Today I am Thankful for...

...warmth and sunshine. The past few days have been absolutely awesome. I am a summer girl and love the heat. I also love what this weather allows; such as picnics, backyard soccer games, lots of bike riding, gorgeous flowers, freezer pops on the deck... Plus, the sunshine seems to make people happier-such a blessing when you work in a counseling center-those counselors can be so grumpy (just kidding). :-)

...my kid's teachers. We are once again at the end of another school year. It is hard to believe that in just a few short days I will have a 1st grader, a 3rd grader and (gasp) a 5th grader. (Our baby will also be a preschooler.) This year has been a blast. We have watched our kids deal with typical school issues, but each of them has come through beautifully. I know that most of that is attributed to the great teachers who have taught them and led them this year. My prayer for them is that they will find rest and refreshment this summer so that they will be ready to do it all over again for another set of kids in the fall.

...my God. He is faithful and trustworthy.

Thought for the day

Ephesians 5:1

Be imitators of God...

Philippians 2:5

Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus...

Ephesians 5:2

Live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

Philippians 2:6-8 (paraphrased)

...made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant...humbled himself, became obedient to death

I am struck with the fact that in my humanness this is impossible. And as I roll this around in my brain, I am also struck with the first lines of each passage: "be..."! Not "try" or "do your best", but rather the command "be" and "be the same as".



So how does it work? How can I be like the perfect and holy God? How can I be the same as Christ Jesus in my attitude?



As I read the second part of the passages above a concept that strikes me is surrender. For Jesus, he surrendered his very life. I also see the need to live a life of love, as well as the need to serve others-putting others before ourselves. But even breaking it down like that, there are moments when even this seems impossible.



I think that it will only be through the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives that we can live in this way. We have to be willing to live this way and then surrender ourselves and our will to the Holy Spirit and allow him to change us. When this change happens we will then live with love, as a servant, fully surrendered to God and His plan for us.



For more study on this lifestyle change, here are some more passages to look at: 2 Peter 1:5-7, Galatians 5:16-25, Colossians 3:12-17.

Thought for the day

LEADERSHIP

UNITY

These words conjure up a variety of pictures in our minds. We think we know how they should look in our lives (at work, at church, in our government, marriages and families, etc...). All too often our expectations are not met. I wonder if it has anything to do with our perspective on these words.


I wonder if we were to filter leadership and unity through the following passages, if our expectations would change.

Ephesians 3:16-19

I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ and to know this love that surpasses knowledge-that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

Ephesians 4:11-13

It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

What if we began to pray...

...that God would strengthen us with power through his Spirit

...that He would help us grasp His love, His enormous love

...that we would acknowledge and accept the roles He has given us and the roles He has given others

...that we would be brought together with others in unity that ONLY comes from our relationship with Jesus

...that we would become mature in our relationship with God?

I think that we would begin to see that leadership is God ordained. I also think we would begin to see true unity. I firmly believe that when people are seeking God and listening to His Spirit there will be unity. God and the Holy Spirit are One, they will never speak one thing to one person and another thing to another person. He is not divisive or confusing, He is Light.

I love that both of the passages above end with a promise-this kind of life equals a life filled to the fullness of God. Jesus came to give life, and not a bland-doormat-discontent life, but life to the FULL. That fullness of life comes from God and God alone. I know this is what I want. And so I will begin to pray for the things I listed above. Do you want to join me?

Pet Peeves (Part 2)

If you didn't get to experience part one, feel free to check it out here.

1. Why do some people think that if they call the office every 10 minutes and leave a message they might get a quicker response? Seriously, leave a message and know that people do listen to those messages and will get back to you! And when I say, it can take up to 24-48 hours for calls to be returned that is exactly what I mean.
2. When people have a case of the chronic need to call, do they really think that I don't recognize their voice?
3. Also, if you have a missed call and a voicemail, PLEASE listen to the voicemail first and then call the number back. The voicemail will probably provide you with the place you are calling, the person you are calling back, and the reason for you to call back. Without the information provided in the voicemail, it is a little difficult to help.
4. I am a receptionist, not a secretary. I can transfer you to someone's extension and voicemail, but I do not usually deliver personal messages. And even if I did take a personal message and it's not a life or death situation, it will probably still take the said 24-48 hours.

In all reality, I love my job. I love the fact that our building offers hope and help to those that are hurting and in need. However, there are days when I would love to take the phone and throw it into the dumpster. It has been one of those weeks. :-)

Mental Health Days

I have had a few days that I can only describe as brutal (emotionally, mentally and spiritually). So today I took a mental health day. It's interesting, because even in the midst of trying to decide whether to take the day off or work, I struggled with my "need" to be at work versus taking care of myself. I work in the mental health field, it's not like I don't recognize the need to take care of one's whole being, yet when it's me, I fight it.

I struggle with control. Big surprise to many of you, I know! HAHA! God reminded me early this morning that HE is in control. HE has my best interests in mind. HE will guide and direct me if I patiently wait for Him. It was such a great reminder and refreshment to my soul that I almost decided to go into work anyway today. I didn't though. This is a day I need for me to take some time and do whatever I need or want to do. I had hoped for better weather so I could get in nine holes of golf, but instead I spent some time at the coffee shop, put together dinner, am doing laundry, blogging, getting ready to sweep/vacuum, and it's only 10:05 am. I am also planning to spend some time sitting in my papasan chair with the new Francine Rivers book. Yes, this will be a good day.

I am letting God shoulder the responsibility of timing and clarity for the decisions we are facing. It is just my job to be listening and then to be obedient. He will take care of the details. In the meantime, I will relax and enjoy my mental health day. (Yes, I took the kids to the sitter today. The day is really and truly completely mine.)

