How to be a better Christian by Ella Jane Rollins Yorkie Extraordinaire

I have the cutest dog in the world. She is a sweet little thing and she is my puppy-daughter.  As much as I love her, that dog drives me crazy! If I had a dollar for every time I said "Move Ella" this blog would be written somewhere tropical with a pool, as my husband fans me and feeds me grapes. Or better yet feeds me coconut cake that has no fat and calories and all the flavor. Hey- if I am going to dream, I am going to dream BIG! As dear hubby says, "That dog should be called Lafawnduh, cause she all up on ya."

The restraint it has taken to make it this long without a Napolean Dynomite reference is astounding! But now that they have started.... Y'all are in trouble!

Dear People Reading My Mommy's Blog,
I do not wear this stuff. She got this on for 2.7 seconds and it had to go. 

This dog is always up under your feet. She wants family time and she wants it all the time. We are her pack and we stick together. All. The. Time. Again, it drives me crazy but it is surprisingly inspirational.

It is funny where I find inspiration for my walk with Jesus. Over the past few months, things that I need to write about have hit me watching scary movies, grocery shopping, reading the bible, moving the dog, breaking wooden spatulas while breaking up a bag of ice. Don't judge, better the spatula than people. How is it a six pound dog that can stretch to 9' x 9' and hog more of the bed than my 6'3" husband be a inspiration to a Christian you may ask. We should be under the feet of Jesus like little piranha there waiting for me to drop a morsel of dinner.  No, really, we should.

Ella-dawg is constantly seeking me out. She wants to be with me, sit in my lap, lay beside me, walk with me, love on me. She is currently headbutting because I am not sitting in such a way to promote her utmost comfort. Every single minute of every hour I am home, she wants to be with me. She is stuck to me like gum on the bottom of my shoe.  People, she sticks her nose under the bathroom door! She wants to do what I am doing, go where I am going. She follows my lead. She feels safe and loved and knows who takes care of her. Don't believe me? This is a regular occurrence...

Hello sorry puppy!

We all know you only sleep like that when you feel protected and loved. This pile of poopy puppy sleeps like this everyday. Every. Single. Day. 

Here is your homework assignment: Think about how your life would change if you doggedly (ha! Sorry, I couldn't resist) sought Jesus like Ella seeks me. No seriously, think about that for a moment.

How would your life change if you sought Jesus so completely, so thoroughly that he was our first thought in the morning and our last in the evening? Talk about radical changes. We cannot fathom the changes until we try it and the crazy thing it wouldn't be just your life that changed. 

My hubby has a friend that is a sweet, kind, hardworking young man. He is the type of person that you pray your children grow up to be. He lives his life putting Jesus first. He is fun, he has a good time and he laughs. He smiles all the time and it is a genuine, make your day better smile. I know, crazy huh? He doesn't walk around miserable, scowling and making those around him uncomfortable. He doesn't turn people off from Jesus, he attracts them to Jesus like a moth to a flame. He shows others the love and joy of Christ. He seeks Jesus like Ella seeks me. He humbles himself at Jesus' feet and is all the better for it. His joy and peace make people question what he has that they don't. He changes the life of those around him, just ask dear hubby. 

To quote the Doobie Brothers, dear hubby had a "Jesus is just alright with me" kind of attitude. He believed but had a hands off approach thanks to the actions and words of those who could be just a touch too religious. But over the past few months, I have seen him develop a deeper, more intimate relationship with the Lord. Hubby always says that I am the most positive person he knows but that is just me. I think since he has known me so long, he chalks it up to just being part of who I am and my personality. It is part of my personality, the Jesus part of my personality because trust me I can throw down and whine/complain/poor pitiful me like the best of them. It took seeing someone else have this same joy, same purpose to realize there is something to giving in wholeheartedly and seeking Jesus. 

