Senior Citizen Choir takes on Hip-Hop

This had me laughing pretty good.

Lauren's floor routine 9 19 09

This was the first USAG gymnastics meet of the season. Lauren is competing in Level 4. She took first place in the all-around in her age division.

This Blog is On Hiatus

I'm sorry to disappoint the five of you who have been reading this blog, but I'm going to take a break from it for awhile. Summer is just too busy and I can only do so much! I really appreciate those of you who've followed me, prayed for me, and left comments. You are so encouraging!

In case you're interested, I've started another blog for the summer: How I Lost Ten Pounds. For the last couple years, this little bit of extra poundage has been driving me crazy, and I really want to get rid of it. So part of my focus this summer is making sure I exercise and eat right everyday. I'm blogging my journey as a way to keep myself motivated. Visit me there if you want to come along!

Hope you all have a terrific summer....

Amazing Grace

Prayer is a funny thing. I confess I have no clue how it works. Oh, I have lots of ideas. But the way it works is so paradoxical, so illogical, that one thing’s for sure – it can only be from God.

I’ve seen miraculous answers to prayer, things happening that I don’t think would have happened were it not for believers seeking God on the issue. The last few months I’ve experienced dozens of quiet yet clear answers to my personal petitions. He is so faithful that I’m often overcome with a love and gratitude that completely consumes me. Who am I that he would pay so close attention to my cries and whispers?

Have you ever “felt” God working in your life due to the prayers of others? Ever had that feeling that things were happening supernaturally, outside your power and even beyond the scope of your own prayers?

I felt that so powerfully over the last couple of weeks. I asked you for prayer, and many of you stepped right up and volunteered to cover me in prayer, and I can tell you right now that I can feel the power of your prayers. I have felt God working powerfully in me and through me. This has got to be one of the most amazing blessings in life!

I just returned from the Write-To-Publish conference, and thanks to God answering YOUR prayers, this was my best conference ever. I felt inadequate to teach my four workshops and two critique sessions, but God gave me the words. I was so afraid I'd really bumble it... get nervous and lose my words and seem like a complete idiot. But God calmed my heart to the extent that I barely felt nervous at all. He allowed me to look at the writers to whom I was speaking, and sense what they needed to hear, and say it. In four workshops I barely looked at any notes at all, I just spoke.

The last workshop was especially miraculous. I hadn't quite prepared enough and I knew it, but time simply hadn't allowed it. I'd brought five pages of handouts so I figured, worst case scenario, I could just teach from the handouts. But I was nervous. I prayed on the way to the workshop that God would give me the words. As I stood at the lectern five minutes before starting, I still didn't know what I'd say, but I was trusting God that he knew what these writers needed to hear, and he'd bring it forth from my lips.

He did.

It was the most fun workshop I've ever taught. It was almost completely extemporaneous, and the class seemed to enjoy it and get a lot out of it. They really interacted all the way through. We didn't want it to end!

Such is the power of prayer. I was stunned by the whole experience.

Beyond that, I've noticed God changing things in me, just in the last couple of weeks. I'm seeing writers more as HE wants me to see them. I feel like I'm hearing their hearts better. I don't even notice their clothes or their hair style; the fact that their writing isn't stellar doesn't keep me from seeing the nuggets of potential. He is truly working to change me; and I believe he's working through me to bless writers. I had about 30 meetings with writers at the conference; often it's difficult to know what to say when it's clear they're not ready for publication. I don't always know what they need from me. Encouragement? Hard truth? But God always knows, and it felt like he was giving me the words, specially crafted for each writer, moment by moment.

This is not about me. It's about what God does through his people. It's about how he answers prayers. And about how, if we offer ourselves, he will use us for his purposes... and he'll give us the strength to do his will.

That's the other thing. I was getting rundown. The fourth day, I woke up feeling very sick. My throat was so swollen it was almost closed. My glands hurt to the touch. So I stayed in bed for an extra hour, praying that he would heal me, not for my own sake but for the sake of the writers who were waiting to meet with me, and those planning to take my workshop. I also needed to fly home that day, then drive an hour home from the airport late at night. I prayed and prayed that God would heal me just until I was safely home.

I got out of bed a little while later and felt perfectly fine. No more sore throat, no more aches and pains. I had energy all the way through the day and got home at midnight, not even feeling very tired.

Talk about miraculous!

And so I want to thank you… from the depths of my being… thank you for praying for me. I want you to know that God heard your prayers and, I think in response, has blessed many writers through what I was able to share with them. Thank you for your faithfulness, for calling out to God on my behalf, and for caring. May the Lord continue to bless you and keep you.

Rocks in My Garden

As I am currently trying to revive this blog, I am doing some re-runs. I figure if the TV networks can do it, so can I! Sorry if you've read this one before. I posted it because it's as true today as it was when I originally wrote it. A couple weeks ago, I really did prepare my flower beds and dig up more rocks...

I decided to spend part of a weekend preparing my flower beds, so I spent some time sifting the gritty earth. I found myself lost in spiritual thoughts. The act of gardening—being on the knees, head bowed, working hard yet not knowing the outcome—it's kind of a prayer in itself.

