Each year I ask God for my own personal theme. That might sound a little out there, but stay with me for a moment. A themed year causes me to have focus, direction and brings me to attention when I go through things that need to be lined up to the theme.

This year God gave me two words, ” YES, LORD.” They may only be two, but they pack a powerful punch. When saying “YES” my focus gets turned from me to the God who created me for His purposes. In addition to that, it trains me because I am not that skilled at saying “YES”. I often want to say ” What? You have got to be kidding me, Lord!” But, this year, the instructions are clear, “YES” is the theme.

Many of you know that I have been off the blog due to illness. It has taken any strength that I do have to just keep going day to day with all my regular responsibilities.  Think being pregnant and VERY sick, but NOT!

This week I am scheduled for gallbladder surgery and I am hoping that I will be much better after that. But, in the meantime, I continue to learn to Look Up to Jesus and am being trained by those two words, YES LORD!

I would like to share a passage that popped for me  during my reading this morning. I think I will SIT with this for the week and let God speak to me. Perhaps you would like to do the same.

Today’s Truth: 1 Peter 1: 1-2, 6-7 ( highlight for emphasis)

” Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To God’s elect, strangers in the world, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood:

Grace and peace be yours in abundance.

In This you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to sufffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith-of greater worth than gold, which perhishes even though refined by fire- may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.”

I see two distinct themes here:

First: My identity in Christ is affirmed, and so is yours.

• God’s elect
• Strangers in the world
• Chosen by God
• For obedience to Jesus Christ

Secondly: My trials and sufferings have a purpose, and so do yours.

• To increase my faith in God
• To prove that my faith in God is genuine
• To bring Him praise and glory

We can not say YES LORD when we are not standing in our identity as His. But note that as His, I am to live as a STRANGER to this world. Funny how we learn our entire life how to FIT into this world, but God’s word says we are strangers and need to live as such. As strangers our main calling is to live as those CHOSEN for OBEDIENCE to Christ!

“Yes Lord”, goes so well with this, doesn’t it? We have been chosen for obedience. Let that sit with you for awhile each day this week. And…in this place our trials are producing genuine faith in us.

What is your theme this year? If you don’t have one, you might want to join me in learning to say ” YES, LORD”

Today’s Prayer

Father, I know how to live according to the plan of those who raised me and the culture that has shaped me. I know how to fit into the church culture that has been part of my life for years, but I am not that skilled at living as a stranger to all of that, for the sake of hearing you and following you. Teach me how to say, YES, and how to follow your ways. Thank you for choosing me to live in obedience, now just teach me what that means and how to live it out.

Affirmations

I have been chosen for obedience to Jesus Christ!

My trials are producing genuine authentic faith!

I would love to hear from you! Leave a messasge and I will make sure it gets posted!

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Christmas is just a few short days away, and as I prepare for the celebration, I am reminded of God’s goodness.

I know it seems I have been missing in action. So, I just wanted to send a brief update, and send Christmas Blessings to each of you who log in to follow this blog.

I haven’t blogged because I have been pretty sick, and just keeping my regular schedule has been challenging. I am meeting with a surgeon this morning to have my gallbladder removed. Basically, it quit working, so it’s gotta go. In the meantime, I have been forced by illness to a fast of sorts….anything makes me sick! I am feeling sad that I can not even have ONE Christmas cookie!!! Have I ever told you that I love Christmas Cookies??

Speaking of the “the meantime”…Today is the Monday before Christmas. We have a few days to not only get ready to celebrate and spend time enjoying the holiday, but also we have a few days to ponder, reflect and meditate on the birth of the Savior.

Prepare room for Him in your heart this week, in your head this week, and in your interactions with others.

I look forward to 2010, and will join you again…then.

In the meantime, I will trust the God who holds all things together, and works to conform everything to His will ( Eph 1:11)

Merry Christmas

Debbie

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Today is my birthday.  I am not shouting that out to receive well wishes or gifts. But, it is a statement of gratitude. I can still remember being in my 20’s, suffering with chronic hepatitis, later being diagnosed with a liver that was slowing burning out. I was very afraid. I had one young son and was afraid that I would not see him grow up. But, in a month, he will be 29, and I was blessed to have another who is now 25.

Silently and without fanfare the disease went into a back closet, I began to feel well, and tests reflected the remission. What once was a Dr. telling me that he suspected my liver would burn out in 3-5 years, has become many more years of life…27 more years to be exact! In the end, for each of us, God is the author of our days, isn’t He?

So, while some are distressed about getting older, I am humbled by it as the years go by. Thankful for the time, my family, friends, and love. Thankful for the opportunity to look for God in all things and learn about him more and more. Thankful for the gift of being his instrument, as the Bible says we are. Thankful for purpose in the mundane, purpose in loving others, and purpose in spiritual growth. And, yes thankful for even lessons learned in all my dumb mistakes!

But, I have not always been thankful on my birthdays. I used to get wierd, dysfunctional, and disappointed. Many women tell me they can relate to that. But about 5 years ago, that turned around. God led me to think of others on “my day”. I planned a luncheon with my friends and carefully selected gifts for “them”. What a joy it was to celebrate them as a reflection of celebrating my own life. That turned everything around for me. What a lesson.

Today, I celebrate.

I celebrate you, dear friends…

• Some of you are my family, past and present…Oh, I want you to know I love you deeply and always.
• Some of you are personal friends…I want you to know I could not imagine life without you.
• Some of publishing friends…I am grateful for you and the opportunities you have opened for me to glorify God and bring women closer to Him.
• Some are friend from my church Cornerstone Fellowship in Livermore, CA… what a joy to share in church community together!
• Some are new friends from retreats and speaking engagements, some are old friends from Orange County, L.A. or Bakersfield.
• Some of you are even friends who have met me through reading my books.

But, one thing for sure…your lives have touched mine, and I love you.

These days I start my “new year” with a theme, a verse to process and hold on to. I would like to share this year’s with you:

From the Message

Psalm 33

“From where he sits he overlooks all us earth-dwellers. He has shaped each person in turn, now he watches everything we do. Watch this. God’s eye is on those who respect him, the ones who are looking for his love. He’s ready to come to their rescue in bad times, in lean times he keeps body and soul together. We’re depending on GOD; he’s everything we need. What’s more, our hearts brim with joy since we’ve taken for our own his holy name. Love us, GOD, with all  you’ve got, that’s what we’re depending on.”

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