W.I.L.D. Women

I went to a dinner the other night that celebrated W.I.L.D. women. The dress code for the evening was animal prints, and believe me when I say that these women showed up in tops, skirts, dresses, shoes, belts, earrings, scarves, handbags, and as a few of the gals shared, even underwear! Fortunately, most women chose to wear only one or two pieces of animal-inspired clothing so it was fun rather than a zoo-keeper's worse nightmare.

The words "party girl" may have immediately come to mind. And in a way, we did celebrate party girls, just not the kind you might be thinking of. No, these party girls are women in lifelong development for God. Get it? Women In Lifelong Development.

Debbie Alsdorf -- the creator of this visionary thinking and our hostess for the evening -- says that WILD women are radical in their belief that living God's way is the only way to live a fully intentional, purposeful, peaceful, love-filled, joyful life. She didn't say a painless, no-problem, easy, have-it-my-way kind of life. WILD women actively spend their entire lives growing in Christ, not just resting on the laurels of their mountain top experiences. That means growing in Him through our trials and tribulations, which are coming just as sure as the sun rises and sets every day.

More on WILD women later. In the meantime, I'm looking cute as can be in my leopard print earrings and my zebra-inspired Sketchers. Oh yes, and did I mention my bra?

For You

This has been making the email circuit and was sent to me by Cinderella--maybe you received it, too.

To: You
Date: Today (and everyday)
From: God
Subject: Yourself
Reference: Life

This is God. Today I will be handling all of your problems for you. I don't need your help. So, have a nice day. I love you.

The New Kitchen Prayer

I have been wanting a new kitchen for three years. It's a big outlay of cash and certainly a big headache while the construction is going on. The cash thing has kept us from doing it, because honestly, we'd rather take another trip to anywhere than face the kitchen remodel. It's so daunting to think about all the little details that go into designing our "perfect" kitchen; from the features to the choice of materials.

And then, of course, there is the mess and disruption associated with a kitchen remodel. After all, we have to keep eating which means either take-out for who-knows-how-long, or backyard bbque, microwaves and refrigerator in the garage.

Then our pastor shared the new kitchen prayer. "Sometimes," he said, "the Lord answers our prayers one appliance at a time."

Wow, could I relate to THAT prayer. Lord, just give me my new kitchen one step at a time. I could deal with that and it would satisfy the desires of my heart without massive headaches. Or would it? It might require even MORE patience on my part to get my new kitchen piece by piece. In fact, the idea sounds kinda crazy. And what if the timing was such that I got my new sink but the cabinet that would hold the sink is another 6 months from arriving, and I had no operable sink that entire time?

Do I have what it takes to pray the new kitchen prayer over all of my life, let alone just that one room in my house? Do I have the faith to say, "Your timing, Lord. Your way."? Hmm, I don't know if I like this new kitchen prayer. I need to meditate on this one. Although, I don't know if I have much of a choice because it's so typical that when I rush into something important or try to figure it out all myself, it never turns out as well, nor am I as blessed, as when I wait on His timing, His way.

A Nasty Word

I was convicted today to write about a nasty word. It's not one of the mundane 4-letter nasty words that are kicking around, but one that is much more inflammatory. It invariably raises eyebrows even for the most cynical among us; especially since it's definition is a hot topic of debate. That word is sin.

Stick with me now. I know this is an unpleasant, uncomfortable, questionable subject.

I used to think sin was what other people do, you know, stuff like murder, grand theft, arson, rape --- you get the idea. I didn't think of myself as a sinner. Then I got to know God better, and to know HIS definition of sin. I sucked in my breath. I didn't like it. I bristled at the idea that we are all of a sin nature. Oswald Chambers says it well.

"You may talk about the lofty virtues of human nature, but there is something in human nature that will mockingly laugh in the face of every principle you have...the fact that there is wickedness and selfishness, something downright hateful and wrong, in human beings...or do you have a view of yourself which includes no recognition of sin whatsoever."

Yes, I had held the latter view. After all, I'm nice to people (most of the time), I haven't killed anyone (although I must admit I have felt a twinge of road rage now and again), I haven't robbed a bank (although I did rob my piggy bank once) -- none of the big, obvious stuff. But again, the more I sat with God, got to know His character, His perfection and His expectations, the more I came to realize and accept the obvious truth. I am a sinner.

