It’s HOMECOMING week for Boerne High School! It’s been a fun and busy week at our house. We spray painted a gigantic paper mache tennis ball, some letters and posters for the annual Homecoming parade that goes through the heart of our quaint town. We have dressed up for each of the theme days as the hype continues to build. Our football boys are ready to take on the Marble Falls Mustangs this Friday, September 11th!

SEPTEMBER 11TH! 14 years ago on this date our country was attacked in the most malicious attack we have ever seen to date. 2,996 people were killed causing over $10 billion in property and infrastructure damage. It was the deadliest incident for firefighters and law enforcement in the history of the United States with 343 and 72 deaths according to Wikipedia. We all remember the day very well. We can all recall exactly where we were when the world stopped turning as Alan Jackson’s famous song rings in our ears. Our oldest daughter was just shy of being 4 months old. My husband had just been laid off the Friday before due to his company closing their doors, and I was working at Radio Disney. I remember hearing WBAP NEWS TALK staff screaming down the halls that we were under attack. I was sitting in my corner office looking out through the glass windows that over looked Six Flags and beginning to cry. I called my husband and asked if he had heard, and we both cried together. Our lives had just begun together yet it felt like it was falling apart.

I remember weeping with my colleagues as we went into one of the recording studios and watched the news feed. Our hearts were deeply hurting for the families that were watching not knowing if their loved ones were okay. When I got home from work that day, I sobbed some more in Ryan’s arms. He tried to assure me that it would be okay but there was this feeling that it wasn’t. Our church had put out poster board signs saying “Prayer Service at 7p.” I told Ryan I wanted to go, so we placed our baby in the car seat and headed there. Our church had never been so full. The pews were filled and people standing along the Sanctuary walls. The community came together! People from all over the world were coming together! We each took turns going up to the front to kneel and pray. Men and women were crying and praying. It was the most surreal moment I remember. God was very present with us. He was watching and catching our tears all in the same breath. I saw humanity at it’s very worst and humanity at it’s very best all in one day…that September 11th day!

As I reflect back over what all has taken place in those 14 years our God has been more than faithful. We added two more babies to our family making us grow from a family of three to a family of five.  My husband found another career that provided for our family better than the one he lost. I am no longer in Corporate America but walking into the High School with our oldest each day. There truly is not enough space or words to count all of the blessings. You have too many to count as well. He has certainly brought so much beauty from those ashes on that day. I love His words in Genesis and in Matthew that I just read in today’s devotion.
“I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go” Genesis 28:15

“I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 18:20

Such comforting words for us to remember and celebrate as believers that we will never be alone in our journey home. He is with us always to the very end! What a beautiful promise. I’m looking forward to tomorrow night’s game. It will be a beautiful community coming together to support and cheer on our boys. Humanity at it’s best! I will wear my shirt with pride as we remember the fallen of that day and give thanks for their lives and pray peace and comfort for their families souls. Remembering is good, giving thanks is even better!

“Be joyful ALWAYS; pray continually; give THANKS in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 

I took the girls to their Orthodontist appointment this week, and as I waited in the lobby I leaned over and grabbed a book to read. A devotional book is not one you would think you would find at a doctor’s office, but I am so glad I did. I turned to that day’s devotion and read the title “Our Stubborn Wills” and immediately knew The Lord was near and speaking. I can be STUBBORN and STRONG-WILLED at times…I was actually having one of those days. What causes that to come out in us? The devotion defined it well and said this,

“Being a Christian is a daily, ongoing experience. It is a lifelong process of DAILY repentance and faith, turning from sin and seeking to live for Christ, in the power of the Holy Spirit. That is where our wills come in. Although we have been converted and God has come to live in us, our old nature is still “alive and kicking.” Our stubborn wills still demand to put SELF FIRST instead of CHRIST. It isn’t easy to bring our stubborn wills into submission to Christ, but when we do, it is as if a misplaced vertebra has snapped back into place. Instead of the stress and tension of a life out of harmony with God, we discover the serenity of His presence. Who will control your will today? You – or Christ?”

You guys…the battle is REAL! It’s a DAILY walk with Him…for me minute by minute. We can’t simply say we are His followers because we have been baptized once and go to church once a week. We are kidding ourselves if we think that’s what it means to be a one of His followers. It’s a daily surrender to ourselves and an act of submission and obedience to HIM.

