Are You Stubborn Like Me?

December 14, 2018December 13, 2018 / hhooks / Leave a comment

The promises God gave us in the Bible are sufficient that we should obey what He tells us to do right away. He promises us, His children, everything He promised to the Israelites in the Bible. God, through His word, promised us His presence, salvation, grace, love…this should be enough to warrant our immediate obedience when we have a word from God.

But, just like Gideon in the book of Judges, we hesitate. Our faith is weak. Our theology is off. We want God to prove it’s Him! We ask for a sign to make ourselves more confident.

I’ve been there. I’ve taken months, even years to respond with obedience to conviction from God through the Holy Spirit. At first, it was because I didn’t know it was God. I wasn’t walking with Him. I wasn’t allowing Him to be my shepherd, so when He spoke, I didn’t know His voice.

Now, I honestly have no excuse. I walk and talk with Him daily. His voice is familiar. Yet I’m still slow to respond sometimes. I’m still reluctant.

At times, I’m just plain stubborn. I don’t want to do what He’s told me to do – not right then at least.

But delayed obedience is disobedience.

Sometimes I don’t want to do the thing the way He’s told me to do it. In my pridefulness, I think my way is better – MY timing, MY sequence, MY procedure.

Even though I know better, y’all!

In the end it always comes back to Him though. I try to do it the way I want to do it rather than the way God said to do it, and I screw it up. Then, I have to throw up my hands, and do it His way after all.

Wouldn’t I have wasted less time, used less energy, and endured less struggle if I just did it the way He told me to do it in the beginning? The first time I felt Him nudge my heart?

He gets the glory in the end anyway – no matter how I respond in the beginning. But do I miss out on some of the blessing I would have received if my obedience had been immediate? Do I fracture my faith? Do I tarnish my testimony? Do I hurt my heart? Am I a poor witness for others?

What To Do If You Have a Critical Spirit

May 4, 2018May 4, 2018 / hhooks / 3 Comments

You’re in for a treat today – our first guest post on Servant Girl Stories. I am honored to introduce my friend, Leigh, founder of Be Still Mama ministries at First Baptist Church of Indian Trail. Leigh and I met about 3 years ago when she and her husband, Brian, joined our life group at church. Since then, I have grown closer to her as a friend as our journeys as moms have merged. I also participate in Be Still Mama and enjoy working with her to encourage and love on the moms who also become involved in the ministry. She has such a heart for moms of young children and desires to pour into those moms and help lead them to the foot of the cross. Please welcome, Leigh Anderson!

By: Leigh Anderson

Growing up in the cul-de-sacs of a few big city suburbs, riding bikes and managing sticker collections, I didn’t have much to be critical about other than broken sidewalk chalk or a missing New Kids on the Block cassette tape. Or the fact that we got to pick out one “sugar cereal” per month and my brother would eat the entire box in one sitting as soon as we got home. Those were my critical moments, until my life changed one day in the formal sitting room in the front our house.

It was late afternoon, our friends were playing outside, and it was the first time I’d ever felt my chest tighten and my stomach go into a knot as the word “divorce” came out of my parents’ mouths to my brother and me. (Divorce is just as much a part of my parent’s story as it is of mine, so I share this milestone with the utmost respect for them but as a pivotal point of brokenness in my life).

Photo Credit: Pinterest

The onslaught of changes was not gradual; it was abrupt, and life as we knew it was completely different for all 4 of us mere hours after that conversation happened. I experienced brokenness beyond what I’d ever experienced. And being so young, it was difficult to name it or understand it or tell anyone how I was feeling because I simply didn’t know.

We moved out of state shortly after that, and our new reality was unlike any I’d ever experienced. It presented more challenges than successes. That wasn’t only true for our family but also true within the new community where we’d moved.

Naturally, if people have something in common, that will be the subject of conversations. Our common thread was struggle, and it was mostly what anyone talked about. There weren’t people in our community coaching people to have positive attitudes, to talk highly of each other, to stop gossiping, to lift each other up, or to spur one another on. It was just natural to share the crappy thing that happened that day and who did it. Those were just the everyday subjects of conversations.

Slowly but surely as we lived our lives and grew up, that mentality of complaining or criticizing, something I viewed as normal and right, stuck with me. And I didn’t even realize it was something bad.

I didn’t realize all of this until a friend recently had the courage to shed light on this aspect of my personality and challenged me to really work on it. After talking with her and thinking about it for a while, a light went off in my head. I’ve known for a long time that I struggle with a critical spirit during particularly stressful seasons of my life, but now I know why. And now that I know why – because it’s been a part of my life for 30+ years – it’s time to make some changes.

