This Post Will Only Take About 60 Seconds of Your Life

Please take about 10 seconds to watch this video:

I saw this and asked myself, 

"What are the ten second time wasters in my life?"

Psalm 119:37a: "Turn my eyes away from worthless things..."

Colossians 3:17a: "And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus..."

Psalm 104:33: "I will sing to the LORD all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live."

Psalm 90:12: "Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom."

Ephesians 5:11-16, The Message
"Don't waste your time on useless work, mere busywork, the barren pursuits of darkness. Expose these things for the sham they are. It's a scandal when people waste their lives on things they must do in the darkness where no one will see. Rip the cover off those frauds and see how attractive they look in the light of Christ.

Wake up from your sleep,
Climb out of your coffins;
Christ will show you the light!
So watch your step. Use your head. Make the most of every chance you get. These are desperate times!

Father God, I love You. I know that Jesus came to give me life, and to the full. Help me to spend my life and time like Jesus did. Help me to go where You lead me, not where I wish to be. May I give You all the praise and the honor and the glory. In Jesus' name, Amen.

***song is Crayons Can Melt On Us For All I Care by Relient K

In the Key of HE,

Middle Child Theory Lesson

Over and over again.

It’s a pattern.

My middle child starts acting up. I’ve tried to convince myself that the middle child theory is just that—a theory…but she works to prove me wrong. Deeply longing for my attention, she does not always go about the right way to receive it. And as if it were my first “aha” moment, I realize that some alone time would do us some good. This evening was just one of those moments.

All day, getting ready for a long trip and feeling heavily ignored, she vied for my attention, and she managed to get it…the WRONG way. Just as I thought I had a moment of escape to run a a last-minute errand, the Lord spoke to my heart: “Take her with you. The alone time will do you good.”

Noooooooooo, I want to be alone. I felt a stronger urge from Him, and I obeyed (this time).

By the end of our outing, she was cheery, loving, affectionate and compliant. She had one question and gripe after another for me, because she had been waiting to get me alone. Deprived earlier, she was now able to get her fill. I was actually refreshed afterwards too. It felt so good to see a smile on her face planted there from her heart.

I couldn’t help but reflect on our experience this evening during my own aloneness with the Lord. I am His middle child. When I don’t have the perfect amount of alone time with Him, I am miserable—squawking, moaning, whining, ungrateful…unholy. I desperately need my alone time with my Heavenly Daddy. It is absolutely essential for me.


So hopefully, as I head to the mountains…I can experience some extraordinary alone time with Him. And may I be quick to listen when He asks me to give some of that back to my own family.

Guess what…YOU are His middle child too. Be ever mindful of your need to be up close, personal and all by yourself with Him, whether in a beautiful place or in the middle of your living room. He will give you just what you need to keep your heart humming for all to hear. He is your Lifeline to love, to joy, to peace, to patience, to kindness, to goodness, to faithfulness, to gentleness and to self-control.

Together, let’s prove the middle child syndrome wrong, shall we?

Over and over again.

“You have made known to me the paths of life;
You will fill me with joy in Your presence.”
Acts 2:28, NIV