Goodbye 2013

Last night I talked with a friend who said she could hardly wait to say goodbye to 2013. To say that this has been a rough year for her and her family would be like saying the ocean has a little water. I can sympathize...a lot of us can. We are all hoping that as December 31st passes by, somehow we will finally be able to put this year and all its ugliness behind us and move forward into a fresh new year.

I admit, I love New Year's Day. It is my most favorite holiday, simply because it represents a new start. I need a new start...again.

For many, 2013 has been a tough year. At times, it seems that the world has gone crazy! All this was on my mind the other night as I went out to do some errands and discovered it was dark. I don't mean your normal, night-time dark. It was DARK! To make matters worse, for some reason it seemed that half the street lights on my route had mysteriously gone out. The headlights on my van seemed to be swallowed up as I drove to my destination. It was more than a little scary...for those of you who might be scared of the dark. 

To make things even stranger, when I got home I started to watch on old Dr. Who episode and in that episode, shadows could creep up on you and eat you! (Well, actually it was some sort of weird "Dr. Who piranha" that lived in shadows, but that's not the point!) It was a REALLY dark kind of night. I posted something on facebook about it being dark outside and a friend sent me a post. It said that this particular night was the darkest night in over 500 years. Some sort of solstice lunar eclipse or something. All I knew was it was DARK! Yet the next morning when I got up, the sun was shining. It hadn't gone anywhere, even if I couldn't see it.

I was reminded of the old saying, "it's always darkest before the dawn!" Okay, maybe that's just a saying, but I like it...and by now you can see where this post is going.

Each day with God is a new beginning. We have not yet see what He has planned, but we have His promise that somehow He will use it for our good and His glory. Each day is filled with possibilities that He has placed before us. Each day is another chance to get it right.

As hard as 2013 has been for many of us, if we look back, we can see how God has carried us through it all. After all, He did not promise us that life would be easy. Quite the contrary, He let us know that life would be HARD, but He did promise that He would go through it all with us...and that He would never leave us or forsake us no matter how much it seemed as if He had.

As 2013 draws to a close, I reflect over the year. For the past four years I have chosen one word to help guide me and keep me focused. One year the word was "hope" and another "anticipation". This year it was "move." As I look back over 2013, I have seen this word played out in ways I could not imagine. There have been times it was easy to see as in my move to another school and there have been other "moves" that fewer know about. As I look back through it all, I can see how God has been there.

As 2014 approaches, it is comforting to know, God is already there. He has already walked through each day of the coming year and He has made a way. It will not catch Him by surprise. Perhaps that explains my "one word" for 2014. But that's a blog for another day.

Goodbye 2013. Can't say I'm all that sorry to see you go, but I will remember you...because in the midst of all that has come, you've helped me to see God. No matter how dark the night, He has been there. Thank you for that.

Lamentations 3:22-23 (ESV)

²² The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
    his mercies never come to an end;
²³ they are new every morning;
    great is your faithfulness.

This Mom's Christmas list

This Christmas, I have decided to make a Christmas wish list.

No, I'm not asking for world peace or freedom from diabetes, although both would be wonderful. I'm also not asking for diamonds, or  a new vehicle, or even clothes (and certainly not a pajama gram!) All those things are nice, but I'm far more realistic with my wishes. Since no one other than a few friends and my husband read this, I feel free to be honest (as if I have ever been anything else!) But this year I'm hoping that maybe, just maybe, Santa will read my blog.

