Forest For The Trees

For the past few days I've been meandering my way through life. Up this hill, down that one. Turning this corner and then rounding that one. No different than anyone else's life just in one of those places where I'm only taking one step at the time because I'm not real sure where it will land. I jokingly told a friend yesterday that I feel as though I'm walking on quick sand not sure if the branch I'm holding onto will hold me or not.

On my ride in this morning I was listening to the radio and looking at the cars. I wasn't really looking for anything in particular but just scanning my surroundings. As I started coming up the on-ramp for the Red Mountain Expressway from Carraway Boulevard I slowly started noticing the tall buildings that were downtown. The farther I got up the ramp the more and more I could see these buildings. All of a sudden the cars disappeared from my vision and all I could see was buildings. I scanned to my left and to my right and began to see, actually see, downtown.

As I continued on my journey slowly but surely the buildings began to fade and all I saw was cars. The beautiful city landscape that once captured my attention had faded into a blur and once again I could only see what was directly in front of me.

So many times in my spiritual life I go through periods where I can't see the glory for all the stumbling blocks that are around me. I know it's there. I know that I am free. I know that I am forgiven. I know that in the end everything is going to be okay. I know that this too shall pass, but for that day, at that moment all I can see is what is around me. I wish I had the right words of encouragement to say right here that would make you take your hand and smack yourself on your forehead and have one of those Ah-Hah moments but I don't. I'm still trying to figure it out for myself. But I stand firm on Jeremiah 29:11 "'For I know the plans I have for you,' says the Lord. 'They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.'" (NLT). Want to know what I like best about this verse? The "says the Lord" part. The Lord, my Father, my Savior, my friend, my everything...He said that! He says that He has plans for me. He says that the plans He has for me are for good and NOT for disaster. He says these plans will give me a future and a hope! That's what HE says, not what they say but what He says!!

So, I challenge you today, if you catch yourself only seeing the cars in front of you...stop and blink a few times. Shake your head if you have to and start looking farther...deeper...harder because I promise you there is something more out there!

When Your Mess Becomes Your Message

by Micca Monda Campbell
Proverbs 31 Ministries

"Heal me, O Lord, and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, for you are the one I praise." Jeremiah 17:14 (NIV)

My brother is a recovered addict. For twenty years, he was absent from our family due to addiction issues. Countless times we thought he was dead, and according to statics, he should have been.

However, God happens to be in the restoration business. He is willing to restore and heal all who come to Him. It doesn't matter who you are, what you've done, or what has been done to you. God is willing and able to turn any tragedy into triumph. My brother is living proof.

After entering many programs with hopes of success and end results of failure, my brother finally found the answer: Jesus. It wasn't until my brother me t the Lord that healing and true change occurred. Suddenly, all things became new.

What's most exciting is anyone can experience this kind of freedom!

The truth is, we don't have the strength, will power, or ability to free ourselves from bondage no matter what the bondage is—drugs, lust, gluttony, pride, anger, or fear. Until we renounce our sickness and surrender to Christ, we will never experience freedom. On the other hand, when we are willing to give King Jesus our mess, He turns it into our message.

Not a day goes by that my brother doesn't look for opportunities to brag on God and share His message of hope.

Take this past summer for example. He and his family came home for a visit. One evening, our families gathered for dinner at Red Lobster. His treat! Twenty-six year old Tiffany was our server. Right away, we noticed two things about Tiffany. She was a natural with people, and she was very pregnant. While we enjoyed her kind service, we ha d no idea that God would turn the tables and call us to serve her in a unique way.

It started when my sister refused to allow my brother to buy her dinner. While my sister loves to give to others, she's not so good on the receiving end. I, on the other hand, understood that it gave my brother great pleasure to pick up the check. The Lord knows I didn't want to deny him his blessing!

Poor Tiffany found herself caught in the middle of the argument. Eager to win, my brother said to our server, "You see, I was a drug addict for years. During that time, my sisters did a lot for me. Now, I just want to bless them as they have blessed me."

