Us

“…let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” Hebrews 12:1b
“Us.” One tiny word, two little letters, with giant impact.

Who is to throw off everything that hinders? Us. Who is to run with perseverance? Us. Who is the race marked out for? Us. Not me. Not you. Us. We don’t have to run the race alone.

Just think of how that one little word changes everything. We can have support. We can have camaraderie. We can have the encouragement of others as we run our races, whether they’re races wrapped up in relationships, jobs, illnesses, goals, losses, or living lives of faith with victory.

In fact, we’re not meant to live the Christian life independent of other believers. Another passage in Hebrews (10:24-25) tells us, “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” Do you see it again? Us. Yes, we need to run together.

Let’s consider each of the races in our lives right now. Do we have running partners or groups running alongside for each one? Do we have those who are spurring us on, encouraging us, and giving us strength to persevere—or are we out there all on our own?

Let’s not forget the little word that changes everything. Let’s not forget “us”.

“Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!” Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

*Flickr photo by John Salzberg

*Next post will bring the return of Summer Photo Fun. Don't miss it! :)

The Tried and True

This generation calls them besties or BFFs. I call them Teri and Jeneal. The tried and true. My best friends for nearly 28 and 23 years respectively (Teri on the left, Jeneal on the right).

Lucky for us, we got to spend a day together this past week. That’s no small feat, given the fact that Jeneal moved away over fifteen years ago and currently lives around seven hours away. Since she was going to be visiting about three hours from here, we decided to meet up for a visit. And am I ever glad we did.

It’s not very often I get to hang out with both best friends at the same time. You see, Teri and Jeneal are friends mainly through their friendship with me. I’m the link they have in common. So when the three of us can actually all get together, that’s a special treat.

These gals mean more than the world to me. One or the other or both have been with me, either in person or in spirit, through everything from pregnancy to mother-of-the-bride-hood.

They’ve stood beside me in times of grief and in times of great joy. They’ve gotten downright silly with me and given me the wonderful gift of shared laughter. (Barnes & Noble is still trying to recover from our visit to their store the other day! :)) They’ve also cheered me on as I’ve tackled new chapters of my life, and they've been among my best supporters where my writing is concerned.

And they don’t go away. No matter where we live, we stay in touch and know that the support, the love, and the friendship is always there. Yes, they are the tried and true.

I pray that you have some tried and true friends in your life, too, for they are truly some of the most valuable treasures you’ll ever be able to call your own. If you’re too young to have developed these kinds of relationships yet, be patient. They will come as you begin to invest in a few special friendships. And take it from me, the investment’s worth it.

So go ahead. Go invest with your BFF. Go have fun with your bestie. Celebrate your tried and true!

“…there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” Proverbs 18:24b

*Have you celebrated lately with your tried and true? Any plans on the horizon? I'd love to hear about it!

No Accidental Beauty

During a visit last year to Mom and Dad's, I woke early one morning and looked out the bedroom window. Sitting on the edge of the bed, I took a few moments and basked in the beauty of their backyard -- the lush woodland hills of Missouri. The photo above shows part of what I saw, but my camera and photography skills don't do it justice. They have a gorgeous view that is not only a treat for the eyes but for the spirit as well.

My thought that morning as I feasted on the scene before me? Beauty doesn't happen by accident.

That's right. No accidents in the world of nature. There is a Creator. Whether it's the hills of Missouri, the beaches of Mexico, or the birds that sing outside my door each day, the beauty of the world around us proclaims the handiwork of a Master Designer.

Each one of us bears His signature as well, "For we are God’s workmanship..." (Ephesians 2:10a). And just as our outward beauty (yes, we are beautiful!) is no accident, our inner beauty doesn't happen by accident either. The same Creator who sculpted the mountains and painted the seas will mold us into loveliness if we present ourselves to Him and submit to His loving and all-wise touch.

Do we trust Him? Are we ready to become the masterpiece He envisions? Let's allow Him to unleash His handiwork on the inside, too. For after all, beauty doesn't happen by accident.

"Yet, O LORD, you are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand." Isaiah 64:8

When Times Are Bad

“When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider: God has made the one as well as the other.” Ecclesiastes 7:14a

Nothing like a little gem from God’s Word to put things in perspective, huh?

