Daily Challenge #10

We've each been blessed with the ability to be creative. It's truly a God-given gift. Too often we tend to rely on others to come up with new ideas or events. Lately my life feels so busy and rushed that I don't have time to sit and create. It's like playing for adults. When is the last time you created something really cool? I can't really remembe the last time I used this gift which has been so graciously given to me.

 

So our challenge today is to create something. Some of you are very creative in the kitchen (not my gift, but I appreciate it in others). Some of you are great at making cards or beautiful envelopes. Some can paint or draw. Some make clothes from pieces of materials. Some are gifted photographers. Some of you are graphic designers. Some of you can create love notes to those whom you cherish. Some of you might need to sit down with your kids or friends and create a path through the woods. Some of you may need to create a path through your garage so that you stop tripping over the debris. (PICK ME, PICK ME!!) 

 

I'm creating garage sale signs and a craigslist ad for our garage sale on Saturday. Anyone have anything you want to contribute to our garage sale? Just checking.

 

Open yourself up to something new and exciting. Get out of the old ways - try something new! You might just realize that you're more talented than you ever expected. God wants to display His creativity through you. Maybe you need to ask Him what He wants to do through you. It might be a good start.

 

-tanya

 

Daily Challenge #9

Your challenge today is to give someone a hug and let them know that you really appreciate them. Let them know that they matter to you.

 

Good luck.

Daily Challenge #7

Another day is upon us.

 

Our pastors was preaching on John Wesley. John Wesley is the founder of the Methodist denomination. John met with a group of buddies each week to discuss life. The following are questions these men would ask each other on a weekly basis.

 

Am I consciously or unconsciously creating the impression that I am better than I really am? In other words, am I a hypocrite?

 

Do I confidentially pass on to others what has been said to me in confidence?

 

Can I be trusted?

 

Am I a slave to dress, friends, work or habits?

 

Am I self-conscious, self-pitying, or self-justifying?

 

Did the Bible live in me today?

 

Do I give the Bible time to speak to me every day?

 

Am I enjoying prayer?

 

When did I last speak to someone else of my faith?

 

Do I pray about the money I spend?

 

Do I get to bed on time and get up on time?

 

Do I disobey God in anything?

 

Do I insist upon doing something about which my conscience is uneasy?

 

Am I defeated in any part of my life?

 

Am I jealous, impure, critical, irritable, touchy or distrustful?

 

How do I spend my spare time?

 

Am I proud?

 

Do I thank God that I am not as other people, especially as the Pharisees who despised the publican?

 

Is there anyone whom I fear, dislike, disown, criticize, hold resentment toward or disregard? If so, what am I doing about it?

 

Do I grumble or complain constantly?

 

Is Christ real to me?

 

So for the Daily Challenge #7, we each need to write down 5 of the questions in our journals and answer them honestly. I'll answer two, but keep the other 3 for myself.

 

Am I jealous, impure, critical, irritable, touchy or distrustful? yes.

Am I defeated in any part of my life?  yes.

 

The Lord, Troy &  I are working on these together. I'm grateful for a husband who can shoulder my foolishness.

 

-tanya

Daily Challenge #8

Happy New Year!

 

Every year about this time my seasonal affective disorder (SAD) kicks my butt. I've struggled with it since I was a little kid. These are some of the symptoms:

Less energy and ability to concentrate in the afternoon

Loss of interest in work or other activities

Slow, sluggish, lethargic movement

Social withdrawal

Unhappiness and irritability

The only thing which seems to help is escaping to somewhere warm and sunny. It's an automatic cure. So this last Friday,  Troy and I went on a little adventure to Florida. Hanging out with our friends was awesome. Seeing the ocean, walking through the sand, and picking up shells was a pleasant treat. It was good for me, but unfortunately coming back to 17° temperatures places a little damper on it the fix. So here I am back in Atlanta, about to embark on another blissful day at work.

 

So what should the challenge for today be?

 

Write down 10 things which make you smile.

 

My list:

Sunshine

Adventures

Making new friends

A good roadtrip

Someone to share an adventure with

Cheerwine

Laughter

A hope for the future

Heat

Hot water

Daily Challenge #6

Merry Christmas to you.

