Up until this point Jacob has been thoughtful of the Lord and even prayed to Him but he had been in the habit of addressing God as “the God of Abraham and Isaac..” he hadn’t gotten to the point of personalizing God…until the wrestle match.. and its from this time forward that Jacob addresses the Lord as “My God..” his relationship became personal–that’s huge. It’s also here where the Lord changes Jacob’s name to Israel.

What I wonder is ‘do I need to wrestle through anything today?’ what are those things, situations or whatever that I need to take to God (and stop trying to figure out on my own)…it seems that some things are harder for me to give over to His control and eventually He will wrestle them away so how much better for me to just surrender them now??? (notice that Jacob was left with a limp from his encounter)

The picture in my mind is of 2 of my kids who were wanting the same thing and both kept trying to get control by pulling and distracting the other etc–you’ve probably seem the same thing at one time:)…funny how I relate that concept with childish behavior…hmmm
might be a good analogy here too. It is spiritually immature of me to continue to try and control something that I really need to give to God. Maybe I need to grow up and let go….just a thought

I wonder how many of us need a face to face with the Lord??? Jacob said “I have met the Lord face to face” ..and he was never the same from that point(not perfect mind you–just read the next couple of chapters but still different) Remember that we can encounter God at any time and place—if we seek Him, He will be found. My challenge for you and me today is to get face to face with the Lord and let go of anything that we have been hanging on to….at our house when the kids would get into wrestle etc we would say “it’s always fun until someone gets hurt” as a warning that they thought they wanted to be wrestling but it didn’t always turn out so great for everyone–but sometimes there were just those things that they had to learn for themselves. We are still the same way. If there is something that’s holding you back from spiritual growth–wrestle through it with Him. if there is something that you’re hanging on to that is holding you back, skip the wrestling and give it to God.

You and I will never be the same from encounters with Him!
JOYfully,
Rachel

How often was my life happening so quickly that as I reacted to one thing the circumstances changed and just as I figured out 1 plan of action the opponents switched on me???? now this may just be a sign of my stage of life (or my age) but it is also sort of indicative of our culture. It is a hurry up and keep your eyes opened world we live in. If we blink we just might miss something. I finally decided today to just wait and get the final scores on the games of interest before I got too caught up in every game. Maybe I don’t have to keep up with everything. Maybe it’s ok to pick and choose what I spend my time and energy on so that i don’t get distracted by the inconsequential.

In 2011 I read through the Bible chronologically and over and over as I asked God to teach me from His Word I continually heard Him say “Just know me” and so that was my goal. As I stand at the threshold of 2012 and I hear from others what their goals are for the year or what their ‘word’ of the year is (these are all good things) I keep coming back to the word MORE. As God called me to know him better last year and as he revealed himself to me like never before, I find myself just wanting more and more of that. If I have to pick a word for the year I’m going with MORE and my goal for the year is to get More of Jesus.

Isn’t it cool that the more we know Him the more we want to know Him???? (who else can you say that about??)

That’s it for me. To know Him MORE and MORE until I develop the mind of Christ. (and I probably won’t watch the RedZone anymore!)

My prayer for you and me both is that we crave the Word and desire to know Him better and better in 2012. Nothing satisfies like Jesus. Taste and see that the Lord is good:)

JOYfully,
Rachel
what’s your word or goal for the new year???

Here’s the thing, there are so many verses in the Word that we are familiar with and maybe even have memorized but when we take them in their context we can find such better meaning and understanding. Check out the very next verse (the one I don’t have memorized but should) its verse 16 and it tells us how we can be like stars: as you hold out the word of life–in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor for nothing. –alright stay with me on this—to ‘hold out the Word of life’ literally means: to have or hold upon, apply, to observe, attend to—to give attention to

Wow! that’s what I’m talking about. In our quest to be lights and to shine like stars–we must maintain a focus and be intentional about ‘holding forth’ the Word in our lives–we have to APPLY the Word to our lives daily.

I hear many many people talking about going deeper and so on in regard to Bible Study and teaching-the Truth is that it doesn’t get much deeper than “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength-and your neighbor as yourself” that’s pretty deep stuff and I wonder (if we want to make a Christmas application) how many of us have gotten caught up in our plans, our wants and our desires instead of asking what we can do for others or how we can put others first??

