Again with the CHOICES!

I have said it before and I feel a need to say it again....

Life is all about choices.

This delightful looking child is my youngest...her name is Bella and she is 9.  She has Tourette's Syndrome (TS).  We have been struggling with how to best cope with this neurological disorder since she was 6. It has been a difficult road and most likely will continue to be but God has certainly been right there with us.  I can't imagine how difficult it would be without Him actually.

God was speaking to me very loudly this morning and I thought I would share with you what He told me.

At the end of last week Bella was having a very difficult time with her Tourette's.  Basically, what happens is she has uncontrollable motor and verbal tics.  She is nothing like what you see portrayed on TV when you see someone with Tourette's.  She does not shout profanities or throw herself around.  That is just Hollywood doing what they do best...exaggerating something to make it more entertaining.  Some people with TS have very large motor tics and even obscene verbal tics but most who deal with TS have ever changing minor to moderate uncontrollable physical movements and verbal outbursts.  These tics will get worse with anxiety and stress of any kind.  When I see Bella's tics increasing I have learned to dig a little and see what is bothering her.  She needs to learn how to recognize what is causing the increase in her tics so she can process the situation and move through it.  Sometimes she might be coming down with a cold or a bug of some sort which will cause her tics to skyrocket as well.  It really is a constant process of being in touch with her emotions and physical health.  It's rather exhausting actually but I can only imagine how exhausting it is for her.

I asked her last week when I noticed a tic increase if something was up.  She said no.  I pressed the issue a little but she was really unable to identify anything specific.  We moved on.  The weekend was ok...tics not too terrible.  This morning as she was getting ready for school she shared with me, through tears and tics, that she didn't want to go to school because nobody "gets her."  She went on to say that everyone thinks she is bad.  Well now...we need to chat a bit about that.   This must be the reason her tics where going bat crazy since mid last week. Here it is.  Her TS is like a never-ending game of Where's Waldo.  I never liked Waldo.

A quick overview of what Bella shared:  her teacher had pulled Bella aside, out into the hallway, last week and talked with her about a parent that had come in to talk about Bella and her behavior.  One of Bella's current tics is sticking her tongue out (Yea...I know....not too great for a 4th grader to be dealing with.  satan sucks!) and apparently this child was disturbed by it, took it personally and did not understand that it could not be helped.  This child's parent talked with the teacher about it.  The teacher pulled Bella aside to verify that the tongue issue was a tic and not Bella being naughty.  (picture a bear playing in the water with her cubs.....one cub is off, out of site....mama bear hears the cries of a cub...mama looks up to see an animal chasing the little cub....ggggggrrrrrrrrrrwww!!!)  Get the picture?!

My FLESH wanted to scream.  I wanted to call the teacher up, demand that she tell me who this parent was....what exactly did they say....and then explain to both the teacher and that parent, the torment that my child had been going through since being pulled aside into the hallway.  My flesh got so fiesty because I have had many conversations with the teacher about Bella's TS.  Bella even asked if she could talk to her class about her tics and what Tourette's is.  We found some great youTube educational video's done by kids, for kids, on TS.  Picture me yelling, "Are you joking me!"  Leave my kid alone!  Life is difficult enough without having to explain what has already been explained!  My child should not have been pulled aside, it should be obvious that she is not being naughty...she does this stupid tic of sticking her tongue out all the time....not just at this kid, who is probably a complete brat anyway!  

I could go on and on with what my brain was saying to itself...which happened in about a total of 30 seconds but felt like a week and a half!   Fortunately my Bella was off to school so I could process all this.  Anger with the teacher...anger with that parent!, anger with that snotty child, frustration at the lack of understanding, the NEED to call a few people and give them a piece of my mind.  Then God pulled me aside.
He gently reminded me of a few things...

Ecclesiates 7:9
 Do not be quick to anger, for anger lodges in the bosom of fools.

James 1:19
 You must understand this, my beloved: let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger;

It's not about NOT BECOMING angry because THAT would be impossible.  I see it as recognizing WHEN I get angry I need to know WHAY I do with it.  Anger is needed at times. I think we can all agree on that.  Scripture links quick to anger with being a fool.  I don't want to be a fool.  Who wants to be a fool, right?  It is at this very moment that I need to heed the Words of God.  I need to NOT be quick to anger.  I need to listen to my child, listen to the teacher to get the full story....I need to then pull all the info together and properly address anything that needs to be addressed.   I also need to take this opportunity to show my child what a life filled with Christ looks like.  Can I speak words of life to this?  (Proverbs 18:21 The power of life and death is in the tongue)  If I don't help train Bella as to how to deal with this, it will simply be harder for her to push through and deal with things in her life from a Godly perspective.  Now,  I am not saying that this moment is THE moment that I can mess up my kid, screw things up for her...blah blah blah....even though that's what satan would love for me to believe.  What I am saying is each day is so filled with choices.  As a parent, on this lil ol' day, in middle America...I had a choice.  

