Time Out with God

Like most of you, I have a set morning routine. Most mornings I go through the same routine: get up; exercise; shower and dress; eat cereal while I read my bible; take Chad to school; spend time in prayer and journaling, then get to work. Last week due to some early morning meetings, my routine got out of whack. A couple of days I skipped exercise, only made it partially through my bible reading and as for the prayer and journaling - well, let's just say God only got my drive time. Of course, I could have gotten up earlier and made time for everything, but I chose not to. I realized during the week (okay, re-realized, because God keeps showing me this over and over) that I miss and need my DAILY dose of God - that special quiet time that we spend together - just the two of us.

It doesn't have to be first thing in the morning (although I must admit my day seems to go much better and I'm more focused when it is), but some time during the day I need to take time out and focus solely on God. It helps me acknowledge his presence in my life and it just makes me feel better.

This week I am refocused and committing each day to get my daily dose of God. I hope you will join me in this commitment. If you can't seem to find time in the day - try putting yourself in "time out". Set a timer for 10 minutes - find a quiet place - in the bathroom, if need be - and just pour out your heart to God. Talk to him. Tell him what's going in your life. Then, just sit quietly and listen. Before you know it, the timer will go off and you'll be wanting "time out" again.

Time out with God is one of the greatest gifts you can give to yourself (and to your family). It will change your life. Don't wait! Give yourself a great gift today. You deserve it!

"After he [Jesus] had dismissed them, he went up on a mountside by himself to
pray." Matthew 14:23

My Prayer:

Lord, help me to take time out with you every day. Help me remember that even Jesus took time from his daily tasks to spend quite time with you. Show me the special time that you have chosen for me to spend with you each day and give me discipline to set that time aside for you. In Christ name I pray. Amen.

What's Your Role?

Usually when I pray, it is followed by waiting. Waiting for answer. Sometimes waiting for days, months, even years; waiting and waiting. On a few glorious occassions, I have had the opportunity to witness prayers being answered within minutes. One such occassion occurred in the Atlanta Airport. Now, if you have ever had a connecting flight through Atlanta, you are probably aware that more times than not, things don't go as planned. In fact, I've flown into or through Atlanta at least a half a dozen times and I don't recall ever having a flight that wasn't late or canceled. Consequently, when we plan a trip I make every effort to avoid Atlanta.

Several years back, before I came fully appreciate the perils of the Atlanta Airport, Dennis, Chad and I were flying to Florida. We (I) had everything planned out perfectly. We would leave Oklahoma City early in the morning; arrive in Panama City by noon; pick up our rental car; drive to the house we were renting; and arrive before the rest of our family who was driving from Oklahoma.

It was about 1:00 in the afternoon, and we were sitting in Chili's at the Atlanta Airport (so much for the perfect plan of arriving by noon). Our flight had been cancelled and we could either fly to another location and drive an hour and a half to our final destination, or wait until 7:00 for another flight. Either way, we would arrive around the same time, so we decided to wait and accept the airline's token "free" meal. So here we were, in the middle of Chili's surrounded by endless travelers of the same fate. It was Atlanta after all.

As we looked over the menu, I noticed a young couple sitting two tables down and across the aisle from us. The young woman was visibly upset over the delay of their flight and within a few minutes she was crying. As I sat there, without anyone else knowing, I did something very strange to me - I began to pray for her. At this time in my Christian walk, praying was not something I did too well. In fact, just months earlier when Chad and I had joined the church, I announced to the minister that I would be happy to help in anyway, as long as he didn't ask me to pray. Low and behold, here I was, doing exactly what I had said I wouldn't do: praying for someone - a stranger at that. I'm not sure what came over me - perhaps it was Dennis' announcement earlier that morning, "Chad, mom's a control freak. She can't stand it that I'm holding the tickets and she's not." He was right! It was driving me crazy that I did not have the tickets in my hand. What if he lost them or laid them down? If I had them in hand then I knew things were under control. Of course, I didn't admit that to him. Instead, I told him that was not true and he could just hold onto those tickets. I was going to show him. I was NOT a control freak!

Whatever the reason, at that moment, instead of trying to control or "fix" the situation, I asked God to fix. I silently prayed, "God, please comfort her. Help her to see that a delayed flight really isn't that big of a deal. They are safe and together and that's much more important than being late."

