Times up

As we all know, this past weekend we celebrated our Mom’s. I was in North Georgia for my daughter’s soccer tournament when I received a text from a friend in Oklahoma. She sent me a picture of our son, Cruz, at the courthouse on the day we adopted him. As I opened the picture, a flood of emotions poured out. It was emotional because this little guy experienced more trauma in his first 5 years of life than most people ever will. It was emotional because he has come so far. It was emotional because he has so far to go. 

Parenting is hard. Adoption is hard. Raising a broken little person is hard. You feel for him but you also get frustrated with him. 

 At our last parent-teacher conference, I sat across his teacher and heard the question, “How long have you had him?”

“Three years.”

“Well, that’s enough time then.”

“For what?”

“You know… to know what is right and wrong. To know what is acceptable behavior or not.”

My heart broke. Not just because she said it but because I also believed it. I can get so frustrated with Him because ‘he should get it by now.” But He’s not something to get but a person to love. Time is irrelevant when it comes to healing. Time is irrelevant when it comes to love. Time is irrelevant when it comes to God. How many times have we said, prayed, and even yelled at God, “You have had enough time, God. Enough time to fix my marriage. Enough time to make things happen in my job. Enough time to heal my broken heart.  Here is what I have learned, God’s greatest desire is not just to fix what’s going on around us, but teach us how to fix our eyes on the One who lives in us, Jesus.

Jesus taught this same lesson to Peter when he walked on water.

“So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus. But when he saw the strong wind and the waves, he was terrified and began to sink. “Save, me Lord.” He shouted. Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him, ‘You of little faith.’ Jesus said. ‘Why did you doubt me.’ When they climbed back into the boat, the wind stopped. The then the disciples worshipped him. ‘You really are the Son of God.’” Matthew 14:29-34

Peter was walking on water when his eyes were on Jesus, but the moment he took his eyes off Jesus onto the struggles, wind, fear, waves, etc. around him, he began to sink. Can you relate? The moment I take my eyes of Jesus and focus on the wind and waves around me, I begin to sink-sink into self-doubt, self-pity, and self-loathing. Oh but I love when Peter cries out to Jesus, Jesus doesn’t stop the wind until after they get in the boat. Its not our circumstances he wants to change but our focus. He didn’t stop the storm… He saved him in the middle of it!

“…And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith.” Hebrews 12:1-2

Cruz’s race is not finished. Mine is not finished. Yours is not finished. Its time to fix our eyes on the Jesus who lives in us instead of what storm maybe going on around us. ITS TIME TO GET THINGS FIXED!

Being content? Never heard of it...

A monk was passing through the capital city of the famous king. While he was walking, he noticed a single currency coin on the road. He picked it up. He was satisfied with his simple living and he had no use of that coin. So, he planned to donate it to the one who is in need of it. He strolled around the streets throughout the day but didn’t find anyone such. Finally, he reached the rest area and spent a night there. Next morning, he wakes up in the morning for his daily activities and sees that a king is going for his invasion of another state with his war ready army. When the king saw the monk standing, he ordered his army to be stopped. He came to the monk and said, “Oh Great Monk, I am going to war to win another state so that my state can be expanded. So bless me to be victorious”. After thinking, the monk gave the single currency coin to the king! The king was confused and annoyed with this because what use would he have for a single coin while he is already one of the richest kings! He curiously asked him, “what’s the meaning of this one coin?” A Monk explained, “Oh Great King! I found this coin yesterday while strolling around the streets of your capital city. But I had no use of it. So, I had decided that I would donate it to someone needy. I strolled around till the evening in your capital, but found no one. Everyone was living a happy life. It seemed that they were satisfied with what they had. So I found no one to give this coin. But today, the king of this state, still having the desire to gain more and not satisfied with what he already has, I felt you were in need of this coin.”

Who do you relate to the most in this story? The King or the Monk? Without a doubt, I am the King but I so want to be the Monk; content with what I have and content with who I am. There was a poll done and the question was asked, “How much would it take for you to be satisfied?” The overwhelming answer, “Just a little bit more.” We can all find ourselves wanting just a little bit more. We want just a little bit more money. We want a few more wins. We want just a little bit more _____________ and then we will be satisfied. As we all know, this attitude of wanting more leads us to being discontent, unsatisfied, unsettled, and freaking exhausted. So the question is how do we become the monk and the townspeople who were happy and satisfied with what they had? Paul answers that burning question in all of us:

“For I have learned  how to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little.” Philippians 4:11-12

(The coaching family version may say something like… “I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is an undefeated season or winless one. One when everyone loves me and the ones when nobody does. The one where we were the underdog and shouldn’t have won but did and the one where we were the favorite and didn’t.”

What is the secret Paul Learned? The very next verse is the most quoted, tattooed, t-shirt wearing verse in all of sports: Ready?

For I can do all things through Christ, who gives me strength.” Phillippians 4:13

Although this verse has been taught to us that through Christ’s strength we can win all games. I would argue that we need more of God’s strength when we don’t. We need God’s strength when we are losing because insecurities can set in and we need God’s strength when we are winning because our pride can come out. Paul knew the secret of having a lot or little; winning or losing; wanting more or being content with what we have is CHRIST and CHRIST alone! Our insecurities and pride come out when our focus is on self. Our satisfaction and contentment come out when our focus is on Jesus. We give all the glory back to God, not because He needs it but because we can’t handle it!

Wherever you and your family are right now, coming off of a tough season or preparing for a hopeful one; know we can always find joy and contentment where we are because of who God is! 

Help me in my unbelief

Call me a nerd, but I love Star Wars. Let me clarify, I love the old original stars with Yoda, Princess Leia, Han Solo etc. Will you ever see me in a costume dressed up for Star Wars Convention? No (not that there is anything wrong with that…Any Seinfeld fans out there ha ha). My favorite scenes are the ones that include Yoda. There is one scene where Yoda is trying to get Luke to channel the force and lift out his ship from the swamp. As much as Yoda is encouraging him, he fails. Yoda, 900 year old, little green Yoda finally does it…

Luke: “I don’t believe it”

Yoda: “I know, that’s why you fail.”

Belief, one thing we need in our walk with Jesus and often the one thing we struggle.

The belief that God is good all the time.

The belief that God sees us.

The belief that God is for us.

The belief that even though God can, he won’t.

There was a man in Mark 9:17-29 who suffered from the same unbelief that we can all find ourselves struggling with and his story is going to encourage us today in ours.

“One of the men in the crowd spoke up and said, “Teacher, I brought my so you could heal him. He is possessed by an evil spirit that won’t let him talk…. Vs 18b So I asked your disciples to cast out the evil spirit, but they couldn’t do it.

Jesus said to them, “You faithless people! How long must I be with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring the boy to me.”

Vs. 21 “How long has this been happening?” Jesus asked the boy’s father. He replied, “Since he was a little boy. The spirit often throws him into the fire or into water, trying to kill him. Have mercy on us and help, if you can.”

“What do you mean, ‘If I can?’ Jesus asked. Anything is possible if a person believes.”

The father instantly cried out, “I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!”

Vs. 28 Afterward, when Jesus was alone in the house with his disciples, they asked him, “Why couldn’t we cast out that evil spirit?”

