The weekend has been packed with wonderful memory making events for our family. It started with a bridal shower for Danielle, which lead into a girls day shopping and spending time together and moved right into celebrating the college graduation of Tonya this morning. In the midst of those fun times, there certainly were some low periods such as getting Danielle out of the apartment at college with her stuff and the flood of this morning at our house in Richmond.
Since all of the girl folk were already in Huntsville, the men folk (including Tonya's dad) were to leave early this morning for Huntsville for Tonya's graduation. So as they arose this morning, they were greeted with heavy rain, flooded cars in the street, including the car they were going to take to Huntsville. It had rained so hard that there was about 3 feet of water in the streets and it appeared very doubtful as to whether they could even get out of the neighborhood.
Darrell rang me at 5:30am letting me know the situation. I immediately gathered the girl troops there in the apartment and we began to pray. Within the hour, the guys were on their way, having driven through water up to the hood of our Navigator. Later, Darrell said that after he called us, within about 5 minutes, the rain had slowed down, so much so, they were able to attempt to leave the neighborhood. We had a miracle as God showed His strength and answered our prayers immediately.
With all of these activities, Mom's Day has seemed just an after thought event. But when I reflect on how these last couple of days were spent, it has been my day as a mom......spending time with my kids, watching them interact, share, challenge, encourage and a couple of times, at odds with each other. So I feel blessed to have spent time with all of my children this weekend. We did miss Trav, our son-n-law and two other grandchildren.
I was sharing with Sonny (a widower since the death of the Sonya and Tonya's mother when they were 8 yrs. old) about fussing at all of the girls, barking out orders regarding packing the car, cleaning the apartment and being ready on time the next morning for graduation. Sonny's reply was that "that's what moms do". It made me smile, cause I thought he was right. Just because my girls are all grown now, there are still those moments that the defined relationship of mother and child still have order, roles and boundaries. No matter how old the children, the mother is still a mother.
So we honor mothers on this special day in all sorts of fashions. When we lived in Latin America, this particular holiday was very special. It was a day in which mothers were lavished with gifts such as washers, dryers, refrigs, microwaves and other large ticket items. When I think back on those types of gifts that I saw given, most were items that eased the load of work in their role as mothers, enabling them to carry on meeting the needs of the family. I never saw a mother bothered by this and all felt blessed and honored.
So as we are blessed with another Mother's Day with children who are another year older, they are still our babies regardless of how old they are. Find a quite moment and read the sweet book "Love you forever" by Robert Munsch with some tissues close by and sing over all of your children the repeating phrase in the book....."I will love you forever, I'll like you for always. As long as I am living, my baby you will be." That makes us mothers.....regardless of how our children came to us......newborns or nearly grown, they are our babies to be loved forever.
Saturday, May 12, 2012
Sunday, May 6, 2012
A timely word......
Typically, I am one of those solo runners. When I am ready to run, I want to hit the road and get going, at my own speed of course. So when I have had the opportunity to run with any of my girls, I typically feel bad about slowing them down to an old woman's pace. But I do enjoy having them along, even if I am running in their dust. Last weekend, Danielle was home from college and asked to run with me. I reminded her how slow I would be running three miles and she just replied that she really hadn't run in over a month and thought she might find the run difficult. Can I just say "phooey" to that. It wouldn't have mattered if she hadn't run in two month, the shear difference in our ages (almost 33 yrs) and the fact that she is over 5'11" (I didn't say 6') and I am only 5'5" accounts for an unbalanced event.
We started off together, keeping fairly even pace and finished that first mile with a really good time. That always happens when I run with the girls. They push me harder than I would push myself. But there is something about that second mile. Danielle began to pull away from me. I felt my pace slow down and I felt a little discouraged. That entire mile was difficult for me. By the time we started the third, Danielle had slowed enough for me to catch her. Actually I think she ran back to me at one point. She began to ask me if I was okay. Maybe it was the look on my face....one of fatigue. Throughout that third mile, she stayed right with me, speaking encouragement to me all the way home.
As a result, I picked up the pace and didn't struggle near as much as in the second mile.
For most of us, we enjoy being independent, striking out on our own. Call it a cultural breeding....our American heritage. However, I realized during that run, while I do like to run alone, I am stronger when someone is beside me, encouraging me along the way.
Deuteronomy 31:6 says: "Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you." New International Version (©1984)
We started off together, keeping fairly even pace and finished that first mile with a really good time. That always happens when I run with the girls. They push me harder than I would push myself. But there is something about that second mile. Danielle began to pull away from me. I felt my pace slow down and I felt a little discouraged. That entire mile was difficult for me. By the time we started the third, Danielle had slowed enough for me to catch her. Actually I think she ran back to me at one point. She began to ask me if I was okay. Maybe it was the look on my face....one of fatigue. Throughout that third mile, she stayed right with me, speaking encouragement to me all the way home.
As a result, I picked up the pace and didn't struggle near as much as in the second mile.
For most of us, we enjoy being independent, striking out on our own. Call it a cultural breeding....our American heritage. However, I realized during that run, while I do like to run alone, I am stronger when someone is beside me, encouraging me along the way.
Deuteronomy 31:6 says: "Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you." New International Version (©1984)
| So I really am never running this race of life alone. My God is always with me. He often does use people in our lives to speak His encouragement to us as Danielle did that day. Proverbs 25:11 says "Like apples of gold in settings of silver is a word spoken in right circumstances." New American Standard Bible (©1995) I feel very fortunate that I have several people in my life that speaks encouragement to me continually. Many times, it is just the "lift" that I need to finish out the day. So for the rest of today, look at people through the eyes of Jesus, having compassion and mercy, see who might need that "lift" as given by a spoken word, a verbal blessing to strengthen the soul. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Monday, April 23, 2012
Finding peace in the midst of the storm
Darrell and I got back early this morning from a four day trip to OKC to see our grandchildren and of course their parents, Tiff and Trav. Fortunately, we flew which really enabled us to have more time to visit. Flying always triggers some level of anxiety for me even though I have flown for years. Aircraft was my dad's business, so you would think it would be second nature to me but I will still give Darrell the "white knuckle" grip or if he isn't with me, the person sitting next to me is my new BFF, anything or anyone to keep my mind off of flying. For me the best part of the trip is landing.
On the contrast, Darrell is always at ease, pulling his hat over his face and cutting some Zs even before we take off. So it was on Friday morning, Darrell next to me, sleeping like a baby. We had a row all to ourselves so I was left alone to my thoughts.....not always a good thing. About 20 minutes into the hour flight, it was announced that there would be some "turbulence" the rest of the way into OKC. I just thought "great", Darrell is asleep and no one was next to me to hear all about my children and answer my interrogating questions.
I started using my self talk and reminding myself of what Darrell always tells me.....it's just like driving....bumps in the road. So as we hit the first series, I remained calm and managed fairly well. As we got closer to OKC, those "bumps in the road" got bigger and longer in duration (kind of like labor pains). I thought about waking Darrell and looked over at him and it occurred to me (certainly not the first time in nearly 30 years).....I was not in the "boat with Jesus" and Darrell could not calm the storm of turbulence. (Matthew 8:23-27)
Storms of life come to all. A well known saying is that you are either in the midst of a storm, entering a storm or leaving a storm. So anxiety, worry, fret, doubt, fear are all centered in our soul and focused on what we feel or see. We need to find rest for our soul.
Psalm 62:5 says Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him. (NIV)
There is an old hymn entitled "It is Well with my Soul" pinned by Haratio Gates Spafford as a result of devastating storms in his life.
(www.biblestudycharts.com)
"This hymn was written by a Chicago lawyer, Horatio G. Spafford. You might think to write a worship song title"
'It is well with my soul', you would indeed have to be a rich, successful Chicago lawyer. But the words,
"When sorrows like sea billows roll ... It is well with my soul”, were not written during the happiest period of
Spafford's life. On the contrary, they came from a man who had suffered almost unimaginable personal tragedy.
Horatio G. Spafford and his wife, Anna, were pretty well-known in 1860’s Chicago. And this was not just because
of Horatio's legal career and business endeavors. The Spaffords were also prominent supporters and close
friends of D.L. Moody, the famous preacher. In 1870, however, things started to go wrong. The Spaffords' only
son was killed by scarlet fever at the age of four. A year later, it was fire rather than fever that struck. Horatio
had invested heavily in real estate on the shores of Lake Michigan. In 1871, every one of these holdings was
wiped out by the great Chicago Fire.
Aware of the toll that these disasters had taken on the family, Horatio decided to take his wife and four
daughters on a holiday to England. And, not only did they need the rest -- DL Moody needed the help. He was
traveling around Britain on one of his great evangelistic campaigns. Horatio and Anna planned to join Moody in
late 1873. And so, the Spaffords traveled to New York in November, from where they were to catch the French
steamer 'Ville de Havre' across the Atlantic. Yet just before they set sail, a last-minute business development
forced Horatio to delay. Not wanting to ruin the family holiday, Spafford persuaded his family to go as planned.
He would follow on later. With this decided, Anna and her four daughters sailed East to Europe while Spafford
returned West to Chicago. Just nine days later, Spafford received a telegram from his wife in Wales. It read:
"Saved alone."
On November 2nd 1873, the 'Ville de Havre' had collided with 'The Lochearn', an English vessel. It sank in only
12 minutes, claiming the lives of 226 people. Anna Spafford had stood bravely on the deck, with her daughters
Annie, Maggie, Bessie and Tanetta clinging desperately to her. Her last memory had been of her baby being
torn violently from her arms by the force of the waters. Anna was only saved from the fate of her daughters by a
plank which floated beneath her unconscious body and propped her up. When the survivors of the wreck had
been rescued, Mrs. Spafford's first reaction was one of complete despair. Then she heard a voice speak to her,
"You were spared for a purpose." And she immediately recalled the words of a friend, "It's easy to be grateful
and good when you have so much, but take care that you are not a fair-weather friend to God."
Upon hearing the terrible news, Horatio Spafford boarded the next ship out of New York to join his bereaved
wife. Bertha Spafford (the fifth daughter of Horatio and Anna born later) explained that during her father's
voyage, the captain of the ship had called him to the bridge. "A careful reckoning has been made", he said, "and
I believe we are now passing the place where the de Havre was wrecked. The water is three miles deep." Horatio
then returned to his cabin and penned the lyrics of his great hymn.
