Archives for March 2012

Earlier this month I celebrated the BIG 4-0!

In the last few months leading up to the big day I found myself really thinking about what turning 40 means to me. Doing things like taking a personal inventory and such.

I made a few discoveries.  Am I old?? NO! But older and thankfully wiser. I love more fiercely than I ever have. I suddenly have an over abundance of gray hair…no worries though, I have a fabulous colorist and I visit her often! 

We (the band I’m in) recently added a new song to the long list of great stuff we play for worship – Bridge Over Troubled Water. One of the younger guys was giving us some background on the song, specifically the 3^rd verse.  “Sail on silver girl, sail on by. Your time has come to shine, all your dreams are on their way”…. Long and short, this is about Paul Simon’s wife.  She had found some gray hair, was feeling a little older, a little less beautiful and such - he wrote it as a nod to her.  I feel like he was reassuring her that she was still amazing and the best was yet to come. 

Funny thing is during my personal inventory, I had some pretty “silver girl getting older” moments myself. So this song was a nice gentle reminder from God that I wasn’t finished, that the best had not passed me by. Better still every time we play it I feel like I'm being reassured and loved.

I was asking myself lots of questions…What’s it all for?  Have I loved like I should? Blessed others like I’ve been blessed, forgiven others like I’ve been forgiven? Made a mark for Christ?

So I’m thinking - if 40 is half way, by the grace of God I’m doing okay.  I’m feeling like with God at my side I’m on track for making a difference…

In my home

In my family

In my church

In my city

In the lives of everyone I know

In the world

I’m growing, not only in my own faith but in realizing that if I’m so crazy about God & he feels the same way about me, I should make it a point to tell others – OFTEN!  I should be bolder and ask “Can I pray for you or with you about ______”?

I should invite more people to worship, I should love them the way God loves me (oh, this is by far the toughest one)

So how do I know that I’m heading in the right direction?

God is usually pretty clear – Do this & trust me.

A while back my baby sister paid me quite a compliment, she said “I saw a bumper sticker that said Prayer Warrior and thought of you”.   (³⁵ This is how everyone will recognize that you are my disciples—when they see the love you have for each other.)

AWESOME – I am a prayer warrior and my sister who lives 2000 miles away and who I only get to see maybe once a year knows it! 

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.  I can walk the walk and talk the talk if I do it all for God! God gets the Glory – because it is him in me.

Another treasured friend recently told me that I was one of the most faithful/faith-filled people that he knows and that he appreciated how I lived out my faith… ( ³⁵This is how everyone will recognize that you are my disciples—when they see the love you have for each other)

SWEET – Thank You God, You are working through me & guiding me and poking me & nudging me and, and, and!

We all have these kinds of examples in our lives. Think about it, think about your own walk.  You are recognized because you love.

So how do I STAY heading in the right direction?

What does God require?? (God is usually pretty clear – Do this & trust me.)

So your 1, 2 and 3 for this glorious day:

#1 Do

#2 Love

#3 Walk

Yours in Christ,

Mindi

Guest post today from my youngest daughter.  This was an assignment for speech class and she agreed to let me share it.

Just one word…

There are times in your life when you hit rock bottom. Everything has gone wrong and nothing could make it worse.  You look around and wonder “What happened to me, how did I get here, where did I go wrong?”  But most importantly you wonder, “How will I get back to where I was?”   

Then something new happens.  Like a tiny seed, it is planted inside of you.  It slowly grows and spreads all over, you feel life again.  You look around and see the things you can change, the things you should leave behind and the things that still make life beautiful.  You remember to start dreaming again.  To start thinking your future is going to be the biggest and brightest out there.  It’s this single word that changes a terrible experience into a growing one.   

Knowing you can be and do whatever you want, as long as you work at it.  You know it’s a possibility.  It’s what makes a child in the slums believe they can be a doctor.  It’s what makes an abused spouse know they deserve real love & respect.  It’s what keeps people in countries overpowered with war, knowing there can be peace.  It’s what tells children of divorced parents that their own relationships don’t have to be like that.  Mothers have this for their kids’ lives.  Teachers have this for their student’s careers.  Citizens have this for their government’s decisions.

This word keeps our world together.  It unites people of different cultures, lives, religions and places, to live as one world.  It holds families together after death, makes sick patients hold on for the cure, tells children to follow their dreams. This word reminds us to keep chasing our own dreams.  To try harder, work harder and believe in ourselves.  This word gives us the strength to pull ourselves together, get up off the ground and keep moving forward.  These four simple letters remind us to never stop dreaming.  These four letters separate us from who we are and what we can become.  Four little letters change the world and start a revolution.  Four simple beautiful letters keep us together.  Four little letters spell out that ONE strong word….HOPE.

From the mouths of babes!

In scripture HOPE is defined as “a strong and confident expectation.”

Dear Lord,

Thank you for the people in our lives that remind us of the important stuff! Amen.

And the 1,2,3 for today…

#1 Be strong

#2 Be confident

#3 Be hopeful – it can change the world!

