I am standing here at my kitchen counter eating a late afternoon snack- it’s a bowl of kale salad with some olives. I’ve been trying to avoid snacking between meals, this has proved more difficult than easy. My husband is on this new lifestyle kick (I approve it) of cutting the garbage out of his diet and eating more un-processed whole foods, basically eating more clean and green. As a woman, I’ve been trying to do that for years, it’s taken him a while to catch up. So he keeps using words like processed, unbleached, whole, etc…The word “unprocessed” caught my attention. What does that mean anyway? It means unaltered from an original or natural state; not processed.

That speaks to me (not just about food) but about our authenticity of origin. In Genesis 1:27 So God created man(kind) in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

I don’t know about you but there are days I feel “processed.” I feel like I am not in the state that God desires me to be. Society and the people around us not to mention our life experiences have a way of “processing” us to be something other than God’s original intention. In fact my feeling of “processed” does not necessarily have to do with anything particular I have done wrong (sin).

I think we are encouraged too often to meet a standard that was never intended for us. We measure our self-worth by so many things, things that process our way of thinking into something negative and destructive. We measure our self-worth by the bathroom scales (I have to constantly fight this urge), by the size of clothing we can fit into, or how other people see us, etc… Sigh, that is like processed food- it’s bad for you and yet it becomes addictive, doesn’t it? Being processed by the world drops our self-esteem, our confidence, our self-worth, even our love for ourselves and it increases our depression, irritation, and temper while lowering our patience and compassion for others.

And yet the bible says we are created in the image of God, you weren’t just made in any old image but God’s image, that’s a powerful image!  God does not make things that need to be processed, that is things that need to be altered by the measurements this world suggests.

This brings me (back) to the Apostle Paul in one of my favorite all time bible scriptures: Ephesians 2:10 ¹⁰ For we are his workmanship, having been created in Christ Jesus for good works that God prepared beforehand so we may do them. (NET) I also love how the CEB words it Ephesians 2: ¹⁰ Instead, we are God’s accomplishment, created in Christ Jesus to do good things. God planned for these good things to be the way that we live our lives.

There is something about being God’s workmanship that really tugs at my heart. We were not fused together with leftovers or old worn out pieces, we were created with the best of ingredients, in the image of God. He used the best qualities, the best characteristics, the best virtues and placed them within each of us. Sometimes we don’t see those traits because the world has told us we need to be processed into something we were never intended for, telling us we need a modification, we need adjusting, and revising. And sometimes we don’t see those features within ourselves because the world has unapologetically distorted our vision (of ourselves).

I don’t know what you are eating these days but I hope your spiritual and emotional food is basing in the knowledge that you are created in the image of God, not some evolving leftover… food for thought… be mindful of what you are putting in your spirit, mind, and heart… remember you are God’s workmanship created for good works… Put good things in your mind, spirit, and heart… (things that will build you up not tear you down by revising you)

Good Afternoon Ladies!

It is Sunday night and it is my ritual to plan out the weeks menu, so I as I sit here trying to think about the different dishes I want on my “menu” (and it’s a limited menu because my kids have limited taste buds) I am reminded that God loves variety among His creation. Religion likes to paint God as a stuffy old man that never has any fun and has no creativity but that is just not true.

God is full of creativity and loves variety, that is obvious when you take a look around at the wonders of the world but God’s creativeness is not limited to the wonders of the world, it is revealed within us. The Apostle Paul tells us in Romans 12 that we each have our own gifting’s we get to use for different things but each one brings God glory when we use them to lift each other up (it’s kind of a team mentality). Romans 12:6  And we have different gifts according to the grace given to us… (NET)

I meet a lot of people that are trying to figure out what their gifting is because they feel like they have nothing to offer but that is not true. Each person has something to offer and no gifting or talent is too small or simple; the simplest gifts are the best.

I love that God is creative and takes pleasure in having a variety in His creation. There is a misperception that in order to be part of God’s Kingdom, to have redemption you have to look and act like a droid. God does not want an army of droids but a family of people and with that family, variety with different talents, experiences, and perceptions.

