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11/30/2016 0 Comments Fatherhood It is fall in Georgia, which means pumpkin everything is everywhere much to my oldest daughter’s great pleasure, and high school football is in full swing.
This is my first fall in seven years that I am not watching my son play football. Bittersweet. There are so many things that while you are doing them you cannot wait for them to end, but then once they do, you are a little sad. I never thought driving car pool for sweaty teenage football players would be one of those things, but it is. I don’t so much miss the hours spent hauling everyone around, but I miss being privy to their conversations on the way to and from practices and games. I could write a book called Football Conversations - True Confessions of Aspiring Athletes Who Really Want To Be Football Stars But Still Want To Have Forty Hours A Week To Play Video Games. Not that catchy - I’m not sure it would be a best-seller. I do have some moments that are burned in my memory because of the lessons I learned from these boys, and though they may not be book worthy, they are worth sharing. One night driving home from JV football practice, talk turned to the previous season when the boys were on the middle school team. They discussed in-depth how awesome they each were at their respective positions. I would give anything to have had this recorded - male bonding at its finest. “You were great...True, but you were great, too...Yes I was.” No one was struggling with false humility. But then one of the boys said something that, besides being ridiculously funny, was actually quite profound. While discussing different plays from the previous season - incredible interceptions, unbelievable touchdowns, amazing tackles (there was no shortage of confidence in this car) - my son’s friend, Connor, says “Yeah, the best play of the season for me was in that game, and only me and my dad remember it.” Now we were all dying laughing, thinking - if it was so incredible - how come you two are the only ones who remember it? But Connor is dead serious and goes on to explain how even in the Hi-Light video you see Brandt, my son, running the ball for this awesome touchdown, and off to the side you can see a giant kid coming to take Brandt out - but instead the big kid gets tackled. You can’t see on the video who tackles him or how, but the tackle is made, and Brandt breezes into the endzone unobstructed. Then you hear the crowd, the team, the coaches all yelling, “Way to go, Brandt!” But the kid who made that touchdown possible was Connor and nobody noticed...except his dad. This story has stuck with me for years. Connor laughed as he told us the story, and we laughed with him because, frankly, it was funny especially when Connor told it. I am amazed by the whole thing, though, considering how much we are all longing for affirmation and recognition. I’m sure Connor would have loved for everyone to notice what he did , but it was enough for his heart that his dad saw it and they could relive that moment together: “Do you remember, Connor, when you took out that kid that was twice your size to save the touchdown and win the game? Man, that was awesome. I’ll never forget that moment!” Some of us don’t have those kind of dad moments from childhood, and we envy Connor because he does. But what’s worse than missing out on those past moments is living your entire life and missing out on these moments with your Abba Father. He sees everything you do that seems to be overlooked and unnoticed. He says, “Do you remember when you did more than was asked of you, loved the unlovely, forgave when no one was sorry, gave more than you had to give? That was so awesome! I will never forget those moments.” He sees. He knows. He loves us so much. He is a dad like no other, and He never misses out on the moments of our lives. We can say with confidence, “My best moment of the season and only me and my Dad remember it!” and like Connor, if we have really experienced in our hearts our Father’s love for us, it will be more than enough. Isaiah 63:16 “...You, O Lord, are our Father, our Redeemer from of old…” Author: Brooke Kireta
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11/29/2016 0 Comments Show Me Your Friends “Show me your friends, and I’ll show you your future.” My husband and I heard this quote in a movie years ago, and it’s stuck with us ever since. I think about friendship often. I need friends. I need good friends, and so do you.