I am sure this young man would tell us everything isn't always peachy keen and there are days when he struggles just like me and any other Christian who has walked, walks and will walk the face of this Earth. Humbly seeking and following Jesus, sitting at his feet, listening to and following his lead doesn't make things perfect #1:

entirely without any flaws, defects, or shortcomings

It makes them perfect #2:

exactly fitting the need in a certain situation or for a certain purpose

My devotional verses today were- John 15: 1-17

1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.2He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunesso that it will be even more fruitful.3You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.4Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.6If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.7If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.8This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

9 “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.10If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love.11I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.12My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.13Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.14You are my friends if you do what I command.15I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.16You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you.17This is my command: Love each other.

The funny thing is I started writing this post a while ago and just could not figure out where it was going. Leave it to the instruction manual to show me what to do.

love- j

Thank you Friend!

Where did that two months go? Oh yeah, it went into me not losing my mind that my kitchen update which was supposed to be done late February still is trudging along. You can only wash your dishes in your bathtub but so long before you want to break things... Over people's heads. But hopefully things will be done in time for Easter Dinner, if not it will be ham and pineapple pizza instead of ham for lunch and a pineapple cake for dessert.

But the real reason I have not posted in the past two months is because life has been difficult. Everyone has times that are valleys in their lives. Those are the times that the enemy is gunning for you. And here lately he has hit hard, backed up and hit again, pushing all the right buttons in all the right places to make life tough. I feel like I have gone 15 rounds with Tyson. I have bumps and bruises from this battle. And I am exhausted. Exhausted at the fact that the war seemed never ending. I would get over one hurdle and another would pop up and trip me again. I had literally reached the point that I physically did not have the strength to take one more thing. So I prayed.

Three simple little words. So I prayed.

Now, please do not think that I had not been all a long. I had. But this day, my prayer was much different. It was not me blabbing about the situation- God was there he knows what it is. It was not me praying that I not punch someone- God was there so thankfully I didn't. It wasn't me asking for a solution because I cannot take another minute without one- God knows his plan and his timing. It was so basic and yet so powerful. I simply prayed, "Lord, I am tired. I cannot do this. I need your strength to get this done and not go back and pull the covers over my head. I need this to be you, not me."  Where was this prayer for the past 5 months? Why did it take so long to get to the point of asking God to take it and let Him take care of me when I needed Him most?

 I think maybe because I was fighting the good fight and praying and still listening to God, things were difficult and although not getting much better, they were not getting any worse. But the last hit the enemy took was one too many and the straw that broke the camel's back. I was done. I simply could not take another thing without God somehow intervening and pulling me out of the quick sand.  So I asked Him to give me His strength. And He did. Now I am embarrassed to say that I asked for this help in cleaning my house. Yep- you just read that correctly. I have been wrung through the ringer lately and the thing that made me pray that prayer was cleaning my house. But I had spent so much time and energy battling everything else that I had nothing left for something important. (Remember- family is coming for Easter Dinner so a clean house is IMPORTANT. And the only room for bunnies on Easter Sunday is the Easter Bunny not dust bunnies. Not to mention, my people will call me out, with love, but out none-the-less.)

I mentioned this to a very wise friend at church and he made a comparison that blew my mind. He said "You know Jesus prayed the same thing in pretty much the same way." Back that train up Mr. Conductor- What? Jesus, the Son of God. God, Himself in human form? Oh no He didn't. But as very wise friend pointed out, oh yes He did, in Gethsemane.

Matthew 26:37 says that Jesus was sad and troubled.

He was getting ready to face death, a lonely, frightening, unbelievably painful death. And regardless of His divinity, He was human. He was going to face this death in human form, feeling and suffering every moment as we would. He was sad and troubled so much so as He prayed His sweat was drops of blood. He prayed that God would take it away. But that, regardless, His fate be God's will. And I cannot help but believe, as wise friend so kindly pointed out, that Jesus' statement of "not as I will but as you will" and "do what you want, and not what I want" did not only mean your will through me but also "I cannot do this alone, I need your strength."

Matthew 26: 39
Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”

Mark 14: 35-36
Jesus walked on a little way. Then he knelt down on the ground and prayed, “Father, if it is possible, don't let this happen to me! Father, you can do anything. Don't make me suffer by drinking from this cup. But do what you want, and not what I want.”

Luke 22: 42-43

42“Father, if you will, please don't make me suffer by drinking from this cup. But do what you want, and not what I want.”

