Are you a person who sees the glass half-full or half-empty? I think we a call be a bit of both, depending on the circumstances. However, on the whole I think I'm more a glass half-full person. There have been many times in my life where the negative circumstances have been overwhelming, but I have been able to find something in that to make me laugh or smile and find joy. This brings me to the question for this week:
What are you optimistic about?
I am optimistic about my life (most of the time) because I know that God knows exactly what He is doing and I don't have to worry about what will happen because He has everything under control.
It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old...or for somewhere in between! Enjoy your free peek into the book!
You never know when I might play a wild card on you!
***Special thanks to Audra Jennings, Senior Media Specialist, The B&B Media Group for sending me a review copy.***
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Radio personality, recording artist, speaker and author Lisa Troyer finds herself heart-deep in ministries that are changing lives forever. Her incredibly successful Circle of Friends women’s ministry, formed over a decade ago, is growing in all directions. With partners Dawn Yoder and Jocelyn Hamsher, Lisa and her Circle of Friends offer women’s conferences, counseling services, worship music, life skills classes and marriage/family resources. No matter the outlet or the venue, Lisa uses her gift of encouragement, her influence and her resources to open doors for women everywhere to discover their significance and belonging through Christ.
Active on the business side of the music industry for many years, Lisa worked as a copyright administrator for what is now Provident/Integrity Music, as well as a consultant for well-known European Christian recording artists. In Nashville, she also sang demos for songwriters, but never dreamed of recording music herself.
After several years in Nashville, much to everyone’s surprise, including her own, Lisa made the decision to return home to join the family business and explore what kind of ministry God had planned for her. As Lisa began to develop a deeper, more intimate relationship with God and, subsequently, became more involved with the steady stream of hurting women God placed in her path, she knew that she had found her calling.
Lisa’s passion for God, authentic love for people and undeniable giftings have landed her dead center in the middle of a burgeoning ministry beyond her wildest expectations. She lives in Berlin, Ohio, with husband and best friend Bob, and their two precious children, Jillian and Christian.
Every woman needs a place to belong—and that’s the underlying theme of the new book from Lisa Troyer, president of Circle of Friends Ministries, singer/songwriter and radio host. In A Place to Belong: Out of Our Comfort Zone and into God’s Adventure (Barbour Publishing), Troyer shares her own journey to acceptance as well as the story of a group of dynamic “women helping women” who call themselves the Circle of Friends. Troyer encourages readers to form their own circle of friends, a safe place of truth and love where women can develop lasting relationships and discover together the purposes of God for their lives.
Though refreshingly warm and simple, A Place to Belong is far from shallow. Troyer’s passion to lead others into the bottomless love of God compels her to plunge deeply into the heart of the issues all women face, but most keep to themselves. With tendencies toward depression, anxiety attacks and an eating disorder, she knows firsthand the bondage of secrecy and shame. “Living with a secret,” Troyer admits, “doesn’t make it go away. It doesn’t change your heart. As well hidden as your secret it, that is how deeply lonely you will be. I’ve been there. I know it’s true.”
In A Place to Belong, she explores five principles that address the heart-needs of women today:
* Acceptance, embarking on adventure in relationship
* Authenticity, exchanging the familiar for the extraordinary
* Affirmation, enriching the lives of those around you
* Accountability, receiving the comfort of companionship
* Action, stepping into the journey and walking into the purpose
By learning to apply these concepts, women will not only experience freedom themselves but will also develop a biblical, transformational ministry to lead others within their own sphere of influence to freedom as well.
Product Details:
List Price: $14.99
Paperback: 256 pages
Publisher: Barbour Books (September 1, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1616265051
ISBN-13: 978-1616265052
AND NOW...THE FIRST CHAPTER:
I Had a Secret
This is my story. Acceptance means you can tell yours.
Day after day for four years in high school, I felt his eyes on me. His aftershave lingered in the aisle as he walked past rows of students, and I remember what his presence felt like when he stood close to me.
I kept his secret all that time and for many years afterward. Protecting him was not my agenda. I thought I was protecting myself.
I was not going to be one of those girls.
