Lyli Dunbar's Blog, page 47
July 3, 2015
A Free Life
I’m sharing “A Free Life” and joining like-minded sisters at Still Saturday and Give Me Grace.
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July 1, 2015
Be a Blessing Today
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I am called to love others with reckless abandon in Jesus’ name. Years ago, I read a very insightful book by Gary Smalley and John Trent that helped me learn the importance of imparting a Biblical blessing.
5 Elements of the Biblical Blessing
Appropriate meaningful touch
Before a word was spoken, there was the laying on of hands, a hug or reaching out to touch. Appropriate touch conveys in powerful, non-verbal ways, our love and affirmation – preparing the way for our words.
Spoken Message
Biblically, a child wasn’t left to “fill in the blanks” whether they were valuable to a parent or grandparent. Words were verbalized, including written words today, that can place unconditional love and acceptance into the heart of a child or loved one.
Attaching High Value
But what words do you say or write? The word, “Blessing” itself carried the idea that the person you’re blessing is of incredible worth and value – even as an imperfect person. In short, you’re helping a child “get the picture” that you see things in their life today, that make them special, useful and of great value to you.
Special Future
With our touch, with our words that attach high value, come a response in a child or loved one’s heart that can be nothing short of transformational. The light going on in their heart and mind that the way God has made them, they can do more then they ever dreamed in living out a God-honoring future.
Genuine Commitment
“Blessing” a child doesn’t mean we never discipline them or point out areas growth. But children “know at an incredibly deep level if they have their parents “blessing” – if that mom or dad, grandmother, aunt, uncle or other loved one really sees high value in them – even during the tough times. Genuine commitment is an unconditional commitment to an imperfect person that says as long as I have breath, I’ll be there to seek to build these 5 elements of the Blessing into your life and life-story.
[Source Cited]
After a week of unrest in the news and much heated debate on Social Media, I am reminded of the Scriptural commandment to bless others with my words — even if they are not kind, even if they are verbally aggressive. One way to bless others is to pray Scripture over them.
Scriptural Blessings in the New Testament
Romans 15:5-6, 13
I Corinthians 1:4-9, 16:23
II Corinthians 1:3-7, 2:14, 13:7-9
Ephesians 1:3-23, 3:14-21, 6:18-20, 23-24
Philippians 1:3-6, 9-11; 4:6-8, 23
Colossians 1:3-6, 9-14; 4:2-6
I Thessalonians 1:2-3, 3:12-13, 5:23-24, 28
II Thessalonians 1:11-12, 2:16-17, 3:5, 16
II Timothy 4:22
Philemon 1:4-7
Hebrews 13:20-21
I Peter 1:3-9, 5:10-11
II Peter 1:2-4, 3:18
II John 1:3
III John 1:2-3
This week, I pray that the Lord would bless you and protect you.
May the Lord smile on you and be gracious to you.
May the Lord show you His favor and give you His peace.
Numbers 6:24-27, NLT
Something to think about…
I’m sharing “Be a Blessing Today” with like-minded friends at Faith-Filled Friday.
Have you written something thought-provoking, challenging, encouraging, or inspiring lately? Link it up here! For best results, write the title of your post in the name box. 
As a courtesy, please link back to 3-D Lessons for Life in your post. Grab and share the Thought-Provoking Thursday button to spread the word. Use #ThoughtProvokingThursday to share your post and connect on Twitter.
Check back later to see what other GREAT posts have been linked up! Visit the post immediately before yours and leave an encouraging comment.
An InLinkz Link-up
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June 26, 2015
Watered
I’m sharing “Watered” and joining like-minded sisters at Still Saturday and Give Me Grace.
Photo Credit: Sally Wynn, via Pixabay
The post Watered appeared first on 3-D Lessons for Life.
June 25, 2015
The Shocking Truth About Identity
One day, I woke up and did not know who I was any more. For as long as I could remember, I’d worked hard to be an excellent teacher, a committed youth worker, and a beloved friend. I poured my whole life into these roles, and my whole identity was wrapped up in my skewed perspective of what made me important.
