Sharing The Love

Heavy heart? Be grateful it’s beating.

At the bottom? Lift your hands and reach for God.

Desperate? You will move forward on your knees.

Depressed? Prayer changes things.

Lonely? A community awaits you, you were born for relationships.

Matthew 7:7  Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you.

There’s a peace that passes all understanding.

There’s a freedom that you find when you seek the truth.

There’s a joy that comes in the morning.

There’s a power in forgiving.

There’s a grace that is undeserved.

There’s a friend you can always count on.

There’s a love like no other…..His name is Jesus.

This morning I was thinking of Christmas traditions. I have never been one to be stuck on rituals. Don’t get me wrong, I put up a Christmas tree every year, just not on the same day. We decorate it all together, not necessarily with same decorations from the previous year. My daughter and I enjoy baking together but usually it’s whatever we want to at that moment! This year she chose to make Oreos wrapped in chocolate chip cookie dough! (Plus lots of other goodies!) Sometimes I send out Christmas cards (the old-fashioned kind, via snail mail!)-but not this year! Simply because there were things that got “bumped” off the to-do list. I believe when that list becomes a burden and steals time away from the people in my life, things will get bumped. Because people are always more important than things. And the people I would be sending the cards to are well aware of that, so they understand.

There are some things that we do during this time of year that can be considered traditions.

We drive around our neighborhood together to see all the beautiful lights. We have done this since the kids were little and they had sippy cups with warm chocolate in them! Now as young adults they still enjoy it, but they take hot chocolate or coffee!

We play games. Cards, Wii, Crosswords, etc. These do vary by year! It’s the time spent together that I cherish.

We watch movies together. I especially enjoy the movie Elf! We watch old Christmas movies but we also make it a point to go see a couple of new releases at the theater.

We go ice skating. By we I mean the kids. The last time I joined in on a group activity that included a slippery surface was in 2005, when we were in Taos snowboarding as a family (this quickly became a non-tradition!)

We cook together and have fun doing it, each adding our own flavor! We all enjoy cooking so it makes it a great event.

I take lots of pictures.  Just ask my daughter-in-law!

We visit family and friends. And since we have lived in so many places, we have learned to do this creatively-via phone, skype, facetime and photo-journaling and of course, when possible, in person!

And we attend church together. This for me has become a sacred and meaningful time as a mother.  Because my children grew up in church, when they all moved out on their own I missed them most on Sunday’s. So when we go to church on Christmas and I hear their sweet voices singing and praising God, and see their hands lifted high in worship, that blesses me beyond words.

Wherever you are and whatever you are doing this Christmas, make memories, cherish your time, take pictures, and love like Jesus does!

Happy New Year!

I know, I am a few days late!! Hey, it’s still a new year!!

I thought I would spread the joy out, so you wouldn’t be inundated with celebrations all in one day!

Here are some things that everyone should add to their list of things to accomplish in the next 12 months: (yes, purposefully I do avoid the word resolution!) I enjoy other words such as vision, goals, life changes, new directions, etc.

1.  Serve.  This comes in many forms as not everyone can serve in the same capacity.  Serve in your home. Serve family members by doing various things for them with love. This teaches your children to serve by example.  It is important to serve others by opening your home (no matter the size) to your community for meetings, gatherings or other types of events!  Serve in your church, your community, your city, your world.  Make no excuse this year. You have time, find it! There is something you can do, do it!

2.  Mentor.  Find one person, I like to do this unofficially! What that means is that I do not make a big deal of it, no announcement, no hoopla! At work, in the neighborhood, at church, or wherever God leads me, I seek out someone who needs encouragement, direction, accountability.  I believe we were meant for relationship, first with God, then with one another. We need each other.

3.  Watch Your Words.  I know I harp on this and that is because of its importance.  In Ephesians 4:29 it says: “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”  This is difficult for most people.  We must obey what the Bible says-it’s very clear! So, no gossiping, no cussing, no rudeness, no sarcasm, no judging, no lying, you get the picture! Try it for 30 days, it’s very cleansing for the soul!

Is there anything that you are doing different than last year that you would like to share?

Lord,

Teach us to pray with our lives.

May everything we say and everything we do bring glory to you.

Teach us to love like you love and to forgive like you forgive.

Thank you, Father, with love!

No, not a new show on NBC, not even a new formula for math, ministry, teaching or parenting! However it is the number of hours (24) it took my daughter and I to go on a spontaneous round trip across Texas (which btw is bigger than any state should be) to visit my Mom! And the actual time we got to spend with her in hours (48)! I can be talked into some crazy fun stuff by my kids, they are amazing. And when they do have these brilliant ideas, they always have a detailed plan. Which makes so much sense, it is hard to resist. My mom was really happy to see us. And we were overjoyed to see her. Although she recently moved out of the house I grew up in, and into a different city altogether when my father passed away, I find that “home” is wherever she is. Even though the time we had together was limited, it was well spent. It contained the three elements necessary for a successful visit!