I was not going to get that kind of reputation.
He was a married man, and I was not going to give in to what he asked of me.
School is supposed to be safe, for crying out loud. He had no business doing the things he did, and I knew that at the time. But I was fourteen, a freshman in high school, and I didn’t want to walk the halls in my smalltown high school and have everybody see the cloud of inappropriateness that hovered over me. Who would whisper behind my back? Who would
pull away from me if they knew?
So I kept quiet.
He asked me out, and I kept quiet. He made physical passes at me, and I kept quiet. He offered to purchase alcohol for a friend, and I, sadly, accepted the offer. I remember the warm spring day in early May of my sophomore year when he asked if I needed anything for the weekend and suggested he join me for a drink. And I kept quiet. He looked at me in that way, and I kept quiet. I felt ashamed and confused, and knew this was wrong, but I kept quiet. I sat in his classes every year and earned awards. He was part of my day, part of my routine existence, and no one but my best friend ever suspected the things he suggested to me in private moments. She did not know everything, but she knew something was going on. But she kept quiet, too.
I wasn’t the first girl with whom this teacher behaved in inappropriate ways, and I wouldn’t be the last. I knew just enough about his previous victims to know their reputations were trashed. He was the predator, but they paid the price, and I was not going to let that happen to me.
So I said nothing.
But I had chronic stomachaches, repeated severe colds, wanted to sleep all the time, and hated going to school. School was never my favorite activity to begin with. I preferred to read what I was interested in and found little wonder in things that didn’t apply to my focus du jour. The heightened emotional pressure in high school made attendance even less motivating. My junior and senior years were especially difficult. My interest in music was increasing, but so were my level of frustration and signs of clinical depression, though I didn’t know the phrase at the time. I wonder now how I didn’t flunk out of school. Two elements of relief were my choral and humanities classes. I enjoyed singing and reading Wuthering Heights and other classic literature. I was thankful for the positive influence and encouragement of Penny McKey and Connie Evans, true educators in every sense of the word. Despite my emotional challenges, I managed to make the honor roll and progress toward graduation.
When I was a senior in high school, my stomach trouble took the form of a duodenal ulcer. Because the symptoms persisted after the ulcer healed, the gastroenterologist suggested my parents explore a psychological reason for my illness. I started seeing a psychologist, who officially diagnosed my clinical depression. His practice was not faith-based, but he had studied for the priesthood before getting married, and he encouraged my own faith. It was a safe place for me to say I was not okay without saying why I was not okay.
I still kept the secret.
After a while, my father had his doubts that the psychologist was doing any good, but I had recently turned eighteen. By the grace of God, the psychologist reminded me I no longer needed my parents’ permission to see him, and he offered to treat me for free for a few months. We spent a lot of time talking about my poor dating choices and areas of my life where I felt I had little control. Looking back now, I realize the therapist probably suspected more than he ever expressed. He was waiting for me to be ready to talk.
But still I said nothing.
My free visits with the psychologist got me through the months until graduation, and then I was free from that environment. I never had to see that teacher again. I was off to the Art Institute of Atlanta, far away from my small Midwestern town, to prepare for a career on the business side of
the music industry.
You can’t just walk away.
Just because I did not reveal what happened during high school did not mean the experience had no effect on me. It was years before I told anyone the whole sordid truth and faced the huge impact it had. The depression that began during those years has been a specter for all of my adult life.
On the outside, things looked good. My dad wanted me to take his financial investment in my education seriously, so he said, “No bad grades and no partying, or the money stops.” I didn’t intend to give him a reason to cut me off. I now enjoyed school. I was free from my tormentor. I could be anybody I wanted to be. People who struggle with depression and don’t take prescribed medications tend to medicate themselves with something else, and that’s what I did. I plunged into a whole new social life where no one had even heard of my school or the predator who gave me an ulcer. I amassed a new cadre of friends and relished the freedom of living in an apartment by myself. I even dated a young man who presumed we would marry someday—although I knew I would never marry him. Social activities stimulated me and became the core around which my life revolved. I looked forward—never back. I was grown up now, I thought. The past was behind me. I was never going to live in my hometown again, so I had no reason to dwell on the things that happened there. After graduation from the exhaustive one-year program and an internship with the retail division of Zondervan, a publisher with a music arm, I was ready to take on the world.