But then, God allowed me to experience a crisis of identity. My world came crashing down with disappointment and failure. A close friendship ended badly. I realized I was burned out from juggling too many from ministry commitments. I struggled to maintain composure in front of my students. My spirit was weary, and I felt adrift in a sea of doubt.
Negative thinking consumed me. I felt
Rejected,
Betrayed,
Defeated.
How would I move forward when everything I loved about me was gone?
In the days that followed, I made one crucial decision that saved me…
I am honored to share the shocking truth about identity
over at Missional Women today.
To read the rest of this post, join me here.
The post The Shocking Truth About Identity appeared first on 3-D Lessons for Life.
June 24, 2015
In the Quiet
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Y’all, last week was hard.
I spent most of the week sitting bedside in a hospital. I sat in the quiet and prayed.
I prayed and waited for God to show up.
I waited in silence and hoped against all odds.
I hoped for the light of God’s love to break through the darkness.
In the silence, God strengthened me and reminded me that He hates death as much as I do. One day soon, His glorious light will break forth and death will be no more.
Until then, I will look up and latch on to the Truth that my Triumphant Lord will return soon to rescue and restore His own.
God abides with me in the quiet. His hope never runs out even on the hardest of days.
It’s a Good Thing to Hope for Help from God
“I’ll never forget the trouble, the utter lostness,
the taste of ashes, the poison I’ve swallowed.
I remember it all—oh, how well I remember—
the feeling of hitting the bottom.
But there’s one other thing I remember,
and remembering, I keep a grip on hope:
God’s loyal love couldn’t have run out,
His merciful love couldn’t have dried up.
They’re created new every morning.
How great Your faithfulness!
I’m sticking with God (I say it over and over).
He’s all I’ve got left.
God proves to be good to the man who passionately waits,
to the woman who diligently seeks.
It’s a good thing to quietly hope,
quietly hope for help from God.
It’s a good thing when you’re young
to stick it out through the hard times.
When life is heavy and hard to take,
go off by yourself. Enter the silence.
Bow in prayer. Don’t ask questions:
Wait for hope to appear.
Don’t run from trouble. Take it full-face.
The “worst” is never the worst.
Why? Because the Master won’t ever
walk out and fail to return.
If He works severely, He also works tenderly.
His stockpiles of loyal love are immense.
He takes no pleasure in making life hard,
in throwing roadblocks in the way:
Stomping down hard
on luckless prisoners,
Refusing justice to victims
in the court of High God,
Tampering with evidence—
the Master does not approve of such things.”
-Lamentations 3:19-36, MSG
Something to think about…
I’m sharing “In the Quiet” with like-minded friends at Faith-Filled Friday.
Have you written something thought-provoking, challenging, encouraging, or inspiring lately? Link it up here! For best results, write the title of your post in the name box.
As a courtesy, please link back to 3-D Lessons for Life in your post. Grab and share the Thought-Provoking Thursday button to spread the word. Use #ThoughtProvokingThursday to share your post and connect on Twitter.
Check back later to see what other GREAT posts have been linked up! Visit the post immediately before yours and leave an encouraging comment.
An InLinkz Link-up
The post In the Quiet appeared first on 3-D Lessons for Life.
June 19, 2015
Now and Forever
I’m sharing “Now and Forever” and joining like-minded sisters at Still Saturday and Give Me Grace.
Photo Credit: Unsplash, via Pixabay
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June 16, 2015
Take Refuge
Photo Credit: Unsplash, via Pixabay
Sabbath is more than the absence of work;
it is not just a day off, when we catch up on television or errands.
It is the presence of something that arises
when we consecrate a period of time
to listen to what is most deeply beautiful, nourishing or true.
It is time consecrated with our attention, our mindfulness,
honoring those quiet forces of grace or spirit
that sustain or heal us.
– Wayne Muller, Sabbath: Finding Rest, Renewal, and Delight in our Busy Lives
Something to think about…
I’m sharing “Take Refuge” with like-minded friends at Faith-Filled Friday.
Have you written something thought-provoking, challenging, encouraging, or inspiring lately? Link it up here! For best results, write the title of your post in the name box.
