column #8

I spend quite a bit of time on the road and crack up at some of the radio ads that I hear.  They are creatively designed to draw us in while we drive just like television ads draw in kids at Christmas and totally make them go berserk.  “Ovation Cell Therapy” for hair comes to mind because it promises life changing results and a better quality of life all together.  “Ideal Image” laser hair removal promises to give you the time you need for other things in life because you will not have to ever remove any unwanted hair again.  Their phone number even includes the letters BE IDEAL. 

 

I sometimes say out loud as I drive…”Really?”  A new and better YOU will not come in a bottle or with a few hours in a chair getting whiter, brighter, and better.  There is only one way to a better life.  It is a closer walk with the Jesus Christ.  While you are on that walk, there are several practical things you can do and habits you can develop that will add some serious pep to your step, no matter your age and no matter what conditions you currently live in. 

 

I believe the act of giving thanks is the real ticket to a better life and a daily practice that we all need to adopt.  Counting your blessings, saying thanks, or giving gratitude all have one thing in common.  All three involve a verb and require action, not just a warm and fuzzy feeling. 

 

Being more thankful in life will not just happen.  It will take practice and being intentional to make your mind focus on the many blessings that are right in front of you.  Some of my greatest blessings were when I was bald and sick from chemotherapy.  When I was at my weakest point, I had to be thankful for the little things or I would have gone to bed and not gotten back up.  

 

Soon a trend will start on various social media sites where everyone lists what they are thankful for.  Yes, I will join in.  Turkey feathers and leaves will go up in classrooms across America listing what kids are thankful for.  All of this is wonderful and seems to usher in the holidays, but I beg you to practice it more and force your mind to go to gratitude.  The act of giving thanks must be a life habit just like tying your shoes and brushing your teeth.  Every breath you take on this earth is a blessing and a chance to notice what is going right around you and to give thanks. 

 

 

When the wind hits your face and refreshes you or the dinner smells just right, give thanks.  (This can be verbal or just in your head as a silent act of thanks.)  It is a kiss on the cheek, a little hand that you can hold, finding the right size screw, having just enough syrup for your waffles, or a sweet conversation with a friend you have been missing. 

 

Try keeping a journal and whether your family is one or fifteen, list blessings and things you are thankful for.  We keep ours on the table.   Life is not about the big things, but the little things that bless us every day.  We number ours and also write our name beside what we write just for fun.

 

There is a verse that tells me the practice of thanksgiving is important.  Psalm 92 says “It is good to give thanks to the LORD and to sing praises to your name, O Most High; To declare Your lovingkindness in the morning and Your faithfulness by night.”  You can change your life and have more joy.  It starts with this!  Give thanks.  Don’t wait on the turkey.  Start today. 

column #7

I mentioned this week in a Bible Study that I “see” the hand of the Lord perched neatly over my head at all times and that thought keeps me calm. I went to add that nothing can come through to me or into my life that has not been sifted through His fingers.  Boy, have I been tested, but I still believe this to be true.  When I am tested, I pray and I ask others to pray.

 

One of my children chooses to pray out loud every night and I get the pleasure of joining him.  His prayers are simple.  His sweet conversations with his Father remind me why we do pray.  He is 9 and I am 40.  That tells you I sure don’t think I have this thing called life figured out! 

 

Bosque is the praying one.  I have to literally fold up my body to sit beside him and fit into his bottom bunk.  When I am there in my position and ready, he flips over on his belly, closes his eyes, clasps his hands, and begins. Brazos, his older brother, gets all of the heavenly blessings and benefits too because he is on the top bunk and heeds every word spoken.  I am going to quote Bosque on his prayers last night as closely as I can. 

 

“Dear Lord, thank you for the wonderful, wonderful day.  Please help the Eagles to not get hurt tomorrow.  Please give my teachers energy to teach and I pray for my classmates. (I guess he knows teachers get tired because I sure do.)   Help us all to have sweet, sweet dreams.  I pray for Mom tonight with the puppy.  (Our puppy sometimes goes on a rampage at night.)  Thank your for getting Banner and Dad home safely from her game.  Thank you that the blue paint came out of my hair. (We painted some furniture and he had a mishap.)  Thank you for Brazos and his crazy stories.  Help us all to get up early in the morning and to be on time.  Amen.”

