The Gaps

More and more studies are coming out that social media status updates give us a distorted, unrealistically positive view of our friends' lives and this in turn negatively affects how we feel about our own lives.

(this photo cracks me up by the way...profile pic anyone? hahaha)

When all we see are posts about engagements, job promotions, babies, new houses and new cars, it can definitely leave us feeling depressed, jealous and/or unsatisfied after just a few minutes on Facebook. (see full article here at http://news.menshealth.com/facebook-self-esteem/2012/02/12/)

But I guarantee if you were to pick up the phone and talk to that friend or co-worker, a new puppy and a tropical vacation are not the only things going on in his/her life. They have crappy stuff going on just like you and I do.

But "Headache all day. My cat puked on my couch and I got a speeding ticket for $200"  just doesn't tend to make for a great status update that people will "like" or want to keep in touch with you about.

Photos and status updates can skew our perspectives of our own reality and our friends realities. There's a quote from the movie Just Married that says "You never see the hard times in a photo album, but those are the ones that get you from one happy snapshot to the next." THIS IS SO TRUE.

While you are conetmplating this, I want to share with you about "The Gaps".

(this is the Gap logo and I altered it just for this blog article, original photo credit goes to GAP.)

 I attended a conference a couple years ago where the speaker ( I can't remember her name unfortunately) put forth the idea of "The Gaps" of life and it has stuck with me ever since. The premise is this:

We have a plan for our lives... a "script"...full of expectations and goals for ourselves that we think are surely the way things should be.  We tend to treat God like an actor in the script we've written and tell Him how we think He should act and what He should do to fulfill His part in our story. (Dear God, Please do "abc" and make "xyz" happen. Amen) Our script, more often than not, is based on a collaboration of movies, fairy tales and unrealistic expectations and Jesus is an extra as needed. (You know the idea- college degree at 22, perfectly in shape and happily married at 25, at the top of my career in a job I love at 27, amazing house and dream car at 28, beautiful brilliant children and dog by 30 etc.)

(from The Joneses movie)

  When God doesn't stick to our script a.k.a. life doesn't go as planned, we tend to not understand and be angry, depressed etc. We find ourselves stuck in the space between our desires and our reality and thus we are living in the GAP. And the thing that struck me most about this is...
The Gaps of our lives are Holy Places.
 God is in the Gaps and His Grace is sufficient for us, His power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore, rather than trying to push through or avoid the Gaps, if we embrace living in this place then Jesus can become our Hero...not just an "extra" in the Script of your life. For truly, He is the Author and Perfecter of our faith in the first place.  He is writing the greatest story ever told.

So with all this in mind, I have been hesitant to post much on Facebook lately, and specifically I have held off on our pregnancy announcement because I wanted to share all these thoughts here first.  

I know so many of us are living in The Gaps. I have friends that thought they would be married by now and aren't, that wan't to have children and can't, that had a career all planned out and are sitting home unemployed.  We get lost in status updates about vacations, marriages, promotions and pregnancies while living in the GAPS of divorce, infertility, unemployment and loneliness.  We have financial burdens, emotional heartaches and physical ailments that are hard, and real, and I just want to acknowledge these realities to you my friends that I know our lives ARE hard and they ARE real.  My life is not perfect. I have been in scary, horrible Gaps of life and I thank God everyday He DID meet me in those places and carry me through.  And Husband and I are grateful to be in a sweet chapter of our lives where by the grace of God we are healthy and our marriage is strong and we are expecting our first baby in the fall.  But just know that if this is bittersweet for you because as much as you are happy for your friends joys, you feel so alone in a Gap that you never wanted to be your reality, my heart is with you, and my prayers are with you, and I can promise you, it won't always be this hard.  Your story may end up looking different than you planned, but it has been filtered through God's hands

and He TRULY does work all things together for good for those who are the called according to His purpose.  Trust in His goodness and His purposes and may you have new perspective as you walk in this chapter of your life. I pray that you will find living in the Gaps to be Holy Ground for you.

