Streaking

I am very motivated by streaking.  And no, that doesn't mean running around with my clothes off as was popular in the seventies when I was an impressional child.  And you know, I don't do anything with my hair, so it isn't putting different colors in my hair.  I've never dyed it.  In fact, when someone asks me if I have I laugh because they don't sell "disappointed blonde" as my brothers called it or "Field mouse brown" which is how my husband describes it.

What I'm referring to is the momentum that is caused by creating a streak and then not breaking it.  I made so much progress last year with my health by participating in challenges that caused a streak of behaviors. For example, I set on a walking plan where I increased my daily step count goal by 500 steps a week from 3000 to 9500 when I got a stress fracture in my foot which halted all progress.

I participated in a 75 day "Mental Health Challenge" which meant I had to do two workouts a day, not cheat at all, drink nothing but water, and have daily devotions...  That was amazing because I did it and because of the progress. that I made with weight loss.

Those things led to a 50 pound weight loss last year, and I want to do it again in 2021 so I started a Habit Kick Start group on Facebook and about 25 of us are reporting daily on two new habits a month.

Of course, you know me.  I had to be an overachiever, so I picked eight things and have done them straight through for 31 days.  But let me tell you what this means.

My focus goals for this month were to read the daily Bible reading this month which was easily done because this has been my habit for 4 years.

My second was to replace TV watching with reading for 20 minutes a day.  Interestingly enough, once I got interested in a book I typically read more and I will finish the month having read 13 books!  That's pretty impressive since my goal for the year is only 60 (and I thought that was high!)

I also added decluttering a little bit every day.  I have to tell you that most of the crap around here does not belong to me, but I focused on things that did and have made some pretty good progress.  It's not actually decluttering as much as it is keeping my spaces clean, but my bedroom dresser and night stand and my desk in the home office has stayed cleaner than it has been in years.

I added blogging each day too, which I hope has helped someone along the way somehow.  But it feels good to be back in this habit.

I stuck exercise in to start slow.  Any exercise counts.  Usually it has been a short walk on days that are nice or a workout video -- only 6 or 7 minutes -- but it's better than nothing.   I will increase this as the months go by.  

I also decided that I wanted to start listening to more podcasts.  So here I am, 31 podcasts episodes later with knowledge about all kinds of things I didn't have a month ago

Finally I decided to reach out to someone every day that either was from my past or someone for work -- and I have done that.  Which has led to 31 cool conversations I wouldn't have had others.

I have a 31 day streak going on all these things and the more days I have built up the less likely it is for me to stop.

This month I am adding a 28 day no cheat streak on my Keto diet and I also want to delete at least 200 old emails and unsubscribe from one email list that I don't read each day for 31 days.   

I love streaking!  It motivates me.  If you'd like to join the Habit Challenge we start fresh tomorrow, the 1st.  Just add me on Facebook and we'll go from there!

Happy streaking everyone!

Forgot

 I forgot to blog today.  Until now.  I think this counts cuz I’m legalistic that way.  

Turn Yourself Around

Remember the Hokey Pokey —

You turn yourself around cuz that’s what it’s all about.

Watch how David does this in Psalm 13…

How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?
    How long will you hide your face from me?
How long must I take counsel in my soul
    and have sorrow in my heart all the day?
How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?

Consider and answer me, O Lord my God;
    light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death,
lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed over him,”
    lest my foes rejoice because I am shaken.

But I have trusted in your steadfast love;
    my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.
I will sing to the Lord,
    because he has dealt bountifully with me.

Don’t you just love this — David starts out complaining, feeling sorry for himself, feeling sorrowful and defeated.  He looks inward.

In the middle he recognizes the people around him — his foes and how shaken they make him.  He looks outward.

But he ends with this — praising God, and rejoicing and singing and realizing that God has dealt bountifully with him.   He looks upward.

That’s all you gotta do to turn yourself around.  Stop looking inside you.  Stop looking around you at other people.  Look upward and recognize that all through your life God has dealt bountifully with you.

That’s what it’s all about.

Discouraged?

Ever felt so discouraged that you could not even listen to words of hope?  The people of Israel felt this way in Exodus 6.   God told Moses:

 Say therefore to the people of Israel, ‘I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from slavery to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment.  I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God, and you shall know that I am the Lord your God, who has brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.  I will bring you into the land that I swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. I will give it to you for a possession. I am the Lord.’” 

