Dishes and Diapers

Expect the Unexpected

2012-01-18T23:50:00.002-06:00

I have been reliving my recent trip to west Africa as I look through all the pictures my husband just finished. He was the "official" photographer on the mission trip we were a part of, so he has over 9,000 shots from the span of 10 days! And let me tell you, I am so glad. It is amazing to be able to look at a picture and recall the feeling of the sweat dripping down your face, the gritty dirt in your shoes, the smells that only Africa can produce...

And the unexpected friendships.

One of my favorite days on the trip included a bus ride out of town to a real-live African village - mud walls, grass roofs and all - where we just got to be with the people. We rode into their village in a rumbly, European 4-cylinder van not knowing what to expect. A whole bunch of whiteys piling out of a vehicle is a little strange in an outlying village in Sierra Leone, and some of these villagers had never seen white skin before. Thankfully, before this visit, the local Fresh Hope Ministries team had begun a relationship with them and arranged this particular day of meeting. We were bringing them a water filtration rig so that they could have clean drinking water for the first time EVER. Clean water opens many doors of opportunity in countries outside America, my friends.

There was a big ceremonial meeting in the center building - everybody showed up. Men and women, children, babies attached to their mothers' breasts, dogs, chickens, what have you. It was quite a spectacle. Actually, I think WE were the spectacle.

As the talking and interpreting dragged on, I began to notice faces, demeanors, body language. There were a few women outside of the open-air pavilion sitting on a log. One was a little older - hard to tell ages on their weary, lined faces. I had assumed she was in her late 50's or early 60's, but the missionaries told me she was probably much younger. The life expectancy in Sierra Leone is 48, if that tells you anything.

She seemed quiet. Pensive. Withdrawn. My heart leaped toward her. I got the impression that she was not the favored one, but that she had great beauty hidden inside.

Our afternoon went on: teach the people how to use the water filters and take care of them, laugh and play with the children, take pictures and show the people...receive hilarious laughter as they see themselves in the displays of our cameras. And I still see that one woman off to the side.

I go talk to her. English to Mende. Sweaty white girl to skeptical Sierra Leonean matriarch. She smiles at me, we exchange names. I say hers all wrong. Adama. No, AdamAH. She laughs at me and flashes the most beautiful smile. Then she tentatively reaches up to wipe the ridiculous beads of sweat off the apples of my cheeks. And she laughs at the whole situation again.

We ended up praying for the sick people there in the village. It kind of just erupted without any particularly organized cue from anyone. A woman brought her toddler son over to me and tried to explain in Krio what was wrong with him. I prayed. All of a sudden, I was surrounded by mothers bringing their children for prayer! I was engulfed in the sounds of Krio, Mende and a few strings of broken English, but I prayed for them all. It was exhilarating - like I was born for this, or something. Tummy troubles were healed, headaches dissipated and more than we'll ever know went on during that spontaneous bubble of ministry.

Then it was time to walk down to the river and see their water supply. Our whole team and all the villagers set off on a quarter-mile hike down the dirt road to the river together. I saw Adamah as we were passing the last building before the road and I called out to her. I held out my hand to her, inviting her to come with us. She looked at me a little sideways, not sure, but she came over and took my hand. We walked the whole way like that. No common language, not many common experiences, but friendship we both understood. She became my friend.

That was one of the sweetest walks I have ever taken - hand in hand, deep brown skin to my pasty white, the cords of friendship entwining us together, and - I pray - the presence of the Holy Spirit extended from my heart, healing hers.

That day ended all too soon, even though I was weary and spent in every way.

Well, it just so happened that we were slated to return to that same village! We came back the next night with a generator, a large white drape and some poles....and the Jesus Film in Krio. What an experience! All the people in the village were excited to see us again and they ran up to the van as soon as we pulled in. Everyone was busy unloading gear and getting set up, when a village woman grabbed my hand and pulled me over to the side shouting "Adamah! Adamah!" She took me straight to Adamah and sat me down beside her on a bench so we could watch the movie together. Adamah smiled with that amazing smile as soon as she saw me. Her face lit up and she grabbed my hand. And while I was taking in the sweetness of that moment, I got sardined in the middle of the makeshift bench with about 6 other village women. Up close and personal, let me tell ya. At that point in the trip, my deodorant had given up the ghost, so I just fit right in.

There's so much more I could tell you about that night. The expressions on the faces as they drank in the life of Jesus on film. The people who stayed out - even when it started raining - and wanted to give their hearts to Jesus. The divine appointments. The 23 wet people crammed into a 4-cylinder Euro van that clearly states: 16 passenger maximum. Riding in said Euro van as we traverse a wet, muddy road and attempt to cross a river on a shifty and somewhat hidden log bridge....

But the main thing I am treasuring from that whole overwhelming experience is the wonder of friendship in a very unexpected place. God, watch over Adamah, my padi. (pah-DEE - "friend" in Krio)

Ode to Unwanted Hair

2012-01-11T23:14:00.000-06:00

I look in the mirror and stare
At those nasty little out-of-place hairs.
I pluck and I tweeze and I curse and I sneeze
But tomorrow, I know they'll be there.

I invest in the whole line of Nair
And I strategically plan what I wear.
I wax on, I wax off (hairless friends, please don't scoff -
This is reason enough to despair.)

I only do it because I care.
I refuse to look like a bear.
Fingers and toes, upper lip, chin and nose -
Now really, why IS hair THERE?

Fuzzy abdomen or derriere,
Fuzzy ANYTHING, I swear -
Unless it's a sweater, when fuzzier is better -
Will be smooth and pristine, I declare!

Oh, I'll get you, you little gremlin hairs,
Just you wait. Be scared!
By cream or by laser, by wax or by razor,
You're through! Toodle-oo! So, there.

(Don't get me started on the gray ones...)

Tips Appreciated

2012-01-09T21:25:00.000-06:00

One of these days I'm going to patent the most amazing mom-product EVER. I need a name for it, but basically, it's a soundproof privacy glass (limousine-style) that can be installed in any mom-mobile. I have come to the conclusion that it would be much better for my health if I could shut off the precious voices of my children's whining, bickering and yelling in the backseat. What better solution than to raise a clear, SOUNDPROOF barrier between me and them?!

I think I'm a genius.

And, since our rides will seem more limo-style with the glass up all the time, I'm going to tell the kids to bring their loose change, because chauffers generally appreciate the tips.

Maybe I'll get a hat to make it all official.

I'm over at Destiny In Bloom today!

2012-01-06T10:25:00.003-06:00

Hey friends! Check out my article at Destiny in Bloom today:

http://destinyinbloom.com/the-black-and-white-thinker’s-guide-to-life/

Blessings for today!
Crista

Top 10 Things to Lose for 2012

2011-12-29T17:27:00.001-06:00

Just to put you at ease, I'm telling you up front that this blog post has absolutely nothing to do with your weight! At least the number on the scale.... (and incidentally, I don't own a scale on purpose)

So, with Christmas cookie in hand, I now present the 10 best things you could ever lose this new year:

10. The noisiest game app on your phone.
"Oops, kids, I think that one disappeared somehow. Sorry! Try this new one about knitting."

9. Pet fish.
"Rest in peace, little Finny." Replace little Finny with Ivan the avocado seed (halfway submerged in water) and watch him grow. Fun for all ages.

8. The half-used cosmetic items you have held on to for, oh, 8-10 years or so.
But I don't know anything about that one.

7. That turkey you've had in your freezer from over a year ago.
It's freezer-burned to Hades, my friend. Let it go.

6. Your need to have the last word.
On everything. All the time. Because you're right. About everything.

5. False guilt.
Maybe let this year be the fresh start on knowing what IS your burden to bear and what isn't. Guilt from any source really isn't yours to bear at all, but ESPECIALLY false guilt. False guilt is when you, or someone else heaps bad feelings on you for things beyond your control. Like when your mother says something that makes you feel bad for the way your husband responded to a situation. Not your problem! Don't carry it around! Or, like when a friend hangs the blame for a failure on you, except you had no way to control the outcome. If you twinged when you read the term "false guilt" then I'll bet you have been carrying some on your shoulders, maybe even in your heart. Ask the Holy Spirit to show it to you and help you let it go. Jesus took all our junk, shame and guilt on the cross and did away with it. Don't take it back!

4. False humility.
When someone compliments you or makes a big deal about your performance or abilities or appearance, JUST ACCEPT THE COMPLIMENT! Don't deflect the attention and affection under the guise of "humility." Even saying, "It's all God" smacks of false humility. If it truly were ALL God, it would have been flawless.... Just say, "thank you" with a grateful heart and receive the compliment. The way you honor God with those compliments is by offering them back to Him in your intimate, up-close moments with Him. God loves when you partner with Him. And when you're in step with Him, people will take notice. Let them. The picture of you and God dancing together (in whatever you're doing) speaks so much and reaches deeper into the soul than any compliment deflection ever will. I could preach on this one, but we must move on.

3. Your agenda.
Perhaps you haven't figured it out yet, but sometimes your plans aren't God's plans. I'm just telling you from experience it's SO much better to come to God and ask Him to fill in your schedule rather than bringing your full schedule to God and asking Him for help. When you bring a blank page to Him, He will take you on the most exciting adventure! Let go of your self-imposed schedule and ask the Lord what He has for you this year, this week, today.

2. Your philosophy.
Have you considered that the way you make sense of the world might not be the way it really is? We all see through our own experiences and ideas, naturally. But could this be the year that you let go of your "philosophies" and let God show you what's really going on? He gets excited when you take a step toward Him like that. Just come to Him with openness and a teachable spirit - and you will start seeing and understanding life from His perspective.

1. Your life.
This is the time of year when everyone starts setting goals and making spreadsheets to accomplish their dreams in a matter of twelve months. The human will is actually a very amazing thing - when you determine to do something or become something, you most likely end up doing and becoming. Culture tells us that we must "make something" of ourselves to have life to its fullest....but Jesus tells us the exact opposite: "He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for my sake will find it." Matthew 10:39 NKJV I even like the way The Message says it a little better: "...If your first concern is to look after yourself, you'll never find yourself. But if you forget about yourself and look to Me, you'll find both yourself and Me." Matthew 10:39 MSG

When I say to "lose your life", I am not talking about the cessation of your heartbeat. I mean the laying aside of your dreams, plans, ideas and feelings and letting the God who knit you together show you your life. Letting Him shape you into who you are destined to be - who he designed you to be, and how He sees you in Christ. (Never met Him? Click here and read this.) The best way to end up with a full life is to let God be the Producer, Art Director, Script Writer... Just let go of yourself and fall into the hands of the most capable Being there ever was. Say a blanket "yes" to Him before you even hear the directions. I PROMISE that you will wake up breathing, as if for the first time, and seeing in color like you have never known before. God is amazing. God is truly awesome - in that when you get a glimpse of Him, you are filled with awe. You can trust Him with your life.

So...bring it on, 2012! What have we got to lose?

It's Showtime!

2011-12-14T23:23:00.002-06:00

If you have little ones, then I'll bet you have sat through a "program" or two...and maybe even one or two already this Christmas season. The kids are all excited about being on the big stage, they are so cute in their tiny little dresses and sport coats and curls... You have your phone camera, your real camera and a video camera charged and ready for the big moment when your child will stun the entire audience with his good looks and charm. Perhaps even his talent.

The first song begins...you get some out of focus and wobbly shots of the kid, and then you notice, "I feel like I have been here before..."

Here are some landmarks that you recognize, signaling to your brain, that yes, you have indeed been here before. The world of the little kid "program."

1. The Princess. There's always one, if not multiples, wearing a hugely frilly dress with sparkly tights and sparkly shoes and sparkly hair doodads. They each are so adorable and they know it.

2. The Flasher. You know you're going to see somebody's underwear and somebody's belly button during this show. They're usually my favorite kids.

3. The Statue. There's always that one kid who stares out into space and doesn't move. Won't sing, won't dance, won't even attempt the motions. Juuuuuussssst a statue.

4. The Nose Picker. No public performance is complete without one.

5. The Blasted Cacophony. God bless the kids who just can't find the note. They provide us with such an... interesting, shall we say, buffet of tones to choose from.

Oh, there are other landmarks to let you know you're on the path, but those are some surefire signs that you're trapped in a seat for at least 30 minutes at a Children's Program. Buckle up, slap on your smile and keep the camera rolling. These moments will become priceless as soon as you blink an eye.

Especially at the end of a children's Christmas program, I really feel like standing up and saying the Pledge of Allegiance like Aunt Bethany at the Griswold family Christmas dinner table. It's so cute and festive, and they have done a great job. But it's just a little wonky.

So, here's to many more off-key, Santa + Baby Jesus, nose-picking, belly-flashing moments with your kiddos!

Ho! Ho! Ho! Away in a Manger, and God Bless America!

Some Sparkle In Your Christmas

2011-12-08T00:13:00.001-06:00

Christmas is the best. It's my favorite. The season where people think of others more, where the name of Jesus is uttered by countless lips - from believers and non-believers alike. The time when people open their hearts and begin to see the true beauty of the Love that appeared on our scene one cold night in a stable.

Every year, our family gravitates to someone in need during the Christmas season, and this year is no exception. All the planning and dreaming of how we can bless this person and their family is truly the highlight of the whole thing for me. This December we have been unusually consumed with schedule stuff, so when I saw the spiritual neon sign over the family the Lord was highlighting for us and heard the little "ding-ding-ding" go off in my heart, I just tried to ignore it and move it farther down the books. Like, a week from next Tuesday. But alarms kept going off in my spirit and I just couldn't ignore it. I wanted to lean into the voices that whispered in my ear, "You are in no position to be taking on a family and spending tons of money on them right now. This is way beyond what you're capable of." But the Holy Spirit's tug in my heart was stronger. He kept re-routing my life to run smack into this family and their needs.

So, I finally got in line with Him and reported for duty. And the angels sang! I got a download of heavenly strategy, made a few connections, who made a few connections, who made a few connections... And ba-da-bing! We have a really fun, sneaky surprise Christmas coming for this family! (I keep saying "this family" because I can't let the cat out of the bag yet!)

Who is the Lord highlighting for you? Will you just toss the "you can't do this" voices aside and report for duty? The Lord is amazing. He is not asking you to singlehandedly fund someone's whole life. He is asking you to say yes to Him, and He will then give you ways to bless and care and love like you never imagined.

The way we're doing it this year: mobilize people who know this family, and friends of friends who like to give and bless. Create a list of needs and tell people to get after it. We have already had several gifts come in, gift cards, cash...it's SO CRAZY FUN! We're working on the details of delivery...sneaky, sneaky... And it is going to absolutely blow these people away. You have GOT to get on board, friends!

Ask God who, in your own life, He is wanting to bless. He will definitely show you. Then gather up some friends, co-workers, enemies - whoever - and just see what God will do through you!

How are you blessing people this Christmas? I'd love to hear YOUR story!

The Spirit of Fear

2011-10-21T22:06:00.002-05:00

You know what gets me riled up? Halloween. The culmination of darkness, fear and death - and the celebration of those things. Every year at this time, people I know and love take part in the celebration of Halloween and it irks the living snot out of me.

"Why? It's just a silly holiday. There's nothing wrong with it. We're just having fun", one might retort. In fact, that is the most common response I hear when I challenge anyone on the subject.

Here's my first point: If you believe in Jesus and profess to know Him, then you have no business reveling in darkness. I don't expect all the rest of the atheists, agnostics and non-Christian people to think anything is wrong with Halloween, just people who say they know Jesus. Jesus is LIGHT. Jesus is LIFE. Halloween is darkness. Halloween is death. Do you see the incongruity here??!!

Second point: Fear is a torment from the enemy (Satan, the devil, is your enemy in case you weren't clear on that). What is the biggest emotion people experience when they take part in Halloween festivities? Fear. The Bible even talks about "the spirit of fear", meaning that there is a spiritual force behind the feeling. Fear is not just some little game for a thrill. Fear is a spirit. And it's not a good one.

I have spent so many conversations, prayer times and ministry sessions with people who are TORMENTED by the spirit of fear. I have battled against the spirit of fear for myself, my children and many others. Why on earth would you willingly play his game, people? Satan is a liar. He wants to lure you into his grasp with "fun and games" that seem innocent enough. But Halloween has become a culturally acceptable invitation to the forces of spiritual darkness into our homes, thoughts and lives.

I'm sick of it. I'm sick of seeing a shopping cart of little kids at the grocery store who are crying and begging their mom to go away from the scary masks and bloody costumes. I'm sick of the Christian culture embracing anything to do with darkness. I'm just sick of it.

So, here's the thing. If you celebrate Halloween, I'm not sick of YOU. I'm ready for you to see the goodness and blessing that God has for you, and that it is so much better than anything "fun" you get out of Halloween. Our family seems SO counter-culture on this, but we're not backing down. We are convinced of the awesomeness of our God, and we have decided to let go of everything else that doesn't line up with Him and His ways.

If you're worrying about not having any fun, DON'T! There are so many wonderful things going on during the fall! Pumpkin patches, carnivals and lots of fun family things that don't involve the symbols of evil. You just have to ask the Holy Spirit to transform your thinking. He can, and He will...when you ask.

I pray that you will have eyes to see and ears to hear what God is communicating to you. Don't be fooled, friends.

May the light and life of Jesus rest on you and yours this Fall!

The Blessing Adventure

2011-09-29T12:35:00.000-05:00

I found myself on an airplane, facing two very long flights to Europe, but excited at the prospects of a prayer/mission trip ahead of us. Tim and I got settled into our seats, made sure we had all our important documents secured and then began to chit-chat with the team member sitting next to us for the flight. He was one of the pastors on staff at our church so we were enjoying getting to know him and his story as we passed the time. Turns out he's quite a character - he had us in stitches with the crazy stories he told and the caricature-like portraits he painted with his words.

We careened through several different topics, and then ended up talking about our children and their schools. I began to listen as though huge cotton balls had just been removed from my ears and I couldn't wait to hear the next sentence. This pastor was nonchalantly unfolding the coolest "mission" I had ever heard regarding his kids' teachers. Whenever their kids begin a new school year, they always go meet the teachers, get acquainted and let them know that he is a pastor. Then, he proceeds to explain to each teacher that their family is totally supportive of her and wants to bless her socks off during the school year. He leaves a "favorites" form for her to fill out - candy, soft drinks, coffee, restaurants, movie theaters, day spas - all the little luxuries and preferences the teacher can think of. Then, during the year, they make an EXTRAVAGANT display of love for the teacher by bringing her things from her "favorites list." Sometimes it's just a big Dr. Pepper from Sonic at the end of the school day. Sometimes it is a gift card to her favorite place to eat. Sometimes it is even bigger than that.

Well, this whole story impressed me, inspired me and stuck with me. It made such an impact on me that I just knew our family had to do it, too. So, at the beginning of the last school year, we did! I printed up some little forms for each teacher my children would have regularly and I marched myself up to their respective schools to turn on the hydrant of blessings. I introduced myself, got to know the teachers a little bit, and then told each one how much we already loved them, that we pray for them and that it is our family's mission to bless them ridiculously during this school year. They looked at me like deer caught in the headlights - excited, hopeful deer, but caught in the headlights, nonetheless! Apparently, this is a foreign concept. Do you realize that most of the interaction teachers have with parents is over corrections, complaints or other negative issues? Parents wear those teachers out! I gave each teacher their little "favorites" form and told them to send them back with the kids' stuff whenever they were ready. They gave them back the very same day!!!

You will never believe what an impact this had on those precious ladies! The smallest things - just thoughtfulness - hatched a friendship between us that you never would have dreamed. I was able to lavish love on them and display God's pursuing, extravagant love toward them through gifts. I made it a point to bring them something each week - a favorite Starbucks drink or a favorite candy bar - and once a month, I would bring something bigger from their lists. Just because of this easy-to-do assignmnet (loving on people), I was able to bring joy and peace to them. I was able to pray for them - in general, but they would ASK me to pray for specific things going on in their lives, too.

As the year went on, I watched the Lord work through candy bars, movie tickets, restaurant gift cards and yummy-smelling candles. It was so much fun! I think it's time for all of us who know Jesus to take a step further in loving and blessing people. Even just a small step further. What are the practical things you're doing to bless and love those around you? I'd love to hear it!

15,000 Ways to Inject Light into Darkness

2011-09-20T18:32:00.002-05:00

I'm in Guatemala right now with a team of UHHHHmazing women. These women are the heavy-hitters of the Kingdom. We're spending time in ministry training and seeing the Lord lift things off of us, deposit new things in us, refresh us and lavish His love on us. It's truly overwhelming.

