It’s All About Mom

May 8th, 2016 dsisler

 

Today is Mother’s Day. To all the mom’s out there, I want to say thank you for being such a strong support to your children. It is a blessing to see mom’s everywhere love on the children in their lives.

 

555540_3503136384467_1904624890_nIn particular, I want to praise my own Mom and call her blessed. She is such an inspiration to me and the many lessons I’ve learned from her single-handedly have been pretty spectacular.

 

So today, the blog re-post is about my Mom. Have a blessed day and a happy mother’s day.

 

Mom’s Day

 

Several years ago, Mom published a cook book of her many delicious recipes with some wonderful stories. She asked each of her children to write a little bit for the forward. My first draft was rejected by Mom (and I’ve come to learn that it was the easiest rejection of my writing to date)…the second draft was accepted.

 

10365974_10152420302985502_5296141812870947286_nI’d like to share my first draft with you today. I pray that you will be able to see the wonderful woman she is through my words.

 

My Mom is a balcony person in my life. What is balcony person? They are the people in your life who are always on your side. They will cheer you on when no one else seems to. They believe in you and they see the vision of what God made you to be.

 

Mom sacrificed so that I could take voice lessons in high school because she thought I had a good voice and that voice lessons would make my voice great. Mom sold a set of silver salt and pepper shakers when I became engaged so that I could buy the wedding dress she knew I’d look stunning in.

 

My children know that Grandma is on their side as well. She’s the one who spent hours with Philip helping him to find a job and encouraged him to keep looking.

 

She was at as many of Candace’s high school dramas that she could attend and really enjoyed each one!

 

Mom was thrilled about her grandchild’s (Bethany) elopement and the birth of her first great-grandchild, Joy. Even more by the birth of her second great-grandchild, Percy. (UPDATE: She has a third great-grandchild, Leslieanna and a fourth on the way!)

 

Mom has always said that her grandchildren have a safe haven at her home.

 

When we are with Mom, we may not always hear what we want to hear, but that’s another characteristic of a balcony person. They believe and expect you can change. They don’t believe that what you were yesterday will hinder you from being what you are today or what you can become tomorrow.

 

Mom has held the standard high for me and that’s okay. She’s also taught me how to be a balcony person for my own children and grandchildren. I know first-hand how much it means to be an encourager to my children.

 

We see a glimpse of the ultimate encourager in the Bible, Barnabas. Barnabas had God’s heart for people. He sold property to help those in need, he accepted Paul for who he was, and encouraged the church leaders to accept Paul as well.

 

Barnabas embraced Gentile believers and encouraged them to continue to seek God’s grace. Barnabas was willing go to bat for a young man that Paul didn’t believe was suitable to be a traveling companion.

 

Barnabas had a gift. The gift to encourage anyone who crossed his path, regardless of who they were.

 

The lesson we can learn from Barnabas and Mom is that everyone needs encouragement. Everyone needs a balcony person. Don’t pass up an opportunity to let someone know how much they mean to you and to God.

 

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

 

Donna

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A Funny Dream

May 7th, 2016 dsisler

 

I have to tell you about a dream I had last night. It was a Sunday morning, and not just any Sunday morning, it was tomorrow morning. Plans had been made for our guest speaker, Elisa Morgan to arrive. But before her arrival, there were some final things to be done.

 

flowers-1325012_1280I arrived at the church and the entire building was covered in paper flowers of all colors. And they were EVERYWHERE. On posts. Hanging from the ceiling. On the stage. Anywhere and everywhere a flower could be placed, it was there.

 

There were also about 50 little girls in pretty lacey dresses. They were multi-colored and quite large. I am not quite sure how the little girls were going to be used in this worship service, but they were there…it was a bit crazy.

 

Now this just wasn’t over the top enough apparently. I had brought dozens of dolls to be displayed. I don’t know where they came from (I have 2 special dolls in my possession…not dozens), but they were displayed dominantly in the foyer.

 

As the morning progressed and even before our worship service began, the dolls disappeared. All those little girls had taken all of the dolls. Not one remained. The morning was a complete train wreck because the dolls were missing. And this was all BEFORE the worship service began.

 

I tell you this dream because I believe there are some good lessons to be learned.

 

First, when worship and a church service becomes more about the “stuff” and the “makings” than about Who we are to worship, we have missed the true meaning of worship.

 

Second, sometimes we can get caught up in the planning and preparation that we miss being present for worship (I will admit this happens to me all the time…I’m working on it!).

 

And third, we (meaning I) need to be flexible when it comes to worship.

