“For fast-acting relief try slowing down” – Lily Tomlin

We can GO. GO. GO. with out stopping to take a breath because life is full of expectations.  From ourselves and others to DO. DO. DO.

Life happens.  From one day to the next.

Life goes on.  Even after hiccups, set-backs, and losses.

Life begins with today – yesterday is a memory, tomorrow doesn’t matter  – we. have. TODAY.

Enjoy TODAY…

…can you?  will you?

God gifts us 1,440 precious minutes each day, does it ever feel like enough?

We have a choice how we manage these gifts, these minutes.  How many do we sleep?  Enjoy eating?  Work, play?  Spend connecting with others, spend with loved ones?  How many do we set aside for ourselves?  How many do we give back to spend time with God, our creator?

We have TODAY…the “present” — the moment IS. A. PRESENT {gift} — L I V I N G in the moment is a very challenging way to think, to feel. We are tugged in so many directions by children, bosses, teachers, co-workers, friends, neighbors, and society.

The gift of someone’s presence is amazing to receive AND…

…amazing to give.

Have you experienced the feeling of someone’s presence?  Without the distractions of being on the phone, watching tv, playing a video game, being in a hurry to be somewhere else?

I have.  I’ve experienced someone giving me the gift of being “present” with me.  Undivided attention, focus, INTENTIONAL.  It felt great.  I want to give that FREE gift to others — be present.  My desire is to SLOW DOWN and BE with my kids, my family, my friends, AND my God.  God is present all the time; He is my provider. Keeping my focus on HIM gives me strength, hope and JOY.

This is the day the LORD has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it. Psalms 118:24

Photo Credit: nerdboy

The spring of 2002 is not one I care to ever relive. As my wedding ring slipped from my finger, my hope, confidence and security obliterated. A single mom, there was one fear that plagued my mind…

…what would happen to my kids if something happened to me?

My ex-husband lived several states away. I lived in a new city without friends or family. If my children did not have me, I believed they would have no one.

My faith met my fear at my second annual check-up after my divorce. The call came within 24 hours of the test.

Cancerous cells detected.

I was completely alone and looking a nightmare in the eye.

God and I were not exactly on speaking terms. I thought my shambled life was His design; that somehow He’d overlooked me. I wondered if God was holding out on me and so I held my tongue in icy silence.

The incomprehensible news from my doctor drove an icepick through my vow of silence. I cried out to God, knowing He was the only one who could help.

The day of my biopsy arrived and to say I was nervous would be a serious understatement. As soon as the procedure began, I saw the looks exchanged over my torso. Something was drastically wrong.

Eventually the doctor cleared her throat. “I don’t know how to tell you this but there is absolutely no sign of cancer. There’s simply nothing for us to biopsy.”

God wasn’t holding out on me…

…HE was holding me.

I wonder about you. Do you think God has passed you by and doled out exceptional lives to everyone else? Dare to lance the silence and find Him there not holding out on you. He’s holding you.

Photo Credit:  ZedZap

What if, you woke up today with only the things you thanked God for yesterday?

OUCH!!

I stumbled across this message the other day and it stopped. me. in. my. tracks.

Why?  Because I had been having a pity-party.  It wasn’t fun. really, it was NOT.  There was no one at my “party” it was just me and my miserable self.

When I read these words, I thought…

…today I would have nothing.

And, that was not ok with me.  I needed to shift my thinking and take the advice that I so frequently give to others. {practice what I “preach” — walk the walk}

Write a gratitude list — NOW!

So I did, with the message in mind, “…what IF I ONLY had the things that I thanked God for.” — what are those things that I would so desperately want, miss, desire — what am I truly grateful for?

