Rejoicing When Life Goes Sideways

Posted March 10, 2015

How does God want us to love?

I used to “love” through control. A parent’s perspective has the hindsight and wisdom gleaned from their own journey.

And it’s our job to share our journey, with all its successes and mistakes, with our kids. Hopefully, imparting wisdom and learning lessons packed with love.

Occasionally, I’ll see my child’s eyes light with understanding as they get an “aha” application for their own passage through life.

Other times, I see them heading toward a bump in the road and I start pounding my wisdom down their throats, trying to get that light to turn on so they avoid the wreck I see coming.

The hardest lesson for me? Recognizing their journey is not mine to hijack or fix. That bruise on their shin from falling down becomes an opportunity for God to teach them His lesson, His way, and in His timing. (And amazingly enough, He’s never asked my advice on how to go about that.) Read More…

Our Thoughts Create Our Feelings

Posted March 3, 2015

Do we determine our own emotional state?

Many of us tend to believe that it’s the people around us, or our circumstances that have the greatest impact on our emotions.

But I wonder if we’ve ever considered how much the thoughts we think influence the feelings we feel?

That while we may believe other people dictate our happiness, we’ve actually chosen to agree with a thought that aligns itself in a negative way with those people or circumstances.

And it’s actually the thought that determines how we feel.

I’ve been finding out the painful way how true this is. And I think I’m allergic to emotional pain. I hate it, hate it, hate it. Read More…

Living Close to Him

Posted February 24, 2015

How does living disconnected from God’s presence affect our daily lives?

When I’m immersed in His presence, and that love is flowing through me and spilling onto the people around me—–my kids, that crabby customer service person, the harried barista—–nothing dents my joy. It’s like a fountain that can’t be plugged.

And it infects people. Lifts burdens, raises a smile in an otherwise dreary day. Joy is powerful and strengthening (Neh. 8:10).

And then there was this week—–where I barely gave God a brief nod each morning. Read More…

The View from the Top

Posted February 17, 2015

How do we change our view so it reflects what God sees?

The other day I was struggling with not feeling connected to God. So I journaled with Him about it.

I was going to pretty it all up and give you the highlights, but decided to just share my journaling process with God.

Me: I just don’t feel connected. I feel like I’m fighting to get into Your presence instead of just being in it. And I’m getting hit with feeling that we haven’t done it “right” with our kids. But there is comparison in that. I look at [I’m keep anonymous church leaders I very much admire and have absolutely no contact with other than their podcasts and live streaming events] and figure their kids must be so close and connected to You. Then I get stuck in feeling responsible to pray my kids through.

That it’s my responsibility to get everything in order and fix anything that is broken. This weight of responsibility is heavy and not my burden. How do I shake this feeling that I have to find the “right” prayers and if I don’t, our kids won’t make it and it will be my fault?

God: Love. I’ve asked you to love them and you’re doing that well. Read More…

Serving Without Grumbling

Posted February 10, 2015

What does love look like?

Sacrifice? Surrender?

Kris Vallotton says that it’s easy to die for someone. That’s a one-time decision. It’s the living for someone that is hard.

Those are a multitude of big and small choices. Daily. Making dinner. Feeding the dog. Taking out the trash.

Sacrifices of time, energy and attitude. Read More…

The Torment That Ensnares Us

Posted February 3, 2015

What does torment look like?

I’m not talking medieval torture, but the barrage of negativity that persistently bangs against our door.

For some, it’s fear. Unreasonable, unrelenting fear. The vague sense that something bad could happen to us or someone we love. An undefined sense of doom that hangs over us like a cloud.

For others it’s temptation. The incessant pull to engage in thoughts or activities that promise fulfillment and then shame us horribly. Food. Shopping. Porn. Gambling. They lure us in and then nail us with a right hook that drops us to our knees.

Torment covers a gamut of areas. The enemy is good at setting us up to fail and then accusing us for the failure. Read More…

Attitudes Impact Our Perceptions

Posted January 27, 2015

What colors our vision?

There are mindsets we step into that dictate what we think and feel, what we expect to see from others, and how we behave.

Love thinks the best.

It delivers a buffer of grace, giving people time to explain, to share, to go through their process and land without being pushed into defensiveness, avoidance or lying.

So if love allows room for mistakes and growth, what hinders that process? Read More…

Freedom is for Us

Posted January 20, 2015

What does freedom look like?

I watched a friend get free today.

The enemy had her believing lies. About her parenting. About her child. About the future.

How often do we fall in the trap of believing the reality the enemy is feeding our minds? Read More…

Sickness and Negativity

Posted January 13, 2015

Do our emotions affect our health?

As I listened to the radio on the drive into work, two morning show hosts discussed a study on hugs. They said hugging actually keeps you from getting sick.

Hugs leave us feeling happy which boosts our immune systems. While negativity depresses the immune system and leaves us vulnerable to colds and such.

I have always hated being tired. It’s painful to me. Might be from those early years with newborn twins and a toddler. No sleep at night and no rest during the day. E-x-h-a-u-s-t-i-n-g. Read More…

How Does Negativity Infect Us?

Posted January 6, 2015

How does negativity infect us?

I had a tightly scheduled trip to Eugene to interview some candidates for our bookkeeping position.

Because of congested airspace, I missed my connecting flight.

So just after lunchtime, I found myself listening as the kind reservationist explained that all the flights to Eugene were oversold, but they did have a seat on a midnight flight.

It was interesting how my old nature was so receptive to the negative thoughts (think lies from the enemy) that started floating my way. Read More…

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