Drop Dead or Proudly Possessing...

Are you Drop Dead or Proudly Possessing? Say What?  As always, this blogger has questions? Now, let’s have a story…Who doesn’t love a good story?

There once was a man named Ananias. He and his wife, Sapphira hatched a plan.

“Sapphira dear, let’s sell this piece of our property? But, we will keep a portion of the proceeds hidden for ourselves. I shall take the rest and lay it at the apostle’s feet.”

Sapphira sweetly replies, “Ok Ananias. Whatever you want, my adoring husband?”

Boy, I wouldn’t see it playing out that way in my home. But, that is another story for another day. Here is a little background for you. In Acts 4, people started selling their possessions and laying proceeds at the apostle’s feet. Therefore, this couple decided to do as the others in their community and sell a piece of their property. Yet, they also decided (yes ladies, they decided together) to hold back a portion of the proceeds and to lay the rest at the apostle’s feet.  (Go check the full story out in Acts 5)

Here is where things get interesting:

Upon laying this decided amount at the apostle’s feet,

Peter says, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back for yourself part of the proceeds from the land…you have not lied to men but to God?”

After hearing these words, Ananias fell down & died!

His wife, Sapphira comes looking for him (my ESV version says after about 3 hours). 

Here is how it goes down for her:

“And Peter said to her, Tell me whether you sold the land for so much money.”

Sapphira responds, “Yes, for so much.”

But Peter says to her, “How is that you have agreed together (see ladies, TOGETHER) to test the Spirit of the Lord? Behold, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out.”

Sapphira stays true to her and Ananias’ plan, the result she’s dead too!

There are so many questions that swirl around in my head upon reading this but I will not bore you with them today. Instead, let’s look at what God gave me during my reading of this portion of scripture:

There are two types of people:

1.    Drop Dead

2.    Proudly Possessing

It never says, how much Ananias & Sapphira conspired to hold back. We need to come to the realization that if we hold anything back, even the tiniest portion it is a bad thing. It didn’t matter if Ananias had held back 1% or 90% the result would have been the same. Why? Because the action of holding back wasn’t their sin, their sin was in thinking they could hide it. Hence, DROP DEAD!

Does this mean we can hold back and it is okay as long as we don’t try to hide it? Uh…. No! 

When we walk around saying, “God knows that I struggle with letting go of my children, husband, insert whatever you fight God over” does not mean that we are okay because we are not being Ananias or Sapphira and attempting to hide it.

This is PROUDLY POSSESSING.  It is like false humility. Neither of them is good for us.

Proudly Possessing keeps God from having full reign in our lives. People who are proudly possessing are some of the same ones who cry that they don’t see God working through them like their friends.

So, we have come back to our original question:

Are you Drop Dead or Proudly Possessing?

***All pictures on this blog unless otherwise stated belong to Dew Photography***

Burning Bushes, Writing on the Wall or Fire from Heaven...

Ended a 7-day fast yesterday. Did I see a burning bush like Moses during this time? Or maybe writing on the wall such as in Daniel 5, any amazing sign or wonders? Nope! Disappointed? Yes, at first, but then as I spent time pondering yesterday God revealed the following. Sometimes, obedience is the reward.

The fast had been done as an act of obedience. The church, my family is currently attending called for a week of fasting and prayer. We were not required to participate, but asked to pray and see if God wanted us to partake. After praying, God led me to fast from my Kindle and other books (as I mentioned on my social sites…you can check them out: dawnwhitmore67 or @dawnwhitmore).

This would not be an easy thing…I am a reader. Books, doesn’t matter whether it is eBooks or traditional along with blogs. One day at a time became my mantra. Day one came and went. Truthfully, it was not difficult. Still, my mantra was one day at a time. However, to be truthful, pride had started to creep in a little bit. It wouldn’t stay long though. Day Two & Three were not so easy. I found myself realizing the multiple times throughout my day that I would normally be picking up my Kindle.  God’s grace brought me through those two days. The victory is His…not mine. The ending result became 7-days of fasting. Spending time with my Savior in His Word. This was not my success. On the contrary, it was God’s success. My obedience was not possible without Him.

My lesson, obedience is the reward.

Are you looking for signs & wonders? Burning bushes? Writing on the wall? Fire from heaven? Yes, my God can do all of these things and more. Still at times, we spend so much time and energy running after the next experience we miss the true gift…spending time with OUR LOVING ABBA FATHER.

Are you busy ‘chasing the experience’ or will you play a part in my lesson this week and enjoy time with ABBA DADDY today? 

Linen Clothes & Naked Men...(originally posted on Biotikos Blog by Dawn Whitmore)....

“And a young man followed him, with nothing but a linen cloth about his body. And they seized him, but he left the linen cloth and ran away naked.” Mark 14:51-52 ESV

The past week, I have been reading through the Gospel accounts leading up to Jesus’ betrayal, death & resurrection. While reading Mark 14, the above verse jumped off the page at me. Yet, it wasn’t the man running away naked that got my attention. No, it was the “linen cloth” part of the verse, which caught my eye.

