Photoshop For Memories? Hmmm!

I've been thinking recently about how important stories are to me. They affect me in so many ways! Here's an undeniable fact: I am a sucker for true life, hilarious stories. I really enjoy sitting down with someone and hearing about their childhood and all the scrapes they got into! At the same time, I'm beginning to see that I've memorized my whole life and packaged it in a series of stories.

They are supposed to be funny stories; stories that I'd want to share with my kids to make them laugh or to teach them something or to encourage them, or to just plain scare them! Both of my parents tell stories about their childhoods and I want to do the same. But I realized something the other day: these sorts of personal life stories color the way I see my life!

I slant my stories a certain way, highlighting dramatic events depending on the purpose of the story. Spotlight on the interesting, downplay anything that slows the story down or doesn't agree with the thesis idea. It's not that I change facts in the story (I'm not lying or even trying to deceive.), but there is a definite slant to the story. Do you know what I mean? There is always the "conclusion"! I may come out and say what the conclusion is, or it may be unspoken, but point is, the stories are vivid because I've gone back and edited them!

My friend Sarah is an amazing photographer. I LOOOOOOVE looking at her pictures and I could pick her work out of a line up, easy-peasy. But there is a process that her raw pictures have to go through before she hands them on to the bride and groom. She edits them! Crop this picture, add more blue to that bride's eyes, add this filter, etc. Editing! The angle of the shot was genius, but to make the bouquet pop out of the picture, she had to change the whole color scheme of the picture! She picks what she wants to highlight.

Does anyone get what I'm saying? Or am I being too abstract?

I looked back at couple of my more unpleasant childhood memories with this new thought. Did so and so really say such and so with that special emphasis? Maybe that incident only stands out on the ribbon of my timeline because I colored every detail of that memory with such vivid colors. Maybe if I went back and looked at that memory now, it would just be a regular "bouquet" that I had to choose to highlight.

It's such an interesting idea. It made me take a look at my memories again and search for the hidden overall conclusion to the collection. I'm sad to say, I wasn't impressed with what I found.

I'm beginning to see that the devil wants to me to pass a certain judgment on my life. I don't want to agree with him on ANYTHING. (Other than it stinks to be him!) So now, I'm going back through my memories one more time. This time, I'm looking for the influence of God! Those moments when I knew that I deserved one thing and for some reason I received so much better, the times when something good and perfect was unexpectedly offered to me, and the many times He saved me and I didn't even notice that He was there. I want to redefine my life. Wanna see what I've come up with?

My life has been amazingly blessed, cover to cover, and I can always find something to be thankful for!!

Taking Advantage Of The Everlasting Arms

I was driving home from work last night and feeling unsettled. It had been a rough day; had a couple of bad exchanges with coworkers, it seemed like nothing was set up the way it should have been for meals, and I was totally discouraged. I was in one of those moods where I'm frustrated, tired, and kind of mad at myself. You know what I mean?

I had some music playing in my car, but I was having a hard time listening to it. It was that song by Sanctus Real called, “I’m Not Alright”. The first part of the song says “If weakness is a wound that no one wants to speak of, then cool is just how far we have to fall. I am not immune. I only want to be loved, but I feel safe behind the firewall. Can I lose my need to impress? If you want the truth, I need to confess…” And then into the chorus of “I’m not alright”

Well, as I was listening, started feeling like I needed to talk to God. I started to tell Him, “I want to be loved, but I feel safest all bottled up to myself. God, I’m feeling really blaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh right now.”

He was like, ‘Sam, you need to rest with me.'

“Yeah, about that - I don’t really know how to make myself rest with You.”

And then I saw this image of a young child who is fussing and fussing. I could tell that there was really something wrong, but every time the parent tried to pick the baby up, the baby would just keep fussing, or worse, scream louder. It was heart breaking. The parent was trying to help the baby, but the baby wasn’t accepting comfort. It was like the baby didn’t trust the parent.

If you ignore a baby’s cries when it’s small, the baby learns that it’s not ok to have problems. That if she tries to let others know that she’s unhappy, uncomfortable, scared, tired, hungry, no one cares.

I know the baby represented an attitude in me. I know in a “I can support this with scripture” way that God wants to help me, but I struggle with trusting Him. One of the first things God taught me when I rededicated my life to Him was, “When you’re unhappy, Sam, CRY.” Now I'm learning that I need to accept comfort once I’ve cried. To do that, I have to face a mindset that I have: I can tell God my problems, but that doesn’t mean that He’s going to help me!