Any Day Resolution

The start of a new year often brings reflection and thus the idea to resolve to do some things different.  Most years I'm not one for "New Year's Resolutions" because I think if I'm going to make a change I'm going to change no matter what day it is.  However, this year I read a great article that inspired me to make a (New Year's) Resolution to read my Bible everyday/read through it in a year.  I had done this once before in high school and for a long time have said to myself "well, i've already read through the Bible", but this year I thought, why not do it again?? It's been at least 10 years (shockingly) and I am happy to say

#1- 40 days into the new year I have stuck with it. I am only two days behind schedule and actually the program I am following allows for five "catch up days" a month (aka GRACE which is fantastic for me)

#2-there's a great quote by Nelson Mandela that says "There's nothing like returning to a place that remains unchanged to find the ways in which you yourself have changed." I love this quote for a lot of reasons but in this application, it has been so cool to read through the very same Bible I read ten years ago and see such a difference in myself-my understanding, my perspective, my interest, etc. What a great testimony of God's work in us, slowly but surely over time.

Which leads to #3-I am really enjoying it!  And so far I have *especially* enjoyed the Old Testament (this was definitely not the case the first time around LOL) But the stories in Genesis have been leaping off the page and I find myself drawn to them like a great novel but one full of TRUTH and WISDOM that tells me about God and it's just fascinating! I recently also re-read Gone With the Wind for the first time since high school and in contrast it was so *depressing*. I was so BUMMED at the end and it messed with my head for days. But God's Word is not like that. The Bible is full of so much HOPE and GRACE...woven throughout every page. All that to say, try reading the story of Jacob and Rachel (Genesis 29 ) or the story of Joseph (Genesis 37) and see if it doesn't draw you in!

So a couple words of practical motivation...

Genesis 2:7 "And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being."

God breathed LIFE into Adam. 
This isn't the way it happens anymore, we are born and given the grace of life in the womb (see previous post).

BUT, Scripture does say in 2Timothy 3:16 that "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work."
God breathed SCRIPTURE into being. 

Now...this is the really cool part....

Psalm 119:50, 93 "This is my comfort in affliction, for Your word has given me life....I will never forget your precepts for by them You have given me life."

God breathes Life, God breathes Scripture, Scripture is Life...
Scripture is the way God breathes Life into us. 
Is that so awesome?!? I love it.  What a great gift we have been given!

Think about these questions...
Do you believe God is God? (probably yes)
Do you believe JK Rowling or Dan Brown is the best author every? (probably no)
Have you read Harry Potter or The Da Vinci Code? (probably yes to one or both)
Have you read the Bible? The whole Bible?

Statistics come in that only around 10-20% of professed Christians have read the Bible through in entirety. 92% of households own a Bible, in fact most have at least three copies, and yet only 37% of people read it even once a week. Less than half of the population can name all four Gospels!
 (Sources: http://www.theologicalstudies.citymax.com/page/page/1572910.htm, Sources: http://www.lightspeedbible.com/Press.html)

So here's a link with some resources for you if you are interested in starting but not sure where to begin:
http://www.desiringgod.org/blog/posts/2011-bible-reading-plans

It doesn't have to be a holiday or a birthday to make a resolution. Every Sunday is a new week, every morning is a new day. The very Word of the only Holy God is sitting on a shelf or in a drawer full of LIFE and JOY and HOPE within. Why not make a resolution any day, like today, to pick it up and really read it?

Innocent Blood

Over 11 million innocent people in the holocaust. Over 53 million innocent unborn babies. Racism and Abortion-thinking my life is better, more valuable, more important than someone else's. Same problem, same result. Innocent people, innocent children, have died and continue to die.  They are being murdered.  If a child is born with Down Syndrome and the mother strangled the baby to death when they got home she would go to jail. If a child in the womb has Down Syndrome and she chooses to kill it we support her choice. How is there a difference? This is the same baby...inside or outside of a womb it is obviously the SAME LIFE.

Reasons I have heard for abortion: the mother cannot support the baby, the child was a product of rape/the father is a criminal, the child has a disability, the parents are too young, the baby is simply not wanted.


Now picture a sweet little girl at two years old and I tell your her mother lost her job and can't support her...can she kill her daughter? What if the father robs a bank and goes to jail...should she kill her daughter because of the shame? What if the mother is 18 and struggling to finish school and can't balance school and a child...can she go home and kill her daughter then? Why are we so sick to our stomach at the thought of Casey Anthony possibly killing her three year old daughter but if she had aborted her four years ago we wouldn't have thought twice? 