This was not the first time I had heard this message this week. I LOVE it when this happens. Repeat messages, verses, songs are a way I feel His affirmation of what He is speaking to me. They are my “goose bump” moments when I know He is near. In my quiet time, I have been studying the book of Nehemiah. Nehemiah was a faithful servant of the Lords who had a compassionate heart to rebuild the walls that had been destroyed in Jerusalem. When he arrived in the city he not only found broken walls but the broken lives of those who had returned from exile. I love what he did, he gathered the people together to hear Ezra read God’s law. The people responded by REPENTING and promising to change their lives by OBEYING God’s words. My bible says this as a reference to Nehemiah 8, “No matter where we live, backsliding is an ever-present danger. We must constantly check our behavior against God’s standards in the Bible so that we do not slide back into sinful ways of living.” The word of GOD has power and strength to restore us just like it did for them. Despite of our sinful selves, our God is FAITHFUL! When we stop, reflect and repent our God ALWAYS FORGIVES. ALWAYS! Are you willing to stop and reflect? How is your living and behavior holding up to God’s word? Do you need time with Him to repent? I do! As we finish up our week this week, I encourage you to memorize 1 John 1:9. Action is required from us, and our UNFAILING and FAITHFUL God will always respond and answer us when we do! He LOVES us! You are LOVED!  #gloryup

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9

Have you ever had to wait for something? My family is in a place of waiting for our new home. We have been in this waiting season for over a year now. It’s hard to wait!!! We live in a world with instant gratification where we can have anything and everything at our finger tips. We have stores of every kind on every corner. Google provides a search engine where you can instantly know anything you want to know in milliseconds. So what are we waiting for? We’re waiting on our Lord!

When we moved to Boerne, our way of doing things changed. We were not going to make the same mistake of living our life the way we wanted it and ask God to bless it. Now we are trying to seek Him first and ask for His will to be done above our own and that prayer means we wait. It’s been the hardest yet most beautiful journey the five of us have ever been on. Yes, our girls are in on this waiting with us.

Family selfie the day we prayed together

They have gone with us dreaming and hoping for our new home. There is one home in particular that truly has our hearts. ALL OF US WANT IT deeply! We have been looking at it since last October as it is a FORECLOSURE home that has been sitting and waiting for new owners for over five years. It’s beautiful! It sits on top of this gorgeous hill with breathtaking views that leave you in AWE of His majesty. It has four bedrooms…every home we have ever lived has only had three bedrooms which means our girls have had to share a room their whole life. You can imagine their excitement as they dream about having their very own room. As we walked through it, they each claimed one as their own. We came back another time to visit, but this time was different. Instead of dreaming we decided to pray. We went to every room in the house and petitioned before Him. We took turns praying in each room. Ryan would pray in the living room, I would pray in the kitchen. Each one of the girls prayed in their “claimed” room. We circled up and held hands as we heard their sweet voices seeking God and His desires for us. When it was Ashley’s turn to pray, she did things a little different. Tears still surface as I remember her sweet prayer. As we were circled up in her room, she broke the circle and went right to the middle of it and went to her knees. Her hands were straight up to the Heavens and she bowed her head. She said, “Lord, if you were to give us this house this would be my room. I love this room and I really want it, but if you don’t want us to have it then we don’t want it either.” WOW…such big words for such a little soul.

We truly don’t want to be one step outside of His will. We are surrendering to His ways which means we don’t really know what our future looks like. We’re not sure where we will call home, but we do know that we TRUST Him. We know His plans for us are higher and bigger than ours. Isaiah 55:8-9 was our family’s verse of the year in 2013. We memorized it and hold it in our hearts. It says, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, As the heavens are higher than the earth so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

I was looking back in my bible at the start of this year to find our verse for 2015. I love reading over the highlighted verses and remembering those seasons of our life. We can ALWAYS recall God’s faithfulness to us as we remember what and how He helped us overcome. If you don’t write in your bible, let me encourage you to do so. It truly is the best way for me to memorize, recall and remember our FAITHFUL God! Any ways, as I reread the words in Isaiah I stumbled upon new verses that I had never taken notice to before. I felt as though God had whispered this sweet and gentle verse to me as I read it. “You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.” Isaiah 55:12 

This is our verse for 2015, and as I continue to wait upon our Lord to show us the way, I remember His faithfulness. I remember that His thoughts and ways are higher than ours and that I will go out in JOY and be led forth in PEACE!!!  That’s certainly worth the wait. So what are you waiting for? Do you trust Him and know Him to be faithful? Maybe you aren’t waiting for a house, maybe you are waiting on healing from a broken relationship or from cancer. Maybe you are waiting for the right job or to know which job He wants you to take. Whatever it is you are waiting for…GOD IS FAITHFUL! Keep waiting for HIM!

