Bloom Where You Are Planted

Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.  Proverbs 16:3 NIV

The other day I went to the grocery store and bought 6 containers of Orange Juice. I do this every other week.... the nino likes O.J.

I looked at the date and I realized that I would move to my new home before the juice expired. 

Reality snuck up on me... 

I have spent the last 16 months thinking about the day I will leave my community. 

Thinking of the emotional and physical process.

Thinking doesn't pack a house.

I will have help packing boxes and strong men will move pianos, king size beds, overstuffed chairs. They will groan lifting boxes with books that will be read again. Too many books? Not possible.

I will look at nana's peonies that I dug from her N.Y. garden 16 yrs ago and carefully planted in the fertile Illinois ground. I will dig them up minutes before we say goodbye, to be planted in the dry soil of Kansas. 

Will they survive?

Will I?

Will I like the new land? 

Will it like me?

Will my heart move along with the boxes?  

Will I recognize the opportunity to bloom?

Moving can be difficult. 

The truth is, we are all called to move. Some will be called to physically move, but we are all called to move in our faith, our walk, our conversations with people. 

Do we talk about things that matter.... or do we keep it safe?

Do we hesitate to move when called? Do we stay still when we could encourage with words of faithfulness and truth?

I am not fearful to move. 

I know whom I serve and I know He has a plan, just for me.

I will plant the peonies and encourage them to bloom where they are planted. They will need food, water and encouragement. I imagine I will need the same.

The Lord says, "I will guide you along the best pathway for your life.  I will advise you and watch over you."-- Psalm 32:8 NLT

Stand Up And MOVE

I just returned from 5 days with 1000 students. A Christian youth conference, rich in worship and fellowship.  Nothing like that to rock your world, question your choices, shake up the gelatinous stuff that's asleep in your brain.

Students, young people, souls that can't support themselves yet, but are figuring out what's wrong with the world...and want to make a difference... so they stand up. 

They stand up among their brothers and sisters when asked if they have chosen to be a follower of Christ. 

They stand when asked if they sense a calling to serve in full time ministry.

They stand when asked if they want to repent of their past choices, desiring to live a full life, not one hidden in shame.

They stand when asked if they are called to Kingdom Work.

( should we not all stand when asked about repentance and Kingdom work?)

 These are choices made through prayer and mature testing, not from a spiritual high. Many have felt the fires that promise to bring them through as shining gold. They know Whom they serve and they know the way will not be easy. 

The son is called. He has known it for some time and is seeking where. God is faithful and will direct his ways.... if the son watches and seeks Him.

These students remind me why I am called to be a kingdom worker, a sold out, all in, follower of Christ.

Why I say yes when asked to serve. Why I desire to be among students. Why I have a desire to encourage people to a life, rich in Christ and to experience His grace and mercy.

Why I am excited to watch God move and recognize its ALL about Him and not a single thing is about me.

That is a reason to stand. To testify that its ALL about Him. 

If it is all about HIM, why do we spend all of our time thinking about ourselves?

Now that's something worth thinking about.... maybe I should stand up.

Christ In Youth (CIY) exists to connect young people with Jesus Christ. The mission at CIY is to provide opportunities for young people to experience God and His Word in a way that transforms lives. CIY's mission is accomplished in three ways: through conferences, service projects, and mission trips for young people as they stand at the crossroads of their lives and through training and resources for the adults who work with them.

Gungor "Beautiful Things"

A beautiful song for Sunday Morning....Enjoy and remember He makes beautiful things.

Lets give Him ALL the glory today.

Proverbs... For Life

 Proverbs .... A general truth. A piece of advice.

Gods word is His Advice to us . It is Full of Truth. There is only Truth in it. 

Proverbs 1:7

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline."

Knowledge is plentiful but wisdom is scarce. 
Do we recognize the difference between human knowledge and Godly wisdom? 

