Tuesday Toss-up

Isn't this bird beautiful? I took the picture off of Yahoo News -- not sure if I was supposed to, but I just had to share it with y'all -- Get this -- it's a new bird that has been discovered in a previously unexplored Andean cloud forest in Bogota, Colombia called the Yariguies brush-finch. Beautiful!! OK ... moving on to business...


Having A "Whatever" Attitude

Yesterday, I stayed home from work to take my now one year old (sigh) to the doctor for his one-year check up, vaccinations, and flu shot (Hunter did great). My mom, who is visiting from North Carolina, came with us, and after his appointment, we went to lunch, and then shopping.

While we were riding around our little quaint, and historic town, I started talking to her about how I longed to stay at home with Hunter, even if it was part-time, but how all the positions that I applied to at my company seemed to have the doors closed loudly and clearly.

I then went on to tell her that I, being the control freak that I am, was finding it difficult to release this into God's hands. I felt like God was directing me to pray that He would prompt my husband to make wise choices and decisions for our family's needs, and place the correct thoughts and ideas in his head for what was best for our situation... whether it be moving and scaling down to a smaller home, or having me continue working full time until another option becomes apparent to us. I asked Him to take care of us, and to give me the peace that I needed, and to help me move all the responsibility for our future into my husband's hands, without feeling the need to constantly be in the midst of all the decision making. Finally, I asked God to give me 100% peace, and to help me care for my family and focus only on what responsibilities I could or should handle ... caring for my husband, child, home, and my current job ... and to remove the stress of how we will "make things work" from my shoulders.

Instantly, I felt it. Peace. The kind that passes all understanding. I suddenly acquired a nonchallant "whatever" attitude ... not the 'bad' kind of "whatever attitude," but the "whatever your will is, Lord" attitude. And, I was reminded again of how our Father takes care of us... especially when we put His kingdom first. And, when I say that, I honestly feel that I am putting His kingdom first when I am going about, taking care of my responsibilities at home, raising a Godly son/children, caring for my husband, and being as involved as possible at church.

Matthew 6:25-34 tells us that if we only have faith, he will provide for us, and that we shouldn't worry about tomorrow, because there are enough worries in today. He clothes the lilies of the field. He feeds the birds in the air. And he loves us so much more than that!

Here is one thing I have learned ... a common emotion -- worry -- steals from us one of the most valuable things we posses ... "our todays" -- right now -- this very moment! It robs us of relationships with other people because our focus is somewhere else. It robs us of enjoyment making life unhappy. The enemy loves it when we succumb to worry because it distracts us from our family, our priorities, or Lord!

Trusting the future to God isn't easy, but it's the only way to remove worry from our life and find peace. No, we don't have an answer for the current desires of our heart (for me to be a SAHM), but you know what? I have peace. I trust my Father that he will guide my husband. And ... I can honestly say ... "Whatever, Lord! Whatever your will is, I will do it."

My toss-up to you is:

Have you been able to ask God to remove worry about something big out of your life, and have you been able to have a "whatever" attitude?

One last thing ... I had Chinese food for lunch today, and this is the "fortune" my cookie had in it... "Trust your intuition. The universe is guiding your life."

No. I don't think so! Praise God ... Jesus is guiding my life! And in HIM, and ONLY Him do I trust!

Tuesday Toss-up (& a rabbit trail)

I received an email from Dayspring Cards today (I guess they send you their sale emails once you sign up to send a free e-card) ... anyway, it had this scripture which I thought was just perfect for Fall... "The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever." Isaiah 40:8 (NIV) Isn't that a beautiful promise to us?

One thing I find simply amazing is ... that no matter what the season is, God always has beauty waiting for us... so when the summer grass withers and the spring and summer flowers fall, the leaves begin to turn beautiful colors and dazzle us with an array of breathtaking color! And ... when the leaves fall, and the weather gets very cold, we get to enjoy beautiful icicles dripping from the tree limbs, snow glistening in the fields and capping the mountains like thick fur coats. And, once all that begins to melt away, the bright and fresh green grass pops up, along with the spring flowers. Beauty is everywhere we look, we just have to take the time to discover it! And no matter how gray, wet, cold or overcast this fall or winter might get, God's Word is always there waiting to warm our hearts, open our eyes, and cast a golden glow on everything!