In Be Still Mama, the ministry I lead, I’m passionate that we all find the root to the challenges we face. If we don’t dig straight for the root, treating the symptoms is a waste of time. When we focus on the bad in others, our circumstances, or ourselves we focus our eyes on brokenness, not wholeness. God’s will for us is wholeness, and we can only have that in relationship with Him. When we focus so much on brokenness, it’s what we ultimately become – broken in our relationship with Him – because we took our eyes off of Him and started staring at everything that’s wrong.

Photo Credit: Pinterest

We form and feed critical spirits within ourselves when we continue to focus on the flaws of our spouses, our children, our friends, or the people we resent. The resentment comes after they fail to meet the expectations we’ve set for them – my husband hasn’t lifted a finger around the house, my friend didn’t respond to my text for 12 hours, my kids won’t listen or obey and they fight all the time. It’s easier to tear down these people in an effort to feel better about ourselves than it is to compliment them on something they’ve done well or a character trait we really admire. When in reality the latter is the key.

My pre-programmed reaction for brokenness is to criticize and wrestle with how that circumstance or that person made ME feel. I made every encounter with brokenness about me, and that’s the total OPPOSITE of what we’re called to do with it. Big no no.

When we encounter brokenness, specifically in people, we have several choices. We can talk about them to others, we can criticize/judge them within our own hearts, or we can make the choice to see them exactly how Jesus sees them.

The reason God doesn’t want us judging each other so harshly is because we simply don’t know what we’re talking about. We see a sin; God sees the heart. We see an annoying behavior; God sees a stronghold. We see poor choices; God sees pain that they won’t let Him heal. Many of these instances naturally become a lot less personal because I’m making them more about God and less about me.

Learning this lately has been so refreshing. It also shined light on how damaging it was to my own heart to operate in a critical and negative way. And as a mom, if my heart’s damaged and I operate out of that place, there’s a high probability that I’m causing damage to my family.

Encourage someone today. Double points if it’s someone who’s recently really let you down. We encourage and uplift people as an act of obedience to God’s commandment for us to love our neighbor as ourselves. You need encouragement; you need forgiveness; you need to know you matter, so give that to someone else today. May we not love in an effort to see what we can get from other people; may we love other people because we love God – as simple as that.

Photo Credit: Pinterest

Meet the Author: Leigh Anderson is a follower of Jesus, wife to Brian, and mom to two toddlers. She graduated from Newberry College with a degree in Communications and Sociology and went on to complete a Master of Fine Arts in Film/Television/Media Theory from Savannah College of Art and Design.

Although her plan was to sell everything and move to New York City to take a producer position at CBS News New York, God had other plans. Instead, she spent the last 14 years in professional ministry roles in communications and marketing. Most recently, she was the Director of Marketing and Community Engagement for the Christian radio station New Life 91.9.

After being laid off from New Life in 2014, she became a stay at home mom and through the inspiration and leadership of another Charlotte ministry leader, launched the ministry of Be Still Mama at First Baptist Church of Indian Trail.

You can find Leigh on Facebook at Leigh Baldwin Anderson and at the public group Be Still Mama.

Portrait of a Servant Girl – Meggan’s Story – Part 1

February 15, 2018March 10, 2021 / hhooks / 2 Comments

Author’s Note: All my sisters in Christ are Servant Girls, and we’ve all been given God’s stories to tell. I’m grateful to be able to write to you over the next couple of weeks about Meggan and her story. We met over breakfast and talked about 2 1/2 hours about how she met Jesus, how He changed her when she gave Him her heart, and how He is working in her family right now. It is my pleasure to introduce you to Meggan Love…

Where is God in the mundane? Where is He in tragedy? Where is He when you can’t decide whether to go down this road or that one? Simply put, He’s right where He’s always been – going before you, making a way for you. All you really have to do is whatever He says.

God began speaking to Meggan through her pastor at the church she attended with her parents when she was 6 years old. At the end of the sermon, the pastor asked for people to raise their hands if they wanted to accept Jesus into their hearts. For 6 months he asked, and for 6 months, Meggan raised her hand. Every time, her parents told her to put down her hand. They didn’t think she realized what the pastor was asking.

Finally, Meggan’s mom and dad asked if she really wanted to do what the preacher had asked, and she told them yes! He’d asked if she wanted Jesus in her heart, and she did! Appeased, her parents took her to talk with their pastor. Afterwards, 6 year old Meggan asked Jesus to come into her life, and she was baptized.

Meggan, age 6, about the time she received God’s salvation and was baptized. Image used courtesy of Meggan Love.

“It was childlike faith,” she told me, her tone matter-of-fact. “Obviously, I didn’t understand all the theology and eschatology, and all of that other stuff,” she smiled, gesturing in circles over her heard. “But, I knew He died for me, and He rose for me, and I wanted to go to heaven and be with Him.”

