Over It

Overwhelm me with Your presence

Overtake me with Your love.

Overcome me with the beauty of Your face.

Overjoy me with Your mercy

Overfeed me with Your sweet words

Overlap me with the blanket of Your grace.

Too much will never be enough

Of all You are for me

My empty cup

You fill it up

Overflowing, constantly.

Override my senseless doubting

Overpower my stubborn will

Overload me with Your yoke I know is light

Overrule selfish ambition

Oversee my every move

Overshadow all I do to show Your might.

Too much will never be enough

Of all You are for me

My heart will sing

New songs I’ll bring

To Overpraise Your name eternally…

1 John 3:1 - See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!

Ephesians 1:7-8 -  In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the richesof God’s grace  that he lavished on us.

Psalm 36:5 - Your love, Lord, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies.

Psalm 104:33 - I will sing to the LORD all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.

Psalm 103:1 -  Praise the LORD, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name.

 

 

 

 

Moore

Typically, less is more.  But today, Moore is less.

Less the 50 plus (with numbers predicted to rise) people who lost their lives in the tornado that whipped through their town and did mass destruction.

Less the 50 plus personalities that helped make Moore shine.

Less the 50 plus mothers, fathers, grandparents, aunts and uncles, friends, children, siblings that made their families complete.

Today, Moore is 50 plus less.

Homes, cars, restaurants, shops and businesses have been destroyed.  People are without the basic necessities of life and survival. Communication has been disrupted, gas and power lines down. Heartbreaking pictures show the devastation of such a natural disaster.

Today, Moore is definitely less than it was.

And yet…

Out of the rubble walk heroes.

Alongside the heartbreaking photos are heartwarming pictures of reunions between parents and children.

Among the stories of fear and loss are accounts of teachers covering students with their own bodies to shield them from the storm.

People are coming forward to offer help, supplies, work and shelter.

A nation rallies to pray and practically support those affected by the tornado.

A silver lining of a very dark, enormous, 200 mile per hour, mile wide gray cloud emerges.  The beauty of hope rises up out of the ugly ashes of despair.

And after a time, Moore will be Moore again.  In fact, in some miraculous way, Moore will be more than it was before.

Life will be valued a little bit Moore.

People will be held closely a little bit Moore.

Neighbors will check in on each other a little bit Moore.

And the Moore that was less will be the Moore that is more than ever.

Just you watch…

Knees and Whine

Feel like praying today?

I need a few people to get on their knees for me, because my knee joints and every other joint and bone in my body is throbbing with pain and fatigue.

I’m sure there are a few culprits in the mix – Little sleep (not by choice), heavy lifting and moving of furniture, and the ongoing process of not being able to relax fully at any given moment in preparation for the next showing.

I’m not narcissistic enough to believe that I am the only one who has or is or will be going through such a process.  There are others out there whose loads have been heavier, whose waits have been longer and whose weary hearts and minds and bodies have been greater.

My situation is not unique or new.  It just is.  And I’m tired.  So very tired.

Enough of the whining.  This is just a request for prayer from my faithful friends and readers whose knees might be in a little better shape than mine right now.  And here’s a promise – when your knees can’t bend enough to hit the floor in prayer, I will return the favor and pray fervently for you.

What would I do without you?

Thank you, thank you, thank you, from the very bottom of my weary little heart…

J

Thanks, Parker Peeps!

Our Moving Sale was a huge success! Thanks to all who came and so eagerly “adopted” the things that helped make our house a home.  I hope they do the same for you  It was so great to see everyone and to put my things into such caring hands.  I will so miss this community of wonderful friends and neighbors.  It feels great to symbolically leave a little of me with each of you.  Thank you!

This morning the reality of how quickly the next three weeks will go is beginning to hit me.  So many people still to see and say goodbye to.  So many details to wrap up.  Dozens of lists to accomplish before the packers come.  I find my heart in that weird place between sentimentality and practicality.

My prayer is that in the frenetic pace of the next few weeks that I will always put people before process.  That I won’t get so caught up in the “have to’s” that I lose sight of the “need to’s”.  And that God will give me the strength to do both well.

If you are available for a coffee date, lunch or just a little time on my couch, please give me a call.  I would love one more sweet conversation and the chance to give you a hearty goodbye hug.

And if you’re not available, it’s okay.  Life is crazy and goodbye is never really goodbye.  It’s more like “see you soon”.  There will always be a spare bedroom in our new home, a place to come and visit and pick up right where we left off.  I may be leaving, but in reality, I’m not going anywhere.

Thank you, Parker, for being such a place of rejuvenation and rest.  You have allowed me to try new wings and fly a little.  I will take your hospitality, generosity and lessons with me as we begin this new adventure.  And while a number of you will have part of my home with you after yesterday’s sale, all of you will have a part of my heart.

