Great Expectations

There was a study done by a Psychologists by the name of William Marsten. In this study, Dr. Marsten asked 3,000 people "What do you have to live for?" What he found was that 94% of the people were living for the future. Some couldn't wait for a vacation...Some couldn't wait until their kids went to college....Some couldn't wait until they could retire....Some couldn't wait to get married....Some couldn't wait to have kids. We go through our entire lives waiting for what might happen. When we are 10 we can't wait to be 13...When we are 13 we can't wait to be 16...When we are 16 we can't wait to be 21 and then after 21 we wish we were 18 again. There's got to be more to life than enduring the present to get to the future. Right? If we look to tomorrow, we are going to miss what God wants to do today. Jesus said, "My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life." (John 10:10NLT) He never intended for us to "just get through" this life so we could get to the next. No!...there is purpose in this life....there is purpose in this year of your life...there is purpose in today...there is purpose for every season of our lives that will lead to a "rich and satisfying life." And it starts with today! In 1 Peter 1 it says "Now, we live with great expectation...". Now not later,but now! We can expect great things from God today because of what He did for us yesterday. It's time to live life to the full...today!
I encourage you...stop looking for your purpose in tomorrow and ask God what His purpose is for you today...because tomorrow never comes.
Have a great week!

Retweet Please?

Hello my name is Sarah Roberts and I am Twitterholic. Not really, but I do love me some twitter. I love posting what God is doing in me and through me, funny things my kids say, and how I love my Husband. lol I also like following people that inspire me, provide wisdom, or just make me smile like Pastor Steven Furtick, Sheila Walsh, Elisabeth Hasselback etc...Each time I get on my twitter there is one thing that jumps out at me each and every time and it really bothers me. They are the people begging to get a "retweet" from someone famous. Now, I am not talking about those who are trying to get the word out about a sick child or a certain cause. No, I am talking about the people who constantly ask movie stars, athletes, and even well-known pastors to simply retweet them. It bothers me because I feel like they are looking for validation that "they are somebody" if only a famous "somebody" would acknowledge their existence.

Do they not know that the God of the universe who loves them? Do they not know there is a specific purpose for their lives that is greater than being retweeted by Kevin Durant? Do they not know they were created by God for God? Do they not know they may feel like they have been overlooked by man, but have been handpicked by God! The thing is I know these things, but sometimes I forget...can you relate? We may not be asking for a retweet, but we still search for validation in other ways. Maybe yours is....You can't say no because you don't want to let anybody down. Maybe you are the one that is always going above and beyond for that extra pat on the back. Maybe you feel like you can't speak up about your faith because you don't want to feel the rejection from people. Maybe you have to have the perfect look with the perfect body to feel accepted by people. If you can relate to any or all of these.....
I want to encourage you with the story of David (1 Samuel 16:). God told Samuel that the next King of Israel was at the house of Jesse. As Samuel looked at each of the tall, dark, and handsome 7 sons of Samuel, he said (vs 6) "Surely the Lord's anointed is before him" for anyone would have picked these men of great features and stature. They were impressive to the world's eyes. But God said (vs 7), "Do not look on his appearance or on his height of his stature, because I have rejected them. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart."
Samuel asked Jesse if he had any more sons and Jesse said yes, BUT he is the youngest and is keeping the sheep....aka....Yes, but you surely you don't want him he just tends sheep....he's just a little guy. They brought David in and God said (vs 13), "Arise, anoint him, for this is he." The one the world overlooked is the one that God chose. Isn't that great news?!!!! When you feel like you have been overlooked by the world, all you have to do is look at the cross and know you have been chosen by God. "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son that whoever believes in him will not perish, but have eternal life." John 3:16. And once you realize that you have been chosen by God...you need to know that you have been chosen for God. There is something that God wants to do through you! "And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ." Philippians 1:6
Consider this blog post your retweet from God....that he is acknowledging you...that he does love you...that he does see you....and he has chosen you...and there is something he wants to do through you!
Happy Thanksgiving!!!!!!

My biggest struggle

This was a day my son and I had talked about for weeks. He wanted me to bring him lunch from a restaurant and have lunch with him at his school. We finally settled on a day and we were both super excited. He got up that morning (I didn't even have to wake him up) and requested Sonic for our special lunch. I picked up lunch and walked into his school promptly at 11:30 pm. I felt really good about myself as a mom at that moment, but that did not last long. I walked into an empty classroom that was suppose to be filled with noisy 1st graders getting ready to have lunch. It was Empty... except for my sweet Cale crying his eyes out while his teacher is trying to console him. As my heart dropped, I rushed over to him just in time for him to look up at me with those tear-filled eyes and say, "momma, you missed it." I turned to his teacher and asked what time lunch was and she informed me it was 11:15-11:30. I had thought the whole time it was 11:30-11:45. I had crushed my little boys heart into a thousand pieces. I apologized and apologized, but still felt like the worst mom ever. I left the school as I cried and cried! I couldn't believe I screwed this up. And even after he had forgiven me and I took him his favorite lunch later that week...I still couldn't let it go. I couldn't forgive myself. I know you may be thinking "It was just a lunch...he will get over it...it's not that big of deal...you are being too hard on yourself." That is my problem. I am actually better at forgiving others and offering grace to others than I am myself.

For some reason...I hold myself to an unrealistic standard and when I fail...I tend to hit rock bottom. Even though I know in my mind that nobody is perfect, I live my life as though I am going to be the first. I want to be the perfect coaches wife my husband says, "Yep! she is mine." I want to be the mom my kids tell their friends about. I want to be the friend everyone turns to because they know I will always have something wise to say. I want to be the one that young people look up to in their faith and on and on and on. If this is you, you understand how stressful and overwhelming this can be, but once again God has used his Word to offer me HIS PEACE, HIS JOY, and HIS GRACE.
I read this verse today and I was broken, "I ask you again, does God give you the Holy Spirit and work miracles among you because you obey the law? Of Course not! It is because you believe the message you heard about Christ." -Galations 3:5

God doesn't work through me because I have obeyed every law...No! It is because I have a RELATIONSHIP with his son Jesus....GRACE
Cale doesn't love me because I do everything right as his mom...No! He love me because I have a relationship with him as my son....GRACE
People don't look up to me because I have done everything perfect on my life...No!!! They look up to me because of my relationship with Jesus....GRACE.

The craziest thing is... I speak on this topic all the time...and it is the area I struggle with the most. I have to remind myself daily and some times hourly....I don't have to be perfect because I am loved by perfection. Honestly, it is my prayer that I can go everyday and 1)not think to highly of myself (humility) because of what I have done and 2) not think to lowly of myself because of what I have done (grace).

Thanks for letting my confess to you today and maybe my struggles will help you get through yours!

Dealing with your Judas

So...I sent a devotion to all my coaches and coach's wives yesterday from a Max Lucado book. I got sooooo much feedback and replies that I knew I had to write a blog post about it. Everybody, including the coach's family will feel like they have been betrayed as some point. It may be your friends who betray your trust or the parents of a player who love you one minute but don't the next or the administration that doesn't back you or maybe it is your own family member that has betrayed you. At one point, we will all feel betrayed. How do we deal with such thing? Look to Jesus....

It would be hard to find someone worse than Judas. Some say he was a good man

with a backfired strategy. I don't buy this. The Bible says, "Judas...was a thief (John 12:6)

The man was a crook. Somehow he was able to live in the presence of God and experience

the miracles of Christ and remain unchanged. In the end he decided he'd rather have

money than a friend, so he sold Jesus for thirty pieces of silver...Judas was a scoundrel

a cheat, and a bum. How could anyone see him any other way? I don't know, but Jesus

did. Only inches from the face of his own betrayer, Jesus looked at him and said, "Friend,

do what you came to do." (Matthew 26:50) What Jesus saw in Judas as worthy of being

called Friend, I can't imagine. But I do know that Jesus doesn't lie, and in that moment

saw something good in a very bad man...He can help us do the same with those who hurt us

Max Lucado

There are going to be times in our lives where we will be betrayed and we have an opportunity to be bitter or to be better, to fight or to forgive, to put up another wall or choose to see the good in something bad. Believe me, I am the first to admit, I am not the best example in this area especially when it comes to the betrayal of someone I love like my husband and children. My first instinct is to fight back and then put up a wall so they can never betray me again. You know the saying, "betray me once...shame on you. betray me twice shame on me." I will not be a fool. Right? Was Jesus a fool? No! He was able to see the good in what the world saw was bad. He did this in everything from his death on the cross to the ultimate betrayal of one of his own disciples. Once again Jesus isn't asking us to do something he hasn't already done himself. But He is offering to help us do the same when it comes to dealing with our own Judas. "I can do ALL things through Christ who gives me strength." (Phil 4:13)

Here's to seeing ALL as friends...or at least frenemies (just kidding:)).....