Within minutes, it happened! God answered! He answered through the kindness of a waitress. As the young waitress approached and saw the woman's tears, she sweetly asked, "Are you okay? What can I do to help. I'm sorry it took me a while to get to you." With those kind words, the woman began to share her story. The perfect honeymoon she and her husband had planned, had turned out to be not so perfect. The hotel turned out not to be as advertised; their room wasn't ready when they arrived; it rained almost everyday; they had a wreck in the rental car and now their flight was delayed. As the woman shared the comedy of errors, she began to laugh and realize that those things weren't nearly as important as she had once thought they were. As the waitress left to get the couples drinks, the young bride sat there smiling at her husband. I was smiling too! I had just witnessed God answering my prayer. Maybe there was something to this praying thing after all.

We did finally arrive at our destination... 12 hours late; with no rental car - because they had already closed; and our family that that we were going to beat to the house, had to come rescue us, picking us up at the airport, well after midnight. But all in all, it was a great day! In the middle of the Atlanta Airport, I had witnessed God and perhaps for the first time ever, I knew He really does answer prayers.

As we hurry through the last days before Christmas, I urge you to think about what role you will play this season? Will you be the young bride, worried because your perfect plan isn't working? Perhaps you're the control freak who finally asks God to take over and fix it. Or even yet, perhaps you will get to be God's servant that offers kind words to a stranger. Whatever your role, it is my prayer that you will see God whereever you go. If he can show up in the Atlanta Airport, where things always go wrong, he can show up wherever you go this season... even at Walmart.

"I tell you to pray for all people, asking God for what they need and being
thankful to him." 1 Timothy 2:1 NCV

"I am the Lord, the God of every person on the earth. Nothing is
impossible for me." Jeremiah 32:27 NCV

My Prayer:

Father, help me remember what is important, and to learn to find joy and even laughter when my best laid plans go astray. In my heart I know that you are in control and the only things that really matter are the eternal ones. Help my mind to recognize that as well. Show me how to be a light to others, that they may also find joy in you this Christmas season. Amen.

Worry - Who, Me?

I must admit, I'm really not much of a worrier. I believe that you should take care of the things that you can and not worry about the things you can't. If you can't control them, then why spend time worrying about them. They will either happen or they won't; and if they don't, you've wasted all of that time and energy worrying for nothing.

I'm not sure why I'm not a worrier; perhaps I'm just made that way. I don't recall my parents being worriers as I was growing up. My grandmother, however, that was a different story. She worried about anything and everything; and if she happened not to have anything to worry about, she would just worry about not having anything to worry about. She thought, surely something must be wrong somewhere, and no one told her. Oddly though, I don't remember her ever saying she was worried. Instead, she would say, "I've been studying about that." Translate: "I've been worrying about that." I guess she thought if she studied about it, then it really wasn't worrying, and somehow that was okay.

My husband isn't a worrier either. Consequently, you would think that our son is worry free as well. Not so! He can "what if" the life out of you. Here's a perfect example. A couple of years back, he went on a mission trip with our church youth group to Denver, Colorado. On the trip home they stopped to go white river rafting. Here's an excerpt of the float conversation as relayed by one of the sponsors:

Chad: "What if I fall out of the raft?
Sponsor: "You have a life jacket, and we'll just pull you back in."
Chad: "What if you're not strong enough to pull me back in?"
Sponsor: "I can pull you back in."
Chad: "Yeah, but what if you can't?"
Sponsor: "The guide is a big guy. He can pull you back in?"
Chad: "What if the guide falls out too?"
Sponsor: "Then he can push you back in or get in himself and then pull you back in."
Chad: "What if he hits his head on the rock and gets knocked out?"
Sponsor: "I guess you'll have to swim to shore."
Chad: "What if there are bears on the shore?"
...

You're probably beginning to understand what I meant by, he can "what if" the life out of you. By now, if I'm responding instead of the sponsor, I'm saying "I guess you'll just get eaten by the bear and you won't have to be worried anymore." Probably not the "perfect mother" answer, but it's the one he probably would have gotten from his not so perfect mother.

You may think that Chad's worrying was far fetched. I can assure you, it was very realistic to him. Likewise, I imagine God thinks most of our worrying, though realistic to us, is farfetched as well.

