There's a lot of information out there. There's even more products that we are told everyday we have to have and we cannot go on without them. Daily I'm bombarded with information from my email, Facebook, computer, and other sources. There's even more confusion over what we should be doing over what we should stop doing. Good grief! Is anyone else ready to throw up their hands and have a clear head like I am?!
I appreciate good information like the next person. Frankly, my patients expect it and should. It is something that deserves clarity to say do this, not that. To know your sources and all the information out there. But then realize that good information stands firm and sometimes simple. Not a quickly written article or update that some magazine or even newspaper decides to type. Research is worth reading for yourself. Remembering what is truly good for our body and minds is essential. In reality I find myself remembering that foods have been around forever. Don't get me started on all the info about varying diets, plant research/agronomy breeding then and now. That's another conversation entirely. What I can tell you is that lets remember a few things. From something as basic as inflammation whether it is in your gut, your knee, or a cut, IT exists. Sometimes we see this rampant in different forms. An infected cut: redness, warmth, and inflammation is easy to spot. To stomach ulcers, IBS, diverticulitis, ulcerative colitis, Crohn's --disease that "hides" within the gut to grace us with their often unwelcome timing into our daily lives. And then a knee. Whether it is the quite knee that catches here and there or the swollen, painful knee that screams with every step, it is one we are less likely to momentarily forget, because after all, how could we?! When we walk it hurts, when we sit it hurts. It hates to walk, but it aches to stop. What must we do?
From all my readings since my personal journey began in 2011, here is what I came to on my own, but I think rings pretty true in general if you go looking through the research and books available. Listen to your body. Think of it this way. We are all different creatures. We know this by what we are allergic to, what medications we tolerate better (or not at all), what foods make our mouth itch when no allergy test showed a thing, to environmental allergies. Everyone has one. Some of us may have seen the reactions sharing this in our circles, families, with our physicians and colleagues. "Really? That's weird. That's not supposed to happen." Or the blank stare and silence. Let me clarify one thing. Silence may be an answer because you don't know what to say, but really you are leaving it to the internet with silence. People are scared. They want answers. Honest answers. Something. Anything. Even- I don't know, but we can look it up. Because otherwise this is what adds to the Search.
Searching begins when you start reading and educating yourself. It starts with faith and a refusal to succumb to the card you are dealt. It is a deep knowing within your being that you are made for more than this. And knowing that people have gotten sick forever. Some die. But some get well. And so we search. It's what leads some of us to pursue careers or research things to find out the why and How come, and of course feed the drive to figure it out.
Here is what I know:
Inflammation is bad. It is a breeding ground for bad things. Whether this is a starved cell that multiplies or a genetic flip-switch for the disease that your mom and grandmother had (that you knew you would get one day), we can be sure of this in some cases. You are what you eat. Processed. Sugar. Junk food epidemic. You might be eating good now but shocked to realize that you are now paying for your raising, your high school after school snacks, or (let's all be real) all the amazing food you had in college. If you are tired of hearing fibro, chronic fatigue, allergies that you never knew you had, and the list goes on I urge you to go on a health quest of your own. Stop the madness. Take back your health. Exercise. Walk. Jog, Run even. But do something. Swim even. But exercise for the health of your heart and brain. Pump that blood, spread that oxygen like crazy through every single artery and vein that the Good Lord gave you. Take back your life. Starve the bad cells- whatever form they come in. Stop worrying about the free radicals that damage your hair and worry about the ones on the inside that really matter more! Bad thoughts, depression, mood swings, cancer, stomach upset.........Starve the bad cells. Build good ones. Supply the ones that are mending. Take the bad ones back. Cut your sugar in 1/2 immediately. Cut it totally if you have the guts! Experience your body detoxing while you do it. It may take days, weeks, and yes for some bodies it can take 6 months to notice. But consider this. As you feed your body the good and healthy, non-processed, low sugar (no sugar), and more water, what is it going to hurt? What have you got to lose besides your cravings, a little energy (only to find your real MOJO), and beat your exhaustion, fatigue, brain fog, after meal sleepiness, joint ache, etc for good. And WAIT FOR IT. What have you got to lose besides your unhealthy lifestyle that is screaming for a change anyway. Your body is screaming at you in some way? What is it telling you? I ache all the time. I'm stressed. I'm tired. I'm really tired. I'm a mess. I'm overloaded. I have no idea what's going on? Is this my body, I thought I had a different one and woke up with this one day.
Cut things out. Give your body back the anti-oxidants that it needs. Boost yourself with strong anti-inflammatories found in cherries and pineapple. Read about ginger, turmeric, arnica (caution). Find it in your foods. Use your spices. Care about your meals. Put something good in your body. Let that not replace your medications but treat your food like the medicine that it can be if we start putting GOOD in. And hey, if it replaces your medication then so be it, in some forms. Be smart about it. If you finding yourself not needing it anymore, discuss that with your doctor. Talk about how much better your stomach or joints feel off the meds if you notice that. Too many cases are unreported where someone stops taking medications they are prescribed because of an intolerance or side effect. Most people move on to other forms of seeking other answers once medications fail. Tell your doctor, but don't assume they don't need to know what did and did not work in your case. Talk to them. Yes I have my story, but that's another time. I take what I have to. I get off what I can. I cannot tolerate steroids well and I do not need something for my skin daily now since it wasn't working anyway. There are certain things some of us HAVE to take. My real question is how many GI, painful joint/back, ache and pain could we treat if we ate better and did not continue to flood our very cells, tissues, systems with things that make it grouchier instead of happier. It is with the intention to pay attention and NOTICE that we start to be our own detective and be in tune to our bodies on another level. (I know this does not work for the microwave generation that wants better, faster, stronger, longer, higher, smarter RIGHT NOW or yesterday AND then does not want to wait for anything or work for it. Since when do I have to lift a single finger to feel better?! News flash, you're not 5 anymore. It really did not work when you were 5 either. If you fell off your bike, you got back up again.)
(Here's some homework. Go look up per year how many people report to the ER with stomach pain alone. That are later hospitalized with some type of intestinal tract bleed. Then look up deaths per year due to chronic addiction to pain pills. Then look up the death rate for GI bleeds per year. Consider that many go unreported or ever make the connection early enough to be treated. See the connection yet. Yes. You cannot flood a system treating one thing for "inflammation" and pain without tearing something else up long term. It just does not work.)