The words which Spafford wrote that day come from 2 Kings 4:26. They echo the response of the Shunammite
woman to the sudden death of her only child. Though we are told "her soul is vexed within her", she still
maintains that 'It is well." And Spafford's song reveals a man whose trust in the Lord is as unwavering as hers
was. " (www.biblestudycharts.com)
There are lots of scriptures that speak to finding peace and putting our souls at rest during the mist of our trials and tribulations. A couple of options if your soul needs rest... word search of bible verses related to peace and soul and I would recommend a sermon we heard at Tiff/Trav's church in OKC by Pastor Craig Groeschel.
http://www.lifechurch.tv/watch
Have a great day!
On the contrast, Darrell is always at ease, pulling his hat over his face and cutting some Zs even before we take off. So it was on Friday morning, Darrell next to me, sleeping like a baby. We had a row all to ourselves so I was left alone to my thoughts.....not always a good thing. About 20 minutes into the hour flight, it was announced that there would be some "turbulence" the rest of the way into OKC. I just thought "great", Darrell is asleep and no one was next to me to hear all about my children and answer my interrogating questions.
I started using my self talk and reminding myself of what Darrell always tells me.....it's just like driving....bumps in the road. So as we hit the first series, I remained calm and managed fairly well. As we got closer to OKC, those "bumps in the road" got bigger and longer in duration (kind of like labor pains). I thought about waking Darrell and looked over at him and it occurred to me (certainly not the first time in nearly 30 years).....I was not in the "boat with Jesus" and Darrell could not calm the storm of turbulence. (Matthew 8:23-27)
Storms of life come to all. A well known saying is that you are either in the midst of a storm, entering a storm or leaving a storm. So anxiety, worry, fret, doubt, fear are all centered in our soul and focused on what we feel or see. We need to find rest for our soul.
Psalm 62:5 says Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him. (NIV)
There is an old hymn entitled "It is Well with my Soul" pinned by Haratio Gates Spafford as a result of devastating storms in his life.
(www.biblestudycharts.com)
"This hymn was written by a Chicago lawyer, Horatio G. Spafford. You might think to write a worship song title"
'It is well with my soul', you would indeed have to be a rich, successful Chicago lawyer. But the words,
"When sorrows like sea billows roll ... It is well with my soul”, were not written during the happiest period of
Spafford's life. On the contrary, they came from a man who had suffered almost unimaginable personal tragedy.
Horatio G. Spafford and his wife, Anna, were pretty well-known in 1860’s Chicago. And this was not just because
of Horatio's legal career and business endeavors. The Spaffords were also prominent supporters and close
friends of D.L. Moody, the famous preacher. In 1870, however, things started to go wrong. The Spaffords' only
son was killed by scarlet fever at the age of four. A year later, it was fire rather than fever that struck. Horatio
had invested heavily in real estate on the shores of Lake Michigan. In 1871, every one of these holdings was
wiped out by the great Chicago Fire.
Aware of the toll that these disasters had taken on the family, Horatio decided to take his wife and four
daughters on a holiday to England. And, not only did they need the rest -- DL Moody needed the help. He was
traveling around Britain on one of his great evangelistic campaigns. Horatio and Anna planned to join Moody in
late 1873. And so, the Spaffords traveled to New York in November, from where they were to catch the French
steamer 'Ville de Havre' across the Atlantic. Yet just before they set sail, a last-minute business development
forced Horatio to delay. Not wanting to ruin the family holiday, Spafford persuaded his family to go as planned.
He would follow on later. With this decided, Anna and her four daughters sailed East to Europe while Spafford
returned West to Chicago. Just nine days later, Spafford received a telegram from his wife in Wales. It read:
"Saved alone."
On November 2nd 1873, the 'Ville de Havre' had collided with 'The Lochearn', an English vessel. It sank in only
12 minutes, claiming the lives of 226 people. Anna Spafford had stood bravely on the deck, with her daughters
Annie, Maggie, Bessie and Tanetta clinging desperately to her. Her last memory had been of her baby being
torn violently from her arms by the force of the waters. Anna was only saved from the fate of her daughters by a
plank which floated beneath her unconscious body and propped her up. When the survivors of the wreck had
been rescued, Mrs. Spafford's first reaction was one of complete despair. Then she heard a voice speak to her,
"You were spared for a purpose." And she immediately recalled the words of a friend, "It's easy to be grateful
and good when you have so much, but take care that you are not a fair-weather friend to God."
Upon hearing the terrible news, Horatio Spafford boarded the next ship out of New York to join his bereaved
wife. Bertha Spafford (the fifth daughter of Horatio and Anna born later) explained that during her father's
voyage, the captain of the ship had called him to the bridge. "A careful reckoning has been made", he said, "and
I believe we are now passing the place where the de Havre was wrecked. The water is three miles deep." Horatio
then returned to his cabin and penned the lyrics of his great hymn.
The words which Spafford wrote that day come from 2 Kings 4:26. They echo the response of the Shunammite
woman to the sudden death of her only child. Though we are told "her soul is vexed within her", she still
maintains that 'It is well." And Spafford's song reveals a man whose trust in the Lord is as unwavering as hers
was. " (www.biblestudycharts.com)
There are lots of scriptures that speak to finding peace and putting our souls at rest during the mist of our trials and tribulations. A couple of options if your soul needs rest... word search of bible verses related to peace and soul and I would recommend a sermon we heard at Tiff/Trav's church in OKC by Pastor Craig Groeschel.
http://www.lifechurch.tv/watch
Have a great day!
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Fruits
The countdown is underway for the end of school. I know teachers look forward to the summer as much as their students. We have been busy making some plans for the summer, really just confirming when and who is coming etc. With 5 children, spouses, grandchildren and their dogs, it is a family circle going on at our house all the time.
I was thinking about how people know us. In Spanish there are two words for "know". One refers to knowing facts about someone or something and the other is to really know them personally. Depending upon which word is being spoken, the listener understands the extent of the person's knowing. This week as usually, I entered a classroom at one of my schools. This particular classroom is a self contained classroom for students who currently have a difficult time managing their behavior. I engaged several students while in the room and as I began to leave, one of them spoke up and said, "Ms. Horn, I knew it was you before I even saw you." I said "really (profound, huh!). So I questioned him as to how he knew it was I in the room. He was covered with a blanket cause the temp in the room was freezing and he was doing his work "undercover". He spoke up and said, "I knew it was you cause I smelled you". Not wanting to immediately take an offense to such a comment, I pressed for an explanation. He said, "I know your perfume. You wear it everyday." He was so right. I wear the same perfume everyday, an expensive gift from one of my daughters for Christmas.
I began to smile cause his statement brought back a very familiar thought and smell that I had of my grandmother. She always smelled of roses cause of her hand/face creme. I understood fully his knowledge of me.
However, I began to think further about really how do people know me. This week I had an interview at one of the high schools in the district and found myself trying to enlighten the interview panel of who I am. Not too sure how that went but have since given further deliberation of how I really want others to know me.
Matthew 7:16 says "By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?"
So it is by the fruits that we produce that people know us. Galatians 5: 22-23 tells us what fruits we should exhibit
"22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law."
More things to ponder upon in this race of life. As I was running today, I was reflecting upon my last several runs which were slow by my standard. Difficult and certainly lacking due to lack of running periods. I had a span of several weeks that I did not run which for me really impacts how well I do. This morning, I was able to cut back on time on each mile, running fast and more solid. It caused me to think about the Fruits of the Spirit and how they can be weak in our life if we are not walking by the Spirit of God and exercising them daily. But the more we yield to His Spirit, the more we show love, joy, peace forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. We become "fruiter", all for the glory of God and to bless others.
The question comes to this. By what fruits do people know us? How do they recognize us? So start branching out this week. Bearing fruit by living in the Spirit of God, dying to flesh but being propelled by His Spirit. I am running toward that purpose.
I was thinking about how people know us. In Spanish there are two words for "know". One refers to knowing facts about someone or something and the other is to really know them personally. Depending upon which word is being spoken, the listener understands the extent of the person's knowing. This week as usually, I entered a classroom at one of my schools. This particular classroom is a self contained classroom for students who currently have a difficult time managing their behavior. I engaged several students while in the room and as I began to leave, one of them spoke up and said, "Ms. Horn, I knew it was you before I even saw you." I said "really (profound, huh!). So I questioned him as to how he knew it was I in the room. He was covered with a blanket cause the temp in the room was freezing and he was doing his work "undercover". He spoke up and said, "I knew it was you cause I smelled you". Not wanting to immediately take an offense to such a comment, I pressed for an explanation. He said, "I know your perfume. You wear it everyday." He was so right. I wear the same perfume everyday, an expensive gift from one of my daughters for Christmas.
I began to smile cause his statement brought back a very familiar thought and smell that I had of my grandmother. She always smelled of roses cause of her hand/face creme. I understood fully his knowledge of me.
However, I began to think further about really how do people know me. This week I had an interview at one of the high schools in the district and found myself trying to enlighten the interview panel of who I am. Not too sure how that went but have since given further deliberation of how I really want others to know me.
Matthew 7:16 says "By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?"
So it is by the fruits that we produce that people know us. Galatians 5: 22-23 tells us what fruits we should exhibit
"22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law."
More things to ponder upon in this race of life. As I was running today, I was reflecting upon my last several runs which were slow by my standard. Difficult and certainly lacking due to lack of running periods. I had a span of several weeks that I did not run which for me really impacts how well I do. This morning, I was able to cut back on time on each mile, running fast and more solid. It caused me to think about the Fruits of the Spirit and how they can be weak in our life if we are not walking by the Spirit of God and exercising them daily. But the more we yield to His Spirit, the more we show love, joy, peace forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. We become "fruiter", all for the glory of God and to bless others.
The question comes to this. By what fruits do people know us? How do they recognize us? So start branching out this week. Bearing fruit by living in the Spirit of God, dying to flesh but being propelled by His Spirit. I am running toward that purpose.
