It's hard to know where to begin this blog. It has been 3 1/2 weeks since I've had the time to just sit and put my thoughts down. Needless to say, a LOT has gone on during that time period. Hopefully this blog will not be so disjointed that others will not be able to read it with understanding. Even though it's possible to go back and delete, rearrange, etc...on a blog, I try not to do that because I find that "natural" flow from the heart writing is the best way to journal for me. So, here goes nothing.
The last time I blogged was on my b-day. I went back and reread some of my previous blogs and realized a couple of things. First of all, I do need to sincerely apologize to any of you that may have began reading my blogs hoping for daily encouragement from the book that has titled my blog. I just am not going to be able to fulfill writing about that each day. I do hope that while reading the blogs I am able to post-you will find some encouragement/benefit to you. Most of my blogs for the next few months will be about "life", that thing that just keeps swirling faster and faster every day around me. Secondly, I upon revisiting my previous blogs, I realized that in the beginning of this journey, there was a lot of talk about "snow" because we were having such a crazy winter here. Well, alas, today I shall talk some about rain.
Yes, it is raining-AGAIN-here in Arkansas. Funny thing, I was thinking yesterday about all of the people I know that would ask me about living in Germany and England-the thing that always struck them was that it rains about 300 days/year in both places. Most people, particularly from/living in Arkansas, would say they would never be able to handle living in a place that rained that much. Well, alas, Arkansas is getting absolutely drenched in rain for over 2 weeks now. Not just Arkansas-tons of other states here in the mid-west/south as well. Tornadoes in places that have never seen them. I was absolutely astonished to find out that St. Louis airport had been hit so hard. NEVER in my life do I remember that area being socked with a tornado that way and I am a native from Missouri! So, for all of those "doubters" that don't think they could ever enjoy a place like England or Germany-let me tell you-you don't see this much rain total in an entire YEAR in those places as we've had in the last few weeks. Seriously, the rain that occurs in Germany/England is a slow drizzly rain-seldom EVER have a thunderstorm. I remember the first time I ever heard thunder in Germany (I'd lived there almost 3 years at that time) I thought it was a plane flying overhead from the base!lol So, for me, the moral of the story is...I'll take the weather there ANY DAY over this. However, I am not one to complain-as a matter of fact I think it is sinful to complain. Who am I to not be grateful for all of the things that God gives me-even rainy days? Rain certainly serves a purpose for this earth. Without it, there would be no plant life/sustainment of crops, water to drink, etc...rain is a blessing. I also know that many people allow the rain to affect their moods. Notice I say "allow". I realize there are a few chemical disorders that cause a "few" to actually be affected, physically, by lack of sunshine. This is not what I am referring to. I am referring to one that allows the weather to immobilize them until it clears up again. Instead, should we not look at the blessing that the rain brings? The blessing of accomplishing things inside our homes-organizing, decluttering, cleaning, reading, blogging, etc... Rain, not unlike snow, causes us to "slow down" a bit-it's like God's gift of chillaxin time during a normally hectic world. The rain has allowed me a day to blog-I am thankful. However, I will admit that even though I'm VERY hot natured...living in Arizona where it only rains about 7" per year and the sun shines 320 days of the year sounds MIGHTY FINE to me right now;)lol
O.K., now let me go back about 3 weeks and give you the highlights of my hectic life;) The first week of the month I spent addressing/sending out invites to my Sr.'s H.S. graduation. That makes it SO real...it's really happening. The day she has worked so hard for, the day we've prayed so long for, it is all happening in just 2 1/2 weeks time-AAAHHHHH! Rebecca is officially "registered" for her classes this fall after having met w/her advisor. We're hoping she can complete her Associates degree in a year and a half since she will have 12 credit hours behind her already going into college this fall. That will mean she will transfer to UCA, in Conway, after NEXT years holiday break. She is going to get an associates degree w/emphasis in health sciences. This fall she will be taking 17 hours. Speech, American Gov, Biol, Chem I, and Psychology. We finally got all of her information filled out/turned in to the base and are praying for a summer hire position at the HAWC (Health and wellness center) or the Fitness center. Either will help her possibly get an internship later when she pursues her Masters degree. Anywho...just call me Rebecca's personal assistant as I've been involved a lot in helping her accomplish these goals/needs for college life. I am very proud of her and I know that she is going to do fabulously in college. She only has 8 more days of school left and she is genuinely "ready" for this transition in her life. I know that she has a heart to serve the Lord and this is going to be of great benefit to her in the years ahead as she transitions into full adult life. Many people (particularly moms) have asked, "Aren't you sad? How are you going to leave her and move to Arizona next year?" Perhaps I am strange/different-(alright, no comments from the peanut gallery;)-but, I may shed a few tears because of all of the wonderful memories we've shared together during this part of her life...but I am NOT sad that she has grown up. I am proud. I am pleased for her that she is prepared to meet her future that is so bright. The confidence I have in her is because of the confidence I have in her relationship w/Christ. I know that will carry her through whatever lies ahead. She's smart, independent, capable, determined, focused, and most of all she seeks "His kingdom first" and this is the day that I've prayed for since she was first placed in my arms nearly 18 years ago. As far as "leaving her behind"...TONS of young people go away to colleges away from their families every year! This is not a "new" thing, it is very common. I lived "at home" w/my parents while attending a Jr. College for a year and a half-then I MARRIED and moved away w/my husband to finish college/live somewhere else. This is "normal" for us...this is not something "unexpected". This, too, is part of what we have spent the last 17+ years preparing Rebecca for. She is ready-we are happy for her! We will always be here for her-I will always be available to answer questions, help guide her, love her, bring her for a visit, whatever she wants/needs-I will forever be her mother. Just as my parents were there for me even though I "moved away" 23 years ago. I thank God every day for the beautiful young woman she has become. I prayed for 2 years that God would grant me a child and I promised God that WHEN (not IF) He granted me a child, I would devote my life to training that child in His ways and give the child back to Him/His service. God answered my prayer and I am paying my vow to God-pretty simple to me!
During the first week of every month, I also spend a lot of time with my MOPS (mothers of preschoolers) group. I have grown to treasure my time w/these young women. This months meeting was very profitable. We were also blessd to go visit a MOPS meeting in Searcy. We're trying very hard to make some positive changes in our group. At our own meeting, we had small group discussion time in private rooms and asked for "feedback" from the moms about what they think we need to do differently, what they enjoy most about what we already do, what they would like to see added to our meetings, etc... It was interesting to find out that the largest "complaint" was that the moms that are not associated w/the military feel that the military moms are taking over. After much thought and prayer, I have come to the conclusion that the "problem" is the current mix we have in the group. The group is currently about 50/50- half military moms/half civilian moms. This accurately reflects our steering committee as well as our community. This town is about 50% military as well as the members serving on the steering committee. In our group, the half that are military moms are "loud and proud"-very outspoken, have an obvious "connection" in addition to being moms, etc... The other half (civilian moms) are very quiet, reserved, laid back...so by "default" you have a situation where it appears that the military moms seem to be dominating the conversation. Being a military spouse myself, this made me do some serious reflecting/thinking about perhaps the way others perceive me/the way I portray myself to others. First, I am a military spouse and am proud to be one. I am proud of what my husband does in serving our nation every day-for 26 years now! However, I have NEVER been a person that has made my life center around the military. I have never "excluded" myself from civilians. Quite the opposite for me-I have purposefully set out to "intermingle", "network", "be involved" in whatever community I've lived in. That has always been a HUGE part of why we have not chosen to live ON an AF base during this journey. We've only lived "on base" for 6 years total during this 23 years of marriage. 2 years during the early part of our marriage-it was then that we discovered that we NEEDED to live off base because 90% of our activities were w/people NOT related to the military-namely our local church. It was difficult/a great inconvenience to always have to "sign friends on" the base to come to dinner/play games/etc.. We purposefully avoided this during our second military move to NC and lived off base the entire time. It was during our time in Germany that we lived in base housing for 4 more years. A decision we regretted later, but also one that still offered plenty of blessings. Our situation was a bit different living in a foreign country where "community members" didn't speak our native language. I had a toddler and was pregnant w/second child. It was a decision we were forced to make relatively quickly-so we chose base housing. However, ALL of the members of the local church there in Germany were related to the military-so it was never a problem for us to "get together", "be together" in our home. As a matter of fact-we had a majority of our potlucks in the community room of the building we lived in. So this worked out during this unique time/circumstance...but still wished we'd lived off base. So, as you can see-I have always tried to be "involved" wherever I am. While I lived in England-this was the ONLY time that I was "involved" in any strictly exclusive military spouses group. I bowled w/a spouses group and was VP of a squadron spouses group. Over the years I had MANY invitations to be involved w/groups like that and was even VERY slandered because I chose NOT to be involved in such groups. I suppose my perspective is very different from a lot of other military spouses. I choose to spend time w/people, getting to know them, etc...not based on my relation to the military. I will not always/nor have I always been an active military spouse. First, I am a "person", a human being created by God-sharing the same struggles, weaknesses, journey as others that may be the wife of a school teacher/fireman/businessman/etc... Yes, there are some things along this military journey that "only" military wives/moms face. I am always available to answer questions, give my perspective, use my experiences to help another if there is a unique situation. However, that is NOT what MOPS is about. MOPS is about mothering...for me, it's about mentoring young moms during their journey w/young preschool children. No matter what our spouse does to make a living-mothers of preschoolers share a unique bond just by virtue of being mothers! I pray that I will be able to season my speech w/grace and encourage the other military moms in our group to be more aware of the way they present themselves to others. If they want a strictly military moms group-such things exist on the base already through the forums of spouses groups, play groups, etc... offered specifically to the military mom. I pray that I will always have the heart of Jesus to reach out to "all" people-no matter what their status in life, no matter what others may say (He was condemned for eating w/sinners though He was trying to save their souls w/bread of life!), etc... I want to be "accessible", "approachable", "vulnerable", "available" to any young mom that may need encouragement. It is my prayer that our MOPS group, as a whole, can move in the direction of being more "inclusive". More understanding of one another-both the military moms remembering that it's not "all about them" and their unique circumstances but also the civilian mom learning to be "tolerant/loving" to those military moms that may be in unique circumstances. Instead of focusing on the "differences", focus on the things that unite us in mothering.
Also during the first week of April-I met my God chick-Laura Thomas for a trip to Whole Foods market. That was an interesting little "foodie" trip. I was amazed at some cool stuff they offered there. It was primarily an "organic" store-but I went to help teach Laura some things about buying fresh fish. Unfortunately, Laura/her hubby didn't care for salmon:( Sad...but it's o.k., not everybody likes the same things. I'm just amazed by her commitment to better health-she has been a great encouragement to me! She is involved in the "women run arkansas" challenge in Conway. I'm praying I will be in good enough physical condition/timing and schedule will be better to do this next spring before we move. Laura has made some AMAZING progress physically since last summer. She is only 5' tall and her hubby is well over 6', but she can OUTWALK him w/her 13 min/mile! She looks AMAZING, physically, and she was always beautiful to look at it-looks like a Barbie doll-as well as an incredible friend/encourager as a sister in Christ. We had a very fun morning out at the market. The most memorable part of our trip, was the time we spent at the seafood counter discussing fish while 2 different middle-aged ladies approached Laura about her CUTE haircut! Can I just say that it felt like I was in the presence of a MOVIE STAR!:) Laura was so modest/humbled by the attention-she kindly gave each of these ladies the information for her hairdresser and they both insisted they were going to try to get the same cut to see if they could be as cute as she is:)lol They both requested photos of her with their phones-she kindly obliged-giving them photos from various angles of the hairstyle! It was fun! I told her the next time we go out together-she HAS to wear a hat and sunglasses so no one will recognize how cute she is!rofl Being w/Laura that morning just reminded me how blessed I've been to meet so many Godly women that encourage me so much every day. Laura is in NO WAY related to the military-but she is a sister of the heart and I'm glad for each precious memory we share. After Laura/I concluded our trip-I met another God chick, Dana, for lunch at Layla's. LOVE me some Layla's. I absolutely fell in love w/gyros during my time living in Germany. Then again, when we lived in England-we had a shop w/gyros in the village near our farm. This was our "treat" (fast food) night out. If we wanted to eat something quick/delicious-it was always a gyros. Fresh/roasted lamb on a spit is absolutely amazing w/lettuce/tomatoes/onions and taziki sauce!!!!YUMMY! Dana loves mediterranean food-this is very near her clinic-so she met me to treat me to a special belated b-day lunch-it was delicious and as always her company is treasured. We returned to her clinic and chatted for a bit about life/her clinic/my progress w/my NY word-"health". Dana and I "do" share both a military spouse title as well as sister in Christ. However, VERY LITTLE of our connection has to do w/the military-except for the fact that we were blessed to be stationed in the same place (twice I might add:) ! Dana and I share a very deep "spiritual" connection. We discuss subjects that most people (even other sisters that I treasure) would never dare bring up. We do not always agree-though we do respect one another's understanding and appreciate one another's honesty. It's VERY rare to find such a connection-and I am grateful.
