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Priscilla's post on Friday made me think of one of my favorite verses in scripture, Ecclesiastes 9:11.

 

I admit it - I'm overwhelmed and outmatched. When I consider the varied dimensions of the life that God has called me to, I often feel like . . . .well. . taking a nap. I know you've got to feel the same way. Whatever your season of life and whatever details it entails, I bet you've found yourself feeling like you're swimming in waters that are way over your head.

That's why I was captivated by 2 Chronicles 2:6: Solomon considered the task set before him and said,
 

But who is able to build a house for Him, for the heavens and the highest heavens cannot contain Him? So who am I, that I should build a house for Him. . .

Seems like I'm not the only one feeling overwhelmed and outmatched.

Solomon had an entire nation to rule and a temple to construct - the likes of which had never been seen before. There was no blueprint to follow and no previous architects or contractors to consult. He was leading a massive project for which there was no precedent, and he was well aware of his inability to build something that would actually complete its mission - housing God.

And yet - Solomon began to build the house of the Lord in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where the Lord had appeared to his father David. . .  - 2 Chronicles 3:1

That's right. . . he did it anyway. He consecrated himself and his work to the Lord, and dove headlong into the divine mission to which He'd been assigned - believing that God would take up the slack. That's a WORD for me today and I hope it is for you, too.

Overwhelmed? Outmatched?
Just do it anyway.

Priscilla
Anxious to hear what you've been overwhelmed about so that we can be praying for you.

I know I'm a little distracted.  What with all the running around, working, painting, cooking, cleaning and taking care of the family, most of the time my mind is.......somewhere else.........like la-la land.

Take for instance, this little incident that happened awhile back.  It was a beautiful, sunny day.  I'd taken my son, Grayson, to the dentist, and on the way home drove through ChikFil-A.  I placed our order and drove up to the window.  I exchanged the usual conversation with the girl at the window.

Yes, ketchup and ranch dressing. 

No, no delicious milkshake today. 

Eleven dollars, eighty-one cents?

Okay.  Thanks.

Thank you. Yeah, uh huh.  Buh bye.

I gave her a last cheery smile (what a nice young lady, she really knows how to make eye contact) and pulled ahead to organize the food.  I commented on her attentiveness to my son, noting how she'd been so polite and looked me straight in the eye. Then, as I handed Gray his chicken sandwich, I happened to catch a glimpse of my face in the rearview mirror.

WHAT??

OK, HOW COULD I NOT NOTICE THAT ONE LENS HAD FALLEN OUT OF MY SUNGLASSES?

Here's a picture of me wearing the faulty sunglasses. Oh yes.

Mercy, I'd carried on a whole conversation - looking like a PIRATE!  No wonder that ChikFil-A girl was looking at me strangely!  DUH.

I turned to Gray and asked, "HOW LONG HAVE I BEEN DRIVING AROUND LIKE THIS??"

He wiped the waffle fries from his mouth and just looked at me in disbelief.  He hadn't noticed because he was on the passenger side.  "Oh, Mom! HOW COULD YOU NOT NOTICE?  Can't you tell only one eye is shaded?"  He already had a long repertoire of stories on me.  Now he'd added one more.

You know, you just can't take yourself too seriously when you give yourself so many opportunities to laugh at your own expense. Prov. 17:22 says,  "A merry heart does good like medicine......" It's good to lighten up every now and then, and see the humor life brings....even if it's through one sunglass lens.

How about you? What can you laugh about today?

Rachel Anne

You might have noticed that a new format for commenting made its debut here on the blog yesterday! We are still tweaking and working out the details, so you may see a few more changes coming, but we think this will be a great addition to the Going Beyond community of readers and commenters.

Are you a little intimidated by the new comment box? Don't be. It has a bunch of options that are pretty cool, but you don't have to pay any attention to them if you'd just like to leave a simple message.

What we really like is that you can use your profile from twitter, facebook, yahoo etc. to sign in. Your comment will show your profile photo and will link to you - which is a great way for us to get to know each other! If you don't use those social networks, you can easily set up a basic profile by clicking on the "Disqus" tab.

