Testimony Time

Three years ago I was in the deepest, darkest time of my life. I wanted to be dead. Suicide was not an option because first, I'm too big a chicken to do something like that, but second, because I knew nothing lasts forever. And I knew God would help me and eventually things would get better.

During that time, from November 2009 to January 2010, I cried every Sunday during song service. It was so hard to praise God, and I felt so hopeless, so I just cried my way through. Every week after the song service we had meet-and-greet. Like most people, we sat in the same place for years and got to be familiar with the people around us, so when one acquaintance came over and asked me how I was, I replied, through tears, "Life sucks and then ya die." 

The response was, "Oh! You shouldn't feel like that!"

Really? How was I supposed to feel? My world was crashing in around me and I wanted to be dead. 

I learned that I could not be real with this person. From that time on I was always "great" and "wonderful" no matter what I was battling with.

In August 2010, I began classes to become a Certified Holistic Health Coach. The program placed emphasis on starting our own business as a health coach. Naturally, we all had fun coming up with our business names, starting Facebook pages and Twitter accounts to promote ourselves and our new venture in life.

Without much thought, I named my business "Be Real...". I wanted, most of all, for people to be real in their relationships. No judgement from me, only love and acceptance. I wanted people to be real in their food and eating habits, real in their activity and real in their walk with Jesus. We all have struggles, battles and shortfalls, and it doesn't do anybody any good to act like we have it all together. We sometimes just don't, and that's ok.

While my business never really took off, I do have a decent following on Facebook (although I don't post like I used to) and a decent readership on my Be Real... blog. (Thank you to my faithful readers! You guys are awesome!)

I loved coaching the few clients I had, but I just didn't feel like I was doing what God wanted me to do. Looking back, I can see where the classes were just what I needed to start to feel some self-worth again and gave me something to focus on other than my issue. I feel that education is never wasted, but maybe that was the main purpose for taking the classes..just to refocus. And every day I use what I learned and I know that God will continue to use my knowledge wherever He places me.

Last April my husband and I started attending a new church. We needed a fresh start and felt God calling us in a new direction.

We've always been taught not to be a pew-sitter, so right away we looked for a place to plug in. Toward the end of last summer he started playing his trumpet on the worship team and loves it! He feels like he's found his place in ministry again!

We've known our Sr. Associate Pastor, Judy Buffum-Hemmila since the early 1980s and she was so happy to see us and couldn't wait to have us be a part of Crossfire Church. 

I served under Judy in women's ministry years ago at our previous church. Last June I was able to take her to lunch and share my story, and to tell her what I've done since we last saw each other about 15 years ago.

She "hired" me that day to become the Office Manager of Crossfire Church, although there wasn't yet funding available to pay me. I didn't care. I was SO excited to have a place to be, a place to use the gifts and talents God has given me, a place to belong...a sense of purpose again!

Since the end of June 2012, I've been working 2 days a week. I LOVE what I do and I LOVE working for Judy's husband, Pastor Keith. I stand in awe every day that God would place ME in this position! I'm humbled at how He's blessed us with incredible leaders, awesome friends, deep love, and a home! When I checked in on foursquare at church a couple of weeks ago, I left the comment "Being at church is like a weekly family reunion!" 

The people of our church so touch my heart. Their stories are amazing. Their love is genuine. Their struggles are real, but not too big for Jesus to overcome! My heart overflows with love for this group of people, the most amazing group on the planet!

In December, Pastor Keith spoke with a friend who asked what he could do to bless the church. Pastor told him that I'm becoming "invaluable" to him and that he'd really like to see me get paid. The man said he'd love to help and would pray about what he can do.

Last week Pastor Keith went to visit the man and came back with money to put into an account to pay me! So starting sometime this week, or maybe next, I will get paid to do what I LOVE!

Right now I cannot share the details of what I went through 3 years ago, and maybe someday I will, but if you knew...if you could really understand the darkness and depression that surrounded me...you'd know how incredibly blessed I am today. I just wanted to be dead, so to even be alive is a miracle. But to watch, up close and personal, what GOD is doing in my life is more miracle than I can describe.

