We all know we are supposed to spend time every day in God’s Word, but we also know that it is a lot easier said than done. Our intentions are good. If only we could live up to them!
The more time we spend in the Bible, the more opportunities we have to hear from God, to feel the encouragement and to grasp the wisdom it offers. All good things….and yet…many of us fail to do it for a myriad of reasons.
I found an easy way to get more of it every day.
Listening to it!
The YouVersion Bible app has an option where it will read aloud to you. Multiple versions are available…although my personal preference is The Living Bible. You can also set a timer for how long you would like to listen. Now, every night after I say my prayers and set my alarm, I turn on God’s Word.
After three years of listening to the Bible daily, I can share that the benefits have been amazing! I now recommend it to everyone, and here’s why…
1. Some people just aren’t readers
When I suggest my 14-year-old daughter “read” a book, I can’t even finish the phrase before her eyes roll and a sigh escapes. While my version of a perfect day includes the beach and a book, she would never agree. However, just because she isn’t a fan of reading doesn’t mean she can’t soak herself in God’s Word….by listening.
2. Stop anxious thoughts keeping you awake
I may head to bed, eager to finally rest after an exhausting day, only to find that my mind starts filling up with all the things I still have to do accomplish the following day. Instead of achieving much needed sleep, anxious thoughts keep me up as I watch the minutes and hours tick by. It is on these nights that I found listening to the Bible became an antidote. It calms my anxiety and ushers in peace….and sleep! Praise God!
3. Protection from the enemy
We have an enemy. Satan is never going to “play fair” and will attack at any moment of the day or night. When Jesus was in the wilderness and Satan came to Him, how did He fight back? By speaking God’s Word aloud. Satan and his demons hate the Word of God and in our family we have found any nighttime attacks always end once we turn on the Bible.
4. Helps with understanding
People often tell me that they don’t read the Bible because they have a hard time understanding it. Some people are auditory listeners and others need to look at the words and listen at the same time to increase comprehension. We are all created differently and God meant to do it that way! Listening to a voice actor use inflection in his voice helps many to understand a previously confusing passage.
5. Facilitates memorization
Two of my daughters had an intense love for the book of Esther. Every night, one question from me, “What book would you like to listen to?” Every night, the same answer from them, “Esther.” They must have listened hundreds of times to the familiar story. Now, those words are planted in their hearts. They memorized them without even trying! Repetition is a great way to move something from short-term to long-term memory.
These are just a few of the reasons why listening to God’s Word is an investment you won’t regret!
Add it to your nighttime routine, or your morning drive, or whenever you can take some time to just listen and soak it in. Commit to it by telling us how you plan to include it in your life in the comment section below.
Growing up, my youth group was the highlight of my teen years. I made my best friends there. Every time the church doors were open, we were there. Sunday morning in Sunday School, followed by a Sunday evening service where we all sat together (and tried not to get in trouble for talking), then Wednesday Bible study, and throw in another night of the week where we hung out. Not to mention summer camps and choir tours. Deep relationships take time. And we surely invested the time, and it shows, even to this day, we stay connected on Facebook and I’m sure they will be among some of the firsts to read this post.
Try as I might, I can’t recreate the same environment for my children to grow up in. In my effort to get them to connect to a youth group, we have moved churches, attended youth camps (with our church and even with friends’ churches), had lengthy discussions about its importance, all to no avail. None of my three teenage daughters feel a connection to a youth group. What is missing? I don’t know, but I wish I had the answers.
It feels like youth today are so distracted—by their phones, social networks, and extra-curricular activities. They are interested in having a lot of “friends”, but are missing out on the depth of those relationships. Even when they are together, they are often looking at their phones and not each other.
Getting on the bus for one of our youth trips. Our beloved youth pastor, George, herding us in.
Not only did the youth groups of yesterday spend a lot of time together, when we did, it was without technology to distract us from living in the present. We had looooong van or bus rides and spent many a “lock-in” with our main entertainment being talking to each other. We blew passed the conversations acquaintances have, because those dry up in ten minutes, and talked about everything and anything.
I’m not saying our youth groups were perfect. We had cliques. We had popularity issues. But, we did feel connected. We did, and still do, love each other.
I hope I’m wrong. I hope there are still youth groups out there where kids are feeling connected. In fact, if your teen is involved in one and it is totally working for them, let me know what you think is making it work. Is there some way to reach this generation we need to incorporate into our churches? Please share your successes or observations. I’d love to hear them.