What drew Meggan to God, even as a 6 year old, was the overwhelming feeling of love. “He loved me enough to die for me,” Meggan emphasized. “I was very young, but I understood that important truth and that made me want to live for Him and serve Him.”

Photo Credit: Pinterest

Even though Meggan was a small child when she made this decision, she distinctly remembers the change that occurred in her once she received the Holy Spirit. “Before I had the Holy Spirit, I was very selfish,” she confessed. “It was all about me, me, me! But once I gave my heart to Christ, I began experiencing strong conviction from the Holy Spirit. I’ve never been afraid to speak my mind,” she told me with a grin tugging at the corners of her mouth, “but having the Holy Spirit gave me confidence to speak up for Christ. For example, “she said, sitting up straighter at the table, “when I was in the 4th grade, I had a classmate who was Muslim. One day, he told me that he hated Jesus. ‘I don’t know why,’ I said back to him, ‘He loves you’!”

The Holy Spirit convicted Meggan to spend time studying the Bible, being alone with God and praying to Him. Peer pressure from friends was still a real struggle for her as was her desire to be selfish. She still made poor choices from time to time, as anyone would, but she was almost immediately convicted.

“I remember occasions where I would look at my friends and tell them that what we were considering doing was sin. That was because of the strength and power of the Holy Spirit living in me.”

In middle school, Meggan felt the tug on her heart to begin praying for her future husband! (This was actually something her parents had prayed for both Meggan and her brother years before. Her parents prayed that both their children would meet their spouses while they were young).

Photo Credit: Pinterest

“I had 3 requirements,” Meggan said.

“For what your husband would be like?” I clarified.

“Yes,” she nodded once. “I asked God to send me a husband who was Southern, Christian, and who could make me laugh,” she counted on her fingers as she listed. “I prayed for them in that order, too!” She pointed out, her eyes wide. “Not really sure why it was so important for him to be Southern, but that was always first on my list.”

“Does Dane make you laugh?” I asked, a knowing smile passing between us. (We were in Life Group at FBCIT with Meggan and Dane for about 5 years).

Meggan rolled her eyes but blushed a little. “Oh yeah! He does!” She said emphatically. “Every day! He makes me crazy, but he definitely makes me laugh.”

Meggan and Dane’s relationship began in the 8th grade; they were 13. “I knew early on that he’d be my husband,” she confided. “But knowing that at such a young age, and loving him the way I already did scared me! So, I broke up with him the summer before 9th grade,” she said firmly. “I just wasn’t ready for all that. But,” she continued with a quick shrug of her shoulders, “we got back together in the middle of 10th grade and have been together since.”

Dane and Meggan before the 10th grade winter formal – 2002. They had just begun dating again. Image used courtesy of Meggan Love.

Dane and Meggan at their high school graduation – 2004. Image used courtesy of Meggan Love.

Before they were married, Meggan was able to help lead Dane to Christ. Dane had been baptized, but he confessed to Meggan one day that altar calls made him uncomfortable. Meggan explained to him that the feeling of discomfort was God’s conviction. He wanted to draw Dane into a closer relationship. So, Dane and Meggan prayed together, and Dane asked God to be his Savior.

“Did Dane change after that?” I asked Meggan.

“Definitely,” she responded. “I saw him become much more passionate about Christ, for getting to know the Lord and learning about our faith. It actually spurred me into a deeper relationship, too.”

Wedding day – 2007. Image used courtesy of Meggan Love

Dane and Meggan were married in 2007. God has continued to work in their lives both individually and as a couple. For Meggan, that means God is still working to change her heart in the area of expectations of others. She admits that nothing is ever good enough for her.

“It’s always been part of my sin nature,” she revealed. “I remember it when I was little. I’d get presents for my birthday but wonder why I didn’t get more or why this one thing I wanted was left out.

As an adult, specifically as a mother, this presents itself in another way. “I’ll come home from work or running errands when Dane has been at home with the girls, and as soon as I hit the door, I start listing everything that’s wrong…breakfast dishes are still on the table, the kitchen is a mess, the clean clothes haven’t been put into the dryer…” she trailed off, shaking her head. “It isn’t enough that he fed them and kept them alive while I was gone! I never point out the things he has done; I just focus on what I think is lacking. That thing from when I was little, it’s still there. It’s part of my sin nature. It’s getting better though. I feel conviction to see the positives and ignore the negatives, or I am convicted to take a step back before it goes too far and apologize to the person and repent to God. It’s just a work in progress. The older I get, the more I realize that our faith grows as we grow. That’s how it’s supposed to be. We go through seasons. It’s a race to run all the way to the finish, and it’s a cross-country run rather than a sprint. We just have to continue to let Him change our hearts.”

