Seasons

A couple of weeks ago we took my mother-in-law to Asheville to celebrate her 70th birthday. It's a six hour drive - thats long for me - so I packed accordingly...

It was a good thing I did because I don't know what it is about traveling, but it's exhausting and painful.

How can sitting while doing nothing, be exhausting?

I do a better job of prepping for pain in advance of things like travel, never-ending piano recitals, and long movies, but it's not easy. Overthinking is also exhausting!

One of the choices I had to sacrifice though, was not going zip lining with my kids.

I HATE that I can't do things like this (for now), but it was the right decision.

My awesome hubby took the kids and gave me a little time for shopping fun though, so it all worked out in the end.

The Bible says:  There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven:
                           a time to be born and a time to die,
                           a time to plant and a time to uproot,
                           a time to kill and a time to heal,
                           a time to tear down and a time to build,
                           a time to weep and a time to laugh,
                           a time to mourn and a time to dance,
                           a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
                           a time to embrace and a time to refrain,
                           a time to search and a time to give up,
                           a time to keep and a time to throw away,
                           a time to tear and a time to mend,
                           a time to be silent and a time to speak,
                           a time to love and a time to hate,
                           a time for war and a time for peace.
                                                                                       Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

So I'm determined to think of this time of suffering and affliction as a season - a time of tearing down my body and rebuilding my spirit.

A time to learn the lessons God offers through the trials.

What about you? What season are you in?

Sunday Psalms and Stories: God Answers Prayer

On Sundays, this space is reserved for God's stories. As one of the redeemed, I'd like to share just some of the many things he's done in my life. I hope you'll be encouraged by them!

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.

Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story - those he redeemed from the hand of the foe. Psalm 107:1-2

Scripture can be hard to understand. For instance, a few years ago, my girls and I were traveling in London and before we went touring for the day, we had Bible study in our hotel room. Basically, I stuck my finger randomly in the Bible and read the scripture. Here's the one I poked out:

Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Ephesians 5:19.

This was a verse I'd pondered over for years and I couldn't explain it to my children. After all, what did it mean to "speak in poetry, hymns and spiritual songs?" We cracked some jokes and tried singing to each other, but it wasn't helpful. 

Fast forward to sightseeing: After visiting the Tower of London and Buckingham Palace, we stumbled upon Westminster Abbey. It was awe inspiring and too huge for one camera lens...

It was late afternoon, we were exhausted but hoped to see inside. We circled the building to find that we'd just missed the final tour. The girls were happy, but I was sad - there are tombs inside and I wanted to see them!

So we're milling around the front entrance, trying to figure out where to have dinner and all of a sudden, this massive door is opened by a priest in a long robe.

My mother-in-law (that's her in the bottom right corner with the huge bag) decides to ask the priest what time the tour will be tomorrow. As she approached he said, "Are you here for the service?" She looked at me with my wide eyes and said, "Yes. Yes, we are."

As she coaxed my irritated daughters inside, I whispered, "Oooh. You just lied to a priest!" She said, "Well, let's go inside and ask for forgiveness."

The Abbey is one of the most beautiful and sacred places I've ever been in and since cameras aren't allowed, I can't show you. They held a service in the middle of it and we watched as a row of priests and choir members glided in. Then the service began...

It was entirely in music - even the scripture was in song. Not one word was spoken.

My kids were bored to tears but as I followed along and read the program, I was overcome with joy. My Heavenly Father was showing me: This is how it's done.

Just hours after I'd asked him to help me understand that difficult verse, he answered my prayer in a way I'd never dreamed.
                                                                             
                                                                                                  He is faithful and wonderful!

8 Tips for Easier Bible Reading

If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. James 1:5

God wants you to have his wisdom. In fact, there's no one who wants it more for you than He does.

Reading the Bible can be hard, especially if it's new to you. I'll never forget the first time I walked into a Starbucks. I wanted to try the coffee and see what everyone was talking about, but it felt like I was in another world. The menu was filled with new words like Frappuccino, Macchiato, and Mochas. The customers seemed to speak in a different language and say things like, "I'll take a Venti Dry Cappuccino, with a double shot."

Huh? 

