As we are fast approaching the holiday season, I almost feel the "intensity knob" turn up a notch or two in my thoughts and actions. My to-do list lengthens, and my breathing pattern shortens. I have to remind myself to slow down, and even sit down just for a moment, in order to remember the WHY of the season.So...I stop...and I think...about Thanksgiving:

Because I am a "lover of words", I initially observe thatThanksgiving is not only a noun, being a national holiday, but it's also an action verb:thanks-giving. Hmmm...a question:"Am I living out the name of this holiday?"

To answer this convicting question, I put down my to-do list, and a new-heart list begins:

Thanks Giving to God. With my mouth I will give thanks abundantly to the Lord; and in the midst of many I will praise Him.  (Psalm 109: 30)
1. Thank You, God, for your relentless pursuing love.
2. Thank You, God, for your constant abiding presence.
3. Thank You, God, for your daily and eternal hope....on and on and on.
(A helpful hint: if you choose to make a thanks-giving list, start with God's intangible blessings. These spiritual blessings are the true and never changing reflections of His vast goodness.)

Thanks Giving to Man. I...do not cease giving thanks for you...(Eph 1:16).
I ask myself, "Who, this season, has blessed me with her joyful spirit, her words of wisdom, or her steadfast faith?" Three people enter my mind immediately; I smile with gratitude, and write their names on the tablet of my heart.

Who has blessed you? Join me, and let's put our thankful hearts into action:

1. Purchase a small set of thank you notes at the grocery or drug store.
2. Write 3 people, simply thanking them for the way they have blessed you in this season of life.
3. Address it, stamp it, and mail it...this week.

Realize that writing a "Thanks Giving Note"just may be the sweet words your loved one needs to hear in order to change his or her mindset this holiday.Slow down my friend, and even sit down for a moment, catch your breath, and become a catalyst of Thanks-giving this season.

Oh give thanks to the Lord, call upon His name; make known His deeds among the peoples. Psalm 105:1

I am in the midst of studying the book of Ephesians with a group of women at my church. Wow, what an awesome book of the bible! From these pages of scripture, I just have to tell you...

We are rich, my friends! In fact, Ephesians 1 goes into detail of just how wealthy we are in Him. The verses in this passage present to the reader all the spiritual blessings we have in our possession TODAY.

In order to illustrate this wealth that's ours, imagine with me that you are wearing a CROWN on your head. (After all, Psalm 8:5 does say, He crowns us with glory and majesty.) And now in this crown, think of radiant jewels of all kinds...the ones that are expressed in Ephesians 1:3-14:

1. The jewel of being HIS. Before the creation of the world...you were God's delightful thought.
2. The jewel of being ADOPTED. According to His pleasure...He and all of heaven rejoiced when you became His child through faith.
3. The jewel of being REDEEMED. Through His blood...you were purchased, "polished", and prized.
4. The jewel of being FORGIVEN. Through His lavish love...yourpast, present, and future sins are gone.
5. The jewel of A REVEALED MYSTERY...which is Jesus Christ Himself, your kindhearted Ruler.
6. The jewel of AN INHERITANCE... which is your eternal hope to the praise of His glory.
7. The jewel of A SEALED PLEDGE...which is the Holy Spirit of promise...in you...to teach, comfort, provide, help, and protect.

Do you feel the weight of this wealth that rests upon your head? Are you wearing this crown with humbled awe and gratitude, understanding that you had nothing to do with this abundant generosity? Your passionate and pursuing God gracefully placed this crown on your head, with pleasure.

I have "seen" this crown on a few friends of mine recently:

One friend has been hit hard with a debilitating physical ailment, but he wears his crown perseveringly. Another young friend has grown up against all odds, fatherless, but he wears his crown valiantly.
And one more friend, has been invaded by the uninvited guest of disease, but she wears her crown faith-fully.

These friends inspire me; they make me KNOW that there is MORE TO LIFE than this physical "seen" life. They make me want to wear my unseen crown with confidence in a loving God who gives jewel after jewel after jewel in every circumstance of life, blessing or trial.

