Saturday, June 27, 2009
Thursday, May 21, 2009
*sigh*
Life's been pretty crazy lately. Okay, life's been REALLY crazy lately! This year we decided to sign up both boys for Little League. They had played Parks & Rec for a few years, but we were wanting a program with a bit more discipline and training that still focused on fun.... We had heard from others who had done it previously that it was a lot more time consuming and intense, and we believed them, but I don't think we fully understood the impact of having four practices and two games a week would have on our family. (That's two practices and a game for each son.) They're far enough apart in age to be in two separate divisions, thus two separate teams...thus lots more time involved. HOWEVER....I LOVE, LOVE, LOOOOOOOOOOOVVVVVVVEEEEEEE Little League!!! I love that the more we get to know the other families the more fun it becomes. I love that I personally am learning more about baseball (Scott dropped his jaw one Saturday morning when he came downstairs to me watching "Quick Pitch" on the MLB network! :) Just me. The boys were there, but I had the remote and had chosen it. I enjoy watching the great and amazing fielding plays and such.) , and I love that we are a Baseball family. Both boys enjoy their teams (Micah's team is a great faith-builder. I find myself praying A LOT for patience and grace to handle 5 and 6 year olds who don't think they have to pay attention to a game or listen to an adult while in the dugout. :) ), and both teams have coaches who really care.
I'm finding it's not as common these days to find parents who are willing to be involved not for their own children, but for the common good of a team as a whole. I understand wanting to invest in our kid's lives ~ I *SO* understand that and whole-heartedly agree. However, when the good of a team requires your child to not do something they really think they should be able to do (whether it's wanting to play a certain position or needing to stop pouting when they don't perform as well as they think they could), isn't it our responsibility to remind them and help them see the need to think of the team? For instance, last Saturday we had a game for each boy. CJ's team is a Double A team (it starts out with T-ball, then Single A ~ which is Micah's division, Double A, Triple A, Minor League, and Majors). They're still a truly developmental division. It started out machine pitch, then went to kid-pitch a couple weeks ago. Anyway, one of the big things I love about this team is that they're just a bunch of great kids. They all have great personalities and really enjoy being there. There are also some really good players on the team. CJ happens to be one of them. He's got good form at bat and has had quite a few really great hits, including an "in-the-park" grand slam a couple of weeks ago. (I'll tell you about that later...) I see in him, though, a tendency to get a bit overly-confident out there after he's had a few good plays.
Last week he was covering 3rd base. The opposing team's batter stepped up and cracked a line drive down the third baseline. CJ popped up, grabbed the ball out of the air sending the batter back to the dugout, and then proceeded to continue the play to 2nd base to get the 1st base runner out. It would have been a tremendous play if he had grabbed the ball, popped it to the 2nd baseman and let him tag him out. CJ, however, decided to run the ball HIMSELF to 2nd base!!! I'm usually in the dugout helping with the lineup and keeping the guys in line when they're batting, and that day was no exception. Standing at the fence I, along with the rest of our team's crowd, was going crazy with the excitement of the play...until I saw that CJ wasn't throwing the stinkin' ball! Then I, along with others, yelled at the top of my lungs, "THROW THE BALL!! COME ON!!" (I, um, well, I have a big mouth and very loud voice. It comes in handy when singing opera on a stage with no mic, but it tends to get me in trouble other times.)
CJ ran it in, and he's fast so he was gettin' there, but when you don't play as a team you're not fast enough. Because he decided to pull the glory on himself and make a double play all alone the 1st base runner made it to 2nd within 1/2 a second of CJ getting there. We were all excited about the play, and other parents were yelling, too, when we saw how close the play ended up being. Thankfully they know he's really a good player...and that I would not tolerate that kind of playing...which became very obvious when I yelled, "Come on, CJ! You're a TEAM out there!! Throw that ball to your teammate and play together!" After that the Double A Mariners played a really good game. They are learning the need to play WITH each other...not just on the same team.
INteresting side-note regarding that game. We were playing the Double A Red Sox. After CJ had that play that got us all riled up I noticed that the Red Sox team players started doing the same thing ~ they started wanting to show how capable THEY were individually of playing well. Every time they ran the ball to base instead of throwing it to the player covering it the play failed and the opposing player was safe. It's a huge lesson to be learned in Little League that will serve them well for life. THankfully, most of the parents on that team understand that, too, and are willing to back up the coach when he gets after the kids for not playing as a team. There are a few, though, who think their kid deserves the glory and doesn't have to sacrifice anything of themselves for the team. They'll sacrifice skin to make a play, but not their glory for anyone else. I truly feel sorry for those kids whose parents are teaching them that because they're the ones who, when they're in the dugout, would really like to just be friends with the other guys and play a great game of ball together. Instead, their attitude and fear of letting Dad down pushes people away.
I see that in a lot of places. That intense focus on getting only what we want without any concern (or putting on a face of concern that goes about a centimeter deep) with how the choices we make affect those around us. It breaks my heart to see friends walking away from marriages because it got hard and they started believing the lies of the enemy that they must have NEVER loved their spouse. (I know those lies. I heard them all the time in my own head for quite a few years. I know a lot more about the hard road in marriage than anyone reading this really needs to know here ~ if you want to know more I suppose you could ask me personally, but be prepared to hear the truth. I don't sugar coat problems. It's not worth it, and it only gives the enemy a foothold when we keep some of it in the dark and only bring to the light what we're okay with people hearing. God is the light...all of it comes into the light when I share with people. So please ask if you want, but don't say I didn't warn you. *grin*)
I sit in my chair and cry as I type journal entries about the pain of friends who have walked away from God and have no idea that they have. I read from God's love letter (the Bible) and I see on every page how incredible it is to be able to serve others so that maybe they would see Him in me, or so a conversation or a question could come into our time together and they would hear how much He loves them and how tremendously He sacrificed for them...and for me.
