Forgive Yourself!

Today, we’re going to talk about forgiving ourselves. Romans 3:23 reminds us that we all mess up “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” If you’re like most of the women I meet, we tend to be very hard on ourselves and slow to forgive ourselves. But here’s the truth:  Col 2:13-14 “Then God made you alive with Christ. He forgave all our sins. He cancelled the record that contained the charges against us. He took it and destroyed it by nailing it to the cross.” Do you BELIEVE that? Do you TRUST that? Do you LIVE that?

When you have that feeling of guilt, think of it as an INVITATION to seek forgiveness. To choose to remain guilty, to refuse to forgive yourself, is to choose to reject God’s gift and Christ’s sacrifice. It’s like saying, you know what you did on the cross, dying for me on the cross…it wasn’t enough.

PS 32: 1-2 NLT  “Oh, what JOY for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight! Yes, what JOY for those whose record the Lord has cleared of guilt, whose lives are lived in complete honesty!”  Tired of feeling guilty? Seek forgiveness and experience His overwhelming JOY!! I would love to hear from you. In the comments below, share with me what’s your next step to forgiving yourself?

No Room at the Inn

Tomorrow is the first day of December and the “crazy” is now on steroids.

Luke 2: 7 “Mary wrapped Jesus in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.” Do you have room in your home this December for Jesus? Or have you filled it with busyness, craziness?

It is especially easy to catch the “crazy fever” now that we have Facebook and Pinterest to remind us of what we are failing to do – create the “picture perfect” Christmas.

Some of us get caught up in the perfect gift for our child. Do they KNOW that the most important, most special, the highest paid price for gift they could ever receive is JESUS?

In the comments below, share your strategy to not get caught up in the crazy and to experience the awe of Christmas.

I just want to say a sincere THANK YOU to you!

2 Things Your Husband Needs and You Can Give Him

Today I want to talk about 2 things your husband needs and that you have the power to give him!!

First, he needs you to hang out with him. Be his playmate. Have some fun together!! If you think back to before you were married, back to when you were dating, what did you used to do together? You probably weren’t talking about the kids, you weren’t snapping at each other about who does what household chores, you weren’t feeling bogged down in responsibilities. You were most likely doing everything you could to spend time together.

Your husband still has that desire – he wants to spend time doing things that are fun to him with YOU!!! What did you use to do together? Go hiking, attend concerts, have coffee together… I would encourage you to intentionally work some of these things back into your schedule. Men really like to spend their down time with their wives!! When’s the last time you and your husband had FUN together? Can’t remember? Then it’s been too long.

Thanksgiving is a Time to B.L.E.S.S. Others!

We’re in the season of Thanksgiving. A time to remember how blessed we are and to have an attitude of gratitude. I think a great way to say, “Thank you” to Jesus for my many blessings is to BE a blessing to others. In fact, I have been blessed so that I WILL BE a blessing to others. I’m not to just take in all the blessings and hold on to them…I’m to share them with others.

My church, Westside Family Church in Lenexa, Kansas came up with an easy 5 step way to bless others. B.L.E.S.S., it’s an acronym.

God wants to use you to bless your community – your home, your neighborhood, your workplace, wherever you do life. I would love to hear from you. In the comments below share how you plan to BLESS others this Thanksgiving season.

3 Steps to Forgiveness

Back in the 70’s there was a movie that had the quote, “Love means never having to say I’m sorry”, it became very popular. You would see it on posters and bumper stickers. The truth is just the opposite, love means always willing to say “I’m sorry, please forgive me.”

When someone has wronged us, we want them to stay in the prison we’ve created until they apologize or until we understand. We want them to feel the weight of what they have done. We want to make them feel responsible, let them sweat it out….DOES CHRIST DO THAT TO US?

Today I’m going to share with you 3 steps to forgiveness.

In the comments below share what do you think is the key to forgiveness.

