Have you ever gotten a recall notice for your car?  It’s a little freaky.  After all, you’ve been driving the car around and everything appears to be going just fine.  Then you discover that something needs to be replaced.  There is a part inside this metal box that you take to 50, 60 maybe 70 miles per hour that is not right.  Whether you can tell the car’s broke doesn’t matter.  It’s broke and you need to get it fixed.

Sometimes your thoughts can be broke.  You wake up in the morning and you’re in a great mood, but along the way your mind seems to be feeding on negativity.  It might sound like  “This is stupid.  I can’t believe I have to do this.” or “What’s the matter with those people?”  Or even “Everything I do seems to get screwed up.”  Unfortunately, as you are going through your day, you don’t think about your thoughts being broke.  You think your thoughts are just fine.  But guess what?  God has sent out a recall notice to your negative thinking.  You’ll find it in Philippians 4:8 and it goes like this:

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable — if anything is excellent or praiseworthy — think about such things.

I know if I looked at this list from God of things I should be thinking about and then looked at what I have spent the last hour thinking about, they would not match up.  Yes, I could definitely go for a recall on my thoughts from God.

Maybe the clearest way to understand the thoughts that need to be recalled is to look at what is the opposite of the things God says in Philippians 4:8 that you should be thinking. The first on the list is truth.   The opposite of truth is lies so you should replace the lies others say to you and especially those you say to yourself like Instead of thinking “I’m worthless “replace it with truth like “I’m God’s precious child.”

The next on the list of preferred thoughts are noble and admirable.  The opposite of these are dishonorable thoughts like deceit, manipulation or shame.  Thoughts like “It’ll be OK if nobody finds out.” God would replace with “It’s better to tell the truth.”

Obviously, the opposite of pure and lovely thoughts are impure and ugly thoughts.  God would choose for your mind pictures, songs and words that show the loveliness of this world rather than it’s darkness.

To sum it all up, God says to think about anything that is excellent and praiseworthy.  Thoughts of jealousy, anger, unforgiveness, self-depreciating, and hopelessness God wants to recall and replace with thoughts of thankfulness, kindness, peace, joy and hope.  Nowhere on God’s recall notice does it say replacing these thoughts will be easy, but believe me friend, each negative thought replaced by a godly thought is well worth the repair.  Don’t wait.  Take your mind into the shop today.

This is some good music!  Do you need a little lift to your morning?  Do you need to hear and feel a little joy of the Lord?  Have I got a song for YOU!  Mandisa has teamed up with Toby Mac to deliver a put-a-smile-on-your-face morning song.  Love Mandisa, love Toby Mac, love this song.

Give it a listen and down below, listen to Mandisa tell you how the song came about.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24oRPAsTFkM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nux4TiR9Vw8

There are LOTS of historical romance out there but this one is exceptional.  The Colonel’s Lady is the story of Roxanna Rowan a young woman stranded at a Kentucky frontier outpost during the Revolutionary War.  So there’s trouble from the British, the Indians, the spies and of course the dashing commander Colonel Cassius McLinn.  Only problem is that the colonel she is falling in love with accidentally shot her father.  At it’s core, this is a story of redemption and I love stories of redeeming the unforgivable.

Frantz does an excellent job of presenting a vibrant and dynamic setting for her book with plenty of historical information to intrigue the reader without pulling away from the plot.  Some good twists I did not see coming and a couple light hearted characters to keep me smiling.  The author seems to favor stories about women that have ended up in places they have no business being and needing to find the inner strength to find their way out.  I really relate to that!  Enjoy the fun, face paced read.  I know I did.

Find out more here:   http://www.amazon.com/Colonels-Lady-Novel-Laura-Frantz/dp/080073341X/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpi_2/182-2868364-0101448

“God always intervenes when you put His agenda before yours and go for it!”

Do you know why they call preschoolers toddlers?  Because they toddle.  As they waddle around, for no apparent reason, they trip and then “SMACK!” they crash into the floor.  This is followed by loud wails and gasping breaths.  At this point, one of two things have happened.  The toddler has either hurt themselves and are in need of some first aid or they are not hurt and are only crying because they have startled themselves.  Usually a band aid and a kiss on the head will remedy the child that’s truly hurt but it’s amazing how long a startled child can cry when they are not really hurt at all.  It makes it much harder to get past the hurt when the child can’t seem to think about anything else.

I’m like that sometimes.  Sometimes after getting hurt, I find myself thinking about the event long after the hurt is gone.  I’m fine but I don’t want to pass up an opportunity for some good self-pity.  You gotta admit, sometimes wallowing around in a nice pool of self-pity can be soothing.  You might think things like “I didn’t deserve that.”  Or “Who do they think they are?” or even “Why do bad things always have to happen to me?”  After all, when bad things happen don’t you deserve a good dose of self-pity?

As a counselor, I have met lots of people that have been mistreated, ignored, neglected and abused.  It would be easy for me to give you a list of people that deserve to feel sorry for themselves.   But what would self-pity do to their life?  Self-pity is the fastest path to self-absorption.  I know; I’ve been there.  If I’m steeped in self-pity I can’t even think about putting aside my anger because the self-pity fuels it into bitterness and self-righteousness.  And forgiveness?  Forget that.  I can’t think about forgiving someone when I’m so focused on my own hurt.  Anger, bitterness, unforgivness, self-righteousness.   Even if the most horrible wrong has been done to you, you don’t deserves to live a life coated in self-pity.