Hey, another feature is that you can choose how you'd like comments to be displayed on your screen - you can sort them by oldest to newest, newest to oldest, most popular.......goodness, I didn't even know all that was possible.

Want to try it out? Just for fun, answer this question:

"What is your favorite smell from childhood?" Come on - jump in!

It's all the rave right now - this movie about a woman's journey across Italy, India and Indonesia. While I've not seen it, I've heard that Julia Roberts does a great job of portraying a woman in turmoil who travels the world for a year to search for. . . .everything.

Seriously, that's the subtitle of the story: One Woman's search for everything across Italy, India and Indonesia.

It's this "searching for everything" business that's got me thinking a bit. I mean, I understand. I've had a season or two in my life were I've felt like I needed to find myself. Whether off kilter because of unexpected twists and turns in life or just overwhelmed by the expected one, there have been a few times that I've found myself floundering. So, I get it. . .

But, I gotta tell you, every single time I've gone searching for any sort of significance or pleasure or peace, I've found myself lacking at the end of my expedition and a bit dazed by the energy I'd expended along the way. The outcome of my searches haven't been worth what they'd cost me to take them.

So, I'm just wondering how Julia Roberts character (Elizabeth Gilbert) fares at the end. I guess I'm wondering. . . .if she's still searching.

I mean, "everything" is certainly a tall order.

Is it even possible to find EVERYTHING, anyway? I'm just asking.

Have you been on a search lately? If so, for what and for how long? How's it going?

Priscilla

I recently picked up a copy of Jennifer Rothschild's book, "Self Talk, Soul Talk." that's been on my bookshelf for quite some time. I was instantly convicted about some of the negative things in my "thought closet," as she puts it. Curious, I stopped over at her website and loved this little quote by John Stott:

Sow a thought, reap an action.

Sow an action, reap a habit.

Sow a habit, reap a character.

Sow a character, reap a destiny.

 - John Stott

Wow! That's a great way to look at those thoughts - as seeds that eventually become our destiny - for bad or good. Next time I tell myself, "you're such a failure," I'll replace it with this seed, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

When I feel worthless, I will say "I am the righteousness of God in Christ."

When I feel hopeless, I will tell myself, " but thanks be to God who gives us the victory."

The list goes on and on....

Are you plagued by negative thoughts and self-talk? Romans 12:2 says "Be transformed by the renewing of your mind." God's word is the perfect place to start filling your mind with what GOD says about you. Replace those bad seeds with ones that will be fruitful and bring blessing.

What good "thought seeds" will you plant today?  And what action can you take to make those seeds start to grow?

I heard of a movie with that title once - The Choices of Their Fathers. Or maybe it was a book. Hmmmm, either way, it's stuck with me over the years. I have no idea what the movie/book/play was about but the title alone made me think. In fact, today my brother told me about someone he met, and in a flash, it came back to my mind.

He met a young man named Conner Washington while at a church in San Antonio. As he got a chance to spend time with him, the young man began to tell him about his family which, it turns out, is beyond interesting. You see, 7 generations ago, this man's great, great, great, great, great, great great (is that enough "greats") grandfather lived.
That man was George Washington. As in - the very first president of the United States.

He told my brother that as one of the founding fathers of our country, George Washington had to decide whether he wanted to be a president or be a king. Had he chosen to be a king and preside as such over our country, then that position would have been passed down to the men in his family.

"In other words," he said humbly, "I'd be king right now if my great grandfather had chosen differently."
Yup.. .  he'd be the "King of America"

My brother was stunned. He was standing in the presence of would-be royalty. It had all hinged on "The Choices of His Father".

There's no telling what life altering things can take place in our children, grand children and great-grand children's lives based on the choices we make today. Seven generations from now, should the Lord tarry, there will be some young whipper-snappers telling their life stories - and at least a portion of those stories will find their roots in our choices today.

So, choose wisely today sister.

What you do, or don't do, will make a difference down the line.

