That Tuesday

Early Tuesday, I got a phone call that completely rocked my world.  It caused everything I've ever known about my life to be questioned, and my sense of security to tilt on its axis.  Truly.  I experienced myriad emotions from shock to disbelief to devastation.  One minute I was laughing, and the next I was crying.

It's possible that I will look back on this one day and chuckle at my own response, for certainly there are much more severe circumstances in this life, but I'm being transparent.

I'm unable to share more about what caused these strange and unexpected emotions, because there are others who would be hurt or angry if I did.  Out of love and respect, the details will remain private for now.

Throughout the week, my husband has been a constant source of strength and encouragement.  His protective instincts have been overwhelming, but much appreciated.  I have prayed and cried and thought all week long.

Now, I am sitting and waiting.  I am wondering what is next and how this will all work out for my good.  What I need from you is your prayers.  It is often hard to trust God is times of uncertainty, but I know He's there.  He's proven Himself to me so many times before, and I know He won't fail me now.

If you've been shaken before, how did you respond?  What helped you the most?

Sincerest Apologies

I really just wanted to say "Hi!" to those of you who drop by.  I want to apologize for being too self-absorbed to be a diligent blogger over the past year.  Please know that it doesn't mean that I don't love and appreciate you.  It means that I temporarily lost sight of my priorities and allowed life to derail my process for a bit.

I plan to improve.  I am working on a schedule and some new facets.  The last two years have been filled with trials and lessons and opportunities to improve my faith.  I've had successes and probably a bit more failures.  I've had ups and a bit more downs.  But, I realize that God has a plan.  Even when I don't like what He's doing, I realize it's not random.

I am learning His purpose for me and realizing that I have no room to make excuses anymore.  If you believe in prayer, please pray for me.  If you don't, I believe you will someday very soon.

So, here is where you get to help me.  What is near and dear to your heart as a woman?  What bothers you?  What makes you cry?  What are your deepest fears or biggest regrets?  Who do you want to be, and what stands in the way?

Please answer as many as you like...

I pray for many blessings for you today and everyday.

With Friends Like Christians, Who Needs Enemies?

When I survey my life, the biggest hurts I've endured have been at that hands of other Christians.  The times I've been been stabbed in the back the most and maligned the worst have also been at the hands of other Christians.

So it makes me ask, "With friends like Christians, who needs enemies?"

With so much wrong in the world, why do we have so much time to criticize each other for such simple things?  It's not to say that Christians are always above reproach, but we spend the majority of our time trying to tear one another down, if not with politics then by denominational discord.

If, after reading the same Bible, we can't be on one accord, how can we expect to help draw others to God?  If, after attending church from week to week, our hearts remain hard and callous towards those who differ from us, how can we say that we truly love God?

Love is not expressed with thinly veiled hatred or poorly disguised bigotry.  Love does not lift up oneself in order to cast judgment on another.  Love does not claim to pray while spewing criticisms in private.

So what's my point?  Christians need to be on the same page.  We need to remove ourselves from the equation and keep our eyes on Jesus.  Our ministries should model His, not the other way around.  We cannot bend Him to fit what we believe or what we want to be true.  Aligning our ways with His allows us to be on His page from His book.

We've been given an instruction Book for life.  We need only to read and allow His Spirit to help us apply it.

Sunshine and Rain

     As a transplanted Ohioan living in the South, I am well accustomed with myriad weather fluctuations.  From October until April, Ohio is blanketed with cloud cover more often than not.   I can remember those clouds invading the happy moments of my life as Fall approached and the long, sunny days of summer began to fade.  As the sunshine dwindled, so did my happy moods.

After studying biological rhythms in graduate school, I now realize that the fluctuation in my moods had a direct link to the extended lack of sunlight shining through the windows.  Without getting scientific on you, sunshine triggers happy things in our brain.  So why am I telling you this?  

Our part of the world has been gray and gloomy for days now.  We went for almost a week without sun, shrouded in a cover of rain and sleet.  My mood hit the skids pretty fast.  It's been years since I felt like this, and I was determined not to get sucked in.

This little initiative required much more work than I thought it would...

I gave myself pep talks daily, and asked God to help me not to allow my mood to reflect the weather patterns.  He prompted me to focus on the things that I could be thankful for.  That helped.  

Another truth I focused on was our need for rain.  Beats a drought, right?