Upon reading it, my  mind instantly thought of the linen cloths that Peter found when he went to the empty tomb. Upon reading Mark 15:46, we see Joseph of Arimathea buying fine linen (cloth) to wrap Jesus’ body in before placing Him in the tomb.

 Further in Mark, it is interesting that Mary Magdalene, Mary (the mother of James) & Salome encounter a young man dressed in a white robe at the empty tomb.

What does all this mean? Possibly, no more than I am an eccentric person. One whose mind wanders while reading the scriptures or could it be God revealing more? At times it seems, I always end up with so many questions while reading Scripture.

Does this happen when you read the Scripture or is just me?

Stop by one of my social sites and let me know:

FB: Dawn Whitmore

FB Page: dawnwhitmorespeaks

Twitter: @DawnWhitmore

Look forward to hearing from you!

Serving or Seeking...

Have you ever had one of those weeks? Not bad, just one were you did a lot of pondering and thinking. That is what my week has been. It started on Monday when my part-time job ended, my Mom went to the ER on Thursday night, and my doctor told me on Friday surgery is a definite on my horizon.

Remember the part-time job ending part…that also means a possible end to my insurance. On a bright beautiful Saturday, I am thanking God for who He is and enjoying a John Hopkins (JHU) Men’s Lacrosse game provided by ESPNU. (Thanks to my Sweetie & the company he works for…)

My online bible study (A Confident Heart) gave me a “Pondering & Thinking “ list:

1. Am I spending all my time serving God or seeking God?
2. Am I bossing people around when I worry or bossing my heart to submit to God and His Plan for me?
3. The most poignant one to me: God not only wants to give me peace that surpasses understanding; He wants to surpass my need for understanding with promises that are bigger than any of my concerns.

Lets be honest, at times life is overwhelming. I have walked through a tough time and Jesus was with me each and every step. Even when I didn’t realize it He was there. There are days that I am still dealing with how my disobedience forced God to drastic measures, which hurt others. Yet, there is relief knowing that being where He wants me to be will be a blessing as we continue to walk this journey ahead of us. Will the journey be easy? Probably not, surgery is never fun…if you think it is fun you are either an aspiring medical professional or “a fry short of a happy meal”. 

However, currently I am at peace with whatever happens. I am sure there will be days that will “stink” but hopefully, they will be in the minority. This is possible if I can remember #3 in my list of “pondering & thinking” from this week.

Where are you this week? Are you busy serving God or seeking Him? Bossing people or bossing your heart? Or maybe forgetting that God is bigger than all our problems? It is okay, we are all there sometimes…but the real question is will you stay there?

"My heart is confident in you, O God;" Psalm 57:7a

Lessons in Enoch....Part Two (Shared on Biotikos Blog on 3.5.12)...

Cosner Corner Sunset Fredericksburg, VA

Photo Credit: Dawn Whitmore

Dew Photography

Upon researching Enoch, for my last blog, I learned the following things about Enoch. There are two referred to in Genesis. One was born to Cain in Genesis 4 (yep the one that killed his brother, Abel), he even named a city after his Enoch. However, he is not the one referred to in Hebrews. 

We find 'our' Enoch referred to in Hebrews in Genesis 5:18-24. 'Our' Enoch is also in the lineage of Adam but is a descendant of Adam’s son, Seth.

There are some things to note in Enoch’s life:

•     Enoch was born when his father was 162 years old and we thought Abraham was old when Isaac was born.
•       Enoch’s father lived another 800 years after Enoch was born. He died at the ripe age of 962.
•      Enoch had his first child Methuselah at the early biblical age (at least for this time period) of 65 years old.
•  Enoch walked with God for 300 years after fathering Methuselah.
•    At the age of 365, Enoch went for a walk with God and was no more.

 When 'our' Enoch was "taken away", as Hebrews describes, Enoch’s father was 527 years old. He didn’t die until he was 962 years old. Therefore, he lived another 435 years knowing that his son had been "taken away’". We aren’t told anything else…at least not that I can find. Can you imagine living another 435 years after such an event? Enoch’s son, Methuselah took after his granddad and lived to the ripe old age of 969. Methuselah had his Dad for 300 years and then lived another 669 years after his Dad was "taken away".  

All of this is intriguing to me; we consistently see the devastation that people live through each day in the news after a loved one disappears. Which is what happened to Enoch, he basically disappeared. 

It makes me wonder how did his family cope? The Scripture doesn’t reveal in Genesis 5 how they coped. Genesis 5 only shows that life went on by revealing more lineages. Don’t misunderstand me; I am not saying that people should forget their loved ones. I am only stating what is seen in Chapter 5 of Genesis. Furthermore, I firmly believe that Enoch’s family did not forget him. Enoch’s appearance in Hebrew’s Hall of Fame of Faith is definite proof that God did not forget Enoch.

