Have you ever heard that friends are the family you choose?
I always used to hate the phrase, "These are the best years of your life.." when talking to high school and college students. Something so final about that and looming about your future. When in high school, I thought I would be friends (especially with my best friends) forever. I had always heard people would drift away but thought my best friends were different. After reality hit during my freshman year of college, I just started to see friends differently. My best friend from high school was still an incredible woman but we were just having different life experiences. You make different friends and while it doesn't make you forget old friends, it puts them on the back burner for awhile. Slowly, you lose touch and while that was never your intention - it just happens.
Recently, I was in Washington DC where Chris and I used to live when we had our first two children. We left DC because we did not want to raise our children in the crazy environment where you live in your car and politics is the local news. While visiting, my husband and I sat at dinner one night and were debating who might still be around that we once knew there. So many had moved away over the years. We came to a name and I immediately pulled out my phone and started looking up phone numbers. We tried both numbers listed and both were disconnected. Then I asked if it was possible he had switched to just a cell phone. Long and short of it, we decided to drive by his house and just see...mind you it was 9 o'clock at night. He was there! We went to coffee and became Facebook official friends. Such joy from my husband as we had coffee and talked. It was awesome to reconnect! On that same trip, I was able to reconnect with a childhood friend whom I had not seen since we were maybe 12 or 13. Another friend from college reappeared on the scene while we were in North Carolina. Not to mention the countless others that we have touched base with on Facebook.
Whether you believe this or not, I really believe people are brought into our lives at certain seasons for certain reasons. I can look back in my life and people I only knew a short time had such an incredible impact on me. So, why do I bother to bring this up?!! We never know how long we have with those friends. Sometimes we move away, and sometimes life just pulls us away, and sometimes we are just buttheads and don't keep in contact. We need to take time to embrace them while we have them. We never know when people will be pulled away from us for any reason. Appreciate them in this moment as we do not know if we will have another. These people really are the people you choose to be in your life.
Passages for today:
"A friend loves at all times,
And a brother is born for adversity."Prov 17:17 New International Version
"Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep."Rom 12:15 New King James Version
One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin,
but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.
Proverbs 18:24 NIV
Don't hold back loving on the people around you today! We do not know what tomorrow brings and you do not want to regret a moment that you lost along the way to show them how special they are to you!
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Squirrel
I love to people watch. I don't know what it is, but I really love to watch how people interact with one another. You can see every sense of emotion. It is kind of like watching a silent film. I was at Starbucks yesterday and sat watching one man talk to himself in the middle of the sidewalk as people walked around him (bluetooth). I watched 3 teens walking side by side - all with phones attached to their ears. I saw a few others working on laptops. It was odd, there was absolutely no interaction. No one was talking, there wasn't any spontaneous laughter. There was just pure distraction.
I am the queen of distractions. I have ADD - literally - not just jokingly. If you don't have ADD, I have included a clip from the movie UP where Dug, the dog displays it perfectly. The brain is always ahead of the mouth. You have 100 thoughts going at once and it is difficult to focus on one.
Today's passage is: Matthew 5:14, 16 "Here's another way to put it: You're here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We're going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don't think I'm going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I'm putting you on a light stand. Now that I've put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you'll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven.
While at the beach last week I was thinking about lighthouses. North Carolina is full of them and you can see them from very far at night. It is a light that is a beacon for the way home. What I was thinking about was, what if someone lived in that lighthouse but forgot to turn on the light. What if they got busy and just forgot. No one would know where to go without their wonderful navigation systems. And how often has your GPS taken you down a road that either doesn't exist or takes you way out of your way? My husband and I were in Florida earlier this year and the GPS took us to the back of a waste management plant instead of our hotel. I had to think fast and give the GPS other possible side streets to help us get back on track.
We are so "busy" but are we? Or are we just filling our time? Are we forgetting to turn our light on because we are so engrossed in our own lives that we have forgotten people around us?