This is my version of a mom's REAL Christmas wish list - room by room - but mostly from the bathroom since that is where this random thought began!
      *A new toilet seat. What is it with these? I admit I usually purchase some of the least expensive ones since with teenagers in the house these aren't exactly treated with kindness, but come on! These wear out way too fast. Oh, and by the way, I'd REALLY like to have it cleaned by someone else than me!
      * Toilet paper, soap, and razors. Again, two teenagers in the house....enough said. Not complaining because I love my kids, but seems like I'm having to restock these all the time!
      *Towels that match, or at least that aren't frayed! Having them last more than one bath would be nice as well. Why do kids think that they should use a towel once and then drop it to the floor?
      *Speaking of towels, it would be really nice to have some dish towels not stained from years of coffee and tea spills.
      *A new broom that actually gets put back where it belongs.
      *Trash that gets put in the outside container WITHOUT a reminder.
      * Plastic containers with lids that match and can be found together - no, butter dishes do not count. They only make me think we have butter when we're out...let's go ahead and add more butter to the list!
      * Someone to figure out why we have so many fast food cups would be nice. Replacing them with matching cups would be even nicer...and no, matching fast food cups don't count!
     *Dishes that find their way to the sink without me or my husband helping. Heck, why not dream big. Dishes that actually get washed, dried and put up without our help would be amazing!
      *Food in the pantry two days AFTER I spend a small fortune restocking everything. 
      *Dogs that have already been bathed, brushed, and fed
      *A clean car
      *Laundry caught up AND put away!
      *Pillows that are not too hard, not too soft....just right.  Oh, and not stained from years of use. I'd ask for matching sheets, but no one sees them but us and I'm usually way too tired to care.

Yep, my list just goes on and on. There's one thing that I want more than anything else. It's what every mom longs for. I want to see my children happy with what they receive and I want to hear those four words that I know are meant but rarely heard. "I love you, Mom."

I know it's asking a lot, but I still believe in miracles.

Merry Christmas, my friends.

no excuse

Been thinking a lot lately...about things we use as excuses. We all do it. We "excuse" what we do by saying, I can't help it; this is just the way God made me. To coin an old phrase - Hogwash!

Perhaps I can explain in a "gentler" way. I'll use something in my own life as an example of what I mean.

I am a diabetic. People often ask me questions about diabetes and how, at the age of 53 I could be diagnosed with this disease. No, I am not overweight. No, it does not run in my family. No, I don't really know why I have this disease. What they really want to know is "What can I do to make sure I don't get it?" It kind of brings to mind the story of the man that Jesus healed. Everyone around wanted to know did this man sin or his family. Neither - but it was allowed so that God might be glorified.

Now, I'm not sure why I am diabetic...I just am. I could use the excuse that this is how God made me and dive into the disease with abandon. I could eat lots of breads and sweets...I do love chocolate. It calls my name. At times, I am not exaggerating when I say it is all I can think of! If it is in the house, the temptation is greater than my inner strength to abstain. But since this is "how I am made" why not just give in to the temptation. Why? Because it will kill me, that's why.

Remember the scene from The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe? The white witch temps Edmund with the Turkish Delight. Once he has tasted it, it calls his name. He can think of nothing else. Yeah, that's what it's like.

So, did God "create me to be diabetic" or is this the result of sin? Well, I guess since God doesn't create something that is imperfect, it must be a result of sin....of sin in the world. The flaw in me was dormant for over 50 years, but then life happened. And yes, I admit I helped it along with my choices.

I can go long periods "thinking" I'm okay - then I'll slip and eat the sweet - it's pretty much downhill from there. I can convince myself it doesn't affect me - my sugar can get QUITE high and I don't FEEL it - but it effects my body and little by little it destroys. I may "feel" fine...but this insidious disease is working to steal away my life.

Sin is a disease. Like diabetes, it is carried in the blood...and it destroys. There are lots of sins listed in the Bible that are now "politically incorrect" to believe....but it doesn't change the fact of what they will do. Sin still kills. Sometimes it does it slowly, sometimes at hyper speed...but it still kills.Whether it's gossip or adultery or drugs or lying or gluttony or any of the other sins listed...all will kill. They destroy.

So, do I just give up and do what I want? Do I try the excuse that this is just the way I was made? No. God did not make me to be a diabetic, but I am one...and my choices can kill or give life. Yes, He loves me just as I am...but it won't change the fact that the disease within me will kill.