Currently, Meggan’s in the motherhood season of her life; she is mommy to 4 precious little girls: Joyce, Faith, Renzori, and Delaney. This is the race she is running today.

When she sat down across the table from me, before we began our interview for this post, she sighed, “I don’t know, Heather…Servant Girl? I just don’t feel like I am one. I’m just mommy right now. I’m just sitting around nursing my baby.” She gestured over to then 4-month-old Delaney, snoozing quietly in her carrier.

But, I know that God has given everyone a story, and I already knew a little about Meggan’s. I knew you needed to read it so you could see God as He has revealed Himself to Meggan.

She can tell you that God will be with you at your lowest point. There may be a fleeting thought that He’s deserted you, but then you have those quiet moments, like when it’s 3 in the morning and you’re up changing diapers and nursing your newborn, and life “circles back” as Meggan put it, and you see what He was doing in the midst of your pain and suffering.

Photo Credit: Pinterest

Now that she’s had time to look back, Meggan can see that God was with her even in that specific moment, about 5 years ago, when He clearly told her something to do, and she said no. “I literally stomped my foot, and said no!” She told me, shaking her head at her own audacity.

But God was still with her.

What did God ask of Meggan that caused such a defiant response? Join me back here next week for Part 2 of Meggan’s story, and I’ll tell you.

A Mountaintop Experience: Reflections from a Weekend at The Cove

February 2, 2018 / hhooks / 1 Comment

Sit a spell in a rocking chair on the porch at the Training Center and watch the fog creep in until it completely covers all the blue-gray mountains in the distance.

The “Back Porch” at the Training Center

Amble through the halls and take in the multitude of gifts given to Billy and Ruth Graham over the years as they traveled the world: the pin from Boris Yeltsin, the Russian Nesting Dolls from the Russian Delegation, or the Wooden Pestle from Romania, to list just a few.

If nature is your pleasure, choose a sturdy walking stick and follow the trail as it climbs and twists through the woods and past the creek up to the chapel. Those who are more adventurous can climb 3 miles up to the overlook.

Porter’s Creek on the hiking trail

This past weekend, I passed a sweet time meeting with the Lord during a women’s retreat at The Cove in Asheville. Be Still Mama Women’s Ministry from FBCIT hosted the event and put together a dynamic line-up of godly women to encourage us to “Choose Joy” based on John 15:1-11.

Photo Credit: Pinterest

Based on my observation, I heartily recommend that you go on a retreat the next time you have the opportunity. And, if that opportunity happens to take you to The Cove, I encourage you all the more.

To begin with, the venue is absolutely breathtaking, both the surrounding, natural environment as well as the inns, Training Center, and chapel themselves. Although we were there in the middle of winter, the weather was pleasant enough to venture outdoors, walk a few trails, and take in the beautiful mountain scenery. All around you’ll see glossy, smooth magnolia and hearty cedar. It was overcast while we were there, but the heavy clouds hanging low on the mountains and even lower in the trees epitomize the mountains to me.

Imagine what the Graham home might have looked like when Ruth often stood at the door and kissed goodbye her evangelist husband as he went off yet again to carry the gospel to the ends of the earth. Do you see a cozy fire, creaking rocking chairs, soft rugs covering wooden floors, and shelves and shelves of books? That’s what I see, and I imagine that was the inspiration behind the homey, mountain decor that permeates the inns, the Training Center, and the chapel at The Cove.

Suite sitting room in Shepherd’s Inn

We were all crazy about this grand fireplace in the lobby of the Training Center. There were more pictures taken of this than just about anything else!

Chatlos Chapel

If the interior says, “Relax. Pull up your chair and sit by the fire,” the exterior says, “Take notice. Stand tall! You’re nestled into mountain country.” Each building was built with a mix of natural stone and dark, handsome wooden beams.

Shepherd’s Inn

Chatlos Chapel

And, oh the windows! They were everywhere! Some rooms, such as the dining room, had floor to ceiling windows, and lobby of the Shepherd’s Inn, where we stayed, was two-story, featuring windows from the floor to ceiling! The word ‘breathtaking’ just doesn’t even seem adequate to describe what you experience with your eyes.

