I Can’t Do This

What Do You Think? Wednesday

In the early morning hours trying to put me and some projects to bed I told God “I can’t do this” as I folded laundry while I waited for double-sided papers to come through the printer. This was 2 a.m. when I was still organizing activities so my expanding writing and speaking ministry fit with my ever so steady wife and mommy ministry. Holding up a towel, I said, “I’m good doing this. I can do this. I know how to do this.” Then in my spirit I knew that was the problem. I’m comfortable in my homemaking role and that of supporting my husband and caring for my children. This I have done full-time for five and a half years, the last three with very little outside of the home ministry. But God has shifted me and I feel that shift in my spirit. I know it’s time to move beyond my walls and blog; I have to follow God’s call, even—especially—when it seems impossible. He operates there, wanting His strength to be made perfect in our weakness so we know just who did what we did (2 Corinthians 12:9). I exist for God’s glory (Revelation 4:11). I must follow His story for my life. How about you?

In what ways have you been hesitant to move beyond your comfort zone and into the greater things God has for you?

Copyright 2011 by Rhonda J. Smith

God’s Grace in the Pace

His calendar was full, no room for extras and that seemed to mean no room for extras for me. But I had extras, too. My husband worked his 9-5 each day and on Monday he taught at night; Tuesday he studied at night; Wednesday he administrated at night; Thursday he met at night; Friday he ran a program at night; and Saturday he ran out of gas and I ran out of memory. It was a marathon week, with Flynn gone and me doing an interview and writing a speech on top of my blogging and daily homemaking and childrearing duties. Even with our race we didn’t feel misplaced. We know that God extended His grace to get us through the week and keep us on good terms with some of our best friends who we completely forgot we were supposed to hang out with Saturday evening.

I felt awful that I forgot, that I disappointed my friends and wouldn’t have the pleasure of their company, hers in particular, that I had been looking forward to all month. I felt awful that I felt awful and couldn’t push my body to have dinner with her, to have a moment reminiscent of our pre-children leisurely lunches. My friend didn’t snap at me, but forgave me, knowing that forgetting “is not something that you do.” She knew the week was a lot and she knew me a lot better. I needed her grace, especially after my website went down and it was hard for me to calm down about it. With the help of my webmaster and a hired one, my site was back up within a few hours and should be completely up-to-date soon. All is God’s grace. I say a BIG THANK YOU to God for His grace. This is the only thing that will keep you, no matter what your pace.

My One Thousand Gifts List

#31-40
Finishing my blog post uninterrupted
God for giving me a blog post
My husband for cooking
A relaxing day
A productive day
That my children like fruit
Not having to cook dinner
Another snow day
The Michigan Right to Life (RTL) Speaker Series
Being able to attend the RTL Life Speaker Series event at church alone

Copyright 2011 by Rhonda J. Smith

Beyond the Blog

God’s grace has taken me to some new places lately. Here is a list of a few of my upcoming activities. I would love for you to support me, by reading, listening and especially praying for me and the people God wants to reach.

  • Today, check out my interview with Deanetta Thompson in her Christian Women Lifestyle Xpress magazine about my Christian walk and my new book Daily Guideposts: Your First Year of Motherhood.
  • Wednesday, I will speak with the transitioning women of the L.I.F.T. Women’s Resource Center about “The Power of Motherhood.”
  • Thursday at 3 p.m., I will be live on the Equipped for Life radio broadcast with Pastor Christopher W. Brooks (my pastor) on 1500 AM in Detroit and at www.faithtalk1500.com on the Internet.
  • Friday, I get to fellowship with members of Master’s Bible Chapel, where I will present a poem for their Mothers’ Day gathering.
  • For the LORD God is our sun and our shield. He gives us grace and glory. The LORD will withhold no good thing from those who do what is right.—Psalm 84:11 (NLT).

    I desire that in me His grace and glory will abound, all for His glory.

