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?