Our Plans vs His Plan

Monday morning, I'm on the way to work in 20 degree weather, the light dusting of snow on the ground, the ice still present on my windows as I'm flying down the highway. Now, if you are familiar with Cleveland Highway / Dalton Pike you will know the area that my husband and I refer to as "that long stretch of highway where you don't really know where you are." I'm in that 5 or 6 mile stretch and my car makes a light rattling noise and I cut the heat to listen to the noise. As I listen, I press the gas a bit harder to hear it better and the car quits. I start de-cellerating and my lights come on and the engine cuts off. I pull over to the curb, wait a minute and try to crank it up again. The engine won't turn over and now there's smoke. I sigh and flip on the emergency lights and call my boss -- I won't be at work for a while. Then I call Brent -- honey, the car quit. Then a nice cop pulls over and calls a tow truck for me... and I sit in my car for 45 minutes waiting for the tow.



Now if you know me well at all, you probably know that I am from Charleston, SC and I grew up on the coast of a barrier island and I TOTALLY don't tolerate the cold. Cold to me is about 55 and that's when you put on a sweater and give up on your errands, cuddle up in a blanket in front of a fireplace with hot cocoa. So imagine me (who would much rather be in a wetsuit, surfing on the atlantic) sitting in a car with no heat in the snow for 45 minutes. Yep, I was an unhappy camper.

It occured to me (or rather, God spoke) that I was being a total baby after the fact. As I thought about it a conversation my husband and I had came to mind. My husband told me several nights ago about a man he works with who prayed that a pallet they were moving would not topple over. A few moments later, it crashed to the ground and the man who had prayed started smiling and laughing. My husband could not help but ask what made him so happy. The man replied with possibly one of the deepest things I've heard said about this subject matter: "When I pray for something, and it is given, I know that God has allowed my way. But when I pray for something and it is not given to me, then I know that God is doing something bigger than I can see, and I am glad to know that God is working His own plan, and not mine."

Next time you find yourself sulking because things aren't going your way, think about this. God is doing something different -- and that's a good thing.

I remember one Christmas when I'd asked for all sorts of things as Brent pestered me for ideas. We like celebrating Christmas in our house -- in fact we probably over-do it. Something about growing up in modest families has driven Brent and I to really enjoy Christmas. We have many traditions, including some about the number of presents everyone has to have, the fact that one must be handmade, everyone has their own ornament every year, etc. I think its our little way of making up for all the corners we have usually cut all year long. This particular Christmas, I'd asked for a particular pair of snow boots. I had tried them on, and told him my size. I was thrilled when something the right size appeared under the tree. Christmas morning, when I opened that box I was terribly disapointed to find that it was a game, not the beautiful boots I'd hoped for. I went along through the remainder of the gifts, trying to be happy and not be so upset about something silly like snow boots that he proably couldn't afford. When we got to the last of it, at the very bottom of my stocking (which he'd insisted we would open last that year) was a gift card for the store with the exact amount of money needed for that particular pair of boots - so I could get them in the right color and size. I was ecstatic.

Sometimes God lets our cars break down in the snow and changes our plans totally because He is using His own plan. Sometimes, God says "yes" and it just happens differently than we think it will (like the snow boots). Either way, God loves us enough to have a better plan than we can come up with. My husband has a theory about tatoos that I find applies here: "When I was 10, I would have had a tatoo of the power rangers or mega man. Today, I realize that would be stupid and totally not what I want to have for the rest of my life. So when I think about getting a tatoo, I remind myself that in ten years, I probably will think whatever I like now is stupid and not what I want for the rest of my life."

Thank God that He has a plan for your life that is so much better than your own!!

Messes in our Lives

I have found over recent years being the working mother of toddlers that it can be very difficult keeping mess and clutter to a minimum.



Apparently its a common problem, because the above picture was one of the MANY on google's image results for "messy toy room."

The thing that came to my attention this afternoon as I made a to-do list in preperation for family and holiday festivities was that our homes are a good picture of our lives. There are very few who truly have a clean home. Even those with a home that appears clean has its junk drawer, clutter in the closet, and spidewebs under the couch. The fact is that a huge messy toy room or a dustball in the corner is really the same in God's view. Sin is the same - be it prevelant and consistent, or a once in a lifetime sort of thing. God is totally HOLY and we - however holy or unholy we lable ourselves or others - are totally not.

