Easy, Effective, and Enjoyable Journaling

It’s easy to start out the New Year with a resolution to start journaling.  The idea of capturing the entire year written down in a book motivates many during the month of January!  However, by the third week into the brand new year, the resolution fizzles.  With many attempts and different approaches, a line by line record of the highs and lows of life never seem to make it onto blank pages of beautiful new journals.

Whether writing is your passion or not, we are encouraged by the Word of God to speak into the lives of the next generation:  “Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life: but teach them thy sons, and thy sons' sons . . .” Deuteronomy 4:9

Messages of God’s faithfulness or the reality of our mistakes form a journey with God that should be remembered.  Oral histories may preserve the stories for our children, and possibly our grandchildren, but likely not for all generations.  The possibility of truth getting mixed in with falsehoods is likely, and no one can tell a story with the same vigor and grace as the one who experienced the celebration, joy, or sorrow.   

Perhaps you have journaled regularly with intensity, sporadically, or not at all.  Not journaling at all definitely falls into the “fizzle” category.  

There is a proverb that states, “The faintest ink is better than the strongest memory.” Here are some ways to avoid “the great fizzle” and journal in a way that produces something you’ll want to hold onto by the end of the year and pass on to future generations.

Easy, Enjoyable, Effective Ways to Journal:
·         Don’t throw out the benefits of sporadic journaling. In fact, this may be your best road to success!
·         Loosen up on your high expectations.  The goal is to put something down on paper.  Try the “Month-at-a-glance” approach.  Take a few minutes to jot down the highs and lows of the month that just passed. 
·         Use a smaller journal.  Take a few minutes once a week to record your experiences.  A narrative style is great, but bullet points work well, too.
·         Keep a larger notebook for letters and cards received.  Again, simple is key to maintaining this type of journal.  Buy a one-inch notebook, insert page protectors into the notebook and start filing away the things you want to keep.  I call this my “flower notebook” because the cards and memories inserted are like “flowers” in my life.

The flower notebook holds cards, letters,
and anything sent to me that I will later cherish.

The small journal is to jot down 
 bullet points from my days and weeks.

Get a blank notebook and START collecting your "flowers"

Insert dividers for different categories of your notes:

Thank you's received, birthday cards, misc.

or insert your special cards by month.

The blank notebook will fill up fast and

serve as great documentation of the year.

·         Include pictures here and there.  The digital world is our great friend in this area.  Keep a folder of your best pictures each month to tell the story.  Include these in a simple photo story yearbook.
·         If you take a trip, carry a small journal in your purse to record the day’s activities.  You will be amazed at how this record will jog your memory of many stories to tell.
·         Include your children!  Life happens fast and the very specific event you think you will never ever forget may soon fade by the next life event.  One of the greatest treasures is memories shared from the perspective of a child!
·         Holiday summary: Take time to make a few notes about your holiday celebrations.  This will make planning for the next family gathering EEE ~ Easy, Effective, and Enjoyable.
·         Birthday plans:  Have your child write down their wishes and desires for their birthday.  Half the fun of the celebration is the anticipation!  Keep their lists as a reminder of that stage in their life, their favorite things and special friends.
·         At the end of the year, look back before you look forward!  Summarize the entire year “At-a- Glance.”  Take time to record the trips taken, memories made, and lessons learned.  You will be glad you did, and God may use this to encourage your next generation.

     

2011 At-a-Glance

I promised a Christmas letter on my Christmas card via my blog, but it didn't happen. 
From October to the first of January, life took off at a pace like never before.
SO - here are my reflections from 2011 as shared with my family on New Year's Day:

"But Mary kept all these things,
and pondered them in her heart . . ."  Luke 2:19

THINGS WONDERED . . .
What will you be happy to see unfold in your life when you look back on 2012?

My greatest joy will be to see my children walking in truth . . . truly!
"I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth." 3 John 1:4 

What is your greatest prayer for the new year?
Continued wisdom and provision.  I would love for God to open the door for Isaac to attend Liberty University.  The passion to write and encourage widows, young moms, and my family continues so I hope to make this a priority.

THINGS PONDERED . . .                            

