Let’s be ‘purely’ gorgeous!

Hey girlfriends!

I am loving the sunsine here today!!!  I have a moment before my mom comes out of her FOURTH surgery in as many weeks.  She is my hero for all that she has been through these past couple of weeks.  My good report is that she is doing better and may be out of the hospital by the end of this week. 

 I love doing these posts because it gives me the opportunity to share what God is doing in my heart - to share the little thoughts and such that are running through my mind.:)  Last night we had an all church prayer meeting and as I sat there praying for all of you, I asked God what He would love to say to us as girls.  Here is what I believe was His reply.

 Girls - do everything in your power to be what He intended for us to be.  We as women are meant to be the most amazing influences in society.  We have a lot of power in our possession.  It is so vital that we walk in that power with a Godly humility!

If you are woman - you are beautiful!  That’s a fact.  That was God’s intention when he created you!  You may not believe it, but not believing doesn’t make it not true!  We are the crown of creation as Staci Eldgridge so eloquently puts it in her book ‘Captivating’.  If you are female, you have beauty on you.  It is your gifting and calling!   But in this truth we must be sure of a few things. First off, our beauty is meant to make God famous, not me!  It is not meant to be my identity or the source of my self-esteem   Girls, wear your beauty inside and out.  Love others with your beauty, make them feel special and important.  Grace another’s world with the gift of your smile and pure heart.  Use your beauty to draw those around you to their maker, God almighty.  When I am fulfilled in Christ, I can give of my self to others with out threat or concern for my own self.  I have plenty within to give away.  It’s at that point that my natural beauty truly becomes beautiful.  It is not concerned with my own need but what I can do to share Christ with others, to become self-less!!!  I am on this earth to make God famous, not to heap up accolades for myself!

Second, we need to see that our beauty is meant for influence, not manipulation.  I do what I can to be beautiful because people are drawn to what is pleasing.  When was the last time you saw a tour bus stop at the nearest dump site to take pictures and be inspired????  No, that is more often found up on Mt. Rainier where the beauty is unsurpassed!  It is so important to know that God gave you what you are and you are responsible to make it the best.  We also must be sure we are using our power of beauty in Godly influence and not selfish manipulation.  Our society has defined beauty with sexy.  There is only one man I want to be sexy to!  Anywhere else is a sin.  It must not even cross my mind!  My beauty is just that - beauty.  I use my outward appearance to draw people to Christ.  To show them that God is amazing!  That righteousness has amazing benefits and leads to a great life!  Some girls feel that the strength of their power is in their ability to turn heads sexually.  This is using God’s gift for manipulation.  Instead of leading the men in our world into places of temptation mentally and emotionally let’s inspire them to believe that there are amazing Godly women out there that they can believe for! 

Yep, we’re gorgeous alright, and we are Godly as well.  We make our God famous and inspire those around us that righteous women are the most powerful women on earth!  We can influence and love with great success!

Come on and join me!   Life’s better here!

 Luv you girls!

Joel

the priority of people

Hey girlfriends,

Praying all is well with you.  We have been busy getting ready for another year at school.  The kids are excited to start class (at least Jasmine is, the boys have not yet aquired the love for learning!)  but I am not ready to let summer go yet! 

This week I received a phone call that my mom had fallen.  When I answered the phone it was my sister-in-law.  She is not in the habit of calling so I knew right away something was wrong.  My mom had fallen in the parking garage of Evergreen hospital!  She was mortified that they had to call 911 to transport her around the corner to the Emergency Room!  She had broken her elbow.  It was a pretty bad break requiring surgery.  This whole situation triggered a lot of emotion.

My mom is very dear to me.  She lives 1 hour away and due to my hectic schedule, I do not get up to see her enough…. Enough.  What is enough?  Especially when it comes to people that are so dear to us?  I began to feel guilty for not going to see her more often, afraid that I was going to lose her.  The Lord then reminded me that He comes with conviction and not condemnation.   Conviction always provides a way to improve or the fix the situation.  Condemnation does just that, condems me to failure and guilt. 

