Are You Connected?

Experience Life! Fully connected… let nothing hold you back from having Massive Power within your hands!

Are these words referring to the richness of Life one can experience through having a relationship with Jesus?

Or is this a Verizon Wireless add I received in the mail?

Sadly it’s the latter.

But I have to laugh at how similar the two can be compared.  They both give you a feeling of relationship with someone else. One is temporary, the other eternal. Our souls are clearly longing for a life more fully connected to its Maker. We have the power within our hands but it won’t be found in a phone or I Pad.

Through creation to created technology, from tweeting to texting, there is a deep hunger for connection.

God is shouting to us through His word, “What I have is freely given! Take it and you really can experience life to the fullest!”

How do you spend time getting fully connected? Here is what one person has written,

Give Dad a more welcome greeting when he comes home than the dog.

Speak kindly to your younger brother.

Iron the dress for your sister.

Listen to the troubles of another.

I might add,

Look into the eyes of your kids or husband when they talk to you.

Be generous to others.

Tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and generous to those in need, always being ready to share with others. By doing this they will be storing up their treasure as a good foundation for the future so that they may experience true life. 1 Timothy 6:18-19

And God says.. “Can you hear me now?’

A Transformed Woman

A transformed woman will embrace the transforming God!" Jeremiah 31:22 The Message

I love this verse! I want to be careful not to take scripture and use it out of context. The woman in this verse is referring to the nation of Israel, but through Christ we have become children of God and I believe that we women can be transformed by our transforming God! Scripture tells us so. What does it look like on the outside to be changed from the inside? Peace that surpasses all understanding. It is a beauty that transcends far past the skin. It happens when we allow God to use the difficulties in our life to bring new life to our soul! To be transformed more into the likeness of Christ begins in the renewing of our mind. (Romans 12:2) The way in which we choose to view life’s circumstances. That is just what my friend did in her marriage. She went from desperate housewife to dedicated child of God. This is her story of how she became a transformed woman.

“Early in my married life, I received quite a jolt when my husband announced he did not believe in God. I decided that I needed to do what I could to change him. I often tried to guilt or force him into attending church. This back fired, he only became belligerent and suddenly became extremely busy every weekend. I felt I was firmly in the right and my husband was in the wrong. I began to pray diligently that he would admit he was wrong and begin to believe like me. God just wouldn’t have let me marry the “wrong guy”. We soon drifted apart. I was praying and he wasn’t changing. I was certain that he was not being a good husband or father. Why was my prayer not being answered? After all, I was on God’s side! I was right and my husband was wrong! My life was out of control and I had to take some action. I came across Stormie Omaritan’s ‘The Power of a Praying Wife’. I thought I had finally found a formula to pray my husband into changing his ways. I would assault God morning until night with numerous and lengthy petitions to change my husband’s self serving ways. But as I dove into this book, I became very angry. It seemed to be saying that I needed to change. What? Are you kidding me? It said that unless I was right with God, He would not act upon my prayers. It began to dawn on me that possibly I wasn’t being the person God wanted me to be. I took the focus off my marriage and focused on what God wanted me to do. After many painful months, I began to see that I had been critical, selfish, cold and unloving toward my husband and what’s worse, I had been claiming to be on God’s side doing it! Gradually, I let control slip through my fingers and into God’s hands. All these years I had not been wanting my husband to be right with his maker, I had been wanting him to be right with...... me!

My husband is still a professed agnostic, but he is a different man. Because I surrendered to my God, because I let go of my stubborn will, because I changed the only person I have the power to change, me. God changed my life. By submitting my thoughts and my will to His will and His authority allows Him to freely work in my life and my family."

Love Letter

When was the last time you received a love letter? You know the kind, intimate and beautiful. It was so special that you tucked it away as a keepsake. It is a letter that defines “the perfect love”. We all hunger in our hearts for a love that will last, unconditional, never wavering. A love that will never leave you wanting for more or leave you feeling insecure. 

God has written in His Great Love Letter a message to you that is worthy of tucking away to read again and again. Through the prophet Isaiah, God tells you that you are precious, honored, and loved. That you were chosen by our Creator, He has called you by name and you are His. You are chosen to know Him and believe in Him. He promises when you go through rivers of difficulty you will not drown and He will never leave you. 

“You are precious to me”. When was the last time you called someone precious? The word itself evokes thoughts of tenderness and affection. 

“You are honored”. He honors you despite your imperfections. He places you in authority over His creation and when you get to Glory, He will place you in authority over His heavenly kingdom.

“I love you”. Most of all, you are loved so much that He sacrificed His only son for you. This is a love that can fill any gap or hunger you may have.

Chosen, honored, precious, and loved. These words are an intimate message, a love letter to you from your God. Tuck it away.

Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you. I have called you by name; you are mine. Isaiah 43:1

The Little Messes

Have you ever had one of those mornings? It’s 4 am, I’m sound asleep when suddenly I’m awaken by the sound of my golden retriever heaving. I jump out of bed because I know what’s coming! I’m screaming “Hurry Tobe, hurry, hurry!” By the time I fumble with the lock of the back door, it’s too late, he hurls it all over the floor, then  feeling better, goes back to bed. I turn the light on to clean the mess up only to find my  husband, completely oblivious to the drama, sleeping with a smile on his face. For a nano second I think evil thoughts about the barf in my hand. (But only for a moment ya’ll .... I would never, really).

That started my day. When aggravation finds me, it tends to stay awhile, then I find myself noticing all those irritating things going wrong. It’s the little stuff in life that usually gets under your skin and causes a very unchristian-like attitude to erupt from within. I  believe it’s because we think we can handle the little stuff ourselves. But when I’ve had enough I am inclined to want to complain to God. Then I stop, take a moment to regroup, or maybe God speaks to my heart right about this time. If I’ve never questioned God about my blessings, then I shouldn’t question Him about my troubles. My blessings far outweigh any troubles I will ever have on this earth. Oh how quickly we forget that. There is a great line in a song by Francesca Battistelli which says “in the middle of my little mess, I forget how big I’m blessed”. Isn’t that true?

It doesn’t matter today if you are facing little messes or huge crises, God is with you! He loves you and blesses you every day. Look for it! In the middle of your mess, realize how you are blessed!


Surely you have granted him unending blessings and made him glad with the joy of your presence. Psalm 21:6

Caution: Under Reconstruction!

On most days I drive on a highway near my house that is under construction. I face constant road blocks, detours and rough spots, causing frustration and impatience rising up inside of me. I must endure this for a while knowing that when it is completed it will be worth it. The highway will be smoother and faster to my destination.

When I became a believer, God made a highway through this heart of mine that is an ongoing reconstruction job. To build a highway requires raising up the lows places and leveling out the high ones. Likewise, he raises the valley of my low spots of despair and discouragement and levels the mountain of pride and ego. All the crooked places of deception and dishonesty he reveals to me, making it smooth. He is not through with me yet, but on that day of completion, it will be worth it.

And a highway will be there; it will be called the Way of Holiness;
   it will be for those who walk on that Way. Isaiah 35:8

  Father God, thank you for loving me enough to not leave me as you found me, but are molding me more like you.  

Changing Life Plans Part Two Emotions

God is taking you on a unplanned (by you) or unwanted journey. You have had your wrestling match and thankfully, He won. Trusting in God is allowing you to move forward. But this doesn’t negate how you feel during the process. Yes you are moving forward but it may be kicking and screaming on the inside.

This was a personal discovery for me. We are selling our house to downsize. This was not the long range plan however we both agreed it was the right thing to do. I keep my chin up, wear my big girl panties, and act reasonable about it. I didn’t realize how it was eating me up until I shared a disturbing dream I had with my kids. In this dream, I was part of a Jewish family living in Germany during WWII. The Nazis forced us from our home and sent us to a concentration camp. My kids both looked at me and realized why I dreamed this before I could utter another word! I was internalizing my grief over selling my home!

It doesn’t matter what kind of change you experience, it is important to grieve the loss. It could be a home, a job, a loved one, or an old way of life that was very comfortable. It is healthy to let those tears flow, God gave you this. Go ahead and grieve, it won’t last forever. For He is waiting at the end of this change with great plans for you!

And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. 1 Peter 5:10

Changing Life Plans Part One Desires of My Heart

I want to emphasize that the reason I call this blog site Real Faith in Real Life is because we can “know” all the truths in God’s Word, recite scripture from heart, and sing praises to Him with our voices. But until we experience Him through life and it’s complexities, our “knowing” is strictly superficial.

The greatest way to experience Christ is when your life plans and His life plans for you aren’t the same. Sadly it’s not the way we want to grow in our faith-walk but this is when the rubber meets the road.

Scripture tells us to share with our Heavenly Father the desires of our heart. Pour your desires for you, your family, your life plans out to God, but remember, to end that prayer with the prayer that never fails “Not mine but your will be done”. I have found that the desires of my heart will eventually change to meet His desires for me when I trust that which I cannot see. That’s faith.

Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a Light unto my path. Psalms 119:105

When I was a little girl, I remember our Preacher saying God’s light for us is sometimes like the headlights on our car. On a dark night, it may show you just enough view to drive a few yards. You keep going the direction the light tells you to. On our faith journey, we may not have all the answers to what is going to happen down the road, but I believe He gives us just enough Light to take the next step, faith for the next step, trust for the next.

Will you start this year off by taking a step of faith? Trust when you are too scared to move, and have faith when you just can’t see.