Please be encouraged, that WHATEVER you're going through, God DOES care, He DOES look out for you, He DOES want to bless you...and He WILL! There is nothing too hard for Him. No question is too tough. No complaint is too offensive. No emotions are too much for Him to handle. He just wants to love you and walk through the valley with you to bring you to your mountain top. You don't have to be all polished and pretty before you ask Him...just ask Him. He can handle the ugly. I testify...He can handle the ugly! He took my ugly and made it more beautiful than I ever could have dreamed!

If you need to talk to someone, call a pastor, email a friend, or let me know. There are people who care for you. You're NOT alone!

How about you? What's your testimony? What story are you able to share of God's goodness?

Note: I've always had a heart for people and their struggles, but especially so after walking through my own darkness. My special friend (and coffee buddy!) Nancy Bouwens wrote a beautiful blog post that captures so much of my heart. Please go to her blog, Simply Abundant Life and read: I Sit Next To You and leave a comment for her. Then pay attention to the ones around you and offer them encouragement and a prayer. They need it.

Who Would You Meet?

(c) Il Guercino (Giovanni Francesco Barbieri) 1591 – 1666

Last week I pulled Max Lucado’s “God Came Near” off my bookshelf. It was a birthday gift to me from a friend in 1997. I loved the book at the time, but don’t think I’ve opened it since. So the writing is new to me all over again and I was excited to discover it has study questions!

The other day I read the chapter, “Twenty-five Questions for Mary”. I had thought of quite a few of those questions myself in regards to Jesus being a little boy.

One of the study questions is, “If you could talk with one person from the Bible, other than Jesus, who would it be? Why? What questions would you ask?”

We all say we want to talk to Peter, Paul and Moses when we get to heaven, but I wanted to really think about my answer before I just gave that standard one.

And I hate crowds. Since everybody wants to talk to them, I’d be standing in line, quite possibly, literally, forever. No thanks, I’ll get back to them later.

As I’ve pondered this question for a couple of days, and watched the news of continued clashes in the Mid-East, my answer came to me. I want to talk with someone who I’m not even sure is in heaven. But she’s from the Bible, and that was the question.

I want to talk to Hagar.

I don't know how old Hagar was when Sarah sent Abraham to her to bear “God’s promised” son. Hagar could’ve been a teenager. Maybe she was what we now call “mid-life”, in her 40s.

After Ishmael was born, Sarah hated Hagar.

Abraham was 86-years-old when Ishmael was born. (Genesis 16:16) He was 100-years-old when Isaac was born. (Genesis 21:5)

When Ishmael was about 14-years-old Sarah insisted that Hagar be sent away. Abraham complied.

Read the story in Genesis 16 and 21.

My questions are these:

What was it like to bear a son to such an old man?

How did it feel to be hated by Sarah?

Why did you despise Sarah yourself?

How did it make you feel when Sarah mocked you?

Were you fearful when Sarah insisted you be driven out? How did you deal with the feelings of hopelessness and uncertainty?

How scared were you when you thought your boy was going to die in the wilderness?

What was it like to be sent away, knowing your son would never see his father again?

How did you deal with Ishmael’s anger? God even tells Hagar that Ishmael would be “a wild donkey of a man, his hand will be against everyone, and everyone’s hand will be against him”. (Genesis 16:12) I cannot imagine knowing that about my son before he was even born. How discouraging. But how much anger must Ishmael have had to live his life like that?

Did you try to teach forgiveness to Ishmael so he would forgive Abraham for what he did to his mom and himself? Or did you feel that same anger and hatred toward Abraham for the situation you were in?

What was it like living, and trying to survive, in the wilderness?

Did you hate men the rest of your life?

Were you ever able to find a man who truly cherished you?

I’m curious how she raised Ishmael. Did she contribute to his hatred and vindictiveness with her own feelings? Or did she try her hardest to love God and follow Him, despite her wild donkey of a son?

Was God’s promise to “greatly multiply [her] descendants so that they shall be too many to count” any comfort? Even though God’s promise of numerous descendants was in reference to Isaac, because Ishmael was also Abraham’s son, God honored His promise to that descendent as well. (Genesis 21:13)

My heart feels compassion for this woman. I hope that she lived her life trusting God because of all that He did for her.

The next person I want to talk to is Sarah.

How about you? What Bible person would you most like to talk to and why?

Humpty Dumpty Lesson

(c) flickriver.com

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall

Humpty Dumpty had a great fall

All the King’s horses and all the King’s men

couldn’t put Humpty together again

Cute child’s nursery rhyme, eh? But why was Humpty Dumpty sitting on a wall? Why did he fall? And why were King’s horses trying to put him together again? Think about that...horses.

