{Goal Post} Update

I've started this post several times, but am determined to finish it tonight.

 

You may recall that a few weeks ago I told you of a couple of summer goals that I have.

Reading

Today I completed 36% of a 90 day Bible reading plan. Surprisingly I've been able to keep up except for one day, but the app is set up so you can "catch up".

Generally I listen to the daily reading via the YouVersion app on my phone or Kindle. I listen and read along a good portion of the reading for the day on my bus rides to and from work. If there's any of the reading left, I can usually listen while I'm preparing dinner.

Fit Body

I've finished 4 weeks of my 6 week fit body boot camp! Last week I had an assessment and am officially down 3.5 pounds and also down a combined 3 1/2 inches.

I snuck in to weigh myself tonight and see that I'm down a total of 6.4 pounds -- so, yeah, I'm a little excited :)

I've been trying to go 4-5 times and I think I've averaged about 4 times per week. As part of the 6-week program, they want you to come 3 times a week.

Each workout is 30 minutes and is different every time you go. We've done certain exercises more than once, but the workout as a whole has been different each time. After the first workout, I would have described it as "you get down on the ground and then you get back up again. Then you get down on the ground and then you get back up again. Rinse and repeat."

Funny thing is that after the second week, the only guy trainer was in charge on Tuesday night. Right away he mentioned that he heard a rumor that people were describing his class as almost exactly what I would have said.

"So you won't leave the ground for the first 15-20 minutes of this workout," he said. And we didn't. We did 100+ push ups in less than 20 minutes. Of course we didn't do them all at once. We did 10 at a time, and then we flipped over and did some sort of exercise on our back.

 

Pain

Needless to say, I spent the next 3-4 days in pain. I woke up Wednesday and couldn't move my RIGHT arm without distracting pain.

My recovery tools: Max-freeze, Ibuprofen, Ice Pack

A co-worker told me to I needed to do more push-ups to help with the pain. I went in our conference room and did 20, and surprisingly noticed instant relief. I was still very sore, but I did not have the distracting pain like I had before.

I went to workout that evening taking caution with my right arm. I woke up Thursday (4th of July) morning and couldn't move my LEFT arm without distracting pain. I went ahead and did 10 push ups and immediately felt better. Still sore, but better.

On Friday morning I woke up with both arms equally sore, but did not have any of the distracting pain. I did more push ups just to be sure, and then had the thought that this was some evil ploy to get me to do more push ups! ha!

On Saturday I went to the workout and surprised myself with how much I could do. Finally on Sunday I woke up without any soreness in my arms.

Over the past week, I can tell my recovery time is getting shorter and shorter. I did 3 workout days in a row last week and only took a rest day at the suggestion of one the trainers. (I still went for a 3.4 mile walk on my rest day though.)

Move

Something else that has helped me with the soreness in general is my new routine to walk for 15-30 minutes in the middle of my work day. This means that I usually eat lunch at my desk, but it's been nice to get outside and enjoy the summer sunshine.

In addition to my mid-day walk, I've also been walking in the evening. The past week or more, I increased the walk from 30 minutes to about an hour. I can now do a 5k in 53 minutes, give or take.

Tracking

For the past year and a half I've been working out regularly. Last summer/fall I lost about 12 pounds (and went down a pant size) and for the most part kept it off with my workout routine. One of the reasons I wanted to try the boot camp was to get a kickstart to loosing weight again.

The day after I started the boot camp, I began tracking my food. If I bite it, I write it (down). It's really an easy habit since I can use the MyFitnessPal.com app on my phone. The app even has reminders that remind me to record what I eat. The app is especially helpful for me to work at getting the right balance of carbs, fat, and protein since it tracks all of that for me.

Beauty

I have a beautiful walking path not far from my house, and it happens to be along side a little lake.

 

 

 

 

Other Goals

I do have plans to write about some other goals that I'm working on, but for now, I'm focusing on these two goals: Bible reading and Fit Body.

 

I will leave you with one other piece of good news though...

 

I finished paying off my Student Loan on June 17th!

 

This really has been a great summer! And it's not over yet!!