Here's what I've observed within myself. I have allergies. Environmental all my life. Seasonal yes. Plant almost everything (kidding but really it seems like it). Foods- yes. Latex yes. My body does not handle medication well. I don't need much, but you would know that checking the weight/dose chart on occasion. I have been gluten free for 1.5+ years. It was a journey. Fairly desperate and innocent. I found what my body really hates is too much dairy. Specifically Greek yogurt (which almost killed me to part with) and of course regular yogurt. I found the dairy out trying to clear my body and skin or a long line of reactions post thyroid. The signs had been there for eczema, but not in raging form. In the, "oh yeah my skin's a little irritated and its no big deal. I'm rubbing a cream on it kind of way." Dairy was the key to my eczema and clear skin without medications or magic creams. Things helped topically, but really I cut out what my gut was spitting out on my skin. The skin is a window to what really may be going on in the gut on a deeper level. My body simply forced me to finally listen if I wanted it back.
Gluten. Yes gluten. Sob sob. I did not go here because of upset stomach (although I did have this too). I read Grain Brain while everyone else read Wheat Belly. And the light bulb was permanently switched on. Wow. Really? Giving up gluten might be a way of taking my brain back. And not giving into daily fatigue and brain fog for me. Again, everyone is different!! For me, after 2 weeks gluten free I was free of my post lunch slumber state from 2-3pm everyday. I no longer had to unwillingly be not sharp from 2-3 but rather WITH IT without caffeine to charge my afternoon. Yes. I know. WHY did it have to be gluten?! But really, it was worth it. For work and patients I have to be super human. For my family and self I have to be more than that. And yes, I stayed off gluten because for me it made a difference that was worth parting with. I took my stomach back, body back, and brain back! I've cheated and paid for it a time or two and I'm reminded that my body just does not love it and really does not need it. My sugar spikes throughout the day are controlled better off of it. No I'm not diabetic. (One point Grain Brain makes is speaks to what we normally find gluten in. Breads, sugar sweets, pastas, etc that really drive a blood sugar spike in us. That's why it's called a crash after we eat like that. Our blood sugar may be crashing or dropping. Everyone is different but for me it's healthier to have a controlled level that isn't silently killing my brain cells due to the constant spike/crash relationship. Yes Grain Brain. Brain Maker is also quite good too!)
Listen to all the little version of inflammation in your body. Don't get crazy. But listen. And then start to wonder, ask questions, and research. Ask your doctor. A great GI doctor is one that once said to me, "Healing starts in the gut. We have to listen to the signals and make a change. Healing can happen from the inside out. You have more power than you think. We will do medicine if we must but first try changing your diet." Inflammation happens. He knew it. The GI tract is the largest organ besides the skin. There's lots of miles in there. What are you putting in yours?
Healthy Brain. Happy Life. Happy Body. Happy Engaged Mind. That can now engage my body into what I need to do. To live, to work, to exercise, to thrive! There's all sort of things that we can take. Yes I use and found some great uses for essential oils along my journey. Most were topical with my skin. Others I've found compare to some wound care products available, but have faster results. But those are for me and my family personally and not to share on this particular blog. Some other supplements are very very good. And natural and high dose form of what we find in foods stuffed with vitamins, mineral, and antioxidants. It's hard and the struggle is real, but it is worth choosing better things to put in our bodies to get a different result for a better outcome long-term. Stop starving yourself of the things your body needs. Stop feeding inflammation with sugar and junk expecting a different result. You just gave your energy to the Snickers bar that made you momentarily stop acting like Madonna and Marsha(I know the commercial are cute). Find your balance. Make a list of what you know you can cut. Give something up and replace it with something good. Get to reading. Plan your meals and have a date with your kitchen. Buy an apron and have fun! Exercise so your blood is pumping supplying that brain to all parts so you can engage in thoughts and make better choices for your life. It's yours. No one else can do it for you. It's time make a change! Inflammation is not a game. It's running it's course. However rampant or quite that may be. Change the game and read it for yourself. This is taking YOU back.
Tuesday, November 3, 2015
Saturday, May 9, 2015
Postures
In honor of mother's day and inspired by a recent sermon by Jay Wright at Anchor Way, here's to the Postures in life.
"Sit up straight!" How many times have we each heard that throughout our life, likely first from our mothers. To which our body response was to throw our shoulders back, lifting our head, never suspecting that this very "correction" was actually throwing the "sit up straight" posture into our Lower thoracic and lumbar spine. (Thus, began the pain cycle later in life!) Yep, but that's the SIT UP STRAIGHT, that we all know too well. Thankfully from my first day of PT school, Dr. Bob (CFMT) taught us all how to sit correctly over our sit bones, neutral lumbar spine, ribcage aligned over pelvis, and how to correct the shoulder girdle position so as NOT to throw it into our lower back and subsequently continue the degenerative process we find ourselves in otherwise. By the end of his description and our own postural correction experience, it was clear to me that we cannot correct our physical posture unless someone teaches us HOW. How to find our sit bones, what neutral lumbar spine feels like instead of the lordotic curve that marketing has taught us all to often to buy the "roll" to make finding your posture easy. Yeah right! Really?! Are any of us the "one size fits all"? No, each posture is different and deserves its own experience to be taught how to break the vicious cycle of what Bad postures can do to our bodies and mind and yes our hearts. Sadly some of the postures we see my reflect the heart and hurt more than we think. Here's just a few examples that we have all seen:
Several weeks ago our pastor, Jay, gave an outstanding sermon on posture. He had my attention immediately. He spoke about the postures that affect us and the postures that are present throughout the Bible. WOW! What a great topic for me! I am nerd enough to love that! So throughout these last few weeks, I've had this on my mind. POSTURES. POSTURE. How we hold ourselves. How we choose to correct it....or not. How we hold ourselves before the Lord.
Throughout the Bible there are many postures. Face-down. Child's pose prayer position, palms to ground. Kneeling with elbows tucked in, forehead on our hands. Tall kneeling leaning on a bench. Seated, head bowed, elbows supported, hands clasped on knees. Standing quietly. Standing with arms raised. Supine. And there's more to the list, I'm sure. There are so many appropriate postures that respond to God. Praying to request, to ask, to beg, coming in desperation, coming in thankfulness, bringing our praise.
My proposal this Mother's Day is to spread the Postures of Praise. Spread how we want our kids to see us. How we want them to grow into the confident people in who the Lord made them. (I know WHOSE I AM.) Postures of reverence toward the Lord and how to respect His Name and what is His. The earth is the Lord's and everything in it, the earth and all who deal in it. Psalm 24:1. Praise postures could be taken at face value. Standing singing to music or sitting. Hands folded in front, one hand up, or both. No matter. It should reflect the true heart of the worshipper. Many times our outward postures may reflect our heart. Depressed, defeated, unsure, arrogant, ego, pride, distracted, fractured, focused, or passionate. Intensity can be communicated in lots of different ways, but especially through how we hold ourselves. Through our postures.