I know I'm going way off track here, but hey ... I am the queen of rabbit trails ... remember ... I'm practicing being a rabazelle. Anyway, imagine that you are Mrs. Noah. First of all ... did you realize she was only referred to as "Noah's wife"? That's just wrong! But, from what I understand, according to Jewish tradition her name is Naamah... but STILL! After putting up with a boat full of stinky animals (ehem ... and humans) for over a year, living on stale, old, food and water, and having to do manual labor to muck stalls and feed all those animals, you'd think that someone, somewhere in the Bible, would at LEAST drop her name here or there! ANYWAY ... Can you imagine the change she faced when they opened the ark's doors? The land that she knew before the flood was gone, and now, she was surrounded by water! What a change! And probably, there were changes in the temperatures, as well many other changes I can't even fathom.

So, I guess we are fortunate in that we know what to expect each season, and we're not tossed around each season in a huge, dark ark with clamoring animals and people everywhere, and no idea what we'll see when the storms are over.

So -- how was that for a rabbit trail? Pretty good, huh? But, I can swing off of that rabbit trail with this (watch me work):

Mrs. Noah must have been a very courageous woman. Her world was turned upside down. Her friends, and probably some family members, perished in the most horrific storm ever to occur. She was mocked and ridiculed, but yet, she had tremendous faith in a time when everything she knew was getting ready to be destroyed. Imagine hearing people's (and animal's) screams as they were drowning? I can only equate it to the horrors of the tsunami of 2004 in the Indian Ocean off the west coast of Sumatra, Indonesia, in which hundreds of thousands of people were killed, and thousands more were missing and lost. The people that survived the tsunami all have their own horror stories and experiences. Mrs. Noah must have possessed a great strength that can only be found in one who is deeply and spiritually rooted to face such a great storm! She was a Godly wife. A Godly mother. A Godly woman. She was instrumental in saving the human race from extinction, for crying out loud! That's a tall order to fill! She was a woman of courage. A woman of grace. A woman of faith. A woman of strength. And, she had to stand on God's Word for all she was worth in order to survive. After all, he was there for them while they prepared for numerous years, he was there during the storm, and after the storm, he promised he would never bring another storm like that one, and he hasn't! His word stands forever!

Now ... after all that ... I have a Tuesday Toss-up for you ...

How do YOU define "Courage?"

(you thought I was going to ask you a question about the seasons, didn't you?!)

Tuesday Toss-up

Finally, my lunch hour ... and now ... I can post. Whew. It's exhausting being busy at work! And apparently, everybody in my company has decided to surf the internet at this very moment, because it is slow, and I can not upload a photo I wanted to use because I keep timing out. Pooh!

Anyway, my friend Jeana from Days to Come has started another excellent series on Friendship... Y'all gotta check her out... Friendships--Bloggish and Otherwise Part 1. I'm tellin' you ... she's a "serious series kinda gal!"

And ... along the lines of her post, I wanted to pose these two questions for Tuesday Toss Up:

[Neat graphic will go here once computer cooperates -- and this time, it's not blogger -- maybe -- I'll be back later to update with graphic]

How do you define the word "Gospel?"

What does "sharing the Gospel" mean to you?

Well ... what say you?

Tuesday Toss-up

Were you able to read Jeana's post about Speaking the Truth in Love? How about Lauren's two follow-up posts, A Crucial Element, and I Woke Up This Morning?

These two women have written very powerful posts, and I highly encourage you to go read them ... and then ... COME BACK, because their posts spurred thoughts in my little head, and I'd like to get your feed back for this Tuesday Toss Up!

As I read Jeana's post, and then Lauren's follow-ups, here are some of the random thoughts I was collecting:

1) We must strive for unity in the body of Christ
2) There must be spiritual maturity
3) It must be the Spirit's truth, not man's truth
4) It must be done with deep, lay-your-life-down love
5) We must live out the truth

Yes. I agree with all this. But something just kept twittering in the back of my mind. How does a person define speaking truth in love? What would it look like, sound like?

That's when this scripture caught in my heart...

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"Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."

Colossians 3:12-17
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Ahhhh -- that's where my question was answered ... and I'll share it with you ... tomorrow...

But for now, keeping in mind that we are all from different faiths, and that we will all have different "theological understandings and beliefs", when it all comes down to it, we are the BODY OF CHRIST. One Body. One Christ. So with that in mind, I am asking you to answer this question from your heart...

How do YOU define speaking truth in love?

And, what would it look like, sound like?

(notice I didn't say: what would it feel like, because honestly, receiving truth in your life is not always sweet and nice like a bowl full of jelly beans)

Tuesday Toss-up

Many times, my own shock to a "Christian" displaying abrasive, or "vehement" treatment or correction "in the name of Christ" has left me feeling as if I was flattened by one of those paving rollers. You know what I'm talking about, right? Those big roller things that flatten out the asphalt...