We were created for relationship. We were not created to be alone. We were created to feel, to communicate, to embrace, to share, and to ‘do life’ with people around us. We were not created to be loners, to be friendless, or to be isolated. Scripture begins and ends with relationship. In the beginning God created the earth, the Spirit hovered over the waters, and when God said, “Let there be light,” He was speaking Jesus! Think about that! Trinity. God exists in relationship, and He made us for relationships - relationship with Him and with others. And, at the end of this age, Jesus will come for His bride, the church, and we will worship the Lord together, for all of eternity. My husband is my best friend. Eric knows me better than anyone else knows me, and I know him better than anyone else knows him. I share most everything with Eric; struggles, joys, laughter, hurts, fears, accomplishments, insecurities, and victories. He’s safe. I’m safe. Though marriage isn’t always easy, we love each other and are committed to each other. However, as sweet as our relationship is, it isn’t enough. The past couple of weeks have been challenging. I could give you a list of everything that has gone on, all the good stuff, all of the bad stuff, but I won’t. I’ll just tell you that multiple times I felt like quitting. I felt overwhelmed, exhausted, disorganized, taken for granted, and hormonal. My house was a mess. By a mess I mean a total mess. My bedroom had piles of clothes from a recent trip still on my floor waiting to be put away a week after our return. I don’t want to even talk about the toilets or my fridge, or our big white van…I felt myself sink into the familiar pit of despair. Then…I had a meltdown. Not pretty. I cried and I screamed. (Yes, I screamed.) I was not okay… So…my amazing husband took me with him while he ran errands. He let me cry in the privacy of our van. I talked to God. I asked Him for help, and then, I texted a couple of my good friends. Here’s where I get back to friendship. My husband Eric is my best friend, but sometimes I need more than Eric, I need my girl friends, and Eric needs me to have these friends. I have some really good friends. They know me well. They know my struggles and my strengths. They rejoice with me when I am blessed, and they cry with me when I’m hurting. They speak truth to me. They pray for me. They don’t share my crud with others. They don’t laugh when I fall. They don’t get offended when I speak truth to them. They are kind. They are fun. They are all different. My friends don’t all have six kids, nor do they all homeschool. Three of my closest friends live hundreds of miles away. They are not all thirty-six years old, and they don’t all share the same movie, music, and clothing preferences. Like me, they’re not perfect, but they long to be like Jesus. Proverbs 27:17 says, “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.” When I text or call a friend for prayer, they pray. They speak Scripture or words of encouragement to me, and I find myself strengthened, and my perspective gets back on track. My friends can’t fix me or my problems, but they point me to Jesus, my husband, my family, and my purpose. Verse of the Week: “Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor. If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls, but has no one to help them up. Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone. Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.” Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for friendship. I recognize my need for good friends, and I ask you to lead me and help me in my friendships. Help me to be the friend you want me to be. Please provide me with friends who will encourage me in my walk with you. I pray that I will have wisdom in my friendships. Show me which friendships you want me to nurture. I ask for ‘iron sharpens iron’, ‘two are better than one’ friends. Thank you for calling me your friend. Speak to me this week as I commit my friendships to you now in Jesus name. Author: Melissa Holmlund 11/28/2016 0 Comments Lost A few years ago, I went on a weekend training intensive with a couple of friends. We were in a very small town in south Georgia and none of us were familiar with the area.
We ate dinner at a local restaurant near our hotel before heading to the church for the first session. We were told the church was a straight shot and about 5 minutes away. It was 6:50 when we left the restaurant. We arrived at church at 7:40. Almost an hour. What happened, you ask? Did we break down? Did we stop to help someone? Did we see the Krispy Kreme hot donuts sign and get sidetracked? No, to all of these. We got lost. Going in a straight line. With two GPS systems. Wow. I am sure that is what you’re thinking. Rightfully so. This is totally deserving of a, wow. Not the “wow - that’s impressive” but rather “wow - how is that even possible?” I actually would not have believed it were possible myself had I not been in the car. How can you get lost driving in a straight line? Well, first, you don’t go in a straight line. You arbitrarily turn and then turn again and then turn around. Then you ask people walking around town for directions, and they tell you they don’t live there. (Really?? Who goes to Moultrie, Georgia, for vacation?) Then you drive and turn some more. You re-enter the address into the GPS another 20 times. Then you ask someone else for directions. It really all just came down to bad intel. For most of us when we start our walk with Christ, it sounds like a simple thing. Stay on the straight and narrow, keep your eyes on Jesus, and follow His Word. We hear sermons and teachings on following God, and we leave convinced we can do it. We want to do it. But then we make some wrong turns. We start listening to our internal GPS system and hearing things from other people that point us in the wrong direction and before we know it, we are lost. Not lost as in unbelieving, just lost in our journey. We keep going in circles and can’t figure out why we can’t just go in a simple straight line. What’s wrong with us? Bad intel. This is what the Lord says: “Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls.” Jeremiah 6:16 Let’s ask the Father to show us this week the areas where we are operating from bad intel. Verse of the Week: Jeremiah 6:16 This is what the Lord says: “Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls.” Prayer: Father God, we look to you as our Guide. Sometimes we don’t even know when we are heading in the wrong direction until we are hopelessly lost! Please show us where we are following the wrong intel and direct our steps in the ancient paths, so we may follow you with our whole hearts for our whole lives. Author: Brooke Kireta 11/24/2016 0 Comments A Thankful Heart This season brings warm fuzzies with a swirl of nostalgia. The holidays entice us to hold tight to those we love in the midst of pumpkin scents and the future ambiance of Christmas lights. It's my favorite time of year: Time to count your blessings and bask in God’s goodness.