When is it ok to kill a baby? An innocent child. When is it ok to kill someone because of their religion or the color of their skin? An innocent bystander.  


http://180movie.com/

Please watch this movie. 30 minutes. (warning some graphic pictures, fyi) It will shock you and move you and I hope it will encourage you to think, to act, to fight for justice.  If we do not know our history we are destined to repeat it. Let us not be a generation of ignorance. Let us not be a generation who stands by and does nothing. 


If nothing else we can start by praying. Our prayers may be small but our God is big -John Piper.

³² They (Israel) angered Him also at the waters of strife,
         So that it went ill with Moses on account of them;
 ³³ Because they rebelled against His Spirit,
         So that he spoke rashly with his lips. 
 ³⁴ They did not destroy the peoples,
         Concerning whom the LORD had commanded them,
 ³⁵ But they mingled with the Gentiles
         And learned their works;
 ³⁶ They served their idols,
         Which became a snare to them.
 ³⁷ They even sacrificed their sons
         And their daughters to demons,
 ³⁸ And shed innocent blood,
         The blood of their sons and daughters, 
         Whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan; 
         And the land was polluted with blood.
 ³⁹ Thus they were defiled by their own works,
         And played the harlot by their own deeds. 

From Psalm 106.
No more innocent blood on our hands.Will you think about this with me?
Warning: these links below are extremely graphic, not suitable for children.


http://www.lifesite.net/abortiontypes/ I couldn't even finish this article but if you believe in supporting pro-choice, this is what you are supporting. Be informed. Decide for yourself. Not because of what I say or anyone else says, not because of what is popular or politically correct, but because this is what you believe in your heart to be right.  http://www.shamash.org/holocaust/photos/ Let us not stand idly by during a modern day holocaust. Love your neighbor as yourself...love them because they are a creation of God...love them because we must believe in the value of life-any age, any race, any gender. Sanctity of Life.


p.s. here is a message that includes some points about when life begins, what makes a fetus a life etc. http://www.desiringgod.org/resource-library/sermons/christ-culture-and-abortion

The Day After Christmas

http://www.desiringgod.org/blog/posts/hopeful-post-christmas-melancholy

      This is a short article that has meant a lot to me the last couple years.  No matter how great my Christmas is, it never ceases that I feel a little "blue" the day after.   But this is such a great reminder that it's a GOOD thing that Christmas doesn't fulfill me.  God has put eternity in our hearts so that I cannot be satisfied with simply the birth of Christ. I need the life of Christ... His love, ministry, forgiveness, death, resurrection, banquet table, glory, grace, all of it. 
     So I'm grateful for a beautiful Christmas, time with family, and lots of good giving and receiving, but I'm glad that God has given us Jesus everyday, not just December 25th.

Tebowing for Tebow

In the last couple months, some things have come to light that Gator fans like myself have known for many years: Tim Tebow is a special football player but more importantly Tim Tebow is a special person.  Because of his winning record despite an unconventional playing style with the Denver Broncos, sportscasters are at a loss how to speak about him in the frame of reference of the “normal NFL”.  And because of his character and testimony as a Christian in the middle of a very worldly situation, people in general are overwhelmed at what to think of this man.  It’s come to be a quite polarizing issue in fact. But this is a call to Tebow supporters only, and a call to Christians, to stand alongside this amazing man in his ministry.  How can we do this? I am asking for your help that we would rise up and be found “Tebowing for Tebow”.

 