Tiffany's eyes widen. "You were a drug addict?" she inquired. "I would have never guessed.""Yes. I was," my brother replied. "But Jesus changed all that." From there he told Tiffany his life-changing story."

I went from being lost to being found; from being homeless to being a home owner; from being an employee to owning my own business; from being bound by drugs to being set free in Christ."Tears filled Tiffany's eyes as we shared God's love with her. That's not all. Later that week, we confirmed God's love to her by presenting her with a baby gift.

Oh, friends, when you and I—like my brother—allow God to turn our mess into our message, He not only changes our lives, but He changes the lives of others too.

Dear Lord, Your mercy astounds me. Your goodness overwhelms me as I cry out "heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed; save me and I will be saved." God, give me opportunities to speak of Your hope so that others may know Your goodness and salvation. In Jesus Name, Amen

Not Good Enough

I'm too fat. I'm too thin. I wish I was taller. I hate being so tall. I wish I didn't have to wear glasses. I hate my hair. My ears are too big. My stomach pokes out. My hands are too small. My hands are too big. My feet are shaped funny. I can't stand the color of my eyes. My knuckles are too big. My fingernails aren't shaped right. I wish I had long eyelashes. My teeth are ugly. I hate my voice. I can't carry a tune at all. I can't stand the way a picture looks after I'm the one who painted it. I'm stupid. I'm not worth anything. I don't matter.

How many times have you said something, anything along those lines? You know, it occurred to me last night that every single time we critique ourselves we are saying that what God has created isn't good enough. We are saying that the very hands He used to make us are broken and worthless. With every jab we make about ourselves we are saying that we aren't important to Him. God doesn't make mistakes. We were each created specifically for a special and perfect purpose. He created us short, tall, skinny, fat, big ears, little ears, long eyelashes, short eyelashes, thick hair, thin hair, brown eyes, blue eyes... We are each a treasure in the arms of Christ! Maybe it's time we start living like it!!

"Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out; you formed me in my mother's womb. I thank you, High God — you're breathtaking! Body and soul, I am marvelously made! I worship in adoration — what a creation! You know me inside and out, you know every bone in my body; You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit, how I was sculpted from nothing into something. Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth; all the stages of my life were spread out before you, The days of my life all prepared before I'd even lived one day." Psalm 139:13-16 (MSG)

Turning The Corner Doesn't Always Help

Prom season is upon us and I spent my Saturday going store to store trying to get an idea of where in the world we could find Kristina a prom dress. Not wanting to chart these waters alone my friend Kim and her daughter Cori grabbed an oar and set sail with me. Kristina was out of town and I used my time wisely. She isn't one to enjoy going in and out of stores picking through dress after dress to only leave empty handed. So, several years and pageants ago I learned to go dress shopping on my own, come home and report my progress and then go to only a few stores and pick the perfect dress from there.

As we were out and about we began talking about our teenage drivers. Cori has her permit and she is learning the ways of the road. We giggled about when we were teenage drivers and silly things Kristina has done when all of a sudden Kim bursts out laughing and utters the words "You won't believe what Cori did last night!!" At this point Cori has remembered what happened and she is laughing uncontrollably as well and I am just driving down the road glancing from one to other wanting in on this funny story.

Kim begins...she tells me how they needed gas and how the gas tank is on the passenger side of Cori's car. She tells me that as they pull up to the gas pumps Cori positions her car so that the driver's side is closets to the pump. Before Cori can put her car in park Kim reminds her where her gas tank is and Cori releases her foot off the brake and simply turns around to the opposing side of the pumps! All she did was transfer her car from side a to side b which means she still had her driver's side facing the pump! At this point we all three are laughing hysterically and I'm sure if anyone saw us they thought we were having some sort of convulsions!

How many times do you think you're making progress and you keep drudging along to see a corner ahead, you run, you turn it and you breathe a sigh of relief when you suddenly realize you're still facing the wrong way! I do this time and time and time and time again! Some days I just feel like I can't get myself turned the right way. I bounce off this and bounce off that never really feeling like my feet are planted in the right place. But, isn't it great to know that no matter how twisted we are in our direction, no matter how much we are bouncing around, He is always there to get us straightened back out!

