by Barb Roose | Jan 18, 2019 | Uncategorized
In their hearts, humans plan their course but the LORD establishes their steps. –Proverbs 16:9 NLT
I don’t know about you, but there are a lot of times when I think that my life should look like the top picture, but the bottom picture is a better description of how my life unfolds. Can you relate?
Look, if your life is always the top picture, let me know. I really would love to talk to you!
There's nothing like imagining life as a straight line but in reality, God allows my life to look a little more like an off-road adventure with no steering wheel.
Most of us know what it's like to travel unplanned roads gathering vital life lessons, experience the good, the bad and the not fair. In high school, I thought that I'd be an English teacher. I ended up married. While married and in college, I planned to be an attorney. I ended up graduating from college earlier and becoming an insurance adjuster. I planned to have two kids, but God knew that we needed the third one who has added so much fun into our lives.
Now, I’m traveling along a long, dark, bumpy road of an addiction issue in our family. God, I’m not a fan of this particular road. Can you re-route us back over to the familiar road where we could set the cruise control and enjoy the sun on our faces?
God’s answer seems to be: Sweet Barb, this is the road I've allowed for you. Stop focusing on the bumps and look forward so that you won't miss my blessings.
Does that whisper sound familiar to you, too?
Some of you are totally grooving with me right now. We’re waking up each day living a life that we could have never imagined in our wildest dreams – or scariest nightmares.
So, when I think about King Solomon’s observation in Proverbs 16:9 that we can make plans but God determines our steps, I think that there is tremendous wisdom that we can apply to our lives at the beginning of the new year.
In this verse, we are reminded that God controls the speed and direction of our desired steps. This means that there will likely be points in our life journey when our lives and plans will blow off course, like a ship blown off course in a storm.
We have to move unexpectedly…
We switch to a new career…
We can’t pregnant…
We get a life-changing diagnosis…
We feel God’s prompting to change our lifestyle…
We’ll face the loss of a child or spouse…
When our lives seem to blow off course – even for good reasons – it can be a shock to our system. While there are some surprises like a promotion or new baby that we can get behind and get excited about, the tough unexpected changes can bring a kind of pain that tempts us to shake our fist at God and beg him to put our lives back on track.
What if God changes your life so that you can take some life-changing steps of faith?
In Proverbs 16:9, the last part of the verse says that God establishes our steps. As I reflected on those words, I realized that God’s plan for our lives includes an off-course invitation to take steps that are often difficult, but always have eternal value.
Here's some steps of opportunity that God might be inviting you to take in this off-road season of your life:
If you're out of your comfort zone, God invites you to take a step of faith.
If you aren't getting what you want, God invites you to take a step of surrender.
If your plan is delayed, God invites you to take a step of patience.
If you've made a mistake, God invites you to take a step of humility.
If a friend or family fails you, God invites you to take a step of forgiveness.
If you've fallen into sin, God invites you to take a step of repentance.
A friendly reminder (or you might need the following as a warning against wrong expectations of God): Just because you take the step doesn’t mean that God will put your plans back on track.
That’s not how God works. Rather, your step is a willingness to allow God to take you on a journey to a place that you’ve never been and lead you toward experiencing a level of faith and trust that you’ve never had.
If I had to drill down what I’ve learned about what happens when God allows the plans for my life to go off-course, here’s a summary of what I’ve learned:
It will be a wild ride.
It will be an emotional journey.
You’ll experience a closer relationship with God that you could never accomplish any other way.
COMMENT: Has your life blown off your planned course? What step do you feel God might be calling you to take?
Do you want to grow in your faith or get your questions answered about God? Drop in your email address below and I'll send you a weekly email with encouragement, Christ-centered teaching and practical next steps.
by Barb Roose | Jan 18, 2019 | Uncategorized
Did you grow up in a home where things were kept silent? Did your parents ask you to keep secrets or warn you not to talk about certain family problems outside of the house?
In today’s Better Together podcast, we’re talking about how to stop suffocating in silence and learn how to have hard conversations. Even as Jesus taught that the Truth of the gospel would set us free from eternal condemnation, we also know that speaking God’s Truth also frees us from the strongholds of secret sin, generational curses and other dysfunctional behaviors.
