Tuesday, October 31, 2017

I get by with a little help from my friends


One of the challenges of my life is that I am pretty self-aware.   It's challenging because my personality isn't always the easiest to have.   There are many things about me that make it annoying to be me.

One of them is that I often tend to believe that everything is about me.  See paragraph above. :-)

But I also am incredibly competitive, borderline obsessive, and like a dog with a bone on certain things.  I'm extremely passionate about the things I care about and sometimes can't stop myself . . . leading people to believe that I am pushy.   Hmmmm.  (big smile)

In case you haven't noticed, I'm participating in a fund raiser for the organization I work with and I am so passionate about what I do that it comes out in me being fairly obnoxious in my efforts to further the cause.

But one of the cool things that has happened in the past week is that I have learned the true meaning of this verse from Proverbs 25:13 (as paraphrased in the Message)
Reliable friends who do what they say are like cool drinks in sweltering heat -- refreshing!
People I have known and loved over the years have been some of the first to respond to my appeal.  People I haven't talked to in a long time, but people who have been my friends.   And some of my newest friends have come through for me as well.

Reliable friends can look past all of the annoying things that make me me and see my heart.... and that is exactly like a cool drink on a very hot day.

It's my prayer that I will not only have reliable friends, but be one.

Now here's a song that will take you back in time for a moment.   If you are over 40 you can't tell me that this song doesn't take you back in time and remind you of a friend or two.

Monday, October 30, 2017

Brave


You may have heard yesterday at church that it was Reformation Sunday.   500 years ago this week, Martin Luther nailed his 95 Thesis on the Wittenberg Door.   Because of this action, the things that needed confronting in the Catholic (one and only) church at that time were addressed and the protestant religion was formed.    His stand had a huge effect on all of us.  He was the first one to teach that salvation and eternal life are not earned by good deeds but are only received as a free gift of God’s grade through faith in Jesus Christ as redeemer from sin.

He was definitely a hero of the faith and yet at the time he had no idea that he was going to be viewed as a brave man who changed history and started a reformation.  In fact, he was kind of a nervous wreck before and after the nailing of the thesis on the door.   Afterwards, he remained scared and went into hiding when he was declared an outlaw and his writing was banned.   We had the opportunity to recant many times and seriously considered it. 

We may not know what God is going to ask us to do today.   It might be something that seems small but later others will realize it was something very big.  It might be something that changes history for the world…. or it could be something that changes history for one person, on child, one family.

Martin Luther didn’t see what life would be like 500 years after he did his brave deed.  Neither will you and I be able to see what life is like 50 years from now for a person who we impact today.   But God is calling us to be brave and do what He asks today … and tomorrow… and the day after that.  One day at a time.


Saturday, October 28, 2017

Saturday Summary for October 28, 2017

It's Saturday morning again and just got back from the gym.  Yes, tis true, training for March 17th and Do It For The Kids Day has begun.   Unexpectedly.

Let me back up.   Last Sunday we had one of the best lunches we have had as a family in a long time.  It was really fun.  We picked up Subway (that part was NOT Fun... have you ever ordered for 8 at a time in a Subway line when only 2 people are working when most of the orders came to you by text?).... but I digress.  We took it to the park and it was great fun.   It was a gorgeous fall day.    The grandkids played and we had a good conversation in which everyone participated.   It's the little things.

I spent the week dealing with the insurance company and body shop regarding my Equinox.  I am currently driving a huge GMC Acadia -- very nice vehicle, but I know the clock is ticking before the rental allowance wears out.

My work week was crazy. I got into "the zone" and cranked out so many projects that have been sitting there for days and weeks and it felt good.

Wednesday night there was a halloween party at the church.  Carlos was the most adorable Lion ever and Gabby really rocked the "Snow White Zombie" costume  (a a compromise from her mother who was insisting she not be a princess for the 5th year in a row.





I also got to have coffee with my friends Cathy and Nikki on Thursday morning and then Thursday night I did a foster parent training.  I had the pleasure of spending some time with my friend Betty Leggett on Friday afternoon.  That was so nice I can't even explain it.



But the majority of my thought time has been spent on #DoIt4theKidsDay.    I am running, okay, slowly walking, 2.6 miles for the programs I sponsor.   I have never been part of a greater mission in my life than what we are doing at PHFS and it's the ONLY thing that could get me dieting and training etc.

