Lisa Smith: Glad Chatter

Trash Talk: Week One A Confident Heart Online

2012-01-15T21:04:00.000-06:00

Do you talk to yourself? Me too! I find I can concentratebetter when talking aloud. I can think clearly and remember things better.There’s just something about words coming out of my mouth that brings results.

Last year, 2011, God asked me to take inventory of mythoughts. I realized almost I talk trash to myself. Lots. I say things thatwould make my mama cringe. When dealing with myself, I take on the persona ofthe mean girl.

You’re so dumb,stupid, lazy, fat, ridiculous, annoying and ugly. You are such a loser. Youcan’t do anything right. You always mess things up.

These are only a sampling of the constant drone of my self-talk.The Word says “faith comes by hearing” (Romans 10:17) and the things I hear aretrash. So, it’s no wonder my faith is so wobbly at times.

A few months ago, I accepted Renee’s challenge to “choose toembrace the reality of His measureless grace, unconditional love, and redeeminghope.” (p. 24) As I meditated on the vastness and unending nature of God’sgrace. I developed a truth script to help me deal with situations that I wouldnormally begin trashing myself over. I decided the things I hear would befilled with the power of God’s truth no matter how loudly my emotions shoutedtrash!

My go-to script goes something like this:

It would be wonderful if my husband agreed with me; but I amstill completely accepted, totally secure, fully pleasing and 100% forgiven byGod.

It would be great if my child had made a better choice; butI am still completely accepted, totally secure, fully pleasing and 100%forgiven by God.

It would be nice if I hadn’t had called that client by thewrong name; but I am still completely accepted, totally secure, fully pleasingand 100% forgiven by God.

See where I’m going here?

God showed Renee, “You can only see the shadow because youhave turned away from the light. Turn back toward the light.” (p. 22) If welive turned toward the light, we have hope in this struggle because “doubt andhope cannot live in our hearts at the same time.” (p.23) Hope is what we needto see change as we go “beyond believing in Him to really believing Him.” (p.24)

I’m giving myself two challenges based on Chapter 1 and Iwould love for you to join me. Learn to pay attention to the trash talk.Formulate a plan and use my script, or create your own, for turning trash talkinto truth talk.

Remember how I told you I think more clearly and seem toremember things better when I talk out loud to myself? That’s why praying thesetruths out loud was an essential part of my transformation process. I know thismakes some of you cringe with embarrassment.

Renee reminds us, “We can beconfident we are praying God’s will when we pray God’s Word…When we pray God’swords out loud, and hear them, the Holy Spirit engraves them on our hearts andwrites them in our thoughts. We internalize God’s truth as our faith grows andwe are transformed from the inside out!” (p. 25)

Start with Renee’s prayer on page 26 and commit to prayingit out loud at least once a day this week. I am writing it on an index card andcarrying it with me. Each time I pull a healthy snack out of my purse, I willalso pull out my card and pray—In the privacy of my car, of course. **smiles**

Turning our trash talk to truth talk, ignites the power ofthe Holy Spirit to release confident hearts in us. And after all, we are allgathered here because we want a confident heart, right?

4U: Leave a comment here about how you’re doing in the trashtalk to truth talk department. Share your script. Let’s pray for each other!

And pop over to Renee’s if you have time. There are over7,000 joining us in our transformation to A Confident Heart!

A Confident Heart: Growing Together

2012-01-03T22:21:00.001-06:00

Happy 2012!!! I am here. Chatting. With you.

I am here. Excited about a brand new year. New beginnings refresh me. What about you?

Ready to share some of your journey with me? You know, I've been gone a pretty long time. I missed you. I want to know ways you grew, ways you struggled, ways you succeeded!! Grab a seat and share. Right here. With me.

I also want to grow with you. This year. 2012.

So, in an effort to do just that. Grow together. (And keep me accountable to firing up blogger even when I have a zillion other things pulling at me) I am joining forces with my friend, Renee Swope and over 6,000 other women!!! Women just like me and just like you. Women who want to grow. Together. Struggle together (you really can't separate those words.) Succeed. Together.

Come do life with us.

Here's how:

Go register to be a part of the A Confident Heart Bible study here.

Buy Renee's book, A Confident Heart.

Come back and tell me.

Be here January 16 for our kickoff. You can visit Renee and the 6,000 that day too. But if you don't have time to click all over the place, just come back to discuss chapter 1. Renee will pop over from time to time and you can comment, link your post, text, tweet, facebook me or holla!, (if I know you irl).

This book has shown me how to live life with a new confidence through power that I possessed yet never knew how to access. The Word of God has tremendous power in our lives, if we tap into it realizing its worth. Most of the time we live like the farmer who lived month to month, harvest to harvest on his struggling-to-make-it farm, never knowing he had millions of dollars of oil under his crops. He was one of the richest men in the world, living like a pauper because he didn't know how to access his wealth. He didn't even know he owned it!

Come discover the wealth that is yours in Jesus Christ.

I can't wait to dig for oil with you!

Who's in?

The Elephant

2011-12-14T22:37:00.000-06:00

Picture source here

Ignoring it is not my style. Nor is sweeping it under therug or walking around it in the center of the living room for so long it beginssitting in front of the couch with a plant on its back.

But I am setting it aside today. And asking it to stand andto lift each large leg as I vacuum under them and spray some Lysol where itshiney rests.

I intend to talk about the elephant in the room. Just nottoday. But I promise. I will. I will chat it up with you in true Glad Chatterfashion. I will spill the big, ugly truth right here on this blog where allseven of you who pop over to check on me from time to time will know where I’vebeen for the last six months. **smiles**

I will take all the big ugly, spruce up each wrinkle, blingup the chub and we’ll sort and discuss until we all feel fuzzy warm inside andnot just because we are sporting our velvety new Christmas scarves and favorite furry slippers.

Today I am pretending having an elephant in your living roomis the fanciest new Christmas decoration and hanging ornaments from its tusksand bedazzling its ears. I’m tying a giant sparkly bow to its tail and addingsome gaudy rainbow blinky lights to its back. Then I’m giving it my favorite lepard earmuffs so it can’t hear me dish with you. About how I got here. Back online.

I’ve missed you, chatters. I’ve missed your hearts, yourencouragement, your insight, your devotion to all things bloggy and all thingsJesus. We Jesus gals needs to stick together, you know.

So today I’m sticking. I’m taking the fifty rolls of Scotchtape I just bought to wrap the gazillion gifts I have yet to buy and I’msticking my heart right here on the screen. Its wrapped in a big bloggy hug andadorned with a sincere apology for just walking out on you, my seven faithfulreaders. **smiles**

Instead of introducing you to the elephant today, I’m takinga minute to pause in the panic of this holy season and thank Jesus for beingwith me. Even when I was not with you, He was. With you. And with me. And Heis. With you. With me. With us.

God.With.Us. Emmanuel.

“Be silent, all mankind, before the Lord, for he has come toearth from heaven, from his holy home.” Zechariah 2:13

Again, Daddy, Again

2011-10-19T14:55:00.000-05:00

"If we could see the miracle of a single flower clearly, our whole life would change."--Hindu Prince Gautama Siddharta

Do you have a part of your heart that's locked away from the world? From everyone, including yourself? Do you let God in those secret places?

This morning I asked God to let me see clearly. I prayed giving Him access to my innermost thoughts and beliefs. Praying like this can seem repetitious and humbling. I gave God all of my heart many years ago.

I just have a tendency to take it back. Snatch it out of God's hands and run.

The result is I seem to struggle with the same junk. God heals me of my sin and then I find myself stuck smack dab in the middle of the old way of thinking before I even realize what I'm doing.

Today I read about Jesus healing a blind man in Mark 8. Jesus touches the sightless man and then asks him if he can see. The man says he sees people but they look like trees.

Jesus touches him again and the Scriptures say the man looked hard or intently and could see clearly.

I was reminded of my son, Palmer playing with his daddy. Andrew tickles him until he can't breathe and when my husband thinks he can't take anymore, he stops. Palmer promptly take a deep breath and squeals, "Again, Daddy, again!" And Andrew tickles him some more. All Palmer wants is a second to catch his breath so he can play with his dad some more.

Sometimes it takes a second touch to see clearly. Sometimes we have to catch our breath so we can ask for more.

Today I asked for more.

Then I opened my eyes and began to see clearly.

What about you? Are there areas you have been healed but may need a second (or third, or fourth) touch to see clearly? Leave a comment and I'd love to pray for Jesus to touch you.

The After

2011-10-12T11:25:00.000-05:00

You may be wondering where I’ve been. That is, if you’re even still there at all. I’ve been in the after.

You get cancer and everybody is there. They bring you casseroles, hold your hand and ceaselessly encourage you. Then they see that you are good, healthy, moving on… and so do they.

It’s hard to tell people what you need when you don’t really know yourself. It’s been hard for me to put words to paper or sentences to prayer expressing my feelings for the last several months.

I’m living in the after. After the cancer. After the casseroles are gone. After the handholding ends because life’s crazy pace has picked back up and everything is back to normal—except it isn’t. It’s different. It’s after.

After the cancer.

After the junk.

Did you know, according to Google, aftershocks are smaller earthquakes that follow a larger one in the same area. They occur due to the area settling down and getting used to the new state of stress that was brought about by the mainshock.