Tebowing- to get down on a knee and start praying, even if everyone else around you is doing something completely different, has swept the nation in that people have been taking pictures of themselves in the posture of “Tebowing”.  I don’t think most of them are actually “praying” however, it seems they are just taking a picture of themselves kneeling like Tebow .  What I’m putting forth is that we start Tebowing for Tebow and by that actually PRAYING for Tebow.  I believe he is one of the most influential Christians in America today, if not THE most influential, simply because he has a voice with the majority of our culture-NOT just Christian circles.  He’s not on the Christian radio station, He’s on ESPN.  He’s not at a Christian mega-church or conference, he’s playing for NFL on national television. For example, his Thursday night game against the Jets had over *7 million* viewers. The Passion conference in 2010 was 21,000 people. His audience is ENORMOUS. His interviews and articles span the entire internet.  He has a voice with non-believers that most Christians, no matter how eloquent or heartfelt they are, will never have. And as a result, there are a lot of people that HATE him, truly HATE him.  (I was at the Vikings vs. Broncos game and they were downright mean in the crowd.) There is a large group of society that is ROOTING for him to fail-on the field and off.  People are looking for ANY thing that they can use to say he is a fake and to tarnish his reputation.  They have recently hired lip-readers to watch/record him at football games and try to catch him saying a curse word.( http://forums.denverbroncos.com/showthread.php?t=201719 ) This is crazy and extreme and it is not surprising that someone who speaks so passionately about the Lord and who so genuinely lives the life brings out such negativity and cynicism in the world. Jesus told us this would be true of His followers (John 15:18), and no one exemplifies this more than Tim Tebow.  He has been thrust into the limelight; he is in a very worldly profession that praises pride not humility, selfishness and not selflessness.  He is no doubt being overwhelmed by money and the trappings of this world-fame and fortune- that most people would not be able to handle wisely or in a God-glorifying way. But he has, and he continues to be a leader and a good, kind, generous man and a voice praising Jesus Christ over the jeers of the crowd. In the middle of our crooked and depraved generation he is shining like the stars in the universe (Philippians 2:14-16).

So will you pray with me? To pray against the temptations and the people trying to take him down. To pray for his protection physically and spiritually. I’ve compiled some prayer excerpts here from Stormie Omartian to get you started.  If he wins or loses on the field, I will be praying for this man and his ministry that God would continue to use him mightily.  I hope that you will too as I believe the prayers of the righteous are powerful and effective (James 5:16) and I look forward to seeing what God will continue to do through Tim Tebow. 

Tebowing for Tebow:

Lord I pray you would bless the work of Tim’s hands. Open up the doors of opportunity for him that no man can close.  Develop his skills so that they grow more valuable with each passing year.  Let him be like a tree planted by the stream of Your living water, which brings forth fruit in due season. May he never wither under pressure but grow strong and prosper (Psalm 1:3). I pray that Tim would be a good steward of all you have given him financially.  Give him wisdom to handle the money wisely.  I pray that he will not be anxious about finances but will seek Your kingdom first, knowing that as he does he will have all that he needs. (Luke 12:31).  Lord I pray that You would strengthen Tim to resist any temptation that comes his way. Make him strong where he is weak.  I pray that he will not be broken down by the power of evil, but raised up by the power of God. Establish a wall of protection around him and fill him with your Spirit. I pray that you would hide him from violence and the plans of evil people.  Keep him safe, especially on the playing field.   Build him up so that no matter what happens to him he will be able to stand strong through it.  Give him endurance to run the race and not give up.  Enable him to stand for what he knows is right and not waver under pressure from the world.  Make him a man who lives by truth.  I pray that Tim will have a reputation that is untarnished.  I pray that he will be respected and that there would never be any reason for bad things to be said of him. Fight against those who fight against him (Psalm 35:1).  Let them be ashamed and brought to confusion who seek to destroy his life; let them be driven backward and brought to dishonor who wish him evil (Psalm 40:14). I pray that he will be active in service for You all the days of his life.  May his light so shine before men that they see his good works and glorify You Lord. (Matthew 5:16).

Thanksgiving Feast For the Soul

These are some things I am thankful for but I wanted to think deeper with you as to WHY they are so special and maybe deepen our sense of thankfulness for GRACE today. So think with me for a minute…

-The sun could rise and set from blue to black but God gives us the awe-inspiring gift of sunrises and sunsets with colors to often take our breath away

-Speaking of which, nothing says we have to see in color, but God gave us the ability to see the spectrum of the rainbow and I enjoy color so much in every aspect of my life

-We could be nourished out of routine, from a vitamin or a syringe or something, but God gave us an unending palette of foods and the sense of taste and smell to enjoy food and drink.  Lord let me not abuse this gift in gluttony but savor it for the privilege it is. (Ecclesiastes 5:18)

-God could have left Adam alone in the garden. He could have created humans to reproduce asexually, like plants or something, but instead he gave us the joy of intimacy and the blessing of creating a family unit.  (Ecclesiastes 9:9) Not only am I thankful for my sweet husband and awesome parents and siblings, but thankful that they are in my life period.  It is not overlooked that some do not have these people in their life and their presence is truly a blessing I fully appreciate and thank God for.

