Chapter 9 - The End

And, so the summer ends.

It feels like it was a long summer. It seems like ages ago that the kids and I drove to my parents place.. but it's actually only been 10 weeks. I spent a week up there, did 5 weeks of school, and had  month of holidays. I've had a really relaxing August. But, now it's time to give that up.

As sad as I am that the schedule-free, do-what-we-want-when-we-want, care-free days of summer are over, I am looking forward to what the next year brings. Things begin again.

That's what I will talk about tomorrow... The Beginning.

Chapter 8 - Weird

Good News: Jesus called us His friends. 

Bad News: The world will hate us.

(John 15:18ff)

This was the basis for the sermon at church today. Everything that was said made so much sense to me. Christians have a different authority and loyalty than other people - God and His Word. Christians base their morality on the Bible, not on what the world says is right and wrong. 

Christians are weird. 

Those of us who follow Jesus can sometimes wonder why others don't like us, or why they don't "get" us. We have a different authority, loyalty, and morality...

How could they "get" us? 

We are weird. We are different. 

I have to be honest and say that I sometimes put what I believe on the back burner when I am working with people who believe differently than I do. I easily adapt to the situation and I don't say things that will rock the boat. 

I keep quite about my weirdness so they will like me.

Jesus says that the world hating me is to be expected. 

 The "who" that I am is a "Weird Christian". 

I am not going to hold back any longer. I am not ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ. This world is not my home.

I should expect to hated, so why should I try so hard to be liked?

This is a concept that I shall continue to develop... To be continued...

Chapter 7 - Ordinary

There are some days, often few and far between, where nothing particularly noteworthy happens. There are no big epiphanies, no huge learned lessons, and nothing out of the ordinary takes place.

Today was one of those days... and I am very happy about it.

That means there was nothing stressful that happened. There was no big decision to be made that would somehow impact other areas of my life. There was no yelling, or crying, or arguing. 

It was an ordinary day. 

The beauty of ordinary days is the quiet I find within myself. I feel peaceful and content. I realize that not every day is a struggle. 

Ordinary days bring strength to handle extra-ordinary days. 

I feel rested. My spirit is quieted. Balance has been restored.  Thank God for ordinary days. 

Chapter 6 - Serenity

I attend a Celebrate Recovery group on Friday nights where I play keyboard on the worship band. 

Tonight the teaching was about the Serenity Prayer:

"God grant me the serenity 

To accept the things I cannot change;
Courage to change the things I can;
And wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world
As it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that He will make all things right
If I surrender to His Will;
So that I may be reasonably happy in this life
And supremely happy with Him
Forever and ever in the next. 

Amen.

God gave me a swift kick in the butt through this teaching. The first comes from the very first line, "God grant me the serenity." 

The teacher asked what kinds of things we use to try and find serenity. Some try to find it with relationships, or alcohol, or shopping. My go-to is food. When I am upset, I usually turn to food first. Then, I turn to watching tv. Sometimes I turn to shopping - often for things I really don't need. Then, when all my go-to's are exasperated, I turn to God. 

Turns out I have the whole process upside down. 

What would happen if I turned to God first? I mean, the very first word of the Prayer is "God". 

So, God gave me a challenge. Before I go to anything else when I am upset or discouraged or emotional, I will go to Him.

The second kick came from the words of one of the songs we sang: "Make me who I'm meant to be." I know that God has big plans for me, just like he does for everyone. The problem is that I have become complacent in where I am at this moment. I have an exam coming up that I should be studying for, but I'm mostly not. I need to be diligently seeking a job, but I'm mostly not. Instead, I just keep putting it off and enjoying what I am doing right now - nothing. I like having no schedule. I like not studying. I like being at home. I am content to not move forward.

God is telling me to get out of this slump, to stop being complacent and satisfied with the mundane. He has given me all I need to be who I am meant to be. But, I can't get there by watching Netflix. 

Becoming "who I am meant to be" requires action. I need to start taking action. I have to move out of complacency and doing what is easy so I can move forward to the place God has planned for me. 

Why would I want to delay God's best for my life?

There's my 2 challenges. Go to God first, and move forward.  In doing so, I can be "reasonably happy in this life."

Chapter 5 - Blessing

Blessings can be a two-way street. You bless someone, and in turn you are blessed.  That is what happened with me today. 

I went to the church around 9:30am to lend a hand in the office. I helped out with lots of "paper tasks", meaning those tasks, such as cutting, that are time consuming for the administrator when she has so many other things to do. In good form, I came out with a battle scar - a cut on my finger from the big paper cutter :) 

That was me being a blessing.

Then, I was blessed.

The lady I was working with asked me if I had my tickets for the upcoming Beth Moore event at our church. I told her that I was getting it on Sunday, because I always forget to bring cash with me. She asked if I would like to help out at the Registration table and in-turn get a free ticket to the event. I was ecstatic! Money is tight these days, so any bit of money I can save is a huge help. Not only do I get to save money, but I get to greet all the women that come to the event! That is something I have always loved to do. I am so excited that I was asked to help out. And, I would have helped out with or without the free ticket. That was just a bonus!

My challenge to you: Be a blessing to someone today.

Chapter 4 - Getting Involved

I woke up this morning feeling defeated, and that made me feel guilty. 

I have a lot of good things going on right now.  The biggest one is that I am headed in the direction of my dream career. But, this morning I was mopey. I was thinking about the things I don't have right now instead of being grateful for the many things I do have. 

And, boy, is that an easy thing to do.

I know that I don't have a job right now, and that is stressful on me, but I also know that God has always taken care of us... He's not going to stop now.

A few weeks ago I volunteered to help out in the church office. The lady sent me an email yesterday asking me what times would be good. This afternoon, once I got past Paula's Pity Party, I responded to her email. I am going to the church tomorrow morning to help out in the office. I am very excited about it. I also volunteered to help with photography for the baptism service in a couple of weeks.  And, I still play keyboard weekly with the Friday night worship band.

By taking the focus off myself and volunteering my time to help others, it resets my focus on all the things I have to be thankful for in my life. I have many skills and abilities that I can use even though I am not "employed". 

God did not give me the talents I have to only use if I am getting paid for it.

Chapter 3 - Sharing

I had coffee last night with a friend. I met her not long after I moved here, but the only time we chat is for a few minutes between services on Sunday mornings or on youth nights, if we happen to see each other. So, last night we planned to go out... and we had a really nice time.

I knew from our brief conversations at church that we have gone through similar situations in our lives. When I shared stories with her, I could tell that she understood exactly what I was feeling, and I am sure she felt the same when she shared with me.  

I want to share with more people.

At the group I attend on Friday nights, the question was presented to us was about what sharing with others does for us. There were many answers, such as the good feelings it brings, and how it helps bring more healing to parts of our lives. I had to be honest in my answer and say that I don't really share much with others. I find that I don't have the opportunity to do so, or the opportunity is there and I just completely miss it. 

My desire is to use what I have faced to empower women to find their strength no matter what situation they find themselves in.

My prayer is that I see the opportunities when they are there.