How did God care or provide for you in practical or in supernatural ways?  Two international mission trips this year (Jamaica Cruise with a Cause and Romania)

God brought along another precious little girl for me to care for as a nanny. 
We were able to take a couple of small vacations: 
Creation Museum and a day ski trip in NC over Christmas.
The Mailbox Miracle! At the very last hour, God provided the exact amount needed to pay the bills.  It’s been a long time since I was completely and utterly dependant on Him with no way to help God out J!

What was your biggest lesson learned?  Experiencing and continuing to learn first-hand about God’s amazing grace.  I continued to learn of my need for humility . . . no Lori and ALL God = humility

THINGS TREASURED . . .
What was your biggest blessing in 2011?
TWO new grandsons ~ Adrian Samuel and Levi Daniel

Brandon’s girlfriend ~ Brittany . . . a sweet blessing to our family!

A new embroidery machine from family and friends – purchased and delivered as a complete surprise the week after Christmas.

What were your highlights from the year 2011?
·         Becoming a Gramsie

·         Micah’s blessing trip – the last one

(we peaked out with SIX TEENAGERS in the home at one time)
·         Romania (hearing God – obeying God – experiencing God)
·         Lifeway DVD taping of “Five Converstaions you must have with your Son” with Vicki Courtney
·         Physical healing of:  a broken rib, torn rotator cuff, blocked carotid arteries, cracked tooth!

Romanian Reflections 4 ~ What impacted you most and how did God use this trip in your life?

Lori:
·       The whole process from start to finish
·       The gypsy village
·       Friendships made on the team and in Romania
·       Watching God use my own children share their experience growing up with God as their Father to the fatherless
·       God’s amazing grace!
Christie:  I think the children’s joy impacted me the most.  The kids are all orphans living in a horrible environment with nothing.  It was very impacting to see how grateful they were for three meals a day when I take that for granted.  They never complained and would be sooooo happy with one small toy to call their own.  It was sweet to see the little kids hide everything they had under their pillow at night.  One child even hid his animal crackers.  This showed me how grateful they were to get something they could call their own. The one thing God tried to teach me on this trip was not to be so selfish, impatient, and ungrateful.  I have so much to be thankful for.  God has allowed me to live in America; therefore, I must not take this blessing for granted. 
Isaac:  The most impacting part of the trip was how grateful and happy the kids were.  Most of them don’t have good living conditions or even a family, yet when they arrived at the camp every child had a smile on their face.  Throughout the week joy and laughter spread throughout as God worked in the lives of the campers as well as on the American and Romanian teams!   The trip gave me a new perspective on life.  We hear about poverty where we live in our comfortable 21st century homes; however, until you actually go into the poorest lands it is difficult to understand their hardships.  The kids in Romania were so happy and full of life when they had nothing.  This taught me to be grateful for everything that God has blessed us with!
Evan:  I am so thankful that God gave my family the chance to go on this trip because it gave us an opportunity to love on children who have no families. This was my fourth mission trip and my second foreign mission trip. Out of all of these mission experiences, this trip was truly my favorite trip.  Foreign mission trips really give you a different perspective on life.  Going to a different country, culture, language, etc. was really cool. God really used me in a way that I didn’t think He could. God taught me how to love those who aren’t loved, do things I don’t usually do, and just obey Him. The orphans at the camp we worked at were such a joy to be around. When they saw that someone loved and cared about them, they were so excited!  We had the opportunity to share what God has done in our lives and give them hope and direction in life. 
Amy:  I believe that international mission trips are impacting in many ways.  Going to Romania really opened my heart for missions.  I know that I am the LORD’s servant, and am called to obey His command to go into all nations with the gospel.
Micah:  Many things impacted me on the trip to Romania.  One that stands out would be hearing the children pray in Romanian.  Another would be the worship where I tried to sing in Romanian and understand it.  Having a friend my age to hang out with was also cool.  I enjoyed being with someone who could understand my language, but also understood the culture of the land since was his home.  All of those things are what made this trip fun and memorable.   God taught me that you don’t have to have a large group to impact the life of another.  Also, even though you don’t speak the same the language, you can still talk to them and pray for them.  God has used this experience in many ways in my life.  International mission trips are a great encouragement to all.