BUT, all that to say, I need an outlet! We had an assignment to present a 5-minute teaching or message to the group today...and I was only able to get out about 25% of what was in my heart to say! The only instruction beyond the time limit was that it should be something we are passionate about. So, since I am SO passionate about the Light (Jesus) and since I SO passionately hate the dark (evil), I am compelled to slap this message on ya. Here you go.

15,000 Ways to Inject Light into Darkness

It is much easier than you think to bring Light into the darkness. Sometimes we assume that we would have to travel to the wilds of Africa in order to truly light the darkness....but it's just not so. I have come up with 15,000 - or maybe slightly fewer - ways that anyone can inject Light wherever you are.

Be nice. Just be NICE, people.
Smile.
Ask people about themselves.
Be a “welcomer.”
Pay for the person’s order behind you in the drive-through.
Randomly show up to a friend’s house with flowers.
Say “I love you” a lot.
Listen to hear what is in a person’s heart, not just what is in their head.
Say “yes” more than you say “no.”
Be quick to forgive.
Mow your neighbor’s yard…just because.
Look people in the eyes and see into their world.
Wear Mickey Mouse ears.
Laugh uncontrollably and develop a guffaw.
Take your smile to the hospital and spread it around.
Laugh at your mistakes.
Embrace people – with your arms, your facial expressions AND your words.
Plug in your neon “open” sign and turn off the “closed” sign.
Dance – even without any audible music.
Be the “gum friend” who always has it and is always offering it to everyone.
Read your situation and choose an appropriate level of response.
Take ownership of your environment - not the trees, but the space you're in. Be responsible for the well-being of those around you at the moment.
Be teachable.
Get over yourself.
Move forward.
Be available.
Sing your little heart out.
Keep other people’s confidences locked in your vault.
Infuse the atmosphere with hope.
Cultivate your sense of humor.
Hang out with the undesirables.

1, 2, skip a few....

2,025. Bake cookies often.

2,026. Share them.

11,999. Translate the Word of Godthrough your actions.

12,000. Meet people where they are.

12,001. Lower your expectations ofothers.

12,002. See the treasure in others.

12,002. Speak to the treasure inothers. Call them THAT name.

12,436. Filter your words and justlet the good stuff come out.

12,437. Refrain.

12,438. Partake.

13,122. Find a younger personto invest in.

13,123. Find an older personto invest in.

13,124. Invest in people.

13,275. Cry with people.

14,999. Tell people they arenot alone.

15,000. SHOW people they are not alone.

Really, all these things thatcan inject Light are simply the things that will easily flow out of you whenyou are led by Holy Spirit. Theseare examples of using your influence to change the atmosphere around you. They are just practical ways to redirect people withbeauty. Spirit-led living is alife of blessing, lifting, caring, sharing, transforming…a life of adventureand joy…a life of messy, laughter-filled FUN!

The things on this listare applicable ways to live out Isaiah 61:

“The Spirit of the LordGod is upon Me, because the Lord has anointed Me to preach good tidings to thepoor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to thecaptives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;

To proclaim the acceptableyear of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all whomourn, to console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, theoil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;

That they may be calledtrees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.”

Here's a whole love-bucket (for you, Elizabeth T.) full of Scripture about LIGHT:

Psalm 18:28 “For You willlight my lamp; the Lord my God will enlighten my darkness.”

Psalm 27:1 “The Lord is my light and my salvation;whom shall I fear? The Lord is thestrength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?”

Psalm 36:9 “For with You is the fountain of life;in Your light we see light.”

Psalm 37:6 “He shall bring forth yourrighteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday.”

Psalm 44:3 “For they did not gain possession ofthe land by their own sword, nor did their own arm save them; But it was Yourright hand, Your arm and the light of Your countenance, because You favoredthem.”

Psalm 56:13 “For You have delivered my soul fromdeath. Have You not kept my feetfrom falling, that I may walk before God in the light of the living?”

Psalm 112:4 “Unto the upright there arises lightin the darkness; He is gracious and full of compassion, and righteous.”

John 1:1-4 “In the beginning was the Word, andthe Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him and without Him, nothing wasmade that was made. In Him waslife, and the life was the light of men.”

John 1:6-9 refers to Jesus as the Light – so when you areshining light, you are bringing life, you are bringing Jesus (THE Life, THE Light, THE Word) into the situation. He isthe answer. He is the one whotransforms. He is the one who dispels the darkness.

So, turn on the Light, my friends! It's not that hard!

Isaiah 60:1-2 “Arise, shine; for your light hascome! And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you. For behold, the darknessshall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people; But the Lord will ariseover you, and His glory will be seen upon you.”

I'm over at Destiny In Bloom...

2011-09-15T21:35:00.000-05:00

Hi friends! In case you haven't seen it yet, I'm over at Destiny in Bloom this week! You can catch the latest at: http://destinyinbloom.com/classified-eyes-only/

Happy hunting!
Crista

Warding off the Plague

2011-08-29T14:51:00.000-05:00

My daughter just finished her first day of second grade! Along with all the excitement of the new school year and new adventures, I have this recurring thought at the beginning of EVERY school year: "We have GOT to keep these kids healthy!"

It seems like once school is in full swing, the plague starts passing from one home to the next. Have you noticed?! A few years ago, I got fed up and did something about it.

The two best things I have ever done for my children's health are:

1. Give them daily probiotics.

Whey my kids were very little, I used powdered probiotics and just mixed it in with their milk or whatever they were drinking.

They never even knew it was in there! And, the benefits of probiotics are HUGE! Your gut needs good bacteria in it to keep you healthy. The bad bacteria are what make you sick and diseased, and you definitely don't want that. That's why your doctor will prescribe ANTIbiotics - to kill the bacteria. However, once you finish a round of antibiotics, your gut is wiped out of all its bacteria - good ones, too. You have to take steps to replenish the good ones. Eating yogurt with live cultures is a great way to do that. But, just to be sure, adding probiotics into your vitamin/supplement regimen will DRASTICALLY improve your health.

When my daughter was 3 1/2 and my son was a baby, they both had gotten a "cold" that we just weren't able to shake. My heart ached for them as I would hear their sad little coughs and moans. I just knew there had to be SOMETHING that could help them. So, we started probiotics...and in a couple of weeks, they were well. They haven't been sick like that in over three years now!

Now that they are a little older, I have switched to chewable tablets for convenience. I don't know if the tablets are any better or any worse than the powdered version. We seem to be maintaining our same level of good health since we switched, though. These are the ones my kids like:

You can find both of these products online in many locations via google.com, or you can check your local health food store. I get mine at Central Market and/or Sprouts.

2. Give them Black Elderberry syrup.

In the crisis point of our sickness, a person at the health food store showed me this wonder-syrup that helped kick the crud in our kiddos' little bods. There are two brands that I have used and liked equally:

Here are the benefits of elderberries according to Methods of Healing (methodsofhealing.com):

"You have probably heard that consuming berries, particularly the dark colored ones can help boost your immunity because they contain powerful antioxidants that help fight free radicals that prematurely age your body or cause disease. The same principle applies with the dark colored elderberries. They contain the same source of anthocyanins, a powerful antioxidant.

Elderberry is primarily used to combat flu and colds because of their antioxidant properties as well as their high amounts of potassium and vitamin C. These berries also have anti-viral and anti-inflammatory properties which greatly help in the fight against colds and flu. Together with the potassium and vitamin C, they help shorten the duration of colds and flu and may even help prevent them too."

I get these elderberry syrups at my health food store, too. Or, if you're so inclined, a google search will produce results out the waz for you.

I just wanted to pass along these secrets to all you baby-mamas out there who are struggling to fight off the funk. You can do it! Your kids will definitely benefit from these immunity boosters, and so will you. Take good care of yourself, woman!

And, before I forget...

If you know me, then it goes without saying, but since some of you don't know me I'm going to say it. I SPEAK health over my kiddos in the name of Jesus. He is the Healer and He is the one who holds everything together. He is the Word. And His covenant with us is one of New Creation. I ACTIVELY proclaim good health over my children - that is my offensive attack, as well as my first line of defense! Then, I use the noggin God gave me to do the things I need to do: feed them good, nutritious food...limit sugar...make sure they get enough sleep...pump them with vitamins and supplements like I showed you above...and so on.

You are a good mom and you can partner with the Healer to turn your kids' health around! Go get 'em, Tiger!

I'd love to hear some things you do to keep your kids healthy...

Toxic Atmosphere

2011-08-27T22:26:00.002-05:00

Have you ever spent a little "too much time" with a person...or persons...or family??? If you have, then I'll bet you totally understand what I mean by the term "toxic atmosphere." Where every breath is a struggle. Where, no matter what you do, you can't seem to escape the looming, poisonous cloud.

If you ask me how I know so much about this, I'll just tell you I have no idea what you're talking about.

BUT, I will tell you some survival tips for the next time you find yourself in this situation.

1. Never leave home without your oxygen mask. Oh, yeah. You own one. It's the collection of Scriptures with your name on them, that the Spirit has breathed on you in your times alone with Him. It's all those words of destiny spoken over you by trusted, faithful friends. It is knowing who you truly are - who God says you are.

2. Put your mask ON. It's one thing to own the mask. It's another thing entirely to put it on. When you go into a toxic situation, you MUST PUT YOUR MASK ON. Don't breathe in the toxic fumes, or you will be affected. Simple as that.

3. Lead with love. The best opener is always a gesture of love. The toxic parties may or may not receive it, but you have set the stage, nevertheless.

4. Pray for compassion and understanding. It can be SO hard to figure out what the issues are when dealing with toxic people. They don't even know what their issues are, believe me! So ask the Spirit to put compassion in your heart for them. Ask for insight so that you can communicate in a way they understand.

5. Laugh a lot. When things aren't going well, just laugh. Laugh about everything. Laugh at the ridiculosityness of the situation...and make up words that reflect it.

6. Set the boundaries. You don't have to let someone else's attitude, demeanor, way of doing things, negativity, lunacy or otherwise...get inside the boundaries you have made. The other person doesn't even have to know the boundary exists. But YOU do. You know where the line is and when to let certain comments fall to the wayside. When to ignore and when to address. You don't have to let someone keep hurting you or crossing the line.

7. See beyond. Keep your eyes focused on something greater. See the toxic person with spiritual eyes so that you can pray for them, encourage them and bring truth (lovingly, in secret code) into their reality. AND, you must see beyond your encounter in the toxic atmosphere. You need to look forward to something else so that you keep hope alive! Plan something else to look forward to before you even enter the situation!

You can't live in a toxic atmosphere. It will kill you. If you feel like your everyday existence is toxic, then you MUST make some changes. Ask the Holy Spirit what to do. Ask Him to shine light into your darkness. One word from the Lord is like a thousand lighthouse beacons in the dark night. Pray for clarity in your confusion. One whisper from the mouth of the Lord can silence all the other voices.

Dear, sweet one, you are too precious to your Father to settle for begging the crumbs at His table. Let Him lift you and set you in your rightful seat at the banquet. Stop accepting the lie that you're too far gone for Him to truly love you. He has a feast beyond your wildest imagination prepared just for you. He's calling you up out of the fumes and into the sweet fragrance of His presence. He is inviting you to come out of survival mode and into relaxing, joy-filled living mode.

Sometimes we must take a trip into toxic territory. Sometimes we can even find ourselves stuck there. Either way, it's not home. Jesus is inviting you to come back home. Say yes.

"So we're not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace. These hard times are small potatoes compared with the coming good times, the lavish celebration prepared for us. There's far more here than meets they eye. The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can't see now will last forever."

2 Corinthians 4:16-18, MSG

Don't Mess With Texas

2011-08-15T20:30:00.001-05:00

I am on a California trip right now and really enjoying the mountains and gargantuan swaths of nature that surround us. I love swimming in a lake that is hugged by mountains. I love REALLY tall trees. I love being close enough to drive to the coast...and then taking a day to drive out there and enjoy it.

BUT...

There are just some things about Texas that I love, too. I am a Texan by birth, and it will always be a part of me. My Texas roots always get tender when I am away, so I just thought I'd bring you along on my list of Texas-ness today. (that rhymes)

1. Boots. Just take a quick look around the room in Texas and you'll find some. Something comforting about that.

2. Longhorn steers. I mean, who doesn't love a cow with ginormous horns??!!

3. Tex-Mex food. Mexican food is not enough. Mexicans could learn a few tricks from us.

4. The friendliest people on the planet. Southern hospitality is pretty amazing, but Texans take the cake. The most fiercely loyal friends I have ever met are Texans.

5. The accent. It's pretty unique...and it used to annoy me when I was younger. I tried so hard to mold my speech into something more proper. Now, I like it. It's home-y to me. Texan will always be my native language.

6. Football and cheerleading. No one gets it like Texans. And don't get me started on homecoming. Mums are the coolest.

7. Gateway Church. My favorite place to connect with God's people and join them in expanding God's Kingdom here on earth. There are lots of great churches in Texas, but this one's my favorite! And my home!

8. Big jewelry. I love me some big silver hoop earrings, girl! While I lived in Tennessee for several years, I purposely toned down the size and sparkle of my jewelry. But, since then I've been set free. Bring on the bling!

9. Big hair. It didn't stop in the '80's, oh no. And that works for me, because no matter what I do, my hair always ends up back in the wavy lion's-mane style I'm currently sporting. My hair fits in Texas. It's my hair home.

10. Big bigness. Everything truly IS bigger in Texas. Food, cars, guns, egos...

Well, thanks for enduring my country-song reminiscence of my homeland. Feel free to brag about your own...

The Right or The Light

2011-07-11T13:08:00.001-05:00

If you are an American, then you know you have the right to free speech. To say what you want. To be offensive and get on other people's nerves just because you want to. You have the right to disagree, the right to your own opinion, and even the right to be flagrantly wrong.

Who ever said that the American way was God's way?

Oh, I'm very thankful for my right to free speech, for sure! Because, included in that right is my freedom to worship God, to speak about Him, and to proclaim His truths from His Word without fear of imprisonment or punishment or death.

But I think we must constantly evaluate the "rights" of our citizenship in our natural country by the light of our citizenship of the Kingdom of God. His Kingdom is our true home. His reality is the REAL reality. And in His Kingdom, words mean something.

Growing up, when I heard about "the Kingdom of God", I assumed people were talking about heaven. I thought that one day, a long time from then, I would finally be old enough to die and go to heaven to see the Kingdom of God. I wasn't super excited about that because it meant I was going to die... But, since I have grown up and had a little more revelation of God and His ways, I understand that God's Kingdom is NOW. It is eternal. It is not contained in the place called heaven - it is being built and expanded by every person who houses the Holy Spirit in their hearts. As a believer in Jesus, I can actively expand the occupation of God's Kingdom here on earth. In fact, I can do it with every footstep I take when I am walking in the Spirit! That's a lot to think about.

But, back to WORDS.

In God's Kingdom, words carry weight. When God speaks, things happen. Things like planets and stars and oceans. Things like light and life and beauty. And because He created us in His image, we have characteristics like Him. Our words carry weight, too. Our words mean something.

Have you noticed that when you let a lot of negative junk come out of your mouth that it doesn't make you feel better? It only makes the toilet-flush of your day spiral a little lower. Have you noticed that when you gripe and complain to your husband (or boss, or friend, for that matter) that he doesn't respond to you with flowers and hugs and warm fuzzies? He's trying to figure out a way to get out of the house and escape! Negative, harsh words make things die.

The good news? Loving, faith-filled words make things LIVE. Don't believe me? Try it. If you're in a hard spot in your marriage, make a decision to only speak positive things to your husband for a few days and watch what happens. Keep the ugly thoughts to yourself, and discuss those only with God. Train your mouth to say good things. Compliment your husband and praise him for the things he's good at. Make a big deal when he does something well or something that means a lot to you. If he's not doing ANYTHING you like and has ZERO praiseworthy character qualities, then you may have to try a little harder....like, "Honey, I am so glad you come home to us!" or, "Babe, you have the best manly walk I have ever seen!" Get creative. Your words have creative power, actually. When you don't see the things you're aching for in your husband, you can prophetically call those things out of him. Speak to him in the way you would if he were already walking in those things. "Honey, I'm so proud of you for your integrity. You make good decisions and stand up for what is right." "Babe, I love how you take care of us. Thank you for working so hard for our family."

The same works for friendships! If you are having a rough time with a friend, speak life into the relationship! And a little "tact" goes a long way. Tact is just shaping your words so that they don't impale those close to you. Instead of a backhanded compliment of "your hair looks so much better since you got it cut!", try actually saying it in a positive way: "I love your new hair cut! You look so good!" Instead of being sarcastic and cutting, try being encouraging and soothing.

Sometimes you do have to have difficult conversations and say potentially hurtful things. Confrontation and conflict are so hard. Most of us try to avoid it at all costs because it IS so hard. But, you can actually experience conflict in a relationship and use words to heal the rift. I could write a whole book on this subject, but I'll spare you for the sake of this post...

I guess I am just feeling the need to call us to a higher understanding of the power in our words. It is the power of life or the power of death - no in-between option for careless words. Either you're creating life and causing it to flourish, or you're killing things. Let's go up a little higher with the Spirit on this. Let's humble ourselves and be teachable...and let God change us in this area. What would happen if we, as wives and moms and women of influence, would really take responsibility for our words? I'm dying to know.

The Entitlement Issue

2011-05-29T00:19:00.002-05:00

I happen to live in a little suburb of Ft. Worth...that is pretty close to another certain little suburb. My little slice is made up of people in the middle or lower-middle class. Average people. Young families with kids, older single people, young couples. Modest cars, modest lifestyles for the most part. Then I drive through another slice where, for some reason, people seem to cut in front of me or push me off the road. I find that I am repeatedly snubbed in stores and restaurants for no apparent reason other than some of these people feel they are more important than everyone else.

Well, lemme tell ya, that really gets my goat. There's this sneaky little bugger called "entitlement" that worms its way into a soul and makes a person think only about themselves, their rights and privileges and how unimportant everything and everyone else is. Entitlement can actually be called many things: snobbiness, rudeness, arrogance, selfishness. But the real root is pride.

Pride is disgusting, isn't it? When you see someone treating others like lowly vermin, don't you just feel your blood start to boil?

I began stewing on this issue one day after I had several run-ins with the Entitlement Club. I kept thinking things like, "Who does she think she IS? Oprah?" "Where's the fire, honey, because I know you didn't just squeeze me out of line!" "Oh, pardon me, Mr. Fancy Car. Please, go ahead and make a place for yourself there. Don't worry about us." I got so up-in-arms thinking about how sickening it was to watch the display of arrogance...and then I came to a screeching halt mid-thought.

I heard the quiet whisper of the Holy Spirit saying, "You're doing the very same thing."

Ruh-roh. What? Show me what You're talking about, God, because I don't think I just road-hogged my way across four lanes to get the spot I wanted on the highway. (defensiveness and sassiness at full throttle)

Apparently, pride is not restricted to a concentrated area of the elite! I may not have overtly acted on it, but I, sure enough, had just thought about my own rights being violated due to that person's behavior. And I certainly let my mind go with it and travel to my mouth. And words came out. I countered entitlement with entitlement and that didn't get us anywhere but messed up. Those EC-ers (Entitlement Club-ers) had left such a bad taste in my mouth that I thought I would get back at them, covertly, by pointing out their flaws and making myself seem better for NEVER doing such things. This may seem relatively harmless to you, but anytime the Holy Spirit points something out, you'd better listen up. He was showing me the contents of my heart...and not in the pretty, sanctified sections.

I realized that I'm still clutching pretty tightly to my "rights." I assume I have the right to drive on the road without being forced off by a bully. I assume I have the right to receive fair treatment in a social setting. I assume I have the right to speak my mind. I assume I have the right to good customer service. I assume I have the right to common courtesy.

In this great Land of Opportunity, we're pretty serious about our rights. It is drilled into us as children and emblazoned on our star-spangled hearts. And there truly are those certain unalienable rights set in motion by God and stated so eloquently in our Declaration of Independence: rights to "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness..."

