About life's bizarre twists and turns...

You do the same mindless thing 10,000 times with no consequence. The next time something freaky happens that alters your life.


We never know how close we are to circumstances that change everything. It is not pessimism to demand of oneself a readiness for the unexpected. When contemplating my recent surgery, I asked God what kind of a man I should be in this messy period of convalescence.

I heard heaven offer these "bullets":

• Don't complain
• Accept offerings of service graciously
• Ooze with thankfulness
• Listen for things you would not have heard under other circumstances.

Each day I'm trying to do these things.

---Gordon MacDonald

Which one is the hardest for you?

Me? Accept offers of help...

The Woman at the Well

Do you KNOW the 12 days of Christmas?

There are twelve days between Christmas day ~the birth of Jesus 'Epiphany'~ and January 6th, the day Christians celebrate the arrival of the Magi and the revelation of Jesus as the 'Light of the World'.

The Christmas song, "The Twelve Days of Christmas" may sound silly and contrived to many of us. But it actually had its origins in religious symbolism ~ and with a serious purpose. It dates from a time of religious persecution. The song, "The Twelve Days of Christmas," was written as a kind of secret catechism that could sing in public without fear of arrest ~ a learning or memory aid to Christians in fact. Did you know that each element is a code word for a religious truth?

They are:

The partridge in a pear tree is
JESUS.

The two turtledoves are the
OLD and NEW TESTAMENTS.

Three French hens stand for
FAITH, HOPE and LOVE.

The four calling birds are the
FOUR GOSPELS.

The five gold rings recall the
HEBREW TORAH /PENTATEUCH.

The six geese a-laying stand for the
SIX DAYS OF CREATION.

The seven swans a-swimming represent the
SEVEN GIFTS of the HOLY SPIRIT.

The eight maids a-milking are the
EIGHT BEATITUDES.

Nine ladies dancing are the
NINE FRUITS of the SPIRIT.

The ten lords a-leaping are the
TEN COMMANDMENTS.

Eleven pipers piping represent the
ELEVEN FAITHFUL APOSTLES.

Twelve drummers drumming symbolize the
TWELVE POINTS OF DOCTRINE in the APOSTLES CREED.

“Our Lord has written the promise of the resurrection,not in books alone, but in every leaf in spring-time.”

Martin Luther,

1483-1546 German theologian

Complete your past

Are there things you wish you had said?
Or learned?
Or done?

Many of these regrets can distract us from the good stuff we could be doing now. If you feel bogged down by all the unfinished business in your life, you're not alone. Gail Blanke is a personal and executive coach who writes about how the unfinished business in our past worms its way into the present and makes us feel overwhelmed, inadequate and anxious. Regrets distract us from our current goals and drain our energy.

She suggests taking 'inventory' of your 'incompletions:'

1. Things I want to start but haven't started.
2. Things I want to change buy haven't changed.
3. Things I want to stop buy haven't stopped.
4. Things I started but haven't finished.
5. Things I want to do but haven't done.

etc, etc...you get the idea.

Now brace yourself. This is where the rubber meets the road. Go back to your list of imcompletions, and in the margin assign a completion date. N, is for now-which means right now--as in pick up the phone. L is for later, but also add a date. C, is for complete. This is a wonderful category because there are things you can declare 'complete' right this minute! YIPPEE! And finally, NTL, stands for "not in this lifetime." This one might include for me: 'learn to belly dance' or 'become a contestant on Survivor.'

Blanke encourages women to finish old business and move on so that new possibilities for completion will be opened. In her book, In My Wildest Dreams, she explains this three-step program of her decision making process.

So, start making those list and crossing things off. Now you're in charge of your list...not the other way around.

open the curtains...

In the morning, I like to walk throughout my house bringing order to the cluttered corners and restoring my home into a liveable space. Part of my daily routine is opening the curtains to let the sunshine pour in. Of course, when the first rays of sunshine peak through my windows immediately the appearance of dust overwhelms me.