!

Do you remember the song, “School Days?” Ryan and I sure do. Believe it or not, we sang it together when we were four years old at our Jack and Jill Preschool play. My parents still have the video of it on an old 8mm reel. The song was 74 years old the year we sang it in 1981.

It was written in 1907 by two childhood friends, Gus Edwards and Will D. Cobb, as they reflected back on their days in school together.

“School days, school days
Dear old Golden Rule days
Reading and riting and rithmetic
Taught to the tune of the hick’ry stick
You were my queen in calico
I was bashful, barefoot beau
And you wrote on my slate,”I love you, Joe”

I wonder just how much our school days have changed since 1907. We’ve come a long way from our grandparents stories of walking miles and miles uphill in the snow one way. Most of our buses are new with air conditioning. Gone are the days of chalkboards. Promethean boards fill most classrooms. I could go on and on with the changes and so could you, but here’s one thing that still applies…THE GOLDEN RULE! “Do unto others what you would have them do unto you!” In 1907, they might have learned them as Jesus’s words from Matthew 7:12, “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.” 

Impromptu Date Night

Ryan and I went on a date night this week. It was unexpected and we both decided to head out to the movies. I love a good thriller, and I had heard that “The Gift” was a good one. We bought the large popcorn for the extra 25 cents with free refills, that we of course could not finish, and found our way to our seats for what we hoped to be a great movie. Like most movies these days, we left disappointed. The movie was a sad story about a bully that had grown up a successful business man that climbed his way to the top by the same tactics he chose as a child…he was a BULLY. He told lies about people that were not true and caused great destruction in those lives that had a ripple effect.

Our words have the power to BUILD UP or DESTROY! “The tongue has the power of life and death, and those that love it will eat its fruit.” Proverbs 18:21

As Ryan and I left the movie theater, we both asked each other if there were moments that we wish we could take back from our childhood days. I certainly do. There were times that I used my words to destroy. I said mean and ugly things that left a girl in tears. I can still see her to this day in my head as I visualize her running off to tell the teacher. I was in 3rd grade at Annie Simms Elementary on the playground by the monkey bars. I can even remember the girl’s braided pig tails. Each time I recall it tears surface. I know I have been forgiven from the ugliness of that day, but I am so grateful that I remember. I have told the story very vividly to my own girls. It’s not something I am proud of, but I hope in me sharing it with them that it teaches them that’s its something that I regret saying. It brought harm to someone deeply and it’s not anything I can take back.

Friends, there are children facing some very difficult and dark situations in this life. Some of the things I have seen make my heart absolutely break. I know they break our Lord’s. Just this week I have seen victims of suicide, drug overdose, homelessness, high school drop out and more. Going to school for these student’s is their escape from their darkness yet most of these student’s are the very ones that are having words used to destroy them. Let’s teach our children to use their words to build them UP! Think of the power and influence those words might have on them. Instead of hearing you will never be anything, they could hear, “You can be anything you want to be.”

The movie actually moved Ryan to action. He reached out to one of our old childhood friends (Chris Phelps…SHOUT OUT…YOU are AMAZING GIRL! Keep SHINING bright!) that has started a non-profit and wrote a book (Tacky Box) with tools for children about this very subject. I invite you to take a look at what she is doing and how she is making a difference in the lives of many through the school programs that are spreading nation wide, Campaign For Kindness. Ryan is working with his Rotary Group of Fair Oaks to bring her to our school district to educate and teach on this important subject. Maybe you are moved to take action too. Let’s put a stop to bullying and teach the importance of being kind to others and following The Golden Rule! It’s a worthy cause that has a beautiful impact not only for our world but for His Kingdom! #gloryup

Father, Thank you for your Holy word that teaches us to treat others the way we would want to be treated. Help us to remember the times we have hurt others with our words so we will repent and turn away from doing it again. Help us to be examples to our children. May they see us as those that build others UP and not tear them down. Father, give our children strength to stand up against bully’s by offering kindness to them. Father, I lift up every Teacher and Administrator in ALL schools all around your world. Please use them to bring glory and honor to your name. Protect all of the precious children, Lord, big and small and help them to learn and grow this year so they can be all that you designed them to be. Thank you for loving us all and giving us all the best gift we could ever receive, JESUS!  In His Holy name I pray, Amen!

