Ellen Chauvin | Soaked & Sprouting

Soaked in God's Word, Sprouting Seeds of Faith

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When Life is Like a Freeway

December 13, 2018 by Ellen 4 Comments

When you hear the phrase “Country comes to town,” are you the country or the town person? Me? Definitely country. My friend Carmen and I recently travelled to the big city of Dallas to meet up with our writer friends. My country side was shining bright!!

Y’all.

SO. MUCH. TRAFFIC.

SO. MANY. LANES.

All six lanes of traffic were zooming past me at the speed of light! Down where I live, three lanes of cars would be a lot. Two is more my speed. But to be in the midst of six lanes? Oh, my. I just wanted it to stop. I needed to take a moment.

I wanted to be a cartoon character (Goofy comes to mind) who could bring all the traffic to a screeching halt by stretching my rubbery arms across the bajillion lanes. Everyone would slam on their brakes, blow their horns and scream every kind of ugly at me. But I’d be stopped, breathing, catching up.

Whew! That’s what it feels like during the Christmas season, doesn’t it! The days zoom past, you are constantly going and doing, and sometimes you just need a moment. Right?

We need to stop. And, what I’ve found is, we need to be intentional about it.

Oh, I’ve had no problem slowing down since I retired. Yet, my calendar this season was booked by December 2! From now till Christmas, we have non stop events and get togethers. All good and fun, but man, it’s like six lanes of traffic zooming by. 

However, I’m being very intentional about taking time each morning to sit quietly before the Lord and read His Word, abiding with Him. You can too.

If God’s Word brings peace to your heart, be intentional about guarding your time with Him. Set the alarm fifteen minutes early. What, you say? Lose fifteen minutes of precious, early morning shut eye? Ok, ok, even five minutes will work. It’s better than nothing.

Then, choose a portion of scripture to read. Find a great advent devotion (Abiding Joy comes to mind, wink, wink).

Take the time. Think of it as something you do for yourself – your soul care. Fix a good hot cuppa coffee, hot chocolate or tea. And settle in for a visit with Jesus.

Maybe mornings aren’t your thing. You’re a night owl. Again:

[tweetthis]Be intentional about carving out time for you and Messiah.[/tweetthis] 

Don’t have time at night to spend in God’s Word? Gotta feed the family? Chose a meal that is easy and doesn’t take much time to prepare. Ragu with meatballs (pre-made, frozen) and bag o’ salad is my go to quick meal. Or, you could order a pizza. The time you have saved prepping for a major meal can be used to slow down and ponder God’s word. Sit yourself down in a favorite chair, prop your feet up by the fire, and soak in the story of Jesus this Christmas.

Stop the traffic in your life this Christmas!

Sooooo, what do you personally do to spend time with the Lord during busy seasons? Do you turn off the radio in your car? Sit quietly with a journal? Turn off the TV at night? 

Be intentional. Guard your time.

“Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28 CSB

 

In light of this, I will be taking a break from blogging for the remainder of December. Rest assured, I will be writing! Looking forward to “talking” to you in 2019!

Merry Christmas! Come Lord Jesus!

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The More We Listen, the Better We Hear

October 25, 2018 by Ellen 11 Comments

(Guest posting today is my dear friend Carmen Horne. I love when she shares her heart, what the Lord has been speaking to her! I hope you enjoy it, too!)

Can we talk about dressing room mirrors? I can be feeling all cute and slim. Maybe I’ve been cutting back all week and just know those smaller jeans are going to fit. I step into the room, shut the door, turn around, and my eyes pop out like Bugs Bunny’s when he sees Honey Bunny. I think, is that what I really look like?

The thing is, I have been known to leave a traumatic dressing room experience and forget how I felt. Like, forget as quickly as the next time I am asked if I want fries with my order. We seem to have a propensity to dismiss what we do not like to see or hear.   

The desire to hear God has been highlighted within my soul lately. I really do want to hear what God has to say. I think I do anyway.

[tweetthis]Could I be struggling with the hearing because I’m afraid I won’t like what God is saying?[/tweetthis]

As I write that sentence I am thinking, could that really be the reason?

Jesus said, “Pay close attention to what you hear. The closer you listen, the more understanding you will be given and you will receive even more. To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given…” Mark 4:24-25a NLT

Jesus calls us His sheep. He guides us, feeds us, protects us, speaks to us, tends our wounds, and fights for us. When we are His, we hear His voice. We not only hear, we know His voice. (John 10:27)

It must be kinda like my Momma clearing her throat during church. She might have been sitting six rows behind me, but when I heard her throaty “ahem”, I knew it was her. I didn’t need to turn around.

I want to know and recognize Jesus like that. Don’t you? When He says, “Stop, go, be still, speak, be quiet” or a favorite, “I love you. You are my daughter and I am pleased with you.” we want to hear Him. We need to hear Him. 

To be honest, it scares me to death to think my spiritual ears may grow tone deaf to Holy Spirit leading. Does it scare you too? Every time I feel conviction, love, or direction I am so thankful that I can still hear God! He is the originator of every good thing within us. 

I love this promise from Psalms 32:8. Let’s make it personal to us:

When You speak, I listen, Lord. Thank You for Your promise to guide me along the best pathway for my life. You are my Advisor. You are my Watchman. My ears are open!

Once a promise resonates with our spirit, it’s ours. Within the Bible, we find so many verses about God speaking to us. So, if He’s speaking, that means we can hear. 

Quoting Jesus in Matthew 15:23 ESV, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” Amen, Jesus, Amen.

 

 

Carmen Horne

Wife, mom and Jesus girl best describes Carmen. She has been married to her fella, Lary, for 41 years and they have one beautiful daughter.

She walks out her calling to women’s ministry as a writer, speaker, and Christian Women’s Hope Coach. Carmen often lends her ear and heart to those looking to find hope in the craziness of life.

Carmen is convinced her home in heaven will be beachside with a chocolate filled closet, but until that glorious day, her family makes the Bayou State their home.

You can find Carmen online at:

Website: www.carmenhorne.com

FB – www.facebook.com/carmenhornecoach

Twitter – www.twitter.com/carmenhornenow

IG – www.instagram.com/carmenhornecoach

Pinterest – www.pinterest.com/carmenhornecoach

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