Category: My Life

Christians Are Canceling Christmas

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It’s the oddest thing to me in the whole entire world. There are Christians wanting to cancel church on Christmas because it falls on a Sunday this year. You see, it will interfere with the gift exchange. It will interfere with the Christmas Eve hangover, it will interfere with the Christmas breakfast tradition. Canceling Christmas must be done! It’s inconvenient for MMMMMEEEEEE.

OH WAIT!!

It’s not Christmas we want to cancel. It’s the bride of Christ we want to cancel. We don’t want to gather corporately on a Sunday because of Christmas.

We want the commercial exchange without the holy interaction.

 

Okay, now it makes total sense! I get it! Push Jesus to the side so we can have our holiday.

Funny thing is that is exactly what the Pharisees did. Jesus came to save the world that was lost, but it was lost on them. They weren’t interested in a Messiah, they were interested in a tradition. Jesus’ timing has never been convenient. Nope, nothing convenient about it, but it was necessary.

Christianity started on the day Jesus arrived on the scene. We have decided to celebrate that moment on December 25. Only this year, it falls on a day we reserve for church service. So church service will have to wait because gifts are more important than the giver.

Maybe I will stand alone but I will be at church on Sunday morning, December 25, 2011 even if it is Christ’s Mass.

Happy Birthday Casey

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Today my daughter, Cassandra Allyse, turns 26! Where did the time go? I love her just because she is. Long gone are the days of the little girl who didn’t want to have pigtails because she didn’t want pigs on her. So instead she decided to rename the pigtails do to “two ponytails on the side”. She also gave herself the name Casey Lulu. And now everyone knows where Lulu the Wonder dog got her name. It was out of the response of a mother who longed for her Lulu and created a substitute.

She lives life on her terms. She wonderful, amazing, hard working and brilliant. Love you with all my heart Caseylulu!

Not Bone Of My Bone

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I have struggled with step-parenting. That is true and well documented. However, we really need to change our minds about how we speak of our children.

While out with Lauren, my stepdaughter, a man we both know, asked me, “I haven’t seen your kids in awhile. How are they doing?” I smiled, knowing what he meant but not wanting to feed this thinking, I answered, “One is standing right behind me.” I heard Lauren snicker. The man persisted, “No, I mean your real kids.” I answered, “She looks pretty real to me. Are you talking about my two oldest? They are fine. Working and living in Los Angeles.”

People who are reading this today, my request is this: please don’t distinguish between a biological and an adopted child. My step-children may not be bone of my bone but they are certainly children of my heart. Maybe it’s incomprehensible that a stepmother would love her children, since fairy tales tell us otherwise, but I do. So please think before you speak. I know most people do not think about what they are saying and I’m sure it wasn’t meant as a slam but what if you were Lauren hearing this conversation? What if I had responded in a different way? Would that have hurt her heart? Let’s just be a little more careful with our words.

1,000 Little Blessings Chapter 3

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Proverbs 19:23 The fear of the LORD leads to life: Then one rests content, untouched by trouble.

There is something about being content. Content is a big word. Dictionary.com describes it like this:

adjective
1.satisfied with what one is or has; not wanting more or anything else.

Seems simple enough but so hard to live for some of us. Content? How to be content when there is always one more hill to climb or one more thing to do? And yet, it is exactly where I find myself in my life right now. I don’t need any thing right now. I want to spend time with my family, I want to spend time writing, I want to spend time at my job but I lack nothing right now, not even the fear of the Lord because I have that as well.

Here are my blessings for today:

1. A day off. It’s after 10 am I am in pajamas still reading and writing. What a gift!

2. I had a friend say a song reminded her of me. It was a song about giving of yourself. What a blessing to have a friend who thinks more highly of you than you do. That is pretty cool.

3. I’m feeling so much better after being hit with a cold last week. Thank God that the worst has passed. You never know how much you take breathing for granted until you can’t catch your breath.

4. I cut my hair off. After suffering through a bad perm/color and my hair being dry and frizzy for MONTHS, I finally just conceded and cut it off. It feels soft and healthy now. No worries it will grow back.

5. I’m grateful for praise reports that are coming in with our new bible study! Beth Moore challenged us to get on our face before God and the posture and the prayer are causing a stir! Love God for it!

6. It’s Wednesday at this writing, and tonight Modern Family and Revenge come on. I enjoy both shows. Meanwhile, I am blessed to have laundry to do. It’s odd I know, but the smell of clean clothes and the smell of bleach bring me comfort. Then folded laundry always looks complete somehow. I know it’s strange.

