Good Mood Mission – Part Two

August 3rd, 2012 dsisler

Yesterday’s blog post was about a sighting of the Oscar Mayer Weinermobile, the decal that is located near the rear of the vehicle, how God has His own good mood mission and that the Holy Spirit can take our attitude (mood) and turn it into something pleasing to God.
I started going through the fruit of the Spirit and expanded on each of them. If you missed yesterday’s blog post, you might want to read that now.
In Good Mood Mission – Part One, I broke down the first four fruit listed in Galatians 5:22-23. Love, joy, peace, and patience. Today we will finish with the last five.
Kindness
There is another list of characteristics listed in Colossians 3:12-14. This section includes some of the same attributes listed in Galatians 5. Perhaps we should take note of those repeated.
“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” (Colossians 3:12 – NIV) Yes, kindness makes this list. Has someone ever treated you with kindness? How did it make you feel? If you’re like me, it was an encouragement to you. You felt special.
God has shown His kindness to you and me. He has made us feel special. He has encouraged us. And when we didn’t deserve His kindness, He lavished it upon us. Christ’s death is proof of that.
Sometimes however, it is difficult to be kind to someone who has hurt us. But, as Christ has shown His kindness to us, we are to show kindness to the world. Allowing God’s Spirit to make a change in our attitude will produce this fruit. Let the good mood transition begin!
Goodness
Goodness is another trait that made the second list. Actually, it has made several lists. 2 Peter 1:5-8 (NIV) tells us, “For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge…For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Goodness, as defined by my NIV Study Bible, “depicts excellence expressed in deeds—virtue in action.”[i]
I’m pulling out Ephesians 2:10 (NIV) again. “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Do you see it? Good works. Goodness not only is an attitude and attribute, it is also an action word.
Goodness in our lives is proof that the Holy Spirit is at work within us to create a good mood.
Faithfulness
We can see God’s faithfulness throughout Scripture. I’m certain you can even see His patience in your own life. I know I can. God has faithfully stood by and watched as I allowed sin to creep into my life. As I pulled away from God, His love, and His grace. Faithfully waiting until I came back into His arms. This is the faithfulness God has called us to. To be faithful to Him as He is to us.
We know how to be faithful. In marriages or relationships. In commitments to earthly activities. To a diet or exercise plan. To whatever you have placed in high priority in your life. You are faithful.
We must be that committed and faithful to our relationship with God.
In the midst of the Overseers and Deacons passage in 1 Timothy, Paul encourages women to “likewise be dignified, not malicious gossips, but temperate, faithful in all things.” (1 Timothy 3:11 – NASB)
That’s it. We are to be faithful in all things. Including our relationship with Jesus Christ. Our good mood just continues to get better!
Gentleness
1 Peter 3:1-6 shares instruction on the wife’s role in marriage. But there is a phrase in the middle of this passage that tells us what our mood should be. “…the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight…” (I Peter 3:4b – NIV)
There is a difference between a gentle and quiet spirit and being a door mat. Do not believe or understand me as saying we are to lay down and let others walk all over us. I’m saying we need to keep our attitude in line with God’s. A gentle and quiet spirit says more about us than our own words ever could.
Proverbs 15:1 (NIV) says, “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” You know this statement is true. That is why God placed gentleness on His list for the good mood mission.
Self-control
[Insert big sigh]. [Insert “ugh”]. [Insert a whining, “whyyyyy???]. Last but not least, self-control makes this good mood mission list. Why? Because God knew we would need His Spirit to help us with this one.
Earlier in the Galatians 5 chapter, Paul states “For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want.” (Galatians 5:17 – NIV)
With God’s Spirit, we are able to use His power to overcome what we have no self-control over. Whether it’s food, television, internet surfing, laziness, addiction, or something else, if we have no control over our bodies or minds, we’ve lost control. We need the Holy Spirit to develop this fruit within us.
Through the years, I’ve lost my battle against food. I’ve allowed food to control me instead of me controlling the food I eat. I’ve been lazy in my addition of exercise to my lifestyle. The weight has increased through the years and now, the physical ailments have crept in to create an old, decrepit body.
What happened? I didn’t utilize God’s Spirit in this area of my life. I thought I could do it on my own. Ha! Look where it got me!
It’s time to stop believing we can do this. That we can steer clear of sin on our own. We can’t! God must be in the middle of each struggle. He’s there to help us. He sent His Spirit to lead and guide us. It’s about time we allowed His good mood mission to take root in our hearts. Are you with me on this one?
There is certainly a lot to talk about when it comes to the fruit of the Spirit. I could probably have written nine posts about them! Maybe someday… But until then, I’m ready for this good mood mission make-over. What about you?
Grace and peace be yours in abundance,
Donna

[i] NIV Study Bible, Grand Rapids, Michigan, Zondervan, p. 2566.
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Good Mood Mission – Part One

August 2nd, 2012 dsisler

A while back I saw the Oscar Mayer Weinermobile. I don’t know that I had ever seen it in person before, so it was a real treat. It was fun to see this popular icon.