In all seasons, let's hear the encouragement from our Kind King:

You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, people of God's own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you our of darkness into His marvelous light. 
I Peter 2:9

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I have a necklace that I wear often. Attached to the silver chain is a small cross, as well as a pressed silver pendant that bears the single letter "B" on it. Of course the "B" stands for my last name Baxter. But to me, it has always stood for something more than that. When I put it on my neck, it serves as a reminder for me to Believe and Be Bold.Believe... in who or what? myself? my gifts? No, absolutely not. Believe in GOD...the God that created the universe, parted the Red Sea, rained bread from heaven, came to earth as a Man, and conquered sin and death. I have learned that the more I focus on Him and who He is, the less I have to worry about me and who I am (or who I am not). He is a BIG, BIG, BIG GOD...and I believe in all of who He is...His love, His power, His presence, His purpose. With Him in mind, I have peace of mind. But God does not want me to stop there; He calls me to rise up in my belief in Him......and be Bold. It's one thing to believe in God, but it's a whole different thing to believe and be bold in Him. For example, think of Jonah. He believed in God, but he certainly was not bold... he actually ran away from what God asked him to do. On the other hand, think of David and the giant Goliath. David knew His God, believed His God, claimed His God, and ran boldy to the battleline in order to confront and defeat his enemy. God is asking me to do the same... tobe bold in the gifts He has given me..not missing any opportunity to shine His light, share His love, or spread His word. Do I always succeed? No, but I have found that one little-bold step leads to the next little-bit-bigger-bold step, and then another-slightly-bigger than-that-bold step. And before I know it, I'm running, in His strength. BELIEVE... anyone that comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him. Hebrews 11:6AND BE BOLD... Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us... Ephesians 3:20So my friend, write a big "B" across your heart today. Let's you and I both run to our respective battlelines with a BIG BIG BIG GOD working both in and through us.

I have recently come across two different bible verses that use the same word.One verse is rather familiar to us as believers. It says,Cease striving and know that I am God. Psalm 46:10The other verse is penned by Paul, whose ambition in life was to know Christ, and to make Him known. He says,I labor for this, striving with His strength that works powerfully in me. Col. 1:29When looking at these two scriptures, one says not to strive, and the other talks about how it's "right" to strive. How can this be? I beleive it has to do with the motive of our hearts. We must each answer this question honestly:What am I striving for?....for more money, more power, more prestige, more success in this world? If so, SELF is at the center of my motives. If this is the case, an inner dissatifsfaction will restlessly reside at the core of my heart. I must choose to hear the Lord say: Cease striving and know that I am God.....or am I striving to know Him and make Him known in my family, in my workplace, and in the positions God has placed me in for such a time as this (Esther 4:14). If this is the case, I can expect His strength to work powerfully in me! Jesus puts it like this, No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money. (Matthew 6:24).So I ask myself daily, am I striving... or am I striving?Dear Lord Jesus, May You be at the core of my heart. Check my motives, clean me out, and fill me up. Make me content in the positions You have put me in. Help me not to strive for more, more, more. May my labor TODAY not be about climbing any man-made ladder, but about humbling walking with You...towards others. Use me up, O God, for Your glory. Thank You for entrusting me with Your powerful strength...for such a time as this. Amen.

We live in a day and age where the phone is always at hand; it is literally attached to us. It has the amazing ability to "speak" to us through text, facebook, snapchat, instagram, twitter, etc. (Oh yea, sometimes we actually talk to someone on it.) Does it ever stop?! I was telling a young teenage friend of mine that if not careful, this gadget can take the place of God's Word in dictating our thoughts, emotions, and actions.When comparing the phone and the bible, here are some questions to answer:1. Which one is full of complete truth? Which one sometimes holds half-truths and mixed messages?2. Which one will NEVER fail you, and brings great peace to your heart? Which one sometimes lets you down, and creates confusion, jealousy, or even anger?3. Which one makes you both secure and mature in who you are and how God made you? Which one sometimes causes you to question yourself and how your are wired?4. If you were asked to put one of these objects down for a couple of days, which one would make you feel anxious to let go of?I challenged my young friend to answer these questions honestly, and then to put up boundaries where needed in this high tech world. Realize, the bible is God's communication "gadget" and His words are full of hope and truth:The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. Psalm 19:7-8Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. Matthew 7:24-25May His word be your lifeline...always at hand, and literally attached to you.