 

Pretty good, huh?  It is like he just dumps everything out that he is thinking.  A theologian might say he has acquired a good ratio of praise and petitions. What he does after he says his prays is the real kicker!

 

He rolls over and goes to bed.  Imagine that?  He does not analyze or hold onto anything from the present day to carry it into the next day for more thought and worry.  He prays. He sleeps.  I know that he is just a kid with kid issues, but I still think there is a lesson here of childlike faith and trust. 

 

As adults, we sometimes pray and then call to ask a friend what they think just to make sure we are on the right track.  We research our “issues” on the latest website to find our peace. How often do we toss our concerns or frustrations out into the vast world of social media to see how many likes we can get to justify our feelings? 

 

We have got to learn to have a simple conversation with the Lord about how things are going, to thank Him for what went well, ask Him for help where we need it, and know that He is in control. 

 

 David wrote in Psalm 63:6-7 “On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night.  Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.”  Sounds like a pretty good place to be, and I know how to get there.  It begins with a simple conversation. 

column #6

I found myself this week caught off guard in an awkward situation.  I carried my crew to the Fields of Faith, a community wide youth service, at the high school stadium.  My oldest daughter was standing up front with her friends.  I had the other three surrounding me as usual.  When the praise and worship music began, I got my “rocking” motion going.  I don’t mean “rocking” like rock and roll. I mean that anytime I sing in church or anywhere else for that matter, I sway back and forth, side to side to the beat.  The habit started years ago because I always had a baby on my hip to keep quiet.

 

We were swaying together Wednesday night when my three kiddos asked to go to the restroom.  I said yes, knowing their restroom request was warranted because we dashed out of the house like mad men late and peeled into the high school parking lot leaving a trail of dust that would make the Dukes of Hazard proud. 

 

My kids left me there in the middle of that massive field all alone.  Surprisingly, I felt lonely and like something was missing.   I was swaying and did not have anyone around me to sway with.  I cannot recall what we were singing, but I do remember that it was like the Lord was saying…even in a crowd, and even with this music, you can and need to be alone with just ME. 

 

It reminded me of something I already know to be true because it is my greatest source of JOY and honestly, the only way I make it.  We all have to be alone with the Lord to clear the noise and clutter that so often inhibits our lives.  Our minds are bombarded with ring tones, to-do lists, bank balances, plans, test reviews, due dates, chores to be completed, music we listen to, and even conversations we have had.  Really, how can we expect to survive if we do not turn it all off and get alone with our Creator? 

 

Back in the day, research was done from an encyclopedia and people had to take turns on the party line when they needed to make a call.  Oh, I loved going to a friend’s house that had a party line.  We always got in trouble because we would listen in. It was like a live soap opera. (Lord, forgive me.)  Now, waiting on the party line to clear does not even remotely exist.  We are plugged in to instant communication 24-7. 

 

I love the verse that says “Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed” in Luke 5:16.  Come on now, if Jesus had to withdraw to lonely places to pray, how much do we need to withdraw and be alone?  Maybe your quiet seat is on a mower or tractor, in a lawn chair, a deer stand, or at a desk.  Perhaps you can get alone with the Lord on your porch or in your car.  A walk, an hour fishing, a bike ride, or hike will do too.  Many a mother has confessed that to be totally alone with the Lord, she had to lock herself in the bathroom or sneak in the closet to hide behind the clothes and shoes and pray. 

 

This week just turn off the world for a few minutes and hang out with the Lord.  It may feel awkward at first and strangely too quiet, but hang in there.  Time and location do not matter.  Whatever works for you, works for the Lord.  He will meet you anywhere.  It will clear your mind and revive your heart. 

column #5

Freestone County is full of big news this week.  The Eagles are on a roll, and the rodeo is in town.  We survived the first six weeks of school and hold your applause for this one.  The burn ban has been lifted!  Thank the Lord… it finally rained.  The last several weeks have put our rain gauges back in business, and we are happy, happy, happy. 