In those days, a career in the music business meant New York, Los Angeles, or Nashville. My parents objected to Los Angeles, and I had no desire to move to New York. That left Nashville. So off I went with a classmate. We planned to share expenses. Neither of us had a job, nor any
prospects, but the hope of youth springs eternal. However, my friend soon found that Nashville was not the place for her and resumed her vocation of ministry and education. So I was on my own.
And I still carried my secret.
In Nashville, at the ripe old age of twenty, I found a niche on Music Row, a historic area that is home to hundreds of enterprises involved in country, gospel, and Christian music. Record labels, publishing houses, recording studios, video production companies—they’re all there. I found a job singing demos for a studio in a music publishing company, but ultimately I wanted to work for a Christian company.
I kept inquiring at Benson Records, a major Christian music publishing company that belonged to Zondervan at the time. I grew up in a family business, and I knew the easiest department to get into was sales, where the turnover is always high. So I just kept asking. Eventually I got a job.
The woman who hired me said it was not because I had any experience that impressed her. Rather, my tenacity captured her attention. So I jumped into
the sales department ready to give it everything I had. Six weeks later, a job in the copyright administration department opened, and she recommended me for that promotion since I’d had some experience on Music Row with similar tasks.
My stubbornness paid off, and I had what I wanted. I was independent. I was out of the Midwest countryside. I was on my way to a career on the business side of the music industry. I worked for a Christian company.
I stayed in Nashville long enough to know I didn’t want to work for someone else the rest of my life. The family dairy business that was the backdrop of my childhood had imprinted me with a different mind-set. I had proven I could bulldog my way into the music scene in Nashville, but for what? My parents ran their own business and employed dozens of other people. In addition to his solid business, my dad was always pursuing interests he loved. He even bought a plane. I understand my father. He is never one to shy away from a challenge or an adventure. I wanted to find that elusive intersection between work that paid the bills and being involved with activities that brought meaning to my life. When Dad invited me to return home and join the family business, I took him up on it. I could have the security of the business behind me while also exploring what kind of ministry God had planned for me.
When I chose to move back to my hometown, people thought I had lost my marbles. Didn’t I realize how hard it was to get a job at one of the country’s largest Christian music companies? If I walked away now, I might never get another chance.
My broken past was behind me. At least, I convinced myself this was true. I was twenty-four years old—a lifetime away from that high school girl with a secret—and embarking on independent music industry consulting. I worked for Cliff Richard, one of England’s most popular recording artists, from a base in the rural Midwest. I also jumped right into making cold calls to find new distribution outlets for specialty items of the family business and turned out to be pretty good at the job.
But I still had a secret.
Secrets make you lonely.
Secrets can destroy from the inside. When I kept my secret, I thought I was protecting myself, but instead I isolated myself from people who cared about me. I put up a wall to try to keep myself safe, but instead I kept out people who would have wanted to help. I regret all the years I didn’t tell my mother what happened. As a teenager, I wanted to avoid the attention that surely would come from exposing the predator—my mother would have
made sure he lost his job. He continued to prey on high school girls and eventually was found out. I just didn’t want to be the one who made that happen, and I was clueless about how deeply the events would affect me as I launched into adulthood. As hard as I tried to pretend that what happened didn’t matter after I left high school, the episodes haunted me for years.
All these years later, I still feel naked telling this story, even without including the details. But I hope we are going to travel together on the road to a transforming life in God, so you need to know that this happened to me. In the pages ahead, you’ll read about a lot of heartache. Some of it is mine, some of it reflects the lives of women I know, and some of it rises from the pages of the Bible. And yes, there are some sordid details God thinks we need to know!
Keeping a secret doesn’t make it go away.
Putting on your mask doesn’t change what’s in your heart.
As well hidden as your secret is, that’s how deeply lonely you will be. I’ve been there. I know it’s true.
