The “lazy days of Summer” have taken on a whole new meaning for me!

When I began this Summer series, “lazy days of Summer”, it was basically tongue-in-cheek!  Lazy is not in my vocabulary. I was raised by a dad who quoted mantras over my life, such as “Can’t died in the poorhouse”, and “You can do anything you set your mind to”, and “No one can make you do anything. You are in control of you.”  There was no excuse for being bored: there is always something to do! As a child, I heard these things regularly and completely believed them with my whole heart. Not only that, my dad was a professional athlete, so the worst thing in the world was doing nothing. I came home from school with a list of chores.Then I would practice my sport. Then I would do my homework, eat dinner and go to bed. 

   And my favorite book as a child was “The Little Engine That Could” with the quote “I think I can, I think I can, I think I can”!

Many children grew up and rebelled against the demands of their parents. Others of us idolize our parents and believe the greatest achievement is to accomplish exactly what our parents expected of us. 

Now you would think that at my age, a mother and grandmother, I would have successfully transitioned through these expectations, but not me! These mantras became my lifestyle and as I aged, they only became more embedded into my identity. I’m the one you can count on. I’m the one who won’t grow weary and tired. I’m the one with boundless energy, and to me all things truly are possible!  

This past week, my identity came smashing against a brick wall, telling me I had no options. I found myself sitting in an examination chair in the Opthalmalogist’s office, having been diagnosed with a detached retina in my right eye and needing immediate surgery to repair it; and as the doctor stood squarely across from me and looked into my only functioning eye–my left one–and said, “You must do you. All things must stop.”  I said straight back to him, “I don’t do me!”  He responded, “Then you will go blind in your right eye.” He then quietly said he would give my husband and I a minute to discuss what we’d just been told, and try to digest it. He left the room saying that he already called the hospital and had scheduled my surgery for that same night. 

My head was spinning; my heart was pounding; and my pulse was accelerating!  I had 4 grandchildren under my care. My daughter and son-in-law were in Kenya on a missions trip. My daughter-in-law was in Chicago visiting a friend. My husband and I had a family wedding trip planned to Kansas. We had an anniversary trip planned after that, and I had responsibilities tutoring and at church! How in the world was any of this going to work?  

TRUTH BOMB

WHEN YOU HAVE NOTHING, THEN GOD CAN BECOME EVERYTHING!

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.”  Proverbs 3:5-6

This stark, cold realization I was faced with left all of my life mantras less than able to get me through this trial!

The only path I had was directly to my God. I would go blind without this procedure. I had to trust God and His perfect plan, and not my own. My husband and I called our son, and we held hands as he prayed over the situation. I would have to have this surgery, this night.

The doctor returned to the examination room and opened up with an apology. He said that he overheard the prayer, and that he too was a believer in Jesus Christ! Our hearts were immediately aware that God was in this. I may have been unable to handle the situation, but my God was more than able. There are still many more blogs to share, full of details of God’s provision and going before us, and me having a successful surgery. But for today, the greatest truth I learned is trusting in God over anything else I had ever known, or practiced, or learned. 

I look forward to sharing my journey on this experience, as this is a long recovery process. I know that God has much to teach me and to share with you. My prayer for you this week is that, whatever you encounter, you may feel like you have nothing, but that is the moment when God can become everything for you. God is my everything, and I am so eternally thankful!

Speak Truth Love

Have you ever felt the Summer blahs?

 You have played, you have swum, you have splashed, and you have eaten lots of popsicles, and still the long days of Summer persist. 

The heat seems to intensify, and dipping your toes in that cool water or kicking off your shoes and feeling the grass tickle your toes doesn’t feel quit so appealing anymore.

The encouraging news is, God provides a remedy for the Summer blahs. Actually, for any type of “blah”, for that matter. Serving others is the quickest way to take the focus off yourself and any blahs you are feeling! Seeing the joy on someone else’s face, feeling the gratitude you have filled up their heart with, and loving others is the best way to turn our blahs around!

God has a sure fire remedy to get us out of the blahs: serve one another. Paul says in Galatians 5, “serve one another humbly in love.”  

TRUTH BOMB

The surest remedy for any blah is serving one another!

Last week, we were blessed to put this into action. There were a million and one reasons why serving last week wouldn’t have been convenient, accessible, or even doable. But there is no doubt about it: serving and loving on the amazing kids and families that came to OC Breakaway last week shattered any piece of Summer blah that may have tried to creep its way in! The best part of all was being able to share it as a family and serve with the next generation, and the next generation after that!  

