Five Minute Friday: Small

16
Aug

She’s just so small.

Her hands still have their toddler pudge.

She says “grateful” when she means “great” but I think the two belong together so I never correct her.

She is quick to share, first to offer encouragement, she’s her brothers’ biggest fan.

She tries to do cartwheels and only gets partially upside-down, as if she’s mostly flinging her legs sideways over a puddle, but when she stands afterwards, she glows with pride.

She comes out of her room wearing her pink stripped slippers and filmy robe with the elastic that’s too tight around her forearms where the sleeves land since she’s outgrowing it but can’t let it go.

Can’t let it go.

How can I let her go, even for those few hours every.single.day. ?

She’s my sidekick.

My shadow.

My sweetie.

She’s too small to be so big.

But she’s ready. I know this. I’ve seen her. But letting her go feels like feeding her to the bears,

bears of cliques,

bears of rejection,

bears of politics in friendships,

and there are far worse bears in those woods that I don’t dare speak aloud.

I don’t send her alone, and I know this. Jesus walks alongside her. She knows this too.

But when that bus pulls away from our house on her first day of school, you’d better believe I’ll peal out of our driveway in the minivan, close on her heels, waving to her like a fool.

***

Before I forget, yesterdays post contained my first giveaway so if you want to win a beautiful scarf from Trades of Hope, be sure to check that out. Today’s post is part of a linkup with Lisa-jo Baker (http://lisajobaker.com ) and is open to anybody who wants to participate. Five Minute Fridays are a lot of fun, so if writing and finding other good blogs is your thing, be sure to look her up.

As always, thanks so much for taking the time to come by today. I know there are a lot of other things vying for your time, and I appreciate you!

Trades of Hope Scarf Give Away

15
Aug

For a year after college, I organized missions trips for church groups. My primary area was a town just over the border into Mexico. As part of my job, though, I also got to travel to other areas to do set-up trips: build relationships with local church and community leaders, research housing and meal facilities, find out about what kind of work projects might be needed/desired, and check logistics for kids programming during that week. Working in this way fed my love of travel, adventure and service.

I’d been a participant in multiple mission trips growing up, and giving back to others was part of my value system.

It still is.

I’ve now got mixed feelings about the efficacy of mission trips and for whom they have the most gain. But that’s a post for another day.

Since I don’t go on many (or any) mission trips these days, I’ve incorporated “giving back” in other ways.

They feel little. But…

A whole lot of littles add up to a lot.

That’s why I’m excited to tell you about Trades of Hope, an organization my friend Teresa is working with. Let me first tell you about Teresa.

She’s organized, methodical, spontaneous, passionate, driven, loyal, thoughtful and complex.

She also happens to be petite, bespeckled and sweet.

She’s got a background in children and ministry and if ever you want your kids to have a rip-roaring good time while still being very safe, go to anything with Teresa’s stamp on it.

Teresa became an associate with Trades of Hope last year (this year? anyway it was winter-y), and again, because Teresa is such a thorough researcher, I knew she didn’t go into Trades of Hope lightly.

These are my Trades of Hope earrings.

This is an organization that supports women who have lived through difficult life situations. These women are just as skilled, intelligent, resourceful and committed as you or I. They just don’t have access to the same resources that we frequently take for granted. Many of these women have pasts in sex slavery, sweat shops, have been shunned from their families because of physical disabilities, or are from war torn countries. These women are now supporting themselves by selling their products fair trade through Trades of Hope.

Each woman has a story. You can read all about the Trades of Hope story on Teresa’s homepage here: www.mytradesofhope.com/teresamiller

I’m hosting a party at my house soon, and as part of the preparations for it, I’ve decided to have my first blog give away. Here’s how this will work…I think…

The contest will stay open until August 25, 2013, 11:59pm CST.

In order to be entered into the contest you must do two things:

1. Go to Teresa’s Facebook page and hit “like”. Here’s her link: https://www.facebook.com/TeresaMillerTradesOfHope

2. Scurry back here and leave a comment on this post that lets me know you accomplished #1 (see above).

3. Wait impatiently for August 25 to pass. (See above)

4. On August 26, I will select a name at random from the entries and announce it on this blog. I’ll give instructions on how to contact me and claim your prize.

5. The prize is a gorgeous Nepali Aqua scarf from Trades of Hope. Look it up when you are on Teresa’s page. It is really pretty.