I had told folks I would start the training when I hit the $1000 mark  and it happened right before lunch on Thursday.  I was hoping it wouldn't happen until after the weekend... I had things I want to eat!!! But it happened on Thursday and my friend Cathy made me lunch and I've been dieting since.

This morning I went to the gym and did a Facebook live video because someone donated money. It was possibly the worst Facebook live video ever made... we couldn't even figure out how to turn it off ... but hopefully it will motivate others to give.

I've come up with a lot of different reasons why people should give ... but I'll put it in another blog post in case you have already donated or decided you never will... then you don't have to endure it.

Hope your week has been as good as mine!

What do YOU get out of it?


In case you haven't been paying attention, I've begun a campaign at to raise money for the kids and families we serve at Patrick Henry Family Services.  We called it "Do It For the Kids Day" and it is going to be held on March 17th.  I'm going to walk 2.6 miles and train un until then.

Obviously, the most important reason anyone should give to a cause is for the cause itself.   The four programs that I am raising money for include

1)  A boys and girls home that serves families who for one reason or another cannot care for a child.   Over 60% of the children we serve typically come from adoptive families who are struggling.

2)  Safe Families for Children.  If you are not familiar with this program it is awesome -- it mobilizes the church to take care of children who are at risk to prevent them from entering the foster care system.

3)  Hope for Tomorrow Counseling.  Christian counseling in seven different cities available to anyone with a sliding scale for those who are uninsured and cannot afford to pay.

4)  Hat Creek Camp.   A camp run using TBRI principles in a gorgeous setting, the camp served over 300 children this summer.

Who wouldn't want to support things like that?

But other than that, there are several other things you can get out of it.  I thought that I would list them in one place.

1)  You can sponsor me by the word to write a sequel to the novel.  There are still 22 days left that I need sponsors for if I'm going to write the sequel in November for Nanowrimo (National Novel Writing Month).   Sponsor me by the word for a day.  Last year I wrote between 1500 and 2500 words a day for 19 days and the novel was done.   So let me do the math.....

a penny a word is $15.00 - $25.00

a nickel a word would be $75.00 - $125

a dime a word is $150.00 - $250.00

and a dollar a word... well that would be $1500 - $2500. (how could would that be).  Here are the days that are still available. 





2)  You can sponsor a meal.  I'm trying to eat healthy and lose weight and everyone has an idea of the best way to do that.  So I thought I'd let my sponsors choose my meals.  For a $50 donation you can choose what I eat for a meal.  For $100 you can pick my meals for a day.   For $500 you can choose my meal plan for a week and for $1000, you can choose my meals for a month.

3)  You can sponsor a workout.  I'm going to the trainer 3 times a week minimum (when I'm in town and he's there).   If you give $25 or more I'll give you a shout out from the gym.  For $100 or more I'll do a Facebook Live video (at least one minute per $100).  If you have seen the first one, you know it's incredibly humiliating.  So if my humiliation is important to you .... :-)

4)  You can prove that my friends, blog readers, church members, and family members are the most loyal, most dedicated, most compassionate people on the planet that care about kids and families more than anyone else.  We already know it's true, but you can prove it.

6)  You can help me win.  I like to win.  And I'm leading the fundraiser for the whole organization, so losing might be embarrassing.

6)  You could sponsor someone else and help them beat me if this is important to you.    I'd be happy to even lose for the kids.   Click on my page and then pick someone to sponsor besides me.

See?  There are multiple ways for out to be the hero here.   It's all for the kids..... Let's Do It!

Friday, October 27, 2017

Ever Feel like a Nobody?

There’s an interesting verse tucked into the small book of Hosea.   In the NIV it says, "I will say to those called ‘Not my people, ‘You are my people’: and they will say, “you are my God.”

In the Message, God says, I’ll say to “I’ll say to Nobody, ‘You’re my dear Somebody,’ and he’ll say, ‘You’re my God!”.   

I love the way Eugene Peterson paraphrases that verse.  Because we have all felt like a “nobody” at various times in our lives.

All i takes to turn a nobody into a somebody is for God to speak the word.  When he calls us and said “You are mine” we are suddenly and forever changed.

Remember the film “Dead Man Walking?”   In that movie, based on a non-fiction book, Sister Helen Prejean develops a relationship with a guy on death row.   It’s a powerful movie about unconditional love and deep mercy.   During the end of the movie, when Matthew Poncelet (the convicted murderer in a Louisiana prison) is walking to his execution, the song below was playing.    