As the saying goes, “A picture paints a thousand words.”  Papa sitting with his four grandchildren modeling and setting the example of serving and loving others, says it all!

There were no complaints, no tears, no bad attitudes, just excitement, joy and happiness as were served side by side!  The blessing of serving and loving others is only surpassed by the opportunity to pass it down to the next generation:

“He decreed statutes for Jacob and established the law in Israel, which he commanded our ancestors to teach their children, so the next generation would know them, even the children yet to be born, and they in turn would tell their children. Then they would put their trust in God…”.   

Psalm 78:5-6

As you continue sizzling through these lazy days of Summer, the surest way to boost your attitude and expel those Summer blahs, is to get your serve on! 

Speak Truth Love

Are you a “look straight ahead and keep stepping,” walker, or are you a “look down so you don’t stumble over something,” walker?

This may seem like a strange question, but the truth is we tend to fall into one of these two categories!

So are you a “cautious stepper,” or a “bold stepper?”

Either type can find themselves stepping in the wrong direction! Dare I say, “Stepping In It!”  And when I say,”It,” I am not talking about a pile of sweet smelling grass. I am referring to a not so sweet smelling pile of something else!

I think you catch my drift!

You truly would catch the drift if you stepped into it.

We can step accidentally into a pile that stinks or purposely step down a wrong path that leads to nothing but smelly piles.

When we step accidentally into it we may have just taken our eyes off of Jesus for a second or two. We got distracted by a thought we should not be thinking or a picture we should not be looking at, and before we knew it our shoe was covered in it.

When we step into it on purpose it usually means that we have gotten off the path Jesus wants us to walk and we have been stepping where we should not be stepping.

Either way, we wind up stinking!

God has a path He wants us to walk. It is a path that leads us to righteousness, AKA right living. If we keep our eyes on Him we will walk straight and smell good in the process!

“Direct my footsteps according to your word, let no sin rule over me.” Psalm 119:133

TRUTH BOMB

TO KEEP IN PERFECT STEP WE MUST LET GOD’S WORD DIRECT US!

God’s direction is perfect and keeps us stepping in places that are good and right!

As your Summer sizzles on I pray as you spend some lazy days with Him, you also practice stepping in His ways! 

Speak Truth Love

We are halfway there, halfway through this Summer season. Have you slowed down your pace? Have you allowed your steps to become smaller, less pushed by the “have to’s,” and more controlled by the “want to’s?”

Have you taken an early evening stroll through your neighborhood and noticed the summer blooms?

Have you walked along the beach edge and let the water wash over your feet as it ebbs and flows?

Have you taken your boat out onto the lake at sunrise and turned the motor off and just watched the new day begin?

Have you read just one chapter of that book you’ve been meaning to finish before taking on your “to do,” list?

Have you taken that first cup of coffee or tea outside and sipped it slowly as you marvel at God’s creation around you?

Best of all, have you sat just a little longer with God each morning? Have you taken a deep breath in and released it slowly as you realize He is with you there?  Have you sat in silence with Him and savored the fact that you are in relationship with Him? Have you thanked Him for that? Have you opened His Word and read the amazing Truth it holds? Have you let its Truth be the only thing you hear in your busy, complicated mind? Have you let that Truth wash over you like a refreshing dip in a pool? Have you pushed aside the prompting to get up and “do” something? Have you truly given in to being “Lazy” with God?

I hope you have! Because when you do you find the refreshment your parched, weary soul is in desperate need of!

“The law of The Lord is perfect,

Reviving the soul;

The testimony of the Lord is sure,

Making wise the simple;

The precepts of The Lord are right,

Rejoicing the heart;

The commandment of the Lord is pure,

Enlightening the eyes;

The fear of The Lord is clean,

Enduring forever;

The rules of the Lord are True,

And righteous altogether.

More to be desired are they than gold,

Even much fine gold,

Sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb.”

Psalm 19:7-10

TRUTH BOMB

SLOWING DOWN AND SPENDING TIME WITH GOD IS NEVER WASTED TIME.

You are not a slug when you intentionally slow down, move slower, and get lazy with God. Instead, you are more like a caterpillar nourishing yourself on what you need to become the butterfly God intends you to be!

