It’s spring break here in Oregon. Which means one thing where I live and that’s mostly rain. Every few weeks we get one really gorgeous day to tease our senses and leave us hoping for spring.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! 2 Corinthians 5:17

Spring always reminds me of this verse. God’s promise that He is making a new creation in us and the old has gone. As barren trees produce new buds, empty flowerbeds spring forth with new life, and the birds sing a new song, God reminds us what lays ahead of us.

Hope.

What does spring mean to you? Do you see hope? Or something else? Share in the comments.

Don’t forget to enter the Giveaway for the 31 day devotional, Trailing After God.

PS: Those are our ducklings. Photo copyrighted.

Spiky pink hair. Hands raised in worship. Drums. Clapping. Dancing. Shouting. Clothes with holes. Dirt. Tattoos. Too much skin showing.

Just a small list of things folks complain about at church. They’re often referred to as distractions.

I can’t concentrate on worship when I see that.

I think it’s disgusting when people wear that or do that to their body.

I’d like to challenge you today if this thought has ever crossed your mind during a church service.

Whose problem is the distraction anyway? Who’s responsible for it? Is it truly the one doing the distracting? Or is the one being distracted responsible?

Let your eyes look straight ahead, fix your gaze directly before you. Proverbs 4:25

In this verse King David is telling us to keep our focus straight ahead, focused on God. We can apply this to church attendance. Are our eyes wandering because we don’t have our eyes fixed on the King of Kings? Once the eyes wander, so does the mind.

and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. 2 Corinthians 10:5

If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. Matthew 5:29

Ouch. Matthew certainly didn’t mince words. Gouging out your own eye is pretty extreme. By telling us to gouge out our own eye for sinning, Matthew brings the responsibility back on the owner of the eyeball. Bummer. It’s so much easier to place blame somewhere else.

When distractions come at church, and they will, it is your responsibility to refocus your attention. Stop watching the distracting person. Pray for God to help you focus on Him. Change seats if you need to. Change your attitude.

• That woman dancing, clapping, and/or raising her hands in praise. Maybe she’s thrilled to finally be able to worship. She’s happy and rejoicing. Rejoice with her.

• That guy’s mohawk or her pink hair. It’s just hair. Get over it.

• That gal three seats over showing too much skin. Give her the benefit of the doubt. She may not have fully given her heart to Christ yet. She could be seeking. Maybe she really doesn’t know why she should cover up a bit more. Instead of judging her, perhaps you could befriend her. While it may be offensive or distracting to our sensibilities, God made our bodies naked. Satan brought sin and shame to them. *This is a whole other topic – Yes, I think modesty is important but hearts are more important. * Are You A Temptation To Other Men?

• That guy with dirty clothes. Maybe he just got off work and came straight to church. Maybe he walked in off the street. Is it more important that he’s clean or at service? It’s just dirt, get over it. Were the disciples who walked with Jesus clean? I bet they were dusty with dirty feet much of the time. *I touch on this subject here >> Do You Prepare Your Heart Or Your Appearance For Church

Church isn’t a haven for the perfect but a hospital for the hurting.

Let’s set our eyes and our hearts on Jesus when we get to church tomorrow. Now that we’ve discussed this topic, be prepared for some distractions. Satan’s going to tempt you to pay attention to human flesh instead of the Holy Spirit. Don’t let that happen!

In Him,

Don’t forget to enter the Giveaway for Holley Gerth’s new book,

One of the things I enjoy most is encouraging others. That’s where this whole site started from. Real paper cards are one of the simplest ways we can encourage one another. It can be fairly inexpensive.

I have been blessed a couple of times to receive a prize packet of cards from DaySpring. And I joined their Heart Connection Card Club as well, so not only do I have beautiful cards to send out, I also have their lovely organizer that comes with your first pack of cards (which are also free) for free when you join.

Who doesn’t love getting a card in the mail? Especially when that person takes the time to hand write something special just to you on the inside?

It’s rare these days to even get a hand written letter. So, if you want to encourage someone today, send a card or write a letter. It doesn’t cost much to let them know you are thinking of them.

Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.1 Thessalonians 5:11

*Don’t worry, I am working on the shame series!

** This is not an affiliate link and I was not asked to do a review Just passing on good info!**

Since the topic of prayer comes up so much in the lives of Christians everywhere, today we’ll focus on some tips for praying.

I’m often surprised by how many folks tell me that they don’t remember to pray and it’s an area of their faith they struggle with.

Tips for Prayer

• When someone asks for prayer, do it right then and there. This can be tough for those of us who don’t feel really comfortable praying out loud but if you want someone to know that you will do what you say, do it. If it’s a serious situation, you don’t want to forget to pray later and it’s a huge benefit to the individual going through a tough spot. It makes us feel very special when someone stops everything to pray right then and there.

• Find a time of day each day for prayer. It doesn’t matter where you pray, could be in the shower, driving (just don’t close your eyes),when you first wake in the morning or as you lay down for bed each night. Having a set time of day every day will make this an easy habit.
• Keep a list of prayers. I have a dear friend who keeps prayer cards in her pockets, rubber banded together. They are always with her and she goes through them at least once per day, usually more. Her prayer cards are a tad bigger than a match book, making them fit easily into her pockets. Find a way that works for you to keep track of prayer requests. Don’t forget to write down the answers to prayer too! A small journal is a great way to keep track and to look back on.
• Set reminders in your phone or computer. Does someone have a surgery coming up that they want prayer for? Schedule it and set the reminder in your phone or computer calendar so you won’t forget. I do this all the time and it helps me stay on top of those requests I might otherwise forget.
• Pick a trigger to remind you to pray. Have something you want to pray fervently and frequently about? Choose a trigger item, such as, a certain color you see or each time you go to a sink in the house, you stop and pray. Sounds silly, but it does work!
• Team up for accountability. Find someone who is willing to get together to pray with you or someone who will remind you to pray each day. But only do this if someone reminding you won’t become annoying.
• Write it on your calendar or sticky notes. Just simply write the word PRAY where you will see it regularly.

Do you have tips for prayer? What works best for you? Is prayer an area you struggle with? Feel free to share in the comments box below.

Pray without ceasing. 1 Thessalonians 5:17