Category Archives: God Stuff

January 21, 2010 · 6:00 am

Questions That Catch Me By Surprise.

Anna:  Why does Johnry get to have two dads, and I only have one? 

Me:  Well, Anna……

John Henry:  Anna, it’s hard to explain.

John Henry was right.  It is hard to explain to a five year old.  But, I did explain why to her in the most effective way she could understand.  She went on about her day without mention of our conversation. 

It’s just her way.  She has always accepted our answers and explanations to deep questions and thoughts without  need for further discussion.  It’s the small stuff she struggles in.  Like why she can’t wear flip flops and shorts in a painful 10 degree wind chill.  Because, it isn’t cold.  To her. 

But, the big stuff?  She is my sponge.  “Mom, when we do something bad, God forgives us right away.” 

She knows this is true.  I’ve told her so.  And, she believes it. 

“No one is more powerful than God, Mom.”

And, my recent favorite:  “God can do a back flip better than anybody.”

Some questions catch me by surprise.  But, she listens to my answers.  Then, she’s okay.  She is learning to build her hope on nothing less than Jesus Christ.  She’s learning to filter every explanation through that hope. 

I love her acceptance.  I love her faith.  It doesn’t matter that she questions me on why wearing a purple bandana on her head is not appropriate all of the time. 

Having faith does matter. 

I tell her all of the time that she’s my favorite girl.

She really is.

2 Comments

Filed under divorce, God Stuff, Kid Stuff, Motherhood

Tagged as , , ,

January 19, 2010 · 6:00 am

Those Pears Can Be A Doozy.

It was a busy, emotional weekend.  Well, not too busy.  But, apparently it was emotional considering I broke down in the produce section at Super Target.  I don’t think it really matters why. 

It was the produce section, after all.  Kris was with me.  His expression was a silent “wow.”  He didn’t mention the tears over the tomatoes the rest of the shopping adventure. 

Until the check-out line when he pretended to cry over the jar of jalepenos, the bag of carrots, and the honey crisp apples. 

I would say, “the nerve.”  But the truth is….

He made me laugh.

My friend, Marla, made me feel better when she uncovered her sister Melanie’s pregnancy breakdown.  Poor girl cried when her person didn’t win the Showcase Showdown on the Price Is Right.  And, rightly so.  The Showcase Showdown is kind of a big deal.

It’s hard growing a person, people. 

To top it all off, I can’t even look at the devastation of Haiti.  But, I do.  Because, I refuse to be unaffected by it.  Unmoved.  Unwilling to do something.

I have to.  We all do.  Our hearts have to break over what breaks God’s heart.  Isaiah 61 says God has anointed us to bring good news to the poor and to comfort the brokenhearted.  I think it’s awesome that most of us can give something financially.  And, we should.  But, when I heard my friend, Amy Newberry, say this, it made me want to invest more than just my money:

“I really wish I could go to Haiti today and hold some of those precious women while they cry over the loss of their children.”

That’s a deeper level, friends.  It’s actually being the hands and feet of Christ.

God, please.  Break my heart for what breaks yours. 

And, bring healing to Haiti’s people.

15 Comments

Filed under giving, God Stuff, making an impact, pregnancy

Tagged as , , , , , ,

January 12, 2010 · 6:00 am

When Deep Secrets Are Revealed.

It’s one of the moments where I sit down to type my thoughts, and I can think of a gazillion things to write about.  I have so many thoughts, feelings, emotions, and spiritual things going on inside me that I hardly know where to begin.  I attempted to share a little of what I’m feeling with Kris last night.  I ended up just saying, “If I could take my spirit out and place it on a table for you to look at, then that would really help me right now.”  I don’t even have words for the look on his face after that comment.  But, he was encouraging still.  Whew.

1 Corinthians 2:9-10 says, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.”  10 But it was to us that God revealed these things by his Spirit.  For his Spirit searches out everything and shows us God’s deep secrets.” 

The only way for us to understand God’s will for our lives is through His Spirit.  The chapter continues, “11 No one can know a person’s thoughts except that person’s own spirit…..”  This totally explains why it’s so hard to communicate with others some of the things God’s Spirit reveals to you.  And, how beautiful it is when I am tuned into His Spirit.  And, how frustrating it can be when I am not.

God’s up to somethin’ good.  I just know He is.

2 Comments

Filed under God Stuff, Spiritual Journey

Tagged as , , ,

January 8, 2010 · 6:00 am

A Perfect Example.

A final thought on throwing spears….

Jesus Christ was the perfect man. 

Blameless.  Accused for things He did not do.

But, He did not defend Himself.  Not even on His way to the cross.

Isaiah 53:7 says, He was oppressed and treated harshly, yet he never said a word.  He was led like a lamb to the slaughter.  And as a sheep is silent before the shearers, he did not open his mouth.

When the woman caught in adultery was brought to Jesus, He simply responded by asking anyone without sin to throw that first stone.  The only person who could have thrown a stone was Jesus Christ himself. 

And, He didn’t.

What do I do with my spears?

I think I know the answer.

1 Comment

Filed under God Stuff, life

Tagged as , , , ,

January 7, 2010 · 8:38 am

A Little Reminder.

Guest Blog:  Mike Oliver

Mike and his wife, Shari, pastor Coastal Community Church in Fort Walton Beach, Florida.  Mike is one of my mentors, and he also cooks my favorite peas whenever I visit.

Sharing with a friend last night, I reminded him of something we all know but fail to rest in way too often.  After hearing his circumstances, I remembered what I tell myself from time to time and reminded him this simple truth… “God is your source”.

We tend to lean on what we do and what we know.  We become secure in our ability to be “self-sufficient “.  The difficult part of self-sufficiency is the word “self”.  It may just be me, but too many times our friend “self” shines like a rock star then suddenly shows up INsufficient.