What great promises right?  He had an answer for them!  He was offering (with all the power and ability to provide) hope and a future to these people.  So Moses tells them everything that God said.  And look at what happened:

They did not listen to Moses, because of their broken spirit and harsh slavery.

Their spirits were so broken that they could not even listen to words of hope.

If you find yourself in that dark place today, consider giving hope a chance.  Remind yourself of God’s faithfulness.  Find words in Scripture about hope and God’s provision and allow yourself to believe …. Even just a little bit …. That there is hope.

Because there is.

It’s Throwback Thursday so here’s a classic for you. 

Missing out on (or Turning down!) a Miracle?

 

Want to see miracles?  I think we all do.  Or we say we do.   We are always praying for them, hoping for them, wanting God to break through and do something huge.

So what was up with Moses in Exodus 4?

Check out this passage.

But first a little background.  God had shown Moses his power — he had already done a couple of crazy things to show Moses that he had things under control.  He had turned his staff into a hissing snake…. and turned his hand leprous and healed it again.   There was no doubt that God was the God of miracles. He told Moses that the people were going to listen to him.  And here was Moses’ response:

 But Moses said to the Lord, “Oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent, either in the past or since you have spoken to your servant, but I am slow of speech and of tongue.” Then the Lord said to him, “Who has made man's mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak.”  But he said, “Oh, my Lord, please send someone else.”

Isn’t that a typical human response?  Basically Moses is saying, “God, I realize that you are powerful enough to do these big miracles, but you can’t use me.  I can’t speak very well.”  And God tells him “I’ll work miracles and you’ll be amazed at how well you do.”

And Moses says, “No thanks.”

WHAT????????

But think about it.  Have you ever felt God nudging you to do something outside your comfort zone and said, “please send someone else?”   

I can’t help but wonder what kind of miracles Moses would have seen if he had said yes to God.   He turned down a miracle.  What miracles are you turning down today?

#TooBusyTuesday

My Tuesdays are slammed.  It's my day of meetings... literally today from 8:30 to 4:30 including a meeting over lunch.  So my daily devotionals have always just been a YouTube Song that I send to those on our team that want to receive them.

Often I pray for a little guidance on Tuesday and I turn on the radio and the first song I hear that I’ve never posted before becomes the #TooBusyTuesday song.

Here’s today’s.  Often people tell me that they needed to hear that very song.

Is it you today?

Take the lead of every step I make
Even if You tell my feet to wait
'Cause where You are is where I wanna be
The depth of me is calling for the deep


I don't want it if You're not in it
I just want You
No, I don't want it if You're not in it
I just want You


Your heart, Your ways
Show me Your face
Your song and Your voice
Break through the noise


I don't want it if You're not in it
I just want You
No, I don't want it if You're not in it
I just want You, God


Whisper to me secrets of Your heart
'Cause I want to discover all You are
I'm leaning into Heaven for a glimpse
And I will partner with Your presence here again

Practice Makes Perfect (or how to love the unlovable)

I listened to a podcast today about practicing and how to do it well.   It mentioned a study in which people mentally practiced a skill (in this particular study it was throwing free throw shots) instead of actually doing it each time.  Those who practiced mentally performed as well as those who practiced physically.

There’s actually a spiritual application to this thought.   Have you ever heard this quote by C. S. Lewis?”

“Do not waste time bothering whether you 'love' your neighbor; act as if you did. As soon as we do this we find one of the great secrets. When you are behaving as if you loved someone, you will presently come to love him.”

Take that one step further.  Mentally practice loving someone you don’t find lovable.  Think about what that would look like — even if you haven’t been able to make yourself do it.  It may just lead you to acting like you love someone and eventually loving a very unlovable person …. Maybe this is how to fulfill the command in this statement of Jesus in Matthew 5:

You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’  But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. 

Because after all …. We can’t tell people that Jesus loves them until we are ready to love them too…

https://youtu.be/TvXAojrVehs

News!

 In case you aren’t on Facebook ...

Finally... after months of keeping this a secret... i can reveal that we are having another granddaughter in May!   Our 10th grandchild!  Congrats Matt and Sadie!

I ran out of steam....

 It doesn't happen often for me.  Usually when I commit to something I finish it out.  But when my Baby Steps Out blog that I was investing time in was getting only one or two hits a day I just stopped. I wonder if anyone will notice?

But I haven't run out of steam not the habit stuff.  That group is going well.   I have listed 8 new habits and have a a 22 day streak going on them, which is always empowering.

The DONE app is motivating me for sure.  Love streaks!  Anyone else use it?

Here's the screen shot of yesterday.