Do you feel like God has forgotten you today? 

This blog is also posted on Biotikos Blog by the same author (Dawn Whitmore)

Are you an Enoch?

“By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, "and was not found, because God had taken him"; for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God.” Hebrews 11:5

I have always been told taught that Enoch had such a strong faith with God that one day the two went for a walk and Enoch never came back. This conjured up the image of Enoch waiting at the white picket fence for God to come down the sidewalk. Upon his arrival, He & Enoch would go for a daily walk around the block. Then one day, when it was time for Enoch to return, God asked if he wanted to keep walking. Enoch replied, “Yes” and never returned. 

You have to admit it was a nice little image…until the day God showed me differently.

God showed me in my life, it is not me waiting at the gate each day for Him to come down the sidewalk. Instead, it is He is waiting at the gate for me. See, the reality is my Loving Father has a special piece of His day carved out to walk with me. That is correct, the God of the Universe has a place in His calendar every day for me!

 

Yet, on many days this is the scenario:

Me (running down the sidewalk): “Hi God! You know I love you! I truly appreciate you carving time out for me today… but I still have so much to accomplish before the end of the day. Tomorrow ok?”

Even before, He can answer, my response as I zoom right past: “Thanks for being so understanding. Promise, tomorrow we will walk together…as long as I can fit you in.”

Are you an “Enoch”, treasuring and cherishing your walk each day with God? Or are you, like me on many days, giving up something so precious without a second thought?

God Intervenes with a Storm....

"But the LORD hurled a great wind upon the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea..."

Jonah 1:4

Pastor Tullian Tchivdjian in Surprised By Grace states, "Would it have been better for Jonah if God had left him alone? No, it would have been far worse. It was an act of mercy for God to send the storm." We normally do not see the storms in our life as an act of mercy but this is exactly what my Savior is showing me.

The last 6 months has been filled with ups and downs, which took me to places that I had never experienced before. The reason for the ups and downs…disobedience. Jonah's story had disobedience also. 

Physical Fleeing

A couple differences between Jonah & I:

• Jonah immediately disobeyed God’s command. I fought with God over a period of time BUT the bottom line is disobedience is disobedience
•  Jonah fled physically from God. My fleeing came without me ever leaving where we had lived for 13 years.  

God sent my family to NC in 1999 as missionaries.  Our church in VA sent us with their blessing to an area where we knew no one. Throughout those 13 years, my family was blessed to work with independent Christian bands (some who have even gone on to bigger things) and see God move in many ways. One was my own salvation.

We became active members of a local church body & other ministries in our area. My duties included Sunday morning bible study teacher, media director, deaconess, teacher for CCF, leadership in a prayer group, & GROW Team member to name a few. During these years, I was blessed to work at two different Christian retail stores & coordinate multiple Christian events.

Then one day, my darling sweet hubby came to me and said, "God wants us to move." 

My response, "Are you kidding?" We were settled and God was using us for ministry. The thought of asking God to confirm what Sweetie said was the furthest thing from my mind. Without my knowledge this began my fleeing from God spiritually. 

Spiritual Fleeing

The descent and arguing (yes, I was dumb enough to argue with God) would get deeper every time God would ask me to remove something from my plate. Our conversations would be along the lines of “Ok God! You want me to remove something. I can’t stop teaching the college & career…media, no not that.” The discussion would end up with me saying, “There is nothing on my plate that is not of You; therefore, I can’t remove anything.”

Each time God and I had this little discussion, unbeknownst to me, my shovel came out. Pastor Tullian’s book reminded me of this. Awhile back, I asked God why do we end up in a pit? The shocker is when my Savior (who loves me more than anyone else) quietly said, “My daughter, look who is holding the shovel.”

Needless to say, this blogger is one of God’s more stubborn children and it took a major crisis and a ‘great’ fear to get my obedience to His simple request given to my Sweetie, “It is time to move.” My prayer is this stubborn child will not be so stubborn in the future.

Even with all that has happened, as I continue my walk with Jesus, I will hold firm to the fact that Jesus has my best interest at heart. He knows what I need not just what I want. My prayer is that I will want what I need.    

"The hardness of God is kinder than the softness of man, and His compulsion is our liberation"

---C.S. Lewis

Are you a Coot?

Have you seen the above bird before? What is he? He is mistakenly referred to as a 'weird' duck on occasion. Nevertheless, this is not a 'weird' duck but an American Coot. The coot has the ability to live with ducks. While we lived in NC, it was a pleasure of mine to be able to take photos like the one above at Union Point Park. Our park had 4-5 coots that lived part of the year with the ducks. 

