#LoveWins ~ Guest Blogging Day

Photo "Silhouette of Bride and Groom" Courtesy of /freedigitalphotos.net

Love is patient, love is kind.  

It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  

It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, 

it is not easily angered, 

it keeps no record of wrongs.  
Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 

 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, 
always perseveres.  

1Corinthians 13: 4-7 NIV

I was on Facebook a lot this past weekend because it was my daughter's birthday and I was posting pictures and relaying messages to her from friends and family.

Much to my dismay, I was unable to completely "miss" the overwhelming amount of posts regarding the US Supreme Court ruling on same-sex marriage.  According to Reuters, "The court ruled 5-4 that the Constitution's guarantees of due process and equal protection under the law mean that states cannot ban same-sex marriages. With the landmark ruling, gay marriage becomes legal in all 50 states." *

I'm not here to debate the topic of same-sex marriage.  

I'm here to talk about the irony of the "hashtag" that accompanied rants from both Christians and non-Christians alike.  

Now, take into consideration that non-Christians will not have to recognize the "scripture" that I quoted above; but CERTAINLY Christians do.  So, I guess I'm addressing the Christians who were bashing the other Christians who weren't celebrating this "landmark decision."

Continue Reading on Comfort in the Midst of Chaos...

My 50 Shades of Infidelity ~ Guest Blogging Day

Photo "Bottle of Wine with Two Glasses" Courtesy of Marin/freedigitalphotos.net

Finally, brothers and sisters, 

whatever is true, whatever is noble, 

whatever is right, whatever is pure, 

whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—

if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—

think about such things.  

Philippians 4:8 NIV

YES!  

It's time to pick up my daughter from school.  I grab my iPad Mini off the counter top and skip out the door.  I can hardly wait to get to the front door of the school so I can stand in my regular "waiting for the bell to ring" spot and open up my digital copy of "the book."   You know, the one EVERYONE was talking about?

Holy cow, look at the time!  1:30 AM...when was the last time I saw 1:30 AM?  And to think it's because I'm reading a book...

Oh.my.goodness...I'm exhausted.  I stayed up WAY too late reading.  Now I can hardly keep my eyes open...well...except to jump back into the story starring Ana and Christian.  

Technically, I think it's called a "50 Shades" hang-over.

Continue reading on Comfort in the Midst of Chaos...

WAGR Wednesday~Four Pics, One Word

Have you ever played the game Four Pics, One Word on your smart phone or device?  It's pretty addicting and quite the mind-bender.  The object of the game is to find the one word that each of the four pictures has in common.

As a response to Rick Guidotti's Positive Exposure project, I thought I'd do my own version and  incorporate a little bit of Four Pics, One Word...

You see, whenever you start searching "WAGR" or "11pDeletion" on the internet, you get bombarded with medical literature, and that medical literature does NOT paint a pretty picture of WAGR, (neither do the medical photographs.)  

That's why I love Facebook so much; I can bombard MY page with the beauty of Evie; of her smile, of her dimples, or her glowing joy.  THAT'S what WAGR Syndrome is 95% of the time. 

So, here's what I'd like to do.  I'd like to challenge those out there, who are up to the task, to put together their OWN Four Pics, One Word~WAGR collage.  I'm posting the one I made for Evie here.

  
I used the smart phone app FrameURLife ~ it's a free photography app, and there are a multitude of others to choose from. You get the app, upload the photos from your phone or device; you can edit them and add text to them, then share them on your Facebook page, e-mail them; so on and so forth.

Let's show people today what WAGR really looks like the majority of the time! 

WAGR Wednesday~50 First Dates Revisited

I wrote this piece back in 2009 just after Evie returned to school from winter break.  I’d like to share it on this WAGR Wednesday because I think it is so relevant to some of the daily struggles that we as WAGR parents face. 

As I announced yesterday on Facebook, our family will be going through a big move soon, and that could create enormous amounts of anxiety for any one of us, but especially Evie.  I will use this story as a reminder that I just need to continue to help Evie integrate the present with the future so she can understand how and why her life is changing.  We will get through our big move one day at a time; even if it takes 50 first dates…

One day, several years ago, my friend and I were discussing the things we have to do in order to try to "work with" autism or sensory integration problems, or even Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). For example, the joy of Christmas trees for us is like a thorn in the side of our kids who need routine and structure. A snow day or Christmas vacation, while a thrill, throws our kids into panic because it's not how they "normally" schedule their day.