Gardening here at the elevation of 7,000 feet is a dicey proposition anyway. They don't call them the Rocky Mountains for nothing. So the idea of planting seeds and expecting them to grow is a radical act of faith.

When I was turning over the soil I made a startling discovery. My shovel kept hitting something solid, and I discovered rocks down there—not little, random ones, but beautiful river rocks. I dug and dug and pulled out over 100 of them. How did they get there? And why had I never found them before? They were probably the reason this particular flower bed has never produced a great crop. Well, the simple truth is that in seven years of living here, I've never dug down that deep. So I never found the rocks. A beautiful treasure, hidden... and ruining the beauty of the garden above.

So I made the obvious connection to my spiritual life. We have to dig deep. We can't skim the surface of our Christianity. We can't go to church on Sunday and spend five minutes on a daily devotional the rest of the week and expect to find all the treasure available to us, or get rid of the rocks that are hindering our flowering. It's the deep digging, the turning over of the soil, that ensures our growth will be all God wants it to be.

While I was digging out the rocks I also cleared the bed of weeds. And I thought, how is it that an untended garden fails to grow anything beautiful, but will have no trouble producing a bumper crop of weeds? You would think that if you left it untended, nothing would grow there—it would be empty. But it's not. It's full of those unsightly evil things that choke out beauty and would take over the world if given the chance.

Could there be a more obvious metaphor for my walk with Christ? Leave it untended—it's not going to be simply empty or fruitless. It's going to be fertile ground for evil.

That's the thing. Evil flourishes with no help at all from us. It's the beauty that needs tending, the fruit that needs nurturing. If we neglect it, we are open to all manner of weeds.

I notice that happening sometimes in my life. I'll wonder why weeds are growing—discontent, or self-focus, or pride—and I'll realize I haven't been putting enough effort into nurturing my garden.

The metaphors of gardening to spiritual life are endless, as you know. I won't continue. I just wanted to say—let's tend our gardens. Pull the weeds. Dig up the rocks. Go deep. Plant the seeds. And eventually, by God's grace our beautiful flowers will bloom.

Because I Said So!

Lately I’ve caught myself a couple times repeating that age-old line, “Because I said so.” I remember hating that when I was a kid!

But I have a different perspective on it now – not just because I’m a parent, but because as an adult, I am only now learning the importance of radical, unquestioning obedience to God. So I want to teach my kids about obedience, too.

Sometimes we all have to obey… even if we don’t know why. That’s what God asks of us all the time, doesn’t He? Too many times in life we don’t understand why He wants us to do something. As often as possible I try to explain to my kids why I’ve made a certain decision, and I think that’s fair. Isn’t it easier to obey when we know the reason we’re obeying? But at some point the kids have got to learn to trust that we have a good reason, even if we can’t explain what it is. That’s how it is with our trust of God. Often he declines to reveal his reasoning to us, but we have faith that He knows what He’s doing.

Sometimes I can’t explain to my kids why I’ve made a particular decision. It’s usually because I know they won’t understand my reasoning, or they’ll just argue with me, so it’s better not to try and explain. They just have to accept that I have their best interest in mind. Or maybe it’s the best interest of the entire family. Or, maybe I know they simply won’t like my reasoning. No sense getting into an argument or whine-fest about it.

In any case, I hope that by teaching them to obey out of trust, it will help them obey God’s will for their lives in the long run. At least that’s what I pray!

Escape to Heaven

As Christians we know this world isn’t heaven, and isn't supposed to be. We look forward to getting out of here and arriving in that perfect place where we finally see Jesus face to face. I’ve been pondering this topic for years, trying to decide what I think about it.

As someone who spent the first three decades of life living very much in the world, I admit my roots here (on earth) go deep. I’m not so anxious as some of my Christian friends to get to the other side. Not that I don’t look forward to eternity with Jesus, but I sometimes think Christians don’t take this world seriously enough because they’re so focused on getting to heaven. Have you noticed how many Christian pop songs are about this? “I just wanna be with You, I just want this waiting to be over.” (Chris Rice – “Smile.”) Our evangelical culture has so much focus on enduring life on earth with the hope of a better life later. But I wonder if we somehow miss the significance of this life in our enthusiasm for what comes next.

God created this earth and this life specifically for us. He gave us love, and beauty, and children, and relationships. He gave us mountains and beaches and rainbows and fluffy white clouds. He gave us a mission, too, otherwise known as the Great Commission. He gave us this life because we are meant to LIVE it… loving God, loving others, and helping others make their own way to the Kingdom. If we don’t have life here in the world FIRST, neither will we ever live in heaven. The only way to heaven is to walk this earthly path.

When we feel weak and weary of the trials of this life, tired of the pain, we say, “Jesus, come quickly.” But we don’t necessarily say it because we love Jesus so much. We say it because we want escape—relief. I’ve tried to figure out if this somehow diminishes Jesus Himself as well as the gift of life here on earth.

