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But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.” Joshua 24:15

My pup is four years old now and has experienced many new sights, smells, and opportunities to succeed or frustrate me to no end. There have been times when I get so excited with his progress, but we’ve also had our fair share of times where I wonder if he’s learned anything in all the training that’s taken place.

I wanted to get back into our routine that got blown to smithereens during the move, so we’ve taken up our morning walks again. It was time to challenge his attention and my patience by making things a bit more challenging.

As we turned off the road and onto the sand, I really wasn’t sure if he’d be able to focus on me how I wanted him to. This wasn’t our normal route and the overload to the senses could be a very real thing. The sound of the waves crashing against the shore, the sight of seagulls and pelicans flying overhead, and the feel of all those shells on the paws could be quite a distraction for any pup.

It was with great excitement when I recognized we were having quite the enjoyable walk. He was following commands and not pulling! I figured it was time to let him free to do what he wanted to. I still had the leash on him but said, “Free.” That’s his command for making his own choices. He doesn’t have to stay right beside me once it’s given, and he’s always up to a good romp or sniffing out the interesting scents around us.

This time was different. He wasn’t following a command to stay with me, he was choosing to get even closer than he was before through his own free will. When I let him go to make his own choices, he decided to turn towards me instead of away from me! This was huge, and it touched me on a level that was new in our relationship. It meant that he wasn’t listening because he had to but because he wanted to! He chose me.

Suddenly, I was hit with how special it is to be chosen when it isn’t required. I know God’s desire is for us to choose Him, but did I realize how special that can be? There wasn’t anything wrong that the pup would need me; he wanted to be close even though everything was going right. Does it mean as much to God that I would choose him for no other reason than who He is? Wow!

Do you give people freedom to choose you or do you demand it? The results we feel aren’t the same when we command it. If we give the freedom to choose, it might not be what we hope for.  There is a way to lessen that disappointment by being conscience of our decisions of who we are choosing out of our own free will.

If our focus is on choosing God, we won’t have our emotions all out of whack because people in our lives might not be choosing us. It will be a pleasant surprise when they do want to be near to us…not because we insist upon it, but because they want to simply be in our presence.

I challenge you to focus today on your choices.  Will you draw nearer to God by focusing on Him, thanking Him, and wanting to be nearer to Him?  It’s how you can open yourself to fulfillment.  Seems like a healthy choice to me!

Doing things this way, we’re no longer thinking of how lonely we might be because of others’ actions.  I know God never rejects us!  He is always waiting for us to make that free choice to draw nearer to Him.  If we’re glowing with love from that special relationship that is such a personal and free choice, I have a suspicion we’re more likely to have others choose us without demanding it.

While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them. Luke 2:6-7

Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. Luke 2:11

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas! With barely a month into setting up our new home, it was time to head out for our annual holiday excursion. The amount of reflection that needs to be done is at an all-time high. So much has taken place this past year that I know some space is needed to count my blessings without rushing on to the next item on the mental list.

Sometimes we must force ourselves to slow down to give our brain time to process through events. I don’t know about you, but I find it difficult to be in deep contemplation with all the noise around me…noise that maybe I create so I don’t have to think too deeply. Something to consider on this trip!

So far, I’ve experienced fireworks in “surround sound”, visited raptors, toured a college with my oldest, forced my “kids” to get our picture taken with Mr. and Mrs. Clause (much to their dismay), had a few dinners with friends we only see once a year, met awesome new people, and stayed three different places. Whew…have I even mentioned we haven’t made it to our final destination yet? Tomorrow it’s time to slow down to have that quiet time.

In the meantime, we went to a restaurant today that I’ve been wanting to go to for a year now. Because of my excitement, the boys decided it was going to be my Christmas present. I couldn’t wait! They put on their “death” clothes without complaint this morning, which was a gift in itself. I know, I’m sorry about the moniker, but it’s what they call their clothes when they’re getting dressed up since they tend to wear them for funerals. I need to get them out more.

