We Have a High Calling

I work for a Christian public relations agency. Our clients include Christian organizations, businesses, churches, personalities. Our core values and operating principles are based on the teachings of the Bible. We conduct our work from the disposition that "If it's Christian, it ought to be better." I am honored to work alongside, and for, fellow believers who share my values. My work is fulfilling and I know we make a difference. It is not only a career, but a high calling.

Whether you are called to ministry, to a Christian business, to a secular profession or to work in the home, we are challenged as Christians to approach our vocation with an attitude of excellence. It is a high standard. I was recently asked to review an online magazine and weekly eNewsletter that focuses on this very topic. Appropriately called, The High Calling, the newsletter and Ezine features a broad range of articles, interviews, devotionals, and inspirational stories—all specifically created to help readers find God in our work, family, and the broader culture.

 

The articles are inspiring, practical and directional, and focus on such varied topics as leadership in the workplace, faith, culture, work, family and attitude. If you are looking for a place to find articles, interviews, devotionals, and inspirational stories to help you find God in your work, family, and the broader culture, check out TheHighCalling.org. May you be encouraged in the high calling of your daily work.

Connected

I have to start this week by saying that I am proud of myself for giving myself grace so I would not miss an opportunity of connection just because I'm not happy with my physical appearance. This past weekend was my 20-year high school reunion. I had been anticipating this weekend all year with the plans to be about 30 pounds lighter by the time the day arrived. Despite a crash diet, a gym membership and a pricey trainer, I was not successful. I have been battling weight and self image all my life. An awkward stage and early puberty, caused me to become weight conscious at an early age. It eventually became an obsession. I began dieting at age 9 and tried every diet and fad in the book since then. Though fairly slim and athletic by middle school, the damage to my self image was done. I look back at my pictures and wonder "What the heck was I thinking? I was skinny!" But to myself, I never was thin enough and the dieting never ended.

Later, I found out I had medical issues that caused me to gain weight easily and have a hard time taking it off. As the years went by, and three kids came along, I haven't done so well with my battle. Truth be told, I need to eat sugar-free, low carb diet for the rest of my life and I haven't been able to make a 100% commitment to that lifestyle just yet. So as the date of my reunion neared, I had to make a decision. Stay home in hiding or be proud of everything else I have accomplished and seize the night!

A year ago, I would not have gone. But God has been working on me and this year, I went shopping for a nice outfit, put on my spanks and fully enjoyed the weekend. Sure, there were beautiful people who were as slim and trim as they were 20 years ago, just as there were beautiful people who had a little more cushion than back then. But to see the smiling faces with the sparkle in everyone's eye was priceless. To be reminded of the connection we all have was so worth it!

We share a connection that goes beyond keeping up on Facebook. We share a history.We helped each other become who we are today. Some of those people know parts of me better than perhaps even my husband! We share secrets, embarrassing moments, growing pains, heartbreaks, crazy moments and so many good times. The years may have passed, but our connection will never go away. I am so thankful to be reminded of that and to have had the courage to step out and truly have fun and tell those internal voices to take a hike for the weekend. What are your internal voices keeping you from doing? What do you have to lose?

Capturing Thanksgiving Memories

Part of harvesting a memorable life is documenting it and there is no better time to document life than when the family is all gathered together.

Documentation can come in the photographs taken, the stories of yesterday captured and the blessings noted.

Here are a few ways to document this Thanksgiving:

Photographs:
-The front door of the house you are visiting
-The table setting
-Hands stirring or mixing
-The bird going into the oven
-The bird coming out of oven
-Carving the bird
-Mom with an apron on
-Men watching TV
-Each dish that will be served
-Appetizer spread
-Each family that is present
-Entire group
-Taking a post-dinner walk
-Pies and coffee
-Children playing
-Adults napping

Journal questions:
-What are you thankful for?
-What has been the biggest blessing in the past year?
-What is your favorite thing about Thanksgiving?

Memory keeping:
-Make a giving hands tree. Trace everyone's hand and have them write what they are thankful for and hang it on the tree.
-Leave a 3x4 card at each place setting for guests to write what they are thankful for on and put in the Project Life page for the week
-Interview each guest on video.

I wish you a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Missed Opportunity for Grace on Grace Laced Monday

Recently, I am ashamed to say, I missed an opportunity to extend grace to my husband and to capitalize on a teachable moment for my preteen. It was like the Holy Spirit bonked me on the head and said, "See, what happened there? Love Me."