Its a hard thing to get a handle on so let me share a further illustration. Imagine with me that we have a large blender. You put several scoops of delicious chocolate ice cream in it, a splash of milk and you blend it up. Now take that amazing milkshake and throw the leg of a cockroach into it, and blend it up again. Pour a glass.


If you have enough shake to make 4 servings, you only have a 25% chance that you have that leg in your glass. And, realistically, if you have 25 sips in your glass, thats a 1% chance that your sip will contain that leg.

Are you gonna drink it?

Of course not.

This is possibly the best way I've ever heard to describe levels of holy. Its either holy or not holy. Cockroach or no cockroach. It doesn't matter to you how much of that bug is in your cup, or how little chance there is that you'll sip it, you aren't going to drink that shake.

Now; back to our messy house analogy.

What rooms of your house need cleaning? Is there a room that needs a major overhaul? Or is it a few odds and ends? Do you have a junk drawer so to speak? What kinds of things need to be resolved and taken care of? What kinds of things are big messes?

Time to do business. Let's stop just closing the door and pretending that mess isn't there. Let's take care of it.

A Modern Christmas

I was driving home watching all the beautiful lights and nativity scenes set by the road and thinking to myself that it was going to be difficult to explain things like a stable and a manger to Alina (my almost 4 year old) this year when we talked about the Christmas story. She's just now old enough to really discuss the meaning of Christmas, the Savior's birth, etc. As I pondered the concept, God spoke to me and gave me a new way of viewing it:




We think of a nice warm stable with fluffy hay and pleasant baahing and mooing in the background, and big bales of hay to sleep in, a deep manger just the right size for a baby Jesus who is wrapped up in clean linen strips and happily sleeping... but realistically, a more acurate image would be as follows: a poor, tired Mary who is soaking wet in a hoodie and jeans, freezing nearly to death huddled together with Joseph who is himself worn out from trying to find a place for them, feeling like a failure as a husband because he couldn't find anywhere but the backside of a kmart to make a shelter out of cardboard boxes for his family. They have a few tarps to keep out the rain and cold, and a milk crate stuffed with Joseph's hoodie for baby Jesus, who would realistically be screaming at the top of his lungs because he was so shocked at the nasty cold reality of the parkinglot!


The scripture states that there was no room for them in the inn but that they were allowed to go stay in the stables. We automatically infuse our romanticized picture of a cooing Jesus, a happy but tired Mary and a proud watchful Joseph. We have the tendency to leave out things like Mary being a young teenager (probably 15 or 16), Joseph being pretty young as well, and Jesus being a human baby which means crying and pooping and being hungry. We leave out things like Mary being disowned by her community because she was pregnant out of wedlock and no one believed her story -- meaning no baby shower, no wonderful cribs and playpens and sweet little clothes.

This Christmas season as you celebrate the birth of the King, go over to tent city and bring some food and blankets for the homeless. Let's remember what Christ actually was born into and throw out the lovely nativity scene we have engrained in our minds.

Stress

Today I took a long lunch at work because I had too much going on -- a member of the family was diagnosed with a serious illness, our dog was killed (possibly by a coyote?), one car's in the shop, the other one needs it, Brent and I have been fighting, I'm exhausted, the house is a wreck, and the kids need baths pretty badly. While I was walking over to the closest thrift store for some "retail therapy" it occured to me that buying things is a strange way of coping with stress.

Everyone has ways of coping. These things are bred into us even as small children. As a child I would lock myself in my room and be alone if I was too stressed out. Some people eat when they're stressed. Some people cry, others talk it out, others yell and scream or get violent. All of these are ways of expressing one major thing

"I can't handle my life right now!"

Strange that we naturally turn to tangible things to relieve our stress (ie food, people, shopping) instead of the One that can relieve the stress and help you cope. Why do we do this?

There's something in the back of your mind somewhere that discounts God as a "stress management method". Something in there tells you that God is too busy, or not interested, or can't fix your troubles and there's no reason to focus on Him, because you can take care of yourself just fine. But the fact is, however, that you can't take care of yourself because look at you, you're sitting there with a half gallon of ice cream and a spoon!

Taking care of ourselves is something we pride ourselves in here in America. Pull up those bootstraps, do it yourself, etc. But it's not in the Kingdom mindset. Thats a natural (carnal) gut instinct that we have to work out of us. Think about it.

Limited Visibility

The rain poured down today as I was driving my family home from cleveland in the setting sun. It was hard to see anything in the first place and totally impossible more than several car lengths ahead due to all the fog and smoky looking clouding. I had to be cautious and pay alot of attention as I drove, taking extra measures to be safe.

