Reach Up Before You Reach Out

I've never been much of a fiction reader, but Kathi Macias, an author with godly, caring heart, captured my own heart and I've read a number of her books.

"As an author, I tend to write books about some pretty heavy topics—the persecuted Church, human trafficking, incarcerated loved ones," Kathi said. "You’d think that very focus would also keep me focused on the most important thing—my relationship with God, for how else would I dare tackle such difficult subjects?"

Kathi continues:

But even in the midst of writing about such horrific problems, I occasionally find myself drifting off-point and forgetting that there is absolutely no way in the world that I can right these wrongs on my own. Can anyone relate?

I believe it’s important for us to cultivate a social conscience that responds to injustice and suffering, hearts and lives that are “moved with compassion,” as Jesus was when He saw the hurting masses. But even Jesus never attempted to remedy the situations in a human way.

Jesus…lifted up His eyes to heaven (John 17:1, NKJV).

Instead, He took every possible opportunity to go off to a quiet place and commune with His Father before reaching out in ministry.

Though my heart is to call on women to become actively involved in one or more aspects of such vital ministry—writing letters of support to believers suffering for their faith; volunteering time to help feed the homeless or lead a Bible study behind bars; donating time or money or material goods to a safe house for trafficking survivors—I first want to caution against falling into the trap of trying to reach out before reaching up.

When we step out into ministry, we encounter darkness and serious resistance. Because of that it is vital that we make our first priority the same as it was for Jesus—regularly spending time with the Father before reaching out to His children.

It is the most effective thing we can ever do, both as women and as Christians.

May God bless and guide you as you look to the Father for the strength to be “moved with compassion” for the many needs around you.

As you spend time with God this week, will you purpose to seek His heart concerning your family? Your community? The world? Will you ask Him, "Father, what would you have me do?"

Kathi Macias is the author of 40 books, including titles in the "Freedom Series" and "Extreme Devotion Series." Her most recent novel, The Moses Quilt, deals with racial and generational divides and the impact of the Gospel.

A popular speaker and Bible teacher, Kathi lives in Southern California with her husband, Al. Learn more about Kathi and her books at www.kathimacias.com.

What Do You See in the Mirror?

Meet Lynn Mosher: Lynn writes about many topics, but I was struck by one she wrote about women's appearance.

"In the morning," she said, "when you get up and look into the bathroom mirror, scratching here and there, what stares back at you? Do you like that image? When you’re all gussied up, do you like that image better?"

Lynn shares some simple tips to help women consider their appearance from a biblical perspective.

Body image. We all have one of ourselves, whether positive or negative. Unfortunately, having a negative body image affects many women (and men). The media pressures us with the ideas of being young, slim, and wrinkle free.

However, our true image comes from God, as the Bible tells us in Genesis 1:27. When God looks at you, what does He see? He sees His beautiful child - the physical temple for the presence of His Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 6:19 NLT).

So, how do we view His temple? Naturally, we all want to look our best, but a good appearance does not always indicate a healthy body. If you want to change the image you have of your body by dieting, surgery, or injections, what is the real reason behind it? Is your focus an outward appearance or a healthier body?

Does our body image attitude spurn the image God gave us? How do we treat our body? Most of us would do well to respect the earthly body God gave us by having better eating habits, drinking more water, getting more exercise, sleeping more, etc.

Jesus said, “There is far more to your inner life than the food you put in your stomach, more to your outer appearance than the clothes you hang on your body.” (Luke 12:23 Msg)

We each have our own external presence, but it makes no difference to the Lord. Samuel said, “Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” (1 Sam. 16:7b NIV) He knows all about us, even the number of hairs on our head (Matthew 10:30 NIV). He knew us before He created us:  “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you.” (Jeremiah 1:5 NKJV)

The next morning you look in the mirror and are tempted to grumble at what you see, say this to God as David did, “You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit them together in my mother’s womb. Thank You for making me so wonderfully complex! It is amazing to think about. Your workmanship is marvelous-and how well I know it.” (Psalm 139:13-14 TLB)

The mirror merely reflects the physical; the true mirror is Christ.

