This is the material I have prepared for next week's Bible study. Our study in the last few weeks has revolved around Godly goals and Vision.
As we start a new year, I would like to challenge us all to make it our passion to seek God radically this coming year. Bring Him into every moment and every circumstance. Orchestrate our life so that your prayer time does not look any different than any other time of the day. By doing this, our ultimate calling…the plan God has for your life will find us like a magnet. As we GET TO KNOW GOD and develop a deep relationship and friendship with Him, our lives will change so we reflect MORE OF HIM and LESS OF US in everyday life. That is our ultimate calling, the one we share with all other believers…to reflect Jesus to them, to be His hands and feet on this earth.
As we begin this year, I challenge you all (and also myself!) to declare that this is the Lord’s favor and to seek Him with an intensity that is RELENTLESS. I pray that we become God-Stalkers not just God-Chasers. We communicate constantly with the Holy Spirit and bring Him and His truth into each and every moment. I also pray that we get a hunger and a thirst for His Word that is insatiable! His Word changes us from the inside out. Even if we only have a few minutes, one or two verses can quench a thirsty spirit. It is time that we make God our first priority and not just give Him the time we have left over after a busy day. He is our day…He gives us life and breath. It is so important that our time and energy start to reflect that. Everything changes when we start to put God first…our attitude, our thoughts, our words, our entire life becomes transformed as we start to think “God’s thoughts” and not our own.
I urge each of you to pray about the things that God is calling you to do in the next year. I believe ABOVE ALL He is calling us to “Seek ye first the kingdom of God” (Matthew 6:33). Now I would like for everyone to take some time and write the next year’s vision statement. In Habakkuk 2:3 God instructs us to “write down the vision in big, block letters”. He also tell us in (Proverbs 29:18) “Without a vision, the people perish”. Let’s start taking God at His Word. I challenge you to ask the Holy Spirit exactly what your vision statement should include. I am enclosing a vision statement worksheet and also a link to a website that will help you find out your spiritual gifts. These tools will help you line up your vision with God’s vision for your life. Have a blessed New Year and time of reflection.
The Vision Statement describes the future we intend to co-create with God. Describe how the world would be improved, changed, or different if our vision was successful in achieving its purpose. The Vision Statement provides direction and inspiration. Dare to dream the impossible! God’s specialty is working miracles and using His strengths in our weaknesses. Do look at your past experiences, talents, spiritual gifts and core values to lead and guide you. But remember that God is bigger than all those things! He can lead you to a dream that far surpasses anything you will be capable of doing alone. If the dream seems WAY to big…it is more than likely a God-Sized vision that only He can bring to pass. All He is looking for from us is a “Yes, Lord!” Our willingness and submission is all He requires.
After writing your vision statement, come up with short-term and long-term goals that will lead you toward that vision. They should be SMART....specific, measureable, attainable (with God’s help), relevant and time-sensitive. As a steward of our resources (time, energy, etc.), our day should reflect where we are going. Time and energy should be devoted each and every day to achieving God’s vision for our life. Even more importantly, we should pursue God and His vision will find us!
Example:
My vision is that I will co-author with the Holy Spirit a Bible Study titled “Rebuilding the Temple”. It will center of how people can rebuild their mental, spiritual and physical health through a study of God’s Word. With the help of the Holy Spirit I WILL write this Bible study and teach it in my home by the first part of this year. I will write one week at a time until it’s completion. I will also be present in each moment and sensitive to the Holy Spirit's leading each and every day. I also feel the Him challenging me to go on a “negative thought and word” fast. I will take negative thoughts captive and only think LIFE-GIVING THOUGHTS. In the same notion, I want all the words that come out of my mouth to be life-giving. All my words should heal, bless or prosper!
Spiritual gifts assessments:
http://www.crossroadscco.com/clientimages/26980/spiritualgiftstestjanuary2008.pdf
http://www.d-m-m.org/support-files/giftstest.pdf
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Treasures and splinters
I have just arrived home from a conference entitled "Deeper Still". It was a wonderful time with one of my favorite peeps. In the afternoon session Beth Moore talked about "Treasures". The message was from Luke 2:51. To begin with I would like to share with you the definition of "treasure":to guard, to keep, preserve, keep close or defend.
Here are the main points from her talk (this is pertinent, I promise)...
1.) There are treasures out there (in life)
2.) They are not my treasures until they make it past my defenses
3.) Treasures strung together can bring healing
4.) Our treasure gets lost in the same trash as our time
5.) We will miss our most expensive treasure if we look past our hardship and pain
6.) When you feel like you don't see the treasure, look for Jesus (He will always lead us to our treaures)
One particular statement in her talk has "busted something loose" inside me. She said "each and every treasure involves a heart risk". I have many treasures in my life. I feel that God has blessed me in so many areas but there is one in particular that deals me fits. My greatest treasure in this life is my sweet baby girl. She is pure joy. The rush of vulnerability and emotion that she has brought into my life is something that I did not see coming. Quite truthfully, I have been ill-equipped to deal with it. The love that I feel for this child holds the potential to either be my place of greatest healing or the place of my soul's greatest devastation. Each time I look at this little treasure I feel a rush of unconditional love and paralyzing fear. For to lose her would be a place (I have convinced myself) that there would be no recovery. With regard to my love for her there is absolutely no protection for my heart. I am totally exposed.
As I drove home last night I was praying for God to show me what all this is about. I poured out my heart to him and asked him (begged actually) for Him to help me with my unbelief. I know at the core that this is an unbelief/trust issue. I woke up during the night last night and started to pray about this yet again. Asking him to show me where this fear is originating and why I feel so incredibly terrified and vulnerable in the same package with this unconditional love.
God in His infinite wisdom gave me the answer in a visual that he knew I could understand. He showed me a little puppy with a splinter in his foot. Puppies are "ill-equipped" to deal with such things. They know the splinter hurts and they run around in their limited understanding trying to figure out how to make the pain stop. Puppies cannot open drawers. Nor can they read for that matter...they have no idea what medicine is going to bring about the healing that they so desperately desire. The pulling out of the splinter may cause pain for a moment but healing will begin immediately. If left alone, the splinter will cause an infection, a place of constant pain and discomfort. Without the puppy sitting still and submitting that the Master knows best, the pup's paw will never heal. Well here is a news flash...I have got a mad case of the splinters! God informed me that there are areas in my life that I have not allowed Him to heal. The world has no means of providing the healing that only He can offer. He has assured me that "in this season" He is going to give me a gift of supernatural healing and peace for my splinters. A perfectly wrapped present just for me (and anyone else who needs it for that matter). His perfect love casts out fear (1 Cor 13). So perfect love cannot co-habitate with fear. Well guess who is getting the eviction notice ASAP! My love is not enough to do it...but HIS love can send fear packing! Sayonara Mr. Fear, you have been a bad friend to me.
These nasty splinters come about as a result of unresolved pain, loss, dissapointment or grief. Fear of loss has robbed me of many of my greatest treasures and I am taking them back. This is most certainly a case of God giving me beauty for my ashes (Isaiah 61:3).Instead He is going to give me healing for my splinters and faith for my fear. Now those are the gifts that keeps on giving! Merry Christmas!
Splintered paws in the air,
Heather
Here are the main points from her talk (this is pertinent, I promise)...
1.) There are treasures out there (in life)
2.) They are not my treasures until they make it past my defenses
3.) Treasures strung together can bring healing
4.) Our treasure gets lost in the same trash as our time
5.) We will miss our most expensive treasure if we look past our hardship and pain
6.) When you feel like you don't see the treasure, look for Jesus (He will always lead us to our treaures)
One particular statement in her talk has "busted something loose" inside me. She said "each and every treasure involves a heart risk". I have many treasures in my life. I feel that God has blessed me in so many areas but there is one in particular that deals me fits. My greatest treasure in this life is my sweet baby girl. She is pure joy. The rush of vulnerability and emotion that she has brought into my life is something that I did not see coming. Quite truthfully, I have been ill-equipped to deal with it. The love that I feel for this child holds the potential to either be my place of greatest healing or the place of my soul's greatest devastation. Each time I look at this little treasure I feel a rush of unconditional love and paralyzing fear. For to lose her would be a place (I have convinced myself) that there would be no recovery. With regard to my love for her there is absolutely no protection for my heart. I am totally exposed.
