Category: Love

Where To Turn?

tlc4women1 Comment
competepulse

What do you do when you hear a rumor about someone? If you’re like most people, you accept the rumor as fact, pass it on and feed on it. After all, rumors often make us feel good about ourselves. Sometimes someone’s life is so messed up we become grateful that our lives are not in that much of a mess. The juicier the rumor the better because it makes us feel better!

Only, what happens when you become the brunt of the rumor? Don’t you want people to come and ask you what has happened? Don’t you want to be able to tell your story? Haven’t you learned by now that the truth has three sides, yours, mine and the truth?

I was thinking about this after the Beth Moore conference. She said something that made such an impact that I wrote down not only what she said on paper I wrote it on my heart. She said,

“Will we turn to Him (God) or turn on one another?”

If we don’t like things done to us, then wouldn’t we give the benefit of the doubt and go find out what is true before we burn someone at the stake?

In real life I am pretty blunt. I will go to the person and say, “Hey, I heard this about you and want to hear what you have to say.” I want to know the truth and so I go and see where the story intersects. I also don’t believe everything I hear either so maybe that helps.

As believers in Christ we know things are going to happen. Rumors are going to go around, people are going to say mean things but what we must do is not turn on one another. Let’s keep our hearts right before the One who can help us.

Time For Beth Moore and Dog Allergies

tlc4women2 Comments
Some of TLC goes to see Beth Moore

I’ve missed writing this past week! April 1 saw some of the women of TLC head to Fresno, CA to see Beth Moore at the Save Mart Center. What a blessing for us. We stood in a stadium of 6,500 women and worshiped to the music of Travis Cottrell and then heard a powerful word from Beth Moore. At one point, during the worship, I looked around the stadium and just shut my mouth. I watched in awe as the daughters of the Most High King praised him with song. It was just beautiful. Tears filled my eyes as I stood on holy ground and watched women from all denominations, all colors, all sizes and shapes, all ages including babies come together for one common purpose. To praise and learn about our Father.

The Save Mart Center became holy territory the moment our feet entered that space together in one mind and one accord. With all debate between denominations and all the Christian voices we hear battling one another it was pure honor to be one voice among many that sang in unison, that laughed in unison and that talked non-stop during break! There were so many of us, honestly I saw about four men there, that we not only used all the women’s restrooms but the men’s as well.

Of course the women of TLC who went to the conference, spent the night in a local hotel, and I spare you the details of that, but suffice it to say that we all slept about 3 hours or so and then went back to the conference. I can tell you that our ride home in the church van was MUCH quieter than our ride up!

I wasn’t able to catch up on my sleep that night or for many nights. Lulu, the wonder dog, began to scratch like crazy. I thought she had fleas so I pulled the flea comb out and began to brush her out but there was not a single flea. A trip to the vet told us that she has an environmental allergy. What the heck does that mean? Well, she allergic to either her food, her treats, flowers or grass. So guess what? Lulu and I are on prednisone, my seasonal allergies and her whatever allergy. There’s a problem though. We decided to eliminate one thing at a time to see what she’s allergic to. So we had to eliminate all snacks and put her on a special diet. Lulu, is not used to getting told no she doesn’t get people food, so she’s not happy. Plus swallowing a pill without a treat afterward is not her idea of fair.

So life’s been rolling along and my writing has lapsed but I’ve got so much to share. So many things on my heart, so many things I am learning. I can’t wait to get back to time writing. For now, I have to give my dog her next dose of meds!

Life

tlc4womenLeave a comment

Sitting here this morning drinking a cup of coffee and praying over situations in my life. Japan has had a devastating earthquake and the pictures shook me. I woke up just after midnight California time and watched the reports off and on the entire night. The effect of the earthquake will be years in the making. The immediate result is a tsunami which is about to hit our coast, just miles from my home. Fortunately, we are safely far enough away and over a hill but what about those who live near the coast? What about them Lord?