Words I don't like to hear

There are always words that I don't like to hear....For instance, if I am in the other room and I hear the words "uh-oh" or "oops" or "sorry momma"...I know it is not going to be good. I do not like to hear those words. When I my husband says the words "We need to talk" I know I have done something wrong. I don't like to hear those words. When my sister says, "What are you wearing" I know I have just committed a fashion faux peau. I don't like to hear those words. And when Jesus says, "In this world you will have trouble..."I do not like to hear those words. It's inevitable, you, me, and everyone else WILL have trouble in this world. Why? Because "this world" is not our home. We will have trouble in our jobs, we will have trouble in our marriage, we will have trouble with our friends, we will have trouble with our children. I am really not trying to depress you, but on the contrary...I want to encourage you.

It is kinda like when my kids decide they are going to jump on me. If I know it is coming, I can brace myself, prepare myself, and it never hurts quite as bad. But if I have no idea it is coming, it definitely hurts a lot more! If we prepare ourselves for the troubles to come...we can brace ourselves and not fear the "if" but get ready for the "when." So how do we prepare?

"Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer." Romans 12:12

First, your joy comes in the hope we have in Jesus. The hope that He will work our trouble for the good. The hope that He will never leave us or forsake us. The hope that there is NO wasted tears. Second, we must be patient during the storm for "this too shall pass." Maybe you are waiting on an answer from God about your job...be patient. May be you are waiting on your children to come back to God...be patient. Maybe you are waiting on your husband to lead spiritually...be patient. Maybe you are waiting for your house to sell...be patient. Third, be faithful in prayer. Never stop praying....it doesn't have to be these highly spiritual prayers. Many of my prayers are ones of questioning, anger, doubt, confusion and guess what? He hears these prayers just as loud as the Lord's Prayer. That is part of the relationship we get to have with our heavenly father. He is not this "Big man who lives upstairs." No...He is the one true God who is fighting in the trenches with us and for us everyday!

No I don't like the words..."In this world you will have trouble..." But I do love the words..."But take heart! I have overcome this world! (John 16:33) My Jesus (any yours) has overcome this world and because He did, we have the hope we want and the patience we need to get through the troubles we will face.

The Understanding Wife

As a wife, we tend to go through times with our husband that sounds like this....
"I will never understand him" "I will never understand how his mind works" "I do not understand why he does some of the things he does. As a coach's wife those times tend to come more often during the season because during the season you are trying to understand how you are going to get the kids from carpool, homework done, dinner made, get to the game on time, baths done, bed time...Oh and then the laundry, pay bills, clean house, take your own shower all in a perfect, timely manner. Right?
Well, hopefully I can offer you some encouragment when it comes to understanding your husband! I was reading in my quiet time this morning and I came across a verse that jumped off the page. It is from Proverbs 19:14, "...but only the Lord can give an understanding wife."
God knew that we needed to understand why our husbands do not take out the trash, but instead tries to stuff more in it. God knew that we needed to understand why our husbands works so long and hard. God knew we needed to understand why it is so hard for our husbands to share their heart. God knew we needed to understand why our husbands do not understand us. God knew therefore...our Help comes from the Lord....can I get an amen?!
As I reflected back on my own experiences and my own marriage I found that the times I am struggling with understanding my husband are times when my walk with Jesus has taken a backseat to everything else going on in our lives. And the times I am seeking God daily, I am more understanding of what my husband might be going through on the football field or with parents or with administration or with his own personal struggles. I found that when I am spending time with my Savior, I am able to see my husband through my Savior's eyes...I am able to see him the way God sees him. I am able to see that God created my husband in His Image just like He did me. So if we want to understand our husband we must go to the one who created him.
I looked up what the word "understanding" means and here is what I found..."a superior power of discernment." I loved that! That is exactly what I need as a wife..."a superior power of discernment". I need this superior power and I know the only way I can get it is from the Lord. So my encouragment to you as a wife today is "Seek first the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness, and then all things will be given to you as well" (matthew 6:33) including understanding your husband.

SEEING the Good, which means SEEING God

I had the amazing opportunity to be a speaker this past weekend at the Kansas State FCA conferance. There was almost 700 students, athletes, and coaches in attendance so I was quite humbled to be a part. I had prayed and prayed about what God wanted me to share and I was confident and super excited to do just that. I was waiting back stage, they got me all set up with my cordless mic, I am listening to the praise band and praying intensely, they do my introduction and it is go time....I am ready to bring the Word! I go out on stage with a great welcome,especially when someone in the back yells "boomer" and I obliged with yelling back "sooner." Yep, God was definetley in the room:) I begin the message and I can feel the Holy Spirit just speaking through me and the response from the crowd was just so overwhelming that it gives me goosebumps even now as I type.....Everything is flowing and then I see it......two girls right in the center, right in front of me sound asleep. ASLEEP? I don't just mean nodding off....I mean they have their heads back, mouths wide open, and think I saw some drool too. As much as I tried to focus on the 698 people that I felt God was speaking too, I couldn't stop staring at those two girls that were sound asleep.

I would like to say this is the only time that I have ever focused on the 1 negative thing in the middle of a thousand positive things. Can you relate? If I have 9 out of 10 people say something nice, I will focus on the 1 that didn't. If my husband does 9/10 things right, I will gripe about the 1 thing he didn't. If my children get 9/10 right on their spelling test, I will focus on the one they didn't. If I have 9/10 great qualities, I will focus on the one that isn't. If God blesses me in 9/10 areas, I will focus on the one "I feel" he isn't.
I have been studying the book of Psalm, and I am encouraged by the man in which God called..."The man after God's own heart"....David. David had a lot of negative going on in his life during this time: People were trying to kill him, he was on the run, and hiding in caves....and he wrote these words..."I am still confident of this:I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living." Psalm 27:13.
We have a choice each and every day whether or not we are going to "see the goodness of the Lord" or not. I believe in the goodness of our Lord and I believe there are positive things all around us....we just have to choose to see it! When you choose to see the Good, I am confident that you will then, see God. And the more we see God, the more we see that even when the negative things pop up... God will work, even in those, for the good (Romans 8:28)
I am laying down the challenge to see the good in the annoying co-worker that sits next to you, to see the good in the husband that sleeps next to you, to see the good in your school or workplace, to see the good in the burnt dinner you just pulled out of the oven, to see the good in YOURSELF.
Yes, it is easier to focus on the two girls asleep, but when we do, we will miss the work and the blessings that God is doing all around them:)

My unbelief

Trying to explain what God has been doing in me over the past month would be hard because, to be honest, I wasn't sure. There is a song with the line..."it seems like its chaos, but somehow there is peace." This seemed to explain it pretty well until I read a story in Mark 9 that explained it perfectly. Let me set this up for you...A man comes to Jesus and tells him that his son is possessed with a spirit that affects his speech and makes him go into seizures. He then goes on to say that the disciples tried, but could not help the boy. Jesus says,

"Oh unbelieving generation, how long shall stay with you?

How long shall put up with you? Bring the boy to me."....vs(21) Jesus

asks the father, "How long has he been like this?" "From childhood,"

he answered. "It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him

But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us."

"If you can?" Said Jesus. "Everything is possible for him who believes."

Immediately, the boy's father said, "I do believe; help me overcome

my unbelief."