As I drove home last night I was praying for God to show me what all this is about. I poured out my heart to him and asked him (begged actually) for Him to help me with my unbelief. I know at the core that this is an unbelief/trust issue. I woke up during the night last night and started to pray about this yet again. Asking him to show me where this fear is originating and why I feel so incredibly terrified and vulnerable in the same package with this unconditional love.
God in His infinite wisdom gave me the answer in a visual that he knew I could understand. He showed me a little puppy with a splinter in his foot. Puppies are "ill-equipped" to deal with such things. They know the splinter hurts and they run around in their limited understanding trying to figure out how to make the pain stop. Puppies cannot open drawers. Nor can they read for that matter...they have no idea what medicine is going to bring about the healing that they so desperately desire. The pulling out of the splinter may cause pain for a moment but healing will begin immediately. If left alone, the splinter will cause an infection, a place of constant pain and discomfort. Without the puppy sitting still and submitting that the Master knows best, the pup's paw will never heal. Well here is a news flash...I have got a mad case of the splinters! God informed me that there are areas in my life that I have not allowed Him to heal. The world has no means of providing the healing that only He can offer. He has assured me that "in this season" He is going to give me a gift of supernatural healing and peace for my splinters. A perfectly wrapped present just for me (and anyone else who needs it for that matter). His perfect love casts out fear (1 Cor 13). So perfect love cannot co-habitate with fear. Well guess who is getting the eviction notice ASAP! My love is not enough to do it...but HIS love can send fear packing! Sayonara Mr. Fear, you have been a bad friend to me.
These nasty splinters come about as a result of unresolved pain, loss, dissapointment or grief. Fear of loss has robbed me of many of my greatest treasures and I am taking them back. This is most certainly a case of God giving me beauty for my ashes (Isaiah 61:3).Instead He is going to give me healing for my splinters and faith for my fear. Now those are the gifts that keeps on giving! Merry Christmas!
Splintered paws in the air,
Heather
Monday, September 27, 2010
Uncomfortable, Comfort Zones
"Life begins at the end of your comfort zone".
A few months ago I found myself in a most uncomfortable, comfort zone. I looked around at my life and realized that I had completed the "I will be happy when I______" LIST. You all know the one. It looked somthing like this:
1.) I will be happy when I finish all my education.
2.) I will be happy when I get married to a man who is funny, cute, has not been in prison, has a job and is an Auburn fan (4 out of 5 is not too bad)
3.) I will be happy when I have a baby
4.) I will be happy when I can go to Target without the fear of bouncing a check
5.) I will be happy when I have a garage (all successful, grown-ups have garages)
6.) I will be happy when I can raise bulldogs (I own two, raising them is now off the list after doing more research...gross! Google it.)
6.) I will be happy when I get to teach/encourage people (some would say "sandpaper" people) for a living regarding their health
As I sat there looking into the eyes of my sweet baby daughter, I remember thinking...oh-no, this is my last item on the "I will be happy when ___" list. What now?!? Please hear me out. This is the transparency that I was talking about in the earlier blog. What do you do when you have accomplished everything you "thought" would bring you happiness? To my shock and surprise, I was still not happy. So I did what any red- blood American woman would do...I had a small nervous breakthrough. My friends and I do not call these breakdowns. We call them breakthroughs. It only lasted a few hours. I cried and ranted and then cried some more. I think my husband offered me a wet rag or something. Men don't really know what to do during these situations. They treat these situations like hostage negotiations...better to be handled by phone from another part of the house. Anyway, it was over very soon and that was that.
Now, as we all know, part of this was whacked out hormones and another part was a little "holy cow, what do I do with a baby?!?" The largest part was God telling me "sweetheart, when are you going to understand that NO ONE and NOTHING is ever going to fill up the place inside of you that I created for ME? As much as I loved my little Charlee, it was still not enough to fill up the God-shaped hole that had been placed in me by a loving Father ensuring that I would always search for Him, never settling for anything other than Him. This is where we get into sooooo much trouble. God puts within us this craving that only He can fill. Erwin McManus calls it a "soul craving". It keeps us yearning for Him. We are unable to be satisfied by anything less. Although, we always give it the old college try! Whether it be with alcohol, achievements, relationships, drugs, food, you name it...and it is never enough. Whether you call it a soul craving, a holy unrest or a uncomfortable, comfort zone...it keeps us yearning for the one who has actually been pursuing us all along.
I am still not absolutely positive regarding the whats and hows of what God is doing in my life in the long term. It might be writing a Bible study, a book, or maybe just to continue to write this blog and raise my little angel ...who knows?! The difference is that God is teaching me to enjoy the process. He is teaching me to abide with Him in THIS moment. Don't get me wrong...we are most certainly moving, at a very rapid pace as a matter of fact. I feel as though He is not letting me in on too much of the "big picture" right now. Probably because I have a tendency to say "ok, thanks God, I think I can take it from here". Most often times He finds it necessary to keep me in the dark until we get to our next stop. For this particular leg of our journey together He has been kind in giving me a beautiful vision to hang on to while I am waiting "patiently" (if you know me, that is laughable). He gave it to me one morning as I was watching my daughter crawl to my huband and hang onto his leg one day before work. She was crawling at warp speed to get to him. He scooped her up and danced around the room as he always does. She giggled with delight (as she always does). She had no idea where he was going nor did she care. He is Daddy, she trusts him and she wants to go! As I was watching this scene play out God gave me an image of how He and I are to do "our dance". I am to climb up on His strong Daddy feet, look up into His sweet, loving eyes and just hold on. I have no idea where we are going and I really don't care. I am to keep looking up at His face and trust him. As I hear the music start to play, I don't have to know the steps. He knows all the steps and quite frankly, is a most excellent dancer. He even makes the dance loads of fun. He created me and knows that I love to twirl, dip, laugh and giggle. He knows that I like music with a little more "flavor", never have been a fan of Lawrence Welk. The dance will most certainly be a rollercoaster ride but there's no need to worry. I am safely in my Daddy's arms. After all, this is all that I have to know for sure, "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him" (1 Cor 2:9) I may not know the next step or the next stop...but I do know it is gonna be gooooood!
Dance on,
Heather
A few months ago I found myself in a most uncomfortable, comfort zone. I looked around at my life and realized that I had completed the "I will be happy when I______" LIST. You all know the one. It looked somthing like this:
1.) I will be happy when I finish all my education.
2.) I will be happy when I get married to a man who is funny, cute, has not been in prison, has a job and is an Auburn fan (4 out of 5 is not too bad)
3.) I will be happy when I have a baby
4.) I will be happy when I can go to Target without the fear of bouncing a check
5.) I will be happy when I have a garage (all successful, grown-ups have garages)
6.) I will be happy when I can raise bulldogs (I own two, raising them is now off the list after doing more research...gross! Google it.)
6.) I will be happy when I get to teach/encourage people (some would say "sandpaper" people) for a living regarding their health
As I sat there looking into the eyes of my sweet baby daughter, I remember thinking...oh-no, this is my last item on the "I will be happy when ___" list. What now?!? Please hear me out. This is the transparency that I was talking about in the earlier blog. What do you do when you have accomplished everything you "thought" would bring you happiness? To my shock and surprise, I was still not happy. So I did what any red- blood American woman would do...I had a small nervous breakthrough. My friends and I do not call these breakdowns. We call them breakthroughs. It only lasted a few hours. I cried and ranted and then cried some more. I think my husband offered me a wet rag or something. Men don't really know what to do during these situations. They treat these situations like hostage negotiations...better to be handled by phone from another part of the house. Anyway, it was over very soon and that was that.
Now, as we all know, part of this was whacked out hormones and another part was a little "holy cow, what do I do with a baby?!?" The largest part was God telling me "sweetheart, when are you going to understand that NO ONE and NOTHING is ever going to fill up the place inside of you that I created for ME? As much as I loved my little Charlee, it was still not enough to fill up the God-shaped hole that had been placed in me by a loving Father ensuring that I would always search for Him, never settling for anything other than Him. This is where we get into sooooo much trouble. God puts within us this craving that only He can fill. Erwin McManus calls it a "soul craving". It keeps us yearning for Him. We are unable to be satisfied by anything less. Although, we always give it the old college try! Whether it be with alcohol, achievements, relationships, drugs, food, you name it...and it is never enough. Whether you call it a soul craving, a holy unrest or a uncomfortable, comfort zone...it keeps us yearning for the one who has actually been pursuing us all along.
