Shifted Vision Ministries: WARNING: SLIPPERY SURFACE

Shifted Vision Ministries: WARNING: SLIPPERY SURFACE: Recently I was on vacation with my family. It seems that everything we do always involves water and this trip brought us to the Comal River....

WARNING: SLIPPERY SURFACE

Recently I was on vacation with my family. It seems that everything we do always involves water and this trip brought us to the Comal River. I am a fraidy-cat so I always choose to get out and walk around the dangerous areas like rapids and shoots. In walking around something that I perceived as dangerous and trying to avoid getting hurt, I came across a sign painted on the cement that said: “Caution: Slippery Surface”.

I began thinking about how we as Christians can easily avoid the obvious dangers. We can see the dangers lurking ahead when it comes to infidelity, addiction, theft, murder…those are biggies that we can see and make course corrections to avoid. We don’t always avoid them and the closer we get to the actual core of the threat the current oftentimes catches us and we are caught up in the throes of it before we realize we are past the point of no return. Repentance and forgiveness are our only course if we choose to navigate away from the sin that has drawn us in.

There are times however that the course we choose to avoid a big sin can be a slippery surface as well. We can linger on the outside of the current of infidelity and skirt it with flirting. We can float along toying with drugs or alcohol and not even realize that we are losing control. We can easily stretch or exaggerate the truth not realizing that is the slippery slope of dishonesty. We can stock our home with office supplies from work, and not see ourselves as a thief.

You see, oftentimes “Big Sins” have definite warning signs that come along with them. Common sense brings the list of possible consequences to mind and we cautiously steer clear. The “small sins” are less obvious. We are lured to think that we can handle it or control them. We think the consequences aren’t that bad.

The truth is: in God’s eyes sin is sin, there are no ‘big sins’ or ‘small sins’, sin is simply sin. So the next time you realize you are gossiping, telling a little white lie, taking a tablet from the office, taking just one more pill, drinking just one more drink, flirting just one more time…you are on a slippery surface. That surface is the illusion of sin not being sin. I pray you are able to recognize it for what it is and heed the signs… “Caution: Slippery Surface”

Shifted Vision Ministries: Confessions of a Clinger

Shifted Vision Ministries: Confessions of a Clinger: Hello, my name is Tammy…and I’m a clinger! A few weeks back I posted a series of confessions on my Facebook Page. Confession...

Confessions of a Clinger

Hello, my name is Tammy…and I’m a clinger!

A few weeks back I posted a series of confessions on my Facebook Page.

Confession 1: I cling to recipe and cookbooks. I almost never use them, but the idea of letting them go isn't comfortable so I cling tighter. 

Confession 2: I can't get rid of books. They stay in cabinets and on shelves, but I just can't seem to part with them. I have converted closets into shelving spaces to hold the mountains of books that I cling to. It's not that I have plans to read them again- to be honest, many of them have never been read and probably never will. 

Confession 3: I LOVE bags! So much so that on some forums my user name is Diva Bag Lady. I have bins of bags. I am kind of a bag snob though, and I seem to use the same one or two until they are shreds... never touching the other ones. Even though I don't use the others, I seem to cling to and find comfort in the fact that they are there. I can't let them go. 

I believe that clinging is part of our great design, but because of a fallen and sinful world we get confused and cling to the wrong things.

Jeremiah recognized this tendency: “Why then have these people turned away? Why does Jerusalem always turn away? They cling to deceit; they refuse to return.” (Jeremiah 8:5)

I’m not saying that my recipe books, bins of bags, and closets of books are idols but when I look at the definition of the word I honestly have to pause. The first definition of idol doesn’t convict me, but the second and third shake things up a bit.

Idol: 1. a. An image uses as an object of worship.

           b. A false God

        2. One that is adored, often blindly or excessively.

        3. Something visible but without substance.

Looking at the second definition I wonder what role my stuff plays for me. I adore my recipes, books, and bags. I don’t focus on them like Gollum in The Lord of The Rings as he hid in dark places stroking the ring and creepily stating “My Precious!”, but I definitely like them more than I should.

 

The third definition though is what got me. An idol is something that is visible, but without substance. I stated earlier that I cling to these things and find comfort in knowing they are there, but is it true comfort?  If it’s false comfort I have settled for, have these items taken the place of God in parts of my life? Have they become idols?