My proposal is to really look inward so we can demonstrate Him outward. As moms, we are busy, crazy, list-makers, forgetful, cooks, employees, and children of God. Let's take a look within ourselves so we can outwardly "carry" ourselves differently and communicate that NO MATTER WHAT and WHAT PHASE of life we can show these beautiful children we are mother's to, how to carry themselves and HOW to have a LIFE POSTURE of PRAISE. Part of my joy is getting to assist people in seeing how their present posture affects their spine and whole body. Let's make sure that as mother's we teach a good physical posture. (If you don't know where to start, take them to a physical therapist.) That we encourage communication and time for these children to express themselves. SO THAT, these beautiful kids can carry themselves and stand TALL on our shoulders. TO know that from our posture, we are confident of our King! To look to us when they are down and take on the postures described in the Bible when they present their request to God. To know that KNOW MATTER WHAT, they can stand from these postures TALL in alignment. They can lift their head up and their eyes to the heaven knowing that they serve a BIG, GREAT GOD.
I want my kids to know how to correct their physical posture and who they can take their matters of the heart to. To me of course. BUT TO the ONLY ONE who is capable of loving us with an everlasting love, who made us, and knew us before we were born. To the wonderful, beautiful counselor, and Savior! Let's teach our children about Postures of Praise!! Start with the physical and it will be a great avenue to talk to them about God.
Thank you for making me a MOM. They are my precious gifts entrusted to me and bring me JOY every single day! HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY to each of the amazing ladies in my life!
"Sit up straight!" How many times have we each heard that throughout our life, likely first from our mothers. To which our body response was to throw our shoulders back, lifting our head, never suspecting that this very "correction" was actually throwing the "sit up straight" posture into our Lower thoracic and lumbar spine. (Thus, began the pain cycle later in life!) Yep, but that's the SIT UP STRAIGHT, that we all know too well. Thankfully from my first day of PT school, Dr. Bob (CFMT) taught us all how to sit correctly over our sit bones, neutral lumbar spine, ribcage aligned over pelvis, and how to correct the shoulder girdle position so as NOT to throw it into our lower back and subsequently continue the degenerative process we find ourselves in otherwise. By the end of his description and our own postural correction experience, it was clear to me that we cannot correct our physical posture unless someone teaches us HOW. How to find our sit bones, what neutral lumbar spine feels like instead of the lordotic curve that marketing has taught us all to often to buy the "roll" to make finding your posture easy. Yeah right! Really?! Are any of us the "one size fits all"? No, each posture is different and deserves its own experience to be taught how to break the vicious cycle of what Bad postures can do to our bodies and mind and yes our hearts. Sadly some of the postures we see my reflect the heart and hurt more than we think. Here's just a few examples that we have all seen:
Several weeks ago our pastor, Jay, gave an outstanding sermon on posture. He had my attention immediately. He spoke about the postures that affect us and the postures that are present throughout the Bible. WOW! What a great topic for me! I am nerd enough to love that! So throughout these last few weeks, I've had this on my mind. POSTURES. POSTURE. How we hold ourselves. How we choose to correct it....or not. How we hold ourselves before the Lord.
Throughout the Bible there are many postures. Face-down. Child's pose prayer position, palms to ground. Kneeling with elbows tucked in, forehead on our hands. Tall kneeling leaning on a bench. Seated, head bowed, elbows supported, hands clasped on knees. Standing quietly. Standing with arms raised. Supine. And there's more to the list, I'm sure. There are so many appropriate postures that respond to God. Praying to request, to ask, to beg, coming in desperation, coming in thankfulness, bringing our praise.
My proposal this Mother's Day is to spread the Postures of Praise. Spread how we want our kids to see us. How we want them to grow into the confident people in who the Lord made them. (I know WHOSE I AM.) Postures of reverence toward the Lord and how to respect His Name and what is His. The earth is the Lord's and everything in it, the earth and all who deal in it. Psalm 24:1. Praise postures could be taken at face value. Standing singing to music or sitting. Hands folded in front, one hand up, or both. No matter. It should reflect the true heart of the worshipper. Many times our outward postures may reflect our heart. Depressed, defeated, unsure, arrogant, ego, pride, distracted, fractured, focused, or passionate. Intensity can be communicated in lots of different ways, but especially through how we hold ourselves. Through our postures.
My proposal is to really look inward so we can demonstrate Him outward. As moms, we are busy, crazy, list-makers, forgetful, cooks, employees, and children of God. Let's take a look within ourselves so we can outwardly "carry" ourselves differently and communicate that NO MATTER WHAT and WHAT PHASE of life we can show these beautiful children we are mother's to, how to carry themselves and HOW to have a LIFE POSTURE of PRAISE. Part of my joy is getting to assist people in seeing how their present posture affects their spine and whole body. Let's make sure that as mother's we teach a good physical posture. (If you don't know where to start, take them to a physical therapist.) That we encourage communication and time for these children to express themselves. SO THAT, these beautiful kids can carry themselves and stand TALL on our shoulders. TO know that from our posture, we are confident of our King! To look to us when they are down and take on the postures described in the Bible when they present their request to God. To know that KNOW MATTER WHAT, they can stand from these postures TALL in alignment. They can lift their head up and their eyes to the heaven knowing that they serve a BIG, GREAT GOD.
I want my kids to know how to correct their physical posture and who they can take their matters of the heart to. To me of course. BUT TO the ONLY ONE who is capable of loving us with an everlasting love, who made us, and knew us before we were born. To the wonderful, beautiful counselor, and Savior! Let's teach our children about Postures of Praise!! Start with the physical and it will be a great avenue to talk to them about God.
Thank you for making me a MOM. They are my precious gifts entrusted to me and bring me JOY every single day! HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY to each of the amazing ladies in my life!
Sunday, December 14, 2014
Building and Shaping
Whether we are building individuals or shaping how they think or model our behavior, it is vital that we be intentional in what we do. Things do not happen by chance. Whether we intend to build or shape those around us or not, we do. Without even thinking. It could be through thoughtless words heard in a hallway or words that have succumb to fatigue and mediocre behavior, but regardless of the WHYS we fail to see the WHAT behind some of our very poorly thought out words. (What consequence?) It may be words of convenience or because it is easier to just say nothing but I think there were several instances this week that got me thinking. Maybe it was the gorgeous drive today to Meeker to Jody's basketball tournament. God tends to water my thoughts best and reveal himself to me on an amazing worship-filled drive. Either way, I was thinking about BUILDING and SHAPING today. As a therapist, I help others by shaping: either through soft tissue mobilization and getting the tissues moving or mobilizing or manipulating the joints to allow the patient to have unrestricted motion. SHAPING them in way back to the life they love. There's nothing about that that I take lightly. Would I have moved my family, sold my house, left my friends and awesome job, said goodbye to family for longer than I wanted if I didn't believe that there's something about what I do that can shape people back into better health and better life?!
