An Abiding Place of Rest

January 12, 2013 by 4 Comments

An Abiding Place of Rest

Guest post by Robbin.  Mom to 4 beautiful daughters inside and out and a definite wealth of wisdom and grace.  As she prepares her last daughter to graduate, her heart desires to share and encourage other moms still in the trenches.  
 
What an honor to have her with us.  Enjoy!
As mothers and wives, we tend to wear many different hats and find ourselves
in many different roles, which by nature, are natural tendencies for women.
 
However, regardless of how natural these tendencies may appear, there is one
ingredient that is often missing in our day-to-day lives as mothers and wives, and
that ingredient, which is so needed, is knowing how to abide in God’s rest.
 
In order for us to carry out our ultimate purpose as mothers and wives, I believe we
must function from a position of rest. The word rest can be defined as relief or
freedom, especially from anything that wearies, troubles, or disturbs; tranquility
in one’s mind and heart.
 
Therefore, I believe every action we take and every decision we make
should come from a place of rest.
 

What is this abiding rest?

 
With this in mind, I would like to ask you a question:
 

Do you operate out of a place of peace and rest or do you operate out of a place of fear, worry, and

anxiety?

 
If the latter is the place from which you tend to function, I have good
news for you.
 
There is an abiding rest in God prepared just for you.
 

Let us take a look at some of the following promises that God gives us as mothers and wives:

 
• God has promised us His peace: “Let not your heart be trouble, neither
let it be afraid. My peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you.” (John
14:27)
 
• God also tells us to come unto Him and He will give us rest. He reminds
us to take His yoke and learn of Him; for He is gentle and lowly of heart—
always ready to reveal and receive us unto Himself. (Matthew 11:28-30)
 
• In addition, He reminds us that only in returning and resting in Him will we
be saved. Returning from what? Returning from worry, anxiety, stress,
fear, and unbelief and returning to God; for God waits to be gracious to us.
He even promises us that when we step out of His rest, we will hear a word
behind us saying, “This is the way [My rest], walk in it.” (Isaiah 30:15, 18,
21)
 

How do we attain this rest?

 
First, we must come to Him, casting all our cares upon Him, and in coming, we will
find rest for our souls.
 
Second, we must desire to know Him intimately—to be deeply acquainted with Him and all His ways. 
 
Third, we must surrender our will to His will-- yielding completely to His influence in our lives.
 
More importantly, God desires for us to build a sanctuary in our hearts for Him to dwell. Therefore,
as we apply these three aspects—coming to Him, desiring to know Him, and
surrendering everything to Him, we will find the secret to perfect rest, which is
completely abiding in Jesus.
 
Therefore, as we continue to flow in our natural tendencies as wives and mothers,
let us be mindful of this one thing, rest only comes as we abide (stay, dwell, and
remain) in Him.
 
Are you operating from a place of rest ?  
 
Leave a comment below.
 
Filed Under: Blog, Connect to God, Connect to Purpose

A Time to Reflect on 2012 (Part 1)

December 9, 2012 by 1 Comment

Ecc. 3:1  "For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven”

You have to be on purpose if you want to slow the hustle and bustle.

I can think of no better way to cultivate a heart of gratitude than to purposefully look for the hand of God in your life.

Make this family project a tradition for your family.

Grab your calendar and reflect with your family over the past year.

Other places to look-  pictures, blog posts, journals, magazines, checkbook/bills- any place that might chronicle the past few months.

Begin the process by going through each month, starting in January. 

Go through each day, each week, each month.  On my calendar, I tend to make “trigger notes”*, little notations throughout the year that help to trigger our memory of what happened that day.

  • Look for any “firsts” in your family
  • Did someone learn to walk, talk, drive, cook, swim, etc.?
  • What were some personal achievements?  Run a 5K, hunt, lose weight, overcome a fear
  • Name some new friends that you met for the first time this year.
  • What places did you travel this year?
  • Did you read any outstanding books, articles, blog posts, etc. this year?  Which ones?
  • Births?  Deaths?
  • Special wins?  Painful losses?
  • Name some new skills that you learned this year.
  • National tragedies or achievements (ex. – storms/weather incidents or Olympic firsts/wins)

Each day this week, gather your family around the dinner table.
Go through only 1-2 months each evening. Keep it fun!  The whole year in one night, might kill the joy of this project.

