Four Choices For You.....

You have 4 blank cards in front of you. You are holding a pen. Write down what matters most to you, what is important to you... in this world.

Write down a choice on each card.

You have 4 cards.... no more, no less.

You are the only person who will know what each card says.

Be honest.

Don't cheat.... don't read ahead.

Ready?

There is a crisis in your life. You have to give one card away.....give it up. Which card will it be? 

Fold it up, tear it up... it is gone.

You have three cards left. 

You have to make a choice.... again. You must give up something very important to you. 

Choose one of the cards.

Throw it away, tear it up, your choice....it is gone forever.

Struggling?

Do not QUIT..... this is not a game. This is real.

You have two cards left.....

You have been robbed of something precious to you......

Which card will you choose?

Throw it away.

What do you have left in your hand?

I hope it is something that will last.... forever.

Did you hang on to your health, your family, child, husband..... your flat screen, your job?

None of those will last...... not even your family. 

God has His people, your people, in the palm of His hand. They are NOT your job.

Did you hang on to your faith? 

Not your religion... but your trust in Jesus?

That is the only thing that will last..... for eternity.

There is good news..... you can write new cards and choose differently, as long as you have breath to call on His name.

Think about your choices.

Bubble Creek Canyon

Recognizing that God gave us a sense of humor, I think He might agree that there are better ways to live; and share His love, grace ,mercy and freedom to believe in Him.

You Never Let Go

Today I will thank God for His grace, His blessing, His perfect timing, His mercy.

I am tired, I am restless and yet I am sure... sure of His boundless love and protection on me, on my loved ones. He has proven Himself faithful, time and again.

Though we go through trials and tests, He is always there. There will be times we will walk through the valley of the shadow of death... and He is there.

I will fear NO evil.......

"I will fear no evil, for my God is with me. And if my God is with me, whom then shall I fear? Oh no, you never let go, through the calm and through the storm. Lord, you never let go of me.

Lord, you never let go of me, you keep on loving and you never let go....

I will praise You!"
Matt Redman

NEEDTOBREATHE - Something Beautiful [Official Video]

Because We All Need A Little Something Beautiful On Monday Morning..... Need To Breathe.... Too Take Your Breath Away!!!!

A Community Of Gates

This morning Molly the weimeraner and I walked through the gated community. The community where I do not live. Not because I do not like gates...  I adore gates. I love a gate that bids me welcome, where I want to run my hand along along its smooth iron as the morning sun warms it. I want to push it open to enter into its lovely garden that calls me to breathe in its beauty.

This gated community I speak of is beautiful with gracious homes, landscaping that makes me wish for it in my yard... across the way.  As I came to the end of the street my eyes fell on another gate, with a grand house standing tall behind it, daring me to look up at its windows. It made me uncomfortable, like I was being watched. Like I didn't belong.
It made me wonder... so interesting to see a gated house in a gated community. Like a New York City apartment, with 8 locks running up and down its door.
What kind of mischief were these people expecting or had they encountered?
They had taken serious steps to ensure their safety and well being.

It made me think of my fears. Is my greatest fear that someone would come into my home and steal my things?
Or, are my fears things that a gate will never protect me from?  Taking or hurting the people I love most in this world. Robbing me of my physical, emotional or spiritual health.
A life wasted and lived for selfish ambition.
A gate will never protect me from those things....

We can't share community when we live behind walls and gates. That isn't a community, it's a private residence with a "No Soliciting" sign on the front door.
I had a neighbor who did that. He wasn't really a neighbor in the true sense of the word. I never borrowed an egg or a cup of sugar from his wife. I knew better. He lived across the street; that was the beginning and the end of relationship.

I would rather live with arms wide open, my front door open to all.
Whoever you are, no matter what you look like, who you vote for and what church or bar you regularly attend.
That is life lived as community and that is how Jesus taught us to live ... and love.

God is the only protection I need in this world. He is my Rock, my Redeemer, My defender, My Fortress, the Great Physician and Mighty Warrior. He is my 24/7 Security Guard and the only cost is my love and devotion, as flawed as it is.

Let us serve and love one another as Jesus commanded.... no fear, no fences and gates wide open.