There is a decal on the side that says, “Good Mood Mission.” Their “Good Mood Mission” was to raise food for those in need. I know my mood is sometimes dependent upon food, so I thought this was a great idea.

But this is an old idea. God came up with the idea long ago. He sent His Holy Spirit to live within us for a purpose. The Holy Spirit had and still has a good mood mission.
Several years ago, I led two women’s Bible studies on the fruit of the Spirit. Written by two different authors. I believe God was telling me something and I learned so much about the fruit of the Spirit during those few months.
Today and tomorrow I’m going to go through the fruit of the Spirit and expand on each of them. I pray you will spend some time in prayer to consider how God’s Spirit is able to create a good mood within you.
But before we move on, let me clarify what I mean by “mood.” I am speaking of our attitude. The good news here is that our attitude can change in moments if we allow the Holy Spirit to work within us. If you feel your mood souring, talk to God. His Spirit will improve your mood.
I have done this on many occasions and it works. But don’t take my word for it. Try it for yourself.
So let’s get started. Can you recall the nine fruit of the Spirit without looking the passage up in Galatians 5:22-23? It’s okay. I’ll wait while you think.
Love
Joy
Peace
Patience
Kindness
Goodness
Faithfulness
Gentleness
Self-control
That’s it! These are the characteristics that have replaced the sinful nature in our lives when we accepted Jesus as our Savior. However, it is an overwhelming list. So let’s look at these attributes one at a time.
Love
We are fortunate enough to have an entire chapter in 1 Corinthians devoted to the topic of love. God reveals specifically what love is and what love is not. Love is patient, kind, rejoices with the truth, always protects, trusts, hopes, and perseveres.
Love is not envious, boastful, proud, rude, self-seeking, easily angered, a wrong-record keeper, or an evil delighter. Love never fails.
I know that my love for others could not fulfill all of these qualifications, but with God’s Spirit, I have the ability to rely on God’s perfect love and share that love with others.
With God’s Spirit, I have the ability to change my mood to His good mood and find it within me to love. Without fail.
Joy
There’s a tiny little verse in John 15 that creates such enthusiasm within me. “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.” (John 15:11 – NIV)
Jesus gives us a wonderful picture of the Vine and the Branches in this chapter. He repeats over and over that we are to remain in Him. When we do so, the joy we receive is Christ’s joy! The joy within us is complete!
There is no doubt that there is some good mood going on with His joy within us.
Peace
Romans 12:18 (NIV) tells us, “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.” There it is. The command. Live at peace with everyone.
Peace may be difficult to find in this world. My personality is more than likely to cause someone else some distress. And theirs to cause me some distress. So if the command is there and I must obey the command, how can I possibly do this?
Ephesians 2:14 (NIV) points out, “For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility.” With God’s Spirit within, we are able to utilize Christ’s peace and live peaceful lives with others.
Just another example of the good mood mission!
Patience
Perhaps we could just skip this one…okay, okay. Let’s see what we can learn about patience.
If I’m ever in a dilemma on how to teach a certain aspect, I find that if I look at how God does that particular thing, it makes it easier to teach. So let’s see what Scripture says about God’s patience.
2 Peter 3:9 (NIV) shows us, “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”
How long were you wandering around, seeking God’s truth in this life? Was it years? Decades? It didn’t matter to God how long He had to wait for you. You were worth His wait. He waited patiently for you to accept Him.
That’s the example of patience set before us. But without the Holy Spirit, God’s Spirit, our patience runs thin. We must learn to use God’s patience in our lives. Our mood depends upon it.
Thankfully for us, the good mood mission is very clear on this one.
Tomorrow we will look at the remaining five fruit of the Spirit to see how the good mood mission helps us in these areas as well.
How is your mood today? Have you spent time asking God’s Spirit to lead and guide you as you go through your day? Have you put on the Armor of God this morning? If not, stop right now and ask for God’s assistance. It really will improve your mood!
Grace and peace be yours in abundance,
Donna
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Creativity

