SUMMMER!

Summertime........

sunshine, the smell of brats and burgers on the grill, the sound of lawnmowers running, sun burned faces, the sound of kids splashing in the pool, gentle breezes blowing in the open windows, golfing, biking, reading, napping in the shade, the smell of sun tan lotion on little children, flip flops, shorts, tank tops, brightly colored clothes, dripping ice cream cones, baseball games, hot dogs, sno cones, Blizzards at Dairy Queen, picnics in the park, lazy days, beautiful flowers, butterflies, the sound of birds chirping outside of my window, trips to the lakefront, neighbors outside, driving on the freeway with my windows open and my hair flying around freely, State Fair, Summerfest, vacations, hanging out, no "To Do" lists, free time, sidewalk chalk, walks at dusk, fireflies, MOSQUITOS, ANTS, ice cold lemonade, corn-on-the cob, watermelon, ice cream sandwiches, fireworks, sleeping in, gardening, hikes in the park, camping, s'mores, roasted marshmallows, sand between your toes, walking barefoot on the grass, rainbows, clear blue skies, the sound of motorcycles whizzing down my street, lawn chairs, sprinklers, slip n slides, iced tea, music in the park, skinned knees, family, friends..............

Did I miss anything??????

What does it mean???

Belief...is defined as a conviction of the truth of some statement; it is a state or habit of mind in which trust or confidence is placed in some person or some thing.

Faith....is defined as a belief and trust in and loyalty to God; COMPLETE trust.

What does it mean when someone says that he or she "believes in God?" Growing up, I always "believed" that God existed. That's what my parents taught my siblings and I and that's what the Catholic priests told us every Sunday. I would tell others that I believed in God because I truly did. I also "believed" in the Easter bunny, the tooth fairy, Saint Nick and Santa Claus. Eventually, I realized that, while those were all great concepts, they didn't really exist (sorry to disappoint anyone out there that still believes in these things. There is NO Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!!!!).

As I look at my life P.C. (that would be pre-Christian), what did it really mean when I said that I believed in God??? I knew that there was something out there that was far greater than me that I referred to as God. God always appeared to be a nice person, someone who would listen when I needed an ear. Someone that I would pray to when a loved one was sick or injured or sad. A person that I talked to when someone I knew died.

I believed that in order to please God, I needed to be a "good person". What is a "good person"? Is it someone who does what he or she is told?? A person who follows rules, respects others, does nice things for people when it's not really expected, goes to church on Sunday, is honest (minus a few "white" lies)?????? If I believe in God, does that mean that I "have to" or "should" go to church?? If I say that I believe in God, is it still O.K. to live my life any way that I want?? Can I go about my life just living according to "my rules" but continue this facade of saying that I believe in God?????

Fast forward to today....my faith life has changed completely (praise God!). Now when I say that I believe in God, I truly understand what it means. I understand what it means to have a personal, real relationship with our Creator because I now have one. I now know the sacrifice that was made for my sins to be forgiven.
John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."

I know that God offers the gift of salvation through my faith in Him. I believe that Jesus died and was resurrected and that by trusting in God I will receive the gift of eternal life.
John 14:6 "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

In Romans, Paul tries to explain these very things to the believers that he encounters in Rome.
He tries to encourage the Roman believers to rely solely on God's grace for their salvation so they could understand how people can be made righteous and be transformed in their lives through Christ.

I BELIEVE in GOD?? Do you??????? What does it mean when you say that??????

Major Drought

As I was cutting my grass today, I thought that it would be a perfect time to have a little chat with God (I have been a major slacker in that department as of late. I fully intend to change that starting today). My thoughts were all over the place (imagine that, Ms. A.D.D. !!). I was doing some serious praying for a few things that have been troubling me as of late, one being the fact that I have a torn labrum (for those of you that don't know what that is or where it is, it's part of your shoulder near your rotator cuff). I have been going to physical therapy for approximately 3 weeks. I have definitely noticed a change in my ability to move my shoulder which is a good thing. I have one more week of physical therapy before I have my follow up appointment with my doctor.

My mind was racing with an array of different things related to my shoulder. What's going to happen at my doctor appointment?? Do I need to have surgery (there's a tear and it won't heal itself on its own)? If I need to have the surgery, when will I have it?? Is the physical therapy a stop-gap measure until I eventually have to go under the knife (or should I say under the microscope)??? Will I just continue to do physical therapy for however long the doctor tells me to???? It's my right shoulder and I'm a righty. How big of an impact will the surgery have on my ability to do everyday, basic things like getting dressed, showering, etc.??

