Enjoy Life!!!

One thing I am always saying to my kids!  Enjoy life.  Life is too short to be miserable, be thankful for everything even the little things. Find things in your day to enjoy.  I might enjoy watching dragonflies, a sunset or leaves changing color and for each I am very thankful to God for giving me things to enjoy. 

I recently was challenged to look at things from a different perspective.   My son asked me to buy him tickets to a concert.  A concert that I had no interest in going to, but I could hear my own words saying to him “enjoys life.”

I prayed about the situation, I prayed that if it was not supposed to happen-tickets would simply not be available, that the concert would be cancelled or that something would prevent the trip.  I am so glad everything worked out.  I learned so much!

The concert was attended by every race, gender and age.  (This was mentioned by the artist at the concert). I was surprised at the turn out and at the kindness everyone showed during the pre-concert.  I was amazed that there was no fighting, arguing or altercations. The concert was delayed not because they were running behind but the artist wanted everyone through security before they began.  When the music started it was like one big party, 18,000 people partying with myself as observer.  I was in an arena full of people enjoying life.   People were happy; people were dancing, singing, and having a great time.

I felt like God spoke to my heart, who am I as a mom to dictate how my children enjoy life.  Surely the things I enjoy are good but if I truly want my kids to enjoy life they have to branch out and find things that they like.  Yes, we set up guard rails but seeing something with new perspective made me thankful to God that everything worked out.

Everything yes, you see I drove my son 9 hours one-way to attend this concert.  I found a hotel under $300/night in a city I had never been to before.  There was some fear involved with planning such a trip but it was lovely.  I had one on one time with my son who will be heading to college in just a few short years.  Trust me when you want to talk to your teenager such time is priceless-I had his attention for most of the 9 hours to the city(coming home he slept most of it).

I did not drive my Jeep on this trip however I am very observant of Jeeps!  On the way there a beautiful white Jeep, with a very nice wax job I might add passed us. (I am a little jealous of that wax job-I need to get busy on that).  On the tire cover was the following phrase-ONE LIFE LIVE IT!

The phrase was written in a Celtic font, anything Celtic, Scottish, or Irish immediately grabs my attention.  The picture below is from EBay it is the closest I could find to the actual tire cover.

Yes, I might be a little crazy for doing such a trip alone with a teenager, driving hundreds of miles.  But that phrase on the tire cover is true to enjoy life we have to live it.  To truly live life we have to be fearless, trust God and live.  Live today as tomorrow is not promised.

Ecclesiastes 3: 13

And people should eat and drink and enjoy the fruits of their labor for these are gifts from God.

John 10:10

The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy.  My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.

We are to live for Christ, our eyes on Christ sharing Him to all.  Sometimes sharing Him comes by spending time with your loved ones in situations and places you never expected.

Aaron 10/15/16

Her thoughts,,,

“Her thoughts and reflections were habitually her best companions.” Jane Austen Mansfield Park

I think most women can relate to this quote.  Some people call it baggage, some call it thought life, some call it overwhelming, and some just say it is the way it is.  But we are continually thinking and planning and sometimes if you are like me I have more plans than I have time to accomplish said plans.  But as I was thinking about this quote some scriptures came to my mind. 

“My thoughts are nothing like your thought,” says the Lord. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.” “For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts are higher than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55: 8-9 NLT

“Search me, O God, and know my heart: test me and know my anxious thoughts.”  Psalms 139:23 NLT

“No one can know a person’s thoughts except that person’s own spirit, and no one can know God’s thoughts except God’s own Spirit. “ I Corinthians 2: 11 NLT

So this got me thinking more, and by the way thank you Lord that no one can know my thoughts!  That is a gift! 

We have access to God’s Spirit, if we accept Jesus as Lord and redeemer we have access to the very Spirit of God living within us.  We must walk with the Spirit of God to know the thoughts of God.  My thoughts, epiphanies, and plans are NOTHING compared to God’s plan.  God’s plan is so much bigger, brighter and encompassing of all mankind.  Not just little o me. 