Choose one person to be the family scribe.
Their job is to write down all the cool things that your family wants to remember.

*Tip- I use my family calendar.  See an example of my calendar.   The "trigger notes" are on the month-at-a-glance section.   I then record the detailed memories from our family in the daily section of the calendar.

I hope that you will join us.  This is an incredible way to record God’s faithfulness to your family and create a family treasure at the same time.

You will never regret the time you take for this project.  That’s a promise!

Next week we will talk about Part 2: A Heart of Thanks For 2012.

memory lane photo credit: alexbfree via photopin cc

Filed Under: Blog, Connect to God, Connect to Others, Connect to Purpose, Connect to Your Kids, Home Manager Tips

A Heart of Thanks for 2012 (Part 2)

December 9, 2012 by 1 Comment

If you are joining in for the first time this week, be sure to read Part 1, where we reflected on the past 12 months.  We took the time to write down and remember the many joys of the past 300+ days with our families.

The next step- say Thank You

Here, in America, we have an annual time of thanks as we celebrate Thanksgiving.

On Thanksgiving, every year our family gathers in a circle for each person to share 1 or 2 things that they are thankful for.  Our answers are similar to one another- “I’m thankful for my family, my health, my home, etc”

This time I want you to really think hard about the people who have affected your life.   The people that stepped into your world and you have never been the same.  The person that introduced you to your spouse, the teacher who believed in you, the pastor that faithfully taught you to study the Word.  The neighbor that looked out for you and made sure you were okay.

Look back through the events of this year.

What people stand out in your mind?

Who are the key people that made your accomplishments  and celebrations of 2012 possible?

Who are the people in your life that it would be easy to take for granted?

1. Create a list.


Name every person that comes to mind that you are thankful for.


Jot down their names and the reason you are thankful for them.


2. Pray a heartfelt prayer of thanks for each person on your list.


Be specific in naming the reason you are thankful for them this year.


3. Put action to your feelings.  Express your gratitude to them in some tangible way.


Send a letter, call them on the phone.   Express to them your thanks and why.

I would guess that most people have no idea the impact they have had on you.

Hearing that you are thankful for them and why, would rock their world.

But here’s the incredible part. 

Your commitment to giving thanks not only will rock their world, it will rock yours too.

Include your children.

Have them make lists too.  Pray with them.  Help them express their gratitude.

There are many things we can do this time of year, but one of the most impacting, life-changing moments you can experience is the moment you stop to show appreciation to someone who cared for your enough to share their life with you.

“But I don’t have time!”

This will take time.  True!

However, your time is the most precious gift you can give this Christmas season.

 

Who will be the first person on your list?

 

thank you photo credit: the Italian voice via photopin cc

Filed Under: Blog, Connect to God, Connect to Others, Connect to Purpose, Connect to Your Kids, Home Manager Tips

Guest Post : The Message in A Butterfly

December 9, 2012 by 6 Comments

Have you ever seen a butterfly’s shadow?

 

I was in my bedroom today, alone in the house and earnestly seeking God when I saw one...a butterfly’s shadow.

 

It danced across the closed mini blinds of my bedroom window, illuminated by the noonday sun. It made me smile, and it made me stop and think...are butterflies mentioned in the Bible? (Am I the only one who asks questions like this in the middle of a personal prayer session?) This verse from 2 Corinthians is what I found:

 

“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” 2 Corinthians 5:17

 

We’ve all learned about a caterpillar’s metamorphosis into a butterfly and some of us have even witnessed it firsthand (at my house we like any kind of science that involves critters).

Have you ever stopped to think about how this verse applies to you and me?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We are a lot like caterpillars when we try to do things our own way and apart from God.