Bless you today,
Priscilla

A few months ago, Priscilla wrote about quiet times. Or lack thereof. As a busy mom of three energetic boys, she is in the thick of life - with all its demands on her time and energy. Are you there, too?

My days of running after little kids are now in my rearview mirror (sniff), but I still find that my time gets eaten up with different kinds of demands. Deadlines, work projects, family obligations......it seems that no matter what season of life a person is in, it can be hard to "fit in" a devotional time.

Last Sunday as part of a sermon series, one of my pastors, Tim Wallace, preached on getting spiritually fit and spent some time on the subject of quiet times.

"Think in terms of 'Baby Steps," he said, "Remember the movie, "What About Bob?" in which Bill Murray plays a psychiatric patient who is told to take baby steps in order to get better?" He showed a film clip of Bob being introduced to the concept.

How could I forget, when the phrase "Is this hand-shucked corn?" is forever ingrained in our family tradition? Pastor Tim suggested these baby steps toward establishing a quiet time that will help you grow spiritually.

1. Don't start in Ezekiel. Pick a smaller, more manageable book, like Psalms or Philippians to get your feet wet, and start with a small time frame, like 15 minutes.

2. Find a place that's private. (Hmm...does locking the bathroom door count?)

3. Get a Bible you can understand. There are many opinions about which is the "right" translation, but with so many reliable versions out there, you can choose one in language that you can relate to.

4. Get a reading plan. The "Hit and Miss System" is not a very good system when there are so many good ones to go with instead.

Need some resources for a finding a Bible Reading plan and developing your devotional life? Tim graciously shares a brief list he's found right here. Please note that this is furnished to help get you going in the right direction and is not meant to be a complete exhaustive list.  Baby Steps Resources

Rachel

Do you have a favorite resource for devotions or Bible Reading Plan? Tell us your favorite App, site, or source! We'd love to know.

I wonder if you've ever had a random stranger pray over you?

Well, think back, have you?

There have been a handful of times in my life that someone felt compelled to pray for me. Once, I met a woman in the mall. Knowing I was in town for an event that evening, she walked over to me, right as I was sitting down to my Chick-fil-A nuggets in the food court, and asked me if I minded her praying. I was shocked and moved that she'd recognized me and that she was bold enough to ask.
And. . .I was grateful. I needed it and that woman was a confirmation of God's presence and continual care of me. So, right there, in the midst of mall shoppers, she laid hands on me and called out to God on my behalf. At the end of it we were both crying, and I knew for sure it had been a divine appointment.

Well, it happened again this past weekend in Oklahoma. I had a book signing at a local Mardels store and a group of women from a local church stopped by to get books signed. Before they left, they asked if they could pray for me. What followed was extremely touching - a group of women surrounding me and laying hands on me and my co-worker Linnae. Yup, right there next to the checkout counter at Mardels with busy shoppers gawking near by. They said moving prayers that literally made the Spirit within me leap.

I was blessed.. . SO blessed and I'm grateful.

Thank you. Your prayers have made a difference in my life.

Priscilla

The women who attended Going Beyond in Tulsa last weekend invested in the lives of women at DaySpring Villa. The outpouring of love was simple and incredible. 

Here is a little about the ministry of DaySpring Villa:

"DaySpring Villa is one of only two certified shelters for battered and sexually assaulted women and their children in the Tulsa metro area, and the only faith-based certified domestic violence shelter in Oklahoma. More than a shelter, we are dedicated to helping our guests carve out a new path and a new direction in their lives. Through spiritual guidance, advocacy and support, social services and goal-based programs, DaySpring Villa helps women in crisis transform their lives to emerge strong, independent and self-sufficient.

DaySpring Villa provides food, shelter, clothing, transportation and vital life tools for as many as 55 women and children at risk. As a privately funded shelter, our ability to dramatically change lives depends on the volunteer services, financial gifts and in-kind contributions we receive from caring individuals and organizations."

Just watch what happened!

What can YOU do in your community that will transform someone else's life??