Saturday, April 7, 2012
Easter
I am already enjoying this long weekend. Easter is the high point of holidays in the Christian faith. It is only fitting that I will be blogging about the Love room at such a time as Easter. But before I move on to that room, I wanted to cap off the Faith topic with a short summary to the big meeting last Monday. I alluded to the fact that our district was adjusting due to funding cuts. As with all departments, Special Education offered up their sacrifices....ie: my position. Actually in all fairness to the district, attempts were made to at least insure that everyone of us (there is 14) still had a job. So the creative solution, was to offer teaching positions to those who hold a teaching certificate, that would be me.
When I think of the certificate that I hold, I think of God's humor and have to smile. Spanish 6-12 grades just doesn't appear to be my forte. And that is right, for me to fill a high school teaching position in Spanish, has always been beyond my innate ability. So I am weighing my options, interviewing in the district this week and seeking God. In the midst of all of the events this week, we did see God moving on our behalf. After the meeting on Monday, I went to Darrell's office to share with him the results. I mentioned that all of the 14 sped counselors (7 offered the classroom and 7 will remain counselors) were bumped to 187 days for next year, so a loss of 10 days to our pay. Darrell shared with me later that within 15 minutes of my leaving his office, he received a call from the Dean at the seminary where he has been adjunct professor (but has not been teaching very much in the last 2 years) asking him to teach a class in the fall. This class will more than replace what I lost financially with those 10 days. God knows where we live and already had a plan of provision. Praise His name.
So off to the Love room. My conception of the room has always been that those who find rest in this room would know, beyond a shadow of doubt the love of God for them. To understand the different types of love spoken about in scripture would be to move beyond our one definition of love in the English language. We express love for chocolate, movies, books, vacation get aways, our pets, children and spouse basically all with the same word, LOVE. However, the Bible does differentiate between the various types of love.
About.com Christianity simply describes these 4 types of love.
Eros
The Greek word for sensual love is eros. This is the type of love between a husband and wife. The Song of Solomon in the Old Testament is a great example of this love.
Storge
Storge is a term for love in the Bible you may not be familiar with. Even though this Greek word for family love is not specifically found in Scripture, examples of it are seen throughout the Bible. This is a family bond love such as between parents, children and other family members. Such love is implied in the relationships Noah and his family, Jacob and his family and Mary/Martha with their brother Lazarus.
Philia
Philia is the type of love in the Bible that most Christians practice toward each other. This love is a brotherly, friendship love. Romans 12:10 exemplifies this love.
Agape
Jesus Christ showed this kind of divine love to his Father and to all humanity. Agape is selfless, sacrificial, unconditional love, the highest of the four types of love in the Bible.
It is this love, Agape, that our love room is centered on. The central verse in the room is:
John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
John 15:3 Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.
Our sins have separated us from God but He made a provision for us to have a relationship with Him through his son Jesus Christ. It was the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ that is payment for our sins.
So how do we enter into this relationship with God through Jesus Christ? Romans 10:9 says; "That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved."
This is our Easter message, the very heart of our home and the upstairs refuge. Do you know Him, Jesus Christ?
I leave you with Casting Crowns singing " East to West".
When I think of the certificate that I hold, I think of God's humor and have to smile. Spanish 6-12 grades just doesn't appear to be my forte. And that is right, for me to fill a high school teaching position in Spanish, has always been beyond my innate ability. So I am weighing my options, interviewing in the district this week and seeking God. In the midst of all of the events this week, we did see God moving on our behalf. After the meeting on Monday, I went to Darrell's office to share with him the results. I mentioned that all of the 14 sped counselors (7 offered the classroom and 7 will remain counselors) were bumped to 187 days for next year, so a loss of 10 days to our pay. Darrell shared with me later that within 15 minutes of my leaving his office, he received a call from the Dean at the seminary where he has been adjunct professor (but has not been teaching very much in the last 2 years) asking him to teach a class in the fall. This class will more than replace what I lost financially with those 10 days. God knows where we live and already had a plan of provision. Praise His name.
So off to the Love room. My conception of the room has always been that those who find rest in this room would know, beyond a shadow of doubt the love of God for them. To understand the different types of love spoken about in scripture would be to move beyond our one definition of love in the English language. We express love for chocolate, movies, books, vacation get aways, our pets, children and spouse basically all with the same word, LOVE. However, the Bible does differentiate between the various types of love.
About.com Christianity simply describes these 4 types of love.
Eros
The Greek word for sensual love is eros. This is the type of love between a husband and wife. The Song of Solomon in the Old Testament is a great example of this love.
Storge
Storge is a term for love in the Bible you may not be familiar with. Even though this Greek word for family love is not specifically found in Scripture, examples of it are seen throughout the Bible. This is a family bond love such as between parents, children and other family members. Such love is implied in the relationships Noah and his family, Jacob and his family and Mary/Martha with their brother Lazarus.
Philia
Philia is the type of love in the Bible that most Christians practice toward each other. This love is a brotherly, friendship love. Romans 12:10 exemplifies this love.
Agape
Jesus Christ showed this kind of divine love to his Father and to all humanity. Agape is selfless, sacrificial, unconditional love, the highest of the four types of love in the Bible.
It is this love, Agape, that our love room is centered on. The central verse in the room is:
John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
John 15:3 Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.
Our sins have separated us from God but He made a provision for us to have a relationship with Him through his son Jesus Christ. It was the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ that is payment for our sins.
So how do we enter into this relationship with God through Jesus Christ? Romans 10:9 says; "That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved."
This is our Easter message, the very heart of our home and the upstairs refuge. Do you know Him, Jesus Christ?
I leave you with Casting Crowns singing " East to West".
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Healing
Last weekend, I talked about the Faith bedroom and shared a personal story regarding our family having faith for a need of Isaac's. So it was my plan to continue with this topic for at least another week. There is just so much to say about faith in God and the incredible need to have it continually exercised in our lives. It is easy to talk about faith but put "the talk to walk" and it becomes a life altering experience. That would be my testimony for this last week and into the days ahead. As with many school district in these unfunded days, ours is in the midst of tighten the belt and casting off the fluff. I had to calendar Monday for a special meeting......so I have been exercising my faith muscle since Wed. It started off a little weak and wimpy but has been building and strengthening, getting ready for Monday and the days ahead all of which God already knows and has a plan.
I made an earlier reference to Passover in a previous blog and wanted to revisit an important element, the Seder, which is the Passover meal. Based out of Exodus 13:8, the Jewish people are to remember being brought out of slavery (From Egypt) to freedom (to the promised land, Canaan), passing the memory to their children and generations to come . During the meal, this memory is revisited. Remembering what God had done in their lives as Exodus 13: 9 states " For the Lord brought you out of Egypt with his mighty hand. "
Remembering the mighty hand of God and how He has been faithful to us builds more faith to continue to face the challenges each day. So as a family, we stroll down our faith lane with our children as they have encountered various life issues, reminding them our God's faithfulness to us.
I have been recounting to myself this week as Monday approaches, the God encounters we have had throughout the years. One such faith moment occurred while we were living in Venezuela.
That particular summer, our family had returned to the US for vacation as usual but with an additional mandate from our mission board for me to resolve several health issues. God had prepared the way by our paths crossing with a medical doctor from a large hospital in Dallas who graciously coordinated my care with three different doctors.
Of the three issues I was experiencing, only one concluded in surgery. A tumor was removed from my thyroid and fortunately was benign. However, I did experience a secondary problem as a result of the surgery which was a very damaged vocal chord. You know, on pre-admit you sign all those papers telling you the potential problems that could occur as they try and correct the original problem.
As a mother of 5, having no voice did not work. Writing commands and directives on a chalkboard just didn't have enough authority to convince any of them to react or act correctly. After several weeks of recuperating, I was medically released to return to Venezuela even though I still didn't have a voice. Weeks continued to pass and there was no sign of my voice returning. My recovery had officially fallen out of the normal progression and it was determined that I needed to see a specialist in Caracas. We exercised faith in God for my healing.
Upon examination, I was diagnosis with a damaged right vocal chord which consisted of a gaping hole. Darrell viewed the damaged and agreed, there was no movement, a parallelized chord. Our ENT doctor was very skeptical as to whether I would ever regain my vocal ability. Speech therapy was prescribed in attempt to get a little movement and maybe a whisper of sound so I could verbally communicate.
I had one strange visit with the Speech therapist, practicing clucking like a chicken and instructed to do that several times a day while the therapist went on vacation the next week. I still wonder if that was a humorous moment that the therapist carried off with her to her vacation. I certainly felt "tarred and feathered". We continued to have faith.
Darrell preached that next Sunday morning in a small salmon/turquoise colored church down on the coast of Venezuela. One of those small churches that always had an open door cause there wasn't one. The cooling system consisted of all windows open. The neighborhood dogs were regular visitors but typically silent and sleeping through the message. The church was always filled with warm hearts and joyful spirits who love Jesus. Darrell preached that day on blind Bartmaeus in Mark 10:42 - 52 and the need he had in his life to regain his sight.
Being a pastor's wife does not exempt you from needing to hear the Sunday morning message. Darrell doesn't usually use our family as examples but that morning, he did call me out.....referring to blind Bartimaeus and his inability to change his condition "just like Karen's inability to regain her voice". Well, at the conclusion of the message, those dear believers, called me to the front so that they could lay hands on me and petition God for my healing. What could I do but stand and go forward, having those few seconds to wonder what could these people in this salmon/turquoise colored church pray differently than what others had already prayed.....oh ye of little faith.....and as I got to the front, I had already repented of those thoughts and joined with with them in asking God in faith for my healing.
Arriving back home that day around 3:00, I spent sometime with the children, attempting to help with homework. About 3:30, while trying to make myself understood, my voice came back in, very softly at first but then became stronger. It was absolutely a miracle of God, a healing and answer to our prayers. A couple of days, later, the ENT confirmed that the vocal chord was back in place and working. Several years later, in dealing with one of the other medical issues, I asked the doctor to be careful with my vocal chord since I had previous damage. Upon awaking, the doctor made a point to tell me that he had looked as my chord closely and said it looked "regenerated". Just another confirmation of healing a couple of years prior.
So as we face whatever Monday may hold, we can stand firm in faith that God is able to meet every need we have and will show His direction for me. He always has.