My girls also had the blessing of attending a special bible workshop for young people at Fairview Park in LR the first weekend in April. They came home SO encouraged about the messages/bible classes/singing/etc...that they experienced that weekend. The theme was "make a difference" and ways that the Christian can truly stand out, be different, reach others, be respected by others, etc...for the cause of Christ. I always appreciate the effort that goes into providing special meetings like this for young people. It gives them an opportunity to "connect", "open up" and encourage one another. Spinning off that thought...the next weekend in April was the 10th annual Spring Banquet that is held each year for H.S. aged students of the church here in Arkansas. Again, a HUGE undertaking-but such a blessed event. This year, my husband and I had the privilege to attend because we had a graduating Sr. Each year, parents of Sr.'s are invited to attend this event. There is always a slide show presentation and parting gift given to each graduate. It is a special time for them and their parents. This year, we had the privilege of flying a very dear friend/brother in Christ (Jimmy Pratt) here to Arkansas to be Rebecca's escort for the banquet. It was a very special evening for all of the kids that attended. It was such a blessing to hear a young minister of the Word get up and speak an encouraging word to these young people about how they CAN make a difference, even though they are young! It does not take age to make a difference in this world for Christ. More young people need to be encouraged to think outside themselves and do something for someone else-namely Jesus Christ! The banquet was VERY cool...the decorations were simple, yet elegant, and followed a "theme" that the young people here all adore- "Defying Gravity" which was a spin off the broadway musical-WICKED that most of them went to see and loved last fall. The food was delicious, the location was very quaint/personal, the girls all looked LOVELY in their "modest" formal gowns, and the guys of course were very handsome! There was even entertainment by 2 of the young Christian men there-namely Austin Brown who performed/sang several John Mayer tunes for the audience. He did a fabulous job and it's SO nice to see a young person so dedicated to music. At the end of the evening, the entire group sang the hymn "Blessed be the Tie". Such an important message to complete such a special evening. After the formal-the young people all attended an all night "lock in" at a local community center in Conway. They sang camp songs, hymns or praise to God, played basketball, volleyball, and other games. It was an enjoyable time for all. For any of you that would like to see photos of the event and haven't-check out my album on my fb page. After this event, I was asked "why" my daughter goes to the Spring formal instead of Prom every year. Several reasons for that. First/foremost...this event is with young people of God-these are young people she spends time w/at bible camps/retreats/etc... year after year. These are people she is very intimately acquainted with, that share the same goals she has in life, that understand/know who she is, etc... Why would she choose to attend an event with young people that she goes to class with (but doesn't really "know"), that desire to "party", "dance", be involved in all types of worldly activities, etc...There, she would just be a "number', just another "somebody". At the spring formal-she is important to everyone in the room, she is known by almost everyone in the room, etc... Another reason-the dress of young people at the Prom...or should I say "undress". It's always interesting to me that the schools have such "strict" dress codes-yet for sports/formal events like Prom-they don't apply them? What is the logic in that? I know that the following "opinion" may not be received well by many and I do not write it to provoke anger-but why would any parent encourage their daughter to wear provocative clothing to a formal event? Where are the Dad's? Don't they remember/know what it's like to be very visually attracted to a woman's body-particularly when that lady is "young/vibrant"? Don't they remember "hormones" and how they rage through a young boy's body? If so, please tell me WHY they would encourage/allow their daughters to wear such immodest clothing? Where have all of the "real" men/fathers gone? The ones that will say, "Sorry, try again, NOT happening" when a young girl (who btw, doesn't know about the dangers he does yet because hasn't yet had enough life experience and for SURE doesn't think from a male perspective!) tries to push the envelope and wear something inappropriate/provocative. So, all of this rant is to say this...I am grateful/thankful that I have been blessed to live in a place where brethren have taken notice of young people's desire to attend a nice formal event and have taken it upon themselves to "host" this alternative for Christians. An alternative that encourages godly living, godly dress, godly friendships/relationships, godly behavior, etc... I have already decided that IF there is no one already doing this when we move to Arizona-I WILL! There may only be 4 or 5 young people attend-but I WILL do my best to get the word out/advertise to other Christians/network/plan this event-even if it has to be in my own home that is "transformed" into a ballroom! Again, I do not say any of these things out of malice...just to provoke serious thought for those that want to live more holy/godly lives and be "set apart" from the world. This is just one way we can do it-certainly not the only way-and I'm certainly not trying to be judgemental. Just "keeping it real" and trying to look at it from God's perspective.
So, formal weekend-I mentioned we had our brother, Jimmy, here with us. It was such an honor to have such a kind/respectful/loving young Christian man here with us. It was indeed our pleasure to fly him here, from Indiana, to spend the weekend. He had a GREAT time! He'd never flown before-but did great-even with the changeover in Chicago coming/going. He said it was "cool" meeting all of the young Christians here in the area and spending time with them. Our girls go each summer to a bible camp in KY. This is how we know Jimmy. Jimmy/Rebecca are very good friends. Jimmy is a very "new" Christian-a babe in Christ. We had some fun times while he was here. I took him to the base, he had never been on an AF base or any type of military base and was quite fascinated with the fact that it is it's own little community-that you really never would have to leave the base for anything-because it has everything! After treating Jimmy to lunch at an Italian restaurant following SU a.m. services-we returned him to the airport. I asked Jimmy (a northern boy!) what he thought about the south-what was different, what he expected, etc... His responses intriqued me-first, he said that the people are MUCH more open/friendly (score one for the south!;), the accents were not as "heavy" and drawn as he expected (score another for the south!:), the preacher's sermon was excellent/very thought provoking/heavy in scripture (score one for the bible belt;), and that the weather was MUCH more volatilehumid than he expected (oops-score one for the north;)lol So, his perspective was that he'd love to come back-but NOT during the summer! Can't say I blame him for that and I'm not from the north!
Mid-week of banquet, I had the pleasure of being treated to a belated b-day lunch by another friend, Amal. Amal and I went to Panera bread-it was her first time, but she must have liked it because she got a frequent visitors card to get benefits! Amal is a relatively new friend (last 2 years). Her husband/2 sons/daughter are members of the congregation here of the church that I attend. Amal is from Egypt, she is a "retired" military spouse, she lived in Arizona (for 8 years) where I am moving next summer, and she is one of the kindest/hospitable people I've ever known that is not a Christian. Amal has a lot of Christian "qualities", but is a Muslim by culture/background. I am always interested in getting to know others from other cultures. I find it intriquing/challenging/thought provoking to get to know and enjoy someone's company who has been raised with a totally different type of upbringing than most of my friend's have experienced being raised in America. In such a short period of time, I have learned a LOT from Amal. A lot that I can put into practice as a Christian-even though she is not one. She is the epitome of "hospitality". She will drop whatever she is doing to make time for others! She is always joyful, smiling, kind, very social, etc... She greets others at the services of the church even though she is not a member-certainly members of the church could learn from her example! She attends most worship services w/her husband because she has great respect for her husband. I can definitely use a dose of "respecting/honoring" my husband from time to time. It's so easy to take the relationship w/my husband for granted. Amal does not do that. She treasures her time w/her husband and takes very serious her role as keeper of the home. It is my prayer that, through time, I will be able to talk with Amal more about the importance of being washed in the blood of Jesus Christ through baptism. I know that her husband has done this and continues to encourage her. I love her, care about her, and want the best for her. Certainly that best is an eternal home in Heaven. She will not obtain that goal through Muhammed-Jesus Christ is the way, truth, and the life. In the meantime, I enjoy our time together, learn what I can from her, and pray that my example is a positive influence in her life so that she may want to become a child of God's through His Son, Jesus. Amal is a gift to me-I thank God for her friendship.
Last week I spent preparing for book club for my youngest daughter, Michaela and meeting some daily challenges offered on some various fb groups I am involved with. I am active in 4 fb groups-one is Virtuous Woman-a group that offered a challenge last week to list 2 blessings/per day for 7 days. 2 of them are weight loss/health related. One is downsizing in progress and the other is "temple watchers" based on the scripture in I Cor. that says our bodies are the temple of God, this group is directed by my sister chick-Lori:) Both of these groups offer ongoing encouragement, ideas, information, progress updates, for those that are seeking a better healthy lifestyle-Temple Watchers uses scripture to encourage/remind us-which is ultimately my goal-to be healthier so I can serve God/others w/my physical body more effectively. The final fb group I'm active in is Thou excellest them all, it was started last week by sister Jenni from Conway, AR. This group focuses on time management, keeping the home, being a wife, parenting, organization, decluttering, etc...all things that help me achieve my lifetime goal-to become the virtuous woman in Proverbs 31. Each day, sister Jenni issues a challenge, she also solicits any questions/responses/inquiries about anything related to womanly life. I posed a question on the forum last weekend. It was about a "tool" I've come across that I believe will make my life SO much more simple. It is called e-mealz and it is an online menu/shopping planning service for just $5/month! I wanted to know if anyone on the forum had used it, what they liked/disliked about it, etc... The feedback was awesome...a few indeed have used it/are using it and say it has cut down on their planning/shopping time/food budget drastically! I am SO excited about this. Although I am a planner by nature, I do NOT like to shop! One of the biggest challenges of keeping the home has been the amt of time it takes to budget/plan menus/shop for food for my family! By the time I get to the shopping, I am exasperated. Anyone who is interested in an amazing convenience w/tons of options (couples, families, low-fat, portion control, shop plans for specific stores, etc...) should check this amazing service out. I can EASILY save $5/month w/coupons to pay for this service! I've decided to begin using it when school begins this fall-just for me/Michaela. Then if all goes well-I will transfer to the "family of 4" service once we move to Arizona next summer. Also been checking out "flylady" for her tips on home organization. I'm really doing a LOT of decluttering before this upcoming move. Her tips will help me have a definite "plan" to get it all done before next summer-in a consistent/timely/manageable way. Going to get Michaela started on a plan once we move to Arizona as well. She needs some tools to help her manage "things" a bit better so she doesn't become a hoarder-she def has that personality!
Speaking of Michaela-book club on Friday night here went very well. The girls reviewed the book "Peter and the Starcatchers" which is a prequel to Peter Pan. 3 of the 4 girls present rated it a "9", which is quite high for their standards. The thing I enjoy most about this book club w/these young Christian girls is watching them come to some "conclusions" on their own. No matter what book we've read-they've always found a "spiritual" implication/lesson that can be applied. This is such an important skill to have as you enter adulthood/mature in Christ. The ability to "discern" between good/evil and use each circumstance/event to learn something that help you become more Christlike. We will have one more book club in June, then break for the summer, picking up again in August after school begins. The girls have grown/changed SO MUCH this year-not just physically, but they are maturing spiritually and really coming to some very deep understanding of the things of God. I am grateful to have this opportunity to host the book club for them-they have taught me a LOT!:)
So, as you see...my life is quite full of activity. But, each of them is part of my goal in life-to serve the Lord w/all my heart/mind/soul and encourage others around me to do the same! Dear reader, I pray that through my ramblings here on this page-you will have gained something that may help you do the same. One final update-about my word of the year-"health". I continue in a positive direction with my health. In the middle of all of this other activity-put in going to the gym for 40 minutes 7X per week-M/W/F in a.m. and T/TH both a.m. and p.m. This is helping me reach some very important physical goals. One is obviously weight loss-I am down 40 pounds since the first of the year. Things are getting "slower" and I am working harder to achieve results, this is to be expected. I am not discouraged, because I know that even if I only lose 1 pd a week over the next year-that is 52 more pounds and I will TAKE IT! I'm not depriving myself-just being choosy and eating only the things I really love, am in the mood for, etc... just in moderation and keeping healthy "balanced" meals in mind as well. Spiritually, I am doing well. All of the above activities I've mentioned have impacted my life, spiritually, for the positive. I am currently revisiting an old book to refocus myself, spiritually, in addition to my daily bible reading. The book is "The purpose driven life". Though this book is not without scriptural error, it does contain some very good thoughts about priorities and keeping "focused" on the goal of Heaven. Like all books written by men (the bible being the ONLY perfect will of God), I use what is in accordance to God's word and toss the rest-enough said! So, if you are following me along life's journey in this blog I encourage you with the thought of Day 1-"It's not about me." In spite of all of the advertising around me, how can I remind myself that life is really about living for God, not myself?" A difficult question in our modern society-but a very important one to consider for one that desires to live for God. God's blessings on all until next time!
Monday, April 25, 2011
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Last day of March-my birthdate!
March 31, 2011
Interesting how life can present you with little "gifts" for your b-day. I was enjoying my rest last night and behold, my "aging" body decided I needed a mid-night trip to relieve my bladder and I could NOT return to sleep. Alas, the gift of aging. What happened to the day that I could sleep ALL night without waking up? Those days are a part of my past. At first, I was irritated that I could not get back to sleep, but then I was reminded that "it gives me the blessing of an opportunity to blog"...now that is a thought that I enjoy and a very special gift on this b-day:) As I mentioned during my last blog (3 weeks ago), life has moved to fast paced mode here in my house. Mainly due to the fact that I have a daughter graduating from H.S. in 5 weeks and a husband that is going on a duty assignment for a year in about 90 days! So many things to get completed, details to finalize...this is the reason I decided to leave my job at the end of last school year. I knew this time was coming and I wanted to be able to savor every moment, not feel "rushed" to complete things, etc...
Update on what has been happening in my life. Well the second full week in March-we had a week long gospel meeting with brother Simon Harris from Jonesboro, Arkansas. We started the week with a potluck for all members of the church that Sunday at my friend Jen's. On Thursday night, my family hosted brother Harris/his family for dinner before the evening service. It was a joy to meet/get to know this family better. So many blessings in being able to spend time not only listening to brother Harris speak the words of truth from God's word-but also to hear of his mission work overseas, as well as their daughter, Kelsey's story. The last night they were with us, brother Harris wore a tie that said, "Life is more interesting when you're happy." I admired the tie, most especially the sentiment. It was at that point that he gave me a business card with a website that they have designed to honor their daughter Kelsey's memory. You see, the sentiment contained on the tie was Kelsey's life theme. It was discovered that Kelsey had an inoperable aggressive malignant brain tumor in Feb of '08(age 14) and she left this life to be with God in April '09 (age 16). Her story is an amazing one...one of courage, strength, faith, definitely an example for all of us "older" folks as well as younger. Her message was one that reminds us all that no matter what we are going through, we can choose to be happy-we don't have to allow unpleasant circumstances dictate our ability to enjoy this life. Kelsey enjoyed every moment-though I never met her, I feel as though I know her through the writings she left behind and the testimonies about her from her family. Check out the website at http://www.lifeismoreinteresting.org/, I think you will find Kelsey's story to be very encouraging!
