Tuesday Tidbits (Volume 1, Edition 4)

 Swing your partner- Caleb recently went to an event sponsored by the Applachian Arts Alliance in downtown Hazard and came home with plenty of tales regarding all things Appalachian... well, some things Appalachian, anyway. His description of squaredancing took me back to LBJ and the Virginia Reel and Heel Toe Polka (I think is the name of it). There is such a thing as muscle memory and even thirty years later I can close my eyes and see myself "right right right". I wanted to dance right then! 

The Olympics came a year late and I've been so excited. 

Last week I watched the Opening Ceremony and the Parade of Nations made me a little teary-eyed. Thinking of what so many in the world have gone through in the past year... what so many are going through. Some athletes exuded joy, some appeared so solemn... I thought of what it must mean to represent your country. I loved the unique costumes during the Parade, how each one symbolizes something about their country. My favorites:  Aruba (that bluish-green is just what I picture the water to look like!), Uganda's dresses on their women, the orange of the Netherlands, the flowers of Krgystan (spellling?), Haiti's patchwork dresses, Luxembourg's shiny silver coats... and it always amazes me that I forget there are so many countries! 

When I was growing up, I always imagined being an Olympian. Not because I was particularly athletic, but I loved to pretend to walk the balance beam and any motel swimming pool was an Olympic lane. One time my aunt Lisa E. took me to UK's Aquatic Center where there really was an Olympic size pool with lanes and everything and I was in awe. I guess that's why I've always loved the Olympics... but as kids we don't think of the pressure that comes with carrying your country on your shoulders. 

Today I watched as Simone Biles has been debated across social media channels for opting out of team competition. Simone's life story is one of resiliency, and she stood up in the face of sexual exploitation of a whole slew of girls... went on to form her own gym and embrace pouring confidence into younger athletes. Today, she decided enough was enough. For whatever reason, she felt she needed to step out of the competition. I found myself thinking how we all cheered on Kerri in 1996 when she landed a vault in Atlanta on a badly hurt ankle. The picture of Bela holding her as she waved to the audience went viral for that time period... but as I've sat and thought about that, I see the sadness in it, as well. Today, I'm applauding Simone for recognizing that sometimes, admitting you are weak is really the greatest strength. 

There has to be a balance between just giving up because you are afraid and recognizing when you've had enough, but this is a conversation that we need to be having, and mental health matters! 

Looking to the future- Cheerleading is an Olympic sport! Cheerleaders everywhere are cheering! 

I've been thinking a lot about cats and dogs lately. I automatically think of cats as females and dogs as males. I'm not sure why... anyone else? 

What I Read This Week

1. The Goodbye Quilt by Susan Wiggs

2. The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead

3. First Women: The Grace and Power of America's Modern First Ladies by Kate Andersen Bower

Speaking of books...Tonight I went to a book signing with Caleb in Hazard. The book was Twilight in Hazard. I haven't read it but will be doing so. As I sat and listened to the author interact with the audience, I was reminded of the importance of using our own voices to tell our own stories. Try to do that sometime... don't let others define you! 

Lessons from Sunday School- Double Trouble (Volume 1 Edition 2)

 Today our sermon was from Genesis 25-27.... the story of Jacob and Esau. 

There are certain themes that run through God's Word. As a child, we may miss them, because our teachers focus on the stories and we can't often recognize the undercurrent... but as an adult, when thinking of application, we begin to see them emerge. 

The Bible is a love letter to each of us, yes. It's a roadmap for direction, and a source of comfort in difficult times. But recently as I have attempted to get back into a habit of reading His Word daily, I have been reminded by others that ultimately, the Bible points to God... and to Christ. It is a redemption story that allows us to come to know our Redeemer intimately. It shows us and teaches us about God, because He desires a relationship with His children, and before you can truly have a relationship, you have to know the other individual. 

I write all that to say this- one of the themes that is interwoven through Scripture is that the first will be last. What we see about God's character, what we come to know about Him, is that He loves us with no respect of person or status. 

The simple story you may  have heard as a child: 

Rebekkah is married to Isaac. Isaac is the son of promise, but that may be too complicated for you to understand, except maybe it makes you remember, "I am a promise. I am a possibility. I am a promise, with a capital P..." Rebekkah wants to have a baby. As a child, you don't understand the significance of children, that it is only through the children that women find their worth in this society... so Rebekkah is hopeless when she can't have a baby. 

