Is It Worth It?

"You can make a point and lose the opportunity to make a difference." A pastor made that statement recently in an interview and it has stuck with me. I can't remember his name, but his thought was provoking. The conversation that he was having was all about making a choice with our words. Is it worth it? To him, the goal is to use his words to influence others toward a relationship with Christ. His point, pardon the pun, was that he may not say what he thinks about a subject to someone, if it alienates his ability to make a difference for Christ in their life. He values the opportunity to make a difference for Christ over the opportunity to make a point.
We see this all the time on social media sites. There's a constant flow of tweets or facebook posts of people trying to get their "point" across. Say it first, say it with a little zing and sit back to enjoy the reactions. For instance, the Super Bowl was played in New Orleans last night. My social media sites were overflowing with "points" being made. Admittedly, some of them cracked me up. Others were rude and obnoxious. Some of them were about commercials, and some of them were about specific people or groups. Unfortunately, these thoughts can go out unfiltered. I'm guilty of it myself. Too often I forget that sending a tweet or facebook update is having a conversation. It's saying something to someone. It has an impact on our relationship. I thought about this a little closer to home. My children hear me on the phone or in conversations with folks all the time. If they are hearing me throwing my points out like fiery darts, am I losing the opportunity to make a difference in their lives? Is it worth it? I think not.
In the interview, this pastor was really getting beat up. The perception was that he wasn't standing up for the truth of God's Word about social issues. I may or may not have jumped on the band wagon! :) However, after listening to him I realized that he's just putting into practice what Jesus said was most important.

Matthew 22:37-40 says, "Jesus replied, You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment.

A second is equally important: Love your neighbor as yourself. The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments."

Finish

My One Word for 2013 is finish.  I’ve been thinking about and praying about what my word would be for several weeks now.  Finish. Ecclesiastes 7:8 says, “Finishing is better than starting.”   If you know me at all, you know that I’m a sprinter and not a marathoner.  I need quick, easy to accomplish tasks.  I like fast, tangible results.  Reality is not that easy though.  Much of what I do takes time, energy and a long perspective.  My vision has to go beyond the immediate. 

So instead of mounting up more and more tasks and being overwhelmed by it all, I’m focusing on finishing.  Here are some hopes for this word being at the forefront of my thoughts for 2013:

v  Finish - all the books I’ve started and haven’t quite turned the last page on.  Two down already!

v  Finish- conversations with my family and friends.  Too often we’re cut-off and never get back to it.  Sadly it’s not usually something more important that interrupts, just the next thing.  So we move on and never finish what we started.

v  Finish-cleaning out the closets; getting rid of the excess.  (Probably has something to do with finishing the book 7-An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess by Jen HatmakerJ)

v  Finish- reading the Bible through.  I’ve started this numerous times and never quite get it done.  This definitely takes a marathoner mentality.  I read and study all the time, just never cover to cover.  This year I’m using my new favorite Bible, the NLT Life Application Study Bible.  I’m already enjoying the process of just turning the pages, reading the story. 

I’ve chosen a “one word” for the last few years.  I have no doubt that as the year progresses God will intervene and change my perspective on “finish”.  He always does.

Last year my one word was present-I wanted to intentionally be present in each moment that God gave me.  One huge paradigm shift for me was realizing that I don’t always recognize that God is present – always.   For instance, I would pray, “God be with me.”   Sounds fine, but the reality is God is with me. He’s present everywhere, all the time.  My prayer now is God help me to see You where I am, help me not to miss You or Your presence.  It’s a huge change that helps me to be more confident and peaceful, no matter what I’m dealing with.  God is present.

What’s your One Word for 2013? 

Five Years Later...

Five years ago today I started this blog.  There was much fear and trembling, probably some serious grinding of my teeth.  You see I’d much rather speak than write.  It’s a painful process for me. 

The thoughts and insights that I’d like to share are whirling around in my head, but it’s so much easier for me to tell someone than to write it down.  However, today I actually had a moment to get on my personal pc and noticed that it had been five years since I sent out the first post.  Some years the posts are more sporadic than others.  But it is still a great way to capture some of the things that God is teaching me. Thanks for reading; it’s a gift and a huge blessing to me.

To celebrate here are some thoughts from my favorite story in scripture. 

In Acts 3 the story of Peter healing the crippled beggar is one of my favorite passages to read.  I think God reveals something new to me every time I ponder it.  This time was no different.  In verse 3, the beggar asks Peter and John for money as they are entering the temple.  Money is what he wanted. 

