Three Questions To Ask Yoself...

A tweet from a 40 yr old this week.

"Is It true?

 Is it kind? 

Is it necessary?"

Overheard comment from a 24 yr old to her mom this week.

"Is it true?

Is it kind?

Is it necessary?"

A blog post by someone older than those two today.

"Is it true? 

Is it kind? 

Is it necessary?

Three questions to ask yoself before speaking about... anything.

What do you ask yourself, before sharing with someone?


Proverbs 20:19 "A gossip betrays a confidence; so avoid anyone who talks too much."

An Olympic Challenge... Happy Monday

Happy Olympic Monday!

 Last week was a blur of activity... a visit from the madre. We shopped, dined, played cards and entertained ourselves in the 110 degree heat... almost an Olympic event.

We planned a swimming pool, spa, shade trees, a western mountain view, an eastern shore front. (Shore is east coast for beach)

Okay, the last sentence is untrue except for the shore reference....

Friday night we began two weeks of Olympic moments...

One of the great stories of these London Olympics is 30 yr old, U.S. athlete, Brendan Hansen, referred to as the comeback kid. 

He won a Bronze Medal in the 100 meter breast stroke yesterday.

It's not always the Gold that make the best stories.

This would be his last Olympics, coming out of retirement after the 2008 Olympics. He had never won an individual medal and that haunted him.

His wife suggested he try again. He says he overachieved when he married her. I love that comment by a man about his woman.

With one shot left he dove into the deep waters.

 I cheered for him in this quick race, recognizing what less than 60 seconds meant in this moment.

He beat his long time Japanese rival and took third, winning a bronze medal. 

The fans went crazy... he went crazy. 

Relief, thankfulness, joy... what was he feeling?

I've seen Bronze medalists, and sometimes it's a disappointing view. 

Not this time.. as Hansen was interviewed he was overcome with joy.

He told the interviewer that this would be the

 "shiniest bronze medal you ever saw." 

His enthusiasm was apparent as he ended his swimming career as an Olympic Medalist. 

I was still thinking about Hansen's comment as I woke this morning, pondering my options....

What was my goal today? Would I be up for the challenge, be positive or negative? The choice was mine.

Having the sense to call on God in that moment... I asked for gold. 

I sought out the Holy Spirit, an indwelling and then I prayed. 

I felt Him take over, smooth the rough edges, change the negative to positive and recognize the opportunity.

Yesterday, I had quit at one moment. Tired of the the oppressive heat, lack of community, distance to family... I called a time out. Actually, I stated to my husband, "I quit, I am done." He looked at me, and said with a smile, "No, you can't do that."

He knows me. He knows I am tough.... but sometimes.

The real oppression is probably not the heat, but the evil one. He knows our weaknesses and he goes there. He pushes and prods until he finds a weak spot and he digs in. We cry uncle and he gets the win.

But, that's not the plan, at least not God's plan.

The plan is to call on The Holy Spirit each morning.

Then He seals the weak spots, filling in the hollow places with life, truth...  the ability to see a sliver from God's view, that is all we can handle. That is Spirit living.

Recognizing that some days will be gold, others bronze, they are all good, worthy and deserve the joy He has given us. 

As Christians there is much to learn from these fine Olympic Athletes. 

Perseverance and keeping our eye on the prize... biblical values we all benefit from.

 2 Timothy 4:7 says,
"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith."



Let's challenge ourselves in Olympic proportion today.

Does "Go for the gold" sound cliche? 

Isn't God calling us to that?

How will you be the shiniest gold, silver or bronze medal today?

Matthew 5:14-16 
“You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” (NIV)

If You Cant Say Anything Nice...

I am reading Adam Hamilton's book, 

Seeing Gray In A World Of Black And White.

Adam is pastor of The United Methodist Church Of The Resurrection in Leawood, Kansas.

What draws me to Adam and this book are his personal beliefs and history as a Christ follower.

His perspective is refreshing... because of his broad upbringing in his faith walk.

As a fourteen year old Adam found himself at a Pentecostal church and invited Jesus Christ to be his Savior.

He went on to Oral Roberts University, one of the most conservative Christian colleges in the nation.

He says he loved the passions and fundamental truths he learned at these two institutions.