"For the Lord your God is living among you. He is a mighty savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.” Zephaniah 3:17

Is It A Status Thing?

Last night Kristina and I were watching the movie Pretty Woman. Some may not like that movie but to me it is just a precious, timeless, cheesy love story. There is a scene where Julia Roberts and Richard Gere are going to the opera and Julia Roberts comes out of the bedroom in a beautiful red ball gown and white gloves up to her elbows. Her hair is curled and pulled back and she looks breathtaking. Richard Gere's character pulls out a square box and places a beautiful ruby and diamond necklace around her neck. She asks him how much something like that costs and his reply is "a quarter of a million dollars."

I looked at Kristina and said "Isn't it funny how saying a quarter of a million dollars seems like an exuberant amount of money, but saying $250,000 doesn't seem to be as much?" She sits there for a minute and replies "You're right. Just like if someone told me they paid $250,000 for their house I would think 'man that's a nice, big house' but if someone told me they paid a quarter of a million dollars for their house I would think 'they live in a mansion!'" It's all in the words you use!

Kristina has a Myspace page and as my motherly duty entails me I check her Myspace page and account quite frequently and while I'm on there I look at who her Myspace friends are and what their pages are about. I stumbled across a young girl's page yesterday whose "about me" section was full of obscenities and I sat shaking my head, but then at the very bottom of her paragraph she made the statement that she was a Christian. Not to judge the young girl but the fruits of her "about me" does not reflect a Christian. So, is she also saying "a quarter of a million dollars" because it sounds better?

This has really got me thinking. I'm wondering how many people are truly Christians and how many people say they are because "it sounds good" or "it's the in thing"? What do people see when they look at me or talk to me? Do they think "Wow, she's a Godly woman who loves the Lord?" or do they think "There's one of those people who say they're a Christian but you just never know?" Am I $250,000 or am I a quarter of a million dollars?

"Jesus told him, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.'" John 14:6 (NLT). Notice that Jesus didn't add anything to that. He didn't say that He is the way, the truth and the life and a gold ring. He didn't add frills or rainbows and fairy dust. There is a big ole period there. He said I am the way, the truth and the life and no one can come to the Father except through me! I think maybe we need to accept Him for what He is and say exactly what we are and where we stand and stop fluffing our words so that we think He sounds better. And, besides that, why in the world do we even want to make Him sound better? How much better can He get? The unconditional love! The grace, mercy, forgiveness! What else is there?

Books

I'm not much of a reader. I will pick up a book and thumb through it and maybe scan the first few pages and within those first few pages it is decided if I am going to continue with the book or lay it down. Writers have a harsh critic on their hands when it comes to me I guess. You have about ten pages to grab my attention and if I don't feel it, I move on!

However, I enjoy writing. I'm not too sure I could ever write a book, but I do love writing poetry, short stories, and blogs! =) My writing abilities and interest in writing was passed down to Kristina, but I must say she is far a better writer than I could ever dream of being. The way she says things, describes things, insinuates things...her writings grab my attention immediately.

Since she has this interest and talent in writing I have always used that as a tool to talk about life with her. The analogies are just too similar not to. When you are young the chapters are short and more of a starting point. They are more descriptive and full of information and each chapter ends with a cliffhanger to keep you holding out for something yet to come. As you enter your teenage years the chapters get long and hard to understand. The words seem to ramble and the reader feels that the author is just as confused but yet with the end of each chapter you just cannot wait to get to the next one. About the time you are ready to give up you get to the good stuff...adulthood! We spend our entire childhood and teenage years eagerly waiting for adulthood so that we can do our own thing without any rules to only wish that we could go back in time! Those chapters in the book start to show how we are shaped and molded. They show what we are made of! And, then as the book begins to really get juicy the chapters turn into our golden years! These chapters seem to reference the previous chapters. Every step that is taken, every decision that is made seems to be done so solely on what we learned before. And, then, finally, the day will come where our book ends. As the book is published it is handed to someone who reads it intently with a yearning in their heart to know who you truly were.