During the Christmas season, I find myself asking the question, “What do you want?” too often.  There are presents to be purchased and I’m not the most creative person.  I ask my husband and my children to make me a list of things they want.  It’s hardly ever anything that they need, but full of stuff that they want.  This is exactly what the beggar in the story did.  He asked for what he wanted, but not what he needed.  He needed to be healed.  He needed to meet Jesus.  He asked for money.

Fortunately for him, Peter and John didn’t have any money.  They had left everything to follow Jesus.  Verse 6 says, “Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you.  In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.”  The crippled beggar became a strong, able-bodied believer in Jesus.    

I do the same thing when I talk to God.  I ask for what I want, but not what I truly need.  I want more time, but what I need is to rest.  I want more resources, but what I need is restraint.  I want more patience, but what I need is to love.  What I really need is more of Jesus. 

Happy 5^th anniversary!

For Hannah

Hannah is my daughter- a teenager about to step into her Freshmen year of high school. This is for her.
Hey sweet thing. Tomorrow is your first day of high school. Wow! I can't believe it. I've thought about this day for the last few months, literally since you left middle school in May. I've also written this post in my mind a thousand times since then. And yes I did cry…most of the time. I realize you wouldn't cry, but that's how we roll. It's hard to believe I gave birth to you- a non-crying girl. It's ok though, I've got it covered!

There's so much I would like to say to you about this day and the next four years, but there will be time for that. Moments when it's just the two of us and nobody's around. Today I just want to say how proud I am of the young woman you are. Your strength and courage during some difficult times over this past year have blown me away. Moments when I thought surely you would crumble into a puddle, you stood tall and kept believing. Recently you said to me, "Mom it's not up to me, it's up to God." It seems so natural to you. And yet you have no idea how not natural that is for a fourteen year old, or an adult for that matter. Your faith is amazing and a blessing to those who know you.

Earlier in the summer I heard this song called "For Your Splendor" by Christy Nockels. It has become my prayer for you over these past few months. One line in the song says, "It's hard to grow when everybody's watching, to have your heart pruned by the One who knows best." It truly is hard in the times you're living in. There is such an insatiable appetite to communicate instantly and just about everyone has the ability to do so, and does. It's almost impossible to unplug and turn off the noise when you just need a moment. Guard your heart sweet girl. Be still, listen for and hear the voice of God. He absolutely has a wonderful, perfect plan for your life.

The song also talks about growing deep roots. Roots that bear branches that in turn bear fruit. It's a process. You keep growing your roots at the feet of Jesus-He loves you the most. I wish that would mean that every day would be easy from now on, but it won't be. There will be more refining and pruning; all to make you an even more beautiful display of His splendor. I love you and am blessed to call you mine.

Have a wonderful first day of high school!  And because I really love you, I want sing the song.
Listen to Christy's version!   For Your Splendor by Christy Nockels

Feelings

Feelings, nothing more than feelings,
Trying to forget my feelings of love.
Teardrops rolling down on my face,
Trying to forget my feelings of love.







Remember that song? Don't hate me; it's been stuck in my head for days now! Feelings, what do you do with them? I've been thinking about this a lot lately. The sadness, disappointment, happiness, excitement, fear, concern, joy, confidence, grief, insecurity, peace, apathy, etc., etc.- how do you handle these emotions? The list could go on and on. How do you deal with the feelings that come with living life? They can be overwhelming and cloud our judgment for the good and the bad.
Recently I had a conversation with a dear friend. Trying to share some encouragement, I said, "Don't worry about it. It'll be o-k. You don't need to be fearful." Sounds like good advice, right? Maybe you too have said something similar. Unfortunately though, it didn't change the feelings that were crowding her heart and overwhelming her.

"Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything."                    1 John 3:19, 20

These verses provide some good news and some bad news. Bad news is that it says "whenever our hearts condemn us", meaning that it's going to happen. As long as we're living and breathing this side of eternity, the feelings will be real. The good ones may make us forget to depend on God and the bad ones may make us question where God is.
The good news is two-fold. First, God knows everything and he's greater than those feelings. He knows when we feel bad and when we feel great. He knows and he's bigger than the pull they may seem to have on us. Second, we can know and rest in the presence of God when we love with our actions and in truth. This can be hard, but we can make a choice to show love and to speak the truth. People will disappoint us and we will disappoint people. Thankfully though, there's always an opportunity to get it right. Contrary to what the songs says we want to remember our feelings of love and rest in the presence of God. The best place to be.