Let’s commit to being doers of the Word not just hearers especially in this season of ‘gimme gimme’ and ‘me first’…Jesus modeled the attitude we need to have and it’s described in the rest of Phil 2, read it there or watch my pastor’s sermon on the subject online but remember that we can shine like stars and have a HUGE impact if we keep holding forth the Word!!!!

Keep the faith:)
Rachel
#lightenupchallenge

Can I share with you something that I just read in Ephesians that really spoke to me? It was in chapters 4-6 where we are told not to give the devil a foothold then we see instructions for anger management (because we will have times that we get angry so how do we handle that in a godly way) and then the armor of God passage.

When you put all those together, it really boils down to some hard truth–when people get on our nerves or make us mad (can anyone relate?) how we respond will either allow the Enemy a place in our lives or not.

It seems to me that sometimes because of the amount of things that we have to get done in a day (have I mentioned that my shopping is not even close to done), that we have a short fuse with people about now. Sometimes it isn’t even about our busy day but how ridiculous some people we are in contact with act (that’s why we need to spread the lighten up challenge around:)

I love what the armor of God passage in Eph 6 has to say “Put on the full armor of God so that when the day of evil comes you may be able to stand your ground, and when you have done everything—to stand”…wow!

How appropriate is that? I have a friend who always reminds me when situations come up that frustrate me-”remember who the Enemy is”–that’s such good advice and lines up exactly with Ephesians. Who is our battle against? not the person in the next car, not the obnoxious shopper near you, not the stressed out store employee,not your boss—especially not fellow believers—we have one Enemy and when we put on the full armor of God then we will be able to stand against His schemes and be the lights that we are called to be.

Take a few minutes to check out Eph 5-6 today. Pray that armor onto your life and “be strong in the Lord and His mighty power”

JOYfully,
Rachel

ps–a friend told me in a meeting yesterday that her kids have been loving the lighten up challenge book and that they look forward to reading the verses together on the way to school as they talk about being a light! -that is such a good idea to do with your kids and what a blessing to hear how God is using His Word:)

We are probably all familiar with the story of Martha and Mary, if not don’t feel bad but go read it in Luke 10. Usually a sermon on them will boil down to bad Martha and good Mary and which are you?

That wasn’t my take away on Sunday at all. In a busy season full of Martha-ish moments that tries to drown out the Mary like opportunities–that is exactly what we can NOT let happen. There are so many good things about both sisters and instead of laying out a competition between the two, isn’t the greater message one that says “Before you can be an effective Martha, you must be a Mary”. Truly–’being’ comes before ‘doing’, in the dictionary and spiritually.

As we go about serving those in our lives this Christmas season, we will be the best lights for Christ if we have taken enough time like Mary did–to sit at His feet and learn, worship or just be still in His presence.

Notice that Martha was busy and distracted doing good things, she wasn’t out at a bar or surfing the internet illicitly. Good things can be the enemy of God’s things if we let them. Beware and be intentional to ‘be’ what Christ has called you to ‘be’ before you get busy ‘doing’ all the things that need to be done.

JOYfully,
Rachel
ps-chime in and share your best tip on ‘Mary’ moments in the midst of a ‘Martha’ season!

#lightenupchallenge

In the meantime, word of the Lighten Up Challenge had gotten out and it is really striking a nerve with women everywhere—yay! We all need to be challenged and reminded that we can make a difference and especially during this time of year we need to be more intentional.

So this is just a short post to let people who may not have been at the event in on the details of the challenge–since we want as many people as possible involved.

All it involves is each of us committing to talk to someone about Jesus at least once a day for 25 days. It doesn’t matter when you start–just get going and start talking. The point of the challenge is that we need to be pushed to be intentional especially during this busy time of year. We want to join together to ‘reclaim the holidays’ like never before.

I believe that God is calling us to take a stand against the influence of our culture. To speak up about out faith and to boldly (and lovingly) make Jesus a part of our everyday language and conversations.

There are a couple of tolls that can help with this in the previous post but you can do the challenge with or without those. The key is that you start sharing or ‘regifting’ Jesus to those you come in contact with.

If you want to access other encouragement on this, follow me on twitter and I will be posting at least daily some Scriptures or thoughts regarding the challenge. I will use #lightenupchallenge so you can find those on twitter any time. My twitter is rachellovingood.

Thanks for joining this movement. It’s time! Let’s get after it…
JOYfully,
Rachel

As I consider my own life and frantic pace during some past holidays, and as I look around, it occurs to me that we in the church (all Christians not just at my church) have let society dictate to us what Christmas should be about. How has that happened?? I mean, what is our problem? How do we listen and follow the lead of a culture which is so counter-Christ??

Friends, it’s time!! It’s time for us to take back Christmas! To place Christ where He should be in our lives and in our celebrations–right at the center. I’m burdened that I, and many others, have allowed this deviation from Christmas to happen on our watch. Just like anything else that the Lord burdens me with, I began to consider what do I do? How do we as believers make changes and how can we stand against culture most effectively??

Imagine what could happen if:
-our Christmas season really is all about Jesus and not about impressing others or running ourselves ragged like culture says we should.
-we choose to invite some people over(maybe lost people) and share some favorite Christmas memories together.
-our encounters with others in stores, schools, work or wherever are all about bringing light into the dark of this world (Matt 5:16)

Maybe, just maybe the world is waiting to see some Christians who are willing to live what they say they believe–every day. If we decide to look like who we say we follow then wow! there is no limit to what God can do with us then.

I definitely don’t have all the answers but I do know this–we have to be intentional. If we don’t have a plan then we will default to the easiest setting and that will be what the world dictates. There is probably no time of the year when people are more open to conversations about Jesus. SOOO what if we just commit to talking about Jesus every day —with someone, somehow, anywhere??? Matt 5:16 says “Let your light so shine before men that they see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” Let’s take it seriously and let our lights shine. One of the best ways to do that is to make Jesus a part of our everyday conversations. Share your faith, tell your story, talk about your Savior to someone every day.

When I’m being intentional about bringing Jesus into my conversations it’s interesting what leaves my conversations–things like ugly words, negative talk, whining, bragging, fussing and so on- will all have to be absent from the way that I talk (whether in person or online). When I bring Jesus in–they go out…and that can only be a good thing:)

I am speaking at an event in Alabama on this very subject, called Lighten Up, and as part of that event, God laid it in me to develop a tool that could be used to help us follow through on this commitment (because as we all know ‘if you fail to plan, you plan to fail’) and as Christmas gets busy with school events, church events, parties and gatherings, we all need a little something to remind us to stay focused and be intentional.

That’s where this little flip book came from <a
It's just a simple, cute (thanks Robyn) booklet to challenge us to be intentional. It's a 25 day challenge. Each day has a Scripture, devotional thought, challenge (action step) and an accountability place to write down who you share with. There are also some fun hints throughout of ways to start conversations about Jesus and other extras. They can stand on your kitchen counter, desk or be carried around in your purse or car. If you would like to join the challenge with me and want one of these you can just email me rachel@rachellovingood.com and I can send you one or more if you want to get a group together. They are $5 plus shipping which would prob only be about 1.50.

I'm hoping you will join me on this challenge (with or without the book) and that together we can begin "Taking Back Christmas"!!!! What ideas do you have that can help us keep Christ where He belongs in our celebrations?? comment and share those:)

JOYfully,
Rachel

ps…we also made some darling tshirts that make good conversation starters using the Lighten Up logo–here they are (they come in kiwi green or black)

It is simple and easy to understand and yet like so many things I read in the Word of God–I don’t always put it into practice. I began thinking about what I have given up on (or been tempted to give up on recently) because it may have gotten hard or been inconvenient?? When did I buy into the philosophy that says “if its too hard just dont bother or try something else until you find what is easy for you”? I’m sorry, but no where in my Bible (or my experience) does it say that living as a Christ follower is supposed to be easy.

Actually its a bit contrary to that. I read about a real enemy we have and that expect to suffer some persecution for His sake and then these verses in James to count it all joy when…not IF but WHEN.