And, this is where my questions start? What will your book say? Are there things in there that you would not want anyone to read? What about your great-grandchildren; do your choices and actions today leave a good footprint for them to step into tomorrow? All of our lives are a book and at some point in time that book is going to be read. It is up to us what is written in it!

"For I alone am God!...there is none like me. Only I can tell you the future before it even happens. Everything I plan will come to pass..." Isaiah 46:9b-10 (NLT)

Nip It

"Nip it, nip it, nip it." Oh my goodness I used to love Barney Fife on the Andy Griffith Show. Don Knox played that part perfectly and I don't know if anyone else could have done it any better! Barney and that one bullet always cracked me up and his inability to keep his mouth shut always resonated with me. I'm one of those people with an uncontrollable mouth.

As I was listening to the local Christian radio station this morning the same thing happened! A commercial was aired that absolutely cracked the DJs up and as they were laughing one of them began to tell his own similar story when all of a sudden the audio was immediately shut off and a song started playing. I guess the boss said "nip it, nip it, nip it!"

How nice would it be if we had someone to start playing a song just at the same time that we were about to say something stupid?! You know, alot of times I honestly do not mean anything hurtful or harmful by my words but as soon as they come out of my mouth I realize what I have said/done and I can't "hoover" back in fast enough.

And, in the same turn, I wish what would flow out of my mouth would be nothing but Jesus! I wonder why that is? Why is it so easy to rattle off nonsense but when you discuss Jesus we tend to stop and think about what we are going to say? Hmmmm....

"Those who control their tongue will have a long life; opening your mouth can ruin everything." Proverbs 13:3 (NLT).

The Sun - - The Son

As I followed the on-ramp down and around to the right the sun was peering through the trees. The sky was so pink it was almost orange and as I straightened up my truck and merged onto the highway I couldn't help but look at the sun. It was a huge orange ball just barely peering over the horizon. I would look at it until my eyes burned and then I'd shut them and look away to only turn to my focus back once again.

The warmth felt good radiating off my windshield and I began to think about how wonderful I feel when I'm in the sun, near the sun, when I can feel the sun! I can't help but smile and turn my face towards it. I can't help but shut my eyes and get carried away in my dreams. And, in the same turn I feel that way about THE SON! I feel wonderful when I am close to THE SON! When I am near THE SON I feel comforted, complete. I can't help but close my eyes and bask in His light. I find it interesting the similarities in the sun and THE SON!

“I am the light of the world." John 8:12 (NLT)

"...his face shone like the sun..." Matthew 17:2 (NLT)

“...My light will shine for you just a little longer. Walk in the light while you can, so the darkness will not overtake you. Those who walk in the darkness cannot see where they are going. Put your trust in the light while there is still time; then you will become children of the light.” John 12:35-36 (NLT)

Where You Are

Growing up I heard my Momma say many times over how her dream vacation would be Vermont in the Fall. My Momma loves the Fall season and the picture she held in her head of what Vermont would look like in the Fall was more than she could take. I vividly remember riding with my Momma listening to her talk about her dream vacation and what it is like there. I was a young girl, elementary school still, and as I intently would listen to her describe the trees, the air, the environment I could picture it with my very own eyes. Vermont seemed like a different world to me...a place so far off that I would only be able to see it in my mind.

As time marched on and I began to grow older I would look at pictures of Vermont in the Fall. Magazines, books...just anything really. With every picture I would think about my Momma's dream of visiting Vermont in the Fall. I looked at the trees where we lived and although they were beautiful, they were not Vermont!

