Fantastic February

And so it begins! Today is the start of Fantastic February with Female in Motion. Okay, I know I'm a couple of days early, but I just couldn't wait! Together we're going to make a month-long journey to improve our walk with God and get rid of some old, bad habits.

Here's what we're celebrating:

It's Leap Year. There are 29 days in February this year. Let's use each one to improve ourselves and our relationship with Jesus. Every day, write down something positive about yourself. Start each sentence with "I am." We are going to get rid of that nasty, negative voice rattling around in our heads, and replace him (or her!) with good, positive thoughts.

It's my birthday month. I will turn 50 in February. That's right! Book me, Dan-O, I'm 5-0. I'm excited about what 2012 may hold. Every year that God gives me is a gift from Him, so I'm going to grab this one by the horns and party!

I'm giving away a prize! To celebrate Leap Year and my birthday, I'm going to give away a $50 Target gift card to one of my wonderful readers. All you have to do is participate. Write down an "I am" statement every day and at the end of the month, email it to me or private message me on Facebook. I promise not to share it with another soul. I'll put all the names in a hat and draw one as the winner on Monday, March 5.

You won't be doing this alone. I'm going to be right there with you. Each day, I will post my daily "I am" statement on Twitter and Female in Motion's Facebook fan page. If you're not on either of those, comment on this blog and I will email you every day. Included with my daily post will be an inspirational Scripture to help you get through the day. Let's cheer each other on and move forward in our faith.

I have battled negative voices in my mind since I was young. They began outside from another, but I picked up the mantra and continued to batter myself with insults. My favorites were "you're not good enough" and "nobody likes you anyway." After a lot of prayer, counseling and soul-searching, those thoughts are fading.

Insecurity is a very private problem. It's not something you discuss with friends over coffee or at a church social. But maybe that's a mistake. Maybe we should be talking about it openly and candidly. Those negative thoughts return once in a while. I have learned to ask myself, "Is this the truth? Is it based in reality?"

What do you replace those negative words with? How about "Even so." This is something I learned from Dayspring blogger Holley Gerth. Think about this. Would you ever dream of calling your son or daughter the same words you say to yourself? I thought not. You are a precious child of God. Claim your inheritance!

Jeremiah 31:3 (KJV)
The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.


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Female in Motion Exercise Update: I walked four miles last week and did two 30-minute Wii exercise workouts.

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Notable Quote:

"Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless."--Mother Teresa

Breathed By God

My pastor related a story last week that really struck me. His mother taught all of her children (eight, in total!) to write by giving them a pencil and placing her hand over theirs. She guided their little hands along the paper, forming beautiful words. Those youngsters weren't actually writing, they were simply following the lead of their loving mother.

This sweet tale is a fitting parallel to how the prophets wrote the Bible. Faithful men of old were chosen by God to record His Word. God told them what to write. His Word is "theopneustos," a Greek word meaning "God breathed." Thus, the Scripture is divinely inspired.

Here we are, more than 2,000 years later, still talking about the words those men wrote. I believe that the Bible is alive; a living testament of God. These words have power and meaning and wisdom in every passage. It is a living love letter that God gave to each one of us.

I try to spend as much time as possible studying the Bible. It always seems, however, that the more I know, the more I don't know. In some ways, God's Word is very simple and straightforward. There are deeper meanings to it, though, so every time I read, I discover something new. His Word is like an abstract painting, from every angle, there are fresh perspectives.

Psalm 119:105 (KJV)
Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

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Next Monday is kickoff day for Fantastic February with Female in Motion! I want you to be part of this, so make sure to read every Monday's blog post. You'll have fun, I promise!

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Female in Motion Exercise Update: I walked two miles last week and did three 30-minute Wii workouts. The weather was pretty cold last week, but exercise outdoors really wakes you up!

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Notable Quote:

John 17:17 (KJV)
Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.

Fall On Your Knees

I count on my knees. By that, I mean that I do a lot of things involving my knees: exercising, hauling laundry and groceries upstairs, scrubbing tubs and floors and loads of praying. (I'm Baptist, people!)