The coot is a waterfowl bird yet, not a duck. He has a triangular beak and non-webbed feet (chicken-like features). Yet, to watch him at the park, it becomes evident he thinks he belongs with the ducks. Is it because everyone likes the ducks and feeds them and he will be able to have a meal? Most people at the park treat him no different than the ducks. However, he and his siblings were the ones that I was attracted to the most.

God has been ruminating this simple devotional with the coot for multiple months. The ironic thing is as mentioned before "Simple does not equate to easy" (A line from the family movie, What If). The ability the coot has to be mistaken for a duck and blend in with them has several spiritual applications.  

1. Where am I being mistaken for something that I am not?

2. How often can I blend in & look no different than my surroundings?

Take time this week to ponder those questions. 

***Only the first picture was taken by me. The other picture belongs to Laura Meyers***

Hurry Up and Wait...Focus for this Week

My journey this week has been "hurry up & wait." As the Father is revealing pieces to me, it is apparent that He wants me to be willing for Him to do it in His timing not mine. I jokingly told my Sweetie this week; "Apparently one of us has not learned our lesson in patience yet!" 

This is how our week has played out. Doc has test done, we wait a couple days for results. Go visit doctor. New information is revealed…this in turn is immediately followed by the instructions of more tests. Then we must "wait patiently" again for the test results. What does this have to do with my walk with God? Everything at this moment for God is teaching me that my one word for 2012, "focus" has multiple facets. This week’s facet has been where exactly is your focus?

I have told people numerous times, while in ministry for the last 13 years, that Jesus needs to be their focus. While this is a true statement…He is to be our main focus; we can even mess this up royally if not careful.

Have you ever found yourself in a conversation, except while focusing on the person you lost total track of what they were saying? This happens to me a lot…I believe that as we walk with Jesus, this happens to a lot of us. We concentrate so hard on being totally focused on Him, that we completely miss the lesson being taught.

It is becoming evident to me insights will only happen if I am focusing on both the words being spoken and the Speaker. There have been countless times that I have been in a study or even taught one in which the content has not sunk in. It is embarrassing to admit such a thing but it is the truth. Not sure exactly when it happened, but evidently I have been focusing on the Speaker and not listening to the words He is speaking. Hence, the question becomes, “How do we avoid this?” Any suggestions? I am still learning and don’t have the answer…yet.

Focus...A Year to Concentrate

A crazy week...from hubby traveling to me having bronchitis. Yet, through it all God is still slowly teaching me about my one word: focus.

It  never stops amazing me how God works. How He can give me One Word and then bring His teaching into multiple areas of my life so creatively and naturally. A prime example is the online bible study (A Confident Heart) in which I participate. This week we are reading Chapter 5 and the main gist of this chapter....TA-DAH is "having proper focus" :-)

God is using my hobby of photography to show me "focus" also. My Aunt is teaching me how to use the manual settings instead of the automatic settings. As we were cropping some of our shots, I noticed that some would get grainy and blurry. She asked me what was my ISO and F-stop setting on the shots. Then she told me  if I want to crop and see the small details of a picture it is important to remember "slow shows" when adjusting settings.

God revealed a spiritual truth to me in her statement...that to see and really understand something we must be willing to go slow. Wow...that stings for those of us who want to learn the lesson and move on. See. if we only speed by something (whether a bible study chapter, bible reading, conversations, looking at a picture, etc) when we go back to better understand it will be grainy and blurry, just like my pictures were. Without looking back up at top what was in the picture? Now,  go back up and look to the right of the big tree near the edge of the photo in the background. Thanks to my aunt and teaching me "slow shows" I saw the cross.

Special "Shout-Out" to Rachel Olsen (http://www.rachelolsen.com/) who has been an encourager and reminding me that I have a whole year to learn about focus.

Blogging, blogging, and more blogging...

I have been following Twitter (http://twitter.com/DawnWhitmore) and am amazed at the bloggers on Twitter. There are some people that have a new blog at least three-four times a week (some even more). It astounds me that the ideas keep flowing for these bloggers. It makes my goal of getting a new blog for Dawn’s Dialogue out once a week and a another out for The Five C blog once a month seem puny.

These people have full-time jobs and still get so much writing done.  Plus, they are able to post on all of their social media sites too. It would behoove me to figure out their secret. Of course, trying to understand and learn about focus is what I have been concentrating on this past week. Which some of you may remember is my one word (www.myoneword.org) for 2012 mentioned in my last blog.

Therefore, even though I am definitely not in the league of my Twitter peers...with God’s leading and encouragement the blogs will continue to come. 

Where is your focus?

Where is your focus? Today is February 2nd and many people have long forgotten their New Year Resolutions. However, for a group of people (myself included) the year didn't start with a resolution. Instead, we decided to ask God to reveal a word, one specific word (myoneword.org), that He wanted us to concentrate on for 2012.

As I mentioned in previous posts, my word is "focus"and wired the way I am; I grabbed my laptop and typed a Google search on Scriptures on focus. My intent was to find a scripture with the word, focus, in it. Well...my plans have not gone as planned. God has confounded me so far with my word. What I realized through this little exercise, God wants me to concentrate on this word for all of 2012. This may seem a simple thing to you, yet for me it became rather profound this week.

