OK, So the Story Goes Like This...

~~ 1 Chronicles 16:8-12 (NIV1984) ~~  Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done.  Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts.  Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice.  Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always.  Remember the wonders he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced,

---

by Carley Cooper

Microsoft Office Copyright Free Images

Have you ever stopped long enough to look around and pay attention to how often you see it happening?  People are doing it in books, in the movies, at parties, at the office, on blogs, in the newspaper, magazines, on Facebook, Twitter, on the bus.  Some might even venture to say that you even see it on “reality TV”.  Of course, that last one depends on one’s definition of “reality”, but that’s another topic for another blog.  What am I talking about?  I’m talking about people telling their own stories.  They are true stories; talking about what happened at some point in the past in their lives.

Have you ever wondered why?  That is, why do people want so much to talk about their own lives; to relive and share the past?  It’s gone, over, done!  The credits have rolled and you can’t go back and change any scenes.  So, why talk about it so much?  Wouldn’t just accepting it and moving on from here make more sense?  Well, there are a list of reasons, and I’m sure this list is just a fraction of the complete list of reasons.  First, some people just feel the need to express themselves; whether it be pain, happiness, or just the need to clobber someone.  Others just like to talk about their favorite subject; ME!  Eh, well, not me, Carley; you know; themselves.  Others hope to gain something from sharing their story; fame, fortune, sex, material items, and the list goes on. 

From a Christian perspective does the picture change?  Does it become a different story?  Is it a good thing for Christians to be telling our stories?  After all; boasting, gossip and the like are sins.  James 4:16 (NIV1984) tells us "As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil".  We certainly don’t want to intentionally do that.  We also know that once we truly surrender all to God and allow Him to shape us, mold our hearts to be like that of Jesus, and to help the fruit of the Holy Spirit become who we are; then some awesome things will start happening in our lives.  Galatians 5:22-23 (NIV1984) "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law."  Once your heart truly belongs to Jesus you will start to see some supernatural things happening in your life; and at a rate that you could never hope to write them all down or share every incident.  There will be just way too many.  Sometimes Christians are afraid to share their stories because of fear of judgement from others.  Other times, Christians are afraid to lay everything down at the foot of the cross.  Thoughts of fear fill their minds about not having any input or control over their own lives if God is in the driver’s seat.  I mean “what if He wants me to do stuff that I don’t want to do?”.  Well Worshiper’s; guess what?  That’s a given.  Even though you may not be able to see it now, He will insist on you stepping out of your comfort zone.  But, in the end you will be blessed and thankful for it. 

This kind of supernatural activity can only happen because of the sacrifice that Jesus made when He willingly died for us on the cross.  Once you let Him in to your heart and life, you are allowing Him to do His best miracles that He has in store for you.  Until then, you won’t see the miracles, blessings, or supernatural events.  The Word won’t be as clear in your mind.  2 Corinthians 3:16 (AMP) tells us “But whenever a person turns [in repentance] to the Lord, the veil is stripped off and taken away”. 

This event of Jesus dying for us is the single most amazing and wondrous thing that has ever happened in history; or ever will happen.  Nothing else even comes close.  For that matter, everything else combined still doesn’t come close.  The story of Jesus deserves to be told to every single person on earth.  God wants us to tell our stories because  it is evidence of His amazing love for us, and what He has done for us.  He wants our stories to be told and remembered.  Psalm 111:4 (ESV) says “He has caused his wondrous works to be remembered; the LORD is gracious and merciful.”.  It is our responsibility to tell our stories to others. 

So, is it scary sometimes?  Absolutely!  As a matter of fact we are even warned about who we share with.  Matthew 7:6 (NIV1984) “Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs.  If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces".  I think “dogs” is a adjective to describe not only non-Christian’s, but also Christian’s who do not have a true relationship with Christ.  Those that don’t stop to pay attention, or have some fear of preventing them from allowing or believing in God’s miracles in our daily lives.  The best course of action, when in doubt, is to use your common sense and to listen very closely for God’s voice in your heart leading you.  We are meant to plant a seed.  If there can be any growing inside, it’s up to Jesus to do the watering.  We are not meant to stick around and put ourselves in a situation that could cause temptation, risk our salvation or our safety.

I have started writing a book about my life.  To be completely honest, it is very unnerving for me to be that open to the world; so that all is exposed.  Will I get judgement from others?  Absolutely.  I fully expect it.  It is also possible that there will be people that I love that will walk out of my life.  However, I know that He will be with me every step of the way.  Psalm23:4 (NIV84) says “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”  My story shows how much God loves me.  He loves me enough to go through a lot of trouble to shape me and teach me.  He loves me enough to send His Son to die for me!  My story is just one small example that displays how awesome God can be for each one of us.  So I will tell it, and I won’t be ashamed.  Psalm119:46 (NIV1984) says “I will speak of your statutes before kings and will not be put to shame”.