 

Baggage

I'm spending some time this summer studying the life of David. Today's reading involved the selection of Saul as King. You can read about it in 1 Samuel 10:17-25. Basically there's a narrowing of the field by tribe, by clan, by family and eventually down to the choice of Saul. Saul knew he would be chosen. The funny thing is he hid when the announcement was being made! Verse 22 says, "So they inquired further of the Lord, "Has the man come here yet?" and the Lord said, "Yes, he has hidden himself among the baggage."

This struck me as humorous, because I too try to hide from God in the baggage. Not literally of course, but too often figuratively. When I feel like God is calling me to do something I can always come up with an excuse as to why He should use someone else. I yell at my kids. I don't know those people. I don't have the money. I'm not qualified. These are just some of the thoughts and responses that I'll give to ignore and disobey what God is asking of me. Do you do that?

Just like Saul, I try to hide in the baggage. It's easy to do that with other people, but we can't do that with God. He knows exactly where we are. He knows exactly who He wants for the task. The real question is: are we willing to let it go and say yes?

Is Anybody Home?

Hello? Is Anybody Home? For the faithful few who read this blog, I'm back! Life has gotten a little crazier over the past few months, and I just didn't have anything to say. Truthfully, I was too lazy and/or scared to write a post about it.

The whole concept of writing a post has sort of become like a Reality show for me. Do you watch any of those shows….American Idol, Dancing with the Stars, Celebrity Apprentice, The Voice? The contestants do their deal, sing, dance, manage a project and then they get judged. Three, sometimes four people give them feedback. It can be gushing and loving or harsh and critical. The contestant has to stand there and take it. It's a pretty intense moment to watch. Thankfully I've not had much criticism on this blog, but the thought that it could happen keeps me on the sidelines from posting too often. Writing that down even gets under my skin! I'm a competitor, so giving in to this silliness is not who I am. So if you'll keep stopping by, I'll keep posting. It may be short and sweet, or long and thoughtful, but I'm not giving in to fear. Now back to our regularly scheduled post…or at least what I got on here to say. Is anybody home? When I would come home from college, I used to ask that question as I walked through the door of my grandparent's house. They lived next door to my parents, so as soon as I dropped my stuff off I went over to their house. It's kind of silly, because they were always home. However, our little greeting never changed. My grandmother was legally blind, but she would always say, "Bless your heart, come on in." Then she'd walk over and give me hug and say, "That's Bridget! Sit down and eat." Truth be told, that's why I went over there in the first place. Grandmoma always had something good cooked to eat. My grandfather, a man of few words, would say, "Hey Sapphire." I have no idea why he called me that. He may have called my sister and cousins that too. I don't remember. When I would head back to college on Sundays, he would say, "Keep your nose clean Sapphire." Cracks me up just thinking about it. I miss them both, but lately I've had glimpses of going home in my own yard. Both of my grandparents had green thumbs. We lived off of many vegetables that were grown on acres and acres of land around us. It was lots of hard work, but good stuff growing up. Obviously as a young girl, I did not think so. Having to get up very early to work in the gardens during our summer vacation kind of stunk. I do miss having all those vegetables readily available now though.  However, they also had flowers all over their yard-hydrangeas, azaleas, day lilies, camellias, roses, gardenia bushes and magnolia trees. I did not inherit their "green thumb", but these beauties have been growing like crazy in my yard for the last few weeks and they remind me of going home.

 
    

More Than

Recently I memorized a verse as part of reading through the book Made to Crave. I was dealing with cutting out some bad eating habits and the book was a great help to getting my mind wrapped around the spiritual impact of committing the struggle to God and applying His truth to it. The verse is Romans 8:37 and it says,

"No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us."

I shared with my Bible study group that I would actually say out loud, NO, when I felt tempted and then quote the rest of the verse. It was definitely a powerful way to confront the issue.

Last week I woke up with the verse running through my head. That's when it hit me. I kept thinking of the verse in light of being victorious, beating the temptation. That's great, but there is more…Look at it again.

"No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us."

God's Word isn't just promising us victory, it's more than that. It's the ability to move on from what we've conquered. The New Living Translation of the verse says overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. I need that reminder today. The power of Jesus living in us makes us more than.