I spent the last year adjusting. Adjusting kids to new schools, friends and schedules. Adjusting the husband to a new job, responsibilities and routines. A few months ago I realized they were all adjusted—but I wasn’t. At.all.

I got curious about aftershock so I Googled some more and I discovered that aftershocks can occur months even years after the main event.

I’m living through some aftershocks, y’all.

And I know that God is still here. In the after. I know that His promises are true. “Jesus is the same, yesterday, today and forever. (Hebrews 13:8)

That passage goes on to say, “For it is good for the heart to be established and ennobled and strengthened by means of grace.” (13:9a)

I know God is asking one thing of me in the after: To trust the same God I trusted in the cancer.

To receive the same grace that carried us through the “stuff” to carry us through the “little” daily problems that “normal” life brings.

No matter what you have been through or are experiencing now, His grace is available to strengthen your heart. I would love to pray for you, just leave a comment.

Winner of A Confident Heart

2011-09-09T14:57:00.000-05:00

And the winner is...

Holly. Commenter #1. Congratulations!! You win a signed copy of Renee's book. Please e-mail me your address and I'll send it right to ya!

To the rest of you wonderful ladies, click right on over to order your very own copy.

Happy weekend, y'all!

A Confident Heart Give Away!

2011-09-01T10:00:00.003-05:00

Have you ever read a book that changed you? A Confident Heart by Renee Swope is that book. Reading A Confident Heart and applying the truths has not only changed my heart, it has changed my life.

Renee candidly shares her story and own struggle with self-doubt and depression. Renee relates to readers as the girlfriend who understands. She will cry with you, laugh with you and tell how much you need God's truth! If you have ever doubted God’s call on your life or lived in constant frustration, this book is for you too.

By using the scripture based prayers at the end of each chapter of A Confident Heart, you can replace self-doubt with God-fidence. You can lose the fear of failure by learning to fail forward. Failing forward has shown me how I can live freely as the me God created.

I am reading the book right now for the third time, tagging and highlighting each verse Renee uses. I pray each verse out loud over myself before I start my day.

Changes I’ve noticed in my own thinking include: accepting God’s forgiveness without meditating on my failures, seeing failure as a chance to grow and mature instead of as disappointing God and others, viewing myself as a worthy work-in-progress and utilizing grace and gratitude as the primary language of my heart, mouth and mind just to name a few.

Today I leave you with this prayer from chapter 2:

I want to know and rely on the love You have for me, Jesus, and live in that love. You say that whoever lives in love lives in You, and You in him. In this way, love is made complete in me, so that I can have confidence today and forever... I trust that because Your love is perfect, I don't have to be. Amen

If you’d like to jump on the Confident Heart bandwagon, leave a comment telling me why you want to read A Confident Heart and I’ll choose one random commenter to win a free autographed by Renee copy. Winner announced here on Friday, September 9. You can also go to Renee's website to register for the 7 Day Doubt Diet and other free Confident Heart related resources. You can order your own copy of the book here.

Available August 2011 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group. Super thanks to Revell for providing me with a free copy of A Confident Heart which I am giving away to one of you!

Paybacks

2011-08-26T09:01:00.002-05:00

Have you ever found yourself on the receiving end of spectacular? There are times when a mere ‘thank you’ doesn’t cut it on the gratitude scale.

Last year God gave me life. He spared me vicious side effects of cancer and made me healthy in record time. The very breaths I breathe are evidence of His grace. All I want to do is give God a giant payback. In response to His saving miracle in my life, my heart cries, “Use me to change the world for You.”

All I want is to pay back God. Thus, I wrestle with grace.

Grace is life freely given by the innocent sacrificially shed blood of My Savior, Jesus.

No, friends, thank you isn’t enough.

For it is by grace my lungs inflate. And it is by grace my soul expands.

It is grace that causes my soul to sing no matter how small my role in life.

Grace—freely given—humbly accepted.

Paybacks not required.

Bless the LORD, O my soul,

And all that is within me, bless His holy name. Psalm 103:1

The Bloggy Vacation

2011-07-21T00:01:00.001-05:00

This blog has been busy.

Playing cards, going swimming and enjoying the children.

Sharing with the needy from its closets, cabinets and clutter.

Organizing the pantry!!!

Preparing to paint white walls.

Vacationing in Florida.

Packing for camp.

Playing All-stars.

And preparing for She Speaks.

But mostly this blog has just been looking and listening for Jesus. When life gets to be too much, He calls. And this blog answers.

After attending She Speaks.

And cancer check-ups.

And company.

And school shopping.

And another week of camp.

And a special and wonderful wedding.

And of course, a little more playing with the kids,

This blog will resume its regularly scheduled programming.

PS Once this blog finds its zip cord, pictures of the pantry will appear.

The Winner

2011-06-06T18:29:00.000-05:00

Congrats to Jess S. winner of the $25 gift certificate to Ashley's shop. Email me your address and enjoy your bling!!!

Remember, I am taking some time to enjoy the kids, unpack the last few boxes, read good books, play board games, go to sleep at a decent hour and anything else my kids want to do. So subscribe so you won't miss a single installment of Glad Chatter!

Happy Summer!!

Give Away!!!

2011-06-03T09:55:00.000-05:00

It's not too late for the give away!! Simply subscribe to Glad Chatter in the upper left margin and leave a message saying you did and you get another chance. Since summer is a sketchy internet time and my kids need my attention, I'll probably go a little dark (I still heart Jack Bauer!!). So subscribe and you won't get left out when I do login to bloggyland.

Celebrate!! Give away!!!

2011-05-31T07:29:00.000-05:00

To celebrate the end of our series, I'm hosting a give away! Yaay for free stuff! Especially cute stuff!

My sweet friend Ashley has graciously donated a $25 gift certificate to be used in her etsy shop. Just pop over to her site and leave a comment here telling me what you love. I'll draw a random winner Friday.

Thank you for sticking with me for 31 days. It's been a fun month with peeks into the minds and hearts of some of my favorite bloggy friends. Hope you've enjoyed it too. Go leave a comment for Sandy telling her how much.

Visit my other "31 Days" Friends:

31 Days Closer to Your Kids

31 Days Closer to the Life You Always Wanted

31 Days Closer to Hearing God’s Voice

31 Days Closer to a Cuter You

31 Days Closer to a New Home

31 Days Closer to Health, Wellness and Bathing Suit Season

Remember

2011-05-30T10:26:00.000-05:00

I saw this here this morning and it struck a chord with me. My Papa was on a ship in Pearl Harbor when it was bombed. He fought. He survived. We live freely because of he fought courageously. My Papa is a man of valor. A brave hero.

My Dad served in the Army National Guard for many years. His training was part of our family. I missed him when he was gone but I was always proud. So proud. Although he never went to war, he prepared. Was ready. Trained others. I am always proud. So proud.

Today I’m remembering. Today I’m reminding my children to remember.

Will you join me in remembering?

PS Come back tomorrow for a give away!! Let's end this May series on a high note!

Visit my other "31 Days" Friends:

Fill bowls

2011-05-27T16:20:00.000-05:00

Did you know angels hold bowls filled with the prayers of God's people? I envision prayers going into these heavenly bowls until the bowls get so full they can't hold anything else. At that time, all the prayers pour out and God answers many prayers.

I honestly believe that's how God healed me. So many people were praying, the bowl filled and there it was. I was spared chemo, cancer has stayed away and now I'm praying with people instead of them praying for my healing. It is my greatest pleasure to pray God would heal others too.

Today I am adding two sweet friends to my bowl.

My friend Courtney is moving to MD Anderson this weekend to prepare for a stem cell transplant that we pray will put her cancer in remission.

My friend Melinda is a sweet, young lady who is battling her second recurrence of brain cancer in the last three years. She's had four brain surgeries, radiation and cyber knife radiation to the speech/motor bed of her brain. She will soon start a trial chemotherapy to rid her brain of a cancer which has been historically chemo resistant. Please pray the enemy won't steal her voice. Pray the chemo works. Pray God works. A miracle.

Both of the lovely ladies love Jesus. They are filled with His presence, peace and desire to bring Him glory in any way they can. Please join me in praying God would heal them, use them and receive lots of applause for what He will do in their hearts and lives during their battles. Please pray for their precious husbands and children too.

And when he took the scroll, the four living beings and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp, and they held gold bowls filled with incense, which are the prayers of God’s people. Revelation 5:8

Please leave a prayer request for someone you are focusing your intercessory efforts on so we can all pray too. Let's fill those heavenly bowls as quickly as possible!

Visit my other "31 Days" Friends:

Choose to believe

2011-05-26T07:44:00.001-05:00

During my run last night I came face to face with something ugly. My doubt.

My natural frame of reference is more negative than I care to admit. I can be all Pollyanna to those around me, slightly more cynical to those closest to me and downright doom and gloom to myself.

Not pretty.

As I ran, I let life slough off me. The last few weeks have been rough. My husband’s been out of town, I had terrible crazy-woman PMS, I got sick, ate fast food, drank lots of coffee, worked out minimally and almost polished off a pound of M&Ms. Side note: I’m buying the almond kind next time so I get something healthy out of the deal.

