Are You Living In YOUR Zone?

I love my Dallas Cowboys – have been a fan of theirs since the 1960s when they first became a franchise, but, otherwise, I’m not what you call an avid sports fan, unless the one that is playing happens to be one of my grandchildren, then I’m gung ho! I even have a t-shirt that says about my 13 year grandson “That’s my grandson OUT there!” On this trip to Austin, I said, “Oh, man! I forgot my t-shirt!” Brennan said, “Good!” I gave a pouty face and he said, “No, good, because you need to bling it out and put lights on it for the next time you wear it!” LOL! He certainly back-stroked for that quick thinking! LOL!

Have you ever been inspired as you watched an athlete play HIS GAME and you'd see him at his best, doing his best and having remarkable results? Commentators often say..."He's sure in the zone, today!"

Being "in the zone" is when someone’s actions seem effortless, almost as if they could score at will -- just a sweet spot where their confidence, talent and abilities produce winning results. I’ve seen that when my grandson is on his game – pitching no hit innings and when he batted, scoring 2-base to home runs. At times like that we know “He’s in his zone!”

The question is for those of us who are athletes or not…..”Are you living in your zone" -- that moment when you enjoy and love what you are doing so much, and are so passionate about doing it, that you don't even consider it a job or task or service project or ministry endeavor? It's just that sweet spot of "living in your zone".

I do my best to live that way. In fact, my blog is "Living in the Peace Zone". I do my best to avoid conflict or even thinking about those things that represent negativity -- thus I don't watch too much news. My weekends are when I feel the most "in the zone" when I am attending church and/or serving in church and I thank God for His many blessings to me, but I also serve as a sponsor in a discipleship class, am a Christian Retreat team member and I attend Bible Studies and meet with other people who have a sincere desire to love and serve God . It's my calling. I know it. A calling is when we are passionately using our God-given gifts in a way that pleases Him.

I know that when we find God's purpose and destiny for our lives...we begin to feel "in the zone" -- passionate about OUR GAME in life.

Have you discovered your calling? Are you living "in your zone"? If not, pray and ask God to help you find that sweet spot. In time, He’ll reveal it to you and you'll soon be "living in your zone"!

SHEER Fish-ness!

It's good to be back home, but our home away from home was AWESOME-ness with SHEER Fish-ness over the last several days. Hootsuite, an app to use to schedule Facebook posts, sure made me look like I was really trying to get a message across.... emphatically, as it reposted Sunday's post about 8 times (one for each photo I posted, which I had lumped together in one). Oh me!

God and I have a pact that I will do a daily post (Yes, I know, you don't give "teachings" on FB because it's for quick messaging, but I know folks may not take the time to go to my daily blog at www.livinginthepeacezone.blogger.com, so I post on both places, daily.) Because we were in a no-wifi zone in the deep woods, and on the banks of the Illinois River for the last several days, I had to pre-schedule my posts at a laundromat in Gore that had wifi. Hootsuite provided my Day 2 posts over and over again with each photo I added, individually. I apologize for that!

Since I'm home, I deleted them all but one, and now have the whole album of all the fun photos posted here -- from me walking into the cabin and seeing the photos Staci brought from home of my Sweetheart to these I'm posting here of years ago when he kicked off the love of the Great Outdoors in our family and now to this trip where we gave "Big Larry" a birthday surprise celebration, the kids floating down the Illinois River, making s'mores and playing in the fire (Kids, don't do this without adult supervision!), lots and lots of fishing, and lots and lots of cleaning those fish. Larry and Staci were fish-cleaning machines and I was the chief cook and cheerleader for everyone. I said, "I haven't caught a single fish and Lexi said, "Nana, it would help if you'd put a line in the water!" LOL! I just loved getting caught up in all their successes.

Technology may often disappoint, but God sure doesn't! I loved taking photos with "memories to treasure" in mind, and postings in mind to archive. This photo album is some sweet photos of yester-years with our big boys and Staci's two, and these last few days. You can see we're a "fishing family" both when it comes to fishing for fish AND fishing for men and women to know God, His amazing WORD and all that He has created for each of us. It just doesn't get better than that on this side of heaven, and oh what a time it will be once we cross over to the other side!