I made an earlier reference to Passover in a previous blog and wanted to revisit an important element, the Seder, which is the Passover meal. Based out of Exodus 13:8, the Jewish people are to remember being brought out of slavery (From Egypt) to freedom (to the promised land, Canaan), passing the memory to their children and generations to come . During the meal, this memory is revisited. Remembering what God had done in their lives as Exodus 13: 9 states " For the Lord brought you out of Egypt with his mighty hand. "
Remembering the mighty hand of God and how He has been faithful to us builds more faith to continue to face the challenges each day. So as a family, we stroll down our faith lane with our children as they have encountered various life issues, reminding them our God's faithfulness to us.
I have been recounting to myself this week as Monday approaches, the God encounters we have had throughout the years. One such faith moment occurred while we were living in Venezuela.
That particular summer, our family had returned to the US for vacation as usual but with an additional mandate from our mission board for me to resolve several health issues. God had prepared the way by our paths crossing with a medical doctor from a large hospital in Dallas who graciously coordinated my care with three different doctors.
Of the three issues I was experiencing, only one concluded in surgery. A tumor was removed from my thyroid and fortunately was benign. However, I did experience a secondary problem as a result of the surgery which was a very damaged vocal chord. You know, on pre-admit you sign all those papers telling you the potential problems that could occur as they try and correct the original problem.
As a mother of 5, having no voice did not work. Writing commands and directives on a chalkboard just didn't have enough authority to convince any of them to react or act correctly. After several weeks of recuperating, I was medically released to return to Venezuela even though I still didn't have a voice. Weeks continued to pass and there was no sign of my voice returning. My recovery had officially fallen out of the normal progression and it was determined that I needed to see a specialist in Caracas. We exercised faith in God for my healing.
Upon examination, I was diagnosis with a damaged right vocal chord which consisted of a gaping hole. Darrell viewed the damaged and agreed, there was no movement, a parallelized chord. Our ENT doctor was very skeptical as to whether I would ever regain my vocal ability. Speech therapy was prescribed in attempt to get a little movement and maybe a whisper of sound so I could verbally communicate.
I had one strange visit with the Speech therapist, practicing clucking like a chicken and instructed to do that several times a day while the therapist went on vacation the next week. I still wonder if that was a humorous moment that the therapist carried off with her to her vacation. I certainly felt "tarred and feathered". We continued to have faith.
Darrell preached that next Sunday morning in a small salmon/turquoise colored church down on the coast of Venezuela. One of those small churches that always had an open door cause there wasn't one. The cooling system consisted of all windows open. The neighborhood dogs were regular visitors but typically silent and sleeping through the message. The church was always filled with warm hearts and joyful spirits who love Jesus. Darrell preached that day on blind Bartmaeus in Mark 10:42 - 52 and the need he had in his life to regain his sight.
Being a pastor's wife does not exempt you from needing to hear the Sunday morning message. Darrell doesn't usually use our family as examples but that morning, he did call me out.....referring to blind Bartimaeus and his inability to change his condition "just like Karen's inability to regain her voice". Well, at the conclusion of the message, those dear believers, called me to the front so that they could lay hands on me and petition God for my healing. What could I do but stand and go forward, having those few seconds to wonder what could these people in this salmon/turquoise colored church pray differently than what others had already prayed.....oh ye of little faith.....and as I got to the front, I had already repented of those thoughts and joined with with them in asking God in faith for my healing.
Arriving back home that day around 3:00, I spent sometime with the children, attempting to help with homework. About 3:30, while trying to make myself understood, my voice came back in, very softly at first but then became stronger. It was absolutely a miracle of God, a healing and answer to our prayers. A couple of days, later, the ENT confirmed that the vocal chord was back in place and working. Several years later, in dealing with one of the other medical issues, I asked the doctor to be careful with my vocal chord since I had previous damage. Upon awaking, the doctor made a point to tell me that he had looked as my chord closely and said it looked "regenerated". Just another confirmation of healing a couple of years prior.
So as we face whatever Monday may hold, we can stand firm in faith that God is able to meet every need we have and will show His direction for me. He always has.
Saturday, March 24, 2012
Faith
I was out early this morning at what looked like an annual 5o yard dash over at one of the local high schools. It's a yearly event, fundraiser for the high school and usually a well attended event. Everyone lines up on the grass right by the curb, checking out the competition and trying to scope out the prize set before them. Not feeling particularly chirpy at 6:30, I joined the throng of about 100 people waiting for the 7:00 start time. There was no start gun or whistle just a motion of hand by some brave woman, releasing the multitude of eager garage sale shoppers into the parking lot where tons of vendors had placed their "treasured" belongings in hopes of not having to cart it back home. One woman near me ask is people actually run when released of which I calmly stated yes but I was not sure it was worth the risk......it's a dangerous thing for a woman to have money in her pocket, thinking she can get a great deal on something she "needs".
I did come away with a prize, nothing I really needed. Actually I think I have about 3 other sets throughout the house. As I was self reflecting today, there are certainly thing I always buy. It doesn't matter how many I have, if it is a good deal, I am hooked. I am sure you have your ticker list of what catches your eye. It comes in handy being a counselor cause I use the techniques that I teach the children on myself all the time. Like today, I saw a great overstuffed chair for $50 which matched everything in my living room. Last time I saw one, I actually bought it and had a friend help me arrange the living until I could fit it in. I think Darrell didn't sit in that chair for at least a month or more in protest to overcrowdedness. (that is not a word, but you know what I mean). So when I spied the piece of furniture today, I began my self talk.....you don't need that......you know how Darrell felt the last time you brought a $50 chair home. It worked, I talked myself out of it and left without it. I just can't hardly pass a great deal. Darrell thinks it a spending "fix" that I need to have every day. He may be right about that.....
Last week, I talked about our three bedrooms upstairs, Faith, Hope and Love and focused on the Hope room. This week, I want to talk about the Faith room. The very thought of this word is overwhelming to me. Is a verb or noun or adjective or name.....are we to have a little or a lot, does it come and go, can it grow, what can destroy it, etc. So if I had to sum up my hope for the Faith room it would be out of Matthew 19:26 (NIV)
About.com. Christianity states it concisely:
Definition: Faith is belief with strong conviction; firm belief in something for which there may be no tangible proof; complete trust in or devotion to. Faith is the opposite of doubt.
Faith is possibly the single-most important element of the Christian life. Hebrews 11:6 states, "And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him." (NIV)
Hebrews 11:1-2 1 Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. 2 This is what the ancients were commended for.
Chapter 11 of Hebrews is called the "Hall of Faith". Simply put, this chapter list heroines of scripture who exhibited faith, giving glimpses of how they demonstrated faith. There are other stories in scripture where people were raised from the dead, healed, received provisions all as an expression the gift of faith through the Holy Spirit in God and his son Jesus Christ.
Certainly throughout the last almost 30 years, Darrell and I have experienced the goodness of the Lord and attempted to lead a life of faith. Sometimes faith as little as a mustard seed, sometimes choked out by doubt and fear. We have been blessed to see the miraculous hand of God for safety, provision, and healing all the while trying to remember He is our sustainer and our faith is in Him.
To close with a short personal story, we were in language school in Costa Rica for a year. As we prepared for being aboard, you can only pack so much in suitcases and footlockers. Having 5 children, it was bound to happen that at least one of them would have feet to grow during that year. Being missionaries on a very limited budget, there was not a lot of extra funds for those types of needs. Darrell explained to Isaac that we were going to have faith that God would meet his need for shoes. We began to pray and believe that God was capable and willing. At one point in that stretch of time (about 2 weeks), Isaac asked Darrell when was God going to send him his shoes.
As is with God, His timing is perfect. We had invited an elderly gentleman who had supported Darrell through seminary to Costa Rica to visit us. His schedule did not allow the trip but he felt that he should send the money (almost 2/3 month of our salary) that he would have spent in coming to us, as a gift. Needless to say when we received the word and the money was deposited, we rejoiced in God's provision and everyone in the family not only got one pair of shoes but two. A walk of faith, casting off doubt, believing that God is capable and willing to meet our needs.
Has fear had you bounded, tossing you to and fro?
Hebrews 12:2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
He wants to answer our faith.
I did come away with a prize, nothing I really needed. Actually I think I have about 3 other sets throughout the house. As I was self reflecting today, there are certainly thing I always buy. It doesn't matter how many I have, if it is a good deal, I am hooked. I am sure you have your ticker list of what catches your eye. It comes in handy being a counselor cause I use the techniques that I teach the children on myself all the time. Like today, I saw a great overstuffed chair for $50 which matched everything in my living room. Last time I saw one, I actually bought it and had a friend help me arrange the living until I could fit it in. I think Darrell didn't sit in that chair for at least a month or more in protest to overcrowdedness. (that is not a word, but you know what I mean). So when I spied the piece of furniture today, I began my self talk.....you don't need that......you know how Darrell felt the last time you brought a $50 chair home. It worked, I talked myself out of it and left without it. I just can't hardly pass a great deal. Darrell thinks it a spending "fix" that I need to have every day. He may be right about that.....
Last week, I talked about our three bedrooms upstairs, Faith, Hope and Love and focused on the Hope room. This week, I want to talk about the Faith room. The very thought of this word is overwhelming to me. Is a verb or noun or adjective or name.....are we to have a little or a lot, does it come and go, can it grow, what can destroy it, etc. So if I had to sum up my hope for the Faith room it would be out of Matthew 19:26 (NIV)
26 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.
So, I want people to have faith in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior and that God can make the impossible possible.
So, I want people to have faith in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior and that God can make the impossible possible.
About.com. Christianity states it concisely:
Definition: Faith is belief with strong conviction; firm belief in something for which there may be no tangible proof; complete trust in or devotion to. Faith is the opposite of doubt.
Faith is possibly the single-most important element of the Christian life. Hebrews 11:6 states, "And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him." (NIV)
Hebrews 11:1-2 1 Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. 2 This is what the ancients were commended for.
Chapter 11 of Hebrews is called the "Hall of Faith". Simply put, this chapter list heroines of scripture who exhibited faith, giving glimpses of how they demonstrated faith. There are other stories in scripture where people were raised from the dead, healed, received provisions all as an expression the gift of faith through the Holy Spirit in God and his son Jesus Christ.