Because of this, lately I am burdened with a need to step out into roles I never thought I would fill for the sole purpose of being obedient to God and showing others His love ~ no matter where they stand in life's journey. I get angry with people who call themselves Christians and refuse to surrender their desires for His no matter how much they think they have to give up to do so. This morning I was feeling guilty about being so angry with a particular situation because I have sensed a lack of zeal and passion where there should be so much more. I picked up my copy of "The Tender Words of God" by Ann Spangler and read the section on Jesus. What an amazing God we serve who knows exactly where we're at and meets us with the right provision to keep us strong and focused on the truth of His Word. When I feel guilty about speaking truth or pointing out sin I am thankful that in that guilt God reminds me it's a good thing because it tells me I haven't lost my heart for others. There have been times when I have pointed out sin/lies and gotten awfully pious about it. I'm not there anymore. I see people walking all around me and they're all searching for the same thing ~ a place where they know without a shadow of a doubt that they are loved, cared for, and accepted...a place where they are well aware of the boundaries, and know that even when they step outside the bounds it doesn't mean they can't come back in. I live every day in the knowledge that I am in that place. I know Who loves me, cares for me, accepts me...and simply stands with arms open wide when I come running back after being so foolish. Why wouldn't I sacrifice my dreams and my desires for HIS dreams and HIS desires for me? People need Him... I want to show them that in Him they truly belong.
If anyone reading this feels that same way, I'd appreciate you letting me know. We need to be praying for each other, encouraging each other, and keeping each other focused on Who we're going to answer to in the long run. I'd appreciate your prayers for me, too. Please. Pray that I would live in confidence knowing that where God is evil can't stay...pray that I would daily surrender my will for His and fill the roles He has called me to with diligence and grace. Thanks!
PS: in regards to CJ's grand slam I wrote about above...that was an amazing night! We'd been dealing with some pretty major attitude issues with him, and on the way to the game that night we were chatting about where our talents really come from (God), and how we are to work hard at developing those talents and skills, but that God is the One who is in charge of any successes or wins we have. Therefore, when we live our lives as the people He has made us to be, we are to do all things for HIS glory and not our own. Fast forward to about the 3rd or 4th inning of this game. CJ comes up behind me in the dugout, wraps his arms around me and says, "All of it for the glory of God, Mom, right?" I smiled and said, "Every bit of it...no matter what. You go out and do your very best, and let Him take care of the rest." The next inning he was up to bat and the bases were loaded. The way Double A pitching works is that it is either kid or machine pitch for 5 pitches, and then the coach comes out and pitches the next three. CJ swung at the first pitch...miss. He swung at the second pitch...miss. The third and fourth were the same, and we're all seeing that he's got a great swing going, but he's just not connecting with that ball. The last pitch before the coach comes out and it's coming across the plate...he swings...CRACK! A perfect connection with a sweet sail down the third baseline and well past all the players in the outfield. The Mariners start running and the 3rd base coach just stands there windmilling 'em in. They're all grinning from ear to ear and the dugout and stands are going crazy. CJ runs past the 3rd base coach as if he had wings on his feet with the biggest grin on his face you've ever seen. He crosses home plate and comes running to the dugout where the other three players are standing and they jump on him and slap him on the back and everyone's cheering and parents are standing at the fence cheering for him...and he goes busting through the crowd, runs up to me, throws his arms around my waist, buries his face in my chest and bursts into tears. He's hugging me so hard, and his body's just shuddering with the sobs of joy coming out of him and he looks at me and says, "God's pretty amazing, Mom. All for His glory. Wow."
It is my continual prayer that that lesson sticks. The understanding that when you give up yourself God comes in and does things through you you never thought possible. I'm proud of CJ...and I could fill this page with stories of Micah doing the same kind of plays and such so please don't think I'm playing favorites....but I am a realist Mom and I know there will be many more opportunities to remind him and help him see the lesson of sacrifice again and again. But that day? I was praising and praying like crazy!!!
PPS: Micah has a tendency to think of others and serve others and do for others naturally...it's a beautiful thing in him, and I'm a student of his, really, where that's concerned. However, just as each of us are different, I see in CJ a natural tendency toward the discernment of God, and in Micah a natural tendency toward the service of God (kind of my own Mary and Martha in boy form). I hope no one thinks that by sharing a story of one child without sharing a story about the other that somehow I'm not being fair or playing favorites. There is nothing farther from the truth where my boys are concerned! They both constantly and beautifully teach me, challenge me and bless me.
Thanks for reading...sorry it's a lot longer than I had originally intended! Have a great Memorial Day weekend!!
I'm finding it's not as common these days to find parents who are willing to be involved not for their own children, but for the common good of a team as a whole. I understand wanting to invest in our kid's lives ~ I *SO* understand that and whole-heartedly agree. However, when the good of a team requires your child to not do something they really think they should be able to do (whether it's wanting to play a certain position or needing to stop pouting when they don't perform as well as they think they could), isn't it our responsibility to remind them and help them see the need to think of the team? For instance, last Saturday we had a game for each boy. CJ's team is a Double A team (it starts out with T-ball, then Single A ~ which is Micah's division, Double A, Triple A, Minor League, and Majors). They're still a truly developmental division. It started out machine pitch, then went to kid-pitch a couple weeks ago. Anyway, one of the big things I love about this team is that they're just a bunch of great kids. They all have great personalities and really enjoy being there. There are also some really good players on the team. CJ happens to be one of them. He's got good form at bat and has had quite a few really great hits, including an "in-the-park" grand slam a couple of weeks ago. (I'll tell you about that later...) I see in him, though, a tendency to get a bit overly-confident out there after he's had a few good plays.