Growing up a tomboy, I did lots of sports and physical stuff. I did bike stunts, played tennis, soccer on both girls and boys teams, ran track, hiked and played powder puff football. Most of the years while my daughters were young, I spent on my knees playing and helping and staying on their level. All of these activities wreaked havoc on my poor old knees.

In the Bible, it speaks of King Solomon spending time on his knees, praying, with his hands lifted up to heaven. David and Daniel, the prophet, also worshipped this way. The book of Judges tells of the soldiers in Gideon's army bowing down on their knees to drink water before facing the walls of Jericho.

As I age, my knees have started to creak when I stand and give a little when I climb the stairs, but it's not a problem. Taking glucosamine and chrondroitin and exercising helps. I will continue to use my knees and be grateful for every day the good Lord gives me.

Philippians 2:10-11 (KJV)
That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

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Next month is Fantastic February with Female in Motion! Be sure to read every blog post in February. I'm going to have cool and life-changing activities and a big surprise giveaway. Don't miss it!

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Female in Motion Exercise Update: The odyssey has begun! On Monday, I ran .25 miles. On Tuesday, I walked .50 miles. On Wednesday, I walked a whole mile! On Thursday and Friday, the weather was freezing, so I did yoga and aerobics on the Wii. A good week, all told!

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Notable Quote:

"If you lose hope, somehow you lose the vitality that keeps life moving, you lose that courage to be, that quality that helps you to go on in spite of all."--Martin Luther King, Jr.

Little Faith vs. Great Faith

I've been a Christian for a long time. When I was young, I got so excited about doing "projects" for God and for my church. When a few of them didn't turn out exactly as I had envisioned, I was sorely disappointed. Missionaries from exotic foreign lands visited our congregation and my emotions ramped up again, then just as quickly died out. I was immature in my faith.

Charles Spurgeon, a British Baptist preacher in the late 1800's, wrote: "Strong faith, like Mary, sits still in the house. Little faith would convert the world before the sun went down, and she grows faint because her zeal has not fulfilled her wish. Little faith must pluck the promises while they are green. She is not content to wait till they become ripe and mellow."

Seems like I've seen a lot of people come through our church. They join in, get excited about service and spend hours working in ministry. Within a few months or years, though, they seem to fade away. Perhaps they had a fight with another member, or felt they weren't appreciated for all their contributions. Whatever the case, their faith fizzled.

Little faith needs instant gratification.
Great faith is patient.

Little faith needs constant monitoring.
Great faith is mature.

Little faith is mercurial, her moods are an emotional roller coaster.
Great faith is steady.

When the Centurion pleaded with Jesus to speak a word of healing for his servant, the Lord said He had not seen "so great faith, no, not in Israel." I have found that my spiritual maturity has increased when I study and meditate on His Word, spend time in personal prayer and give to others without expectations. Sometimes I am more successful than others. I keep my eyes on Him, and off everyone around me. God rewards the effort.

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Female in Motion is preparing for big things in February! Read every blog entry next month for a lot of life, inspiration and an awesome prize. It will be a Fun February with Female in Motion!

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Female in Motion Exercise Update: I did four 40-minute Wii workouts last week, including one session of jogging 1.5 miles. I had to lay off most of the jogging last week, because I increased my workouts and pulled a thigh muscle. Big things to report next week!

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Notable Quote:

"Faith can move mountains, but don't be surprised if God hands you a shovel."--Author Unknown

Protect Your Valuables

Matthew 13:44-46 (KJV)
44 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.
45 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls:
46 Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.

In my blog post last week, I set a few goals for myself in 2012. One of these was to get to know God better by spending time with Him. We discussed this "treasure" scripture in Matthew yesterday in Sunday School. As part of this 2012 journey, I asked myself some questions.

What is the biggest joy in my life? Some might say family, hobbies or even that first cup of coffee in the morning. The Hubster likes to come home, put on sweats, lie on the couch with a kitty cat beside him and watch TV. This activity makes him content, but it is not the biggest joy in his life.

Others will only be happy when they make partner in their law firm, bank their first million, or write a best-selling novel. I saw a news story once about a woman who had 37 plastic surgeries to make herself look exactly like a Barbie doll. She knew this achievement would give her peace. What am I looking to achieve in this life? What is my treasure?

