the fridge

It is difficult for me to write tonight.  Three of my kids are jumping on the trampoline.  I was just with them playing “steam roller” and football. 

The entire time I was playing with them I had a running dialogue going in my head about normal sibling behavior.  I feel like they pick, fight, and can be entirely too rough with each other.  I want to pounce on them quite often and fix it all, but then I remember that most of this is a normal family dynamics and that they do get along…sometimes!   

You see, I want kindness around here all the time. I am a peacemaker.  I attempt to be a peacekeeper.  I have to remind myself often that Jesus Christ is the only real peacemaker and peacekeeper.  I am even learning in my forties to be “okay” when things are not “okay.”

Another reason for my unsettled mind is that I saw “War Room.”  It is an amazing movie!  It jolted me in a huge way concerning prayer and faith.  If I ever gather my thoughts and get my brain wrapped around it, I will share. 

For the time being though, I want to share about our freezer.  We have an extra freezer in our laundry room. It is a necessity.  My husband, being the head chef and head grocery shopper, makes good use of it.  He made a trip to HEB last week to stock up on steak and chicken.  He also visited the “shrimp man” and bought a large quantity of shrimp.  (I have no clue who the shrimp man really is)

I noticed last Friday there was some moisture surrounding the freezer.  I opened the door and a few items were beginning to thaw out.  I assumed someone left the door cracked.  I slammed it shut and carried on with my day. 

The next day, I discovered the door being left ajar was not the source of the problem.  The freezer was going out, and the food was consequently thawing out.   

My husband fired up the grill.  He cooked every ounce of meat that he could.  We salvaged other items by transporting them to the kitchen freezer and to the small one over in his shop.   

The remainder of the thawed out mess got trashed.  The assortment of popsicles were a real work of melted art and a few items were totally unidentifiable. I told myself it was time to clean out anyway before deer season.   

I later realized that cleaning out the freezer related to life.  The freezer was not working.  It had to be cleaned out.  After that, it would have been totally crazy to put the ruined items back in the freezer.  The bad food was trash!  It had no purpose now. 

Just like the freezer breaking, sometimes we break.  Sometimes we get to a point that we are not working properly. At that exact moment, we have to clean out.  The old junk has to go!  The ruined junk that has built up is, and sin will only get worse and harder to remove the longer we allow it to stay.   

I have good news though!  Our freezer started to freeze again after it was cleaned out.  Maybe it was just overloaded.  Proverbs 28:13 says “He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses them and renounces them finds mercy.”  If you are need of grace and mercy this week, start here.

P.S.  And…how crazy would it be to put the old rancid food back in the clean freezer?  Likewise, how crazy is it when we, forgiven and made new, allow the old sin to creep back in? 

 

chicken coop at dark

Luckily I remembered tonight before we shut it down totally to go and close the door on the chicken coop.  My boys brought in the eggs earlier and opened it up so that the chickens could have some fresh air. I always feel sorry for them if they are stuck inside too long.  I also felt sorry for them when our Jack Russell massacred part of their family.  (That is another story and a subject here that I do not need to bring back up….ever!) 

I nominated myself because my girls were all settled sitting clean and pretty on the couch.  My boys were in the shower.  My husband was already asleep. I grabbed the high powered flashlight and headed on my way thinking positive thoughts.  I sometimes freak myself out in the dark!  It is really dark here too.  I mean really dark!

I kept my flashlight pointing down right in front of me.  I literally shined it only right where I was going to step next.  The problem with that is I had no idea what could be lurking out in the distance or in the nearby woods.  I just tuned out that thought though. 

I focused only on my next step because we have a collection of snakes residing here, including timber rattlesnakes.  I have never want my next step to be onto one of them. (I have chill bumps on my arms just thinking about it.) 

Tonight my short walk got exciting when our lab barked.  She was out in the dark somewhere must have spotted something.  When she barked, I jumped.  I mean jumped!  After I jumped, landed, and caught my breath, the thought occurred to me I might should shine my light out in the distance to see what she was barking at. 

However, I needed the light for my next step.  That next step meant I was one step closer to home!   I ignored what could have been lurking and obviously moving around in the pasture and reached the coop.  About the time I latched the door and made my speedy 180 degree turn to point me in the direction of home, it dawned on me that my flashlight strategy was actually like my life strategy. 

I conquered the trip in the dark one step at a time. I try to live my life one day at a time. 

