Six Ways To Be in the Will of God: Saturday Night Sermon Notes

I love Saturday night church!

Getting all three kids ready for church on Saturday is so much easier that corralling them early Sunday for 8:45am service. Plus, it gives us a day of rest on Sunday.

The faintest ink is more powerful than the strongest memory. – Chinese proverb

My pastor mentioned this quote last night when he was urging the congregation to take notes to help the message sink in. For a few weeks now, I’ve gone back to handwriting notes after switching from using my iPad to follow along and take notes. I had to chuckle at myself tonight because I forgot my notebook so I had to use a scribbled up sheet I found in my Bible. 

Tonight’s message was good solid teaching so I thought I’d share sermon notes from my pastor's message at Saturday night church.

The topic: Six Ways To Be in the Will of God.

1. The will of God is sitting at Jesus’ feet. Mark 3:31-35  Then Jesus’ mother and brothers arrived. Standing outside, they sent someone in to call him. A crowd was sitting around him, and they told him, “Your mother and brothers are outside looking for you.” “Who are my mother and my brothers?” he asked. Then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, “Here are my mother and my brothers!  Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.”

We need to hear God’s Word and spend undistracted time in the Bible. Meditation = illumination = manifestation = action.

2. The will of God is giving to the Lord then through something He is doing through people. 2 Corinthians 8:1-7 

And now, brothers and sisters, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. 2 In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. 3 For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, 4 they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the Lord’s people. 5 And they exceeded our expectations: They gave themselves first of all to the Lord, and then by the will of God also to us. 6 So we urged Titus, just as he had earlier made a beginning, to bring also to completion this act of grace on your part. 7 But since you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in the love we have kindled in you[a]—see that you also excel in this grace of giving.

We are to give of ourselves, our time and talents. Then we are to support the work that God is giving through others like missions, volunteering for programs, etc. When we see God moving through a work, it is His will that we give to it.

3. God’s will is that you work hard and enthusiastically.

Ephesians 6:5-8 Living Bible (TLB): Slaves, obey your masters; be eager to give them your very best. Serve them as you would Christ. 6-7 Don’t work hard only when your master is watching and then shirk when he isn’t looking; work hard and with gladness all the time, as though working for Christ, doing the will of God with all your hearts.8 Remember, the Lord will pay you for each good thing you do, whether you are slave or free.

This scripture should be read in the context of employer and employee. We should work as if Jesus is our boss and not man. Don’t just do enough to get by but do your work and be happy about it. Even if you think you have a calling on your life, still work as unto the Lord until you are moved to your next assignment.

4. God’s will is that you be sanctified. I Thessalonians 4:3 It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality. Sanctified means set apart for God. We have to choose to live within the boundaries that God has set for our sexuality. God created us and sex. When God sets boundaries it’s for our benefit. He has our best interest at heart.

 3 Ways to Live Pure When You are Tempted:

1.     Run away! Joseph ran away from Potiphar’s wife who pursued him sexually—even to the point of leaving his beloved coat behind. 2 Timothy 2:22, I Corinthians 6:18 Flee sexual immorality.

2.     Make no provision for the flesh Romans 13:14 No provision = no advance planning. If you make provision for the flesh then you will fulfill the lust of the flesh.

3.     Renew your mind with the Word. Romans 12:1-2 . Change your thinking. Conform means to squeeze into a mold from outside pressure. The spirit of the age in which we live will squeeze you into its mold.

5.    God’s will is that you find something to be thankful for. I Thessalonians 5:18. Don’t be thankful for everything but in whatever circumstance you find yourself in you can find something to be thankful for.

6.    It’s God’s will that you turn to Him. 2 Peter 3:9 The first step in salvation is to turn from sin. There’s an SOS that goes out from every heart and God sent rescue through Jesus. This rescue can’t be fulfilled any other way or through any other relationship, not through noble works or religion.

The Gift List: Entering With Thanksgiving

Entering the Thanksgiving season with a continued list of blessings big and small. 

