Looking Through A Lens

My daughter and I spent the majority of last week attending a photography boot camp.  I have owned my camera for years, but never learned to use it properly, until last week.  Wow! That camera of mine can do a lot. I truly had no idea.

Not only did I learn a lot about my camera and how to take better pictures, I also learned that my years are starting to catch up with me. I am not quite as keen as I once was. My 13-year old soaked up all of that information as quick as it hit her brain.  I, on the other hand, had to ask the same questions over and over until it finally started to stick. There were even a few times that Annie said, "Just give it to me," as she would take the camera out of my hands and adjust the settings so that I could get the picture that I wanted.

One thing that is very obvious about a camera - that I think everyone knows - is that you have to look through the lens in order to take a picture.  When looking through the lens, your vision is very limited. One can only see that small square of space that is allowed by the particular lens being used. There are some lenses that allow a broader picture, but still it is limited.

That is exactly how life is.  We have such limited vision. We know what happened in the past and we have hope for what will happen in the future, but we can only actually see what is happening right now, right in front of us. That makes it so easy to get caught up in the here and now.

One thing our photography instructor stressed during our lessons is that we shouldn't get so caught up in taking that perfect picture that we forget to create the real memories. Those things that are going to matter 5, 10, 25 years down the road. That prompted me to take an overabundance of pictures of my daughter taking pictures! The scenery was beautiful, but what I really want to remember about our trip is the special time that I had with my daughter.

As you are moving through life . . . through today . . . tomorrow . . . this week, I pray that you take the time to look at the bigger picture.  What is going to matter a few years down the road? Whatever is happening in your life right now is part of the bigger picture. The book of Romans tells us:

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28

What does that look like in your life?  May you find JOY in adding to the Big Picture.

Tami

Are you a good lover?

I am typically always proud of my kids. I guess you can say that I am just one of those proud mommas. Except, when one of them acts really snotty or says something really smart aleck then, well, not so much. But most of the time, I am quite proud. This past week, though, I had the absolute best proud momma moment.

As I have previously shared, we are homeschoolers and my daughter takes most of her classes through our homeschool coop. One of the things in which she participates that is not part of our homeschool coop is an art class. She attends art class one evening per week at a local art studio. It is a class specifically designed for teenagers. There are about eight kids in the class with only one being a boy. My daughter is the only homeschooler.

Every week when I pick Annie up and make the five minute drive home, I get the low down on what happened in class.  I get a lot of my teacher said this, so and so said that, so and so is painting that, our next project is going to be this, etc.  Last week when I picked her up, the story went a little, well, a whole lot differently.  It went something like this.

"You know the girl I always sit by with short blonde hair?"

"Yes, I remember her."

"Well, she got kicked out of her church.  It is just terrible."

"What do you mean she got kicked out of her church?"

"Well, she told me that she is gay."

"Really, why did she tell you that?"

"I told her that I am a very conservative Christian.  And, she said to me, 'Then you probably won't want to be my friend anymore because I am gay.'  I told her that I really don't care if she is gay or not, that it doesn't affect us being friends.  I may not agree with her lifestyle, but she's still the same person.  She then told me how after her church found out that they basically kicked her family out.  I told her that was just wrong and that she is welcome to go to my church with me."

Honestly, I can't remember what I said at this point.  But, my heart was - and still is - overflowing with pride for my daughter and her behavior. Love, that is what it all boils down to. When you strip away everything else, all that remains is love.

Of course, I do not mean that purity of heart and life do not matter.  They do.  But, no heart and life can truly be sanctified without love.  A life that is perfected in God's love is a life that is wholly surrendered to God's will.  And, to love unlike God loves is to live far short of God's righteous calling on our lives.*

So, what kind of lover are you?  Do you love everyone or just those whom you have deemed "worthy" of your love?

Jesus, the best lover of all, had a lot to say about the way we love.  In the book of Luke we are told:

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind; and Love your neighbor as yourself.  Luke 10:28

Wow! Love my neighbor as myself. If someone doesn't agree with me, would I like for that person to still show love towards me? Yes, yes, I would. That girl of mine got it right and that makes this momma proud!

Go share some JOY by loving on someone who needs some love.

Tami

*The Professor (aka my husband), my resident Bible scholar, helped out a little with this paragraph for clarification purposes.  Love that man!

The Back Shelf

The other day I had to get something from the very back corner of my closet. As I was digging through the container I keep back there hoping to find the item for which I was looking, I discovered a sack.  I quickly opened the sack to discover a book on none other than the Sherlock Holmes.

