I'm gonna 'fluff' you up...

May 25:

Living a Life that Matters…

Philippians 4:1

“My dear, dear friends! I love you so much. I do want the very best for you. You make me feel such joy, fill me with such pride. Don’t waver. Stay on track, steady in God.”

Philippians 1:4 is one of the reasons I love this book so much. It speaks to me. I’m super relational & an encourager by nature. At my house we call me the ‘fluffer’ because in a crisis it’s my inclination to hold a person tight… pour a cup of chamomile tea… listen… ask questions… encourage aka ‘fluff up’… comfort… pray… & send them on their way feeling a little lighter.

On the flip side, I struggle with holding people accountable. In my desire to encourage, to show compassion & communicate positivity sometimes it’s hard for me to hold them to a standard.

We must have both of these things to stay on track & I’m learning if I truly do want the best for those that God brings into my sphere of influence, I need to love them in a balanced way.

“The main characteristic which is the proof of the indwelling Spirit is an amazing tenderness in personal dealing, and a blazing truthfulness with regard to God’s Word.”  - Oswald Chambers

I'm running...

May 24:

Living a Life that Matters… 

Philippians 3:12-21

“I’m not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don’t get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I’ve got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I’m off and running, and I’m not turning back.

 So let’s keep focused on that goal, those of us who want everything God has for us. If any of you have something else in mind, something less than total commitment, God will clear your blurred vision—you’ll see it yet! Now that we’re on the right track, let’s stay on it.

Stick with me, friends. Keep track of those you see running this same course, headed for this same goal. There are many out there taking other paths, choosing other goals, and trying to get you to go along with them. I’ve warned you of them many times; sadly, I’m having to do it again. All they want is easy street. They hate Christ’s Cross. But easy street is a dead-end street. Those who live there make their bellies their gods; belches are their praise; all they can think of is their appetites.

But there’s far more to life for us. We’re citizens of high heaven! We’re waiting the arrival of the Savior, the Master, Jesus Christ, who will transform our earthy bodies into glorious bodies like his own. He’ll make us beautiful and whole with the same powerful skill by which he is putting everything as it should be, under and around him.”

These verses remind me of the half-triathlon I ran a few years ago. A girlfriend of mine had been encouraging me & another friend to train for a triathlon. We excitedly agreed, as we had long desired to get our tookus’ [a] in gear. The ¼ mile swim, 15 mile bike ride & 5k run seemed the perfect way to do gloriously celebrate transitioning our bodies into our 40’s.  

I’m a runner. I love the whole running thing… from the beginning of lacing up the running shoes, to stretching out my muscles, taking off like lightning, lungs burning & legs pumping, to passing out on the grass in front of my apartment when it’s over. I have to admit other than running, I really don’t enjoy exercise in any shape or form. I don’t enjoy weight training or resistance training or yoga or complicated cardio. I’m not competitive or coordinated & tend to get bored quickly. I’d much rather hit the trail & take in the scenery around me. 

Anyhoo… back to the triathlon… 

I took the training pretty seriously as I am a pretty poor swimmer & as you may have gathered, am not the slightest bit athletic. So I purchased “Triathlon’s for Dummies”, charted out a plan & spent my summer days alternating the swimming, biking & running.  

The morning of the race dawned bright & clear. I was prepared & excited. As the gun went off & my competitive friends took off, I eased myself down into the water (with the grandma’s lest I be kicked in the head by those crazy competitive people bent on breaking some kind of record) & decided that my plan would be to stay focused on what was directly in front of me & enjoy the race. 

I somehow managed not to drown, enjoyed a leisurely ride around the lake & finally hit the ground running on wobbly legs. Just following my plan & the people in front of me, I ran & I ran & I ran. After while it occurred to me that it seemed like much longer than a 5k… in fact it was the longest three miles of my entire life. Just about the time I asked someone along the path where we needed to turn around… I came across the turnaround… the turnaround for the 10k. 

Similarly, & quite often, along my spiritual ‘run’ I find myself losing my focus on the Goal… Sometimes I follow the deceitfully sweet words of comfort that my culture wants to me hear, or a well meaning Christian who may seem to have a heart for the things of God. Sometimes I just get hung up on a fabulous idea that takes me down a path never meant for me… 

Philippians 3 reminds me not to allow those ancillary things to filter in… but to remain resolute. Committed. Focused on the Goal. 

Jesus. 

My Goal. 

My Prize. 

  
“If you live gladly to make others glad in God, your life will be hard, your risks will be high, and your joy will be full.” - John Piper, Don't Waste Your Life

 [a] Tookus is British slang for the backside, the buttocks.

Too BIG for your britches?