I am part of an "unbelieving generation" that still questions God and his goodness everyday. A generation that thinks we were put on this earth just to be "happy." A generation that thinks we are entitled to anything and everything the world has to offer. And when those things do not happen, we question the goodness of God. Honestly, I think we all do. Maybe you have prayed and God isn't answering your prayer the way you thought he should. Maybe you have asked God to remove you from a situation and you are still there. Maybe the relationship you thought God had for you, isn't working out quite like you had imagined. We all deal with unbelief in almost every area of our life, but everyday we must choose to believe that God is good even when our circumstances are not.

My favorite part of the story is when Jesus says, "if you can?" It is almost like he is saying, "you have got to be kidding me. I am the God of the freaking universe...and you are going to come at me with "if you can?"
We have to believe that God CAN do anything we ask of him, but more important, believe that when he doesn't, it is because His way is different....it is better. Isaiah 55:8 says, "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, and my ways are not your ways declares the Lord." When life is hard as a mom and wife, I want to believe in the goodness of God. When ministry get me overwhelmed, I want to believe in the goodness of God. When I am surrounded by what seems like the impossible I want to believe the "Possibles" of God.

Lord, I do believe...Help me overcome my unbelief:)

Let's Talk about It

As far as I can remember, my mouth has gotten me in a lot of trouble. From the time I was 10 years old and I lied to my father about my coaching calling and cancelling softball practice so I could go to the movies to the time I was 25 years old and said some pretty ugly words to a parent in the stands of one of my husband's games, and yes, everything in between...gossip, criticism, inappropriate speech, flattering, complaining, exaggerating, bragging, resentment etc. I would say my mouth is my greatest gift and is also my worst enemy. We as women, in general, use our words to fight battles instead of our fists. The Bible says it this way...."Sometimes it praises our Lord and Father and sometimes it curses those who have been made in the image of God." James 3:9 The same mouth that we praise and worship God, himself, is the same mouth that tears down the very people that God, himself, created. If the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil (1 Timothy 6:10), I would argue a close second are the words that are spoken from our mouth.
Psychologists say that women speak double the words of that of men each day. The question is how are we using those words? It would be awesome if we were using them to doubly encourage one another, or doubly speak truth, but unfortunately I do not believe that is the case.
God has really working on me in this area especially when I read this:
"Indeed, we all make mistakes. For if we could control our tongue, we would be perfect and could also control ourselves in every way." James 3:2
Wow...if we could control our tongues we would then be able to control ourselves in every other way to, leading a life we all want...perfection.
HOW?
1) Simply shut up:)
I say that with all the love in my heart...really! Proverbs 10:19 says, "Too much talk leads to sin. Be sensible and keep your mouth shut." When you want to criticize, keep your mouth shut. When you want to lie, keep your mouth shut. When you want to gossip, keep your mouth shut.
2) When you Speak, let your words praise God and Man (or woman)
There will be times when you will need to speak up: "A time to speak up and a time to be quiet (Eccl.3) But when we do..."Don't use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear him." Ephesians 4:9 When you want to boast, boast in how great God is. When you want to complain, praise. When you want to be resentful, be grateful.
3) PRAY, PRAY, PRAY
We are not able to this on our own. It goes against our natural instincts, our fleshly desires. Believe me I know how hard this is...I am a coaches wife. But I also know I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength...including controlling my tongue. I want to be different than the world. I want to handle things different in the world. I want to be Christ like!
Will you join me? Will you join me in this fight to encourage one another...no matter what?
To God be the Glory:)

Still learning "mom" lessons...

My baby girl has turned 5! I can't believe it. I love my Chloe and she is truly a blast to hang out with, but man the drama. I am starting to think Pre-teen begins at 5. I have found myself asking God...Where does that drama come from...or the attitude.. or the rolling of the eyes...or the insecurities? These aren't anything I have told her how a princess of God acts. And then it happened...


A quiet whisper of my heavenly father, "What you want your daughter to become, you need to be." Wow!!! He is exactly right! I can tell her all day how to be, but if I don't show her by example, she will never buy into it. It is just plain hypocritical!


1 Corinthians 11:1 says, "Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ."


I am her example. If I want her to find her security in Christ, then I must find it first. If I want her not to be disrespectful, I must not be disrespectful first. If I want her reflect Christ, I must reflect Christ first. If I want her to speak uplifting words, I must speak them first. If I want her not be materialistic, I must not be materialistic first. If I want her not to care what other people think, I must not care first. If I want her to pursue righteousness, I must pursue righteousness first. If I want her to love what she sees in the mirror, then I must love what I see in the mirror first.


I cant simply point her to the example of Christ, Nope, I must be the example of Christ in order to show her Christ. She needs to see encouragement in me. She needs to see being a servant in me. She needs to see purity in me. She needs to see modesty in me. She needs to see, holding my tongue, in me. She needs to see Jesus in me!


In the words of John the Baptist, "I must become less, and He must become more."


Here's to setting the example.....

Bring it!!!

Have you ever received a gift you didn't like? I have...I was probably around 10 and my grandma got me a sweatshirt with snowmen all over it. As far as I was concerned, I wasn't a baby anymore and that was a baby sweatshirt. aka...I was too cool for that gift. My mom quickly put me in place about what it means to be thankful when you are given a gift. Did you know that you have been given a gift and/or talent that was given to you by God to be used for God? Yes...You! It is hard to see our own gifts when others around us seem to have much better gifts...Right? Just like everything else, we tend to compare ourselves to others and most of the time, do not like the gifts we were given. Maybe you don't think it is significant...or maybe you don't see how God could use your gift or talent...or maybe you don't even think you have any gifts. As humans, our thoughts on gifts are similar to those on sin...worldly. The world puts sin into categories:bad, worse, worst. The world also puts gifts into categories: good, better, best. God looks at sin as sin, there are no rankings. He also looks at gifts the same way, as gifts. He doesn't see gifts with more visibility any more significant those those gifts that are behind the scenes. He just wants to know that you are using them to your full capability and for His glory, not for yours. Let me give you some encouragement from God's Word...
One of the most well-known miracles Jesus performed was the feeding of the 5000 found in Matthew 14:13-21:

(15) That evening the disciples came to him and said, "This is a remote place, and

its already getting late. Send the crowds away so they can go to the villages and

buy food for themselves." But Jesus said, "That isn't necessary-you feed them"

"But we only have five loaves of bread and two fish!" they answered.

"Bring them here," Jesus said. Then he told the people to sit down on the grass.

Jesus took the five loaves into pieces, he gave the bread to the disciples, who

distributed it to the people. They all ate as much as they wanted, and afterward,

the disciples picked up twelve baskets of leftovers. About 5,000 men were fed

that day, in addition to all the women and children!

Jesus told them to do something, and their reply was, "BUT Jesus we only have this to offer, it is of no significance" Jesus says bring me what you have and watch me work. He wants to do the same for you and me.

-But God, what do I have to offer? Jesus says bring me what you have and watch me work

-But God, my gift is of no significant? Jesus says bring me what you have and watch me work

-But God, I am nothing special. Jesus says bring me what you have and watch me work

If God can feed over 5000 people with two fish and 5 loaves of bread, just imagine what He can do with your gift...if you bring it to Him.

You can do one of three things with the gift God has given you: Hide it, Resent it, or Bring it.

In the celebration of the starting of a new football season, I challenge you to Bring it! Bring it to Jesus and watch him work. Your gift is important to the Kingdom of God whether you think it is or not.

Let's Bring it!!!

I'm Back From War...

Hey all!!! I am back from War!!! Well....sorta:) I have been doing FCA camps all summer and I am back in front of my computer again. Oh how I missed you! Was I really in a physical war? No, but I was in a spiritual war. It always seems to be a little bit more intense heading into camp season. Why? Because the enemy knows God is getting ready to move in the lives and hearts of kids across Oklahoma.
So what does it mean to be in a spiritual war? Just like any other war, we have an enemy who is out to still, kill, and destroy you and me (John 10:10)
The Bible says it this way in Ephesians 6:10-11:

"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God

so that you can take stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against

flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against authorities, against the powers of this

dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms."