He also was concerned for justice and the poor and felt called to John Wesley and the Methodist Movement and ended up in grad school at SMU, a more liberal University (his words).

This combination knit together the solid beliefs he shares today.

He allows himself the benefit of being called both a liberal and conservative. 

He suggests we can communicate respectively with one another, as Christ followers, no matter our political, moral and religious views.

A way that might be more pleasing to the God we say we follow.

"Looking for the good in those with whom you disagree, expressing enough humility to admit that you may be wrong, and seeking to remove the log from your own eye before removing the splinter from your neighbor's eye - these are characteristics of Christ followers. And it is in remembering and practicing these scriptures that Christians will stop being the wedge that divides our nation, and start acting instead as bridge builders and peacemakers that bring an end to the culture wars."

Adam Hamilton - Seeing Gray

We have forgotten the saying our mamas taught us...

"If you can't say anything nice about someone, don't say anything."

I hope I am not a wedge to someone, but instead a bridge that might help them across.

What Flavor Is Your God?

How much God do you want?

What kind of God do you want?

What flavor would you like today... robust red or watered down vanilla?

Is the choice yours?

Is there more than one to pick from?

"Many people begin coming to God once they stop being religious, because there is only one master of the human heart - Jesus Christ, not religion."

Oswald Chambers - My Utmost For His Highest

And when we have seen Him, we have responsibility...  to seek Him, His word. To find truth. To respond in truth, refusing to water down or muddy the waters for someone else. 

To be honest when we see His truth, knowing that God will provide eyes to see, for those who truly seek Him.

To obey.

We cannot add to or take away from His word. 

It is as relevant today as when it was written.

 The Good Life Book I call it. The way is clear, not difficult... but we are a hard headed, stubborn people and we want our own way.

We prefer to choose...

and we fail to see who leads the way.

Not the God of Light, but of darkness...
the god of watered down, weakness, lies...

and he smiles at the evil he brings...  and man calls good.

How can we be sure we have chosen the true flavor of God?

Seek His word.

Stop being religious.

You will never know who He is and what He wants for you if you don't seek His Word.

Instead of deciding what is right and wrong,
instead of making the religion of.... insert your name, issue, whatever your deal is.... here. 

Seek His Truth.
Sorry, there is only one truth, and it's not mine and it's not yours.
It's HIS.

We find Truth through clear, unshaded eyes.

That is freedom. That is the robust, real God who lives.

Don't confuse religion with God, the Father, our Deliverer, Protector, our Rock and Redeemer. 

our Shield, Warrior, Master.

Lover of my soul... and your soul.

What flavor is your God?

^{John 3:19-21
19} This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. ²⁰ Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. ²¹ But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.

Don't Be An Elephant Today

This clever video goes along with Losing video I posted two days ago. Check it out.

 It's a great picture of Gods forgiveness. 

Enjoy and have a great Friday.

Elephants never forget... but God does!

Don't be an elephant today!

Closer To The Truth

Reading Empty Promises by Pete Wilson and learning Truth.

          Solitude and silence are important in this life of faith.

But, we don't usually like it.

God has placed me in solitude.

I desired it and then I didn't. 

I resisted.

It hurts to go deeper. You learn things about yourself.

You find you are still as immature as the day you chose Christ.

You see weaknesses an inconsistencies.

It's ugly and hard.

You want to quit.

But... when Truth lives in you, you fight on... towards the Son.

God places a desire to be different, changed, closer to Truth...

It's that mustard seed of faith that pushes us on. 

Dallas Willard said, "Silence is frightening because it strips us as nothing else does, throwing us upon the stark realities of our life. It reminds us of death, which will cut us off from this world and leave only us and God. And in that quiet, what if there turns out to be very little to us and God?"

Spoken this way, What if there turns out to be very little between me and God?

How will we know unless we seek solitude?

So I seek it ... and sometimes it is a slow process, 

or maybe it's just right but 

I have been deceived by 

this white box I type into.

 It has become my food supply, blood and oxygen supply.

But there is no Truth in it.
It's too self centered, needing instant gratification.

Solitude will bring me back to truth.

Only when I find solitude can God show me the idols in my life.

The self deception I fall into.

Me, me, I, I, I

Proverbs 14:12

"There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death."

That is a clear picture of deception friends and I don't want to be on that path.

