Bend Your Knees

I want you to stand up, knees straight and try to jump as high as you can. How did it go? Not too high, right? Okay, now bend your knees a little bit and jump. Better? Now bend your knees a lot and jump as high as you can. Wow, I think NASA just picked you up on satellite! The lower we bend, the higher we can jump.

I know this is pretty elementary stuff but sometimes that's where we need to start. If we want to have hope in all of life, we must first bow ourselves low before the Father. Listen to one of my favorite Bible stories...

Matthew 17:14-21 - When they came to the crowd, a man approached Jesus and knelt before him. “Lord, have mercy on my son,” he said. “He has seizures and is suffering greatly. He often falls into the fire or into the water. I brought him to your disciples, but they could not heal him.” Jesus said to the crowd, “O unbelieving and perverse generation,how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy here to me.” Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of the boy, and he was healed from that moment.

Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?” He replied, “Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you. But this kind does not go out except by prayer."

Two quick lessons. First, the dad had tried everything on his own to help his son. You can imagine he had taken him to the village doctor, listened to advice from the neighbors, even asked Jesus' disciples to help but got nothing. Then he turns to Jesus and falls to his knees. He knew this was his last hope. He knelt before Jesus, the only one who could save his son.

Second, the disciples had tried to drive the demon out of the boy but had failed. Guess they thought since they had been hanging around Jesus they could mimic what they'd seen Jesus doing. They left out the most important part - prayer. Prayer is our lifeline to God's power. Prayer is humbling ourselves before God and inviting Him to do the work. It acknowledges that we can't but Jesus can. Prayer is an act of faith.

What are you trying so hard to reach on your own? What are you 'jumping' for? Bend your knees in prayer and watch God lift you up today. With God's help, you'll reach higher than you could ever imagine.

Holding On with Both Hands

Let the record show that on Tuesday, January 25, 2012, my 13-year-old daughter left me a love note. YES! (Picture a football player who scores the winning touchdown.) In a world where teenagers are often characterized as rebellious, secretive, aloof and distant toward their parents, my teen showed evidence of actual connection.

Entering the realm of teen parenting feels a little like Mad Max in Thunderdome or Katniss in The Hunger Games. We're locked in this house together until the teen reaches adulthood. Who will come out alive? Will it be a fight to the death?

Relating to my teen reminds me of the day Chris taught Mary Cate (the aforementioned now 13-year-old) how to ride a bike at the tender age of five. She was excited and anxious at the same time. Chris was nervous but confident she could do it. He held onto her bike with both hands until he was sure she was ready. Even after letting go he watched her closely and helped her up when she fell. In no time at all she was riding on her own.

Too often our loving children transition into distant, angry creatures trying to ride off on their own without any sense of balance or direction. From sheer panic we let go too soon, feeling like all we can do now is watch and hope for the best. Parents find themselves asking:
- Where did my child go?
- What happened to our once close relationship?
- What did I do to make them shut me out?

A mixture of hormones, social pressures, and a growing need to be independent all factor into this mess of the teen/parent relationship (not to mention the parent's issues). What can we do? Lock them away until their 18th birthday? Put them up for auction on eBay? Don't think I haven't considered these options.

Perhaps there is a better way, keeping in mind I am just starting this journey. What if we:
* Listen more than talk
* Be willing to discuss awkward stuff (sex, body changes, dating)
* Remember it's not about you
* Have rules (for both of you!) limiting technology time
* Remain calm
* Pray, pray, pray
* Family vacations, family dinners, family devotionals (see a theme??)

This is far from a comprehensive list but it's a start. Let me be clear. When it comes to my own kids, I strike out more than I hit grandslams. I depend on God's grace with complete, face down, total abandon. While I have done my part to screw them up, I am now and will always be, completely committed to our relationship. I am determined not to lose them. Though it's natural for things to change, I am resolved to maintain close ties through these tumultuous days.

The teen years, I'm thinking, are a lot like the bike lesson. Mary Cate is excited and anxious about becoming an adult. Chris and I are nervous yet confident she is on the right track. When she falls we'll be there to help her up. And at just the right time we will let go, but until then we are holding on with both hands.

Small Bites

I've been stressed about a big decision recently. Wanting desperately to hear from God, I followed the 'recipe': 1)Soaked myself in God's Word. 2)Sought wise counsel. 3)Prayed my guts out.

I wasn't asking for much. Just needed a yes or no on what I saw as a nine year plan for my kids education. I felt God leading us in a certain direction for next year. The problem is, I wanted a guarantee on the next nine, not just one.

Not getting the answers I sought, I felt frustrated, aggrivated, and spiritually wasted. If the good Lord created the heavens and earth in just seven days, how hard could it be to give me a simple yes or no on our long-term plans?

Have you ever been in this place? Have you ever tried to get God to commit to a long-term plan? Ever tried coaxing Him to sign the dotted line? If you have then you probably experienced what I am going through.

Allow me to illustrate. For Ellie's second birthday I had baked a delicious layer cake covered in thick chocolate icing. Sprinkles decorated the top as it sat on our traditional birthday platter. I was a regular Willy Wonka, luring children with my sugary treats. Jack, age four at the time, was in the kitchen eyeing the cake and struggling with one of his first major temptations. I left the room for a few minutes and came back to see a bite taken smack out of the top of that cake! Jack was nowhere to be found. When I finally located him I asked him about the cake. He looked up at me with big blue eyes, chocolate icing outlining his little mouth, and said, "What cake?"

Now moms, you know if I hadn't come back into the kitchen when I did that little critter would've tried to eat the whole thing. Who can blame him, really? What one of us has not, at some point in time, tried to eat an entire cake in one sitting? I came close once and made myself entirely sick. (That's what we in the parenting world call a "natural consequence.")

