My New Tattoo

"If you had to get a tattoo, where would you get it and what would it be?" Have you ever been asked that in one of those 20 Questions type of games? I always have a hard time answering. I guess I'm just not a tattoo kind of gal.

I remember when my two sisters went together and both got tattoos. My feelings were a little hurt that they didn't invite me. "You'd never get a tattoo!" they exclaimed. They were right. But it still would have been nice to be invited.

While some Christians are strongly against tattoos, others equally for them. Leviticus 19:28 says,“‘Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the LORD," but even that is up to your interpretation. Some say we aren't under the Old Testament laws anymore, so it no longer matters. Others say the verse means not to tattoo the names of your dead on yourself, but does not forbid other tattoos.

But the other day, I read a verse in Isaiah 44:5, and realized what tattoo I wanted. The verse says, "others will write on their hand, ‘The LORD’s.'" THE LORD'S. I love that. How wonderful to have a constant reminder tattooed on my hand that I could always see. THE LORD'S. Reminding me who I belong to, who I represent, and who died for me.

Did you know the Lord also has my name tattooed on his hand? In Isaiah 49:16 God says, "I have engraved you on the palms of my hands." The Amplified Bible puts it this way, " I have indelibly imprinted (tattooed a picture of) you on the palm of each of My hands."

Just imagine that on my hand is tattooed "The Lord's" and on His hand is tattooed, "Kelly." I love that image. He is our forever God, written in permanent ink.

So, about my new tattoo...truth is, I didn't get one. I'm still not the tattoo type. Besides the complete verse in Isaiah 44:5 says, "Some will say, ‘I belong to the LORD’; others will call themselves by the name of Jacob; still others will write on their hand, ‘The LORD’s,’ and will take the name Israel."

I guess I'm more the type to just say, "I belong to the LORD." And I do. Do you?

Dancing in the Rain, Book Review

Imagine hearing these words, "Your baby won't live. It most likely won't even be born alive." These are the terrible words that Cindy Shufflebarger heard when the baby she was carrying was diagnosed with trisomy 18.

The pain that followed was the greatest storm of Shufflebarger's life. Her precious daughter was born and died within a couple of days. The suffering of the loss of her daughter, Ashlynn, left Shufflebarger with two choices: drowning in the storm of her life, or Dancing in the Rain. She was determined, with the help of God, to dance.

Shufflebarger shares with her readers the hope of God's love even in the midst of suffering. She shares her story, while drawing the reader in to examine their own life storms. I especially enjoyed the "God says" heading at the end of each chapter where she shares Bible verses to help weather your own storm. The book is heavy with scripture to support each chapter, and I found that to be a huge positive and a blessing to the reader.

Each chapter also has a "Your Chance to Dance" heading where she offers substantive and concrete application tips for the reader to apply in their own life to help overcome their storms.

Because of her faith, Shufflebarger is Dancing in the Rain. If you would like to be able to dance in the rain too, you may purchase her book. To learn more about Shufflebarger, visit her website.

I Will Survive!

Go on now go! Walk out the door.
Just turn around now 'cause you're not welcome anymore.
I Will Survive, Gloria Gaynor, 1979

Sin. Sometimes it seems it's hard to resist doing the wrong thing. We try to do right, yet we blow it! Don't think that it's by accident either. The Bible is clear. The Devil is there to attack us and tell us lies. As a matter of fact, his name "Diabolos" means slanderer, and the root word also makes the word diabolical.

The Devil takes evil and makes it look good to us. Look at his first victims, Adam & Eve. He confused them as to what exactly God had told them (not to eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good & Evil.) He convinced them that God was holding out on them, and next thing you know Adam & Eve ate the fruit and created the divide of sin between them and God.

And we continue to do the same thing today. But the Bible is clear on how we can make the accuser, the slanderer, the diabolical liar leave us alone. Submit to God, and resist the devil. If we resist him, the devil will flee us.

So next time the devil is accusing you, simply sing out loud, "Go on now go! Walk out the door. Just turn around now 'cause you're not welcome anymore!" The devil's lies can make us feel like dying, but with God on our side, we can sing "I will survive!" With God, we can not only survive, but thrive.

Musical Musings:
1. 1 Peter 5:8 says, "Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." Does knowing this confirm to you the fact that sin is no accident?
2. James 4:7 says, "Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." Do you believe this, and if so what is keeping you from telling the devil to Go!
3. Ephesians 6:11 says, "Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes." Stand firm against the devil today and tell him to "walk out that door!"

Karaoke: Dear Lord, thank you for giving me ammunition to use against the devil. Forgive me, Lord, when instead of standing against the devil I give in to his lies and temptations. Help me to be strong in your word, so that I can resist the devil and submit to you. In Jesus Name, Amen.

Rock on: Read Ephesians 6:10-20 to learn how to put on the full armor of God and win the battles against the devil.

Five Ws

Who? What? When? Where? Why?

These are known as the 5 Ws. It is the "formula" that journalists use for getting all the answers on something.