The Saturday following the meeting, we drove 3 hours to Missouri (and back, in the same day) to enjoy celebrating my lovely niece, Bayleigh's, 6th b-day. I love that sweet girl-both of my nieces are absolutely precious and priceless treasures to me. They are my pseudo grandchildren-as I pray not to have any of my own "real" grandchildren for at least 6 more years-so I enjoy these girls immensely. It's so hard to believe sweet Bayleigh is 6, she has grown up so fast. She is absolutely a joy. So smart, funny, loving and it was SO worth the 3 hour trip just to have her spot us across the room and run/jump into our arms to hug our necks:) I understand/realize how quickly this time passes in Bayleigh's life. I don't want to miss any of those "special" moments in her life. I do all that I can to "make" the time to spend with her. It's worth any small inconvenience to me-because I know that in a few years, it won't mean as much to her that I am there. She will "grow up" and having peers at her parties will be more important. Then someday, she'll have a family/life of her own to celebrate with. Right now, it is important to her, and I feel blessed to spend time just watching her "be a child" and know that she understands that by my presence, I care for her/love her. Though she certainly can't fully understand it now-in a few years she will look back and realize that we traveled many miles to just "be" with her. These are the types of memories that are forever etched in a child's memory. Who was it that made the time to spend with them? I had a most excellent example in my mother as she was a g'mother to my own girls. My mom was working 2 jobs and had 6 foster children-but she always "made" the time to spend with my girls when they were young. I respect that/appreciate that about her. I am trying to honor her memory by "being there" and "making time" to spend with her grandchildren-Bayleigh and Brylea-that she never had the blessing to know/meet. Mom would have SO loved spoiling these girls, just like she did my own. Bayleigh/Brylea deserve that type of love/attention/affection. They cannot help the fact that they never had the blessing of having my Mom in their lives, this situation is out of their control. But, it doesn't mean that they can't enjoy the same type of love/devotion from me. I know that a person can't be replaced and I will never "try" to replace my Mom. I merely desire for these young precious girls to know that they are loved, they are a joy, and their company is always desired by me.
Last week was Spring Break. The girls/I just spent the first 3 days hanging out, going to the gym, going to the movies, going to lunch, did a bit of shopping, etc... These days in our life together as mother/daughters are quickly drawing to a close. The thought occurred to me that it is likely that next spring break (2012) will be the last one that the 3 of us spend together. It is unlikely that Michaela's spring break (once we move to Arizona) will coincide with Rebecca's while she's in college. So, I soaked it UP! We had some fun days-laughed a lot and made some great memories. At the end of last week, we were able to go "as a family" to Dallas, Texas for 4 days. Dallas was enjoyable. We enjoyed a real Texas steakhouse with the most delectable steak EVER, went to the Medieval Times dinner theater, watched a real live cattle drive (longhorns) down the streets of historic Ft. Worth, enjoyed an entire day on roller coasters at 6 flags, and enjoyed worshipping with/meeting some fine brethren in the area before returning back home on Sunday night. It was a good trip. We had a "few" treats for ourselves-we all shared a HUGE (yes, everything really is "bigger" in Texas) piece of cheesecake after our steak dinner (which Rebecca and I shared). We enjoyed some "fudge" at a specialty shop in Ft. Worth. We delighted in a serving of Cold Stone Ice Cream at 6 flags on Saturday. I'm happy to say that we actually also worked out at the hotel fitness center ALL 3 nights that we were there:) We're hoping that it helped us "maintain" our weight last week-but none of us got on the scales to find out!lol We decided to wait til the end of this week (after we'd returned home to normal routine) to find out what kind of damage was done!
All of this talk about "eating/fitness" reminds me that I need to update my current status with my "word of the year"-health. To date, I have lost 32 pounds since the beginning of the year. I have added the powerpump class on M/W/FR mornings to my weekly workout regiment at the gym. I had to proceed slowly with adding that in due to the fact that I overdid it the first time I went to that class and ended up with pneumonia:( Physically-I continue toward my goals for health. I now have "new" motivation for continuing on this journey-our move to Phoenix, Arizona next summer. I pray that I will be able to continue progressing in my fitness so that I will be able to do a lot of trails/hiking in the desert mountains once we arrive there. Too much beauty to miss out on just because you're not in good physical condition. I don't intend to miss out...I intend to continue to push myself toward better physical conditioning so that I can fully enjoy each moment of our 3 years in the lovely sunshine/heat of Arizona:) Also, in regards to "health", my spiritual health is prospering. It was such a faith boosting experience to watch/wait for God to work in our lives with regard to our new duty assignment next summer. At first, there was disappointment because we weren't going to be able to get the assignment in Missouri or Illinois so that we could be "close" to my sister/her girls:( However, I am not one to question God-we had prayed, God had answered-it was not the right time for that move. So, we considered other options-where could we/would we want to go (in the U.S.) on a 3 year adventure? John has always wanted to live out west-given that Louis Lamour is the ONLY author he reads, you can easily understand why! So, after considering several factors-namely finding a place with several local congregations of the church to choose from, decent schools for Michaela, lower cost of living, new travel opportunities, and finally opportunities for college for Michaela. Alas, we chose Phoenix and God said, "yes"! We feel doubly blessed because some very dear God peeps-the Harper's-live in the Phoenix area and Steven preaches at one of the congregations there. They have 4 children-their 2 daughters are in the "middle" and they are in the same age group as Michaela. They were all good childhood friends and we've been blessed to visit with them in '09 while Steven was holding a special meeting here in Arkansas-of course there is also facebook which they are "friends" on:) So, we feel so incredibly blessed to be going to a place where Michaela will "know" someone and have some things in common! We knew this move would be very different for all of us. Rebecca will be staying behind here in Arkansas going to college, Michaela will be moving (for the first time) without her "built in" friend (her sister), and this will be our "final" military assignment...it is during this time that we have to decide where we will live/what we want to do with the rest of our lives. Once again, we are humbled by the blessings of God's provision for our family. We look forward to the 3 years we'll spend in Arizona and the new opportunities it brings us with regard to the work of the church, new relationships w/brethren, renewing old relationships, new opportunities for travel, and possibly future opportunities after John's AF retirement.
This brings me to this week-what a whirlwind it has been! Of course doing laundry after a trip is always a half day chore! I've spent a LOT of time doing some final prep for this end of H.S. time for Rebecca. Graduation invites designed/ordered, invitations to a graduation/reception printed, mailing labels printed, name cards printed, and a graduation party/potluck for all of our Christian H.S. Sr.'s and College Sr.s planned/invites ready to get out. Also, trying to help Rebecca get all of her info together for summer hire program at the base. Had to get her H.S. transcript so I can go pick up her acceptance letter at the college. Which brings me to a "proud mommy" moment...when I picked up her transcript, the counselor asked me if I'd like to see it before she sealed it. Of course I did. One of the things on the transcript is the "position" she holds in class ranking. I am SO proud of Rebecca...she is number 28 of 629 graduating Sr.'s this year-top 5%! Wow-what an excellent testimony it is to the hard work she has put in for the last 4 years. This will go a long way to boosting her confidence in college! It is no easy feat to place in top 5% of any class-the competition here is EXTRA tough! It is not uncommon to have several straight A students that have strictly AP classes! Rebecca has taken several AP classes and they were the "tough ones",but she worked hard and did the best she could. She learned a lot about "studying" and habits for study in those classes. They were not enjoyable for her, she struggled through a few of them. Even after that, she is in the top 5%-I could not be more pleased for her! I have tried to encourage my girls to always "do their best" in whatever they do in life I don't expect them to be perfect, I've never expected them to be straight A students, just do their best and "learn" some things along the way. I have also never tried to "pressure" my girls into pursuing a college education. I want them to understand that while education/book learning has it's place, it is not the end all of all. The most important thing I want for them is that they learn to serve/love God better each day. To always put His will above their own wants/desires. I have encouraged them to understand that being a Christian is the highest calling on their life and the most blessed privilege of all. Anything else they do, is optional. I know that if you put God first in your life, the other stuff falls easily in line. This would mean they would "do well" in school, academically. This would mean they will "do well" in life as an adult, whether they choose to complete a college education or get out of H.S. and work a job to support themselves. I pray each day for my girls to find a Christian mate and have grandchildren for me one day. Not because it's what "I" want, but because it is what they say they desire. If they choose to remain single and serve the Lord all of their days-it is their decision-and I will support/love them. I have tried to impress upon them that God created women to be a "help meet" for a husband and to bear children to honor/serve Him. Besides their own salvation, being a wife/mom is the greatest blessing they'll ever receive from God. However, I also remind them that if they don't have a close relationship with the Lord, they will struggle in the calling of being a wife/mother. If they are confident/secure/maturing in the Lord-these other roles will be much more of a joy. I also try to present a "realistic" picture for them. Life has it's struggles-most especially for the Christian. It is through the trials/tribulations of this life that God proves us, that our faith increases, our dependance upon ourselves/others decreases while our ever growing dependancy upon God increases. We would not want to live life without the struggles-they are what help us appreciate and long for the goal of Heaven! So, wherever this life leads my hubby/I after retirement and our girls after H.S.-I know that as long as we are all "fighting the good fight" and "running the race" toward Heaven-we will all be reunited again in that great home above! In the meantime, we will just each enjoy the journey here below.
Interesting how life can present you with little "gifts" for your b-day. I was enjoying my rest last night and behold, my "aging" body decided I needed a mid-night trip to relieve my bladder and I could NOT return to sleep. Alas, the gift of aging. What happened to the day that I could sleep ALL night without waking up? Those days are a part of my past. At first, I was irritated that I could not get back to sleep, but then I was reminded that "it gives me the blessing of an opportunity to blog"...now that is a thought that I enjoy and a very special gift on this b-day:) As I mentioned during my last blog (3 weeks ago), life has moved to fast paced mode here in my house. Mainly due to the fact that I have a daughter graduating from H.S. in 5 weeks and a husband that is going on a duty assignment for a year in about 90 days! So many things to get completed, details to finalize...this is the reason I decided to leave my job at the end of last school year. I knew this time was coming and I wanted to be able to savor every moment, not feel "rushed" to complete things, etc...
Update on what has been happening in my life. Well the second full week in March-we had a week long gospel meeting with brother Simon Harris from Jonesboro, Arkansas. We started the week with a potluck for all members of the church that Sunday at my friend Jen's. On Thursday night, my family hosted brother Harris/his family for dinner before the evening service. It was a joy to meet/get to know this family better. So many blessings in being able to spend time not only listening to brother Harris speak the words of truth from God's word-but also to hear of his mission work overseas, as well as their daughter, Kelsey's story. The last night they were with us, brother Harris wore a tie that said, "Life is more interesting when you're happy." I admired the tie, most especially the sentiment. It was at that point that he gave me a business card with a website that they have designed to honor their daughter Kelsey's memory. You see, the sentiment contained on the tie was Kelsey's life theme. It was discovered that Kelsey had an inoperable aggressive malignant brain tumor in Feb of '08(age 14) and she left this life to be with God in April '09 (age 16). Her story is an amazing one...one of courage, strength, faith, definitely an example for all of us "older" folks as well as younger. Her message was one that reminds us all that no matter what we are going through, we can choose to be happy-we don't have to allow unpleasant circumstances dictate our ability to enjoy this life. Kelsey enjoyed every moment-though I never met her, I feel as though I know her through the writings she left behind and the testimonies about her from her family. Check out the website at http://www.lifeismoreinteresting.org/, I think you will find Kelsey's story to be very encouraging!
The Saturday following the meeting, we drove 3 hours to Missouri (and back, in the same day) to enjoy celebrating my lovely niece, Bayleigh's, 6th b-day. I love that sweet girl-both of my nieces are absolutely precious and priceless treasures to me. They are my pseudo grandchildren-as I pray not to have any of my own "real" grandchildren for at least 6 more years-so I enjoy these girls immensely. It's so hard to believe sweet Bayleigh is 6, she has grown up so fast. She is absolutely a joy. So smart, funny, loving and it was SO worth the 3 hour trip just to have her spot us across the room and run/jump into our arms to hug our necks:) I understand/realize how quickly this time passes in Bayleigh's life. I don't want to miss any of those "special" moments in her life. I do all that I can to "make" the time to spend with her. It's worth any small inconvenience to me-because I know that in a few years, it won't mean as much to her that I am there. She will "grow up" and having peers at her parties will be more important. Then someday, she'll have a family/life of her own to celebrate with. Right now, it is important to her, and I feel blessed to spend time just watching her "be a child" and know that she understands that by my presence, I care for her/love her. Though she certainly can't fully understand it now-in a few years she will look back and realize that we traveled many miles to just "be" with her. These are the types of memories that are forever etched in a child's memory. Who was it that made the time to spend with them? I had a most excellent example in my mother as she was a g'mother to my own girls. My mom was working 2 jobs and had 6 foster children-but she always "made" the time to spend with my girls when they were young. I respect that/appreciate that about her. I am trying to honor her memory by "being there" and "making time" to spend with her grandchildren-Bayleigh and Brylea-that she never had the blessing to know/meet. Mom would have SO loved spoiling these girls, just like she did my own. Bayleigh/Brylea deserve that type of love/attention/affection. They cannot help the fact that they never had the blessing of having my Mom in their lives, this situation is out of their control. But, it doesn't mean that they can't enjoy the same type of love/devotion from me. I know that a person can't be replaced and I will never "try" to replace my Mom. I merely desire for these young precious girls to know that they are loved, they are a joy, and their company is always desired by me.