This is a perfect chance for you to sample an item sold by Trades of Hope, just as a teaser of all the goodies they have available. If you like scarves, purses, bags, earrings, necklaces, bracelets, etc. that are beautiful and sold at a fair price with the money going to support a woman in a underprivileged area, this is a great organization to be involved with.

So go on now, scoot. Go like Teresa’s Facebook page and come back and tattle on yourself to be entered into the drawing. And if you’re someone who was invited to the party at my house, can you let me know if you are coming? Otherwise I’ll have stuffed mushrooms coming out my ears ’cause I’ll make too many. I wish I could invite everyone to come over because I’m excited about Trades of Hope and I’d love for you to meet Teresa. She’s a wonderful person to know.

Global Leadership Summit: Multipliers and Innovators

15
Aug

How can I sum up two days of seminars by world class speakers and leaders?

How can approximately 16 hours be distilled into a blog post?

Arizona's highest Summit - Mount Humphreys - F...

Photo credit: Al HikerAZ

It’s not really possible, but over the next couple weeks we’re gonna give it a try.

If I had to pick three words to describe the theme of the Global Leadership Summit, I’d pick:

Leadership,

Courage,

and

Innovation

Of course leadership is in there, since the overarching purpose of these conferences is leadership development.

But the other themes focused on the courage that leadership requires, particularly when innovating.

It takes courage to look at things from a new perspective. It takes courage to do things differently from how they’ve been done. It takes courage to invite others to know us on a personal level rather than keeping things “all business” all the time. And it is connection that keeps people engaged.

The Summit had so many great speakers with so many insights that it continues to reveal itself even after it concluded. So I hope you’ll allow me to percolate on the experience and share those things that rise to the surface after some time has passed. I anticipate picking about four posts to follow, but not all in a row.

For today, I’d like to leave you with a quote from Liz Wiseman. This applies to businesses and organizations (as much of the Summit is intended to) but it can be even bigger than that and apply to interactions with almost anyone you encounter. You can find a link to her book below. Also, if you want to find out more about the Global Leadership Summit, here is a link to their page: http://www.willowcreek.com/events/leadership/ But I wrap things up today, consider what would change in your day is you approached the world with this underlying belief. I think it has significant implications on many levels.

Multipliers believe that people around them are smart and will figure it out.

http://www.amazon.com/Multipliers-Best-Leaders-Everyone-Smarter/dp/0061964395/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1376574609&sr=1-1&keywords=liz+wiseman+multipliers

Should I Lie to My Daughter About Kindergarten Shots?

7
Aug

Today my daughter has a well-child doctor appointment. She’s healthy, growing well. She finally eats more nutritious things so I think I can say with confidence we’re out of the phase when the only fruit or veggie she’d eat was applesauce and the occasional banana. I have no doubt that she’ll get a glowing report of her progress since her last well-child check up.

The problem is kindergarten.

Princess Teacup starts kindergarten next month.

Unless you’re a conscientious objector and fill out the correct forms, all kids must have their immunizations up to date in order to start kindergarten.

Immunizations mean shots.

There’s no “maybe” about it. I know for a fact that she’s due for them and that she’ll get the shots (probably four) today at the appointment.

When I mentioned it to her in passing two weeks ago — you know, just let her know the possibility of shots was out there for her as part of the milestone of starting kindergarten — she turned red and tears filled her eyes. She promptly ran to her room, hid under her covers and shouted, “I just want to be alone right now!”

You can see why I haven’t brought it up again.

This has made me weigh different options in my mind. Princess Teacup has two older brothers, and in the past I’ve tried to keep them informed of what to expect, how to handle getting a shot, etc. with a lot of lead time so they could get used to the idea and we could talk about how to get through it.

That didn’t work so well.

The oldest specifically said he wished he hadn’t know about the shots until they were about to do them. This comes from a kid who tends to worry, so by the time the shots came, he had built up the event until it was a scheduled amputation rather than a round of immunizations.

I think I’ve tried to block it from my memory but if I try hard I can remember a couple nurses holding him down during that appointment.

Things with the second are a little foggy, but I’m pretty sure I told him about his appointment a few days before. I remember saying I wasn’t sure what was going to happen but shots were a possibility. I felt a little more comfortable with some fuzziness around the edges of truth on that one (I knew full well he was going to need shots) but not all the way willing to tell him he wasn’t going to get shots.