Next time you hear someone telling their story, stop and listen... really listen for the true message.  There are as many different ways for you to tell your story as there are people that have stories to tell.  You could write book, a blog or a poem; make a video or go on TV, chat on social networking, make a photo journal, stand on the roof of the tallest building in town and shout, or simply alone with a friend who really needs to hear the lesson you have to teach.  How are you going to tell your story?  You really do have a story worth telling, and there are people waiting to hear it.

---

~~ Dear God ~~ Thank you the journey you have taken me on, and for giving me a story that shows Your awesome love and mercy.  Please help me tell my story in a way that will touch people’s hearts.  Open their eyes, ears and heart so that  they will see Your peace within me, say “I want what she has”.  Please protect me from the “dogs”, and surround me with people that will love me no matter what my story has to say.  In Jesus name, AMEN.

---

Oh Lord, It’s Hard to Be Humble

~~ James 4:10 (TNIV) ~~  Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. 

---

 

Pinky & The Brain

"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step."  ~~Lao-tzu, The Way of Lao-tzu, Chinese philosopher (604 BC - 531 BC)

This is a very well known quote.  It is both profound, giving you some great food for thought; and yet at the same time it states something obvious; or at least it should be obvious.  Ever have moments when you realized that you do not know something that you thought you always knew?!  I would be willing to bet you have.  I think everyone has moments when something suddenly becomes clearer, out of the blue it makes more sense, or the ‘light’ comes on.  You thought you knew what a certain word meant.  But, nope!  It turns out you didn’t have a clue!  It has happened to me several times.

One of the biggest experiences for me like this was when I became, what I call, a true Christian; desiring to obey God and having the willingness to let Him change me.  I suddenly understood so much more than I ever knew before.  There was a light shining into corners that I did not even know where there.  I had no idea that there was a whole world outside my cozy little room!  I started feeling God talking to me and guiding me to walk outside of my room.  Actually, it was more of a big push because I was sure that anything outside my little-room-world was terrifying.  That old cartoon, that I am sure you are familiar with, ‘Pinky and the Brain’ comes to mind here.  For so long they had no idea there was a whole world outside the lab.  I finally started to feel the Holy Spirit working in me.  Both me and my life started to drastically change.  Even the world around me started to look different.  Things started to look ‘more alive’, colors started to look brighter.  It really is awesome to see things as God wants you to see them.  It makes me look forward to the time when things will look even clearer still.

Another one of these ‘it turns out that I didn’t know what I knew’ experiences was very recently when God started to lead me down the path of humility.  We may think that we have a clear vision; that we have our route laid out, our plans are made; but God always sees the full picture.  That is how He knows what steps to lead us on.  He knew that my first step in the lesson of humility was to teach me the terminology and their definitions.  Sounds like something that should be obvious, doesn’t it?  Well, keep reading!

See, it is like this; I had always associated the word ‘humility’ with ‘humiliation’, which in turn I thought was a fancy way of saying ‘embarrassed’; and to be embarrassed meant someone had done something or said something very mean to hurt you.  ‘Pride’, I thought meant high self-respect. To be ‘humble’ I thought meant... well, that you were not exactly the ‘smartest rodent in the lab’; which I guess at that time, unknowingly, was me!   I know what you’re thinking but; hey, rodents are God’s creatures too!

You know those moments when you realize that God has been trying for so long to get your attention that He has had to clobber you over the head with something?  I had one of those times in church.  I guess if you are going to be clobbered, church is a good place for it to happen!  The sermon was about pride and humility, based on the book of James, chapter 4.  It was an awesome sermon.  I felt very uplifted, like I had learned an awesome lesson.  Our church is blessed like that.  We get a lot of sermons that speak right at home to us.  This one told us that we have to be humble before God to release the dreams that He has for us.  Woo Hoo! What a remarkable message. 

I went home, I grabbed a snack, and I sat down on the couch with my laptop in front of me to check my email.  Among the list of unread messages were two devotional subscriptions, from completely different sources.  I do not always have time to read all the daily devotionals and blogs that I sign up for, but I do try to read most of them every day.  I started reading.  The first one was about humility and was based on James, chapter 4!  OK, twice in one day... this was an obvious message from God that He definitely wants me to be humble.  “OK, Lord.  I got the message.  Humble it is”.  I opened the second email.  Guess what?!  I hope you are sitting down for this... it was also about humility.  Seriously!  I was so surprised my jaw nearly hit the floor.  My first thought was “Whoa, this is so huge!  This is a very big God moment”.   God wanted my attention, and He certainly got it at that moment. 

