Adventure Man

My husband is a runner and has been for 25+ years.  I am not.  I’ve been known to walk great distances, but running is not my thing. 

Several years ago, my husband expressed an interest in participating in a marathon.  He had done several half-marathons, so I didn’t give much thought to his running a full.  What I did not know at the time I flippantly agreed, was how much training was involved. 

With two young children and a house full of chores, the last thing (I thought) I could endure, was his being frequently gone after work and on weekends.  The truth of the matter was that I was lonely and needed adult interaction after hours managing Kidville. He’d come home from work, and get a run in before dinner.  He’d do his long run on Saturday or Sunday, the days I had counted on to have his company. 

Though I had agreed to his participation, my actions and attitudes sabotaged his training regimen and our mutual frustration finally came to a head.  He vocalized how important this was to him.  He needed my support.  He needed me to be his cheerleader.  Instead, I was self-absorbed and far too busy feeling sorry for myself.  He was right.  Thankfully, he loved me through my selfishness and the Lord helped me change my attitude.  Ultimately, I was able to stand at the finish line, beaming with pride at what he had accomplished. 

In the more recent past, my radio co-host Dan Rosecrans and I were conducting an interview with a man who had set out on a hike, gotten hopelessly lost, nearly died, found help, and then wrote a book about it.  As the author was recounting his story, my “sensible” woman brain was thinking: “Gee, how dumb.  Glad I’m not his wife!”

I then glance over at Dan, and watch a look wash over his face.  It was a very different look from what I’m sure was plastered all over my own.  He kind of went “dreamy” and was totally engrossed in this man’s tale.  After the interview, he made a comment to the effect of “Man, I wish I could do something like that”.

This was my “ah-ha” moment.  Men need adventure.  They are wired for it.  They need to push themselves, strain themselves and maybe even get lost in the mountains.  God wired them for exploration and dreaming big dreams.  They need to play “King of the Mountain” both on the playground and in the world--not to shove others down or away, but to know that sense of accomplishment. 

Both genders need to understand this. Men need to responsibly act on this gift that they have been given.  When men go and do, dream and build, fantastic things can be accomplished, not just for him personally, but for society at large.  Women need to support and spur on their men.  This is not to suggest that women can’t have adventures and grand plans of their own, but ladies will benefit when we assist, and champion our guys.

For some additional thoughts about what a Godly man’s man looks like, here’s a link to a great blog from Watermark Community Church: http://www.watermark.org/blog/how-to-be-a-godly-man/

Ed Stetzer and tomato worms

This morning I woke up early and contemplated what I wanted to accomplish during the course of the day.  It was 5:30am, and I had a few hours before I had any hard and fast obligations.  I hadn’t yet gotten my long walk in for the week and I hoped to catch a service at Calvary of Albuquerque because Ed Stetzer was going to be the guest speaker. 

We had previously scheduled my daughter’s 13^th birthday party for today. This party was technically the 3^rd in the series of birthday parties.  Last weekend, two of her long-time friends spent the night, followed by a day playing in the river.  One of those friends doesn’t get along with the school friends.  So, trying to include all, without drama for my daughter, we allowed two different “parties”.  Then, we had a family celebration on her actual birthday.  Today is the water park day, and we had a BYGO offer, so we allowed two friends from school to celebrate with her.

My husband woke up early as well, and encouraged me to do both my walk and attend church.  Trying to kill two birds with one stone, I walked the nearly 7 miles to church.  I arrived, hot and sweaty, but in enough time to catch Ed’s entire message. 

He spoke about service, and how few church goers actually devote any time giving to others or investing into meeting “church” needs.  He equated church attendance to theater attendance.  We gain admission, look to be entertained, complain if we aren’t happy with the music or message, then head home.  He’s right.  I’m often guilty of being too consumer minded, not wanting to make the personal or emotional investment into someone else.

 My husband and I took turns watching the girls at the water park, and during my break, I went home to get a shower and take care of a few things.  I went outside to check on my tomato plants, and inspect if there was any sign of remaining tomato worms (I had killed at least 7 over the last two days).