I am still not absolutely positive regarding the whats and hows of what God is doing in my life in the long term. It might be writing a Bible study, a book, or maybe just to continue to write this blog and raise my little angel ...who knows?! The difference is that God is teaching me to enjoy the process. He is teaching me to abide with Him in THIS moment. Don't get me wrong...we are most certainly moving, at a very rapid pace as a matter of fact. I feel as though He is not letting me in on too much of the "big picture" right now. Probably because I have a tendency to say "ok, thanks God, I think I can take it from here". Most often times He finds it necessary to keep me in the dark until we get to our next stop. For this particular leg of our journey together He has been kind in giving me a beautiful vision to hang on to while I am waiting "patiently" (if you know me, that is laughable). He gave it to me one morning as I was watching my daughter crawl to my huband and hang onto his leg one day before work. She was crawling at warp speed to get to him. He scooped her up and danced around the room as he always does. She giggled with delight (as she always does). She had no idea where he was going nor did she care. He is Daddy, she trusts him and she wants to go! As I was watching this scene play out God gave me an image of how He and I are to do "our dance". I am to climb up on His strong Daddy feet, look up into His sweet, loving eyes and just hold on. I have no idea where we are going and I really don't care. I am to keep looking up at His face and trust him. As I hear the music start to play, I don't have to know the steps. He knows all the steps and quite frankly, is a most excellent dancer. He even makes the dance loads of fun. He created me and knows that I love to twirl, dip, laugh and giggle. He knows that I like music with a little more "flavor", never have been a fan of Lawrence Welk. The dance will most certainly be a rollercoaster ride but there's no need to worry. I am safely in my Daddy's arms. After all, this is all that I have to know for sure, "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him" (1 Cor 2:9) I may not know the next step or the next stop...but I do know it is gonna be gooooood!
Dance on,
Heather
Monday, August 23, 2010
Fruitcakes
I saw a bumper sticker a few years ago that read "It is not God I have the problem with, it is his fan club". Yikes! That stings a little but I totally get it. There are most certainly days where I understand why people are not wanting to buy what I am selling.
I once heard T.D. Jakes say in a sermon "the real Christians that you need to watch out for are the ones that seem to have it all figured out". You know the ones, everything looks great on the outside while the inside looks like my spare bedroom when unexpected company is on its way. So many Christians seem to have all the answers. We are innundated with pastors and Bible teachers who are just a little too good to be true. They lead a life that seems so unattainably perfect that to even THINK about living up those those standards is exhausting! Then we get disillusioned to find out they are just as neurotic and human as the rest of us. Whether they are struggling with pride or cooking up meth in their bathtub...the lesson is the same... we are all broken, imperfect and in desperate need of grace.
I am not sure if you realize this or not, but we are all a little crazy (or my friends and I like to say..we are not crazy, just a little unwell). As a matter of fact, I have never known anyone who was not a little off their rocker or as the great Jimmy Buffet would put it "there's a little bit of fruitcake left in every one of us". As long as we are on this earth, we are not going to be perfect. Everyone you come in contact with during the day is going to be struggling with something, EVERYONE. Be compassionate, kind and yes, transparent when the Holy Spirit prompts. We need to stop acting like we have it all figured out and get real. Who knows someone might start buying what we are selling.
His salesman in training,
Heather
I once heard T.D. Jakes say in a sermon "the real Christians that you need to watch out for are the ones that seem to have it all figured out". You know the ones, everything looks great on the outside while the inside looks like my spare bedroom when unexpected company is on its way. So many Christians seem to have all the answers. We are innundated with pastors and Bible teachers who are just a little too good to be true. They lead a life that seems so unattainably perfect that to even THINK about living up those those standards is exhausting! Then we get disillusioned to find out they are just as neurotic and human as the rest of us. Whether they are struggling with pride or cooking up meth in their bathtub...the lesson is the same... we are all broken, imperfect and in desperate need of grace.
I am not sure if you realize this or not, but we are all a little crazy (or my friends and I like to say..we are not crazy, just a little unwell). As a matter of fact, I have never known anyone who was not a little off their rocker or as the great Jimmy Buffet would put it "there's a little bit of fruitcake left in every one of us". As long as we are on this earth, we are not going to be perfect. Everyone you come in contact with during the day is going to be struggling with something, EVERYONE. Be compassionate, kind and yes, transparent when the Holy Spirit prompts. We need to stop acting like we have it all figured out and get real. Who knows someone might start buying what we are selling.
His salesman in training,
Heather
Friday, July 30, 2010
Walk it out
No, the title of this blog is not referring the the rap tune of the same name. (Although, I am sure all of you jumped to that conclusion...those who know me know that I have always been a huge fan of the hip-hop genre). Nonetheless, I am referring to a saying I once heard in a Sunday School class that went as follows: "You may be the only Bible that someone ever reads". How scary is that?!? I shudder to think of how many people that I have disillusioned through the years had they been reading my "scriptures". (Thank God for GRACE!)
A dear friend of mine died this week. Since his passing, I have spent some time thinking about the above statement and how perfectly my friend exemplified it. He taught me more about true faithfulness than anyone I have ever known. My friend Buddy Gilliland was born 77 years ago with severe cerebral palsy. He attended the same church that my family attended for the the vast majority of those 77 years. Buddy was a walking testament of God's love and the power of attitude. His speech was compromised but if you listened closely you could figure out what he was saying. I assume he got accustomed to repeating himself over and over to those of us who had a hard time understanding him. Most often times, Buddy would give you a big smile and laugh when you simply could not seem to grasp what he was saying...essentially letting you off the hook. He certainly would not want you to feel bad for not being able to understand him...that was Buddy.
Buddy would hitch a ride to my Grandmother's little country store and sit for hours at a time. He would greet everyone that came in the store with a big smile and wave. He was a master at the art of finding great joy in the small things. A pack of gum and a Dr. Pepper would light up his whole world. Buddy should have been the spokesperson for Dr. Pepper. If only we would have had the internet back when he was younger. We could have emailed the tape of Buddy taking his first sip of Dr. Pepper for the day to the Coke company. I am sure the company would have abandoned the lame logo "I would like to give the world a Coke" in favor of Buddy's big ole grin after taking a pull from that magic can.
As he grew more and more disabled I would go to his mother's house a few miles down the road to visit. More often times than not Buddy would be sitting in his room listening to sermons or praise music on tape. He also loved to sit by the road in his wheelchair and wave at passing cars. He had joy in the moment and it was most certainly not of this world. Buddy had the peace and also the joy that passeth all understanding. I know that is not in the Bible but it has been my experience that it is easier to find peace in the common moments than joy. If God's peace is supernatural the I think God's joy is SUPER- supernatural.
I cannot imagine how hard it would be to have a perfect mind that is trapped in a body that quite simply...will not cooperate. I cannot fathom the amount of work it took for him and his sweet parents to make it to church each Sunday. My brain cannot comprehend the amount of pain and discomfort he experienced on a daily basis. He had every excuse to be bitter. He had every reason to be angry at God. He made the choice to trust God and His infinite wisdom. He chose to believe that his cerebral palsy was not an accident or that God just happened to be on vacation that day. God allowed Buddy to touch many lives through his wonderful example of a life well lived. He did not have the luxury of using words as a crutch with regard to his testimony. Buddy had to depend on the power of his example to be the Bible that everyone who knew him was blessed to have read. There is no doubt in my mind that on this past Monday evening my friend was met at the the pearly gates by Saint Peter (probably holding the huge diamond and gold encrusted goblet filled to the brim with the most syrupy, sweet Dr. Pepper ever to have passed human or heavenly lips) . A perfect homecoming gift before hearing what we all hope to hear one day..."well done, my good and faithful servant!" I can only imagine his smile as he hears those words come from the the God he knew so well.
I feel so incredibly thankful to have been a privy to the beautiful dance that was the life of Buddy Gilliand. You will be missed my sweet friend. See you in a few.