Last week he was covering 3rd base. The opposing team's batter stepped up and cracked a line drive down the third baseline. CJ popped up, grabbed the ball out of the air sending the batter back to the dugout, and then proceeded to continue the play to 2nd base to get the 1st base runner out. It would have been a tremendous play if he had grabbed the ball, popped it to the 2nd baseman and let him tag him out. CJ, however, decided to run the ball HIMSELF to 2nd base!!! I'm usually in the dugout helping with the lineup and keeping the guys in line when they're batting, and that day was no exception. Standing at the fence I, along with the rest of our team's crowd, was going crazy with the excitement of the play...until I saw that CJ wasn't throwing the stinkin' ball! Then I, along with others, yelled at the top of my lungs, "THROW THE BALL!! COME ON!!" (I, um, well, I have a big mouth and very loud voice. It comes in handy when singing opera on a stage with no mic, but it tends to get me in trouble other times.)
CJ ran it in, and he's fast so he was gettin' there, but when you don't play as a team you're not fast enough. Because he decided to pull the glory on himself and make a double play all alone the 1st base runner made it to 2nd within 1/2 a second of CJ getting there. We were all excited about the play, and other parents were yelling, too, when we saw how close the play ended up being. Thankfully they know he's really a good player...and that I would not tolerate that kind of playing...which became very obvious when I yelled, "Come on, CJ! You're a TEAM out there!! Throw that ball to your teammate and play together!" After that the Double A Mariners played a really good game. They are learning the need to play WITH each other...not just on the same team.
INteresting side-note regarding that game. We were playing the Double A Red Sox. After CJ had that play that got us all riled up I noticed that the Red Sox team players started doing the same thing ~ they started wanting to show how capable THEY were individually of playing well. Every time they ran the ball to base instead of throwing it to the player covering it the play failed and the opposing player was safe. It's a huge lesson to be learned in Little League that will serve them well for life. THankfully, most of the parents on that team understand that, too, and are willing to back up the coach when he gets after the kids for not playing as a team. There are a few, though, who think their kid deserves the glory and doesn't have to sacrifice anything of themselves for the team. They'll sacrifice skin to make a play, but not their glory for anyone else. I truly feel sorry for those kids whose parents are teaching them that because they're the ones who, when they're in the dugout, would really like to just be friends with the other guys and play a great game of ball together. Instead, their attitude and fear of letting Dad down pushes people away.
I see that in a lot of places. That intense focus on getting only what we want without any concern (or putting on a face of concern that goes about a centimeter deep) with how the choices we make affect those around us. It breaks my heart to see friends walking away from marriages because it got hard and they started believing the lies of the enemy that they must have NEVER loved their spouse. (I know those lies. I heard them all the time in my own head for quite a few years. I know a lot more about the hard road in marriage than anyone reading this really needs to know here ~ if you want to know more I suppose you could ask me personally, but be prepared to hear the truth. I don't sugar coat problems. It's not worth it, and it only gives the enemy a foothold when we keep some of it in the dark and only bring to the light what we're okay with people hearing. God is the light...all of it comes into the light when I share with people. So please ask if you want, but don't say I didn't warn you. *grin*)
I sit in my chair and cry as I type journal entries about the pain of friends who have walked away from God and have no idea that they have. I read from God's love letter (the Bible) and I see on every page how incredible it is to be able to serve others so that maybe they would see Him in me, or so a conversation or a question could come into our time together and they would hear how much He loves them and how tremendously He sacrificed for them...and for me.
Because of this, lately I am burdened with a need to step out into roles I never thought I would fill for the sole purpose of being obedient to God and showing others His love ~ no matter where they stand in life's journey. I get angry with people who call themselves Christians and refuse to surrender their desires for His no matter how much they think they have to give up to do so. This morning I was feeling guilty about being so angry with a particular situation because I have sensed a lack of zeal and passion where there should be so much more. I picked up my copy of "The Tender Words of God" by Ann Spangler and read the section on Jesus. What an amazing God we serve who knows exactly where we're at and meets us with the right provision to keep us strong and focused on the truth of His Word. When I feel guilty about speaking truth or pointing out sin I am thankful that in that guilt God reminds me it's a good thing because it tells me I haven't lost my heart for others. There have been times when I have pointed out sin/lies and gotten awfully pious about it. I'm not there anymore. I see people walking all around me and they're all searching for the same thing ~ a place where they know without a shadow of a doubt that they are loved, cared for, and accepted...a place where they are well aware of the boundaries, and know that even when they step outside the bounds it doesn't mean they can't come back in. I live every day in the knowledge that I am in that place. I know Who loves me, cares for me, accepts me...and simply stands with arms open wide when I come running back after being so foolish. Why wouldn't I sacrifice my dreams and my desires for HIS dreams and HIS desires for me? People need Him... I want to show them that in Him they truly belong.
If anyone reading this feels that same way, I'd appreciate you letting me know. We need to be praying for each other, encouraging each other, and keeping each other focused on Who we're going to answer to in the long run. I'd appreciate your prayers for me, too. Please. Pray that I would live in confidence knowing that where God is evil can't stay...pray that I would daily surrender my will for His and fill the roles He has called me to with diligence and grace. Thanks!