Then there is this verse:

How precious are your thoughts about me, O God.  They cannot be numbered! Psalm 139:17

I don’t know about you but I don’t always feel like God’s thoughts about me are positive and precious.  I often think they are more like HE is shaking His head going…”What is she thinking?”  hahaha

So I end today’s post with this prayer of scripture:

May all my thoughts be pleasing to Him, for I rejoice in the Lord. Psalm 104:34

It is not easy, but submitting our thought life to God is a daily and sometimes minute by minute process.  Let God release you from your anxious thoughts and grab a hold to God’s.  

Her thoughts,,,

“Her thoughts and reflections were habitually her best companions.” Jane Austen Mansfield Park

I think most women can relate to this quote.  Some people call it baggage, some call it thought life, some call it overwhelming, and some just say it is the way it is.  But we are continually thinking and planning and sometimes if you are like me I have more plans than I have time to accomplish said plans.  But as I was thinking about this quote some scriptures came to my mind. 

“My thoughts are nothing like your thought,” says the Lord. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.” “For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts are higher than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55: 8-9 NLT

“Search me, O God, and know my heart: test me and know my anxious thoughts.”  Psalms 139:23 NLT

“No one can know a person’s thoughts except that person’s own spirit, and no one can know God’s thoughts except God’s own Spirit. “ I Corinthians 2: 11 NLT

So this got me thinking more, and by the way thank you Lord that no one can know my thoughts!  That is a gift! 

We have access to God’s Spirit, if we accept Jesus as Lord and redeemer we have access to the very Spirit of God living within us.  We must walk with the Spirit of God to know the thoughts of God.  My thoughts, epiphanies, and plans are NOTHING compared to God’s plan.  God’s plan is so much bigger, brighter and encompassing of all mankind.  Not just little o me. 

Then there is this verse:

How precious are your thoughts about me, O God.  They cannot be numbered! Psalm 139:17

I don’t know about you but I don’t always feel like God’s thoughts about me are positive and precious.  I often think they are more like HE is shaking His head going…”What is she thinking?”  hahaha

So I end today’s post with this prayer of scripture:

May all my thoughts be pleasing to Him, for I rejoice in the Lord. Psalm 104:34

It is not easy, but submitting our thought life to God is a daily and sometimes minute by minute process.  Let God release you from your anxious thoughts and grab a hold to God’s.  

Ten years: Trials, tears and triumphs!

In 2006 as a wife and mother to a 12 year old girl, and boys 2 and 4 years of age, we found out that my husband had another daughter.  It was a little surprising.  But at that time I thought we stepped right into the proper course, two weeks later we packed up our little family and trekked from San Antonio up to Amarillo, Texas to attend his daughter’s high school graduation.  George Strait singing, “Amarillo by morning up from San Anton” chorusing through my mind during the drive.

I was somewhat nervous, meeting not only an 18 year old girl, her son and her whole family.  It was a good visit.  Plans were soon made for us to go on a vacation the next month.

To say I was ill equip to deal with the feelings, emotions and behavior of an older teenager was actually quite accurate.  There is not a one of us that would like to re-live that vacation for many reasons.  It was a time that ended poorly and to this day it is one of my regrets.

After many PRAYERS, when I say many I don’t mean once a month prayer.  I mean focused prayers regarding this situation.  My husband you see did not meet his father until he was 21-and there was no relationship after his meeting.  So you see there was an urgency to not repeat the mistakes of his father.  There was a need, desire and passion to do the right thing.

Little by little, one phone call, one visit, one message a relationship started to grow.  Many things have changed we are still no closer geographically then we were before.  But relationally we are family.  There is no doubt in my mind that the next 10 years will be greater than the last 10 years.

A few weekends ago we went to Amarillo from our current location in Kansas-no romantic song chorusing through my brain.  But the realization that after our vacation together 10 years ago-this is a miracle.  We have taken several mini trips but most of the communication is via text, Facebook, telephone and good old stamp on a card!  We have made a difference in each other’s lives.