If you want to join the group -- find me on Facebook and start some new habits this year!

Just say the name....

Throughout Scripture there are examples of demons leaving people when they are cast out in the name of Jesus.

What does this have to do with us you may ask?  We don’t really see demon possessed folks any more and anyway, it could be that I t was mental illness back then and people just THOUGHT they were possessed.  At least that's a theory we've heard.

The application, though, is that there is power in the name of Jesus.   That when HIS name is spoken, the enemy trembles.

A coworker shared this song with me and I want to share it with you…..

My favorite section says this:

I'll sing the night into the morning
I'll sing the fear into your praise
I'll sing my soul into your presence
Whenever I say Your name
Let the devil know not today

When we speak the name of Jesus, the devil knows he’s losing and we are winning.  In fact, according to the song it sends him into a panic.

So let’s end the work week saying #NotTodaySatan one more time.

Victory is Ours

When you have a theme that resonates, you gotta stick with it.  Sometimes when I send out these emails I don’t hear back from anyone, but the last couple days the idea of spiritual battles seems to be resonating with me and several people have let me know that they have.

Check out this verse from 1 Samuel 17:47

All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.

Anyone know the context?  It’s when David was getting ready to head into battle with Goliath!  So don’t tell me it doesn’t apply to whatever you’re fighting.

When I lived in Mexico between 1992 and 1994 I used to sing this song in Spanish.  We taught it to our congregation and I played keyboards.   Wow.  That was a long time ago.

Toda la gloria, sabiduría, honor y todo el poder…. A nuestra Dios ahora y siempre Amen!

But you may have heard it in English:

Whatever battle you are facing today — the battle is the Lord’s! 

#NotTodaySatan

Yesterday a coworker sent me an email in response to my devotional using the hashtag #nottodaysatan.

I hadn’t seen that before and I like it.

When it comes right down to it the battles that we fight really aren’t, contrary to popular belief, against the people or the problems in our lives.  The battle is in the spiritual realm.

Ephesians 6:12 (ESV) tells us this very clearly.

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

One of the tactics most used by the enemy is to divide us Christians and plot them against each other, convincing us that the other folks are the enemy.  

Let’s remember this and fight against these cosmic powers together — not with each other.

And here’s a song to take us back in time.  Anyone remember this one?

You might as well get behind me Satan — you cannot prevail!

The Battle

My youngest daughter has had a rough year.   She absolutely does not want me to tell you anything about it I can guarantee you.

This weekend she sent me a text saying that this song was the song she was claiming for 2021.  I hadn't heard it but it's pretty perfect for this year if you ask me!

Seem like a lot of things are coming at you at once?

 I don’t know about you, but in our house, it seems like annoying (or even tragic things) happen at the same time, or pile up on each other after a stretch when things seem to be going pretty well.

Nobody understands this better than Job.   If you just read Chapter One of the book you will see that life turned very quickly for Job.  In fact the messengers that came to tell him the bad news couldn’t even get the first round of bad news out before the next messenger came with more.  His animals, servants, and children were all killed.  He lost everything in one day.

And yet here was his response:

The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away;
    may the name of the Lord be praised.

We don’t know for sure why Job was able tor respond that way immediately, but here’s my guess.  He recognized that every good thing he had was a gift from God — not something he earned or deserved.  And in recognizing that He could praise God’s name even when those blessings were taken away.

So we need to reminded that in seasons where life is good …. These are gifts from God.

And that when hard things come our way — we can remember that God is still worthy of our praise.

The Top Ten (OK 8) Things that Bug Me about Living with Adult Children

 I’m obviously not going to link this to Facebook and for those kids of mine who happen upon this maybe it will change their behavior.   Not hopeful but I suppose it’s a possibility.

If you are living with adult kids I hope that your life is different than mine and that you don’t have these things to worry about, but for a while I have thought that there are probably less than ten things that really annoy me.  So maybe I won’t even get to ten.

And yes, before I start, we know that we allow them to live here.   Most of them probably wouldn’t make it somewhere else.   And believe me we talk about kicking them out often, but nobody is going over the edge.  In fact, there are some REALLY good things about having them here.  Some are very helpful.  Most are paying some kind of rent.  And having the grandkids isn’t he basement is a bonus on every level.  But if they would stop doing these things that bug me life would be so much better.

1). The smell of smoke.   Yes, more than one kind, but particularly one kind.   Nobody is disrespectful and smoking in the house (that would send me over the edge). But even smelling it outside bugs me.   And please don’t tell me that we can simply say “we don’t allow it” because that goes back to the paragraph above where we would have to kick them out.

