Category Archives: Abundant Living

missing piece

The Missing Piece – Day 22: Light the World, Build the Kingdom

What do you do when you’re doing what you feel led to do, but there’s a missing piece? Maybe you don’t have all the people, resources or knowledge you need to complete the project. In this segment I talk about what to do when a piece is missing on something you feel led to do.

For example, let’s say you’re writing a book, but you’re not great at grammar and punctuation. You don’t know a good editor. Or you have no idea who would publish your book. What should you do? In this video I share a situation that happened to my husband and me that illustrates what to do when something important is missing from a task at hand.

How the Challenge Works

Step 1: Ask God each day, “What is one thing I can do to light the world and build the kingdom today?”

Step 2: ACT upon whatever He leads you to do. Go through the day EXPECTING for opportunities to arise.

Step 3: Document somewhere — in your private journal or on your favorite social media platform.

Step 4: Share! If you share publicly, please use our hash tags: #BuildTheKingdom and #LightTheWorldNow so I can cheer you on! If you’re going to be documenting privately, I recommend sharing your experience with a close friend or accountability partner. There is power in the sharing.

For ongoing support and a place to share, please join our Facebook group.

Featured Image Copyright: SkyYo30 / BigStockPhoto.com

commitment

Day 9: Commitment – Are You All In?

You don’t reap the full impact of power of God in your life until you’re all in — until you reach a level of commitment. Half-measures don’t do. Prioritizing what God has you on this planet to do as your top priority changes everything in a fantastic way. In this video I share my experience with straddling the fence with God and how it didn’t work for me. I also share how fully choosing God and using this 90 Day Light the World:  Build the Kingdom Challenge to dive deeper is blessing my life.  And we’re only 9 days in!

Please join me and share your experiences on social media using #90DayLTWChallenge #LightTheWorld #BuildTheKingdom

Are You Experiencing True Freedom?

It truly is alarming how many Christians don’t experience the freedom that the Bible speaks of (2 Cor. 3:17). Instead, they feel trapped by things in their lives; feeling like there is no way to move forward because of where they are or where they have been. However, it doesn’t have to be that way. It doesn’t matter where you’re at in life, or what you’re struggling with, you can find lasting freedom in Christ.

That’s why Christian authors and speakers, CJ and Shelley Hitz, have written Forgiveness Formula: Finding Lasting Freedom in Christ.” You’ll recognize Shelley from this year’s SheLovesGod.com Virtual Women’s Conference. This easy to read book combines real life stories with practical application steps to help people live life to the fullest through the power of forgiveness. The book is launching December 6th, 2011 and on that day only when you purchase your copy you will receive 19 bonus gifts worth over $100, and be entered in your chance to win the grand prize drawing of a Kindle Fire, Nook, or iPod Touch, or one of several other prize packs. I just went and grabbed my Kindle copy. 🙂

Here is what’s being said about “Forgiveness Formula”:

“Unlike so many Christian authors, CJ and Shelley Hitz write like real people. To read their book is to meet two very thoughtful new friends, who are both willing and able to help.” – Bart Campolo, Founder Mission Year

“Tragedy to triumph? Grief to gratitude? Shelley and CJ’s touching transparency fleshed out to me, ‘It’s possible! There is hope!'” -Drake Mariani, Founder MemLok Bible Memory System

To get your copy and for complete bonus and prize pack details, visit: http://www.theforgivenessformula.com/gifts/

Receiving Abundance – It All Comes Down to Trust

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=br3_mMFK5xU[/youtube]

My husband and I stayed at an Orlando beach results were hundreds of trees were covered in Spanish Moss. When I learned that Spanish Moss has no typical root system but thrives on water and nutrients it draws from the air, I was intrigued. How is that possible — that something invisible can create mounds of this very visible vegetation?

Spanish Moss even blossoms! In season, small flowers with yellow-green to blue petals appear on the strands. I always thought it was a parasite, but upon research I found that it doesn’t draw nutrients from the trees. It isn’t attached, it’s just clinging to the trees for support. Isn’t that a miracle?

Besides being interesting to look at, Spanish moss also serves the animal kingdom. There’s a type of spider that only lives in Spanish moss. And birds, squirrels, owls and mockingbirds like to use it in their nests. They say Henry Ford even stuffed the seat cushions of his automobiles with it.

As I walked around looking at this incredible vegetation, I felt a distinct impression that there is something we can all learn from the plant. Think of the level of trust it takes to have no visible means of sustenance. What would it be like to know that everything you needed to survive had to be pulled from the air?

I believe that if we could come to that level of trust, we would tap into something incredible — just like the Spanish moss. Our lives would become abundant, visible, intriguing and useful. We would become a living, breathing marvel.