The first thing we have to recognize is that, as followers of Jesus, we ARE in a war. You don't have to be in full time vocational ministry, but simply a follower of Christ. YOU and I have been waged war upon because God loves us and Satan hates God.

The second thing we need to know is the tactics of our enemy. Before anyone prepares for war, they always look for the tactics, the weaknesses, the tendencies of their enemy.

TACTIC 1) He will always exchange the Truth for a lie

Common lies we believe are:

Lie-God could never use me, I have messed up too bad

TRUTH-God can use ALL things to the good for those who love Him and are called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28

Lie-I will start living for God later, I've got time

TRUTH-You are not even guaranteed tomorrow. James 4:14

Lie-I am worthless, ordinary, nothing special, not beautiful

TRUTH-You are fearfully and wonderfully made Psalm 138:14

Over and Over we are fed lies about who God is, about who God says we are, and how God views us. Know the TRUTH and the Truth will set you free!!!

TACTIC 2) Minimizes our sin before and Maximizes after

I know this one and seen this one very well. You've been there....you justify your sin with "everyone is doing it" or "its not that big of deal" or "this makes me happy". Your spirit convicts you and you realize you are living a life not pleasing to God and you ask Him to forgive you. Then....the guilt and shame kicks in. Thoughts go through your head, "God will never forgive me" or "How can anyone love me after this" or "I will always be messed up" "I have asked for forgiveness so why is God not forgiving me, why do I still feel guilt and shame?"

Please know those thoughts and feelings are NOT God not forgiving you, It's your spiritual enemy not letting you forget. The TRUTH is as far as the east is from the west, your sins are far from you and there is NO condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

Know the TRUTH and TRUTH will set you free!!!

TACTIC 3) Makes us think God is holding out on us.

We want to see what the world has to offer because what God has to offer is just not enough. God is holding out on us, He just doesn't want us to have any fun. No sex before marriage? Boo! Don't drink to get drunk? Boo! Don't tell off someone who has hurt me? Boo! Don't get this purse because I don't have the money to pay for it? Boo!

The second part of that verse we started with in John 10:10 is...."I have come so that you may have life and have it to the full." THE FULL!!! Not half, not part way, not a little bit, but the FULL! With Christ you will have everything you need: Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Isn't that exciting??!!!

God is not withholding anything from you, but is willing to give you the fullest life we can imagine. We only have to believe the TRUTH.

We know we have any enemy and we know His tactics so what's next? You FLEE and you FIGHT! When you are being tempted with sin, you flee. You run as fast as you can in the opposite direction. When you feel like you getting beat down by life, you Fight as hard as you can. The Bible says in Ephesians 6:13:

"Therefore, put on the full armor of God so that you will be able to resist

the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will be standing

firm. Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth, and the breastplate

of righteousness, shoes of peace, shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows

of the devil. Put on the helmet of salvation and take the sword of the Spirit

which is the word of God."

Our one weapon is the Sword of the Spirit which is the Bible. We can defeat him every time if we know what the Bible says. Know the Truth and the Truth will set you free!

So as you prepare for another school year and new football, basketball, baseball opponents, don't forget to prepare for your life opponent. I look forward to another great year!!! Whoop! Whoop!!

Why?

Why? This is the question we, here in Oklahoma, have been asking for the past week. There has been so much devastation and loss of life due to the Tornadoes that ravaged through our state. One story that has particularly burdened my heart was the story of the Hamil family. This was a mom of 3 (5,3,15 months) and pregnant with her fourth who was at home with her children while her husband was at work when the tornado hit their home in Piedmont, OK. Although she had taken precautions and had the kids in the bathtub, they were all sucked out of the house and scattered. The mother, 5 year old, and the 15 the month old were found immediately and taken to the hospital where the 15 month old was later pronounced dead. The 3 year old boy was missing for 3 days and although there were so many prayers from all over the country that he would be found alive, he went to be with Jesus. And then you here similar stories from Joplin to Alabama, so much heart ache and pain that it can be really overwhelming. Maybe you have been personally affected by these storms or maybe you are asking God "why?" for other reasons: Death of a loved one, a job not working out like you thought, a sick child etc. Why? Why? Why? Trying to answer this questions just leads to more questions..... Have I done something wrong? Am I being punished for something? Did I bring this on myself? Why do bad things happen when we serve such a Great God? So many questions...
Although I don't have the answers to all these questions that will make complete sense and make us totally understand..there is one story in the Bible that helps. Helps the questions, not necessarily the pain. It comes from John 9:1-3

As he (Jesus) went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked

him, "Teacher, who sinned, this man or his parents that he was born blind?"

Neither this man nor his parents sinned," said Jesus, "but this happened so

that the work of God might be displayed in his life."

This story shows us, first, that bad things do not happen simply because we have done something wrong and this is our punishment. That is the enemy at his worst. As followers of Christ, we must find comfort in the fact that when God looks at us, He sees His Son, Jesus. No matter what we have done, Jesus covers it all. (Can I get an Amen?) Second, When bad things happen we are asking the wrong questions. I think it is one of the hardest things to do, but instead of asking "Why God" our question should be "What God." What work do you want to display in my life God? What do you want to show me? How can you be displayed in this tragedy? We have to remember that God is "Kingdom minded".....Always. There is no wasted pain! There are no wasted tears! There are no wasted trials! Trials and heart aches don't just happen to happen, but to further God's Kingdom....somehow. Romans 8:28 says, "God works ALL things to the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose." All things includes tornadoes. All things include death. All things include tough jobs. All things include people born blind. God works ALL things for the good...that is what makes him such a great God!

If I can pray for you in any way please let me know!

Ordinary

Do you ever feel like you are just ordinary? There is nothing special about you, nothing that makes you stand out. You might think you don't have any special gifts or talents or think "I'm just a wife or a mom" or " I go to work, come home, fix dinner, give kids baths, go to bed-nothing special." And then you see those people who "look" like they have it all-all the gifts, talents, the breaks, the glory etc. but you, you are just ordinary. Do you ever feel like that? Me too! Well, I've got great news for you and it comes from Acts 4:13:

"The members of the council were amazed when they saw the boldness

of Peter and John, for they could see that they were ordinary men with

no special training in the Scriptures. They also recognized them as men

who had been with Jesus."

God uses ordinary people like you and me!!!! In fact, he prefers it, because when he uses ordinary people, they know they can't take credit of the work of an extraordinary God. Peter and John were ordinary men who were not special or trained in anything spiritual, but literally, changed the world. How? They had one thing going for them: they "had been with Jesus." That's it! They didn't have any special gifts, go to any special school, from any special family....they simply walked with Jesus. And because they walked with Jesus they understand that God could take the ordinary and do things that were extraordinary. The same power that created the earth was with them. The same power that parted the Red Sea was with them. The same power that raised Jesus was with them. "For if God is for you, who can be against you." (Romans 8:31) Nothing was going to stop them, not because of their own power (for they were just ordinary), but because they had God Almighty with them! So if you are in the valley of ordinary, keep being with Jesus and watch Him do extraordinary things in you and through you.

Ordinary? Why yes, yes I am....and I wouldn't have it any other way!

One of Those Days....

So...this morning was one of those mornings. Case, the youngest, didn't sleep last night and was super cranky all morning. I was either holding him while trying to fix my hair or brush my teeth or he was screaming bloody murder while I was trying to make the kids school lunches. Cale, my oldest, was in the "dream world" that he sometimes goes to when he needs to be putting on his shoes or getting his teeth brushed. We were running late so we hurried and had our bible time, which was very spiritual (hint:sarcasm:)), and go out to the car and can't find my keys. As I mumble under my breath, "You have got to be kidding me," I called my husband and snapped at him because I knew he had to be the one who lost them, right? We finally found the keys, locked safely in the car. My husband came and picked us up so that we could get to school 20 minutes late and reminded me that I had let Chloe look for her bracelet in my car last night. Why leave her out? I had yelled at everyone else in the family. We get everyone where they are suppose to be and then I go to work, where I get to put on the "Happy" face and tell people how much Jesus loves them when the people I love the most just saw No part of Jesus in me this morning.
You ever have those days?
And then the remorse sets in. Why did I act like that? Where was my patience? In the big picture was it all that big a deal? What lesson did I teach my family today? It makes me feel pretty darn rotten and I beat myself up. Why do I do the things I don't want to do?
Then in my quiet time today I read Romans 7:15-24

I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what

I hate, I do....I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature.