2).  Borrowing stuff and not returning it.   It’s so annoying to have to track down things that belong to us because someone needed to borrow it.   Along with this is moving things and not putting them back where they belong.   

3).  Taking stuff that doesn’t belong to them.    Really annoying.

4).  Eating food that we have purchased without asking when it is something we were planning to use for other things.   Particularly when it’s Keto or low carb and nobody else is on a diet!

5).  Making me the hub of all things negative.   If anyone in this house is mad at anyone else they tell me about it.

6).  Texts intended to start an argument, particularly when we are both in the house.  If it isn’t important enough to walk a flight of stairs to tell me about it, it may not be worth texting.   The mental games that are played through these texts just drive me crazy.

7).  Expecting me to know everything without telling me anything.   Nobody tells me their work schedule, but they all expect me to know where everyone is.

8).  Leaving stuff everywhere.  This may go up higher on the list — these are not in order.   But I don’t want to step over your dirty socks in my dining room — or see your clothes still on the bathroom floor and on and on and on.  I wont’ go into your room if you keep your door closed — but please keep all your stuff in your room.  Is that really that hard?

I guess that’s really it.  Just 8 things.   If I could get those things to change, I would have no complaints.  

Before I close I must remind myself that all but one of them is working.  Nobody is breaking the law (that we know of) and substance abuse isn’t occurring on a massive level.   Nobody is violent or aggressive and I only get sworn at a few times a week.   Things have been way worse.

As I told one of my sons recently:  When you were 8 you played these lying, manipulative games with me and I was 35.  It was tiring.   When you did the same thing at 18 I was 45 and it was exhausting.  Now you’re 30 and trying the same thing and I”m 57 and I just can’t do it any more.

An empty nest would probably be boring, and on most days we love having people here.  Family dinners a few times a week are typically enjoyable.   Just eight things to stop doing and life would be so much better.

Anybody else relate?

Want to Feel Better?

 Maybe you're in a slump and not sure how to get out of it.

Here's the BEST way to do it.  

Do something for someone else.

I had a blast today taking my 19 year old friend that I met through CarePortal out for lunch.  We talked and laughed and ate good food and I tried to motivate her to finish her GED.

I poured as much as I could into her -- wisdom, advice (not solicited of course), energy, love and encouragement.

I left feeling way more energized.

You'd think I would have been more tired, but instead I felt better.

You should try it.

Saturday Musings (applying my. muzzle)

Sometimes I write a daily email on weekdays or my coworkers that contains a devotional and I share it on the blog as well.

But on Saturday there is no daily email and so I am in front of a blank blog screen with the freedom to blog about almost anything I want to.

Except that....

I have adult children who like their lives to remain fairly private who may read the blog. That means that I can't be as open about frustrations with them as I'd like to be.

I have a diverse set of Facebook friends (as I have mentioned in other posts) that I don't want to offend should they click on my blog.

I represent an organization that I care very much about and I don't want to damage any of those relationships.  

I am married to the pastor of a church whose members I would never want to offend.

and the last thing I want to do is start a comment war.

So often my thoughts get stifled on their way out.

I've thought of an anonymous blog, but nobody would read it ... in fact, hardly anyone reads this one.

All that being said, it's Saturday.   My routine is to write to my mother and to Bart's extended family and do the Powerpoint for church.  Then most of my Saturdays are dedicated to CarePortal needs.   Today I am going to take a new friend to look at some of the furniture we picked up from the hotel that was closing.   She aged out of foster care a year ago.  Her father has passed away -- her mom has a master's in counseling but started using and is now an addict.  She very much cares about younger siblings and as an adult is trying to take care of them and her grandma and her mom while living on her own, receiving some assistance from the "Fostering Futures" program for kids 18-21.   She's smart, stubborn and resilient, but the number of healthy stable people in her life is slim.

She was in a serious car accident right before Christmas, and is still recovering from that.  I haven't seen her since September or October, but she says today she'll go to lunch with me and check out the furniture.

If you haven't checked out CarePortal yet -- it is my number one passion right now.  Nothing I've seen over the years does a better job of introducing church members to families and children in crisis and allowing them to make a tangible difference.   

No matter where you live, you can partner with me to make a difference in people's lives.  You can check out our church page and join our response team (I think) or donate from afar to help....

I really had no plans to end with asking you something, but you know how I get.  My passion overtakes me. :-).  