Today I am Thankful for...

...the Holy Spirit and His active role in our lives.

...my daughter asking me as I tuck her into bed, "Will you pray for me Mommy?" OF COURSE!!!!

...the mother's in my life! Lois, Margo, Kim--each of you has played a role in my life and I love each of you for it! May this Mother's Day be filled with much love and joy!

And to all the Mother's out there, may you sense the blessing of God this Mother's Day. Happy Mother's Day!

A thought...or two

I am struck by a story that I heard quite some time ago (not sure where or when). It is about an evangelist in Chicago in the late 1800's. He was preaching a very moving and powerful sermon one evening during a revival. At some point in the sermon he made the decision that he would wait and give the altar call the next evening. (I am not sure what exactly drove this decision, maybe the hope that people would tell their friends to come with them the next night and there would be a greater response, or maybe it was pride, or maybe it was something else entirely. I just know that it was a decision he would live to regret.) The Great Chicago Fire of 1871 destroyed about 4 square miles of the city and claimed the lives of hundreds of people before he had the opportunity to preach salvation and offer Hope to those people.

How often do you think; I'll talk to them about it later or next time or when I know more or when they work some other stuff out or...? I know I have, all too often. Maybe my pride or my fear of rejection or my "valuable time" get in the way, but whatever it is, it could be the difference between Heaven and Hell. And it is definitely not showing them love by keeping my mouth shut.

I don't know who all reads this blog and I don't need to, and since I don't know who is reading, I can safely say that I don't know what your spiritual state is right now. That being said, here goes:

You are a sinner, we all are. And the result of sin is death-literally and spiritually speaking. Think about this, Adam and Eve sinned and as a result we now all physically die. Also, due to our sin, we now are faced with a decision that determines life or death for our soul.

Here is the Hope: Jesus Christ, the Son of God, came to Earth and died on a cross. His death on that cross gave us the chance to find redemption and the ability to spend our eternity in Heaven in His presence. However, we have to make the choice to accept the gift His death provides. If we believe that we are sinners, that Jesus died for our sins, and we accept that gift-we then will enter into a relationship with God that can and should transform us.

Know this, there will come a day when everyone will stand before God. You will be held accountable to the choice you made about Jesus, his sacrificial gift and how you chose to live as a result.

God is Love. He showed that love to us by sending Jesus into this world as a sacrifice for our sins. This love should be transforming in our lives. We should be seeking God and obeying His Word. This obedience comes from our faith in Him. The greatest part of all of this is that God Himself will provide what we need to love Him and live in Him. He has promised this help. All you have to do is ask.

If any of this needs clarification or if you want to ask more questions, please feel free to do so. I love each of you (even if I don't know you) and I believe that this decision is the single most important decision you will ever make. No matter what else I have or ever will blog about, this is all that truly matters. I am praying for you.

Happy Birthday Alexander!

This amazing young man, joined our family 10 years ago today.

Today is Alexander's tenth birthday and we are so very proud of him and the young man that he is becoming. We are enjoying watching him grow and mature. Let me share with you some of the many moments we have enjoyed.

Ten Alexander Moments:

1. His birth taught me so much about God's love for me. Becoming a parent taught me what unselfish love is all about (and how selfish I can be). Those first few hours and days of being a brand new mom to this amazing little man changed me and my world forever, and it is a change that I will cherish always.
2. One day I was working on getting a turkey into the oven and turned around to find Alex attempting to drink a bottle of vegetable oil, needless to say my kitchen floor had a nice sheen to it for awhile and his skin was oh-so-soft. (He was about 1 at the time.) He was always curious about things. (I made sure to tighten every cap from then on.)
3. Alex became a big brother at 16 months. In the hospital after his brother was born, he wasn't too sure of what to do with Jack, but his brotherly instincts kicked in quickly and he has always been such an amazing big brother to all of his siblings.
4. The time when he climbed over the crib railing, in an attempt to get out, and he ended up getting stuck. I went into the room to see him hanging on the outside of the crib, crying "I 'tuck mama, I 'tuck." (He was about 1.5 at the time.) He has always wanted to do it his way. He desired independence from an early age.
5. The day that I took him to preschool for the first time. We went through the drop off line and he got right out, no looking back. He was so excited. School has never been something that we have had to battle Alex about, he loves it.
6. Another time it the drop off line when he was talking about Jesus and we had a conversation about praying and asking Jesus into our hearts. He got very quiet for a few minutes, then he looked at me and said, "I did it mom." One of the greatest moments in my life.
7. His first day of Kindergarten and his graduation, then his first day of first grade-when he rode the bus for the first time. He looked too small but all grown up at the same time. Time has a way of moving faster than we would like.
8. Alex has played multiple sports over the years, he has played soccer, t-ball and coaches pitch, football and basketball. In each sport he is gifted and it is always fun to watch him.
9. His grades show what a smart and talented boy he is. He loves to read, in fact last summer he read the entire "Chronicles of Narnia" series in a month. He has won awards for art and math as well. He has performed and acted in a school play this past year-in which he had one of the lead parts.
10. His heart is huge. Alex showed this very specifically yesterday. As a part of his birthday party, he asked that people bring money to help feed kids in Haiti. Each meal that is provided through World Compassion Network (a local organization) costs 50 cents. When it was all said and done, he took enough money to supply meals to over 270 kids in Haiti. The look on his face when we counted up the total was priceless, it was pure joy. He knew in that moment that he had helped kids he didn't even know.

We are so blessed to be a part of Alex's life and we look forward to the next 10 years. God has big plans for this kid and we can't wait to see how he is used by God.

Happy birthday Alex!