Never Enough - Faith & Grace

“It is something I have been struggling with for a while…” I hear myself say in a tone of voice that betrays me as it conveys an energy and upbeat nature I haven’t truly been in some time. “I haven’t really figured it out yet except for one small insight: I reach a point and I just have to crash for a day.”  I end with a convincing smile and turn the conversation towards the women in the car with me. ‘I don’t actually catch up.’ I think to myself. ‘The crash just prevents the huge fall that would happen if I didn’t – a more catastrophic fall.’ I hear my thoughts working overtime to justify my fears. Albert Einstein defined insanity as doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Well, I guess I have been insane for a while…. though I am working towards sanity – or what I used to know as sanity. A ‘sane for me’ let’s call it. Let me explain what ‘sane for me’ used to look like: Waking in the early morning Having prayer time before clim...

If we're being honest, it is not a new fact that life includes doing things we don't want to do 'for your own good' as we were probably all told at some point or another. Adults often tell children 'for your own good' as a way to explain or give purpose and reason without great detail. Obviously learning is a process, and we can't explain everything to children all at once. I don't even know an adult who can understand everything at once! When children are told to eat their vegetables, a not uncommon question is 'why?' and of course the answer is usually 'for your own good'. Now some vary their response with creativity. I can remember an aunt who had be convinced carrots would make my eyes gorgeous! All I had to do was eat lots of them! I can remember my mom telling my brother he had to eat more so he could be 'strong'. When a 'why' question comes along again and again even after a couple of 'for your own good...

Love is a daily journey - not a weekend trip. Earlier this week a sweet friend sent me a link to Gary Thomas’s blog. Author Tyler Ward was actually a guest blogger and wrote the post I read entitled, Love is a Journey Not a Free-Fall . Can I just say the timing was Providential. My husband & I took a short weekend trip to Chicago this past weekend. My oh my it was a great trip! We’re both avid sports fans, so our main purpose in going was to see the Chicago Cubs (My husband’s team) hosts the Atlanta Braves (my team of choice). I have never been to Wrigley. Since Wrigley is celebrating their 100 th birthday, I just had a birthday, AND our teams were playing, we thought there was no better time for us to go!    Ya'll, seeing a game in Wrigley has been on my bucket list a LONG time. How fun to cross something off the list!! Now I have to find something new for that line on the list! We had this great weekend trip, and it was followed by a fairly b...

Crushed I have had a flip-flop week emotionally... with Sunday being an odd day (as I posted on Monday ) and Monday being one of the best work days in awhile! Tuesday I was absolutely stunned and shocked... Now, I am trying hard to remember all of the promises of Christ, to stand in Truth, and stay committed even though I am crushed.  “We often suffer but are never crushed. Even when we don’t know what to do, we never give up. In times of trouble, God is with us, and when we are knocked down, we get up again.” 2 Corinthians 4:8-9

This is the tenth  post in a 31 day series on Commitment. Click  here  to view posts by day. Full Days Today has been a busy day! I have one of the busiest work weekends of the year, and today I worked late and never saw my desk at all! I cringe when I think of the e-mails piling up in my inbox... This time of year I receive between two and three e-mails every ten minutes. Parts of today was frustrating, but I love being busy. I haven't had much quiet time yesterday and today... I probably won't be able to have much tomorrow either. The great think is I can work on my commitment to learn verses by heart even when I am busy working! How do you keep your focus on Christ and feel filled by the Spirit even when your days are full?

This is the ninth  post in a 31 day series on Commitment. Click  here  to view posts by day. Commitment Day 9 Memory in the Mind and the Heart I mentioned in yesterday's post that I was planning to learn a verse by heart. I believe the ability to recall verses is so important. It can make the biggest difference in your mind frame, in reaching out to others, in comfort, healing, and guidance. Scripture speaks to keeping Christ's word in our heart too! "Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You."  Psalm 119:11 Growing up with family and friends who know Christ was a blessing. A somewhat downside at time was always hearing about memorization of verses. I believe scripture speaks to knowing verses! I have done an inadequate job of learning verses by heart. So, I am committing to learning verses. I think to begin I will learn a verse at a time. I hope it will become a verse a week, but I am not sure my ...

This is the eighth post in a 31 day series on Commitment. Click  here  to view posts by day. Commitment - Day 8 My hope is not of this world… my trust and faith is in that of the Lord. I am committed to Him. To feel Him –ever present as He is. To know that He is love. He is love. and He lives in me! So, I am never without love even if I don’t feel love some days, in some trials, or in life’s occurrences. “Let your hope make you glad. Be patient in time of trouble and never stop praying.” Romans 12:12 This is a verse I am latching on to this week. I’ve decided I am going to learn it by heart. I am not in a traumatic experience… I have dear friends with such trying times and challenges right now that the thought of them makes tears flood my eyes, but I continually lift them in prayer. “We often suffer but are never crushed. Even when we don’t know what to do, we never give up. In times of trouble, God is with us, and when we are knocked down, we get u...

This is the seventh post in a 31 day series on Commitment. Click  here  to view posts by day. Commitment Day 7 Committed to Feeling Love… even When You Don’t Feel Loved. Yesterday was a weird day for me. I mean it started as usual. It probably even sounds normal: I woke up (and that’s a gift from God), went to church with my fiancé - which I love, we shared lunch at his parents’ house with his brother and girlfriend –love them, then I went to work with my man (yes, it’s football season so he works EVERY day including Sundays but since Sunday is injury call it isn’t counterproductive if I join him), following that we attended life group. It was a good Sunday… Only somewhere in there something just didn’t feel right. Ever have those days? I mean you’re surrounded by amazing people but feel alone… or you have awesome plans but no desire to see them through… Now, a huge issue I have is when Christians sit around and talk about how their week was ‘just ano...

