First of all, my apologies if this photo IS your child or resembles your child. It was borrowed from the photo album of the internet.

Sitting on the beach this morning, I’m reading a book and watching people. As couples and families set up camp around us, there’s always an interesting dynamic. Some are minimalists with one bag and one towel; others have brought the guest house in their 15 wagons with monster truck sized wheels.

As dad was unpacking, mom held the toddler (appearing to be between one and two). All was well until dad stopped unpacking and sprayed the toddler with sunscreen. All of the sudden…..the calm of mama’s arms turned into loud cries.

No matter what is going on, a baby or toddler will resort to ONE common behavior: crying.
❓Hungry? CRY.
❓Tired? CRY.
❓Afraid? CRY.
❓Startled? CRY.
❓Wet? CRY.
❓Lonely? CRY.
❓Sick? CRY.
❓Cold? CRY.
❓Hurting? CRY.
❓Overwhelmed? CRY.

Don’t you envy such a simple response? They just get to cry about any and every thing and draw the attention of someone.

There comes a point, though, where that response shifts. Somewhere along the way, we are supposed to become more in tune with our emotions and use words to express how we are feeling.

Sometimes we are good at it.

Sometimes we stink at it.

How do YOU respond when you’re hungry? Tired? Afraid? Startled? Wet? Lonely? Sick? Cold? Hurting? Overwhelmed?

Dealing with what is inside of us is a necessary process – because that is exactly what will come out when life bumps us. When we don’t sleep well. When we’ve gone too long between meals. When we don’t feel well – physically, emotionally, Spiritually or relationally. When we are afraid or feel out of control.

The good news for us is that there is a menu of options that can help us process those things out. Galatians 5:22-23 gives us the list:
“But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!”

Reflecting today as I watched a little one expose an area of personal weakness. Lord, help us to be intentional about having YOUR fruit planted in our lives. Help us to come to You in all of the situations and with all of the emotions and learn how to respond from You. Thank You for being a gracious Father who is patient with us as we grow up.

When I got home from work yesterday, I took advantage of the beautiful weather and worked in the yard for about five hours trimming shrubs, clearing out old mulch, edging, mowing the grass, and putting down new mulch.

I took a little break because Kyle and Macy brought me a Ttown Snow 😋 and as we visited, a little bird hopped nearby. I could hear him talking and I asked Kyle to use his birding app to listen and see what kind of bird it was. He did – and the result was a Chipping Sparrow (photo included).

I just paused and had to hold back tears. And I felt Holy Spirit say – “I see him….and I see you, too.”

Life has been hard lately. As a person who tries my best to be optimistic and remain hopeful, it seems like every day has brought a new sort of gut punch. Sometimes they are things in my life; sometimes they are things happening in the lives of those I know and love. And….it just gets heavy. Really, really heavy.

Before I stopped to eat my sno cone, I was literally entertaining the thought of “I don’t know how much more I can take. It’s all so heavy. ” Have you been there? Do you know someone else who is there?

In those moments, it’s easy to feel as if nobody sees. It’s easy to feel as if nobody cares.

So the Lord sent me a little Chipping Sparrow this evening to silence the junk I was rehearsing in my head.

“Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭10‬:‭29‬-‭31‬ ‭ESV‬‬

REALLY? It could have been any kind of bird…..but He sent a Sparrow.

Thank You, Lord.

I know He sent that little Chipping Sparrow for me…..but he wasn’t sent JUST for me. So I’m writing this to remind someone else of this, too.

❤️🐦‍⬛🎶

Sunday, February 2, 2025

The alarm went off early so I could get up to walk or run – whatever I could handle. My weather app said it was 37 degrees outside, so I decided to head to the gym instead of bundling up to be outside for an hour.

I went to the back of the gym where the cardio equipment was and picked out just the right treadmill. (I could have had any of them – there were only four people in the gym at 5:30 a.m. on Sunday.) I hit start, set my incline, and started my five-minute warmup. Then a 10-minute jog. Then a five-minute cool down before hitting some weights.

I got off the treadmill a bit frustrated with myself. It wasn’t that long ago (I think) that I could run for the entirety of my 30-minute cardio session (yes, I only did 20 today). Here I found myself only being able to hang for 10. The older you get, the easier it is to lose stamina. Purpose. The “want to.” How did I get here?

I can be creative in making all kinds of excuses as to why I have not prioritized my physical health, but they don’t help me. The reality is…..I got here one day at a time. I got here when I quit getting “on the treadmill.”

My frustration today came from not being able to do things for as long or at the same pace that I could do them before. Yes, I get older every single day, but that’s a truth for all of us regardless of age. We can’t neglect things on the daily and realistically expect to hop back in as we were when we did them on the daily.

