MyLeslieNotebook

We're approaching Easter.  Easter is everything to anyone who knows and loves Jesus. The entire Bible, from creation onward, pointed to this moment in time. Think about it this way: In Genesis 1-2, God created man. In Genesis 3, man chose sin over God. Poof. Just like that, the fellowship between God and the pinnacle of His creation was severed by sin. And the rest of the Old Testament is one big love story of a creator setting up the greatest surprise party ever for His creation. (It was such a good surprise, in fact, that many of them missed it or misunderstood it.) I spent several weeks writing posts about the importance of studying scripture ( overview as well as details ) as well as  memorizing and meditating on God's Word. God's word is how He communicates with us . It's what gives us hope, it's what makes us wise, it's how we know who He is, it's what leads us step by step through life (Psalm 119:105). We need it daily to make decisions, to hea...

This is the last of a series that has not been fun to read. No fun to obey. It's also not been fun to write. If you missed one please scroll down and catch up below. But just in case you need a refresher course, here's the recap: Forgive...because you were forgiven. Die...to yourself. Speak...God's Words. Like I said, no fun.  But God isn't focused on FUN. He's focused on HIS GLORY. And though there are times that we feel God can be a real downer, let me assure you that there is nothing that can thrill your heart like Jesus. Nothing will give you peace like the Lord. No fun can match the ultimate glory of living a life for the one who gave His freely. So don't ignore the hard words; embrace them. Start to believe them. Ask God to help you live in light of their truth. And He will bless you for your obedience . And here is today's hard word: wait. We do not like to wait. And I'm not just talking about our culture or our lifestyles. We don...

I've rarely been at a loss for words. I feel pretty comfortable talking to pretty much anyone without any stress. I can also handle crowds; I had to give a speech at my high school graduation, which typically has thousands of people in the audience:  I couldn't wait to speak in front of that many people. Some people, on the other hand, are not nearly as fond of talking as I am. They would rather "remain quiet and be thought a fool than to open their mouths and remove all doubt." (That's a great quote attributed to many people!)  But regardless of the amount of words you say or the confidence with which you say them, we, as children of God, are supposed to reveal God with our words.  And THAT is where we all struggle.  It's so much more than what we should not say. We should not use words that are spoken to harm. We should not use words that are filthy in any way. We should not use words that seem funny but are just plain mean deep down. We should not s...

I've been pondering how to put today's post into words for three days now. You see, the very first post I ever wrote started with this truth: "You have ONE identity: I AM GOD'S."  And that one statement has been the theme of what I write and teach and speak. It's the truth we all desperately need to know. And today's post may seem to be contrary to what has become my primary rallying cry. (Well, maybe tied for my primary rallying cry with "Be weird." Also truth.) So give me just a second to set today's truth right beside that original statement so you can see them together: You have ONE identity: I AM GOD'S. You've got to die to yourself. Now doesn't that sound confusing?  Hopefully by the end of this post it won't be :) God has called you and loved you and chosen you and blessed you and forgiven you and led you and given you peace, hope, joy, eternity, and favor. (Ephesians 1:3-10). Plus a thousand other thi...

There are some situations in life in which we feel we are exempt from God's direction. We think that, because of our situation, God's commands don't apply to us. But very few of His commands give us permission to disobey. Granted, it would be nice if the Bible said, "Love your neighbor as yourself" and instead of the sentence ending there it said, "unless she doesn't love you like herself. Then you don't have to." We like to pretend the Bible gives us the ability to opt out. Your friends and family will tell you that you don't really need to obey the letter of the law. But God didn't.  Jesus didn't. And there are some hard words in Scripture that we really want everyone else to obey but feel that we shouldn't need to follow them. We shouldn't have to say them. We think we get a pass. And we are wrong. So today will start a new series of hard words. They're not hard to understand, they're not hard to find ...

[WARNING! There is a video in this post that you simply must watch. However, it is a tear-jerker. Grab the kleenex . Consider yourself warned.] I don't know how many of you know this about me, but I have most of my formal training in music. I started taking piano lessons at age seven, got a music scholarship, majored in music, and have a degree in Piano Pedagogy, which is teaching piano privately.  So I am a huge admirer of high-quality musicians. And when asked if I'd seen this performance by Kelly Clarkson the other night, I knew I already loved her voice. [She's singing "Piece by Piece" on the final season of American Idol. Please stop and watch it now if you haven't yet.] The first time I watched it, I was mesmerized by her voice and her words and her tears and the power of the song.  But the second time I watched it, the musician in me took over and I paid attention to something else: the accompaniment. You saw it: in the background, a beautiful g...