Building individuals back probably got me more than the shaping. Because clay can be shaped and shaped and molded much like God does with us, building takes us to a new dimension about stacking and bulking and adding more. Building muscle, building strength and endurance. Building patience. Building stronger students, skiers, individuals, players, people. It does not matter what you do....YOU fill in the blank for how you build people. BUT again, building and shaping does not happen by accident. It also does not happen by intention either. It can happen when there's no effort or thought or action or goal toward it.
Take children. They are placed in environments throughout the world and watch what happens. Think home to home, school to school, classroom to classroom. There is a lot of building and shaping of lives that saddens me. Where there is no intention. NO thought, no effort toward building individuals out of those children who can stand on their own. Have a thought in their brain toward another person and not just Self. Where we teach them the difference between good, bad, right, wrong, and that the difference matters. On another scale, that God deserves our best. Not our last. Not our leftovers. And that if all the idols, and movie stars, musicians, speakers, mentors, teachers, and friends around us are building and shaping us then no wonder we have a problem. A problem of identity, a problem of WHO starts to shape our thoughts and how we weigh things in life. Heaven help us if our children are left to that. Jody always tells me (and I echo this prayer) that he prays that our children know how to stand on their own two feet even if they are standing alone. That they know the difference between right and wrong and what God wants and that they DO the right thing that they know to do. Even if they stand alone. That's a scary thought to be alone in this world for most people. But I pray that they have a God given confidence that when they stand with HIM that there is nothing and no one in the world that could compare to that. I pray they know this as I did growing up. I was an only child and knew the sweetness of being alone with God for a long time. Not in a sad way at all. A true sweetness. I'm comfortable in my skin. I'm okay with quite. I'm good with listening to Him. Be Still and know that He is God. I've also known it in lonliness that I care not to recap now. I have had the sweet presence of God keep me company and be my best friend for the longest time and in my biggest moments in life. There's one as I describe this that stands out to me. Maybe it's because my 10th wedding anniversary is next week. It was my wedding day. Circumstances were not perfect surrounding our wedding. It was still such a happy, wonderful, exciting time! Without giving too many details, after my parent's divorce it was awkward for a time. Dad gave his blessing to Jody and I. On that day I'm sad to say that my dad did not show to walk me down, but I had told him that either way I loved him and nothing would change that. There was not a lonliness that day at all. There was the sweetest presence of God that I have ever felt. There was a lone body walking down the aisle that day, but there was a heart full knowing that my Lord and Savior was walking me as He always had to the man I had prayed for for the longest time. In all my alone moments in life, God had heard my prayer, knew me better than I knew myself, answered me in a way that I had not even vocalized out loud to even Him. (That's when you KNOW that it is God alone!) There was a sweetness of knowing that God was always enough and NO person could even be perfect enough to give me what only God could.
Building and Shaping. Building character. Shaping integrity. Developing people. Raising our children. That's what we get to do. I pray my kids know to never be afraid of being alone. I pray that the softness I see in Reece would never be her fault but the very tenderness that God uses to speak to her. That the toughness in Cale will be an avenue for God to show him that he will always need a Savior who is stronger and mightier. So whether we are building blocks, linkin' log cabins, lego towers, building blanket forts, shaping a little's girl hair or piper cleaner craft, shaping clay or snow, building basketball skills, or shaping individuals around us, let us do it with drive and determination.
Closing thought:
After reading the above it still strikes me that some are still ignorant enough to think that they have shaped no one. Some have shaped many and are even tired of trying. Remember that it happens either way good or bad, intentional or not. We shape people. Are you worth following, modeling, listening to? How would your words sound coming out of another person's mouth? What effects would they have? Would they be bitter words or encouraging words or actions? Would you be in good shape or bad shape? How have you built others up this week? And if you're too tired to try maybe that's the point where Jesus has left you to ask, Are you done yet? Are you going to let me do it through you now? Let me shine.
You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.
Do not let the devil put out your light or back in a corner or underneath others around you. SHINE. You have a purpose. You have a way to build and shape those around you like no one else can.
Verses that Inspired this:
James 1:17
Matt 5:13
Matt 5:14
Building individuals back probably got me more than the shaping. Because clay can be shaped and shaped and molded much like God does with us, building takes us to a new dimension about stacking and bulking and adding more. Building muscle, building strength and endurance. Building patience. Building stronger students, skiers, individuals, players, people. It does not matter what you do....YOU fill in the blank for how you build people. BUT again, building and shaping does not happen by accident. It also does not happen by intention either. It can happen when there's no effort or thought or action or goal toward it.
Take children. They are placed in environments throughout the world and watch what happens. Think home to home, school to school, classroom to classroom. There is a lot of building and shaping of lives that saddens me. Where there is no intention. NO thought, no effort toward building individuals out of those children who can stand on their own. Have a thought in their brain toward another person and not just Self. Where we teach them the difference between good, bad, right, wrong, and that the difference matters. On another scale, that God deserves our best. Not our last. Not our leftovers. And that if all the idols, and movie stars, musicians, speakers, mentors, teachers, and friends around us are building and shaping us then no wonder we have a problem. A problem of identity, a problem of WHO starts to shape our thoughts and how we weigh things in life. Heaven help us if our children are left to that. Jody always tells me (and I echo this prayer) that he prays that our children know how to stand on their own two feet even if they are standing alone. That they know the difference between right and wrong and what God wants and that they DO the right thing that they know to do. Even if they stand alone. That's a scary thought to be alone in this world for most people. But I pray that they have a God given confidence that when they stand with HIM that there is nothing and no one in the world that could compare to that. I pray they know this as I did growing up. I was an only child and knew the sweetness of being alone with God for a long time. Not in a sad way at all. A true sweetness. I'm comfortable in my skin. I'm okay with quite. I'm good with listening to Him. Be Still and know that He is God. I've also known it in lonliness that I care not to recap now. I have had the sweet presence of God keep me company and be my best friend for the longest time and in my biggest moments in life. There's one as I describe this that stands out to me. Maybe it's because my 10th wedding anniversary is next week. It was my wedding day. Circumstances were not perfect surrounding our wedding. It was still such a happy, wonderful, exciting time! Without giving too many details, after my parent's divorce it was awkward for a time. Dad gave his blessing to Jody and I. On that day I'm sad to say that my dad did not show to walk me down, but I had told him that either way I loved him and nothing would change that. There was not a lonliness that day at all. There was the sweetest presence of God that I have ever felt. There was a lone body walking down the aisle that day, but there was a heart full knowing that my Lord and Savior was walking me as He always had to the man I had prayed for for the longest time. In all my alone moments in life, God had heard my prayer, knew me better than I knew myself, answered me in a way that I had not even vocalized out loud to even Him. (That's when you KNOW that it is God alone!) There was a sweetness of knowing that God was always enough and NO person could even be perfect enough to give me what only God could.
