Tune Up or Complete Overhaul?

When I saw today's prompt, I thought of Elly May Clampett and how she needed refining.  Her daddy wanted to make a lady out of her.

You know, when our car is acting up, we take it to a mechanic for a tune up.

When our bodies are sore and aching and something doesn't seem quite right, we visit the doctor for a diagnosis.

When our homes are aging, paint is peeling, and foundation is shifting, we call in the experts for a complete renovation.

And it makes me think that that is where we are today. A day after our Presidential Inauguration.

This is not a political post.  I'm not endorsing any person or any party.

I'm endorsing America.

Ya'll.

We need a complete overhaul.

We need refining.

We need to be made ladies and gentlemen who have pride and respect and compassion and empathy.

Is President Trump the guy to help lead us there?  Maybe.  But he can't do it if we don't stand behind him, and he definitely can't do it if he isn't led by God.

So that's where we need to come together.  We need to gather together and pray. Not protest. We need to pray so we can be the country that brings honor and glory to God, not honor and glory to our selfish desires.

When Good Things Come to an End

I love a good book and a good cup of coffee. Hence the picture above. However, I do have a confession to make.....

Moments ago, I finished reading Five Minute Friday: A Collection of Stories Written in Five Minutes Flat.

Well, that may not sound like a newsworthy confession, but I started the book at the end of September. And I'll admit, I had a difficult time getting through the book.

Not because it was terribly awful

But because it was terribly wonderful.

This book holds so much of my heart, and I couldn't let it go quickly. I had to cherish every story, every page because these people, well, they are my people.

The Five Minute Friday Community is an amazing group of writers.  They cheer you on. They encourage you. They pray for you.  They become a part of you.

And this book becomes a part of you.  Page by page, word by word, I found bits and pieces of myself. You know those bits, those pieces you don't want to share because Satan tells you that you are all alone and no one else can relate.  Well, these brave writers share those dark places.  And they share those bright places.  And in all of these places, their words point to God.  Whether the prompt was  JOY, HOPE, SHARE, or TELL, the stories spoke of our struggles as moms, wives, sisters, friends, and sinners and how Christ our Redeemer reveals Himself to us.

And for me, I wanted to hold on to this book as long as possible. I wanted to hurry to page 137 to find my own words, but I went slowly.  And when I reached that part, my hand ran over the page, and I thanked God for the opportunity to share my story.

Now, the book is closed, yet I know it won't stay that way.  I'll come back to it time and time again.  I'll read those words of my Five Minute Friday friends. I'll share those words with others.  And I will hope and pray that maybe, just maybe, there will be a "sequel" one of these days.

I encourage you, get a copy of this book, not because my words are in it, but because it is full of love.  The writers of this book are eager to share with you how your heart can be shared in five minutes flat!

In the Midst of It All

I hate being in the middle of anything.  I don't particularly like to be the center of attention, so my comfortable spot is on the sidelines.  However, that's not always possible.

As a teacher, I spend most of my day trying to keep the attention of young, wandering minds.  As a pastor's wife, I know that all eyes are on me and my family.  During Sunday school, I sit in the middle so I can see all of those I'm teaching, and they can see me.  And tomorrow, I will lead a Prayer Breakfast for the women of our church.

However, in the midst of all of this, when I seem to be the center of attention, I want all that I do and all that I say to point straight to Christ.  After all, it isn't about me.  It's about Him.

I want my interactions in the classroom and school building to bring Him honor and glory.

I want my behavior and attitude as a pastor's wife to never fall short of Christ-like.

I want my Sunday School class to hear Him during the lesson.

I want Him to be the center of our gathering tomorrow.

I want Him in the middle of all I do: my marriage, my family, my career....my everything.

Connect

Ok. Confession....

I had this whole other post written for Five Minute Friday, but as I went through previous pictures from my blog archive, I had many more thoughts about the word CONNECT.  Thoughts and memories that I couldn't pass up.

So, today, for my first FMF post of 2017, I'm going to cheat, but I'm going to be true to my feelings and how they actually connect to the prompt.  I'm going to reset my timer and start over.

I'm not the most social person in the world.  Making friends hasn't always been easy for me.  I've got lots of insecurities.  Deep down, I really want people to like me, but I don't always put myself out there to know and to be known.  It is safer that way.  I won't wonder what I've done wrong if my friend doesn't talk to me as much as I'd like and I don't risk losing a friend.

But I do want those friendships and close personal connections.  I'm not going to risk losing myself to get those. I'm not go to work to belong.

The way I figure it is this.....True friendship will come if it is supposed to. In my almost 40 years walking this earth, I've made friends and I've lost friends.  I've had long time friends and I've had friends for a season.  And I'm fine with that.