 

Hope you're filled with the spirit of generosity, patience, and self-control.

As Christmas quickly approaches, the challenge for this day is to put down all your electronic throughout the Christmas break. Get away from all the gadgets, so that you can spend time with your family and friends. Pull out a board game and play it with someone. Refrain from playing all those Facebook games during this extended break. Turn off the TV and computer. Make time to accomplish tasks around your house which you have been avoiding. Make a cup of tea, then sit and enjoy it in quiet. Find ways to relax – without filling your mind with mindless activities all by yourself. Get others involved.

 

Don't let this Christmas season slip by without giving 'Thanks' to the One who is the giver of all good gifts. (Matthew 7:11) Spend some quiet moments enjoy the presence of your Father in Heaven. Get away from all the distraction so that He can speak to you. Listen for His voice. You may be blow away at what He says to you.

 

But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Luke 2:10

Daily Challenge #5

Good morning,

Are you ready for another Daily Challenge?

As Christmas approaches, our church always focuses outside of our church walls to see where there is need in the world. And since my passions involves world missions, I wanted you to join me a little challenge to make a difference in the lives of those outside of America.

I'm inviting for you to adopt a country for a week.  I want for you to investigate the needs of whatever country you choose. Google the country to see what news has happened there recently. Look up what the houses look like in this country. Find pictures of the people of this country - get to know them. Find out where the kids go to school.  Look up who a missionary is in this country. Email the missionary - send them a word of encouragement.

 

This is the real challenge: to pray. Pray for the country's leaders. Pray for the Spirit of the Lord to release His liberty and salvation over this country. Pray for the Christians in this country to stand up for Christ. Pray for the missionaries to be guarded against the devil's schemes. Pray for the children to be protected from sexual explotation.

 

Here's a great resource to help with this:

Operation World 

This link is a website which allows people to pray each day for a different country around the world. It offers information about each country and various needs of Christians in those countries.

 

I'm choosing the country of Azerbaijan, which sits in between Russia and Iran. When I was in high school, I was signed up to go on a mission trip to Azerbaijan, but it was canceled due to the political unrest in the country. I still would love to visit there, to see what the people in the capitol of Baku eat, what their homes look like, where the kids go to school, how they respond to wealth or poverty, etc.

 

I would love to hear which country you have chosen to adopt for the week.

 

-tanya

 

 

Daily Challenge #4

Daily Challenge #4

Clutter: (verb) to run in disorder, (noun) to fill or scatter with disordered things that impede movement or reduce effectiveness

My house is the epitome of this description. With 5 people living in a smaller house, we tend to spill over into every area of our living space. Here's an example: the Christmas tree takes up ¼ of our dining room. We also have a desk in the dining room for homework. I have a rather large plant stand in the dining room, because that room gets the most light. We have a round 4-person table with spinning chairs in the dining room. Carson usually likes to drive his cars in the dining room, because it has wood floors. Our shoes tend to end up in the dining room, because the front door opens into it. We usually eat dinner in the dining room together as a family. Oh, there is also a small book shelf to stash pencils and paper and a dictionary and cards. That's just one room. There's just STUFF all over.

So today's challenge is to find an area in your house which needs sorting. Perhaps it's the fridge or a closet. Perhaps every room in house needs a little sorting (like mine). Whatever the case, try a little de-cluttering.

When our house gets out of control, it feels like our moods seem to follow. Troy and I do best when things are set in a specific place. Troy is good at making sure things stay tidy; it's me who tends to create piles and stacks. Our bedroom is the perfect example. I have my clothes laying folding in piles on the floor, and he's really great about putting all his clothes away in drawers or on hangers.

It's good for the soul to do some cleaning.

Remember: Give, Keep, Toss – the 3 keys words to sorting anything.

Tanya

Daily Challenge #3

Good morning,

 

It's early. The sun has not even risen, and I'm already eager to send out this challenge.

 

I was reading something this morning and wanted to share it with you.

