Not A Problem

"Don't worry about it" or "I never thought anything of it" and "It is fine, I promise" and then you have "You don't have to even say you're sorry, it's over" and then sometimes there is "It is gone and forgotten." These are things that I say on a normal basis. With teenagers in the house things are always getting broken, smashed, misplaced, stories aren't always told exactly the way they happened and when THE MOM in me kicks in I realize the deceit. As a parent, forgiveness is just something you do from day to day.

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But, I have begun to realize something about myself...I am having a hard time forgiving and forgetting when I'm hurt very deeply. About two years ago our lives spiraled into a frenzy. It is a personal situation that maybe one day I'll be able to freely discuss but not right now. It involved our precious Kristina and someone who was involved in her life. The hurt that I witnessed my child go through has left a stain on my heart that is not quickly forgotten. I have been praying and asking God to reveal to me things in my life that I need to get rid of and this one thing keeps coming up...I haven't truly forgiven this individual for their actions.

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I sit and I think about it all and I wonder; how in the world do I forgive? How in the world do I forget? On one hand I want wonderful things for this person, I want them to find Christ, I want them to become a wonderful parent and spouse, citizen, employee, I do want them to be the best that they can be but then there is this other side of me that wants this person to sit at home miserable, filled with guilt over the things that they did to Kristina. Maybe realizing and actually admitting my feelings is the first step to forgiving and forgetting.

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But, as I always do, my mind starts spinning ninety miles an hour. Have I gotten so callous in forgiving that I have actually never learned to forgive. It is easy to say "Oh don't worry about it" and move on but have I actually forgiven that person for that thing? Have I learned to fully forgive or is it just words that I say but always hide it in my heart for eternity? Is my heart full of resentment to those who have hurt me or my family? Or, do I only carry resentment for those who hurt me or my family in a deeper way? Then, I wonder; how do I decide what is worth holding on to and what is worth forgiving? Do you see my dilemma?

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So, to the Word I go..."Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others." Colossians 3:13 (NLT). Now, the Word says to forgive but I'm still a little unsure of exactly how to fully do that. God's grace and mercy is so wonderful and he forgave me unconditionally for my terrible, awful sins and I know that I must do the same but, in this flesh I'm struggling. I wish I had an answer to all these questions. I wish that I could sit here and share with you what God has revealed to me so that maybe you too could let go and actually forgive but, the only thing that has been revealed to me is my own sin in carrying this resentment around. So, stay tuned...God is truly doing a work in my life and maybe admitting the sin is the first step!

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So, onward - forward - march! Another day, another lesson, another scripture...amazing to me how all those years ago His Word was written and it applies just as much today as it did back then. Obviously people have always had a hard time forgiving and forgetting...God's mercy...something I will never understand! =)

I'm Drawing The Line

Grrrr....growl....huff...snarl....spit....glare... How many times have you ever as a woman, as a Mom, as a wife ever done those things? Oh, I have done them so many times that I couldn't even begin to tell. I can remember growing up and my Momma would say "Watch that attitude!" and I would say "I haven't said a word!!" and then in typical Momma fashion she would say "It's not what you're saying with words it's what you're saying with that look!" I have always gotten into trouble with my "looks"...my entire life!

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How many times have you done all those things because of a person in your life? Raising teenagers is a hard job! Phew...I stay worn out 24/7 it seems like. The drama, the fighting, the restlessness; just the whole ordeal. They don't come with a manual (like I'd read it if they did!) and most days I'm just flying by the seat of my pants.

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The one thing that I have learned as an adult through my children is the fact that sometimes you just gotta draw a line in the sand and say "I'm done." There are people that will come into your life that just don't need to be there. They aren't a good influence, they are rude, hurtful, mean spirited and just plain unnecessary. We try to love them as we should. We try to just turn the other cheek as we should. We try and try and try and then all of a sudden we have had it. Or, is it just me?

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Have you ever stopped to think that the reason that person drives you insane is because they aren't supposed to be a part of your life? Sometimes I think we get so wrapped up in every day life that we don't stop and look at the people we surround ourselves with and make sure that they are the people God has us be around. Maybe these people are in our work place or our church...maybe at the ballpark or the store where we normally shop. Due to a situation about a year or so ago our family has had to totally rearrange where we shop, where we "hang out" and where we do alot of things because the people that were in those previous locations just weren't who we needed to be around.

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It is hard to stand up and draw that line but God's word tells us to do just that. "If people are causing divisions among you, give a first and second warning. After that, have nothing more to do with them. For people like that have turned away from the truth, and their own sins condemn them." Titus 3:10-11 (NLT). At first you may not notice the division that is being caused but when you just stop and look around you it becomes evident. At that moment you put a stop to it. Draw that line! Just as it says in Titus...people like that have turned away from the truth. It doesn't say don't pray for them. It doesn't say not to call out their name to the Lord. But, it does say turn away...draw that line. Do you have some lines that need to be drawn?