If you have the light of the world, so bright, God doesn't want us to get distracted and forget to turn on the light. It becomes easy to turn it on whenever it works for us but how will anyone get home if the lights are off? This passage is so you can see and so others can as well.
What distractions are keeping you from meeting people where they are at? Where do you struggle to turn on the light?
I am the queen of distractions. I have ADD - literally - not just jokingly. If you don't have ADD, I have included a clip from the movie UP where Dug, the dog displays it perfectly. The brain is always ahead of the mouth. You have 100 thoughts going at once and it is difficult to focus on one.
Today's passage is: Matthew 5:14, 16 "Here's another way to put it: You're here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We're going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don't think I'm going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I'm putting you on a light stand. Now that I've put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you'll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven.
While at the beach last week I was thinking about lighthouses. North Carolina is full of them and you can see them from very far at night. It is a light that is a beacon for the way home. What I was thinking about was, what if someone lived in that lighthouse but forgot to turn on the light. What if they got busy and just forgot. No one would know where to go without their wonderful navigation systems. And how often has your GPS taken you down a road that either doesn't exist or takes you way out of your way? My husband and I were in Florida earlier this year and the GPS took us to the back of a waste management plant instead of our hotel. I had to think fast and give the GPS other possible side streets to help us get back on track.
We are so "busy" but are we? Or are we just filling our time? Are we forgetting to turn our light on because we are so engrossed in our own lives that we have forgotten people around us?
If you have the light of the world, so bright, God doesn't want us to get distracted and forget to turn on the light. It becomes easy to turn it on whenever it works for us but how will anyone get home if the lights are off? This passage is so you can see and so others can as well.
What distractions are keeping you from meeting people where they are at? Where do you struggle to turn on the light?
Friday, July 29, 2011
Mountains
I am from Colorado so I have a deep appreciation for mountains. They are truly magnificent and just as with anything, no two are exactly alike. And even though there are mountain ranges named Twin Sisters - they are still just slightly different. For me, I get nervous and excited right before I start to climb a trail because you don't quite know what to expect. And even when you climb the same trail, you are often faced with different conditions.
After walking the trails of The Rocky Mountains, I had to laugh at my 3 experiences with my children up a small little trail at Miracle Mountain in Pennsylvania. I laugh because in comparison to the Rockies - these are speed bumps. Anyway, during my children's 6th grade year, they go with their entire class for 3 days to this wonderful camp where they learn to work together as a team. One of the 3 days they climb a little trail. The first time I did it, it had flooded in the area, so little cracks in the earth were swollen with water and we had to trek across running water. The second time I climbed it, the temperature outside was about 95 and I had a blown out knee that I had surgery scheduled for 10 days later. The final time, I knew it was my final time climbing and I was able to try to enjoy each moment as we climbed. The point is, each time was completely different. The funny part of the trail is just when you think you have reached the summit, you turn a corner and there is an even larger path upwards. I mean straight upwards.
(Miracle Mountain at the base of the climb)It is straight up on rocks that are constantly shifting beneath your feet. You can visualize the top but cannot quite see it. Instead, you have to keep focused on where you walk and make sure you don't slip. If you stop along the trail, it becomes harder to keep moving. If you do not climb, you miss out on the victory at the top as well as the rewards around the corner. In this case, around the corner, there were awesome rocks everyone could climb and enjoy a little breeze. One girl on our final time up the hill was an unlikely candidate to make it up the hill. She is overweight and struggles with some other health issues. We all gave her the option of not going up the mountain and after long debate, she decided to try. She walked joyfully through the easier sections and took a deep breath and plowed through to get through the difficult parts. I was at the summit when I heard her classmates cheering her on to continue up the mountain. They walked with her, they walked behind her and some walked ahead of her to help keep her focus moving forward. That was worth the trip alone!
Our climb is full of majestic views and glorious paths if we just step forward to walk. There are moments of steep and very rocky paths and other times of valleys that are easy to just leisurely walk along and enjoy the surroundings. Walking the path is the first step and walking the path with friends is another. As we enjoy the summit, we still need to keep walking.
