What's it there for?

James Granger did it again.  His wisdom and words have come up again in my studies of scripture. Whenever you see therefore, you have to ask yourself, WHAT IS IT THERE FOR?   


Welp, here we go Hebrews 12:1-3.


"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart."  [Hebrews 12:1-3]


I read that passage and I laughed.  I am surrounded by clouds of witnesses, and these witnesses come in packages - packages of FAMILES!  And let me tell you,  God continues to put families in my life. Christ centered, Jesus loving, gospel fighting families who are battling together with their loved ones to further the kingdom of heaven. Each family has their own passion, their own gifts, and their own biblical perspective - but at the root of everything is a man who died on the cross.  Their motivation is His grace, their heart is rooted in His word, and their compassion stems from the hope of spreading the love of God.



Thank you for sharing you life, compassion, listening ears, wisdom and love with me :) It is my hope to have a family, in whatever form it may take on - resembling the fruit and passion of Christ that you have all shown me.


Love to you all and to your beautiful children of God!

Oh the places you'll Go!

Hey there good lookin' friends. 

There is nothing life living life in it's rarest most raw beauty.  That is what I did on the phone with my beautiful friend the other day. Sitting in tears over the fogginess of a great future that lies in front of us, hurting for the unknowns, and gleefully praising the God who is with us through it all.  

I remembered Dr. Seuss' book, "Oh the Places You'll Go!"  and quickly passed the encouragement along.  Sometimes faithful thinking from a child's perspective, draws us closest to the one who created us for incredible things.

Congratulations!

Today is your day.
You're off to Great Places!
You're off and away!

You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes
You can steer yourself
any direction you choose.
You're on your own.  And you know what you know.
And YOU are the guy who'll decide where to go.
You'll look up and down streets.  Look 'em over with care.
About some you will say, "I don't choose to go there."
With your head full of brains and your shoes full of feet,
you're too smart to go down any not-so-good street.

And you may not find any
you'll want to go down.
In that case, of course,
you'll head straight out of town.

It's opener there
in the wide open air.

Out there things can happen
and frequently do
to people as brainy
and footsy as you.

And when things start to happen,
don't worry.  Don't stew.
Just go right along.
You'll start happening too.

OH!
THE PLACES YOU'LL GO!
You'll be on your way up!
You'll be seeing great sights!
You'll join the high fliers
who soar to high heights.

You won't lag behind, because you'll have the speed.
You'll pass the whole gang and you'll soon take the lead.
Wherever you fly, you'll be the best of the best.
Wherever you go, you will top all the rest.

Except when you don't
Because, sometimes, you won't.

I'm sorry to say so
but, sadly, it's true
and Hang-ups
can happen to you.

You can get all hung up
in a prickle-ly perch.
And your gang will fly on.
You'll be left in a Lurch.

You'll come down from the Lurch
with an unpleasant bump.
And the chances are, then,
that you'll be in a Slump.

And when you're in a Slump,
you're not in for much fun.
Un-slumping yourself
is not easily done.

You will come to a place where the streets are not marked.
Some windows are lighted.  But mostly they're darked.
A place you could sprain both your elbow and chin!
Do you dare to stay out?  Do you dare to go in?
How much can you lose? How much can you win?

And IF you go in, should you turn left or right...
or right-and-three-quarters? Or, maybe, not quite?
Or go around back and sneak in from behind?
Simple it's not, I'm afraid you will find,
for a mind-maker-upper to make up his mind.

You can get so confused
that you'll start in to race
down long wiggled roads at a break-necking pace
and grind on for miles across weirdish wild space,
headed, I fear, toward a most useless place.
The Waiting Place...

...for people just waiting.
Waiting for a train to go
or a bus to come, or a plane to go
or the mail to come, or the rain to go
or the phone to ring, or the snow to snow
or waiting around for a Yes or a No
or waiting for their hair to grow.
Everyone is just waiting.

Waiting for the fish to bite
or waiting for wind to fly a kite
or waiting around for Friday night
or waiting, perhaps, for their Uncle Jake
or a pot to boil, or a Better Break
or a string of pearls, or a pair of pants
or a wig with curls, or Another Chance.
Everyone is just waiting.

NO!
That's not for you!

Somehow you'll escape
all that waiting and staying.
You'll find the bright places
where Boom Bands are playing.

With banner flip-flapping,
once more you'll ride high!
Ready for anything under the sky.
Ready because you're that kind of a guy!

Oh, the places you'll go! There is fun to be done!
There are points to be scored.  there are games to be won.
And the magical things you can do with that ball
will make you the winning-est winner of all.
Fame!  You'll be famous as famous can be,
with the whole wide world watching you win on TV.

Except when they don't.
Because, sometimes, they won't.

I'm afraid that some times
you'll play lonely games too.
Games you can't win
'cause you'll play against you.

All Alone!
Whether you like it or not,
Alone will be something
you'll be quite a lot.