I felt insecure - like I didn't belong somehow and might say the wrong thing to the barista (aka coffee girl). "Um, this is my first time here. Can I have a medium coffee please?"

Reading the Bible may at first make you feel uncomfortable, but God doesn't want you being a stranger in his word. He wants you to get cozy, settle in and find your spiritual place in him. I don't want you feeling like an outsider either, so here are the Bible reading tips I promised you in yesterday's post,  Book of Love:

1.  Before you do anything, pray! Ask God to give you spiritual understanding so that you
can comprehend what you're about to read. He's generous and gives to all without finding fault.

2.  Make sure you have a version that's appropriate for where you are spiritually. If you're new to reading, for God's sake, don't start out in the King James Version. Go easy on yourself and get a New Living Translation (NLT), a version written in every day language. A Bible with a study guide, such as the Life Application Bible, is even better because it has all sorts of handy explanations at the bottom of the pages.

3.  Set a timer and start with a small passage or even just one sentence of scripture. Set your timer for ten minutes and just read, while asking God for understanding. He'll give it to you and it'll get easier with practice.

4.  Many Bibles have a dictionary or concordance at the end of it. You can look up words or topics that might be relevant to you, words like "forgiveness" or "temptation." Use that to jump start your reading.

5.  When you read, try to put yourself into the story or passage and ask yourself questions. If you're uncertain about what you're reading, try to read several sentences below or above the passage to see if you can gain more clarity.

6.  Invite a friend to read with you. Sometimes having another person to hash out a passage can give you greater spiritual insight.

7.  Stick with it and be patient. Sometimes you won't have understanding right away; this happened to me often when I first started. But the great thing would be that I'd be driving in my car or at work later in the week, and a situation would arise, or a song would come on the radio and all of a sudden, I'd KNOW. I'd understand and it'd be like a great surprise from God.
                                          His timing is always perfect!

8.  End in Praise! Start in prayer and end in praise, always thanking God for whatever He gives you.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.
                                                                                                                                   Psalm 100:4-5

If you have any questions, just leave a comment and I'd be happy to help you.

                                                                                                  God is faithful and wonderful!

Book of Love

Not to us, Lord, not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness.
                                                                                                         Psalm 115:1

My grandpa Haines was a great man. By that, I don't mean he was a man of stature, or that he held a position of national importance. He was a great man because he loved his people. He loved his parents and helped care for them in their old age, and he loved his children and grandchildren. He died several years ago. As the Old Testament would say - he is resting with his ancestors.

Recently, my mom gave me some family papers she'd been saving. I, like my ancestors before me, am a archiver. We collect family letters, histories and stories. In the box of papers was a letter written to me by my grandfather in 1984, when I was 16-years old. It starts out like this...

"Dear Erika:

     Some day I'm going to die. (Do I have your attention?) No, don't get excited; I don't mean this year or in 5 years or anything. But some time. So what else is new? Everybody dies sooner or later.
     And what does this have to do with you right now? It's just that every so often I think about dying, and then there is this: Because I love you very much for being my granddaughter and for being the very fine person you are, I want to leave you with something. There's no way of telling what can be left in the way of money, whether a fair amount or a mere pittance. And anyway, money is a thing that's here today and gone tomorrow. Personal possessions? Perhaps some day you might like some little thing as a keepsake, but other than something to glance at on rare occasions it would have little value."

He goes on to say that he wanted to leave me something that lasts. For him, that meant words of advice and wisdom. The letter is three pages long and is very dear to me. My grandfather was a wise man. For most of my life, I thought he was just my nice old grandpa, but now, I can now see, how much he really loved me.

It's the same way with the Bible. For many people, it's just an ancient book filled with outdated, irrelevant words.
                         
                                                                    But it's so much more.

                                   The Bible is God's book of love for us.

In His kindness and faithfulness, He's handed down all the world's wisdom, history and stories. In Jesus, He's given us much more. He's given us his spirit that dwells in our hearts so that we'll have him for eternity.

Do you see God's word as a stale, leftover remnant of antiquity or a living testimony of his mercy and faithfulness?

Tomorrow, I'll post about some ways to make reading this book of love easier, but in the meantime, I'll leave you with this advice from Grandpa Haines.