 43Then an angel from heaven came to help him.

So why do we wait so long to ask God to be what He wants to be anyway? Why does it take hitting bottom to ask for God's will in our lives and His strength to get us through it? I am sure we could play Mad Libs. It takes me so long to pray prayer (insert silly reason here): I can fix it. It's too silly to ask. God isn't interested in that small detail. It will be fine.

If we, as Christians, are to be like Jesus, our example is clear. It is perfectly okay to pray this, anytime. God is our medic, crutch, life preserver, breath and heart. He wants to be there first, last and every second in between. We just simply have to ask. He wants us to simply ask "Father, more you than me."

And yes, sometimes His will is going to take us places that only His strength will get us through. It is how he teaches us to fully rely on him.

love- j

Yes, Jesus Loves You

This weekend, I went to visit a dear friend who recently moved to Richmond. While there, I saw a woman who was put together. Her hair was perfect*, she was stylishly dressed, she was smiling and she looked like she had it together. I saw this woman in the reflection of a window and realized it was me. I was caught off guard at the way I appeared in the window because I was having a hell of a week. And by hell of a week, I mean the enemy has latched on and will not let go. And by week, I mean the past two months. Sitting in church yesterday, I was led to write this post.

(* Hey, I do not have perfect hair very often! When you do, you have to throw it out there. And thank your awesome stylist, Garrett.)

I find that when I am upset or sad, I do things that remind me of those times when I was little and I felt secure. I listen to Eric Clapton because I remember laying my head in my Mama's lap and the two of listening to Lay Down Sally until the grooves of the record wore out. I cook because it reminds me of my Grandma's house and there was nothing better than getting to spend the night with her. To me, it was better than Disney World, Kings Dominion and Busch Gardens all rolled into one. I do the things that Grandma did hoping to, if for only a second, feel as loved and as special as she made me feel. I absolutely do not for one second want you to think I do not feel loved. I have a wonderful husband who tells me and shows me and a family that does the same every chance we get. This is about that one special relationship that I hope we have all had that teaches you how much Jesus loves you.

I don't know why but this is one of my favorite pictures of her so in it goes! 

So here is the truth about the put together girl in the window. There are times I feel:

Broken- Really one more thing to add to the list of things going wrong?

Angry- We try to be the best we can be and do what's right because it's right and this is what happens?

Insecure- I simply am not good enough.

Scared- Y'all live in the same world I do, I am sure EVERYONE understands this one.

Unworthy- This list is long and oh so distinguished.

Tired- I feel like the world is winning.

I wish I could say I did not feel these things often but lately they are more prevalent than any other thoughts. So what do we do when we are here? Once again, it's so simple a child can tell you... Remember- Yes, Jesus loves you because the Bible tells us so.

Let's start with the one you see everywhere.

John 3:16  “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

I hate to say this but you see and hear this one so much that it seems cliche. But think about the words for a moment. Many of you are parents, Brad and I are not. But hear me when I say, there are children in our lives that we love like our own and would hurt someone over. I have heard every single one of my friends and family who are parents say they would sacrifice their life for the life of their child. God loves you so much he sent his only child to suffer like we suffer and die for you. 

Romans 5:8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Christ died for us. And it was not a simple, easy, pretty death. He took on the punishment of the world and all of our sins. He did this because of His love for us. I got popped on the hand for something my sister did once and you would have thought the world had ended. I cannot begin to imagine what that must have been like for Him. But the one thing we can NEVER forget is why He did it. The answer is because he loves us.

Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God. who loved me and gave himself for me.

Remember all of those things I listed above? Well, here are the answers.

Jeremiah 29:11

For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.

Matthew 11:28-29

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

Isaiah 40:29-31

He gives power to the weak
and strength to the powerless.
Even youths will become weak and tired,
and young men will fall in exhaustion.
But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength.
They will soar high on wings like eagles.
They will run and not grow weary.
They will walk and not faint.

Philippians 4:19

And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.

Romans 8:37-39

No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.

