Ride on!

I’ve not been feeling well for several days now, so today I’ve been lying around watching everything from Trading Spouses to Dancing with the Stars. I have to admit, I would never get on television and humiliate my family like some of the people do on several “reality” TV shows, but it sure would be cool to build up enough courage to be able to enter a contest like Dancing with the Stars.

One year for our anniversary, I gave my husband a plaque that has a derivative of the following saying written on it:
"You've gotta dance like there's nobody watching,
Love like you'll never be hurt,
Sing like there's nobody listening,
And live like it's heaven on earth."
— William W. Purkey

My husband and I are both in choir at church. I admire how he can totally let himself get lost when he performs a song for our congregation. He doesn’t care what anyone thinks. He has a great voice, and his performances show the passion he has for every song he sings. Everyone is always commenting on his abilities. I, on the other hand, love to sing – and I have to admit that I have a good voice, too – but, I don’t have all the showmanship he has when he is really “on”. However, I get up there anyway, and give it all I’ve got.

My point is this… You gotta listen to William W Purkey. Life can be uncomfortable, but life can be a real good ride. Ride on!

Our Deepest Fear...

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light not our darkness that frightens us. Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn't serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.
- Nelson Mandela, inaugural address, written by Marianne Williamson

Will You be My Friend?

I took my granddaughter to McDonald’s this morning to enjoy Ronald’s “Playplace”. She’s never there more than five minutes before she has a slew of kids hovering around her. “Hi, I’m three years old. Will you be my friend?” Do you remember when saying that was all it took to get someone to be your best friend for a lifetime? I just can’t see me walking up to someone and saying, “Hi, I’m Jane Doe. I’m forty-four years old. Will you be my friend?” I’d probably end up on the psych ward at the local hospital.

When children are little - in order to bring another child into their inner circle - all they need to know about you is if you know how to play hide and seek. Why does the “qualifications list” get so much added to it over the years? By the time kids reach high school, their group is restricted to… just the popular kids… just the jocks… maybe the band “geeks”. And it only gets worse as we get older!

The pressure doesn’t let up, in general (by my observations), until adults hit their late 30s. Maybe by then we all realize it’s not a competition after all. We CAN be friends without worrying about… did my tennis shoes costs the most... is my child in the best school… who owns the biggest house.

The saying goes – “Everything I ever needed to know, I learned in Kindergarten. “ Let’s make sure we don’t forget it!

Thought for Today

“A friend is someone who understands your past, believes in your future, and accepts you just the way you are.” - Unknown

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall

I was watching "House" today - a TV show about a very unorthodox doctor, named Gregory House - and he was trying to diagnose a patient's symptoms. If you ever watch the show, you know that all of the patients on this show have extremely difficult diseases to diagnose, and most aren't figured out till the last ten minutes of the show. Well, this episode wasn't any different.

The patient that was being evaluated this time basically had a type of amnesia - but with a twist. He suffered from a disorder called "Mirroring". Mirroring is a term which describes imitating or copying another person's characteristics, behaviors or traits. So, this guy basically became whoever was in the room with him. Because of this, it made it very difficult for the doctors to find out what was wrong with him.

Anyway, long story short... I really could relate to this character. You see, when I was at the height of my illness - when I wasn't taking medication or seeing a therapist on a regular basis - I counted on the people around me to "show" me how I was suppose to act in particular situations. My emotions were so far off the mark that I knew if I said and did the things my brain was telling me to say and do... well, it wouldn't have been pretty. (Unfortunately, a lot of times, I wasn't able to control myself.)

Thankfully, after 10 years of regulated medication and "honest" counseling, I feel like I am finally free. I feel like I am in control of myself. It's an amazing thing to FEEL emotions and be able to express them. God has been good to me. I am able to be ME - not a mirror of someone else - but the creation He made me to be. Thanks be to God!

What's MY Gift?

My husband was working on my car today. It ended up taking about 5 hours to do what should have been a 15 minute job. It seemed like every time he turned around – another problem. Sometimes, when he’s working on plumbing projects or something similar, the same thing happens.

You see, my husband was blessed with the many gifts – being mechanically inclined was not one of them. However, if you want to know something about the inner workings of some business deal or how a financial structure is set up – He’s your man. Heck, he has even built a home computer from scratch. He is a prime example of the fact that we all are blessed with different kinds of gifts.

It’s written throughout the Bible (1 Corinthians, Romans, and Ephesians) that God has given each of us gifts for the common good. What type of gifts? Wisdom, Knowledge, Faith, Healing, Miraculous Powers, Prophecy, Serving, Teaching, Encouraging, Contributing to the Needs of Others, Leadership, Showing Mercy and still others.

These gifts are not just offered to a select few of us… not just to the wealthy… not just to the intelligent… not just to the beautiful… not just the healthy - EVERYONE is loved by God and precious enough to Him to receive His gifts and His Grace. But, it’s up to us to nurture and cultivate these gifts, so they stay strong and vital in our lives.

How do we find out which gift is ours? Well, I went to the following website: http://www.churchgrowth.org/analysis/intro.php and took their test. My results showed that TEACHING was my Spiritual Gift. Actually, I’ve taken several tests like this before and teaching has always shown as my response… which works out pretty good, since that’s where I feel I’m drawn to serve in my church anyway.

So remember, all of us have been given a special ability from God. You may not be aware of what yours is yet. But, rest assured, He knows.

By the way, through no fault of my husband - my car still isn't running... LOL!

And it was good...

I went to a retreat this past weekend. Unfortunately, I had to leave early (for a wedding), and didn’t get to hear, what turned out to be, a fantastic keynote speech on Saturday night. However, a great friend of mine called me today and told me a little bit about it. I was so excited about the material that I'm using some of her ideas here with you!

If you are anything like most people in today’s society, your day is filled from the time your feet hit the floor in the morning until you get back in bed at night. It’s just how the world has evolved. In fact, I facilitated a workshop a couple of years ago - called “Hyper Culture” – where I listed comparison statistics, from 1950 to 2005, showing that the number of hours worked in the week has increased, while vacations and time spent with the family have significantly decreased .

Why do we feel like we need to go, go, go? It’s the EXPECTATION placed on us! But the expectation is coming from man NOT God. What does God expect from us? God wants us to live our lives in His image. In order to determine God’s character (image), we need to go directly to the source… the Bible.

In Genesis, God created the entire world in one week. That’s a lot of stuff in a short period of time. I’m sure He could have rushed and completed everything in – oh, I don’t know – three days. But God didn’t do that. He worked on one masterpiece at a time, and then He stepped back and admired He creations... “And God saw that it was good”. And then He rested… ”And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day”.

We could learn a lot from God's example: Sit back and admire our accomplishments, Rest before we take on another task, Take the time we need to clear our minds and organize for the upcoming job, Acknowledge to ourselves... "and it was good".