Gotta Have Faith

Do you remember that George Michael song "Gotta Have Faith"? For those that are older than me I am really showing my immaturity and then for those who are younger than me I am really showing my age! haha For some strange reason that messed up song is stuck in my head today. It amazes me how songs that I cannot stand I seem to know every word to but the songs that I love I only know bits and pieces.

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Shane and Kristina are like walking Ipods. They know the words to every single song that was ever recorded. I promise! I'm sure I'm exaggerating but I must say that it is awfully close to every song. I can say the word "left" and within moments each one of them will break out into a song that has the word "left" in it. It is quite entertaining at times and comes in handy on long road trips, long lines at the store and on a day when you just need to laugh.

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Faith and believing go hand in hand in my book. Maybe some will argue with me on that issue but that is how I see it through my dark brown eyes. I have to have the faith in order to believe something. I'm the type that I have to know way down deep into my knower before I believe it. That's not always a good thing because my faith is a little shaky at times because of that. So, if my faith and my belief are walking hand in hand then my knower is at peace and all is well.

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I have noticed that I spout out things like "just trust in the Lord" or "in His time, not ours" or I've even caught myself saying "He has a plan for you if you will just allow him to light the way." Funny how many times I say things like that but there are days that I don't follow them myself. I try to control issues, situations, my kids, my job, my husband, my bills, my...life. I get so wrapped up in controlling things that I often wonder... Do I really believe?

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Well, John 5:44 answers that question for me, "No wonder you can’t believe! For you gladly honor each other, but you don’t care about the honor that comes from the one who alone is God." (NLT). Well then!! As my Grannie would say "Put that bee in your bonnet!" Guess I need to tweak my knower just a little bit and introduce faith and belief and make sure that the hand I'm holding isn't my own!

Roll Tide! War *cough*

Okay, okay, I just can't muster the strength to say it. But, you know what I'm trying to say in the title of this blog! I am a Tide fan through and through. I've been there through the good times and I've been there through the bad, long, hard, never ending, coach changing, team violation times... lol

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But, isn't that what fan loyalty is all about? We go to bed Friday night sleeping in our favorite team t-shirt only to wake up Saturday morning (GAME DAY!) and put on jeans, a team shirt, team socks and I'm sure there are a few of you who have team underwear! We walk around our house clapping our hands trying to pump our team up even though they can't hear us. We shout and cheer, we hang our favorite team flag from our front porch proudly displaying to the neighborhood where our allegiance lies. We grill hot dogs and drink sodas from the can just as if we were at the stadium tail-gating.

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You can ask anyone who knows the Goodwins and I assure you they will tell you we are Tide fans. We have replaced many a ceiling fan in our homes after a long shot touchdown was scored and as we all jumped to our feet and raised our hands in the air reflecting the touchdown signal fingers were caught in the fan blades forever bending the shaft of the fan. Injuries have happened from jumping up and down. And the neighborhood...well lets just say dogs bark and people run and hide because you can hear our house from a mile away I'm sure. Game day...unity...team pride!

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You know we Christians are united as well? Ephesians 2:6 says "For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus." United with Christ Jesus! Did you catch that part? But, I sit here hanging my head because although I rant and rave about Bama, although I wear my team colors, although I have a tradition of carrying my Bama purse at the beginning of the season and never changing it until the final game, although I hang my Bama flag proudly outside of my house to let everyone know which team I pull for I am ashamed because I am wondering if when others see me or see my home do they know that my ultimate team, my ultimate unity is with Christ Jesus? *Sigh* Where are my priorities? Where are yours? Where is my unity? Where is yours?

I Will Rise

It is interesting how you have those days that immediately a song pops into your head and you just can't get it out. That is how I am today! I didn't listen to my radio on the way to work nor did I fall asleep last night with a radio on, but when my feet hit the floor this morning the song "I Will Rise" by Chris Tomlin was playing in my head.

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And, to top that off my scripture for today is John 5:24 "I tell you the truth, those who listen to my message and believe in God who sent me have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life." (NLT).

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So, I just wanted to share the words to this song with you. Isn't it easier to have a little more spunk in your steps just knowing that your sins are forgiven? Doesn't it make any normal day a little more joyous? If not, it should! Being forgiven is the greatest freedom I have ever experienced in my life. So many times you are pulled down, tied down, held down and you just scream to be free...you only find that freedom in Christ Jesus!

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Anyway, I hope the lyrics to this song speak to you like they do to me. And, if you've never heard this song before I encourage you to google it or find some other way to hear this song.

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I Will Rise

by Chris Tomlin

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There's a peace I've come to know

Though my heart and flesh may fail

There's an anchor for my soul

I can say "It is well"

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Jesus has overcome

And the grave is overwhelmed

The victory is won

He is risen from the dead

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And I will rise

when He calls my name

No more sorrow, no more pain

I will rise on eagles' wings

Before my God fall on my knees

And I will rise

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There's a day that's drawing near

When this darkness breaks to light

And the shadows disappear

And my faith shall be my eyes

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Jesus has overcome

And the grave is overwhelmed

The victory is won

He is risen from the dead

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And I will rise

when He calls my name

No more sorrow, no more pain

I will rise on eagles' wings

Before my God fall on my knees

And I will rise

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And I hear the voice of many angels sing,

"Worthy is the Lamb"

And I hear the cry of every longing heart,

"Worthy is the Lamb"

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And I will rise

when He calls my name

No more sorrow, no more pain

I will rise on eagles' wings

Before my God

fall on my knees

And rise I will rise

I "Believe" You?!