I am more than a conqueror over my desire for sweet food.

I am more than a conqueror over feeling ill-equipped.

I am more than a conqueror over my impatience.

I am more than a conqueror over ________________________. (You fill in the blank!)

Present

The New Year has begun and I decided to choose one word for this year. I found this site last year and shared my 2011 word here in this post. My goal with choosing one word is to have it be a filter that I view my life through in 2012. My 2012 One Word is Present. I want it to remind me that God is present...all the time. Psalm 46:1 says, "God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble."

God is an ever-present help! That's pretty amazing if you stop and think about it. The problem for me is that I don't often stop to think about it. I tend to freak out, worry, fret, wail, etc, etc, etc. It's not pretty and it's not very mature. It is the truth sometimes for me, unfortunately. All is not lost though.

Since deciding this was my one word a few weeks ago, I've realized that it also means for me to be present, in the moment. To deal with things as they come up. Not to dwell, replay and relive. Not to reason why or why not and talk myself out of something (I do this a lot!). To deal presently…in the moment. Practicing this these first few weeks of the New Year has been life changing for me. Things that would normally become toxic in my life are not. It's very refreshing to not have all the "stuff" spinning around in my head. Deal with it and move on.

Do you choose a One Word for the year? I'd love to hear about it.

With

"The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel"--which means, "God with us." Matthew 1:23

Today I found myself humming a Christmas song that talks about Immanuel, God with us. It's my favorite name of God. It reminds me that I'm never alone, never without His presence.

Just typing that seems unreal, impossible even. It's not. Jesus came to Earth to be with us and when He left, God sent the Holy Spirit to be with us.

"And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever-- " John 14:16

This time of year it's easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle, shopping, running to parties, and planning meals for all the guests. Sometimes we miss the point of being with each other.

We miss the reason that Jesus came-- to be with us. Be intentional this Christmas about spending time with Jesus and with your loved ones. It's the real reason we celebrate Christmas.

Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Have a Little Talk

My daughter and I have a routine we follow most days when she gets home from school. I say, "Hi honey, how was your day?" She responds and then says, "How was your day?" Recently I responded with, "I'm wiped out! I had an argument with my friend." To which my sweet girl replied, "Moma, they need to talk to Jesus!" It made me smile, because my girl was so quick to take up for her Moma.

It also reminded me of a song that I grew up singing in church. And at the risk of revealing just how far in the South I grew up, it was called "Just a Little Talk with Jesus", I think! Here's the words to the part I remember:

Now let us have a little talk with Jesus

Let us tell him all about our troubles

He will hear our faintest cry he will answer by and by

And when you feel a little prayer wheel turnin'

And you will know a little fire is burnin'

Find a little talk with Jesus makes it right

So I took my sweet girl's advice and had a little talk with Jesus about the argument with my friend. God is good and brings restoration and reconciliation if we're willing. He did for me and my friend and used my teenager to help me see it was possible. Amazing.

For those of you wondering about the song, look what I found on the wonderful web. Click here for a treat, Elvis style! Be warned, you made feel the need to tap your feet. Just make sure no one is watching. Enjoy your day and have a little talk with Jesus everyday.

Shine

I had the privilege this past weekend to speak at Shine, an event for women at Hilton Head Island Community Church. It was such a blessing to see God moving in the hearts of these women to start small group Bible studies at their church. We talked a lot about the importance of making connections to the body of Christ as believers. Those connections are what hold us accountable and keep us grounded in God's Word. We used the model of the early church found in Acts to set-up what a small group looks like and how each of us can participate. Acts 2:42 taught us that the believers were devoted to:

• The teachings of Jesus (the study of God's Word)
  


• The fellowship (the small group and the church)
  


• The breaking of bread together (communion and sharing of meals)
  


• Prayer (for each other, the small group and the church at large)
  

As someone who has been involved with small groups for over half my life now, it was a great reminder for me. I just finished Max Lucado's book, Fearless, and in it he has some great thoughts about the desire for the church to connect physically to the body of Christ. He reminds us that it is possible because the church is the body of Christ. He says, "When you interlock your understanding with mine, and we share our discoveries…When we mix, mingle, confess, and pray, Christ speaks." That alone should make the sacrifice of our time and energy worth the commitment.

I am so thankful to Cynthia Cullen and her team for having me and my family with them this weekend. We are blessed.