Certainly throughout the last almost 30 years, Darrell and I have experienced the goodness of the Lord and attempted to lead a life of faith. Sometimes faith as little as a mustard seed, sometimes choked out by doubt and fear. We have been blessed to see the miraculous hand of God for safety, provision, and healing all the while trying to remember He is our sustainer and our faith is in Him.
To close with a short personal story, we were in language school in Costa Rica for a year. As we prepared for being aboard, you can only pack so much in suitcases and footlockers. Having 5 children, it was bound to happen that at least one of them would have feet to grow during that year. Being missionaries on a very limited budget, there was not a lot of extra funds for those types of needs. Darrell explained to Isaac that we were going to have faith that God would meet his need for shoes. We began to pray and believe that God was capable and willing. At one point in that stretch of time (about 2 weeks), Isaac asked Darrell when was God going to send him his shoes.
As is with God, His timing is perfect. We had invited an elderly gentleman who had supported Darrell through seminary to Costa Rica to visit us. His schedule did not allow the trip but he felt that he should send the money (almost 2/3 month of our salary) that he would have spent in coming to us, as a gift. Needless to say when we received the word and the money was deposited, we rejoiced in God's provision and everyone in the family not only got one pair of shoes but two. A walk of faith, casting off doubt, believing that God is capable and willing to meet our needs.
Has fear had you bounded, tossing you to and fro?
Hebrews 12:2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
He wants to answer our faith.
Sunday, March 18, 2012
HOPE
Spring break is quickly coming to a close. I was just wishing this morning as I was getting ready for church that this day was the first Sunday of spring break and I could have the week all over again. So much for wishful thinking. It has been an eventful week to say the least with the highlight of our daughter Danielle becoming engaged to Cody Bellamy. We are blessed to have Cody join our large family (which keeps getting larger).
So speaking of the family getting larger, about three years ago, we moved to this house and had room for Darrell to have an office and two bedrooms for "guests". All the kids were off to college and we were basically "empty nesters" . Since no children had lived at this house during high school years, none of them had a claim on any of the rooms. The rule of the land became, who ever arrived first, got their choice of rooms. Well, one thing lead to another and to put is lightly, we have a revolving door of who is living at the house. It continues to amaze us how God always knows exactly what we need before it presents itself. We needed this size of house. Darrell has long since lost his office to another bedroom and we have to often confirm to see who has "checked in" for the night, week, or as a semi permanent resident. With that all said, the three rooms upstairs needed an identity, just to keep it straight for those late night arrivals.
I got this hair brain idea to just name the rooms. At first, I really thought about how at the White House, there is the Lincoln bedroom, Rose bedroom, Yellow Oval Room and East room to name a few and that I could come up with some names to resemble things about us. But as I thought about the purpose of the room and started to cast a vision for those "weary" travelers that might take refuge at our house, I chose names with significance and purpose.
Okay, I am sure you are asking yourself, "Who names their bedrooms". I guess I have to answer with "I do". I dubbed them Faith, Hope and Love......and the greatest of these is Love (which is true of our rooms I Corinthians 13:13). I have intentionally decorated the rooms with the message of each theme. So, when visitors have stayed, I try and place them (upon availability) in the room that I believe would minister most to them and their current needs.
I am thinking that the next couple of blogs will be on each of the themes of the bedrooms, Faith, Hope and Love. The last couple of days, I have been pondering on the word "hope" and how significant it is in our life. Dictionary.com says hope is "to look forward to with desire and reasonable confidence". So, I think for the most of us, we live our lives in a state of hope, not only for us personally but for our children, other family members and friends. I guess you would say, having a vision, belief or desire for something to come to pass in the lives of loved ones. When we lose hope, emotionally, we will spiral down, like falling into a dark tunnel with the difficult task of trying to pull out. Certainly, any of us can see that in the lives of people we know, many experiencing financial problems, unemployment, children difficulties, health issues etc. Proverbs 13: 12 says "Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing (desire) fulfilled is a tree of life." So having hope in our lives drives us to live another day, fuels our sometimes empty tank of life, and keeps us looking for the goodness of tomorrow. When we are hopeless, we are discouraged, dismayed and have no vision for the future which in turn lead to depression...that long lonesome road.
Looking to the word of God on the topic of hope reaps a wealth of scriptures and strong encouragement for living daily. (the book of Romans is a great starting place) As I looked at scripture passages, the one thread that I noticed was who should be our anchor or object of hope.
1 Timothy 4: 10 say:
31 but those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.
So speaking of the family getting larger, about three years ago, we moved to this house and had room for Darrell to have an office and two bedrooms for "guests". All the kids were off to college and we were basically "empty nesters" . Since no children had lived at this house during high school years, none of them had a claim on any of the rooms. The rule of the land became, who ever arrived first, got their choice of rooms. Well, one thing lead to another and to put is lightly, we have a revolving door of who is living at the house. It continues to amaze us how God always knows exactly what we need before it presents itself. We needed this size of house. Darrell has long since lost his office to another bedroom and we have to often confirm to see who has "checked in" for the night, week, or as a semi permanent resident. With that all said, the three rooms upstairs needed an identity, just to keep it straight for those late night arrivals.
I got this hair brain idea to just name the rooms. At first, I really thought about how at the White House, there is the Lincoln bedroom, Rose bedroom, Yellow Oval Room and East room to name a few and that I could come up with some names to resemble things about us. But as I thought about the purpose of the room and started to cast a vision for those "weary" travelers that might take refuge at our house, I chose names with significance and purpose.
Okay, I am sure you are asking yourself, "Who names their bedrooms". I guess I have to answer with "I do". I dubbed them Faith, Hope and Love......and the greatest of these is Love (which is true of our rooms I Corinthians 13:13). I have intentionally decorated the rooms with the message of each theme. So, when visitors have stayed, I try and place them (upon availability) in the room that I believe would minister most to them and their current needs.
I am thinking that the next couple of blogs will be on each of the themes of the bedrooms, Faith, Hope and Love. The last couple of days, I have been pondering on the word "hope" and how significant it is in our life. Dictionary.com says hope is "to look forward to with desire and reasonable confidence". So, I think for the most of us, we live our lives in a state of hope, not only for us personally but for our children, other family members and friends. I guess you would say, having a vision, belief or desire for something to come to pass in the lives of loved ones. When we lose hope, emotionally, we will spiral down, like falling into a dark tunnel with the difficult task of trying to pull out. Certainly, any of us can see that in the lives of people we know, many experiencing financial problems, unemployment, children difficulties, health issues etc. Proverbs 13: 12 says "Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing (desire) fulfilled is a tree of life." So having hope in our lives drives us to live another day, fuels our sometimes empty tank of life, and keeps us looking for the goodness of tomorrow. When we are hopeless, we are discouraged, dismayed and have no vision for the future which in turn lead to depression...that long lonesome road.
Looking to the word of God on the topic of hope reaps a wealth of scriptures and strong encouragement for living daily. (the book of Romans is a great starting place) As I looked at scripture passages, the one thread that I noticed was who should be our anchor or object of hope.
1 Timothy 4: 10 say:
New International Version (NIV)
10 That is why we labor
and strive, because we have put our hope in the living God, who is the
Savior of all people, and especially of those who believe.
Where the rubber meets the road, our hope should be grounded in God. As I have prepared the room, my heart's intent is that our guest in the Hope room would experience hope in God. That they would find peace in Him and encouraged to face another day, strengthened to put one foot in front of the other, having a heart of courage and hope. Two scriptures that line the walls are:
Isaiah 40:31
New International Version (NIV)
31 but those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.
Jeremiah 17:7
King James Version (KJV)
7Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is.
As you go along life, birthing forth hope, anchor it to God. He doesn't disappoint. Spring forward with a new purpose and start for this Spring.
Blessings.
As you go along life, birthing forth hope, anchor it to God. He doesn't disappoint. Spring forward with a new purpose and start for this Spring.
Blessings.
Saturday, March 10, 2012
His grace is sufficient.
Some mornings, I wake up with a song stuck in my head. Now that can be a good thing or it can be a challenge to "get it out". When I was working with Pre-K 4, how many times, can "The Wheels on the bus go round and round" go through your mind till you want to just scream. But for the last couple of days, the same song "Your Grace is Enough" by Chris Tomlin has just been penetrating my thoughts. I wake up with the song on my mind, it threads through my day and I have been going to bed with it still playing. So as I reflect back on the themes of this week, I realize that I have needed to know that His grace is sufficient.
So what was this week? Well I am just going to put it into nouns.......birth, engagement, death, cancer, Spring Break, unemployed, deployment, employed, Alzheimers, wedding....I could go on. I am sure some of these very events have occurred in your life or touched you through a family member, friend, colleague or someone just sharing about their love one.
What a tidal wave of emotions we have throughout the day. As women, all our thoughts and reactions touch everything...we are a "ball of emotion" bouncing or maybe rolling along trying to be successful. So how do we "anchor" ourselves with all that impacts our lives. In one of Beth Moore's Bible studies, she proposes that in dealing with our worst fears (If ________ happens, then ______), we come to this conclusion, no matter what, God is the end result....He anchors us through everything.
How encouraging to me to to know that as these events of life wash over me and some of them throw me against the rocks, I can anchor myself to God cause He is made perfect in my weakness to handle life.
"Your Grace Is Enough" by Chris Tomlin
Just a closing note, stating the obvious, men respond differently to all those "nouns" then how we respond. They are more factual, rational based in their reactions.....you know:" How much will that cost?", "When is that going to be?", "Do I have to go?"........Everything we do touches everything else in our life where as our men, well they can departmentalize everything. And you know what, according to comedian Mark Gungor, men have an "nothing box" and they like to go there. Enjoy
So what was this week? Well I am just going to put it into nouns.......birth, engagement, death, cancer, Spring Break, unemployed, deployment, employed, Alzheimers, wedding....I could go on. I am sure some of these very events have occurred in your life or touched you through a family member, friend, colleague or someone just sharing about their love one.
