What are you expecting from life???

So, this morning I woke up with this thought in my head, "Surely, goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever." Psalm 23:6 This verse is very familiar to all of us since it is quoted so frequently, especially at funerals. Lately, I have been taking inventory of my mind and heart. What I have found is that my attitude needs some adjusting. I have always been a "realist". What is that? Well, it is a pessimist trying to justify their attitude toward life. Don't get my wrong, I don't believe we should all be skipping through the roses but some of us need our hope renewed and our souls rekindled. The fact is life is hard, sometimes it's downright catastrophic. This world is filled with all sorts of evil. When natural disasters happen like the ones in Japan, it should be a vivid reminder that we are not meant for this world. Even in the mist of such pain we should not abandon our faith. We should not abandon hope. Pain, difficult circumstances, heartache- comes to us all. If you have air in your lungs you have experienced hurt. The one difference I see is our attitudes, which takes us back to the verse. Do I expect goodness and love to follow me all the days of my life??? When I hear a noise in the van do I immediately think, "OH Great! Now the car is going to break down!" Or do I think, " Well, I'm not sure what that is but I know God is going to work it out" I am the world's worse at thinking the worse. God bless my husband because he really keeps me grounded in this area! He is one of those people who "skip through the roses" :) Sometimes, it's just so aggravating! I want him to come to the dark side and wallow in the "what if's" and he refuses. It doesn't matter what the problem is, he is unshaken and knows that God will work it out. He is a great example to me and our girls! I want to be like that! To wholeheartedly trust the Father with everything in life. To speak with faith, hope and love. I want to expect good things in life. I want to have the same attitude of King David, "SURELY, SURELY goodness and love will follow me ALL my days."

A family Adventure

Saturdays is usually a day to 'catch up' on everything and then prepare for the next week. But this particular Saturday we decided that things could just wait and we ventured out to have some family time. Todd decided that it would be fun to go tubing down the river. Now, for those who have never done this it is simply sitting on an intertube and letting the current take you down the river. Not much skill is required. We finally get to the river and get everyone in their tube and let me just say it was very cold river water!!!! For people that know me, I have a bad habit of 'spiritualizing' everyday things. But I have a deep belief that God does speak to us in our lives if we will just take the time to listen. So, as you probably have figured out, there are alot of life lessons in our little tubing adventure.

When we started out it was waist deep water and very comfortable just floating down the river, the sun was shining, the birds chirping, the leaves just falling off the trees- Beautiful! However, this didn't last long! We started floating faster and faster and the water got very shallow then it happened- stuck! Due to the shallow water my tube had got stuck on a rock. The water is still rushing over my legs but my tube is firmly planted on this rock. I try to push off another rock and it doesn't work, I try rocking back and forth, still no luck. Then I hear a voice in the distance saying, "Butt up" I recognize it as my husband's voice after hearing the roar of laughter! So, you guessed it, I followed orders and it worked! I was set free from my rock! As we floated down the river there were deep areas that were so nice and restful. Then there were those areas that were shallow and filled with obstacles that you had to manuver the tube over. I couldn't help but think about life, my life. Sometimes I get 'stuck' on a rock. I can't seem to get free. Like in the river, I had to be flexible in order to be free. Maybe the 'rocks' in our lives are simply a test. A test of faith, hope, patience, perserverance? We must be flexible to HIS will for us. Sometimes, life just doesn't turn out the way we wanted, planned, or even hoped for but I have learned that is ok. As long as He is with me! I try to remember that His plan for my life is so good, so beautiful that I couldn't dream it up myself!! So the next time you are 'stuck' on a rock just remember Todd's advice "Butt Up" and be flexible and see what God will do! You will be amazed!