I own a few things of value, a modest home, two reasonably-priced cars and some cats of questionable lineage. What is most valuable to me? Is it the new Kindle Fire the Hubster got me for Christmas? Maybe that mattress set we bought a year ago? All of these things make my life nice and comfortable, but is comfort really my highest priority?

God never promised us a carefree life. He did promise us "joy unspeakable and full of glory." It seems as if our culture puts an artificially high price on comfort. What is more important, my comfort or God? I want to follow God's plan for my life, even if that means I won't have it easy every minute. I sure do like His scenario in the long run.

Think about it...what's in your treasure chest?

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Female in Motion Exercise Update: I did three Wii Fit Plus workouts last week and ran three miles. The yoga and strength training is addictive and seems to be helping my posture and stress levels.

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Notable Quote:


Matthew 6:19-21 (KJV)
19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:
20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:
21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

2012, Here I Come!

As you know, I don't make New Year's resolutions. (I wrote about it here: http://www.fim-carol.blogspot.com/2008/01/resolutions-schmezolutions.html.) It's a self-defeating and guilt-producing practice for me. So I simply say that in 2012 I will love God more than last year. Following are my tips for keeping my resolution on track next year:

Get a plan. In order for me to love God more in 2012 than 2011, I want to get to know Him better. (You can put your own idea in there.) I'm going to start slow by adding time spent with Him into my daily/weekly/monthly schedule. If I start slowly, I can build up to a thundering crescendo!

Find a life verse. My 2012 Life Verse is: 1 Peter 5:10 "But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you."

Spend time with the Savior. I am building up my prayer time, adding minutes in the morning during my devotions. Maybe I can slip more into my day, too, during exercise and household chores. Studying the Bible will give God ways to reveal Himself to me. God honors the time I spend with His people, so I'll find ways to do that. I'll blog more about this as the year progresses.

Forgive yourself. There are times when I'm not going to meet my goals, or days when I forget to pray or study my Bible. Hopefully those days will be few and far-between. When I do falter, I'm going to be gentle on myself. I will talk to God about it and then I will forgive myself, as hard as that is for me to do.

Whatever you decide to do in 2012, resolution or not, I pray that you will remember that God is beside you. You'll never be in the dark with the Light of the World by your side. Do your best...and don't beat yourself up when you don't.

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Female in Motion Exercise Update: I did three 40-minute Wii workouts last week. I received an MP3 player from The Hubster for Christmas, so I hope to start road-running soon. I'll keep you posted.

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Notable Quote:

"We spend January 1 walking through our lives, room by room, drawing up a list of work to be done, cracks to be patched. Maybe this year, to balance the list, we ought to walk through the rooms of our lives... not looking for flaws, but for potential."--Ellen Goodman

Santa's Naughty vs. Nice Game

Psalm 33:5 (KJV)
He loveth righteousness and judgment: the earth is full of the goodness of the LORD.

"He knows if you've been bad or good, so be good for goodness' sake!" This line from the song "Santa Claus is Comin' to Town" plays often during this time of the year. What's the big deal about being good, anyway? Santa's game is pretty simple: if you're good, you get nice gifts. If you're naughty, you get coal.

God doesn't play that game. God is good all the time, regardless of your behavior. Blogger Jon Acuff says, "When you doubt God's goodness, you doubt the very core of who He is." You see, God IS goodness. Not "God acts good." He actually created goodness. He is goodness, personified.

The steady, warm glow of God's goodness is all around us. I find His integrity in every sunset, child's smile and time spent with family. God's goodness does not need to be packaged in tinsel and bows to be made more attractive. It simply radiates the joy of His righteousness.

This goodness endures, as well, long after Santa's presents are broken and discarded. Take a moment this week to reflect on the goodness of God and His many blessings to you. Wrap up in the joy of His presence. Merry Christmas!


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Female in Motion Exercise Update: I did three 40-minute Wii workouts last week, including running 1.5 miles twice. Tough to fit in exercise this time of year.

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Notable Quote:

"Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can."--John Wesley, Christian theologian