Payday

This week has been full of paydays.

I love paydays. I'm sure most do. It's the fiscal reward for all of your hard work. It means you can breath, go out on the weekend, pay bills, splurge on the cute outfit you've been eyeing for a few weeks. Things seem to be less tense.

But this time, my definition of payday means something different. It wasn't monetary this week. And it's been something other than monetary many times before.

TC, or should I say Coach T, started teaching middle school physical education for the first time since graduating with a Physical Education degree. He also started as the head middle school football coach, and though he's coached for many years, this was the first time coaching while being a full time teacher at a school. Writing a note to Coach T for his lunch box last Wednesday, I started with, "It's payday!".... We've waited for this moment for years. He's waited and worked for it even longer. Years. Years of school. Years of applications and resumes. Years of working, enjoying and investing where he was while constantly being reassured of his calling to teach - for this moment. It was payday. The opportunity to start walking in a career he's had a passion for since he was a child.

This past week was student leader move-in week at the school. Yesterday was move-in day. My office works tirelessly for that moment (and countless moments past move-in day); we've worked all spring and summer  to get ready for the next academic year. Move-in day is payday. The day where we meet the students we've prayed for and prepared for their arrival. As I spoke with student after student, I found myself moved to sentimental emotions over the awesome opportunity I've been given to be a part of their life - in a conversation, in a session, in a greeting.

Last night, Coach T and I went on a date (we have barely spoken in a week and a half! We've been working late, going to sleep earlier, and leaving before the other has a chance to say more than 'good morning'). We caught up on our weeks, how work has been and all the great moments the days have held. We started talking about the weeks quiet moments with our Heavenly Father, where we shared the whispers and reminders of our callings and excitement over our purpose to be right where we are. We were brought to tears. It was amazing that through our disconnect this week, we were both being assured of the place God has us. It was payday.

Many in my generation are quick to see the greener grass. Facebook is constantly reminding us of what others are doing or accomplishing making us feel we are behind. We see everyone who is successful and we forget what kind of quiet moments with the Father they may have gone through or what not-so-glamorous weeks (or years) they had to go through to get to that point. Or maybe they haven't had either, but regardless, I wouldn't trade my experience for anything.

I had a professor in college who consistently shared a motto: "Are you on  your way to ministry, or are you ministering on your way?" Everyone who had ever taken him for a class usually repeated the slogan with a laugh because of his faithful presentation of the thought. He told the class he frequently has former students write to tell him they now know what he meant by that phrase. Fast forward years later, I was writing to tell him the very same thing. It's easy for us to be in a rush to reach a place where all the hard work is done. But I'm learning it should never be done - not as a believer and not in my calling. I don't want to rush and miss all the good God has for right now. He shaping me still, and in the busy I hope Coach T and me remember the most important things.

Luke 10:33 "But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was..."

I'm not on my way to some form of greatness where I merely choose to do something if I feel like it, but should always be mindful of ministering on my way. Wherever God leads me and wherever He has me, my hope is that I take time to have that conversation with someone who needs to be reminded of how faithful God is, who needs to be encouraged that no height, no depth could ever separate us from the love of our Heavenly Father, that I'm slow to begrudge or rush the role I'm in and that I am quick to work with all my might.

It might mean I'm not rolling in the millions. But I can't take it with me anyway.

30 years

.July 30, 2013.

Happy 30th Anniversary to my parents.

"Grow old with me, the best is yet to be..." - Robert Browning

 

      After 30 years...

 

    They've still got it...

 

 

 

 

I want to be like them when I grow up.

 

 

You've inspired me. Inspired others. After 30 years, I'd say you know a few things about marriage.

 

 Thankful everyday I witnessed your love firsthand. Thankful everyday you loved each other more than anything else on this earth, and only second to your relationship with God. Neither of you pretended to be perfect, but you certainly showed off the ability to work through frustrations. Your marriage is and has always been fun-filled, loving, exciting, romantic...and you made our home fun. safe. a joy to be in. Thanks.

 

Maybe this had something to do with me becoming a marriage and family therapist...  

 

I love you!

Happy Anniversary! And may your next 30+ years be just as grand!

 

 

Road home

Coming home from vacation is never as exciting as leaving for vacation. However, I have nothing to complain about; I am thankful we were even able to go to the mountains this year.

A full week of resting in a cabin riverside, driving and hiking through the most picturesque settings (no picture ever seemed to capture what actually laid before me, though I took hundreds hoping) wildlife watching and fishing has now come and gone. Tomorrow, it's back to work we go.

Thankful for a wonderful, full break. All rested and back to reality...

 

Hope after Failure

I've been thinking about my pastor's sermon all week. It was so real and so needed for me and for many others. As a counselor, a believer and a human I know full well the insecurities that can rage inside... the feeling of not being good enough, having failed God in any capacity. 