Chances are, depending on when you grew up, you didn't even really get into that whole conversation, because pregnancy and babies weren't something that you talked about in polite companies. 

Anyhow, Rebekkah is going to have not one baby... but two... and they struggle in her womb. You probably didn't hear that part of the story, either... but the grown-up in me thinks this is a perfect picture of how we all act in tight spaces. Stuck somewhere with someone else that is different than you? There's going to be a struggle. 

Chances are, as a child, you probably started the story with two babies. Two twins. Not identical. In fact, as different from one another as they could be. They grow up with different interests. The older, Esau, is a hunter. The younger, Jacob, sticks to the tent. One is a Mama's boy... and it isn't the masculine hunter. 

So, one day, Esau comes in from working outside and is famished. Surely you can relate. He's not just hungry. He's HANGRY. He demands that Jacob gives him some of that red pottage like he did before, only Jacob sees his desperation and decides that he needs something from him. 

Because Esau is the firstborn, he's slated to get the birthright. The blessing. The inheritance. 

But Jacob knows Esau. He's grown up with him, and he knows his impulsive personality. He tells him he will only share his food if Esau gives him his birthright. 

For a child, you may not know what a birthright is... but your teacher may have compared it to your mom or dad's baseball card collection, only on a much grander scale. 

Esau, in his desperation, says, "I'm so hungry I'm going to die anyway, so what good will it do me?" The Bible doesn't tell us, but I'm pretty sure that Esau is a teenager, because I can hear that statement in a surly teenage voice, cracking from hormones. 

And that one decision... an impulsive one that he doesn't even consider... sets the ball in motion. This is a good time to point out that we shouldn't make impulsive decisions. We should prayerfully consider each action and avoid making a permanent solution for a temporary problem.

Fast forward a couple of years, and Isaac is on his deathbed. He is preparing to give the blessing, a blessing that Esau should receive... but remember how I said that theme about the first being last? In this family lineage, the younger brother tends to get the blessing. This story involves some trickery. Isaac wants some venison. Esau goes to hunt it. Rebekkah dresses Jacob up in a goatskin (can you even imagine??) and cooks Isaac a tasty food. Isaac, who can't see, says, "It smells like Jacob, but it feels like Esau"... so he blesses him. 

In our adult application, this is a good time to point out that how we feel or what we feel can be deceiving... 

So Jacob gets the birthright through Esau's impulsive action, the blessing through his own deception, and Isaac dies. Jacob goes on the run because Esau is an angry man, and no amount of pottage is going to satisfy his anger... 

And Jacob, the deceiver, is a patriarch, a key member in the lineage of Jesus, because he goes on to become known as Israel and have 12 sons who birth a nation. 

God can take our mistakes and redeem them. 

God sees past our deceptions and uses all things for good. 

This story shows us that God's character is full of mercy, forgiveness, and redemption. 

We don't always understand that as kids, but as adults, when we mess up on the daily, we can appreciate it fully. 

Five Minute Friday: Order

 It's Friday! Fri-yay!!! If you're a regular around this page, you know I'm a nursing educator, so sometimes during the summer I don't know what the day is... but I saw a meme yesterday on Facebook that made me chuckle. It said, "The closer to August it gets, the more likely I am to know what day of the week it is." 

During the semester, my theme song should be "Everybody's workin' for the weekend." This summer, though, I have really tried to be intentional about my time, and I hope to continue that once I start back to work. I don't want to be that person who wastes their life wishing for another day...

With that being said, I hope your Friday is fabulous, your weekend feels long, and you do one thing that makes you smile. 

Around here, for the past few weeks, at least, since I've dipped my toes back into the writing water, Fridays also mean Five Minute Fridays, where I link up with other writers to write on a one-word prompt. I set a timer for 5 minutes and write... without editing (except I can't help but backspace if I see a spelling error), without overthinking, and then hit publish at the end of the five minutes. This week's prompt is: ORDER. 

and... GO...

My office, if you want to call it that, is a den of chaos. I have piles upon piles of books spilling out of bookshelves. There are three tubs of things I moved out of my office from Morehead... pictures and collectibles and conference notes. There's my yoga mat and my pound sticks. Bible study books, half finished. 

As I start focusing on what I want to do in the future, with school and work and writing, I know I need a designated space, so some sort of semblance of order needs to be created. The funny thing about order and organization is that what is "in order" for one person may not be "in order" for another. 