Here is what happened. We were traveling along the maze of highways in Atlanta discussing the best way to get somewhere. The Red Sox fan and I were in a disagreement on whether a road I suggested we take was before or after a major highway in the area. We established a bet and lunch was the reward.

The Red Sox fan's position was that the road was AFTER the highway and he began boasting and sending out much trash talk certain of his rightness. I was smugly smiling, letting him make a fool of himself because I KNEW the road was BEFORE the highway. Our daughter was eagerly engaged in our disagreement and anxious to see who was right.

The an unexpected thing happened. The exit to the highway came before the exit to the road but the actual physical road came before the actual physical highway. In other words, on a map the road would be before the highway, but in real life you had to exit for the highway before you passed the road. Who was right? Naturally, a fight ensued with each one of us still certain of our correctness. An embarrassing, name calling, "you're always right" fight ensued.

While I still believe I was right (after all, the road did physically come before the highway), I could have and should have extended grace to my husband and modeled graciousness for my daughter. If I had, we would not have raised our voices or called names or had hurt feelings and my daughter would have had a real example of how you don't always have to have the last word (even when you are right).

I must remember that it is more important to be in relationship that to be right!

Lesson learned

 

Making the Holidays Memorable While Moving

I love tradition and the holidays! October through December is my favorite time of year. From hayrides and pumpkin patches, to my mom's stuffing and football, to breakfast with Santa and the twinkle of the Christmas tree -- I love it all. But this year, I am struggling with how to honor traditions and make the holidays memorable while we are in the middle of a move.

As I mentioned here, we are moving back to the neighborhood I grew up in, just two streets over from my parent's home. In addition, we are downsizing. We are moving from a two story traditional with a garage, overhead attic, walk-in attic space over the garage and a basement, to a split-level with a carport, no attic and no basement. We have to go through everything we own and assess if we really need/want it in our new life. Does it have a use? A place?

The Red Sox fan and I are sick of the clutter and junk that seems to appear as soon as we pick up. We want a home that is neat and tidy, where the kids have enough toys to entertain them, but know where they go when the play ends and actually put them there. (Am I dreaming?) I want my crew to build good organization habits and know where their coats, bags and shoes go when they come home. This takes weeding out, packing purposefully, and strategically setting up our new space.

So, how to do all that and still recognize the season? This weekend we are having a garage sale and will hopefully get rid of a lot of stuff which will make further sorting and packing easier. But, next week is Thanksgiving. Aside from my Publix iconic salt & pepper shakers, there is no evidence of the holiday in our home. Plus, we have no time to do all the cute Thanksgiving crafts on Pinterest. Thankfully, we will be going to Grammy and Pop's for the day, so I guess I can take that pressure off, but what about Christmas?

Our move-in day is uncertain because work is being done on our new home. So, as soon as we get past the garage sale, we will be packing and sorting to be ready to move when we get the go ahead. It seems silly to get out any Christmas decor, but we may be moving in the weekend before Christmas - will we have a tree?

Thankfully, Christmas is so much more than the decorations and in the midst of all the mess of packing, we will honor the season in other simple ways, such as:

• Going to church and observing Advent
• Going to holiday parties
• Participating in the annual Tour of Homes I go on with my mom each year
• Baking cookies at my mom's house with the cousins
• Helping others like donating to Angel Tree and packing a box for Operation Christmas Child
• And get the kid's picture with Santa

What do you think? Do you have any other suggestions for celebrating the season while preparing for a move?

He Who Meets Our Needs

“And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.” —Philippians 4:19 (NIV)

How has God met your needs in a seemingly hopeless situation?

For me it has been so many ways! A gift card that arrived just in time to get gas on my way home from work when I was almost out. A hug, a kiss and a "mommy you are so beautiful" from my daughter when I was feeling not so much. A job in an economy where jobs come few and far between. Our God has used friends, circumstances and people to meet my needs and even in my own time of need, he asks me to do the same. That is why this Christmas, we are supporting a ministry I have represented professionally for many years, Prison Fellowship's Angel Tree.