You see, I try not to worry myself with what could, would, or even should be ahead.  I know if I do get too far into the future, I rob myself of any and all joy that might have been meant for today.    I heard a pastor say years ago, God is not “I was.  I will be.  God is I AM.”

We should mirror that.  We should live for today.  How is this even humanly possible?  It is possible because the Word of God teaches it.  It is possible because if we believe and read the Word out loud, we can transform our minds and live it! 

Matthew 6:25-34 is worth your time today.  It closes with a firm word from Jesus.  He says “So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself.  Each day has enough trouble of its own.”  (Can I get an AMEN on that?)

Start living today one step at a time, one day at a time, and with some trust.  Trust Jesus.  He knows way more than you do anyway!  He’s got you…today and tomorrow!   

 

summer vaca

I just got back from five nights in Florida with my family.  It was the best trip of my life. In my late teens and twenties, I backpacked through Europe, landed on a glacier in Alaska, fell in love with Vancouver, and strolled along beaches in the south of France, Jamaica, and the Caribbean. 

I loved my adventures in my previous life, but I had given up on travel since I became a parent. It seemed overwhelming with a family of six.  This week reminded me how fun it is to go and do new things; hence, my column will be an assortment of my reflections from our vaca.

First of all, I would not have booked the trip if my friend did not invite me over and say we were doing it.  I needed a nudge!  I needed encouragement. I needed to know that I was not doing it alone. 

Is not that what we all need more of in life?  I do not mean just with travel.  I mean with everything!  We all need friends to come along side us and encourage us to make good things happen. 

Next, the first sunset blew me away!  We landed, arrived, unpacked, and hit the beach.  When the sun began to hide for the night, I felt like I had purchased a front row seat to an amazing art show. The masterpiece was in the sky over St. Pete’s Beach. 

I was in awe!  It was the most beautiful work of nature that I had ever seen.  I know I had previously seen sunsets too that must have been just as beautiful, but it was like my eyes were open to see everything so clearly.  I did not appreciate nature or know how to bask in the stillness and just take it all in years ago. 

Things have changed in the past twenty years for me though. I did know on this trip how to fall in love with the blue and pink sky that seemingly changed every few seconds just for me.  I knew how to lay back in my chair and thank the Lord for His creation.

Lastly, one of my greatest laughs on the trip was when my son and I decided to ride the paddle boats.  My daughter and her friend had gone out about an hour before us. We wondered where on earth they were when we stood in line to get our boat.  A lady came by and told the attendant there were two little girls stuck and really struggling.  We decided at that point to leave the line and go help them along the canal. 

We rounded a manicured corner of the resort and spotted a boat that had been abandoned. We knew it was the girls!  They gave up and jumped ship.  We did what anyone who desperately wanted a paddle boat ride would do, we got in their boat and took off.  My son took the wheel and with our legs in motion, we cruised down the waterway. 

He was the best driver!  Anytime we got stuck, he would tell me to peddle backwards just enough to back us up, and then we would take off again going the right direction.  It was a blast! 

I started thinking that our ride was a lot like my life.  I do go forward, but then sometimes I have to back up to get things right.  Luckily, Jesus Christ is with me all of the way!  He stays by my side as I travel through my life on earth.  Deuteronomy 31:6 says in the New Living Translation “For the LORD your God will personally go ahead of you.  He will neither fail you nor abandon you.”  No matter where you go this week, near or far, take that truth with you.

traffic

I spent some time this week in the car with my kiddos.  The first trip that I mentally related to life was with my fifteen year old daughter.  We were navigating our way through Dallas.  We had to conquer 635 or totally avoid it at all cost to get to our destination.  We used my handy dandy app on my phone to survey the traffic up ahead.  Much to my surprise, the usually congested highway was only showing a brief orange slow down, but nothing red.  Red means stop, meaning traffic is stopped and also tells me to STOP going that way if it is at all possible. We were so excited that we could continue on.  Later that night when we were headed home, it was another story.  Everything was red and we proceeded with caution, choosing another path. 

I tried to have a teachable moment in the car with my teenager and tell her that in life she would need to look for warning signs to proceed with caution as she got older. I added that often she would need to choose another route all together. 

I laughed to myself and thanked the Lord that I lived through all of my detours and stops along the way.  I also thanked Him that in a way, He used all of my mistakes to get me to the point that I am at today. I love the saying that says Jesus can turn a mess into a message. 

The next meaningful traffic event was when I joyfully entered the HOV lane.  I love it!  It is my BFF in Dallas.  We cruise past miles and miles of bumper to bumper traffic in our own personal lane without even slowing down.  You have to have one passenger with you to enter the lane.  You have to enter it at the specified time.  You also exit it at a specified time.  In the HOV lane though, life is easier. 