Contentment

His face wrinkled by the years, his body manipulated by a stroke, yet when he looked up and saw the face of family his eyes twinkled and his countenance erupted with excitement. Raised in the mountains of North Carolina, he learned quickly that life isn't fair but God is good. That is what he lived his life by. He never climbed the corporate ladder or was formally educated. However, he worked every job he had with devotion and tried to love his family the best he could. The "Good Lord" (as he would say) blessed him with a strong, stubborn wife that could handle him and 6 children he loved completely. Before long tragedy struck leaving him and his wife with a daughter who only lived 6 months. Standing beside her grave the grief over takes him and he doesn't know if he will survive the heartache. Life was full of harsh reality that he couldn't escape. So, what did he do to cope? He sang. He sang songs that praised the ONE who gave breath and life to him. He sang not out of blessing but out of poverty. I have heard that he was very different before the stroke and maybe he was but the "Popa" I knew was this man who actually learned how to be content. We have very few people in this world who know contentment. We strive after this and that, we run after our hopes as if to catch the wind. Nothing wrong with a little ambition, hopes, and dreams but sometimes we can't see the forest for the trees. God has so richly blessed our lives that some of the most precious things in this life is so easily overlooked and so quickly dismissed. When was the last time you actually thanked God for the ability to walk? For good health? For healthy children? For the spouse that loves you unconditionally? I get so anxious about things I really have no control over. I miss opportunities just to sit with my daughters and just love on them. To stay in Todd's embrace and know that I am loved. Life speeds up and passes so quickly, I need to learn this contentment lesson soon! Back to my grandfather, He lived in a small, broken down house with a wood stove. His favorite meal was cornbread and buttermilk and he loved visits! When the door opened His face would light up and his arms would fling open and we would run to him. That was his greatest joy! Sitting in his rocking chair he would sing, old songs that spoke of God and His love. Many would say his life didn't amount to much but to a little girl who was watching his life had the greatest impact! Even now as I write this, He's in heaven and His life continues to impact how I live my life. May I learn that contentment is really the only way to have a wonderful life. 1timothy 6:6 "But Godliness with contentment is great gain."

a love story

I rub my eyes and wonder what this day will bring. I walk over to the water, splash it in my face, see my reflection. My heart sinks. How could I be here?? What has become of me?? I have become the very thing I hate. My family has deserted me, my friends use me, and God, well, I'm not even sure there is such a thing. Is there any hope for someone like me?
I was born to a poor family. I know what it's like to go to bed hungry. I was given in 'marriage' when I was just 13. The man knew no love so I was the recipient of many beatings. He died and I was left with nothing. So, I sold my body. I knew of nothing else to do. My family refused to help me and my friends had excuses. Love was a foreign word to me. I had never experienced love from anyone. My heart was as cold as a stone. I learned at a early age to 'kill' whatever life it had so I could survive. I really didn't feel anything anymore except rage. There were times this rage would take over my body and I would become this screaming lunatic. It was like I had no control over my actions. My physical strength would become so intense that grown men couldn't contain me. This was my life. My body felt like a tomb with only death in it. My reputation had grown so that I was even receiving men that were 'religious'. My hatred for God and religion grew rapidly. This morning I woke up to find a nervous-looking man at my back door. Quietly he said, "Can I come in?" I responded, "You can if you have payment." reaching into his bag he pulled out a couple of coins. I said, "Come this way" We walked over to the pallet on the floor. He sat down. His eyes darted back and forth and his palms were sweaty. Something didn't feel right but the man had paid so I had to do my job. As I sat beside him the door flung opened and the sun was so bright I couldn't see. I felt many hands all over my body, jolting, pulling, dragging me outside. I guess my miserable life is over now, I thought. I hope it is over quick and I hope death will bring me some peace. Finally, they stop dragging me and throw me on the ground. My whole body is aching. I taste the grit in my mouth and the burning in my eyes from the sand. I hear a older man ask another what should be done with me? Should we stone her? Who would dare speak against the law of Moses. It is the law that has governed us for years. Why would anyone rescue me? I am nothing but a prostitute that brings shame. I try to look up and see a man bent over drawing in the sand. All of a sudden a searing pain shoots through my neck and I lay my head back down on the hard ground. I am tired. I am done with this life. I just wish they would get on with it. My ears hear the hard 'thug' of rocks. I jump. Then realize they are not hitting me but falling to the ground. Shadows start disappearing and I feel the warmth of the sunlight on my back. I feel a man's calloused hands brushing the hair out of my face. I look and see him. Never have I seen a man with love in his eyes. Penetrating, piercing love that was reaching my heart of stone. He says," Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?" I look around and no accuser is there. "No one, sir" Then he spoke words that healed my heart," Then neither do I condemn you, Go and leave your life of sin." I can't actually put into words what happened next but I felt my heart of stone become a heart of flesh, beating, pulsating. I felt alive. The weight of my sin, my shame, my guilt was gone. I felt like huge weight was lifted off my shoulders. The world held possibilities again. I didn't have to live in my life of sin anymore. This man they call, JESUS had my attention. I listened to his teachings and realized that there is a GOD and that HE truly loves me. I left my old life and started following Jesus. I wanted to hear all He said. He was the only one who had the words of life. He healed a heart that wasn't just broken but had been dead along time. He gave me NEW LIFE!
Based on John 8: 1-11

What do you have just one of?