See if this sound familiar:
What if my employer starts laying off people?
What if they lay off my boss and I have to do her job?
Worse yet, what if I get laid off?
What if I get laid off and can't find another job?
What if we can't make our house payment?
What if we don't have enough money for food?
What if because we don't have enough food, the state takes away our children?
What if we lose our house?
What if none of our friends or family will let us stay with them?

I can just hear God now, "This girl is what ifing the life out of me."

Did it sound familiar? I hope not, but for many of us, this is the way we live our lives. What if? What if? What if?

Fortunately for us, God patiently answers us. Just like Chad's sponsor (and unlike his not so perfect mother), each time we "what if", God calmly responds. Even when we're too busy what ifing to hear him in our prayers, he speaks to us through his word:

"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes. Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life." Matthew 6:25-27

I like to think of God as our white water rafting guide. He is there to guide us through the rapid waters of life. Giving us direction; telling us when and where to paddle. If we happen to fall out of the boat, he is there pull us back in. And above all, there is nothing, on heaven or earth, strong enough to knock him out. All we have to do is listen to his direction; enjoy the ride; and reach out to him when we fall out of the boat, because he is already reaching out to us to pull us back to safety.

My prayer:

Lord thank you, for being my guide; for reassuring me that I do not have to worry about the unknown; that you love me and will provide for me. Give me the courage, strength and wisdom to take care of the things I can, and to not worry about the things I can't take care of, and to turn them over to you. Most of all, thank you for still loving me even when I forget to rely on you and what if the life out of you. Amen.

Practice Makes Perfect (or not)

Practice makes perfect. I'm sure you've heard this at least once in your life, and if you're like me, you've heard it over and over - sports, piano, clarinet, washing dishes... Well, I've come to believe (okay, honesty here - I've come to know), it's a lie! Nothing short of a big, fat lie. Don't believe me? Just let me serenade you on the clarinet or the piano and you'll quickly come to agree 100%. Despite all the lessons. Despite all the practice under my mother's watchful eye, and ear, I don't do either one perfect. I don't even do them well!

There is hope though. Although I don't believe practice makes perfect, I do believe that practice makes improvement; even when I don't want to practice at all.

One of the greatest lessons I have learned in my spiritual walk was from my Disciple I teacher, Carol Foster. At the time, I was really struggling with one of my co-workers. When it came time for prayer request, I made the logical request of prayer, for tolerance of my co-worker. You should have seen the look on Carol's face, almost a look of horror. Shaking her head back and forth, as if I had just broken the most sacred of commandments, she told me, "Oh, you don't ever want to pray for tolerance or patience; God just might give them to you." I'm sure she went on to explain further, but I didn't hear another word she said. I was shocked. Carol was a devout Christian, an excellent teacher, a minister's wife and the mother of my minister; how could she, and why would she, tell me not to pray for something I needed? Well, unfortunately, I found out the hard way: practice makes improvement.

You see, people like me think we should (and can) ask for something like patience and get it, just like that. You know, the "God give me patience and I want it right now!" approach. The funny (not funny ha ha) thing is, and what Carol was trying to tell me was, that's not how God works. With God, when we ask for patience, instead of waving a magic wand and poof we have them, most of the time God provides us with situations that require patience. Situations that allow us to nurture and grow our patience. It's the same with tolerance. In order to gain tolerance, we have to come in contact with people or situations that require tolerance. Likewise, in order to really learn to love, like Christ loved, we have to come into contact with the unlovable. Although practice doesn't make perfect, it does make improvement; and the only way we can really improve is to practice.

If there's an area in your life that you need to improve, pray about it. Ask God to help you do better. But don't be surprised if the area becomes more challenging as you nurture and grow the new skill God is teaching you. Worse yet, if you don't learn it the first time through, you can count on it coming around again (and again) to give you a little more practice.

"Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as [daughters]. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it." Hebrews 12:7, 11

My Prayer:

Lord, thank you that you hear my prayers. Thank you that you love me like a parent and that you allow me to grow through life's hardships that come my way. Help me to remember that the very hardships I face may have been brought on at my own request. Thank you for loving me even when I complain about practicing the very skill I have asked for. Amen.

How Big is Your God Box?

One of the things I struggle with, is putting (and often keeping) God in a box. Sound crazy? Well actually it is. I don’t mean I put God in a box and only pull him out on Sunday when its time for church. I mean I don’t let God be God.

