3/29/2015 0 Comments First on My Mind![]() What is the first thing you think about when you hear the word, Easter? The Easter bunny? dying eggs? pretty dresses? egg hunts? delicious food? presents? Was Christ at the top of your mind? Or was he second, third, fourth, or lower? Let's go one step further for parents: What would your kids say? My youngest picked out her Easter dress WEEKS ago, and if I [Ginny] were to be absolutely honest with you, she would probably say she gets to wear her pretty BRIGHT pink dress. In fact, I KNOW that is what she would say because she has not only begged me to wear that dress every. single. day since we bought it, she has carried it around the house with her in hopes that I might change my mind at any moment of the day. She is little, so I will give her a pass this year. However, as she grows older, I want Christ's gift of grace to be the first thing on her mind. And that will start with Christ's gift being the first thing on MY MIND. There is less than a week until Easter, but there is still time to refocus on what we truly celebrate on Easter. To prepare your heart, read a different version of Jesus' final days in the flesh from each Gospel: Matthew 26-28 Mark 14-16 Luke 22-24 John 18-21 For an alternative, you can read Scripture that corresponds with Jesus' final days: Palm Sunday (Jesus arrives in Jerusalem): Matthew 21: 1-11, Mark 11:1-11, Luke 19:28-44 and John 12:12-19 Monday (Jesus Cleanses the Temple): Matthew 21:12-17, Mark 11:15-19 and Luke 19: 45-48 Tuesday (Jesus' Authority Is Challenge): Matthew 21:23-46; Matthew 22: 1-46 Wednesday (Remain Watchful): Matthew 24:36-51; Mark 13:32-37 and Luke 21:325-36 Thursday (Passover with the Disciples, Garden of Gethsemane, Judas' Betrayal): Matthew 26:17-56 and John 13 - 18:11 Friday (Jesus Is Delivered to Pilate, Sentenced, and Hung on the Cross): Matthew 27:1-56, Mark 15:1-41, Luke 23:1-49 and John 18:28-19:37 Saturday (The Tomb): Matthew 27:57-66, Mark 15:42-47, Luke 23:50-56 and John 19:38-42 Sunday (The Resurrection, The Great Commission and Ascension): Matthew 28, Mark 16, Luke 24, and John 20-21 To help prepare your children's hearts, read them age-friendly versions of the Easter story. Resurrection Eggs are an excellent tool to help you tell them. If they are not in your budget, here is a link to make them yourself: http://thefrugalgirls.com/2010/03/the-easter-story-craft-in-an-egg.html I love this idea for a Holy Week Calendar that incorporates crafts, singing, and Bible reading. I pray that you and your family will have the opportunity to focus on the most amazing story of Jesus's greatest gift to us, the gift of life, as we celebrate this final week before Easter. In the comments below, I would love to hear how you focus on Christ in your family during the Easter season. Joyfully, Ginny
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![]() "Draw Near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double- minded." James 4:8 And there is more..... James 4:7, 9-10 First, "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you....Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you." When these words were first brought into my (Mia's) spirit this week, it was simply the verse of "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you." Mostly because I felt so far away, depression hit me over the head like a hammer...... no, more like a Jack-hammer, and I was struggling to feel anything, especially near. Not struggling to know, but struggling to feel. But as I (finally) opened my Bible and pressed into the verses surrounding this command, I saw there was so much more. It was a call to repentance, a call to turn from pride and basically a pissy attitude (of which I had all of the above.) But my question to the Lord was, How do I draw near, when I barely have the energy and focus to get out of bed? Thank you Merriam-Webster for helping me define my struggle. Draw : to come out (get out of bed, Mia, and move!) Draw : to cause to go in a certain direction (get up and move toward your Bible, to times of devotion and prayer) Draw : inhale (breath in His word) Draw : to extract the essence from (seek Him and He will be found-dig deep, listen) Draw : accumulate, gain ( dig in His word, seek prayer, seek counsel) Draw: to bend a bow (Mia, humble yourself and bend low before the King) Draw : to produce a likeness or representation of by making lines on a surface (Mia, let Him make you more like Him) Do you need to draw near to the Lord?...........the answer is Yes! So how are you doing? Are you struggling like I was, are you pressing in, are you strong,are you weak or are you all the above? The command is clear: Submit, draw near, repent and humble yourself. The promise is sure: He WILL draw near to you, He will exalt and lift you up. Have a great week, press in, draw close and let's check back together on Friday and see what God has been up to in our lives as we draw near to Him, knowing that He is always near and will NEVER leave us or forsake us. Love you in the Lord! Mia 3/15/2015 1 Comment Just One More Hour![]() “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered. “You are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:41-42) It’s the start of a new week and I (Melissa) am already finding myself wishing for just one more hour (okay, probably more like two or three or four). I’m looking at my never-ending to-do list. So much to do … I’m remembering the extra things where I’ve committed my time. Not nearly enough minutes in the day to get it all accomplished … And I am identifying oh, so closely with Martha today. In Luke 10:38-42, we find Martha frantically preparing for the arrival of Jesus. She’s cooking. She’s cleaning. She’s working to complete as many tasks as possible