    Copyright 2011 by Rhonda J. Smith

    Friday Feature: The Benefits of Juicing

    Because of problems with my website, this post didn’t come through on Friday. Here it is for your good health:

    When I was little, school didn’t always come easy to me like with my sister. Sharon could see something and immediately get it. Some concepts just didn’t make sense to me, like long division. I had to work hard to master those difficult areas, but once I got it I got it. I think that’s what has finally happened to me with juicing.

    Juicing has been beneficial to me in so many ways. About four years ago I planned to make juicing a daily part of my diet. Examining my progress, I probably have juiced for a total of about a half a year over the last four years. Yup, pretty pitiful when I know that I always look and feel better when I juice. But this week, I have juiced a total of six out of seven days, something I have not ever done, and I feel great. I think this is my master week and I hope I am committed for life.

    To help you get committed for life (a lifetime) and life (prosperous health), let me share with you a few benefits of juicing:

    Get in your daily requirement of fruits and vegetables. With the change in government recommendations, we should be eating about 2 ½ cups of vegetables and 1 ½ cups of vegetables for a total of at least a total of five. Most of us don’t have the time or desire to eat that amount. When I juice I get in at least eight fruits and veggies a drink.

    Get nutrients quickly into your body. It doesn’t take long for your body to digest juice so the nutrients get in your bloodstream faster.

    Have more energy. When you get juice in your system quickly you get energy faster and you have it longer because your body is not working overtime to digest heavy foods. This is energy you can use to get your work done.

    Consume less calories without receiving less nutrients. When you juice you are not consuming the bulk you would when eating fruits and vegetables. Also, juicing fills you up so you won’t have room to eat as much solid food. You also get the nutrients that are killed with cooked food.

    Detoxify while getting nutrients. Sometimes people like to do water only fasts. This definitely helps to detoxify your system, but a juice fast is gentler on your system, detoxifying a little slower while still feeding your cells God’s goodness.

    Have an internal and external skin tonic. Juicing cleanses your organs, operating as an internal tonic. When your inside is clean, your outside beams. So, essentially, the internal tonic provides an external tonic effect.

    Give your digestive system a rest. As stated earlier, when you juice your digestive system doesn’t have to work as hard. Juicing helps your parts recover from their normal hard work.

    Preserve your body’s enzymes. When you juice you get a number of enzymes to help your body digest foods. Without adding enzymes, your body will tap into its reserve, depleting your natural levels. Enzymes also seem to help slow the aging process (Gabriel Cousens, M.D. in Power Juices Super Drinks, by Steve Meyerowitz).

    As always, there is much more I could say, but I hope this inspires you to do further research so your body will be at its optimum so you can complete the optimum amount of work for the Kingdom of God.

    Copyright 2011 by Rhonda J. Smith

    High Tech Eternal Life

    What Do You Think? Wednesday

    In the garden he lurked, slithering through seeds of doubt to plant some right in Eve’s heart. She watered the seed and ate the no-no fruit, looking forward to being just like God. And she gave it to Adam and he ate it too, and they realized just how human they were.

    This story continues, in our lives as we seek to replace God with demonic notions and human emotions that lead us out of our creature place. We tend to forget, or have yet to believe, that there is only one who died, conquered death and the grave and gave us eternal life through belief in Him—Jesus Christ. Some get it twisted and insist they have a better way:

    “Literature has been the salvation of the damned, literature has inspired and guided lovers, routed despair and can perhaps in this case save the world.” – John Cheever

    “The salvation of mankind lies only in making everything the concern of all.” – Alexander Solzhenitsyn

    “The salvation of this human world lies nowhere else than in the human heart, in the human power to reflect, in human meekness and human responsibility.” – Vaclav Havel

    “The Singularity is an era in which our intelligence will become increasingly nonbiological and trillions of times more powerful than it is today—the dawning of a new civilization that will enable us to transcend our biological limitations and amplify our creativity.”—Ray Kurzweil

    Now Kurzweil and others believe in a high-tech eternal life that only a few will achieve: “The Promise of the Rapture for the High-Tech Elite.” I wonder what they will say when they too realize just how human they are. What do you think about this? In what ways have you insisted that you have a better way than God?

    Copyright 2011 by Rhonda J. Smith