Princess Teacup is our last person to enter kindergarten. Will I lie and assure her she will not need shots as we enter the clinic? Will I soothe her with falsehood as we sit in the waiting room and watch the fish tank? Will I look her in the eye and feign shock when, during the appointment, the nurse or doctor informs us immunizations are necessary?

It’s a strong possibility.

One thing I’m totally sure of: there will be huge amounts of ice cream afterwards. I’ll bring her favorite stuffed animal to the doctor’s office so she’ll have it if she wants it. I’ll have suckers in my purse and she can play games on my phone all she wants.

Bribery? Guilt offering? Soothing my guilty conscience?

Maybe.

But I’m okay with that…for today.

Do you have any vivid memories of getting shots as a kid? If you have kids, how do they handle difficult doctor’s appointments? Concerning stressful events, do you think it is better for kids to have a lot of information ahead of time or not much, and why?

Does Your Fear of Missing Out Keep You Plugged In?

4
Aug

Things have been quiet around here. My family and I were away for a few days, enjoying some serious summer appreciation and a change of scenery together. I thought about telling you all the specifics beforehand, secretly because I hoped you’d be concerned about my quietness, but I decided against it, just in case a couple of you would try to come by and take our chickens while I wasn’t looking. Just kidding — I know none of you would do that, and plus, if you needed a chicken bad enough to drive out here to take one, I’d like to think I would have offered it had you asked.

While I was gone I discovered that I missed checking in with my online peeps. This is weird to me, because I hadn’t thought I had much in the way of online friendships (I’m pretty sure it’s a one-way street and I’d be flabbergasted to discover that my absence was noticed). On the one hand there was a sense that I was missing my daily newspaper. But on the other, I had a sense that I sit one table over from the cool kids and get to listen to their conversation without actually being a part of it.

There’s another aspect of consistently checking the twitter feed or other favorite internet sites.

It’s pragmatism.

In this culture of instant reaction and the unpredictable nature of what will go viral, to be unplugged is to potentially miss an opportunity. Make the right comment on an article or write the right reaction piece and you can ride the wave of interest. In the quest to be distinguished from the masses, it seems the expectation is to have your finger on the pulse of trends and conversations and be one step ahead of others. You can try to arrive fashionably late but you’ll be out of luck because they lock the doors promptly. They’re persnickety about these things.

The problem is that in an attempt to scan the headlines and popular posts, we can neglect to pay attention to our non-online lives — our real lives.

When our online life trumps our real life, we have a real problem.

Opportunities are important. Yes. We want to be prepared to see opportunity when it comes and aligns with our goals.

Ultimately, though, relationships are the thing life is all about. The ability to have relationships in person is what feeds us in vital ways. Amongst innumerable other things, when you have great moments in your work life, they are made more meaningful when you have real life people who can celebrate with you.

Being constantly online is like being that friend who says ‘maybe’ to everything, and can’t commit to a specific event/party/plan because she doesn’t want to miss something better that might come along.

There are (many) times when relationships are happening face to face, in real time, in real life, and those are the people who need our attention. When we disengage from a conversation in order to respond to those frequent audible alerts to online activity, or when I can’t get my nose out of the MacBook, as it were, I devalue the interaction happening around me.

Do I think everybody should be restricted from checking their smartyphones during any possible interaction while they’re out and about?

No.

Do I think it is healthy to create boundaries around when we choose to be online even though we have the electronic capacity to be online all the time?

Yes.

When you forget to engage the real world, you miss out on possible inspiration for new perspectives and insights.

Our health will suffer.

Our relationships with nearby humans will suffer.

Our pets will suffer. Think of the pets, people. 😉

Sincerely, though, allowing yourself to turn off the glowing blue screen can free you from the pressure to be omnipresent, alert to all possible next-big-things and current whiz-bangs of the virtual world.

Internet notoriety has a short lifespan so let’s not sweat it. If we miss this “big thing”, there will be another big controversy or new angle for us to react to in a few days. Until then, let’s unplug every once in a while and enjoy doing summer with those we love.

Do you find it hard to unplug? How does it feel when you are unplugged on purpose versus against your will? How do you think it could benefit you to decrease the amount of time you spend online?