While reading Experiencing the Resurrection, God is showing me "Don't be distracted by success. Don't find your joy in accomplishments. Don't find your identity in the thing you do....Instead rejoice in the fact your name is written in Heaven!"

With my temperament and personality, I approached my word with the desire of having of accomplishing (actually conquering would be accurate) the meaning, definition, and experience of my one word already. Did I mention that it is only been NINE days since God revealed the word 'focus' as my word for 2012?

God is revealing to me slowly but surely that He isn't working on my time table. He wants me to learn focus in His timing not mine.

"Taste and See"...

Blogging on a half-cup of coffee...for those of you who know me understand the dangers of such a feat. Yet, I am here blogging for it is where God wants me to be this morning.

This past week, I started an online bible study. It has been different than being in a classroom but it has been a good experience so far. The one thing is the freedom to work on the study when God determines the time. An online bible study would not be for everyone yet, if you have ever done an online class at school this may be a viable option for you.

God's Word is all around us. We must decide how and when we want to partake of His Word. Just like there is a rare morning that I do not want a hot steaming cup of java, it should be an even rarer morning my heart should go without "tasting and seeing" that God's Word is good.

There are pros and cons to an online bible study as to every thing available to us. However, for me right now this is a great way for me to be in the Word. As I mentioned in my last post, God gave me 'focus' as my one word for 2012. He is still showing me what 'focus' will mean for me in this year but staying in His Word will always be a part of my focus.

Focus....Simple but Hard

After much deliberation and struggle, it looks like focus is my one word (www.myoneword.org).  A simple little five-letter word. Dictionary.com states focus is a central point, as of attraction, attention or activity and to concentrate. That sounds simple enough. My sweetie and I watched a show, which confirmed that simple doesn’t equally mean easy. Something can be simple but hard. Therein, lies the problem with having a word such as ‘focus’ for the next year. It will be simple but hard.

All of this brought me back to Craig Groeschel’s book, “Weird”. Groeschel talks about needing to refocus because he in his words “had become a full-time pastor and a part-time Christian.” All of this came back to mind with my one word (focus) because while reading “Weird”; it dawned on me that I was in the same boat as Groeschel. I had become a full time church worker but a part-time follower of Christ. Therefore, as I traverse this new road, with my one word, may God help me stay a full-time follower of Christ and keep everything else is in its proper part-time place. 

One word for 2012...or is that two

A friend once said, "You like to be different. I believe you relish in being weird." At the time, my response was "It is not weird just unique." The misunderstanding came in thinking this is done consciously. This statement came to mind while driving. A lot comes to mind while driving or in the shower for me...but that is not the point.   I am in the process of praying for a word for 2012 (mentioned that in my last blog). Sounds simple enough, at least the concept is simple. Pray and let God show you a word for 2012. You keep this word for a year and let God grow you in Him through this 'word'.


Simple concept but a struggle to accomplish. The only saving grace is I am not in this boat alone. Other friends of mine on the Internet are still waiting for their word. My dilemma has been there are two words that keep popping up every time I pray about a word for 2012.


Would it be that difficult to have a 'word' for 2012? That is ONE not two! Apparently it is...or is it that one of the words is His and the other is a more palatable word to me. Don't think so. Both words are not what would be considered easy words to live with for a year and let God teach you about them.


"Focus" and "Transparent"...see told you, not easy words to walk with for a whole year.


Who knows maybe the idea is to live with focused transparency for a year....LOL!!!

Happy New Year....

What does one do when they are facing the end of a year? Some make resolutions such as:

• Weight Loss
• Organizing their home, family, etc...
• Financial promises
• Quit Smoking

Some are even "spiritual":

• Reading the bible in a year
• Having a quiet time each day
• Praying for one hour each day
• Going to church
• Etc, etc, etc....

We get the 'gist of resolution making. However, how many ever follow through with these resolutions? Not many....there was even a cartoon that said, "What are resolutions?" The response, "A to-do list for the first week of January!" That is typically how long resolutions last, the first week of January if they make it that long. What is it about a New Year and wanting to start fresh? No answers here....

So, instead of a bunch of resolutions that we will not stick with. This blog is going to share a website that gives an alternative (http://myoneword.org) "My One Word". My One Word's website describes how we each make resolutions we never keep, but they go a step further and help us do something different. Go to http://myoneword.org/choose) to see how to determine a word for yourself.

As for me, I am still pondering and praying about two different words. God hasn't revealed to me which of these two words is my word for 2012 quite yet. I am praying that by the end of the first week of 2012, He will show me my word.

A few people, in my social media sphere, have been doing this for a few years and it has been interesting and at times entertaining to watch them grow with their "word".

