptation ever comes to any of us. Satan needs no new tricks. The old ones have worked well ever since the Garden of Eden, although sometimes under different guises. When there is a deep restlessness for which we find no explanation, it may be due to the greed of being--what our loving Father never meant us to be. Peace lies in the trusting acceptance of His design, His gifts, His appointment of place, position, capacity. It was thus that the Son of Man came to earth--embracing all that the Father willed Him to be, usurping nothing--no work, not even a word--that the Father had not given Him.

Then there is the greed of having. When "a mixed company of strangers" joined the Israelites, the people began to be greedy for better things (Numbers 11:4, NEB). God had given them exactly what they needed in the wilderness: manna. It was always enough, always fresh, always good (sounds good to me, anyway, "like butter-cakes"). But the people lusted for variety. These strangers put ideas into their heads. "There's more to life than this stuff. Is this all you've got? You can have more. You gotta live a little!"

So the insistence to have it all took hold on God's people and they began to wail, "all of them in their families at the opening of their tents." There is no end to the spending, getting, having. We are insatiable consumers, dead set on competing, upgrading, showing off ("If you've got it, flaunt it"). We simply cannot bear to miss something others deem necessary. So the world ruins the peace and simplicity God would give us. Contentment with what He has chosen for us dissolves, along with godliness, while, instead of giving thanks, we lust and wail, teaching our children to lust and wail too. (Children of the jungle tribe I knew years ago did not complain because they had not been taught to.)

Lord, we give You thanks for all that You in Your mercy have given us to be and to do and to have. Deliver us, Lord, from all greed to be and to do and to have anything not in accord with Your holy purposes. Teach us to rest quietly in Your promise to supply, recognizing that if we don't have it we don't need it. Teach us to desire Your will--nothing more, nothing less, and nothing else. For Jesus' sake. Amen.

Thanksgiving for What is Given

by Elisabeth Elliot

Some people are substituting "Turkey Day" for Thanksgiving. I guess it must be because they are not aware that there's anybody to thank, and they think that the most important thing about the holiday is food. Christians know there is Somebody to thank, but often when we make a list of things to thank Him for we include only things we like. A bride and groom can't get away with that. They write a note to everybody, not only the rich uncle who gave the couple matching BMWs, but the poor aunt who gave them a crocheted toilet-paper cover. In other words, they have to express thanks for whatever they've received.

Wouldn't that be a good thing for us to do with God? We are meant to give thanks "in everything" even if we're like the little girl who said she could think of a lot of things she'd rather have than eternal life. The mature Christian offers not just polite thanks but heartfelt thanks that springs from a far deeper source than his own pleasure. Thanksgiving is a spiritual exercise, necessary to the building of a healthy soul. It takes us out of the stuffiness of ourselves into the fresh breeze and sunlight of the will of God. The simple act of thanking Him is for most of us an abrupt change of activity, a break from work and worry, a move toward re-creation.

I am not suggesting the mouthing of foolish platitudes, or evasion of the truth. That is not how God is glorified, or souls fortified. I want to see clearly what I have been given and to thank Him with an honest heart. What are the "givens"?

Thankless children we all are, more or less, comprehending but dimly the truth of God's fathomless love for us. We do not know Him as a gracious Giver, we do not understand His most precious gifts, or the depth of His love, the wisdom with which He has planned our lives, the price He pays to bring us to glory and fulfillment. When some petty private concern or perhaps some bad news depresses or confuses me, I am in no position to be thankful. Far from it. That is the time, precisely then, that I must begin by deliberately putting my mind on some great Realities.

What are these "givens"? What do I most unshakably believe in? God the Father Almighty. Jesus Christ His only Son. The Holy Ghost, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, the life everlasting. Not a long list, but all we need. "The necessary supplies issued to us, the standard equipment of the Christian." We didn't ask for any of them. (Imagine having nothing more than we've asked for!) They are given.

Take the list of whatever we're not thankful for and measure it against the mighty foundation stones of our faith. The truth of our private lives can be understood only in relation to those Realities. Some of us know very little of suffering, but we know disappointments and betrayals and losses and bitterness. Are we really meant to thank God for such things? Let's be clear about one thing: God does not cause all the things we don't like. But He does permit them to happen because it is in this fallen world that we humans must learn to walk by faith. He doesn't leave us to ourselves, however. He shares every step. He walked this lonesome road first, He gave Himself for us, He died for us. "Can we not trust such a God to give us, with Him, everything else that we can need?" (Romans 8:32, PHILLIPS). Those disappointments give us the chance to learn to know Him and the meaning of His gifts, and, in the midst of darkness, to receive His light. Doesn't that transform the not thankful list into a thankful one?

these are a few of my favorite things

Charmin Plus Toilet Paper

Tender care for derrières! Charmin Plus is the only bath tissue that contains soothing lotion. It’s just right for pampering your skin. Charmin Plus with lotion leaves skin soft and smooth.
I am NOT kidding, ya'll! I am IN LOVE with this TP. Ask anyone who has ever lived with me how much I rant and rave about it! It makes my hiney very happy!

Aveda Dry Remedy Conditioner

Drenches even the driest, most brittle hair with moisture, leaving it soft, supple, touchable.
It's hard to spend $24 on a conditioner but you get what you pay for. My hair THRIVES with this goodness and a little goes a long way! 

Dove Deep Moisture Facial Cleansing Cloths

Designed to reveal skin that looks and feels renewed, Deep Moisture Facial Cleansing Cloths leave your skin soft, smooth and completely clean. Use them as part of your normal face care routine instead of makeup removers, cleansers, exfoliators and toners. Soft cloths release a luxurious lather. I use these every night!!!

Votivo Deep Clover Glass Candle

A gentle blending of recently mowed fescue and rye grass, the clean fresh scent is enlivened with the tangy appeal of red clover peppered with wood chips and earthen moss perfect for a day of self pampering under a blanket of white billowy clouds contrasted against a lush lawn of youth. I am a huge fan of scented candles and this is my all-time favorite! It burns perfectly and lasts and lasts! The packaging makes it a perfect gift! (For anyone turning 30.) (On 1/28/09.) ahem.... ;-)

OPI Nail Polish in "Your Royal Shyness"

I love natural and clean looking nails and this is my all time favorite color polish for my fingers and toes!! 

kids say the darndest things

4 year old Tatum: "Miss Jessica, what is that blue stuff on your eyes?"

jnt: "It's called eye shadow!"

Tatum: "Did you wear it at your wedding?"

jnt: "Well, seeing as I've never been married, no, i didn't."

Tatum: "Why aren't you married?"

jnt: "That's a GREAT question, Tatum. I ask God that very question all the time." :)

bless her heart.

Humdudgeons or Contentment

by Elisabeth Elliot

The word humdudgeon is a new one to me and I like the sound of it. It means "a loud complaint about a trifle." Heard any of those lately around your house? One mother thought of an excellent antidote: all humdudgeons must be presented not orally but in writing, "of two hundred words or more." There was a sudden marked reduction in whining and complaining.

Parents, by example, teach their children to whine. No wonder it is so difficult to teach them not to! Listen to conversations in the elevator, at the hairdresser's, at the next table in the restaurant. Everybody's whining about everything--weather, health, the president, the IRS, the insurance mess, traffic, the kids.

Human life is full of trouble, which doesn't come from the dust, said Job's friend Eliphaz, nor does it sprout from the ground. Man is born to trouble. Compare your list of troubles with one famous man's:

He had a difficult childhood
Less than one year of formal schooling
Failed in business at age 31
Defeated for legislature at 32
Failed again in business at 33
Elected to the legislature at 34
His fiancee died when he was 35
Defeated for speaker at 38
Defeated for electorate at 40
At 42 married a woman who became a burden, not a help
Only one of four sons lived past age 18
Defeated for congress at 43
Elected to congress at 46
Defeated for congress at 48
Defeated for senate at 55
Defeated for vice president at 56
Defeated for senate at 58
Finally elected president.
He was Abraham Lincoln, of course. When I look at his list of setbacks, I wonder if I've ever had a problem.