Let me tie that into life.  If you do life with Jesus, life will be easier.  Just like with the HOV lane, there will be some rules and guidelines to obey, but life will be so much better.  You will often pass others up in your own little personal lane because with His grace, you can deal with life in a whole different way.  A relationship with Jesus gives you peace, joy, patience, and so much more! 

My last adventure in the car was when my younger two kids played a game all the way home.  They were calling “DIBS” on every car they liked.  Let me explain that game.  You call “DIBS” on things you like…like houses, cars, boats, etc.  Every jacked up truck, Camaro, and jeep on the road was DIBS on that particular day for them. 

I started thinking I was glad that Jesus called “DIBS” on me.  I belong to Him.  I am His child.  You are too.  No matter your past or your present state, Jesus Christ will call you His own. 

If you do belong to Him, do something for the Kingdom, child of the Most High.  Ephesians 5:1 says “Therefore, be imitators of God, as beloved children.”  IF you are wondering what to do this week, how to deal with this or that, start with imitating God.  He is yours and you are His.   Do life with the Father. 

missing dog

My husband called me yesterday morning and said we had a problem. Our Jack Russell had been gone from the house for a few hours.  He typically goes on voyages around the house into the woods, but has somewhat been trained to come back home and check in.  There had been no check-in.  (This reminds me of myself years ago at the county fair.  Let’s just say I too avoided check-ins!) 

I got home from my morning errands and did what any woman with a big heart would do.  I put on the tallest tube socks I could find, my boots, got a big stick for protection, and took off into the woods.  I was going to find him. 

My fear was that he had a run-in with a snake.  Only two weeks ago, I nursed him back to health from a horrible bite.  He was sick for three days.  I just knew that might have happened again and that the heat would be a factor. 

I made my way through the back trails.  I reminded myself often to shuffle my feet because every time that I picked them up and tried to walk in a normal fashion, I tripped on the thorns that were naturally draped across the path. 

Now, I was not just walking.  I was walking, calling “Bubs” over and over again and looking.  This was not looking like casually window shopping, but looking intently like on a rescue mission.  I was looking for clues too, although I do not know what they would have been really.

After round one through the trails on foot, I rehydrated and got on the 4-wheeler to cover more ground.  I shut off the engine every few minutes and called out for my possibly injured patient.  I really starting thinking as the sweat poured off of my head and my arms baked in the sun that this was crazy! I left a house with air conditioning, my family, and my plans for the day to come out into the heat and search for one member of the family…and a dog at that!

The thought occurred to me during my rescue mission too that the way I was searching for my dog was the way Jesus searched for me.  He called my name over and over and over again!  He looked for me. He followed me.  He never stopped, gave up, or decided that looking and waiting for me was too much trouble. 

He does the same thing for everyone!  In the Parable of the Lost Sheep in Matthew 18: 12-14, Jesus says “If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hill and go to look for the one that wandered off?  And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he is happier about the one sheep than the 99 that did not wander off.”

Jesus is into the lost, the ones who wander off, drift off, the ones who hide, and even the ones who have never been found for the first time.  If that is you this week, know He is looking for you.  He is calling your name and searching for you.  He will not stop!  His love is more than we can fathom.  It is a love so great that it is UNFAILING!  Stop hiding, running, and avoiding the love of Jesus.  He rejoices when you stop and turn to Him!

I rejoiced too when my daughter brought my dog in and threw him on me!  He was hot, panting, and worn slap out!  I have no idea where he had been. I suspect he found a girlfriend.  Nevertheless, I was glad he was home.

Likewise, the heavens rejoice when a child comes home!  Come home this week.

 

Frogs and the LIGHT!

My new schedule at work has thankfully given me some full days at home alone.  I honestly need it to survive.  This past Tuesday was my work day here.  I cleaned up the basic dirt, grit, and grime.   As usual, I saw signs of my children all around even though they were at school. 

I love the to-do lists I find in my oldest daughter’s room.  Her younger sister does not have any to-do lists, but sure does have a pile of shoes in every corner of her room, and they make me smile. 

My boys just crack me up.  Their shared areas, consisting of a small bedroom and bathroom, can be found in two totally different states.  On any given day, they can be living in total order, all nice and neat, or in total chaos.  I mean chaos like you need to wear protective gear when you walk into their room. 