Maybe it's time we gave up our excuses. They don't really change the truth, they just give us permission to keep on doing what is killing us. None of us is perfect, but facing the truth goes a long way toward stopping the enemy of our souls.

Romans 6:14-18

The Message (MSG)

^12-14 That means you must not give sin a vote in the way you conduct your lives. Don’t give it the time of day. Don’t even run little errands that are connected with that old way of life. Throw yourselves wholeheartedly and full-time—remember, you’ve been raised from the dead!—into God’s way of doing things. Sin can’t tell you how to live. After all, you’re not living under that old tyranny any longer. You’re living in the freedom of God.

What Is True Freedom?

^15-18 So, since we’re out from under the old tyranny, does that mean we can live any old way we want? Since we’re free in the freedom of God, can we do anything that comes to mind? Hardly. You know well enough from your own experience that there are some acts of so-called freedom that destroy freedom. Offer yourselves to sin, for instance, and it’s your last free act. But offer yourselves to the ways of God and the freedom never quits. All your lives you’ve let sin tell you what to do. But thank God you’ve started listening to a new master, one whose commands set you free to live openly in his freedom!

At Christmas - a stable...

This is a repeat of a post from December 2008....but since it is one of my all-time favorite "Random thoughts", I'm sharing it again.

The following "random thought" actually came to me while teaching in Kid's Church one Sunday just before Christmas. I don't think I've ever heard this before....in fact, I had never thought of it before the words began to come out of my mouth that Sunday morning.

It was a typical Children's Church service a week or two before Christmas. I had a wonderful group of kids, most of whom I had known since they were born. These children knew the Christmas story quite well, so making it real and new was quite a challenge. I had told the story and tried to paint a picture so that the children could experience the story anew. It was then that I asked the question - "Why was Jesus born in a stable?" 

Of course, the response was "Because there was no room in the inn." Then I asked a question even I hadn't considered before. "Why wasn't there room at the inn? Did God forget to make reservations?" Of course, we all laughed at such a ridiculous question. Obviously the birth of Jesus being in a stable was no accident....but why would God allow His Son to be born in a stable?

It's not like God didn't know when Jesus would be born. Yes, the city was crowded, but couldn't God have made room for this family in an inn somewhere? After all, He's God! He knew when the angel told Mary she'd have a son that they would be making this trip 9 months later! He could have made arrangements! I understand that there are many different views as to what this stable might have been, but it doesn't change the fact that a stable isn't a place for a baby to be born! That's where animals are born....animals like sheep. The kind of animal you'd use for a sacrifice. In fact, it has been asserted that it was specifically the place ewes were safely brought to give birth to the lambs. In this sheltered building/cave the priests would bring in the ewes which were about to lamb for protection.

You know, every time I think about that, it causes a lump to rise in my throat. Jesus, the King of Kings was born in a place where sacrifices are born. Wrapped in swaddling cloths, much like the lambs were to protect them from injury. 

He was born in Bethlehem, at the birthing place of the sacrificial lambs that were offered in the Temple in Jerusalem.

 Jesus - born as a sacrifice.

This Christmas, as you take time to read the original Christmas story, may your heart be filled with the knowledge of God's love for you. There is so much more to the "story" than we even know. Merry Christmas.

John 1:29 "Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!"

For an interesting read, check out the article at the following link -  (http://bible-truth.org/BirthPlaceofJesus.html). It has much more information on this topic than I knew when I wrote the blog!

I am a fan of football...

It's the weekend after thanksgiving and that means lots of football on tv. This is a good thing because I am currently going through some major withdrawals. For the past few months, I have planned my every move around football and before I knew it, the season (for our high school) was over!