Shepherd’s Inn Lobby

You don’t just experience The Cove with your eyes though! Your nose and mouth are tantalized as well – at least 3 times a day – at breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Truthfully, I hadn’t considered the food as something to look forward to on this trip. But, let me tell you, I was completely and utterly blown away by the amount and quality of food as well as the selections themselves. Breakfast was a buffet of eggs, meats, pastries, fresh fruits, yogurts…I could go on, but breakfast is my favorite meal, and now I’m hungry again. Lunch and dinner included choices such as filet Mignon, grilled shrimp, baked Parmesan chicken, salmon, pork ribs, steamed vegetables, mashed potatoes, salad, rolls, cornbread…you get the picture, right?! I’m not saying you should go to The Cove just for the food, but I’m saying that you won’t be disappointed by it. You’ll probably leave a few pounds heavier than when you came. (I didn’t even mentioned dessert!)

Dining Room in Training Center

The staff was kind and helpful as well. Their demeanor added to the overall hospitable air of the place. Everywhere you were greeted with their smiling faces welcoming you in the door, asking if you needed assistance with anything, or reminding you to help yourself to the coffee, soft drink, or water stations located around the facilities. The folks waiting the tables in the dining room were especially jolly as they begged us over and over to go back for seconds and thirds. “If you leave hungry, it’s your own fault,” one lady kidded us as she refilled our water pitcher.

Now, I would be remiss if I did not also share with you what you are likely to experience on a spiritual level while there. I most certainly encountered the Holy Spirit’s presence; it was there nearly every moment. This was due in part to the group of women there with me, the caliber of speakers and the message they prayed over for weeks and weeks, the worship leader and the music she chose, and the overall design of the retreat itself by the leader of our women’s ministry.

Photo Credit: Pinterest

However, added to that was the idea that this facility itself, everything at The Cove, in fact, was designed with the purpose of bringing people to a place where they can relax, refresh, and experience the Lord. You just…feel His presence. You look out over the mountains, and you encounter majesty and awe knowing that He created those mountains and those trees and those clouds, and He knew you’d be standing there in that moment, feeling so small but not alone. You look at those friendly faces assisting you, and you realize that He made those people, and He gave them attitudes of servitude so they could be His hands and feet. Even the configuration of the furnishings – a grouping of chairs here and there by a fireplace, or a couch nestled in the corner by a bookcase – invited you to breathe in fellowship and experience the Lord’s calming presence.

It’s just a majestic place. The Lord is there! I urge you to go should the opportunity arise. You will be so grateful that you did.

Have you ever been on a retreat? Was it for work, recreation, church, etc? Where did you go? What was your experience there?

What Jesus Really Came to Do

January 12, 2018January 11, 2018 / hhooks / Leave a comment

Help me want the Healer

more than the healing.

Help me want the Savior

more than the saving.

Help me want the Giver

more than the giving.

Oh, help me want you, Jesus,

more than anything.

Photo Credit: Pinterest

This is the chorus to Natalie Grant’s new song, “More Than Anything.” I heard it for the first time last week on the heels of the post I just published about desiring a closer relationship with God in 2018, so the lyrics quickly caught my attention, especially the chorus.

The Gospel of Luke was the book God put on my heart to start reading at the beginning of January, and God has shown me some awesome things so far. But, one of the lessons so closely coincides with the meaning behind this song that I knew God was using it to speak to me, and it is something He wants you to see as well.

As soon as Jesus began his public ministry (Luke starts sharing details of this in Chapter 4), people were drawn to Him. They noticed the authority with which he spoke, but they were totally amazed by His ability to heal the sick and his other miracles. They followed Him everywhere and brought Him sick people constantly.

In Chapter 4 verse 42, Jesus was trying to get away to be alone and pray, but the people continued following Him and tried to keep Him from going. He said to them, “I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, for I was sent for this purpose.”

Photo Credit: Pinterest

Jesus wanted to do more than heal peoples’ bodies. He came to do more than that. Jesus wanted people to want Him. He came because we need healing for our souls for eternal purposes, not just healing for our bodies since our bodies are temporary.

So, I hear this song as a prayer, and I sing it as a prayer. I invite you to do so, too. Listen to the lyrics and sing those words back to God. Ask Him to make it so with you…to make you want Him even more than you want what He can do for you.

“More Than Anything” by Natalie Grant

What are you praying and asking God for right now? What does God have you reading or listening to? How has He spoken to you through what you’ve read or heard?

Rethink the Resolution

January 5, 2018January 5, 2018 / hhooks / Leave a comment

Don’t make any New Years resolutions for 2018.

If you’ve already made some, just forget ‘em. Statistically speaking, most people don’t keep their resolutions anyway. I quit making them several years ago because I didn’t keep them.

Resolutions are a little self-centered anyway, don’t you think? We resolve to lose 20 pounds or stop smoking or train for a 5k or cut gluten from our diets or get out of debt. Now, don’t get me wrong, these are all good things. It wouldn’t be bad to determine to do some of them in 2018.

But, I propose we do something more God-centered in 2018. Let’s make a pledge with God, for God, rather than making resolutions with ourselves, for ourselves. Let’s pledge to strengthen our relationship with God this year.