Humpty sitting on a wall makes me think of complacency. He was sitting there wasting time. Maybe he was looking at the clouds move. Could there have been children playing nearby? Makes sense since it’s a nursery rhyme. Maybe he was watching horses gallop. (They were close enough to try to put him back together, so they must have been in the area.) 

Obviously at some point he started messing around if he fell off the wall. Anybody who is just sitting isn’t likely to lose their balance and fall. Maybe he thought he’d do his gymnastics impression.

Splat.

So what was he doing that caused him to lose focus?

He not only lost focus while sitting on the wall, he lost focus before he got to the wall. Maybe he wasn’t complacent, but had ADD and separated (get it? because he’s an egg?!) from the King’s horses and men and got himself into trouble. “Hey, everybody! Watch me balance on the wall!” 

He didn’t know his limits. Not good when you’re a fragile egg. Everybody knows it’s hard for an egg to balance! Hello, Humpty!

So ALL the King’s horses and ALL the King’s men tried to put him together. 

My first question: what can a horse possibly do to put an egg together? I’m not sure that question will ever be answered.

But the King’s men...what did they think they were doing? Have you ever dropped an egg? Pretty much impossible to put back together. 

So these men, commissioned to protect and serve the King, wasted their time trying to do something that was pointless. I hope there weren’t enemies in the area or the King would have been completely unprotected.

How many men were distracted by this task? How long did they waste doing something that took them from their calling? And just exactly how many were standing around watching? Because there couldn’t have been room for all the men and horses to crowd around ole Hum Dum. (Yes, I just went rapper on ya.)

At what point did they say, “Sorry, Humpty, you’re a lost cause,” and walk away leaving Humpty to fry on the concrete in the sun?

How about you? Are you spending your time on a worthless cause? Are you wasting time pursuing something that doesn’t matter and can’t be fixed?

Are you useless to the Kingdom because you’re distracted by playing on the wall? If so, you WILL fall. 

Oh, so many questions to contemplate. Let’s contemplate the right ones so we’re focused on what really matters and not be distracted by the pointless pursuits.

OK, who’s next? Mary and her little lamb?

Are you feeling a little like Humpty Dumpty? Broken and think you're beyond repair? You're not. While the King's horses and King's men would obviously be helpless to put you back together, the King Himself can! I know, because He's done it for me. Don't forget to ask Jesus to do it for you, too!

Hello, Old Friend

It's been awhile since I've posted; a lot has happened.

We started regularly attending the church I mentioned in the previous post, Crossfire Church in Cedar Springs. In June I become the Office Manager and Personal Assistant to the senior pastors, Keith and Judy Hemmila. I am LOVING it!

I work two days a week and get to use many of the gifts and skills that energize me. There probably aren't a lot of people who like to stand at a copy machine, but I find it exciting. And the more pages to a project, the better!

I put together the weekly bulletin, which is a blast. I've been able to revamp the look of it and have gotten many compliments on it. My favorite was from a friend who said it looks "professional". My husband said, "That's what you're all about, professional."

I created a brochure for the men's retreat taking place the end of this month. I especially took pride in the idea I had for the registration return. Brown box with duct tape! Manly, eh?!

I set up a master church calendar so we always know what's going on and where. Well, in theory this works, but it's the getting everybody else to communicate their events that's the hard part. They're not used to having things so centralized.

I've written letters, meeting agendas, meeting schedules, and other various notes.

And I've become queen of the sign-up sheet!

My next major project is to learn the computer system for doing attendance, then I'll be doing that each week as well.

I keep our website updated with news, events and the pastors' blog, although I'd like to get with our website overseer and get the colors changed on it. I think at least it should be flip-flopped. Seems a little dark to me.

I'm also waiting for the right time to ask Pastor for a Facebook page. I've got one set up and use it as if it were live, but it's yet unpublished. This is frustrating to someone who understands social media and our need to be on it. But patience...we'll get there!

All this and so much more! I know it won't be long and my two days (volunteer status at the moment) will turn into more days (and some cash).

So while I'm busier than I was a few months ago, it is my goal to get back to some blogging. I miss writing for the fun and creativity of it, although brochures and bulletins do help fill the need...just a little!

So what's new and good with you?