Case in point: every time I have ever attempted to organize an office, I lose something. Not permanently lose it, but when I start needing a form or notes I've taken on something, when it's "organized" it disappears. 

Order in my office and living space often occurs in stacks. Stacks of folders. Stacks of papers. Stacks of books. 

But is is ordered chaos, because when in stacks, I generally know which pile something is in. I can put my hand on it fairly quickly, depending on where it is in the stack. 

My "order" would drive somebody else crazy, but it works for me. 

I work best when I am surrounded by what appears to be disorder... I can picture back to when I was working on my research project for my doctorate. I would be sitting in my bed with piles of paper all around me, notes and journal articles and postits... 

and then, somehow, all those would be merged into one finished product. 

With a logical, recognizable order. 

So, with organization, if you aren't a pinterest perfectionist, don't despair. Figure out  a system and go with it. Just as beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so, too, is order. 

Check out other writers and their thoughts on order here. 

And share... how do you "put things in order?' 

Tuesday Tidbits (Volume 1 Edition 3)

 You are the expert on your life. This epiphany, if you want to call it that, came to me on one of my evening walks (as epiphanies often do).  Click the link to read my thoughts on gathering experts, and just deciding that you have to put in the work. 

It's Ok Not to Finish a Book-

Yes, I wrote that down. I have always been the kind of reader that feels guilty putting a book aside, but recently I was reading a book where some of the content just honestly made me uncomfortable, so I stopped it. I took it off my Goodreads list and told myself life is too short to spend it reading things that my conscious says I shouldn't... so now if only I could convince myself life is too short to read bad books. How about you? Do you finish every book you start? 

The Olympics!!! 

Y'all... I have loved the Olympics since I was little. I can remember going on vacation and pretending to be an Olympic swimmer in the larger pools, racing from one side to the other. Now I'll be the first to admit that I really know next to nothing about a lot of the events, and don't have one athletic bone in my body, but the excitement of competition makes me want to watch ALL the events. I was thrilled last week when I learned that our Peacock subscription allowed us to record the events. My favorites are gymnastics, swimming, diving, synchronized swimming, and I like the fast track and field events. None of those watching marathons for me... but I am not above acting like I know everything about every event. I especially love the opening and closing ceremonies. I'm sure I'll have some thoughts next week! 

School Supplies

I'm trying not to be too sad that summer is almost over, but one thing that I do get excited about are school supplies. I love pens and notebooks. I discovered Sharpie S-Gel pens earlier this year and if you're looking for a good ink pen, it's a safe bet. It comes in a variety of colors (I like purple), and can be fine or medium point. Highly recommend! 

Pic-Collage

Am I the only person who uses this to compare different things? Like if I'm trying to see if something is similar I'll snap a pic of the two things and put them side by side. Also, am I the only person that zooms in on stacks of books to see what other people are reading? 

Shout out to Small Businesses

Over the last year we all saw the importance of shopping local, and though I don't always do the best at it I'd like to encourage you to support your local businesses and restaurants. If you're in the Jackson area, stop by and see my friends at the Sno-zone (in the Walmart shopping center). They recently had a fundraiser for Aspire Appalachia and the cherry snocone I got hit the spot. They have a variety of flavors to choose from! 

Books I Read this Week (come back at the end of the month for full reviews)

1. The Island House by Nancy Thayer

2. First Comes Love by Emily Giffin

Lessons from Sunday School (Volume 1, Edition 1): It's Hot In Here

Today I had Children's Church. We take turns doing one Sunday a month, and since COVID and the flood we've had one group for ages 5-18. When I say that children's church isn't my calling, I'm being honest. I struggle with relating with little ones sometimes, but I can honestly say that I learn something from them each day. 

 

Last night I still hadn't determined what I was going to teach about, so I turned to facebook for inspiration. So many of my friends shared their favorite Bible stories, and I thought back to my own childhood Sunday School lessons. I can still remember cherry Kool-aid in styrofoam cups, vanilla cookies on white napkins, stories told on the flannel board, and coloring sheets depicting the Red Sea and Moses in a basket. 

I recognize that not everyone was raised in church, and even those who were go through a period of reconciling their own faith. Religion vs. relationship is something that we all must come to terms with, and sometimes we find that what we were taught isn't necessarily exactly how we see things, but that's ok. I watched a Bible study today and the author said, "Before we can preach truth to ourselves, we have to know it," and that's why it is so important that we continue to study the Bible... in-depth, so we know what it says. 

