Life is a Balancing Act!

I hold these photos so dear to my heart. It was eleven years ago and one of those times when my husband and I were visiting our son and family in Seattle. We made the most of every minute that we were there. Imagination ran rampant and Papa and Nana joined in with vigor and vitality. Unlike these teeter-totters, those in my younger years, were not my friend. I well remember when my see-saw partner decided to bale on me and I came crashing down on my bottom. I made sure I had reliable partners after that! I also remember, by myself, standing on the pivotal point of that see-saw trying to keep it in a horizontal position that required a lot of focus and balance.

In these photos you'll see we are making sure that balance is a big part of the boys' experience. I assure you, in my life, I've had to use that exercise in way more scenarios than just a teeter-totter. And, I know, for a fact, that my central point of attention and focus is keeping God in view while maintaining solid footing and balance. When I plant my heart and feet on the truth of God's Word and in Him who is my stabilizer, the winds, the waves, the shifting sand AND even the teeter totters will not cause me to crumble or stumble.

We Christians are called to a balanced life. That doesn't mean that we do everything with the same attention or even in moderation, but it does mean being obedient to God in every area of life. It may seem difficult to juggle so many balls at one time -- being an interested and active parent and fan to all the sports and extracurricular activities of our children, while maintaining a faithful and devoted prayer life, while doing a great job as a volunteer at a local organization or church and also being a dutiful and loving support to older parents and personally being devoted to a balanced healthy body and mind. It is truly a balance act that can be overwhelming and tiring.

But God didn't ask us to be the super mom and super dad or the super employee or the super child. He asked us to be "steadfast" in our faith, and to maintain our confidence in Him. He started this good work in us and He is faithful to complete it. "For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end." (Hebrews 3:14) The balance act in life starts with our surrender to He Who balances our lives as we surrender, yield and abide in Him. When we teeter totter with Him, He always brings balance to everything and everyone else in our lives.

Matthew 6:33 "Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you."

Who Woulda Thought?

Cousins that love each other so much, it seemed a shame that they would be separated by such a distance -- Seattle to Dallas. And who would have EVER suspected that my Seattle-loving, Seahawks-loving son and family would move to Austin, TX, and even more so, that those city-slicker kids would EVER have goats, a horse and donkey? And who would have EVER thought that our quiet and subdued Lexi would EVER be so poised and eloquent at the front of a room being judged for a speech? But, God seems to always have something up His sovereign sleeves that surprise and amaze us.....almost reguarly.

But, here we all are....this week in Austin for Payton & Alexia's Regional Finals Speech & Debate Tournament & Competition, staying at "Farmer" Ryan's (his new title bestowed upon him by a cute little 3-year old neighbor girl) and Queen Shawntel's beautiful home. The cousins have reunited in a big way -- playing with the goats, horse and donkey, fishing in the fish-laden creek below their home and land, and swimming in the pool and hot tub. And here I am being thrilled at this adventure of "Life in God's Surprise Lane"!

The apostle Paul said that when we pray, God does that which goes beyond what we ask for or even think about. "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him" (1 Corinthians 2:9). God has a plan for every single one of us. When we see what He has in mind, it will surpass anything we thought possible. He wants to give us the desires of our hearts beyond anything we thought possible. I know He's giving me so many desires of my heart these days -- so, of all the things I may have messed up along the way, I must have done something right.

The next time God surprises you, don’t doubt his love, goodness, and faithfulness. Lift your hands to the heavens and celebrate. You are being lavished upon. You are being loved. You are being delivered. You are being transformed. And be thankful that since nothing can separate you from His love, there are more gracious surprises to come!

Life is Good. Life is Fun.

It's an awesome Sunday when you start with a spectacular view of The Olympic Mts to the West, Mt Rainier to the South and then having an amazing time of praising and worshipping God, seeing over 15 people baptized at The City Church in Kirkland, WA -- home church for many of the Seattle Seahawks' players.  

In fact, Pastor Judah Smith is the Chaplain for the team and directs the chapel service every Saturday night for the players. So, of course, seeing a sea of "the faithful" wearing Seahawks jerseys is a norm at City Church. And, it's quite common to hear prayers for the Seahawks to win their next game.

I read an ESPN interview of Russell Wilson from December 24th, 2015 that said "On off-game Sundays, Russell Wilson (Seahawks' quarterback) is at the Kirkland campus on Sunday mornings -- he doesn't live far from the church. He stands in the front row, sings and raises his hands to the heavens. He doesn't stand out too much, because even though he's a quarterback with great gifts, he's short. Wilson was drafted in 2012, 12th in the third round, part of a Seahawks class that one analyst scored a C and another an F. This was fine with Wilson. He doesn't mind that no one saw him coming. It plays well into his narrative that he was chosen for this, that God sent the world a diminutive man at 5-foot-10, that he was sent with an undeniable cannon of an arm to make the world take notice."