My guest is Lori Roeleveld, author of the new book, The Art of Hard Converations: Biblical Tools for the Tough Talks that Matter (2019). Today, Lori explains why we struggle to have hard conversations and how to learn how to have them.
I know first hand how secrets are strongholds that can drain the hope of even the strongest families. If you’ve been sitting in silence and afraid of speaking up for any reason, Lori’s words just might be divine timing for you.
Here’s what you’ll learn in this episode:
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- Three conversational styles: Turtle, Hawk, or Chameleon;
- Two questions that you need to ask before beginning a hard conversation;
- How to create a safe culture in your home so that your kids learn how to have healthy, hard conversations;
- How to embrace hard conversations with adult kids and not alienate them.
Connect with Lori!
Website | Facebook | LinkedIn | Twitter
The Art of Hard Conversations Book
About today’s guest…
Lori Stanley Roeleveld is an author, speaker, and disturber of hobbits who enjoy making comfortable Christians late for dinner. Biblical, funny, and real, she inspires courage and Christ-centered confidence. She’s authored three non-fiction books including Running from a Crazy Man, Jesus and the Beanstalk, and the upcoming, The Art of Hard Conversations, as well as a novella, Red Pen Redemption. Though she has degrees in Psychology and Biblical Studies, she learned the most from studying her Bible in life’s trenches. Blogger. Wife. Mother of adults. Part-time giant-slayer. Not available for children’s parties. Though she once tried to escape, she adventures with Jesus in a small town in Rhode Island where her husband is renovating his dream house. To join the adventure, knock on her door at www.loriroeleveld.com
by Barb Roose | Jan 9, 2019 | Uncategorized
Did you grow up with a father who was absent from your life? Have you felt the emptiness and ache that accompanies the absence of his love and involvement?
On this week's episode of Better Together, I'm talking with Kia Stephens about her story, her healing, and her mission to help women deal with their father wounds. Kia is the founder of the Father Swap Blog as well as Entrusted Women, an online community to encourage, equip, and uplift writers, bloggers, speakers, and authors who happen to be women of color.
She is a wife and homeschooling mom of two who is passionate about helping women know God as Father. For this reason, she created The Father Swap Blog to help women exchange their father wounds for the love of God the Father.
During today's podcast, Kia will talk not only about the definition of a "father wound," but she explains how this kind of loss can wreck woman's emotions and relationships with men if unaddressed.
When a father isn't a part of a woman's life, that loss can have a painful and negative impact on her relationship with God. If you've struggled with God because of your relationship with your father, Kia will speak to that struggle. She will share how her relationship with God helps her to walk in freedom and healing as well as offer practical tips, like how to write a forgiveness letter.
One of my favorite parts of the episode is when Kia preaches scriptural truth to us, especially if you've felt unloved, rejected, unwanted, or alone, let her bless you with God's truth.
Do you know a woman that struggles with the pain that comes with not having a loving or attentive father in her life? Please make sure to share this podcast on your social media.
LINKS TO RESOURCES
About your Better Together podcast host...
Barb Roose is a popular speaker and author who is passionate about equipping women to win at life with Christ-empowered strength and dignity. Barb loves speaking at women's conference and leadership events such as the Aspire Women's Events, She Speaks Conference and the UMC Leadership Institute.
Barb is the author of multiple books and Bible studies, including her newest releases: Winning the Worry Battle: Life Lessons from the Book of Joshua and Bible study called Joshua: Winning the Worry Battle. Barb's writing has been featured in magazines or blogs such as Simple Truth Magazine, iBelieve.com, Crosswalk.com, More to Life Magazine, Just Between Us Magazine, Cherished, InCourage, and Women of Faith.
An avid traveler, reader, and lover of all things chocolate-peanut butter, Barb and her family live in NW Ohio. Visit Barb's online home at barbroose.com.
by Barb Roose | Jan 5, 2019 | Reflections, Scripture Devotional, Women's Topics
Three Ways to Keep Your Heart and Life Turned Toward God
Happy New Year friends! Are you ready for the start of a new year? Let’s talk about what it means for us to have our BEST YEAR EVER!
Who doesn’t dream that this year can be better than last year? No matter our starting point, at the beginning of each year, we dream of whatever is missing to be found, whatever is broken to be fixed, and whatever has changed to feel like normal again. The difficulty is figuring out what we need to do in order to make that happen for us.
