Friday, September 4, 2015
Saturday, August 29, 2015
30 things I've learned by 30
As I reflect on my big 3-0 (lol) I'm inclined to jot down some things
that I've learned over the course of my lifetime thus far. Here is my
"30 things I've learned by 30" list for your meandering enjoyment. (hahaha)
1- Grace. It's more important that breathing. Christ used His dying breath to grant grace, so should we live it, breathe it, exude it, and let it consume us.
2- Mercy. It's by mercy alone that we aren't all abandon in our sin. We are called to love mercy. To LOVE it. And to extend that to others, to rejoice when others receive mercy.
3- When you get involved in other people's drama, expect retaliation. Their retaliation is on your own head, because peace is better than the pride of being shown right.
4- Family isn't blood, it's commitment to love, no matter what. Blood is often the one place that it doesn't come from. Adoption is such an amazing ministry, and when the family of the adopter chooses to love the adoptee as well, instead of rejecting them for "not being family" when the circumstances aren't self-serving, that's a glorious thing.
5- People make mistakes, and if we judge their character based on their mistakes, we have judged wrongly and without mercy.
6- Forgiveness is a must, but protecting yourself and your family is also a must. The two can reside hand in hand, but protection always takes priority. If someone has willingly tried to hurt you or tried to tear your family apart, putting them out of your life is protection, not a lack of mercy or grace. How much more so is it understandable to put people out of your life that have threatened you or openly cast you out as well? We are obligated to no man, only to God.
7- Sticking by a friend or lover when they are going through the thick, miry stink of sin and shame is SO much more rewarding in the end than leaving, which is the safer option. It's through these painful, gut-wrenching times that relationships are pruned of self so that they can flourish in the future.
8- If someone with less life experience than you gives you instruction on life or titles (marriage, children, etc) that you've lived to prove ill-advised or not so exclusive... just smile and giggle on the inside. Peace is better than offense.... even for a hot-headed Italian/German/Irish woman like myself. ;-)
9- Never let someone take a cookie cutter to your life in the name of Scripture or God's will. God created you for more than to live up to other people's expectations. Men judge (most often wrongly) by outward appearance, but God knows your heart. The prettiest face and the most pious prayers can hide a very ugly, hard, and unrepentant heart. Live for God, not men.
10 - It's okay to feel, and it's okay to feel strongly. We're made in the image of God, including our emotions. Find your tribe, the ones who will embrace you for who you are, passion and all, and protect & cherish them like your own. Give grace and space to the rest.
11- One of the most challenging things for a parent is learning to raise a kid right, without squelching or diminishing from their personalities and passions.
12- Technology isn't the enemy, lack of self-control is.
13- Never let those who glory in hurting you get the satisfaction of diminishing your self-image.
14- It's okay to be weak. Only in our weakness is His strength cultivated.
15- What works for the goose does NOT always work for the gander.
16- Never use someone else's life as a measuring stick to your own. As much as we're all in this thing called life together, we were created to pave different and unique paths through this world.
17- Never use your life as a measuring stick to someone else's. You never know what lives under the surface of another human being, so don't build your ivory towers so high that you'll be enabled to look down on others. It profits nothing to the kingdom of God.
18- The moment that you begin to require things from other people to prove themselves worthy of your acquaintance, assistance, or friendship is the moment you become a Pharisee. Jesus dined with the worst of sinners, and ministered to harlots right where they were. The Pharisees called him names and judged Him, but He was worried about no opinion other than His Father's. Live in that knowledge.
19- It's okay to be broken. Grace thrives in our brokenness, and if there's one thing that this world needs, it's grace in the midst of all this hardness.
20- Learn to love the mission field that God has placed you in, not the one that you are jealous of. You will do more for the Kingdom where God needs you, and He doesn't make mistakes.
21- Never underestimate the power of hard work. At the end of the day you might go to be bruised and hurting, but there is worth in earning your keep.
22- Marriage is a partnership. It's going to be filled with each of you taking on responsibilities that aren't "your own." Embrace it. Marriage is as much of a ministry to your partner as anything, and ministry is often muddy, messy, and grueling.
23- Embrace the mountains, because without them, there would be no valleys.
24- Embrace the storms, because rain brings life to a dry and desolate place.
25- Beware of the pride of humility. Nothing is quite as soul-dangerous as the religious ones who scoff at and shame those who aren't as humble as they are.
26- Treasure the sweet moments, learn from the messy ones, and let them all go at the end of the day. Deposit the sweet, toss the bathwater out. You'll never have this day again, take that as both a bittersweet ideal and a promise.
27- You can't reach out when you lock yourself in.
28- Surround yourself with people that you can trust. A friend who ignores you in a time of distress is one who can't be trusted.