Isaiah 26:3-4

How do you go from an amazing-peaceful week to a stressed-full of chaos one? Well let me tell you…because I just experienced it.

I believe summer is so desirable because we SLOW down…WAY DOWN! School is out, many activities take a break, and vacations are taken. Families spend more quality time together and you find less anxiety and a lot more smiles as a result. We LIVE in the moment and have time to soak in our surroundings and experience God’s beautiful creation. Then just as the waves kiss the shoreline goodbye, our summer has faded in a quick blink of an eye.

We got back from our trip on Saturday and the laundry piles started as we unpacked, the empty refrigerator had to be filled with a two hour visit to the grocery store, and my new job began bright and early on Monday morning. My feet haven’t hit the floor, and I am a mess.  What happened to my peace? This week, I have been more on edge than I normally am. I found myself snippy at my favorite people when they had done little to nothing wrong. Why? Why? Why? If you have found yourself in a similar place then this devotion may speak to you as loud as it did me:

Jesus Calling
August 5th

“Sit quietly in My PRESENCE while I bless you. Make your mind like a still pool of water, ready to receive whatever thoughts I drop into it. Rest in MY SUFFICIENCY, as you consider the challenges this day presents. Do not wear yourself out by worrying about whether you can cope with the pressures. Keep looking to Me and communicating with Me, as we walk through this day together.

Take time to rest by the wayside, for I am not in a hurry. A leisurely pace accomplishes more than hurried striving. When you rush, you forget who you are and WHOSE you are. Remember that you are royalty in My Kingdom.”

“The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs – heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.” –Romans 8:16:17

I forgot who I was and to WHOM I belong! I don’t have to wear myself out and worry about keeping up with the pressures.  What a relief. This devotion came in His perfect timing. I love how He rescued me with these words to remind me to return to Him and be quiet and still in His presence. Monday was pure chaos…meeting so many new faces and having too many request to count and needs to be met with me not even knowing where to start. Tuesday was a little better, but Wednesday (Hump Day) things SLOWED back down! I took in the devotion and sat still with Him. He reminded me of the ways I stay in tune to Him throughout my day, and I incorporated them back into my routine. I turned my devotion calendar on my desk and read it first before even turning on my computer. I pulled up Pandora and put on my Christian Music to play in the background. I sang and hummed to many while I worked. When I found myself becoming stressed and needing help, I stopped and prayed and sought him in it. I stopped the hurried striving and I took my time. I accomplished ten times more than I did the day before. It’s hard to believe that by slowing down, you can accomplish MORE, but it’s true! I was more focused and in tune to what I was doing. God was with me and we accomplished so much together!

And then you guys…I came home and one of my precious new friend’s had dropped off dinner for my family! SERIOUSLY!!! The Lord poured out His blessings on us through this beautiful act of service and love. I was overwhelmed. I felt Him near again, just as near as I felt Him last week on the beach. Our God is an AWESOME God! He reigns from Heaven above! He is faithful to provide for His children. We are HIS! We belong to Him and if we trust Him, are still and present with Him, we will SEE Him and experience His AMAZING PEACE! I’m so grateful to have found it. Although the summer season fades and the pace picks up we can find our peace and balance through the help of our Lord and Savior. Have you found your peace? Do you have balance in your life? What do you need to add or take away to find it? Blessings on your search! #gloryup

The plan was to head to the mountains this summer. My husband LOVES the mountains and I LOVE the beach! We usually alternate our vacations in order for us to enjoy both. Last summer, our vacation money was wrapped up in moving our family to the Hill Country and getting to know our new surroundings. We packed everything up and moved after being in the only town our girls ever knew for 15 years. It was life changing. It was hard. But it was good…so very very good!

