The Daily Lessons of Ellie Pickett

Happy Halloween!

elliepickett — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 19:14:57 +0000

30 day husband challenge

elliepickett — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 20:58:34 +0000

Recently, a good friend of mine challenged me to read through Stormie Omartian’s book, (The Power of a Praying Wife) and pray for our husbands for 30 days. I heartily accepted – not because our marriage is struggling or because he is a bad husband, (because actually we were doing well, and he is a good husband!), but because I trust my friend deeply and when she makes a suggestion like that, I know the results are going to be good. Well, i had no idea HOW good things were going to turn out. The book is a beautiful, sincere, and completely Word-based set of ideas and prayers. A lot of benefits came from doing this challenge and the Lord blessed our marriage more than I expected. Each day, as I was reading and praying for him, my heart for him grew specifically toward each subject I was considering that day. I feel much more tenderhearted toward him than I really ever have before, simply by praying for him over very specific areas in his life. I noticed significant changes in his attitude, behavior, relationship to me, and just general happiness! In 30 days, I feel that our relationship quite suddenly became unbreakable. I know this is a fairly general post about the subject where in actuality, very direct changes happened, but I just wanted to share that there IS power in praying for your husband. I witnessed it. I”m not sure why God set it up this way; that there be any power in prayer at all, but He did, and I can’t deny that it’s true.

Currently reading The Power of a Praying Parent. love.

Failures and Photography

elliepickett — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 03:00:10 +0000

There are times in my life where I feel like a near-complete failure. It seems that everything I want to do desperately is doomed to fail
before I even begin, and I know it will most likely not succeed, making failure almost guaranteed. In many cases, it feels like I even sabotage
my own goals for some unknown, sinister reason… like I’m fighting with myself and have a power struggle with my own goals. The devil’s on the
left shoulder and the angel on the right.

I’m tired of the left shoulder winning out.

There are many areas of life where failure continues to prevail, despite consistently new plans of hopeful success.
Why? Is my self control so lacking that I don’t even have a hope, or evidently a prayer, of fulfillment? I’m waiting for God’s strength to
shine in my many many weaknesses, but I’ve been waiting for a long time. I’m not sure what more I can do than ask for help, but when I feel
alone still, the act of even asking has become another fail. I don’t like having to guess whether or not my heart is in the right place. I am
just doing the best I can.

I do see success in other areas, however: photography, music, business, relationships… God’s hand is abundantly evident in these successes. I could never take credit for the rapid progress and fulfillment there. I’m just ready to be shown how a weakness can become a strength. ….ready when You are, I suppose. I’ll be here, failing in the meantime.

Aria, Summer, and Psalm 37:4

elliepickett — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 02:57:06 +0000

I have started taking an interest in videography. This is my third video and I’m just having SO much fun. Check it out on YouTube:

A new motivation

elliepickett — Sat, 26 Feb 2011 23:52:30 +0000

I started learning how to take pictures well about 2 years ago. My cardchef.com business taught me how to Photoshop and allowed me the funds to purchase a very nice camera which made taking awesome pictures nearly inevitable. It has been a very fun, fulfilling, and unexpected pursuit. I even now have my own website (www.LilacPhotography.com) to showcase my journey. I have enjoyed taking pictures of people – especially women. I just love making them feel beautiful.

God gave me a new motivation with this new hobby recently. It’s a project He has called “The Romans 12:2 Project.” I started challenging my friends to let me take their pictures with no make-up on. I wanted to help them see their true beauty, but God had slightly different plans for this project. I prayed for a few weeks about doing this at all. I wanted this to be an anointed project – not just something i thought up. The idea kept coming up and so I told God, “ok, if You want me to do this, then help me give it a name – a motivation.” A few days after that prayer at church, I opened my bible at random to Romans 12:2. I read it and thought, “this might work,” but it wasn’t really what i was going for. I was searching for something to do with beauty, God’s true image of women, etc. I put my ribbon there and kept searching to no avail. I went back and re-read Romans 12 a few times and started to feel better about it, even though the ‘lesson’ wasn’t really what i had in mind for people. I prayed during church for confirmation. Then during the last song, the worship leader said, ” I feel like I am supposed to share a scripture with someone here,” and can you just guess what it was? Romans 12:2. My heart about burst and i knew my prayer had been answered. My project had a new motivation and a name.

Romans 12:2 says, “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.”

I have found a good number of women recently who WILL NOT go out in public without putting on their ‘face.’ Some of them have agreed to take on this challenge. Wearing make-up daily is just one way that women conform to the world’s standard and I intend to help a few – however many I can – challenge themselves to put down that world standard and let God transform them by changing the way they think. ….because who wouldn’t want to know God’s will for them?

I feel blessed beyond comprehension to be allowed to minister to women in this way. I hope that I can plant seeds that will grow with time.

If your heart beats with nervousness just thinking about taking pictures with no make-up, then this project is for and about you. Call me and let’s talk about it!

the tri-tone blues

elliepickett — Sat, 26 Feb 2011 23:36:09 +0000

I am singing in a choir concert tonight and have a short solo. Last night at the dress rehearsal, I made a good fool of myself attempting to sing it correctly with the new-sounding orchestra accompaniment. I just couldn’t hear the notes! Then when i got home to my piano to investigate, i discovered the problem: there was a tri-tone hiding mid-way through. This interval is commonly known as “the Devil’s interval” and is extremely difficult to hear.