I’ve recently been reminded of the importance of praying over my children. It was easy when they were little and I was the one tucking them into bed each night. Those little girls are busy teenagers now, blossoming into beautiful women. While I may not tuck them into bed at night, praying over them is more important than ever, so new habits must surface.
This year Ainsley started high school and since we go to a school outside of our area, I drive her every morning on my way to work. We have 15 minutes of uninterrupted time each morning, which gives us the time to talk about what is going on in her life and for me to pray over her before she leaves the car. I remember thinking in the beginning of the year what a drag it was going to be to have to leave early every morning to take her, and now it is time I absolutely cherish.
Jerilyn’s needs are different. She tends to get attacked by Satan at night and can be overwhelmed by fear. She lives in a wonderful group home during the week, but that means she is not home most nights. We now have nightly calls where I can pray over her. The wonderful perk of a child with autism is that habits are easy for her to develop. They make her world feel much safer. Jerilyn calls every night before bed, you could set your clock to it, and this connects us even when she isn’t with me. It also builds her faith as she sees God step in and answer our prayers.
Daisy has been the more challenging one to get into a routine, because there is not a specific time of day when it is just us two. However, I was reminded this week of the importance of being purposeful about praying over her. She has been having a rough week, and I’ve had to have some difficult conversations with her. The moods of a twelve-year-old girl are fierce! 🙂 As I became purposeful about praying over her, and doubling-down with a prayer in the morning and evening, I could see the teenage angst fading and the joy only Jesus brings, appear on her face.
Lord, help us to pray purposefully over our children. We are often the only thing that stands between them and a world eager to distract and entice them away from you. Help us to connect on a heart level with them by letting them see our love poured out in petitions for them to you, our sweet, sweet Heavenly Father.
Title – “An EXTREME GOD for EXTREME TIMES”. Check.
Proposal written. Check.
Next step, finding the literary agent God has chosen for this book. It is in His hands. I’ve sent it to a handful of agents on this first round and now it is a waiting game. It can take months to hear back. All in God’s time.
Just to give you a little background. God spoke to my heart many years ago letting me know his plan included me writing a book. At the time, I remember thinking I had no idea what I would write about! Of course, I didn’t know I was in the beginning phases of living the life he wanted me to pen (or more accurately…type) later.
About 15 years ago I released my “fear of trials” to God and told him I didn’t want to live in fear. He certainly took me at my word and I’ve had a steady stream of trials or extreme times ever since. But guess what?? I’m no longer living in fear. God has given me plenty of opportunities to stretch my faith muscles to the point that I can fully and completely get behind this verse found in James 1:3…
Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, when you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.
This last year, although not without its challenges, has been a season of blessing in so many ways. It feels as though we are making our way out of the desert we’ve been wandering around in for so long. God has taught me so many things along the journey and I pray that He allows me to minister to others who need encouragement and hope.
I am also re-launching my speaking career….more to come in future posts. Super excited about doing what I love though, I have truly missed it.
I am attending a writer’s conference this weekend. Please pray for “God-encounters.” I love being surprised by God and seeing how He is working in the lives of those all around us. Also, please pray for God’s favor on me and to open the door that leads me to the correct literary agent.
I know many of you were praying on August 13th, when we were scheduled for trial, but it was unexpectedly delayed once again. I was so disappointed. But once September 8th rolled around I felt ready. Totally at peace, which I am sure, was absolutely a direct result of so many people praying for me, because feeling at peace or calm when you head into court is a miracle by itself. I was asking God for 3 miracles…
The Judge would make a same-day ruling. (Very uncommon here in Arizona…usually a Judge takes 4-6 weeks to rule on this kind of matter.)
Mr. X would walk away with zero parenting time. (Basically no visitation)
Mr. X would be stripped of his legal decision-making authority so I could be free to make all the medical, educational and religious decisions regarding the girls.
Court started with some possible setbacks. The judge informed us that we would each have only an hour instead of the original hour and fifteen minutes. This worried me because I was already stressed about needing MORE time since I had two witnesses and almost 20 pieces of evidence to get into the record. Also, Mr. X brought his current girlfriend (even though he has a current wife as well) and convinced the Judge to let her sit at the table with him as his Occupational Therapist. Lastly, Mr. X had been required to show proof regarding the earlier delay he caused in August and the Judge ended up accepting his extremely weak proof. Normally, this would cause me to feel sucker-punched and get me worried about the rest of the case, but this time I felt a supernatural peace, and took it all in stride. “Whatevs…”
Mr. X took the stand first. He wasn’t prepared and had NO pieces of evidence. He was also prevented from admitting any evidence since he had missed the original deadline. His testimony included a fabricated disability and misleading information about a past job. I was able to cross-examine him, but it was extremely difficult because…surprise, surprise…he just so happens to be a belligerent witness…refusing to answer any question directly and sucking up all my time with talking around the issues.