Romanian Reflections 3~What were the hard things for you on this trip?

Lori:
·         Humidity
·         No towels
·         Different foods
·         No time for a real personal quiet time with the Lord
·         Out of my comfort zone
·         Less than clean bathroom
·         Dirty sheets
·         Very long days
·         No down time
·         Rough toilet paper
·         Feeling dirty all week
·         Language barrier
·         Spiritual warfare in the time of preparation
·         Seeing and realizing the truth about the life of an orphan
·         Flesh nature exposed L
Christie:  There are not many hard things that come to mind when thinking about this trip except the language barrier.  Only the older kids could understand English, and I was working mainly with the little kids.  This lack of understanding with the different languages was a little hard to get through to them and have a conversation.  You had to show love instead of telling them they were loved.  Meetings at 1:30 in the morning weren’t necessarily hard but just difficult after a long day.  The travel was a lot which was tiring and draining.
Isaac:  There were not many serious hard things that happened, but I think my hardest part was the traveling.  Almost five days were spent just on traveling from one place to another either on the plane or a bus.  Jet-lag was dominant on the first couple of days, but after some well rested evenings I was back to myself and energized to help out.
Evan:  Romania was a wonderful and impacting trip; however there were some tough spots to overcome. The hardest part was probably the traveling. We had an eight hour flight from Atlanta to London, where we had a six hour lay-over. This first stretch of travel was followed by a two hour plane ride to Budapest, Hungary, and then another four hour bus ride to Oradea Romania.  After the hours of travel, we started the camp for the kids!  It was also hard not being able to understand the language.  A bus full of fifty Romanian kids pulled up to the camp, and all I could understand was “hello.”  There we’re obstacles that my team and I had to overcome, but it was a spectacular trip overall.
Amy:  Even though participating in an overseas mission trip was a great experience filled with fun activities; there were absolutely some hard aspects.  I would say that one of the most difficult parts of the trip was definitely the food.  Since I am a fairly picky eater, the Romanian entrees served were certainly an interesting component of the trip.  Endurance was also tough!  Waking up early every morning and going to bed at a very late hour was exhausting.  Out of all of these difficult experiences, the most heartbreaking time during the trip was seeing all of the orphan children leave camp.  I knew that they were going back to a pitiful orphanage to live in complete poverty, and it made me so sad because of how blessed I am and how Americans so often take for granted our riches.
Micah:  There were not many hard things on this trip; however one of the challenging things to deal with would be when you wanted to talk to someone and you couldn't understand them. Without being able to understand then you could not have a conversation without a translator. Another difficult part of this experience was the jet lag. It was very hard to stay up in the day once we got back because we were used to going to bed at that time.  In Romania we would wake up at 7:30am and go to bed at 11:00 p.m.  Other than those minor obstacles, the trip was not hard to me.

Romanian Reflections 2 - What were the SWEET SPOTS for you on this trip?

Lori:
·         Grace in action
·         Relationships
·         The tapestry of God
·         No electronics
·         Watching my own children in action
·         Broadening my perspective
·         Experiencing a difficult culture
·         New friendships
·         Miracles of the supernatural
·         Stretching – growth
·         Surrender
·         Doing something outside of my comfort zone
Christie:  One of the main highlights of this trip was definitely meeting the orphans and the airport travel.  I don’t know why, but I love airports and traveling so that was all fun.  We actually got to go to London and I loved that airport a lot.  The main highlight, however, was the orphans.  I became really good friends with a little boy named Manes but I called him “Mayonnaise” because I liked it better :) we were literally inseparable.  I got to wake him up every morning, and then I would be with him all throughout the day just playing and going to chapel and stuff.  After dinner and chapel at night I had the joy of tucking him into his bed.  I loved being able to see him wake up with a smile on his face and then go to bed with a smile on his face.  He had just gotten into this orphanage and this was his first camp, so everything was new to him.  I cried when he left because I became so close to him.  It was sad :( It was also cute though because anytime that he saw me he would light up and just run over and jump into my arms! Another highlight was the food.  It was amazing minus the breakfast because they served weird foods, but other than that it was really good!