This is the sixth post in a 31 day series on Commitment. Click  here  to view posts by day. To build on yesterday and in an attempt to not crowd your Sunday. Today I just want to share a song with you. Listen to this song about love and Jesus’s commitment and consider your love commitment. “Love Comes for Free” Act of Congress Verse Three “I know a man named Jesus, He loved until he died And after doing nothing wrong took the bullet for His bride. If what I’ve heard is really true and love should come for free.  Then I could love this Jesus too, because he first loved me.”

This is the fifth post in a 31 day series on Commitment. Click  here  to view posts by day. Love’s Commitment In response to the end of yesterday’s post … and since today is Friday! I thought I would mix today up a little. Yesterday we learned (or remembered) how God is always with us, how He has gone before us, and He is THE Way, THE Truth, and THE Life! Maybe since yesterday you’ve thought more about Christ’s constant presence. I pray we’re all more aware of how close He really is. In thinking of how close Christ is and how committed to us He is…I wonder how committed we are to Him. In order to be committed to Christ we should confess our sins, believe that His is Lord, and follow Him. (You’ve heard that before right?)  So answer this for me, does your commitment to Christ end there? My best friend proposed to me two months ago, and he is a God-fearing, Christ centered man (most of the time). He tells me he loves me and shows he cares about...

This is the fourth post in a 31 day series. Click  here  to view posts by day. Everywhere You Go In yesterday’s post , I wrote about when God tells Joshua to lead His people to the Promise Land. I shared with you that scripture shows us that the Lord encouraged Joshua by saying: “Here is what I am commanding you to do. Be strong and brave. Do not be terrified. Do not lose hope. I am The Lord your God. I will be with you everywhere." Joshua 1:9 I want to share a little more from this story. In Deuteronomy chapter 31 talks about when Joshua succeeds Moses. In verses 7 and 8 Moses summons Joshua in front of all the Israelites. Moses reminds Joshua to be strong and brave and reiterates the Lord’s commands. Then verse 8, “The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” It is awe-inspiring to me that Christ promises to go with us everywhere we go, but He doesn’t stop there. God actually goes before us and makes...

This is the third post in a 31 day series. Click here  to view posts by day. Commitment - Day 3 The Good vs. the Bad After I typed that title, I noticed my fingers stopped. This post is not going to be about good vs bad in the sense of evil. It is also not about one side being more preferable than the other (although I am sure most all of us can say without hesitation we usually prefer good to bad even without picking a topic or category). The word commitment is typically described in two ways. The first is 'the state or quality of being dedicated to a cause, activity, etc.'. The second is 'an engagement or obligation'. One definition I read literally stated 'an obligation that restricts freedom of activity'. Wow! Maybe it is just me, but the two definitions sound like they're at odds with one another. It makes you want to pick one over the other. I much prefer the first. Why? Well, the second description sounds bad in comparison as if a...

Welcome to Commitment Day 2. This is the second post in a 31 Day series with a focus on Commitment. To see a list of all posts by day click here . Commitment Day 2 Committed to Being a Child of God I have thought about this post all day, but work and life in general has kept me from being able to sit down and write the words. I’ve also been a little hung up on how to share what is on my heart. In reality it is so simple, but I battle with the simplicity. Why? Because it is the most amazing, awe-inspiring, unbelievable but believable thing… I am a child of God. Since we’re going to spend this month focused on commitment, I have to share with you who I am. I encourage you to think about who you are. Did you get to read the post from yesterday ? So, I am a daughter of the Living King. I have a worth greater than all earthly things.  Worth far more than rubies. Proverbs 31:10. “For everyone born of God overcomes the world.” 1 John 5:4 Did you read that verse?...

Welcome to Commitment Day 1. This is the first post in a 31 Day series with a focus on Commitment. To see a list of all posts by day click here . Committed to Who You Are Who are you? No, really. It’s a question. Please consider it. Are you still reading, friend? Please stop and think about it. I’ll wait on you….. Perhaps when you first read the question ‘Who are you?’ several nouns ran through your mind: Christian, daughter, mother, father, son, brother, sister, friend, worker bee, athlete, writer, business owner. Or maybe your brain was descriptive and lots of adjectives came up: I am funny, thoughtful, driven, ambitious, focused. Depending upon what type of mood you’re in or how hectic your day has been, your thoughts may range more along these lines: I am tired, scatter-brained, stretched too thin, unsuccessful, klutzy, frustrated, unchangeable, broken, unloved. Psst!! Friend, let me share this truth with you: You are a marvelous work of God wonderfully and fear...

Join me every day in October as I participate in the 2013 31 Days Challenge. The challenge is one shared by an ever-growing group of bloggers. The goal is simple: pick a topic and post on it every day. I am writing 31 Days of Commitment, a blog series with a focus on commitment. Psalm 37:5-6 "Commit your way to the Lord;     trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn,     your vindication like the noonday sun." Be courageous enough to commit! Below will be links to each of my posts. Commit to reading two posts a week, every day, something in between, or visit twice a day! You can also find out what others are blogging about by category . There is something for everyone even a category titled 'Too Awesome to Categorize'. 31 Days of Commitment Day 1 - Committed to Who You Are   Day 2 -  Committed to Being a Child of God Day 3 - The Good vs. the Bad Day 4 - Everywhere You Go ...