Is Love Debatable?

I get amused at my 18-year-old grandson because, from all his four years of speech and debate experience with the NCFCA (National Christian Forensics & Communications Association), he can sure hold his own when it comes to debating an issue with someone. I was completely entertained when I watched his dad and him debate the rules of Rummikub. I am not a debater -- never desired to be, EXCEPT for when my husband and I had some “discussions” (that’s what we called our disagreements that the kids witnessed). If I knew that I was right, I would be like “stuck on glue” to debate my position to prove my case. When he would cave in and concede that I was right (or just to make for peace), it brought me a sense of great pride and joy. But it certainly didn’t add “sugar and spice” to our relationship. Over the years I relented from having to be right all the time. It wasn't worth the struggle. I didn’t want to be a “know-it-all”. I wanted to be a lover who prided herself more on love, peace, and harmony than having to "win" the game of having to be right. To this day, I steer clear of disagreements as best I can. I desire to be a lover -- not a debater.

I went to lunch with three friends recently and the conversation started to get “debatable”. Oh how much I wanted to debate something being said, but then I remembered that debating and having to be right with my husband only led to a disconnect. But authenticity and warmth brought about understanding and harmony. More than debating the issue, I determined to just let my little light shine. Love isn't debatable.

Christianity isn't about proving others wrong, but it is about proving that others are loved. That LOVE is not debatable. Often, when I witness “discussions” of others, I am drawn to look a little closer at my own life and how much more I need to reflect the love of Jesus Christ to a world that needs His love. In the words of the great philosopher, Dionne Warwick (LOL!), "What the world needs now is love sweet love, it's the only thing that there's just too little of".

Hopefully, I looked a little like Jesus to my friends because as John 12:32 says, "And when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all people to myself." Hopefully, I lifted Him up enough that it will draw them to Him. That's my goal -- to meet up with them in heaven someday!

John 15:12: “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you."

The Power of Adversity

I’m taking a little “Nana” moment to celebrate my grandson’s winning 1st Place in his Original Oratory Speech at the NCFCA National Championships this weekend. Out of 1000s of students from 45 states, competing in 65 preliminary tournaments, 500 students made it to Nationals. Payton's win is truly a tribute to his diligence, hard work, and relentless attitude. The win comes with scholarships offered and afforded him the opportunity to deliver the speech after the competition to over 1,500 people. I was blessed to be able to watch it LIVE, thanks to technology! I am always a proud Nana of my grandchildren, and this just added another notch on my “pride and joy” belt. Beyond the pride, however, was the speech he gave that truly described his own story of overcoming adversity and helping others to realize that adversity can be a friend to those who recognize God’s way of building our character and our ability to overcome and come out as a conqueror.

“The Power of Adversity” was the topic of this speech. In it, Payton talked about the tension and adversity that we encounter and the more we experience, the better the trajectory of the potential of success in our future. He used the analogy of his Toys R Us bow and suction-cup arrow, as a child, which did well to kill his “refrigerator bad guy”, but it paled in comparison to the real bow and arrow that his dad bought him, set the tension to Payton’s ability and he soon learned this arrow could fly three times further because of that tension.

He went on to point out world changers and history makers like Thomas Edison whose teachers said he was too stupid to learn anything. And, Abraham Lincoln who failed in business, marriage, politics and suffered the loss of his two sons before becoming the President of the United States. Every adversity these leaders experienced increased their patience, their knowledge and their ability to create history. Payton quoted Walt Disney “All the adversity I've had in my life, all my troubles and obstacles, have strengthened me. You may not realize it when it happens, but a kick in the teeth may be the best thing in the world for you.”

Payton went into his own story of adversity. In the same year: his Papa died from cancer, his dog died, and he was being bullied at school. He said, as he pointed out his thin body, “I’m not the most athletic kid but I sure wanted to play football and fit in with the other guys.” Instead of helping him, they bullied him and the abuse only got worse and the verbal hatred got louder. The words spoken over him replayed like a broken record in his mind – “too skinny, you’ll never amount to anything, you’ll never be good at anything”. With many hilarious, self-deprecating moments throughout his speech, his message was clear: "When adversity comes, like the storm that came up while Jesus was asleep in the back of the boat, let it be that storm that takes you to the other side”.

Payton’s speech resonated with me too. We all have defining moments that either make or break us. Whatever those moments are, God will use them for our good. Our destiny and purpose are wrapped up in each and every adversity that comes our way. It's that "stuff" that causes the aha moments -- those moments that seemed like the worst of worst times but were actually the turbo boost to propel us to where we were meant to be. The times of adversity either make us stronger and cause us to have the "warrior mentality" or we succumb to the pressure and throw in the towel and have the "pull-the-blanket-over-the-head mentality". One makes us stronger and leads to success and the other causes us to quit and leads to failure stories. They're either stories that said "I pushed through to victory" or "I gave up and quit. IF ONLY....I had persisted." From Abraham Lincoln to Thomas Edison to Payton Wallace, great leaders and achievers push themselves beyond the point of failure and take a step back to re-evaluate why they started the journey in the first place. Even when their body or mind told them to quit, they dug deep and pushed through the adversity.