You are probably wondering why I had a book on Sherlock Holmes in a sack hidden in the back of my closet.  Well, let me tell you.  My daughter use to have the biggest fascination with mystery and crime.  She was a die-hard Nancy Drew fan.  She even designed and I then made a Nancy Drew detective bag for her.  It had all of these little compartments that held all things detective and she carried it EVERYWHERE she went for several years. As she started getting older, we introduced her to Sherlock Holmes.  She then became a Sherlock Holmes fan.

We typically only buy gifts for our kids for special occasions such as birthdays, Christmas, Valentine's, etc.  Whenever I am out and about and see something that I think one of my kids will like, I will pick it up and then save it for whichever occasion is next.  Hence, the Sherlock Holmes book in a sack hidden at the back of my closet.  Sadly, though, Sherlock Holmes missed his chance. I completely forgot I had hidden Sherlock in that container in the back of my closet.  My daughter's Sherlock Phase ended a couple of years ago.

Do you have things you are trying to keep hidden in the back of your closet?  Things like fear, worry, pride, bitterness, envy, unforgiveness . . . the list could go on and on. I know there are things in my life that I would like for the rest of the world to not know.  In other words, I would like to keep some things hidden. At times, even from myself.

Trying to keep things hidden can become very burdensome. Thankfully, there is a solution for that! Jesus tells us in the book of Matthew:

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."  Matthew 11:28-30

Is it time to clean out the back corners of the closet and lighten your load?

May you find JOY in giving it all to Jesus.

Tami

Do you ever get lost?

Do you ever get lost?  I mean, you look up and you have no clue where you are.  I have noticed that as I am getting a little older . . . uh hmmm. . . that I have a tendency to walk into a room and then not remember why in the world I am there. It can be really frustrating, especially when you know you went into that room for a VERY important reason!

We live in a planned community in the city of Houston. Those who live in a planned community know that you can easily get lost among the dead end streets. These communities are designed so that only a few streets actually allow you to travel through the neighborhood.  Most of the streets just dead end into another street or into a cul-de-sac.

We are homeschoolers. When anyone asks me about my kids and school, I typically reply, "We are crazy homeschoolers." Because, honestly, I have always thought that homeschoolers are really crazy people.  And, now, I am one of them!  (Just a side note:  It really helps with my "anti-social" tendencies because as you all know, homeschoolers are really missing out socially.)

Even though we are homeschoolers, my kids receive most of their "teaching" from other people. They attend classes offered through our local homeschool coop.  My daughter takes all of her classes through the coop except for two extra-curricular classes. My son, on the other hand, has a rather crazy schedule and only attends a couple of classes with the coop. Therefore, I make several trips on school days taking him to and from class.  It is only a five minute drive from our house so really no big deal.

And, now, you are thinking, "Where in the world is this going and what in the world does it have to do with being lost." I am getting to that part . . . patience . . . patience is a virtue, you know.

Anyway, after taking my little man to class today, I was so lost in thought when driving home that I looked up and had no idea where I was!  Have you ever done that?  Don't even ask what I was thinking about because I don't even remember.  It was so important!  Ha!  I immediately made a U-turn and backtracked until I figured out which turn I had missed.

That little detour got me to thinking.  (This time I actually remember what I was thinking!) How often do I do that in my spiritual life? All of the sudden I look up and realize I have no idea where I am or where I am going. Does that happen to you too?

In the book of Proverbs in God's Word, Solomon writes, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your path straight." (Proverbs 3:5)

I have truly found it to be that simple. Whenever I feel completely lost, overwhelmed, unsure, I can make that U-turn right back to God by putting my trust in Him and He will guide my steps.  Is it time for you to make a U-turn?

There is JOY in the journey when you are trusting in God.

Tami

Laughter

After my previous post on death, I decided that my brain needed to be parked on a happier subject. Is there anything happier than laughter? I love to laugh. Do you enjoy laughing? I mean the kind of laughing that makes your sides ache and tears pour from your eyes.  When was the last time you laughed like that?  

We laugh a lot at our house. I think part of the reason is because I am incredibly klutzy and I have two children who take after me. As the saying goes, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. One of us is always stumbling our way into a funny predicament that "forces" the remainder of the family to burst out in laughter.

What makes me laugh the most, though, are my kids. One of the reasons for this is that they never stop talking. And when I say "never," I really mean NEVER! So, naturally, a lot of really funny stuff comes out of their mouths.  My little man, Rex, recently told me that he really prefers friends who are introverts. That way, they don't get in the way of his talking!

Unfortunately, there are times that I just don't feel like laughing. My kids are the same, especially when they have just gotten in trouble. They are mad and they want to stay mad. It is at those times that I usually try to do something to make them laugh. Nothing can get one over being mad any quicker than a good laugh.