Let me explain. Several months back, my business was experiencing slow times. During that time, I began to pray, “God please provide me just one new job a week. That’s all I need to keep things going.” And, God responded. I began to get one new job a week; some large, some small. Then one day, during my prayer time it occurred to me, why was I limiting God to one job a week? Did I think he wasn’t capable of more? Did I think I wasn’t deserving of more? (Now there’s a definitely maybe.) So, at what I believe was God’s urging, I decided to change my prayer. Instead of praying for 1 job a week, I began to pray for God’s provision and abundance, for his will in my life and my work. Well, guess what happened next? The following day, I went to meet with a client – one of my one-a-week jobs – and before I could return home, I had four new jobs. Not one a week – but four in one day! Amazing!

As I drove home, I laughed out loud at myself, and spoke out loud to God (yeah, I’m one of those crazy people you see driving down the street talking to herself), “OK God, I get it. I was putting you in a box. I was limiting the amount of blessing I was asking for and keeping you from blessing me in the way you wanted to. I get it! No more box!”

Our God is a big God, a loving God, who wants to do great things for us. Yet, by limiting our prayers, our dreams and yes, our expectations, we limit God. God has great things in store for you. Start allowing him to deliver them. Take him out of the box and allow him to provide them for you, in accordance with HIS will. You’ll be glad you did.

“If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!”
Matthew 7:11

“… [God] is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us...”
Ephesians 3:20

My Prayer:
God, forgive me for limiting you and your blessings for me by putting you in a box, with my earthly limitations and thinking. Thank you for all of the blessing that you have given me. I open myself up to receive all that you have in store for me, in accordance with your will. May I always remember to give thanks and glory to you, in all things, and to share my blessings with those who are still seeking theirs. In Christ Name, Amen.

Give Thanks in ALL Things

Wow! What a day Thanksgiving was around my house. What I expected to be a quiet, uneventful day was anything but!

I woke up at 7 a.m. to begin cooking. I was finishing up my early preparations, by hurriedly unloading the dishwasher. While trying to balance (too many) plates, one slipped from my hands and crashed onto the beautiful hand crafted glazed bowl, given to us as a housewarming gift by one of my dearest friends, shattering the bowl into pieces. I was hearbroken. Although I bravely told myself it was only a possession, my emotions won out as I cried out and burst into tears. It pained me deeply as I picked up the pieces and dropped the beautiful, meaningful work of art into the trash. My husband, Dennis, who came rushing into the kitchen to see what the commotion was all about, could only let out an understanding, "oh" when he saw what had transpired. Of course, it was all his fault you know. Never mind that I had thought earlier I should replace the beautiful bowl to the center of the kitchen table where it so proudly belonged, or that I could have set down some of the plates and used two hands, instead of balancing them in hand, while trying to put the others away. It was definitely HIS fault. Had he unloaded the dishwasher or at least been helping me instead of watching TV - I wouldn't have dropped the plate and broken our (MY) precious bowl.

After picking up the pieces, I headed off to the shower to sulk, and to get dressed before family arrived. Dennis, of course, had already returned to TV land. When he later came in to get dressed, I didn't waste the opportunity to share with him my conclusion. "You know it's your fault I broke the bowl." Before I could even explain my logic, he acknoweleged, "I know. I take full responsibility." Hmmm- I guess after 24 years of marriage, he had learned something. However, I still felt the need to explain the logic of my conclusion, to which he replied, "I had washed and dried the dishes in the sink. I didn't even think about the dishwasher." Just like man logic - if the dishwasher had been empty, then there wouldn't have been dishes in the sink, now would there. They would have been in the dishwasher! Now I have to take back the credit I gave him for learning something in 24 years of marriage.

Family arrived and dinner went off as planned without another major incident - at least until we were cleaning off the dining room table. Dennis came into the kitchen and told me he needed somthing to clean up mashed potatoes. I gave him a quizical look - wondering is he thought there was some magical mashed potato cleaner upper (now he's really lost all the credit I gave him earlier). I asked if someone had dropped potatoes under the table, to which he replied, "No, on the wall!) As I turned to get him a cloth to clean up the mess, I was met by my mom, carrying mashed potatoes wadded up in waxed paper. She had been carrying the bowl of mashed potatoes, along with other dishes, trying to balance them into the kitchen (so that's where I get that balancing thing - maybe it's partly her fault instead of all Dennis') and the mashed potatoes had tipped out of her hands and onto the wall, finally coming to rest on the floor.