And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

It is funny how everything I am feeling today is answered in a book written thousands of years ago. Because God knew. He knew what it would be like and as His children, He wanted to put His arms around us and tell us it will be okay. There it is, our great big Bible hug. Our Father, telling us "Lean on me, I am here for you and I love you."

As I have typed this, I have had one prevailing thought... There may be someone out there who has not had a person love them the way they deserve to be loved. They may not had an example of God's love from someone. This world is a broken, fallen place. People do not so great things and lose their way. We make bad decisions that have horrible consequences. We mess things up royally. But regardless of what we do, what we don't do or how badly we mess up... Actually let me say this as well- regardless of how much those around you may have messed up by what they did or did not do, we need to remember that someone loves us enough to send their child to die for us. God knew Jesus' life down to the last detail. He knew what would happen but to save us, He sacrificed His son. And Jesus had a glimpse of the book's ending as well. He knew what He would face and He loved us enough to die for us. Someone loves you enough that He gave his life for you.

1 John 4:9-11 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

We Christians are not perfect by any stretch of the imagination! See my list above. Sometimes our human, imperfect side is seen. But our job and hopefully, our goal is to be more Christ like. How do we do it, of course read the Bible, that is the play book. But we have to talk (pray) to God. He tells us He is our Father, Counselor, Friend. Why would you not turn to Him first and foremost in every situation? Ask Him! Because in working on this post, I realized I had not specifically prayed about the situation that caused me to feel like I did above. I had been praying about my feelings and why, oh why Lord, was this happening? I never once stopped and said "I give it to You, Lord. Tell, me what You want me to do." I threw myself a little pity party prayer and kept on going but I never once asked Him to take the situation and turn my ugly into beautiful. 

He loves us and wants to be in our lives. He wants to be first in our lives. Here is the interesting thing, when I allow him to be first, my circumstances may not change but I do because of his promises above. We need to remember He loves us and wants to help. We just have to be willing to ask and let Him.

My prayer is that throughout this year that is something that becomes second nature in my life.

love- j

Where you are, is where you're at...

Bad Grammar! Bad, Bad Grammar! I will try to use better grammar for the rest of this post. Notice the use of the word try, so don't get your hopes up too high. :)

The title of this post came from one of those moments driving down the road deep in thought and having the realization that I was physically exactly where God wanted me to be. Not too long a go, I had a post called Pffft. And it was lamenting the fact that I just wanted to see God's outline for my life. He did not have to show me the whole playbook, just give me somewhat of an idea of what his plans were/are. I was waiting to hear about an exciting opportunity. A dream come true really and by dream, I mean DREAM!!!!! A close your eyes and think of the most unobtainable, crazy, thrilling, exciting dream you have ever had and that was what I was looking at coming true. Unfortunately, it did not come true. I was disappointed to say the least but then an amazing thing happened. I had a wonderful realization.

Where you are is, where you're at!

This did not happen for me now because God wants me to give up. It was the exact opposite. He was jumping up and down for joy that I had stepped up and out of my comfort zone (FINALLY) and began the realization of my dream. I feel He allowed me to get as far as I did to encourage me to stay on course with my dream and not to give up. It did not come true because He has me where He needs for now. I would have had to leave home for 8 weeks and things have happened since that I now know God has me where He wants me.

As I type these words, I realize how much I have grown in my relationship with God over the past year. I would still be pouting, if this had been a year ago. And yes, I said still. I am not going to pretend that I did not mope for 2 days because I did and then I sucked it up, counted my blessings and decided to stop sounding like a little snot.

The story of my life- the condensed version: I can't wait until I am sixteen, then everything will be perfect. I can't wait until I go off to college and then everything will be perfect. I can't wait to get a real job and then everything will be perfect. I can't wait to get married and then everything will be perfect. Do you see the pattern here? I have accomplished all of those things and still nothing is perfect- well at least not definition number 1 of perfect.

I know I have posted this previously but I think we need a little reminder...

Perfect: 1. excellent or complete beyond practical or theoretical improvement. 2. exactly fitting the need in a certain situation or for a certain purpose.

