Simply Covered

It was a hot, humid summer day. We had woken up early and gotten dressed and as we all piled into the truck Shane decided to take the trash to the dump before we headed out. Gabe was around 7 or 8 I guess and enjoyed helping Shane dump the trash so he immediately began to ask if he could help. (Boy how times have changed...haha). After much begging Shane finally agreed and as we pulled into the dump Gabe unbuckled his seat belt and all but jumped out of the truck before Shane could put it into park.

.

They were throwing the trash into the dumpsters one bag at the time and when all the trash was out of the truck I noticed that Gabe quietly slipped back into his seat. We pulled out with not much talking going on. The radio was playing and everyone was in their own world more or less. I don't really know what made me look back but I just sort of turned my head and noticed Gabe had his leg propped up and was poking at something.

.

"What are you doing?" I asked him.

.

He looked up at me as if he wanted to cry but instead he just laid his leg down. There was a huge gash in his leg and blood was pouring down the inside of his calf! "Shane!" I yelled "Stop the truck!"

.

Shane whipped into a convenience store parking lot and we both started looking at Gabe's leg. Knowing we were no where near a doctor's office I grabbed some napkins and held his skin together while Shane went inside to buy something to clean his leg with. We cleaned Gabe's leg and put some band-aids on his leg so tight as to hold the wound together.

.

I remember Gabe's white sock being soaked in blood all day long. We were able to clean the blood off of his leg but that sock was worthless...had to be thrown away. Yesterday as I was driving home I heard a song on the radio and although I cannot remember all the details one line of the song is stuck in my head "I am covered in the blood." I have always thought about my sins being "washed" in the blood but "covered" in the blood seemed to make more sense to me.

.

You know when you wash something the soap has a tendency to run off but when you cover something...it is there for the long haul! That is exactly what Jesus has done for us! He has covered us in his blood and it doesn't matter what dingy, nasty, ugly thing we soak into his blood, it will always come out white!

.

"...they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb..." Revelation 7:15 (NIV).

Just Breathe...

Phew...today is starting off to be that kind of Monday. Have you ever had one of those? I woke up 15 minutes late, left my house 15 minutes late which means I got to work 15 minutes late. Every summer the law firm I work for hire law students to "clerk" during a few weeks in the summer. It is sort of like an extended job interview. The attorneys at my office get to take the time to meet these prospective future attorneys and vice versa. Well, guess what? Today was the day the second half of these clerks started.

.

As I came running in the door four of them sat around the table in the library. I immediately began to apologize for running late and then idle chit chat ensued. It is my job to make them feel welcome, make sure they have everything they need at any given time, answer their questions, give them guidance, all the while getting to know each and every one of them on a personal level so that when it comes time to hire one, two or three of them I can give an opinion to the hiring partners. I herded them into the board room and then started running. I had folders to prepare for them, some needed drinks, there were supplies to prepare, work stations to organize. See I had left on Friday with every intention of getting to work about an hour early today and preparing everything at that time. So much for those plans!

.

As I finally sit down at my desk and finally get a chance to log-in and prepare my blog all I can think about is breathing! I'm out of breath. Sweating like I've been running a race. My mind is going in a thousand different directions and all I want to do is breathe!

.

As I logged into my blog and flipped over to the online Bible website I briefly said "Lord, I need a word." And, as always he gave me one! "Then the Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground. He breathed the breath of life into the man’s nostrils, and the man became a living person." Genesis 2:7. I find that interesting! Do you? Here I am rushing around and all I can think about is breathing and then God gives me a word about how HE is the one who breathed the breath of life into man! Wow! Coincidence? I think not! So many days I get bumfuzzeled (yes that's a word! heehee) and I seem to forget where my breath even comes from. I complain that my kids are running me ragged, my husband is exasperating me, my boss is sucking the air right out of me but, I never stop to think that God is the one who breathed that breath into me and he is never going to let me run out of it until He decides to call me home! And then, the breath he will breathe into my nostrils will be so much sweeter than air! *Sigh* I just can't help but suck in a deep breath just thinking about that!

.

So, today, tomorrow, next week, next month just whenever you feel like you need to catch your breath so you can scream...please remember that God is the one who breathed it into you and if you need more of it...you must seek Him!

Always

I guess Gabe couldn't have been more than 4 years old. If my memory serves me correctly, Kristina was 9 years old and was playing softball for her first and last time. Her friends were playing and she just wanted to fit in so badly that she decided she wanted to play and after the first game she realized that softball was not her thing. But, like parents always do, we made her finish out the season. So, half heartily we traveled around to all the parks that Spring playing ball.

.

Upon arriving at this particular park Gabe immediately noticed there was a playground right beside the field we would be playing on. He began to beg to go play. Those of you who know Gabe can envision him begging me and for those of you who don't know him, I'll describe it. Gabe is a very persistent little fella and always has been. When he sets his mind to something there is no stopping him. He jumps up and down, clasps his hands together as if he is praying, turns those big brown eyes into watery pools of chocolate and begins with the puh-leeeeeeeeze over and over and over and over and over and over.... I think you get the point now. So, what's a Mom to do? I cave! Nearly every single time...I cave. The older Gabe has gotten I have learned to build a force field so as not to be affected by his begging but still, there are days I just cave.

.

So, anyway, I agreed to let him go down to the playground by himself and play but told him that he had to stay within my eyesight. "If you can't see me then I can't see you and that won't work!" I instructed. I positioned myself at the top of the bleachers and began the motherly task of switching my head back and forth in between the playground and the ball field.

.

After about the 3rd or 4th inning I looked over and did not see Gabe. I sat there for a moment and waited thinking he may have been in the slide or climbing the ladder but he never appeared. I leaned over to another Mom telling her where I was going, hopped off the back of the bleachers and started towards the playground.

.

As I reached the edge of the playground I saw Gabe stooped down at the bottom of the slide with his hands underneath his chin. "Gabe!" I yelled. He looked up, not a tear in his eyes and said "I sink I'd hurt myshelf." I heard him say. So, I sort of picked up the pace and the closer I got to him the more blood I saw. He had decided to go down the slide on his tummy head first and upon reaching the end of the slide, shot off like a rocket and landed in the pea gravel splitting his chin wide open!

