Mountains and a Beach

May 28th, 2014 dsisler

We are undergoing a few changes in our household. I’m painting a couple of rooms. I’m moving furniture from upstairs to downstairs and vice versa. I’ve purchased a few new pieces. There are a lot of changes going on.

 

You see Mom will be visiting shortly and she will be here for a while. She’s got a bum knee which makes it difficult to walk up and down stairs. For her safety and to relieve some of her pain, I’m making my office into a bedroom for her.

 

Now you may think I’m giving up something pretty special. My office. But my new office will be much cooler. It’s the front bedroom of our home which faces the mountains. And it’s my beach-themed room. So I get the view of the mountains plus the feel of sitting on the beach. To be honest, I don’t know why I didn’t choose that room in the first place.

 

Daytona Beach 021mBut to be honest, right now I’m overwhelmed with this change. Monday morning I woke up thinking, “I have to do all of these projects today.” Hah! No wonder I’m overwhelmed.

 

So I’ve prioritized the changes that need to be made. I’m working on them one at a time to get them done in an orderly fashion. And I’ve already crossed off two items on my “to do” list!

 

Change will always happen. There’s no way around it. Our spiritual lives must always be changing as well. If we aren’t changing, we become stagnant. We aren’t following God’s instructions for our lives. God’s plan clearly includes change. He speaks of a new creation, transformation, taking off the old, putting on the new, and spiritual maturity.

 

Change

In Matthew 18:3, Jesus tells the group that change must occur. That change must include trust and great faith in what God is able to do. “I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” Without change, the kingdom of heaven is a far off dream.

 

New Creation

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17) With Christ, we become new. A new creation. He created us. He redeemed us. He fulfills the re-creation of us through His sacrifice.

 

Transformation

Paul shares with the Corinth church that being transformed into Jesus’ likeness is part of the process. 2 Corinthians 3:18 says, “And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” Transformation is accompanied by radiance that is from the Lord.

 

Taking Off the Old, Putting On the New

Ephesians 4:22-24 tells us that we must take off our old lifestyle and put on a new lifestyle. Not just at the moment of salvation, but for always. “You were taught with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by it is deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.”

 

Spiritual Maturity

“So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.” (Colossians 2:6-8) We move toward spiritual maturity when we live in Christ and are rooted and built up in Christ. Our faith is strengthened so that we are less susceptible of being deceived by false teachings.

 

We must not become stagnant in our spiritual lives. We must continue to learn, study, and apply all that God’s Word has to say to us. We must also share our story with others. Who have you shared your change of heart with?

 

I can’t wait to get these changes done in my home. I look forward to sitting in front of the window and looking out toward my beautiful Rocky Mountains. But like anything worthwhile in our lives, it takes effort on my part. So all I can say is, let’s “git ‘er done!”

 

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

 

Donna

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Heritage Square

May 27th, 2014 dsisler

I spent Saturday with my two daughters and my three grandkids at a local attraction called Heritage Square. On this particular day, we enjoyed a car show, a walk around the town, as well as the amusement park rides. It was a day filled with great memories.

 

The CrewThe biggest problem we faced was the difference in ages of my grandkids. I have a 7 ½ year old, a 3 year old and a 16 month old. Joy wanted to do everything in the amusement park. She has been to several and knows what fun is available in those joy rides. While Percy found great enjoyment on the rides, he wasn’t able to go on all the rides that Joy was able to ride.

 

And then there was little Leslieanna. It was her first experience and we found very quickly that she wasn’t as impressed with the ups and downs, round and rounds of the few rides she tried. She didn’t even like the merry-go-round. So for the most part, she sat in her stroller and loved watching the activity.

 

P & CNear the end of our day, we found a great roller coaster that Percy fell in love with. In total, he rode this snake ride four times. When it was time to go, he was devastated. He didn’t want to quit and was so upset that our time at Heritage Square had come to an end.

 

There is quite an age difference between my grandkids which means their maturity levels are different, their interests vary, and their abilities are unique. These differences cause some difficulty in finding fun things to do with this trio. When the younger ones are happy and occupied, the older one is bored. When the older one is stimulated, the younger ones have nothing to do. Finding a perfect balance is the key, but it’s also nearly impossible.