With that being said, we can still learn a lot from those Bible stories that we learned growing up. As an adult, it's good to go back and revisit them, because we see things from a different perspective, with different experiences.

 

Today, I taught from Daniel 1 and Daniel 3, the story of The Fiery Furnace. We meet the three young Hebrew boys and their friend Daniel in the first chapter. They are captive in Babylon, a foreign land. Some commentaries that I have read said that the Babylon king brought the finest young men to serve as captive, and left others who may not have had as much potential behind. We don't know their exact ages, but they were most likely teenagers. Imagine you are taken into a strange land as a teenager. We don't know if their parents have gone with them. All we know is they are in a foreign land, at an impressionable age. 

Early in their captivity, they are faced with decisions that must be made. The King entices them with choice food. I don't know about you, but I like to eat good stuff. Daniel, who seems to be the leader of the bunch, felt convicted that the King's food wasn't what they should partake of, and "purposed in his heart..."

I don't know about you, but as a teenager, I didn't purpose much in my heart. I might have refused food, but it would have been more about fitting into a smaller size of blue jeans than making a stand. We are told that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (formerly known as Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah... their names had been changed from names focused on the One True God to names that focused on Babylonian gods) follow suit. Instead of the king being upset, they found favor in his sight. And because of their resolve, and because God is faithful, He gave them wisdom and knowledge and understanding. 

Fast forward to a period of time, and the king gets the great idea to make a huge golden statue for everyone to worship. Remember the 10 Commandments that all Hebrew kids grew up reciting? Thou shalt have no other gods... thou shalt make no graven images? Well, ol' King Neb surely hadn't heard that story. He made a decree that everyone in the land should fall down and worship the statue. Cue the music.. 

And everyone fell to their knees... except three Hebrew boys. 

Here's the thing. Those "boys" had wisdom and knowledge and understanding... so they also would have known about the King's decree that anyone who did not worship would be thrown in the fiery furnace "that very hour".

 

The King heard they had refused to worship, and he was outraged. After all, these had been some his chosen captives! No doubt they had even received special treatment... and then they made him look like a fool. 

He called them in. "Is it true? Did you not follow my instructions? Did you refuse to worship?" 

The KJV says, as he is questioning them, he says, "Who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands?" 

One of the points I made today was that we have to be ready to answer regarding who our God is. I asked the kids who God was, and they said, "good" and "love" and I also added "faithful and just". 

The Hebrew boys stood tall in front of the King and were ready with their answer. They knew the fiery furnace was waiting, and they had to be afraid, but they were unrelenting. 

Daniel 3: 17-18, "If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up."

They basically said, "If God saves us, so be it, and if we die, so be that as well." I thought of Paul, who said, "To live is Christ, to die is gain."

So the King was outraged, and he ordered that the fiery furnace be made even hotter. They were bound by the strongest men to ensure they wouldn't be able to get loose, and they were thrown into a furnace so hot that the men who threw them in the fire were killed.

And then...

There was a fourth man in the fire. They were loose, walking around, and one like unto the Son of Man was walking with them.

Ever sat in front of a campfire for an hour or so? You come in and smell like smoke...

but these men weren't singed and they didn't even smell like smoke.

Friend, I don't know what kind of fire you are going through tonight, but I know we've all gone through some fire. You aren't there alone. You may not know what the ending is going to be, but God does, and He's there.

And you'll bring Him glory. When you stand firm, He stands with you. Ol' King Neb pulled those Hebrew boys out of the fire and immediately changed his decree, pointing that there was no other god like the Hebrew God, and declaring that all should worship Him.

Lots of lessons in just a few simple verses.

Hope you enjoyed this little retelling. What did I miss?

Also, I'm hoping to do these every Sunday, because there are so many great stories in the Bible. You can read this on your own at Bible Gateway. It's in Daniel Chapters 1 and the Fiery Furnace is in Chapter 3. You can choose a translation there, or switch back and forth like I like to.

 

Five Minute Friday: STRONG

 Linking up with Five Minute Friday for this post, where we free-write for five minutes on a topic, no edits, no second-guessing. This week's word is STRONG. 

And... go...

Some prompts automatically trigger words. 

Today, when I read strong... I thought, "I've got nothing."

The only thing I could think about is the verse "My grace is sufficient"... which just happens to be the name I chose for my blog several years ago. His grace is sufficient. 

The rest of that verse, and I'm paraphrasing here, says, "I'll glory in my weakness, for when I am weak ou are strong."