"As you go through life, have a good time doing it. Wherever you see a chance for clean, honest fun, go after it. Another popular way of saying it is this: As you pass by, don't forget to smell the roses."

The enemy

Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 1 Peter 5:8

Do you know that we have an enemy and that every day he tries to defeat us?

Each morning when I wake up, the same thing happens. My dog and two cats go on a bathroom walk, beg for treats, eat breakfast and then this...

One of my cats, in this case it's Lucy, will want to go outside. My dog will go on the prowl. Now mind you, they've just taken a walk and had breakfast together.

                      But he just has to play his game.

                                                   He's got to be the enemy.

Then he and I will get in a foot fight. That means I will try to let the cat out of the sliding glass door while holding him back with my foot. Invariably he wins, and then this happens...

 He's tries hard to act nonchalant, like he's just minding his own business.

It reminds me of that scripture about Satan roaming around. Here's another verse as an example:

One day the angels came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came with them. The Lord said to Satan, "Where have you come from?" Satan answered the Lord, "From roaming throughout the earth, going back and forth on it." Job 1:6-7

Every day, Satan has to do his thing. It's who he is. He roams, tempts, lies, destroys, and generally tries to block our progress and throw obstacles in our paths.

He'll do anything to try to separate us from God's love and purpose for our lives.

The Bible gives us many ways of fighting back, so here are two:

Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.
1 Peter 5:9

No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it. 1 Cor 10:13

                                                                    Our heavenly father is faithful and wonderful.
 
May you recognize His way out when you need it!

Weird Word Wednesdays - # 1 (Salt)

Sometimes God's word is weird. Really, it can be.

God already knows I think this and I believe he understands. It's just that over 2,000 years have gone by since Jesus walked and taught on this earth, and though his word is truly timeless, time changes things.

Time changes words and the meaning of them. Since I love words and research, I thought I'd help us all out by explaining the scripture passages that stand out as I come across them.

So for this first Weird Word Wednesday, we'll look at this passage:

"You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot." Matt 5:13

This passage is often used in conjunction with the next one that talks about believers being "light." But I'd always been curious to know what on earth He meant about us being salt. I love salt. See I even dress  it up...

Just a few of my many shakers:)

and I get that it enhances my food and even that our bodies need it to live. But what does it mean to be salt? And what does it mean to lose our saltiness?

The Greek word for salt is halas and it was extremely valuable in ancient times. It was a condiment, preservative and was used on sacrifices. Because the people's diet mainly consisted of vegetables, it was necessary for life. It was also used to make alliances and to buy and sell people; it's where we get our word "salary" and the phrase, "She's not worth her salt."

Here's the part I like the best. Salt was lightly applied to soil as a fertilizer. It was used to stimulate the soil and was valued for its purity. Commentators often refer to it being used as a preservative in this passage, but in context with the part about us being light, scholars believe it's more likely that the proper translation is, "You are the salt for the earth."

We are salt for the earth!

Really, think about that. Our world stinks and we're here to make it better. We're here because we can produce good things and make the world healthier for others.

Salt was often mixed with impurities like gypsum dust and when that happened, it became worthless. When we're impure - when we lose our saltiness - we become worthless in the same way a hidden light does no good for those who need to see. We can fail to be stimulating for others.

Heavenly Father, help us to always remain salty! Amen.

If there's a weird word you're curious about, post a comment and I'll see if I can help get you clarity.

Grumbling

My goal for the summer is to read the entire Bible.

       I think I can. I think I can.

I completed the first three books of the Old Testament and am now reading Numbers. Some people say these books are dry and boring, but I'm not finding that at all. They're fascinating! God's provision and guidance is clearly given to the Israelites.

 His presence is literally with them and he gives instructions to Moses. About Moses he says:

"Listen to my words:

   "When there is a prophet among you,

       I, the LORD reveal myself to them in visions,

       I speak to them in dreams.

   But this is not true of my servant Moses;

       he is faithful in all my house.

  With him, I speak face to face,

       clearly and not in riddles;

       he sees the form of the LORD.

  Why then were you not afraid

      to speak against my servant Moses?"

                   Numbers 12:6-8

In this passage, God's come down in a pillar of cloud and stood at the entrance of the tent of meeting. God was calling a meeting and he was speaking to Aaron, Miriam and Moses. See, Miriam was jealous of her little brother and started trash talking about him.

