Thursday, May 31, 2012

sunglasses

sunglasses are probably my favorite accessory.

after i had lasik my eyes were extremely light sensitive...so i had to wear them all the time...and i didn't mind one bit.  i looked so cool...and i had a good reason...

but did you know that some sunglasses can actually be harmful to your eyes?  a pair of darkened lenses without any spf coating will actually cause your pupils to dilate and then allow the uv rays to pass right on thru.  you'd be better off wearing no eye protection at all...






friends can be like sunglasses.

i love my friends.  all of them. 

sometimes i rely on my friends to make me look cool...other times i rely on my friends to support and protect me when i am vulnerable.

aaaaand some friends...

we all have them.  we've probably even been one of these friends before.  friends with good intentions.  friends that soothe our egos rather than convict our hearts to be better than what we are.  they make us think that we are okay...when we are actually walking into sin.

you know how it goes.  you start 'venting' and then pretty soon you are either bashing or gossiping and you catch yourself.  but...you have a 'good friend' that says 'no, it's okay...you're just frustrated...you can talk to me...'  they soothe your conscience just like the darkened lenses soothe your eye into thinking that it's safe.  but we don't realize that we are opening ourselves up to intense damage.  we'd be better off to have no friends at all. 

i don't mean to sound bleak.  i love my 'girl time' just like anyone else.  but we need to be cautious.  we need to surround ourselves with at least one friend that won't hold back when it comes to accountability.  a friend that will say 'woah...that sounds like you're about to cross the line' or 'let's stop right now and pray...'  and we need to be that friend to others.

Proverbs 27:5
"An open rebuke is better than hidden love."

next time you are out with 'that friend' tell her how much you appreciate her friendship and then ask her to hold you accountable and promise to do the same...then go out and try on some cute sunglasses... :)



Wednesday, May 30, 2012

private island...

did you know that you can actually hop online and purchase a private island?  i was amazed...but i was even more amazed when i saw how affordable they are...




take this cute little island for instance.  tahifehifa island, tonga...you could own 1 acre of paradise for only about $350,000...of course...what would you do with it then...and who has that kind of change laying around?


Psalms 2:8
"Only ask, and I will give you the nations as your inheritance, the whole earth as your possession."

this verse gave me the giggles...i would love to have a little spit of land like this...even just for the thought of it.  but the fact that all we have to do is ask.  and our Father who owns the universe will put a gift tag on nations with our name on it...and will gift wrap the whole earth and tie it with a pretty bow.  i just can't get over it. 

thanks, Papa for loving us so much and for being so good at being God.  i'm asking... :)



Tuesday, May 29, 2012

quiet time

i love going outside to get the mail.  it might be one of my favorite moments of my day.

i put a movie on for my kids, go out my front door and mosey by all the lovely flowers on my front patio.  then i get to walk all the way down my driveway (it's only a car length) without having to supervise anyone.  we live in a quiet neighborhood so usually there is no one in sight.  it's like entering an alternative universe. 

i listen to the birds, breathe in the fresh air and exhale the stress of my typical morning.

then i turn around and walk back up the driveway to see my little girls looking out the window, watching me.  they are so cute...when you can't hear them...

then it hits me.  this is worship.



i don't get a lot of  'quiet time with God'.  if i'm lucky, my kids leave me alone in the bathroom long enough to read a one page devotion and even then it's usually pushed to the back of my mind by the time i have dealt with snack and nap time.

ahh...nap time...that's another favorite.  i get to enjoy a little yoga and rejoice that God made our bodies to release all kinds of fun chemicals as we stretch our muscles.  then i realize...this just might be worship too.

thankfully, God is secure enough in who He is that He doesn't need me to be on my knees all day long.  He gave me these beautiful children and He gets it...things are a little crazy.  my mind is busy but my heart is still centered on Him. 

i worship Him in the little things.  hearing my kids giggling together.  a hot cup of coffee.  a husband who calls to see how i'm doing.  breaking up a fight and knowing that He will give me the wisdom to train up these little maniacs into what He calls them to be.  snuggles.  finding my now cold coffee in the microwave and rejoicing that it still tastes okay.  knowing that He is busy with His kids too.

and i worship.

Psalm 62:5
"Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in Him."


how do you worship your Father in the everyday?

Monday, May 28, 2012

the 'no'...

Often, when we hear the word 'no' we think of the limitations being placed on us.

I'm sure that's what my toddlers think when i say 'no' or 'NO!' ...depending on the situation...  Their faces get all scrunched up, their bottom lips stick out and they start to whine and cry.  But if they only saw things from my perspective they would see the reason for the 'no'.

'no' you may not have a toy every time we go to the store.  (i want you to be grateful for the things that you have...plus...you'll be so much more excited for that toy when you get it on your birthday.)

'no' you may not put your toys on the end table.  (my hot coffee is here and will get pushed off and you will get burned.)

'no' you may not play on the stairs in mommy's shoes.  (while it looks like a lot of fun, and you might not fall.  you could fall and get hurt really badly.)

'no' you may not touch the stove.  (it is hot and will burn you and then you may have burn damage on your hand that not only will you always regret but also that could keep you from being the concert pianist that God has possibly called you to be.)

and for those of you with teenagers:

'no' you may not have a tattoo.  (you can't be the international spy that God has possibly called you to be if you have a tattoo and you'd better not let a 15 year old you decide what you can and can not do when you are 30.)

'no' you may not go to that party.  (i know that you say you won't do anything...and you might be strong enough to avoid the temptation...but there will be pictures of that party up on facebook tomorrow morning and those pictures will be up five years from now and your potential future employer will be looking at them as will potential future spouses and you don't want them seeing you at that kind of party.)



So...  When God says 'no'...and we start to crinkle our faces, we need to remember that He is not fencing us in with barbed wire so we can only stay in His little box for us.  Rather, He sees the whole picture and setting us free from our own poor choices.

Wouldn't it have been nice if Adam and Eve had just listened to the 'no'?

rubber duckies

i have a fleet of rubber duckies in my bathtub. seriously...a fleet.

the other day i was taking a bath to mellow out after a rough day with my wonderful children and the rubber duckies decided to join me.

i noticed something interesting. the duckies that were filled with water sank. duh...i know.

here's the interesting part...we are just like those ducks. they have a specific purpose: to float above dirty bathwater and give joy (yeah...i was totally meditating on the purpose of a bath toy). well we also have a specific purpose: to float above crappy circumstances and glorify God.

when the ducks fill up with the dirty bathwater they are unable to completely fulfill their purpose...they sink. likewise when we drink up the negativity that surrounds us...we sink...we become submerged...we drown. when you squish a waterlogged rubber duckie...the water comes out and it can float again.
...sometimes i think God needs to squish me. get all the negativity out so i can float above it all...squishing doesn't always feel good...



but man is it fun to float...

Sunday, May 27, 2012

...one bite at a time


'The only way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time.'

My mother reminded me of this phrase as i was searching for a blog title...and it seemed to fit.  Considering everything else i had thought of dealing with the steps i am taking as i walk this crazy journey just wouldn't work (i googled a title that i thought was super cool and came up with a foot fetish website...ick).




Anyway...

We tend to get into trouble when we take ourselves (and others) too seriously.  So my life (and this blog, for that matter) is best to be taken bit by bit...or else not at all.




If you are someone who is turned on by polished essays, elegant prose, beautiful poetry or even correct grammar...sorry...this isn't for you.

However, if you are interested in the blunt ramblings, random ideas, and 'out there' metaphors that God is using to romance, mold and guide me...welcome aboard!



We are all on a journey...mine just so happens to be...well...mine.  And i am taking it one step at a time...