 

I believe there are times in our lives when we are out of balance. Kind of like a washing machine where more wet clothes are on one side than the other. It jiggles and shakes and makes all kinds of noise until the clothing is readjusted in the tub.

 

I’m sure you know exactly what I’m talking about. There are demands placed upon us each day. Work and family seem to be out of balance most often. When work demands more of our time, family gets less of us. And sometimes it’s the other way around.

 

Another area where we tend to become unbalanced is with physical and spiritual needs. The Apostle Paul understood the importance of this balance in our lives and what happens when we allow our physical desires to take precedence over our spiritual needs. I’m going to quote the most confusing portion of Paul’s writings…but it shows just how unbalanced we can become.

 

“I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.” (Romans 7:18-20 – NIV)

 

The only way to regain balance in this situation is to take sin out of the equation all together. If we do not, our sinful nature will cause our spiritual life to be out of balance. The washer tub of our lives must be set aright and our eyes set upon our Savior once again. Balance will return through our repentance and confession of sin.

 

Another area of unbalance may be the care of our physical bodies. While I understand the importance of keeping our bodies useful for God’s Kingdom, if we put all of our efforts into our physical body and less into our spiritual soul, we’ve become out of balance. Look at Paul’s encouragement for Timothy. “For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.” (1 Timothy 4:8 – NIV)

 

Balance in our lives is only achieved by doing one thing. Being with Jesus. Jesus shared this idea with His disciples in John 15. His words were to “remain in Him.” As we come to know Jesus in this intimate way, balance will be restored.

 

I have no answer for the family/work balance. There have been times when I’ve done well and other times I’ve failed. But what I do know is that if my personal relationship with Jesus is in balance, His Spirit will lead and guide me to keep balance in all other areas of my life. Jesus is the key. Remain in Him.

 

Heritage Square was great fun for my family. Although there were some difficulties to overcome, it was wonderful to see the smiles on my grandkids faces. I know we’ll make a return visit…just to see them smile!

 

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

 

Donna

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“For the Sake of My Heart” – Monday Musical Musings

May 26th, 2014 dsisler

I first heard today’s melody several months ago. As I listened to this tune and later when I read through the lyrics, I was yet again amazed at the length Jesus was willing to go for my salvation. And through the lyrics of this particular song, the condition of my heart is the reason Jesus was willing to go to Calvary.

 

IMAG1492I know the condition of my heart. Sometimes it’s not as valiant as it should be. Sometimes it holds grudges. Sometimes it’s weak. Sometimes it’s fragile. Sometimes it’s just plain ornery. And I’ve read Jeremiah 17:9 enough times to know that it is also deceitful.

 

Perhaps these are the exact reasons Jesus cares about my heart so much!

 

Knowing what I know about my heart, I know I can’t change my heart on my own. I need Jesus to help me as the weakness of my heart is revealed.

 

I believe King David knew this as well. He had a few things to say about the heart. Let’s see what He desired.

 

“May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.” (Psalm 19:14 – NIV)

 

“Test me, O Lord, and try me, examine my heart and my mind.” (Psalm 26:2 – NIV)

 

“Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” (Psalm 51:10 – NIV)

 

“My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” (Psalm 73:26 – NIV)

 

Like David, I desire to have a heart that Jesus can use for His Kingdom. That’s exactly what Jesus wants too!

 

So today, take a look at the lyrics to “For the Sake of My Heart,” and see if you too aren’t touched by what Jesus was willing to go through.

 

If you were the king of a great and mighty kingdom,
would you give it all away for one like me?
Would you step down from your throne and all you’d ever known
to walk this earth in mere mortality?
Would you give up all your treasures beyond what could be measured
to live a life a simple common man?
Would you be born just to die, to save a worthless soul as I,
and shed your precious blood for who I am?