I am thankful, grateful, joyful even that God has brought this time of solitude into my life.

May I recognize it for what it is, a gift... an opportunity.

Today, tomorrow, I will chose to follow or walk away.

Oh, I pray I would follow Him and add Truth to my life each day.

I pray the same for you. You may not have the opportunity of forced solitude.

I pray you will create moments of it through your day.

"Oh Father Wont You Forgive Them"

I turned on some music this morning and this is what I heard.
What a beautiful way to start my day.
Everyone needs some Tenth Avenue North to remind us about forgiveness, grace, mercy......

"Oh Father, won't you forgive them, they don't know what they're doing.

Oh Father, give me grace to forgive them, cause I feel like the one losing."

All Is Grace Today

Happy Birthday Dano...

July 18th...  my youngest and only son turns 19.
We've celebrated wonderful, week long birthdays with the nino. Summer birthdays afford that. 

One year we were at the Jersey Shore, a few years we celebrated with my parents at the beach in Florida. 

We spent one in Alaska and on his 13th birthday he experienced his first deep sea dive in the ocean. 

He found a pirate knife. 

 Maybe it was a steak knife or fishing knife.

These trips were not in celebration of his birthday, though for a time he may have thought that. It may have something to do with his dad calling him the Prince.

They were summer trips and when your b-day is smack dab in the middle of summer, well, you usually get a party out of it.

This year he is celebrating in Cairn, Australia, at the Great Barrier Reef. 

He isn't with his family...
 on second thought... maybe he is with some family.

He is with college friends.

I hope he has the best day ever.
By the looks of this picture, he is doing fine... even though he is playing the straight man for once. 

I will be a little sad.  Maybe I will only be sad now, as I write this...

Sad that I have not heard his voice in thirty days and will not be able to wish him a happy birthday.

It's a mom thing.

He will arrive back in Nashville on Saturday so I sent the appropriate 19 yr old gifts to his sisters house. Money you may ask. Nope. Money doesn't float Dans boat. 

I sent him a whoopee cushion, a plastic hipster mustache and a couple books on running. 

He is going to be ecstatic. 

Trust me on this.

Wait, there were two V necks in the box too. Not deep V's.

They are still cool, right?

I couldn't send him a cake... so I asked his sis to make him a nice chocolate cake when he gets back. 

She is a good sister. She will probably take him out for a fancy dinner and suggest they use mom and dads card. "It is what they would want", they 

will insist.

He sent me a message from Australia saying he wanted to buy a harmonica or didgeridoo... something you make funny noises with. I told him to buy it as part of his birthday gift. 

He said that would defeat the purpose of a birthday gift. 

What?

I think he meant he likes surprises. He always has. 

His love language is definitely attention... however or wherever that fits in. 

He isn't so good at giving it, but boy howdy he likes to be the center of it.

Hopefully, by the time he finds the girl of his dreams he will have figured out how to be the bearer and not just receiver.

It won't be because I haven't tried. 

There are some observations I have made about my boy over the years so if you will indulge me for a few more minutes.

He is a fine young man. Not perfect .... in any way, but a work in progress.

He has a dad who has been a Godly example and other men he has respected who have shown him what it means to be a man.

Sometimes it means swinging from a tree...

He has learned true friendship by the ones who let him down in his younger years.

He chooses well.

He loves his friends. 

His heart hurts when others hurt.

As a mom, you hurt when your child hurts and sometimes I wanted to fix things.

I am glad we didn't. 

I am thankful for the hard times Dan experienced. 

Character grows.

He has been a joy to parent (mostly)

He was the most beautiful boy I had ever seen. Deep dark eyes and blond hair. I tell him he was the crankiest kid I had ever known too.

Not even kidding here.

Over the years we watched him swim, play basketball, baseball, soccer, track, cross country and wrestling.

He found a love for music, drama and even thinks he can dance.

Let's face it, Dan wants to do it all...

 Good for him.

He always worked hard and never quit.

That work ethic has allowed him to participate in college sports and push himself to levels he thought impossible when in High School.

He is a young man, finding his way. He seeks direction from wise council and doesn't look for others to blame... anymore. :)  

I remember when the boy was little and we were watching Billy Graham on TV. Dan turned to me and said, "Mom, I want to give my heart to Jesus," and that's what he did.

