WWJD?

Remember those clever bracelets (and shirts and hats and bags and socks and necklaces and buttons and stickers) that came out like 20 years ago with the letters WWJD on them?  The letters stood for What Would Jesus Do, a little extra reminder to look upward in our thoughts and actions.  I wore mine with a tucked in GAP t-shirt and a braided belt...heck yes I did!!  WWJD was so popular that a whole acronym-based fad rose up. There was IBNO (In But Not Of), FROG (Fully Rely On God), BIBLE (Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth), CIA (Christians In Action), DOG (Depend On God), BARF (Be A Red Fraggle)....the list went on and on.  But I really did think WWJD was a good one and a really clear cut explanation of our purpose here earth...to live as He lived, to love as He loved.  So when I was working with the youth at our church--and now with my own kids--I'd really try to bring this idea back.  Someone is being mean at school.  Things aren't going well at work.  A sibling stole your toy.  Well, what would Jesus do?  Apparently Jesus would dump his friends, post a mean message on Facebook and smack his sibling on the head.  Arg!  It's such sound advice!!  Why isn't it working?!  And then it dawned on me.  If you don't know who Jesus is, how can you act like Him?  Maybe the problem isn't a lack of clever acronyms.  Maybe it's a lack of the knowledge to back them up, an unfamiliarity with who Jesus really was.  Let's face it.  The Kardashian's get a lot more press than our Savior does these days (though I still really don't understand why....what is it that they do again???).  Holy week is upon us.  This is as good a time as any to really think about who Jesus was and is and make sure the people around you know it, too, because it isn't just about what Jesus would do.  It's about what Jesus did!!  Jesus, you are my King.  You are my Salvation.  You are the mercy I so desperately need and the grace I so desperately don't deserve.  You fed ten thousand and healed the sick.  You raised the dead from the grave and lame from the ground.  And still you call me daughter.  Please don't let me forget that and please, please, please don't let me forget to pass it on.  Amen.  XOXO....Kelly

P.S. WWJD...What Would Jesus Do?  He'd kick death's booty, that's what He'd do.  HAPPY EASTER!!!

The Air We Breathe

Last week we flew to Pittsburgh to spend spring break with my parents.  My favorite part of flying with kids--other than when my husband allows our six year old to order a Coke on the first leg of our flight--is when they instruct you to put the oxygen mask on yourself first and then assist the children flying with you.  The flight attendants make a big deal of coming to you individually and reminding you because, as parents (or just nice, helping people in general), our first instinct is to sacrifice for our children.  But what good can you do for your child if you're passed out in your seat?  The reminder is well taken and I like to think of this is as good spiritual advice, too.  If you're not getting any spiritual oxygen of your own, how in the world can you expect to lead anyone else around you to it?  Please don't misunderstand me.  This IS NOT about being a perfect Christian.  Could there even be such a thing??  It's about taking the time you need to be with Christ, so He can reveal His will for you.  This IS NOT about having all the answers, as if that was ever possible.  It's about making sure you're taking time to ask and listen for them.  This IS NOT about being selfish.  It's about putting your relationship with Christ ahead of your relationship with others, getting your oxygen mask in the right place, so God can move through you to get all the other masks where they belong as well.  And since we're already one foot in with this metaphor...."the Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being" Genesis 2:7.  We need God's oxygen!!  Without it we are but dust on the ground, as misdirected and unfocused as a six year old hopped up on caffeine and stuck in an airplane.  Take a breath with God today, in prayer and in His word.  Be alive in Him.  XOXO....Kelly      

They're gonna love you!

A few weeks ago Kevin and I attended a new member class at our church. It was the first chance we've had to get to know anyone there and I was both excited and nervous. It's like it was the first day of school. I took special care to look nice, got there early, chose a seat near the front. As the instructor passed out the class info packets I thought to myself, "Soon they're going to be asking me to teach this class. These people are going to love me!" Not long after I started to smell something. It was faint, not horrible, but definitely off. I thought maybe it was coming from the lady next to me. Or maybe the breakfast food that had been provided. Or maybe it was just really old carpet. By the end of the class I decided it must have just been Parker's diaper. It wasn't until we got into the van later that I realized the smell was coming from my sweater and was, in fact, dog pee on my shoulder. That's right. Dog pee. On my shoulder. Don't ask me how it got there. Oh, and did I also mention that halfway through the class I looked down and noticed I had neglected to fasten one side of my nursing bra from earlier that morning? Madame Urine Half Bra. Yes, they're going to love me. My life is a circus. But you know what, it's a wonderful circus and a most sovereign ringmaster reigns over all of it. I have three dogs. They pee on my clothes. And my furniture. I have four boys who also tend to pee everywhere. We are rarely on time and I yell a lot. But praise the heavens, God takes me anyway! And so I did go back to that class the next week and the week after that because even if I did have it all together, which I don't, it's the fact that God wants me there that matters most. He does not require my hair be combed or my clothes match or that I am on time (though don't get me wrong, these are GOOD things). He simply asks that I just be willing. Don't let a little pee on your shoulder stop you from that. When God is calling it doesn't matter what might be trying to get in the way. Do it anyway. Trust me...they're gonna love you. XOXO...Kelly