It's Not Guaranteed

We all know the one thing that is inevitable-death. Yet how often we live as though we are immune. We live as though tomorrow is guaranteed.

But tomorrow is not guaranteed, nor is making it through today. That is why making the most of each second, minute, hour, is crucial. Being conscious and aware that our life is like a vapor, here today and gone tomorrow, will awaken us to savor each minute God allows us to have. It will shift our focus off of ourselves and onto the things and people that matter the most. Our families, the lost, the widowed, the orphaned, the poor, the least of His.

It will revive us, challenge us, and fill us with thankfulness and joy. Why? Because when we realize at any second it could be over, we become mindful of our blessings. When we realize at any second we could lose someone we love, we become mindful and thankful for them.

Today, spend your minutes being thankful, prayerful and joyful. Ask the Lord to help you be mindful of how you spend your time today.

May we spend more time impacting others for the sake of Christ than we do on serving our flesh.

"How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog-it's here a little while then it's gone." James 4:14

Altar Sunday

We are to only stay at the altar for a period of time. Then we are to get up and go out and "do" act, live out, serve. 

The Difference

"Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." Luke 18:16-17

Do you know the difference in a child and   an adult?

The child desires to learn. The child loves unconditionally. The child is pure at heart. The child is able to be shaped and molded. The child easily forgives. The child holds no record of being wronged. The child seeks to understand. The child easily believes. 

There is a reason Jesus says to have child-like faith. 

As adults, let's seek to obtain that child-like faith we once had. Let's stop allowing self and the world to conform us to it's liking and start conforming the world and self to Christ's liking! 

A Good Indicator

"If you are wise and understand God’s ways, prove it by living an honorable life, doing good works with the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you are bitterly jealous and there is selfish ambition in your heart, don’t cover up the truth with boasting and lying. For jealousy and selfishness are not God’s kind of wisdom. Such things are earthly, unspiritual, and demonic. For wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and evil of every kind." James 3:13-16

Disorder-to disturb the regular or normal functions of.

When we allow selfishness to take root within us and we constantly feed it, we produce words and actions that are worldly, and we ensure they always point to us.

Because we have allowed our hearts to be saturated with self, when the attention is taken off of us, or we  feel as though we aren't in control, disorder begins.

I like to refer to self as our Miss Me. Miss Me can't go two seconds without being fed. She thrives on any and everything that feeds her. Such as; attention whether earned from good or bad behavior. Lies that make her look better or help her be praised. And anything that is materialistic. Her speech contains the word  "I" and the focus in every conversation revolves around her or her family. Her concern for others is rare. 

When her regular routine is thrown off, beware. She will either shut you off or let you know about it.

We all have a Miss Me, but we all also have a choice. We can either choose to give her complete rein of our lives, or we can allow the Holy Spirit to put her in her place. 

If you wonder how much control she really has, ask the Lord to show you. and when He does, listen! 

And if you are willing and really do desire to know the truth, that if listened to, will  set you free, seek out those who know you well and will answer you honestly. 

But be prepared for their answer, because when truth is spoken to Miss Me and she is called out for her actions and speech, she can get really defensive. 

So be sure when you ask the Lord and those you love to tell you, that you are really ready to receive it. 

And if you do ask, and you get mad at them for telling you, or you let it hurt your feelings, then let that be a good indicator of how big your Miss Me really is. 

Let James 3:13-16 be one of the tools you use to put Miss Me in her place. Remind her constantly who God is. 

Unity in Love

There is no greater joy than hearing my three boys fuss over who loves mama more. 

As I sat back and listened to them my heart literally felt full, thankfulness overflowed. 

It was a healthy discussion, one that said together our love for mama is more than she can contain. It's stronger! 

May our love for Jesus be the same. May there not be a competition based off works, that fights to love God more than another, rather, may there be a unity that overwhelms and fills His heart because the love we have for Him as one is so strong. 

Two Simple Questions

How does Jesus see you?

How do you see Jesus?

It's Time to Put It Down

When will you remove the magnifying glass Satan puts in front of you, and hold up the Word of God?

God's Word reflects beauty and love. 

Start April off with a new look, new vision and new perspective of who you are in Christ.

Loved

These are just a few of the most precious God loving faces you will see. 

My heart overflowed with complete joy at our first Bible Study. God was ever so present teaching us His amazing truths. 