I have one nose, one heart, one stomach (thank GOD), and one mouth :) and one life. There are no 'do-over's'. Even if one of these body parts become sick there are things that can be done. There are surgeries, medication, etc. But at the very end...I mean the VERY end, we haven't found a cure for death. You are born, you live, and then everyone dies. It's sorta depressing when put that simply. It seems like preparing to die is part of living. Yet none of us want to really talk about it.
Ecclesiastes 7: 2 " It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting, for death is the destiny of every man; the living should take this to heart."

Psalm 39: 4-5 "Show me, O Lord, my life's end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting is my life. You have made my days a mere handbreadth; the span of my years is as nothing before you. Each man's life is but a breath."

We all have one life, one set of 24 hours in a day, what are we doing with our lives?? Are we making a difference? Are we pointing others to the ONLY WAY,TRUTH, and LIFE?? If we call ourselves CHRISTIAN we hold in our hands the GREATEST truth ever known to man. We are rich beyond measure, we are blessed beyond words, we are loved, protected, and comforted by the creator himself. One day we will ALL stand before the ONE whose eyes are like a consuming fire and give an account of how we spent our days. Death is not the end but only the beginning of the true life GOD always planned for us to have. I believe God uses death to remind us that there is more...so much more. A beautiful, eternal life we can't even imagine!!

Father, may we not waste our time or our lives. May we seek you everyday and allow your LOVE to flow from us. Give us your eyes so we may SEE needs that are right in front of us.

God is proud of YOU!

Sitting here fiddling with my camera waiting for the ceremony to begin. I look over and spot that brillant red hair. That's my oldest daughter, Hannah, sitting there. She is being "inducted" into the Honor Society. We are so proud of her! I have to say she is not that excited about being here at 7am! I watch her. I can tell that she feels a little awkward as she smiles at one of her friends. But if she could look into my heart she would know how much I love her and her sisters! I'm proud of each of them just for being! Just for being the young ladies God has created them to be.
I wish there was a way to "see" into someone's heart. To actually visualize the love they have for you. When my three girls were born there was a change in my heart. There is a saying, it goes something like this: "I didn't realize my heart could beat outside of my body until I became a mom" That is SO true!!
I want my girls to know that I love them, would do anything for them, and that I'm so proud of them. As I was sitting there thinking about this, God seemed to whisper in my heart, " That's how I feel about you" Why is it so hard to believe a simple truth? To believe that GOD himself loves us deeply, completely and wholly. He not only LOVES us but is so proud of us. We work so hard for HIM , start this ministry, feed the homeless, help the needy, etc. Sometimes I think we just need to stop just for a minute and Know that HE is God and that HE loves us. HE LOVES US! That's it. No big theological discussion, no questions. He loves us just for being who we are not for what we do. We love our own children but HE LOVES US more! We can't even imagine a love greater than that of a parent but there is...GOD's LOVE!
Every time you look at your children today I hope you remember that GOD LOVES YOU COMPLETELY!

why blog?

I have found, in recent years, the joy of writing. I enjoy the process just as much as the finished product. Writing helps me express my most inward thoughts about GOD, family, church, and life in general. These past few months I have really been aware of the power of our written and spoken words. Many people feel words have no power. However,I must disagree. Words have tremendous power in our lives. They can do extraordinary things like inspire a nation or they can do unimaginable evil like crush a child's spirit.

Proverbs 12:18 "Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing."

So, are we using our words to "pierce" others or do our words bring "healing"? It is an extremely difficult thing to tame our tongues but if we choose to do it, GOD will use our lives in amazing ways. Let's use our words for good and not evil this day!

Ephesians 4:29"Do not let any unwholesome talk come our of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen."