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What’s Stopping You From Running the Race?

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What’s Stopping You From Running the Race?

What’s Stopping You From Running the Race?

*Repost: Originally posted 5/12/2015

Do you ever have those weeks where you just feel like you’re running a race?  OK…so I’m going to be completely honest with you and tell you that what I had originally intended to post this week isn’t completely finished yet.  We have definitely been “running the race” in our household lately!  It has been pretty busy with the end of school nearing for my kids including all of their end-of-the-year activities.  College finals were this past week for both my husband, Eric (taking his—FOR THE VERY LAST TIME!!!) and for me (giving finals and getting my course grades finished up and posted).

We also had my sister-in-law’s graduation for her Master’s degree, along with an array of other goings-on…baseball (when it wasn’t raining), church meetings, my niece’s band concert, a teacher conference, and a birthday party which included a full-blown panic attack and angry momma-bear incident by me when my son fell off of a platform without railing head-first while playing at a local paintball complex.  Thankfully, my son is fine and was obviously protected by angels because he could have easily broken his neck the way he fell.

On a positive note though, we have been super excited to be preparing for Eric’s graduation this week!  WOOT WOOT ERIC!!!! CONGRATULATIONS!!!!  I don’t know who is more excited…me or Eric?  His degree has been 11 years in the making (due to only being able to take 2 classes at a time while working full-time and supporting a family), so he’s been running the race for quite some time now in that arena.  He’s worked really hard for it, so he is probably a little more excited than I am. 🙂

A reminder about our races

Then, with Mother’s Day this past weekend, “running the race” seems like an understatement.  I’m sure many of you can empathize with all of the busyness of this time of year.  Instead of trying to rush and finish my original post, I decided to pull something that I wrote several years back.  That’s the benefit of writing things down and saving them for a rainy day (quite literally here in Oklahoma lately).  It actually seemed to suit the occasion quite well too because I had entitled it “Running the Race”.

In honor of Eric running the race and finishing up to move on to another, and in honor of all of YOU who are also running the race in a variety of ways, here is a reminder that I had about running the race… Continue reading →

Funny Friday: A nap and a snack

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A nap and snack meme

Funny Friday: A nap and a snack

“This is your gentle reminder that one time in the Bible Elijah was like, “God, I’m so mad! I want to die!” So God said, “Here’s some food. Why don’t you have a nap?” So Elijah slept, ate, and decided things weren’t so bad. Never underestimate the spiritual power of a nap and a snack.” ~Courtesy of Joy Marie Clarkson, @joynessthebrave

“Elijah was afraid and fled for his life. He went to Beersheba, a town in Judah, and he left his servant there. Then he went on alone into the wilderness, traveling all day. He sat down under a solitary broom tree and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, LORD,” he said. “Take my life, for I am no better than my ancestors who have already died.” Then he lay down and slept under the broom tree. But as he was sleeping, an angel touched him and told him, “Get up and eat!” He looked around and there beside his head was some bread baked on hot stones and a jar of water! So he ate and drank and lay down again. Then the angel of the LORD came again and touched him and said, “Get up and eat some more, or the journey ahead will be too much for you.” So he got up and ate and drank, and the food gave him enough strength to travel forty days and forty nights to Mount Sinai, the mountain of God. There he came to a cave, where he spent the night.” 1 Kings 19:3-9 (NLT)

Funny Friday: Rinse Cycle

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Rinse Cycle meme

Funny Friday: Rinse Cycle

My sister replied to my earlier post this week about recognizing God’s voice telling me that she had a Funny Friday story that would fit perfectly. She told me that she and my nephew were heading home from Wal-Mart recently when they had this conversation…

One day when it was raining…

My sister to my nephew: “The sky is spitting.”

My nephew: “Why?”

My sister: “I don’t know. Ask God.”

My nephew says a quick prayer asking God.

My sister: “What did God say?”

My nephew: “I’m not sure. I asked God for a sign.”

Then they passed a sign, “Welcome to Coweta.”

My sister: “Is that it?”

My nephew: “No.”

Then they pass a car wash.

My sister: “Is that sign it?”

Then at just that moment the digital sign scrolled and read…

“Rinse cycle.”

“…It will be washed off by the rain…” Ezekiel 13:11 (ISV)

How to Recognize God’s Voice

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Learn how to recognize God's voice

Image Credit: ohmega1982 via FreeDigitalPhotos.net

How to Recognize God’s Voice

“Then he (Jesus) added, ‘Pay close attention to what you hear.  The closer you listen the more understanding you will be given—and you will receive even more.’”  Mark 4:24 (NLT)

I previously shared a post on What Does God’s Voice Sound Like?  I’d like to share some more tips on how to learn and recognize God’s voice.  God’s voice becomes more familiar as we grow in relationship with Him.

God’s voice becomes more familiar as we grow in relationship with Him.

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This is very similar to meeting a new friend.  At first, we probably don’t recognize their voice very well, and they have to introduce themselves when they call on the phone.  However, the longer we are friends and the more time we spend with them (and hear them talk), the easier it is to recognize their voice.  Eventually, they won’t even have to say who they are or introduce themselves.

I didn’t recognize my husband on our first date

The more time spent with someone makes them more familiar and more recognizable.  My husband, Eric, just loves to tell the story (aka make fun of me 🙂 ) about the time we went on our first “official” date.  I went to meet him at a mall.  He was waiting outside the front door for me, and I walked right past him because I didn’t recognize him.  We hadn’t known each other very long in my defense, and he DID have a baseball hat on pulled down low over his eyes!  Nevertheless, he will NEVER let me live it down.

I shudder to think of all the times I must have done the EXACT same thing to God—walk right past Him due to not recognizing Him when He was standing right in front of me.

It’s getting easier for me to recognize God’s voice the more I mature and the closer I get to God.  In hindsight, I wish I would have learned to recognize God’s voice a lot sooner.  I can look back on my life now and see poor choices and/or missed opportunities where I had a “red flag” but didn’t realize at the time that God was speaking to me.  Some things that I’ve learned along the way are the “What”, the “When”, the “How” and the “Why” of God speaking.  My goal is to share a few of these things with you in hopes that you too can learn to recognize God’s voice so that you might miss fewer opportunities or make fewer poor choices.

Recognize God’s Voice in WHAT to listen for: Continue reading →

Remembering the Tulsa 1921 Race Massacre

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Remembering the Tulsa 1921 Race Massacre

Right now in Tulsa, Oklahoma we are commemorating a very dark part of our city and state’s history, the 100th anniversary of the race massacre that took place in Tulsa on May 31st and June 1st of 1921. I was born and raised in the Tulsa area, yet I was never taught about this horrifying event in school. I didn’t learn of this bleak and shameful part of Tulsa’s history until I was an adult. In fact, I was quite ignorant of it. However, I’ve learned that we cannot let our ignorance further perpetuate injustice.

“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.” Hosea 4:6a (NKJV)

We cannot let our ignorance further perpetuate injustice.

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I mentioned last year, that the more I have educated myself on issues of racial injustice and systemic racism, the more my eyes have been opening and the more empathy I have developed. As my empathy has grown, my internal sense of justice has also increased along with my desire to respond to injustice.

Be a part of the conversation of injustice

I didn’t learn about the race massacre because others were silent. As I’ve also stated before on issues of racial reconciliation, my goal is just to be a part of the conversation and to be a voice instead of remaining silent. I never want my silence about issues of injustice to give people the impression that I am somehow a supporter of injustice or racism. Therefore, I feel it is my obligation to speak up and speak out into my sphere of influence.