Thanksgiving Challenge

We’re preparing to enter the season of Thanksgiving...and the season of CRAZY!! When the holidays begin, if I'm not intentional, I can sometimes allow the "crazy" to take over and forget all about the "thanksgiving."

 Last year, I tried something new...to seek the Thanksgiving daily. I’m going to share my VERY SIMPLE plan to keep the attitude of my heart focused on Thanksgiving, not the crazy.

I would love to hear from you! What’s your strategy to have an attitude of thanksgiving instead of crazy during November?

3 Steps to Avoiding Sin

I don’t know about you, but unfortunately there are times that it seems like I suddenly realize that I’m in the middle of a pit of sin. I didn’t mean to end up in the pit of sin but somehow that’s where I find myself.

I think Proverbs 7 is an illustration of how we end up there. It shows us how we are seduced into sin.

So how do we not lose ourselves to sin.  The answer…is also in Proverbs 7.

I would love to hear from you. In the comments below, what boundaries, what protection from sin, have you placed in your life that could encourage others?

How to have an Affair…with your Husband!

I get that sometimes life can fall into a routine, a rut, and actually be kinda boring. But why not take a break and escape with your husband!!

I’m going to share with you four ways to have an affair with your husband. I’ll give you some ideas, but be creative – go for it!

This is an affair that can have a happily ever after.

In the comments below, share your ideas on how to have an affair with your husband. 

All my best to you,

Tracy

3 Things Every Woman Wants

Today I want to talk about what every woman wants and what every woman has the power to give.

Our lives have become so crowded that many of us feel invisible. My friend Kristen, who has a huge heart for women, taught me the power of helping every woman to be seen, valued and known. You don’t have to have a special talent. It starts with a simple smile and hello.

I would love to hear from you! In the comments below tell me what’s your favorite way to “see” someone or to make someone feel valued.

All my best to you,

Tracy

Where is Jesus In the Storms of Life?

Matthew 14:22 says, “Jesus INSISTED that the disciples get in the boat.” God already knows the storms we will face, all the storms of your life - past, present and future. Sometimes He will direct you away from a storm, or around a storm. Sometimes…He’ll send you into the storm.

We want Jesus to hurry up and calm the storms of our lives. But, have you ever considered that maybe He wants to hold your hand, have contact with you, carry you through the storms of life?

Peter was the only one in the storm that called out to Jesus for instructions. Are you asking God for instructions? Are you reaching out to hold His hand?  The thing is, God is more committed to developing our character than to our comfort. Are you in the middle of a storm right now? I would love to hear from you. In the comments below, tell me what you're learning about yourself. What is God showing you about Him?

All my best to you,

Tracy

3 Reasons You Need a Friend

This sounds like a strong statement, but I am terrible at making friends! Don't get me wrong...I love women. I want friends but anytime I think about finding a friend, every insecurity I have comes boiling up, screaming ugly things about myself to myself. Insecurity is awful – we’ll talk about that in another episode.

Despite the fear I have about making friends, today I want to share with you three reasons why I (and why YOU) need friends. Studies show that many women don’t have any close friends, but I think most of us would agree that is important. So why are so many of us going it alone?

“Friendship," wrote CS Lewis, “is born at that moment when one person says to another: ‘What! You, too? I thought I was the only one.’”

In the comments below, share how you push past the fear to make a friend. What's a good way to make friends?

All my best to you,

Tracy

P.S. Does anyone else feel like singing out, "You've got a friend in me!" ?? ;)

Becoming Courageous, Ordinary Women - Acts 4:13

Hi friends,

Today I'm going to share a favorite verse of mine that offers me encouragement as an ordinary woman. Acts 4:13 says, "When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus."

If you sometimes feel like an ordinary woman like me, take note: if you choose to spend time with Jesus, He will give you the courage to be bold. You will be anything but ordinary. Check out the podcast below to hear more. In it, I talk about how we can spend time with Jesus and grow in His love.

Once you've listened to the podcast, I'd love to talk with you further in the comments. What have you done lately that took courage? What's your favorite way to read the Bible?