Then Father spoke in the midst of it and said "such is life."

Some days we can't see where we are going. Some days we don't know whats ahead of us except the very close and the very far (we know our destination). The question that remains in the fog is whats coming soon.

Limited visibility causes wrecks alot. When I was 8 my mom t-boned a man that pulled out in front of us. It was rainy and the man did not see us. We skidded into him and I broke my left elblow. The judge rulled that it was the other man's fault, but advised my mom to drive more carefully in the rain. More often than not, however, if the drivers had been a little more cautious, that seeminlgy unavoidable 5 car pile ups in life would have been fender benders.

We can't always prevent the accident altogether but we can effect the level of impact and amount of damage caused.

Life

A friend of mine died this week, somewhat suddenly from a severe illness that took her in the total of about 2 months. I was at her wake last night, talking to a mutual friend and listening to Ayla who was trying to describe what Jessica (our friend who died) looked like and why it bothered her. She talked about how they had too much makeup on her, how she was dressed oddly because she normally wore jeans and t-shirts, and how she looked odd because of the swelling that had happened in her illness.

And as I talked to Ayla it came to me that the thing that bothered her was simply the absence of life.

Now while that may be obvious from a critical point of view, go with me on this for a minute.

We get so wrapped up in people's appearance. Just this week I was frusterated because my husband has put on weight since we got married (apparently this is a normal part of life) and he's not what he used to be in the abb department. We judge people by what they wear, what they say, the way they keep their children (who are screaming) in the funeral service, and the way they stop and talk about unrelated topics in the middle of a eulogy. I find myself passing judgement constantly.

The thing God brings to the forefront though, as I pass all these thoughts in my mind, is that the life is what a person is. Not what they wear, not their decisions, not their personality, but the very spirit (or life) of the person which is a direct reflection of Himself in some way or another. Even a drug addict or abusive father has some portion of God because they are made in His image.

Your decisions, your personality, the way you speak or act or dress is a version of what you are meant to be - a reflection of God. The question is, what kind of reflection are you being? Is it hidden behind make up (get spiritual with me here, I'm not talking about physical make up I mean a mask) or odd clothing or strange speech? Or are you being an honest and true reflection of that life?

Running Interference

I was driving to work today looking at all the road construction being done as they widen Dalton Pike (the Tennessee side of Cleveland Highway). As I was observing the changes, one thing I noted was the addition of more power lines. I assume that they will replace the current power lines eventually since the older ones are closer to the road than the newer ones. But, as I was looking at them, God spoke to me. All those power lines, all that stuff up in the sky was interfering with my sight of the sky. And the sky was beautiful this morning - clear blue with a tinge of pink in the early morning.

What was the point he was making to me?

All sorts of things will come to interfere with your picture or sight of Heaven or the Father. They will be added to constantly if you don't take out the old before new stuff comes along. You must stay consistent to deal with the old things that haunt you and trouble your spirit instead of pushing it aside. Dealing with pain and hurt and past things is a hard thing to do.

And, as I wrote the title of my blog today, the Father also reminded me of the sports terminology "to run interference." My dad (who coached basketball when I was a kid) would use that term frequently when it came to acomplishing something. If our team was going to win, we'd have to run interference when the other team had the ball to prevent them from making a basket. Likewise, they'd be instructed to run interference when a team mate had the ball to keep the other team at bay so that they could make a basket. Even on the offense, they had to run a solid defense if they were going to win the game.

When I google the term "to run interference" the description given is "to help someone achieve something by dealing with the people or problems that might prevent them from doing so."

Let us be reminded that the forces of evil and our own carnal nature are constantly running interference in order to keep us from the annointing of the Spirit and accomplishing the will of God in your life!

Hebrews 12:1
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us

Smells

Have you ever been outside a bbq place when they were cooking their pork? How bout driving around Cleveland when the Mars factory is making their chocolate? We commonly use terms of smell to judge things. Whats that smell like? that smells good or that smells gross. The common person comes into contact with (and remembers) over 50 thousand smells! But its only the overwhemlming things that really stand out.