 

I’m reminded of the Mary and Martha incident in Luke 10:38-42. Martha showed all the signs of being concerned about the “makings” of a great meal for Jesus. Martha was caught up in the planning and preparation that she missed being present with Jesus. And Martha was definitely not flexible.

 

Mary on the other hand didn’t care about creating an environment that was perfect to sit at Jesus’ feet. She just sat down. Mary didn’t get caught up in the plans or preparation for this time with Jesus. She was present with Him. And Mary was flexible. She sat where Jesus sat. She would have gone wherever Jesus was.

 

How valuable this lesson is for me! As I approach tomorrow and this big day, I have a choice. I can either learn to be more like Mary or I can fall into my old habit of identifying with Martha. Oh how I want to be more like Mary in these situations!

 

My prayer today is that I will step out of that comfort zone of “doing” and rest in the “being.” Maybe that should be your prayer today as well.

 

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

 

Donna

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Just One More Day

May 6th, 2016 dsisler

 

Folks, I’m feeling a little weary this morning. Yes, I’m tired from travel, but things happening in the world and close to me have me feeling drained. So I beg you to forgive me for posting just one more repeated blog post today. I would ask that you join me today in prayer for the things heaviest on my heart. God knows who and what needs…that’s the beauty of our precious Heavenly Father.

 

I’ll be praying for you today too! You are always on my mind.

 

Quick Fix

 

DSCN0582If you’re like me, you’re always looking for a quick fix for getting things done. A little shortcut here, a little time saved there. Sometimes it works and sometimes, well, let’s just say, it would have taken less time to fix it the correct way.

 

My husband thought he’d go the quick fix route with one of my tires a couple of years ago. It had been slowly losing air and Mason would fill it as needed. He even bought some tire sealant to stop the leaking. It didn’t work as planned and he ended up taking the tire to be repaired by professionals.

 

Isn’t this the way we are with our spiritual lives at times. We know there is an issue. We look for a quick fix. But in the long run, the only thing that will make it right is doing the right thing. Mending our soul, the right way.

 

That pesky devil is out to get us. He is firing some flaming arrows directly at us. Paul mentions such actions in Ephesians 6:16 (NIV) and how we are to protect ourselves. “In addition to all this (using the armor of God for our spiritual journey), take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.”

 

The flaming arrows the evil one points directly at us can be lethal. If we are not prepared, we will be in trouble. And if we have been hit by a flaming arrow, we must allow full healing of the wound. A quick fix will not work. A job done half way will not work. We must take it to the One who is the greatest Repairman of all time. God.

 

When we bring our brokenness to God, He is able to make the repair. Completely. Satisfactorily.

 

King David knew of this brokenness and what God’s role was to be in the healing process. In Psalm 51:17 (NIV), David said, “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.” When we give our brokenness to God, our wounded spirits, He will accept that sacrifice and repair the damage.

 

David also knew restoration. Psalm 23:3 (NIV) tells us, “He (God) restores my soul.” Complete restoration. Complete healing. Complete mending.

 

You see, when we give our wounds, large or small, to God, He promises to do the fixing. There is no reason for us to believe we can do it on our own or that we can fix it ourselves. We can’t. It’s not possible.

 

So I ask you today, what wounds do you need to give to God for repair? What brokenness have you held on for far too long? Why not let the great Repairman fix your heart the right way? He’s the expert at it. And with the mending of our souls comes a lifetime guarantee…no, an eternal guarantee.

 

Please don’t go another day with the wounds you carry. God’s arms are out stretched and waiting to take care of it for you. You just need to give it to Him.

 

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

 

Donna

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Phoenix Respite – Day 3

May 5th, 2016 dsisler

 

I can’t wait to share some of the things I’ve learned at this conference. It’s been very rewarding. However, no time to write here. So please enjoy one more day of repeated blog posts. I’ll see you in just a little while!

 

Never Alone

 

2011-2-15 Daytona 002 (640x360)Reading. It’s one of those important tasks in life that we must learn to master. Whether we read because we have to, or to learn something or for pleasure, reading is an important part of life.

 

I’ve added two new books to my stack. One is The Speed of Trust by Stephen M. R. Covey. In this book, Covey shares 322 pages of the importance of trust. So far it’s been a good read.

 

The second book is called Never Eat Alone by Keith Ferrazzi. This book is about relationships and how to build them into our lives. Never Eat Alone starts with a quote by Margaret Wheatley that I’d like to share with you.

 

“Relationships are all there is. Everything in the universe only exists because it is in relationship to everything else. Nothing exists in isolation. We have to stop pretending we are individuals that can go it alone.”[i]

 

As a believer of Christ, I have read verses of Scripture that pointed me to this conclusion a long time ago. In Genesis 2:18 (NIV), after creating man, God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.” From the beginning, God knew mankind needed one another. And it didn’t stop in the Garden of Eden.