Let me share God's words on the subject from Proverbs 6:16-19:

"There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to Him:
*haughty eyes
*a lying tongue
*hands than shed innocent blood
*a heart that devises wicked schemes
*feet that are quick to rush into evil
*a false witness who pours out lies
*and a man/woman who stirs up dissensions among brothers/sisters."

The first time I read this I stopped short at the first item on the list and sucked in my breath. Haughty eyes Oh, yes, I can be very prideful and puffed up over of an assessment of my own abilities. Haughty eyes. Not needing God. Doing it all on my own. Aren't I just special?

After I caught my breath on that one, I realized that I wasn't safe on number two -- a lying tongue. I've told a lie or two in my lifetime. I have to admit I'm a terrible liar so most my fibs were minor, but God doesn't categorize lying into the big lies and the small lies. So there you have it, two out of two so far on the sinner's scale.

Number three -- hands that shed innocent blood. Whew, safe on that one. At least one can be crossed off my sinner's score card.

A heart that devises wicked schemes. We can argue over the semantics of "wicked" but if we go with the dictionary, the definition starts out "vicious, depraved" then heads over to "mischievous or playfully malicious" down to "obnoxious, offensive" and ends with "formidable, excellent." Okay, I may not be vicious or depraved, but I can think of a time or two in my life when I have been mischievous, obnoxious and formidably excellent! That makes me three out of four on the sinner's scale. This is getting serious!

Heaven help me. Feet that are quick to rush into evil. Doing the dictionary thing again, "evil" has so many definitions that I will just write down a few: "morally wrong, malevolent, causing an undesirable condition such as pain or ruin, foreboding, undesirable, anger, spite." Yep, you guessed it. I particularly ran head long into evil at a time when I wished my ex-husband and his new wife all kinds of bad things.

My sinner's scale is heating up. At least I got a reprieve on a false witness who pours out lies. Under oath, anyway, my words are as good as gold.

And finally a man/woman who stirs up dissensions among brothers/sisters. I"d be lying if I said I hadn't done that a time or two in my lifetime.

So there you have it. A sinner on 5 out of 7 of the things that God hates and despises. But this is just the short list! There are all sorts of human behaviors and attitudes that bum God out; sadden and anger Him at the same time. It all comes down to disobedience. Disobeying the granddaddy of all His commandments --

Love your Lord God with all your heart, mind and body. And love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.

Forgive me, Lord, for I am a sinner. Thank you for your precious gift of salvation and forgiveness. Thank you for your unconditional love. Help me to be obedient, and therefore a better person. Help me to walk in your shoes to love others as You do.

Hidden Gems

this story was passed along by Peppermint -----


A man was exploring caves by the seashore. In one of the caves he found a canvas bag with a bunch of hardened clay balls. They didn't look like much, but they intrigued the man, so he took the bag out of the cave with him. As he strolled along the beach, he would throw the clay balls one at a time out into the ocean as far as he could.

He thought little about it, until he dropped one of the clay balls and it cracked open on a rock. Inside was a beautiful, precious stone!

Excited, the man started breaking open the remaining clay balls. Each contained a similar treasure. He founds thousands of dollars worth of jewels in the 20 or so clay balls he had left.

Then it struck him. He had been on the beach a long time. He had thrown maybe 50 or 60 of the clay balls with their hidden treasures into the ocean waves. Instead of thousands of dollars in treasure, he could have taken home tens of thousands, but he had just thrown it away!

It's like that with people. We look at someone, maybe even ourselves, and we see the external clay vessel. It doesn't look like much from the outside. It isn't always beautiful or sparkling, so we discount it.

We see that person as less important than someone more beautiful or stylish or well known or wealthy. But we have not taken the time to find the treasure hidden inside that person.

There is a treasure in each and every one of us. If we take the time to get to know that person, and if we ask God to show us that person in the way He sees them, then the clay begins to peel away and the brilliant gem begins to shine forth.

May we not come to the end of our lives and find out that we have thrown away a fortune in friendships because the gems were hidden in bits of clay. May we see the people in our world as God sees them.

Power of Positive Thinking x Infinity

I spent a couple of hours yesterday afternoon enjoying a nice cup of soy chai, basking in the warm sun, sharing an interesting conversation with an equally interesting person. Our talk veered to the plethora of self-help books on the market. Have you noticed that dozens of new self-help books are published every year? Does that mean the already-published ones don't work, or we're dense and need reinforcement, or there are just so many areas to cover that the authors haven't covered them all yet?

