Category: Listening

Getting to the Heart of the Matter

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I have never watched The Biggest Loser before. I know, people have told me that it is good, and inspiring, and yadda, yadda, yadda, but I didn’t need one more show to watch.

But this year a classmate of mine from college, Sonya Jones, is on the show, so of course I want to watch her succeed and I have now watched the first two episodes of the season.

You all know that I have been on a health and fitness journey for quite some time (and I plan for it to continue for the rest of my life), so it always inspires me to watch other people “get it.”

Last night’s episode of The Biggest Loser showed the contestants the importance of owning what it is in their lives that got them to this point, and the fact that until they deal with those underlying issues, they will not have success in losing the weight AND keeping it off.

I think we all know this on a surface level, but how often do we actually do the work to deal with those deep-seated issues that have kept us complacent for too long?

I went to bed thinking about this and thinking about all the things that have to come together to make the difference between temporary change and lasting commitment.

Just like to be truly fit and healthy you can’t focus on only diet OR exercise, you also can’t expect diet and exercise to magically make the underlying issues for being unhealthy to disappear. Whether it is seeing food as a reward rather than sustenance, or a traumatic event that hasn’t been fully death with, or baggage from your family of origin, or something else altogether, the underlying issues must be unearthed and dealt with if there is to be any lasting change.

I know for me, I have had to specifically remind myself (often) that I cannot allow food to be a “treat” or something I “deserve” when I accomplish something, because that works against my health. In addition, I have to work on not perpetuating this “reward” way of thinking in my family since one of the ways I tend to show love is to cook or bake special things for them.

And as with anything, there probably is not only one underlying cause for what has happened to get you to where you are right now, so unearthing the issues could take some time, and possibly even some time with a therapist. And that is okay. In fact, it is better than okay. It is good when you get to a point that you know you need to seek out help from someone else.

Now is the time to stop making excuses and start making progress toward a goal. It could be a health and fitness goal, but it could also be something completely different. No matter what it is, figure out what has been holding you back and deal with it so you can move on – forever.

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If health and fitness is your goal, I would love to help you achieve it. Message me for more information about your health and fitness options. The time to start is NOW!

 

 

What It’s Not

It’s not music, but it is something to listen to this morning.

When we come to prayer, just like when we come to any other activity, there are certain dos and don’ts. Prayer is not about our agenda, but about God’s will for His Kingdom work. Prayer is not about getting our way, but acknowledging God’s way. Prayer is not just one more thing to add to the list of things to do, but something that is imperative for us as we live our lives for Christ.

Here is my sermon from yesterday, in which I expound on these ideas. Take a listen. Let me know your thoughts!

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Unreasonable Expectations

We have created a culture in which women, starting as young girls, are increasingly being told to conform to a standard that society has set.

Be thinner.

Be prettier.

Dress this way.

Eat this way.

Act this way.

Deny who you want to be so you look and act like everyone else.

This is perpetuated through our music, our media, and even the archaic ways of thinking that were prevalent in patriarchal societies of old and still penetrate our thinking today.

When something comes along that encourages girls to break away from these unreasonable (and frankly, wrong) expectations, I love it.

The first time I heard this song, I fell in love with the lyrics. So many country (rock, R&B, hip-hop – ok – music in general) songs objectify women and don’t give them a voice. They are a pretty face to be paraded around on the hunky guy’s arm. A pretty trinket to show off to the other guys driving around in their trucks. A conquest to be won and led off to the bedroom.

So, when I hear women giving voice to these concerns in a way that may just grab a young girl’s attention and help her to see that she is not required to conform to the standards that society is putting forth for her, I jump up and yell a hearty, “AMEN!”

Take a listen, share it with some girls around you, and let’s start setting a new standard of growing into the women that God created us to be, nothing more, nothing less!