Today's passage: Isaiah 49:11 I will turn all my mountains into roads,
and my highways will be raised up.
What is the road in this passage? How does God supply you with what you need to get on the road and stay on the road?
Our path that we walk is often rocky with the ground ever shifting beneath. I truly believe God provided us friends and other believers to help keep cheering us on. They can walk along side of us but they cannot walk the road for us. They can rejoice with us but cannot pull us up to the summit. It is up to us to set one foot in front of the other and keep walking. Those friends and people God has put in our lives are there for a reason to help raise us up but ultimately, it is between us and God to walk the road together.
Jesus is the road and God paved the way with Him. God gives us communion with one another to help stay on the trail and keep moving forward. Who is in your life that can help you keep moving forward? Regardless of the size of the mountain or speed bump, we need to keep climbing.
So, while I am not a Miley Cyrus fan. Her song, "The Climb" has some very appropriate aspects here. I will leave you with her lyrics.
The Climb
Songwriters: Alexander, J; Mabe, J;I can almost see it
That dream I am dreaming
But there's a voice inside my head saying
"You'll never reach it"
Every step I'm taking
Every move I make feels
Lost with no direction
My faith is shaking
But I gotta keep trying
Gotta keep my head held high
There's always gonna be another mountain
I'm always gonna wanna make it move
Always gonna be a uphill battle
Sometimes I'm gonna have to lose
Ain't about how fast I get there
Ain't about what's waiting on the other side
It's the climb
The struggles I'm facing
The chances I'm taking
Sometimes might knock me down
But no, I'm not breaking
I may not know it
But these are the moments that
I'm gonna remember most, yeah
Just gotta keep going
And I, I got to be strong
Just keep pushing on
'Cause there's always gonna be another mountain
I'm always gonna wanna make it move
Always gonna be a uphill battle
Sometimes I'm gonna have to lose
Ain't about how fast I get there
Ain't about what's waiting on the other side
It's the climb, yeah!
There's always gonna be another mountain
I'm always gonna wanna make it move
Always gonna be an uphill battle
Somebody's gonna have to lose
Ain't about how fast I get there
Ain't about what's waiting on the other side
It's the climb, yeah!
Keep on moving, keep climbing
Keep the faith, baby
It's all about, it's all about the climb
Keep the faith, keep your faith, whoa
© HOPELESS ROSE MUSIC; VISTAVILLE MUSIC;
After walking the trails of The Rocky Mountains, I had to laugh at my 3 experiences with my children up a small little trail at Miracle Mountain in Pennsylvania. I laugh because in comparison to the Rockies - these are speed bumps. Anyway, during my children's 6th grade year, they go with their entire class for 3 days to this wonderful camp where they learn to work together as a team. One of the 3 days they climb a little trail. The first time I did it, it had flooded in the area, so little cracks in the earth were swollen with water and we had to trek across running water. The second time I climbed it, the temperature outside was about 95 and I had a blown out knee that I had surgery scheduled for 10 days later. The final time, I knew it was my final time climbing and I was able to try to enjoy each moment as we climbed. The point is, each time was completely different. The funny part of the trail is just when you think you have reached the summit, you turn a corner and there is an even larger path upwards. I mean straight upwards.
(Miracle Mountain at the base of the climb)Our climb is full of majestic views and glorious paths if we just step forward to walk. There are moments of steep and very rocky paths and other times of valleys that are easy to just leisurely walk along and enjoy the surroundings. Walking the path is the first step and walking the path with friends is another. As we enjoy the summit, we still need to keep walking.
Today's passage: Isaiah 49:11 I will turn all my mountains into roads,
and my highways will be raised up.
What is the road in this passage? How does God supply you with what you need to get on the road and stay on the road?
Our path that we walk is often rocky with the ground ever shifting beneath. I truly believe God provided us friends and other believers to help keep cheering us on. They can walk along side of us but they cannot walk the road for us. They can rejoice with us but cannot pull us up to the summit. It is up to us to set one foot in front of the other and keep walking. Those friends and people God has put in our lives are there for a reason to help raise us up but ultimately, it is between us and God to walk the road together.