An ever-present topic is the power of positive thinking. You know, the glass-half-full, you-can-do-it, everything-you-need-is-already-inside-you kind of stuff. I have to say that no human author can come close to plugging me into the sustaining, endless, positive voltage that I get from God. I mean, here's the guy who created everything, controls everything, knows everything --- and He takes great pleasure in hooking me up to his power line, for Pete's sake!

My three sentence, power of positive thinking mantra comes straight from God's owner's manual.

The Lord your God is with you...He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing. (Zehaniah 3:17)

If God is for us, who can be against us? (Romans 8:21)

...for nothing is impossible with God. (Luke 1:37)

It works for me!

We're Loved ---It's Worth Repeating

"For you (Lord) created my inmost being...I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made." (Psalm 139:13-14)

"How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are." (1 John 3:1)

"God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in her..." (1 John 4:16)

Living like we're loved. I read an article in this morning's paper about Mary J Blige, and how she suffered for years from self-doubt and a feeling of worthlessness. After a series of bad relationships, she is now happily married to a man who uplifts her and makes her feel like a woman worthy of being loved. And as a result, she has learned to love herself.

Mary says, "Once I found love, I found self-love. It's the awareness that someone cares about you, so why don't you?"

Living like we're loved. It's amazing that we don't get how we are loved. We turn to fallible humans for our measurement of how lovable we are, when the God of the universe, our Creator, wants to lavish on us His most unconditional, unmeasurable, undeniable, unending Love.

Living liked I'm love. At all times, no matter what the circumstances, I want to treasure the knowledge that I am special, lovable and loved because I was made by Him, I am loved by Him and I was uniquely chosen to be His. Self-esteem doesn't get much better than that.

Hello Neighbor

"She who refreshes others will herself be refreshed." (Proverbs 11:25)

"Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones." (Proverbs 16:24)

I have found at least one good thing from the obscene increase in gasoline prices --- more people are getting out by walking or bike riding. That means more opportunity to make a face-to-face connection, even if it's just a simple smile and "hello". I like it.

Mirror Mirror on the Wall

"All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be." (Psalm 139:16)

"She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come...Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who is in awe of the Lord is to be praised." (Proverbs 31: 25, 30)

The Census Bureau's 2008 Statistical Abstract of the U.S. (how's that for a title?) shows that more than 11.4 million cosmetic procedures were performed in 2006 (wait, I thought this was a 2008 abstract) of which 3.1 million were for Botox injections. Okay, I don't know about you, but bee-stung lips and startled-looking eyes are not my idea of beauty or youth. Are people (because men are not immune to the call of youth) really that obsessed with lookin' good?

For the record, I am not talking about cosmetic surgeries that are done for medical reasons. Or those that are done to correct a disfigurement that could lead to psychological problems. I'm talking about people who think they are cheating father time. I dislike being the one to bring you back to reality, but, hello, it's going happen --- you are going to get OLD. Gee, and along with getting old, you might even pack a bit of wisdom in those brain cells of yours. But somehow trying to cheat father time and gaining wisdom seem like an oxymoron.

Oops. am I preaching again? Nope, just calling it like I see it. Oh, and say hello when you see me at the local spa. (I'm not totally immune to the call of vim, vigor and vitality.)

Oh Happy Day

Happy Summer Solstice! For me, this day is hard to beat. The longest day of the year. Sunshine. Warmth. And being outside for hours and hours. Good Morning America featured a researcher who says there's an actual formula that proves that today is the happiest day of the year (I assume that's just for the Northern Hemisphere). I don't need a formula. Today makes me feel like a kid again and that's good enough for me. Thank you, Lord, for simple pleasures.

Smiling

From my friendly real estate/mortage loan team at www.williamsteam.net. Enjoy!

• Where do forest rangers go to "get away from it all?"
• What do you do when you see an endangered animal eating an endangered plant?
• If the police arrest a mime, do they tell him he has the right to remain silent?
• Why do they put Braille on drive-through bank machines?
• What was the best thing before sliced bread?
• If you ate both pasta and antipasto, would you still be hungry?
  

and

Change is inevitable, except from a vending machine. (anonymous)
Even if you fall on your face, you're moving forward. (Victor Kiam)

Entrusted

I know God will not give me anything I can't handle. I just wish that He didn't trust me so much. --- (Mother Teresa)

Undeniable Faith

Go to the left side of this blog, down to web resources, click on lorriscancerupdates and read her June 18th post.