Cue the New Year’s Resolution. Some are quick to hate on the idea of a New Year’s Resolution for a variety of reasons. But, all a New Year’s Resolution means is that someone wants to make something in her life better. A resolution isn’t a promise, nor is it a quick fix. In many ways, it’s a step away from denial toward a healthy truth that some part of life could or should be better than it is.
One of the most popular New Year’s Resolutions that I heard while working on staff at my local church was “I want to get closer to God.” That’s a great New Year’s Resolution!
Not only do I want to cheer you on, but I’d also like to offer a few ideas if you want to make this the best year ever when it comes to your faith.
1. Stop feeling guilty!
Don’t let guilt be the biggest reason that you want to grow closer to God. Sure, you might have missed more church than planned or scrolled through Facebook more than your Bible. But here’s the thing: Guilt might get you going, but it isn’t enough to get you to the goal.
When we feel guilty about not connecting with God, that’s when we imagine that God is disappointed with us. Then we start trying to do things that we think will please God. But, when we falter, like miss church or forget to read our Bible then those guilty feelings come roaring back! Then, we might start easing our way as far away from God as possible. THAT IS the recipe for the worst year ever, not the best year ever.
The path to the best year ever with God is to start with GRATITUDE. Each day, I take time and write down all of the big and little things that God has done for me. This means that I give thanks for the electric blanket that keeps me warm. I give thanks for the friend who met me for coffee and offered compassion, not judgment. I give thanks for God’s presence and provision as I navigate a heartbreaking relational trauma.
The more that we give thanks to God for what He has done and how He takes care of us, the closer we will feel to God.
2. Get Life-Giving Friends
If you want to have your best year ever, you won’t be able to do it on your own. You will need to have life-giving, like-minded people who love Jesus cheering you on and challenging you toward your best year ever.
What does it mean to have life-giving Christians around you?
- They love Jesus and actually love ALL others (Mark 12:30).
- They don’t cut other people down for struggling with personal problems (Galatians 6:1-2) .
- They are generous in giving their time and resources to others (1 Timothy 6:18).
- They live with hope (instead of negativity) (1 Peter 3:15).
The most important lesson is that we have to make room for these people in our lives. If you have too many negative people, even if they say that they are Christians, you will NEVER have your best year ever. The negative people won’t let you!
How do you get away from negative, selfish people who suck the life out of you? You go out and fill your available time with life-giving people. You ask them out for coffee, make dinner plans, and join their Bible studies. The more your schedule is filled with life-giving people, the easier it will be for you to ease the life-sucking people out of your life.
3. Pick a focus verse
Life is a roller coaster, isn’t it? So, when my emotions are riding high or I’m feeling low, I need a way to steady my heart and mind so that I can make wise decisions that will honor my relationships and keep my heart and mind looking toward God.
For me, choosing a few verses to repeat over and over to myself is an important tool to stay strong and stable while my life still on a wild, difficult ride toward an unknown future. At the time I’m writing these words to you, I have no idea what my living situation or marital status will be in six months. But I know this, if I can hang onto God’s promises, then I can hang in through anything.
Hanging onto God’s promises means that I tuck God’s Word into my heart and mind so that I can hear Him later when He’s trying to speak to me. God uses His words to speak to us, so if you don’t feel like you’re hearing from God enough, perhaps it’s because you need to know more of what He’s saying.
This year, one of these verses that I am focused on is Psalm 46:10:
Be still and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world.
Since this is a focus verse for me, I repeat it over and over again so that when I am in a situation where I’m anxious about the future or I want to control an outcome, then God will use His words to speak to me and calm me down.
You can Google “popular Bible verses” and find one that fits your life. You can post on Facebook and ask people to share their favorite Bible verses if you feel too overwhelmed to find your own.
It doesn’t matter if you choose the same verse as someone else. God will speak that verse back to you in a way that is personal and perfectly customized to whatever you are going through. Each time you sense God bring that verse back up, you’ll feel loved, cared for and reminded about how much you matter to Him.
And that is how you know that you’re living your best year ever!
I’D LIKE TO HEAR FROM YOU! Which one of the three “best year ever” tips interests you the most? Do you have any other ideas to share?
Do you want to grow in your faith or get your questions answered about God? Drop in your email address below and I'll send you a weekly email with encouragement, Christ-centered teaching and practical next steps.
by Barb Roose | Dec 31, 2018 | Uncategorized
It's been the most remarkable year of my life.
