Pauses to Be Thankful

Wow! You have one day of fun and find another to stop because of the sorrow one feels. We were home one day and our little dog came out to see me. She all the sudden had a huge seizure which went on for a couple minutes. When it was over she got up and seemed fine. Still - it is just the next phase of her aging. She has been having mini-siezures for sometime now. She falls down lots of times a day, she falls off things - like our bed and we hope she does not hurt herself - once even went down our stairs, which was awful! You stop and have to consider how far to let things go. You cry thinking about the decisions and feel for your parents who have been through it before. Life is hard in these moments! It makes one identify with the fact that "creation" groans for something better. Yet, this is such a small thing in comparison with the suffering that goes on around us. Our neighbor had a friend commit suicide - and you stop and shed a tear for the loss of someone so young. It makes you get on your knees and share your heart with the "Creator". It makes you feel His heart for all that happens and how He longs to make Himself real to each one who cries.

Evening of Pondering

I have spent the last few days on a quest to understand a new trend. It is a trend that young

teenagers are getting in to more these days. It is "cutting". I have been asked why young people would want to do this to themselves, and I have found myself seeking the Lord for answers. I read about the sadness that fills the hearts & lives of young people. I read how it is a "temporary" release to the pent up feelings. I hear how my daughters have fb friends who have tried it or gotten caught in it. Questions fill my heart and I ask, how do we reach out? How does one touch the lives of ones who are hurting? In the midst of these times of soul searching and listening in the quiet for answers, I am reading a book called "Jesus Loves You, this I know" by two guys who have gone beyond the ordinary to show an empty world that there is unconditional love out there. It does not come with a list of does and don'ts or a list of "how to join the club". Rather, they found unconventional ways to go the extra mile. To do the extra-ordinary to touch loves with Jesus' love. I pause and look deep into my own live, my past, my experiences and long for ... those "connecting points" to be one who shares a moment with a stranger, who finds a new friend a long the way, who walks alongside the one who is hurting and lonely... Thoughts... Prayers... Waiting...

Appreciating the Moments (Gals Night Out)

After two days away at a "Gals Night Out", which consisted of my closest "female" family members, I pause to think how wonderful it is to have the times to stop and create memories. We had a blast, out at a hotel, swimming in the pool, resting in the hot tub, eating out, watching DVDs we brought, getting a make-over from a friend, telling silly ghost stories late at night... not getting much sleep BUT WOW the fun memories! So much to record in the wonderful memories with my mom, my neice & my girls. Laying in the pull out sofa bed while my girls laughed so much and told such silly stories... my mom got laughing so hard she could hardly stop. All of us just enjoying each other's company and finding fun in each moment.

I stop pausing to thank my dearest friend for this opportunity. Thankful to friend to be able to leave the office with confidence, while throughly enjoying being away. Thankful for the PAUSE in what has been a very busy couple of months.

What an incredible day!

Sunday Encounter

It was a beautiful sunny afternoon, we were running to Target to pick up some chips and things to contribute to the afternoon picnic with friends. After gathering our items, we dashed through checkout and jumped in our car – heading out to the local park to meet our friends. There in the center of the median was a lady with dark glasses and a walking stick, holding a sign asking for help. We swooshed past and headed down the road. My mind was circling around the story I had heard earlier from a friend that had stopped and helped someone in a similar situation.

As we arrived at the park, we dropped our teenager and her friend off, told them to go ahead and to tell our friends we would be back shortly. My husband read my mind and knew I wanted to go back and see if we could help the lady we had seen. We formed our thoughts as we drove back to Target. We would get a couple of sandwiches and drinks – then take a moment to meet her. We got our items together and I crossed the parking lot.

Jem was standing there with her sign. She obviously had limited sight. Jem gladly received the lunch type items in my bag – along with a Target card for later. She told me about losing her home and about her family’s situation. She was in our neighborhood so her daughter, who was also struggling would not see her. She cried as she talked about trying to get a bus ticket to join her sister in Tennessee, who is also blind and has room for her. Her mother’s heart struggled with leaving her daughter and grandchildren in Minnesota to resolve the custody battle she was dealing with. We talked and took a moment to declare blessing over her next steps. I truly met a “jem” of a person that afternoon. I was glad to have followed that inner heart leading, as my afternoon was a bit blessed by the encounter.

Traveling Giving Encouragement

Do you have friends who are wonderful at coming to your aid when you need some encouragement? I do and I love them dearly for it! I never thought of the Apostle Paul that way, yet I came across this verse...

Acts 20:2-3

² He traveled through that area, speaking many words of encouragement to the people, and finally arrived in Greece,³ where he stayed three months...