So I tell you my secret and invite you into my journey with God to encourage you to step into your own journey with God. I’m not suggesting you publish your innermost wrestling in the daily newspaper or on a blog or a billboard. But I do hope you will begin to see the bountiful blessing that can come to your life if you unclench your fists and let go of whatever you have been hiding from yourself. From others. From God.
Circle of Friends is a ministry of women who both seek and offer a place to belong, a place of acceptance, a place of truth and love.
This is my story. Acceptance means you can tell yours.
My Thoughts:
This book wasn't exactly what I thought it would be, but I have to say it has been even better than my expectations. This book is about how God can use you even if your past hasn't been great. He can use the healed wounds of your life to help others.
In every chapter of this book I have found things that make me think, give me an "Ah ha" moment, or answer questions that I have been searching for answers for - like how Proverbs 31 can apply to me as a single woman.
I'm only half way through, but I can't wait to read the rest of this amazing book. I highly recommend it to every woman who is trying to be all that God wants her to be, while moving on from a past that has left her scarred.
Plus you can get a free music download of a really great song.
For all of you who are eagerly awaiting my next installment of "My Favourite Things", I am very sorry, but I just can't get it together at the moment. Between study, grief and life in general, my time is almost completely taken up. I have a really great one that I would love to share with you, but in my life some things had to go, and regular blogging was just one of those.
Hopefully I will be back at this before the year is out. I am only studying until July, so maybe ...
I once had someone tell me that you get no spiritual teaching from fiction, even Christian fiction. Well, that is completely untrue. I can't count the number of times when I've been reading a work of Christian fiction and something that was writted popped out at me because of a place where I was at in my life.
Today, while reading a book by Kathleen Y'Barbo, was one of those times. The quote below comes from 'Bayou Beginnings', the first book in her Louisiana Brides collection.
"I'm confused, I suppose, and that does trouble me." "How so, if you don't mind my asking, that is?" "Oh, I don't mind. I just don't know if I can explain it." She leaned back and listened to the chains clank against one another. "It is all so complicated. I don't know where to begin." "I suppose this sounds like a cliche, but I always recommend a body begin at the beginning." He patted her shoulder. "Or you don't have to tell me anything. We could merely pray if that iwll help." She thought a moment before shaking her head. "Actually, I think it would do me good to talk to someone who could keep my confidence." He smiled. "Well then, you have the right man for the job. Keeping confidences is what I do best." Cleo let out another long breath and plunged into her story. "Going to college is exciting. It's amazing to think that an orphan girl from Latagnier could end up going off to college and being a teacher." She turned her gaze to the pastor. "It's what I've always wanted." "Well then, why the confusion? Are you afraid, or is something else bothering you?" "Afraid? No, I don't think so. I think I'm more worried that I've been dreaming the wrong dreams." "What an interesting way of putting things." He seemed to consider her statement. "I take it you thought you wanted to be a teacher, but now yoiu think you're being called to some other occupation. Is that corrrect?" Was it? No, not exactly, but how to explain to the reverend without embarrassing herself? "Occupation isn't quite the word I was thinking of, Reverend Broussard. I guess I'm trying to say I'm not sure if I am being called to an occupation at all." He looked perplexed. "Then what are you being called to do, child? What is there to do if not work?" Pausing, a smile grew. "Ah, I think I see the dilemma." "You do?" The reverend nodded. "Indeed. You thought you were to teach children. Now - and perhaps I'm setting off in a direction you didn't mean to send me - you feel as though the Lord intends you to raise children instead?" Stunned, she diverted her gaze. She hadn't thought of things quite that way. A houseful of children to raise - and to teach.
Ok, so I guess you're wondering how this applies to me. Well, I haven't had a job for several months, but even before that, I was feeling that the occupation I had trained for and was working in was not where I wanted to continue. My greatest joy came from the time I spent with children in the kids club that I am involved in as a leader every week during the school term.
But not just that, my dream has always been to marry and have children of my own. Everything I think about, I still come back to thinking that they would just fill a gap before it was my time to marry and start a family.
People ask me what I want to do now - now that I'm not working - but I'm not sure if they want the real answer, or they just ask to be polite, but really don't care whether I'm doing something I love, or just earning money to pay the bills.
