What to Wear Wednesday: Effective Living Makeover

Dear blog readers....I love you so much! Today I am preparing and packing as beginning tomorrow, I will be speaking 8 different times in the next 10 days, will be on 8 different airplanes on 8 different days, and that doesn't include any layovers and those additional planes. I can't keep up with that. I only know that this next week is going to be one of those crazy, frenzied, but prayerfully, God-honoring kind of week,

because without Him, I couldn't do what I do, nor be any good to anyone around me.

So I'm taking this day to remind you, as I have to remind myself to make sure we're living effectively. I found this old post from 2008 and think it's appropriate for today. I pray this is a gentle reminder for each of you.

Before you read this, I hope you'll mark your calenders to watch me "live" next Wednesday, April 13th on Focus on the Family's Webcast broadcast. Here is the link for that: CLICK HERE. I hope you'll support me in that and pray that God uses me for His glory.

Here's the post I found:

I know this is a fashion blog but as I was pulling out my journal today to begin praying over specific prayer requests I came across something from 2004. I attended a Leadership conference at The Billy Graham Cove led by  Pastor Jim White. As I was reading it I realized we all could use a little reminding of what he taught. He said the #1 most important thing for effective leadership is our personal spiritual life. That hit me because I had a conversation with a new friend last evening over an area in her life that is really bothering her. It actually has her not being able to get out of bed due to its depressing nature. As we talked we decided it may be as much a spiritual problem as physical. I know that when my spiritual life has not been watered I am dry, dry and end up depressed. When I spend time with God, He's in control instead of me feeling like I can do it all by myself.

You are a leader. I am a leader. We are all leading something. You don't have to have a ministry to lead. You don't even have to have a family. It starts with me. I have to lead "me" before I can lead anyone else. And if left to my own rotten self, my leading would pretty much be in the gutter. So here is some advice from Pastor James Emery White on how to do this:

1. Recognize that you are not spiritual. Know that you are not strong. All God's giants have been weak men and women.

2. You must have a STRONG resolve to stay connected to God. One of the first things to go is the personal care and attention to our own spiritual life. You must be intentional about it.

3. Develop a "rule" for your life and follow it. A rule is a set of disciplines-it's doing what it takes to live the life you want.

4. Bible: read it. But not just any reading. Spiritual formation comes when you read for reflection. The idea is to read the bible very slowly and contemplatively. Less volume-for more life change. You must listen deeply and then meditate on what you read then you pray thru to get what God is saying to you. "Feast" on a verse.

5. Pray. This is our inward movement toward God. This is when I lay out the inward pieces of my life and He returns them to me. It's when we praise, honor and thank Him. It's when I START my day with prayer that I open up my whole day to continual prayer. It's when I really do give Him the floor. I am tapping into the resources of heaven.

6. Silence and solitude. This must be part of the "rule". Go be by yourself. The great advantage of the evil one is to drown out our senses by outside noises...tv, music, movies, ipod. Fasting heightens our spiritual senses.

Retreat by yourself. There are 4 retreats you must take: Daily (quiet time), 1 per month (8 hours), 2 per year ( 36-48 hours) and an annual sabatical (3-5 days). Ask yourself, what do you do that puts gas in your tank? Go do that...alone.

A "rule" is a collected set of organized disciplines that we live by. These must be developed over time. The goal is to have Christ formed in you.

We are ALL called to provide spiritual leadership. For our families, our children, but first, for ourselves. I challenge you today to make some rules for yourself. Start slow. Spend some quiet time RIGHT NOW if you haven't already. If you're at work, get up and go to the restroom and be still...find a place at lunch today to be by yourself. If you're at home, get 5 minutes alone. You will be so glad you did....God is waiting.

 Now jump in His arms.

Beautiful Blessings to you my friends, Shari