 

I had a run in with the rain when I got out of my car at Sam’s Restaurant a few Fridays ago. I headed in, head down, on a mission to meet my friend for coffee at our favorite hangout.  I cut in front of my car choosing the shortest path because as usual, I was without an umbrella.  I nearly walked right into or actually right under a major downpour.  My shortcut to get me in the building led me under a collection point where the roof lines met and the rain gushed down like a raging river. 

 

It reminded me of walking under the big bucket at Great Wolf Lodge.  If you have seen it or seen the commercials, you know what I am talking about.  It dumps ten thousand gallons of water on willing participants who stand under it. A bell starts ringing when it is nearly full and everyone who wants to get drenched huddles up shivering in anticipation of the extreme wetness that is about to come their way. 

 

I was nearly right there under the “bucket” myself at Sam’s; however, I put my heels in reverse and trucked it back around my car to go a different route.  I kind of giggled at myself because I paid attention for once and saved myself a trip to the hand dryer in the bathroom at the least.  As usual too, my run in with the unexpected downpour made me think because so often in life I am not aware of my surroundings and I run into trouble that could be prevented.

 

The path I took was important on this particular morning.  The path we take in life is important too.  We need to look right, look left, and follow the promptings of the Holy Spirit if the Holy Spirit lives in us. To stay on the right pathway, we must also admit that we have certain weaknesses and that there are things, places, and people that should be avoided all together. We have to always consider how our present decisions will affect our future because one step in the wrong direction can always be corrected and there is forgiveness, but there are consequences.  If one step leads to another and we totally drift off of the right path, it takes a great deal of work to get back on track. 

 

How do we know when we need to choose another path, proceed with caution, or sprint in another direction?  Proverbs 3:5-6 sums it up for me.  It says “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.”

 

A series of questions and thoughts comes to me after I read this verse.  It makes me think!  If we don’t trust in the LORD, what or who else can we trust in?  What do we really know for sure in our own understanding?  If I admit it, I am clueless. 

 

How can I acknowledge the Lord in all I do?  Will I follow His straight path daily for my life or choose to go my own way and end up lost?

Lost is not fun and there is a choice, so thank the Lord for the rain this week and thank Him that He gives you a straight path to follow. 

 

 

 

 

column #4

Several years ago I found myself on a massive yacht in the middle of Lake Texoma with friends.  Our group was up on deck admiring the view, but I ended up in the living quarters down below with the two young children whose father owned the boat. I spent my time aboard the luxury liner with the kids playing games.  I was teaching 7^th grade in Mesquite then and realized that my purpose in life (yes…we all have one) had something to do with children.  I still am a teacher everywhere I go; however, this week several of the kids in my life taught me.

 

Lesson #1:  I introduced a group of fifth graders to the concept of being proactive or reactive in life.  One fifth grader said “Mrs. Monico, I am not very good at this game because of my brother.”  It seems that she was trying so hard to be proactive and calm, but her little brother got the best of her.  She restated what our previous lesson had covered and admitted she was more like a coke bottle exploding than a cool, calm bottle of water. 

 

To be honest, none of us are very good at “THIS” game she mentioned.  We often fail and react.  Our only hope for proactivity and peacefulness in situations that drive us crazy is the truth found in John 16:33 that says “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace.  In this world you will have trouble.  But take heart!  I have overcome the world” 

 

Lesson #2:  Another day this week my son, Brazos, said something that was worth me immediately writing down.  He glanced up from his trombone and paused from the extended, and I mean extended, practice session and said “Only one kid can play this and I want to be that kid, Mom.” 

 

How great is that?  He wanted to be the one who could do it.  He was willing to work and make it happen.  He played the song over again and again until he got it.  I was inspired. 

 

Lesson #3:  The setting of my last lesson was in front of our refrigerator late one night.  I have attempted to use up food from our pantry and freezer instead of just running out to buy more.  I must have done a decent job because by Tuesday night, it was bare in the fridge.  My daughter started looking for something to put in her lunch.  She opened the fridge and looked, and looked, and looked.  She then motioned me over and said “What do we have in here other than water and BBQ sauce, you just tell me…what?” 