Our desire to see her have faith in God is now very evident in her life.  Her commitment to her son and family is very true.  I hope she sees the commitment in my heart to her.  Because today I am proud to say she is MY daughter.  I love you Izzy!

“Is this good for my heart?”

Oh dark chocolate you say, ok give it to me!  Yes, I read dark chocolate is good for my heart.  You have to have a good heart to live productively!  Dark Chocolate for everyone!!!!!!!

So for the last 2 years as a nurse I have taken care of approximately 50 patients close to my age that have had a heart attack-blood flow is blocked to heart and chest pain is a common symptom.  Thankfully, most of these patients responded to pain timely, reported to hospital, underwent intervention and are doing very well at this time.  But this made me look at things that were bad for my heart:  my physical beating heart. There are many studies out there and many claims to what is good or beneficial for our hearts. 

I started with exercise, yoga, walking, jogging or going to the gym and getting my heart rate up on a treadmill or elliptical machine.  I started watching mostly what I ate and I lost some weight.  After 40 the weight does not come off easily!  But it made me ponder our hearts.  In the Bible, the word heart is used over 1000 times.

“Trust the Lord with all your heart, do not lean on your own understanding.” Proverbs 3:5

“So the Lord was sorry he had ever made them and put them on the earth. It broke his heart.” Genesis 6:6

“Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.” Proverbs 4:23

The word heart in these references is talking about the inner man, the mind and the understanding according to The Strong’s concordance of the bible. 

“The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?” Jeremiah 17:9

God wants our hearts, wants us to put his words into our hearts, he wants to consume our hearts.  It is all we have our heart our inner most self.  God wants to be in the “midst” of our being. 

Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ Matthew 22:37

Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me. Psalm 51:10

While I want my physical beating heart arteries to be clean free from plague and other things that clog the arteries.  How much more important is it to have a clean biblical heart.  A clean inner most self-only God in HIS absolute power can do that.  So we must love God, rely on HIM with everything we have!  Do not trust our hearts-let God lead us.  Think on things that God wants us to ponder, pray, read his word, follow HIS commands, confess our sins, lead others to HIM and trust him.  

Dear God, Help me to love you with all my heart, soul and mind.  Help me to trust you with my inner most self.  Help me to keep my heart clean-renew me as needed. (And help those coronary arteries stay clean).  Thank you for all you do and are doing for us daily and moment by moment. Help me to ask myself, “is this good for my heart?”

Miss Mary Mack


 

Over the weekend, I was in a converted old school house from the 1920’s.  This unique brick building was restored in great condition.  The floors in the banquet room and a couple other rooms were original to the building.  While we were waiting for dinner and music to start I was in the banquet room sitting on the stage with the original wood floors.  As I was there looking at the beautiful old floors, it took me back to  many years when this same girl many years younger was sitting on a very similar floor.

I instantly remember playing clapping games, “Miss Mary Mack, Mack, Mack.”  Hundreds of memories came pouring in.  I remember saying other rhymes as well but I do not recall them until I did a little research. “Miss Susie had a steamboat, the steamboat had a bell, and Miss Susie went to heaven…”  Memory triggers can be anything, a smell, a picture, a sight or music. 

It made me ponder.  Something as simple as an old wood floor can make the memories of elementary years long ago come back.  What a gift.  You know they say we remember moments not days.  I do not remember what days I sat on the old wood floor in the gym at Theresa A. Mulvey Elementary School, Westbrook, Connecticut, but I remember some of those moments. 

What things has God brought into our lives to help us recall simpler times?  What moments are the most precious when you look back and see God’s hand on your life? What moments are we making for our children?  What moments will we remember as our time draws short?

Cathedrals

Last year I was blessed by being able to travel to the U.K. The land of Harry Potter, the Queen, the Beatles, London and yes Cathedrals.  My family and I stayed in a town in Cambridgeshire, Ely pronounced Ee-lee.  Ely is famous for having one of the oldest and most unusual Cathedrals.  It does not matter what part of town you are in you can see the octagonal tower which makes it unique all over the village.  It was after my daughter visited this town that I decided to use this town as our hub for our stay. 