PS: in regards to CJ's grand slam I wrote about above...that was an amazing night! We'd been dealing with some pretty major attitude issues with him, and on the way to the game that night we were chatting about where our talents really come from (God), and how we are to work hard at developing those talents and skills, but that God is the One who is in charge of any successes or wins we have. Therefore, when we live our lives as the people He has made us to be, we are to do all things for HIS glory and not our own. Fast forward to about the 3rd or 4th inning of this game. CJ comes up behind me in the dugout, wraps his arms around me and says, "All of it for the glory of God, Mom, right?" I smiled and said, "Every bit of it...no matter what. You go out and do your very best, and let Him take care of the rest." The next inning he was up to bat and the bases were loaded. The way Double A pitching works is that it is either kid or machine pitch for 5 pitches, and then the coach comes out and pitches the next three. CJ swung at the first pitch...miss. He swung at the second pitch...miss. The third and fourth were the same, and we're all seeing that he's got a great swing going, but he's just not connecting with that ball. The last pitch before the coach comes out and it's coming across the plate...he swings...CRACK! A perfect connection with a sweet sail down the third baseline and well past all the players in the outfield. The Mariners start running and the 3rd base coach just stands there windmilling 'em in. They're all grinning from ear to ear and the dugout and stands are going crazy. CJ runs past the 3rd base coach as if he had wings on his feet with the biggest grin on his face you've ever seen. He crosses home plate and comes running to the dugout where the other three players are standing and they jump on him and slap him on the back and everyone's cheering and parents are standing at the fence cheering for him...and he goes busting through the crowd, runs up to me, throws his arms around my waist, buries his face in my chest and bursts into tears. He's hugging me so hard, and his body's just shuddering with the sobs of joy coming out of him and he looks at me and says, "God's pretty amazing, Mom. All for His glory. Wow."
It is my continual prayer that that lesson sticks. The understanding that when you give up yourself God comes in and does things through you you never thought possible. I'm proud of CJ...and I could fill this page with stories of Micah doing the same kind of plays and such so please don't think I'm playing favorites....but I am a realist Mom and I know there will be many more opportunities to remind him and help him see the lesson of sacrifice again and again. But that day? I was praising and praying like crazy!!!
PPS: Micah has a tendency to think of others and serve others and do for others naturally...it's a beautiful thing in him, and I'm a student of his, really, where that's concerned. However, just as each of us are different, I see in CJ a natural tendency toward the discernment of God, and in Micah a natural tendency toward the service of God (kind of my own Mary and Martha in boy form). I hope no one thinks that by sharing a story of one child without sharing a story about the other that somehow I'm not being fair or playing favorites. There is nothing farther from the truth where my boys are concerned! They both constantly and beautifully teach me, challenge me and bless me.
Thanks for reading...sorry it's a lot longer than I had originally intended! Have a great Memorial Day weekend!!
Friday, March 20, 2009
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Why I'm giving up Facebook for Lent
You read that right! I'm giving up everything about Facebook for Lent. Below is the note I posted on my account...I've separated it by ***'s so I can add stuff at the end and not confuse you. :)
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First, I realize many people may not even know what Lent is. Lent is the period of 40 days before Easter...it's significance is based in the Catholic or Lutheran (or the more traditional denominations of Christianity) and is expected to be practiced (giving up chocolate or something else is often what people say they're giving up) by anyone in those churches.
However, I grew up Lutheran and never fully grasped the immense impact a "lenten sacrifice" could really have on the life of someone. That is, until I was 26 and came to a place in my life where I had to either find the truth of the God I said I had committed my life to and let Him have all of me, or continue to wonder what the purpose of life really is. This, to me, was a no brainer...if I was only put on this earth to live, work, love and die and that's the end, then I realized that the only thing that mattered was what other people thought of me because if I wanted to live a good life then I needed as many people to like me so they would want me to be in their lives.
Wow...my entire worth caught up in the opinions of other people based not on who I really am, but on the filters they look at me and all the things I do (or don't do) that have been developed in their lives by the opinions of people who looked at them for not who they are, but for what they did or didn't do through the filters that have been developed in THEIR lives by the opinions of people....get the picture? Seriously? I'm going to live my life based on what the opinions of others say about me? People who have their own issues...with no standard for perfection even though we're all striving toward it?
I decided to figure out the truth of the God I called my Savior and see what I found. I discovered an amazing God who loves me no matter how messed up I am. Who doesn't put up with my foolish self ~ but Who doesn't deal with me as I deserve, but through mercy and grace and perfect love.
I could go on, but I need to get the boys to the dentist, and I want to be able to write this not in a hurry, but focused and honest. So...I'll not be back on Facebook unless it's to post the note I'll write offline as a completion to this one.
If I don't come back on, you can always check my family blog where I'll probably post this also... http://www.trayctalks.blogspot.com
If you've decided there is no God...or decided that maybe there is but He doesn't care about you...I hope you'll take this challenge from me........
Get a Bible. Before you start reading ask that God would help you see the truth. You don't have to believe...I believe and know that He knows your heart anyway, so pretending you do doesn't really fool Him. Say this, "So Trayc says you're real. I don't know if it's true, and I really don't believe it, but if you are help me understand this book and see the truth." That's all you really have to do...just be real.
I suggest reading Psalm 103 to see all He has done...then read the story of the life of Jesus in either Matthew, Mark, Luke or John. (the Bible's made up of many different books all in one book...Psalms is in the middle of the Bible, those other four are in the second part called the New Testament.)
I don't know if anyone will read this...all I know is that if I didn't ask you to do your own searching, your own asking and looking in the one place of absolute truth (the Bible... if you're not a believer in the authenticity of the Bible I suggest you podcast a talk from New Heights Church, Vancouver, WA given by one of our pastors a couple weeks ago about that very topic. ...you may be surprised!) then I will die with one major regret...that I knew where to find peace and I didn't share it because I was afraid of what people would think. That wouldn't be worth it to me...you matter too much for me to not share.
See you after Easter!