 

And without further ado, I will hit publish and be done with this post - finally!! :))



Women of Faith Conference

(This post was written last week but due to my lack of Internet at home I wasn't able to post until now...how's that for another excuse!)

This post is a long time coming (about a month overdue to be more precise). I’m ignoring the pile of dishes left over from my mini-bake fest and postponing my Christmas decorating to write this overdue post. But first maybe I’ll make some tea…be right back!

While the tea was brewing I did put away some clean dishes, but blatantly ignored the pile of dirty baking dishes (all right, there were also a couple of days worth of supper dishes too). Oh, and before you think that I was baker-extraordinaire today, let me clarify that I baked two batches of Trader Joe’s box pumpkin bread into 16 mini loaves and made pancakes for my late lunch. The pumpkin bread is for my co-workers and probably my niece and nephews who love pumpkin bread (but their mom doesn’t like pumpkin so they don’t get it much).

So back to the point of this post…Women of Faith (I last blogged about this here). But first, let me just say, I make some good Flaming Tea – yum!

Some months ago I for the price of a couple of blog post, I received two free tickets to attend the Women of Faith conference in downtown St. Paul’s Xcel Energy Center back in October. Not having ever attended a Women of Faith event, I didn’t have many expectations. The tickets included events on Friday during the day, but since I had no one to go with until the evening I opted not to attend, but now wish I had so I could have heard Dr. Henry Cloud.

So Friday night, my sister-in-law’s sister (and my brother-in-law’s cousin – yup), Lindsay, and I headed to the evening session. We stopped at Smash Burger to use a Groupon Lindsay had picked up a while back and got their in plenty of time to park and get to our seats.

Friday night’s session was mostly introducing us to the speakers and a mini-concert by Natalie Grant. On Saturday I started to take notes on my phone from some of the speakers, but I had technical issues and lost the notes…While all of the speakers had outstanding testimony’s of God’s grace in their lives, two speakers stuck out to me: Lisa Harper, single and age 48, who is working on adopting her first child and Luci Swindol, single and age 79, who has lived a full life and reminded us all to live in the moment. 

One verse that stuck out from the sessions was I Timothy 6:17, “Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy.”

Saturday Lindsay and I ate lunch at Cosetta’s, an authentic Italian restaurant with good slices of pie, and I’m not talking about apple pie! 

{Reply to a Dear Friend}

Below is an edited version of my reply to a private blog post...personal specifics have been redacted.

Hey - I'm still mulling this one over...

Mostly thoughts that are coming to me are about how we react to circumstances...I know I struggle with this, but then I'm mostly just able to relate to the daily stuff, not something as big as [situation redacted]...

On the way to work I heard the usual Faith Minute broadcast and thought I'd share with you:

At first glance it’s easy to think that courage and fear are contradictory traits. But that’s not necessarily true. Brave soldiers often admit to being scared in battle. Humans are complex creatures. We can mean well and behave badly.


On the night Jesus was arrested, Peter courageously followed Jesus to his trial. Peter was a fisherman suddenly surrounded by sophisticated and powerful people. He realized he was in over his head and he got scared. When asked about Jesus, Peter denied even knowing him.


Most of us have walked in Peter’s sandals. Under stress we have denied our most cherished principles. Call it the “Peter Syndrome.” But remember, Peter didn’t stay afraid. After the resurrection, he found total forgiveness from Jesus – and we can too.

Peter was faced with a bigger than himself situation - I like how they said it, "He realized he was in over his head and he got scared."

That would definitely be me if I was in his/your shoes. Ah, but here's the kicker: "But remember, Peter didn’t stay afraid."

I think that's you! You're not staying afraid. You've found forgiveness in Jesus. [Name redacted] can too. (And you and I aren't responsible for him.)

I think I'm going to take time later today to read the additional stuff (as opposed to what I normally do - just listen to the "faithminute") b/c there's more to think on and learn from Peter.

Something else that was shared on fb yesterday was this guy. He's dealing with cancer. Not really the same category but also has to do with reacting to our circumstances. This video was a blessing. I ended up watching a few of his updates b/c it was encouraging.

Back to you...I'm not sure I've fully digested all that you wrote, nor do I think that I HAVE to. I know your writing is largely healing for you and doesn't need my approval - haha :) Seriously, I believe you're on a right path, my dear...especially concerning reactions to circumstances that are bigger than you.