Adler said, "It is a categorical demand of the neurotic's lifespan that he should fail through the guilt of others and thus be free of responsibility." That sobered me. Is my response to failure instantly to lay the blame on somebody else? Is there always an excuse, a complaint, an inner whine!

A spirit of calm contentment always accompanies true godliness. The deep peace that comes from deep trust in God's lovingkindness is not destroyed even by the worst of circumstances, for those Everlasting Arms are still cradling us, we are always "under the Mercy." Corrie ten Boom was "born to trouble" like the rest of us, but in a German concentration camp she jumped to her feet every morning and exuberantly sang "Stand Up, Stand Up for Jesus!" She thanked the Lord for the little parade of ants that marched through her cell, bringing her company. When Paul and Silas were in prison, they prayed and sang. It isn't troubles that make saints, but their response to troubles.

Even miracles can't make us holy. Paul reminded the Corinthians that the Israelites were all guided by the same cloud, all had the experience of passing through the sea, all ate the same supernatural food, and all drank the same supernatural drink. "In spite of this, most of them failed to please God and their corpses littered the desert" (1 Corinthians 10:5, JB). The reason for His displeasure came down to a single root: discontent, which included "wicked lusts for forbidden things (idols and illicit sex, for which 23,000 were killed in one day) and complaining because they wanted things perfectly legitimate in themselves which God had not given--leeks and onions and garlic and cucumbers and fish--and stood at their tent doors, parents and children together wailing "Here we are, wasting away, stripped of everything; there is nothing but manna for us to look at!" Numbers 11:6, JB). Many were struck with a plague and died.

When Paul's flesh was tormented by a sharp thorn, he naturally wanted it removed. He made this request known to God, but the answer was No. God didn't change Paul's physical condition, He changed his spiritual one. He gave him what he needed more than healing. He gave him the high ministry of heaven called grace. Paul not only accepted the answer, he learned even to be very thankful for weakness itself, for "power comes to its full strength in weakness."

Everything about which we are tempted to complain may be the very instrument whereby the Potter intends to shape His clay into the image of His Son--a headache, an insult, a long line at the check-out, someone's rudeness or failure to say thank you, misunderstanding, disappointment, interruption. As Amy Carmichael said, "See in it a chance to die," meaning a chance to leave self behind and say YES to the will of God, to be "conformable unto His death." Not a morbid martyr-complex but a peaceful and happy contentment in the assurance that goodness and mercy follow us all the days of our lives. Wouldn't our children learn godliness if they saw the example of contentment instead of complaint? acceptance instead of rebellion? peace instead of frustration?

May ours be the spirit of the seventeen-year-old Lady Jane Grey, who prayed this prayer in her prison cell before she was beheaded in 1554:

O merciful God, be Thou unto me
A strong Tower of defence,
I humbly entreat Thee.
Give me grace to await Thy leisure,
And patiently to bear
What Thou doest unto me;
Nothing doubting or mistrusting
Thy goodness towards me;
For Thou knowest what is good for me
Better than I do.
Therefore do with me in all things
What Thou wilt;
Only arm me, I beseech Thee,
With Thine armor,
That I may stand fast;
Above all things taking to me
The shield of faith;
Praying always that I may
Refer myself wholly to Thy will,
Abiding Thy pleasure, and comforting myself
In those troubles which it shall please Thee
To send me, seeing such troubles are
Profitable for me; and I am
Assuredly persuaded that all Thou doest
Cannot but be well; and unto Thee
Be all honor and glory. Amen.

Where Will Complaining Get You?

by Elisabeth Elliot

When we were in Dallas for a visit, we were the guests of our dear friend Nina Jean Obel. As we sat one morning in her beautiful sunshiny yellow and pale-green kitchen, she reminded us of how, in the story in Deuteronomy 1, when the Israelites were within fourteen days of the Promised Land, they complained. Complaining was a habit which had angered Moses, their leader, to the point where he wished he were dead. "How can I bear unaided the heavy burden you are to me, and put up with your complaints?" he asked. They headed for Horeb, but when they reached the hill country of the Amorites they refused to believe the promises and insisted on sending spies to see what sort of a land it was. The spies came back with a glowing report, but the people didn't believe that either. Never mind the lovely fruit the land offered. There were giants in the land; they'd all be killed. There were huge fortifications towering to the sky. How would they ever conquer them?

It was the neurotic's attitude. No answer would do. No solution offered was good enough. The promises of God, the direction of Moses, the report of the spies--all unacceptable. The people had already made up their minds that they didn't like anything God was doing. They "muttered treason." They said the Lord hated them. He brought them out only to have them wiped out by the Amorites. O God, what a fate. O God, why do you treat us this way? O God, how are we going to get out of this? It's your fault. You hate us. Moses hates us. Everything and everybody's against us.

Nina Jean said she made up her mind that if complaining was the reason God's people were denied the privilege of entering Canaan, she was going to quit it. She set herself a tough task: absolutely no complaining for fourteen days. It was a revelation to her--first, of how strong a habit it had become, and second, of how different the whole world looked when she did not complain. I get the impression when I'm around Nina Jean that the fourteen-day trial was enough to kick the habit. I've never heard her complain.

It's not just the sunshine and the colors that make her kitchen a nice place to be. It's that Nina Jean is there. I'd like to create that sort of climate for the people I'm around. I've set myself the same task.

---------------------------------

i am taking this on as my newest challenge too... ABSOLUTELY NO COMPLAINING for 14 days! care to join me?

What Do You Mean By Submission?

by Elisabeth Elliot

People are always asking me this. What is this business of "submission" you're always talking about? We're not really very comfortable with this. Seems kinds of negative. Sounds as though women are not worth as much as men. Aren't women supposed to exercise their gifts? Can't they ever open their mouths?

I wouldn't be very comfortable with that kind of submission either. As a matter of fact, I'm not particularly comfortable with any kind, but since it was God's idea and not mine, I had better come to terms with what the Bible says about it and stop rejecting the whole thing just because it is so often misunderstood and wrongly defined. I came across a lucid example of what it means in 1 Chronicles 11:10, NEB: "Of David's heroes these were the chief, men who lent their full strength to his government and, with all Israel, joined in making him king." There it is. The recognition, first of all, of God-given authority. Recognizing it, accepting it, they then lent their full strength to it, and did everything in their power to make him--not them--king.

Christians--both men and women--recognize first the authority of Christ. They pray "Thy will be done." They set about making an honest effort to cooperate with what He is doing, straightening out the kinks in their own lives according to His wishes. A Christian woman, then, in submission to God, recognizes the divinely assigned authority of her husband (he didn't earn it, remember, he received it by appointment!. She then sets about lending her full strength to helping him do what he's supposed to do, be what he's supposed to be--her head. She's not always trying to get her own way. She's trying to make it easier for him to do his job. She seeks to contribute to his purpose, not to scheme how to accomplish her own.

If this sounds suspiciously like some worn-out traditionalist view, or (worse) like a typical Elisabeth Elliot opinion, test it with the straightedge of Scripture. What does submission to Christ mean? "Wives, submit yourself to your husbands, as to the Lord." Compare and connect.

The 8 Day Challenge Day 8

Thought of the Day
"I am drenched with the joy of God and all is well."

Congratulations for sticking with the challenge for eight days! How did it go yesterday with building up and multiplying joy in the life of that one special person? What about the other 4 people who have participated with you? Have you checked up on their progress? Bear in mind that the 4:8 principle tends to impact your relationships more than anything else.

Your eight day experiment of deliberately searching for and cultivating the good stuff in your life officially ends after you drift to sleep this evening. Of course, I hope and certainly encourage you to continue filtering your thoughts, words, and actions through Philippians 4:8 indefinitely. For a quick reinforcement, reread this powerfully simple verse from The Message:

"Summing it all up, friends, I'd say you'll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious--the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse." Philippians 4:8 (MSG)

Recently, I was asked by a nine year-old about The 8-Day Challenge. I explained that it was a little game to see how many grown-ups could think and talk only about the good stuff in their life for eight straight days. The little boy then asked me what happened to the losers...

