Recently a client of mine asked how I get everything done. I had to tell her that I don't.

The only way to live a life that you love, is to make choices. And some of them will be hard. But, in order to make those choices, we need to know what is important to us. No, not what is important to your parents, your co-workers or the PTA.

You are the only you there is. If you are not doing what you were meant to do, who is doing it for you? It's up to you. For example, I am not a good cook. I don't do bake sales. My son and foster kids used to rave about how good so and so's mom's puppy chow is. I smile and give them a quarter to get me something.

It's a hard pill to swallow, realizing we can't do everything we are asked to do or even everything we want to do. Not all at one time.

Do you plaster fishes and bumper stickers all over your cars, then break the speed limit, rage and scream or even speak in sign language when someone cuts you off?

Are you so spiritually minded that you are no earthly good?

Do you use christian language in your everyday topics and end your sentences with AMEN or hallelujah in the workplace?

Do you judge another 'supposed' christian because they do not conform to the ways you think they ought to?

Are you so caught up in rules of religion, that you don't experience the joy of living?

Tough questions today folks. I am not pointing fingers or trying to make anyone feel bad, just some thoughts to ponder. You yourself may not fit any of the above scenarios, but you may know someone that does, or one of the questions above may have prompted that inner voice to raise a totally different one in your own mind.

Thats ok... God's grace is certainly much bigger than all the silly things we get ourselves sidetracked and mucked into.  So..if you have made a mistake..good.. get over it, cause you know what....God gets over it as soon as you ask Him to forgive you.

It's important to be relatable to those around you in life. There are reasons we cross paths with those that we do.  Sometimes its SO obvious, because we have walked a mile or two in what that person is going thru.

 Dawn's beatitudes: (smiles)

1-Be real-Practice what you wear ( bracelets, tshirts, bumperstickers, etc. ) or for goodness sakes get rid of them, until you can! It's a process, and just because you are a christian you are not going to have it all together all of the time of course, but let's be practical here.

2- Be relatable. Speak normal, elminate the thou's and thus sayeth the lord from grocery line chatter.

3-Be authentic-Say what you mean, be honest and dont make promises that you cant or dont want to keep.

4-Be Proactive-Never act out of guilt.

5-Be personal-Have your own relationship with God, rather than relying on your peers, your parents or others.

6-Be thankful and grateful. This keeps our eyes off of others and feeling like someone is getting more than what we have or need.  Keeps things in perspective.

7-Be informed-Stay up on current events, stay relevent, be flexible, keep a youthful perspective and be ready to move.. God is always on the move, not in yesterday's move, but in today's move.

8.Be loving and accepting-Of ourselves and others. Keep your standards without compromising what Jesus encouraged us to do-love.

9-Be excited-life is a gift, try to make each day different than the last!

10-Be a planner-I have heard say that if you don't know where you are going, you will probably end up there. Make plans, set goals, and get into action!

What is a "BE" that you need to work on? Or that you read and thought.. oh ..yeah..thats neat.. or some personal experience with anything shared in this entry?

by Dawn P. July 25, 2005

"FUN?" gasped the (fill in the blank of your favorite religious affiliation) with an look of disbelief.

Have you ever been to a worship service and people are singing about love and joy, etc.. and they all look like they just sucked lemons right before the service? Nary a smile to be seen. Why is this so?

How about even in the malls, grocery stores or even traffic?  People look like they are ready to chew someone up and spit them out.

When people think of Christianity they sometimes think of it as a set of prohibitions: "Why do Baptists not have sex standing up? Because it might lead to dancing." Fortunately, this is a joke. However sometimes Christians actually have gotten carried away with rules. Rules of behavior have turned into an end in themselves, rather than ways of protecting us so that we can develop better relationships. However good sense normally prevails in the end.

What makes fun people?

1. Fun people attract others. We want to be attractive to others, not dour rule oriented people.

2. Fun people are happy. They are going thru things just like all of us, but for the most part, they see the upside of things, and we dont always hear from them "WHY ME?"

3. To have fun, we have to sometimes let go of what others think. Forget about their opinions, or looking proper, and just do it!