Pastor began on Sunday..."Failures can defeat or develop you..." The Bible is full of people who have failed God... Adam. Eve. David. Samson. Moses. Peter....Ah, yes. One of my new favorite characters. I love Peter for his passion. He comes to the forefront of Gospel passages because of his boldness to frequently speak and act. He loved Jesus. He stepped out of the boat, humbled himself before Jesus over the increase in their catch and acted protectively of Jesus in the garden.

In Luke 22:31-34 Jesus tells Peter “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.” But he replied, “Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and to death.” Jesus answered, “I tell you, Peter, before the rooster crows today, you will deny three times that you know me.”
 

Jesus warns Peter, “You will deny Me”.... An "overconfident Peter did not heed the warning and the outcome was not pretty."

We learn Peter, when tested, denied being a disciple of Christ three times. “Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken: ‘Before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.’ And he went outside and wept bitterly (Matthew 26:75).” I think this is significant in the second part of the story. I believe Peter was heartbroken when he realized what he had done. I think he came face to face with his weakness, his failure, his inadequacy and his great need for a Savior's pardon. I believe his Godly sorrow led to repentance.

Pastor quoted another minister: "If you are ever going to be great you must be broken." Full potential is not met until you are broken. I've convinced it's because you come face to face with the reality that HIS GRACE is SUFFICIENT, HIS power is made perfect in WEAKNESS, so I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses so that Christ's power may rest on me (2 Corinthians 12:9)." You know your great need for Savior.

In Mark 16: 6, an angel tells Mary Magdalene, “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.’”

AND PETER. Jesus could simply have said “disciples” but He called out to Peter. In a dark, broken time in Peter’s life, Jesus called out to him, once again.  As my pastor said, “Peter was on the Lord’s mind… Jesus will come to those who have failed…  Jesus still wants to have breakfast with someone who fails Him…”

In John 21, as they eat breakfast together, Jesus asks Peter if he loves Him 3x encouraging him to then “Feed My sheep.” Remember when Jesus warned Peter he would deny Him? Well Jesus also gave Peter hope... "...that your faith may not fail. And WHEN YOU HAVE TURNED BACK…” followed with directions “strengthen your brothers." Jesus was reaffirming His call to Peter, a reinstatement, a reminder of his place as a Son of God and his purpose. How amazing that Jesus would speak to the very insecurity that must have been occupying Peter’s thought?

In Acts 2 we find the bold, passionate Peter not daring to shy away, but loudly proclaiming to a crowd “Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.” And in verse 37 “When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart.” Peter did not deny the power of Christ on the day of Pentecost. He strengthened his brothers as they were cut to the heart and 3,000 were saved that very day.

Peter walked with Christ. He knew Christ. He had proclaimed Christ as the Son of God and yet he failed. But once he came face to face with his need for grace and the power of the work of Christ through death and resurrection, I don't think anyone could have stopped him. Peter recognized his sin; he proclaimed Christ and he walked boldly into his calling. Sure he was unworthy. Sure he had made a mistake. Sure he had fallen. But he like Micah 7:8 said “Do not gloat over me my enemy, though I have fallen I will rise.” Some of you need to declare this in your life today.

Having ministered two nights this week a Christ centered Drug and Alcohol recovery program, I've been constantly reminded of this message. I heard friends give testimonies of their imperfections and failures and the perfect grace of God that covers all sins. Y’all, God's grace is so much greater than any fall. He saves. He transforms. He restores. He calls. He keeps. He leads. What a mighty, awesome God we serve.

 If you stumble, get back up. Peter did.

Road Trips

Road trip (n): A vacation or sudden trip involving travel on the road -

interstates, highways, or back roads

TC and I absolutely love traveling; we even love the road trip part. Most likely it’s because they’ve become second nature to us.

From the time we started dating in 2008 (we met in 2006) until now (3 years into our marriage), we’ve traveled over 30,000 miles – and that’s just the trips we can remember with both of us in the car (not counting our individual trips or flights). This happens when your families live 13 hours apart, you meet in a city that’s over 5 hours from back home and your friends are from all over the country. We’ve road tripped with friends and traveled to see their families from Washington, Vermont, Alabama and Ohio to Florida, you definitely cover some ground.

After traveling 34,314 miles, you learn to entertain yourself in the car. For example, last year we caravanned to Nashville with my family. Because we were all going our separate ways on Christmas day, we could not share a vehicle. I tried to get creative on how we could still stay connected with each other. I decided I would work on the props for our  Christmas Eve photo booth and entertain the family as we rode. Hilarious. Conversation and fun for me, TC and our travel buddies.  

We’ve played all kind of car games. Asking “brick or wood”, “soccer or football”, “blue or yellow” is now the radio tune when things start to get too quiet. We’ve dreamed on car rides. We’ve reminisced on car rides. We’ve shared thoughts, feelings, fears and hopes on car rides. We’ve taken scenic detours (what’s a 30 minutes or 10 more miles in the grand scheme of things?). We’ve laughed, cried, prayed, and sat in silence.  