But I’m starting to understand this whole thing a little better. I read a quote from Billy Graham:

Once when I referred to the future that God is planning, a university student asked me, “Isn’t this a form of escapism?” I said, “In a sense, yes; and before the devil gets through with this world, we are all going to be looking for exit signs!”

He’s right. Our escapism has a reason. This world is full of tribulation and we’re not always up for it. We’re human, and yes, sometimes we just want a way out. We want to get to that place where the pain will stop and the love will flow freely in all directions, for all eternity. As Christians, how fortunate we are that we have that hope! I shudder to think of all the religions that focus on this life as IT.

Thank God we have a hope of heaven. Meanwhile, I pray we’ll all have the opportunity to taste the beauty and the joys that God has given us in this life. I pray we’ll each follow God’s plan and carry out His work for us while we’re here, and that we'll be content to get to heaven in God's timing rather than wishing to hasten our passage for any reason at all.

Calling Prayer Warriors

Dear Friends,

I've never done this before, but I'd like to see if there are any prayer warriors out there who would be willing to pray for me over the next month or so. Of course, everyone can always use prayer support, but I'm feeling particularly in need right now. I'm heading into the most difficult time of the year—the summer. My kids will be out of school, yet I still need to work something resembling full time hours. I'm also teaching at two conferences. The first is this Friday, and the next one is June 3-6. I'll be leading a total of five workshops between the two conferences, and I'd really like to have God's leading, strength, and insight to be able to do this! I pray that God will work through me to speak to writers in these conferences; and also that He would continue to show me how to help and encourage writers in my day-to-day work.

I usually feel like I'm not living up to people's expectations of me, and this is challenging. I want to be able to keep my eyes on God and do what HE expects; I also want to keep improving the way I do business so that I can keep up with the workload and not disappoint people. I want to be a positive witness for Christ through the work I do. These are the kinds of things I need prayer for.

If you would like to pray for me, I'd appreciate it! Feel free to leave a comment here, or if you'd prefer, you can email me privately. (gardner[dot]rachelle[at]yahoo[dot]com) Let me know how I can pray for you, too!

Warmly in Christ,
Rachelle

In Season

(S)he is like a tree planted by streams of water,which yields its fruit in season.
Psalm 1:3

Note the words "in season."

Even if I stay "planted" by the stream (abiding in Jesus) constantly, I won't appear fruitful all the time. God has planned our seasons of fruitfulness, and our seasons of rest. We don't determine it.

If I'm not feeling or appearing fruitful (however that is defined) the answer is: Stay planted by the stream! Fruitfulness comes in season.

This is Worth 9 Minutes of Your Time!

Strength and Courage

Recently I sat down to read the book of Joshua, but I didn’t get very far. I was captivated by chapter 1, verses 6-9.

God tells Joshua twice to be strong and courageous… then He underscores it by repeating it a third time. “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous.” Three times he says it! Why is this so important? How does it apply to me?

I think by saying “be strong” he’s confirming that I’m going to come up against things that aren’t easy to handle. I may be tempted to be weak or wimp out. God wants me to be strong and overcome difficulties, to rely on His strength to give me strength. My inclination will be to be weak, to fall back on my human frailty and forget that God gives me His strength to accomplish His will. “Be strong” means “I know you might not feel like being strong but I know you can do it!” There's an implied understanding of our natural weakness, but there’s also an acknowledgement of our ability to be strong if we trust Him.

The second part… “courageous.” Hmm… I guess God knows that I’m often a coward! He wants me to bravely step out in faith and do His will. He wants me to confront His enemies confidently and refuse to back down.

These verses led me to realize that when someone tells you to “be strong” or “be courageous” even when you don’t feel the least bit strong or courageous, they are actually telling you to act as if you’re strong and courageous. The feeling behind it isn’t important. What’s relevant is your behavior, how you act. Your behavior shows your true faith. How you behave in spite of your feelings shows where your heart really is.

God wants me to face obstacles and fearful situations with His strength and courage. If my heart is truly for Him, I will be strong and courageous in doing His will, whether or not I “feel” like it.

Easier said than done!!

Our Little Gymnast

Lauren just started her second season of competitive gymnastics. She loves it! In her first meet of the season, she took 2nd place in each event, and 2nd place in the all-around (total of all scores).

Balance beam - 9.0
Floor - 9.15
Vault - 9.3
Bars - 9.35

Below are her beam and floor routines.

"The The Impotence of Proofreading," by TAYLOR MALI

All agents, editors, and English teachers out there will appreciate this!

Spring Break - Seattle & Bellingham

At the Canadian border.


Hiking... c-o-l-d!

A driftwood fort on the beach.

Top of the Space Needle.

The giant octopus "Olive Oil" at the Seattle Aquarium.

A view from one of our hikes.

Our 12-year-old photographer sees the world from a unique perspective.

A Doctor's Advice

I have no idea where this came from. I tried to track down the author but it's on hundreds of websites, so for now, it's uncredited.

Q: Doctor, I've heard that cardiovascular exercise can prolong life; is this true?

A: Your heart is only good for so many beats, and that's it... don't waste them on exercise. Everything wears out eventually. Speeding up your heart will not make you live longer; that's like saying you can extend the life of your car by driving it faster. Want to live longer? Take a nap.