One of the things that He convicted me about was to always keep people ahead of accomplishment.  I find in my world that I gain a lot of my self approval from accomplishment.  If I get a lot accomplished I am good, if I don’t get a lot accomplished I am not so good.  When I find myself in the not so good state, I become self absorbed.  I then find myself incapable of connecting to other people.  Time spent in this mode is not fun.  Seeing my mom laying in bed so weak and fragile, I began to realize that our time with our special people is not guarenteed.  It is a gift that may or may not be there tomorrow.  I never want to waste another moment in some mental place of thinking that leads me to self absorption.  Stinking thinking that is not even based on truth!   It steals very precious things from me!

Another thing that I was convicted of is that time spent ’stressed out’ also robs me of life-giving time with my special people.  To some people, being ’stressed out’ somehow makes us feel important or heroic.  Just to let you know,  being stressed out makes us neither important or heroic, instead we are grumpy and unloving.  I am determined to stay happy regardless of the pressure of the day.  Philipians 4 reminds us to think on everything good and lovely, good reports and righteousness at all times, not just when we are sipping a latte enjoying a friend but also when things are rough.  Doing this helps me to keep my happy even when things are crazy.  I then find myself capturing more time loving people.

The people that God has placed around us are there for our joy.  We are better people for having them close to us.  I am determined to never miss a moment of happy with any of them.  I do not want to waste time being self-abosorbed or stressed out so that I miss making a memory or making an impactful moment with them.

Take some time today to hug someone, or call them up, or just give them a smile.  Think those lovely Philipians 4 thoughts even when life ain’t so lovely.  You will be so blessed by the surprises of happy those wonderful people around you can supply!  Let’s live without regrets!  It is so worth it!

 Come on, Life is Better Here!

Luv,

Joel

The priority of contentment in the press

Hey girlfriend,

Loving those comments!  If you read this and have something to share please do!  I would love to hear from you!  Life has been good.  Lots to do and that feels good!  This morning I went out for my run at 6am.  Most days I jump up and get going without thinking too much about it….not this morning!  I had to MAKE myself go.  I had so many excuses to not go it was almost comical.  Ever had that happen to you?  I made myself obey and as a rounded the corner out of the neighborhood there was the most amazing sunrise right before me!  I started to laugh and thank God for his mercies that are truly new every morning.  There is always a joy that is set before you so that you can endure the cross.  The rest of the run was made so light by knowing that God is so good and faithful to me.  Keep fighting through and you will find that joy as well.

Contentment.  Wow, now there is a concept.  You may be one of those sweet laid back gals that loves life and whatever it has to offer.  I have known a few of you down through the years.  You were always my hero, so nice and happy all the time.  Well, I am not one of those kinds of girls.  I find myself constantly straining for the next thing, for the better thing, for that ‘next level’ and becoming very discontent with what I have and where I am.  I suppose that is what makes me that ‘visionary’ leader but it also makes me frustrated!  Many things in this life are not as I want them to be.  Many things need change and refinement.  What is worse, much of the needed change is out of my direct control.  I would fix everything if I could!  Unfortunately I am left to pester, poke and prod those that do have the power to change things.  Sometimes that would be my dear patient husband and family.  Sometimes it is those I work with.  I don’t know if you have found yourself in this position but it sure doesn’t make for great relationships!   

I find that most often the only person with the  real power to change things is God.  I have offered many times to be His personal assistant!  I could really help out, get things all lined out and under control real quick like.  Unfortunately, He has yet to take me up on my offer.  Instead, I find myself constantly redirecting my energy into faith and prayer - not such a bad thing huh?

God knew that His creation would feel this tension.  We live in a fallen state.  We yearn for perfection, for God’s goodness and yet we are constantly contending to lay hold of it.  The fight can wear us down and frustrate us.  The apostle Paul encourages us in Philipians 4:11 ‘…for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content. I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound…’  Contentment means to be thankful for what you do have.  Contentment always walks with peace and joy.  If you are missing peace and joy maybe try on contentment, you might be surprised with what follows. 