Everywhere we look, there are decorations, commercials, cards that remind us to “be thankful.” Okay, yep, thankful… got it! Thanksgiving and Christmas sort of force us to grasp the concept… Right? But are we truly grateful for ALL things right now? I bet you every Mama has a slight hoarding of stress in the back of her mind. Let's be authentic. We are entering the season of chauffeuring our families to every holiday party, racking up credit card bills with Christmas presents, and stressing over cooking for umpteen people for Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners. Let’s not forget that pesky elf on the shelf we obligate ourselves to partake in with creative, new adventures every night. I deem myself a “Holiday Queen,” but I'm just as guilty as the next person for having holiday meltdowns. If we’re honest, there will be plenty of moments in the coming weeks for us to forget all about that “Be Thankful” message and explode in frustration with Christmas glitter flying and burnt turkeys shoved into the outside garbage can. We will inevitably refrain from praising God in the midst of Christmas budgets or frantic, angry shopping and travel on Black Friday. But why? Why does this magical, amazing season sometimes leave us empty? Why do we lose sight of what’s most important: Having a grateful heart when we truly need it most? Maybe we overwhelm ourselves with showing thankfulness and proving our holiday spirit instead of stopping to let God into our hearts and focusing our eyes on the Holy Spirit. Isn't He the core of why we should be thankful? Isn’t He the “reason for the season?” This is the season of blessings. So instead of concentrating so much on decorations, food, and the perfect gift, perhaps we should focus on the process of having a grateful heart through any circumstance. Maybe we should stop “counting our blessings” and seek out those who haven't been as blessed. Having a grateful heart isn't just thanking God for our material wealth and for those around us but rather for using God’s gift of undeserved grace to fuel us into action for others. Whether we have a little or a lot, my prayer is for us to be the hands and feet of Jesus this holiday season. After all, serving others sheds light on all we have to be thankful for. Yes, get in the holiday spirit. Yes, celebrate Jesus and all He’s done in our lives. But stop to thank Him for the challenges as well. Pause and reflect on what a privilege it is to be stressed over the holiday season. When you are teetering with a holiday meltdown, ask God to make you truly grateful for the moments that can leave you empty. Pray for Him to use that emptiness to fill up another's cup. Let's decide what we are going to do to use this season’s blessings to simply bless someone else. “Give thanks to God in all circumstances. For this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (1 Thessalonians 5:18) God, Thank You. Thank You for all the holidays bring: cheer, adventure, decorations, time with family and friends. Help us to have grateful hearts and to acknowledge those blessings, but also to seek You in the moments we struggle to find joy. God, guide our thoughts and actions to help others this holiday as an exchange of gratitude for all You’ve done. Father, help us to stop when we find ourselves on the edge of complaint or feeling overwhelmed with all this season entails. May we use that pause to find friend or foe who could use a touch of the love and grace You've extended to us all year round. May You be the reason for every season. Amen Author: Candace Koon 11/23/2016 0 Comments When Your Plea For Help Is Ignored I find that people often expect too much from people and too little from God. Only God can be God, and people can only be people. (Christine Caine) I expected empathy. I expected nods of affirmation that I am not alone in my struggle, a warm exchange of words after leaving my heart lying there on the floor. What I didn’t expect was silence. But it’s what I got. Immediately, I wanted to retract my words. I wished there was a delete button, but this wasn’t a hasty post on Facebook. It was a plea for comfort, and there was no taking it back. Instead of turning to the One who knew me best, I sulked. I sat in the recliner eating dark chocolate, robotically scrolling through pictures on Instagram. I retreated to my pit of gloomy thoughts and self-pity until, like any good Father, God pulled me out. I realized I’d been looking to others for the peace only God can give. I realized I expected too much from others who were struggling to find their way just like I was. Most people see only a reflection of the person we truly are, but God sees our whole being. He sees the imperfections, but He also sees the person we are becoming. He sees the struggle, but He also sees the refined, beautiful masterpiece on the other side of it. I turned to the pages of Genesis and found the story of Hagar. A woman who felt forgotten. A woman who was obedient to her master, Abraham, even to the point of conceiving a child for him a child out of wedlock and was then shunned for it. (Genesis 16:5-6) As she ran into the wilderness to find solace, she thought no one saw her or knew her pain. But God did. He not only knew her ache, but He knew the blessing waiting on the other side of it. He came to her in her weakness and her vulnerability, and told her what she needed to hear the most. He saw her. He knew her. He wasn’t going to abandon her or shun her. His encounter with Hagar impacted her in such a profound way that she gave him a new name: The God Who Sees. She gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: “You are the God who sees me,” for she said, “I have now seen the One who sees me.” (Genesis 16:13, NIV) Friend, I don’t know what you’re going through today. I don’t know who has disappointed you or made you want to lock away all your secrets, vulnerabilities, and struggles, so that no one can ever see them or judge them. But can I tell you something? God sees. He sees your heart, scars and all, and He loves you just the same. Don’t write off friendship or authenticity. Both are sacred, crucial elements of this thing called life. But remember there’s only one person who sees us completely. Come to Him with your scars, and let Him bathe you in the healing salve only He can provide. Word of the Day: She gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: “You are the God who sees me,” for she said, “I have now seen the One who sees me.” (Genesis 16:13, NIV) Prayer: Lord, help me not to expect others to understand me the way you do. You have searched me and know me in a way no one else can, and you designed me to crave the unique relationship only you can give. When my expectations of others fall flat, help me to extend the grace you have shown to me. In Jesus’ Name, Amen. Author: Abby McDonald |
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