4. Fun people are adventurous.  They do things out of the box...they look for ways to be bigger people.

5. Fun people have relationships to have fun with.  From getting together for dinner, or playing board games, or going for mini putt putt.. .connecting with others. Fellowship. Our dreams our fulfilled thru our relationships.

6.   Fun people give of themselves.  Giving of yourself or time, opens you up to many opportunities and relationships that might have passed you by.  Give and have Fun!

7.  Plan your fun...schedule it in, just like you do other appts. Make it a priority in your day, week, month!

8. But be ready to be flexible and spontaneous. Fun is flexibility!

9.  Fun people are healthy.  If you arent taking care of yourself, then you cant keep up and do the fun things that are out there to do!

To be fun, we need to be open and vulnerable...ready to move, plan, and let our hair down!

Like you're just getting paddled around...bouncing here and there, not going anywhere much to fast, except when the paddle misses your bottom and you dont know whether to sigh cause you didnt get whacked on the butt, or cry cause you are out of the game again?

Do you feel that everything in your life is unplanned, and you are always just RE-acting to life, rather than EN-acting it?

Let's face it, life does throw us alot of curve balls. We do have to Re-act. So how do we juggle all that is thrown at us and yet be a C0-creator of our lives? I say "co" because we are created in God's image..He being the ULTIMATE creator... and the one that God has a plan for us, for good not for bad.

YOU are in charge of seeing that your life fulfills that plan. Your reactions and actions all tell whether you are engaged in making your life all that it can be, or whether you are just that pinball being whacked around senselessly.

What you focus on expands. Negatively or positively. If you focus on food...you get bigger...If you focus on exercise...you get healthier. If you focus on your life plans...you will begin to accomplish them, and when things are thrown at you everyday, you will begin to handle them smoother and with less stress than if you didnt have that focus.

Some keys to Expansion:

Relationship with God-as you get to know Him, you get to know you. Get your beliefs in order. Faulty beliefs may be preventing you from creating the reality that you would prefer

Focus upon expansion and growth, and that is what you will attract into your life.

Budget regular time to dream, to plan out, to plot/map your life.

Readjust your plans accordingly...but never give up.

Staying positive when the curve balls come your way-change your way of responding to reflect-"how can this make me a better person" kind of thinking, rather than the 'why me" type of response.

Get a support team, those that have your best interests at heart, will be happy to see you succeed. Gather with others that are on the same path and support others in their goals. Others will bring your dream to pass, as your dream will help others achieve theirs!

July 27,2005 (c) by Dawn

Was listening to this song just now, and thinking God, I don't know what to share today.... and felt God speaking to me thru this song... just read the lyrics over.

Welcome to your life
There’s no turning back
Even while we sleep
We will find you
Acting on your best behaviour
Turn your back on mother nature
Everybody wants to rule the world

It’s my own design
It’s my own remorse
Help me to decide
Help me make the most
Of freedom and of pleasure
Nothing ever lasts forever
Everybody wants to rule the world

There’s a room where the light won’t find you
Holding hands while the walls come tumbling down
When they do I’ll be right behind you

So glad we’ve almost made it
So sad they had to fade it
Everybody wants to rule the world

I can’t stand this indecision
Married with a lack of vision
Everybody wants to rule the world
Say that you’ll never never never never need it
One headline why believe it ?
Everybody wants to rule the world

All for freedom and for pleasure
Nothing ever lasts forever
Everybody wants to rule the world

I heard: Holding hands while the walls come tumbling down
When they do I’ll be right behind you..

See, thats the grace of God..when all else fails.. marriages, family, friends.. God is always there for us, covering us, holding us, and even carrying us when we need to be carried.

This song says alot... there are many tangents I could go off on, but going to leave it open for God to speak to you thru it, share if you like, and also listen to other songs, and see what He has to say to you today!

Love and Laughter,

Dawn Marie

THE MEANING OF LIFE

Quote -  'It's because I like myself now when I'm with you,' - A teacher quoted by Everett Shostrom in 'Man, The Manipulator'.

 
  
 
Everyone needs attention.