Ladies I pray God will give you a complete understanding of what He wants to do in your lives. I pray He makes you wise with spiritual wisdom as we study His Word. For then the way we live will always honor and please Him and we will continually do good, kind things for others. All while we learn to know God better and better.

It is a complete joy to serve Jesus with you. You bless me with your love for Him. 

Altar Sunday

Jesus didn't enter this world dressed to impress the highest officials or kings. His appearance did not attract them either. 

Instead Jesus entered this world wrapped in the only cloth Mary could find. Then placed in a manger, better yet placed in a feeding troph for animals, to save sinners like you and me.

Jesus didn't place us here on this earth to impress the highest officials or man. He placed us here for His glory, His honor and to worship and serve Him. 

As we enter the House of The Lord lets remember why we are there. 

Isaiah 53-it's worth the read. 

Family

I love to see families love one another. As we were leaving Alldredge I glanced over to see this sweet family getting in the car. They were a young family. After putting their babies in the car, he embraced his wife, kissed her, and gave her the sweetest hug. Her face lit up! 

It's the little things that remind me of the reason God established family. 

Family embodies love, protection, joy, companionship, comfort, the freedom to be you, acceptance, and if established on the Word of God, reflects the family of Christ. 

It's a beautiful thing! 

What's even more beautiful is that we have been adopted into God's family because of Christ Jesus. This family, is the only family that will remain when Christ returns. Are you apart of the family? 

"Long ago, even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. His unchanging plan has always been to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. And this gave him great pleasure." Ephesians 1:4-5

His Joy and Crown

"A worthy wife is her husband's joy and crown; a shameful wife saps his strength." Proverbs 12:4

A worthy wife whom brings joy to her husband brings joy to Christ.

It is the investment in her relationship with that Christ that will overflow on her husband. 

Her desire to please the Lord will be shown through her love and respect for her husband.

She encourages him. She honors him with her words, actions and body language. 

She builds him up. She is gentle, kind, loving and finds joy in serving him. 

The shameful wife tears him down, disrespects him with her words and actions. Goes around town causing dissension among friends. She struggles in her relationship with Christ. Therefore, her relationship with her spouse brings frustration, unrealistic expectations, constant nagging due to her own unhappiness, discontentment, complaining, and insecurity. She bases all things on feelings, and reacts off her emotions, rather than God's truths. 

How would Jesus describe you as a wife today? He is the only one that will give you the honest truth, and we need the truth in order be set free from the path of destruction that will soon destroy our home and family. 

Jesus may my marriage and life be a true reflection of my relationship with You. Amen

10 Pounds Lighter

Do you want to feel 10 pounds lighter?

If so, find Jesus. He promises to lift all those bent beneath their loads. (Psalm 145:14) 

He also says, "For my yoke fits perfectly and the burden I give you is light." Matthew 11:30

Jesus can bear the weight, let Him.

God's Standards

"Wickedness never brings stability; only the godly have deep roots." Proverbs 12:3

Jesus may my roots grown down to the deepest depths of Your love and living water that my every movement, every thought, every action and reaction, every spoken word, and even the way my blood flows and heart beats, will produce godliness.

True success is found in those who are firmly rooted in Christ and His Word. They display honesty at all times and in all things. They commit themselves to The Lord. They commit their work to The Lord. They do what is right. They refuse to slander others. They do not harm others. They do not speak evil towards or about others. They despise persistent sinners. They keep their promises even when it hurts. Their lives display integrity. They are found trustworthy and even their character is a reflection of Christ. 

The wicked are self seeking, unstable, dishonest, they gossip, ignore instruction, hate correction, prideful, mock others, they neglect their family to get ahead in their careers, money is their God. Their roots only dig deeper into wickedness and their lives continue to produce wickedness. 

Our standards of success should not be established or determined by man. They should and are determined by God and His Word. 

 

Things I Use

I thought I would share with you a few things that I am using to help me manage my time wisely. Especially now that I am rising earlier. 

1st-My power verse-This of course changes weekly.

     "Teach us to make the most of our time, so that we may grow in wisdom." Psalm 90:12. 