On my way to work this morning I smelt a freshly dead skunk. I know you've come across those before! You smell it a half mile before you ever see it and by the time you get up on it your eyes are watering because of the stentch. My husband tells me of a time his father and a friend went hunting and ran over a skunk in their Jeep. They were sprayed full-force and apparently backed over it to see what they hit and got a second spray. Brent tells me that they burnt the clothes they were wearing, the shoes, everything in the Jeep, tore out the carpets and replaced the seats and it still stunk so badly they sold it to a junk yard.

This sense is a bodily thing that pictures a spiritual fact too. Some things make a spiritual stench or fragrence. We have talked about it before in our cell group - people that spout anger and frusteration and sadness all the time end up oppressed by demons that force more anger and frusteration and sadness onto them. Sometimes you go into a place and your almost stifled by the "stench" of the demons in the place. I remember my sister talking about going to New Orleans and struggling with the sheer amount of demonic presence due to the witchcraft and other stuff in the area. Most of you have had similar experiences at one point or another.

It works the same way in reverse as well. Certain people put off a fragrence of love and peace and you'll see how people - specifically young children - are attracted to these people and are comfortable with them. My son, Judah, for instance - loves to be around Darien. He just coos and cah's and laughs and is happy as can be around her.

Think about it. What kind of fragrences (or stenches) are you releasing? What are you drawn to and why do you think that is? What smells do you stop and pay attention to?

Staying Connected

Every day you see it. People have cell phones. Laptops. They use skype, Google chat and voice, Facebook, MySpace, blogs, etc.
There is a deep need born in us from day 1 ; the need to be connected.

This factor drives business. At cell phone companies, many phones sync with FB and Google. They also have full keyboards for more conveniant texting. Heck, my phone even lets me write my blog on it. We pick on my husband for recently becoming a FB junkie. He went to a movie project and at the end of the week when he asked for phone numbers of people he wanted to stay in touch with, they each told him to look them up on FB. He got a little taste of this and has since become a "junkie" looking up people he hasn't heard from in years and keeping up with business possibilites.

It's crazy, really, how much this need for connection is accepted in this day and age. We assume that others are connected. I was on my way to a meeting yesterday and, realizing I didn't have the guy's phone number to tell him I was running late, I sent an email - hoping against hope his email was synced to his phone and it was. Its a safe bet to make that any form of contact is a good way to contact someone. No more leaving a message on an answering machiene and hoping they listen to it when they get home. Its all constant.


Something deep within us screams to be connected. It has been programmed into us to stay in touch - though we are misguided. Paul tells us to "pray without ceasing" (Thess 5:17). The gist of this is to stay in touch with God - stay connected - all the time. So - take the same enthusiasm you use when it comes to posting to your facebook, updating your blog, checking your email or texts - and apply that to your relationship with God.

Would it change things?

Playplace Chaos

There is something about chaos that makes us nervous. Something about that big bad confusion that puts a check in our spirit, making us hesitate. I watched this in my own children this evening sitting in the play place of a McDonalds in Atlanta. Raziel, the one who has been jumping out of his crib since before he could walk was freaked out as he stood, clinging to my leg, observing the 10-15 other children playing and hollering and carrying on. And, as he considered going or staying I felt for the little guy. I can't say I would go in there alone myself. Then, Alina comes along and takes his hand saying "come on! Let's go play!"

It's then a process... they enter the lower level, checkig back in with me frequently. They start to climb higher, eventually forgetting their need for reassurance and only coming back when they get thirsty enough.

There's something to be learned here.

We are to be like little children. Go, enter the chaos that is life. Be cautious. Check in with the Father frequently and be sure you are doing what He wants you to do. See that He takes delight in your freedom. Go have the time of your life. But don't forget these two valuble things;
Drink Frequently & Stick Together.

Background Noise

In todays society, its rare that we are anywhere without background noise. They play music at the mall, resturants, stores, etc. There is usually the radio on in the car, we play pandora at home, we leave on the TV, etc.

Something that is so innocent can be much deeper in fact. My 3 year old daughter has an inherit "need" to have on some form of noise in the background. Sometimes its a TV show she has seen a thousand times and isn't watching (but you may not turn it off, she's "watching" it). Sometimes its just a fan or a heater or the dryer... Just noise.

We carry this straight into adulthood as well. The news is on in the background at work, we play music, we do all sorts of stuff just to create some form of white noise to fill that void --

what is that void that we are filling?

When we get quiet and start listening, its usual to suddenly start hearing God. And, its not that he wasn't talking to us the whole time its just that we started listening. Listen to your own spirit. What are you going through that you haven't slowed down to realise and process? Listen to the Holy Spirit. Many couples go through terrible break ups and heartache after heartache because they weren't "in love anymore" but really they stopped listening to eachother.