But what about as a Christian? Do we know the answers to the 5Ws? The Bible answers all our of questions.

Who? Who are we in Christ? Do we know we are children of God?
John 1:12-13 -- Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.

What? What does it mean to be a Christian? How should we be living as Christians?
Galatians 2:20 -- I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

When? When should we decide to become a Christian? Is there any urgency?
Matthew 24:36,42-44 -- “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him."

Where? Where are we going to end up? How do we know we will have eternal life?
1 John 5:10-13 -- Whoever believes in the Son of God accepts this testimony.... And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.

Why? This one reminds me of the Mickey Mouse club. "Why? Because we like you!" Actually, it's because he loves us. He loves us so much that he lay down his life for us to spend eternity with him.
John 3:16 -- For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

These Bible verses just give you a glimpse of the answers in the Bible. Why not get the full story today. Start reading your Bible, regularly. It really does have all the answers!

Sock Stealer

As I sat on the bottom steps to put on my shoes and socks, as I often do, I noticed one of my socks "disappeared." "ANNIE!" I shouted. Annie is our golden retriever...and chief sock stealer. She pulls socks out of clothes baskets, gym bags, and from unsuspected folks putting on shoes and socks on the stairwell.

As I stood up to go after her, I noticed my missing sock. I had some how managed to sit on it, and I had it all the time! "You blamed Annie, and she didn't even do it," my daughter and Annie's #1 fan exclaimed. She was right. But it offered a chance for a teaching moment.

Join me over at Titus 2 in Action, where I am a featured contributor every other Wednesday, to read about this teachable moment, and how we are defined by our character.

Bridge Over Troubled Water

When you're weary, Feeling small
When tears are in your eyes, I will dry them all
Bridge Over Troubled Water, Simon & Garfunkel, 1970

Life is hard. There is no doubt about it. It seems that there is always another hurdle to jump, always another problem. Our economy has so many out of jobs. It seems like more and more people are fighting cancer. School kids are bullied. And even problems that come as consequences of our own bad decisions. Big problems, little problems, lots of problems.

But then there is Jesus. He knows. He warned us, "In this world you will have trouble." But He went on to say, "I have overcome the world." And Jesus lay down his life for us, on the cross, to overcome this world so that we may have eternal life in the next. Our lives are troubled. But Jesus came like a bridge over troubled water. "I will lay me down."

So when you're weary, feeling small, when tears are in your eyes, HE will dry them all. HE's on your side, when times get rough and friends just can't be found...when evening falls so hard, HE will comfort you....HE'll take your part when darkness comes, and pain is all around.

The lyrics of this song form a beautiful picture of the healing that comes with Jesus. Yes, we will have troubled water, but if we follow Jesus, he will lead us to quiet water in this life, and give us living water for the next.

Musical Musings:
1. Psalm 23 promises Jesus will lead us to quiet water and restore our soul. If your facing troubled waters today, try to look to Jesus and his quiet water.
2. The "Woman the Well" was experiencing hard times, perhaps from her own bad decisions. Yet, Jesus still offered her living water. How does that encourage you, if your troubled waters are because of mistakes you have made?
3. Revelation 7:17 promises "the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; ‘he will lead them to springs of living water.’ ‘And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes." Look forward today to the time of God wiping every tear from your eyes. He will.

Karaoke:
Dear Lord - thank you for being our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Help us feel your presence in a real and solid way as we struggle through the troubles of this life, and fill us with your living water so that we can be with you forever. Thank you for being that bridge over troubled water, and laying yourself down to give us eternal life. In Jesus Name, Amen.

Rock on: Read the story of the woman at the well, found in John 4.

Listen to the lyrics of Bridge Over Troubled Water performed by Michael W. Smith by clicking the link or watching here on my blog.

No Quick Fix

You should have seen the biceps on this girl! I was attending a party for the neighborhood kids to meet each other, and one of the moms had amazing arms. It was obvious that she was a fan of the gym. "Nice guns!" I said, using the euphemism for defined biceps, to strike up a conversation with her.

I was probably a little envious of her physique, and even felt a little inferior comparatively. But the truth is she didn't have a magic potion or secret weapon. She went to the gym 5 days a week. She did cardio and lifted weights. She put in the time, and saw the results.

Do you ever feel a little envious of some one's relationship with God? Do you ever feel inferior? The truth is, they don't have a secret weapon either! They are putting in the time, and seeing the results. They are studying God's Word and spending time in prayer.

There is no quick fix in physical fitness, or in spiritual fitness. We have to put in the work. My new friend shared that she loves going to the gym now. "Once you get into the routine," she shared, "you feel bad if you miss a day." Spiritual fitness is the same way. Once you get into the routine, you won't want to miss a day.

Why not start building some spiritual muscle today!

"She girds herself with strength [spiritual, mental, and physical fitness for her God-given task] and makes her arms strong and firm."
Proverbs 31:17, Amplified Bible