Jesus replied, “This kind can be cast out only in prayer.”

Why do we fail when it comes to believing Jesus today?

1. Past disappointments

Just like this Father, we can look at past disappointments from people that can lead to unbelief in the power of a great God. This father believed Jesus’ followers could help him and they didn’t. This disappointment led to him saying “help, if you can.”  Maybe you have had someone who claimed to be a follower of Jesus wound you deeply. Maybe coaches on the staff, parents in the stands, players in your locker room, or family under your roof have disappointed you when it came to loyalty to you.  We are called to love people and trust God. But a lot of times because we love people,  we expect from people what we should expect from God. People may fail us, but God never will.

2. We may believe IN God, but we don’t BELIEVE God.

 When Jesus says, “If I can?” Jesus is calling us all out when it comes to believing in him, but not believing Him. Believing He is for us. Believing He sees us. Believing He will never leave us. Believing when all we see is bad, HE is still good.  Oh I love the Father’s reply and I pray we all have this same one, “I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief.”

LORD, HELP ME OVERCOME MY UNBELIEF. The best most real prayer we can pray!

3. Prayer life

We can learn from the disciples, there are somethings we can only accomplish with prayer….not from working longer hours, better game plan, or trying harder but with prayer and only prayer. I know I have said this before but We cannot treat prayer as our last option, but as our first choice. Believing God consistently comes when we seek him in prayer daily.

It is my prayer for you as coaches wives and women of influence that your faith game goes to the next level because your hope, trust, peace, belief is in Jesus…..not the winning record, not the job but in Christ and Christ alone. Believe Jesus today because He believes in you!

Love you all!! Have a great week😊

Just ROLE with it

Something you may not know about me is I have loved me some Friends TV show (and still love catching some episodes on Nickelodeon). I could quote Friends lines with the best of them and don’t get me started on the haircuts. I had every Rachel and Monica hairdo in the 90’s. One of my favorite episodes was when Monica and Phoebe want to throw Rachel a surprise birthday party. Although they were supposed to be cohosts, Monica had a little control problem and had already made all the plans. Feeling discouraged that there wasn’t anything she was in charge of, Phoebe was given the role of cups and ice. It wasn’t the role she wanted but it was the role she was given and Wow…she went all out with Cups and Ice.

You can watch the 3 minute clip here : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vHOrIUKkhs

We all go through those times when we are not where want to be or in the role we think we should be. Coaches see this every season because every kid wants to be the superstar. Every kid wants their name in lights. Every kid wants the best highlight film. As much as that is frustrating to the coach, if we were to be honest, sometimes we aren’t too thrilled with the role God has given us either. Why do I have to be the one that handles all the kids’ stuff? Why am I the one that has to handle the breakdown of the car? Why am I always alone? Believe me, I get it.

 It may not be the accolades we are wanting, but it’s the affirmation we are needing.

But what about the cups and ice? Both needed but not highly respected, Oh, but with God never overlooked.  God doesn’t look for people who want the roles to build their Kingdom, but those who want roles to build His.

And in walks Nehemiah.

An unsung hero of the Bible who brought honor, humility, and revival back to the nation of God’s people and the city of Jerusalem.

His role? His job?

“In those days I was the king’s cup-bearer.” Nehemiah 1:11

He was literally in charge of the Kings cup. HE WAS IN CHARGE OF THE CUPS😊 The role of a cup-bearer was to taste wine from the kings cup to insure that he would not be poisoned. Although the world may see a man that holds a cup all day, the king saw someone (a foreigner remind you) that he could trust with his life. God saw a man that took his role as cup holder seriously and came before the Lord humbly, and because of this, gave him a new role.

“They said to me, ‘Things are not going well for those who returned to Judah. They are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem has been torn down, and the gates have been destroyed by fire.’ When I [Nehemiah] heard this, I sat down and wept. In fact, for days I mourned, fasted, and prayed to the God of heaven. Then I said…. (vs. 10) ‘The people you rescued by your great power and strong hand are your servants. O Lord, please hear my prayer! Listen to the prayers of those of us who delight in honoring you. Please grant me success today by making the king favorable to me. Put it into his heart to be kind to me.’”

Nehemiah 2:1 ….”I was serving the King his wine. I had never before appeared sad in his presence. So the King asked me, “Why are you looking sad….You must be deeply troubled.

Nehemiah shared with the King what happened to his city and with his people.

The King replied, “Well, how can I help you?” vs. 4

“With a prayer to the God of heaven, I replied, ‘If it pleases the King, and if you are pleased with me, your servant, send me to Judah to rebuild the city….”

And that is exactly what Nehemiah did! He wrote letters, he lead the people, and went through discouraging times, all leading to the rebuilding of the wall in only 52 days at the governments expense. He wasn’t discouraged by his previous role and wasn’t overwhelmed by his present role because His God, our God is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow.  God saw He could trust Nehemiah with the small role so He entrusted him with the big one. The same God that used Nehemiah is the same God who wants to use you and me in the very roles he has given us this day. We have to stop looking to where we want to be or where we think we should be and start honoring God in the role he has us to be….right now!

I don’t know about you, I but am ready to be in charge of some cups and ice….for the Glory of God!!

Would love to know your thoughts!!

Be Weak...everyone is doing it OR should be

Hello to my sweet Sister Wives!! 

I have missed you, but am so excited to be on your computer screens or phones todayJ You all have been prayed for today as you start school!

A 10-year-old boy decided to study judo despite the fact that he had lost his left arm in a devastating car accident.

The boy began lessons with an old Japanese judo master. The boy was doing well, so he couldn’t understand why, after three months of training the master had taught him only one move. “Sensei,”(Teacher in Japanese) the boy finally said, “Shouldn’t I be learning more moves?” “This is the only move you know, but this is the only move you’ll ever need to know,” the sensei replied.

Not quite understanding, but believing in his teacher, the boy kept training. Several months later, the sensei took the boy to his first tournament. Surprising himself, the boy easily won his first two matches. The boy was now in the finals.

This time, his opponent was bigger, stronger, and more experienced. For a while, the boy appeared to be overmatched. Concerned that the boy might get hurt, the referee called a time-out. He was about to stop the match when the sensei intervened. “No,” the sensei insisted, “Let him continue.” Soon after the match resumed, his opponent made a critical mistake: he dropped his guard. Instantly, the boy used his move to pin him. The boy had won the match and the tournament.

He was the champion. On the way home, the boy and sensei reviewed every move in each and every match. Then the boy summoned the courage to ask what was really on his mind.

“Sensei, how did I win the tournament with only one move?”

“You won for two reasons,” the sensei answered. “First, you’ve almost mastered one of the most difficult throws in all of the judo. And second, the only known defense for that move is for your opponent to grab your left arm.”

The boy’s biggest weakness had become his biggest strength

We live in a world where perception of perfection is reality. Everyone has the perfect job, the perfect family, the perfect life. Social media, blogs, website, family pictures etc., all has created this illusion of perfection therefore any weakness we may have we will hide or kill ourselves trying to make it a strength. We don’t just struggle with the fear of failure, we struggle because we think perfection is our only option.  What the heck are we doing? Jesus himself, the creator, the savior, the God of the universe said,

“My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” 2 Corinthians 12:9

Paul goes on to say…., “So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.”