One of the things I was able to corner him about was his dog. Our youngest daughter is deathly allergic to ALL dogs…and no…there is no such thing as a “hypoallergenic” dog for her. She is allergic to dog dander or skin…which all dogs have. I have had to epi pen her before for dogs, and her allergist said she has the highest allergy of anyone she has ever treated for a dog allergy. So…Mr. X having a dog is a big no no if he wants to be able to see his daughter. He claimed his Maltese was a service dog…for his undocumented and unverified eye-sight disability. Sure appeared he chose a dog over a future with his daughter…not a good strategic move, right?
Once he was off the stand, my daughters’ therapist went on. She did an excellent job conveying the extent of previous abuse and communicating the desires of the girls to the judge. The ironic thing was that after I finished questioning her and as we waited for him to begin the cross-examination, I thought of a few clarifications I still needed to ask her. Well…Mr. X unwittingly did it for me. His last question was what kind of training she had, which allowed her to end her testimony mentioning her multiple master degrees and that she was only three classes away from completing her PhD. Perfect! I couldn’t have planned it better.
I was next on the stand. Unfortunately, I only had twelve minutes in which to give my entire testimony. Twelve. Minutes. Ackk!
I took my notes up to the stand and basically read them at break-neck speed. Now, all of you who know me and have heard me speak, know I can talk fast….really fast. The awesome thing was that the Judge never told me to slow down, he just took furiously fast notes. I was able to get my most important pieces of evidence in…including a letter from a psychiatrist in favor of removing Mr. X’s parenting due to the abuse of another child (not one of ours), four of my Orders of Protection, and past Department of Child Safety reports.
Mr. X then cross-examined me. Whenever he asked a question, he yelled at me to only say Yes or No. It was especially ridiculous because he had bloviated on all the questions during his testimony, but didn’t want me to be able to elaborate at all. He just came off as a jerk (or should I say psychopath). The Judge told me to just stick to yes or no. This normally would concern me, but I still had such a peace I didn’t worry about it.
Mr. X only had a few questions for me since he obviously hadn’t prepared any ahead of time. Then we were done. The Judge said he wanted to take 15 minutes to deliberate and then he would return with a ruling. (MIRACLE #1) Within a minute or two of him leaving the courtroom all of a sudden two armed guards appeared. It was the first time I actually felt hope take flight. If he wanted two armed guards…maybe it was because he was about to lay down a ruling he knew Mr. X would not like.
After about 20 minutes, the Judge returned. Our case included about 25 different statutes/conditions the Judge would need to consider. He went through EACH one. He would read it and then elaborate, basically EVERY SINGLE TIME stating how Mr. X had failed in the area. Whenever one would come up that would include me, the Judge supported my parenting…even saying from the bench that I was a good mother out to protect my children. He told Mr. X he didn’t find him to be a credible witness and used his testimony against him. He told him he found him to be the perpetrator of “significant” domestic violence. He had also done his research about all my Orders of Protection and seemed amazed that FIVE separate commissioners had approved my previous orders, basically telling Mr. X it “doesn’t matter who she gets in front of” they see the need for protection. Which was AWESOME because it meant the Judge had seen through all the lies and landed on the truth. Praise Jesus!!
At the very end, he pronounced NO parenting time and NO legal decision-making. MIRACLE #2 AND #3!!!
I was also able to serve Mr. X while he was in court since he refuses to give us a current address regarding how delinquent he is in child support…around $30K. So, it looks like I will be in court again soon about that but PRAISE GOD everything else besides my girls safety is just secondary. We have what we need….each other and peace for our future.
I can’t thank you all enough for the way so many of you went to your knees in prayer for us. I will surely be in your “Thank You” line in heaven. Like I said in my Facebook post…I see this as a kingdom victory. We had an army of prayer warriors.
I am currently writing a book on courtroom victories, so if you know of anyone who wants to give God all the glory for what He has done for them in court, send them my way.