Paul was traveling, and what did people notice about him? The people noticed that he went "speaking many words of encouragement to the people." Wow! I appreciate just a quick couple of words from my friends, yet Paul was hallmarked with being a person who spoke many words of encouragement to those he came in contact with as he traveled. Instead of being a traveling salesman, he was a traveling encourager; (Pause.) a different picture than what I typically thought of Paul. Maybe it is because of the life he lived before Jesus knocked him off his horse! Once again it causes me to stop and have a moment of amazement at what the regenerating work of Christ does in the heart of a person. Paul had been known for a lot of things before he encountered Jesus. Encouragement would not have been on that list.

His life is quite a challenge to us in many ways. I think I will take up this one simple thing this summer and look for opportunities to speak words of encouragement to the people I meet along the way. How about you?

Living with Intention

A man pleaser? Is that what we want to be, yet I read this verse that Paul wrote.

1 Corinthians 10:33, "I, too, try to please everyone in everything I do. I don't just do what is best for me; I do what is best for others so that many may be saved."

Where are we being "the church"?

This verse makes me stop and think a lot about what is the "bottom line" in relating to those around me. Are we looking to spend our time and talents on ourselves - consuming them for our own good? Are we gathering together as the church to be fed and have our needs met... or do we gather together with our hearts open to each other looking to encourage each other and to reach out to those we may not know yet?

Once more in this verse, Paul talks about "doing what is best for others so that they may be saved." How are we investing so this might be a reality in our lives and in the lives of those we have in our sphere of influence? Are we using our time and talents to reach those who are not yet followers of Jesus? Luke 15:4 says, "If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them gets lost, what will he do? Won't he leave the ninety-nine others in the wilderness and go to search for the one that is lost until he finds it?" 

Am I living in a way that I let my life be led so it benefits others coming to know Jesus’ love? Do I live with intention, looking for the Holy Spirit to lead me to opportunities to share the Lord's love with others? Do I take time to truly listen to those around me and hear their hearts, so the words I share are relevant and show I really care? This might mean my life takes a turn in its direction and priorities. It might mean that sometimes I feel uncomfortable because the Holy Spirit challenges me to reach beyond my own personal comfort zone. It might mean my time away is spent differently than I intended... being led to invest in a stranger that I have met along the way. Maybe the individual in front of me on a Sunday or in a local diner has personal struggles they are facing. Maybe they have health issues, financial struggles, a marriage on the rocks, etc. How would Jesus respond to this person? Would he pause to give them time? Would I be willing to let their need touch my heart and move me in such a way that I show them Jesus in my response? Will I dig deep in my heart so I can find Jesus' words? Will I share some encouragement or comfort? Taking time to care is like giving them a cup of cold water when they are thirsty. 

Sharing Jesus’ love is not difficult. We just have to posture our hearts to be looking for the opportunities that are all around us. If we are willing to have our normal routine interrupted in order to touch a life with His love, doors will open and we will step into a great adventure this summer.

Another Shortcut?

Shortcuts, shortcuts, and yet more shortcuts..

Today I took a moment to pause... Well, I took several as I reflected on some good moments from the years when I was still at home with my parents. We were living in Alaska at the time and it started a "historic family phrase" that my dad would often use as we traveled from place to place. Every thing was so beautiful, but some of the road maps were not always that detailed. We would head out on what should have been a trip of a half an hour, then find ourselves still on the road after an hour. We would do the typical, "Are we there yet?" Often times our time delay happened because my dad had decided to take what he perceived was "a shortcut"... Often those shortcuts were actually "longcuts" instead. Yet those adventures often took us on very beautiful roads, in very beautiful country. We would discover all kinds of animals along the way and eventually we would arrive at our destination. None of the time spent was wasted, as we chatted, laughed, sometimes whined a bit, but always created 'memories' along the way.

When we moved back to the "lower 48" (at the time) we still took time to travel together as a family. We still took many of dad's "shortcuts" and made many more memories together.

Today my dad stopped by the office where I work. He was trying to send a text to a friend on his "non-smart" phone. I wiped mine out and used SIRI to help me get a quick text to his phone before he could get his sent. He complained as my text buzzed his phone in the middle of his message. Another friend told my dad about many of "smart" phones features including built in GPS. My dad said he didn't need it and I had to tease him that maybe he needed SIRI so he wouldn't need any "shortcuts" any more. He laughed and went on his way.

As I closed up the office, my mind was reminiscing on many of our past "shortcuts". I jumped in my car thanking the Lord that SIRI did not exist when I was young. I thought of all our "shortcut" trips that would not have happened if SIRI's GPS got us there. Then I reflected on how grateful I am that when I try to take "shortcuts" in my walk with Jesus, that He would knows how to turn those "longcuts" in to beautiful memories even if the road takes me longer.