What Goes Around Comes Around

Have you ever been treated unfairly or wronged and after thinking it through realized that you had done something similar in your history?

I wonder if that is what Jacob thought about when Laban tricked him.   For those of you who are already confused, let me share with you a bit of biblical history.

Jacob was known as the “Deceiver” because he stole his twin brother’s inheritance by pretending to be him and tricking his father into blessing him instead.

Fast forward a few years and he falls in love.   In Genesis 29 we read how he worked seven long years because he had been promised Rachel and when it is time for him to finally marry her, her father slips his his older daughter into the tent instead and Jacob has to work another seven years for Rachel.

d

Do you think God brought the “stealing the birthright” situation to Jacob’s mind when he realized how he had been deceived so that he would remember and learn that “what goes around comes around” or that “you reap what you sow.”  

I have certainly had situations in my life where, while very frustrated at someone or at a situation, I realize and am humbled by the fact that I have done something similar in my past.  Each of those times it was a really good lesson for me and has kept me from repeating the same mistakes.  And it has caused me to be more gracious to the offender as I recognize how much I wanted to be extended grace from ones I had offended in the past. 

So don’t resist that whisper in your ear next time you feel wronged…. Take a look at yourself and realize that we all make mistakes.  Give grace to the person who has wronged you, learn, and move on.

One of the most frightening verses in Scripture comes from the beginning of Matthew 7:

For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

Ouch.   Extending humility, grace, forgiveness and mercy to others seems like a really good plan.

Angry?

 

OK, so I gotta tell you that I started my day a tad bit angry.

It’s a long story and I am tempted to tell you ALL  the details, but I won’t.  It involves an adult son needing a ride and then making we wait way too long because he overslept after he didn't do what he promised to yesterday.  

I have to confess that living with so many adult children has made me quick to anger at times.  I’m a bit embarrassed when I think about God and how he is so very gracious and merciful with me.  He is slow to anger with me….. I need to take a deep breath and remember that next time something happens and I am tempted to respond less than patiently.  

Ok, maybe this is all about me today and all about me needing to hear this.. and maybe you didn’t need to read it, but check out what Psalm 103 says:

The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy. He will not always chide: neither will he keep his anger for ever. He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him.

God is slow to anger.  Since I have been a recipient of that mercy and grace, time for me to pass it on.

Change Your Conduct or Change Your Name

 Anyone remember PACE 86?  Hard to believe it was 35 years ago.   I am old.  But I digress.  

For those of you who have no idea what I’m talking about, PACE was a national youth conference where thousands of teenagers from the Wesleyan Church gathered together.   The most memorable part of that whole week for me was a powerful sermon by a great orator named John Ott (who I met at his church last year — pretty cool).  But again I digress.

I can still hear his booming voice across the auditorium and the illustrations he told.  This was one of my favorites:

Alexander the Great, one of the greatest military generals who ever lived, conquered almost the entire known world with his vast army. One night during a campaign, he couldn't sleep and left his tent to walk around the campgrounds.

As he was walking he came across a soldier asleep on guard duty - a serious offense. The penalty for falling asleep on guard duty was, in some cases, instant death; the commanding officer sometimes poured kerosene on the sleeping soldier and lit it.

The soldier began to wake up as Alexander the Great approached him.

Recognizing who was standing in front of him, the young man feared for his life. "Do you know what the penalty is for falling asleep on guard duty?” Alexander the Great asked the soldier.

"Yes, sir," the soldier responded in a quivering voice.

"Soldier, what's your name?" demanded Alexander the Great.

"Alexander, sir.”

Alexander the Great repeated the question: "What is your name?”

"My name is Alexander, sir," the soldier repeated.

A third time and more loudly Alexander the Great asked, "What is your name?”

A third time the soldier meekly said, "My name is Alexander, sir.”

Alexander the Great then looked the young soldier straight in the eye. "Soldier," he said with intensity, "either change your conduct or change your name”

While scholars question whether this really happened, it is a powerful illustration.  Why, you may ask?
Because the word Christ is in the name “Christian” and we have a serious obligation in taking on that new name.   Ou conduct should match that of Christ’s.

I have had many occasions over my lifetime to want to scream these words to people who I see doing and saying things under the name “Christian.”   

“Change your conduct, or change your name.”

Because their conduct is nothing like the way Jesus lived his life.

Sure, you can go back and find a couple examples of where Jesus was angry (but he was usually angry at religious people, not at others).   But his overall approach to life was very different than a lot of people who carry his name today.

