ENCOURAGE - EQUIP - EMPOWER
IT STARTS HERE.
I was reading in 1 John earlier and got pricked by, “whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked” (1 John 2:6). This verse has many lessons to glean about living a life like His, but what got me was a literal question. Do I walk “in the same way in which he walked?”
A few years ago, our pastor started a sermon with this quote from AW Tozer: "What we believe about God is the most important thing". I remember thinking 'Oh, that's good'. I then heard, saw or read that quote five more times in the next two weeks. So, I thought, maybe God was trying to get my attention with those words.
It was a bit of a “fairy tale”… the beautiful orphan catching the attention of the most powerful man in the land. She moved from her home and was offered all the best that money could buy. This girl was not only lovely, but she was brave and wise too. But fairy tales usually have dark sides, and this one was no different. The young woman was in danger--as were her family and her people.
It's a very well known fact; among my family and friends that I love school and office supplies. I really do. I can't remember a time when the sight of back to school items didn't make me a little giddy. In fact, I can spend hours in office-supply stores exploring and find myself restored by the order of everything. Perhaps; this love is due to the fact that both my parents were teachers, so the rhythm of my life has always been associated with the school year. Or maybe it's because there is something so amazing about learning….
I just got back from our MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) Leadership Retreat. Over the course of the weekend, I found myself constantly humbled to be leading this wonderful team of women, especially because I’ve had the privilege of watching several of them discover their gifts through serving at MOPS.
Over the past two years, many events in my life have been unexpected experiences. We were pregnant with twins only to lose them far into the pregnancy. Started a new job to further my career only to realize it wasn’t a good fit. I got pregnant again and miscarried that baby. We started fostering children, and found it to be its own journey down the unexpected.
As soon as Pastor Greg introduced this new sermon series, I knew I was going to be convicted. Honoring the Sabbath is an area in life I have not taken seriously. I have chosen a career that does not have a working day on the weekend but truly using the day as rest to glorify God is not how I use my Sabbath. I want to challenge myself and you to reflect on Pastor Greg’s teaching and see how we can apply it to our lives.
The effort started out simply enough.
I set out to pen a note to my sweet mister on the occasion of our 20 years of life together. Over two decades, we’ve exchanged countless expressions of affection and appreciation for one another. But as the 20-year mark approached, I was looking for a fresh way to let him know how grateful I am to walk this life with him.
When I think about trusting God, it usually relates to big decisions. The life-altering ones that keep you up at night, cause you to eat chips and salsa way past bedtime and have loud discussions with the people in your house. Last week, our oldest son graduated from eighth grade -- which is really silly….
I am training for a triathlon this summer, and it is hard work, my friends. I am not a natural runner, so I’ve been training for the run portion since October. OCTOBER, PEOPLE. Those 6 miles of running after the 1-mile swim and 24-mile bike just might be the death of me, I think. But I’m doing it anyway because I feel like I need some practice in discipline.
Confrontation is something I think we all try to avoid. Sometimes it’s over petty stuff: a snotty cashier, a customer service rep who just won’t refund that extra charge, etc. But sometimes it’s over the big stuff: an unfair criticism from a boss, a cruel comment from a spouse... We get hurt, so we hide that feeling inside. We get snippy and don’t deal with the fact that we feel unnoticed. This happens because we are busy, tired, and let’s face it-- simply human.
It’s prom season everywhere. At the Holguin house, we just passed through the sweet season of the hundred-fold decisions about length and color, style and shoes, handbags and jewelry. Working with high school students as a profession has offered little reprieve. My juniors and seniors are rapt in continuous side conversations about prom attire: where did you buy your dress? What heels are you wearing? What kind of tux did you rent?
My husband is a huge classic Corvette fan. He has been given countless Corvette models, shirts, watches and even cologne. He can identify which light shape corresponds to each model or how the vents on the side indicate what year it is. If we were driving to my brother’s house in Bowling Green Kentucky, he would want to take a detour to the National Corvette Museum. I admire people who can be driving someplace and stop along the way for little adventures. But that is definitely not me! I am the person that heads straight to my destination and then, once the car is unloaded, the vacation begins… and not a minute before!
This past year, we studied the book of John in Bible study. In chapter 15, Jesus uses the analogy of a garden and gardener to reveal to us how we are to live. God is the gardener, Jesus is the vine and we are branches and are to remain close to the vine in order to bear fruit and have life. We are also told that the branches are pruned in order to produce more fruit. In this story, Jesus reveals to us his command for us, his followers. Not once, but twice. In verse 12 he states, "My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you." And then again in verse 17 he says, "This is my command: Love each other." Sounds simple enough, right?