Chorus:
For the sake of my heart He was willing to go
all the way to an old rugged cross.
Where He took on my shame and banished my blame,
so that I no longer had to be lost.
There was no reason to die, but He knew
that death would never keep us apart,
And He loved me so much, He chose Calvary
for the sake of my heart.

He couldn’t bear the thought my sins left unforgiven.
His love was far too great to leave me alone.
And as the nails were driven in,
He cried Father please forgive them.
He showed the greatest love to me
this world has ever known.[i]
(CHORUS)

 

If you would like to listen to this beautiful reminder of Jesus’ love for you, click here for Gold City’s version.

 

With Jesus’ help, I plan to guard and monitor my heart much more closely than in the past. I want Jesus to be pleased with what He finds in my heart and I certainly don’t want to disappoint Him.

 

I leave you with one more passage of Scripture about the heart. “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.” (Proverbs 4:23 – NIV) Wise words to live by!

 

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

 

Donna

 

[i] “For the Sake of My Heart,” Words and Music by Wayne Haun and Joel Lindsey, Bridge Building (a division of Brentwood-Benson Music Publishing), 2007.

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Worship and Rest

May 25th, 2014 dsisler

We’ve once again rounded the final column of the calendar and have found ourselves on Sunday. The beginning of the week. The day of the week to be devoted to worshiping God and rest. I pray that you may find these two elements in your day.

 

I also pray that you will be encouraged! Encouragement is an important piece to our Christian walk.

 

I wrote an eight-part series on encouragement in 2012 that I will be sharing over the next eight weeks. I pray that you will find something to keep in mind throughout your day. Have a blessed Sunday!

 

Encouragement – Part 1

 

As the SE Asia service team makes preparations for our upcoming journey, we have laid out some objectives. One of those objectives is to encourage the group we are going to visi???????????????????????????????t. We discussed a few things, but I wondered how the Apostle Paul was encouraged by others as he devoted his life to sharing God’s message with others.

 

So over the next few days I’m going to be doing some digging into the encouragement realm. How to encourage those who are sharing the Gospel and how Christians can be encouraged.

 

There are three elements to encouragement. First, is the idea to inspire with hope, courage, or confidence; to hearten. Second is to give support to; to foster. And third is to stimulate; to spur.[i]

 

Inspiration is a great concept to bring into encouragement. Sometimes if we don’t see the vision, we will not be encouraged to join into a project, or desire to be part of a team. When we are able to cast that vision, we will be able to draw others into seeing what God sees.

 

What are we to inspire with? Hope, courage, or confidence. As a Christian, there is no greater hope than to know one day I will see Jesus face to face. That hope gives me the courage and confidence to do what I am called to. Whether it’s writing a daily blog, going on a service trip, witnessing to a stranger, leading a women’s Bible study, or reading a Bible story to my grandchildren. The hope I have in Christ Jesus inspires me!

 

The second element to encouragement is giving support. I believe this includes several areas. For those in ministry, we must support them financially. The men and women who have dedicated their lives to serving a local congregation are to be compensated for their work. But it goes beyond that.

 

Providing appreciative, emotional, moral support to a person in ministry is an encouragement to them. Knowing that a group of people are behind them will drive them to follow the call that God has placed upon them. Doing the opposite is the fastest way to drive a minister from a church.

 

And third, we see that encouragement has an element of stimulation. To spur on. You’ve heard how yawns and laughter are contagious, right? Well encouragement is contagious as well. Being motivated to do better. To be better. To serve better. It will catch on.

 

Encouragement. There is a lot more to this word than meets the eye. This blog post is near completion and I haven’t even shared a Bible verse!

 

In Romans 12, Paul lists the different functions of the body of Christ. This is what he says. “We have different gifts, according to the grace given us, if a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.” (Romans 12:6-8 – NIV)

 

While I believe there are those who are truly gifted in the encouragement area, I believe each of us must be an encourager. There are so many other verses that say, “encourage one another.” And we’ll be discussing those over the next few days.

 

Take some time today to see how you are an encourager. To whom are you an encourager? When was the last time you were an encourager to your minister? Or to a missionary? Or to a co-worker?

