four minutes with God: Deuteronomy 16:17

Posted on by Julie Stiles Mills

a Quote:
“…understanding ownership was half of my lesson. If God was the owner, I was the manager. I needed to adopt a steward’s mentality toward the assets He had entrusted – not given – to me.

A steward manages assets for the owner’s benefit. The steward carries no sense of entitlement to the assets he manages. It’s his job to find out what the owner wants done with his assets, then carry out his will.”
(from The Treasure Principle: Unlocking the Secret of Joyful Giving by Randy Alcorn)

my Prayer:
Lord, scheduling tithe checks on bill pay is some serious fun! Thank you for the joy we feel in this obedience. THANK YOU for the provision of my husband’s bonus and THANK YOU for the opportunity to give even more than we normally do. The feeling that comes from giving back some of the money you’ve entrusted to us is like an adrenaline high! Thank you that we never regret it or begrudge it. Thank you for giving us an opportunity to serve you this way. We pray that we’ve interpreted your will correctly and sent your money where you wanted it to go. We pray that you will abundantly bless the efforts of those to whom you have sent it and we trust you to work all things for your good and your glory.

Our continuous prayer is that you help us to be good stewards of everything you entrust to us and to help us achieve our goal of becoming debt-free. Thank you for this answer to our prayer. Thank you for providing a means for more debt reduction. We profoundly understand what a blessing this job is and even more the blessing of this bonus. Thank you, Lord.

the Word:
“Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the LORD your God which He has given you.”
Deuteronomy 16:17 (NAS)

the lyric:
“Rich or poor God I want You more, than anything that glitters in this world. Be my all, all consuming fire.
You can have all my hands can hold, my heart, mind, strength and soul, Be my all, all consuming fire.
All we need, all we need, all we need is You.”
from All We Need (youtube link) by Charlie Hall (amazon link)

This was dual published on my Pragmatic Communion blog.

550 Reps? Can I really do this?

Posted on by Julie Stiles Mills

My niece did this workout in 17.08 minutes today.

Let me just say: ouch.

and tomorrow, DOUBLE ouch.

Zuzana, the girl in this video, did it in 32.46. If I attempt this workout, I will NOT be posting my time. no, no, no, no. That last exercise, one leg wall squat, will leave me crying like a little girl.

Here’s a link with a breakdown of the workout and a photo of each exercise. 550 Rep Fat Massacre Great name for a workout.

I’ll admit, I’m freakishly drawn to give this a try, but I’m going to need some accountability to finish it. Maybe FavoriteSon will do it with me.

Anybody up for it?

ode to a passive aggressive friend

Posted on by Julie Stiles Mills

“My Passive Aggressive Friend’s Thinly Veiled Hostility Makes Me Nervous”

I dedicate this song to my beautiful daughter, PinkGirl as I pray for her relationship with a relentless passive aggressive 4th grader.

(in the words of Larry the cable guy, “Lord, I apologize for that, and be with the starving pygmies down in New Guinea.)

Need a few more chuckles today? Check out Friday Funnies hosted by Homesteaders Heart!

If you’ve got time to hang out for a few minutes, check out what else makes me laugh: Pragmatic Compendium’s “laugh!” category.

four minutes with God: Proverbs 27:17

Posted on by Julie Stiles Mills

a Quote:
“We all need someone in our lives at times to coach us to greater and greater levels of excellence in our chosen areas of pursuit.”

“Come to the edge, He said. They said, We are afraid. Come to the edge, He said. They came. He pushed them . . . and they flew.” Guillaume Apollinaire

(from The Aladdin Factor by Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen)

my Prayer:
Lord, please lead me to anyone who can honestly and objectively guide me to greater levels of excellence in my pursuits to nurture my family, serve in ministry and achieve competence in my career. Please help me to discern and listen to the voices that come from you and to discard the lies Satan tries to tell me in an effort to throw me off your path for my life. If you would strike Satan mute, that would be perfect, Lord. (sigh) But I know that’s not how you work, so please bless me with discernment.

Thank you for the determination to work harder when I come face to face with the reality that I’m not as good at something as I think I am. Please Lord, help me to acknowledge my strengths and to remember that when I discount them, I discount your blessings in my life. Please help me to be satisfied with my work when I do well, instead of constantly critiquing myself.

the Word:
As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.
Proverbts 27:17 (NIV)

the lyric.
“But the voice of truth tells me a different story. The voice of truth says, ‘Do not be afraid!’ The voice of truth says, ‘This is for My glory.’ Out of all the voices calling out to me, I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth.”
Voice of Truth (youtube link) by Casting Crowns (amazon link)

This was dual published on my Pragmatic Communion blog.

“the man is the head, but the woman is the neck, and she can turn the head any way she wants.”

Posted on by Julie Stiles Mills

I love this scene from My Big Fat Greek Wedding. Isn’t is cute how men think they’re in charge?

Now ladies, wield this power responsibly. Don’t take advantage.

Need a few more chuckles today? Check out Friday Funnies hosted by Homesteaders Heart!

If you’ve got time to hang out for a few minutes, check out what else makes me laugh: Pragmatic Compendium’s “laugh!” category.

Lord, fill me with your Holy Spirt. or the spirit of a large black woman.

Posted on by Julie Stiles Mills

YESTERDAY, I agreed to sing this song with someone TONIGHT at a Bethune-Cookman Gospel Choir concert at First United Methodist Church of Oviedo. My first attempt at singing black gospel, with less than 24 hours to prepare.

What was I THINKING?

I’m asking myself, “Do I have enough soul to pull this off?”

Lord, as I prepare to sing black gospel for the first time tonight, I pray that you will fill me with your Holy Spirit. Or the spirit of a large black woman. or both. you know best. Amen.

You know, it’s just like exercise, if I’m going to do it, I’m going to do it 100%. If I’m THERE, I’m going to give it all I’ve got.

Lord, help me!

UPDATE: That was some SERIOUS fun! However, I have once again been reminded that I am incapable of singing and clapping at the same time. I chose to sing and let everyone else clap. It’s okay that I can’t sing and clap at the same time, I didn’t even try. It wouldn’t have turned out well. Besides, I’m not going to contaminate the one intuitive thing I do (sing praise songs) by forcing choreography just because it’s expected by other people. I’m intentional about SO many things in my life, I NEED to let go when I sing. Last night, I sang to and for the Lord and found myself raising my hands – intuitively. I pray that He found my offering beautiful.

For more beautiful music, check out Then Sings My Soul Saturday every Saturday hosted by Amy at Signs, Miracles and Wonders.

This was dual published on my Pragmatic Communion blog.