Prayer

Where two or three are gathered in my name .... pray in secret and my Father who .... 

In the past few years I have listened to a lot of complaining in the church, and to be honest, I have complained about a few things myself.  All of you who thought I was perfect, sorry to burst the bubble! 

We complain about our routines being upset, the music is too loud, the chairs have been moved, someone sat in "my row" ... the list is long. In recent years I've listened to all of the, "we are headed down the slippery slope". Why are we headed that way, they say?

1. we took baptist out of a title.

2. we took Bible out of a title

3. we are using something other then the King James version.

4. we don't use hymnals anymore.

5. we've added a "contemporary" service.

6. we have a worship band.

7. we are trying new ways to love people outside of the church and that makes others uncomfortable.

8. we no longer have a Sunday night service.

I'm sure there are more, but you get my point. I was reading recently a conversation on FB. Someone was upset because their church is canceling Wednesday night prayer meeting because of lack of attendance. 

Rabbit trail: do you remember the old days when our Baptist churches would split us up to prayer and men and women were separated and had to pray with the appropriate gender!?  : )

Ok, back to my point of this post. We are so stuck in our ways of tradition that we can't see out of the box. Instead of being upset because the church canceled prayer meeting, how about finding a group of friends that want to pray together once a week and do that? Why does it have to be in a church, or on a Wednesday night? Because that is the way it has always been. If we complain, but don't fill that void another way, then we don't really care about prayer meeting. We just care that our churches changed something.

I've learned a lot about prayer in the past 10 years. My thoughts on prayer have changed as my view of God has changed. I never really liked to pray, especially in public or with others. I never sounded very spiritual, in my mind, whatever that meant! and God already knows, so why bother telling him.

As my view and heart began to change, so did my desire to pray with others (small groups or one!)

Here's the thing ... God WANTS to hear from us. Praying with others, in our circles of trust, is an amazing experience. We get to talk to the God of the universe together. It seems to me that when we do this, our prayers also become deeper and are less about "aunt bessy's hip" (not to downplay those things) and more about our deep need for Jesus. Doing that together also bonds us together.

So, instead of complaining because Wednesday night prayer meeting has been canceled, get together with a friend or your circle of trust, and prayer together weekly. I pray weekly with a friend, over the phone, and I wouldn't trade it. I look forward to it. Crazy, I know .... over the phone .... horrors! Ok, enough sarcasm : )

Think and pray out of the box. 

Watch the War Room.

JACK!

From the age of about 2 until I was a junior in high school I grew up with a German Shepherd whose name was Heidi. Interesting side note ... my mom loved the name Heidi and wanted to name me by this moniker, but I guess dad didn't like it. So she said if she ever had another girl she WOULD name her Heidi. Well, Scott was born so that didn't happen! But when she got this shepherd pup, her name became Heidi. I'm really glad she didn't give me that name!

When I was about 4, Heidi had a litter of pups. We have home movies showing these pups gang tackling me in the backyard. Of course we named them all and this one particular grey pup captured my mom's heart and she named her "greygirl". We wanted to keep her but decided in the end not to, and boy did mom cry as she was the last one sold. 

What is it about animals, and in this case, dogs that so capture our human hearts? (well some of ours as I know not all humans are animals lovers, and that's ok) By their very presence they bring joy and laughter to our lives ... or groans when you are cleaning up vomit! Its not much different then having kids in that regard.

They are loyal beyond loyal, love you with no expectations in return, and listen as if they understand every word! However, they are totally dependent on us for food and general care. They are quirky, as demonstrated by Jack. He decides which treats he will eat right away and which he will walk around the house looking for a place to "bury" it while he whines. He spends great time and care in "burying" his treat only to unbury it minutes later. I often laugh at the clever places he finds to hide them. Unlike one of my other dogs, Skylar, who would have a collection of treats buried deep in my closet that I would find later.

Dogs fill this need for companionship. You can often read where retirement centers or rehab centers will bring in dogs just for companionship and the affects they have on people is palpable. 

By the way, you can call them every name in the book as long as you use your kind and gentle voice and they will wag their tails as if you are giving them great compliments! : ) I am now on my third dog as an adult, and I will never be without one. Skylar, Chloe and now JACK!