However, I completely understand that there are times when one just doesn't want to laugh. You truly need to wallow in your misery. So, I want to help you out. I have a list of things that you definitely should NOT do if you want to stay in that state of misery.

1.  You should not allow your 13-year old who, by the way, has absolutely no athletic ability whatsoever, to attempt to throw a skirt over a ten-foot partition from one dressing room to another while shopping. After said skirt gets stuck on top of the ten-foot partition, you definitely should not let your 4' 9" ten-year old try to retrieve said skirt by jumping and trying to grab it. Just walk away, walk away. Otherwise, unplanned laughter may erupt.

2.  After telling your 13-year old that you cannot get the roof of your mouth to stop itching, you should not let her convince you that scratching your ear will make it stop. It does not. After you tell that 13-year old that it doesn't work, you most definitely should not let her convince you that it is not working because you are not doing it correctly and allow her to attempt to scratch your ear for you. This will put you at high risk for unplanned laughter.

3.  You should never under any circumstances stick your head under the top bunk of your child's bed to kiss your child good night and allow your child, who is now stronger than you are, to grab you around your neck and "zerbert" you instead of kissing you. You will not be able to get free to stop the craziness and laughter will completely consume you. Your husband will fail to offer any help so do not plan on him rescuing you. Therefore, the laughter will go on for several minutes, your sides will most definitely hurt and tears will pour from your eyes.

4.  If you are extremely ticklish, you should not allow your ten-year to tickle you. Laughter will pursue and your sides will hurt.  (My husband can attest to this one.)

Honestly, it may be a whole lot easier to go ahead and give in and have a good laugh.

May the laughter in your life remind you of the great JOY within your soul.

Tami

He will yet fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy.  Job 8:21

Death

Death, do you ever think about death?  What it really means, what it would be like?  I'm really not trying to be morbid.  It has just been on my mind lately.

You know, there is only one thing certain about your life:  you are going to die.  It will happen sooner for some than others, but it is going to happen.

The summer of 2015 will always be the summer of death in my mind.  It all started in June (while on a little family vacation) with the death of our dog, Hershey.  Only a few days later, we received the news of the unexpected death of my mother's brother.

As of today, it has been exactly two months since my dad left this earth for his eternal home in Heaven.  He died exactly one week after the unexpected death of my husband's grandmother.  My dad's death was definitely anything but unexpected being that we watched for over six years ALS completely destroy his body.  However, that did not make it any easier or make me miss him any less.

Now you know why my brain has been parked on the subject of death.  I have some very strong convictions and beliefs about death.  As previously stated, it is going to happen.  The real question is, "Are you ready?"

I believe that Heaven is very real and what a glorious place it will be!

I believe that if you believe in Jesus Christ as the son of the one true God and have accepted Him as your Savior, then when you die your soul will go to Heaven for eternity.  That belief gives me such great JOY!  I look forward to the day when I will be reunited with my loved ones, especially that precious little girl, Maggi, whom God only allowed me to keep for 46 very short hours.

I believe that people are people and angels are angels.  People are God's chosen being.  We are the only thing created in His imagine.  How exciting is that!  Angels, on the other hand, are God's special messengers.  They act and move and do according to God's command.  When we die, we move into the heavenly realm, but we are still people!

I believe there will be people in Heaven that you never in your wildest dreams thought would be there.  I also believe that there will be people who got so caught up in this world here on earth that they didn't take the time to find out if Jesus is real or not.  And, then, it will be too late.  The thing about it is if Jesus is not real (I believe he is) and you have accepted Him, then you've lost nothing. But, if he is real and you didn't accept him, then you've lost everything!  Just a little something to think about.

I will leave you with my husband's very favorite Bible verse:

Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life.  

No one comes to the Father except through me."

John 14:6

Until next time . . . may your heart be filled with Joy!

Tami

Here We Go . . .

I have finally succumbed and entered into the blogging world. I can't say that I am 100% comfortable with this new adventure. But, following my own advice (recently posted on Facebook), I am stepping outside of my Comfort Zone.

Life is always an adventure.  And, the adventure is always what you make of it.  My desire is to live in such a way that Joy is always evident no matter the circumstances in which I find myself.  This blog will be a place to share some of those adventures with you, my readers.

My prayer is that you will experience a laugh or two and maybe a little encouragement along the way.  We are all making it through this life one step at a time.  Those steps can be a little easier and a lot more fun when shared with others.

So, here we go . . . until next time, go find some Joy!

Tami

A joyful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit dries up the bones. Proverbs 17:22