Footloose

On Friday, I took my 13 year old daughter and her friend to see the movie Footloose. No biggie, I thought. It'll be fun to see the remake and to see if my daughter likes it as much as I did the first time around. In the opening scene, the music starts blaring the song Footloose. So like every other person in the theatre (and it was packed full), I started singing along. My daughter was mortified. I don't have this great voice but it couldn't be that bad. No one could hear me anyway…it was very loud. "Stop it mother, just stop!" Hannah was more than a little upset with me. I cracked up and told her to just listen…everybody else was singing along too. It was pretty funny.

Later I realized that I had justified my behavior the same way I tell my daughter not too. Oops! More often than not, I counsel her not to make choices based on what everybody else is doing. Rather I tell her to be intentional about what she's doing and to really consider what she wants.

Last week in Bible study we looked at a similar lesson in the book of Ruth. Towards the end of the book in chapter 3, Ruth goes to Boaz in the night and essentially asks him to take her as his wife. Boaz is a kinsman-redeemer, but he's not the closest one. Boaz could have done several things but he chose to do the right thing. He could have embarrassed Ruth, but he chose to protect her character. He could have taken her as his, but he chose to follow the customs of the day and bring the matter to the appropriate person. He does the right thing.

It was actually a message in the movie too! The young folks could have chosen to rebel and keep sneaking around. **Spoiler Alert** In the end, they choose to confront the real issue and be honest about what they want. And at the risk of being totally honest, I sang again at the end of the movie….'cause everybody else was! A work in progress, that's me.

Trust

Every day that I take my children to school we pass a police officer directing traffic. At my daughter’s school, the officer stands at an intersection that is pretty busy. The road the school is on runs perpendicular into a really busy street.
Once I drop my daughter off and head back towards the intersection, I’m usually going left. Some days the officer just motions for me to keep moving. It feels really strange, because technically I’m running a stop sign. But the officer told me too. (That sounds like my kids saying the dog ate their homework!) It’s true, at least in my case, that the officer told me to not that the dog ate my homework.
Some days I hesitate. Some days I completely stop and look for myself. And then some days, I roll right on through. It’s a matter of trust. The police officer wants the flow of traffic to run smoothly. His goal is safety and protection for those of us who pass through this intersection. I know that and yet some days I don’t trust it.

The same is true in my walk with Jesus. I know that He loves me and wants my best. (See John 3:16 and Jeremiah 29:11) I sense His direction and leading. He opens doors and provides opportunities. Some days I hesitate. Some days I do what I want to. And then some days, I roll with it. It truly is a matter of trust.

Power Suit

Do you remember watching Superman on tv? Clark Kent was the mild-mannered newspaper reporter by day, big black glasses and all. When he wanted or needed to do something great, he became Superman. He would dash off to the nearest closest or alley and come back with his blue tights and red cape on. With his power suit, he was faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive and able to leap tall buildings in a single bound! It was pretty exciting stuff to watch. The power suit gave him the ability to do more than the average person thought possible. Did you know that we too have a power suit defined by God that gives us the ability to do great things. It's described in Ephesians 6:13-18(NIV).

"Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints."

In her Bible study, Power Suit: The Armor of God Fit for the Feminine Frame, Sharon Norris Elliott teaches us much about wearing it well. Each chapter focuses on a portion of the armor andthe hindrances we need to shed in order to have a suit fitted for us. Can you imagine how silly Clark Kent would have looked putting on the blue tights and cape over his business suit? The image on our tv screen would have been hilarious and our belief in his ability greatly diminished. Ms. Elliott teaches us that we do the same with God's armor when we try to mask sin or hang on to things of this world while wearing God's armor. In order for truth, righteousness, peace, faith and God's Word to fit properly in our lives, we need to take off the old stuff, the sin that entangles us. Every day we need to dress in the newness of God's power, completely unhindered, and watch as God gives us the supernatural ability to prevail.

**If you enjoyed this post, please fill out the box in the top right hand corner to receive them in your e-mail. Don't worry about be bombarded…I only post once or so a week!**

ICRS 2011

Writing is a funny thing for me. Sometimes it flows easily and other times I have absolutely no desire to write anything. That's probably true about most things that we do. The agony occurs when I do have thoughts that I want to write about and there's no time to string the sentences together. It's frustrating. This is where I have found myself this summer, a long hot summer! Today, however, the kids have been back in school for a few weeks and the routine is coming back together. With that said, hopefully I'll be posting on a more frequent basis.