I’ve fallen down the staircase of I’ll just stop writing this blog because I’ll never get published because I don’t have time to pursue anything but sick/needy/sloppy kids.

In the midst of playoffs, performances, projects, parties, ceremonies and graduations I realized we were peaking and I was having trouble enjoying this normal chaos that is May. I mean peaking as in my middle children are almost nine—halfway to being on their own. The peak of child raising. **sniff sniff**

So I shoved writing aside and threw myself into this end of the season celebrate until you drop hoopla. Today I decided enough is enough and went for a run.

That’s when God asked Lisa, do you believe I’m good?

Yes, Lord, of course, begged to come out because I was once a fourth grade Sunday school scholar.

But I knew what He meant. He meant Lisa, do you believe I’m good to you? Do you believe I love you with the extravagant love you struggle to show your loved ones today?

All I could choke out between sobs was

I’m.

Not.

Sure.

And then the fourth grade me quickly added, Lord, forgive my unbelief.

When God moved mountains for me to receive the cancer treatment I needed, I believed.

When God miraculously spared me from harsh chemo, I believed.

When God lined up lots of little ducks in a row so we could move, I believed.

When God began using my story to encourage others to seek Him, I believed.

When God showered me with favor at different times in my life at various jobs, I believed.

When God gave me perfectly healthy babies, I believed.

When God gave me a fairy tale wedding day, I believed.

But today when I was late to the dentist and my son needed more work than we thought, I doubted.

When my preschooler never took a breath today and I couldn’t either, I doubted.

When the miracle cancer treatment stretches us more financially than is comfortable, I doubt.

When the house I once thought was perfect seems to close in around me in all it’s disorganized cluttered glory, I doubt.

When it looks like I’ll be working instead of writing when school starts in the fall, I doubt.

When the fun commitments of a normal life begin to feel like drudgery, I doubt.

I’m not proud. I am full of doubt.

I am in desperate need of extraordinary holy to invade ordinary routine. I am crying out for my Father’s holy fire to replace motherhood burnout.

As I confessed every area of doubt with the thud of feet to pavement, freedom came. I realized something: It’s easier to believe the best than think the worst. Truth overcomes doubt every time.

I realize I have issues. I need constant validation from Jesus about who I am in Him. I’m ridiculously needy. But today I believe the best.

Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. 1 Corinthians 12:7

Visit my other "31 Days" Friends:

Appreciate the small things

2011-05-25T07:45:00.000-05:00

Are you creeping towards a goal at a baby's crawl instead of the runner's sprint you'd like? I've been encouraged twice already this morning and it's only 7:20.

Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin... Zechariah 4:10a

Twice. Here and here.

Visit my other "31 Days" Friends:

Love Extravagantly

2011-05-24T08:44:00.000-05:00

I read this today.

Unconditional love in baking in my house puts me more on the receiving end than giving. But that's a story for another day. And I did supervise the making of 30 eyeball cupcakes last week. (Pic coming) (Pray I find my cameras. Yes, that's plural.) But this post is not about baking. It's about love.

After reading this, I am suddenly filled with the overwhelming desire to go way out of my way to make sure my kids know they.are.loved. And because I'm challenging myself to do "one better," I'm going to take on the super challenge of making sure my hubby knows it too.

I am committing to doing one act of random extravagance for my peeps this week.

Will you join me? Tell me what you did/plan to do... I need ideas!

Visit my other "31 Days" Friends:

Utilize Grace

2011-05-23T10:55:00.000-05:00

Beg for forgiveness. Receive grace.

As in: I'm sorry but blogging during the May explosion has proved too much for me. Please forgive me. Thank you for your grace.

I promise to be back soon. I recorded a special vlog for you but can't seem to figure out how to upload it and don't have the time to click around just now. (grrrrr...) But I know you are extending much grace because you are the grace-fullest peeps I know!

Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given. John 1:16

Visit my friends: (Somehow they managed to post during the May explosions in their lives. Which means they're really amazing women!)

31 Days Closer to Your Kids

31 Days Closer to the Life You Always Wanted

31 Days Closer to Hearing God’s Voice

31 Days Closer to a Cuter You

31 Days Closer to a New Home

31 Days Closer to Health, Wellness and Bathing Suit Season

Rest your body

2011-05-19T07:33:00.000-05:00

In crazy, typical mid-May fashion, I got the crud.

My son is in the tee ball world series tonight!

My daughter has to make 30 eyeball cupcakes for science class tomorrow.

So between friends, homework, the world series, science projects, highlights (yes, I gave them to my daughter yesterday) and field trips, it settled in my nose. And head. And throat.

I'm not sure how I'm gonna work this but one of my health goals for this year is to sleep when I get sick. Until I'm better. I heard it helps.

31 Days Closer to Your Kids

31 Days Closer to the Life You Always Wanted

31 Days Closer to Hearing God’s Voice

31 Days Closer to a Cuter You

31 Days Closer to a New Home

31 Days Closer to Health, Wellness and Bathing Suit Season

Be-Come

2011-05-17T20:57:00.000-05:00

“Life is the end of life; Life, life and more life.” Eugene Peterson

Around here May explodes and summer happens.

Everyday makes me feel like a loser when I don’t post something of value, clean my house, fold my laundry, organize my pantry, parent with finesse, cook a healthy meal, leisurely tuck children in bed, paint my girls’ walls, unpack the last two boxes, finish my bio sheet, start my book proposal, swim 400 meters, respond to YOU my faithful readers, you get the idea.

Trying to capture the life I want in words also makes me feel like a loser. (Did I really promise Sandy I’d do this?) I resolve to do things like: mother with passion, clean with a vengeance, organize with gusto and train like a maniac. I push myself to express half-baked ideas. When my book isn’t written and my calendar’s isn’t booked and my reach isn’t reaching, I feel hormonal, estrogen-crazed, neurotic, and worse—lifeless.

And when I get lifeless, creative juices stop flowing because it takes passion-filled quietness for ideas to bake. Passion breeds creativity and creativity takes time. Time that seems to vaporize with May’s explosion and gives way to the wonderful, lazy chaos that is summer. Hooray for wonderful and lazy; but woe to the chaos that resides without the routine of school.

That’s when I’m reminded the goal of this life is life. Life. And I find life in the being. Not in the coming. And going. And doing.

And the beginning of being is being in His presence. And it’s in the coming to Him that I find the being.

Now don’t get me wrong. I have a shopping list for today filled with things like nails, wood putty and paint chips. So I can do. But first, I will just be.

“If we have a destination—in this case a life lived to the glory of God—there is a well-marked way, the Jesus-revealed way.” Eugene Peterson, Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places

Be: You make known to me the path of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence,
with eternal pleasures at your right hand. Psalm 16:11 NIV emphasis mine

Come: Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28 NLT emphasis mine

Become: And when God is personally present, a living Spirit, that old, constricting legislation is recognized as obsolete. We're free of it! All of us! Nothing between us and God, our faces shining with the brightness of his face. And so we are transfigured much like the Messiah, our lives gradually becoming brighter and more beautiful as God enters our lives and we become like him. 2 Corinthians 3:18b The Message emphasis mine

31 Days Closer to Your Kids

31 Days Closer to the Life You Always Wanted

31 Days Closer to Hearing God’s Voice

31 Days Closer to a Cuter You

31 Days Closer to a New Home

31 Days Closer to Health, Wellness and Bathing Suit Season

Try Something New

2011-05-16T17:33:00.000-05:00

I could say a whole lot. But I'm just sayin' I tried zumba today! I now feel like I can take on the whole world. Including the triathlon I'm doing in a couple of weeks. (Yesterday I was ready to quit because I don't wanna swim in a lake!! Or ride a bike/run/see any people with wet hair. Yes, I'm that vain.) So do something new and take on the world.

Get the rest of 31 Days Closer to the Life You Always Wanted delivered straight to your inbox, subscribe via e-mail in the top left margin. And you should read this stuff too:

31 Days Closer to Your Kids

31 Days Closer to the Life You Always Wanted

31 Days Closer to Hearing God’s Voice

31 Days Closer to a Cuter You

31 Days Closer to a New Home

31 Days Closer to Health, Wellness and Bathing Suit Season

Sharing

2011-05-15T07:00:00.001-05:00

I read this a few weeks ago. You should too.

Get the rest of 31 Days Closer to the Life You Always Wanted delivered straight to your inbox, subscribe via e-mail in the top left margin. And you should read this stuff too:

31 Days Closer to Your Kids

31 Days Closer to the Life You Always Wanted

31 Days Closer to Hearing God’s Voice

31 Days Closer to a Cuter You

31 Days Closer to a New Home

31 Days Closer to Health, Wellness and Bathing Suit Season

Ask for help

2011-05-14T07:00:00.002-05:00

My heart’s cry since moving is, “Lord, I’m so lonely.”

I recently told my husband I feel like I’ve been at a yearlong cocktail party. I am having fun and meeting lots of wonderful people but I have to stay dressed up and I’m tired of wearing these heels. By golly!

Meeting people and knowing people are two entirely different things.

Don’t get me wrong. This new town of mine is filled with some amazing women. It just takes time to pour your heart out or call someone when you need help.