 

Savoring The Seasonings

SA-VOR: “to delight in”

Little did I know that when I picked that to be my “word for the year” I would have so many opportunities to put that word to use in my life.

When we hear the word “savor”, most of us think of enjoying a delicious meal or a precious moment in time.  It’s generally associated with good things, things that are pleasant and sweet.

What I’ve been learning this year, and particularly during this long and drawn out moving process, is that sometimes Jesus asks us to savor even the bland or bitter tasting things of life.  Those things that don’t necessarily tickle our palate.

I’m finding that during those boring or difficult times, there is always a sprinkling of some sweet or savory seasoning in the dish served.  Things that maybe we miss along the way because we are so ready for that part of the meal to be over so that we can get on to the “dessert” – the “good” stuff.

Sometimes that seasoning is in the form of good conversations with friends about the situation.  It might be the lifelong lesson that happens in the middle of a particular “meal”.  And if we open our hearts to the idea, it is a chance to lean in closer to the One who is sharing that meal with us.

I’m not a good wait-er.  In this extended waiting process my body is exhausted and my mind is not far behind.  But my heart and soul are refreshed with the seasonings of blessing that Jesus has sprinkled on this season of my life.  Savoring has allowed my heart to be at peace even when my body is rebelling.  Savoring has given my soul the ability to trust even when my mind is racing and bouncing all over the place.

And the biggest surprise of all?  NO ANXIETY.  This in itself is a huge seasoning of blessing.  God has freed me from the chains of that foe that would normally be a constant companion.  For that alone, I am eternally grateful and completely amazed.

I’m still not the greatest fan of waiting.  But it’s the meal being served right now.  So I will try to savor each bite and train my palate to taste the sweet and savory seasonings that accompany the dish.

And one day soon, the waiting will be over and I will enjoy the next meal He’s prepared for me….:-)

1 Corinthians 2:9 –  ”What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived” — the things God has prepared for those who love him– 

Psalm 84:11 -  For the LORD God is our sun and our shield. He gives us grace and glory. The LORD will withhold no good thing from those who do what is right.

MOVING SALE!!!!

Dates are coming together and the reality of moving is right around the corner.

SO….

THIS SATURDAY, MAY 18TH, I WILL BE HAVING A SALE…ALL THE THINGS THAT WILL NOT BE MAKING THE TREK TO CALIFORNIA WILL BE FOR SALE!!!!

FURNITURE AND DECOR PIECES WAITING FOR A NEW HOME.  COME SEE THEIR CUTE LITTLE FACES AND ADOPT ONE (OR MORE) FOR YOURSELF!  I’D LOVE TO LEAVE A LITTLE BIT OF “ME” HERE WITH MY FRIENDS IN PARKER.

WHEN:  THIS SATURDAY, MAY 18TH, FROM 5:00 TO 8:00 P.M.

WHERE:  MY HOUSE – 17827 CORAL BURST STREET, PARKER, 80134

WHY: BECAUSE I LOVE YOU AND I LIKE MY STUFF AND I’D LIKE TO GET THE TWO OF YOU TOGETHER!

IF YOU CAN’T MAKE IT SATURDAY OR WOULD LIKE TO MAKE A PRIVATE APPOINTMENT, CALL ME AT 602-318-7298.

EVEN IF YOU DON’T WANT OR NEED ANYTHING, PLEASE JUST COME AND ENJOY THE COMPANY

Still Not Real

Sometimes the cheap imitation can seem like the real thing.

Knock offs can look and sometimes even feel like the real deal.

But they’re still not real.

Cheap fragrances can mimic pretty closely the authentic perfume.

But they’re still not real.

A fake I.D. or counterfeit money can fool some of the people some of the time.

But they’re still not real.

There is real guilt and there is false guilt.

I’ve experienced both and they seem almost identical.

They seem the same, but they are very different.

One is based on reality and the other is based on perception.

Yesterday I watched a video of someone documenting their journey on dealing with guilt that they know in their mind is not real, but that has affected their life just the same.  As tears trickled down their face, I found myself reaching toward my computer screen and trying to wipe them away.  My heart broke for this person and for all of us who have ever wrestled with the very real dilemma of very false guilt.

False guilt feels like real guilt.

But it’s still NOT real.

Real guilt is based on the reality of something that we’ve actually done wrong.  It has a PURPOSE – to correct wrong thinking, wrong attitudes and wrong behavior.  It’s meant to MOTIVATE, to grow us, to change us and better us.  God uses that catch in our heart, that pit in our stomach, that trigger in our mind to draw us back to the right path.

False guilt is based on our misguided perception of something.  Sometimes it grows out of a sense of obligation.  Sometimes we are manipulated into feeling like something was our fault that wasn’t.  And sometimes we talk ourselves into believing that we deserve to carry that burden that we were never meant to pick up in the first place.  False guilt has NO PURPOSE.  It only destroys.  Because it’s based on perception and not reality, it keeps us from changing and growing. It stifles and invades and paralyzes.