Much happened this summer that I want to tell you about. The biggest event for me was going to ICRS-The International Christian Retail Show held in Atlanta. This is where I went with my publisher to promote Every Day Faith. The show was three days of non-stop walking, talking and promoting the Bible study to the attendees at the show. The show is where retailers come to find products for their stores. They represented brick and mortar stores, on-line stores and church stores from all over the world. I met folks from just about every state in the U.S., Korea, the Philipines, Trinidad, China, and many other places that I can't remember. It was exciting and an amazing time to see how God is at work all over the world. It was also fascinating to meet authors of all types of genres. I was especially impressed with the number of authors that were from Georgia.

Since this was my first time attending the show, I had no idea of what to expect. I certainly didn't anticipate the number of books that I would be given. This picture is just a portion of the books that we received over the three days. I don't know the count, but I'm pretty sure I have enough to open a small store of my own! Since then I've given many of them away, read quite a few and put some away as resources for my next Bible study.

Funny story about the picture. The book sitting toward the far right corner is called, "52 Ways to Wow Your Husband". My nine year old son was sitting with me as I sorted the books and he asked, "What do you need that book for?" To which I replied, "Don't you think I need to wow your Daddy?" He says, "No, I think He's wowed enough!" The picture is so blurry because I was cracking up laughing. Out of the mouth of babes….

Author's Beat

The Author's Beat is a site that carries interviews with lots of authors. I had the privilege of recording with them last week about Every Day Faith. Once I got past the butterflies, it was a lot of fun.


Here's the link below. Just click on the title once you're on their site.


Also, please leave a comment to let them know what you think. Diana Kay and her husband, John, were very nice and encouraging to this new author. I really appreciated their invitation.

Every Day Faith on the Author's Beat

Hairy Scary

Yesterday was Sunday. It should have been a pleasant, restful day. Well at least it started out that way. We went to church, visited with some family afterwards. Ran by a local bar-b-que place for lunch and then home for a quiet day, or so we thought.

The husband man decided he would cut the grass earlier than planned, because the forecast was calling for thunderstorms later in the day. I'm sitting on the couch reading the Sunday paper, when he comes barreling in the door looking like he saw a ghost. Or maybe looking like a ghost, because he was white as a sheet in the face! Being the calm one in the family (yeah right), I asked, "What's the matter with you?" To which he replies, "There's a spider in my shoe, a big, fat ugly one!" I begin to laugh, hysterically, because I'm just that caring and loving. I'm thinking just kill it and move on with your life. He's obviously concerned that the big, fat, ugly, black spider bit him. I try to feign some concern, but the husband man is not buying it.

Eventually, I get off the couch and go in the garage to find the culprit. Hairy Scary! It was nasty and I can't imagine what it felt like on his foot. Don't want to either, it gives me the creeps just thinking about it. So I do what any other caring and loving wife would do…I smack it with his flip flops! Here's a before picture.

And just in case you're wondering, he cut the grass in his flip flops. Not sure he'll ever wear those shoes again!

Later that evening the thunderstorms moved in. We watched the trees in our backyard, sway and tip and prayed none of them would fall over. (One did a couple of years ago!) The husband man decided to run an errand, and here's what was in the driveway.

Obviously, we forgot to look in the front yard. The husband man got out his chain saw and cut it up. When we pulled it to the back yard, here's what we found back there!

So how was your Sunday?

Three Letter Word

This weekend the little man had an allergic reaction to some eye drops. The drops were supposed to clear up his "pink eye". Unfortunately, he ended up with a "flaming red eye" that looked horrible. He assured us constantly that it didn't hurt, but those of us around him just knew that it did. Did I mention it looked awful? Painful?

We took him to the pediatrician who sent us straight to the local children's hospital. The concern was that his eye may be damaged. Thankfully his eye is fine and that was a great relief. However, the Saturday morning mad dash to the ER with the little man was a bit unnerving. Immediately I was able to text a few close friends and ask them to pray for the Mister. There is nothing like knowing you have "peeps" who will pray for you and with you. I am incredibly blessed and we are thankful, as a family, that we have such friends.

I had to ask myself, though, am I that kind of friend? You know the kind that will stop immediately and pray when asked to or the kind that has compassion for another's struggles. The honest answer for me is sometimes or it depends. Too often there's an excuse involved. It's not pretty, but it is the truth.