My parting paragraph is Payton’s final words from his speech. I pray these words to speak to your heart:

“I don’t know what you’re going through today. Maybe you’re facing financial adversity, a broken relationship, or even if you’re just like me….you look in the mirror and you feel inferior and worthless. Jesus is in the back of the boat with you. He has a way of using every adversity and every difficulty to propel you to the other side of your breakthrough. Now, personally, I’ve grown to fight greater enemies than my refrigerator and I know that God uses every adversity in my life to prepare me and propel me to become a leader worth following. The same is true for each and every one of you. Adversity is not your enemy. Tension is not your foe. Instead, embrace it. Peace isn’t the absence of adversity. Peace is the confidence in knowing that all things – even the seemingly worst things -- work together for good when you put your faith and trust in God.”

Do Your Best.....God Will Do the Rest

You know it's gonna' be a great day when everyone is up and at 'em, prayers said together over the day that awaited us, supplies all loaded in the car (no need to do a U-turn because we forgot something), and we were on time for the day's events. And, a great day it turned out to be!

Larry had just said in this first photo, "That win just cost me a trip to Disney World!" LOL! Earlier in the year, he and Staci told the kids that they'd go to Disney World for a family vacation this summer if they do well in their studies and advance in their Speech & Debate competitions. Well, the kids both advanced -- not just to the semi-finals, but to the final rounds....and it looks like WE'RE (Yes, I'm going, too!) going to Disney World!! (Great perk of being Nana!).

Then -- not only did they go to Finals, out of 8 finalists, they came in 3rd Place in each of their categories! Whoo hoo! We were so thankful that one of them didn't place higher than the other! ;-) It was a remarkable win for both kids -- as most other kids were 3 & 4 years (and grades) older than them. We could only say, "Thanks be to God!" The last photos are of their awards ceremony last night.

Payton's Lincoln/Douglas Debate round was about National Security versus Human Rights & Privacy. His speech round was "See, Be, Do, Have...the Journey of Visioneering" and Alexia's speech topic was "Callie's Coffee & Pediatric Cancer". Both were impressive and inspiring...to say the least. In the words of Dr. Suess "Oh, the Places They Will Go"! 

I am so thrilled with the solid foundation that these NCFCA families are insisting their kids build upon for wherever their future takes them. No doubt there are politicians, attorneys, pastors, motivational speakers, teachers......ALL world changers in these young people. I wrote on the ballot of one of the young men that I judged......"You are doing YOUR PART in building a solid foundation for your life....no question, God will do His! The sky is the limit! Go for the gold!"

And that's what I say to you today. When we do our best in preparation, instilling greatness and confidence in our own lives, our family's lives and the lives of others.....God ALWAYS takes care of what's BEST for us. "Get Up Every Day, Love God and Do Your Best and God Will Do the Rest!"

Blessing in Disguise

I love being a judge at the NCFCA (National Christian Forensics and Comunications Association) Speech & Debate competitions. This is my second year to be a judge and I am continually impressed by these highly skilled and astute young people. The process includes days of rounds of speeches and debates in specific categories. Yesterday I judged a Team Policy debate round on the changes needed in the Federal Court System. WOW -- did those teams ever amaze AND perplex me! Deciding the winner of the debate wasn't easy, for sure.

I also judged several speech rounds yesterday, among which was an Impromptu speech category. An Impromptu speech is where the individual draws a card that has two unknown topics on it. They have 2 minutes to prepare a 5-minute speech on their choice of the two. One young man drew his card and he chose the topic "A Blessing in Disguise". I was richly blessed as he skillfully delivered an impromptu speech that he based on his own family's challenges. His father had been laid off his job and had trouble finding another, their car had broken down, his mother's shoulder required surgery, and his sister had been in a car accident -- all in the matter of a few days. He went on to share how they trusted in God's perfect plan for their lives in spite of the challenges they faced.

This young man went on to describe how often people draw closer to God during their rough times. They can see more of how things work according to God’s ways which which are loving and kind. And a loving God will work in everything to bring about goodness to people who love Him. The point is not to sulk each time we face something bad in our life, but we should believe that in everything that happens, there’s a "blessing in disguise" on the way. When we emphasize, believe and have faith that our loving God will not do evil, but will bring about His loving plan for our future.

He closed his talk with telling us that not only did his dad finally obtain a really great job -- better than any ever, the car was easily repaired, his Mom didn't need surgery and his sister was okay. It was all a "blessing in disguise", because today he was able to share the goodness of God with us. He reminded me of the many times I've had "blessings in disguise" in my own life.

How about you? Did you get detained by a flat tire or traffic that was backed up for miles, or your child left his books at home and you had to turn around and go back home for it? Or you lost your job and now have an even better job? What if all those interruptions were "blessings in disguise" to what could have presented itself in a much worse outcome? Let's watch out for the "blessings in disguise" that are awaiting us today!