Jesus is the road and God paved the way with Him. God gives us communion with one another to help stay on the trail and keep moving forward. Who is in your life that can help you keep moving forward? Regardless of the size of the mountain or speed bump, we need to keep climbing.
So, while I am not a Miley Cyrus fan. Her song, "The Climb" has some very appropriate aspects here. I will leave you with her lyrics.
The Climb
Songwriters: Alexander, J; Mabe, J;I can almost see it
That dream I am dreaming
But there's a voice inside my head saying
"You'll never reach it"
Every step I'm taking
Every move I make feels
Lost with no direction
My faith is shaking
But I gotta keep trying
Gotta keep my head held high
There's always gonna be another mountain
I'm always gonna wanna make it move
Always gonna be a uphill battle
Sometimes I'm gonna have to lose
Ain't about how fast I get there
Ain't about what's waiting on the other side
It's the climb
The struggles I'm facing
The chances I'm taking
Sometimes might knock me down
But no, I'm not breaking
I may not know it
But these are the moments that
I'm gonna remember most, yeah
Just gotta keep going
And I, I got to be strong
Just keep pushing on
'Cause there's always gonna be another mountain
I'm always gonna wanna make it move
Always gonna be a uphill battle
Sometimes I'm gonna have to lose
Ain't about how fast I get there
Ain't about what's waiting on the other side
It's the climb, yeah!
There's always gonna be another mountain
I'm always gonna wanna make it move
Always gonna be an uphill battle
Somebody's gonna have to lose
Ain't about how fast I get there
Ain't about what's waiting on the other side
It's the climb, yeah!
Keep on moving, keep climbing
Keep the faith, baby
It's all about, it's all about the climb
Keep the faith, keep your faith, whoa
© HOPELESS ROSE MUSIC; VISTAVILLE MUSIC;
Thursday, July 28, 2011
The Goal
Whenever I start an exercise routine, for some sick warped reason, I start to hear the Saturday Night Live skit with Hans and Franz (1980's). For those of you who are nostalgic or those who are much younger and have no idea what I am talking about, here is a short clip: http://youtu.be/HHZhw94C5vQ
It was a skit with 2 guys pretending to be like Arnold Schwarzenegger. So, I am always hearing, "I want to pump you up."
For the last three years, I have done The 3 Day Walk for breast cancer (the3day.org). I have trained, lifted weights and walked countless miles all with a goal of walking 60 miles over 3 days in honor of those who have fought breast cancer. I do a great job exercising when I have a goal in mind. While getting ready for The 3 Day, I know that if I do not train, I can badly injure myself. For those of you who do not think 60 miles is very far, try it! The most fit people do not ever cross the finish line. They make the mistake of thinking they have it all together and are active enough to not train. I have seen blisters the size of Texas on people's feet and stress fractures all because people do not prepare.
I am not doing the walk this year due to my crazy summer and as a result got way off the exercise path. So, a few days ago, I decided to see if I could do what I had not really done since high school....a sit-up! Gasp! You may laugh but that was such a huge thing for me. I held the record for most situps in a minute at my school (62 or 65...I do not recall - either way - impressive). I had such incredible abs but truly it had been since high school since I even attempted actual sit-ups...not little whimpy crunches - I have done those. I sat in wonder trying to figure out where I could do them. I finally found a spot, took my spot on the floor, looked up at the ceiling and said - here we go. I did one and without difficulty. Woohoo! It seemed so daunting and yet so simple. Why did I not just try it?! Yes, I did more than one and can say I actually enjoyed it! Shhhhh!!
How often are we afraid to step out because it seems like such an insurmountable task? It is simple - it is fear. We are afraid to fall and fail. However, if we never try or take a step forward, then we have already failed.
Today's passage is: Philippians 3:14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
The Message version
Focused on the Goal
12-14I'm not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don't get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I've got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I'm off and running, and I'm not turning back.