This past week when I was running late, I called friends. Twice. They grabbed my kids for me. Our neighborhood pool became a place of meeting with friends instead of a place where we try to meet friends. My house is full of other peoples’ children and my phone is gloriously full of their mommies’ numbers.

Hallelujah! I have a list.
Hallelujah! I have girlfriends.

The reason this is so incredibly historical is because I actually called two of these mommies to help me. With my kids. They said yes. I cheered in my speeding mom-burban. I did.

Help has arrived.

In the form of sweet girlfriends.

Praise God!

I might have enjoyed their friendship sooner… If only I had asked.

I’m praying for my new girlfriends today:
The one who blesses others is abundantly blessed;
those who help others are helped.
Proverbs 11:25

Read other girlfriends in the “31 Days Closer to…” series:

31 Days Closer to Your Kids

31 Days Closer to the Life You Always Wanted

31 Days Closer to Hearing God’s Voice

31 Days Closer to a Cuter You

31 Days Closer to a New Home

31 Days Closer to Health, Wellness and Bathing Suit Season

Enjoy the Unexpected

2011-05-13T15:03:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I took my Palmer to school with the intention of dropping him off and enjoying his last day of preschool. Ever.

I had a workout on the schedule (long overdue), some writing, some cleaning, a shower, pay the bills. Well, you get the idea.

Instead, I stayed. I stayed at preschool watching my boy and his friends enjoy their last day. They had so much fun. He had so much fun. Yesterday I wanted to bottle up preK and save it. Yesterday I cherished it. It was an unexpected joy.

Last night Alyssa had a choir performance. Also a joy. I set aside everything yesterday to just enjoy where my kids are right now. That carried over into today. When unexpectedly a child stayed home sick.

Instead of giving into the worry, anxiety and overwhelming duties that are so much easier to do child-free, I am choosing to just enjoy where they are. Especially when it is with me!

And thankfully, Blogger has been down (and I'm not writing enough posts to catch up today) so I have been able to have all this unscheduled fun guilt-free since I got behind on my "31 Days Closer to" posts! LOL

Start changing your focus by choosing to see the joy in the unexpected instead of the inconvenience.

This is the very day God acted—
let's celebrate and be festive!
Salvation now, God. Salvation now!
Oh yes, God—a free and full life! Psalm 118:24-25 The Message

Get the rest of 31 Days Closer to the Life You Always Wanted delivered straight to your inbox, subscribe via e-mail in the top left margin. And visit some of the coolest friends ever:

31 Days Closer to Your Kids

31 Days Closer to the Life You Always Wanted

31 Days Closer to Hearing God’s Voice

31 Days Closer to a Cuter You

31 Days Closer to a New Home

31 Days Closer to Health, Wellness and Bathing Suit Season

Look for the Tufts

2011-05-11T05:00:00.023-05:00

The Lord is my shepherd;
I have all that I need.
He lets me rest in green meadows;
he leads me beside peaceful streams.
He renews my strength.

An e-mail response to "Just Enough," sits in my inbox.

I have long loved Psalm 23. As I meditate on it I see me running barefoot through lush meadows carpeted with soft green. Sunflowers dot the field perfectly and at the edge of green there is a crystal blue stream where I can sit on a smooth stone to rinse my feet. I fall to the water's soft edge kneeling to drink my fill of clear, quenching, spring water.

My bubble burst yesterday as I explored the links my friend sent. But ultimately left me with something much more precious than a bubble. She gave me truth. Thanks Tama!

I have long sought "the life I want." The main ingredient in this life is solution. In a happy life my problems are solved. My dreams are realized. My frustrations are settled.

"Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows." (John 16:33) I am learning to expect it. Daily.

Did you know the green pastures spoken of in Psalm 23 were most likely tufts of grass in Israel's desert land? The Israelite shepherd led his sheep to green patches in the desert where the sheep could take a bite and receive just enough to keep going.

Read here.

I find strange comfort in knowing my favorite Psalm was actually written to provide 'just enough' in a barren, desolate, desert place instead of ushering us into an unattainable utopia here on earth. A place free of problems, distractions, troubles and concern is waiting for me. It is not a goal to be achieved in this lifetime; it is my coming inheritance. Accepting these truths eases the 'always longing for more' in my soul. Living these truths settles joy, contentment and thanksgiving in my heart. He is setting me free to enjoy the life I have been given. Because He always gives me just enough to take the next step and rely on Him some more.

Get the rest of 31 Days Closer to the Life You Always Wanted delivered straight to your inbox, subscribe via e-mail in the top left margin.

31 Days Closer to Your Kids

31 Days Closer to the Life You Always Wanted

31 Days Closer to Hearing God’s Voice

31 Days Closer to a Cuter You

31 Days Closer to a New Home

31 Days Closer to Health, Wellness and Bathing Suit Season

Just Enough

2011-05-10T05:00:00.012-05:00

6:30 AM squawks my alarm clock. Jolted awake, the daily grind awaits me. My chest pounding I jump out of bed to begin routine. My heart racing signals my tardiness even before the beeping of the green neon light awakes me.

In an effort to get ‘caught up,’ I set my alarm for 6:00, then 5:30 and then 5:00. Finally resorting to 4:30 in desperation. My goal is to tame the heart, ease the list and realize the dream.

Frustration consumes me. All is futile, I realize as the weariness seeps into my bones. I sink to my knees, “How can I ever get it all done,” I cry.

He hears.

I have given you just enough.

Words spoken through a friend. A new twist to a familiar roaming in my soul. Always longing for more is second nature, as common to my heart as the blood it pumps. Always. Longing.

Just as God gave the Israelites just enough manna for one day in the desert, God gives us exactly what we need for each day. Do you ever feel overwhelmed by daily responsibility or crazed by the ticking away of minutes? Do you ever fret you’re not fully engaged and enjoying each moment that slips through our fingers like air?

I do. This war has consumed me for several years and only intensified when cancer tucked urgency to live deep inside my soul. This truth has helped me trust that God knows exactly what He’s doing in the life that He’s given me.

Now, when the pounding of the heart drives away the peace, I pray.

God, thank you that You have given me just enough time to accomplish all that You have for me today. No more. No less. Thank you that You’ve measured out and given me exactly what I need for right now. I pray that I would hear Your voice, respond quickly and not get side tracked. I pray I would focus my eyes on You instead of my list. Rearrange, prioritize and add or subtract from my list as You see fit. Thank you that if I listen to You and heed your commands, nothing will be wasted as I seek You in ALL I do today. Don’t let me get ahead of Your voice or fall behind Your steps. Thank you that You know exactly what I need and supply just enough for each day so that I keep coming to You for the day’s sustenance. Amen.

Every day of my life was recorded in your book.

Every moment was laid out

before a single day had passed. Psalm 139:16b NLT

He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. Ephesians 2:10b NLT

And we will find grace to help us when we need it most. Hebrews 4:16b NLT

Get the rest of 31 Days Closer to the Life You Always Wanted delivered straight to your inbox, subscribe via e-mail in the top left margin.

31 Days Closer to Your Kids

31 Days Closer to the Life You Always Wanted

31 Days Closer to Hearing God’s Voice

31 Days Closer to a Cuter You

31 Days Closer to a New Home

31 Days Closer to Health, Wellness and Bathing Suit Season

The Replacements

2011-05-09T05:00:00.008-05:00

Have you ever tried to stop a bad habit cold turkey?

I have.

I've also failed miserably at it.

Success is easier when we toss a bad habit but replace it with a healthy one.

About nine months before my cancer diagnosis, I quit caffeine including chocolate. After my diagnosis I quit all desserts.

It wasn't until a few months after my diagnosis, at which point I had totally indulged again, that I decided to replace the sugar and caffeine with something else.

Well, the caffeine wasn't too hard since you can get most beverages decaffeinated. But the sugar was another story.

I did some research, which consisted of asking other people what they used as a sweetener, e-mailed my favorite fitness buff and set out for my local health food store.

I had a list:
Stevia
Agave nectar
Sprouted bread
Almond butter
Almond milk
Ground flax seed
Granola

There might have been more but I basically started here. I let them talk me into a few powders and supplements too. I shelled out the $160 and started getting healthy by replacing bad habits.

Now I get most of the "health food" items from my local grocery store and I don't pay near as much for them. I still buy random healthy food. Sometimes I like it: hummus. Sometimes I don't: Greek yogurt.

But when I eliminate a food from my diet, I always try to find a replacement for it. The same goes with other habits like watching TV or shopping or picking my nails.

What are some things you've eliminated and how have you filled the space?

Get the rest 31 Days Closer to the Life You Always Wanted delivered straight to your inbox, subscribe via e-mail in the top left margin.

31 Days Closer to Your Kids

31 Days Closer to the Life You Always Wanted

31 Days Closer to Hearing God’s Voice

31 Days Closer to a Cuter You

31 Days Closer to a New Home

31 Days Closer to Health, Wellness and Bathing Suit Season

Find Salvation

2011-05-08T10:21:00.000-05:00

Unplug. Unwind. Take a nap. Relax. Recharge.

I'm taking a day of rest.