However, there was one problem.  I did not, at all, understand what He was trying to tell me.  I mean, I try to be nice to people.  I do not ask for much in return.  I certainly try not to judge, and do my very best to always forgive.  I am basically a good person.  Right?!  I guess this kind of pride should have been my first clue that I have a big problem.  Despite all this, I was almost certain that I was about to go through something; some sort of lesson or test by God, that would teach me about humility.  I really considered asking God if He would consider taking the short cut on this one.

I was right.  There was a lesson from God.  Only days later, I had a very upsetting experience that would educate me not only on the proper definitions of these words that I was obviously confused about, but how they are to be applied to the particular situation.  I was completely thrown for a loop and went through a great deal of distress, to the point I was sick, when someone that I count on for support defined a boundary between us.  It seems that I have learned the hard way that boundaries are an awesome idea... when you are the one setting them.  From the other side of that boundary line things look different.  My mind circled around over and over with thoughts like “How could he do this to me?  I thought I was important.  I am just not loved.  I probably rub on his very last nerve.  I do not deserve to be loved.  I think it would be best if I just quietly leave and disappear for good.”   Once the initial shock was over, I received a third devotional email, from yet another source, with the subject of ‘humility’.   God certainly felt the need to reinforce this message to me!  As a side note; I just love it that He sends me emails!  How cool is that?! 

Anyway, I had the sermon and the blogs that I read, but I still did not truly understand how this situation I was stressing about was trying to teach me about being humble.  I just could not connect these two ends.  So I decided, as I usually do in such cases, to do some research.  First I looked up the definitions of these words.  Again, this would seem like something that should have been obvious much sooner.  For me, apparently not!  Then, to reinforce what I learned from the sermon, I played it back from the church website and listened to it again, and again; taking detailed notes this time. It is amazing how much you can realize you have missed the second and third times around!  I started to put the pieces together.  I have learned that God is the One who defines the terms, makes the rules, and plans the route.  So with that in mind, I could see how these words are defined, and how He wants them to be applied.

• Embarrassed – is the feeling one gets when in an uncomfortable situation amongst others.  It is not something that anyone has said or done; it may not even be a result of someone else.  For example, once when spent 10 minutes trying to figure out how to turn on the vacuum cleaner, I experienced some embarrassment.  OK, I admit it.  I will not be the next recipient of the ‘Martha Stewart of the Year’ award!  I had all hardwood flooring, and leather furniture (beautiful imported Italian leather.  I loved it).  Oh, anyway, I very rarely had a reason to use the vacuum.  My boyfriend (at the time), sat in his chair laughing at me so hard it is a wonder he did not pop a blood vessel somewhere!  That was embarrassing.  It gave him something to tease me about for months, but it did not hurt me. 
• Humiliated – is the experience you go through when embarrassed by something that someone said or did to intentionally or knowingly hurt you, causing your dignity to go flying out the window.  For example, when I was at a party and a friend arrived and saw me for the first time in a long time.  She stood in the door pointing at me and laughing, while screaming out “Oh my gosh, look how fat she is!”  That was humiliation.  It was painful.  It still is if I let myself think about it; but I forgive her. 
• Humility – as so wonderfully explained by our pastor, is a virtue.  It means giving up and letting God take control in every situation!  For example, if God needs there to be a boundary between me and my friend, than I know it is for a reason that will bring me joy and will show His awesome glory.  I will accept that and wait in anticipation to see the outcome. 
• Humble - is to place oneself at the appropriate level; which is lower than God, in a position to need Him, and to think of others as better than ourselves.  For example, my friend’s need to put up a boundary is what is most important.  I certainly do not want to cause anyone any pain or distress.  I have to love my friend enough to let this new positioning happen without allowing it to derail my life.  I also realize now that he likely understood this need for me to be separated slightly and did this to help me.  He also knows me well enough to know that ‘tough love’ is sometimes the only way I will finally learn. 
• Pride – our pastor says, is likely the greatest sin.  It is one’s ability to put themselves on a higher pedestal than they have a right to do; in an effort to make themselves as high as, or higher, then God.  For example, when I got upset about my friend setting boundaries.  I got upset because my pride got in the way of the truth.  I put my own needs and desires above both God and my friend.  I should not be counting on someone else for support.  I should be counting only on God for the support I need.  He is more than I need. 