The single most effective method for extending the benefits of The 8-Day Challenge is developing the habit of asking, re-asking, and then answering 4:8 Questions. A 4:8 Question is a question about your life that extracts a positive response. When you change the questions you consistently ask yourself, you start thinking differently. The 4:8 Questions are a simple tool to displace negativity in the short term and help you take conscious control of your repeated thoughts over the long haul.

These questions reroute your attention to the best things in your life. Even on tax day, you'll find that 4:8 Questions immediately change what you're focusing on. Consequently, they affect how you feel, as well as your level of creativity, excitement, and joy at any given moment. When you ask better questions, you receive better answers. Do you believe God wants you to launch into each day with joy? Try these questions immediately upon waking, during your Early Morning Joy Ritual (EMJR):

What are 4 things that I'm grateful to God for this morning?
What are 4 of my strengths, and how can I use them today?
What are 4 of my recent victories, and who was blessed as a result?
What 4 relationships could I influence positively today?
What are 4 things that I'm excited about experiencing over the next twelve hours?
Each of the questions above demands a positive response, and by asking for four answers to each, I am compelling you to dwell on the positive. After all, you cannot completely control the thoughts that are triggered from your surroundings, but you can unquestionably control what you choose to dwell and fix your mind upon.

To get these questions working for you, put a copy where you can see them often, such as on a bathroom mirror, a night table, your computer screen, the refrigerator, or the steering wheel of your car. You could even make a screen saver containing your 4:8 Questions or tape them to your treadmill, Stairmaster or exercise bike. Keep them "top of mind" as much as possible throughout the day, almost like you're advertising reasons to be joyful. Remember that your potential for joy is limited only by your preparation for joy.

Question of the Day
In what ways could you better prepare yourself to live, give and love with joy, regardless of what is going on around you?

The Challenge of the Day (for extra credit...or the extra mile)
Design, in writing, your ideal Early Morning Joy Ritual (EMJR), emphasizing the First Fifteen minutes of your day. (See page 141)

1. read Scripture, listen to worship songs, pray
2. avoid TV and negative thoughts
3. prepare for my EMJR the night before by setting out a journal, a book, my Bible, going to bed early enough to give me at least 8 hours of sleep
4. the instant i wake up, tell myself "this is the day that the Lord has made; rejoice! and be glad in it! i am so incredibly blessed." thank God for another day of grace.
5. the instant i wake up, avoid telling myself "it's gonna be a long day..." or turning my thoughts to what i DON'T have
6. intensify my gratitude in the First Fifteen by journaling my answers to the 4:8 Questions and journaling 5 things each day that i am grateful for
7. use prayer and Scripture to talk and listen to God
8. carry my answers to the day's 4:8 Questions around with me all day to keep my mind on 4:8 Thoughts

a devotion i read today...

A few years ago, I sat with a beautiful young woman and watched the tears stream down her face. Six months before our meeting, her world was filled with so much. A loving husband, a healthy toddler, fun friends, and a new starter home that her mom helped her decorate.

Life was full.

But some part of her heart still felt restless, unsettled, a little empty. She couldn't put her finger on it. She tried talking to some of her friends but they laughed it off as something related to hormones that would pass.

Only the feeling didn't pass.

She started to feel detached from her husband and disappointed that his love didn't fulfill her. Why couldn't he make her feel loved? She'd always thought of marriage as the ultimate love. He was going to be the one to right her wrongs, fill up her insecurities and give her a lasting feeling of love, or so she thought.

Questions bombarded her constantly... What is wrong with him? Why didn't he say what he's supposed to say? Maybe it's me. Maybe I'm not pretty enough, witty enough, good enough?

Then one day she met a man that said things she'd longed to hear her husband say. He made her feel pretty and witty. Soon, she rationalized that she'd never really loved her husband in the first place. She'd made a mistake marrying so young. This new man was her true soul mate.

She fell into his arms. A web of lies was spun. The thrill of new romance clouded her every decision.

She had not wanted to come to the women's retreat. She knew it might make her feel guilty and she was past any guilty feelings. She was just waiting for the right time to leave her husband and start over with the real love of her life.

But her friends had started to grow suspicious of her pulling back from so many church activities. So, to appease them, she went.

Over the course of the weekend, the walls she'd so carefully constructed to keep everyone at a distance and her secret safe started to crumble. By Saturday night, she sat down with me and confessed her secret.

She desperately wanted to know how I felt so full of God's love. She'd never known that kind of relationship with God. She was now convinced it wasn't the love of another man her heart craved, it was the love of God.

I think this is true of many people. We spend years chasing things in this world that we think will make us feel loved. But everything this world has to offer is temporary. Everything. The kind of love our souls crave is lasting, eternal. And only God can fill up our hearts with that kind of love.

The sad thing about chasing love outside the will of God is it invites so much into our lives that is the exact opposite of love. 1 Corinthians 13: 4-8 is picture of God's perfect love. It is patient. It is kind. It does not envy... it is not self-seeking... it does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth... it always protects... it always perseveres. Love never fails.

This is not a description of what is inherently ours when we fall in love with another person. It is a description of God's love. This kind of love can be ours as we become more Christ like and decide to give this kind of love. It is never focused inwardly. It is never about what I'm going to get from another person. It is deciding this is the kind of love I will give away.

The things we chase in this world are so opposite from God's love. False attempts at love will make us impatient, unkind, envious, self-seeking, resistant to the truth, reckless and temporary.

I am challenged by this. Because our souls were designed for God's fulfilling love, if we aren't staying closely connected to Him everyday, our hearts will start to feel empty. Restless. Unfulfilled.

Let us never get to the place where we think we are strong enough to not be tempted in this way. If we are all completely honest, we are only a few bad decisions away from the same kind of mess my sweet friend is now trying to untangle herself from. While I have complete hope in God's ability to restore her, the consequences of her chase for love will be severe on many levels.

Oh sweet friends, can we make a commitment together today? Can we commit to be women who recognize how crafty Satan can be and how vulnerable we are when it comes to our need for love?

And if something or somebody in this world seems appealing enough to draw our hearts away from the truth of God, we commit to being women who will readily admit it to another godly woman and ask for help.

The kind of love our souls crave will never be found in the things of this world. The only lasting and perfectly satisfying love will only be found when we stop chasing and start living out the truths of God.

The 8 Day Challenge Day 7

Thought of the Day
"I bring out the best in the people I appreciate the most."

Good morning and welcome back!

What's going great in your world? I expect you're doing awesome and you still have two days to make even more progress.

For today, I want you to focus on building up one particular person with your prayers, thoughts, words, and actions. This is your 4:8 target for the day. Only one rule; don't let this person know that they are your "target." I don't know who this individual is, but I believe you do.

Pick one person to concentrate almost all of your 4:8 energy on... just for today. This could be your spouse, a child, sibling, friend, parent, business partner, boss, top client, or someone else that is special in your life. Maybe this individual really needs your attention because they are facing challenging circumstances or possibly you decide to focus on this person simply because they are so important to you. Before you go any further, ask God for guidance in selecting your target.

So who is it going to be? Who in your life could benefit the most right now from some 4:8 power and affection? Take a brief moment and crystallize an image of this person in your mind's eye. Picture your target with a big smile on their face, feeling terrific about themselves and their life, in part because of your 4:8 efforts on their behalf. Don't tell your target what you are doing, but ask God to use you this day as an ambassador of joy in this person's life.

There is enormous power in concentration! Often times, we spread ourselves thin diluting our potential for influence and impact with the very people we love the most. Too frequently, we unintentionally give our prime-time energy to the "Optional 80%," leaving only leftovers for the "Required 20%" whom we value the most. For this one day, make sure this does NOT happen. Go all out and make multiplying joy for this one person your absolute top priority. Remember, this is just one day, not one week... Ask God to multiply their joy through your thinking, speaking and acting today.

Looking for ideas? Here are a few that will get your brain moving in the right direction, but the rest, though, is up to you. What will you choose to do today?