So, it is with my own life. I can pull down the shades and shut out the sun, but I can never turn the sun's light into darkness in my life. When the shades go up, the sun is still shining. And when I turn to God, his love is waiting to stream into my life.

Last night, in the darkness I lay awake in the wee hours, feeling unjustly accused and dispondent. I could not sleep for the emotions racing within...did I deserve this? If so, what now?

This morning, I was reminded of God faithfulness and all-encompassing love with the words of Philip Yancy,

Grace means there is nothing we can do to make God love us more...

And grace means there is nothing we can do to make God love us less.

Oh, how I needed those words this morning! I opened the 'curtains' both in my home, and this morning in my heart, to let the amazing light of God's love stream in.

Leighton Ford, in his new book, The Attentive Life, explains...

"That truth goes to the very root of my distractible self. How hard it is to believe and receive this unconditional love of God. How easy it is to build up my defenses against being loved. And how freeing it is to surrender at last to that love."

the noonday demon...

"When we fall into sin, it may seem that God is angry with us, but actually we are often projecting our own disappointment onto God. The truth is that God is present with his forgiveness whether we choose to take it or not."

---The Attention Life

I surrender to you, Lord

There is a moment in each of our lives when we are asked to answer God's call to surrender. Do I want the things of God in my life or do I want my own way?

It's a scary step to take and I've been teetering for several days. My own moment of surrender and its point of instant release came this afternoon while working alone in my office. Randomly, MercyMe's Bring the Rain began playing from my blog.

It was a surreal point in time for me.

Now moments later, my heart aches for the too numeous to count occasions I've spent over the past several days, wrestling with my own way. I've pledged my heart AGAIN to you, Lord. Bring the rain.....



Bring me joy, bring me peace
Bring the chance to be free
Bring me anything that brings You glory
And I know there'll be days
When this life brings me pain
But if that's what it takes to praise You
Jesus, bring the rain...

What has been your 'rain?'

What do you need to surrender today?

Listen to these powerful, God honoring words from MercyME

In under a minute, you can...

Leave a note in the steam on the bathroom mirror to help jump start someone's day.

Send a text to a friend to encourage them.

Whisper a prayer of thanks for the sunshine streaming through the window.

Andy Stanley Personal Ministry

Ronnie Cordrey took the pulpit this weekend in our fourth teaching aspect of growing in our faith with PERSONAL MINISTRY.

Of the five aspects,

• Practical Teaching
• Providential Relationships
• Private Disciplines
• Personal Ministry and next week,
• Pivotal Circumstances...

I would say PERSONAL MINISTRY resonates the most in my life. I have grown leaps and bounds in the personal ministry I believe God has laid upon my heart: leading women in Bible study.Ronnie defined personal ministry as responding to an eternal nudge from God to serve others. His text was taken from Matthew 14:13-18 as he defined his 'personal ministry' as serving others.

In the Matthew 14 verses, he highlighted several excuses the disciples used that stood in their way of serving. Jesus quickly shows them 'personal ministry' by serving the people. The disciples didn't know 'how' to feed the people which stopped them cold in their tracks. Instead, Jesus encouraged them with His words "They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat."

Jesus' words encouraged me to become his 'hands and feet'...jump in and get dirty, but serve others. Might my prayer sound something like..."I'll do what I can, but you'll need to take over Lord and move mountains, because I'm clueless on what I need to do here."

Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms.
---1 Peter 4:10

"Do these make my butt look big?"

Another Saturday morning.
Saturday used to be my day to be allowed to hit the snooze alarm (reminding my children every ten minutes not to fight and that they are old enough to pour their own cereal) until 8:30. Really not the same thing as sleeping in; just the stubborn display of not getting up at the same time I do on a work day. I guess I was sure I was making a point each Saturday morning. The clarity that comes from blogging :) ANYWAY-

In my very supported pursuit of reclaiming myself, I am trying to destroy the hermit part of me. I have done this by starting to schedule things to do outside of my house. One of those things is my Saturday morning at Panera where I pick up the very modern pen of my laptop, enjoy a cup of coffee, and catch up with not only my good friend who has recently moved, but also the old friend of myself.