I love that. And, I love the testimonies of other players who have given their lives to Christ and are passionate about being His witness. Of course, I'm a fan of anyone who proclaims Christ and lives an exemplary life of Him, but to see high profile athletes making a statement of faith as role models that our world so needs, is a bonus. In a city that passionately loves their home team, it's easy to get caught up in the excitement and fanfare.  

The Seahawks have been my kids' team since they moved here eight years ago. And, I might add, it's been a great ride for them -- year before last, as the Super Bowl champs and last year defending champs but lost to the New England Patriots.

How fun it was yesterday to host our own Seahawks Party. Great friends, great pizza, yummy snacks, but best of all.....great game (they won big time)!

So what's the big deal? It's just a team, it's just a season, it's just a time for letting off some pent-up energy to cheer, celebrate and be passionate about something that really doesn't matter -- in the light of eternity. But even so, I believe God enjoys seeing His kids enjoy LIFE. Some folks think that being a Christian is the same as saying the party's over, that to be spiritual is to be miserable. Unfortunately, there are many people who don't want to let God into their lives because they fear God will make them give up anything that is fun. The truth is God doesn't want us to live without fun. The apostle Matthew spent three years with Jesus and he wrote, "Jesus came, enjoying life" (Matthew 11:19).

As Christians, we can enjoy life because our conscious is clear. We can enjoy life because we are secure within God's love. We can have fun, laughing in church and laughing at ourselves.

God "richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment" (1 Timothy 6:17).

God wants us to enjoy life.....after all "Jesus came to give us life and life more abundantly!" John 10:10

What Are You Passionate About?

Day 34 of Photo Inspirations -- What are YOU passionate about?
This is Super Bowl Sunday and if you're not a Seahawks or Patriots fan, you may not be inclined to feel "passionate" about today's game.  You probably don't care one way or the other who wins.  But if you are one of those teams' fans, you may be as passionate about the Seahawks as my Seattle family is. 

Not only do they have season tickets for the Seahawks, but their cars and homes bear Seahawks flags, they are decked out in full Seahawks apparel, they paint their faces, cut their hair (i.e., my youngest grandson's new "12th man" style), they promote it on social media and other public forums, and they have "watch" parties where you'd think they were at the live game.  I've been to a few Seattle Seahawks games, and it's true -- the "12th Man" are the loudest fans I've ever heard. 

And, to take it a step further, my son and his buddies rented one of the "Ride the Ducks", loaded it with Seahawks flags and banners, and rode through the City and Lake Washington screaming and hollering about their Seahawks.  Honestly, in my lifetime, they are the most relentless, passionate sports fans I've ever seen. 

Quite frankly, just about everything our family does -- whether it's a favorite football team, a business we believe in, a heart for missions, celebrating a birthday and/or a special event, remembering the sweet things about our past, and mostly, our faith --our heart for God and His Word.

What are you passionate about?  What gets you out of bed every morning?  When motivational speakers and vocational counselors ask this question, they're not looking for answers like "The baby was crying" or "My alarm rang."  They want to help you identify your "passion" -- something you love to be doing with your life, the purpose that fires you with energy.  Bottom line -- a personal encounter with God can be the X-Factor in your life.  Having Him at the center, causes life-at-large to become your passion.  Having Him as your greatest passion, will cause just about everything else in your life -- your job, your family, your hobby, your favorite team or favorite outreach to become your "Wake-Up-With-Passion" each and everyday!

The First "Seizing the Moment" of the New Year

Day 2 of Photo Inspirations -- The First "Seizing the Moment of the New Year"
Three years ago, my New Year's resolution was to be on purpose, every day, to make Facebook my place of celebrating life, giving hope and inspiration, sharing God's faithfulness and  expressing my great passion for sharing His love with others.  I knew it was a "mission" God gave me, and I've been  diligent to it for these three years.  I am so appreciative to those of you who follow my posts daily.  It is the exclamation point of God's voice to me.

I am passionate about seizing the moments and living with no regrets.  This year, I'm taking my mission up a notch, by not only seizing the moments each and every day, but to capture it in photos.  At least one a day for the next 365 days.  That will be my mission -- but not just any photo -- one that has meaning and purpose and expresses God speaking to me and translating it to my FB friends in special practical ways. Today, January 1st -- was my first opportunity.

Hanging with two boys -- 8 and 10 years old -- certainly gives plenty of opportunities for adventures and to be inspired.  Today, was no exception.  What started out to simply take a photo of Lake Washington as my first photo of the year -- and express the awesomeness and majesty of God, ended up being a celebration of His creation.

