Erasing Your Excuses

In high school, my band director erased "can't" from my vocabulary. We were a championship band, first in the state for 4A high schools. He delighted in giving us the most challenging routines and music while watching us rise to the occasion and tolerated nothing less than our absolute best, knowing that our greatest potential often lay just below our valid but weak excuses.

I remember more than one occasion, trying and trying to get a note set correct and failing miserably (in front of people by the way). After the fifth time, I quit trying.

"I can't do it."

"I'm sorry, what?"

"I can't do it, Mr. C."

"I don't understand that word. Try again."

It's amazing what you come up with when that word isn't an option. I'm having trouble. This is hard. How in the world do I do this? I don't know how. But not one of those gives me the option to stop trying. And every excuse carries with it the opportunity to discover a new journey in the struggle.

He never let me quit in the classroom or on the marching field. Slow down, sure. Take each note one finger at a time, yep. But NEVER quit. Because he knew I could if I set my mind to it, no matter the challenge.

Success lay just below the "I can'ts" just waiting to come to fruition with the acknowledgment of "I can…somehow." And that lesson has shaped my writing journey. Rejections became detours. "Can'ts" became other challenges to conquer. I determined that I wanted it much more than I feared it.

I go much farther when I purge the excuses from my system and just try. I've never seen anyone who valiantly attempted ever epically fail. They just find a better option to pursue as they try again.

Talent and giftedness may come naturally to a point. But success as a result of those abilities NEVER comes without hard work and a willingness to push past rejection, defeat, and redirection. As soon as you purge the excuses, the talent blooms, and it's only a matter of time before others outside your circle begin to notice.

Where do you need to erase "can't" from your vocabulary?

What Makes Me Love Jesus More

I'm convinced that smog doesn't just clog the air of Dallas, Texas. It clogs my mind as well. The constant fast pace, emails, and traffic soundtrack leave my brain frazzled and desperate for a quiet place.

More than ever, this year I've discovered that escaping the city to the great outdoors makes me love Jesus more. I can't even explain the joy that fills me when I get outside the high rises. It's pretty bad when a writer is short on words. But without fail, I understand the words of Jesus that He came to give us life to the full (John 10:10). My heart is full, my joy uncontained. I want to dance, sing praise to my Creator, have a conversation with someone I love, write and let my passion spill on the page.

My job is to create. Maybe that's why I relate best in my Creator's handiwork. I see the beauty that I wish I could capture in words. I see the natural way of things, without the glitz and glam of advertisements attempting to sell a product. I see the sunset, the light filter through the trees, the color of the leaves, and I'm home.

As my wheels beat a path away from Dallas or I take flight in a 747 to some pre-planned location, the burden lifts. Idaho stole my heart a few weeks ago as I took walks, went on a hike, and spent hours outside gathered around heaters with chili and fun conversation. This time outside my routine refreshed my soul.

I understand a little more why Jesus escaped the crowds and the city to get alone with God in the wilderness (Mark 1:35). Can you imagine what it looked like back then? No trash. No pollution. No mark of humanity. Just nature in all its raw beauty. I imagine He felt close to his Father as I feel when I escape for just a brief time. I find that on my way back, my heart finds a new sense of peace to make war in the city God has placed me in. I'm prepared. I'm learning the quiet doesn't come from outer stimulation but inner contentment, the peace that passes understanding because I know who I am and who my King is (Philippians 4:7).

So, I hit the big city, and I'm no longer a slave to my outlook calendar and smart phone clock. I'm a servant of the King making the most of every opportunity.

And I'm more in love with Jesus than when I left.

What makes you love Jesus more?

Learning to Listen

My world is loud. My email constantly demands my attention - three different accounts for three different reasons. My job revolves around communication and social media, the deadly noise of an electronic culture.

We've forgotten the value of letters and phone calls, the connection that comes with face to face. We've forgotten how to have a conversation longer than 140 characters, and we sure don't remember the bond developed by vocally sharing the depth of our thoughts, our hearts.

I remember a crowded beach in California. Surfers rode the waves, entertainers lined up around the boardwalk, and this misplaced Texas girl walked with my group enjoying the show. About sunset, I found myself alone near the water, the waves roaring in to kiss the shore over and over. All other noise dissipated, and I truly listened.

I see my Creator in the waves and the ocean - His power, His gentle nature, His vastness, His beauty. And I can hear His still small voice in the waves that lap the sand, asking me to drown out the other noise and just listen. He speaks in the quiet moments. He answers when I truly surrender.

With no beach nearby, I'm learning to find my ocean moments in the roar of the big city. He speaks most when I commit to listen. And I'm tired of the noise. I'm sitting on the shore, listening to His voice whisper in the waves.