Feeling true guilt is a gift from God.

Feeling false guilt is a curse from Satan.

When Jesus went to the cross, He took on both our real guilt and our false guilt.  He felt their weight, their consuming heaviness.  They were nailed to a cross that day with Him.  When He “bore our sin” and pain, they were on the list.

True guilt was forgiven.

False guilt was eliminated.

Freedom was offered.

From then on, every day that we walk on this planet we can claim all three of those truths.  We can still experience forgiveness and freedom on a daily basis and know that false guilt has no hold on us.  It’s power was deflated at the cross.

I pray today for those of us trying to wrestle out of the chains of false guilt.  Jesus has the key.  Let Him release you from its imagined power.  Let Him walk you out into the light of true freedom.  It’s a beautiful, beautiful place….

2 Corinthians 5:17 - Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!

Isaiah 43:25 - ”I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more.”

John 10:10 - The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

Psalm 103:12 – As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

 

 

 

The Straddle

Four Corners is the point where the corners of four states (Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Arizona) all meet.  It is the only place in the U.S. where this happens.  You can literally be in all four states at the same time at that point.

Being in more than one place at a time works well at Four Corners.  It does NOT, however, work so well when you are trying to straddle being in Colorado and California at the same time.  It’s a major stretch.  A hard position to hold.  You get tired and feel like you’re going to lose your balance.  Your legs shake and burn with the strain and effort of staying still with one foot in each place.

But it IS a good workout.  Muscles are being worked.  Though you’re exhausted, you can feel your strength being tested and grown.  And you realize that though you don’t want it to be a part of your permanent exercise routine, it IS good to sense that the stretching is producing something of value.

I’m really tired.  This process of a long distance move is definitely taking a toll.  My body, mind and soul are trying to occupy two places at the same time and are getting worn out.  But somehow it’s a good exhaustion.  Not something that I want to go on forever, but something that I know is taking me beyond my comfort zone and pushing me to learn new things, both lessons and tasks.  I am leaning on God and His strength more than ever and with it has come a peace that doesn’t make any sense.  My normal reaction would be anxiety, but for some strange, God reason, it just isn’t there.  And for that I am very, very thankful.

It’s a big stretch.  Fatigue is setting in.  But soon the workout will be over and my “muscles” can relax for a bit.  New muscles are forming and strengthening for other workouts down the road.  I will look back, forgetting much of the pain of the process, and be thankful that every bit of the stretch was worth it in the end.

Until then, the straddle continues….:-)

Romans 15:13 – May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. 

2 Corinthians 12:9 - But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.

 

First Lady

“I love my mom.”

My mama has a cute little story about a little boy named Kai that she used to care for in the nursery at church.  She had a special place in her heart for this sweet little fella and one day she said to him, “I love you, Kai.”  In his own sweet two-year-old way he got a little emotional and simply stated, “I love my mom.”

Loyal and true to his first love, his mommy.  He wanted to make it clear that no one could take the place of the first woman he fell in love with.  His “first lady”.

As we get older we realize that there is enough room in our hearts to love others, too.  We figure out that every time we love a new someone, our hearts get a little bigger, making room for more.

And who taught us that?  Our mothers.  God used our moms to teach us about love before we even actually met them.  They carried us from conception for nine long months, some of them through very sick days and very sleepless nights.  Without ever seeing us, they endured stretch marks and varicose veins, their bodies forever changed by housing us in that warm, cozy, safe place we call the womb.

Love is what allowed them to endure everything it took, the pain, the sweat, the tears, to push us out into this world.  It’s what brought the tears to her eyes when she saw us for the first time.

It took the strength of great love to bring us home and begin the journey of more sleepless nights, two-year-old tantrums, sibling rivalry, teenage attitudes, and the eventual “leaving of the nest”.

But our moms don’t really remember those things.  Not so clearly any way.  They remember the laughter, the firsts, the pride and joy, the love.  That’s because throughout the journey their love only got bigger.

A mother’s love is a reflection of God’s love for us.  A picture of the endless, unconditional, nurturing love of God.  Always there.  Never fading.  Consistent and true.

Our moms will always be that “first lady” in our lives.

So let’s shout it out in honor of them today -

“I LOVE MY MOM!”

P.S.  I love you, mama.  And as your love has only grown for me over the years, my love for you has done the same.  Thanks for being my incredible example of LOVE.  xoxoxo  Happy Mother’s Day, Mom.

Isaiah 49:15 - ”Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you!”

 

Table For Two

This weekend, my contractor friend Blake created a table out of a base that I found at the Goodwill and some barn wood that I’d been “saving for a rainy day.”  Wish you could see it in person to get the full effect.  It turned out beautifully!!!!  So unique in its raw loveliness.  He attached some old hinges that I found, in all their old and rusty glory.