Lyli Dunbar's Blog, page 52

Breathing Room

 

 

I’m sharing “Breathing Room” and joining like-minded sisters at Still Saturday and Give Me Grace.
Photo Credit: Carlos Bonilla, via Pixabay

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How Cute Jewelry Made Me a Better Evangelist

 

 

A few years ago, I joined a few girlfriends for a night out on the town. After a yummy meal and lots of girl talk, we went for a walk.   We discovered an open area downtown that had lots of shops and restaurants and a big central courtyard with little carts full of wares for sale.   I love looking at funky rings and trying on cute costume jewelry. I was browsing at a table with inexpensive pieces when I saw a silver piece that grabbed my attention. It had a turquoise butterfly on the front. I immediately reached for my wallet.

I love butterflies. Yes, they are pretty things that fly, but for me they provide inspiration in my walk as a Christ follower. Butterflies remind me that God is transforming my life. Like a caterpillar, I am on a journey of metamorphosis. God is doing a work in my heart, and each day, I am shedding more and more of my hard shell of sin and learning to fly with greater purpose in complete freedom.

I am honored to sharing over at Missional Women today.
Join me here to read the rest of this story.

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Game On

Photo Credit: Rondell Melling, via Pixabay

Do you still have your “game face” on?

Of course, there will be obstacles and opponents to overcome on the road to victory, but a well-trained athlete takes a defensive stance and keeps his eye on the goal.

The game of life is a short one, so we must run hard, keep talking to our teammates, and stick to the Coach’s strategy.

Keep at it, champ.   Your comeback is coming.

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I don’t know about you,

but I’m running hard for the finish line.

I’m giving it everything I’ve got.

No sloppy living for me!

I’m staying alert and in top condition.

I’m not going to get caught napping,

telling everyone else all about it and then missing out myself.

I Corinthians 9:26-27, MSG

Something to think about…

 

I’m sharing “Game On” 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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Lift Me Up

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My husband once had a dream that he was flying.   He talks about it all the time.  His favorite ride at Disney is Soarin, which is the closest he’s come to reliving that dream.  Just yesterday, he again talked about how amazing it would be if he could put on a virtual reality headset that mimics the feeling of floating freely in the air.

Unfortunately, most days, I don’t feel like I am flying.  Right now, I am sitting on the couch in the grip of a cold that has sapped all the energy out of me.  Rather than feeling buoyant, I feel deflated.  The thought of doing laundry, cooking dinner, or cleaning this messy house seems like an unmanageable task.

Some days are like that.

When I try to fly in my own strength, I always end up weary and defeated.

I want to soar over the pain and the difficulty, but my circumstances weigh me down.

This broken world will sap the life out of me every time if I let it.

I fall because I forget that I have complete access to the One who rules heaven and earth.

My God is the Lifter of my head.  He is a shield about me.

Daily, I must cry out to my sustaining Savior who rises up to my defense.

As I take hold of Him and trust, He lifts me up, up, up.

 

 

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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 “Lift Me Up” and joining like-minded sisters at The Weekend Brew, Spiritual Sundays, Faith-Filled Friday, Blessing Counters, Live Free Thursday, Thriving 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.

The post Lift Me Up appeared first on 3-D Lessons for Life.

Commissioned

I’m sharing “Comissioned” and joining like-minded sisters at Still Saturday and Give Me Grace.
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The post Commissioned appeared first on 3-D Lessons for Life.

Green Light

 

Tonight, God got my attention.  It happened so unexpectedly.

After six years of taking the turnpike home from work, I finally got off at the exit and didn’t have to sit at the light for an eternity.

The light was glowing green.  I whizzed right through the intersection and never put my foot on the break at all.

And, He reminded me as I sailed by that that’s how it happens.

One day, the light just turns green.

Maybe you are like me.  Right now, you are sitting at a figurative red light.  You are faithfully traveling on the road of life, and you have both hands firmly on the steering wheel of faith, but you’ve reached an impasse that seems permanent.

Maybe you’re tired of sitting there waiting for God to wave you on through the intersection.

I tell you, sometimes life seems like an endless game of “Red Light, Green Light”  Doesn’t it?

I read something tonight that reminded me that I just need to put my windows down and turn up the music while I am waiting:

Something to think about…

 

I’m sharing “Green Light” with like-minded friends at Faith-Filled Friday.
Photo Credit: Gerd Altmann, via Pixabay

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 Green Light appeared first on 3-D Lessons for Life.

Listen and Learn

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Sometimes, I lack patience to read the instructions thoroughly.  I am in a hurry, and so I skim along quickly and try to figure it out from the headings and bold print.

I often miss the important details in my rush to move ahead quickly.

Sadly, the result is that I have to start over.  I end up going in circles, and I fail to progress.

I once had to take an entire desk apart because I didn’t put the initial parts together correctly, and I couldn’t get the final piece to fit in place.