Contentment does not mean to stay where you are.  We find the same apostle a few verses earlier in Philipians 3:13 ‘…but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for th prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.’  So what am I to do?  Be content or press ahead, be laid back or reach forward?  God says both!  As with many things in the kingdom, we are called to walk in two opposing concepts.  If we only focus on reaching and pressing we lose our contentment, peace and joy.  If we focus on contentment we lose our forward momentum, becoming stagnant and moldy.  It’s gotta be both. 

Many times God is accused of contradicting himself.  Contentment in the midst of the press could be considered a contradiction.  I see it as a beautiful balance.  Both need to be at work in our lives to keep us healthy.  We must come to a contentment with what we have while at the same time reaching forward to those things which are ahead. 

Come on girls, lets be sure we have both operating in our lives!

Come on, Life is Better Here

Luv you much,

Joel

The priority of health and strength

Hey Girlfriends,

I wrote a great piece a few weeks ago on health and strength and I must have hit delete instead of save!  I told you I am new at this!  I am going to attempt to re-write it for you because I feel that it is so important to us as women, wives and mothers.

 I dont know about you but whenever I am feeling weak, out of shape or just not my best it messes with me. 

One way it messes with me is in my productivity.  I really dont get as much done and I am constantly wanting to nap or rest.  Rest and naps are great - they are part of being healthy and strong right?!  But for me, I believe that I sleep to live not live to sleep!  I always have more in the in-box of life than I have time in the day.  I want to accomplish as much as possible so that I can get to the good stuff!

That good stuff would be keeping up with the kids, which leads me to another way that the lack of health and strength messes with me.  I am determined to keep up with my kids.  I know that someday I will be sitting in my rocking chair observing their activities but not now!  I am determined to run, bike, hike and play with the best of them.  I want to be a part of their world.  I can’t do this when I am out of shape!

Another way it messes with me is in my mind.  I begin to dislike me!  There are so many arena’s that the enemy can come against us women.  Our worth is not on the outside.  I am not important because of my pant size.  I am priceless because of what is inside.  But, when I am not at my best I am vulnerable to low-self esteem, timidity and to shame.  I can’t afford these feelings.  They bleed over into everything!  My relationships are skewed, my boldness is stripped away and my fight in life turns against myself instead of the devil!

This can be such a huge arena in our lives.  It can sometimes feel overwhelming.  I overcome by making small changes.  There is a time for those total makeover type things but sometimes the little changes have the biggest impact over time. 

Here are some the little steps I have taken that give me great victory in health and strength:

1.  Eat healthy - OK girls the less refined the better. 

• Whole grain cold and hot cereal for breakfast.  Put some fruit on it and you are good to go.  No skipping breakfast either! 
• Salad with a meat for lunch.  Whole grain bread for fun
• Dinner is heavy on veggies and meat and light on the carb
• Whenever I go out I eat half of the portion! Take the rest home for tomorrow’s lunch.
• Order water to drink!  Saves $$$ and calories
• Starbucks is now green tea with honey.  A tall is only $1.49 and I feel sooooo much better

2.  Get moving!

• Don’t wait for that big gym membership, just get moving!
• Pace when you talk on the phone - I read somewhere that will burn significant calories! (I am convinced that is why Caleb and Dwain are so skinny!)
• Stretch every am (I don’t mean that stretch that is accompanied with a yawn!).  When was the last time you touched your toes?  Just bend over and hold it for 10 seconds a couple of times a day
• Sweat.  People who sweat have a lower rate of cancer!  Go for a walk everyday!  Do a push up!  I used to only be able to do about 5 before I would die.  Now I can do well over 50!  How about a sit-up?!  No, getting up in the am and laying down and night does not count as one!  Just do one!  That wouldn’t take too much time or cause too much pain.  Then tomorrow do two!  See where you might end up.  I think you just might like it!

3.  Pray and read the word

• I gain such peace and centeredness when I am tight with God.  Inner strength is so vital to our ability to do things.

Come on girls, lets do this thing!  I love God and His house.  Including the one He gave to me personally.  I would not allow the house of God to fall into disrepair and in the same way, I will not allow my body to fall apart!