Linking up with other writers at Lisa-Jo's today!

Hiking Columbine Trail

Fall

The trail wound too close to the edge of the mountain. My foot kicked a pebble loose, and it skittered over the side. I avoided watching it's wake, scared to lean over. We were the back group in a crew of thirty, the others racing to the top.

My camera remained a ready friend in my hand, capturing every moment of the beauty. Mountains rose all around us, a tribute to the strength of my King. We rounded a corner into the most beautiful crag in the rock, full of flora and fauna, perfect for exploring.

That's when it hit. A raindrop. Then another and another. We heard the group ahead of us begin to yell as the sky blackened and lightening flashed. A mountain is not the safest location in a Colorado thunderstorm. Our leader came sprinting down the trail, the others in her wake. Water wound down the red mud, sliding beneath her feet.

"Get off the mountain. Get off the Mountain. Lord, get all these students off the mountain safely," I heard her whispered prayer as she whipped past me. My friends and I began to run, now more concerned with the lightening than the proximity of the edge. Water ran like a stream between my feet, and I began to laugh, a rough year of college bleeding off with the refreshment of a summer storm and the adventure of a Colorado mountain hike. As the potential of falling off the cliff increased with the deluge, I had no fear.

I fell more in love with Jesus in that storm.

"Let us acknowledge the Lord; let us press on to acknowledge Him. As surely as the sun rises, He will appear; He will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth." Hosea 6:3

Linking up with other writers at Lisa-Jo's for Five Minute Friday.

Crazy Lessons - Grace is Amazing

I'm learning lessons in a crazy season...

Lesson 5: I am reminded on this Easter Sunday that God's grace is amazing.

I fell asleep last night in awe of what I have seen the Lord do in the lives of those close to me. Grace is incredible. In the past year, I have seen some of the most amazing people come from the hardest circumstances. And it has bred beautiful hearts!

I've seen prostitutes become passionate proclaimers of Jesus Christ. Those who have suffered abortion become beautiful vessels of God's healing. Drug addicts hit the streets to share the gospel. Sex addicts become passionate about purity.

I've seen two parent homes join together to be as God intended. Single mothers unite with men who love them and their children as Christ loved the church. I have seen the legalistic and entitled become gracious. The prideful become humble.
The angry and hurt find peace. The searching find Christ. The abused and neglected find a loving Father. The lukewarm blaze with fire.

There is LIFE in Jesus. None of these people left their old life on their own. They found something better.  It may be the most quoted verse in the Bible, but it captures the love of the Father for us.

"For God so LOVED the world, that He gave His only Son that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16

My pastor often says that he would take an army of new believers into battle any day over a handful of "experienced" believers. These newbies remember very clearly what their life was like before Christ. When Jesus changes a heart, He changes it completely. It is a lifelong growing process, but man, it's beautiful. May we never forget His sacrifice on the cross. What greater love exists than a man laying His life down to save the life of another?

On this Easter Sunday, I am so thankful that Jesus loved me enough to die for me, for my family, my friends, the world. I am in awe. Happy Easter!

"That if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation."

Crazy Lesson 4: Passion Fuels Motivation

Learning lessons in the middle of a crazy season...

Lesson 4: Passion fuels motivation.

My brain is usually going 90 miles to nothing. The past month, that is actually a slow estimate. Work deadlines, book deadlines, spending time with family and friends, church responsibilities, and who knows what else constantly keep me on the move.

So when I actually have some down time, I don't want to do ANYTHING. My version of a break is giving my mind something creative to enjoy, specifically something that my brain didn't work to create.

Last weekend, in the middle of work responsibilities, I actually stopped. I slept A LOT. I researched the Navy SEALs for my second book. I love watching stories about these silent heroes who so often don't want credit. They see their job as a duty and a calling.

I drank hot tea, emailed people to endorse my book, finished reading a book, and enjoyed some alone time and time with the Lord. Despite being on my second seven-day work week, I feel more energized and motivated.

Application: Create margin to take care of yourself so you can be more effective and love well in other areas of life.

I very rarely take time for myself because of my schedule. I haven't finished a book since before Christmas and have only sporadically written in my journal. Hello, I'm a writer. Those things help me grow. I have to create margin in my life to fill my tank, or I won't be able to pour into people or give my best at work or with my writing. I'll be surviving instead of thriving. 

I'm learning to make margin for my relationships and for myself. In a crazy life season, that is not a quick fix, but it's coming slowly, and I'm learning that the things that fuel my passion fuel me the rest of the week. Speaking of which, back to work...