You see God is perfect. He is perfect number 1. And because we so kindly screwed up perfect number 1 on this Earth in the Garden of Eden, He blesses us with perfect number 2. He places us where He wants us and needs us exactly fitting the need in a certain situation or for a certain purpose.

And here is the even better news. Let's say you made a mistake and lost your way. You thought, as ALL of us have at some point and time "Hey, I got this. I don't need God's help." or you reached a point where God had no room in your life or you did not want Him in it. You may be looking at your circumstances thinking there is no way any good can come of this or that God can turn this mess around. Stop that crazy talk, honey. God does his best work with the messes we make. He takes the most broken down, lost, sad, scared people and through His love creates beauty.

Every mistake in my life begins with me excluding God. Every mistake ends when I come back to him or allow him to lead me where He wants. And here is the crazy thing, all of the time I was lost, he was right there waiting, patiently waiting. And the most beautiful, incredible, amazing thing is, He was still using that to His good and I was blessed immensely during those times. I may not have seen the blessings or the growth in the moment or it may not have happened until after but it always happened.

We have to stop wasting our time wishing for different circumstances and situations. God may be waiting for us to accept where we are so He can use it for the purpose he intended in the first place. If you have strayed and are not where He wanted/wants you be, it is okay. He can use that for His good too. Let Him.

The story of Joseph really hit home when preparing for this post. It was this passage specifically.
Genesis 45:4-5

4. Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Come close to me.” When they had done so, he said, “I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt! 5. And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you.

You have to realize that Joseph said these words to his brothers, the men who threw him in a pit and wanted to kill him out of jealousy. Instead they sold him into slavery, where he was unjustly accused of attacking his Master's wife and spent years in prison for this crime. 

(Have I ever mentioned everyone should be thrilled it was not me living these Bible stories because the outcome would have been a whole lot different. I once got mad at my sister and didn't speak to her for a week because she used my lipstick. A whole lot different...)

In Genesis 45:8, Joseph sums it up perfectly.

8“So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God. He made me father to Pharaoh, lord of his entire household and ruler of all Egypt."

Well yeah, that is easy for him to say, he is basically running Egypt and living a king, well a Pharaoh. But he wasn't when he was tossed in the pit, he wasn't when he was a slave and he sure wasn't when he was in prison. Joseph had faith. God was using his current circumstances to help Joseph grow. I mean come on, Joseph became second only to Pharaoh and maintained a level head, keeping God first. There had to be some major character strengthening before hand for that to happen.

You slap a tiara on my head for 45 seconds and I start referring to my hubby as my loyal subject and asked to be fanned and fed grapes.  Yep- be glad I was not a Bible person.

Just remember, whether you are there because God put you here or you put yourself there. Where you are is where you're at. Use it to glorify him and the most wonderful things can happen even if the circumstances do not change.

love- j

Pfffft

John 10:10
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

I really want to be a once a week blogger but I never want my posts to be fake. I never want to post something for the sake of posting. I can always tell when I am writing what God wants me to say because the words come easily. The past few weeks they have not come easy so there have been no posts. You see, I have been going through a growth spurt. Not the physical kind but the spiritual. And trust me, as painful as this spurt has been and only being 5'2", I truly wish it were a physical spurt. So please forgive me for the lack of consistency in posting and know that everything comes from my heart and the battles I share are really being fought.

The title for this post was taken from a Facebook response from my friend Susan.  I loved it so much it prompted a long overdue blog post.

She and I are in waiting mode. We are staring at the opportunity for great things to happen in our lives but we have to wait. Patiently wait. Wait, wait, wait, wait. And wait some more. Did I mention, that we have to wait? The problem is we are both doers. We have back-up plans to our back-up plans. We makes lists, check off our lists and get things done. God made us this way. He made us this way for a purpose. And now, He has put us both in a situation where we have no control and can do nothing about our circumstances. Something totally against who we are.

I found a wonderful quote and posted in Facebook that stated: Patience is not the ability to wait but the ability to keep a good attitude while waiting. To which my wonderful, beautiful friend replied "Pfft!" Well said friend, well said! And guess who failed that test... I did!