Please let me tell you why I wanted to go there today. Last year, while I was walking down the sidewalk during our Christmas trip, I heard the most beautiful music coming from an open door of a restaurant. I looked through the window and saw bright color clothing and heard the most glorious sound. It was an exciting worship experience through song! As I turned to continue on my way, I caught the name written on the side of the van that carried those musicians. I recognized it! I’d been listening to them for quite some time.

I found out this was something those wonderful singers do every Sunday and was hoping I could be one of the guests to listen on our next trip. For a whole year excitement built as we talked about going. It wasn’t about the food, it wasn’t about getting dressed up, and it wasn’t even about the singers. It was about the experience with my family. I was looking forward to all of us being able to enjoy a special time together that would allow us to make an awesome memory because how could it not me amazing with hymns and carols of the Christmas season being sung by those with voices of angels? We’d be celebrating together!

Interesting thing about our plans…they don’t always work out quite as we expect them to. There can be another side to things that look good on the outside but aren’t as pretty on the inside. It’s important to remember that perfection in human work is impossible. Too many people forget that the special comes from what’s inside rather than what’s outside. Were my boys too worried about the perfection for me that they forgot what would make it perfect? Yep.

You see, an ugliness can take place inside pretty trappings and a beauty can take place in simple, humble, and sometimes smelly trappings. Unfortunately, while waiting, customers felt they needed to be comparing their material possessions. Odd…seems like a lack of confidence inside those dressy clothes. Also, I figured I’d walk around the pretty city while my hubby waited. A seemingly beautiful city can have some dangers lurking within. Although everything turned out fine, things could have ended differently because of not having my eyes opened clearly enough.

When we got into the restaurant, we found out they accepted reservations from certain people, just not us. We were able to get a seat because we arrived so early, but my jaunt around the area made my hubby think we wouldn’t get a place. Oops, some weird rules. The food was good, but the feeling of aloofness was there. Finally, nobody was singing; they weren’t there. Could it all be salvaged? Sure! Laughter, fun, and being with my guys would be all it took. Unfortunately, the stress of perfection made that go out the window.

Today got me thinking about those times of stopping for an unexpected ice cream. We’d spend a few dollars at a little custard stand and have the best time ever. The outside might not have been the most beautiful but the joy inside was. That joy in people can travel with us wherever we go. Simple or elaborate. We can even be in some pretty smelly situations. It doesn’t matter though when the beauty is within. Sounds like a certain barn holding the best Gift offered many years ago.

I challenge you to remember the Gift that can always bring love and joy to any situation because of what’s inside compared to what’s outside. When the inside is devoid of the Gift, no matter the look of the outside, true light won’t shine through. The lack of worship from those wonderful ladies today created a void that wasn’t able to be filled because it seemed like the light went out. The light is you and me. It’s people. It’s love and joy that shines from us. Take away the fancy, and if the light is still shining, you know the Gift was accepted.

Will you embrace the Gift today?

Then he said to me: “Son of man, these bones are the people of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.’ Therefore prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: My people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel. Then you, my people, will know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves and bring you up from them. I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the LORD have spoken, and I have done it, declares the LORD.'” Ezekiel 37:11-14

When the doorbell rang after moving into our new house, I got excited! Oooh, we had a visitor. Two things made me happy about this turn of events. First, someone rang our doorbell. Doesn’t sound too thrilling, right? For me, it was! At our old house the doorbell was located at our front door which NOBODY used, so it was something new for us. I felt quite fancy and made me want to ask the person in for tea. Second, this was a surprise, and who doesn’t like a nice surprise every now and again? Anticipation built as we went to see who was on the other side.

There was a sweet lady standing there holding a gift bag. She was our new neighbor! I did a quick introduction when I saw her outside on the first day we arrived, but that was a bit of a blur, for her and for me. However, there she stood welcoming us into the neighborhood. I have a neighbor! I have a neighbor who isn’t a mile away, and she’s nice! We exchanged greetings, names, and phone numbers while she handed me over an incredibly kind gift.

The boys wanted to dig in something fierce to see what was inside, but they contained themselves until she went back to her house. They looked at me as if it were already Christmas. Please note, these are teenagers. I nodded my head, and they dug in so quickly that I started to think they were deprived of gifts. When I saw one of the first things they pulled out, it all made sense. There they stood with light shining all around them and the Halleluiah Chorus playing while they held out warm, freshly baked banana bread. I’m telling you they can sniff out food a mile away!