As Mom headed back to finish cleaning up the mashed potato mess, and I turned to help her, I was sidetracked by the sound of glass crashing onto the floor in our sitting area, off of the kitchen. When I turned to look, there sat my dad with his feet on the bottom shelf of the coffee table, asking, "What did I do?" As he had put his feet on the shelf, he had scooted back a book into two crystal coasters which crashed onto the tile floor, sending glass shattering in all directions. The mashed potato fiasco would have to wait. There was a new, more urgent crisis. I now redirected and rushed to begin picking up glass slivers. With everyone's help, we were able to clean up all of the glass without a single injury. Dennis and I had started our marriage with four crystal coasters. Two of which, had survived 24 years, but none would make it to year 25. Oh well, two less things to dust around.

We finished with most of the kitchen clean up without another catastrophy, then retreated to the downstairs game room for a friendly game of cards and to watch football. We had just finished our card game when we heard an awful clatter coming from the kitchen upstairs. I was quite puzzled since everyone was downstairs. Well, almost everyone. Everyone, except our double trouble dog, Shasta! I sent Chad and my nephew, Kevin, up to investigate. Then came the shout, "Mom! You better come up here!" I couldn't imagine what the noise had been. I was met at the top of the stairs by Chad, who was dutifully scolding Shasta. As I rounded the kitchen island, there it was - the baking pan I had cooked the ham in, ham bone, ham juice and all - splattered all over the kitchen floor. Thank goodness the pan was aluminum. Here we go again! I mopped up the mess with dish towels, as my sister-in-law, Rhonda, rinsed them and handed them back for more mopping. My mom pitched in and mopped in places you couldn't imagine the mess getting to. So much for that great pot of beans with ham bone, I was envisioning. Oh well, at least no glass slivers.

Before long, my parents called it a day and head out for home. The kids, Rhonda and I settled down in the sitting room. Rhonda had gotten up and left the room, then appeared back in the doorway, with a strange look on her face, saying, "Kathy, you better come in here - there's something in the bathroom floor and I just stepped in it, in my socks!" Sure enough, there was a puddle of "something" wet in the bathroom floor. I grabbed the Clorox spray and paper towels and proceeded to clean up what I dearly hoped was the final mess of the day. As I finished cleaning up the puddle (which, I'm still not sure what it was, or how it got there, as none of us were brave enough to give it the smell test and certainly not the taste test, UGGHHH!) I just sat back in the floor and laughed - uncontrollable laughter! What a day! What a day indeed!

The Bible tells us to give thanks in ALL thing,

"[G]ive thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus".

1 Thessalonians 5:18

So, on this Thanksgiving Day, I was...

Thankful that we have wonderful friends, who give us thoughtful gifts, even at the risk of me destroying them;

Thankful that no matter what messes I create or get into, I have wonder family to help me clean up the mess and pick up the pieces;

Thankful that my wonderful husband stands by me, even when I cast my blame on him.

Thankful that I have a God who loves, and all my messes, even when I could have prevented them.

Thankful for a Thanksgiving Day and all of its messes that I won't soon forget.

Thank God for Girlfriends!

This weekend I was blessed to spend time with three of my dear girlfriends. I always enjoy getting together with a group of girlfriends and am sorry to say I don't do it near enough. As we laughed together and caught up on each others lives, I was reminded of how different we all really are. We have different lives, different careers, different politics (REALLY DIFFERENT!), different taste in food, definitely different taste in shoes (Uggs vs. Naturalizers), different lifestyles, different backgrounds, different priorities, different lots of things. But regardless of all of these differences there are at least two things we all agree on: 1) Though we may not be at the same place in our spiritual walk, we all love God, and; 2) We all love each other and anyone of us could call the others in the middle of the night and they would come running. Isn't that really all that matters? Some times we get so hung up on our differences, we forget to look at the things that really matter about our friends.

I believe everyone needs someone they can call in the middle of the night and everyone needs to be that person for someone else. Who would you call? Who knows they could call you?

One of the greatest examples of "girlfriendship" is Ruth. If you haven't read the book of Ruth in a while, take a few minutes and do so. It's only 4 chapters, so it won't take long at all.

