Our Pants… And Our Purpose #WilcoWednesday

November 18, 2015 by

Welcome to Wilco Wednesday! If you are a new around these parts, “Wilco” is Army-speak for “Will Comply.” Think of it as saying “Roger, God. Got it. Will do.”  So that is what Wednesday here at 7 Days Time is all about– exploring his decrees and seeking guidance for what complying with Him looks like in everyday life. The best part? He loves us for who we are, not what we do.  Remember: He doesn’t want perfection, just obedience. Share. Enjoy. Interact. And let’s respond to God’s call with  a hearty “Wilco, Lord!” Welcome today one of the most insightful, humorous writer-y friends I have ever met, Lindsey. 

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By Sunday night, I was a wreck. I curled up into a ball on my side of the bed and stared at the wall, contemplating life’s meaninglessness and ultimate inevitably. Tears ran down my cheeks as I tried (unsuccessfully) to quiet the deep snortles coming from my tantrum-caused stuffy nose. Dust in the Wind played monotonously in my head… “all we are is dust in the wiiiinnnddd….” and I nodded. How right you are, Kansas, how right you are.

My husband came in and lightly touched my shoulder, startling me out of my pout-fest with Kansas. He asked me if I needed a hug. I venomously snarked that a hug wouldn’t solve my despair! Wouldn’t give me purpose! Wouldn’t stop my one-way ticket to becoming dust in the wind! He put his hands up as surrender and slowly backed out of the room. [Read more…]

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In Community: Strength for the Fight #WilcoWednesday

November 11, 2015 by
7 Days Time

Welcome to Wilco Wednesday! If you are a new around these parts, “Wilco” is Army-speak for “Will Comply.” Think of it as saying “Roger, God. Got it. Will do.”  So that is what Wednesday here at 7 Days Time is all about– exploring his decrees and seeking guidance for what complying with Him looks like in everyday life. The best part? He loves us for who we are, not what we do.  Remember: He doesn’t want perfection, just obedience. Share. Enjoy. Interact. Welcome a very Godly, loving woman, my friend Bobbie. 
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Life can be tough.

My husband doesn’t help me.  He is not present or available to the kids.  We are better off without him during deployments.  If He’s not here, we can’t expect anything of him. Work and friends have a higher priority than his family. Financially, his decisions are ruining us.  I don’t feel secure in his love for us.

In the raging battle for stable families, what happens in the home affects all of us. Single with married friends, active duty single parent, married with or without children, divorced with or without children: we have a bird’s eye view, a front row seat, or are in the battle ourselves.  The struggles are real, and the outcomes are significant. As individuals and as a community of faith, what is our response to the deep and wide heartbreak that surrounds us?  Believers are empowered to do good works, which God ordained for us before the world began (Ephesians 2:10).  How are we wielding our power? [Read more…]

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I Could Be… If Only… #WilcoWednesday

November 4, 2015 by
7 Days Time

Welcome to Wilco Wednesday! If you are a new around these parts, “Wilco” is Army-speak for “Will Comply.” Think of it as saying “Roger, God. Got it. Will do.”  So that is what Wednesday here at 7 Days Time is all about– exploring his decrees and seeking guidance for what complying with Him looks like in everyday life. The best part? He loves us for who we are, not what we do.  Remember: He doesn’t want perfection, just obedience. Share. Enjoy. Interact. Welcome a very Godly, loving woman, my friend Bobbie. 
***

The answer was always in front of them. They missed it.

What about you?

Do you suppose that getting married, reviving health, winning the lottery, having a more supportive husband, or raising perfectly behaved children will bring you greater joy or more contentment?

Many women of Scripture struggled to trust God in the difficult places of life. Their fears and hopelessness led them to do things and act in ways that sabotaged their own happiness. [Read more…]

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From Fear to Faith#WilcoWednesday

October 28, 2015 by

Welcome to Wilco Wednesday! If you are a new around these parts, “Wilco” is Army-speak for “Will Comply.” Think of it as saying “Roger, God. Got it. Will do.”  So that is what Wednesday here at 7 Days Time is all about– exploring his decrees and seeking guidance for what complying with Him looks like in everyday life. The best part? He loves us for who we are, not what we do.  Remember: He doesn’t want perfection, just obedience. Share. Enjoy. Interact. And let’s respond to God’s call with  a hearty “Wilco, Lord!” Welcome my good friend Becca as she shares little something to encourage your heart… and face your fears!

