Thursday, August 30, 2012

Connecting with Simply Me & Veronica....


Photo Credit: Flicker Creative Commons 
Welcome to all the visitor's from Simply Me...

I was given the great pleasure to guest post over at Simply Me. 

Skip on over to read the post where I am open and honest about connecting.


If you are here from the Simply Me site: WELCOME!

Take a minute and look around. 
If you like what you see and would want to follow Dawn's Dialogue
 just click on the Networked Blogs button to the right. 

Thanks for stopping by and may you have a blessed day! 

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

A Touch: Guest Blog by Cari Zorno



     This month's Guest Blogger is Cari Zorno
    
Photo is property of Cari Zorno
A Touch   
Luke 8:42-48

A woman, suffering from bleeding for over 12 years, struggled her way through the dense crowd which engulfed Jesus as he walked to Jairus’s house.  She had purposefully approached from behind not wanting to draw any attention. She successfully reached Jesus unnoticed and stretched her hand to touch his robe.

She had tried everything exhausting her resources to find a cure with no results. Jesus was known to heal. He was on his way to heal. It was just what he did. The woman knew deep in her heart if she could just touch him. This was her chance. She did not need eye contact. Who was she anyway? She was a nobody; she was shunned by everyone else. But Jesus, she knew that Jesus could heal her. A touch was all she needed.

Her hand reached, it touched His robe and she felt power coerce into her. She didn’t know what she had expected but this was not it.  Feeling this power stopped her dead in her tracks, she embraced the sensation, allowing it to fill her and empty out – push out – all that was impure in the face of pure holiness.

The crowd flowed past her for a split second then suddenly they stopped. Jesus had stopped. She looked up then immediately looked down; Jesus had turned and was looking straight at her.  He spoke, “Who touched me?” “Master, the crowds are hemming you in and pressing against you.” One of His disciples said. 

Jesus was insistent, “Who touched me? I know power has gone out from me.” 
The woman felt a finger pointed directly at her though not a hand was raised.

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She fell at his feet feeling equally grateful and exposed. Without raising her head she told her story. In His deep compassion He tenderly slid his hand below her chin lifting her face, 
“Daughter, your faith has healed you, go in peace.”

Jesus was surrounded by people “hemmed in” with people constantly bumping into Him. Why didn’t power flow into everyone? Why her? There was enough power that left Him He knew someone was healed. He stopped. I think He wanted to make full contact, not just ignore her like everyone else had. He knew who had touched Him – He wanted her to speak, to say out loud what she needed to acknowledge, her need for His healing.

No one else was healed. Many may have needed His touch but didn’t ask whether by touch or verbal. Maybe out of fear or they were unsure He would do it. 

Whatever was the cause they didn’t ask, so they didn’t receive, 

“You do not have because you do not ask.” James 4:2. 

It was her faith that brought healing. She asked with full expectation of being healed.

 “Ask and it will be given to you.” Matthew 7:7

“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” Hebrews 11:1

What do you need that only Christ can supply?
What is keeping you from asking?

I hope you enjoyed Cari's guest post. I did!

 Leave a comment for Cari and then hop over to one of her sites and give her some love:

or 
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Welcome...Thanks for stopping by

WELCOME TO DAWN'S DIALOGUE... 

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Welcome to all the visitor's from Encouragement Cafe.

Feel free to look around...I will have a guest blogger later this week and encourage everyone to follow the blog from the Networked Blog button on the right. 

We will be having a give-away later this week. It will be either a book or gift card. 

You can enter by leaving a comment to this post or following us through Networked Blog.

If you haven't read the Encouragement Cafe Devotion yet click here...

Thanks for stopping by and may you have a blessed day! 

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

7 Obstacles to Prayer (Repost)....

My family and I are on a stay-cation before our daughter starts her Senior year of college. We are checking out all the wonderful sites and treasures of our state. It is great to live in a area rich of history and nature then to sleep in my own bed each night. Therefore, I am sharing a post that I wrote back in  in 2010. 

During this time, I led a College and Career Sunday School class. 
This is one of the most rewarding things God has ever allowed me to do. Even to this day, I miss the young men & women who were in this class. 
One Sunday morning, while studying the book of Colossians we looked at the  
"7 Obstacles to Prayer" from Pastor Bruce at Union Church.  I share them here with you. 


Photo Credit: The People's Cyber Nation

7 Obstacles to Prayer (Pastor Bruce):

1. We don’t have a true relationship with Jesus. 
The class talked about how there are so many who walked an aisle in the church but don’t know what they did or did it just because their friends were doing it.

2. Have a faulty view of prayer.

3. Be under spiritual attack. 
Most Christians want to put their head in the sand and not talk about this one.

4. Focused on “getting stuff” rather than being with God and following His Will for our lives. 
We discussed how it would be if we only went to our parents when we wanted something and never went to just spend time with them and how that is what we do to God.

5. Too Proud
We want to be in control and asking for God’s help through prayer means giving up control.

6. View Prayer as a chore instead of a a joy
 Do you see prayer as a duty to mark off of your Christian to-do list or as a chance to spend time talking and fellowshipping with your loving Savior?

7. Things are going good why trouble God. I will contact Him if I am in trouble.

As you read through these 7 obstacles did any of them ring true for you? Let's discuss it this week. Feel free to leave a comment below.

Thursday, August 9, 2012

A Lesson in 30 percent...

Did you know that when you watch a movie in full screen format instead of wide screen format, only 70% of what the original director intended is seen? I learned this fact from "Exercising You Soul" by Gary Jansen.