Isaac:  The sweet spots were all of the new friends I made.  The whole team we worked with in Romania was very servant-hearted and selfless.  It was easy to befriend each one of them.  The American team was not just going through the motions either; they gave everything to the cause of the trip.  This helped me reach out more also because of their great example.  We have continued friendships with team members at home.  In fact, two of the guys have become role models and have become mentors in my life.
Evan:  This trip had many sweet spots, because it was a trip that I had never been on.  First, just seeing the orphans and fatherless was really cool, because I don’t have a father, so it was a neat experience to relate to them.  Next, we did a summer camp for the orphans and it was amazing to see them so happy; the orphans were being loved, which doesn’t ever happen much. Thirdly, worshipping God with the children was just awesome.  Coming together, all from different circumstances and backgrounds, worshipping the same and only true God was such a great experience! Finally, the sweetest and hardest part of the trip was going to see the Gypsy village.  The village was filled with many children who were so happy to see people that cared about them.  Some kids didn’t even have one piece of clothing on, but they were still smiling. God was truly working in and through us while we visited the people and children in poverty.

Amy:  There were MANY sweet spots that I enjoyed on this trip:  time with the orphans, the Atlanta team, and the Romanian team.  During the trip, I bonded with my whole team.  There were a couple of younger orphans who really grabbed a hold on my heart throughout the camp.  Because I adore small children, I thoroughly enjoyed being with the little ones (Cristi, Manes, David) and many more.  Many of my team members and I became close.  If I had the privilege, I would go back to Romania tomorrow!

Micah:  I had multiple sweet spots on this trip! One of them was bonding with the interns and the translators. You would think that you would just become pretty good friends with them for that week, but they made me want to come back.  Another thing would be about every day we would have a time of prayer.... It took about 15 minutes and I loved hearing it in Romanian and English.  That week I met a friend named Ben Bucur.  We hung out all week and grew very close. I knew my team before we left, but I didn’t know that by the end of the trip we would be very good friends.  I continue to enjoy spending time with some of the guys on the team now that we are back home.

Romanian Reflections 1 - Why is an international mission trip a positive thing?

As a believer, going on an international mission trip is a positive experience for many reasons:

1. A trip across the sea to a different land and culture will stretch you in different ways as never before.

2. You will gain understanding of the process God uses for building His church and operating in the gifts He gives grace for. This process included the following:

• The call of God to go. If you are not called, don’t go. If God does whisper a call for you to go to another land, trust and obey for there’s no other way!

• Making the first step of sending out jars for commitment from the body of Christ.

• Waiting and watching the support to come in. We didn’t have to wait more than 24 hours before the Lord began to confirm His plans with financial and prayer support!

• Preparing to go minister in Jesus’ name – the preparation process is as important as the actual experience.

• Each one reaches one is so true and an important aspect of the team only God could put together. Interacting with the people on your team and crossing paths in a close way with people you may have never connected with otherwise will bring growth.

• The journey itself – this involved painful stretching and growing in both the physical and spiritual aspects of life.

• Entering the land and interacting with the people, their culture, lives, and stories provided for impacting moments and memories.

• God’s plan for you and for them – He wrote this in His books before time began. It is a beautiful thing to live in the moment God has preordained.

• The common bond shared with believers in another country because of Jesus and the Gospel. It is important to remember, “For we do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your bond-servants for Jesus' sake.” 2 Corinthians 4:5

3. An international mission trip provides for a different perspective on Paul’s missionary journeys and the letters He writes while engaging in the churches and with the people God ordained for His purposes.

4. International mission trips widen your love – you experience the heart of God in your own heart.

5. Going overseas to share the Gospel strengthens your own walk with the Lord and your relationship in the body.

6. Experiencing an international mission trip will allow for opportunities for God to break you as He reveals areas in your flesh that you must surrender to Him.

7. Leaving the land should provide you with a new courage, compassion, and boldness as you engage in your life at home.

Christie: I have been on multiple mission trips (four out of the country). These have been a positive experience for me for many reasons:  First, I think that depending on what you are doing, a trip to a different country and culture changes your whole perspective on life.  Recently seeing the gypsy village in Romania impacted my outlook. To see all of those little kids with visible lice in their hair, no clothes, and starving with no choice of that lifestyle made me realize how blessed I am. Seeing the village really made me thankful for having clothes, a home, and the opportunity to get a job, education and to make something out of myself.  Those gypsies could have so much potential if they would apply themselves, and I am thankful for the chance to do that.