More time marched on and on a visit to my parents' house Momma and I made a trip into town. She began to describe to me a drive she had on her way to work earlier in the week. She said as she drove down the long windy country road she looked out over the trees. The colors of fall were delicately painted on the leaves as if God has simply brushed across them with every orange and yellow he could find. The trees were full and if you looked close enough you could see the sun peering through the branches. She said God gently pressed upon her heart here is your Vermont.

How many times do we think we need more than what we have? How many times are we content with where we are at this very moment? Oh don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that we should never want anything or have a goal, but what I am saying is that sometimes our want and our goal are right in front of us but we are too stubborn to see it! Maybe it's not in the package that we thought it would be in or maybe it's not the ideal situation but nevertheless it still IS what we had hoped for! Sometimes our Vermont isn't just like someone elses!

"'For I know the plans I have for you,' says the Lord. 'They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.'" Jeremiah 29:11 (NLT). Just because we don't see the plan, it doesn't mean there isn't one!

Victory!

Many, many, many years ago...ok that's being a little dramatic but way back when horses pulled carriages...okay, okay....I'm just seeing if you're awake today! Back in 1991 when Shane and I first started dating he asked me an all important question, "Do you pull for Alabama or Auburn?" Friend, I promise you this was an actual conversation between me and him and I answered correctly because here we are nearly 20 years later! ROLL TIDE! =)

Unless you live under a rock you know that Alabama played Texas last night in the BCS National Championship game. I must say that I was concerned about my precious husband last night. As is typical Alabama fashion they couldn't win easily. It had to be a nail bitter. A comeback of some sort. An edge of your seat, jump up and down finish. That is Alabama football! But, anyway, Shane paced and he screamed and he clapped. He coached from our living room, he chastised the refs. He gave Saban advice and even played a down or two himself. Yet, in the end all was well and Alabama beat Texas and are the 2009 BCS National Champions! It was sweet V-I-C-T-O-R-Y!

Oh victory! It's a wonderful feeling isn't it? Did you know you have that same victory in Jesus? It doesn't matter where you've been or what you've done He finished the game for me and for you! "The Lord is my strength and my song;he has given me victory." Exodus 15:2 (NLT). Are you walking around victorious today? If not, why not? The Savior is waiting...

Stupidity

Have you ever thought about stupid we are? I am doing a new Bible study and I am currently in Genesis and for the past few days I have been reading about the first days of Earth. You know what? I will just never understand the mercy and grace of God because why oh why did he create creatures who make such poor choices when He gives us everything?

For example, Cain. After Cain killed Abel he lied to God about it. “I don’t know,” Cain responded. “Am I my brother’s guardian?” Genesis 4:9 (NLT). Can you believe that? He honestly thought that he could lie to God! I sat there shaking my head in disbelief wondering what in the world was going through Cain's head lying to God and then it hit me, I do the same thing! When I am not honest with someone else I am lying to God because He knows the truth anyway! He is just placing me in a situation to see if I am going to be truthful and when I'm not...I'm lying to Him!

And then there was Noah. Okay, check this out. Noah was obedient to God and followed his instructions, built an ark while everyone on Earth laughed at him, ridiculed him, chastised him but Noah never faltered. He just kept right on following God. And, just as He had promised, God spared Noah's life along with the life of Noah's family. So, what does Noah do when it is all said and done? He plants some grapes, makes some wine, drinks it and gets drunk! "One day he drank some wine he had made, and he became drunk and lay naked inside his tent." Genesis 9:21 (NLT). I don't know if things were different back in that day but I can tell you right now that, in my opinion, doing something like that is not respectful towards God...who just spared you and YOUR FAMILY! Hello...

I could sit here and go on and on about the stupidity of man that I am learning through this new Bible study. And...I am also learning how I am right along with them! Isn't it so easy to look at someone else and think you moron but when you look at yourself you can justify everything you are doing? I think it's time that we all pick up a bottle of Windex and a rag and clean our own mirror and check ourselves out before we start checking out others.

It's Better To Be Cold

Brrrrr....that is really all I can say right now! Goodness gracious alive it is freeeeeeezing outside! Me and a co-worker were laughing yesterday wondering where all this global warming is that we have heard so much about the past few years because as far as we can tell Alabama has now become Antarctica!