 

Meaningful relationships (both romantic and platonic) can be found throughout Scripture. Abraham and Sarah. David and Jonathan. Daniel and Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. The Apostles. Paul and Barnabas. Paul and Timothy. Aquila and Priscilla. And these are the obvious relationships I can think of quickly. But these are some examples of those who understood the importance of relationships.

 

A couple of years ago, I was doing some research about the “one another’s” in Scripture. What I found were passage after passage of things we are to do for one another. There are too many to write out individually, but I have listed them here for you to look at as you have the time.

 

Below you’ll see a word or a phrase. Add “one another” after that word or phrase and that is how we are to be living in relationships. The passages listed after the word is where the “one another” is found. There may be more, but these are the ones I have discovered. If you know of any that I’ve missed, please let me know. I’d love to hear from you.

 

Love – John 13:34; Hebrews 13:1; 1 Peter 1:22; 1 Peter 3:8; 1 John 3:11; 1 John 3:23; 1 John 4:7; 1 John 4:11-12; 2 John 1:5

Be devoted to – Romans 12:1

Honor – Romans 12:1

Live in harmony with – Romans 12:16

Accept – Romans 15:7

Be competent to instruct – Romans 15:14

Greet – Romans 16:16

Agree with – 1 Corinthians 1:10

Encourage – 2 Corinthians 13:11; 1 Thessalonians 4:9; 1 Thessalonians 5:11; Hebrews 3:13; Hebrews 10:25

Serve – Galatians 5:13

Bear with – Ephesians 4:2

Be kind and compassionate to – Ephesians 4:32

Speaking with – Ephesians 5:19

Submit to – Ephesians 5:21

Bear with and forgive – Colossians 3:13

Teach and admonish – Colossians 3:16

Spur – Hebrews 10:24

Offer hospitality to – 1 Peter 4:9

Fellowship with – 1 John 1:7

 

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

 

Donna

[i] Never Eat Alone, Keith Ferrazzi, Published by Doubleday, 2005, page 5.

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Phoenix Respite – Day 2

May 4th, 2016 dsisler

 

Just a reminder, I’m away at a conference…enjoy this older blog post. I’ll be back soon!

 

Iron Sharpens Iron

 

2011-2-15 Daytona 002 (640x360)Over the past couple of days, I’ve been reminded of Proverbs 27:17 several times. I believe God has placed before me so that I might think about this passage. You know meditate upon it and see what God has to say through this verse.

 

The nature of verses in Proverbs is that they are stand-alone verses. There is nothing before it or after it to give me a better understanding of this verse. So what exactly does this verse of Scripture mean?

 

“As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.” (Proverbs 27:17 – NIV)

 

I cook a lot and one of the most important tools in the kitchen is a good knife. I’ve searched and searched for the perfect set of knives through the years. I’ve settled on the knife collection by RADA Cutlery. Their blades are strong and yet flexible. They aren’t cheap, but they aren’t the expensive brands either. The handles fit well in my hands, they are light-weight, and they are shiny…as long as they are NOT put in the dishwasher!

 

I have come to understand that my search for Christian friendship has been a similar experience. Through the years I’ve found some beautiful believers who stretch me. Their thinking, their beliefs, their lifestyle are similar to mine and yet, they push me one step further. These are the people I can look to for sharpening. They are able to expand my thinking and imagining. And then they urge me to get out there and do what I’ve learned.

 

Now, back to the knives. Like any other knife, they become dull with use. My knife drawer holds another tool that is just as important as the knife. My knife sharpener. With a couple of swipes, the knife blade is ready to go to work again.

 

There have been times in my life when I too have become dull. I’ve allowed sin to my focus instead of Jesus. It’s during those moments when God’s Spirit has brought me back to Jesus. Through Scripture, through godly people, and through a desire to be more like Him, I’ve been sharpened and ready to go back to work for the Kingdom.

 

Another element to the knife sharpener is that it is one sided. The knife doesn’t sharpen the knife sharpener. The knife sharpener sharpens the knife. But in our lives, we must be on the lookout for others who need to be sharpened. As we become more focused on God’s will for our lives, we are able to see others who need the same focus. We are able to point others to Jesus and help them see the sin in their own lives.

 

I am blessed with some pretty spectacular folks that God has brought into my life. These people love me with the love of the Lord and when shown in a godly way, have helped me to see sin that God hated. I’ve been able to see the ugliness and dullness of what sin can do in a life. And I know that’s not how I want to live.

 

So I must ask these questions. Who is sharpening you? And who are you sharpening? I pray that you have found your sharpening friends.

 

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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