It was a gorgeous Spring Saturday. The house was quiet and turned out to be a wonderful day to clean. Shane and Kristina were gone and it was just me and Gabe who was around 3ish at the time. As he played with his matchbox cars and trucks running them up and down the walls, in and out of furniture and ramming them into the couch I cleaned.

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And boy did I clean! I mixed bleach in a bottle with water and was bleaching my house! Have you ever done that? Oh, it makes me feel so much better. I am worn out at the end of the night but I sure do feel better and my house seems to even feel better. But, anyway, I was taking the knobs off the stove, scrubbing the refrigerator shelves, washing rugs, wiping down baseboards, I guess I was Spring cleaning!

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I sat my bleach/water mixture on the counter because I had to run outside for just a moment but I pushed it far up against the wall. "Gabe," I said "don't touch this bottle right here...I'll be right back!" I made sure to have eye contact with him because after all, he's a boy and unless there is eye contact all he hears is blah blah blah (heehee). "Yeff ma'am" he answered.

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As I came back in the house Gabe was sitting on the floor in the living room playing with his cars. As he spun towards me I noticed that his cute blue t-shirt had white splatters all over it. I snatched him up and immediately started smelling him.

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"Did you touch that bottle?" I asked.

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He popped back quickly with "No ma'am."

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I started looking him over head to toe and noticed that his eyes were watering. I sat him down, walked into the kitchen and noticed that the bottle had been moved. As I walked back around the corner I asked him again "Gabe, did you touch that bottle?"

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"But, Mommy, I didn't touch it or even spray it on me...don't you believe me?" he said.

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"No!" I answered as I picked him up and walked into the kitchen to wash his eyes out with water.

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For days after that incident I would ask him if he messed with that bottle and bless his little heart he always stuck to his story! And, every single time I told him that I didn't believe him. To this day Gabe loves for me to tell him that story. Gabe wants to make sure that in whatever he does that you believe him. As he has gotten older he makes sure that his facts are in order before he tells a story. Honesty has become very important to him...thank goodness!

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Oftentimes as Christians we run into people who don't "believe" us. I am learning that I can't make anyone believe me. There is nothing I can say to them, there is nothing that I can do...it is only God that can turn their hearts. "There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son." John 3:18 (NLT). Watching someone you love make poor choices and decisions (like spraying bleach on themselves) is hard to do. But, as their friend, all we can do is wash their eyes out and keep reminding them that He is the answer! If only they BELIEVE!

Done

It had been a long hard, trying few months. Every time I turned around it seemed like an argument was lurking behind a corner just waiting for the right moment to jump out with a surprise attack. Home life seemed hard, work seemed hard, shopping, driving, just everything. Nothing was easy during this time. And, the harder I tried to make things easier the harder everything got.

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Life went on like it typically does and it was as if I was standing there watching it all pass before me. I vividly remember standing alone on my front porch saying out loud "I'm done" as if someone else was standing there taking notes. I was tired of trying, tired of feeling as if I was the only one trying and tired of the life I had. After I uttered the words "I'm done" I don't even truly know if I knew what that meant. I'm not too sure what that accomplished but I do know that saying those words started a landslide that got even more out of control. Before I knew it everything had stopped and I had tons and tons of mud on me.

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As the months began to pass I found myself in church and little bit by little bit it was if someone was shoveling the mud off of me. Before I knew it I could see the light and I could see the one who was standing there with the shovel in his hand. I've always said I am the "unruly child of God" and if my mental picture was real I'm positive Jesus stood there, shovel in hand, shaking his head back and forth. I'm sure he was whistling and thinking "it's about time!"

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You know Paul got to this point in Corinth. He was preaching to the Jews and the Greeks all but begging them to come to know the Lord. After rejection and insults Paul finally threw his hands up and said "Your blood is upon your own heads—I am innocent. From now on I will go preach to the Gentiles.” Acts 18:6 (NLT). In short, he said "I'm done!"

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But, the Lord had other plans for Paul, just as he always does, and came to him in a vision one night and said "Don’t be afraid! Speak out! Don’t be silent! For I am with you, and no one will attack and harm you, for many people in this city belong to me." Acts 18:9-10 (NLT). There he was, shoveling mud off of Paul and reassuring him that he doesn't have to hide in the mud to be protected!

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My first birthday is fastly approaching and as I look back over these past few months I think back to the day I said "I'm done" and I find it funny that although I thought I was done He wasn't done...thank goodness! He tells us not to be afraid and not to be silent because after all He is with us! What better protection do we need? Life is alot of things but the one thing it is not is Done!!

Prayer

"I got it! I got it!" he said excitedly as he rushed over to sit down in his chair. He folded his little hands and before I could even say anything else he started. "God is great, God is good, we have food, take care of the bugs, help the trees. Amen." I looked over at Shane and we both just grinned.

