Cogitation (Luke 14.25-35)

Good morning ladies,

The word of the day is “cogitation.”  One of the best parts of putting my goals together each year is to reflect on those from the previous year.  Because I have mentors and other people in my life who continually keep me accountable, I have to make sure that I am on point when it comes to striving for my goals.  I don't always hit all of my goals from year-to-year, and that is probably because I make them pretty difficult to attain.  This gives me the satisfaction of either making those goals, or the momentary disappointment of missing them.  Either way, I am able to look at the tangible parts of the goals that I have set forth.

For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it…” ~Lk 14:28

My question is: how committed to your goals are you this year?  For us to be able to attain the goals we have each year, we must continually keep them in our sights.  My prayer is that you put specific people in your path to walk with you, and practice the proper cogitation and reflection on the specifics of what you desire to accomplish.  I hope that you dream big this year and put up some crazy goals that will take God’s favor and help to make possible.

Praying for you,

MO

Incunabula (Mark 1.29-39)

Good morning ladies,

The word of the day is “incunabula.”  The New Year is always fun and exciting.  There is a freshness of spirit and understanding that you have the chance to be better.  Resolutions, decisions, and all that comes with each year puts you in a position to do the unexpected.  I think that is one of my favorite parts about having a relationship with God.  There is always something to challenge me, to be a better person and

In the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went away to a secluded place, and was praying there.” ~Mark 1:35

My question is: What are your goals for this year? When you take this first day of the New Year, are you ready and willing to make JC a part of your year-long commitments?  My prayer is that you take the time to use this first day with God and give him the best of your year, right from the start.  Do it today.  When you add God to this beginning equation, the incunabula, I can confidently say that you will have a great year.  Not saying it is going to be easy… but worth the time and effort it will take to live according to God’s will.

Praying for you,

MO

Courage (Joshua 1:1-18)

Good morning ladies,

The word of the day is "courage."  Welcome to the first day of the next several months of your life.  God spoke long ago to a young man who was taking on a new role, during one of the most pivotal changes of his life.  Joshua for sure did not have all of the answers, but had to rely on God to be his strength for the journey ahead.  One of my most favorite verses in the Bible is what God told Joshua as he transitioned into his new role.

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

~Josh. 1:9 

My question is: are you going to live your life on the offensive, as a decisive person who finds her security and God?  There is a lot of stuff that you can focus on this year, and you will face change one way or the other.  My prayer is that you never let your quest for balance and life stop you from taking steps that God will help to make you successful.  Be bold in the way that you approach this season as well as the other parts of your life that your Creator has set before you. Take courage and succeed!

Praying for you,

MO

Obnubilate (Matthew 6:33)

Good morning ladies,

The word of the day is "obnubilate.” Jesus knew that when he was on earth that he had limited time. With some things pulling at people's time he realized that he must keep his message simple. The Sermon on the Mount is a representation of that simplicity. He said a lot by using very few words. Included in that was a simple command for people to follow.

But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

~Matt 6:33

My question is: what are the things in your life that give the most attention? Many of us have goals that we set before us, but they can be obnubilated, or clouded, with many other important tasks and commitments. I know that life is busy. My prayer this morning is that you take this commandment and realize that everything you do is focus on seeking after God. Everything else will fall in the place eventually. I'm not saying it's going to be easy, but lucky for us and will continue to be simple.

Praying for you,

mo

Spang (2 Timothy 3:16)

Good morning ladies,

The word of the day is “spang.”  Paul understood that as he taught young Timothy, he needed to make sure that he was deliberate about what he taught the kid. Knowing that there would be a ton of stuff grabbing at Timothy's time and thoughts, the apostle Paul knew the importance of keeping Scripture at the forefront of his life. There was an important in the exactness of understanding God's word, and Paul was very sure about teaching this.

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness…

~2 Tim 3:16

My question is: how exact are you in the way that you follow God? There's a couple of ways that we can live. We can get up in the morning and not really think about the things that we do, expecting that the day will just unfold the way that it is supposed to. I guess there's nothing really wrong with this. However, when we live deliberately for God, we tend to miss less of what he might have in store for us. That's why my mentor always told me that one of the best reasons to stay connected with Scripture each day is that the more it gets placed at the front of your mind, the better chance you have at remembering it when you need to. It is important to be spang on target when delivering God's word either to others, and ourselves, at any given time. My prayer for you is that you take each word of Scripture and let God breath life into you as you move through your day.

Praying for you,

mo

Aspire (2 Corinthians 13:5-10)

Good morning ladies,

The word of the day is “aspire.” Great job yesterday as you continue to increase strength, yardage, and effort. This year is going to be long and strenuous, but we know you can excel and triumph. The Apostle Paul spent his whole life in pursuit of his aspirations. He knew where he was going and what God wanted him to do. He was always up against the big dogs and under a ton of scrutiny. The thing is, Paul put the blinders on and kept his head in the game.

“Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test?”

~2 Corinthians 13:5

You all have choices each day and life is going to continue to get tougher as you move through this season. My question for you today is: Are you willing to aspire for the difficult achievements? This season, how far are you willing to push yourself to hit some crazy goals? I know that in your faith, God wants us to aspire to attain a life with him. It’s a whole lot, I know… but you can do it. Give it your all; God is ready.

Praying for you,

mo

Goals (Philippians 3:14)

Good morning ladies,

The word of the day is “goals.” Now that we are getting closer to our first swim meet, I am sure that have thought about what you might want to accomplish for the season. Today’s word has special meaning to me, as it is my life verse. Back in high school I was young in my faith and struggling with issues of anger and poor sportsmanship during my athletics. I turned to my youth pastor. Kevin always had a good word, and at that point challenged me to think of what God might want for my swim season. We prayed together for God to speak. After countless passages and tons of thinking, we came up with this:

“I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”

~Phil. 3:14

Talk about a revelation! I realized that no matter what my goals were in sports or life in general, that this was the ultimate goal in front of me. Paul pretty much sums it up and says that we need to keep our eye on the prize. My question for you today is: What are you doing daily to press on toward a life in Christ? This year is going to be off the hook! You are all doing great already and we are just at the beginning. My prayer for you today is that you get wrapped up in JC… and as you set your swim and academic goals… never take your eyes off him.

Praying for you,

mo