Ok. So. I have to admit I’ve been on a total ‘love’ high coming home from Josh & Kristen’s wedding this week. I’m struggling to get back into the swing of things & focus on work, laundry, cleaning our apartment & even the book of Philippians. Instead I’ve been hanging out in 1 Corinthians 13 & Ephesians 5:21-31… reading verses on love & basking in the afterglow of a beautiful celebration of life. Justifying that celebration is, after all, a big part of living a life that matters.

But today I’m resigned to buckle down & get back to it… at least to Philippians…

May 23:

Living a Life that Matters…

Philippians 3:1-11

“And that’s about it, friends. Be glad in God!

I don’t mind repeating what I have written in earlier letters, and I hope you don’t mind hearing it again. Better safe than sorry—so here goes.

Steer clear of the barking dogs, those religious busybodies, all bark and no bite. All they’re interested in is appearances—knife-happy circumcisers, I call them. The real believers are the ones the Spirit of God leads to work away at this ministry, filling the air with Christ’s praise as we do it. We couldn’t carry this off by our own efforts, and we know it—even though we can list what many might think are impressive credentials. You know my pedigree: a legitimate birth, circumcised on the eighth day; an Israelite from the elite tribe of Benjamin; a strict and devout adherent to God’s law; a fiery defender of the purity of my religion, even to the point of persecuting the church; a meticulous observer of everything set down in God’s law Book.

The very credentials these people are waving around as something special, I’m tearing up and throwing out with the trash—along with everything else I used to take credit for. And why? Because of Christ. Yes, all the things I once thought were so important are gone from my life. Compared to the high privilege of knowing Christ Jesus as my Master, firsthand, everything I once thought I had going for me is insignificant—dog dung. I’ve dumped it all in the trash so that I could embrace Christ and be embraced by him. I didn’t want some petty, inferior brand of righteousness that comes from keeping a list of rules when I could get the robust kind that comes from trusting Christ—God’s righteousness.

I gave up all that inferior stuff so I could know Christ personally, experience his resurrection power, be a partner in his suffering, and go all the way with him to death itself. If there was any way to get in on the resurrection from the dead, I wanted to do it.” 

Ehem… so here’s what I’m thinking… 

Paul had great credentials.  He was a Jew. He was a Roman. He was a Pharisee i.e. he could recite Genesis thru Deuteronomy. He knew the Law frontwards, backwards & sideways. 

& yet… here he is encouraging us NOT to put stock in such things. Instead, he implores us to focus on Christ. Without Him we have nothing. We can do nothing. We are nothing. Seriously? Seriously.

When we are tempted to get a little big for our spiritual britches…
we should take note
take ourselves out of it
& give all glory to the Holy One.
King of Kings.
Lord of Lords.
Prince of Peace.
Alpha Omega.
Beginning & the End.
There.
There is where all glory lies. 

http://youtu.be/I7rjwkLpooY 

Love is... bigger than that...

Love never gives up. Love cares more for others than for self. Love doesn’t want what it doesn’t have. Love doesn’t strut, Doesn’t have a swelled head, Doesn’t force itself on others, Isn’t always “me first,” Doesn’t fly off the handle, Doesn’t keep score of the sins of others, Doesn’t revel when others grovel, Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth, Puts up with anything, Trusts God always, Always looks for the best, Never looks back, But keeps going to the end.

-excerpt from 1 Corinthians 13 (the Message)

This past weekend our son Joshua married Kristen… the love of his life. 

They are now Mr. & Mrs. Joshua Pelkey. 

As I began the weekend, I vowed to do something I never do. This self professed ‘Mamarazzi’,  committed to live in the moment & left my camera in my hotel room the day of the wedding. Instead I soaked in each precious moment & allowed others to flit around taking photos of the day. I’m so thankful I did. 

The whole weekend was beautiful. From the relaxed atmosphere of the rehearsal dinner at Joe’s Crab Shack, to the excitement of seeing our friends & family arrive… from the delight of donning our fancy wedding clothes, to the joyful anticipation found in the pre-wedding moments… from the powerful emotion of seeing our grown up boys coming up the aisle & our little girl in a formal, to watching our son’s eyes fill with tears as he saw his beautiful bride for the first time… from the beauty & sacredness of the ceremony to the fabulous celebration afterwards…

There are hardly words to describe how I am feeling about all of it & knowing me, I am sure I will be processing each exciting moment for weeks… 

There is however, one thing that I am certain about... 

Amidst the excitement & celebration it was the way in which Josh & Kristen interact together. It is very obvious to me that this relationship is God ordained & not only do these two ‘kids’ recognize that, but they have placed their relationship at the feet of the cross. As I listened to their vows I saw something deeper than infatuation… they love each other bigger than that… deeper than that. There is no doubt in my mind that they, with the help of the Holy Spirit, will confront everything life will throw at them with passion, grace & humor…. I can hardly wait to see what God will do in & through them.  