I looked at the Velcro-schedule board that I constructed for Evie in order to help her get through each day of Christmas vacation.   The pictures showed her when she would eat, take medicine, brush teeth, brush hair, get dressed, read books, go to Grandma's, play, put toys away, eat lunch, ... bathtime, take medicine, read books, prayers, sing, bedtime.   Whenever she would start to panic, I'd say "let's look at our picture-schedule." We'd pull off the pictures of things we had done so she could see what was coming next.

After a moment of reflection, I realized, this reminded me of the movie 50 First Dates.   

Adam Sandler's character meets Drew Barrymore’s character.   Sandler learns that Barrymore was in an accident which caused a head injury and resulted in Barrymore’s inability to retain memories post-accident. Every morning when she wakes up Barrymore thinks it is the beginning of the day she has her accident.

Barrymore’s family has reacted to this by adjusting their lives to live that same day with her over and over again, because whenever Barrymore would learn of her condition she would have an extremely scary sort of breakdown. 

Rather than see her in such mental anguish, her family goes to extreme lengths to “live” Barrymore’s day over and over again.   

They print up newspapers to make it seem like it was that day. They give her the same task of painting the garage wall over and over again; while at night they paint the wall white after she had gone to bed so as not to destroy the mirage that they create.  She and her family even sit down each night to watch the same football game as was on the night of Barrymore’s accident.

They let the injury run their lives. They put their dreams on hold. Their "future" would be living that same day over and over again.

However, Sandler’s character comes in and says, "I love her! There has to be a way that we can make this work." He has to find a way to help her learn to "LIVE" with her limitations. But, wait, she couldn’t remember beyond that day! She would wake up every day seeing him as a STRANGER not the man she loved! How could this ever work?

Because I don't want to be a SPOILER, I won't tell you what his solution is.   But, I'll strongly encourage you to seek out this movie to see how love can create incredible ideas that lead to incredible solutions.

It's our love for our special kids that keeps us going even on those tough OCD, autism, sensory integration problem days.

We are choosing to live our lives in order for our kids to be able to live theirs. 

We're not going to close ourselves in our homes in order to avoid the panic of the mall, or never take them to a theme park or Chuck E Cheese because they might get over-stimulated. 

We painstakingly prepare them for these events days in advance with social stories, and pictures, and discussions of "See Evie at Disneyworld." "See Evie on the airplane".

There are days when we don't want to fight the fight. There are days we want to give up and say, "I can't do this. It’s too tiring to day in and day out try to teach my child to LIVE, to SURVIVE, to THRIVE despite her limitations." However, the obstacles our kids face in just making it through a day are incredible, their bravery is astounding, and we love them and we want them to succeed. Sometimes it takes medication, sometimes it takes a ridiculously detailed schedule of pictures, sometimes it takes challenging the OCD by saying, "I’m sorry, but the light stays on, this is how we live!"

The reward in the end is seeing our lovely kids succeed...seeing them with Chuck E Cheese, seeing them smiling in the dental chair, seeing them use a spoon or fork rather than their fingers. 

Isn't love amazing? 

Sometimes it takes 50 first tries to eventually make it work, but those 50 first tries lead to the greatest reward of all--LIVING.

On the Second Day

We talk about Good Friday, and Jesus being crucified on the cross.  We talk about Easter, and Jesus being raised from the dead.  But what happened on the second day?  That dark, desperate day in between...

The day second day after my dad died was one of those days where I woke up, exhausted, and dehydrated.  My tears had drained me of nourishment and energy.  I wanted to wake up and find it was a dream.  I still couldn't believe I wouldn't hear my dad's voice or laugh again here on earth.  

On the second day after my dad died, we made the trip back to my hometown.  I hugged my mom and my sister, my grandma and my cousins, aunts and uncles.  The pain in my stomach had turned into an emptiness.  Slowly, the reality was setting in.  The finality of it all was becoming clear.

On the second day after my dad died, I watched Evie try to cheer people up, try to process how quickly her world had changed.  We had just seen my dad the week before, and he was fine; he was grandpa.  Now, suddenly, he was gone, as was a piece of Evie's security in this world.  

On the second day after my dad died, I thought about Christ on the cross, and the promise that it gave me to see my dad again.  Someday...but when...?