#151-196

151. Prayers offered up to God: holy incense.

152. Anticipation

153. Sweet watermelon

154. And ripe peaches

155. Floral skirts

156. Popsicles of every color.

157. Being humble enough to apologize.

158. My grandmother's recipes....passed down.

159. Afternoon sunlight pouring into the living room.

160. You Can Depend On Jesus

161.  The smell of freshlly baked muffins filling the house.

162. An unexpected overnight rain.

163. Sweet voice mail messages from family.

164. Standing on the edge of the Pacific Ocean.

165. God singing over me. 

166. Still loving his kiss after 14 years.

167. Summer strawberries.

168. Friendly neighbors.

169. And kind strangers.

170. Maxi skirts and sandals.

171. Grits

172. And eggs scrambled soft.

173. Sweet news of a friend's pregnancy after two miscarriages.

174. Skirts that twirl.

175. Hugs that hold tight and last a while.

176. My 10 year old leading us in prayer.

177. "It is well with my soul" sung loudly and with conviction.

178. Standing in the gap in prayer.

179. "Thank you" from my husband.

180. "He makes me to lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. "

181. A glimpse of God working on the other side of the mountain.

182. A visit from my cousin-in-law who is just like a natural-born cousin.

183. Baby girl playing in my hair.

184. Leftovers for lunch.

185. The SoCal sky at sunset.

186. Warm showers.

187. Clean linens on the bed pulled tight.

188. Compliments from strangers.

189. Piles of books on my nightstand.

190. A fresh coat of polish on my toes.

191. A FaceTime call with my mother on the other end.

192. Leg hugs from baby girl when I pick her up.

193. That happy exhaustion after a work out.

194. A grocery cart full of food.

195. Sending thinking about you texts.

196....and receiving them too.

What's on your gift list?

What's On My iPhone Right Now

I love seeing what other apps people have on their iPhones. So I'm sharing in the hopes that all you iPhoners out there will share with me! 

I'm still rocking the iPhone 4S, but that's about to change now that I'm eligible for an upgrade. Can't wait. Anyway, since I recently cleaned up my app life, I thought I'd share what survived the purge. I keep a lot of my apps in folders named according to action like Watch, Listen, Navigate which is much easier for me to find things.

Home Screen

Tweetbot ($4.99): This is my favorite Twitter app because I can use my Twitter lists as my timeline and it's easy to switch between them. My only complaint is that when the app was updated the developer wanted another $4.99 for the app. So I'm still using the old version.

Downcast: ($2.99) I'm a podcast junkie. I downloaded this before Apple made an app for Podcasts. It's easy to organize apps and navigate.

mSecure ($9.99): All my passwords in one place. I like that it syncs between the iPad and Mac versions. It requires a password to open the app and you can encrypt the passwords in the app or just allow them to show.

Instagram (Free): Addicted. Need I say more?

PicFeed (Free): This is a favorite. It let's me create custom Instagram feeds based on any topic or subject I pick. I don't like following a ton of people on Instagram because then I end up missing posts from my favorites because my timeline is all clogged up with too many accounts. With this, I have feeds that I can look at when I'm in the mood without cluttering up my Instagram feed and it doesn't count against my following count. I have feeds for: DIY planners, menu planning/recipes, hair, and inspiration to name a few.

MoneyWiz ($4.99): My electronic checkbook register and the place where I keep budgets for eating out, groceries, etc. When I'm out and make a purchase, I immediately put the transaction in so my balance is always current.

Other Home Page favorites: Squarespace (my blogging software) lets me write and post to my blog. Feedly (feed reader to feed my blog reading habit). Words with Friends (I've had a game going ever since the game came out: screen name is NONSuperwoman. I'm always up for a game.) Navy Federal (my bank of choice since I kicked Wells Fargo to the curb.) Latergramme (let's me schedule Instagram posts.)

Other Favorites:

TeeVee:($2.99) Since we don't have cable, there's no DVR to help me keep track of shows. This app does the trick. It lists episodes and lets me check off what I've watched so I know how far behind I am on a certain show. 

Rowmote ($4.99): We watch lots of our shows online and this app let's me control my MacBook from the couch when it's hooked up to the TV. No more having to get up from the couch to navigate things.

IFTTT (If This Then That) is a nifty app that I recently started using. You can put in recipes to automate tasks based on: if this happens, then do that. For example, I set up a recipe for my Instragram photos to be backed up to Dropbox every time I post. The possibilities are endless.

Remote (Free): This app is much easier to use than the Apple TV remote because it's easier to use the iPhone keyboard to type in than navigate letters with the physical Apple TV remote. We watch lots of Apple TV around here so it comes in handy. 

Roku (Free): The Roku remote comes in handy when we misplace the physical remote.

What's on your iPhone or iPad? I'd love to see and hear.

Navigating Life in Two Seasons: Help for the Waiting Soul

The temps in Southern California today will reach 80+. The calendar says autumn, but the weather says summer….sort of.