I am certain that my journey through the humility chapter of my story is far from over; and likely never will be as long as I am on this side of Heaven’s gates.  I know this because messages, blogs and devotionals with the subject of humility are continuing to be handed to me.  Letting God mould us into the kind of person He wants us to be is almost always a series of painful lessons.  However, it is worth it to become the person that we want to be, and to live a life of dreams beyond anything our imaginations can come up with.  To take the short cut would mean missing out on some very important and interesting things.  To go along with this transformation and not fight it is one more step toward complete obedience.  To go through it with peace and joy in our hearts is what will fill God’s heart with joy.  I pray that God will let me clearly see each and every situation where my pride gets in the way of me advancing closer to Him.  Micah says it so eloquently in ~ Micah 6:8 (TNIV) ~  “He has shown all you people what is good.  And what does the LORD require of you?  To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”

---

~~ Dear God ~~    You are so incredibly patient, loving and merciful.  Each time I let pride guide my way, I create a brick that is added to a wall separating me and You.  Please let me see the blocks that I am about to add to this wall each and every time I am about to put one in place.  Instead, show me how to remove all the blocks that I have already put in place, and to never add to this wall again.  Then please let me always be open to feel Your support to get me through to the end.  Please help me realize that I am neither Pinky nor The Brain.  I am one of Your loving children who desires to bring glory to Your name.  Help me to see that outside my little-laboratory-world, there is a multitude of blessings waiting for me, if only I would accept Your leadership to get me outside safely.  In Jesus name, AMEN. 

---

Here are a couple videos you might have fun watching.  The first an old song that you likely have heard before called “Oh Lord, It’s Hard to Be Humble” by Mac Davis.  I think it is very funny.  That (ex)boyfriend that I mentioned... this was his self-appointed ‘theme song’.  Looking back on it, I can see how God may have been trying to get our attentions about pride even then.  Below that is a clip from a Pinky and The Brain episode.  For years, he and I have had an ongoing ‘discussion’ (which continues) about which one of us is Pinky and which one of us is The Brain.  So on that note... Pinky, this one’s for you!

Pinky & The Brain: Bad Day

---

Lessons I Learned the Hard Way

~~ Romans 10:13 ~~   for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

---

  

Casey & Taco
"What did we do wrong, Mommy?"
Photo by Carley

You know those moments when you think “what in the world was I thinking?”   Everyone has those at some point or another.  I was thinking about some of these things earlier.  There are just way too many times when I spoke without thinking first, or when I jumped without looking, pressed ‘send’ on my email without thinking about what the result would be.  Sometimes I have to wonder if I have the common sense that God gave a gold fish.  Would you believe that I was absent from class that day when they covered the ‘rational’ chapter?!  Never mind... I didn’t think so.  I guess you would need the common sense of a gold fish to believe that! 

Anyway, this post is a little more ‘light hearted’ than the others.  I thought I would share with you some silly things that I’ve done in my life and the lessons I have learned from them.  I have:
 

• put rice cakes in the toaster.  Note to self: Rice cakes can be flammable.
• filled the washer with laundry and put the water level on minimum instead of maximum (twice).  Note to self: Too many clothes with not enough water will burn out the motor (every time!)
• vacuumed hot embers from the fireplace hearth.  Note to self: Hot embers inside a vacuum filled with dust are also flammable... and can damage the vacuum cleaner too!
• set a plate of food on the coffee table.  Note to self: The coffee table is within doggie reach.
• set a wet paint project on the floor to dry.  Note to self: Don’t get mad at the dog when wet-paint puppy prints end up all over the project and the floor!  It’s a good thing it was in the garage!
• drank too much vodka.  Note to self: Bad stuff happens when you drink vodka... ‘nuff said!
• took photos at wrong times.  Note to self: When the lay-z-boy chair tips over backwards, stop laughing and taking photos, and help BF up off the floor.  (For those who are not 100% computer literate, BF means Boyfriend)  
• tried to be the ‘perfect housewife’.  Note to self: With issues such as; flooding the kitchen, not being able to figure out how to turn on the vacuum cleaner, and fires on the stove (once or twice... well, ok, ok... quite a few times) it means you are not Martha Stewart and you likely never will be.  Accept it!
• tried to make oatmeal – the old fashioned way.  Note to self: Oatmeal is not that hard to do!!... but when the dog refuses to eat it, something did not go right. 
• rescued a kitten from inside a heating duct.  Note to self: Even 8 week old kittens have claws sharp enough to shred an arm.  Reminder to self: Next time you rescue a kitten, wear thick clothing for protection. 

OK... I hope you had a good laugh at some of those things; but, seriously, I bet you also did some silly things.  Please share them with me in the comment section below.

---

~~ Dear God ~~    Please forgive me for all the times I have ‘jumped before I looked’, ‘spoke without thinking’, ‘acted without using the intelligence you gave me’.  Thank You for being there to protect me and rescue me each time I end up in a mess.  Oh, and one more thing, Lord.  I am so happy that You do not keep a count, because I am sure that the number of times I have fowled things up are at a very high number.  In Jesus name, AMEN.

---

The Wishing Well

~~ Psalm 37: 4-7a ~~ “Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.  Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this; He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn, your vindication like the noonday sun.  Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him...”
  