He loved people. 
He hung out with folks that were rejected by society.
He forgave.
He did everything to include as oppose to exclude.
He was all about extending compassion to everyone no matter what.

The sad thing is that there are people who want to debate this or to say, “yes, but….”  And that breaks my heart.

We carry a precious name with us when refer to ourselves as Christians and we need to live up to that …. 

We need to change our conduct, or change our name.

“Lay down, lay down your old chains, come now and take up your new name.”

What are you going to do about it?

It's a mess.  Have you noticed?  Everything seems like chaos.  It feels out of control.  Externally it seems as though the world has gone mad.

So my question for you -- and my question for myself is -- "What are you going to do about it?"

Right now I'm not sure exactly what the answer is on a large scale.  There are so many opinions out there about our current state of affairs as a country that I'm not sure I'm going to bother the universe by writing more.  Still thinking about that.

I'm going to love people.  One person at a time, one day at a time, no matter who they are or what they believe or what they think, all the time.

I'm going to speak truth as I see it when appropriate and as kindly as I can.

And I'm going to do everything that is "required of me" according to Micah 6:8.

Do justly
Love mercy
Walk humbly.

What are you going to do?

Nothing is Impossible

 Do you have a situation that you think I absolutely impossible?  

A friend and mentor of mine always says “If God wants to do something great, he starts with a problem.  If he wants to do something spectacular, he starts with an impossibility.”

In Genesis 18 we read about Sarah’s response to the news that at the age of ninety plus she was going to have a baby.  She laughed.  Of course she did!  But the Lord said, 

“Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Shall I indeed bear a child, now that I am old?’ Is anything too hard for the Lord?”

So next time you hear something absolutely crazy that may be coming from God, remember… nothing is too hard for Him — even if it seems absolutely impossible.

One of my mom's favorite songs...

For the First Time in My Life I Don't Feel I Can Speak My Mind

I have always been a very open person.  I share my opinions whenever I'm asked -- and often when I'm not.

So it's been a really weird world for me the last few years.   Our country is getting increasingly more dichotomized and it is making it more difficult for me to express my opinions about things that matter a lot to me.

Why?  Because for the first time ever I cannot see both sides and because I love you.

I love you whether or not you agree with me, but I am afraid that if you know how much I disagree with you, you might not want to love me back.

How did we get here?

I have an amazingly diverse group of people who are my Facebook friends.  I have friends who are drag queens, atheists, agnostics, people of other world religions, transgendered, and friends of all races.  I have friends who are the most conservative and the most liberal on the spectrum between the two.  And I love them all.

The ironic thing is that if I post all over my Facebook about the things that are very much "Christian" my atheist, agnostic, and other-world religion proponents are ok with that.  They accept me for who I am and don't want to end their relationship with me because I disagree with them.

But I am very cautious to put anything out there that might offend my Christian friends.  I am afraid that I might lose their respect or their friendship if even hint at not agreeing with them 100%.

How did we get here?

When I look at what happened this past week at the Capitol, I ask myself how in the world we are going to be able to convince the world that Christianity stands for mercy, forgiveness, peace, and most of all, love.  Somehow Christian has begun to equal a particular political party and the ideals of the most extreme members of that party.   We are losing ground as a church.

How did we get here?

I don't know how it happened, but suddenly I am occasionally ashamed to be a "Christian."  This doesn't mean that I am ashamed of the gospel -- because the gospel and the way that Christianity is being proclaimed right now don't even match up.

I feel compelled to write stuff, but I guess I don't trust the people I love so much to respond in a way that would be affirming or helpful based on what I have seen them post on Facebook, and so I feel like I shouldn't say anything.

I'm actually hoping nobody reads this.

But I think it is time that we who are able to be Christians without tying it to politics need to stand up and say "this is not OK" without fearing that there will be repercussions from people that we love.

My Favorite Kind of Days

Yesterday was my favorite kind of day.  I have to admit, I was exhausted when it was over -- I'm old, you know, but it was awesome.    Why?  Because I got to talk about what I'm passionate about FOUR times.

I drove an hour and then trained a new county in CarePortal.  I love meeting and talking with DSS workers sharing with them that there is help coming. 

Then I got to have lunch with an amazing person who is living the life I was living 20 years go.  She has adopted some pretty tough kids (ok, understatement) and yet she is resilient, convinced God has this plan for her, and in awe of how much she has learned about Him during this journey.  She also is part of one of the best CarePortal teams we have in her area.   SO FUN!