Building and Shaping. Building character. Shaping integrity. Developing people. Raising our children. That's what we get to do. I pray my kids know to never be afraid of being alone. I pray that the softness I see in Reece would never be her fault but the very tenderness that God uses to speak to her. That the toughness in Cale will be an avenue for God to show him that he will always need a Savior who is stronger and mightier. So whether we are building blocks, linkin' log cabins, lego towers, building blanket forts, shaping a little's girl hair or piper cleaner craft, shaping clay or snow, building basketball skills, or shaping individuals around us, let us do it with drive and determination.
Closing thought:
After reading the above it still strikes me that some are still ignorant enough to think that they have shaped no one. Some have shaped many and are even tired of trying. Remember that it happens either way good or bad, intentional or not. We shape people. Are you worth following, modeling, listening to? How would your words sound coming out of another person's mouth? What effects would they have? Would they be bitter words or encouraging words or actions? Would you be in good shape or bad shape? How have you built others up this week? And if you're too tired to try maybe that's the point where Jesus has left you to ask, Are you done yet? Are you going to let me do it through you now? Let me shine.
You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.
Do not let the devil put out your light or back in a corner or underneath others around you. SHINE. You have a purpose. You have a way to build and shape those around you like no one else can.
Verses that Inspired this:
James 1:17
Matt 5:13
Matt 5:14
Friday, November 28, 2014
Steamboat Thanksgiving
As many of you know, we are in Steamboat having the time of our lives while I undergo a year long Functional Manual Therapy Fellowship. Wow! The time has flown! Jody is teaching HS math and has started his basketball season as head coach of boys basketball in Hayden. Reece is loving 1st grade but does miss her friends back home (especially Dax). I really love it here although I must say with the last 2-3 storms we have had, I took many deep breaths and prayed to love it through the storm.
They generally do a great job plowing here, but a storm is a storm regardless. I just ask that you all pray for Jody and Reece as they drive daily to Hayden. Jody had the pleasure of driving last week through a foot of snow with the Subi. The east bound to Steamboat was plowed, but the west bound Hayden lane was not. That's why we did snow tires and yes we love them and they are a must.
We hosted a group for Thanksgiving at our house and had a blast! We had 3 of our PT students and Tracy (senior fellow from Raleigh, NC) and her husband Kirk. This was the first year that I did everything because back in Texas Jody's mom, sister, and I all help. Well Sharla does most of it and I fix a side or two and pies. Wednesday night after a crazy work day, 1/2 ski day, then finished late at work, I headed home to start the cooking about 9:45 and finished at 1am. But all to make sure that we could meet Tracy and Kirk on the mountain on Thanksgiving and ski for a few hours before the turkey had to go in the oven. Truly a blessing to fix the meal with help from my sweet husband and mom. Reece and Cale helped a little and made more memories than I can count. That night we had a houseful, stuffed our bellies, and enjoyed a fun game of hedbanz with the kids. (We enjoyed some yummy collard greens flown by Kirk all the way from NC because they are overpriced here. It was a fantastic treat!) I will say this...Christmas meal will be more gluten free because the belly ache that followed was a reminder of the whys to not eat like that. It was fun to stick to old recipes but they can all be adjusted!
Today we headed out to the mountain with Reece for her first time skiing. If you follow us on facebook, you've seen the videos of her 2nd run down. She did awesome once the fear of "what did you put on my feet and how do I walk" was over. There were thankfully no falls getting on/off the lift either. I managed to ski backwards for a short bit trying to take pictures and video as Jody proved yet again that he is an awesome coach! She begged for McDonald's after so we made it HER day. Sitting there I just had to have a moment of "WE ARE IN STEAMBOAT". It was amazing to think about how much God has done to bring us here. No easy task, but for Him he proved again that if it is HIM then he paves the way. Provides completely. As we enter the holidays of course we miss our friends and family back home. We are so thankful for the friends we have here. And so thankful for the togetherness that a big move like this creates for our little family. I feel so complete getting to give my kids new experiences that they would only otherwise have in vacations. It makes me so glad that they are THIS age and getting to do something for the first time. It makes me insanely excited to plan other trips, vacations, and think of the next place that God leads us in His time. He has proved over and over that where He wants us, has for us is the ONLY place to be. I can't wait to take my kids to Disney and NYC (Reece wants to see Wicked so bad) and tour of the South and go to a beach. I pray that God has fun trips in store for us! I can't wait to take Cale for his "first" tomorrow!
I'm also thankful for some very unique ministry opportunities here that only a mountain town offers. Our church (Anchor Way) has a neat cookie ministry for the liftees (lift operators) on the mountain. They told us stories from last year about how excited and thankful the operators were when they all showed up last year with the cookies. There are opportunities in our everyday. We just have to keep our eyes open. So many different conversations on the lift today when I took it twice by myself. I am not in the bible belt anymore. I miss my friends, my home church in Seminole, and my family. But I'm thankful to be right where I am. It is going too fast. I have a LOT left to learn from fellowship and BEYOND. Loving our life in the 'Boat!!!
Happy Thanksgiving!!
They generally do a great job plowing here, but a storm is a storm regardless. I just ask that you all pray for Jody and Reece as they drive daily to Hayden. Jody had the pleasure of driving last week through a foot of snow with the Subi. The east bound to Steamboat was plowed, but the west bound Hayden lane was not. That's why we did snow tires and yes we love them and they are a must.