At many points, 2018 felt like the worst year of my life. While some losses looked pretty rough on paper, there was more to this year than the number of tissues that I cried into. So, on this New Year's Eve, I'm taking stock on how I lived through a rocky ride around the sun.
The following list captures a snapshot of how God’s power, love, and provision carried me through the last 365 days. I can see how God empowered me to experience tremendous peace and accomplish more than I could have ever imagined, even as much of my life collapsed around me.
I'm grateful for the following hard-fought lessons. They are carved into my soul and I hope that they stay with me the rest of my life.
So, here’s my top 18 for 2018. This is from the list of 39 lessons that I wrote down in my journal yesterday:
1. Life with God is a much better risk than doing life on my own terms.
2. The day after a bad day is a new day, so I can always start again.
3. Be kind at all times.
4. I will cry when necessary and make no apologies.
5. A long walk and a podcast will keep me from saying or doing things that I'll regret later.
6. It's not my job to fix anyone.
7. An unhurried life is a happier life.
8. A good night’s sleep is a good thing every night, not every now and then.
9. Sometimes, doing hard things will make me cry. I will do those hard things anyways.
10. When I am emotionally healthy, toxic and unsafe people will avoid me.
11. I trust God’s love for me, even when my circumstances are tough.
12. Living with purpose heals emotional pain.
13. Forgiveness is a practice. I get better at it the more that I do it.
14. I will not judge my self-worth by the number on the bathroom scale.
15. Honest and healthy friendships leads to healing.
16. Experiences are much more satisfying than stuff.
17. Fasting one day a week increases my self-control.
18. When I stay in the present I worry less about the future.
18. The prayer that God answers is, “God, changI don’t know if you’ll find these helpful, but I figured that I’d share them anyway. Feel free to leave a comment below and let me know if any of these inspire you. Even better, write out your own list and share it with the people in your life!
One final note…Thank you for joining me on the wild ride of 2018! Whether you engaged with me on a blog post, attended one of my events, purchased one (or more) of my books, or completed one of my Bible studies, I’m grateful for you. Thank you for your love and support, friends!
If you want to ride along with me in 2019, drop your email address below for email delivery.
Do you want to grow in your faith or get your questions answered about God? Drop in your email address below and I'll send you a weekly email with encouragement, Christ-centered teaching and practical next steps.
by Barb Roose | Dec 19, 2018 | Uncategorized
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When I was a kid, I loved Christmas because I knew that my parents worked hard to give us kids at least a few of the toys that we pestered them for that year. On Christmas morning, we’d rip the boxes and packages open, screaming and laughing with excitement.
But... there were a few wrapped, squishy gifts pushed waaay back under the tree. Every year, we could count on those packages to show up, much to our chagrin. While the wise men brought Jesus and his parents gold, frankincense, and myrrh, Christmas morning in my family always included the most another (un)popular gift trifecta - underwear, socks, and thermal long johns. Every.single.year.
But here’s what my parents knew that I didn’t realize until my adult years: They knew that my new Pacman handheld game wasn’t going to keep me warm and dry at the school bus stop during the cold Ohio winter. Neither was any other toy or book waiting for me under the tree. Now I understand that those gifts of socks, underwear, and thermals were symbols of true love and provision that addressed my most important needs.
How often do we get so excited about the things that we want in life BUT we overlook or undervalue the things that we really need?
Chances are this Christmas, there’s something on your list that you'd really like to receive on Christmas. Now, I’m not talking about getting a luxury vehicle in the driveway with a giant red bow on top. Instead, I’m referring that good thing that you deeply desire, but money or control can’t buy.
A healed marriage.
A positive pregnancy test.
New employment.
Good health.
Relief from grief.
If our hearts' desire goes unfulfilled and we don't address it, sparks of anger, envy, or bitterness will rise up as we look around us. Sure, those strong emotions can surface anytime during the year, but there’s something about Christmas season that magnifies what’s broken, missing, or changed in our lives. Com’on God! Why does everyone have ________ except for me?
As one who is living right in the middle of that tension, I’ve had to really fight hard to not compare this painful season of my life to the smiling, happy, photo-shopped images on social media. It's been a battle, friends.