This is what the Sovereign LORD, the Holy One of Israel, says:

“In repentance and rest is your salvation,
in quietness and trust is your strength" Isaiah 30:15

Happy Mother's Day!
Visit other friend in the series:

31 Days Closer to Your Kids

31 Days Closer to the Life You Always Wanted

31 Days Closer to Hearing God’s Voice

31 Days Closer to a Cuter You

31 Days Closer to a New Home

31 Days Closer to Health, Wellness and Bathing Suit Season

Giggle it. If ya want to.

2011-05-07T05:00:00.039-05:00

Do y'all remember the old Jello commercials? Jiggle it. Just a little bit? or was it Wiggle it. Just a little bit? I remember singing it all during Thanksgiving/Christmas meals while playing with the Jello squares. That commercial. That line brought laughter. Silly giggly laughter.

My personality is naturally fun. Except when I'm stressed. Which is most of the minutes I've been a wife and mother. Seriously.

My husband is a prankster, a jokester, a real funny bone. He reminds me to laugh. Except when I don't feel like laughing. Then he just irritates me.

Occassionally, God gives me an elbow to the side and reminds me it's okay to laugh a little. Thanks, Shelly, for being the elbow God used this week. More than okay. He actually commands us to experience laughter.

A cheerful disposition is good for your health;
gloom and doom leave you bone-tired.
Proverbs 17:22

That's pretty close to, "Laugh," thus sayeth the Lord. Doncha think?

A favorite laugh from the last few months:
Seeing Wimpy Kid 2. See the movies. They're awesome. My best laugh last year while fighting cancer was the first one.

This week:

We, the parrotheads, went to Jimmy Buffett with lots of friends.

fun with friends

Sometimes it's as simple as being the first one to use the bathrooms, all three of them, after the cleaning lady comes. Twice a month, I get to use the bathroom all day long without flushing first.

It's really easy to giggle. If ya want to.

Visit friends in the "31 Days Closer to..." series:

31 Days Closer to Your Kids

31 Days Closer to the Life You Always Wanted

31 Days Closer to Hearing God’s Voice

31 Days Closer to a Cuter You

31 Days Closer to a New Home

31 Days Closer to Health, Wellness and Bathing Suit Season

Grab Today and Pray it Forward

2011-05-06T05:00:00.005-05:00

Messy heads have messy weeks. This week has been messy.

I had an opportunity to visit with a sweet friend before she has her cancer surgery Monday. I grabbed it squeezing a visit in between two necessities--a hair appointment and a talent show tryout. I had so much fun gabbing in the therapeutic chair at Charlotte's, I got late. Rushing to lunch, I asked God to stretch my hours because it didn't seem I had as many as I needed.

God's responded to my cry: Today while it's still today encourage one another.

I peacefully went to lunch, saw two dear friends and got me some heart medicine. I thought God was commanding me to encourage her but, He was promising me a blessing too, if I would trust Him, slow down and focus on my friend instead of myself.

I learned a great lesson that day. Things always look better when my eyes are focused on someone other than me! I got all the necessities done that day. I didn't say done perfectly. But it did all work out in the end.

If you're feeling the pinch of sands squeezing through your hourglass or struggling with the blues, claim God's promise for us and sweet sister, go encourage someone while it's still called today. It's the best heart medicine.

But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. Hebrews 13:3

You can encourage some friends today by visiting:
Kathryn: Cancer surgery Monday. Pray the lymph nodes are clear and no surprises are found.
Courtney: Finishing chemo and preparing for stem cell transplant in a few weeks.
Jessica: Fighting chronic illness and having a messy week.
Joy: Had cancer surgery Tuesday and found ovarian cancer.

Take the button and link up girlfriends who need encouraging today here:

Combat Messy Head

2011-05-05T05:00:00.007-05:00

Several times yesterday friends asked me how I am doing. With tears pooling, I answered each one honestly. I'm hanging in there.

Folks, I'm tired. Those post-radiation good days have disappeared for the last couple of weeks. I'm sure they'll be back but the brain fog is crazy intense. Folks, we're busy. The end-of-the-school-year celebrations have started and we are winding up to wind down but we are still, in fact winding. T-i-r-i-n-g.

Life is hard. Yeah, the normal, crazy, chaos that is my life is just plain hard some days. Desires pull at needs and my head gets all messy. Messy-headed totally describes how I feel right now.

Messy-headed is how I felt a few weeks ago when I drove off from pumping gas with the gas hose still in my tank. Messy-headed is how I felt when I backed into a parked car a few days before that. And messy-headed is how I felt when a neighbor called to tell me the fire department was inside my house and there had been a fire. Messy-headed is how I felt when I took my son to baseball practice tonight only to discover he's lost his glove. And it's how I felt when my daughter just told me she needs me to drive into town tomorrow to buy her something for Friday and it's how I felt when I walked in the door tonight and surveyed the guts of my house on display.

Thankful-hearted is how I feel because there is no damage from our toaster malfunctioning and burning. Thankful-hearted is how I feel when I realize once more how life can change in an instant. Thankful-hearted is how I feel when I look around me and see evidence of the normal, fast-paced life of a large family. Thankful-hearted is how I feel when I remember that I am healthy and able to serve my family in love. And it's how I feel when I remember the maid is coming tomorrow (wink, wink).

I can tolerate messy-headed if I allow it to lead me to thankful-hearted.

All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God. 2Corinthians 4:15

What messes can you let lead to thanksgiving in your life today?

Sunday's winner of the $10 Starbucks card is Tabathia! Congratulations and enjoy some time to reflect and turn messy-headed into thankful-hearted.

PS I also bit the bullet yesterday and bought 12 sessions with a chiropractor... I'll keep you posted on messy-head's sure disappearance!

Visit friends in the "31 Days Closer to..." series:

31 Days Closer to Your Kids

31 Days Closer to the Life You Always Wanted

31 Days Closer to Hearing God’s Voice

31 Days Closer to a Cuter You

31 Days Closer to a New Home

31 Days Closer to Health, Wellness and Bathing Suit Season

Bite the Bullet

2011-05-04T05:00:00.000-05:00

Ten weeks ago, I bit the bullet.

I hired a personal trainer.

You see, I was bored with running. Burned out on pushing myself day after day. Alone.

My oncologist said I needed to work out five days a week for 30 minutes. I wasn't pushing myself. So I bought some accountability. For a high price, I might add. Or maybe it wasn't so much. I saw results.

Average workouts breed average results. I need above average health to push cancer away and to fight it should it return. It's worth the investment.

In eight weeks I lost 3% body fat, 1.24 inches from my waist, .25 inches around my arms, .4 inches from my thighs and one pound! Yes, those are decimal points but negative ones!!

I now feel comfortable in shorts and sleeveless tops. Proof, you don't have to lose pounds to feel better in your body. I have a customized and fun weight resisting circuit workout that can double as a cardio workout two days a week.

It's been three weeks. I am already getting bored of the weight room by myself. I will probably hire Mr. Trainer again to help me keep working out through the transition from school to summer because I can so easily justify not getting in a good workout with the kids home. I'm great at justifying NOT working out!

I have finally learned that sometimes it's worth it to just bite the bullet and hire the trainer, join the gym, buy the expensive running shoes that don't hurt or skip mopping the floor to work out in order to invest in my health.

What bullets have you bitten lately in the name of health?

Be sure to receive all "31 Days Closer to the Life You Always Wanted" by subscribing to Glad Chatter by entering your email address in the upper left margin.

31 Days Closer to Your Kids

31 Days Closer to the Life You Always Wanted

31 Days Closer to Hearing God’s Voice

31 Days Closer to a Cuter You

31 Days Closer to a New Home

31 Days Closer to Health, Wellness and Bathing Suit Season

The 30 Minute Rule

2011-05-03T05:00:00.007-05:00

As a former aerobics instructor, I’ve always felt like a solid workout should last a good hour—Sometimes longer. As a busy mother of four, I’ve learned a great 30-minute workout is key. To working out day after day after day after day.

Before the cancer threatened to steal my health, I ran 5-6 miles 3-4 days a week and lifted weights for an hour 2-3 days a week. Sometimes I added a step class to the mix just for the fun of it. I lived five minutes from my local gym, had a gang of girlfriends I’d meet each day and a two-hour childcare limit. Hey, it was my girls’ night out—Only in the morning, at the gym.

I was even training for my first marathon.

Then I got cancer. I got tired. I quit running.

I moved. I now live 30-minutes plus from my local gym. With a two-hour childcare limit, it’s 3 plus hours of my day just to exercise. I don’t think so.

I started running again. Last summer I ran 4-5 miles each day. Then school started and I got up early, really early, just to have the time to run the 4-5 miles each day. I got tired. Burned out. And stopped.

I stopped running. I stopped working out altogether. My oncologist noticed. It was not my proudest moment.

At his recommendation I implemented the 30-minute rule. I run for 30 minutes. Then I stop. My daily goal is now 2.5-3 miles each day. It doesn’ t feel like much. But it does feel like enough. It is enough to keep me in shape, keep my weight in check and make me want to get up tomorrow and do it again.

My personal goal is now to do at least 30-minutes of cardio 5 days each week. This is a combination of running and weight lifting. (We will talk about weights tomorrow).

This is where I should tell you the 5-day rule is key for me. I work out five days each week and take the weekends off. I need the time to recover, rest, relax and occasionally make up a day I missed during the week. Weekends are for soccer games, boating, hanging at the pool, folding laundry, sitting on the couch, grilling on the patio and playing board games with the kids. The 30 minute rule has brought me great success. Since February I’ve only missed this goal one or two weeks!