I felt so incredibly blessed for having such a thoughtful neighbor. You just never know what you’re going to get when you move into a new house! I was amazed at what all they kept pulling out. There was a perfect gift for every person in our family. There was even fresh thyme and rosemary. Well, if you’ve read any of my previous blogs, you know Julia Child I am not, but how I appreciated their wondrous smell. I was determined to use these fresh herbs.

It was on Thanksgiving when the opportunity came to put that wonderfully smelling gift to good use. I put the rosemary on the turkey and thyme in the stuffing (or dressing). I usually use the dried stuff, but this time it felt so good to use fresh. It tasted delicious too!

This got me thinking about the word dried-up. It often has a negative connotation to it. I had to look it up in the dictionary. I found out it means old and dull, suffering from lack of water, or empty of water. I don’t know about you, but once in a great while I might feel a little dried-up. How depressing is that! Do you ever feel you aren’t as fresh as you once were? You think that your wisdom was at its greatest previously? Well, I think that’s a bunch of bull.

Let me give you another way of looking at things. In that dictionary it also talked about being shriveled with age or wizened. There ya go! Wizened sounds like wisened to me. Wisened would be the past tense of wisen. Wisen means to become wiser. Look at that! Dried-up doesn’t mean a shell of what has been; it means something preserved so it won’t go bad.

My dried herbs are a wonderful seasoning, and they don’t “expire” as quickly as the fresh do. They don’t need thrown away because as soon as you mix them into your food, I realize the aroma and deliciousness was waiting there the whole time. The way I look at life is simple. Use that freshness when it comes to you because it’s an amazing thing, but don’t get depressed when you feel dried-up. Mix yourself right into the excitement of something new and see yourself be transformed into a necessary ingredient.

If you feel dried-up, remember the wisdom. Get out there and become relevant again. It’s up to you if you sit on the shelf or ask for God’s breath to enter you and allow you to live again. Check out Ezekiel 37 today!

But now, this is what the LORD says– he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you, Israel: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. Isaiah 43:1

It would be an understatement to say things have been hectic around here. It’s the kind of craziness I’m excited to take on because we’ve moved! The air mattresses are still going strong after about a month in use, but that will soon change as furniture slowly comes in. Even with a few obstacle courses left of containers and items ready to find their own place to live, we’re getting somewhere. It gives me more motivation to get things done!

An adjustment period hasn’t really been needed. It’s the area we’ve come to for years and have called home for such a long time. We feel like it’s where we’re supposed to be. We all have our own places that welcome us, inspire us, and give us great joy. This is one of those places for my family. Breathing a little deeper, shoulders going down in relaxation, and smiling a bit more is an amazing thing. When you find that, the outside world takes a backseat.

Every single person in our family was on board with moving. Each one of us fell in love and unanimously voted on the house we chose. The only member who didn’t get a say was of the four-legged variety. How would the pup adapt to a new house, new neighborhood, and new view? He does really well when he travels with us, but some places are easier than others. Dealing with “pup quirks” during short time periods aren’t a big deal, but what kind of things would we be getting into?

It could be very stressing to an animal to have many things he’s used to change. Routines have been a little off, locations have changed over and over as we went through the last couple months, and I even changed his bed on him. Really, the main thing the prince got perturbed over was his bed change. He had all of us together; that’s what makes him the happiest.

On a side note, please let me tell you this whole bed scenario and why I might’ve had a few qualms about his change of address. We were in our old house when I realized his bed that fits into the crate (because royalty does require plushness) needed to go. The zipper was broken, and I didn’t want to travel with the raggedy thing. I searched and found a nice memory foam bed that would fit perfectly inside the crate. I was excited at how great it was and on the deal I got. Then, I brought it home.

First off, something foreign was being put into his private space without his permission. That earned me a side-eye and sigh. He let me off with a look that said, “I’ll forget all about this if you just fix the little situation you have going on in my crate.” With that, he left. Secondly, he thought I’d follow his orders. I’m more stubborn. I won. It was still there when he went to retire for the night.