Tears are forming in my eyes as I listen to this song and remembering the movie and this profound truth— that God can change everything when he reaches down to the lowest nobody and simply say, “You Are Mine!”

If you haven’t heard it….. it’s a lovely, powerful song.


Thursday, October 26, 2017

What Kept Me Up from 3:00 to 4:30 am?


Let me tell you all about it.

So, I woke up at three.  No reason other than my bladder being the size of a thimble.  But when I woke up I started thinking about this fundraiser that we are doing at PHFS where I work. I'm in charge of it and it is becoming increasingly more important that I lead the charge in this.   I have never worked at an organization that had a bigger vision or a greater cause to support, so that piece of it is easy.     In case you haven't heard about it, you can check it out here.  I'm combining it with a need to get in better physical shape.

But this is the challenge that has been rolling through my head that started bugging me at 3 a.m.   How am I going to write a novel AND raise money in November?  I usually use my free time (early mornings, evenings and weekends to do things like raise money for this cause, sell my books, promote my speaking gigs, etc.   I don't do it on work time.   And I don't write novels on work time either.  So the idea of not having a month to do fundraising made me think that I should not write a sequel this year.

But there are lots of people who want me to.

So, I stewed, I thought, I prayed a bit and suddenly I came up with the best answer ever.  I could say that God gave it to me ... maybe He did or maybe  He just gave me the brain that came up with it, but I think that it is brilliant.

I am going to get people to sponsor me to write the sequel!  So, here's how it goes.

I am looking for 30 people who will each sponsor me for one day - a day of their choosing during the month of November.  They can sponsor me a penny a word, a nickel a word, a dime a word, 50 cents a word, or a dollar a word (that probably ain't going to happen).  Here is what that would look like.

Last year I wrote between 1500 and 2500 words a day for 19 days and the novel was done.   So let me do the math.....

a penny a word is $15.00 - $25.00

a nickel a word would be $75.00 - $125

a dime a word is $150.00 - $250.00

and a dollar a word... well that would be $1500 - $2500.

I know this would motivate me to write more and it would combine it all, giving me the time to do all three things I need to do -- continue to fundraise, train physically for the walk in March, and write the sequel.

AND it would make you the hero.

1)  You help kids and get a tax deduction.

2)  You help me get healthier.

3)  You get the sequel you've been asking for.

A win win win.  

Too bad I can't have those kind of ideas at 3:00 p.m.

Who will be the first to sign up?  Comment, email me, facebook me, pick your day and your amount.  You don't need to put it on the website yet -- because you won't know how much to put until we get to the end of the day and see how many words I write.

Isn't this fun???

(I wrote this super fast, so if you see anything that doesn't make sense, please let me know so I can clarify.  Would hate to lose sponsors because of a lack of clarity).

Wednesday, October 25, 2017

It's On Us


On Sunday in our CSI Sunday School class we talked about the final beattitude which talks about being persecuted for righteousness sake.   With some shame, we admitted to one another that we have not been persecuted for righteousness sake or reviled or had all manner of evil spoken against us for Christ’s sake.  And the shame came in the fact that these things aren’t happening, because we aren’t doing the brave things, taking the stand, in big enough ways for people to notice and respond.

I was convicted of this again this morning when I read this passage in the Message from Isaiah 43:

But you are my witnesses.”  
    “You’re my handpicked servant
So that you’ll come to know and trust me,
    understand both that I am and who I am.
Previous to me there was no such thing as a god,
    nor will there be after me.
I, yes I, am God.
    I’m the only Savior there is.
I spoke, I saved, I told you what existed
    long before these upstart gods appeared on the scene.
And you know it, you’re my witnesses,
    you’re the evidence.”  

God never had a plan B.   From the beginning of time He choose us to be his witnesses…. to be the evidence of His existence and to be the ones who could describe His nature to others.  

Is that something you take seriously?

It’s us…. Christians…. in this world and the love that we show that’s the evidence.  


Monday, October 23, 2017

How Will You Answer This Question?


You know, life is kind of funny.   Because if someone comes up to me today and asks me the question, "How was your weekend?" I'm honestly going to respond "pretty good, actually" and then I'm going to wonder why I answered that way.   Because based on what I'm about to tell you, you might conclude that I did NOT have a good weekend.