.

I picked him and carried him over to the ball field. Another Mom came over and started looking at him and the umpire who was a nurse called time in the game, jumped the fence and started helping. Blood was going everywhere and there was no stopping it. The decision was made to take Gabe to Children's Hospital so he could get stitches. Shane was at work so I grabbed Kristina, a ton of paper towels and we left. I can remember driving down I-65 towards Birmingham and Kristina leaning over towards Gabe with a wad of paper towels under his chin trying to stop the bleeding.

.

Shane met us at the hospital and as we entered the emergency room we realized it was packed. We sat for what seemed like forever and eventually were called up to the nurse. She coded Gabe as "white" and told us to have a seat. As I looked up at the chart I realized that "white" meant red, yellow and green colors would all go before we did. So, we found a spot and decided to wait. Within the hour a young man came in with his baseball uniform on. He had a pack of ice on his head and seemed a little dazed. His Mother began to tell us how he had slid into 2nd base trying to steal, his helmet had come off and he was hit in the head with the baseball. She removed the ice pack and showed us where he was hit and instead of the knot coming out he had a huge place where it was sunk in. I cringed as I looked at it and my stomach immediately turned into a bundle of knots.

.

The nurse called the young boy and his Mother up to the next and they gave him a code "green." I looked over at Shane and said "This poor boy is a code green, we are a code white...we're here forever." We made the decision to call Gabe's pediatrician who sent us to an after hours clinic. We were in and out within an hour with 4 stitches. Gabe still has the scar to prove his injury and I have often said that if he injuries himself anymore in life he is going to look like a Raggedy Andy doll all sewed up.

.

Aren't you glad that we as Christians aren't "coded"? No matter what is going on in our lives our Savior never fails. No matter the heartache, no matter the sin, no matter the mountain top we are standing on or the valley we have fallen into he never fails us! Big mistakes, little mistakes. Wonderful acts of kindness, small quiet ways we serve. He is there!

.

"...I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Matthew 28:20 (NLT). He doesn't say that he is with us sometimes, every once in a while, only on Mondays...he is with us always!!

P-O-T-E-N-T-I-A-L

Do you remember the preschool song "I Am A Promise"? I do! It goes...I am a promise, I am a possibility, I am a promise, with a capital P and I can be anything, anything God wants me to be. (I bet some of you are singing that as you read it; aren't you? I know you are because I was singing it while I typed it! heehee). Did you know that we are not only a promise but we are potential? Yep, sure are!

.

As I was driving into work this morning I was listening to a cd that a friend gave me. It was the Sunday morning service at the Church of the Highlands and Pastor Chris Hodges was describing God. In the midst of his sermon he made one statement that caught my attention and naturally, my mind began to race. I couldn't even remotely listen to anything else he was saying because I was stuck on that one thing. He said that God created everything with the potential to reproduce. Hmmm...what do you think about that?

.

During creation God said, "Let the land sprout with vegetation—every sort of seed-bearing plant, and trees that grow seed-bearing fruit. These seeds will then produce the kinds of plants and trees from which they came...God created great sea creatures and every living thing that scurries and swarms in the water, and every sort of bird—each producing offspring of the same kind...Then God blessed them saying “Be fruitful and multiply. Let the fish fill the seas, and let the birds multiply on the earth...Let the earth produce every sort of animal, each producing offspring of the same kind—livestock, small animals that scurry along the ground, and wild animals...God created human beings...God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it. Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that scurry along the ground." Genesis 1:11, 21, 22, 24, 27, 28 (NLT).

.

Inside every acorn is the potential for another oak tree and inside that acorn is the potential for another oak tree so that means that with the very first oak tree that God every spoke into being he shoved the potential for a go-zillion oak trees. Inside every fish is the potential to produce another fish and inside that fish is the potential to produce another fish so that means that with the very first fish that God ever spoke into being he instilled the potential to produce a go-zillion fish! Now, inside every human there is the potential to produce another human and inside that human is the potential to produce another human so that means way back when he created Adam and Eve he knew that we would be here right now doing what we are doing.

.

Everything was created with potential...possibility....a promise! God is so big! You know what? We spend so much time trying to understand God and understand why he did this and that. We question every little thing. I wonder what we would all be like if we began to try and wrap our heads around our own potential instead of trying to wrap our heads around God's potential? You know a cat never questions it's purpose. It just prisses along, meowing, sleeping, playing. A dog never questions why God did this or that. He just lays on the porch growling at whomever passes by. He just lives up to his potential. A bird flies. A fish swims. The trees blow in the wind. But, what do we as humans do? God put us on this earth to reign over all the fish, the birds, the wildlife but maybe we need to take a step back and learn from them. They live up to their potential. Do we?

I Go That Way!

As we walked through the door the music was blaring and I immediately thought to myself "What have I done?" I had a one year old on my hip and a five year old jumping up and down with excitement. Kristina had never been roller skating before and she was about to have a come apart to get going. Shane was working the night shift and after working all week long the idea of taking the kids out for something fun to do seemed like a good idea. There weren't many cars in the parking lot and I really thought I had picked the perfect place. I never even considered the fact that some parents drop their kids off at the skating rink so needless to say the sparse parking lot was nothing more than a joke for me. The place was PACKED!

.

Gabe was amazed by the lights and the sounds. He was constantly flinging his head this way and that way trying to take it all in. Keeping him steady on my hip was a one man show in itself and dealing with Kristina swinging from my other arm was nothing more than a mere art form.

.

I finally made my way to the counter, swapped her shoes for some skates and after chasing Gabe, shoving on a skate, chasing Gabe, tying a skate and then once again chasing Gabe we finally made it to the moment of truth. She was ready to go. I grabbed a sippy cup out of the diaper bag for Gabe and gave Kristina specific instructions. I found me and Gabe a place to play and all seemed well. Kids were flying past us so fast that my hair would blow with the wind. Gabe couldn't do anything but stand there and point and every once in a while I would see that blonde pony tail come stomping by. Kristina could not get the hang of how to skate so she merely stomped her way around the rink. She waved with each pass and had a smile that went from ear to ear.