What a tidal wave of emotions we have throughout the day. As women, all our thoughts and reactions touch everything...we are a "ball of emotion" bouncing or maybe rolling along trying to be successful. So how do we "anchor" ourselves with all that impacts our lives. In one of Beth Moore's Bible studies, she proposes that in dealing with our worst fears (If ________ happens, then ______), we come to this conclusion, no matter what, God is the end result....He anchors us through everything.
2 Corinthians 12:9
New International Version (NIV)
9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.
How encouraging to me to to know that as these events of life wash over me and some of them throw me against the rocks, I can anchor myself to God cause He is made perfect in my weakness to handle life.
"Your Grace Is Enough" by Chris Tomlin
Great is Your faithfulness oh God
You wrestle with the sinner's heart
You lead us by still waters and to mercy
And nothing can keep us apart
So remember Your people
Remember Your children
Remember Your promise
Oh God
Your grace is enough
Your grace is enough
Your grace is enough for me
Great is Your love and justice God
You use the weak to lead the strong
You lead us in the song of Your salvation
And all Your people sing along
So remember Your people
Remember Your children
Remember Your promise
Oh God
Your grace is enough
Your grace is enough
Your grace is enough for me [x2]
So remember Your people
Remember Your children
Remember Your promise
Oh God
Your grace is enough
Your grace is enough
Your grace is enough for me
Your grace is enough
Heaven reaching down to us
Your grace is enough for me
God I see your grace is enough
I'm covered in your love
Your grace is enough for me
For me
You wrestle with the sinner's heart
You lead us by still waters and to mercy
And nothing can keep us apart
So remember Your people
Remember Your children
Remember Your promise
Oh God
Your grace is enough
Your grace is enough
Your grace is enough for me
Great is Your love and justice God
You use the weak to lead the strong
You lead us in the song of Your salvation
And all Your people sing along
So remember Your people
Remember Your children
Remember Your promise
Oh God
Your grace is enough
Your grace is enough
Your grace is enough for me [x2]
So remember Your people
Remember Your children
Remember Your promise
Oh God
Your grace is enough
Your grace is enough
Your grace is enough for me
Your grace is enough
Heaven reaching down to us
Your grace is enough for me
God I see your grace is enough
I'm covered in your love
Your grace is enough for me
For me
Just a closing note, stating the obvious, men respond differently to all those "nouns" then how we respond. They are more factual, rational based in their reactions.....you know:" How much will that cost?", "When is that going to be?", "Do I have to go?"........Everything we do touches everything else in our life where as our men, well they can departmentalize everything. And you know what, according to comedian Mark Gungor, men have an "nothing box" and they like to go there. Enjoy
Sunday, March 4, 2012
The Spring Clean Fling
Spring Break is just at the end of this week's work and time for the annual event of "spring cleaning". Throughout this last year, the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics has been at work in my house. To put it simply, things left alone will go to chaos and disorder. That perfectly describes all the drawers in my house. I don't know about you, but on the surface, we look clean but at closer inspection our "quick, hurried" clean jobs of putting it in a drawer needs to be redeemed and Spring Break is when we do the dirty work.
I try to stick to some standards of "pitching" when confronting the year long chaos. You know, "if you haven't look for it in 6 months than you don't need it". Well, if I applied that rule, most of my house would be "pitched forked" to the curb. So instead, I try once again to organize it into little baskets, neat piles and clean out those dirt ball monsters that I don't know how they develop or grow.....all I can say is "2nd Law".
It really is a good thing this spring cleaning......the whole thought of the Springtime with new life growing all around us encourages us to have a fresh start. I find it intriguing that with the Jewish faith, this is a yearly practice. It is called "Pesach" or "Passover Cleaning". During the Passover period (which most of the time occurs at the same time as Easter) there is not to be any "Chametz" in the home. Not to get too detailed, however, it is very interesting and based out of Exodus and Deuteronomy, Chametz is made from one of 5 types of grains. It would have been mixed with water and left to stand at least 18 minutes. This results in a leaven food and is forbidden during the Jewish holiday of Passover.
Of course there is much more to this but ultimately, The Jewish people are making ready their home for "Moshiach", their redeemer, the Messiah.
As I have pondered on this practice of Spring Cleaning from having a glimpse from the Jewish perspective, I have a new purpose for my yearly ritual. On a simple thought, I am going to clean every crook and cranny looking for those dirt monsters. But as I go along, I am going to self evaluate where any "leaven" has entered my life. Simply put, this "leaven by yeast" changes the substance that it is mixed with chemically. So my question to myself is "What has "leavened" me this past year?" What have I allowed, become desensitized to, ignored, looked the other way, laughed at, etc that has changed me.....moved me further from reflecting Christ in my life.
Scripture speaks on this subject of leaven on a spiritual level as to getting rid of it or being aware of it. (1Cor 5:6-7, Matt.16:6) We are to "clean out the old leaven" (I Cor 5:7). Psalm51:10 says,
"Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me."
So consider this, as you begin to Spring Clean, getting rid of the "chaos and disorder" that has occurred over the last year, look inward and clean out anything in your own life that has "chemically" changed you and look to God to create a pure heart in you. Truth be told, once a year is not enough for me. Making my heart ready for my Messiah.
I try to stick to some standards of "pitching" when confronting the year long chaos. You know, "if you haven't look for it in 6 months than you don't need it". Well, if I applied that rule, most of my house would be "pitched forked" to the curb. So instead, I try once again to organize it into little baskets, neat piles and clean out those dirt ball monsters that I don't know how they develop or grow.....all I can say is "2nd Law".
It really is a good thing this spring cleaning......the whole thought of the Springtime with new life growing all around us encourages us to have a fresh start. I find it intriguing that with the Jewish faith, this is a yearly practice. It is called "Pesach" or "Passover Cleaning". During the Passover period (which most of the time occurs at the same time as Easter) there is not to be any "Chametz" in the home. Not to get too detailed, however, it is very interesting and based out of Exodus and Deuteronomy, Chametz is made from one of 5 types of grains. It would have been mixed with water and left to stand at least 18 minutes. This results in a leaven food and is forbidden during the Jewish holiday of Passover.
Of course there is much more to this but ultimately, The Jewish people are making ready their home for "Moshiach", their redeemer, the Messiah.
As I have pondered on this practice of Spring Cleaning from having a glimpse from the Jewish perspective, I have a new purpose for my yearly ritual. On a simple thought, I am going to clean every crook and cranny looking for those dirt monsters. But as I go along, I am going to self evaluate where any "leaven" has entered my life. Simply put, this "leaven by yeast" changes the substance that it is mixed with chemically. So my question to myself is "What has "leavened" me this past year?" What have I allowed, become desensitized to, ignored, looked the other way, laughed at, etc that has changed me.....moved me further from reflecting Christ in my life.
Scripture speaks on this subject of leaven on a spiritual level as to getting rid of it or being aware of it. (1Cor 5:6-7, Matt.16:6) We are to "clean out the old leaven" (I Cor 5:7). Psalm51:10 says,
"Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me."
So consider this, as you begin to Spring Clean, getting rid of the "chaos and disorder" that has occurred over the last year, look inward and clean out anything in your own life that has "chemically" changed you and look to God to create a pure heart in you. Truth be told, once a year is not enough for me. Making my heart ready for my Messiah.
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Ponder
I love words. The very words of God created the world. Now that is powerful. Proverbs 18:21 says Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit. So life and death, create and destroy are in the power of words.
I am very simple in thought. Some of the words that I like best are the words that you can spell from forwards and backwards like Mom, Dad, Bob and the best one WOW ........ What about those words that spell a different word backwards like "stressed" is "desserts"...that's where I always go when I am stressed. Or the same letters mixed up spells another word like "listen" spells "silent". Now there's a basic therapy practice.
One of my favorite words to mediate on from scripture is the word "ponder". In the story of Mary in Luke 2 the shepherds are visited by an angel of the Lord which tells them "there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord" (vs11). Those are significant words, the announcement of our Savior. As the shepherds visited Mary, they made known the statements told to them. Vs. 19 says that Mary treasured up all these things , pondering them in her heart.
Ponder is verb....an action word which means : to consider something deeply and thoroughly; meditate, to weigh carefully in the mind; consider thoughtfully.
As I pondered this word "ponder" and thought of the significant statement that the shepherds shared with Mary, it would be reasonable to think she did just that ......considered deeply and thoroughly, weighed carefully what was told to her.
So this is what I considered. Have I spoken something to someone for them to ponder? Something so significant that it stayed with them. Was it life or death? Did it create or destroy in their life? Wouldn't it be great if the words that escape from our lips (which can never be captured or retrieved) would be words to "pondered", a child might think...someone does care for me or a spouse might think.....I am valued.....or a parent might think....they (being children) are grateful.
I am going to work hard to speak words for others to "ponder", that speak life and help to create in them their full potential.
I am very simple in thought. Some of the words that I like best are the words that you can spell from forwards and backwards like Mom, Dad, Bob and the best one WOW ........ What about those words that spell a different word backwards like "stressed" is "desserts"...that's where I always go when I am stressed. Or the same letters mixed up spells another word like "listen" spells "silent". Now there's a basic therapy practice.
One of my favorite words to mediate on from scripture is the word "ponder". In the story of Mary in Luke 2 the shepherds are visited by an angel of the Lord which tells them "there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord" (vs11). Those are significant words, the announcement of our Savior. As the shepherds visited Mary, they made known the statements told to them. Vs. 19 says that Mary treasured up all these things , pondering them in her heart.
Ponder is verb....an action word which means : to consider something deeply and thoroughly; meditate, to weigh carefully in the mind; consider thoughtfully.
As I pondered this word "ponder" and thought of the significant statement that the shepherds shared with Mary, it would be reasonable to think she did just that ......considered deeply and thoroughly, weighed carefully what was told to her.
So this is what I considered. Have I spoken something to someone for them to ponder? Something so significant that it stayed with them. Was it life or death? Did it create or destroy in their life? Wouldn't it be great if the words that escape from our lips (which can never be captured or retrieved) would be words to "pondered", a child might think...someone does care for me or a spouse might think.....I am valued.....or a parent might think....they (being children) are grateful.
I am going to work hard to speak words for others to "ponder", that speak life and help to create in them their full potential.