Trayc
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It doesn't really explain why I'm giving up Facebook, though, does it? That's what I get for trying to write a note with only a few minutes to complete it before I *have* to leave for an appointment! (ugh.) I kind of explained it in my status update where I wrote "Trayc is giving up Facebook for Lent. It's a huge sacrifice in my life, but a smidgen of the sacrifice given FOR my life. See you after Easter." That kind of explains it....right?
Well, if it just brings out more questions, then I'll expound.....
As I stated in the note, I grew up Lutheran. I was "baptized" (sprinkled) as an infant, and I was confirmed when I was in 9th grade. It was soon after confirmation that we changed churches and left Lutheranism. During my time as a Lutheran I grew to love the tradition and the liturgical church year, including Lent. I never did understand the purpose of it, though. That is, until I was teaching in Colorado at a Catholic Girls-school. It was while I was teaching there that our Campus Minister and very good friend, Lynnae, shared with the girls the importance of sacrifice during Lent. Since then I have looked at Lent differently ~ even though I'm no longer a member of a denomination that observes the practices of "giving up something" for Lent.
So the other day I was having my time with God and pondering the time of year...it was late at night because I had spent WAY too much time on Facebook perusing friends' pages and playing games. I love Facebook! Living very far away from many of my long-time friends and most of my family, as well as having moved a lot and having friends and students who are all around the country and world, it is the most wonderful thing to be able to keep up to date with what's going on in their lives on a somewhat daily basis...instead of just getting the highlights with a yearly letter or an every-couple-years catch-up session. I enjoy the quizzes and being able to get to know my friends and family members through silly little interviews and videos and postings on their walls. Facebook has helped me reconnect with friends who I haven't seen since High School or College...and relatives I get to see VERY rarely because of where life has taken us, but to whom I have so many wonderful memories with growing up. Yes, I definitely love Facebook!
It is for that very reason that I have decided to give it up for Lent. I realized that Lent is preparation of my spirit for the culminating event of the life of Jesus Christ, and it is through the immensity of His sacrifice that I can live my life in confidence and hope knowing He has saved me by being crucified, dying, and rising again. Studying the extremes of what He went through speaks volumes about Him:
*the lies and the manipulation of the system by people who felt threatened by Him so they alone could be more powerful and seen as wise and important
*the picture of One who loved so deeply, cared so freely, accepted and challenged all while not compromising on right and wrong, spoke hope, truth, peace and confidence to those who trusted in Him being whipped with multiple strands of leather interwoven with bone fragments designed to bring ultimate pain and rip flesh to shreds...
...all of it for the sake of saving any who would believe in Him and accept His sacrifice and live for eternity in a place with streets made of gold.
With a Savior who made THAT kind of sacrifice ~ giving up glory and the praise of Heaven to become human and live within limitations of that body ~ I can't help but want to know Him more...love Him more...give Him more. So what can I give Him for the next 40 days that would require much of me? As strange as it sounds...Facebook.
I've heard people say that Christians are people who simply need a crutch and can't live their lives on their own. I find this humorous and ignorant knowing the Christians I do. Business owners who are very successful and respected in their fields; men and women who did have extremely successful careers "by the world's standards" and gave them up for the opportunity to minister to others the truth of God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit; Intelligent people with multiple degrees and brains that constantly amaze and astound...to know the people I know and to understand why they believe what they believe puts that statement about needing a crutch to rest pretty deeply.
I've also heard people say that Christians are just judgmental and rigid in their moral standards and don't accept people who don't believe as they do. I am sad to admit that this is a true statement for some people who call themselves Christians...and I don't doubt that they really are...but I can't help but wonder as I see the changes in me as I get to know the TRUTH about WHO God is if they really understand and know HIM...or if they just think they can use Him to justify their hatred. That's not Christ...that's not the character of a person in love with someone who sat down with the dregs of society and reached out to those no one else would touch.
It's also not the character of Christ in someone who says they are Christians but condone and accept actions, activities and lifestyles that are in direct opposition to what is written in the Bible. Jesus loved all. He also loved all he came in contact with enough to expose what was wrong and what was missing in their lives as He pointed them to what would fulfill them. That has never changed. He continues to point out in me all that I need to work on...the things that keep me tangled in messes that destroy and hurt. But He does it so beautifully...so tenderly and lovingly...firmly, yes, but with persistence and patience that goes against what so many think.
Knowing Jesus Christ, the one and only Son of the One True God, and the other part of the Holy Trinity, the Holy Spirit, (If you don't understand let me explain...I'll never understand that either, but I know it to be true nonetheless) I can't stay in the place I am...comfortable and happy...while the church prepares for Easter. If He can make a sacrifice of giving His very life for me, surely I can give up something that tends to draw me as well. I'm not giving up my friends (although I wouldn't be surprised if I had fewer friends on my friends list when I come back after Easter), but I am giving up something I love for the sake of my One True Love.
And that's why I'm giving up Facebook for Lent.
As I finish this post up I want to lay the same challenge out to you that I wrote in my note on Facebook....
If you've decided there is no God...or decided that maybe there is but He doesn't care about you...I hope you'll take this challenge from me........
Get a Bible. Before you start reading ask that God would help you see the truth. You don't have to believe...I believe and know that He knows your heart anyway, so pretending you do doesn't really fool Him. Say this, "So Trayc says you're real. I don't know if it's true, and I really don't believe it, but if you are help me understand this book and see the truth." That's all you really have to do...just be real.
I suggest reading Psalm 103 to see all He has done...then read the story of the life of Jesus in either Matthew, Mark, Luke or John. (the Bible's made up of many different books all in one book...Psalms is in the middle of the Bible, those other four are in the second part called the New Testament.)
