Emotions and Reason

It is true that we can't just follow emotion blindly, however, I have learned, more than I ever knew I could, that when you are a follower of Christ, He puts things in your heart that He wants for you, that He desires for you. So, it is no surprise that we want and desire things that are after God's own heart. It can be painful to live from the heart, but for me.......there is no other place to live.

"The mind takes in and processes information. But it remains, for the most part, indifferent. It is your mind that tells you it is now 2:00 A.M. and your daughter has not returned, for the car is not in the driveway. Your heart wrestles with whether or not this is cause for worry. The heart lives in the far more bloody and magnificent realities of living and dying and loving and hating. That’s why those who live from their minds are detached from life. Things don’t seem to touch them very much; they puzzle at the way others are so affected by life, and they conclude others are emotional and unstable. Meanwhile, those who live from the heart find those who live from the mind . . . unavailable. Yes, they are physically present. So is your computer. This is the sorrow of many marriages, and the number one disappointment of children who feel entirely missed or misunderstood by their parents.

Yes, the heart is the source of our emotions. But we have equated the heart with, emotion, and put it away for a messy and even dangerous guide. No doubt, many people have made a wreck of their lives by following an emotion without stopping to consider whether it was a good idea to do so. Neither adultery nor murder is a rational act. But equating the heart with emotion is the same nonsense as saying that love is a feeling. Surely, we know that love is more than feeling loving; for if Christ had followed his emotions, he would not have gone to the cross for us. Like any man would have been, he was afraid; in fact, he knew that the sins of the world would be laid upon him, and so he had even greater cause for hesitation (Mark 14:32–35). But in the hour of his greatest trial, his love overcame his fear of what loving would cost him.

Emotions are the voice of the heart, to borrow Chip Dodd’s phrase. Not the heart, but its voice."

Evan Almighty

OK, I went to see this last night and it was the most fun I had at a movie in a long time. I really enjoyed it. It was funny, good message (as Hollywood goes), and if you have not seen it you have to wait through the credits! That is the most fun part! We danced all the way out of the theater! It was great!

Faith, Hope, Love in a new light

Don't Ever Give Up!

How easy it is for us girls to forget this. It seems we have everything working against us. The world constantly telling us and showing us that we don't measure up to "their" standards because we don't look, act or conform to how "they" think we should look, act or be. It is hard, if it were easy, no one would struggle with this. Do we really trust Jesus with our heart? I have found that too is not an easy thing. So many times, it's just easier to hide than to put your heart out there one more time. But if we don't offer it, time and time again, then we won't be all that God created us to be for those He needs us to be it for. It is scary that it's out of our control when we offer our heart in Faith, Hoping to make a difference to be seen and enjoyed for who God made us to be. I can totally relate as I know you can too. We want it to matter, and we can't give up hope......ever. I have this cartoon on the side of my fridge that I have had for years. I copied it from someone. It is a picture of a Crane standing in the swamp, and he has just opened his beak and started to swallow a big bull frog. The frog has grabbed the Crane around the neck with both hands so there is no way he can swallow him. The caption reads "Don't Ever Give Up!" I live by that and it has brought me so much encouragement over the years. It's not over until its over. So read todays message below, and don't hide, don't strive, but by Faith, unveil your beauty to others regardless of the outcome and trust Jesus with it. Unveil your beauty in Hope that it is going to matter, that you are going to make a difference in someone and for someone and trust Jesus with it. Unveil your beauty in Love, truly from the heart, so that the world and all those you care about can see Jesus. He put these attributes in us because they are His attributes. Don't hide anymore. Close your eyes, take a deep breath, and jump in!------Tam

"Unveiling our beauty really just means unveiling our feminine hearts.

It’s scary, for sure. That is why it is our greatest expression of faith, because we are going to have to trust Jesus—really trust him. We’ll have to trust him that we have a beauty, that what he has said of us is true. And we’ll have to trust him with how it goes when we offer it, because that is out of our control. We’ll have to trust him when it hurts, and we’ll have to trust him when we are finally seen and enjoyed. That’s why unveiling our beauty is how we live by faith.

Unveiling our beauty is our greatest expression of hope. We hope it will matter, that our beauty really does make a difference. We hope there is a greater and higher Beauty, hope we are reflecting that Beauty, and hope it will triumph. Our hope is that all is well because of Jesus, and that all will be well because of him. So we unveil beauty in hope. And finally, we unveil beauty in the hope that Jesus is growing our beauty. Yes, we are not yet what we long to be. But we are under way. Restoration has begun. To offer beauty now is an expression of hope that it will be completed.

And unveiling beauty is our greatest expression of love, because it is what the world most needs from us. When we choose not to hide, when we choose to offer our hearts, we are choosing to love. Jesus offers, he invites, he is present. That is how he loves. That is how we love—sincerely, as the Scripture says, “from the heart” (1 Peter 1:22). Our focus shifts from self-protection to the hearts of others. We offer Beauty so that their hearts might come alive, be healed, know God. That is love." (Captivating , 147)

'Thank ya, Thank ya very much'

Memphis 6-12-07

I went to Memphis with some friends who had never been to Graceland. I am not an Elvis fan, and I have been to Graceland once before. But I was up for a fun day and to watch their reactions as they toured the property. It is a pretty place, the property that is. The house is smaller than you would have expected, but very unique. One of the funniest things that happened was we went into one of the souvenir shops, and they had this 'build a bear' section. There was this wheel on the wall that kinda looked like Wheel of Fortune and in the middle was a pipe sticking out. There was a lever on the floor so Clay stepped on it thinking it was going to spin the wheel. It didn't..........it sprayed him hard with stuffing intended for stuffing the bears! It was hilarious! We were all laughing so hard, he was still 'pickin' out stuffing the rest of the day! We had some good ice cream. It was a good day. Check out the pics by clicking on them.

The Sum of Life

The Road goes ever on and on
Down from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
And I must follow, if I can,
Pursuing it with eager feet,
Until it joins some larger way. (J. R. R. Tolkien)

I don't know how to say this any better..............

The Road goes ever on and on
Down from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
And I must follow, if I can,
Pursuing it with eager feet,
Until it joins some larger way. (J. R. R. Tolkien)

"The Sacred Romance calls to us every moment of our lives. It whispers to us on the wind, invites us through the laughter of good friends, reaches out to us through the touch of someone we love. We’ve heard it in our favorite music, sensed it at the birth of our first child, been drawn to it while watching the shimmer of a sunset on the ocean. It is even present in times of great personal suffering—the illness of a child, the loss of a marriage, the death of a friend. Something calls to us through experiences like these and rouses an inconsolable longing deep within our heart, wakening in us a yearning for intimacy, beauty, and adventure. This longing is the most powerful part of any human personality. It fuels our search for meaning, for wholeness, for a sense of being truly alive. However we may describe this deep desire, it is the most important thing about us, our heart of hearts, the passion of our life. And the voice that calls to us in this place is none other than the voice of God. (The Sacred Romance , 195)

Wahoo!

 
 
 
OK, I know I have not blogged in a while. Life has been busy and I probably never said anything about our Co-ed Softball team this year either. Well, It was a short season, only 6 Monday nights, but tonight was our play off! Single elimination! We won a total of 4 games this season and we won 2nd Place for the season! Yeah! Awesome job everyone. We had a great time playing. There were 6 of us girls on the team and everyone did a great job! I am proud of all of you. Sorry about my hitting (not exactly anything you would write home about), but hey! We took pic's at Chik-Fil-A tonight with the after the game crew, and of the trophy, it is huge! Softball was fun and great exercise too! Thanks everyone! Love you guys!