Fresh Play-Doh

As a mom of a 4 year old girl and 3 year old boy, one of the perks of my job is getting to play with Play-Doh! On inside days when the kiddos get bored or cranky, I pull out the big basket where all the brightly colored dough and various cutters and stencils are stored and we have a blast making "cookies" and other various creations!

The thing is, you have to be careful with Play-Doh. Sometimes if we get too busy and forget to put it back in the containers to store it properly, the dough gets hard and crumbly and it's no longer moldable. When it's not moldable, I have to throw it away because it's no longer fun or useful.

As I was throwing out a dried up can of blue the other day, I was struck by the thought that if not we're not careful we can become like crumbly, dried out Play-Doh on our Christian journey. At first we are full of color and possibility...we have soft hearts and are open and willing for God to shape us and mold us into the girl He wants us to be.

But then life gets tough. Friends we love abandon us, people we trust spread lies about us, family members we need aren't there for us. And we let our faith dry out and our hearts grow hard, until we are no longer moldable and useful for God.

And just like Play-Doh, as our hearts grow hard we can literally start to crumble and fall apart. All that's left of us are tiny pieces of what was once a life that could have been shaped into something really special.

I want to be like fresh Play-Doh! I want to keep a soft, tender heart no matter how mean people and life can be. I don't want to let bitterness make me hard and tough, causing me to eventually crumble. I never want to start trusting in myself or think I have it together without God, losing sight of how He could shape me into something beautiful.

And sweet girl, my dream for you is that you too will desire to remain soft-hearted and moldable, trusting that God, who is more creative than we could ever dream, will shape you into something incredible if you carefully store your life in His hands.

P.S. "The amazing thing is that no matter how hard or crumbly we may become, God will never throw us away! He has the amazing ability to restore our life, our malleability, and our color. So, if you have found yourself dried up or rough around the edges, find comfort in the fact that the Greatest Potter of All can and will still use you. If you only let him!" Thank you to my friend Emily for this addendum...beautifully put and so, so true!!!

Reminds me of Isaiah 61:3 where the Bible says God can make beauty from ashes, and gladness from sorrow. Only God can do something so beautiful, if we will just allow Him to.

Love to all!

Kindness...Love in Action

Girls, I have been dying to share something with you that I read in the book The Love Dare. Those of you who have seen the movie "Fireproof" know about this book; for those of you haven't, it's a 40 day challenge for husbands and wives to understand and practice real, unconditional love...but something I read recently made me think of you!!

Okay, the topic for the day was kindness.

The authors defined kindness as "love in action." I love that!

The verse was Ephesians 4:32 "Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you."

And the quote that brought you girls immediately to mind was this - "Love makes you kind. And kindness makes you likeable. When you're kind, people want to be around you. They see you as being good to them and good for them."

Yes!

Every teenager I know has a strong desire to be liked. Every teenager I know desires for people to want to be around them. But oddly enough, some teenagers resort to being unkind to try to accomplish this goal. They think putting others down will somehow elevate their status or make them popular and well-liked.

Newsflash girlfriends...the Bible says the exact opposite, that being kind is what will draw people to you - that loving is actually showing kindness to those around you! If you want to be liked, try being nice - truly, consistently nice to all types of people - and see what happens!

And if you text or facebook "ily" to someone, prove it not with those three little letters, but with actions, specifically those of kindness!

The Love Dare ends each day with a challenge. So this morning I will leave you girls with a challenge - show your love for others today by being kind, tender-hearted, and forgiving, just like Jesus Christ did for you. This, my friends, is love in action!

Have a fabulous day!

Take a Little Time to Worship

Tonight, while off to run a few errands together as a family, we had about an hour in the car together. My kids love praise and worship music, and requested "Oh-oh" which is code for the song "Glorious" on Paul Baloche's new worship cd. As our super-cool gray minivan made its way to Kohls, we sang about God's glory, about his great love, and his sacrifice on the cross for us. And as that same super-cool van made its way back to the house where we make our home, we sang about rejoicing in the day God made and more about how he is glorious.

Here's the thing. I love worshiping God through song - always have, and always will. But on a recent trip to Chicago I heard a message from my husband's old pastor that has had me pondering worship in a different way...he talked about worship as fortification. So yeah, that's a big word, but it simply means walls or forms of defense to strengthen something. The pastor shared a story in the Bible where King Jehoshaphat put singers that were singing songs of worship to God in front of his army going into battle!!! Can you imagine a praise band heading into battle before well-trained soldiers today? And listen to what they sang...2 Chronicles 20:21 "After consulting the people, the king appointed singers to walk ahead of the army, singing to the LORD and praising him for his holy splendor. This is what they sang: "Give thanks to the LORD; his faithful love endures forever!"