Solomon, the wisest man that ever lived, wrote this Proverb. He wrote it because God gave him a discerning heart and mind. 

Do we seek that same discernment from God? We may never be a Solomon, but God will bless us with discernment and wisdom... If we ask Him.

Discernment - the trait of judging wisely and objectively

Hebrews 5:14 recognizes discernment as the ability to recognize good from evil.

"But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil."

If we seek discernment and receive His wisdom, we will see the veil that covers the eyes of the lost. 

We will see people with a renewed love and compassion. 

Our eyes will see truths that slipped by when we were seeking our own way, our own needs. 

We will say something, think something and recognize our sin. 

I know that this verse is were it starts for me. If I seek His wisdom and discernment, He will show me the error of my ways and give me a humbleness to change. I want my eyes to see His truths daily... no veils, only the Light of Him.

I want to know Him this way.....

I want solid food. I want the maturity,

to see Him clearly each day......

 Our journey with the King starts with a healthy fear of Who He Is...... Our Creator God.  He desires to show us Wisdom, Discernment, Mercy, Love, Grace...Himself. 
Invite Him in today.

Coffey Anderson - "You Are All I'm After" "FREE" | iCoffey.com

You want to start your day out in the light?

Of course you do... well, check out this southern gentleman. I don't think you will be disappointed. Enjoy and sing praises to the One who made you and loves you in ways we cannot imagine. Let Him be the Only One we are after.

Praying

Today I am praying.. .

Praying for our local FCA Day Camp... almost 700 kids in extreme heat this week. Praying that these students know Jesus and have a fun, safe week.

Praying for a sweet friend, waiting for her first baby... a week overdue and no air conditioning this morning. Lord, maybe today is the day baby Stewart will be born?

Praying for my daughter who will have her wisdom teeth removed... in an hour.
Praying for my husband as he makes the nearly 600 mile drive to our new home... now.

Praying for the friend who's husband is in surgery to have a cancerous tumor removed, at this very moment.
I have been where she is and it can be frightening. Prayers for a good outcome and quick recovery, all provided by God.

Prayers for friends who have family concerns, children, parents, financial, health.
Babies that will be born soon to families that we love and call family.
Families that will move in a month, taking on new responsibilities, new opportunities for God. Exciting, and a little scary.

A friend who is in extreme emotional pain, abused by the people who were supposed to protect her. "Lord, bless her and free her of this pain and noose that seems to tighten each day around her neck. She needs freedom that can only be found in the One who created her. Show her who you are.... today."

Praying for Christ In Youth Camp next week. 1000 kids come together and worship God. A blessing to be a part of.

Praying for our move, in less than a month.
Praying that our kids are ready to start another year of college for the daughter and the freshman year for the boy.
Praying for good health as he transitions into college athletics.
Praying that he loves his college experience and finds a positive environment.
Praying for my opportunity to speak at a conference in Chicago... the week after we move. "Lord, prepare me and may the overflow be evident. May I feel grateful and blessed."

Let my prayer be set forth as incense before You, the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice. Psalm 141: 2

The Birthday Boy

My son turns 18 today! It's his golden birthday this year. 18 on the 18th...

We celebrated Saturday night at dinner. 

We will celebrate every moment we are with him.

 My feeling is birthdays should be celebrated for a week.

I remember the day the son was born. He had these liquid brown eyes, that have only become darker each year. The nurse repeated that all babies are born with blue eyes. 

His dad said, "Not this baby" 

Not his boy.

The ninos dad drove the long drive home Friday night to deliver his late model SUV to the son. The dad handed him the keys and said, "Happy Birthday Son." The boy smiled and hugged his dad.

The following day the dad took him for a new stereo and speakers for his new ride... something all boys like. We nixed the woofer, sub woofer, whatever the heck woofer he wanted.

He has turned from a stubborn little boy, unwilling to take his mamas advice.... 

to a young man with a tender heart, and strong character.