Try it.

Walk, run, do the elliptical, whatever you do for 30-minutes. I promise it’s not hardly long enough to get too tired to do it tomorrow. And if you do, I’ll be back tomorrow for another great tip on exercise burnout.

PS For some other great tips on running visit Melanie. She has a great runner's blog and is also participating in the "31 Days Closer to" challenge.

Visit all the gals in the "31 Days Closer to..." series:

Sandy at The Amazing Adventures of Fitness Friday Girl

Shelly at Life on the Wild Side

Melanie at The Bella~Mella

Missy at It’s Almost Naptime

Jen at Finding Heaven

Kitchen communion

2011-05-02T04:59:00.002-05:00

Commune (verb): To be in a state of intimate, heightened sensitivity and receptivity

It was while I was going through cancer a friend first suggested I take communion at home. The idea was new to me. The thought had just never occurred to me before then.

One morning I got up, turned Dora on for my son, sat down at my kitchen table and took communion. The crackers, the wine, the Christ. It was beautiful.

Preparing my mind to heed the Spirit’s leading for the day energizes me. The intimacy of taking the representation of Christ's body into my own empowers me. Even if I sit down to the communion table empty or unfocused, I get up from that spot ready. Renewed for the day. Recharged. Receptive. I can see, hear and be whatever it is Jesus calls me to today.

Here is a quick demonstration. Allow the simplicity of kitchen communion to fill ordinary days with extraordinary power.

PS There's still time to enter the HUGE give away. Just read yesterday's post and get jiggy with it.

31 Days Closer to the Life You Always Wanted Give Away!

2011-05-01T05:00:00.012-05:00

Remember when I told you about 31 Days Closer to the Life You Always Wanted? It's here! It's May! Today's the day! And it all starts with introductions and hostess gifts. Gifts from the hostesses to you! Ready?

Wanna visit some of my favorite blogs? Wanna win a ton of swag? All you have to do is click, comment away, tell all your friends and waalah. You win! And you might also just change your life in the process.

We’ll draw one random winner per blog, and each winner will receive one of the following prizes:

Prizes:

$25 Ikea Gift Card,

$10 Starbucks Gift Card,

an original charcoal art piece, by Jen Ferguson,

an original picture frame designed by Jessica Roy,

$25 Target Gift Card,

Good Girls Don’t Have to Dress Bad, by Shari Braendel

To be eligible for the giveaway, you must tell someone about the “31 Day Closer to” series by telling friends about it on your blog, Facebook, Twitter OR e-mail. Then leave a comment on the blog saying that you did. One entry/comment per person, and comment must be on the blog, not on Facebook. But you may enter once on each blog (for a total of 6 entries possible). Entries must be submitted by Midnight on Monday, May 2^nd. Winners will be announced Wednesday, May 4^th.

Fun friends participating and giving away stuff:

Jen at Finding Heaven

31 Days Closer to Hearing God's Voice

God speaks to us. He wants us to sit at His feet and let His Words wash over us. But sometimes, a whole lotta junk gets in the way of us actually hearing what He has to say. Over the next 31 days, we are going to practice getting our baggage out of the ways so that our heart is prepared to listen to what He has to say.

Shelly at Life on the Wild Side

31 Days Closer to Your Kids

Maintaining a relationship with our kids is not always automatic, and just because they live under our roof doesn’t mean we’re always connecting with them. Over the next 31 days, I’ll share some practical tips to help you grow closer to your kids.

Melanie at the Bella~Mella

31 Days Closer to A Cuter You

Have you had that moment yet? You know the one where you unexpectedly catch a glimpse of yourself in a mirror? Yeah…THAT one. If you grimaced instead of grinned, join me for the next 31 days for 31 tips and tricks to tweak your look and come closer to a cuter you!

Sandy at The Amazing Adventures of Fitness Friday Girl

31 Days Closer to Health, Wellness and Bathing Suit Season

It’s the little things. All the little things you do in a day either contribute to your health …or not. Whether your goal is to feel better, drop a few pounds or just strut more confidently in your bathing suit, we’ll cover all the little things you can do to get closer to your goal by June 1st!

Missy at It’s Almost Naptime

31 Days Closer to a New Home

You don’t need to move to get a “new home.” I am going to reorganize and redecorate the one I have. In the next 31 days, I will stop the procrastination and tackle all those little projects I’ve been putting off. So this summer, I can sit back and enjoy my family. Join me.

And right here at Glad Chatter, we'll be discussing 31 Days Closer to the Life You Always Wanted. If you have ever found yourself saying things like one day I'll print out those pictures and hang them on the wall, organize my bookshelf, have a usable filing system, throw awesome birthday parties for my kids, make a living by doing my passion or become a runner, this series is for you. When cancer threatened to take the life I had, I decided it was high time I started living the life I had always wanted.

Join me as we take 31 steps closer to living the life we've always dreamed of living.
Be sure not to miss a single day by subscribing to Glad Chatter. Just enter your email address in the subscribe box at the top of the left margin.

This month is gonna rock! See you tomorrow; today just work on winning some loot!

2011-04-29T16:57:00.000-05:00

Pray it Forward Friday. Is it still Friday?

Like I said yesterday, one of those weeks.

But today.

Glorious today has been filled with my baby's laughter. He's five. Not such a baby as an unreserved tiny adult.

We've explored. Run errands. Bounced balls through Target. Visited friends. And then we took our inaugural trip to the pool. The glorious pool.

Shhhhh. Don't tell. I'd have a houseful of jealous folk.

Now I'm off to get sheets on the beds before baseball. And bedtime.

So if you're cruising blogs around about bedtime on this Friday night, pray it forward with me. K?

This week I've been overwhelmed with cancer requests. A friend waiting, for months now, for a surgery to determine if it's cancer. Her surgery is Tuesday. Another friend underwent a scary MRI to determine if it's cancer and now has to make some hard decisions since there have been other scares and cancer runs strong through her family. Another friend sick for many months and wondering is it cancer needs her own slice of peace as well.

As I pray it forward today, I'm reminded what I desire is really Who I desire.

Whom have I in heaven but you?
And earth has nothing I desire besides you. Psalm 73:25

Join me in praying it forward and spreading the peace.

Don't fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It's wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life. Phil. 4:6-7 The Message

Supposed to

2011-04-28T17:22:00.001-05:00

It's just been one of those weeks. Know what I mean?

I have a to do list and I also have a supposed to do list and I have crossed nothing off of either.

I'm supposed to share some deep reflections from the end of the second quarter of Backpacking through Joshua. Although I'm not feeling deep or reflective this week, I did take inventory of my life thus far in response to the end of Joshua's life chapter. What I discovered is that I also have a long list of victories in my life. God has forgiven me and given me freedom. Joshua 12 caused me to boohoo like a baby as I read the Easter story to my family out of The Jesus Storybook Bible. I get to the part where Jesus hangs tight to a cross held there by love and tears threaten to spill. Then I read the next sentence about how Jesus cries out for His Daddy to help him and for the first time ever and only time since, His Daddy doesn't hear and I stop. And weep. Every year.

It lights fresh gratitude in my heart for the cross. And the empty tomb. And being able to talk to a heavenly Daddy who hears. And forgives.

"For this reason I say to you, her sins, which are many, have been forgiven, for she loved much," (Luke 7:47) is my Easter/Joshua 12 theme this year. I have been forgiven much, grown much, stretched much and healed much.

Which brings me to the second bloggy thing on my supposed to do list.

Starting Sunday. Yes, Sunday, May 1. Glad Chatter will be part of a 31 Days Closer to wonderfulness and bathing suit season hosted by Fitness Friday Girl aka Sandy. If you read Glad Chatter for the entire month of May, you will be 31 Days Closer to the Life You Always Wanted.

Since cancer threatened to take the life I had, I decided that any days I lived beyond cancer would be dedicated to creating the life I want to live. If you've ever thought: One day I will ... scrapbook, organize my pantry, create cute looks on a lean budget, adopt a baby from Ethiopia, look toned on the beach or read my Bible all the way from Genesis to Revelation or any other big or little someday thought, this series is for you.

I'll have a full list of links on Sunday along with a super duper sized giveaway. So tell your friends and come join the party! See you Sunday. The start to another blessed and amazing week!

I think that's all I'm supposed to tell you. Until Sunday!!

Good news

2011-04-26T16:00:00.002-05:00

Good news today!! My doc was really positive and encouraging. Now that I'm a little over a year out from sarcoma removal surgery, my chances of a local recurrence or distant metastasis are drastically reduced!!! Yippyyyyy!!!!! A good day. A really good day!