"For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; ..."
Romans 12: 3-13

Happy Anniversary Hawkeye

Today is my 19th wedding anniversary. I love being married. My husband is a wonderful guy, very generous and mostly does not question my decisions, purchases, ideas.... 

Mostly.....
Friday I found a beautiful, overstuffed, comfy chair for our living room.
We needed one.. badly. There was an open space that was crying to be filled.
Being the budget minded (cheap) consumer that I am, I just could not bring myself to spend $1,500 for a chair. I was thinking possibly I could slip cover our two Illini folding chairs. Maybe a nice floral would hide the lack of cushions.
On Friday I drove by this lovely furniture store that I have visited previously... Bingo... a sale!
I swerved, I mean pulled over, jumped out and what did my eyes land on in 3.2 seconds? A chair. Not just any chair, a glorious chair. A richly colored, cozy chair, that my friend would say, "Screams Dale Coleman". She always says that!
The chair was priced at $395.00. The tag under it said $695.00 which had been the sale price 10 minutes ago. Yup, they had just marked it down again. Before that I am sure it was over $2,000. Okay, maybe $995.00.
Clearly, God had provided this chair ... for me.
I sat down and immediately sunk into the pillowy cushions. I hollered from down under, "I'll take it!"
I know a good deal when I see one.
Then I found another chair. This was also on sale and looked like it had been taken out of a French cottage. It was also screaming my name...
I knew it would be perfect for our bedroom.
Then there were pillows, purple and gray and lovely. Have you priced pillows lately? These were too good to pass up.
Wow, this anniversary was really shaping up for Hawkeye!

After pushing and shoving my purchases in to my smallish suv, with the help of two bright college boys who scientifically determined which chair should go first. ....truthfully it was a process of elimination, but whatever they want to think. Reality is I pulled and drug both chairs out of the car and into my house, all by myself.

I rushed home, placed the furniture, no time to sit and enjoy.
Time to meet our new veterinarian. I pushed the dog into the car this time and proceeded down the road.
On the way , I almost got a ticket for speeding. Good thing I wasn't...... as I saw the policeman standing IN THE MIDDLE of the road, pointing a gun.. okay a speed gun at my car.
What was he thinking?
Who does that?
I could have hit him.
Would it have been my fault or his?
Interesting question I think.

We arrived safely at the veterinarian and quickly we met our new, I mean her new Doc. He was wonderful,  friendly, did I mention handsome? Molly liked him immediately.
We discussed her weight. Yes, she needs to lose a few lbs. Let him without sin cast the first stone, I say. Okay, the Bible says it, but that's good enough for me.
Then he said she has a crack in her tooth and proceeded to describe the many ways we can take care of this. I hear something about laser cleaning, root canals, bacteria, extraction and possibly even dentures. Not sure, I had gone to my happy place and he really isn't that handsome on second thought.
Really, can we go back and talk about her weight?

I signed Molly up for her many boarding, I mean vacation opportunities at our lovely new Vet. facility.  She will be staying in the suites with multiple windows and opportunities to growl, I mean interact with other dogs. She will enjoy a "free" bath and have the time of her life, the brochure claims. No, I did not bother to tell them she hates water and runs away from sprinklers. They are professionals, they can figure it out.  She had better come home wagging.
I have gotten better deals on Priceline for a four star compared to what this is costing, and I didn't have to bring my bed.

How much is this visit going to cost ? Root canals... are you kidding me?

On the road again....
arrived home, no time to make dinner, maybe we can go out. Oops, spent quite a bit on money today, maybe will have to eat on the cheap... like a fancy drive through. Too bad we don't have a Chick- fil- A yet.. that would be perfect.
I could bring it home, put it on china and Hawkeye would think he had died and gone to poultry heaven. I whip up some dark fudge, with toasted walnut brownies.  Hawkeye prefers homemade white cake and icing.. that's an all day project you know.

Upon Hawkeye's arrival home he agreed that we could not have lived without the days purchases and that the dog deserved top accommodations as well as good dental hygiene... and early retirement was clearly out of the question....