In the very next chapter of this book, they mention the hymn 'What A Friend We Have In Jesus'. The main point of the hymn is to take things to God through prayer. So often I fall short, or forget completely to do that. So this book was a great reminder.
A wise friend of mine said to me today, that if we are in the place where we are constantly in the presence of God, then we are in the very centre of His Will, regardless of the activity we are engaged in (unless we are actively sinning).
Even after all that, it still leaves questions in my mind, "What now, Lord?", "When will I find the man that you have chosen for me?"
The difference between me an Cleo (the girl in this book) is that she had found someone that she loved, I am still waiting, and waiting, and waiting ...
I have a feeling I may have blogged this story before, but I think it it worth it.
PLEASE READ THIS E-MAIL. ANYONE WHO HAS CHILDREN WILL UNDERSTAND AND APPRECIATE THIS STORY.
NEVER LOOSE FAITH IN THE POWER OF CHILDREN Would you make the same choice????????? At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves children with learning disabilities, the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated staff, he offered a question:'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does, is done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the natural order of things in my son?'The audience was stilled by the query.The father continued.'I believe that when a child like Shay, who was mentally and physically disabled comes into the world, an opportunity to realize true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people treat that child.'Then he told the following story:Shay and I had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?'I knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their team, but as a father I also understood that if my son were allowed to play, it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.I approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth inning.'Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a team shirt. I watched with a small tear in my eye and warmth in my heart. The boys saw my joy at my son being accepted.In the bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still behind by three.In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from ear to ear as I waved to him from the stands.In the bottom of the ninth inning, Shay's team scored again.Now, with two outs and the bases loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be next at bat.At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the game?Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat. Everyone knew that a hit was all but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly, much less connect with the ball.However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make contact.The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed.The pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball right back to the pitcher.The game would now be over.
The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman.Shay would have been out and that would have been the end of the game.Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out of reach of all teammates.Everyone from the stands and both teams started yelling, 'Shay, run to first!Run to first!'Never in his life had Shay ever run that far, but he made it to first base.He scampered down the baseline, wide-eyed and startled.Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!'Catching his breath, Shay awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the base.By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had the ball. The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to be the hero for his team.He could have thrown the ball to the second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intentions so he, too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's head.Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him circled the bases toward home.All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!Shay, run to third!'As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!'Shay ran to home, stepped on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the game for his team.
'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face, 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity into this world'.Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never forgotten being the hero and making me so happy, and coming home and seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day! AND NOW A LITTLE FOOT NOTE TO THIS STORY:We all send thousands of jokes through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending messages about life choices, people hesitate.The crude, vulgar and often obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.If you’re thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who sent you this believes that we all can make a difference.We all have thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural order of things.'So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people present us with a choice:Do we pass along a little spark of love and humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little bit colder in the process?A wise man once said 'every society is judged by how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them'.You now have two choices:
... has been begging to be let out over the past few months, however I have some major road blocks in the way.
I live in a rented house and we are not even allowed to put any extra picture hooks up without permission
I live with my parents and share a bedroom with my sister (no living space just for me)
I am trying to finish my CPA and have to study for my final exam.
I have been interested in interior decoration and design since I was a teen and planned the layout for a couple of rooms in the house my parents used to own, using scale drawings of the room and furniture.
I planned to follow that career path until I discovered that most designers were rather 'strange' in an arty way and I quit studying art at school. Even then I kept looking at books and magazines until I was just too busy with work and study.
While at uni I worked as a bookkeeper/office manager/receptionist/personal assistant (Girl Friday) for an interior designer and loved it when she asked for my input (small as it was) on some of the jobs that she was doing.
But now that I'm nearly through my CPA studies the designer in me is pushing forward and begging to be noticed.
The extent of my designer out-pouring has been working on some solutions for my constantly increasing library of books, DVDs and CDs; and trying to find storage solutions for the stuff that I have been accumulating in relation to craft and general life.