#NCFCA #BlessingInDisguise

The World is Your Oyster

Day 169 of Photo Inspiration – The World is Your Oyster
That saying implies that the world is laid out before us like a plate of oysters needing only to be pried open to be enjoyed, perhaps with a pearl as a prize.  It's all the opportunities that await us when we take the limits off.

That saying is especially appropriate for the young people I witnessed debating foreign policies or giving speeches in many various and relevant categories at last week’s NCFCA National Speech & Debate Competitions in Minnesota. I was so impressed with the creativity and eloquence of all of those young people.   No doubt a foundation is being laid that will open doors to so many opportunities to them -- whether it's in politics, law, teaching, ministering or any area of life that they pursue.  I was amazed at the various personalities of the students, the subjects of their speeches -- some hilarious, some were detailed with great information, some were inspiring, some were heart-wrenching, but all of them were from their "point of view".

To burn some of the 12-hours that we had on our trip home yesterday, I came up with the brainy idea for us to give “Impromptu” speeches on random words. (This is a category in the Speech Competitions.)   The first word chosen was "corn".  Watch the various "points of view" here:   Lexi was first.   She had three points in her speech:  1) the importance of corn; 2) the history of corn and 3) how to eat it properly.  Then Staci spoke about corn – the seed time and harvest of corn is like the making of a leader (Shepherd boy to King David).  Larry spoke about the uses of corn:  feeding people; feeding animals and using it to make ethanol (fuel in cars).  Denise talked about pop-corn.  And I talked about Dr. Scholl’s corn pads for bunions or corns.  LOL!
 

We each had our own “point of view”.   Isn't that how God created us -- with our various personalities and thinking skills?  Some of us are right brain thinkers -- artistic and creative,  while others are left brains -- logical and detailed.   That’s why teamwork is so important – obtaining different views and ideas and utilizing each other’s brain power to resolve a problem, get the details of a project done, or come up with a great idea.

I watched our little "right brain -- artistic Lexi" work on graphics for a substantial amount of time on our ride home -- thus the photo inspiration of her holding the world.

Yes, “The World is an Oyster” for those who are willing to think, to share, to create.  Let's go ahead and open up the brilliant minds God gave us and start looking for the pearl in the oyster!

Journey. Adventure. Wander.

Day 168 of Photos Inspirations -- Journey.  Adventure.  Wander.
On the road back home today.  What a great week we've had in Minnesota.  Without a doubt, hanging with the grandkids, being a part of their lives and celebrating the foundations that are being laid in their future is one of my greatest joys.  Payton was among the top 10% of all the kids that made it to the NCFCA Speech & Debate National Finals.  This was his first year at competing and we're so proud of him to say the least.  I loved what he posted on Instagram:  "Wow! What a great time this week! Nationals was a blast and I got to hang out with some of the best people ever! All things work together for good to them that love God and are called according to His purpose!!!"  I love that!  Sincerely, EVERYTHING we encounter -- the wins AND the not-wins are part of God's master plan for our lives.  He uses it all to build us into what He's destined for us.

And, I loved hanging with my funny "Life With Lexi" girl. We had lots of rain showers while we were here, and it made for AWESOME fun photos and Nana/Lexi time!

God is so good and I'm so grateful for this season of my life when I get to enjoy my family so much!  Stay tuned for next month's adventures with my Washington gang!  I can hardly wait to love on them!   Journey.  Adventure.  Wander.

Tell the Next Generation

Day 167 of Photo Inspirations -- Tell The Next Generation
As I've walked through the halls of Northwestern University of St. Paul, MN, while here at the NCFCA National Speech & Debate Competition this week, I've passed this portrait of Billy Graham many times. I knew I needed to take a photo of it.  It would be my photo inspiration for today.  His portrait is 2nd in line of all the other presidents.  In 1947, at age 30, Billy Graham became the 2nd president here, and at the time, was the youngest person to serve as a sitting president of any U.S. college or university. He served as president from 1948 to 1952 when he resigned to become a full-time minister.

I thought about his legacy, the seeds he planted in the future generations here, and how that legacy continues to plant seeds in young people today that are carrying the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the marketplace and the world.  Surely this scripture applies:   "Tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, His power, and the wonders He has done.” (Psalm 78:4)

And when we continue to sow into our kids and our grandkids, as well as other young people, as we cultivate their talents and abilities, take the time to listen and encourage them, as well as help steer them to be laser focused on getting to know God and His plans and purposes for them, then they will not only impact their generation, but the generations to come.

Billy Graham's heart for reaching out to the masses with the love of Jesus could not be confined to a university.  He carried it to the world and millions have come to know Christ because of his message.  And something about this last week, and seeing that photo has increased my own desire to live out this scripture like never before:  Deuteronomy 6:4-9 “The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. You are to love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. Let these words that I’m commanding you today be always on your heart. Teach them repeatedly to your children. Talk about them while sitting in your house or walking on the road, and as you lie down or get up. Tie them as reminders on your forearm, bind them on your forehead, and write them on the door frames of your house and on your gates.”
#UNW #BillyGraham #TellTheNextGeneration