August 1st, 2012 dsisler

My granddaughter Joy has a creative mind. If you look at the pictures I have, you’d know just how creative (you’ll want to check out the photos at the end of this blog).
I have photos of food art. A waffle robot. A spaghetti face.
There are towers of blocks and some of random objects stacked on top of one another.
There are a few of animals organized into single file straight into the barn. And another with all the pieces of her nativity set on top of the stable.
Of course I must mention the furniture on top of the doll house (that was to keep the items safe from the tornado).  Or the people of her doll house family hanging from the rails of the porch.
There are Easter eggs. There are bath tub murals. There are even photos of this creative mind at work.
She is creative.
My husband’s all-time favorite television program is MacGyver. Mac’s creative mind is the envy of any engineer (or any person for that matter). Mac had the ability to think under stress and come up with alternative methods for getting out of tough situations. Now that’s a creative mind.
God’s creativity has always amazed me.
He used animals to get people’s attention. Balaam’s donkey spoke to him (Numbers 22:28-30). Jonah was swallowed by a big fish (Jonah 1:17). Daniel wasn’t eaten by the lions (Daniel 6). Jonah’s God-provided vine was chewed up by a worm (Jonah 4:7).
He used odd methods for winning battles. The battle of Jericho (Joshua 6). God insisted that Gideon had far too many warriors to defeat the Midianites (Judges 7). David defeated Goliath with a sling and a stone (1 Samuel 17).
He used science and nature in strange ways to share His message. Moses parted the Red Sea for the Israelites to cross (Exodus 13:17-14:31) and Joshua led the Israelites across the Jordan River after parting it (Joshua 3-4). Jesus calmed a storm to teach a lesson on faith (Matthew 8:23-27). Jesus fed a very large group of people with very little food (Matthew 14:13-21).
He uses you and me. Perhaps that’s the most remarkable use of all. Because I know myself. I know that I am weak. I know that my flesh fails. I know what I know. I know who I am. And yet God chooses to use me on a regular basis to share His message with others. And if you don’t believe He can use you, think again.
I’ve used this passage in the past, but I love what Ephesians 2:10 (NIV) says. “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”He has prepared each of us for whatever task He is asking us to do. Don’t doubt it. Just allow Him to do it.
Watch for God’s creativity in your own life and then tell your story.
I am thankful for all the creativity in this world. Life would be boring without it. But we must ask ourselves these questions. What creative task is God asking of you today? Where will your creativity lead you? Who do you need to share God’s creativity with? When will you act upon God’s leading?
The only question left is why. Why haven’t you allowed God to work through you? He’s just waiting to show you His creativity.
Grace and peace be yours in abundance,
Donna

Robot Waffle

Spaghetti Face

Block Tower

Farm Animals

Easter Eggs

Kitchen Tower

The Hanging Family

Safe from Tornado
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NYCI

July 31st, 2012 dsisler

Years ago I attended a small college in Upstate New York near Buffalo. That year, New York Christian Institute consisted of 22 students and a handful of faculty. I was fortunate enough to be able to sing with the traveling ensemble for the year.

Eli Reyes was our faithful and talented leader and I must add, a patient man. We didn’t have recorded music, sheet music, or the internet. Just Eli and his ability to teach us a piece of music. Upon arrival to ensemble practice, Eli would begin the process of teaching the song, harmonies, and how the music would be presented.
Decal – borrowed image from Nate
On many occasions I was thankful for my previous years of sightseeing and ear training classes. These skills proved to be valuable during rehearsals.
While this particular skill was fine tuned to help with this particular learning experience, I’ve been able to use the concepts in other areas of my life.
Listening was extremely important during these sessions and it’s turned out, that listening has become even more important in my day-to-day life. It makes a difference in my spiritual life as well. This is what I’ve learned about listening.
Israel was given the choice between life or death and listening to God. Putting His words into practice was the key. In Deuteronomy 30:19-20a (NIV), Moses shared their choices with Israel. “This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice and hold fast to him. For the Lord is your life…”
For Israel, listening was part of living. Holding onto what they heard was even more important. It is the same for us.
James reminds us, “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” (James 1:22 – NIV) We must implement what we’ve heard and learned in order to gain the life God is so willing to lavish upon us.
So what are we listening for? Peter spoke of the One who fulfilled this prophecy from Deuteronomy 18:18-19 (NIV) “For Moses said, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people; you must listen to everything he tells you. Anyone who does not listen to him will be completely cut off from among his people.’”
We are listening to all that Jesus had to say. We are reading Scripture to hear the words Jesus spoke. And why not listento His words? I find that when I listen to God’s Word being read, I hear ideas and concepts that I do not read. It has been a great tool for me.
I love Jesus’ words in John 10:27-28 (NIV). “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.”
We must know Jesus’ voice so well, that even in the darkest places of our lives, we hear His voice and area able to follow Him. When everything else is blurred, blackened, or faded, His voice can be heard.
Again, reading, studying, and knowing God’s Scripture is how we listen to Jesus’ voice. How we know His voice and are able to follow Him.
Those days at NYCI are etched in my memory. I am thankful for the professors and faculty who gave so much of their lives to teach a small handful of young people in Upstate New York.
Repeating what Eli taught during those rehearsals prepared me to be able to repeat other thoughts, facts, and ideas I’ve learned through the years, especially from God’s Word.
What are you able to repeat? Are you able to share Jesus’ words with others? I pray that you are. We are called to do so. But, we can only share what we’ve learned as we listen. Are you listening?
Grace and peace be yours in abundance,
Donna
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Games of the XXX Olympiad