.

After an hour or so Gabe became bored and with a little work on my part I was able to get him to fall asleep. Believe it or not the noise and the lights didn't bother him in the slightest. Once Gabe was good and asleep I began to cheer Kristina on more and more. I decided to reposition my post and once I got set again I looked up and noticed that she was skating in the opposite direction of everyone else. You know the drill. You skate to the right. Oh, no, not Kristina. She had decided to skate to the left.

.

"Kristina!" I yelled "Turn around right now and go the right way!"

.

She put her hand on her hip, cocked that blonde head of her sideways and said "Momma, I don't want to go the way everybody else is going. I'm going to go this way!"

.

I had Gabe laid out across my arms and the rink was packed so venturing out there to snatch her up was not even an option. I thought for a moment and said "You're going to get run over. Turn around!"

.

She ignored me and began to stomp her way to the left with kids whizzing around her. I finally decided that she was going to have to learn this one on her on and just stood there watching. It was like watching a train wreck. I knew what the outcome would be but I was helpless to stop it. Within just a few minutes it happened. Kristina was completely mowed over by some girl who was skating backwards. She went down hard, screamed as loud as she could and crawled over to me. She had huge tears coming down out of those beautiful blue eyes, her bottom lip was poked out and she said "I just want to go my own way!"

.

That has been the motto for Kristina her entire life. She don't follow the crowd. She is not the one to wear something, buy something, say something just because everyone else is. As a matter of fact, if everyone else is wearing it, saying it, doing it I can guarantee you she won't be! The "it" thing is nothing more than a repellent for Kristina.

.

You know sometimes in our lives we tend to forget that our path with God is not going to be the "it" thing. As Christians we are going to be persecuted, laughed at, mowed over! But, the main thing we must focus on is sticking to our course. We need to remember that God is the one in control and even though our path will often times seem dark, lonely and a little rainy he is the one who is controlling the light, the companionship and the storms.

.

"Lead me in the right path, O Lord, or my enemies will conquer me. Make your way plain for me to follow." Psalm 5:8. (NLT) The enemy is everywhere and if we don't make sure our path is HIS path we are doomed. Many times in life going against the grain is going to be tough, it is going to hurt and it may even cause us to cry; but, isn't the end result worth it all in the end? Just like child birth. It hurts and it makes us cry but to hold that precious baby in our arms for the first time and then to hold them in our hearts for the rest of our lives is unexplainable. What path are you on? Do you have any idea where your path is headed? Are you on the path because it is God's path or is it your path?

What Would It Take?

I have been reading the book "He Speaks To Me" by Priscilla Shirer. My sister sent me the book and I am really enjoying it. I don't have a lot of time to actually sit down and read so I carry the book with me and I read it as I walk to and from my truck at work. And, yes, the walk IS that long! Today as I was walking and reading the chapter was about having child like faith but that isn't what really caught my attention. What grabbed me was a statement she made about how the disciples had witnessed Jesus' miracles. They saw him feed over 5,000 people with just two fish and five loaves of bread. They had seen him walk on water. They had seen him heal the sick. Give sight to the blind. Bring Lazarus from the dead! Can you imagine what those three years were like for them?

.

Yet, they bickered amongst themselves wanting to know who was the best disciple. Peter betrayed Jesus not once but three times. Judas sold him out. James and John wanted to be the "head" so bad that they had their momma go to Jesus for them. Can you imagine? They sent their momma to talk to Jesus about their "seating arrangements."

.

As I walked into the building I sort of chuckled to myself. Here we are over 2,000 years later and we are still doing the same thing. We all want to know who is going to be the best one in heaven. We tend to work wanting to make sure that others notice what we are doing. We all tell the same Bible stories over and over and over again but yet we really don't believe them. No, we never actually witnessed Jesus walking on water but goodness gracious we have all heard that story so many times that it is embedded into our memory and yet we still question it. Maybe not question it in public but if you're honest with yourself, when you're alone, when times get tough...you question it. You question him! Or, when the crowd gets thick, you feel a little heat from friends or co-workers...do you deny him like Peter did?

.

I'm just thinking...what would it take? What would God have to do to make us truly believe that he loves us? I mean he sent his son to us but yet we questioned that he was who he said he was. He tried to teach us everything we needed to know yet we mocked him and didn't believe him. He was beaten and murdered but we didn't believe he would rise again. And, when he did rise again we tried to explain how he wasn't really dead. No matter what God has done for us, put in front of our rotten spoiled faces we still seem to question his love. We still don't accept what he has to offer us. I wonder why?

.

We were created in God's image yet he inserted in each and every one of us the ability to choose for ourselves. I wonder why he did that? Maybe because he likes/wants to feel loved and needed! How many times as parents do we long for our children to just like us...want us...need us? The older they get the more we feel this way. What makes us think God is any different? Just makes me think...what would it take? What else could he do? Why do we even think there is anything else he could/should do?

.

"Answer me when I call to you, O God who declares me innocent. Free me from my troubles. Have mercy on me and hear my prayer. How long will you people ruin my reputation? How long will you make groundless accusations? How long will you continue your lies? You can be sure of this: The Lord set apart the godly for himself. The Lord will answer when I call to him. Don’t sin by letting anger control you. Think about it overnight and remain silent. Offer sacrifices in the right spirit, and trust the Lord. Many people say, “Who will show us better times?” Let your face smile on us, Lord. You have given me greater joy than those who have abundant harvests of grain and new wine. In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, O Lord, will keep me safe." Psalm 4. (NLT)

Just Be Yourself With God

I would like to say I wrote the following but, I didn't. I subscribe to Rick Warren's Purpose Driven Daily Devotional and below is the devotional for today. Funny how things come to you just when you need them! Anyway, today's devotionaly really spoke to me and honestly, I couldn't re-do what he did so I just thought I'd "cut and paste" it. I hope it speaks to you like it did to me! =)

.
"When you pray, do not use a lot of meaningless words, as the pagans do, who think that their gods will hear them because their prayers are long. Do not be like them. Your Father already knows what you need before you ask Him" (Matthew 6:7-8 TEV).