Share your word and as soon as mine is clarified I will share mine.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

Just the other day....

Just the other day, Sweetie and I were talking about how some people try to be "friends" with their kids while the kiddos are growing up. We, especially me, were known as the 'strict' parents while our beautiful daughter was growing up. This got me to thinking about this Pastor I heard recently....actually two different Pastors. The first one stated, "Here at this church we believe that God is out for our good not to harm us." Then the second Pastor had a video that stated, "What would the church do if your Pastor stood up on Sunday and said 'Obey God and things could turn out badly', how many would be back the following Sunday?" He further went to use John the Baptist beheading as his example. Two totally different views on God my question to you is this...(yes, I am asking for responses to this blog):

Which Pastor was right and why? Were either of them right? Were both right? Were both wrong? I know how I feel but it is not about feelings....it needs to be about God and His Word.

There is your challenge...

Fall Foliage and Walking with God....

 

Rappahannock River Fall Foliage 2011

A couple weeks ago, the Fall Foliage was vibrant here. There were yellows, oranges, and reds. The picture above is one that I took on the river bank in Fredericksburg, Virginia. Everyone each year discusses the beauty of the colors. Some even make a trek to Skyline Drive to see the colors at their peak. 

All of this got me to thinking, "Why do leaves change color in the Fall?"
I read the following on the website, www.sciencemadesimple.com/leaves.html:

"During winter, there is not enough light or water for photosynthesis. The trees will rest, and live off the food they stored during the summer. They begin to shut down their food-making factories. The green chlorophyll disappears from the leaves. As the bright green fades away, we begin to see yellow and orange colors."
 I knew that there was a correlation between God's beauty of nature and our walk, but some of my first thoughts were wrong once I came to understand the reason why leaves change colors.

People admire the colors and they can be amazingly beautiful. However, no matter the brightness of the leaves; the truth is they are preparing for the lack of food which comes with shorter days and colder weather. Once I understood the reason for leaves changing...The TRUTH God was  speaking to became  clear. This TRUTH is that many times in my Christian walk the Lord is preparing me for a season where there will be a lack of  food for my walk. The amazing thing, to me, is that just like the vibrant Fall leaf's color people will see a vibrant and vivacious walk with the Lord in me during this preparing stage. 

We need to understand that during this time, God could very well be preparing us for a dry season. A time when 'spiritual' food will be scarce. We need to be like the leaves that we admire and be preparing for all the seasons. The leaves know that the shorter days and colder climate will come and they prepare for it.

All the trees are bare now and it looks as if death has come upon them. Yet, in reality they are only dormant resting in and feeding on the food that they stored up during the Summer....Do we live during our 'dry' winter season with  assurance that we have prepared and that Spring is on the way?

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Preparations....

I am working at a Christian retail store part-time as seasonal help. One of our focuses is preparing the store for the Christmas rush (or craziness) that will start on Black Friday. This got me to wondering how am I preparing for Christmas....where will my focus be? Will it be on gift-giving, gift-receiving, family, or on the birth of my Savior.

I encourage us to start thinking and preparing to remember the 'Reason for the Season'. It is only two months until Christmas Day.

Job....

I finished reading Job this morning. Yes, you read that correctly. I spent about 8-10 weeks reading Job. God showed me different things but the one that has stood out the most to me is "Elihu." In Chapter 2, when Job's 3 friends come and sit with him, "Elihu" is not listed. Then in Chapter 42, the last chapter, God tells Eliphaz that He is angered with Job's friends. God says Job needs to pray for them. Well, Job prays for  his 3 friends that were mentioned in Chapter 2...once again no mention of "Elihu"

This made me think...

• Why was Elihu not mentioned in Chapter 2? He does speak and it is a couple chapters worth of speaking.
• Was God not angered with Elihu's dissertation to Job?
• Is it not necessary for Job to pray for Elihu?
• Was Elihu considered to young to be mentioned? (He does start his dissertation discussing his young age)

As you can see, I have lots of questions while finishing up this reading of Job. 

I ended up reading Job cause it is where God took me during a difficult time in my life. I am glad that I was obedient. 

One of these days.....

One of these days, I will be smart enough to realize that if nothing is working out to stop. At least for a brief break. Today was a completely frustrating morning and I just kept pushing to accomplish things. It would have been a much better day if I had taken a break about three hours earlier than what I did.

This made me wonder if God was shaking His head and thinking, "When will she learn." It is a fact that things will get done in His timing. He has never let me down yet. We will not even begin to discuss the many times I have let Him down. Funniest thing about all this, I just got an e-mail today with someone telling me that I was "so wise beyond my years." Yeah right!

God is such a loving forgiving Father and I am so extremely grateful for this.

Now on to spending some time studying and then reading. Maybe one day this blog will be actually have more than my ramblings. Hey, we can pray for such things to come about. :^)

Sharing our bible study....