---

Casey standing by a Wishing Well
Photo by Carley

I love that little ‘plop’ sound.  The one you hear when you toss a coin into the water in a wishing well.  I am sure everyone has tossed a coin into a wishing well at least once in their life.  Standing with eyes closed and coin in hand, I repeat a wish to myself in my mind.  I wish I had a job, I wish I could go back to school, I wish I had a boyfriend, I wish I had a flatter stomach, I wish I had bigger breasts, I wish I could lose that last 20 lbs, I wish I had another house, I wish I was a better photographer, I wish I was a better decorator, I wish I was a better writer, I wish others could see the me that I see in my dreams.  The list goes on and on.  Then I toss the coin, listen for the ‘plop’; and watch the little water ripples for a minute, feeling a little bit of anticipation, as if I expected the ‘Wishing Well Fairy’ to come out and grant me my hearts desires.

It sounds a little silly when you think about it.  I mean, seriously; how much can we expect to get for a quarter these days?!  Or maybe you ‘splurged’ hoping to get a big dream by tossing in a one dollar or two dollar coin, or even a few coins?!  Well, I hate to be the one to shatter the fantasy world, but the Wishing Well Fairy has retired and moved back home with the Tooth Fairy, Easter Bunny, Fairy God Mother, and Santa Claus; never to be seen.  You can dump all the coin in the whole city into that well and it will not grant you your wish.  The only thing you will have accomplished is to waste a lot of money by dumping it into a hole in the ground!

God is the only one who can grant wishes to come true.  Even then it is dependent on whether or not it is in His will, if you are an obedient Christian, and if your heart truly has pure motives.  Matthew 5:8 tells us “Blessed are the pure in heart for they will see God”.  If you want your wishes to come true you have to do something about it.  Nothing is going to fall out of the sky and into your path.  You have to work for it; and if you don't have to work for it then you probably don't want it! God gave us common sense and free will for a purpose.  If you want those wishes to come true, you need several things.

1. The desire to do something about it.  If your motivation is strong enough, you will have the inspiration to take steps toward making your dream a reality.  If your drive is not strong enough to force you to take action than you have to ask yourself, why not?!  Is this dream truly what your heart desires?  Is there something standing in your way; such as fear, anger, or insecurities?  
2. A plan, with goals stated out step by step.  Seriously, write it down!  Make a plan; write a journal, order blue prints; put it on paper with the process details including major goals, minor goals, and deadlines!  If you do not have all the resources you need, such as enough financing for example, than make those problems a part of your plan.  One of the first major goals should be to be getting enough money!  What are you to do to get it?  
3. Accountability. If you think you cannot hold yourself accountable, than you also need to develop an accountability plan.  Ask; or hire, if necessary; someone to help you stay accountable.  If you have some road blocks standing in your way such as fear or insecurities, then you have to put it in your plan to get around these as well.  Conquer them.  Seek out the help you need to get around them.  Ask God to show you how to do this.  He will insist that you step out of your comfort zone, so be prepared.  Also, brace yourself to forge through some very painful things that you most certainly do not wish to face... but sooner or later you have to, if you expect to make progress in any direction. 
4. Your focus to be on God.  Your plan has to be one that will bring glory to God, and bring you closer to Him.  Your heart has to hold this as a vital purpose in your plans. 
5. Faith that He will make your dreams reality; or to lead you to a much better dream.  Even when things look impossible, do not give up.  A very special friend once told me when I was about to throw in the towel “Do not Quit.  It is when things look impossible that God does His best miracles”.  My friend was right.  I have seen God do miracles in my life because I refused to let go of my faith.  I remind myself of this on a regular basis now, to help make sure I do not ever give up hope in God. 
6. Prayer.  Above all else, you have to keep God in the loop with each and every step.  Ask Him, to give you a clear vision of the goal; about the steps to take, how to progress, and how to make your plan a reality.  Then listen for His voice, and watch for messages that He will send you.  Also, keep in mind, that His answer may be “no”.  It may take a while but He will respond one way or another.  Everything happens in His time, so be patient.  Ask Him to reveal to you, a new and better plan if this one should not be in His will.  Then ask Him to make your heart willing; and your eyes, ears and mind open to receive the messages He is sending you.  Have you ever done that before... ask God to change your desires?  It is very difficult, but I assure you that it is worth it!  Without God as your leader, your plan will not be a success.  At some point it will fail.  Even if it does become a reality, it will not turn out to be what you hoped it to be.

Wishing wells can be beautiful with a certain magical quality about them; but if you keep looking into a hole filled with water and reaching for wishes, sooner or later you are going to fall in and drown.  God is ready and waiting for you to ask Him to help.  He put your desires in your heart, and He put them there for a reason.  He has a plan to make them happen.  God not only wants you to have dreams; He wants to give them to you, and more!  Mostly, He wants to be included in those dreams.

---

~~ Dear God ~~ Your ways are perfect.  Your plans for my life are better than any dreams my heart can desire.  Please let all my wishes be tossed into Your Wishing Well, and not into anything that is not in Your Will for me.  Lead my every step so that my desires will be those that will show Your awesome love, grace and mercy.  In Jesus name, AMEN.