As some of you may know, I have been in pretty consistent court battles with my ex (whom we will call Mr. X) since we divorced ten years ago. Bottom line…it’s hard to divorce and get away from a psychopath. Maybe one day I’ll write a book just about what I’ve learned! In fact, this post is going to have to be broken into at least two posts because there is just so much that happened! Today’s will be about what happened before we made it to the courtroom and then tomorrow I will post about our day in court.
Court building (AAP Image/Comstock) NO ARCHIVING, INTL OUT
Our recent courtroom battle was regarding parenting time, legal decision-making power, and child support. It took over twenty months to get to trial, primarily because of all the delays caused by a certain somebody. We would go to a Status Conference in court about every six weeks, which ended up helping because true colors were starting to show. We were both on our own, attorney-less.
Days before our trial, I received an email stating he was willing to consider any proposal I would send that would avoid court. Hmmm…unusual. I replied back that the only proposal I would send would include him losing his parenting time and legal decision-making and asked if he would be willing to consider agreeing… I wasn’t expecting a response. However, I ended up getting one two days later that said yes…he would consider it.
While waiting for him to write up a formal proposal, before going to bed that night, I prayed and asked God to make it VERY clear to me whether or not I was supposed to go to trial. My prayer was that I was willing to do whatever would give God the most glory. Right after handing it over to God in prayer, I pulled out my Bible, not expecting an answer right away, but God gave me one anyway. I randomly picked Psalm 23 to start reading in. When I got to the verse that said he would prepare a feast before me in the presence of my enemies, I began to wonder if God meant me to apply that verse to my life. I decided…Nah…I mean I wasn’t looking for an answer right then, just whenever I received the email. I kept reading…it seemed like verse after verse were referring to liars being revealed and integrity winning out. When I got to chapter 26: 1-2, I KNEW I had my answer…
Declare me innocent, O Lord,
for I have acted with integrity;
I have trusted in the Lord without wavering.
Put me on trial, Lord, and cross-examine me.
Test my motives and my heart.
Minutes before I had been asking God whether or not I needed to go to trial. The answer was obvious. No matter what Mr. X sent me, I already knew the response God wanted from me. This made it so much easier when he did send two proposals…one saying he would give up his parenting time with a bunch of conditions in exchange for child support; the second offering he would sign off on the children permanently. This second one was hard to turn down because it would guarantee future freedom for my girls. However, since God had given me such a clear answer, I knew He had an even better plan for them!
Okay…this is the most belated blog ever because I’ve been meaning to post this since Christmas. My sweet 11 year old daughter, Ainsley, couldn’t go to sleep on Christmas Eve (no surprises there). The reason for my shameless pride though is because of what she chose to do with her sleepless night. The next day she told me she read the whole book of Luke and wrote the following prayer for Christmas day:
Dear Father God, creator of all and maker of Heavens we give our thanks to you. Because when we the sinner sinned your heart broke but you didn’t stop loving us so you gave the most wonderful thing one day. Your son. So your son washed our hearts in the blood of the lamb so we could live eternally forever with you. So your son deserves all the presents but he doesn’t accept something made on the outside, he wants something made on the inside so we lift our hearts up to you Lord, Amen.
On September 5, 2004 I was nine months pregnant and Hurricane Frances was sweeping across the state of Florida, heading straight towards Tampa, and us. As luck would have it, the barometric pressure dropped enough to put my overdue body into labor. My husband and I got in the car and headed to the hospital. Oh wait. We weren’t going to a hospital; we were going to a “birth center.” A birth center can sound like a great plan when you are not in labor and can still envision a perfect birth. However, when facing a hurricane with 145 mph winds, my birth center looked like a little house, surrounded by WAY too many trees.
We drove through the wind and rain, carefully navigating the already fallen trees to get there. Once we arrived, labor was in full force and there was no other option but to just push through. (Pun intended, of course.) In my defense, I chose a natural birth with my first daughter and I assumed this second one would be just as wonderful of an experience. Never assume anything. First off, this time it hurt….worse. All I kept thinking was “Get me that epidural,” only I didn’t have access to an epidural at a birth center with a midwife.
No water. No electricity. Definitely no epidural. And finally, no going to any hospital since roads were blocked and I’m pretty sure the ambulances were otherwise engaged. Then, as the eye of the hurricane was passing over us and the distinct stillness of the winds saturated our senses, Daisy Marie entered our world. The traumatic experience wasn’t over yet though because she was all blue and not breathing. My world truly did stop spinning as I waited the longest moments of my life, for her to breathe. Finally, her beautiful cry erupted. Daisy was here, all 9.1 pounds of her. Yes…ouch.