Five Minute Friday: Story

2
Aug

You might have noticed that on Fridays I have started to link up with Lisa-jo Baker (lisajobaker.com) pretty consistently. She hosts a Five Minute Friday blog prompt and it has been a great way to connect with others (online) around the country. It is easy to feel like you’re operating in a vacuum when your little blog gets few comments, and when blogging is something you quietly plug away at with the hopes it will matter someday. Five Minute Friday is one way I’ve found to connect with others who are also exploring this blogging thing in various ways, and if you are at all interested in finding encouragement and really great people, I suggest you check it out.

Here’s how it works. Check her site for the word prompt. Start your timer. Write for five minutes and five minutes only. Don’t worry about it all making sense or being perfect. This is an exercise whose goal is to release you from all that doubt. Write for the fun of it. Now link it up so we can all benefit from your unedited brilliance.

Today’s prompt: Story.

Ready.

Set.

Go.

***

I can’t think of this word without Donald Miller’s book jumping into my head. Love him or hate him (or somewhere in between) he wrote a compelling book about story, and about changing your life’s story, Million Miles in A Thousand Years.

It informs the way I talk about family with my children.

See, as a kid it never dawned on me that I had a contribution to make to the ethos of my family. All my parent’s lines of “He’s your brother so he’s your best friend” fell on mostly deaf ears. I focused only on myself and on how I could relate to people outside my household, and didn’t pay much attention to how I related to my younger siblings (I’m oldest of four kids). Mostly they annoyed me and I tolerated them with the aggrieved air of my teenaged angst.

When my husband and I talk about family with our three kids today, we talk about creating the kind of family you want. We talk about their role as co-creators. We talk about all members having an important role to play. We talk about how one person doesn’t get to decide for the whole family what that family is going to be like.

They have a voice.

And because they have a voice, that gives them some power. Their input is valued.

Is this family a democracy?

Heck no.

It’s a dictatorship, with my husband and I as benevolent tyrants.

But we listen.

And we explain.

And we encourage.

And we try again.

Our family is not a set in stone family, one that has rules and traditions that must.not.be.broken. We try stuff, we let it go, we forget, we pick it up again if it worked, if it didn’t, we cast it aside and let it roll under the couch along with the other rogue Legos, single socks and tumbleweeds. But we all have a role to play. The story that is our family will be shared by my husband and I as well as Rex, Bobo and Princess Teacup. Maybe not equally shared yet, but shared and co-created alongside our Creator.

***

STOP.

What was your role in your family growing up? What kind of story you are creating with your life every day? What is one way today you could create the life-story you desire?

Summer is for Hanging Out

26
Jul

My husband and father in law were working on adjusting the dock earlier this summer. I opened the sliding glass door, intent on sitting on the deck with a magazine while they slaved away in the cold water. Instead, I saw this and had to do a double take:

Anyway, we’re headed to do some summering so it will be quiet around the blog for a bit. I’d like to take this moment to thank you for being a part of my blogging experience. I really appreciate you. Now you’ll have to excuse me — I have to go help get my husband back onto the deck.

–Blessings!

Five Minute Friday: Broken

26
Jul

It seems that I’ve gotten into a habit. For the past few Fridays I’ve linked up with Lisa-jo Baker who gives a word prompt on her website (http://lisajobaker.com). You write for five minutes and don’t worry it being perfect, then you link up to her site. It’s a lot of fun, and apparently I’m hooked!

****

At our house a lot of things get broken. Lego creations are notorious breakers. Certain pop-bead necklaces break with one little yank. We pretend our bokes break so we can bring them to the Fix-it Shop (usually me with a screw driver in hand) and get them fixed up. These are things I can handle, even if I’m not good at taking time to glue on tiny toy hands that have popped off in a particularly violent battle.

I’m not sure how I’ll handle broken hearts.

I know they’ll come, but I don’t know how to watch my children suffer.

When I was around the age my oldest child is now, I had a hard year at school. I was shunned and I never found out why. There may not even have been a reason why.

What I knew what that those who had been my closest friends suddenly weren’t anymore.

More than that, they actively were un-friends.

They drew mean pictures of me.

They gave me a mean nickname.

They put their desks together in a group and left me as a deserted island.

I’m thankful that I had one friend who remained, even when all others turned away.

Maybe that’s what I can pray for my kids when they face their own heartbreak — that they’ll each have one person who they can turn to (not counting their dad and me). That one person can make it bearable.

STOP

****

Did you have a childhood friend who stuck by you? Have you gotten over your big childhood heartbreaks and if so, how?

Secret Indredient Soup, Part 2: What’s Your Missing Ingredient?