Recognition is the food of the soul.

Most are starving.

Everyone needs to love and to be loved.

If we give people attention maybe they'll stop doing those annoying things they do to get attention.

Giving others significance is possibly the greatest gift all of us have.

Many live in high-minded delusion because no one gave them significance.

Meaningfulness is the ache of the soul.

What is the meaning of life?

We give the meaning of life to people, when we recognise their abilities, achievements and impact the world.

Don't wait for the funeral. Send flowers today!

Love and laughter,

Dawn Marie

 
..."Because you have prayed to Me...."
Isaiah 37:21 

Have you ever had your back against the wall so badly that if something didn't happen to change your situation, you were sunk? King Hezekiah was one of Israel's greatest godly kings. One of the greatest challenges to his reign came when the king of Assyria threatened to attack Israel and wipe them out. The Assyrians were the local bullies of the region and had wiped out all other enemies in their region. They mocked the idea of having a God who could save them.

Do not let Hezekiah deceive you. He cannot deliver you! Do not let Hezekiah persuade you to trust in the Lord when he says, "The Lord will surely deliver us; this city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria" (Isaiah 36:14b-15).

The workplace is full of "Assyrian kings" who mock the idea of a living God who delivers. Without God's help, Israel would not overcome. Their backs were against the wall. They would be destroyed.

King Hezekiah saved Israel because of one act. He prayed; and because he prayed, God moved on his behalf. In fact, God moved so powerfully that Hezekiah did not even have to fight the battle.

Then the angel of the Lord went out and put to death a hundred and eighty-five thousand men in the Assyrian camp. When the people got up the next morning, there were all the dead bodies! (Isaiah 37:36) The king of Assyria was even murdered by his own sons. Imagine seeing your enemy totally destroyed without one hand raised in battle!

God wants to act on behalf of His children if they will call on Him. One of the motives Hezekiah had in seeking God's help was "so that all kingdoms on earth may know that You alone, O Lord, are God" (Is. 37:20). This is what happened. God was glorified.

God is a living God. He can deliver. Seek Him today for the crisis in your life. Keep your motive pure and God will surely answer.

How do you talk to God?

I was just answering a question from another blogger, and was thinking.. do you talk in the King James language? Or do you just chill out and chat with Him?

Do you have a 'ritual' that you feel you need to do before praying? Can you put that ritual aside, or is a mandatory thing for you in order for you to connect with Him?

If its something you find you HAVE to do, then I encourage you to try to begin to let go of your preplan of how you think you need to approach God.. cause if its the ONLY way you can connect, or feel you did it the 'right' way... then .. thats a religious approach, and you may be more caught up in the ritual, rather than the relationship.

Anytime you have a thought, God hears it, in fact He hears it before you even formed it in your mind.. so why do we sometimes think that He will only hear us if its cloaked in thous, or this or that?

This is an example of how I talk with God.. .this morning when I woke up,

Stretch.... Good morning God... ahh... I love you.. do you know that God? I do.. big smiles... hit snooze button.  Ok.. yep.. gotta get going.. what's today look like for me God? Please guide me today to make the right choices, give me wisdom at my office, let me be a blessing to my clients, to the community and too my therapists! Oh.. yes.. please bless my new intern.. I would like to see her have 2 clients today that will give her the feedback and the experience she needs! Thanks.  Began singing some song that I cant remember right now, but it was a regular song, that I turned around and just began to sing it to God.. some love song... shrugs... doesnt matter...b ut I just use my every day life and events to be real and normal with Him.

Now does that mean I dont ever get into such deep worship with Him, that I dont fall on my knees? That I dont cry and just stand in Awe of Him... and sometimes just lay down... and soak in His presence? No.. not at all.. I do those things in my 'worship' prayer times as well.. but for the regular everyday talking with Him..its pretty much laid out , like I would talk to you.

Love yas,

Have a great day...Dawn Marie

The last entry was on prayer. Just one level of prayer... simple everyday conversations with God.  Today I want to delve a little bit deeper into the different aspects or levels of prayer.