found on her never-ending to-do list. So much to do … Not nearly enough minutes in the day to get everything accomplished … Sound familiar? Maybe you can relate. Perhaps you, too, are looking at your calendar this week and finding very little white space showing through the squares that represent each of the next seven days. Maybe you are wondering (like me and like Martha) how you will possibly get everything done. Martha pleads with Jesus about her constant state of busyness, about how the expectations put on her are just too much, about how she will never be able to get everything done, He reminds her that she is “worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed …” (Luke 10:41-42) Wait? What? Stop worrying about a to-do list? Stop being upset about things left undone? Is this even possible? Jesus tells us it is. Instead of choosing to focus our attention on a list of the things we have deemed are the most important, Jesus reminds us to focus our attention on Him and the things that will bring glory to God. Because when that becomes our focus, the franticness of our days stops. Our obsession with “getting it all done” dissipates. And we find that extra hour (or two or three or four). Will you join me this week in giving our to-do lists to the Lord? To let Him define our priorities? To make Him our time manager? To let Him help us discover that extra hour for the tasks that will glorify Him? I’ll be honest, the idea does make the Martha in me cringe just a bit. But the promise of a little more peace, a little more calm and a little more simplicity in my week (as well as that potential for an extra hour or two or three or four is something I would willingly add to my to-do list! Heavenly Father, this week we give you our to-do list. Help us to let go of our own priorities and, instead, work on a list that is filled with the things that bring You the most glory. Help us let go of the guilt of not getting it all done and exchange that guilt for the peace, calm and simplicity that comes from choosing what is better. We ask all of this in the name of Your Son, Jesus. Amen. 3/9/2015 1 Comment A Free Printable For You!1 Corinthians 1:17 is one of my {Mandy's} favorite verses and has quickly become my Blogging/Writing/Speaking Mission Statement. The truth is, we aren't here to collect a following for ourselves. We're here to know Him and to make Him known. Feel free to print this out. May it be a constant reminder of who we are here to serve! {The PDF is below} Love, Mandy & The Ladies of Deliberate Women 3/2/2015 0 Comments How Committed Are You?![]() "5 Things Every Daughter Needs..." "10 Things You Should NEVER Say To Your Husband..." "3 Fail-Proof Methods To Rev Up Your Bible Reading..." "7 easy Tricks To Get In Shape..." We see them everywhere: Those blog titles and headlines that encourage us to click through and read the wisdom packaged up nicely in list form. There's nothing wrong with those headlines. They're attention-grabbing and comfort us that solutions to some of our greatest struggles are merely a bullet-pointed list away. But when it comes to real growth and digging our roots deeper into Christ, there is no "quick fix" or "easy step" method. A deep and true relationship takes time, diligence, and perseverance. Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days. (Psalm 90:14) Notice the Psalmist didn't say "Satisfy us one morning..." Instead, the verse in Psalms tells us that God will satisfy us "in the morning" or "every morning." Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, Thank the Lord that His mercies are new every morning, because we need them! We sin daily (hourly for me {Mandy}!) and require a fresh dose of mercy every single day. This is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the commandment, that as you have heard from the beginning, you should walk in it. (2 John 1:6) The word "walk" in 2 John 1:6 is a present tense verb. It's happening right now. Not yesterday, last week, or one time...presently. A tree deeply rooted is able to withstand the storm. A tree too young or not deeply rooted will sway and collapse in the storm. We are like the tree. If we are not deeply roooted in Christ's love, nurturing and cultivating our relationship with Him daily, our roots grow weak and die. Then we are vulnerable. But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses. (1 Timothy 6:11-12) Most of us aren't strong enough in a physical fight to knock down our opponent in one mighty blow. Most would require consistent training, daily commitment, and a long-term vision to even feel confident stepping into the ring, let alone throwing (or receiving) the first punch! How much more are we required to train and commit to our spiritual training for the battles we face daily? We must be in the Word, praying and communicating to the Father, and seeking His will every day. Ask yourself the following: If this seems daunting to you, just remember that we are to call on the Lord to give us strength. Jesus wants nothing more than for us to desire to know Him better. If we ask, surely He will provide a way and even a desire to deepen our relationship with Him.
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She Heard/Mandy Pagano makes no representations or warranties in relation to this website or the information and materials provided therein, and will not be liable to you in relation to the contents of or use of this website for any indirect, special or consequential loss. Nothing on this website constitutes or is meant to constitute advice of any kind. If you require advice in relation to any legal, financial, medical or psychological matter, you should consult an appropriate professional.
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