Q: Should I cut down on meat and eat more fruits and vegetables?

A: You must grasp logistical efficiencies. What does a cow eat? Hay and corn. And what are these? Vegetables. So a steak is nothing more than an efficient=2 0mechanism of delivering vegetables to your system. Need grain? Eat chicken. Beef is also a good source of field grass (green leafy vegetable). And a pork chop can give you 100% of your recommended daily allowance of vegetable products.


Q: Should I reduce my alcohol intake?

A: No, not at all. Wine is made from fruit. Brandy is distilled wine, that means they take the water out of the fruity bit so you get even more of the goodness that way. Beer is also made out of grain. Bottoms up!


Q: How can I calculate my body/fat ratio?

A: Well, if you have a body and you have fat, your ratio is one to one. If you have two bodies, your ratio is two to one , et c.


Q: What are some of the advantages of participating in a regular exercise program?

A: Can't think of a single one, sorry. My philosophy is: No Pain...Good!


Q: Aren't fried foods bad for you?

A: YOU'RE NOT LISTENING!!! .... Foods are fried these days in vegetable oil. In fact, they're permeated in it How could getting more vegetables be bad for you?


Q: Will sit-ups help prevent me from getting a little soft around the middle?

A: Definitely not! When you exercise a muscle, it gets bigger. You should only be doing sit-ups if you want a bigger stomach.


Q: Is chocolate bad for me?

A: Are you crazy? HELLO Cocoa beans! Another vegetable!!! It's the best
feel-good food around!


Q: Is swimming good for your figure?

A: If swimming is good for your figure, explain whales to me.


Q: Is getting in shape important for my lifestyle?

A: Hey! 'Round' is a shape!


Well, I hope this has cleared up any misconceptions you may have had about food and diets.


For those of you who watch what you eat, here's the final word
on nutrition and health. It's a relief to know the truth after all those
conflicting nutritional studies.

1. The Japanese eat very little fat
and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

2. The Mexicans eat a lot of fat
and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

3. The Chinese drink very little red wine
and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

4. The Italians drink a lot of red wine
and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans..

5. The Germans drink a lot of beers and eat lots of sausages
and fats and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

CONCLUSION

Eat and drink what you like.
Speaking English is apparently what kills you.

Debunking Marriage Myths

Fact or Myth? Over half of all marriages end in divorce.

→ Myth!

Fact or Myth? The divorce rate among Christians is equal to that of non-Christians.

→ Myth!

I’ll explain in a minute. But first I have to say—I’m sick of marriage getting such a bum rap! I’m tired of all the naysayers and doomsday predictors telling us the sky is falling. Things are bad enough—why do sociologists and media-types insist on making it look even worse than it really is?

The statement “Over half of all marriages end in divorce” is based on faulty logic. If you look at the statistics, you might see that in one year, there are 2 million marriages, and 1 million divorces. You could then conclude, “See—only half of marriages are surviving.” But you would be failing to take into account the 50 million marriages that already exist. The truth is that divorce rates are extremely difficult to accurately assess because unlike marriage, divorce is not universally reported to the National Center for Health Statistics, the organization that keeps track of these things. However, a 2001 Barna study placed the figure at around 34%. (That is, 34% of all people who have ever been married have also been divorced.) So it’s still gloomy, but one-third of marriages ending in divorce is still much better than half.

Now, on to this statistic that Christians are constantly quoting and lamenting: Is the Christian divorce rate the same as that of non-Christians? Well, this is where it gets interesting. Have you ever been curious about the difference in the number of Americans who identify themselves as Christians (85 to 90%), and the number who are actually affiliated with a Christian congregation (50 to 60%)? There’s a huge difference there. It turns out that if you are studying all people who call themselves Christians, you will find their divorce rate is similar to those who don’t call themselves Christians.

However—when you factor in regular church attendance—the divorce rate is significantly lower. Churchgoing Christians of any demonination are 35 to 50% less likely to divorce than non-church-attending Americans of any or no religion.

Let me say that again: The divorce rate for churchgoing Christians is much lower than the divorce rate of the general population.

Isn’t that something to be excited about? Doesn’t it make you feel better to know that, YES, even in the real world, being a Christ-follower has a tremendous impact on how we choose to live our lives? That we’re not just spinning our wheels attempting to live by Christ’s teachings, but in some ways, we really are collectively doing that?

I think it’s important for Christians to know the truth as much as possible, and refuse to buy into myths. We don’t need a more pessimistic view of marriage—that’s not what God intended, is it? We don’t need divorce to be more “normalized” than it already is. We don’t need to be de-sensitized to it any more than we already are—we need to stay hypersensitive about it! And we sure don’t need our Christian young people being as frightened of marriage as they appear to be. The overblown negative marriage statistics do nothing but frighten us, give us a bad attitude about marriage, and make us feel cynical about our own chances for marital success.