Ely is located about 1 hour north of London (via train) it a quaint village with a river front town and it is a very quiet village.  The people are very quiet and reserved.  I was blessed to attend 2 church services during my stay.  The first service was at a non-denominational church people were friendly and spent a lot of time before and after church talking to us and giving us hints on where locals go to eat.  The second service was at the Cathedral for the Sunday evening service –“Evensong”.  This service was very liturgical and very reverent.  I was so blessed to be among the attendants that evening.  More than 50% of attendants that evening were the ministers and the choir. 

In this Cathedral that dates back to the 1300’s it gave me pause to think of all the services and the reverence shown to God over the centuries.  It was such a solemn time.  I praise God that I was able to attend.  I was able to walk through several churches, abbeys and cathedrals during our stay. 

In the beautiful village of Bury St. Edmunds, we were able to walk through the gardens, ruins and abbey.  To say breathtaking is an understatement!  The experience still gives me pause when I recall it.  The abbey is in process of some restoration.  But the way men expressed their love and faith through the stained glass windows, the beautiful details of windows and passage ways gives my heart a boost.  These buildings took people not years but several life times of service to create. 

When I returned home from my trip I did a little more research on Cathedrals.  But then as life goes, it got really busy.  It was not until I attended a women’s conference some 7 months later and one of the speakers mentioned Cathedrals was my mind and spirit once again refocused on the detail and reverence within a cathedral. 

I ordered a history book on the Cathedrals of Great Britain.  I read with enthusiasm the minute in was in my hands.  (This is a type of book that only gets printed for now. It is not available on Kindle.) But sometimes there is a special purpose when holding a printed book.  Being able to see pictures, look at places I will probably never get to see in person.  I will be honest a lot of the vocabulary was more for an architect major but I made it with looking words up on my phone to understand a clearer meaning.

Just this past weekend, here in the states I got to see a chapel built in the 1950’s at College of the Ozarks in Hollister, MO.  This Christian college is very unique in that all students work on campus for their tuition.  I was captured by some of the gothic elements in this chapel that I had seen in U.K.

What captured me this time was that even though the chapel was beautiful from the outside, it is not until you enter a chapel or Cathedral that you do not get to assess its true beauty. Once inside the stained glass windows come to life. The colors and details are almost overwhelming.  The care and detail of each window must have taken years to create. 

Isn’t that how God is?  The outside of relationship looks beautiful and interesting, but it is not until you enter into a relationship with God that everything is stunning.  He opens our eyes to the world he created and the gifts he gave to men.  A relationship with God is breathtaking!

My love for Cathedrals is new.  I am a little obsessed that men dedicated lifetimes to respect and worship God through their crafts.  I am honored that I can visit them and be blessed. If you have a chance to visit one a Cathedral please do!

Hello my name is Thomas…

You might have heard of Thomas the disciple of Jesus Christ.  Oh! You mean “doubting Thomas”.  Poor Thomas gets a bad rap!

Dear Thomas, he is human.  He doubted.  He thought that there was no way possible that Jesus was alive.  He from some vantage point saw Jesus, Rabbi and friend crucified.  Yes, he saw the details of Jesus’s death.  If he did not see them personally he sure heard a lot about it because Jerusalem was crawling with tales of the crucifixion.

John 20:27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and look at my hands. Put your hand into the wound in my side. Don’t be faithless any longer. Believe!”

John 20: 28 “My Lord and my God!” Thomas exclaimed.

If we are real honest with God and ourselves we too will admit that we doubt.  We doubt that God would forgive us.  We doubt that God is who He says he is.  We doubt that God is the same yesterday, today and forever.  We are human, we question and we doubt.  There are 30 some words that mean doubt, distrust, ambiguity, skepticism etc. That is where faith comes in.  To have faith in someone you have to trust, accept, believe, and rely on someone else. 

I am Thomas.  I have doubted and I have had faith.  I believe in Jesus. We must have the most trust in God for him to work in our lives.  If we believe we will see many things come to pass for His kingdom.

Faith takes a step into the unknown. But with God all things are possible.

