comfort zone

Comfort Zones are nice, if we're talking about the thermostat in our home. 

They get a little tricky when we get personal.

 God didn't seem concerned about our comfort zone in the Bible.

 He did not say, " Be comfortable, have a full belly, stay warm and cozy at all times."  Actually, that sounds more like my dog.... it really is a dogs life.

He did not say, "Do not be concerned with things that make you squirm, feel queasy, uneasy, seem unfixable and without hope."  

He did not say, " You do not have to love those people.  They are different than you and you will not understand their ways. "

God IS calling us to love our brothers, serve unconditionally, give extravagantly.... love till it hurts.

A radical faith... like the early church.  Hmm, now there's an idea. 

Whatever He is calling us to, may make us uncomfortable.

Truth is... Gods got a plan for us, today, tomorrow, till he calls us home.

Truth is..... God wants our participation. He longs for us to join him.

Truth is..... God cares more about our character than our comfort.

We have eternity to be comfortable, but only today to make a difference for eternity.

So, do we want what's right outside our comfort zone?  God's BEST for us. A crazy love, radical faith in our Father God.  A passion that the world tells us is not necessary..... You do not need to give that much, love that passionately or go out of your way for someone you may not even know. 

Yes, God calls us to love, unconditionally and without limits.

Are we passionately in love with him to live this way? 

Its a question I will ask myself each day.

I will chose each day to serve God or man.

Will I get uncomfortable for Christ?

Happy Thanksgiving Charlie Brown

“Thanksgiving is more than eating, Chuck…we should just be thankful for being together.”

–Marcie

Nothing like a Charlie Brown Thanksgiving to put things in perspective and remind us to be thankful. My favorite holiday is upon us and I am grateful for so much. My cup runneth over with joy in the daily blessings of life......

Good morning God. 

When I think of Thanksgiving I think of you.  You are the creator of everything good and beautiful. You bring me joy unspeakable and blessings beyond anything I could think to ask for. Thank you for loving me.  Thank you for sending your son to die for my sins so that I could be forgiven and spend eternity with YOU. 

Thank you for my husband who loves you and serves you. Thank you for our children who know you and love you.  Thank you that you bless us indeed everyday. Thank you for giving us your word so we can understand the life you offer us.. freely and easily.

Thank you for being a patient, forgiving God, slow to anger.  Thank you for the fierce love you have for all of us, your children .... calling us to you, the creator and lover of our souls.

Thank you for the beauty of this world that sings your praise throughout the day and night. You created all things and watch over them. 

To us, you gave a soul. You tell us in your word that you have a plan for us, because you love us and you care about every detail of our life.

 You know the number of hairs on our head. You chose us to have a personal relationship with You. You give us a choice to love you and serve you. To have the best life... which comes through relationship with Jesus Christ, your son.

The blessings you give me everyday are beautiful, supernatural, amazing and beyond measure.

I am forever humbled by these things ..... as there is nothing in me to deserve the abundance of the love you have lavished on me.

You have blessed me with community.

You have blessed me with women who are strong, faithful and true to their calling. Thank you for placing them in my life. I pray you will use us to glorify you in everything we do.

You bring Joy, hope and purpose into my life, fresh each morning Lord. 

 Make me a sweet aroma to others and may they see Jesus in me.

May I always remember I have an audience of one...... you.

 Thank you for the joy of this amazing journey Lord.

Amen

"Linus van Pelt: In the year 1621, the Pilgrims held their first Thanksgiving feast. They invited the great Indian chief Massasoit, who brought ninety of his brave Indians and a great abundance of food. Governor William Bradford and Captain Miles Standish were honored guests. Elder William Brewster, who was a minister, said a prayer that went something like this: 'We thank God for our homes and our food and our safety in a new land. We thank God for the opportunity to create a new world for freedom and justice.
Peppermint Patty: Amen. 

If you never know me, you wont miss much.

If you never know Jesus, you will have missed everything.