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This precious prayer was lifted up with the voice of a 4 year old in our Sunday School class. Listening to these children pray has absolutely lifted my soul. They pray for their grass, their toys, their brothers and sisters, their parents. They pray for each other and their pets. Then, occasionally you will have one of them simply say "Dear God, thank you!" and that's it. Honestly, what better prayer is there than "thank you"?

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I think as adults we think we have to pray all sophisticated. We clear our throats and we use big words that we often times don't even know what they mean. Prayer is just a conversation. It is not to be said disrespectfully because after all, you are having a conversation with your Father. I don't know about you but my Daddy would knock me into next week if I talked to his disrespectfully.

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Also, as adults, we don't pray with the belief that our prayers will be answered. We say "Lord, let your will be done" but, do we really believe it? Do we really mean it? You know it says in Mark 11:24 "I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you’ve received it, it will be yours." (NLT).

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Believe = to have confidence in the truth, the existence, or the reliability of something, although without absolute proof that one is right in doing so. (www.dictionary.com).

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Do you pray with the same confidence that a 4 year old prays with? Do you believe what you say when you pray? Better yet, do you truly believe in the power of prayer? Prayer is a conversation...what have you been saying lately?

The Cat's Out Of The Bag

As my Daddy made his way into the house I saw he had a brown grocery bag in his hand. It was 1979 maybe 1980 and life was simple. I was 5 and my worries consisted of what time I had to go bed that night. The joy of a child is immeasurable I do believe. Well, anyway, Momma had gotten me and Lisa ready because our church was going to have a softball game that night. We were patiently waiting on Daddy to get home so we could all leave.

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I could feel excitement in the air as he walked in through the side door where the carport was. I wasn't too sure what they were so excited about but I knew it must be good. Daddy walked towards me and Lisa and sat this brown grocery bag down right in front of us. He began to tell us that he had gotten us a present and anticipation and excitement was rising with every word.

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Finally, when we just couldn't take it anymore, Daddy opened up that brown grocery bag and exclaimed, "We got ya'll a kitten!" Lisa and I jumped up off the couch and started squealing and clapping at the exact moment that Daddy pulled that bag apart. Within less than a mili-second that kitten shot out of that brown grocery bag as if it had firecrackers on its tail. It started running around the house, across the backs of the couches and chairs, in and out of the furniture, up and down the hall and I promise you as sure I'm sitting here I think that kitten even climbed one wall and walked across the ceiling! That poor thing was scared to death! I sit here now laughing just remembering the look we all had on our faces when that cat shot out of that bag.

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Lisa and I immediately started carrying on about how Daddy needed to find the cat and help the cat and bless the cat. You know, just being kids wanting our Daddy to fix the problem. I remember Daddy bent over on the floor with a broom trying to poke and prod this cat and convince it to come out from underneath the couch. Looking back, I wonder what in the world made him think poking at it with a broom handle was going to work?!?!? This man had just placed this cat in a brown grocery bag, drove it home to an unidentified place and now he was poking at it with a stick...yeah...I don't think I would have come out either!!!

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After a little bit Momma finally announced that we had to leave to go to this softball game and we would deal with the cat later. I don't remember anything about that softball game, I don't remember how long the cat stayed hidden in our house, I really don't even remember the cat. But, I do remember the chase! I remember it like it was yesterday! That is one memory that I wouldn't change for anything in the world. Not because the cat was traumatized, but because that is how I remember my family...laughing, cutting up, crying, Daddy trying to fix it, laughing some more and then trying to re-tell the story to someone else laughing so hard you aren't making any sense!

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Do you have any stories that you could tell to someone else that wouldn't be funny or make any sort of sense? Or, have you ever done anything hilarious and while you were about to wet your pants with laughter you look around and no one else is laughing? Or, better yet, have you ever done an act that someone else just couldn't understand the whys or hows or whats about it? Jesus did just that! He committed an act of salvation by dying on that cross but here we are 2,009 years later and there are people who just don't understand. They still question it. They questioned it back then and they question it today. But yet no matter how you try to analyze it, break it down, explain it, or re-examine it; it all comes down to one answer, "...But now, once for all time, he has appeared at the end of the age to remove sin by his own death as a sacrifice." Hebrews 9:26 (NLT). End of story...the cat is out of the bag!

Planning

How many times do you walk in your house and place your keys in the exact same location time after time? I always and I mean ALWAYS lay my keys on our microwave stand as I come in the house through the kitchen. That way, I know where they are every single time I need to leave. However, last night as I came into the house I was talking to Shane and didn't stop to put them in their usual location. As I rounded the corner of our bedroom I realized I still had them in my hand so I simply tossed them onto the dresser and walked back out.

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I finished up my normal nightly routine; cooking, cleaning, worked in the yard a little and then went on to bed. 5:30 came bright and early this morning as that alarm went off. Shane called while he was on his way to work to make sure I was up and before I knew it I was into my morning routine.