 

After I stopped laughing because her facial expression was that of a typical teen and her wit was as clever as ever, I looked in the fridge and discovered she was pretty correct in her observation.  I put on my thinking cap and offered her a few suggestions.  Our search lead me to the bottom of the pantry and to the back corner of the fridge.  I discovered several consumable items that would work.  She would not starve. The world would keep spinning. I saved the day, and she in a way saved my night because she made me laugh and think about my role in life. 

 

My role right then with her was to make something out of nothing.  We often have to do that in life.  Creativity and a good attitude can make something out of nothing on any given day.  Come to think of it, when God made us, He made something out of nothing for sure. 

 

 

column #3

We were traveling down our usual route this week on 488 when my youngest child, Blaise, did something she is notorious for in our family. She often slightly mixes up her words and thoughts.

 

I have coined a new word in her honor.  I now call her mixed up sayings a “Blaiseism.” Her previous “Blaiseisms” include her exclaiming with her hands on her hips that something annoying to her was her “PET PEE.” She also informed us all at the dinner table recently that her grandfather was going to get “Coca-Cola” cancer if he was not careful.  She had heard us say colon cancer I guess and in her defense, “pet pee” is really close to pet peeve. 

 

The crème de la crème of “Blaiseisms” was a remark she made about Mr. Casey’s beautiful, reclaimed pastureland on 488 a few days ago.  There were several cattle grazing in the pasture that she noticed as we drove by.  Then, when we passed the Lake Chapel cemetery that is seemingly right smack dab in the middle of his pasture, she said “Y’all, Mr. Casey sure does have a nice cemetery for his cows.” 

 

I shot her a puzzled look in the rearview mirror.  She proceeded to repeat herself and say how nice the resting place was for the cows. 

 

Now, Blaise has been around cemeteries, attended funerals, and knows that when you have invited Jesus into your heart, the local cemetery is just a place for your physical body.  She has never been told that cows have a cemetery.  Even with that knowledge, she still just let the words roll right off of her tongue and securely said she was thinking. 

 

Although I am not always sure about what comes out of my youngest child’s mouth, I am sure of one thing.  Blaise knows she is loved and she is comfortable with herself. 

 

We can all stand to take a lesson in that area from my eight year old.  How often do we doubt ourselves, question who we really are, or wear labels put on us by others that are not true? 

 

I try to remember daily on the way to school when we pass the high school marquee to start a series sentences with my crew.  I need them.  They need them. 

 

 

 

 

 

We say together:

I am loved.

I am chosen.

I am a Child of God. 

The Lord has plans for my life.

 

I adopted the concept of repeating a few simple phrases daily from the movie the HELP and made up my own.  In the movie, Abileen, the caretaker, had the little girl, Mae Mobley say the following lines:

You is kind. 

You is smart. 

You is important. 

 

Even though their relationship was severed in the film, I knew when I sat in the theater eating my popcorn and crying my eyes out that those words would never leave Mae Mobley.  They would stick forever. 

 

 

In this increasingly confusing world that we live in, we have to know who we are.  We cannot doubt that we are loved by Jesus Christ, no matter who we are or what we have done.  A relationship with Him is one that will never be severed once it has been established. 

 

I love the passage in 1 John 3:1 that proclaims a truth about who we are.  It says “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!  And that is what we are!” 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

newspaper column #2

I hold many job titles in the present season of my life.  A few of them include wife, mom, teacher, friend, taxi driver, laundry manager, family organizer, and I pray encourager.  This week I added another one.  I am the official “spotlighter” for our homestead.  My husband and I have been on several late night, early morning escapades around here in the dark.  Our goal is to manage or honestly eradicate our local armadillo population because they are destroying our yard.  He arms himself with a loaded gun and I rightfully arm myself with the spotlight. 

 

We shed some light on a varmint this morning way before sunrise and added another tally mark for our team.  The armadillos still seem to be winning, but we will not give up or slack off I am sure until the job is complete. My husband is in charge of this operation; therefore, there will be no quitting.  We will together attempt to finish the job, may even get t-shirts made that say “No Slacking.”  Oh, how I wish I could apply the same “No Slacking” slogan to every area of my life. 