I wish I could change those circumstances, but none of us can. I can pray that God will change the circumstances. I do pray that. But He doesn't have to. Um, that's a tough pill for me to swallow. But GOD can get the GLORY (whether we react well or not...?!)

2 Corinthians 12:7 And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. 8 Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. 9 And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Thanks, friend, for challenging my thinking today. I hope I'll react well to whatever circumstances come my way today.

lots of love,
~b

{Book Review} Your Money God’s Way by Aime Streater

For the past 10 years I have been trying to get out of debt. Realistically, I have been seriously trying for the past four years. I am very close to reaching one specific financial goal and I think the fact that I’m so close that goal has given me a little inspiration.

Several months back I chose to review the book Your Money God’s Way by Aime Streater through BookSneeze.com, but only got through the first chapter before it was laid aside and kind of forgotten about. Recently I picked it up again in hopes that I could finish a review and get another book and I was surprised (in a good way) to find lots of things to help me reach the finish line of the specific financial goal I mentioned above.

I’m going to post this review in two sections because 1) I've finished reading half of the book and 2) since this has turned into more of a Bible study for me rather than a normal Book Review, it's going to be a little longer than unusual...

Book Description

“Amie Streater…delivers a powerful message of common sense and biblical wisdom that today’s churchgoers desperately need.” - Dave Ramsey

Readers discover the seven "counterfeit convictions" that keep them broke and encounter proven plans for getting out of debt, building wealth, and finding financial peace.

Money habits. Where do they come from? Can you pinpoint when you started shopping to feel better, why you can’t usher grown children into financial independence, or why saving for the future is a priority in theory but not in practice?

Amie Streater, associate pastor of financial stewardship for the 10,000-member New Life Church in Colorado Springs, has been there. From her own experience, she knows what it’s like to look at an impossible pile of bills and a pile of toddlers wrestling in the next room. In Your Money God's Way, empowered by her own incredible journey to financial freedom, she leads readers to the dream of mastering their finances. She also expertly uncovers seven “counterfeit convictions” Christians believe that hinder their personal finance success.

Book Review

From the start I think the author is harsh in her analysis of what Christians should do to be good financial stewards, but I think it’s necessary. She found “that it takes more than just teaching steps to get out of debt—it takes confrontation of the wrong thinking that got them there to begin with.”

Counterfeit Convictions is first chapter and the book concludes with Conviction Clean-Up Plan. The middle chapters describe the author’s view of “seven key spiritual conditions most often cause Christians to fail in meeting personal financial goals”:

1. The Fix-It Fantasy: Unrealistic, unbiblical beliefs about the power money has to improve our lives
2. Saviors or Enablers?: A habit of trying be a savior by continually bailing reckless people out of their messes, and waiting our own resources in the process
3. Self-Righteous Slackers: Polluted theology, which we use to mask laziness and justify not working or failing to work up to our full potential
4. You Must Be Here to Help Me!: Naïveté about the intentions of others.
5. God Is an ATM: Failure to give, or a tendency to give with the wrong intentions
6. The Scarlette Syndrome: Denial about our current circumstances of the consequences of our actions
7. The Cliff Jumpers: A tendency to blame God for our own impulsive behavior

Introduction

One thing that stuck out in her introduction was “Your wealth—or lack thereof—is a direct result of the decisions you have made regarding every dollar that has passed through your hands.” Uhh…she said “every dollar”!

I was encouraged by this prayer and intend to pray it often:

Daily Prayer

Dear Jesus, thank You for loving me, for staying beside me, for holding me up when I fall. Please give me an open mind and an open heart. Let me see things as You see them. Show me what’s truth. Show me where I am wrong. Open the doors You want me to walk through, and close the ones that lead to places You don’t want me to be.

Please bless my efforts to improve my finances. Multiply my resources, and bless me so I may be a blessing to others. Most important, line up my thoughts with Your thoughts. Help me forgive myself for the mistakes of my pat, and forgive others for mistakes against me, just as You forgive me for all my sins as soon as I ask. I release the mistakes of yesterday, and I receive the blessing You have for me today.