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I wasn't really thinking about much of anything other than "IT'S FRIDAY!" when the phone rang. The first thing I heard as I answered was "Uh, Lori, I, uh, just realized that you can't go to work today." It was Shane.

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"What?" I asked. I had absolutely no idea what he was talking about.

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"Um, I was emptying my pockets to go down to the line," (Shane works at Honda and you cannot have anything in your pockets while you are on that assembly line) "and as I pulled out my keys, I pulled your keys out too!"

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It took me a minute to understand what he was saying and I said "My keys are on our dresser. I laid them there last night."

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"Listen to what I'm saying!" he said a little stronger, "I have your keys with ME in Lincoln at MY work!"

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"Oh my gosh!" I exclaimed "How am I gonna get to work?"

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"It's about time you caught on to what I was telling you!" he laughed.

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How many times in our lives do "our" plans get messed up? How many times do we take a moment to realize that in that messed up plan life happened exactly like it was supposed to. Not because of destiny or fate, but because of God. Even if we think that God's plan is foolish, doesn't make sense or is totally out of our comfort zone, trust me, it is WAY better than any plan you or I could come up with. How am I so sure of that? Well because His Word tells us. "This foolish plan of God is wiser than the wisest of human plans..." 1 Corinthians 1:25 (NLT).

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God has such wonderful plans in store for us. Maybe it's a new job, or a meeting someone new. Maybe it's learning to serve him in a different way that we never even thought about. Or, maybe it's enjoying an unexpected "free" day at home. No matter what journey you're on, please know that you are on the exact journey that God has intended for you to be. It may be tough, hard to handle some days, hurt all the way to your bones, but in the end, He is in control and everything is filtered through His hands. Just because we don't understand our directions doesn't mean He isn't holding the map!

How God Builds Your Faith

Please don't think I took the easy way out today. I woke up this morning sort of sluggish feeling. I guess my week is starting to catch up to me. I was thinking on the way to work about set backs, frustrations, motivation, "growing pains," and that sort of stuff. I was thinking of a way to blog today about my thoughts, my feelings, my questions. As I sat down at my desk I opened my email and there was my daily Purpose Driven Connection email by Rick Warren. This daily devotional says everything that I didn't know how to say. So, I share it with you! Enjoy! My sludge has a little bit of a glide to it now! =)

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"This means tremendous joy to you, I know, even though you are temporarily harassed by all kinds of trials and temptations. This is no accident—it happens to prove your faith, which is infinitely more valuable than gold" (1 Peter 1:6-7 PH).
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In order to build your faith, God will give you a dream, then He'll urge you to make a decision, but then He'll allow a delay, because in the delay He matures you and prepares you for what is to come.
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The truth is you'll have difficulties while God delays. This isn't because He doesn't care about you or that He's forgotten your circumstances; rather, it's one of the ways He pushes you toward the deep end of faith.
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As God delays, you'll face two types of difficulties: circumstances and critics. This is a natural part of life. God designed it this way because He knows we grow stronger when facing adversity and opposition.
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When Moses led the children of Israel out of Egypt into the desert toward the Promised Land, he had one problem after another. First there was no water. Then there was no food. Then there were a bunch of complainers. Then there were poisonous snakes. Moses was doing what God wanted him to do, but he still had problems.
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David was anointed king, and then for the next several years he was hunted down by Saul. Joseph had a dream of becoming a ruler, yet he was sold into slavery and thrown into prison on a false charge where he languished, forgotten. Imagine the difficulties Noah had building a floating zoo!
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The Bible says that when Moses died, Joshua was appointed the new leader. Moses led the people across the desert and then Joshua led them into the Promised Land. Did he get the easy part? The Bible says that when the Israelites entered the Promised Land there were giants in the land. Even in the Promised Land there were problems!
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God does this because He is building our faith and character. When we finally come to a place where the difficulties become so bad, where we've reached our limit, where we've tried everything and exhausted all our options, it is then that God begins a mighty work through us: "I know, even though you are temporarily harassed by all kinds of trials and temptations. This is no accident—it happens to prove your faith, which is infinitely more valuable than gold" (1 Peter 1:6-7 PH).

Knees and Elbows

It was a cool summer night. The wind off the ocean was pure perfection. The sand was cool beneath our feet and with the sound of each crashing wave you could feel the tide just pull your stress level out to sea. The moon was huge and even appeared as if someone had lassoed a rope around it and pulled it closer to Earth. It seemed as if you could just reach way up high on your tippy toes and actually touch. The "Man in the Moon" was smiling as he watched everyone along the shore that night.

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As we tossed our shoes at the pier and began to walk with flashlights and buckets in hand we were hunters of the night...hunters of the sand crabs. There was a slew of us there; Shane, the kids, my parents, my sister and her girls (the boys weren't even thought of yet).

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As we walked along the beach we all talked amongst ourselves as the kids ran ahead of us shining the flashlights back and forth searching for sand crabs. "I've got one" they yelled. As the adults finally made their way to the circle that the kids had formed you could see this crab trying to burrow itself back into the sand. With each dig sand was flinging everywhere. Gabe and Jessi (each 1 year old) were squealing and Lauren and Kristina (3 and 6 at the time) were jumping around clapping their hands.

