It's A Wonderful (Imperfect) Life Blog Tour!

Today, I am hosting Joan Webb and her new book "It's A Wonderful (Imperfect) Life! Today's devotion is called:
Joy-filled Honesty

Joy belongs to those who are honest. -Psalm 97:11, NCV

When my daughter was about twenty years old she and I drove to my parents' home in the Midwest. During our visit, Dad asked me to look through my things in storage. As I rummaged through the keepsakes, my eyes fell on a small green book. "Oh, my! I can’t believe it!" I exclaimed. "It’s my junior high diary!"

Inside the front cover were the words SECRET! STAY OUT PLEASE!!!!! Tiny lettering at the bottom of the page read, "I beg. Ask what it says inside. I'll tell you."

Scanning the messy pages, I cringed. This girl was immature and boy crazy! I thought. Upon our return home, I invited my daughter to read it. Several hours later, a surprised young woman walked into my room. "Thanks a lot, Mom, for letting me read your diary. I've always had the feeling you never went through what I did. Like somehow I didn't measure up to what you were in junior high. But you were just like me. Flighty and boy crazy!"

We hugged and laughed. "Actually it's rather embarrassing," I admitted.

"Well, thanks for allowing me to see a glimpse of that part of your life," she said. “It’s like you’ve validated who I am as a young woman. I feel a sense of relief. I’m grateful and my heart feels lighter.” Joy floods our relationships when we interact with openness and loving sincerity.

Lord, help me be open and honest; even before my family.

Make It Personal: In what light-hearted way can and will you share honestly with a loved one during this week?

Like what you've read? You can order Joan's book at http://www.amazon.com/Its-Wonderful-Imperfect-Life-Encouragement/dp/0830748016


Joan C. Webb, a recovering workaholic and perfectionist, communicates a message of freedom and renewal. As a personal life coach, lifeplan facilitator, and speaker/Bible communicator she longs to help others gain clarity and move past their obstacles. Joan, author or co-author of eleven books including The Intentional Woman, The Relief of Imperfection, and It's a Wonderful (Imperfect) Life, wrote study notes for the Women of Faith Study Bible. Her husband, Richard, and she live in Chandler, Arizona, near their two married children and seven grandchildren. http://www.joancwebb.com/

If you would like to continue to follow the tour, Joan's devotion will be at www.wordykaren.blogspot.com/"> on November 30th!

My Passion

For those of you joining us today from the Proverbs 31 devotion today, welcome!

Jesus. Some days just thinking of how perfectly this Man loves me completely blows me away! I just don't grow tired of rehearsing in my mind and heart that the Creator of this incredible earth is in love with me! Simple 'ole me! Nothing extraordinary. Nothing that those of this world would think is amazing, yet Psalm 45:11 says "The King is wild for you...." The Message. He says that He is mine and I am His. (Song of Solomon 2:16a) He says that He rejoices over me with singing (Zephaniah 3:17) He says that I am altogether beautiful and He sees no blemish in me. (Song 4:7) To know that Perfection loves Imperfect completely stuns me!

Does any of this have anything to do with me? Obsolutely not! I once thought it did. I once was messed up in the head and heart and thought that what I did influenced how He saw me. But now I know, His unconditional love is just one more thing that makes Him beautiful to me.

Do you know, in the deepest part of your heart, that He feels that exact same way about you? Do you know that when you mess up, He looks down with compassion and not anger? Do you know that His heart for you is that you would be filled to the fullness measure of His perfect love so that you never, ever need to feel alone, rejected or discarded again? The King over all is in love with you; that, my friend, is truly life changing.

With news like this, who can keep quiet? Galatians 6:14 says, "As for me, may I never boast about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ." (NLT) Oh, that is my heart! To boast, brag, go on and on and on about Him.

We glorify what we are passionate about, says John Piper. Friend, what are you glorifying? Does the thing that has your heart deserve that much attention? Is He your passion or do you struggle with other things that clamor for your heart and your affection? He truly is the only thing that deserves your all.

I'd love to have you brag a bit about Him here! Just click on "comments" below and share just why He is worth bragging about to you!

Calling All Fiction Lovers

See that really cool button over there to the right? (For those who receive this by email...go to my blog to see the really cool new button!)

Click on it! It will take you to Proverbs 31 newest ministry She Reads. She Reads is a perfect place to connect for those who love fiction and want to get updates on the newest and best Christian fiction as it comes out.

Today is a perfect day to check this out! Not only are they giving away 5 free novels, but they are also giving away an IPOD Nano already full of great music! Just head over and join the group of those already reading the best fiction books available!