This is typical fall weather here: warm, sunny days, but the mornings are chilly with cool evenings. I had to turn on the heater for the first time this week to knock the chill out of the house. But when I got dressed, I had to take into account that while chilly in the morning the sweater I’d layered over my chambray shirt would need to be taken off before mid-day. I might also add that I’m wearing sandals…in November.

Living in two seasons is like that. And it’s just something that comes with the territory when living in sunny Southern California.

But what about when you are in between seasons in your soul? There’s no bringing an extra sweater when it’s get chilly or removing a layer when the trials of life get too hot.

So what is one to do when you’re stuck between “waiting for” and “not having”?

I’m currently in between seasons so I know it well. Prayers have been uttered on bended knee before a great big God. Still no manifestation of what was uttered in faith. Maybe that’s you too today?

Praying for the plus sign on the pregnancy test.

Going before God’s throne for the salvation of a loved one.

Requesting God to help you through the fog of depression.

Prayers spoken but answers not seen yet. The land of in-between is a hard place to be. I think of road trips from Southern to Northern California. I’ve driven the route more times than I can count. Six hours of open roads, most of it through Central California on the 5 freeway where farm lands stretches far and wide. No scenery, just dirt for miles. Most of the drive looks like a no-man’s land. But if you look close enough, there are crops in the ground being formed into sustenance.

Most of our in-between time is like that: prayers planted in faith with no results in sight. I think of my oldest son. His 3DS broke a few months back. He’s been asking for a one and praying every night for God to replace the broken game console with a new one.  Just two weeks ago, my husband came into some extra money and was able to purchase it for him. Thing is, our son doesn’t know that a new 3DS XL is already purchased and waiting to be given to him on his birthday in less than two weeks on November 16. (He's getting more than what he even asked for with the XL version).

In the early days of the 3DS breaking, he cried, whined and complained. We had a talk about the best results for getting what you want. I told him prayers to God in faith would be more productive than all the whining. So he changed his attitude and did something surprising: he cleared a place on his dresser for his new 3DS and said nothing would go there until he got what he was praying for. Then every night instead of praying for the 3DS, he started thanking God that He already had what he’d asked for.

Such great lessons for surviving life in two seasons.

-          Stop whining and complaining.

-          Change your attitude

-          Expect what you’ve asked for

-          Change petitions to thanksgiving.

Faith in God is the bridge over the land of in-between. Walking over that bridge may look like laying out your interview clothes for the job interview that hasn’t even happened yet like my friend Tondra did when she closed down her in-home daycare and ventured back into the workplace. Walking over the bridge may look like buying baby clothes after the doctor tells you that you will never have children due to complications, which is a what another friend of mine did. Today she is the mother of a beautiful daughter.

Don’t wallow in the waiting. Put your faith to work for you and watch the season change.

DrCornwallace

currently: november 2014

Enjoying: a rare moment: a quiet house after a day of kid chaos....The kids are all sleep. Ssssh.

(Feed and email readers: click here if the above image doesn't show up).

Ready: for bed at 9:22 p.m. I've been staying up way too late and regretting it in the morning.

Planning: birthday and Christmas lists in my head. The boys have birthdays in November and December.

Gearing up: for Parent Teacher conferences on Friday. I enjoy hearing how the teachers see our kids.

Looking forward to: Fred Hammond's new CD I Will Trust.

Listening to: Laura Hackett Park's Love Will Have Its Day on repeat. Glorious worship music

Watching: a Steffany Gretzinger worship playlist someone created on YouTube

How Transparent Should Our Social Media Lives Be? Oversharing in the Name of Vulnerability

A while back I had to unfollow someone on social media because of too much transparency.

I'm all for sharing parts of your life on social media, but there is a line that can be crossed. There's a time and a place for sharing the details of the demise your marriage, or complications getting pregnant or losing or child or the sin you've dealt with. Dumping it all on social media just to dump in the name of vulnerability or transparency is just too much.

If you are going to fully bare details of your life on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or via blog, it should be to help someone who is struggling in the same area and to show them how God brought you through.

Second Corinthians 4:3-5 (MSG) says: All praise to the God and Father of our Master, Jesus the Messiah! Father of all mercy! God of all healing counsel! He comes alongside us when we go through hard times, and before you know it, he brings us alongside someone else who is going through hard times so that we can be there for that person just as God was there for us. We have plenty of hard times that come from following the Messiah, but no more so than the good times of his healing comfort—we get a full measure of that, too.

