Looking for a Green Pasture!

I often rely on humor to help me manage life's circumstances. This week has definitely had its challenges. As I sit here tonight, I can't help but laugh out loud at the bitter irony of life. You see I believe that God has more confidence in me than I have in myself. If this week is any example, this is fact not theory. God has created a work in me and continues to work in my life. However, I think that this week He has been working overtime! Now please understand, I mean this lighthearted in every sense. I know how much He loves me and in all cirucumstances gives me everything I need! EVERYTHING! This is simply my humorous response to a week that has been less than optimal!

I think God appreciates laughter and humor and find it to be a much healthier response than other alternatives. With this being said, I am ready for a break! I think I've had enough character building for the week. I have more than sharpened my skills to persevere. I now am ready for the quite green pastures beside the still waters! Remember, don't take offense this is just my response to poke fun at a difficult situation.

Ultimately, I know this too shall pass. After all tomorrow is another day, let's just hope itl's not a repeat of this one! LOL =D

Insult vs. Integrity

The past few days I have found myself in a most precarious position. Thus, I find myself awake and sleepless at 3:00 in the morning plagued with the hauntings of my mind over the situation. You would think I would have learned by now that people do not always live up to expectations. But I think the "Pollyanna" in me, is still surprised when people do not behave well.

But herein lies the bitter irony, although someone has behaved less than desirable; manipulative; and has proceeded in a manner with total disregard to my input, thoughts or feelings; I can not lower myself to act in kind. Yes, I would love to get in their face and punch them with a rampage of sentiment which would totally be in line with their infractions. Believe you me I have played these conversations over and over again in my mind. However, I can not. Because when everything is said and done, I must live with my actions. Therefore, I choose to proceed with actions which are above reproach.

Now let me make one thing perfectly clear. This does not mean I do not stand up for myself. This does not mean that I don't speak my mind. Trust me I have no problem with this. What I do struggle with is how much I want to punch them with insult, but instead choose to articulate my position with intellect and grace. I think the punching would feel better in the short term, but know to handle it with grace helps me to live with a more clear conscience. Of course at 3:00 in the morning, it is difficult to take solace to this approach.

To the individuals who have procured your position within this posting, I will approach you with integrity and grace. However, do know that like an elephant I don't forget. For every action there is a reaction. I do believe that in time you will feel the consequences of your choices and behaviors. As for me, you will receive nothing less than my benevolence.

I'm not sure that this will be read or even understood. I do know how therapeutic for me it is to deliberate upon the written word; to place the rantings of my mind upon paper helps me to process. The opportunity to put into words the thoughts and feelings is calming. Perhaps I might even find my way back to bed and find sleep tonight after all. One can hope! =D

Is your attitude in check? Alice's is!!!!

Earlier today, I had the distinct pleasure of watching a video about a woman named Alice. Alice is the oldest living Holocaust survivor. She is living a vibrant life. Daily she is visited by friends; plays her piano; and truly has an amazing perspective on life. Throughout the video her face was joyful and she laughed often. She is by pure definition beautiful. I was astounded as I listened to this woman's story. She was a concert pianist in 1942 in Prague. She was shipped to a concentration camp. A camp which she survived. But to listen to her story, she not only survived she lived. Even in the darkness of the camp, within the burden of her oppression, she lived! Throughout the video she shares her perspectives on life, here are a few which stood out to me as I watched:

"I love people, I love everyone"
"I am interested in the life of other people"
"Every day in life is beautiful"
"I never stopped laughing"
"Hate breeds hate - I never hate"

What we all can learn from Alice is the importance of our attitude and keeping a positive perspective on life. I truly believe that our attitude is one of the most mitigating factors in determining our quality of life. It is so beneficial to our well being to look for the good in every situation. God reminds us of this in Philippians 4:8 (The Message) "Summing it all up friends, I'd say you'll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious - the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse."

Alice gets it. She has lived her life full and abundantly. I love it! I want to live my life that full. I have not lived a perfect life, and Lord knows I have my challenges. But I really strive to keep things in a proper perspective. I do believe that attitude is everything. My attitude can enhance my quality of life. Charles Swindoll summed it up quite nicely when he said "Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it".

Life is an adventure embrace it and remember attitude is everything!