Usually, when a certain time hits, he heads to his crate and doesn’t want to leave the bedroom. I think he expects us to hold all calls until morning. He went to his crate like he normally does, but when he saw I didn’t remedy the problem, he did something that made me throw my hands up and say, “You’ve got to be kidding me!”

He made a disgruntled noise, did an about-face, pranced with his royal head in the air in a quite determined way (while refusing to look at me), walked into my oldest son’s bedroom, and planted himself on his bed, which he never does! He isn’t even allowed on our beds except for the handful of times he got permission first.

The joke was on him because it was just an air mattress anyway. He pretended he didn’t notice that part. I marched him back to his bed as he glared at me the whole way. Yes, he finally was looking at me again. We’ll call it a win. Besides the whole bed fiasco, moving has been fantastic with the pup. He’s quite pleased with the choice we made for him.

What I was concerned about was the neighborhood. We actually have houses around us that you can see without going for a nice, long walk or driving to. We’ve certainly stayed in houses like that before, and also in hotels, but I wasn’t positive on what his reaction would be. He handles most change very well, but there can be an adjustment. A couple places while travelling, he simply didn’t prefer. I’m sure he takes some cues from us…when we’re comfortable, so is he, but the noise and seeing people made me wonder how he’d do.

The view of the water and ducks don’t bother him in the least. I think that we prepared him well with all our trips to this area. He’s given a few “boofs” when seeing people and dogs walking while looking out the window, but nothing a little correction didn’t take care of. Simply telling him to be quiet did the job.

He’s settled in like this was always his home. He’s calm and confident here! The one problem showed itself the other day when my hubby came in saying, “Kelly Girl, you’ve got to take your dog out to go to the bathroom.” I was confused; he was walking in from doing just that. Also, what was up with the “your dog” part? He went on to tell me the noises of the neighbors were keeping him from doing his business. Of course, the prince needs his privacy!

I take him back out and give him the command to do his thing. He circles around a few times, gets ready to go, the neighbor makes a noise, and his concentration is interrupted. We start the process again, and the same thing happens. Each time the circling time period gets longer and longer until he’s circling a bazillion times before trying again.

This is the point when I just realized within a week of being here, the neighbors think I’m a bit loony already. Here I thought this was my new shot at seeming normal.  Nope, I’m standing outside with my dog, laughing like crazy at his antics, and talking to him. Yes, I told him he was ridiculous! He finally went just to shut me up, I think.

I take him back into the house and repeat my sentiments to my hubby, “Your dog is ridiculous.”  His dog now.

I’m so glad God doesn’t hand us off  when we’re ridiculous. He doesn’t get annoyed with us and say to someone else, “Your human is out of control.” Nope, he sticks it out, works through it with us, and prepares for the next time we decide to be ridiculous. Something to be thankful for!

Remembering that even though there might be corrections and consequences to our actions, The LORD still says, “I have summoned you by name; you are mine.”

“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.

And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.” Genesis 3:15

Puzzles are an interesting pastime in my home. For most people, they’re a fun way to spend time together. The enjoyment happens when we’re thrown back to the happy, giggling days of searching for just the right thing during a fun filled game of I Spy. Checkups at the doctors were always much more exciting when scanning the room to be the first to find the item that was blue…or green…or yellow. There’s an enjoyment to finding a match without having to overthink.

When we’re looking for that color match, whether it’s for a puzzle or an I Spy game, we’re escaping from problems or boredom into a more relaxed state. This isn’t always the case with my family. I Spy, yes. They may be a little old for that now, but it doesn’t mean a more complex version doesn’t still get thrown into the mix occasionally. Puzzles, nope. They are viewed with contempt, dread, and absolute horror. If watching my family scatter as quickly as possible is my goal, then a puzzle would be my ticket.

Even though I enjoy a good puzzle every now and then, my island hasn’t seen the spread of pieces in years. In fact, the last time was when the big “Oops, did I do that?” took place.

My hubby happened to pull out something from the fridge. I’m thinking it might have been that powdery parmesan cheese. For some reason he decided to shake it over my puzzle. The lid popped off, and cheese was everywhere! What a mess. I stood there stunned while he stood there in apologetic horror; however, I saw something suspicious in the tiny gleam of hope in his eyes that the puzzle could now just disappear.