This is what I choose:

I will teach my daughter to be slow to anger (James 1:19).
I will teach my daughter to not be quick to judge others. (Matt 7:1,2)
I will teach my daughter to expect the best of others and not to jump to conclusions. (1 Cor 13)
I will teach my daughter to be patient with others because they just don't understand. (Eph 4:1-2, plus tons of others!)
Most importantly, I will try to SHOW my daughter that when life gets hard, which is does, I will rest in Him (Matt 11:28-30)...I will lean on Him and I will run to Him and His word for guidance   Because without this, I would be a quickly angered, impatient, foul mouthed fool who could do major damage with words....all in the name of protecting my child....but with the results of only hurting her.    

I praise God for His work in my life...I am lost without Him!  Selah.

Can't say it better!!

I have three children.  

A 14 year old girl, a 12 year old boy and a 9 year old girl.  

We are right at the beginning of the struggles and pitfalls of the teenage years.  And by "right at the beginning" I mean KNEE DEEP.  There was no ramp up for us.  There as been no "sort of...starting to....beginning of....heading in that direction" of all the issues that a parent is faced with as our babies turn into young ladies and gentlemen.  It feels like, BOOM, one day we just had to deal with so many topics that I knew would surface eventually but yikes...they are here!  I heeded the wise words of loving people that have assured me that they grow so fast and such-and-such times will be here before you know it.  (Having these loving, truth-telling, non-condescending people in my life is invaluable, btw!  I urge you to have people like this in your life too.) ACTUALLY, there had to be a ramp up to these days but I was not aware of that said ramp.  I missed the memo that the ramp was starting as I loaded my shopping cart with size 2 Pampers!  Grrrr.    ( Cue the fresh smell of Baby Magic. Cue the sight of cute lil tushies crawling away from you as you struggle to put footy pj's on your wee ones.)

Now...back to reality.  

This post is primarily about my oldest who is 14 and a girl.  Lord help me!  I am certain she will be powerful for the kingdom of God.  POWERFUL!  She is creative, artistic, hardworking, and very capable.  She is strong-willed and has been since leaving the womb. I am not exaggerating.  

She is in 8th grade and is dealing with so many things that I want so badly to help her through but I can only do so much.  The pitfalls of our enemy are everywhere.  I find myself wanting to unzip her, stuff her full of my 41 year old knowledge and zip her back up.  Can't be done.  I've tried.  I am always on the lookout for things that will help me to parent her in a Godly way.  I recently listen to a radio broadcast on Focus on the Family and I have linked it below.  This broadcast is so dead on that I didn't want to even try to re-say what they say.     I encourage you to listen and maybe even take notes!  

Comment at will!!  

  Here's the link:  Shaunti Feldhahn....Teens and their Cravings!

How does God feel about his creation?

The title of this post was posed to me during a recent Sunday service at my church.  What a great question right?  How do you think God feels about his creation?

Many years ago, before my walk with Christ began, I would have said something like this...

"Uuuummmmmm....I don't know.  Uuuummmmmmm.  I think maybe he likes it?  Oooorrrrrr, maybe he's upset with it?"


As I think about this question now,  I have to say, I started to smile.  I felt myself wanting to pull a "Horshack"  (for those of us born in the 1900's, you will know this reference to Welcome Back Kotter).  Inside my lil brain I raised my hand, waving it a bit and said...OOOOoooo!  OOOooooo!  Pick me!  I know the answer!"

Who do I think I AM to dare say I know that answer to such a question?  (I am a child of God that's who! but that's another post entirely)  Let me explain.

Because of His gentle Spirits' work in my life, I approach seemingly profound questions with tons of clarity.  God has gifted me with three children and through them I am better able to consider how God sees me.  So I ask myself, how do I feel about MY creation?  How do I feel about my children?

I have a 14 yr old, a 12 yr old and a 9 yr old.  For the most part I am just trying not to kill them each day.  Seriously....I often have to debate with myself to see if the pleasure of backhanding them would be worth it.  I say this in jest partly but I think you get my meaning.  Kids are really tough.  They drain every bit of my energy, they drain my bank account, they suck the life out of me, literally (if you were a nursing mom) and figuratively.  I could go on and on.  I bet you could too if you were being honest.

HOWEVER as I thumb through pictures of my three little babies from not so long ago...I just...I just..."heavy sigh."  I think back on those days with such joy.  Such fondness.  As I watch my kids come bounding home from school and they share their day with me, as they ask me to tuck them in or fix their bedcovers...or they ask "could you make a sandwich for me.  It tastes better when you make it ma." (yes, they are being lazy but no one makes a sandwich like mama, right)....

Or how about when I overhear my child say something that I know he/she learned from me.  I think of the moments when I get an inkling that my years of devotion, hard work and love have paid off and my kids are actually getting it. Or how about when we catch siblings red handed getting along and having fun together.