Philippians 1:21 "For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain"

I just started studying Philippians. It has always been one of my favorite letters and I just want to spend some time and go deeper. I love the example of faith lived by Paul. I love his attitude, faith and resolve. This simple verse is such a great reminder to me. For Paul, life is summed up in Jesus Christ. Christ was his reason for being.

I must be honest here, I can lose sight of this. It is my heart's desire to live day to day with Christ being my sole reason for being. But I have to admit the noise of life distracts me. I forget to focus on Him. I get caught up in life that I forget He is what makes it more meaningful. In Him, I am more capable, strong and confident. I know I am better when I keep Him at the center of my being. It isn't always easy to do this.

However, I am not going to beat myself up over it. To know Christ does not mean I have arrived. When we embrace Jesus the journey is just beginning. I am a work in progress. My hope and prayer is that with every day I will embrace my journey with awe and importance. I am not complete. But Phil 1:6 assures me that I can be confident God is faithful to work in my life and He is faithful to complete it! (Phil 1:6 - being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion)

One final reminder for myself, it really is a slow process. We live in an instant society. We can get anything we want how we want it and when we want it. Our journey is a life time process. We need to anticipate that growth is slow. But I know to persevere and continue in my journey with Jesus is so worth the effort and time. My prayer this week is that I approach my faith as a work in progress, focusing on God's good purpose for all things, and striving to keep Him at the center of my being. Praise God that I don't have to complete it today. Today is another day in the journey and God is faithful in all His goodness and mercy to be with me every step of the way.

Philippians 1:21 "For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain"

"If the request is wrong, God says, "No".

If the timing is wrong, God says, "Slow"

If you are wrong, God says "Grow"

But if the request is right,

If the timing is right,

If you are right, God says "Go"

-Bill Hybels

I came across this quote in my quiet time this morning! It was a great reminder of the importance of our prayer life. A powerful prayer life is valuable . . . but it does come with a price. You see often when we pray and petition God; but it is the wrong request; we have the wrong motive or the wrong timing. The price to a powerful prayer life is our willingness to grow; to sacrifice our selfish desires; and to set aside our sinful ways. We must be willing to come before God with absolute humility, seeking Him and trusting Him. I believe that when we come to a place of submission before God, setting aside our ambitions, God will show up and He will hear our prayers.

2 Chronicles 7:14 (Message) "My God defined people, respond by humbling themselves, praying, seeking my presence, and turning their backs on their wicked lives,; I'll be ready for you, I'll listen from heaven".

One final thought on a powerful prayer life. A joyful attitude is priceless! Joy is a deeply rooted confidence that God is in control! It is our choice to pursue joy. A joyful heart is a choice for God and an act of obedience to God. As a matter of fact a heart of joy and thankfulness is God's will for you!

1 Thes. 5:16-18 "Be joyful always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus"

I believe that prayer is one of God's greatest gifts. I hope that we all can strive to have a more powerful prayer life as we seek God daily in our lives.

Have a joyful day!

I'M NOT AN OBAMA FAN!

Last week, I had an individual blast me when I expressed a political satire poking fun at President Obama. This person actually remarked on my lack of intelligence. At first, I was really taken back by it. It really caught me off guard. I may not be an Albert Einstein, but I do think I am highly functioning when it comes to my mental capabilities. Then I stepped back from the situation. The old adage came to mind "Don't talk politics or religion with friends".

Politics is a "hot" issue. But here is my take on the situation. Just because I did not share the political views with this woman, does not mean my intelligence is in question. The reality is: a true sign of intelligence is when we respect each other's opinions. Isn't it delightful that God created all of us with cognitive ability to process, think and discern what we believe to be true and right, especially in the grey areas such as politics? We all don't have to share the same political views. Diversity is wonderful; iron sharpens iron. It is a good thing that we all have our own opinions. I will make an intelligent choice to respect these differences and not insult an adverse opinion or the individual who supports them. To the woman who insulted me, I am indifferent to your assessment of me. I know who I am, like what I believe and respect that we are different!

“May God grant you always...

A sunbeam to warm you, a moonbeam to charm you,

a sheltering Angel so nothing can harm you.

Laughter to cheer you. Faithful friends near you.

And whenever you pray, Heaven to hear you.”

Reality vs. Perception

Have you ever found yourself perplexed about a person, situation or an event? You analyze the circumstances in an effort to evaluate and surmise what is true. Often you deliberate in your head for days and finally reach your conclusions. Then days later you find out you weren’t even close to reality.