Here's the deal...whether you precious girls realize it or not, you are in a battle. There is battle going on in our culture to make you feel insecure and hopeless, causing you to turn away from God and to things of the world to make you feel happy and confident. There is a battle in our culture to make you think that there is no truth, no right or wrong, and that anything goes...but sadly, most people learn this the hard way after they have experienced sometimes devastating consequences from this type of thinking.

The binge-drinker proving she can "hold her alcohol" dies after she stops breathing and no one around her is sober enough to realize what is going on and get appropriate help. The fast driver showing off for his friends gets in a crash that forever takes away the use of his legs. The anorexic who is constantly striving for control and perfection loses hair and does permanent damage to her organs.

If you stop and think about it, you know the drill. And you realize that yes, it's not easy being a teenager these days! But sweet girl, don't ever feel helpless in the battle. Not only do you have God's Word (the Bible) for advice as well as people in your life that love you and believe in you, you have a tool for fortification (there's our big word again)as the battle around you rages...worship!

Here's my suggestion to you. Go to itunes or your favorite music site, and download some great worship music onto your phone or ipod. And at some point in the day, whether it be as you are putting on your makeup before school or riding in the car to soccer practice, take a few minutes to worship. You will be amazed how much something as simple as praising God can do to give you strength to stand strong against temptation and stay true to your faith! You will be amazed even at the energy you will feel when you felt like you were completely drained and not able to face another day of school drama, family trouble, peer pressure, etc. after listening to a song like "Today is the Day" or "I'll Stand."

Worship can and will strengthen you in a world that is ready to tear you down. So take a few minutes to add some praise and worship music to your favorite song set and when you pop in your earphones, be ready to be blessed and strengthened in a way you would have never dreamed!

P.S. I will leave you with a few of my favorites in case you are completely unfamiliar with praise and worship music. Brooke Fraser "Hosanna" and "Lead me to the Cross"; Paul Baloche "Glorious" and "How Great is the Love"; Hillsong United "I'll Stand" and "Run"; Lincoln Brewster "Today is the Day" and "Everlasting God."

Happy downloading and worshiping!

You Find Out Who Your Friends Are

Friends. Life wouldn't be nearly as rich or beautiful without them. I have had many friends through the years that have added color and depth to different seasons of my life. I love friends.

But friends can also be frustrating. They can be confusing. Sometimes they can even cause heartbreak.

When I was a student, one of my least favorite things was having to find out who my friends really were. I couldn't stand hanging out with someone all weekend, laughing and having the time of our lives, and then being flat out ignored or treated with cool disdain when I approached them with a hello and a smile at school.

It was like, do you not remember how much fun we just had? Do you not recall how we stayed up all night at that sleepover watching movies, laughing our heads off, and sharing secrets? And now today in the hallowed halls of this institution in front of your other friends, I am suddenly not cool enough for you?

Frustrating. Confusing. Heartbreaking.

Hmm, maybe I should have added annoying to the list...

At any rate, there are times that we think we have found a true friend, only to find out they are not really a true friend, just a mere acquaintance that we will occasionally have fun with when there is no one "better" for them to hang out with. A true reality of life that is a bummer indeed.

Some of you are reading this while thinking um, this just happened to me last week...yesterday....this morning.

For those of you in that scenario I have absolutely fabulous news for you. There is a friend available to you that will be constant, true, loyal, and loving to you on your best and worst days. He doesn't care if your outfit just isn't working, your darling personality seems to have taken a vacation, or for some reason you are just not registering on the cool monitor that you feel daily critiqued by. He loves you for who you are, and for who he wants you to become.

His name is Jesus. And in the Bible , John 15:14-15 to be exact, He says ¹⁴ You are my friends if you do what I command. ¹⁵ I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn’t confide in his slaves. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me.

It has always blown me away that Jesus desires to be my friend. After all, he is God. He could just want me to be his daughter, worshiper, and follower. And while he does want me to be those things, beyond that he desires a friendship with me. And while I've been blessed to have some good friends through the years, there has never been a friend who has stuck by me like Jesus.

One of my favorite hymns says...

Have we trials and temptations?

Is there trouble anywhere?

We should never be discouraged;

take it to the Lord in prayer.

Can we find a friend so faithful

who will all our sorrows share?

Jesus knows our every weakness;

take it to the Lord in prayer.

("What a Friend We Have in Jesus" by Joseph Scriven, Charles Converse)

One of my favorites worship songs says...

Is it true that you are thinking of me?

How you love me....It's amazing!

I am a friend of God, I am a friend of God,

I am a friend of God, He calls me friend!

("I Am a Friend of God" by Israel Houghton)

And one of my favorite verses says...

"There is no greater love than to lay down one's life for one's friends (John 15:13)." And that's exactly what our God and friend Jesus did for us.

Embrace the friendship Jesus offers today. Honor him and do what he commands. Let him wrap you in his love, consistency, and true concern for your future and well-being.

And go out there and be a true friend to others around you, just like Jesus!