Come join me, Life is better here!

Luv you sooooo much!
Joel

The priority of that growth curve!

Hey girlfriend,

I know it has been a bit since I last wrote.  We went on our family vacation into Idaho and Montana.  We had a great time but I tell you, that re-entry into life can sometimes be crazy!  We love it though.  Great times were had by all! 

Hope your summer has been going well, I love this time of year.  There is such a feel of growth and vibrancy, everything is so alive.  It makes me want to get up and live!  It just makes sense that my next life priority that I would love to share with you is how important it is to keep that growth curve going.  Let me clarify, I dont mean a physical growth curve - I am trying to keep that to a minimum!  I mean that emotional and spiritual growth curve.   We need that season of growth and vibrancy to be constantly cultivated.  Here are a few ways that I do that.

First of all be sure that you are having your daily quiet time with God.  This is so foundational to your life!  There is no way my plants can flower if they are not connected to the vine and root system!  Keep a journal for your Bible reading.  I love to just jot down even one sentance about what each chapter has said to me.  I also take time to write a bit about where I am at.  What God is working into me.  It is such a great way to capture God inspired thoughts that are meant to move me to something new.  Prayer is also so important.  I love to give God my burdens and war against the enemy for His Kingdom.  It keeps me in the right place and plugged in.

Reading great books keeps my growth curve alive.  If you are not a reader then become one!  You are cheating yourself out of amazing stuff!  Maybe you are just not desciplined to sit down and read.  Well, time to change that!!!  My latest great book is ‘The Best Question Ever’ by Andy Stanley.  Great stuff for decision making and life guidelines!  I recommend it for every Christian but especially for those that are facing life decisions.  Another great book for women is ‘Fight like a Girl’ by Lisa Bevere.  How about ‘Creating an Intimate Marraige ‘ by Jim Burns?  Or are you in the middle of raiseing teens?  Then read ‘Adolescence isn’t Terminal’ by Kevin Leman.  Magazines are another great way to keep great stuff going in.  Beautiful One Magazine is a great new magazine for women.  It is packed with quick reads that will inspire you!

Finally, be sure that you are hooked up with girlfriends that are going to challenge you to grow.  Get involved in your church women’s groups.  Find friends that are going to give you Word answers, that are going to challenge you in your walk and not allow you to whine!  Don’t wait for them to come to you.  You schedule the coffee’s and you make the phone calls.  Don’t be worrying about being rejected.  Get out there and cultivate relationships.  I know it takes time and we are all very busy but a little effort will bring great rewards!

God is good and this life is a journey.  Don’t find yourself at the same rest area a year later!  Lets keep going and see how far God will take us!

Here was God’s word for me today:

Psalms 121

I lift up my eyes to the hills - where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.

He will not let your foot slip - he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.

The Lord watches over you - the Lord is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night.

The Lord will keep you from all harm - he will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.

Come on and join me - It’s better here!

Luv ya,

Joel

The priority of that wife-thing!

Hello all,

I have had a very prosperous week, I pray you have also. This tends to be such a busy time of year with kids getting out of school and schedules changing. I love it!!! Some moms dread summer and their loss of ‘freedom’. I look forward to the opportunity to have more influence and time spent with my kids!!!

This leads me right into my next life priority that I would love to share with you. My entry last week talked about how vital righteousness and truth are to me. Once again, I encouraged each of you to be an advocate for Truth everywhere you find yourself and to not minimize your influence in your world. You are soooooo important!

This week I want to share with you the importance of my marriage. If you are around me for any amount of time, you know how important my husband and children are to me. I am so blessed to have all my favorite people live with me!!!

Dwain and I have been married for almost 24 years. We have weathered a lot of challenges and difficult times. I am very glad to say that through it all we are still in love. Yes, it is possible to love an imperfect person. Thank goodness or Dwain would have had to leave me a long time ago!!