A gentle spirit, yet a willpower to succeed in things of spiritual as well as physical nature.

An inner strength to persevere when exhaustion has set in, the feet are blistered, and the lungs are burning.

He is solid in his beliefs. He has chosen well.

 I have no fears for him in his future.

He is in good hands. The hands of his Father God. 

I pray that he will be a man of noble character, always showing grace and mercy. I pray that he will go the extra mile for those in need, as if doing it unto the Lord. 

I pray that he will be deeply loved and love unconditionally. 

I pray that he would be generous till it hurts, always giving his best. 

That gratitude and thankfulness would always be on his lips. 

I pray that he have friends to share the joys and sorrows of life with.

I pray Gods richest blessings on him. 

He has made me a thankful and grateful mama.

I Love Camp!

I hate to go camping.

 Ask my hubby. It has never happened and probably will not, unless it includes Colorado and a big river and.....  someone to cook my dinner.  I would camp if it included Africa, a safari and pretty tents with indoor plumbing, or at least in tent plumbing ... and yes, someone to cook my dinner.

Before you judge me...

 I camped as a kid... and I camped as a teenager, but that was because we wanted to have massive parties without my parents recognizing that, we were not Just camping.

I do like camp. 

When I was a kid living in New York I went to a couple of camps. I recognize now this was an excuse for my parents to get rid of us for weeks at a time. Not judging... I totally understand that thought.

I  spent one week at a camp called Word Of Life. It was in the Adirondacks... believe me, it's as magical as it sounds. Tall pines, shimmering water, canoes and boats, and bats, and spiders ... 

 The camp for teenage students was on Island. You took a ferry ride. We felt like we were free from the world of adults for a week.
Maybe that's why I still like camp. Adults can be so..... adultish.

This camp was like Survivor and Gilligans Island wrapped into one. Well, maybe it wasn't anything like that, but most of the boys looked like Gilligan and if you could survive that food, you were considered a survivor.

This camp was a big deal in my spiritual life. It cemented some stuff for me. Who was God, did he really love me and have a plan for me? I was surrounded by people who loved Him and reflected that love to me. 

What a concept. What an impact it had on my life.

This week I get to be part of another camp. It's called FCA camp. Fellowship Of Christian Athletes. It is a free day camp for elementary through Middle school age kids. We have the best day camp in the country. I don't say that because I am on the board and I have anything to do with it's success.

The reason is the leadership and commitment level is solid and based on the foundation of Christ.

For 5 days, our staff and volunteers will minister to over 600 kids, coaching them physically and spiritually, showing them Jesus.

What a joy to witness.

I will help with some practical needs and I will watch people like my son, love on these students.
I will recognize the responsibility we have to these students. To always show love and grace, no matter how annoying that one kid is or how hot and sweaty and tired you are. 

Camp can be a great place for the soul. It may be the first time a person sees what it means to have a personal relationship with God. That's a big sentence and who can really understand it? Maybe it's easier for a young person to understand. God desires us to come to Him as a child.
He tells us in His word.

Matthew 18:1-6

¹ At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” ² He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. ³ And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. ⁴ Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. ⁵ And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me. ⁶ “If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.

The Donald....

The following blog post is by one of my favorite authors( who is living)... Donald Miller, known to me as The Donald... with hopefully better hair.  He has no idea who I am... He is a brilliant writer and if you have not read Blue Like Jazz or A Million Miles In A Thousand Years, run to the your local Bookstore and buy them today!

Facing Your Fears to Live Your Dreams

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We don’t normally face our fears willingly. Usually, God has to woo us into the desert. We are either chasing love or some other desire, and we find ourselves in the midst of a situation in which we have very little control. And when we lose control, we go into a mild form of trauma. But the good news is the greatest stories are lived in the desert. The great lives are lived in the places we most fear. If we fear being rejected, the great story has us standing at the door with flowers in our hands, if we fear losing love, the great stories have us letting that person go rather than clinging to them. If we fear taking a chance on a dream, the great stories have us quitting our jobs.

