The Bible – Old Things New

Freedom Friday – God is Greater Than all our Storms

September 8, 2017 by Patti 10 Comments

A brand new day is dawning here in South Carolina and the weather forecasters say it will be a beautiful weekend, sunshine and 70’s. But a storm is coming, and we’ve had a state of emergency declared, as Hurricane Irma blows her way toward Florida and then into the southeastern states.

Today my mood is light and, like the weekend forecast, I anticipate a fun weekend ahead with my hubby. Right now the worries over my own life storms seem far, far away . . .

We all have stuff that can weigh us down don’t we? The negative thoughts (real or imagined) that assault our minds, or actual outward circumstances that we can’t control. The good news is:

…

Wilderness Musings

February 23, 2016 by Patti Leave a Comment

We all have them, those times of wandering in the wilderness. Dark times, silent times, dry times. Today I’m guest posting over at Faith ‘n Friends and sharing the positive aspects of those wilderness times we go through. I hope you’ll come on over for a read.

Link up here: Wilderness Musings

Blessings friends,

Freedom Friday – The Lie of Perfectionism

February 19, 2016 by Patti 15 Comments

Perfectionism – Definition from Merriam-Webster:

a: the doctrine that the perfection of moral character constitutes a person’s highest good b: the theological doctrine that a state of freedom from sin is attainable on earth
a disposition to regard anything short of perfection as unacceptable

Old Luckett's Store & Day 1 Gettysburg 001

Welcome to FREEDOM FRIDAY – A devotional, emotional, spiritual and sometimes hysterical series that I will be sharing on occasional Fridays, in addition to my regular Old Things New posts. Why? Because though once bound in chains Christ has set me free – FREE to live, to love, to dance, to sing, to be who God created me to be!

Old Luckett's Store & Day 1 Gettysburg 073

Perfectionism in and of itself is a lie, the impossible lie! As one who had the big break up with perfectionism in the not too distant past it makes me JUST PLAIN MAD at the number of beautiful women, young and old, trapped in it’s ugly and destructive claws. Scripture tells us that ALL have fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23) and that Jesus is the only Perfect One (I John 3:5).

The following is a list of things that the lie of perfectionism, or needing to appear perfect, suffers us to do:

It causes us to be fake, or someone we really aren’t, for fear of being found “less than” or lacking.
It keeps relationships shallow.
It promotes jealousy between women rather than support.
It leaves us feeling isolated.
It makes it hard to admit our faults to one another and to say those dreaded words, “I’m sorry.”
It makes us defensive toward those we love when they question us about anything.
It makes us controlling of our spouses and children because they must act perfect too as we somehow think that their less than perfect behavior reflects badly on us.
In the workplace . . . it causes undue STRESS as we place unrealistic expectations on ourselves or believe we must rise up to the unrealistic expectations of others.
In the church . . . it causes us to hide our faults rather than admit our faults to one another for healing (James 5:16).
In the neighborhood . . . it causes rifts between neighbors and pits our children against their children.

UGH! Stop! Enough already, right?

The Bible (Matt. 5:48) says, “Be holy as I am holy.” What? How can we ever be as perfect as God? The Greek word – telios – mean to be completed, as we are in Christ. Situationally we are cleansed and made perfect through Christ’s death on the cross. Positionally, it is a process, this whole thing of “being transformed from glory to glory” (II Cor. 3:18).

Perfectionism can become overwhelming when any of the following are added into the mix of our perfect lives: major life changes, financial issues, the demands of work or school, family issues, relationship problems, health problems, and overbooked schedules.

We try and we fail. We become angry at ourselves for our failures (which stems from fear by the way). Anger turned inward becomes bitterness, resentment, anxiety, depression, and self-hatred. Ultimately, the stress caused by perfectionism can cause various emotional, behavioral and physical illnesses to manifest over time.

Perfectionism is a prison!

Perfectionism imprisons us - Christ sets us free. Click To Tweet

When we are trapped in the prison of perfectionism what are we to do?

Steps to overcoming Perfectionism:

Learn to say, “No.” Take on only what is reasonable for you to do well (we are all different and have different levels of stress we can handle).
Do less better.
Dump the “all or nothing” mentality. – What things do you need to let go of to move forward?
Embrace mistakes or imperfections as learning tools.
Stop picking on yourself and accept yourself just the way God made you. Anything less is questioning God.
Accept that there will be stops and starts along the way as life happens.
Accept that you are a work in progress and God isn’t finished with you yet.
Allow yourself to be human, even embracing your imperfections.
Laugh at yourself – I’ve found over the years that it is far better to laugh at my mistakes and give others a good laugh as well.
Realize that you can’t be a success at everything you do. Becoming successful at one thing means being unsuccessful at another. Simply put, you can’t do it all!
Remove what is irrelevant or unnecessary from your life.
Embrace your uniqueness in who God created you to be rather than trying to be what the world and those around you tell you you should be.
Be kind and compassionate to one another (Eph 4:32). Be kind and compassionate to yourself.
Be willing to accept a ‘B’. This is a really good one and a lesson taught in Freedom Session. I’d go further and say to sometimes even be willing to accept a ‘C’.
Replace negative thoughts about yourself by meditating on who God says you are in Scripture, thereby transforming your way of thinking and your mind (Romans 12:2). A complete list of Scriptures to meditate on can be found in a previous FF post right HERE.