We are comforted to comfort someone else...and that very well may include sharing how we endured adultery in marriage or drug abuse in our 20s. These days, it seems the sharing is to boost readership and keep readers staring and unable to turn away like when they see a train wreck.

Some people feel they owe their readers something. The truth is, when we share part of our lives on social media, we don't owe readers an inside track into our personal lives. Sometimes it 's just too much...especially if what is being shared is present tense and there are other parties involved who may be negatively affected.

"One man's transparency is another's humiliation." -Gerry Adams

If we are going to lay our lives out like an open book, it should be done with a purpose: To help others along in life to get to the other side of a trial or difficult situation and it should ultimately point people to Christ. I'm all for sharing that is relevant and purposeful.

In Christian circles, where we pride ourselves on sanctification and purity, some bare their lives on all levels with reckless abandon. What is it about social media that makes its users lose all sense of boundaries with sharing? Sometimes reading what people share makes me want to cover my eyes because I just feel like I've seen and heard too much about people who I don't even know.

There are times when vulnerability is warranted: with our spouses, and those we love and care for deeply who have earned our trust and respect.

What do you think? Do you sense a spirit of over-sharing on social media? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Makes Me Happy Monday (number 6)

Did you know it's Housewife's Day? No, not those housewives! Apparently, November 3 is the day to honor stay-at-home moms. I've been one so I know how hard it is. Hats off to all the stay-at-home moms of the world.

(Email and feed readers click if you can't see above image.)

Just a few links I ran across this week that made me smile:

Loved this Facebook post from a father showing his 10 year old daughter the consequences of her trying to be older than she is.

Need to get back to gratitude? This challenge is for you then.

Maya Angelou talks about learning to con from her stepfather

Now that I'm a girl mom, this advice is important to me: 5 Ways To Let Girls Know Their Beautiful

Romance still exists...and waiting is always worth it.

And one from the archives: 10 Things I Want My Black Boys to Know.

Parenthood: A Lesson in Continual Sacrifice

It never fails. When I get myself something to drink or eat, there are two out of my three who are right there waiting for a sip, a taste and a piece.

Sometimes I just don't want to share! There are days I just want to sit down and eat in peace. But these little people usually win out and I end up sharing the last of my favorite drink or snack. It feels like I'm continually doling out pieces of my food, my time, my sanity...my self.

That all comes with parenthood. I just realize I don't want to sacrifice to the point of depletion.

That's where the wisdom of God comes in. He helps us to pour into our children while being filled by Him. When I feel like I've given all I can to the kids, there seems to a reservoir of energy, time and knowledge to continue giving them. It's miraculous really how it works.

Ephesians 3:14-19The Message (MSG)

My response is to get down on my knees before the Father, this magnificent Father who parcels out all heaven and earth. I ask him to strengthen you by his Spirit—not a brute strength but a glorious inner strength—that Christ will live in you as you open the door and invite him in. And I ask him that with both feet planted firmly on love, you’ll be able to take in with all followers of Jesus the extravagant dimensions of Christ’s love. Reach out and experience the breadth! Test its length! Plumb the depths! Rise to the heights! Live full lives, full in the fullness of God.

I love this prayer that Paul prayed for the church at Ephesus: that they be full in the fullness of God. Everything that God has is available to be poured into me.

So just when I think I'm empty, He's waiting to fill me up.

Feeling depleted my parenthood, work, marriage?  Christ will live in you as you open the door and invite Him in. Swing that door open wide for Him today, He's got extravagant reservoirs available to you.

Kids Make Halloween Fun

Kids are fun.

Dressing up kids is fun.

Halloween with kids is fun.

We've only gone trick or treating maybe 3 times in their whole lives, but tonight we ventured out. We live in a pretty family friendly neighborhood with lots of older neighbors. We hit about 3 blocks and had more than enough candy between all kids. The last house, we hit, across the street from us gave us most of their candy since they said we were only the third set of trick or treaters they'd seen all night.

My oldest was Ash Ketchum from Pokemon.

The six year old was a ninja and baby girl was Doc McStuffins. (And I couldn't get her costume on fast enough for her.) After about a block, she finally got into the swing of things and was saying "Trick or treat" and "thank you" by night's end.

We went through the candy, rationed it out and then set aside what we don't like. We were hoping to give the "dislike" candy to trick or treaters, but the doorbell didn't even ring one time. Looks like the threat of rain put a damper on things here in Southern California. 

So anyone want some Baby Ruth or Butterfingers? We've got plenty!