For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I

do is not the good I want to do;no, the evil I do not want to do-this I keep

on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is not longer I who do it, but

it is sin living in me that does it....What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from

this body of death? Thanks be to God-through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Yes! this is me. Paul knew exactly how I was feeling. We will all go through times where our flesh will rear its ugly head. We will do things that we can't believe we did them. We will do things when we know they are wrong. We will do things that actually hurt the name of Christ. Our flesh still leans toward sin. But how do we see past this part of our life that we can't seem to get away from? Jesus, Jesus, Jesus!!! You see, we don't have to live according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. The same spirit that lived inside of Jesus lives inside of us, so when our flesh "acts up" the spirit takes over. We asked God for forgiveness and know that, "Therefore, there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." Romans 8:1. Can I get an Amen?

I want to encourage you when you have "those days," remember, you have all the power you need to get through bad days and still show Jesus, and if you fall short, God will always be there to pick you back up, dust you off, and give you a nice little pat on the rear and say, "lets go."

Oh and yes....I am good with the family too:)

The Little things

So...I was watching one of my favorite movies this weekend: For Love of the Game. It is a baseball/love story with Kevin Costner and Kelly Preston. I really do love this movie and as I was watching it, there was one part that just got me thinking (my mind is always thinking). It was toward the end of the movie and he was trying to pitch a "perfect" game. His shoulder was hurting, but he knew he couldn't quit, he was just too close to this amazing accomplishment. And then he began to pray (I may not get it word for word, but it is close):

"God, I know I promised I would never involve you in a baseball game.

It always seemed silly because you have bigger things to worry about, But

if you could make the pain in my shoulder go away for the next 10 minutes,

I would be grateful"

As I heard him pray that little prayer, I thought to myself, DOES God care about baseball or football, or basketball, or buying house, or my work problems etc. After all, there are a lot bigger things he should be handling like people who have lost loved ones, or have very sick children, or famines, tornadoes, earthquakes, wars etc. I know my problems seem so "little" compared to these things, but they seem "big" to me.

I think I missed the rest of the movie contemplating these thoughts, but then God reminded me of a "small" story in the Bible that I had just read to my kids. It is only 4 verses and I remember thinking, This is kind of a random story. What is it's significance?

So the prophets and Elisha arrived at the Jordan and began cutting down

trees. But as one of them was getting a tree, his ax head fell into the river.

"Oh, sir!" he cried. "It was a borrowed ax!" "Where did it fall?" the man of God

asked. When he showed him the place, Elisha cut a stick and threw it into the

water at that spot. Then the ax head floated to the surface. "Grab it," Elisha said

And the man reached out and grabbed it. 2 Kings 6:4-7

Oh God and His timing:) The significance? To show us that God DOES care....about everything-even some one's lost ax head. God cares about baseball, football, basketball, jobs, families, houses, bills, relationships, your dog on and on and on....Why? Because you do!! And you are His Child!

My oldest is playing t-ball and my youngest thinks he does, so t-ball is a big deal in our house. Before last year, had I ever been to a t-ball game since I played? Nope Did I keep up with the t-ball games in our area? Nope. After my kids are done playing, will I still go to t-ball games? Nope. Because t-ball doesn't really matter to me, but it matters to them;therefore, it matters to me. They think t-ball is very important, therefore I think t-ball is important. Why? Because they are my kids and I love them. If something is important to you, it's important to God because you are His kid and He loves you! Whatever we face in our everyday lives, it matters to God because He knows it's all about the Relationship-The relationship He has with His children. Go to God with the attitude that he loves it when we bring everything to him, even the "little" things.

Facing the Giants

Facing the Giants is one of my favorite movies. I love the "feel" good movies anyhow, but then you throw in God and football, it should have won the academy award. Well, at least the "Fighting Heart" award. We love the stories where the "underdog" beats the powerhouse giant. That's why one of the most beloved stories in the Bible is David and Goliath. Most of us have heard this story of the little boy who defeated the Giant, but I want to talk about the less talked about story of God's people being defeated by the giants before the battle ever began.

This story takes place in Numbers 13:

(v. 1)The Lord now said to Moses, "Send out men to explore the land I am giving you,

the Israelites...(v. 3) So Moses did as the Lord commanded him. He sent out twelve

men. (v. 17). Moses gave the men these instructions as he sent them out to explore the

land:"Go north through the Negev into the hill country. See what the land is like, and

find out whether the people living there are strong or weak, few or many..."

(vs. 27) This was their report to Moses: "We entered the land you sent us to explore, and

it is indeed a bountiful country-a land flowing with milk and honey. Here is the kind of fruit

it produces. But the people living there are powerful, and their towns are large. We even

saw giants there... (v. 30) But Caleb tried to quiet the people as they stood before

Moses. "Let's go at once to take the land. We can certainly conquer it." But the other men

who had explored the land with him disagreed. "We can't go up against them! They are

stronger than we are! So they spread this bad report about the land...(Numbers 14:1)

(v. 3) "Why is the Lord taking us to this country only to die in battle?" (vs.7) Moses said to all the people, "The land we traveled through and explored is a wonderful land! And if the Lord is pleased with us, he will bring us safely into that land and give it to us." (v 10) But the whole community began to talk about stoning them...Ad then the Lord said, "How long will these

people treat me with contempt? Will they ever believe me, even after all the miraculous signs

I have done among them....(v. 21) Surely as live, and as surely as the earth is filled with

the Lord's glory, not one of these people will ever enter that land."

God was giving them this land. He said, "send them out to explore the land I am giving them." The God of the universe promises these people this land, land flowing with milk and honey. Land like they have never known, but yet they never got to experience it because they chose to focus on the Giant and not God. It sounds crazy to us right? Wouldn't you believe the God of the universe? If God is for you who could be against you? What could giants do to you when you have God telling you, "Im giving you this land." It's sounds crazy, yet we do it ALL the time.

Jesus said, "I have come so that you may have life and have it to the full." (John 10:10) That is our promised land....and life to the fullest, more than we can ever imagine. But then there are the Giants.....

-Giants of fear

-Giants of depression

-Giants of disappointment

-Giants of regret

-Giants of discouragement

-Giants of doubt

-Giants of failure

-Giants of being overwhelmed

-Giants of thoughts of inadequacy

And Giant after Giant after Giant....all keeping us from entering the promised land of life to the full. So...how do we become a David and defeat the Giant and not an Israelite, wondering aimlessly because of the Giant? We don't tell God how big our Giants are, we tell the Giants how Big our GOD is!!!!!! God asked, will they ever believe me after all the signs? We must choose to remember time and time again that God has been faithful in the past and will be faithful again in the present and future. We remember all the little victories on this journey of life and trust God that more Victories will come. We will Believe God when he says, "I have come so that YOU may have life, and have it to the full!" We were not created to just stroll through life, but have it to the full. We were not created to just survive this life, but to have it to the full. We were not created to just "put up" with this life, but to have it to the full!

What Giants to you need to kill in order to have life to the full?

HOPE

So I was reading the book of Romans and I came across a passage that God used to speak to me and HOPEfully to you too. It is on HOPE. I have written messages on Faith and Love, but can honestly say never hope. It is a word that didn't enter in my vocabulary unless it was something like, "I hope my baby sleeps tonight" or "I hope we win" or "I hope that dress goes on sale." I don't think this is what Paul meant when he said, "So now Faith, Hope, and Love remain..." Where do I learn about Hope? Then I read Romans 4:18-21

"Even though there was no reason for hope, Abraham kept hoping-believing

that he would become the father of many nations. For God had said to him,

"That's how many descendants you will have!" And Abraham's faith did not

weaken, even though, at about 100 years of age, he figured his body was as

good as dead-and so was Sarah's womb. Abraham never wavered in believing

God's promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God.

