Farewell 2010

As 2010 comes to an end, I can’t help but reflect over the journey of my year of transition. God has taken me, carried me, and danced with me till I’m dizzy. These are the lessons I’ve learned:

1. I may have my own plans but God has His and I want mine to correspond with His perfect design for my life.

2. I may want to be close to God but until I get my head into His Word, I am just blowing smoke through a straw.

3. My husband and my kids are my main priority and that takes continuous work to remain engaged.

4. I can really live on less. I don’t need all of the stuff that I claim is important to me.

5. I want to surround myself with people that support me 24/7 and can tell me when I’m acting like a fruitcake.

I am so thankful for the journey that God has taken me over the course of 2010. I have learned more about myself than ever before, but most importantly, I have learned what it means to consistently and wholeheartedly seek after my One True God. I can’t wait to see what awaits for 2011.

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

                                                                              Jeremiah 29:11

Leveraging My Influence as a Parent

Do you ever feel like you are behind the 8 ball as a parent?  I just realized recently that I am the parent of a teenager!  When did that happen?  Wasn't it yesterday that we used a french fry in the hopes of enticing her to walk?  Conceding that I could no longer ignore the situation, I decided to search out my local bookstore to find the most current information on how parents should engage their teens.  As I began reading the texts gathering dust on the shelves, I was so depressed with the expert's reports of how natural it is for teens to pull away from their parents.  Yeah, like it takes a rocket scientist for me not to have realized that one.  I have to admit that as I perused the various subject matters that teens face, I was a little daunted.  There were the:  "How to Talk to Your Teenager about Sex" books, "How to Talk to Your Teenager about Drugs" books, and "How to Talk to Your Teenager about Rock and Roll" books.  Okay, so I added that Rock and Roll stuff.  If only it was that easy.  It was during my meltdown in Barnes and Noble that I realized how blessed we are as we traverse this new adventure with our teen.  We have a God who loves us and our children.  We have witnessed the many times He has alerted us to issues that we need to discuss with our children.  They are amazed when we have those discussions, and we all often marvel at how God has maneuvered our circumstances into teachable moments.  It is proof to them that God loves them and wants them to make wise choices.  Our job is to remain engaged in their world and to seek wisdom.  We have also invested in a church, and that investment extends to our children.  It's such a release to know that they have other adults who they can turn to when they need to talk to someone other than Dad and Mom.  We are confident that these other leaders will provide solid guidance because of our united foundation in Jesus Christ.  And finally, we have strategically chosen their extracurricular activities to take place at a Christian arts center.  We know their instructors will not accept half measures from any of our children, and they will also hold our children accountable for their choices. They encourage, praise, and stretch our children. Their investment in the lives of our children runs much deeper than ballet and music lessons. 

I'm not sure where this road will take us next as we continue to enter the "Land of Parenting Teenagers", but I do know that we have leveraged our influence in our children's lives to the fullest capacity.  We have strategically pursued relationships with others so that they may have influence with our children.  We are confident that they will speak in truth and love to them in all circumstances.  What tomorrow brings, there is no telling. Life has a way of changing in a blink of an eye.  However, our faith resides in a God who loves them more than we ever could.  He will guide and direct us all as we live a life that glorifies Him.

Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the door frames of your houses and on your gates.
                                                                     Deuteronomy 6:  5-9

Passion or Timidity?

Truly I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet whoever is least in the kingdom is greater than he.     Matthew 11:11

John the Baptist was an amazing man.  A man most people would have called a little offbeat, strange or downright weird. I don't think he would have made the 'Top 100 People to Follow on Twitter' list.  However, he was a man who had a passion for Jesus.  He spoke with such authority to people from all walks of life about the coming Messiah.  His life demonstrated the power, commitment, and boldness that we should emulate as Christians.  There is no place for timidity in our world.  My husband recently said this: "If you want to join God in the process that He is working out in your life, hang on for an adventure." Do I want that adventure?  You bet I do. 

God doesn't promise that life will be safe or easy.  The people that He wants to touch through us aren't safe or easy either.  However, God wants to use us to make a difference in the lives of others in a way that He's uniquely gifted us to do. Let's walk with a boldness that comes from our love and commitment to Jesus Christ.

Such confidence we have through Christ before God. Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God. He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

                                                                                      2 Corinthians 3: 4-6

President George Bush

Former President George W. Bush has been making the rounds this week as he promotes his new book, Decision Points.  I've been captivated as I have examined his responses to the tough questions about his presidency.  As I've listened and pondered his choices, I cannot escape a key truth:  The man is honorable, and his character has nothing to do with any particular political affiliation.  As a leader, it is imperative that you make decisions seeped in integrity.  There is one particular choice that he has made since leaving office that stands out to me as extremely honorable.  He has chosen not to 'diss' other people by becoming a political pundit and critiquing their choices.  I think my admiration would diminish if I heard him make a slanderous remark toward any political figure, even if he was right.  The lone fact that he refuses to conduct any conversation about Obama's choices makes me admire him more.  