We are told in another verse that He is our strongtower. 

We don't have to be strong... because He is. 

However, that doesn't mean that we get a free pass. Even when we are weak, we have to rely on Him, and sometimes admitting that you need help and don't have it all together is the biggest sign of being strong. 

Most people who are strong physically aren't that way naturally... like anything, there may be some element of natural ability, but they also have to put in some work. They have to train physically. They have to do things sometimes that they don't want to. 

And that's how it is with us. Even in our weakness, we have to work to let go and let God. We have to give in and surrender, which can be incredibly hard. 

But in that, when we recognize that we aren't strong but He is, there's a peace that passes all understanding. 

Lean into that today. 

You don't have to be strong... 

Tuesday Tidbits (Volume 1, Edition 2)

 Different Perspectives and Opinions are Okay

I recently saw a post made by an author I enjoy on her social media page. The picture was of her grand-daughter, holding a copy of Becoming by Michelle Obama, smiling, after a visit to a bookstore. 

The comments on that post made me so very sad. I am not a political person, and I obviously don't know Obama personally, but I devoured her book last summer. I even went into hesitantly because I will admit I was not the greatest fan of the Obama administration. This book is all about empowering young women. Yes, she speaks of race relations, because it is from her perspective. It would be like me trying to tell my story without referring to the mountains I love so much. 

I'm not defending the book, though. What really bothered me was that the author was attacked because her readers had different views. It saddens me to think that we live in a world where we feel like it's ok to attack somebody we've never met, just for a different opinion. If I've learned anything this last year (and I've learned a lot), it is that we often learn the most when we are uncomfortable, and usually it is from someone who has had a different experience than us. I'm not speaking solely on race here. It could be someone from a different socioeconomic background, a different generation, a different religion. As an individual who lives in an area where a lot of the people look and sound like me, I want to explore the perspectives of people who may not think like me and who may not experience life like I do. I'd like to challenge you, if you are reading this, to do the same. 

Stress in Our Kids

Mental health awareness is increasingly important. Mental health disorders occur across the lifespan, in all ethnicities, regardless of gender and socioeconomic status. Historically, a stigma made mental health taboo to talk about, and I think it is something that we must confront. It is often a difficult conversation, but one that is needed. We must learn to be vulnerable with one another. 

With that being said, I snapped this pic on vacation recently at Myrtle Beach. Mel and Caleb had stopped to look at the pop-it toys.. but the words "stress relief toys" caught my eye. I just think it's sad that we need to market stress relief toys. I hope that if you have a little one you will teach them about their emotions and model positive coping strategies, especially if you see anxiety, which is increasingly more common in our kids. And also, give grace! To them! To yourself! To the person who just cut you off in traffic!

Also... I never thought of a slinky as a stress related toy... but I must admit it is pretty relaxing to sit and watch one slink down a set of stairs...

Life Hack- Sunscreen on makeup brushes

My sister Holly shared a video of this life hack and it honestly was genius. I can remember Caleb HATING sunscreen, and I know that he isn't alone. I don't know if it is because they have to stand still, or they are just dying to get in the water, but I've never seen a kid who doesn't squirm and whine and cry as you try to rub in the sunscreen. Use the spray on and it may or may not cover as it should, or gets in their eyes. 

So this genius hack showed a Mom putting the sunscreen on a makeup brush and then using the brush to rub it in. The kid seemed a little more agreeable, but maybe just because she was on video? Anyway, may be worth a try if you have littles. 

I'll also make a statement here about sunscreen. I never used sunscreen until a couple of years ago, but when I turned 40 I knew I needed to start being smart because I'd be aging. I use Neutrogena on my face and I discovered (thanks to several recommendations on Facebook by my friends) Sunbum. I love the smell of it, and it doesn't feel gritty. I'm sharing a link from Amazon, which surprisingly has both the body sunscreen and the Neutrogena I use on my face, just as if they knew what I just typed =)

Click here to protect your skin! 

What I Read this Week

No pic of a book stack this week because one book was on my Kindle and one had to be returned to the library. Come back at the beginning of next month to get reviews on: 1. The Dutch House 2. Characters of Christmas (yes, a Christmas in July read!) 3. Giver of the Stars (I can't wait to review this one!) 

Have a blessed week, friends! Thanks for reading! I'd love to hear what's going on in your neck of the woods in the comments. What are you pondering about? What are you loving right now? And as always, what are you reading?