Here me loud and clear: IF WE ARE UNABLE TO SHARE OUR WEAKNESSES, THEN WE ARE UNABLE TO SHARE IN CHRIST’S STRENGTH.

We serve a God that doesn’t want us to dig down deep and try harder to be perfect, but to say out loud and admit that we are not. Jesus didn’t die on the cross because we were perfect, but because we weren’t.

Here’s just a few of mine:

1. I am weak at organization. It’s exhausting trying to get my crap together
2. I am weak at finishing. The amount of books I have started to read and not finished is astonishing.
3. I am weak at humility. I can both boast in what I can do and tear myself a part for what I can’t…both are pride and sin.
4. I am weak at time management. I once went to a time management counselor for a year.
5. I am weak at not letting ministry outside my home affect the ministry inside my home.

Be encouraged today that as you start this new school year off, we are not called to be perfect but to admit that we are not and trust our weaknesses to the one who is!

Love you all!!

Failing Forward

Thomas Edison tried two thousand different materials in search of a filament for the light bulb. When none worked satisfactorily, his assistant complained, “All our work is in vain. We have learned nothing, Not sure if we can use an electricity properly.”

Edison replied very confidently, “Oh, we have come a long way and we have learned a lot. We know that there are two thousand elements which we cannot use to make a good light bulb.”

Thomas Edison was just as wise as he was brilliant. And I was always taught “We are smart if we learn from our mistakes, but we are wise if were learn from other peoples mistakes.”

There is a man we can learn from when it comes to making mistakes. Because let’s be clear, it’s not IF we make a mistake, it is WHEN we make a mistake. Peter, one of Jesus’ disciples,  was discussing what people were saying regarding who Jesus was.  Finally, Jesus  said to them, “But who do You say I am?”

Peter replied, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living. God.” Matthew 16:15-16

Oh but my favorite part comes next…

Jesus replied, “You are blessed, Simon son of John, because my Father in heaven has revealed this to you. You did not learn this from any human being. Now I say to you that you are Peter (which means ‘rock’), and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it. And I will give you the keys to Heaven….” Matthew 16:17-18

The moment Peter declared who Jesus was to Him (his savior and Messiah), Jesus in turn declares who Peter was in Christ (a rock, the builder of the church, a world-changer). That same Jesus is saying who you are too! Once we make a personal confession and commitment declaring who Jesus is, that same declaration can be made of you! YOU are a rock. YOU are a builder of the Kingdom. YOU are a world-changer. Don’t forget who You are in Christ. We have to keep reminding ourselves who Jesus is and he in turn will remind you who you are.

But what about when me make mistakes?

When instead of a Rock, you crumble under the pressure of being a tired mom, wife, daughter or friend?

Or you fail at building your family up each day so how can you build the Kingdom?

You fail at changing your clothes some days so whose to say you can change the world?  

If you remember, it wasn’t too long after Peters bold declaration of who Jesus was that The Rock crumbled. Not just crumbled, but crumbled under the pressure of a little girl. He literally couldn’t tell a little girl (and two other people) that Jesus is the Messiah and he was the Rock that would build Jesus’ church. He denied Jesus. He denied His own identity. He failed. He failed. And He failed again.

Did his failures change what Jesus said was his future?

Nope…God used them to shape it.

After the Resurrection, Jesus walked and talked with Peter. I can only imagine the shame, guilt, feelings of failure that Peter felt…wait, I don’t have to imagine them I have felt them, every single one of them after each one of my failures. But during this time, Jesus didn’t condemn Peter for his failures, but reminded him of his future.

Jesus: “Do you love me more than these?”

Peter: “Yes, Lord. You know I love you.”

Jesus: “Then feed my lambs.”

Jesus: “Do you love me?”

Peter: “yes, Lord. You know I love you.”

Jesus: “Then take care of my sheep”

Jesus: “Do you love me?”

Peter: “Lord, you know everything. You know I love you.”

Jesus: “Then feed my sheep.”  (John 21:15-17)

Like Edison, we will all fail. But with Jesus we will always fail forward.

Be encouraged today sweet friends!! Love and hugs to you all!!

Choose Jesus...He chose you

Happy Day to my peeps, my sisters, and my friends!  I hope you had a great Easter with friends/familyJ

So…there was a curious frog that found himself on gas stove and jumped into a nice pot of water. The water felt warm so he did not try to jump out of the vessel, instead just stayed in it. As the temperature of the water started to rise, the frog managed to adjust its body temperature accordingly. As the water started to reach the boiling point, the frog was no longer able to keep up and manage its body temperature according to the water temperature. The frog tried to jump out of the vessel but with water temperature reaching its boiling point, the frog was not able to bear it and couldn’t make it.

As followers of Christ, this world is not our home. Like this frog, we can find ourselves tempted in so many different ways by the luring, warming, and often times, deceptive paths of this world. Jesus understood this because he lived it and prayed for us to have the strength to overcome it. In Jesus’ last moments before being arrested, he prayed for you and he prayed for me:

“….Now I am coming to you. I told them (disciples) many things while I was with them in the this world, so they would be filled with joy. I have given them your word. And the world hates them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. I’m not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from the evil one. They do not  belong to this world any more than I do. Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth. Just as you sent me into this world, I am sending them into the world. And I give myself as a holy sacrifice for them so they can be made holy by your truth. I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me through their message.” John 17: 13-20 (You can read the whole amazing prayer in John 17)

Can I just say how much I love Jesus? While preparing to die, he is teaching us how to live.

When we seek happiness from the world, we have find ourselves in pot of water on a burning stove. It will last for a while but it will NEVER be good enough. We will constantly try to keep up with the ever-changing culture. Yes, we can adapt but our hearts are slowly dying in the process. This can take the form of compromising our faith out of fear of the world.  Giving into a sinful temptation that may have been knocking at our door. Following the ways of this world instead of setting the example of God’s. The question I have to ask myself and want to ask you as well, how are we choosing culture over Christ? What we watch? Who we are in relationships in? Where we go? What we do?

The enemy is not Culture, but often the culture follows where our enemy is leading….away from Jesus. This enemy Jesus prayed about is real and will come at us two ways: Temptation and Opposition. The bible teaches us how to handle this:

1)      Flee from Temptation

2)      Fight opposition

Unfortunately, we do the complete opposite. We will fight temptation and flee when it comes to opposition. All the frog had to do was jump out when the water started to get warm, but instead fought the temptation until it slowly killed him.                     

Girls, WE MUST CHOOSE CHRIST OF CULTURE, FOREVER JOY OVER TEMPORARY HAPPINESS, THE TRUTH OF GOD’S WORD OVER THE LIES OF THE ENEMY IN THIS WORLD. Praying for you all now!!!

Love you all!

BAD MOMS

Yes, I am in full-time ministry.
Yes, I know people look to me as a Christ-like example.
Yes, I love Jesus.
Yes, I am aware of the things I post, listen to and watch because of the reasons listed above. BUT...