Last week was Spring Break. The girls/I just spent the first 3 days hanging out, going to the gym, going to the movies, going to lunch, did a bit of shopping, etc... These days in our life together as mother/daughters are quickly drawing to a close. The thought occurred to me that it is likely that next spring break (2012) will be the last one that the 3 of us spend together. It is unlikely that Michaela's spring break (once we move to Arizona) will coincide with Rebecca's while she's in college. So, I soaked it UP! We had some fun days-laughed a lot and made some great memories. At the end of last week, we were able to go "as a family" to Dallas, Texas for 4 days. Dallas was enjoyable. We enjoyed a real Texas steakhouse with the most delectable steak EVER, went to the Medieval Times dinner theater, watched a real live cattle drive (longhorns) down the streets of historic Ft. Worth, enjoyed an entire day on roller coasters at 6 flags, and enjoyed worshipping with/meeting some fine brethren in the area before returning back home on Sunday night. It was a good trip. We had a "few" treats for ourselves-we all shared a HUGE (yes, everything really is "bigger" in Texas) piece of cheesecake after our steak dinner (which Rebecca and I shared). We enjoyed some "fudge" at a specialty shop in Ft. Worth. We delighted in a serving of Cold Stone Ice Cream at 6 flags on Saturday. I'm happy to say that we actually also worked out at the hotel fitness center ALL 3 nights that we were there:) We're hoping that it helped us "maintain" our weight last week-but none of us got on the scales to find out!lol We decided to wait til the end of this week (after we'd returned home to normal routine) to find out what kind of damage was done!
All of this talk about "eating/fitness" reminds me that I need to update my current status with my "word of the year"-health. To date, I have lost 32 pounds since the beginning of the year. I have added the powerpump class on M/W/FR mornings to my weekly workout regiment at the gym. I had to proceed slowly with adding that in due to the fact that I overdid it the first time I went to that class and ended up with pneumonia:( Physically-I continue toward my goals for health. I now have "new" motivation for continuing on this journey-our move to Phoenix, Arizona next summer. I pray that I will be able to continue progressing in my fitness so that I will be able to do a lot of trails/hiking in the desert mountains once we arrive there. Too much beauty to miss out on just because you're not in good physical condition. I don't intend to miss out...I intend to continue to push myself toward better physical conditioning so that I can fully enjoy each moment of our 3 years in the lovely sunshine/heat of Arizona:) Also, in regards to "health", my spiritual health is prospering. It was such a faith boosting experience to watch/wait for God to work in our lives with regard to our new duty assignment next summer. At first, there was disappointment because we weren't going to be able to get the assignment in Missouri or Illinois so that we could be "close" to my sister/her girls:( However, I am not one to question God-we had prayed, God had answered-it was not the right time for that move. So, we considered other options-where could we/would we want to go (in the U.S.) on a 3 year adventure? John has always wanted to live out west-given that Louis Lamour is the ONLY author he reads, you can easily understand why! So, after considering several factors-namely finding a place with several local congregations of the church to choose from, decent schools for Michaela, lower cost of living, new travel opportunities, and finally opportunities for college for Michaela. Alas, we chose Phoenix and God said, "yes"! We feel doubly blessed because some very dear God peeps-the Harper's-live in the Phoenix area and Steven preaches at one of the congregations there. They have 4 children-their 2 daughters are in the "middle" and they are in the same age group as Michaela. They were all good childhood friends and we've been blessed to visit with them in '09 while Steven was holding a special meeting here in Arkansas-of course there is also facebook which they are "friends" on:) So, we feel so incredibly blessed to be going to a place where Michaela will "know" someone and have some things in common! We knew this move would be very different for all of us. Rebecca will be staying behind here in Arkansas going to college, Michaela will be moving (for the first time) without her "built in" friend (her sister), and this will be our "final" military assignment...it is during this time that we have to decide where we will live/what we want to do with the rest of our lives. Once again, we are humbled by the blessings of God's provision for our family. We look forward to the 3 years we'll spend in Arizona and the new opportunities it brings us with regard to the work of the church, new relationships w/brethren, renewing old relationships, new opportunities for travel, and possibly future opportunities after John's AF retirement.
This brings me to this week-what a whirlwind it has been! Of course doing laundry after a trip is always a half day chore! I've spent a LOT of time doing some final prep for this end of H.S. time for Rebecca. Graduation invites designed/ordered, invitations to a graduation/reception printed, mailing labels printed, name cards printed, and a graduation party/potluck for all of our Christian H.S. Sr.'s and College Sr.s planned/invites ready to get out. Also, trying to help Rebecca get all of her info together for summer hire program at the base. Had to get her H.S. transcript so I can go pick up her acceptance letter at the college. Which brings me to a "proud mommy" moment...when I picked up her transcript, the counselor asked me if I'd like to see it before she sealed it. Of course I did. One of the things on the transcript is the "position" she holds in class ranking. I am SO proud of Rebecca...she is number 28 of 629 graduating Sr.'s this year-top 5%! Wow-what an excellent testimony it is to the hard work she has put in for the last 4 years. This will go a long way to boosting her confidence in college! It is no easy feat to place in top 5% of any class-the competition here is EXTRA tough! It is not uncommon to have several straight A students that have strictly AP classes! Rebecca has taken several AP classes and they were the "tough ones",but she worked hard and did the best she could. She learned a lot about "studying" and habits for study in those classes. They were not enjoyable for her, she struggled through a few of them. Even after that, she is in the top 5%-I could not be more pleased for her! I have tried to encourage my girls to always "do their best" in whatever they do in life I don't expect them to be perfect, I've never expected them to be straight A students, just do their best and "learn" some things along the way. I have also never tried to "pressure" my girls into pursuing a college education. I want them to understand that while education/book learning has it's place, it is not the end all of all. The most important thing I want for them is that they learn to serve/love God better each day. To always put His will above their own wants/desires. I have encouraged them to understand that being a Christian is the highest calling on their life and the most blessed privilege of all. Anything else they do, is optional. I know that if you put God first in your life, the other stuff falls easily in line. This would mean they would "do well" in school, academically. This would mean they will "do well" in life as an adult, whether they choose to complete a college education or get out of H.S. and work a job to support themselves. I pray each day for my girls to find a Christian mate and have grandchildren for me one day. Not because it's what "I" want, but because it is what they say they desire. If they choose to remain single and serve the Lord all of their days-it is their decision-and I will support/love them. I have tried to impress upon them that God created women to be a "help meet" for a husband and to bear children to honor/serve Him. Besides their own salvation, being a wife/mom is the greatest blessing they'll ever receive from God. However, I also remind them that if they don't have a close relationship with the Lord, they will struggle in the calling of being a wife/mother. If they are confident/secure/maturing in the Lord-these other roles will be much more of a joy. I also try to present a "realistic" picture for them. Life has it's struggles-most especially for the Christian. It is through the trials/tribulations of this life that God proves us, that our faith increases, our dependance upon ourselves/others decreases while our ever growing dependancy upon God increases. We would not want to live life without the struggles-they are what help us appreciate and long for the goal of Heaven! So, wherever this life leads my hubby/I after retirement and our girls after H.S.-I know that as long as we are all "fighting the good fight" and "running the race" toward Heaven-we will all be reunited again in that great home above! In the meantime, we will just each enjoy the journey here below.
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
March-the month of new beginnings
I realized this a.m. that it had been 2 weeks since I last blogged. Isn't it amazing how quickly time can pass sometimes? I am ever amazed at the quick passage of my life, minutes turn to days, then to years,etc... I am glad to say that as of today-March 9th, I am remaining faithful to my word of the year, "health". That is the reason for my delay in blogging recently. Focusing on "health" has taken much of the last 2 weeks of my life. That is a good thing. It helps me know that I am reaching my true heart's desire in obtaining better health in various facets of my life. Let me share some insights as to the ways my time has been spent focusing on health over the last couple of weeks.
First, the most important area of my life...spiritual health. I have been very blessed over the last couple of weeks to have "extra" opportunities to grow spiritually. I had the blessing of spending an entire day w/sisters in Christ in Conway (about 45 minutes drive) while engaging in a look into the book of Proverbs (wisdom literature) contained in God's word. After the study, my God peep-Laura-and I went to lunch together to talk about spiritual matters, things on our hearts/minds that we could pray about for one another, etc...It was while I was with these dear sisters that I received a text/phone call to inform me that a past coworker and dear friend from HIPPY, Jackie, had passed away very suddenly from a heart attack. Jackie was not "old", she was middle aged, still had a college aged daughter living at home w/her and her husband. Jackie had not been "sick". Jackie's "vapor" of life just disappeared at an earlier point than most. I was so humbled by God's provision for me at the moment I received this shocking news...I was in the presence of my sisters that I knew would share their compassionate spirit, prayers, and grief with me even though none of them even knew Jackie. That's the beauty of relationships with other Christians...they didn't have/need to know Jackie. They know me and they saw me with the eyes of Jesus at that moment-they were sad for the hurt that I was experiencing as well as all those that knew/loved Jackie. Such a blessing indeed and certainly one that I took time to thank God for that day. I also had the spiritual blessing of beginning a bible study for young Christians here in my home. An opportunity to "mentor" a young Christian woman in the congregation here came to my attention and we have been studying basic bible principles together. My 2 daughters are here during this study as well. The purpose of the study is to help these young women understand the importance of the commitment they've made to Christ. To help them search the scriptures for themselves so that they will have the information they need to make wise spiritual decisions for themselves in the future. The study has been very encouraging for me. Encouraging to see the "interest" in spiritual matters from youth, particularly with regard to seeing/knowing for themselves what the bible has to say about various matters-not just "listening" to me speak or give my opinion, but indeed letting the Word convict their hearts and move them to action. I pray each day for wisdom as I continue with this study, that I will merely be an instrument/vessel that God uses to help these young women as they are entering adulthood. I take seriously my responsibility to "teach the younger women" as the scriptures teach me to do. Last night, I had the blessing of attending a special meeting series at a congregation in Conway. The lesson was on "slander" and I have to say that it was a very convicting lesson. It was during that sermon that I realized that to my recollection, until last night, I had never heard an entire sermon on this subject since I became a Christian 23 years ago. Yes, I have heard various passages quoted "about" slander, but never an entire lesson devoted to this subject. I began to ask myself, "WHY?" Why is such a devestating/condemning sin not spoken of from the pulpit? After evaluation I came to the conclusion that perhaps it is because it would hit way too many of us "where it hurts" so to speak! I know that I was convicted during the lesson. I have been guilty of slander-I am not proud of it, I am ashamed. One of the "weaknesses" that extroverted communicators, like myself, face and often struggle with is that which involves the tongue. However, being an extrovert does NOT give me an excuse to sin. I cannot just say, "well, that's just the way I am." To do so would be to cast blame on God for "making me this way". But I know that instead, God created me as an extrovert to use that gift in ways that will reflect/bring glory to Him and He expects me to manage this gift by using self-control and by praying/asking for His wisdom/guidance. I realize that I have the ability to either "build up or tear down" with my tongue. I am growing in my ability to use my tongue to build others up in the ways of God/encourage them to want to know/love God w/all their heart, mind and soul. However, I have been guilty of slander. Knowing this and realizing this, what will I do with this new information? I am humbled by the fact that because I am God's child and I have confessed the sin to Him with a heart of repentance, God forgives me. I will truly try to bear "fruits worthy of repentance" by being more aware of what I say, how I say it, etc... Slander is such a far reaching subject of great biblical importance-the Word of God says that those that slander will NOT inherit eternal life. I do not want to be counted among those that slander. My focus/that which I live my life for, is the goal of Heaven. I want to meet God in the day of judgement and hear Him say, "Well done thou good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of the Lord."
I am thankful for this lesson on "slander", for it has indeed helped me to grow more spiritually healthy.