"Praise be to the God and Father of Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God." 2 Corinthians 1:3 ,4

Recently I studied this verse and I realized that I had been copping out on encouraging and comforting others. It was so easy to say I can't relate, because I've not walked in their shoes. Or I've never had that situation, so I don't know what to do. A closer look at the verses above would tell me otherwise. First, God is the God of all comfort, not me. (Duh? I know.) Secondly, God comforts us in all our troubles. This one I sort of got. I typically don't have a problem believing that God will comfort you or me. It's the last part I hadn't fully grasped. It says, "…so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God." That three letter word, a.n.y., covers e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g. God doesn't allow me or you an "out" because we don't get it. He comforts us as we need it and that same comfort can be used for others, in any situation. So when the opportunity arises again, no more excuses.

Facing Your Fears

Do you face your fears? Not me. I'm good at just knowing what I can deal with and what I can't. For instance, I don't swim because I don't like anything over my head. I'm claustrophobic and the thought that water could be over my face and envelope my head is just too much for me to handle. A few days ago, I had to face a big fear…an MRI. Before I tell you the story, let me just say that everything is fine. The MRI was requested by my doctor to make sure that all was well and it is. Thank you Jesus.

I enter the imaging center and this Dear Woman (DW) takes me in the room with the long white tube. I tried to stare it down, but it wouldn't budge! It just sat there, taunting me. I'm sweating so profusely, that I think I'll probably get electrocuted from all the water. So DW says for me to lie down and put my shoulders all the way to the top. Then she has the nerve to put a CAGE over my head. I'm getting a little panicky, but think it will be o-k. I tell myself it's like wearing my daughter's pitching mask when I catch for her. I can see; I can talk…we're good. My breathing is fast, but I'm hanging in there. Then I start to move into the tube. All is well, at least I think so. Before I can close my eyes, DW hits the "up" button. Seriously, this thing is in my face. I'm pretty sure I could touch it with my tongue, and that's just way too close. Did I not mention that I am claustrophobic? She should have known better. I'm in a full blown panic attack, yelling for her to get me out. NOW!!!

I sat up for a few minutes and tried to gather myself. Then I realized that this is the path to finding out what the sharp pain in my head is all about. At least it will confirm that it's an inflamed lymph node pressing on a nerve and nothing more serious. So I've got to do this thing. Really Jesus, I'm thinking. Surely You can make it just stop. But it's not and the tube is still there, waiting. DW asks if I would like a cold cloth for my head. Not so much. Nothing else on my head is required. Thank you very much. Bless her heart. She then asked me if anyone was with me that could come in. NOBODY is getting in this thing with me lady. It's crowded enough. (I told you I was in a full blown panic attack!)

However, I did ask for a panic button. It made me feel better and it was really loud. So we try this thing again. This time I keep my eyes closed the whole time. The first test is 8 minutes lonnngggg. At first I'm still thinking it's not happening, and my finger is on the button. But then I start to pray. Jesus please help me to calm down. Jesus please help me not to push the button. Scripture begins to come to my mind about God being bigger than my sad, pathetic claustrophobic self. Romans 8:37 is a verse I memorized a couple of months ago. "NO, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us." I'm thinking No Satan you are not winning. No, weak flesh you are not giving in. I'm thinking I am a conqueror through Jesus. The next verse comes. Psalm 46:10, "Be still and know that I am God." Did I mention that I had to be very still…no moving allowed? I've got a death grip on the panic button, but I'm still. Yeah God. It's working. DW says, "You're half way done. You're doing great!" The last few minutes were pure bliss…at least for me. My breathing slowed down and I was hearing this song, The Power of the Cross, playing in my head. The first test was done.

If you're still reading, there was a second round of tests. This would require about 20 minutes in the tube. The tests would run about 2-4 minutes each. I could come in and out of the tube or just work straight through. Mercy. Grace. I didn't commit either way. Just put my head down, got locked in and waited for the tests to begin. These tests came with loud noises. One was like someone using a jackhammer; the next was like gun fire in the distance then close by. A longer one, about 4 minutes, almost got me. It sounded like a freight train and I kept thinking I can't get up. There were a few more and we were done. I MADE IT! ALL THE WAY!!! Thank you Jesus. Fear is gripping, but the power of Jesus and His Word is bigger and able to handle any fear we have. This is not the way I would have chosen to experience the peace and presence of Jesus this week. But without a doubt, I am so glad that I did.

Now if we can just figure out what to do with the 600 images of my brain....