In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.

Chapter 1 – Counterfeit Convictions

In this chapter I was challenged to highlight the scriptures used so that they will provide a quick reference for me to do as the Berean Christians did in Acts 17:11.

The author explained counterfeit convictions as “beliefs that started out as biblical truths but that we absorb into our hearts incorrectly.”

Here’s the first one she mentions:

Counterfeit Conviction: “I can’t really afford this, but I’ll just put it on my credit card. When the bill comes, God will provide!”

Timeless truth: Proverbs 21:17 tells us, “HE who loves pleasure will be a poor man; he who loves wine and oil will not be rich.”

A daily prayer:

Father God, I acknowledge that my current financial habits may be inconsistent with what Your Word teaches because my current financial condition does not line up with the promise of the Bible. God, open my heart and my mind to new ideas and fresh thinking. Help me to see what You want me to see, when You want me to see it. Father, bless my efforts to become financially healthy, and let my decisions bless my family and honor You.

In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.

Chapter 2 – The Fix-It Fantasy

While Chapter 1 set the stage for the next 7 chapters, Chapter 2 jumped right in to the main idea from this chapter to me was the power of negative words in your life, and replacing negative thinking with Scripture truths is the key to reversing the effects of those negative words.

A couple of quotes I pulled from the chapter:

·         “If you’re not grateful for what you have now, you won’t be grateful with more.” Contentment is happiness, not more stuff.

·         “See your setback as a temporary circumstance and not a permanent condition.” It’s easy to get into the “permanent condition” mindset. But by reversing your thinking, you will be more positive. To be more positive, you will need to add Scripture to your thinking.

·         “The only thing that can truly change you is the power of God.” Again, more Scripture in your life is key!

A daily prayer:

Dear God, please help me see money the way You see it. And show me that You value me right now for who I am and for who You created me to be. Give me the wisdom and the patience to multiply my resources so that I can be a blessing to others. Let me value my life in terms of the amount of love I give and receive, and not by the number of dollars I have in the bank. Show me what money can do, and just as important, what it cannot do. Help me to find peace and my safety in You, and only You.

In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.

Chapter 3 - Saviors or Enablers?

Counterfeit Conviction: It is my Christian duty to be at the beck and call of everyone who wants me to help them out of a jam.

Timeless Truth: You have to take care of yourself if you’re going to be in a position to help anyone else. And the world is full of people who live to take advantage of generous souls. Generosity and a desire to be helpful to others must be coupled with wisdom and discernment.

While I like to think of myself as a generous person, I know don’t have anyone in my life taking advantage of my generosity and I also don’t believe I generally give more than I can afford so this chapter was somewhat not applicable to me. However, she did raise some good points for when you are in these types of situations and there were two things that stuck out to me:

·         Establish a budget in which your tithe and your most immediate needs (food, clothing, shelter, [and] transportation) are covered first, followed by your secondary goals and obligations (retirement savings, debt elimination, mortgage payoff acceleration, [and] vacation savings). You cannot give away money that you do not have.

·         Set aside a monthly amount to use for “spontaneous” giving or helping others. If after making your budget you don’t have money left over, then you are about to get a crash course in saying no.

Chapter 4 - Self-Righteous Slackers

Counterfeit Conviction: God didn’t want me to go to work…My responsibilities will be met somehow.

Timeless Truth: Laziness does not honor God; neither is it His plan for your life. However, God always blesses hard work and dedication.

Some themes of the chapter included:

• The author was certainly passionate about telling those she has counseled that it was a privilege for women to be stay at home moms/wives, not a right. If one chose to get in debt (i.e. for education – student loans) then one should contribute to the effort to pay those debts off.
• Caution against get-rich-quick schemes. Proverbs 21:5
• Encouragement to “work up to our full potential”- maybe even sacrifice a little now to ultimately get to do a job that we desire.
• Using more than just one of our talents if God closes the door to the one we’ve always done (be the tweezers or pliers in the Swiss army knife instead of just a knife).