Aaaahhhhh...it is so satisfying.  So joyful.  So delightful!  I love my creation.  I love my children dearly!  I would do anything for them, no matter what the cost to me.  It is important that they know I love them.  I will spend the rest of my life expressing my love to them.  I will do my best to parent them in a way that is best for them, not for me or my own gain.  They are my joy.......they are my greatest creation.  They are mine and nothing can change the love I have for them.

Let me wipe a tear.....and bring this full circle...

Let's read about how God feels about his creation.

For we are God's masterpiece Eph 2:10

In the image of God, he created them, both male and female Genesis 1:27

God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. Genesis 1:31

See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God  1 John 3:1

...God’s love has been poured out into our hearts... Romans 5:5

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers,  neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God...

Romans 8:38-39

I could go on and on but I hope you got my point.  God loves you.  You are his creation!  He adores you and delights in you just as you delight in your own children.  All he does (just like what WE do for our own babies) is based on his love, for us.  Even a fleeting moment, of realization, of his great love for you is life changing.  My prayer is that you are able to feel it.  

Do you want to be healed?

The title of this post might seem a little strange. Who wouldn't want to be healed?  Right? Lets talk about that.

There is a wonderful passage in the book of John.  John 5:1-18 to be exact.  I would encourage you to read these verses if you are unfamiliar with them.  (Nothing can replace the reading of actual Words of God!) Now, these verses are chock full of wonderful concepts and lessons that God needs us to know.  I would like to look at just one lesson from these verses, which is based on the Do you want to be healed? portion of this.  

In summery, Jesus is heading to Jerusalem and goes to a town called Bethesda which is where a healing pool is located.  Apparently the water in this pool heals people. Let's picture the scene based on scripture.  There's a lake... surrounded by lame, sick, diseased, dying and paralyzed people.  It's probably hard to walk near it without stepping on people. I can just see it.  One man that has been paralyzed for 38 years sticks out to Jesus.  Jesus asks him, right off the bat, "Do you want to be healed?".   The man basically says, yes I do but I don't have anyone to put me in the water and every time I am almost in, someone steps on me and gets in first.      Now stop...look at that.      Really read it.  As I read it two things jumped out....

1.  Duh...of course I want to be healed.  What a (dare I say) dumb question.
2.  Ok, so you are not the first one in the pool...why not just flop yourself in anyway.     What's up with the whole someone gets in the pool before me deal.  The mama in me says, this is not a contest so just get in the pool for Pete's sake.

I want to address #2 first.  Because I am a complete study nerd, I looked into the in the pool first portion of my wonderings.  Turns out there are manuscripts dating back to the original language and text that go into more detail about this healing pool.  The King James bible version does a good job at painting a bigger picture for us.  Bare with me please...this is good.  Manuscripts tell us that this pool would be stirred up from time to time by an angel.  The first person in the pool, when the water was being stirred, was healed.  This explains why this paralyzed man was so bugged by not being first.  Not first in the water, no healing.  So, my second question is address and answered.  More questions pop up at this point but lets just focus on that.

Now to the dumb question portion of my wonderings.  Why does Jesus ask the man if he wants to be healed?  Doesn't everyone want to be healed?

I have come to realize, the answer to that question is no.  Not everyone wants to be healed.  What happens when a person gets healed?  Hard work happens.  Pain is pushed through.  Fears are faced.  Diseased portions of our souls are cut out.  To be healed is hard work.  In a paralyzed persons case, when the muscles work again, he/she needs to exercise parts of the body that have not been worked.  To physically move around would be painful at first.  The hard work of laboring to make your way in the world would have to start.  Getting a job, finding food, earning a living by doing anything, would have to be faced for the first time.  Up until the healing, the paralytic that Jesus addressed would have been begging for food, shelter, clothes... or his family would have been providing it for him.  Now, that's not a great life at all but is sure is easier.

You might not be dealing with paralysis but what is it that YOU need to be healed from?


To be healed from a dependence on drugs and alcohol means allowing your body to go through pain and anguish as your body rids itself of the chemicals.  THEN the hard work begins.  A person needs to search through painful memories and experiences to see why he/she was desiring to blur their lives in the first place. 
To be healed from being a hoarder, a person has to dig in to get to the root of what they are desiring to hold on to.
To be healed from being an enabler means not helping people that you have helped, to their destruction, which means watching them go through tough times and usually not having them in your life.  
To be healed from being co-dependant on a person means starting to do for yourself.  It means pushing away from someone and standing on your own two feet.  
To be healed from blaming others for the woes of ones life means pointing the finger inward vs. outward.  It means coming to the realization that you and you alone are responsible for your life and where it is.  
To be healed from anger means forgiving people that you feel hatred for. It means facing the pain that caused that anger.  
To be healed from being lazy means getting a job (even if it is not a great job and below your pay grade), doing laundry when you don't want to, cleaning the house when you'd rather play, planning meals for your family, budgeting your finances (no matter how much your finances are or aren't), getting up early or going to bed late in order to make the day go smoothly. (and the list goes on and on with this one!)
To be healed from self-centeredness and pride (as well as false pride) means facing the reality that YOU are not the center.  It means putting your kids first.  It means putting your husband or wife in front of yourself.  It means seeing the people and situations from God's perspective and not YOURS.  (ouch!) 
To be healed from the deception of believing you are "of this world" rather than the truth of "we are in this world" (John 15:19, Romans 12:2) you have to come to lots of painful realizations.   That your money is not yours, peoples opinions are not most important, comfort is not a guarantee, daily sacrifice is needed, if the world says the answer is yes...the correct answer is most likely no.  