Every afternoon I knew I'd be at the school till at least 5 (if not 6) waiting on my son to finish practice. Every night there would be a football game on tv, either in real time or a repeat and you could be sure my son would be glued to every move. Every Friday night I knew I'd be at a football game somewhere, sitting in the heat, the rain, and finally - the cold. Every weekend I knew I'd be listening to a play-by-play of the Friday night before. I'd be asked, "Did you see when...." about every moment of the game. My life was consumed by football.

Now, for a time, it's over; and I am truly missing it. This comes as a surprise to me. You see, I really don't care that much for the game. (SHOCK!) I actually watched the Superbowl only for the commercials. Until a few years ago, I could count the number of games I'd even paid attention to on one hand. It was just....a game.

Then came Levi, and everything changed! I have a picture of him when he was about 2 and he's holding a small stuffed football. I guess that should have been a sign for me. This boy was going to LOVE this game. It wasn't until 5th grade that he actually rediscovered it, but once he did...well, life changed for all of us. (Levi has a way of making sure EVERYONE is interested in what he's interested in.)

Now...well, I love football. At least, I love high school football. Pretty sure in a few years, I'll love college football. Seeing a trend?

I now love football because I love Levi. I love watching him do what he was created to do. We tried him in band for one year - he was miserable and so were we! The boy is simply BUILT for this game! He has a love for it and it is infectious! Mostly, I just love watching him be Levi. And everyone around me knows it. I am a fan! People can hear me cheer in the stands...my voice tends to carry. They see me at the games. They see the absolute joy all over my face every time my son hits the field. No matter how far away the game might be, no matter what the weather, I loved watching those games. Whether we were winning or losing, I would be in those stands, watching every move.

I love football because I love the one who is playing, and I'm pretty sure everyone around me can tell that. I am my son's biggest fan!

Then I find I have to ask myself, can people tell that I love God in the same way? Do they see someone who is excited about what God is doing? Do they see someone who is ready to go anywhere at the drop of the hat in order to be a part of what He is doing? Do they see someone who gets up and goes to work each day with anticipation because I know that God is leading me there? Am I a true fan of God?

Will I look forward to church as readily as I look forward to those games? It's far more climate controlled than the stadiums. In my Christian walk, will I cheer each victory that I see and make my voice heard for each injustice? (Oh come on, don't tell me you never got upset over a bad call!) Will I show up no matter what the conditions, no matter how difficult it might be, no matter who else comes? Will God be as big a part of my daily conversation as football now seems to be? Will I be a fan of God in my everyday life?

Yes, I love football because I love Levi, and it's obvious to anyone who knows me....but I hope my love for God shines through even more. I want the world to know that I am a fan of God. How about you?

Oh, and for those who care...I'll be rooting for Auburn today, because that's who my son roots for.

Romans 1:1-2, 9-13

The Message (MSG)

^1-2 So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.

^9-10 Love from the center of who you are; don’t fake it. Run for dear life from evil; hold on for dear life to good. Be good friends who love deeply; practice playing second fiddle.

^11-13 Don’t burn out; keep yourselves fueled and aflame. Be alert servants of the Master, cheerfully expectant.

Running with one contact in...

Today I ran the Hobble Gobble Thanksgiving Day race. I love this event because it's for the ARC, it's filled with fellow runners out to have fun, and it's a great excuse to eat whatever I want later in the day.

Today as I ran, I had one of those "random thoughts" that find their way into this blog. Today it was about running with just one contact.

Using only one contact isn't a new idea for me. I know a lot of people who use only one contact in order to see both far away and close up...but today I thought about it in a different way. Today I thought about it in terms of heaven.

This morning, I almost made the mistake of running with BOTH contacts. I figured I wanted to be able to see ahead...keep my eye on the prize as it were. Before going out the door, however, I happened to glance down at my phone and realized I couldn't read the screen with both contacts in. I wouldn't be able to even turn on my music! So, I took out one contact and headed out the door.

