Last month after I posted my blog my washing machine died on me, just as I was preparing to go to a writers’ conference. I’d been saving up for the trip and then I had to use the money to get my washer fixed. You know, I thought it just wasn’t God’s will.
One night I knelt down in my bedroom and cried out oh Lord, why now? What do you want from me? I didn’t know if a writing career was God’s will for me, so I put my fleece before the Lord and prayed (Judges 6:1-40).
Before my knees hit the floor, that still small voice reminded me of 20 years ago when I thought I was invincible before my accident, I literally walked out of the club scene and found myself sitting in silence crying out to God for a second chance; I told God to take my life before I did. I was chained to sin.
I needed grace, I wanted a new start. I knew I had walked away from everything I learned about Jesus as a child. For six years I tried to live it up like the world. I was dead in my sin; I needed to live again (Ephesians 2:1-5.)
LIFE?
Life means different things to different people. Webster’s dictionary defines it as, “The sequence of physical and mental experiences that make up the existence of an individual, the ability to grow, change, etc.”
Face it, life isn’t about having things or lots of money and a big mansion. Jesus told His followers to store up treasures in heaven, not on earth (Matthew 6:19-21.) Because this world is not our home, we are misfits in a world of temporary things (1 Peter 2:11-12.) The gospel gets us to heaven, not the best life here!
Life is made up of many diverse experiences. Growth and change occur when we apply what we learn from our experiences to our lives. Life is not always a bed of roses—a full life is made up of positive and negative things (Romans 8:28-30). Trials and tough times build our character and faith.
Don’t tell me what you believe, show me. There are many things I’d like to share with millennials, but here are my top 5 words of wisdom (Phil. 4:9.)
• Get your heart broken often, it’ll teach you what real love is.
• It’s okay to give up on a dream; it will give God room to work and expand your horizon.
• If you want to change the world, be the change.
• There is life outside of momma's house.
• Hard times and suffering aren’t all that bad; they let you know you’re still alive.
If you’re a millennial, there’s still hope, 25 years ago no one thought my generation (Generation X) would amount to anything either. But we had an epiphany and learned the hard way about hard love.
One of my favorite pastimes is cooking, especially old family recipes or culture specialties, I cook a lot of German dishes. The first step in cooking German cuisine with meat is make sure the meat as tender.
This requires using a tenderizing mallet. The meat is pounded until it is about a quarter of an inch thin. This allows the meat to be cooked thoroughly through without drying it out.
My favorite is chicken schnitzel; I learned how to cook it in Colorado a few years ago. Actually, I learned a lot in Colorado. I took a trip to the top of Pikes Peak with some friends.
As beautiful as it was up there, ironically nothing can grow, once you’re above the timberline the air is too thin for life to grow. The mountaintop has some majestic views, but no life.
MOUNTAINTOPS?
Everyone wants to be on top of the mountain, but growth comes in the hills and valleys. Jesus told a parable about the kind of soil that gives life (Matthew 13:1-23).
Most of Jesus’ followers were commoners and farmers, almost Bohemian—not big leaders or the elite. They knew to listen to the Master; they understood what kind of soil would yield life.
They saw how weeds and pestilence could choke out life. They knew rough seasons come, but if they waited life would return.
Sometimes God doesn’t help or give us what we want because He is shaping us into who His masterpiece, full of life and faith.
A couple of weeks ago I received an email from the directors of the conference informing me I had received a scholarship to attend.
We don’t always get second chances in life or understand why; all I know is a God is amazing! So grab the reins of life and hold on to God when trials come, they aren’t to harm you, but for your life!
One night I knelt down in my bedroom and cried out oh Lord, why now? What do you want from me? I didn’t know if a writing career was God’s will for me, so I put my fleece before the Lord and prayed (Judges 6:1-40).
Before my knees hit the floor, that still small voice reminded me of 20 years ago when I thought I was invincible before my accident, I literally walked out of the club scene and found myself sitting in silence crying out to God for a second chance; I told God to take my life before I did. I was chained to sin.
I needed grace, I wanted a new start. I knew I had walked away from everything I learned about Jesus as a child. For six years I tried to live it up like the world. I was dead in my sin; I needed to live again (Ephesians 2:1-5.)
LIFE?
Life means different things to different people. Webster’s dictionary defines it as, “The sequence of physical and mental experiences that make up the existence of an individual, the ability to grow, change, etc.”
Face it, life isn’t about having things or lots of money and a big mansion. Jesus told His followers to store up treasures in heaven, not on earth (Matthew 6:19-21.) Because this world is not our home, we are misfits in a world of temporary things (1 Peter 2:11-12.) The gospel gets us to heaven, not the best life here!
Life is made up of many diverse experiences. Growth and change occur when we apply what we learn from our experiences to our lives. Life is not always a bed of roses—a full life is made up of positive and negative things (Romans 8:28-30). Trials and tough times build our character and faith.
Don’t tell me what you believe, show me. There are many things I’d like to share with millennials, but here are my top 5 words of wisdom (Phil. 4:9.)
• Get your heart broken often, it’ll teach you what real love is.
• It’s okay to give up on a dream; it will give God room to work and expand your horizon.
• If you want to change the world, be the change.
• There is life outside of momma's house.
• Hard times and suffering aren’t all that bad; they let you know you’re still alive.
If you’re a millennial, there’s still hope, 25 years ago no one thought my generation (Generation X) would amount to anything either. But we had an epiphany and learned the hard way about hard love.
One of my favorite pastimes is cooking, especially old family recipes or culture specialties, I cook a lot of German dishes. The first step in cooking German cuisine with meat is make sure the meat as tender.
This requires using a tenderizing mallet. The meat is pounded until it is about a quarter of an inch thin. This allows the meat to be cooked thoroughly through without drying it out.
My favorite is chicken schnitzel; I learned how to cook it in Colorado a few years ago. Actually, I learned a lot in Colorado. I took a trip to the top of Pikes Peak with some friends.
As beautiful as it was up there, ironically nothing can grow, once you’re above the timberline the air is too thin for life to grow. The mountaintop has some majestic views, but no life.
MOUNTAINTOPS?
Everyone wants to be on top of the mountain, but growth comes in the hills and valleys. Jesus told a parable about the kind of soil that gives life (Matthew 13:1-23).
Most of Jesus’ followers were commoners and farmers, almost Bohemian—not big leaders or the elite. They knew to listen to the Master; they understood what kind of soil would yield life.
They saw how weeds and pestilence could choke out life. They knew rough seasons come, but if they waited life would return.
Sometimes God doesn’t help or give us what we want because He is shaping us into who His masterpiece, full of life and faith.
A couple of weeks ago I received an email from the directors of the conference informing me I had received a scholarship to attend.
We don’t always get second chances in life or understand why; all I know is a God is amazing! So grab the reins of life and hold on to God when trials come, they aren’t to harm you, but for your life!