A Big Announcement!

I am excited to announce that I have just signed with 5 Fold Media in New York to have my second book published!  “Ask Me About My Jesus”, will be released this coming fall/winter and will be a 90 day devotional book.  God gave me this title almost four years ago. He has been working out the details ever since and it finally all came together last week.

I feel that there are many people today who may be Christians, but really don’t have a personal, vibrant relationship with Jesus.  I also believe there are many who think they are Christians because their ancestors were, and are expecting to spend eternity in Heaven on the shirttails of their parents.  Both scenarios trouble me deeply.  You see, I was raised in a Christian home and became a believer at a very young age, but didn’t understand for many years that I was the only person who could be responsible for my relationship with my Jesus.  I couldn’t hide behind my long Christian heritage or expect my Christian husband to learn and grow for me.  I had to accept the fact that I alone am accountable for how vibrant my walk is and I must be ready and willing to tell those with whom I come in contact about my Jesus.  

I am praying that this book will speak to both groups…those whose walk needs strengthening and those who haven’t even begun a personal relationship yet with Jesus.  Would you be willing to join me in this prayer?  The days ahead will be filled with writing, re-writing, deadlines and many, many decisions. I really covet your prayers that my eyes will stay focused on Him and that He will begin to prepare the hearts of those who will read this book. 

If you will commit to pray for this book project with me, please let me know by sending your name and e-mail address to luannfulton@gmail.com.  You will then be added to my prayer list and I will periodically send you updates and current prayer requests associated with this process.  I want this book bathed in prayer from the beginning because we all know that without Him…nothing is possible…but WITH Him…all things are possible!

Monday Morning Memo: Simple, But So Powerful

In just a few hours our home will be very quiet.  Way. Too. Quiet.  The reason is that our grandsons, ages one and almost three, will be going home after spending the last week with us.  We have looked so forward to having them spend these days here and now they are over.   These two boys just bring an abundance of joy to us and we love soaking up every moment that we can with them.

I have learned some things from them this past week.  First of all, I learned that these two little boys have way more energy than I do!  I now know that there is a reason why most of us have our children when we are younger, because keeping up with them at my age is, at times, difficult. 

Secondly, I was reminded that for some reason, a grandma has way more time to play with her grandchildren than she ever had to play with her own children.  With my own children, many of life’s other stresses were always pressing in on me, but as a grandma, my “maturity” has taught me that there are few things more important than being with them.  When my grandson says, “Come on grandma…let’s go play!” it usually doesn’t take me long to drop whatever I am doing and become like a child again playing make believe.

Third, I saw and heard with my own eyes and ears how children’s minds are like sponges.  It just amazes me what they can absorb and learn at such a young age.  I shared on Facebook this past week a conversation that I had with our oldest grandson, Elias, as we ate dinner one evening.  Out of the blue, he looked at me and said,

“Grandma! Jesus is alive!”
Me: “Yes He is Eli…isn’t that wonderful?”
Elias: “Yes! We are all sinners Grandma, but Christ Jesus came to save sinners and He died and now He is alive!”

I sat there amazed that such a young little boy had grasped so much truth.  The next day, he once again looked at me and said, “Grandma, did you know that Mary had a baby in her tummy and it was baby Jesus?  And then later, Jesus rode on a donkey!”  Then my heart swelled when numerous times this past week when we sat down to eat, Elias said, “I’ll pray, I’ll pray!”  He would then bow his head, fold his hands and thank Jesus for our food.  Oh how wonderful that the truths of God’s Word are being instilled in this precious boy by his parents and by dedicated adults who teach him each week at his church.

This made me realize that I think that too often, we make sharing with others about our Jesus way too complicated.  We fret and stew and worry about what theological words we can muster to make sure someone knows the exact timetable and chronological order of Jesus’ lineage.  Unfortunately, sometimes we get ourselves so worked up and scared that we aren’t going to say the right thing…that we decide to not just say anything at all.  When really, all we would have to say is “Hey, did you know that we are all sinners, but Christ Jesus came to save sinners like you and me?  He died and now He is alive!”  Simple…but oh so powerful.