Girl In A Country Song
Maddie & Tae

Well I wish I had some shoes on my two bare feet
And it’s gettin’ kinda cold in these painted on cut off jeans
I hate the way this bikini top chafes
Do I really have to wear it all day? (Yeah baby)

I hear you over there on your tailgate whistlin’ [*whistle*]
Sayin’, “Hey girl”
But you know I ain’t listenin’
Cause I got a name
And to you it ain’t “pretty little thing”, “honey” or “baby”
Yeah it’s drivin’ me red-red-red-red-red-red-red neck crazy

[Chorus:]
Bein’ the girl in a country song
How in the world did it go so wrong?
Like all we’re good for
Is looking good for you and your friends on the weekend
Nothing more
We used to get a little respect
Now we’re lucky if we even get
To climb up in your truck, keep my mouth shut and ride along
And be the girl in a country song

Well shakin’ my moneymaker ain’t ever made me a dime
And there ain’t no sugar for you in this shaker of mine
Tell me one more time, “you gotta get you some of that”
Sure I’ll slide on over, but you’re gonna get slapped (Hah!)
These days it ain’t easy being that

[Chorus:]
Girl in a country song
How in the world did it go so wrong?
Like all we’re good for
Is looking good for you and your friends on the weekend
Nothing more
We used to get a little respect
Now we’re lucky if we even get
To climb up in your truck, keep my mouth shut and ride along
And be the girl in a country song (Yeah, yeah baby)

Aww no, Conway and George Strait
Never did it this way
Back in the old days
Aww y’all, we ain’t a cliché
That ain’t no way
To treat a lady

[Chorus:]
Like a girl in a country song
How in the world did it go so wrong?
Like all we’re good for
Is looking good for you and your friends on the weekend
Nothing more
We used to get a little respect
Now we’re lucky if we even get
To climb up in your truck, keep my mouth shut and ride along
Down some old dirt road we don’t even wanna be on
And be the girl in a country song

(“Yeah baby, I ain’t your tan legged Juliet. Can I put on some real clothes now?”)

Aww, no

 

All About the Love

I sense a theme today.

Yesterday, during a meeting, my pastor shared this quote:

Who needs you to be God’s arms of love today?   -Dave Brannon

Then, this morning Garth Brooks released his new single, entitled “People Loving People,” so of course I had to take a listen. (You can listen here. Under the picture there is a button to click.) Side note: LOVE IT! Garth is back, baby!!

As I was listening, Ann Voskamp posted this:

Hey Soul? The thing is: No one gets to the end of their life & wishes they had spent more time at the office — but that they had spent more time loving lavishly. no matter what we do today, let our work be love. Live so “your *love* will flourish & that you will not only love much but *well*. Learn to *love*…” Phil1:9MSG

Just: Spend today loving — it’s the only way to take it with you.

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Right after I saw that, then I noticed Don Miller posted this picture:

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And then right after that, I noticed that Tweet Old Post, the plug-in I use for my blog to re-post some of my older blog posts, re-posted Love = Action.

What do you think the theme of the day is?

LOVE!

It’s all about the love! Showing love to others. Breaking the chains of evil in the world through love. Actively loving the world.

We show we are Christians by our love.

We show what we value by what we love.

  • Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all offenses. Proverbs 10:12
  • Above all, maintain constant love for one another, for love covers a multitude of sins. I Peter 4:8
  • Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. I Corinthians 13:1-7

Love is it. It is what we do and it undergirds all that we do.

Intentionally work to show some love today!

No Guarantees

Life and death happen all around us all the time.

Yesterday, I was looking at Facebook and noticed a strange post on one of my Facebook Friend’s wall, so I went over and visited her page to find out that she was killed in a car accident on the way to work yesterday morning. I don’t know this woman well. We met a few years back in Nashville at The Spaghetti Factory when I took Anne to see Garth Brooks. She was with a group of women, one of which was going to her first concert ever, as was my Anne. We took pictures, laughed, and friended one another on Facebook. They named Anne, “Michelle” (full southern accent included), for the purposes of their posting on Facebook, so Anne and I in turn named our van, “Michelle,” as a memory of our weekend together. Over the years, Sarah and I have exchanged notes and watched each other through the Facebook lens. We both shared a love for the Lord and enjoying life. When I read about her death, the wind was knocked out of me and I just had to close the computer and sit in silence. It was yet another reminder to me that we are not guaranteed tomorrow. She left for work yesterday, just like every other day, but this time she didn’t make it.