Why You Don't Want To Be Like Her

My family! I can name almost all of the people in this picture. Norkus/Chase Family Reunion, July 1940

• “Each one should test their own actions. Then they can take pride in themselves alone, without comparing themselves to someone else, for each one should carry their own load.” (Galatians 6:4-5; NIV)

In the mid-1980s evangelist Dave Roever (Ree-ver) came to our church and gave his testimony. He is a Vietnam vet and survived a white phosphorous grenade that went off next to his face. He endured years of treatment and reconstructive surgery, but even today the scars on his body are obvious to anybody who passes him on the street. Dave Roever has travelled this nation and the globe sharing God's healing, mercy, and love. Many have come to know Jesus through his ministry, which has grown and is still reaching people around the world today...even in Vietnam, the one-time enemy!

Years later I knew a man who said he prayed to have a testimony like Dave Roever’s and to be able to reach people the way Roever did. God reminded him such a testimony could be arranged if he was willing to have a phosphorous grenade blow up next to his face. He recanted his prayer.

Why do we endeavor to be like others? We see their successes and wish we could be like them. What we don’t see is the hard work, blood, sweat, tears, frustrations, set-backs, emotions, pain, heartache and more along the way. We just see the success and want that, as if it was just handed over like a gift.

I was thinking of writing this post before I went to church one Sunday and Pastor said something that I made note of. Here’s his quote:

• “People don’t know the price you had to pay to get that position in life. Nobody wants to go through the loss or the let down to get there. But that’s part of the success.”

I recently overheard a woman say to her friend, “I wish I could be like you. You’ve lost over 100 pounds and I just can’t do it.”

I happen to know both ladies and the friend who wants to be like her 100-pound-loss friend doesn’t really realize what she had to go through to lose that 100 pounds. It was years of battle and confrontation of evilness from her past. It was years of heartache and counseling. It was, and still is, an emotional battle for her every day.

By saying, “I wish I could be like you,” she was wishing for an awful lot. I don’t think she realized what she was “asking”. Would she really be prepared to go through what her friend went through to get where she is?

The problem with food is that we need it to sustain life. We can’t live without it. Alcoholics, smokers, drug addicts have a different battle to face because they can walk away and say, “I’ll never touch that again,” and they don’t need to in order to live.  (Note: I realize it’s not that simple, but work with me here.)

Eating is a whole different thing. We HAVE to eat to live! We need the nutrients, vitamins, minerals, anti-oxidants, fiber, protein etc. We can’t just walk away from it and never touch it again, or we would die.

So my question to “the wisher” is this. How committed are you to make the change your friend did to lose over 100 pounds? Are you willing to endure the counseling, pain, raw emotions and more? Are you willing to confront the reason why you battle to start with?

Or is your battle more with self control?

• "But the fruit of the Spirit is...self-control." (Galatians 5:22-23; NIV)

Or maybe just an innocent lack of knowledge about how to nourish your body and take care of the temple of the Holy Spirit?

• "Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?" (I Corinthians 3:16; NASB)

Are you committed to making a change in your lifestyle choices? A real commitment. It’s hard. It takes a conscious effort to change. It takes WORK and learning new habits and trying new foods.

It also takes TIME!

God has made each one of us unique. We should not compare ourselves to the others we see around us. We don’t know the path they’ve walked. The grass is not always greener. Success probably didn’t come easy to them.

Recently a woman said to me, “Your life is perfect, you don’t need to worry.”

How I longed to tell her of all my shortcomings, battles, insecurities and “issues”…and that’s just from the past couple of years! I’m glad I can put on a strong front, but my life is FAR from perfect. Don’t strive to be like me or you will be sorely disappointed!

But strive to be like Jesus. He is perfect.

• “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have One who has been tempted in every way, just as we are – yet He did not sin.” (Hebrews 4:14; NIV)

And His plan for you is perfect.

• “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11; NIV)

You may not be where you want to be in regards to an area of your life, but keep your eyes on Him and seek Him for what He would have for you.

He may show you new and creative ways to mend a relationship. He may lead you to the ‘perfect’ someone to help with emotional or spiritual issues. He may intervene in your finances in ways you never imagined.

Just trust Him. He has a plan for YOU, one that nobody else on this planet can accomplish.

I used to compare myself to others and ended up only feeling beat down in the process. My hair wasn’t as cute, my clothes weren’t as pretty, my face was the wrong shape, blah, blah, blah.

