As I look back, I realize I always found that the best way I could teach my children how to serve with a willing and joyous heart was simply to do it myself—to be a model of the kind of attitude I wanted them to learn.
Episode #135: Tending Your Heart and Investing in Your Soul, Own Your Life Chapter 10
When we fill our hearts with excellence and virtue, we find ourselves with a wealth of God’s goodness to offer others from the treasures we have collected. Just as Joy carefully filled her box, so we must learn to intentionally pursue activities that will fill the treasure chest of our hearts with good things. We should look for ways to fill our hearts, minds, and spirits with goodness, truth, and beauty—the things that inspire us, cause us to worship God, and bring light to others.
Episode #134: Letting the Holy Spirit Blow through our Days, Own Your Life 7 & 8
When the Holy Spirit directs our course, the natural consequence is a life outside of normal striving or fleshly effort. We are able to live beyond our own capacity.
Episode #133: Resting in the Transcendence of God, Own Your Life Chapters 5 & 6
We know we are called to follow Christ, to take His message to the world, to raise our children to heed Jesus' call. But sometimes I think we fail to consider that following the Lord might mean leaving behind the ordinary and the familiar. It means exchanging a temporal view of life for an eternal goal. And this may mean leaving behind things we really care about--involvements and pursuits that seem important and worthwhile but may not be God's best for us.
Episode #132: Taking Risks, Own Your Life & Becoming the Mom You Were Created To Be
This week in Own Your Life, I am talking about owning your life by living by faith. It starts with a heart for God, a mind bathing in the waters of scripture and wisdom, and a willingness to work hard and step out into faith to use your life for bringing him glory.
Episode #131: Gentleness & Love Wins the Day
Gentleness grows stronger with practice. It comes with humility. It grows as wisdom and takes root in the heart that values the ones she loves. May God grant us to become gentle in our love, that others may see Him through us.
Today, I am speaking with my friend, Amber Lia. She and her friend, Wendy Speak, have written a wonderful book called Triggers: Exchanging Parents' Angry Reactions for Gentle Biblical Responses. You will love this podcast and love this book.
Episode #130: Cultivating Vision: Setting Our Hearts on Fire, Own Your Life Chapter 4
When you capture the fire of your own significance in the kingdom of God, when you know that as a mother, you have the ability to shape generations to become powerful leaders for the cause of Christ, then that vision will fuel the energy of your life to serve Him every day, whispering the secrets of the kingdom of God. Your fire will be passed on to those who will carry on the torch of faith.
Episode #129: Living Without Condemnation, Own Your Life Chapter 3
The starting point for all of us, first of all, is to learn the habit of living in the reality of God's view of us, His very generous and gracious love for us at every moment and to avoid thoughts of condemnation, mess and all.
Episode #128: Musings with Joy and Joel & Fun Times
A joyful heart says, where can I leave a spirit of Christ's fragrance today--where can I dance the dance of life in the midst of darkness? And then practicing the dance steps as He gives them every day.
Episode #127: Seeing Purpose & Beauty in Ordinary Days, Own Your Life 1 & 2
In the podcast today, you will hear my own story of how out of control I was of my life when my children were little and we had moved to a very remote country place to start our ministry. You will learn about the circumstances in which I had to yield my impossible life into God's hands and by faith believe that this awful place was exactly the place he wanted me to be, the place I was to cultivate life in my own desert.