It's probably also why I have been inspired by sites such as Ikea Hacker (I'm so glad I found them through Blogs of Note or I may never have found them). Not that I've done any Ikea Hacks myself, but the inspiration is there.
And then I recently spent a Saturday actually at Ikea in Melbourne and I also went to the Melbourne At Home expo. My poor sisterchick was dragged to both of these (Ikea was no problem, but I did practically drag her around the expo when I could get her away from the Nintendo stand).
And so the creative juices have started flowing once again, and the local library (not my personal one) has been getting a lot of business as I start to read about things once more and get some ideas.
Oh, and just for the record, I think there is too much in the brown range of colours being used in current trends. Come on, it's the colour of dirt, tree trunks and ... . Whatever happened to green, yellow, red, blue, etc.
In case you are wondering, as far as my books go, I now have a small DIY bookshelf ($25 at the Reject Shop) sitting on one corner of my desk at home because that's the only place it would fit. My other bookshelf is not overflowing as much as it was, and the new one is filling up fast.
Friday, 12 September 2008
"Life is like a combination lock; your job is tofind the right numbers, in the right order, so you can have anything you want."- Brian Tracy
I'm not sure I quite agree with the last portion of this quote, but I do agree that life does seeem like a combination lock at times.
Where do you think this road leads? What is around the bend?
Don't you just want to follow it and find out?
I know I do.
It reminds me of a line from Anne of Green Gables the sequel, where Anne says to Catherine Brooke, "There's always a bend in the road."
Catherine didn't think so, and said "There's no bend in my road. I can see it streching straight out to the skyline."
It may seem like there's no bend, but I think that's just because we aren't taking the time to dream.
Start dreaming a little, you'll find there's a bend.
It can seem to take a long time to reach the bend. I know I haven't got to one of mine yet, and right now it seems so far away that maybe there isn't one.
But that's when I have to remember that God has plans for me. He has a bend in my road somewhere. If He didn't I'd be able to see all that He has planned for my future.
I can't, so I know there is at least one bend, probably a lot more.
Keep moving toward your bend.
Soon you'll be going around it!
What will you find futher down the road, around the bend?
As I watched it and was thinking about it afterward I was struck by an interesting thought.
Just like Aslan didn't come every time Lucy and the others thought they needed him, God doesn't come every time we think we need him. God comes in His timing, not ours.
That's not to say that He isn't always with us - He is!
In Deuteronomy 31:8 it says, "And the LORD, He is the One who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed."
Author and lecturer Leo Buscaglia once talked about a contest he was asked to judge. The purpose of the contest was to find the most caring child. The winner was a four year old child whose next door neighbor was an elderly gentleman who had recently lost his wife. Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman's yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there. When his Mother asked what he had said to the neighbour, the little boy said, 'Nothing, I just helped him cry'
I was at the corner grocery store buying some early potatoes. I noticed a small boy, delicate of bone and feature, ragged but clean, hungrily apprizing a basket of freshly picked green peas. I paid for my potatoes, but was also drawn to the display of fresh green peas. I am a pushover for creamed peas and new potatoes.
Pondering the peas, I couldn't help overhearing the conversation between Mr. Miller (the store owner) and the ragged boy next to me. 'Hello Barry, how are you today?' 'H'lo, Mr. Miller. Fine, thank ya. Jus' admirin' them peas. They sure look good.' 'They are good, Barry. How's your Ma?' 'Fine. Gittin' stronger alla' time.' 'Good. Anything I can help you with?' 'No, Sir. Jus' admirin' them peas.' 'Would you like take some home?' asked Mr. Miller. 'No, Sir. Got nuthin' to pay for 'em with.' 'Well, what have you to trade me for some of those peas?' 'All I got's my prize marble here.' 'Is that right? Let me see it' said Miller. 'Here 'tis. She's a dandy.' 'I can see that. Hmmmmm, only thing is this one is blue and I sort of go for red. Do you have a red one like this at home?' the store owner asked.