As we experience life we pick up filters and paradigms which impact our perceptions. I believe that we can not help but be impacted in our thought process by our life experiences. Thus, any one of us can look at a situation and evaluate it differently. However, often it is distorted reality.

I know most of us wish to evaluate a situation properly. We want truth. I believe that it is possible to see our circumstances accurately. This is possible if we seek God and He will give us understanding. I find myself praying every day that God will let me see people, events, trials, frustrations, etc., as He sees them. Not through the eyes of the world but through His eyes. The world distorts reality but God reveals truth and will give us wisdom if we only seek Him. Every day I pray that God will reveal truth to me. I trust in Him. He consistently helps me and I know that my warped perceptions are brought more clearly into perspective when I look to God for truth. There are so many great scriptures on trusting God and His revelation of truth. But I would like to share two which have stood out to me this past week:

Psalm 25:5 “Guide me in your truth and teach me for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long,”

Proverbs 3:5-6 “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.”

Chase truth through the eyes of God!

God wants us to keep on keeping on. He doesn't ask us to do great and grand things for his Kingdom. He asks us to be consistent and faithful. A consistent, faithful person is the one who gets more accomplished over the long haul.

MAKE A JOYFUL NOISE

Psalm 100:1-2 "Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs."

Today I went to church, I found my place and got there just before praise and worship started. I didn't pay much attention to who was seated behind me. I was just thankful that I had made it on time! (For those of you who truly know me you can appreciate this accomplishment.) The worship leader stepped forward and began to play. The congregation joined in song; from behind me a very loud and confident noise rang out. Based on the range, I assumed it was a man. (If I had based exclusively on pitch, I would have assumed an injured animal). It caught me off guard at first. I was amazed that someone this vocally challenged would sing out so boldly and with such volume. I actually was a little annoyed that I was subjected to the noise which bellowed from the man behind me; worship interrupted!

As I sat there Psalm 100:1-2 came to my mind (God prompted of course!). As I mediated on this verse, my perspectives were changed. The man behind me was shouting for joy to the Lord; a joyful noise! His heart was filled with gladness as he sang out to God in worship. His voice in those moments of my reflection was transformed. No longer the annoying clanging of a man singing off pitch, it was now from the heart of a man who was worshiping the Lord. I enjoyed his song!

Worship ended and we all sat down. Sitting there, I was reminded that God doesn't look for perfection. He does not need beautiful, perfect on pitch voices. God looks at the heart. This is where praise and worship comes from. God wants our hearts.

I love living in Southern California.

Yesterday, Madison and I spent our evening

chasing waves and the sunset.

It was a spectacular sunset, such beauty. Loved the beauty and the time with my amazing girl.

Thought I would post a few pictures and share with you!

S - stength from God

T - to

O - overcome with

R - righteous behavior

M - my trials and tribulations

Week of 12/07 - 12/13

This week I started a bible study - "Strength for the Storm". One of my goals while working through the study is to identify truths for my life. You know what I mean, you are reading a scripture and it is as if God taps you on the shoulder and says "Pay attention to this one". Here are my truths for the past week.

• God is enough for every need in my life.
• God uses trials in our lives as tools of refinement to build in us a Godly endurance.

They spoke to my heart and are an encouragement. I thought it would be good to post them here and share them with you.

Make it a great day.

Romans 5:3-5 (The Message)

There's more to come: We continue to shout our praise even when we're hemmed in with troubles, because we know how troubles can develop passionate patience in us, and how that patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue, keeping us alert for whatever God will do next. In alert expectancy such as this, we're never left feeling shortchanged. Quite the contrary—we can't round up enough containers to hold everything God generously pours into our lives through the Holy Spirit!

Praise God even in the storms! Although the storms can be hard and unbearable at times, there can be benefits in riding out the storm. The core benefit being a changed life. If we keep our heart and attitude in the right place we will build character and have strong virtue in our lives; "tempered steel virtue". God wants us to live a life which is full and blessed. He will not shortchange us. God will give us an abundant life as he pours his love into our lives!

Michelle's Psalm

Life is uncertain

The path I am on is unclear.

I look to the future

It is unknown.

It scares me, befuddles me.

I want to know;

I need answers.

I desire to hope, do I dare?

You, Oh Lord, I cling to

for you are the map.

What is unclear or uncertain to me;

you know definitively.