A dear friend of mine died this week. Since his passing, I have spent some time thinking about the above statement and how perfectly my friend exemplified it. He taught me more about true faithfulness than anyone I have ever known. My friend Buddy Gilliland was born 77 years ago with severe cerebral palsy. He attended the same church that my family attended for the the vast majority of those 77 years. Buddy was a walking testament of God's love and the power of attitude. His speech was compromised but if you listened closely you could figure out what he was saying. I assume he got accustomed to repeating himself over and over to those of us who had a hard time understanding him. Most often times, Buddy would give you a big smile and laugh when you simply could not seem to grasp what he was saying...essentially letting you off the hook. He certainly would not want you to feel bad for not being able to understand him...that was Buddy.
Buddy would hitch a ride to my Grandmother's little country store and sit for hours at a time. He would greet everyone that came in the store with a big smile and wave. He was a master at the art of finding great joy in the small things. A pack of gum and a Dr. Pepper would light up his whole world. Buddy should have been the spokesperson for Dr. Pepper. If only we would have had the internet back when he was younger. We could have emailed the tape of Buddy taking his first sip of Dr. Pepper for the day to the Coke company. I am sure the company would have abandoned the lame logo "I would like to give the world a Coke" in favor of Buddy's big ole grin after taking a pull from that magic can.
As he grew more and more disabled I would go to his mother's house a few miles down the road to visit. More often times than not Buddy would be sitting in his room listening to sermons or praise music on tape. He also loved to sit by the road in his wheelchair and wave at passing cars. He had joy in the moment and it was most certainly not of this world. Buddy had the peace and also the joy that passeth all understanding. I know that is not in the Bible but it has been my experience that it is easier to find peace in the common moments than joy. If God's peace is supernatural the I think God's joy is SUPER- supernatural.
I cannot imagine how hard it would be to have a perfect mind that is trapped in a body that quite simply...will not cooperate. I cannot fathom the amount of work it took for him and his sweet parents to make it to church each Sunday. My brain cannot comprehend the amount of pain and discomfort he experienced on a daily basis. He had every excuse to be bitter. He had every reason to be angry at God. He made the choice to trust God and His infinite wisdom. He chose to believe that his cerebral palsy was not an accident or that God just happened to be on vacation that day. God allowed Buddy to touch many lives through his wonderful example of a life well lived. He did not have the luxury of using words as a crutch with regard to his testimony. Buddy had to depend on the power of his example to be the Bible that everyone who knew him was blessed to have read. There is no doubt in my mind that on this past Monday evening my friend was met at the the pearly gates by Saint Peter (probably holding the huge diamond and gold encrusted goblet filled to the brim with the most syrupy, sweet Dr. Pepper ever to have passed human or heavenly lips) . A perfect homecoming gift before hearing what we all hope to hear one day..."well done, my good and faithful servant!" I can only imagine his smile as he hears those words come from the the God he knew so well.
I feel so incredibly thankful to have been a privy to the beautiful dance that was the life of Buddy Gilliand. You will be missed my sweet friend. See you in a few.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Faithful in "small things"
Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.(Luke 16:10)
You will never convince me that God doesn't have a sense of humor. He and I have many running jokes. One of His favorite (not mine) is when He tests me to see if I will be faithful in the "small things". By small things I mean REALLY small things. The other day, for instance, I had mistakedly placed a travel-size tube of "Boudreaux's Butt Paste" diaper rash ointment under my daughter's carrier at Target. Only when I reached the car and lifted my daughter out of the shopping cart did I spot it and realize that I had not payed for it. I thought "here we go again, God". I am going to be honest, this one was not easy. It was a TRAVEL SIZE for heaven's sake! I already had my girl in the car and Target was my last stop of the day. Did I mention that it was 100 degrees and crazy humid that day? Well it was, and I was parked at the end of the parking lot. I cranked up the car and told God that it was too dangerous for my girl to have to be out in this heat and I promised to mail Target a check for the diaper rash cream. I had formulated my plan of action in my head about how I was going to call them back when I got home and tell them what happened. I would then mail them a check for the amount of the cream. Nope, no peace with that option. I continued to drive in circles in the Target parking lot. (Secretly hoping that God would send me a sign by giving me a front door parking place). That did not happen and after putting a mile or so on my car riding around the Target parking lot, I made it inside to pay for the "butt paste". It would have been too easy to pick up the Desitin that day but NOOOOOO.......
Another such test arrived during a quick trip to TJ Maxx. This particular incident involved a pair of underwear that the cashier had forgotten to ring up and put in my sack. I guess I was in a far more spiritual place that day because I only sat in my car for a few minutes wondering if I really "HAD" to go and make it right. When I arrived back in the store the line was out the wa-zoo. I waited in line twenty minutes or so and finally made it up to the counter. I am so annoyed at this point and keep reminding God that he needs to make sure to recognize what an ordeal this is...thinking that maybe he would give me a little extra credit. As I reach the counter I pull out my "merchandise" and the reciept. Before I could even begin my explanation the lady running the register launches into a rather loud (or so it seemed)soliloquy on how TJMaxx does not allow people to return underwear. Really God, Really?!? I am sure He is laughing as this scenario plays out. I interrupted her to explain that I had not paid for the underwear. She looked a little puzzled and I continued to explain that I guess the cashier had missed them and I realized it when I reached the car. That is when she looked at me and said "girl, you came all the way back in here and waited in line to pay for a pair of CLEARANCE underwear?" What do you say to that question. "Yes I did and GOD BETTER BE NOTICING!!" is what I was thinking.
It would have been so much easier if it was something larger and more expensive like a shirt or a TV. That is an easy call! That is never my test, it is always some small insignificant item or task. It usually pretty simple just involving a few extra steps like taking the shopping cart to the holding area and not leaving it in front of my car (even if I am sure it won't roll into someone else's car)or returning clothes that I have tried on back to the proper rack (instead of hanging them on the first one that I see). On occasion, I think God needs a laugh and will let me make it out of the store with some stolen butt paste or clearance underwear.
You will never convince me that God doesn't have a sense of humor. He and I have many running jokes. One of His favorite (not mine) is when He tests me to see if I will be faithful in the "small things". By small things I mean REALLY small things. The other day, for instance, I had mistakedly placed a travel-size tube of "Boudreaux's Butt Paste" diaper rash ointment under my daughter's carrier at Target. Only when I reached the car and lifted my daughter out of the shopping cart did I spot it and realize that I had not payed for it. I thought "here we go again, God". I am going to be honest, this one was not easy. It was a TRAVEL SIZE for heaven's sake! I already had my girl in the car and Target was my last stop of the day. Did I mention that it was 100 degrees and crazy humid that day? Well it was, and I was parked at the end of the parking lot. I cranked up the car and told God that it was too dangerous for my girl to have to be out in this heat and I promised to mail Target a check for the diaper rash cream. I had formulated my plan of action in my head about how I was going to call them back when I got home and tell them what happened. I would then mail them a check for the amount of the cream. Nope, no peace with that option. I continued to drive in circles in the Target parking lot. (Secretly hoping that God would send me a sign by giving me a front door parking place). That did not happen and after putting a mile or so on my car riding around the Target parking lot, I made it inside to pay for the "butt paste". It would have been too easy to pick up the Desitin that day but NOOOOOO.......
Another such test arrived during a quick trip to TJ Maxx. This particular incident involved a pair of underwear that the cashier had forgotten to ring up and put in my sack. I guess I was in a far more spiritual place that day because I only sat in my car for a few minutes wondering if I really "HAD" to go and make it right. When I arrived back in the store the line was out the wa-zoo. I waited in line twenty minutes or so and finally made it up to the counter. I am so annoyed at this point and keep reminding God that he needs to make sure to recognize what an ordeal this is...thinking that maybe he would give me a little extra credit. As I reach the counter I pull out my "merchandise" and the reciept. Before I could even begin my explanation the lady running the register launches into a rather loud (or so it seemed)soliloquy on how TJMaxx does not allow people to return underwear. Really God, Really?!? I am sure He is laughing as this scenario plays out. I interrupted her to explain that I had not paid for the underwear. She looked a little puzzled and I continued to explain that I guess the cashier had missed them and I realized it when I reached the car. That is when she looked at me and said "girl, you came all the way back in here and waited in line to pay for a pair of CLEARANCE underwear?" What do you say to that question. "Yes I did and GOD BETTER BE NOTICING!!" is what I was thinking.