God reminded us through this passage in Isaiah:

Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, who rely on horses, who trust in the multitude of their chariots and in the great strength of their horsemen, but do not look to the Holy One of Israel, or seek help from the LORD. Isaiah 31:1

When we are making the cash and rolling at work and home, we get this independent feeling and false sense of security that WE have done it all!  Here lies the foundation for two ugly emotions to roll.  One is pride.  We get this haughtiness and sense of accomplishment.  The other ugly emotion is the bookend of this play.  After you have placed confidence in your self-sufficiency and hit the inevitable wall of lack, fear comes in and puts demands on your “self.”  And, in the end our “self” is found wanting!

Don’t get me wrong, God places gifts in our lives to have success in life, and if we are smart, we use our talents and time to honor Him and live in fruitfulness.  But we are thinking best when we know there is only one who is all sufficient.  This thinking gives us two better bookends of emotion. One is humility, always thanking God for fruitfulness.  And, the other is trust, giving us an anchor in times of need.

And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.  2 Corinthians 9:8

3 Comments

Filed under God Stuff

Tagged as , , , , ,

January 4, 2010 · 6:00 am

Don’t Make Noise. Make A Difference.

Why yes, of course, I missed you.  Did you miss me?  Taking the last week of the year to spend solely with my family just seemed like the right thing to do.  I’m glad I did.  But, I did miss talkin’ to y’all.

There are plenty of photos from this season I could post, but this one is my favorite.  It’s Anna Takle, day one, at my parents’ house, in search of gifts that read her name.  One day, I’m going to miss little bodies under a Christmas tree, shaking their presents with smiles planted across their face.  It really is the most wonderful time of the year.

But, I’d like to experience many wonderful times of this new year.  I heard my dad recently share on how many of us make New Year’s resolutions to work out, eat less – even though, it profits us little.  However, resolving to pursue Christ above all else, love Him with all our heart, soul, and mind profits us much.  I’m letting that be my New Year’s resolution. 

So often, we focus on things that bother us.  We let those things take up more space than our love for God.  How wrong is that?  A couple of days ago, Mark Batterson posted this on Twitter:

“quit criticizing and start creating.   don’t focus on what’s wrong.   do something right.   don’t make noise.   make a difference.”

Wow.  That’s what it’s all about.  The only way we are ever going to get to that point is to stop being so dang negative and start loving God.  Really loving God.  And, pursuing Him as relentlessly as Anna pursued her gifts. 

I bet we might just discover a few gifts, too. 

That’s my resolution. 

Yours?

2 Comments

Filed under God Stuff, Kid Stuff, Love, Spiritual Journey

Tagged as , , , , , ,

December 24, 2009 · 8:39 am

This Christmas.

I pray that the peace that comes from Christ will rule in your heart.  (Colossians 3:15)  Today and everyday.

Merry Christmas!

Love,

Kris, Dusty, John Henry, Anna (and baby Jett)

5 Comments

Filed under God Stuff, prayer

Tagged as ,

December 23, 2009 · 8:16 am

Born Into His Destiny.

I have to keep this short and sweet, because I have a plethora of Christmas festivities yelling my name in anticipation. Like eating my mother-in-law’s lace cookies and taking a nap later. But I, at least, wanted to share something completely awesome my dad shared this past Sunday. Something I had never heard before about the birth of Christ.

You know the story. Jesus was born in a manger (Anna says this could also be called a barn. She’s brilliant, folks.) Nowhere around was the comfort of a sweet, plush blanket to cradle Him in. So, He was wrapped in a swaddling cloth. These swaddling cloths were not just random pieces of material.

They were burial clothes.

The burial clothes used during this time to wrap the bodies of those passed.

Coincidence?

Come on. This is God we’re talking about.

He so loved the world that He sent His son…..

He was born for the cross.
For you. For me.

He was born into His destiny.

And, I can never look at a nativity scene the same again.

I’m continually overwhelmed by a God who loves us so much.

5 Comments

Filed under God Stuff

Tagged as , , ,

December 11, 2009 · 6:00 am

I Like The Hustle & Bustle, But I Need This More.

Hustle.

Bustle.

This Christmas party.

That Christmas party.

Christmas lists.

Christmas shopping.

Christmas travel.

So easy to get lost in it all.

So easy to lose its meaning.

Yesterday, I had one thought in my hustle and bustle:

I just want to put it all aside and throw myself down at the altar of Jesus Christ.
Experience His peace.
Delight in His joy.
Bathe in His love.

Just for a moment.

Maybe longer.

You?

“Love is what’s in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen.”  – Author Unknown

2 Comments

Filed under God Stuff, life

Tagged as , , , , , , , , ,

December 9, 2009 · 6:00 am

They Can’t Always Get What They Want.

It’s easy to become preoccupied with what other people think about us.  It’s also the quickest way to forget what God thinks about us.  We become performance-minded.  We seek to please others.  And, in the meantime, we ignore what God is calling us to do.  We mean well.  We really do.  We don’t want to disappoint those around us.  We don’t want to let them down.

If there is one lesson we learn quickly in life, it’s that we can’t make everyone happy. 

I’ve always struggled with being a people pleaser.  I struggle saying “no.”  I become obsessed with making sure I perform and live up to others’ expectations. 

But, I’m getting better at this.

While respecting and loving other people is important, it’s more important to do what GOD wants us to do. 

I have to serve Him first.  I have to become obsessed with doing what HE wants me to do.

Obviously, I’m not trying to win the approval of people, but of God.  If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ’s servant.  Galatians 1:10

How do you fair in the people-pleaser category?

6 Comments

Filed under God Stuff, Relationships

Tagged as , , ,