So how do you break free from self-pity? The Apostle Paul knew how.  Between his ship wrecks, imprisonments and brutal beatings, Paul had lots of opportunity to wallow in self-pity but he considered that a waste.  In Philippians 3:8 he says “For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ.”  Paul lost his safety, his health, his status and his dignity but this was nothing in comparison to what he gained in Christ.  You see Paul experienced more than Christ’s salvation; he experienced Christ’s restoration-over and over again.  When he was in pain, Christ soothed him.  When he was humiliated, Christ lifted him. And when he was frightened, Christ strengthened him.  How important is your hardship if you have the abundance of Christ to restore you?

Your hurts are real and immensely painful but restoration does not come from focusing on the hurt.  It comes from focusing on the only one that can restore you.  Sweet, sweet restoration.

So when was the last time you walked on the water?  When was the last time Jesus called you to step out of your cozy comfort zone and come towards Him in the middle of a storm?  Maybe you invited your neighbor to an event up at church or you offered to pray for a coworker facing a hard time.  Maybe you got help for a problem you know has been pulling your life off track.  Britt Nicole uses her soothing yet passionate voice to identify with the fears of walking towards Christ.   It’s like she says “Your insecurities they try to hold to you.”

This song softly nestles into my mind and then it’s like a shout out right into my soul– “What are you waiting for?”  Before I know it, I’m singing along and wondering the same thing.

You look around, staring back at you
Another wave of doubt, will it pull you under? You wonder
What if I’m overtaken? What if I never make it?
What if no one’s there? Will You hear my prayer?

So what are you waiting for? What do you have to lose?
Your insecurities, they try to hold to you
But you know you’re made for more, so don’t be afraid to move
Your faith is all it takes, and you can walk on the water, too

Don’t ignore your call to walk on the water and draw closer to your Lord.  Amen to that!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wddc8UzNiG8

I love stories of old love.  That’s right.  Not stories of young love, those are a dime a dozen.  I love stories of couples that have shared their lives and hurts for decades and against all odds find a way to still share their love.  Patience of a Saint is just such a story.  Red Kane is a Chicago newspaper reporter that between  investigations of dirty politicians and unexplained disappearances, He experience a renewal of the Holy Spirit.  Despite his better judgment, Red sets out to restore his broken marriage.  The story of redemption is not one sided but two showing the rewards of one person taking the first step.  Greeley shows how to disclose the baggage that two people can let fester until it dampens the joy of a loving relationship.

My favorite part of the book is when Red decides he is going to back to being his old ornery self and finds the Holy Spirit does not let him go so easily.  What a releif to know that the love of the Lord can stalk us and lure us back to His loving arms.  Read the book– One of my all time favorites– and renew your own belief of restoration in  your life.  It’s fun to read about Chicago too.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/044651294X/sr=1-1/qid=1318463417/ref=olp_product_details?ie=UTF8&me=&qid=1318463417&sr=1-1&seller=

“I love to give charity; but I don’t want to be charity.  This is why I have so much trouble with grace. ..It isn’t that I want to earn my own way to give something to God, it’s that I want to earn my own way so I won’t be charity.”

Have you ever been stuck on a plane?  If you have, you know exactly what I’m talking about.  You and a glob of other people stroll onto your plane with all intention of flying off into the clear blue sky .  You stow your bag, fasten your seat belt then the captain’s voice announces a “delay”.   There’s no getting off the plane so you sit.  He says it will be 30 minutes.  Then he comes back and says 45 minutes. An hour and a half later, you’re still sitting on the plane.  You have plans, you have places to go but none of that matters anymore.  You have to accept that you’re not going anywhere.  You’re stuck.

Life can do that to you sometimes.  In life, you can get stuck.  You are going on your merry way and suddenly life gets difficult and there’s no getting out of it.  It may be caused by something you did or by no fault of your own.  Either way, you’re stuck.  Being stuck in life seems to fall into two categories: you have less to do or you have more to do.  Having less is when one day you’re working overtime and the next day you’re looking for a job.  Or one day you’re fit as a fiddle and the next you’re facing a procedure, a biopsy or a lengthy recuperation.  All those times in your busy life you wished for less to do but not like this. You’ve enter a time of your life when your work is is not about your qualifications but about what’s needed.

Then there are the times you find yourself stuck with more.   Sick parents, an unwanted pregnancy, or a second job all bring a stage of life when you need to do more.  When you get stuck it’s good to try to push to get your equilibrium back.  But as you strive to get back on track, you need to accept the work that has been placed before you.  God knows you’re stuck but that doesn’t mean there’s not work for you to do.  Right now your work may be about taking care of children, going back to school, looking for a job, or focusing on getting healthy.  This work may not be what you planned or what you want but if it’s the work you have before you, don’t add to your distress by not accepting it.

Psalm 90:17 says Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands upon us; yes, establish the work of our hands! You may distinctly notice that my name is not in that verse. I am not to establish the work of my hands. It’s not my place to decide this is what I should be doing or should not be doing.  It’s the Lord’s place.  Always seek His guidance but then accept the work the Lord has placed before you.  Don’t distress because your life is just like being stuck on a plane– one day you maybe be sitting, but after the delay, you’ll be taking off!

I’m feelin’ the need for a little worship music.  There is something amazing about stopping your day and doing nothing for a few minutes but focusing on the glory of God.  Great stress reducer!  Helps put everything into perspective.  Let God Arise is one of my favorite praise songs.  When I sing it I feel less of me and more of Him.  But of course I have to sing really LOUD, which may not be such a good thing for any listening ears.   With this song, it’s hard to praise the Lord sitting still.  Look at the crowd in the video and you’ll see what I mean.

Hear the holy roar of God resound
Watch the waters part before us now
Come and see what He has done for us
Tell the world of His great love

His enemies will run for sure
The church will stand, she will endure
He holds the keys of life, our Lord
Death has no sting, no final word

Take a minute from your hectic day and rock out with Chris Tomlin and the Lord!  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SaLckqfvZHQ