This week, I was impressed by their tidiness.  I was surprised in their bathroom because I found something rather unusual.  Hanging in their bathroom window was a light perched up on a thumbtack. 

It was not an indoor, should be in the house, type of light.  It sure was not a reading light or a decorative lamp that I might add to create some ambiance.  You see, it was the kind of light you might see clamped on a hood hanging over the motor of a car in a greasy garage.  It was rigged up to shine down on the window with an extension cord or two giving it power. 

At first glance, I wondered what on earth was going on.  I do that often with my crew.  After only a few seconds, it dawned on me that there was a definite purpose to this light. 

I had heard mention of it the night before.  It was to help the tree frogs. 

When we first moved into our house over ten years ago, we were blessed with so many tree frogs.                        They were our entertainment.  The kids would tootle around from window to window at night to watch them.  For some unknown reason, they have been few and far between until this year.  We are so happy…the frogs are back!

Well, the boys were helping them.  They strung up the junky light to add some extra light in their bathroom.  They knew if they could attract more bugs that the frogs would have a better nighttime feast.  Although I questioned their set up for safety reasons and found the light not appealing at all, I was so proud of them.  I thought it was a sign of kindness that they were helping their frog family out.

I paused in their bathroom, avoiding cleaning the toilet just a bit longer, and thought that their light sure did relate to life, since we can be a “light” too.  We all have the ability to attract people, not bugs I hope. 

God could set His plan on earth into motion all by Himself, but He does not work that way.  He lets us, those who have trusted Jesus as Savior, help HIM!  Therefore, He needs us to be a light, or you could say a magnet, attracting others to Him.   We sure can’t claim to be Christians, and have no light at all.  That turns people off from the Lord. 

Matthew 5:16 says “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”  Start your day by singing the old children’s song “This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine” and shine all day for the Glory of God.  Other will notice.  They will want what you have.  Be a light this week in a world that sure does sometimes seem dark.  Your light matters. 

sick kid...

I had my plan of action ready for my column this week.  You were going on a journey with me through the state of Louisiana in the pouring rain.  True story!  I was the behind the wheel recently and wore myself slap out because I had to be so alert in the storm. 

At one point, I even turned on my hazard lights to warn other drivers that I was cruising slowly and with extreme caution.  (I nervously expected to see a gator cross the road at any time.  I have watched too much Swamp People.)  Two other cars around me turned on their “flashers” too.  I thought it was pretty cool that I had started a safety trend…especially since I have had several speeding tickets and fender benders in my life. 

My idea was to cover that specific part of my road trip and how we have to live cautiously and encourage others to do the same; however, plan B came at 3:00 a.m. when I was woken up with “Mom, I am sick.”  I hurdled over my familiar surroundings at my in-laws in Dallas and bolted to meet my oldest daughter in the bathroom. 

It was either a short lived stomach bug or meatloaf after a week of clean eating that got her.  The funny, or really not that funny at all, thing was that I had not slept good since I laid down at midnight.  I was finally resting when she called out to me; however, I was up, ready, and willing to help her in a split second! 

I grabbed a trashcan, headband, and other necessary supplies and followed her to the living room couch.  I fetched her a Sprite, bottle of water, and settled into my chair in case she needed me again. 

She did not!  Thank the LORD.  My only option for better sleep was to leave the chair that continuously folded up on me and head to the couch in the adjoining room.  I was still close enough to her and could hear her if she needed me again.  I felt like Charlie Brown dragging around my blanket and pillow from room to room at this point. 

It all began when she came to me and asked me for help.  If she had laid in her own room miserable and alone, I would have never known.  However, she was in need and wise to ask for help.  She came to me and knew she could count on me!  Although she is very independent and mature, sick means mom.  There is just no other remedy!

The lesson here is in:  can I follow that pattern as a Child of God?  Does sick mean Jesus?  When I am ill mentally, physically, emotionally, or spiritually, do I go to Jesus and ask for help?  Or do I try another remedy or just lay in my own misery all alone and refuse to ask for help at all? 

This week is the beginning of a new school year in my home.  Let it be a new beginning too for you, school or no school.  Go to Jesus for help.  Call out to Him.  Whether you are a mom in need and sending off a kid for the first time to kindergarten or college, a teacher or student beginning a new year, or whatever it may be, call out to Jesus!    Isaiah 55:6 tells us to “Seek the LORD while he may be found; call upon him while he is near. 

He is near today, call upon Him!