Blue eyes

The boy with the beautiful blue eyes.
The boy loved his family.
The boy loved his friends..
and they loved him back.

The boy was brave, truthful, unselfish.

The boy loved the boys of summer........
and the boys of fall.

The boy loved his girl.

Then the boy loved his baby girl.... 

The boy with the beautiful blue eyes found he loved a God he had not known and didn't think he could understand.

He looked to this God to protect his family and take care of them .

This boy understood things we could not understand. God drew the boy close and loved him.

The boy had a peace....

because he knew God had a plan... and God is always good, even when we feel bad. 

The boy with the beautiful blue eyes would be 50 today.

The boy is loved.

Happy Birthday blue eyes !

 

May the God of your hope so fill you with all joy and peace in believing [through the experience of your faith] that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound and be overflowing (bubbling over) with hope.Romans 15: 13

Life is ALWAYS good... part 1

Trying to accomplish, prepare, complete and check off..... sometimes gets in the way of what I am really supposed to be doing.  Even when that something is good.

This was me a few days ago as the door bell rang 4 times in two hours.  Not a typical sound as Molly reminded me, joyously barking as she raced to the door each time, waiting to devour her prey.  She was hoping for squirrel.  Each time, new disappointment for her.
Silly Molly, squirrels don't ring doorbells.  They throw acorns at your head as you try and run up the trees after them.  They squawk and squeak, looking down at you.  As if they are saying, "You really think you can beat me up this tree little girl?! Ha... Rookie! "

What a welcome team we are...... me pulling her back from the door as she personally welcomes the neighbor,  sniffing every crevice, observing where they have been, their favorite food and who they voted for last week.... Really Molly, Bad dog. :-)

So, I didn't accomplish what I had set out before me.
It was a reminder that even though my goals were good, God had something better for me at the moment.  I am learning, slowly.
A sweet friend stopped by, who is always willing to help with anything.  We dont have a lot of one on one time but I am feeling that when we do it is always real and worthwhile.  I like worthwhile.

Worthwhile -sufficiently important, rewarding, or valuable to justify time or effort spent.

Later, my neighbor came over.  She is from Denmark. She wanted to invite the hubby and I over along with two other couples from our new hood.  I think they are all in their late 70,'s maybe early 80's.  Funny thing, I was pretty pumped.  Yes, of course we will come!

I never accomplished what I had set out to do, but the blessing was all mine. Truth is, I will always have a list, longer and more unnecessary than I can imagine.  There will even be some good things on that list. I think the truth is that God will show me what he wants me to accomplish each day.... list not included.

I am reminded of one of my favorite sayings - "Make your plans in pencil and give God the eraser."
Maybe i should just use invisible ink and save myself the trouble.

Bob and Dale plus two..... searching for significance

Sunrise over Assembly Hall 

Significance - The quality of being important 

Seems like searching for significance..... in all the wrong places.
 A family of 8 who start out great ... a sweet aroma to us but end up a stench to each other.
Throw away people, throw away families, throw away relationships......
Significance that missed its target, its intention and certainly its original plan.
Gods plan, for them..... for us.

What kind of significance are we supposed to be searching for anyway.....
Not a worldly significance but a significance that only God can provide.

A significance that says, 

" O Lord, you have searched me and you know me.  You know my sitting down and my rising up; you understand my thought afar off.  You comprehend my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways." 

Psalm 139:1-3

Do not search for significance from the world..... it will lie to you, deceive you, leave you lonely, broken, hungry.... like a dog without a home. In search of its master.

And yet, we do this .... multiple times a day, sometimes its all we do.

Significance is found in our relationship with God.   

He lays a blessing at our feet each day like a trail of sweet smelling magnolias beckoning us to come and follow Him.  The journey will satisfy us if we recognize who we are in Him.... and only Him. 

Often,  we start with Him as our first love, our God... but we quickly trade Him in for a cheap story about us... we cheat ourselves of His bestseller ..... written by Him for us.