It would have been so much easier if it was something larger and more expensive like a shirt or a TV. That is an easy call! That is never my test, it is always some small insignificant item or task. It usually pretty simple just involving a few extra steps like taking the shopping cart to the holding area and not leaving it in front of my car (even if I am sure it won't roll into someone else's car)or returning clothes that I have tried on back to the proper rack (instead of hanging them on the first one that I see). On occasion, I think God needs a laugh and will let me make it out of the store with some stolen butt paste or clearance underwear.
Obedience school at Starbucks
I find it fascinating the times and places that God uses to teach me His ways. I think that I am a quick learner in most things, especially things I am interested in. Obedience has never really been my favorite subject. When I hear a preacher begin a sermon with "today we are going to talk about obedience", I pretty much tune him out. Obedience, righteousness and repentance have always sounded so religious and unattainable. And, quite frankly, I like to have things my way! However, God wants me to live His way so he taught a me wonderful lesson a few years ago about obedience. I often reflect back on that lesson and I wanted to share how God sent me to obedience school one Tuesday morning at the Starbucks in Chattanooga, TN.
It was a normal weekday morning as I headed to the Walmart Tire and Lube Express to have new tires put on my car. I was already a little out of sorts as this is not the way that I like to spend money. The "fun factor" ranks right up there with buying a new washer, toaster or vacuum cleaner. You only spend money on these things when it is absolutely necessary. Anyway,I arrived at Walmart at exactly 6:45 a.m. so that I would be the first person in line. The Walmart tire and lube express opens at 7 a.m. and I was eager to get this done and get on my way. I had some classwork to do at the time so I planned to make this experience a little less painful by walking across the street and getting a cup of coffee at Starbucks while my tires were being replaced. Much to my chagrin, the tire and lube center was not open. The sign says they open at 7 a.m. Well 7 a.m. came and went as did 7:15 and 7:30. I grew more and more agitated with every trip to see if the door was open. Each time that I checked, I would huff and stare at the LARGE sign that had the hours posted. I had already started to formulate the conversation in my head that I was going to have with the manager. You know the one, "my time is important", "if this were MY business....", "standard of excellence", blah, blah, blah! Then the door swings open as I stand there with my hands on my hips taking a mental account of how "right" I am. The lady that opens the door shoots me a glare and never says a word. I follow her into the building and am still waiting for the answer as to why she is late. She goes behind the counter and proceeds to ignore me as I stand there waiting for an explanation or at the very least "can I help you?". She turned her back to me which only turned up my anger. I asked her in the most passive-agressive tone I could muster, "what time does the Tire and Lube Express open?" She whipped around, glared at me and said "whatever time I open the door". I stood there stunned by her insulting answer... only adding to my intolerant injury. I was honestly so shocked by her answer that I was speechless...for a moment. It is moments like these that remind me as to why I don't have a "Jesus Fish" or "honk if you love Jesus" bumper sticker on my car. I am terribly afraid that I am going to give My Jesus a bad wrap. On this particular day, I was feeling more like Jerry Springer and less like Jesus. At that very moment, another man rounded the corner and asked if he could help me. This put a stop to our little "discussion". I was glad for the reprieve as I needed some to formulate my tirade and make sure to hit all my points before I let her have it. So I followed him to pick out my tires. All the while I was busy mapping out my imaginery conversation with the manager as to why this woman needs to be fired. After all, I would be doing Walmart a favor. This woman was a horrible employee and should be working FAR, FAR away from normal people and animals.
After I finished picking out my tires, I made a quick turn towards the front of the store to inform the store manager that he had a rogue employee on his hands. I also had numerous suggestions as how to handle her being a business owner myself. As I walked to the front of the store I heard a "still, small voice" tell me to "go to Starbucks, you can tell him when you get back". Over and over; I heard this deafening, quiet voice urging me to go on to Starbucks. It was almost audible. It was not in my head, because all my head wanted to do was be unkind, hurtful and to tell on her. It was my spirit saying "not now, go to Starbucks".
I only obeyed because I thought it would give me time to write down my points and make my case before meeting with the manager. I certainly did not want to come off like a raving lunatic. So off to Starbucks I went and spent the next two hours or so working on schoolwork, drinking coffee and still having the imaginary conversation with this woman and the store manager in my head. By this time the imaginary conversation had grown to include the store manager, one of the Waltons and quite possibly, the president of the United States. I wanted vindication, I was right and I wanted everyone to know it. My friend Ruthie always says "do you want to be right or do you want to be kind?" I can tell you the honest truth...I wanted to be right. Kind was not on the radar. As I gathered my books to head out the door to go back to pick up my car I once again heard that "still, small voice". The voice said "get that lady a cup of coffee". Needless to say, I kept walking. Get her a cup of coffee?! I don't think so! I continued to walk through the parking lot, all the while hearing the same voice. By the time I reached th intersection to cross the street in front of Walmart, I had become nauseous. Did you know disobedience can make you sick to your stomach...well, it can. "OK, OK!!!", I told God and turned around to go get the tire and lube express lady a cup of coffee. I got up to the counter and ordered the small, plain old coffee. There is went again, the voice told me to get her one of those large, calorie-laden, whipped cream topped sugar bombs that Brittany Spears is always drinking. So I did, huffing and puffing about it the whole way. As I got ready to walk out the door, same voice again..."go back and get her one of those cookie things.... you just don't understand". I explained to God that sugar is incredibly inflammatory and that I was sure than the coffee alone was going to send this poor lady's blood sugar through the roof. Again He whispered to me "you just don't understand". After arguing for a bit, I did it and figured that the sugar crash she would surely have that afternoon would be my vindication. Anyway, I walked back into the tire and lube express with coffee and cookie in hand. Having no idea why and having argued with God about it the whole way. I approached the counter with absolutely no words and handed her the coffee and cookie. It was then and only then that the words that came from me were most certainly that of the Holy Spirit. I opened my mouth and told her that "I was so sorry if we got off to a bad start and that I wanted to give her a peace offering." She looked at me as though I was "out of my tree". Then with tears in her eyes, she began to tell me a story that changed my life forever. As she stood behind the counter and wept, she told me about how her daughter was on drugs and how she was having to raise her grand-daughter who is 15 years old. She said that this very morning her grandaughter had told her that she was pregnant.She continued to tell me that she is all alone and has no idea what she was going to do. She said the conversation with her grand-daughter had made her late for work. I felt compassion that only comes from heaven as I listend to this grandmother who was about to be a great grandmother share her weary story. She would be responsible for the third generation before the second one was even grown. Of course she was late this morning, and of course she was curt. Of course the words that I heard in my spirit, "you just don't understand..." were God's way of telling me that I had no idea what was going on behind the scenes. The cool thing is that God knew...He always knows and He ALWAYS cares.
I still am not sure how she was even upright that Tuesday morning. Yet in the peace offering, God granted her a place of peace to share her hurt and share her burden. Funny thing about shared burdens, they make all parties feel lighter. I left humbled and grateful, prayerful and pensive. The great Teacher had shown up in my world today, and surprisingly, the student learned.