I used to run track and I did hurdles. Again, if I had not trained and worked at learning how to get over those hurdles, I would have crashed and burned. If you get off course at all during hurdles., or keep your eyes fixed anywhere but in front of you and on the goal, you will fall. I have many scars from hurdles because I took my eyes off course. Our eyes must be fixed on Christ or we will fall. The more we pull away from Him or do our own thing, we lose sight of the prize and the end goal. Isn't life like that?! We have hurdles and a long race ahead - should we not train and press on toward the goal of Christ and His love?!
Where have you lost sight or have you just stopped running the race? What will help you get back in your routine? In your heart, what hurdles are keeping you from God?
It was a skit with 2 guys pretending to be like Arnold Schwarzenegger. So, I am always hearing, "I want to pump you up."
For the last three years, I have done The 3 Day Walk for breast cancer (the3day.org). I have trained, lifted weights and walked countless miles all with a goal of walking 60 miles over 3 days in honor of those who have fought breast cancer. I do a great job exercising when I have a goal in mind. While getting ready for The 3 Day, I know that if I do not train, I can badly injure myself. For those of you who do not think 60 miles is very far, try it! The most fit people do not ever cross the finish line. They make the mistake of thinking they have it all together and are active enough to not train. I have seen blisters the size of Texas on people's feet and stress fractures all because people do not prepare.
I am not doing the walk this year due to my crazy summer and as a result got way off the exercise path. So, a few days ago, I decided to see if I could do what I had not really done since high school....a sit-up! Gasp! You may laugh but that was such a huge thing for me. I held the record for most situps in a minute at my school (62 or 65...I do not recall - either way - impressive). I had such incredible abs but truly it had been since high school since I even attempted actual sit-ups...not little whimpy crunches - I have done those. I sat in wonder trying to figure out where I could do them. I finally found a spot, took my spot on the floor, looked up at the ceiling and said - here we go. I did one and without difficulty. Woohoo! It seemed so daunting and yet so simple. Why did I not just try it?! Yes, I did more than one and can say I actually enjoyed it! Shhhhh!!
How often are we afraid to step out because it seems like such an insurmountable task? It is simple - it is fear. We are afraid to fall and fail. However, if we never try or take a step forward, then we have already failed.
Today's passage is: Philippians 3:14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
The Message version
Focused on the Goal
12-14I'm not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don't get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I've got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I'm off and running, and I'm not turning back.
I used to run track and I did hurdles. Again, if I had not trained and worked at learning how to get over those hurdles, I would have crashed and burned. If you get off course at all during hurdles., or keep your eyes fixed anywhere but in front of you and on the goal, you will fall. I have many scars from hurdles because I took my eyes off course. Our eyes must be fixed on Christ or we will fall. The more we pull away from Him or do our own thing, we lose sight of the prize and the end goal. Isn't life like that?! We have hurdles and a long race ahead - should we not train and press on toward the goal of Christ and His love?!
Where have you lost sight or have you just stopped running the race? What will help you get back in your routine? In your heart, what hurdles are keeping you from God?
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Every Hair...
Every Hair...
I can hear most of you now saying, "What's up with that title?!"
Ok - I realize that title isn't telling as to what this really is. However, if you look beyond then you will see where I am going with this.
In Luke 12:7 Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
And again in Matthew 10:30 And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered.
God's word is so awesome because it is truly living and breathing. There are so many meanings behind each statement. He will meet and greet you each day with what YOU need to hear.
Those verses could be as simple as He knows you so well that He knows every hair on your head. However, I hear so much more than that. So, how I will put this down today is - I will ask some questions and then below will go on to answer. If you choose to do this as a daily devotional - take time to answer the questions first before going on.
Why are we being told, "Don't be afraid"?
Do we really trust God in every situation?
We do not trust that God will take care of us or that he will overcome any situation. We sit back and think that God is going to act the way that we do. We cannot begin to comprehend how God will react because our only vision of God is the way we see ourselves. We know that we will let people down and eventually fall short. (For me, that is on a daily basis). We know that we will not forget a wrong or a hurt no matter how hard we try. Let's face it - we aren't God - as much as we try to create ourselves into one.