Yes, I went to the movies and watched the rated "R" movie Bad Moms

What?!!! I know right?.  I get it. Some of you will disagree with me, oppose me, or even feel disappointed by me but hear me out.
I didn't walk into the wrong movie theatre on accident. I wasn't peer pressured by Bad Moms into seeing it. I intentionally wanted to see it...from the moment I saw the previews I was drawn to it. And I wasn't alone. Mom after mom had seen it, was making plans to see it, or was on their way to see it again.

Why?

Because every freaking woman I know (whether you admit it or not) could relate to the lead character in wanting to say, "I quit".

Was the movie inappropriate? yes. Was it disturbing in a lot of ways yes. BUT...

For 2 hours I watched what I secretly wanted to do:
-bring store bought donut holes to the school bake sale
-tell my kids that mom was done and they needed to make their own breakfast
-share with other moms all the flaws of my kids without feeling the judgement of my parenting

The world was telling us what God already had.

IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO BE PERFECT

The difference between the world and God is
-the world wants us to simply find peace in our imperfections
-while God knows its impossible to find peace in our imperfections without finding peace in His perfections.

As a Jew from birth born into the Israel tribe of Benjamin and a member of the religous leaders, Pharisees, Paul understood what it meant to follow the thousands of rules that went along with his religion. The Pharisees were the judgemental moms on steroids. So when he became a follower of Christ, we see througout the book of Philippians his excitment of being set free from the rules to have a personal relationship with God through Jesus.

"But I press on the posess that perfection for which Jesus first possesed me. No dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing, forgetting the past and looking foward to what lies ahead. I press on to reach the end of the race and recieve the heavenly prize for which God, thorugh Jesus is calling us." Philippians 3:12-14

Paul had not achieved what he wanted to do or who he wanted to be (can you relate?). But he wasn't discouraged by it, overwhelmed because of it, or burdened over it.
Failing meant pressing on.
Imperfection meant pressing on.
Falling short meant pressing on.

What Bad Moms did for moms is what Jesus wants to do for all moms, wives, women, people everywhere: Release us from these feelings, thoughts, and guilt of not being perfect. But know we are loved by perfection.


WE ARE CONSTANTLY SEEKING FROM THE WORLD WHAT CHRIST DIED TO GIVE US.

FREEDOM. LOVE. HOPE. GRACE. IDENTITY.

Its not about being perfect but finding feedom in the perfection of Christ.

We don't presson for our perfection, we press on to find our identity in His.

So...to all my mommas who are tired, overwhelmed and sick of living up to the "perfect pinterest" life and just want to quit...Please hang in there sweet friend.

Jesus didn't die for you because you were perfect, He died for you because you weren't!!

Lets live this life of a BAD MOM because we serve a GREAT GOD!

OU Softball WCWS

As you watch the sooner softball team tonight there will be something you will notice both the fans and players doing each time the Sooners come off the field before they bat.

Everyone's hands will be raised.

Why?

It's biblical.

One the greatest stories of teamwork in the midst of battle is found in Exodus 17...

“Moses commanded Joshua, “Choose some men to go out and fight the army of Amalek for us. Tomorrow, I will stand at the top of the hill, holding the staff of God in my hand.” So Joshua did what Moses had commanded and fought the army of Amalek. Meanwhile, Moses, Aaron, and Hur climbed to the top of a nearby hill. As long as Moses held up the staff in his hand, the Israelites had the advantage. But whenever he dropped his hand, the Amalekites gained the advantage. Moses’ arms soon became so tired he could no longer hold them up. So Aaron and Hur found a stone for him to sit on. Then they stood on each side of Moses, holding up his hands. So his hands held steady until sunset. As a result, Joshua overwhelmed the army of Amalek in battle.”  Exodus‬ ‭17:9-13‬ ‭‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

Joshua needed Moses. Moses needed Aaron and Hur. They all needed God.

Although we know this is not a real war, sports teaches and prepares is for real life. Whether on the softball field or in life...we all need each other and most importantly God!! We can do nothing on our own-even win a national championship. So as you watch (a hopefully cheer), you will see  sport imitating life inspired by Gods Word! Boomer Sooner!!

Let's be real...

Ok…so I am going to share a few things about myself with you all today:

1)      I am a 3 time state champion in track

2)      I just finished running in the OKC Marathon this past weekend

3)      Right this minute my house is spotless

4)      My kids all have field trips and projects going on and we are done with them and all permission slips are in

5)      This year has been my greatest year of fruitful ministry since I started in FCA 13 years ago

Now…before you start cursing me and thinking bad thoughts about me, I have just given you the Facebook version, the surface version of every single one of these. Now lets move past the surface to the reality of these….

1)      These state championships were because I was on a relay with 3 really fast girls. I was not even close to winning anything in an individual race

2)      The same goes for the Marathon. I ran the Marathon as relay with 5 others girls because there is no way in the world I would ever put myself through running 26 miles…to be honest that sounds like my version of hellJ (Serious props to all marathon runners, you are rock stars) 

3)      I ask for no presents from my family throughout the year so I can have Marciela come and clean my house each month. We love Marciella and feel like she is a part of our family. I think I would give up a kid before I would give up Marciella. She just came yesterday and we were gone all last night hence it is still clean. I have no doubt my kids will come home today and see it is clean and think “we must get this house back to normal asap.”

4)      You know the moms that are on top of everything? The type “A” moms that if it wasn’t for them, nothing would get done? I have sought out that mom in each one of my kids classes and have begged them to take me under their wing and help this little sad mess of a crazy mom. They have each taken pity on me and send me the lifesaving text messages like

“The history project is due this Friday and you will need a tri-fold board, do you need me to pick you up one?”

“The permission form is due today, do you want me to forge your name and turn it in for you?”

“Did you remember to get the skittles for the Math project?”

5)      I have sought professional counseling twice: Pattye, who specialized in Time management counseling (I didn’t even know this was a thing until my boss signed me up for it, which was his way of saying you have got to get your act together)

And the latest was Mareen, a professional counselor who specializes in counseling those in full time ministry. She is the perfect balance of sweet, bake you cookies Grandma and no filter, tell you how it is grandma. Both, God used to help me be the best I can possibly be in this calling of full time ministry-in and outside of my home.

A couple of things I want you to learn from this…

1)      Jesus said, “Look beneath the surface so you can judge correctly.” John 7:24. We try so hard to live on the surface for others and then just look at the surface of others. Relationships are not built on the surface, but by doing life with others sharing in all of each other’s messiness. God is a relational God and we see that through His Son Jesus. Does he want anything less from our relationships with each other? We are the body of Christ, which basically means “imperfect people doing this life with the help of a perfect God and other imperfect people.”

2)      That leads me to this point: WE NEED EACH OTHER. As much as we would love to show the world that we are strong enough to do everything on our own, God’s strength is shown through our weakness. We get God’s strength when we show humility, realizing this life is not about us, but about Him! We need those women who will pour life into us through their teaching ability, pour life into us through their generosity, and pour life into us through their hospitality.  God teaches us in Ecclesiastes 4:9, “Two are better than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble.” God has placed so many women in my path to make me the mom, wife, Bible teacher, FCA leader He wants me to be. It takes a village, or in my case a whole state to do all that God has called me to do.

Let’s do this life together, You, me and Jesus! ….I’m in for your messiness if you are in for mineJ

Dealing with those that make us Hard-working Christians?