Jesus looked at them intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible.” Matthew 19:26

“My LORD and My GOD!”  Help us in our unbelief! 

Aaron Smith

May 15, 2016

Hello my name is Judas

My friend warned me, “you will learn so much when you blog.” Well, I guess I am learning and also I am finding myself contemplating a lot of what the scriptures do not tell us.

I was pondering the characteristics we know about the disciples.  I have decided that I do relate in some aspects to all of them.  Thinking about Jesus living with them and what their personalities were like.  Who took on what responsibilities?  Who was the “clown” in the group?  Who was the one who was most liked? Etc.

Today my name is Judas. 

Just the name Judas sends all kinds of bad thoughts, traitor, evil, Satan, betrayer, greedy, etc.  It is because of Judas that Jesus was arrested.  But it was God’s plan that Jesus come to earth, live among us, teach, preach, heal and die for us.  The word says, Luke 22:3-6

3 Then Satan entered into Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve disciples, 4 and he went to the leading priests and captains of the Temple guard to discuss the best way to betray Jesus to them. 5 They were delighted, and they promised to give him money. 6 So he agreed and began looking for an opportunity to betray Jesus so they could arrest him when the crowds weren’t around.

The only things we know about Judas was he was a follower of Christ, treasurer for the disciples, and a betrayer. He betrayed Jesus after Satan went into him.  We do not know what other reasons he would betray his teacher.  This could lead us down a tangent-was he dishonest the whole time he was with Jesus, was he stealing from the monies they had for their travel etc. We are not given the information.

I too have betrayed others:  Jesus, my husband, family, mother, father, sisters, brother and children.  Did I intentionally betray them?  NO! I do not always but things in the right priority, the “correct” order, I betrayed a confidence, I gave my unrequested opinion, or I ignored a situation when I should have spoken up or taken action.  My words and actions made them feel betrayed and that I was a traitor.

I definitely am not perfect.  I learn something new every day.  I try very hard to love, protect and work hard.  Do I have opinions?  Yes, I think we all do.  Do I want to be Judas?  No I want to be like JESUS.  It is hard work to follow Jesus, it is worth it.  Obstacles come along the way to refine us and sharpen us. 

Judas is not a popular name because of one man.  However, there were other men named Judas mentioned in the Bible. Judas is a form of the word Judah- which means high praise.  So there is hope for us that sometimes seem to be “Judas”. 

If God can use a donkey, he can use a Judas as well.  God’s grace thankfully covers a multitude of sins.

Please Dear God; Help us to be like Jesus and not Judas. Help us to be strong in the faith.  Help me to be the supporter, encourager, and helper you need me to be for your purpose.   Our goal is to only hear-“Well done-good and faithful servant,” that is the high praise we desire.

In Jesus name,  Amen.

Aaron Smith

May 31, 2016

Just a girl

Just a girl…

Yes!  That is me.  Just a girl, well a girl who happens to be in her forties!  She is a nurse, mother, wife and fan of literature and travel.  She also is a follower of Jesus.  I do my best, to follow and hopefully I am doing a good job.  The goal is to hear well done one day.  I pray that I do my absolute best.

I recently read a quote-“I am old but I am forever young at heart.  We are always the same age inside.  Know that you are the perfect age.  Each year is special and precious, you can only live it once.  Do not regret growing older, it’s a privilege denied to many!”  Richard Gere

Yes, Richard Gere an actor and not a current Christian.  We can all pray for Jesus to be revealed to him.  But he has lived life.  He has experienced love and loss. I enjoy watching his films he seems genuine in his roles.

There is a lot of wisdom in his quote.  “We are always the same age inside.” This made me ponder a lot of things. Are we all the same age inside?  Is it the age that we most identify with? I think we feel as young as we allow ourselves to feel.  In many ways I don’t feel that much different from when I was 18.  That is until I hang around some 18 year olds then I realize that I am not the same.  I really do not feel like I have changed that much.  I am around some people my own age who have made different life choices and I don’t feel like their age either.