---

The Big Trophy

~~Mark 8:36 ~~ What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?

 

---

Free source photo

The excitement in the air was thick enough that it could barely be contained.  The big game was about to happen.  It was the most exciting thing since... well, since last year’s big season-ending game!  Both sides being sure that they would be the ones blessed to carry the big trophy.  Who would get to bring home Lord Stanley’s big cup?  

I may be the only one, but I did not watch the game; and I had no intention of watching.  Maybe I am not a hockey fan?  Truth is I do not know if I am.  There has not been anyone who sat with me to explain the game to me so my interest has not had a chance to grow.  I live alone.  This may be a female perspective, but I see no point in watching alone.  I would certainly be open to watching a game if I were with someone I love; which, I think is the point for many people.

Well, it is the morning after the big game.  The big cup got to stay ‘over there’... across the border in the US.  There are many that seem to be rather upset with this outcome.  I have not seen any TV coverage about the reaction of the fans.  I just know that it is nasty to say the least with riots happening.  I do not watch much television.  Even without seeing the game, or seeing any news coverage; it is impossible to miss the frenzy of the fans on the losing side.  It is everywhere.  People are talking about it; emailing, texting, blogging, posting in on social websites.  

Sometimes I wonder where people’s priorities lay.  This is a game.  It is not life altering.  People are not supposed to be hurt, die, nor have their lives transformed because of the outcome.  It is entertainment.

Jesus told us a story about two men who built houses.  One built his house on a rock with a firm foundation.  The other built his house upon the earth without a firm foundation.  The moment nasty weather hit, the house with the firm foundation stayed put, but the house without a firm foundation was wiped out and lost.  (Luke6:46-49).  

The hockey fans, it seems to me, are much like this man without a firm foundation on his home.  Where do their priorities lay?  Why should losing a game alter their lives?  If it does not, then why the violent reaction?  How does this outcome alter their ability to spend eternity in heaven with Jesus?  The ‘storm’ hit and their lives seem ruined.

For those who are on the losing side, why destroy your own city because your team did not win?  What does this accomplish?  People need to follow the lead of Jesus and think about others; think about what is truly important.  Does losing this game compare to what those who have had to watch a loved battle cancer for over a decade go through?  Does it compare with those who have lost their children to diseases like Cystic Fibrosis?  Does it compare with those who cannot walk?  Does it compare with the pain of seeing a loved one throw away their life because they are addicted to crack?  Does it compare with the pain of seeing loved ones who are lost to the Lord and have no hope of going to heaven if they do not find Jesus?  Does it compare with the pain of watching a loved one be accused of a crime he did not commit?  Does it compare with the pain of going through mental illness, or watching loved ones battle with these problems?  These are all things that have touched my life in one way or another.   No trophy will finally cure my Aunt’s cancer, or help my friend walk properly, or rid my friend of his crack addiction, or rid my friend of the false crime accusations; or bring back my first boyfriend who died of a terrible lung disease at the tender age of 14.  The fans have filled their hearts with hatred... for what?  Who has gained from all this?  As one dear friend pointed out this morning “Come tomorrow, it will be quite lucrative to be a Vancouver-based lawyer.”

For those on the winning side, what have they gained... really and truly gained?  Bragging rights?  From my experience, the novelty of bragging wears off in a hurry!  Money?  That has a tendency to disappear quite fast as well.  Jesus said it best, as only He can, “What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?” (Mark 8:36).

---

~~Dear God~~ Please do not let the priorities in my heart be anything outside of Your will for me.  Change my heart to suit Your Will.  Each time a ‘big game’ happens for me, and I happen to be on the losing side; please help me be thankful that I was able to play and have fun.  Teach me to shake hands and say “Thanks for a great game.  It was fun.  Congratulations on winning the Big Trophy”.  In Jesus name, AMEN. 

---

Small Steps - Are they Really?

~~ Romans 5:3-5 ~~ Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

---

Photo by Carley (Spread Eagle, Newfoundland, Canada)

There is an old Chinese proverb that says ‘a journey of a thousand miles begins with one small step’.  When was the last time you took a trip?  Was it a trip that you were looking forward to for quite some time, or a last minute decision?  The plans for your journey may have all fallen together in a half hour, or they could have taken months to put together.  Either way it was a planned trip!  Almost everything in life has some type of plan before it can happen. 

