Lyli Dunbar's Blog, page 65

Waiting (Thought-Provoking Thursday)

Photo Credit: Ryan McGuire, via Pixabay

I realized that the deepest spiritual lessons

are not learned by His letting us have our way in the end,

but by His making us wait,

bearing with us in love and patience

until we are able to honestly to pray

what He taught His disciples to pray:

“Thy will be done.”

― Elisabeth Elliot, Passion and Purity

Something to think about…

I am sharing “Waiting” and joining like-minded sisters at The Weekend Brew, Spiritual Sundays, Recommendation Saturday, Faith-Filled Friday, Essential Fridays, A Group Look, and Thriving Thursday.

Looking for more thought-provoking posts? Check out the ones written by my blogging friends in today’s link up.

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 Waiting (Thought-Provoking Thursday) appeared first on 3-D Lessons for Life.

4 Ways Creation Reveals God to Man

 

 

Yesterday, I attended an outdoor church service.  We got up before the break of dawn and gathered together under the open sky.  The clouds created a fluffy blanket that covered the blue expanse and created a gloomy atmosphere.  The dewy chill of early day lingered, and I grew cold.

Just as the call to worship began, the most amazing thing happened.  The sky parted, and the sun peeked through – light and warmth reached out to us.  God Himself seemed to be smiling in agreement.

I love “God glimpses” like that.   If you are paying attention, creation will remind you of who God is.   He is clearly visible through His handiwork…

 

I am honored to be sharing over at Missional Women today.  To read the rest of this post, head on over here.

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Extraordinary Grace

Photo Credit:  G. Lady, via Pixabay

 

I am a sucker for sweets.  If you put a cupcake in front of me, I simply cannot say no.  There is something about peeling back the layers of the wrapper and sinking my teeth into the doughy goodness that makes my heart happy.

Cupcakes are made to be shared.  Don’t you agree?  I love going out with the girls and sitting down for a chat with a piece of chocolate cake or a big banana split sundae in the middle of the table.  Three spoons please!  Yes!

Recently though, I’ve discovered that I have a sweet tooth for a new delicacy that God has brought to my table.  I didn’t really order it on a menu, but it makes my heart happy just the same.

I’ve discovered that I really love to dig into the sweetness of God’s Word with other women.  I joined a private Facebook group where we meet together to chat about the goodness of God.  I’ve met women from all over the world, and their stories have encouraged my heart.  I just cannot get enough.

So you can only imagine my delight when I recently got an e-mail from (in)courage about possibly leading an (in)courager Community Group.  How did they know that I had a sweet tooth for exactly what they were describing?

Over the last couple of weeks, my new friends Alyssa, Summer, and I have been planning and praying about creating a safe place online for women to meet for Bible study and encouragement.  And today, I am delighted to invite you to join us for “Extraordinary Grace.”

As women, finding time to be in the Word together is sometimes next to impossible. We hope to create a safe, inviting community that works for you within your crazy schedule. You can engage and grow and be encouraged right there on your couch in your jammies with your fuzzy slippers on and a cup of coffee in hand.

We are ordinary women searching the Word to encounter extraordinary grace. For the next 6-weeks we will be meeting in a private Facebook group to dig into Ephesians and discover the power available to us as we pursue the God for whom nothing is impossible.

Extraordinary Grace is launching today! Head on over here, here, and then here to read all about the heart of (in)courager Community Groups.  The session runs from May 26 to July 4th, and groups are capped at 30 members.  If you want to plug into our sweet little group of grace seekers, you must register on our group’s page.

Yay!!! I am so excited!!!! Hope to see you there… with sprinkles and yummy frosting on top.

 

I am sharing “Extraordinary Grace” and joining like-minded sisters at Words of Life Wednesdays, Tell His Story, A Little R and R, Testimony Tuesday, Soli Deo Gloria, Rich-Faith Rising, Sharing His Beauty, Playdates with God, and Unforced Rhythms.

 

The post Extraordinary Grace appeared first on 3-D Lessons for Life.

Set Free

 ”Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

John 8:32, NIV

I am joining likeminded sisters and sharing “Set Free” at

 

 

 

 

 

The post Set Free appeared first on 3-D Lessons for Life.

In a Pressure Cooker (Thought-Provoking Thursday)

 

Photo Credit:  Humusak2, via Free Images

 

Growing up as a Cuban kid in Miami, the pressure cooker was a staple in our kitchen.  Mom used to put all sorts of root vegetables in there, and then she’d stick them in a blender with chicken broth and make a yummy soup, which we called “potaje” (that’s Spanish for thick vegetable soup).

I grew up in fear of the pressure cooker.  It hissed and steamed and spoke of danger.  I heard tall tales of foolish Cubans who opened the pressure cooker too early to explosive results.

I did not want my face to blow up, so I decided to forgo utilizing the pressure cooker.

Now that I am older and wiser, I realize that the pressure cooker has some benefits.  For starters, it’s a time saver.  If you want to soften up some veggies, you can do it in like 15 minutes.   Rachel Ray would be proud of my 30-minute meal — potaje on the table in a jiffy!