Thank YOU God for…

1. your grace, mercy, forgiveness, and for Your unconditional love for me
2. my health and a sound mind — for the strength that you give me everyday
3. my husband, his strength, provision, leadership, his health, our marriage, his hugs and kisses, the way he loves me
4. my children, their health, smiles, unique gifts and personalities, their hugs and kisses
5. always giving me and my family enough to make it through each day – food, shelter, clothing, love
6. my family, their love and support, their prayers
7. my friendships, the encouragement from others, positive healthy relationships
8. healing and restoration — in relationships, emotionally, physically, spiritually
9. opportunities to share the message you’ve place in my heart, to sow seeds, impact the lives of others, to shine Your light, the freedom to share
10. technology — for providing us ways to learn and grow, to connect, to simplify

…my pity-party ended as I made my list.

Tomorrow starts a New Year, a new beginning.  What’s on your gratitude list?  What are those things that you want to wake up with tomorrow; to carry into 2012?

Write a gratitude list — NOW!

“We have to pray with our eyes on God, not on the difficulties.” – Oswald Chambers

My son lost his iPod last week. Actually, it had been gone a week longer but Sam kept it a secret, hoping to run across it.

But he didn’t, and as he lay on the couch crying the truth came out. It was gone.

This gift he’d received just a few months earlier was nowhere to be found.

We turned the house upside down looking for any trace of his iPod. We dug under the seats in our cars. We called friends and family we’d visited over the past few weeks.

Nothing.

So at Sam’s request, we began to pray for God to show us where it was. We asked Him to bring to mind a picture of where it was resting. We prayed for a supernatural memory of where the iPod was last seen.

Rather than focus on the problem, we began to focus on the Solution. {I love that.}

We were praying with our eyes on God.

But when days passed and the iPod was still missing, my husband and I began to formulate a plan.

• We talked about allowing Sam an “advance” on his allowance so he could purchase a new one.
• We considered a generous visit from Santa.
• We considered getting me a new one and giving Sam my old one. {I really liked this one.}

As much as we knew we shouldn’t rescue our son from learning valuable lessons, our hearts were so tendered towards his pain and tears.

Sam, however, wasn’t ready to throw in the towel. He was confident that God was going to come through.

He continued to keep his eyes on God, trusting in Him.

Where is your focus when life throws a curve ball?

Do you launch into task-mode and try to fix things yourself? Do you willingly ride the tumultuous waves of a painful situation, getting tossed around like a ragdoll? Do you find ways to make that pain go away through shopping, food or alcohol?

Or do you keep your eyesight on God, knowing He is your only hope?

Our Heavenly Provider tells us in Proverbs 3:5-6 to trust in Him rather than lean on our own understanding…

…and when we do He’ll direct our steps.

My son chose to trust in Him rather than do what made sense in his flesh.

Smart kid.

Well, the iPod showed up. Thanks to a crazy, Divinely-inspired twist, it ended up back in Sam’s hands.

He knew it would all along. My wise 10-year-old believed with all his heart that God was bigger than his problem, allowing him to keep his eyes on the Solution rather than the problem.

I wonder… do you have that kind of faith?

The holidays should bring us joy and reunions with friends and family. We should be able to approach them with expectation and anticipation.

But some years we can’t.

Some years, too much has changed from the way it was to fully embrace where we are.

We have been blessed this year and we are looking forward to our holiday celebrations, but we have also had the privilege and challenge of walking with some of our friends as they travel a road marked with sorrow this season. It is not easy for those who walk through trials or those who walk with them.

I want to offer hope and encouragement to you this Christmas season. Whether you are grieving losses anew or dreading the tension at a family gathering, remember the reason we celebrate and let it bring you hope and healing.

Jesus came to Earth in humility and love, to show us how to live in that same way. So when we face situations and people that do not live in such a way, we can still choose the way of grace and humility.

He wishes for us to live an abundant and full life.

He knows our sorrows and the things that threaten to steal our joy and rob us of our abundance. In Isaiah 53, it says, He was despised and rejected—a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief… Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down. He already knows and understands exactly where you are.

He has already carried your burdens for you…

…will you let him do it again?

It is not easy to walk a road filled with sorrow and tension, but it is only for a short while. For those who are now in sorrow, joy will come again.