Compliment and encourage your 4:8 target beyond the norm.
Leave a special handwritten note of general gratitude.
Ask your target "how they would like you to pray for them."
Plan a future tribute or surprise that is excellent and noble.
Leave a short voice mail appreciating your target in some specific way.
Pray for joy to increase in this person's life beyond all measure.
Shower your target with mini-prayers of blessing throughout the day.
Brainstorm 8 ways to "lighten the load" and reduce stress in your target's life.
Verbalize something very positive about your target to 4 other people.
Question of the Day
Are you spreading way more joy than you hope to receive?

The Challenge of the Day (for extra credit...or the extra mile)
Make a firm decision that you will treat this special person like you did today...for the next 8 days.

The 8 Day Challenge Day 6

Thought of the Day
"With God's help, I leave the junk behind."

Good morning everyone! Five days down, three to go.

For this sixth day, I want you to focus on forgiveness.

To live with maximum joy, you must forgive everyone in your life, past or present, for all the silly, spineless, nutty, nasty, gutless, cruel, spiteful, harmful, insensitive things they've ever done to you, both real and imagined. (Did I leave anything out?) As I mention in the book, life is way too short to be negative.

We're all human and stuff happens. Move on. Never let an old wound fester due to excessive attention. When you carry around bitterness, hostility, and other emotional baggage, you live in the past and cannot possibly realize your potential for joy. It is impossible to feel terrific about yourself when you are lugging around resentment toward another person. I may be wrong, but I suspect this is by divine design. You must either develop an ultra-thick skin or become a perpetual forgiveness machine--preferably both.

Forgive yourself early and often--and mean it! It is imperative to forgive yourself, without mental reservation, for your stupid choices, inappropriate thoughts, limiting words, foolish behaviors, negative beliefs, and all the other self-defeating things you've ever done. Because you are not perfect, forgiving yourself will be an ongoing process. Remarkably, you only have to do this . . . forever! That's okay; you're not alone.

Guilt isn't practical anyway. It forces you to experience the present moment while paralyzed by past mistakes. When you have setbacks or slip a bit, you aren't any less valuable. You simply have something to learn from slipping. Make sure you learn it, as learning from the past is much better than reliving it. Make forgiving yourself a mandatory element in your daily joy ritual. Forget your failures and relive your joys.

Don't expect to feel any different instantly. The emotional blessing often lags behind the actual act of forgiveness. Just accept God's grace and restoration for the incredible gift that it is. Leave the junk behind so you can make room for the joy. Practice forgiving yourself regularly--and mean it sincerely.

Question of the Day
Have you given yourself permission to live life to the fullest?

The Challenge of the Day (for extra credit...or the extra mile)
Pray the following today...

Heavenly Father,

How awesome it is that you know everything about me and love me anyway! Upgrade my opinion of myself and my vision for the future so I never feel the need to protect and preserve the past. Allow me to see myself today with as much significance as you see me. Keep my focus ahead of me rather than behind me.

Grant me the courage to push beyond previous boundaries in all areas of my life. Show me how to be a faithful steward of my one and only opportunity to magnify the greatness you have placed within me. Lead me away from complacency and any temptation to settle for less than what you know is my absolute best.

Restore me this day, and make me whole and complete.

In His name,

Amen

The 8 Day Challenge Day 5

Thought of the Day
"I feel what I dwell upon...and I feel fantabulous."

A joyful morning to everyone and welcome back!
We're on day five and today I want to highlight the connection between Philippians 4:8 and the strength and quality of your emotional life. Positive attitudes do produce positive emotions.

To put it rather mildly, the Apostle Paul was well ahead of his time when it came to understanding the human condition and in particular the mind of man. Paul knew that the root of destructive emotions is destructive thinking. As a proactive measure, he instructed us to think on noble things so that we would experience noble emotions.

No doubt about it, our Creator wants us to experience the bliss of His love, peace and joy. If you believe that negative emotions are outside God's will for your life, it provides a wonderful incentive to get really picky about the thoughts you allow to occupy your mind. Remember that the quality of your emotional life right now reveals the quality of your most recent thinking patterns.

There are strings attached. Your emotional life can advance only after your negative thoughts retreat. You will most definitely feel what you dwell upon. This is exactly why Paul, knowing we would have a choice to do otherwise, urged us to fix our minds on what is lovely, pure, excellent and worthy of praise. And consistently thinking about the good stuff supercharges your capacity to experience the richness of life that God wants for all of us.

Your current feelings reveal what you've recently been dwelling upon. So, if your emotional life today is not where you ultimately want it to be, then your top priority should be shifting your attention to your blessings, to your strengths, and to the aspects of your life that are working.

Refuse to fuel negative emotions by constantly talking about what is wrong with your marriage, your oldest kid, your sore back, your strange neighbors, and the world in general. This is 8:4 thinking. Instead, broadcast your blessings to anyone who will listen. Verbalize your exciting vision for the future to trusted friends and allies. This is 4:8 thinking!

Question of the Day
What would have to happen for you to improve your emotional life by 30 percent?

The Challenge of the Day (for extra credit...or the extra mile)
Make a list of the eight emotions you desire to experience most often. Then, next to each, identify the sort of thoughts that would naturally precede such emotions. Give specific examples for each. Decide whether or not these emotional blessings are worth pursuing.

1. passion: thinking about my future husband!
2. joy: my nephew's smile, spending time with my family
3. confidence: trusting that I am who God says I am, words of affirmation, learning thru reading scripture or hearing sermons
4. gratitude: counting my blessings
5. peace: knowing that God is in control and I'm not
6. satisfaction: doing what i was made to do- loving on others..
7. awe: being outside in nature, worshiping
8. excitement: the little things- it could be scented candles, wine & cheese, a candlelit dinner, deck sitting, dark chocolate, fall
weather

The 8 Day Challenge Day 4

Thought of the Day
"Thanks for everything."

Good morning 4:8 thinkers!

Welcome back! We’re on day four and today I want you to practice being exceptionally grateful for your life just as it is at this moment. Remember, this challenge is about focusing on the good stuff! Today, I want you to pray, think, speak and behave like a highly appreciative human being.

When you experience a sense of gratitude, it means that you have been harboring thoughts of appreciation for the abundance in your life. When you feel a sense of deficiency, it does not necessarily mean that you are lacking something important. What it does mean is that you have recently been dwelling upon what is missing, very likely to the exclusion of what is present.

You might have been thinking about your spouse’s annoying quirks and overlooking all the reasons you married him or her in the first place. You might have been thinking about being under financial pressure and forgetting that you have just about everything money can’t buy. Gratitude involves channeling your energy and attention toward what is present and working rather than toward what’s absent and ineffective.

Gratitude is like a mental gearshift that takes you from turbulence to peacefulness, from stagnation to creativity. Gratitude brings you back to the present moment, to all that is working well in your life right now. Gratitude is the cornerstone of an unstoppable, 4:8 attitude. And gratitude can be cultivated and then experienced at ever-deepening levels.

Gratitude is also an effective antidote to most negative emotions. For example, you cannot experience gratitude and hostility at the same time; you have to make a choice. Which one is it going to be? The more you appreciate today, the more things you will notice tomorrow to be grateful for.

On the flip side, the less appreciative you are today, the fewer blessings you will tend to acknowledge tomorrow. You are going to draw more joy out of your business, out of your marriage, out of your family life, and out of all the other aspects of your existence when you make a commitment to become a genuinely grateful person.

Question of the Day
Are you certain that the people you love the most know how grateful you are for them?

The Challenge of the Day (for extra credit…or the extra mile)
Today, make a list of four people in your life who have pushed you to become a better person and call, email, or write a personal note of appreciation to each within the next 48 hours.

The 8 Day Challenge Day 3

Thought of the Day
"A healthy mind produces joy like a healthy body produces energy."

Good morning 4:8 thinkers!

What do you think? So far, has it been easier or harder than you expected?

Regardless of how well you've done to this point, remember that living consistently with Philippians 4:8 is not just an 8-day challenge, it's a permanent pursuit, a way of life. Like the first two weeks of a famous diet, this 8-day mental fast was designed to eliminate unhealthy cravings for unhelpful thoughts.