My friend Jeremy Cowart moved from Nashville to LA recently but decided to tell a better story with his move. Rather than packing up the family and making a long, boring drive, he called Jamie Tworkowski from To Write Love on her Arms and made a Fears Vs Dreams tour out of the move. They’d pull the moving van into a town, set up a table, and ask people to write down their fears and dreams on a piece of paper. The result was magical. Andy Davis joined in for a while and soon enough it was a mini-caravan of folks who were no longer interested in running from their fears, but willing to face them in order to live a better story.

So, what is your greatest fear? And don’t you know, the life you want involves taking that huge risk. It’s scary I know, because the truth is it might end in tragedy. But then again, half of Shakespeare’s plays are tragedies, and nobody thinks of him as a fool. He was brilliant.

May half your stories be tragedies too. And may the other half be comedies that work out great. And may they all be beautiful.

The Weather Channel

I have been thinking about the Weather Channel lately. What did we do before this helpful, yet weirdly hypnotic channel existed?

 Before Cantore stories? In case you missed it they just celebrated 25 years of Cantore. Don't worry, I am sure it will be on 43 times between now and Labor Day. 

What kind of crazy person stands in the face of a hurricane while millions watch, betting how many nano seconds before he careens into the nearest lamppost?  If you watch most of the footage on Jim C. I'll bet you he is struggling to stand upright as 70 mile per hour winds come screaming off a southeast coast directly at him. Our response?  We watch... over and over and over. 

People might be strange. 

Yes, I admit, my TV is probably set to that channel.  It's like early creeping, before facebook.  Everyone does it....  You watch as peoples lives come apart, (literally on this channel)  as their houses are twirled away in tornadoes or washed down stream as flood waters overtake their community.  Picture after picture, with lots of commentary, thanks to Jim.

People are strange.

I don't know the statistics but I will bet you (see a theme here?)  that most of us turn to that channel on a daily basis.  

Now, there are days that I can't even find the remote for my TV... but when it does turn on, it is probably on that channel.... unless my kids are home. 

Then it will be either Bravo or The Learning Channel. Yes, talk about extremes. You can determine which young adult in the home is watching which channel . 

Hey, you never know what those New Jersey housewives could teach that hunky Dirty Jobs dude. Now, that show might be worth watching.  Dirty Jobs takes On The Housewives Dirty Mouths...... now we are talking.... sorry for the pun.

I see similar themes in The Weather Channel and Bravo... lives coming apart while we creepily watch. Hmm...

Maybe there is something comforting about seeing what's coming our way. Where else in life do we get to see the storms approaching? 

Usually, we are blindsided by them. 

Here, on the weather channel we can track them, watch for the exact time, the strength of the storm, how long will this storm last. 

We can plan. Don't we love that word.....plan.

We get to plan for the immediate future. 

"We will be hunkering down till this one blows over kids!"

Trip to the grocery store. Toilet paper, check. Milk, check. Bread, check. Candy bars, check. 

Hold the phone....let's face it, we can live without milk and bread.. just fill the car with chocolate... and a little red wine.

 It's for medicinal purposes people, this is an emergency situation!

We can be prepared... and we like that. We also like control, at least I do... I love it really. Just ask my husband and kids.

There isn't much I can control but you betcha, if I can get those chair cushions inside before those clouds open up... Victory!! I win!!

Woo hoo, I'm doing the victory dance, at least in my head.

People like to control.

Planning is good. God gave us brains and common sense (at least to some).  Let's use it wisely, but let our wisdom be in Him and not the foolishness of ourselves.

Proverbs 16:9, "The heart of man plans his ways, but the Lord establishes his steps."