But I know we've each individually taken our "rights" too far. That's the funny thing about the Kingdom of God. You can't go very far in the Kingdom when you hold up the shield of your rights. It's almost like you are trying to swim through jello while you hold a cast-iron bathtub in front of you. There's a bit of...resistance, shall we say. The Scripture puts it like this:

"...Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for 'God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.'" I Peter 5:5 (NKJV)

God actually RESISTS you when you are prideful. When you champion your own rights. When you make yourself a display of grandeur. BUT, that same verse also lets you in on a Kingdom secret: He gives grace to the humble. Grace is like oil in the gears of a machine: it makes everything work together without getting jammed. When you lay down your rights at the feet of Jesus, He lifts you up and covers you in grace. All of a sudden, you find ease in your movements. You find you can dance - even fly. You're most powerful when you shed your "rights" and receive His grace.

Grace actually makes you more flexible, too. I love the modern day "addition" to the Beatitudes: "Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not break." Ain't that the truth?!

Is it really any way to live when you snap at someone's random misbehavior? I'm done wasting my time with my passive, hidden entitlement. I'm laying down all my "rights" and choosing the Kingdom way: "Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that He may lift you up in due time." I Peter 5:6 (NIV)

I mentioned before about other people's actions leaving a bad taste in my mouth. I'm thinking I'd like to counter the sour with the sweet. My goal is to leave a sweet taste in people's mouths anytime they deal with me - on the road, in the grocery store, at a restaurant, on the phone, at the library, in the school pickup line... Grace makes room for people. Grace values people. And humility is the first step to receiving and extending that wonderful grace.

Some of you are thinking, "Doesn't that make me a doormat, having to cover for people all the time and letting them take advantage of me?" I'm not talking about letting someone harm you. I'm not saying we should all be wimpy and complacent - not at all. What I'm getting at is that snarly beast of pride that gets a claw-hold in your gut and starts getting sassy. Anytime you feel defensiveness swell up or you start to condemn someone for their words or behavior, check yourself for the pride beast. Then cut off its ugly head by humbling yourself.

"If you put yourself above others, you will be put down. But if you humble yourself, you will be honored." Matthew 23:12 (CEV)

"Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love." Ephesians 4:2 (NIV)

"Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up." James 4:10 (NIV)

"...And all of you, serve each other in humility, for 'God opposes the proud, but favors the humble.'" I Peter 5:5 (NLT)

Lord, forgive me for my prideful attitude toward people. I acknowledge that You alone are the Just Judge and You alone are in the highest place. I lay myself down at Your feet, Lord. I love You. I am so grateful to You for saving my life and letting me truly live. I release my rights back to You. Instead of trusting in my rights to protect me, I trust in You to protect me. I don't want You to oppose or resist me, Lord - I want Your favor. So, I humble myself before You and ask You to fill me up with Your Spirit, Your sweetness. Thank You for Your unfailing truth, God. I trust You. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Where has the time gone?!

2011-05-27T09:16:00.000-05:00

Hi friends! It has been way too long since I have posted....just wanted to give you a heads-up that I'm marinating and working on a few new things that should appear soon!

I'm thinking of each of you this morning - even if we've never met - and I am praying that the God of all comfort will comfort you in whatever circumstances you're in today. He is big and loving, and He is singing over you!

Love,
Crista

Check it out!

2011-04-29T15:45:00.000-05:00

I'm over at Destiny in Bloom today - be sure you pop in and check out my article! The DIB girls also love it if you'll leave a quick comment...

Click here to read "The Sweet YES of Grace" on Destiny in Bloom.

Blessings!
Crista

Certain of Life's Uncertainties

2011-03-28T22:14:00.000-05:00

So, why is it that as soon as you pack up all the winter clothes...and you have had weeks of warm temps....that you get a bone-chilling cold snap?! And how about when you roll all your random coins from your car cubbies and deposit them at the bank...only to find yourself on an unfamiliar TOLL ROAD?!

The only things certain in life are the uncertainties, my friend!

Recognize any of these?

-Too much month left at the end of the money
-Pay off your car only to roll it into the shop
-Pull out all the ingredients to bake something and find that someone just used the last two eggs
-Plan a pool party only to watch the torrential downpour
-Share a heartfelt conversation and have something you said come back to bite you
-Step out of your comfort zone and fall flat on your face

...I could go on, but I think you're with me.

Sometimes, it just seems like a great big cosmic joke - and everyone's laughing but you. This is where so many people start questioning God's love, God's plan and even His existence. They can't reconcile their heartaches with a "so-called 'loving' God." Maybe this is you that I'm talking about.

Well, let me breathe some faith back into you. God IS real, and He is in hot pursuit after your heart. He sees every disappointment, every heartache and every trick the Enemy throws at you. He feels what you feel and He hurts right along with you.

Hebrews 4:14-16 "Now that we know what we have - Jesus, this great High Priest with ready access to God - let's not let it slip through our fingers. We don't have a priest who is out of touch with our reality. He's been through weakness and testing, experienced it all - all but the sin. So let's walk right up to him and get what he is so ready to give. Take the mercy, accept the help." (The Message)

The enemy (Satan) wants to rob you of every ounce of hope. He wants to destroy you. He keeps lying to you and throwing darts at you to make you cower and close yourself off. But, do you know who you are? You're not the victim. You're the VICTOR! In Christ, you are the enforcer of His victory. If you have made Jesus the Lord of your life and have experienced a heart exchange from Him, then you don't have to just sit there and "take it" from the enemy! Rise up, sister! Arm yourself with the sword of the Spirit - the Word of God - and cut the enemy down!

John 16:33b "...In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." (NIV)

I John 5:4 "For every child of God defeats this evil world, and we achieve this victory through our faith." (NLT)

Luke 1:37 "Nothing, you see, is impossible with God." (The Message)

Deuteronomy 20:4 "For the Lord your God is going with you! He will fight for you against your enemies, and he will give you victory!" (NLT)

Joshua 23:10 "One man of you shall chase a thousand, for the Lord your God is He who fights for you as he promised." (NKJV)

Isaiah 54:17 " 'No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is from Me,' says the Lord." (NKJV)

2 Corinthians 10:4-5 "For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ..." (NKJV)

If you're going to stop playing the part of the victim and start acting like the Victor, then you MUST have faith. How do you get faith? By hearing the Word of God. The Word is living and active. It will dig deep down into your soul, even as far as your spirit and it will make you come alive. If you take in enough nourishment from the Word, you'll have the faith/strength to stand up and be who God says you are - to do the things He does. If I were you, I would get me some Word on an IV drip. Read it, memorize it, listen to it online or on a recording in the car, sing it, talk about it and USE IT to fuel your faith. When you start believing God's Word, you can begin to do the things it talks about - like stop Satan in his tracks and have dominion over your life and family.

Don't give up! RISE up. Buck up. Cheer up. But most of all, LISTEN UP...to the Word of God. You won't be disappointed! There's nothing uncertain about that.

The funniest thing I've ever heard

2011-03-21T22:47:00.000-05:00

Seems like we could all use some laughs right about now. There is so much heavy stuff pressing on us all...so join me in a laughter break, will you?

Tim and I were watching Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations on TV last night...and, if you don't know, Mr. Bourdain is a colorful individual. He's crass and rough around the edges...but he says some of the funniest stuff! My two favorite lines from the episode last night:

"I feel like forty pounds of crap in a ten pound bag."

(and, well, who hasn't, really?)

"I feel like I've been spit-roasted by the Chechen militia."

(???) and (!!!)

My friend Bradley and I used to laugh as a hobby when we were in college, and he would tell the most hilarious stories about people he encountered...

One of my very favorites is when he - or someone else he knew - was shopping in a grocery store and heard all this commotion on the aisle next to him. It sounded like a mom and her kids trying to get through the store without starting World War III, but all of a sudden, this lady of deep-south ethnicity shouts, "Spatula! I got TWO WORDS for you: BE! HAVE!" (as in, "behave", except all wrong) (and the kid's name was Spatula?!)

Another famous Bradley story is about hearing a different exasperated mother of deep-south ethnicity yelling at her kids...when she had reached her limit she exclaimed in all seriousness, "I will BEAT. YOU. BACK. TO. JESUS." (I have since used that phrase at choice moments in my life...)

And then, there's Craig Ferguson. He's so wrong. And so hilarious. If you're easily offended, just don't watch, okay.

Everybody gets a good laugh from our boy Tom Cruise. Thanks, again, to Craig Ferguson for helping us truly appreciate his madness.

And, if you're just a lot more classic (or classy, should I say), here's one of my all-time favorite comedy pieces from Singing in the Rain. I have posted it a thousand times, but just in case you're the only person who's never partaken:

Make 'Em Laugh

Some other people and sketches that make me laugh so hard I snort/spew my beverage/dry heave, yet am unable to post because I cannot, in good conscience, endorse their content are: (didn't that just sound like a category at the Oscars?!!)

Keenan Thompson in "What Up With That" and his Steve Harvey impersonation on SNL
Jimmy Fallon and Justin Timberlake in "Barry Gibb Talk Show" on SNL
Jimmy Fallon and Bruce Springsteen's "Whip My Hair" - you'll appreciate it if you're a music buff

All of those are easy to find if you just search youtube or google...but you didn't hear it from me....

I hope you've had a few laughs with me - one of my favorite things to do! Love you, my sisters!

"I'm Lost In My Neighborhood!"

2011-02-26T23:15:00.001-06:00

So, if I were to keep an account of my morning, it would look something like this:

Woke up at 5:30am, groggily stumbled into my bathroom and began the task of applying makeup to a still-asleep face. Made it through a few steps, then had to go let the dog out. Decided to make some coffee to get this engine going. Dog back in, coffee in hand, I climbed back up the stairs to resume make-up duty. Worked the face and hair into shape, layered up my clothing - as any modesty-conscious worship leader would - and headed downstairs to gather all my accoutrements for the day's assignment. Guitar? Check. Notebook? Check. Hairspray and emergency fix-it items? Check. Excedrin? Check. You get the idea.

I found my sparkly silver shoes, threw a new pack of gum in my purse and then settled in to wait for my ride. By this time, it's about 6:50am, and I'm thinking, "I've got this covered!"

Well, a few minutes after 7am, my friend who is en route to pick me up sends me this frantic text:

"I'm lost in my neighborhood!!!!!"

I giggled to myself and sent a quick reply to let her know "I believe in you, girl", only to have her name and number pop up on the screen. "Crista, I don't know what's going on! There used to be a road that took me straight over the highway, but now I can't find it!" So, I hopped on good ol' Google Maps and helped her navigate her way through. To her credit, the neighborhood she lives in has built up QUITE a bit over the past few months, and things look completely different from one day to the next. New stop signs where there previously were none...new stores at the corner...roads changing names and taking unexpected jogs. But, when I gave her a landmark and told her that the road changed names for a minute, then she could find her way. She appeared in front of my house about 5 minutes later and we were on our way!

We joked on the ride to the church where we were ministering that there HAD to be a blog written about "I'm lost in my neighborhood!!!!" ....and so here it is! That statement was brimming with spiritual significance...

I mean, haven't you felt that way before? About life, in general? "I'm lost in my own neighborhood. I should know where I am going, but everything looks different. Why can't I see where I'm going? I know there was a road here somewhere."

The journey we're on in life is full of turns, stop signs, merges, dead ends, street name changes and oncoming traffic. Everything is in a constant state of flux. Things we took for granted yesterday may not even exist today. So, how on earth are we supposed to navigate? Is there a way to know where we're going and to make it there on time and unscathed?

Yes. Thank God, yes.

Without taking the driving metaphor too far, I want to point out some things that must be maintained in order to truly see and perceive your position.

1. Vision - If you can't see, then you can't drive. Why do we approach our lives any differently? Our natural eyes tell us one thing - the state of the natural order of things around us.

But we are not of this world.

If you belong to Jesus, then you have another set of eyes that will translate the spiritual world for you. The spiritual world is MORE real than the one we experience with natural senses. The spiritual world is our true existence, but so many times we deny it. We let the grime of the natural get caked on our windshield...and we get used to it. One day, you just start seeing life through the filter of junk and think it's normal. If you don't take the time to get the gunk off the windshield, you set yourself up for disaster. YOU CAN'T SEE THROUGH GUNK.

I'm going to make you mad here: If you're constantly watching TV shows that reflect the morality and values of the fallen world, if your passion is keeping up with the lives of celebrities and their drama, if you spend most of your time engaging in the things the world has to offer, then you can't see. Not really. That STUFF may not even be "that bad" in itself, but if you entangle yourself in the stuff of the world, it will always come back to bite you. It crowds out the pure presence of the Holy Spirit. And by "stuff", I mean anything that the world's table has to offer you - not just TV and celebrities. Can people be legalistic and judgmental on issues like this? For sure. Am I judging you? Nope. I'm warning you. You're either washing your windshield or you're caking grime on it. Do you really want to stay lost in your neighborhood?

2. Hearing - Being able to hear really is crucial to navigation! If you can't hear someone honk their horn at you, you might not realize you need to get back on the right side of the road. If you don't hear the motorcycle speeding by you, you might change lanes right on top of him when he is zooming beside your car. You need to be able to hear when you drive...and you need to be able to hear with your spiritual ears when you're navigating through life.

You spiritual ears hear God, but they also hear the enemy. The enemy speaks lies and condemnation. He reminds us of circumstances, insecurities, failures, loss, devastation, injustice...he wants us to think that the natural stuff is all there is. If you keep listening to him, you're progressively stuffing cotton into your spiritual ears. Then, when you find yourself lost on your own street and stop to pray for direction, you have a hard time hearing the Holy Spirit through all the fluff of lies you stuffed into your ears. YOU CAN'T HEAR WITH PLUGS IN YOUR EARS!

3. Power - You can sit in your car all day and press the accelerator, but if you don't have power, you're not going anywhere, my friend! Your car uses a battery and uses fuel to make your engine function and all your dashboard instruments work. Fuel without a battery is useless. Battery without fuel - also useless. They work in conjunction with each other.

The Word and the Spirit are what make YOU go. They work together. You can have chapters of the Bible memorized - which is fantastic! - but if you don't have the active work of the Holy Spirit in your life, you're not going anywhere except in circles of intellectualism. You can experience the presence of the Spirit and the electricity of His power in you, but if you're not also fueled with the Word, you will short out. NO POWER = NO GO.

So, what do you do when you find yourself sitting in your car with a caked-up windshield, earplugs in your ears and no power?

1. Get the gunk off! Remove the sources of gunk in your life! Quit devoting your time and attention to superficial, gossip-y garbage. Replace those things with things that point you to God: friendships with people who love God, reading the Bible, listening to worship music or music that lifts your soul...LOTS of things! Ask the Lord to fill in the blanks for you, and He will.

2. Take the cotton out of your ears! Learn to distinguish between the enemy's voice and God's voice. How? Get in the Word. The more you know the Word, the more you'll recognize God's voice - His book sounds like Him. The more you listen to God's voice and believe Him, the more you'll clean the other obstructions out so you can hear better, quicker and much more clearly.

3. Check your fuel and your battery - Word and Spirit. Are you taking in a steady diet of God's Word? If not, don't beat yourself up - just START! It's never too late to get into God's Word. If you miss a day, start again. No condemnation - only blessings. You're not bad if you don't - you just take yourself out from under a steady flow of God's blessings. Are you yielding to the voice and will of the Holy Spirit in your life? If not, it's never too late to start. In fact, you have to start over every day...sometimes even every hour... If you have given your life to Jesus, then the Holy Spirit lives in you. He "indwells" you and is always with you. You can hear Him if you listen. If you want to experience the Holy Spirit's power operating in you/through you, then you can be "baptized in" the Holy Spirit. He will release powerful gifts in you that equip you for some special ops-levels of life navigation...that's the fun part. :)

Whew! I hope that gets you thinking... It's always good to do a little evaluation on what you're taking in, what you're giving out and where you're going. Happy trails, friends!

Join me over at Destiny in Bloom today!

2011-02-11T13:31:00.001-06:00

Hey friends! I'm the featured writer on Destiny in Bloom today, so come on over and check it out! You might even wanna subscribe while you're there - it's free, and there are tons of great articles and helpful insights coming through there all the time!

www.destinyinbloom.com

Much love,
Crista

You Are My Passion

2011-02-10T10:00:00.002-06:00

Just a quick post of a Jesus Culture song today...I'm swimming in it and just wanted to share.

Seasonal Depression

2011-01-10T18:38:00.000-06:00

Hope you are all enjoying a good dose of winter wherever you are...even those of you who haven't seen snowy weather!

I wanted to delve into another aspect of depression - even though I have previously written "the depression article" and I know you have heard me talk about it before. For those of us who have a melancholy side, and for anyone, really, it is good to take stock of how you're "doing." Starting a new year can get the adrenaline pumping and get you motivated to make some changes in your life. That's a good thing! But for some, you may find yourself in a puddle at the end of the day, unable to take another step. You feel overwhelmed, sad, grouchy and sleepy. If you feel this way on a regular basis, you might be under the effects of "seasonal depression." Seasonal depression, simply put, is just that your emotions are being affected by the cold and darkness of the season and/or weather you are experiencing.

Now, I'm no psychologist, so don't go quoting me to your medical and counseling professionals. But, I do know that I struggle EVERY year when Daylight Savings Time ends and the days start getting shorter. That old familiar darkness that used to be on me seems to come looking for its old home again. And, then, bring on a string of cold, wintery days and I could potentially be found in the fetal position in my room with the door closed.

Why am I bringing this up? I just have a sense that some of you are struggling and you don't know why. And you need some encouragement. And some options.

So, here we go.

First of all, if you think you have this seasonal depression thing, don't panic. God actually made our bodies to respond to external stimuli! You would be weird if you acted the same way in the winter as you do in the summer. For real. (unless you live in one of those tropical places...always with the loopholes)

Next, there are so many things that you can do to help yourself get out of the funk! Beating seasonal depression is really about managing yourself. (You'd better check yourself before you wreck yourself.) God made you with high intelligence to be able to steward your entire being - spirit, soul and body. Your responses are completely up to you. If you want to feel better, start doing things that make you feel better:

-Get the kids in bed 30 minutes early and take a long bubble bath.
-Put your favorite music on your iPod or mp3 player and keep it with the earphones in your pocket at all times. Pop those babies in and be transported.
-Schedule a date night with your man.
-Have some friends over for coffee and dessert.
-Choose a fun family activity with your children.
-Go check out new books at the library and declare a certain hour of the day to be your personal reading hour.
-Put good things into your body - like fruit and veggies. Quit it with the junk and you'll feel better in a few days.
-Take your vitamins! (preaching to myself, here)
-Dedicate time to hear from God. Read the Bible and listen for His voice. Let His Spirit breathe life into your spirit.
-Listen to an audio recording of the Bible while you're doing stuff around the house.
-Turn on the lights. Literally. Quit sitting in a dark house.
-Get yourself into the sunshine if you see any peeking through the wall of winter clouds.
-Limit your time with people who are "downers." Negativity breeds, whether you want it to or not.
-Light a yummy-smelling candle.
-Snuggle with your husband.
-Laugh! Find a movie or book that you find hilarious and keep it around.
-Think about good things. If you have trouble with that, make some lists (of good things!) and post them around your house and in your car.
-Invest yourself in a worthy cause - serving in your church, helping a friend in need, volunteering at a shelter, tutoring a student, grocery shopping for someone who can't get out...

This list is all a jumble of things that correlate to the three parts of you - body, soul and spirit. You can't just tweak things in one part and expect the rest to work itself out. Be a good steward of YOU by taking care of your whole self. I know that as a mom you are very outwardly focused and there are many demands on you. Believe you me, I know. But it is imperative that you deal with your kids and home/responsibilities from a place of life and fullness. If you're always running on empty, pretty soon the whole system will just crash. I call that "an episode." And it's not pretty. By taking some steps to get yourself back on track, you will be able to see your life with clarity and operate in peace.

Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal what's going on inside you. He can help pinpoint where things are going wrong, and He can help move you in the direction you need to go. Ask Him to help you find a couple of things from this list that will start making a difference in how you feel. He's the best Counselor EVER, by the way.

The good news: seasonal depression is not a sentence to be served. It's just a bothersome condition that can be remedied. I pray that the Great Physician will reveal your diagnosis deep into your spirit. You are His daughter and you are made perfect by His redeeming work in your life. You and He are a great team and there's nothing that will come against you that you cannot decimate together.

Seasonal depression, BEGONE!

A Mom's Top 10 Ways To Start a New Year

2011-01-03T21:31:00.000-06:00

10. Clean out your undies drawer. I mean, who needs last year's Hanes Her Way styles anyway?

9. Collect all of last year's magazines lying around your house and take them to the recycle bin. Wait, I need that one and that one...okay, those can go...oooh, look what she's wearing! Mmmm...I should make this for dinner tonight. Why am I in the garage again?