But I learned who I am in Christ. He taught me about where I came from and what my heritage is and I learned much about my ancestors who came before me. In that, I learned to be content with myself and stopped comparing myself to others. Today I’m thrilled with who I am, what I look like and even reasonably content with what I wear. (Thank you, Stein Mart!)

I pray you learn to be content with who you are in Him. It’s not worth it to compare yourself to others. You only waste time and beat yourself up in the process. And that will cause you to miss God’s BEST for your life.

Does this describe you? Do you want to talk about this? Are you feeling like you don’t know where to turn or what to do? Find a trusted friend you can be honest with to talk with. But please remember to count the cost before wishing to be like someone else. Just be who God created YOU to be.

Read my previous post: Music Monday - Fight Songs

WE WILL and Fresh Start

I saw a preview for this album WE WILL a few weeks ago through an ad on David Santistevan's blog. I kept the tab open on my browser so I didn't forget to check out the entire album on March 6 when it was released.

Wow! Awesome!

WE WILL is from The Life Church in Tennessee and it is fabulous! I love the sound, not the typical worship sound for some of the songs; but then there are a few that bring me back to the Vineyard Worship days. I also like the variety of lead worshipers, not the same voice all the way through.

The songs are very God-focused and I like that. I think sometimes we sing too many me-focused songs - songs about God blessing me and moving in me and not enough about Who He is and what He has done that we can thank Him for.

This song, Fresh Start, is by far my favorite. I cry every time I hear it. I could listen to this one over and over.



I am soaking this album in!

So if you're looking for something new, check it out!

Don't have iTunes? Order the CD here.

Read my previous post: Bearing Fruit

Bearing Fruit

(c) 9/10/11, Kathy Fannon

Matthew 21:19 - 22 (NASB)

Seeing a lone fig tree by the road, He came to it and found nothing on it except leaves only; and He said to it, "No longer shall there ever by any fruit from you." And at once the fig tree withered.

Seeing this, the disciples were amazed and asked, "How did the fig tree wither all at once?" 

And Jesus answered and said to them, "Truly I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, 'Be taken up and cast into the sea,' it will happen. And all things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive."

Jesus cursed the fig tree because it was a fake, it was false; it wasn't doing what it was created for. It had leaves on it and it looked good, but it had no fruit on it. That tree didn't have something that would give life - even though it was pretty.

Are you bearing fruit or just looking good?

Read my previous post: Music Monday - "HI" by Psapp
Read my next post: WE WILL and Fresh Start

8 Lessons We Can Learn From Snoopy

Who doesn’t love Snoopy? He’s been a favorite for generations. (Thank you, Mr. Schulz!) I remember my dad reading "Peanuts" comics to me when I was four or five-years-old, and how much I loved Snoopy back then.

When my son was little he adored Snoopy. He had Snoopy t-shirts, pants, videos, framed art and toys. One Christmas I prayed and asked God to let me find a Snoopy stuffed animal to give to my baby boy. I went to Target and there it was...the ONLY stuffed Snoopy on the shelf! (God does care about the small stuff!)

I found a cute app for my iPad, "Snoopy Street Fair", that I play when I have a few minutes for mindless fun. They did a fabulous job creating this app with the original characters, music and a mischievous Snoopy!

While playing this game I've thought about some of the things we can learn from Snoopy. 

This list started with five and could probably go to twenty or more, but for today, here are eight things Snoopy can teach us.

8 Lessons We Can Learn From Snoopy:

Dancing is Important

Dancing is good exercise; it will get your heart rate up. Dancing releases endorphins that make you feel good, therefore you'll feel happy and better about yourself, and it will increase your positive outlook on life!

Dreaming Big is Important

We all have dreams, that secret thing that God has placed in our hearts that gives us reason to get up every day. Your dream may not be fulfilled right away, but dreams do come true if you follow God's plan.

Friends are Important

We all need friends to share life with. God didn't put us here to walk this planet alone. We weren't meant to walk through happy or sad times by ourselves. Surround yourself with your loved ones and make sure they know what they mean to you. Don't isolate yourself.

Fun and Imagination are Important

Go crazy! Have fun! Life is too short to be so serious! Go sledding, ride bikes in the rain, play Barbies or Superheroes with your kids, but have fun! And get creative!

