"Missing Out" or "Picture? Yeah, Right!"

We were in Washington D.C. last week and while we were touring one of the Smithsonian Museums, I came across a fascinating exchange between a mother and a teenage son. They were at one of the many "photo op" places in the museum and there were 3 kids standing there in crazy poses waiting for their picture to be taken. Then I overheard Mom call over to their teenage son and say, "Hey, jump in, I want a family picture." To which the son sarcastically replied, "Don't see it happening!", refusing to get in the picture and looking around to who (Girls????) might be watching.

I thought to myself, what a wasted opportunity! Now everyone knows I love a good "photo op". (Just look at my albums) The reason I love them because it is a reminder of where I have been, what I have done, and the lessons I have learned. Being ADD, a lot of times I can be very forgetful of places and people I have encountered. So, these pics are reminders for me so I won't forget. I need them and want them to remind me of good times and bad. Of joys and struggles. Of rain and sun! Or else I would have the tendency to only remember they bad, struggles, and rain. Not all pictures are flattering, and not all are what they appear to be. But that's O.K. They serve the purpose we need for them.

So document the past and the present. Post them on Facebook and on your computer. Show them off and watch the eyes roll. It's O.K. You have them for you and that if what's important! It doesn't matter what others will think. Jump in and strike a pose. Who cares whose watching!!! After all, this is for you!!

"Misery Can Be Adventure" or "Take Heart"

Last week we decided to go to a movie at the Drive-In Theater. We figured that there would be no better way to watch a drive in movie than in the Jeep. We had the top down, the doors off and headed out. As we were driving, we looked up and saw the dark, looming clouds hovering over us promising rain at the next possible moment. We explained to the girls that we may get rained on and it would be cold and maybe a little miserable but on this adventure the end would be worth it. Kisha, then, looked up at us with a big grin on her face and said, "Well, misery can be adventure too."

How right she is!!!!! It is during the dark looming clouds which hover over our loves that we forget to see the adventure in it. Adventure is all about the uncertainty and unsteadiness of the trip. What better trip is there than life itself? One of the only real promises we can be sure of in this life is that there would be suffering in this world. But Jesus tells us to take heart, be courageous, don't worry because He will give us peace and the knowledge that He has already overcome the world.

So, go driving in the rain with the top down and enjoy the adventure!!!!

"We Did It!!!!" or "We Are Not Alone"

This past Saturday, the 4 of us decided to go to the BBQ Fest in Owensboro and and run the 5K. Mysha and I would run and Kisha and Mommy would walk Kisha's 1st 5K. Mysha & I ran together until the very end until I sprinted ahead and beat her by 15 seconds. (Hey, she's gonna beat me soon enough as it is on her own!) Then she stayed with Nana while I went back to check on how Mommy and Kisha was doing. When I caught up to them Kisha yells out for me and is so excited I came back for them. Steph told me about the whining and the crying that had transpired for 2/3 of the race and Kisha had done some of it too. (OOOOOHHHH, I am gonna pay for that one!) But when I arrived it seemed as if all was well. Kisha had even decided to run a little of it with me. We finally finished and decided to wear our shirts proudly of the accomplishment of finishing as a family. That night we were resting in the living room when Kisha comes out with a shirt that had 5K prominently displayed on the front it written in marker and the words, "I did it with Mommy!" on both sleeves. The only problem was, it was mommy's shirt she wrote on. Then we found hers and she did the same to her shirt. Mommy loved it, and Kisha wore hers to school today to show everyone what she accomplished over the weekend!
It occurred to me that her first thought was to recognize the fact she didn't do it on her own but with the help of others helping her, encouraging her, and sometimes pushing her to finish. She admitted the fact she couldn't do it own her own but needed help. Why is it so hard for me to admit the same thing? Why is there this incessant need to make everyone believe I could do anything on my own? The truth is, there is NOTHING I do in life of which I can claim credit for doing all by myself. I have needed and gotten help every step of the way and will continue to get help forever more. And here's the thing, it's O.K. This is the way God has designed it. We all need help in all we do. Ultimately, that help is from God. "Without Me, you can do nothing." I have seen His hand help me all my life through parents, family, friends, and yes, at times, even through strangers. So thanks to everyone who has gotten me to this place in my life!!!!

BTW: We still have a lot of work to do!!!

"Fat Albert's The Best" or "Thank God For Editing"

On a rainy day this week, the girls and I were bored and decided to watch some shows on Netflix. As I was scrolling through I came across 2 of the shows I used to watch when I was a kid; Rocky & Bullwinkle, and Fat Albert. I went on and on telling the kids how much I loved these shows and how much they would like them as well. I told them stories of Boris and Natasha, Dudley Doright and Mr. Peabody. I even quoted Bullwinkle and Fat Albert a couple of times. (Nothing up my sleeve!" or "Hey Hey Hey!")