More importantly, I’ve had to remind myself of an important spiritual principle that applies every day of the year. This principle is critically important at Christmas when I’m not going to receive what I want most. Here’s the lesson – and feel free to read it aloud:
God doesn’t always give me everything I want, but He always gives me an abundance of what I need.
This is the irrefutable promise of God that the pastor Paul writes about in Philippians 4:19: And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.
Here’s a tough question: Do you truly know the difference between what you want and what you really need? This question isn’t as easy as we pretend it to be. There are a lot of good things out there that we want. But, when our attention is solely focused on what we want, we're missing out on the knowledge and blessing that God has given us more than what we need.
So what do we need? We need what God alone can provide, which looks a lot different than what most of us are asking Him for.
We need to possess what cannot be destroyed by time (Matthew 6:19-20). God longs to pour out His riches of peace, hope, love, joy, purpose, and an eternal connection with Him. Compare what you want against God's riches. What offers the greatest blessing to you? Sure, peace and joy aren’t items that we usually put on our Christmas list, but like socks, underwear, and thermals, it's what we need most.
I’ve had to challenge myself on the wants vs. needs question this Christmas season. While I want a healed marriage, I cannot fix my focus on that desire alone. What I need more than any desire is a close, abiding connection with God, who is my source of hope, joy, and peace (Romans 15:13). As I seek God first, He fills me with Himself and satisfies my every need (Matthew 6:33, Psalm 16:11).
Like the trifecta of underwear, socks, and thermals, God’s hope, joy, and peace is what keeps us and protect us not matter the ups and downs in life. Best of all, God lavishes upon us an abundance of those essential needs to fill us up as the hardships and heartache drain us each day.
A final prayer for us before Christmas: God, You are all I need. Help my hearts and eyes to desire Your eternal treasure more than anything that I could see or want on this earth. In Jesus' name, Amen.
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by Barb Roose | Dec 11, 2018 | Women's Topics
I’ve struggled with being patient all of my life.
Once, I even purchased a house without telling my husband. It was awful. I had to make a lot of apologies. For me, I get impatient when I want something that will make me happy or feel secure and God isn’t moving fast enough.
Can you think of a few times when you struggled with impatience and jumped ahead to do the opposite of what God wanted for your life?
- Your dream guy isn’t proposing fast enough so you compromise your standards in order to keep him….
- You find a just-over-the budget dream home, but panic because you’re afraid of not getting it so you take out a hefty loan that keeps you up at night…
- Your spouse is struggling or not getting with your program so you resort to nagging or lecturing to pressure him straighten up his wayward behavior.
It’s been said that while the early bird gets the worm, it’s the second mouse gets the cheese. We have to be careful and not jump too quick for something that God isn’t ready to give us.
I love the story of the Israelites crossing the Jordan River before they entered the Promised Land (Joshua 3). God told Joshua to instruct the millions of Israelites to let the ark of the covenant start out toward the river before them. Joshua told the people to keep a half-mile distance or a 15-minute walk between themselves and the ark. Since the ark was the physical presence of God, the big picture principle behind the command to stand back was this: Let God lead.
For me, this distance is also symbolic. Sometimes we get in a hurry when we’re trying to get something done. We pray and ask God for help or a favor. At first, we try to be patient. But when God is taking too long to get us what we want, we rush ahead into the unknown just because we’re too scared to stand still. But there was a reason why God told the people to wait for the ark to lead. “Then you will know which way to go, since you have never been this way before.” (Joshua 3:4 NIV).
When life is uncertain, this is the most important time to slow down and let God lead. Let’s be honest, when you don’t really know what you’re doing or where you’re going, there’s a greater chance that you’ll mess up or hurt others figuring things out. But, God knows exactly what He is doing in your life at ALL times! There are no dark corners in God’s vision. He will always lead you to His best for you.
What’s a clue that you’re rushing ahead of God? You know that you’re rushing ahead of God when you start stressing out, controlling people, and worrying about details. When you wait on God to lead you through uncertain times, you‘re far enough back to let God pave the way for you.