Prayer is powerful. And like our multi-faceted God, prayer is just as diverse.   Prayer is basically talking with God. Expressing your heart and spending time with God. It is not a one way activity, God speaks, we listen, we speak and God listens to our hearts. Prayer can be exciting, powerful and fulfilling. I am going to be focusing mostly on intercession, but I also wanted to provide an overview on other types of prayer.

A. Thanksgiving - Giving thanks to God for all things in your life. We are commanded to give thanks in all circumstances. Being thankful is being grateful for his protection, provision, blessing, and most of all for his Son.
B. Petition - We ask God for the things we need in our life. Give us our daily bread. Give us the things we need to survive, a roof over our heads, employment etc. Petitions are usually self orientated, presenting our personal needs to our Heavenly Father, in trust that He will provide.

C. Prevailing Prayer - fervent consistent insistent prayer until a breakthrough takes place, whether in your personal life, or for someone else (intercession). Example Believing for emotional or physical healing.

D Intercession - Love on its knees in prayer, for others. Pleading on behalf of the needs of someone else. Standing in the gap, that is, praying prayers of repentance, etc., identifying yourself with the sins of those for which you are in prayer.

Private vs Public:

What is the purpose of private prayer?

To develop a personal relationship with God. Personal relationships involve sharing. Personal prayer is a time to open your heart to God and share all feelings, even negative ones, all desires and hurts and sins and joys.

What about getting stuck when you go to pray in private?
• Try using the Lord's Prayer as an outline.
• Find a prayer that you can read and use as a guide, such as prayers from the Desert Fathers or early Christians
• Write your prayer, perhaps in a prayer journal


What is the purpose of public prayer:

• Proclamation of faith? – but the only place in scripture where we are told to proclaim his death, burial and resurrection is during the Lord’s Supper. So prayer isn't about telling other people what we believe.
• The early church (see Acts) came together to offer praise, worship, etc, as a body.

"Praying always with all prayer and supplications in the spirit"
Ephesians 6:18

Having a bad hair day? It's bound to happen even to the best of us. You wake up and put your shirt on backwards...hopefully you catch it before your co worker does.

Bad days are annoying. But it seems it is on those days that the world annoys the heck out of you, and you just don't feel like being grateful for anything.

You know what? That's ok. Did you know that all feelings you experience are OK? Yep, even the feelings we think are "bad."

In fact, there are no bad feelings.. ALL feelings are good! All feelings are good because they reflect back to us how an experience is affecting us. If we pretend that certain feelings are bad, rather than the experience is making us feel bad, it is like we are beating the wagon to make the horse move. Now, some feelings we do enjoy more than others; and we would like to continue to feel some feelings and stop feeling others. But the way to stop feeling an emotion we do not like is to stop experiencing whatever it is that is painful or hurtful.

FEELINGS ARE NOT WEAK; IN FACT THEY ARE THE STRONGEST PART OF US.

For instance, we like to believe that our will power is a facet of our minds. But our will and our power comes from our feelings. We DO things because of our desire and passion. We may decide what we want to do with our minds, but if our feelings are not in alignment, we will most surely fail.

   Our feelings give our life purpose, meaning and direction.
   Our feelings give our life color, texture and dimension.
   Our positive feelings tell us what we like.
   Our negative feelings tell us what we don't like.

A truly mature and self-actualized person is not one who lives totally in his mind, but one who has come to understand his own feelings and acts on them appropriately. It is when we act inappropriately because of our feelings that we get into trouble and cause harm, both to others and ourselves.

Be encouraged. God created us as 3 Dimensional beings, in His image... He feels, we feel... give our feelings to Him, even on our crappiest of days! 

Love and Laughter,

Dawn Marie

Check your status before reading:

@Single   @Married   @Divorced   @Under 18.  The following has been prepared for the ones who checked MARRIED.

Real sex in a real world....As Ecclesiastes says, "there is nothing new under the sun," except maybe the vast array of new toys.

1-EXLUSIVE:  Having one partner in marriage-Multiple partners create mistrust, performance anxiety, and comparison evaluations that are barriers to the deepest levels of intimacy. Being exclusive creates trust and truly becoming one in mind, body and spirit.