Laughter is Important

Laughter is as good medicine. (Proverbs 17:22) It's true, when you laugh you feel better, happier, lighter. Make it a point to laugh every day. I have a friend who "practices laughing". He especially likes to do this in public to embarrass his kids, but what great memories they will have of laughter with their daddy! Laugh! (And, it's contagious!)

Love is Important

It's important to love the ones around us. Life is more enjoyable when when we're not holding grudges or being angry. Need an example of love? Look what Jesus did for you. He showed us unconditional love when He died on a cross for our sins. It's hard to love unconditionally sometimes, but with God's help, you can do it. Look at Snoopy hugging Charlie Brown. Nobody else likes ole Chuck, but Snoopy loves unconditionally!

Mealtime is Important

Oh, now we're talkin'! Ya gotta eat! The problem is we don't eat enough. What? Breakfast is usually coffee and a bagel, (bad) then working through lunch and sometimes a fast food supper. Eat, but make sure you're eating healthy, whole-foods that nourish your body and give you energy. Remember the dancing and fun parts? You can't do those if you're not taking care of your body with healthy food at regular times throughout the day.

Rest is Important

Doctors aren't trying to suck the fun out of your day when they tell you to get eight hours of sleep at night. Your body needs the time to restore itself and you need the break from activity. But rest also means to rest during the day. Take that 15-minute break in the morning and afternoon to put your feet up, close your eyes and breathe deep. You will feel more energized and be more productive.

What would you add to this list of things we can learn from Snoopy?

Read my previous post: Music Monday - Xavier Cugat
Read my next post: Birthday: My Daughter

I'm Going To Victory Lane

(c) 6/17/07, Kathy Fannon: MIS June Race (From Turn 3)

It's Daytona 500 weekend, the race we NASCAR fans wait for all winter long, the first race of the season (NASCAR's "Super Bowl"), so I thought I'd share these thoughts I had after attending a race a couple of years ago. 

I've been a NASCAR fan for 11 years. In June 2007 we traveled to Michigan International Speedway, our 5th time there. Wow, what an experience! Races are great on TV, but in person it’s a whole different thing!

I like to be in my seat for the pre-race driver introductions. Once they are introduced at the main stage, they load two-by-two into the back of pickups with their names decaled on the sides and are driven around the track to wave at the crowd.

It's fun hearing the boos move like a wave through the crowd for the...oh...less than favorite drivers, as they pass. The Jeff Gordon fans boo for Dale Junior and the Dale Earnhardt, Jr. fans boo for Jeff; and the people who aren't fans of either boo for them both. I'm not a fan of either of them, but I do try to refrain from booing. I like to think I'm a better spectator than that and try to be an example of good sportsmanship to my son. But I do get a kick out of listening as the crowd does it. (Although, there are times I can't help a boo or two escaping from my lips. Oops!)

I love when the drivers are given the command to start their engines and they roar to life. It's such an exciting sound when those engines rumble past at 190mph and rattle our seats! (Ear plugs are a must.)

I love the smell of the high-octane fuel and the sight of the cars as they glisten in the sunlight with their dancing paint schemes. So beautiful.

It's great to come home with bits of tire on my clothing as a reminder of the race and my day at the track. 

I love watching a race in person because I get to watch who I want to watch and not who the TV producers tell me I'm going to watch. The last time I was able to attend a race my favorite driver was still racing, but has since retired. 

OK, non-race fans, stick with me here. I have an excellent point coming!

Using binoculars comes in handy at this two-mile track, as the opposite end is one-mile away. The only time I didn't need the binoculars was when my favorite driver was right in front of us in Turn 3; I lowered them just long enough to watch his car pass in front of me, then picked him up again in Turn 4. Ohhh, what a beautiful sight! What bliss to watch my favorite driver as he made his loops around the track. It's a thing of beauty to watch those 43 cars dance on the track and jockey for position. 

As I was watching my favorite driver, rarely taking my eyes off of his car, the Lord spoke to me, and it was a bit convicting. 

Do I keep my eyes on Jesus the way I kept my eyes on my favorite driver? Do I follow Jesus at every turn and every straightaway? Do I put binoculars to my eyes when He seems so small? And when He seems small, He really isn't...He's just the same size, like the race car at the far end of the track. He only seems small because I'm the one who moved. (Maybe to the opposite end of the track?)