We All Have a Song Within Us

A bird does not sing because it has an answer--it sings because it has a song. (Chinese proverb)

Blessing

this post is from Muffy

I think if we all woke up in the morning and sought to be a "blessing" to all people we come in contact with, our lives would be more fulfilled, less self-absorbed, and contain a greater sense of purpose.

Hold the Sugar and Marshmellow Fluff

Criticism serves to make (me) harsh...and cruel, and leaves (me) with the soothing and flattering idea that (I) I am somehow superior to others.

Ouch. Oswald Chambers tells it like it is. No fluff, no sugar coating.

To Be or Not to Be

God saves a person, fills her with the Holy Spirit, and then says, in effect, "Now you work it out in your life, and be faithful to Me, even though the nature of everything around you is to cause you to be unfaithful." (Oswald Chambers)

To paraphrase a famous quote: to be faithful or not to be faithful, that is the question. It's not like I start my day thinking that I will be unfaithful, or will only be unfaithful on certain things. It's not only the nature of everything around me, but my nature, that causes me to stumble.

I would be heartbroken if my husband was unfaithful to me, and I expect him to walk in faithfulness to me. Yet I break my heavenly Bridegroom's heart daily because I am unfaithful to Him in so many small ways. It's comforting to know He loves me unconditionally -- even though I may fail Him; I may disappoint Him; I may sadden Him.

Thank You, Lord, for Your sweet, passionate, life-giving love.

Legacy

Happy Father's Day, Dad! I miss you very much. I struggle with disbelief that you have been gone a year. I struggle with uncertainty as to your salvation. But I do not struggle with the reality of who you were as a man and a father. I know for certainty the quality of your character and the depth of your love for your family. You were a man of honor, dignity, integrity, truth, and you were a heck of a lot of fun, too. Thank you, Dad, for being my wonderful dad. Your legacy lives on in your grandson -- my son.

Perpetual Sunshine

It's a great day in my neighborhood! My happy bird is back this morning with her joyful singing. My son is home for a visit and I cooked a big, old-fashioned waffle, eggs and sausage breakfast. My husband just finished cleaning my car inside and out. And we're getting ready to hop on our bicycles and head to the farmers' market in our historic downtown. Thank you, Lord, for the small things in life that make it a great day indeed.

Happiness is a Song

I went out this morning to sit on the front deck, drink my morning cup of tea and read. It's a lovely way to start the day. The hot summer sun isn't beating down yet, the air is refreshing, the neighbor's sprinklers are on and the birds are welcoming the day.

This morning I had an extra treat. If you've read any of my blog, you know I love birds. The birds serenade me every morning but today, a new voice has been added to the mix. I don't remember seeing or hearing this bird before, but it loves to sit on the tippy top of the trees and sing its heart out. And what a beautiful (and loud) song it is. If happiness is a song, then this bird is one happy creature! Thank you for sharing your song.

Passing this one along from Kelley----

After last time (the Groovy Tuesdays) met, I had really been feeling down and under persecution for a couple of weeks. I have tried to stay in God’s word and be obedient and fast and pray. The day after I met with you all, I had a very clear impression from the Lord that I should go “apologize” to the people who had been angry with me because even though they were really spiteful to me, I had hurt them somehow. (Priscilla Shirer's) Bilbe Study has really been speaking to me in such a perfect way as God confirms what he is telling me in that and in his word. I have always heard God’s voice, but I really love this study and how it has helped me so specifically to hear the Lord during this time!

“God’s voice and His Word lead me to peaceable relationship with others.”

“”God’s voice comes with such force and weight that it makes a resonating impact on your human conscience.”

(Priscilla Shirer)

And so I got the guts up to go talk to these people and the Lord went with me. I apologized for hurting them and told them I wanted to clear the air. I didn’t change any of my decisions, but they were really receptive and thankful that I came over to talk. God is so good. I walked away with a ton of bricks off my back. I never even thought of this as a solution. But God knew best. A gentle answer turns away wrath. As God whispered this in my ear, I knew he was right!