Why is it, I wonder, we are so quick to thank God and acknowledge His presence and hand in the awesome blessings that come our way, but when something bad happens, we say, “Where were you, God? Why did You let that happen?”

When tough times come, has God really stepped away from us? When painful events descend, has He removed His hand from our lives?

If we believe the Word of God—and in particular the above verse from Ecclesiastes—no, God is not an aloof observer when our world is falling apart. He allows grief, hardship, and pain to touch our lives and will use those experiences for good in some way.

Romans 8:28 (KJV) says, " And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." The question is will we believe that truth and trust God when we are hurting?

Let's remember that we are dearly loved children of God (1 John 3:1), and He stands ready, just as we do with our children, to help and comfort us through our bad times. Let's not let our trials distance us from our Father. Let's draw close to Him and let Him carry us, trusting all the while that He will not waste our pain.

"Though he brings grief, he will show compassion, so great is his unfailing love. For he does not willingly bring affliction or grief to the children of men. " Lamentations 3:32-33

*Flickr photo by Benimoto

Want-to-Read List

Every now and then we talk books here on the blog, and no better time to do it than while many of us are thinking about what we'd like to read this summer. So instead of shouting out our favorite latest read, let's talk about what's on our want-to-read list right now.

I'll go first -- as usual :) Here are the books I'd love to read as soon as I can get my hands on them. (Lucky for me, I snagged #4 for half-price at Mardel in Tulsa yesterday!)

Want-to-Read List:

1. Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand
2. Broken Wings by Carla Stewart
3. Lady in Waiting by Susan Meissner
4. One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp
5. Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy by Eric Metaxas
6. The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
7. Writing Articles from the Heart by Marjorie Holmes

Some of these come highly recommended from fellow readers or writers and others are on the list because I loved a previous book by that particular author. Of course, I have a much longer list tucked away in my desk, but these are front and center on my radar right now. Until I can catch them on sale or find them at the library, though, I'll settle for reading some of the freebies on my Kindle or pick up some other titles at the library.

While we immerse ourselves in our next great read, let's remember to immerse ourselves in the Word of God this summer, too. I'm so grateful we live in a nation where we can always get our hands on a copy of His Word. May we never take that for granted.

Now it's your turn. What's on your want-to-read list?

"May he give you the desire of your heart..." Psalm 20:4a

*Flickr photo by >Zitona<<

*p.s. I have a feeling I'll be adding to my list as I read your answers! :)

The Key

We looked for the key high and low. Okay, I take that back. We looked high.

Last Sunday, my Sunday School co-worker Mary and I couldn't find the key to our closet. Since I'm the keeper of the key and had been out of town the prior Sunday, Lisa (another co-worker then) had placed it in the cabinet above the sink so it would be there for me when I returned.

The problem? Lisa was not there last Sunday, and we didn't know exactly where in the cabinet she placed it. My first attempts at looking and feeling around yielded no results. Next we started pulling items out of the cabinet and found everything but the key (not wasted effort -- it needed to be cleaned anyway). We decided Lisa must have meant to leave the key and then forgot to put it in the cabinet.

While we were involved in this search-turns-into-cleaning-project, Alyssa, our lone little student that day (we teach in the nursery), had been happily having a snack and playing. Even though I had taken the Bible out of the cabinet first thing and placed it and the pictures for that Sunday's story in the same spot I do every week, it was midway through our class time, and Alyssa still hadn't wandered over and "found" our Bible. I decided it was time to take matters into my own hands.

"Alyssa, where's our Bible?" I asked. I knew that's all it would take to send her hurrying over to find the Bible so we could begin our weekly singing of The B-I-B-L-E. As always, I patted the Bible and pointed to each letter as we sang the song. After our customary clapping and yays, Alyssa opened the Bible, and what do you think we found there? That's right. The key!

Mary and I laughed and wondered why we hadn't looked there first. Of course, the Bible held the key! Immediately we started tossing out truths we could teach the kids in the future, while hiding a key in the Bible on purpose.

We could teach them about finding treasures in the Bible. We could teach them that the Bible holds the key to eternal life. We could teach them that the key to wisdom for every situation they'll enounter is found within its pages... And then we remembered we teach one and two-year-olds :)

We laughed again, realizing these truths were a little too abstract for our little ones. In fact, they were suited better to us.