We are called to lift each other up with our strengths of talents, experiences, and perceptions but far too often we keep each other down with them or judge each other by them. We are each created for a specific purpose and uniquely endowed with talents and gifting’s to accomplish the task of giving God glory and helping one another.

In the book of Jeremiah God says two particular things in different chapters in Jeremiah 1:5 Before I created you in the womb I knew you; before you were born I set you apart… I love that verse. God is infinite and His goodness for us is the same (soak in that for a minute). His knowledge of us is incomprehensible, just like His love for us. Why did He set us apart? Out of love and confidence that we are capable of the tasks He places in front of us.

In Jeremiah 29: ¹¹ For I know what I have planned for you,’ says the Lord. ‘I have plans to prosper you, not to harm you. I have plans to give you a future filled with hope. God desires good things for us and part of that is creating each of us with unique abilities that only we have. Your finger prints are one of a kind and so is what God has placed within you. I think it is safe to say God likes variety, a buffet of sorts. His object is never to bring us harm but for us to thrive. (Don’t confuse God’s correction for harm, God corrects those He loves because He longs to be near us.)

What an incredible palate God has to desire and create such a range of things and people. I don’t know what you see when you look in the mirror but I hope you see the incredible unique creation that you are because there is only one of you and God has loved you since before you were in the womb! (don’t try to understand that just bask in the sweetness of God’s affection for you)

I am grateful to be part of the great buffet God has set out before Himself. I hope that you know you have something to offer that this world needs, I hope that inspires and encourages you to figure that “something” out… it does me. I am most grateful that God still looks at me despite all my heavy baggage and still sees my unique capabilities and my value. I am happy to be part of God’s buffet… Good Evening Ladies!

PS. Happy Menu Planning to all those that create menus (to be honest I forget if I don’t have a menu written down, distracted thinker, ADD, and over active brain)

Do you ever dream about the future? Make future plans? In my house the last couple of days have been spent talking about the future and what it holds, where we want to be and what we want to be doing. I don’t know about you but I am a hopeless daydreamer. I love to daydream and escape reality: fleeing the demands of children, my work, my dogs, extended family needs, etc… I know that God has plans for my future and I happily give Him my hopes and dreams along with my ambitions.

In 2 Kings 3 we learn that King Solomon loved the Lord and the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream, in that dream He told Solomon to ask Him for anything he wanted… Can you imagine? Unlike most people Solomon asked for wisdom (a wise choice) but God in His love gave Solomon more than just what he asked for. God gave Solomon unimaginable wealth, fame, and long life. God’s giving far exceeds what we can comprehend.

I love stories like that because I grew up not hearing about God’s love but God’s judgment and in return I was terrified of the Lord. That kind of mindset and teaching makes God out to be unapproachable but He is anything but unapproachable. In fact, He seeks us out because He knows we often times won’t seek Him out ourselves. It was God that sought King Solomon and God that told King Solomon to ask Him for anything he wanted… ANYTHING means literally anything; there was no limit nor stipulation put on that.

I love stories like that because it gives us an insight into the Lord’s character even in the Old Testament where He is most misunderstood. God’s goodness knows no bounds, it is immeasurable, and its depth cannot be reached. God always has our best interest at heart- especially when we don’t see or understand that. I am teaching over the book of Ruth Sunday and I refer to one of God’s anthems as Cheap Tricks “I Want You to Want Me.” It’s not very religious, is it? I am not a religious girl, I am a relationship girl and I know that God’s biggest desire is for us to want Him, to desire a relationship with Him, religion is not necessary for relationship. God’s religion would not be found in mainstream because it involves carrying for those that are over-looked and forgotten about, God’s religion is loving the unlovable.

I don’t know what you dream about or what your future holds but I know that if you invite the Lord to be part of them it will be better. Why? Because God always has your best interest at heart and wants the best for you…

Psalm 16:5 Lord, you give me stability and prosperity; you make my future secure…venture out and take a risk and trust God with your dreams… food for thought… Good Night Ladies…

PS. Another quote: “There is no discovery without risk and what you risk reveals what you value.” – Jeanette Winterson

The rise of the phoenix… that is how I feel. Yesterday I felt so defeated and today I just stood in awe of God. I love that God takes our ashes from where we have burned ourselves out (what we burn out on is different for each person) but He takes those ashes and makes something out of them. He doesn’t just look at us and see a burn-out, washed up, down on their luck person. NO, He looks at us and see His creation, His daughters (and sons). He sees all that potential hidden deep within us just waiting to burst forth.