Learning to be patient and let God lead is a hard lesson. But every time I let go and let God, He shows up and leads me through uncertainty in a way that allows me to sleep well each night and manage through tough days with peace, strength, and courage.
by Barb Roose | Nov 27, 2018 | Christian Living/Discipleship, Women's Topics
For years, my former pastor and boss encouraged our staff team to participate in an overseas missions trip. Not only would we receive our regular pay while we were gone, but we’d also receive an additional day off to rest when we returned. Sweet deal, right?! But, there was no amount of incentive that could convince me to leave the safety and security of my home for the unknown of a third-world country where I was afraid of the heat, bugs, strange food, and that I didn’t know the language.
For years, I said no when even God nudged me to say yes to that missions trip. My pastor would announce it at staff meetings and the guilt would be unbearable because I couldn’t believe that I was actually saying no to the God that I loved and wanted to serve with all my heart.
Finally, my life verse pushed back against my many fears: Seek the kingdom above all else and live righteously, and he will give you everything that you need. –Matthew 6:33 NLT
If I loved God, then I realized that I needed to say yes to going on a missions trip.
But what about everything that I was afraid of? One of my biggest fears was running into a giant spider. I had nightmares of spiders crawling over me at night and that I was unable to get away.
But, when I thought about the words in Matthew 6:33, God’s promise was that if I trust Him and followed where He led me, then God would help me handle my fears.
Whenever people say to me, “Well, God never gives us more than we can handle,” I gently push back and say to them,
“I believe that God allows more than we can handle so that we’ll realize that there are situations that ONLY God can handle.”
On that first missions trip, I realized that my fears were more than I could handle. In fact, I barely got any sleep at night because I was so worried about a spider crawling on me or biting me. Each night, I’d wrap up inside of my comforter like a burrito. I was wrapped up so tight that I could barely breathe. Guess what? God did take care of me because even though I was in humid, tropical conditions, my beautiful host family had fantastic air conditioning. Even though I slept only a little each night, at least I didn’t suffocate!
In the midst of my great fear, I saw God do even greater work while on that trip. We carried rocks to fill a new home foundation for a hard-working mother with seven kids. I taught Jesus’ love through Bible lessons and face-painted dozens of kids. I worked in the clinic pharmacy and saw the life-changing effects of simple medicines that we took for granted here in the US.
My fears were more than I could handle, but God still took good care of me. Even though I didn’t handle my fears well, I experienced God in a great way that changed the trajectory of my life.
In fact, I’ve taken almost ten missions trips over the years. Get this: I’m still afraid of spiders. But, I’m more afraid of missing out on how God wants to use me.
If what you’re facing today is bigger than what you can handle, that means that your situation is perfect for God’s power and might. Seek God first in your situation. He will give you the power and strength to handle whatever comes your way.
by Barb Roose | Nov 20, 2018 | Holiday
Ladies! We all know how stressful the Holiday season can be for some of us. Please welcome my friend Ginger Tarkowski as she shares some of the ways she gets into the the spirit for the season!
Ginger is a mom of 2 and she loves her kids more than anything. She is a Christmas fanatic who loves spending time with her family as much as possible.
How to Get In the Spirit for the Holiday Season
The holiday season is finally here, and it really is the most wonderful time of the year. There is so much excitement in the air that everything can become so hectic. If you’re ready to get into the holiday spirit, read on for some ways you can get ready for the season!
Listen to your favorite tunes
There is nothing better to get you in the mood for Christmas than bopping along to some festive music. Turn on some of your favorite classics when you’re cleaning around the house or cooking dinner (or even getting started on your holiday baking)! You’ll instantly feel a sense of cheer with Christmas carols as your background music for whatever you’re doing. If you want an update for your music collection, check out some of the 2018 Christmas albums that recently came out.
Watch Christmas movies
Another really simple way to get in the mood for the holidays is to spend a lazy Saturday night watching Christmas movies. Bake some cookies and sit back to enjoy some family-friendly Christian movies that you and your kids will love. With so many options, you’re sure to get in the spirit after watching a couple of feel-good holidays flicks.
Start decorating
If you’re ready to start celebrating Christmas, that means it’s time to decorate! It’s quite impossible to not be in a holiday mood when your house looks so festive. If you don’t know where to start, utilize some of these decorating tips to give you some ideas. Start simple and add in minimalist pieces to bring some spirit into your home, that way you can add more later if you want. You’ll love coming home every day to your lovely decorating, and you’ll feel very holly jolly!