If you were waiting for my life or spiritual application, sorry to disappoint! : )

Heidi and I

Chloe

Skylar

Made in His Image

This is my friend Corkey from church. I met him some 18 years ago when I first lived in Va. I always knew when he was in church as his "amen's" reverberated throughout the auditorium. My first Sunday back in Va I heard Corkey and it made me smile. He is still here, and other then a little gray hair, hasn't changed. 

Corkey loves Jesus! When asked if he is ready to go to church and worship Jesus, he gets so excited that he goes on for about 5 minutes. He is not ashamed to proclaim his love for God, shout out an "amen", or exclaim, "isn't God good".

See we can learn a lot from Corkey. He has Cerebral Palsy and has a number of challenges because of it. Yet he is constantly asking you, "isn't God good"? How can a man who has so many challenges feel this way? He doesn't have family here, struggles to get around, and has to rely on others to get anywhere. So how can he say that?

Somewhere in his mind it is THAT simple ... God IS good. He has the Holy Spirit in him. He has the love of Jesus in him. He has the peace of God in him. He has the power and grace of God in him that allows him to see past his difficulties and SEE the goodness of God.

Corkey is made in the Image of God just as you and I are. Yet he sees joy in the simplicity of life. He LOVES Burger King .... he LOVES his butterfly ring ..... he LOVES going to church .... and boy does he LOVE Jesus and is not ashamed to say it, yell it in church and constantly proclaim it.

I don't know all the lessons I will learn from Corkey yet. But I love being around him. His joy rubs off on me and makes me smile. It makes a bad day feel just a little better for those minutes I am with him. 

Shouldn't that be how it is with us and Jesus? The time I spend with Him each day should make me smile, make me want to proclaim, "isn't God good"?! Instead, I am often overwhelmed by the difficulties of life.

Why is God good? Simply .... because He died for me ..... because of that I have life eternal ..... He gives me daily grace ..... He forgives me ..... He loves me more then anyone else can ..... I am made in His Image.

Oh ..... Corkey LOVES Disney World!   ..... and wants me to go with him someday : )

We should all be more like Corkey.

Dear Mom .....

So mom .... I got married. A couple of years after this picture of you and I was taken. You would love him. His name is Russ and no, I did not meet him on the internet! A mutual friend introduced us. He is a kind and good man. He loves Jesus, our family, my close friends and, yes, even my newest dog, Jack. I have no doubt he would dote on you! He is really good to me, and for that I know you are happy.

By the way, I think you'd love Jack too. He'd sit on your lap for hours! Unlike my other two!

I always thought one day that you would make my wedding dress, like we had talked about. Somewhere along the line we stopped talking about it! LOL ..... not wanting to say out loud that we thought "it" might never happen. I'm glad at least that you were able to make Kari's. I think you would have been surprised at the dress I picked out! haha...I'd love to have heard your comments! It was nothing I ever imagined or wanted in a dress. Knowing you, you would have known right away that it was the one.

Our wedding was outside. You remember Kirsten ... it was at her parents old house and it was beautiful. I don't know how much God allows you to see of our human lives down here, but I choose to believe that He allowed you to be a witness on that day. Oh how I wish you were there ... but I had some other "moms" there for you. Peggy, Kirsten's mom and Beth's mom. It took three to represent you!

Dad is doing ok, but never the same since you went to heaven. He's suffering from dementia now too, sometimes not remembering who I am. Scott and Kari are taking GREAT care of him, following his example of caring for you. He will be ok. We are, and will, do our best for him. I had Scott and the boys give me away for you and dad. It was one of my favorite moments walking with all of them! You would be so proud of them. They are becoming such great men. Well, Deacon's only 12, but you know! : ) Lily is sweet and a rough and tumble, girly girl. You would LOVE spending time with her and teaching her to sew and make things.

Anyway, back to the wedding ... it was just all family and close friends, about 100 people, which was perfect. Kirsten was my MOH and Lily my junior bridesmaid. I don't know what I would have done without Kir. She spent the week with me and did all the things we would have done and more. She was my wedding planner, cake decorator, organizer, list maker, packer, kept me sane and everyone on the same page. Couldn't have a better best friend.

It was a worshipful time and I thought of you a lot during it. Dad, Scott and Kari came up and prayed with us and that is when I most felt your absence.