Do you reflect God's image?
“Glorify God by making your bodies the shrines of His presence.” (1 Corinthians 6:20 Knox)

Lynn Mosher lives with her hubby (since 1966) in their Kentucky nest, emptied of three chicklets and embraced three giggly grand-chicklets and an inherited dog. Lynn’s passion is to encourage others and glorify the Lord with her writing.

Stop by for a refill at her website, Heading Home, lynnmosher.com.

Note: Lynn recommends the book Body Image Lies Women Believe by Shelley Hitz.

          LINKED TO:  Raising Homemakers.

UPGRADE Your Celebrations!

To celebrate is to observe a day or event with ceremonies of respect, festivity or rejoicing. It's a time to extol or praise, to display or make known.

Everyone likes to celebrate, whether it's a birthday, graduation, promotion or holiday.

And I believe there are at least four ways to UPGRADE Your Celebrations:

Upgrade Mentally - If it's a holiday, look up the meaning of the event [see note about disputed celebrations: Romans 14:5-6]. Prepare some facts to share with others, to help them understand the point of the event. If it's a birthday or graduation or some other achievement, give it some thought. Study some "history" to add meaning - perhaps something about the person's character that got him or her to this point. Who is the person really, behind the scenes. Think! 

Upgrade Emotionally/Socially - Give yourself permission to celebrate! Celebrations are not occasions for sourpusses. Smile. Laugh. Connect. Get involved with people and celebrate together. Be friendly and make a new friend. Let love spill over into joy. Let your inner child remember the joys of youth ... let loose a little. Rejoice! (Proverbs 17:22a; Philemon 1:7)

Upgrade Physically - Do something fun. Think and get creative with food, decorations and gifts. Make a cake, cookies or a special healthy dish. Go to an organized celebration. Wave a flag. Hug!(Especially, hug a veteran on Memorial Day!) Give a thoughtful gift. Go to a parade, or make a mini-parade with your friends. Don't just sit around and watch others celebrate. Get involved in a community of people who understand how important it is to celebrate. Act! (1 Corinthians 10:31; Colossians 3:17)

Upgrade Spiritually - Thank God for the reason for the celebration. Read and share scriptures that refer to some aspect of the celebration. Make spiritual applications when possible. Pray together. Sing a hymn or praise song that "works" with the occasion. Point people to the Source of true joy - acknowledge God (James 1:17; 1 Thessalonians 5:18).

The key to celebrations? Go all out. Be all there!

I hope all your celebrations are happy and blessed. Remember - Think. Rejoice. Act. Acknowledge God.

What do you do to UPGRADE Your Celebrations?

Dawn Wilson is the founder of Heart Choices Ministries and creator of UpgradeWithDawn.com. Dawn's ministry encourages, edifies and energizes women with the truth of scripture so they can better enjoy life, bless others and honor God.

10 Tips to Control Your In-Box

Meet organizing professional Marcia Ramsland, who can help you upgrade your email efficiency.

Marcia says an abundance of emails in your In-Box is “the beginning of a complicated life."

“Clean up your In-Box,” she said, “and leave each day relaxed knowing your email is under your control.”

Marcia’s 10 Email Tips to Deal with Email Efficiently:  

1. Read and Respond. Decide what to do the FIRST time you open an email. Do it now or it will double the time it takes to respond. The key is to pause and decide what action is needed.

2. Clear it Out. Once you’ve read and responded, move it out of your In-Box with “Delete or Archive.” In “Archive” it’s still there to search by key word. Gmail now has a “Send & Archive” button that does the work in one click.

3. Rely on the “Search” feature to pull up emails. Instead of creating an elaborate File Folder system, learn to search by the person’s name or email.