I have had something amazing happen in my life recently. It is potentially life changing and something I have dreamt of for a very long time. The problem is I have to wait 4 weeks before I know anything. Four very LLLLOOOONNNNGGGG weeks.

During the first week of waiting, I was thrilled. I could think of nothing but the possibilities. I was giddy. Silly, dance around, giggle for nothing, big goofy smile giddy. And then that all went away with one stupid thought. A seed planted by the enemy that took root and started to steal my joy.

I have walked around for the past week hearing comments like: "This will never happen to you." "You are crazy to think this will happen." "You do not deserve it." Oh, the best one and again the most difficult to say is "It is mean for God to get you to this point and let you down." You know what I am talking about, the whole "you are not worthy and God doesn't care" spiel. How could I ever for one second think God is mean and doesn't care about me? Hmm? When everything worth anything in this life He "doesn't care about" comes from Him and only Him. Just remember- this spiel comes from some crappy salesman trying to sell you something you neither want or need and certainly do not deserve.

Let me put it in perspective. What is happening in my life is akin to being nominated for an Oscar. Even if you do not win, you were good enough to be nominated. How many people can say that? If you met a Oscar nominated person, I do not think your first words would be "Oh, it sucks for you, you didn't win." I am hoping the words would be more like "Wow, what an honor to be nominated."

But I let the enemy steal the joy of being nominated. I have walked around in a funk for a week because I let him dictate my future. A future that he has no control over whatsoever. Only God has control. That is worth repeating a second time. Only GOD has control. Now granted, I would love a sneak peek at the playbook but that is not how it works. God wants us to be happy and enjoy life. Jesus walked on this Earth and experienced life here. He knows the difficulties of the world. He wants us to be content, joyful and enjoy life. He said in John 10:10 AND:

Ecclesiastes 8:15
So I commend the enjoyment of life, because there is nothing better for a person under the sun than to eat and drink and be glad. Then joy will accompany them in their toil all the days of the life God has given them under the sun.

And Psalm 16:11
You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever.

That doesn't mean life will always be easy and that there will not be hardships. The world doesn't work that way. But it is knowing God has control and even in the midst of the difficult times, He is there guiding us and giving us peace. The crazy thing is it wasn't during a difficult time that my peace and joy were stolen. It was during a wonderful time. Proof that we can never let our guard down and must always wear the armor of God. So my previous statement should read- It is knowing that God is in control ALL of the time and He is guiding us and giving us peace.

I want to ask that y'all pray for me the next two weeks while I wait. Pray that I can remember the words I just committed to paper. Pray that I can remember what an amazing God we have that He knows our hopes and dreams and wants to help us achieve them. I know that whatever the outcome, it is God's purpose for my life and I will be honored, pleased and joyful that I was simply nominated.

I wish that for everyone. The knowledge that God loves us, never fails us and has our back against all evils. That He wants us to be happy and enjoy the life he has given us whatever the circumstances may be. We need to make sure we enjoy the journey on the way to the destination.

love- j

PS- please forgive the typos. I am trying to get this post in before heading off to carol.

Instructions? I don't need no stinkin' instructions.

I am finding that I am pretty good at making up excuses to not blog. I am finally doing what God has been telling me to do and I have been completely ignoring.  I have given up a lot of my tv time. Goodbye Mark Harmon, I will see you on the DVR... Now on to the post.

W-D 40, duct tape and vaseline. Those were the only items necessary for my Deddy to "fix" pretty much anything; shoes, cars, plumbing, electrical. Oh, and after watching My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Windex. Nope, not joking. At any given time there were approximately 87 containers of vaseline, 23 cans of W-D 40 and enough rolls of duct tape to makes dresses for every girl at my senior prom (saw that on Pinterest-duct tape prom dress). Not sure what he did with the Windex but thankfully I was married long before the movie came out and my pre-wedding blemish was handled the good old-fashioned way- toothpaste.

He was a tinkerer? tinkeree? Are those even words? But anyway, he liked to tinker. He enjoyed fixing things and was very good at it. It came naturally to him. He had the ability to take something apart, look at and for the most part get it back up and running with minimum "extra" pieces left on the floor when he was done.

