Abide With Me

"Abide With Me" was written in 1847. Henry Lyte was in­spired to write the words to this hymn as he was dy­ing of tu­ber­cu­lo­sis. There are eight verses. All too often, for the sake of time or perhaps to help alleviate boredom, not all the verses are sung. I don't believe that should be the case when we sing hymns. They are meant as a message in their entirety. And I am amazed at the relevance that each hymn manages to maintain from one era to the next.

Mr. Lyte wrote the song as a prayer, much like I might find myself praying today. He asked the Lord to abide with him as he was feeling the darkness deepen. Imagine the despair he felt when he spoke of Earth's joys growing dim and referred to the change and decay in all he saw around him! Henry pleaded for the Lord, the Friend of sinners, to abide with him. He talked about being young and knowing that the Lord smiled down on him then; but as he grew older he knew the Lord never left him even though he was rebellious. He said he needed the Lord's presence every hour and nothing but His grace could foil the tempter's power. With God at his side, Mr. Lyte knew that everything would be alright until the very end.

This poor man was really pouring out his heart and soul for all to hear! His words have probably reached millions of people who can relate if even to a small extent. The bottom line is, as long as we abide with Christ, He will abide in us. We might mess up, but God will pull us up out of the muck and give us the grace we need to try again and again.

To quote a slightly more modern song, "The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases. His mercies never come to an end. They are new every morning. Great is Your Faithfulness, oh Lord. Great is Your faithfulness!"

Lost & Found

Lost. That is quite a word! Without looking it up, I would say that it means 1.) unable to be found or 2.) A feeling that leaves a person with the illusion of being dazed or confused.

As an adult, I have experienced the desire to be lost - to run away for awhile and forget about life while I rejuvenate. I have experienced what it feels like to want to tell someone else to get lost - as in, "Go away. I really don't want to be with you right now." And just maybe, you could get me to admit that I have wanted to tell that person I don't ever want to see them again. I also know what it feels like to feel lost in my own little world (dazed and confused).

When do these feelings arise? Typically in the midst of difficulty or challenge. Not only that, I think the feeling of being lost or wanting to get lost arises when we deeply desire the love of God to surround us. In looking for answers, no matter who we are or what we say we believe, I feel led to think that when we reach the bottom of our pit, we know God is there for us. We tend to cry out to Him in our darkest hour of need - often when we feel lost.

I promised to be open with you. It is not easy to write or admit that I have really been wrestling this year. As the year has gone on, up until the last month or so, I have felt quite lost. Funny thing is, I don't know if it shows to the outside world or not. I think I might hide it well - at least from most of the world. My closest friends know most of my struggles.

As each of these challenges cross my path, I am forced to deal with it in whatever way I know how. Sometimes what I already know works, other times I am forced to find another way to confront the issue. No matter what, God uses each difficulty or obstacle to continue to grow my faith.

Do you remember my challenge from last week? You were challenged to join me as I spy God at work. I hope you are finding blessing in that challenge. I can definitely report that I am!

Here is a true example of that: On Sunday, my pastor reminded people that when we are tempted, God ALWAYS provides a way out. I was feeling pretty strong that day. I was feeling strong Monday - well, at least most of the day. Then I started to feel weak. My mind started to wander thinking about my "night on the town" Tuesday night. Today, I was torn on how I felt. I thought I could be strong. In reality, I don't know if I could have remained that way! For those curious minds, let's just say that tonight I was a woman with some money and a couple hours of free time… (keep your thoughts PG please!) I really feel like God intervened. Near the time I was going to get ready to go, I was told that I didn't have to drive Becca to school tonight! Huh. I wondered what I would do with my night. Now I really had some free time! Hannah and her friend Morgan came home with a couple movies. I was able to sit with them and Tony to watch the movie together. Not only that, I was able to start writing sooner!

To me, this is truly a story of God at work. He met me right where I needed Him to. I was spared all temptation (except the chocolate chip cookies Hannah made!). Although I was feeling lost, God picked me up, encouraged me and sent me on my way to try again.

So, the next time you are feeling lost or feeling like getting lost, try spending some time with God or find a friend who can encourage you in that direction. You may just find that hidden blessing and spy God at work!

Jumpin' In!

Beginning a new adventure seems to have a way of dragging some baggage along with it. Thoughts race through our minds. Excitement builds but so does that little piece of nervous tension. All of your senses seem to perk up a bit at the mere thought of a new experience. Our hearts may pound, depending upon the level of anticipation or stimulation. We are often held back from "jumping in" with both feet. But aren't all of those feelings part of what makes life great?

Today, I am filled with excitement. I have the opportunity to join a Toastmasters group.  I have been waiting for a long time for this opportunity. Now that it is here, I find my mind racing. I wonder if I will know anyone. I'm assuming that they will (for the most part) be outgoing people that welcome me into the group. But don't we all have that underlying fear of, "What if…"? I'm curious to know if they are going to ask me to speak in front of the group on the first night. (For the record, I would be thrilled!)Jumping right in would be an immediate adrenalin rush - as long it is something other than answering the basic request of who I am. I've done enough research on the group to know that one of the first requirements is to give a five to seven minute speech on who you are. Piece of cake, right? I'd say yes! But the adrenalin rush would come from not expecting the opportunity, not knowing the people at all, and certainly standing up there wondering what is going through their heads! (No visualizing people in underwear for this girl!)