We have come to that coveted place of contentment with each other. Girls, no man is perfect. No man can meet all your needs. No man is Hollywood. It’s time we stop looking for what will never be and start to tend your own garden. Our marriage is the result of everything that we have invested for the past 24 years. We do not have anything good that wasn’t done ‘on purpose’. I refuse to spend anymore time ‘tearing down my house with my own hands.’ as the Proverbs puts it. Instead I build. I build my man’s confidence so that he can go out there and do better instead of criticizing his weaknesses. I build his courage so that he can face the giants instead of reminding him of all the possible risks. I build his self-esteem so that he can attack life instead of shrink from it. Our men need our respect and honor at home so that they can KNOW that they can win. Just a little secret - when he wins, I win! In loving him, I am doing myself a very big favor!!!!

Girls, you are so important to your man’s success. Give him a fine reputation to live up to! I am constantly telling Dwain what an awesome father he is, what a sensitive husband he is and what a hard worker he is. After all these years he believes it and acts accordingly! I challenge you to speak into your husband those things that are not, as though they are!!! Be a faith filled woman that inspires him!

Finally, give the gift of you to your husband. In reading the book ‘For Women Only’ by Shaunti Feldham, she says in there that men are visually stimulated. I don’t think that was news to any of us! What was interesting, was that maybe we aren’t as young and skinny as we once were but if we were working on ourselves then our men didn’t mind our imperfections. Your body and your looks are very important. Don’t worry about perfection, just take care of yourself and keep trying. Do your best with what you have. Realize the power you have in helping your husband be a man of great character. I want my husband to want to come home, not have to come home!

Girls, lets do this wife thing and lets do it well. Jump in and learn and grow, becoming all that we should be!!!! Life is better here, come join me!!!

Luv you bunches

Joel

Hello blogging world!

Wow, this is my first time to ever do this. To tell you the truth I am quite proud of myself! As our new administrative assistant, Sandra Bianco was trying to sell me on this whole concept, I was becoming more and more excited about the possibilities here!

I love to connect with others and this seems to be a new and amazing way to do it!!! My goal is to share my heart on whatever subject is big in my life at the time. God is so good to me and such a welcome part of my heart. He is always bringing me to some kind of understanding. I relish the idea of being able to share them with anyone who wants to read!!! My hope is that any insight or victory over personal struggles will be able to help you as well.

Connection is so important. I tell all my Girlfriends at church that if any of us at any time allow ourselves to become isolated and disconnected then the Enemy of our Souls has incredible opportunity to devour us! We have to stay close. Close to one another, close to the Lord and close to the Body of Christ.

I greatly encourage comments back to me, that way we can do just that - stay close!!!! OK, so…..Here we go!!!!

Life for me is very full. I love it!!! A few things for you to help you understand me would be my priorities. I would love to share my heart on my top priority. Girls, my first priority is to live life big for God.

I LOVE righteousness and truth. I know that I was made for a purpose and placed in history for such a time as this. I may not be known much outside of Puyallup and Fife, Washington, but let me tell you, I am going to do everything I can to make God famous within my reach!!! Girl, I need you to join me in this! Don’t get to thinking you aren’t much! You are! Your voice and your influence is amazing. Even if you just touch your own family today then do it with history in mind! Love them like you may not see them again. Lift them up and give them a shove over to the ‘can do’ side of life. Be an advocate for truth wherever you go. I sometimes get discouraged and overwhelmed with the evil of the day. I find myself whining, “God, why don’t you just come down and zap all of us into righteousness! I can’t fix all this myself!!” God reminds me daily that I am to be His advocate for truth, He is charge of the rest. His heart yearns for righteousness more than mine! If I don’t speak for Him, His voice will be silent. If you allow your voice to sink into despair then His voice of life and change will be silenced! If you choose to be silent in a situation then the atmosphere of that moment will be charged with negativity and mistruth.

The word moment means momentum. Momentum produces change but not usually right away. It presses into the future and has it’s greatest effect at that point. War’s are won and lost over pivotal points where momentum shifts. You have the power to shift momentum in peoples lives toward Christ….LETS DO IT!!!!

I will share more of my life priorities as we go. Just know one thing - I love you and believe in you!!!

Luv,

Joel