If you are one who struggles with perfectionism please don’t wait to get the help you need. I’m certainly not PERFECT AT BEING IMPERFECT yet, because that too is a process, but the difference that a different attitude has made in my life and my marriage is remarkable. Life can be so full and so enjoyable when we are able to be real and lighten up on the expectations we place on ourselves. It is such freedom to finally rid yourself of those things that encumber you and weigh you down, to become the REAL you, the YOU that God created you to be.

God calls us to strive for excellence, not perfectionism. Click To Tweet

PRAYER: Forgive us Lord for believing the lie of perfectionism and for the pride that we’ve clung to in our quest to attain it. Thank you that you know every single imperfection and that you love us anyway – with a love that is everlasting. Thank you that when we humble ourselves before you and admit our failures you delight in restoring us. Help us Lord Jesus to CEASE STRIVING and KNOW that You are God over all our circumstances.

Blessings friends 😉

I’ve been known to link up to the following great parties!!!

Sunday:

TheDIYShowoff, LifeOnLakeshoreDrive, NiftyThriftyThings, SilverPenniesSundays, SundaysAtHome, RusticAndRefined, Spiritual Sundays, GiveMeGrace

Monday:

IShouldBeMoppingTheFloor, TheDedicatedHouse, CarrieThisHome, Dwellings, ProjectInspired

InspireMeMonday, BetweenNapsOnThePorch, Making Your Home Sing Mondays, The Beauty in His Grip What Joy is Mine/Monday Musings, Darling Downs Diaries, The Art of Homemaking

Tuesday:

HomeStoriesAtoZ, AStrollThruLife, Elizabeth&Co, CoastalCharm, CozyLittleHouse, NaptimeCreations, CedarHillFarmhouse, KatheWithAnE,
VMG206, TuesdaysAtOurHome,

TwirlAndTakeABow, TheWinthropChronicles,

Dream.Create.Inspire.Link, MeCoffeeAndJesus,Rich Faith Rising Unite Linky,Time Warp Wife,Solo Deo Gloria Sisterhood,Testimony Tuesday,Cheerleaders of Faith,Tell His Story

Wednesday:

SavvySouthernStyle, IvyAndElephants,

TheBlissfulBee, Posed Perfection, A Wise Woman Builds Her Home, Woman to Woman Word Filled Wednesdays, A Little R & R, Whole Hearted Home, Mom’s Morning Coffee, Women with Intention, Coffee for Your Heart

Thursday:

ShareYourStyle, ImpartingGrace, EmbracingChange, HaveADailyCupOfMrsOlson, MyRepurposedLife, FromMyFrontPorchToYours, ADelightsomeLife, AKAWeekendRetreat,

KatherinesCorner, PrettyPreppyParty, YourTurnToShine, Serving Joyfully/Thriving Thursdays, The Deliberate Mom/Shine Blog Hop, I Choose Joy, Live Free Thursday, Thought Provoking Thursday,

MakingBrokenBeautiful

Friday:

FrenchCountryCottage, MissMustardSeed, ThirtyHandmadeDays,TheShabbyNest, TheCharmOfHome, RootedInThyme, TheDedicatedHouseAnythingBlueFriday,

ShabbyliciousFriday, TheCreativeCollection, Christian Mommy Blogger Fellowship Fridays, Blessing Counters,Missional Women Faith Filled Fridays,Faith & Fellowship Bloghop, Grace & Truth Linkup, Grace&TruthSharingRedemption’sStories, Dance With Jesus, The Weekend Brew

Saturday:

FunkyJunkInteriors,

OneMoreTimeEvents, SaturdaySparks,
TheInspirationGallery, Still Saturday, Recommendation Saturday, Make My Saturday Sweet

Freedom Friday – Expectations That Rob us of God’s Best

April 3, 2015 by Patti 15 Comments

Hope, or a desire for something to happen, can be good. The Bible says that without hope a people perish. Hope in Christ gives us purpose.

Expectations, as my husband is fond of pointing out, are “resentments waiting to happen,” especially since they can be beliefs centered on a future that may not even be realistic.