Part of my journey has taken me through weight loss.  This is hardly unique these days.  It is a big problem, no pun intended; yet at the same time, when you look at it; it's all common sense!  You put healthy stuff in; you’re going to get healthy stuff coming back!  As part of the program that I used, I have been well educated on the importance of setting small goals.  It teaches us that we are not initially out to lose 50 lbs, or 100 lbs or more.  In fact, we are out to lose 10, or maybe even 5!  Then, and only then, when that's gone; we are set out to lose another 5 or 10 and so on!  We are well taught that small steps are important; and so is not 'biting off more than you can chew', being patient, not giving up when you have set backs (which you will), and rewarding yourself at each goal achieved.  Working hard and relentlessly continuing to push forward and you will get results! 

Motivation is the key, and if you are lacking in that, then nothing works better than prayer, asking God to give you that motivation.  You need to have a vision in mind of the goal that you want to achieve!  Whatever your circumstances for being overweight, be sure it is there for a reason.  When you find a goal that is truly more important than your reasons for being overweight, then you will have the motivation you need to lose the unwanted pounds.  If you are not progressing, than what you think is more important is not really.  If it were than you would be succeeding.  So if you are trying to lose weight because you ‘want to be alive for your family’, but you are not making much progress in your weight loss, than you really have to do some deep soul searching, or get counselling, to find out ‘why not?’.  Weight loss is all about the psychological issues more than the physical.   Overall, it is a small percentage of people who are overweight for medical reasons over psychological reasons.  If there is anything about your reasons for being there or your lack of motivation that you do not understand you need to pray about it; and get counselling if necessary!

These important lessons about weight loss, I have found can be applied to other areas of my life as well.  I am learning so much about how to be a strong, capable, independent person.  This weight-loss program has changed me in more ways than just the physical.

Christmas 1992 I was in a major auto accident that changed my life.  I was the passenger in a car with my (then) fiancé on an icy highway in central Ontario.  It was Boxing Day (in Canada that is December 26^th, the day after Christmas).  We were on our way north to visit his family for the remainder of the holiday season.  It is a trip that typically took us 3 hours.  On this particular day we were about half way there when we drove around a large turn in the road, and suddenly we in the midst of a 6 car pile-up.  They had to use the jaws-of-life to cut us out.  The rescue team told us that we were extremely lucky for many reasons, but one reason being that our car was a rag-top convertible.  Though our car was totalled, it was strong enough to protect us from being crushed.  If it was not for the grace of God and that well built vehicle I would not be sitting here typing this to you right now.  In the emergency room later that evening, my fiancé said to me “Now you know why that road is called The Highway to Heaven”.  I said to him “Oh great, so now you tell me!”.

My life changed in so many ways that day. I could, literally, write a book on the spin-off that affects my life to this day.  For months after I was almost completely bedridden.  I was able to get up and about but it would take quite a while and I needed help to do so.  Getting to the bathroom alone or putting my clothes on without help was impossible for weeks after the accident.  It took a long time for me to recover.  I remember the day that I finally went to the bathroom alone.  Then I came out and walked toward my bed, sat down on the edge and put my own clothes on… by myself!  It took me quite some time to achieve all this… but I did it!  Just me, with no help from anyone!  I truly and honestly felt like I could conquer the world.  I sat there alone, crying with joy and said out loud “look out world. I am back and there’s no stopping me now”.  I called everyone I could think of to tell them how excited I was.  I got responses that raged from “Yea, Ok… good for you” with a tone of “so what?” to “Yea OK… good for you” with a tone of “I’m so proud of you and so happy for you”; to a sarcastic “some of us have been doing that for quite some time now”.  Yea, I know there’s always the comedian in the bunch, especially in my family!

My point is that it was a small thing in my life, yet it was not!  It was huge because it got me one more step further along!  Just like each pound lost on my weight-loss journey,  it is a big deal!  There are no small achievements.  Each step is important to changing the whole you and to getting yourself closer to your destination!  Weight loss is not just about changing your body shape, your weight, or your clothing size.  It’s about changing who you are on the inside.  There is only one right way to change you and it has to be done in 3 parts; body, mind, and spirit!  If you do not complete all 3 parts, or if you do a flimsy job on anyone of the 3, than the whole package will not be complete or have strength.  You need to set your goals.  You need to know the steps to achieve them, and the route you need to take to get there!  If you do not know some of this information than you need to reach out to someone who can guide you in the right steps.  That is what I did, and continue to do, each time I reached a road block or a fork in the road.  Learning to reach out was a road block in itself for me.  I have finally learned that reaching out to others is not a weakness and it does not mean that I am not smart enough.  My support system is vital to my progress; which in itself was also a step to be achieved; something I had to build. 

We could have gone a different route for that trip north on Boxing Day 1992, but we did not because it would take an extra hour.  Being a snowy Ontario winter day we did not want to be driving any longer than necessary.  But, guess what?  For an extra hour, my whole life would, likely, have turned out completely different!  My lessons were these: Know what you want, do not be afraid of hard work, or how much time it takes to get there; and never, ever pay attention to the negative people that will try to make you feel bad, tell you lies or hold you back.  