I believe Dan wants to live a life that matters, for Christ.

I will continue to watch his journey and always be grateful for the little blonde boy that was given to me for safe keeping.

Happy Birthday Dan The Man
Your mama loves you.

Keep living for Christ, son.

Running On Empty

.

Like the song...

Running On Empty.

That's how I feel.

Well actually, nothing like the song. 

That's about some guy, who's running behind. I think he might drive an 18 wheeler, but not sure. I always liked the way Jackson Browne sang it.

I do feel empty some of the time. More than some... if I were to be completely honest, which I am not.

I am running. Not sure where I am headed but I am not going to quit... ever. Well, at least not in the near future.

I bought a treadmill. 

Figured I needed the exercise and could use the endorphins. 

Plus I have killer calves when I run. 

Problem is, I hate running, hence the lack of killer calves. 

Since I seem to find lots of things I dislike lately I figured I may as well run despite the dislike.

Really, that was my logic. 

So, I am running and most days it feels pretty empty. I watch bad TV when I run. Earbuds drive me insane even though I love music when I run. I put CMT on, but it's ridiculous running music. 

I switch to MTV.... where did the music go? Where did John Cougar Mellencamp go? 

I'm sure he was the first music video to appear on MTV. 

I remember coming home one Saturday night. My brother and I turned on MTV and there he was,  John Cougar. Remember when he went by that name? Then I found out he was related to President Reagan. 

For some reason that shocked me, like it was illegal for the President of the United States to be related in any way to MTV. 

After MTV I am left with Housewives, House hunters, What Not To Wear and My Big Redneck Wedding. 

So, this is what my life has come to.

 I run. I am trying to work through some life while running. I fill myself everyday, with God, my writing, running.... but somedays I still feel empty. 

Being honest.

My world has withered this last year. I accept that... okay, not really. I am seeking truth through it, recognizing God has this covered. 

I have bought into some lies. Lies that tell me, I am only as good as what I accomplish each day, who I spend time with.

These are important but the reality is God has brought me to a different place and moment in life. 

One that I am uncomfortable in. 

I am a people person... and I am short a few people. 

I am trying to hold on and trust.

I keep reminding mysef not to waste this time. 

Not a moment. 

He is calling me to Him, yet I resist, because... I . Am. Stubborn. 

Am not.

When I look at my life, I see blessing upon blessing, opportunity upon opportunity. 

And now I see a quiet time. 

I know what I am supposed to be doing with my time, but I have not found myself worthy to begin.

Truth.

I run everyday but I don't call myself a runner. I write everyday, yet I hesitate to call myself a writer.

I complain everyday, so I am a complainer. I whine everyday, so I am a whiner.

You get the point. There are many things I will call myself, but I hesitate when it is something positive. Why is that? 

Do you do this? Stop.

I could tell you that I have a right to feel this way, act this way.

I moved... a long way away.  My youngest went to college. Empty Nest. I lost my community, girlfriends, sisters, relationships, church, work.

My dad died.

 In a 4 month period. 

I don't think that gives me the right to throw the blessings back at God. I do think he loves me, cares about the details, listens. He is patient with me.

He has shown me truth.

I have an opportunity before me. Will I use it?

Speak truth. I need to seek it each day. I know truth... Truth lives in me.

Speak it.

Are you speaking truth into your life, or are you letting circumstances lead you?

How can you start speaking truth, today?

Happy Monday.... Dreams Do Come True

Enjoy this sweet 4 yr old... and Happy Monday!!

Who Is HE To You?

 I love this picture. God and Adam. The beginning of the world. We bought this poster at the vatican in Italy, on our honeymoon.

Made sure it got home safely, had it framed at Hobby Lobby and saw the same poster for sale ... there, at H.L.

 Can you imagine?

So who is this God so many talk on and on about?

Have you thought about this question?

Who is God to you?

Maybe He is nothing to you, not even on your radar. 

Maybe He is a word you say out of anger... or habit.

Or an angry old man, waiting to punish you, or a god who clearly doesn't care about this world, that some claim He created. 

Maybe He is unreachable, unattainable, more of an idea... but you have no idea how to get to know Him.

Get to know God?! Sound crazy?!

Maybe you wonder who He is...

I think many people wonder.

