MUD

I am convinced that if I were found in the pages of scripture…John Chapter 9, to be exact…you would find me covered in mud! 

I kind of feel like Peter when he wanted Jesus to not just wash his feet but to wash his whole body…

I am aware of the dirt, and aware of my imperfections and the blindness that encompasses my soul and" thus my insides cry out too, "Cleanse me Lord...refine me.

Thankful for the glimpses of Jesus in scripture and simply rejoicing in the simple mud today.  

It's in this mud and in between the lines of scripture that I hear Jesus understands me and care for me. 

Don't you just like it when someone gets you?  

In reading John 9:

I see Jesus noticing the blindness and it matters to him…

I see others noticing the blindness and immediately thinking ill of the blind man’s life….

I see reminders in this text, in this scene for the disciples to stay focused on their task...

Do you ever notice how words like mud get caked on our brain when we are around certain people?  I am learning to distance myself from those who do not bring about positive self-talk from within me.  As well as, fighting against talk like the disciples had when they immediately had ill feelings and assumed someone sinned.    

Jesus actions and love speak volumes to my heart and like mud drying on my face I want His love to soak in and stick to my pores.

 Like MUD, I will remember:

1.  It Matters to Him.

Jesus is aware and it matters to Him.

2.  He will Uncover it all someday.  

Others may not get it and Jesus will correct them and their thoughts some day.

3.  Just be like Jesus and Do it. 

I will stay focused on the work He has for me to do…regardless of the mud around me.

So don’t be surprised if you see me with a little mud on my face...

CY*BER FRIENDSHIP

Has social media changed the game of friendship?

Are friendships weird now because of social media? 

Do you feel like something has come between some of your relationships?

How can we maneuver through this cyberspace together without walking through on the other side like a chunk of Swiss cheese?  

Since writing in this social media world, I’ve recognized my need for a couple of things:

.     1.  Create space.  I recognize the need to guard the actual face-time I value.   My time to be online has to be limited and there are drop-dead no connect times like between the hours of 3-6pm when my boys are home from school and we are talking and doing homework.  *I have other times that I put these barriers up, this is just an example of one of those times.

      2.  Thick skin.  Who thought cyber-space would need a thick-emotional space suit?  Un-friending hurts no matter who you are; and seeing all the great things someone else is doing on a day you just popped the biggest zit on your nose makes for disaster in the minds of our heads. Or maybe it is just me?

       3.  REJOICE!  God has great plans for me…no matter what He is doing in someone else’s life…God has great plans for me. 

What do you have to add when it comes to maneuvering through social media?

I have some pre-teen boys who will be venturing down this road soon and I am praying about their journey and talking to them about friendships.   I cannot always answer their questions about why the boy unfriended them in their online game…but I can talk to them about this feeling of rejection and teach them to bounce back quicker and move-on. 

How are your preparing your kids? 

There is more to life than teaching our boys about social media...I know…Girlfriendit Radio gave some great tips about how to raise our young boys into godliness and they had the authors of the book, Checkpoints on their show.  Listen here if you missed it. 

How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news.
(Romans 10:15)

Some people seem to be doing this happy dance in cyber world just fine.  Their feet bring good news no matter the muck; whether it is in reality or cyberworld.  I am trying to do the best I can and find I gravitate towards those who can balance both.

So how are your feet bringing good news into this world either literally or cyber-ly?  

Can you grab a cup of coffee and think about that for a second and just chat heart-to-heart..or is this weird?  

How do you manage it? 

Stuck!

As I began to take the inspiration in my heart and place it on paper…only one word came to my mind…stuck!

I actually have a myriad of thoughts, but it is like my thoughts are stuck filtering through the funnel from my head to my fingertips, which are waiting on the keyboard.

Thinking maybe this was another time I needed to pause-pray-pursue another avenue…or go with Plan B…I paused and remembered…STUCK!  I thought of just sticking my head  in the sand...but I felt nudged to think further...

Actually stuck just encompasses what has been on my heart these last couple of weeks surrounding a lot of different things.

Do you ever feel stuck?  Stuck in the mud of a messy relationship? Or stuck in a situation, feeling paralyzed, unsure of what to do next? 

Hmmm…I sense God calling us to humble ourselves when we are stuck, call on Him and He will lift us up in due time.  (1 Peter 5:6-7)

I read and heard several things last week that dealt with what to do if you’re stuck and what is a princess to do but share them; right?  At least that was a great tip shared on Girlfriendit Radio yesterday with their show titled, “What’s Your EQ?”  You can listen here. 

So here goes some more sharing:

Last week my husband and I attended a marriage conference given by pastor and author, Ted Cunningham of Woodland Hills Family Church in Branson, Missouri.

He spoke about the importance of slowing down to enjoy our spouse and he also shared 8 things that can identify a marriage as being stuck in the grind.  He said to be aware if  we are doing any of these things:

1.     Blame our spouse as either the source and solution of the problem.

2.     Question your compatibility with your spouse

3.     Repeat mistakes and develop patterns (make a big deal out of the issues in life)

4.     Rush decisions...intimacy gets rushed.

5.     Close your heart towards your spouse—or anyone else…anytime our heart is closed to anyone it affects our spouse.

6.     Isolate yourself from others

7.     Doubt your future

8.     You explore other options. 

Then, Cunningham devoted the last half of the seminar to talking about sex in marriage and how we couples can remain stuck together (did I really just type that?)   Yes!  And Cunningham shared much more that made me blush and literally made me laugh out loud…I left feeling like I had a complete abdominal workout from laughing so hard.  Click here to see a tidbit of a talk I found on you tube which he gave a couple of years ago.