29- Don't gossip. Just don't. You're worth more than that low stoop it requires.
30- Love with wild abandon. Love, and truly love some more. The world has enough hate, and harshness and fire & brimstone never won anybody to Christ in this history of the world. A little grace, like a little salt, goes a long way.
1- Grace. It's more important that breathing. Christ used His dying breath to grant grace, so should we live it, breathe it, exude it, and let it consume us.
2- Mercy. It's by mercy alone that we aren't all abandon in our sin. We are called to love mercy. To LOVE it. And to extend that to others, to rejoice when others receive mercy.
3- When you get involved in other people's drama, expect retaliation. Their retaliation is on your own head, because peace is better than the pride of being shown right.
4- Family isn't blood, it's commitment to love, no matter what. Blood is often the one place that it doesn't come from. Adoption is such an amazing ministry, and when the family of the adopter chooses to love the adoptee as well, instead of rejecting them for "not being family" when the circumstances aren't self-serving, that's a glorious thing.
5- People make mistakes, and if we judge their character based on their mistakes, we have judged wrongly and without mercy.
6- Forgiveness is a must, but protecting yourself and your family is also a must. The two can reside hand in hand, but protection always takes priority. If someone has willingly tried to hurt you or tried to tear your family apart, putting them out of your life is protection, not a lack of mercy or grace. How much more so is it understandable to put people out of your life that have threatened you or openly cast you out as well? We are obligated to no man, only to God.
7- Sticking by a friend or lover when they are going through the thick, miry stink of sin and shame is SO much more rewarding in the end than leaving, which is the safer option. It's through these painful, gut-wrenching times that relationships are pruned of self so that they can flourish in the future.
8- If someone with less life experience than you gives you instruction on life or titles (marriage, children, etc) that you've lived to prove ill-advised or not so exclusive... just smile and giggle on the inside. Peace is better than offense.... even for a hot-headed Italian/German/Irish woman like myself. ;-)
9- Never let someone take a cookie cutter to your life in the name of Scripture or God's will. God created you for more than to live up to other people's expectations. Men judge (most often wrongly) by outward appearance, but God knows your heart. The prettiest face and the most pious prayers can hide a very ugly, hard, and unrepentant heart. Live for God, not men.
10 - It's okay to feel, and it's okay to feel strongly. We're made in the image of God, including our emotions. Find your tribe, the ones who will embrace you for who you are, passion and all, and protect & cherish them like your own. Give grace and space to the rest.
11- One of the most challenging things for a parent is learning to raise a kid right, without squelching or diminishing from their personalities and passions.
12- Technology isn't the enemy, lack of self-control is.
13- Never let those who glory in hurting you get the satisfaction of diminishing your self-image.
14- It's okay to be weak. Only in our weakness is His strength cultivated.
15- What works for the goose does NOT always work for the gander.
16- Never use someone else's life as a measuring stick to your own. As much as we're all in this thing called life together, we were created to pave different and unique paths through this world.
17- Never use your life as a measuring stick to someone else's. You never know what lives under the surface of another human being, so don't build your ivory towers so high that you'll be enabled to look down on others. It profits nothing to the kingdom of God.
18- The moment that you begin to require things from other people to prove themselves worthy of your acquaintance, assistance, or friendship is the moment you become a Pharisee. Jesus dined with the worst of sinners, and ministered to harlots right where they were. The Pharisees called him names and judged Him, but He was worried about no opinion other than His Father's. Live in that knowledge.
19- It's okay to be broken. Grace thrives in our brokenness, and if there's one thing that this world needs, it's grace in the midst of all this hardness.
20- Learn to love the mission field that God has placed you in, not the one that you are jealous of. You will do more for the Kingdom where God needs you, and He doesn't make mistakes.
21- Never underestimate the power of hard work. At the end of the day you might go to be bruised and hurting, but there is worth in earning your keep.
22- Marriage is a partnership. It's going to be filled with each of you taking on responsibilities that aren't "your own." Embrace it. Marriage is as much of a ministry to your partner as anything, and ministry is often muddy, messy, and grueling.
23- Embrace the mountains, because without them, there would be no valleys.
24- Embrace the storms, because rain brings life to a dry and desolate place.
25- Beware of the pride of humility. Nothing is quite as soul-dangerous as the religious ones who scoff at and shame those who aren't as humble as they are.
26- Treasure the sweet moments, learn from the messy ones, and let them all go at the end of the day. Deposit the sweet, toss the bathwater out. You'll never have this day again, take that as both a bittersweet ideal and a promise.
27- You can't reach out when you lock yourself in.
28- Surround yourself with people that you can trust. A friend who ignores you in a time of distress is one who can't be trusted.
29- Don't gossip. Just don't. You're worth more than that low stoop it requires.