8. Call HazMat. (see #7)

7. Vacuum every nook and cranny of your home. I'll get you, you vile filth! No more dead skin cells collecting in THIS house, you hear? Oh, look, baby - I found your lost sippy cup of milk...that is now a hazmat situation...

6. Go through kids' closets and drawers to clear out all the clothes that no longer fit them. Sort into piles of "save", "sell" and "donate". Add up in your mind how much money you could make from consignment versus garage sale. Add up in your mind how much you spent for all those clothes in the first place. Put them back in the drawers. They can wear those a little longer.

5. Choose a diet/exercise regimen that will work for you in this phase of your life. Being very realistic, check into zumba classes, weight watchers and possibly just finding friends who don't care if you get fatter this year.

4. Carefully repack all the Christmas decorations and tree ornaments that you so tediously displayed last month. Except for the baby Jesus from nativity #3, which has suddenly gone missing. Along with a sheep and a nutcracker.

3. Rearrange the furniture. New year, new look! Be sure to vacuum under there. Oh. My. Word. Honey, I just found a memory card, $20 and your driver's license!

2. Do a happy dance for the family routines coming back online! School, naps, regular eating, everyone sleeping in their own beds again, predictability. Budget, schedule, responsibilities... SCHOOL, NAPS, REGULAR EATING, EVERYONE SLEEPING IN THEIR OWN BEDS AGAIN... (gotta focus on the positives)

1. Take stock of the goals you accomplished last year. Write out your goals for your family and for yourself for this new year. Make a spreadsheet of steps to help you get there month-by-month. Or just take a power nap before the baby wakes up.

But, in all seriousness...my prayer for each one of you reading this ridiculous list is that you will know the presence of the Lord much stronger in your life this year than ever before. I pray that the eyes of your heart will be enlightened to know how immensely vast your Father's love is for you. I pray that the Holy Spirit will be your shield and your rear guard and will guide you into all Truth. I pray that you will see yourself for who you truly are - the way your Father sees you - the glorious, powerful, influential you. I pray for divine wisdom to rest on you as you nurture your family and train your children. I pray for a fresh anointing over your life to rise up into all you are created and called to be. I pray victory in your life and in your home in the name of Jesus!

Make this year the one where you get to know your amazing God better than ever before. He is waiting to dance with you!

Blessings for 2011!

How to Enjoy The Holidays When You're Strapped for Cash

2010-12-14T22:54:00.000-06:00

No $$$ for Christmas? I feel you, believe me. I know that our personal financial troubles have not been the worst of the worst, but there have been Decembers-past that were extremely difficult. And after we had children, the pressure and emotions of the situation increased dramatically.

In our consumer-based society, we feel guilty and ashamed if we are not able to provide a dream Christmas for our children. You feel somehow less of a person if there are no gifts - or even some years, no tree.

Well, let me give you a few pointers to help you get over the consumerism of Christmas and to lead your family - no matter what your situation - on the trail of Christmas joy.

1. Lighten up.

Many people in many countries are going through struggles that match yours - and millions far worse. Quit strapping on the burden of guilt and shame. Quit condemning yourself.

"There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus..." Rom. 8:1

2. Look around.

Make time to really take in the family who surrounds you. Look at your children, your spouse - or if you are single, look at the people God has placed in your life who love you. Family is HUGE. All families have issues and problems, but there's nothing like the love and support of a family to keep you moving forward.

"God sets the lonely in families..." Ps. 68:6a

3. Focus on what matters.

Rally your troops around the things that truly matter - Jesus, the celebration of His birth, loving each other, blessing people, sharing Jesus' love and forgiveness with others.

"'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." Matt. 22:37-40

4. Use what you have.

Fancy meals out of the question? Then use what you have. You can make a food pantry menu look festive if you use a little creativity. Scrounge up some loose change from somewhere and get a bag of marshmallows to add into your fruit-cocktail-out-of-a-can. Find the half-used candles you stashed somewhere and light those puppies up to cast a glow on your beans and cornbread! And decorations? Make 'em. You know you learned how to cut paper snowflakes in elementary school. You can make a paper chains and string popcorn...or use leaves and berries you find outside in fun, unusual ways. Use your knowledge, experience and creativity to make the time together special. You're equipped for this - you can do it!

"‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’" Matt. 25:21

5. Bless other people.

One of the best ways to stop feeling sorry for yourself is to love and serve other people. There will always be someone worse off than you are. Find them and love on them! Find a family who needs the clothes your children have outgrown and do a Secret Santa drop. Go serve in a shelter in your town. Volunteer in your church to do something - even picking up trash or something very menial. When you force your focus on giving rather than your lack of receiving, your heart will change...and then your outlook will change, too.

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’" Matt. 25:34-40

6. Be thankful.

A heart filled with gratitude is as rich as a person will ever be. If you can push aside the heaviness and sadness for just a brief moment and begin to identify things you are thankful for...then you're switching on the light inside you. Ask God to put the seeds of gratitude in your heart and then take initiative to make them grow. Nurture those seeds with the Light of Jesus' presence and the Rain of the Holy Spirit in your life. Once you start doing that, it will get easier and easier to let thankfulness roll off your tongue. Where bitterness and negativity used to be, you'll find grace and thanks. I had to train myself to think this way, and then I began to feel this way. I would make a list of things I was thankful for. It started out with the usual things: my family, my job, my car, my church, my friends...but as I exercised those muscles, I started seeing SO many things I was thankful for! How the Lord protected me that day in a certain situation, how He blessed me with exactly enough gas money to get me through until we got paid again, the fun time I had with my kids. And THEN, I started prophetically thanking God for things that hadn't even happened yet! Thanking God for the work he was bringing Tim (when we had no jobs on the books), for the new car God would bless us with (when we had one beater car that we shared), for the money to pay our electric bill that was past due (and we had overdrawn our checking account). Amazingly, when I would prophetically (speak truth into the situation before anything was happening) thank God for His goodness and provision in our lives, we saw it happen! Thankfulness is key - and you can be thankful no matter what your financial status is.

"So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness." Col. 2:6-7

If you'll try some of these things, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised at how much you can enjoy Christmas - even though you're not spending excessive amounts of money on toys. And once you've started leading your family down this road, you'll be so glad you did.

I pray that Emmanuel is with you and will fill your hearts, home and family with His love! Christmas blessings to you!

Love,
Crista

And the winner is...

2010-12-06T19:11:00.001-06:00

ACTUALLY, the winnerS are:

1. commenter "jenniferarb"

2. commenter "Keepin' Up with the Joneses" (Jenny, I know this is you)

Congrats! Please send me an email with your mailing address and I'll get your CD in the mail to you this week! cristaashworth@yahoo.com

And thanks to everyone who read my very first CD review and reposted on your own personal pages. You can still get the free song download by clicking on the link in the review, and you can still use the coupon code DISHESANDDIAPERS to get 20% off your order in the Seeds store: www.seedsmusicstore.com.

I hope you'll check back often and even subscribe to my blog - sometimes I have some good stuff to pass along!

Blessings,
Crista

CD Drawing

2010-12-06T07:23:00.002-06:00

Hey! Just a quick update: the drawing for the free CD is actually going to happen today...sorry for the delay! I'll post the winner sometime this afternoon. Hope it's you!

Just FYI...

2010-12-03T15:42:00.000-06:00

Hey Baby Mamas! (and all the rest of you, too)

Just to let you know, I'm also writing on Destiny In Bloom occasionally! If you haven't had a chance to check it out, please do! www.destinyinbloom.com I have an article/story up today!

And, there's still a day or so left to enter for the drawing of the free Seeds Family Worship CD...

Blessings!
Crista

Your Word I have hidden in my heart....

2010-11-27T16:04:00.000-06:00

As a mom, one of my biggest desires is to plant the Word of God deep in my children's hearts. From my own journey, I KNOW that God's Word contained in Scripture breathes life into my soul - and I want that for my kids!

So, on my quest to find vehicles that will help me accomplish this goal, I have tried listening to many a Scripture CD with Bible verses set to music. Unfortunately, I have usually ended up chucking them or trying to sell them for a quarter at my garage sales. (My musician background just won't let me listen to poorly crafted or lamely executed songs - ESPECIALLY when it is supposed to be something about the Lord!) But now, my CD chucking days are over!

I started hearing about Seeds Family Worship about a year ago from my friend Michelle's posts on Facebook...and then my sister in law, Holly was raving about them this summer. But a couple of months ago, I began to listen to what they actually do. They are AWESOME!!! I just finished listening to their first CD called Seeds of Courage and I wanted to give a little "review" of the album and encourage you to check it out!

Seeds of Courage by Seeds Family Worship
(be sure to read all the way to the end....there's a giveaway!)

This CD has twelve short, catchy songs on it, and I can honestly say I didn't hate any of them! Isn't that terrible?! But, this is truly the first Scripture song CD that I have ever liked and would recommend to anyone. Things I like about it? The styles of music they use range from pop-country to a nod at rockabilly to folk-rock. They are largely guitar-driven, so they are upbeat and accessible. They use real worship leaders as the lead vocalists and add children's voices in different spots. One of the best things is that the songs actually feel like songs - a "hook", a chorus, an A-secton and B-section, etc. There was musical ability used to craft these songs, and therefore you don't feel awkward when you sit down and listen or try to sing them. Then, since a strong musical framework is there, you can really get the message of the Bible verse they are putting on display. I truly applaud them as musicians because they have created a musically intelligent medium that doesn't insult the Scripture! Great job, Seeds people!

My favorite songs on the album are the first one - "Call to Me", the text from Jeremiah 33:3 - and number eight, "Never Be Shaken", using Psalm 62:1-2. Those are my favorites partially because those two verses are special to me, but also because the marriage of the music and the words seems to hit my heart in a profoundly meaningful way.

This CD is quickly rising into high rotation around our house...and I know that before too long my kids will know every word. And THAT is gold to me!

Please check out the Seeds website and find out more about them. I am so very impressed with what they do and who they are. Besides their five CD's (and a new sixth one coming soon), they offer a monthly newsletter, Youtube videos to aid in your own family's worship experience, suggestions for family worship activities at home and so much more. Oh, and lest I forget, one of the coolest things about Seeds is that each CD you buy is actually TWO CD's! One for you and one to give to someone else!

...and about that new CD...their newest album Seeds of Character is available for pre-order beginning December 1! You can find out more info here: Seeds of Character

Because you are all so kind to read my blog...and because the Seeds folks are so cool...I have a link for a free song download: click here ....AND, a CD to give away! If you want to be entered into the drawing for the CD*, leave me a comment! That'll get you one entry, but if you want another, share this blog post online by using the buttons at the bottom, and let me know in your comment that you have done it. (Jesus is watching you.)

And, since EVERYONE needs Seeds Family Worship in your home, all my readers can get 20% off your order in the Seeds store by using this code: DISHESANDDIAPERS

Thanks for taking time to read about Seeds - I hope you enjoy the music as much as I do. And I hope that the seeds of God's Word will be planted and watered in the hearts of every person in your home!

(the drawing for the CD will take place on December 5 and the winner will be posted here on the blog)

Practical Practicalness from Mrs. Practicality

2010-10-30T01:20:00.001-05:00

Haha! I KNOW that "practicalness" is not really a word...but it just had a ring to it...

Seriously, though, I have been thinking about a handful of practical tips that have made such a difference in my home. I decided to break away from the normal perspective-shifting diatribe and venture into the land of all things domestic! So, here are my 5 all-time best "practical tips":

1. White vinegar, baking soda and tea tree oil can clean pretty much everything in your home.

I use white vinegar to mop my laminate and tile floors, run it through my dishwasher on occasion and have used it to soften calcium build-up in my bathtub and shower. Baking soda has removed many a foul stench from my home and car - it can even soak up vomit and remove the smell! Tea tree oil, although more expensive than vinegar or baking soda, is a very effective cleaner and also has topical medicinal benefits. I have used it several times to help deep bruises disappear - it's amazing! Aaaaaaaand...all three substances are safe and nontoxic alternatives to chemical cleaners. Click the highlighted words to find out more...

2. Probiotics.

After my son had his second ear infection as an infant, I decided to get down and dirty with the war against germs and bacteria. I marched myself into the health food store and asked what I should do...and came home with a few wonderful products that have made all the difference in my children's health. One of which is powdered probiotics. There are several brands, and different strengths/doses for children and adults. I just put 1/4 tsp. of the powder into my son's milk every morning and he hasn't had a significant cough or cold in at least two years! It is always wise to get advice from health professionals when introducing something new into your diet or your children's diets, but I HIGHLY recommend probiotics to keep everyone healthy. (this is the one I use)

3. Establish a "per-meal price" when meal-planning.

As you get a grasp on feeding your family, regardless of the number of mouths, it helps to set a cap on what you can or want to spend per meal. As I plan our family's meals and make my grocery list, I try to make sure the average price of each dinner is at $5. Doesn't sound like much, I know. But a little creativity and humility can make all the difference in the bottom line of the grocery money. A few nights a week, we will eat for SUPER cheap: rice and beans, spaghetti, pancakes and eggs, grilled cheese sandwiches and soup. Those meals for my family of four (actually three, since Graham doesn't eat) cost us $2 or $3. Then, I can choose a couple of meals that are the highlights: steak and baked potatoes with a yummy salad, or fish and fancy veggies, etc. You will have to adjust the per-meal amount for your own family, but I think it is a great way to get a handle on what you spend and the meals you plan.

4. Set achievable goals and offer rewards.

You can do this for your children and even for yourself and your spouse. Have specific things laid out to accomplish - whether it be daily responsibilities or specific projects - and designate an appropriate reward when that task has been completed. Both of my children, ages 6 and 3, respond extremely well to "putting stickers on their charts" when they have done what I asked them to do. Once they fill up a certain amount, they get the carrot I have been dangling in front of them as motivation. My daughter has a couple of expensive toys on her most-wanted list, so when she reaches 100 stickers for doing homework with a good attitude, I will probably be taking her to the American Girl Store... If you need motivation to get something done, set a time limit and decide what you will give yourself as a reward - it could be anything! A Dr. Pepper, extra time to yourself, a new pair of earrings, a nap. (A nap is GOLD in my book!) Rewards are the spoonfuls of sugar that help the medicine go down!

5. Pray first.

This is my trump card. Before you pick up the phone to call your mom, your best friend or your husband to tell them what just happened, pray. As you are trying to figure out how to get your baby to stop crying and go back to sleep, pray. When you have taken a serious emotional hit, pray. When you need to make a decision, pray. When you want to buy something, pray. When you are overjoyed, pray. When you have won, pray. When you have lost, pray. You see, prayer is not some religious ritual that must be checked off your list. Prayer is your lifeline to God. It is conversing with Him, connecting with Him and hearing Him. His voice is the most important one to speak into your life. His thoughts about you are the thoughts that matter most. He has all the answers and He loves you so much more than you can even imagine. He is just waiting for you to pick up the other end of the line. This is the most practical thing I could ever pass on to anyone.

And there it is, folks. The Fab Five. Take 'em or leave 'em, but I pray you are blessed going in and blessed going out...and that everything you set your hands to will prosper!

Wellspring

2010-10-11T20:57:00.000-05:00

If you have been in church for a while, I'm almost sure you have heard the phrase, "guard your heart." It is a good phrase. It is in the Bible. But, for some reason, we nod at it and agree mentally while having no understanding (revelation) of how to actually do it. We assume that guarding our hearts means building up a wall around our emotions and not letting anyone proceed past a certain point. Or, we assume that the wall must keep our own emotions tucked safely inside so we can't reach out too far and get hurt.

Guarding your heart is much more than constructing a fortress. Guarding your heart is stewarding the place where life springs up in you. Proverbs 4:23 is the famous verse on the subject - read it in a few different versions:

"Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life." (NIV)

"Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life." (NKJV)

"Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life." (NLT)

"Keep and guard your heart with all vigilance and above all that you guard, for out of it flow the springs of life." (Amplified)

"Keep vigilant watch over your heart; that's where life starts." (MSG)

God puts great emphasis on your heart. The core of who you are. When you make the decision to follow Jesus or when you have a salvation encounter with Him, we say that you are "giving Him your heart" - that He comes to "live in your heart." The Scripture equates our beings to the Temple - instead of a Temple made of stone and wood, we are living, breathing Temples where the Holy Spirit dwells - the Holy of Holies being in our hearts. Your heart is the most sacred place, the innermost "room" where you meet with Holy God. Pretty amazing.

I just read Waking the Dead by John Eldredge - a MUST READ - and he discusses a whole lot about the heart. He points out that we have believed so many lies from the enemy about who we are - foundationally, that our hearts are bad. We tend to mentally believe that yes, we have been saved from our sins, but we struggle every day with ourselves because we must curb our bad behavior because we are bad people. Our tendencies are bad, our responses are bad, our thoughts are bad...yadda, yadda, yadda. Newsflash: those are lies.

When you have a transforming encounter with God where you give Him your heart, He permanently removes the old one and replaces it with a perfect one. He cleanses you with Jesus' blood. He comes to live inside you IN YOUR HEART. You are a new creation - not the same person as when you woke up that morning. God talks about this heart exchange in Scripture:

"...I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh." Ezekiel 11:19b

"I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh." Ezekiel 36:26

Basically, what John Eldredge takes several chapters to unravel is that, once you have given your heart to God, your heart is good. God changes you, transforms you and gives you a "heart transplant" so that you are no longer sinful in your core. You are living out of a spring of GOODness that God placed in you. Good things coming out of a good heart is your new normal. That sheds a completely different light on things, wouldn't you say? And that gives us all the more reason to guard it.

So, with all that foundation laid, how the heck do we do this heart-guarding business?! Well, I learned something new from Pastor Lynda Grove a while back when she was talking on this subject. She took us to Song of Solomon chapter 2, where the Lover (Jesus) calls to his beloved (you) to come meet him in the vineyard/garden. And then he says this: "Catch for us the foxes, the little foxes that ruin the vineyards, our vineyards that are in bloom." (S. of S. 2:15) Your heart - your intimate meeting place with God - is likened to a garden or a vineyard. And Jesus calls you to come and meet Him there. He is the Lover of your soul and he yearns to be with you. The meeting place is important. He can't truly have all your attention and affection if you are distracted by your surroundings. So, He gave instruction to "catch the little foxes...that ruin the vineyards..." so that your meeting would be unhindered. A vineyard back then would have had a fence around it to keep most animals out, but the little ones...those are the sneaky little buggers who caused trouble. What did the vineyard owners to do about the little foxes, then? They tied a string of little clay pots together and hung them at the end of each row. When the wind blew, the pots would clank together and scare away any animal who was able to sneak in. The pots made a loud noise and frightened away the enemy.

That rings of something spiritual... For most of us, we're not battling big giants on a daily basis. We're battling the little, pesky problems that seem to come in and wreck everything. Annoying family members, money issues, lack of sleep, potty training.... So how do we chase those things out of our hearts? Clank some clay pots together - or, rather, do some praising! Clap your hands! Stomp your feet! Shout, sing, dance and praise your God! Praise will scatter your enemies - and no little "foxes" can stay around because they are SCARED!

There have been many, MANY times when it seemed like I was banging my head against the proverbial wall, and I had to drop everything to purposefully praise God. My kids would be screaming, my bank account would be overdrawn, my mind would be in chaos, but I knew that if I could begin to praise God that He could bring order to my world. You see, when you praise Him, He comes to sit down with you. Your Big God shows up in His glory - and sketchy little things can't stay in the room with that.

Here's the tricky part: once you're in the heat of the battle and you feel like the stinkin' little foxes are attacking from every side, you're not going to feel like opening your mouth to praise. No, not one little bit. But you need to shove your feelings aside and do it anyway. Would you rather continue in the torture? Just force out SOMETHING to declare His praises - and you'll find that the vice-grip around your neck loosens just a bit. So, then you take a deep breath and shout out or sing out your praises! And pretty soon, you'll find that you're face to face with sweet Daddy God and everything else has melted away.

Guard that precious heart of yours - the new heart that God have you in exchange for the old one. Guard it fiercely with praises to the King. As long as you are declaring His goodness, faithfulness, beauty, grace, and so much more, little creepers can't find a place to get any good bites!

So, my friends, let's SING! SING! SING! Again, with the Chris Tomlin, I know! :)

And if our God is for us...