Photo Credit: Pinterest

How do we do that? Well, how do we strengthen a relationship with anyone in our lives: spouse, child, parent, sibling, co-worker, neighbor or friend?

Engage with that person. Talk with that person. Listen to that person.

Engage. Talk. Listen.

This is how we build and grow our relationship with God as well.

Engage with God’s Word in the Bible. Talk with Him in prayer. Listen to Him in quiet time.

Hebrews 4:12 tells us about God’s Word: The Word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

Commentary in the English Standard Version says, “The Word of God then acts as God Himself, so that one’s innermost thoughts and intentions are exposed. This happens constantly in Christians’ lives.”

When you read God’s Word, it physically does things to you because it behaves as God Himself. To borrow words from the verse, it is alive, it is sharp, it pierces or cuts, and it discerns or judges. When you read God’s Word, it drives through to your very core and exposes everything to God – what you think, what you feel, what you intend to do, your fears, your values, your beliefs, everything.

scripture corrects us when we are wrong.jpg

Photo Credit: Pinterest

What do you think will happen if everything in our hearts is exposed to God? He will give us grace and mercy, and He will change our hearts. He will align our hearts with His will, and when our hearts are brought in line with His will, our relationship with Him deepens.

Photo Credit: Pinterest

Talking with God in prayer will also take us closer to Him. Sometimes people ask why we should talk to God when He already knows our thoughts.

Let me use an illustration I have heard so many times that I cannot give credit to the original source. Just know that it didn’t come from me.

Imagine you’re in a romantic relationship – married or dating. This is someone you supposedly care about very much. Imagine what would happen to this relationship if you never talked to this person. You sat beside this person on the couch and watched TV or you rode beside this person in the car and texted or you sat across from this person at the table and ate your food, but you didn’t talk. You didn’t share your feelings or reveal your fears or discuss your goals or tell this person you loved him or her.

Bottom line: this relationship would not last.

It works the same way with God. He wants us to talk to Him and with Him. He wants to hear from us. He wants us to share our fears and our desires with him. What’s more, the Bible assures us over and over that He is listening. And He hears our prayers.

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One such verse is Psalm 34:15. It says, “The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous and His ears hear their cry.”

He.Is.Listening.

Talk to Him.

However, the most important way to go deeper in your relationship with God in 2018 is to listen to God.

Remember the scenario of the romantic relationship earlier? Well, let’s say you do talk when you’re with that person. You talk A LOT…about yourself: what you want, what you need, what you’re afraid of, what you think, what you don’t understand. But, you’re so busy talking that you don’t listen to the other person’s fears, desires, and thoughts. What will happen?

This relationship will not last.

Now, imagine this other person in the relationship where you’re doing all the talking is God – the Sovereign, the Most High, the Alpha and the Omega. He knows all – including the purpose for our lives, so it stands to reason that we ought to listen to Him, probably even more than we talk to Him.

In Ecclesiastes 5:1-2, King Solomon talked about our attitude toward God. He said, “Guard your steps as you go to the house of God, and draw near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools; for they do not know they are doing evil. Do not be hasty in word or impulsive in thought to bring up a matter in the presence of God. For God is in heaven and you are on earth; therefore let your words be few.”

Listening is imperative if we are going to grow closer with God. We have to listen so He can tell us His will. We have to listen so He can show us the way. Then, when we do pray, our hearts are in line with His will, and we will want what He wants for our lives. That should be our goal.

Photo Credit: Pinterest

We listen in our quiet time. I’m sure you’ve heard this term, quiet time, before. This is time we spend with God just listening. Being still. Being quiet in mind and body and focusing on what He has to say to us.

Focus on what He tells you to do during this time. Who does He want you to talk to? Where does He want you to go? What does He want you to do? When you go to Him and are quiet, He will tell you. As you listen to what God has to say, He changes your heart so that you want what He wants.

This is my pledge for 2018 – to spend time with God – reading His Word, talking with Him, and most importantly, listening to Him. This year can be a year of spiritual change for you and for me if we will pledge to do these things to grow closer in our relationship with our God.

Rewarder of those who diligently seek him.jpg

Photo Credit: Pinterest

Do you spend time praying, reading the Bible and/or listening to God? If you do, what are some of the positive effects this has had on your life?

If you don’t do these on a regular basis, what do you think is keeping your from doing them?

That Christmas Morning Feeling

December 29, 2017August 2, 2018 / hhooks / Leave a comment

Christmas is my favorite holiday! The food. The decorations. The tree. The lights. The get-togethers with family and friends. The church programs. The music!

Y’all! The music!

The whole season is just so bright and happy and jolly.