 I don't think we have to wonder.

He gave us a whole great big book that tells all kinds of interesting things about himself. 

It talks about His son Jesus and His childhood, His Father, and mother and other father. See, He had two dads, just like lots of kids these days... only it was nothing like that.

It talks about a few important years of His life on this earth, and then it tells us about His death and why He died.

It even tells us how He came back to life... He is man and God. This is hard for us to understand and I have to remind myself. 

Hello, I am not God. 

If I understood it all I would be God.

(Hebrews 4:12 NIV) For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

God and His son are a hard thing for people to wrap their brains around because we think we should be able to figure everything out.

But... we are human, not God. If we understood everything we would not need faith. God asks us to have faith in Him. 

Many people saw Jesus and wrote about Him when He lived on this earth. Some of those people believed, and some did not. 

(1 John 4:7-9 NIV) Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. {8} Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. {9} This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.

The great thing about God is that He is not pushy. He gives us a choice We can be His friend or we can ignore Him. 

He wants us to choose Him, but He is patient. He is not rude. He will never push into our life...

but He shows himself to us, everyday, all day.

Look around you.

He made it all. He gave us the choice of foods, flowers, birds, trees, colors.

God is very, very creative.

Duh, He created creativity.

Creation was His idea.

Maybe you know this God. You have chosen Him to be your friend, your Deliverer, your Savior.

You are blessed. You have chosen well.

Now... take what you know and share it joyfully and gracefully. Be kind in word and deed, not having your own way. 

Build relationships and let God work in the heart. We are the clay, but He is the potter. Let Him decide the outcome, but be moldable in His hands.

(1 Corinthians 1:9 NIV) God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful.

Seize The Day... It May Be Your Last

"Behold, as the lilies of the field, and as the grass, so your life is but for a season. 

Yes, though you flourish in health, yet your time is short. 

You have no sure promise of tomorrow. Therefore live each day as though it were your last.

For it is certainly true that no situation presents itself twice the same. The opportunities of today are not those of tomorrow.

Do not live as though they might be repeated.

Do not fail to open every open door, or be held back by a feeling of unreadiness. 

I Myself am your preparation.

I will give you the needed grace and wisdom for each moment as it comes, and you will rejoice in the victory.

For, I will overcome timidity, and I Myself will displace inadequacy.

This is MY work. I will do it Myself through you if you allow yourself to be a channel for My Spirit.

For I Myself am the Life.

I Myself am your wisdom and your strength,

even as I am your joy and peace."

Come Away My Beloved

What is offered to us in this passage? 

He tells us this is HIS work...

Wow, the pressure is off. He's the chief, I'm the Indian.

He gives us...

Grace, wisdom, victory, strength, Holy Spirit, joy, peace...

Also, the reminder...

This life is short, not a trip around the world, but more of a weekend getaway.

Really...

We will not get the same opportunity twice and we will always feel inadequate...

afraid of failure.

Truth is...

  

We only fail Him, when we refuse to MOVE.

I'm going for the joy, the peace, and taking His Spirit with me.

Join me?

The Mystery Of The Holy Spirit...Do I Know Him?

This year has been one opportunity after another to trust in a God I cannot see or touch... but certainly feel... when I allow Him the opportunity.

The question I ask myself is, "Do I know Him?"

 Philippians 3:10 -" I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised Him from the dead..."

We can experience that mighty power, through the power of the Holy Spirit.

On good mornings... I seek God before my feet hit the floor, asking for the indwelling of His spirit in my life.

  The miracle of a day, viewed closer to God's perspective, rather than my flawed, selfish eyes.

When I feel challenged by my still new surroundings, longing for the familiar relationships and community.

When I miss my kids and see pictures of my son, thousands of miles away, participating in dangerous moves. 

When I wake up from a bad dream, brought on by fear of said boy being hurt because of his choice to live life to the fullest.

When I miss my dad, these 8 months that we have grieved him.

When I doubt my role, my work, my reason... here.

I am reminded.

Of truth.

The spirit has a way of doing that.

2 Timothy 1:7 "For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love and self discipline."

I have no fear. I know Who's I am and that in His time He will show me, guide me... where He desires. Until then... I will not just wait. I will study, learn, pray, trust.

The Holy Spirit is fully God and fully present with us.