2010-09-17T14:29:00.000-05:00

The more I follow Jesus, the easier it becomes for me to see past the natural fabric of the world in front of my eyes and see into what's really going on.

I think we could all agree that there is a struggle between good and evil going on around us. We sense it in our government, in our cities, in our relationships, pretty much everywhere. Most of the time, people dismiss it and continue on in their own comfort levels in their own little bubbles of existence. It's so much easier not to care.

I just finished reading Waking the Dead by John Eldredge - whew! Amazing revelation for me! I totally recommend it! Hang through the first chunk of the book and then it gets reeeeally good. Anyway, in Waking the Dead, he uses many movie/book references that take us to a deep place in our hearts regarding the battle between good and evil, life and death. Is it any wonder why the movies and books that resonate with us so deeply are the epics that portray the triumph of good over evil? He uses movies like The Matrix and The Lord of the Rings trilogy to express what is already written in the base code of our hearts.

One of my favorite quotes he uses is from The Two Towers when Aragorn was trying to persuade the king of the region to arm up for battle. Here's a quick excerpt of the book Waking the Dead, chapter 10 Setting Hearts Free:

"In the second film of The Lord of the Rings trilogy - The Two Towers - there is a king who is reluctant to go to war. Theoden, lord of the horse warriors of Rohan, is fearful and timid. An army is marching through his lands, an army bred for a single purpose: to destroy the world of men. Villages fall; women and children are slain. Still Theoden balks: 'I will not risk open war.' 'Open war is upon you, ' says Aragorn, 'whether you would risk it or not.' As I watched this scene I could not help thinking of the church. It made me so sad. I love the Bride of Christ. I hate to see her captive an any way. The primary reason most people do not know the freedom and life Christ promised is that they won't fight for it, or they have been told not to fight for it. Friends, we are now in the midst of an epic battle, a brutal and vicious war against an Enemy who knows his time is short. Open war is upon you, whether you would risk it or not."

Now, I loved all the Lord of the Rings books and movies, but I have never dissected them so intricately as that! And what a true parallel from that story into our reality. We can hide out and pretend like everything is good and easy all the time, but that doesn't mean the armies of hell aren't on our doorstep.

It is HIGH TIME for us to be sober and vigilant, just like we have been instructed in Scripture!

Can people get carried away by weirdness? Yes. Can Christians be too preoccupied with demons? Yes. Are those reasons enough to exempt yourself from the battle? No. In my growing up years, I fell into a camp of believers who didn't have much revelation into the working of the Holy Spirit. We were fearful of things in "the charismatic" portion of the Church. We only saw the crazies and the spiritual abusers who displayed strange weirdness and called it the Holy Spirit. We knew we didn't want any of that. But, as I continued on with Jesus, He introduced me to the Holy Spirit so that I could know Him for myself. I came to see the Scripture with spiritual eyes and not the eyes of my religious background. Jesus illuminated the truth about the Holy Spirit to me, and I knew that I needed to remove some wrong thinking and get His thinking.

As I surrendered my whole self to the Holy Spirit, He was faithful to fill me up and ignite His power in me. I'm growing in it, for sure, but I cannot imagine trying to navigate life without it now. (Because I have been made aware of the raging battle that is going on all around us!) We can't expect to make a dent in the darkness without the power of the Holy Spirit at work in us.

To some of you, the thought of demons or evil spirits sends shivers up your spine. You don't think you can handle even the topic for very long. But, in reality, God has already triumphed over evil. Jesus crushed Satan's head when he died on the cross and made a way for humanity to be reconnected to God. The only reason Satan and his minions can seem scary is because we are fooled into taking our eyes off the Victorious One. When you sense or look at evil, it's ugly! You were not created to be a part of evil. You were created to shine the light of God from within you and have dominion on this earth. Satan has craftily confused us into thinking that we're victims and that we are weak and helpless and worthless. My friend, IF YOU ONLY KNEW who you truly are.

Ask God right now, "Who am I, truly?" And wait until you hear Him. He will tell you.

If you aren't getting anything, then wrestle it through with God. Don't just walk away and let it go. It is imperative that you know who God says you are. He's speaking - you just have to figure out how to hear His voice. (Helpful hint if you're not hearing Him: go back to your salvation experience - when you first gave your heart to Him. What was that like? Did you have a feeling in your heart? Did you hear a whisper? Remember what that was like and see if you can hear/experience His voice right now in that same way.)

Dear, precious daughter of the Most High God, you are regal and anointed. You are strong and mighty and the power of the Holy Spirit can flow through you to push back the gates of hell in any area of your life where you sense it is pushing in on you. It's time to arm up and get in the battle. War for your husband and children! War for your friends! War for your freedom! War for the Kingdom of God to be established everywhere you walk! You can't lose.

One of my favorite songs right now that helps me keep my eyes on the Victorious One:

AND IF OUR GOD IS FOR US, THEN WHO COULD EVER STOP US?!!

How To Lose a Husband In 10 Days

2010-09-06T16:10:00.002-05:00

I'm sure to some of you this might sound appealing...but, it's not what you think...

Several years ago, there was a chick-flick out called "How to Lose A Guy In 10 Days" that had Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey in it. Cute, funny and ridiculous, but good for a girly laugh. Well, when you're young and single, playing around with love can be kind of a game, if you're not careful. Then, you find the man who sweeps you off your feet (or not) and you get married. Here you are, in wedded bliss, when all of a sudden, he does something that irks you to high heaven. You discover, slowly, that this man annoys you with his every waking breath! What happened to the fun, attractive guy you fell for?

Honey, life sets in. You each start thinking more about yourselves than you do the other...and that never adds up to a good relationship. The movie "How to Lose a Guy..." showed all the crazy ways Kate Hudson would irk Matthew McConaughey...but in reality, it only takes one repeated thing to push your husband away from you: dishonor. Women don't really get the honor/respect thing and why husbands need it. But it doesn't even matter if you understand it - your husband needs it to survive! God wired men with a primary, driving need for honor/respect, just like He wired you with a primary, driving need for love/security. What wife in her right mind would want to deprive her husband of the solution to his most basic need? Would you stop feeding him or cut off his water supply? (Some of you might have just answered "yes" and we'll talk about that topic another day...)

So many times we wives express DIShonor to our husbands in the way we say something. You can even be saying something true and necessary, but if you say it in the wrong tone, your husband hears, "I think you are worthless. You disgust me." You can convey dishonor by your body language, your tone, your facial expressions...it's something we just don't normally have on our radars! But, it's time to start paying attention, girls.

I assume that you do NOT want to lose your husband in 10 days... And if that's the case, then I challenge you - I double-dog dare you - to start evaluating how your words, tone and body language come across to your husband. Do you say things that let him know how much you value and appreciate him? Do you praise him to his face? Do you brag about him in front of others? If not, then start. Even if you feel like your husband is not deserving of respect or honor, find something to honor him for. He's still with you...he takes out the trash...he loves his children...SOMETHING! Conveying honor and respect for your husband breathes LIFE into him as a man. And when a man feels honored by his wife, he responds in love - the very thing you dream of.

It's so wonderful that we can rely on the Holy Spirit's power in us to make it through life! Some days, it's all I can do to muster up any kind words at all. But, with the power of the Holy Spirit inside me, I can take my sour attitude and trade it in for a sweet, fun demeanor in a mili-second. If you're struggling with showing honor for your husband - or even if you're struggling just to like him very much anymore - pray this with me:

Lord, I thank You for the man You brought into my life to be my husband. I know that he is not a perfect man and I am not a perfect woman. I confess my extreme need for You, Lord, in my marriage. I offer my marriage back to You and ask You to call the shots. Put love in my heart for my husband. Put honor and respect in my heart for my husband. Help me to speak honor to him so that he can feel fulfilled in our home. Show me the moments and give me the words, Lord. Speak through me and help me be the wife my husband needs. And, as I surrender to Your ways, Lord, I pray that You would heal the wounds in my heart and heal the wounds in our marriage. Thank You that nothing is too hard for You, God. I trust You! In Jesus' name, Amen.

Here are some resources that have tremendously helped me in my own marriage:

Love and Respect by Emerson Eggrichs

Marriage on the Rock by Jimmy Evans

www.marriagetoday.org

I pray blessings over your marriage right now - let the Holy Spirit teach you how to be the wife your husband needs and that God has always intended for you to be!

A Plethora of Reasons Why All You BabyMamas Should "Get in a Group"

2010-08-28T22:53:00.000-05:00

At my church (Gateway Church), we call our small groups "life groups" or "Gateway Groups." Small groups - as it were - seem to be a fad that has overtaken the modern church-going experience, to the chagrin of some. But, have you ever read books in the Bible like Acts, Romans, 1 and 2 Corninthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians...and the list goes on? The Church - or body of those who follow Jesus - have met together in small groups in people's homes since the beginning of Christianity. It's not a new concept, for sure, but it is a vital one.

Jesus' profound summation of the Law and the Prophets (all the Scripture back in Jesus' day) was to 1) Love God, and 2) Love others. It's not enough to just love God. Jesus said it! If you want to experience life the way God intended, then you must risk opening yourself up to others and reaching out to love them. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised to find that you will be embraced and loved as well.

"But I have tried a small group before at church and I felt left out." Or, "I don't know anyone in the group." Or, "What if nobody talks to me?" Or, "What if I wear the wrong thing?"

Let me give you as many reasons as I can think of why YOU should get over yourself and find a group:

1. Sometimes, your attendance at a group is not really about you.
2. Sometimes, stepping out is an act of faith and obedience to God.
3. You might make some new friends.
4. You might hear God speak to you.
5. You might learn something new.
6. You might eat yummy food.
7. You might have fun.
8. You might win a prize!
9. You might make someone's day.
10. You might find a place to serve that you never imagined would have fit you so well.
11. You could leave your nursing bra hooked up for an extended period of time.
12. Other adults will be present for some adult conversation.
13. If you take your child(ren) to Gateway's children's classes, they will have fun and will be overwhelmingly blessed.
14. If you take your child(ren) to the children's classes, no one will be crying at you or calling you Mommy for at least 2 hours.
15. Your heart needs connection with other women.
16. You need to laugh.
17. You need to worship God with people who want to worship Him.
18. You need the fresh wind of the Holy Spirit to blow over you and revive you.
19. Being part of a small group brings you an instant family of people who will support you.
20. Being part of a small group changes your whole "church" experience by allowing you to be connected instead of floating aimlessly.
21. You could swap recipes.
22. You could swap kids' clothes.
23. You could swap kids - um...er, nevermind.
24. You can be mentored by others who have gone before you on the wife/mom journey.
25. You could be the touch of Jesus' hand on someone's shoulder who so desperately needs it.
26. You could be the one who says the very words of encouragement that someone else's life may be depending upon.
27. You could be the one to call out gifts and abilities in a woman who has never known she was good at anything.
28. You could be the one to help break the chains in a woman's life.
29. You could make a difference.
30. You could be blessed.
31. Your heart could be healed.
32. Your body could be healed.
33. Your emotions could be healed.
34. You could get in on seeing others healed by God's power.
35. You can learn how to pray.
36. You can help others learn how to pray.
37. You can show off your cooking/baking skills when it's your turn to bring a snack.
38. You can wear your PJ's if you really want to. (at least in my group, you could...)
39. You can be part of a group project to help those in need - food drive, adopt a family or single mom, serve at a shelter, etc.
40. You could be the very organizer that your group needs to keep things on track!
41. You can be yourself.
42. God can change your heart.
43. God can change your marriage.
44. God can change your family.
45. You will start experiencing LIFE!

Well, I guess you wouldn't exactly call that a "plethora" - at least not up to Jefe's and El Guapo's standard of the word. But, I think that about covers it. (Read the following with an Eeyore voice) If you want to stay the same and hide in your house...and not make any new friends or hear anything new from the Holy Spirit...or eat any sopapilla cheesecake or oreo truffles...then, you probably don't have to try out a group.

Let me just say, back in the day when I deeply detested gatherings of women and I had hardened my heart to a lot of things, it was only in a women's group where the Lord got hold of me. He softened me and massaged the hardness right out of my heart and I had a complete change of heart AND mind. Today, instead of abhorring women and women's groups, I am on track to impact this generation with God's timely message of love and hope SPECIFICALLY to women. Don't tell God what He can't do. His plan for you is bigger than you and it is so exciting! So, get ovuh yoseff and GET IN A GROUP!!!

Love,
Crista

My Jewel

2010-08-17T14:28:00.000-05:00

Here I am, folding laundry in my guest room – which is actually just an extension of my laundry room these days – and I begin to catch a wave of something the Lord is saying. He is saying it to me, yes, but I believe He is really saying it to you today. Here’s what I sense He is wanting to write on your heart:

Did you know that you are my precious jewel? I know I have nicknames for you, but today, you are My Jewel. I love to watch you turn and sparkle in the setting I crafted for you. The brilliance of your uncovered heart makes Me have butterflies in My stomach. I am so proud of you and I get so excited when you discover, little by little, who you truly are. I made you strong, passionate, and fierce, yet delicate, soft and loving.

I know there are things in your life that you are frustrated with. I see them. Will you give them to Me? Your weaknesses and failures do not make Me mad at you – they actually give Me more room to fill you with My strength and grace. Will you let Me?

I think you are a great mother. You are doing a great job! Your babies are doing well in your care – and I’m right behind you, loving them and parenting them, too. Fear is just a trick to paralyze you and keep you from moving forward with Me – don’t fall for it. I’m right here.

Rest in Me. Let Me wash peace over your heart and let My words renew your mind. You are mine and I love you. Will you come away with Me? Can you feel My heart beating for you? I’m pretty wild about you, My Jewel.

******************************************

I don’t know about you, but my heart flutters when I sense the Lord speaking to me like that! He is so amazing. Let Him take you on a wild adventure into His heart today! He’s waiting for you to accept His invitation…

Open Up

2010-08-06T08:00:00.000-05:00

Knock, knock. Knock, knock, knock.

...nothing

Knock, knock, knock, knock, KNOCK.

...quiet...crickets chirping...

BAM! BAM! "Hey! Open up! I know you're there!"

Have you been on the locked side of the door when you KNOW that someone is there and they can hear you knocking? And they were even expecting you? Pretty frustrating!

I just discovered that I do this with my children. Not literally, so don't call CPS just yet! I don't leave them out in the 105-degree Texas heat, banging on the door, begging for entry into their own home. No, I just do it emotionally! (like that's any better?)

My children are depending on me to radiate love and acceptance into their lives. I am their mother - the nurturing force that feeds their little souls for a short time. I am training them to open their hearts to God and to listen for His voice - so they can learn to receive His love. But right now, they mainly receive His love through the filter of my love toward them.

I find myself getting so perturbed with children hanging off of me while I'm trying to accomplish a task or complete a thought or, God-forbid, type something on the computer. I have fallen into the bad habit of raising the fortress around my own heart when my children are requesting (a.k.a. demanding) my attention. Most mornings, I'll get the kids their breakfast, get them started on a book or a project or a TV show and then run into the office to work on stuff for a few minutes. If I'm lucky, I can have about 10 minutes of quiet....and then Graham's mommy-alarm goes off. Before I know it, both kids are in the office with me, spinning in the chairs, fighting with swords, yelling, laughing, asking me hundreds of questions...and my precious moments of quiet are over.

Are there lots of solutions to this problem? Yes. Have I tried several on the list? Yes. So, if nothing is working, the problem must be more than face-value. Here's what I'm learning from this pattern: when I focus on my kids and open my heart fully to them, I am peaceful, joyful and a whole lot of fun! When I brush my kids aside and try to focus on other things - even good things like paying bills, phone conversations, writing blog entries (!) - my heart becomes impenetrable to them and they crash into the stone walls I've thrown up. My problem is not my outward behavior or choice of focus...it is the condition of my heart.

By nature, I am a very black-and-white person. If I am operating in the default setting of my black-and-white-ness, I usually end up in a pickle...and this seems to be one of them. I have unknowingly (until now) shut my kids out of my love and acceptance when I am focusing on something else. Yikes! I WANT my children to come to me with their joys and successes. I WANT them to find love flowing from me that heals them when they are hurt or fearful. I deeply desire for their growing-up years to be a time full of love and peace in our home, and a time they look back on as adults with happy memories. Tim and I want to give them every advantage in the world of emotional health so that later in life, they will not struggle with who they are or who God is.

How do I know that I have closed my heart to my children? When they are violently competing for my attention, for my approval or my love. In my 6 year old and 2 year old, it usually looks like a temper tantrum, tears, or a crestfallen countenance. I forget how fragile their little hearts are - and it breaks my heart to know that I have hurt them. I have gotten very good at saying, "I'm so sorry! Mommy isn't trying to hurt your feelings, and I am very sorry if I did that. I love you and you're my favorite little boy/girl in the whole world!"

Of course, there are times when you cannot be completely absorbed in Little Kid World. It is valuable to train your children to have play time on their own so that you CAN accomplish things. But as you train them to be a little more independent, train your heart to stay open to those precious ones that are entrusted to you. And...in parallel, God's heart is never shut off from you. He never turns His heart away from you - and He's got the longest list of responsibilities EVER! He is always available to you and His love is not meted out to you based on His agenda for the day.

Just connecting the dots now....you are made in God's image. You bear His likeness and if you have given Him your heart, then your tendencies are to be like Him. It is totally possible for us to keep our hearts open to our children!! By the power of the Holy Spirit at work in us, we can do it!

Oh, and a side-note to all you black-and-white thinkers out there: Being black-and-white is not bad! It is the way God wired you! Being black-and-white usually goes along with the motivational gift of prophecy (found in Romans 12:6) and only gets you in trouble when you are operating on your own fuel rather than the Holy Spirit's power in you. If you have the spiritual gift of prophecy, it means that you speak out truth. That truth and justice are huge to you. Just wanted to cast a clear light on being black-and-white!

The doors of my heart are open! Bring on the little kids!

Sometimes it's just the little things

2010-08-02T15:16:00.006-05:00

Just a day or two ago, I was up to my eyeballs in frustration with my whiny children. Some days are just WHINY days for them...and I can't, for the life of me, figure out the trigger.

I had been saying the same things over and over to them that day: pick up the toys, get your junk out of the kitchen, no, I can't hold you while I'm cooking, etc. We finally made it through dinner and bath time - thank God - and were getting everyone calmed down and ready for bedtime. I was so DONE with children and my "no-more-little-voices alarm" had gone off in my brain about 7:00. But, when I went in to rock with Graham and read him a bedtime story (our nighttime ritual), I found myself surprisingly relaxed and ready for snuggle time with my little man. We were able to read about Curious George and laugh together - we talked about the silly things George did and silly things that Graham does. I looked into the bright eyes of my precious toddler and felt the warm ooze of joy flood my heart. Graham went to bed happy and snug as a bug (also our little ritual).

Then, I helped Claire get her bedtime snack and choose some books to read together. I cosied up on her bed and she sat beside me crunching handfuls of goldfish crackers as we were transported into the world of Almanzo Wilder in Farmer Boy. The dog sneaked his way into Claire's room and hopped up beside me...and took all of about 30 seconds to commence with a full-on snore. I was sandwiched in between two little warm bodies, who each love me in their own different ways. We enjoyed our story and marveled at all the things that people knew how to do back then...making their own shoes, using every part of an animal when you slaughtered it for food, making soap, projecting how much food to store away from the harvest so you could eat during the winter... Once we had prayed and were ready for lights to go out, Claire had to blow one more kiss toward me and say, "I love you, Mommy!"

Most of that day had been a struggle. But those precious moments at the end of it all were shining and spectacular. The joy in my heart as I allowed myself to become fully immersed in the moment was such a sweet reward for sticking with it.

I know this is a short, simple thing, but I hope you will highlight the sweet moments. Choose to frame THOSE moments in your mind, and not the other ones. There are plenty of whiny, fussy, screamy moments to go around...but the little things (like my snug-as-a-bug with Graham and my snuggle/story time with Claire) can be stored up like treasures in your heart. And I know you all understand how important it is to train your heart and mind on the good things! It helps me see this verse in a different light:

"A good man (or mama) out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things..." Matthew 12:35a (NKJV)

If you have given your heart to Jesus, then your heart is good! (Gotta read Waking the Dead by John Eldredge - just sayin') So, it is fitting for you to store up good things in your heart. Focus on the good, pleasant, lovely things...my, that sounds familiar!

