This 18-wheeler was parked at a local fast food restaurant yesterday while the driver grabbed some lunch.

As I put my car in park to grab a few tacos with my friends, the truck and its contents could not be overlooked.

On that trailer sat multiple cars that had stories to tell…..miles driven…..sights seen….plans revamped……parts replaced…..people reunited….songs blared…..and then, the crushing.

Merriam-Webster defines CRUSHING as “to squeeze or force by pressure so as to alter or destroy structure.”

Chances are, you’ve had moments or seasons when you felt like one of those cars. Miles driven and experiences had…..but then came the crushing.
➡️ The diagnosis wasn’t what you expected or hoped for.
➡️ The job was going so great until they let you know it was over.
➡️ The words “I do” were so real and strong….until later they became “I don’t.”
➡️ The dream of having a baby grew dimmer and dimmer with each negative test result.
➡️ There were so many plans for the future until that person was taken far too soon.

You can add your own statements to the arrows, too. There are lots of situations in our lives that absolutely make us feel as if we are being crushed – just like those once vibrant cars on the back of that truck.

One of the first words in Merriam’s definition is “squeeze.” If I hand you a big, juicy orange, your intention is not to go into the kitchen and “crush” it. Instead, “squeezing” the orange will bring out of it what could never be known had it just sat peacefully on the counter…..not actually being used to produce what it was created to produce. That could only come from the “squeezing.”

Squeezing or crushing…..I guarantee you that there are things inside of you that will never come to fruition without them. I have certainly walked through a long season of crushing and have seen friends do the same – and we are not the same! No one wants to sign up for them, for sure, but we sure are thankful for that glass of orange juice with breakfast! 🍊

I think of Daniel being thrown in the fiery furnace (Daniel 3). He was simply living to honor God and there were people determined to take him out! Squeezing? Yep. Crushing? Absolutely. But through the process, he encountered the Lord in a powerful, real, and perspective-shifting way. Daniel saw the Lord when he was IN the fire….and that helped him know the Lord better when he was on the other side of that fire.

He wasn’t alone.

Neither are you.

Look for Him “in the fire”…..in the “crushing.” Don’t miss His presence….and don’t miss what He is squeezing out of you in the process.

🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼

I absolutely love this time of year. Sure, the change of weather is nice….but I really love football season. I really enjoy watching games that spotlight teams from across the country….whether I know anything about them or not. 

Since Nick Saban arrived in Tuscaloosa as the football coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide, we (Alabama fans) have gotten pretty spoiled. We are VERY used to winning. Better yet….we are VERY used to dominating. 

This year, we find ourselves in a debacle because that domination has not made itself known on a consistent basis. Take, for example, today’s game against Arkansas. The team started out “sleepy.” They came alive and became dominant for a sliver of time. Then the “sleepy” team returned. I wasn’t on the field playing…..I was in my living room watching. Maybe yelling at the tv a time or two. Or three. I know what potential these guys have. I’ve seen it at times! I know what strong coaches they have. I’ve seen the impact of their coaching for years! Tonight, though, we are frustrated with the win because of the inconsistency.

Maybe you clicked to read this because you, too, few that way about this game or this team or another game/team you watched today. But the real reason I am writing tonight is because that team on the field represents me at times, too. 

I know who the Lord calls me to be.

Sometimes, I’m inconsistent.

I know He calls me to consider others better than myself.

Sometimes, I’m inconsistent.

I know the right thing to do – and I choose the complete opposite.

Sometimes, I’m inconsistent.

I know He calls me to forgive people who wrong me – but holding on to unforgiveness “feels”right.

Sometimes, I’m inconsistent. 

I know He tells me to bear fruit that represents Him – no matter where I am.

Sometimes, I’m inconsistent. 

These 18-22 year old guys are busting their tails every day to prepare to give their best on game day. They know what they need to do and they know what they need to NOT do. They come into the game with the mindset that they’ll give their best, play their best, make all the right decisions, and respond in the right way. But, sometimes……they are inconsistent. 

Thank God for another chance….another day….to get back in the game…..and to keep pressing on to continue to grow more an more like Him every day. 

I have counted myself out at times due to my inconsistencies.

Others have probably counted me out because of my inconsistencies. 

Heaven knows I have unfairly counted some people out because of their inconsistencies.

Thank goodness He has never thrown in the towel on any of us when we’ve missed the mark of what we could – and should – be.

Let’s help each other stay in the game! Let’s cheer one another on as we run this race. We need Jesus – and we need each other! #BetterTogether

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”

‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭12‬:‭1‬-‭3‬ ‭NIV‬‬

About five years ago, I first led a women’s small group called “Mesaage in the Messages.” We would gather and watch sermons (messages) from various pastors and Bible teachers, then do a deep dive into what we learned from it. (Awesome group, btw.) Seemed like such a unique thing as we pulled videos from

YouTube and “feasted” on the Word together. 

This summer, Holy Spirit spoke to me and this is how it went down….

A friend I used to work and worship with had a second job. At night, he drove a sweeper truck around parking lots to clean them up while they weren’t being used. He told me that there was rarely a time that he drove through a buffet restaurant lot when there wasn’t vomit to clean up. (You’re welcome! So glad you stopped by! 🤣!) Why? Because people ate so much so quickly that it never had time to digest. 

They ate so much so quickly that they never got any nutritional value from the food they ate. 

We always hear about cows “chewing the cud.” They chew. They swallow. They regurgitate. They chew again. They swallow again. And they continue the process until they can best digest their “food” and benefit from all it has to offer. (One site I read said these cows had better milk production.) 

There is definitely something I needed to learn from this. Spiritually, I have a lot of sources of input. (This not a bad thing, btw) sermon at church. Podcasts. Apps with more sermons. Devotionals. And while I’m taking in good “food,” how much am I chewing….and swallowing…..and bringing back up….and chewing….and swallowing….until it’s digested? Sometimes, I find myself busy and “eating” all of the time….but often missing the digestion part. The digestion is where the nutritional value comes….thus producing fruit from what is planted inside of me!!! 

Psalm 1:2 says this…..”but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night.”

Merriam Webster defines MEDITATE as “to focus one’s thoughts on : reflect on or ponder over.” Sounds a lot like chewing the cud. 

Holy Spirit, help us slow down, chew, swallow and revisit Your Word until we digest it….benefit from it….and live out what’s in us. ‭‭

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.