 A month ago I had come in from a tough day. We all have them, don’t we. From the moment I woke up to the moment I came home it was one battle after the next, and I was tired and weary. I was cooking dinner for the family and Ryan came in from behind me and squeezed me tight. I love those kind of hugs. They are exactly what I need on the hard days. Some how he knew that’s what I needed. I would have been good with that but there was more. He stopped me and turned me around. The girls had all come into the kitchen with him. He said, “We have a surprise for you. We are not going to Colorado anymore. We are going to Seaside, Florida the last week in July and your parents are going with us.” TEARS swelled! You guys, the beach is where I experience God the most. I can walk along the beach, listen to the waves, watch the sunrise and know that my God is with me. There is something so very special when you are surrounded by His creation.

Our very first day on the beach, Lexi brought me her phone and let me listen to her playlist on Spotify. Oh how I love to listen to the music as the waves hit the shore especially when they are sent from Heaven. The second song that played brought tears to my eyes quickly.  I felt God speaking to me intimately through it. This song has been around for several years and this was the first time I had ever heard it. The very FIRST time and on my first day on the beach on my surprise vacation! This was no surprise to Him…he aligned it and it took my breath away, and I knew I had to share it with each of you.

Close your eyes as you listen! Wherever you are in your journey, whatever you are going through, we have a Mighty and Sovereign Lord that walks with us. He calls us to RISE…to trust Him and follow where He leads. When we do, we get to see His beauty and experience His abundance and peace. I can testify to this truth. I was scared and afraid, and he gently took my hand and led me closer to Him than I have ever been before. There is nothing sweeter than to hear His voice, to experience Him and know that He is near. I promise it’s worth every step you will take in trust and faith. Psalm 121:8 tells us, “The LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.” What a promise! Enjoy the song! Enjoy the video of the ocean waves hitting the shore, and may it encourage you to be BRAVE, TRUST and RISE with Him! You can do it! #gloryup #summer2015 #Seaside #familyvacation

Walk across the shore
Walk across the sea
Stand upon the waves
And walk with me
Journey through the door
Come see what I can see
All the reasons we were made
Who we were meant to be

Rise, He’s calling you to come
Just leave it all behind
And rise above

Beyond the obvious
And what you can attain
Past the here and now
Where faith remains
Lift your weary head
There’s too much left to lose
More than you can imagine
It’s waiting there for you

Rise, He’s calling you to come
Just leave it all behind
And rise above
Come and stand
And join with me as one
Now take my hand and we
Will rise above

(yeah) (ooh, oh) (yeah) (ooh, oh) (yeah) (ooh, oh)

Rise, He’s calling you to come
Just leave it all behind
And rise above
Come and stand
And join with me as one
Now take my hand and we
Will rise above

(ooh, oh) (ooh, oh) (ooh, oh)

Come stand with me

(ooh oh) (ooh, oh) (ooh, oh)

Come stand with me

This week, I was in the midst of writing, and I felt The Lord say STOP and share this! Jennie Allen​ beautifully captures in words what is on my heart.

And there’s more…what she talks about in facing the tension happened to me this week. I received a phone call from a beautiful friend that is struggling. Her voicemail left me shaken and feeling very unequipped to return her call. I literally stopped and prayed and told the Lord that I was scared. I was afraid of what I was going to hear on the other end. He reminded me of Moses and how Moses felt when he was asked to lead the Israelites to the Promised Land. I spent some time in the word! I got the courage to call her back. I listened, I prayed while I listened and then I spoke. I was in the midst of the tension and yet through the tension we embraced each other with love and truth. Love and truth were beautifully woven together by God to bring hope and life to my precious friend. He really blew me away in how He was present with us!

Today, I encourage you to embrace the tension. Ask God to help you with it and then get to work doing it! You will bring LIGHT into the darkness and He will be glorified! May you be blessed by this blog today!

http://www.jennieallen.com/leading-through-the-culture-wars/

Last week my girls and I were driving in a neighborhood when a cat ran out in front of us. We abruptly applied the brakes. One of the girls said to me, “Mom, WAIT! That looks like the cat that is on the Lost and Found poster at the stop sign.” She wanted to get out and catch the cat and take it back to its owner, but the cat was so spooked it ran off quickly to the next street before we could catch it. We then went to find the poster to call the owner and let them know where we thought we had seen it. We went to the stop sign and the lost and found sign had been taken down. We were kind of bummed because we thought we were going to help a lost cat find his way back home.