                  God heard and he dealt with Miriam.

What's convicting me deeply right now is the amount of internal grumbling and complaining I do on a regular basis. Sometimes I feel childish jealousy toward others.

      The scary part is that God hears. Lord, please don't call a meeting about me!

Jealousy and grumbling is a sin I can easily step into. So today, I'm renewing my mind about the hardships in my life and am going to focus that energy in healthier places.

How about you? Do you need to renew your mind in some areas?

Chosen

Last week, I had the pleasure of speaking at a women's ministry dinner in my old hometown. The talk I gave was on the topic of obedience and how to hear God's voice. It was not only a honor, it was an act of personal obedience for me.

You see, I normally don't like public speaking. I'm not comfortable with it and I feel extremely insecure and self-conscious.

Something happened at this talk though, something different. I felt outside of myself.

I'd prayed for months before this event and specifically asked the Lord, "What do you want me to tell them?" I told the gathered ladies what he'd said. He told me to tell them, "You are chosen. You are my daughters."

So I did.

Then I told a really long story and gave them a simple tool to help them practice listening to Him.

At the end of the night, my friend Leslie, the women's ministry leader, excitedly asked me to open the gift she'd bought me in honor of the event. So I opened it and found a beautiful necklace...

Two people can have goosebumps at the same time.

Today, I'm proudly wearing my necklace and though I didn't notice it at the time, it came with a little card containing the scriptures for each word written on the sides. The best part is that the scripture for the chosen word is the exact verse I was praying through while preparing the talk.

God is amazing and he still speaks.

         May you be blessed by hearing his voice today.

It cuts like a knife

I hope everyone had a relaxing Memorial Day weekend, and if you've served our country in any way, THANK YOU. I thought about your sacrifice and Christ's sacrifice all weekend.

One of the easiest ways to get unstuck, is to make sure you're using the right tools for the job. I'm reminded of this because I just finished making a meal for a sick friend in my church.  My husband is the cook in our family and I don't like it, except when I can help someone in need. Plus, he enjoys it and is so much better at it than I am. I think, Why bother? I mean, it's kind of a pain - all that chopping, and dicing and mincing.

It annoys me because it takes so much work on the front end and is gone in minutes. That was until these...

A few months ago, my husband bought these fancy schmancy chef knives. He'd whip open the box and say, "Look at my knives. They're from Japan. They're super sharp and some of the best you can buy." Then he'd tell me how much they cost and I'd think, Wow, are you so lame that you need to brag about cutlery? Of course, I never said it out loud, because well...he's got knives.

One day, when he was out, I took the precious knives and used them to cut up some vegetables for dinner.

          Oh. My. Lord.

These things are amazing. They're phenomenal. They can slice through an unpeeled banana like butter! Really, I became a slicing maniac. I even called my kids down to the kitchen, "Hey you guys, watch this!"

      Slice, Slice, Slice. Chop.

I was so tempted to go Ginsu and slice through a can, but that would be wrong.

Suddenly, I didn't mind cooking so much. I have to admit, I became like an addict. Whenever I'd cook I'd start with my old knives and immediately start thinking about the ones that could really meet my needs. I'd secretly take the box down, lift up the black lid and clean them up neatly afterward so he wouldn't notice. Mine. All mine! All other knives paled in comparison, they felt like saws in my hand.

He finally learned my secret the next time he bragged. I couldn't help it, I bragged more: "I know! They're awesome and I use them all the time!" He was not amused, because what I didn't know is that you're supposed to use a special tool to clean them because they can take a finger off.

Oops!

Anyway, I mention the knives because sometimes faithfully reading the Bible isn't easy. The wrong one can feel unwieldy in your hands, but when you find the right one for the job, look out...you become a Bible reading maniac!

So, try to find one that speaks to you personally and wherever you are in life. I've got study bibles, an archeological bible, a women's bible and even, a waterproof bible. God's people know his word, and after all...

 the most expensive sacrifice in history was the one made by Jesus Christ.

For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.
                                                                                                             Hebrews 4:12

Looking Forward

When Jesus comes back, will you be ready?

