31 Attributes of God, Day 3: He Is the Creator

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31 Attributes of God, Day 3: He Is the Creator

"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth."  Genesis 1:1, NKJV.

Although familiar, these are powerful words.  God created everything we see and know in a mere seven days simply by speaking it into existence. 

It's important that we know and believe that God created our world - that it didn't evolve or get here by chance.  If God was powerful enough to create the universe with a spoken word,  He is powerful enough to rescue us from sin and death.  If God purposefully designed the world we live in, He is capable of caring and providing for us.  

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31 Attributes of God, Day 2: He Is Compassionate

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31 Attributes of God, Day 2: He Is Compassionate

If there's something that doesn't come naturally to me, it's compassion.  Does that surprise you?  While I love being a cheerleader and encourager, when I see someone sick or injured, my first (very STRONG) inclination is to run as far in the opposite direction as possible.

Maybe it's my aversion to blood.  Maybe it's my phobia of all things vomit-related.  I don't know what triggers it, but you know I'm not the compassionate one in our family when a sick child comes to our bedroom door at night and asks for Daddy, not Mommy!  (I know, I know, that's very pathetic, but it's also very true.)

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31 Attributes of God, Day 1: He Is Awesome

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31 Attributes of God, Day 1: He Is Awesome

In my Californian pop-culture environment, I've sadly lost a bit of the weightiness of the word "awesome."  Where I live, the beach is considered awesome, the weather is awesome - almost anything that's even remotely pleasant is considered awesome.

So to say that God is awesome almost seems to imply that He's cool or neat. 

But the true definition of "awesome," according to the online dictionary, helps fill in what my culture is missing:  "extremely impressive or daunting; inspiring great admiration, apprehension, or fear."

That's some pretty heavy stuff, isn't it?  

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31 Attributes of God: Introduction

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31 Attributes of God: Introduction

Earlier this summer, I sat down to list out the attributes of God.  I'd studied His attributes as a child, but aside from remembering the the triple "Omnicient, Omnipotent, and Omnipresent" attributes, I couldn't recall most of the others.  While I don't remember exactly how many we studied when I was little, I somehow had the idea that there were 10 or 12 total.

As I began writing down all the attributes I could think of, I realized that there were far more than I had first thought.  I began hunting online for more of His attributes.  As my list continued to grow, I was surprised to realize how far off my original estimate of 10-12 truly was.  I continued searching, and as of this writing, my list is at 55, and I'm still adding to it.

Even though I've been a Christian for a long time and have studied God's Word in depth, this one study alone showed me just how little I truly know of our Great God.  I shared with Jon what I was learning, and his reply was excellent.  

"Isn't it nice to know that our capable Heavenly Father isn't confined to a short little list?"

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7 Painful Lessons My First Viral Post Taught Me

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7 Painful Lessons My First Viral Post Taught Me

Last week, my post "Is It Sinful for Christians to be on Government Aid?" went viral (or what is viral for me - I got more pageviews in one day than I usually get all year).  In that post, I opened up about my insecurities about receiving help from our local social services office.  Being on government assistance is often frowned upon, and wondering whether or not it was against God's Word was was a question I'd personally wrestled with.  I felt it was a fitting post to share on the Hallway Initiative since many of us here have struggled with or are still in the throes of financial hardship.

Because I also shared in that post about Erin Odom's new book, More Than Just Making It, her assistant sweetly shared the post on The Humbled Homemaker's FB page.

And the post blew up...for all the wrong reasons.

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3 Ways to Find Joy in the Hallway

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3 Ways to Find Joy in the Hallway

Does joy seem elusive when you're traveling through a long hallway?  Do you feel like you've lost your sparkle when life gets tough?  

There are many times in life when we don't feel like rejoicing, and certainly the Bible indicates that will be seasons of sadness.  But as I've thought about and prayed over the direction of the blog, I'm realizing that I want to take some time to focus on developing a habit of joyful thanksgiving in addition to our posts on suffering.  

After all, as Christians, we have the hope of Eternal Life, where we will spend forever with the Lord!  All of our struggles here on Earth should pale as mild afflictions in comparison to the joy of Eternity with God.

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Is It Sinful for Christians to be on Government Aid?

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Is It Sinful for Christians to be on Government Aid?

When we first moved to the Bay Area, money was tight.  We stressed over whether or not we could buy groceries or pay our rent.  And although the Lord graciously met our needs every single time, that phase of life was anything but easy.  