             ~I want Jesus to teach me exactly how I can make the most of every second. Because one day I am going to die and I want the hash in the middle of my birth and death to be jammed pack full of purpose, a legacy remembered for ages, and a pure reflection of Christ. Christ used all 33 years of His time on earth wisely and I want to do the exact same. I know this will be hard at times and I know Satan will throw those arrows, but I also know in Christ I can and will be victorious even in the difficult times. I don't want to be remembered as a selfish, lazy, worldly focused woman. I want to be remembered as a God-fearing, serving, loving woman who made use of every second God gave her. 

2nd-I have created a The Morgan Family Planner-I love everything and anything organized. From the inside of every drawer, to my attic, to my husbands clothes, to my lessons for Sunday School and Bible Studies.n So this is heaven in a notebook. 

I can't remember for the life of me where i got the cover, but if I find it I will add the attachment. I want this sweet lady that created it to receive the credit. 

3rd-Inside the Binder- of it I have created tabs for my daily and weekly to do, which I call "Fulfilling His Purpose"   recipes, exercise, important dates, an address book, and important numbers (For the babysitter-if we ever decide to finally use one :) 

My all time favorite page that I fill out is the "Fulfilling His purpose" Here is a quick pic of it. 

I absolutely love this page. I usually keep it in my book, but have decided to hang it on the fridge for the whole family to see it, and because well, I love my binder but I don't like it to sit out on the counter. Once the week is over I will put it back in the binder and get a new one. 

4th-The Daniel Plan (By far one of our greatest investments. This book has been life-changing and it is Biblical based which is HUGE to us. I highly recommend it!!) I can't speak enough good things about this book. My shopping list, our workout plan, our recipes all come from here. I also have the Daniel Plan Cookbook! Listen when it comes to cooking I need all the help I can get! And I love that all these recipes consist of foods that God created in the beginning. There are so many man made foods it's unbelievable. So this teaches you the difference between them. Like I said, it is AMAZING! 

5th-Bills! Bills! Bills!-We use Dave Ramsey, so I keep track of all our bills using an excel spreadsheet G and I created, based off of Dave Ramsey. I have a binder I keep all our bills in. I really actually enjoy paying our bills and G likes it to. He use to do all of it, but the more we prayed about it and realized he didn't have very much time with football, I took over, and because my strength is being organized and it's his weakness. Since he is no longer in football, we do it together. I only keep our bills 2 calendar years (for tax purposes) then they meet Mr. Shredder. When the first year rolls by, I remove all of the bills from the binder and place them in a shoe box. I only keep the tear off portion of our bills. It's cleaner and less bulky, and they fit perfectly in a shoe box. It also saves so much time. I mean who wants to spend countless hours paying bills, not me! Nor do I want to look at a big box or filing cabinet filled with junk. I am not one to keep things, not even my boys papers from school. (Unless it is extremely necessary.) For some reason I mentally can't handle excess. It's just not needed. Less is way better for me. I would rather invest my time investing in them instead of in an object that will perish in the end. 

6th-Investing and Serving Others-this requires diligence. People need people. God made us that way. In order to manage my time wisely between the top priorities Christ has laid before me and investing  in others, I leave it completely up to Him, and He always provides the time for fellowship, discipleship, teaching, and growing. When Christ reveals your gift to you, He also sets aside the time for you to be able to fulfill those gifts and but prepare as well. Preparation requires listening. Listening to Him! He is the teacher, I am just His tool.  Mine is teaching and writing (and not like spit out a book writing.) and both of those require adequate amounts of time. When I prepare for a lesson it takes an entire week, along with a good 4 hours on Saturday. So I really have to be mindful of how I use my time. When your a wife, mama, daughter, sister, business owner, friend, and invested in discipleship's, you have to depend on the Holy Spirit. Time truly is of the essence. I have really been learning lately to be mindful of every second. I really like TV, but TV is a waste of time anymore. I could sit in front of the TV for hours and in doing so waste hours that I could be serving Christ, my family and others. This is something I have really been praying to have a distaste for. Could you imagine if I didn't have a conviction for Facebook. Oh mercy help me, I would probably waste hours looking at others lives rather than going out and investing in the lives of others. I am thankful He has given me a distaste for that. I am here to impact lives for the sake of Christ. "Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations…" Matthew 28:19

Be wise with your time today sweet ones. May each second be used for the Glory of God, fulfilling the purpose He has placed within you. 

If you have any questions or comments please leave it on the comments section on the blog. 