Fruits of a Different Sort

Picture Greg and I and fifty little kids singing at the top of our lungs: "The fruit of the Spirit is not a coconut. The fruit of the Spirit is not a coconut. The fruit of the Spirit is not a coconut. The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control." Yes...I think we were acting like coconuts too in this children's church!But, it worked! To this day, I can still remember the fruit of the Spirit.

Today, as I read the passage of Galatians 5:15-26 I was reminded by Paul of fruit of a different sort: the fruits of the flesh. As I read the list, I careful checked out my heart, mind and actions looking for evidence of it's presence:

* sexual immorality
* impurity
* lustful pleasures
* idolatry
* sorcery
* dissension
* division
* envy
* drunkeness
* wild parties
* and other sins like these. (covers a bunch of stuff!)

Obviously, some of these sins are BOLDER than others, but the source of them all is the same: following the leading of our flesh rather than His Spirit.

Recently, I had a great talk with my friend Amy about women of character. Amy has a godly woman who is now gray haired and full of wisdom. Amy has so much respect for this woman, so she asked her "How do you end up one day being an older godly woman so full of the Lord as you are now?" Her answer: Be that woman today!

Be that woman today.

Lord, I want to be that kind of woman. I struggle with some of the stuff on that list. I sometimes cause division in my family. I sometimes see you bless others and struggle. I sometimes have outbursts of anger toward my kids. Today, not tomorrow or when I am 80, but for the next 24 hours, strengthen me to walk in the power of Your Holy Spirit, putting me further down that path of becoming a godly woman! I'll look only to today. Only through you, Lord. Amen

Freedom and Peace

Freedom. That is one of the great benefits to following Christ. Peace and Freedom.

Galatians 1:10 "Obviously, I'm not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ's servant." NLT

When I read this verse this morning, my heart said "Oh, thank you my precious Jesus."

It is not hard for me to remember the Lynn I used to be; constantly torn up by what I thought others thought...of me. I worried about my family, my friends, my husband, my kids...not one was excluded. I wanted to be the perfect friend, neighbor, wife, mom, daughter, worker; never wanted anyone to be disappointed, mad, frustrated or let down in any way by me. My mind would tortue me, "You are not a good__________ (you can fill in the blank with any of my above titles). You need to be a better ___________." This thinking just fed that performance monster in my heart more and more (it is NEVER satisfied).

But God...

God stepped in and brought me freedom and peace. Freedom from myself and my constant badgering thoughts; some true, some not so true.

I began by recognizing that these thoughts were not from Him. Even if I was a less than perfect wife, daughter or mom, He still would not condemn me, only my enemy would do that. As I began to recognize these wayward thoughts, I began to replace them with the truth. "Whom the Son has set free is free indeed!!!"

So now when I take a walk in my neighborhood and I hear the thougths, "You are a rotten neighbor, you should be more friendly." I ask myself real questions: Is there something specific that the Lord wants me to do? Then do it! By all means, obey. But if these are just negative thoughts with the purpose to cause me to gang up on myself, than I give them to Jesus and ask Him to take them away.

No. Not perfect. Far, far from it. But I am at peace and I am free!

Listen to Three

Growing up, my mother tried to teach me early on to be sensitive to hearing God speak. Read His Word, obey what is says and listen for a still, small voice. She also used to say to listen to groups of three. If you hear the same verses three times, hear a similar sermon three times...you get the picture. She said that is one of the ways that He confirms what He is trying to say.

I never really asked why, but I began to look for and see in my life God confirm things over and over. When I was making a decision about what to do after high school; three ways He spoke to me to go to Last Days Ministries. I read a magazine article about serving. The next day I heard a sermon on serving. A couple of days later I read a page in a magazine that said "Come and serve at Last Days Ministries". Now, I am NOT saying that every time you read something like that, that it is God. I am saying that if you are in a place where you are asking God for direction, open your eyes and ears and be ready to hear.

Today, I saw the "three" in scripture. In Acts 11: 1 - 18, Peter is up on the roof top praying and while he is, he has a vision. In this vision, God lowers a sheet with all sorts of tame and wild animals, reptiles, and birds. The Lord said, "Get up, Peter; kill and eat them." Now, this probably freaked Peter out a bit. You see all of these creatures were just the sort of creatures that God had forbidden the people to eat before the time of Jesus. But God is trying to tell Peter,"You're praying; I'm talking. It is time for a new thing."

Peter's first response is "No, Lord. I have never eaten anything that our Jewish laws have declared impure or unclean." But the Lord replied, "Do not call something unclean if God has made it clean." Then this happened THREE TIMES before the sheet and all it contained was pulled back up to heaven.

Could the Lord possibly have something new He wants to do in you; through you? Maybe you have thought the idea weird or absurd. Ask Him for three. Three confirmations that He is in fact speaking to you. Once you do, keep your eyes and ears open. He just might show you something amazing!