Silence in the face of evil quote

Deitrich Bonhoeffer on events of the Holocaust

“Silence in the face of evil is itself evil. God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act.” Dietrich Bonhoeffer

“To say nothing is saying something. You must denounce things you are against or one might believe that you support things you really do not.” Germany Kent

“In the end we will remember not the words of our enemies but the silence of our friends.” Martin Luther King, Jr.

“He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it. He who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it.” Martin Luther King, Jr.

“There comes a time when silence is betrayal.” Martin Luther King, Jr.

Silence, apathy, and indifference can be a sin.

“Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it.” James 4:17 (NLT)

Repentance is required

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9 Tips for Overcoming Procrastination

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Do you have a problem with waiting until the last minute? Here are 9 Tips for Overcoming Procrastination

9 Tips for Overcoming Procrastination

*Repost: Originally posted 11/11/2014

Okay…I have a confession.  I completely procrastinated writing this week’s post.  Typically, that’s not a normal occurrence for me.  Time management is usually a forte of mine, but I do tend to slip into bad habits and have a lapse of judgment from time to time.  I know, shocking, right?!

Anyhow, I had good intentions of writing a little bit at a time and finishing up over the weekend.  However, I did everything BUT that…graded papers and essays from my college classes, watched TV, went shopping with my mother-in-law for my birthday gifts (who could pass that up!), ran errands, and just really enjoyed not having to sit at football practice nearly every night (even though I usually did get a lot of work done AT practice).

When I finally decided to sit down and write, I prayed about what to write first (as I always do).  I apologized and told God that I had been procrastinating and that I should’ve started sooner.  I asked if He had any ideas for what He wanted me to write about.  Guess what He said…Write about overcoming procrastination.  Ha!  He’s a funny guy.  I love that God has a sense of humor. 🙂

Procrastination is a trap

Procrastination is such a trap because we don’t know what tomorrow will bring.  We may put something off until tomorrow, and then when tomorrow comes something unexpected may come up that prevents us from doing that thing we procrastinated.

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

“Yet you do not know [the least thing] about what may happen tomorrow. What is the nature of your life? You are [really] but a wisp of vapor (a puff of smoke, a mist) that is visible for a little while and then disappears [into thin air].” James 4:14 (AMP)

Procrastination is such a trap because we don’t know what tomorrow will bring. (Proverbs 27:1)

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Overcoming procrastination is actually a topic we spend quite of bit of time on in the college classes that I teach.  I love showing this comical video clip from Ellen DeGeneres because many can relate (maybe you can too):

I created a handout for my college students with some tips for overcoming procrastination since it was a problem that many of them said they were still dealing with.  That’s what I’d like to share with you (and myself!) today. So here are some practical steps to overcoming procrastination… Continue reading →

The “Right Way” to Practice Spiritual Disciplines

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The “Right Way” to Practice Spiritual Disciplines

I’ve been seeing and hearing a lot of Bible teachers (bloggers, speakers, influencers, etc.) teaching about the “right way” to practice spiritual disciplines such as reading scripture, studying the Bible, hearing from God, praying, praising, journaling, fasting, evangelizing, discipling others, teaching others, etc. While I know this teaching is usually good-intentioned, so much of it comes across like and feels a bit condescending and condemning…and honestly, even a little bit arrogant and know-it-all-ish too.

Recently, I’ve even been getting some chastising emails and comments about the “right way” to quote scripture and the correct translation to use. (Most remarks are reprimanding me for not using King James Version ONLY when I quote scripture.) People send emails and comments that I’m not leading people to Christ in the “right way” or not approaching how we should pray in the “right way”. I’m amazed that people truly believe there is only one “right way” to do things and that God leaves so little room for margin in how we should have relationship with him.

I don’t believe this to be so.

I really believe that God is not quite that rigid and will meet us where we are. What I’ve personally learned is that God is pretty forgiving, and there is a lot of grace. Even when there might be a preferred, better, more effective, or more efficient way to do any of these spiritual disciplines, God can and will still work regardless of any of our mistakes or misgivings. Jesus clearly demonstrated that he is not legalistic. Jesus is loving, not legalistic. Even if we are not where we might need to be, he will lovingly and patiently guide us there.