 

I have to pause for a moment to say something: I despise and fear tomato worms!  If you aren’t familiar with them, they easily disguise themselves on the leaves of the plant, and then eat both plant and fruit.  Early childhood memories include my mother, armed with a giant pair of kitchen shears, cutting the nasty beasts in half, trying to protect the few tomatoes that will grow in the hot New Mexico sun.  So, I do the same today.  Carefully examining to see if there is any sign of further destruction to my plants, I nervously clutched my own kitchen shears, ready to sever any sign of life I observed.  I don’t know why I’m afraid of them.  I recognize it’s quite irrational, but I’ve actually had nightmares about them.

In the course of the day, I also had a chance to read a thought provoking blog by Ryan Russell (redbikeleader.com/RESET) addressing his frustration with social media and how shallow it can be.  This is another area in which I have frequent and conflicting opinions.  I had actually attended the Calvary service with Ed Stetzer thinking this might be a subject he would cover (I was first introduced to Ed and his work at the NRB Conference speaking on this topic).

Now, during my shift at the water park, I have some time to think back on the events of today and formulate a few lessons/conclusions:

*It’s good to work hard/exercise hard and feel a sense of exhaustion and/or completion.

*It’s worth the effort to put yourself in a position to learn something new and to be challenged to fight against the status quo. 

*Life is like a group of 13 year-old girls.  You can choose to immerse yourself in the drama, or you can opt for maturity and offer yourself as a true friend to others.  You may get snubbed, or you may get hugged.  The only one you have the power to control is you.

*Social media sites can be like tomato worms.  They are living, breathing creatures, but have the potential to be very destructive if you don’t keep a good pair of shears in hand, ready to do some cutting.

The best verse I can think of to close off this blog is Matthew 13:35: “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” Let us love and serve one another at church, on social media and even with drama filled friends.  May our actions and love point others to the awesome grace of Christ. 

Monday

It’s Monday morning.  That means the start of a new work week for my husband and me and a new school week for my kids.  For some, today is their birthday, their anniversary or their last day of chemo.  For others, today is the final day on the job after getting a “pink slip”.  Today might bring a check in the mail or a notice of foreclosure.

In other parts of the world, today is the day their house gets bombed, their father gets executed or their child succumbs to disease.  Today might also bring joy as a village welcomes the message of salvation as the good news of the Gospel is heard.

So what does this all mean for my ordinary American life?  How can I care without becoming consumed?  There are nations at war, civil unrest at home, and evil abounding globally--but I still need to run to Costco to fill up my car with gas.  How do I live?  How do I pray?  How do I make a difference?

I think it has to start, very simply, with the scripture “Be still, and know that I am God.”  As I looked up the reference, I was surprise to read the entire psalm and hear many of the same themes of today, sung by the words of the Psalmist thousands of years ago:

“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.  Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.  There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells.  God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day.  Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts.  The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.  Come and see the works of the Lord, the desolations he has brought on the earth.  He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear, he burns the shields with fire.  “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.” Psalm 46

In light of this passage, my outlook for this week has a distinctive, new focus.

1.       I can pray for peace but don’t need to be in fear of war.  God is my shelter. War may be raging around us, but He can make them cease. 

2.       I can exalt (praise) God and teach my children to do the same. 

3.       I can look for opportunities to show the promise of peace to others who don’t have it.

Some may view this approach as too “simple”.  However, I know that there is no way for me to be still before God if I continue to strive for _______ (fill in the blank) with my own strength and power.  I absolutely want to be moved by the Holy Spirit to walk in obedience in whatever area He calls me to. That might be a time of intense prayer.  It might be ministry to a hurting friend.  It might be courtesy and respect to the rude clerk at the counter.   Sure, I have things I want to accomplish this week—they may even be good things.  But, they might not be God things.  After all, I can’t hear His voice if I’m busy talking about my own personal agenda. 

Lord, help me to be keenly aware of every area you want me to engage in this week.  Help me pray according to your will.  Let my heartbeat mimic your own.  Let me not be burdened with anyone’s projection of what they think I should be doing.  Instead, let me simply rest in you, being obedient to your voice and call.  Amen

                                         

Photo by Lhgergo

Hair Dye and Chocolate Cake

The last 3 days have been rather hectic.  Saturday and Sunday we worked (and had other people work) on a plumbing problem the required the water to be shut off for most of the weekend.  I was relatively calm about it.  There were occasions when the fear of having to tear out bathroom walls crept through my head, but on a whole, I was at peace.  In the end, we did have to go through a wall, but from the back end.  The plumbing was repaired and instead of having to re-tile a wall, it will just be a dry wall repair. 