Blindly I cling to you.

I hold on, for you love me.

You know the path;

You have a plan.

You give the hope my heart thirsts for.

You are all I need!

You, Oh Lord, keep me going when I may desire to give up.

You reveal truth when the perceptions of my head deceive me!

With you, I can face anything.

All things are possible in you.

Life is uncertain.

But my God, you have made yourself known.

Your promices give me

the hope I need;

the air I breathe;

the calm in the storm;

the light for my path!

YOU ARE MY EVERYTHING!

Life is uncertain, but today

I put my hope in you

for you are certain!

My God is not punitive!

I had an interesting discussion this week with a respected individual who I had as a teacher many years ago. The point of contention was whether or not God “prescribes” trials. My opponent opined that God sends trials as medicine which our gracious and wise Physician prescribes because we need them. I do not agree. The thought of God contriving trials to send my way is not the God of grace, love and mercy that I have come to know through the Bible.

It is my opinion that trials are challenges that we face and endure. There are some trials we impugn upon ourselves based upon our actions. These trials are consequences of our own choices. There are also trials we must endure that are thrust upon us based on someone else’s choices. James 1 states that as Christians we will have situations which come our way which test and challenge us. These tests are a catalyst to growth and maturity. These trials will also force our faith into the open and show our true colors. Further in James 1, it says that every desirable and beneficial gift comes from heaven. There is nothing deceitful about God, nothing two-faced, nothing fickle. I do not believe that God prescribes trials. He does however allow us to experience them so that we may grow. Trials and suffering produces perseverance, character and hope; hope does not disappoint us. (Rom. 5:3-4). God does not designate trials to be delivered upon us. Most trials are a direct consequence of man’s choices. However, God does allow us to experience them. I can say with confidence that He is by my side every step of the way as I navigate through them. My God is always there for me, guiding, protecting, instructing and comforting. In Him, I have strength, hope and joy to persevere through any trial. God is my help and my refuge. (Psalm 121)

I do agree that trials and testing are a necessary part of life which God uses to grow us. The difference in thinking between my friend and I is he sees them as prescribed (appointed, ordained or enjoined) by God. I see them as allowed (to permit) by God. My God is not punitive. My God is a loving God filled with grace and mercy. He is my refuge and hope.

I am Ninja!

Psalm 18:28 -29

You, Oh Lord, keep my lamp burning

my God turns my darkness into light

With your help I can advance against a troop

with God I can scale a wall

I love these two verses. There are times where it seems like I just can't continue on my own. But, God can "keep my lamp burning". I am not in this life alone He is with me every step of the way. In Him, I can persevere and make it though anything. My lamp will keep burning!

I also sometimes just don't know what to do. I feel like I am in the dark and do not know what is real and what are perceptions created in my mind. God "turns my darkness into light". God can give me the wisdom I need. He always can reveal what is true and can help me to see things as He does. In Him, I have a more true perspective on what is real. He turns my darkness into light.

I also love that "with God I can scale a wall". In Him, I can do anything; get through any situation, be strong, have hope, and all things are possible. I can scale a wall. In God, I am Ninja :-)

The Serenity Prayer

(Reinhold Niebuhr)

God grant me the serenity

to accept the things I cannot change;

courage to change the things I can;

and wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time;

Enjoying one moment at a time;

Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;

Taking, as He did, this sinful world

as it is, not as I would have it;

Trusting that He will make all things right

if I surrender to His will;

That I may be reasonably happy in this life

and supremely happy with Him

Forever in the next.

Amen

John 15:1 "I am the true vine, and my Father is the Gardener"

It has always been a hobby of mine to spend time gardening. I enjoy working in the garden. Planting seeds and watching them grow. Weeding out the harmful plants which might choke out the ones I desire to be there. Watering and feeding the garden. Pruning away the wild branches on the plant so that it might grow more full and lush. Pruning it to shape it to add beauty to the garden.

I love the picture of God as my Gardener and my life as the garden. He tenderly works on my life. Nurturing me and loving me, watching me grow. It is His utmost desire for me to thrive. Weeding to make sure that I am healthy and vital. Pruning away the baggage and issues in an effort to help me grow into the person He has created me to be. With tenderness, love and devotion, He watches over my life to make all things beautiful.

My Heavenly Father is the Gardner of my life!

Welcome to my page.

This is where I can share the mayhem of my life.