I don't know if anyone will read this...all I know is that if I didn't ask you to do your own searching, your own asking and looking in the one place of absolute truth (the Bible... if you're not a believer in the authenticity of the Bible I suggest you podcast a talk from New Heights Church, Vancouver, WA given by one of our pastors a couple weeks ago about that very topic. ...you may be surprised!) then I will die with one major regret...that I knew where to find peace and I didn't share it because I was afraid of what people would think. That wouldn't be worth it to me...you matter too much for me to not share.
If you're wanting reliable resources that have more information here are a few sites to check out:
"http://www.equip.org"
"http://www.insights.org"
"http://www.christianitytoday.com"
There are many good Christian leaders, but I honestly believe that simply opening the Bible and asking God to help you understand...getting to know ALL of Him (it's easy to take parts of a book and twist it to be something it's not within context)...is the best way to get to know God. It's pretty logical, really...do you think reading books about someone who lives with you gives you a more realistic view of that person than, say, reading something they themselves wrote? or sitting down with them and asking them to help you understand them? No? I didn't think so either...so if you want to know the truth of who God is, read what He wrote...the Bible. Don't take that as you can't read anything to help you understand... all I'm saying is don't rely solely on books written about the Bible instead of getting in to the Bible itself.
I hope you'll take the challenge...even if you are a Christian...get to know God better over the next few months by opening up your Bible and spending time with Him.
Here's to being more of who we were made to be......
********************************************************************
First, I realize many people may not even know what Lent is. Lent is the period of 40 days before Easter...it's significance is based in the Catholic or Lutheran (or the more traditional denominations of Christianity) and is expected to be practiced (giving up chocolate or something else is often what people say they're giving up) by anyone in those churches.
However, I grew up Lutheran and never fully grasped the immense impact a "lenten sacrifice" could really have on the life of someone. That is, until I was 26 and came to a place in my life where I had to either find the truth of the God I said I had committed my life to and let Him have all of me, or continue to wonder what the purpose of life really is. This, to me, was a no brainer...if I was only put on this earth to live, work, love and die and that's the end, then I realized that the only thing that mattered was what other people thought of me because if I wanted to live a good life then I needed as many people to like me so they would want me to be in their lives.
Wow...my entire worth caught up in the opinions of other people based not on who I really am, but on the filters they look at me and all the things I do (or don't do) that have been developed in their lives by the opinions of people who looked at them for not who they are, but for what they did or didn't do through the filters that have been developed in THEIR lives by the opinions of people....get the picture? Seriously? I'm going to live my life based on what the opinions of others say about me? People who have their own issues...with no standard for perfection even though we're all striving toward it?
I decided to figure out the truth of the God I called my Savior and see what I found. I discovered an amazing God who loves me no matter how messed up I am. Who doesn't put up with my foolish self ~ but Who doesn't deal with me as I deserve, but through mercy and grace and perfect love.
I could go on, but I need to get the boys to the dentist, and I want to be able to write this not in a hurry, but focused and honest. So...I'll not be back on Facebook unless it's to post the note I'll write offline as a completion to this one.
If I don't come back on, you can always check my family blog where I'll probably post this also... http://www.trayctalks.blogspot.com
If you've decided there is no God...or decided that maybe there is but He doesn't care about you...I hope you'll take this challenge from me........
Get a Bible. Before you start reading ask that God would help you see the truth. You don't have to believe...I believe and know that He knows your heart anyway, so pretending you do doesn't really fool Him. Say this, "So Trayc says you're real. I don't know if it's true, and I really don't believe it, but if you are help me understand this book and see the truth." That's all you really have to do...just be real.
I suggest reading Psalm 103 to see all He has done...then read the story of the life of Jesus in either Matthew, Mark, Luke or John. (the Bible's made up of many different books all in one book...Psalms is in the middle of the Bible, those other four are in the second part called the New Testament.)
I don't know if anyone will read this...all I know is that if I didn't ask you to do your own searching, your own asking and looking in the one place of absolute truth (the Bible... if you're not a believer in the authenticity of the Bible I suggest you podcast a talk from New Heights Church, Vancouver, WA given by one of our pastors a couple weeks ago about that very topic. ...you may be surprised!) then I will die with one major regret...that I knew where to find peace and I didn't share it because I was afraid of what people would think. That wouldn't be worth it to me...you matter too much for me to not share.
See you after Easter!
Trayc
*********************************************************************
It doesn't really explain why I'm giving up Facebook, though, does it? That's what I get for trying to write a note with only a few minutes to complete it before I *have* to leave for an appointment! (ugh.) I kind of explained it in my status update where I wrote "Trayc is giving up Facebook for Lent. It's a huge sacrifice in my life, but a smidgen of the sacrifice given FOR my life. See you after Easter." That kind of explains it....right?
Well, if it just brings out more questions, then I'll expound.....
As I stated in the note, I grew up Lutheran. I was "baptized" (sprinkled) as an infant, and I was confirmed when I was in 9th grade. It was soon after confirmation that we changed churches and left Lutheranism. During my time as a Lutheran I grew to love the tradition and the liturgical church year, including Lent. I never did understand the purpose of it, though. That is, until I was teaching in Colorado at a Catholic Girls-school. It was while I was teaching there that our Campus Minister and very good friend, Lynnae, shared with the girls the importance of sacrifice during Lent. Since then I have looked at Lent differently ~ even though I'm no longer a member of a denomination that observes the practices of "giving up something" for Lent.