And now, GOD, do it again— bring rains to our drought-stricken lives So those who planted their crops in despair will shout hurrahs at the harvest, So those who went off with heavy hearts will come home laughing, with armloads of blessing. Psalm 126:4-6 (MSG)

God will restore your joy and bring you healing if you let him.

He is willing, are you?

Sometimes it feels easier, at least momentarily to stay in the pain – it becomes a familiar place, but God desires more for you, and not just during the holidays, but all year.

The holidays do sometimes bring forth the reminders of what once was and what will never be. Allow yourself to remember and to feel. Be there for those whose pain is fresh.

Live joyfully and look for those armloads of blessing, even if they seem small at first, soon there will be too many to count.

Photo Credit: Morna Crites-Moore

The darkest days of Fall, before the first day of Winter gives us a chance to reflect on being a L I G H T and connecting with our Higher Power, mine is God, to experience peace and joy in today.

Daylight is a precious gift…

…as is the moment.

Each day before us provides an opportunity to see our “cup full” — to give and receive, to choose gratitude.

I am thankful…

…for the darkness outside to reflect on how I feel inside

…for peace to surrender to God’s plan not my own

…for the people who are “present” in my life and the joy I receive from them

…for my journey; embracing acceptance not regret

…the dark days of Fall changing to longer days of light as Winter begins

…to feel alone with people I know so that I can be filled up by people I don’t

…for the boldness and courage I’ve found to be transparent with others, to sharing my experiences, strength, and hope

…to enjoy the longest daylight when that day comes; not before

JOY comes from peace within each of us.

We can find Peace this season by being present with ourselves, our family, our friends, and all God’s people as we celebrate and hold tightly the True reason for the season.

For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. 2 Corinthians 4:6

Photo Credit: misu / Mikhail Palinchak

I think that it is fairly obvious from scripture that God has an intense and reckless love for children.

“And they were bringing children to him that he might touch them, and the disciples rebuked them. But when Jesus saw it, he was indignant and said to them, “Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” And he took them in his arms and blessed them, laying his hands on them.” Mark 10:13-16 ESV

Over the past three weeks I have been working alongside hundred of volunteers processing shoeboxes at the Operation Christmas Child processing center here in Boone, North Carolina.

We processed here in Boone alone over 744,000 shoeboxes that will travel around the world and into the arms of a needy child somewhere on the planet. By receiving these shoebox gifts these children have an open door to hear the life saving message of Jesus Christ. Many also have the opportunity to take part in a 12-week discipleship program where they can learn in depth about thriving in a relationship with God.

As I’ve worked in that processing center God has continually and gently reminded me of the importance of children and how near and dear they are to the heart of God.

He has reminded me that I am to “receive the kingdom of God like a small child.”

He brought me to tears several times as I laid hands on a shoebox and He reminded me the importance of both reaching children for Jesus AND the need to be willing to humble myself like a child to be sensitive to the message of Christ.

What does it mean to “receive the kingdom of God like a small child”?

Come with a pure heart. I do believe from my studies that scripture tells us that we are born with the original sin of Adam, but overall children have not been hardened by difficult things of the world and hurts that many of us carry with us. When we come to know Jesus we recognize our sin, ask for the forgiveness of Jesus and ask Him to cleanse us of it. He washes our hearts clean. Children are at a place where they can do this more easily, they don’t have as much that they are holding on to such as hurts and other habits that many of us hold on to that hinder our walk with God.

Trust. Children are willing to trust no matter what. Again they believe what they are told and are not skeptical and distrusting of people. If we trusted God like children trust people then our walk with God would be revolutionized. We would finally take Him at his word, believe what he says, and stop questioning His truths. We would be bold and stop out in faith.

Have a Bold Faith. Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.  Similar to trusting Christ, children have the ability to be sure and certain. This is a trait that many of us lack as adults.

Obedience. There is just something about a child who is taught to share the message of Christ at a young age. Suddenly they are little evangelists. They don’t care what people do or think. They just want to share the message of who Jesus is with others. They have “tasted and seen that he is good.” May our obedience to Christ echo that of the heart of a child.

