Month: September 2019

“Come,” he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!” Matthew 14:29-30

The adventure is starting! Not really true. I don’t know about your life, but we’re seemingly always in one adventure or another. It certainly didn’t begin today.  We start our adventure when we’re born.  It doesn’t start during some event besides birth!  The story (adventure) of a person’s life is their book. Then, we have all kinds of individual adventures within that book. Those are our chapters. “Say Yes” would be the title of our current chapter.

Would you like to jump into opportunities when they’re offered? Yes.

What do you think of selling your house? Ok.

How about picking up and moving to another state? Sure…

Are you willing to look outside your comfort zone? I suppose…maybe…

If you’re scared, will you try anyhow? What are we trying…I mean yeah.

Faith over logic? Of course. Wait, what all am I agreeing to?

Yes gets a little shaky, but is still an affirmative answer.  This is where I start thinking I need to change my yes into a more confident, strong one!  If I’m going with it, I need to get the shaky out of there and focus on that faith over logic when the logic is creating fear.

When I’m needing to walk in faith over logic, when  patience becomes key again, when I need to dig deep down and find that confidence that sometimes hides, and when I need to trust that even if everything isn’t perfect and I’m not walking alone, then I have flashbacks to past lessons.

It’s when I put those past lessons into practice, I uncover that daring Indiana Jones inside me and take a leap of faith. It’s me turning into confident Peter stepping out of the boat and walking on water. See what I’m saying? The learning of the lessons over and over on a small scale (which never seem very small at the time) brings us to bigger and bigger options to show we’ve grown.

My brain! See how it goes off on tangents? I was just trying to say that I’m with my family on an adventure…a journey. A trip taking two months (off and on) of travel. Some of it’s simply tagging along with my hubby and others are accepting opportunities presented to us.

We left home the other day seeing something that started our trip out in the best way possible. I love it when visual scenes in life are huge learning experiences for me!  Learning through life is one of the best possible classes.

As we were driving, I saw an adult with two children waiting for the bus. They were in a circle with their hands joined together in prayer. What a way to start the day for those young students! The picture they made had me teary. I saw hope, love, and goodness shining around them.

We went several more miles down the road to another picture of an adult and two children. There wasn’t any engagement among the three this time, and the adult was typing on her phone. Personally, I felt an overwhelming loneliness inside. I’m not saying this was the truth or the whole picture because all kinds of great things could’ve been happening with those three, but it was the scene I was “shown”.

This was a wonderful lesson for me as we started our drive. Let me share what I learned after asking for forgiveness for my own ignorance and judgment.  I was reminded to see as God sees.  Even in areas that don’t seem to be a challenge to us, we find ourselves being reminded in order for us to stay humble.

Those lessons:  First, look for light where you least expect it. Scratch that; expect light all around. Second, turn off to tune in. How often do we make one another background noise while our focus is on something not as important?  Third, make up the mind and step out, but when we do, expect success.

Indiana Jones and Peter had to take that step. Seeing the bridge after Indiana Jones took the leap of faith was a reward. Peter had to take step after step while keeping his focus on Jesus rather than fear. When it turned to the fear, that’s when he stopped moving forward and began to sink.  He needed faith over logic.

What do you want to do? Stay in your comfort zone and continue where you are or expect light in areas that seem dark? Faith over logic.

Begin your “Say Yes” chapter today!

“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. Matthew 7:24-25

It’s been over twenty years now since my hubby and I were planning our wedding. During that long engagement phase, some counseling was required. I recently had someone ask if I was an overachiever when I was younger. Maybe this was an example! We respected one another’s churches, so that meant we wanted to include both our pastors in the wedding ceremony. That required going through two different counseling preps. Best thing ever!

I’m a strong believer that it’s best to begin how you want to continue. This was one of the strongest examples of that thought process working. Since we came from two different denominations, each had their own way of preparing a couple for marriage. We were excited to set aside time to learn the best ways of handling a variety of situations and talk about expectations before we were married. The wedding was exciting, but we knew it was vital to have our main focus on our relationship and the marriage rather than the wedding itself.

Positive, enlightening, and fun would be my description of the time spent preparing before our vows. I loved the idea of getting a good foundation from the beginning and building from there. Both pastors’ requirements came with huge benefits. It was where we learned to grow together.

The first way was through counseling with my pastor where there was a list of books that she wanted us to read and discuss. This brought us even closer together and we’ve returned to this way of growth several times throughout our marriage. She guided us into good communication.