25
Jul

My mom is a great cook. No, I mean it. When my mom gets going she lays out a spread of dishes that, when taken together, represent the depth of her care for the people she’s entertaining. (She’s also wickedly funny, but that’s for another day.) She has a gift for cooking intuitively, and she sticks only to the bare essentials of a recipe. After she’s got those taken care of she wings it, adding a little of this, a dash of that, so she couldn’t tell you exactly how to replicate the recipe she served. Even soup becomes multi-faceted with complex flavor profiles (thank you, Top Chef, for altering my terminology so I could say something more than, “This tastes yummy.”). You could try to follow her recipe, but it will never end up tasting as good as what she made.

Contrast that with my dear friend who we’ll call Velveeta, who is also a good cook but cooking without a recipe would drive her bonkers. When the two of us were out of town together and wanted to make a raspberry brie appetizer, it seemed pretty straightforward – you spread raspberries and rosemary on top of a wheel of Brie and wrap it all in pastry dough. It was Velveeta who felt compelled to phone her husband and ask him to find the recipe in her cookbook. She thoroughly relied on it. And because of that she has consistently solid results and you can be sure that her recipe card will include all the ingredients.

Let’s go back to Kung Fu Panda.

When Po, the panda who has been chosen as the Dragon Warrior, worked at his father’s noodle shop, he was never given the recipe for his father’s signature Secret Ingredient Soup. Oh, and Po’s dad is a duck.

Does your life ever seem like you’ve been given a recipe that’s missing an important ingredient?

When Po thinks he can’t handle being the Dragon Warrior and the whole valley has to evacuate, Po talks to his dad about his sense failure. He even admits to his dad that sometimes he wonders if he’s even his son.

His dad takes the opportunity to tell Po something he should have told him long ago…the secret to his Secret Ingredient Soup.

Dad: The secret ingredient is…nothing. There is no secret ingredient.

Po: Wait – what? It’s just plain old noodle soup? Doesn’t it have some kind of special sauce or something?

Dad: To make something special you just have to believe it’s special.

Po: There is no secret ingredient…

Is that a cheap parlor trick or is it more true than we like to admit?

If there’s no secret ingredient, that means that I can take responsibility for my own path.

If there’s no special sauce, I can’t claim that I don’t have the right background or upbringing to achieve my dream.

If there’s no special ingredient, then (gulp) I’m all my kids’ve got.

Sometimes it is easier to throw up our hands and complain about the cards we were dealt. But if we were all dealt the same hand, then the thing that matters is what we do with it..with that hand…

I mean, that deck of cards…

Wait…

Ugh, you know what I mean.

It is easy to find reasons why things don’t go well, if that’s what you’re looking for. In this scenario reasons = excuses. There’s usually somebody to blame, even if it’s a stretch to make the blame fit. It is a huge departure when we believe that we have what it takes to get it done, to achieve it, to create it, to find that solution.

Truthfully, it is a bit terrifying.

Po from Kung Fu Panda (Photo credit: Antony Pranata)

If I start thinking I have what it takes, who will I blame if things go wrong?

If I start taking responsibility for the course of my life, what will I do if it doesn’t go my way?

Don’t worry about that just yet. Let’s review the beauty of the Kung Fu Panda lesson.

“To make something special, you just have to believe it’s special.”

I’m gonna get all up and personal in here for a second.

Scoot your chair in closer.

“YOU are special.”

Yes, I’m talking to YOU.

I know. You’re going to tell me all the reasons you’re not. All the reasons I’m wrong. All the things that prove that I don’t know what I’m talking about.

Shhh….

You’re not listening.

To make something special, you just have to believe it’s special.

You may not think you have what it takes. But you do. You may have to dig deep into your personal reserves. You may have to let go of some other things that have been getting in your way (ie. excuses, self-protection, sleep) but you can do it.

Remember, there is no secret ingredient.

As you read the stories of people who have achieved their dreams, sure there are sometimes when they happened to be in the right place at the right time. But frequently that was able to happen because they got out of bed and made themselves available many times prior to that occasion.

What about the moms out there who are not convinced that they can do this mom thing?

You aren’t missing a crucial “mom-gene” that other people received when all those hormones washed over them during pregnancy. You can do this mom thing. You have what your kids need. If you feel that you are lacking, welcome to the sisterhood my friend, because most of us feel we are lacking in at least one area of our parenting. Be the best you that you can be, work on those areas you know are weak, don’t allow your issues to become your child’s issues, and when you screw up (which you will, we all do) admit it and try again.