Is the marriage situation dreadful? Well, in some ways, yes. Divorce is an inescapable part of 21st century life, and when it becomes a reality for a Christian brother or sister, I think we need to love and support them, help them survive, help them heal, and help them feel Christ’s unending and merciful love through our actions. We don't need to condemn them. I am not writing this post to criticize any individual. I am talking about collectively—let’s stop believing the lies! Let’s take back marriage from those who want to paint it in the blackest light and instead, be examples of the light and love of Jesus who shines through our marital relationships. Let’s be positive and optimistic about marriage. And let’s seek the truth, and refuse to swallow the lies.


Sources: Christianity Today, October, 2006, “What Married Women Want” by Brad Wilcox, p. 122, and “Flea Market Believers” by Arthur E. Farnsley II, p. 114.

The Secret of Contentment

“I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.”

“I can do everything through him who gives me strength.”

I often hear these verses quoted. Like many of you, I’ve found them helpful and comforting in times of hardship, grief or challenge. I know people who have claimed one of these as their “life verse.”

But, as is true with so many scriptures we quote, I’ve usually taken them out of context. I never thought deeply about how those two verses are connected! I just had this epiphany recently.

When Paul says, “I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation,” we are often left asking ourselves—well, what’s the secret? And we’re envious of Paul who was so wise—or even just plain lucky—that he found the secret to contentment, because we sure haven’t figure it out!

BUT, Paul does not leave the secret a secret. He goes on to explain the secret to contentment in the very next verse: “I can do everything through him who gives me strength.”

In other words, the fact that we can do everything through HIM is not just meant to be an encouragement for the tough times, a bolster for our courage and determination. It is meant to be the very basis for contentment.

In this context, I think I understand more about what Paul means when he says “I can do everything…” because I believe we often get that wrong. We use it to mean we can accomplish any feat, leap tall buildings in a single bound, etc. We put the emphasis on the word everything.

But say the sentence differently – change the words around a little bit – and you get: Everything I do, I can do it through Him. The meaning becomes more clear. It doesn’t mean “I can do everything.” But it means, “He strengthens me for everything He wants me to do.” Doesn’t that make more sense?

Another way I can interpret it is: I choose to do only the things He strengthens me for. Or: I choose to do only what God wants me to do. That is the secret of my contentment. I am content because I am doing God’s will.

In Paul’s context, he was sometimes imprisoned. If Paul were to say “I can do everything through Him who gives me strength” and mean it in the way we often interpret it today, Paul would have been saying he could overthrow the guards and break out of prison, such was the power of God’s strength. But Paul wasn’t saying that. He was saying that he would endure and persist in God’s strength, doing whatever God wanted him to do, even if that meant God wanted him to be in prison.

Now, I am no theologian (pretty obvious, huh?) but this understanding has helped me. Do you agree with my interpretation? How does it change the way you view Philippians 4:11-13?

Are Social Networks Real Life?

One of my best friends told me, “Don’t get too attached to blogs and online social networks. They’re not real life.”

At the time I needed to hear it. My first thought was, wow, she’s right. She always has wisdom for me at just the right time.

But there’s a part of me that doesn’t want to believe it, you know what I mean? It’s the part of me that needs the community of the Internet, that craves the fellowship and conversation there. The part of me that wants to believe—yes, blogs and Facebook and Twitter are in fact part of “real life” for me.

And what if they are? What if that’s just what our society has come to? People crave community. There is a deep need, whether we acknowledge it or not, to connect with people, and it’s most satisfying when we can connect based on mutual points of interest or views or opinions.

Throughout human history, we’ve sought this fellowship. In cultures the world over, extended families have lived together, or at least very close together, and lived their lives in tandem. As we in Western culture have separated ourselves from each other in single-family homes and alienating jobs, we’ve always had ways of finding that connection we needed: in quilting circles, or coffee klatches, or posh men’s clubs, or countless other settings created to bring people together.

Needless to say, I don’t have a quilting circle. I do have a book club, but only once a month. I have Bible study once a week but even that doesn’t seem to be enough.

The question comes to my mind—why isn’t the church filling this need? I assume it’s supposed to, and I know that American churches are scrambling to do exactly that, with all their programs and small groups and Bible studies. Clearly, it’s not working for everyone. I am comfortable in my Internet circle. I can show up when I want, or not at all, and nobody really notices. I can be in my pj’s or frumpy old sweats, at 6pm or 4am and it makes no difference. I can comment on topics I find interesting, and ignore the rest. I can be anonymous if I want, although that’s not what I choose.

Maybe the fact that online social networks are completely by our own rules is what makes them so comfortable in this “me first” society. Show up, don’t show up, say what you want, say nothing, who cares. But maybe that’s also what makes it “not real life.”

Is there danger in getting too involved in cyberlife? Absolutely. It’s well-documented by now and causing trouble in people’s lives and marriages. We are already disconnected enough, and living our lives online does nothing to improve the face-to-face situation. But I think I’m doing just about all I can in real-life, face-to-face connecting, and the Internet fulfills my need for more. I love the conversations, the “thought life” represented there.

What do you think? Are social networks the “real life” of the 21st century? Or, are we all just living in some parallel inauthentic cyber-universe that cannot substitute for the real thing?

What is the Wise Thing to Do?

