Regardless of the ridiculous heat on Saturday, a few hundred people gathered near the Start/Finish line for the Smile-A-Mile 5k. Yes, someone would cross the finish line first to win the overall title; others would finish soon thereafter and take home the category wins. However, there was a different sentiment behind this gathering – a very personal connection to each foot pounding on the pavement through downtown Birmingham.

It’s for Jackson. The one who is now grown and about to graduate from college because he fortunately conquered leukemia. His mom, Mary, stood beside me.

It’s for Claire. The one whose family traveled from Gulfport, MS, to run with her in celebration. Just around the corner from the hospital where she was treated years ago, she now works as a dietician.

It’s for the mom who wore a tank stating “I run for my girls” – with their names listed beneath. The first name had wings and a halo surrounding it. The second name on the shirt stood beside her and prepared to run for her sister who couldn’t.

Just before the horn sounded to send us on our way, the event host encouraged us to look up and wave when we passed by Children’s Hospital. The patients and their families had the chance to find some window space to watch the runners below….many of them complete strangers….to be reminded that they were “seen” and not alone in their fight against cancer.

Have you ever realized how much a wave can mean?

For those families looking down from the windows, every wave meant HOPE.
Hope for a cure.
Hope for a trip to camp.
Hope to breathe fresh air outside.

For those of us running on the streets, every wave meant PURPOSE. The heat didn’t matter anymore, but every one of those kids DID. Their battles did. Their families did. So we waved. So we ran. So we pressed on and encouraged those running beside us not to quit.

Where can you “wave” today? Who needs HOPE that you carry? Who is looking out of their window – from their battle – looking for encouragement that your presence and your perseverance can offer?

There’s not a heat index that would have cancelled the race on Saturday…..because there was the need for a Heat Wave. Those looking down out of the windows needed it. So did those looking up from the streets.

BetterTogether

Smile-A-Mile

In July, I had the privilege of joining some amazing people for SERVE Day at Hillcrest High School. Our task was to weed the flower beds, rearrange how some monkey grass was planted, trim some shrubs/flowers, and put down some new mulch.

I love to work outside. Sweating is rewarding to me. And I love that you get to see the “before and after” to provide evidence that your work made a difference. 

Before, every flower bed was overtaken by weeds…..they were brown because they had been doused with RoundUp, but they were unified in their efforts to take over all of that space! After, every weed was gone, every shrub was trimmed, every flower was planted or cut back, and the mulch looked pristine. 

In between the “before” and the “after” is the part most of us want to avoid: the “during.” The part that determines if you’re going to question why you started. The part when you’re going to wonder if it’s really worth all of the work you’ll put in. The part where you’re challenged to get below the surface.

Matthew 13 puts that SERVE Day project into context. In verses 1-23, Jesus gives us The Parable of the Sower to focus not so much on what was being sown…..but what it was being sown INTO. Four types of soil are mentioned:

1. Beaten Path

2. Rocky/Gravel

3. Thorny 

4. Good/Rich 

None of us can escape our place in this parable because one of those soil types describes your heart. Right now.

I want to camp out on option 2 for a bit. You can see the “before” situation in the first picture. Weeds EVERYWHERE. You would think dead things would be be able to hang on so well. (Go ahead and chew on that statement for a bit.) However, after I used a variety of rakes and hoes for several hours, I learned that those weeds were hanging on to what was below the surface. ROCKS. (See picture 2.) When the rake was unsuccessful, I moved to the hoe….and when that was unsuccessful, I was down on my hands and knees pulling up the weeds with my hands. Wad after was was full of ROCKS. We later learned that there had been lava rock in all of those flower beds at one time. Most of the rock was never removed….it just burrowed down and was pressed down as new dirt or mulch was placed on top of it. 

Matthew 13:20-21 (The Passion Translation) states it like this:

“The one sown on gravel represents the person who gladly hears the kingdom message, but his experience remains shallow. Shortly after he hears it, troubles and persecutions come because of the kingdom message he received. Then he quickly falls away, for the truth didn’t sink deeply into his heart.”

The ROCKY SOIL kept the seed from taking root and thriving. The seed in the parable refers to the Word of God. So….back to the status of your heart….what type of soil is there? Just like those rocks couldn’t be seen with the naked eye, neither can the condition of your heart be seen with the human eye. But what “rocks” have never been cleaned out? What “rocks” have been pushed down, covered up, and ignored because they’re BELOW THE SURFACE?

Here’s the reality – we ALL have “rocks” in our hearts. We have hurts, disappointments, broken trust, insecurities, and doubts that are easier to just push down, cover up, and press on. However….look at the effects. When we don’t attend to things that truly need our attention, it hurts even worse to get it out. Even with gloves on….there were blisters and tearing of skin on my hands. The longer we leave the “rocks” below the surface, the more likely we will experience even more pain when we do try to get them out. 