My stubborn independence often carries over to my spiritual walk as well.   I am slow to listen.  I am too busy telling God what I think He should do, rather than quietly attending to His direction.

I lack a teachable spirit.

Perhaps I should start my morning by asking God to awaken my ear to listen like those being instructed. 

If want my ears to tingle, the cry of my heart must be “Speak, Lord, for Your servant is listening.”

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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 “Listen and Learn” and joining like-minded sisters at The Weekend Brew, Spiritual Sundays, Faith-Filled Friday, Blessing Counters, Live Free Thursday, Thriving 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.

The post Listen and Learn appeared first on 3-D Lessons for Life.

Recipe For Success

 

 

I’m sharing “Recipe for Success” and joining like-minded sisters at Still Saturday and Give Me Grace.
Photo Credit: Artistlike, via Pixabay

The post Recipe For Success appeared first on 3-D Lessons for Life.

50 Shades of Foolishness

Photo Credit: Michael Schwarzenberger, via Pixabay

A few months before my wedding, I dropped by an adorable little bridal shop to take a look around.  It was a week night, and business was slower than usual.  There was one employee in the shop, and she sat behind the counter with her nose in a book.  I found it interesting that she seemed entranced in its pages, but she was veiling the cover of the thick paperback with a magazine.  She obviously did not want anyone to know what she was reading.

When I got home, I looked up the title (because despite her clandestine efforts, I’d seen the cover and noted the title).  I read the description of the plot and knew immediately it was not my cup of tea.  I mean, I love a good page turner, and I am a romantic at heart, but this book sounded like a case study of a toxic and abusive relationship.

In a few weeks, I would be marrying the man of my dreams.  I was not about to let that type of warped fantasy into my head.

I hear that the books and upcoming movie are pretty popular, and I shake my head in disbelief.

I don’t know if you have a copy of 50 Shades on your nightstand, or if you are considering going to the movie, but as a friend, I want to share my heart with you and speak the truth in love.

50 Reasons to Refuse

1.  Intimidating men are narcissist bullies who don’t deserve your attention.

2.  Desperation to “get a man” will only lead you to heartbreak.  A man cannot satisfy your every longing.  A man will not take away your loneliness.

3.  Any man who wants you “on his own terms” is immature.  Healthy relationships are about mutual respect.

4.  True sexual intimacy is about sacrifice and sweet communion in a life-long covenant between you and your man.  Erotic flings don’t even compare.

5.  Anyone who wants to steal your innocence is an abuser.

6.  Men who are “tormented by demons” will torment you.

7.  People who are “consumed by the need to control”  need to be in therapy, not in a relationship.

8.  Strictly “physical affairs” will leave you empty emotionally, mentally, and spiritually.

9.  Do you really want to be close to someone who keeps “dark secrets” all the time?  A good guy doesn’t have a scary closet full of skeletons and sinful strongholds.

10.  A good boyfriend should not be “damaged, driven, and demanding.”  He should be sanctified, surrendered and serving.

11.  Successful relationships are between two people — not you, him, and his angry and envious exes.

12.  No matter how “strong” you and your man are, you are not going to succeed in a relationship that is lead by the flesh, and not the spirit.  Obstacles are overcome by a three-cord strength that requires surrendering your relationship to God.

13.  Any man who says he is not a  “hearts and flowers kind of guy” probably lacks emotional sensitivity.  I can’t imagine he would be a kind-hearted love to you.

14.  Beware of man who seeks to isolate you and demand you keep shameful secrets.  That’s called abuse.

15.  Stalkers should be reported to the police, not invited into your home.

16.  Dangerous behavior leads to destruction, not happiness.

17.  A healthy relationship will help you to grow in freedom, not bondage.

18.  Demanding your own way in a relationship will only lead to dysfunction.

19.  Only toxic people don’t respect your boundaries.

20.  Rather than a boy whose main pursuit is defiling your body, you want a man whose number one priority is to pursue after God.

All right, so I am not going to go all the way to Fifty, but I could.  I could probably go way past 100.

Face the Facts:  Fantasy is NOT reality.  If you put this trash in your head, you are going to end up fifty shades of unhealthy.

Don’t be foolish.

 

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The wise woman builds her house, but with her own hands the foolish one tears hers down.  Proverbs 14:1

Want to read a good book?  Try this one:  * Pulling Back the Shades: Erotica, Intimacy, and the Longings of a Woman’s Heart by Dr. Juli Slattery and Dannah K. Gresh.

I am sharing “50 Shades of Foolishness” with Faith-Filled Friday.

The post 50 Shades of Foolishness appeared first on 3-D Lessons for Life.

Keep Paddling

Photo Credit: Mary McCraft, via Pixabay

Something to think about….

 

I’m sharing “Keep Paddling” 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 Keep Paddling appeared first on 3-D Lessons for Life.