I have nicknames for all my kids. I call Cale my heart, Chloe my joy, Case my light, Cruz my hope... All things that they have taught me or bring into my life etc.

This was Chloe and I’s conversation last week

C: “Why do you call Cale your heart?”

Me: “Because he is the one that made me a mom”

C: “Well, I am the one who makes you a hard-working mom”

I love her so much but she is my queen of one-liners and is completely telling the truthJ

Do you have that person in your life that makes you a hard-working Christian? They are just not easy to love. You want to act non-christian to them and say non-christian things to them or about them.

-maybe a student of yours

-maybe your mother or mother-in-law

-maybe a parent

-maybe a child

-maybe a frienemy

We all have them! They can make our lives miserable. So how do we deal with those that make life hard work? 

“A mob quickly formed against Paul and Silas, and the city officials ordered them stripped and beaten with wooden rods. There were severely beaten, and then they were thrown into prison. The jailer was ordered to make sure they didn’t escape. So the jailer put them into the inner dungeon and clamped their feet in the stocks. Around midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening.”

There was an earthquake and all the doors flew open and the chains were broken.

“The jailer woke up to see the doors wide open. He assumed the prisoners escaped, so he drew his sword to kill himself. But Paul Shouted, “Stop! Don’t kill yourself! We are all here!’…the jailer said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” Acts 16:22-29

I know you are thinking, “there is no way in…..I can start singing hymns and praying with this person.” (Just me?:))

The answer isn’t what they did, but who their focus was on. It wasn’t on the jailer, who locked them up and most likely took part in the beatings, it was on Jesus. They weren’t focused on the beating of their body, but the raised body of Jesus. They weren’t focused on their pain physically, but on the one that saved them spiritually. They weren’t focused on the enemy that put them there, but the God that could get them out.

We see what honest to goodness faith in the one True God looks like in this story and we can all experience it. The encouraging thing is when we do, like Paul and Silas everybody is watching and/or listening. That is when we get to rejoice because what the enemy meant to drive us over the edge is what God uses to make lost people found!

An Open Letter from a Coach's wife

I have been a part of a coaches family my entire life, first as a coach’s daughter and for the past 17 years, a coach’s wife.  I feel like there are some things people outside this coaching world  need to know about what its like living the lifestyle inside the coaching world. It may be shocking, offensive, or entertaining but it will all be truth.

1) Sports is our Livelihood, but it is NOT our Life.
Yes, sports is how we make a living, but we do not eat, sleep, breathe, or want to talk about it 24-7. It is always funny to me that people find the oddest times to talk about last nights, last  weeks, or  last years game: Bathroom, church pew, vacation. Nobody, even a coach, wants to talk about the 4th quarter play call while they are in the urinal. Sports is not our life, and it shouldn’t be yours either!!!

2) For a coach’s family there is often time sacrifices for team success.
My husband loves this game and works so freaking hard at being the best he can be so that the team can be the best they can be. The watching film on weekends and the 4 nights a week at the field can lead to days the kids and I don’t see our husband/dad. Yet, people can see him for 2 hours on a Friday night and complain publicly, but have no idea what coaches sacrifice privately. Believe it or not…they want to win more than you do!

3) My husband’s job depends solely on what 14-18 year old kids decide to do.
My husband and his staff have to prepare 40 teenagers to play together as one unit despite what might be going on at home, in the classroom, or with the girlfriend. I have people tell me all the time how frustrated they are with their moody teenagers because they can’t get their one kid to clean their rooms, be respectful, or come home at curfew. Yet we expect coaches, somehow, to get perfection out of these teenagers on the field that some parents can’t get at home. It really should be considered more of miracle working than coaching.

4) Coach’s job: focus on the team not an individual
As a parent myself, I completely understand the love for your children. And our job, as parents is to watch, cheer, and encourage your kid. But the quickest way to bring down a team is focus on one individual, even if it’s your wonderful, needs the ball every time, be the first 300 lb quarterback, child. You may not like every call the coaches make, but just know this: it’s with the team, the whole team, in mind.

5) Coaching families don’t have a lot of close friends.
Coaches have so many walls put up when it comes to relationships because people can’t separate personal life from the professional one. We have to be guarded now because we have been burned before. People want to be friends until their child sits the bench. People want to be friends until their child gets disciplined. People want to be friends until we aren’t winning anymore. Professional coaching can lead to personal loneliness.

6) Coaches are harder on themselves than you could ever be
I have been around coaches my entire life, professionally and personally. And I have never met one that wasn’t harder on themselves during a loss than anyone else. They stew over missed calls. They lose sleep over personnel changes. They watch play after play on film thinking what they could have done differently.  There is no email, phone call, or personal attack that makes a coach think “oh, I hadn’t thought about that, thanks for bringing that to my attention”, but I do know what it does make them think but I can’t write that because we love Jesus.

7) My husband cant hear anything you say from the stands, but his family can.
There is a reason that me and my kids have had to move our seats to the very top row, so we can’t hear what people say behind us. I understand sports is an emotional game but lets spread the emotion. If you are going to yell from the stands at my husband for a bad play call, I better hear you yell at your kid for missing the tackle. We are an equal opportunity team sport.

8) Coach’s wives are the best secret keepers ever
Whatever conversation you have with me in hopes that I will share with my husband will NEVER get to him! The coach’s wife is often treated like a side door into the coaches office. No, I don’t know what my husband is going to do about play time. No, I don’t know how my husband is going to handle your child missing practice. No, I don’t know why the freshman are playing more than the upperclassmen. No, I don’t know why parents aren’t aloud in the locker room on game day. And guess what? I am not going to ask him either…He’s not even going to know we had this conversation.

9) Coaching is a Calling
My husband makes $0.43 an hour for his coaching duties so we know he loves what He does because it’s not for the money. As followers of Christ, our jobs are not given to us by man but by God. As coaches we may think athletic directors, parents, or administration hold our jobs in the palms of their hands, but the truth is God in control of our path because we have submitted our calling. There are tough losses, tough seasons, and tough jobs. We may get fired from one but believe God will lead us to a different one. We know when things go good it's because of God and when things go bad, we will be ok because we have God.

10) Team is Family and Family is Team
WE believe this with everything in us. This is why we call our family Team Roberts and why we believe the team is an extension of our family. We love these kids and know that are own children really have 40 big brothers. We view coaching as a calling and the team as a family. There are no two things that will put us on our knees in prayer more than football season and family. It is every coaches heaven  that players, coaches, parents, and administration would work together to show love and respect to each other out of love and respect for God.

Emotional Attached to God: Study of Psalms

Ok, so I am just gonna lay it out there...I am an emotional being. Sometimes I try to play it off as passionate, but lets be real ladies: I am emotional!
I am emotional about my husband. I am emotional about my kids. I am emotional about my job. I emotional about my husband's job.  I am emotional about my sisters, parents, neices, nephews, friends, and while we are just putting it all out there, I am emotional about every military "come home video",  walk-on football players getting scholarships, and every celebrity video rendition of "how great thou art". I don't half hearted do anything....I am emotional about everything.
And for the longest time, I thought this was such a negative quality of mine. I would try so hard not to do the "emotional girl" thing. Be the tough athlete, competitor type. And it doesn't help when you have the stereotypical emotional comments that we girls get:
"She must have her monthly visitor today"
"Stop making emotional deisions like a girl"
"There's no crying in baseball"

I set out to figure this whole emotional thing out...and ladies, I am super excited about what I am learning. In search of finding out who we are, we must search for the one who created us: God.
Ladies, we are emotional beings! We were created this way by our creator. But guess what? So is God.  God's word teaches us that we were created in His image. We are the emotional being of God.