Just out of curiosity I wondered if the Bible said anything about being cold and I was astonished at what I found. Check this out..."I know you inside and out, and find little to my liking. You're not cold, you're not hot — far better to be either cold or hot! You're stale. You're stagnant. You make me want to vomit." Revelation 3:15-16 (MSG). Wow! I've never really thought about it this way before.

So many times I feel that straddling the fence or just being "okay" is good enough, but you know what? It's not! It's like a lukewarm shower...I would rather take a cold shower so that I can freeze and get it over with or take a nice long warm shower but if the water is lukewarm it drives me insane! It's just cold enough to annoy me yet warm enough to make me wish I had more!

I am feeling my way through this thing we call life and every single day God shows me something new about myself. Some things I embrace and absolutely love but then other things I don't like so much and today is one of those days. I don't want to be lukewarm! I want to be on fire for my Savior! I want to be warm in His arms! I want to be...me! What are you? Are you lukewarm?

Mommas

Our children eat before us. We wear clothes that have been washed so many times you dare not hold them up to the light for fear you can see straight through them, but our children's clothes are new, clean and pressed. We can't remember the last time we bought a pair of shoes from a department store, but our children wear the latest shoe trend. We take cold showers so that our children can take a hot shower first. We do without so that they can have. We are MOTHERS!

We do all of this with very little thank yous or appreciation. And, truth be told, we don't want them. There is that part of us that way deep down inside just likes being needed. We like seeing our children smile. We like knowing that they have nice things. We watch our children grow knowing that one day they too will be in the same situation with their own children.

I have the greatest earthly Daddy ever created and to close my eyes and try to wrap my head around my Heavenly Father being even better than that is hard for me to do. And, Daddies are great creatures, but they aren't Mommas. They don't possess the gentle comfort that Mommas do. There is a time when a Daddy's arms are the perfect fit and then there are times where no arms other than a Momma's will do. Mommas just have a way about them.

Well, guess what? God is our Heavenly Father who is stern, strong, fierce and mighty yet he possesses the traits of a Momma. He is calm, gentle, tender, selfless. There are times when the strong arms of Christ holds us up when we can't even hold our own selves up, but then there are times when he is tender like a lamb and wraps his loving arms around us in protection...just like a Momma.

"As a mother comforts her child, so I'll comfort you." Isaiah 66:13 (MSG).

Your Own Way

As I sat at the red light I watch the black birds gathering along the railroad tracks. It started out as just one or two and before long there were probably 30 or 40 of them. They seemed to stay grouped together as if they were moving in a herd of some sort.

As my light turned green and accelerated I could tell that the vibration of my truck on the pavement was warning the birds to get out of the way. All of a sudden in one swift fluid motion they all lept into the air and flew away to my left as if in a black cloud. All of them stayed together except one. This single black bird flew to my right and landed on a fence.

As I continued driving I thought about this one bird. Why didn't he go along with everyone else? Was that his family or his pack (you know, like dogs)? Was he just a young bird who didn't know any different? Or, was he older and it was his time to separate himself from the others? Why? Why wouldn't that bird just follow the crowd...?

As soon as that last thought crossed my mind I immediately began to think about man and how we fly to the left with everyone else. I began to think about how hard it is for us to fly to the right and land on a fence all by ourselves. I found myself running back over instances and circumstances in recent days where I flew with the crowd and didn't stand on my own. I began to admire this right flying, fence sitting bird.

Although it may appear to the world that we are flying alone we never are!! Matthew 28:20 says "...I am with you always, even to the end of the age." (NLT). To me, when I read those words I can feel my Daddy wrapping his arms around me and squeezing me in a tight bear hug whispering in my ear that everything is going to be okay, He's here.

Some days it is hard to have the courage to fly to the right all by ourselves while everyone else stays grouped together flying to the left. But, always have the confidence, the security, the strength to know that you aren't flying alone!