#TuesdayTreasures with Heather Dixon

Good Morning!

I pray your Easter celebration was blessed and happy.

As always, it is my pleasure to bring to you a new-to-me author and today is no exception.

 

Brought to us by Prime Star Publicity, Heather M. Dixon is an author, speaker, and Bible teacher who understands living with a story that is not easy. Diagnosed with Vascular Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, an incurable and terminal genetic disorder inherited from her mother, she has dealt with difficult circumstances. 

Heather is passionate about encouraging and equipping women to trust in God, face their greatest fears, and live with hope. Through her blog, TheRescuedLetters.com, speaking, and Bible studies, Heather helps women find the courage to live by faith, even when they don’t like their story.

It’s just a simple magnet. And truth be told, I don’t treasure the magnet itself. I treasure the sentiment behind it. I bought this magnet when I was trying to nurse my newborn son, only to learn that my body didn’t particularly take to nursing. But still, I was determined to care for him in this way for as long as the two of us could figure it out together. Stumbling through the kitchen during long nights with little sleep, a quick glance at this magnet on my refrigerator would remind me not to give up. 

It’s a sentiment that would carry me through many more challenging moments in my life like a miscarriage, the loss of many loved ones, and an incurable and devastating medical diagnosis. For my faith journey, the temptation to give up and walk away from wherever God calls me is often my greatest one. Maybe that's just my personal struggle or maybe it's a reflection of a larger problem in this broken world. The Bible tells us that we have an enemy who wants nothing more than to separate us from God. Sometimes all the enemy has to convince us to do is.... give up.

To change my habit of giving up, I had to adopt a habit of determination. But first, I would have to ask God to change my heart. Only Jesus can do that, but the good news is that He is remarkably good at it.

In my new Bible study, Determined: Living Like Jesus in Every Moment, a six-week study of Luke, I invite readers to embrace determined living as they intimately connect with the Savior who remained laser-focused on His mission to love the world. 

“Jesus had three years to fulfill His earthly mission,” says Heather M. Dixon, “He accomplished His purpose and lived fully with a determined mindset, one that was eternally focused. The blessing for us with that mindset is that it makes every present moment beautiful and valuable. That's the choice I want to embrace, living fully with a determined attitude.”

Imagine waking up every single day convinced that the 24 hours ahead of you are a precious gift to be used wisely. Imagine also, that you know exactly how to spend them to be a force for God’s good. 

How do you learn to experience this abundant life, fulfilling the plans God has for us? The answers are found in following the footsteps of the One who lived fully, because He was determined that we might do the same. 

In Determined: Living Like Jesus in Every Moment, a six-week Bible study of Luke, Heather M. Dixon, author, speaker, and Bible teacher, follows the life and ministry of Jesus and the choices He made on His way to the cross. This study connects readers with the Savior on His mission to love the world and gives them a model for intentional living that they can replicate to live each day to the fullest and make a difference for God’s kingdom.    

Excerpt:

“Since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” (Hebrews 12:1)

I have a magnet hanging on my refrigerator with a popularized version of a quotation from Winston Churchill. It says, “Never, never, never give up.” I bought it when I was sleep-deprived and covered in spit up. I needed all the pep talks I could get in those days, although it wasn’t just because I had a newborn. I had a newborn that I couldn’t feed well. No one told me that nursing would be difficult. I am not exaggerating when I tell you it was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do.

There will be moments in our lives when we will have to clinch our jaw and determine to keep moving forward anyway. Our circumstances will be challenging, our bodies will be weary, and our hearts will be full of doubt. In those moments it will be unquestioningly easier to walk away.

You’ve probably experienced similar moments just in the past three weeks of our study together. Stay the course. Dig your heels in. Don’t give up. Why? Not because I am encouraging you to, but because this is the choice Jesus made. He determined to move forward anyway. His convictions were so strong that He never, never, never walked away from being obedient to God’s will. And at the heart of His convictions were you and me, and understanding of those moments when the world would prefer that we give up. Let’s show the world Jesus’ way instead and live determined.

The writer of Hebrews goes on to call us to follow His example:

“And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:1b-2)

Determined: Living Like Jesus in Every Moment can be purchased directly from Abingdon and also at Amazon, B&N, Christian Book & Cokesbury

Sounds like a wonderful book, Heather! We certainly wish you the best of luck and God's blessings with it.

Thanks for joining us, friends and that you'll stop by often to see what's going on. Until next time, take care and God Bless.

PamT