He has taken the time and care to know every speck of you. He created you and is so happy to know every detail. If He has taken time to know every hair, does He not care to know every part of your heart and life? He took the time to create every bird of the air and tends to their care. You are His most precious gift. You are created in His image and He loves you. I mean - can't you just picture this. God is in heaven and at the people creating machine (yes, I realize I am taking liberties....but go with it) and pulling down the jackpot lever and saying - ok, I would like a tall - red-head with green eyes please and out you come. You weren't factory made or a carbon copy. He wasn't absent the day you were born. No, He took the time to craft you and mold you in HIS image. You are NOT an accident. Would He not care about you in every situation?
Where is God asking you to trust Him right now?
How can you let Him be there for you?
Where will you find Him today - or will you put Him on the shelf to show up when you say you are a Christian?
**On a hilarious side note - as I was looking up references for this section - this is why so many women of the world do not shave. It was considered a sin (in some societies) against God to shave the very hairs that He had counted.**
I can hear most of you now saying, "What's up with that title?!"
Ok - I realize that title isn't telling as to what this really is. However, if you look beyond then you will see where I am going with this.
In Luke 12:7 Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
And again in Matthew 10:30 And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered.
God's word is so awesome because it is truly living and breathing. There are so many meanings behind each statement. He will meet and greet you each day with what YOU need to hear.
Those verses could be as simple as He knows you so well that He knows every hair on your head. However, I hear so much more than that. So, how I will put this down today is - I will ask some questions and then below will go on to answer. If you choose to do this as a daily devotional - take time to answer the questions first before going on.
Why are we being told, "Don't be afraid"?
Do we really trust God in every situation?
We do not trust that God will take care of us or that he will overcome any situation. We sit back and think that God is going to act the way that we do. We cannot begin to comprehend how God will react because our only vision of God is the way we see ourselves. We know that we will let people down and eventually fall short. (For me, that is on a daily basis). We know that we will not forget a wrong or a hurt no matter how hard we try. Let's face it - we aren't God - as much as we try to create ourselves into one.
He has taken the time and care to know every speck of you. He created you and is so happy to know every detail. If He has taken time to know every hair, does He not care to know every part of your heart and life? He took the time to create every bird of the air and tends to their care. You are His most precious gift. You are created in His image and He loves you. I mean - can't you just picture this. God is in heaven and at the people creating machine (yes, I realize I am taking liberties....but go with it) and pulling down the jackpot lever and saying - ok, I would like a tall - red-head with green eyes please and out you come. You weren't factory made or a carbon copy. He wasn't absent the day you were born. No, He took the time to craft you and mold you in HIS image. You are NOT an accident. Would He not care about you in every situation?
Where is God asking you to trust Him right now?
How can you let Him be there for you?
Where will you find Him today - or will you put Him on the shelf to show up when you say you are a Christian?
**On a hilarious side note - as I was looking up references for this section - this is why so many women of the world do not shave. It was considered a sin (in some societies) against God to shave the very hairs that He had counted.**
This Blog
This blog was derived out of another blog I wrote last year. I wrote every day for 100 days about my walk with Jesus. I opened it up for others to read not thinking they would - but just as an option to follow along in my journey. My sweet and loving friends would follow - but I did not want them to feel obligated to read it. Then I found out a few other people were reading and it really impacted them. When I reached the end of the 100 days - I was not sure if I should carry it forward or not. Then, this summer, I had the privilege to go on a missions trip to Ecuador with some awesome kids from my church. I was asked to write a devotional and God really pricked my heart during that time to start doing this again. It is soooo difficult to find a good devotional where you do not feel like they are just blowing wind up your skirt. I have always related to the people that are 'real' in their writing. Anyway, with all that being said, I hope that you enjoy your daily walk and get something from this. I pray that God is able to reach you where you are at every day and that you find Him everywhere you go.
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