Peace, Beauty, and a Wonderful Savior.

I just got back from a trip to see my dear friend Erica and her family.  She lives in Jackson, Kentucky...well, the address is Jackson.  The actual location is WAY out in the middle of nowhere.  No cell service, no GPS,  just amazing beauty.

My first morning there, we had to leave early because Erica had an appointment just outside of Lexington.  We would be leaving just before 8am so I was up well before Sunrise.  After breakfast, I had the opportunity to sit out on the porch of Erica and Kris's home (See above...duplex on the left) and watch the sunrise.  It was a cool morning...about 40ish degrees.  As I sat on their porch, I simply could not stop smiling.  It was cool (which I LOVE) and quiet.  I could hear the leaves brushing against each other on the trees and the birds begin to sing ever so slightly.  Then the sun began to rise and the darkness that surrounded me began to change ever so slowly to light.  The trees started to showcase their beautiful colors as the sun began to reflect against their leaves.  As I sat there and took pictures of the changing scenery as the sun rose, I was just in awe of our amazing Creator.  He designed every leaf, every tree, ever hill I was enjoying.  It was a wonderful time of communion with God.

Then on Sunday morning, it was a rainy day, but once again I was up early and while the house was still quiet I stepped out on the back porch to read my Bible.  And once again, I was in awe of the beauty that God was showing me.  Behind their home is a lovely little footbridge on one side and the side of a foothill on the other.  I stood on that porch and read from my Bible and once again enjoyed a time in the presence of the magnificent Creator.  It was a blessing that I won't soon forget.

Sometimes we need to get away to be able to appreciate the beauty that surrounds us. I know for me, those few days with wonderful friends and surrounded by a canvas only God could paint, I was able to draw closer to my Savior...and that is a treasure worth far more than anything else I could imagine.  Thank you Jesus!

When Did Bullying Become OK?

I'm afraid I must step up onto a soapbox for a minute because I do not think I can take much more of this.

If you have been watching online for the last few years you would see that there has been a huge surge of people speaking out against bullying.  And rightly so because it is a huge problem in our society.  I work with children and teenagers and I know that it happens.  It's terrible and it hurtful and it MUST STOP!  Everyone seems to agree with this...until it is time for the elections.

Then it seems that adults all across the country decide that bullying is ok.  After all, the people they are talking about are politicians.  They made themselves fair game, right?  WRONG!  They decided to run for a political office.  They decided to try and make a difference in our country.  They did not decided that they and their family were just going to be "ok" with being bullied.

No matter what your political affiliation, this blog applies to you...and I'm talking to the politicians themselves too.  If we want to teach our children that bullying is wrong, then we have to stop it ourselves.  Would you like to explain why it is ok for you to verbally torture, tear down, and post embarrassing pictures of a politician, but it's not ok for them to do it of a classmate?  Do you realize what you are doing to the family of that politician?  How would you like it if your Mom, Dad, Aunt, or Uncle was being torn down all over the internet by people who had never even met them?  Do you know for an absolute fact that what you are saying is true?  Even if you do, why is it ok for you to post such things about this person while at the same time you are trying to teach children and teenagers that it is not ok for them to do the same to others?

This is a horrible and tragic double standard that MUST STOP.  Children learn by example.  What kind of example are you setting?  Teens do what others do.  Are the things you are posting something you would want said about you?  If not, DON'T POST IT!  Don't SHARE it.

If you don't like a particular politician, don't tear him or her down.  Build up your candidate.  Show off all his or her good points.  I don't care why you don't like the other candidate...tell me why you do like yours.  Is that so hard?  Or do you really not know enough about your candidate to do that.  If that's the case, then that is a whole other problem...and a whole other blog!

Am I the only one who sees this?  I hope not.

King of the Roller Coaster!

If you know me very well, you know that I am terrified of heights.  I don't even do well crossing bridges. (Side note:  Why are bridges so high anyway?  I mean, must you be a thousand feet in the air?  Couldn't you build the bridge a mere 75 feet above the water and still get across?  I don't know...good thing I'm not an engineer.)  I stay away from things like ladders, glass elevators, and especially roller coasters.  When I am high above the world, my legs shake, my hands get cold, my heart races and it's all I can do to breathe properly.  I realize that most of the time the fear is irrational, but that doesn't make it go away.

Fortunately, the roller coaster that is life does not affect me that way.  Life is full of twists, turns, dips, highs and lows and yet, it doesn't scare me at all.  I mean no one enjoys the lows of life, but those lows help us appreciate the highs and generally help us grow, so there is no sense in avoiding them.  The twists and turns keep life interesting.  Besides, the God I serve is the King of life's roller coasters.  He knows all the twists and turns, he's ready for the ups and downs, and he's better than any safety bar could be in protecting me.  With Him by my side, I have nothing to fear.  

I have recently been thinking a lot about just how big our God is and how much He cares for us.  It's an amazing thing to contemplate.  The One who created the very universe, formed all things into being, is all powerful and more amazing than words...He cares about me.  He's taking care of me!  And that knowledge can bring peace in the midst of any of life's roller coasters.  Thank you Jesus!

Just some thoughts that were rolling around in my head today.