Baby Steps

{ Side note:  How cute is 11-month-old Emerson? }

In a recent post I mentioned this quote from Francis Chan:

"We should be terrified if we have mastered the art of becoming convicted and doing nothing in response."

The Holy Spirit is really using this idea and truth to move forward and be changed--with baby steps.  Here are some little things I've done in the last week or so...

Unhappy with my post-pregnancy times FOUR body.  Instead of just complaining and talking myself down in the mirror (or completely avoiding it altogether), I'm exercising.  Yes, exercising.  This is a foreign concept to me in my married life, so it is a welcome change.  John is doing P90X so I thought I would just tag along with him.  UM NO... I would be setting myself up for failure at this stage in the game.  Instead, I've completed 5 days of Jillian Michael's 30-day shred level 1--much more reasonable for this out of shape gal.  I'm also adding to that (starting yesterday) the couch to 5K program which will boost my cardio three days a week--it's doable.

I find myself complaining when I look back at when we first started attending our church.  Everyone was really friendly and welcoming at first, but then when you get to be a familiar face you don't tend to "stick out" as much and it's easy to just get lost in the crowd.  Well, you guessed it, it's time to stop complaining and do something about it.  I need to get out of MY comfort zone and help encourage others at church--that's part of what the body of Christ is for.  I met a great couple that I went over to say hi to after the evening service and their daughter and emma hit it off right away! Looking forward to seeing them again and hopefully remembering their names!  I'm also trying to look for little ways to help.  I picked up an older lady's purse and bible off the floor which she had set down in order to put on her coat.  It's little things.

I've been avoiding conviction.  After Malachi died I went into this weird zone where I just didn't want to be changed.  Change is hard and I had started making an idol out of "easiness" if that's even possible.  It was clearly sin because I was avoiding church, I was avoiding prayer, and I was avoiding reading my Bible--all avenues for the Holy Spirit to be working in the life of a believer.  It had been nagging on me, but I tried to ignore it as best I could.  It finally came to a head a couple Sundays ago when pastor was preaching on Extravagant Worship.  (His series on Extreme Christianity has been a great blessing to my spiritual life).  We've also been going through the book Idols of the Heart in a ladies' bible study and this last lesson it was stressed that we must know the true God of the Bible (as opposed to an image of God we've created in our mind to suit our desires).  I need to know God.  So, my baby step for this... working through the book and study guide of Knowing God by J.I. Packer. 

Feel free to drop me a note and remind me to stay focused on these things.  Where are you struggling?  Need to be encouraged?  I know I can use all the prayer and encouragement people are willing to send my way!  If you feel led to share but don't want it to be posted for all eyes to see, head up to the "contact" tab above the posts and use the e-mail form that can be found there.  Be changed!