As we turned it on, I have to admit I was disappointed in the girls' reaction. I wanted them to enjoyed these beloved shows in the same way I did. I could not understand why they weren't as amused as I was, until I sat and watched it with them. I couldn't believe what I was watching. Where was the amusement, the laughter, and the joy I once had in watching these shows? Why was the feeling of nostalgia the only positive feeling I had? Then I realized something I have been dreading for a long time now. I realized that the days of my youth were ... o.k., here it is, they were "the good ole' days". And now I was wondering why they seemed so good, when they clearly weren't.

I figured out I have a edit button for my memories. This edit button does well in splicing together all the good parts in a situation and then displays them in my brain. I come away with a happy memory which may or may not have happened exactly as I remember.

The really cool thing is God has a edit button too. He says if I confess my sin to Him and repent of it, He forgets them. It may be more difficult for me to do so but God casts them as far as the east is from the west. Thank God for editing.

P.S. I still think Rocky & Bullwinkle, and Fat Albert are cool!!!!

"Biting the Wind" or "God, I Know You are There, Right?"

The other was so beautiful outside that I had to take the top off my Jeep, get my best girl (and my only), and my dog and go for a ride. As we were driving down the road, I happen to glance back and witnessed Ruby with her head stuck half way out the Jeep, trying to bite the wind as we drove. She seemed to have this confused look about the whole scenario. She could feel the wind, hear the wind, and knew it was there, but when it came time to eat the wind she came up empty.
This can be the similar to our experiences with God. As we go through life, we know He is there, we can feel Him and sometimes even think we hear Him, but when we reach out and try to use Him to satisfy our own appetites, He seems decidedly absent. Then we walk away so confused and bewildered.
One of the reasons we become so disappointed with God lies within the deep recesses of our motivations. We have turned God into a cosmic Credit Card, or a year long Santa Claus. We have turned God into a way to satisfy our own pleasures and wishes. But isn't about giving you everything you want, in fact we were created for His pleasure. It is important that what we do in life has the sole motivation behind it of pleasing God. That is not to say we must become a monk and deprive ourselves of good things in life. But some of those things will come when we turn our eyes off ourselves and onto Him.

BTW: I want to apologize to any of you who may have been following behind me that day. We are aware that Ruby has a slight drooling problem!

"My Brackets Busted!" or "God has a plan"

Well, I now have a busted bracket. Kansas losing last night was a big blow to all my predictions for the NCAA Basketball Tournament. I was really surprised because I had planned so meticulously. I did my research, crunched the numbers, and listened to all the experts. However, in spite of all my preparations, I still got so much of it wrong. I was still blindsided by the incredible buzzer beaters and the unbelieveable efforts of the teams who had no chance to win, yet did. I shouldn't be surprised because this happens year after year and I still come back every year and fill out my brackets and watch it go down in flames.
As I take a step back, I realize this is not an unusual occurance especially in every day life. We take great pangs in planning and preparing every aspect of our lives. We plan our futures in regards to getting married, having kids, planning careers, and celebrating traditions. Then out of no where, we get blind sided. A health crisis, a lost job, a death in our family and a host of improbable situations which spring up and turn our world upside down. So how do we deal with this? How do we live in the midst of all this uncertainty and unrest?
The only I have found to live in an uncertain and upsetting world is to live by faith. The Scriptures describes a life of walking by faith and not by sight. We will never have good enough plans, enough financial stability, or even having lengthy family holiday celebrations. We must live a life which the situations and circumstances determine and dictate what we do in our lives. Rather we should realize and understand God has every thing under control. He is never surprised by the things which seem to catch us off guard. He is always aware of what is going on in our lives not just for today but tomorrow as well. So we fix our eyes on Jesus who is our salvation and our sustainer. We can trust that He knows and is already prepared for it. So let us live with the joy of knowing we can trust in Him.
Oh yeah, My brackets may be mostly busted but I am glad I can still say, GO BIG BLUE!!!