At least now i know what i’m up against! Time to perform an exorcism on that horrible melody and conquer that cursed tri-tone!

Facebook Schmacebook

elliepickett — Sun, 24 Oct 2010 21:10:51 +0000

To the secret lover who has carefully, deceivingly, and determinedly crept in and stolen away time reserved for my children and my God, concern for things more important, my privacy… who has become an unwanted member of my daily life… who dictates pieces of my life that should never be dictated by anyone but God and myself: I see that it’s time we part ways – at least for a time. Probably a long time. I don’t need you. I never did.

Later, facebook. It’s nothing personal. It’s me, not you.

Will someone please give me a kick-start?

elliepickett — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 01:15:48 +0000

I’m trying to figure out where all of my motivation went…. Do you have it? Surely someone took it from me because i always thought of myself as an out-going, motivated and accomplished person..

I’m a happy person – I really have nothing at all to complain about. Everything is going great! Why, then, do i have such a hard time motivating myself to accomplish things? I see something I want to do (like spend time in the Bible, exercise, manage my portion sizes, dust the house, do the laundry……), know how it needs to be accomplished, and then instead of doing it, just waste time doing other meaningless things and then feel guilt for my lack of motivation and accomplishment. It’s a horrible cycle. I can ‘will’ myself to work out for maybe 2 weeks, and then i drift away into the inactivity/guilt again. I’m even scared to start ‘trying’ to accomplish my goals because i fear that i am doomed to repeat the cycle and fail again.

I just noticed how many “I” statements were put in the last paragraph. Not sure how to get the focus off of myself in all of this. That could be the problem with the doomed nature of it all, but i don’t’ know how to turn it around and live life for God. I can say, “I’m doing this for You, God” every morning, but it’s just words… and THEN when I fail, the guilt is much greater because it’s not just myself i’ve let down.

….. for lack of any better ideas, here we go for another round of trying! Treadmill, let’s get re-acquainted today.

What’s really going on inside?…

elliepickett — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 04:02:09 +0000

Sometimes i feel like sin. Not like i sin (action), but that i just AM sin – internally. It’s amazing how much actually. I am one of the most selfish, UN-loving, impatient, blunt, inconsiderate, proud people i know with an incredible lack of self control. God says the Holy Spirit is in me, but those Holy Spirit fruits are not at all evident.

I have a good filter when i’m one-on-one, but when put in a room with a group of people, it’s best that i just keep my mouth shut – especially if i’m in a group of people i’m comfortable with or in charge of. My true nature comes through and it isn’t pretty in any form. Why? Why, if God is in me, wouldn’t i emanate love, patience, kindness… why don’t I love anyone but myself? I don’t possess any of the qualities of true, real love as defined by God. I Am self-seeking. I Do brag – even when i pray pray pray not to. I am rude – so rude to people. I get angry faster than most other parents i know and am quick to lose my temper. I get jealous pretty easily. I am an embarrassment. The two things i have going for me are that i’m good at forgiveness, and i most certainly don’t delight in evil. ….but that’s it.

I am grateful to be called out. I think God blessed me with a good match who is willing to do so. I have to be confronted to be able to see the consequences of my selfishness.

It’s a fairly hopeless sort of feeling – despite my seeking, reading, praying, i don’t see myself changing. It has to be a change on the inside. I know for certain that I can’t do it on my own. Why am i no different today than i was 10-15 years ago? Just self-absorbed to the bone. Things should have changed by now in a more genuine way. I’ve learned to filter my words on a more consistent basis, but that’s not change. That’s just dishonesty. What does this mean about my past and more importantly, what does this mean for my future?

bleh.

I don’t even know what to say to God that will make a bit of difference. I feel doomed to be myself.

Perceiver, ha.

elliepickett — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 18:50:45 +0000

My personality is so annoying. When someone does or says something that goes against God’s word (Christian or not), i absolutely cannot put it down until I confront that person, and sometimes, that comes in un-thought-out and blunt ways. So i create confrontation. But then i can’t handle the tension that the confrontation brought and end up apologizing until it’s smoothed over, so i can get my heart rate back to normal and my eyes dry. I absolutely cannot deal with confrontation. My mind gets fuzzy, I cry loudly, I lose my appetite, I get sick, my heart races… until it’s smoothed over. So why then, do i have a strong pull to confront people about things?! Ridiculous.

I am learning to stop, breathe, and come up with more effective and ‘softer’ ways of confronting people, but then i still end up almost immediately apologizing for the possible offense of bringing it up. What am I supposed to do?

Paul seemed to struggle with this. How timely that just yesterday I read this scripture in 2 Cor. 7:8
“I am not sorry that I sent that severe letter to you, though I was sorry at first, for I know it was painful to you for a little while. ⁹ Now I am glad I sent it, not because it hurt you, but because the pain caused you to repent and change your ways.”

One thing i have learned is that being blunt doesn’t work. While the message may be true, the method of delivery drives people away, builds walls of defense and resentment, and most certainly does not change behavior or open people’s eyes to what you want them to see.

Why couldn’t i get Exhorter, or Merciful, or Administration, or something where confrontation wasn’t a constant issue.

God, redeem me. Give me patience and understanding on how to deal with the personality you’ve given me. Give me insight to know how best to handle situations, opinions. Help me know when to just ‘let it go’ and then you have to really help me let it go. I want to serve your kingdom, but need guidance. Thank you for who you have made me to be, and now help me be who you want me to be.