One of the ways God provided for us was through various government assistance plans.  From subsidized housing to Medi-Cal, my state's version of Medicare, we received quite a bit of help from these kinds of government programs.

And I hated every minute we were on them.

I think many of us who grew up in Christian homes came to believe that accepting help from the government was wrong or sinful.  Since God's Word commands husbands to provide for their families, maybe we've just assumed that taking "handouts" of any sort is somehow evading this Biblical mandate.  Whatever the root cause, it felt wrong to me to be on these programs, at least at first.

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Why I'm Taking A Second Look At Mommy Guilt (Part 2)

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Why I'm Taking A Second Look At Mommy Guilt (Part 2)

In Part 1 of the Mommy Guilt series, we tackled ungodly Mommy Guilt - the negative thoughts that the devil uses in an attempt to undermine our God-given parenting abilities.  But as I mentioned in that first post, there are actually two different kinds of Mommy Guilt.

And today, I want to confront the second kind of Mommy Guilt - the God-given kind.

Yes, there is such a thing as Godly Mommy Guilt!  This type of Mommy Guilt is the inner twang of conviction that the Holy Spirit gives when we're not being Godly parents.  Do you ever feel a pang of guilt about not spending enough time with your little ones?  Are you ever convicted about the way you reacted to your child's disobedience?  Are you ever frustrated that you lost your temper (again!) with your kiddos?

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Now Available: "A Place Prepared" Ebook + Giveaway!

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Now Available: "A Place Prepared" Ebook + Giveaway!

Four years ago, I sat dumbfounded in a waiting room while an Urgent Care doctor dropped the bombshell that Turbo had Type 1 Diabetes.  That moment was one of the worst of my life, and I had no idea how any good would ever come of it.

But just as God promised, He used it for my good and His glory.  And I've shared all the details of that day and others like it in my just-released ebook, "A Place Prepared."  

If you've ever felt as though life is too overwhelming or that you were unprepared for the things you've gone through, I encourage you to grab your very own copy.  My prayer is that in sharing my story, you'll see echos of your own and be able to see God's hand over every situation in your life.  

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Why I'm Taking A Second Look At Mommy Guilt (Part 1)

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Why I'm Taking A Second Look At Mommy Guilt (Part 1)

Everywhere I look, I see bloggers and speakers encouraging mamas to let go of so-called Mommy Guilt.  And I'm glad...for the most part.  As a mom myself, I know how easy it is to let negativity creep in.  Satan has a heyday in my mind, trying to convince me that I'm not a good mom, that I will never succeed as a parent, and that I'll never measure up in society's eyes.  The reminders not to succumb to that kind of negative thinking are good and Biblical.

But I've also begun to wonder if, perhaps, I've gotten a little too good at shelving Mommy Guilt.  As I've thought through the concept of Mom Guilt, I've come to understand that there actually two different kinds.  And if we ignore them both, we're making a big mistake.

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Why I Was Thankful for A Sick Kid on Mother's Day

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Why I Was Thankful for A Sick Kid on Mother's Day

On Mother's Day this year, we were on vacation in Monterey.  I was loving the family adventures, the sound of the ocean crashing on the beach, and the break from our regular routine.  Then, about an hour after we'd gotten up, it became apparent that Baby D had contracted a stomach virus.  Ugh.  

I wanted to run and hide from the germs and soiled laundry I now needed to wash.  And I was certain that in our vacation rooms with no way to isolate D from everyone else, the virus would spread like a wildfire through the family.  

But as I gritted my teeth and got started on cleanup (and really, Jon did most of it himself), the Lord showed me just how much I had to be thankful for.

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Three Ways to Be Still

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Have you ever wondered why God doesn't speak directly to us the way He used to speak to people in the Old Testament?  Jon and I have talked about this many times.  And while we don't have specific answers, I've actually wondered if He speaks to us much more directly than we're aware of.

A few weeks back, I was reading in Exodus, and a verse I've read a dozen times or more jumped off the page at me:  "The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still" (NIV, emphasis added).

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Dear Stay-at-Home Mom, You Are Doing Kingdom Work

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Have you ever looked around at everyone else and felt as though your life isn't making any impact?  Do you ever feel like no one notices you, or that you need to be making a bigger splash?  Or have you ever wondered whether or not you should have earned that extra degree, made that advancement at work, or taken that other path that once called your name?