I decided to share my next upcoming Bible Study for our College & Career Bible study. This was last Sunday's class (April 17th) and will be published this coming Friday:

Let's start with a quick refresher: Throughout James, we have been discussing how James is writing to a persecuted and scattered people. James has been focusing on how to live in the midst of tribulations and temptations.

We finished up last week on our discussion of the tongue. One aspect being that we must let God control our tongue in ALL circumstances.

As we delve into this week's lesson, James will show us how to handle struggles of life with WISDOM. However, we will see TRUE WISDOM only comes from God.

Let's start with a question: What is meant by "good conduct" or "good life" in verse 13 concerning one's works? It doesn't mean there is no trouble in this person's life but that their works are done in meekness.

This brings us to our next question: Does meekness or humble mean weakness?

According to Norma Becker (one of the lesson writer's used for this study), "Meekness or humble means "Strength under control." This is one whose strength comes from relying on God and not self. This person also relies on God for vindication and refuses to retaliate when insulted.

**Remember TRUE WISDOM comes from God. It is not just good advice, good ideas, or good morals**

God's Wisdom is real when it is in motion, However, this is more than giving to charity. Wisdom is from God in a person's life is shown by how he/she deals with family, friends, finances, spend free time and approaches life in general.

QUESTION: Who is guiding your life? Is it God's TRUE WISDOM or the world's wisdom?

Living in the meekness of God's TRUE WISDOM means we do not let our current circumstances tell us who we are and who we belong to....

James further instructs the wisdom of meekness doesn't exist in jealous and ambitious heart. Jealousy creates a wedge not only between us and others but also with God. We must come to the realization that the world's wisdom is actually anti-wisdom for there is NO TRUE WISDOM without God.

Anti-wisdom results in confusion and evil whereas, Godly Wisdom is (as stated in verse 17) pure, peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy & grace fruits without hypocrisy or partiality.

Therefore, We want to walk away from today's lesson understanding this final thought:

"To be wise is to see that our present circumstances DO NOT tell the story of our real worth or limit our ability to receive full life from God"---(courtesy of Trinity Study Center lesson writer).

Galatians 6:9 has been on my heart....

Galatians 6:9 "And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart." 


"Let us not grow weary" and "if we do not lose heart." I keep going back to "if we do not lose heart." I challenge myself all the time with the questions, "Who am I doing this for?" "Is it to please man or God?" "Is it my own agenda?" Then the tough part comes, when I must be willing to answer each of these questions with the different things happening in my life. I propose that if I can say that I am doing (whatever it is) for God alone and to please Him with His agenda then I normally do not lose heart. 


Don't get me wrong this doesn't mean that I am never discouraged. I do get discouraged but the difference is not losing heart. To me losing heart is coming to the point of discouragement where we "throw in the towel" and call it quits.


Right now, I am trusting God for the finances of an event that is happening in June. I can honestly say this event was not my idea it was God's plan. Those of us involved are doing it for God and His Kingdom. We are being obedient in preparing this event to please God not man. Plus, this event is NOT my agenda. Things would look different (I would have rushed things on my time table) if it was my agenda yet, cause I am walking in the realm of God's mysterious Grace for the whole event to come together I can confidently say that God is in control. 


Thank you Jesus for bringing this event to fruition and for teaching those involved how to trust You more and more each and everyday.

Why Struggle?

Someone asked me why I was struggling with being stretched. We have determined the toy that was the stretchy guy was named "Stretch Armstrong". I told the person that they posed a good question and I now pose it to you:

"If we completely and fully understand that the stretching God is doing within us is for our good then why do we struggle with it?"

Think on these things this week.

I am back....

God has been stretching me. He wants me to rely totally on Him for all things. This became apparent in the last couple weeks as I have been working on projects and praying about things. A couple things on my heart have been the college & career Sunday morning class that I have been leading since 2009. It seems that the local students are dwindling. Why? Good question! That is what I have taken to the Father. Whereas, on the other hand it seems that the distance students are keeping up with the lessons online. What are you doing Father?

I have further been praying for the upcoming Ladies Retreat, College & Career Conference, and Pre-CBS of New Bern. All of this while working on the business each day, editing a 34 Chapter book, and trying to keep my house semi-presentable. Needless to say, this is why this blog keeps getting neglected.

I truly want to keep writing and this blog is a wonderful way. Time is the factor. God help me to be able to share your Word through this blog and touch lives.

The verse I have been hanging onto this week has been Galatians 6:9:

"And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart"

The sound that keeps running through my head is Sidewalk Prophets, "You can have me":

http://www.sidewalkprophets.com/discography/album/these-simple-truths/you-can-have-me

May the Father bless you tremendously this week and may your love be because of who He is and not what He does for you.

You Are More - Tenth Avenue North - w/lyrics

Student Life Blog Article...

I have been given the privilege of writing a series of blog articles for Student Life.

You can see the first by clicking the link below:

 http://www.studentlife.com/blog/?p=690

Listening to God....