In Psalm 63:8 David cried out, “I cling to you; your right hand upholds me.” God is who I am to cling to. In clinging to Him, and not stuff, I can be truly comforted by my Father in heaven who is the great comforter.

I’m not telling you to go through and start purging the things you cling to. I am asking you to seek within yourself what you hope to gain by clinging to the stuff that clutters your world. From this day forward, I want to cling to God above all.

That being said; does anyone need some recipe books?

"What Stinks?"

“What stinks?”

These were the words that my sweet eleven year old chose to embrace me with the moment she walked through the door. I had no idea what she was talking about. I honestly didn’t smell anything. A few minutes later my thirteen year old chose to grace me with the exact same welcome. I still didn’t smell anything. Since nothing reeked to me and I wasn’t uncomfortable, I completely dismissed their questions and didn’t bother to pursue the source of a stench that I didn’t smell.

Fast forward to the next day…I had a full morning of errands so I was out of the house for several hours. I walked in the door and the first words out of my mouth were, “What stinks?” I started to investigate and quickly found a pot in the sink that had been left to soak for a bit too long…and it reeked!

Was the stench new? No, because my daughters had each smelled it the day before. Why hadn’t I smelled it when they did? The only answer I can come up with is that I had been with the stench from the beginning. I hadn’t left the house in a few days so the growing stench didn’t repulse me right away. It took me getting out of the house and being separated from the stink before I could recognize its presence.

I could have found the foul odor the day before when my children so lovingly pointed its presence out, but I didn’t even try. I wasn’t offended or repulsed like they were I saw no urgent need for change.  

Once the smell assaulted me and made me uncomfortable, I had no choice but to find the source. Once found, I quickly washed dishes and bleached the sink. Doing this effectively got rid of the stink that had invaded our home.

It’s that way with sin too. It causes a stench in our lives that sometimes we don’t notice because we are too close to it or have grown accustomed to it being there. We have no sense of urgency to deal with something that doesn't make us uncomfortable.

Hopefully you have friends and family who love you enough to walk through the door of your life and ask… “What stinks?”  When they point something out, we can either trust them and start looking for the source, or we can dismiss them and wait for the sin to continue to permeate our lives.

Once the source is found, we then allow God to come in and remove the sin. Then He begins the task of cleansing, restoration, and healing. He spiritually bleaches us with the blood of Jesus and we are forgiven. Our job is to avoid leaving dirty pots in the sink...or as Jesus said to the woman what was caught in adultery, "Go and sin no more."

So let me lovingly ask you today… ”What stinks?”

It All Came Tumbling Down... AGAIN!

Well it happened…AGAIN! Things came crashing down all around me. I’m not talking figuratively, but literally I ended up with a pile of things that one second had all been perched and balanced perfectly in my arms and the next were scattered at my feet like fragments from a bombing.

You see, I had been walking through my home being “very productive” gathering things from each room that needed to be returned to their rightful location. My arms had grown quite full, but I was certain that I could pick up that last soda can. Little did I know that act would derail all of my good intentions. It quite literally was the thing that brought the mountain down!

How many times in life do we go through doing our dance and juggling the details of our lives? It is a dance that I am very familiar with. We are like those Chinese Acrobats with so many things spinning in so many different directions, but with skill and concentration we are able to keep them spinning.

We do have a limit though. There comes a time that we are at our “juggling capacity” and just can’t add one more thing. The sad part is that we don’t recognize that we are at our limit.  We add that one more thing to our over loaded crazy pile and the whole thing tumbles down. We get angry at ourselves and our circumstances. We become tired and discouraged. It takes so much effort to pick things back up after they have fallen.

As I stooped down this morning to pick up my dropped pile, I realized something. Most of the things lying at my feet weren’t mine to be taking care of in the first place: children’s shoes, back packs, craft projects...none of those were mine. I did have things I was responsible for, like the dirty laundry and the blasted soda can that caused all the mess. In that moment I realized that it hadn’t been the can’s fault at all. It had been my fault because if I had loaded my arms with the things that I was responsible for, my load would never have been too heavy or overwhelming.