30- Love with wild abandon. Love, and truly love some more. The world has enough hate, and harshness and fire & brimstone never won anybody to Christ in this history of the world. A little grace, like a little salt, goes a long way.
Wednesday, June 24, 2015
Tuesday, June 23, 2015
Quote-Filled Tuesday: Marks of a Godly Woman
“One of the marks of a godly woman is that she takes responsibility for
her soul's need for joy and delight. A woman is a conductor, who leads
the orchestra of her surroundings in the songs and music of her life.
God is a God of creativity and dimension, and so He is pleased when we
we co-create beauty in our own realm, through the power of His Spirit.
It was a profound realization when I understood that I could become an artist with my very life.”
― Sally Clarkson, Desperate: Hope for the Mom Who Needs to Breathe
It was a profound realization when I understood that I could become an artist with my very life.”
― Sally Clarkson, Desperate: Hope for the Mom Who Needs to Breathe
Monday, June 22, 2015
Joy Dare - June 22nd
3 Gifts that are Difficult:
1- Learning to glory in my infirmities
2- Learning that weakness = strength. Laying down pride and measuring human ability against what it is.
3- Finding the blessing in the persecution.
1- Learning to glory in my infirmities
2- Learning that weakness = strength. Laying down pride and measuring human ability against what it is.
3- Finding the blessing in the persecution.
Sunday, June 21, 2015
Joy Dare - June 21st
3 Gifts Found in Light:
1- The sun, which causes life to prosper.
2- Growth.
3- Encouragement.
1- The sun, which causes life to prosper.
2- Growth.
3- Encouragement.
Soul-Food Sunday: Broken Hallelujahs
"By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name." ~ Hebrews 13:15
"One of those days."
Have you ever had one?
You know, one where everything that can go wrong, does go wrong?
The kids are screaming and fighting. Work schedules don't work out. Babies are crying and simply needing mommy. Constantly. Appliances are breaking. Pipes are leaking. The repair man was rude. You drop your phone in the toilet and it fries. The land line is down again...
And then you stub your toe.
And it's like all the overwhelmingness of the day, the week, the month just wash over you all at once and threaten to drown you. The waves come out in the form of hot, scalding tears. Almost as raw as your throat and your shame from yelling at the kids who really just want to know that they're loved anyway.
And your left thinking, in your pool of tears holding that baby who still won't nap while her twin sister cries from the confines of the crib, again, because she doesn't like being alone...
Thinking... who could possibly love me like this? Who could possibly look at me, this fuming, shamed, mess that I am and think "I love her, mess and all?" All that I've done... the yelling, the frustrated words and responses, the ultimatums when there should have been hugs and "redos" and all... who could love this?
And more importantly, why would they want to?
In the midst of all the chaos, all the discouragement and self-loathing... that is where we find it.
A passion so powerful that it makes our shortcomings and misgivings seem just as trivial as they actually are, in the grand scheme of things anyway.
This is all temporary. It's all going to burn up one day anyway. The bad days, the frustration, the imperfection, it's all going to be discarded one glorious day like so many filthy rags that our works will prove to be.
But grace, grace is eternal. Grace trumps scorn and self loathing every time. God's grace was planned before it was exercised and purposed before it was imparted.
This is what makes sacrifice so exceptional, and what makes a sacrifice of praise possible. In the middle of every hurricane is an eye, and in the hurricane of this life Christ is our eye, and in the grace found in the ever reaching arms of Christ we can rest in the knowledge and faith that this too shall pass, just as everything passeth, and still praise as the storms rage around us, tearing apart everything that we've ever held dear.
We can praise Him, knowing that even though all things may pass away, slipping so hopelessly from our outstretched arms as we look on helplessly with red-rimmed, exhausted eyes, but Christ will always remain...
And Christ is enough.
He specializes in miracles, because miracles are the artwork testimony to His goodness, grace, and presence in this wayward and prodigal world. Beauty from the ashes can only be unveiled when everything else around us has burned away in a spiritually and emotionally agonizing trial by fire.
Faith tells us that every. single. moment. of our trials can work a purpose in our lives.
Grace carries us through when it all gets too overwhelming, because it will get overwhelming, and it WILL be too much to bear. We were not meant to bear it all, but to rest in God's grace and let Christ bear it all, because He is the only One capable of bearing it. The Master of all humbled Himself to bear our sin, and it is He who is able to bear our troubles as well. Nothing is stronger than He who created all.
In the sacrifice of praise is where our broken hallelujahs reside, so precious in the eyes of our Lord. Expressions of a faithful soul who simply has been trying to bear it on her own shoulders for too long. A heart reaching out for Christ, even in the midst of her shame, regret, and self-hatred. A child seeking the refuge of the One who has arms enough to reach down and hold her, no matter the physical divide.