July 30th, 2012 dsisler

It is an Olympic year. In fact, the Summer Olympics are going on as I write this blog post. It is a time to enjoy the sporting events and a time to remember Olympics of the past and how they have impacted my life.

It was an Olympic year when my son, Philip was two. He loved watching the “lympics” and especially the men’s gymnastics. He would imitate their movements as best he could. We had to place a mattress in the middle of the floor for his safety.
I was a camp counselor during the Olympics one year. I decorated our dining hall table with the Olympic theme and updated the US medal standing daily. That was no easy task without our modern technology.
Olympic Torch near Berthoud, Colorado – 2002
I have been a huge fan of the Olympics through the years. This year is no different. We are in the beginning stages of this event and already there are remarkable outcomes.
I watched the men’s Road Race Cycling. I love racing and have found that I liked the bicycle racing. I didn’t understand a lot of it, but was so impressed with the efforts of each man in this race.
Near the end of the race, two men jumped out front. With each pedal, they pulled away from the pack. As the finish line came into view, these two were over 10 seconds ahead of the lead pack.
Rigoberto Uran of Columbia turned to see where he was in relation to the pack of cyclists behind him. In that moment, Alexandr Vinojurov of Kazakhstan began his sprint. In those short moments, Uran lost his gold medal. He was unable to catch Vinojurov.
How often are we guilty of this very thing? I know for me, I seem to fall into the trap of looking around instead of looking ahead at times.
In my spiritual life, this is costly. Temptation can lead to sin. And sin leads to death. Sometimes I look to my past. Guilt resurfaces and I feel worthless. At other times I allow my busyness to move my energy and effort from my time with God. Again, nothing good comes from any of these actions.
We must learn to keep our eyes on the goal. Keep focused on the finish line. Hold unswervingly to the path set before us.
So what are the things that keep us from focusing on our goal? The verses below will direct us.
Distraction
The Galatians had an understanding of how a distraction could cause failure in their race. Paul asked this question of them. “You were running a good race. Who cut in on you and kept you from obeying the truth?” (Galatians 5:7 – NIV)
You can ask yourself that same question if you are being distracted in your Christian walk. Once you’ve figured it out, you will be able to put the distraction behind you and continue faithfully in the race.
Hindrances
Sometimes the hindrances of this world and sin will cause misstep. The writer of Hebrews warns us of this possibility. “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” (Hebrews 12:1 – NIV)
The good news here is that there are encouragers along our journey who are cheering us on. Gain strength from their encouragement. Be spurred on because of their inspiration. Attain your goal by leaning on their spiritual wisdom. Follow the path they have already marked. The prize at the end will be worth it all.
Looking Behind
One of my favorite passages is from Paul. He encourages the Philippian Church to forget the past. Look to the future. These are wonderful words of wisdom for us to remember each day as well.
“Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:12-14 – NIV)
Looking to our past will always get us into trouble. Satan will see that as our weakness and fill us with guilt over and over. Let’s not allow that to happen. Let’s keep our eyes focused on Jesus, the goal and finish line.
Uran took his eyes off the finish line. He allowed his vision to be distracted by what was behind him. It cost him a gold medal.
There is so much more at stake for us in our spiritual walk when we take our eyes off the goal. Our eternal life is dependent upon it. Forget what is behind. Strain toward what is ahead. Press on toward the goal. Your prize is waiting!
Grace and peace be yours in abundance,
Donna
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    "I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints, and His incomparably great power for us who believe." Ephesians 1:18-19


    I am a devoted wife, mother, and grandmother. I lived in the beautiful state of Colorado for 20 years where I found great inspiration for my novels and devotional writings. Currently living in southwest Ohio.

    I am passionate about helping women find their way to Jesus through Bible study, teaching, speaking, inspirational writing and creative Bible journaling.

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