This list just scratches the surface.  In conclusion, I ask you...

Do you want to be healed?

(I would encourage you to share any thoughts on this.  I would love to hear what you have to say.)

Have you ever thought or said to someone, "You are so full of yourself!"

Believe it or not, I am posting this only a few days after my last post! God is moving big in my brain these days and I just had to share. Once again, it centers around the wonderful bible study I am currently doing. (In case anyone is interested, here is a link to the actual book. copy & paste...)

http://www.amazon.com/Principles-Worship-Tabernacle-FollowingDiscipleship/dp/0899572995/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1324515023&sr=8-1

I highly recommend it. Very deep, amazingly foundational and in my view, a must.

Anywho....here is what was causing my brain to work overtime. It revolves around passages James 4:5-6 which says...

Or do you think Scripture says without reason that he jealously longs for the spirit he has caused to dwell in us? But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says:

“God opposes the proud
but shows favor to the humble.”

Now, this verse seems pretty straight forward for the most part. Well, sort of. This is what I see as I read it and ponder it.

James is almost being sarcastic by saying, Do you think that the bible is saying for no good reason that God is jealous? When it comes to His spirit and its dwelling in us, our God can get jealous and if it wasn't true, the bible surely wouldn't say it! God clearly keeps being gracious with us. Let's not forget, God is against the proud and loves on the ones that are humble. Now, please know that I am not claiming to say I am a bible scholar of any sort. Goodness no. I am being bold and pray that I am honoring God with what my heart understands and then shares with you.

Here's the thing about what James is saying to us. It mentions God being jealous. That perplexes me. What on earth does the Creator of the universe have to be jealous about? Has that ever confused you?

Well, the Holy Spirit helped me to understand this. Once I understood it, the idea of it definitely had a WOW factor in it. Here is what the spirit taught me:

Our God loves us so deeply, so intensely that when we have any other focus in our lives, he gets jealous. He gave us free will which intensifies our love of him once we experience it. (after all, isn't it better when our children give us a hug and say I love you because they love us rather than they are made to!) It is that same free will that enables our hearts to stray and end up focusing on something else besides our Creator as our item of worship. We are all so fickle! It is easy for us to get completely absorbed in our jobs, our kids, money, a new home, clothes, status, power....the list goes on and on. So many things quickly and easily take the center of our lives which by definition, replaces God as the one in the center. I am guilty of this...so guilty.

Since my walk with God began, which is when He became my center of worship I have not intentionally worship something else but it seems to creep in without me realizing. As I look back over the years, the one thing that keeps creeping in to become my focus is......ME! Ouch! It ends up being Michelle focusing all of her energy on Michelle!! The sickness of self worship is a disease that just gets worse if left unchecked. It is hard to diagnose and painful to treat. Let's go back to that verse in James. It is that pride/proud part of the verse that speaks to the self focus issue. (keep in mind, this "proud" is not the same a parent being proud of her child for getting good grades) God loves his children so much that even when the center of our world, the focus of our heart is US, he gets jealous. HE wants to be the focus. He created us, he knows what we need and when we need it. He wants to be our everything.

Back to that verse in James again. It tells us that God caused His spirit to dwell in us. When that Spirit, which is God himself, gets pushed and squished within us, because the space is being occupied by the self and all things ones self, what does God do? Well, according to James, God continues to be gracious....waiting for us to realize our "disease". Being proud or "full of ourselves" is not good. When we are so full of ourselves that God has no room to dwell within, we need to remember that our loving creator is jealously, graciously waiting for us to return to Him! Selah. Blessings.

Can the "world" tell a difference?

I am doing an absolutely FAAABUUUUUU bible study and I had to share something that just slapped me in the head. This is gonna hurt sooooo, be ready. (I suggest you stop reading if you do not have a teachable spirit.) xoxoxo

This comes from Paul and his first letter to his peeps, the people of Corinth. He says to them...

"do you not know that your body is a ^[a]temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from ^[b]God, and that you are not your own? ²⁰ For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body." 1 Cor. 6:19-20

Now, I think many of us have heard this verse or at the very least know that the bible tells us our body is a holy temple. Am I right? As I think back to when my walk with God began, I think I recall knowing of this verse.

