My, My, My or Everything?

(We're gearing up for The PURSE-onality Challenge holiday edition–"A Holiday-Ready Heart"–in October! Stay tuned for full details...Warm-Up Week starts September 24!)

September 5-23, I'll be blogging through Mary DeMuth's soon-to-be-released book Everything: What you Give and What you Gain to Become Like Jesus. Each week, I'll be giving way a copy of the book. You can enter the drawing via the Rafflecopter at the end of each Everything blog post!

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"In my frenetic pace of life, I’ve forgotten His presence. It’s a choice in those times to cry out to the God who lives within me, asking Him to lift my head. This beautiful, inhabiting God breathes encouragement into me, reminding me that I am His child, worthy of His sacrifice. I don’t need to wallow in a place of stress because He understands. He is Emmanuel, God with us, and He sees us–an astonishing fact. Simply meditating there will change our growth patterns forever.

...May our thoughts be consumed with our awe-worthy God. And may those thoughts translate into astonishment-based living, where we live to make much of God and less of us." 

Mary DeMuth, Everything (pg. 12-13)


How Easily I Forget

I forgot God’s presence on Monday. 

The quiche I made for the ladies I’d invited over for lunch, which normally takes only 25 minutes to bake, took a full 50 minutes.

At first, I thought I’d be late for chapel. Then I realized I was going to miss chapel. Ultimately, I barely made it to my first class with a few seconds to spare. (And the quiche still didn’t look right!)

I was ready for class, having prepared a detailed PowerPoint the night before. Except I couldn’t log on to the network. I stalled. Babbled. Stalled some more. Babbled some more. 

Gave up on technology. Used the white board and dying Expo markers.

Wallowed deeply in “a place of stress.”  Multiple places of stress, actually. (Typical over-achiever!)

Why?


My, My, My

Because it was all about me. 

Disbelief about my quiche. 

Frustration over my tardiness. 

Betrayal by my computer. 

Impressing (ah, the true heart of the matter!) my students. 


A Little Jesus Christ Overlay

In Chapter 1, Mary points out that “like Brother Lawrence, the monk who joyfully washed dishes with Jesus beside him, we can practice His presence every single moment.”

I know God is with me. I don’t doubt it for even a moment.

So why do I forget?  Why do I live as if it’s all about me?  As if I am all I’ve got?

I heard Tom Sine speak over a quarter-of-a-century ago. He pointed out that most Christians "live the all-American lifestyle with a little Jesus Christ overlay.” 

I snickered at "a little Jesus Christ overlay." Who would do something so silly?  Live the way the world lives instead of living Life superabundantly?

Me. 


My vs. Everything

I forget it’s not 

• my quiche.

• my tardiness.

• my computer.

• my PowerPoint.

• my students.

They’re all His.

Everything is His. 

I’m not sharing my life with Him; my life is in Him.

So what will I choose today?

My...my...my…?

Or Everything with Him?


Your Turn:

• In what situations do you find it easiest to remember that you're "washing dishes with Jesus beside you"?

• In what situations are you most likely to forget it's not about you?

• Anything else on your heart!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

How Jesus Became My "Everything"

My friend Mary DeMuth has a new book coming out in mid-October:

Everything: 

What You Give 

and What You Gain 

to Become Like Jesus

Mary challenged her blog readers to get out their video cameras (and get waaaay out of their comfort zones!) to make a short video clip telling how Jesus became our "everything."

Here's the 15-second version of how Jesus set me free:

I'm reading the book now, and I'll be blogging about it during the first half of September!

Interested in reading a sample? You can download a sample chapter of Everything right here!

Want to be inspired by others' testimonies? You can see the other video clips here at Mary's blog (in the comments.)

And if you're interested, you can pre-order the book through Amazon.

Here are a few quotes from the book (...and you'll find a ton more on the Everything Pinterest board!)

Your Turn:

• What does it mean for Jesus to be your "everything"?

• When did Jesus become your "everything"?

• Anything else on your heart!