4. Tame Your “Reading” File. Keep the good blogs &newsletters in this file that pass your way. Read them mid afternoon or at the end of the day. Delete the file contents daily or weekly.

5. Create No more than 6-10 Key Email Folders. “Responded,” Holding”, or “Archive” are great for once you’ve responded. Move out emails prior to 3 months ago “Archive before (date).”

6. Don’t “Over File” with too many specific folders. Create no more than 6-10 folders by program, action steps, or project. It’s time-consuming to put them into any more folders than that. Rely on the “Search” feature to pull up emails.

7. Create “Rules” in Outlook or “Filters” in Gmail. This lets email bypass your In-Box and land in a folder you want to keep such as: the name of an organization, “Coupons” from Costco, Barnes and Noble, or Amazon, or “Personal” for interesting forwards.

8. Keep a “Follow-up” folder if needed. This is for emails you respond to but you need to know the other person did their part. Check it at the end of the week to see if everything’s taken care of or forward the email and ask if they got it.

9. Set times to do email and don’t let it become your To Do list! Twice in the morning and twice in the afternoon are adequate.

10. Begin and end each day by getting your email down to your Target Number. A single digit or number under 20 email in your In-Box puts you in the driver’s seat of your life.

Set a Goal to Cut Your Email in Half each Week!
Get there by keeping track on your calendar of how many you leave in your In-Box each day. Intentionally whittle down the count.

Marcia Ramsland is well known as "The Organizing Pro" for her practical skills and tips to manage busy lives. She is an author, speaker and national media guest in magazines, radio, and TV. One of her popular books, Simplify Your Life, is now an Online Class series, "Simplify Your Life: 7 Weeks to a NEW Organized You!" For more resources from Marcia, visit organizingpro.com.

Five Tips for Cheap Chic

Meet Jill Swanson:  A couple of years ago, Jill stood in my bedroom, helping me go through my wardrobe—piece by piece. We made big piles to give away, throw away, mend, and set aside to look for items to complete outfits. My closet never looked so spacious and organized! Jill was especially sensitive to my limited budget and I still use her color insights. (Turquoise became my "signature" color that day!)

“You can have beauty without breaking the bank,” Jill said. “As a professional image consultant, I love to teach women how to look like million without spending it.”

Here are a few of Jill’s favorite tips.

1. Organize first, shop later. Sort out the good, the bad and the ugly. This will reacquaint you with what you already own and possibly set you up for some extra income. What was “bad” for you could be good for someone else. Consignment stores are always looking for up-to-date, gently-worn clothing to resell, and that means money in your pocket. 

2. Get creative. Ugly can become useful. Before you trash that white blouse with the yellowed armpits – harvest the unique buttons off of it. I find beautiful buttons, appliqué and lace on garage sale garments and transplanted them onto my tired wardrobe basics.

3. “Know thyself” and dress accordingly. Go back to the “good” – what worked for you? Was it the color? Style? Fabric? Or perhaps just the fact that it fit a role in your lifestyle.  If you stay at home and have a closet full of business clothes, it’s time to reprioritize and spend your money where you spend your time. Give yourself permission to buy better quality and get a good fit in your “at-home” clothes. Duplicate winning colors and styles from those tried and true pieces that worked in your past.

4. Accessorize and shop wisely.  Invest in scarves, jewelry and add-ons (vests, belts, etc.) to change your look with a little color and decor. Shop consignment stores and department store sale racks for clothes (better quality). Use import shops and teen departments for trendy accessories.

5. Minimize. Learn to be content with less. Owning a few pieces that look fabulous on you is better than having much that looks mediocre!

What's your favorite fashion tip?

Jill Swanson, Image Coach, author and Christian speaker, helps women make the most of what they’ve been blessed with. For consultations (online or in person) and or to check out Jill's newest book, Out the Door in 15 Minutes, please visit www.jillswanson.com.