The weekend continued along the same line. Small jobs became big jobs, the honey do list loomed larger and he may have been wondering what he signed up for.
The dinner plans, the movies, even the football games either didn't happen or were quickly watched on DVR.
Maybe next weekend will be better though maybe not... the real kids will be involved. Ching, ching... I can promise Hawkeye a comfy chair to sink into while he looks at his credit card bill and hopefully a yummy homemade cake to enjoy.
Oh how I love that boy.

Thankful

Everyday when I wake I thank God for my life.

I know it is precious.

I know it was bought with a price.

I know I am unworthy.

Thank you God for this country I live in. 

Thank you for the abundant blessings I receive each day, because of the country I was born. May I also remember the ones who paid the price for my freedom.

May I seek your face each morning and recognize you are the mighty Healer, my Fortress, my

Protector, the Lover of my soul. 

You alone are where I will find peace and blessing. 

 You alone are eternal. 

You are Yahweh.

You are the beginning and the end.

May your Holy name be praised.

When Life Gets To Be A Little More Than You Can Stand....Kneel.

Ever have one of those days or weeks when you just can't find your way? When you forget why you are here, what you are called too, who you are? 

You lose focus, you tire out, maybe you just don't see the point?

When life gets to be a little more than we can stand.....

I will admit that this is rarely the place I find myself in.

If you ask me if I am a glass half full or half empty person, I will tell you how happy I am to have a glass and that it is overflowing.

But....this week was hard for me.

Maybe because we left our kids, 700 miles away. I have no desire to hold their hands through college. That's not my goal. 

I think it was the reality that we were driving far... from everything, from everyone.

To my new reality.... my new community, my new home.

And so I struggled for a couple of days. 

I struggled to find the joy and my purpose.

My purpose is something that is going to take some time in this new community.

I knew that .. but I needed to wrestle with it for a bit.

So I let myself.

Then God showed me some truths ....

I really like my new community.

 I really like my new home.

I really, really like my husband. I have missed him.

We have fun together....like we are 12 yr old kids sometimes. 

I like the church I am going to attend tomorrow.

I like the people I am meeting, at the grocery store, the card shop, my puppies new vet.

People are ridiculously nice here...

and I have to stop telling them that.

They look at me like I am weird.
Hmm....

God knows that ........I miss the people I left behind.

Life will never be the same... I am realizing that, like a kick to the head. It still shocks you, even though you knew it would hurt.

I look forward to seeing my friends. We will visit and we will continue to love and care for one another.

That's the type of friends I have..... because I have very good taste in friends....

There is a glue that binds us together.

God showed me...... that I needed to trust Him with the hard part, the transition.

 This transition that I would like to rush through. That's my personality. Sweep the pain under the rug... and stomp on it.

Maybe I can flatten it out so it feels smooth and I wont trip over it.

Problem is it keeps bunching up and makes the rug all lumpy. I trip and fall and become bruised.

Not a good look, for me or the rug.

So, when I can't stand anymore, I kneel.... and I pray.

To Kneel..... to submit, to show reverence.

I recognize what this is all about.

I look to the One who gave me this life, glass overflowing and so full of deliciousness that I can't drink it fast enough. It is bottomless and my favorite flavor... Joy.

The flavor of Joy. The flavor of the life I have been given, grace filled, beautiful, rich in His mercy. Blessings a thousand times more that I deserve... but He blesses anyway. He loves me....
And I kneel... to thank Him, for all of it.

I see with eyes He gives, because He loves me that much. 

I must kneel and thank Him for all He has done for me.

When life gets to be more than you can stand, kneel. Pray.

Give it all to Him. He can handle it. He is the only One who can fix us, heal our hurts and show us the future He has prepared for each one of us.

What are you waiting for? He will lift you up.

But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; they shall walk, and not faint.

Isaiah 40:31

Happy Birthday Grandmoms

These are not my grandmothers..

Today would be my grandmother's birthdays. 

They were each born on Sept. 7.

Life was not easy for these ladies. 

They experienced the depression first hand.

  They worked hard. 

They could stretch a dollar bill farther than a piece of bubble gum.

They worked in the same shoe factory in their younger years.

 They were great cooks and bakers, making each meal taste like Thanksgiving dinner.

They loved their families.
They made you feel special, like the favorite grandchild. 

I knew I was.

Part of who I am today is because of these great ladies.

Who are you today because of the influencers in your life?