"And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise." Philippians 4:8 (NLT)

And then....when you find yourself in the middle of an eye-bulging, hair-pulling moment with your little ones, you will be able to access the peace of God. His peace is always available to you - but you have to know where to find it!

"You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You." Isaiah 26:3 (NKJV)

Here's to a fuss-free day coming your way soon...but until then, here's to a treasure box full of precious little things.

Psalm 116: 1-8

2010-07-12T09:07:00.002-05:00

I love the Lord, because He has heard my voice and my supplications. Because He has inclined His ear to me, therefore I will call upon Him as long as I live. The pains of death surrounded me, and the pangs of Sheol laid hold of me; I found trouble and sorrow. Then I called upon the name of the Lord: "O Lord, I implore You, deliver my soul!"

Gracious is the Lord, and righteous; Yes, our God is merciful. The Lord preserves the simple; I was brought low and He saved me. Return to your rest, O my soul, for the Lord has dealt bountifully with you.

For You have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, and my feet from failing. I will walk before the Lord in the land of the living.

A few thoughts REVISITED

2010-07-03T23:30:00.010-05:00

So, I went back and read some things I had written as "notes" on my Facebook page last year - I think they're worth reposting... Here you go!

You're Invited

This seems to be the season of invitations! Graduation announcements, birthday parties, baby showers, pool parties, barbeques.... So much fun and so much to do! Regardless of whether I am able to attend or not, it always makes me feel loved - valued - when I receive an invitation. It lets me know that someone wants to share their experience with me. They are including me in their world. That's a good feeling.

In parallel, I find myself busy, busy, busy, going about my life and my schedule of activities...only to find an Invitation from my Lord at every turn. He values me and wants to share His experience with me. He is including me in His world.

The most poignant Invitations are actually in times of deep sorrow, loss, hurt and pain. At every crossroad I can see His outstretched hand and hear Him say, “Will you take another step into MY world?” Although His world is superimposed over my own, I still find myself deceived - linked to the culture I perceive with my natural senses.

But there’s the Invitation.

“Your Kingdom come…on earth as it is in heaven” is how Jesus taught us to pray. “Your world come down here in my world, just as it currently is in Your glorious, perfect heaven.” I want to be so invested in, so connected to His Kingdom, that I have double vision - seeing and perceiving with natural eyes and spiritual eyes at the same time.

When you have a heartache that you cannot shake, quiet your soul and hear the Invitation from Jesus to take His hand and step forward into the unknown with Him. When you lose someone dear, open your heart to the comforting Invitation of your Savior to rest in His arms. When your life seems to be turning out completely different from what you dreamed, look for the Lord’s Invitation amidst the confusion. Wherever you find yourself today, there is an Invitation with your name on it, written by a loving hand, borne on a fresh wind of the Holy Spirit. You're invited.

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Tuning In

On my drive home tonight from a meeting, I did my usual things: got in the car, buckled my seatbelt, turned the ignition, backed out and headed down the road. I was thinking about some things that had been spoken during that meeting, so I didn't really want to hear the radio, but I glanced at it anyway. It was on some random station. Probably the classical station from earlier in the day when I was trying every possible option to quell the screaming coming from my backseat (out of the mouth of a certain toddler named Graham). Anyway, the radio station got my attention for some reason. I was having a moment of reflection with deep spiritual ideas running through my head, but I decided I wanted to switch the station - which I could not hear since the volume was down - to one that was playing Christian music. I just had the sense that I wanted every reception in my car at that moment to be receiving from the Lord. I wanted every setting to be tuned in to Him.

And it hit me. That's such a spiritual parallel - being tuned in to the Lord, even when I don't have the volume turned up. Establishing that He is the "station" I want to receive from, whether I'm in a time of active listening, or whether my attention is otherwise engaged. I want to set my heart on Him and keep it there, just as I would set my radio tuner to a particular station. So, I'm choosing to scan the spectrum of voices that are all around me and find the Lord's voice. I'm making it my favorite, and no matter the course of my day, my life, I am choosing to leave it there.

"...He will quiet you with His love; He will rejoice over you with singing." Zeph. 3:17

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Combating Fear

Swine flu. (We were scared of that last year, in case you don't remember...) Economic collapse. Moral decay. There are a lot of things to fear these days. Fear becomes even more poignant when you have someone depending on you - children, elderly parents, or others in your care.

However, today I am refusing to bow to fear. My God is bigger than my fears! He holds my world in His hands. As I was reading through the little booklet (Speak the Word) Marilyn Hickey gave out at our recent women's conference, I came across Scriptures related to our safety and release from fear. Here is the prayer paraphrase from her booklet:

"My loved ones and I are delivered from the powers of darkness and translated into the Kingdom of His dear Son. No evil shall befall, neither shall any plague come near my dwelling. I overcome all the fiery darts of the enemy and nothing can harm me because greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world." (Col. 1:13; Ps. 91:10; Eph. 6:16; I Jn. 4:4)

The best way I know how to combat fear is to take it head-on with Scripture. I have to read the Word out loud, pray it out loud, declare it out loud. By doing that, I am setting up a spiritual boundary - a line that the Enemy is not permitted to cross. If you sense the power of darkness creeping in on you, stop it with the Word. Take possession of the life God has given you by proclaiming His truth and faithfulness. He is always True and always Faithful, but you have to activate that fact inside your own existence. You have to partner with Him - take hold of His truth and distribute it accordingly!

Don't sit idly by, wasting away in fear. Do something about it! Draw your own "line in the sand" by proclaiming the Word!!!

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That's my little trio for you today! Love and blessings to you!

Things I've Learned

2010-07-01T11:01:00.006-05:00

1. People are awesome.
2. People are awful.
3. God is always awesome.
4. Flip flops are the perfect shoes.
5. Chocolate is a gift from heaven.
6. Playing in the rain is good for your soul.
7. Love not expressed is not love.
8. I have issues.
9. God is bigger than my issues.
10. Laughter is medicine.
11. Tears are cleansing.
12. It's easy to connect with God in the mountains.
13. I'll never be "the perfect size."
14. There is no "perfect size."
15. Art is in the eye of the beholder.
16. Music is a language all its own.
17. Creativity is implanted in us by God.
18. Marriage is amazing.
19. Marriage is hard.
20. Marriage is worth it.
21. Attitude is everything.
22. I need an attitude adjustment.
23. Serving others is more fun than serving myself.
24. It is important to experience other cultures.
25. I need to speak more than one language.
26. Exposing your heart to a close friend is humbling and scary, but necessary and healing.
27. Words carry weight.
28. The Narnia books and the Matrix movies are excellent parallels for the Kingdom of God and the natural world.
29. The more I understand about God, the more I realize I'm just scratching the surface of who He is.
30. True friends are a rare treasure.
31. Comfort food is sometimes a necessity.
32. Perfectionism will kill you.
33. If my kindergartener knows what "congruent polygons" are, then I probably should, too.
34. It's never too late to learn.
35. Babies change your life.
36. Sleep deprivation sucks the life out of you.
37. You get through it and forget all about it.
38. God's mercies are new every morning.
39. Sometimes I wait through the dark just to breathe a sigh of relief at the first rays of morning.
40. Two are better than one.
41. Submission and humility are the most powerful positions you can assume in God's Kingdom.
42. Up is down. (read my previous post: A kingdom upside down)
43. The clock is ticking.
44. I know who made the clock.
45. Emotional urgency is fuel for prayer.
46. You partner with God in prayer and actually begin to accomplish His purposes when you move out of emotional fury into the place of rest.
47. There is something I can learn from everyone.
48. Sometimes I learn how NOT to speak/act/think - and that's valuable, too!
49. Listening is a skill.
50. I need to listen more.
51. Popular opinion is usually wrong.
52. Every time I take worldly advice, I fall on my face.
53. God is always speaking.
54. I need to hear Him.
55. I can hear God when I quiet my soul and wait on Him.
56. I am transformed in the waiting.
57. Waiting on God is not idleness; rather, it is drawing on Who He is while I am in process.
58. Sometimes you just need a donut.
59. Coffee is easily mistaken for energy.
60. I love coffee.
61. The dreams in your heart are from God.
62. Everything is possible with God.
63. One glimmer of light dispels the darkness.
64. The play area at McDonald's is a blessing and a horror all at once.
65. Kids are washable.
66. The crock pot is one of the greatest inventions.
67. I cannot imagine the daily hardships in the life of the pioneers who settled America.
68. Gratitude changes how you view everything.
69. Large groups of women are not scary - they are powerful.
70. My life is not really about me.
71. Dogs are better than cats.
72. Macs are better than PC's.
73. America is confused.
74. God is not confused.
75. I am not the same person I was 10 years ago.
76. That is a miracle.
77. Forgiving someone is one of the most powerful tools to free your own soul.
78. If you have read this far, you are one of my inner-circle friends.
79. God is good.
80. God is good.
81. God is good all the time.

I was aiming for a list of 100, but I think that'll do! I pray a fresh wind of God's presence into your home, your life and your heart right now in Jesus' name!

The Beast of Depression

2010-06-22T09:59:00.008-05:00

Warning: this topic is heavy and dark! But I think it is so necessary to address depression with moms - most of us have dealt with it at some point and some of you may be drowning in it even now. Just to let you know, you are not weird, ruined or disqualified if you experience depression. Actually, you're in pretty good company! And you are not destined for depression - there is a way out!

After I had my first baby, I found myself at home all the time, exhausted, with a fussy infant who had eating issues. There was no remnant of my former life - I was completely engulfed in stay-at-home motherhood. Even though being at home with my baby was my desire, it wasn't living up to its former appeal, for sure.

Before baby, I was able to engage people and accomplish my goals. After baby, all I could manage was baby. I couldn't get a handle on my house, my hygiene or anything else. The transition rocked my whole world...and then came the hormone hurricane! The hormones after giving birth pretty much slammed me against the rocks and washed me up on the proverbial shore. I was a wreck. I knew something was wrong, but I couldn't even really see past my own nose for the thick haze I was in. I went to my 6-week checkup with my OB and told her that I was crying all the time...which she said was not normal. (Thanks.) And she wrote me a prescription for Lexapro (anti-anxiety/anti-depressant drug) and sent me home with a 2-week sample to get started. I was kind of offended that she thought I was that messed up...but I decided to try the meds and just see what happened.

I finished the two weeks' worth of pills and didn't really feel any different, so I didn't bother to fill the prescription...

And things got worse. I resented my baby. I resented my husband. I hated my life. I didn't answer the phone or the door. I didn't want to see anyone for any reason. I just wanted to go to sleep and not wake up.

This went on for six more months and my marriage was suffering. My poor, sweet husband Tim had no idea what to do. He knew I was not the same person and that our relationship was very damaged. I really thought that he was attacking me and berating me for how I was taking care of our daughter. I really thought I was the one doing everything and he was doing nothing. I had the sneaking suspicion in the back of my mind that he was going to pack his bags and leave me alone with our daughter. I honestly thought that he was the "bad guy" in the equation. Boy, was I wrong!!! My perception was so screwed up - and I had no idea. Things actually did get rocky enough for me to go back to the OB and ask her to write me the prescription again - and this time I did fill it and start taking Lexapro regularly.

It turned out to be such a blessing! The meds leveled me out so that I could function again. I could see my husband and not have a boiling rage bubble up on the inside! Hey - that was a start! I felt like I was getting back to normal and things were starting to get better in my relationship with Tim, even though we had a huge mountain to climb together because of all that had happened...

Time went on, my daughter began to flourish, I was exercising and FINALLY sleeping - things seemed much better than they had been for a long time. But I started slipping back into the darkness I felt at the beginning. That didn't make any sense to me - I was taking my meds, right?! I told Tim about it and he very gently asked if I would consider having someone at church pray for me about it. I brushed that suggestion right out the door like he was an idiot and said, "No. I just need to adjust my medication - it's a chemical thing." He didn't say anything else to me for a while.

One evening, I was sitting on the couch crying, and Tim quietly asked if I would PLEASE let someone at church pray for me. I had HAD it, so I just said, "Fine. Let's do it." It just happened to be in January of that year when our church has its First Conference...and it just so happened that the next service we were going to attend was with Dr. Jack Hayford (whom I have loved and learned from for years) - so I thought that had to be a sign from God. (all the while, still believing that my issue was strictly a chemical imbalance, but pacifying my husband who wanted to be all "spiritual" and go have me prayed over...) So, we get to the service and hear Pastor Jack teach on worship...then comes the end of the service where I am psyching myself up to go find a minister and ask for prayer for my "problem." Then, Pastor Jack says, "Tonight, I want you to pray for each other. I want you to get in groups of 5 or 6 and pray for each other's needs." ARE YOU KIDDING ME? I never wanted to cuss so badly. There I was, all mentally prepared to bare my soul to a minister and have them get all up in my business...and this crazy pastor throws me a curveball???? Well, there was no way to get out of it. I found myself in a circle of people I didn't know, listening to their requests, praying for them like everything was cool...and then it was my turn. I very matter-of-factly stated that I had been dealing with depression and that I needed prayer. Nothing else. Nothing more. They prayed. I don't remember anything they said. I don't remember how long we stood there. But I remember what happened.

As I stood in that circle, I felt like a huge iron claw was being pulled out of my heart. I felt the void where the talons had dug into me - and then I felt the wave of love and peace that the Holy Spirit poured over me to fill up the holes. I felt like I was floating off the ground because I was so light. Something happened to me. I got set free from something I had never known was there. I opened my eyes and even the light in the room seemed brighter. I could see again. I mean, REALLY see. In that moment, I experienced deliverance from a darkness that had attached itself to me somewhere along the way. I realized that my problem over the previous 18 months was not merely a chemical imbalance - it was a whole-being issue. My body, soul and spirit had been affected and my body, soul and spirit needed to be "treated."

After that night, I quit taking my medication - and I haven't needed it anymore. The weeks after that experience were a little wobbly - like I was learning to walk again, but I tasted my freedom and I made sure to follow that with extravagant praise to my Savior. Whenever the old familiar feelings or thoughts started to creep back in and lure me into my old way of operating, I countered them with Scripture and with praise. And it worked. Halleluia, it worked!!!!

God is big enough to banish depression for you. The death-grip that depression has on you is no match for the power of your Savior. Even if you look around at all the collateral damage from your emotional state and think it can never be fixed, LISTEN TO ME. Nothing is impossible with God. He loves you! He wants you to be free! He sacrificed His Son to purchase your freedom - and Jesus stormed into Hell to get His keys back so that Satan could never lock you up again.

If you need a miracle right now to be set free from the beast of depression, then pray this with me:

Lord, I need you. I need help. I am suffering under the rule of this depression and I choose to reject it today in Jesus' name. I am bought with Jesus' blood and I am Your child. Satan has no authority over me - in my body, my soul or my spirit. I take authority over every dark spirit coming against me and I bind you in Jesus' name. I release the power of the Holy Spirit over my life and give You permission to come and heal me right now, Lord. Restore me, fill me, heal me. I trust in You! Let it be so in Jesus' name! Amen.

Let me encourage you to talk to someone about your battle. You are not meant to handle this alone. In fact, that's one of the meanest tricks of the enemy - he wants to make you think you're the only one dealing with it, or that you'll look like a loser if you tell anyone you're struggling. Tell him to SHUT UP, will you? If you are isolated, then he's got you where he wants you. Don't give him that satisfaction! Find a friend, a minister, a counselor - someone you trust (or have every reason to trust) - and let them know where you are. Ask them to pray with you and for you.

You're going to make it! God's design for you is not to live in depression. You are destined to shine like a star and operate in peace and power that flows from the Holy Spirit inside you. The game's not over, my friend. You're not out. The curtain has not closed, dear one. There are many acts to come, with you as the headliner.

I pray that God's Kingdom will come into your world, just as it is in heaven:

"And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, 'Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.' Then He who sat on the throne said, ' Behold, I make all things new.' " Revelation 21: 3-5a

A kingdom upside down

2010-06-10T22:38:00.017-05:00

Fasting.

There it is. That word! Fasting is something we, as the modern Church at large, have neglected and misshapen. (And you can bet your bippy that I wasn't thinking one bit about it when I was a new mom with a baby in my arms all the time.) When you read stories of great men and women of faith from the last centuries, there is almost always a reference to their own personal times of fasting. And they were talking about FOOD fasting - not the easier-to-swallow abstinence from your favorite hobby or something like that. And Jesus - what about Him, huh? He obviously valued fasting for some reason since He subjected Himself to it for forty days before He began His public ministry.

So, okay, we need to fast. But does that even mean ME as a hard-working, always-on-call mother of young, fussy, whiny children who drain the life out of me?!

How did I even end up on this topic? Well, I woke up with a phrase from a verse in Isaiah floating around in my head: "You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail..." I LIKE the sound of that! I need some dry, cracked places in my heart to be watered and to have a spring inside me that never fails, for sure. I liked that so much that I looked it up today to see what the rest of the passage was about... It was about worship and fasting. Isaiah 58 brings to light the messed up "worship" that God's people were offering Him. They had a form of religious ritual, but even in their ritual they were only thinking of themselves. They neglected everything that God's heart was beating for - caring for people, pulling people out of the pit, loving others more than they loved themselves. Then, Isaiah goes into a section on fasting the way God desires for us to fast.

"Is this not the fast I have chosen: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, to let the oppressed go free, and that you break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, and that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out; when you see the naked, that you cover him, and not hide yourself from your own flesh?

"THEN your light shall break forth like the morning, your healing shall spring forth speedily, and your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard. Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; you shall cry, and He will say, 'Here I am.'

"If you take away the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness, if you extend your soul to the hungry and satisfy the afflicted soul, THEN your light shall dawn in the darkness and your darkness shall be as the noonday. The Lord will guide you continually, and satisfy your soul in drought, and strengthen your bones; you shall be like a watered garden ("well-watered garden" in NIV), and like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail."

Isaiah 58:6-11 (NKJV)

What does this mean? Here's what I think it means: Fasting - especially from food - puts your mortality in subjection to your spirit, and in turn, subjection to God. It is a total-being posture of submission. We forget that with God's kingdom, everything is upside-down from the way our natural mind thinks. We naturally seek positions of strength and power, when God asks us to seek the position of humility and weakness. We tend to view humility as a flaw and weakness as worthlessness. Can I refresh your memory on a few verses?

"Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up." James 4:10

"God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble." James 4:6

"Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven." Matthew 18:4

"And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted." Matthew 23:12

"But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty." I Corinthians 1:27

"And He said to me, ' My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will most gladly boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong." II Corinthians 12:9-10

It's all opposite! It makes me think of a scene from one of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies - where Keira Knightly's character and the pirate crew go in search of Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) who has "died" and been taken to Davey Jones' Locker. (an afterlife kind of place like Purgatory or possibly even hell...) Anyway, the correlation has nothing to do with where he ended up...it has to do with how the crew found him. They were given several clues to unravel in order to get to the end of the world and into Davey Jones' Locker. One of the clues was "Up is down." They all stood around dumbfounded trying to figure out what it could possibly mean...and then Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightly) gets a wild idea. Turn the ship over. The pirate crew looks at her for a few seconds like she is an idiot, and then they understand, too. They start tossing cargo, guns and everything loose overboard to lighten the ship and then begin rocking it side to side violently. Eventually, they manage to overturn the ship - while we're all holding on to our theater seats imagining how they are all about to drown. Well, it turned out that she was right. They flipped the ship into the water, and when it was upside down, they found themselves not drowning, but sputtering to the surface in full sun. They had made it to Davey Jones' Locker to rescue Jack Sparrow.

That's where the analogy ends! But what a great picture of the upside-down-ness of how we perceive reality and how God perceives it. His kingdom is the true reality. It is more real than our temporal reality - and it is overlapping and intertwined with our temporal reality. We just have to trust Him when He tells us that "Up is down."

One surefire way we can begin to see things God's way is through fasting. Subjecting yourself - humbling yourself - before God. Denying your most basic need for survival and laying your life bare before Him, inviting Him to speak, change, heal, restore and anything else He wants to do in you. When you submit yourself in that way, your perspective changes! You can't help but see and hear spiritual things. And when God is free to work in your life in a time like that, then things start to really happen... bonds of wickedness are loosed, heavy burdens are undone, the oppressed go free, and every yoke is broken...in you and through you.

And THEN, "your light shall break forth like the morning, your healing shall spring forth speedily, and your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard. (He's got your back, girl!) The Lord will guide you continually, and satisfy your soul in drought, and strengthen your bones; YOU SHALL BE LIKE A WELL-WATERED GARDEN and like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail."