Merry and bright – The Hooks Home

Christmases were very merry and bright when I was little – I guess I couldn’t help but love them.

Christmas Eve at my grandmother’s house with 4 generations! I’ve spent all my 38 Christmas Eves at her house 🙂 Photo Credit: Tiffany Murdock Manley

But, the big draw, especially when I was little, was the presents and Santa Claus! Christmas morning – that was the goal the whole season long.

What was under the tree? What was in the stockings? What was wrapped in all those boxes? Who had the present in the biggest box? Who had the present in the heaviest box? Who had the present in the weirdest shaped box?

What was I going to get? Would I get everything I wanted? Would I get something awesome I hadn’t even asked for?

I do remember being disappointed on Christmas morning when I didn’t see a gift that had been on my list…despite all the other gifts I did receive.

I do remember feeling sad when the biggest or heaviest box went to someone else.

I do remember feeling the let-down when I realized there were no more gifts left to unwrap…even as I sat surrounded by all the new toys, games, clothes, or electronics I had already opened.

In my defense, I’m sure I wasn’t the only kid to experience this. Happens every December 25. I imagine many adults can relate to this feeling as well. I know I’ve spent more Christmases than I care to admit feeling sad about something related to the gift-giving part – even as a grown-up.

It definitely helped to have kids. Once we experienced Christmas with our own children, I more fully appreciated how it felt to give.

Christmas afternoon at my parent’s house now includes 2 sons-in-law and 4 grandchildren! Photo Credit: Tiffany Murdock Manley

Still, there was that empty feeling once all the gifts were opened.

Christmas.was.over.

There were 365 days until we’d do that all over again, until we’d have that…feeling.

A-ha! It was the feeling! That was it! That Christmas morning feeling! The anticipation. The eagerness. The excitement. THAT was what was so hard to let go. It had been building up for 24 days or more and once it was over…there was an emptiness. A quietness. A sadness. A let-down.

How do you make that last?

We tried spreading out the present-opening part. We’d open gifts with extended family later on Christmas day and eventually did some present opening the day after Christmas.

But, eventually there are no more gifts to open – no matter how long you extend it.

How do you make that Christmas-morning-feeling last?

The past few years, I’ve been praying about it, and God helped me see that I have to desire Jesus more than gifts. I have to want His presence more than I want presents.

That takes praying and being receptive to the changes God wants to make in my heart. It doesn’t mean I’ll stop liking presents or Christmas morning or my mom’s sausage balls or hearing Bing Crosby sing “White Christmas.” It just means I’ll realize Jesus is more valuable than those things.

It has helped me to do an Advent Bible study; I’ve done one the past two years. It helped me focus on the real reason I celebrate.

This year, before we started our Advent study, I prayed for God to give me a heart like Simeon and Anna (Luke 2: 25-38).

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I want the Holy Spirit to be upon me like it was upon Simeon, to guide and direct me into the presence of the Lord. I want to serve day and night as Anna did. She never left the temple and her reward was to see the Christ child.

To wait in eager anticipation like Simeon and Anna – that is what I want. To wait to see the promise of God fulfilled in Jesus. That is the excitement I want! That will give me the Christmas-morning-feeling all year ‘round.

I prayed for that this year from the first of December until Christmas, and I believe God answered that earnest prayer of His servant girl. Christmas was happy and bright and exciting for me this year. Opening presents was a jolly time, but I didn’t experience the degree of let-down that I sometimes do when the last piece of shredded gift wrapping paper is thrown in the trash. I was happy, but I was also calm…at peace. The value wasn’t in the gifts; it was in God’s promise. We know that He keeps the promises He makes with His people – the Bible is full of evidence for that. So this Christmas, I focused more on God‘s presence than on presents.

Of course, I will have to continue to pray for this daily, especially when next Christmas rolls around, but I know God will fill my heart with His Son if I ask him to do so.

My prayer this day and every day, for me and for you, is that God would give us hearts like Simeon and Anna.

Always eagerly waiting.

Always faithfully serving.

Always gratefully praising.

Until we see our Christ.

A Love Letter from God

December 22, 2017December 22, 2017 / hhooks / 2 Comments

Why? That’s the question I asked myself over and over when I was trying to “get right” with the Lord. Why did this happen to me? I was raised in church! I was saved when I was young! How did someone like me go so far as to not even believe in Jesus anymore?! Why did I have to go through this?

The short answer is – it happened to me so I could tell you.

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God gets glory through the lives of His children – when we surrender to Him. When we live for Him. When we obey Him even when what He’s asking is scary.

This happened to me – this time spent away from God and then coming back to Him again – so I could write to you and tell you. This happened so you could look at my life and see who I have been and what I have done and where I have gone…and see Jesus.