Let's pretend that it's a normal day at home or in the office at work. Or maybe you're on vacation somewhere awesome, having a great time, and God decides that it's "The Day." It's the day he's set aside for the judgement and destruction of ungodly people. (2 Peter 3:7, Matt 24:35-36, Rev 20:11-15,)

What would Jesus find you doing? What spiritual state would he find you in?

Would he know you? Matt 25:11-13

Peter describes it happening in this way: "But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare." 2 Peter 3:10

      Are you looking forward to this day?

I am. Oh God, how I am. I can't even look at the headlines in the news without hoping he'll come back soon. Hearing stories of sex scandals, child molestation, and the slaughter of innocent people around the world is sickening. How I long for The Day. While we wait, however, Peter plainly lays out the condition we should be in as believers:

"So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him." 2 Peter 3:14

"His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness." 2 Peter 2:3

So how about you? Are you looking forward to the day?

Will he find you ready?

Kings and Farmers

Yesterday, a "king" said to me, "Erika, you are not a gardener." (By the way, it wasn't my husband). Then he proceeded to give me all the reasons why I couldn't be one.

I said, "Of course I am."

Today, that same "king" came into my yard again and said, "Erika, you are not a farmer."

I told him, "I'm anything I want to be." 

   And then I stooped down to take a picture and remembered a quote my friend Terri sent me:

If God calls you to be a Farmer, don't stoop to become a King.

And that reminded me of this scripture:

"The farmer sows the word."

                                                                                 Mark 4:14

Don't let anyone but God tell you who you are!

Faithless Unbeliever

Infidel

Does that word conjure up any images for you? It does for me, and they're scary. I wondered why that was. How could a simple seven-letter word make me bristle with fear?

After all, I don't even know what an infidel looks like.

Later that night, as I took off my makeup in front of the mirror, the eyes of the infidel looked back at me.

Earlier that morning, I was chasing scripture around in the Bible, cross referencing one verse with another and came to 1 Timothy 5, which is Paul's advice to Timothy regarding widows, elders and slaves. In fact, the subtitle in my Bible (Life Application Study Bible, NIV) says, "Instructions for leaders."

So, I'm reading about how Paul directs Timothy to deal with these differing groups of people and this scripture jumps out at me:

"If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever."   1 Tim 5:8

That word "unbeliever" is rendered "infidel" in the KJV and is used only twice; the other instance is 2 Corinthians 6:15. It's also linked to the word "faithless."

The problem is that there are widows in the community who aren't being cared for. Paul tells Timothy to give help to those that actually are in need, but if she has family of some kind, her care is to be provided for by them. "But if a widow has children or grandchildren, these should learn first of all to put their religion into practice by caring for their own family and so repaying their parents and grandparents, for this is pleasing to God." (emphasis mine)

I thought of my own elderly grandmothers, both sick and suffering with various ailments. They are, thank God, being cared for by their children right now, but if they weren't, would I be willing to step in? I live far away. What could I do? What would I do? Am I providing now? And what does providing mean anyway?

I send cards and letters and make phone calls and try to visit when I can but...

In order to help myself answer the question, I went to my concordance and looked up some key words:

Provide - Greek word: proneo - to provide for, care for, to consider, have regard for.

Denied - Greek word: arneomai - to deny, disown, renounce, repudiate

Worse - Greek word: cheiron - worse, more severe than.

Unbeliever - Greek word: apistos - lacking in trust, outsider, one who does not believe the Gospel.

If immediate family goes all the way down the line to the grandparents, I've got some repenting and preparing to do. If my husband and I are responsible for training our children to be Godly, I've got much training to do.

If you're married like I am, this extends to our in-laws and our family responsibility is even greater.

Yikes! Now I know why I felt fear.

Caring for our family members is so important to God that while hanging on the cross, Jesus entrusted John with the task, and he took her into his own home. (John 19:25-28)

Thank you God, for always equipping us to live out our lives of faith. May we be like Jesus in our love and provision for our families and be called faithful by you. Amen.

Changing Bad Habits

I've chosen the top 3 bad habits to focus on right now based on how attacking one bad habit can often fix other issues with minimal effort. My top 3 are:

1. Lack of exercise - When I exercise, I get more energy for the day, I last longer and am much less cranky. I also pay better attention to what I eat. Frankly, the main reason I become unproductive is because I'm exhausted and I run out of energy.