Have you ever had a book that you just wanted to stop reading but God keeps bringing you back to it? This is happening to me again. The book entitled "The Naked Gospel" by Andrew Farley has infuriated me at times and I made the firm decision to get rid of it after 8 chapters....I text someone who asked if they could read it when I was finished and said, "You can have it! I can't stand it no more."

His reply, "I didn't realize it was the whole book, I was allowed to download awhile back but thanks anyway." Ok, now what do I do? I can't just throw it in the trash...I paid a whole $5 for the book. So, I let it sit and you know what my loving God with a sense of humor has done to me. Yep, you got it He has me reading it again. Are there times that I am still infuriated with the book? Oh Yes, but I am being obedient and continuing to read...not as quickly as some books I am devouring; such as Zig Ziglar's book, "Embrace the Struggle"

I am just being obedient and following God's leading...however, I must admit at this point and time a part of me would be ecstatic if He said, "Dawn...go ahead and throw 'The Naked Gospel' away." ":-)

Journeying with Jesus isn't all about what makes me happy for happy is a circumstance. We are learning in our College and Career bible study God doesn't want to base our life on circumstances. He wants us to base our lives on Jesus.

Philippians 2:13

2011...Following God in All Things...

Many people around me wonder about me sometimes. They probably have every right to wonder also. I live my life following God in all things and at times this takes me down paths some would call "not normal." We will not get into the whole discussion today of what is normal...I hear your sighs of relief.

My following God in all things has led me many places, such as five years of college since 2003. A teaching position at my church with the College and Career. A College and Career one-day conference in 2011 and furthering my speaking & teaching ministry through the formation of a Community Bible Study (www.communitybiblestudy.org) group in New Bern. Yet, with all of this in front of me, God has further led me in this new year to actively look for more speaking and teaching opportunities. This is the reason for my blog today, if you have ever heard me speak or been in a class with me, would you be kind enough to help me spread the word of what God is doing through me.

This is the only time I will mention this on my blog. If anyone is interested please send them to my website:

www.dawnwhitmorespeaks.org

God has given me Isaiah 50:4 and I am hanging tight to it.

Have a blessed day!

God's discernment and His timing....

God spent nearly all of 2010 teaching me about His timing. I get the feeling on this 3rd day of 2011 that He may be teaching me about His discernment in 2011. Doors are opening and I must not only know God's timing but I must have His discernment about the decisions being made.

While at the Strength to Stand conference, God was giving the thing that tugs on my heart daily. It is a great desire of mine. Yet, God will not move in that direction unless it is also His great desire. My life verse is Psalm 37:4, "Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart."

This giving of the desire is because when one delights themselves in the Lord...their desire will be His desire.

My prayer is God's desire will become more my desire as I continue to spend time with Him.

Retreat....

I am reading a book called "The Creative Call." Well...actually, I have been reading this book on and off since my daughter and her best friend were in high school. They are now a sophomore and junior in college. However, it is amazing how God would bring me back to this book over the years at the time it would mean the most.

Right now, on thing on my mind is the RBBC upcoming Ladies Retreat in April 2011. The cool thing is the book which, I am on the last chapter after all these years talks about a retreat to finish about the commencement of finishing the book. It is a study book...which means in the future I will read and do the whole study aspect and receive even more from God. :-)

Janice Elsheimer discusses the three aspects of a retreat. These three aspects are seclusion, solitude and significance. The leadership team at RBBC already knows the retreat this year will be different than any other one ever done. I believe that God brought me here to these three aspects of retreat to give me the opportunity to let God reveal them completely to me.

This is exciting to me and I will be waiting expectantly for God to give me each piece of the aspects from His point-of-view. It is amazing when we are obedient to God and see Him more and more throughout our day.

Graduation and other life happenings...

The last couple months have flown by for me. I finished my Masters of Entertainment Business in December 2010. Also, in November, I was given the delight of seeing my little brother (he is a 6ft 300lbs football player) play in the Semi-pro championship. It was also the first time seeing him in almost 25 years.

I look forward to what God has planned for 2011. The RBBC Ladies Retreat is in April. YKP, LLC will be working on a mini-tour for one of our artist, Billy Buchanan.

There may be more time for this blog and hopefully they will be worthwhile and not a bunch of babbling.

Nearing the end....Means a new beginning is around the corner....

The end of my Masters program is right around the corner (December 17th to be exact).  The exciting thing is that when this adventure ends God will be beginning a new one. What is it? I don't know but the important thing is when God gives us new opportunities, we must be ready, willing and obedient.

I am reading Doug Field's book, Fresh Start and he tells a wonderful story of "Taking a Knee." Field's explains taking a knee is a humble action. Humility is not weakness but realizing and acknowledging who the KING is....Do you fully understand your relationship with your KING?

I am coming to a closer and better understanding of my relationship with my KING.

Thank you Jesus for loving me.