This reminded me about another time when we tried to help a lost one to be found. This time, the lost one was a teenage boy! It was a regular school day. I was picking up the girls from school waiting along side of the road for them to come out. I love picking the girls up from school and hearing about their day. (It’s so cool to be a mom!!!) As I could see the oldest and middle one walking side by side, I saw one of them lean down and pick up a sheet of paper that was blowing in the wind. How sweet, I thought, that she was willing to pick up liter and make sure that it was properly disposed. They hopped into the car, and I told her how proud I was of her for picking up the trash. I asked her what it was. She handed it to me. The words that we found on the page were devastating to read.

It was a teenage boys’ letter to his dad about why he was leaving home. The words showed a deeply hurting and troubled boy. He said things like; “Why should I stay when all you do is yell at me and fight with mom. You don’t really love me or care about me or you would show up at my games.” The letter continued and as you can imagine my eyes swelled up with tears. I knew I had to do something but what could I do? There was no name on the letter. You could tell it was a draft that must have fallen out of someone’s backpack.

Here’s the crazy part of the timing of finding this letter. The night before, I had just completed the study of James with my bible study sisters. Oh WOW to the book of James. If you have never studied it, I invite you to. It will be a book that speaks loud and challenges you BIG! The ending of James is my favorite, and it was fresh on my mind.

“My brothers, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring him back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins.”
James 5:19-20

I started my car and we drove around to the front of the school parking lot. The girls asked me what we were doing. I told them I needed to see the School Counselor to share this letter with her. It was a far stretch, but I thought it was the best option I had at trying to find this boy some help. Evidence of my tears were still fresh when I walked into the school. They must have felt sorry for me because they let me go straight back to the Counselor without an appointment. I told her that my daughter had picked up this letter off the ground and we wanted her to be aware of it, so she could try to find the boy that wrote it. I even went into what I had just studied in James and the conviction that was on my heart to help him be found. I think she felt the same. I did all that I really could do physically, but I prayed and interceded for this boy that I didn’t know and his dad. I have no idea how this story ends. I don’t know if the Counselor ever found the boy or not, but I know that our God is faithful to save His LOST and hurting children.

In the Parable of The Lost Sheep, Jesus is speaking to the tax collectors, sinners and Pharisees. The Pharisees mutter, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” Luke 15:2 

Jesus goes on to tell the parable: “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.” Luke 15:4-7

Tex and Jewels

Here’s the deal…I see a world that will stop at nothing to find our lost pets. We will put up posters, offer rewards, microchip them so they can easily be found. We love them! Our family has 2 Yorkie Poos named Tex and Jewels. They are a part of our family and if they were lost of course we would try to find them. But what are we doing to try to save the lost souls of this broken world? The ones that are created in His image, you and me! See, we often turn a blind eye to their sin and hurt and we allow them to wander away from the truth when in reality they are so lost and afraid. What if we did something about it and we reach out and love them, we share His truth with them and we walk along side of them as they try to find their way back.  That’s my heart! I want to be one that helps to bring people back into the fold. I don’t want to continue to sit back and watch them continue to walk further away as they continue to walk in their sin. We can be God’s hands and feet and help them to turn away. It inspires me to get to work, to not be afraid to reach out and LOVE like Jesus did. We might be rejected like He was, and that’s OKAY!!!  The church’s that are standing on the truth will not be afraid to speak it, they will not fear the one’s that don’t want to hear it and they will help bring the lost sheep back into the arms of the loving Shepherd! There will be GREAT REJOICING in Heaven…those are Jesus’s words! Let’s get to bringing the celebration and REJOICING to His Kingdom!!!

In closing, here’s what the footnote of James 5:20 says: “The book of James emphasizes faith in action. Right living is the evidence and result of faith. The church must serve with compassion, speak lovingly and truthfully, live in obedience to God’s commands, and love one another. The body of believers ought to be an example of heaven on earth, drawing people to Christ through love for God and each other. If we truly believe God’s word, we will live it day by day. God’s Word is not merely something we read or think about, but something we DO. Belief, Faith, and Trust must have hands and feet – OURS! 

When was the last time you were hungry or even thirsty? I mean…really thirsty? Like…I really need a drink of water but you are no where near being able to have a drink. Most of us have the ability to get up, go to our kitchen, grab a glass and fill it with water, or we pull our car through a drive-through and order a super size drink to quench our thirst. Our definition of thirsty is very short lived. We have a need that we can fill immediately. Sometimes we eat because it’s time to eat, not because our body says we are hungry. Do we even know what it means to be hungry?