This made me think of times when I have taken up other people’s battles and responsibilities only to see my own obligations and frame of mind spin utterly out of control. Galatians 6:2  CEV  “You obey the law of Christ when you offer each other a helping hand.” We are supposed to help…not take full responsibility for someone else’s “stuff”. (Okay now I’m alluding to things figuratively as well)

If things are falling today, check to see it what you are carrying is your “stuff” or someone else’s. If it’s all yours, God says He will help you carry it because His yoke is easy and His burden is light. (Matthew 11:30)

If the “stuff” that has you over loaded rightfully is someone else’s, lovingly give it back to them. If they don’t take it back, then it’s okay for their “stuff” to sit there for a while.  Many times people will give others their “stuff” to take care of because they don’t want to take care of it themselves. Offering a helping hand means you HELP someone…NOT do it for them.

Have a great day, and I pray God helps you figure out what is yours to carry, and what you need to leave behind.

~Blessings~

Letter from God...Time is Limited!

If you were to wake up in the morning and have note from God sitting in your e-mail saying:

“Good morning! I just wanted to let you know that today is the last day you will have all of the people you love on this Earth with you. I will be bringing one of them home to Heaven with me before the sun rises tomorrow. I love you enough that I wanted to give you the opportunity to know that time is limited. I love you, and hope you make today count. Love, God”

 

God didn’t tell you who you He was taking home with Him, so what would you do? Who would you decide to forgive and who would you ask forgiveness of? Would you take the time to play games and have fun with your children, specifically telling each of them how much you love them and how special they are? 

Would you call your parents, or make the time to go see them? Would you slow down and make love to your spouse in a meaningful way instead of the routine you have fallen in to? Would you tell them how they are your hero?

Who are the other important people in your life that you would make sure you reached out to knowing it was the last time you would have contact with one of them.

Would the things that consumed your thoughts, actions, and worries yesterday still carry the same value, importance, and priority on this day?

We are never guaranteed a tomorrow. We all experience sudden life changes where we missed the opportunity to say goodbye or tell someone how important they are to us. Each day, let’s try to wake up and live like we have an e-mail from God. It tells us that time is limited… what are we going to do with it?

Things fall apart and can be put back together..."No matter what..."

It is a proven fact. Nothing will ever stay the same. Our world is in a state of perpetual motion. Our lives are wrapped up in that same motion.

Look at the Grand Canyon. It has been cut out through many years of natural erosion. Water and its movement have cut the canyon and made the original structure into something different than what it once was.

Have you ever experienced erosion in your life? I'm not talking about the water and dirt type of erosion...I talking about life erosion.

Lets look at a disintegrating marriage. We start out fully loving one another and believing that together we can tackle anything the world throws at us. Over time though, little things start chipping away at us, parts of our relationship begin to erode away.

Finances are tight...chip.
There is more time at work than at home...chip, chip.
Children arrive...chip, chip, chip.
Extended family meddles around...chip, chip, chip, chip.
We talk at one another instead of with one another...chip, chip, chip, chip, chip...
Our lives become a to do list instead of a TWO do list...pieces fall off.

We wake up one morning and we realize we don't even know the person who is lying next to us in the bed. Sure, we always knew the tingles would go away but we never thought that we would get to the point that we were no longer connected to one another. You sadly realize the landscape of the marriage you have today is nothing like the one you started out with. That beautiful picture of love, joy, enthusiasm, and happiness has been replaced by images of loneliness, anger, hurt, and despair.

What do we do with our new picture. We  know we can't go back to the place we started because it is impossible to go back. Too many things are different or have changed. We are different and so is our spouse. The foundation of our life is different.

We can stay in that place mourning the loss of what we felt and the ideas and plans we had when we stood there and eagerly said "I do!" We can grow resentful and bitter because we lost what was so dear to us. We can let those things erode us to the point that we live a life of quiet married agony. We may even consider setting out on our own to find a new life.

God does have a new life planned for you. It is a life full of hope and a future...but you will not reach that life if you walk away from your marriage, or if you stay stuck where you are. 

God can renew your marriage and make it stronger than it has ever been. He can even help you fall in love with your spouse again.

Recently I asked God to help me fall completely, totally, and passionately in love with my husband again. I even told Him..."What ever it takes Lord, please do it."

The week after I prayed that, my husband was in the hospital with his second episode of blood clots at the age of 42. I felt like our family was playing a game of "blood clot Russian Roulette". With the knowledge that 1 in 5 people who have a blood clot (or DVT) die, and we were now in the middle of second go around. I remember coming home from the hospital and telling God, "Well I guess making me afraid he is going to die will make me care a little more." Little did I know that was just the beginning.