Mental health-wow, lots of opportunities to grow in that way as well. Over the last 2 weeks I have come to new mental realizations about upcoming changes in my life. First, my husband is leaving in just 4 short months and the time truly is passing very quickly. In order to make these moments together count, we will need to spend as much time together as possible. I'm thankful that he is finished with his college courses and will not be resuming them until he arrives at his new duty station this summer. This has helped me readjust some of my previous "goals" for the upcoming months that I had originally made at the beginning of the year. I am working on our schedules so that we may spend as much family time together as possible. Have as many meals together as possible, spend time in recreation together, etc...I spent much time over the last couple of weeks planning some "mental health" vacations. First, I planned the graduation trip for Rebecca/I to NYC the week following graduation. This trip is important for so many reasons. This will be the only strictly mother/daughter trip she/I have ever taken together. She is leaving home this fall and going to live in the college dorms. She is becoming a young woman and we are entering a new zone of "friendship" that we've never had the opportunity to explore before because I was given the responsibility to "train her up in the way she should go" as God's word dictates. I will always be her parent, be available to help/guide her as she needs that assistance-but I will no longer be "responsible" for her in the same way. I am looking forward to experiencing NYC w/Rebecca, but more than the sights, I am looking forward to watching our adult mother/daughter relationship evolve during this trip-that is good for my mental health. Second, I spent time planning my annual girls trip w/my bff Jen. This annual trip will have a new meaning for me this year-it will be a "prep" trip for the upcoming year. Always before, this trip has been a "refreshing" celebration to end my work year. This year, it will be preparing me for the year that lies ahead. A year without my spouse or my oldest child at home with me. A year when it will just be Michaela/I forging ahead in new ways-building our own relationship as mother/daughter, sharing meals just the 2 of us, making plans/dreams for the future, etc... I will need this trip to help me prepare, mentally, for the year that lies ahead. We are going to D.C.-my first ever trip to the capitol of our nation. We had originally planned to go to Victoria, Canada-but alas, we changed course due to the expense of the airline tickets. Yesterday this thought occured to me, "Perhaps I am being blessed by God to go to D.C. I can gain a renewed perspective for the year-the fact that my husband will be away from me defending our great nation just like the testimony I will see in D.C. of those that have gone before him." Last, I spent the last 2 weeks planning our final "family" trip together before John leaves for the year and Rebecca goes away to college. Rebecca will work this summer to earn money for college this fall-John will be busy outprocessing the base and preparing for his new assignment. This is a needed vacation for all of us. We are going to just have some "fun" together, in Dallas. We are going to the Medieval Times dinner theatre. We all love the Dixie Stampede...this is similar but has the "knight/jousting" theme. We're hoping it will bring back all of those pleasant memories we shared with so many brethren of such outings while we lived in England. Living in England has been come to be known as "the glory days" of our family life. Sometimes things just fall into place and everything is just "right", that's how it felt during our time in England as a family. So many blessings w/brethren, the girls were GREAT ages for traveling/truly enjoying themselves in foreign lands/cultures we visited, such a beautiful home/farm we got to live in/on for 3 years...indeed it was like a fairy tale-but it was real! We're hoping to recapture just a glimpse of that at the Medieval Times dinner theatre. We're going to have a blast at an amusement park! Our family also has a history of enjoying amusement parks together. We all enjoy just goofing off for the day and being a "kid" again. Only a few short days for this vacation-but it will be what carries us through until January when our family is reunited to hopefully share more time together.
Physical health-wow, there is so much I can say here. The biggest change that has occurred over the last 2 weeks is that I am fully recovered from the pneumonia I had the beginning of February. This has allowed me to finally be back at the gym on a regular basis. I have enjoyed it so much and have even added some extra gym time in my daily routine. Another biggie-I resumed working for my bff cleaning her industrial business office/showroom. This is HUGE for me physically. I performed these tasks for 4 years when we lived in Cabot before, but due to working for HIPPY full time, did not resume the position since my return. Last weekend was my second week, "on the job", WOW-it literally wiped me out! I got to thinking, "man, am I really in that bad of condition?" Then I realized, it's been 7 years since I last did that type of hard/physical work! I am 7 years older! Boy am I glad that I had been going to the gym, I don't know if I could have taken the job if I hadn't been working out prior to this. Apparently it is the "jump start/jolt" my body needed in order to move forward in better physical health. I finally got off the 1 pd. weight loss/week plateau and lost 3 pounds last week! I have no doubt it is because of the "extra" physical activity the cleaning job is providing. So, I will continue to do this job until we move from here summer '12-it will go a long way to helping me obtain better health. This a.m., I actually "cleaned out" my clothes closet/drawers. I threw away an entire large bag full of clothes that I do not intend to EVER go back into! Now, I must go out and buy just a couple of new pair of pants to help me make it until I reach the next size down-then those will be thrown out-this is a process I intend to continue until I reach full optimum health for me and start to maintain. Who knows, maybe I will actually "enjoy" shopping for a new wardrobe when I get to maintenance mode? I doubt it, never been much of a shopper of any type, but it will feel good to just have all of the old "unhealthy" me stuff removed from my closets/drawers.
So, as you see, I've been quite busy focusing on my "word of the year" over the last couple of weeks:) My apologies to all of those that are following this blog looking for daily inspiration. I will type of couple of things that have caught my attention in my daily readings over the last couple of weeks and hope that you find them to be helpful.
Restore Serenity-Serene women do not become sidetracked. Today, concentrate slowly on completing one task at a time, each hour of the day until the day is over. Inner peace can come from living fully in the present moment. This is where you will experience serenity.
Meditation-Retreat to a quiet place where you can sit/lie down in comfortable position to relax your body. Close your eyes and breath slow and steady. Take 20 minutes a day to concentrate, intentionally, on one thing of importance to you. This is what meditation is.
Personal Sabbath-One day/week when you can rest, renew, rejuvenate, recreate, rejoice, count blessings, say "thank you". This is not a day for strenuous household chores, catching up on work from week or getting head start for next week, no shopping, etc... If God, the Creator, can take a day of rest...surely we can!
First, the most important area of my life...spiritual health. I have been very blessed over the last couple of weeks to have "extra" opportunities to grow spiritually. I had the blessing of spending an entire day w/sisters in Christ in Conway (about 45 minutes drive) while engaging in a look into the book of Proverbs (wisdom literature) contained in God's word. After the study, my God peep-Laura-and I went to lunch together to talk about spiritual matters, things on our hearts/minds that we could pray about for one another, etc...It was while I was with these dear sisters that I received a text/phone call to inform me that a past coworker and dear friend from HIPPY, Jackie, had passed away very suddenly from a heart attack. Jackie was not "old", she was middle aged, still had a college aged daughter living at home w/her and her husband. Jackie had not been "sick". Jackie's "vapor" of life just disappeared at an earlier point than most. I was so humbled by God's provision for me at the moment I received this shocking news...I was in the presence of my sisters that I knew would share their compassionate spirit, prayers, and grief with me even though none of them even knew Jackie. That's the beauty of relationships with other Christians...they didn't have/need to know Jackie. They know me and they saw me with the eyes of Jesus at that moment-they were sad for the hurt that I was experiencing as well as all those that knew/loved Jackie. Such a blessing indeed and certainly one that I took time to thank God for that day. I also had the spiritual blessing of beginning a bible study for young Christians here in my home. An opportunity to "mentor" a young Christian woman in the congregation here came to my attention and we have been studying basic bible principles together. My 2 daughters are here during this study as well. The purpose of the study is to help these young women understand the importance of the commitment they've made to Christ. To help them search the scriptures for themselves so that they will have the information they need to make wise spiritual decisions for themselves in the future. The study has been very encouraging for me. Encouraging to see the "interest" in spiritual matters from youth, particularly with regard to seeing/knowing for themselves what the bible has to say about various matters-not just "listening" to me speak or give my opinion, but indeed letting the Word convict their hearts and move them to action. I pray each day for wisdom as I continue with this study, that I will merely be an instrument/vessel that God uses to help these young women as they are entering adulthood. I take seriously my responsibility to "teach the younger women" as the scriptures teach me to do. Last night, I had the blessing of attending a special meeting series at a congregation in Conway. The lesson was on "slander" and I have to say that it was a very convicting lesson. It was during that sermon that I realized that to my recollection, until last night, I had never heard an entire sermon on this subject since I became a Christian 23 years ago. Yes, I have heard various passages quoted "about" slander, but never an entire lesson devoted to this subject. I began to ask myself, "WHY?" Why is such a devestating/condemning sin not spoken of from the pulpit? After evaluation I came to the conclusion that perhaps it is because it would hit way too many of us "where it hurts" so to speak! I know that I was convicted during the lesson. I have been guilty of slander-I am not proud of it, I am ashamed. One of the "weaknesses" that extroverted communicators, like myself, face and often struggle with is that which involves the tongue. However, being an extrovert does NOT give me an excuse to sin. I cannot just say, "well, that's just the way I am." To do so would be to cast blame on God for "making me this way". But I know that instead, God created me as an extrovert to use that gift in ways that will reflect/bring glory to Him and He expects me to manage this gift by using self-control and by praying/asking for His wisdom/guidance. I realize that I have the ability to either "build up or tear down" with my tongue. I am growing in my ability to use my tongue to build others up in the ways of God/encourage them to want to know/love God w/all their heart, mind and soul. However, I have been guilty of slander. Knowing this and realizing this, what will I do with this new information? I am humbled by the fact that because I am God's child and I have confessed the sin to Him with a heart of repentance, God forgives me. I will truly try to bear "fruits worthy of repentance" by being more aware of what I say, how I say it, etc... Slander is such a far reaching subject of great biblical importance-the Word of God says that those that slander will NOT inherit eternal life. I do not want to be counted among those that slander. My focus/that which I live my life for, is the goal of Heaven. I want to meet God in the day of judgement and hear Him say, "Well done thou good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of the Lord."
I am thankful for this lesson on "slander", for it has indeed helped me to grow more spiritually healthy.
Mental health-wow, lots of opportunities to grow in that way as well. Over the last 2 weeks I have come to new mental realizations about upcoming changes in my life. First, my husband is leaving in just 4 short months and the time truly is passing very quickly. In order to make these moments together count, we will need to spend as much time together as possible. I'm thankful that he is finished with his college courses and will not be resuming them until he arrives at his new duty station this summer. This has helped me readjust some of my previous "goals" for the upcoming months that I had originally made at the beginning of the year. I am working on our schedules so that we may spend as much family time together as possible. Have as many meals together as possible, spend time in recreation together, etc...I spent much time over the last couple of weeks planning some "mental health" vacations. First, I planned the graduation trip for Rebecca/I to NYC the week following graduation. This trip is important for so many reasons. This will be the only strictly mother/daughter trip she/I have ever taken together. She is leaving home this fall and going to live in the college dorms. She is becoming a young woman and we are entering a new zone of "friendship" that we've never had the opportunity to explore before because I was given the responsibility to "train her up in the way she should go" as God's word dictates. I will always be her parent, be available to help/guide her as she needs that assistance-but I will no longer be "responsible" for her in the same way. I am looking forward to experiencing NYC w/Rebecca, but more than the sights, I am looking forward to watching our adult mother/daughter relationship evolve during this trip-that is good for my mental health. Second, I spent time planning my annual girls trip w/my bff Jen. This annual trip will have a new meaning for me this year-it will be a "prep" trip for the upcoming year. Always before, this trip has been a "refreshing" celebration to end my work year. This year, it will be preparing me for the year that lies ahead. A year without my spouse or my oldest child at home with me. A year when it will just be Michaela/I forging ahead in new ways-building our own relationship as mother/daughter, sharing meals just the 2 of us, making plans/dreams for the future, etc... I will need this trip to help me prepare, mentally, for the year that lies ahead. We are going to D.C.-my first ever trip to the capitol of our nation. We had originally planned to go to Victoria, Canada-but alas, we changed course due to the expense of the airline tickets. Yesterday this thought occured to me, "Perhaps I am being blessed by God to go to D.C. I can gain a renewed perspective for the year-the fact that my husband will be away from me defending our great nation just like the testimony I will see in D.C. of those that have gone before him." Last, I spent the last 2 weeks planning our final "family" trip together before John leaves for the year and Rebecca goes away to college. Rebecca will work this summer to earn money for college this fall-John will be busy outprocessing the base and preparing for his new assignment. This is a needed vacation for all of us. We are going to just have some "fun" together, in Dallas. We are going to the Medieval Times dinner theatre. We all love the Dixie Stampede...this is similar but has the "knight/jousting" theme. We're hoping it will bring back all of those pleasant memories we shared with so many brethren of such outings while we lived in England. Living in England has been come to be known as "the glory days" of our family life. Sometimes things just fall into place and everything is just "right", that's how it felt during our time in England as a family. So many blessings w/brethren, the girls were GREAT ages for traveling/truly enjoying themselves in foreign lands/cultures we visited, such a beautiful home/farm we got to live in/on for 3 years...indeed it was like a fairy tale-but it was real! We're hoping to recapture just a glimpse of that at the Medieval Times dinner theatre. We're going to have a blast at an amusement park! Our family also has a history of enjoying amusement parks together. We all enjoy just goofing off for the day and being a "kid" again. Only a few short days for this vacation-but it will be what carries us through until January when our family is reunited to hopefully share more time together.
Physical health-wow, there is so much I can say here. The biggest change that has occurred over the last 2 weeks is that I am fully recovered from the pneumonia I had the beginning of February. This has allowed me to finally be back at the gym on a regular basis. I have enjoyed it so much and have even added some extra gym time in my daily routine. Another biggie-I resumed working for my bff cleaning her industrial business office/showroom. This is HUGE for me physically. I performed these tasks for 4 years when we lived in Cabot before, but due to working for HIPPY full time, did not resume the position since my return. Last weekend was my second week, "on the job", WOW-it literally wiped me out! I got to thinking, "man, am I really in that bad of condition?" Then I realized, it's been 7 years since I last did that type of hard/physical work! I am 7 years older! Boy am I glad that I had been going to the gym, I don't know if I could have taken the job if I hadn't been working out prior to this. Apparently it is the "jump start/jolt" my body needed in order to move forward in better physical health. I finally got off the 1 pd. weight loss/week plateau and lost 3 pounds last week! I have no doubt it is because of the "extra" physical activity the cleaning job is providing. So, I will continue to do this job until we move from here summer '12-it will go a long way to helping me obtain better health. This a.m., I actually "cleaned out" my clothes closet/drawers. I threw away an entire large bag full of clothes that I do not intend to EVER go back into! Now, I must go out and buy just a couple of new pair of pants to help me make it until I reach the next size down-then those will be thrown out-this is a process I intend to continue until I reach full optimum health for me and start to maintain. Who knows, maybe I will actually "enjoy" shopping for a new wardrobe when I get to maintenance mode? I doubt it, never been much of a shopper of any type, but it will feel good to just have all of the old "unhealthy" me stuff removed from my closets/drawers.