He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever he promises."

Have you ever felt hopeless? No matter what you say or what you do or how much you pray, your situation just seems hopeless? If you said yes, like me, then I pray you find strength and encouragement in Abraham. Abraham had "no reason to have HOPE." He was too old, Sarah was too old, but he had one thing that kept him HopeFULL: "For God had said to him."

His situation seemed hopeless, but his HOPE didn't come from his situation, but from His God's Promise to him. Whatever your situation might be, a struggling marriage, an overwhelming job, a sick child, an inability to have children etc., you CAN find HOPE in the promises He has given you. Yes! God has given you promises!

For God had said to her....."I will work ALL things to the GOOD for those who love him and are called according to His purpose." Romans 8:28

For God had said to her...."The righteous call on the Lord and the Lord hears them, He is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in Spirit." Psalm 34:18

For God had said to her..."being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."

For God had said to her..."The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet." Romans 16:20

For God had said to her..."If God is for us, who can be against us? Romans 8:31

For God had said to her..."Therefore, there is now NO condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." Romans 8:1

For God had said to her..."He will remain faithful even if we are faithless. 2 Timothy 2:13

For God had said to her..."In this world you will have trouble, But take heart! I have overcome the world." John 16:33

And there are sooooo many more!!!! In God's Promises we know he is working for us, that the enemy has no place in our lives, no matter we have done-we are forgiven, we know that we are loved, and that he will be faithful. And because of these promises we have HOPE. HOPE that good things can come out of a broken marriage. HOPE that God is watching over your child. HOPE that God will give you the strength in your job. HOPE that God will lead you when you just feel like wandering.

YOU have HOPE because of the Promises God has given you in JESUS CHRIST!!

The Question

I love to ask questions to anybody about everything. I love asking serious questions, funny questions, pointless questions, and really any question that comes to my mind. Here are some of my favorite questions I like to ask and maybe you would like to answer: "If you had a dinner party, what 5 people would you invite (no friends or family and they can be dead and alive)? If you were on death row, what would be your last meal? If you could follow anyone around for one day, who would it be? What event in the Old and New Testament would you like to have been at? Why do I like questions? It's not the questions I like, but the different answers people give. It tells me about their personality, their likes, their passions, etc. Questions provoke thought and discussions and though you may be talking about nothing, you really are talking about something: you. I love questions! And even though I ask other people questions all the time, there is one question that I ask myself almost every day.... Is Grace Enough? Knowing that God saved me from what I deserve, is that enough? Knowing that because Jesus was beaten, hung on a cross and died a painful death so that I could have a relationship with His Father, is that Enough? Knowing that Jesus went through rejection from man so that we would never have to go through rejection from God, is that enough? If God never did anything else for me again while on this earth, would the Grace He gave me on the cross be enough? I ask this question to keep my emotions in check for if I focus on what He did do, it's harder to focus on what I "feel" he's not doing. I ask this question to keep my mind on the eternal perspective and not the momentarily happenings. I ask this question to thwart off any thoughts or ideas that I am entitled to more than what He has already given me. Does asking myself this question work in every single one of these areas every day? I would love to say yes, but the answer is No. There are days when I throw my child-like temper-tantrums and answer the question with...No it's not. And it's these days that I find out a lot about myself and my relationship with God. I realize that I am a sinner who still needs that Grace everyday. It is my prayer, that no matter what trial or circumstance I am facing, I can answer everyday,with complete humility.....Yes! Jesus said, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." ~2 Corinthians 12:9 Today, Is Grace enough for you?

God speaks through Twitter?

God speaks through Twitter? That was the question I asked myself this weekend and my answer was....Yes! He can and he did!

I was having a rough week in the ministry. I was so burdened and overwhelmed by the hurt, struggles, and pain those I was visiting with were facing. I was meeting, this particular day, with a female athlete who was struggling with hurts and sin. My heart broke for her as she shared her background and the fact she struggled with the homosexual lifestyle. (I would like to say this was my first time with this kind of conversation, but it was far from it.) As we sat there, I could just feel the spiritual battle that was going on and man, did I have my full armor of God ready to go:) For the next two hours, I shared with her how much God loves her, how he wants to have a relationship with her, and that God had plans for her. We prayed, cried, laughed and I believed God wanted to do something in her and through her (and still do:)) Physically and Spiritually exhausted I got into my car, I listened to a voice mail message that I had received. It was from someone questioning FCA and our judgement in bringing former First Lady, Laura Bush, in to speak at our FCA All-State Event. I went back to the office and found out we had received some of the same questions at the office, some were even down right mean and hateful. Unaware of some of the things that she had been quoted, I sat there beat down because the very thing I was just battling with this young lady was the same thing FCA's integrity was being questioned for: Our stand on Homosexuality. On one hand, I was angry because maybe we shouldn't have brought her in because we could be sending mixed messages, although I knew she was coming to encourage these kids by sharing her faith in Christ. On the other hand, I was angry with these people's emails because they had no idea how much I minister to girls on this very issue. We ARE fighting this battle in the trenches. Not with hateful emails or picket signs, but with the Love of Christ. I was torn.

Then God used Twitter. I follow Rick Warren's tweets and he posted this:

"U don't have to dislike someone because u disagree with them! Love is

NOT a compromise of convictions. It's Christlikeness!

Wow!!! That says it all right there! It was so powerful for me! Maybe you dislike someone because you disagree with their politics or beliefs. Maybe you feel like you would be compromising if you became friends with someone who lives a different lifestyle. How will they ever know Jesus? We don't just tell people about Jesus, we show them Jesus. We talk like Jesus talked. We walk like Jesus walked. We loved like Jesus loved.

He ate with sinners, he talked with sinners, he walked with sinners, but He never left them the same. The tax collector paid back all his debts and followed Jesus. The prostitute gave up the industry and followed Jesus. The Samaritan woman who worshipped pagan gods and had lived with 5 different men left everything and followed Jesus Why? Because of how He loved them

John 1:17 says, "For the law was given through Moses, grace and truth came through Jesus Christ." We sometimes forget that we need both GRACE and TRUTH when sharing Jesus and I believe there is a reason GRACE is mentioned first because it must be given first in order to share TRUTH.

People don't here the "Good News" of Jesus Christ by picketing outside the state capitol or yelling at young girls going into abortion clinics. They hear the "Good News" of Jesus Christ when we show them the Love of Jesus Christ.

How does God want to use you to show His Son's Love today?

Submitting to your Husbands

Yep! I am going there!

"Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands."
~Ephesians 5:22-24

For the longest time this verse made me cringe due to my stubborness, thick-headed ways. This always seemed like a power-trip to me, but God has used this verse to teach me some amazing lessons about me, my husband, and above all HIM!
First of all, I am so glad I only have to submit to my "own husband" and not anyone else's:) Can I get an AMEN?!!
Second, after almost 13 years of marriage I am still learning to submit "in everything." I love my husband and he is a great leader, but Everything is a lot! Can't I just have something? What if he's not leading the way I thought He should? What if I am hearing God and He isn't? What if I could do it better? Aren't these the questions we, realistically ask ourselves in the heat of the moment?
I had one of these moments just a couple of weeks ago. We have been living in our duplex since August and life in the duplex is cozy with the 5 of us. I just knew whenever we sold our house we would finally get to move out of the duplex, immediately. Not that I am not grateful for the place to live, I am just ready to stop living out of boxes. Well, we finally sold our house. Yay!!! And I was all ready to go looking for the new Roberts' family home. Chris said he felt that we should not get in any hurry, stay in the duplex, and save up our money for awhile. Well, that went in one ear and out the other for me. I had a realtor, pre-approval for a loan, and house visits set up. He would go look at them with me, but he still felt this was not the right time. And so the tension began....There were frustrations, silent dinners, and more frustrations. Until.....God showed me I was not submitting in "everything." So, I went to Chris, humbly, and shared with him what God was showing me and that I submit to where God was leading him in leading our family. The tension, frustration, silence was immediately gone. Our circumstances hadn't changed but my heart had. It wasn't that I didn't trust my husband, it was that I didn't trust God to lead my husband. We think it is about laying our individual selves down to her husbands, but it is actually laying down ourselves to Christ.
If your husband is not leading the way you think he should, I have one piece of advice for you: Shut up and Pray!! We think we can change our husband when we didn't create our husband. If you want a change in the man, you can't go to the man, but to the one who created the man. And I promise if you commit to shut-up and pray you will see a change in him and you. Our calling as a wife, is to submit to the leadership of our husband so that we can come along side him and help him be all that God is calling him to be as a man of God.
And because I have committed to submit to my husband's leadership of this family, I have seen him step-up and seek God more and more. One of my favorite parts of my day, is when I walk into the living room or kitchen in the morning to catch my leader in his quiet time with His leader.
Will I give my opinions? Absolutely. Will I share my mind? Sure thing. Will I like everything? Probably not. But ultimately I trust my God with everything including my husband's decisions for our family. So, here is to the crazy journey of wife submission......and ultimately to God's plans for the Roberts' family!

