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Happy New Year

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So I missed the seminar where you were supposed to pick a word for the year, but I have enjoyed hearing your stories of what you learned about the words you chose.  If I had to pick a word for 2018 it would have been trust.

This year God has taught me that putting my trust in Him is the best way to live.  I could not depend on circumstances, I had to depend on God.  Regardless of the situation, I had to remind myself of what I knew to be true of God even though I could not see it.

As I packed up and moved across the country, I had to trust that God knew what He was doing.  I had to believe that I was capable of what He called me to. It was not easy, but it was worth it.  In the process, I have discovered a God who knows me better than I know me. He knows things I am capable of that I have not discovered yet. He knows exactly when to bring it out of me. It is seldom when I want it, but it is always right on time.

O Holy Night

God’s timing is always perfect. I haven’t always thought so, but I have what I need when I need it. I mean when the bus is late or I miss the train, I am not thinking, “Thank you, Lord.” But when the money runs out and the bills are due, I have found He is faithful to me in all things.

Another thing I learned through this process is that He is preparing me through these circumstances for things to come.  I realize I won’t be in this situation forever, so I better appreciate what I have while I have it.  I appreciate a city that has a public transportation system which makes it possible not to have a car. I love the city where millions of people love the city for millions of different reasons.  It is a place where people say please, thank you and be safe.

Gingerbread

I stepped outside my comfort zone and rode a train for 24 hours. ( I don’t use public restrooms, so holding it for 24 hours is almost impossible with an old lady bladder. Aging is not for the faint of heart.) It was a fun experience that I will try again.  This year has opened me up to new adventures.

My word for 2019: Journey. It means an act or instance of traveling from one place to another. To go on a journey. I am going places.

Journey

Truth is we are all going somewhere. Some of us just enjoy it. I don’t know where 2019 will lead you, but I hope you enjoy the journey. Know that it won’t last forever.

Peace and Hair Grease

 

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You Have Been Given The Opportunity

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to make a moment.  How you decide to spend this moment in time, will determine how you remember it. For me, it is the most wonderful time of the year. Christmas reminds me that God thought I was so important He came to earth in the form of a baby.  The Creator came down to be with the created.  He loves an undeserving humanity.

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Holidays give us the opportunity to spend time with that humanity, which in most cases look like our family. I know for some this sounds hard, but it will be some of the best time you ever spend.  It will give you insight into yourself and your family.  In our immediate family, the littles are all teenagers now. Opening presents aren’t near as fun as when they were younger and more excited. We realize time is growing short with them as they start to leave for college and start their own lives.

My sister started playing games with them so that it would be a chance to connect with them. At first, it was a competition with prizes.  These kids are too competitive. We discovered after a rough game of musical chairs, physical contact needed to be limited.  This year there were no prizes, but the trash talk was still as powerful as an old school game of spades because the competition was part of their DNA.

We laughed and played for hours. (And of course, I videoed some of the best moments) Our kids will have memories of a time when we were all together focused on the same thing and remembering it brought joy and laughter.  They may not remember the presents or the food. They will remember the fun.

My crazy sister decided to try it with the extended family. (I thought she was nuts) I was thoroughly surprised when the older members of the family did it.  We taught the games, they, of course, changed them some to adapt to them. It was a blast. Again, the joy and the laughter is what we are going to remember. (And my favorite memory will be when my aunt excused herself for a moment, my sister traded her to the other team. But because she is OUR aunt, she played for whatever team felt like. Sometimes she played for my sister’s team. Sometimes she played for the other team. It was great.)

Here is where the opportunity comes in. You can do what you always do when you get together with family or you can break old habits and experience new things together.  Playing games with the young and the old was such a crazy experience. I would have never thought of it myself, but I was willing to listen to others.

Go into 2019 with great memories of your family and friends. Spend time with each other and enjoy the world around you.

 

 

 

 

 

I Still Love Christmas, But I Have Just Been Busy

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It is still my favorite time of the year. I love what it stands for and what it does for other people. I love the season where people shop for each other and try to come up with gifts that are better than the last ones. It is a season filled with music and lights and lots of parties.

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I am always reminded of the greatest gift given, Jesus. The current sermon series at my church reminds us of the awestruck power of this whole thing. A powerful God so in love with his creation, he came to save them.  He humbled himself and became like us. I don’t think we will ever understand the greatness of this gift.

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And one of the great things I heard the other day that has stuck to my heart: we are on the sunset of this ride so it is time we pour into the younger generation. I believe it is important for 2019 to take a good look at where you are and what you have to offer the younger generation.

God has given us great gifts. We need to share them and help the folks coming along behind us. In 2019 let’s resolve to make someone else’s life better because we poured into them.

I wish you the Merriest of Christmas’.

Part of Moving To Something New

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is leaving something behind. I think about the things I am going to miss, like pulling up to the Sonic drive-thru or working the camera at church. These things have become part of who I am, and the good news is God is still writing that story.  This gives Him the right to edit.