So, slow down, take in all God has for you and remember, He is creating you to be something beautiful! 

Speak Truth Love

TODAY IS INDEPENDENCE DAY, THE DAY WE AMERICANS CELEBRATE OUR FREEDOM FROM TYRANNY.

When brave Americans fought to secure our right to govern ourselves!

This beautiful right gives us the freedom to go to church or not go to church. It gives us the freedom to vote or not vote. It gives us the freedom to celebrate holidays or not celebrate holidays. All in all it gives us the freedom to think and act independently and make our own choices.

This is a wonderful privilege. We are blessed to be Americans and have these freedoms!

The problem is sometimes we take these freedoms for granted. Jesus reminds us that with FREEDOM comes responsibility!

In the book of John, Jesus is questioned by his very own people regarding His identity. He clearly tells them that He and the Father are One, and His Father sent Him and they act as One.

Then He makes a very important statement that sets the standard to live in FREEDOM and make good choices with that FREEDOM!

Just because we have the freedom to make a choice, doesn’t mean that every choice we make is right!

The only way to make a right choice in each moment of our lives is to know Jesus and His word and follow it!

THIS IS THE WAY TO TRUE FREEDOM!

“If you abide in my Word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set FREE.” John 8:31-32

Jesus Himself is The Truth and if we believe in Him and follow His Words we will make the choices that truly set us free!

“So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” John 8:36

TRUTH BOMB

TRUE FREEDOM IS IN JESUS CHRIST ALONE!

So as we watch the fireworks light up our night skies and thank God it is not the “rockets red glare,” or “ the bombs busting in air,” we are watching, let’s rejoice in our country’s freedom but remember our true freedom is in Christ!

Happy 4th Everyone!

Speak Truth Love

It is officially SUMMER, and I have chosen to be LAZY.

The proof of that is I posted my blog on Wednesday instead of Tuesday! Never fear, I still have a ‘Truth Bomb,’ but it will be a ‘Wednesday Truth Bomb’ this week!

The key to my “laziness“, is that I have chosen it! It is not random or due to some “funk“ that I am in, quite the contrary! It is coming from a place of decision and conviction.

At the beginning of June I committed to read through the book of Psalms through the summer! I had shared previously that it is a book that I am so familiar with, yet I never want to take for granted. There is so much rich Truth and vulnerability in it!

I believe, at least at this point in my spiritual journey, that I have come to love David most of all for his vulnerability! He sins and he confesses it. He has a bad day and he moans and groans about it. He has a victory and he celebrates it like no one ever has! And he sees God in and out and through all of his life circumstances and continuously gives him all the glory!

As I was reading through Psalm 73, the very last verse jumped out at me and spoke volumes of truth into my soul.

“But as for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the Sovereign Lord my refuge; I will tell of all your deeds.”

Psalm 73:28

My summer, mapped out on a calendar, appears to be anything but LAZY!

I am working, serving, tutoring, making trips back and forth here and there etc., etc., etc.! 

You may look at my summer calendar and think I am crazy to say that I am intentionally taking anything in a lazy manner. But I am!

The definition of Lazy that I am anchoring my Lazy Days of Summer on is…

“Slow moving or sluggish,” as in a slow moving or ‘Lazy Stream’.

The stream has not stopped moving nor has it gotten off of its path, it has simply SLOWED DOWN!

In order for me to be affective, productive, and stay sane throughout my busy summer season, I must embrace and plan for “Lazy Slow Downs!” I am not stopping, I am choosing to be lazy and slow down.

Yesterday I was with my grandkids! I chose to be “lazy“ and slow down and spend the day with them and write my Blog today. It proved wonderful in calming my anxiety of trying to squeeze everything into one day! Instead, I slow down, enjoyed the opportunity in front of me, and moved at a slower pace and wrote my Blog today.

In getting back to the Truth I have Psalm 73 I felt God speaking into my soul; is the rock solid fact that never changes whether I am going full speed ahead or choosing to be “lazy“ and slow down…

“But as for me…”

This first phrase is a self resolve! David chooses to resolve himself to the fact that follows…

“…it is good to be near God!“

TRUTH BOMB

STAY NEAR TO GOD AND HE STAYS NEAR TO YOU WEATHER YOU ARE MOVING FULL STEAM AHEAD OR SLOWING DOWN!