Hurray!! We are not going crazy! We are not losing it every time our child starts a new school year or when they come home for the summer:)

BUT,  we have to understand that having emotions is not wrong, but when our emotions have us it is

Because we are women and we are emotional, we can become emotional attached to anything that moves and even then somethings that don't.
-It's the reason that our feelings get hurt when we don't get invited with a group of friends...we are emotional attached to friends.
-It's the reason we get so frustrated at our husbands when they don't meet our mental, physical, spiritual, and emotional needs every day....we are emotional attached to our husbands.
-It's the reason we make sure we are at our children's every need protecting them from anything that might hurt them physical, mentally, spiritually, and emotionally...we are emotionally attached to our kids.
-It's the reason why we can cry over fictional characters when the stupid writers with stupid ideas kills one of them off (not bitter at all)...we are emotional attached to tv.

God created us emotional people so that we can be emotionally attached to an emotional God.

Now, I am not saying we cant be emotional attached to people. I am saying that because we are so emotionally attached to people, this can often lead to unmet, unrealisic expectations from people that we should be expecting from God.

Our husbands were never meant to meet our spiritual needs....Jesus is.
Our children were never meant to meet our emotional needs...Jesus is.
Our friends were never meant to meet our mental needs....Jesus is.


Our relationships shouldn't quench our thirsty needs, but should be a living water overflow of our relationship with God.

Emotions are not our weakness, but our vehicle strength to God.

So how do we do this? How do we become emotionally attached to God? What does that look like?
And because I love studying people of the bible, I asked "Who is the most emotional character of the bible?" And without another thought....I knew it was DAvid. The entire book of Psalms is dedicated to every emotion David poured out to God: joy, sadnesss, feelings of betrayal, brokeness, shame, feelings of being overwhelmed etc.
In this study, I have learned that David wrote 73 of the 150 Psalms and 13 of them are directily related to a certain issue he was facing. Will you join me over the next few weeks as week look at all the different emotions David had and what it looks like to be emotionally attached to God?

We will be learning from David's stories so that we can get through ours!!

God sees you...do you hear him?

It's really ironic to read my last post in light of our present circumstances. I am truly a living example that when God teaches you a lesson in his Word, we are tested on it in the World.

We have been chosen

In the past 8 weeks we have went from being a family of 5 to a family of 7. We have a 5 year old little boy we are trying to adopt from Foster care and an 18 year old Senior football player from my husband's team who has lost both of his parents who are now a part of Team Roberts. We call them the Robert's twins since they came to us at about the same time. Is it crazy?...yep! Is it loud?...of course! Do I sometimes sit on my bathroom floor with a locked door?...Maybe.  Is it overwhelming?...sometimes.

An Overwhelming life calls for an overwhelming God

I have been studying the book of Nehemiah and the lessons keep coming...

"'Things are not going well for those who returned to the providence of Judah. They are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem has been torn down, and the gates have been destroyed by fire."' When I heard this, I sat down and wept. In fact for days I mourned, fasted, and prayed to the God of heaven.
       'Oh Lord, God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps his covenant
        of unfailing love with those who love him and obey his commands, listen to my
        prayer! Look down and see me praying at night and day for your people Israel.
        I confess that we have sinned against you. Yes, even my own family and I have
        sinned! We have sinned terribly by not obeying your commands, decrees, and
        regulations that you gave us through your servant Moses......vs. 10 the people
        you rescued by your great power  and strong hand are your servants. O Lord, please
        hear my prayer! Listen to the prayers of those of us who delight in honoring you.
        Please grant me success today.....'
In those days I was the king's cup-bearer." Nehemiah 1

Nehemiah was overwhelmed with the destruction that had happened to the city of God's people...He was blessed with a burden. Allowing your heart to break for the things that break the heart of God is never pleasant, but it is powerful. Chris and I were witnessing the destruction of something else that belonged to God...the families of these two boys. We prayed. We cried. We broke. But the overwhelming feeling of doing something wasn't nearly as bad as the overwhelming feeling of NOT.
But What?
'God,
We are only a football coach and FCA Staff...."Yes, and Nehemiah was just a cup holder."
How can we fulfill what they have lost?..."You can't. I can"
Do we have the space, the resources, the energy, the time..."You have what they need: A family"
Are you choosing us for the rebuilding of these kids' walls?..."If you are willing, I will be working"'

In just 52 days, a cup holder named Nehemiah and a group of helpers, successfully completed the task God had placed on his heart to do. It wasn't easy. People tried to stop them, discourage them, and mock them, but they weren't deterred, they were determined. Each person simply just built the part of the wall that was in front of their house. And so can we...

We don't have to go to Africa to change the world, just build up what's right outside (or inside) yours. Being a world changer is not easy, but it is worth it. You can change the world by changing your corner of it.
Maybe you show love to someone that just seems unloveable...you've changed the world.
Maybe you serve someone who is not like you....you've changed the world.
Maybe you tell someone that Jesus loves them....you've changed the world.
Maybe you open your home to a foster child...you've changed the world
Maybe you start a ministry that helps abused children...you've changed the world

 Just know when God calls you 3 things will happen
1) It will require Obedience from YOU(Nehemiah 1)
2) Expect Opposition from the WORLD (Nehemiah 4 and 6)
3) Know the Outcome will always be because of GOD ("When our enemies and the surrounding nations heard about it, they were frightened and humiliated. They realized this work had been done with the help of our God." Nehemiah 6:16)
The world saw Nehemiah as a simple cup holder. He saw himself as wall builder. God saw him as a world changer.

God sees you...do you hear him?

Purpose beyond the Pain

I grew up playing sports. That's just what you do when your father is  a coach. Then I married a coach so I have lived in a coaches house my entire life...I think I know them pretty well. One thing you always hear is it's a good thing when your coach is on you...yelling at you....pushing you to go harder, be better. It's when the coach is silent, not saying anything, that you should be worried.
 He's not saying anything to you because he's not seeing anything from you.


I was reading the story about Paul becoming a follower of Jesus in Act 9. Paul had just been blinded and now God was asking a man named, Ananias to go to Paul and help him.  These were God's words to Ananias about Paul:


"Go, for Saul is my chosen instrument to take my message to the Gentiles and the Kings as well as to the people of Israel. And I will show him how much he must suffer for my name's sake."


I just sat there and couldn't quite move passed this verse.
If Paul was Chosen by God why did he have to suffer because of God?


As I started writing in my journal, other names and stories came to my mind that had this same story line:
Chosen by God, but suffered because of God.


Moses was chosen by God...but suffered rejection from Pharoah
Joseph was chosen by God...but suffered slavery and prison
Mary was chosen by God...but suffered humiliation for being an unwed mother
Jesus was chosen by God...but suffered death on the cross


Maybe you are reading this and you are suffering.
-Suffering a broken heart
-Suffering a broken relationship (marriage, parents, friends)
-Suffering watching your kids suffer


Asking God what you have done wrong that he would allow such heartbreak, discouragement, despair, suffering. You are praying...and you suffer. You are reading His Word...and you suffer. You go to church....and you suffer. Why? Why? Why?