.
God created you and so He wants you to be the real you. By being authentic when you speak to God, you worship Him as your Creator.

.

For years I copied the prayers of other people. I noticed they used certain words and even a special tone of voice. I imitated all the religious clichés: "Lead, guide, and direct us, O Lord." "Bless this food to the nourishment of our bodies." "Bless the gift and the giver."

.

In New Testament times, prayers were wordy, meaningless rituals. There was no spontaneity, no genuineness. But Jesus says don't get caught up in ritual prayer. You don't have to use fancy language. You can't impress God with fancy language, and you shouldn't be trying to impress other people, either.

.

I love to hear new Christians pray; there's no pious pomposity. They haven't learned the clichés yet. They just say, "Hi, God. It's me." That's how you make contact with God. You just talk with your heavenly Father about what's on your mind. Just pray your heart. Reveal yourself.

.

Imagine I walked in the door one evening and my kids said: "O, almighty procreator of our family. How wonderful thou art, who sovereignly deposits our allowance to us. Oh, the majesty of thy wonderful self! We beseech thee to come eat dinner with us." I'd check their temperatures to see if they were sick! I don't want to hear that. I want them to say, "Hey! Dad's home. Good to see you, Pop!"

.

I'm not saying to be flippant in prayer, but that's how you make contact with God. You just talk with him in a genuine and heartfelt way.

Filled to Capacity

Jesus appeared...to the disciples beside the Sea of Galilee. This is how it happened. Several of the disciples were there—Simon Peter, Thomas (nicknamed the Twin), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples.

.
Simon Peter said, “I’m going fishing.”

.
“We’ll come, too,” they all said. So they went out in the boat, but they caught nothing all night. At dawn Jesus was standing on the beach, but the disciples couldn’t see who he was.

.
He called out, “Fellows, have you caught any fish?”
.
“No,” they replied.
.

Then he said, “Throw out your net on the right-hand side of the boat, and you’ll get some!” So they did, and they couldn’t haul in the net because there were so many fish in it.

.
Then the disciple Jesus loved said to Peter, “It’s the Lord!”
.

When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his tunic (for he had stripped for work), jumped into the water, and headed to shore. The others stayed with the boat and pulled the loaded net to the shore, for they were only about a hundred yards from shore. When they got there, they found breakfast waiting for them—fish cooking over a charcoal fire, and some bread.

.

"Bring some of the fish you’ve just caught,” Jesus said. So Simon Peter went aboard and dragged the net to the shore. There were 153 large fish, and yet the net hadn’t torn.

.

“Now come and have some breakfast!” Jesus said. None of the disciples dared to ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. John 21:1-12 (NLT)

.
Hmmmm...I've been thinking...more or less I guess today I've got some questions. I don't have the answers but I hope my questions turn into questions for you as well and as you walk around the wonderful place that is God's creation today you "mutter" just like I am.
.

First of all, why does John not just say "I said to Peter...?" Instead he says "the disciple Jesus loved..." I find that interesting. Today we are always so worried about making sure everybody knows what WE did and we want to make sure OUR name is on it as if we are a brand or trademark. But not John. In my opinion, he was humble. The story isn't about him, it's about Jesus!

.

Second, "[t]here were 153 large fish, and yet the net hadn’t torn..." Wow! I find "the net hadn't torn" part very interesting. Jesus can fill our nets to capacity, above capacity and yet hold it together so that it doesn't break. And, also, he can give us the strength to carry the net. "Simon Peter went aboard and dragged the net to the shore." John was so astounded by the capacity of the fish in the net that he even gave us a number, 153 large fish...he doesn't refer to the smaller ones so there is no telling the total number of fish in that net. But, anyway, it seems to me that the net was "fuller" (if that's even a word) than they had ever seen before. Wonder what made Peter think he could drag that net onto shore by himself? It doesn't say that "the disciples" dragged the net. It says SIMON PETER dragged the net. Wonder why he didn't ask for help?

.

Isn't God just great? Not only does he continually teach us that we must be humble but he teaches us that he can fill our nets above and beyond capacity only at HIS timing and then he gives us the strength to lug the heavy thing to shore. *Sigh* Our Savior never fails!

Love = Action

Have you seen them before? They sort of walk along shuffling their feet. Sometimes their backs are a little bent over from the weight of the world sitting on their shoulders for so many years. They have so many laugh lines on their face that you can just imagine all the funny things they have seen, heard and said over the years. I have seen a few with canes, some wearing panty hose a/k/a knee highs as socks. Their shoes velcro, their hats have mesh backings. Their belts are always twisted a little to the left or the right and they have so much change in their pockets that you can hear them coming.

.

Oh how I love elderly people. I love to listen to them talk. I love to ask for advice. I love to laugh with them, cut up with them, cry with them, listen to them pray (this is my favorite), share my thoughts, learn, try to imagine a day gone by.

.

But my all time favorite thing to do is sit and watch an elderly couple. Oh, they are my favorite! To see that sweet woman wap her husband with her umbrella cracks me up. To see those old men roll their eyes after their wife turns around and politely say "Yes Dear!" To watch them walk hand in hand. To watch them worship together in a way that I don't even understand yet.

.

Although I enjoy all of those things my favorite thing is when that sweet husband bends over, picks his wife's purse up off the floor and quietly slips it onto his arm. He stands there beaming with pride it seems like because he is "helping" the love of his life. Many men may think they are too manly to hold their wife's purse. I honestly think many men think they will get cooties from even touching their wife's purse...(heehee). But what I see watching that sweet precious man is not weakness I see love!

.

See, love is not a feeling...love is an action. "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life." John 3:16. He loved us so much that he gave his Son! I can't even begin to fathom that sort of love. What if someone told you right now that your child had to be killed in order to save the world. Would you do it? Could you do it? God did it and didn't even think about it! He just bent over, picked up the purse that was sitting right there and slid it onto his arm.

VBS

Wow! Yesterday kicked off VBS at my church and we had 251! Can you believe that? Phew...that's a bunch of kids right there! I am teaching the 5th and 6th grade and we had 25 kids in one little bitty room. Adjustments had to be made and I had kids sitting in the hallway, kids sitting in the classroom, kids here, kids there and I stood in the doorway but it was so much fun!