Philipians 4:4-7
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

“Sam, you need to look for my arms. When you’re crying, look around for my arms. I’m going to comfort you, if you’ll let me.”

Hmm. “Well, God, I’m kind of driving right now…soooo.” And then I realized what a beautiful evening it was. It was the sort of skyline that you had to see to believe, and there was a lovely breeze. It was a very (dare I say it?) soooothing sort of evening. And then to top it all off, I started to hear the intro to a particular Klaus Kuhn song in my head.

“Ok, God.” I flipped my ipod over to my Klaus Kuhn folder and began to listen to the song "Psalm 23". As the first strains filled the car, I could feel all the muscles in my neck start to loosen and, better yet, I started to feel peace way down deep. Then, I saw that baby slumped on her dad’s shoulder, finally relaxed. Finally at peace. Finally comforted.

(Note: I’m not a supporter of repeatedly confessing that I’m broken inside. I like POSITIVE confessions – but sometimes, when I’m with very close friends or talking to God there is a need to be factual in a soul baring sort of way. It’s a balance that each person has to walk for themselves, and it’s not as difficult to judge as it sounds.)

OUCH!!!!

Today, I went to church, ran the camera, went to lunch with my family, worked for five hours, and then went to pick up my sister from a friend's house. By the end of the day, my back was AGONY.

I don't have back trouble. I've never stressed my back, pulled anything, slept on a bad matress for more than a week (can't control the vacation beds!), or struggled with sciatica. But this - this was serious. It hurt to drive home.

I went upstairs and lay down on Abby's bed. (My youngest sister.) She has a very firm, supportive mattress and I figured it would be best for the situation. Not so much. Once I lay down, I couldn't get up!! This was quickly becoming an "AAAAAIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEE!!!" situation!

What could I do? I have to be back at work on Tuesday and willing to stand for eight hours straight. At the time I was thinking about these facts, I couldn't sit up straight without panic inducing pain.

My only hope. "Jesus, I need help." Bam, the next thought: Jeremy's going to be home in an hour, have him pray for you.

Luke 4:40
When the sun was setting, all those who had any that were sick with various diseases brought them to Him; and He laid His hands on every one of them and healed them.

John 3:16
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, than whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

Well, Jeremy got home about twenty minutes ago. He came straight upstairs and prayed for me. I got up and began walking around. At first, I couldn't stand up straight or support much of my own weight. Then, as he kept praying, the pain started flowing out of my legs. Just kept growing less and less and less. I was able to stand on my own. I was able to straighten my back. I was able to sit down and stand up again. I was able to WALK DOWN STAIRS.

Jesus healed me. Wasn't mind over matter. Wasn't pain medication (not that I'm saying stop taking medications!!). It wasn't some wacko voodoo trick. Jesus loves me. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. I'm able to write this down because Jesus healed me.

A Brazen Posting

There are times when I realize that I shield my vulgar humanity from God's view. You know what I mean? The coarser side, the dirtier flaws. There's an idea lurking that I need to work on those things on my own for a bit and get them tidied up before I can let God have a go at them. Like God would be offended or surprised by anything I did!! Ha!

I like to think that I post helpful things on here. That I'm willing to post about the lessons that I've learned that trained my "uglier" side. But a friend of mine just posted a story that totally blows my illusion of transparency out of the water.

It's gritty, it's strongly worded, it's uncensored. But I honestly believe that it touches on a topic that we need to think about. Don't be offended. Hear the message. Grow.

Check it out.

Heart Health

This is an outline for a teaching that I did with my church's young women's group. Hope ya like it!

Heart Health

Heart health isn’t something anyone should pursue and practice on his/her own. God should be involved in the process every step of the way. Without the Holy Spirit's involvement, we can hurt ourselves by being too critical, judgmental, and condemning. So before you get started, I'd like to encourage you to ask God for help!

Matt. 11:25-30 & John 17:20-26

I. Importance of Heart Health

a. We live our lives from our hearts.

1) From the fullness of the heart, the mouth speaks. (Matt. 12:34)

2) Decisions start in the heart. (Do an online search, check out the stories!)

b. God sows His seed in our hearts! Our hearts are our personal vineyards. Are they prepared and well tended? (Matt. 13:11-23)

II. How do you know if your heart is sick? (I’d like to mention that there are varying degrees of heart sickness: Slight heart cold to more serious. Doesn’t just have to be super serious.)

a. DUH.

b. DUH. (I think most of us can diagnose when our hearts are sick)

c. Are you depressed?

d. Are you struggling with anger issues/rage?

e. Is there someone that you’re refusing to forgive? (Could be YOURSELF!!!)

f. Plagued by baaaad thoughts?

g. Is your imagination negative and stagnant?

h. Would you say that you’re a pessimist?

i. Do you have hurts that you refuse to acknowledge, much less ask God to heal?

j. Do you have trouble sharing your heart with ANYONE AT ALL?