Similar to the physical diet, you've decided in advance to reduce certain "High-Carb Thoughts" and increase other lean, healthy thoughts. Even better, this relatively short exercise allows you to make significant progress quickly so that you'll be motivated to stick with this mindset for the rest of your life and, of course, spread joy indefinitely.

If your goal is to lose weight, then you know what you have to do. You must change your diet. You have to decide in advance what kind of food and drink is consistent with your weight-loss goals and what kind is not. And for this change in diet to be effective in the long run, you'll probably need to remove the junk food and unhealthy snacks from your environment and replace them with healthy, energy-producing choices.

Likewise, if your goal is to experience maximum joy, you have to change your mental diet. If you are serious about making progress in this area, you must alter the exposures that trigger negativity in the first place. You must toss the junk thoughts that oppose God's promises, and instead, stock your surroundings with joy-producing inputs that encourage right thinking and discourage negative, lazy thinking.

Questions of the Day
How much joy do you think you can stand? How much junk are you willing to put up with? What do you really want?

The Challenge of the Day (for extra credit...or the extra mile)
To build awareness of your joy-producing inputs, make a very specific inventory in writing of the most constructive exposures in your life in a typical week. These are the influences that make it easier and more natural to live in sync with 4:8. Then do the same on negative side. For both lists, consider daily rituals, certain people, chronic conversations, TV habits, reading material, weekly traditions, news consumption, etc.

Constructive Exposures-
1. reading and meditating on Scripture and other Christian books
2. spending time in prayer and gratitude
3. spending time with people who build me up instead of bring me down
4. worshiping 
5. being outside in nature, reveling in God's creation
6. listening to sermons while i work out
7. Elisabeth Elliot's daily devotionals

Destructive Exposures-
1. gossiping or being exposed to gossip
2. watching TV
3. focusing on my feelings instead of on truth
4. looking through woman's or gossip magazines
5. comparing myself to others
6. certain websites

7. negative self-talk

SCL#413. Trying to find a cause.

I found this entry on one of my favorite blogs, Stuff Christians Like, and I just had to post it on my blog because it is SO where I'm at right now...

Have you ever doubted your purpose in life? Have you ever thought, “What am I supposed to be doing?” Or why am I here? Why don’t I have a mission in life?

I have, with increasing intensity these last two weeks. I’ve been wrestling with the question, “What’s next God?” I’ve been reading books about purpose and listening to great sermons like Craig Groeschel’s “Warrior” series. I started asking God, “What do you want me to do? What would you have me do for you? What did you put me on this earth for? What is my cause?”

I wanted him to tell me to start a ministry or be a spiritual warrior in faraway lands on a faraway adventure. I wanted him to give me a big cause so that I could do big things for him in big ways. But last Monday, in the midst of working through the weight and burden of feeling like I didn’t have a cause, I felt like God reminded me that he doesn’t think like I do. Maybe, when he hears me crying out for a cause, when he hears me asking him to transform me into a spiritual warrior, he wants to cry back:

"You want to be a warrior? Be a warrior of need and surrender. Make fighting for a relationship with me your greatest cause and see what other causes come out of that. See what other causes I put in your path. I can bring you adventures, but those things are small. Those are tiny compared to the cause of surrendering your heart and soul to me. That's your cause right now. Daily, hourly surrender of your heart and soul to me. You are on an adventure, make no mistake, but the real adventure, the big one that I cheer loudest about from the bleachers of heaven is for your heart. The adventure that begins every morning. That is the adventure I care about. Don't miss that one."

And I do, I miss it all the time because I focus on "what's next" instead of "what's now." I get so lost thinking I need to “do something for him” instead of “be in a relationship with him.” Like it says in Revelation 2:4, I forsake my first love. Repentance. Forgiveness. A minute by minute, all consuming need for God.

I don't want to miss that adventure. I don't want you to miss it either. God has big, crazy things planned for all of us. But the biggest adventure, the greatest cause, the grandest purpose, is the one that starts in our heart.

The 8 Day Challenge Day 2

Thought of the Day
"I am responsible for the words I speak."

Welcome back to the challenge! How did you do with Day One?

Regardless of how well you did yesterday, congratulations on coming back for day two. Remember that today is a fresh start. You can't change yesterday any easier than you can change World War II. So make the very most of this day and push yourself a little further.

The words we use reflect our thinking. Listen more closely than ever on this second day, to the choice of words and phrases used by the people you are hanging around. Of course, I am referring to those who aren't committed to this 4:8 challenge. Don't comment on them. Just listen. The quality of the words they speak reveals the quality of the thoughts they are thinking.

You don't think excellent thoughts and then uncontrollably speak with gloom, doom, and disapproval. And you also don't think mediocre thoughts and then impulsively lift up others with positive, encouraging words. Remind yourself that the words you speak indicate the aggregate character of your thought life at the particular moment. Your words matter.

You can do it. Make the effort, just for today, to filter what you say to others and to yourself. After all, talking about what you do not want can never bring you what you do want. Instead, for today, speak about what is beautiful, valuable, praiseworthy and awesome. Search for the good stuff in every moment on this wonderful Wednesday. Your words matter.

Make it a game with yourself to find something virtuous in every experience and with every person you interact with...and then talk about it. Imagine that every word you speak today will be recorded and later expressed in your life in some way. Train your mind with your mouth. Start today. Start right now. Your words matter.

Question of the Day
In what ways have you tended to talk about your fears and worries more than your goals and dreams?

The Challenge of the Day (for extra credit...or for the extra mile)
Write a brief letter to God, thanking Him for all of your blessings of course, and then asking Him to reveal to you any areas of entrenched negativity so that you may become aware of it and begin to overrule it with joy-filled, 4:8 thinking. Date this letter for future reference.

Heavenly Father, today I am humbled to be entrusted to care for Isaac as his parents fly to Ireland for 8 days. What a joyful gift he is! I am constantly reminded of how much more You must love me than I love him when I spend time with him. It doesn't matter what he does, I never stop loving him. Is that how You feel about me?! I am so incredibly blessed. Thank You for letting me be a "mom" for 8 days. What a huge responsibility that I don't want to take for granted. Oh, how I love him. Thank You for a family who loves You and one another more than life itself! I can't imagine being in any other family. Thank You for Your provision for the last 6 months. I love all the free time I have had to enjoy my life more and to grow in grace and knowledge of You. Thank You for this gorgeous fall weather, my favorite time of the year!

Lord, will you please make me aware today of any area in my life that is entrenched with negativity and help me to overrule it with joy-filled thinking? Break me of my critical spirit and help me to find the good in others. Give me eyes to see and a heart to love others the way that You love them. Amen

Moonless Trust

by Elisabeth Elliot

Some of you are perhaps feeling that you are voyaging just now on a moonless sea. Uncertainty surrounds you. There seem to be no signs to follow. Perhaps you feel about to be engulfed by loneliness. There is no one to whom you can speak of your need.

Amy Carmichael wrote of such a feeling when, as a missionary of twenty-six, she had to leave Japan because of poor health, then travel to China for recuperation, but then realized God was telling her to go to Ceylon. (All this preceded her going to India, where she stayed for fifty-three years.) I have on my desk her original handwritten letter of August 25, 1894, as she was en route to Colombo. "All along, let us remember, we are not asked to understand, but simply to obey.... On July 28, Saturday, I sailed. We had to come on board on Friday night, and just as the tender (a small boat) where were the dear friends who had come to say goodbye was moving off, and the chill of loneliness shivered through me, like a warm love-clasp came the long-loved lines--'And only Heaven is better than to walk with Christ at midnight, over moonless seas.' I couldn't feel frightened then. Praise Him for the moonless seas--all the better the opportunity for proving Him to be indeed the El Shaddai, 'the God who is Enough."'

Let me add my own word of witness to hers and to that of the tens of thousands who have learned that He is indeed Enough. He is not all we would ask for (if we were honest), but it is precisely when we do not have what we would ask for, and only then, that we can clearly perceive His all-sufficiency. It is when the sea is moonless that the Lord has become my Light.

The 8 Day Challenge Day 1

Thought of the Day
"I am free to choose from an infinite number of potential thoughts."