I think the second day may have been quite similar for Jesus's friends, family, and followers.  They woke, they cried, they hugged, and wished.  On the second day they hurt, they healed, they wondered, and they thought.  

On the second day, they hoped; as we all hope, for that future when we will see our loved ones again.  We have faith in God's promise that Christ was sufficient and has the power to save us all.  We have love eternal which lives on after us; because God first loved us.

Hope, faith, and love; on the second day, and for each day forward, until we meet again...

He is Jealous for Me...

And heaven meets earth like an unforeseen kiss,
And my heart turns violently inside of my chest,
I don't have time to maintain these regrets
When I think about the way
Oh, how He loves us, oh
Oh, how He loves us, how He loves all
How He loves...

In a world riddled with pain, I read these words and feel the beauty of them consume me...

After writing in several Caringbridge guestbooks this morning, MY heart turned violently in my chest, and I needed to be reminded of our purpose, and why God created us, how God created us, who God created us to be...

He is jealous for me, loves like a hurricane, I am a tree
Bending beneath the weight of His wind and mercy
When all of a sudden I am unaware of these afflictions
Eclipsed by glory and I realize just how beautiful You are
And how great Your affections are for me

God's love for us is so powerful, we are like a tree caught in the hurricane of his love...we bend, blown over by his love, his plan for us, his mercy...oh, to be bending under the weight of mercy and forgiveness...

...and then suddenly all the pain and afflictions we suffer here on earth are "eclipsed" by HIS glory...

Eclipsed: a total or partial cutting off of view (based from the observer's viewpoint), a dimming of importance, an obstruction or darkening...

So, while our pain and afflictions are still there, and they are still visible from another person's viewpoint; to us, the observers, the suffering is cut off from our view, no longer fully exposed but dimmed, darkened, obscured. The suffering we endure is nothing compared to his glory.

When we feel his glory wash over us, we realize how much God loves us.

He loves us so much that he is jealous for us, and will go to great lengths to have us turn to him. Whenever I start to stray, whenever I start to feel like I'm capable of "going it on my own"; I get blown over, and I wind up on my knees, face down in the ground waiting for the ocean of God's mercy to wash over me.

And we are His portion and He is our prize,
Drawn to redemption by the grace in His eyes,
If His grace is an ocean, we're all sinking.

As his portion, we are part of his family; we have a unique claim to God's royalty and throne. He is our prize; at the end of the suffering here on earth, we will win our race and claim our prize. But we can't take short cuts, and we can't quit early...to get the prize, we have to finish running on the course that has already been plotted. 


May you all feel his grace overwhelm you today...
May you bend, but not break, in the hurricane of his love...
May the your pain be eclipsed by his glory...
May you know how he loves us...


(All song lyrics were quoted from How He Loves by John Mark Mc Millan)

Third verse better than the first...



I wish it were summer, I want to be warm again.

I think some of the best verses from Christmas carols are most often the ones that are omitted to save time!  (Or, in the secular world, to gloss over the true meaning; but that's a topic for another day.) In  order to pay due respect to many of these verses, I'm going to share them tonight.  Here we go, some of my favorite "mystery" verses from some of my favorite Christmas carols. Pay attention to the last one.  It's a DOOZY!

O' Holy Night

Led by the light of Faith
Serenely beaming,
With glowing hearts
By His cradle we stand.
O'er the world a star is sweetly gleaming,
Now come the wise men from the Orient land. The King of Kings lay thus
In lowly manger,
In all our trials
Born to be our Friend!
He knows our need,
To our weakness no stranger;
Behold your King!
Before the lowly bend!
Behold your King! your King!

accessed on 12/11/13 at http://www.carols.org.uk/ba32-o-holy-night.htm

 

Silent Night

 

Silent night, Holy night
Son of God, love’s pure light
Radiant beams from thy holy face
With the dawn of redeeming grace,
Jesus, Lord at thy birth,
Jesus, Lord at thy birth!

accessed on 12/11/13 at http://gcarlmoore.com/2013/12/06/loves-pure-light/


Joy to the World

No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found,
Far as the curse is found,
Far as, far as, the curse is found.  

accessed on 12/11/13 at http://www.carols.org.uk/ba27-joy-to-the-world.htm

 

 

What Child is This?

 

Nails, spear, shall pierce Him through,
The Cross be borne, for me and you:
Hail, hail the Word made flesh,
The Babe, the Son of Mary.

accessed on 12/11/13 at http://www.lyricsfreak.com/a/andrea+bocelli/what+child+is+this_20893161.html

 

 

Good Christian Men, Rejoice!