Still His work in Progress,
Heather
It was a normal weekday morning as I headed to the Walmart Tire and Lube Express to have new tires put on my car. I was already a little out of sorts as this is not the way that I like to spend money. The "fun factor" ranks right up there with buying a new washer, toaster or vacuum cleaner. You only spend money on these things when it is absolutely necessary. Anyway,I arrived at Walmart at exactly 6:45 a.m. so that I would be the first person in line. The Walmart tire and lube express opens at 7 a.m. and I was eager to get this done and get on my way. I had some classwork to do at the time so I planned to make this experience a little less painful by walking across the street and getting a cup of coffee at Starbucks while my tires were being replaced. Much to my chagrin, the tire and lube center was not open. The sign says they open at 7 a.m. Well 7 a.m. came and went as did 7:15 and 7:30. I grew more and more agitated with every trip to see if the door was open. Each time that I checked, I would huff and stare at the LARGE sign that had the hours posted. I had already started to formulate the conversation in my head that I was going to have with the manager. You know the one, "my time is important", "if this were MY business....", "standard of excellence", blah, blah, blah! Then the door swings open as I stand there with my hands on my hips taking a mental account of how "right" I am. The lady that opens the door shoots me a glare and never says a word. I follow her into the building and am still waiting for the answer as to why she is late. She goes behind the counter and proceeds to ignore me as I stand there waiting for an explanation or at the very least "can I help you?". She turned her back to me which only turned up my anger. I asked her in the most passive-agressive tone I could muster, "what time does the Tire and Lube Express open?" She whipped around, glared at me and said "whatever time I open the door". I stood there stunned by her insulting answer... only adding to my intolerant injury. I was honestly so shocked by her answer that I was speechless...for a moment. It is moments like these that remind me as to why I don't have a "Jesus Fish" or "honk if you love Jesus" bumper sticker on my car. I am terribly afraid that I am going to give My Jesus a bad wrap. On this particular day, I was feeling more like Jerry Springer and less like Jesus. At that very moment, another man rounded the corner and asked if he could help me. This put a stop to our little "discussion". I was glad for the reprieve as I needed some to formulate my tirade and make sure to hit all my points before I let her have it. So I followed him to pick out my tires. All the while I was busy mapping out my imaginery conversation with the manager as to why this woman needs to be fired. After all, I would be doing Walmart a favor. This woman was a horrible employee and should be working FAR, FAR away from normal people and animals.
After I finished picking out my tires, I made a quick turn towards the front of the store to inform the store manager that he had a rogue employee on his hands. I also had numerous suggestions as how to handle her being a business owner myself. As I walked to the front of the store I heard a "still, small voice" tell me to "go to Starbucks, you can tell him when you get back". Over and over; I heard this deafening, quiet voice urging me to go on to Starbucks. It was almost audible. It was not in my head, because all my head wanted to do was be unkind, hurtful and to tell on her. It was my spirit saying "not now, go to Starbucks".
I only obeyed because I thought it would give me time to write down my points and make my case before meeting with the manager. I certainly did not want to come off like a raving lunatic. So off to Starbucks I went and spent the next two hours or so working on schoolwork, drinking coffee and still having the imaginary conversation with this woman and the store manager in my head. By this time the imaginary conversation had grown to include the store manager, one of the Waltons and quite possibly, the president of the United States. I wanted vindication, I was right and I wanted everyone to know it. My friend Ruthie always says "do you want to be right or do you want to be kind?" I can tell you the honest truth...I wanted to be right. Kind was not on the radar. As I gathered my books to head out the door to go back to pick up my car I once again heard that "still, small voice". The voice said "get that lady a cup of coffee". Needless to say, I kept walking. Get her a cup of coffee?! I don't think so! I continued to walk through the parking lot, all the while hearing the same voice. By the time I reached th intersection to cross the street in front of Walmart, I had become nauseous. Did you know disobedience can make you sick to your stomach...well, it can. "OK, OK!!!", I told God and turned around to go get the tire and lube express lady a cup of coffee. I got up to the counter and ordered the small, plain old coffee. There is went again, the voice told me to get her one of those large, calorie-laden, whipped cream topped sugar bombs that Brittany Spears is always drinking. So I did, huffing and puffing about it the whole way. As I got ready to walk out the door, same voice again..."go back and get her one of those cookie things.... you just don't understand". I explained to God that sugar is incredibly inflammatory and that I was sure than the coffee alone was going to send this poor lady's blood sugar through the roof. Again He whispered to me "you just don't understand". After arguing for a bit, I did it and figured that the sugar crash she would surely have that afternoon would be my vindication. Anyway, I walked back into the tire and lube express with coffee and cookie in hand. Having no idea why and having argued with God about it the whole way. I approached the counter with absolutely no words and handed her the coffee and cookie. It was then and only then that the words that came from me were most certainly that of the Holy Spirit. I opened my mouth and told her that "I was so sorry if we got off to a bad start and that I wanted to give her a peace offering." She looked at me as though I was "out of my tree". Then with tears in her eyes, she began to tell me a story that changed my life forever. As she stood behind the counter and wept, she told me about how her daughter was on drugs and how she was having to raise her grand-daughter who is 15 years old. She said that this very morning her grandaughter had told her that she was pregnant.She continued to tell me that she is all alone and has no idea what she was going to do. She said the conversation with her grand-daughter had made her late for work. I felt compassion that only comes from heaven as I listend to this grandmother who was about to be a great grandmother share her weary story. She would be responsible for the third generation before the second one was even grown. Of course she was late this morning, and of course she was curt. Of course the words that I heard in my spirit, "you just don't understand..." were God's way of telling me that I had no idea what was going on behind the scenes. The cool thing is that God knew...He always knows and He ALWAYS cares.
I still am not sure how she was even upright that Tuesday morning. Yet in the peace offering, God granted her a place of peace to share her hurt and share her burden. Funny thing about shared burdens, they make all parties feel lighter. I left humbled and grateful, prayerful and pensive. The great Teacher had shown up in my world today, and surprisingly, the student learned.
Still His work in Progress,
Heather
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Do Something
It occured to me this morning that I have a real issue with momentum.I use the following lines on my clients all the time..."just move", "do something, ANYTHING to get you closer to where you want to go". These are all so true..I know it. I have even advised clients to exercise for 5 minutes to just keep in the habit. A perfect example of this is a client that I use to train (you know who you are) who would sleep in her exercise clothes to be sure to make it to her 6 a.m. exercise class. She would roll into the gym, huge coffee cup in hand, un-brushed teeth and a bad case of "bus hair". (Bus hair: def: what your hair looks like in grade/middle school when you have to jump out of bed and run for the bus sans shower and hairbrush). She knew that her entire day was better when she exercised in the morning. This is no small task to work into your day when you work full-time and have two little ones. She did it and she still does.
As I thought about sitting down and writing this blog I instantly thought of many excuses as to why I did not have the time. It seems I try to convince myself that it must be ten pages long, then I will have to to check grammar and spelling numerous times so I don't come off sounding like a donkey. ( In case you are wondering, I have decided to give up this step for today so only judge me on content please.)It is the same dance that I do in my head when it is time to clean the house. I feel so overwhelmed when it comes to cleaning the house. The job seems so big. If only I would take my own advice and "DO SOMETHING" every day. It takes a few minutes everyday to write a short blog entry. It keeps me writing and that is THE BIG SOMETHING that I know I need to be doing right now. That bible study will not write itself.
Here is the interesting part about momentum, if you do something...you tend to do more somethings as the day progresses. So now I am off to clean a mirror, make a squash/ zucchini quiche and feed my girl some sweet potatoes. Maybe I will even vaccum up the dog hair and empty some suitcases. Nah, let's not get crazy.
As I thought about sitting down and writing this blog I instantly thought of many excuses as to why I did not have the time. It seems I try to convince myself that it must be ten pages long, then I will have to to check grammar and spelling numerous times so I don't come off sounding like a donkey. ( In case you are wondering, I have decided to give up this step for today so only judge me on content please.)It is the same dance that I do in my head when it is time to clean the house. I feel so overwhelmed when it comes to cleaning the house. The job seems so big. If only I would take my own advice and "DO SOMETHING" every day. It takes a few minutes everyday to write a short blog entry. It keeps me writing and that is THE BIG SOMETHING that I know I need to be doing right now. That bible study will not write itself.
Here is the interesting part about momentum, if you do something...you tend to do more somethings as the day progresses. So now I am off to clean a mirror, make a squash/ zucchini quiche and feed my girl some sweet potatoes. Maybe I will even vaccum up the dog hair and empty some suitcases. Nah, let's not get crazy.
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Feeeeeelings..nothing more than feeeeelings
Motivation is such a funny and fickle friend. There are mornings when you wake up and cannot wait to get the day started. Unfortunately, there are other days when you wake up and feel as though a sumo wrestler is sitting on your chest. Most often times if you can get up, have a hot shower and an even hotter cup of coffee, you can manage to rally the troops and go on about your day. Just think for a second what would happen if you were just not motivated to get up and go to work. We would certainly not last very long at any job if we waited until we were "motivated" to go to work or finish a project. Yet people have no problem waiting on the motivation to make changes in their health, whether that be starting an exercise program or swapping out that "happy meal" for a salad at lunch. Happy meal?!? Give me a break.