He could open a box of "something to be put together", take one look at the instructions, quickly discard them and in a bit would have it put together again with only a few "extra" pieces left over. Most of the time he got it done and well. On very few occasions, not so much, just ask those of us who got a slight buzz in the pool. Oh no, not the alcohol kind, I mean a good old fashion buzz of electricity from a light he knew he could fix. Thankfully no one was at risk of serious injury and the buzz has been fixed.

I think because he was good at what he did and had been doing it for so long he sometimes forgot his limitations and didn't feel it was necessary to consult the instructions. Like I said, for the most part it wasn't needed but when it was, it really really was needed. The pool buzz is how my hair got curly. Just kidding. :)

I have been thinking about him and his ability a lot lately. He showed my sister and I how to fix things around the house which has come in very handy. Any time I find myself fixing a toilet, leaky faucet or other minor house thingie, I think of him. I had no idea that God had a blog post for all of this until today. You see I am like my Dad in my Christian walk. I have be doing it so long, it comes naturally and that sometimes means I take things for granted. I leave an instructions manual untouched or have a few extra peices leftover that can fortify what I am doing. Basically, I think I can handle this and sometimes forget to ask God what He would like for me to do.

I have had a few things on my mind the past few weeks. Things that weigh heavily and can be scary. I have felt God begin to move me in a direction that has not been very comfortable and so while I have prayed about it, I really have been trying to dodge the situation entirely. However, the past week or so, I am finding that God wants to deal with it whether I am ready to or not. So as I always do when I need to contemplate, I took a day off to clean. (My husband LOVES contemplation days!) I clean, listen to past sermons and praise music. I also talk to God, a lot and out loud. I have fewer distractions and I make the time to talk with Him. It helps me to hear Him better.

Today was different. I did all of the things I normally do but I was nervous. I was beginning to get that knowing that happens when God has something planned and you have shut up long enough to hear it. A sense of finality is the only way I can describe it. And I didn't like it one bit. Sorry, but I didn't. I promised to be truthful in this blog and that is the truth of it. It is not comfortable and I do not like it. But bet your bottom dollar not being comfortable and not liking it doesn't mean for one second I am not going to do it. Been there, done that, failed miserably.

Now I have been a Christian for a very long time. I remember singing in Church at age six and knowing that the feeling I felt when singing about Jesus was something I wanted to carry with me everyday and share with everybody. So... I should know what to do when facing the above and I did, I sent a message to my dear friend, my dear Christian friend. And do you know what she did? She picked up the hastily discarded instruction manual, handed it to me and made me read it. Her response simply said:
Luke 1:37, then let's talk. I would add to that Proverbs 16:9.
I am not paraphrasing. I just cut and pasted that straight from the message. Now I could sing the praises of this friend for lots of reasons but how wonderful is it that God has put someone in my life who would know the right thing to do isn't to offer advice but to offer the Word? Boy do I know how to choose 'em. :) Hubby, friends, I would say family but they kinda got stuck with me, poor things.

Yep- that's her!

Why is it so easy to forget that we have an instruction manual? The Bible is God's word on how to handle living in the world. I have never turned to it and not found either comfort or guidance on how to live or handle a situation I am facing. He has given it to us in 1700 different ways so that we can find what works for us. Unfortunately, I have not been someone who spent time in the Word on a regular basis. There I said it. Maybe it is because I have been a Christian so long, I sometimes fall into the "I got this" trap. Or the I pray so I'm good. I regret that I have not and I constantly feel like I am playing catch up but I am getting there. A little bit at a time, everyday, I am getting there.

So the next time something in our life is broken, catawampus or something needs to be built, we need to pray and then go straight to the instruction manual. Or go straight to the instruction manual and pray, which ever of those orders works best for you. Better yet, we should spend enough time in the Word to know it by heart. And with family and friends like the ones I have always referring me back to it, I am getting there, slowly but surely.

In case you were wondering here they are...

Luke 1:37
For no word from God will ever fail.

Proverbs 16:9
In their hearts humans plan their course,  but the Lord establishes their steps.

love- j