Let it Go, Let it End... Part 2

It's funny how God moves, speaks to us, grabs us, by our boot straps to get our attention...
It's not funny, ha ha... it's simply intriguing...it's just too COOL!

I began writing my last post on the 15th of August, but didn't post it until yesterday... on LETTING GO! Today as I was sitting in church I was chuckling to myself as I listened to the pastor speak on Letting Go.

Ohhh was I listening... God was speaking to me directly through Pastor Bil.

I definitely know God was speaking to me.... because this has been on my heart for almost 3 weeks now. And usually God gives me 3 confirmation...
#1 my closet (read my last post)
#2 prayer/scripture
#3 Bil's sermon

Do you have a hard time LETTING GO? What get's under your skin?
Do things, people, etc. BUG you?

I loved the analogy Pastor Bil used about flys/gnats/ mosquitos... the 3 & 4 Egyptian plagues... and making it relevant to today... I know things, people, ideas GET under my skin..... so this message is just reinforcing what God has already been trying to get across to me for some time now. (Go here to listen/view the sermon... it should be up by Tuesday it's entitled Principles of God's "Shock & Awe" part 1)

I MUST LEARN TO LET IT END, LET IT GO!!!! I will "Respond to God not React to someone." Willing to forgive even if they don't deserve it.... (Hey God forgave me... and I didn't deserve it)


Pastor Bil also discussed the 2nd plague... the frogs...

I found this so insightful...

I did know that the Egyptians of biblical times worshiped many many gods.... idols. I did not know that a "frog goddess" was one of them. They referred to her as "heqet" or "heket" and she was depicted as a woman with a frog's head, or simply as a frog, there are other depictions... but i'm not going to go into that. The Egyptians worshipped her because they thought frogs represented fertility and resurrection, since there were so many frogs near and around the Nile River. She was the goddess of fertility and childbirth. Frogs were "worshipped" an idol... so God used frogs tons of frogs, millions of frogs...as the second plague... indicating "be careful what you desire or wish for..."

Any way... my point is this...
My husband and I discussed how we have many "FROG goddess/gods" in our lives... and they keep multiplying...

Our number one frog god is: TELEVISION... ouch! Actually when i really think about it... it's technology... TV, video games, cell phones, internet, movies, digital cameras, blackberries, iphones, ipods etc.... do i dare say "blogging"????

I'm allowing all these "frogs" to take over my Home, my Relationships, my HEART, my GOD.

Media keeps multiplying in our lives, just like God used the frogs.. and it's taking over.... we are being INFESTED by the frogman or let's say "TechFrog" he/she's overtaking us.

I don't think there is anything wrong with media/technology...it can help us connect with others, (especially if they are ocean's apart from us) it can allow people to be connected to Christ who may not otherwise hear.... etc....

But when we allow it to CONTROL us... we revolve our lives around it instead of GOD it definitely can become a frog god... taking over and then it makes us sick


just like those frogs... God plagued on Egypt... don't you think they got sick... moreso disgusted.. looking, smelling, living with all those frogs.....

so my friend?

what do you need to LET GO OF? Do you have frog god?

Letting go....

I've discovered this week, I have a very hard time letting go. I mean I'm really, really bad at it! I want to hang on to almost everything.

This revelation hit me this week as I decided to tackle my bedroom closet. I was determined I could accomplish cleaning out my closet in about 2 hours. Wow... was I wrong. I couldn't decide where to start. Most of the clothing in my closet ended up on the floor in this huge heap of tangled hangers, scarfs, hats, sweaters, tops, bottoms, skirts and more. For those of you who really know me... know I have probably just as many scarves & hats as I do clothes.

As I shifted through my mounds of clothing, I seriously set out to "prune" myshelf "self" i mean, closet. But it became increasingly difficult.I thought... "I couldn't possibly part with that t-shirt, it's from my senior year in high school." (Mind you... i graduated from high school in 1992) or I thought..."Of course I can fit in these cute jeans from old navy.... size 4, again, that was only 6 years ago, i just need to focus on exercising & eating right."

So as I was having these conversations with myself when God starting nudging my heart.

I begin reflecting on how not only do I have a challenging time "letting go" of clothes from sixteen years ago... I simply have a hard time letting go.

God revealed to me:

1) I have a hard time letting go of arguements or frustrations... I may have with my husband. I want to be "right" or acknowledged that my view is valid and I desire to be validated. I have a hard time walking away even when my husband is taking the high road and diffuses the conversation so we can revisit it later when we both are calmer.... yet still... I have a hard time letting go.


2) I have a hard time letting go of friendships that I know I need to sever.


3) I have a hard time letting go of paths that God placed me on, for me to discover it actually was a different path He desired for me.


4) I have a hard time letting go of plastic containers....(throwing out in the recycling bin) including yogurt containers with lids, milk jugs, coffe cans etc.... that I can reuse for painting, storing, art projects etc.


5) I have a hard time letting go of my son each morning now that I'm teaching again... but he's in great hands with his daddy and my sister.


6) I have hard time letting go of silly little things that my step daughter does, although they usually aren't a big deal; I simply want so much more for her. I find myself unable to let go and want to turn every situation into a teachable moment.


7) I have a hard time letting go..... but I'm discovering letting go means...
I'm growing.

GO for the GOLD!

"Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize." 1 Corinthians 9:24

I love watching the Olympics! I remember watching as a child; and always anticipating that 4th summer to roll around again. So I could watch! I loved how the athletes make it look so effortless. I love the energy and determination the athletes seem to possess during the games. And ohhhhhh that TEAM SPIRIT... the unity... Go Team USA!

The Summer of '96 was an exciting one! I was able to attend the 1996 Olympics in Altanta. My brother lived in Altanta at the time and it was so sweet to get to experience it all first hand and up close! We attended a few events, hung out at Olympic Park and just relished in the upclose history we were witnessing.