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As the "grown ups" approached the group we all started staring and poking at this crab. My Daddy reached down to pick it up and show the kids a crab up close and personal when all of a sudden one of those pinchers got the best of him and grabbed hold. The kids started screaming and the adults started laughing.

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Now that everyone knew exactly what we were looking for the adults were nearly running to stay caught up with the kids when all of a sudden Shane found one. As he shined the light down towards the sand the crab began to move. Remembering that my Daddy had just been pinched a few minutes before Shane was trying to make sure that he stayed in front of the crab yet keeping it illuminated so that the kids could see it. About that time, the crab decided to jump towards Shane which in turn made Shane start jumping and dancing around like Pinocchio. Shane is six foot two and just as lanky as he can be so as he jumped and danced around all you could see was knees and elbows. With every jump and unchoreographed dance move he would squeal like a little girl. The more he jumped the more the crab moved and the more the crab moved the more he jumped around. The kids were squealing the adults were laughing and my Momma at one point stopped breathing I think from laughing so hard. My ribs hurt with laughter just thinking about that moment.

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You know, sin is like that sand crab. It is white just like the sand and walks towards you sideways trying to disguise itself so that you never see it coming. Although you are shining your flashlight back and forth, back and forth we oftentimes want to stop and inspect it, check it out just a little bit. But, the Bible tells us not to do that...the Bible tells us to turn our flashlights towards God. "...repent of your sins and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped away." Acts 3:19 (NLT).

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Listen girlfriend, if you are finding yourself in a situation today where you are holding a flashlight examining a sand crab may I urge you today to jump and dance around while you RUN away! Don't allow something that seems so harmless and pretty from the outside suck you in to only pinch you in the end!

What Is Life?

The sermon at church yesterday really got me thinking. What is life? Life is full of so many things. Laughter, tears, happiness, sadness, weeping, rejoicing, anger, peace, full, empty, here...gone. You never know when you will take your last breath. You never know when you will be at the moment where you are no longer in this life but in eternity.

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James 4:14 says is best, "Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone." (NLT). I like that analogy. Your life is like the fog! Have you ever thought about that? I have driven in some serious heavy fog during the fall and winter months. Fog so dense I didn't think I was going to make it to my destination. But the Lord saw fit for me to get there and we made it. But within just a moment it seems like, that fog is lifted. It is gone.

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I have never sat and seen fog slowly fade away. It is as if you blink and it is there, blink again and it is gone. That is how our life is. That is how God designed our lives to be. He filled man with breath from his very own nostrils and just as quickly he decides the appointed time for our breath to end.

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I know there is someone reading this, at this very moment, who does not know Christ as their Lord and Savior. They can't call him Father. I sure wish you would today! Don't use the excuse that you don't know how....scroll down just a little bit and you'll see the ABC's of Salvation! It's just that easy. See, He sent his son to die on the cross for you, for me, for all of us! He didn't have to but he did. He doesn't force us to make that decision but He sure wants us to. Just as you want your children to make the right choices and do the right things...your Heavenly Father wants the exact same thing for you! I pray today that if you haven't made that decision that you will. What is life? It is like the fog! Here one minute...gone the next.

Motivated

Motivation = the psychological feature that arouses an organism to action toward a desired goal; the reason for the action; that which gives purpose and direction to behavior (www.thefreedictionary.com).

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Have you ever thought about how much motivation we have in this world? We have quotes, posters, shoot we even have people who stand up on a stage to motivate us. We sell t-shirts, bumper stickers, have team meetings, walk around with smiles on our faces so that we can motivate others around us.

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I personally have such a hard time letting go of my routine/habits and have to work really hard to motivate myself to lose weight, read a book, COME TO WORK (heehee), just generally change anything about myself.

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So, I guess you are thinking...get to the point woman! (haha) I came into my office today and sat down. I didn't really have anything on my heart to talk about today and my mind was racing with this and that I needed to get done when I pulled up a little "scripture tree" that I have saved on my computer. You click on a flower and you randomly get a Bible verse. I said "Lord, give me a word today" and clicked. The flower I clicked on took me to Luke 14:33, "So you cannot become my disciple without giving up everything you own." (NLT). How do you like that for motivation?

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Man I struggle with that. I want to witness and I want souls to be saved but if I am brutally honest with myself and with you I don't give up everything I have to do that. I tend to go on about my life tending to myself, my family, my friends, my bills, my job, my dog, my cat, my house...do you see a trend here? My, My, My, My...phew...I am beginning to see just how selfish I really am!

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I tell you one thing, there is no better motivational speaker other than the Father himself! He has such a way of putting things; don't he? Oh Father forgive me! Help me not be selfish, Lord, help me to quit thinking of myself and allow you to use me according to YOUR will and not mine. Because at the end of the day, Father, I have no clue what I'm doing...but You do! Motivate me, Lord, guide my steps, lead the way with your light! Amen

In The Presence of God

Last week my family attended the funeral of our youth pastor's grandmother. The funeral home was very nice and I actually had attended the funeral of a friend/co-worker's husband at that same funeral home just weeks before. It was sort of surreal being there again. Joe's funeral was still fresh in my mind. My heart ached for Denise, my co-worker/friend, a little more as I walked into the chapel. I just couldn't help but think about her and Joe's funeral.