Unfortunately for my hubby, I’m quite compelled to complete the puzzles I start. I’m very methodical in my thinking and in the way that I build a puzzle too. There’s a system. First, all the pieces must be taken out of the box, spread out, and turned over. Then, the border needs completed. Next, colors need to be grouped together. Finally, we can proceed to put it together until EVERY LAST ONE is in its place. Therefore, yes, I needed to get in between the puzzle pieces to clean up the mess because they were already sorted!

How much would it have bothered me if, after all that, I was missing a piece? It would have driven me crazy! I’ve learned though, or am learning, two things. One, it can be put together many ways. Two, being short one piece isn’t the end of the world because it’s just a puzzle we’re talking about, right?

The problem is, we can do that with life too. We want all the pieces in life to complete a whole picture, so we need all the pieces to start with. Whenever we open a puzzle box, we expect everything to be there and fit together. When we’ve completed it, we want to fit it neatly back into that box. Wouldn’t that be the way things should go in our life too?

The answer I’ve found isn’t so simple. Just like the version of I Spy becoming more complex as my boys grow, life does too. Not everything can be a final picture and fit neatly into a box in order for us to move to the next one. The longer I’m here on earth, I’m more and more sure that we don’t ever fully close the box from one chapter to the next with all the pieces sealed up nicely and neatly.

After dealing with the continuous feeling of being short one thing during each situation I went through, I had a bit of a revelation. It wasn’t that I was short one thing, it was that one thing was the puzzle piece to start the next chapter. It might be the piece we take with us or the one already waiting for us that made us feel just one short in our last one.

Have you ever made yogurt? Believe it or not, I have. You can use a recipe to make raw yogurt or get a starter from someone else, but then you keep some from each new batch to have a culture starter for the next time it’s made.

This is what I’m saying…it isn’t that we’ve failed in the last mission on this journey in life if we’re short one thing. That one thing can’t be put into the old puzzle because it is needed to begin the new one. It’s needed for us to keep moving from one great adventure to another in life. The final piece completes the puzzle of our earthly life only when we come to the end of that time. The cool thing is, it’s still not over!

We don’t want to stop the earthly progression of life by worrying about being short just one thing or closing the box with all the pieces still in it. That piece could be something we’ve learned, and what a waste to seal it back up because we wouldn’t be on that forward progression.

I challenge you, if you haven’t already, to allow Jesus Christ to be your raw yogurt by asking Him into your life. Since the promise about Christ coming to earth came true from Genesis 3:15, don’t let it go to waste. Satan did “strike” or bruise Jesus’s heal when Jesus took the judgement we deserved by dying on the cross, and Jesus did crush the serpents head when He restored God’s relationship with us. Eternal life is waiting at the end of our earthly one!

Also, don’t let Satan lie to you when he tries to tell you you’ll never get ahead because you’ll always be short one thing. Remember, Jesus already beat him and He who is in you is greater than he who is in this world.

I challenge you to keep using that one thing your short to be your starter instead of your defeat for your next area of growth!

Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.” Genesis 11:7

There were a couple extra teenagers at my house a couple weeks ago, and I asked them if they wanted me to make them a smoothie. This is when things got a little complicated. One of the guys needed clarification on the whole smoothie thing. After I told him what I put in it, he proceeded to speak in a language that was unbeknownst to me while walking away. I used my brilliant inferring skills (meaning I totally guessed) that he was giving me an affirmative answer on the smoothie. He paid me no mind as a hollered after him, “I have no idea what you just said, but I’ll take that as a yes!”

Fast forward to the next time he’s at my house and we’re about to eat. I bring up our previous attempt at a conversation with my oldest standing there. Unfortunately, he wasn’t in the kitchen last time for translation help. Since I’m trying to expand my vocabulary, I asked for clarification on exactly what he was trying to say to me about the smoothie. I was figuring out how to use it in a sentence (best way to remember things). Although, I do suggest we know for sure what the meaning is behind what we’re repeating in the first place.