Tonight at church, the guest speaker reminded me about the pressure cooker by pointing me to James 1:

Consider it a sheer gift, friends,

when tests and challenges come at you from all sides.

You know that under pressure,

your faith-life is forced into the open

and shows its true colors.

So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely.

Let it do its work

so you become mature and well-developed,

not deficient in any way.

Some days, I feel like I am in the pressure cooker.  Don’t you?

Tonight, I was reminded that once the lid comes off and the steam is released, I am going to be softer to His touch.   I need to wait.   I need to trust the process.

Something to think about…

I am sharing “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands” and joining like-minded sisters at The Weekend Brew, Spiritual Sundays, Recommendation Saturday, Faith-Filled Friday, Essential Fridays, A Group Look, and Thriving Thursday.

Looking for more thought-provoking posts? Check out the ones written by my blogging friends in today’s link up.

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 a Pressure Cooker (Thought-Provoking Thursday) appeared first on 3-D Lessons for Life.

Held Up

Don’t be afraid, for I am with you.

Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God.

I will strengthen you and help you.

I will hold you up with My victorious right hand.

Isaiah 41:10, NLT

I am sharing “Held Up” with like-minded sisters at

Photo Credit:  Bonnie Martin, via Free Images

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He’s Got the Whole World In His Hands

Photo Credit:  Flavio Takemoto, via Free Images

I’ve had a lot on my mind lately.  My husband is hurting, and my best friend is hurting.  We’ve laid two loved ones to rest this year.  Grieving is hard.

I wish I could make things easier for my hurting loved ones.  I wish I could take away their pain.

I must admit that this week I have felt pretty helpless.

I feel like I am saying all the wrong things.

This is my world right now.

I was thinking about my world on the drive home from work today.  I know that it’s really not my world.  It’s God’s.

Somewhere down deep inside me, I remembered a song from my childhood, and I started to sing.  I sang it loud as I drove down the turnpike.  I sang it as a testament to my faith.

He’s got the whole world in His hands.

He’s got the whole world in His hands.

He’s got the whole world in His hands.

He’s got the whole world in His hands.

Some days, you just need to remember that He’s got you and me sister in His hands. 

 “Ah, Sovereign Lord,

You have made the heavens  and the earth

by Your great power and outstretched arm.

Nothing is too hard for You.”

Jeremiah 32:17, NIV

Something to think about…

I am sharing “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands” and joining like-minded sisters at The Weekend Brew, Spiritual Sundays, Recommendation Saturday, Faith-Filled Friday, Essential Fridays, A Group Look, and Thriving Thursday.

Looking for more thought-provoking posts? Check out the ones written by my blogging friends in today’s link up.

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 He’s Got the Whole World In His Hands appeared first on 3-D Lessons for Life.

True Freedom

 It is absolutely clear

that God has called you to a free life.

Just make sure that you don’t use this freedom

as an excuse to do whatever you want

to do and destroy your freedom.

Rather, use your freedom

to serve one another in love;

that’s how freedom grows.

For everything we know about God’s Word

is summed up in a single sentence:

Love others as you love yourself.

That’s an act of true freedom.

If you bite and ravage each other,

watch out—

in no time at all

you will be annihilating each other,

and where will your precious freedom be then?

Galatians 5:13-15, MSG

I am sharing “Freedom” with like-minded sisters at

Photo Credit:  PDP, via Pixabay

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Despicable Me (Thought-Provoking Thursday)

Photo Credit:  Samuel DaSilva, via Pixabay

One of the tough questions I have to answer when I meet with my spiritual accountability partner is “Are the ‘real you’ and the ‘visible you’ consistent?”

Really?

No.  My answer is always no.

No, because the “real me” is a whiny, self-centered, messed up blob of flesh.

The “real me” is not pretty.

The “real me” is sometimes pretty despicable.

I’ve been thinking about the “real me” this week — because I’m meeting with a Christian counselor, and she wants me to do a crafty project.  She gave me a box, and on the outside of the box, I am supposed to put pictures that characterize how I think others perceive me.  On the inside of the box, I was instructed to put pictures of how I perceive myself.

I am envisioning myself spending an uncomfortable hour on the couch in front of a therapist with my rather unpleasant box.

But, my sage counselor said something about the Gospel last week that I can’t stop thinking about.  She reminded me what the two most important commandments are

Love the Lord with all you’ve got
Love your neighbor as yourself

Apparently, I can’t love others  like Jesus unless I first learn to love myself and see myself through His eyes of grace.

Something to think about…

I am sharing “Despicable Me” and joining like-minded sisters at Still Saturday, The Weekend Brew, Spiritual Sundays, Recommendation Saturday, Faith-Filled Friday, Essential Fridays, Thriving Thursday.

Looking for more thought-provoking posts? Check out the ones written by my blogging friends in today’s link up.

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 Despicable Me (Thought-Provoking Thursday) appeared first on 3-D Lessons for Life.

Living Stones

…you also, like living stones,

are being built into a spiritual house

to be a holy priesthood,

offering spiritual sacrifices

acceptable to God

through Jesus Christ.

I Peter 2:5, NIV

 

I am sharing “Living Stones” with like-minded sisters at

Photo Credit:  freegr, via Pixabay

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