But there are others having hard days. Really hard days. Like Julie, who is 33-year-old mommy of three kids ages 7, 4 and 10 months and collapsed Sunday while on a walk from a heart attack. She hasn't regained consciousness yet. Will you join me in praying for her?
And my friend, Kathryn, who will face cancer surgery May 9, the Monday after Mother's Day. They day after she celebrates being mommy to her two boys and celebrates her own mother who is now deceased from complications caused by cancer treatment, she will look her own cancer diagnosis in the face. Will you join me in praying that is the last time she ever sees it? Will you join me in praying cancer would not rob her family of any more life?
When I went through my own diagnosis of cancer, it was only a matter of hours before a prayer wall was erected on Facebook and my own family was lifted 24 hours a day. It was awesome. And overwhelming. And humbling.
My prayer quickly went from Heal me, God, I want to live to Heal me, God, they need to experience Your goodness. God answered! Because He answered and healed me, I am able to not only pay back what I received but I intend to pray back what I received. Will you join me in praying it forward here each Friday where you are invited to share a prayer request on your own blog and link up here.
I hope each of you will join me in helping others find Christ in their crises.

Joining Jen and the sisterhood today.

Scans today

2011-04-25T06:00:00.000-05:00

Scan day does sneak up on you!! I'm thankful for the sneaking instead of the lurking in my mind of it all. I need your prayers and I'll keep you posted via facebook and twitter.

I woke up with this going through my mind:

You will keep in perfect peace
   those whose minds are steadfast,
   because they trust in you. Isaiah 26:3

And in The Message:

People with their minds set on you,
   you keep completely whole,
Steady on their feet,
   because they keep at it and don't quit.
Depend on God and keep at it
   because in the Lord God you have a sure thing.

A Good Friday

2011-04-22T01:52:00.000-05:00

"Why is it called good when what happened to Jesus was so bad?" she asks.
Love, it's called good because it's the only reason we are here. The bad Jesus suffered made us good, righteous and acceptable to God.
It's good because it didn't stop Jesus from living. He even conquered death to live with us, sweetheart.
What happened to Jesus is where we find our hope.
It's very good because it was necessary. The only way, honey. Things just aren't always as they seem.
As my girlfriend, Renee Swope says in her new book:"Jesus did not die on the cross just to get us our of hell and into heaven. He died on the cross to get Himself out of heaven and into us! It's what we were made for... God created us in His image to reveal His glory by giving visibility to His invisible character within us. Christ in us is the hope of glory."
For God wanted them to know that the riches and glory of Christ are for you Gentiles, too. And this is the secret: Christ lives in you. This gives you assurance of sharing his glory. Colossians 1:27 NLT
Join me in praying forward your salvation today. Pray for a potential christian, someone who doesn't know Christ yet. Pray that would know Christ, the hope of glory this Easter weekend.
If you link up, we will gather in prayer together.

The New Car

2011-04-19T08:43:00.000-05:00

There is a knock at your door. You go to open it and one of your friends is there dangling a set of keys. He gives you a brand new car. And I’m talkin’ a pimped out, juiced up, leather seats with warmers, sunroof and mini TV screens on the back of each seat car. Not only does He give you the car with no strings attached, he gives you a lifetime pass to the local car wash. There will be no crunched up goldfish crackers or stale chicken nuggets in your car anymore. It will smell of new car and vanilla instead of stale soccer cleats.

Your excitement is overwhelming, contagious even. Your neighbors go crazy with you. They all want to gawk at the inside of your new car. This new gift is going to change your life!

The next morning you get up, drag yourself out of bed, bundle up and walk to the end of your street to take the city bus to work. After a few weeks of this, your friend, who is now your ‘best’ friend, calls. He encourages you to use the car. He gave it to you so you wouldn’t have to take the same old broken down bus to work each day. “This gift is for your enjoyment,” he says.

Slowly you begin to feel comfortable using the car. Soon after you begin driving it to work each day, you sell your old car and let your bus pass expire. Before you know it, you grow accustomed to your new car. You begin to love driving around in it and look for excuses to take it for a spin. You offer to help your friends and drive them everywhere. You are always available to use the car. There is no need to walk when you have the greatest car ever!

Then one day you hear that familiar knock at the door. Excitedly you run to open it. You look forward to a visit with your old friend. You hope he isn’t too disappointed that there are a few door dings in the car in your garage because you’ve done your best to take good care of it.

He says, “I need you. Will you use the car to take me to Alaska?”

Of course, you can’t say no. You get on the phone to alert your employer, you’ll even quit your job if you have to. You load your stuff, even though you have no idea what to bring. You grab some money even though you have no idea how much gas you’ll need to get there or how many days you'll be gone. You grab a map and hope your friend can help you read it. You feel completely unprepared but you just can't disappoint your friend after all he's done for you.

You have to drive your friend wherever he needs to go; he gave you the car you love. You owe him but that is not why you commit to doing this crazy thing. You commit to doing it because you love your friend and he knows the car. He believes the car can make it and so you do too. Or at least you really hope so.

Isn’t this how we should be with our spiritual gifts? We often see spiritual gifts as a confusing thing instead of an exciting present from God. We take test after test to determine what our unique gifts are when we should really be looking at our lives. We should look at what we enjoy doing, what we long to do, what others say we are good at. Those are the gifts we should use to serve God. And by serving God I mean the things we love to do are the vehicle we should use to take God to others. Even to Alaska when He asks.

"God's various gifts are handed out everywhere; but they all originate in God's Spirit. God's various ministries are carried out everywhere; but they all originate in God's Spirit. God's various expressions of power are in action everywhere; but God himself is behind it all. Each person is given something to do that shows who God is: Everyone gets in on it, everyone benefits. All kinds of things are handed out by the Spirit, and to all kinds of people! The variety is wonderful:

wise counsel

clear understanding

simple trust

healing the sick

miraculous acts

proclamation

distinguishing between spirits

tongues

interpretation of tongues.

All these gifts have a common origin, but are handed out one by one by the one Spirit of God. He decides who gets what, and when." 1 Corinthians 12:4-11 The Message

This is also the aha I promised you here.

The morning after

2011-04-18T10:29:00.000-05:00

Backpacking Through Joshua with Amber and friends.

What do you the morning after the sun stands still? Where do I go from here is the question I ask God everyday since I finished cancer treatment last summer.

My voice shakes with excitement the first million times I ask it. Anticipating the future is one beautiful side effect of completing cancer treatment. Slowly over time as days, weeks, months pass, the promise wears thin. Weariness swallows intention. The sun’s scorch fades vision. Driving rains make impassable conditions. Confusion settles over dreams. Gusto gives way to life’s insignificant trials.

I find myself lost in the normal I once craved. Responsibilities, chores and daily stresses overwhelm me at times. I feel cheated. Trying to look forward now hurts. Looking at today is easier even though it rubs my soul raw. I have today but tomorrow is not promised. One day may not come. I struggle to squeeze giant dream drops out of daily life’s dry cloth.

When I read Joshua 11, I am amazed. After the sun stands still, God calls His people to war. For seven years.

After participating in one of the biggest miracles in the Bible, there is all out war for the Israelites. They are grateful beyond grateful. And they are tired beyond tired. They march all night and then fight the longest day in history winning an awesome victory.

This is my story. Last year, I experienced an all out attack. Then I experienced an all out miracle. My diagnosis with a rare and aggressive form of cancer that my health insurance refused to treat in the way I chose resulted in the longest month of my life’s history. The months from diagnosis to healing seemed much longer as we marched. And then fought.

I entered follow-up care just seven months after I was diagnosed with cancer. A miracle. I escaped the rigors of chemo. A miracle. I remain clear. A miracle.

I am grateful beyond grateful. But I am tired beyond tired. As I read Joshua 11:16 &18 my eyes are opened. “So Joshua took the entire land…It took seven years of war to accomplish all of this.”

Now I know. The place I go from here is war. An epic war to take the entire land ensues. I am warring for the fertile land of healing, vision and purpose. Just like the Israelites, I want to live smack dab in the middle of the promise. I don’t want to settle on the border living a comfortable life enjoying the fruit of the Promised Land while worried about attacks in the night that could continually drive me out once again.

I march forward as I cling to God’s promise in Joshua 11:23:
“So Lisa took the entire land just as God instructed…and she gave the people their inheritance…So the land finally rested from its war.”

Pray it Forward Fridays

2011-04-15T08:42:00.000-05:00

From driving off with the gas nozzle still attached to my car to ringing phones with the neighbor saying the fire department is in our home and there’s been a fire, my week has been one of those.

How can I commit to praying for others when my own life is this chaotic?

I pray for myself first.

Pile your troubles on God's shoulders—

he'll carry your load, he'll help you out. Psalm 55:22 The Msg

I am practicing taking my own burdens, frustrations, irritations, distractions and worries to the Lord. And leaving them there so I can attend to the prayers for others I’ve committed to pray out of love for them.

Please think about taking a 15-minute slot on the prayer wall. ( Please "like it" and and let's make some glad chatter in the spiritual realm!) Let’s rebuild it together and wage war in the heavenlies.

Continue to lift my friend Kathryn to the Lord as she has a scheduled surgery on May 9.

And Megan who is a young mother fighting stage 3C ovarian cancer.

Today as you pray it forward, give your own cares to Jesus and free yourself to make someone else’s burdens a little lighter. Please take the Praying with Lisa button at the left to show you are praying.

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. 1 Peter 5:7 Amp

at the end of my mama

2011-04-12T22:42:00.003-05:00

Does God really know what He’s doing? It’s a question this mama asks almost daily as she raises four, strong personalitied, energetic, kinesthetic learning, loud, little people. There are also others on her list of questions. Should she be doing something more and why does it always have to be so hard are near the top.