Let it not be us that falls out of love with God because we have stopped listening!

Dietary Habits

Diets range in their little niches - pills, routines, strenuous workouts, etc. They are made to address a variety of ailments. Some are made for your cholesterol levels, some for your weight, some to protect a baby in your womb, etc. But, the idea of all diets and the end goal is the same; to be more healthy.

Many dietitians will tell you that the healthiest way to eat is not 3 meals a day. In fact, in many diets, the largest change is the increase in water consumption and the spreading out of the meals. 6 small meals instead of 3 large meals - the way your body was made to consume and digest. Its that way off the bat - as infants we ate every 3 hours. Of course, there were less things to interfere with us eating back then but it is the way our bodies are healthiest.

The physical is always some kind of picture of something in the spiritual realms. In this case the number of times we nourish ourselves throughout the day is the comparison. If its healthy to eat 6 times a day, or even just the 3, tell me why we are only taught to have one devotional time?

The way we take only our "daily devotions" once a day is silly. Really - how well would you be if you only ate breakfast? Its like running a marathon and not eating a power bar right before. You need your protien, your carbs, your nourishment - worship, encouragement, guidance, etc, many times a day.

How healthy do you really expect to be eating once a day?

Combat Bride

A bride in combat boots.


If the church is the bride of Christ, this is the kind of bride we should be -- Ready to take on the world, ready to tear everything and anyone down that would stand in the way of taking the dark kingdom out and taking the world by force of love. And you can't do that in little ballerina slippers.

Ready to break out your combat boots, church?

There are 2 major kinds of church bodies that are pictured here. Ones that focus on the fight - the gathering of souls, the taking of the world, breaking down the doors of hell, etc. And, the ones that focus on being prepared for the return of our Lord, getting doctrine right, getting their lives right, getting things pretty and primped and lovely.

Father wants both.

Disappointment

If you google disappointment and click images, these are what you will see along with countless other sad, terrible things - somethings that make you laugh because they are so ridiculous. Other things that make you want to cry.

Disappointment is something we all face. Today, I was disappointed in a situation that blew up in my face. I was disappointed in a change in my job that was supposed to be a really good thing and I felt I was doing my employer a favor and I guess they didn't feel the same. Without getting caught up in the story, I wanted to address the frusteration, the disappointment, the feelings... the way your soul screams at you saying "THIS ISN'T HOW IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE!!!!!!"

I remember as a teenager hearing in church about a woman who had to give birth to a baby she knew would be still-born. She spoke those words as she pushed her poor broken child into the world who never got a chance. As an adult I have several friends who have lost babies in miscarriage. My pastor's wife talks about loosing her first child, who they had to try so hard to concieve. I've never lost a baby, but there is some disappointment wrapped up there. That's an extreem situation that speaks volumes of our hearts losses, the things we expected that went so wrong.

Loosing a baby, getting fired, your house burning down, or even just having a friend lie to you - all these things hurt. Some more than others. But what is the core that we struggle with as believers?

I thought you said I could trust you. I thought you said you'd take care of me. I thought you said you had plans for me. I thought you wanted me to be happy. Don't you care at all? Do you even see what's happening? Are you even there?

Look out. Be aware. Listen to your soul and tell it to be quiet. Bring it to submission - recognize that is your soul and not your spirit. Spirit knows that you are in the place you were meant to be right now. Spirit understands what is happening in the spiritual planes that your natural cannot understand. Tune in to your spirit. Tune up to His spirit. He will cry with you. He hurts with you.


You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book. (Psalm 56:8)

..... and then take courage

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling (psalm 46)

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
phillipians 4:6-7

Texting while you Drive

A whopping 81 percent of the United States population admits to resorting to texting while a driving a vehicle.
A study by Virginia Tech Driving Institute revealed that those who resort to texting while driving are 23 time more likely to meet with an accident.
Studies reveal that a person who is texting while driving at the speed of 35 mph will cover 25 ft before bringing the car to complete halt as compared to a distance of 4 ft which a drunk driver would cover at the same speed.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
Texting while driving caused 5,870 people to die in car crashes in 2008 alone.
The same statistics revealed that 515,000 people were injured in various car crashes in the United States.

What is the point I am bringing this all up for?

People still do it. I do it from time to time, honestly. "Just at a stoplight" or whatever you want to say, you're still getting distracted from what you should be doing. And thats the nitty gritty. All the stats, all the deaths, all the injuries, this is all because we don't pay attention to where we're going.

Grasp a hold of that. Death. Injury. Pain. Hurt.
All because we don't watch where we're going.


Proverbs 3:5-6 (New King James Version)
5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
6 In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths.


Get focused. Pay attention! Watch where you are going.

The Force is With You

So the greatest battle of all time - the battle within yourself. Luke and Darth are a wonderfully deep picture of something that's hard for many of us to grasp. The force is deep in Luke. It's strong with this young one. So strong that Darth wants to convert him to the dark side, to be a ruler because he'd be an AWESOME ruler on either side and lets face it, Darth didn't really want to fight the guy becuase he was incredible.

Luke has to come to a place where he recognizes the calling deep with in him and he has to pair it with the correct desires. Desire of the soul? Power. Desire of his spirit? Destiny - good - light. The "second half" of the SW series (being the last 3 in the series but the first 3 released) deal heavily with this inner struggle in Luke... will he be good or bad? Will he fall to the powers of darkness or will he stay with the forces of good? This battle, this war... how will it end?

So here's the question. What will you do with it? The force is strong in you as well. And, be it Jedi or prophecy or gifting or preaching or serving or whatever, it can be used for the good or destruction of the world. But there is no doubt that the force is strong.

Dont believe me? Look back on your childhood. Before the pain and dissapointments and frusteration and rejection. What did you want to do? What did you want to be? Did you want to change the world? I bet you did... most kids do. If not change the world, then be famous which breaks down to have an influence and be something special.... When I was a little girl, I wanted to be an author. It was evident off the bat that I was really good at writing and putting thoughts onto paper and making ideas speak aloud as if you were having a conversation instead of reading it. It was so easy. Write books, be creative. But then somewhere along the way I lost confidence and decided no one wanted to hear my ideas. That I wasn't going to make it as an author. That I wouldn't be read, that I wouldn't sell any books, and I'd have a collection sitting in my garage that I couldn't sell so I gave away as Christmas presents every year. And then I decided to be a teacher.

But when I graduated high school, student teaching courses in hand and ready to take on the world of college, I realised I didn't know what I was doing and I certainly didn't feel called to being a teacher. So I got married instead and had kids and took time to heal and see myself for who I really am.

Does that mean I know I'm going to be a great author? Not yet. I still get hung up sometimes riding shotgun in the dreams other people have for my life. But there's something to those dreams you have as a child and the strengths that are given to you. Nither does it mean that is what God wants to do with my life. This is just an example.

The point I'm trying to make is that there is a force that you have that may have been twisted and hidden and belittled and thought lowly of (like Luke doesn't think the force exists back when he's drinking blue milk at his Uncle's house). But that doesn't mean that force is not strong in you, or that the enemy won't stop it nothing to divert and destroy you. The question you need to ask yourself that comes to hand here is what will you do with that force that is most assuredly so strong in you?

Running Weighted

In terms of getting stronger, or loosing weight, running with extra weights can be a good thing. But as I drove home today I envisioned a person getting ready for a race - a 5k run. Jumping up and down, ready, excited. He wore shorts and a tank top, a sweatband around his head and tennis shoes. He was amped and ready to go. There were many other runners as well, also amped and excited and ready to run the race. There was one major difference about this runner: He wore weights. Big heavy weights (like the ones you see above). He also had a ball and chain on each ankle, dumbells in his hands and leg weights. He thought he was ready.

When we approach our 5k run - the one we want to finish - our race, are we approaching with extra weight? Or have you really done everything to shed those un-needed pounds hanging on you? Anyone can see that this runner won't make it even part of the way - if he even gets started - with all this extra nonsense he's wrapped up in. And there's no way he's gonna do well - he probably won't even place when its said and done, if he even finishes.

What things still weigh you down? Failure? Guilt? Anger? Rejection? Fear? Anxiety? Frusteration? Dissapointment?

How will you run your race?

9-28-2010

The Catholic Encyclopedia defines prophecy as "understood in its strict sense, it means the foreknowledge of future events, though it may sometimes apply to past events of which there is no memory, and to present hidden things which cannot be known by the natural light of reason."

I don't know what this is about yet. I just know that I need an outlet for the prophetic strength of my spirit so I can grow it and strengthen it and learn how it works. So. That's what I'm going to do. And may God bless it because I can't do it on my own.