"But Ruth replied, "Don't urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God." Ruth 2:16

"A friend loves at all times..." Proverbs 17:17

What better time than now to give thanks to God for girlfriends and to let your girlfriends know that you are there for them, night or day.

Make yourself and someone else smile today - call a girlfriend - you'll be glad you did!

My Prayer:

Lord I thank you for ALL the crazy people in my life, especially the ones I call girlfriends! Thank you for giving me these special people to laugh with, and to cry with. Help me to be the best girlfriend to them that I possibly can be. Bless and keep them all of the days of their lives. In Christ name, Amen.

If I Only Had...

What do you need for life or to be able to serve God? A new car... a bigger house.... more money... a child - or another child.... a different job - or just a job... more friends... a new mate... more time... better friends... better relationships... Have I hit your need yet? If not, just fill in the blank. I need _________ for life or to be able to serve God. We all tend to go there at times. If I only had x I would be set for life. If I only had y, then I would be able to (better) serve God. Sound familiar?

The truth is you already have everything you need. God has already provided it for you. Don't believe me?

"Jesus has the power of God, by which he has given us everything we need to live and to serve God. We have these things because we know him. Jesus called us by his glory and goodness." 2 Peter 1:3 NCV

Kind of hard to take isn't it? But that is what Peter (Remember him? The one who walked on earth with Christ and denied him three times.) tells us. Peter, who had very little, yet recognized he had all that he needed.

I've found it helpful to turn the scripture around, by saying, if I don't have it then I don't need it to live and to serve God.

- I don't need more money to live and to serve God. But, perhaps I need to make better choices and be a better steward with the money I do have.

- I don't need a bigger house. A bigger house may actually take away from what I do have. It would mean more time to clean it and tend the yard; more money for utilities, insurance, and so on.

- I don't need a different job. If I do, God will provide it. Meanwhile, I need to find joy in the job God has provided for me. Perhaps I should look around and see whom I can serve right here where I am.

- I don't need a(nother) child. I need to spend time enjoying and encouranging the family I have.

- I don't need more time. I need to make better use of, and appreciate the time I have.

Peter is right. I do have everything I need to live and to serve God. Well, perhaps there is still one thing that I need - to change my heart and quit focusing on the earthly things that I don't have and give thanks to God for the eternal gifts he has provided.

My Prayer:

God thank you for providing me everything I need for life and to serve you. Help me to be a better steward of your gifts and to use them for your honor and glory. Amen

All About Me

They say the "me" stage of life is the 2-3 year old range. ("hold me"; "me do it myself"; mine" - you know how it goes - if not just borrow a 2 year old for the afternoon!) I don't want to discourage those of you with small children, but.... the truth is, it doesn't end any time soon and for some I dare say, it never ends. The reason I can be so sure of that is I have a fifteen year old son. As we got in the car to go to school this morning and again, when I picked him up for doctor's appointment, the "all about me's" reared its ugly head.

"Stop, Wait! I forgot something!"; "Hurry up - Go"; "You're gonna make me late." (what happened to stop wait? I don't think it was me that said that); "Pick me up at 10:00.... & 2:30 - don't be late"; "Take me to Staples. I need a new pencil."; Take me to eat first, then we can go to Stapeles if we have time. If we don't have time now, you can take me when you pick me up at 2:30"; "We have plenty of time. Take me to Staples"; "Get me back to school right at 11:35."; "Pick me up at 2:30."

Now don't get me wrong, he's a great kid; but he definitely has a case of the "all about me's"! I guess he hasn't read the first line of Rick Warren's The Purpose Driven Life... "It's not about you." Not that I'm sure that would make a difference. I have read it and I still have trouble with the "all about me's" way too often; and even when I'm not in the "all about me's" I tend to move over to the "poor me's". "Poor me, I always come last." "Poor me, I never get time to myself." "Poor me, I do all the work around here." "Poor me, we never do what I want to do." "Poor me...." Sound familiar?

It's so easy to get there and much more difficult to get out of than into. But, it can be done. One of the things I've found helpful in overcoming the "all about me's" and "poor me's", is starting my day focusing on God. I do this by thanking God for giving me one more day and then ask him to show me what HE wants for me to do and accomplish today. In doing so at least for a little while I take the focus off of me and put it where it belongs - on God.

"We do not live or die for ourselves.

If we live, we are living for the Lord, and if we die, we are dying for the Lord.

