What's Your One Thing?

I am on vacation this week, so I'll be featuring a mixture of old favorites and new writing here on Jesus & My Orange Juice. I'll still be on Social Media and responding to comments though so feel free to leave a comment.

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One thing I ask of the Lord…

Psalm 27:4

“Honey, I need a pair of underwear.” It was a basic need from the lips of a man already packed for his week-long trip. But I spent the prior day diligent in the laundry room. I put away every washed pair. How could my day’s work not be enough?

Like a blanket, old feelings welled up within and suffocated me.

You’ll never make him happy.

You’re a failure as a wife.

Your best isn’t enough.

I immediately ratted my husband out to God. He could soooo do something about this…and I was sure He was on my side.

Lord, make him more appreciative.

Lord, make him more supportive.

Lord, change him.

My laundry had followed me away from the dryer. I had a laundry list of things I wanted God to do in him. He whispered His answer in my ear. One thing I ask of the Lord.

What if we only asked one thing of God?

One thing for our marriage.

One thing for our children.

One thing...

What would our one thing be?

Dare to Work Harder than You Dream

God-sized dreams.


We've been talking about them a lot lately. Sometimes God asks us to step beyond the safety net of fear and put feet to our faith. Today I'm facing my fear head on at Keeping It Personal.


Dare to dream with me today. Hop over and let's face our fears together!

When Life Laps You

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, 

and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, 

for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest.

Matthew 11:28-29

"It feeled like 3 laps, Mommy."


Monday our six year old, Clara, decided she would join the ranks of runner. Filled with determination and energy, she wanted to stride right into a three mile run. With thousands of miles under my soles, I started her with a 1/3 mile lap around our neighborhood. Day one she outpaced me and never had to stop. Day two she struggled a bit and wanted to come home after 1/3 mile.


Have you ever had a day that clocked 1/3 mile but "feeled" like 3 laps? Have you ever wondered how to breathe rest on trying days? Prayer is the fuel for life's run.


Last fall we joined in prayer to get PrePrayed. We learned how to energize our ordinary days so we would be prepared for life's big events not just logistically but spiritually. Specifically, we prayed rest in four areas:


Rest for your heart


Rest for your soul


Rest for your mind


Rest for you body

Do you need to re-fuel? Why not take the next 30 days to recharge your heart and refresh your soul? You can download the complete free prayer guide, PrePrayed, here: http://www.shannonmilholland.com/free-resources.html

Please allow me the privilege of praying for you on your journey. Tell me in a comment specifically how I pray for you today.

Declare Your Independence!

Be very careful, then, how you live - not as unwise but as wise, 

making the most of every opportunity.

Ephesians 5:15-16

Before my foot touches the floor on the star-spangled holiday, stress can touch my heart. In a home where the to-dos outnumber the waking hours, home management could become my around the clock endeavor. But today is independence day.


It's a day when millions of otherwise law-abiding citizens declare their independence from local decrees by lighting their contraband.

It's a day when millions declare a cease fire on the battle of the bulge and binge.


Today I declare my independence from my home running me. 


Is it easier to recall your to do list than your kid's names?
Do holidays or a vacation seem like an inconvenience in your already jam-packed week?
Is your idea of patriotism a family who remembers to carry their dishes to the sink?


I answered yes to all three. If you're anything like me, we need to say "give me liberty" from  the tyranny of busyness. Here's some tips how we can:


1) Choose the Non-Negotiables - Every day, except travel days, I do laundry, dishes and straighten. These are my non-negotiables. They are the minimum duties I need to do to prevent the feelings of overwhelm. 


2) Make Your Steps Count - Whenever I leave a room, I find something that needs to go where I'm going and take it with me. It may be a pile of laundry, a bobby pin or a book but I don't leave the room I'm in until I've identified one traveling partner booked for the same destination.


3) Don't Go It Alone - I use chores as a way to spend time with my kids. Rather than assigning a long list of items to be completed in isolation, I invite at least one of my daughters to join me as I cook, clean or do laundry. We talk, sing, laugh and joke as we work. We knit our hearts as weave our hands.


4) Clean as You Cook - Most meals the vast majority of prep dishes, pans, bowls and utensils are already washed before we ever sit down to eat. Every night Clara sets the table and Carynne gets the drinks. I use those minutes or the ones on the cooking timer to wash, dry and put away my mess. This allows me to sit, relax and even linger over dinner.


Let's make today and every day our independence day. As we make the most of our moments, we'll live in freedom. Now that's a reason to shoot off fireworks!


How do you keep the clutter from conquering you? Share your ideas in a comment!

Life Transforming Prayer - Lord Teach Me

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, 

but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.

Romans 12:2

I graduated high school with a 3.98 GPA. I graduated college with a 3.92 GPA. With my good grades came a big ego. I thought myself capable to think and reason myself through any situation. My good grades and big ego came at an astronomical cost. For me GPA should have stood for God's Presence Absent.

Pride choked God's presence from my mind. 
Pride squeezed relationships from my heart.
Pride crowded God's best from my life.


Thought doesn't originate in the mind...it springs from my heart (Proverbs 23:7 NKJV). I had to open my heart to God's guidance so my mind could follow. I had to embrace humility before I could own my ugly hidden sin. A key step on that journey was praying this one sentence prayer: Lord, Teach Me. 


The disciples once asked Jesus to teach them to pray. I need God to teach me in all areas. Like a blank tablet, I want His wisdom scrawled across the pages of my heart.


Do you struggle with focus? Or like me, does your mind wander the wrong things? As we continue on our journey of life transforming prayer, let's pray this simple prayer together and allow God to transform our minds.

How Big is Your Problem?

Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith.

Hebrews 12:2

My sister, Lynn, and I don't just share DNA but a common passion for fitness. Running is a part of both our fitness routines. So is a commitment to avoid anything "scary" en route. Scary includes motorized vehicles, weird looking men, and pretty much any kind of animal - big dogs, little dogs, snakes, skunks and even squirrels.


As she rounded a corner, Lynn encountered a nut-toting, fluffy-tailed rodent affectionately known as the squirrel. They were in an OK corral stand-off in the middle of the street while scenes from the rogue squirrel in Christmas Vacation flashed in Lynn's mind. Squirrel took Round 1; Lynn stopped running and waited for Mr. Nutty to cross.


Mr. Fluffy-Tail took one second too long to victory stare mid-road. His next motion was a spiral through the air Cirque du Soleil can't touch. A minivan took Round 2.


When I find myself on life's road staring difficulty in the eye, I'm tempted to ponder the magnitude of my problem. That is the wrong question. The right one is - how big is my God?

I'm not going to strategize my way out.


I'm not going to think my way out.


I'm not going to worry my way out.


He is my way of escape.


I have to allow my squirrel-sized faith trust in a mini-van sized God. I will encounter issues on the road. 


Some will bruise my spirit.


Others will cut my confidence.


From all I will fully recover when I take my eyes off my problem and fix them on my Solution.


How big is your God?

Christmas in July!

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