Set up a hot chocolate bar
Getting ready for the holidays can be done through so many simple actions, like a hot chocolate bar. Opt for a homemade hot cocoa recipe to keep the flavors authentic, set out an assortment of mugs, and get started! Make sure to include lots of extra treats to add to your hot chocolate, like peppermint sticks, mini marshmallows, and whipped cream. With the colder weather this time of year, your mug of hot chocolate will warm you up from the inside out!
Host a holiday party
Not all holiday parties have to be over the top. You can plan a really simple gathering for your closest friends and family to spread your excitement for the season. Encourage everyone to wear their festive attire, make festive Christmas treats, and cozy up your house so everyone feels welcome! You can invite your guests to bring a small gift to exchange or simply just bring a dish to pass.
Do you have any favorite Holiday traditions or any fun ways to get into the Holiday spirit? Share them in the comments!
by Barb Roose | Nov 13, 2018 | Women's Topics
It was the middle of the night. I took five steps across the hardwood floor as quietly as I could, hoping not to jam my toes on the corner of dresser. When I took those five steps, I stopped and turned. Then, I padded five steps back in the other direction, quietly wiping the tears that were falling down my face.
Why did you let this happen, God?
When will this end, God?
I’m so miserable…
If you’ve ever paced the floor at night, you know that middle-of-the-night pacing is not exactly a party. When we’re watching the midnight minutes tick away because we can’t sleep, well let’s be honest, it sucks. #Christiancurseword
What’s been keeping you up at night lately? More importantly, how is the lack of sleep affecting your life? There’s only so much coffee can do for you. Good sleep is essential for good health. So how do we stop our worries from screwing up our sleep?
There’s a tool that I created to interrupt the worried thoughts that might prevent me from getting a good night’s sleep. It’s called the God-morning/God night technique. This simple tool is so easy to do and use! Best of all, it activates the power of God’s Word to work the worry out of your mind.
Every worry gets stopped in its tracks by the Word of God!
In order to use the God morning/God night technique, you’ll need a “starter set” of five short verses from the Bible. Search for verses that contain words or phrases like peace, do not fear, do not worry, or courage. Here are a few of my favorites:
When I am afraid, I will put my trust in you. –Psalm 56:3
For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength. –Philippians 4:13
Give all of your worries and cares to God for He cares about you. -1 Peter 5:7
You can add two more verses to this starter set. You can store them in your phone, but I recommend writing them on a notecard or small sheet of paper and taping it to your nightstand or any place you’ll see it before going to bed. For the next 30 days, read those verses aloud before you go to settle down for bed. Don’t rush through reading them, take the time to hear the truth in the words as you read them. God’s truth always wins over your worry.
I use this technique in the morning, too. When I wake up, it’s easy for mind to spin about everything might go wrong.
However, when I start my day with God’s Word, my worries get shot down before they start.
If you try the “God morning/God night” technique, take a picture of your card by your bed and share it with me on my Facebook page. If you do this, you’ll encourage others to do it, too. Imagine how you can help others trust God and get a good night’s sleep!
by Barb Roose | Oct 30, 2018 | Christian Living/Discipleship
Earlier this summer, I shared few blog posts about what was happening with my family. At this time, it’s probably not wise to share some of the specifics of what’s been happening, only because this is still a very tender, fragile situation. If you’ve ever dealt with addiction issues, there’s already a level of out-of-controlness that goes along with this tragedy. So, rather than say too little or too much, just know that your prayers are still needed and very, very much appreciated. I trust that God is still working behind the scenes, but right now, the pain and heartache continue.
So, for the past few weeks I’ve been thinking about Isaiah 43:2 above. In God’s goodness, this is a verse was part of a message that I shared about Shadrach, Meschah and Abendego (Daniel 3) that I taught on over the weekend at the New Antioch Women’s Retreat in Maryland. In their story, these godly men took a stand for their faith and ended up in a firey furnace.
Where do you feel the heat of the fire in your life? One thing is for sure, when we feel the heat of the fire, we often feel that it’s going to kill us, right?! Perhaps you feel the heat of a financial crisis that you can’t get out of. Maybe you feel the heat of an uneasy employment situation because you aren’t sure about your job security. If you’re like me, you feel the intense hot heat of a personal crisis and you just want God to put out the fire so that you can feel relief.
Sometimes, however, God allows us to feel the heat so that we will turn to Him for help. In the retreat this weekend, I said this: God is our firefighter!
