I can’t tell you how many conversations I have where the people I’m conversing with tell me how important community is to them. The longer and deeper we talk, the…
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She hooked my arm and pulled me off to the side. “How are you?”
For a brief moment I contemplated generically saying, “Good, how are you?” simply so I could get on with my day. But this voice at the back of my mind told me this time it had to be different.
If I want anything to change about the way I do community, then I have to be willing to step out and lead.
So I went for it.
There are days when I’m running on the treadmill and I don’t have it in me to run. There are days when I’m watching a World Famine commercial on TV…
I saw a gratitude challenge floating around Facebook recently that caught my eye: “List three things you’re grateful for.” The goal was for people to post three things per day…
I called my friend because I knew. I had spent two full days stewing over thought-chaos that had exploded in my brain. I was stumped, confused, tired, frustrated and I…
You know when you’re walking down a road, you think you know where you’re going, and suddenly you realize you don’t? There are forks in the road, you don’t know which one is safe to take, and which isn’t. So where do you go? You could just stop walking, sit down in the road and hope life comes to you while you sit there. Or, you take a deep breath, say a prayer, and take one of the paths before you.
Trust is hard. Leaps of faith are scary. But sometimes – sometimes they lead you here. To safety. To unspeakable joys, to a life of gratitude you didn’t know was even possible.
“I hate Father’s Day,” the bootless guy said.
“Dude, that’s weird. Why?”
“People go all out for one day then forget about the meaning of the celebration every other 364 days. I get to hear how awesome of a guy I am for one whole entire day, but then the very next day it’ll be back to being bagged on for everything I DON’T do. It’s bogus.”
It was an insightful conversation to eavesdrop on and I began to think of the dude’s in my own life: my dad, my husband, my step-dad, my father-in-law, my Grandpa’s, my brother-in-laws, my nephews and all my guy friends.
When I am around these men, do I take a few moments to tell them what a great job they’re doing? Do I pat them on the back and acknowledge how hard they work and how hard they try to live with integrity and character in such a tough society?
I bet it’s hard to be a man. I’m betting they could ALL use a little more encouragement.
Maybe it’s time us girls start being as strong for them as we expect them to be for us!
Everywhere I look I see signs of summer.
Green grass.
Sun shining.
Birds soaring.
Bees buzzing.
Kites flying.
I also see other signs of summer.
Tent Trailers.
Boats.
Sports cars.
Motor homes.
Sea-Doos.
But before we head into such a bright time of year, perhaps we should re-define “essential” and “must-have.”
I was laying in bed one night picturing this long tunnel of a life that never seemed to get less complicated. This sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach told me this was life unless I was prepared to do something about it.
I applied the first thought that came to my mind – NO – and I discovered: when you give up what you think you need so you have to time to build what you really need… you find authentic community. You discover belonging. You feel supported. And loved. And valued. You understand what the Bible means when it describes iron sharpening iron.
Why do this?
Because life is too precious.
Time is too short.
The Kingdom call is too compelling to waste time living for anything or anyone else other than how Jesus would have me live.
Two nights of music. Two completely different experiences. One profound epiphany.
Night #1: Justin Timberlake concert.
Night #2: Impromptu sing-song with a group of no-names in the back of a Salvation Army ministry van supporting the forgotten ones tucked away in the corners of dark alley’s, broken streets and broken dreams.
Everyday we are presented with countless opportunities to love the forgotten, care for the broken-hearted, look after the widows and protect the orphans in their distress. We don’t need to be standing on an expensive stage delivering a perfect performance to a sold-out crowd to do that.
Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.
Have you ever considered that to someone else, YOU are their Justin Timberlake?