He who pursues righteousness and love finds life, prosperity and honor.
                                                                                    Proverbs 21:21 NIV

A Woman's Way

1 John 4: 11-12

Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and His love is made complete in us.

So many times, I find that I get bogged down in the day to day busyness of life.  I neglect capturing that special moment to giggle with my kids.  I overlook seizing a stolen moment with my husband to remind him how much I love him.  I tend to focus on my never-ending task list instead of my relationships.  Today, I choose to remember the importance of those relationships.  I recognize that I have the ability to breathe love and laughter into my family.  May I never overlook the joy and blessing that God has given me in the form of my family.

Decide On Representation

First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
1 Timothy 2: 1-4


There are certain times in my life when I am aware that I am making a difference in this world. One of those times is when I vote. Marking a ballot grants me access and leverage to leaders who make decisions about my future. It's an opportunity for me to voice an opinion on those decisions they make. Take the time this week to vote.

A Reflection

The power of reflection has been a recent topic in one of my classes this semester. Reflective inquiry is defined as a process of developing new knowledge, which is contingent upon a procedure that assumes knowledge is ever changing and evolving. This idea has made its way into my spiritual life this week. I have recently been faithfully praying about an area in my life. I have committed myself to prayer and I trust in God's direction completely. I have questions and really need His discernment. I think anytime you travel a new road, it can be fraught with a little bit of fear or intimidation. As I was reflecting over the last few days, I was able to see God at work in several situations that brought so much clarity for me. At the time, I knew the things that were happening were God moments, but it wasn't until I was reflecting on them that I realized the value of those experiences. In one major swoop, God had spoke to me, alleviated some concerns, and gave me a sense of His powerful peace. He is working in my life.

I am so thankful that my relationship is constant but also evolving at the same time. As I reflect on Him, I am overwhelmed at His love.

2 Samuel 22:33
"It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect."

Settling In

John 15: 1-4
"I am the vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me."

I have heard this scripture so many times. However, today I experienced it in a new way. I couldn't stop thinking about the word 'abide'. How does one 'abide' in Jesus? We can strive all day long to try to achieve the things that we think Jesus would want us to do, but unless we are 'abiding' in Him, we often come up short. Andy Stanley once made this statement: "The character of Christ is not manufactured by us. It's being produced through us." It's through 'abiding' in Jesus that we are vehicles of His grace and power. We can't make it up and we can't create it ourselves.

I love words. The thesaurus is often my first stop as I delve deeper into a concept. I was interested in dissecting this idea of 'abide'. So here it is: accept, acknowledge, concede, consent, defer, endure, hang in there, hang tough with, live with, receive, sit tight, stand, swallow, take, bunk out, dwell, inhabit, lodge, nest, reside, settle, stay, continue, persevere, persist, survive, anticipate, expect, linger, rest, sojourn, stick around, stop, wait.

Wow. By abiding in Jesus I can see how the character of Christ can be produced through me. My favorite? Settle. Lord Jesus, my greatest desire is to settle in with You. What's your favorite?

A Beautiful Creation

I recently attended an event where girls pre-teen to grandmothers gathered for the purpose of encouraging us all to be safe, healthy, empowered women of God. I have to admit that I got distracted while sitting in my seat. I found myself looking at the over 600 women in the room. I could only marvel at their beauty. Everywhere I looked there was a girl/woman who had a unique look that set her apart from everyone else. The creativity of God's hand is marvelous. I love that He makes us all look different, laugh different, walk different, talk different, and all so beautiful. I often stare with wonder at the beauty of God's creation: the trees, the clouds, a field of flowers. This was my view on the way to school today. I was telling God how beautiful I thought His creation was. Then He brought my attention back to the girls' gathering. I wonder what God thinks when He sees His girls all together in one place like that. I bet that He thinks we are His beautiful creation.

The Top of My List

The law of his God is in his heart; none of his steps shall slide. Psalm 37:31

I love reading. I love getting new insights and information from a variety of books. There is usually a stack of unread books on my bedside table that are "next on my list" to read. Too many times though, I fall victim to good marketing. I want to leverage my influence and be a better leader. I want to discover how I can engage and shape my kids' character. And yes, I want to lose those dreaded 10 lbs and have the body of a 20 year old. The issue is that I am looking for direction from a variety of sources but I am not looking for direction from the Source.

The Bible is the one place where I can go and know that it's 100% accurate. It's not misleading and it gives perfect direction. It tells me to walk humbly, justly, and lovingly when dealing with others. It tells me that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and in this I will prosper in His Kingdom. Reading the Bible: it's at the top of my list.