7. Only 10 more days until the sugar fast is OVER. Just in time for a piece of pumpkin cheesecake! Hooray for willpower and Hooray for pumpkin cheesecake.

8. I’m grateful for Oolong tea. It’s hard to find this type of tea but I love it. I found some at a little tea place and bought a box. Drinking a hot cup is just the ticket! Whoever discovered Oolong tea, my hats off to you!

9. Boot season! Yes!

10. I am blessed to have met Jesus. To be blessed with the knowledge and security he brings to my life is unparalleled. Things become less important and matters of the heart become the motivation. I can’t miss saying thanks every day of my life for this relationship.

Thankful

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I was sitting with my husband having lunch yesterday when a thought occurred to me that just warmed my heart and made me thankful to God. This past Sunday my son, Anthony, preached the word to the church. He spoke on the relationship we have with God and the obligation we have to each other. The Sunday before son # 2, Charles, preached to the church at youth day. He spoke on humility before God and how we needed to stay pliable before him.

I had simply taken this for granted until the moment God gave me the realization of the blessing he had bestowed on us. Our children pay a high price for what we do, as families in ministry can attest. Ministry is what we do and there aren’t on and off hours for it. Sure, we have great discussions abut the bible and our faith. but we have great arguments about what other kids are allowed to do versus ours. Funny, our kids think we don’t allow certain things because we are a “ministry family”. They don’t understand that we don’t allow certain things because we’re strict parents.

In this moment of clarity the Lord made me realize that despite the guilt I carry, the kids are okay. They know the word of God, they are growing up in the faith that we have taught them and they will, no doubt about it, surpass all that we have done and do even greater still. God has kept his hand firmly on them. God has directed their path even when we felt we were failing at juggling all the balls in the air.

All this to say that the realization was not that the kids were on the platform preaching and that is what made it good. What made it good was their understanding of the word and how it fits in their lives. To see them talk about their struggles and triumphs is what made it good. Somehow we did something right or at least we were carried by abounding grace.

Our daughters haven’t hit the platform (yet). They may or may not but I’m secure in the knowledge that they know God, they love him, and they serve him. That is all I need to feel that life is good!

Ever Learning

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In The Fear of the Lord by John Bevere, he makes a statement that has resonated in my mind. He speaks of people who know the word, quote it, but never apply it. We can all point fingers to those in our lives who meet this criteria but how many of us are wise enough to look deep within ourselves to examine that truth?

I did just that this week. I began by asking the Lord to examine me and expose those things which I know to be true in the word but do not play out in my life. I discovered some amazing truths that must now either be applied or ignored. Ignoring them comes with a high price because it means I deal with the consequence.

My first realization comes that even though I work in a church, spend a lot of time in prayer over matters of the people, spend a lot of hours working in that setting, that it doesn’t constitute a personal relationship with God. Boundaries over my time would allow my prayer life to flourish. Someone asked me recently if it was about time management? I quickly said no but upon review recognize that it is. I allow the needs of the many to outweigh the needs of myself. It’s a pride issue for sure because just as selfish people don’t take the time to pray for others, neither do I take the time to set boundaries for my personal life. You can get so wrapped up in the service to others that in the end you’ve done a disservice to yourself. In this area of my life, although I lament, I don’t change which exactly exemplifies the statement John Bevere made of ever learning but never applying.

Second, I love to write. It is my passion and the way that I express myself best. I have been given a word from the Lord to write and what to write about. I go through spurts of passionate pursuit and then nothing. This must change or next year I will writing this exact thing again.

For many years I thought if I hired help for the household chores that it would free me up to work. That is exactly opposite of what needs to happen. I have to hire help for work so that I am not consumed there.

Yes, we can all point fingers at our friends who know the word but it doesn’t manifest in their life or we can apply the knowledge to ourselves. I want to choose the better thing, I choose to apply it to myself.

1,000 Little Blessings Chapter 2

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Nehemiah 8:8 They translated the Book of The Revelation of God so the people could understand it and then explained the reading. 9 Nehemiah the governor, along with Ezra the priest and scholar and the Levites who were teaching the people, said to all the people, “This day is holy to God, your God. Don’t weep and carry on.” They said this because all the people were weeping as they heard the words of The Revelation. 10 He continued, “Go home and prepare a feast, holiday food and drink; and share it with those who don’t have anything: This day is holy to God. Don’t feel bad. The joy of God is your strength!”