2. Procrastination - It's easy to make excuses when you're exhausted, but procrastination is only prolonging the inevitable for me. If there's a menial task to be done, more than likely it's my responsibility so I'm only hurting myself by piling up loads of boring things if I don't just get over with quickly.

3. Not giving myself the luxury of time - God is the author of my life, and the author of my time, so I don't know why I feel like I have to learn everything immediately. Maybe it's related to the piles undone things that taunt me, like my piles of photos saying, "Really? You can't even send these pictures to your poor sick grandmother?" Which is probably because my son can never find his socks and shoes and my husband always wants to wear the shirt I haven't gotten around to washing.

An interesting thing I learned simply by being mindful over the last few days, is that these bad habits are caused by underlying issues. God really hit me over the head with the fact that I have an underlying fear of wasting time. Both my brother and I have this unexplained concern. We both believed we wouldn't live past 30. We have no idea where these thought patterns come from, but had I not taken the time to identify my bad habits, I wouldn't have realized the effect it's having on me.

Every time I tried to get something done, a little voice in my head would say something like, "You don't have time for that." or "That's a waste of time." I realize I've been letting that voice influence the choices I make throughout the day.

That's how the enemy works. He puts a phrase, negative comment, or totally irrational thought into your head and tries to get you to own it. Only when I slowed, and quieted down to listen, did I realize the effect it's been having on me.

I have placed a "Non-Negotiable" boundary around myself regarding giving these items attention.  Honestly, trying it already for only a day, has made me more focused than I have been in months. Here's my commitment to myself -

Exercise:  Cardio for one hour 4 days a week and strength training with my trainer 2 days a week.

Procrastination:  It doesn't exist in my world anymore. Nothing gets delayed. My husband has this philosophy and I used to just think he was a super freak, but his success has proven me wrong time and time again.

Time: No fear. I will plan my day accordingly and build in the hours I need in order to learn and do the things I need to learn and do and I will stop listening to "the voice."

I'm pumped! I worked out with my trainer for an hour yesterday, thinking I was going to die of a heart attack the whole time, but I pushed through...to the point of nausea. I almost puked and thought about taking a picture to show you what I looked like but then you may never come back to read. Instead, I'll leave you with a picture of my pretty pink gloves!

While I was punching and kicking my way to pukeville, I kept saying, "This is for you Jesus!" I sincerely, felt His pleasure.

Oliver Wendall Holmes said, "We all need an education in the obvious." The Bible tells us to examine ourselves closely. I urge you to take a look at your own bad habits and create a plan of attack!

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path. Psalm 119:105

Do you take time to read the Bible every day?

          If not, why?

The most common excuse I hear from women is, "I don't have time."

Yes you do. You have time, and plenty of it. 

Time is the one thing we have that's the same for everyone. We've all got 24 hours in a day, 7 days in a week, and 365 days in a year. You have the same amount of time as President Obama, Kim Kardashian and Jesus Christ.

Jesus had the same 24 hours in a day with which to work, serve and love.

And even when he was a boy, he studied scripture. At 12, his parents found him in the temple sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking questions. (Luke 2:41-52) They were amazed at his understanding and knowledge!

It's easy to take light for granted, because it's all around us. We've got the sun and electricity that allows us to be productive anytime we want, even when it's dark. The light of Christ is different. It illuminates the soul.

The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple. Psalm 119:130

So often we complain about not knowing what God wants us to do. We ask, "What's my next step God? How can I serve you better God? What's in store for my future God?" and yet we don't make time to read and pray over his word.

My challenge to you is this: 10 minutes a day. 

Devote 10 minutes a day to reading your Bible and asking God to give you wisdom and understanding about what you're reading. If you just do that every day, at the end of a year, you'd have spent 3,650 minutes focusing on God's word. That's a great start!

Write down a verse on an index card and stick it in your back pocket or purse so you can take it with you everywhere. Read it in traffic, in a long line, or in the bathroom if you have to. I guarantee God will shine his light on your spirit and direct your path.

Being in the dark sucks.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.  John 1:1-5