April Fools...

I've never been very big into April Fools Day. I'm just not much of a practical joker I guess. But there is one April Fools Day that I will never forget, because it began a journey that would change the rest of my life: it was the best April Fools joke ever played...

It fell on a Sunday that year, which was 1995. I was 17 years old. My dad was a minister, and our family moved around the state of Georgia a good bit while I was growing up, going from church to church, doing the work we felt the Father had called our family to. And it was a "family" thing - my dad made sure that everybody was on the same page before he made a decision.

We were moving, which was dreadful, even though we'd done it plenty of times. It never became "fun". We were tired and it was the end of a long day. We pulled into the parsonage driveway and started unloading; luckily it was Sunday night, so the church folk who had gathered made their way down to the house and helped us unload!

And so began a series of interesting events - some of the most rewarding, horrifying, wonderful, and terrible things I have ever experienced. Our family was severely abused in that place - threats made to our lives; property vandalized, destroyed, and stolen; well water poisoned; awful rumors started about us - all the wonderful things that were promised to us upon coming were found to be a lies. We were even taken to court because some of the folk there didn't like my dad and wanted us to leave the church, which of course my dad simply would not do unless God released him to go. His stance was that Holy Spirit had sent him there: Holy Spirit would tell him when to leave. It soon became very clear to us that God had indeed brought this about in a manner that only He could have.

Yet in the midst of all of this, there were awesome things that happened in that place too. I began playing/writing music there. My brother and sister also started playing music, and we started our first band there. I started a drama team there and we took the drama team and the band all over the southeast, performing at youth events, venues, and festivals. We hosted music festivals there on the church property and in other places. We saw people come into the Kingdom through this ministry. I met my husband there, had my first child there. We met so many wonderful people and did so many amazing things during those years! We experienced a mighty move of Holy Spirit in our lives during that time.

It wasn't until much later that we began referring to this whole thing as "The best April Fools Joke ever played on us." And it was Father who was the prankster! If we had known all of the tragedy and hardship we would face, it's not likely we would've moved there: we lived at the beach for crying out loud! We could have been perfectly happy there forever!

The years spent in that place made me and my family who we are - who Father needed us to be to carry out His next assignment for us, which He released us to move on to in November of 2000. Some might think Him cruel or unloving to lead His children into circumstances where adversity or hardship are inevitable, but I don't think so. What we went through doesn't even come close to what Job went through- at least we still have each other.

I appreciate the Father's loving kindness, His preparation, His way. I trust Him to lead me where He wants me to be. I know that He will be with me even in distress and trouble. I may not know these things so assuredly had I not experienced His mighty saving hand and outstretched arm in those troubling times.

Now, every year when April Fools Day rolls around, I remember those last five years of the '90's, and I am thankful. I am honored to serve such a strong and mighty God, who will shape me and mold me into the person He needs me to be, however He sees fit.

It truly was the best April Fools joke ever.

SW SW SW SW

As I sit at my computer this morning, I am bothered by some situations in my life that involve people. Yes - people; not circumstances, not things, not events, but people.

I think the situations that deal with people are some of the most difficult. One of my biggest pet peeves is being misunderstood. I guess it's the teacher in me that wants all of the facts straight and out on the table for everyone to see! But I'm learning that, no matter how much explaining I may do- no matter how open and honest I am, there are some people who will be pre-disposed to misunderstanding me (!). There are some people that just will not like me, no matter how hard I try. There are some things that I just cannot control.

I am learning (again...) that, although people say they love you and accept you - unconditionally- what they really mean is, "As long as you are not too different from me; as long as your opinion is not ever the opposite of mine; as long as we don't disagree on the things that matter most to me, I'll accept you - unconditionally!"

It sounds kind of funny, but it's really true. Very few people can actually be friends with a person that is different than they are in some way. I know, I know - I should've learned this lesson in middle school...and high school...right? Perhaps. Than again, I'm not so sure I will ever trudge through a situation like this unscathed - unless I allow my heart to turn to stone, that is.

I'm reminded of a little acronym my dad uses all the time. He learned it years ago at a sales seminar: SW, SW, SW, SW. It means: "Some Will, Some Won't; So What- Somebody's Waiting."  Of course it's easy to see how that would apply to sales, but it really applies to every area of our lives. If we become stuck in the negative things that happen, we will never realize the positive. Sure - some people may not like you! They may say ugly things about you, assassinate your character for no reason, work to turn people against you and plant seeds of doubt in other's minds regarding you, but who cares?! SW, SW, SW, SW! If we learn to walk away from the situations (and sometimes, the people) that tear us down, we'll be able to see that "somebody" who is waiting and ready to tackle the world with us. We must surround ourselves with a support group of people who will truly help us on our life journey, not drain us emotionally and spiritually and wear us down.

So, I guess I just wanted to encourage anyone this morning who may be dealing with a tough situation. The stress and the emotional drain is so not worth it! Don't let the negative steal from you!

So much Scripture comes to mind to apply here, but the one that sticks out to me is I Peter 5:7, "Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully." (Amplified)

I hope everyone has a great day!

Happy New Year!

I love new beginnings. Sometimes, it seems that starting over is the only way to get rid of the clutter and chaos that seems to accumulate no matter how I try to keep it under control. Change is an interesting - and often frustrating- process, yet it is one of my favorite aspects of life.

I have learned that sometimes change comes slowly. I don't always like to admit that, nor do I like to sit down and map out the process, especially if that process could possibly take days, weeks, months, or years to complete! I'd rather everything only take a few hours ;-)

Recently I was talking to some of my friends about organization and keeping up with chores and so on and so forth, and FLYlady (www.flylady.net) came up. I thank FLYlady for so many things, and even though I don't follow "her" routines anymore to the "t", I thank her for teaching me several very important things. The first is that it's okay for change to come slowly, bit-by-bit, over time. Changing too many things all at once sets you up to crash-and-burn over and over again, plus it's overwhelming. Change that lasts is the kind that changes you at your core: it changes your habits, your mind-set, and your entire thinking process. This kind of change comes in what FLYlady calls "baby-steps". I tend to want to take more of a "Clean-Sweep" approach to change, but this never sticks! I learned from FLYlady that I need to look at the big picture of the chaos that is my life, pick ONE thing I can change, and spend the next 30 days making a new habit and breaking an old one. Just ONE. Yes, it seems like it will take forever to get anywhere at that rate (!), but it really doesn't! I look back over the past 6 years since I met FLYlady, and I am amazed at how many things I've changed about myself and how much happier I am because of it!

The second thing that I learned from FLYlady was that "clutter" and "chaos" are heart issues. If you live in clutter and chaos on the outside, chances are there is alot of mental and emotional clutter and chaos that needs to be taken care of on the inside. It really is so true. You can work through those things in the same "baby-steps", changing one thing at a time. And you don't have to do it alone either: Proverbs 20:27 tells us that the Spirit of Yahweh will search the innermost parts of who we are and help us clear out that clutter too.

I think everybody has areas of their lives that need to change. I think that if we stop changing and growing, then we must be dead! I encourage you in this time when "resolutions" are being made and "change" is in the air, to diligently look at your self and set some goals for your life - spiritually, emotionally, physically - whatever. Not just because it's the "thing to do"at the dawn of the New Year, but because you really want to move your life in a better direction. Pick one thing at a time and change that. Once you've made a new habit, add another, and see lasting change make your life fuller and richer. Happy New Year!