I'm Just Thinkin'

Rachael and her lil' sis Allie

I’m writing today as a contributor to the Christian Writers Blog Chain. Our theme for this month is “Leap.” Christianwriters.com is an excellent place to network if you’re a Christian writer or author.

“If it is important to you, you will find a way. If not, you’ll find an excuse.” Rachael , my daughter. Today is her 21st Happy Birthday… and seeing as she was a huge fan of frogs, it’s time to run with Leap-Frog

I’m going to hop on over to Rachael’s world…

If I were a frog… that thought must have run through Rachael’s mind a time or two…

If I were a frog… what would I do?

Oooo to be a frog…

living the frogs life…

… leap… obviously…

leap would be my mode of transportation…

I could play outside all day long!

I would also eat some bugs… having a tasty bug or two would help keep me nimble and quick… quick as a frog.

I would hang out with other frogs… toads… croakers…

Frogs like rainy days… or so it seems since they come out of hiding when it rains…

A “leap” to me is moving forward with positive momentum… with the assistance of like-minded frogs.

Learning leap-frog as a kid was fun and exciting…

Leap frog required that you:

• Believe in yourself. There are so many examples of taking a mighty leap when you’re a kid… learning to ride a bike with no training wheels… the first day of school… kissing an… eeeeks…. frog? … or was that actually Prince Charming?
• Believe in your friends. You can’t play leap-frog by yourself. It just doesn’t work. Rachael has done an outstanding job of surrounding herself with a good group of froggers. They’re frogtastic! We are one… one body… one faith… one amphibian. Like-minded frogs speak the same language… when we are one that speak is universal ribbit… there’s just no getting around it.

I admire Rachael… she identifies with the most important part of life… and boldly finds a way.

When was your bold moment of leap-frog growing up, when you took the leap of faith?

Christian Writers Blog Chain

Puddles of blessings... enough said.

The Hydrologic Cycle And Your Heart is a 6-post series about some of the choices we make and how they affect our heart.Please check out the other posts in this series here…

Did you know that…

kerplunk + pitter patter = ker-thump ?

makes sense, right?

I thought so… Lord help us if you are all thinking along the same lines as me

After the rain falls it has to go somewhere… puddles of blessings can pile up… and then there are more choices to be made…

In the environment, rainwater can infiltrate, or create recharge to storage. Here, the process happens on a first come, first served basis…

Hopefully, we don’t fill our heart this way. Our heart, mind and soul are filled based on exposure to a wide variety of environmental stimuli and how these influences affect a series of what I call “filters.” These filters are the sum of our experiences and our heart. The filters determine how we interpret information as it reaches our mind. Our filters can work for us… or against us. I’ll be sharing more on the filters later…

Moreover, as it relates to the hydrologic cycle and our heart, it’s our surroundings that we have the ability to influence… influence in a way that will significantly impact what stimuli reach our filters and, ultimately, our inner being… our heart, mind and soul.

Soil… a natural filter… this filter can be fertile… just as your heart can be fertile soil when you’re open to and ready for the Holy Spirit to breathe through you.

Continued exposure to a given stimuli will create infiltration, or recharge, to our heart. So take a good look around you and you’ll find a glimpse of what you’re feeding deep down into the depths of your heart. As I look at my surroundings… who… what… and who’s am I? Honestly? Am I being completely honest with myself? Remember, this is for each of us and if I am not honest with myself on this one I’m only holding myself back. There is no one else to blame.

Aside from your relationship with God, I believe what happens here in the cycle… what you do with the stuff of life… has  more to do with the condition of your heart and your ability to love than anything else you’ll do.

I firmly believe what you let into your heart starts with your surroundings… and you have a great deal of influence in determining your surroundings.

Remember, love is an action verb… and love comes from God…

• Love is a choice… we can choose to love others or not, and that defines who we are.
• Our life decisions are based on whatever it is that we love the most.
• Love is THE action verb of life, and of our heart… “Let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.” 1 John 3:18

So soak it up… goodness, that is… and lots of it… surround yourself will good people and influences… and you will be overwhelmed with His great love…

What are some of the traits in other people and your surroundings that you look for when making choices about your environment?

Going Up?

The Hydrologic Cycle And Your Heart is a 6-post series about some of the choices we make and how they affect our heart. Please check out the other posts in this series here…

There are two “Going Up” processes in the hydrologic cycle:

Evaporation – Vaporization of a liquid from the surface of the liquid into the atmosphere. Evaporation usually requires energy… this energy is supplied by the sun in our environment. Vaporization is liquid on the rise… it’s going up!

Transpiration – The “giving off” of water vapor by plants into the atmosphere. Transpiration is plant sweat. Plants receive something in exchange for their sticky sweat… cooling off and carbon dioxide. In that regard, their sweat is a sweet exchange for other goodness that they need.

Both evaporation and transpiration involve water vapor heading to the clouds… it’s goodness on the rise.

I think of E/T as what we’re sharing from the heart…

Within me, I can think of similar process…

What’s the vibe my heart is giving off?

What is leaving my heart and going up…

Up to my mind?

Up to my soul?

… and what is radiating out of my heart, mind and soul…

going up… or giving off from my presence to my surroundings…

what do I reflect to the other people around me, and to my environment…

what does the wave of my presence look like…

a warm smile and friendly greeting…

an optimistic outlook…

encouragement…

abundant fruit…

love…

going up / give off…

What’s around you?

What’s heading to the clouds…

and what are you sharing?

Going up may require some energy… or some sweat… and, like E/T, this is an exchange…

when you’re giving up goodness there’s something delightful coming back your way…

One Lord, one faith, one baptism... there is just 1

Rich Barrett summed it up pretty well. “I’ve never seen anything like it… these people genuinely care for each other… they are concerned about what the next volunteer will find when they walk into this place filled with chaos.”

This is a special place filled with believers who share genuine love for each other… for everyone.

Nearly 5 years ago God brought together a small group who shared a vision… they started from scratch. From that vision God’s glory has reached a new pinnacle in our city.

Yesterday our portable church completed the move into a permanent facility.

What a glorious day it was… what a glorious day it is!

I could just rattle on about it, but why?

What’s it really all about?

“Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit – just as you were called to one hope when you were called – one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.” Ephesians 4:3-6

It’s real.

It’s about peace, love and unity…

and being in a growing relationship with Jesus Christ.

That’s pretty much it.

Where will it go from here?

believing that one can fly? maybe... with a jetpack.

Believe.

It’s one word that defines our faith.

It’s the biggest word in possibly the most important verse in all of the Gospel…

“For God so loved that world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

John 3:16.

Believe.

I think it’s the biggest word in the Bible.

It’s the foundation for laying out our trust and confidence in our Lord and Savior.

It defines our understanding of and capacity to love.

It defines everything.

Believe.

That’s my one word for 2012.

I want to learn and know more.

That’s my focus.

What’s your focus for 2012?