We hosted a group for Thanksgiving at our house and had a blast! We had 3 of our PT students and Tracy (senior fellow from Raleigh, NC) and her husband Kirk. This was the first year that I did everything because back in Texas Jody's mom, sister, and I all help. Well Sharla does most of it and I fix a side or two and pies. Wednesday night after a crazy work day, 1/2 ski day, then finished late at work, I headed home to start the cooking about 9:45 and finished at 1am. But all to make sure that we could meet Tracy and Kirk on the mountain on Thanksgiving and ski for a few hours before the turkey had to go in the oven. Truly a blessing to fix the meal with help from my sweet husband and mom. Reece and Cale helped a little and made more memories than I can count. That night we had a houseful, stuffed our bellies, and enjoyed a fun game of hedbanz with the kids. (We enjoyed some yummy collard greens flown by Kirk all the way from NC because they are overpriced here. It was a fantastic treat!) I will say this...Christmas meal will be more gluten free because the belly ache that followed was a reminder of the whys to not eat like that. It was fun to stick to old recipes but they can all be adjusted!
Today we headed out to the mountain with Reece for her first time skiing. If you follow us on facebook, you've seen the videos of her 2nd run down. She did awesome once the fear of "what did you put on my feet and how do I walk" was over. There were thankfully no falls getting on/off the lift either. I managed to ski backwards for a short bit trying to take pictures and video as Jody proved yet again that he is an awesome coach! She begged for McDonald's after so we made it HER day. Sitting there I just had to have a moment of "WE ARE IN STEAMBOAT". It was amazing to think about how much God has done to bring us here. No easy task, but for Him he proved again that if it is HIM then he paves the way. Provides completely. As we enter the holidays of course we miss our friends and family back home. We are so thankful for the friends we have here. And so thankful for the togetherness that a big move like this creates for our little family. I feel so complete getting to give my kids new experiences that they would only otherwise have in vacations. It makes me so glad that they are THIS age and getting to do something for the first time. It makes me insanely excited to plan other trips, vacations, and think of the next place that God leads us in His time. He has proved over and over that where He wants us, has for us is the ONLY place to be. I can't wait to take my kids to Disney and NYC (Reece wants to see Wicked so bad) and tour of the South and go to a beach. I pray that God has fun trips in store for us! I can't wait to take Cale for his "first" tomorrow!
I'm also thankful for some very unique ministry opportunities here that only a mountain town offers. Our church (Anchor Way) has a neat cookie ministry for the liftees (lift operators) on the mountain. They told us stories from last year about how excited and thankful the operators were when they all showed up last year with the cookies. There are opportunities in our everyday. We just have to keep our eyes open. So many different conversations on the lift today when I took it twice by myself. I am not in the bible belt anymore. I miss my friends, my home church in Seminole, and my family. But I'm thankful to be right where I am. It is going too fast. I have a LOT left to learn from fellowship and BEYOND. Loving our life in the 'Boat!!!
Happy Thanksgiving!!
Friday, October 24, 2014
My Gift
Wow! What a birthday! Facebook was so humbling to scroll through all the posts. I will say again. I am the lucky one. To know so many amazing people. Thank you for a simple thing. Thank you for the messages. You have NO IDEA what that meant to me today. I sat overwhelmed in my chair tonight looking over everyones kind words and was just blown away that the Lord has blessed me so much. With family and friends who are just incredible. People who love the Lord with all their heart, mind, and life. It was so humbling to have so many people text me or send me a message from all across the world. From back home, from school, from Seminole. Do I really get to live THIS life?! This is truly crazy. I am such a blessed southern girl. I am pinching myself right now because today I just felt loved. That meant so much because I think for the first time since the move I gave myself permission to miss home. And I stopped (really stopped) to do just that. To miss my friends (I'd love to sit with so many of you and talk). My family (miss you bunches). My pets. My church (miss you dearly). Through all the thoughtfulness today know that I was truly reached. The Lord used that as my gift. To look back and love the life I've been blessed with. And absolutely be blown away with how fabulously the Lord weaves our lives together with who we meet and get to do life WITH. That was the best gift.
I sat in all this reflection to read Psalm 139. OH MY WORD! This is a read every birthday for a reason. It is so incredible to be so loved by God. To be so planned for. To be thought of before anyone else knew me. There are many things that I want to do. There is so much left to learn. So many people to reach out to. There are few things in this world that have meaning without the precious love of Jesus. There are few things that I can do from here that would mean more than what He has given me. Oh How he loves me, oh. How he loves me, oh. My heart sings because He knit me together. Quirky, goofy, driven, passionate, fun-loving. Forgetful, comfortable in my skin even if you're not ok with me. Me. Sometimes it is nice to give ourselves permission to just bask in that kind of love over us. And I did tonight. After coming home from the game, Jody and the kids crashed and no movie night happened as planned. Mom made her way to bed after talking with me. And there I was. By myself. No TV show, movie, or book could satisfy. God met me in my chair, my room and poured over me. Showed me things about myself in these years I've been alive and reminded me that I am loved. As completely as I will ever be loved. He reminded me that I'm here for a reason. I'm here not to be comfortable. I'm not here to just live here. (As if I could forget why I'm here....but I fully intend to enjoy this place as well.) He reminded me that it is important to listen to His voice. TO know His voice. To ask for His continual direction. To take things to Him first. To be recharged by His Spirit. To be directed and live by His Spirit. To love the people he has let me live in community with. To ask how they need to be loved and treated. To meet them where they are and only by His Spirit make a difference in their life. Like so many have made a difference in my life by their encouragement, words, prayers, cards, calls, texts, and walks. We are here to live this life together not apart. I'm thankful for connections that span distance. Those are bonds the Lord gives us and strengthens through Him. Keep up your day to day faithfully. Live overflowing. Outpouring. Pursuit to give Him the glory He deserves and that we do not. He is so good to us. He is so good to me. What a birthday to sit and close today with my King. My God. My Comforter.
I found a new doctor this week. Rechecked thyroid levels. I've been pretty good, pretty regulated and dreaded having to change. God provided that. Someone who was compassionate and listened to my history. Really listened. And at the end of the visit said, "You're pretty amazing to do everything you have done through that. Something like that might have slowed most people down. You just kept on going refusing to be derailed." I am nothing. God did that. And I will add He did that to prove that His Strength, His Spirit is enough. Even with good care, there's an end. There's a stop. He is a provider like no other. My energy who keeps me on path, supplied, and focused.
How nice it is to close a birthday in fellowship with Him. I'm so grateful to have known Him this long. Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus.....