Then I had coffee (ok, water) with another CarePortal point person and got to know her as well.  That was a great conversation too.

I ended my day with another cup of water with a person I found on LinkedIn who I had reached out to to get to know her.  You know I managed to fit in some conversation about Vision 30 and CarePortal as well.

I returned home to find out that Jimmy and John had made a wonderful chicken enchilada dinner, complete with one pan made with one carb tortillas.   And after dinner Camilla spent some time on Grandpa's lap and I snapped some really great pictures, including the one above.

If you are having trouble finding energy -- find some people to talk to about what you're passionate, and the energy will return.  That formula has never failed me!

Are you Noble?

What do you think of when you hear the word “Noble”?

Your mind might head to the first definition:

Belonging to a hereditary class with high social or political status; aristocratic.

But I don’t think that is what Paul was talking about in Philippians when he encouraged us think about things that are noble: — I mean he’s not saying “spend your time thinking about aristocrats of our society.  He’s actually wanting us to focus on this definition

Having or showing fine personal qualities or high moral principles and ideals.

Do you know someone who is noble?  Someone who not only has great qualities that you admire but who lives by high moral principles?  We are privileged to work with many people who are noble.  I also have many friends in that category.  

Ever wonder why Paul included that in his list of things to think about when we are anxious?  Here’s my theory.

When we think of things, or people, that are noble it makes us want to be noble as well doesn’t it?  Have you ever caught yourself thinking, “I wish I could be more like _____”?

There’s no real test for nobility — but you know what that looks like for you.   It seems as though Paul is saying that if we shift our anxiety and worry into thoughts about the nobility of others and how we can become more like them it shifts our focus from what is happening to us to what we can make happen to become more of who he wants me to be.

This may not be making sense to you, but it is making sense to me, which you might conclude makes me weird, but there you have it. :-)

And now, for a real twist, how about turning to Micheal Jackson for some spiritual wisdom.  The lyrics to this song are amazing.  I had heard it before but never read the lyrics or seen the video.   Check it out.  (and I have no idea why blogger isn't recognizing this as a link so sorry you have to cut and paste.  It will be worth it, I promise.

https://youtu.be/PivWY9wn5ps

I Tell You The Truth

Never before in our nation have we had more disagreements about what the truth is.   It used to be that division was between different world religions and their versions of the truth, but now Christians can't even agree on truth.

I refuse to post political opinions online simply because I love you -- even if you don't agree with me.  But the very foundations of Christian faith are now being debated among us and its troubling.

So as we look at Philippians 4:8 trying to figure out what we should think about in order to curb anxiety, it's easy to get stuck on the statement, "Whatever is true."   Right there we start asking what is true?  Can we trust anyone to tell us the truth?  And how can people experience the same thing and arrive at separate truths?

It's time to go back to what we know is true.   There were 78 times where Jesus said, "I tell you the truth" or in the King James Version, "Verily I say unto thee."  Maybe it's time for us to go back and search Scripture for those words.

Grant it, we may interpret them differently based on our doctrinal views, but hopefully we will find some examples of things we can all agree on.

Verses like this:  And whoever gives only a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple, I tell you the truth, he will never lose his reward.”

Or "He told them, "It was because of your little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; nothing will be impossible for you.”

And "Again, I tell you the truth, if two of you on earth agree about whatever you ask, my Father in heaven will do it for you.”

When Jesus talked about truth he did not talk about doctrine.  He did not talk about politics.  He talked about things like the rewards of faith and doing things for others.

Let's focus on these kinds of truths.  For after all, when Pilate was questioning Jesus, Jesus responded, “ You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.” 

Obviously this blog entry is written to people who share my faith… and we need to listen to Jesus if truth is what we are after -- and then think about  those things we know are true.  

Got Anxiety?

We are bombarded on every side with things that are vying for our thought space.  Whether it be the media, politics, science and the virus, or people with agenda’s of their own, everyone wants our thought time.

I don’t know about you, but sometimes the more I think about this stuff the more anxious I become.   I feel like I have a train on a track in my head that keeps going around in circles and never stops.

For the first time in reading some of my favorite verses from Philippians  4, I discovered something pretty cool today.  I’m sure I’m not the first to see it or even to talk about it, but check this out:

It’s a formula for what to do with anxious thoughts.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

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.  

So, first you stop the anxiety through prayer and presenting requests to God — that brings about peace that guards our hearts and minds.  But there is a next step that stops the anxiety from returning — and that is what we focus on.    For the next several days, we will be looking at the final verse above and focusing on each of the things we are supposed to be thinking about.