-The earth could sit still and the sun could rotate equidistantly and we would never have seasons. I am so thankful to experience the warmth of a summer day, the changing of leaves in autumn, the pure majestic snow of winter and the new life that is spring.  I see these seasons metaphorically in life and the display in nature resonates deep within. Thankful today for the circle of life we experience every year.

I think I could go on for a long time but I will simplify to just a few more things in list form that I thank God for the joy of…

-getting lost in a good book. We could have communicated by verbal language only, but God gave us the ability to read and write

- hot showers that could have been cold

- the ability to have our thirst quenched by  a cool clean glass of water thus to know what it is to thirst, physically as well as spiritually, and to have that thirst satisfied (John 7:37)

-laughter, which never even had to exist

-the purring of cats and the companionship of pets… think animals could have stayed in the wild, right?

-the beauty of science and math to help our brains understand all of God’s wonders and know that He is a God of order and not disorder (1Corinthians 14:33)

-best friends, when again, God could have created us to be independent and alone but he gave us friends to share our joys and lessen our sorrows (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10)

-candlelight, instead of a world of darkness

-the ocean, instead of an earth made only of land (photo from Tiffany Weaver Photography)

-the stars, instead of a sky that could have easily just been black

-the details of our bodies! Contemplate hands and fingers and all the functions they perform, eyebrows to keep sweat out of our eyes, strong legs to run and walk and dance, kidneys and livers to keep our bodies clean of toxins… this could be quite a long list! What a gift God has given us. (1Cor. 6:19)

-And yet in all that, we have a body but we ARE a soul (CS Lewis). Thankful that God has created us for eternity, to enjoy Him forever in a new Heaven and a new Earth (Revelations 21) that I cannot yet concept how amazing that will be, but the thought of it brings me joyful excitement.

-And in fact, I have never deserved to be in the presence of God. I have never deserved for Him to hear my prayers, or love me, or protect me. But Christ became my righteousness and I have been justified freely by His grace.  (Romans 3:24) He could have left me on my own in my misery and ignorance and selfish but now I belong to God forever. This grace is a true Thanksgiving feast for my soul.

Hoping you will be mindful of the little things today, that you can thank God for all the beautiful undeserved gifts of grace He has given us to enjoy. Happy Thanksgiving friends!

Partly Cloudy

If you haven't seen this short film by Pixar you must watch it.  Five minutes...here's the link.
Partly Cloudy Pixar on You Tube

WARNING: Do not read the following unless you've watched the movie! It won't make sense and it will ruin how cute the film is.


So now that you've watched it, SO adorable right?!  I love how much the cloud and the stork love each other!! And I love that the stork was so faithful. He could have given up or gotten angry at the cloud for "bad" gifts. He could have gone to serve another cloud or asked his cloud to change but he didn't.  He changed *himself* and their relationship got better because of it. I thought this was just such a sweet picture of love and commitment.  And a creative "win-win solution" right? I dunno, maybe I'm taking too much out of a cartoon but it just really warmed my heart. Hope you enjoyed it too!

Autumn Autopsy

Autumn leaves are shocking.  Trees that are RED or YELLOW or BOTH? This is crazy.  The sky is blue and trees are green…at least they have been my whole life. Now here I am in my first year as a northerner and I can tell you I have been completely and utterly in awe of all of the beautiful fall colors.  

 

I have spent lots of time taking “nature walks” and taking as many photos as I can to try and capture these unbelievably vivid leaves.  And I started thinking about WHY leaves change colors ( I’m sure I knew this at some point in elementary school but I did not really remember). The science of this is a whole other very cool story in and of itself but the summary is that the trees KNOW winter is coming and they KNOW it is time for the leaves to die.  So they start storing up their nutrients which in turn means the leaves change color without those nutrients. And I kept looking at all these trees saying

  “How can something that is dying be so beautiful?”

And then this occurred to me:

Is that an incredible parallel or what?! Oh that we would see the death of Christ as beautiful as we see the autumn leaves. 

So then this whole stream of thoughts came to my mind...All the leaves have begun to fall off the trees.  I look around now and see empty trees and bare branches and find myself kinda sad about it.

Empty trees....like the empty cross.

"who Himself bore our sins in his body on the tree" -1Peter 2:24 

This makes the empty trees not so sad! In fact, what a great reminder of the cross right?