Secondly, working with the orphans really changed my perspective on life in general because they are really happy and joyful when they have absolutely nothing. I realized my need to be more thankful for the little things in life.

Third, you also get to experience different things like the food, which usually ends up being really good!  Finally, an international mission trip is a positive thing is because you get to share the Gospel with people who may have never heard it before. Yes, you can do that in the States too, and you should; however, it is different when you go overseas and meet someone who has NEVER heard the name of Jesus and you tell them about Him for the very first time!

Isaac: An international mission trip turns out to be a positive experience because you see things with a different perspective than you live in. So many times we are sheltered or blinded by the way we live, and we can’t see what problems are going on around us. Going to Romania helped me to see and live with the less fortunate and made me more grateful for what I have.

Evan: I have only been on one other foreign country mission trip and that was to Honduras.  James 1:27 says, “Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.”  This verse describes what we did on this trip.  I think that everyone should go on an international mission trip, because it makes people aware of all the suffering and affliction that children and even young adults go through.           A mission trip to another country provides great opportunity to spread Christ’s love to little kids who don’t have hope.  Most of the orphans are physically and verbally abused if they profess Jesus as Lord. But 1 Corinthians 1:17 clearly says, “For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not in cleverness of speech, so that the cross of Christ would not be made void.” The verse means that no matter what the world thinks, the Bible cannot be tarnished!  Suffering is good because it is for the glory of God!

Amy: This was my first trip out of the country.  It was very exciting getting a passport and flying across the world to another land. I think that going on an international mission trip has very many positive aspects. Experiencing the different culture while in another country is extremely interesting and fun! I loved hearing the foreign language, and trying to speak it as well. I would recommend doing an international mission trip to anyone and everyone!

Micah: Romania was my second mission trip.  I had the opportunity to go to Jamaica in May where I was able to encourage a young girl who had just lost her father. Romania was very different because it was on the other side of the world. The mission work with the orphans was amazing. I built relationships with the translators and interns as well. We were dependent on them for communication; therefore, we grew close to them.  Romania was seven hours ahead of time in America. One of the main things that I liked was the different language.  Also the orphanage that we worked with had children ranging from 4-26! It was wonderful to see the orphans of all ages singing and praying together in a different language. The orphans are wonderful to be around, and it was very hard to say good-bye.

Romanian Summary 12 – The Important Stuff

If you took time to read through our summaries, at this point you might be wondering if the trip consisted only of rock walls, hiking, hanging upside down on a zip line and “Ken and Barbie” princess class!  Those thoughts would surely have crossed my mind if I was reading this in your letters!

The trip was made up of so much more than just these things.  As I started out this recap journey with you, I stated that many things shared would be from the “natural” – things we could see.  The supernatural is the God-part that is often not seen.  Oh, how I would love to say that we caught many fish in our nets, but that wasn’t the case.  In fact, the opportunities to even cast a net were slim.  We weren’t fishermen on this trip.  We were farmers, sowing seeds for God to use in His Kingdom, in His own time.

While there, I TOOK the opportunity to plant seeds for the Lord.  The main reason I felt God called me to step out of my comfort zone was to share the Gospel with those who had never heard it before.  It was a bit disappointing to realize that the orphans in Romania had heard the Gospel many times before.  I was hoping to be the first to share with one who had never ever heard this message before. 

Their reaction to hearing the Gospel again was interesting.  One scientific-minded young man responded with confidence that he believes there are many ways to heaven and that all men would find a home there one day.  A young girl recited the Gospel to me when I asked her if she had Christ in her life.  Oh yes, they had heard, but they had not received the gift of salvation.