On a personal note, I have my own devastations. I have a friend who is sitting on pins and needles over a situation that has us both agreeing in prayer, another friend who miscarried last night, suffering her own life shaking event, a friend whose brother we buried on Monday after a bout with kidney cancer, my uncle has just been diagnosed with kidney cancer, a good friend who died two months ago of kidney cancer, a friend who is caring for his father who has kidney cancer, Lord, what is up with kidney cancer?

I began to write this blog this morning. In the middle of writing it we got a message that the evacuees who were fleeing the California coastline, were assembling in our city parks and parking lots. You see, we’re the first city over the hill, we’re the refuge. My husband and I got into our truck and went to assess the situation. Sure enough there were people everywhere and they told a story of even more people on the top of the hill that separates our city from the coast.

We moved into action. We printed a flyer, opened the church doors and called everyone who answered their phone for help. We got sandwiches made, chocolate milk for children, water for adults, and offered a refuge for refugees. Many people were weary. What did we want from them? You see, they had blankets and precious belongings in their car. They had their animals. They were scared, they were worried. What happens if a tsunami hits and your home and livelihood are destroyed? What happens if you lose the little bit you walked away from? When they didn’t arrive at the church, we went to plan B and delivered food and water to the people. Children had sunburn on their cheeks, but they waited patiently to get some food and water. So many people just thankful that we were out there.

Leadership at its best!
The church being the church!

So the day started out with a pity party. I sat with my cup of coffee asking God WHY? Then he put me to work. We had church all day long outside the walls of the church. We SERVED. It’s a blessing to serve and I thank God for his lesson to me this day. There is a saying that I hang onto when the day goes incredibly wrong. This day started out totally wrong and ended up with service, yet the saying still stands.

“When you realize that life is just life, then nothing ever goes wrong.”

Fussing

tlc4women2 Comments
shelleyguimond.com/

Luke 12:22″Don’t fuss about what’s on the table at mealtimes or if the clothes in your closet are in fashion. 23 There is far more to your inner life than the food you put in your stomach, more to your outer appearance than the clothes you hang on your body.

Luke 6:25 “If you decide for God, living a life of God-worship, it follows that you don’t fuss about what’s on the table at mealtimes or whether the clothes in your closet are in fashion. There is far more to your life than the food you put in your stomach, more to your outer appearance than the clothes you hang on your body.

Did you ever notice that these two passages of scripture have Jesus saying, “quit fussing”.

Fuss- noun – an excessive display of anxious attention or activity

So what’s all the fuss about? Why do we worry so much about things that are so insignificant? Today I am taking a day off of work to clean my house. I am making a nice dinner for my family, and I am going to watch some television or maybe a video. Really, what else is more important than that today? Tomorrow, I go back to work and I spend some time working at the office, we have practice for the Easter musical in the evening, and the next day will hold it’s own set of directions but why complicate it?

Jesus said there was far more to our inner life. Yet that statement becomes sort of a catch-22 when it comes to our inner life. It’s hard to discover the inner life when the widow is given anti-anxiety pills and sleeping pills to not feel those things she MUST feel to grow and heal and learn. It’s hard to talk about the inner life when the teenager is giving anti-depressant medication to not feel the angst of being caught between becoming an adult and a leaving childhood behind. It’s easy to ignore the inner life when we give a boy who can’t sit still in his seat medication to settle his soul.

There are three aspects to our lives, body, mind, and spirit. If we neglect any one of these, suddenly we have a problem with our inner life, yet we seem to focus on the body and forget that if our mind isn’t transformed then the body remains the same. Just ask the woman who is trying to kick a food addiction and we can easily see the three interconnections.

So what’s all the fuss about? Well, honestly it’s easier to fuss about the outward things. It’s easier to make a meal for our family then to sit and discuss real problems. It’s easier to buy a new dress then deal with the self-esteem issues going on. The fuss is about the excessive activity that keeps us away from the true realization of who we are and what God is trying to do in our lives.

Is It My Problem?

tlc4women2 Comments
forbes.com

As I am reading through the Old Testament I see that the prophets of old would repent for the people even when they themselves were walking in the ways of the Lord. I read about Moses who throws himself before the mercy of the Lord and begs for mercy for the people and tells the Lord that if he is going to kill the people then to kill him, Moses, as well. 

