Sept 2 You are already in…

Affirmation: I am at the right place at the right time doing the right thing.

“For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.”

‭‭2 Timothy‬ ‭1:7‬ ‭NIV

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Ponder, Personalize, Practice: As we begin a new week, memorize Psalm 94:19. Ponder the message of this verse. What is causing you anxiety today? Talk to God about those situations. Ask Him to give you His consolation that you may know joy.

“When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy.”

‭‭Psalms 94‬:‭19‬ ‭NIV‬‬

https://bible.com/bible/111/psa.94.19.NIV

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Wholehearted Guidepost from Brené Brown

Cultivate Intuition and Trusting Faith. Let Go of the Need for Certainty.

Taken From Gifts of Imperfection by Brené Brown:

“Get Inspired: The process of reclaiming my spiritual and faith life was not an easy one (hence the 2007 Breakdown Spiritual Awakening). There’s a quote that literally cracked open my heart. It’s from a book by Anne Lamott: “The opposite of faith is not doubt, but certainty.” Her books about faith and grace inspire me. I’m inspired by and thankful for When the Heart Waits by Sue Monk Kidd and Pema Chödrön’s Comfortable with Uncertainty; they saved me.

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Mastering the 7 Decisions from Andy Andrews

5 The Joyful Decision 

TODAY I WILL CHOOSE TO BE HAPPY.

Happiness is a choice. I am enthusiastic about each day. I am alert to its possibilities.

I will become the master of my emotions.

I will greet each day with laughter. I know that enthusiasm is the fuel that moves the world.

The world belongs to the enthusiastic, for people will follow them anywhere! My smile has become my calling card. It is, after all, the most important weapon I possess. I am the possessor of a grateful spirit. 

Joyful Decision

Today, I choose to be happy.

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Reading for Today

Walk in Grace. Live in Love by Bob Goff

                            SEPTEMBER 2 

IF YOU’RE WONDERING WHAT IT WOULD TAKE TO FIT IN, REMEMBER THAT JESUS SAYS YOU’RE ALREADY IN.

 I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. EPHESIANS 3:17–19 

Like most parents, I was determined to be an all-star dad when my kids were born, but I didn’t know what exactly an all-star dad looked like. So I turned to parenting books for answers. 

After devouring all the books for new parents I could find, I learned there were heated debates raging in the world of parenting styles I had never even thought about. Experts warred with one another about whether to soothe an upset child, how to tuck them in at night, when to quit nursing, how to potty train, how to raise athletic children. By the time I finished my research, I was more confused about raising kids than I had been before I started. 

We spend a lot of time trying to live into the rules people set for us. Some of these rules seem wise but others equally arbitrary. None of these rules measure up to the power the love of Jesus has for us. Raising boys, I realized early on it didn’t matter if they grew into college football stars as long as they learned to live in grace like Jesus. And my wife and I learned we didn’t need to worry about whether our daughter became the president; we just wanted her to walk in love like Jesus. 

Not long after the kids arrived, we started getting together with other young families. It’s hard not to compare your kid to everyone else’s. Ours were learning to walk, and someone else’s were running laps on the track. Ours said their first word, and someone else’s had just memorized every past president’s middle name. The thing about God is this: He never compares what He creates. 

We’ll never be like Jesus if it’s more important for us to be like each other. Stack up all the pressure you’re feeling to be something different, and ask yourself whether the image looks like Jesus. If it does, you’re moving in the right direction. If not, then spend some time examining His beautiful life and make Him what you compare everything to. 

Who do you compare yourself to? Why?