God is not concerned with our “busy schedules!“ He does not love us because of all we do and accomplish. God is with us in the busy and the doing but He is also right there with us and near to us as we slow down and enjoy the best of life‘s moments!

I am going to continue to purposefully enjoy the LAZY DAYS OF SUMMER!

It will not be easy for this purpose driven, high energy child of God. But I hope you will join me through these next couple of months of summer and share in my discipline!

I love you all!

Happy Summer Everyone!

Speak Truth Love

Where I am from in southern California, “JUNE GLOOM,” is a common and well understood phrase. Just as you get used to it being summer and expect those warm sunny days, “JUNE GLOOM,” sets in! Instead of waking up to sunshine streaming through your windows in the morning, there is nothing but a thick, gray haze. The cloud cover has rolled in over the ocean and fills the sky with a gray haze that covers everything. It typically lasts until about 10am in the morning, but there are times it can last throughout the entire day. 

Have you ever felt that gloom in your soul? Oh you know, that feeling that you just wake up with and it seems to cover all of the regular sunshine from streaming in. It feels gray and blue and creates a fog like feeling in your heart and head. You got out of bed expecting a day filled with sunshine but instead it feels more like drizzle…not a downpour, just gloom.

The words to define gloom are:

Dim, Dark, Somber and Partial.

I love that one definition, ‘partial.’

It implies that it is not full, it is not complete, it has not yet taken over.

Therein lies our hope my friend!

None of us choose to wake up gloomy, it just seems to happen as unexpectedly as “June Gloom” on a warm June day. 

However, it doesn’t half to stop us. It doesn’t have to paralyze us and consume us! It does not have to turn from partial darkness to complete darkness. Not when we have the LIGHT!

JESUS IS THE LIGHT!

“JESUS SAID TO THE POPLE, ‘I AM THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD. IF YOU FOLLOW ME YOU WON’T BE STUMBLING THROUGH THE DARKNESS, BECAUSE YOU WILL HAVE THE LIGHT THAT LEADS TO LIFE.’”

John 8:12

Our hope is the Truth of what Jesus himself spoke. When we have Jesus in us who is the light of the world, then we do not have to stumble through the darkness and gloom that comes. The gloom may come, but it will always be partial and can be overcome with the Light of Jesus Christ in us!

I was reminded of this truth recently as I woke up on a gloomy Southern California “June Gloom” day! I had made plans with my grandkids to go to the beach. Do you think we woke up on that gloomy day and let the gloom consume us? Of course not! We packed our beach bags, put on our bathing suits and grabbed our sunblock!

That’s right, you read it correctly… 

We grabbed our sunblock! Why would we slather ourselves in sunblock when there was not one ray of sun peeking through? Because even though the gloom had set in temporarily and partially, the sun was still there! We even had a few patches of red that were missed with the sunblock, to prove that the rays of the sun still come through the gloom!

In the same way, when the Son of God is in us, His Light shines through any amount of Gloom that comes into our lives!

TRUTH BOMB

WHEN THE GREY DIMNESS OF GLOOM CREEPS IN, TURN ON THE LIGHT OF JESUS INSIDE YOU!

Jesus is truly The Light of the world! 

When you follow Him, you will not stumble through the dark. He will shine through any gloom in your life!

Speak Truth Love

Does it matter that people know your name? Does it matter that they pronounce your name correctly? Does it matter that they spell your name accurately? It absolutely does! 

Names matter! Don’t believe me, just ask a couple awaiting the birth of their child. It does not matter if it is their first, second or sixth child, the name is important!  

It is talked about, discussed repetitively, deliberated on for days or months even and after all that, the way it is spelled is still up for debate!

So what’s in a name anyway?

It is personal, it holds our identity within its letters. You may have been in a class or a group with more than one person that has the same name as you, yet still your name was yours and yours alone! It may have had a number after it, one, two or three…Or it may have had your last name initial after it, but there was no confusing it, your name is your name alone!

One of an infants’ first milestones is recognizing their own name when it is spoken. Their head will turn and they will look in the direction of their spoken name. From that point on it has become their identity, it is who they are. 

God knows how important our name is to us. That is why He knows our name. One of the most popular stories in the Bible is about Moses. Most people when they hear the name Moses, they immediately picture the Red Sea being parted. I mean, after all, it is a miracle and deserves full recognition! But I believe it is no small thing that God speaks to Moses and calls him by name.

“God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.”  