I love that we can go to God as we are and He will build on what is there. There is no specific change needed to go to the altar of God just go as you are in the condition you find yourself in but go with expectation that God will meet you there. And I love that the altar of God is not just found in a church… it’s wherever we cry out at. It could be your bedroom, car, bathroom, kitchen, living room, a park, the list could go. God has met me on the floor of my closet before, remember He is used to traveling around in a tent (2 Samuel 7) so meeting you where you are at is not going to offend Him. I love that God picks us up right where He finds us, the place we surrender to Him at and He immediately starts to repair the wounded, injuried places within us.

In Matthew 11 Jesus says a particular thing, something the people had never heard the religious leaders say… He says 11: ²⁸ Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Weary means: tired, beat down, drained, exhausted, and shattered. He beckons those that are heavy in heart with hefty burdens, those that have lost all hope to come to Him so He could give them rest. So, He could refresh them with hope, love, and peace. I don’t know about you but to me that is cause for celebration because Jesus was not calling or seeking perfect people (they don’t exist) … He was calling real life women and men with problems. The people in Jesus day were not used to hearing that, they had been beaten down so long by the religious system telling them that they weren’t good enough they just lost hope. But Jesus came defying odds, breaking social norms, and giving hope to the unwanted… That’s my Savior, that is my God! BECAUSE those are my people the broken…

In the book of Romans, the Apostle Paul tells us to not give up on hope…  ^{Romans 5:5} And hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

Wherever you are at in life don’t give up on hope… The hope that Jesus brings does not disappoint but anoints us for the life He desires for us. Good afternoon Ladies…

PS. God is a seed planter of hope and in return He makes us to be seed planters of hope… hope doesn’t quit, it doesn’t give up, it perseveres. No matter what you’re facing learn to plant seeds of hope in people. Do you know why? Because hope raises us up and transforms us from those ashes… the rise of the phoenix… HOPE

Yesterday was one of those days like the movie Groundhog Day… you know where Bill Murray has to keep doing the same day over and over until he gets it right. Sigh, that seems to be my yesterday in fact my several days. I am a firm believer that “when you know to do better than better is expected of you.” I don’t know about you but lately I just find it so easy to fall into the same mistakes, doing the same wrong pattern, and feeling doomed to continue to repeat it until I finally get it right.

I woke up this morning feeling unworthy to go do the job I was about to go do… which is lead the people it’s what pastors do. All I could see was my short-comings this week. I got caught up in guilt. I want to distinguish between guilt and repentance (this became a topic today among some people). Repentance leads you to the Lord, repentance leads you to a corrective state, repentance is about over-coming and changing, repentance is about learning to do better, it leads to redemption. God corrects those He loves. The books of Hebrew and Proverbs tells us that the Lord disciplines and corrects those He loves. Guilt imprisons us, it binds us, chains us to the very thing we’ve already repented about and been given forgiveness over.

I don’t believe God brings shame to those that seek Him, shame is a disgrace… God receives us as we are through His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ through GRACE! I believe God desires to bring transformation to our life but not shame and guilt. Shame and guilt are binding and destructive; God is constructive, He builds on what is already there. Guilt and shame twist the truth including God’s correction. They leave God’s love out of correction. 1 John 4:8 tells us  that God is love so if you take love out of the correction we have a problem.

Today I went to church as I usually do and I found redemption. You are probably thinking aren’t you a pastor? Yes, I am…Even leadership needs redemption least I quote all the failing leaders in the bible to you… There are just days that I need God to save me from me, put me back on the right path, and renew my heart and vision for Him. I need those things without a lecture about shame or guilt or someone throwing a bible at me (least I throw it right back at them and those books have sharp corners).

