Hurdles

I've been doing a lot of speaking lately, and perseverance keeps coming up. :)

Times are hard. Real hard. And people are struggling. They're looking for encouragement, insight, advice, wisdom - on how they can keep running their race with perseverance.

Since I've had so many emails and people talking to me about this lately, I thought I'd share my little analogy I've been sharing along the way.

Hebrews 12:1-2 says this:
NASB "1 Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."

I love how many times Scripture uses the picture of athletes - running their race. Our Christian walk is supposed to be that. Our own individual race - set before each of us. My race isn't the same as yours and vice versa.

But so often, it's too easy to get distracted. To head off the racetrack, get bogged down by life's problems, or simply lie down to take a break. :)

One day, I began to think of myself not just as a runner - but as a hurdler. Well, because frankly, I realized that my race would not be smooth like on a paved track. There would be bumps, mountains, valleys, and potholes. :)

So... think of yourself as an Olympic hurdler.
Would an athlete of this caliber stop and smell the roses on the sidelines if he hadn't finished his race?
Would an athlete of this caliber jog along, waving at his fans - smiling, chitchatting, etc?
Would an athlete of this caliber stop in the middle of the race just because he knocked a hurdle?
Would an athlete of this caliber go back and keep going over the same hurdle because it wasn't perfect the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th time?

How did you answer those questions?
Now, can you apply them to your own life?

Yes, there will be lots of hurdles. Sometimes one right after the other. Sometimes you'll clear it with no problem. Other times, you might scrape your knee as you jump. And there will be times when you will knock the hurdle completely down. Every once in a while, you may even fall on your face in the mud puddle and wonder if you'll ever be able to get up and keep going.

But you can.
Remember, we are supposed to cast our burdens upon HIM. He's waiting with open arms to help us up, clean us up, sometimes even to carry us until we catch our breath.

Right now, we've got some pretty huge hurdles we're facing. But I'm reminded of all the thousands of hurdles we've made it through so far. And I'm fixing my gaze on that finish line and not looking back.

Some days, I may go faster than others. Some days it might take me a while to climb out of the hole to get back on the track, but I am pressing on - to persevere.

Because... "...perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." James 1:4 NIV

MomMomMomMomMom

Remember when your kids were toddlers? (Or they might still be toddlers now) And that's all you heard? "Mommommommommommommommommommom" etc. (Okay, so those of us with teenagers might hear that all the time too!)

It's a beautiful sound. To be called "Mom."

I've been thinking about it a lot lately. Mother's Day this year was a little crazy as we were in California for a TV taping, so I've been doing my reminiscing over the past week or so since we returned.

I love being a mom
I love hearing my kids call me "mom"
I love cooking and yes, even cleaning for my family
I love being the mom of teenagers
I love driving them to swim team day after day after day after day...
I love sitting on "deck" and writing and working, and taking peeks at their skills in the water
I love traveling with my kids
I love singing at the top of my lungs with my kids in the car
I love watching movies with my kids
I love home schooling my kids
I love riding bikes with my kids
I love spending every day with them
I love being a mom

Tag Line Anyone?

There was a discussion today taking place on the ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers) loop about taglines. Someone initiated the discussion by asking the questions - "what is your tagline" and "how did you come up with it?"

One of my dearest friends in the world, Ronie Kendig, writes "Rapid-Fire Fiction" - her tagline says it all. And she's AMAZING at it. (If you haven't read them already, you need to pick up her books: Dead Reckoning, Nightshade, Digitalis, Wolfsbane - about to release, and Firethorn releasing next January.

I must admit that it took me only a few minutes to find my tagline - but that was after a lot of input over several weeks. From agent, editor, and lots of other author friends.

The reason I needed so much help? Well, I always need help. That's beside the point. LOL. But seriously, I write fiction and non-fiction. I wasn't quite sure how to encompass them both.

Then I realized my tagline could say it all. So here it is:
Faith, Perseverance, JOY

Faith - my faith is everything because God is the story, no matter what I write.
Perseverance - James 1:2-4 tells me that the testing of my faith develops perseverance. And perseverance must finish its work.
JOY - you can have joy through trials, because God's joy cannot be taken away.

So there you have it. What's your tagline?

The Heart of America

Over the past twelve years, I've driven over 100,000 miles on my tours in this great country of ours. And there are several things that have "hit" me.

-Way too many people lose out because they choose to fly.
-Most people are in a hurry.
-We don't stop and "smell the roses" enough.
-We've let life "run" us.

The first one is a biggie. The second one causes the first one a lot of the time. This in turn, enables the third point. And the fourth point? Well, it seems to be the root problem.

Last weekend, we were invited to be on the Hour of Power and we filmed at the Crystal Cathedral. A beautiful, beautiful place in the LA vicinity. So, we took off from Colorado and headed west.

Let me tell you, if you haven't driven across Utah on Interstate 70 - you need to do it. It's amazing. National Parks like the Arches National Park - beg you to stop and take the time to look, wonder, and soak in the glory of God's handiwork. There's not a lot of towns or places - in fact, there's one stretch of 100 miles with "no services" - and another stretch of more than 60 miles with "no services" - but if you're worried about that, you're missing the point. Completely.

Driving across parts of Kansas, Nebraska, Wyoming, Illinois, Iowa (you get the point) can be quite "dull" to most people. But have you ever stopped to see what's growing? Instead of flying past all the farms and ranches, take a gander at the livestock - the different breeds, and all the varieties of corn, soybeans, and other crops. We're fed because of those farms. And that's someone's livelihood.

The reason I'm bringing all this up is because it's the heart of America. Her people, her land, her crops, her beauty.

Take a minute to soak up the beauty around you. Whether it's the ocean, the mountains, the desert, or farmlands... Remember how wonderful it is to live in a free country. To see the majesty and glory of the Rockies, to smell the salty air of the ocean, and to feel the wind and cold of an icy snow storm.

And maybe next time, you'll take a road trip and thank God for the work of His hands.

Ironman? Conclusion :)

It's been fun seeing all your responses via Facebook, email, and comments on my Ironman post.
Originally, I just wanted to post the story to make you laugh, I mean, who would ever think that I was an Ironman participant?
But, after sleep and much thought, I realized there was a lesson or two to be learned.

First? Clearly, the clerk was a very positive person. I didn't question him to know for sure, but I'm assuming he thought something along the lines of, "well, anyone could participate..." right?

Which brings me to my first thoughts. John 3:16 is clear. For God so loved the WORLD. That means everyone. Whether skinny, chubby, short, tall, wealthy, poor, good-looking, homely, smelly, or ... You get the picture. :) Anyone and everyone is included. We are not to judge who should be a participant, or in better terms who should be a "recipient" of the greatest gift of all: salvation. Free for all who believe.

Secondly, once we've accepted that gift, we ARE participants. We are running a race. Our Ironman, if you will. Hebrews 12:1-3 is a wonderful passage to look at for this. So... Wouldn't it be fitting that we actually prepare for the race?

In fact, we can all participate - just like the clerk thought, "sure-she could do it"- wouldn't it have been even greater had I arrived actually PREPARED to participate?

You see, once we are believers, we shouldn't just stay on the "milk" and go through the motions. We're supposed to be learning and growing and studying and sharing.

In short, what are you doing? Are you a participant? If not, send me a note and I'll tell you all about the greatest gift of all. If you ARE a participant, what are you doing to prepare? To run the race set before you?

Who knows, one day you may hear me say that I really AM participating in an Ironman. Nothing is impossible with God. :) amen.