The Lord gave me grace and boldness to share the Gospel through the story of Moses in the Old Testament highlighting the story of the Passover and how that shadow was revealed in full color in the New Testament through the blood of the Lamb, the Lord Jesus Christ!  These orphans could relate to my own personal story of pain and rejection and pondered their response to the question, “Is the blood of Jesus over the door of your very own heart?”  I learned that a price must be paid for these young people if they choose to receive Jesus.  They will be mocked and persecuted.  For them the decision is not as easy as saying a prayer and moving on with life.  I continue to pray for those who want to believe but need help from the Lord with their unbelief.
 
A chapter of life closes for the Apon family.  The bus came and the orphans departed.  They took part of my heart with them.  This really was a very sad time for everyone.  We may never see these children again as they return to an existence very unlike their camp experience.  We exchanged addresses, notes and hugs, in an attempt to keep in touch but have found that this is not as easy as we had hoped.  The language continues to be a barrier between us.

The morning of our day of departure came very early.  We woke up to the screams of a team member discovering a mouse/rat in her suitcase!  It was time to rise, shine, and leave with very little sleep in our bodies for the long journey ahead.  We traveled eight hours by bus, only to stop for a couple of hours near the orphanage before continuing home.  The sweetest part of all was meeting up with a few of the orphans again at this mid-way point.  They prepared a song to sing to us.  One orphan friend grabbed my hand and kept swinging it and smiling saying, “I’m so happy, I’m so happy!”  This precious one would have to say good-bye again to new friends.  Loneliness and heartache would find its home again in her heart.  “Oh Lord – may she have the courage to invite the one who will never leave or forsake her into her life!”

This experience took me back to my own life as a young girl.  As I remember, it seems that I had the same dream often of serving meals to orphans.  Oh my, I must have been eight years old.  The dream came often, but it was just a story that appeared to me while I slept.  Later, my mom was very involved with the Florida children’s home, and she included me in her service with them.  We made visits, she hand-sewed Christmas stockings, and we cared from afar for several of them.  And now, 42 years later, God seems to have put the link in the chain of His plans from my past to His present.

 

Romanian Summary 11 – The Gypsy Village

The part of the entire trip that made the most impact on me took place in a span of just thirty minutes . . . our encounter of The Gypsy Village!  We heard about this community one full year beforehand when a young friend, Cynthia, asked me to help her bless the gypsies instead of celebrating her own birthday.  We honored her request and raised money to buy water for the gypsies.  We had prayed for them, viewed pictures of them, and even researched their ways.  However, nothing came close to preparing us for this brief half-hour experience.

As the buses pulled up to the small village of Subulchu, we were warned to be careful as the children had lice in their hair.  “Lice in their hair?  Wow….they could have gone a million years without sharing that fact.”  This was not going to be easy!  I realized I wanted to see this people, but I was not sure now about engaging with them.  I pulled my own children close to my side to make sure they heard the lice notification, “Do NOT get close to them, we cannot bring lice back with us!”  I was overcome with fear that my already interrupted comfort zone would move to measures completely beyond my control . . . followed immediately by guilt because of the fleshy attitudes in my heart.

Kim and Cynthia jumped off the bus with glee as if they were meeting Princess Diana!  The girls swept the children off their feet, wiped the hair from their eyes, and allowed Jesus to love through them.  They loved these precious ones – lice or no lice, open infected sores or no sores, and clothes or no clothes!  Yes, you read that right—no clothes!  We had been transported to a scene from the magazines on world hunger.

The smell was pungent and thick, and the sight was incomprehensible.  Families lined the streets as we slowly made our way through their town.  They greeted us with toothless smiles, and they showed no shame.  They welcomed us as friends.  This experience was definitely one I had never come close to – not even in downtown Atlanta, where the homeless and desperate sleep on the streets.

The visit allowed Cynthia to fulfill her eleven-year-old birthday wish for these people.  She proudly stood in front of them as their “Princess Diana.”  Each gypsy child lined up for their gift – a very small bag of snacks and goodies.  I was humbled by God’s grace and I pray the picture of this experience will remain in my mind and my heart forever.

Romanian Summary 10 - Camp Theme and Bible Study

God gave me a lesson from Colossians in Sunday School before we left for our mission that really worked for morning devotions in Romania.  Don’t you love it when God goes beforehand in HIS preparations?