This past week there was an issue that was happening in our church that was waking me up at night. I was worried about the people who were being caught up and because I am female or maybe just because I am me, I was over-thinking the situation. I felt helpless. 

Then I remembered the prophets of the old testament and their love for God as well as their love for the people. They would repent to the Lord for other’s sin. So I began to pray on their behalf. Isn’t that what intercession is about? Sure, I could say it’s not my problem, but my prayer is that in those areas where I am weak there are people who are praying for me as well. 

Often, I think we come to the Lord with our personal petitions and the petitions of our family and close friends. We throw in some prayers for our internet friends and we move on about our day. Only our maturity in Christ should lead us to pray for the well being of our nation and the nations of our world. It should be prompting us to pray for injustice and also for mercy. I believe that often our own selfishness shines through in the moments of our daily prayer and we miss the opportunity to intercede.

I was reading in Jeremiah where at one point the Lord’s anger is so incensed upon his people that he says to Jeremiah;

Jeremiah 7:16 “Pray no more for these people, Jeremiah. Do not weep or pray for them, and don’t beg me to help them, for I will not listen to you. 17 Do you not see what they are doing throughout the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem?

I thought wow, first off, I never want to be “those people” with the Lord. There was something there that struck me as well. The fact that the relationship with Jeremiah and the Lord was so close that the Lord is venting to His friend about what is going on. Notice, that Jeremiah was pestering the Lord not for his own petition, but in the Lord’s own words, Jeremiah was weeping, praying, and begging the Lord to help them. Jeremiah was in good standing with God, yet he took on the problems of his people.

Let’s begin to take on the problems of our people. Not in a personal way as I sometimes do. Sometimes I try to go and fix problems that are none of my business in my own human understanding. Rather, let’s take on the problems in a way that beseeches the Lord for an answer. After all, if we are the body, the right response is not it’s not my problem but rather, I can take it to the Lord in prayer.

We Are Women

Greeting my uncle who is in his 80’s, we began talking and somewhere in our conversation I referred to myself as a girl. He scolded me saying, “I hate when women refer to themselves as girls. You go through so much to become a woman and then you refer to yourself as girl.” I laughed […]

tlc4women2 Comments
Gilbert Caraveo

Greeting my uncle who is in his 80’s, we began talking and somewhere in our conversation I referred to myself as a girl. He scolded me saying, “I hate when women refer to themselves as girls. You go through so much to become a woman and then you refer to yourself as girl.” I laughed and brushed it off in the moment but later I realized that he had a valid point. I’d been mulling it over off and on when I gathered with a group of women for tea yesterday.

I looked around the room. This tea brought 30 women together. We began to speak about the topic at hand that day which was the privilege of being adopted into the family of Christ and what responsibility that carried with it. The women began their stories slowly and softly as is always the case. They began to tell of where the Lord had brought them from and where they thought they were going. These were women who had earned the privilege of being called a WOMAN. Two hours later and a few cups of tea, there were women who were laughing, crying, comforting, counseling and you began to feel the camaraderie of women who had made their way through some STUFF! I realized I was in the company of some strong women, some women who had, as my uncle said, “gone through so much”.

The things that were discussed in that room, stay in that room. Suffice it say that there was breakthrough and prayer and that when women get together and pray SOMETHING HAPPENS. The next day at church, I saw a sparkle in the eyes of those who attended. I saw a look of acceptance and love and knowing, we had opened up our hearts to each other and the payoff was love. One thing I know about women is we can be each other’s biggest enemy but also each other’s biggest ally.

Although we may not have walked in the footsteps of the other, we had walked through things which had hurt us deeply and we had come through. We understood the pain, the trial of overcoming and the triumph. We also understand the gift our God has given us of redemption and restoration and future and a hope.

My uncle is right. We aren’t girls, we’ve come through a lot to be women. Now we need to own it.