Saturday, February 25, 2012
STRESSED
That's the word that I would use to describe my week. I am so glad that it's Saturday just to be able to pack away this past week. Nothing really out of the ordinary occurred, just life. But it was the compounding of all of those life roles or some would call identity roles that just intersected or as in Spanish " choque" - a collison of who I am.
One highlight this week was that I attended a wonderful in-service training by Barbara Gruener, a General Education Counselor from Friendswood ISD who was a breath of fresh air. Just one snippet of her talk was the roles that we have and caring for self. So take a moment of just begin to put behind your name who you are: Karen Horn, BA,MSW,LMSW (okay, those are just professional stuff) Christian,wif,mom,gdmom,sis,dau,au,fri,co,sstea,col,nei, just to name a few. It reminds me of that old popular children's book, Caps for Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina. The man was a peddler of caps and he would stack them all on top of his head. He would travel through the town yelling "Caps for sale, 50cents". He became tired and climbed in a tree and went to sleep. While he was sleeping, monkeys came and took the caps. When he awoke, he yelled and screamed for the monkeys to give him back his caps but none of them would do it. Finally in frustration, he threw down the only cap he had, his very own, onto the ground. When he did this, all the monkeys threw down the caps and he was able to gather them up and began his life again as a peddler.
Everyday we wear these "caps" of who we are in different orders. A big wind like what we had yesterday will topple them right off of our head causing us to have to gather them again and put them back on. The stress and strain of balancing them can be burdensome. But there is more to us.
If identity roles were not enough, where the rubber meets the road is our function roles: worker, teacher, counselor, nurse, doctor, domestic engineer (that's a housekeeper), cook, designer, lawn person, writer, tutor, launder, chauffeur, chaperone, supervisor, referee, beautician, companion, coach, repair man, painter, economist, juggler (keeping all of these "plates" spinning and in the air), administrator, judge, prison guard (if you have had children, you've been one), playmate.......need I say more. What a resume. No wonder we are stretched thin (metaphorically speaking). I am weary just thinking about it all.
But, for most of us, we love it and it is who we are and what we do. So how do we carry this weight while we are taking care of ourselves. First and foremost, 1 Peter 5:7 says, " Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you." (NLT). Draw your strength from Him. Then do what you can to get sleep, eat well, exercise (it does help to chase away stress, anxiety, depression) and laugh. Another day, we will add more strategies to our apron pockets.
Darrell posted a great video that I want to share also. As a preface, can I ask you a question?
Have you pulled a "hamstring" while running in your "staccato heels" running this race of life? If so, lean on your Father for He cares for you and is able to carry you to the finish line.
That's the word that I would use to describe my week. I am so glad that it's Saturday just to be able to pack away this past week. Nothing really out of the ordinary occurred, just life. But it was the compounding of all of those life roles or some would call identity roles that just intersected or as in Spanish " choque" - a collison of who I am.
One highlight this week was that I attended a wonderful in-service training by Barbara Gruener, a General Education Counselor from Friendswood ISD who was a breath of fresh air. Just one snippet of her talk was the roles that we have and caring for self. So take a moment of just begin to put behind your name who you are: Karen Horn, BA,MSW,LMSW (okay, those are just professional stuff) Christian,wif,mom,gdmom,sis,dau,au,fri,co,sstea,col,nei, just to name a few. It reminds me of that old popular children's book, Caps for Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina. The man was a peddler of caps and he would stack them all on top of his head. He would travel through the town yelling "Caps for sale, 50cents". He became tired and climbed in a tree and went to sleep. While he was sleeping, monkeys came and took the caps. When he awoke, he yelled and screamed for the monkeys to give him back his caps but none of them would do it. Finally in frustration, he threw down the only cap he had, his very own, onto the ground. When he did this, all the monkeys threw down the caps and he was able to gather them up and began his life again as a peddler.
Everyday we wear these "caps" of who we are in different orders. A big wind like what we had yesterday will topple them right off of our head causing us to have to gather them again and put them back on. The stress and strain of balancing them can be burdensome. But there is more to us.
If identity roles were not enough, where the rubber meets the road is our function roles: worker, teacher, counselor, nurse, doctor, domestic engineer (that's a housekeeper), cook, designer, lawn person, writer, tutor, launder, chauffeur, chaperone, supervisor, referee, beautician, companion, coach, repair man, painter, economist, juggler (keeping all of these "plates" spinning and in the air), administrator, judge, prison guard (if you have had children, you've been one), playmate.......need I say more. What a resume. No wonder we are stretched thin (metaphorically speaking). I am weary just thinking about it all.
But, for most of us, we love it and it is who we are and what we do. So how do we carry this weight while we are taking care of ourselves. First and foremost, 1 Peter 5:7 says, " Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you." (NLT). Draw your strength from Him. Then do what you can to get sleep, eat well, exercise (it does help to chase away stress, anxiety, depression) and laugh. Another day, we will add more strategies to our apron pockets.
Darrell posted a great video that I want to share also. As a preface, can I ask you a question?
Have you pulled a "hamstring" while running in your "staccato heels" running this race of life? If so, lean on your Father for He cares for you and is able to carry you to the finish line.
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
I feel so blessed today and overwhelmed by all of the birthday wishes. Just to have that sense that someone knows your name and expresses something kind is like a breath of fresh air, encouragement to the soul.
Today was a busy day, rushing from here to there, trying to be responsible, fulfilling duties and balancing a hundred task that all seemed to be the "urgent" one. So receiving birthday wishes all day was especially uplifting to me.
As I was going about my busy day on a hurried errand to a classroom to deliver paperwork, I saw two little 1st graders tailing me down the small hallway. I was under a time crunch and needed to leave to get to another school quickly so was determined to deliver the goods and move on when I heard a small voice say "I am sad". I gave a quick back glance and saw the two boys and presumed that they were talking together. Within seconds, I heard the small voice again say, " I am sad". This time, it stopped me in my tracks and I turned to see this little boy right behind me......telling ME that he was sad. At that point, it didn't matter where I needed to be, I had to meet that child right where he was in his sadness.
I asked him, "why are you sad", he said "my grandmother died last Friday". Being a grandmother of a 1st grader (who has a birthday today also), my heart strings were being strummed or better, hammered. I asked him asked about the funeral and he said they already had it. I then asked if I could just hug him. He said yes, so I gave him a big side hug. We talked about who he could talk with if he continued to be sad and that I would check back on him on Friday when I would be back on campus.
You know, I didn't know that little boy's name and I am not sure he knew mine but in that moment he needed someone to know him and his hurt. He took a chance and reached out in his need and I am so glad that God allowed me to hear him and meet him right where he was.
Be assured today that He knows you. Psalm 139 beautifully reminds us of just how much He knows each and every one of us. Be encouraged today as this song sings over you.
Today was a busy day, rushing from here to there, trying to be responsible, fulfilling duties and balancing a hundred task that all seemed to be the "urgent" one. So receiving birthday wishes all day was especially uplifting to me.
As I was going about my busy day on a hurried errand to a classroom to deliver paperwork, I saw two little 1st graders tailing me down the small hallway. I was under a time crunch and needed to leave to get to another school quickly so was determined to deliver the goods and move on when I heard a small voice say "I am sad". I gave a quick back glance and saw the two boys and presumed that they were talking together. Within seconds, I heard the small voice again say, " I am sad". This time, it stopped me in my tracks and I turned to see this little boy right behind me......telling ME that he was sad. At that point, it didn't matter where I needed to be, I had to meet that child right where he was in his sadness.
I asked him, "why are you sad", he said "my grandmother died last Friday". Being a grandmother of a 1st grader (who has a birthday today also), my heart strings were being strummed or better, hammered. I asked him asked about the funeral and he said they already had it. I then asked if I could just hug him. He said yes, so I gave him a big side hug. We talked about who he could talk with if he continued to be sad and that I would check back on him on Friday when I would be back on campus.
You know, I didn't know that little boy's name and I am not sure he knew mine but in that moment he needed someone to know him and his hurt. He took a chance and reached out in his need and I am so glad that God allowed me to hear him and meet him right where he was.
Be assured today that He knows you. Psalm 139 beautifully reminds us of just how much He knows each and every one of us. Be encouraged today as this song sings over you.
Monday, February 20, 2012
I had an interesting experience on Saturday while shopping. Certainly one of my favorite past times. It was an unplanned stop at a little "mom and pop" shop that specializes in beautiful dresses of all kinds. One never knows when a special occasion will present so I began looking at the long elegant gowns. I fully realized that I might have been in an area of sizes that didn't quite reflect my present state. I am extremely hopefully and like external motivation so I felt it was appropriate to be looking at those gowns. We had a nice sales lady who was very helpful and softly informed me that most of the gowns "ran at least 1 to 2 sizes small". Not to be deterred, I found a gown, much to my liking and decided that I would attempt to see how it looked on me. I know all of you have been in those small shops that have just curtains for doors on the dressing room with some type of wood panel creating a "stall". So in we piled, two of my daughters and myself and drew the curtain closed creating only a limited visual barrier but all conversations were still very much public.
When a situation is almost ridiculous, the humor of it begins to overcome all reason. I instructed the girls to just help me get into the dress and then to attempt to zip it as much as they could. Surely I am not the only one that has ever attempted such a feat. Well, low and behold, they got that dress zipped with just a few comments of "hope I don't bust out the zipper". There was no way I could sit down but the skirt of the dress was touching the ground and I was actually feel fairly prideful that I was in that size. I ventured out of the dressing room, to the awaiting sales lady who appeared to have amazement on her face. I assured her that this was the size that I wanted and would be working really hard in the months ahead to be able to wear the dress without so much exposure.
As I entered back into the dressing the room, the sales lady mentioned that there was a similar dress on the rack that she wanted me to view. I agreed and began to change. As she returned to my stall, she gently stated that she hoped that I was not offended as she handed the dress to me. The second dress was very similar to the first but one distinct difference. The size of the second dress was 3 sizes larger than what I had just tried on. I supposed that based on her prior comment that dresses ran 1 to 2 sizes small, this was her best estimate of what I actually wore.
Not to be discouraged, I thanked her for her help and just reminded myself that I actually zipped the other dress...nothing that about 25 lbs couldn't really fix. So, I have my eyes set on that dress. What a great external motivation to continue to run and make good choices. I will post the pics when I get this dress. Actually, the greater challenge would be for me to find the exact same dress at half the price cause it was a bit pricey. I love a challenge!!! Check back with me....