Then last night, I got a surprise phone call, offering me a job for which I'd never heard of, and never applied for.  It was exciting to think that someone though I was such a perfect fit, that I was offered a position out of the blue.  Wanting to learn more about it, I headed for a meeting this afternoon only to be told that the position was filled 30 minutes prior to my arrival.  I can't say that I was terribly upset, as the whole think had come out of left field anyway.  Yet, I felt a little confused.

After the meeting, I picked up my eldest daughter from my in-law's house.  She doesn't start school until tomorrow. She had made a very decadent chocolate cake and built (from a kit) a 3 foot high Eifel Tower.  After loading her goods into the car, she asked me about dying her hair.
We've allowed hair dye before.  Not the whole head, but streaks of a color.  She had bought a kit of "luscious raspberry".

On to pick up daughter #2 who did start school today.  First day at a new school and by all accounts it went pretty well!

Back at the ranch, I come home to last night's Star Wars Monopoly Game still spread all over the kitchen table.  The family wanted to finish it up tonight after dinner.  My bed is unmade, there is laundry on the couch and the ugly hole in the wall stares me down.  I'm starting to feel a bit intimidated. 

I start the dye job on #1.  While the bleach sets, I begin dinner.  #2 is busy reading and I'm thankful for that.  Hubby comes home and then leaves again for the gym.  I rinse, wash and apply color.  I cook the pasta and add the fixings.  I rinse the dye and shampoo.  #2 has snuck some chocolate cake.  Hubby comes home, we eat, they play Monopoly.

I just needed a little "down" time tonight.  I suppose I'm being selfish, sitting with my computer, writing to anyone who cares, rather than engaging with the family.  That being said, it's time to unplug and find #2--looks like she ran out of money and left the game. 

Motherhood isn't for the faint of heart.

Who I Am

It is painful to confess this, but the honest truth is that I struggle with my pride on a regular basis.  My flesh wants to be acknowledged and patted on the back.  It wants to be honored for working hard.  It wants to be noticed.

If you do a quick Bible verse search on “pride”, it’s very obvious that it isn’t a characteristic that God wants in me.  So, my spirit is always in pride battle mode. 

Today on the radio program, we had Senatorial candidate Allen Weh come in.  He asked me if I “do the weather”.  I can’t relay the emotional response that a question of that nature generates in me.  I wanted to shout “I’ve been here for almost 8 years!  I’m the co-host!”  In retrospect, I think what I really wanted to shout was “I’m important too!  Value me!”

Knowing who I am in Christ and being firmly and confidently rooted in that identity is such a juxtaposition to worldly pride.  It’s a struggle for me.  The world expects us to celebrate our titles and accomplishments.  It presumes that our identity comes from our jobs, our affiliations, or even our sexuality. 

Today, I write to remind myself, and anyone else in need of a spiritual “pep-talk” who we really are.

We are God’s workmanship: “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Ephesians 2:10 
Think of yourself as a fine work of art that has been meticulously crafted by the Master Designer.

We are a new creation: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” 2 Corinthians 5:17 
You may view yourself through the lens of your mistakes.  You may have shame from the past, but that record has been expunged!

We are loved, forgiven, sanctified, accepted, favored, and reconciled to God.  The list goes on and on.  Instead of thinking of yourself as a "just"--"just a mom", "just a student" or "just a delivery driver", begin to imagine your spiritual business cards with these new titles instead.

The beauty of God’s Truth is that who I am in Him, is so much more than I could ever be through human accomplishment.  Now, the real challenge lies in valuing our God given titles above those found in the world.  I won't pretend that a blog and a speech will instantly remedy this thinking.  However, acknowledging the struggle and turning it over to the Lord in prayer will begin to put us on the right side of the battle.