 

Are you lacking in this area? If so, pray that God will open your heart to ways to add this wonderful gift into your life.

 

I must admit, I haven’t done as well with this as I should. I’m thankful for the eye-opening experience of going on a service trip to find these areas of my life that are lacking. I pray that the desire to be an encourager will pierce your heart as it has mine.

 

The SE Asia service team is training and preparing to go on this trip. We are now just 36 days from leaving. I have been encouraged by so many already and am so thankful for them. If you have the desire to be an encourager to me, please let me know.

 

I’d love to have you join my prayer partner team. You will receive emails from me before I leave sharing prayer requests and praises. And while I am gone, a lovely lady will be sending daily prayer requests by email, detailing what we will be doing on that day and how you can encourage us through prayer.

 

I’d love to have you join my financial partner team. I’ve been so blessed already. The costs are nearly covered. However, it still isn’t enough. If God is placing this on your heart, please feel free to contact me through this blog and I’ll get the information to you as to how you can help. Or you can click here for more information (Just a reminder, I went on this trip in 2012).

 

Encouragement. One word filled with so much meaning. Let’s be encouragers today. To whomever your path crosses. Don’t miss an opportunity to say a good, kind word. To do a kind deed. To be faithful to God’s mission. Through encouragement, you will be encouraged.

 

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

 

Donna

 

 

[i] http://www.thefreedictionary.com/encourage

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Mission Accomplished

May 24th, 2014 dsisler

If you recall, one day this week I told you about a pattern I needed to figure out. The directions were difficult to understand. The photos of the project didn’t help with figuring out what to do. I wasn’t sure that I’d be able to pull of this project.

 

snack bagsYesterday morning, I sat down with all my fabric, the poor directions and my sewing machine. I finally figured out how to make these little snack bags. I’m just a few steps away from having all 10 complete. I feel like I accomplished something spectacular yesterday!

 

I can’t even imagine how some of our biblical friends felt when they accomplished spectacular things in the Bible. Like Adam naming all of the animals (Genesis 2:20). That was a huge task. Or what about the widow at Zaraphath who was able to make bread for Elijah, her family and herself (1 Kings 17:7-16)?

 

Then there were some monumental accomplishments like Joseph being in charge of all of Egypt’s food before the famine (Genesis 41:41-57). Or when Moses led the people of Israel out of bondage in Egypt and crossed the sea (Exodus 13:17-14:31). After years of running from King Saul, David was finally anointed king over Israel (2 Samuel 2:4). Daniel must have felt a sense of accomplishment when he and his friends were in better shape at the end of the 10-day food trial (Daniel 1:6-20).

 

Poor Jonah must have felt relief and accomplishment after the fish vomited him onto dry ground (Jonah 2:10). What accomplishments the 70 must have felt when Jesus sent them out to share the Gospel (Luke 10:1-24). Peter preached before a great crowd saw many won to the Lord (Acts 2:14-41). Paul saw great accomplishments in the Kingdom of God through his mission work (the Book of Acts and Epistles).

 

What accomplishments! And who was at the heart of all of these accomplishments? God. His hand was upon each of these people and through ordinary human beings, God was able to do extraordinary things. Their accomplishments were only lived because of the One who is able to accomplish anything.

 

And here’s the good news. God desires to do great accomplishments through us as well. God has done some amazing things through me so I know He is able to do the same through you.

 

I love the verse in Ephesians that tells me exactly what God is able to do. “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.” (Ephesians 3:20-21 – NIV)

 

I pray that you will know God’s power at work in you. I pray that you give God the glory for your accomplishments. I also pray that you will be bold in what you ask God to do through you. You will be amazed at what He does.

 

My little snack bags were my big accomplishment yesterday, but I wonder how much more God would have done had I asked. I can’t wait to see what God has in store for me today!

 

What about you? What has God accomplished through you? Why not share your story with me? I’d love to hear about it.

 

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

 

Donna

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  • About Me

  • "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 Jacksonville, Florida.

  • 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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    In September 2012 I went to SE Asia on a service trip. For more information, check out preachitclearly.blogspot.com.

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