So to all of us, let me pose these questions. Have we found the key to eternal life in the Word of God? Do we mine its pages looking for treasures? Do we seek wisdom from the Bible for our everyday lives and the perplexing situations that arise? Do we hurry to the Bible with excitement the way little children do?

"Oh Father, send us running to your Word each day!"

"When your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart’s delight, for I bear your name, O LORD God Almighty." Jeremiah 15:16

*Flickr photo by ~Brenda-Starr~

Dry Spell

I’ve been experiencing a dry spell recently in my writing life, and no, I don’t mean writer’s block. I’m talking rejection and lots of it. The last acceptance I received came in October of last year—and then the editor chose not to run the piece after all.

Oh, I had pieces appear in various publications in October, November, and December and even had my work used on a 2011 Blue Mountain Arts Easter card, but those acceptances came long ago. So even though I celebrated each of those as they came out, I knew that no new acceptances meant it would be a long time before my work hit the printed page again.

Over the past few months of “no thank you” replies, I have had semi-good news from Blue Mountain Arts. They continue to choose to market review most of the pieces I send them. Getting selected for the market review is the first step toward publication with them, but even then, the chances are slim that they’ll go on to purchase the piece. It’s not an acceptance but rather a foot in the door. And I might add, I’ll take every one of those I can get! :)

So how do I handle the dry spells of a writer’s life? Other than saying, “Well, darn…” after each rejection, I just pull myself up by my writer bootstraps and keep writing and submitting and asking God to allow my work to be used.

It all comes down to trusting Him and His timing and firmly believing that all of it—dry spells included—is in His hands. I have a yellow sticky note posted at the base of my computer monitor that reads, “Wait for the Lord; Be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.” (Psalm 27:14)

So while I write and submit and pray, I also wait. The dry spell will one day end. Acceptance will come again—or maybe some other form of encouragement. My Father will send refreshment—to me and to all who keep looking to Him when desert times come. And then? Then “our mouths [will be] filled with laughter” (Psalm 126:2a). We might as well praise him now!

“I will turn the desert into pools of water, and the parched ground into springs.” Isaiah 41:18b

*Flickr photo by thephotographymuse

Debt of Love

"Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another..." Romans 8:13a

Sometimes as I'm reading the Word of God, a verse will capture my attention, leaving a deep impression on me and a desire to share it with you. This is one such verse.

Loving others -- loving you -- is a debt I'm never to fully pay. I'm always to be about the business of love, continually making payments on the debt of love. If you're a follower of Christ, the same is true for you.

So let's ask ourselves, what payments have we made lately? How have we shown kindness, acceptance, forgiveness, unselfishness, grace, compassion, or affection? How have we loved one another?

More importantly, how will we pay our debt of love from this moment on? If you feel like you've fallen short in the past (and who doesn't...), no worries -- remember, it's a lifetime mission. And there's no better time than today to start making regular payments. Let's be about the business of love!

"'My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.'" John 15:12

*Flickr photo by seyed mostafa zamani

June Tune

Believe it or not, it's time to flip our calendars to June and forge ahead once more into a new month. As I say goodbye to one month and hello to another, I always like to take a quick survey of the days to come and see what the new month will hold for me, work-wise as well as personally.

Anyone else try to get a handle on the new month that way? If you haven't looked over your June yet, take a minute to think about it. What does June hold for you so far?

Since looking at a new month can sometimes feel a bit overwhelming, let's lighten up this looking-ahead exercise with a little fun. Let's put a tune to the month of June!

So here's the question today: If you had to pick a song that might describe your upcoming month, what would it be?

My husband Don just kicked off the most demanding month of his work-year so his June Tune will undoubtedly be "Chain Gang" :) And since he will be wrapped up in work, I plan to be hard at work with my writing, too -- but with not as much pressure as he's facing. I'm hoping my June Tune might be "Whistle While You Work". But, since writing can be downright agonizing at times, it might sound more like something the classic jazz/rock group Blood, Sweat & Tears might sing :)

How about you? What will your June Tune be? Whether our tunes are happy or sad, hopefully we'll let them all play side by side with a June Tune inspired by our praise and worship of the One who walks through each and every month with us. The One who truly has a handle on our days.

Won't you join me? Along with whatever else is playing in our lives, let's also "Shout to the Lord" as we journey through June!

"He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear the LORD and put their trust in him." Psalm 40:3

*Flickr photo by join the dots