  So then the barren trees usher in winter, a season of cold hibernation with no signs of life. Winter that is gray and dreary and in a snapshot view some might very well say “hopeless”. I imagine this is somewhat how the disciples felt to see their Lord “dead” and “buried” in a tomb.

 

But after winter comes spring…and new life!  "But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep”-1Cor 15:20 

I don't know about you but I find this correlation to be incredible.  What an amazing and beautiful picture God has given us of the story of grace and how sweet that we have reminders all around us! I've always associated Spring with the resurrection...but connecting autumn and winter to his death just really makes the picture complete for me.

To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven...He has made everything beautiful in its time. (Eccl. 3:1,11)

Happy Fall!

Faith Training: Blessing Bag Challenge

The metaphor of running a race is often used in Scripture (Heb 12:1, 1Cor 9:24) and I think the comparison makes a lot of sense.  Being healthy and in shape takes effort and commitment. Building muscles requires working out to strengthen those muscles.  I’d like to push myself, and any of you that are interested, to make efforts to work out our “faith muscles” that in doing so our faith might be strengthened.  How often in our comfy American lives do we really find ourselves in a situation that NEEDS God? In the midst of the everyday, seemingly we work to bring home our OWN money to buy WHATEVER we want, cook our OWN food and “independently” take care of ourselves.  If we have a problem, we Google it. If we’re sick, we take medicine. If we want something, we can pretty much find a way to get it. Of our own actions, we leave very little room to experience God.  Behind the scenes of course EVERYthing comes from God, but we very rarely have moments where we live by faith. Faith says it is hoping in things we cannot see. (Heb 11:1) But where does faith come in if everything we want is right in front of us?

 All that to say, I thought I would share different things God uses to stretch my faith and perhaps you will join me in these experiences.  So for today, I give you the “Blessing Bag Challenge”. (I got this idea from Kids With A Vision kwav.blogspot.com) Fill a large ziplock bag with non-perishable food items, toiletries, etc. and perhaps an encouraging note. I put some crackers, a protein bar, a comb, band-Aids, etc. Then as KWAV said it “store in your car for a moment of providence.” So easy. So awesome.

I will share that there are homeless people pretty much every day out in Minneapolis and I always feel so helpless and overwhelmed driving by. So I loved the blessing bag idea and got to work on it right away.  Putting the bag together was truly a joyful act of love, for a stranger, and I really prayed that God would make clear who to give the bag to. 

A couple days ago I drove by a man that had a sign that said “Homeless for 15 years” and my initial thoughts were “Gosh, how has he not been able to get his life together for 15 years?! He must not really be trying” Quick to judge. Dismissive. I am not proud of it.

Then the next day I saw the same man, with the same sign, and I read the second part of his sign “Homeless for 15 years. I NEED food” and my heart was pierced by this thought…

 “When have I EVER been in a situation where I NEEDED food that I could not get?”

Sure, there have been times where I didn’t have money with me or was driving in the middle of nowhere and hungry but I’ve always known food would be there-if not now but soon. This man has no food, and does not know if it will come. He NEEDS food. I was so ashamed of my judgment and assured that this was the man for my blessing bag.  I felt so bad that he was so hungry I actually picked him up some lunch in addition to the blessing bag.  It was a very humble joy. God taught me a lot through this experience.  It was probably about $10 worth of items in the bag (mostly from my pantry) and about 10 minutes of my time to assemble and write a note. I hope you will make a blessing bag of your own.  I know you will learn much through the experience and it will bring hope and practical blessings to someone who needs it.  May your grace and faith abound always. Go make a Blessing Bag!!

My New Friend Victor

This video was the most beautiful showing of grace I experienced this week. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZvP_SPw7Mwo It is 12 minutes that I think you will find more than worth your time. Victor went to my church. I never had the privilege to meet Victor in person but I look forward to getting to know him in heaven.  I think we will be fast friends.  I love his calm, strong presence in the face of adversity. I love the freckles on his nose and his big grin.  I love his heart for his friends and family.  What a beautiful soul he has. Thank you God for showing us a glimpse of the beauty of Christ and all that it means to Hope in the Lord in the young life of Victor. I hope Victor and I get to be friends someday.  I hope you will get to meet him someday too. Love and prayers to the Watters family.