Welcome to the challenge!

This eight day experiment of deliberately searching for and cultivating the good stuff in your life will not only help you make this month great, it will also be a springboard for many ultra-positive years to come. Remember, this 8-Day effort is about you and your resolve to let go of thinking patterns that are no longer useful or productive.

Few people have experience with intentional, focused thinking. In fact most people hardly ever evaluate their thought life at all, at least until a crisis strikes. It's not uncommon to go through days-even weeks and months-filled with hyperactive commotion while giving very little notice to the quality and accuracy of the thoughts passing through your mind.

If left unchecked, however, more than 90% of your inner dialogue and self-talk will tend to revolve around your own dissatisfactions, insecurities, worries, and fears. The compounded effect of negative self-talk can cap your potential far beneath God's plans and intentions.

Question of the Day
Since you are free to choose what you think about, and you have billions of options, what specific thoughts should you increase in order to reach your most important goals?

The Challenge of the Day (for extra credit...if you need it, or if you just like going the extra mile)
Today, rewrite Philippians 4:8 in the Amplified version as shown below on 4 separate note cards that you can post in four high traffic areas for the duration of the eight days. (Bathroom mirror, steering wheel, gym or school locker, laptop keyboard, refrigerator, Bible)

"...whatever is true, whatever is worthy of reverence and is honorable and seemly, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely and lovable, whatever is kind and winsome and gracious, if there is any virtue and excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think on and weigh and take account of these things [fix your minds on them]." Philippians 4:8 (AMP)

I caught myself all throughout the day biting my tongue. This challenge is making me aware of how much I actually speak BEFORE I think about what I'm about to say...BAD HABIT of mine!! Lord, help me be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry.

the 8 day challenge

I have been reading The 4:8 Principle by Tommy Newberry and so far, it has been life changing! My friend, Holly, said she was doing the 8 day challenge and so I am joining her in it, starting tomorrow. In the grand scheme of life, 8 days isn't long AT ALL, but I'll bet this challenge turns out to be harder than I anticipate...

Here's what it is......

You will receive a short email prompt from me each morning, containing inspiration, encouragement and the 4:8 Challenge of the Day. Your objective will be to THINK, SPEAK, AND ACT all day long in a manner consistent with Philippians 4:8. The challenge will be to keep your mind as well as your mouth preoccupied with what is beautiful, excellent, true, just, and worthy of praise.

Throughout the 8-Day Challenge, you can expect to see the people and situations in your life differently because, as Thoreau wrote, "we find only the world we look for." During this brief eight day period, you will be looking for, and consequently finding, fresh value in your relationships and circumstances and especially, new virtue within yourself. After all, it's so easy to get consumed with your obstacles that you forget about your goals. It is so easy to entertain hostile thoughts about the future and end up missing the gift of the present.

Here Are The 4 Ground Rules

Avoid any and all negative energy for eight days. During this 8-day challenge you'll be asked to steer clear of specific thoughts, words and deeds that violate the 4:8 principle. You'll also be encouraged to increase other thoughts, words, and behaviors that are in harmony with Philippians 4:8.

First, let's identify some of what you should INCREASE during the challenge:

Prayer and forgiveness beyond the norm for you
Verbally encouraging your spouse, friends and family
Thinking and reviewing your goals
Smiling and laughing
Dwelling on the character of God
Reviewing your blessings, especially the little ones
Defending a victim of gossip
Predicting a positive outcome aloud

Now, let's pinpoint the most negative behaviors that you MUST temporarily SUSPEND during the challenge:

All forms of whining and complaining
Talking about fatigue, boredom or aches and pains
Gossip-based conversations
Condemning language of any kind
Exasperating body language
Criticism of spouse, kids, coworkers and even politicians
Worrisome thoughts or words
Nursing old wounds
Can you think of anything else that should be avoided?

I am ready for the challenge!!!!!

Are YOU in?!?!

Maybe This Year...?

by Elisabeth Elliot

"I hardly know where to start," a letter begins. "My story is not one involving men. That's the problem. Male companionship seems not to be found, and, I fear, may never be found. They never ask me out twice. I'm always 'dumped.' The problem is I want a relationship. I have this overwhelming desire...."

Someone else said to me, "I fell deeply in love. He fell deeply in love, too--with someone else."

Another letter tells of the agonized yearning of one couple for a child. Since God has not removed the desire, they ask, may we not conclude that He wants us to employ whatever means we can (e.g., in vitro fertilization) in order to have a child?

God's not having taken away a perfectly normal human desire does not by any means indicate that we are free to pursue its fulfillment in any way we choose. A woman who had, after years of struggles, quickly lost sixty pounds told me that she had been expecting God to take away her appetite. When she realized He did not intend to do so (she had been asking for the removal of our God-given protection from starvation!), she stopped gratifying that appetite in the wrong ways.

Will the young woman find a mate? Will the couple have a child? Maybe this year will be the year of desire fulfilled. Perhaps, on the other hand, it will be the year of desire radically transformed, the year of finding, as we have perhaps not yet truly found, Christ to be the All-Sufficient One, Christ the "deep, sweet well of Love."

"Why won't God let someone into my life? I feel left out, abandoned. When will it be my turn?" The petulant letter goes on. "I feel deprived! Will He deny me the one small desire of my heart? Is it too big a treasure to ask? I sit in torture and dismay."

Life is likely to continue to hold many forms of torture and dismay for that unhappy person and for all who refuse to receive with thanksgiving instead of complaint the place in life God has chosen for them. The torture is self-inflicted, for God has not rejected their prayers. He knows better than any of us do what furthers our salvation. Our true happiness is to be realized precisely through his refusals, which are always mercies. His choice is flawlessly contrived to give the deepest kind of joy as soon as it is embraced.

Joseph Eliot, in the seventeenth century, said, "I need everything God gives me, and want [or feel the lack of] nothing He denies me."

In Moses' review of God's leading of the children of Israel he said,

"Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the desert these forty years, to humble you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart.... He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then fed you with manna which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.... Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the Lord your God disciplines you.... For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land--a land with streams and pools of water, with springs flowing in the valleys and hills; a land with wheat and barley, vines and fig trees, pomegranates, olive oil and honey; a land where bread will not be scarce and you will lack nothing."

Deuteronomy 8:2-3, 5, 7-9, NIV

The cause of our discontent: We simply do not believe God. The wilderness experience leads to the Promised Land. It is the path God chose for us. His Word is established forever, and He tells us in a thousand ways that His will is our peace, His choices for us will lead to fulfillment and joy, the way of transgressors is hard. Do we suppose that we could find a better way than His?

One of George Eliot's characters says:

"You are seeking your own will, my daughter. You are seeking some good other than the law you are bound to obey. But how will you find good? It is not a thing of choice; it is a river that flows from the foot of the Invisible Throne, and flows by the path of obedience. I say again, man cannot choose his duties. You may choose to forsake your duties, and choose not to have the sorrow they bring. But you will go forth, and what will you find, my daughter? Sorrow without duty--bitter herbs, and no bread with them."

Instead of seeing His everlasting love, tenderly bending down to our humanness, longing over each one of us with a father's speechless longing; we sometimes think of Him as indifferent, inaccessible, or just plain unfair.

The worst pains we experience are not those of the suffering itself but of our stubborn resistance to it, our resolute insistence on our independence. To be "crucified with Christ" means what Oswald Chambers calls "breaking the husk" of that independence. "Has that break come?" he asks. "All the rest is pious fraud." And you and I know, in our heart of hearts, that that sword-thrust (so typical of Chambers!) is the straight truth.

If we reject this cross, we will not find it in this world again. Here is the opportunity offered. Be patient. Wait on the Lord for whatever He appoints, wait quietly, wait trustingly. He holds every minute of every hour of every day of every week of every month of every year in His hands. Thank Him in advance for what the future holds, for He is already there. "Lord, you have assigned me my portion and my cup" (Psalm 16:5, NIV). Shall we not gladly say, "I'll take it, Lord! YES! I'll trust you for everything. Bless the Lord, O my soul!"