So the other day I was having my time with God and pondering the time of year...it was late at night because I had spent WAY too much time on Facebook perusing friends' pages and playing games. I love Facebook! Living very far away from many of my long-time friends and most of my family, as well as having moved a lot and having friends and students who are all around the country and world, it is the most wonderful thing to be able to keep up to date with what's going on in their lives on a somewhat daily basis...instead of just getting the highlights with a yearly letter or an every-couple-years catch-up session. I enjoy the quizzes and being able to get to know my friends and family members through silly little interviews and videos and postings on their walls. Facebook has helped me reconnect with friends who I haven't seen since High School or College...and relatives I get to see VERY rarely because of where life has taken us, but to whom I have so many wonderful memories with growing up. Yes, I definitely love Facebook!
It is for that very reason that I have decided to give it up for Lent. I realized that Lent is preparation of my spirit for the culminating event of the life of Jesus Christ, and it is through the immensity of His sacrifice that I can live my life in confidence and hope knowing He has saved me by being crucified, dying, and rising again. Studying the extremes of what He went through speaks volumes about Him:
*the lies and the manipulation of the system by people who felt threatened by Him so they alone could be more powerful and seen as wise and important
*the picture of One who loved so deeply, cared so freely, accepted and challenged all while not compromising on right and wrong, spoke hope, truth, peace and confidence to those who trusted in Him being whipped with multiple strands of leather interwoven with bone fragments designed to bring ultimate pain and rip flesh to shreds...
...all of it for the sake of saving any who would believe in Him and accept His sacrifice and live for eternity in a place with streets made of gold.
With a Savior who made THAT kind of sacrifice ~ giving up glory and the praise of Heaven to become human and live within limitations of that body ~ I can't help but want to know Him more...love Him more...give Him more. So what can I give Him for the next 40 days that would require much of me? As strange as it sounds...Facebook.
I've heard people say that Christians are people who simply need a crutch and can't live their lives on their own. I find this humorous and ignorant knowing the Christians I do. Business owners who are very successful and respected in their fields; men and women who did have extremely successful careers "by the world's standards" and gave them up for the opportunity to minister to others the truth of God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit; Intelligent people with multiple degrees and brains that constantly amaze and astound...to know the people I know and to understand why they believe what they believe puts that statement about needing a crutch to rest pretty deeply.
I've also heard people say that Christians are just judgmental and rigid in their moral standards and don't accept people who don't believe as they do. I am sad to admit that this is a true statement for some people who call themselves Christians...and I don't doubt that they really are...but I can't help but wonder as I see the changes in me as I get to know the TRUTH about WHO God is if they really understand and know HIM...or if they just think they can use Him to justify their hatred. That's not Christ...that's not the character of a person in love with someone who sat down with the dregs of society and reached out to those no one else would touch.
It's also not the character of Christ in someone who says they are Christians but condone and accept actions, activities and lifestyles that are in direct opposition to what is written in the Bible. Jesus loved all. He also loved all he came in contact with enough to expose what was wrong and what was missing in their lives as He pointed them to what would fulfill them. That has never changed. He continues to point out in me all that I need to work on...the things that keep me tangled in messes that destroy and hurt. But He does it so beautifully...so tenderly and lovingly...firmly, yes, but with persistence and patience that goes against what so many think.
Knowing Jesus Christ, the one and only Son of the One True God, and the other part of the Holy Trinity, the Holy Spirit, (If you don't understand let me explain...I'll never understand that either, but I know it to be true nonetheless) I can't stay in the place I am...comfortable and happy...while the church prepares for Easter. If He can make a sacrifice of giving His very life for me, surely I can give up something that tends to draw me as well. I'm not giving up my friends (although I wouldn't be surprised if I had fewer friends on my friends list when I come back after Easter), but I am giving up something I love for the sake of my One True Love.
And that's why I'm giving up Facebook for Lent.
As I finish this post up I want to lay the same challenge out to you that I wrote in my note on Facebook....
If you've decided there is no God...or decided that maybe there is but He doesn't care about you...I hope you'll take this challenge from me........
Get a Bible. Before you start reading ask that God would help you see the truth. You don't have to believe...I believe and know that He knows your heart anyway, so pretending you do doesn't really fool Him. Say this, "So Trayc says you're real. I don't know if it's true, and I really don't believe it, but if you are help me understand this book and see the truth." That's all you really have to do...just be real.
I suggest reading Psalm 103 to see all He has done...then read the story of the life of Jesus in either Matthew, Mark, Luke or John. (the Bible's made up of many different books all in one book...Psalms is in the middle of the Bible, those other four are in the second part called the New Testament.)
I don't know if anyone will read this...all I know is that if I didn't ask you to do your own searching, your own asking and looking in the one place of absolute truth (the Bible... if you're not a believer in the authenticity of the Bible I suggest you podcast a talk from New Heights Church, Vancouver, WA given by one of our pastors a couple weeks ago about that very topic. ...you may be surprised!) then I will die with one major regret...that I knew where to find peace and I didn't share it because I was afraid of what people would think. That wouldn't be worth it to me...you matter too much for me to not share.
If you're wanting reliable resources that have more information here are a few sites to check out:
"http://www.equip.org"
"http://www.insights.org"
"http://www.christianitytoday.com"
There are many good Christian leaders, but I honestly believe that simply opening the Bible and asking God to help you understand...getting to know ALL of Him (it's easy to take parts of a book and twist it to be something it's not within context)...is the best way to get to know God. It's pretty logical, really...do you think reading books about someone who lives with you gives you a more realistic view of that person than, say, reading something they themselves wrote? or sitting down with them and asking them to help you understand them? No? I didn't think so either...so if you want to know the truth of who God is, read what He wrote...the Bible. Don't take that as you can't read anything to help you understand... all I'm saying is don't rely solely on books written about the Bible instead of getting in to the Bible itself.
I hope you'll take the challenge...even if you are a Christian...get to know God better over the next few months by opening up your Bible and spending time with Him.
Here's to being more of who we were made to be......