Toastmasters International has been around since 1924. They are known as a world leader in communication and leadership development. With each track, there are specific guidelines and goals you must meet to obtain various awards of recognition. Toastmasters embrace four core values - integrity, dedication to excellence, service to the member and respect for the individual. The individuals I have spoken with have definitely embraced these values and seem to be very encouraging.

Why share the excitement when I haven't even been to a meeting? Like anything we do in life, we need to be driven. I think that I am driven to achieve my goals with Toastmasters, but just in case I'm not driven enough on my own, I know that I can trust you to keep me accountable. I foresee friends asking me about the meetings and how I am doing with meeting my goals. I'm also sharing because I believe that this can be another of my life's defining adventures. I want to share it with you and I hope that you will see continued personal growth as I do.

I leave you with the first verse and refrain of a song that has been speaking to my heart this week. It is called "The Greatness of Our God", by Hillsong.

Verse 1:
Give me eyes to see
More of who You are
May what I behold,
still my anxious heart.
Take what I have known
And break it all apart
For You my God, are greater still.

CHORUS
No sky contains,
No doubt restrains,
All You are,
The greatness of our God.
I spend my life to know,
And I'm far from close
To all You are,
The greatness of our God.

I pray that God will use all of our life's adventures - mine and yours - to show us more of who He is. I pray we discover His grace new each day, humble ourselves and begin to realize deeper still the greatness of our God. As you make these discoveries in your own life, please feel free to share them with all of us. It's always encouraging to hear one another's stories!

The Adventure Begins!

Setting out on a new adventure is always exciting. This week I have decided to embrace life again and dive in to a new and exciting journey, beginning with this blog. Although shy growing up, you would never know it now. I have become a person who loves to spend time with people, often times sharing and finding compassion in my heart towards them. Communication is something that I have always had a passion for. Whether writing, speaking, singing, acting, or simply enjoying time with family and friends, I love to share life. It is through these moments that we find life's defining adventures.

As a new blogger, I'm sure the question of who I am will come up. I've read that establishing credibility is important. Just the mere question of who I am sends my mind off in a thousand directions. How do we truly define who anyone is? Is it because of their accomplishments? education? employment? family? I'm sure you understand exactly what I am saying! You are reading a blog on the internet. I could be anyone, anywhere. As someone on the internet, I am simply a personality that you will come to know. There is a picture of me here on my blog. But it is essentially just that - a picture. Only those who have or will meet me will know that I am who I say I am. But just in case you wonder, I am genuine. I do not wish to hide from you. And I legitimately care if you decide to post on my comment section. I have invited you to join me in this adventure and meant it with sincerity.

All things considered, I will share some of my personal life with you. I have been a part of the mid-west my entire life. And although I would absolutely love to move to a climate that doesn't get as cold as it does here in Wisconsin, I don't see that happening anytime in the near future. I am happily married with two daughters, age 17 and 19. I find that difficult to believe because it seems like it really wasn't that long ago that I was 19!

As any mother could tell you, it seems that it is our children that define us while they are home. I don't believe that to be completely true, but it does seem as though others think that. How many of you moms walk out the door with a friend or on a date and don't talk about your children? I think I have a permanent engraving on my forehead that I cannot see, but tells others to ask about my daughters. I really think that it is simply considered a "safe" subject, but agree that it provides for some interesting conversation!

As a family, we are all very social and enjoy the arts. My husband is a fantastic watercolor artist. He enjoys playing the guitar and mandolin. Occasionally, he also enjoys working on his Triumph TR6. Rebecca is known for her fun spirit. She loves to sing and once in a blue moon, she will dabble on the piano. When people ask about Rebecca now, they tend to ask how she continues to recover following a near fatal car accident she was involved in back in 2009. You might read more about that in future posts. Hannah is my gifted pianist. She plays beautifully and I will certainly miss that when she leaves for college! She is also known as being funny, possibly even class clown! (That was a surprise to me…I always thought that Becca was the class clown when I had group piano lessons and recitals in our home.) I have taught piano and coached vocal lessons  for almost 21 years. My favorite past times include being involved with a local group that brings Christian speakers into our schools and playing the role of Sister Amnesia in the musical "Nunsense".

What am I doing here? I am here to explore - to learn what the world of blogging is all about - to challenge myself to rise to new heights - and to continue to grow in my writing skills. I would love to use this as a place to encourage others, to tell stories, and to explore my ability to write in different styles. I am here to learn more about life's defining adventures. Please continue with me as I explore. Share your thoughts and experiences. Offer challenges to me. And while I have the opportunity, allow me to personally welcome you aboard this epic journey to only God knows where!