ENCOURAGE - EQUIP - EMPOWER
IT STARTS HERE.
I was pleasantly surprised to receive a notification that the automatic payment for my health insurance has been correctly debited from my account. After several go-arounds with the “helpless line” and assorted other demonstrations of futility, I just wasn’t sure if we would actually end up with the proper insurance coverage. But lo! we did!
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When life is full of trials, sometimes I just want to crawl into the fetal position with covers over my head. I’ll call my sister or a girlfriend and just vent. But, oh how I have learned God wants every part of us. He wants those cries. He wants to go through all circumstances with us to guide us and show us His hand.
Yesterday, someone asked me what I have going on this fall, and my immediate response was to answer with the responsibilities I have: my job and my children’s schedules and activities. My brain then moved to commitments I have to various groups and then to some other family commitments. It was only after talking myself through all of those that I even thought about some of the things I am doing that I really enjoy outside of my responsibilities. And maybe that’s appropriate, as my responsibilities are the work God has given me to do, but I also know for me, it is often difficult to find mental and physical energy to devote to something after I get through all those responsibilities. Having “a hobby” often feels like a luxury my mind can’t afford.
On the night of the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics, our family gathered to watch the parade of nations on boats cruising down the Seine River. When the six Olympians from North Macedonia appeared we cheered because that country is special to us. Our daughter, Lauren, serves there in the city of Skopje in North Macedonia, a small country bordering Greece.
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Jesus. Just five letters, two syllables. His name is so simple yet so powerful. Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you were unable to put words to a prayer, but in your pain could simply whisper the name “Jesus”? Take a moment to reflect on these Jesus prayer moments. Here are a few of mine …
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Today’s blog post is Sarah Flowers’ continuation of her June 19 blog — thoughts that she wants those dear to her to always remember.
… You’re going to meet a lot of new people. Some will have a positive influence on your life and some will have a negative one. The vast majority of people you meet won’t have any influence on you at all, unless you let them. What do I mean by that?
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I have had the privilege of going out on a boat with my family in the Delaware Bay numerous times over the past few years. We have seen the water as smooth as glass and so rough we have to stick to the inner harbor! We have seen completely blue skies and fog so thick we could not see past 20 yards of water. We have seen ferries, sailboats, fishing boats, and carriers. We have seen osprey, pelicans, sea gulls, horseshoe crabs, turtles, and dolphins. We have jumped in and swam to shore. (Okay, my family has; I prefer clear pool water. But I watch.) Each time I am amazed by God’s creation – the diversity in colors, shapes, and abilities.
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This is adapted from something I shared on Instagram a couple of months ago:
If there’s ever been a time I’ve felt less deserving of God’s gifts, it’s now.
I cried three separate times today. Dirty laundry and unanswered texts are piling higher and higher. I’m in a constant state of exhaustion and overwhelm.
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But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.” – Luke 10:40-42
I just came home from an extended time away from my everyday obligations…
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I was taught by a pastor at some point that Christians should be the ones having the best parties, the most fun, and freely celebrating the good things in life.
Put another way, I’ve heard people say they take life seriously, but they don’t take themselves too seriously.
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I tend to have an all-or-nothing mentality when it comes to my goals. If something can’t look exactly the way I think it “should,” I give up on it altogether.
I can’t find a full hour to practice drawing techniques? Then I’ll leave my sketchbook to collect dust for another day.
I can’t do a 45-minute workout including cardio, legs, and core? Then I won’t exercise, period…
In a similar way, I often hold myself to a rigid list of shoulds when it comes to spending time with the Lord. For example:
Isaiah 61:3 talks about God giving us beauty for ashes and Ecclesiastes 3:11 says “He has made everything beautiful in its time.” This is a poem I wrote reflecting some thoughts about those two verses.
Lord, Your Word says you make all things beautiful
I want to believe this
I want to claim this
I want to know it deep within my heart
But Lord, some things are so ugly
My own heart seems beyond repair
Beauty seems so far away
I resonate with ashes, but beauty?
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My theatrical career can be described as varied, but limited. Besides lots of Christmas pageant roles, I played a flirtatious girl in Papa was a Preacher while in college. When I was a teacher, I was asked to portray a cranky cleaning woman, complete with a solo, in a school musical. And finally, I played the faun, Tumnus, in a community theater’s run of The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe.
You might be wondering, wasn’t the character a Mr. Tumnus? Yes, that’s how C.S. Lewis wrote the story, but not enough men tried out for the production. So I was just Tumnus. That outdoor production over three weekends was a thrill for me, not because it brought me adoring fans, but because for that time I entered a creative world full of fantasy. Plus it introduced our five-year old twins to a new side of their mom.
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In honor of Mental Health Awareness Month 2024, I hope this helps those who need to hear this message too.
A letter to myself,
You are amazing. The way you battle for your mental wellness every day while balancing all that is on your plate makes you a modern-day warrior. Your scars are a badge of courage…
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