God has a perfect plan for each of us, unique and exquisitely created.  Do you trust Him to guide you through the storms of life or will you cling to what you can see at the moment?  God knows the future and though we sometimes stumble blindly along dark paths, He is there.  Will we trust Him enough for the next storm?

Jeremiah 29:11 says,  "I  know the plans I have for you, plans to give you a hope and a future."

Increase My Territories... Every Twenty Four Hours

Most days I offer up a prayer to God to increase my territories. This is part of an Old Testament prayer, prayed by Jabez.

The words "increase my territories" are a request to give more. More opportunities to love Gods people,  offer hope, show compassion. Glorify my God... the reason I am here.

Every day is a reminder of the needs, pain, and anguish, of the people who brush by me. 

Most I miss. 

Then the ones, who's eyes connect with mine. Who speak words of pain..... the dad who is ailing, a difficult diagnosis. A daughter looking to comfort and support. 

Let my prayer be set forth as incense before You, the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice. Psalm 141: 2

A sweet friend, young mom, struggling with a serious illness and yet finding hope through good medical care. The road has been long for her and when I hear her voice crack and the tears begin, I am moved..... to what? This time to prayer. It should always be this way.

A friend, struggling with family issues. The stresses that come with raising kids and keeping marriages strong.

Her pain is apparent and her tears are always waiting for an opportunity. She is strong, she knows truth. She is fighting the good fight and not giving up.

 I pray.

Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything, but in every circumstance and in everything, by prayer and petition (definite requests), with thanksgiving, continue to make your wants known to God. Philippians 4: 6

The child of God I met yesterday. What an incredible story of pain and satans attack. The level of brutality I cannot imagine and the struggle for self worth. I pray she is healed and will become a blessing to  many. 

I cry to God to show her the truth of Him.

The young man, who asks my husband and I for a ride home. He shares his pain of how hard high school is, the bullying, the lack of friends. Not sure how to get through it all. He knows he is in a safe place when he speaks to us.

We offer hope through words that we pray will help. 

My heart is shouting inside,"God, show us how to help this child of yours."

What I really want to do is lash out and fiercely attack any who are part of this. 

Injustice brings out a raw fierceness in me. I have never been a bystander when I see an attack. 

I pray, because nothing is as powerful as praying to the GOD of the universe. 

Nothing compares. How can you compare anything to Truth?

Truth trumps all... and Truth is waiting to hear from us. Pour out our pain, anguish and needs. He desires us to give it ALL to Him.

A twenty four hour period. I am amazed by what He shows me, the blessings that can come through prayer. We give a gift to the prayed for and we grow closer to The One who calls us to Him. Never will we see Him clearer than when we look into the eyes of His people and pray for them.

Evening and morning and at noon will I utter my complaint and moan and sigh, and He will hear my voice. Psalm 55: 17

Sunday Summer Song ...Phil Keaggy - Make You Feel My Love

I posted this song a few months ago, but it deserves to be heard again.

What a beautiful reminder of Christ's love for us.

Dylan didn't write it with this in mind, but listen to the words and tell me how it makes you

feel.

It is but a human attempt at the words God might sing to us, yet maybe this is as much as we can understand at the moment.

The ways of God are big, His love is without measure.... so thankful that even these words can bring us to a humble understanding of gracious, radical, reckless love for the children of God..... you and I.

Thankful Today For Gertie.... A Helpmate

So maybe Gertie is a stretch and maybe Ozzie never called her Gertie ... and she never referred to him as Ozzie. 

I do love Ozzie though. It kind of lightens up the proper name of Oswald, doesn't it? 

Oswald seems a bit stuffy, even for a Scotsman, born in 1847.

Oswald Chambers is the man I am taking privileges with here. He lived a life devoted to Christ... though not a long life. He died November 15, 1917, complications from a ruptured Appendix. He was in Egypt at the time, as a YMCA chaplain to the troops from New Zealand and Australia. World War I was in full swing.

In his short years he had devoted himself to Christian ministry. He traveled, taught, wrote, and ministered.  