As a courtesy, please link back to 3-D Lessons for Life in your post. Grab and share the Thought-Provoking Thursday button to spread the word. Use #ThoughtProvokingThursday to share your post and connect on Twitter.
Check back later to see what other GREAT posts have been linked up! Visit the post immediately before yours and leave an encouraging comment.
An InLinkz Link-up
The post Take Refuge appeared first on 3-D Lessons for Life.
June 12, 2015
Waiting and Watching
I’m sharing “Waiting and Watching” and joining like-minded sisters at Still Saturday and Give Me Grace.
Photo Credit: Michael Kaucher, via Pixabay
The post Waiting and Watching appeared first on 3-D Lessons for Life.
June 10, 2015
Sugary Sweet
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My neighbor bakes cookies at Christmas. The sweet treats are like sunshine on my kitchen counter. It’s hard to be sad when you come home to sugary goodness.
Carolyn’s kindness is intentional. She sets aside time to shop. She follows a prescribed recipe. She packages everything in pretty parcels.
When you take time to give a sweet gift, you show someone that you value them.
I must admit that haven’t baked cookies from scratch in over two decades. It sounds like a great idea, but I am always running ragged and overwhelmed, so I just buy a pre-made cake at the grocery store to be done with it.
Earlier this week, I came across Ephesians 4:29 in The Message:
Say only what helps, each word a gift.
I realized that my words are supposed to be sugary sweet morsels wrapped up with love and purposeful intention.
I want my words to show my loved ones that they are valued. I want my words to welcome them in and brighten their day.
May my conversation be a delightful treat.
Something to think about…
I’m sharing “Sugary Sweet” with like-minded friends at Faith-Filled Friday.
Have you written something thought-provoking, challenging, encouraging, or inspiring lately? Link it up here! For best results, write the title of your post in the name box.
As a courtesy, please link back to 3-D Lessons for Life in your post. Grab and share the Thought-Provoking Thursday button to spread the word. Use #ThoughtProvokingThursday to share your post and connect on Twitter.
Check back later to see what other GREAT posts have been linked up! Visit the post immediately before yours and leave an encouraging comment.
An InLinkz Link-up
The post Sugary Sweet appeared first on 3-D Lessons for Life.
June 6, 2015
Organize Your Prayer Life
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I have a terrible memory. I forget birthdays. I miss doctor’s appointments. I misplace my keys.
I know that I have a mind like a sieve, so I employ several things to encourage me to remember — calendars, alarms, apps all dispel the fog in my cloudy brain.
Organizing my life helps me to function more successfully every day.
I don’t know why this truth took so long to transfer to my prayer life. For years, people would tell me to pray for things, and I would forget their request within minutes.
Then, I started saying, “Let’s just pray for that right now” (because praying two weeks before my neighbor’s surgery is better than not praying at all.)
Have you been there?
I don’t want to be a mediocre pray-er. I want to be a world changer.
I believe in the power of prayer. I believe that prayer is my battlefield.
Every good soldier marches onto the field with a battle plan.
Over the years, I’ve waged war on my knees in different ways — because not every campaign is won with the same strategy.
Effective Prayer Strategies
Limit the number of things that you pray for every day. I like to create a “top ten” list. If I don’t have time to pray for “everything and the kitchen sink,” I focus on my top ten.
Choose a different “prayer focus” for each day of the week:
Monday: The Sick and the Hurting
Tuesday: Extended Family
Wednesday: Community Needs, Government Officials, Military Families
Thursday: Personal Goals and Ministry Dreams
Friday: Friends
Saturday: Marriages and Families in Crisis
Sunday: The Church, Ministries, and Missionaries
Use your calendar or smart phone alarms to remind you of date specific requests.
Have everything in one place that is handy.
Use a notebook with dividers and pages for each section.
Use prayer cards that can tuck into your purse or book bag. I inserted my cards in a mini 4×6 photo album.
Use an prayer app on your phone. I’ve been using the Pocket Prayer Pro app for several years now.
Create a prayer wall in your kitchen or office using a dry erase board or bulletin board.