So, even as a mom of an infant, a toddler or a wild child of any age, you are meant to fast. Don't get all legalistic on me, now. I know that when you're nursing you can't just be skipping meals and all... Good grief! All I'm saying is, the Lord told us that "up is down" and that He can show you how to flip your ship to see what He sees. Go for it!

Pomp and Circumstance

2010-06-02T13:59:00.011-05:00

'Tis the season of the graduate! Now, if you have babies at home who have not reached Pre-K or Kindergarten yet, then graduation may not even be on your radar...it certainly wasn't on mine until my own daughter reached those milestones. And somewhere during my baby-haze of life, I think I lost sight of the value of graduation.

A week or so ago, I watched my firstborn child march down the aisle in a white cap and gown to Edward Elgar's famous "Pomp and Circumstance." She is only five years old, but I was still moved to tears at such a milestone! All the first five years of training her, working with her, disciplining her, investing in her - this moment was the culmination of a season of her little life. A celebration of all the struggles, victories, accomplishments - and a signal to move on ahead.

Graduation seems such a normal part of our educational lives, but we don't usually view our spiritual lives that way. However, don't you have a sense when a season of your life is coming to a close? Don't you feel it when you're in a place of completion? I think we all need to pause for a "graduation moment" and give ourselves a ceremonial permission to move on ahead. Completion is a satisfying thing. Accomplishment is a reason for confidence. Closure is a sweet kiss on what has been and a hopeful embrace of what is to come.

So many times as moms, we get stuck in a rut and get frustrated when things aren't fitting into our well-worn pathways anymore. I try to communicate with my kids how I communicated six months ago, but they are beyond that now. If I don't speak to them on their level, they don't hear me. I try to discipline my kids the same way I did six months ago, but my efforts have no effect because my children have moved on. What used to do the trick isn't working anymore. AAAAAARRRRGGGHHHHH! But that is so normal - it is imprinted in our DNA. Accomplish, grow, conquer and move on.

So, why is it that I let myself stop growing? Why don't I give myself milestone markers of accomplishment and celebrate moving forward? It's about time we all did. Ask the Lord to show you places where you have completed your assignment and let Him free you to move on. Sometimes, I think we even need to "graduate" from things like attitudes, habits, patterns of speech and thought... You are meant to grow and change - so let yourself! You have permission to move forward into all that God has in store! Don't be tricked into thinking that you are stuck, because you most definitely are not. Circumstances may seem to trap you momentarily, but the Almighty God of the Universe and Beyond has the power to arrange - and even better - to transcend your circumstances.

Bottom line: Congratulations on your graduation! Move your tassel over, walk across the stage and do a little dance of joy, because the next thing is just around the corner. May the struggles, victories and accomplishments - all that has happened in this most recent season - spur you on to knowing God more intimately, loving Him more deeply and living in Him more fully!

Grace flows down and covers me

2010-05-29T21:57:00.017-05:00

The more you think about grace, the more amazing it becomes. Your mind cannot truly conceive it. It is something that must be taken in through the heart.

Grace is better than "the benefit of the doubt." When someone gives you the benefit of the doubt, they are choosing to turn a blind eye and allow for excuses why you act a certain way. A person giving you the benefit of the doubt is overlooking something you have said or done because they want to believe you're really a good person down deep in there somewhere. Grace, on the other hand, knows exactly the reasons you said something or behaved a certain way...and makes a covenant to love you and cover you anyway.

That's what Jesus did. That's who Jesus is.

Years ago, I used to drive down to Waco every Monday night during the school year with friends so we could attend Choice, a night of worship and teaching with Louie Giglio. Choice was the place I first learned what it meant to be a worshipper. It is where I first abandoned myself in worship to my Lord, so I have very fond memories of that place and that time in my life. One of the songs that came out of Choice was "Grace Flows Down." I haven't been able to find the original recording, but here's a version of Christy Nockels singing it in one of the Passion conferences: Grace Flows Down.

Amazing Grace - how sweet the sound
Amazing Love now flowing down
From hands and feet that were nailed to the tree
His grace flows down and covers me

And covers me
And covers me
And covers me
And covers me

I love that! It covers me...and covers me...and covers me. It never stops. I could spend hours and days thinking about that fact.

But, that brings me back to reality...and how grace works in my life. The concept and the experience are so moving, so powerful - but if I just receive grace, I have not fully grasped it. Once you have been freed by grace, you have a mandate to then free others by grace. "What do you mean?" you might be thinking. Well, I'm glad you asked.

Now that Tim and I have been married for several years, we know each other pretty well. I know that he leaves his clothes on the floor in our room, and he knows that I leave all my shoes in the front living room. He knows that cleaning is not my favorite thing, and I know that changing diapers is not his favorite thing. He knows that I spend too much time on the computer and I know that he does, too, sometimes. There are many other worse things, but you catch my drift. In marriage, there are so many little, piddly things that can eat at you. The clothes on the floor, the mess left behind, the way he says something to you repeatedly, the little STUFF. Then, when something big comes against you - financial trouble, an affair, a loss of a child, a death in the family - something really big, you have no reserves to deal with the situation. This is why GRACE is so absolutely important in your marriage and in your family relationships. It covers...and covers...and covers...and covers...and doesn't stop.

In case you didn't know, we're all really messed up! We have quirks, flaws and serious issues that we're not free from yet. But grace can cover over those things - and can actually transform us and set us free. When Jesus let His blood flow out of His mortal body, He saw every nasty sin from every person from all of time. He grabbed on to that burden of sin from all of humanity, carried it in His body and did away with it - so He could extend grace to us. He knew the reality and loved us anyway. He loved us enough to let it kill Him...so that we could be transformed through His grace.

When your husband is irking you by the same old pattern of behavior, grace can transform him. When you find yourself cursing under your breath that you have to pick up dirty laundry off the floor for the thousandth time, grace can transform you. When you feel like verbally lashing out at your husband for something stupid he just did, grace can transform the situation. When you respond out of grace, the atmosphere changes.

Grace knows what the reality is - that your husband leaves his underwear on the floor two feet in front of the hamper. But grace says, "I love you anyway," and picks it up for him. It covers him. And it keeps covering him.

Grace is not something you can muster up or clench your jaw tight enough to create. Grace is received - and then grace can be extended. Grace must dwell in you for grace to flow out of you. If you have given your life to Jesus, then Grace does dwell in you! Now you have the choice to let that grace flow or not. Nobody else on earth has been given the role of covering your husband like you. You have a precious and valuable role to play: grace-giver. The next time you feel your blood start to boil or your eye start to twitch like a crazy person, ask the Holy Spirit to stir up grace in you and let it flow out. Be the grace-giver the Lord designed you to be - and watch the amazing transformation.

...and grace flows down and covers me...

But joy....

2010-05-26T12:39:00.009-05:00

"I will extol You, O Lord, for You have lifted me up, and have not let my foes rejoice over me. O Lord, my God, I cried out to You, and You healed me. O Lord, You brought my soul up from the grave; You have kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit.

"Sing praise to the Lord, you saints of His, and give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name. For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life; Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.

"You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; You have put off my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness, to the end that my glory may sing praise to You and not be silent. O Lord, my God, I will give thanks to You forever.

"But as for me, I trust in You, O Lord; I say, 'You are my God.' My times are in Your hand; deliver me from the hand of my enemies, and from those who persecute me. Make Your face shine upon Your servant; save me for Your mercies' sake.

"Oh, how great is Your goodness, which You have laid up for those who fear You, which You have prepared for those who trust in You in the presence of the sons of men! You shall hide them in the secret place of Your presence from the plots of man; You shall keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues.

"Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart, all you who hope in the Lord."

Psalm 30:1-5, 11-12; 31:14-16, 19-20, 24

Wow, I love the Word! When my heart is hurting or is anguishing over something, my soul yearns for the Word. And I usually hit the Psalms first...like the lengthy passage above. The Word brings such comfort, such healing, such perspective. It clears out my ears so I can hear what the Lord is saying to me about my circumstances. The Word lifts my eyes UP, so that I can see the Father and realize that my circumstances are not in control of me.

Most of you know, but for the sake of those who do not, let me share our employment situation: My husband Tim is a freelance commercial photographer. He is very artistic and has an amazingly creative "eye" in photography. He would really like to devote himself to art, but has made a very responsible and admirable decision to find a more lucrative means of supporting his little family. He is still in photography, just a more commercial vein. The interesting part of his employment is that he is a freelancer - meaning he takes contract jobs and is not an employee on anyone's payroll. The freelance world can be amazingly fruitful - just depending on how things line up. For our family, we have settled into a roller coaster rhythm of BIG paychecks from a long job.....then NO paychecks from the lagtime in between jobs. It is difficult, I'm not going to lie! Over the past 8 years of our marriage, we have learned a lot about money, about each other, about contentment, about failure, and about God's faithfulness. This has been God's path for us - and we look back and see His goodness and mercy following us for sure!

Today just happens to be one of those days where there is more month at the end of the money. I know you can all identify to some extent. This is the kind of day where I have to choose to plug my faith into the Provider and let Him work the knots out of my stomach with a large dose of His peace. And I get plugged in and dosed up through the Word. As I sat on my couch and read those passages in Psalms earlier, tears welled up in my eyes as I felt the Holy Spirit massaging my heart with His truth. I felt the sweet, comforting presence of my Savior surrounding me, protecting me and reassuring me. He is faithful! He is good! I can trust Him!

Your Savior can do this for you, too. Whatever is weighing on your shoulders or causing you distress....God can lift it. Find a spot on YOUR couch and invite Him to come sit with you as you open the Word. And I'm just sayin' - the Psalms are a great place to begin!

"For you shall go out with joy, and be led out with peace..." Is. 55:12a

Rest

2010-05-21T22:34:00.013-05:00

O Sleep, Sleep, wherefore art thou, Sleep? Seems like everyone in the mom category could use a few more winks, and I'm talkin' 'bout NOW. Wouldn't motherhood be so much easier if we all just got enough uninterrupted sleep?!

There are seasons of life where sleep is elusive for whatever reason - having an infant is high on the list, but other things affect your sleep, too. Things like stress, anxiety, illness, worry, fatigue, insomnia, fill in the blank... And when your sleep is affected, your life is affected. That's why as moms we not only need sleep, but we need the rest the Lord gives. Rest and sleep sometimes coincide, but they can be separated. That is good news for you, my friend, because when you cannot sleep, you can always go to the Lord for rest. I woke up the other morning with the Lord pressing this on my heart:

"Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28

It's like I could hear God's voice in my heart saying this to me. Even though I knew this verse and had committed it to memory, it was fresh and alive for that moment in time. I needed my sweet Father to remind me that I am restored in His presence. That is where I will truly find rest for my soul. When I am at my wits' end with my daughter's emotional freak-outs, I can switch instantly into God's throne room and find rest there. I can be standing IN Claire's room WHILE she is screaming and crying, but be drawing on the peaceful rest He is providing for me at the same time. I don't have to respond to Claire's behavior from my lack of sleep - because I have a Source of rest that will sustain me.

As I go along in this life, I am learning more and more that I can draw on the Lord in every situation. Yeah, that sounds like something we all know, but this is where the rubber meets the road, people. If I can quiet my emotions and let my spirit dial the "red phone" to the throne room of heaven, I will be able to appropriate the fullness of the Lord for my situation. My tiredness tells me that I am running on empty, but the truth is, my Source never runs out.

And...there is a really cool byproduct of experiencing the rest God gives: joy. When you have been in the manifest presence of Father God and have received the sweetness of the rest He offers, you come away with joy. Joy in knowing that He is faithful and true and that He never lets you go. Joy in feeling His love and approval. Deep-seated soul-joy that is watered with the rains of heaven.

"The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters. He restores my soul..." Ps. 23:1-3a (NAS)

So, get some sleep whenever you can - take care of your body. And when you can't sleep, visit with your Daddy and get some rest.

Speak LIFE

2010-05-17T21:37:00.008-05:00

"...I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live..." Deuteronomy 30:19

"Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit." Proverbs 18:21

Powerful, huh? Can you imagine if we actually lived like we believed those verses? Our words carry so much weight that God went so far as to say we can cause life or death by the words that come out of our mouths. God also spoke through Moses to tell His people that they had a choice: life or death. Blessing or cursing. When you put it that way, it's like, "Duh!" Of course we WANT life. Of course we choose blessings and not curses! But do we really?

Where I get myself into trouble is in the nitty gritty details of my day: being perturbed with my kids for whatever reason, having the twelfth thing in a row go wrong while I'm trying to accomplish a long list of to-do's, or just being tired. During those moments, my guard is down and I respond with a fleshly remark or attitude. I can reason it away or overlook those words I spoke over my kids - but the reality is, I just sucked the air out of the room by letting death escape my lips. If I am not speaking life, then I am speaking death. DEATH. That's horrible! And it seems so harsh! But we have a great mantle of responsibility on us as God's people. He created humanity to have dominion over the earth. Having dominion meant that humans were God's super-charged managers on the earth, acting in His authority, and whatever they said was the way it would be. Of course, everything got royally messed up when Adam and Eve forfeited their relationship with God for the knowledge of Him... But that did not alter the pattern God set in motion for dominion. What we say carries weight.

Think about it - if you spend a week consciously praising and encouraging your child, what are the results? That child will rise to the words spoken over him. If you spend a week dedicated to speaking loving things to your husband and telling him how amazing he is, what are the results? You grow closer together, you love him more, and he rises up into the place you have created for him with your words. I'm not suggesting that you refrain from correction or discipline with your kids - far from it! Your children need your guidance in those ways, for sure. But, what if you set a guard on your lips and only let life-filled things come out? Would anything change in your world?

A few years ago, I first heard Jimmy Evans teach his marriage seminar called Marriage on the Rock. He was one of the first people who helped me understand how very powerful my words were over my husband. I remember him saying something about finding one good thing your husband does and praising him for it. "Even if it's just, 'Honey, I love the way you put your socks on in the morning. Nobody puts their socks on better than you do.' " I thought that was hysterical...because I was in a funky place and couldn't really come up with anything to praise Tim for at the time. But that gave me such hope. To know that if I would start speaking life to Tim, life would come. So, I tried it. I made a point of keeping anything negative to myself and only speaking out good things to Tim. When I started doing that, a bridge was built over the black chasm that had separated us for quite a while. And we began to live again. I could see a glimmer in his eyes again. So, I kept speaking life....even when I didn't fully buy it or didn't fully believe it, I spoke it in faith that it could be. And to my amazement, Tim started to grow into himself as the head of our home! Not because I was trying to manipulate him or change him...simply because I was speaking words that created life in his soul.

We have got to get over ourselves and be willing to let things go. We have got to choose the better way - the way of life. Yes, we need to discuss things and yes, we sometimes will have opposing viewpoints, but the bottom line is that I will not use my words to bring death to my husband in any way. I refuse to speak death over my precious children whom God entrusted to me to water and tend and train up.

God isn't joking about this! We have the power to speak LIFE - real life - into a husband, a child, a situation, a people group, a nation, a job, a physical body... Consider the ramifications!

I'm making a renewed commitment today to choose life for myself and my house! Join me!

"May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer." Psalm 19:14

Shazam!

2010-05-14T22:34:00.013-05:00

So, as I entered the world of all things iPhone, I discovered this really cool little app (application, in iPhone-speak) called Shazam. It seems like such magic. You open it up, hold your phone toward any source of recorded music being played and hit the "Tag Now" button...and in a few seconds, it tells you exactly what song you're listening to and who is playing/singing it!

I was sitting in Barnes & Noble with a friend last week when she abruptly dropped her line of thought and said, "What is this song? It's something famous, like from an opera..." So, I whipped out my phone, punched up Mr. Shazam and put him to work. In about 4.5 seconds, he came back with the results: Nessun Dorma, Jeff Beck. And my friend promptly marched herself to the music counter and bought the CD. (Way to go, Shazam - you're really just an evil marketing ploy, aren't you...) Even though I have used Shazam many times, I am still so impressed and amazed that the little chip in my phone can connect with the soundwaves from a single song being played, match those notes and phrases with an expansive database somewhere and tell me with pinpoint accuracy the very song I am hearing at any moment. Genius.

It kind of reminds me of one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit....have you ever heard of the "discerning of spirits"? It's kind of like Shazam - except better.

When your life has been filled up with the Holy Spirit, He releases gifts in you that provide you power for living and accomplishing God's purposes. There's a list of all the gifts the Holy Spirit gives us in I Corinthians 12:7-11. But I just want to talk about "discerning of spirits" for today.

Sometimes when people talk about this gift, they mistakenly call it the gift of discernment. While discernment is important, this is not really what the Scripture says. It says discerning of spirits - implying that there are different spirits at work around us and we need to know how to identify them. (Shazam!) And the Scripture says this is a gift. When you have been baptized in the Holy Spirit, you have a toolbelt of gifts bestowed upon you. This is available to everyone who has given their lives to Jesus and has recognized Him as Savior and Lord. All you have to do is ask for it! I came from a church background that did not believe in this third baptism, so I was leery about it and tried to skirt the Scriptures that talked about it for a large part of my life.

(Third baptism: First is the baptism into the Body in salvation; second is baptism in water; third is baptism in the Holy Spirit. Helpful resources on this topic: Jack Hayford's books and Robert Morris's sermon series My Best Friend: The Holy Spirit and The Holy Spirit Revealed)

After some face-in-the-carpet time with God while I was in college, I became convinced that there was definitely something missing in my Christianity. I found myself desiring the intimacy with God that I observed in friends who told me they had received baptism in the Holy Spirit. So I grappled with the Lord over it for a long time. I pored over the Scriptures and fasted and prayed for several days to try to get to the bottom of the whole subject with God. Long story short, I prayed and asked Jesus to baptize me in His Holy Spirit - all alone in my apartment in Nashville one night as a 20 year old college student. And everything began to change...

One of the things I noticed was that I had these new "antennae" that were very sensitive to unseen things going on. I could walk into a group of people in the middle of a conversation and have a sense of what was really going on - whether I belonged in that conversation or not, whether I had an assignment from the Lord with one of those people...and so on and so forth. This was the gift of discerning of spirits being activated in me.

One of the best examples I have from personal experience is watching a cartoon with my daughter a couple of years ago. We watched this cute little show with a bear and all his animal friends for months thinking it was harmless. But whenever I would sit down to watch it with Claire, it made me feel weird for some reason. I repeatedly dismissed it, thinking I was just annoyed with the writing or the voices or whatever. (I'm kind of critical at times...) Then one day, we were watching the show and the bear was in the woods painting a picture. He took great care to paint an ugly monster with fangs and spikes and scary eyes...and then he laughed out loud and said, "That's funny! It makes me laugh!" and proceeded to laugh some more.

And something clicked.

I stopped the recording and looked at Claire and said, "I'm so sorry, honey, but we can't watch this show anymore." I went on to explain to her that the bear was trying to make her think that a bad thing was actually good and funny. Without a major back story, we had worked through a lot of fear with Claire over "monsters" when she was 2 and 3. So, when I saw that monster being painted and then condoned and accepted as something okay and even fun and funny, a fire shot through my bones. My antennae were on point. Shazam gave me the results. The gift of discerning of spirits identified an intruder in my home - a spirit that was NOT the Holy Spirit.

Can you see how valuable this gift is?! Can you see that we all need it? I never knew how much I needed it until I became a mom and felt such fierce guardian instincts over my children. Being able to discern what kind of spirit is behind something enables you to protect your little ones like a sentinel in your home. You're the one who lets things in and out. You're the one who has authority to bind and to loose what you want in your home. Jesus bestowed this authority on you and the Holy Spirit gave you the tools to enforce it.

Call me crazy. Call me what you will. But you'd better believe I'm serious about knowing what is influencing my children - and ME, for that matter. The spirit realm is real and there is a battle going on all the time. The cool thing is, we can influence that battle by our participation! The final result is already established - Jesus wins. But we get to enforce His victory by pushing back the darkness. We push back the darkness with Light. And we wield that Light through the power of the Holy Spirit in us.

SHAZAM!