In recent weeks God has been speaking to me through other people about some of the expectations I’ve placed on Him for my own life. Now, don’t get me wrong. The Bible is full of promises to those who follow Christ and God is faithful to keep His promises. Those are good expectations to have. My problem is getting ahead of God with this busy imagination of mine and working to achieve the things I ~~am sure~~ think God wants for my life!

Have you ever gotten ahead of God, imagining and planning how your life would play out? Have you ever been WRONG?

The problem is, when we start having expectations of how things are going to be without God’s clear direction we can start working toward our own end rather than waiting for what God wants to do in our life . . . and what God wants is always THE BEST THING for us. Sadly, our expectations can become so targeted that we miss God completely!

Let’s not mix hope with expectation.

My inspiration for today’s FF came from two sources, Pastor Roy of Outreach Church and Diane of An Extraordinary Day. Both have recently shared messages that touched on the time leading up to the crucifixion of Christ and the crowds who were streaming after Jesus, expectations running full bore.

One week before Jesus’ crucifixion (now celebrated as Palm Sunday) Jesus rode into the city of Jerusalem on the back of a donkey just as prophesied in Zechariah 9:9. The Jewish people had long anticipated a Messiah who would come and rescue them from the tyrannic Roman Empire, and they became excited at the prospect that this Jesus was the one, their expected deliverer! Palm branches waved wildly and garments were laid down upon the road to carpet the way for Messiah.

“The King who comes in the name of the Eternal One is blessed! Peace in heaven! Glory to God in the highest!,” shouted the crowds (Luke 19:38 The Voice Bible).

As my friend Diane pointed out in her post The Day Jesus Lays it All Down for Us, the people were familiar with the words they were quoting directly from Psalm 118:26 so they should’ve been familiar with the verse that followed in Psalm 118:27:

“Bring the sacrifice, and tie it to the horns of the altar.”

WHOA! Pause and think about THAT!

Tweet this! In their expectation of what their Messiah should be, the people were blinded to the greater thing He would become.

During the triumphal procession into Jerusalem throngs of people followed after Jesus. As the week moved forward Jesus taught in the Temple daily where the ire of the “religious folk” was raised higher with each passing day; He shared a final Passover meal with his disciples where he warned Peter that he would deny him; He was betrayed to the authorities by one of His own disciples; the crowds began to fall away and finally, when He came before Pilate one final time, many who had followed now turned upon Him demanding his death!

Matt. 27:24 tells us that, “Pilate saw that unless he wanted a riot on his hands, he now had to bow to their wishes, so he took a pitcher of water, stood before the crowd, and washed his hands,” saying, “This man’s blood will be upon you and not upon me.

The crowds replied, “Indeed, let His blood be upon us – upon us and our children!”

Still missing who Jesus was, in light of their own expectations, they didn’t even know the significance of their own words. Indeed, Christ’s blood, spilled out on the cross, would be upon them and upon all future generations.

A covering for sin, bringing life to those who believe and accept Him, and death for those who reject Him.

Expectations caused the people to miss who Christ was just as expectations can cause us to miss “the best” that God has in store for us.

Today, Good Friday, this is what I’m thankful for:

The blood of Jesus shed for me.
Robes of righteousness that cover me even when I don’t always get it right.
God teaching me AGAIN that I need to let go my own expectations and turn every part of my life over to Him . . . Yes, He has my heart but does he have my future, my hopes & dreams, my family, my everything, or am I still holding on . . . just a bit?
Knowing that what God has planned for my future is far better than my own plans.
Peace in knowing for certain that He is Sovereign God.
Joy in walking with Him and learning new things daily . . . and an eternity of new truths to learn ahead of me still!

What are you thankful for?

Wishing you and yours an Easter weekend filled with awe as you experience anew, God’s great LOVE for YOU!

Blessings,

Photos taken at Mount Rainier National Park and Long Beach, Washington

I have been know to link to the following Inspirational Parties:

Mondays Making Your Home Sing Mondays The Beauty in His Grip What Joy is Mine/Monday Musings A Proverbs 31 Wife Darling Downs Diaries The Art of Homemaking Mom2Mom Linkup
Tuesdays Rich Faith Rising Unite Linky Cornerstone Confessions Titus 2 Tuesday Teaching What is Good Time Warp Wife Solo Deo Gloria Sisterhood More of Him Testimony Tuesday
Wednesdays A Wise Woman Builds Her Home Juana Mikels Woman to Woman Word Filled Wednesdays A Little R & R Whole Hearted Home So Much at Home Mom’s Morning Coffee Women with Intention
Thursdays Serving Joyfully/Thriving Thursdays

3-D Lessons for Life/Thought Provoking Thursdays The Deliberate Mom/Shine Blog Hop I Choose Joy
Fridays A Look at the Book Christian Mommy Blogger Fellowship Fridays Blessing Counters Missional Women Faith Filled Fridays Faith & Fellowship Bloghop Grace & Truth Linkup
Saturdays Still Saturday The Weekend Brew
Sundays Spiritual Sundays Sunday Stillness

Freedom Friday – On Seeing Differently

November 7, 2014 by Patti 8 Comments

Have you ever heard of the game called “What Is It?”