In order to explain what happens at the point of salvation, I introduced them to Princess Kate, a commoner, who became royalty.  Understanding the process of sanctification was then compared to a princess class, something Kate is required to take two hours every week.

As a follow-up to the morning devotion, I was asked to teach the girls’ Bible study.  This request came without warning.  God was good to give an easy lesson beforehand that could be expanded into an entire Bible study.  The topic was fun to explain to the orphan girls, and it worked!  In fact, the lesson struck such a chord in their hearts that they chose to repeat the lesson as a skit for the big talent show finale! 
That is what I love about God – He really does weave every aspect of our lives together . . . for His glory!  Even while preparing that simple devotion for Romania (not even having assurance that a time slot would actually open up for me to give the devotion), God inserted specific and necessary instructions for me to follow before leaving Atlanta:

1)        Learn about the princess lessons Kate is tutored in
2)        Order a visual of Princess Kate and Prince William
3)        Copy the front cover of People magazine celebrating the Royal Wedding to stick in your bag.
4)        Tie this all into Colossians preparing a brief ten minute version that you can expand if necessary.
5)        And don’t forget to tuck a skirt and that ruffled top into your suitcase  . . . just in case!

   Spiritual Lessons Learned from Colossians

(Using visual aids of Prince William and Princess Kate!)

Colossians 3:10 “…and having put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him.  A renewal in which there is no distinction between Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and freeman, but Christ is all, and in all.”

There is no distinction among those in the body à we all look like Jesus

BUT . . . There is a difference between the BRIDE and the bridesmaid!

A bride prepares herself, separates herself, anticipates the day, and then lives in the GLORY moment!  How sad it would be if the bride did not come adorned!

Princess Kate became royalty in one ceremony; however, she will spend a lifetime learning how to BE royalty…

BEING A FANCY NANCY! . . . Princess Lessons

LESSON ONE:  Greeting Royalty

Royalty always offers the hand first.  Interesting concept! 
We must go out and offer the hand of Christ to the world without expecting them to come to us.

LESSON TWO:  Sitting and Standing

Standing:  “One foot slightly in front of the other, toes out basically third position in ballet…Imagine a wire running from the top of your head, holding you up.”
Sitting is equally testing.  “One must brush the chair with the back of your calves.  After lowering the bottom onto the edge, push back into the seat then place feet to one side.  You may cross the ankles but you must never cross your legs it’s masculine.”
We must sit at the feet of Jesus in a way that allows us to stand for Him.

LESSON THREE:  Walking

For a princess, even walking has a name — The Glide.
“. . . so that you may walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might...” Colossians 1:9-10

LESSON FOUR: Table Manners

“At dinner, there are obvious rules:  no mobile phones, no leaning over the table to grab bread. I’m constantly horrified by the way people hold cutlery.  You must never put a finger against the top of your fork to guide it.  And no one of blue blood would ever use their fork as a scoop.  One just presses them onto the back or avoids them.” 

LESSON FIVE: Coat Management

“Although I assume that for Kate a footman will be on hand to help her, it’s a useful skill.  Put in one arm and pull the collar right up to your neck, then when you reach behind, the other sleeve will be in exactly the right place.   Push the coat a little way off your shoulders, and then reach behind you and grasp the cuff of the left sleeve in your right hand. You take it off, bring the coat round to the front, take both cuffs in your left hand, and then reach through the arms to the collar.  It’s simpler than it sounds.”

The Apostle Paul teaches there are things we must put off as Christians and things we must put on:  compassion, kindness, gentleness, patience, forgiveness, and love.  When we wear the above, we experience peace.  The process of “putting on Christ” is called sanctification.  The process of sanctification is similar to princess class.
Once we become the bride of Christ, we are now the Bride, and no longer the bridesmaid!  There are things that we must put off:  immorality, impurity, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and greedy desire to have more, covetousness.
“For it is because of these things that the wrath of God will come upon the sons of disobedience, and in them you also once walked, when you were living in them.  But now you also, put them all aside”:  Anger, wrath, malice, wickedness, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth.
  

You can click on this link for more information on princess lessons:

How I learned to be a princess!

I was so encouraged by this experience, not because it was me, but THEE!  God really worked and my obedience counted!  His grace was shed on me!