Right now we are being inundated with advertising trying to sell us the secret to everything from weight loss, relationships, meditation, time management, and happiness itself. Marketers know that people often feel stuck in old habits and are looking for help in the new year. But what if we have it backwards. What if we need to look backwards and inwards before we look forward and reach outwards for help?
When I look back over the story of my life, it is a rather curious tale of what God has used and how. As a teenager, I longed to do and be something extraordinary for God. I felt I was the least likely candidate to do so, but I was tired of feeling average. I saw absolutely no discernable talents in myself and was fed up with being intimidated by my lack of Bible knowledge and overwhelming feelings of inferiority.
I still remember sitting in the upper section of what was then called the Ford Center. It was June 2003. The concert was packed, people were smoking weed around me, and I had a great time. A few weeks later, I went back to the Ford Center for a Billy Graham Crusade and just happened to sit in the same section as the concert a few weeks back. I was in a very public arena, yet I could feel the tangible presence of God. I could not tell you any of the points to his sermon, however I vividly remember the stark difference of the two events because of the light that Billy Graham was sharing.
On my birthday in July, my sweet husband brought me coffee in bed. That had been one of my requests, to have coffee in bed and sit together for the morning. Not long after taking my first couple of sips, my husband left for work and one of our twins started crying. I grabbed my coffee and began the process of changing my son and getting him fed. Then, I repeated the process for my daughter. As I fed them, I thought, “This is what my birthday is going to look like from here on out.”
I like a predictable life. I like normal routines and schedules. It sets my mind at ease to know what is happening day in and day out. But what happens when God starts pressing in on your heart to step out in faith and do something new? Something unpredictable? Something you never would have imagined yourself doing in a million years? I can tell you from experience that it rocks your world, but it is such a blessing.
Women and Church. That particular string of words may conjure strong opinions. If not in yourself, definitely in others. If your opinion is determined in part by what is seen in media, culture, dax, it has likely been shaped by loud, perhaps even extreme, voices which may not always represent the majority.
I can remember being a little girl and knowing exactly what I wanted to do when I grew up. Chasing these Oklahoma storms every Spring season invigorated me to learn more about weather and how I could keep everyone safe. Meteorology was something that I felt I was supposed to do, and I still enjoy the smell of summer rain and thunder in the distance.