My days have been busy as my husband is out of town and there is much to do. My hands and feet are busily moving from work to home and back again. Yet there is much to be grateful for. This day is holy to God. In other words, this day is set apart. I am not guaranteed tomorrow and yesterday has past. I have only this day.

Today my blessings are many.

1. I woke up and it was raining. What a blessing to have a roof over my head.

2. I thanked God for a hot shower that just flowed from a tap.

3. Yesterday when I went to Starbucks I was hungry and wanted a Protein Bistro Box. They were out of them. Today when I showed up they gave me one for free! Got to love Starbucks and blessings.

4. Sales at the store were great yesterday and the store is full today so I’m sure we’ll see another great day.

5. Today my cousin gave birth to a baby boy. She named him after my uncle, her father, who died suddenly not too long ago. Richard Scott is a beautiful legacy and tribute.

6. I watched a great documentary that will be a blog entry or two as I wrap my head around what I want to say.

7. I took my jeans out of the dryer and put them right one. No jumping up and down and sucking in to button them up.

8. I laughed with friends.

9. I have really good kids!

10. I was able to be a blessing to our community today. Because of that I got my picture taken for the newspaper.

1,000 Little Blessings

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I hear some people in the Christian faith say miracles aren’t for today. I say miracles happen every second of every day. We merely have to look for them. You are a witness to blessings and miracles every single day of your life. You hear about them all the time. With cable, Internet and smartphones we are a privileged generations who are a witness to even greater things than any generation before us.

Yet, do you see miracles and blessings for what they are or do you just take them for granted? Do you acknowledge them or do you swipe them away with a wave of your hand as coincidence or luck?

Deuteronomy 30:19 I call Heaven and Earth to witness against you today: I place before you Life and Death, Blessing and Curse.

Even if we choose today a curse rather than a blessing, we still see blessings if we only open our eyes to them.

Ask any woman who has miscarried, if her healthy baby’s cry in the labor and delivery room is a miracle?

Ask anyone whose cell phone rings with the command to get to the hospital immediately because an organ has been donated for their transplant if this moment isn’t a miracle?

Ask any family whose soldier has come home from war if it isn’t a miracle?

Ask anyone whose home has remained standing after a disaster if it wasn’t a miracle?

So today I begin a new series where I’m going to find blessings and hopefully some miracles in my life. I’m going to purposefully look for them. I’m hoping you do too. I’m also hoping you’ll begin to add your voice to mine and we’ll begin to see the world on a whole different level.

So here are my ten blessings for today. If you feel inclined to share I’d love to hear your top 10 too! Even if you just noticed one, post it!

1. I woke up today. Yeah I’m a pretty grouchy morning person but I have to say waking up is a blessing that not everyone gets.

2. I looked around the bedroom as my eyes adjusted in the darkness. It was 4 a.m. My dog Lulu was curled up and stuck in crook of my knee. My husband, Doug, was snoring and hugging a pillow, mouth open and oh so cute! What a blessing to have them beside me.

3. It was a cool fall morning today and the good thread count sheets and the comforter felt, well, comforting. What a blessing to have have warmth on a cool morning.

4. I had a nice hot shower. Not everyone gets to turn on a tap and wait for hot water before getting into a shower.

5. I had groceries in the fridge. I promptly put a roast in the crockpot for dinner and made some oatmeal for breakfast. Food was plentiful this morning. I need to give thanks!

6. I had a few quiet uninterrupted moments to read.

7. I got ready to go to work. Work is a blessing especially if you are a workaholic, which some have accused me of being. 🙂

8. I got into a car that starts. Just the mere fact that I have a car is a blessing.

9. The sun was shining, the flowers were blooming and the birds were singing. I’m not sure if this is three blessings or just one but I said I’d only give 10 things so I’m counting it as one.

10. I was greeted by great employees.

…..And it’s only 9:30 a.m.

Happy Birthday Anthony

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Happy Birthday to my son Anthony who turns 30 today. You have been my joy, my love, and a precious gift. I’ll never get over how God allowed me to be your mom but I am forever grateful to Him for you. Enjoy your day my love!

If any of you are inclined to celebrate this day with Anthony, he has asked for no gifts this year but for everyone to contribute $30 to Charity Water a worthwhile endeavor. Here’s the link to read all about it!