Motivation means to give reason, incentive, enthusiasm, or interest to a specific action or certain behavior. Whether you are starting to eat healthy, exercise, or begin a new spiritual practice, most people feel as though motivation is a necessary component before taking action. In my opinion, motivation is a "fair weather friend". One that is a little too closely related to our "feeeelings". Feelings can be defined in a few different ways. Feelings can represent a physical sensation and also an emotional state, disposition or emotion. Both feelings and motivation have to take a backseat on the bus when you plan to make a lasting change. True and lasting change must be powered by a decision or even more importantly, a COMMITMENT. It is my opinion that you wake up everyday with a plan for the day that reflects not only your values, but your commitments to God, yourself and others. If you are waiting to feeeeel like exercising, feeeeel like eating right or feeeeel like starting that early morning Bible study, that day will never come. And if it does, it will not last. You might make it a few days on the excitement of starting something new, but soon enough your feet will hurt, your stomach will growl, your alarm clock will not go off or, heaven forbid, you will have to attend a function that has cake on the menu, blah, blah, blah....
Commitments are agreements, no bargaining and no excuses. Commitment sleeps in her exercise clothes to make sure she makes it to her morning exercise class. Commitment stays up late and fixes tomorrow's lunch so she has no excuse to go through the drive-thru line. Commitment gets up and attends church even though she knows that her favorite minister is out of town. Commitment does whatever it takes! Mr. Motivation and his bratty sister, Ms. Feeeelings would most certainly have had a laundry list of excuses as to why they were unable to complete the tasks at hand. Heres to getting to know commitment, she will not leave you hanging. She will continue to lead you down the path to achieving your goals and never leave you feeling helpless and discouraged. Commitment is not perfect but she does have the ability to help you choose to do "the next right thing for the next right reason"~ Ruthie Forgey. Even when you don't feeeeeel like it.
Blessings,
Heather
Motivation means to give reason, incentive, enthusiasm, or interest to a specific action or certain behavior. Whether you are starting to eat healthy, exercise, or begin a new spiritual practice, most people feel as though motivation is a necessary component before taking action. In my opinion, motivation is a "fair weather friend". One that is a little too closely related to our "feeeelings". Feelings can be defined in a few different ways. Feelings can represent a physical sensation and also an emotional state, disposition or emotion. Both feelings and motivation have to take a backseat on the bus when you plan to make a lasting change. True and lasting change must be powered by a decision or even more importantly, a COMMITMENT. It is my opinion that you wake up everyday with a plan for the day that reflects not only your values, but your commitments to God, yourself and others. If you are waiting to feeeeel like exercising, feeeeel like eating right or feeeeel like starting that early morning Bible study, that day will never come. And if it does, it will not last. You might make it a few days on the excitement of starting something new, but soon enough your feet will hurt, your stomach will growl, your alarm clock will not go off or, heaven forbid, you will have to attend a function that has cake on the menu, blah, blah, blah....
Commitments are agreements, no bargaining and no excuses. Commitment sleeps in her exercise clothes to make sure she makes it to her morning exercise class. Commitment stays up late and fixes tomorrow's lunch so she has no excuse to go through the drive-thru line. Commitment gets up and attends church even though she knows that her favorite minister is out of town. Commitment does whatever it takes! Mr. Motivation and his bratty sister, Ms. Feeeelings would most certainly have had a laundry list of excuses as to why they were unable to complete the tasks at hand. Heres to getting to know commitment, she will not leave you hanging. She will continue to lead you down the path to achieving your goals and never leave you feeling helpless and discouraged. Commitment is not perfect but she does have the ability to help you choose to do "the next right thing for the next right reason"~ Ruthie Forgey. Even when you don't feeeeeel like it.
Blessings,
Heather
Thursday, April 29, 2010
The Straw
It always fascinates and entertains me to hear the reasons why people decide to make a drastic change in their health. In the business I am in, I hear lots of reasons. The reasons range from the serious (just been diagnosed with diabetes) to the vain ("do these pants make my butt look fat?).
I have heard them all at one time or another. The most popular reasons that I hear are event-related. I get the panicked call that a high-school reunion, 40th birthday or daughter's wedding is three weeks away. I am not really sure why I don't get these calls six months ahead of time, especially when we are talking about losing 30 pounds (yes, I have been asked how one could lose 30 pounds in 3 weeks...thanks Biggest Loser!!)
By far the funniest weight loss 911 call that I have ever received was from a previous client whom I had not heard from in several months.. She had a frantic tone in her voice and she said that she needed to make an appointment ASAP. I asked her if she was ok because I could tell that she was clearly exasperated. Her response to me still makes me laugh out loud to this day. She responded to my question by telling me that she had just walked out of the building where she worked and saw a homeless man sitting outside (this is not the funny part). She walked past him and he said "Guuuuurl, I like that wagon you be draggin". She continued to tell me that not only was she unaware that she had a "wagon" but apparently it was "draggin". Needless to say, she was sitting in my office the following afternoon.
A quote that I absolutely love is “change occurs when the pain of making a change becomes less than the pain of staying the same.” The anatomy of change has always been of particular interest to me. Clearly the “wagon draggin” comment inflicted enough pain in my client to bring about change. It is interesting to a me that a snide comment from a homeless man has the ability to make one person run towards lasting change. Yet for another, it takes the menacing sound of the “chest cracker” being cranked up preceeding heart bypass surgery for them to commit to stop ordering foods that are scattered, smothered, covered and chunked.
Here’s hoping you take a good look at your “change threshold” today. Have a happy and healthy one!
Heather
I have heard them all at one time or another. The most popular reasons that I hear are event-related. I get the panicked call that a high-school reunion, 40th birthday or daughter's wedding is three weeks away. I am not really sure why I don't get these calls six months ahead of time, especially when we are talking about losing 30 pounds (yes, I have been asked how one could lose 30 pounds in 3 weeks...thanks Biggest Loser!!)
By far the funniest weight loss 911 call that I have ever received was from a previous client whom I had not heard from in several months.. She had a frantic tone in her voice and she said that she needed to make an appointment ASAP. I asked her if she was ok because I could tell that she was clearly exasperated. Her response to me still makes me laugh out loud to this day. She responded to my question by telling me that she had just walked out of the building where she worked and saw a homeless man sitting outside (this is not the funny part). She walked past him and he said "Guuuuurl, I like that wagon you be draggin". She continued to tell me that not only was she unaware that she had a "wagon" but apparently it was "draggin". Needless to say, she was sitting in my office the following afternoon.
A quote that I absolutely love is “change occurs when the pain of making a change becomes less than the pain of staying the same.” The anatomy of change has always been of particular interest to me. Clearly the “wagon draggin” comment inflicted enough pain in my client to bring about change. It is interesting to a me that a snide comment from a homeless man has the ability to make one person run towards lasting change. Yet for another, it takes the menacing sound of the “chest cracker” being cranked up preceeding heart bypass surgery for them to commit to stop ordering foods that are scattered, smothered, covered and chunked.
Here’s hoping you take a good look at your “change threshold” today. Have a happy and healthy one!
Heather
Monday, April 26, 2010
Ever had a "but yet?'
Today is the day that I pull the cork! Pull the cork and release the God-placed pressure that has been building up inside me for the last few years. Have you ever had that feeling? You have been blessed enough in this life to have found your passion...yet are in a place in your life that you do not feel as though you are utilizing your "talents". We know what happens when people waste "talents"...it is not pretty!
First a little background, I am a 37-year-old new Mommy of a six-month-old miracle baby...an answered prayer. I have a great husband who, for some reason, thinks I am cool. I have two great dogs and a wonderful and supportive family. I live the life that I have always wanted...but yet?