Love & Peace & Hope!

Mindi

Letting go can be so difficult.

Letting go can be so scary.

Letting go can seem impossible.

BUT

Letting go is what we must do if we ever want to live the abundant life Jesus promises.

So what are we letting go of?

Well that depends on you!

Maybe you need to let go of worry…

Worry can and will eat at you, like cancer it can and will overtake everything.

What are you worrying about? 

What are you afraid of?

Whatever it is ask yourself if being WORRIED will change anything? 

I promise the answer is a resounding NO!

Now ask yourself what will change the situation or how I feel about something? 

What can I do instead of worry?

Maybe you need to let go of anger…

“But Mindi, you just don’t understand…what happened to me, what he/she said or did, etc”

Maybe I do, maybe I don’t. Either way, it doesn’t matter.  By not letting go you are deciding to condemn yourself to living a life sentence nowhere near the abundant love and grace of God.  YUCK!  Just thinking about feeling that way hurts my stomach.  Unfortunately some people I love very much choose to live this way. 

The funny (not really) thing about anger is it turns into blame and or resentment.

 “It’s _____ fault I’m unhappy.”

“It’s because ______ always does this or _______ never says that.”

REALLY? Why are you doing that to yourself?

First, start praying right now for grace and mercy. Grace & mercy for yourself and the ability to recognize it & for the people you are so angry with.

Second, DECIDE that the “fault” is yours.  You have chosen to stay in the pit of anger, unhappiness & blame.  Let go of whatever it is/was and CLIMB OUT.  Ask God to continually remind you that through him you can do anything including take responsibility for your own happiness. 

Oh, you’ll get angry again – just make sure it’s only for a moment.  Move on from it & don’t let it control you or your life.

Maybe you need to let go of judging others….

Ok, this next part is just for me but if it speaks to you - well good & I’m sorry. 

God has been poking me, for a long while I’m sure, but I just recently noticed.

Mostly I’m pretty good about not judging others. But there are one or two people that I have no grace for.  It shames me to say that.  This is your reminder that I am a work in progress.  Since I don’t encounter these people very often I forget that when I judge them, I dishonor God.  Since that is not okay with me I am on a mission.  Here is what I’ve decided to do: Pray for myself to stop being so hard hearted and judgmental. Pray that God will show me the best in these folks.  Pray that God will bless them.  Pray that I will love them as I am called. Pray that the number of times I blow it in this area will continue to be less & less.  And hope that I will be in your prayers.

Lastly, maybe you just need to let go of the “what if’s” and the “coulda, woulda, shouldas”. 

Your past is PAST.  Your sins are forgiven.

God loves us, warts & all.  We still have time to let go of the junk and hang on to God.

Hang on to crazy no way you can earn it love.  Hang on to His Word – it reminds you that letting go gets you where God wants you to be.  Hang on to His Word – it reminds you that letting go enables you to be who God created you to be.

So what’s the 1, 2, 3 of it all?

#1 Let Go

#2 Live in Abundance

#3 Hang on to God

Peace and Love,

Mindi

A few weeks ago two pretty cool things took place.

I watched the movie “Courageous” and my husband watched it with me. 

I put in the DVD and all the previews were clearly for Christian themed movies. My husband says, “What’s up with all the God stuff?” I responded, “We’re watching a God movie.”

I totally dug what this movie stood for! (Check it out for yourself)

What I wasn’t thrilled with was the namby-pambiness. 

“Fireproof” was the same way…I don’t get it.

Living for Jesus isn’t namby-pamby, why make it look like that on screen?

I don’t have the answer; I just needed to put the question out there.

Really when you get down to it, living a life for Jesus is about as radical and dangerous and scandalous as you can get.  It takes courage to break worldly norms.

Being saved by grace - RADICAL

Choosing to Forgive –COURAGEOUS

Loving anyway – DANGEROUS

Not judging others – SCANDALOUS

Blessing my enemies - COURAGEOUS, RADICAL, SCANDALOUS & DANGEROUS!

Jesus was a true pioneer.  He turned the establishment on their ear. I like that part the best, because even though I’m a rule follower now, the rebel that I once was, really misses living on the edge!  I definitely like being scandalous in a Jesus-super crazy -love your neighbor kind of way. 

That will give folks something to talk about.

Can you just hear it?

“Oh, that Mindi, she forgave those people who said/did_________.  You know she says there’s nothing you can do to earn God's love – really?? Who does she think she is? Some kind of ‘Jesus-super crazy -love your neighbor” freak?” yep.

OH YEAH!  So who is with me?  Who wants to be scandalous and rebellious and dangerous???

Be careful -once you start truly living for Jesus your life changes – radically!

One more amazing, radical thing. 

God sent Jesus JUST FOR YOU! That’s right, YOU.  If you were the only one here, he would have died just for you.  Now that is some scandalous, radical, crazy LOVE!

So, what’s your 1, 2 and 3 for this beautiful day?

Scandalously Yours,

Mindi