So, as you see, I've been quite busy focusing on my "word of the year" over the last couple of weeks:) My apologies to all of those that are following this blog looking for daily inspiration. I will type of couple of things that have caught my attention in my daily readings over the last couple of weeks and hope that you find them to be helpful.
Restore Serenity-Serene women do not become sidetracked. Today, concentrate slowly on completing one task at a time, each hour of the day until the day is over. Inner peace can come from living fully in the present moment. This is where you will experience serenity.
Meditation-Retreat to a quiet place where you can sit/lie down in comfortable position to relax your body. Close your eyes and breath slow and steady. Take 20 minutes a day to concentrate, intentionally, on one thing of importance to you. This is what meditation is.
Personal Sabbath-One day/week when you can rest, renew, rejuvenate, recreate, rejoice, count blessings, say "thank you". This is not a day for strenuous household chores, catching up on work from week or getting head start for next week, no shopping, etc... If God, the Creator, can take a day of rest...surely we can!
Monday, February 28, 2011
End of February-Inspirational Thoughts
Feb. 26-"Solitude must be woven into our daily life, it produces reverence. Reverence is that altered state of consciousness when you feel awe and wonder. Reverence enwraps you in perfect peace because there is no past/future, only the present moment. Today try concentrating on one task at a time w/care and attentiveness, it will evoke reverence. Real life full of joy begins when we restore a sense of reverence to our daily affairs. Today, search for the sacred in the ordinary of your life-you will find gratitude in your heart."
Feb. 27-"If you consciously work to bring more gratitude, simplicity, order, harmony, beauty, and joy into your daily life, your world will be transformed. The spiritual, creative and practical can't be seperated-they are connected. You think you are only making a meatloaf, you're really ministering to hungry bodies and weary souls in need of nourishment and love. Spirituality is the sacred center of which all life comes...including Monday, Tuesdays and rainy Saturdays in all their mundane yet glorious details."
Feb. 28-"Create a sacred space to celebrate, concentrate and consecrate your inner work. Start gathering meaningful objects that evoke love and gratitude to you. These things will encourage you to meditate more often. The objects should represent all that you love and you are grateful for."
As I was quoting some of these thoughts, I was reminded that though one can never be sure where an author's "thought" truly comes from, you can know what thoughts an author provokes in you. In thinking about reverence, my mind immediately goes to God, the great Creator. For He is the one that deserves my reverence. It is through the blood of His Son that my sin filled past no longer exists and that my future is secure if I will continue to obey Him/revere Him. When thinking about the "ordinary" in my life and the daily tasks I am given to do, I am reminded of the passage that says, "Work heartily as to the Lord." "Whatever you do, in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord." God is my employer...it is for Him that I work. Therefore whatever the task is, I must remember that it is a privilege to do it for my God. Sure, sometimes others reap the benefits from the tasks that I do-but this is not the motivation from within-it is my love/reverence for God that keeps me on task. Which brings me to the second thought-one way to keep my priorities straight is to evaluate my task at hand and decide if it has "eternal" consequences/benefits. My greatest desire/goal is to "seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness", therefore obtaining the great reward of Heaven when I leave this life. In a day full of so many good/wholesome activities to choose from-I must exercise self control and decide which are the "best" things I can choose. Does my task/activity help me to meet my goal in some way? If not, perhaps my time/effort is better spent letting go of some activities and choosing something more profitable for me/others spiritually. Never in the history of mankind have we had so many avenues/opportunities to "do/be" so many things. Choice abounds everywhere! The more noble path is the one which understands that the choices we make help frame our life. The most important choice any of us will ever make is whether we will choose to follow God and His path toward eternal reward. In the details/tasks of daily life I fear this is often forgotten and overlooked by most of us. This is one of Satan's greatest tools-"diversion". If he can keep us distracted...even with "good" things/choices, then he is succeeding in keeping us from a relationship with God. This idea of "good" things/choices...in the N.T., James reminds us that "all good and perfect gifts come down from above." Perhaps part of the problem is that we define "good" based on our own earthly experiences instead of through the eyes of God. Since God is the giver of all things "good", we should only follow after those things which will bring us closer to God. Even if a task/activity/choice cannot be defined as "sin", it does not necessarily mean the thing is "good" for us. The only things truly "good" for us are the things which help us retain our focus on God. What a challenge it is to look at and seriously consider our daily activities strictly in relation to "how does this benefit me spiritually?" What you will find is that a LOT of our tasks/activities can be "good", therefore related to maintaining our focus on God. It merely has to do with regaining a proper/spiritual perspective. That perspective must come from God. The way to gain that perspective is to meditate/spend time reflecting on the Word of God so that we can better understand each day the way that God thinks, who God is, what God desires, etc... This requires time. Time spent trying to better understand God's purpose for us is the most important way we can use our time. It also requires solitude. Solitude is different for each of us at different stages in our lives. When I was the mother of preschool children, it meant that I got up "earlier" than my children to be alone in the stillness/quietness of the morning so that I could seek the face of God. It involved some sacrifice on my part-giving up a bit of sleep. But, that time passes very quickly and the reward from that time alone w/God is eternal for me:) Now that my children are older, it means that once they have gone off to school, I have time to be alone, with God, observing what He says, "Be still and know that I am God." God does not expect us to live in seclusion, He expects us to "live in the world, but not be of the world." God expects us to be "different" than those that have not yet chosen to be His obedient child. This will require our perspective to be different, which will require us to spend time with Him in His word. I am reminded of the scripture in Romans 12:1-2 which says, "I beseech you therefore brethren, by the mercies of God that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God." God sent His Son to be a sacrifice for our sins, it is "reasonable" for us to present our own bodies in God's service. Not because God "NEEDS" our service, God created the world in 6 days merely by SPEAKING it into existence...He does not "need" us/our service...instead He desires to have relationship with us. One of the ways we are "set apart"(holy) is through our service to Him, not merely our service to ourselves or mankind. Renewing our minds-that is what will help us know what is GOOD. If left to our own devices and deciding for ourselves what God wants/what the mind of God is...we would be forever lost. What a blessing to have God's word, forever preserved for us through the guidance/protection of the Holy Spirit. Let us each seek to understand/know God better each day by renewing our minds with that blessed word. Which brings me to my final thought-creating a sacred space for yourself to renew your mind. It is important to have a specific "place" that you can go to enjoy solitude and renewing your mind with God's word. Again, that place will be different for each of us and can change with stages of life. When my children were younger, my sacred space was my bedroom-my nightstand contained the various "tools" I needed (the word of God, study guides, bible study books, etc...) to focus on God. Today, my sacred space is in my recliner in my living room where I have a picture of my girls, a basket full of "tools" that I use for study/encouragement, and my laptop that I use for blogging and encouraging others to seek God. In more recent years, I have also implemented a "get away" retreat for myself with God chicks. This gives me a week away from daily "tasks" to refocus my time/energy on the purpose of my life while encouraging my sisters to press ever upward toward that goal of Heaven. I treasure the time I have away at retreats/summer youth bible camp. Those are some of the greatest times of in depth spiritual focus for me. Start thinking about these things for yourself today. Do you think of God as your employer, or do you see your job merely as providing a paycheck? Are you seeking the "good" things, the things which bring you closer to God/understanding God? Do you have a sacred space? A space just for you where you can join God and focus on eternal things? I challenge each of us to not allow Satan to "divert" our attention, instead choose the more noble/sacrificial path toward an eternal home with God.
Feb. 27-"If you consciously work to bring more gratitude, simplicity, order, harmony, beauty, and joy into your daily life, your world will be transformed. The spiritual, creative and practical can't be seperated-they are connected. You think you are only making a meatloaf, you're really ministering to hungry bodies and weary souls in need of nourishment and love. Spirituality is the sacred center of which all life comes...including Monday, Tuesdays and rainy Saturdays in all their mundane yet glorious details."
Feb. 28-"Create a sacred space to celebrate, concentrate and consecrate your inner work. Start gathering meaningful objects that evoke love and gratitude to you. These things will encourage you to meditate more often. The objects should represent all that you love and you are grateful for."
As I was quoting some of these thoughts, I was reminded that though one can never be sure where an author's "thought" truly comes from, you can know what thoughts an author provokes in you. In thinking about reverence, my mind immediately goes to God, the great Creator. For He is the one that deserves my reverence. It is through the blood of His Son that my sin filled past no longer exists and that my future is secure if I will continue to obey Him/revere Him. When thinking about the "ordinary" in my life and the daily tasks I am given to do, I am reminded of the passage that says, "Work heartily as to the Lord." "Whatever you do, in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord." God is my employer...it is for Him that I work. Therefore whatever the task is, I must remember that it is a privilege to do it for my God. Sure, sometimes others reap the benefits from the tasks that I do-but this is not the motivation from within-it is my love/reverence for God that keeps me on task. Which brings me to the second thought-one way to keep my priorities straight is to evaluate my task at hand and decide if it has "eternal" consequences/benefits. My greatest desire/goal is to "seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness", therefore obtaining the great reward of Heaven when I leave this life. In a day full of so many good/wholesome activities to choose from-I must exercise self control and decide which are the "best" things I can choose. Does my task/activity help me to meet my goal in some way? If not, perhaps my time/effort is better spent letting go of some activities and choosing something more profitable for me/others spiritually. Never in the history of mankind have we had so many avenues/opportunities to "do/be" so many things. Choice abounds everywhere! The more noble path is the one which understands that the choices we make help frame our life. The most important choice any of us will ever make is whether we will choose to follow God and His path toward eternal reward. In the details/tasks of daily life I fear this is often forgotten and overlooked by most of us. This is one of Satan's greatest tools-"diversion". If he can keep us distracted...even with "good" things/choices, then he is succeeding in keeping us from a relationship with God. This idea of "good" things/choices...in the N.T., James reminds us that "all good and perfect gifts come down from above." Perhaps part of the problem is that we define "good" based on our own earthly experiences instead of through the eyes of God. Since God is the giver of all things "good", we should only follow after those things which will bring us closer to God. Even if a task/activity/choice cannot be defined as "sin", it does not necessarily mean the thing is "good" for us. The only things truly "good" for us are the things which help us retain our focus on God. What a challenge it is to look at and seriously consider our daily activities strictly in relation to "how does this benefit me spiritually?" What you will find is that a LOT of our tasks/activities can be "good", therefore related to maintaining our focus on God. It merely has to do with regaining a proper/spiritual perspective. That perspective must come from God. The way to gain that perspective is to meditate/spend time reflecting on the Word of God so that we can better understand each day the way that God thinks, who God is, what God desires, etc... This requires time. Time spent trying to better understand God's purpose for us is the most important way we can use our time. It also requires solitude. Solitude is different for each of us at different stages in our lives. When I was the mother of preschool children, it meant that I got up "earlier" than my children to be alone in the stillness/quietness of the morning so that I could seek the face of God. It involved some sacrifice on my part-giving up a bit of sleep. But, that time passes very quickly and the reward from that time alone w/God is eternal for me:) Now that my children are older, it means that once they have gone off to school, I have time to be alone, with God, observing what He says, "Be still and know that I am God." God does not expect us to live in seclusion, He expects us to "live in the world, but not be of the world." God expects us to be "different" than those that have not yet chosen to be His obedient child. This will require our perspective to be different, which will require us to spend time with Him in His word. I am reminded of the scripture in Romans 12:1-2 which says, "I beseech you therefore brethren, by the mercies of God that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God." God sent His Son to be a sacrifice for our sins, it is "reasonable" for us to present our own bodies in God's service. Not because God "NEEDS" our service, God created the world in 6 days merely by SPEAKING it into existence...He does not "need" us/our service...instead He desires to have relationship with us. One of the ways we are "set apart"(holy) is through our service to Him, not merely our service to ourselves or mankind. Renewing our minds-that is what will help us know what is GOOD. If left to our own devices and deciding for ourselves what God wants/what the mind of God is...we would be forever lost. What a blessing to have God's word, forever preserved for us through the guidance/protection of the Holy Spirit. Let us each seek to understand/know God better each day by renewing our minds with that blessed word. Which brings me to my final thought-creating a sacred space for yourself to renew your mind. It is important to have a specific "place" that you can go to enjoy solitude and renewing your mind with God's word. Again, that place will be different for each of us and can change with stages of life. When my children were younger, my sacred space was my bedroom-my nightstand contained the various "tools" I needed (the word of God, study guides, bible study books, etc...) to focus on God. Today, my sacred space is in my recliner in my living room where I have a picture of my girls, a basket full of "tools" that I use for study/encouragement, and my laptop that I use for blogging and encouraging others to seek God. In more recent years, I have also implemented a "get away" retreat for myself with God chicks. This gives me a week away from daily "tasks" to refocus my time/energy on the purpose of my life while encouraging my sisters to press ever upward toward that goal of Heaven. I treasure the time I have away at retreats/summer youth bible camp. Those are some of the greatest times of in depth spiritual focus for me. Start thinking about these things for yourself today. Do you think of God as your employer, or do you see your job merely as providing a paycheck? Are you seeking the "good" things, the things which bring you closer to God/understanding God? Do you have a sacred space? A space just for you where you can join God and focus on eternal things? I challenge each of us to not allow Satan to "divert" our attention, instead choose the more noble/sacrificial path toward an eternal home with God.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
The Problem of Abundant Living
I've mentioned before that I read all types of books, listen to CD's, most especially the bible and things written that help me meditate more deeply on the things of God. This morning I was thinking about the title of my blog and was reminded that so many people seem to believe that abundant living is beyond their reach. It is something they can only hope for but never attain. This thought took me in search of a book I read several years ago that contained a chapter with the title, "The Problem of Abundant Living". I thought I might share some thoughts that I came away with after reading that chapter.