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This happened to me because it was the only way I was going to give Him control over my life. He knew me and what it was going to take for me to honestly come to Him…not just go to church because that’s how I was raised. He wanted me, but I had to want Him. He wanted a relationship, not the religious person I was when I was younger.

I believed with my head but He wanted my heart. My heart was more difficult to convict, but I am grateful for the journey. I wouldn’t have the relationship with Him I have now if it weren’t for this journey. I’d still be trudging along in legalism and good-girl church stuff.

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I wouldn’t have any idea how to talk with Him or listen to Him, and I certainly wouldn’t be telling you about Him.

But, here we are.

(If you just found this blog, please go back and start with the first post, June Cleaver? Who Me?, so all this makes sense).

Here’s some of what I’ve learned and what God wants me to share with you. (I have included some scripture references; however, the list isn’t exhaustive. It may not even be the best and most relevant reference, just one that I found while researching).

{WARNING: these will sound like the cliches you always hear Christians say. They did to me at one time, but they are real to me now that I have truly experienced Him}.

The presence of the Holy Spirit – the one God sends to live inside you when you believe in Him – will change you. You will not be the same. You cannot think the same or behave the same as you did before.
God is sovereign (Psalm 103:19, Psalm 115: 3, Romans 8:28). He wants us to surrender our lives to His sovereignty – TOTALLY. Simply acknowledging that He is real is not enough (James 2:19).
Take captive thoughts (2 Corinthians 10:5) when they go against biblical truths. Guard your heart (Proverbs 4:23) against lies the world will tell you. Go to God when you think your thoughts are leading you astray. Go to God when you find that your heart is turning away from Him.
God wants us to trust our lives to Him. He was us to be obedient and follow where He leads (Psalm 37:5, Proverbs 3:5-6).

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Pray (Philippians 4:6). Talk to Him. Read your Bible (Philippians 4:6, 2 Timothy 3:16-17).
Write what you’ve learned. Write what you feel. Write questions you have. This is journaling, and this is a way to have a conversation with God.
HE IS ALWAYS RIGHT THERE (Hebrews 13:5). He doesn’t move. He doesn’t go away. You may, but He doesn’t (Psalm 16:8). He is waiting right there for you to decide that you want Him. He wants you, and He wants you to want Him.
God speaks to me. God will speak to you. It may not be an audible voice you can actually hear with your ears, but once you learn to hear and understand His voice and how He speaks to you, you begin to realize that He speaks to you all the time in many different ways (John 10:27).

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God is persistent. He has a plan and a purpose for your life. He will continue to woo you in the direction He wants you to go (Proverbs 19:21).
God doesn’t need us to fix ourselves before we come to Him. We can’t anyway. We simply go to Him, give ourselves to Him, and then He does the fixing. If you are waiting until you’re “better” or “right” or “good” to go to Him, please stop right now. You’re wasting precious time. Just tell Him you want Him to take over your life. Tell Him you believe in Him and want Him as your Savior. He does the rest.
Obey – immediately! (James 4:17)

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Be still and be quiet (Psalm 46:10, Exodus 14:14). God doesn’t scream and shout and stomp His feet. If you aren’t still and quiet, you’ll miss what He has to say.
Turn towards God. That is what He wants – your permission to take control of your life.

My journey wasn’t in vain. I know this. God has shown me. It happened for me – to save me, and it happened for you – to save you. You need to know that God is right there. You need to know that whatever you did wasn’t so bad that He doesn’t want you. You need to know that you haven’t gotten too far away from Him. HE’S RIGHT THERE WITH YOU! HE LOVES YOU. HE WANTS YOU*.

Talk to Him. Read about Him. Write to Him. Ask trusted Christians about Him.

He’s got a journey to take you on, too.

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*I typed this post last night and then got up this morning to read “Day 21: He is Immanuel” in O Come Let Us Adore Him: A Study for Advent by Kristin Schumucker and Cara Cobble Trantham. The last few sentences seemed to echo what I described here, so I’d like to share them:

“Immanuel means ‘God with us.’ It is one of the most profound and mysterious names of our God. It displays His greatness and power as He is the almighty and eternal God. Yet it also displays His humility and love for us personally. He is the almighty God who has chosen to come and dwell with us…He came to dwell with us for us. Immanuel – God with us is an invitation to us. It is a reminder that we can come to Him because He has come to us. it is a reminder that this personal and glorious relationship was initiated by Him when He humbled Himself to be a baby in a manger. It is a reminder that no matter what lies ahead, He will never leave us. Our God is with us.”

How does God talk to you? How do you know His voice? How did you learn that it was Him? What has He shown you on your faith-journey with Him?