The power of a hug

Some things in life can just not be explained.  I thought that this week when I stood back and watched my friend trying to explain to her husband where she was going, who was going with her, what his role was for the night.  We had already flipped flopped kids once to taxi them where they needed to go. Now, she was taking one of mine to school with her. I was staying at her house for thirty minutes with the rest of them until later.  She attempted to explain our divide and conquer approach to him when he pulled up on the mower.  He just looked at her like…WHAT?  Our carefully thought out strategy could not be explained. 

However, just the next day, I saw something that could totally and easily be explained.  It was crystal clear!  At the pep rally Friday morning at Fairfield High School, I noticed what was going on at the door of the gym where the football boys entered.  It was different than at the Jr. High.  There the team enters in their jerseys and jeans so fast that if your thumb is not already on your video button, you are out of luck.  A snapshot is not even a possibility. 

The high school pep rally was different.  The boys did not run out.  They came out one by one like they were marching down an isle at a wedding until they got past the door.     

I realized that one of the teachers at the high school was at the door hugging every guy right before they walked out onto the gym floor.  She is not just a teacher. She is a coach’s wife too.  She is also the mother of two grown boys, a wonderful 7^th grade daughter, and the mother of Johnny.  Johnny now lives in heaven. Last year, he tragically took his own life. 

With her permission, I asked her if I could write about the line that gladly forms in the athletic hallway on Friday mornings.  Mrs. Childers told me that she hugs kids all day long.  She also looks them in the eye and tells them she loves them. 

When I saw her reaching up to most of the boys with a smile, all I could think was…I know why she does that.  She knows the value of a hug.  I mean, she KNOWS the value of a hug.  I felt like I could see her heart and feel it beating, even though I have no idea what she has been through. 

I was touched.  I cried. I could only hear a great silence in the midst of cheering and great noise.  I stood there and was just in awe of the power of the hug.  Unlike so many things in life that cannot be explained, this could. 

What “Momma Chill” knows can be explained.  It is no mystery!  There is no question about it. She hugs and she loves because she knows how much a hug matters and she knows love.    

The Childers family got the Jason Flatt Act passed in our state in honor of their son, Jonathan Childers.  It assists educators in detecting youth in trouble.  They have made a difference.

I pray now as I type that the Lord blesses them and continues to wrap them up with the mighty love of Jesus.  I pray that this week as you read this, you consider the power of a hug.  I pray you love, forgive if necessary, and hug like there is no tomorrow.  Do not hold back! 

It's more than...Papa Bachtel

Yesterday I stored an idea away in my head to write about this week.  After a trip to Olive Garden last night with six crazy kids and an amazing day at church watching special baptisms, I forgot it!  My mind was going so many wonderful directions that my bright idea was temporarily pushed to the back of my brain. 

It came back today at the softball fields when a coach encouraged my youngest kiddo.  He mentioned being intentional with his words and wanting to make a difference with every kid who crossed his path.  His goal to be more deliberate was because of “Papa” Bachtel.  Immediately I had my topic back.  I jotted it down on the notepad I was holding. I wrote “More than just football.”

“More than just football” relates to Papa Bachtel and the life he lived on and off of the field.  He was a man who lived his life around Friday night lights, but he seemed to know that it was more than just football. 

He is now walking in the bright lights of heaven and on golden streets.  I would say that he is strolling on streets of gold, but football coaches don’t really stroll.  They walk.  They pace.  They cover a lot of ground and sometimes even run up and down the sidelines during a game.  During these moments that might seem like seconds just passing off of a scoreboard, some of them make a difference that is never forgotten. 

Anyone can coach.  Anyone can teach.  The ones who make a difference are the ones who know that it is more than a game, more than a classroom, and more than just another kid walking through the door.  This thought is not just for those in education.

What if we all lived with the thought “It is more than….” Fill in the dot, dot, dot with whatever is on your plate currently in life.

It is more than the lesson you plan to teach or the tire you may change.  It is more than a study group you lead.  It is more than the position you hold at work.  It is more than the dishes you wash and diapers you change.  It is more than the casserole going in the oven. It is more than the next customer coming through your check- out line.  Life is more than…(finish the sentence.)

When you have a relationship with Jesus and desire to point others in His direction, life is more than what is simply in front of you.  With Jesus, every task, every day, everything matters.  The most common things turn out to be opportunities to love, encourage, and to share the love of Christ. 

No matter what you are doing this week, remember 1 John 4:19 “We love because he first loved us.”  Life is more than… 

It is about sharing the love of Jesus Christ and making a difference.  Start today!