Please allow me to expound on this amazing verse. First of all, it is important to understand the word "temple" from a Jewish, Old Testament perspective. The temple was the holiest place on earth. It was a building designed by God, where God himself would dwell. The people of God, were instructed by God, as to HOW to construct this holy place. Within this temple was an even holier place....aptly named, the Holy of Holies. Not very creative but you certainly get the point right?! This was the actual "box" that God was going to be contained in when he wanted to dwell with his people. I know, I know...sounds super weird but its scripture and lots of things are hard to wrap ones brain around.

Lets continue.

Now Paul was telling the Corinthians that their bodies (all believers in Jesus) are now that temple. In the Greek language they use two words in stead of our one for temple. They would say, temple-hieron to mean the entire temple structure. When they were speaking of JUST the Holy of Holies they would say, temple-naos. It is this word, naos that Paul uses in the verse 1 Cor. 6:19-20. Did I lose ya?

Paul is letting us know that as believers, we get to have the actual God of the universe dwell inside of us....Hang out IN US! Now, I don't know about you but that shuts me down! (in a good way that is). It causes me to just sit and think about it. Ponder the very idea of it. I know the concept, I believe it but do I KNOW it. Do I really understand the significants of it? The verse goes on to say that we need to "glorify God with our body." This is where the painful part comes in...

Am I glorifying God with my body? To glorify means to reveal. Do I reveal who God is with my body. Not just my actual body...meaning eating right, not abusing my body, taking care of myself....but revealing Him with my entire being. This means my words and actions too. Am I revealing God and all His wonder with how I act and what I say? Can the world see something different in me? Does the world say, "there is just something different about Michelle" or do I just blend in with everyone else? I so want to....I so want to.

As a Christian, I am aware of all this. The general concepts are probably not new to anyone reading this. But, as for this girl, I sooo need a refresher more often than I care to admit. (no one ever said Christianity was going to be easy!)

Selah. Blessings!

What does your life boil down to?

I recently went to an estate sale. Have you ever been to an estate sale? It's kind of like a garage sale on steroids. EVERYTHING MUST GO! might be the estate sale mantra. It is my understanding that family members take what they want from the loved ones items and the remaining "stuff" is sold. Prices are usually really cheap or fairly priced. Now, this sale that I was at the other day was really awesome! VERY well organized, clearly marked prices and an actual check out area. They even had boxes for easy shopping. Wow! The items for sale filled every room in the house, the basement, the garage, the driveway and two barns on the property. There were lots of antiques, oldtiques and uniques....the basement was over flowing with perfectly organized sections of seasonal decor. One area was Easter, one Christmas, one Fall, one was even 4th of July. It really was remarkable. There was china, casual dishes, place mats, silver pieces, serving bowls, silverware, Tupperware, etc. (there was even unopened food products from the cupboards with prices on it. There was clothes, books, furniture, purses, 1/2 used salon products....there was even a plethora of those free with purchase gifts you get when you purchase make-up from the fancy department store cosmetics department. You know the ones I'm talking about. I even saw a few family portraits for sale.

Oodles of people were carefully walking through the entire home, peering in every corner, making note of the decor, the style of the carpet, wood trim, etc. People were buying things left and right. Some people were even trying to bargain with the sellers. What does this have to do with Jesus? Oooo...surely you jest!! You know how I can bring everything back to Jesus!!

As I walked through the home I could not help but feel sad. An entire life and all the "stuff" of it was out there for all to see. Even worse, the stuff was all for sale. Now, I happen to know the woman that passed away. I did not know her well but the amount that I did know her, I knew her to be kind and loving. She obviously cared for her home and took great pride in its decor and appearance. She appeared to enjoy having gatherings that involved serving meals and she LOVED decorating her home for the upcoming holiday...whatever it may have been. As I looked over table after table of items, looking for a good deal, I could not help but think about how the woman must have felt as she purchased these items that I was now considering purchasing. She was obviously a girl who enjoyed shopping the housewares section of any store. (as do I) Did she get really excited after she found just the perfect thing? Did it bring her happiness as she brought it home and enjoyed it? Did the warm fuzzy, Norman Rockwell feelings of the next family gathering last for days after the actual event or did all those good feelings fade as the event got underway? Did she enjoy the planning and decorating more than she enjoyed the actual holiday? If only her "stuff " could talk...I wonder what it would say.

I will never know the answer to that but what I do know is that Jesus always points the questions we ask about others right back at us. What would my stuff say? Do I get too wrapped up in the perfection of a gathering? Is the planning of something way more enjoyable than the actual thing? Is the anticipation of a great day the greatest part of the day? Am I truly focusing on stuff or the things that Jesus tell us is most important. In our fallen world, our enemy would have us focus on all the thing surrounding an event or just the surroundings of every day life. The relationship with the people we are supposed to be sharing our time with becomes the after thought. The best stuff takes a back seat. As I am sure you can all relate too, it is the relationships and what they lack that often leave us feeling let down. Our Lord calls us to recognize when we fall into this kind of trap. He reminds us to be sure to get back on track and re re refocus on what is important- Loving God and then loving others. Not with perfection mind you, but to the best of our ability. In my life, the closer I get to Jesus, the better I can love those that he has put in my life. I often get all wrapped up in the wrapping of my life and not the actual guts of it. Know what I mean? It's just so easy to do....I hate that!