He is our gift, here on earth. He is our guide, our protector and always pointing us to Christ.

He is a mystery. 

Do we take the time to invite Him into our life, every day... so we may have eyes to see what Christ has for us, each day?

I do not think we can be all we are called to be, without the spirit, 

 the third part of the Trinity.

I believe faith grows big and without human boundaries when we tap into His spirit, which He gives freely.

Why then, do we ignore this most important gift?

Let's invite Him into our lives today.

Give US What You've Got.... The WAR of ART

The WAR Of ART

Just finished it.

Learned a lot about resistance.

It's goal is to kill all that is creative within me.

It's target is my soul, that unique gift we were each given.

It will be a war to the death.

Of this I am sure.

In the words of Steven Pressfield..

"Are you a born writer? were you put on earth to be a painter, a scientist, an apostle of peace? In the end the question can only be answered by action.

Do it or don't do it.

It may help to think of it this way. If you were meant to cure cancer or write a symphony or crack cold fusion and you don't do it, you not only hurt yourself, even destroy yourself.

 You hurt your children. You hurt me. You hurt the planet. 

You shame the angels who watch over you and you spite the almighty, who created you and only you with your unique gifts, for the sole purpose of nudging the human race one millimeter farther along it's path to God.

Creative work is not a selfish act or a bid for attention on the part of the actor. It's a gift to the world and every being in it. Don't cheat us of your contribution. Give us what you've got."

Oh my, oh my ... I love his words. 

They are salve to my spirit. 

Will someone read these today and be changed? 

Will I?

Will I kill resistance one last time and dive deep into the dark waters of creativity? 

Dark, deep, unknown and oh, exhilarating without doubt.

What about you?

Give us what you've got!

Sunday Serenity

I love this.....

God grant me the serenity to accept the people I cannot change, the courage to change the one I can, and the wisdom to know it's me. 

 ~Author unknown, variation of an excerpt from "The Serenity Prayer" by Reinhold Neibuhr

Yup, sometimes.... many times, it's me. I'm the weird one.

Lord, give me wisdom today. To show grace to all I come in contact with...
Change me to look more like YOU.

Booger Blogger

In the world of blogging I make the most common of mistakes.. if readership or money making (what?) is one's goal. No worries in either of those departments. 

First, I only have three friends who admit to reading my blog, so I guess I have had close to 20,000 hits from strangers. 

Some of them were looking for something way different than what they found when they arrived here..  they quickly move on. Nothing to see here, move along.

The mistake is changing the design of my blog from time to time... very, very bad.

This should not be a surprise if you are a friend, who has been to my house.

I change my furniture when I decide to haul out the vacuum. 

Make it worth the effort, ya know.

Have you read my Hello Dolly line on my blog?

That sums it up.

One of my three friends who admits to reading sent me a text message. 

"I can't read your blog on my phone anymore. There are no more pictures, the writing is all messed up and it's just hard." 

Did you hear the whining that went along with that, because you don't want to miss that. 

There was major whining.. 

Being the nice person that I am, I suggested she read the blog on her IPad or her computer. 

No response.

 Then it hit me. 

She only reads this when she is 1. stuck in traffic or 2. waiting for a client to show up at work. 

Nice.

But still, she is one of three, don't really want to lose her. So I changed up the blog again, just for her. 

Wonder what she will complain about now? Probably won't like the color yellow, the lemons from Italy or the font. 

Funny thing is, she is one of the most talented writers I have ever read.... and she is unpublished... not even working on a book. The girl has natural talent and she is wasting it away.

It makes one think on the point of writing. There are many reasons people put pen to paper, deciding to share with strangers. One must humble himself a bit, growing a thicker skin.

You remind yourself that you have to be true to who you are, remembering your goals in this endeavor.

There will always be better storytellers.. oh my.

But.. if you have the need to pick up the pen, do it, without delay.

Whatever your gift is, use it today, for Gods glory.

Where Do You Tweet?

My life in tweeting...

This morning.... I did my three miles on the treadmill, grabbed some water, my phone and headed for the shower. 

Promises of 104 today leave us searching for a movie to cool off in, before heading to church at 4 pm. Yeah, that's how we roll here.... we can hit the 4 pm service, have dinner and be in bed by 9. Tomorrow we will go to the 9 am (different church) and enjoy a pancake breakfast... it's an all inclusive. 