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“From ghoulies and ghosties, and long leggedy beasties, and things that go bump in the night, good Lord deliver us.”  -From an old English litany

Halloween is upon us again and with it, cold weather and long sweaters. I love this time of year. I love Halloween and I love dressing up. I love being warmed to the core by hot cider during an especially crisp Autumn day.

Also, I love being “scared” from not-too-spooky stories. Honestly, I am not one for watching truly scary movies anymore. The scariest I can handle is Vincent Price or the cult classics like Dracula, Wolfman, and Frankenstein. (Ok, and Beetlejuice.) Moreover, I believe there are too many truly scary things in this world to find much entertainment in a movie about supernatural stuff and people tearing one another apart.  This fallen world in itself is scary enough as it is!

So, on that note… Let’s talk about FEAR. (I know. Everyone’s favorite subject. Hang with me.) What do I fear? I fear many things, not the least of all on the list is being an ineffective tool for the Lord’s use. [Read more…]

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Have Courage & Be Kind #WilcoWednesday

October 21, 2015 by

Welcome to Wilco Wednesday! If you are a new around these parts, “Wilco” is Army-speak for “Will Comply.” Think of it as saying “Roger, God. Got it. Will do.”  So that is what Wednesday here at 7 Days Time is all about– exploring his decrees and seeking guidance for what complying with Him looks like in everyday life. The best part? He loves us for who we are, not what we do.  Remember: He doesn’t want perfection, just obedience. Share. Enjoy. Interact. And let’s respond to God’s call with  a hearty “Wilco, Lord!” Today, I welcome my fellow PWOC sister Holly to share a little piece of her heart.  

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If you have a little girl, or are a “little girl” at heart yourself, then you’ve probably seen the new version of Disney’s Cinderella. I am indeed that “little girl” at heart, especially when it comes to sweeping love stories with a good heart message. I’ve seen and read several versions of this romantic tale, but this one really grabbed ahold of my heart. Early in the film, as Cinderella’s mother is dying, she tells her young daughter “I want to tell you a secret. A great secret that will see you through all the trials life can offer. Have courage, and Be Kind. It has power, more than you know!”


WOW! What a message and I’m glad it was a running theme throughout this film. Why? Because I was bullied as a kid. A lot of it had to do with the fact that I lost my mother at a very early age, and my father wasn’t in the picture. And some had to do with the fact that I was a Christian. I was teased relentlessly. [Read more…]

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Discernment: Let’s Learn It #WilcoWednesday

October 14, 2015 by

Welcome to Wilco Wednesday! If you are a new around these parts, “Wilco” is Army-speak for “Will Comply.” Think of it as saying “Roger, God. Got it. Will do.”  So that is what Wednesday here at 7 Days Time is all about– exploring his decrees and seeking guidance for what complying with Him looks like in everyday life. The best part? He loves us for who we are, not what we do.  Remember: He doesn’t want perfection, just obedience. Share. Enjoy. Interact. And let’s respond to God’s call with  a hearty “Wilco, Lord!”  Welcome today my hilarious and super smart friend Lindsey as she shares some great real-life faith tips. 

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I used to teach middle school language arts and social studies. One of the main goals I had for my students was that they become critical thinkers. Because our educational system is severely messed up, critical thinking has been shoved to the side in place of tests and academic scores. But, I digress. I waded backwards through the typical teaching structure because I believe that critical thinking is important to life.

I taught my students to understand logical fallacies. We would dissect news articles, ads, and blog posts. I made them ask me why, and in turn, I would ask them why as well. Even though it sounds like I was trying to teach my students to be obstinate, authority rebelling stinkers, I was not (plus, I knew that they would learn to do that on their own—with or without my lessons). I was attempting to teach my students the value of logical reasoning, something that would pack a more useful life punch than comparing the book and movie versions of Lord of the Flies. [Read more…]

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I Press On #WilcoWednesday

October 7, 2015 by

Welcome to Wilco Wednesday! If you are a new around these parts, “Wilco” is Army-speak for “Will Comply.” Think of it as saying “Roger, God. Got it. Will do.”  So that is what Wednesday here at 7 Days Time is all about– exploring his decrees and seeking guidance for what complying with Him looks like in everyday life. The best part? He loves us for who we are, not what we do.  Remember: He doesn’t want perfection, just obedience. Share. Enjoy. Interact. And let’s respond to God’s call with  a hearty “Wilco, Lord!”  Welcome today my wise and loving friend, Katharina as she shares her heart with us. 