The estate sale experience was a call for me to look at my own life and see if I need to refocus. It was also a teaching moment for my children. I had an opportunity to talk with them about making sure that their lives are not just full of stuff that ends up on the front lawn with a FOR SALE tag on it. Without a relationship with our Creator, which leads us to have loving, genuine relationships with His children, our lives can easily turn into nothing more than an estate sale. Full of things that get sold to complete strangers for low, low prices.

So, this post is a call to make sure we are making the best of the time that the Lord has so graciously given us. It is the relationships that mean the most to God. Our relationship with Him. Our relationship with others. Be careful to not let the trappings of life trap you into focusing on the wrong elements of life. Blessings.

Time to fill the Pot Holes!

Spring is here in NE Ohio which means many things. The grass begins to show itself, the robins are fluttering about, gardens are getting planted...and bumpers fall off cars as bewildered motorists travel over canyons in the road, also know as....POTHOLES! Aaaahhh...Spring in Ohio. Nothing says spring like daffodils and auto body repair bills!

As I dodged a pot hole and avoided a bumper at the outer rim, (this truly happened by the way) I could not help but make an analogy between potholes and God. Just go with me...this is how my brain works.

To all my sisters in Christ who have not fully understood the amazing redeeming ability of our Creator, I share this with you....as I have experienced it.

Scripture calls Jesus our redeemer. (Ephesians 1:7-8)

What is the definition of redeem? I had an idea but it is one of those words that is really hard to grab ahold of. What does the dictionary say?

Redeem: to free from what distresses or harms; to free from captivity by payment of ransom;

to extricate from or help to overcome something detrimental ; to buy back.

After knowing this, seeing Christ as my redeemer is much more clear. Scripture tells us that when we accept Christ as our savior, He redeems us from our sins and we get to be with Him, for eternity. Now, that is so huge. The idea of all that is sometimes too big for my lil' brain. Know what I mean? I needed God to explain how Christ as my redeemer was a good thing for my everyday, ordinary, run of the mill existence. After all, I am just a regular girl with a husband to make happy, kids to raise, a house to clean and laundry to get done. I needed more than just these big concepts. As I searched and asked for help with this question, God was once again faithful to help me out. (this is where the pot hole analogy comes in ;0)

Our lives are like the road. Our sins are like all those potholes. Now, these potholes could be something that we have done on purpose, knowing it was a sin, or they could be something that we didn't realize was a sin until later and/or the potholes are left by other peoples' sins. (I am sure you will agree that a persons actions effect more than just that one person.)

With all this in mind, as we travel down the road of our life, we are bound to come across potholes. Some are HUGE and cause us to stumble and there is just no way around it. Others are kind of small and if we go over them, just so, we seem to miss them completely. However, when we least expect it, those same small potholes catch us off guard and we run right over them and the result can be a dented fender or a bent bumper. The reality is, those potholes need to be filled in. Something needs to go IN them so the road we travel is smooth and passable.

Let's be real. What do potholes look like?

Here is a list that is by no means exhaustive. (remember, these potholes can be in your life because of you or because of someone else) It is important to remember, no matter HOW they got there, they are there and need to be dealt with.

loneliness self-centeredness promiscuity anxiety

abandonment cruelty abortion panic

debt impatience drugs grumbling

depression rudeness alcohol grouchiness

anger saying too much over spending passive aggression

jealousy not saying enough over eating holier than though-ness

bitterness pride under eating gossipy

boredom ungrateful heart worry physically abused/abusive

My friends...I could go on and on.

Now, what do you fill your potholes with?

If they are not filled correctly, the patch just pops out and often becomes worse than it was before. I think it is important to realize that some things on the above list are things that we might use to fill in our potholes. For example...if we were abandoned as a young girl, we might fill in that emptiness with promiscuity. If we are angry because an unresolved issue from our past, we might fill the pot hole of anger with alcohol or even something less obvious, like grouchiness. If we are prone to being a bit too prideful and think too much of ourselves, we might fall into filling that hole with gossip about other people. See what I mean? So often the sin and what we use to solve it, or fill it in, or deal with it...never actually takes care of it. More often than not, it makes it worse.

Now, in the light of Jesus as our Redeemer, we need to get to a place where we look to Him as the one who can fill in those potholes once and for all. When He fills them, they get filled with the one and only true fix. No need for anything else. The one who created us is the one who wants to free us from what distresses us and harms us. Our "potholes" will not be there to rumble over. BUT...Jesus can not redeem what we have lost, He can not free us from what harms us unless we give Him the go ahead.

Oh, my dear sisters (and brothers) in Christ, when I understood what it meant to have Christ as my redeemer, when I gave him permission to see all my potholes, he went right to work and lovinly filled them in. True, He is still working at it. It is/was a pretty bumpy road but He is accomplishing what He set out to do.