This blog is not about a perfect Christian or the niceties of such a thing… it is about being in the trenches with the Word of God, people, life, and my own struggles. True there are victories, many victories but we usually identify with one another’s struggles, we tend to compare victories and then feel bad or jealous when our victory doesn’t look like theirs. It’s my goal this week to get real with the book of James… taming the tongue. Maybe everything that comes out of your mouth is as sweet as a honeydew (or big slice of cake) … I don’t know your struggles but I hope you find peace this week and know that you don’t have to be a prisoner to guilt or shame. We struggle, we fail, we make mistakes, dust off, get back up and start again. If at first you don’t succeed…stop going alone and take the Lord with you (it really helps). 😊 Good Afternoon Ladies…

My heart is heavy this morning for several reasons.

This morning my daughter started high school, on next Monday my youngest daughter will start fourth grade and at the end of August my son will be a freshman in college… time flies, time waits for nobody, time is a thief.

Within the last week we learned that one of the mothers from my 15-year old’s school was battling cancer and sent home on hospice. Then we learned last night she lost her battle. She left behind four children and a husband and I am sure countless others that will miss her dearly. I live in a fairly small community where most people grew up with each other so this will be felt by many in our small-town city. While I did not know this woman personally (I am a transplant) I feel her loss and my heart hurts for her family.

The culture we live in has become so fast pace, we rush to here and there. We become consumed with our own life and our own struggles that we lose sight of those around us and then one-day poof it’s gone. Life is so short and we only get one shot at it; so, love well and often. Be mindful of how you love because your actions impact those around you.  At the end of the day the question we should ask ourselves is did I love people enough? How you love people is how they will remember you. Food for thought for my own heart… am I loving enough? It is something God has brought to my attention before because I sometimes get too focused on what I am getting instead of what I am giving.

The Apostle Paul (and I have grown to love the Apostle Paul greatly this last decade of my life, he is a misunderstood fella) gave us a great description of love regardless of your position on faith.

1 Corinthians 13:4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant ⁵ or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; ⁶ it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. ⁷ Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.⁸ Love never ends… (NET)

When I read scripture like that I have to re-evaluate my perception of love because it often loses this definition. I don’t know what you are going through, what you have been through, or who is in your life but it is my deep hope and prayer that you are loved well, you are loved often (and that love is healthy and without abuses) AND that you reciprocate that love. Above all else know that you have a Savior that loves you beyond measure just as you are. Good Morning Ladies…

I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror as I was getting ready to leave my house. You know that glimpse out of the corner of your eye as you’re doing something else. My girls were getting their back to school haircuts today and I was trying to apply some make-up (least I scare every person we encounter). It was that glimpse in the mirror that left me thinking, give me skinny arms Lord. Now, I can hear my sister shake her head and tell me that is ridiculous both my sisters actually, in fact even my adopted sisters. BUT beauty is in the eye of the beholder and this morning it was my eye on me. We tend to be our worst critic.

It started back when we were at the beach a few weeks ago; my youngest daughter pointed out that the back of my arm is “jiggly.” Ouch! Geesh! Kids are brutal.  Since then I’ve kept an eye on my arms. While I do workout five days a week, I have moved away from weights to more cardio but since that lovely conversation with my daughter I have begun to add some weights back into my routine… I’m not looking for muscular arms,  just arms that don’t jiggle… lol

Truthfully, I am not a fan of weights, I have had my fair share of shoulder injuries one landed me in physical therapy for almost a year (so I tread lightly around weights). The only muscle I really want to work and grow would be my faith muscle. Puny faith muscles are not appealing among Christians. It’s true we all want to have big faith, pray big, pray longer, pray better, or the famous just believe, etc… sigh.

Jesus said if you have faith the size of a mustard seed then it would be effective (even through a little bit of faith God can move). I often teach faith is like a muscle you have to work it in order for it grow because we want our faith to grow and it’s a simple concept the kids can get. Faith is believing in something you can’t feel with your senses so to speak. Faith is not easy, in fact faith is hard. Christians will paint faith as being easy, “just believe” they will say which usually leaves you scratching your head thinking if it was that easy then I’d believe! In the simplest terms faith is trusting that God has your best interest at heart. Ah, that trust is difficult to build up if you don’t have a relationship with the Lord and even then, it can be trying.