Cunningham gave lots of great tips and reminders (we all need to be reminded right?)  He talked about ways to be creative and gave suggestions on what not to read/watch to spice up your love life and what to do in order to spice it up!  Some recent posts from members at my church were chatting about how candles and trampolines might go together-ha!

Cunningham mentioned his wife was reading this book and it is already in my Kindle *wink-wink.  It was refreshing to hear about a pastor's wife reading a book that was stirring up healthy conversation about sex in marriage.  Not everything out there if good and beneficial for us to read is it?

I am weary and concerned about other things out there that our world is encouraging us to read.  Patty and Lisa also talked about a New York Times Best Selling Book.  Hear Patty and Lisa chat with Dale and Jonalyn Fincher about this book on Girlfriendit Radio here.  The Finchers share their perspective, and they recommend some other  books on the show.  

I am passionate about this topic in that I love Jesus and I care about women and the effects this book and the like have on our culture.   Here is a blog that I read that speaks to this passion, you can read it here. 

When you feel stuck, do you seek Christ or someone/something else?   I can't help but be reminded of my need of Christ when I am feeling stuck.  Christ is the One we need to lean into when we are stuck.  He will lift us out of any muck.

My husband recently admitted to me humbly, that he thinks a big key to our marriage thriving is the prayer of his heart, in which he asks God to answer my prayers...

Do you pray that way?  My husband didn't share this to convict me, yet I am convicted...

WOW!  That is a lot to take in there isn’t it? No wonder my thoughts got a little stuck.  And-ha!...so much for my thoughts being stuck.  500+ words later…I really have so much more to write; but I am going to put the cap on it for now and let that all just sink in. 

Press on toward the goal girlfriends…let's encourage one another to seek Him, especially when we are stuck! 

Do you have any other tips or books to share that have helped you when you are stuck in your marriage or in any other area of your life? 

9-1-1

Last night I met with some brave girls and as I remember this day the bravery of 9-11 and the impact this day has had on the hearts of the world…I am moved to write.

She cries out for help to come

Feeling help has been lost…hopeless

The faces of light have been hidden

Hidden in the darkness found in our world

Fear buried deep in her soul and masked

Masked by a covering of hurts

At the same time running from the pain, there is a desire to call

At least a whisper for help

Answer me quickly when I call…

I know my days vanish like the brief smell of hope that billows through the air

My bones ache and feel to be burning away like embers in the fire

My heart is scarred and my life withers like the grass

The feelings of rejection run deeper than I can see or touch

The distress causes me to forget to eat or drink

All day long thoughts run through my head…taunting me reminding me…

I am alone.

I am forgotten.

Where is the hope?

Where is the love?

I look and search but do not find.

There in the shadows hemmed in by the Light coming forth…

 I think I see…

I hope I see…

(I couldn’t help but realize how my writing changed from ‘she….the girl’….to "I the distressed one".)

Do you know well the feelings of despair?

Do you know who to call?

I know I can call to God and He will answer me…

Unfortunately, not all girls know that they can call and they surely do not know that He answers.

Not all are familiar with His loving voice because it has been muffled and the sounds of rejection bark louder.

Last night I sat with some amazing, courageous women who are willing to run to the darkness for the purpose of bringing light.

Each has their own cares and concerns in this world…each one a prayer from the depths of their heart, crying out to God for help—their own 9-1-1 call to the most High.   

Still, driven by the light, the love and the life of our savior Jesus they press on.

Bringing hope…

Bringing love…

Whispering with actions to those that need to hear, “You are loved. You are worth dying for.” 

Never forgetting the cry…the cause…the life of Jesus that propels it all!

Keep going girls…May we never forget!

Freeze...Focus...Frame...

Grab ahold and come close!  

Do you ever feel like the same message is being communicated to you over and over and in various ways? 

My youngest boy was in a playful mood and was burying his face in the pillows and wanted me to join him and my eyeballs were in a stare-lock with my computer screen.  Before I knew it my little guy’s face was plastered against mine and he was motioning towards the mound of pillows to join him. 

I keep feeling this urge from within to freeze; focus and frame my actions on what is important.

Then another time a conversation among friends confused my heart and shook my convictions to the core and I couldn’t help but 

freeze…focus….frame.

My husband had an everyday request that required I 

freeze…focus…frame.

My older boy was struggling with some homework, which beckoned my heart to 

freeze…focus…frame. 

An alarming medical concern necessitated I 

freeze…focus…frame. 

Then on the drive home I heard freeze…focus…frame beckoning in the recesses of my heart and mind as I glanced up to the sky.  

*I had to stop the car-freeze; get out my iPhone and focus on the picture...and then frame my actions to take the picture and also take in what was before me to do.  

How often is something before us that we must take pause and freeze; then focus on the issue and shut out any distractions to pray; and then frame ourselves to act and pursue what God may be directing us to do? (Maybe it is pause-pray-pursue)

It doesn’t matter what the situation is; if we are daughters of the King, we are called and wired to draw close to Jesus and stay close to His love and light.  And the reality is that when we do…His light radiates off of us like the sun radiates around the clouds that draw near.

May we seek from Jesus what it means to freeze…focus…frame OR pause...pray...pursue.

For we are called to “Lift up our eyes and look about…” (Isaiah 60:4)

Then we will look and be radiant and full of joy! (Isaiah 60:5) Who doesn't desire this? 

And we know that those who look to him are radiant! (Psalm 34:5)