Now, that I see more clearly what it means to “receive the kingdom of God like a small child” I understand even more why ministering to children is so important!

Many of the children who receive these shoebox gifts from Operation Christmas Child go home and share the message of Christ with their brothers, sisters, friends, aunts, uncles, mother and father. They often don’t just change a child, they can change and impact a whole family, they can start churches and revolutionize villages.

If you missed shoebox collection this year, and you have a heart to impact a child in this way it isn’t too late to pack a box. You can easily build a box online http://www.samaritanspurse.org/index.php/OCC/

We shuffled down the stairs, still wiping the sleep from our eyes, only to fall into the warmth of the couch, snuggled under fleece blankets and tucking our toes in tight.

Darkness still lingered in an early morning sky, and even with the heat switched on, the cold surrounded and invaded and pushed us back to the warmth of pillows and bodies and snuggling as a family.

It didn’t take long to realize that something wasn’t quite right. Vents opened for heat released only cool air, and the house remained brisk. Any trace of concern was brushed away with assumptions: a year old furnace that couldn’t break or a pilot light that surely had gone out. Certainly it was nothing worse than that.

But after an hour of troubleshooting and reading the instruction manual again and again, I held the phone close to my ear, fingers numb and worry creasing my forehead.

“… out of warranty …”

“… $85 just to take a look …”

Suddenly, an inconvenience to some, was a kick down a mountain of hope for me, and I landed in the deep, miry well of discouragement.

“Lord! We have worked so hard, fought so faithfully, trusted You so intently – and now – this?

How, Lord?

How will we ever make it?

I just. don’t. understand.”

After walking through extended unemployment, the loss of all of our savings, sacrificing and giving and selling most of what we could,

after two years of near financial ruin, nearly losing our home, menial jobs, and great uncertainty,

one thing became apparent: God is faithful.

Against all odds, in spite of dire circumstances:
He provided. He sustained. He heard.

But in that moment, worried over eighty-five dollars,
I forgot.

I took my eyes off of my faithful God and fixed my gaze on the circumstance in front of me.

But once again, He proved that
He provides. He sustains. He hears!

No sooner had my heart burst with fear, and discouragement escaped my lips, did He answer.

“I got it!” my dad’s voice exclaimed from the crawlspace. “I don’t know what I did differently, but it’s on!”

With a little jiggle here, a hard knock there, and many prayers the whole way through, I knew Who got our furnace working again.

Friend, sometimes in the struggles of life, we forget Who holds all of the pieces together –

We forget Who holds us.

And maybe, for you, today is one of those days when it seems easier to forget than it is to remember, so may I remind you?

From one struggler to another, may I just whisper His word to your anxious heart?

“Don’t fuss about what’s on the table at mealtimes or if the clothes in your closet are in fashion. There is far more to your inner life than the food you put in your stomach, more to your outer appearance than the clothes you hang on your body. Look at the ravens, free and unfettered, not tied down to a job description, carefree in the care of God. And you count far more.“

“Has anyone by fussing before the mirror ever gotten taller by so much as an inch? If fussing can’t even do that, why fuss at all? Walk into the fields and look at the wildflowers. They don’t fuss with their appearance—but have you ever seen color and design quite like it? The ten best-dressed men and women in the country look shabby alongside them. If God gives such attention to the wildflowers, most of them never even seen, don’t you think he’ll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you?“

“What I’m trying to do here is get you to relax, not be so preoccupied with getting so you can respond to God’s giving. People who don’t know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep yourself in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.” (Luke 12: 22-31 MSG)

O Friend, might we walk through these struggles together, reminding one another to steep ourselves in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions!

“Your Father knows that you need [these things]. Seek His kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well. Do not be afraid…your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom!” (Luke 12:30-32 NIV)

Let’s recount His faithfulness today, for He. is. faithful!