So living or dying, we belong to the Lord." Romans 14:7-8 NCV

My prayer:

Lord, I thank you for this day. I know that it is a gift from you and I do not know how many more I will have. Show me what you would have me do today. Help me to prioritize my day in accordance with your will. Show me how to overcome the "all about me's" and to embrace the "all about God's", and give me the strenth and courage to do so. In doing so, may I be a good example to my family and those around me. Thank you for loving me even when I fall short. Amen.

Playing Volleyball with God

I love playing volleyball. Admittedly I’m not very good it (some might even say I stink at it – I’m sure it’s only a lack of height issue – not lack of talent), but I love to play. Occasionally, we have front yard volleyball games with our friends. We should probably sell tickets because at the very least we are entertaining. I’m not saying everyone is bad, but I’m quite sure none of us will be getting a call from the US Olympic Committee.

However, there is one type of volleyball I’m actually pretty good at - playing Volleyball with God! Have you ever tried it? I’m guessing you have but just may not recognize it. Let me explain…

Many times when we say we’re turning our worries and concerns over to God, we really don’t. Instead, after we’ve verbally given them to God, somewhere in our tangled little mines we think he’s giving them back – like playing volleyball. You know… you hit the worry over the net to Him…. He hits it back to you…. You send it back to Him…. He sends it back to you… and on … and on … and on.

Human nature leads us to believe we need to be in charge and handle things ourselves. Consequently, God must play volleyball with our worries and concerns. But that is not the way it is with God. When you give something to God, He doesn’t play volleyball and hit back to you. Instead, He wants you to hit Him the home run ball, to KNOCK IT OUT OF THE PARK! God will catch it. How many times have you seen a fan catch a home run ball and throw it back on the field? Probably NEVER. So it is with God. Once you turn something over to Him, He doesn’t hit or throw it back. He hangs onto it tightly and handles it. The only way you ever get it back is if you take it from Him. He does allow us to do that - it’s called free will. But that is not what God wants for us, or from us. He wants us to knock it out of the park and let Him hold onto it tightly and take care of it.

Once we truly turn something to God, it is not ours to worry or fret about any longer. That doesn’t mean we can’t still pray about it, but the worrying and fretting - that part needs to be gone. It is in God’s hands. Whatever it troubling you today, hit it over to God; then leave it there and let Him take care of it. It’s truly what God wants you to do.

“Give all your worries to [God], because he cares about you.”
1 Peter 5:7 NCV

“Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you;
He will never let the righteous fall”
Psalm 55:22 NIV

My Prayer:
Lord, give me the strength and courage to give all of my worries and concerns to you and to leave them there. Teach me to trust that you can handle them much better than I can, and to remember that you really don’t play volleyball with my troubles. Thank you for caring about me and sustaining me day by day. Amen.

Life is a Highway

One of my favorite songs is "Life is a Highway" by Rascal Flatts. The song always makes me smile and honestly, it helps me put my life in perspective.

"Life's like a road that you travel on

When there's one day here and the next day gone

Sometimes you bend, sometimes you stand

Sometimes you turn your back to the wind

There's a world outside ev'ry darkened door

Where blues won't haunt you anymore...

Life is a highway

I wanna ride it all night long

If you're going my way

I wanna drive it all night long"

Life really is a highway. For me, especially in my spiritual life, much of my life trip has been spent speeding, all the while encountering road construction and detours and definitely taking the scenic exits. Now I would like to tell you that those scenic exits were awe inspiring. But for the most part they were just like the scenic exits on I-35 south of the Arbuckle mountains - - just looking out over a bunch of nothing. Fortunately for me, and for you, even when we are stuck in road construction, taking self-imposed detours and just staring at nothing on our scenic exit, God is still with us, through all of our misdirections; and He is ready and able to get us back on the highway and to show us the way. All we have to do is ask, then listen for his guidance and enjoy his presence along the way.

"Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love,

for I have put my trust in you.

Show me the way I should go,

for to you I lift up my soul."

Psalm 143:8 NIV

My Prayer:

Lord, please help me to continue on your highway of life. Help me to always remember that you are with me and that there is a world, your world, outside of every dark door where sadness and trouble won't haunt me, because you are there. Show me the highway you would have me travel and help me recogonize when I need to take a scenic exit to rest in your beauty, though it may seem like nothingness at the time. Thank you for always being with me regardless of the route I take. Amen.