Pray for my work life:

Father God, I thank You for the gifts and talents with which You have blessed me. Please help me use these gifts to make a living for myself and for my family, to bless others, and to honor and glorify You. Break off any barriers in my hear that keep me from working up to my fullest potential. Give me a strong work ethic, energy for the day, patience for the tasks before me, and grace to handle my job with a smile. Bless the work of my hands, Lord, and please bless the job searches of everyone who is out of work right now.

In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.

Bottom line: “And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men.” Colossians 3:23

I hope to post the conclusion of this review in the next week or so.

This was from last Thursday but I saved it in my inbox to revisit. Thought I'd share:

Today's Verse - Matthew 6:9-13 from the New Living Translation

"'Pray like this:

Our Father in heaven,

may your name be kept holy.

May your Kingdom come soon.

May your will be done on earth,

as it is in heaven.

Give us today the food we need,

and forgive us our sins,

as we have forgiven those who sin against us.

And don't let us yield to temptation,

but rescue us from the evil one.'"

encouragement for today

This prayer can become the pattern for all prayer. First, the focus is on God—who he is (our Father), where he is (in heaven, the perfect place). It's about his kingdom and his will, to be done on earth as it is in the perfect place. Once we have the proper focus, then we ask for material needs (which are legitimate), and also our spiritual needs (just as important). Our main spiritual needs are forgiveness and deliverance from temptation and evil. The template: God's agenda, our needs (physical and spiritual), and relationships with God and others.

—Diane Eble, author of Abundant Gifts: A Daybook of Grace-Filled Devotions

ponderings

I subscribe to a weekly email called PeaceMeal. I found the website www.peacemaker.net after I did an internet search for help with a work-conflict. Today's email made me think so I thought I'd share the email on my blog:

Coming to Our Senses
 "But Esau ran to meet Jacob and embraced him; he threw his arms around his neck and kissed him. And they wept." Genesis 33:4

God does not intend for people to relate to one another at a distance or though other people. Genuine relationship involves personal communication. As Exodus 33:11 says, "The LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend" (see also 2 John 12). If this is the idea for a true friendship, it is also the ideal for a relationship that has been broken by conflict and needs to be restored. Although other people can sometimes help get the restoration process started, its ultimate goal should usually be a personal, face-to-face meeting between those who have been estranged, so they can express and confirm repentance, confession, and forgiveness and experience together the grace and reconciliation of God.

Adapted from The Peacemaker: A Biblical Guide to Resolving Personal Conflict

by Ken Sande, Updated Edition (Grand Rapids, Baker Books, 2003) p. 148.

Food for Thought

Do you relate more face-to-face or screen-to-screen? Why?

We live in a time of connectedness. We are connected via e-mail, the Internet, our cell phones, Blackberries, iPods, iPads, and iPhones. Being connected now ranks among the necessities of life, alongside food and shelter. But for all the beneficial ways (and there are many) that these technologies connect us, they connect us at a distance. And we find ourselves in a far country.

As Ken reminds us, the ideal for a friendship or relationship of any kind, is speaking face to face; God does not intend for people to relate primarily by way of distance. Notice the physical beauty inherent in Genesis 33.4. Jacob receives an embrace; have you ever felt the warmth of a hug from your iPod? Esau throws his arms around Jacob's neck; it's a little hard to feel the rough, hairy arms of your brother by way of a cell phone. Esau kisses Jacob; ask anyone in love if they would rather have the tactile sensations of a kiss or an e-mail full of emoticons. And then the two brothers weep; the Internet can raise the level of information in our heads, but can it cause our defenses to fall, so that tears spill from our hearts?

It's easy to blame these tools, as if they are the problem. No, the problem is where it has always been--with us. We prefer distance to closeness, and darkness over the light. These tools just help us do it in style. We stride through life, gadgets in our pockets, patting ourselves on the backs, believing we're really connected.

Maybe we all need one of those prodigal moments--"when he came to his senses" (Luke 15.17). True sense, as God intended, will return to us via our senses. It means being hungry enough to feel the pains in your stomach, or maybe your heart. It means feeling the burn in your legs as you run toward home or maybe the hurt from that broken relationship. It means feeling the embrace of the one you've been estranged from; an embrace that just might squeeze the tears out of you. That kind of closeness brings life out of death; it allows you to be found instead of lost. And that story always ends with fattened calves, rings on fingers, and parties hosted by the Father; none of which can be enjoyed from a distance.