Lately I've been listening to free iTunes podcasts from Andy Stanley. I've gotten so much out of his preaching! Recently I listened to the six-part series called "The Best Question Ever." I've gotta tell you, it's so good, I've listened to it twice, and I'm keeping it on my iPod because I know I'll want to listen to it again!

Andy has identified the single best question we can ask ourselves to help make everyday decisions about our what to do. Small things, big things. Everything. Here's the question:

What is the WISE thing for me to do?

It's awesome. Think about it. We DON'T have to ask, Is there a rule against this? Is this legal? Moral? Ethical? Will I get in trouble if I do this? We ONLY have to ask: What is the wise thing to do?

"The Best Question Ever" is available on iTunes and it's also a book available on Amazon and ChristianBook.com. Here is the blurb from Amazon:

We’ve all done dumb stuff in our lives. We all have regrets. Yet none of us plans to mess up our lives. Why, then, does it keep happening?

Life doesn’t have to be that way. You can fool-proof your life…as this book shows. God’s promise and pattern is for something better.

In The Best Question Ever, Andy Stanley effectively teaches the practical and lasting value of simply asking this question about our actions in all of life’s arenas: What is the wise thing for me to do, in light of my past experience, my present circumstances, and my future hopes and dreams?

This book probes for honesty —it pushes us to open our eyes to reality and helps us expose the little (and big) self-deceptions we have.

Prepare yourself. You are about to be introduced to a single question that will revolutionize the way you make decisions.

Over the past twenty years, speaker and author Andy Stanley has shared the power of this question with thousands of students and adults all over the country. In this ground-breaking new book, Andy provides you with a filter through which to evaluate every decision in every arena of your life. As you are about to discover, the Best Question Ever will bring clarity to decisions involving your finances, your love life, your schedule, even your career.

People everywhere agree that their greatest regret could have been avoided had they asked the Best Question Ever and then acted on their conclusions. A time-tested truth that has immediate application, the Best Question Ever has the power to change the trajectory of your entire life.

* * *
I highly recommend it. Get the audio if you can. I think it will bless your life.

Why, God?

Sometimes I get really caught up in asking God questions I'm pretty sure He's not going to answer, and they're usually WHY questions. Why did my daughter's 9-year-old friend have to get leukemia? Why are my good friends out of work through no fault of their own? Why are there millions of starving and sick people in Africa?

You know the kinds of questions. I'll bet you ask them too.

Over the last few years I've been trying to remind myself to stop asking WHY, God? And instead ask, "What now, God? What do you want me to do?" This takes the focus off of the question that won't get answered this side of heaven, and puts the emphasis on prayer and ministering to others.

I was thinking about this the other day because we've had several pretty major tragedies in our community, all of which required my church and my children's school to band together and provide help in major ways. We could not sit around asking "why." We had to pitch in and help the people who needed us.

It's like when there is a car accident. You can look at it and ask, "Why did this happen?" Or you can stop, call 911, and try to help the people who are hurt. Leave the "why" questions for the theologians.

It's this kind of thinking that has been turning my heart towards missions and ministry work lately. I do not know why there are so many homeless in our city. I do not know why there are so many kids suffering in Children's Hospital. I do not know why millions of African kids are HIV positive and have already been orphaned by AIDS.

All I know is that, while I'm here, my job is to follow God's leading and HELP. I am trying to orient my life that way.

What do you think? Do you ask why? How do you handle these kinds of questions that only God can answer?

The Battle of the Diets

If you're a woman, I'll bet you spend a certain amount of time considering your diet, your exercise plan, and your weight. Whether or not you put a lot of effort into it, you're probably thinking about it more often than you'd like.

I've spent years experimenting with diet plans and lifestyle changes to keep myself healthy and maintaining a good weight. There are so many diet options... low carb, low fat, high protein, vegetarian, blood type, etc. It can be mind boggling! I think we all need to find what works for our bodies, because we're all different.

However, I REALLY appreciated a recent article in O Magazine (Oprah) that compared the most popular diets in a controlled situation to try and determine what works best, once and for all.

There were three separate studies that compared:

→ Low carb (e.g. Atkins)
→ Low fat (e.g. Weight Watchers)
→ Zone
→ Mediterranean
→ Ornish
→ Exercise

You can go to the article and read the details, but I LOVE the results of this study! The clear winner was LOW CARB DIET + REGULAR EXERCISE.

So, now we know. Let's get to work!

I love this one!

Scared of Submission

Like many of you, I'm a Christian wife who has spent years trying to understand the Bible's teachings on what it means to be a godly woman and a good wife. Most of the time I think I understand it pretty well intellectually, but living it out is a different story! I find the teachings on "submission" (dreaded subject!) to be challenging yet they make sense to me. However, recently on another read through 1 Peter 3:1-6, I was startled to see something I hadn't paid attention to before. Here are verses 1-2 and 5-6, with my emphasis added:

Wives, in the same way be submissive to your husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives, when they see the purity and reverence of your lives... For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to make themselves beautiful. They were submissive to their own husbands, like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him her master. You are her daughters if you do what is right and do not give way to fear.