Setan appointment with God.
Wake up 15 minutes earlier to spend extra time in prayer.
Pray in your car on the drive to work.
Pray on your lunch hour.
Go for a prayer walk when you get home.
Pray the hours using the alarm feature on your phone.
I love how Traci has purposed to pray for her husband each hour.
In the Bible, prayers happened 3 times a day.
Set aside time for extended prayer on your Sabbath.
If you need inspiration, use a prayer guide:
Sara’s monthly printables called 30 Days of Adoration
31 Days of Praying for Your Husband and 31 Biblical Virtues to Pray for Your Children at Revive our Hearts
Kat’s tweets for her children and husband (Printable copies of her 31-day calendars are available here.)
Renee’s outline on how to pray for your husband from head to toe
Katie’s 7 Powerful Prayers for My Husband that correspond with each day of the week.
40 Blessings to Pray over Your Marriage from Debbie at Crosswalk.com
How to Pray for Someone Who is Stuck in Sin from Lies Young Women Believe
40 Days of Prayer for our Persecuted Family from Voice of the Martyrs
A Prayer Guide for Rescue and Restoration for Human Trafficking Victims
How to Pray for Unreached Nations by Operation World (Check out their Country Lists and pray for a different country each week.)
A Prayer Calendar from The Joshua Project for Unreached Groups in the 10-40 Window
How to Pray for Your Pastor from Leadership Resources
Pray for Your Community from A to Z (Love this from Amelia!)
Scripture Prayers for the Lost
Pray using Scripture as your guide.
Pray through a Psalm or a chapter in Proverbs.
Pray the armor from Ephesians 6.
Insert your name or the name of your loved one into one of the 4 prayers of Paul in the New Testament.
Use Beth Moore’s book Praying God’s Word, a great resource of Scriptural prayers on 14 different strongholds
Try praying as you read the Daily Light on the Daily Path, a collection of thematic Scriptural readings for morning and evening organized thematically for each day of the year. You may purchase the book, read it free online, or download the free app. I love to “pray through” some of these Scriptures and insert myself into the passage as I prepare my heart to face the day.
I loved how Kevin DeYoung explains how to pray using Scripture — rejoice, repent, request.
Use a devotionalthat is focused on prayer for encouragement.
The One-Year Book of Praying through the Bible (This pairs nicely with Tyndale’s One-Year Bible — also available for free online.)
One Year of Praying the Promises of God
Read a good book on prayer to continue growing and learning. My favorites include
A Hunger for God by John Piper (also available online for free in PDF format)
Praying the Lord’s Prayer for Spiritual Breakthrough by Elmer Towns
Prayer: Finding the Heart’s True Home by Richard Foster
The Power of a Praying Woman by Stormie Omartian (All her books on prayer are great!)
The Circle Maker by Mark Batterson
The Great House of God by Max Lucado
Meet a friend for prayer or ask a friend to pray for you. I used to meet 2 friends for just 30 minutes before small group, and we’d pray in a car in a McDonald’s parking lot once a week.
Pray out loud or write/type out your prayers in a journal.
Fast. It’s a command, not a suggestion. (Here is a great place to start if you don’t know much about fasting.)
Start strong, my sisters. Arm yourself with the tools you need to engage in battle on your knees. Never give up.
Q4U: How do you organize your prayer life? I’d love to hear your tips!
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This year, my desire is to lift up holy hands and “Pray Big.” Want to join me? I’ve created a private “Pray Big” Facebook group for like-minded sisters to share their stories and surrender each one to our mountain-moving God in prayer. Let’s cry out to God together.
I am sharing “Organize Your Prayer Life” and joining like-minded sisters at The Weekend Brew, Spiritual Sundays, Faith-Filled Friday, Blessing Counters, Live Free Thursday, Tell His Story, Coffee for Your Heart, Woman to Woman Wednesday, Three-Word Wednesday, The Soli Deo Sisterhood, Testimony Tuesday, Purposeful Faith’s RaRaLinkup, Rich-Faith Rising, Sharing His Beauty, and Playdates with God.
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