We read in Matthew 18:2-4, “Jesus called a little child to him and put the child among them.  Then he said, “I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven.  So anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.”  I think it just might be time to pay more attention to those little children around us and learn from their innocent example.  They aren’t worried that they might say something wrong…they are just thrilled to share what they know.  I find that so refreshing.

By the way, I learned one more thing this past week.  I learned that the mood and attitude of little boys can greatly improve by the simple act of taking an afternoon nap.  I think I may just have to learn from them in this area also and take a nap in my way-too-quiet house today J

Monday Morning Memo: Are You Serious?

I feel like I would really be amiss if I don’t take this opportunity to congratulate April on the birth of her son.  What an accomplishment.  Any female, who has endured a 15-month pregnancy and then delivered a 6-foot, 150-pound baby, is surely due some admiration.  I thought my pregnancies and deliveries were difficult, but they didn’t hold a candle to April’s.

If you are someone who clicks into the Internet at all…I’m sure you realize I am talking about April the giraffe from Upstate New York who finally gave birth on April 15th.  She became an Internet sensation almost two months ago when they began a live feed of her in her pen expecting that her delivery would be soon.  Instead, people have been watching a giraffe walk around her enclosure, day after day, week after week, with nothing happening that was newsworthy.  At its peak, April drew nearly five million viewers a day.  It has been reported that there were viewers who were glued to their computer screen for hours because they were afraid they would miss the birth if they turned away.  Several weeks ago, I took a few minutes to read some of the comments that were expressed under the live video and one woman said, “Oh, I’m sitting here in tears…hoping she will give birth today.”

Please forgive me, but all I can say is “Are you serious??  Are there really people on this earth that have nothing better to do in their day than spend hours watching a giraffe pace back and forth?”  Now, before I get nasty e-mails from some of you, I want you to know that I am an animal lover.  I’ve had several different kinds of pets in my life and I have taken very good care of all of them.  Granted, I have never owned a giraffe and maybe they are far superior to other kinds of animals, but I just can’t fathom that there has been this much hype over the birth of April’s fourth calf.

I just have to wonder what our world would be like if all of us were this excited about the second coming of Jesus.  What if there were five million of us who were “glued” to our Bibles…soaking in every word…and waiting in expectation for His arrival?  What if all of us woke up every morning in anticipation of what He might do through us in the next 24 hours.  What if our goal each day would be to make sure we told one more person about our Jesus, knowing that today could be the day that He returns. 

We have just come through Holy Week, when I hope that each of us, in between all of the Easter egg hunts and family gatherings, took at least a few minutes to reflect on the sacrifice that was given for us.  Jesus gave His all…allowing himself to be nailed to a cross for your sins and for mine.  Then, three days later, He rose from the dead so that you and I have the opportunity to serve a living Savior and spend eternity with Him.     

Dear friends, if a giraffe walking in a pen can get us excited…how much more should these events with our Jesus touch us to our core and make a difference in how we live today.  Just as I had to say, “Are you serious?” about people’s infatuation over the giraffe…I have to ask, “Are you serious?” about living for the risen King?   Let’s make sure that our eyes are glued on Him as we anxiously await His arrival!

 “You also must be ready all the time,

for the Son of Man will come when least expected.”

Matthew 24:44

Monday Morning Memo: Today's Choices

I love to eat.  Now I know that the word “love” is used way too often these days because we use the same word for many different things…but I really think, in this instance…”love” is the correct word.  I’ve talked to people who only eat when they are hungry and I’m sorry, but that just doesn’t make sense to me.  There are many times when I sit down to eat when if I’m honest, I’m really not very hungry, but I can still put away a fair amount of food.  Mentally I know that that probably isn’t a good thing, but my taste buds are usually watering in anticipation of just about any meal.

Because of this, losing weight isn’t always easy.  I, like others I suspect, have good intentions on controlling what goes in my mouth, but then something chocolate jumps in front of me and my self control isn’t always what it should be.  Some days I can resist the temptation…some days I can’t.  I think one reason I often fail in this area, is that I look too far ahead.  I tell myself that I want to lose a set amount of weight by a certain date and I may do well for a few days but then I either lose sight of the goal…or I just feel overwhelmed and give up.