What’s buried in your heart today? What’s keeping His Word and His Way from taking root in you? 

As David prayed in Psalm 139:23-24 (TPT): “God, I invite Your searching gaze into my heart. Examine me through and through; find out everything that may be hidden within me. Put me to the test and sift through all my anxious cares. See if there is any path of pain I’m walking on, and lead me back to Your glorious, everlasting way— the path that brings me back to You.”

Time to get BELOW THE SURFACE.

(This post was prompted by our sermon this past Sunday morning. Credit to Mark Pettus for the idea.)

My family moved to Alabama when I was 9. In the mid-80’s (sorry to disappoint all who thought I was 25), my dad took a $10,000 pay cut. That’s a lot NOW! That was a WHOLE LOT then. While I never realized that we were struggling to make ends meet or that my family received “commodities” at that time (translation: welfare benefits), I knew we didn’t have a lot of “stuff.” Jelly shoes were popular at the time and I’m thankful, because they were about $1 a pair. 

Also popular at the time were Jelly Bracelets. If you grew up in the 80’s, you KNOW you had those jokers going all the way up your arm. They were multiple colors and then they came out with black. You would trade bracelets with friends and loop them together to make neat designs. Again, this was the perfect time for this trend because they were cheap….and we didn’t have much money. 

Prior to moving to Alabama, I got my ears pierced at a little shop in the North Olmstead (Ohio) mall. I’m sure it was a similar concept to Claire’s today. All I know was…..I felt so grown up and proud when I put my little teardrop earrings in – because they were 14k gold! (Side note – how many of you ever made permanent teeth marks in something because you were trying to see if it was gold? 🤣🙋🏻‍♀️) These were special to me because they were bought in Ohio, transplanted to Alabama, and they were more costly. 

In 1984, we moved into an apartment complex so that we could get enrolled in school quickly. In Ohio, school starts after Labor Day. In Alabama, they barely make it to August before kids are coming back. I was coming in late to an already started school year and into an apartment complex with an already established hierarchy of friendships. It did not take me long to learn who called the shots. She was in my grade, she was smaller (shorter) than me, and she bossed everyone around like she was the apartment complex manager. At 9 years old. 

One day, I mentioned to a “friend” that I was tired of said bully acting like she ran the place and was tired of her telling everyone what to do. This kind “friend”

proceeded to share my feelings with the bully and then it all happened. With about three other girls in the complex with her, she confronted me. I told her the truth – that I was tired of her bossing everyone around. Her first response? Start making fun of my jelly bracelets. It stung. I didn’t have much but was proud of what I had. Then she reached up and slapped the side of my head…..knocking my 14k gold teardrop earring to the ground, hidden in all the leaves. After I dealt with the “my mom is going to kill me” thoughts, the fight began. 

Every kid in that apartment complex was circled around us within a few minutes (and there was only a method of communication at that time called “word of mouth”).  I had longer legs – so I kicked her a lot. She punched me in my left shoulder. A lot. I was crying. She was crying. I bruised her. She bruised me. After it was over….there was no more bullying. We actually became friends who played together. That only happened because SOMEONE had to stand up for what was right. 

What bully is coming after you? What person or mindset or lie is hovering around you, intimidating you to lay down, be weak, “just take it,” or compromise?

Ephesians 6 gives us great wisdom – and it’s not there by accident! Verse 10 implores us to be strong in the Lord. Verse 11 tells us to armor up and STAND against the devil’s schemes. Verse 12 tells us who we ARE NOT fighting against….and that would be people. Verse 13 tells us again to armor up and to STAND and to KEEP STANDING. Verse 14 tells us to STAND FIRM, Truth wrapped around our waist and His Righteousness shielding our heart. Verse 15 tells us to STRAP ON the shoes of the Gospel of peace. Verse 16 tells us to HOLD UP the shield of faith to defend the lies of the enemy.  Verse 17 tells us to PROTECT our minds with salvation and SWING the sword of the Spirit! Verse 18 wraps it up and challenges us to PRAY ON ALL OCCASIONS.

The bully is not after your jelly bracelets. 

He’s not after your gold teardrop earrings.

He is after your eternal security and your earthly purpose that are directly tied to your relationship with God. (All of the other things fall into that statement). 

When everyone is circled up for the fight, what are you going to do?

STAND.

KEEP STANDING. 

STAND FIRM.

STRAP ON.

HOLD UP.

PROTECT. 

SWING.

PRAY ON ALL OCCASIONS. 