The second way was through a course called Pre-Cana. It was a delightful two evenings helping us look at potential problems that could emerge after marriage if not discussed and shared before the wedding. I’ll never forget the couple who spoke to the group during the last session. They were like us and came from two different denominations. It was clear the similarities beat out all differences…Jesus Christ. This guided us into a way of being able to respect each other when we thought differently because ultimately our vows that we were about to take would beat out our changing emotions and allowed for Jesus to be our center.

I recently read a conversation in a book from Bree Livingston where I loved the advice a woman was giving her brother on relationships. She was telling him how he would hurt the woman he loved.  He seemed just thrilled for her vote of confidence, but she continued by saying, “And she’s going to hurt you. It’s life. And it isn’t about how much you hurt each other. It’s about what you do when you realize you’ve hurt each other. Do you walk away, or do you make it right? It’s loving and laughing and fighting and being strong enough to bend when you need to. It’s compromise and forgiveness and grace.” She continued by saying, “It’s a partnership all the way to your soul.”

That’s what we were learning in those classes…a partnership. A partnership that doesn’t becoming easier or even less work after the wedding. It’s something that needs continuous work all throughout life. When we don’t set aside the times to work through issues and grow together, we start to just drift through our days, and instead of even a stagnant marriage, we start to see deterioration. This is dangerous. What we do see if we set aside time, like those classes taught us, is a strength that allows us to accept changes gracefully. It helps us remember what’s really important.

Why have I been thinking on this lately? Changes. It brought me right back to those two classes. First, I was reminded to set aside time to stay connected with my hubby during craziness, adventure, and change. Second, for each change (just like the difference in the denominations), there’s a bigger constant. Third, there’s something extremely comforting in knowing that Someone out there is in the unknown periods with us but is in the know. Paths are being made when we don’t have the directions yet, hope is being renewed when we don’t have eyes on the end result, and humor is being thrown into the mix when we start to take things too seriously.

Our house was listed for sale today. A lot of change is happening. My hubby’s work has changed, and our location is going to change. The inner workings, our foundation, has not. We don’t know when our house will become someone else’s. We don’t know when we’re moving. We don’t know which house will become ours; however, where we are, our home is. We’re together, we’re communicating, and Jesus is still the center. It’s time for our adventure.

I challenge you to step out into the unknown, being sure in your knowledge that your foundation is on the Rock.  Love, laugh, fight, and be strong enough to bend when you need to.  Compromise, forgive, and show grace while knowing life isn’t about standing still, it’s being ready to step into new paths together.

He had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. There above it stood the LORD, and he said: “I am the LORD, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying. Genesis 28:12-13

We’ve been experiencing monsters in the backyard, and today they multiplied. This creates two different reactions in my house. One is awe from my hubby and sons as they turn into their 4-year-old selves with noses practically pressed against the windows. The other is distrust from the big, brave poodle when the huge claw comes close to the house. Right now, he decided if he can’t see it, it can’t see him.

It’s the second day of hard work for the crew that’s putting in a whole new septic system at our house. A project that has been long in the works. Dirt and gravel have been delivered, holes have been dug, tanks have been put in, and dirt and gravel have been spread. This is a step in the process of some changes in our lives.

There have been a couple things that have stuck out to me, besides the guy operating this equipment being truly gifted. He is so precise in handling the massive excavator it’s as if there’s a solo dance going on out there. I wouldn’t want him to know my thinking though, since that might seem a bit girly. Let’s talk about what I learned.

First, our old yellow lab is still daring my hubby to find him even after death. When he died, we had his ashes sealed and put into a concrete slab which we buried in a spot he liked to rest in our backyard. Imagine our surprise from finding out they were going to be digging up that area! My hubby and boys got their shovels out with the little 3×5 card giving the measurements where he was located.

The amateurs started digging before the professionals could get here. Guess what? They couldn’t find the old boy. Now, in a way, this didn’t really surprise us. He was definitely my dog, and the hubby had a bit of a rocky relationship with him.

It irritated my hubby to no end when he tried to give him a command only for him to be ignored and have him turn toward me to find out if he should listen. This was especially the case when he was running free outside. He tended to hide behind round bails of hay when my hubby would call for him. The recall didn’t work too well until I came out.

Yes, my beautiful boy is still hiding from him. I like to think of the big grin that would appear on the old boy’s face when he’d win the battle of hide-and-seek with my hubby. We told the guys working on the septic to keep an eye out for our dog, but so far, no luck.

Second, when I glanced outside today, I saw a hat moving in that gigantic hole. There was a guy in there! It made me wonder about how he got there and how he’d get out. For some odd reason, a crazy picture popped into my head of a ladder (kind of like our folding attic stairs) appearing from the top. I know…there wasn’t a top! Anyhow, it dawned on me that he caught a ride from that skilled driver. He had hopped onto the bucket and allowed himself to be carried there. He was at the mercy of someone else!