We are reminded that our hardships and failures do make us, but they do not define us. Not anymore.
Then hope is born,
Out of faith,
Because of grace,
And we find the strength to get up, wash our face, fix our hair, take a breath, and get through one more.
Because... grace.
"One of those days."
Have you ever had one?
You know, one where everything that can go wrong, does go wrong?
The kids are screaming and fighting. Work schedules don't work out. Babies are crying and simply needing mommy. Constantly. Appliances are breaking. Pipes are leaking. The repair man was rude. You drop your phone in the toilet and it fries. The land line is down again...
And then you stub your toe.
And it's like all the overwhelmingness of the day, the week, the month just wash over you all at once and threaten to drown you. The waves come out in the form of hot, scalding tears. Almost as raw as your throat and your shame from yelling at the kids who really just want to know that they're loved anyway.
And your left thinking, in your pool of tears holding that baby who still won't nap while her twin sister cries from the confines of the crib, again, because she doesn't like being alone...
Thinking... who could possibly love me like this? Who could possibly look at me, this fuming, shamed, mess that I am and think "I love her, mess and all?" All that I've done... the yelling, the frustrated words and responses, the ultimatums when there should have been hugs and "redos" and all... who could love this?
And more importantly, why would they want to?
In the midst of all the chaos, all the discouragement and self-loathing... that is where we find it.
A passion so powerful that it makes our shortcomings and misgivings seem just as trivial as they actually are, in the grand scheme of things anyway.
This is all temporary. It's all going to burn up one day anyway. The bad days, the frustration, the imperfection, it's all going to be discarded one glorious day like so many filthy rags that our works will prove to be.
But grace, grace is eternal. Grace trumps scorn and self loathing every time. God's grace was planned before it was exercised and purposed before it was imparted.
This is what makes sacrifice so exceptional, and what makes a sacrifice of praise possible. In the middle of every hurricane is an eye, and in the hurricane of this life Christ is our eye, and in the grace found in the ever reaching arms of Christ we can rest in the knowledge and faith that this too shall pass, just as everything passeth, and still praise as the storms rage around us, tearing apart everything that we've ever held dear.
We can praise Him, knowing that even though all things may pass away, slipping so hopelessly from our outstretched arms as we look on helplessly with red-rimmed, exhausted eyes, but Christ will always remain...
And Christ is enough.
He specializes in miracles, because miracles are the artwork testimony to His goodness, grace, and presence in this wayward and prodigal world. Beauty from the ashes can only be unveiled when everything else around us has burned away in a spiritually and emotionally agonizing trial by fire.
Faith tells us that every. single. moment. of our trials can work a purpose in our lives.
Grace carries us through when it all gets too overwhelming, because it will get overwhelming, and it WILL be too much to bear. We were not meant to bear it all, but to rest in God's grace and let Christ bear it all, because He is the only One capable of bearing it. The Master of all humbled Himself to bear our sin, and it is He who is able to bear our troubles as well. Nothing is stronger than He who created all.
In the sacrifice of praise is where our broken hallelujahs reside, so precious in the eyes of our Lord. Expressions of a faithful soul who simply has been trying to bear it on her own shoulders for too long. A heart reaching out for Christ, even in the midst of her shame, regret, and self-hatred. A child seeking the refuge of the One who has arms enough to reach down and hold her, no matter the physical divide.
We are reminded that our hardships and failures do make us, but they do not define us. Not anymore.
Then hope is born,
Out of faith,
Because of grace,
And we find the strength to get up, wash our face, fix our hair, take a breath, and get through one more.
Because... grace.
"Broken Hallelujah"
I can barely stand right now.
Everything is crashing down,
And I wonder where You are.
I try to find the words to pray.
I don't always know what to say,
But You're the one that can hear my heart.
Even though I don't know what your plan is,
I know You're making beauty from these ashes.
I've seen joy and I've seen pain.
On my knees, I call Your name.
Here's my broken hallelujah.
With nothing left to hold onto,
I raise these empty hands to You.
Here's my broken hallelujah.
You know the things that have brought me here.
You know the story of every tear.
‘Cause You've been here from the very start.
Even though I don't know what your plan is,
I know You're making beauty from these ashes.
I've seen joy and I've seen pain.
On my knees, I call Your name.
Here's my broken hallelujah.
With nothing left to hold onto,
I raise these empty hands to You.
Here's my broken hallelujah.
When all is taken away, don't let my heart be changed.
Let me always sing Hallelujah
When I feel afraid, don't let my hope be erased
Let me always sing Hallelujah.
Let me always sing Hallelujah.
I will always sing
I will always sing
Here's my broken hallelujah."
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)