All my best to you,

Tracy

The Garden of Your Life, Part 3: Jesus & the Word

In the third and final segment of our Garden of Your Life series, we’ll talk about the two most important things that our garden needs.

First: the Son, Jesus. We need Jesus. Second: the Word of God, the Bible. This doesn’t mean a Bible sitting on the shelf in your home. This means a Bible that you are reading and engaging with daily.

The Bible is our SOP - our Standing Operating Procedure for life. You must spend time daily reading the Bible to have the healthiest, most productive garden (the healthiest, most productive life). Sometimes we act so surprised by what’s coming up in our lives but we’re not paying attention to the seeds we’ve thrown into our garden of life.

The Garden of Your Life, Part 2: Fences & Stakes

Today we continue with the second part of The Garden of Life series. The next thing we’ll add to our garden are fences. Fences place boundaries in our lives and keep out the small things, the things that look so innocent but can cause significant damage if we aren’t paying attention.

Got any issues in your life? If so, maybe you need to reset your boundaries. It’s okay to set boundaries. In fact, it’s critical to keep our garden protected and our life healthy.

The second thing we’ll add to our Garden of Life are stakes. Stakes help us to hold up, to remain firm during the storms and the challenges of life. We need to intentionally seek out other women to stake ourselves to so they can help us, and we can help them, during difficult times. When we stake ourselves to one another it allows us both to bear more fruit!

The Garden of Your Life, Part 1: Weeding & Pruning

Today, I want to talk to you about your life. Let’s look at life like a garden. Does your garden - your life - need some attention? Specifically, do we need to do some weeding and pruning?

We should treat sins like weeds. We all have weeds!! The thing is, we want to quickly snap off our weeds at the surface before anyone can see them. But that’s like playing whack-a-mole. They keep popping up. We need to get to the root, to dig deep, and take care of it once and for all.

What about pruning? Are there things you need to just cut out of your life? They’re not necessarily a sin but they’re keeping you from living the life that God intended for you to live.

Stay tuned for Part 2 next week as we continue to explore The Garden of Your Life!

Why Your New Year’s Resolutions Died and How to Revive Them

There’s something about January 1st that excites us, giving us a feeling of hope for a fresh start, a new beginning. Well, now we’re deep into 2017. How are those goals you set on January first coming along? Going well? You’ve lost the weight, your house is more organized, you’re saving more money, you’ve quit smoking?

Unfortunately, according to U.S. News, approximately 80% of resolutions fail by the second week of February, so the odds are against you. But don’t lose hope, it’s not too late! It’s time to get back on track.

The end of 2017 is about six months from now. Imagine what it would LOOK like, what it would FEEL like, to live your priorities for the rest of the year. Don’t wait until January 1st. You don’t even have to wait for Monday. Start today!!

What To Do When You're Facing the Unknown

Being in women’s ministry for many years, the concern I hear most often from women boils down to this: the UNKNOWN. We’re not even that concerned about what the plan is. We just want to KNOW what the plan is. We hate the unknown.

When we move there are so many unknowns. Where will we live? Who will be my friend? Who will be my daughter's friends? Finding a hairdresser, babysitter....a trustworthy babysitter. What about the unknown during failing health? There are symptoms. You’ve Googled them and now you’re scared to death, but really it’s still the unknown.

I’m going to share with you what Paul has to say about the Unknown. Grab your Bible and turn to Acts, Chapter 20.

The Time I Yelled “SHARK!”: Thinking Before We Speak

I said one word - “Shark” - and it caused panic and chaos. Our words can cause problems that spiral out of control and do great damage.

So, we need to think before we speak. I should have made my message clearer and thought about what other people were hearing. I thought I was screaming, “Rare opportunity!" What they heard was, “Danger!” Isn’t that the challenge of communication? What we want to communicate and what is heard can be very different.

In the comments below share with me: who do you need to speak words of encouragement to today? There are many opportunities throughout each day to speak positive, powerful words into the lives of others.