laugh of the week...

I've never been a huge Kermit fan... too many people confused me with him :) but I did get a chuckle when I saw this one...

giving thanks...

"We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures."  - Thornton Wilder

I am grateful not just for the little things or the obvious things, but everything that matters. I think Wilder had it right. When we are consumed with what we don't have rather than what we do, we become lost in "want" rather than "have." I have been blessed with so many treasures and I try to stay conscious of those things every day... not just Thanksgiving Day. I try to journal every day with at least five things I'm grateful for... it's a sweet reminder just before I try to sleep each night.

Some of my treasures in no particular order... 

1. my family - After having not seen my family since the summer, it was such a relief to come home Wednesday. I'm only home for barely more than 48 hours so this definitely about quality rather than just quantity. My parents, sisters, bro and bros-in-laws and my nephew (zac is missed fo sho) have made this a great mini-vaca.

2. my friends - I have friends all over the country and I'm grateful for each one. God has placed people in my life at the perfect time to remind me not just who I am, but whose I am. 

3. my faith - I have absolutely no idea where I'd be without my faith. I'm so grateful for God's plan for my life and His ultimate sacrifice sending Jesus to the cross to pay my debt. Life here on earth doesn't always make sense, but I'm trusting His direction and holding on to His hope. 

4. my job - There are stressful days, but having experienced unemployment and knowing so many people without a job... I am grateful for a job. I have had so many opportunities to meet so many people and do so many things I wouldn't have had otherwise. 

5. my sense of humor - Some people may not always appreciate it, but my humor... the ability to laugh can be the extra push to get me through a tough situation or a hard day. When we look at the big picture... does it really matter? We need to laugh at ourselves. 

I could go on and on and be more specific listing person after person, but in reality I just want to be thankful... every day. Or as my friend wiz might say... 'er day.

laugh of the week...

this one goes out to one of my new favorite comedies...

Soft kitty, warm kitty, little ball of fur...

passive aggressive social media...

I've been pondering this blog for awhile... questioning my intentions... wanting to make sure I'm asking myself the same questions I'm about to ask all social media users..

I am constantly questioning the point of my tweets and facebook posts. I'm sure I'm not innocent in it all, but I guess my hope is my presence online would be an encouragement to someone else. Sometimes that may be through a laugh, but I hope it's not at the expense of someone else. There's a fine line and I want to make sure I'm treading carefully.

My big question tonight is about the passive aggressive posts/tweets... It seems we need an outlet to vent so we turn to social media and post what we think (or maybe hope) are cryptic updates in an effort to create something similar to an inside joke amongst our friends while calling someone else out. Sometimes the wrong person thinks the post was about them and more passive aggressive posting ensues. My suggestions for alternative ways to handle it...

1. pray... I keep trying to go here first but it's definitely not instinctual yet for me. He's the best listener... and a whole lot better than any of our followers/friends.

2. talk to the person you're secretly posting about... Sometimes they're angry thoughts toward a former friend... sometimes it's someone you've never met... sometimes it's a crush or a former flame... the hashtag #oomf for one of my followers is more than awkward to me. I'm really good at tweeting something I want someone in particular to read and wish we were as close as we used to be. But it's silly... if I really miss someone, I should be able to tell them. If I'm mad at someone, I should be able to tell them. If I'm not ready to tell them, I don't think I should be tweeting about it.

3. walk away from technology... A coach once told me after a heated situation with a player he always takes 24 hours to cool off before doling out punishment to ensure the emotion has been taken out of the situation. Would you want to tweet/post that same update 24 hours from now? Sometimes I think we need to just walk away from the smart phone or the iPad or laptop or whatever device we're using to creep and take a break. Go for a run, read your bible, call a friend... anything to put life in perspective.

I still believe in social media. I believe it's a positive thing... we can communicate so much faster... and hopefully better. I just want to practice being a more positive participant.

"To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived-- this is to have succeeded." - Emerson

laugh of the week...

Sinbad's still around?! Absolutely! And speaking TRUTH!

too picky...