OCEANS
by: Hillsong
I sat in all this reflection to read Psalm 139. OH MY WORD! This is a read every birthday for a reason. It is so incredible to be so loved by God. To be so planned for. To be thought of before anyone else knew me. There are many things that I want to do. There is so much left to learn. So many people to reach out to. There are few things in this world that have meaning without the precious love of Jesus. There are few things that I can do from here that would mean more than what He has given me. Oh How he loves me, oh. How he loves me, oh. My heart sings because He knit me together. Quirky, goofy, driven, passionate, fun-loving. Forgetful, comfortable in my skin even if you're not ok with me. Me. Sometimes it is nice to give ourselves permission to just bask in that kind of love over us. And I did tonight. After coming home from the game, Jody and the kids crashed and no movie night happened as planned. Mom made her way to bed after talking with me. And there I was. By myself. No TV show, movie, or book could satisfy. God met me in my chair, my room and poured over me. Showed me things about myself in these years I've been alive and reminded me that I am loved. As completely as I will ever be loved. He reminded me that I'm here for a reason. I'm here not to be comfortable. I'm not here to just live here. (As if I could forget why I'm here....but I fully intend to enjoy this place as well.) He reminded me that it is important to listen to His voice. TO know His voice. To ask for His continual direction. To take things to Him first. To be recharged by His Spirit. To be directed and live by His Spirit. To love the people he has let me live in community with. To ask how they need to be loved and treated. To meet them where they are and only by His Spirit make a difference in their life. Like so many have made a difference in my life by their encouragement, words, prayers, cards, calls, texts, and walks. We are here to live this life together not apart. I'm thankful for connections that span distance. Those are bonds the Lord gives us and strengthens through Him. Keep up your day to day faithfully. Live overflowing. Outpouring. Pursuit to give Him the glory He deserves and that we do not. He is so good to us. He is so good to me. What a birthday to sit and close today with my King. My God. My Comforter.
I found a new doctor this week. Rechecked thyroid levels. I've been pretty good, pretty regulated and dreaded having to change. God provided that. Someone who was compassionate and listened to my history. Really listened. And at the end of the visit said, "You're pretty amazing to do everything you have done through that. Something like that might have slowed most people down. You just kept on going refusing to be derailed." I am nothing. God did that. And I will add He did that to prove that His Strength, His Spirit is enough. Even with good care, there's an end. There's a stop. He is a provider like no other. My energy who keeps me on path, supplied, and focused.
How nice it is to close a birthday in fellowship with Him. I'm so grateful to have known Him this long. Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus.....
OCEANS
by: Hillsong
You call me out upon the waters
The great unknown where feet may fail
And there I find You in the mystery
In oceans deep
My faith will stand
I will call upon Your name
And keep my eyes above the waves
When oceans rise my soul will rest in your embrace
For I am Yours and You are mine
Your grace abounds in deepest waters
Your sovereign hand
Will be my guide
Where feet may fail and fear surrounds me
You've never failed and you won't start now
So I will call upon Your name
And keep my eyes above the waves
When oceans rise
My soul will rest in your embrace
For I am Yours and You are mine
Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders
Let me walk upon the waters
Wherever You would call me
Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander
And my faith will be made stronger
In the presence of my Savior
I will call upon Your Name
Keep my eyes above the waves
My soul will rest in Your embrace
I am Yours and You are mine
The great unknown where feet may fail
And there I find You in the mystery
In oceans deep
My faith will stand
I will call upon Your name
And keep my eyes above the waves
When oceans rise my soul will rest in your embrace
For I am Yours and You are mine
Your grace abounds in deepest waters
Your sovereign hand
Will be my guide
Where feet may fail and fear surrounds me
You've never failed and you won't start now
So I will call upon Your name
And keep my eyes above the waves
When oceans rise
My soul will rest in your embrace
For I am Yours and You are mine
Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders
Let me walk upon the waters
Wherever You would call me
Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander
And my faith will be made stronger
In the presence of my Savior
I will call upon Your Name
Keep my eyes above the waves
My soul will rest in Your embrace
I am Yours and You are mine
Sunday, October 12, 2014
The Love of Family
Thursday after school/work Kent & Sharla and Jill and the boys started the long trip to Steamboat to visit. It was a weekend marked on the calendar that we all looked forward to for a long time. I had stashed back meals for the weekend and as always, had a blast planning the menu!
They were supposed to arrive Friday after lunch early afternoon. I was working and in typical clinic fashion, I silenced my cell phone and ignored the loud rattly, vibration against the wooden desk. I called them back an hour later before several of my last patients. I'M SO GLAD I DID.
Jill told me that they had been stopped on the road to give a statement for the horrific crash they had witnessed on Rabbit Ear Pass about 18 miles outside of Steamboat. She said that they were re-routed and would be on the road longer than expected because the pass was now closed due to the wreck. A woman had been swerving violently lane to lane and they had called 911. While on the phone reporting it, she hit a fuel tanker head on and burst into flames. They watched as the car burned, helpless to do anything. Thankfully the trooper arrived within 3-5 minutes on-site and attempted to put out the flames. My heart dropped as she told me knowing that they had all just witnessed something terrible, the boys included.
Thankfully they got to my house about the time I was getting off work. It was the best feeling in the world walking into a loud, noisy, excited house. I laugh thinking back about Friday night because we were all SO glad to see each other we were practically sitting on top of each other on the couch, in each other's face talking and completely content. I knew at one point I was sitting right next to Jill talking and the rest of the couch was open. I DID NOT CARE. It was so good to see her and everyone that I was literally glad to be near all of them again...and obviously near meaning as close as possible. (LOL)
Needless to say, we had a great weekend of foods, fall festivals, parks, shopping, games, church and togetherness. It just does not get better than that. Kent giving me a hard time for nothing and me egging him on. Sharla and I delving deep into our discussions about what God is doing and where we want to go with Him. McKenna talking about work and home and knowing that we were now just hours apart! Callee and Reece screaming and running through the house. Jill and I just enjoying watching the kids play and catching up. Game night of mexican train dominos and Hedbanz and senseless laughter til you can't sit up straight and laughing just because you forgot what was really funny in the first place. These days are what memories are made of. These are the times when you wish family were closer, but thankful for the technology that makes it partially possible. The only thing that would have made it better was to see my dad and see our dogs again too.
I'm so grateful for my wonderful family. Each one of them is special. I love those boys and miss them. I miss the big family meals and weekends we had back home. I'm glad McKenna and Callee are close to us. It does make me dive deeper into why I'm here and why we said yes to Steamboat and fellowship. It is giving us more of a chance to become a closer family ourselves. I was reminded of that tonight as Reece read me a book and as Cale ran wildly through the house. While we are missing our family we are thankful for the experiences that God is giving us here. What a wonderful place to have an adventure and become the best version of therapist and self that I can become. Lord teach me as I go. Lord teach us how to listen and let you lead.
