I got a belated Christmas present this week that I absolutely love.

It’s one of those girly plaques that you put in the kitchen or on a shelf.

It says only 2 words: Yes Lord.

They are 2 words with a lifetime of meaning.

They are 2 words with that will cost you everything.

Without them your walk with the Lord is a sham.

But say them, and you can go anywhere, do anything, face anyone.

Say them quietly. Say them out loud. Say them alone. Say them with others.

Say them when you’re happy and content, say them when you’re hesitant and unsure.

But just make sure you say them again and again.

And again.

Two words that are the cry of my heart…Can you say them too?

Yes Lord.

Hope you’ve had a good week.

This week’s $25 gift card winner is: Katie Crofton. Email me at lina@livingwithpower.org to claim your gift.

Wanna win a $25 gift card? It’s easier than you think (and no, this is not an infomercial!). All you have to do is subscribe to this blog! Click here to do it and check for your name each Friday when I choose a winner from my subscribers.

Every Friday I’ve also started giving away $5 for each comment you leave. Simply answer this question:

My favorite television show is _____________.

(Yes, I know I blogged about television yesterday, but I can learn a lot about my readers from the show they watch!!).

On Fridays on Living with Power, I simply give things away.

There is a weekly $25 gift card give away to one of my lucky email subscribers. You can be a part of it by subscribing. Simply click here.

This week’s gift card winner is: ivy garven. Email me at lina@livingwithpower.org to claim your card!

A couple of weeks ago, I also started putting away $5 per comment each Friday towards a fund I’ve called the LWP Fund. You have helped me raise $625 so far. The goal of the fund is to meet needs. It may not feel like much of a fund yet, but it will grow with time. I posted more thoughts about this last week.

You can help in 2 ways: Continue Reading…

I get easily stumped.

I set out to do something but get discouraged when I don’t see results as quickly as I’d like.

I stumble and trip at the slightest stone in my path.

I find myself afraid. A lot.

Afraid of failing. Afraid of being hurt. Afraid of being rejected. Afraid of running out of money. Afraid of making a mistake. Afraid of what people will say. Afraid of missing out.

You get the point. I’m afraid a lot. Continue Reading…

Happy Friday everyone. I’m so ready for the weekend.

This has been a big week for me in some ways. God is shaping my vision for Living with Power and you are all a part of it.

First let me announce the winner of this week’s $25 gift card is: Kathy Lukav! Email me at lina@livingwithpower.org to claim your gift.

Second I happen to have 2 CD’s by my friend Lindsay McCaul who just released her first album this week. I would love to give them away to the first 2 people who email me at lina@livingwithpower.org.  Lindsay also leads worship at my church Harvest Bible Chapel so many of the readers of this blog know her too!

Third let me bring you up to speed on what I’m doing with your comments on Friday! Continue Reading…

All right. I have a few things to cover today.

I’ll start with my usual $25 Friday give away to someone from my email subscriber list. This week’s winner is: pawsymoto77! Congrats. Email me at lina@livingwithpower.org to claim the gift.

If you want to subscribe to my blog click here!

I’ve been thinking a lot about overwhelming need and give away’s. What’s a better way to meet people’s needs? How can I be more intentional in meeting true need?

In an effort to prayerfully consider these things, I’m going to start a Living with Power Fund for benevolence by putting away money each Friday for each comment you leave on my blog. Here’s how it will work: Continue Reading…

You can simply show up somewhere or you can be there.

It’s not the same thing.

A dad shows up to his kid’s baseball game and spends the time catching up on the stock market and his blackberry messages.

A mom shows up to the after school play date and runs her mental to do list a smile plastererd on her pretty face.

You show up for your quiet time and flip through the pages, crossing off the lines on your brand new Bible reading plan.

And your relationships go absolutely nowhere because of it.

This year – are you just going to show up, or are you going to be there?

It will make a world of difference 12 months from now.

The winners of a journal are: Suzanne M, Cathy Marrero, Sara Cassidy, Wendy Bobnick.

I don’t know about you, but 2012 is well under way in my life!

If you’re new to my blog, welcome! You may want to subscribe to receive my posts daily, because on Fridays I pick a random person from my subscriber list and give away a $25 gift card! You can subscribe by clicking here.

This week’s $25 gift card winner is: Kathleen Jones! Email me at lina@livingwithpower.org to claim your card.

As we wrap up the first week of 2012, I thought I’d also give away some journals for your quiet time with the Lord. I started journaling when I was a teenager and continue to do so now. It is a discipline that has deepened my sense of closeness with the Lord and has prompted me to action more times than I can recall.

All you have to do to qualify for a journal is answer the following question in the comments section. (I will pick 3-5 of you and let you know who won in tomorrow’s post):

In 2012, I hope to ______________.

If you’re reading this via your email account, click here to be directed to the comment page.

I’d like to share with you 12 Practical Tips for 2012:

1. If you haven’t worn it in 6 months, you probably never will, so give it away. Oprah said it, I believe it, that settles it.

2. If you didn’t like last year’s Bible reading plan, change it this year.

3. You can’t change others but you can change yourself.

4. Difficult circumstances are not meant to hurt you, they are meant to change you. Make the most of them.

5. It doesn’t matter how much you talk about doing it, it won’t happen until you start doing it.

6. Waiting always feels shorter when you find something useful to do while you’re waiting.

7. If you don’t like your haircut get a new one.

8. Just because a road looks easier doesn’t mean it’s the right road.

9. Not every frog turns into a prince, but it sure is nice to have a frog to kiss. (haha just trying to see if you’re paying attention!)

10.You can have a friend or be a friend but both is best.

11.The key to happiness is not in getting what you want but in wanting what you get.

12.No matter what kind of year you’re going to have, it will be over in 365 days!

If you follow my blog regularly, you’ve likely noticed that I did not do my usual give away last Friday, nor will I do it this week.

It’s not because I don’t love you.

On the contrary – sometimes I think I love you too much.

I don’t know if you’ve ever been the “cool aunt” for a day. It’s hard to resist. You start out innocently enough, but pretty soon if you show up to your kin without the usual gifts in hand you get that look, the one that says they’re happy to see you, but not as much as when you show up with a bag full of stuff. So you keep on showing up with more stuff, hoping you’ll forever remain “the cool aunt”.

I am that aunt, and I find that the line between giving cheerfully and giving selfishly sometimes blur.

Continue Reading…