I'm grateful for the relationships I have.  

I have an amazingly wonderful family. I'm blessed with a husband who loves and adores me.  I'm blessed with children that love and want their mama to play with them, laugh with them, and just cuddle.  I'm blessed with a few close friends that I know would be there for me in a heartbeat.  I'm blessed with a church family that.....well, they are just unlike any group of people that I've met because they love and serve and encourage, not out of obligation, but because that's just who they are.  I have coworker friends I can laugh with and pray with and vent to.  I have online friends that I've never met and a few I have, but they each have a special place in my heart.   Most of all, I have my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Journey

These kids y'all.

They have a journey ahead of them.  A journey they just don't even know.

As I spend time with them each day, as I get to know them, as I see what our world is like today, my heart aches.  They don't even have a clue.

Our world is in a mess and these kids have hope and dreams.  Some have a grasp on reality. Some have no concept of reality. And for some, oh, my! We would not survive in their reality.


For some of these children, I fear what the end of their journey will be like.  For others, I'm afraid they will waste the journey.  And then, there are those that their journeys will end in success and joy.

I want to make the path straight.

I want to make the path well lit.

I want to make the path easy to follow.

But what then?  What would they get from that? What would they learn?

I saw a question posed on social media the other day asking why this particular person's journey was so tough.  There are many reasons: our choices, our sins, the sins of others. And there is this: If the journey was easy, would we feel the need for Jesus?  I've found strength and growth in my hardest journeys, and as difficult as it is, we must let these little ones do the same.

 Thank you for joining me today, this lovely finally fall feeling Friday.  If you haven't stopped by Kate's yet, please do so.  She has a great giveaway going on!

While you are there, spread the Five Minute Friday love.

Five Minute Friday: Eat

Y'all, I like food. A lot.  I wake up in the morning wondering what I will have for lunch.  Before lunch, I wonder what I will have for dinner.

I used to be a pretty picky eater. But growing up on pork chops and pinto beans, I eagerly began trying new foods.  I found that I love seafood and Chinese and Japanese food.  I love Reese's Pieces and Rolo's.

I like to eat.

Sometimes that can be a problem.

I've had problems with the eat to live versus live to eat dilemma.

At one time, it got so bad that I lost 32 pounds in a short amount of time.

I'm also an emotional eater.  Happy? Eat. Sad? Eat. Bored? Eat.

I have to be careful because I know that food can control me. I've been there and done that. Thankfully, at that pivotal point in my life, I escaped the chains that food held on me.

However, I know that I can easily fall back into that trap.  Those moments of weakness or deliciousness can grab hold of me quickly.  Too quickly. I've had those moments, moments I haven't been proud of myself.  But I thank God that He is with me, giving me the conviction of my sin and weakness and picking me up when I have failed.

Thank you so much for joining me for Five Minute Friday. Would you do me a favor?  Would you stop by my class blog and show some Five Minute Friday love to my students.  Three of them posted their first FMF prompts today.  Just click HERE to check them out.

Five Minute Friday: Mail

My favorite writing time of the week: time with my Five Minute Friday friends, both old and new.  We breathe deep as we read Kate's one word prompt. We exhale. Then, we write for five minutes flat.

Today's prompt: MAIL.

Mail. It's one of those things we get a love/hate relationship with.  I love mail from friends and family, learning how they are doing, seeing how their children are growing.  I love those birthday cards and Christmas cards.  But I loathe junk mail and bills.  I see bills as a means of survival. You know, doctor's bills are necessary, but the cost......eesh!

I've anticipated the mail many times. Most recently, I've anticipated the arrival of my Five Minute Friday book and sweatshirt (technically, the sweatshirt was mom's mail, but still).

The purpose of mail is to bring us word of something.

I'd like to look at God's Word as mail too.

Psalm 143:8 says, "Let the morning bring me word of Your unfailing love."

And you know what?  I anticipate my time in God's Word each morning.  It brings me word of His love and the hope and peace only found in Him.  It's mail that I want to open and read each and every day.

Mail.  You might think that this is an unusual word to write about, but I encourage you to join the Five Minute Friday community. Head over to Kate's to find out what others have to say about mail.



Don't forget to leave some love when you visit someone's blog.  One of the reason's I love FMF is the encouragement of the community.

Five Minute Friday: Test

As a teacher, one of the things I hate doing the most is grading tests.  I get so disappointed and frustrated when I score them because I know of all the hard work that went into preparing my students for the test and their hard work learning the material.  But when those averages come out lower than I anticipated.....well, it just stinks.