Have you given Him the chance, the ok, to fill in your "potholes"?

This is a question only you can answer.

Blessings.

The temptation of Jesus

I was so moved by a powerful lesson I recently heard on the radio.

Wow!!! Had to share.

Let's go to Luke 4: 1-13.

I will paraphrase as to what is going on (as I understand it). Just before the verses in Luke that I want to focus on, it is important to understand what had just happened. Jesus had been baptized by John, the Holy Spirit was flying around and God said he was well pleased with his son. Talk about a big day! Scripture goes on to say that Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit and was led to the desert to be tempted, by the devil, for 40 days. Good grief. Talk about a let-down, right? Jesus is filled to the brim with the amazing attributes of God...then...he has to hang out in the desert with satan. Walk with me as we break this down. Huge stuff here...huge!

The first two verses of Luke 4...

(Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the desert, [2] where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry.) have a few things worth expounding on.

First, it was the Holy Spirit that did the leading. Jesus did not go there on his own. He was lead there by the HS. If someone is leading...it usually means they know where they are going...right? Well, following this logic, the Holy Spirit wanted Jesus to be tempted. Well, not wanted in the way I want an ice cream sundae, but more like....oh...kinda like the Holy Spirit lead Jesus to the desert to be tempted because He knew this is what had to be done. The temptation by satan was on the agenda. This happening was not a surprise to God or the Holy Spirit.

Second, how about the next verse that says he didn't eat anything for the entire time AND ALSO tells us he was hungry. (meaning no disrespect but...duh!) Don't you think we would assume he was hungry after not eating for 40 days? Kind of like saying the same thing over, right? Well, I think God added this so we would remember that Jesus was fully man and fully God at the same time. It is important for believers to really understand that Jesus had all the human desires, needs, wants, etc that we all do. Telling us that Christ did not eat for 40 days and he was hungry, helps us to recall the human form of our God.

One last focus on want to make regarding these verses in Luke is this....

If you think about it, the things that satan offers or tempts Jesus with are things that will happen. Scripture tells us they have happened or they are going to happen. For instance, satan takes Jesus to a high place and points out the kingdom below and says, "here, I will give this all to you". Satan again tempts Jesus by telling Him to jump from a high place. The obvious result would be Jesus dies from the fall but if He is truly the son of God, angels will save him. Well, scripture tells us that Jesus WILL eventually be the ruler of the world. Right now, it is still a fallen world and yuck happens...often. Praise God, Christ is due to come back and shaaaa...zam.... can't wait to see the wonder of THAT!! The second point, about tempting Jesus to jump or fall....scripture tells us he does fall, of sorts...actually He is crucified. His earthly form dies but rises again and because He is the son of God, He lives! So.....what is all this tempting actually about? How is satan tempting Him in these verses? Also, what on earth does this have to do with us as His followers? How can we apply this to our everyday lives?

Well, this is what I see. Jesus has the power to do whatever he wants. He is fully God. He can command the wind, the water, animals, make food fall from the sky, you name it. He could even snap his fingers and a 4 star hotel could appear right in the middle of the desert and a bell hop could wait on him hand and foot! Seriously! He could do all that. BUT...He didn't. He was tempted by satan to make His existence comfortable and perfect. He is tempted to prove himself...his worth.

Yet, He resisted. He resisted because His father had a plan. The plan had not come to fruition yet. Even though the things He was tempted with would eventually happen, He did not take matters into his own hands. Tempted as He was, He was patient. He waited. He did not get things accomplished on His own. He was about His fathers business and the proper time was important. What was the proper time? Well, whenever His dad said so.

So He waited.

He was tempted BUT he resisted....

and waited.

Having said allll that, the question is....Do we forge ahead on our own time? In our own will? Do we make things happen because we can? Or do we consult our Creator and wait on His timing?

Blessings.

Just in case!

I was listening to Tony Evans (if you have never heard him preach, I recommend you google him and get started! Very anointed in my opinion.) on the radio last night and I had such a revelation! He started chatting about some Old Testament times when the Israelites had started to worship other gods. Now, I have done lots of OT reading and I have to say, the times when this particular issue comes up always baffled me. Truly! It is mentioned in several places that the Hebrews would start to worship the gods of other people. Names such as Baal, Astarte, Bel, Dagon are mentioned in scripture. Here and there the Israelites would run to them for one reason or another and start to worship them.

I was so blown away by this time and time again. My initial thought would be...are you kidding me!! Good grief! After the whole Red Sea thing as well as all the other amazing, unexplainable things that only God can do, and seriously....other gods?? You could say I was shaking my head at what I considered their...narrow-mindedness, stupidity, etc. I never really understood what on earth was going through their minds. Until last night.

Scripture does not say that the Israelites completely began to disbelieve in God...it says they just began to worship other gods. Baal was a sort of fertility god. Fertility of people, land, crops, etc. You could say that these other gods were kinda like just in case gods. It may have gone something like this...."Weeelllllll, I still believe in my all powerful God but just in case, let me see what this other god is all about. It seems to be working for those Philistines. After all, I really want another baby and I really want this years crops to flourish. Saying a pray to someone else can't hurt. Right?"