.

Naturally with VBS going on my mind is centered around the Bible verses and the Bible stories we are discussing this week. One in particular has my mind just a spinning. It is the story of Jesus walking on water.

.

"As soon as the meal was finished, he insisted that the disciples get in the boat and go on ahead to the other side while he dismissed the people. With the crowd dispersed, he climbed the mountain so he could be by himself and pray. He stayed there alone, late into the night. Meanwhile, the boat was far out to sea when the wind came up against them and they were battered by the waves. At about four o'clock in the morning, Jesus came toward them walking on the water. They were scared out of their wits. "A ghost!" they said, crying out in terror. But Jesus was quick to comfort them. "Courage, it's me. Don't be afraid." Peter, suddenly bold, said, "Master, if it's really you, call me to come to you on the water." He said, "Come ahead." Jumping out of the boat, Peter walked on the water to Jesus. But when he looked down at the waves churning beneath his feet, he lost his nerve and started to sink. He cried, "Master, save me!" Jesus didn't hesitate. He reached down and grabbed his hand. Then he said, "Faint-heart, what got into you?" The two of them climbed into the boat, and the wind died down. The disciples in the boat, having watched the whole thing, worshiped Jesus, saying, "This is it! You are God's Son for sure!" Matthew 14:22-33 (MSG)

.

The thing that really got me about this story is not that Jesus walked on water but that Peter walked on the water too as long as he kept his eyes on Jesus! How many times in our lives do we look at what is below our feet and see other people's opinions, other people's sneers, we fear that we don't know what we are doing, we begin to question our very own intentions and before long we aren't even remotely looking at Jesus. We aren't even anywhere near where Jesus would have us be because we are too busy looking at what is under our feet! Hmmm...what if we lived our lives with the faith that the only thing beneath our feet was the hands of Jesus?

The Idol or The Furnace

I was reading this morning about ole King Nebuchadnezzar and this "mighty" idol that he built. "King Nebuchadnezzar made a gold statue ninety feet tall and nine feet wide..." Daniel 3:1 I'm not real good with sizes. To tell me something was ninety feet tall doesn't make much sense to me. But, if you tell me that if fifteen men who were each six feet tall stood on each other's shoulders would make 90 feet tall...that I get! Can you imagine how tall that thing was? I can just see King Nebuchadnezzar with his chest all poked out with pride at his wonderful creation. He was so full of himself.

.

Once the idol was made King Nebuchadnezzar had to call everybody out there to see it. "Then he sent messages to the high officers, officials, governors, advisers, treasurers, judges, magistrates, and all the provincial officials to come to the dedication of the statue he had set up." Daniel 3:2. Have you ever met anyone like that? They think that everything they do is so wonderful that they have to talk about it, show it to you, discuss it, bring it up time and time again as if they were wanting to make sure the entire world knew what they had created "all by themselves."

.

But, the clincher in this whole story is how three men refused to bow down to this idol. That is where my thoughts are today. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego absolutely refused to bow down and worship this idol. They stood up while everyone else bowed. I imagine they looked like weeds that had grown through concrete. I wonder if they had their hands behind their backs. I wonder if they were swaying back and forth whistling as they looked around. I wonder if they were whispering to each other "This guy is nuts!" Hmmm....I wonder.

.

You know the rest of the story. "'Look!' Nebuchadnezzar shouted. 'I see four men, unbound, walking around in the fire unharmed! And the fourth looks like a god!'" Daniel 3:25. Oh I wish I could have seen his face when he looked in that furnace and saw FOUR men! I wonder if he found it hard to breathe. I wonder if he stood there with his mouth gaped open and a few flies flew in there. I wonder if his heart started pounding so hard he thought it would pound out of his chest.

.

All of this gets me to my point today. Are you like Nebuchadnezzar? Do you create things and then boast about them and get offended when others don't "bow down" to your creation? Are you like the people in the city? Do you just "bow down" because everybody else does and you feel the need to fit in? Or, are you like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego? Do you stand up for what is right with God?

.

I tell you one thing...sometimes it seems like life is better outside that furnace because there is no flame, no fire, no heat. But, there is one thing inside that furnace that I need that I surely can't find outside the furnace and that is my God! Where are you right now? Are you bowing down at the feet of an idol or are you walking in the furnace?

Half A Tail

I'm such a sucker! We got a kitten the other night! Don't ask me why because we need a cat like we need a hole in our heads but it sure has been fun watching that little rascal play. I found a mouse on a rope type toy and that kitten will spend hours chasing that mouse while you pull it across the floor. She is solid black with a few stripes here and there. She isn't any bigger than the palm of your hand and has the best disposition I believe I have ever seen from a cat.

.

As you sit in the recliner watching t.v. she will quietly climb the back of the recliner and jump around the edge onto the arm and scare the wits right out of you. Or, you can walk out of the room, come back in and she will be sitting on top of the curtain rod next to the ceiling! And, oh, she is lightening fast. She is at that age where she just jumps up as if someone poked her in the rear end and she will run in this room, across the bed, out the door and fly into another room. You can't get out of her way fast enough and all we can do is laugh until our faces hurt.

.

But, she's not "normal." As she was forming in the womb she was positioned in a way that her tail never completely grew. She does not have a bob-tail nor does she have a complete tail...she has half a tail! The hair at the end of her "half a tail" just sticks out in every direction and as she tries to "fluff" her tail (you know how cats fluff their tails up and down...up and down), it doesn't work.

.

Want to the know the funny part? She doesn't know that she isn't "normal." To her, she's just like every other cat. She doesn't know that her tail is any different, she doesn't know that she will never be able to "fluff" her tail, she doesn't know that other cats giggle as she walks by. (Okay, I couldn't let that one get past me...haha). Want to know why she doesn't know she isn't "normal"? It's because no one ever told her!

.

How many times have you left your house in the morning feeling so good about yourself that day? Your hair seemed to just fall into place, your clothes fit better than they did the day before, and you just left with a spring in your step and a smile on your face. But, you no more walked in the door at work and someone had something negative to say about your outfit, your hair or maybe your make up and immediately your entire day changed. Oh I've had that happen to me before! And, I'm embarrassed to admit it, but I've been that person who has swiped the wind right out of someone else's day.