So my hope is that my last year coaching can be a positive season still. I still am going to be obedient to what I think God has called me to do, which is to step down so that he can do something new in me and my life.

Here is the quote I was referring to by Priscilla Shirer.

“The Lord wants to do something new in your life. What He has accomplished in your life has been extraordinary, but He doesn’t want you to cling to it anymore. He has something new for you, your family, and your ministry.”

Thanks so much friends!!!

Kelley

Come to Me

"Come to me. Our Lord's words are not, Do this, or don't do that, but Come to me. If I will simply come to Jesus, my real life will be brought into harmony with my real desires." (Oswald Chambers)

Keep Going One Day at a Time

It's working so far ---- I have been asking my husband on a regular basis how I can bless him, and this question is blessing both of us. And, my brothers and I have been peacemakers in our relationships with each other. I know it has only been days since I committed to both of these actions, but it only takes 21 days to create a new habit, and I'm getting there one day at a time.

A Good God Indeed

One of our Groovy Tuesday women received a clean bill of health after a long siege of chemo and radiation for cancer. To put it in her words, she has just taken the first steps in a 5-year marathon towards being declared totally cancer free, but those steps have been huge. Her biggest step was a step of faith in a good God, believing that He would be her protector and encourager --- and that whatever His will was in the outcome of her battle, it would be her will as well. We will have a lot to celebrate when the Groovy Tuesdays get together this month.

Human Connection

Was "talking" to a woman in Switzerland via email today about how the Lord has equipped her in a big way to reach out and minister to the women in her church. While the location may be half way around the world from me, I could totally relate to the deep desire for human connection and meaning . From my travels it seems to me that despite cultural differences and language barriers, we all need loving relationships, a safe place to live and prosper, and a connection to someone or something other than ourselves. It's a shame all the other stuff has to get in the way.

Day One and Counting

My brothers were here celebrating Mom's birthday. We can totally entertain ourselves as we are never at a loss for eating and talking. Unfortunately, the conversations can sometimes turn negative and critical as we feed off each other's sarcasm. We used to think this was hilarious but now we see it as egotistical and sometimes just plain mean. It's a yucky thing to confess, but it's a blessing that our eyes have been opened. We made a pledge to be more positive, forgiving and kind. Today is day one and counting.

A Celebration of Time

Speaking of time, Mom is 92 today. You go girl!!!

Time Keeps on Slipping, Slipping, Slipping

I went to my step-granddaughter's 8th grade graduation last night. As I sat there and watched 350 excited, restless kids sit through the ceremonies, time flew back to my junior high graduation (oh, sorry, the new term is middle school). It was a zillion years ago but the memories returned fresh and bright. And that's exactly how I felt when I graduated from Walton Junior HIgh School in Auburn, Maine --- fresh, bright, capable of taking on the world. Funny (or maybe not so funny) how time wears down our edges, redirects our thinking and we come out wiser (hopefully). The trick is to embrace my new-found wisdom to enrich my now while still believing in the potential for my future.

Truth or Oprah's truth?

Through her webinar study on E. Tolle's book, A New Earth, Oprah has opened the door wide open to discussion on truth, empowerment and god. Over 27million people are attending these webinars. That's 27million seekers. Oprah is a powerful public figure but I'd like to suggest that basing Truth on her endorsements is like trusting the Good Housekeeping seal of approval on spiritual matters. She is a woman with an opinion, and that's all she is. Neither Oprah, nor Tolle, are the source of Truth. Truth is truth -- not you have your truth and I have mine. And there can only be one source of Truth. I believe that source comes from the one and only true God (with a capital G).

Unexpected Question

I have been asking my husband a question for the past four days that has left him somewhat speechless. Every morning I have asked, "How can I bless you today?" The first day his answer came quickly but the answer was fairly generic. By the fourth day he really didn't know what to say.

Oh, I am liking this! I mean, I think of myself as a pretty good wife, but this is stepping out in an unexpected way for both of us. The first day, it was harder for me to ask than for him to answer because I was a little nervous about what his answer might be. I mean, what if he asked me to step out of my comfort zone, or heaven forbid, do something that might take extra energy or thought on my part? But by the fourth day, I was positively smiling inside before I asked him because I know I am blowing him away with this question. I'm beginning to think that just asking him the question is blessing enough.