1). Love ~ Hugs are always important, and in my family, given at every opportunity. Four or five people on a small couch is not considered crowded, it’s fun and cozy!

2). Laughter ~ Laughing at everything and anything! Sharing our lives and doubling our joys. My daughter was asking my Mom questions about my childhood. Not because I don’t share with her but because my Mom is a better storyteller! We laughed a lot! We caught up on other family members and of course, reminisced about my Dad. Smiling as we remembered his good advice, his sense of humor, his sweet spirit, his genuine heart. Sometimes the laughter turned into tears…

3). Lots of memories ~ My Mom started journaling and I continue to take pictures. I am happy that we record our moments together! Every time I visit my Mom, I see pieces of my life all around her home. What it used to be, memories of my father, my brother, my childhood, a life that seems so distant yet so familiar. When I am away from that too long, I desire to rush back to be wrapped, if only for a moment, in all that is my Mother’s heart. 

The journey was amazing and the destiny was worth every mile!

What was said…..or unsaid
What was done….or left undone
Promises made and not kept
Time spent thinking of what could have been instead of making peace with what is.
Decisions made hastily rather than thought through.

Losing our temper.
Losing our focus.
Losing a bit of our integrity as we join in mindless chatter.
Feeling frustrated.
Feeling jealous.
Feeling unwanted - what a blow that must be to the One who created us for His purpose, the One who knew us before we were born and wanted us then and desires us now…


These things
do not define who we are.
They are meant to teach us something.
Sometimes it takes a lot of teaching!
Sometimes we realize what it is we need to change and we begin to work on it.
And sometimes it takes something bigger than ourselves to make us realize the need for change.

Either way, there is one constant:
God’s love for you.

Bask in that love.
Know it is very real.

Respond to His love by giving Him your best in all you do.
Even on days when you feel your best is not good enough.

Keep going,
Move forward,
Run in the direction of your miracle.

What’s stopping you?

Self esteem is the value or opinion of one’s one worth.

This morning as I was preparing for my day, I was thinking about the way we women view ourselves. In my travels, I have had the honor of meeting women from all walks of life. And there seems to be a common thread that I see among most, whether they are royalty, diplomats, celebrities, successful business women, moms, or anyone in between-low self esteem. The reason? We are relying on ourselves for an opinion of ourselves and we are our worst critics! We believe we are not good enough, not pretty enough, not smart enough, not enough. Why? Because somewhere back there, someone told us we weren’t. Someone told us we would never be. Someone didn’t give us the time we needed, the love we deserved, the touch we craved. Someone and that someone or perhaps someones still has a hold on us today. And we somehow allowed those lies to become our truth. We put those lies into our life making them into what we call our self esteem.

I do not want to esteem myself in any way!! Because God has already accepted me, forgiven me and expects me to reflect Him in all I do so that others may see Him and come to know Him.

God-esteem is the value or opinion of one’s one worth in the eye’s of God. And He holds you in very high regard. You are extremely precious to Him. He GAVE all that He had for you. You are his heart. He loves you intentionally and extravagantly. Our worth must be encompassed in Him. Let us not degrade ourselves for that is pure disrespect to the One who created you for His glory.

Believe what God says

about

YOU,

He only speaks truth.

The more of ourselves we give to God~ our problems, our past, our present, our future, our worries, our sins, our bitterness, our unforgiveness,~ the more He will show up in our lives!

Are you waiting for God to show up in your life? Make sure you have given Him everything!

When you meet someone for the first time, instead of saying, “nice to meet you”, try something different. Sometimes I say something about the uniqueness of their name, or something about the city they are from, etc. Put your own technique into it. Make it positive, different and memorable!

When someone asks “how are you?” try not to answer, “fine, and you?” Because you should be more than fine!! And if you are simply “fine”, it’s time to step it up from being ok, satisfactory, average, so-so, adequate. You are an heir to Jesus Christ, that alone makes you royalty! You are wonderfully and fearfully made. You are awesome. You are amazing. You are God’s heart, the love of His life. Oh you are more than fine!
Try not to ask anyone “how are you?” Because they just may answer “fine”! Instead, smile and tell them something great that you notice about them. Or if you really DO want to know how they are, then look them straight in the eyes, sincerely ask, “how are YOU doing?” and brace yourself for an honest answer cause it just may come your way! Be prepared, show you care and share the love.

WHENEVER YOU ASK A QUESTION, BE PREPARED FOR THE ANSWER!