Okay, that might not be the official name of the game but the gist of it is to figure out what an object is by looking at only a small portion of it.

Let’s play!

What do YOU see? Can you tell me what this object is?

I’ll zoom out a little so you can see a bit more. Got it?

Here is another portion of the object,

and another,

and yet another.

Okay, by now I’m sure you’ve come up with some really good guesses and from this last picture you’ve surely figured out that this is a building of some sort . . .

. . . and you are absolutely right.

It is a bird house of course!

So what was the purpose of this little game? Because there always has to be a purpose, right?

Welcome to FREEDOM FRIDAY – A new devotional, emotional, spiritual and sometimes hysterical series that I will be sharing on occasional Fridays, in addition to my regular Old Things New posts.

Looking at things from a different perspective . . . or Seeing Differently . . . is something that has been on my mind a lot lately, especially since we are in a new place, a place of transition, and we really don’t know what the future holds for us here.

But then none of us really knows what the future holds do we?

I don’t know if you are at all like me but when I am in a place of uncertainty, whether that be a minor insecurity or a great upheaval of my little world, I tend to look waaayyyy . . . off into the distance and try to figure what the future holds for me.

When I’m in a place of insecurity I tend to come up with a lot of ideas of my own as to what God might have planned for my future. Maybe I’ll be doing this or maybe I’ll be doing that. Maybe I’ll be serving in this church or that one. Maybe . . . maybe . . . maybe . . .

I tend to think too much!

And pretty soon my head is spinning sideways.

It is all futile really because we have no idea what the path set before us will hold. In fact, it can all change in a moment, as I’ve seen recently with two different friends whose husbands have had strokes, disrupting all of the plans that they had laid out so precisely before them.

So what can I do? One thing I can do is to stop focusing on things that “might” be and simply see the beauty in today.

This is a view through my camera lens, zoomed in to show detail. The texture, the play of light and shadow, the imperfections of my subject, all are clearly shown.

As I walked through my yard this morning I walked (carefully because I have dogs) looking through the lens of my camera. I am able to see things much differently that way . . . things I don’t notice with the naked eye.

There is great beauty in the details that I often miss when I look at the whole picture.

Like this hard and grainy rock.

Trying to take in the whole picture of my life at once can be overwhelming!

Seeing a small piece of the whole picture and choosing to be thankful for the beauty that is in each day gives one a sense of peace and also a new appreciation for the whole.

Getting down low to take a close up can open your eyes to new wonders you’ve never before known!

I know from personal experience that life can be hard. Perhaps you too are in a difficult season. What can you do about it? You can fall into worry, and start asking all the “What if” questions:

“What if I can’t save enough money to retire?”

“What if my health fails?”

“What if I never find a husband?”

“What if I never get a good job?”

“What if the economy fails?”

And for me:

“Will we ever find a church home?”

“Will we ever make friends here in our new city?”

“Will we ever feel like we are making a difference in others lives again?”

In the midst of our worries we will almost certainly neglect to take in the beauty around us. And it is there! No matter what your circumstance there is beauty to be seen if you will open up your eyes to a new way of seeing and ask God to show you the beautiful.

If I truly trust God I can leave my future in His hands and turn my focus toward what is happening in my life today, right this moment. I can choose to enjoy the beauty of the moment even as I might also be feeling the pain of the moment. The message here isn’t about seeing the world through rose colored glasses, though sometimes I wish I had a set of those. It is about releasing control of the hard things of life to the One who knows what is best for me, and then choosing to see good even in the midst of it my pain. Then giving THANKS in all things!

^“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)

And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Colossions 3:15

Cast your burden on the LORD, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved. Psalm 55:22

Finally, a thought from Corrie Ten Boom, who had more to worry about in her life than most of ever will:

Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow. It empties today of its strength.

Since God is in control I think, for today, I’ll let Him do His job and rest in the fact that His plans for me are better than anything I could come up with on my own.

Prayer:

Papa God, I cast all of my fears and anxieties upon You, for you care for me, you sustain me and you promise that the righteous ( Christ followers) will not be moved. I lay aside every weight and sin of worry and fix my mind on those things that are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, of good report, virtuous, and deserving of praise. I commit to live free from worry in the name of Jesus, for the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. I choose to find joy in each day and trust you for tomorrow. Amen

Blessings,

I have been know to link to the following Inspirational Parties:

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