Exodus 3:4

God spoke Moses’ name so that there was absolutely no confusion about who God was talking to. Moses knew his name and knew that God knew his name!

God called Moses by name and Moses knew it was God. God was calling Moses to trust Him and be willing to be used by Him! Moses was fearful like we often are. However, because of the intimate, personal relationship that God and Moses had, Moses knew he could trust in his God!

God knows your name too. He will never mispronounce your name or misspell your name! He will never confuse your name with someone else who has your name! 

God loves you, knows you and He knows your name! 

TRUTH BOMB

YOU ARE SPECIAL TO GOD, HE KNOWS YOUR NAME!

Speak Truth Love

Do you remember when you were in grade school and you used to make pinky promises? You know those ones where you locked pinkies with one hand and prayed the other person didn’t have their fingers crossed behind their back with the other one?

Then you promise to be their best friend forever! How long did that last? Probably not even through the end of the school year.

Truth is, no matter how hard we try, no matter how sincere our intention is, and no matter how much we love the other person and intend to do right by them, we are human and we just fail.

It’s part of our fallen human nature.

Praise God we have a God who never breaks his promises!

God not only speaks His promises He gives us a permanent reminder that He keeps His promises!

“I have sat my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the promise between me and the earth.“ Genesis 9:13

God created the rainbow with all of its brilliant colors and placed it in the sky to remind us that He keeps his promises!

“Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember my promise between me and you and all living creatures of every kind!”  Genesis 9:14-15

Our God makes a promise and never crosses His fingers behind His back!

“Whenever The rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember my promise to you!” Genesis 9:16

TRUTH BOMB

A RAINBOW IS A SIGN TO ALL THAT GOD WILL KEEP HIS PROMISES!

So every time you look up into the sky and see the rainbow God placed there we are reminded of His promises!

Actually, no matter where we see a rainbow, in the sky, on a shirt, on a flag, or anywhere else, we are reminded that God created the rainbow in brilliant color, to remind us that HE ALONE IS GOD AND HE KEEPS HIS PROMISES!

Speak Truth Love

Have you ever experienced that feeling where the ground under your feet seems to sway back and forth and you have absolutely no control over it?

I’m talking about the ground its self, the foundation you have placed your feet on begins to shake and tremble!

If you have lived in California all of your life like I have then you know exactly what I’m talking about.

California is known for having earthquakes! Some of them are small and some of them are quite enormous. But regardless of the size there is an unexplainable feeling that takes over when you realize that the very thing you are standing on and have put complete confidence in to hold you up, begins to quiver and become unsteady! Your initial response is to go to your knees, or get as close to the ground as possible and hold onto something sturdy.

Spiritually speaking, this is also the perfect practice when you begin to waver in your faith!

Oh, we’ve all been there. We stand on the firm foundation of Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord! He is unshakable, He is perfect, He is all powerful, and yet there are moments when we can begin to sway and flutter, and quiver, and become unsteady!  

It can happen as quickly as a physical earthquake. A sort of, “earthquake of the soul!” One minute we are full of the joy of the Lord! Our confidence in Jesus has never been stronger! Our feet are firmly planted and we are serving with all our might! Then something happens and we are shaken to our core. A decision is made and we disagree with it. A word is spoken and it stings worse than a physical slap. Someone fails to do what they promised, and suddenly we begin to feel ourselves fail and give way.

What do we do? How do we stand firm? How do we keep on keeping on when we feel doubtful, discouraged, even trembling and shaking?

We follow the example of Jesus!

“No unbelief made Him waver…But He grew strong in His Faith as He gave glory to God.”  Romans 4:19-22

Jesus did not waver because He “Gave Glory To God!”

In all things, in all situations and at all times, Jesus Gave Glory to God and this kept Him from wavering!

Jesus experienced the same frustrations, hurts and pains that we experience. Yet He endured to the very end. He did not get shaken, tremble, quiver, give way or fail. Instead “He grew strong” as He stood steady and gave the Glory to God!

We can too! When we feel the “spiritual earthquake’s” hit and cause us to shake, tremble and sway, GIVE GOD THE GLORY for all He has done for you, and you will feel the ground become steady under your feet! 

TRUTH BOMB

GIVE GLORY TO GOD AND FEEL THE SPIRITUAL EARTHQUAKES STILL BENEATH YOUR FEET!

Speak Truth Love