'Not zackley but almost.' 'Tell you what. Take this sack of peas home with you and next trip this way let me look at that red marble', Mr. Miller told the boy. 'Sure will. Thanks Mr. Miller.' Mrs. Miller, who had been standing nearby, came over to help me. With a smile said, 'There are two other boys like him in our community, all three are in very poor circumstances. Jim just loves to bargain with them for peas, apples, tomatoes, or whatever. When they come back with their red marbles, and they always do, he decides he doesn't like red after all and he sends them home with a bag of produce for a green marble or an orange one, when they come on their next trip to the store.'
I left the store smiling to myself, impressed with this man.
A short time later I moved to Colorado , but I never forgot the story of this man, the boys, and their bartering for marbles.
Several years went by, each more rapid than the previous one.
Just recently I had occasion to visit some old friends in that Idaho community and while I was there learned that Mr. Miller had died. They were having his visitation that evening and knowing my friends wanted to go, I agreed to accompany them. Upon arrival at the mortuary we fell into line to meet the relatives of the deceased and to offer whatever words of comfort we could. Ahead of us in line were three young men. One was in an army uniform and the other two wore nice haircuts, dark suits and white shirts...all very professional looking. They approached Mrs. Miller, standing composed and smiling by her husband's casket. Each of the young men hugged her, kissed her on the cheek, spoke briefly with her and moved on to the casket. Her misty light blue eyes followed them as, one by one, each young man stopped briefly and placed his own warm hand over the cold pale hand in the casket. Each left the mortuary awkwardly, wiping his eyes. Our turn came to meet Mrs. Miller. I told her who I was and reminded her of the story from those many years ago and what she had told me about her husband's bartering for marbles. With her eyes glistening, she took my hand and led me to the casket. 'Those three young men who just left were the boys I told you about. They just told me how they appreciated the things Jim 'traded' them. Now, at last, when Jim could not change his mind about color or size...they came to pay their debt.' 'We've never had a great deal of the wealth of this world,' she confided, 'but right now, Jim would consider himself the richest man in Idaho '. With loving gentleness she lifted the lifeless fingers of her deceased husband. Resting underneath were three exquisitely shined red marbles.
The Moral : We will not be remembered by our words, but by our kind deeds. Life is not measured by the breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath. Today I wish you a day of ordinary miracles ~ A fresh pot of coffee you didn't make yourself. An unexpected phone call from an old friend. Green stoplights on your way to work. The fastest line at the grocery store. A good sing-along song on the radio. Your keys found right where you left them. Send this to the people you'll never forget. I just Did... If you don't send it to anyone, it means you are in way too much of a hurry to even notice the ordinary miracles when they occur.
It's not what you gather, but what you scatter that tells what kind of life you have lived!
Life is short, do it now or you will have missed it!'
1. Take a 10-30 minute walk every day. And while you walk, smile. It is the ultimate anti-depressant. 2. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day. Buy a lock if you must. 3. Buy a TiVo (DVR), tape your late night shows and get more sleep. 4. When you wake up in the morning complete the following statement, "My purpose is to___________ today." 5. Live with the 3 E's -- Energy, Enthusiasm, and Empathy. 6. Watch more movies, play more games and read more books than you did in 2007. 7. Make time to practice meditation and prayer. They provide us with daily fuel for our busy lives. 8. Spend more time with people over the age of 70 and under the age of 6. 9. Dream more while you are awake. 10. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat fewer foods that are not manufactured in plants. 11. Drink plenty of water. 12. Try to make at least three people smile each day. 13. Clear your clutter from your house, your car, your desk and let new and flowing energy into your life. 14. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip, energy vampires, issues of the past, negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment. 15. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime. 16. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a college kid with a maxed out charge card. 17. Smile and laugh more. It will keep the energy vampires away. 18. Life isn't fair, but it's still good. 19. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. 20. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does. 21.You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree. 22. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present. 23. Don't compare your life to others'. You have no idea what their journey is all about. 24. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, and wear the fancy underwear cause today IS special. 25. No one is in charge of your happiness except you. 26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: "In five years, will this matter?" 27. Forgive everyone for everything. 28. What other people think of you is none of your business. 29. Time heals almost everything. Give time, time. 30. However good or bad a situation is, it will change. 31. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch. 32. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful. 33. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need. 34. The best is yet to come. 35. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up. 36. Do the right thing! 37. Call your family often. 38. Each night before you go to bed complete the following statements: "I am thankful for __________." Today I accomplished _________. 39. Remember that you are too blessed to be stressed. 40. Enjoy the ride. Remember that this is not Disney World and you certainly don't want a fast pass. You only have one ride through life so make the most of it and enjoy the ride.