.

"There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus." Galatians 3:28 (NLT) Amen! It's about time we Christians get that through our thick heads! Yes, we are to come apart from the world and stand out, be a witness but at the end of the day when you lock arms with your brothers and sisters in Christ...we are ALL ONE IN HIM! Gracious does that just make you want to jump up today?!?!? It does me!

.

Listen ladies, please make today a fan-tab-ulous day! Walk around as if you only have half a tail and when someone asks you what's your deal today...tell them Jesus got ahold of you this morning! =)

Form Tackle!

This past football season my family was over at Shane's sister's house for a family birthday party. It just so happened to be the Alabama v. Arkansas game and we were all fired up! Alabama was having an awesome year, we owed the Razorbacks a thing or two and the air outside felt like football weather. You know the air I'm talking about don't you? It is cool but not cold, warm but not hot, the wind is blowing but not enough to make you gasp for breath. It is...football weather! Oh, if I breathe in deep enough right now I can smell it. *Sigh*

.

Well, anyway, as the game progressed Shane began critiquing the game. He was yelling at Saban, the players, the refs, the fans, I bet he even yelled at the water boy. Our nephew, Clay, who was in the first grade last year and in his second year of pee-wee football sat intently on the floor watching Shane not the game. Every time Shane yelled, Clay was up on his feet yelling the exact same thing. "Come on guys" or "Can we get a flag?" and my favorite "Form tackle!" With every catch phrase Shane yelled Clay seemed to get more and more excited about the game. Alabama won and all was well in the Goodwin house that night.

.

The following Saturday Clay had a big game. He played defense and he was fired up from the minute his little feet hit the floor that morning. Shane's brother-in-law said that as the game progressed the coaches seemed to catch on to Clay's enthusiasm but to no avail. They didn't win their game but, the coach approached Clay's Dad and began to just brag on Clay's leadership during the game. "Clay had those defensive players fired up the entire game. I believe he has finally gotten the jest of his position and the goal of the defense." Mark looked at the coach a little puzzled as the coach continued. "Clay was on the field in his fellow player's faces yelling 'FORM TACKLE GUYS, WE GOTTA FORM TACKLE!'" Mark began to snicker knowing where Clay had gotten that phrase from as Clay walked up. He had his helmet in hand, sweat pouring down his forehead to the tip of his nose as he carried defeat on his shoulders. The coach patted Clay on the shoulder pads saying "Good game Clay. I'm glad you understand form tackling." Clay looked up at him and said "I don't know what form tackling is but my Uncle Shane yells it all the time so we need to do it so we can win!"

.

How many times do we go through life wanting to know the whys of everything? Why is it as adults we tend to not believe in something that we can't understand? Oh to have the faith of a child. "I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." Mark 10:15 (NIV) Maybe it's about time we adults stop questioning everything the Bible says and just believe it. Maybe it's about time that we adults start yelling 'FORM TACKLE.' Or, better yet, maybe it's time that we just believe. We aren't meant to understand it all, we aren't meant to be able to explain it all. Hey, get over it, it's not our job to explain God...it's his job and when he's ready for everyone to understand...trust me, he'll get his point across loud and clear because he knows what form tackling means! =)

What do you have to say?

Do you talk alot? Oh gracious I do! I seem to always have something to say. Gabe is the same way. He just talks and talks about nonsense really. Every once in a while he will get on a topic and I think to myself 'there is that smart boy I know.' (heehee) Kristina is a fairly good talker. She is loud though! She will interrupt you, talk over you, jump up and down, just do whatever it takes to ensure that you are listening to her. (She gets that from her Daddy..haha). Shane is a decent talker. If you don't understand what he just said, give him a minute because he'll repeat himself! I told him just this past Sunday I surely didn't want to be behind him in the line into heaven because whoever is standing behind Shane is going to be there for A WHILE! We all pick at Shane for repeating himself but there have been times that his persistence has paid off. And, at those times, Shane reminds us of this!

.

I was driving into work this morning and was listening to the radio and heard a song that I cannot for the life of me remember the name, the artist, or anything about the song other than a simple idea that was in the chorus. "What do you have to say?" When you talk do you discuss the news? Your children? Your heartaches? Your goals, dreams? Your achievements? Do you discuss that the police were over at your neighbor's house the previous night? Or, do you talk about the family that sits on the back pew on the left side of the church?

.

We all have many things to talk about. We seem to rattle off at the mouth all day, 24/7. So, I'm thinking, if I do all this talking that I proclaim to do; how many times during the day are my words about Christ, my Savior, my Father? Ouch! I must admit not as much as they should be.

.

"Take control of what I say, O Lord, and guard my lips." Psalm 141:3 What do you have to say today?

Hold The Rope

Yesterday at church Bro. John was preaching on missions. We have two ladies from our church leaving soon to go to Honduras and then we have twenty-eight youth (including Kristina) and parents going on a mission trip to Manila, Arkansas. Yesterdays sermon was making sure those of us left at home knew how to pray for each and every one of them. He preached out of Acts 9 and the sermon touched me so deeply that I just had to share it with you.

.

"Saul’s preaching became more and more powerful, and the Jews in Damascus couldn’t refute his proofs that Jesus was indeed the Messiah. After a while some of the Jews plotted together to kill him. They were watching for him day and night at the city gate so they could murder him, but Saul was told about their plot. So during the night, some of the other believers lowered him in a large basket through an opening in the city wall." Acts 9:22-25 (NLT)

.

Saul trusted other believers to "hold the rope" and lower him through the city wall. When I close my eyes and think about this city wall I picture a huge thick concrete type wall. A wall that possibly has vines growing all over it, some with thorns, maybe large insects crawling around. Saul put alot of trust in these believers. I'm sure as he was laying in the large basket he was unable to see what was below him, beside him and the closer he got to the ground he was unable to see what was above him because they did this as night! I would have been scared to death! Much like our missionaries...I'm sure they are also scared to climb into the basket and be lowered down.

.