Families who have an incarcerated parent are often strapped financially and cannot afford food, clothing or Christmas gifts. Children often have behavior and performance problems at school and experience social stigma and shame. Prison Fellowship's Angel Tree, the only nationwide, year-round effort that reaches out exclusively to children who have a parent in prison, has served some 9 million children since 1982. This Christmas, Prison Fellowship seeks to meet the needs of some 475,000 children and they need our help!

Angel Tree needs churches and individuals across the counrty to sign up to bring a gift to a child this Christmas on behalf of their incarcerated parent. These parents are longing to connect with their children and have signed them up for Angel Tree in an effort to make a lasting connection and heal wounds caused by their imprisonment.

How Can You Help? 

• Share about Angel Tree on your social networks.
• Volunteer to coordinate Angel Tree in your church this Christmas. Angel Tree provides everything you need!
• Get your small group involved to sponsor a group of children in your own community.
• Take a tag and buy a gift if there’s already an Angel Tree program in your congregation or at a nearby church. Call (800) 552-6435 or email angel_tree@pfm.org to find a participating church in their community.
• Donate online at AngelTree.org to provide a gift and the Gospel to a child in a state where there’s no church to help.

Quiet, what's that?

Go.

Quiet. That elusive word. I long for quiet and stillness sometimes but am still thankful for the noise. That little voice waking me before dawn wanting me to go downstairs and get breakfast. That soft dog with a deep bark, rousing me out of bed for food. The voice of my toddler trying so hard to form words. Yes, even the smart tone from my preteen that reminds me how uncool I am. Quiet and stillness is unattainable at this life stage. From the "To Do' lists that run through my head on the way to work to the sounds of a busy office and phones and my fingers on the keys during the day. Someday I will dwell in quiet and will long for the days that were filled with noise. But for now I cherish every 5 minute break as I type with one eye half closed ready to crash into bed.

Stop.

Make a Brand New Ending

Last month, I celebrated my 39th birthday. I am now at the same age my father was when he left his young family behind in a small town in Ohio to come to Atlanta, and live with a family he barely knew, to find a better life for us.

It was the 80s. The steel industry's bubble had burst and the factories were shutting down. To make a brand new ending for his family, Dad lived away from us "down south" for a year where he found work as an estimator at a steel company. In Atlanta, the economy was a little better and the city was experiencing a growth spurt. Eventually, we packed up our life in a small town on Lake Erie and headed South to the big city to meet up with dad and begin a new journey.

At 39, my parents were starting over in a completely different geography with three kids. In the midst of financial hardship, they were blessed with the support of friends and were able to build a better life for us all.

Thirty-nine is also the same age my brother was when he passed away seven years ago. He also had three children all under the age of eight at the time. While my dear brother was called home to Jesus, my sister-in-law and their sweet children had to start over in a new normal and experience a different ending than they had dreamed.

So it is here, at age 39, that I also find myself at a pivotal moment in life.These past seven years have shown my husband and me many joys and trials including financial hardship, job losses, a miscarriage, the loss of my brother, family members facing illness, a move from the neighborhood and home we began our life together in, the birth of two of our three children and the news that one of them had an extra chromosome, which made him extra special. Through everything, the Lord has remained faithful. We have learned to rely on Him and have been shown mercy, grace and provision time after time. And once again, by God's grace, the love and support of our parents and the generosity of the same sweet family that helped my parents so long ago, we have been given the gift of starting over, laying a new foundation and making our own brand new ending!

I am so hopeful for the future we are building. Please follow along in this blog as we seek to harvest a remarkable, memorable life!

 

Bible App Review

This post marks the beginning of a series of reviews I will be conducting on products, books, etc. that will help you harvest a memorable life for your family.

This week, I had the opportunity to review a new Bible App for kids called The Beginner's Bible App produced by Zondervan. This colorful, and free, App includes several Bible stories in an e-reader format. Accompanied by colorful, interactive graphical scenes, the text is highlighted as an audio version of the story plays. This is a great feature for early readers.

The App also includes coloring pages, a short video and a game. The coloring pages are based on a Bible story and the game features Eve and the apple tree. Both of these features help to develop fine motor skills and the game encourages hand-eye coordination.

Best of all, the Beginner's Bible App is based on sound Bible teaching and favorite Bible stories. You can also purchase additional story sets as they are developed for $1.99 each.

My three children were all very interested in the App and I was happy to let them play together before dinner. This entertaining and educational App, in my opinion, is a very good use of screen time!