Well, that feeling can really get me thinking about one small word ... "grace." While only 5 letters long, to me, this tiny word packs a walloping punch... and it sure does get the wheels in my tiny brain rolling! Here's some of what goes through my mind: Are we "entitled" to be abrasive or hard simply because we think we're "speaking the truth?" How does that play into how we should live our lives like Christ (as in "Christ-like" or "Christian")? And then ... what does grace look like? How do we act out grace? And, finally ... How would you or I feel if Christ spoke to us harshly? Even if He was "speaking truth into our life?" Would we be taken back by his harsh attitude? Or would we welcome it joyously (uhhh - I don't think I would!)?

I'll just tell you real quick my all-time, hands-down favorite Bible story -- it's when the Pharisees (trying to discredit Jesus) brought a woman to him that was charged with adultery. In those days, adultery was punishable by stoning, and the Pharisees were challenging Jesus to judge this woman. Now, I don't know about you, but my life mirrors this adulterous woman's. No, I'm not an adulterer ... but I am, however, a sinner, and there have been many times when I have sinned, and might have been "deserving" of being dragged in front of my church with the challenge of allowing them to judge me and then "stone me" for my offenses.

But praise God -- we serve a merciful God full of grace. His reply to the Pharisees was, "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her." Can you imagine what must have gone through their minds? "Gee-whiz, Jesus ... did you have to go there?" And one by one, the men dropped their stones and left. And what did the Lord ask the woman? "Where are your accusers." She answered that there were none, and Jesus said, "Neither do I condemn you. Go now and leave your life of sin."

To me, Christ displayed grace in action, rather than the "legalistic" approach that the Pharisees were wanting to take. And if my life is to be Christ-like, then, I too should offer the same to others.

So, basically, I'm opening the platform for what your thoughts are about grace. When should you offer grace? At what point is grace most difficult for you? Recognizing the need? Moving closer to someone who is needing grace? Extending the actual "act" of grace? Is it okay for us to judge who does or doesn't deserve grace? Or should we as Christians extend grace to all?

Keep it civil; keep it honest; keep it kind; keep it Biblical.

Tuesday Toss-up

I started not to post today, because I have so much catching up to do on all my dearly loved blogs, that the thought of coming up with a Tuesday Toss Up was much to much for my poor tired brain today. But, then I went to Callapidder Days to catch up with her, and Katrina had such an excellent discussion on prayer going, that I thought I'd bring it on over here!!!

Katrina's Bible class leader threw out some questions that I thought were quite thought provoking ... "How should we pray?" "Should we pray over lots of specifics?" "Is it okay to ask God for what we would like (such as physical healing, a new job, etc.)?" "Or should we just ask God for His will to be done and leave it at that?"

And, I can't help but laugh at her commentary, because oh, have I been there too! I have had the perfect answer on prayer, only to find out that I didn't really have it all figured out!

I have prayed for specifics before: "Lord, please bring the poop on..." "Lord, that's a little too much poop! Can you slow it down?" "Lord, please guide my car down this icy hill." "Lord, please fix that weird sound my car is making!" "Lord, please stretch this lasagna and bread to feed many more than it's intended to."

I know, they may sound like silly little prayers, but I honestly feel that nothing is too insignificant for us to pray about.

I've also prayed for what I want: "Lord, please give us a child." "Lord, help us find a home to buy." "Lord, please bless me with this job." "Lord, I would like a used white Expedition with leather interior, and everything automatic, and low, low mileage so I can drive the youth around."

Yeah. That last one sounds really selfish, but guess what? It was the first time I was ever so specific, and He answered this prayer with exactly what I asked for! And, as an added bonus, we purchased the car from a fine Christian family (that we didn't know before hand!) who took excellent care of the car. The Lord knows our heart's desires even before we voice them.

And then, there have been times (like now) when all I could do was/is ask for the Lord's will to be done, because I have too much emotion invested: "Lord, make our future housing situation clear and give me peace about it." "Lord, we're having our fifth fertility procedure. If it's your will for us to have a child, so be it. If not, give me peace and an attitude of acceptance." "Lord, you know what our financial needs are. If it's your will for me to stay home, please make a way."

Katrina ended her post with a beautiful prayer ... and she asked God to forgive her for being a spiritual snob, and for thinking she had prayer all figured out when she is still learning ... I love that. We all can be spiritual snobs at times, but she is so right. We are all still learning. Just when we think we have everything figured out, the Lord throws a kink in our plans to help us learn something new. Or maybe I throw a kink in God's plan that causes me to learn something new. Regardless ... we are constantly learning.

So, in the spirit of Tuesday Toss Up...

~What are your thoughts on prayer?

~And, what are some of the prayers you've thrown out to God ... silly ones, serious ones, big picture ones...

~Share them and your thoughts with us!

~Inquiring minds want to know!