On Saturday afternoon Bart and I had the house to almost to ourselves.   Salinda and the kids had gone to the park, and Dominyk had gone to the mall to meet a friend.  I texted Bart and basically said, "Come quick!  The house is quiet.  Let's watch "This is Us!"    

We love the show, as anyone involved in adoption probably does, because it's pretty real.   And I guess I like to cry, but I digress.   But the week before Dominyk had said something really mean during a powerful scene and I didn't even hear some of the dialogue.  So having the house quiet was amazing.  Wilson doesn't really talk to us, so having him home was neutral.

So, we sat down and I was so excited I actually typed into Facebook that we were going to get to watch it.   Exactly nine minutes later, Dominyk called.  He had gotten into an accident in my car (I know, I know, you're asking why I let him drive it.... and I'm asking myself that question also, repeatedly, for the last 36 hours...).   Needless to say the show became a secondary issue.

Fortunately nobody was hurt The front of the car will have to be replaced.  .  We have insurance.  It's a hassle and we have no idea where we are going to get the $500 to pay the deductible, but it could have been worse.

Fast forward a few hours and we are finishing up "This is Us" after the grandkids are in bed and the boys come in from their respective rooms.  They have to go and pick up Salinda because her car died.  Yes, tis true.

So yesterday we had to figure out how to get seven of us plus the boyfriend to church in one Toyota Camry (which, by the way, was purchased when Dominyk hit a deer and totaled Bart's car in May) and Dominyk's truck, which he was saying he was afraid to drive.   We did it though!

All of that and I am looking back thinking it was a pretty good weekend... WHAT?  Yup, it was a good weekend.

I got a lot of work done and feel caught up.   Bart and I had a couple meals out with good conversation. We had an especially nice Subway lunch at the park after church yesterday that was paid for by some anonymous dude (who we are pretty sure we figured out who it was).   (Ordering it at Subway, however, not fun).   The weather was gorgeous.

So, is there a point in all this?    Yes, there is.....   And the point is this.

It's what you choose to dwell on.   I could spend my entire day telling people all about how we are completely messed up because of the car situation and our finances.  I could mention all of the annoying things that surround parenting underemployed adult children.  I could discuss the family dynamics I'm not happy with.

Or I could tell you that the weather was great and we had a nice picnic and that I got a lot done.


In Philippians chapter 4 verse 8, 
"Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”
That's what makes the difference.  

I'm sharing two songs with you today.  The first is a song devoid of God even thought it's kind of catchy!  The second is one that is full of words about Him.   I think you can tell the difference in the approach to life.  


Saturday, October 21, 2017

Saturday Summary for October 21, 2017

So....   What has happened this week you ask?  

Let's see.  

Last Saturday we took the afternoon to take the boys to Greensboro.  We planned the day around them but they didn't see it like that.   Sunday was interesting as we worshipped in the Fellowship Hall (pieces of the roof are literally falling down in the sanctuary).

I was in Brookneal from Monday night through Wednesday.  Worked in Lynchburg Monday morning.  Tuesday and Wednesday were packed full of meetings.  Came home for Wednesday night supper and then Thursday drove to a meeting in South Boston. Back up to Lynchburg for meetings yesterday.  Last night Bart took me to dinner and today we ate lunch out.  It's kind of sad that that's our only pastime huh?

On the family front not much happened this week.   Except today Dominyk hit another car with my car.... kinda don't like to let the kids use my car, but once and a while I say yes.

So this is boring.  Really boring.




Thursday, October 19, 2017

Think You Know Better?



Do you ever find yourself arguing with God?  Do you talk back to Him as though you know better than Him?  I know I do sometimes.

Read these words of God spoken in Isaiah 53 (The Message):

 Open up, heavens, and rain.
    Clouds, pour out buckets of my goodness!
Loosen up, earth, and bloom salvation;
    sprout right living.
    I, God, generate all this.
But doom to you who fight your Maker—
    you’re a pot at odds with the potter!
Does clay talk back to the potter:
    ‘What are you doing? What clumsy fingers!’, 

It’s a comical thought isn’t it?  Clay talking to the hands that are forming it?  And yet it is what we do so often.   We question God and what He is doing.

Kind of silly, don’t you think?





Feeling off track?