Rememberie

As we were studying our Bible verse this morning Dax says, "Mommy, I just don't have a good rememberie."

Avery on the other hand starts shouting, "Mama that was one of my verses from Church. I know that verse mama!"

Whether we have learned and know it by heart or we struggle with our "rememberie" God's Word is applicable for us all. 

He makes it possible for everyone to understand it. 

"My words are plain to anyone with understanding, clear to those who WANT to learn." Proverbs 8:9

On another quick note. Today is day 3 of rising early. Jesus had me wide awake at 4:45. I rose had an amazing quite time and then witnessed a horrible chain of events. Our chickens were murdered last night. Saddest thing for this family of four. We love fresh eggs and the boys loved those chickens. So I might not have gotten other things done on the list due to clean up, I was able to catch a few extra minutes with my hubby. 

Let your joy overflow today sweet one. 

Altar Sunday

Rise and Shine brethren and run to the Altar of God. He is waiting to meet with you. Don't keep Him waiting.

His mercies are new for you today. His forgiveness is real and available. His love is overflowing. His presence is breath-taking.

Don't miss out on a life-changing experience.

Day One

Today is day 1 of making rising early a habit. Although I was awake at 5:20, I did not get out of bed. G had to be up that early to get to Abilene, so I was awake to tell him I loved him. 

Then I drifted off to sleep while I was praying for him. This is not a fail for me, because I did get out of bed at 6:45 on a Saturday. 

I had a great hour and half quite time before A got up.

So far I am pleased. I know through the power of the Holy Spirit it will become easier, especially as my body adjusts to a new sleep pattern. 

 

This morning as I studied these women, I  found that each of them rise early. 

Proverbs 31:15 says, "She gets up before dawn to prepare breakfast for her household and plan the day's work for her servant girls." 

There is a reason she rises early. Because there is only 24 hours in a day. So in order for her to make use of the time given, and the gifts God has entrusted her with she knows she must rise early to...

1. Meet with Jesus

2. Plan out her day

3. Provide for her families needs

Because when those are done, she too, is out the door serving, working, supporting her husband and taking care of others. 

She is always placing others before her self. I want my life to reflect those same character qualities. 

Jesus you have given me a new day to rise early and meet with You and take care of my family. Those are the two most important gifts You have given me and I want to honor You and them. I know I will have days I struggle but I trust in Your strength and the help of the Holy Spirit to help me overcome temptations of laziness and selfish thinking. Thank You for this amazing privilege. Amen

GET UP! GET UP GET UP GET UP!

I am NOT a morning person, but I so desperately want to be one. Why? Because there are so many things I can get done, if I would rise earlier.

1. I could exercise in the morning rather than at night.
2. I could spend even longer with Jesus, of which you know I would do all day if I could.
3. I could get the house picked up before we all left.
4. I could visit with my hubby more.
5. I could get ready without being rushed.
6. I could have a healthier breakfast for my family
7. I could get a few loads of laundry done.
8. I could get dinner ready to be cooked when we got home.
9. I could spend more time in prayer.
10. I could spend more time meditating on my Bible Verse with no distractions.

My husband is not a morning person either, but he rises early anyway and I admire him so much. He is so strong mentally and well let's be honest, that man does NOT have one ounce of laziness in him. Sigh. And he probably still hears his dad's voice saying, "GET UP! GET UP GET UP GET UP!" (You have to say the second part fast, with a real deep voice and LOUD)  does not thrill me, loves, nor does it thrill my boys when G does it. But it got G out of bed growing up. For me growing up, I heard my mama and daddy's sweet voices, "Get up baby, you need to get ready." Along with some kisses. It's the difference between all girls and all boys. Jesus wake me up with authority, excitement, and sweetness. You know I function best that way:) (Squirrel, sorry)

So, here is what I have decided to do. I have began to focus on the attributes of the Proverbs 31 woman, along with some other women in the Bible. I am examining and learning how they managed their time, so I can manage my time better, and stop being so lazy!!

Jesus has given me life, and in return I need to be living this life the best I can for Him and for my family.

I also want to make use of the 24 hours He has set in a day and if I am sleeping, I am missing out on what He wants to do in and through me.

The first place I need to begin, is by listing out the top 5 priorities. These priorities are all 100% God centered. He has to come first before anything else can be done. So with that here are my top 5.