This week I have been studying the 4th Beatitude that Jesus gave on the Sermon on the Mount. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied” Matthew 5:6. It has really made me stop and think about what He is saying to us in this verse. In the past I have read “The Beatitudes” like a list of rules to follow. If I seek righteousness, I will be satisfied. I think the Pharisees thought that too.  They knew the law upside and down and even made up new laws on top of the laws just to be even more righteous, but they continued to be unsatisfied. They really thought that they could earn favor and self-righteousness became a reason to pass judgment on to others. They were missing the point. Just like we miss the point of being hungry and thirsty. Do we understand what it means?

I know there are children on the other side of the world that understand it. They go for days without a meal and when they do eat it’s the same rice they had three days prior. There are even children in our own communities that understand hunger. Many of them get their only meal of the day from the school system and when summer comes the fear of how will they eat becomes a real living nightmare.

Volunteers with “Taking it to the Streets” a ministry in Boerne, TX

Fortunately, there are beautiful non-profits and volunteers that work to feed these children in the countries far away and in our communities today. PRAISE GOD! Let’s think about these children being fed. When they eat they understand what it means to be satisfied. They depend on others for their food. Many of them are left as orphans because their parents did not survive the hunger or the epidemic that swept their land, a truly heartbreaking situation that most of us can’t really comprehend. So what does this have to do with Matthew 5:6?

What if we read it in reverse? What if when we are in Christ we are satisfied. We understand that there is nothing more we can do. Satisfaction in the Lord is when we are flat on our face, we are at the end of ourselves. Satisfaction comes when we there is nothing else, no one else to turn to but to Christ. When we need Him, we thirst and hunger for Him. We get on our knees and humble ourselves. We repent of our sin and we seek righteousness and then we are SATISFIED.  We are happy in Him! Oh dear friends, there is no where else I want to be then at His feet. He is faithful to satisfy all of His children. No matter how far we have strayed He welcomes us home when we return to Him. There is no sin too big to be forgiven. Jesus hates the sin but oh how He LOVES the sinner. Just this week I was discussing the story of when Jesus forgave the Aulterous Woman in John 8 with my oldest (at Youth last night they studied the same passage and Catherine said she had chill bumps…LOVE LOVE LOVE when this happens). When you have some time check the story out. There is so much love, forgiveness, redemption and grace in this story. The Pharisees brought in a woman that had committed adultery. She was guilty. They wanted to stone her to death and they asked Jesus what he thought. He drew a line in the sand and stood up and said to them, “If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” No one could throw a stone. Her life was pardoned and they walked away. But don’t miss this important part of the story…Jesus asked the woman, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”She responded with no sir. Jesus says, “Then neither do I condemn you, GO now and leave your life of sin.” There was a command after there was forgiveness and grace. GO and SIN no more! Here’s the thing that we are seeing in our world today. There are a lot of pointing fingers and condemning in our midst. No one can condemn but Christ alone, and Christ ALWAYS forgives when there is repentance and a heart pursuing righteousness.  He satisfies us and our life of sin is no longer desired. We recognize our sin for what it is and we stop making excuses for it. We stop diminishing it and we start to live a life sold out in bringing Him glory! That’s the life I want to live. I want to die to self, to the flesh, to the things of this world and I want to live a life sold out for Him. He died so that I might live! He died so that you might live. Let’s start living it well! 

Meals on Wheels

Dearest Father,
Oh how we love you! Thank you for the cross. Thank you for the death of Christ that offered us life. Help us to truly LIVE a life pursuing righteousness and help us to get rid of the sin that easily entangles us. Lord, if we are struggling with a sin that we have yet to see give us eyes to see. Help us not to be stone throwers but to offer love and guidance to the truth that you offer us in your Holy word. Your word is a lamp unto our feet and light unto our path. Help us to pursue righteousness through following it. We love you too and ask all of this in you Son’s most HOLY name! Amen

I love a good book in the summer! This year is no exception, but the book I am reading is not one that I would pick to read for myself. The district that I work for bought each of their staff a copy and challenged us to read it, learn and grow from it personally, as well as further educate our students in the upcoming 2015-2016 school year.