How about you?
What “treadmills” have you gotten off of?

-Praying?
-Writing?
-Giving?
-Serving?
-Exercising?
-Singing?
-Earing well?
-Reading?
-Leading?
-Spending time with family and friends?
-Studying God’s Word?
-Coaching?
-Being a part of the local Church?
–___________?

The whole time I’ve been away from the gym, the treadmills were there the whole time. I can sit here and rationalize not doing something I really do love to do because I’ve allowed myself to get out of shape and I’ll have to work harder to get it back. But you know what? All I had to do was step back on the treadmill.

You, too, my friend.
Which treadmills are waiting for you?

“Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:12-14

This morning, I had breakfast with a few friends. Before we even had coffee on the table, a little gnat made its way into our table space and buzzed around our heads. We politely shooed it away until it got on all of our nerves. I looked at my friends and said, “IT WILL DIE!” Shortly after a moment of laughter, it flew in front of me and I went into Mr. Miyagi mode. (Please watch The Karate Kid if you’re unfamiliar with this legend!) With a loud clap of my hands….IT DIED! I wiped off my hands and continued the conversation. Within two minutes, another one came around. This time, with a loud smash on the table, IT DIED, too.

Those little gnats spoke to me today. Isn’t it just like us to just “shoo away” the annoying things in our lives while they just continue to circle around our heads and distract us? And have you ever noticed how, left unaddressed, those gnats seem to multiply themselves? Chew on that for a few minutes.

As we’ve just started a New Year, maybe it’s time to address some of those “gnats” in our lives. Maybe it’s time to call in the SWAT (Something Worth Addressing Today) Team and take care of those things once and for all. Maybe these “gnats” invade your head and heart space on a daily basis:

✳️ Being offended
✳️ Pride
✳️ Manipulating people
✳️ Jealousy
✳️ Speaking words of death over others
✳️ Blaming
✳️ Insecurity
✳️ Bitterness
✳️ Overspending
✳️ Making excuses
✳️ Overeating
✳️ Endlessly scrolling

When you read over that list, none of them sound like things we would WANT to have consistently swirling around us. However, if we simply tolerate their presence in our lives and “shoo” them away on occasion, they will make themselves at home and just become a part of who we are.

Today, may the “gnats” of our lives drive us to call in the SWAT Team and send them packing. May they be more fearful of your hand clap or table slap than you are of the work it takes to exterminate them!

“GET RID OF all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.”
‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭4‬:‭31‬-‭32‬ ‭NLT‬‬

LAND MINES.

I’ll spare the definition, but Merriam Webster gives a few synonyms for the words “land mine:”
➡️ booby trap
➡️ gimmick
➡️ gotcha
➡️ pitfall
➡️ snag
None of these have a very positive feel around them (unless you had an Atari in the early 80’s and conquered the game of Pitfall).

A few weeks ago, I was cleaning up my house to prepare for my Sunday afternoon Freedom group. I took the trash out to the dumpster in the fenced in back yard and realized just how much my dog liked to poop in that area.

Every single time we pick up all of his mess from the backyard, he seems to find a new “target” area where he likes to use the bathroom until the next round of clean up. This time, in particular, the drop zone was surrounding where I needed to walk to get the trash bag to the dumpster.

As crazy as it sounds, Holy Spirit spoke to me as I navigated around what was on the ground en route to where I needed to get. It’s almost like I heard Him say….. “Isnt that just what the enemy does? He brings the same old poop – the same stinky poop – in the same old places. Don’t step on the land mines.”

I shared that with my small group that afternoon….because the enemy is LITERALLY a turd (💩) and he brings the same old mess to people’s lives. He will “load up” in all the same places. You know exactly what I’m talking about. He launches an attack on your marriage. Then your health. Then your kids. Then your friendships. Then your workplaces. Then your church. Then your identity. Drop zone after drop zone after drop zone….and it’s all a bunch of stinky mess!

Aren’t you tired of that? Rather than stepping in it and tracking it all over the place…..IDENTIFY IT. CALL IT OUT! FIGHT IT! DON’T PARTNER WITH IT!

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.”
‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭6‬:‭10‬-‭18‬ ‭NIV‬‬

John 10:10 tells us that the enemy comes to steal, to kill, and to destroy. Stop fighting Spiritual battles with worldly tools. Strap on the armor and STAND. Pray and STAND! Speak the Word of God and STAND!

We will not be outwitted by the enemy’s schemes…….and we will not be destroyed or deceived by his land mines.

Armor up, my friends.