I'd much rather do the distance thing, so this really hit home to me.

While prepping this blog post, I found they have a blog too. I've added  bookstore.peacemaker.net/blog/ to my Google Reader...like I need any more subscriptions! I have 142 now...

I receive a couple of email devotionals each day. I've flagged some in my Inbox to re-read so I thought I'd make a list of some of them here:

biting my tongue

The entire chapter of Romans 12 has challenging things to learn. The main focus of this devotional was vs 14-15, but I recommend you read the whole chapter! 


Romans 12:14

Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord.

 

 

 

good enough

 

Philippians 3:8-11 talks about "...what are you depending today for being at peace with God, yourself, and others?" Read the encouraging words.

 

 

 

trusting God

 

I'm always encouraged by Jeremiah's example written about here. But it's God's response that I like best in this passage:

 

Jeremiah 15:19

This is how the LORD responds:

If you return to me, I will restore you so you can continue to serve me.

If you speak good words rather than worthless ones, you will be my spokesman.

You must influence them; do not let them influence you! 

 

 

sometimes I feel so overlooked

 

The writer of this devotional used examples from David’s life, but she also could have used Joseph’s life to emphasis her main point: Overlooked by everyone else. Handpicked by God. 

Psalm 28:7a

The Lord is my strength and my shield;

my heart trusts in Him, and I am helped.
 

2 Samuel 7:22

How great you are, O Sovereign Lord! There is no one like you,

and there is no God but you, as we have heard with our own ears.

 

our big God

My sister-in-law sent this email:

Pastor Benson showed a dvd at our New Year's Eve service. It is called "Indescribable" by Louie Giglio. It was very convicting & such a great reminder of how BIG our God really is... Make sure you have some time to watch this. It's 45 minutes long...Pastor Benson skipped the beginning song & started right at the
speaking.

This video gives some perspective on our tiny lives:
Indescribable

i know mistakes = humility

At work I've been dealing with "knowing just enough to be dangerous", at least that's how I've come to think of it. I've been at my job for 10 months now and have learned a lot. I've learned so much about so many things and I have more and more business in progress or business activity that I'm responsible for.

The past few weeks several mistakes have been brought to my attention either from my boss, a client, or another company I deal with in the business I process. Some of the mistakes have cost my company money. Some have just cost me a little embarrassment. None of the mistakes have been detrimental to me, the company or clients, but they were mistakes just the same. I don't know about you, but I know I don't like mistakes. I don't like to do things twice, and I certainly don't like to hear about mistakes that I've made.

In Sunday School we've been studying a book by Martha Peace, "Attitudes of a Transformed Heart." We've had a couple of weeks off while our church went through a pastoral candidate process, but now we're back to our regular schedule. The chapter we are studying for this week is titled "The Attitudes of a Humble Heart". One might think, "oh, this should be an easy chapter. I'm haven't done anything that I'm too proud of!" Boy would one be wrong if they thought that!

Here's a little summary of what I learned:

Be aware

I think Martha hit it right when she said we need to PRAY for humility. Since our attitude is related to how we think and what we think about, if we are praying for humility, we are thinking about humility. When we think of humility we can be reminded of Christ's example and pray for God's grace to be humble.

Be wrong

"Help me to understand" should be my thought. Not to vindicate myself, but to clarify. Remember, Jesus' prayer, “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.” (Luke 22:42). It may not just or right in our eyes, but it may be what God wants.

Be teachable

Teach me! or Teach me. The more we know about God and His Word, the more we should want to learn.

Be selfless

Philippians 2:3-4, "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others."

Be grateful

How often do you shout to yourself or others, "Look what God did!"? (Too often it's more like, "Look, look what I did! Yep, look what I accomplished on my own!!")

Be worshipping

The story of the two men (Pharisee and tax collector) who went to pray has sometimes made me think, "good thing I'm not like that guy who prayed so everyone could hear him!" Funny thing, that kind of thinking is just like him!

Be willing
Suffering for Jesus' sake my not seem human, but it is Christian (Christ-like).

Hopefully these are quick, practical tips we can remember as we pray for humility each day.