This stage of motherhood leaves her baffled, tired, maxed and frustrated most days. Her children are eager to try out their independence. But they all still need her. Lots.

She constantly wonders should she do more. More love or more discipline. More schedule or more spontaneity. More activities or more down time. More boundaries or more freedom. More chores or more play time. More exercise, more veggies, more vitamins, more sleep.

It's hard. They get up early. They stay up late and They work hard. They play hard and they love each other. They have fun together. They do life together. And life is hard.

In all mher uncertainty and exhaustion she tumbles over her endless questions and it’s in her fallen down state that she begins to see truth.

When she is weak He is strong. (2 Corinthians 12:10) When she's at the end of her mama, her Father begins to operate in her motherhood.

He gently leads those that have young. (Isaiah 40:11) She doesn't have to work so hard to sense His leading. He is there. He promises to never leave. His leading is so gentle she doesn't always feel it.

In this life there will be trouble. (John 16:33) But it doesn’t always have to be so hard. One day He will wipe every tear from her eyes. Until that day this mama will cling to her Savior praying His grace oozes all over the littles she loves each day.

Where is your weak meeting His strong today?

Linking up with Jen today.

This Day, This Week

2011-04-11T11:12:00.000-05:00

That old, familiar rhythm beats in my chest this morning—the one that’s a fast-paced rendition of You might as well quit because you’ll never get it all done.

How I long for it to be the snappy beat of Styx I’ve got too much **clap clap** time on my hands.

Seems like the last time I felt that way, I was in my first semester of college and my roommate was out of town for the weekend.

Instead of filling the white space here with sighs or moans, this morning I want Jesus to bring peace and direction. Even as I my sweet Palmer drags his stool from pantry to counter and then ventures into the garage digging in the toolbox to fix his bike, I open God’s Word.

Join me this Manic Monday

(Thanks Bangles!) in replacing the frantic and frazzled with some high class, de-stressing, be-bopping as you get 'er done 80's music!!

And here's a prayer for peace and purpose which will work even better than 80's music. I promise!

May God, who puts all things together,

makes all things whole…

Now put you together, provide you

with everything you need to please him,

Make us into what gives him most pleasure,

by means of the sacrifice of Jesus, the Messiah.

Hebrews 18:20a-21 The Message

Pray it Forward Fridays

2011-04-08T09:18:00.002-05:00

Some living-beyond-cancer weeks are just hard. This week has been one of them. I've been corresponding with my new friend Carrie who is an artist in her 20's unable to paint because sarcoma has settled in her shoulder. Carrie is a fighter, determined to beat it, but still. My heart hurts.

I've also been corresponding with Brooke, a 17-year-old senior athlete recently diagnosed with breast sarcoma. Brooke is a brave young lady who is mature enough to notice something wrong with her girls and courageous enough to tell her mom she needs to see a doctor. Brooke is shuffling chemo and radiation appointments and anxiously awaiting surgery in between pedicures and shopping for prom. My heart hurts.

Sarcoma stole three young girls' mother, a beautiful wife and personal hero this week when my friend Jenny went to heaven. My heart hurts.

One of my besties, Kathryn learned she has cancer yesterday. A single mom with two precious boys. I want to drive straight to College Station and hold her. I will very soon. All she wants is prayer. The kind of prayer I know. The 24/7 mountain-moving-life-giving-miracle-producing prayer. My heart hurts.

For a year I have wondered how to give it back. How to pay forward all that was given to me. I've had some ideas:

1. Raise a billion dollars for cancer research and helping ease cancer patient's burdens and start my very own 501(c)3 non-profit organization that puts on phenomenal fundraising charity event regularly.
2. Go get my doctorate in microbiology and find a cure for cancer.
3. Get a j-o-b at MD Anderson since it is such a place of hope for those touched by cancer.
4. Volunteer my time to help people doing all of the above.
5. Write a book and share my story to offer hope to others touched by cancer.
6. Pray as many prayers as were prayed for me in 2010.

While I can make strides toward certain of the above scenarios, I can make praying a reality. If I start now. And pray like mad for the rest of my lifetime. Starting today. Even in my post-radiation-funk-induced state, I can pray.

And in relation to my post-radiation-funk-induced state, it is lifting! I woke up just a few weeks ago and my brain said to my body I feel like me! And I rejoiced. And I woke up a couple of weeks later in my post-radiation-funk-induced state once again and worried me wouldn't ever return. But thank God me is back. Taking it one day at a time. Even the hard days.

My desire is to pray it forward. All the healing. All the grace. All the love. All the provision.

Would you join me in lifting Carrie, Brooke and Kathryn as we Pray it Forward on Fridays? Link up with your own requests. If you have a prayer button you'd like to post under my "Request Prayer" tab, leave it in your post and I will pick it up as a reminder to pray. Please take my new button to identify our Praying it Forward group and also as a reminder of what God has done! To be a part of Praying it Forward everyday, visit my Prayer Wall and sign up for a 30-minute slot once a week.

"He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us." 2 Corinthians 1:4

And it just so happens today is World Cancer Day, so link up and pray it forward!

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The Really Long but Really Good Day.

2011-04-07T14:54:00.003-05:00

In the news...You all need to pop in tomorrow morning because I have a HUGE surprise!! Tomorrow I will also be hosting a link up here (if I can figure out Mr. Linky) and it's easy. Just think of someone who needs prayer and share their need. More info in the morning, folks...so exciting!!!

Visit Amber and friends for more Backpacking Through Joshua.

Today is a Joshua day and I am reposting a book review. If you haven't read this book, you should. If you are studying the book of Joshua and haven't read this, it's a must. Just in case, you missed it the first time:

The same week I began a Bible study called Backpacking Through Joshua, I started reading Steven Furtick’s book Sun Stand Still. I wanted to read the book when it was released months ago but God wanted me to pay attention to His message in Joshua so He preached it to me twice, once through Amber and once through Steven.

Furtick makes ‘audacious faith’, the ability to believe God for the impossible, totally contagious. He not only strives to make believers take hold of their faith, hold it up to the Light and inspect it, he propels his readers to activate it.

He spends a great deal of time in the book talking about a ‘Page 23’ vision or personal vision. I have a personal vision. I’ve been struggling with my personal vision for years. It seems so big; I have no idea where to start or what to do. For many years I wondered if it was really God’s idea at all or just my own imagination. So for a long time I did nothing. I even quit dreaming.

Furtick addresses this very thing in the book saying, “If the size of the vision for your life isn’t intimidating to you, chances are it’s insulting to God.” (Which, by the way, is my favorite quote this year.)

Furtick goes on to say we need God to make our visions a reality and there is an end to our faith—but not to God’s faithfulness. We can count on that. “God didn’t encourage Joshua according to Joshua’s faith. He encouraged Joshua according to his own faithfulness.” In other words, God gave you the vision and He will give you what you need to see it through in such a way that it will be all about Him.

I am also encouraged to jump into my personal vision with both feet because Furtick says, “The opposite of Page 23 vision is survival mode.” The frustration and depression that settle over me when life gets so hard and frenzied that I am barely surviving is a state I loathe. I have been timid to jump into my personal vision for fear of living an unbalanced life. In essence I have been causing what I have been trying to avoid. All because I’ve been fearful that adding the responsibilities that come with pursuing my own vision will be too much added to my already hectic lifestyle.

With colorful language, Furtick makes the reader really dig deep to find his own unique calling and uncover the ways God created him to specifically bring God fame. Furtick says this on how your own personal vision will come to life, “It will start with a seed of inspiration that takes root in your imagination. Over time, it will produce a harvest of obedience for the glory of God. And the whole process will take place deep in the soil of your faith. … Seizing his big purpose for your life … is about mining the depths of who you are in him. And out of that revelation, you will fulfill the purpose that he put you on the earth to fulfill.”

He inspires the reader to get to work cultivating the tiny seeds and glimmers of hope that God has buried deep within. He goes on to talk about praying ‘Sun Stand Still’ prayers—the prayers that supernaturally fuel our desires with the faith the march forward.

Experiencing miracles like the one Joshua experienced when the sun stood still, requires not only praying with what Furtick calls audacious faith, it also requires activating that faith by moving forward. When God calls Joshua to slaughter his enemies, he calls Joshua to march all night to start the battle. God promises him the victory and Joshua boldly asks for more time to complete it.

The day the sun stood still was birthed with the sunrise after marching all night. It was a long day that started long before the sun ever rose at all. God made sure everyone knew that it was His power at work that day. Because Joshua and his army had none left!

Furtick says hope is the desire to change the world for Jesus; faith is demonstrating it. He goes so far as to say, “If you are going to ask God to make the sun stand still, you better be prepared to march all night.”

Furtick not only lives his message and shares many everyday examples of audacious faith, he is bringing as many believers with him as possible. “There are concepts and contributions flowing inside you that need to be released for the world to hear. … Praying Sun Stand Still prayers … is about making your move, “ Furtick challenges. If you see God using you to change the world or even just a corner of it, this book will push you, encourage you and challenge you. If you desire to do something big for Christ, pick up this book.

World-changers, this book is for you!

***I received a free copy of this book from Waterbrook Multnomah in exchange for my honest review of it posted here.