That's when it hit me. Running with one contact is a little like living life with heaven in mind. Mind you, it would have been great to see WAY ahead by wearing both contacts, but if I had, I would miss a lot of little things along the way because with both contacts in I have trouble seeing what is right in front of me! Mostly I would miss the faces of those around me. I've heard it said that it's not a good idea to be so "heavenly minded that you're no earthly good." God obviously has a job for me to do or I wouldn't still be here! I need to be able to keep my eye on heaven while still doing what God has for me here on earth!

I can't run without contacts either...tried it a couple of times. I lose sight of my goal all together and simply have to run on "blind faith"...I'm not too good at that. I can do it for a while, because I can see my next step, but I eventually get frustrated that everything else is a blur.

So, today I'm going to try and "run my race" with one contact...keeping an eye on heaven but not forgetting what God places before me on earth to do.

How about you? How's your focus today? Oh...and Happy Thanksgiving Y'all!

Colossians 3:1-2 (MSG)

So if you’re serious about living this new resurrection life with Christ, act like it. Pursue the things over which Christ presides. Don’t shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you. Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ—that’s where the action is. See things from his perspective.

This one is different...

Every parent looks at their child and at some point says those 4 little words...."this one is different." Usually, they are saying this in a positive way, but sometimes.......

It's true. Every child is different, but as a parent and a teacher, one of the things I have come to realize over the years is that while children are different, there are a few things that remain constant in all children....at least the ones I've met.

#1 - Children lie. Unless your name is Mary and your child's name is Jesus, face it - they will lie. It's a part of human nature. I have always wanted to say to a parent who says that their child does not lie, "Well, at least now we know where they learned it from." As a parent, I do not need to be ashamed that my child will lie, but realize it is an opportunity to teach them. Teach them, not just of how wrong it is to lie and the ramifications that come from it, but also that God never lies. His promises are true and He can be trusted. Lies have a way of eroding a person's ability to be trusted in ANYTHING! That's why it's so important to remember that God has NEVER lied...His Word is true.

#2 - One size does not fit all. (Okay, I guess that fits the "this one is different" idea.) What worked in disciplining one child will not automatically work for another. Ask me about the time I tried using psychology and reasoning with my son only to have him strip down to his birthday suit and go out the door! He was only 3 and I caught him before he got to the street...almost. The education plan for one child will not automatically fit another. (I always try to counsel parents who are trying to choose between home-school, private school, or public school to ask God. He knows what is right for their child. Some have a mixture of kids in all three!) The Bible talks about training up a child in the way that HE should go. I may want to train up my child to be a doctor...and God plans for a police officer. I may plan for a teacher, and God may plan for a president. I may plan for a pastor, and God may plan for a CEO. One size does not fit all, and that's a good thing!

#3 - Your children don't belong to you. Seriously. I don't care if you adopted them or gave birth to them, they do not belong to you. They don't belong to the world either. They belong to God. He helps US grow up by giving us these children for a time. Our responsibility is to train them to follow Him. Notice I didn't say take them to church, although that is important. I didn't say teach them to follow rules, although that is a part of growing up. We are to teach them to FOLLOW God. They learn that by watching us do the same. They learn when we screw up and run to God. They learn when they see us succeed and run to Him. They learn when they see us do anything and always run to Him. I've tried to "teach" my kids a lot of different things, but it's the things I've lived in front of them that seem to "stick."

There is ONE thing more thing that is true of every child. Each child is loved by God. He loves them even more than YOU do! I know, it's hard to imagine, but He does. He has a plan for them, one for good and not for evil. Plans for a hope and a future...no matter what things look like right now.

During the holidays, when you have your children and a bit of extra stress to add to the mix, you can remember this - while your child is "different", so are you. Know that God doesn't make mistakes.....YOU will, but He doesn't. He really does know what He's doing....and He has a plan. It may be different than yours, but it is good.

Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Proverbs 22:6 (MSG)

 Point your kids in the right direction—
    when they’re old they won’t be lost.