[repost from the Glo Girl Blog]

Some of the notes I’ve scribbled in my One Year Bible™ uncover Ugly Laurie – that fleshy, self-absorbed part of me that’s not very pretty. Like, for example, the notes in this picture:

Psalm 100 is familiar territory for me. I’ve read it (and even sung the words from it) many times. You probably have, too, but take a few seconds to read it again:

Psalm 100:1-5 (NASB)
1 Shout joyfully to the LORD, all the earth.
2 Serve the LORD with gladness; come before Him with joyful singing.
3 Know that the LORD Himself is God; it is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people and the sheep of His pasture.
4 Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him, bless His name.
5 For the LORD is good; His lovingkindness is everlasting and His faithfulness to all generations.

As I read that passage from my One Year Bible™ one day, I wasn’t surprised when I heard the melodies of several worship songs in my mind. I was surprised, however, when that music suddenly stopped. That’s when I saw her. Ugly Laurie.

As you can see by my notes in the picture above, Psalm 100:2 revealed something ugly to me that day about my attitude and service to God. It showed me that I was not serving Him the way He wants to be served. I was not serving Him with gladness. Instead, I realized that some of my service to Him was motivated by guilt, anticipated with dread, and done out of obligation. Ugly.

But Psalm 100 can transform ugly me — and ugly you, too — into a beautiful reflection of God’s glory as we:

• Serve the Lord with gladness at work, at home, and in all of our relationships.
• Tune in to some Christian music and sing along, or simply make a “melody with your heart to the Lord” (Eph 5:19).
• Thank and praise the Lord because He is God, He is good, and His love and faithfulness to us are everlasting (even when we’re ugly).
• Shout to the Lord with joy. Okay, maybe you don’t shout very much, but when you’re serving Him with gladness, singing, thanking, and praising Him, you might just feel like giving God a shout-out, too.

Today you may feel like it’s an easy day to be ugly. But God created us to be a beautiful reflection of His glory (1 Cor. 6:19-20). So today, let’s pick up the familiar refrains of Psalm 100 and be beautiful. Let’s serve Him with gladness, sing, thank, praise, and maybe even shout to God with joy.  Even on the worst days, let’s glo, girl!

Your sister who is praying for you today,

[The above message is an excerpt from one of Laurie’s current blog series: Monday Manna. Want more insight straight from the pages of Laurie’s One Year Bible™? Join her every Monday in May for more Monday Manna!]

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3 Things Your Mom Needs from You
by Emily Ryan, Executive Editor 

Mother’s Day is coming up, and if you’re like me, sometimes it can be downright stressful trying to think of a Mother’s Day gift that truly reflects the worth of the recipient. Moms are invaluable. And as you age and become a mom yourself, you begin to appreciate even more what a blessing a loving, godly mother can be.

Now, I don’t know your mom, so I don’t know if she likes books or jewelry or perfume or fishing tackle, but I do know that there are three things that she wants and needs from you today:

1. Honor
   “Honor your mother and father” is the first “horizontal” commandment given in the Ten Commandments. It’s important. There is a reason why you have the mom that you have. God chose the exact time and place where you would live and the exact family that you would be born into (Acts 17:26).  By respecting and honoring the woman God chose to be your mother, you are respecting His decision to put her there. 

2. Forgiveness
   Even the best mom still needs your forgiveness. Forgiveness for not being perfect.  For not being there.  For being there too much. For whatever scars she’s left on your life.  Let’s face it, some moms have done some pretty rotten things.  But God commands forgiveness in the Bible, and it’s not something we’re to withhold just because the person who needs it is our mother. 

3. Thanks
   Chances are, your mother has invested many, many hours in you over the course of your lifetime. She deserves your thanks. Thanks for all of the many things she’s done for you.  For the loads of laundry she folded.  For the meals she cooked. For putting up with you.  For keeping you close.  For letting you go.  For any and everything she’s ever done for you.  Do you thank her?  Do you appreciate her?  It’s never too late to tell her how much she means to you!

P.S. I love you, Sammie and Sherryl! :-)

Love,

Click here to email Emily

Priority Passage of the Month

Priority Prayer Points

1. Continue to pray that God will provide the funds we need to give our current website a facelift.
2. Pray for all of the new Glo Girls Laurie met through her April speaking engagements! We praise God for each and every one of you!
3. Lift up the Priority Staff – we’ve got moms and grandmas alike! – that we would continue to glorify God through our families and through our ministry.

Do you need prayer? It would be our privilege to pray for you. Please email your prayer request to us, and our Priority staff and Prayer Warriors will faithfully and confidentially pray for you.

Click on the recipe below to print!

Gotta Glo

Your Priority sisters,

Laurie Cole, Pam Henderson, Shanda Stiles,
Jan Hart, Stephanie Cole, and Emily Ryan
Priority Ministries Staff