Statistically Speaking

A friend and I were recently chatting and something came up in the conversation about a statistic or the highly unlikely percentage that an event would happen and my response to her was “and that may be true, but remember if God intends for it to happen it will happen.” Which got me pondering, and I then came up with the conclusion that I would like to put forth that on the whole, statistics don’t really mean much if you are a Christian. In fact, I think statistics tend to take God out of the picture almost completely and this is quite an injustice to the character of God.

First of all, I’m wary of most statistics/polls anyway because I feel you could take any statistic and find 100 people to prove it true or 100 people to prove it false. How accurate is that “random” sample really?? But for the sake of this argument, we’re going to go ahead and say ok, even if most statistics are true…such as the following…

The chances of winning a lottery in which six numbers are drawn from 49 is 1 in 13,983,816. In a lottery in which seven numbers are drawn from 49, the odds of winning are 1 in 85,900,584

100 people a year choke to death on ball-point pens.

35,000 people in the U.S. will die from the flu annually.

9 out of 10 lightning strike victims survive!

A chance of a woman having twins is increased after the age of 35. About 1 in 27 women will give birth to twins after this age. After 50 the chances of having twins is 1 in 9.

A recent study at Harvard has shown that eating chocolate can actually help you live longer

A toothpick is the object most often choked on by Americans

Car accidents rise 10% during the first week of daylight savings time.

Every 45 seconds, a house catches on fire in the United States

More people are killed by donkeys annually than are killed in plane crashes

In any given month, your chances of getting pregnant at age 30 are about 20%. At age 40, your chance of getting pregnant in any given month is just 5%.

( info from infertility.about.com, allfunandgames.com and einvestigator.com. I spot checked some of these but don’t sue me if some of these are inaccurate. See my previous paragraph)

But in the face of all of this information, I would like to say God is Sovereign.

For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever.

But our God is in heaven; He does whatever He pleases.

The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; He makes the plans of the people of no effect. The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of His heart to all generations.

He causes the vapors to ascend from the ends of the earth; He makes lightning for the rain; He brings the wind out of His treasuries.

The lot is cast into the lap but its every decision is from the Lord.

Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will.

If you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.

(Scripture references: Rom. 11:36, Psalm 115:3, Psalm 33:10, Psalm 135:7, Prov. 16:33, Matthew 10:29, Matthew 17:20)

God is Sovereign….over the weather, the animals, the lottery, the presidents, and every single thing and person you can think of. If His will ordains you do or don’t get a disease or get pregnant or win the lottery, you can claim the most favorable statistic in the world and it won’t matter because God doesn’t care about statistics, He cares about His glory. And what better way to show how big our God is than to have the “50 point favorite” football team LOSE to the “underdog”. Or the 45 year old woman of faith have a healthy baby. Or the man dying of “terminal” cancer to have a full recovery. These displays of God’s hand happen EVERYday. So I just wanted to write an encouragement that wherever you are in life, if statistics or majorities or "realities" are staring you in the face and have you down, you have access to a God who is bigger than any and all of that. The effective, fervent prayer of the righteous availeth much (James 5:16). In a world where supposedly 1 in 2 marriages end in divorce, let’s be a generation that refuses to succumb to that statistic. Let’s fight for better marriages and better families. Let’s live by FAITH and see what God will do… instead of giving up the battle because the “facts” or the “stats” are against us. If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. That’s God’s promise to us, 2 Chronicles 7:14. And if you end up on the other end of that statistic, one of the rare cases of disease or disaster or death by ball-point pen…know that it has been filtered by God’s holy hands. God gives and takes away. This is a whole other topic for another day but for now, I hope it helps to be reminded that God is in control, He never sleeps, He never forgets and He will never forsake you.

So all this to say, I would argue that the majority of statistics might be interesting and/or something to consider, but on the whole not by any means an indicator of fate if you are a Christian (or even if you’re not). However, during my research for this topic I did come across some rather funny and amazing “statistics” and I thought I would throw in a couple here for your reading enjoyment J Have a great week!

A survey reported that 12% of Americans think that Joan of Arc was Noah's wife

Americans eat nearly 100 acres of pizza every day - that's approximately 350 slices per second

First-cousin marriages are legal in Utah, so long as both parties are 65 or older!