God's Game Plan For You

What is God's plan for you life? Isn't that the million dollar question? We all want to know what God has created us to do, where he has created us to go, what purpose am I for etc. We all want to know God's will for our lives. Much like everyone else, we too, ask those questions as a coaching family. Is this the job God has for us? Is this where we are suppose to be? If this is the plan you have for us, then why is it so hard? Can you relate to any of these questions?

We know that the Bible says in Jeremiah 29:11, "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord. Plans to prosper you, not to harm you. Give you hope and a future."

I love that verse, but it is missing one thing....the part about filling us in on the plan. Don't you just wish God would lay out the blueprint for you life and say this is your PLAN. Here is where I am going to teach you this and this happens so I can teach you that, but Nope he doesn't.

So....where do we go from here to find God's Game plan for us? The Bible...of course:)



I have found two places in the Bible that have helped me when asking these questions.

First, "Be joyful, pray continually, and give thanks in all circumstances for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5:18

Ummm..he does lay it out there in pretty plain and simple terms: Be Joyful, pray continually, and give thanks in all circumstances. This is God's plan for our lives, but we try to complicate things by expecting God to micromanage our lives. God can use us wherever we are and we don't have to worry about where we are and where God wants us to be because as long as we are being joyful, seeking God in prayer, and giving him thanks for where we are, then we are in the will of God. If God wants us to make a move then He will open the door, if not then he will give us strength and power to stay where we are. Now, doesn't that take the worry, stress, and fear away? Well, for a little while anyway.



Second, I was reading in the book of Acts and I came across a Pharisee by the name of Gamaliel. I had never heard of this guy before, but, man, he was wise! After Peter was arrested and questioned for speaking the name of Jesus to the people of Jerusalem, he was preaching before the counsel and as the counsel was getting more and more enraged with Peter, Gamaliel, who was a teacher of the law and "held in honor by all the people" stood up (after giving some examples vs 36-37) and said, "if this plan or this undertaking is of man, it will fail, but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You might even be found opposing God."

We must ask ourselves this question whenever we are searching for God's detailed plan in our lives, "Is this plan that I am wanting to happen for God's Glory or for mine?" Because when it is for God's glory then it is a God plan, not just a good plan and God plans will not fail and nothing will be able to overthrow them.

So, if you are searching God today and feeling a little lost in this great big world-know that you were created for plan and with purpose: Being Joyful, praying continuously, and giving thanks. And when we follow this plan your eyes begin to open, doors begin to open, and a clear-path begins to take shape that God is leading you on and you just enjoy the journey.

Praying that God is leading your families today:)

Who are you?

Our church is doing an awesome series called "Who do you think you are?" It really has opened my eyes to who I am in Christ. You should check it out at lifechurch.tv!
I have noticed that there are many times, my view of myself does not match up to how God views me.
I had the to opportunity a while back to give the prayer at the Lakers/Thunder basketball game. It was a really neat experience, but something happened during the experience that has stuck in my head ever since. My husband and I were walking down the tunnel to the court where I would wait until they called me to center court. This tunnel was also the tunnel that the Lakers players walked through as well. As we were walking through we heard fans above us say, "Wait, Wait here comes somebody." I was feeling pretty good about myself-yep! I am somebody.....that lasted for about 5 seconds. As we were coming out of the tunnel, we then heard them say, "Nah-it's nobody." Wow! I just went from somebody to nobody in the matter of 5 seconds. What changed in that 5 seconds? Was I really a nobody? Well, yes to the crazy Laker fans I was, but to the King of Kings I was still somebody!!!
We all go through those times of identity crisis of Who am I? Our identity can get wrapped up in being a mom, wife, teacher, friend, supporter, cheerleader, and sometimes feeling like a nobody. These are not who we are, they are what God has called us to do.

"For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons (or daughters) of God.

For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you

have received the Spirit of adoption , by whom we cry, "Abba, Father!"

The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,

and if children of God then heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ..."

Romans 8:14-17

We are loved, beautiful, and above all.....somebody!! Oh and not just anybody, we are daughters of the King of Kings-princesses if you will! We are co-heirs to the throne with Christ Himself!

Last night, I was at an FCA event where Landry Jones, quarterback for the University of Oklahoma, shared his faith and there was one thing he talked about that hit me like a rock. He was explaining that when Jesus was baptized, the first thing God says is, "This is my son." Jesus then when into the wilderness for 40 days. After the 40 days, Satan came to him to tempt him 3 times and the first thing the enemy said was, "If you are the son of God..." If our enemy can make us doubt our identity then he can make us doubt our purpose. And if we doubt our purpose, we miss out on all the things God want to do in and through us. Jesus came out of the wilderness defeating the enemy because He knew who he was and therefore, knew his purpose. The bible says he then came out of the wilderness filled with the Holy Spirit. How we respond to the wilderness determines if we come out empowered by the Holy Spirit. Isn't that powerful?!!!!

Do not let the enemy make you doubt who you are! You are God's Daughter and you do have purpose!! Be excited...You are somebody!!!!!

Day of Love

Happy Valentines Day, girls!!

I woke up this morning so excited about Valentine's Day-I love Valentine's Day because it is a day set aside to celebrate those we love! Ready to start my day of love, I turned on the radio to hear people talk about how they hate Valentine's Day. I then get on facebook and read post after post about how they hate Valentine's Day too. People hate it because they are single, they hate to buy stuff, they hate it because their spouse will once more disappoint this Valentine's Day. I've been awake 3 hours on this day of love and I am depressed! What!! This is crazy!

We are suppose to celebrate LOVE today and the Bible says God IS Love so why are we not celebrating God today? Girls, it is time to change the focus on this day to the way St. Valentine first intended-celebrate the love God has for us and that we have for others!
The bible says in 1 John 4:19, "We love each other because God first loved us." And how did he love us? Well...."God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8. I don't care if you are single, married, divorced, or separated, you have something to celebrate today: You have a God that LOVED YOU so much that He was willing to die for you! Jesus gave his life so that you could spend eternity with him. Does love get any better than that? You are loved! Celebrate!

"Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another." 1 John 4:11

Notice it didn't say since God loved us, we should sit and wait for others to love on us too. No!!! We are to go out and show each other the same love that God shows us. You may not get flowers today, but you can sure send some. You may not have big dinner plans, but you can sure take some one to dinner. You may not feel loved today, but you can sure show love today. I am super excited to show love to a friend today who lost her husband to cancer 6 weeks ago by taking her to lunch. I want to love on her because she needs it. There is someone in your life that could use some love shown to them today and you could be that someone.

In the letter to the church of Ephesus in the Book of Revelation, Jesus tells them they have abandoned their first love-Him. This day is not about flowers, chocolates, or cupid etc. It is about returning to our first love, Jesus. I do love my husband, but He is not my first love. I do love my children, but they are not my first love. I love my friends, but they are not my first love. This Valentine's Day, lets return to our first love, the one who laid down His life for us. Then, let's show others how much we love them! This is the day of Love! And God is Love so let's celebrate by loving others!!!