But perhaps the biggest thing I realized was how happy I was when the sun peaked out from the clouds today.  The joy I felt went far beyond what it has in the past.  Of its own volition, a smile spread across my face.

In previous years, the sun was out so much that I had begun to take it for granted.  Isn't this so like us?  In good times, we grow complacent and often feel entitled.  But when the clouds of life encroach on our comfort and threaten to disrupt our well-laid plans, we balk.

So what's the moral of the story? Clouds help us to better bask in the the sun.  Troubles help us appreciate blessings.

What do you think?  How do you deal with clouds?

Rich and Satisfied

http://www.flickr.com/photos/usnationalarchives/4309806528/sizes/z/in/photostream/

Today is a new day.  A new year.  Since God allowed me to see it, I realize that He still has work for me to do on this Earth.  I don't take it lightly.

I'm not afraid, but I sometimes feel inadequate and unworthy of the task.  Who am I?  I am a broken vessel. I am filled up with love for others but often too afraid to let them get close to me for fear of the pain they cause when I open up my heart and let them in.

The last year was filled with challenges.  Some were welcomed, but truly most of them weren't.

In this fresh year, I want to LIVE and BE, not just DO.  I have been on auto-pilot as life has been flying by.  I am starting to realize that there will always be clothes and dishes to wash.  Something will always require my attention, but I have a right to ENJOY each day.  That will not happen without deliberate efforts on my part.

So what are my plans for this year?  First, I plan to write more.  Second, I plan to have way more fun.  Third, I plan to fully embrace ALL of the things God wants me to do and take leaps of faith every chance I get.  I know there is more to life than this insane rat race.

He came to give me life, abundant life (John 10:10 NLT).  I am ready to live a rich and satisfying life, with joy overflowing from every part of me.

The cool thing is that I have control over this.  For all of us who love control, this is good news!  I can control my attitude and reign in my thoughts.  This will go a long way toward overflowing joy.  I can't always control my circumstances, and I definitely can't control others, but I can work on controlling me.

Will you join me?  How will you live a more richly satisfying life this year?  Share with me.

Survival Truths

When you ask God for something, do you really think He will answer you?  When you pray, do you believe He hears you?  When you call out to Him, do you think he really cares about what you're saying?

I admit that I sometimes lose sight of these truths when I am in the middle of a big crisis (or two).  Sometimes I whine and cry and ask why this or that is happening to me.  Sometimes I allow doubt to creep in and the devil to steal my peace from me.

One thing I love about God is that He is patient with me.  He patiently waits for me to refocus my attention where it's supposed to be: off of my problems and onto Him.  He forgives my lack of faith and holds me closely.

The Word reminds me that we will have problems, but we can take heart because He has already overcome the world.  May this Truth remind you as I am allowing it to remind me tonight.

No Such Thing as Freedom of Speech

As this political season heats up, I can feel my temperature rising.  I have never enjoyed election years, but so far, this one takes the cake.  The whining and mud-slinging are just plain annoying.

Oh, I'm not talking about the candidates, I'm referring to the voters.  There are those that take freedom of speech to new heights.  Our so-called freedom of speech is not meant to be a free-for-all of hate and disdain being volleyed back and forth like a shuttlecock.

Christians have a responsibility to share their views in ways that reflect Christ's love at all times.  This doesn't mean that we have to be soft on the ideals we hold dear, but we do need to consider our desired end result.  We should examine our hearts and motives carefully before jumping on a bad wagon or plastering our car bumpers with political paraphernalia.

Every word that comes out of our mouths has the potential to be a fiery dart.  Is it more important to point the lost to Christ or prove a fleeting point?   Freedom of speech may be a constitutional right, but is it a God-given right?  Scripture gives us many stipulations about the way we speak.  We don't have carte blanche.

We should stop deluding ourselves into believing that the world can't see through the thinly veiled hatred behind our words and deeds.  As the saying goes, "you catch more flies with honey..."  Not that people are flies, but you know what I mean.

So please, before you hop in your car and "eat mor chikin" or post your latest dig at "obamacare" or "r money", please ask God to give you the wisdom to love your neighbors first.  We have to make sure that we are not using God as a shield to hurt others or propagate our own twisted opinions.  The ultimate goal is to win another to Christ.  Let's not lose sight of that.

                                             "Speaking the truth in love..."  Ephesians 4:15