I have maybe three really good friends. I mean the kind of friend who knows why I do what i do and will cheer me on by encouraging me and telling me to knock it off. I call these my "Big Butt Friends". These are the kind of friends who love you enough to say in the dressing room, "Yes, that makes your butt look big. Try these on." Why does she do this? She does this because she wants you to look your best. She tells you this so you do not spend money on something you will really never wear because each time you put it on because it just doesn't look right. She tells you this because she would want the truth. In addition, they are the friend that you go to (knowing the Truth) but needing to hear it aloud and you know she is the one who will say it. Ladies, if you do not have a friend who loves you enough to tell you the Truth, the whole Truth, and nothing but the sometimes hard to hear- Truth, you are missing out! Chero- you may feel free to call them big bottom friends, big darrierfriends, big tooshie friends, etc so that the title does not distract you ;)

What does me planning things to do outside of my house have to do with "B.B." friends? I wondered how much of a B.B.F. I have been to myself over the last ten years. I can tell myself what not to do. I can tell myself what is good. I think I do these each in isolation. The joy of B.B.F. is the they have this magic way of telling you the Truth (God's truth) in a convictingly encouraging way. I have been self convicting. I have been self encouraging. However there is this gap between the two entities. It is too compartmentalized for me. Rather than police myself, I need to develop a relationship with myself.

Thank you to my B.B.F.s sent to me by God. Thank you to God for seeking me and sending these women on my journey. Thank you God and my B.B.F.s for convictingly encouraging me to seek myself in a convictingly encouraging way.

My B.B.F. have told me who they met, who they saw, who they see- what I am missing in the sight of myself. I am missing it because I have been affraid. I am less affraid than I have been in YEARS. Now is time to move past my fears. I need to get out and see life again. This beautiful world and people that God has created. I need to make myself vulnerable to the possibilities God wants me to see. I need to make myself available to the possibilities God has for me. My friends told me my preverbial butt was enormous in those old pants and I need to put on a different pair. I have GREAT FRIENDS!!!!! I really mean that- thank you ladies.


Do you have any B.B.Fs- ladies who tell you the hard Truth when you don't see it, or when you just need to hear it aloud?

Can you convictingly encourage yourself? Or do you do each of these separately (convict and encourage)?

Are you a B.B.F. to yourself?

Thank your friend who tells you what you need to hear rather than keep the waters smooth.

Treat you B.B.F to a cup of tea, coffee, pop, or chocolate this week. Most importantly, thank God and her with specifics for being your friend- you B.B.F.

M

Listening to Aaron Pelsue Band while I walked this morning. Their song, Come Home Running, continues the theme from my post yesterday of redemption and God's abundant grace. This song is from their CD, No Turning Back.

Madeline's 14th birthday party...our three beautiful girls!



Shopping in Tampa, FL after a morning of fun at Busch Gardens



Pictures of my big girls after hair cuts from Miss Susan...



Clara Taylor and Tessa...sisters.

Search Me, O God

The spirit of man is the candle of the Lord,
searching all the inward parts of the belly.
---Proverbs 20:27

My sixteen year old daughter hasn't felt her best the past few days. One of her eyes was unusually sensitive and tender. The following morning there was swelling and a painful lump on the edge of her eyelid. After self-diagnosing her with a sty, I made a call to our family doctor.

Form a picture of God walking through your body, your personality, your heart. Imagine Him using the Spirit as his candle of light shining it in the dark, sensitive, and painful areas of your heart. "It is not frightening that God desires to straighten, inform and correct for our good because it's also to comfort and encourage us. As we believe that he really does love us, then we can begin to pray heartily..." ---Dallas Willard

My goal is to cooperate with God and respond, "Lord, bring Your light on any area of my life. Examine me, please, and see if there is anything I need to correct. Guide me, Lord, to find out what is wrong and amend my heart."