Our pastor made a statement in his sermon a week ago yesterday, that I’ve been thinking about ever since.  I think it is a statement that can help me in this area of my life, along with my spiritual life too.  He said, "The future is a million little choices and it starts right now."  There is so much truth in that one sentence.  Whether it is trying to lose weight, or trying to get a project accomplished, or desiring to look more like my Jesus… the choices I make today will determine how successful I am in those endeavors. 

I think we often “over-think” how we are going to achieve our goal and during that over the top thinking…we can easily become overwhelmed.  We end up blowing it way out of proportion, making a mountain out of a molehill, and then frustration can easily take over.  I think we will be much more successful if we just make a point to think before we make today’s choices and not worry or fret about what decisions we will have to make tomorrow.

Whether it is making a choice to eat a piece of fruit instead of a candy bar…or focusing on marking off one of the things on our to-do list to move closer to finishing a project…or choosing to pick up our Bible instead of turning on the TV…our choices today will impact our overall health tomorrow.

So why not join me today in thinking before we make our choices.  As we are faced with decisions to make, let’s ask ourselves, “Will this choice move me closer to my goal, or further away?”  Remember that God is always willing and able to help us make the right decision.  I’m praying that this simple step will help all of us be much more successful in reaching the goals that God has set before us.

^“If you need wisdom, ask our generous God,

and he will give it to you.

He will not rebuke you for asking.

James 1:5

Monday Morning Memo: Getting The Job Done

My daughter was recently face timing with her almost 3-year-old nephew who is also my grandson, Elias.  She told him that he really needed a haircut.  His response was, “I think my grandma can do it.  She’ll get the job done.”  Oh how it warmed this grandma’s heart when I heard that I have the confidence of my grandson.  Of course while I was reveling in his words, Erica informed me that he learned his words from the Bob the Builder theme song.  I sure have a lot to learn about the present kids cartoons!

If you are like me and aren’t real familiar with the Bob the Builder theme song, some of the words are:

Bob the Builder Can we fix it? 
Bob the Builder Yes, we can! 

Scoop, Muck and Dizzy and Roley too 
Lofty and Wendy join the crew 

Pilchard and Bird, Travis and Spud

Playing together like good friends should

Bob the Builder Can we fix it? 
Bob the Builder Yes, we can! 

Hey! Time to get busy, such a lot to do 
Building and fixing till it's good as new 
Bob and the gang have so much fun 
Working together, they get the job done

As I read these words the other day, I thought about the fact that many of us adults would probably benefit from learning this song too.  First of all, it’s a good reminder that positivity can go far in helping us get things accomplished.  Unfortunately, as adults, we are more likely to say, “Can we fix it?  No, just not possible.  It’s going to take too much work, more money than we have, and besides…it’s not my turn to have to fix it!”  For many of us, our attitude could sure use some adjustment.

Secondly, this song lists the names of the characters and then talks about how well they play together “like good friends should”.  How refreshing.  As adults, this is a good reminder to us how important it is for us to strive to get along with those with whom God puts in our path.  Too often we only want to “play” with others only if we can get our own way.  Many of us can be fairly stubborn and we aren’t very good at cooperating with others on a day-to-day basis.  Think about how much more pleasant our lives would be if we just made an effort to get along with others “like good friends should”.

If we were intentional on getting along with others, we just might experience more fun in our lives just like Bob and the gang do.  They demonstrate the fact that working together CAN be fun and as a result, much can be accomplished while we work to get the job done.  Most of the time, if we just got busy and shared the workload, instead of wasting valuable time complaining, we could achieve great things.

I love the way that 1 Thessalonians 5:13-18 is worded in The Message.   It says, “Get along among yourselves, each of you doing your part. Our counsel is that you warn the freeloaders to get a move on. Gently encourage the stragglers, and reach out for the exhausted, pulling them to their feet. Be patient with each person, attentive to individual needs. And be careful that when you get on each other’s nerves you don’t snap at each other. Look for the best in each other, and always do your best to bring it out.”  Wow.  Wouldn’t the world be a much better place if we all lived out these words?  I think too often we are so self-absorbed that we neglect to even notice those around us.  That is a shame and a tragedy.

As we start another week, let’s focus on having a positive attitude as we work together to make a difference in the lives of those around us.  I’m guessing that we might even have fun, as good friends should, as we cooperate together to get the job done!