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Our pastor and his wife were there and as we sat down on the back row we chit chatted with them. The service quickly started with a video of this precious woman. Picture after picture it showed just how wonderful she must have been. I did not know her personally but as an outsider looking at those pictures you could just tell how wonderful she was.

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The service was performed by the husband of a granddaughter. Come to find out he is a pastor at a local church and he did a fantastic job. I'm sure it was very hard for him to preach his own grandmother-in-law's funeral but I do not think anyone else could have done it justice. As he spoke he began to talk about the day she died. She had been sick for a very long time and as they all gathered in her hospital room just moments before she died he said the feeling in the room completely changed. He said that it felt as if angles pushed him out of the way to get to her. He told everyone that he wanted nothing more than to pray as this sweet woman took her last breath but when he would open his mouth nothing would come out. He said it was as if God said "You don't speak when I'm here!" He continued by saying that as this precious angel was called home and her last breath was breathed he immediately began to pray without a struggle. The words just flowed right out of him. He said he truly knew that he had been in the presence of God.

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As the service continued he quoted Luke 15:10 "...there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents" (NLT). He pointed out that this verse does not say that the angels rejoice but that there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels. He explained that he believes that those who have gone on to heaven before us are the ones described in this passage. That just made my day! I began to think about my Grannie, my Grandma, both my Grandfathers who even though I never met knew that I existed and that on September 28, 2008 they knew that I had accepted Jesus as my Savior! They rejoiced, danced, sang, clapped and had a good ole time. Maybe I'm simple minded but I have this vision of everybody just standing around, hanging out, having a wonderful time in heaven and all of a sudden a speaker goes off (you know like on the old MASH episodes) and it says "Ladies and gentlemen we have another one....Lori Anne Schliep Goodwin has just placed her name in the Book of Life" and then the crowd just goes nuts! Can you see it?

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The air in that chapel that day was like nothing I had ever felt in my life. I knew God was most certainly there! You could truly feel his presence! Amazing things happen in the presence of God! Have you ever felt him? Better yet, do you know him?

You Just Never Know

I was absolutely scared to death. I had read and re-read all the lesson plans and was still at a loss. I couldn't seem to pull anything together. I felt out of control, chaotic, nervous, anxious, upset and every other feeling along those lines. Room decorations were in my mind like a vision but actually pulling it off seemed a far stretch. VBS was upon me and this was the first time I had ever been asked to teach. I had attended VBS my entire life but not once had I ever taught. Honey I had not even taught a Sunday School class much less VBS. And, to add insult to injury I had the 5th and 6th grade. Not the 4 and 5 year olds who I could fake my way through it. No, these kids knew what was up. They were the real deal.

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So, Saturday was upon me and I was scheduled to decorate my room the next day. I woke up with a list of items to purchase to try and get that vision out of my head and actually into that room for decoration. Kristina and I headed to the local Dollar Store and up and down the aisles we went. As we looked at each and every item we would discuss the prospect of that item being used in the room.

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As we headed up one aisle a sweet woman asked me if I knew where she could find pink rope. Sort of in my own world I quickly told her that I had no clue and kept going. Up and down we went aisle after aisle and I kept running into this lady. Each time she had the same request and each time I answered with the same response. Then, all of a sudden, as I was walking down an aisle I found pink rope. I made a mental note of the location of this pink rope on the aisle and began looking for the woman.

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It didn't take me long and there she was. I stopped her and explained to her exactly where I had found the pink rope and at this moment we began to chit chat. She explained that she was there purchasing decorations for her soon to be great-grandbaby's shower and she went through her buggy with such delight and pride. She meticulously described each item she had carefully picked out and painted a picture of what she was going to do that I could see it in my mind. She asked what I was purchasing and I began to tell her about VBS. For some reason I just poured my heart out to this woman. I told her how nervous I was. I explained this was my first adventure as a VBS teacher, how I had not even been saved a year and here I was teaching 5th and 6th graders. We went through my buggy and I tried to paint a picture for her. She smiled and gave me the greatest words of encouragement. She gave me advice, told me a few quick VBS stories and then she stopped, unzipped the little side pocket on her capri pants and handed me a $20 bill.

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"The Lord just told me to give this to you" she said.

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I handed the money right back to her and told her no, I couldn't accept it. "Oh yes, you have to take it. The Lord just told me that you needed this money so you take it and buy a little extra because you're going to have a big group this week" she said.

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I slipped the $20 bill into my pocket and my eyes filled up with tears. I hugged her and couldn't gather my composure enough to explain to her what it meant to me for her to do such a thing. I walked off and finished shopping and I was checking out I saw the woman still going up and down each aisle carefully thinking and planning her event. I soaked up every detail of this woman so that I could remember her forever! You just never know when you are going to come in contact with an angel!