In my career of nursing, I have met many patients. Most of my patients are older than I.  I have learned that they are young.  They have young stories.  Their stories have surprised me and made me smile.  Looking at a woman of 89, thinking about how she sneaked out of her house to see her “boyfriend” I couldn’t help but think of her life.  She tells the story with the smile of a young girl.

I have seen pictures or “memes” of patients and how they see themselves.  Most commonly portrayed as an older lady looking into a mirror and seeing a reflection of her younger self.

So I have decided that I am a woman of God who feels mostly like a girl! I am proud to be a girl.

Girls and boys- Jesus said we need to be like children well he said, “I tell you the truth, anyone who doesn’t receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it.” Luke 18:17.  So I don’t mind being a girl for Jesus.  I am His child, and that is all I need.

A child trusts, a child does not question too much.  A child loves without question.  A child has faith.  Children are resilient.  God wants us to be content to be his children.

My child, listen to what I say, and treasure my commands. Proverbs 2:1

My child, listen to the wise: Keep your heart on the right course. Proverbs 23:19

My child, if your heart is wise, my own heart will rejoice! Proverbs 23:15

Aaron Smith, May 2016

Do you live with Peter?

A few weeks ago, my Pastor Ronnie mentioned something that I guess never really sank in completely about Jesus.  He said, “Jesus in his humanity experienced every emotion and situation possible. There is nothing you are going through that Jesus will not understand.”  He continued, “Have you every stated to God, you just don’t understand!” 

Ok, I am guilty!  I have stated that mostly due to relationship issues said, “Do you see this God? What am I supposed to do with this?”  Etc.

So during my busy week, sorry it is true.  Working mother and wife, my weeks are busy!  I was contemplating these thoughts.  Wow, Jesus you experienced true heart breaks, sadness, death, despair and relationship woes.  I don’t think anyone of us would argue that his last week of humanity was the absolute worst!  But I was mulling over the mundane details of my life and situations periodically throughout the week I began to see the situations that might have happened. I wish I had more insight and could write a story, like Max Lucado when he writes about biblical characters.  I mean the four gospels include a lot of information, but do you think John wants to recount when he did something foolish in front of our Lord and Savior!  We have a difficult time admitting it, and we can’t see Jesus in the flesh but we know he is there.

I recently read an introduction to a book. Yes, a Christian Adult coloring book.  There I said it!  The introduction was marvelous, in fact so much so I copied and carry it with me.  The author is Margaret Feinberg and she is talking about a difficulty a friend is facing and she said but I just learned to “live loved.”  Wow, live like we are loved.  Most of us are blessed with family, friends, and acquaintances that love us, like us or put up with us.  But God always and forevermore will love you.  Live Loved, so I was in this reference of mind when I at church.

When we “live loved” we know that Jesus is with us. Immanuel.  He knows all and is always ready to listen and speak if you are still enough.  I was particularly flustered with a member of my family, who will remain nameless, I was in the shower and I just said, do you see what I go through, do you know what it is like to live with this person?  Suddenly, I heard “Did you live with Peter?”  The first thing I thought about is that Peter is usually represented as a loud, burly, rough fisherman those thoughts flooded my head.

I replied, “Wow, oh Lord, no but you did, and not only did you live with Peter but for several years you lived with 12 men.  Oh God, 12 men with their various habits, flaws, odors, personalities! Not only 12 men but you grew with a house full of siblings. Oh Jesus, no I guess you really do understand!  You know what I am talking about!! Oh Jesus, I am so sorry you had to put up with 12 stinky men!  And you are willing to put up with me!”

So the realization that Jesus not only put up with people who were educated, uneducated, moody, anxious, depressed, suicidal, mental unbalanced is very clear in my mind.  I like to think in terms of putting myself in that time period.  The dust, dirt, sandals, uncleanliness, etc.  We do not know much about the private meetings with Jesus and the disciples, but I bet if we really contemplated it, we could make a sitcom out of it!

Do you live with Peter? Do you live with Judas?  Jesus has and regardless who your Peter or Judas is…Jesus gets it!

by Aaron Smith
May 2016