Out of Whack

2010-05-12T22:39:00.016-05:00

Ahhh, the chiropractor. Have you ever been to one? I first experienced the joy of a spinal adjustment in high school after I injured my lower back playing basketball. I was experiencing sharp, intense pain in my back when I sat in my school desk and it became too much to endure. My parents ended up going the chiropractic route for treatment...and I was hooked! It was working for me and I became a huge fan! I still love learning how all the organs, functions and systems of our bodies are connected to our spine. Amazing! Anyway, after a few months of treatment, my back was totally better, had restoration of motion and everything. I was about fifteen years old and I felt great! Funny thing was, I didn't stay that way. I found that as I exerted myself in sports, my back would get out of alignment again and again. I had to keep getting adjusted so that my body would function properly... Hmmm. What a correlation.

Something I have been learning is the connection between body, soul and spirit - and the order in which God intended for them to work. If you have been around me for long, I'm sure you have heard me talk about this subject. It is so essential to living fully and living in the flow of God's plan for you.

The Scripture gives reference to our being having three parts: a body, a soul and a spirit. (I Thess. 5:23, Is. 26:9, Heb. 4:12) The reference in Hebrews 4 even mentions that the Word of God is able to separate between soul and spirit. We were created in such an amazing way by a detailed, loving Creator. We are made in His image. There has been much speculation, debate and frustration over that statement, but I'm buying it! I believe we look like our Creator, but our being is like Him, too. He is Triune - three in one - Father, Son, Holy Spirit. I have learned to perk my ears up whenever there is a pattern in Scripture or in God's dealings with humanity. Groups of three are important. Don't you think it is interesting that we are also triune beings? Body, soul, spirit. Not an accident. And if it's not an accident, then all those parts are important. And all those parts have a function and an order.

We all know what a body is. That is probably the one part of us we truly "get." We see it, we feel it, we manage it (or not) and it interfaces us to the world and the world to us. It is a complex system, but it is not who we are.

Our soul is made up of our will, our thoughts, our emotions. It is the inside place where we process our world. Where we evaluate, contemplate, structure, reason, feel. This part throws us for a loop because we think this is who we are. We think that we are what we know. We think that we are how we feel. If it's in my mind, then it must be true. If I feel this way, then that's how it is. Well, to borrow a phrase from the esteemed Bob Hamp, "What if it's not? What if that's not true?" We'll come back to this in a minute...

The spirit - this is the real you. When you were physically born into this world, you were born dead. You had a body and a soul that were working quite well, but your spirit was stillborn. Because of the curse that came with the first choice of death in the Garden of Eden, all of us were born dead. This is what grieved our Father! His expansive family that He planned from the beginning would all be stillborn...unless He intervened. And so He sent His only Son into this place to make a way for us to have life. The moment you believed on Jesus and gave yourself to Him, God's breath (the Holy Spirit) brought life into your spirit. That is when you began to TRULY live. If you think back, I'm sure you can remember how things began to change for you - certain things were no longer appealing to you...certain people made you feel strange all of a sudden...and you had a new appetite for things of God. Your demeanor changed, your attitudes changed, YOU changed. There was a new person inside you that perfectly filled in the shell of who you were.

God's intention is for alignment. That firstly, life springs from the deepest part of us, our spirit. Our spirit is where we connect with the Holy Spirit, where we hear God's voice, where we sense and discern and deal in spiritual things. His order for our being is spirit, soul, body. The spirit is supposed to be in charge, driving the soul and the body to accomplish what the spirit chooses. MOST of the time, we don't operate that way - it is too easy for us to let our soul take the wheel and steer us off a cliff. That is the path of least resistance if we are left to ourselves! After driving myself off an emotional cliff the last time, I started to realize there was a better way...I knew there was a sweetness to life that I clearly was not experiencing in my mangled state of wreckage. I realized that I cannot trust my emotions or even my own thoughts! Without the life that flows from the Holy Spirit into my spirit, and without my yielding to that life, I will be deceived and will end up a wreck in every situation. I must force my soul to yield to my spirit. I must silence my natural thoughts and feelings to hear what God is saying to me about my situation. I must crush the old self - or like the Scripture puts it - I must die to self. Self is not welcome in the seat of authority any longer! My thoughts, will and emotions will take a back seat to my spirit and I will keep slapping them back in their place until it becomes a habit and my spirit doesn't have to struggle with them any more. Then, when my soul is accustomed to its new seat, all of a sudden it begins to function properly! It is transformed under the direction of my spirit, connected to the Holy Spirit! My thoughts are changed and my feelings line up with the truth. And THEN, my body can fall in line with truth from the top down.

The principle of alignment is so vital. Just like your physical spine must be in alignment for your body to function properly, so must your being be in alignment for you to function properly. If one vertebra moves even slightly out of line, your body experiences intense pain and individual systems start malfunctioning. If you sever your spinal cord, you lose mobility altogether, if not your life. Do you see the correlation to the idea of spirit/soul/body? If your soul shifts over and gets out of whack, you suffer. If your allow your body to rule you, you are out of alignment. The way God intended for you to live is UPRIGHT - standing tall, with the spirit in charge, the soul and the body falling in line, all in agreement with the Truth.

Are you tired of being out of whack? Give your spirit the keys and drive on up to get yourself an adjustment! Here's your prescription for maintenance:

1. Present yourself to God
2. Listen to hear what He is saying
3. Get a heavy dose of His Word
4. Pray the Word back to Him
5. Praise Him
6. Repeat often

Happy Rock Star/Magician/Pack Mule/Event Planner/Chef/Referee/Stabilizing Force in the Universe Day!

2010-05-08T21:15:00.018-05:00

For real, though! Moms are amazing.

I hope you know how amazing you are. You've got it going on! Whether you birthed your children, adopted them or somehow woke up with small humans in your life, you're an amazing person for loving them. You press on through endless whining, long stretches of sickness, the "phase" your child is currently in...and you make a world for those little ones. You ARE their world for the first years of life! You are their sun as they orbit around you and grow from your warmth. On days when you'd rather just stay in bed and think of your own wishes, you still spend your energy to love, serve and nurture those precious ones. You are awesome!

Sometimes I look around at the mothers I know and am confounded by their capacity to get things done. Some women have a grace on them to have large families, where everyone is dressed properly, uses flawless manners, can speak a second language and has a super-suit with heroic powers... If that's you, then just know that the rest of us are in awe.

I, on the other hand, am fine if my kids are just dressed - doesn't have to be "properly" - and if they can just remember to come to me when I call them. I do have a Responsibilities Chart for my daughter, and she gets a sticker for certain things we ask of her each day....so far, we're really striving hard to get the teeth brushed on a consistent basis. Ugh. But, just when it has been one of those days, Claire will come to me, curl up in my lap with her arms around my neck and say, "I love you, Mommy." Then I remember how precious this little one is! And how important my patient involvement with her really is.

Last year, during a study on the Holy Spirit, I fell into a new definition of LONGSUFFERING, which is one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit. (also listed as "patience" in certain translations) Longsuffering is, yes, "to suffer long." But to bring it down to a more practical understanding, here's my definition: to be graciously "in it" for the long-haul. To have a long-term view of the relationship or situation that is anchored by peace.

Boy, do I need that in my life as a mom! If I could just remember that my daughter's memory lapse on the thing I have repeatedly told her to do is only a pixel in the big picture. If I could just take a step back and see that my frustrations with my two-year-old are just a quick blip on the screen of his life. My children need me to have the big picture in front of me. They need me to be their navigator because I'm the one who has already passed this way before. Too many times, I let my response to my kids come from a place of self - telling them how annoyed I am with them or how they are constantly messing up. Turning my attention and my heart away from them. Hiding the warmth of their sun. And I can see their little hearts go limp and the light drain out of their eyes. Thank God for amazing grace that saved a wretch like me. I NEED the fruit of the Holy Spirit in my life! I can't do this mom thing out of the storehouse of my flesh! I know that I will utterly fail my children if my source of power is me.

That's why I'm so grateful for another option - the Holy Spirit's power in me!!! I can choose the source from which I live - and I MUST choose. The default setting is my own abilities and my own thoughts and my own endurance, and I know those don't get me very far...so I choose LIFE. I'm making a decision to plug into LIFE by ingesting the Word, praising my amazing God and letting Him fill me up with His river of living water so that it springs out of me. I know this will be a moment-by-moment decision since life is fast and unpredictable. But I'm going to choose LIFE over and over again. I'm declaring it by faith.

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So....back to celebrating! Today I raise my glass (of decaf iced tea) to all you moms out there! We're going to raise up a generation of people who love God and know how to love others from the true Source of LIFE! Cheers!!!

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For the mother that you are - you are fabulous! For the guardian and protector that you are - you are fierce! For the teacher and guide that you are - you are honored! For the time you invest - you are rewarded! For the tears you shed - you are understood! For the prayers you pray - you are fruitful! For the love you give - you're amazing.

Happy Mother's Day to YOU!

Like Breathing Out and Breathing In

2010-05-06T13:31:00.025-05:00

Today is the National Day of Prayer! For those of you with infants: if you can just manage to eek out "Help!" in prayer today, then you have succeeded!

The past couple of years have been an intense schooling for me in prayer. And I'm hearing so many people lately have a deep stirring in their core about prayer - the desire for prayer, understanding prayer, touching the Father through prayer and being transformed through prayer.

I took a class this spring at church called Prayer Tools and was so privileged to sit under the teaching of Carin Prickett. Wow. This woman has insight and experience in prayer and the Word like no one I have ever known. After every class (for 12 straight weeks), Tim and I would look at each other and say, "I don't think I have ever actually prayed before..." And we eventually were so floored by the revelation we received, we decided "Maybe we just need to get saved!"

Here are some of the amazing things I took away from that class:

We are positioned IN CHRIST. Yeah, we've all heard that and we kind of grasp what it means, but the imagery of the Old Testament high priestly garments reveals such a deep, poetic truth about our position in Christ.

The high priest had specific clothing and adornments he had to wear according to God's command. (see Exodus 28) The priest wore onyx stones on his shoulders, representing the Israelites as a nation - six tribes represented on one shoulder and six on the other. This was "the government" resting on the priest's shoulders. (does that phrase ring any bells for you? Is. 9:6 ) Jesus is the fulfillment of the Old Testament high priest - and He bears us on His shoulders before the Father.

The priest also wore a breastplate displaying twelve precious stones - one for each tribe of Israelites by name. Jesus not only represents us as a whole group (the Church) before God, but He represents us INDIVIDUALLY. Your name is written across His chest when He goes before the Father.

Now here's where it gets really good... in Old Testament times, when people would come to the Temple to seek counsel from God on a matter, they would bring a sacrifice. A dove was the lowliest sacrifice, but was common. Someone seeking an answer from God would present a dove to the priest; the priest would look it over, brush the dirt off of it, pluck out any imperfect feathers or blemishes and then perfume the dove with a sweet-smelling oil or fragrance. At that point, the priest would then hear the person's request. He would write it down (in the form of a 'yes' or 'no' question for God to answer) on a paper and tuck it behind the ephod of 12 stones up against his chest. Then the priest went into the Temple before God with the dove in his hands and the request pressed close to his heart. He offered the sacrifice to God and then waited for God's response to the question. Imagine...being in a holy place where only one man was ever allowed to go....appearing before the presence of Almighty God... The glory of God would light up the room and the stones in the ephod would reflect His light - then, either the Hebrew word for "yes" or for "no" would reflect from the ephod on to the wall and was considered God's response to the person's question of Him.

Do you see the imagery here?! This floored me. Jesus is the eternal High Priest for us. We don't have any other go-betweens since Jesus paid the price to reconcile us to God. And because He is the High Priest, He bears us on His heart before the Father as individuals. He knows that we need to hear from God. He hears the cries of our hearts. He hears our prayers. Jesus takes our prayer - like the dove sacrifice - brushes the dirt off of it, plucks out any impurities, makes it a fragrant, pleasing offering to God...and then presents it before the Father. The high priest made the ordinary dove pleasing to God, and Jesus makes us and our prayers pleasing to God. He TRANSFORMS our prayers into what they should be. He is our Advocate before God - He speaks on our behalf. He presents us pressed up close to His heart and probably says something like, "Father, here is Crista. I died for her and she is covered by my blood. I hold her here in my heart. She has a need from you and here it is." And as Jesus presents us before the Father, the light of God's glory shines on us and reflects from the stone with our name on it. We magnify His glory.

THEN....get this! Remember that verse that says "For all the promises of God in Him (Jesus) are 'Yes' and in Him 'Amen' to the glory of God through us"? (II Cor. 1:20) Apply it in this imagery! Our requests, pressed up close to Jesus' heart as He represents us before the Father...are met with a YES from God! And He says 'yes' to the purified prayer that Jesus presents with our name on it.

I think I might need to get saved. (that's only funny because I know I am...don't get me wrong!)

I love discovering these amazing things about Scripture - how God had an intricate plan from the beginning - and how Jesus is the fulfillment of every promise and intention of the Father laid out in the Old Testament. Man, I love Him!

The revelation that my prayers don't have to be perfect is so freeing! I just have to bring myself to God. I just have to come into His presence under the Blood. And sometimes, I don't even know what to say - but it's okay. The Holy Spirit prays in me and through me, even when I don't have words.

"Likewise, the Spirit also helps us in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God." Romans 8:26-27

There's so much more...but I think that about wraps it up for today. Like one of my all-time favorite Christian singers/songwriters says it: "Like breathing out and breathing in...oh, let us pray!"

Make 'Em Laugh!

2010-05-04T13:41:00.005-05:00

Humor is SUCH a God-thing! Even in my season of deep, dark depression, one laugh could carry me a long way.

After I had my first baby (my sweet little Claire-Bear, who is almost 6 years old now!), I plummeted into a spiral of depression like nothing else I had ever experienced. I no longer wanted to be around people. I wouldn't answer the door or the phone. I cried all the time. Everything seemed dark and empty. I retreated into a cocoon inside myself and was barely able to function or care for my newborn. Some other time I will tell you how the Lord brought me out of that horrible place...

BUT, even while I was in the midst of it, laughter was such medicine to my soul! My husband has this stupid little thing he does to make me laugh...that he invented during that hellish season of our lives. Back story: I have always thought it was so funny to watch our annoying little dog cough up a "furball" or whatever got stuck in his throat. Something about the way he craned his neck and tried so forcefully to hack up that nasty thing. Anyway, at one of my lowest points, Tim looked at me with a mischievous grin and said, "Look what I can do..." and proceeded to imitate Ollie (the dog) as he hacked up a fur ball. Sounds so stupid, but it made me laugh. And Tim has been able to lift burdens off my shoulders many times since then by that little routine. (Like, even last week!)

The point, you ask? Well, whatever your situation is today, I just want to encourage you to add a little humor into the mix. It will do your heart some good!

This little ditty always makes me laugh - it's old school and definitely for those with a theatrical flair, but good for a laugh, nonetheless:

Donald O'Connor "Make 'em Laugh" from Singing in the Rain

I'd love to hear some things that make you laugh...or some funny stories that would make the rest of us laugh! Post your humor "meds" in the comments!

Blessings to you today, friends!

Job 8:21 "He will yet fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy!"

Proverbs 17:22 "A cheerful heart is good medicine..."

Loss

2010-05-01T21:01:00.006-05:00

You've lost something. Your heart has been ripped out, torn to shreds. You don't know if you will survive it.

Just this week I was made aware of two precious ladies I know who miscarried their babies. In fact, ALMOST ALL the moms I know have lost a baby in miscarriage. It is one of the most horrendous things to have to endure in this life. What makes it even worse is that there aren't any good answers. Sometimes it seems like if you can just find someone to blame or some reasonable explanation, you can weather the waves of emotions that flood your being.

Then, once you are able to even get out of bed again, you have to smile through all the idiotic things people say like, "you're going through this so you can help other people in the same situation," or "you'll have another one," and other insensitive and asinine statements like that. (Side note: "asinine" is a very good word. Word of the day, if I might suggest.)

The facts say that you have lost. The facts say that there is no life in you. The facts say that someone should be at fault. The facts come up empty.

But then, there's the TRUTH.

The truth is God has never left you or turned His heart away from you. (Deut. 31:6, Deut. 31:8, Josh. 1:5)
The truth is that you will have trouble in this life, but that you can take heart because Jesus has overcome this world. (John 16:33)
The truth is, when you pass through the waters, He is with you. (Is. 43:2)
The truth is, Jesus understands your deepest heartache and feels it with you. (Is. 53:4)
The truth is, He knows how you operate, He understands your limits and He gently leads you. (Ps. 103:14, Is. 40:11)
The truth is that NOTHING can separate you from His love. (Rom. 8:38-39) Not even the pains of losing a baby.

His love flows down and covers you. Even when you are not aware of it, even when you are not able to receive it, even when you are angry with God. Nothing can stop His love! God PURSUES you with His deep, passionate, wild love. His love will restore you. His love will bring you new life. His love will heal up your brokenness. His love will move you forward. His love will make you live.

When you find yourself stuck in the filth at the bottom of the lowest emotional cavern in the universe, let your Lover hold you and cry with you. He has been in that cavern before. He hated the idea of your being there so much that He died a cruel death, bore your darkness and death in his own body and then stormed into the Darkness to get the keys to that awful place. Jesus has the keys to that prison and He's opening the door for you. Go with him through the prison door and let Him lead you back into the light where you were meant to be.

If you can be quiet and just sense God's presence, you'll realize you are being held.

Welcome to Dishes and Diapers!

2010-04-29T15:14:00.003-05:00

This is the first day of the Dishes and Diapers blog! I'm excited to launch this forum for sharing motherhood's ups and downs - and for bringing a little insight and inspiration to anyone who needs a fresh dose.

I hope you're in a quiet moment of bliss with the absence of crying, screaming, fighting, vomiting or worse...but I know better. You're a mom like me, and you're working hard! Here in just a minute, I'll be running my kiddos under the backyard water hose to dislodge millions of grains of sand from small crevices...but for just a moment, I want to connect with you heart to heart.

The purpose of this whole thing is to help us each look up from our tasks and circumstances to realize that we have a high calling in Jesus - to be daughters of the Most High God. He understands that you are in a crazy season. He knows your thoughts and feelings before they are fully formed in your mind. And His love for you is unfathomable. Did you know that He gets a kick out of you? Not a sadistic kick, like "Ha ha! Bet she didn't see that coming!" No, He is pure and He DELIGHTS in you. Imagine your Heavenly Father standing over you as you clean up a mountain of dishes for the third time today. He might move His hand to brush that pesky piece of hair out of your face. He might come around behind you to massage the knots out of your shoulders. He might just take your face in His hands and gaze into your eyes.

This is your loving Father. He delights in you. He is FOR you. He's got your back. Let this verse carry you until we talk again:

"The Lord your God is with you,
He is mighty to save.
He will take great delight in you,
He will quiet you with His love,
He will rejoice over you with singing."

Zephaniah 3:17

May you be quieted with His love for you today!

How to Begin a Friendship with God

2009-01-01T11:00:00.040-06:00

Whatever brought you to this point is most likely the Holy Spirit working in your life. God loves you so much, and He is wooing you to Himself. He created this world and He created humans to have a special friendship with Him. But, humans lost that connection with God when sin entered the world He made.

Because of sin, every person begins life separated from God - there is no heart connection with Him. And we all know we're missing something. Life itself is not complete, and we're all searching for something to fill the emptiness deep inside us.

Because God loved you so much, He sent His Son Jesus to die a painful death and carry all your sin - and the sin of all mankind - so that you wouldn't have to be under sin's curse anymore. "For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16

Then, Jesus conquered death and rose again, holding all power and authority in heaven and on earth. If you believe that Jesus is God's Son, and that Jesus died to pay for your sin, you can be saved! The Bible says it like this:

"If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved." Romans 10:9-10

Do you want to become God's friend? It's a free gift that Jesus died to offer you. He's hoping you'll say yes, because He wants to bless you and help you and fill you up. If you said yes, then here's a simple prayer you can pray to invite Jesus into your life:

"God, I believe that Jesus is your Son and that He died on the cross for my sins. I believe He is alive and I believe He is the way for me to be saved. I ask you to forgive me of all my sin and I invite Jesus to come into my life and give me a new heart. Thank you for paying the price to buy me back and make me Yours. Thank you for saving me! Amen."

If you prayed that and began your friendship with God, then WOOOOHOOOOOOO! This is the best moment of your life so far! So, what now?

Tell people! Get connected in a life-giving church that teaches God's Word and find other Christians to link up with. You were made to connect with other believers in Jesus so you can walk together through life.

I am thrilled that you decided to do this! If you made this decision to follow Jesus, please leave me a comment so I can pray for you!

Blessings,
Crista