 

Good Christian men, rejoice
With heart, and soul, and voice;
Now ye need not fear the grave:
                (Peace! Peace!)
Jesus Christ was born to save!
Calls you one, and calls you all,
To gain His everlasting hall:
Christ was born to save! Christ was born to save!

 

accessed on 12/11/13 at http://www.hymnsandcarolsofchristmas.com/Hymns_and_Carols/good_christian_men_rejoice.htm

Hark, the Herald Angels Sing!

 

Come, Desire of nations, come,
Fix in us Thy humble home;
Rise, the woman’s conqu’ring Seed,
Bruise in us the serpent’s head.
Now display Thy saving power,
Ruined nature now restore;
Now in mystic union join
Thine to ours, and ours to Thine.

 

Adam’s likeness, Lord, efface,
Stamp Thine image in its place:
Second Adam from above,
Reinstate us in Thy love.
Let us Thee, though lost, regain,
Thee, the Life, the inner man:
O, to all Thyself impart,
Formed in each believing heart.

 

 accessed on 12/11/13  http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/h/h/a/hhangels.htm

 

I mean, come on...how awesome are those two verses from "Hark, the Herald Angels Sing?"  Those lines are straight out of Genesis and Romans.  I was overwhelmed when I found them, and wish so much that we included them more in our typical and contemporary "renditions".  The Word of God is so powerful, that if we sang it more frequently, it would have life-altering power. 

 

Adam's likeness, Lord, efface, Stamp Thine image in its place~second Adam from above, Reinstate us in Thy love. 

 

Yes, Lord, yes.

My Heart Condition

What a difference a week makes.  Last week at this time, I was feeling:

overwhelmed, under-inspired, on automatic pilot, and I just going through the motions.  But, thanks to my study of Romans 12, that has completely changed.  I have a brand new heart condition, thanks to the Holy Spirit.  

The homework that I did for my Romans study of chapter 12 focused on spiritual gifts.  That was just fine; it helped me to realize that God has given to me gifts and talents according to HIS measure, so I need to not feel so overwhelmed by my schedule, because I do what I do with God's strength, NOT mine.  So, that study was quite timely.

HOWEVER, my heart condition didn't just change from that!  On Friday morning, during out Bible Study time at church we listened to Dr. Wayne Barber lecture on Romans 12; but he focused on what are NOT fruits of the spirit.  The piece of information which has changed my attitude around is that my relationship with God (meaning, my ability to communicate with God) is dependent on my heart's condition.  Dr. Barber said that if I am not feeling in sync with God, then there is something wrong with my relationship with him; most likely un-confessed sin, or bitterness.  

Ding-ding-ding!  We have a winner!

Bitterness.  I was flat out bitter.  I was feeling under appreciated, and over used.  I, I, I, I, I...I was tired, and it ticked-me-off. 

I couldn't believe I had fallen victim to bitterness.  That's usually NOT my issue.  I had studied Romans 12 relentlessly as a teenager to help me not grow bitter from the teasing and bullying that I experienced at school.  I still can't believe that I so gradually created this Bitter Wall around my heart that was growing and over-taking my spirit.  

I decided that the buck was going to stop with me.  I needed God to renew my heart and the only way to do that was by humbly approaching him and asking forgiveness for my bitterness, bullheadedness, and self-righteousness. 

God immediately lifted the heavy yoke that I had been feeling across my shoulders.  I suddenly saw the beauty of the Christmas season around me.  I had renewed energy, and excitement for each day.  And now he's blowing my mind with ideas about this season, this universe, this planet which spins around each day in the perfect orbit in which God set it into motion.  

Evie's ornament;  made today!

Tonight I volunteered at my church's Christmas Musical Lightshow.  I'm only saying this as my justification for not writing what I INTENDED to write tonight~which is going to knock EVERYONE'S socks off.  I'll write about that tomorrow instead.  But allow me to wrap up this post by imploring each person reading this to talk to God tonight; confess any sins that have gone unconfessed between you and God.  He already knows, he sees all, he knows you; so be honest with him and ask him to come into your heart, to cleanse it, to renew it, and to give you a NEW heart condition.  He will eagerly enter into you heart and start the renovation. 