"Find It Here" or "Hide and Seek"

This past week Baptist churches all across Kentucky started passing out bags to every home in a campaign called "Find It Here". We have been getting ready for this important ministry as well. In the midst of preparing and praying, I have been thinking about the theme of this event. It immediately brought my mind to a childhood game we used to play called "Hide and Seek". One person would close their eyes and count to predetermined number and the rest would scatter off and find the best place to hide. Then the counter, or the seeker, would begin their search to find the people who were hiding. Once they found one of them, then the game really picked up. The one who found the "hider" would try to tag them before they made it to base. It was so frustrating to work so hard to find someone just to watch them out run you to the base. Then you had to start all over again trying to find someone else until you were able to not only find them but also be able to catch them once you found them.
A lot times I feel like my relationship with God is a lot like Hide and Seek. It feels like He is hiding from me, and when I do finally find Him, I have a hard time trying to catch Him. This can be troubling because we read in His Word, "If you seek after Me, you will find Me." That sounds so simple, right? Then why does it seem so hard?
When I played Hide and Seek, I would find someone, then chase after them. When I chased after them I would inevitably find someone else and leave the one I was chasing to try and catch this new and hopefully slower (easier) hider.
Seeking after God is easy, continually pursuing Him is not so much. There seems to be easier ways to find what we are looking for but in the process we miss out on what we really need. And here's a hint about this chasing God thing. He's running away from you, He leading you to something better. You see, God's favorite game is not "Hide and Seek", it's "Follow the Leader"!

"Rites and Rituals" or "Getting God Out of Church"

As we live, breathe, and exist, we seek to touch something or someone beyond ourselves. So in our attempt to reach the unreachable, we have created symbols and ceremonies to remind ourselves we are not alone. We sing our doxologies, chant our ancient prayers, and wear our Sacred garments. While they may their place, there has been unintended consequences to our habitual offerings. One of these consequences is that we have replaced the worship of God with the worship of worship. These things have become so important to us, we find it impossible to connect with God without them or if they are changed.
Another unintended consequence is that these traditions have encouraged the idea that God belongs in the church and everything else is life. These traditions have bound us to worship in a place or at a specific time. However, Scripture is not just about the church, but is mostly about everyday life. How we interact with God and how we interact with each other are themes and instructions of His Word. He created life, so wouldn't it make sense He is a part of all aspects of life.
So instead of spending all our time in the rites and traditions of a place (which aren't found in Scripture) Shouldn't we spend the days, weeks, months, and years celebrating the gift God has given us, the gift of life.

"Winter Blahs" or "Set Me Free"

I know it's been two weeks since my last blog. But I just couldn't muster up the energy to post anything. Winter is really getting the best of me. It always does. I hate winter more than any other time of year. I miss my summer breezes, my Jeep going topless, the sun shining down, getting out and about without it taking an hour to get all the clothes on. Instead, we have to endure the bitter cold, the incapacitating ice, and the constant chill that never seems to go away. Every year around this time, I feel as if I am living in Narnia, where it was always winter but never Christmas.
I have found there are times in this season the weather does impact every part of my life, including my relationship with God. I just want to hibernate all the time and sleep in until Spring gets here. I want everyone to leave me alone and that includes God. But he loves me too much to leave me alone. He loves me too much to let me hibernate and hide from the world. He still has plans and purposes for me and I must fulfil these plans to grow in Him. We wants to break through the snow and ice of my heart and warm me with an everlasting love which will fill my life with joy even in the tough times I endure. I will find my joy in Him.
But just in case, Summer come quick, Please!!!!!

"Waiting For The Storm" or "Greater Anticipation"

I am sitting in my office looking out the window, waiting. The weather said that there was a snow storm coming our way and we could get a lot of snow tonight. and yet here I am at 1:00 in the afternoon waiting for what I know is coming and still hoping it gets here sooner rather than later. I have been imagining all day what tomorrow will bring with the snow on the ground and the fun we are going to have out in once it gets here. I can already taste the hot chocolate and feel the snow. I can already see the snow angels Kianna is going to make and the snowballs Mysha is going to throw at me. It has been a struggle for me to concentrate all day on the work I have to get done here in my office today because of the excitement which is to come.
I wonder why I don't feel the same about Jesus sometimes. I know He has promised great things in His word. He has promised He is going to come back and I know He always keeps His promises.I also know He wants to do great things in me and through me. And yet there are times I doubt. There are times I don't care. There are times I question and yes, there are even times I am so distracted by so many other things, I forget. Yet when He comes He promises to make all things new, not just better, but new. This is an amazing promise He has given us. When I truly sit down and think about what those days must be like I get excited about it. About how lives will be transformed in front of my very own eyes. About how people will find a life fresh and new every morning. About being around a group who are broken and humbled like me, yet feel so alive in the grace which has been given to us.
Yeah, When I think about what He is going to do, I just can't wait for the storm, His storm. So look out the window, Imagine the possibilities, and get ready because He is coming and it's going to be great!