When I was at my last appointment, my doctor told me that doing the P.T. was taking a conservative approach. Well, I'm ALL about conservative!!! What I have realized after doing the therapy for the past few weeks is that it is somewhat of an inconvenience because you have to find time to do it, it's not easy by any stretch of the imagination and there's times that I just don't feel like doing it! (I know that the P.T. is far better than the alternative, however!).

Sadly, what I realized throughout my conversation with God is that my physical therapy is at times like my prayer life. I go through these "droughts" (probably a poor choice of words since Wisconsin and other parts of the mid-west have been in the midst of major flooding for the past few weeks!) where I am not very diligent about praying, I don't devote ENOUGH time to what I consider "quality" prayer and I don't praise God nearly enough for all the blessings he has given me. I'm embarrassed to even say that!!! God has made the ultimate sacrifice for me and I can't find time in MY schedule to "fit Him in"!!!!! WHAT??? ARE YOU KIDDING ME???

Physical therapy is by no means an easy task, nor is being a follower of Christ. It takes sacrifice, persistence, hard work, perserverance, patience, fortitude, desire, discipline, dedication, effort, strong will. There will be many trials and set backs along the way throughout the physical therapy, much like there is in my life as a Christian. Do I have it within me to perservere through the tough times and to turn EVERYTHING over to God?? Will I choose to do it on my own when I know that God is way bigger than me and He can do far greater things than I can ever even imagine. Instead of worrying about what will happen, will I turn to Him, the great healer, for comfort, healing and peace of mind???

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."

Psalm 86:10 "For you are great and do marvelous deeds; you alone are God."

I pray that my personal drought is over!

"Don't Be such a Tattle Tale"

Those words quickly bring me back to my childhood. A smile spreads across my face as I think of all of the opportunities that presented themselves for me to be the "ultimate tattle tale". As the youngest child and only girl, I was completely fine with informing my parents of my older brothers' indiscretions (especially my one brother...does that "middle child" complex really exist or is that just a way of trying to explain away my brother's poor decision-making ???). I thrived on the fact that I had "dirt" to hang over my brothers' heads when they threatened to inflict physical harm on me or when they thought it would be funny to exclude me from that days activity. Oh, and trust me, I had an unbelievable memory when it came to the wrongdoings of my older siblings. If need be, I would go into the archives in order to have leverage over said individuals. It's all about timing. Add the fact that I was (and still am) a TOTAL RULE follower and you have an equation for many a fight! Let's just say, it didn't take too long for my brothers to realize not to mess with the runt of the litter! I had a memory like an elephant, I was a bit on the feisty side and, worse case scenario, I always had my mom to hide behind in times of sheer desperation.
The reason for this blast from the past was that I spent the last week on vacation in Door County with my brother, his wife and their 2 sons (Ryan 10 & Nathan 7). Gotta love the "brotherly love" that they have for one another. I sat back and smiled when I heard the words uttered in disgust, "Don't be such a tattle tale!" Oh to be 7 or 8 again!

Adult Proof Packaging

I know you know what packaging I'm talking about....it's the thick, plastic kind that you can't just tear open. If I'm not mistaken, there are little invisible bolts that secure the package so that you cannot open the item easily without a sharp (I emphasize SHARP) pair of scissors. It is a MAJOR production to simply pry open the package.

After finally cutting through the plastic, be aware of the extremely dangerous packaging that you have now exposed yourself to. There really should be a warning label telling the brave soul that is attempting to open the item that "Bleeding and severe pain and anguish may occur". I have suffered several cuts at the hands of this type of packaging and I have the scars to prove it. I get the child proof containers but there is truly NO reason why any adult should have to struggle so much simply to open a pack of batteries, or a kitchen utensil, or a golf glove or whatever item it is that you have purchased. (Tools typically seem to be in this type of package).

Paper cuts have FINALLY met their match!!! I'm really not sure who designed this "adult proof" packaging but I have a feeling it might be a young genius out there that wanted to get back at the designer of the "child proof" packaging.

I wonder if I could do a google search??? Oh, what am I thinking...that search will have to wait until I get the tourniquet off of my bloody (and I don't mean it in the British sense of the term bloody) fingers. Do you feel my pain????