Although Bro. John's sermon was "holding the rope" for our loved ones who are going on these mission trips I spent the better part of yesterday and this morning thinking about "holding the rope" for my children, my husband, my parents, my sister, my sister's family, my co-workers, my friends, and the list goes on and on.

.

There are times in life where you are not the person for the job. You cannot reach that lost soul, you cannot fix that problem, you cannot control that situation, you are helpless. But, there is always someone else who is able to win that lost soul, has a solution to that problem, knows the answer to controlling that situation and that is where your job is simply to "hold the rope."

.

There is no minimal task in serving God. Every job is important just as every job in the human body is important. Like eyelashes...without them we would get bacteria in our eyes. Sometimes you just have to hold the rope! Pray for your loved ones...hold that rope. Pray for your pastor...hold that rope. Pray for our missionaries...hold that rope. Pray for the lost...hold that rope. Pray for our President...hold that rope. Pray for our country...hold that rope.

Email...

These past few days, even weeks have been sort of weird for me. I have been in what I call a "fog." I can't seem to pray, breathe, I'm frustrated, agitated, ornery, just a mean ole woman I guess. I can't concentrate, my mind is constantly racing, I can't sleep, I wake up tired and ill and then yesterday happened.

.

My sister and I email a good bit. She lives 2 1/2 hours away and email is alot cheaper than long distance phone call charges and with both of us having kids (I have two and she has FOUR!) who has time to talk on the phone anyway?!?! Well, anyway, she and I share alot of frustrations, problems, heartaches, you know...just sister stuff and yesterday was no different. I went to my big sister with a problem and she delivered just as big sisters always do.

.

Below is our email conversation (hopefully she won't kill me for posting this) but, I just feel like there is no way that I can rearrange her words..they were "spoken" perfectly. Today, I'm refreshed, renewed, raring to go! Let's just say the line has been drawn and it is ON. Do you hear me? I said IT IS ON GIRLFRIEND! Satan just needs to take a step back because this ole ornery bird has drawn a line in the sand...IT IS ON!! =)

.

ME: You know Lisa I mess up every day, most days, all the time but I try...goodness gracious I try. I was just talking to Daddy on the phone and I told him that in no way am I trying to be the leader of our house but Shane is just so hateful and mean sometimes and he just allows the devil to make him sees things that just aren't there and it is my job as Gabe and Kristina's mom to stand up for them....and that means even to their Daddy if necessary. I would love nothing more than to live in a home where me and my husband agreed on punishment, rules, etc. but I don't. God made me so tough and ornery because he knew I'd need it being married to Shane...heehee Shane loves me and he loves our kids and he is a good provider but he is just a piece of work sometimes. Gabe made the statement to me the other day "I sure wish the man who lived in our house was the same man that went to church with us!" I thought "too bad you didn't say that to your dad!!" God is good to us and he gives me the strength I need...I've just been forgetting to ask for it!

.

LISA: I know what you mean. Home Life this month is dedicated to men. Do you get it??? As I was reading your email there are a couple of articles that come to mind that would be good for Shane. I think men think it is not macho to be spiritual. Does that make sense?? But there were some articles about men who grew up in church, strayed, became broken and now are crusaders for Christ. I am by no means a memory verse person but in the class of the Power of a Praying Parent it emphasizes praying scriptures over our children. Maybe we need to start praying scriptures over our husbands and they will be answered. We are an instant society and I want it now. (It’s my money and I want it now! JG Wentworth!) Bah! Ha! Ha! Anyway, I think our generation grew up in church but once we grew up we didn’t take it with us. Maybe it is going to start with our generation again to begin a revival to raise our children in His house. But, you know Satan might be using Shane to keep you away from the intimacy you have with God. In Priscilla’s book on pg 168 she writes, “I am certain that Satan wants us to miss the importance of intimacy with the Lord. He wants us to be so busy trying to impress God that we miss out on the closeness He desires. The Enemy does this because he knows that an intimate relationship with God is where we experience His presence and power.” I am not saying you trying to impress God but Satan will use things that distract you and keep you busy so you lose that intimacy with God. On page 76, she writes, “Listen, my friend, the only reason you’re still in captivity is because the Enemy is intimidated. …. He knows that if you ever break free from whatever is keeping you captive, you’ll worship God with wholehearted devotion and begin to hear His voice. And when a woman hears God’s voice and obeys Him, she’s powerful.” Is Satan using Shane’s harshness to distract you and keep you from the intimacy??? Just a thought! Is he using Shane to deflate your spirit? Just a thought! Why??? Just like Priscilla says, because a woman is POWERFUL when she being to hear God’s voice and obeys Him. And you are powerful right now in your messages on your blog. Let’s also be praying for our husband but also start rebuking the authority Satan is trying to inflect through his distractions in others. Sunday School is now over. LOL! Love ya!

.

ME: Phew...wow! You go girl!!!! Girl you got me all fired up! Lately I have felt like a fog was over me like I couldn't pray...find it hard to pray. My mind wanders everywhere and I can't focus. I was listening to that cd yesterday and my mind was all over the place and then the man said "If you could ever get your head wrapped around the grace of God you would be free" and I sat there thinking "what?!?!?!" Some days I feel like I am right there on verge of being free but then I'm held back at the same time...like the wind is sucked out of me or something. I know I'm being dramatic but I don't really know any other way to put it. Wow....I get it! Oooooo Satan better hang on to his boots because it is on girlfriend...IT IS ON!!!!

.

LISA: I know what you mean. I think when you start the Beth Moore book on “Breaking Free” this will answer some of the questions you have. She will lay out the things that hold us women captive and in bondage. Why?? Because we are women who speak over 25,000 words a day. This does not count the words that we think. There Beth’s book and then Priscilla’s book, I have learned that Satan’s number 1 goal is to keep us in captivity. He will use every means or person necessary to do it so that you lose that power that God has given you. Hang on girl….You are a fighter so I know you can TAKE HIM DOWN! LOL!!

.

Ladies...need I say more? I told you she put it way better than I could. Ya'll have a good Friday! Enjoy your weekend and if you have something in your life that is frustrating you...draw a line in the sand, get in your best football stance and girlfriend you go because the fight is ON!