I could have really used all those times you wanted to teach me how to cook and can! I'm sure you are having a good chuckle up there at my attempts right now! But they have these things now like waffle and bread makers ... and google where I can get any recipe I need ... and a crockpot! But ... I have your box of recipe's and your Betty Crocker cookbook that is falling apart. I still tend to put all my laundry in the same load instead of separating by colors, etc. but I am working on that : )

and this boy .....

... is a freshman in college this year! Can you believe it! I remember the day they brought him home! What a cute little guy, who is now growing up to be an amazing guy who loves the Lord.

Doing my best (with God's help) to make you proud. I love and miss you mom.

What you don't know when you move ....

..... or get married.

So here's the thing: I have moved numerous times in my life. Each time I have to do all of the same things. It never gets easier, nor do I remember how awful it really is.

I also think:  NO WOMAN CAME UP WITH THIS SYSTEM! There should be ONE place to go in order to change your last name on EVERYTHING! But noooooooo .......... so let's just make a list for fun.

1. SS office
2.Credit cards
3. License
4. Any place where you have any card with your last name on it.
5. Passport
6. Optional:  email addresses
7. Title to your car or  loan

I'm sure there are others I am not even aware of yet. But if this isn't enough, we also have to .........

8. Find a new hairdresser - which, by the way, is the MOST traumatic thing to do.
9. Find a new primary care doc - release forms, new forms .... FORMS!
10. Other pertinent docs by gender - yeah, I said it.
11. Bank
12. Dentist
13. Pharmacy - giving ALL your new information
14. Eye doc
15. Find the DMV - or whatever your new state has decided to call it.
16. Find a new Vet
17. Find the closest Post Office

Oh ..... and most important: the closest Kohls, ice cream shop, Chick-Fil-A and mall.

THAT.IS.ALL.

Is God all we really need?

..... and if so, then why did He create us to need and desire relationships?

I have argued against this idea all of my adult life. I have also never understood it. Some of that is in how I am wired and some is just that I didn't get it. My mind could not fathom that God, whom I can't see or communicate with like a human, was all I needed. 

We are made to need and crave relationships and community. Proverbs talks a lot about friendships and the benefits of them. Ecclesiastes talks about a cord of three not easily broken. Jesus "needed" His disciples to pray with Him. We NEED others ... God has designed that. I think we compare the two ideas and they can't be compared. My relationships aren't God and He isn't like my human relationships.

It has always bugged me when people would say, God is all they need. I look at their lives and think, no kidding sherlock.....you have a home, husband, family, great job, money and friends (maybe not ALL of those things at once, but you get my point). Of course with those things you can say that.

Then I started, over the last 10 years, really getting to know God better. At the same time, developing sweet, godly friendships ..... and more recently, just got married. I can NOW say:  I GET IT BETTER. Don't get me wrong.....I am so thankful for the friendships I have and my new husband.

But I now get it ..... better ..... it is still a work in progress. However, I can't IMAGINE right now NOT having Jesus. Ultimately He knows everything about me, knows what I need, how I feel, my struggles and He will never fail me. I have what I thought would be the final thing that would make me happy and "complete" - a man. (don't get me wrong, he is great!) Only God completes us though, only God truly makes us happy and fulfilled. Only God is completely faithful.

I can't really explain it other then it is the work of the Holy Spirit in my life. It only has taken 30 plus years to click! I am a slow learner, what can I say?

God is all I need. I GET to have other things: a husband, a best friend, a home, family, other friends. BUT, He is all I really need.

Seeesters

 .... not by blood, but by the blood of Jesus.

The last month has been a whirlwind of emotions and activities. From an annual vacation with girlfriends in MI ... to packing a house and selling it ... to getting married and moving.  All things that this girl who likes her "sameness", both enjoyed and didn't. Most people don't like change and this girl is NO exception. 

One thing that has remained steady is the life-long, enduring relationships with these women. We have all been through A LOT of changes in the past two years. In fact, now all of us are in different locations, figuring out new normal's and working on new friendships but also being intentional about maintaining these. Hard stuff.

Not making any applications in this blog. Just being honest about all of the hard changes that will take time to work through; all the new normal's that will take time to form; all while trying to be what God wants us to be as Christ-followers.

I love these woman and I miss them in my every day life. Here's to new norms with you guys ... and working on starting a new annual tradition of meeting up each summer. Intentionality ....