Recently there was something that made me feel like I just passed an important mile marker.  It was a small step, yet a big turn in the road for me.  I have a friend that has blessed me more than I deserve to get from one person.  However, he has also hurt me more times than I can count.  No matter how many times people let you down, it never gets easier.  I have shed way more tears over one person than he should ever have gotten from me.  Letting go of this weight, I have come to see in the midst of my tears, is vital if I am to continue.  It can only be done through forgiveness... of myself as much as him.  I have come to realize that I have to let go of a very big weight that is keeping me anchored in the past.  Life goes on and I will survive and be OK because God never leaves me, even for an instant!  Despite the hurt, my friend will forever be in my heart, and will forever be a vital person in the progress of my journey thus far.  He was a stop along the way where I have gathered some important things to take with me.  Things like perseverance, character, hope, faith, forgiveness, determination, and strength.  I have also unloaded some unwanted things.  Items such as anger, hatred, fear, shame, hurt, hopelessness, and guilt. 

So, my goals for the next day or two… is to get through my next dentist appointment, to get the mountain of laundry done that has piled up, and to spend extra quiet time with God as to recover from the last big pothole that got in the way.  Look out world, here I come!  It’s all a matter of perspective; which in itself, for me, was something else I had to learn along the way.  Who is to say what is truly a small step, or what is a big one when each step in the right direction will get you closer to God?  For directions you will not need a map.  All you will need is your Bible.  I will continue to keep my focus looking ahead to God because I never know when just around the next bend God will have my greatest blessings waiting for me.

---

~~Dear God~~ I pray that You will never let me leave the path that You have laid out for me.  Let each and every step be taken forward, toward You.  Do not let any road block, pot hole, or pit stop be wasted.  Use each and every one to bring blessings to me and glory to Your name.  I thank You, Father, for this wonderful journey that You have chosen for me no matter how difficult it is for me.  In Jesus name, AMEN.

---

True Colors

~~~ Romans 12:2 - Do not conform any longer 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.

---

Free source photo

A friends status message the other day read, "If you want it, get it. If you dream it, believe it. The sky's never the limit. So go on, show the world who you are. Don't be afraid to show your true colors. I love it". Awesome thought, isn’t it?! I mean, it’s inspiring, uplifting and encouraging. If you were in need of reassurance and a friend said this, you would think this friend must be special to give you such a boost.

Well, my first thought; seriously, was 'Dear Lord, please don't let me look at life or the world this way'. Nowhere is God included in this thought. It's such a relative way of thinking; which is redundant thinking. To reach “the limit”; one needs to know what that limit is. Who has defined “the limit”? Have I decided how high I am going to aim? What makes my definition any more valid than others? Why do others opinions matter at all? What makes me, or others around me, qualified enough to make such decisions? This method of selection will not get you “air borne”. What is ‘right’ for one is not ‘right’ for another. This way of life leaves you living alone with no support because other people are living in their own worlds, not in yours. It leaves you without any possibility of expansion, variation, or change; because you can only go as far as your own limits will allow... and you do have limits.  Everyone does.  It means we are human.  Jesus said “apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). He is the only one who is qualified to make any decisions on limits. Granted; God gave us a free will, and a brain for common-sense, and He expects us to use it. Philippians 4:13 says “I can do all things”. But that is not the most important part of that message.  In today's relative-thinking society the thought stops there.  The problem is that this is not the whole message.  To stop there would be like watching the first half of a movie and not the 2nd half and claim that you saw the whole story.  The other half of that is “though Christ who strengthens me”. You cannot fly without a plane. You cannot reach the limits of your life without God.

See, I only 'want it', if God wants it for me. I only want to 'get it', if He wants to give it to me. I only want the 'dream' in my heart if it's in His plan for me. I only want to 'believe it' by putting my faith in Him, and not in anything or anyone else. Without Jesus, the sky is the limit, and even then it is only if you are able to aim that high.

I do dream of showing the world who I am. So, who am I? I am a child of God who desires more than anything to be more and more like Jesus. The person who posted this status message was extremely nasty to me once, in another ‘lifetime’. So much so that I had nightmares every night for months because of what they said to me. I hope that the 'colors' that this person is so proud of showing is never the colors that people will ever see in me. They are dark and dreary colors. I want my world to be colored only by the hues, in the saturation, that are inside the heart of Jesus. I am proud to show my bright, beautiful true colors because they are becoming; more and more every day; to be a love, heart, and passion that our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, will be proud of.

---

~~ Dear God ~~ Please make Your Will known to me in every situation. Open my eyes to see it, my ears to hear it, my mind to accept it and my heart to receive it. Let all my thinking and my decisions be in line with Your plans for my life. Make the colors of my heart so bright and beautiful that others will see Your grace and glory shinning from within me. In Jesus name, AMEN.

---