We crawl around devouring anything we can sink our teeth into,

only to become larger and greater in our own minds.

 

I once had the privilege of seeing a butterfly just after it emerged from its cocoon.

It did not fly off right away.  It carefully readied itself for its first glorious flight as a new creature. It flew off the porch but quickly landed nearby in the grass, as if not quite used to this new sensation, this new experience, this new “normal.”

It took flight again, this time going a little further, but then stopping again. I watched this beautiful butterfly as it flew around the area it was used to, staying in its comfort zone. Then suddenly, almost as if someone had called its name, that butterfly soared on the wind high in the air and I never saw it again.

This particular butterfly began its life in a spiky, frightening , and poisonous form. Then God made it into a new creature. It became something beautiful, capable of things it could never have done without this dramatic change.

 

My encouragement to you today- 

You are new and beautiful in Christ.

Your past is part of your present because it has made you who you are in Him.

God has taken your yesterdays and transformed them with his love into a life of glorious praise.

Now soar on the wings of His love, let Him take you to new heights of glory. Don’t look back on your yesterdays and see sadness or destruction.

Instead, see what He sees when He looks at your yesterday: a creature who needed Love’s transforming beauty in order to fulfill her purpose in this life, a purpose that continues to unfold, day by day, washing your soul with beauty as you honor Him with your life.

 

Do you see the connection between your yesterday and your purpose ?

 

[author] [author_image timthumb='on'][/author_image] [author_info]Patricia Hord- I am a mother of two wonderful boys who make life an exciting adventure every day and wife of nearly 25 years to a man who unselfishly cares for his family in every way he can. http://www.heart4learning.blogspot.com/ [/author_info] [/author]

butterfly photo credit: Paulo Brandão via photopin cc

caterpillar photo credit: macropoulos via photopin cc

Filed Under: Blog, Connect to God, Connect to Purpose

Are you doing the crazy dance too?

November 29, 2012 by 2 Comments

Sometimes I feel like I’m dancing but the DJ keeps changing the music alternating between fast and slow jams.  

 

Just when I want to start waving my hands in the air and  giving it my all, the DJ switches it up and the music is mellow and s-l-o-w (insert Barry White voice)  “S-l-o-w j-a-m-s”.  Then as soon as I start swaying back and forth to the slow jams, the lights start flashing and the beat starts pumping all over again.

If you can picture that scenario, then welcome to my world since launching A Powerful Moment.  For the past 16 years I have been dancing the slow sway of motherhood.  The sense of calm that comes with routine and familiarity is quite different now. On the other hand there  is the fast pace steady beat of the internet world.  Everything is new for me.  I am the tech challenged mom who constantly asks her kids for help with using my Iphone.  


So God must have the biggest sense of humor when He called me forward to start this incredible journey.  

laughing horse

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I tell my friends and family all the time, if you would have told me 6 or 7 months..... ,pssshhhh 6 or 7 weeks ago, all of the different things I am doing today, I would’ve sworn you had lost your mind.

You see, I was comfortable.  I liked my normal days, a lot of times they were crazy but hey, that was “normal” for me.  I liked just hanging out with my babies.  I was content to do that until....well, until all of my babies started having babies.  That’s what I planned.  So let me share a  warning sign for you my friend.  If you are comfortable in your life right now- watch out!  That’s the perfect set-up for God to come in and wreck the safety of your world and reveal His mighty hand.

I say wreck with all sincerity and loving affection.

When we are living a peaceful, quiet existence, it feels like a wrecking ball crashing into our world when the charge comes forth to go somewhere you’ve never been and  you’re asked to do things you didn’t even know were possible.

Wrecking Ball

 

 

 

 

 

 

That’s what lauching A Powerful Moment has been for me.

In these short 7-8 months I have been part of a marketing strategy session with 6 executives from a major publishing company.  I was invited for an hour long interview on the radio- which was fantastic by the way.  I have had speakers contacting me from across the nation and Canada to help them develop online classes, and.... you get the picture.  While at the same time, life around here goes on.  There’s still homeschooling and family life.