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I think about the people I won’t see every day and the fact that some of you are moving out of my life for good. We assume we have an eternity with each other. We don’t so we should make the most of the time we do have.

I have learned that God isn’t going to fill up something that is already full. So. He takes things away

Moments like this give me the opportunity to really value the people and activities which make an impact in my life. Some of these things will be hard to let go of, but I look forward to how they are replaced. And one of the really cool things about God is He always sends little snippets of what I can expect.

As I am on my way to the table to meet a good friend today for lunch, I ran into someone else.   This woman is on my A List of people. Here daughter Amy is one of the biggest cheerleaders in my life. God sent Barbara Love by today to give me a hug and encouragement.  It was so sweet running into her today. God keeps confirming those strong BSF foundations in my life.

Today I got to have lunch with a person who was my hero in college. I remember watching her as an undergrad and thinking I want to be like her when I grow up.  And the cool thing about today is we spent the time talking about the future instead of reminiscing about the past. We acknowledged the challenges that are ahead of us but see more of the adventure that is to come.

We talked about the skills we have picked up over the last couple of decades and how we can use them more wisely.  We knew the world had changed drastically since we were in college.  We discussed how we as older women find ourselves in a place where we have a lot of knowledge but need to create new paths to distribute it. We encouraged each other.

Woman on ladder

God knew who I needed to meet with before I started this new journey and He knew what would be the outcome.  When a sister is on her way up the ladder, she has to stop and take inventory of where she is.  Knowing where I am, helps me know what I need to let go of, and what I need to keep.

 

If You Scared Take A Tiny Step,

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if you are not, take a BIG step. Pursue the dream God has placed in your heart. You were created for a purpose, so you need to live in it while there is still time. Nothing is more fulfilling than doing the thing you were created to do.

When I see folks pursuing their dream it gives me energy. There is great joy in seeing people do what they were created to do. It inspires me to do more. You know iron sharpens iron. (Proverbs 27:17)

A few weeks ago, I got to learn about ceramics from a person who loves ceramics. She has more than 30 years experience and continues to grow. It was fun. It was inspiring. It made me think 3D instead of 2D. I mean I won’t be a master in ceramics but it was good to develop my  ideas around sculpture.

 

I understand that it is very scary to take a step toward something that probably makes your heart beat faster. It is worth it. Once you get use to taking those steps you will find it easier to venture beyond your initial plan.

I love to tell a story. I am learning a new way to do that. I am currently working a musical. I am excited and scared at the same time. But I am in love with the notion of telling the story of love and redemption through music. I have never done anything like it before, but I am going to put everything I got into it.

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Whatever it is you are supposed to do. Do it with everything you got. Stop waiting for the right time. Now is the right time. It doesn’t have to be perfect. It just has to be done.

 

Public Worship Personal Praise

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This morning I was more late than usual. I arrived in time to sit on one of the back rows and hear the praise team rehearse the last song. I didn’t play with my phone or talk to the person sitting close to me. I just listened to them rehearse.  Soon I started singing with them cause I liked the song.

As I listened to the words of the song, I got into it.  The words resonated with my spirit. I sat in the dark sanctuary having my own worship session. Then the Holy Spirit nudged me to stand up, throw my arms up and praise Him.  Now the room was empty except for a dozen or so people preparing for the service. I mean I would be the only one physically worshipping during the rehearsal.  Pretty sure I would catch some strange looks.

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But I did it anyway! (I mean David’s praise when they brought the ark back has always been my model. He didn’t care who watched. His praise was meant for God. ) I loved it. My private praise and worship session was now public.  Everyone would know that the love of God could slay me at any moment in time. I did not look around to see if anyone watched me, I just looked up to the one I was praising.

After the rehearsal, the worship leader said to me “You were getting into that.”  I told him, he lead that thang! Always appreciate someone who can lead you to the throne of God. I have learned that not all people who lead worship know God.

During the services, when we sang the song in community, it took the worship to a whole nother level for me. The Holy Spirit’s sweet sweet nature filled the room.  I saw Him (The Holy Spirit) in the singers and band on the stage. I saw Him in the uplifted hands of the audience. I felt Him in me. My tears fell with every word.

Praising Hands

I pray that each of you will invite the Holy Spirit to fill your worship so you may experience His sweetness beyond description. I want you to have that indescribable moment with God that fills your spirit, stretches you beyond your flesh and mind. It will transcend time and space and let you know that God loves you very much.

There should come a moment in your life when you realize that even if you gave the Lord every ounce of your being, it wouldn’t be enough to make up for all He has given you.  And He doesn’t hold it against you. When you accept His grace, it will lead you to worship in spirit and truth.

There is nothing like it.

Asked For

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In the current bible study I am doing, Beth Moore has taught us that the name Saul meant “Asked For” He was a king they asked for. It reminds me that some of the things that I ask for look good on the outside, but woe the trouble it brings. This drawing is based on James C Lewis’ photograph Saul. Lewis created a series of images with People of Color in the role of Bible characters.

Saul