Do I listen to Him as closely as the drivers listen to their crew chiefs as the crew chiefs tell them what to do or what adjustments need to be made, or whether or not there is danger at the side as they drive 3-wide into the corner, at 190mph?


Do I "go home" with bits of Jesus on me to remind me of His love? Do I have His "high-octane" fragrance on me wherever I go?

There may be 43 other things going on in my life that may be as enjoyable to watch as the 43 cars on the track. Or maybe some of those 43 other things may not be so enjoyable, like when Tony Stewart spun in front of us and had to go to the garage for repairs, re-entering the race 70 laps down.

But through the exciting "lead changes" and the "bad crashes" of my life, am I keeping my eyes as trained on Jesus, the One Thing that matters, as I was on that beautiful, blue car on a Sunday at the track? I'm afraid to say that I haven't been. 

So I've committed to keep my eyes focused on Jesus. If I keep my eyes on Him and listen to Him, He will always take me to Victory Lane, even if my race gets rained out. (Because even a rained out race has a winner!)


Any NASCAR fans in the house? Who will you be cheering for on Sunday? Remember to keep your focus on Jesus!


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Jesus Said It, Why Do We Doubt It

This is one of the all-time popular posts (#3) at my blog, Be Real, so I thought I would share it here with the Nostalgic Tour audience.

(c) 9/21/11, My sweet friend, Kathy in Louisiana

Mark 4:35-41 is probably my favorite passage in the entire Bible. It’s the story where Jesus and the disciples get in a boat to go to the other side of the lake. 

Oh, yeah…that’s interesting.

Oh, stop rolling your eyes!

Look at verse 35, Jesus says, “Let us go over to the other side”. (NASB) 

(Yes, I went all red-letter edition for this post!)

He pretty much said to His posse, “Yo, dudes…I’m goin’ over to the other side of the lake.” Ok, he probably didn’t actually call them “dudes”, but the point was HE WAS GOING.

But then the storm came up, the winds blew the boat around (I have the Gilligan’s Island theme song in my head here) and the waves came up over the boat, so much that the boat was starting to fill with water.

“Oh, no!” cried the disciples, “Somebody go wake up Jesus!”

All this wind and waves going on and Jesus was still sleeping! He said He was going to the other side, and He didn’t doubt Himself…so there He was, sawing logs…zzzzzzzzzzzzzz!

Here they come! Look out! 

Whiner #1 says, “Jesus! Wake up! We’re sinking!”

Whiner #2 says, “Yeah! Don’t you care about us? We’re going to die and You’re down here taking a nap!”

Jesus got up and said to the wind and waves…oh, and notice that He didn’t YELL at them, at least it doesn’t say so in my Bible, He just said, “Hush, be still”. 

And it all stopped. 

Can you picture it? The noise of the wind and the waves roaring in your ears and then all of a sudden it all stops. I’m sure the silence was deafening.

Jesus turns to them and says, “Helllooooo….!”  OK, He didn’t actually say that either, but can’t you hear it in His words? 

“Why are you so timid? How is it that you have no faith?” 

After all the time they spent with Jesus, it still surprised them that He could do such miracles. Yeah, look at verse 41 “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?”  

From our vantage point we want to say, “Duh!”, but they didn’t have the advantage of 2000 years of history with this incredible man!

Why is this my favorite story? Because Jesus said “I’m going to the other side”. That’s it. 

If He said it, then why would the disciples doubt it? He is Jesus, the Son of the Living God, and He IS God, and God never lies, so if He said He was going to the other side then I would have no reason to doubt that He’d get there.

So…when Jesus speaks something into your life, you’d better know that He will see it to fulfillment.  Don’t look at the wind and the waves around your boat. Don’t wake Him in a panic crying, “Oh, God! I’m going to DIIIEEE!”  No you’re not…He SAID it, we need to BELIEVE it! 

Don’t be a whiner.

Many years ago Martha Tennison spoke at our church on a Sunday morning and she said this, which I wrote in my Bible next to this story…

“Don’t read into God’s silence His absence. God may speak to us about a promise and never speak on it again, but in His silence He has not left us or forgotten.”

God IS taking you to the other side. The ride may be bumpy, but you’ll get there!

Seat cushion anyone?

What storm is in your life that Jesus needs to speak peace to? What word did He give you that you need to stand firm on in your faith?

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