Ever Been Bitter?

by Elisabeth Elliot

Sometimes I've said, "O Lord, you wouldn't do this to me, would you? How could you, Lord?" I can recall such times later on and realize that my perspective was skewed. One Scripture passage which helps me rectify it is Isaiah 45:9-11 (NEB): "Will the pot contend with the potter, or the earthenware with the hand that shapes it? Will the clay ask the potter what he is making?... Thus says the Lord, would you dare question me concerning my children, or instruct me in my handiwork? I alone, I made the earth and created man upon it." He knows exactly what He is doing. I am clay.

The word humble comes from the root word humus, earth, clay. Let me remember that when I question God's dealings. I don't understand Him, but then I'm not asked to understand, only to trust. Bitterness dissolves when I remember the kind of love with which He has loved me--He gave Himself for me. He gave Himself for me. He gave Himself for me. Whatever He is doing now, therefore, is not cause for bitterness. It has to be designed for good, because He loved me and gave Himself for me.

Is it a sin to ask God why?

It is always best to go first for our answers to Jesus Himself. He cried out on the cross, "My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?" It was a human cry, a cry of desperation, springing from His heart's agony at the prospect of being put into the hands of wicked men and actually becoming sin for you and me. We can never suffer anything like that, yet we do at times feel forsaken and cry, Why, Lord?

The psalmist asked why. Job, a blameless man, suffering horrible torments on an ash heap, asked why. It does not seem to me to be sinful to ask the question. What is sinful is resentment against God and His dealings with us. When we begin to doubt His love and imagine that He is cheating us of something we have a right to, we are guilty as Adam and Eve were guilty. They took the snake at his word rather than God. The same snake comes to us repeatedly with the same suggestions: Does God love you? Does He really want the best for you? Is His word trustworthy? Isn't He cheating you? Forget His promises. You'd be better off if you do it your way.

I have often asked why. Many things have happened which I didn't plan on and which human rationality could not explain. In the darkness of my perplexity and sorrow I have heard Him say quietly, Trust Me. He knew that my question was not the challenge of unbelief or resentment. I have never doubted that He loves me, but I have sometimes felt like St. Teresa of Avila who, when she was dumped out of a carriage into a ditch, said, "If this is the way You treat your friends, no wonder You have so few!" Job was not, it seems to me, a very patient man. But he never gave up his conviction that he was in God's hands. God was big enough to take whatever Job dished out (see Job 16 for a sample). Do not be afraid to tell Him exactly how you feel (He's already read your thoughts anyway). Don't tell the whole world. God can take it--others can't. Then listen for His answer. Six scriptural answers to the question WHY come from: 1 Peter 4:12-13; Romans 5:3-4; 2 Corinthians 12:9; John 14:31; Romans 8:17; Colossians 1:24. There is mystery, but it is not all mystery. Here are clear reasons.

a note from North Point Resources:Letters to the Next President

On September 1, North Point Resources launched a national campaign featuring Andy's recent sermon series, Letters to the Next President. We wanted to let you know about the campaign and how you can help.

The campaign consists of several web banners that ask the question "What would you say to the next president?" These banners are strategically placed on dozens of Google web properties such as Huffington Post, MySpace, Facebook, and Drudge Report. The banners lead to North Point Ministries' YouTube channel (www.youtube.com/northpointministries). The channel has been re-skinned to reflect the LTTNP series and includes a special introductory video by Andy that addresses the campaign. In addition to the banners and our YouTube site, we've also made some changes to the Letters to the Next President website (www.letterstothenextpresident.com.)

The campaign has already generated millions of web impressions and thousands of clicks, and we've had many new letters posted since the launch. But, we still need your help.

Two Ways to Participate

1. Facebook: If you visit www.letterstothenextpresident.com, you'll see we've included a Facebook "badge" enabling site visitors to add the LTTNP logo to their Facebook profile. If you have a Facebook page, we would love for you to add this to your profile and help spread the word. Additionally, for those of you who are willing to post a letter, you'll get a different badge - one that says "I wrote a letter to the next president." This badge will link directly to your letter, allowing your friends on Facebook to read your submission.

2. Invite friends and family to participate: Our goal is to generate thousands of new letters through this campaign. Ultimately we hope these visitors will bookmark NPM's YouTube channel and come back later to hear more of Andy's messages.

This campaign is running through October 31 and any help you can give us during that time is appreciated.

If you have questions, you can contact Jessica Duquette at jessica.duquette@northpoint.org.

Thanks!

Don't Follow Your Heart...Lead It

my mentor sent me this quote the other day and it came in perfect timing. i have a tendency of following my feelings more than i do logic. i even spent time in counseling learning that my feelings CAN and WILL lie to me. i know i am to focus on the truth... that i am a beautiful, precious, cherished daughter of my Heavenly Father. i know, i know, i know....but i don't FEEL that way. especially not this week.

i am a flaming 'F' on the Meyers-Briggs temperament profile. this means:

I believe I can make the best decisions by weighing what people care about and the points-of-view of persons involved in a situation. I am concerned with values and what is the best for the people involved. I like to do whatever will establish or maintain harmony. In my relationships, I appear caring, warm, and tactful (ok...maybe tact is one thing i lack...)

The following statements generally apply to me:

I have a people or communications orientation.
I am concerned with harmony and nervous when it is missing.
I look for what is important to others and express concern for others.
I make decisions with my heart and want to be compassionate.
I believe being tactful is more important than telling the “cold” truth. (not so much)
Sometimes I miss seeing or communicating the “hard truth” of situations. 
I am sometimes experienced by others as too idealistic, mushy, or indirect.

i am so tired of myself. does that even make sense? i am so sick of following my heart. i want to lead it. i want to lead it in truth. Phil. 4:8 says "...whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things." why is renewing my mind with truth so hard sometimes? why does it come so natural for me to rely on my feelings to make decisions?

Heavenly Father, i am such a mess. i am having such an emotional week. help me to find a balance between my emotions and logic. i don't want to be completely lacking of any feelings but i don't want to rely so heavily on them throughout my days. please show me in a way that i can understand that You love me just as i am. remind me once again, that there's nothing i can do to make You love me more and there's nothing i can do to make You love me less. i need constant reassurance that You still love me, that You have a plan for me and that You haven't forgotten me. i'm sorry to be so needy; i'm just being real. help my unbelief. love, jnt.

Seed and Yeast

by Elisabeth Elliot

When we see things we believe need to be changed, most of us are impatient to see them done at once. The kingdom of God does not operate spectacularly, with a sudden rush of irresistible force, but rather like seed and yeast. These are small and wholly unimpressive and go to work only when buried. They need an appropriate medium in which to generate change, but the life-principle is there, latent but powerful, ready to begin the slow and marvelous process of transformation.

Our prayers for change--in people, in situations--are summed up in the old petition, "Thy kingdom come"--but when we ask for that we are asking for what may seem an excruciatingly drawn-out business. We will need the patience of the farmer and the baker who, having done the one thing needful, then quietly (and with calm faith) wait for the thing to happen.

Jesus Anointed by a Sinful Woman

this morning, i prayed that God would show me in a way i could understand his grace, mercy, and forgiveness. an hour later, reading through the chapters of the day for my 60-day challenge, i read this passage. i love when my faith and God's faithfulness intersects.

Luke 7:
36Now one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, so he went to the Pharisee's house and reclined at the table. 37When a woman who had lived a sinful life in that town learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee's house, she brought an alabaster jar of perfume, 38and as she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.

39When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, "If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner."

40Jesus answered him, "Simon, I have something to tell you."
"Tell me, teacher," he said.

41"Two men owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. 42Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he canceled the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?"

43Simon replied, "I suppose the one who had the bigger debt canceled."
"You have judged correctly," Jesus said.

44Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. 46You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. 47Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little."

48Then Jesus said to her, "Your sins are forgiven."

49The other guests began to say among themselves, "Who is this who even forgives sins?"

50Jesus said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace."