It was a most magnificent, clear, cool day in Washington.  You could see Mt. Rainer clearly in the distance, and the gorgeous Seattle skyline distinctly.

So it was a perfect day to seize the moments......and for Brennan to create more movies.   Each of us were characters in his latest adventure film.  People at the park were amused by our antics.   Dusk was falling rapidly as we made our way to our car.  I asked Brennan what he thought God was telling us about this day.  He responded, "God's telling us that His creation allows us to be adventureous.  He made this world for us to have fun and to love people."

And, suddenly the light came on -- earlier today, we had been inside watching TV, playing games, doing craft projects and it was a lot of fun -- but there is nothing to compare with all that God has in store for us when we step outside and behold Him and His marvelous handiwork.  Unquestionably,  watching the sun set, staring up in awe at the giant pine trees, walking in nature away from the hustle and bustle of human activity,

delighting in God’s animals and creatures (we loved the family of Golden Retrievers that joined our adventures). All of these things teach us more about God and draw us to praise and to worship him in deeper and better ways.

What a Masterful Designer, Architect, Builder, Craftsman, Creator, and Artist He is -- and today, His creation was our play place.  It helped us burn a lot of pent-up energy -- but it inspired Brennan with another movie, and for me..... to make this day and year one to be remembered.....on purpose.   Isn't it time to make God's creation your Play Space and Place?
#AwesomeGod

Christmas Traditions Continue.....With Technology

What precious joys and delights I've had with my sweet kids here in Washington!

All four of our boys have been home and we've savored every moment

-- from enjoying the sight and sounds of downtown Seattle, Pike's Place Market, RN-74,

visit to see Santa,

indulging Nana by seeing "Annie" (yes, all 7 of us (big & little boys and their Mom & Dad -- all in a row) -- "Tomorrow, tomorrow, I love ya' tomorrow!", Christmas Eve at City Church

 and then home for Family Skyping with the Wallace's. 

Brennan had worked diligently on an amazing Power Point Presentation describing his "take" on presents and sharing, and the true meaning of Christmas,

Payton & Alexia's song,

 then the highlight every year is our Christmas story read by Uncle Ryan. This year's story was even better as it was spontaneously accentuated with props -- both families used the characters from their nativity sets to demonstrate the story. 

We sang. We laughed. We prayed together. Traditions continue....just in a new and high tech way -- so thankful to be alive in this day and time to experience leading edge technology -- sure makes the distance seem not so distant and separated after all. Blessed. Blessed. Blessed. Thankful. Thankful. Thankful.

Got Mountains?

Seattle is one of my favorite places to visit -- of course, the main reason is because my kids live there, but, coming from the plains, I have a great appreciation for the massive, magnificent Northwest mountains – the Cascades, Mt. Rainier, Glacier Peak, and so many more. I’ve enjoyed hiking on them, fishing under them, driving through them, tubing and skiing down them. These amazing mountains were created by our Master Creator for a purpose, much of which is sheer enjoyment for His kids.

But, what about the mountains in our lives – those vast, enormous obstacles and circumstances that seem beyond overwhelming, that seem like a dead end to any progress forward? Our mountains might even be people who represent discomfort, annoyance, harassment, bitterness, and pain in our lives. We think that if only these mountains were removed, our lives might be more peaceful, comfortable, and a lot easier to be holy. And, we know Matthew 17:20 "Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you." But these “mountains” might just be the very perfect plan of our Creator (the same One, who created the majestic mountain ranges) to help us become and achieve what He created us to be and do. Everything we encounter in our lives are part of the undescribable love He has for us -- part of His Master plan.

There must be mountains to appreciate the valleys. And perhaps, God, in all His wisdom, is wanting us to scale those mountains. He is wanting us to hike up those mountains, for a “mountain-top experience” where we are refreshed, restored, nourished, and where we receive divine revelation. His revelation is always intended to grow our faith, strengthen our resolve, and equip us to take on any mountain that may be standing in our way.

As I was writing this message, in my head was this song -- I think it perfectly describes God's unfailing love song to us. I know it's a secular love song -- but, after all, God IS Love and He is a mountain-moving God.

"There ain't no mountain high enough
Ain't no valley low enough
Ain't no river wide enough
To keep ME from getting to you.

If you need ME, call me
No matter where you are
No matter how far
Just call MY name
I'll be there in a hurry
You don't have to worry

Remember the day
I set you free
I told you
You could always count on me
From that day on I made a vow
I'll be there when you want ME
Some way, some how

There ain't no mountain high enough
Ain't no valley low enough
Ain't no river wide enough
To keep ME from getting to you.