"Being in love is a good thing, but it is not the best thing. There are many things below it, but there are also things above it. You cannot make it the basis of a whole life. It is a noble feeling, but it is still a feeling. Now no feeling can be relied on to last in its full intensity, or even to last at all. Knowledge can last, principles can last, habits can last but feelings come and go. And in fact, whatever people say, the state called ‘being in love’ usually does not last. If the old fairy-tale ending ‘They lived happily ever after’ is taken to mean ‘They felt for the next fifty years exactly as they felt the day before they were married,’ then it says what probably never was nor ever would be true, and would be highly undesirable if it were. Who could bear to live in that excitement for even five years? What would become of your work, your appetite, your sleep, your friendships? But, of course, ceasing to be ‘in love’ need not mean ceasing to love. Love in this second sense — love as distinct from ‘being in love’ — is not merely a feeling. It is a deep unity, maintained by the will and deliberately strengthened by habit; reinforced by (in Christian marriages) the grace which both partners ask, and receive, from God. They can have this love for each other even at those moments when they do not like each other; as you love yourself even when you do not like yourself. They can retain this love even when each would easily, if they allowed themselves, be ‘in love’ with someone else. ‘Being in love’ first moved them to promise fidelity: this quieter love enables them to keep the promise. it is on this love that the engine of marriage is run: being in love was the explosion that started it." - C.S. Lewis

http://youtu.be/rwK73QbNPKo 

Celebrating a beautiful beginning...

“I have no greater joy than this, to hear of my children walking in the truth.”—3 John 1:4 NASB

As we began the month of May I have been feeling a little ‘verklempt’ [a]. It’s a busy month for most families with children & for my family it is not different. Hannah has her many end of school programs, concerts, dance shows, summer softball & camp & band registration. Caleb has just finished his college freshman exams & will be home soon for the summer to work & to liven our home with his wit & laughter. Joshua graduated from college this past week with his degree in Youth & Family Ministry, packed up his little car with everything he owns & drove to Florida where in just a few days will be marrying the beautiful girl he met on his Florida internship.  I’ve really been handling all of this pretty well… when my sweet husband has struggled with the thought of him being so far away I have said, ‘Don’t worry. He’s ready.  This is what God has prepared him for. We want him to go & live the life God has planned for him right? After all, isn’t this what we have prayed for? What we’ve raised him to do?”  Then shortly before graduation,  Josh posted a picture of his cap & gown on his Facebook page. All of sudden it was real. Suddenly, I found myself sitting in front of my computer, tears streaming down my face. 

Oh for heaven’s sake… so much for all my bravado & my pep talks.  

I knew this day would come for my son but I can scarcely believe it is actually here. It seems like just yesterday, that after 36 hours of labor, I was holding a tiny, pink, sweet smelling version of him in my arms. It was a difficult birth. So much so, that when he emerged from the emergency C-section, he was puffy & bruised & sporting his first shiner. His dad made a joke about it looking like he’d been in a fight with Mike Tyson. I thought he was the most beautiful little person I had ever seen.

Intellectually I know that letting go is a process…

It began with his first day of Kindergarten.

Summer camp.

His first day of Jr. High.

His first day of High School.

The day he got his driver’s license.

His High School Graduation.

Dropping him off at college knowing he wouldn’t be coming home that night for dinner.

College graduation.

& now… 

My son is no longer a boy. He is a man. A godly man. A good man. 

This past week Josh & I found ourselves searching the internet for a song for our mother-son dance at the reception. So many of the songs that came up were so incredibly sappy & so sad.  This is not how I would define our relationship or describe how I am feeling in this moment. I have to admit I am filled with joy. As I have been every moment of his life. This is what has defined our relationship… even in the tough times there has been joy… & laughter. I’m not gonna lie. I have had a few moments where I have been overwhelmed with emotion (refer back to the cubicle moment). & I can’t discount that while I’ll always be his Mumma… my role is changing. I’m no longer the most important woman in his life. That role has become his beautiful bride Kristen’s. I wondered when this day came if it would be bittersweet but somehow it seems more sweet than anything. I’m thrilled that he has found his soul mate… his best friend.  A girl he has entrusted his heart to & who cares for it tenderly. A girl who loves him for everything he is & everything he will be. A girl, who I know, has his best interest at heart, who understands his strengths & weaknesses & will be his strongest supporter & encourager. This is what I have prayed for him. Sigh. My heart is so full. There are hardly words. 

I realize in this moment that this is not an ending… but a beginning.

I cannot wait to celebrate this beginning with them… 

[a] Verklempt is a Yiddish word that means "overcome with emotion." Pronounced "fer-klempt," people use it when they are so emotional that they're on the verge of tears or at a loss for words due to their emotional state.