We typically don’t fight about driving. In fact, I’ve never met a better travel buddy. We don’t stress out if we take the wrong turn. That’s because Trent drives. I navigate. And if we get off course, we know we will eventually get back on track and maybe see something unexpected on the way.

Typically road trips mean it's vacation. So we count the driving part as a break too. We’ve collected quite a few tips for making our trips fun, so we thought we’d share with you...

·       Pick. Are you the driver, navigator, activity planner?

·       Locate. Find markers that you can look forward to in order  to help determine travel time remaining. It always helps us gauge our travel.

·       Stop. See what fun stops are along the way. We recently stopped at Noccalula Falls on a trip to Tennessee last week because it’s less than five minutes from the interstate. We stretched our legs, read some history and took pictures for the memory books. Try it…

 

·       Read. Find a book you both are interested in (somebody will have to read out loud or listen to a book on tape), and make it a conversation starter (TC doesn’t LOVE to read….but he LOVES reading, cue me)

·       Research. With smart phones around these days, the road trip can be more than its even been- Research! The passenger(s) research NOT the driver. When we are headed through a city or traveling to a city, we will research what significant historical events occurred locally, find major landmarks, and research what they are known for.

·       Play. Name that tune, Going on a Picnic, Find the Alphabet…create your own game. These pass a lot of  time.

·       Eat. We usually don’t take snack if we can afford it in our budget because it give us a great excuse to wake-up. However, don’t get caught hungry…hungry equals grumpy and road trips are 10x better if everyone is happy.

·       Stay. If you have to stay overnight en route, find a local place for dinner or breakfast- might as well make the most of it. Don’t pressure yourself to make the trip in one day if conditions are not conducive.

·       Pack. A camera, a phone charger, a GPS (smart phone, map, GPS), layers or blankets in case your travel buddy is colder or hotter than you, snacks if you need them and a great attitude.  I promise you - whatever attitude you pack will make or break a trip. I've been broken down on the side of the road on a trip more times that I have fingers. I've always made it to my destination and met pretty great people in the process. Make the breakdowns adventures too; though I highly recommend getting roadside assistance. Side note: I don’t take a pillow for the trip because I try to make it my goal to help the driver stay awake…the older I get, it’s a little harder to stay awake, but I imagine it is for TC too).

·       Enjoy! Have fun! These can be the moments that make life an adventure.

Every couple has their areas of tension…so if yours is traveling, hopefully this can help. P.S. I realize there are no kids in our current travel...without a doubt it makes a difference, though I'd like to think this is still entirely possible. Perhaps more patience on the road will be needed once we have children?   

Our next road trip is in a week….

Seasons

Ecclesiastes 3:1 There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.
I've been thinking about seasons lately, in my and my husband's life, my family's lives, and my friend's lives. A few weeks ago prayer request after prayer request came our way. We felt burdened for the needs of so many around us. I cried to a friend a work feeling sad there was little I could do to help. So we turned our concerns to prayer (we are supposed to do this in the first place! Philippians 4:6 "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God."). And I was quickly reminded that prayer changes things. Not because of what we have prayed or how good we are, but because God turns his ears to His children. Though not every prayer is answered the way we may have felt it should have been (or should be), God was and is always faithful to provided what is needed. Whether it's comfort in loss, provision in need, peace in chaos, joy in mourning, grace in despair, mercy in guilt or an absolute divine miracle - God is faithful. I'm thankful we serve a God who is faithful. I'm so often left speechless at the work of God's hands.

None the less, it seemed to be a difficult season, not specifically for us, but for many around us.

Fast forward a few months... We've heard many praise reports coming from our friends. We've seen God open doors, provide blessings, perform miracles, move through His children, make a way where there seemed to be no way and encourage those who were brokenhearted. There are still needs around us, but we've been reminded about God's goodness. Even in our own lives. We've been so excited for our friends around us. We feel so joyful about the work God is doing. We feel so joyful about the blessings He has given. We feel so joyful about the miracles He has performed!

Trent and I are getting ready for a new season ourselves. It's scary, exciting, anxiety-provoking and so many other emotions at the same time. It's awesome - I mean awesome to look back at all the times God has made a way and provided (and NOT always the way we would have thought). He's created quite an adventurous journey for us, but I would not think of trading a lesson or moment for a minute. I'm thankful for this latest season we've been in. It's been a rewarding and humbling time. My heart has been changed for the better and for that I am grateful. Hopefully, some of you can see the value of the season you are in, resting and knowing that God is working through it in some form or fashion- or maybe working on you!

More than anything I have been reminded that God is real and faithful and good in the great times and the difficult times. He's promised us that He will never leave us nor forsake us. He's promised us that He has a plan - a plan to give us hope and a future. I'm thankful for a Heavenly Father who is always present. I'm thankful that in small beginnings, in difficult times and in celebratory moments God is here -working, loving, moving.

Here is a story of God's working in recent months - You will be touched.