I say all the time… ”God will meet you where you are.”

Even when there might be a preferred, better, more effective, or more efficient way to practice spiritual disciplines, God can and will still work regardless of any of our mistakes or misgivings.

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Promoting a “right way” can lead to self-righteousness

As I was reading my Bible this past week, my belief that there is not only one “right way” to practice spiritual disciplines was reinforced.

Matthew 9:14-17 (NLT)

“One day the disciples of John the Baptist came to Jesus and asked him, “Why don’t your disciples fast like we do and the Pharisees do?”

Jesus replied, “Do wedding guests mourn while celebrating with the groom? Of course not. But someday the groom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast.

“Besides, who would patch old clothing with new cloth? For the new patch would shrink and rip away from the old cloth, leaving an even bigger tear than before.

“And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. For the old skins would burst from the pressure, spilling the wine and ruining the skins. New wine is stored in new wineskins so that both are preserved.””

I was reading Matthew 9:14-17 where John the Baptist’s disciples came to Jesus and asked why his disciples didn’t fast. Jesus replied with comments about celebrating not morning when with a groom, not patching old clothes with new cloth, and not putting new wine in old wineskins.

As I read Matthew Henry’s commentary, I understood this better. Henry suggested that believing and professing that their practices were the “right way” was likened to being self-righteous because they boasted about the way they did things, such as fasting often. Henry states,

“There is a proneness in professors to brag of their own performance in religion, especially if there by any thing extraordinary in them; nay, and not only to boast of them before men, but to plead them before God, and confide in them as a righteousness.”[1]

Dependence on a “right way” leads to spiritual bondage

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Scriptures About Hope

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Scriptures About Hope

“We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure…” Hebrews 6:19a (NIV)

Hope is eager anticipation and expectation for something we desire that we don’t have yet. Hope is important in life because it can keep us stable and secure in an ever-changing and volatile world. The Bible says that hope is an anchor for our soul. Here we have a mental picture of an anchor holding a boat secure. Because of the anchor, it will not float away, get off course, or wreck.

Similarly, this is what hope does for us. It holds us and anchors us to be steadfast so that we don’t drift away or wreck, especially during the storms of life. When chaos surrounds us, hope holds us steady. Hope also helps us in the waiting process. The words “wait,” “wait confidently,” or “wait patiently” often go synonymously with “hope” throughout scripture. Sometimes the words interchange from translation to translation.

When chaos surrounds us, hope holds us steady.

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We can get our hope from God, his son Jesus, his Spirit, and his word (the Bible). The Lord will be our encourager and will give us hope. God’s word, the Bible, gives us hope through what we read, the examples we see, and through the promises contained therein. Additionally, we should put our hope IN God. We can see examples of this and encouragement to do this throughout scripture. This is especially prevalent in David proclaiming this throughout the Psalms.

Because hope will be an important component of a healthy relationship with God and others, I’ve put together a reference or resource page with some helpful scriptures about hope.

Sources of hope (the Lord, God’s word/Bible, Jesus, the Holy Spirit)

“Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him.” Psalm 62:5 (NIV)

“You are my refuge and my shield; your word is my source of hope.” Psalm 119:114 (NLT)

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)

“And his name will be the hope of all the world.” Matthew 12:21 (NLT)

“Through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.” Romans 5:2-5 (NIV)

“For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.” Romans 15:4 (NIV)

“I say this because our hope of being right with God comes through faith. And the Spirit helps us feel sure as we wait for that hope.” Galatians 5:5 (ERV)

“I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people” Ephesians 1:18 (NIV)

“This letter is from Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus, appointed by the command of God our Savior and Christ Jesus, who gives us hope.” 1 Timothy 1:1 (NLT)

Be steadfast in hope, hope when there’s no reason to hope

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