As I shared this with Anne last night, and we both got teary for this woman we barely knew, we talked about how we are to live life today because we don’t know if tomorrow will come. We live for Christ today so we are ready if our life on earth were to end tomorrow. We can’t assume that we will be around tomorrow to share Christ with someone who needs Him in their life, we must do it today.

The Bible has this to say about tomorrow:

James 4:13-15

Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a town and spend a year there, doing business and making money.” Yet you do not even know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wishes, we will live and do this or that.”

Proverbs 27:1

Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring.

At the other end of the spectrum, a friend of mine gave birth to beautiful baby girl last night. It was in that moment that God reminded me that He holds our lives in His hands. He brings us into this world, gives us His work to do, and welcomes us into His arms at the end of this life, and the beginning of our eternal one. All we have to do is choose to live for Him in this life.

Deuteronomy 30:11-20

Surely, this commandment that I am commanding you today is not too hard for you, nor is it too far away. It is not in heaven, that you should say, “Who will go up to heaven for us, and get it for us so that we may hear it and observe it?” Neither is it beyond the sea, that you should say, “Who will cross to the other side of the sea for us, and get it for us so that we may hear it and observe it?” No, the word is very near to you; it is in your mouth and in your heart for you to observe.

See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, death and adversity. If you obey the commandments of the Lord that I am commanding you today, by loving the Lord your God, walking in his ways, and observing his commandments, decrees, and ordinances, then you shall live and become numerous, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to possess. But if your heart turns away and you do not hear, but are led astray to bow down to other gods and serve them, I declare to you today that you shall perish; you shall not live long in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess. I call heaven and earth to witness against you today that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Choose life so that you and your descendants may live, loving the Lord your God, obeying him, and holding fast to him; for that means life to you and length of days, so that you may live in the land that the Lord swore to give to your ancestors, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. (Italics Mine)

Choose life today.

If you have questions about what it means to choose life and to live for God, please feel free to send me a message and ask. I would love to share about the eternal hope we have in Christ Jesus.

Coming to a Close

This is it. It is August. Summer break is almost over.

Yesterday I told the kids that starting today (Monday) we were back to school-year bedtime routines and schedules. No more staying up late and sleeping in forever.

So this morning, this is what I found:

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Apparently they needed one more sibling sleepover. Don’t be fooled; they are both in there. Anne is on the bed and Ty is completely cocooned in the blanket on the floor. (Look for the white sock sticking out.)

This has been a great summer. We didn’t do camps. We didn’t go anywhere super exciting. We spent a lot of time at the pool. We spent a lot of time on the porch. We spent a lot of time on the trampoline. We spent a lot of time with the neighbors. We spent a lot of time with friends. We spent a lot of time with family. We rode bikes. We walked. We laughed. We swam. We took selfies. We just enjoyed our time together.

This week we will spend more time at the pool since it closes on Sunday. We will get registered for school. We will have our first Jr. Comets football game of the season.

Next week we will attempt to get the house in order, make sure we have all the necessary school supplies, and probably have one last hurrah – a day of family fun (which I will plan at the last minute I am sure).

And then we will start another school year – the last one of jr. high for Anne and the last one of grade school for Ty.

The end of summer is always bittersweet – the days of nonchalance and spontaneous fun come to an end, but the return of structure and order come with the advent of fall. It is during these moments that I feel the passing of time more deeply.

But one thing is for sure, when life is lived the way we have lived it this summer, the memories stick around and the bonds of family grow stronger so that as time continues to pass, we have even more to which we can hold.

We see it on placards often – Live, Laugh, Love.

This is the stuff of which life is made.