I’d like to tell you that I trust the Lord immensely and never question Him but that would be a big fat lie. I am constantly giving “stuff” to the Lord and then taking it back, laying “issues” down at His feet and then quietly walking back and picking them back up. That is not very good trust but I am just keeping it real. In fact, I have to apologize to the Lord almost on a weekly basis because I keep taking back stuff I gave Him; that is a trust issue. I often pray, Lord help my unbelief!

For example: Yes, Lord my future is all Yours… then I’ll start fretting over the future… Inviting God into my mess then shutting the door so He has to stand outside of it… ah the examples could go on. Needless to say, the only muscle I want to grow would be that of my faith. Nobody wants jiggly arms, nobody wants jiggly faith. I want to grow my trust in the Lord. When we trust the Lord, we honor Him and I want my life to honor the Lord.

But I still want skinny arms!!  (just not skinny faith) 😊  Good Afternoon Ladies!

ps. jiggly or giggly ? hmmm

It is quiet in my house this morning which means two things: 1. My kids are still sleeping and 2. The Thug has decided to stay in his pen despite that it’s open.

It’s August and I can feel the quietness of the house settling in as we prepare for school to begin. This has been a very busy summer but it has been one of our best summers. We’ve had cousins stay with us, dinner parties, beach time, late summer night swimming in the pool, friends over, and the list could go on. Despite all the “fun-ness” I can feel the ebb of sadness begin to flow, like a tide. At this stage in my life I usually chalk it up to hormonal imbalance because I am forty and have started perimenopause or so I believe.

 I don’t know about you but throughout my life l have dealt with mild depression and anxiety. It’s been a while since I’ve dealt with true depression thank the Lord because those are dark times, I won’t lie in those dark times I have thought about death and I would cry out to the Lord, please take this from me, it’s too much to bear. No matter the situation or my desperation the Lord was there, it does not mean He put me there but that He was there to help me climb out.

As Christians, we aren’t supposed to talk about that kind of stuff because there is this false stigma that we are supposed to be happy non-stop, joyful, full of bliss- that is a bunch of gibberish non-sense. One of my favorite people of the bible is Elijah. (yeah, I do like the OT, I am a nerd like that) Elijah was a mighty prophet for the Lord, great and wonderful things he did for God but at the heart of that mighty prophet was a man with fear, anxiety, and depression… he wasn’t immune to the sufferings of an emotional heart and mind. Oh, religious people would like you to think so but it isn’t true.

In 1 Kings 19, Elijah, finds himself running for his life, his faith had been depleted and he ended up in the desert to die. At this point Elijah is depressed, anxious, and worn-out. So, he tells God to just kill him. I love that God showed up and showed out (even if you aren’t a believer it’s a great rescue story). After giving Elijah, a pep talk and some provision, Elijah is instructed to go wait on Mount Horeb…

This is my favorite part because three things occurred on that mountain: fire, wind, and an earthquake but God wasn’t in those things. So, often in life we get ourselves into these trenches and we want God to show up in some flashy way. In fact, we often times will look for over the top signs that God is around… and here is one of my favorite bible verses about God… 1 Kings 19:12… After the fire, there was a soft whisper.

A soft whisper, a gentle voice, a soothing sound that was the Lord! He was not in the harsh wind, or the damaging earthquake, or the consuming fire (God can certainly be all those things and more) BUT… He was a soft whisper to this old prophet’s ears. I won’t break down the word soft but it has many different meanings one being forgiving. God had and has a forgiving voice… blink, blink… that is huge to me… a forgiving voice!

But I love the picture this paints of God He is loving and tender with this old, worn-out, cranky, depleted man… I love this story because it gives us insight into the people God uses and they are not always happy, joyful, and full of blissfulness. Nope, they like us deal with fear, anxiety, sadness, and even depression. They get themselves into trenches and need assistance getting out… That comforts me and I hope it comforts you… lets tune our ears so we can hear that soft whisper today… Good Morning Ladies!

PS. I think people have a tendency to read that and gloss over the fact that God was a soft whisper, they get caught up in Elijah being taken to heaven in a fiery chariot. While that is mind-blowing it doesn’t bring me comfort what brings me comfort is how God reacted to His servant Elijah when Elijah lost all hope and gave up. God reacted with gentle kindness and concern, not harsh judgment.