Wow! Did you get that? Peter is acknowledging that we may not want to do what is right, i.e. be submissive to our husbands, because of FEAR.

Did you ever think of it that way? I've heard a lot of rationalizations from women about why we can't or shouldn't be submissive. But I've never heard a woman say she's afraid to.

So it begs the question: What are we afraid of? What could possibly be scary about submission? I thought about it, and came up with a few possibilities:

→ We are afraid of losing control.
→ We are afraid if we "submit" our husbands could take away our autonomy and ability to make decisions.
→ Some husbands are not born leaders and we might be afraid that submitting will mean the family has no leader.
→ Some husbands are not great at managing things like finances; we are afraid submitting might mean our husbands will run us into the ground financially.

I'm sure there are more things we could be afraid of. What do you think? What could be scary about submission? Have you ever thought of it this way?

How do we do what Peter says, and not give way to fear?

Funny Movies -- The List

Thanks to all of you who answered my call for your favorite funny movies! I was compiling them into a list that I could easily take with me to the video store, and I thought you might like to have the list, too. So here it is. Happy laughing!


All of Me
Bruce Almighty
Happy Gilmore
Rat Race
Cold Comfort Farm with Kate Beckinsale
Coming to America
Dan in Real Life
Death at a Funeral
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
Donovan's Reef
Dumb and Dumber
Father of the Bride 1 & 2
Father Was a Fullback with Fred MacMurray
Ground Hog Day
Happy Accident
How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days
Little Miss Sunshine
Joe vs the Volcano.Hitch
Meet the Parents & Meet the Fockers
Mickey Blue Eyes
Mrs. Doubtfire
Operation Petticoat
Oscar
Princess Bride
Return Of The Pink Panther
Revenge of the Nerds
RV
School of Rock with Jack Black
Space BallsO Brother Where Art Thou
Steel Magnolias
Sydney White
The Ghost and Mr Chicken
The Man Who Came to Dinner with Monte Wooley
The Three Amigos
Top Secret
Undercover Blues
Weird Science
What's Up Doc?
Young Frankenstein

FAMILY MOVIES:

Bedtime Stories
Charlie and the Chocolate factory
Elf
It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World
While You Were Sleeping
Emperor's New Groove
Napoleon Dynamite
Over the Hedge

COMEDIANS:

Bill Cosby
Brad Stine
Ken Davis

Laugh With Me!

One of my goals for 2009 is to LAUGH MORE. I'm trying to loosen up and play with my kids a little more, spend more time with friends and make the effort to enjoy the gift of life.

But in my effort to laugh more, I need some help! I love watching movies and I want to try and watch a really funny movie every week or so. So... what are your favorite laugh-out-loud funny movies?

Leave them in the comments. Thanks for your help!

Is Your Kid a Vegetarian?

Help! My daughter is about to turn 12. She's decided she can no longer eat pork or beef. Her reason is, "It grosses me out and makes me sad and depressed." I guess she's sad about the cute pigs and cows that have to die. I'm just not sure how to handle it.

Regardless of her reasoning, I think she's making a healthy choice. I definitely don't want to get into a power struggle over food. I want to help her in this. But my family eats pork and beef occasionally, and I know that's not going to change.

Last night, she didn't eat a bit of dinner because I was serving pork chops. She chose to also forego the rice and green beans.

I don't want to get into over-controlling her, leading to possible "control issues" like anorexia down the road. But this is going to require some serious strategizing on my part in order to feed the family, allow her to make autonomous decisions about food, yet not allow her to become a little food dictator.

Do YOU have a kid who's a vegetarian? How do you handle it?

I'd appreciate any advice!

A Taste of Heaven

I’ve read a lot about heaven and I confess, I can't seem to truly understand it. Since the image I have of heaven will always be woefully incomplete, I decided to stop trying to visualize it but instead, imagine what the experience of heaven might be, how it might feel to be there.

To capture that, I conjured up “moments” I’ve experienced in my life that have felt closest to heavenly. It's a blissful, beyond-words feeling that I’ve had a few times, a feeling that speaks of eternity, yet always seems to be over so quickly. Each of us has a different experience of those idyllic moments, but for me they have often come in the midst of an adventurous adrenaline-rush activity. Scuba diving 80 feet below the surface in the Cayman Islands... looking at the view while perched atop a mountain ready to ski down... waterskiing in crystal-clear blue water on a hot summer day. Those moments give me hope for heaven, an excitement for eternity, because to me they’re the very best this life has to offer, and we’re told that heaven is far better than anything here on earth.

Awhile back, I went horseback riding. I'm not great at this sport (although I want to get better) but I love it. My horse, Trish, was trotting quite a bit and I was getting tired, finding it difficult to hold on and occasionally losing my traction in the stirrups. Eventually Trish increased her gait to a full cantor. This was much faster than a trot, but to my surprise, the faster pace was easier to ride—it was smooth and exhilarating. Suddenly that incredible feeling of “speed” overtook me… it felt like Trish and I were gliding through the air… I was using everything I’d learned and staying in the saddle just fine… and I was overcome with that feeling of bliss and perfection. We just kept going and going straight into the wind, and time slowed as I experienced every invigorating detail of this ride. By the time we slowed down, I knew I’d found heaven once again. It was one of those moments I never wanted to end.