Lord, help me see my true value, and abandon self-promotion through worldly endeavors. Set me free from the bondage of pride and allow me to rest in the assurance that I have eternal value in Your eyes.  Let this truth sink deeply into my mind and spirit and let me rest in You.  Help me throw off everything that so easily entangles, so I can run with perseverance the race marked out for me. Let my eyes be fixed on Jesus, the author and perfecter of my faith. Amen

 

A House Full of Strangers

Tonight is "National Night Out", an "effort to promote involvement in crime prevention activities, police-community partnerships, [and] neighborhood camaraderie."  For us, we used it as an "excuse" to open up our home to our neighbors in an effort to get to know them better (or at all).

The idea came to me at a recent Albuquerque Ministry Alliance meeting, where the speaker talked about the purposeful effort he and his wife  made in praying for the Lord to open doors of opportunity to love on their neighbors.  One thing led to another and they now have a thriving neighborhood network. 

I felt a sense of sadness that after 2 1/2 years in our home, we had hardly met anyone on our block.  Of those we had met, I barely knew their names.  So, after prayer and consulting Bob, our neighborhood open house was planned.

The experience of going door to door, passing out invitation flyers didn't go as I had imagined.  We had neighbors who rolled their eyes, closed their doors, or looked out the window and opt not to ever open the door.  I had somehow envisioned a 1950's TV sitcom response. It clearly didn't go that way.

Yet, over the next few days, the phone calls started to come in.  First one, then a few more, and finally 15 responded, saying they would attend.  Even as I write now, another neighbor called (expressing regret that a prior commitment would keep her from attending).

So tonight, my house will be full of neighborhood strangers.  My hope and prayer is that this event will serve as a catalyst, promoting friendship and trust.  I will try not to have unrealistic expectations about what will transpire.  As a wise man once told me "We are simply called to act.  We are not responsible for the outcome."  We acted in faith and have opened our doors.  The rest is up to the Lord.

Photo Lessons

Part of my duties at work include managing our social network pages.  As I was looking through photos to update our station profile, I came across a few that took me back and reminded me of some important lessons. 

This is a photo I took with June Hunt, Founder and CSO of Hope for the Heart.  She is an incredibly gifted and compassionate woman who I greatly admire.  Though she never married, she didn't allow her singleness to become a source of bitterness. Instead, she focused her time and talents into developing a ministry that has helped thousands around the globe.  Using her skills in Biblical counseling, she developed radio programs, a resource center and has written multiple books. At my first National Religious Broadcasters Conference, I introduced myself to her at the airport, and she in turn invited me to share a cab to the hotel (which she paid for in full).  Her giving, gracious heart will continue to bless me and all those that she touches.

George W. Bush impersonator, John Morgan, is quite an act.  His few non-comedic words to me the day we met were so profound that I went on to invite him to several radio interviews over the years.  His message: To be a believable Bush, he had to study the real Bush's every mannerism, vocal fluctuation, history and attitude. He had to so immerse himself in the study of Bush, that he would be mistaken for the real deal (in fact the FBI used him a time or two).  He went on to stress that we as Christians so have the same task--to so study and imitate Christ, that we as His followers would be mistaken for Him.  Wow!

Janet Parshall is the woman I'd choose to mentor me if we lived in the same town.  She's the smartest, most well-spoken, educated and professional woman I've ever come across.  She puts her faith first, honors her husband and values family.  She is not immune from loss and heartbreak as her son sadly lost his battle with cancer.  Yet despite bitter disappointments in life, she never fails to glorify God, respect those who attack her Biblical world view and commands respect at the microphone.  The host of "In the Market", Janet brings truth and love to a world that is starving for genuine conversation.

Finally, a picture of the pie assembly line at Heights Cumberland Church.  I was invited by Leslie Cumiford (on the left) to participate.  My daughters and I helped make apple, blueberry, strawberry and many other varieties of pie.  By the end of the day, almost 200 had been assembled!  These pies went on to be sold at the Asbury Pie Café during the New Mexico State Fair.  The money raised there helped the homeless and broken in our community. 

This day spoke to me of the great variety of personalities within the body of Christ.  We all have different skills and talents, but when we are operating together efficiently and respectfully, get works can be accomplished.  Whether you are gifted in making a flaky, buttery crust, or preaching from the pulpit, the Lord can use you and your willing heart to do great things for His Kingdom.