And yet... this is about his wife, Gertie.

Gertrude Hobbs became Oswalds wife in 1910.

By chance (or not) she had been trained as a court stenographer.

At the time of Oswalds death he had written one book, titled, Baffled To Fight Better. Today, there are over 30 books that bear his name.

He had much to share for the eyes of the world...but his time was short.

 In steps Gertie....

affectionately called Biddy, short for beloved disciple.

This woman spent half a century.. 50 years, compiling her verbatim short hand notes into the books we have today, that bear his name. 

 What a woman and what a team they were, even after his death. 

God, in all his wisdom, put these two together and made beautiful helpmates.

To glorify Him and to teach us through the insight of Oswald Chambers.

I have learned much from Ozzie as his words are deep and go straight to my heart many days. Yet, when I think of Gertie, I see a woman who loved her God and her husband enough to look beyond her pain. She mourned for a time and then decided to devote herself to the glory of God. 

She is a Godly example to me and a reminder, when I am feeling lazy and and want to quit.

Press on, the goal is ahead.

I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:14

Just a beginner...Oh Yes I Am

I read a daily devotional called 'My Utmost For His Highest".  It is a classic by Oswald Chambers and I have picked it up and put it down many times over the years. 

There were days that it made little sense to me.

 I just could not grasp the depths of it. 

Oswald was a deeply spiritual man and he must have had a close, intimate relationship to God. 

These days I seem to hunger for the wisdom I find in each page. I am not sure why I understand and feel the power of his words now. 

They have not changed.  They are the same truths that God spoke through him 100 years ago, but now they seem relevant to me. 

I love that words penned on paper one hundred years ago are personal and feel as they are spoken just to me.

Truth doesn't change with the times.

Don't misunderstand... I am still a beginner in all of this.

 As Thomas Merton said, "We do not want to be beginners, but let us be convinced that we will never be anything but beginners... all our life." 

That is somewhat of a comfort to me, and a powerful reminder. 

The life of faith in God, the Creator of all that is good. The Deliverer, the Conquerer, The King who came as a Babe to bless and fulfill us.....

How could I be anything but a beginner in light of who He is. 

And yet, that is enough.

"By reading the scriptures I am so renewed that all nature seems renewed around me and with me. The sky seems to be a pure, a cooler blue, the trees a deeper green. The whole world is charged with the glory of God and I feel fire and music under my feet.'' 

Thomas Merton 

Thomas Merton was an American Poet, writer, Catholic Monk

Happy 4th of July... and Thank You Defenders Of Our Country

 

This is a picture at the entrance of one of our countries V.A. Hospitals. If you have never visited one.. you should. 

How many people visit Washington , D.C. and walk the paths of the W.W. II, Korean, and Vietnam Wall Memorials. How do you walk past 58,209 names of men who gave their life for our country.. without that uncomfortable lump forming and the eyes flowing with tears of names you will never know. We are connected as brothers and sisters.

 We love our country and we recognize the freedoms that ONLY our country has. 

The price of this freedom is emotionally portrayed as we walk the long wall.

The names on these walls are forever remembered, at least by their own. They have a place of honor.  

Do we remember to honor the living? The men and women who visit the walls of the V.A. Hospitals for treatment. They are scarred, some by loss of limbs, others you may not see. Emotional scars sometimes fester for years. Do we remeber these.... the Vietnam Vet who has suffered a life of conflict internally , after the conflict he witnessed. 

For many, life has been very unkind. The life they once thought would be theirs, vanished.. with the sounds of war. 

Let us pray for our veterans today. Let us lift up their faces to the One who loves them and created them in His image. Let us remember our men and women who have chosen this path of dedication to our country. The young man, my sons friend , who will become a Marine. I will pray for his mama, even now as it makes my eyes wet. 

We are a blessed nation... let us never forget the price that was paid and will continue to be paid.