So as I watch athletes like Phelps & Torres (wow!), Finch and more (not to mention the men's 400 freestyle relay) go for the GOLD, I'm reminded that I too need to strive for GOLD in my life.

I believe Paul says it best:

"Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown **(or in modern society a Gold, Silver or Bronze medal) that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize. " 1 Corinthians 9:25-27 (** I added)

Am I running to win the prize? Or am I simply running aimlessly?

Do I beat my body? Am I disciplined in my relationship with Christ? Do I have a focus? A Gold "goal" in mind?


"But He knows the way I take; When He has tried me, I shall come forth as GOLD." Job 23:10

I want to come forth as GOLD but I need to go through strict training in Christ... and it's so much easier to stay status quo, to be comfortable. To just compete. But that's not what He calls us to do. He desires us to push the boundaries, to step out on the ledge, to go over and beyond, to push ourselves to break our own "World Record" even by a fingertip if not by a whole body length or 2 or more. To Go for the GOLD... the crown of Life.

"Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him." James 1:12

So we can share the GOLD with others... so they too can win the race.

Bridge Bunking

bridge bunking: verb- the act of "settling" in or "standing in".. for a thrill of a lifetime

I was eighteen, and he, he was seventeen when I learned the art of bridge bunking. I could not get enough of him, so I was intrigued by almost anything he purposed to me, even bridge bunking. It’s funny how years later he told me he could only handle “small doses” of me and I, I simply could never quite get enough of him.

It was late spring, May of 1992 and we were graduating soon from High School.
He decided it would be fun to educate this small town, “Baptist” girl in the ways of a thrill seeker. For him bridge bunking was the equivalent of drinking coffee to achieve a caffeine rush. He desired to be stimulated. He craved it. I suppose he still does to this day.

It was dark, not pitch black, but dark. I could feel the twinkle of his eyes upon my skin. Yet he didn’t use his fingertips to touch me. He simply pierced into me with his mysterious eyes. I melted, desiring to be touched ever so slightly by the warmth of his hand against mine as we walked towards the tracks. If only his fingers would brush up against mine.

The train tracks captured the light of the moon, guiding us further down the tracks. Sweetness lingered in the air. The scent reminded me of honeysuckle, but perhaps it was the pureness of our youth I sensed.

It was innocent enough, walking that evening in a small town, towards the train track bridge.

We reached the part of the track were the bridge begun, and I recall looking down at the vast abyss below me. I peered down and saw nothing but rocks, big rocks and at least 50 yards between me and the rocks. He wanted me to climb where? He proceeded to descend down the bridge and wanted to settle and sit up under the bridge. To wait. Yet he assisted me and as I took a deep breath, without looking down I joined him. And we waited for the train to come.

Bunking down under the bridge, under the tracks, under the moonlit sky; waiting for the train to come and shoulders slightly touching.

We were silent, you could hear my heart pounding in my chest, or was that his? He spoke softly, he captivated me and lured me in. I was like a fly caught in his mesmerizing web. He whispered, “Thank you for showing me what love is all about.” Those ten words still ring in my heart, even after sixteen years.

Did I show him what love is all about? About sacrifice, about true bridge bunking?

The true bridge bunker is Christ. He is standing, sitting, kneeling in the gap, the chasm between our world and Heaven. Waiting for us, always waiting. He is the Way! John 14:6 He’s still bunking everyday. Every hour, every second between the world and Heaven slightly caressing my hand and yours urging us towards him to connect us with His father, our Heavenly Father.

It's funny, when I was eighteen I could never get enough of my friend. I always wanted more. More time, more talks, more insight, more adventure, more. Christ desires that from you and me. He can never quite get enough of me or you... and how refreshing that thought is. Not only does someone desire to know the inmost desires of my being, but moreso... He's the one who placed those desires in me, and he still has a longing to know me. He wants to be with us, to inhale us. And He wants us to inhale him.

So, as I reminiscence of a high school love affair between me and youthfulness. I ponder if I was an example of Christ's love and sacrifice to my dear friend. Was this a missed opportunity or did I plant the seed? And how many other chances did I have to plant the seed in others, to share with someone about "bridge bunking" the thrill of a lifetime? The "Way" of a lifetime.

Do you have a "bridge bunking" experience? Literally or metaphorically?

Da da verses Mmmma ma!

So my Little "big" Bundle of Cash has been saying "Da da" for quite some time now. Since about 5months! He began eating solids around 6 mths. Began crawling at 8 months and now at LAST at 9mths, he has started saying Mama mmmmama! I was so excited.

However I've noticed that when he is hungry, tired or simply irritable he says mmmmama mmmama, (especially if he wants me to pick him up and snuggle with him)

BUT when he wants to play and be silly he of course says...what???? That's right Da da!

Isn't that a hoot? Babies seem to know who God designed to comfort & nurture them "best" verses who is "fun"! Don't get me wrong... I'm not implying that Daddy's can't comfort or nurture and Mommy's can't be fun and play, but it seems ( in my house anyway) that dada is the fun, crazy parent and I'm the nurturer and primary caregiver.

I tend to focus more on teaching Cash on how to feed himself, simple signs, play with his toys, read with him and talk to him about various things. Daddy tends to chase him around the house (as he is crawling) play hide n seek and play with his toys (but in a much different way than I do) and make all kind of boy/elephant spitting sounds!

I, of course chase Cash around the house and play, silly play... too, but Cash seems to enjoy it much more with DaDa!

Dada helps with feeding him, simple signing with him, bath time, diaper changing, bedtime, etc but Cash seems to respond better when I'm the one helping him with these things.

It's interesting that even at the young age of 9months he has already determined what he likes and with who!