I'm so grateful for friends who feel comfortable holding me accountable. It becomes almost easy to encourage our friends, but I think it's so important to also challenge each other.

One of my best friends who I've known for 15 years and served as her maid of honor picked my brain a bit regarding my singleness. She's always encouraged me to not sweat it... God has a plan... etc., but this time she dug a little deeper to ask why certain guys weren't appealing to me or why relationships hadn't worked out. I still believe most of my relationships that haven't worked are because we weren't on the same page in our faith journey. I think I settled. They met everything else on my list of "must haves" or stayed off of the list of "deal breakers," except having a relationship with God that comes first before everything else. Her point was what if we reversed it... if someone was completely sold out for Christ and putting Him first, does anything else matter? Can we throw out the lists? I wanted to keep non-smoker on my list and she even challenged that... saying he could work on it. I had to ask myself... was I being too picky?

Fast forward a week later and I had a chance to go on a date today. He confirmed he was a Christian and despite not having gone to church in a few years, said he "certainly would go with you and be more involved. You might need the person I need to get me back on track." Those are the hard ones. It's flattering to know I could help encourage someone in their faith journey, but I'm not sure how much I think it should coincide with a dating relationship or even male-female friendship. He seemed nice enough and I continued to talk to him before agreeing to meet him today. The last few days I grew uncomfortable with his forwardness. In a relationship it would probably be considered sweet or romantic, but 24 hours into communicating or three days into texting, I was uncomfortable. I kept challenging myself... am I being too picky? Or is this God nudging me? To be honest, I'm not sure he met the first requirement to allow me to drop my other requirements.

I've just been challenging myself to discern God's guidance with my own pickiness. I don't want to be picky... but I also don't want to settle out of impatience.

Here's to not being picky within God's will...

suitcases...

I heard Dara Maclean's song "Suitcases" months ago and can't get it out of my head. I feel like we're always looking for this balance between baggage and freedom. We're afraid to be "free" for fear of stepping outside of God's will... but instead we carry around burdens from our past. How can we be free and not screw up?

Maclean teamed up with Ian Eskelin to write the song and it speaks to letting go of the burdens and running free. Even then I have warning lights going off in my head for fear of running away from something rather than running to God.

Believe it or not... I'm a thinker. I overanalyze and I question and as much as I want to believe I'm not making decisions based on what people think... I confess I am. I want to be free from that. I want to be free from past mistakes. Free from doubt. Free from pain. Free from fear.

Maclean's song definitely does not give us the magic cure. She literally says, "Just let them go." I'd like to think if it was that easy, we would have done it a long time ago. Or is it that easy? God broke off the shackles more than 2,000 years ago when Jesus took the blows for us. We don't need to suffer under guilt and insecurities... we are free.

"I want to paint a picture of God's complete restorative love and how through Christ, we have an opportunity to live free," shares Maclean. "This song does just that."

"To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, 'If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples.Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.'" John 8:31-32 (emphasis added)

laugh of the week...

During the summer I was much better at posting these... but thought I'd try to get back into it now that fall sports have essentially wrapped up.

Today we have Chonda Pierce...

church...

Church... and the role of church in our lives has been on my heart lately. One of my friends found an amazing church a couple of years ago and I really think it changed her faith. Another friend went through a life-changing experience and afterward, he got plugged into his church where people surrounded him with love and acceptance.

In a discussion Friday we were talking about moving and church. People move for jobs all the time, but don't often move for church... unless church is your job. I took that as before accepting a job or moving to a random city, it makes sense to do your research and "interview" churches just like you would be interviewed for a job. If you're plugged into a church you love, usually your pastor will have suggestions of other churches across the country based on pastors or mentors who he trusts. With today's internet, often you can watch a service from the comfort of your own home thousands of miles away.

With that being said... a discussion Saturday reminded me how sometimes we replace God with church... or pastor so and so... or book such and such. That church didn't save you... nor did that person or that book. God did. God uses people to do His work... but I think they should be pointing us back to Him. Too often I feel like people can start to worship the pastor or the church instead of God. I don't think that gives us an excuse to not get involved or not to go... but like most things, there is a balance.