And tomorrow?  Oh, tomorrow holds so many promises.  I am praying that God helps me organize my thoughts, and my emotions, so I can create in everyone who reads this the sense of wonder and awe that I had this morning while sitting in church. 

My heart condition is radically new, and that has given me a clearer vision of who God is, what the Universe tells us about Him, and how truly indescribable is his love for the world.

Bitter Blood Bears Burdened Brains

Apparently, God wants me to consider my bitterness toward others...

Not ONLY was our sermon at church today on the burden of a bitter heart, but the couples devotional that Jeff and I read in the morning is focused right now on MERCY.  (The One Year Devotions for Couples, Ferguson.) 

So let me ask you the question that our pastor posed for us today...

Is there anyone with whom you are angry?

Did a face pop into your mind?  Did you whisper a name behind your lips?  I did...

Then you, and  I, are bitter.

(Insert cheesy Homer Simpson, "DOH!")

Yup.  I'm bitter.  Or, at least, I was...until the Holy Spirit finally opened my eyes to it today.  The human in us longs to hold on to that pain.  Why?  Because it's hard for us to believe that OUR worst transgressions could be forgiven, so CERTAINLY we can hold on to the bitter memories of others doing US wrong...right?

But listen to just how forgiving our God is...

He will not always accuse,
nor will he harbor his anger forever;
he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.
For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his love for those who fear him;
as far as the east is from the west,
so far has he removed our transgressions from us. Psalm 103: 9-12

How about this?

Who is a God like you,
who pardons sin and forgives the transgression
of the remnant of his inheritance?
You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy.
You will again have compassion on us;
you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea. Micah 7:18-19

Um...wow...this drums up in my mind the song by Casting Crowns... http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/castingcrowns/easttowest.html

Here I am, Lord, and I'm drowning in your sea of forgetfulness
The chains of yesterday surround me
I yearn for peace and rest

The best way for us to break free of our sins, is to forgive others for their sins.  God gives us this great gift of his Sea of Forgetfulness, but we can find ourselves drowning in it as we struggle to keep hold of those chains of sin, guilt, and bitterness.  They weigh us down, and continue to grow as our strength continues to fail.  The murky waters start to hide the chains, and the sand we kick up begins to blacken out the light from above...we struggle to stay afloat in our bitterness and shame...all we need to do is let God cast those chains DEEP into the sea to be forgotten forever. 

Why do we hold ON???

Our minds have learned that we want to win!  We want to be right!  We want the majority to vote in our favor and say, "Yeah!  I'm on your side!"  But God's vision is totally the opposite.  He says that mercy will be the winner.

Mercy triumphs over judgement. James 2:13

If we fail to believe that our all powerful, ever-loving God is able to forgive us for our sins~then we have NO FAITH.  Let's think about what all of this means!  God sent Christ to die on the cross for us~for our transgressions.  He bled and DIED so those sins could be cast away, flung to the ocean floor.  If we cannot accept that, and if we cannot accept that he did this ONCE AND FOR ALL...we have NOTHING. 

Forgiveness is not an option.  Forgiveness, love and mercy are what God has shown us, and what he has commanded we show one another. 

Do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with God. Micah 6:8

[Love] keeps no record of wrongs. 1 Cor. 13:5

You know that list?  That list of names you have in your head of the people who have done the wrong thing, said the wrong thing, written the wrong thing, voted the wrong way, put the wrong sign in their yard?  That list of "hurts"...like the time that so and so did this to you?  All those things that we are ready to chat about in a text, or post on facebook, or sarcastically mention to the person next to us at our kids' soccer game?  Guess what?  God already forgave it.  God already LOVES THAT PERSON all over again.  Does that make your blood boil?  Knowing that God loves that person JUST as much as he loves you?  But you never did ANYTHING like what THAT person did.  Really? 

Bitterness will continue to grow, will continue to spread, will continue to chain you to your own sins, while that other person against whom you harbor such thoughts and feelings has been forgiven, and may not even REMEMBER that thing which is the root of your bitterness. 

Okay, my heart is racing~blood pressure is up~and mind is spinning.  I have a lot of forgiving to do tonight...but for some reason I already feel lighter, happier, freer, and closer to God than I have in a LONG, LONG time.  I just got the green light to let go of all that pain from the past.  Actually, the light was green for a while now...someone just started honking behind me and woke me up to the fact that this day is new, God's love is new, and his mercy is new for me today, tomorrow, and always.

How GREAT is our God?