So there’s the formula.   Anxious?  Pray.   Accept and receive God’s gift of peace.  Allow God to guard your heart and mind.  And then discipline yourself to think only on the things in the verse above.   That’s my plan next time I’m awake at 3:30 with those thoughts running around in my head!

This is one of my mom’s favorite songs.  She is turning 92 this year — survived COVID last year  and lives at a facility that has lost over 150 of their 267 residents to COVID.  I still get emails every few days stating the number of new cases for residents and staff (a mandate in Minnesota).  But my mom is definitely the strongest person I know.  But like me, she awakens in the middle of the night with anxious thoughts.   Often when this happens she will start to sing and this is one of the songs she sings.

When they rearranged nursing home bedrooms after the many deaths, they moved my mom as close to the nurses station as possible… not because she needed them but they needed her positivity and strength.  

It brings tears to my eyes when I imagine those nurses in the middle of the night, exhausted, short staffed, and stressed, walking by my mom’s room and hearing these words in my mom’s strong voice:

I will cast all my cares upon you…. Will lay all of my burdens down at your feet, and any time I don’t know, what to do, I will cast all my cares upon you.

https://youtu.be/b_ecHXC8lic

One Thing You Have to Do if You Want Things to Change

You may remember the days when I travelled around the country and spoke at conferences.  I presented a session about 12 Survival Tips for Parents ... and it always ended the same way:  With the revised serenity prayer:

God grant me the courage to accept the people I cannot change, the courage to change the person I can, and the wisdom to know it's me.

Apparently that wasn't a life-changing concept (or at least one that people wanted to hear).  When people at their wits end paid to go to a conference they wanted the secret to changing everyone else.   

But the one thing you have to do if you want to change things -- is to change yourself.   If I've learned anything over the arduous, blessed, hard, wonderful, awful, crazy, amazing,  journey of adopting twelve kids from hard places, it's that I can't control a dang thing.  Not a thing.  What I can control is how I respond to what happens around me.

So, how do I change  myself, you ask?

And the answer is forming habits, over time, that have an impact.   So I'm in the middle of leading a Facebook Challenge based on this idea.

The principles are this:  You determine a goal and then think about what it will take on a daily basis to achieve the goal.   Then you do that daily thing every day until it becomes a habit.   I listened to this podcast which I found incredibly helpful (in fact, I came up with my plan before listening to it and it was as though he had been talking to me and stole some of my ideas) :-)    It's based on principles from the book "The One Thing" which I also recommend.  The podcast says it takes 66 days to form a habit (this is based on research and is an average)  My mom used to tell me it takes 21 days to do it.   So I'm giving myself a month to form a habit.

Let me break it down for you using something simple.   Let's say that the show "Hoarders" is starting to convict you a bit and you want to get rid of stuff to have a less cluttered home.   If you want that to happen you just have to set up a daily habit -- give or throw away 5 things that don't give you joy (thank you Marie Como).  If 5 is too many, make it 2.   It may not seem as though you are doing much but think about it.   In 30 days 150 things could be out of the door and if it is a habit -- that's a lot of stuff gone in a year.

I decided to develop 8 habits over the next 4 months.  I'm trying to do all of them as much as I can, but each month two are my focus.  I'm sharing these to give you ideas more than to make you think I'm cool.  But you can think I'm cool if you want. 

1.  Exercise daily.  (It's my intention to increase what I do each month).

2.  Read the Bible through in a year (actually listen to it) for the 4th year in a row.  YouVersion makes that quite easy to do as it breaks it down for you.  I typically can listen to it during my commute.

3.  Read 20 minutes a day -- either self improvement stuff or fiction.

4.  Declutter or do housework 10 minutes a day (Ok, don't laugh, but this is not my role in the family so typically I don't do anything.  There's a lot of reasons for this, but 10 minutes will be more than I've been doing so don't judge)  :-)

5.  No cheats on my Keto food plan.   

6.  Reach out to someone with an encouraging text, note, email, or phone call.

7.  Blog something.

8.  Listen to a podcast.  (I've been spending way too much time watching Netflix and want to broaden my mind).

So you get the idea.  This month's foci are listening to the Bible and reading.  Next month I will focus on a couple more while maintaining the first two.

I'm using the Phone App called Done.... and it's pretty empowering.  See?  This was from yesterday.

So, you want things to change?  Then change you.   Sorry I don't have anything to offer that guarantees to change everyone else -- this is all I've got :-)