Well I Messed Up...

Have you ever had one of those days where you wake up, get dressed, go out the door and then it happens...you mess up? Well, I did today! Let me go on and lay it on out there for you. I got in my truck and headed out of the neighborhood. Took a left here, a right there and another left and I was on the highway. As I began picking up speed I began to pray.

.

My prayer was personal and I'm not going to to go into details but as I prayed I began to just pour open my heart and that is when it happened. My cell phone rang. I glanced over and saw who was calling and debated on just ignoring it and calling them back. But, I stopped my prayer and picked up the phone.

.

We chit chatted the rest of my drive and only hung up as I walked through the parking deck. As I was getting my badge in my hand to go through the security doors I started thinking about my day and all the filing I had piled up on my desk. I began to think about the kids and everything I needed them to do for me today and as I rounded the corner I began to pick up speed because I realized I was running later than I thought I was.

.

I sort of said it without really meaning it but I whispered to myself "Lord, get me through this day." At that moment I became so convicted I could barely breathe. I thought to myself, or maybe it was the Holy Spirit, "Why should I get you through the day when you didn't even have time for me this morning?" I sucked in my breath and felt as if I had been punched in the stomach. As I walked down the corridor I began to beg for forgiveness. As I entered the stairwell I felt ashamed, embarrassed, mad at myself, like a child who had just been scolded but, I needed to feel that way!

.

As I sat here typing out my confession for everyone to see I was thinking about what scripture I could attach that would encourage, uplift, help. I began to search for scripture about prayer and then the Holy Spirit laid upon my heart Romans 10:3 "For they don’t understand God’s way of making people right with himself. Refusing to accept God’s way, they cling to their own way of getting right with God by trying to keep the law." (NLT) In the word's of my pastor, "pop off now!" .

.

Just yesterday I was listening to a cd and it was about accepting God's grace, understanding God's grace, wrapping your arms around God's grace. I sure do have a long way to go! How about you? Have you accepted God's way? Do you cling to your own way of getting right with God? Do you pray because you're supposed to, because you want to or because you need to? Hmmmm....I seem to learn more lessons the hard way...

Be Still and Wait

Patience...not a big virtue of mine. According to dictionary.com, the definition of patience is "the quality of being patient, as the bearing of provocation, annoyance, misfortune, or pain, without complaint, loss of temper, irritation, or the like; an ability or willingness to suppress restlessness or annoyance when confronted with delay."

.

Okay, first of all dealing with a delay without annoyance, without complaint, without loss of temper or irritation. Who in the world came up with this word? Please, somebody tell me before my patience runs out!

.

I don't think many of us are patient. We live in a society of now, now, now and the art of patience is lost. Did it ever exist? I'm beginning to think maybe not. I think that God has been trying to teach us patience since the beginning. There is some sort of peace, comfort, restoration that comes with patience...with being still. Miraculous things happen!

.

Moses told the Israelites when Pharaoh had them caught between the sea and the desert "Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today...The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still." Exodus 14:13-14).

.

As I was driving in this morning I heard a song by John Waller entitled "While I'm Waiting." The lyrics are ringing in my ears this morning. Maybe, just maybe we all need to "be still" and wait on the Lord. After all, that is what he has been trying to get us all to do for a go-zillion years ain't it?!?!

.

I'm waiting

I'm waiting on You, Lord

And I am hopeful

I'm waiting on You, Lord

Though it is painful

But patiently, I will wait

.

I will move ahead,

bold and confident

Taking every step in obedience

While I'm waiting

I will serve You

While I'm waiting

I will worship

While I'm waiting I will not faint

I'll be running the race

Even while I wait

.

I'm waiting

I'm waiting on You, Lord

And I am peaceful

I'm waiting on You, Lord

Though it's not easy

But faithfully, I will wait

.

Yes, I will wait

I will serve You while I'm waiting

I will worship while I'm waiting

I will serve You while I'm waiting

I will worship while I'm waiting

I will serve you while I'm waiting

I will worship while I'm waiting on You, Lord.

(While I'm Waiting by John Waller)

Jealousy

I heard a group of women talking the other day. They were discussing granite counter tops, custom cabinets, hardwood floors, etc. Just real fancy, delicate, "perfect" homes. One woman longed for a million dollar home. Another woman longed to have the home of her dreams. As I sat there listening to them I began to think about my house. It is a tiny house. Every nook and cranny of the house is used for something. There is no room to leave something laying around because with one thing out of place the entire house looks messy. The countertops are white, the ceilings have that popcorn texture.

.

But, my house was nothing more than gift from God. Shane and I had prayed and prayed about a home. We looked at what felt like a thousand houses but we kept coming back to this one. Everything fell right into place. Everything was simply filtered through God's hands and then delivered to us.

.

As the woman who wanted a million dollar home talked she began to say that she was "satisfied" with her home because she knew one day she would have a mansion. This statement struck me differently than I'm sure she meant it and I said "God doesn't know the value of a dollar. Maybe the home your in is worth a million dollars to God!" You know what? When did we start "settling" for what we have on this ole Earth? Our homes, our cars, our clothes, our checkbooks, our jobs...we seem to never be satisfied with what we have but always envious of what someone else has and to hear that person talk they aren't satisifed with what they have and the cycle is on and on.

.

"These sons of Jacob were very jealous of their brother Joseph, and they sold him to be a slave in Egypt. But God was with him." Acts 7:9 (NLT) These boys were so jealous of their brother that they sold him! Did you get that? Can you imagine being that jealous of someone? I'm sure you can put yourself in their shoes. I know I can! I would like to sit here all righteous and put myself on a pedastal but that would be nothing more than a lie. I have been in situations where I would sell someone or something just to get rid of it because it made me jealous. Jealousy is a powerful enemy! "Anger is cruel, and wrath is like a flood, but who can survive the destructiveness of jealousy?" Proverbs 27:4 (NLT)

.

Do you have anyone or anything in your life that you would sell? I challenge you to look into your heart today and prune any jealousy that you find. Jealousy is like kudzu, if you don't stay right on top of it before long it will cover your heart and then deteriorate the entire structure!