Oh the memories they give us!
Granny teaches Reece what a SONIC cup looks like.
THIS KID HAS THE BEST SMILE!
Our Boys
Whereever he is, she's right there. Sorry Dylan but she loves loves loves you!
WE MAY NOT HAVE IT ALL TOGETHER, BUT TOGETHER WE HAVE IT ALL!
Love and miss you all already! Thank you for loving and supporting us always!
They were supposed to arrive Friday after lunch early afternoon. I was working and in typical clinic fashion, I silenced my cell phone and ignored the loud rattly, vibration against the wooden desk. I called them back an hour later before several of my last patients. I'M SO GLAD I DID.
Jill told me that they had been stopped on the road to give a statement for the horrific crash they had witnessed on Rabbit Ear Pass about 18 miles outside of Steamboat. She said that they were re-routed and would be on the road longer than expected because the pass was now closed due to the wreck. A woman had been swerving violently lane to lane and they had called 911. While on the phone reporting it, she hit a fuel tanker head on and burst into flames. They watched as the car burned, helpless to do anything. Thankfully the trooper arrived within 3-5 minutes on-site and attempted to put out the flames. My heart dropped as she told me knowing that they had all just witnessed something terrible, the boys included.
Thankfully they got to my house about the time I was getting off work. It was the best feeling in the world walking into a loud, noisy, excited house. I laugh thinking back about Friday night because we were all SO glad to see each other we were practically sitting on top of each other on the couch, in each other's face talking and completely content. I knew at one point I was sitting right next to Jill talking and the rest of the couch was open. I DID NOT CARE. It was so good to see her and everyone that I was literally glad to be near all of them again...and obviously near meaning as close as possible. (LOL)
Needless to say, we had a great weekend of foods, fall festivals, parks, shopping, games, church and togetherness. It just does not get better than that. Kent giving me a hard time for nothing and me egging him on. Sharla and I delving deep into our discussions about what God is doing and where we want to go with Him. McKenna talking about work and home and knowing that we were now just hours apart! Callee and Reece screaming and running through the house. Jill and I just enjoying watching the kids play and catching up. Game night of mexican train dominos and Hedbanz and senseless laughter til you can't sit up straight and laughing just because you forgot what was really funny in the first place. These days are what memories are made of. These are the times when you wish family were closer, but thankful for the technology that makes it partially possible. The only thing that would have made it better was to see my dad and see our dogs again too.
I'm so grateful for my wonderful family. Each one of them is special. I love those boys and miss them. I miss the big family meals and weekends we had back home. I'm glad McKenna and Callee are close to us. It does make me dive deeper into why I'm here and why we said yes to Steamboat and fellowship. It is giving us more of a chance to become a closer family ourselves. I was reminded of that tonight as Reece read me a book and as Cale ran wildly through the house. While we are missing our family we are thankful for the experiences that God is giving us here. What a wonderful place to have an adventure and become the best version of therapist and self that I can become. Lord teach me as I go. Lord teach us how to listen and let you lead.
Oh the memories they give us!
Granny teaches Reece what a SONIC cup looks like.
Aunt Jill giving Cale a dip in the pool
Graduation 2005 am/pm :)
THIS KID HAS THE BEST SMILE!
Baby Drew
The cool cats
WE MAY NOT HAVE IT ALL TOGETHER, BUT TOGETHER WE HAVE IT ALL!
Love and miss you all already! Thank you for loving and supporting us always!
Monday, September 22, 2014
A Time TO
A time to mourn. A time to dance. A time to pray. A time to cry. A time to plead. A time to be silly. A time to search. A time to learn. A time to serve. A time to study all night long...over and over and over. Now a time to remember and time to support.
College. What a time in our life that will never be again! A time to meet people and stretch ourselves beyond the borders of expectation and realization. A time to grow into our own. And meet some of the best people we will ever meet.
This last weekend we took the family to Denver and got to see 2 friends from college. Leigh Christensen who I spent countless hours with during my time at WBU watching movies, rewinding movies, praying, laughing, getting into nothing but good, frisbee golf, etc. Oh my goodness those days! We laughed as the kids ran through the Aquarium and all but diving into the sting ray petting tank, soaking themselves and laughing all the way. What sweet memories.
The second was breakfast with Brandon White and his sweet wife and new baby. This guy! He carried me through the rough days after Jody's wreck more than he will ever know. Took me to the hospital, Paradigm worship at FBC Lubbock, and was just hilarious during a rough time. Brandon has an amazing heart. It was awesome to hear the experiences that he has had to bring him where he is today. It was only brief and a snapshot but so good to reconnect with him. I know the Lord has given him incredible influence where he is today and that is awesome to see.
Today was another day. I forgot to put my phone on silent at work today at fellowship which I never do. My phone rang to "Defy Gravity" from the desk drawer and quickly rushed to silence. I looked later at the end of the day and I had 2 messages and 1 missed call from Crystal Morton Leake in Alaska. My dear friend and accountability girl still...she had 2 prayer request. One was a friend's mom. The missed call referred to a tragic FB post today. I quickly checked FB to find the sad news about Matt Rusher and my heart broke for his wife Amanda. If you remember or know, she lost her dad only a short time ago.
I made a quick FB post earlier about what a great place Wayland was for me especially in times like this when memories rush back and remind us of friends and fellow Christians we have met along the way. My heart hurts for Amanda tonight. I'm so reminded of the time spent at Wayland and serving on rejoice/rec at Highland Lakes with them. How incredible to know people that have a heart for the Lord. How special to share the common ground of serving the Lord together. Matt was amazing. He's resting now and having a party up in heaven, No DOUBT!
Wayland, Wayland. What a special place. Glow in the dark golf. Pizza party at the last golf hole by an Owen dorm window (JULIE!!!). What a blast those days were. What preparation they were for so many days ahead. The Lord is good, faithful, and true.
I have only a few closing thoughts that I will exercise when I finishing typing. My heart is heavy. There is only one remedy for this. Pray and worship. For anytime the Lord moves it is on a mountain where the worship happens. Wherever or whatever the mountain may be. There's no other way for the heart to express joy, grief, tears, relief than to worship.
Psalm 99:9
Extol the Lord our God and worship at His holy hill, for the Lord our God is holy!
Psalm 22:3
But You are holy, O You Who dwell in the holy place where the praises of the Israel are offered.
Psalm 99:9
Extol the Lord our God and worship at His holy hill, for the Lord our God is holy!
Psalm 22:3
But You are holy, O You Who dwell in the holy place where the praises of the Israel are offered.
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