2-AGREEMENT:  We all have different tastes, levels of interest, energy and drive. This provides the couple with the opportunity to make sacrifices for the sake of intimacy. A husband or wife may relinquish a fantasy or adjust demands on the frequency of intercourse, or try a variety of sexual experiences that go beyond his or her comfort zone. But the key here is keeping it mutually agreeable and satisfying.

Specific behaviors that often fall in the area of conflict are oral sex, rear-entry vaginal penetration, initiation of sexual activity, positions for intercourse, and mutual masturbation. I have found  no scriptural injunction against any of these or of frequency of intercourse. The Old Testament command of not having intercourse during a woman's menstrual period does seem to have the medical benefit of avoiding some infectious processes. However, in today's society we have condoms to take care of that issue.

Paul mentioned in I Corinthians not to withhold sex except by mutual consent and this seems to fit with the idea of both the husband and the wife mutually consenting. It acknowledges the legitimacy of sexual desire and reinforces the boundary of sex within marriage.

3-FUN:  Sex should be fun, it should feel good and be enjoyable!  I don't think God meant "becoming one flesh" to mean a painful boring experience where one just laid there and does the 'duty', but indeed I think God thought...hey now.. this is going to be delightful!  With today's online privacy for shoppers, couples can browse together without embarassment and find many things that will enhance and fill your 'toy' chest.

Couples should delight in sexual playfulness and creative ways to pleasure one another!

Love and Laughter,

Dawn Marie

**Note and Disclaimer**

If something is creating discomfort, it is probably treatable (such as vaginitis or painful erections). This can certainly produce barriers to intimacy. See your physician!!

Nothing should be forced upon another without consent or agreement, this is both biblical morality and legal morality.  If you or someone you know is being forced or abused in any manner, please report it to the proper authorities.

How far can you go without a marriage license? It would be really nice if the Bible said "with thy lips together thou may kiss, but with thy lips parted thou shalt not kiss" or "above the waist you shall touch freely, but below the waist you shall not touch." Because such detailed limits are not given some will suggest that God does not care if we slip a hand under a blouse, up a skirt, or into a pair of pants. It is increasingly common for Christians to believe, and even teach others, that as long as the penis does not enter the vagina, it's "not sex."

Here is a topic that is seldom discussed in Christian circles but certainly one very applicable to the single life. I do not find a “black and white” answer in the Bible, but there are some elements that we can draw out of it. Let me share some personal perspectives first.

Sex feels good, there is no denying it. Little infants when discovering their genitalia will let their hands travel back there over and over, simply because it feels good.

I as a woman have a pretty intense sex drive...and I do believe there are many women out there that share my overdrive.  I was also single by default for a good portion of years as I am married to a Truck Driver. Gone for weeks at a time. 

The Bible tells us not to lust after another even by looking at her with the intention to have sex . Masterbation is one form of sexual activity.  I don't feel that masterbation in itself is sinful or wrong.  But its our heart and mindset that can go off into areas that it can become out of control.

Nearly all  begin to masturbate regularly during their teenage years. There is a balance that must be learned to keep this a positive activity in your life. All of us during puberty, get a strong interest in other peoples' bodies. Lust needs to be controlled.

Some scripture:

Matthew 5:28 God tells us not to look upon a woman to lust after her, for to do so is to already commit adultery in our hearts. The scriptures are very clear in how He feels about adultery.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 tells us that our body is the temple of God (for those who have become His children) and that whatever we do we should glorify God.

So how does a single not lust, glorify God and handle the sexual urges that are “natural” in his or her body? Oh, you want me to give you the answer? I suggest that it is a moment by moment, thought by thought process – and ongoing. It is not something to be answered once and for all. How we handle any thought is part of our Christian living and should be approached and carried out differently than others who are not adopted by Him.

You will need to develop your own understanding in how to handle this subject for your single life. God made you – sexual drives and all. Ask Him to lead you in honoring these drives in a healthy and pure way.