And I wonder if God looks at us the same way.  He prepares us, molds us, refines us for things to come.  For the test.  And then what happens?  Sometimes we pass with flying colors and sometimes we fail miserably.

Any either case, whether my fifth grade reading test or God's test, why do we fail?

I think a lot of time it is effort.  We give up before we ever get started.  That isn't fair to the teacher or the student.

I tell my students to treat everything....homework, pre-assessments, fire drills.....as if it were the real thing.

And as for this life of ours?? We only get this one shot.  One try to pass the test.

Five Minute Friday: Collect

It is a happy Friday in the Five Minute Friday Community.  We are all giddy over the release of the Five Minute Friday book.  It is a beautiful collection of stories written in five minutes flat. So, I guess it is only fitting that today's prompt is Collect.

Once upon a time, my husband and I would collect things. Nascar and KISS items for him and Barbie dolls for me.  That was BC: before children.

Now our children collect things. Rocks, Pokemon cards, maps, coins, knives.

Collecting is fun.  I always liked the challenge of finding something that was unique and hard to get my hands on.

But now, those items my husband and I collected are sitting in boxes, collecting something themselves: dust.

Those boxes are doing us no good whatsoever.  They could now be considered a waste of money, space, and time.  Although I wouldn't go that far.  We had a great time bonding with one another as newlyweds to find those items.

But now, I try to store up other things.  I live differently and try to teach my children differently.  The things I do and buy now have more of a purpose.  Hopefully, they are more meaningful.  Now, I want the things I do and buy to make a difference, strengthen, encourage, or be helpful to some one.

And I think of what my sweet friend Glenda always said, "Store up things in heaven.  Lead others to Christ, for those are the things that matter."

Isn't that a beautiful thought?  Oh, that we would have heart so filled with love and compassion that everything we do is a treasure in heaven. Souls saved, hungry fed, naked clothed, hurting loved.  We should be the hands and feet of Jesus in all we do.

And I want to say this about the Five Minute Friday Community.  They love, they encourage, they make a difference. They do it each week through these writing prompts, and Susan Shipe has helped by publishing a collection of five minute stories.  This proceeds from this book are going to help two amazing charities.

Get your hands on one of these books today.  You'll be blessed by the collection of words inside. Oh, don't forget to get your Five Minute Friday gear too.  I have it on good authority that I'm getting something from this collection for my birthday. Thanks, Mom!

Before you go, read this week's blog posts and enter to win a copy of the Five Minute Friday book.  Yep, that's right.

I've got one for me and one for you!  You can enter write now by clicking on my picture!  Good luck and happy Friday!

Five Minute Friday: Five

I've never thought much about the number five.  Two has always been my favorite number.  But now that I think about it.....

There are five members of my family.

There are five days in a work week.

We have five fingers on each hand and five toes on each foot (and when we have a baby, us new moms look for those exact numbers).

We high five each other in celebration.

Teachers hold up their hands and say, "Give me Five," in order to get their students' attention.

Moms want just five minutes of peace and quiet.

Five minutes.

When I was in high school, we had five minutes to get from one class to another.

Five minutes.

It doesn't seem like much time.  However,  with this online community, five minutes is life changing.

Because of five minutes, I've shared the power of words.

Because of five minutes, I've connected with amazing writers across the country.

Because of five minutes, I came out of my comfort zone and attended a weekend getaway with total strangers.

Five minutes.  It can change your life.

A few years ago, I took the five minute journey with LisaJo Baker.  I joined her and this amazing online community many Fridays (and some other random days when I couldn't find five minutes on Friday).  We share words, many words, over a one word prompt each week.

Then, LisaJo handed over the reigns to Kate Motaung.  Honestly, I wasn't sure about this change.  But it was all good. This change brought the first ever Five Minute Friday Retreat.  And the best news, it was going to be outside of Nashville.  Could it be possible that this socially awkward girl might attend????

I did and I loved it!

Five minutes.

Because of this Five Minute Movement, Community, Family, whatever you want to call it, I am changed.  My confidence has grown.  I've met "my people."  And a dream as come true.

My words are now in the pages of a book.

The Five Minute Friday Book: A Collection of Stories Written in Five Minutes Flat releases on Monday, September 26.

Y'all. That's cause for celebration!  Give me a virtual high five right now!

Susan Shipe, another amazing writer, has collected our online stories and had them printed in a book. All proceeds from the sale of this book go to two amazing charities.

Are you as excited as I am??? If so, here's what you have to do.  Come back here to the blog on Monday (and Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday) of next week.  Each day I will repost an old Five Minute Friday post.  Within that post will be a challenge for you because I just might give away a copy of the Five Minute Friday Book. Maybe. Just maybe.