This got me thinking about holes we’ve gotten into that were too high to climb out on our own. There was no doubt in my mind that the guy in the hole today was going to hitch a ride back out, but are we always so sure our situations are going to have the same outcome? The holes we often find ourselves in sure aren’t physical, yet a ladder is needed so we don’t feel hopeless and trapped.

If the LORD would show Jacob a ladder after the hole he made for himself in Genesis, don’t you think that He’d do the same for us? Just like Jacob who received promises, that ladder full of promise and hope is there for us too in our most depressing and uncertain times.

The guy in the hole outside was relying on the mercy of the excavator operator today. I’m sure there were no doubts that he would receive a way out.  We want to have that same thought process…no doubts that we’ll receive a way out when we find holes that seem too big for us.

When facing the holes, we need to look for the promises God gives us in the Bible and trust His mercy to help us out of them, even if we were the ones who dug them!  That’s our ladder.

I challenge you to stop thinking of the monster making your hole deeper, and turn your attention to the ladder that will get you out!

If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. James 1:5-7

What was my oldest thinking when he decided to play catch with a clementine as he was about to sit down for breakfast? He might be the greatest pitcher because a catcher he is not. The meeting of the fruit and hand did not happen. This was quite apparent when the crash was heard as the clementine connected with the plate quite violently, while his hand grasped at empty air.

I’m not sure if I said aloud, “Are you serious? How many times have I said…,” but I’m sure there were a few words as I was rolling my eyes before the humor of it all kicked in. This is when those rolling eyes become glazed over before the school day even begins.

That almost adult son of mine did what was most needed. He bust up laughing as he took in the scrambled eggs all over the floor and wall, along with everything else on his plate. I could laugh too when I took a step back and chalked it up to a lesson for him. I swear that kind of thing never happened when he was a toddler learning to eat.

You see, it might seem cruel, but I sat there enjoying my breakfast as he became the janitor and tried to find something other than the food that was now sitting in the trash. Maybe, just maybe, I let it be known how good my breakfast was with a little “yum” every now and then.

Don’t be making that look as you’re reading this. I’ve been telling him to stop messing around with his food since he was a little boy, and some direct consequences were needed. This isn’t because I don’t love him, it’s because I do!

“Where’s the grace?” you ask. Well, thank you for inquiring! I actually thought long and hard about that as I was ready to swoop in to help him clean up and get more food. It felt like I was being led to not get angry and find humor, but I should not hinder a lesson from being learned through direct consequences.

I’ve been thinking lately of my writing or the lack thereof. Was the writing missing because I didn’t know what to say, being afraid to say the wrong thing, or a direct consequence of not setting aside the time to write? Have I been incredibly busy every day? That’s quite an understatement, but being too busy to do what I feel I’m supposed to be doing isn’t just an excuse, it’s disobedience. Some self-reflection was needed in my life.

Here’s what I’m thinking…does God punish when we ask for his forgiveness, mercy, and grace? I don’t think so. I do think that he doesn’t always stand in the way of direct consequences. I believe there are times He’ll intervene on our behalf, but when there’s something we’ll learn better through the hard way, He isn’t afraid to permit that in our lives. It isn’t because He doesn’t love us, it’s because He does. There’s no way we’ll be dealing with it alone though. His wisdom and discernment are one prayer away.

So, am I able to handle the blessings that God is pouring over me or am I allowing the complications that are happening at the same time get in the way of listening to what I know He wants? Did my eyes turn away from the Source because of doubt?

When I start struggling, I do keep trying to learn and get closer to God; however, do I just sit down believing He’ll show up in the words I write? Not all the time. Intimidation, “busyness”, and lack of confidence rear their ugly heads. Does that mean the devil’s got my tongue?  Probably not.  He might use those to make me doubt, but it’s a direct consequence of not sitting down until the words are given to me.

I’m making up my mind to live God’s adventures, whether through opportunities or writing. (More about those adventures that have begun later.) I need to step out of the comfortable and into the new to grow.  When the difficulties come, I can’t let them intimidate me, and neither should you.

Today, I challenge you to walk with one another and be the reminder to someone that it isn’t always the devil they’re fighting. Sometimes we’re simply dealing with the direct results of our actions…direct consequences!  It’s not that we don’t have what it takes to overcome and succeed.  We do.

This is my reminder to you…ask for wisdom, then believe and do not doubt!  You have what it takes.