In a world where higher education, prestigious jobs, and social positions are greatly valued, it's easy for us to wonder if we should be doing more, involved in more, accomplishing more.  It's incredibly easy for the stay-at-home mom to wonder whether or not she would be accomplishing more if she were to return to work (especially on those days when the kids have squabbled all day long, dinner is late, and she hasn't had a shower in the past three days).

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4 Ways I Failed to be A Good Friend

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If you had to take a test on being a good friend to someone else, would you pass?  I know I wouldn't.  I could blame my introverted personality or my busy schedule.  I could say I live too far away or that I didn't want to interrupt someone's day.  But those would be excuses, not reasons.

Being a good friend doesn't come easily to me.  I've let entire weeks (and in rare occasions, months or even years) go by without checking in on my friends.  A lot of that does have to do with my shy nature that thrives best at home, but a lot also comes from being forgetful (and perhaps a little lazy, too).  

As a Christian, however, I know that friendships are vital.  We need other Christians to come alongside us, support us, and encourage us in God's Word.  If we don't actively pursue friendships for these purposes, they won't happen on their own, and we'll lose those opportunities.

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Verses to Memorize when Your Mama Heart Hurts

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When our mama hearts hurt, we need to turn to Scripture for encouragement.  While we might think we need to get our strength from doctors, people, or things, clinging to God's Word is the only thing that can provide lasting endurance.  

And right now is the best time to begin committing verses to memory.  Even if your mama heart isn't suffering at the moment, if you memorize Scripture now, you'll have it readily available if something unexpected happens either to your family or to someone else near you.  

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What a Passover Meal Taught Me About Perfection and Grace

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For the past several years, Jon and I have tried to put together a Passover meal of sorts for the spark plugs.  Each year varies slightly, but our goal is to serve grape juice, unleavened bread, and lamb while we have the kids take turns reading various Scripture passages that pertain to Passover and the Last Supper.  

This is a great way to help everyone connect the Old Testament sacrificial system with Jesus' perfect sacrifice on the Cross.  

This year, we had many of the traditional dishes:  barbecued lamb, boiled eggs, bitter herbs with salt water, carbonated grape juice.  But while the boiled eggs turned out perfectly, the gluten-free unleavened bread I tried to make flopped royally.

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6 Things to Do When Your Mama Heart Hurts

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6 Things to Do When Your Mama Heart Hurts

Seeing children suffer is one of the hardest things in the world.  It can even make us begin to question whether or not God is as good as He claims to be.  And if you're anything like me, you would much rather do something other than sitting idly by.  While I think learning to wait well is a skill that every believer needs to develop, I also believe there are at least six things we can do when our mama hearts hurt.

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Does Your Daily Quiet Time Need A Makeover?

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On paper, I look like a fantastic Christian.I've been saved for nearly 30 years.  I grew up in a Christian home.  I went to a Christian college and earned a minor degree in Bible.  I'm married to an amazing Christian husband.  I even read my Bible every day for over 5 years.

But just because I look good on paper doesn't mean that my faith is strong or that I have life all figured out.  In fact, the very opposite is true.

Whenever I go through a crisis, I panic in fear instead of standing boldly in faith.  While I have a lot of Bible facts memorized, I really don't have the first clue about applying the truths of God's Word to my life.  And even though I read my Bible every day for so long, I never studied it or let it change me.  At times, I actually feel like a Christian fraud.

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How to Start A Coffee Tradition with your Struggling Son

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Jon and I used to watch Locked Up Abroad, a documentary on Westerners who have been incarcerated in another country.  (I don't necessarily recommend the show; I seem to remember some pretty gruesome details at times.)  Most of the stories were about men who had decided to do drug runs once or twice to earn extra income and who had been caught in the process.  Without fail, what they all regretted most was having hurt their mothers by their poor choices.

And it made me realize something important:  we as mothers have a profound influence over their children, even when we don't feel like we do. 

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3 Ways to Pray When Your Mama Heart Hurts

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"When Your Mama Heart Hurts" was one of the most-loved posts on the blog last year.  And you know what?  It was one of my favorites to write, too, because it's something that's often on my heart.

From physical infirmity to spiritual struggle, there's no shortage of heartache that we as parents go through as we watch our children suffer.  That's simply life in our broken, fallen state.

But for the believing parent, there is always hope.  And I've come to realize that there are three very specific ways we can pray when our mama hearts hurt.

 

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