I’m SO grateful that God allows me these heavenly moments in this earthly life. And I’m also glad that they don’t last. They keep the hope of heaven alive, and they reassure me that heaven will, indeed, be far more wondrous than anything I could imagine or experience in this life.

When I Say "I Am a Christian"

by Carol Wimmer

(c) 1988

When I say, "I am a Christian," I'm not shouting, "I've been saved!"
I'm whispering, "I get lost! That's why I chose this way"

When I say, "I am a Christian," I don't speak with human pride
I'm confessing that I stumble-needing God to be my guide

When I say, "I am a Christian," I'm not trying to be strong
I'm professing that I'm weak and pray for strength to carry on

When I say, "I am a Christian," I'm not bragging of success
I'm admitting that I've failed and cannot ever pay the debt

When I say, "I am a Christian," I don't think I know it all
I submit to my confusion asking humbly to be taught

When I say, "I am a Christian," I'm not claiming to be perfect
My flaws are far too visible but God believes I'm worth it

When I say, "I am a Christian," I still feel the sting of pain
I have my share of heartache which is why I seek His name

When I say, "I am a Christian," I do not wish to judge
I have no authority--I only know I'm loved

This poem has been misattributed to Maya Angelou for many years as it has traveled around the Internet. You can read Carol Wimmer's story about when she wrote the poem by going to her website.

Express, Repress, or Relinquish?

Today I am thinking about repression, expression, and relinquishment. What the heck does that mean??? I’m considering the difference between “giving something up to God” and simply repressing it.

As Christians we try our hardest to behave in God-honoring ways, including in our thoughts and emotional lives. So we endeavor not to sin in our anger; we catch ourselves in judgmental thoughts and repent of them; we brush away impure thoughts when we become aware of them. And we live each day in the light and redemption of Christ’s love.

I think there’s a thin line—yet a distinct difference—between either expressing our inappropriate thoughts & feelings; relinquishing them in a godly way, or actually repressing them. As an example, I spent years dealing with anger at my parents for the sense of abandonment I carried all my life due to childhood circumstances. As a believer I’ve worked on forgiveness and letting it go. But sometimes those feelings come up again, and I find I have three choices:

(1) “I am NOT going to feel this. I am pushing these feelings away.” (Repression).
(2) “Mom, Dad, I am so angry at you!” (Expression)
(3) “God, I am feeling very angry at my parents right now. Help me to let go of the anger, and instead honor my parents as you have commanded.” (Relinquishment)

I think we face this choice often in life. Do we act on an impulse, do we push it away, or do we consciously hand it to God, asking His help with it?

Recently a friend of mine had some inappropriate correspondence with a person of the opposite sex, expressing feelings that were improper in the circumstances. My friend explained those actions this way: “I am simply being true to myself. I’ve been living a lie by pretending I don’t have these feelings. I simply needed to express the truth of who I am.”

It was as if my friend were saying, “I am tired of repressing my true feelings—they needed to be expressed somehow!” I think this person didn't realize that the feelings had another option besides either being “repressed” or being “expressed.” The third option would have been offering those feelings up to God and praying that God would help and guide in that area. Relinquishment.

Since the season of Lent is approaching, many of us will deny ourselves simple pleasures or even necessities as a spiritual discipline. It’s worthwhile to ask ourselves, in those challenging moments, whether we are repressing our desire for those things, or we are consciously relinquishing them to God, moment by moment, day by day. (Of course, we also have the third option—expression, in which we give in and have the forbidden item.)

Have you ever experienced that tug-of-war between repression, expression, and relinquishment? Have you ever thought about it? I’m finding it comes up more often as I consciously give things over to God rather than pushing them down—feelings of shame and regret, memories of failure, even current experiences of anger and irritation. How about you? How do you handle this struggle?

9 Random Facts About Me

Most people are posting 25 Random Things About Themselves but I got bored after 9 so here they are! If I've tagged you, feel free to do 25!

1. My dog has his own page on Twitter. (And followers, of course.)
http://twitter.com/ReaganTheLab

2. I don't watch TV news or read newspapers. I think I am a happier person because of it.

3. My undergraduate degree is in TV & film, and I started my career by working five years at the Fox TV network in L.A.

4. When left to its own devices, my hair looks like this. →

5. I cannot stand sleeping during the day (a.k.a. napping) and generally do not like the fact that I have to sleep ever.

6. I am extremely sensitive to scents... don't wear perfume and when I'm around it I get nauseous. I can sniff out the tiniest bit of mildew, cat pee or moldy food in your house so watch out if you invite me over!

7. I DON'T scrapbook, knit, grow a garden, keep a perfect house, make my kids' Halloween costumes, separate the whites from the colors, make my own bread, jam, or pizza crust, or clip coupons. Nor do I feel compelled to change any of these things.

8. I love scuba diving but haven't been in ten years.

9. I struggle every single day with trying to balance work and family.