Here are some misconceptions about abundant living:
1) It does not require a long life on this earth to live well. A person can either live well for the short period of time God gives them or can waste many years of a long life by being absorbed in themselves.
2) Living well does not require secular knowledge. You do not have to have a college education to live well-but you do have to have a knowledge that remembers your Creator.
3) It does not require material wealth to live well. Jesus said, "A man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he posesses." Luke 12:15
So what are some truths that help us to live abundantly:
1) Life must have a "center". There must be something we live our lives for, a point of reference. For me, Jesus is that center. The focus of my life the thing I can return to. Apostle Paul said, "For to me to live is Christ." Jesus is the "way, the truth and the life."
2) Life must be lived w/optimism. Optimism is an attitude for success. It says, "If God be for us, who can be against us." Optimism is attractive and draws people toward a greater hope. Wouldn't you rather eat with a person that enjoys the delicious taste/texture of a donut than someone that can only gripe about the hole in the donut and fails to appreciate the taste/texture?
3) Must be hesitant to find fault and criticize. If I remain conscious of my own imperfections, I will be more tolerant of faults in others. Fault finding is a tool many use to build themselves up while condemning another. Don't be discouraged when others find fault with you. Jesus was the only sinless person to ever live. We are not ever going to please everyone-but, we can do what's right and that's all that matters anyway. Let others criticize, rest in the truth that you have done what is right according to God. As Peter says, "For it is better if the will of God be so, that ye suffer for well doing, than for evil doing." I Peter 3:17
4) Accept that other people have a viewpoint and it may be different than yours. Differing viewpoints are no different than differing hair colors-it is all relative to the individual. Of course I am not talking about a person that will follow their own will with neglect or disregard for God's. As God's creation, we should all have the mind of Christ who said, "Not as I will, but as thou wilt." This is merely to say that culture, early home life, life experiences, etc... give each of us a different perspective in life. Therefore, in matters of indifference to God, we should follow the advice of Paul in Romans 14;19-"Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another."
5) Easily admitting when we have been wrong. Some of the greatest people of God have made mistakes. Moses, Peter, David (a man after God's own heart). What set these apart is their ability to confess their sins to both God and man. Many try to avoid mistakes just by doing nothing at all-but James warns "Therefore to him that knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin." Doing nothing because of fear that we will make a mistake is a sin to avoid. Admitting we're wrong or that we've made a mistake is just saying that you are wiser today than you were yesterday.
6) Forgiveness is necessary to live abundantly. We cannot receive forgiveness from God if we do not forgive others. (Matthew 6:15) Forgiveness requires us to forget. Forgetting all wrongs suffered and moving forward to new life. Joseph is an excellent example of this. Though his brothers wronged him, Joseph was so glad to see his brothers that his heart was opened and he moved forward to help them-knowing that God had a greater plan all along. So many think that if they forgive, then justice is not served. Truly forgiving requires mercy-something undeserved. That is what God does for us-He shows us mercy when we come to Him obediently. We deserve death, but He gives us mercy. James says, "God shall execute judgment without mercy, to those that hath showed no mercy."-James 2:13
7) Being unafraid helps us live abundantly. Fear can be overcome by faith, hope and love (I Corinthians 13:13). Even if we lose a few battles along the way, we can still win the war. God+me=majority:)
Here are some misconceptions about abundant living:
1) It does not require a long life on this earth to live well. A person can either live well for the short period of time God gives them or can waste many years of a long life by being absorbed in themselves.
2) Living well does not require secular knowledge. You do not have to have a college education to live well-but you do have to have a knowledge that remembers your Creator.
3) It does not require material wealth to live well. Jesus said, "A man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he posesses." Luke 12:15
So what are some truths that help us to live abundantly:
1) Life must have a "center". There must be something we live our lives for, a point of reference. For me, Jesus is that center. The focus of my life the thing I can return to. Apostle Paul said, "For to me to live is Christ." Jesus is the "way, the truth and the life."
2) Life must be lived w/optimism. Optimism is an attitude for success. It says, "If God be for us, who can be against us." Optimism is attractive and draws people toward a greater hope. Wouldn't you rather eat with a person that enjoys the delicious taste/texture of a donut than someone that can only gripe about the hole in the donut and fails to appreciate the taste/texture?
3) Must be hesitant to find fault and criticize. If I remain conscious of my own imperfections, I will be more tolerant of faults in others. Fault finding is a tool many use to build themselves up while condemning another. Don't be discouraged when others find fault with you. Jesus was the only sinless person to ever live. We are not ever going to please everyone-but, we can do what's right and that's all that matters anyway. Let others criticize, rest in the truth that you have done what is right according to God. As Peter says, "For it is better if the will of God be so, that ye suffer for well doing, than for evil doing." I Peter 3:17
4) Accept that other people have a viewpoint and it may be different than yours. Differing viewpoints are no different than differing hair colors-it is all relative to the individual. Of course I am not talking about a person that will follow their own will with neglect or disregard for God's. As God's creation, we should all have the mind of Christ who said, "Not as I will, but as thou wilt." This is merely to say that culture, early home life, life experiences, etc... give each of us a different perspective in life. Therefore, in matters of indifference to God, we should follow the advice of Paul in Romans 14;19-"Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another."
5) Easily admitting when we have been wrong. Some of the greatest people of God have made mistakes. Moses, Peter, David (a man after God's own heart). What set these apart is their ability to confess their sins to both God and man. Many try to avoid mistakes just by doing nothing at all-but James warns "Therefore to him that knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin." Doing nothing because of fear that we will make a mistake is a sin to avoid. Admitting we're wrong or that we've made a mistake is just saying that you are wiser today than you were yesterday.
6) Forgiveness is necessary to live abundantly. We cannot receive forgiveness from God if we do not forgive others. (Matthew 6:15) Forgiveness requires us to forget. Forgetting all wrongs suffered and moving forward to new life. Joseph is an excellent example of this. Though his brothers wronged him, Joseph was so glad to see his brothers that his heart was opened and he moved forward to help them-knowing that God had a greater plan all along. So many think that if they forgive, then justice is not served. Truly forgiving requires mercy-something undeserved. That is what God does for us-He shows us mercy when we come to Him obediently. We deserve death, but He gives us mercy. James says, "God shall execute judgment without mercy, to those that hath showed no mercy."-James 2:13
7) Being unafraid helps us live abundantly. Fear can be overcome by faith, hope and love (I Corinthians 13:13). Even if we lose a few battles along the way, we can still win the war. God+me=majority:)
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
February 22-Inspirational Thoughts
I haven't blogged much over the last couple of weeks. Mainly due to the fact that I was sick and needed to play catch up following my illness. However, today I was reading/meditating on some scripture then read through my daily inspirational book and found that I have several things to ponder. First, I will give a brief synopsis of the last 2 days of thoughts that my Simple Abundance book offers, then I'll just blog about a few things that are on my heart.
Feb.21-Excavating the Real You-part 1
For centuries, women display their sense of style through their personal appearance, the way they decorate their homes, how they entertain, in the work they do, and in their own pursuit of personal passions. The more we learn about ourselves, the easier it is to make these choices that reflect our authentic self. Today-consider the choices you have made in the past. Do you tend to make choices w/your heart, mind, or instinct? Are you comfortable w/the style you use in making choices? Was there something you did not choose in the past you wish you had?
Feb. 22-Excavating the Real You-part 2
Take your mind back to the home of your childhood. How was it decorated? Did you clean your room? What was your favorite spot in the house? Was your mother a good cook? Where did you go on vacation? Fast forward to your teenage years. Any girls in school that you admired? Envied? Who were they and why? Now go to when you set up your first home. Where was it? How was it furnished/decorated? Are your early decorating choices reflected in your current surroundings? We tend to think it is the major events that mark our lives, really it is the minor moments and simple things that resonate in our memory. Pick one pleasant recollection of your past and think about it today.
Learning about ourselves, where we have come from and where we are going, can be either a painful or a pleasant experience, sometimes its both. I'm sure there is no one that doesn't associate some unpleasantness with some of the experiences that have led them to where they are today. This life is full of both pain and joy. Without pain, we cannot understand/appreciate joy. Without joy, we would never have hope that the pain would pass. For me, I have discovered that truly getting to know the person God has created me to be is a pleasure. Oh, that is not to say that the process hasn't brought it's share of heartache/pain. But, in the small moments of my life that resonate deeply within, I enjoy the process of coming to know the real me. Certainly it isn't because the real me is without fault. It is because despite my fault/weaknesses, God continues to show me love and longsuffering each day. Each day is a new beginning, a time to redeem-always a second chance with God as long as I am seeking Him-to know Him better, to love Him better. Each of us is important to God. We're important because He created us-with our own unique talents/gifts/pain/experiences/etc... There is no one like us-we are an individual. Despite the fact that we are raised by earthly parents in a unit called, "home", our deepest longing is to be at HOME with God. God created us with eternity in our hearts. It is the one thing that remains common among each of us-the longing for something greater-the thing that makes us God's creation-our souls. It doesn't matter what our past experiences have been-it is what we choose to do with those past experiences that matter. Do we allow them to immobilize us or motivate us? Do we allow them to move us closer to God and the eternity He's placed within us or do we choose to become more frustrated because we feel "empty" and useless due to moving further away from God and His purpose for us. One of the things that I've learned in this discovery process is how little I know. I remember, at different points in my life, feeling like I had certain things figured out. Alas, what I realize is how little I know about anything. The more I learn, the more I realize I will never know it all. I will never have it all figured out. Why? Because I am not God. Only God knows all, is ever present, is eternal. I will only know/understand it better in eternity-when I am with God. Until then, I continue to learn lessons of all types through my experiences in this life, by spending time in God's word-which is the ultimate source of wisdom, etc... It is when we choose not to learn from our experiences and therefore go through the same process day in/day out feeling empty, unfulfilled, coming up w/same results, etc...that we come to realize the need for wisdom God has to offer. It is evident that some never learn this lesson. They continue in a vicious life cycle of not learning from their mistakes, doing the same thing day in/day out, always trying to find "happiness" in the things of this world through its devices. Love of the world, things in the world will never bring us fulfillment. It will bring us no more than a fleeting moment of pleasure. It is through eternal things-the deeper more meaningful moments (the simple things) of life that will bring us fulfillment. Not the moments most people scrapbook or document-graduations, special "bdays", etc...but instead the simple little things like having lunch each week w/a friend to share the joys/heartaches of life together, to encourage one another to continue living each moment to the fullest FOR THE LORD, etc...It's the time we take to send a card, email, make a phone call, just to talk about "life", the normal moments that make up each day. Time is such a precious gift-it is the one gift that resonates with me from my past, present, and future. Time spent just "being" with someone we love is so important. Not always "literally" being together-sometimes we are with them through emails, phone calls, texts, cards, etc... The reality is that time is fleeting and if we do not redeem the time we have NOW, it could be gone tomorrow. We are all dying. From the moment we are born-we all share the same fate-death. Unless Christ returns before our day of death-we each will face it at a time that only God knows. Do not take time for granted, it is such a precious gift that could be gone tomorrow. Truly finding my authentic self has meant coming to the realization that how I use my time is the greatest gift I can ever give to my family, my brethren, my friends, myself, and most importantly my God. It is a "free" gift in that it is given to each of us just by virtue of waking up to a new day that God has created. Never assume that this gift is endless and will always be available. Time is fleeting, the moments are passing as we get closer to eternity. The question I ask myself each day is "am I using my time to glorify God?" Glorifying God involves the small choices I make with how I use my time each day. Am I using my time to know Him more deeply through studying His word so that I may know how to use my time more wisely in ways that truly make an eternal difference? Am I using God's wisdom to direct my daily activities? I try to-I am not always successful. Sometimes I get caught up in details of big life event moments. Then I remember to ask myself-"If I were laying on my death bed, what would be important for me at that moment? Would this be worth the time I'm giving it or would I desire to go back and use my time differently?" I truly desire to "live like I am dying" as Tim McGraw so aptly sang in a song a few years ago. It is the best way to live, the eternal way to live, the most fulfilling way to live. I want only to have made a difference in the lives of those I know/meet day to day with regard to having them consider their purpose in this life. Why are you here? What difference are you making? God designed each of us to live for HIM, not for ourselves or the fleeting pleasures of the day. What is your motivation for living/choosing the activities that make up your daily life? Mine is simply to bring honor/glory to my Creator-for it is with Him that I will dwell in eternity.
So, what does living authentically mean for me? It means putting on the mind of Christ, becoming more like Jesus. It means choosing to just let a LOT of things "go", not dwelling on them, not allowing them to affect my daily existence. It means choosing to enjoy my time on this earth by bringing glory to God, because it is a gift that is only available for a short time. It means truly examining myself each day, growing in the wisdom of God through studying His word so that I may know Him more. It means saying "I love you and so does God" by not merely words-but more importantly through my actions/behavior/making people a priority to be available to encourage them in the ways of God. There is a hymn that I am reminded of that sums up my desire to live authentically and the words are as follows:
"I have one deep supreme desire, that I may be like Jesus. To this I fervently aspire, that I may be like Jesus. I want my heart His throne to be, so that a watching world may see. His likeness shining forth in me, that I may be like Jesus. He spent His life in doing good, I want to be like Jesus. My recompense and my reward, that I may be like Jesus. His spirit fills my hungering soul, His power all my life control. My deepest prayer, my highest goal, that I may be like Jesus."