My hope is that my brood of two :-) will know where their significance lies.  Their eternal significance...

Not in their beauty, academic achievements, athletic pursuits.  Nothing they have done or will do. 

Nothing they do will give them their true value.  It is only found in Christ.

And then .... it all becomes beautiful.

"Hey now, this is my desire, consume me like a fire. Cause I just want something beautiful to touch me. I know that I'm in reach cause Im down on my knees. Waiting for something beautiful."

Needtobreathe

The Afters - Light Up The Sky - Music Video (Official)

Marvin Gaye - Sunny (1966)

Sunny...one so true, i love you.

Alexandria in her grammy's bridesmaid dress from many years ago

Twenty one years ago a sweet baby girl entered this world.  Wednesdays child
Life became brighter that day.... a ray of sunshine shone through the clouds on that cold, blustery morning in Orange County, New York.
She was the most beautiful baby girl I had ever seen and she has grown more beautiful through the years.
She had a widows peak with dark hair and beautiful almond shaped eyes, the color blue, not as blue as her daddy's but a blue all her own. Blue eyes that saw things some her age could not.


She was a joy from the first moment I saw her.  This has not changed.
Wisdom and maturity have been her character from the early years.
Independent from the start and yet always a closeness between us.   A special bond we have shared.
An unspoken acknowledgement of where we have come from, together.

First her mama, her protecter and encourager.  That will never change.....
but, now she is also my friend.
 I want to be her friend because she is generous and kind, funny and silly.  She shows me how to live better and makes life richer.  She makes me laugh( and I love to laugh) and well, she is just quite spectacular.  She is like fireworks on the 4th of July!

My wish for Sunny..... this year as she turns 21.

My wish for you, sweet Ali is to always trust the One who created you.  HE alone is your comforter, encourager and provider for all that you need.
I wish you friends who love you, and hold you accountable.  Friends who share your joys and sorrows. Friends who grow more precious as the years go by.
I wish you joy in what God gives you each day.
I wish you wisdom and discernment in the choices you make.
I wish you love, that is pure and honest and chosen by God.
I wish you peace, joy and love my dear sunny girl.
Yes, I wish Gods blessing indeed on you.

Late night chatterings

Maybe it was the starbucks pumpkin spice Latte at 4 pm or the three diet cokes at noon.  So unlike me, really.  Hey, it was my birthday, living on the edge, partying like a rock star....
 I think i would have been okay if the screeching hadn't started as I was turning off Letterman.

The same screeching that woke us up at three am the other night. Difference being hubby was next to me  then, so i said, "did you hear that" and he responded "yes." Then he got up and walked out into the kitchen. Not sure why as clearly the sound was above us and maybe even outside.  Maybe he was hungry.
 Then the husband returned, put a pillow over his head and went back to sleep.  Like he heard me say  "Hey Hawkeye, no worries, I got this one." Really?
So, now if I could just recognize the fact that I have the same amount of help I had the other night......
I always cling to hope..... something about the belief that if there was an attack the husband would miraculously spring to life and mortally wound the beast.
Memories come to mind of us years ago, hiding under a huge white quilt as a bat dive bombed us in our bedroom.  We started giggling realizing we were a bats dream come true..... a huge white moth waiting to be devoured.

Do bats screech?  Hmm... I was thinking screech owl but now i am not so sure.
Its more like a large rodent, in my house, teeth gleaming in the moonlight, next to my bed, ready to pounce..... okay, thats enough!
 Now the screeching is creeping me out. Its now 1 am... I move to the couch where the dog is sure to protect me if a flying squirrel comes out of the fireplace to attack.  Rotsa ruck there....

Thanks to the violent predator in my house and starbucks I am awake reflecting on my day.....

A day well spent, with two friends.  Friends I have known for over 15 yrs.  A friendship that developed through the tough times.
It was only a few hours together.  A drive north. A stop by the train station. A lunch to share emotional and physical nourishment.  A little shopping.  A book store stop and coffee break.  Back to the train and on the road again.... back home for two of us.
Back to the city for the other.