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Couple months ago, in my spinning class, my instructor had a gym bag with the monogram “I press on” written on it. I noticed the bag during a hard incline workout in which I was almost inclined to give up. When I saw these three words, “I Press On”, they motivated me to give my best in this moment.

In Philippians 3:14, the Apostle Paul encourages us: [Read more…]

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Where do you go for help? #WilcoWednesday

September 30, 2015 by

Welcome to Wilco Wednesday! If you are a new around these parts, “Wilco” is Army-speak for “Will Comply.” Think of it as saying “Roger, God. Got it. Will do.”  So that is what Wednesday here at 7 Days Time is all about– exploring his decrees and seeking guidance for what complying with Him looks like in everyday life. The best part? He loves us for who we are, not what we do.  Remember: He doesn’t want perfection, just obedience. Share. Enjoy. Interact. And let’s respond to God’s call with  a hearty “Wilco, Lord!”  Help me welcome a very wise and loving, prayerful friend of ours, Cheryl as she shares a message you don’t want to miss. 

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“I lift up my eyes to the hills-where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let our foot slip” – Psalm 121:1-3

She had a look of terror in her eyes. She struggled to keep her head above water. Her arms frantically worked to lift her head above the water, yet she still went under. I yelled at my husband, “Ray, grab her!”

My six year old daughter had just come down the water slide. Her daddy was in the water to watch her and join in the water fun with her. But did he not see our daughter? Why didn’t he catch her as she came down the slide or as she struggled? What my daughter, Alexandra, didn’t know was that she could touch the bottom of the pool. It was only a few feet deep. My husband knew that she could touch the bottom, she just didn’t try. So I yelled to Ray, “She doesn’t GET IT!” [Read more…]

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Blindfolded Trust #WilcoWednesday

September 23, 2015 by

Welcome to Wilco Wednesday! If you are a new around these parts, “Wilco” is Army-speak for “Will Comply.” Think of it as saying “Roger, God. Got it. Will do.”  So that is what Wednesday here at 7 Days Time is all about– exploring his decrees and seeking guidance for what complying with Him looks like in everyday life. The best part? He loves us for who we are, not what we do.  Remember: He doesn’t want perfection, just obedience. Share. Enjoy. Interact. And let’s respond to God’s call with  a hearty “Wilco, Lord!” Today, I welcome my fellow PWOC sister Holly to share a little piece of her heart.  

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Do you know what it means to trust? The actual definition is “assured reliance on the character, ability, strength, or truth of someone or something.” For today’s blog, it’s all about about trusting God.

There are tons of scripture that talk about trust. Here, I’ll give you a couple of examples.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” ~Proverbs 3:5-6

“But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him.” ~Jeremiah 17:7 

I love those two especially. But a lot of times when trust is taught in the church… it is also paired with hope. Hope is a beautiful thing. Hope is a lot of the times what keeps us going forward. But personally, the way I’ve been taught to trust and hope are that “God is going to give me the desires of my heart”. Hope for the best, if you will. Sometimes however, God says “No.” [Read more…]

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Make time for the Whispers #WilcoWednesday

September 16, 2015 by

Welcome to Wilco Wednesday! If you are a new around these parts, “Wilco” is Army-speak for “Will Comply.” Think of it as saying “Roger, God. Got it. Will do.”  So that is what Wednesday here at 7 Days Time is all about– exploring his decrees and seeking guidance for what complying with Him looks like in everyday life. The best part? He loves us for who we are, not what we do.  Remember: He doesn’t want perfection, just obedience. Share. Enjoy. Interact. And let’s respond to God’s call with  a hearty “Wilco, Lord!” 

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God is simply beautiful in the way He communicates.

He has a love language designed perfectly and purposefully for each of us. It makes me feel special that He knows exactly how to reach my heart, so I can hear Him LOUD-AND-CLEAR. God gives me physical signs, the kind that most people consider a coincidence.

For example, my friend and I were visiting over a cup of coffee, and I was expressing the desire for my husband to get hired into a firefighter career soon (because we prayed and felt this is where God was leading him.) Just then, we heard sirens blare as a fire engine flew past our window of the coffee shop. Coincidence? To some, yes. To me, not a chance. God was just giving me a little “Hey, I hear you…and yes, I’m working on it.” I LOVE it when He does that. [Read more…]

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