And when you're alone, there's a very good chance
you'll meet things that scare you right out of your pants.
There are some, down the road between hither and yon,
that can scare you so much you won't want to go on.

But on you will go
though the weather be foul
On you will go
though your enemies prowl
On you will go
though the Hakken-Kraks howl
Onward up many
a frightening creek,
though your arms may get sore
and your sneakers may leak.

On and on you will hike
and I know you'll hike far
and face up to your problems
whatever they are.

You'll get mixed up, of course,
as you already know.
You'll get mixed up
with many strange birds as you go.
So be sure when you step.
Step with care and great tact
and remember that Life's
a Great Balancing Act.
Just never forget to be dexterous and deft.
And never mix up your right foot with your left.

And will you succeed?
Yes! You will, indeed!
(98 and 3/4 percent guaranteed.)

KID, YOU'LL MOVE MOUNTAINS!

So...
be your name Buxbaum or Bixby or Bray
or Mordecai Ali Van Allen O'Shea,
you're off to Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting.
So...get on your way!
 
[Dr. Seuss] 

not ready for the Masters.

Consider this my Tiger Woods photo and conference asking for forgiveness.  However, I am nowhere near Master's material when it comes to this. Sorry Augusta. 

Notice the books in the background?  I am someplace studious, obviously doing things that are not productive.

I'm currently enjoying another afternoon "getting things done."  (The placement of quotations is correct, and Ross would be proud).

"Getting things done" has quickly turned into a game, how little can I get done before I give myself a break...and still be content when I leave for the day.  Well, this photo is evidence of one of my distractions - photobooth. Another is research on topics completely irrelevant to what I am trying to accomplish.

This weekend I was on a quest to deepen my understanding of forgiveness and grace - which lead to a long study on the 7 Deadly Sins.  I also searched the web for a vibrating wrist watch - because I can't hear mine when it beeps, a great inconvenience as a P.E. intern and runner. That search was inspired by the search on the previous weekend - where I believe I spent almost two hours researching the United States Patent website, in attempt to discover how every household item is designed and what year it was made.  Like I said, I was "getting things done."

Back to my study on Forgiveness.  It's a (not enjoyed) struggle of mine.  Not on the giving end but on the receiving end.  I hear Paul say, Grace & Peace. But that Grace just seems so far away.

Hear Matthew West out for a bit.


Look at the clock on your computer.  Take 5 minutes and pray over these lyrics.  Yes, you do have time for this.

And there's only grace
There's only love
There's only mercy and believe me…it's enough
Your sins are gone
Without a trace
And there's nothing left now
There's only grace…

The journey I have began as a result of the time taken to "get things done."  If the idea of forgiveness, or grace, of that word being enough to repair the hurt, the lies, the pain, the denial - doesn't stir something in your heart, then try this. Pray for God to strip your heart clean. Intimidated?  I was.

Almost a year ago I prayed for a changed heart,  Built On Rock and Failed Pieces  and Sin are all blogposts that direct you into my thoughts.

To be fair to the blogging world, I will not be spilling my heart on this topic simply because I think it violates all codes of vulnerability and decreases my sensitivity to the people I need to forgive and the forgiveness I need to give myself. If you'd like to teach me anything you've learned about grace, about forgiveness, I'd love to dive into a heart to heart. You name it.

If there is anything I've learned in the past 11 months it is, and believe me...
Forgiveness is not an option.
It is a necessity.

If would like insight on this topic, I recommend...
"The Forgiving Self" by Robert Karen (not Scripture based)
"Unpacking Forgiveness" which I have yet to read but it sounds good
I've found the most help from "Forgiveness - Following Jesus into Radical Loving"
 The entirety of David's Psalm 51.

Grace and Peace to all.

Dude, I can hear the bells....


My sister is getting married where this show was filmed:

"Hey Dude" was filmed at the  Tanque Verde Ranch.

Just wanted to share, since the majority of you who read my blog are female and would appreciate the details of wedding planning :)

in my own little corner....

blog posts i hope to make in the future.
- counter conversations with K&M
- that is God-willing, right?
- sweet sacrifice
- [whistle blows] stop - look- listen
- never been _____________.
- motivated to be unmotivated
- W.W.H.B.D?  (What would Hazel Burley do?)


any preference friends?
Jay, Luke, and Sam are thinking too :)

road trip repeated.

the amount of peace you feel in your heart
is equivalent to the amount of trust you are putting in God's plan.


What love is this? What love is this,
That will never change? That could never change?
What love is this? What love is this,
That remains the same? It remains the same
Amen.

[Justin McRoberts]


I'm waiting on faith and compromise
I'm staying plastered to the floor tonight
Just hoping it'll be alright
'Cause I'm trading all my hopes and fears
Praying that all my expectations die
As I'm waiting up on faith and compromise

[Matt Wertz]


You make me beautiful
You make me stand in awe
You step inside my heart, and I am amazed
I love to hear You say
Who I am is quite enough
You make me worthy of love and beautiful

[Bethany Dillion]