When will we see her again?  Hopefully soon.
What can we offer each other?  Ourselves, in small pieces.

She is an amazing woman really.  Bright, articulate and gentle.  She has been to hell and back.....no mincing of words here.
 She has fought through the darkest of night and survived to the morning, though some may seem cloudy and overcast.
She has suffered through things that most others would not have survived.  I struggle with words to even describe the pain and anguish she felt.  My words would be cheap as I did not walk this road and was only a helpless bystander, shooting up prayers to God like, "How can this be, please save her!!"  Of course God sent her angels to help her heal and she is forever grateful.

She is gracious and thankful. She lives simply and is content. She has lost everything and she appreciates the simple things in life. Grateful is a word to describe her.

She willingly accepts books that I treasure, believe in and think of as must reads. She may read them or not and pass them on. She is never offended because she knows my heart.
My prayer is that someday she will have the same peace that I have.  She could know total forgiveness and healing if she found this but one cannot force a gift.  It must be accepted.
In time I pray she will accept it and have new life.

God brings people into our lives...... to love.  To share lifes burdens and joys.  To be a buffer against the winds that blow and storms that threaten to sweep us away.
How do we do life alone?  How do we find hope and courage to carry on without love? We are created for relationship with God and others.
I hope I can be a small portion of comfort to those who are in pain.  I hope I willingly share a burden as well as a joy.
Lord, teach us to live well and joyfully, always deeply searching the eyes we meet.  Do we see the pain and turn away or do we reach out and touch with the love of Jesus?


Guess that screech or caffeine was necessary to get me thinking.  Really God, You couldn't just tell me what you wanted to tell me... in a dream?!   I had to listen to my dog snore all night....

Just heard the noise again. I think it might be coming from the shower. Maybe its the pipes, water, heat.... ideas?

This is the day the Lord has made, we will rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:24 Beginnings, endings and Do Overs.......

I  begin a new year in two days.  It will be a new year of happy endings and last times.....
A last year to celebrate my 40's.
A last year to celebrate having a high school boy living under my roof calling me mom, madre, Dale...

A last year to have friends call me and ask what we are going to do for my birthday........ hmm, just want to see your face and laugh till I cry.
A last year being part of this indescribable church community where our kids have grown up and we have all found out what Jesus really looks like.
A last of too many things to mention because writing them down would be like scratching a blackboard, painful and make me want to cover my ears.

The truth is.......
It will be... A year that ends a story book chapter in my family's life.  The best of times...... A wonderful life..

I want to say, "thats all I got" end of story, done, tired, checking out..... but thats not really me.
I know the truth.
Truth is..... its gonna hurt.
There will be moments....

There will also be new opportunities, new joys and lots of surprises.
There are obvious blessings, like....
 a husband who is no longer triple platinum diamond ridiculous elite with the airlines since he will have ended his 600 mile commute each weekend.
Yes, he will be sad not to get that extra bag of salted cashews, the exit row, his own phone number and being called by name when said phone is answered.

I am hoping the fact that his wife living under the same roof, in same state with him can make up for those little joys.
 However, I am not sure how to provide those free flights to the BVI?
Perhaps spending more money with the appropriate credit card will help.  Anything to help dear :-)

So, this year I have a new opportunity.  I can consider a few "Do Overs."  What did i get wrong that I could make right?  Are there places I left a scar where I could have left a smile?
I pray God will show me.
Show me how to live well this year.  Live generously and with intention.
We will never be here again.

What a blessing to have this picture in front of me.  To live with such intention because you know you do not have another year to get it right.  Its a gift.
What will I do with it?  Will I accept it or give it back because the gift doesn't fit( my plan) or isn't my first choice?  If the gift is truly from God....... it must be the perfect fit for me, right?

Isaiah 35:10 " And the ransomed of the Lord will return. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away."

Isaiah 55:12 "You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and the trees of the field will clap their hands."