Over the past 6 weeks since I said that prayer, we have had many life changes. Nothing has been in our control. He is now home and on short term disability. There is a chance that his current job will not allow him to return to work if he has to remain on blood thinners for the rest of his life. If that is the case, our family is faced with the possibility that he could be forced into long term disability in March. Our financial future is completely in God's hands. My husband's physically health is completely in God's hands. This truly is the first time I have fully understood what walking by faith and not by sight means.

 Through all of the life changes we are experiencing in our home and family God has blessed me beyond measure. I can honestly tell you that I fully, completely and passionately love my husband even more today than I ever have. He is truly my best friend and my cheer leader. He is my support. God answered my prayer. He will answer your prayers too. 

Shame causes you to hide from God!

An amazing perspective on Shame...

In adding more to my book "Shifted Vision" today I had a life changing revelation. I just had to pause and share with you in hopes that it will change your life too!

Shame is something that bogs us down and keeps us stuck in our own yuck. It keeps us from being able to move forward. It causes us to hide from God and the life He has planned for us. Shame can permeate every aspect of our lives and eventually define who we are as a person.

In God's perfect design for us, we would never have experienced shame.  The man and his wife were both naked and they felt no shame. Genesis 2:25

They lived in perfect peace and harmony with God and with who they were. After they sinned however,  Then their eyes were opened and they realized that they were naked and they were ashamed. Genesis 3:7a

It doesn't matter who you are, everyone can relate to that feeling. The feeling of being vulnerable and not knowing what is going to happen next. You know you can never go back and instantly things are different. Instinctively we try to cover our shame ourselves. so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. Genesis 3:7b

They were trying to cover their source of shame. The shame will also cause us to avoid God. Then God came to the garden for His daily walk and talk with Adam and Eve He couldn't find them.  The Lord called to the man, "Where are you?" He answered, "I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid." Genesis 3:9, 10

In your place of shame, are you hiding from God? He is calling you. Have you tried to cover your shame yourself? Have they worked, or was it just a temporary fix? God wants to cover your shame completely.  And the Lord made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them. Genesis 3:21

Let God clothe you today. Allow Him to make the garment that is the perfect fit to cover your shame so that you don't have to stay hidden any longer. God is asking you right this minute...
                       
                                      "Where are you?"

Will you call out to Him and allow Him to do His mending in your life today, or will you choose to stay stuck in your shame? The choice is up to your my friend. I am praying you answer His call....

Today is the day the Lord has made...What will YOU do?

So here you are...God has blessed you with another day. What are you going to do with it?

Are you going to run around like crazy trying to get too many things done in too short of time?

Are you going to just go through the motions and walk through today without really embracing anything or having any enthusiasm for what you are doing?

Are you going to grumble through it and drag your feet through each step of today wishing it were over with before it ever truly gets started?

What ever approach to your day today, I encourage you to ponder a few things:

God has blessed you with today. 
Yesterday is gone and finished- you can't do anything to change or improve on yesterday.
Tomorrow is not promised. May people went to sleep last night expecting their tomorrow to come and it didn't.

All we really have is today...this moment...this second. What are you going to do with it? The choice is ours, but God lets us know how He thinks we should embrace our day...this day that is a gift.

There are many scriptures in the bible that talk about the day or today. Look and ponder what the below scriptures mean to you today and see if they might help you embrace today and all of the beauty, wonder, and opportunity that comes with it!

Exodus 14:13
Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today.

2 Samuel 18:31
Then the Cushite arrived and said, “My lord the king, hear the good news! The LORD has vindicated you today by delivering you from the hand of all who rose up against you.”

Psalm 18:18
They confronted me in the day of my disaster, but the LORD was my support.

Psalm 23:6
Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

Psalm 25:5
Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.

How will you embrace your day???

Welcome...

Welcome to Shifted Vision Ministries. Our goal is to encourage you in the midst of life falling apart. We believe that when you learn to seek God's hand in the middle of your own epicenter of destruction, you will be able to find the new life that He has prepared for you. In learning to embrace His new life, your heart can begin to heal. In these instances He proves to you and those around you that He truly is God.

Jeremiah 29:11 NIV
       "For I know the plans I have for you, "declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

If you find yourself hopeless and feeling like you have no future, you are in the right place. We look forward to sharing God and His new life with you!
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