I knew when I was very young that I had two passions in this life...my spiritual life and all things related to health. I would sit on the couch at my Mom's beauty shop and read health books from the library across the street. I am not kidding when I tell you that I have read almost every diet book known to man. I am fascinated by weight loss and what is does to the human spirit. Not only weight loss, also watching someone take back control of their health! I would watch all the ladies in my Mom's beauty shop discuss all things related to health,beauty and relationships (think Truvy's Steel Magnolia beauty salon where most of the ladies in town would meet to watch "Days of our Lives" at noon). As a middle-schooler, this could have scarred me for life. Fortunately, I was fascinated! The one subject that would completely "STOP THE PRESSES" in Nita's Hair Designs would be weight loss. When you mention diet in a hair salon, it has the same rubber-necking potential as a ten-car-pile-up. Devouring diet books and also having a huge selection of Star, Redbook, Ladies Home Journal and Enquirer magazines laying around... I became the local diet authority. A middle-schooler who was completely fascinated with weight loss and health. Thanks to sweet Sherry Shaw, who taught the afternoon Jazzercize class at Coosa County High School in Rockford, I also became a great fan of exercise.
I knew this was my passion, no doubt about it. Unfortunately, I did not know anyone who made money at it. Bummer! So like a good girl, I attended Auburn University and was pursuing a degree in Pharmacy. I remember feeling this sense of "unrest" in my gut...the same sort of "but yet?" feeling that I was talking about earlier. Something was not exactly right. I was going into a field that I thought would allow me to help people with their health but what I really wanted to do is help people lose weight and take control of their health. If only there was a pill that could do that. Here is a news flash..there is not. Just ask Oprah.
I remember the day (as I was approaching my junior year of college and the beginning of pharmacy school)that I stood in my Mom's bathroom getting ready for church and told her that I wanted to get a degree in nutrition instead of attending pharmacy school. She looked a little puzzled but as always, she was supportive. I continued to tell her that I was going to get a master's in some form of exercise science and then get a Ph.D. in counseling or psychology. I told her I wanted to help people take back control of their health and for some that meant weight loss. She said "do what you love, and that is what you love". Novel concept, huh?
I did get the first two degrees but when it came time to get the Ph.D. in psychology, once again I felt the nudge in my gut. The gut always tells the tale...does it not?!? Something was not right. I started investigating other programs and eventually I was led to a program that would allow me to get a Ph.D. in Clinical Christian Counseling. When I took the first class, I was hooked. I read the textbooks and would then call friends to tell them of all my revelations from the reading. It got so bad, my friend Ruthie would answer the phone asking "what have you read about now?" As an addictions counselor and now, minister with the Salvation Army, she was always eager to hear the "big revelation". Everyone needs a friend like that...fortunately, I have several. These are the same friends that I could have called with a frantic " I need you to come here now, rent a van, and bring several strong hefty bags" and they would have never asked questions. The cool thing is...God brought me and my "hefty bag" friends together at the perfect time. At a time in our lives that we were all having "but yet" moments. God sends the perfect people at the perfect time, does He not? Now we can all sit back and laugh at the neurotic moments (although we still have these sometimes) and the stupid paths that we took to find enlightenment. If not enlightenment, then enough fun in the moment that we did not care! Then one day, it was not enough. We walked the journey together as many prodigals do...and Papa was waiting with open arms.
Now, as for the "cork", as I sit here today I get to preach the "health gospel" one, maybe two days, each week and the rest of the time I am a stay-at-home-mom which I LOVE! The only problem with that is my sweet Charlee gets tired of me telling her of all the many benefits of the probiotics that I am adding to her formula, and my dogs get tired of me trying to advise them of all the benefits of the Omega 3's that I am adding to their food. They just don't get it. So this blog is an attempt to give me an outlet to preach the "health gospel" (as I see it), to discuss with my peeps all the spiritual ramblings and revelation that go through our minds on a daily basis and lastly to answer my own "but yet" yearning in my spirit that is to write a Bible Study that will help people rebuild their health while being in God's Word. I have known this is my "but yet" for quite some time...and this blog is my attempt to start writing SOMETHING other than Walmart lists. Now I am waiting on the "Living Waters" to spring forth as promised.
Heather
First a little background, I am a 37-year-old new Mommy of a six-month-old miracle baby...an answered prayer. I have a great husband who, for some reason, thinks I am cool. I have two great dogs and a wonderful and supportive family. I live the life that I have always wanted...but yet?
I knew when I was very young that I had two passions in this life...my spiritual life and all things related to health. I would sit on the couch at my Mom's beauty shop and read health books from the library across the street. I am not kidding when I tell you that I have read almost every diet book known to man. I am fascinated by weight loss and what is does to the human spirit. Not only weight loss, also watching someone take back control of their health! I would watch all the ladies in my Mom's beauty shop discuss all things related to health,beauty and relationships (think Truvy's Steel Magnolia beauty salon where most of the ladies in town would meet to watch "Days of our Lives" at noon). As a middle-schooler, this could have scarred me for life. Fortunately, I was fascinated! The one subject that would completely "STOP THE PRESSES" in Nita's Hair Designs would be weight loss. When you mention diet in a hair salon, it has the same rubber-necking potential as a ten-car-pile-up. Devouring diet books and also having a huge selection of Star, Redbook, Ladies Home Journal and Enquirer magazines laying around... I became the local diet authority. A middle-schooler who was completely fascinated with weight loss and health. Thanks to sweet Sherry Shaw, who taught the afternoon Jazzercize class at Coosa County High School in Rockford, I also became a great fan of exercise.
I knew this was my passion, no doubt about it. Unfortunately, I did not know anyone who made money at it. Bummer! So like a good girl, I attended Auburn University and was pursuing a degree in Pharmacy. I remember feeling this sense of "unrest" in my gut...the same sort of "but yet?" feeling that I was talking about earlier. Something was not exactly right. I was going into a field that I thought would allow me to help people with their health but what I really wanted to do is help people lose weight and take control of their health. If only there was a pill that could do that. Here is a news flash..there is not. Just ask Oprah.
I remember the day (as I was approaching my junior year of college and the beginning of pharmacy school)that I stood in my Mom's bathroom getting ready for church and told her that I wanted to get a degree in nutrition instead of attending pharmacy school. She looked a little puzzled but as always, she was supportive. I continued to tell her that I was going to get a master's in some form of exercise science and then get a Ph.D. in counseling or psychology. I told her I wanted to help people take back control of their health and for some that meant weight loss. She said "do what you love, and that is what you love". Novel concept, huh?
I did get the first two degrees but when it came time to get the Ph.D. in psychology, once again I felt the nudge in my gut. The gut always tells the tale...does it not?!? Something was not right. I started investigating other programs and eventually I was led to a program that would allow me to get a Ph.D. in Clinical Christian Counseling. When I took the first class, I was hooked. I read the textbooks and would then call friends to tell them of all my revelations from the reading. It got so bad, my friend Ruthie would answer the phone asking "what have you read about now?" As an addictions counselor and now, minister with the Salvation Army, she was always eager to hear the "big revelation". Everyone needs a friend like that...fortunately, I have several. These are the same friends that I could have called with a frantic " I need you to come here now, rent a van, and bring several strong hefty bags" and they would have never asked questions. The cool thing is...God brought me and my "hefty bag" friends together at the perfect time. At a time in our lives that we were all having "but yet" moments. God sends the perfect people at the perfect time, does He not? Now we can all sit back and laugh at the neurotic moments (although we still have these sometimes) and the stupid paths that we took to find enlightenment. If not enlightenment, then enough fun in the moment that we did not care! Then one day, it was not enough. We walked the journey together as many prodigals do...and Papa was waiting with open arms.
Now, as for the "cork", as I sit here today I get to preach the "health gospel" one, maybe two days, each week and the rest of the time I am a stay-at-home-mom which I LOVE! The only problem with that is my sweet Charlee gets tired of me telling her of all the many benefits of the probiotics that I am adding to her formula, and my dogs get tired of me trying to advise them of all the benefits of the Omega 3's that I am adding to their food. They just don't get it. So this blog is an attempt to give me an outlet to preach the "health gospel" (as I see it), to discuss with my peeps all the spiritual ramblings and revelation that go through our minds on a daily basis and lastly to answer my own "but yet" yearning in my spirit that is to write a Bible Study that will help people rebuild their health while being in God's Word. I have known this is my "but yet" for quite some time...and this blog is my attempt to start writing SOMETHING other than Walmart lists. Now I am waiting on the "Living Waters" to spring forth as promised.
Heather
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