2007 went so fast, I'm not sure I believe it's over.
You know how as a child you thought a year was such a long time and it seemed to stretch forever? Well, now life just seems to fly by. The year is over before you know it and a new one begun.
Today is exactly one month to my 26th birthday. I had some dreams about what I'd be doing at this age, but none of them are reality. I wanted to be married and have at least one child, but I'm still single, and there are no prospects of marriage or even a boyfriend at present. I guess I have a little time - my grandmothers were both married at 26 (late for their time). Of course my life is very different to my Mum's. She was married at 19, and I was born before she was 21. I had been joined by a brother and a sister before Mum was 26.
There's all these studies about how women live longer when they don't get married, but men die younger. I'm not sure I believe it. In some circles, there is a lot of stress put on single women because they are single. It's expected that they will marry, and marry fairly early in life.
But I digress ... this is supposed to be about the new year.
What will my life hold this year?
Current plans consist of getting closer to God, continuing to work, complete my CPA studies, work with the children at church as a leader at Good News Gang, do some cross stitch and spend time with my family and friends. Throw in some adventures, maybe a little travel, a good supply of sleep (and chocolate) and that's my life. Of course, I wouldn't mind adding time spent with a boyfriend and maybe getting engaged, but that I have no idea of at present.
Once upon a time there was a bunch of tiny frogs.... who arranged a running competition. The goal was to reach the top of a very high tower.
A big crowd had gathered around the tower to see the race and cheer on the contestants.... The race began.... Honestly: No one in crowd really believed that the tiny frogs would reach the top of the tower. You heard statements such as: "Oh, WAY too difficult!!" "They will NEVER make it to the top." or: "Not a chance that they will succeed. The tower is too high!" The tiny frogs began collapsing. One by one.... Except for those, who in a fresh tempo, were climbing higher and higher. The crowd continued to yell, "It is too difficult!!! No one will make it!" More tiny frogs got tired and gave up.... But ONE continued higher and higher and higher.... This one wouldn't give up! At the end everyone else had given up climbing the tower. Except for the one tiny frog who, after a big effort, was the only one who reached the top! THEN all of the other tiny frogs naturally wanted to know how this one frog managed to do it? A contestant asked the tiny frog how he had found the strength to succeed and reach the goal? It turned out.... That the winner was DEAF!!!! The wisdom of this story is: Never listen to other people's tendencies to be negative or pessimistic.... because they take your most wonderful dreams and wishes away from you -- the ones you have in your heart! Always think of the power words have. Because everything you hear and read will affect your actions! Therefore: ALWAYS be.... POSITIVE! And above all: Be DEAF when people tell YOU that you cannot fulfill your dreams! Always think: God and I can do this!
The following is the philosophy of Charles Schultz, the creator of the "Peanuts" comic strip. You don't have to actually answer the questions. Just read straight through and you'll get the point.
1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world.
2. Name the last five Heisman trophy winners.
3. Name the last five winners of the Miss America.
4. Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize.
5. Name the last half dozen Academy Award winners from best actor and actress.
6. Name the last decade's worth of World Series winners.
How did you do?
The point is, none of us remembers the headliners of yesterday. These are no second-rate achievers. They are the best in their fields. But the applause dies. Awards tarnish. Acheivements are forgotten. Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners.
Here's another quiz. See how you do on this one:
1. List a few teachers who aided your journey through school.
2. Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time.
3. Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile.
4. Thnk of a few people who have made you feel appreciated and special.
5. Think of five people you enjoy spending time with.
Easier?
The lesson:
The people who make a difference in your life are not the ones with the most credentials, the most money, or the most awards. They are the ones that care.
I was told to pass this on to those people who have made a difference in my life.
Easier?