Sex Trafficking Of Children In The United States

tlc4women1 Comment
ariellah.wordpress.com/

One of the things I want to blog about this year, is causes that you must be aware of that I pray you get involved in. Sex Trafficking of children is real and it happens right here in America. We always think this happens in third world countries where parents sell their children in hopes of a better life but it doesn’t. It happens right here in America at an estimated rate of 100,000 kids per year. While the picture of the life of a child should look like the one above, sadly that isn’t always the case.

Sunday, December 6, is the Super Bowl. It’s a day where people gather to watch two football teams who have worked hard to be the best in their division. It’s a day where we snack excessively, wear our team jerseys, yell at the TV and where the commericals are as good as the game we hope will be.

There is a dark side to the Super Bowl as well. There are children who will be sold as Super Bowl Specials to people who want to have a little fun at the expense of a child. Click Here to read how some are trying to circumvent this from happening. There are public service announcements and campaigns going on to make people aware of what is going on. On Sunday evening at 8 p.m. CNN will broadcast a news report called Selling The Girl Next Door which will bring even more clarity to the situation.

We, who call ourselves Christians must be aware, must be concerned and must be active in protecting children.

Adored

tlc4women4 Comments

It’s been really foggy here in the valley. I mean the kind of fog where you have almost no visibility at times. It’s in these moments when I remember that when I was a teen I said I would never live in the valley. Only my kids came along and suddenly my upbringing came into play. The thought of bringing up my kids in a big California city or  raising them in a small town in the valley loomed before me and I chose the small town in the valley.

There is something about not seeing the sun for days on end. It makes the time endless and mundane. Going to work in the fog and coming home in the fog gets old. Wednesday, just when it got to be too much to handle, my husband called a meeting. He decided we’d go to the coast to have a sand seminar. So off we went and 30 minutes later we were driving in full sunshine and 20 degrees warmer. We went to sit on the beach. The temperature was 74 degrees, the sun felt so necessary on my skin and our work still got done thanks to the modern technology of an ipad.

It is those little moments of a two hour break in the sunshine that makes me realize how adored we are by God. He really cares about the little things in my life and letting me have a little moment was so refreshing. Recognizing the blessing of a car, an ipad, a job where I can sneak off for a day, the sun, the warmth, the sand, the shore, my husband. I really have a great life. It’s those little things that make life worth living and in those moments where my selfish self doesn’t take the things that God has blessed us with for granted.

I have to say that I have a husband who adores me as well. The fact that he noticed I needed some sun and that he was able to move some meetings around to take me is pretty great. The fact that he sat quietly and didn’t complain when I brought my work with me wasn’t lost on me. He really is a great guy and he loves me. My heart is full!

Moms Against Hunger

tlc4women1 Comment
momsagainsthunger.org

This year I am determined to point those who read this blog to things they can do to make our world a better place. Here is a ministry called Moms Against Hunger that was started by my friend Dr. Gayla Holley. She is feeding, sending medical supplies, and helping mothers worldwide. Imagine you are a mother in a country such as Haiti, an earthquake happens and suddenly your home is gone, there is no running water, there are no diapers, there is no food to speak of. As a mother myself, my first impulse would be to care for my children by whatever means I had. Now a year later, that same mother has made no headway. She hears of rumors of millions of dollars coming into the country. She speaks to many who promise help but a year later she is still in the same position. What does she do?

She has to count on people like Dr. Gayla Holley who got her friends together and the local media of Houston, Texas and asked for help. She asked for a million baby wipes and got two million, she asked for bottled water, baby food, diapers, food bars, water filters all things a mother desperately needs.

Now imagine you’re an American who has lost their job and is in need of help. Government agencies don’t always move at the same rate our hunger pains do. What do you do when the local food bank is out of food? When you need some groceries to get you through a couple of weeks? What do you do when you need to get some warm clothes for your kids and you don’t have enough money to do so? You go see people like Dr. Gayla Holley, and her team and vouchers are provided so that you can go to the local thrift store and get some help with those things.

Don’t just take my word for it. Go see her blog and watch some of her videos. You’ll want to get involved and help her. I do!