Remember how Jesus said, “Consider the lilies of the field how they grow. They toil not, neither do they spin … even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these” (Matthew 6:28-29). He kept trying to teach us to trust God as our great Provider. Frankly, teaching trust is a very difficult thing to do. It’s a way of being and feeling about your life that is difficult to explain to someone who hasn’t experienced it.

I believe that’s why God has placed symbols all around us in nature to model the principle. Surrounding us are myriads of living organisms that grow abundantly without all the stress, strain and worry in which humans engage.

Jesus continued, “Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?”

I’ve noticed that the more I struggle, worry and fight to “provide” for myself, the more elusive those provisions become. Yet, the more I calmly trust, the more doors of opportunities open for me, seemingly out of thin air. The more I’m like Spanish moss, hanging around my Tree (or God) for support and trust that everything I need will be provided, the more I thrive and flourish.

Which brings me to one of my favorite verses

“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths” (Proverbs 3:5-6)

Trust Him! He is your great Provider.

The Progression by Dr. Michael J. Duckett

Have you been trying to use the Law of Attraction without success? Or maybe you have trouble reconciling it with your Christian beliefs. It’s my hope that this article will shed some light and provide you with a valuable resource for further study.

Consider with me for a moment that the universe is made up of two main parts:

1)  Fine intelligent matter that will obey thoughts that are impressed upon it by a higher intelligence through focus, faith and feeling. Wallace Wattles referred to this as “thinking stuff” in his book “The Science of Getting Rich.” This intelligent matter wants to move into physical form and is waiting for a higher intelligence to impress its plans upon it — to give it direction.

In Romans 8:19 Paul wrote, “For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.”

In Greek “earnest” in this verse means “eager hope” and “creature” means “creation or material universe” and “manifestation” means “revelation.” So let’s reword this verse a bit and substitute these definitions:

“For the eager hope of the material universe waits for the revelation of the sons of God.”

In other words, the matter of the universe is waiting for the children of God (us) to have a new idea or an “aha moment” — an intense, moment of light where we impress our focus, faith and feeling upon the matter of the universe and it can start moving into form.

2) There is a radiant intelligent light that acts as a communication system. It is in all, through all, and brings life to the universe. In essence, it is a hardwired communication system to the intelligent matter.  The matter wants to obey it. The matter trusts it.

Now, I believe the source of this radiant intelligent light is God. God is a personal, literal Being, a Personage as real as you or me. From Him radiates this intelligent life-giving light. It might be referred to as the Light of Christ, the Glory of God, or the Mind of God. I often call it God’s communication system. God then communicates to the intelligent matter to organize and create things.

We, as God’s children are made in His image and have the capacity to utilize God’s communication system to impress our thoughts and feelings upon intelligent matter. As we impress our thoughts and feelings upon this intelligent matter, we create things as well.

One of the best explanations I’ve seen for how this works is Dr. Michael J. Duckett’s DVD, The Progression. It explains far beyond what the movie The Secret taught and answers many questions that it did not address.

In The Progression, the terms “God” and “Mind of God” are used to denote the combination of both the thinking stuff and God’s communication system.

It’s common for people to call God’s communication system “God.”  Personally, I would say that God is the Glorified Being from whom this light radiates. But, I suppose this light is God the same as a strand of my hair is “Marnie.” It’s part of me, it’s from me, it’s extending out from me. It’s not a complete depiction of me, by any stretch, but it is an extension of me for sure. Where you see my hair, you know I’m nearby. 🙂  So I won’t quibble over terminology any more.

Dr. Duckett brings up several important points in The Progression that are lacking in other explanations I’ve seen: The following are a few.

1) The intelligent matter will obey what you give your focus, faith and feeling to — whether that’s something wanted or unwanted, “good” or “bad.”

2) Honesty and integrity are critical. The intelligent matter works best when it is operated upon through God’s communication system. When the intelligent matter is acted upon via God’s communication system, it responds more readily in positive ways. In essence, it knows it can trust the being that is giving it commands. In order to use God’s communication system, one must be aligned with integrity, love and the promotion of good.

3) One must take immediate action upon impressions in order to receive more inspiration and direction.

4) Dr. Duckett emphasizes the role of love and seeking the good of all. Because God is love and His communication system requires good intentions, one will be more successful in using God’s laws for their highest good when he or she lives in harmony with love.

I’ve been so impressed with The Progression that I’ve agreed to help Dr. Michael Duckett get the word out about it. You can view a segment of the DVD here. That is my affiliate link. If you like the movie and would like to be an affiliate too, there’s a link on that page with details. I anticipate this DVD will become very popular in the days ahead.