Sunday, February 8, 2009
A Hero of a Nine Year Old...
I'm posting a report my oldest son wrote in school for "Celebrate a Hero" week. His teacher immediately pulled me aside when I went in to volunteer one day and had me read it. I was somewhat surprised, but I have to admit that as his Mother I was so very encouraged...and reminded that the job of Christian parents goes so far beyond raising a "good kid." I hope you enjoy this as much as his father and I did...
Do you have a hero?
I do!
He has many others who call Him hero as well. My hero is the most powerful person in the universe!
He is not world famous like Tony Hawk or Shawn White. (Trayc insert...Tony Hawk is a famous skateboarder. Shawn White is a famous snowboarder)
But famous to few people in the world.
My hero has a path of gold bricks to the entrance of his world.
Well, that's what they say.
I believe it myself.
My hero's world is called Heaven.
They say he will destroy earth and make a new Heaven.
People called Christians go there when they die.
My hero created the heavens and the earth.
They say he created the heavens and the earth in something like 7 days!
Yah, that's cool. Even I'm amazed!
You want to know something that's even cooler?
My hero is as big as 598,768,927,876 Sears towers stacked on top of each other.
My hero is God!
God is like a shamrock.
God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost.
My hero is a know-it-all guy.
But in a good way.
This is what I mean, he knew forever.
I mean, this guy actually knew that I'd be writing this forever.
I know what you're going to ask next.
How could he know forever?
Well, let's just say he lived forever.
Wierd, but true.
Science says that living forever is impossible.
That's why my science is different than science on TV.
I bet you're getting impatient to hear what God has done for me, huh?
Well, God did something for me the night of 01-08-09.
This is what he did.
The wind was as strong as tornado.
I was worried that there might be a tornado.
So I prayed this prayer:
Dear Jesus, I pray you will help keep everyone in the world safe. In your name I pray, Amen.
And I was absolutely safe all night.
Another thing that he has done for me he is still doing for me now.
He's helping me focus.
Yep. He can even help you stay focused.
But this time I didn't pray. He did it without me asking him to.
My life has been changed at the age of 9 because of this hero.
Thank you God.
I carry a copy of this with me now. I usually have it in my planner so I can be reminded of what is really important in my life. I have many responsibilities...wife, mothers, homemaker, daughter, sister, friend, PTA mom, MOMS leader, teacher...but only one that will make a difference in my life even after I am dead: Christian. This paper written by my son reminds me that none of my involvements matter...none of my "hats" matter...if I am not first and foremost letting the love of Christ Jesus shine through my thoughts, words and actions. There is so much to be done. The fields are ripening and getting ready for harvest. There is so much happening in our world causing people to once again realize their need not for their own abilities to save them, but for the need of One much greater than they. I am thankful beyond words for a paper written (in a public school, by the way) that is a constant reminder that people around us are watching who we are, listening to how we talk, looking for what makes this Jesus so attractive. I pray my life will not be lived in vain, but will instead be a light that shines bright on a hill guiding the way toward a Savior whose character, whose heart, whose perfection is what every person created longs to know.
Do you have a hero?
I do!
He has many others who call Him hero as well. My hero is the most powerful person in the universe!
He is not world famous like Tony Hawk or Shawn White. (Trayc insert...Tony Hawk is a famous skateboarder. Shawn White is a famous snowboarder)
But famous to few people in the world.
My hero has a path of gold bricks to the entrance of his world.
Well, that's what they say.
I believe it myself.
My hero's world is called Heaven.
They say he will destroy earth and make a new Heaven.
People called Christians go there when they die.
My hero created the heavens and the earth.
They say he created the heavens and the earth in something like 7 days!
Yah, that's cool. Even I'm amazed!
You want to know something that's even cooler?
My hero is as big as 598,768,927,876 Sears towers stacked on top of each other.
My hero is God!
God is like a shamrock.
God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost.
My hero is a know-it-all guy.
But in a good way.
This is what I mean, he knew forever.
I mean, this guy actually knew that I'd be writing this forever.
I know what you're going to ask next.
How could he know forever?
Well, let's just say he lived forever.
Wierd, but true.
Science says that living forever is impossible.
That's why my science is different than science on TV.
I bet you're getting impatient to hear what God has done for me, huh?
Well, God did something for me the night of 01-08-09.
This is what he did.
The wind was as strong as tornado.
I was worried that there might be a tornado.
So I prayed this prayer:
Dear Jesus, I pray you will help keep everyone in the world safe. In your name I pray, Amen.
And I was absolutely safe all night.
Another thing that he has done for me he is still doing for me now.
He's helping me focus.
Yep. He can even help you stay focused.
But this time I didn't pray. He did it without me asking him to.
My life has been changed at the age of 9 because of this hero.
Thank you God.
I carry a copy of this with me now. I usually have it in my planner so I can be reminded of what is really important in my life. I have many responsibilities...wife, mothers, homemaker, daughter, sister, friend, PTA mom, MOMS leader, teacher...but only one that will make a difference in my life even after I am dead: Christian. This paper written by my son reminds me that none of my involvements matter...none of my "hats" matter...if I am not first and foremost letting the love of Christ Jesus shine through my thoughts, words and actions. There is so much to be done. The fields are ripening and getting ready for harvest. There is so much happening in our world causing people to once again realize their need not for their own abilities to save them, but for the need of One much greater than they. I am thankful beyond words for a paper written (in a public school, by the way) that is a constant reminder that people around us are watching who we are, listening to how we talk, looking for what makes this Jesus so attractive. I pray my life will not be lived in vain, but will instead be a light that shines bright on a hill guiding the way toward a Savior whose character, whose heart, whose perfection is what every person created longs to know.