Monday Musings – Small Beginnings

Doing something a little different today! Rather than writing about what has been in my head lately, I am going to let you listen to me talk about it! This is yesterday’s sermon, based on Matthew 13:31-33:

The Parable of the Mustard Seed

31 He put before them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in his field; 32 it is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.”

The Parable of the Yeast

33 He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened.”

Let me know what you think!

For all the Girls (and Boys)

So it’s a Tuesday Music post instead of Monday Music, but that’s ok!

I just watched one of the most amazing videos that goes with one of the most amazing set of song lyrics that I have heard in a while. And the reason it is so good? Because it hits the nail right on the head.

You might have seen it because it has been blowing up my Facebook feed for about a week now.

Take a look:

Every young woman (and man) needs to get this message. Living life to get other people to like you is not only never-ending, but it will never bring you fulfillment.

You are loved by the God of the universe. He created you just the way you are. Let people love you for you, not for some persona for which you want to be loved.

Embrace your curls or bone strait locks.

Embrace the freckles on your body (Natasha Bedingfield sings a song about those that my freckle-covered-self loves).

Learn to leave the house sometimes without the makeup.

Have an opinion that differs from those around you (just don’t be a jerk).

Learn that it is ok to stand out from the crowd instead of disappearing into it.

Love who you have been created to be!

You Know You

Last night I was watching Oprah’s Master Class with Tim McGraw that I had DVR’d a few weeks ago.

I like Tim McGraw’s music; his relationship with Faith Hill has always intrigued me; and I thought it would be interesting to hear his story in his own words.

And it was. But the part I appreciated most was this section (and following). I liked the way he not only owned up to the fact that there was a problem that needed to be addressed, but following this section he said something along the lines of you know when you drink too much. And until you acknowledge it and do something about it nothing will change.

The same is true of anything in our lives. We know when we are doing things in excess or things that are detrimental to our (lives, relationships, etc.), and until we make the decision to do something about it, nothing will change. This could be eating habits, social habits, drinking habits, relational habits, work habits and so much more.

We have the ability to make a change.

We have the ability to get control.

We have the ability to choose.

Sometimes it takes talking with someone else and having accountability.

Sometimes it takes taking a stand.

Sometimes it takes removing certain influences from our lives.

But the bottom line is that we know ourselves, and we know what needs to be done to address whatever issues we face.

We just have to be willing to do so, and then act on that willingness.

If healthy eating and exercise is something that you need help with, I would love to help you. Just ask.

Discipline Needed

I have been a bad blogger lately.

It’s not that I haven’t had anything to say. I have been reading lots of things and mulling over even more and have plenty to share.

I just haven’t made myself sit down and write.

I have written sermons and lessons, just not blogs.

I have been bad at caring for my health lately.

It’s not that I haven’t wanted to eat well and exercise.

I just haven’t made myself get out of bed and walk (instead of run, which is what I want to do, but the knee isn’t ready), and I just haven’t made myself get up off the couch (or porch swing) and cook.

I have been a bad housekeeper lately.

It’s not that I don’t want my house clean and in order, I just haven’t made it a regular part of my week.

I have been doing little things like riding bikes with the kids, working in my yard, eating fresh fruits and veggies, and cleaning up when I get fed up with clutter, just not in the disciplined manner I typically do.

I can’t explain it, but for some reason my normally disciplined life has shifted to more of a free-flow for the last few weeks. And there is nothing wrong with that. For a short period of time. The problem is I need discipline. I need to write regularly. I need to exercise and eat well. I need my house to be in order. When these things are out of whack, then my whole life feels out of whack. And that isn’t a feeling that I enjoy.

So I am looking forward to this week. The kids are finally out of school and we can get back to their regular chore lists that somewhere around March went out the window. I am working some new summer hours so I can work at home and be with the kids more. This means I can carve out some writing time, can plan meals better, and can keep up with the house a bit more (especially since the kids will be doing their part).

Here’s to adding some discipline back into my life!

How does your life flow better – with discipline or not?