Prayers That Move the Heart of God

How to cultivate a meaningful conversation with the Lord.
by Nancy Guthrie

My teenaged son, Matt, always has a great time when he visits my parents. And why shouldn't he? Matt gets out of bed whenever he wants, eats whatever he wants, and watches whatever he wants on TV. In fact, Matt made a grand discovery at Grandma's house during his last visit. My mother keeps a bucket of chocolate-chip cookie dough in her refrigerator that Matt enjoyed eating by the spoonful! When he returned from that visit, he began asking me to buy cookie dough from Sam's Club, just like my mom. I know having cookie dough easily available isn't good for either of us, so I said "no" over and over … until last week. Matt's repeated requests finally wore me down.

That's one of the big differences between God's parenting and mine. God doesn't give me everything I repeatedly ask for when he knows it's not best for me. But a shallow reading of Luke 11:9-10 could lead me to think otherwise. There Jesus says, "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened."

Is the way to get what I want from God through wearing him down, or getting as many people as possible to ask God for it? What kinds of prayer really move the heart and hand of God?

Secret-Formula Prayer vs. Seeking Prayer

As his parent, I don't want Matt to try to get what he wants by constantly begging me for it or getting everyone he knows to gang up on me. I want to hear his heart on the matter, and I want him to hear mine. I want us to have a conversation. Isn't that how it is with our heavenly Father? Prayer is about a conversation with our loving God—not about wearing him down to get what we want.

There's so much to want—healed bodies, restored relationships, changed circumstances. But asking, seeking, and knocking aren't secret formulas for getting what we want from God; they're ways to get more of God. As I listen to God speak to me through his Word, he gives me more of himself in fuller, newer ways. Then, if healing doesn't come, if the relationship remains broken, or if the pressures increase, I have the opportunity to discover for myself he is enough. His presence is enough. His purpose is enough. If you truly want to move God's heart, put aside secret-formula prayer and instead begin to practice prayer that seeks the Giver more than the gifts. Prayer is changing me from someone who knew a lot about God into someone who's experiencing God in deep, though sometimes difficult, ways. 

Superficial Prayer vs. Significant Prayer

Sometimes I catch myself "chatting" with God, limiting my prayers to superficial things and surface issues, never getting to the heart of the matter. And I've noticed that when others offer prayer requests, they're rarely about spiritual needs. We ask God to heal physical ailments, provide safe travel, and to "be with us."

Of course God cares about these things. But prayer is spiritual work toward a spiritual end. God wants to rub off our rough edges and clean up our character. So why do we settle for talking to him only about the superficial stuff? When our prayers move from the superficial to the significant, we invite God to do no less than a deep, transforming, igniting work in our life and in the lives of those for whom we're praying.

I've often found myself slipping into superficial mode in my prayers for Matt—asking God to keep him safe or to bless his day at school. But I really don't want to settle for those things. So my prayers have moved from the superficial to the significant. I'm asking God to shape Matt's character—even if it requires some struggle. I'm begging the Holy Spirit to ignite in Matt a passion for holiness and a love for God's Word. These are things that really matter. This is what significant prayer is all about.

Showy Prayer vs. Secret Prayer

Several years ago, at a friend's wedding, a college friend described me to her other friends as "a prayer warrior." Her comment surprised me because I knew it wasn't true. I guess I'd made a great impression with my public prayers at our weekly Bible study group in college. But the truth was, there wasn't much private prayer going on in my life.

If I'm not careful, I still can make prayer all about impressing others with my pseudo-spirituality. That's "showy prayer"—prayer that's more for others' ears than for God's. Jesus warned against this: "When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the doors and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you" (Matthew 6:5-6).

Showy prayer uses put-on voices, lofty words, and spiritual-sounding phrases; simple prayer is authentic and humble. I can perform public prayers or make claims of private prayer, and settle for the applause of people; or I can go to a secret place, shut the door, and commune with God. It's in that secret place with him you and I find our most blessed reward—not impressing others, but cultivating true intimacy with him.

Insistent Prayer vs. Submissive Prayer

Nothing's taught me more about prayer than Jesus' prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane. According to Hebrews 5:7-8, "during the days of Jesus' life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered."

This moves me, because I know what it's like to offer prayers with loud cries and tears, to come before God with a broken heart and a desperate need. Several years ago, physicians told my husband and me that because of a rare metabolic disorder, our newborn daughter, Hope, would live for only two or three months.

Time seemed to be slipping away so quickly when one day, as I rocked Hope in the nursery we'd prepared for her—tears spilling down my face—I thought, I'll ask God to give Hope more time. It seemed such a modest prayer; I'd already surrendered any insistence God heal her completely. But even as that prayer formed in my mind, I sensed God calling me to submit to his perfect timing. So my prayer instead became, Give me strength to make the most of every day you give me with Hope. Show me how to rest in your plan for her life and mine.
In Hope's life and death, I learned what it is to pray to a God who has the power to make another way … but chooses not to. It helps to know Jesus understands what this feels like. Like Jesus, I've wrestled with God's plan for my life even as I've sought to submit to it. But Jesus shows me how to obey when God's answer to my sincere, reverent prayer is "no." I also see Jesus' example of obedience.

I've learned that submissive prayer is prayer that welcomes God to work in and through my suffering rather than begs him to take it away. It's thanking God for what he gives me rather than resenting him for what I lose. Submissive prayer is changing me from someone who knew a lot about God into someone who's experiencing God in deep, though sometimes difficult, ways.

Too often I still find myself merely going through the motions of prayer, but I want to pray in a way that's authentic, sincere, and effective. I'm learning to go to my heavenly Father in the way I want my son to come to me. I want to hear what Matt wants and needs. I want to respond. I want to be active in his life, doing what I know is best for him.

Our heavenly Father's no different. He has no need for a show or secret formulas, and he's not interested in keeping things superficial. He loves it when we come to him—and he simply wants to talk with us.

Nancy Guthrie is the author of Holding On to Hope: A Pathway Through Suffering to the Heart of God and The One Year Book of Hope

What's Left?

by Micca Monda Campbell

"The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him." Nahum 1:7 (NIV)

Times are tough. People everywhere are losing their jobs, their homes, and their hope. If it has happened to you, then you know how devastating loss can be. You know what it feels like to be at the mercy of a job interviewer, or enslaved to a credit lender. It can leave us feeling less than.

Most of us seek identity in our jobs, dreams, talents, or peers. The people we love, the things we own, and the job we do often defines who we are. When we lose those things, we feel as though we have lost our identity. After that, what else is left?

The good news is—there is more left than we realize. This was true for Daniel after King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. The king ordered for some royal family Israelites to be taken into captivity. The order specified those who were attractive, smart, healthy, and who would make good servants to the king. Daniel was among them. They were also told what to eat and what to drink.

I imagine most the captives were distraught by all they had lost. They had been taken from their home, their land, and their people. But Daniel and his friends responded differently than most. They chose not to look at what they had lost but rather what they still had left.

Daniel had faith. He knew that the true King was large and in charge. Nebuchadnezzar may have been king of Babylon, but God was the King of Daniel.

Trusting God to work on his behalf, Daniel asked that he not have to defile himself by eating the king's food. Despite the official's hesitation, he granted Daniel's request due to God's favor.

As children of God, we do not have to lose heart or succumb to the world's ways either. No matter what kind of situation we are placed in, God can make the impossible possible. The Lord also gave knowledge and understanding to Daniel along with his three friends. This caught the king's attention. No one else in the kingdom could compare to these four. So, they entered the king's service without violating their faith and remained there until a new king took the throne.

Unfortunately, everyone experiences times of loss—a job, a friendship, a dream. Even so, our worth and identity are not found in these things. Nor is it found in our failures or losses. Your value and mine is in God and the amount of faith we have in Him.

When we find ourselves in our own Babylons, let's not look at what we've lost but at what we have left—our faith! It may be shaken but it can't be taken. Faith, like Daniel's, provides hope in a God who is large and in charge over every authority. That, my friend, is no loss. That is great gain.

Dear Lord, My focus has been on my circumstances instead of on You. Today, I chose to put my trust in You. I believe that You are aware of my situation and are working on my behalf. Fill my soul with peace and help me to rest in Your care. In Jesus' Name, Amen.