It got me to thinking what is my missing 30%. Am I seeing the whole picture?

My (notice the wording of "my" here) intent for this post was to expound on how we don't see the whole picture. The importance of trusting God when things seem...well "weird", "unfinished", etc.

It was going to be an awesome post. I was going to reference all of the wonderful illustrations, about how we only see one small piece of what God is doing. Whereas, He sees the whole picture: the finished product. You know the illustrations and stories. It was going to be a great post. One which would receive nice comments and loads of "Atta Girls." Do people even truly say, "Atta Girl?"

Seeing 100% of the Picture
Photo Credit: Dew Photography
Then God, my loving Father stepped in and turned "HIS" blog upside down. 

He taught me a totally different lesson. He instead taught me at times we have the whole picture, but He wants us to focus on a small portion. He wants us to focus on 30%. It is not that we are to forget the other 70%. Yet, He wants to teach us something profound with the 30%.

I freely admit to being one of His slow children.
Therefore, this lesson came in a process of weeks instead of a minute or even an hour.

Finding Beauty in Seeing Only 30%
Photo Credit: Dew Photography
My journey started in Philippians. A smaller book compared to others in the Bible. Yet, I have been reading one verse, truthfully around one verse for well over a month now during quiet time. No matter where I start, this particular verse is where I end up.

"What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is preached; and in this I rejoice, yes, and will rejoice" Philippians 1:18


What then? Is exactly what I keep saying? Does this scripture say what I think it does? Nah...it couldn't be saying that. I must not be seeing the whole picture. Must of read it out of context. Paul could not be saying to rejoice no matter what someone's motives are as long as Christ is preached. 


Photo Credit: Google Images
Here it is for you in a few other translations:

"So how am I to respond? I've decided that I really don't care about their motives, whether mixed, bad, or indifferent. Every time one of them opens his mouth, Christ is proclaimed, so I just cheer them on!" The Message

"What then ? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed ; and in this I rejoice. Yes, and I will rejoice," NASB

"What do I think about this? Just this: since Christ is proclaimed in every possible way, whether from dishonest or true motives, I'm glad and I'll continue to be glad" CEB (Common English Bible)

After looking in multiple translations, Paul is saying exactly what what I thought:

No matter the motives or pretense behind a person's actions or preachings
 if Christ is preached; rejoice.


I don't know about you, but for me this is a hard pill to swallow. When I see someone who has ulterior motives, I don't want to rejoice. I want to point out their motives. Don't they need to be exposed for who they truly are? Aren't they hurting the work of the Lord? What about leading "lambs", those younger in their faith astray? 

Here is the BIG OUCH...


Photo Credit: Google Images
God says here to rejoice when Christ is preached...PERIOD. 
 Trust Him. There it is...we don't see the whole picture. :-)


Paul didn't tell the Philippians, 

"Make sure you each go out there and expose each of them preaching with ulterior motives. All of those out there who are speaking out of envy and strife, straighten them out. Those who want to further my afflictions and imprisonment. Expose them." 

Nope! 
Instead, He tells them focus on Christ and rejoice when Christ is preached, no matter the motive. 

As we each journey in ministry, it is a good thing to remember Paul's words to the Philippians because:  


1. We will have others who will speak envy and strife about us as we continue to minister for God. 
2. If we consistently point out others ulterior motives, people will think we are envious and speaking with ulterior motives.

Now, it is your turn...

Was this as hard of a pill to swallow for you as it was for me? 

I love dialoguing and connecting with each of you. 
I encourage comments and dialogue with each of my posts. 

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

We can help Jeff get "Wrecked" higher than "50 Shades"...

Jeff Goins new book, "Wrecked" came out this past week. It is a good read.
 I had the pleasure of reading a preview copy.

Jeff wants to try and get "Wrecked" a higher ranking than "50 Shades" on Amazon. 

We can help Jeff do this by buying the ebook version for 99 cents.
The book will be at this special price until August 11th. I am buying a copy for my Mom's Kindle.

Have you bought your copy yet? 

You can click on the picture below to purchase his book:



(Affiliate Link)

I make it a habit to not recommend any products that I have not read or use myself.


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Thursday, August 2, 2012

Searching for Perspective...Who is on your radar?

Who is on your radar...

Photo Credit: Dew Photography

I shared on my business blog this week about defining our perspective. It all started with a question, "As you are crafting and creating who are you talking to?" You can visit YKP, LLC to see more.

The amusing thing is since being asked to define the perspective of both my ministry and business, I have come across the word, perspective, in various articles and other readings. It is like when you purchase a new vehicle and then all of a sudden you start seeing them everywhere. 

Back when my in-laws blessed us with our green Nissan Frontier, we started to notice green Nissan Frontiers whenever we were out and about. 

Photo Credit: Google Images

Where the Froniters there before? Yes, but we were not aware of them. They were not on our radar.

Then it hit me...this is why I need God to define the perspective of my ministry. If I am wandering aimlessly without His perspective for this ministry, I could miss those He wants on my radar. 

With more thought, it sank to a deeper level.  
God is everywhere and the questions should be:

"Is God on my radar daily?"

 "Do I look for Him in each situation?"

Because if I am looking for God in each situation, He will take care of my minstry's radar.

It is both that simple and difficult at the same time. Because, I tend to lose focus (My 2012 One Word). 

As I continue journeying with God, defining and clarifying the perspective of my ministry.
 I leave you with the questions, I am asking myself this week:

Is God on my radar daily?

Do I look for Him in each situation? 

  I love to interact with each person who visits this gift God has given to me...
This blog and "YOU" the reader.