(God Whispers)...BECAUSE YOU ARE CHOSEN.


Just like a coach, God sees something in you that you can't even see in yourself. He's going to allow things to shape you, build your faith, make you stronger, and  build your character not for your glory but for HIS!
 I have learned from all these stories in the bible of being chosen and suffering is
God uses suffering to build his soldiers.
Strong, leading,humble, change the world soldiers.


You see, DOING LIFE WITH GOD DOESN'T MEAN YOU WON'T HAVE PAIN...IT MEANS THERE IS PURPOSE BEYOND THE PAIN!!


Moses suffered....but God helped him lead the people out of slavery
Joseph suffered...but God used prison to lead him to the palace as the head of Egypt
Mary suffered...but God used her pure heart to give birth to the man that would have mine
Jesus suffered...but God used his body as my sacrifice


Jesus said, "In this life you will have trouble, but take heart I have overcome the world."
Whatever you are going through, may this be an encouragement to you that God sees you, God sees your suffering, and there is purpose beyond the pain!

Don't be a but...

It's camp season in my world which means chigger bites in places that just make you look creepy when you have to scratch them. It means beds that were made in a concrete factory. It means showering with your new best friend, Mr. Cockroach. It also means kids making life-changing commitments to Christ by coming to know Jesus for the first time. I love it!! There are so many stories I could share with about what God has done, but I want to share with you a lesson God taught me. Working in a ministry like FCA, you work with staff and volunteers from different churches, different denominations, and different theology views. And camp seemed to be the place to talk, discuss, and debate those differences...or so I thought. We debated reformed vs. free-will, the women's roles in ministry, the tithe, homosexuality in the church etc. and you know what I noticed not one person came to know Jesus because of these discussions. I watched, listened, and played a part in discussing what we thought was "right" instead of God's righteousness. We discussed what we thought instead of who God is. We debated God's word instead of living God's Word.
At the same time I was being convicted of these truths, I read Acts 6 in my quiet time with Jesus...

"But as the believers rapidly multiplied, there were rumblings of discontentment. The Greek speaking believers, saying that their widows were being discriminated against in the daily distribution of food. So the Twelve called a  meeting of all the believers. They said, "We apostles should spend our time teaching the word of God, not running a  food program." Acts 6:1-2

There are so many statements, relationships, God's movement that can be ruined by "buts."
"I really like you but I don't think we should go out anymore"
"I like our church but I think the music should be different"
"I know God is moving but if He could just do it faster"
"Believers were rapidly multiplying but people were griping"

Our "But's" can keep us from God's Plan.

Our enemy will do anything to keep us focused on everything except Jesus. He will distract, distort, and discourage you in order to keep your focus on yourself not God..."you have to prove your point", "you have to prove you are right." Like the early church of Acts, we are called to teach about Jesus, live for Jesus, Show Jesus....not run a debate program. 

"But's" is one of the biggest problems in Christianity today. We can get so focused on "causes" that we forget Christ. We can get so focused on social issues that we forget the Spirit." We think if someone disagrees with you, they hate you. If someone loves you, they have to agree with you. These disagreements just distract, distort, and discourage what God wants us to being doing: Spread the Good News of Jesus Christ with Grace and Truth.

I challenge you as a follower of Jesus....Don't be a But!!

An old story...new message

When I was little, there was a song we always sang in Sunday School about a "wee little man." It was one of my favorites... probably because you cant say "wee little man" without saying it in a British accent or is that just me? :)  If you are familiar with the song, you know I am talking about the "wee little man" (insert British Accent), Zaccheaus. If you aren't familiar with it, here you go....

Zaccheaus was a wee little man and wee little man was he
He climbed up in a Sycamore tree for the Lord he wanted to see
And as that Savior passed that way He looked up in the tree
And he said, "Zaccheaus, you come down."
For I am coming to your house today, For I'm coming to your house today

I love the old stories from my childhood....Oh, But how I love when he uses them to teach me life lessons as an adult.

The story of Jesus and Zacchaues takes place in Luke 19: 1-10

"Jesus entered Jericho and made his way through the town. There was a man named Zacchaeus. He was the chief tax collector in the region. and he had become very rich. He tried to get a look at Jesus, but he was too short to see over the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree beside the road, for Jesus was going to pass that way. When Jesus came by, he looked up at Zacchaeus and called him by name. "Zacchaeus!" he said. "Quick, come down ! I must be a guest in your home today." Zacchaeus quickly climbed down and took Jesus to his house in great excitement and joy. But the people were displeased. "He has gone to be the guest of a notorious sinner," they grumbled.
Meanwhile, Zacchaeus stood before the Lord and said, "I will give half my wealth to the poor, Lord and if I have cheated people on their taxes, I will give them back four times as much!"
Jesus responded, "Salvation has come to this home today, for this man has shown himself to be a true son of Abraham. For the son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost."

Lesson #1
SOMETIMES WE HAVE TO PUT OURSELVES IN A BETTER POSITION TO SEE JESUS IN ORDER TO EXPERIENCE HIM.
One of the things I have learned in sports is you put yourself in a position to make the play. Sometimes we have to change the way we are lined up or change our approach to get the result we want...or need. Zaccheaus wanted to see Jesus, but couldn't because he was too short. He could have given up, he could have given in but he wanted to see this man he had been hearing so much about so he changed his position. He climbed up a tree just to get a glimpse of him with his eyes and ended up experiencing him with his heart. I talk to people all the time who want to feel Jesus, experience Jesus, or see Jesus working in their lives, but are so frustrated because they don't. But, they haven't changed anything about their lives in order to experience him. We all do it! We do the same things over and over expecting different results. We say with our words and/or our actions "I need to see God to believe God." But God wants us to "Believe God and then we will see Him."  Believe God when He says "draw close to me and I will draw close to you." So change your position and make some one-on-one time with God. Believe God when he says the greatest commandment is to "Love the Lord your God...Love your neighbor as yourself." So change your position on how everybody is here for your benefit. Get out of the "selfies" mode and into the serving mode and see God work in your relationships. Believe God when he says "He will work all things to the good for those who love him and are called according to His purpose." So change your position on viewing your glass as half empty and focus on the one who fills it. See how Jesus changes your perspective because you changed your position.

Lesson #2
JESUS CALLS US BY OUR NAME WHEN THE WORLD CALLS US BY OUR REPUTATION
There are people we know as coach, teacher, doctor, mom. Then there are some people we know as "the one who cheated on his wife", "the one who has an alcohol problem", "the one who's son is gay." Good or bad. Right or wrong....we call people by what they do, but God calls us by name because that is who we are. The people called Zacchaeus "a notorious sinner" but Jesus called him Zacchaeus. Zacchaeus had made mistakes, he had sinned, but Jesus didn't see him for what he was, but for who he could become. We have all sinned. We have all got caught up in trying to find ourselves in what we do for a living or want to lose ourselves for what we have done in the past. Neither is who we are. Jesus is calling you by name and asking you to be a guest in your home and your heart today. "(Insert name), come down from that tree of shame because I am coming to your house today." "(Insert name), come down from that tree of fear, because I am coming to your house today." "(Insert name), come down from that tree of loneliness, because I am coming to your house today." You are NOT what you do or what you have done...but as a follower of Jesus you are the child of the one true King. Your name is among the name above all name!

