Ouch

We have officially been in Colorado for six days; skiing for 5 days, with a one day break and I'm smoked! I have bruises on my shins that cause me to whimper at the slightest bit of pressure. So you can imagine that the force caused by my inertia while I try to gracefully glide down the mountain is more like a scary movie where I try not to crash.  To add to the out of control dance I seem to be choreographing, my quad muscles have never been this exhausted. It's like I'm tempting fate every time I choose to point the tips of my skis down the mountain.

I am far too stubborn to waste the money we spent on lift tickets and quit skiing. But even more than that, there is an amazing thing happening here at Snowmass this week. The DAV (disabled vets of America) is hosting their Miracle on a Mountainside for the 25th year. There are skiers and snowboarders with no legs, with one leg, half paralyzed, and blind. And those are just the men and women I have met. There are about 325 vets and twice as many volunteers making this miracle happen.

It's so inspiring to see these disabled vets and volunteers all over the snow. From the bunny slopes to the most rigorous black diamonds there is so much strength and love. The strength it takes for a blind vet to get on skis and navigate down a slippery snow-covered mountain side and the love and patience it takes for two volunteers (one in front as a vocal guide, and one behind with guide straps to use if necessary) to take something they love and apply it to someone who couldn't do it without them. It makes me want, even more than ever before, to make a positive impact on the world!

Reflection Question: How will you make your positive impact on the world?

photo used with permission

All There Is

Is Jesus really all there is? My husband recently said to me, "All your writing seems to have a theme. You always say that God is the only important thing, what about your family?"

I told him at the time, "you have a point, I will think about that." Here is what I've come up with...

Jesus says, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength." (Mark 12:30)

Notice the word "all". Then notice that "all" is repeated four times. If you give All of your heart, mind, soul and your strength, that doesn't leave much for anything else.

"Any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple" (Luke 14:33)

So, then what does it mean to give your all to God. Should we all then become monks in a monastery and spend the rest of our days in silent prayer? No, of course not. That's silly. It's actually way harder than just That!

We are to love others. So wait, YES our families are important to spend our energy loving. Not just saying I love you at the end of a phone call or email and not just a goodnight I love you kiss before bed. True Love to ALL (there's that word again).

If you're at all like me, there doesn't seem to be anything harder than a vow of silence at a monastery. Consider with me, though, what love really is:

"Love is patient (even when the lady in front of you at the grocery has 3 types of food stamps).
Love is kind (even to your boss when you swear they have tried to sabotage you).
Love does not envy (even when your neighbor buys that new car you've been saying you want but can't afford)
Love does not boast (even when you were so right and they were so wrong)
Love is not proud (even when you accomplish something everyone said you couldn't)" (1 Cor 13:4, added comments mine)

I could stop there and most of us are ready to sign up for the "silent thing", but it goes even deeper.

"Love Does not dishonor others (even when they deserve it)
Love is not self-seeking (even when it deserved it)
Love is not easily angered (even when you're in rush hour traffic)
Love keeps no record of wrongs (even when you want to remind your husband of that horrible 1st Valentines Day together)" (1 Cor 13:5, comments added mine)

In the end I have concluded that both answers to the question at hand are wholly correct. God is Everything. He IS The prize. And by making God everything, you will make his people everything.

""The King will reply, 'Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.'"(Matt 25:40)

The two greatest commandments, Love God and Love others. (see Matt 22:37-40). You really can't have one without the other. You cannot truly love God and not love others and you also cannot truly love others without first loving God.

Reflection Question: Are you trying to love God without loving others, or trying to love others without first loving God?

Things

 

A co-worker of mine has a nice car. It’s not the newest car ever, but it is a quality brand and it’s paid for. Joe, like many men, really liked his car. He and his wife don’t have any kids yet, so you could say that the BMW was Joe’s baby. He keeps it clean, he waxes it, and it shines a beautiful blue color in the sunshine.

While on the way home to visit his family in some nasty weather, Joe was pushing his luck a bit in his sporty car. All of a sudden the slick street took control of the car and it started to slide and spin. Going about 60 mph the BMW hit the highway divider. Thankfully he didn’t hit anyone else during his acrobatics, though during that storm, there were three car wrecks at approximately the same time, two of them ended in fatalities.

In the end, the car was deemed a total wreck, but Joe walked away. He was so thankful for his life, especially after learning of the other two fatalities. Although he was angry at himself for his recklessness, and the financial burden he would have to put on his family to get a new car, he realized that things are just that, things. Life is what is precious.

“For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” (2 Cor 4:17-18)

If we are so focused on the “stuff” in our life, we are probably not placing enough attention on the only thing that matters in this world. God. I wonder if God wasn’t trying to get Joe’s attention. Maybe He wanted Joe to stop focusing in what he has, and start focusing on Whose he is.