Oh and last thing.........

I Love You!!!

The "Times" and "Seasons" in our life

Good Morning, Ladies!

Do you know how excited I am to write to you all today? Super excited! Why? Because that means I am not snowed in my house in Oklahoma! Last week was crazy and not the crazy that I am used to. This was stir crazy. As much as I loved the time I got to hang out with my family roasting hot dogs and marshmallows, getting my rear kicked in the Dora Matching game, and watching countless movies-this snow storm was not letting us do what we wanted to do. This storm was not letting us keep our schedule. This storm found us asking,at times, "is the winter season almost over yet?"

Isn't this what we do when we go through storms of life? We want to ask God why this is happening because this was not in the plans that we had. This storm in our life is not letting me do what I want to do. Is this stormy season in my life almost over, God?
The disciples asked Jesus a similar question in Acts 1:6, "So when they had come together, they asked him, "Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom of Israel?"

This was their way of saying, "Jesus, is our storm over yet?" They had waited a long time for Israel to come back into power. In their mind, that is what the Messiah was suppose to do. Jesus was suppose to restore Israel into a great nation once again. The disciples wanted and thought they needed to know if this time in their life was going to be over, this season was going to pass. "Is it now Jesus, is it now?"

We might be asking Jesus, "Is it time for my season of having a struggling marriage, over?"
"Is it time for my season of having a rebellious child, over?" Is it time for my season of having a job I don't like, over? "Is it time for my season of struggling with depression, over?" Is it time for my season of having sick kids, over?

Let the answer Jesus gave to his disciples be the same answer He want to give us today:
"It is not for you to know the times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you..."

If you are like me this is not really the answer we want, but it is the answer we need! He is asking us to trust Him with our entire being and that means with our questions, our hard times, and yes, our stormy seasons.
Here is the encouragement....
Being married to a football coach, I have to get ready for the season mentally, spiritually, relationally, and physically because I become single mom, my husband's number one fan, confidant, cheerleader, and his water girl. As hard, fun, and crazy as it is, there is always one thing that I can count on...off-season. The season does end and there is always an off-season. A time where we get to reconnect, re-energize, and re-load.

We need to be reminded that we may not get to know when the stormy seasons in our life ends, but just that they do and until they do God will give us the Power to sustain and become stronger! I read this statement in a book I was reading and loved it: "We are promised in the 23rd Psalm, that we walk through the valley of the shadow of death-we don't set up camp there."

So... as we prepare for another snow storm this week in Oklahoma, I know this too, will pass and Spring will come. You may not know when your storm will pass, but trust that Jesus does and will see you through to your Spring Time!

I Need to Vent

Hey girls!

It is a Monday morning and there are things I would like to get off my chest today! I just want to use you all as someone to vent, so here goes....

1) I hate it when that girl says one thing and does another. Doesn't she know the Bible says, Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord." Proverbs 12 :22

2) I hate it when that girl uses her words to hurt the hearts of people. Doesn't she know the Bible says, "Don't let any unwholesome talk come from your mouth, but only that which is used to build people up according to their needs." Ephesians 4:29

3) I hate it when that girl judges people about things she doesn't struggle with. Doesn't she know the Bible says to take the plank out of your own eye before you point out the plank in your brothers eye." Luke 6:41

4) I hate it when that girl thinks she is just a little bit better than some people and then the next minute thinks she doesn't measure up to anybody. Doesn't she know the Bible says, "...not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgement." Romans 12:3 and she is "fearfully and wonderfully made." Psalm 139:4

5) I hate it when that girl thinks just because other people do it differently doesn't make them wrong OR herself wrong....just different. Doesn't she know the Bible says, "Having gifts that differ according the grace given to us, let us us them." Romans 12:6

6) I hate it when that girl speaks when she should be silent. Doesn't she know the Bible says, "there is a time to speak and there is a time to be silent." Ecclesiastes 3:7

7) I hate it when that girl doesn't listen to the advice of others and thinks she's right all the time. Doesn't she know the Bible says, "The way of the fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice." Proverbs 12:15

8)I hate it when that girl looks at other people's children and says "My kids will never act like that." Doesn't she know the Bible says, "Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord." Psalm 127:3

9) I hate it when that girl open her mouth and all it is is complaining and negativity. Doesn't she know the Bible says, "There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing." Proverbs 12:18

And the thing I HATE the most is.....

10) When "That Girl" is ME! And Yes I do know the Bible says all those things!

I have been wanting to write a blog post for awhile about the "elephant in the room" -The horrible things we, as woman, do and say. Honestly, I was ready to write it a long time ago because I wanted to vent about what I was seeing in other women, but God showed me with each instance I witnessed (and was extremely angry about) that I, too, had done each and everyone of them and it made me sick. We live in a world where we size each other up and then work to tear each other down when God wants us to ENCOURAGE one another, speak TRUTH and GRACE to those around us, don't get so offended when someone speaks WISDOM in your life, BUILD UP our friends, parents, sisters, husbands, AND enemies. He wants us to ENCOURAGE a mom who might be struggling with a child in a store. He wants us to be SLOW to SPEAK when we really want to share what is on our mind right then. He wants us to SEE people the way that HE sees them-with unconditional LOVE. He wants us to be who HE created us to be and NOBODY ELSE. When we compare ourselves to one another, good or bad, we break the heart of God because that means we are not satisfied with who He created us to be.
I really do hate these things that I do and I know that God does too, but HE still loves me and you!

What it all comes down to is we want to be loved and accepted and I am hear to remind YOU and ME that God loves you and He loves me. So....who can we extend that LOVE, GRACE, and ENCOURAGEMENT, that God so freely gives to us, to today?

Faith of the 3

Each morning before we go to school I read the Bible to the kids and before we go to bed we do a devotion over what we read that morning. I love hearing how their little minds take in the Word of God. It's never quite how we (the parents) think. This morning, we were reading about Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego being thrown in the fire by King Nebuchadnezzar because they would not bow down to the king's statue. While I was trying to teach my children that it wasn't because of a superhero superpower like on the Fantastic Four that the reason the 3 weren't being burned up, God opened my own eyes to the Faith of these 3 boys. It was one comment that made me look inside myself and ask "Do I have that kind of Faith?"

In Daniel 3:16-18 it says, "Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied to the King, "Oh Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if He does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up."

There were a few things that spoke to me and maybe it will speak to you too:) First, they didn't feel the need to defend themselves. Wow! They didn't defend themselves. They didn't try to talk their way out of why God is the one true God. They showed it with their actions. Do you ever feel like you have to defend Jesus in this world? I do all the time. I feel like I defend the Bible, Jesus, my faith and honestly it feels like I am beating a dead horse sometimes. These boys showed me you don't defend your faith with words, but show your faith with actions. You don't defend Jesus, you show Jesus. You don't defend your church, you be the church.

The second thing I learned was no matter what the outcome was going to be, they chose to see the goodness of God for who He was not for what He could do for them. They believed God was the all-powerful, all-knowing God that was able to save them, but even if He didn't save them, their view of Him never changed: God was still the great God Almighty. Can we say the same for our faith in God?

"God, I believe you can heal my mom, but if you don't you are still the Great God Almighty"
"God, I believe you can save my marriage, but if you don't you are still the Great God Almighty"
"God, I believe you will make me a mother someday, but if you don't you are still the Great God Almighty"
"God, I believe you will provide a new job, but if you don't you are still the Great God Almighty."

I want to have the kind of faith that my circumstances do not change how Great our God is!

Last God showed me its easier to stand up for the things of God when you have people to stand with you! The Bible says in Ecclesiastes, "Two are better than one for they have good return for their work. For if one falls down, they have someone to pick them up, but pity the man that falls and has no one to pick them up."
That is what is so amazing about having a spouse, a friend, a mom, a sister etc. You can pick each other up, spur each other on, encourage one another and when your faith is tested you have someone to stand with you to fight, fight, fight!!
We need to surround ourselves with people that love the Lord and who are willing to walk into the burning furnace with us for the cause of Christ!

When your faith is tested, will you get burned?