Can you feel the challenge of finding the beat to the music- fast? slow? I don’t know!

I bet you can relate in your own life.

If your days are spent focusing on the needs of your children, when your hubby gets home you may still find yourself talking about feedings, and cleaning, and house rules.  You may have that awkward moment when you realize that you’re treating your husband like he’s one of the kids.  But on the other side, sometimes you may catch yourself talking to your little ones and using language that is WAY over their heads and wondering why they don’t get it!  Welcome to the crazy dance.  Embrace it!

It’s all a part of God’s bigger plan.

So if sometimes when I write to you it feels techy or out-of-sync, it’s probably because my brain is on overload trying to learn all the techy stuff needed to serve you best.  Give me some grace, the crazy dance music just changed again.  Hold on it will pass.  It’s just my quick stumble as I try to readjust to the slow jams, while I was still doing my cabbage patch moves.  hee-hee

The entire mission of A Powerful Moment is to create training opportunities for moms.  To provide the practical help that moms need to better their best ,so that their families thrive, not just survive day-to-day.  I invite you to come along, join in, tell your friends.

God is on the move, let’s commit together to dance to the beat of His drum.

Are you with me?
dancing squirrel photo credit: jhoc via photopin cc
horse photo credit: cindy47452 via photopin cc
wrecking ball photo credit: Brandon Doran via photopin cc

Filed Under: Blog, Connect to God, Connect to Others, Connect to Purpose, Home Manager Tips

Do You Stand Out ?

November 18, 2012 by 4 Comments

I woke up early this morning and wanted to jot down what the Lord was sharing with me.

 

The Standout Principle

 

A principle based on scripture. Basically throughout Jesus' life He ministered to, healed, transformed, the lives of those who stood out from the crowd. The ones who were willing to get in front of him, the ones who got his attention, the ones who traveled great distances to see him, those were his people.

 

I especially love the man who shouted and shouted and shouted out for healing. In spite of the many requests of people around him to shut up, be quiet, don't trouble the man with your problems, he insisted on being heard. And what happened? Click here to read the story.

 

Another story is the woman who risked it all, embarrassment, even ridicule. Jesus called her a "dog". She still remained in front of him. She was not going to run away from the very place she knew the answer existed. There was no other answer for her. So she persisted. What happened? Click here to read the story.

 

 

How about a much more subtle stand? The story of the young maiden who was highly favored to carry the kings of kings in her womb. She was described as blessed among women. She did not shout, or press through crowds, or anything drastic like that, however she still stood out. Her way of living stood out to God. Her refusing the temptations to live her own life, was a more subtle form of a standout, but a standout no less. Click here to read the story.

 

Each of us are wired different. Some of us are busy and active, so it is likely that our actions will standout. Through some form of outward expression. Some of us are quiet and reserved so it is likely that our quiet actions or the things that we don't say will cause a standout. Our standout expression reflects an inward stand an inward conviction.

 

No matter how God created us, we are all called to standout.

 

The scripture ask us - do we light a candle and then hide it under a basket?

We are supposed to standout.
You are supposed to stand out.

 

Not for your own fame. Not so that people know your name. Not so that you get all the glitz and the glory, but so that God does.

 

After all, it's His light in you that causes you to standout in the first place. It's nothing that you did to earn the ability to stand out.

 

When we seek to standout for our own glory, it's not pretty, and it lacks grace. God's blessings add no sorrow. God's hand enables us, strengthens us, brings joy to our hearts.  

Gloating and self-praise only cheapens the standout and weakens our testimony. It causes us to struggle and toil and fight for everything we have and eventually our joy and strength are gone.

From me to you, for the glory of God, it's time for you to stand up and stand out!

Will you?

 

flower photo credit: rosswebsdale via photopin cc

dog photo credit: visualpanic via photopin cc

girl photo credit: Collin Key via photopin cc

Filed Under: Blog, Connect to God, Connect to Purpose
« Previous Page
Next Page »