III. Meds for Your Heart.

a. Get Choo’s Eyes On JESUS!!

1) Ps. 16:8-11 I have set the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right had, I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure. Because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay. You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

b. Spend time in the presence of God. Nothing is more healing than the presence of God! He is Love! His words can unravel knots in us, suture the daily cuts of every day life, and answer our hearts' most agonizing questions.

c. Worship God on your own time and in your own way.

1) Philippians 4:4-7 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

d. Ask God what He thinks of you. People will always try to redefine you. They'll try and tell you who you are. Without realizing it, we accept a certain percentage of what they say, and we lose our center. God can bring us back to peace and certainty about who we are. (He's never condemning, so don't be scared to ask!)

e. Be THANKFUL!! Write up a list of past victories that God has brought you through! Write a thank you note to God!

f. Speak in tongues. (1Cor 14:4)

g. Use your imagination for good! Philippians 4:8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy- think on these things!

h. Act like you know what you’re doing. Be a copycat.(Evaluate friendships. I'm not saying drop the all your old friends! I AM saying hang out with the friends who are encouraging and loving to you, the friends who challenge you to grow in good ways!) Philippians 4:9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me – put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

i. Forgive. Release the people and pains that you’re holding in your heart. These wounds get septic. (As Oprah says, "Unforgiveness is like drinking poison and waiting for the other person to die!") Ask God to show you the hurts you’ve kept hidden, and then let Him heal them.

j. Make a confession. Doesn't have to be long; the shorter the better actually. Write up a paragraph that makes good statements about yourself. (Example: I'm healthy, I'm strong, I'm more than a conqueror all day long.) Base it on scripture to remind yourself of the promises of God!

What Is Glory?

• Proverbs 25:2 NIV

  It is the glory of God to conceal a matter; to search out a matter is the glory of kings.

• John 17:20 NIV

"My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. "Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.

What is Glory?? Seems pretty important in the bible and like it might be a good idea to define.

Glory

Glo"ry\, n. [OE. glorie, OF. glorie, gloire, F. gloire, fr. L. gloria; prob. akin to Gr. ?, Skr. ?ravas glory, praise, ?ru to hear. See Loud.]1. Praise, honor, admiration, or distinction, accorded by common consent to a person or thing; high reputation; honorable fame; renown. Glory to God in the highest. --Luke ii. 14.

Glory

Glo"ri*ous\, a. [OF. glorios, glorious, F. glorieux, fr. L. gloriosus. See Glory, n.]1. Exhibiting attributes, qualities, or acts that are worthy of or receive glory; noble; praiseworthy; excellent; splendid; illustrious; inspiring admiration; as, glorious deeds.



I'll ask it again: What is glory? How would God define glory? What is HE describing when He uses the word "glory?"

Check It Out!! Do It!!

When I started this blog, I added a section called "My Favorites". I added it because I wanted people to have a resource - a special list that, no matter what you clicked on, you found something that was meaningful and encouraging. The funny thing is, I didn't realize that I'd be utilizing it as much as I do!!

I want to introduce my latest addition to this list because it's super special. It is called "Dwelling In The Secret Place" and it is the blog of Schlyce Jimenez, a wonderful minister and a cool woman.

Schlyce has been a signpost for change in my life! The first time I met her, she spoke at my church and (for me) her dynamic message fell so EXTREMELY flat that I knew something was wrong! Hahaha! I talked with God about it, and as a result, He showed me deep-seated beliefs I held that were completely wrong. It was a revelation about the kind of father He is, and refusing disappointment. (Check out the blog post here.)

It's only gotten better from there. I've had encouraging words from her that gave me the strength to keep pressing forward in difficult seasons. She has exemplified the sort of father-daughter relationship that I want with God. And on top of all of that, she's so relatable and REAL that it's impossible for me to fall into the trap of discouraging comparisons (i.e. "She's so much better than me!!"). To put it in layman's terms: She rocks.

Check out the link, read her blog, look into her ministry, and be blessed. God is pouring seriously good things through her. Don't miss out!