There are three lessons that I think about Isaiah 43:2:
1. God allows us to experience pain and pressure.
This is different than saying that God is the one who does bad things to us. Rather, we live in a sinful world where bad things happen to good people and sometimes, God does allow us to experience pain that frankly, doesn’t always feel fair.
2. Just because you are facing the fire today doesn’t mean that it’s your fault.
Read Daniel 3 and the story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abendego. These guys loved God and served him, yet, their faith led to their fiery situation.
Don’t let judgmental people tell you that your hardship is as a result of something that you’ve done. We all face hardship and sometimes, there is no explanation for it.
Don’t beat yourself up. And even if you started the fire through bad financial decisions or an inappropriate relationship, hear this: God is still God. Turn to Him and give Him back control of your life so that He can lead you through the fire. There may be places where you’ve experienced self-inflicted pain, but God can take those places and give you purpose and redemption!
3. When you’re in the fire, stay calm!
What’s the first rule when someone catches on fire? Stop. Remember in school when they taught us to “stop, drop and roll” if our clothes caught on fire. Running away only spreads the fire, but when we stop, drop and roll, that’s how we smother it. When we feel the heat of the trials in our lives, we need to stop instead of running away from God. Isaiah 40:31 says, “They that wait on the Lord will renew their strength.”
We turn toward God, pray and study His word. God will take care of us and fight the fire for us.
These are the lessons that I cling to these days as I walk through the heat of my personal crisis. What about you? Which one of these three lessons do you need to remember today?
by Barb Roose | Oct 23, 2018 | Women's Topics
Over the summer, I was driving down the road and I heard a grinding metal noise from underneath my car. Oh-oh. After a few seconds the noice went away, but the cha-ching sound of the coming car repair costs kept ringing in my mind.
Even before I knew what was happening, my mind started playing the nausea-inducing “what if” game:
What if the repairs costs more than I have to fix it?
What if I don’t have a car to drive for a long time?
What if I have to replace my car and I can’t find something affordable?
By the time I finished playing round one the “what if” game, I was driving down the road near tears. My imagination took a little problem and blew it up and out of control. All I really knew what that a small noise was coming from my car, but I let my mind turn it into a disaster.
If you’ve ever played the “what if” game, you know that it begins with any kind of fear. It could be anything from a lump under our skin, an announcement of layoffs at the office, mysterious phone numbers on spouse’s phone. Any one of those fears feels like a threat to our safety or our unhappiness. But, if we don’t address those fears, those fears will develop new fears. In fact, in my Winning the Worry Battle book, I say it like this:
The fear of our fear is our worry.
In my situation, one car noise became a single fear that I allowed to multiply into lots of different fears in my mind. When our minds are overwhelmed by fear, we’re guaranteed to be miserable!
My friend, God doesn’t want you to be miserable. He promises you power, love and self-control (2 Timothy 1:7) – all of those beautiful things are the opposite of fear.
Perhaps this is why the Bible has so many verses that include the phrases, do not fear and do not be afraid. In fact, some estimate that there are over 300 verses, depending on the translation about not being afraid. Here’s one of my favorites that I’ve leaned on so much in the past year.
“This is my command – be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” – Joshua 1:9 NLT
When you look at this verse notice that God isn’t telling us that there is nothing to be afraid of in life. In fact, God knows that there will be times of great fear, but we don’t have to live afraid because God’s presence is with us.
We can live courageously in challenging situations because God is with us and for us in every circumstance.
So, when I hear a noise in my car and my mind wants to play the “what if “ game, the lesson I’m learning is that I don’t have to play that game.
Instead, I can pray, “God, I know that You hear that noise in my car. Instead of worrying about what it might be or if I can pay for it, I will trust that You will help me handle whatever it is.”
Is there a “what if” game that you need to stop playing today? Let’s face it, there are no winners in the “what if” game, only stress and tears. Here’s a practical idea that you can consider: Grab a sheet of paper or notecard and write down five do not be afraid verses that you can post by your bathroom mirror. Read those verses each morning. Then, the next time fear tries to get you to play the “what if” game, God’s promises will show up and push back your fears. Imagine boldly looking your fears in the face and proclaiming: “God’s already given me victory. Fear, I don’t have to play your game.”