Ouch!! Don't we do that same exact thing today?????? Don't we?? We might think along these lines, "Oh goodness, YES...I believe in the One True God, the Holy Trinity, etc but just in case, I need to make sure that I spend lots and lots of time and energy thinking and rethinking (maybe a bit of worrying) about my finances and making sure I have lots of money because if I don't take care of things, who will!" Or maybe something like this..."I need to make sure I have a very full, important career and spend lots of time on it. After all, it is my career that makes me feel needed, important, special, significant. God couldn't possibly do all that. Right? I know scripture says He can but just in case." Or how about these....1. God can't fill me like food does so when I feel down, I will run to the frig instead of my bible. 2. I need a huge pick-me-up and shopping does it for me! God can't make me feel that awesome. 3. If I just had a nicer home, a bigger home, a new car, a faster computer, blah, blah, blah...then I would be happy, satisfied, content, feel better, etc.

We too worship other gods just like those of the OT. For most of us, our "other gods" do not have names like we think of. Many of us confess our love for God in one breath and then behave in a way the very next moment that says we have other gods in our lives too. Our other gods have names like...Money, Self, Food, Shopping, STUFF, Career, Power, Worry, and the list goes on and on. Yikes.

I ask you my sisters, do you have any just in case gods? It is a big question that takes a mature person to truly look into their own heart and see if there are any "posers" in there. If can't find any, I would ask the Holy Spirit to help reveal them. If you think about it and decide you might have some just in case gods, I would refer you to Exodus 20:3,4. (just click the link)

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=exodus%2020&version=MSG

Many blessings!

PS...to all my dear sweet Catholic sisters....if you can't find your keys, who do you pray to for help? If you want to sell your house, who do you pray to for help? If you have a sick animal, who do you pray to for help? Just something to think about.

My new day planner is here!

Ok...I am one of those crazy chicks that LOVES her day planner. I try each year to wait til the start of the new year but as soon as August gets here, I know that those 18 month planners are available. Yep. I know. Crazy. I have spent several years finding what I think might be the perfect planner for me. I have tried several and right now I am totally in love with momAgenda. Check out their website if you are a planner nut like me. Anywho....

My beautiful new planner is here, I am getting all organized, marking down important dates, feeling very much in control! Then Sept 27th catches my eye. In my new planner, (month at a glance page for September)it has this written in the upper corner of Sept 27th...."Family Day: Have dinner with your kids." I stopped short. What has our culture come to? This activity needs to be written down? Made note of? That means it is something to remember rather than a regular occurrence. I have to say, sadness kinda came over me. Have our lives become so busy...is every family so busy that mealtime is a thing of the past?

In my life, I MUST monitor my time. Actually I have to protect every minute of my day. If I don't diligently protect it, soon it will be eaten up by things that don't even matter to me. I start to feel like a complete bystander in my own life. Uuuuggg!! Who wants that! I need reminders that I....I....I am the one in control of who I let into my precious time table. Because my kids are young (12,10,7) I can still dictate quite a bit of what eats up their time too. If I don't take great care in making sure their lives are not too busy, what will their idea of living be? Know what I mean? All this busyness HAS consequences. It seems we are addicted to activity. So many of us don't even know what to do if we have nothing to do. I bet you can think of someone right now (maybe even yourself) that freaks out when there is nothing going on, no where to be and nothing to do. I think that lots of us say we hate being so busy but can that really be true? Let's be honest, shall we. Who exactly is responsible for keeping us so busy? If I complain about being busy, I only have myself to blame. I am not a victim of this...I am a participant. It takes a strong person to look at their lives and get rid of things that need to go. Sometimes it is great things. Sometimes it is things that need to be eliminated for the time being. Often, it is tough choices that have to be made in order to free up some time in our lives to just be still!!!! Speaking of being still.....

In Psalm 46:10, God tells us...."be still and know that I am God." Sometimes it is as simple as that. JUST BE STILL already!! How can we put the things in our lives that God wants us to do if our days are already filled with what we have decided is a must. If you bring the word still back to the Hebrew meaning, it translates to "let go" or "release". God needs us to let go of our to do list. Release it all to Him. Be sure to have some time just to hear from our heavenly Father. Why? Well, scripture tells us He will give us peace and rest. Here are some wonderful, comforting verses that indicate the peaceful joy that God has for us. The catch is...He will not force this upon you. You see, He is always a gentleman. We have to ask for what He offers. We have to accept what He gives.

Jer 6:16 Walk in my ways and you will find rest for your souls.

Jer 31:25 I satisfy the weary ones ad refresh everyone who languishes

Matt 11:28 Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.

I have to be reminded from time to time, to make sure I am leaving room for God to speak to me. I must leave some time to be still. This is not only for my own well-being but I must remember, I have little eyes watching me and learning as they grow.