When a situation is almost ridiculous, the humor of it begins to overcome all reason. I instructed the girls to just help me get into the dress and then to attempt to zip it as much as they could. Surely I am not the only one that has ever attempted such a feat. Well, low and behold, they got that dress zipped with just a few comments of "hope I don't bust out the zipper". There was no way I could sit down but the skirt of the dress was touching the ground and I was actually feel fairly prideful that I was in that size. I ventured out of the dressing room, to the awaiting sales lady who appeared to have amazement on her face. I assured her that this was the size that I wanted and would be working really hard in the months ahead to be able to wear the dress without so much exposure.
As I entered back into the dressing the room, the sales lady mentioned that there was a similar dress on the rack that she wanted me to view. I agreed and began to change. As she returned to my stall, she gently stated that she hoped that I was not offended as she handed the dress to me. The second dress was very similar to the first but one distinct difference. The size of the second dress was 3 sizes larger than what I had just tried on. I supposed that based on her prior comment that dresses ran 1 to 2 sizes small, this was her best estimate of what I actually wore.
Not to be discouraged, I thanked her for her help and just reminded myself that I actually zipped the other dress...nothing that about 25 lbs couldn't really fix. So, I have my eyes set on that dress. What a great external motivation to continue to run and make good choices. I will post the pics when I get this dress. Actually, the greater challenge would be for me to find the exact same dress at half the price cause it was a bit pricey. I love a challenge!!! Check back with me....
Sunday, February 19, 2012
I was running late today (2 puns intended) , enjoying this Sunday morning, trying to get in some miles before church. As I started up the street the block over, I begin to hear pounding hooves behind me. Yes, the runner's nightmare, a dog!!! This was my normal 3 mile course, safe, no dogs just dangerous sidewalks. As I heard the drumming of those feet, in that split second, I had to make a decision, fight or flight. I am a coward, through and through, and flight would typically be my option but this 50lb dog with 2 more feet than me was certainly going to catch me within 10 feet, so I stopped to fight. I did give warning to the owner who was trying to retrieve the dog, "You better get your dog" as if I was going to use one of my P90X back kicks on him and just keep going. HA! As the dog closed the gap and got within biting distance, I faced him (you know, facing the giant) and extended my hand to him, such as an olive branch of good will and peace. His response was to show his teeth and growl but I took it as a good sign that he was wagging his tail. I might have miss read that last sign. I did speak in a friendly voice, calm, low pitched, telling him he was a good boy, all the time facing him while he circled me. Finally the owner, began to gain some ground from the back of his house, of course with another dog in tow and slowly enticed his beloved pet to return to him. I continued that first mile at almost record pace, finishing the 3 miles with a decent time.
When we are confronted with difficult situations, we have typically two choices, fight or flight. Each circumstance can demand either of those choices and it would be quite right in that incident. A great example of fight/flight can be viewed in the life of David in 1Samuel. He faced a lion, bear, Goliath, hide from King Saul and faced King Saul. Of course those are just a few of his life events. It can be difficult to discern the right course of action but in all circumstances, God is with us.
My life verse which is a verse that has just resonated for a long time in my life is Joshua 1:9 " Have I not commanded you? "Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go". We have been many places and done some things that only God could do through us, all of which could not have happened with out the assurance that God is with me wherever I go......even running the race.
When we are confronted with difficult situations, we have typically two choices, fight or flight. Each circumstance can demand either of those choices and it would be quite right in that incident. A great example of fight/flight can be viewed in the life of David in 1Samuel. He faced a lion, bear, Goliath, hide from King Saul and faced King Saul. Of course those are just a few of his life events. It can be difficult to discern the right course of action but in all circumstances, God is with us.
My life verse which is a verse that has just resonated for a long time in my life is Joshua 1:9 " Have I not commanded you? "Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go". We have been many places and done some things that only God could do through us, all of which could not have happened with out the assurance that God is with me wherever I go......even running the race.
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Have you ever had one of those mornings that just needed to be "restarted". Today was that type of day for me. I rushed out of my house, making a prediction of a bad hair day in the making due to all of the fog, jumped in the car, started it up and put it in reverse. Within seconds, I felt a jerk and instantly knew that I hit one of our cars that was parked behind me. Of course, it was the car that we had just gotten out of the shop yesterday. Fortunately, the only damage was a tear in the license's plate. So I got out and went to the kitchen window, used sign language to tell Darrell that I had hit the car but everything was OK...I am sure you can imagine my communication skills. I finally successfully backed out of the drive and away I went to school. About three blocks away, I began to dig in my big black purse for my cell phone. Who could go an entire day without being connected to the world? So I back-tracked quickly, having almost a head on as I came around the corner to my house. Now with the cell phone glued to my hand, I was on my way again.
I try really hard not to be late but this morning, was going to be one of those days. As I was lamenting the the possibility, I realize today was school staff photo, hence the reason I was wearing my school shirt which just added additional pressure to be at school on time. Whew what a start of the day, not to mention the stresses that occurred throughout the day.
I certainly need to be refreshed and renewed. Strengthened for the many task before me.
I try really hard not to be late but this morning, was going to be one of those days. As I was lamenting the the possibility, I realize today was school staff photo, hence the reason I was wearing my school shirt which just added additional pressure to be at school on time. Whew what a start of the day, not to mention the stresses that occurred throughout the day.
I certainly need to be refreshed and renewed. Strengthened for the many task before me.
| Isaiah 40: 30-31 (NIV) |
30 Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;
31 but those who hope in the Lord
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
Have a blessed day.
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Wow, the day of love...a wonderful day for people to intentionally declare to their love ones their heart felt feelings. These declarations come in so many forms and certainly can hang a high price tag. But I would venture to say, especially for us moms, the best gifts are the ones that come with personal time invested such as a handmade card, those wonderful school projects and unbelievable bear hugs.
How did you choose to express your love today? For most areas of my life, I am highly organized and very deliberate, well planned and prepared. However, when it comes to Valentines Day, I am a last minute person, rushing around to get a card at the most. This year, I really wanted to bless my husband with a surprise gift. I shopped yesterday and arranged everything neatly in a bag. I was going to leave this morning early, go by his office and leave it on his desk....at least that was the plan.
Early this morning, after my workout, my husband reminded me that I had to take him to the mechanic's to retrieve the car (yes an unplanned expense). So I quickly adjusted my thinking, rushing to the car to hide the gift. I dropped him off, starting to run behind but knowing I could pull this off.
I pulled into the parking lot, jumped out, unlocked the office and hurried to turn off the alarm. I sprinted down the hall to his office, place the gift on his desk and returned to the alarm box. Just as I started to set the alarm and dart out of the office within the 30 seconds of delay, the alarm system went off, loud and clear. I had not entered the correct code and set the building alarm off. Knowing that the police would be on their way within minutes if I did not turn off the alarm I considered my options. I certainly did not have time to wait for the police and explain my actions, hoping to salvage my surprise or I would be late for work. My only option was to call Darrell, get the right code to shut off the alarm, spoiling my surprise. So sadly, I called, confessed my actions and got the code, shutting off the alarm just as the security company called for a password. So much for pulling off a special surprise, actually I guess it was a surprise.....
I hope that someone has told you today that they love you, value you, need you. Here is an additional love song for you!!!!! Have a blessed evening.
How did you choose to express your love today? For most areas of my life, I am highly organized and very deliberate, well planned and prepared. However, when it comes to Valentines Day, I am a last minute person, rushing around to get a card at the most. This year, I really wanted to bless my husband with a surprise gift. I shopped yesterday and arranged everything neatly in a bag. I was going to leave this morning early, go by his office and leave it on his desk....at least that was the plan.
Early this morning, after my workout, my husband reminded me that I had to take him to the mechanic's to retrieve the car (yes an unplanned expense). So I quickly adjusted my thinking, rushing to the car to hide the gift. I dropped him off, starting to run behind but knowing I could pull this off.
I pulled into the parking lot, jumped out, unlocked the office and hurried to turn off the alarm. I sprinted down the hall to his office, place the gift on his desk and returned to the alarm box. Just as I started to set the alarm and dart out of the office within the 30 seconds of delay, the alarm system went off, loud and clear. I had not entered the correct code and set the building alarm off. Knowing that the police would be on their way within minutes if I did not turn off the alarm I considered my options. I certainly did not have time to wait for the police and explain my actions, hoping to salvage my surprise or I would be late for work. My only option was to call Darrell, get the right code to shut off the alarm, spoiling my surprise. So sadly, I called, confessed my actions and got the code, shutting off the alarm just as the security company called for a password. So much for pulling off a special surprise, actually I guess it was a surprise.....
I hope that someone has told you today that they love you, value you, need you. Here is an additional love song for you!!!!! Have a blessed evening.
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Hebrews 12:1-3
1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.(NIV)
Who would have thought that at 51, I would start running. I have never really enjoyed running even when I was a college athlete. It was just something that was part of training, warming up, a directive by the coach. So for me to actually chose to run is an oddity. So now it has been over a year and a half that I have been hitting the pavement, usually in the early morning hours putting miles on the running shoes that my children gifted me on my 52 birthday.
On long runs, I actually have time to think, pray and consider the day a head of me. Such was yesterday, starting my 5th mile, deep in thought, something caught me eye. Distracted me from the focus of my run. I was running on the uneven sidewalk, which can be more dangerous than the street. As two cars approached, I took my eyes off the path and looked to my left. In that split moment, I stumbled and fell. I quickly gathered myself (since the time clock was ticking) and resumed my stride, bearing the pain in my hands and knee.
God brought to mind I Corinthians 10:12 "Therefore let him who thinks he stands, take heed lest he fall". (NASB) The analogy is that as I was running my race, on the path set before, thinking all is good, a momentary distraction caught my eye, lead me to take my eyes off of where I was going and I fell. Such is life with temptations, most of which are flirting thoughts, like clouds that float by, here now and then gone. However, the consequences are far reaching. Some very painful and can be crippling.
I recovered from my fall yesterday but feel the affects even today. I will continue to run but will keep my eyes on the path set before me both physically and spiritually.
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