The Fish Tank

"The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly." John 10:10 NKJV When I was about 8 years old I went around my neighborhood with homemade invitations inviting all my neighborhood friends to a party. I was so excited to have all my friends over for this random event that I made up all on my own. I remember my mom asking what I was doing. Of course I hadn't run it by her first. Twenty-eight years later and not much has changed. I thrive on having people over. I love gathering together with others. It is the heart-beat of my life. I love connections, enjoying a meal around the table, and just being with others. I have had a few life-giving moments lately and it got me to thinking. We all have those relationships that suck us dry. Like the thief who comes to steal and destroy, we have relationships that rob us of an abundant life. It happens. If you are going to go into ...

As Jesus and the disciples continued on their way to Jerusalem, they came to a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. Her sister, Mary, sat at the Lord’s feet, listening to what he taught. But Martha was distracted by the big dinner she was preparing. She came to Jesus and said, “Lord, doesn’t it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me.” But the Lord said to her, “My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:38-42 When I was little, I used to play with all kinds of bugs, insects, and animals. I always had something in some kind of container. I remember playing with fuzzy black caterpillars on the tile in the entryway of our home. I recall holding a gecko by its tail when the tail broke off setting the lizard free. I tried to rescue a grasshopper...

In his book, Crash the Chatterbox, Steven Furtick talks about how we compare our everyday mundane lives to others' highlight reel. Social media has enhanced this quite a bit over the years. I have heard this quote repeatedly recently. As I sat on this quote realizing its truth, I began to wonder about perspective. How does one's perspective impact his or her life, whether positive or negative, and what does God have to say about the type of perspective we are supposed to carry? The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines perspective as, "the aspect in which a subject or its parts are mentally viewed; a view of things in their true relationship or relative importance." Hmmm...a view of things in their TRUE relationship or importance. I am not sure if my perspective on life and all that it entails is always true or relative to importance. For instance, I may blow something completely out of proportion because I am having an emotional or stressful day. My perspective of a l...

I look forward to the fall. Every year I wait for it like a kid waiting for Christmas morning. I love the big, bright, clear, blue Texas skies. The air is cool and crisp and the leaves begin to change to deep red, vibrant yellow, and burnt orange. The holiday season is on the horizon and I look forward to cooking, spending time with loved ones, and a house full of yummy scents. It seems, however, that every fall, my favorite time of year, I experience stresses. About two years ago, a very dear friend suddenly lost her sister in a tragic accident. She was a beautiful 30-something with her entire life ahead of her. At that time, Scott was traveling a lot. His co-worker was on a business trip and no one could reach him. Unfortunately, the man had a heart attack in his hotel room and had passed away. All I wanted to do was crawl in a hole and hold my family hostage keeping everyone safe and in a controlled environment. I wanted to keep everyone away from all the yucky stuff going on so t...

Dear Jackson, You are my precious first born; the one that first made me a mommy and forever changed my life. Little did I know when you were born what a grand effect you would have on me. We were driving down Preston Road when you were about four years old. You snuggled in the back seat between your two baby brothers asking loads of questions stumping me on most of them as you usually did. The question that stunned me was when you asked if you could pray to have Jesus in your heart. You were talking about Him and what salvation meant. You wanted Jesus. I quickly pulled over into the Whataburger parking lot, grabbed you out of your car seat, brought you up front with me, and we talked about Jesus. We talked about His life and what He did for us on that fateful day on the blessed beautiful cross. We talked about sacrifice and what that means and looks like in a four year old's mind and we talked about faith being personal. Then, we prayed together and you asked Jesus into your lif...

I love when a small little thought becomes something so much bigger. I began thinking about my life and where God fits. I wondered if I was truly allowing Him in or constantly pushing back on all that He had and wanted for my life. I know many of you have seen the picture of the little girl holding tightly to a small teddy bear. She is talking to God and He is trying to convince her to give Him the teddy bear. She cannot see the larger bear behind his back and is not convinced that what He has for her life is so much greater than that which she is holding tightly to. Her bear was so grand in her eyes that she couldn't see anything more. "The thief comes only to steal and destroy; I came that they may have life and have it abundantly." John 10:10 Jesus came to give us life. He came to give us abundant life. The thief, Satan, comes to rob us of the life He meant for us. Isn't it interesting that the Devil is sneaky enough to entice us with good things so we miss the...

Ebola. ISIS. Enterovirus. Economic crisis. Government conflict. There are few days in which the Today Show headlines consist of time-fillers and pop culture. I remember a world where major news stories were in the minority. Now it seems a horrific news story comes once a day if not every hour. With a case of Ebola forty-five minutes from my front door, I had to stop, take a deep breath, and reevaluate. Two or so years ago I cam face-to-face with a mighty giant in my life. I have written about my giant before in a blog entitled, "Crippling" describing what I went through and how I healed. Living in small quarters with a family of five, a large dog, and a traveling husband while building a house in a brand new community left me feeling anxious. Put yourself in that situation and the Lord will most definitely bring the skeletons out of your closet. While I feel I have a handle on and have learned to cope with my anxious thoughts, I can get pulled back there, especially as I wa...