“I lift up my eyes to the hills—
where does my help come from?
My help come from the Lord,
the Maker of heaven and earth!”
(Psalm 121:1-2 NIV84)

“You will have no other gods before me. ” Exodus 20: 3

I wouldn’t think of it. I mean, how crazy were those Israelites to continue to disobey and construct idols to worship when the One and only Living God was leading them, listening to their cry, giving them instruction and provision and constantly demonstrating His love for them?

…and yet they did.

No, I wouldn’t think of putting another god before my One and Only God. The God who leads me, listens to me, gives me instruction and provision, and constantly demonstrates His love for me.

…and yet I do.

“Everything we have can be either a tool or an idol.”

I heard this several years ago, it struck me then and continues to prick my heart when I read it.

God is the ultimate Giver and has lavished us with gifts of all kinds. Our response to those gifts is what determines the role – tool or idol — it will have in our lives.

For instance…

My house. A wonderful gift from the Lord. A place of rest. A place to sleep, eat, and to gather with my family.

This gift can also be a wonderful tool in reaching out to others – a place that people feel welcome, comfortable, and special.

It can also be an idol. I can be so consumed with cleaning my house, decorating my house, and maintaining my house, that it becomes something that controls me. Rather than being the tool that God intended for it to be, my house becomes a master of my time, energy, and money.

My gifts and skill set. God created me for a particular purpose with certain gifts and skills. God has called me to use these for His glory and the benefit of others. These are wonderful tools to use to speak, teach, write, and counsel.

I turn these same wonderful tools into idols when I begin to love my calling over the God who called me. How do I do that? By focusing on developing my gifts and skills instead of focusing on developing my relationship with the God who gave me those gifts and skills.

Social media. What a wonderful tool to share the love of God with a dying world! We now have the tools at our fingertips to spread the message of God to nations who would not hear it otherwise. In addition, social media provides the opportunity to network and develop relationships with people everywhere.

And yet, this has the potential to be my biggest, most daunting idol. I confess to you that this “tool” has consumed me the last four months. Though I began blogging, tweeting, and Facebooking to connect and minister to others, I have chosen to allow social media to have power over me. I have taken the tool that God has given me and allowed it to become an idol. My intended few minutes at the computer turn into hours. And I have sacrificed the real relationships around me, the ones that call me mom and wife, to this idol of virtual friendships and faux intimacy.

“You will have no other gods before me.”

So, what is your response to the gifts that the One and Only God has graciously given you? Do you have a set of tools to use for His glory and the benefit of others or do you have a collection of idols?

“Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”

Photo Credit: selasasore

You know what bugs me? Perfect moms. Perfect moms with perfect kids, in their perfect homes, and perfect husbands who dote on their perfect little family. They are always put together, dressed to the nines, with their hair perfectly colored and nails manicured. Their houses are spotless, and they somehow seem to flow through life effortlessly.

So there. I said it!

There are times when I am in a pity party mode, and everyone around me appears to have it, what ever ‘it’ is, all together.

Do you know this type?

Unfortunately, I’m surrounded by people who appear to me like they have it all!  Cute, sassy, full of energy, always on top of the latest style and fashion, without so much as a weed in their front yard.

And then there’s imperfect me.

Always running late to events, making a quick pass through cleaning the toothpaste off my kids’ faces before they run out the door in the morning, forgetting in the process to look at my own face. My floor cluttered with baby dolls and clothes, toys, art projects and the remainder of the card game from the day before. A dried out container of now dead flowers in front of my garage and my dog running out of the front door with a pair of underwear in his mouth (swear to God that happened).

Did I really just admit to all of that???

It probably isn’t really that bad, nor am I as scattered as I am making it sound. (I hope.) But, you get the idea. There is always someone else to compare yourself to- who has it better- or so it seems.

When I get in these pity party modes, I remind myself what matters most…the condition of my heart.

When you wipe away all the clutter (whatever that might be- as we all have our ‘clutter’)  it is what’s left that counts the most. All the external appearance crap we spend so much time maintaining is just that…crap, if we don’t take the time to manicure our heart, and the hearts of our family.

Proverbs 27:19 As water reflects a face, so a man’s heart reflects the man.