There is also a contemporary song that says:
"I don't want to go through the motions, I don't want to live one more day, without Your all consuming, passion inside of me. I don't want to live my whole life asking, what if I had given everything...instead of going through the motions."
I pray that each of us will live each moment of every day with eternity as our focus...living passionately for a God that loves us and desires relationship with us through the precious blood of His only Son, Jesus Christ.
Feb.21-Excavating the Real You-part 1
For centuries, women display their sense of style through their personal appearance, the way they decorate their homes, how they entertain, in the work they do, and in their own pursuit of personal passions. The more we learn about ourselves, the easier it is to make these choices that reflect our authentic self. Today-consider the choices you have made in the past. Do you tend to make choices w/your heart, mind, or instinct? Are you comfortable w/the style you use in making choices? Was there something you did not choose in the past you wish you had?
Feb. 22-Excavating the Real You-part 2
Take your mind back to the home of your childhood. How was it decorated? Did you clean your room? What was your favorite spot in the house? Was your mother a good cook? Where did you go on vacation? Fast forward to your teenage years. Any girls in school that you admired? Envied? Who were they and why? Now go to when you set up your first home. Where was it? How was it furnished/decorated? Are your early decorating choices reflected in your current surroundings? We tend to think it is the major events that mark our lives, really it is the minor moments and simple things that resonate in our memory. Pick one pleasant recollection of your past and think about it today.
Learning about ourselves, where we have come from and where we are going, can be either a painful or a pleasant experience, sometimes its both. I'm sure there is no one that doesn't associate some unpleasantness with some of the experiences that have led them to where they are today. This life is full of both pain and joy. Without pain, we cannot understand/appreciate joy. Without joy, we would never have hope that the pain would pass. For me, I have discovered that truly getting to know the person God has created me to be is a pleasure. Oh, that is not to say that the process hasn't brought it's share of heartache/pain. But, in the small moments of my life that resonate deeply within, I enjoy the process of coming to know the real me. Certainly it isn't because the real me is without fault. It is because despite my fault/weaknesses, God continues to show me love and longsuffering each day. Each day is a new beginning, a time to redeem-always a second chance with God as long as I am seeking Him-to know Him better, to love Him better. Each of us is important to God. We're important because He created us-with our own unique talents/gifts/pain/experiences/etc... There is no one like us-we are an individual. Despite the fact that we are raised by earthly parents in a unit called, "home", our deepest longing is to be at HOME with God. God created us with eternity in our hearts. It is the one thing that remains common among each of us-the longing for something greater-the thing that makes us God's creation-our souls. It doesn't matter what our past experiences have been-it is what we choose to do with those past experiences that matter. Do we allow them to immobilize us or motivate us? Do we allow them to move us closer to God and the eternity He's placed within us or do we choose to become more frustrated because we feel "empty" and useless due to moving further away from God and His purpose for us. One of the things that I've learned in this discovery process is how little I know. I remember, at different points in my life, feeling like I had certain things figured out. Alas, what I realize is how little I know about anything. The more I learn, the more I realize I will never know it all. I will never have it all figured out. Why? Because I am not God. Only God knows all, is ever present, is eternal. I will only know/understand it better in eternity-when I am with God. Until then, I continue to learn lessons of all types through my experiences in this life, by spending time in God's word-which is the ultimate source of wisdom, etc... It is when we choose not to learn from our experiences and therefore go through the same process day in/day out feeling empty, unfulfilled, coming up w/same results, etc...that we come to realize the need for wisdom God has to offer. It is evident that some never learn this lesson. They continue in a vicious life cycle of not learning from their mistakes, doing the same thing day in/day out, always trying to find "happiness" in the things of this world through its devices. Love of the world, things in the world will never bring us fulfillment. It will bring us no more than a fleeting moment of pleasure. It is through eternal things-the deeper more meaningful moments (the simple things) of life that will bring us fulfillment. Not the moments most people scrapbook or document-graduations, special "bdays", etc...but instead the simple little things like having lunch each week w/a friend to share the joys/heartaches of life together, to encourage one another to continue living each moment to the fullest FOR THE LORD, etc...It's the time we take to send a card, email, make a phone call, just to talk about "life", the normal moments that make up each day. Time is such a precious gift-it is the one gift that resonates with me from my past, present, and future. Time spent just "being" with someone we love is so important. Not always "literally" being together-sometimes we are with them through emails, phone calls, texts, cards, etc... The reality is that time is fleeting and if we do not redeem the time we have NOW, it could be gone tomorrow. We are all dying. From the moment we are born-we all share the same fate-death. Unless Christ returns before our day of death-we each will face it at a time that only God knows. Do not take time for granted, it is such a precious gift that could be gone tomorrow. Truly finding my authentic self has meant coming to the realization that how I use my time is the greatest gift I can ever give to my family, my brethren, my friends, myself, and most importantly my God. It is a "free" gift in that it is given to each of us just by virtue of waking up to a new day that God has created. Never assume that this gift is endless and will always be available. Time is fleeting, the moments are passing as we get closer to eternity. The question I ask myself each day is "am I using my time to glorify God?" Glorifying God involves the small choices I make with how I use my time each day. Am I using my time to know Him more deeply through studying His word so that I may know how to use my time more wisely in ways that truly make an eternal difference? Am I using God's wisdom to direct my daily activities? I try to-I am not always successful. Sometimes I get caught up in details of big life event moments. Then I remember to ask myself-"If I were laying on my death bed, what would be important for me at that moment? Would this be worth the time I'm giving it or would I desire to go back and use my time differently?" I truly desire to "live like I am dying" as Tim McGraw so aptly sang in a song a few years ago. It is the best way to live, the eternal way to live, the most fulfilling way to live. I want only to have made a difference in the lives of those I know/meet day to day with regard to having them consider their purpose in this life. Why are you here? What difference are you making? God designed each of us to live for HIM, not for ourselves or the fleeting pleasures of the day. What is your motivation for living/choosing the activities that make up your daily life? Mine is simply to bring honor/glory to my Creator-for it is with Him that I will dwell in eternity.
So, what does living authentically mean for me? It means putting on the mind of Christ, becoming more like Jesus. It means choosing to just let a LOT of things "go", not dwelling on them, not allowing them to affect my daily existence. It means choosing to enjoy my time on this earth by bringing glory to God, because it is a gift that is only available for a short time. It means truly examining myself each day, growing in the wisdom of God through studying His word so that I may know Him more. It means saying "I love you and so does God" by not merely words-but more importantly through my actions/behavior/making people a priority to be available to encourage them in the ways of God. There is a hymn that I am reminded of that sums up my desire to live authentically and the words are as follows:
"I have one deep supreme desire, that I may be like Jesus. To this I fervently aspire, that I may be like Jesus. I want my heart His throne to be, so that a watching world may see. His likeness shining forth in me, that I may be like Jesus. He spent His life in doing good, I want to be like Jesus. My recompense and my reward, that I may be like Jesus. His spirit fills my hungering soul, His power all my life control. My deepest prayer, my highest goal, that I may be like Jesus."
There is also a contemporary song that says:
"I don't want to go through the motions, I don't want to live one more day, without Your all consuming, passion inside of me. I don't want to live my whole life asking, what if I had given everything...instead of going through the motions."
I pray that each of us will live each moment of every day with eternity as our focus...living passionately for a God that loves us and desires relationship with us through the precious blood of His only Son, Jesus Christ.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
February 16-What a week!
This morning is the first time in over a week that I actually have enough energy to resume my daily routine again. The last time I blogged, it was about how sore I was from the new exercise/strength training class I went to. Well, the soreness lead way to a bout w/early symptomatic pneumonia. Of course the illness came just in time for the largest snow storm of the year! Last week was "eventful" to say the least. It started off well enough with the monthly MOPS meeting on Monday night. I didn't feel "just right", but made it through the meeting. Tuesday I went to the commissary because we had very little fruit/veggies in the house and I was anticipating the impending "snow storm" they were predicting for Wednesday. Still didn't feel "just right" on Tuesday-as a matter of fact felt very fatiqued and slept for 4 hours straight in the middle of the day. Had a fever by Tuesday evening-but of course then it was too late to see anyone at the base by that time. I knew by Wednesday morning something was "really" wrong. It is very difficult to forget the bout I had with pneumonia 2 years ago this month. There is NO feeling like not being able to breathe a normal breath without feeling as though you are suffocating, not eating for several days, etc... This feeling was returning to me last Wednesday morning and I called a dear sister that is a medical practitioner and asked her to drive over to take a look at me so that if I needed an antibiotic-I could get it before the weather got any worse. Alas, I was prescribed an antibiotic, cough suppressant, and an inhaler in case my breathing became labored. Within 24 hrs I was feeling better and I'm so thankful for the people God places in my path each day that are there just at the right time/place! I am also very thankful for modern medicine. I know that many people do not like the idea of taking meds-over the counter-or otherwise. I, however, am generally a very healthy person and I do NOT take any medication flippantly. I use meds judiciously-but because of that, when i do NEED a medication, it works wonders for me and for that I am thankful:) So, last weeks saga continued with about 8" of snow here in central Arkansas. Of course I did not feel well at all, so I just sat in my recliner watching the snow fall, drinking loads of water, coughing, bundled in my blanket. It was beautiful to watch. Thursday, very little of the white stuff had disappeared. I was still under the weather-but my fever was finally gone and I ate a few bites of food but was having some trouble keeping much down without feeling very sick to my stomach. I finally realized it was the antibiotic that was hurting my stomach. John called me from work that day and he got official notification that he will be going to the desert for a year in July. Of course, if I would have felt better, this news may have struck me differently. But, due to timing, I couldn't really even fully process what he was saying. I was not surprised that he got the notification. He applied for the job because he really needed to get out of his job here and this was a good opportunity to go someplace and really enjoy what he does for a year. At the end of the year, he will get a new/final assignment with the USAF:) We are praying for the assignment to be in central Missouri-Whiteman AFB. We are considering retiring to that area (near my sister/her family), so this would be excellent timing for that final assignment/prepare to retire. Friday came around and we made the decision to go ahead with our weekend trip to LA to visit our dear God peeps, the Lefort's. The roads were still a little "iffy" here in this area, but we knew once we got a little further south, things would be totally clear and the weekend was going to be nice/warm. So, we waited to leave until about noon and headed south to LA. It was an uneventful trip-no problems at all once we got south of Little Rock, just slow going at various places until that point. Of course coughing and driving can make for an interesting combo-but none of the girls in the car w/me seemed to mind-they were just glad to go spend the weekend with their friend, Julia:) We had a very nice weekend with our friends. I was slowly able to "eat" a little more each day. I was still a bit fatiqued because I had not eaten much in 4-5 days, so I did have to take a nap on Saturday for a bit. Sunday was the first time I ate one "normal" meal for lunch after services. I was sorry that Jessica couldn't join us because William was home with strep throat. Now I'm just praying none of the girls we took with us get it:( So, yes, it was quite a week-sickness, new assignment for hubby, trip to LA all in one week! I'm just trying to get my house back in order today. Yesterday was the first day I ate an entire day's worth of "normal" meals-so my energy level is coming back up. I had lunch with my HIPPY gal pals on Monday after group meeting, lunch with my God chick Amy yesterday, and today I will be lunching w/myself right here in my own house-for the first time in a week! So, yes, it has been quite a week around here! For those of you that may be following the inspirational thought that I post from time to time-please forgive my inability to keep up! I will do what I can when I can. I am hosting book club for Michaela's friends here on Friday night. Sunday afternoon, I am attending a spring formal banquet planning meeting. In the middle of this, I am planning a murder mystery dinner party for ladies night for the God chicks in the church here for next Thursday night. So, yes, I have just a little on my plate right now. I would like to share today's thought with you:
Feb16-"Fear of failing, fear of starting something new and not finishing. We might not be happy with the way we are living now, but at least it's safely familiar. If you feel frightened or unsure about the future, remember life isn't an adventure worth telling if there aren't any unfamiliars."
Certainly in the months ahead, I will be reminding myself of that idea. As a military spouse, these next 4 months will bring loads of challenges as I prepare to be without my hubby for the next year (unfamiliar territory). We've been apart for 4 months for deployment-but the year long assignment will be new/unfamiliar. However, I do know that a year passes quickly and that the adventure that waits on the other side for us will be well worth it:) Just be looking for me to write about my feelings here in this blog in the months/year ahead as I enter this new zone. I'm not afraid of the upcoming year-I embrace it because I know that God has it ALL worked out for my good-Romans 8:28!:)
Feb16-"Fear of failing, fear of starting something new and not finishing. We might not be happy with the way we are living now, but at least it's safely familiar. If you feel frightened or unsure about the future, remember life isn't an adventure worth telling if there aren't any unfamiliars."
Certainly in the months ahead, I will be reminding myself of that idea. As a military spouse, these next 4 months will bring loads of challenges as I prepare to be without my hubby for the next year (unfamiliar territory). We've been apart for 4 months for deployment-but the year long assignment will be new/unfamiliar. However, I do know that a year passes quickly and that the adventure that waits on the other side for us will be well worth it:) Just be looking for me to write about my feelings here in this blog in the months/year ahead as I enter this new zone. I'm not afraid of the upcoming year-I embrace it because I know that God has it ALL worked out for my good-Romans 8:28!:)
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