Who are you influencing and are you aware of it? Who are you praying for, investing in and encouraging? 

And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

Hebrews 10:24-25

Waiting

Every time I turn around its wednesday or Sunday... two of my favorite days where I could hang with the coolest people I know. High school and college students. Add to that my favorite adult leaders and it was a good day.
Those days are gone.
Today is a new day.
A day of opportunity.
A day with a few more hours it seems.

I have time. I am ready. I have told Him yes. I have trusted Him.

He has brought me to a quiet place... if just for a little while.
I am fighting Him tooth and nail in this.
I can feel it in my bones. He is drawing me to Him and I am resisting. He is pulling me to quiet in Him, to reflect, to learn, to see with new eyes. I don't know if I can do this.

I want to say yes to God. I am screaming yes to Him inside and it seems He is looking away.

God, use me.
Don't you want me to be useful?
Do you have a need for me?
Lord, you know I want to serve You.
I know it has only been 14 days, but how long will I have to suffer? Hmm..." daughter, daughter" he must be saying....

Psalms tells me, "Be still and know that I am God"
I love this scripture.... I just don't want to obey it.

The dust needs to settle. I need to see where He is leading, so that I can follow. I can't walk this path if I can't see Him. Going forward without him will leave me lonely and lost.

So I wait.
I will be still and know that He is God.
Scripture tells of times where God refined His people... often in the desert. I doubt they enjoyed that time... but they obeyed. Hope I don't have to wait 40 years.

Maybe you feel that way right now. Don't give up. He is whispering to us, "draw near to Me daughter, and I will give you rest. I will show you what I have for you, when you are ready."

Trust Him with all of it. We don't have to understand all His ways to trust Him with all our lives. He knows the plans He has for us... and they are good. Read His book and you will see, it ends well.

He will use us in His time, not ours. Then we will bear fruit, for Him and for eternity. Thank you Lord.

I Better Not Pout

 

Psalm 118:8 “It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man.”

I just returned from a long weekend with my son and daughter, both in college. It is a beautiful, seemingly never ending 12 hour drive. Sometimes it is a quick flight, but not this time.

We had a wonderful, exhausting weekend and returned home, to sort out laundry........ and feelings.

Those feelings that sneak into the crevices of my heart. The parts of me that are unsure, unsettled and quick to doubt. Doubt the choices, the decisions, where God has placed me. I doubt the providence of God. That is what I do in those moments.. what else can I call it?

I ask questions of God. I explain to Him why this doesn't make sense. Anyone can see that.

I rationalize and I self regard.

Silly girl..... 

Then I read His word and I am brought back to Truth, to the presence of the One who has created me, Who knows the number of hairs on my head, the tears I have cried and will cry in days to come. The One who reminds me of His love, through His people and His word.

Then my kids skype chat me when least expected and make me giggle. When I am having a hard time staying up with two conversations because they type way too fast and I send way too many smiley faces.

I understand how my parents feel when they tell me we live too far apart and sometimes it makes my mom sad. I get that, I understand. I know the feeling. I don't know how to fix it though. I have fought with God for many years to put me in places that I thought best. He has His Own plans for me.
If I am honest, I will tell you they have been splendid plans.


 I don't know the next plan, but I know I have a choice. 
Trust Him and join the adventure or pout about it. 

Those are the two choices right?


I love adventure so I will join Him. Somedays I will have to remind myself He has the plan and it doesn't always need my input. He will however, always need my obedience.


Psalm 32:8 “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you.” (NIV)

Thank You God

What if you woke today with only what you thanked God for yesterday? 

What a thought, what an idea, what a horrible reality that would be.... for all of us.

No matter how tough our days are, the ugly things we may be dealing with.

Our reality is... we are blessed.

Do we thank God for all the GOOD He brings our way?

Our friends, our health, our families, the kindnesses shown to us, the choices of foods He has created. The morning sky, with promises of a new day. The beauty of a risen moon, reminding us of the One who provided the stars that shine beside it.

Though there are struggles, at work, in the home, with our health... we have much to be grateful for. 

Wherever He has placed us today, we can find blessings and joy.

If we know the Savior of the world.... we can leap for joy!

What do you want to thank HIM for today?