 

It is a simply truth that we humans get comfortable, lazy, and often slack off when we get ahead in life.  I witnessed it this week on the volleyball court.  An impressive 8^th grade group of young athletes won the first match against Groesbeck with ease and then nearly lost the second one.  It seemed like they were comfortable with themselves and watched the game more than played the game for a few minutes.  A quick time out with their coach late in the second match woke them up and they came back to win.  In the work place, a completed task, a successful sale, or earned promotion often leads us to believe we can just sit back let others take the lead. At home, when a family seems to be connecting well with each other, the first thing to go from the calendar often is family time around the dinner table.  When we get too comfortable in any area of life and think we are ahead, we will suffer.  Those around us will suffer too and usually have to pick up the slack. 

 

Do not let up this week!  If it is a healthier lifestyle you have been working towards, do not slack off.  If there is an addiction that you want to be free from, do not dare quit trying.  If it is a college degree or high school diploma that you desire, do not give up. If you want to score your first touchdown or shave a second off of your mile time, do not stop running.  Maybe you want to deliver an encouraging word or an apology to a friend or family member, do not get comfortable and just expect for the person to show up on your doorstep.   Go to them!  Make it happen.  S

 

Life can seem like a race at times with so much to do.  We all get tempted at times to slack off or quit completely, but when the Lord has placed a job, task, or relationship in your path that is important, finish strong.  Paul’s words in 2 Timothy 4:7 are what I want to think at the end of my race here on this earth.  “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”   With Jesus Christ in my life, that is possible.  With Him in your life, it is possible. 

 

 

This is my story - newspaper column #1

I remember sitting in a pew at Caney Baptist listening to my Grandfather sing “Blessed Assurance.”  That was the title of the hymn, but all I heard was “This is my story, this is my song.  Praising my Savior all the day long.”  As a small child, the fact that we all have a story did not mean anything to me.  A story was a good book or a lie, like when I took a pack of gum from Winn’s Department store and insisted I did not.  Now, that was a story!

 

At the wonderful age of forty, I pride myself on knowing that a story is much more than just a bedtime narrative or a teensy, tiny fib. A story is a person’s life.  It is the hard fought battles and the sweet victories.  A story comes from the days spent high on the mountaintop and the days spent in the deepest, darkest valleys begging for a way out.  However, the bulk of a person’s story is being written on regular days when life seems to be nothing more than a routine from the time we hit the alarm clock until the time our head hits the pillow at night. The routine may include diapers and bottles, sack lunches and report cards, or days at the office or nursing home. 

 

 

I get the privilege, although sometimes the tension in my neck would call it a different name, to witness eight stories unfolding right here under my own roof.  There are six people in my family, but I included the dogs just for fun. I would not dare write about my husband or children yet, so let me start with our puppy, Bubs. He is a Jack Russell and fits the description for his breed.  He is athletic, curious, determined, lovable, and loyal.  His life story can also include that he is an active member of the toilet paper roll destruction team and an avid rabbit hunter.  Last night when I had all of the Monicos in bed, I carried Bubs out. He disappeared into the woods so quickly that he looked like a white flash running across the pasture.  My handy spotlight shed some light on the situation when I saw the bunny he was trailing after.  If Bubs could type and relay his story to you, he would tell you that the chase was fun, a real high, he just couldn’t resist and that it wore him out!

 

My story can be like that too at times when I chase after things that I don’t need, doubt that the Lord has a specific purpose for my life, compare my life to others, or allow my self to be too busy.  Busy means I can’t focus on the things right here that I love the most.  I hold on tight to a scripture from John 15:5 because my story is far from perfect, but I want it to amount to something. Jesus spoke to his disciples and said “I am the vine: you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me, you can do nothing.” 

 

Do you want your story to be a whole bunch of nothing? I doubt it.  The key is to remain in Jesus and know that no matter what your present circumstances look like, He will remain with you.  With that simple truth in mind, what will your story read at the end of this week?