Go. Be. Do.

"The day is ending.  It's time for something that was beautiful to turn into something else that is beautiful.  Now, let go."  The plumber from New Zealand in Elizabeth Gilbert's book, Eat, Pray, Love . Letting go of something is always difficult for me.  Always.  No matter what it is...good, bad, or indifferent.  It is not that I do not want things to change, I just do not want to lose anything that I have experienced in my life.  A hoarder of experiences, of sorts, I guess I am admitting to be...just pile them on and keep 'em coming. Photos, blog posts, journal entries, emails...they all help me hold onto the memories so I will not forget. Memories are great. There is just one thing that memories lead one to do time to time that is not so wonderful.  Memories keep one looking back too often once in awhile.  Life is not found in yesterday.  Life is not found in the dreams of tomorrow and what it might bring.  Life is today. ...

"Now fear the L ORD and serve Him with all faithfulness.  Throw away the gods your forefathers worshiped beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the L ORD. "  Joshua 24:14 God wants me to trust Him more. How do I know? He's asking me to give Him something very precious to me. He wants me to give Him this something so He can give me more of something else. If my hands and heart are filled with yesterday, how can I receive today? Good point. If He didn't have my attention at verse 14, the message was loud and clear when verse 23 rolled around... "'Now then,' said Joshua, 'throw away the foreign gods that are among you and yield your hearts to the L ORD , the God of Israel.'"  Joshua 24:23 I have been holding onto something that is taking up too much of my mind, heart and time...God wants it gone. Throw it away.  Delete it.  Let it go. "Have faith to trust Me with it," God beckons me. Okay. I have no choice but to ob...

peek-a-moose

Written 8.7.12 @ BMC As I am writing this, my boys and I are at Bible Memory Camp, a week long event of fun, Treasure Hunts, games, food, swimming, campfires, and, most importantly, Jesus!  God always shows up (something about a promise of being around when 2 or 3 are gathered in His name {smile}).  How clearly we sense, see, and experience Him depends on us.  How prepared we are to open our eyes and hearts to Him...how eagerly we seek His presence in our midst...makes all the difference.  At times, it seems, God makes a statement so that ALL are keenly aware He is in our midst and at work.  No one left behind to wonder about whether or not He exists, He proves it in mighty ways. A mom of two, count 'em 1...2..., campers now, I can only hope that inbetween all of chlorine, sweat, bugspray, & campfire smoke they will find and make time for a quick shower or two during camp. Is this too much to ask? I think not. They believe otherwise. I have grown up...

Send your bread on the surface of the waters,  for after many days you may find it. Give a portion to seven or even to eight,  for you don’t know what disaster may happen on earth.  Ecclesiastes 11:1-2 In just the past few days I have had to endure two very different, yet very fearful circumstances.  It has caused me to think about fear and my reaction to it.  I have come to the conclusion, my recent and totally opposite reactions to fearful situations was closely related to the information I knew about my situations. My first potentially dangerous situation was the one with a bear story .  All I knew for certain was that there was a bear just feet away from me and my family...the only thing separating us was a tent wall.  I could hear the bear tossing around our cooler, but could not see anything else.  I knew very little, but what I did know terrified me.  Why?  Because I knew what that bear could do to me...or worse, my fam...

A camping getaway at Vogel State Park in the north GA mountains was our spontaneous weekend activity of choice.  We pretty much decided Thursday it was going to happen, so we packed up everything we could think of that we might need for a two-night stay in a tent when we arrived home from an Upward soccer coaches' meeting at our church that evening.  The finishing touches were packed Friday morning before school began. Even with the chance of rain being rather good, off we went Friday afternoon; tents in hand, smiles all around, and spirits high. Friday evening was spent setting up camp, roasting hotdogs and marshmallows over the fire, and relaxing in between bike rides and short walks into the woods around us.  The weather was perfect for camping. Saturday Alex was up early stoking the fire and getting it going again for us.  It wasn't needed for warmth, but for our favorite breakfast when camping:  pancakes and sausage/bacon cooked over the open fire. ...

Things I was reminded of at Bible Memory Camp this summer... plus a few newly acquired tidbits of awesomeness... Camp is camp no matter the address. Peru is the birthplace of potatoes. Florida grows some really big bugs of the icky variety. When God is involved, numbers do not matter. Grasshoppers are a delicacy to turtles. Rowing does not come naturally to all boys. If you buy one completo, it's only one dollar...but, if you buy two completos, it's only two dollars...But, if you  buy three completos, it's only three dollars...BUT... Camp songs do not go out of style, but do take on some new characteristics time to time..."Hey, Cows!" Fire ants are real. Hot & humid take on a new meaning during a week of camp in the Sunshine State. While missing out on seeing my BMC family of familiar faces, meeting new camp friends is always a joy! The water balloon tying thing-a-ma-jig (once you get the hang of it) is awesome! Certain games take me back ...

"Take delight in the Lord, and He will give you your heart’s desires."  Psalm 37:4 Sunday morning, as I listened to a young woman share about her time in Figi this summer, one thing she said stuck with me especially well.  She was speaking of her time spent in places off the beaten path of tourists in Figi...the other side of the postcard, she described...where one finds the not so glamorous, the "real life" happenings, the ones in need of encouragement, the lost and lonely. The inland tour...the path less traveled. That's where ministry takes shape in Figi...in Alaska...at home...or anywhere. In the places that will not make the "Top 10" list on travel websites is where God loves to shine His light and share His love. Where rock bottom is well known and down and out is the norm, Jesus offers new life. Like the back of the postcard is blank, a person's life is blank awaiting God's hand to bring life and meaning to one's days. ...