Fists up! It’s time to fight! 👊🏼

Recently, my family took a trip out west and we had the opportunity to visit the Grand Canyon for the first time in all of our lives! We have seen pictures….we have seen puzzles…..we have heard stories…..we have flown over parts of it…..but we had never been ourselves.

We arrived at the West Rim and followed our tour guide’s advice to spend the majority of our time visiting Eagle Point and exploring Guano Point. (For a little flashback humor, those of you who grew up in the “Ace Ventura” movie days May recall that “Guano” is the fancy name of BAT POOP.) We took our first pictures at Eagle’s Point and just soaked in the handiwork of our Creator. The two fellas in our family are Eagle Scouts, so it was super cool to get a picture of them with the Eagle formation in the canyon.

Once we finished up there, we went over to Guano Point to explore a little bit. Our tour guide recommended climbing the “ant hill” for some great views of the canyon from an elevated perch. From the ground, it didn’t look so bad. However, for the one in the family who has an intense fear of falling…..it was something else.

As I made my way around the back side of “the ant hill,” my husband told me to come closer to where he was for a better picture of the canyon below. As I moved towards him, the path on which I was moving became very narrow….and, as you can see in the photo above, the edge of the “ant hill” came pretty close to where my feet were.

Yes, it’s beautiful.

However, when you’re terrified, all you can think is “how in the world am I going to get off of here….alive?!?” Yes, my mind went there. My foot slipped just a tad (seriously was not much in hindsight) and it sent me into a full blown anxiety attack. I could not move off of the rock I was pressed against. Heart rate was up. Mouth got dry. Sweating was intense. Eyes were leaking and nose was running. For a few moments, I believe I was “scared to death.”

My son came and helped guide me back in the safest and least scary way possible. I was a bit embarrassed that I was so afraid. In the midst of trying to be safe and cry and not hyperventilate, I mumbled under my breath multiple times…..”Lord, please help me.” I started praying 1 Peter 5:7 to remind myself to “cast my anxiety on Him because He cares for me.” That’s all I knew to do.

I don’t have a pretty end to the story that is as clean as “I prayed and all of my fear is gone.” But I did pray. And He did help me. (I’m writing this blog today, so I made it!) It’s easy to feel like a Spiritual peon because I can’t shake that fear. Exposure therapy didn’t make it better. But in the moment, I called on Him in prayer, I quoted His Word, and He helped me THROUGH the fear. It’s not gone. But neither is He.

Maybe you don’t have a fear of falling. Maybe it’s social anxiety, fear of spiders, fear of rejection, fear of failure, fear of being alone, fear of dying, fear of being exposed, fear of _____________. You know what blank applies to you. As a Believer who continues to walk with the Lord, who wants to know Him more and love Him better…..let me assure you that He would love to join you in the middle of your ________________ and be with you THROUGH it. I won’t discount your faith if the fear is still there…..the enemy of our souls is good enough at that. But I do have full confidence in saying that inviting Him in to whatever it is you are facing will give Him the opportunity to help shoulder that burden.

Fear of ______________ is scary.

Invite Him in. He will give you strength THROUGH it.

The “It’s Time” Tour made a stop in Birmingham on May 25.

Natalie Grant.

Tasha Cobbs Leonard.

Tamela Mann.

Katie Torwalt.

Naomi Raine.

Powerful voices singing an even more powerful message. From the get go, the ladies told the entire crowd that they had battled through some intense Spiritual warfare just to be there that night. No details were provided…..yet.

What I can tell you is that as my daughter and I were walking towards the concert hall, the crowd headed that way looked like potpourri. Tall. Short. Bald heads. Gray heads. Braids. Buns. Wedges. Tennis shoes. Great grandmothers being escorted in on walkers. (This is where my crying started. Their resolve to worship Jesus spoke so loudly without saying a word.) A 10-year old sitting next to me. Every shade of skin color. It was beautiful.

As the music began, every hindrance amongst the crowd was dropped. We clapped. We raised hands. We laid on hands and prayed. We cried. We expressed gratitude. We. Had. Church.

When Natalie Grant took the stage for her solo portion, she shared that she wondered why there was SO MUCH opposition to the Tour happening in Birmingham that night. She shared that she had done a bit of research about Birmingham and that it made sense……because the crowd did not reflect the racial bondage that continues to hold Birmingham (and most of Alabama, to be honest) captive today. She talked about how beautiful the sea of people was…..reflective of THE Body of Christ….THE Church. It was one of those moments that it felt like a mass hug was in order. The Holy Spirit was in the room.

Thank you, Natalie, Naomi, Tamela, Tasha and Katie for fighting through pain, pneumonia and other afflictions to sing Hope over our city. Thank you for not backing down and for fighting against what we can’t see so that we got to “see” what we did see!

May 25 was an Altar of Remembrance night. We. Had. Church.