It takes me back to the whole Kardashian wedding fiasco that I blogged about earlier. Our world preaches a “just do what you want as long as you want and then witch to something else” philosophy that has nothing to do with the Truth of God’s Word. It is completely void of commitment and follow through and perseverance…AND maybe that explains why there are such immature people around us. Look at what is the result of perseverance–maturity!

that my friends is what we need. To be Christ followers who are mature and growing in our faith so that WHEN tough times come we will stand firm and not be shaken!!!! If we don’t want to be wimpy believers we must do what it takes to grow.

The next time you, or I, feel tempted to just give up, quit on something, not follow through, or anything else that smacks of not persevering may we be reminded of these words from James—lets count it all joy and look for the blessing of spiritual growth that is to come:)

JOYfully,
Rachel

I know that God doesn’t laugh about it and I’m pretty sure I shouldn’t either. The media is full of news about this break up—people are joking about the short length of the marriage and that is so very sad. On more than one front. News- supposedly hard news agencies are reporting about this celebrity relationship and the implications of the divorce in the same breath as presidential situations and world economic crisis—really???? we are listening to people discuss how this is going to affect Kim’s image?!?! have we lost our minds? Does the image of a reality TV star rate the same amount of air time as troops overseas, wall street, presidential race, and all that???

It seems to me that reality TV stars have no sense of what reality is and the American public is just jumping right in. Some people have been quoted as saying these things “it (the divorce) is something that just didn’t work out. It’s better that they got out now”–really? you can say that something as serious and with as deep a commitment as marriage should have just didn’t work out after less than 3 months??? or what about this “they gave it a shot” how much of a ‘shot’ does a marriage deserve?…72 days isn’t even enough time to get a closet sorted out much less to give marriage a shot.

And that may be where much of the problem is—our society is full of people who are ‘giving marriage a shot’–it was designed to be a life long commitment between a man and a woman–NOT something that happens in a basketball game where you score 2 or 3 points.

Marriage is tough enough when you do it God’s way–it’s worth it but it’s tough sometimes…I’m afraid that when we begin to buy into this “give it a shot’ mentality that it may very well become impossible. Sadly, Christ followers are being just as deceived by our media and culture as those who don’t know Him. When was the last time you laughed about a marriage breaking up? or about some type of sin? —-remember (and I’m talking to myself too) when we laugh at sin we start to become desensitized to it and when we become desensitized to it there is no telling what all can happen.

I’m saddened by another marriage ending. It makes me more and more thankful for a husband who sticks by me even when it can’t be easy and more and more grateful for the examples I see of men and women who love each other through sickness and heath, tho richer or poorer–till death parts them…..may God give us grace to love each other and encourage one another and maybe even to be that person who says “You can make your marriage work. Trust God. Follow His plan and stick with it. Don’t give it a shot. Make it last.”

As believers we have a responsibility to be light in this world not to be followers of current culture. I think He has called us to more…more prayer, more faith, more sharing our faith, more than the world settles for, more of Him.

I can’t laugh about some things…and I’m pretty sure I shouldn’t:)

You can take that previous paragraph a bit tongue in cheek and although there are many ways in which technology has had a negative impact (if I hear about another person who leaves their family because they reconnect with an old high school friend I’m gonna scream) but the truth is that technology is a tool and we are all responsible for how we choose to use it. Just like anything else it can be positive or negative–our choice.

One choice that we don’t really have is to ignore technology and hope that it goes away (can you imagine people giving up their iphones?!) if you really think that can happen be sure and post a blog on what the world looks like through the sand where you have your head buried:)

Jeff, my sweet hubby, and I were out on a walk last Sunday afternoon. It was a bright, beautiful, sunny day. We were walking and talking and every kid in the neighborhood was out playing or riding bikes-it was feeling a little like Mayberry…until we happened by a group of kids with bicycles gathered in a group on the sidewalk. They were inspecting one kid’s bike and the comments were flying around as they dissected the situation. We heard one kid say “the tire is just flat” to which another immediately responded “better just call onstar” they were dead serious. Jeff and I looked at each other with “did that just happen?” looks on our faces and laughed our heads off.

We kept walking and reflecting on what a different world we live in today. Not worse-just different. These are the times we live in, the question is “how will we respond as people who want to make a difference and share the gospel with a lost and dying world?”

It’s not Mayberry but people are still people and they still need Jesus. What are we willing to do to make sure they hear about His love and grace??? I guess I can remember one more password….