Ever feel like you aren’t quite where you should be?  Wonder how you got off track?  Want to know how to get back where you should be?
In Chapter 29 God speaks through Isaiah to say this (as interpreted in The Message:)
And these children will honor me    by living holy lives.In holy worship they’ll honor the Holy One of Jacob    and stand in holy awe of the God of Israel.Those who got off-track will get back on-track,    and complainers and whiners learn gratitude.
I find it fascinating that these verses are together.   God talks about people who will begin to honor Him by living holy lives.  He mentions holy worship and recognizing Him with awe.   He talks about getting back on track.

And then suddenly WHAAAAAAAT?   Complianers and whiners learn gratitude?  What is that about?

It could very well be that God is giving us a short formula for getting back on track:

Live holy lives.

Participate in holy worship.

Stop whining and complaining.

Learn gratitude.

Whining and complaining and gratitude can’t really exist at the same time.   So when you feel a whine or a complaint come on to day, think of something you’re grateful for.   Or maybe several things.  It might just be the solution to getting back on track. 


Wednesday, October 18, 2017

8 Days or 40 years?


Before beginning today I need to confess something.   This is not original with me.  If you live in Central Virginia and listen to the Journey (88.3) and happened to be listening to Amanda you heard this.

Amanda said her pastor said that it should have taken the people of Israel 8 days to get to the promised land.  I googled it and some people say it should have taken 3-4 days.   Instead it took them 40 years.  The promised land was eight days away and it took 40 YEARS!   Read the story and you will see some of the reasons why.  They complained.  They argued.  They didn’t trust their leaders.  They did a lot of whining.  They lacked faith that God would really get them there.  I’m sure there are many other reasons you could find if you studied that story.

For the sake of applying this to our daily lives, does God have a promised land for you on THIS side of heaven?  Does he have a life that he wants you to live that is full, rich and meaningful?  Is it just eight days from where you are right now?

All of us need to ask God about this land that He has for us.  We need to avoid the pitfalls that the people of Israel were caught up in …. “Throwing off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith” (Hebrews 12).

Would it be an incredible waste of a life to wander around in the desert of selfishness, ingratitude, negativity, conflict, when the life God has promised us is just an eight day walk away?


Tuesday, October 17, 2017

The One Thing that Never Fails


If I started to name all of the things that fail in life I could sit here all day.   At this very moment, my Fit Bit Blaze is failing to sync to my Iphone and it’s very annoying.   I know i had a good night’s sleep but I want to know JUST how good it was.   I know, I know, #firstworldproblem.

Technology fails, vehicles fail, machines fail, my kids fail their classes, plans fail, friends fail, we fail.   

But love…. that’s the one thing that never fails.  Check out 1 Corinthians 13 and you’ll see how it is described.  Powerful.


If you’re needing something to wake you up this morning, check out this song and pray this prayer.  Your day will be different if God answers your prayer.



Monday, October 16, 2017

See the Resemblance?


Do you know of someone who is so much like one parent or the other that people see an immediate resemblance?  Or are you so much like one of your parents that others recognize instantly that you are related?

This concept was brought up in our Sunday school class yesterday as we were discussing this verse.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God.

We talked about the difference between peacekeepers and peacemakers.  We discussed different ways that we can be peacemakers:  Bring peace to individuals, lead peaceful protests to bring about peace that comes from social change, and get involved in conflicts between people and help them understand one another. 

But the coolest moment of the class for me was understanding, for the first time, the second part of the verse.   “They shall be called the children of God.”   I asked the question, “Aren’t we all children of God?  Doesn’t He consider all of us His children? 

We came to the conclusion yesterday that maybe it isn’t God that calls us His children when we are peacemakers.  Maybe it’s everyone else who says, “Wow!  That person is a child of God."  Since the very heart of God is peace, could it be the resemblance that people see when we make peace causes them to see us as His Children?

What an amazing thing it would be if someone said of you or me, “Wow!  She looks just like her Father!

Saturday, October 14, 2017

Saturday Summary for October 14, 2017


Another week has gone by at the Fletchers and we are all still alive and kicking!

The week started amazingly well for my the grandchildren who live with us.  Salinda, her kids, her friend and his kids all headed to a pumpkin patch.  She knocked it out of the park as a parent all day long.  The kids had a blast.... they came back here, carved their pumpkins, made pumpkin seeds, cleaned up and got the kids ready for bed.  She was saying she was exhausted but then told Gabby, "I'm tired, Gabby but I had a LOT of fun with you today!"  I was so proud of her.  And it made me smile that she is passing on a tradition to her children that we did when she was a child.