My oldest looked at his friend in quite the disgusted manner when he taught me the proper phrase with “Gucci” in it. That disgusted look turned more to a horrified face as he turned towards me. He seemed quite fearful I’d start using it on an everyday basis. The look said, “Just…no.” See, now I’m not only learning to interpret phrases I’ve never heard before, I’m expanding my knowledge on facial expressions.

You know I’m sitting here looking up the word “Gucci” in the urban dictionary, right? I’ve heard the brand Gucci, but who knew what I was missing out on! I’ve got to practice. Go ahead and ask me how I am. “Thank you for asking! Dude, it’s all gucci. By the way, your gucci coat is blingin!”

Alright, now you have to say, “Hey whats good with ya?”

My turn!! This is fun!!! I sure hope my boys don’t read this. Ahem…here goes! “Nuttin man im gucci.”

From what I’m seeing it’s usually a pretty positive word! You can’t deny that good, great, awesome, cool, and chill make us feel good when we hear them. I realize cool and chill aren’t as “warm and fuzzy” because I don’t like shivering; however, in this context I’ll take it.

On a whole other note, we’ve been having some crazy things happening here lately. The cicadas are making my mind spin with their noisy partying. It goes on all day long. I’ll keep the house shut up tight to drown out the noise, but nope…still there. They even fling themselves into the windows too. Thankfully the party stops at night.

Also, the weather has been wild. It’s been raining buckets that’s for sure. I thought it was April showers bring May flowers. I don’t remember anything about June showers! We’ve been dealing with storms and tornado issues too.

The other night the lights started flickering. I yelled for the hubby, and he let me know we were having a power surge. Why were we discussing it instead of taking action? I logically (fine…maybe not so calmly and rationally) said, “Everything’s going to be ruined! Throw the breaker!”

Listen, I don’t even know where that really came from. What does throw the breaker exactly mean? Why wouldn’t I just say to turn off the breaker? I know things can trip a breaker. Throwing the breaker is something that people say, right? Can a person throw a breaker? I don’t know…don’t ask me. It just came out of my mouth and certainly made sense at the time.

My hubby wasn’t too amused at my mini meltdown. What made him get uptight since I was trying to lessen the chances of disaster in our home? If the surges were taking place, I knew what kind of damage could be done to our electronics, appliances, and anything else that was plugged in. Timing was of vital importance!

It dawned on me that the problem wasn’t with the storm, it was with my doom and gloom words. When we spout phrases and words without thinking about what we’re saying, damage ensues. I could use the weak excuse that he was being too sensitive, but it probably wouldn’t help my case.

Even with the dips and surges in the electricity around me, my hubby doesn’t want the dips and surges in me. He much prefers when I’m stable and use my words wisely. It wasn’t so much what I was saying, it was how I was saying it…the energy surrounding it.

I might not have understood what was coming out of the mouth of my son’s friend, but I could guess it was a positive thing. I might not have even understood what I was saying with the whole breaker thing, but it certainly didn’t feel like it was for the good of our house to my hubby at the time.

Really, the fault was on both of us. If I would’ve thought about how it might sound better and not put him on the offensive, I would’ve said, “That’s one crazy storm happening out there, and I’d hate for anything to be ruined. How can we lessen the chances for damage here, oh gucci hubby?”

If anything, it might’ve confused him enough to not be annoyed! On the other hand, if he would’ve looked at it from my perspective, I just wanted to minimize any damage from the surge. Unfortunately, I ended up creating more damage than I was afraid of. My words were really just coming from a place of fear.

Let’s try to look beyond what we don’t understand, whether words or actions, to see the meaning behind them. The reason for confusing the language in scripture was for a specific purpose. God was trying to get Noah’s ancestors to go separate ways. Unlike then, today there’s too much misunderstanding and confusion between people.

I challenge you to pull out the dictionary, look at the facial expressions, and truly try to understand what’s behind the words you hear. I know I’m going to try looking beyond what is said that I don’t understand, plus not be so uptight when the electric starts flickering. Oh, everything was fine at our house…just my negativity.

Today, throw your breaker before the urge to say something harmful gets a chance to damage and let love be your translator!