Lesson #3
JESUS VALUES THE RELATIONSHIP OF HIS PEOPLE OVER THE RULES OF THE WORLD
We live in a world that you should be respectful but only if you believe the same things, act the same way, and look the same. The rules of that day was that if you were "religious" you didn't associate with those that were not. You didn't hang out with them. You didn't go to their houses. And you sure as heck didn't love them. Sound familiar? It should, we still hold these same "rules" in our churches, in our schools and in our homes. The story of Jesus and Zacchaeus shows us that when value the relationship...love changes people, judgement does not. God is love so when we love the way God intended us to, He changes people through the love His people show. As followers of Jesus, we are to love people differently than the world does. It is my hope and prayer that people will know us as followers of Jesus by our love and people will be changed because of God's love.

Who knew you could learn so much from a "wee little man"....

Quieting your critics

It's March...which means March Madness in the NCAA basketball world...and in our house. March tends to be a little crazy around our house. We have birthdays, softball games, baseball practices, spring break, Roberts family cupcake war, chapels, banquets....and on and on. And during the crazy times is when it seems the critics come out in full force. If you have been alive for more than 5 minutes you have had critics. Those people who will criticize you for doing too much, those that criticize for not doing enough. Those that criticize your work, your house, your family, your writings....and you. I may be wrong, but if you are in the sports or ministry world you will get criticized more than most! There are sports talk radio and T.V. shows where the whole premise is to criticize the players, coaches, owners etc. People are standing in line to post articles and facebook posts on why certain pastors aren't "real pastors" or believers.  It is has been interesting reading the articles that are criticizing the "Son of God" movie...and they weren't written by non-believers. So how do we handle it because it is impossible to avoid it....Let's look at Jesus.

The first thing we need to learn is that it will happen...YOU WILL BE CRITICIZED. It's not a question of "if" but of "when". How do I  know this? Because the only perfect man to ever walk this earth had critics therefore we will too.
We read throughout the gospels that Jesus was criticized...a lot! It must have been difficult for him because the ones criticizing him were the ones that were suppose to be representing God and were the Pharisees and Religious leaders. He was criticized for not fasting and praying enough (Luke 5:33-39), for breaking heads of grain and eating it on the Sabbath (Luke 6:1-5), for healing on the Sabbath 6:-6-10), for not washing his hands before he ate (Luke 11:37-53) and on and on and on. So...if you are thinking "I am just doing what God has called me to do and I am getting criticized for it".....Yep! You are in good company because so did Jesus!

The second thing we need to understand is how to handle it because I don't know about you, but I want to defend myself, my actions, my calling....me. Do you see the problem? The focus is on me not God. When we read each story about Jesus and his critics...he never defends himself, not even before Pontius Pilate when he was about to be crucified. Yes, Jesus got defensive.Yes, Jesus got angry. But every time it was to defend God his father. There is a difference between Righteous anger and being "Right" anger...one defends God, the other defends yourself. Jesus knew who He was and who had sent him. He was prayed up and ready to press on. He knew these people's intentions would never overtake God's directions. At one point, his critics "mobbed him and forced him to the edge of the hill on which the town was built. They intended to push him over the cliff, but he passed right through the crowd and went on his way." (Luke 4:29-30) We have to understand that the crowd's intentions may want to push you off the cliff but God's direction is to push you through the crowd. Don't be afraid to speak up and speak out on God's behalf...not to show you are right, but to show He is.  I heard a quote from Pastor Mark Batterson that said, "It's easier to act like a Christian than to react like one." We want to quiet our critics with our own voice when God is asking us to quiet them with his: His words, His actions, His forgiveness, His voice, His Spirit. So if you have critics that don't want you to pray with your team...take a stand by taking a knee. If you have critics because you're losing...keep your focus on the One that never does. If you have critics because you are succeeding....Keep your focus on the One that always does.

The third thing we need to understand is there is such a thing as constructive criticism, or I call wisdom, that we can not overlook. This is when God does use His people to speak Truth into an other's life. How do we tell the difference? 1) How they say it. If they come to you in a calm and loving way and even ask to pray before the conversation. Listen to their heart because God maybe trying to speak to yours.
2) What they say. Listen to hear if their words help you or harm you. There are some Words from God that may hurt (you might be struggling with sin or going down the wrong path), but will never harm you. We know it comes from God when True words are spoken with Grace. 3) When they say it. If you have a parent who wants to tell you how horrible of a coach you are after a game it's probably not from God. God's words are perfect and so is his timing.

Here's to quieting your critics and listening to your wisdom walkers....

Home of the "6th man"...

We are waist deep into basketball season. The high school games are coming to an end, college games are making their last efforts so they can make the tournament, and NBA is getting ready for the All-Star break. No matter what basketball team you are a fan of or may enjoy watching there is one thing they all have in common: the 6th man. The 6th man is they person that didn't quite make the cut into the starting line up however they are the first one off the bench when someone isn't quite getting the job done on the court or needs a break mentally or physically. The NBA actually has an award for the best "6th man."

There are times in a our lives when we feel God just isn't getting the job done or God must be tired because he is not hearing me and doing what I ask. We feel God is not answering our prayers the way we think he should so we call in our 6th man...the world. Maybe you have prayed to feel accepted and you still don't so you compromise your values and stoop to gossiping.  Maybe you have asked God to take away the pain emotionally and it hasn't gotten any better so you turn to things of this world: alcohol, food, shopping etc. to numb it. There are so many ways we turn to the world for answers after asking God the questions...just Ask King Saul.

We have talked a little bit about King Saul and his struggles of understanding what a true relationship with God looks like. We get another glimpse of that in 1 Samuel 28:

(After Samuel died) "And Saul had banned from the land of Israel all mediums and those who consult the spirits of the dead." vs. 3b

vs. 5 "When Saul saw the vast Philistine army, he became frantic with fear. He asked the Lord what he should do, but the Lord refused to answer him, either by dreams or be sacred lots or by the prophets. Saul then said to his advisers, "Find a woman who is a medium, so I can go and her what to do."


Like Saul, we start out by doing the right things when everything is going our way, but it is when we are opposed, tempted, or frightened when we can become weak and quickly call in the "6th man." We are so quick to turn to the world for our answers when God is just asking us to be patient and trust him when we ask the questions.  We don't like this waiting because we have no control in the waiting room. Our entire lives is God asking us to give up our control so that he can have His. He is the God of relationships...so wait. He is the God of forgiveness....so wait. He is the God of love...so wait. He is the God of jobs....so wait. Because as long as we search for the answers in the world, our questions will never be answered by God.

So whatever waiting room you are waiting in today....God is working. One of my favorite verses is John 5:17..."And Jesus replied, "My father is always working and so am I." So if you have prayed and God seems silent, trust that God is working. Working in you. Working through you. Working for you.
I don't know about you...but the world needs to sit the bench!