1. Spend time in prayer. For me this is our morning conversation. It's where He speaks, I listen. I speak and He listens. It's a conversation. Before I can begin to study His Word and absorb all He wants to teach me, I have to visit with Him and get cleansed and purified. I never want there to be any hindrances between Him and I.

2. Sit at His Feet and Learn-This is when I remain silent and listen as He teaches me. Right now He is teaching me the Book of Proverbs and about some extraordinary women.

3. Meditate-This is where I put application to what He just taught me. I do this by focusing on the particular passage I am storing for the week. I speak it over and over, then He and I visit about how I can apply it and ways He will allow me to use it.

4. Prayer-prayer for my family, the lost, my Sunday School Class, those who have requested prayer, and so forth.

5. Worship-this is the time I start wrapping things up and begin to worship the Lord through thanksgiving and praise. This is ALL about Him. I write them out, I speak them, I (attempt) to sing them, and I just allow my heart to be fully devoted to Him.

So those are my top 5! After that is where the prioritizing begins.

What things need to be done in this day. Starting with the morning.

 Keep in mind, my husband and I are so super busy with running 3 clinics, so a majority of my day is occupied with helping him do that.

So I always try to plan between that. My days run in segments time wise.

If I will rise earlier around 5:00 am. Then I will have from 5:00-6:30 with Jesus, and I need every ounce of that time. After that I can be 100 % devoted to my boys and G and making sure they have what they need to start their day off great!

I will be honest, I have REALLY struggled in this because like I said, I AM NOT A MORNING PERSON! Just the though of my alarm going off early makes me tired. :)

But, Jesus and my family are more important than my laziness and selfishness.

My husband and I are currently going through the Daniel Plan, which is a must read if you never have. In the book Rick Warren made a few comments that have imprinted themselves within me that have really convicted me and left me desiring to make the best with the gifts and time God has given me, because in Heaven, I want to be found favorable and even more useful than I was here on earth.

He says, "God is testing you on earth to see what He can trust you with in eternity. He is watching how you use your time, your money, your talents, your opportunities, your mind, and yes, even your body."

I don't know about you, but I want to be trusted with much when I am in heaven. In order to do that, I need to make good use with all I have here on earth. I have failed at this, and probably will fail again and again, but my heart is devoted and dedicated. I will keep going in His strength.

Please understand, it's not an earn your way agreement. It's a relationship. It's understanding your unworthiness and His holiness. It's knowing what He has done for you and what He has given you, that makes you pleasing in His sight. That gift is Jesus Christ and it's all about a personal relationship with Him. It's desiring to do all these things because of your love for Him.

Jesus I can do nothing in my own strength or willpower. I am quite aware of this. I have tried far to many times. So today, I relinquish all control. I am Yours. Every ounce of me. I need the power of the Holy Spirit within me. I need help getting out of bed in the morning. My mind is weak, yet so controlling and filled with self. Help me Jesus fill it with Your Word, Your promises, Your thoughts, that I will be able to overcome the lures to stay in bed, the lures to tend to my flesh. I know it will be hard, but I know it's possible. All things are possible through You. Amen

One Lost Person

Would you spend time praying for one lost person today. It doesn't matter whether or not you know their name or know them personally. God knows them. He knows them in detail. So just pray for them.

Intercede on their behalf with urgency and brokenness. Pray for them like you would a loved one. Pray with boldness yet fear because of who you are speaking to, God Himself.

Pray for them, not because you have to, but because you know what's at stake. Their soul! Pray for them because you know what awaits them if they don't turn to Jesus-Hell.

No matter where you are or what you are doing, pray for them all throughout your day. It might just save someones life.

Upcoming Bible Study-Don't Miss It

I am so excited about our upcoming Bible Study. It will begin March 24 @ 6:30 at my house. All in the Midland area are welcome to come.

We will be studying the book of Proverbs. So far we have a great group of women signed up to come and as we look forward to this day we are in prayer for all that God is going to do.

You are being prayed for and we want you to know you are loved and adored. Come just as you are ready to dive deeper into God's amazing Word.

We believe God is going to do great and mighty things through this study and we don't want anyone to miss out.

If you have any questions please contact either Lauren Hobbs @ law0184@hotmail.com or myself @ coffeeatthecross@gmail.com

You are prayed for and we look forward to seeing you.

For more details on how to get to my house, please email me.