I turned on the water, and while waiting for the fogging of the mirrors to begin, I scrolled through my tweets. I responded to one as my husband walked into the room. He said without dropping a beat, " I hope you aren't sexting." I started laughing so hard, and then responded... "No, its about macaroni and cheese, and he's a pastor, 15 years younger than me, and he lives in Virginia."... Did I really just defend myself? 

Social media is funny. It is so instant... like the time our son skyped us, from his room at college. It was about 10 pm and it's always a pleasure to see his face.

I didn't know we would be seeing the faces of half his xcountry team that night. We are in bed... in assorted sleeping attire and all of a sudden he is introducing us to his team.

Yeah, I wanted to die.

Didn't really want to meet the guys in a black nightgown.

I usually save that till we've shared a meal. Lol

I have shared even more embarrassing moments of my social networking..

 some that certain people will never forget.

I know I am not alone.

Care to share?

50 reasons my summer will not be Grey or Magic...... Though Still Magical

Do I love to read? Yes. My nightstand is always four or five deep in books. 

Am I a prude? No

Do I like a variety of reading material? Yes.

Do I read love stories? Not so much. They tend to be boring, repetitive and so easy to figure out. Hello.

Do I like to read things that challenge me, make me question, make me better? 

Yes and amen.

Do I think 50 shades of grey or gray or grayish will do that for me?

No.

Am I judging you for reading it?

No..... really. However, sometimes I get a little sad when I see what we waste our time on.

Guilty to wasting my time on things you don't? Yup.

Do I think Magic Mike...(what's his name) is about the darn cutest boy I have seen in a while? 

You betcha.

Do I think this movie will make me a better wife, mother, mentor, writer, daughter of Christ by watching it? 

I have tried to find ways to answer this with a yes. I have even considered volunteering my time as a movie critic... just for a week....

I still come up with no.

Am I judging you for watching it?

No.... really.

However, sometimes I get a little sad when I see what we waste our time on.

My 50 reasons why my summer will not include Magic Mike or that Grey guy.

1) I am salt and light of the earth. Matthew 5:13-14... I should probably act like salt then.

2) I am a branch of the true vine, a channel of His life. John 15:15... Wow, this sounds important.  

3) I have been chosen and appointed to bear fruit. John 15:16... I see clearly my role here.

4) I am a personal witness of Christ's. Acts1:8... I am to share who He is with you.

5) I am God's temple. 1 Cor. 3:16... This one really got me. He lives inside of me. He goes where I go.

6) I am a minister of reconciliation for God. 2 Cor. 5:17-21... I am to bring you back when you have walked away from the one true God. I want you to see who He is, through me.

7)I am God's co-worker. 2 Cor. 6:1... I have an important job.

8) I am God's workmanship( masterpiece) Eph. 2:10...  I am not filling this masterpiece/ temple with garbage.

9) I believe the phrase garbage in, garbage out.

Reading what has been called porn trash and rape fantasy is garbage to me. You might argue that I have not read it. However, I would say, I am informed enough to know it would not be edifying. 

Am I glad we have the freedom in this country to put this trash out there? Yes. 

Do I want it to sell? No.

Would I love to see women run to the book stores and buy Dietrich Boenhoffer or C.S Lewis and see what it is to be a man devoted to Christ?

Yes... a thousand times yes.

Do I want you to take it home and beg your husbands to read it?

Yes.

10) I don't think either of these options show respect to my husband or the relationship we desire to share. We are far from perfect and sin against each other daily,

so if a gut check says maybe it's not a good choice for me... I will listen to it.

Why consciously sabotage our relationship by a choice when I can just say no.

I said I had 50 reasons.. I lied. Read each of these five times.

Happy Monday Blessings

One of my favorite verses...

"He has shown you, oh man, what is good.

And what does the Lord require of you?

To act justly, to love mercy and and to walk humbly with your God."

Micah 6:8

May we act justly to all we meet today. May we show mercy to all who cross our path, loving them, as Jesus would. May we be humble, in all that we do and say, recognizing it's not from us or about us... but about Him.

We are His vessel each day. May His spirit fill us to overflowing and may the overflow bless others as they recognize the truth and freedom of Christ and the cross.