 

"There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. " 1 John 4:18

 

"You may say to yourselves, "These nations are stronger than we are. How can we drive them out?" ¹⁸ But do not be afraid of them; remember well what the LORD your God did to Pharaoh and to all Egypt. ¹⁹ You saw with your own eyes the great trials, the signs and wonders, the mighty hand and outstretched arm, with which the LORD your God brought you out. The LORD your God will do the same to all the peoples you now fear. ²⁰ Moreover, the LORD your God will send the hornet among them until even the survivors who hide from you have perished. ²¹ Do not be terrified by them, for the LORD your God, who is among you, is a great and awesome God." Deut. 7:17-21

 

What is it that you fear? What do you worry about? Where does your anxiety stem from? What is it in your life that is causing you to feel overwhelmed? Finances? Loneliness? Marriage troubles? Career decisions? Kids? Lack of kids? Bad habit or addiction?

 

There are 2 things for me: one is a financial strain, and two is a constant struggle to guide/train our boys to maturity in their faith and wisdom. So I need to memorize this verse for the confidence that comes in knowing that the God, who is with me (Emmanuel), will drive out my fear. I can be made complete in love when I trust in Him to meet my needs. Fear is a trust issue. Just a reminder that the Lord (the baby Jesus born in a barn) is a great and awesome God, powerful enough to drive out whatever is causing me pain and hurt and worry.

 

 

So our Challenge today is the memorize 1 John 4:18. Grab your journal and write it down. Think about the verse. Meditate on it - Envision God driving out your fears. Imagine him taking care of whatever your are worried about. Talk to him about what's bothering you.

 

"There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. " 1 John 4:18

 

May you be released from the pain, hurt, and worry that evade your peace.

 

May you have enough courage to trust the GREAT and AWESOME God to deal with whatever is bothering you this day.

Daily Challenge #2

Good morning to you.

 

Hope you survived another Thanksgiving. We had a nice time with our family. Love when the grandparents and relatives take the kiddos for a few days!

 

I've been overwhelmed by how many people are responding to this daily challenge. People are coming out of the woodwork to be part of this community of friends.

 

Daily Challenge #2:

 

At the top of your first page in your journal write the words: "I am..."

 

Then ponder all the things you are. Write them down. Don't be afraid to use some honesty.

 

For me, the first things that comes to mind:

Hard-headed.

Stubborn.

Frustrated.

Hopeful.

Stressed.

Intelligent.

Mom.

Daughter.

Friend.

Worker.

Christian.

35.

Hungry.

Desiring something more out of life.

Loved.

 

This is who you are, faults and all... and God loves you for who you are. After you come to place where you feel like stopping, say a prayer over this list, thanking God for your life, or maybe a plea for some help that we may look more like Jesus.

 

Jesus,

Thanks for my life - short-comings and all. Help me to develop into the person You desire for me to be.

In Your Name ~ Amen.

 

"See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! " 1 John 3.1

 

Have a great day!

 

 

Daily Challenge #1

Good morning, Friend,

Happy early Thanksgiving to you. Having our kids out of school this week has reminded me how much I used to enjoy getting the time off from school during the holidays. Admittedly, I still look forward to getting a few days off from work!

What are your plans for the holiday?

You may already be aware of this little thing called 'Daily Challenge' Each day (or a couple of times a week depending how chaotic my life gets) I'll email out a Daily Challenge. These challenges range from attempting to do some exercise to writing a thank you note to a friend.

Lately my ears and heart have been filled by stories of others who are feeling worthless and down. I definitely have my struggles as well. My heart is heavy with these stories. I'm praying these little challenges will offer some hope and a purpose for each of us. Hopefully they will become a flicker of hope.

So with that being said, our first challenge is… (Drum roll, please.)

To acquire a blank notebook: It doesn't need to be anything fancy. It can simply be a 3-ring binder with loose leaf papers or a $.59 spiral notebook from the grocery store. This notebook will be used to jot down thoughts/ideas along the journey.

I'll be posting these Daily Challenges on my blog

Http://beautifuladventure.blogspot.com. If you have any comments regarding the challenge, I'd love to hear about them on my blog.

Until next time,

Tanya