We all enter into this world after hanging out in a womb until it is our time to beborn. For some, like Daisy, the birth is filled with drama. For others, like my best friend Misty, it means coming early, as a tiny four-pounder resembling a drowned rat. Her words, not mine. However, every birth experience is unique and life changing.
We obviously don’t choose how or when we come into this world, but we were chosen to come. God chose each of us specifically. It is a relief to know none of us are accidents, at least not in God’s eyes, although our parents may have a totally different take on this.
Spiritual Birth Day
Although we may not have a lot of say in how and when we are physically born into this world, we do get to determine if we are reborn.
3Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again,you cannot see the Kingdom of God.”4“What do you mean?” exclaimed Nicodemus. “How can an old man go back into his mother’s womb and be born again?” 5Jesus replied, “I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. 6Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life. 7So don’t be surprised when I say, ‘Youmust be born again.’ (John 3: 3-7, NLT)
We experience the joy and privilege of being born again once we choose to start our life with our awesome heavenly Father. Interestingly, just as men pursue women, which can result in a physical birth, our heavenly Father pursues us, which leads to our spiritual birth.
Although I don’t remember my physical birth and I don’t think I’m alone in this, I could never forget my spiritual Birth Day. I was a little lady of six. First off, don’t let anyone tell you a small child cannot make an eternal decision. God’s timing is all that matters, not the limitations and qualifiers we are sometimes guilty of placing on people.
I remember telling my parents I was ready to make a decision for Christ and I wanted to walk down the aisle in church on Sunday. When Sunday came around, I could hardly wait until the end of the sermon and as soon as they started the weekly invitational hymn I popped out of the pew and headed down to the front. I sat there with my pastor and prayed. I immediately felt a huge weight being lifted off my shoulders and thrown as far as the East is from the West! I felt light and free. Even at six I was amazed because I couldn’t remember ever feeling that weight until, all of a sudden, it was gone.
I will NEVER forget that moment. You know what I love most about it? It is the fact I never, ever question whether I was saved. It’s as clear to me as the fact that the sun will rise tomorrow. I know not everyone has the kind of salvation experience that leaves no doubt, but God our Father wants us to be confident of our salvation. If you aren’t confident, seek Him and lay those fears down once and for all.
I mentioned earlier in this blog that I was working on writing a book. I’ve decided to start posting excerpts of it. I would love your feedback!
First, let me tell you how I arrived at this point. Have you ever felt certain of a future event in your life? You know…getting married one day, having children, or working in a specific field? I think we all have. Well, I just knew one day I was going to write a book. I knew this even before I really had lived the life and learning experiences God wanted me to write about, all in the hope of encouraging others.
Earlier this year, I started praying seriously about my writing. In my prayers, I shared my heart and my desire with God to get started, but also the fact that I didn’t have the structure ironed out and I desperately needed God for that. I think my prayer went like this…
“God my heart is willing, but you know my weaknesses. I don’t know how to structure it, so I need you to structure it for me. Help organize my thoughts. Please, Lord!”
It was only a few days later while I was reading Ecclesiastes that I felt God speak to me. I was in Ecclesiastes 3, which is the “A Time To Be” chapter. You know….a time to be born, a time to die, etc. After reading it through the first time, I felt the Holy Spirit tell me to read it again. I did. Again, I felt the prompting of the Spirit to read it once more…slower. Once I did, ideas started popping with each “A time to be.” For instance, when I read “a time to be born,” my mind started popping with different interpretations…physical birth, spiritual birth, the birth of a dream. I knew God had answered my prayer. I was to use each “A time to be” as a chapter! Structure….Done. God is so good to me!!
I’m excited to share what God has laid on my heart to write. My prayer is that my readers are able to laugh, be encouraged, and not feel so alone in their struggles. God’s Word says it best…
“He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us.” 2 Cor 1:4
I want to live that verse out. Let me know what you think as I share. Please leave comments, so I can grasp if I am heading in the right direction. 🙂
God loves the prayers of children, don’t you agree? I’ve always believed children have a special prayer line straight to the Father. My sweet Daisy shared something with me that I couldn’t wait to share with all of you. She explained she was holding her hands in a specific way when she prays now.
First, she told me she places her thumbs over her mouth to remind her to stop talking. (She is her mother’s daughter…need I say more.) Then she points her pointer fingers up towards God to remind her to listen to God. She folds the rest of her fingers in the familiar prayer pose. My kids never cease to amaze me!