Maybe a more accurate kung fu statement is that YOU are the secret ingredient. Not your neighbor, not your partner, not your cubicle-mate, not your mammy, not your granny.

You are the secret ingredient.

So put yourself into the recipe of your life like broccoli in the LeAnn Chin Broccoli Beef (’cause we all know there’s hardly any beef to be found in there). Don’t hold back. Trust yourself. Learn. Listen. Try.

You got this.

What is the secret ingredient you feel you’ve been lacking? What goals do you have that seem out of reach? What would be impacted if you changed your mindset and started to believe that there was no secret ingredient?

“Tonkotsu + shoyu” not only did the perky staff create a friendly eating atmosphere but they also flavored my soup with a secret ingredient while carrying my food to the table (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Secret Ingredient Soup Part 1: What’s Your Soup?

22
Jul

If you’ve ever seen Kung Fu Panda, then you’ll get a sense of my type of humor. I will watch virtually anything (clean) Jack Black is in. Even if he does the voice of a cartoon character (as he does in Kung Fu Panda), I’ll watch it. Those eyebrows, that heart, that extreme bodaciousness (I think he’d approve of that term) brings me back for more. I’m pretty sure he and his family should come over and grill out with my family and I. We’d have a great time. I’d invite over some of our other famous friends as well, just ’cause I think they’d all get along: Katy Perry, Justin Timberlake and Jen Aniston. I’m sure there’s others who’d like to come, but scheduling for these guys is a BEAST these days.

Kung Fu Panda (Photo credit: niallkennedy)

I will now warn you that if you have plans to rent Kung Fu Panda, you should skip the next paragraph, then read the rest. How’s that for a spoiler alert? 😉

Not to tell you something you already know, but the storyline of Kung Fu Panda is that he loves kung fu and idolizes the kung fu masters, the Fantastic Five. He gets chosen as the Dragon Warrior, the one who will save the valley from the enemy, and he has to rise to meet the challenge. Except that he doesn’t know kung fu and…he’s a fat panda bear who works in a noodle restaurant that’s specialty is Secret Ingredient Soup, the recipe for which his dad won’t share.

The thing about most people is that they believe there is something lacking in themselves. They are too young, too old, too chubby, too slow or whatever the descriptor. There is some attribute which keeps them from whatever it is they deeply desire.

This same hang-up keeps us away from God as well. We might be willing to engage Him from a distance, but any closer and the same things pop up again.

I’ve screwed up too much.

I’ve been too big a jerk.

It’s been too long.

Moms feel their mothering inadequacy keenly. ‘Other parents seem to be able to keep it together,’ these moms think, ‘but I am just barely keeping all these dependent people alive and in clean diapers.’

Why can’t I get this kid to sleep at night?

Why won’t my child use the potty?

Why can’t I get my baby on a predictable schedule?

Why is this so hard for me?

We compare ourselves to others, and this is to our detriment, whether we measure up or not. We fall short = we feel crappy. We rise above = we feel smug, or we condescend or patronize that poor thing who just can’t get her act together (even if this is only said in our thoughts). Either way, we lack an even response and usually our perspective is skewed.

Gazpacho (Photo credit: texascooking)

We start to think there is something others have which we lack. We missed the memo. We were out sick when that was covered in class. Nobody will give us the recipe for Secret Ingredient Soup. Because of this we throw up our hands and resign ourselves to just accept whatever happens to us.

Whatever happens to us.

Happens to us.

The action comes towards us and we have to constantly react to it.

We are passive. We are acted upon, rather than active act-ors.

This can warp the way I see the panoramic view of my entire life. I am a powerless hunk of driftwood, tossed around on the waves of the ocean.

But it doesn’t have to be this way.

For right now, let’s just reflect on what areas of our lives we feel landlocked. Where are we stuck? When do we feel like other people have the advantage? What makes it feel this way? Is this just a feeling or is there actual evidence for it? Does your theology inform this approach to life and to God?

Not to get all kung fu-y on you, but that is enough for now, Grasshopper. Let’s just think about what thing in our lives is our own personal Secret Ingredient Soup. And come back later this week and we’ll talk some more about it. Until then…~blessings!

Would you be willing to share an area of your life where you feel stuck? Do you think your idea of God helps or hinders this stuck-ness? What do you think others have that you lack?