Forty percent of Americans have never visited a dentist

'The 7-Eleven Extreme Gulp is 50% bigger than the volume of the human stomach

Old Faithful

A couple days ago I found a kitten in a parking lot and brought him home. We are NOT keeping him. Seriously. He is just here temporarily so we can find him a home. (I know you think we’re going to cave and keep him but for real, we’re not keeping him.) BUT…He is ADORABLE.  Just cute and friendly and happy and so itty bitty! For those of you who haven’t gotten to enjoy a kitten in awhile, here’s a sweet little home video...

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Could you die? He is just too cute right? Now we already have a cat, who is no longer a kitten, but almost 6 years old now.  His name is Thomas.  Thomas sleeps a lot, just kinda hangs out most of the time, and has gotten really good at the whole Garfield-style of living. (eat, sleep, get fat, repeat) But yet there is something so sweet about this cat, who has been a part of our family for so many years now, that just can’t compare to the cuteness of a kitten.  Sure he’s not as playful and spry as the parking lot Kitten (although he used to be) but there is nothing like laying down at night and having him curl up in that perfect spot in the crook behind my knees. Or sometimes he comes and puts his head on my pillow next to my face and I kid you not puts his paw on my hand and falls asleep. Then in the mornings while my husband drinks his coffee, Thomas comes and sits in my husband’s arms, the way you would cradle a baby, and just wags his tail and smiles (for real). 

One thing I have thought a lot about is how important it is to recognize the sweetness of relationship.  I once saw a quote that “love is spelled T-I-M-E” and at the time didn’t really agree or understand.  The older I get the more I understand and actually do agree. (Funny how that happens). I encourage you to think about appreciating the animals and people in our life that may not be as “new” or “cute” or “exciting” as others but yet there is something stronger, deeper, sweeter there instead.  It makes me think of a quote from Lord Lyttleton “How much the wife is dearer than the bride”.  What a wise, beautiful saying. So take this however the Spirit leads you…maybe take a moment to seek out a widow or widower and love on them. Call a grandparent or write a letter to an old friend you haven’t talked to in a while.  Maybe it’s just to spend some uninterrupted quality time with the dog or cat that has gotten kind of “boring” and perhaps neglected. Kittens and babies are cute and easy to love and trust me, I am so grateful for the privilege to hang out with a kitten this week. But the “Garfields” and Grandmas are the ones who have been there through everything right? Doesn’t it seem that we ought to celebrate them even MORE? An engagement or wedding status on facebook  gets a million billion comments with exclamation points and celebratory gushes, while a 40 year anniversary status gets 6 “likes”.  Can you think of any other examples that come to mind? Would love your thoughts in the comments!

I have a note in my Bible from a great study I did on Ecclesiastes that says “the end is better than the beginning because there is certainty and value. You can step back and see God’s hand in the matter.” Let’s pray God would grant us the time and wisdom and excitement to step back and appreciate the things and people in life that are under-appreciated. I pray we can see His hand in all of it. May these pictures inspire you to a different perspective of beauty today!

Rain Appreciation Day

When I think of rain, this is how I picture it: gray, dreary, gloomy, not so fun unless you are curled up under the covers sleeping in.  

But then I see these pictures 

And I find myself struck with the contrast that these artists were looking at rain too.  And in the middle of the same dreary, gloomy, rain, a photographer discovered beauty and a painter created it. Aren’t these pictures amazing?

And really, isn’t rain amazing in and of itself? The rain comes down and the snow from heaven and waters the earth and makes it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater.  (Isaiah 55) How often am I too selfish to think of God’s purposes for the rain and simply see it for how it affects my day? When in actuality, rain is a good thing! In some places in some seasons they beg and plead for God to send rain. I think we often take for granted that rain makes the plants green, gives us food, and washes my car ;-) .  So this is a reminder to see beauty and purpose next time it’s gray and rainy out. When's the last time you had a day that you stopped to appreciate or even admire the rain? Let's remember to give thanks in all circumstances to a God who is kind enough to give us rain. And here are a couple more cool rain pictures for you! Be sure to ponder the one with the umbrella J

Photo credits: rain on window from weheartit.com by Veronica G.  Rain Reflections, Barcelona spain by Jordi Meneses. Painting of couple in the rain by Leonid Afremov. Diamond rain from Sunsurfer.com, girl in the rain from dannystaechs.wordpress.com, umbrella photo via The Beautiful Mess on tumbler