“Mindset is written by a World-renowned Stanford University psychologist, Carol Dweck. After doing decades of research on achievement and success she discovered a truly groundbreaking idea – the power of our mindset. She explains why it’s not just our abilities and talent that bring us success – but whether we approach our goals with a fixed or growth mindset. ”

This is a secular book with great insight that has stretched my way of thinking, but it has also stirred up great emotions in me as I think about our oldest daughter, Catherine. She is a beautiful example of having the growth mindset.

Our Catherine is a May baby which means she is one of the youngest in her class. The first few years of school we saw her face some learning challenges. We chalked it up that it was her young age causing her delay. By the middle of her 3rd grade year, we knew that something more was going on with her ability to learn. We found ourselves on the waiting list at Scottish Rite Hospital in Dallas where they would do learning and aptitude testing to help us determine what she was struggling with. After 6 months of waiting and testing, she was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder Inattentive (ADD Inattentive). This news came with anxiety for all of us as a family. No one wants their baby to be labeled or struggle but this is exactly what we were up against. I found myself learning and reading about this diagnosis and doing whatever I could do to help my baby overcome. We met with her Pediatrician who helped prescribe medication for her. This was something that I didn’t want for her either. She took the medication for half a year with some evidence of improvement but not enough to warrant the change in her personality. Catherine did not like the way the medicine made her feel and she asked us if she could stop taking it. We had a discussion with her doctor and he told us that it was up to us. We could help her get by without it, but it would mean learning how to cope and overcome some areas where she struggles.  We were up for the challenge.

I knew that we couldn’t do this on our own. We needed our mighty and strong God to help us overcome her weaknesses and ours too.  I turned to Him for help, and I continue to seek Him when it comes to our baby overcoming. He continues to answer our prayer in amazing ways for our Catherine. She is OVERCOMING! The Lord has placed some amazing teachers and mentors in her path that also has the same mindset that we have. She can do anything she wants to do. There is nothing holding her back for reaching for her dreams and setting goals to get there. But there’s even MORE…our Lord lives in her. Where she is weak, He is STRONG (2 Corinthians 12:9-11)! We even had one of our best friends who is an artist paint a personalized message for Catherine on canvas. It hangs in her room so she can see it everyday and claim it as truth because it IS!

I think Dr. Dweck’s book is insightful and definitely worth the read, but there is nothing groundbreaking in it for the believer and follower of Christ. He tells us in His word in Romans 12:2, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is–his good, pleasing and perfect will.” He has given all of us abilities and talents to help shape us into the person He designed us to be. It’s up to us to believe Him and take Him at His word that He will never leave us nor forsake us (Deuteronomy 31:6). Catherine’s diagnosis didn’t catch Him by surprise. He can use all of it for her good and help her grow into the woman of God that he designed. If we have worldly success along the way, we PRAISE Him, for it is Him that has made it possible.

We have much to PRAISE Him for! Catherine has been earning achievements that seemed impossible for her when she was in 3rd grade. Reading and math have been her strongholds. Last year in 7th grade, she was recognized out of her entire 7th grade team as an Outstanding Reader. This year in 8th grade, she was recognized as an Outstanding student in Math! She is figuring out that hard work and effort pays off. Never say never and never give up! The only way to fail in this thing called life is to quit. We have to keep going, even if it means we fail. Even if we are tired and we feel like we can’t give it anymore, we wake up and go at it again.

This past weekend, we saw Catherine WIN 1st place in a tennis tournament. She has earned many 2nd place trophy’s in her tennis career. We have learned so much through those 2nd place trophy’s. She knows that she can’t give up on academics or in her sports. You have to fight hard each and every day in order to be one that overcomes. She made it to the 3rd set tie-break and her anxiety was through the roof. Ryan and I could see it in her eyes and the way she held her chest. I began my prayer that I always pray, Lord, help Catherine overcome this fear and face it head on. Lord, be her strength! When she came off the court for her 3 minute coaching break she broke. Tears flowed and anguish and fear fell over her. She told us she didn’t think she could do it. We told her she could. I asked her to recall what her painting said in her room. And she said it out loud, Catherine can do ALL things through Christ who gives her strength. That’s right and He certainly did! She got to experience it and now we get to tell you about it. Our God is an AWESOME God! All GLORY is HIS! Don’t ever give up on yourself or your dreams…keep pressing on towards the GOAL and praise Him when He gives you sweet victories!!!  #gloryup