“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.” (Heb 12:1-2)

Reflection Question: How is God trying to get your attention on Him? Are you listening?

story used with permission

Cut it Out

A friend of mine went to the hairdresser to get her haircut, it was overdue, but she has a beautiful little girl and her days are full of playing. After all the work had been done on her, she went to pay her bill… the cashier said “your bill has already been paid by someone who loves you.” She was so surprised and thankful!

Isn’t that just like our story with Christ? We have spent our days playing and trying to be good, but yet still sinning. When all of the work has been done preparing us to meet God, we fumble and try to pay our own bill with the “good works” we’ve done, we say we’re “mostly good” right? Then Jesus says to us, the bill has been paid. Your sins are forgiven. And we will be amazed and so thankful!

“For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.” (James 2:10)

“Therefore, my friends, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. Through him everyone who believes is set free from every sin, a justification you were not able to obtain under the law of Moses.” (Acts 13:38-39)

Just think for a second how cool it would be if someone paid for you, at the hairdresser, at the grocery store, for dinner. And then consider how amazing it is that Jesus pays for every sin we commit. Every thought of hatred or lust, every time we’ve gotten drunk and done things we knew we shouldn’t, every time we’ve chosen not to love others. He paid it all!

Reflection Question: Are you still trying to pay for your salvation? Cut it out! The bill has been paid. 

story used with permission

Will Today Be The Day?

I woke up to news about an earthquake in Japan and a Tsunami in the Pacific. This week, I was talking to some friends about the mysterious bird and fish deaths… and then, is there something about the Mayan Calendar and 2012? What is going on in the Middle East?

I admittedly do not know much about the “end of days”, but I do know that it took a significant event in my life to cause a significant change in my life. I do know that the days will end, at least my days will. I also know that it could be today or tomorrow.  I am so arrogant if I think that I will have a tomorrow.

“Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.” (James 4:13-14)

“Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth.” (Pro 27:1)

If today were the day that the world ended, and you stood before your maker, what would you say? If he asks if you lived your life selfishly, or if you lived for Him, what would your answer be? Will Jesus step in, will Jesus proclaim to the Father that you are His, or will he say ‘I never knew you.’

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ (Matt 7:21-23)

Why do they call the Gospel “Good News”? …The Good News is you can make a decision TODAY, to be His, to live for Christ, to know your Salvation and to live a life filled abundantly with His unending Joy!  You can actually know the God who created the earth, the sun, the stars, the beach, the mountains, and every tiny delicate flower.

If you make a decision to dedicate your life to Him, please don’t do it alone! Send me an email to let me know about your decision. That is So exciting and I would love to personally share with you, what that will mean in your precious life!

Reflection Question: Will Jesus be there to testify for you, or will he say “I never knew you”?

Like Children

While we were in Target, my son and I saw a lady who goes to our church…. well, used to apparently. I said “Hi” and asked if she was still attending Fellowship, since I hadn’t seen her there recently. She said that she was not going, and that she still needed to find a new church. Without missing a beat, Caleb says “why aren’t you allowed in Church?” She explained that it wasn’t that she wasn’t allowed in church, she just wasn’t going anymore. Caleb then asked her, “but why would you do that? You need to go, that’s how you learn about God.” She squeamishly agreed with him and said that she does need to work on finding a church. She then was in a much bigger hurry to get along with her shopping.

 

“and said to Him, “Do You hear what these are saying?” and Jesus said to them, “Yes. Have you never read, ‘Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have perfected praise’?” (Matt 21:16 NKJV)

 

There are two services at our church, so it was possible that she was just going to the other service. I honestly wasn’t trying to convict her, just trying to be friendly since I recognized the lady.  Turns out, when as an adult, I am too “politically correct” God uses the sincerity and honesty of my children to do my bidding. It is also a testament to what my sweet son is learning. I now can be sure that when he whines about going to church that he does know why we go to church and what he is learning there and why that is so important. 

 

“Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.” (Proverbs 22:6)

 

Thank you Lord for your little glimpse of reassurance.

 

There is no great complication of things in the mind of a child. They don’t try to reason why sinning is okay, they know when they’ve been bad, and usually they cry about it. We adults usually talk ourselves into why not following God’s way for our lives is, “okay” because….X  Y or Z. We should humble ourselves to become more like children. We should mourn our bad decisions and behavior and ask for forgiveness. Maybe even give ourselves a "time out" to consider why we did what we did, and how we are going fix that behavior in the future.

 

“And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.” (Matt 18:3-5)

 

Reflection Question: How will you become more like a child today?