Dr. Chad, our family doctor, is a trusted friend. When he examines my daughter's physical condition this afternoon, I have no doubt he'll have her best intentions in his care and diagnosis. How much more can we invite our Heavenly Father's diagnosis to straighten and inform us for our good. Psalm 139 says has this to say about His watchful care over us...

"...you have searched me and you know me....you
hem me in—behind and before...you have laid your hand upon me..."


and with my heart I cry...

"Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know
my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting."
verses 1, 5, 23, 24

"Bring the light of the candle of the Lord to bear upon my life, please."

Christmas 2003

Before you realize
it has happened,
they grow up.

Linking scripture to pray...

During the past few months I have faced many challenges. I can't say that I met them all with bravery or composure. Many times I've failed to speak or act as I would have wished. But through it all, I have felt...deep within my soul the secure, peaceful understanding of God's sovereign hand working in my life.

A dear friend has given me the invaluable gift of 'linking' scriptures. I truly don't know where I would be today without the wonderful words of scripture. They have been a comfort to my weary sad soul.

Below you can read the scriptures that reminded my heart and soul today of the sovereignty of God. May we remember these in our darkest days, that He is our all in all.

All the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing,
But He does according to His will in the host of heaven
And among the inhabitants of earth;
And no one can ward off His hand
Or say to Him, 'What have You done?'

Now I...praise, exalt and honor the King of heaven,
for all His works are true and His ways just, and
He is able to humble those who walk in pride.

Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and
knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments
and unfathomable His ways!

For WHO HAS KNOWN THE MIND OF THE LORD, OR WHO BECAME HIS COUNSELOR?

Or WHO HAS FIRST GIVEN TO HIM THAT IT MIGHT BE PAID BACK TO HIM AGAIN?

For from Him and through Him and to Him
are all things To Him be the glory forever...

When all things are subjected to Him, then the Son
Himself also will be subjected to the One who subjected
all things to Him, so that God may be all in all...

...all this has come upon us, but we have not forgotten You,
and we have not dealt falsely with Your covenant. Our heart
has not turned back,and our steps have not deviated from
Your way. Yet You have crushed us in a place of jackals and
covered us with the shadow of death.

Scriptures: Daniel 4:35, Romans 11:33-36, 1 Corinthians 15:28, and Psalm 44:17-19

Liminal: Waiting or Transition?

and I said, "I trust God..."

He will provide exactly what I need today.

---D.Duncan 10/19/08 E91 Christian Church Indianapolis, IN

Sometimes children can put everything in perspective with their simplistic view of life. Watch this video of a 13 year old boy explaining God’s love.

So simple and profound… Read the rest of the entry here.

The comedy of grace

"The comedy of grace is that it so often comes to us as loss, sorrow, and foul-smelling waste; if it came as gain, gladness, and sweetly scented flowers, we would not be grateful. We would, as we are wont to do, take personal credit for the unwarranted gifts of God. It is easy to be attracted to the idea of grace...but much harder to recognize this grace when it comes as pain and unwelcome change."

---Kathleen Norris in Acedia & Me

Kathleen Norris had written several much loved books, yet she couldn’t drag herself out of bed in the morning, couldn’t summon the energy for daily tasks. Even as she struggled, Norris recognized her familiar battle with acedia.

She had discovered the word in an early Church text when she was in her thirties. Having endured times of deep soul-weariness since she was a teenager, she immediately recognized that this passage described her affliction: sinking into a state of being unable to care.details her relationship with acedia, a slothful, soul-weary indifference long recognized by monastics.

Norris is careful to distinguish acedia from its cousin, depression, noting that acedia is a failure of the will and can be dispelled by embracing faith and life, whereas depression is not a choice and often requires medical treatment.