Note: The answers provided in this site are intended to be as one provided by a personal individual. It is NOT intended to take the place of a licensed counselor or Dr.. Dawn encourages all who are seeking to resolve deeply rooted psychological, emotional or behavioral needs to seek the services of a trained and licensed counselor. The answers provided in this web blog are intended to be words of encouragement and spiritual guidance as well as the sharing of Dawn's personal experience.

Love and Laughter,

Dawn Marie

©2005 Daybreak Ministries. All rights reserved.

(Thank you for nominating my blog again!! I appreciate all of you :) )

Lust is a battle for us all. Christians – both men and women – have struggled with it for generations.

Most people have come to equate lust with sexual desire. In many cases in Scripture, lust does refer to illicit sexual desire (1 Pet. 4:3). Consequently, if we are not struggling with illicit sexual thoughts or behavior, we assume

we are free from lust. Nothing could be further from the truth.

The word in the New Testament that is translated “lust” means strong desire. The word can be used to describe a legitimate, godly desire. Jesus said to His disciples: “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer” (Luke 22:15 ). Elsewhere Paul said he strongly desired to depart this life to be with the Lord (Phil. 1:23 ), and yet he also strongly desired to be with his friends ( 1 Thess. 2:17 ). Strong, passionate, eager desire or lust is not inconsistent with God’s purpose for our lives.

On the other hand we know from the Bible and from experience that a strong desire, or lust, can be immoral and destructive. I spoke to a thirty-five-year-old man, “Craig”, who had fought an obsession with pornography since he was eight years old. He was alternately victorious and then overwhelmed by his lustful desires. His occasional lapses endangered his ministry and threatened his relationship with his family.

But this man’s battle with lust was not confined solely to sexual pictures and mental images. In fact, his lust manifested itself in workaholism, extreme absorption in hobbies and reading, and an obsessive desire to please others. To focus too narrowly on his sexual lust would have caused us to lose the bigger picture of his battle with addictive desires.

An out-of-balance lust is any legitimate desire that blocks our ability to serve God and others. For example, a student who is so consumed by getting good grades (a legitimate desire) that he is unable to spend time pursuing God is consumed by an out-of-balance lust. Likewise, a neighbor who can’t say no to her friend’s desire to go to a movie is equally imbalanced in her lust for acceptance.

Defined in this way, no one is free from the battle with lust. Why do we battle so often with its forces? And why do those battles yield so little fruit and victory? In other words, why is lust so hard to change?

What is required for destructive lust to be transformed into passionate, lively, and loving desire for God and others? I don’t believe there are pat answers or even easily- articulated steps that relieve our battle with the flesh. The ultimate cure is Heaven; until then, all change and certainly all steps are mere approximations of what is involved in knowing God and being transformed by His presence. Yet I can offer a few tentative thoughts to help begin the process of change.

1. Face the problem.
Addictive lust feeds on the darkness of denial. “I’m not an alcoholic. I just drink to sooth my nerves – or to feel more relaxed.” “I may masturbate a lot, but doesn’t everyone at one time or another?” “I know I work too late, but it’s only until I get more settled in my job.” Deception is the ally of lust in that it allows us to serve both mammon and God and make it look as if all is well.

2.Wrestle with your heart as well as your behavior.
Without question, lust will not be changed without a willingness to discipline the will. I must be willing to fight, scratch, and claw toward holiness (1 Pet. 4:1-3). If I can’t say no to the temptation to eat, then I ought to avoid situations where my lust will be given room to flourish. I must make the right choices.

3. Learn to love.
Honesty and repentance are crucial to change. The ultimate antidote to lust, however, is love. It is very, very difficult to destructively lust after someone you love. It is very hard to lust after something that does damage to someone you love. Lust is a consuming and absorbing possession of someone in order to dull our own pain rather than a delighting in and enhancing of another.
The passion of the gospel will eventually overrule and defeat the destructive lust of consumption. The pursuit of holiness will become far more than a desire to do right but a desire, or a “lust”, for the character and beauty of God. In that sense, the gospel frees us to lust after what our hearts are made for, godliness, rather than after that which leads to decay, death, and despair. Godly lust leads to life. In that sense, go and lust well.