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"...angels are always in the presence of my heavenly Father." Matthew 8:10 (NLT). Hmmm, I like that. You just never know do you? This sweet woman forever changed my life without even realizing what she was doing. God used her in such a mighty way that day in the Dollar Store. And, we did have a big crowd that week. Not one night did I have less than 20 kids in my room. I stumbled through that week and I learned more than those kids did.

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I've noticed that I seem to stumble, trip over myself and nearly (if not completely) fall from time to time. It use to embarrass me but now not so much. It's not that I don't have good footing...it is angels just pushing me along because without their pushes I'd just be standing still!

That's MY Fork!

Honestly, I have not a clue where it came from. It was as if it appeared from nowhere. I can't remember how old I was when it first showed up but I do know that it is MINE! It is sterling silver, square at the end. It has four prongs and it smooth up until it widens out for the mouth. At this point there is a flower design of some sort. It fits perfectly in my hand, picks up my food just right and it is MINE. Oops, did I say that already?!?!

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It's my fork at my Momma's house! It has always been there and to this day when I go to her house to eat that fork (which I must say doesn't resemble any other forks or silverware that she has) is pleasantly laid out for me to eat with. It is a running joke around my Momma's house that Lori has to have her fork and my nieces and nephews all try and take my fork but Aunt Lori will hunt you down to get her fork back!

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I'm sure if my Momma and my sister are reading this they are both shaking their heads and laughing because they know just how serious I am about this fork. Several months ago I guess it was my Momma asked me why I liked that fork so much. What was it about that fork that made it mine, made me go insane, made me turn into a two year old over the mere thought of anyone eating off of my fork. I didn't have to think about it, stammer, shutter, ponder, it just blurted out of me as if it was something I talked about all the time.

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To me that fork is home! What...you ask. Well, you see, growing up a PK (preacher's kid) things changed alot. We moved a good bit. Friends came and went. Life was never redundant, the same, it was ever changing. But, that fork was always there. It didn't matter how many times we moved that fork was always there. So, to me, that fork is home. It may sound silly but that sterling silver, unmatched fork means peace to me. In the midst of all the storms that raged through my childhood, my teen years and even now through my adult life I always know that when I go to Momma's house that fork will be there. Many people find comfort in blankets, houses, pictures, maybe even a car but to me my fork is home.

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"My people will live in safety, quietly at home. They will be at rest. Even if the forest should be destroyed and the city torn down, the Lord will greatly bless his people." Isaiah 32:18-20 (NLT). Even though it doesn't have my fork specifically listed in this passage...I think I get the point! What about you? Just when life is uneasy, torn apart, there is nothing but turmoil and chaos just remember that he promises safety, rest and blessings! Even if the forest should be destroyed and the city torn down the LORD will bless his people! *Sigh* What a wonderful promise!!!!

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And speaking of my Momma today...I must wish her a Happy Bir-s-day! (That's how Gabe used to say it...heehee). Momma, if I can only grow up to be half the Momma you are then I will feel like I have succeeded and accomplished my task as a Mom! I love you dearly and words can never express the admiration and love that I have for you! =) I hope you have a wonderful bir-s-day!

For Sale

Have you ever noticed how many "for sale" signs there are? I was running late for work today (naturally) and because of an accident on I59 I had to go all the way around the world to get to my office. Birmingham traffic has its drawbacks but the nice thing about Birmingham is every little area connects to another little area and if you know your way around pretty well you can avoid traffic. Many times you drive looking up towards the sky through your windshield watching Vulcan saying the entire time "Drive towards Vulcan and I will find the road I'm looking for!" haha Trust me, I'm not the only one. Many a times I have seen people driving and looking towards the sky making their path choices based on their proximity to Vulcan!

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Anyway, I was sitting at a red light and I was looking around. It was a fairly busy intersection with a CVS to my right, a Walgreen to my left, a Precision Auto place to my left and then a bank to my right. I was glancing around and every single place either had some sort of "sale" sign in their window, in the grass, on a bright expensive sign or a huge banner. Every single one of them was eye catching. I couldn't help but sit there and read each and every one of them while I waited for the light to turn green.

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Once the light finally let me through I began to look at all the other "for sale" signs I could see as I drove "towards Vulcan" (heehee) and they are numerous. All over the place! This apartment complex has three months free for new tenets, this nail salon has $10 off, that restaurant has buy one get one free meals. For sale, for sale, for sale!

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Too bad we don't advertise our salvation as much as we do everything else! Our pastor said this past Sunday that he had heard someone say "If being saved is the greatest thing that has ever happened to us, then why don't we talk about it more?". Hmmmm, very interesting thought.

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"If anyone is ashamed of me and my message in these adulterous and sinful days, the Son of Man will be ashamed of that person when he returns in the glory of his Father with the holy angels." Mark 8:38 (NLT). I am in no way saying that anyone is ashamed of their salvation or ashamed of God, I'm just saying (including myself) wonder why we don't advertise it? Hmmm...just something to think about!