Our daughter Mercedes and her fiancé Matt have begun raising money for an upcoming treatment that they are hopeful will resolve his medical issues.  If you are interested, you can read all about it here.  

We had some other interesting moments this week... like the night that Dominyk ran away because he said he prefers homelessness over living with us.  An hour later he was back and we worked everything out.

Thursday was Isaac's 7th birthday.  Can't believe he is that old already!



I spent every night in my Danville bed this week which hasn't happened for a while.  I ended up working from Danville Monday, Lynchburg Tuesday, Roanoke Wednesday, and Danville again on Friday.

I had a chance to share with the folks at Mt. Vernon UMC on Wednesday night.  I prepared a powerpoint that showed how my novel, "Little Did She Know" intersected with our real lives.  I think it went well and I sold lots of books, so THANK YOU MVUMC family!

I travelled yesterday up to Brookneal and Bart went with me!  I had an incredible lunch with a colleague that I really enjoy and then he and I attended a campference where I did the welcome by telling a few funny stories and encouraging the folks to enjoy the weekend.

Work is pretty crazy for me right now because we are in "Smart Goal" season, but it is really fun to be attempting to follow a strategy like the one explained in the book The Four Disciplines of Execution.   It will be cool to see if it makes a difference in how we do our work.  

Bart, Wilson, Dominyk and I are heading to Greensboro for lunch today.  We haven't done anything with those boys for a while and apparently Pokemon Go is on the agenda.  Wish us luck!




Friday, October 13, 2017

God is sick of it!


Have you ever wondered what Jesus thinks about being on a bumper sticker or a billboard?  How do you think God feels about his name being mentioned every time someone sneezes?

I’m not sure that the Almighty God cares much about that stuff, but I can tell you that according to the book of Amos, there are some things He does get tired of.  As translated in the message, Amos 5:21-24 says:

“I can’t stand your religious meetings.
    I’m fed up with your conferences and conventions.
I want nothing to do with your religion projects,
    your pretentious slogans and goals.
I’m sick of your fund-raising schemes,
    your public relations and image making.
I’ve had all I can take of your noisy ego-music.
    When was the last time you sang to me?
Do you know what I want?
    I want justice—oceans of it.
I want fairness—rivers of it.
    That’s what I want. That’s all I want.

Harsh word?  Maybe.  But I think we get the point.  Justice and fairness.  That’s what God wants us to spend our time on.  Fighting for justice for those who cannot fight for themselves.   

What are you planning to do today?  I hope part of your day is spent doing something that God says He wants — praying for, believing for, working for, and striving for justice and fairness for everyone.


You probably haven’t heard this song, but it is a good one.  If you’ve heard it I’d be interested in where you did.

Thursday, October 12, 2017

Anything Going Wrong in Your Life?


What isn’t going right in your life?  I’m sure you can find something that isn’t perfect if you look hard enough (just like you can find good things if you look hard enough.)

We don’t know much about Habbakuk, but I’m guessing based on the way that chapter three ends, that before becoming a prophet he must have been a farmer.   Check out all things that he noticed were going wrong:
 Though the cherry trees don’t blossom
    and the strawberries don’t ripen,
Though the apples are worm-eaten
    and the wheat fields stunted,
Though the sheep pens are sheepless
    and the cattle barns empty….
See?  He must have been a farmer.  But even when all that stuff happened this was his response:
I’m singing joyful praise to God.    I’m turning cartwheels of joy to my Savior God.Counting on God’s Rule to prevail,    I take heart and gain strength.I run like a deer.    I feel like I’m king of the mountain!
If I had time today I would love to conjur up some verses that might apply to your work…

Even when the spreadsheets won’t balance…

Even when the kids won’t stop bickering…

Even when we get an important call requiring action at 4:54 p.m.

Even when the phone won’t stop ringing…

Even when there are too many meetings …

Can you make up your own list of things that can go wrong?  But more importantly, can you still respond like Habbakuk?

Can you sing praise, can you turn cartwheels of joy (metaphorically for most of us?)

Can you count on God’s rule to prevail?

Can you take heart and gain strength?

Can you symbolically run like a deer?

And knowing that God is faithful, can you feel like the king of the mountain?

If you can do that, then every Thursday, regardless of what you are going through can be #ThankfulThursday.