The point is, we can't digest in one sitting all that God has planned. We're not meant to know all that God is up to all the time. He's got something cookin' and we're supposed to take it in one bite at a time. When God called Abraham to get up and move to a place God would show him. Abraham didn't ask for the nine year plan. Abraham (a brighter guy than me) simply packed a bag and followed - one day at a time.

Jeremiah 29:11, "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Notice God says, "I know the plans." I keep trying to rewrite that so it reads, "LISA knows the plans." God won't have it. He wants me to trust Him.

We can find peace in Psalm 34:8, "Taste and see that the Lord is good, blessed is the chic who takes refuge in Him." If we want more of God and more of His plans without the tummy ache, we've got to remember to take it one small bite at a time.

There is a dirty word in our house. It starts with 'M' and ends with 'h'. It's the word 'Math'. My stomach ties up in knots at the mere mention of this word. Sadly, with two parents who talk for a living (Chris in sales, me in Bible teaching) our three children never had a chance to get the math gene. I visualize my kid's teachers shaking their heads and mumbling to themselves as they grade our homework, "Those poor kids."

Living in Katy means we are surrounded by over-achieving parents raising over-achieving children. Do you live in a community like this? Failure to achieve academic excellence and supreme sporting abilities is not an option. We hire tutors, coaches and mentors to sharpen our kids and give them the competitive edge.

This is good, right? I wonder, if in all our training and perfecting of kids, we're not somehow missing the point.

Proverbs 4:7 hits me right in the gut, "Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding." Did you see it? Read it again.

Some people think having your kid in the GT program is supreme. Some would argue select sports is supreme. Some think Chick-fil-a sandwiches are supreme. (Oops. Can you tell I'm hungry?) God says WISDOM is supreme. Where do you get a tutor for that?

Look in the mirror, parents. We are to be teaching our children how to gain wisdom. Wisdom comes from God. A life marked by peace, joy, and Jesus is evidence of wisdom.

Don't get me wrong, I want my kids to do their best academically, athletically, socially, (and all the other "ly's" out there). But more than anything, I want my children to grow in the wisdom and knowledge of God. I pray my focus would start here. To grow in God's purpose and become all that God created them to be, we, as parents must demonstrate a life of wisdom.

Fortunately, for us God loves to grant wisdom. James 1:5, "If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him." Do you need wisdom for living? Do you need wisdom for parenting your precious children? Ask God. Seek it with all that you have. Whatever it costs you, pursue wisdom and understanding.

What do you say, let's be known as the community that raises wise young people. Doesn't that sound good? Now, somebody bring me a Chick-fil-a sandwich...and a calculator.

Name Change

When I was in junior high my family spent a few days at a friend's house on Lake Conroe. The house was in a vacation community that included a fun swimming pool. Since my family didn't have our own pool, I was thrilled to get to spend all day swimming and jumping off the diving board. The downside to this otherwise perfect vacation was the fact that my older brother took to calling me "chicken legs" every time I got on that diving board.

You can imagine, at the tender age of 12, how fun it was being called names in front of all the folks at the pool. Needless to say, it didn't go over too well. From that point forward I was rather self-conscious about my skinny legs. That is, until I met my husband. Chris told me he thought my legs were beautiful. He said it was one of his favorite features! Wow! Suddenly I 'strutted' my stuff with a little more confidence. (Get it? 'Strutted', you know, like a chicken? Ha.)

It's amazing what a name change can do. In the book of Isaiah, the Lord God tells His people that He is going to change their name. The Israelites had been beat up by their enemies. They felt rejected, hopeless and downcast. They began to see themselves through the eyes of their enemies.

Hear what God said to them in Isaiah 62:2-4, "The nations will see your righteousness,and all kings your glory; you will be called by a new name that the mouth of the Lord will bestow. You will be a crown of splendor in the Lord’s hand, a royal diadem in the hand of your God. No longer will they call you Deserted, or name your land Desolate. But you will be called My Delight."

Wahoo! God is so good. What name has your enemy put on you? Do you see yourself as Rejected? Hopeless? Unforgiven? Afraid? Hear me, friend: THAT IS NOT YOUR NAME! God takes delight in you. “The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.” Zephaniah 3:17

Your name is Accepted. Your name is Hopeful and Sure. Your name is Bold and Strong. Do you need a name change today? Don't let the enemy label you. His names are lies. God's name for you is true. Now get out there and strut that new name!

I Am Resolved

January 2, 2012. On your mark. Get set. GO! A new year is here and I guess it means we're all doing what we usually do - setting up a diet plan, rejoining the gym, and generally making other resolutions of self-improvement.

I like a new year because it fits my personality. You see, I'm a strong starter. You have a new project that needs leadership? I'm your girl. I'm the horse that bolts out of the gate at the race. The trouble is, I tend to lose steam after the second lap. Yes, I'm good at New Year's. It's year end I'm not so good at.

How did you close out 2011? How did you feel it went over all? I was so grateful for the wonderful memories my family got to make and the generous provision of the Lord. There were too many blessings to count. I have to admit, however, that I had a few regrets as well. Some projects I let fall to the wayside, ill-used words I let slip, bought a few too many pairs of shoes (is that possible?!). You've heard of the One-Year Bible? Well, I'm on the 9-year plan!

Whatever mistakes you made in 2011, remember that Jesus restores the fallen. Jesus doesn't ask us to make a resolution to try harder, instead He asks us to reaffirm our love for Him. Remember Peter? I can relate to Peter. He had a big mouth (but a big heart too). He denied Christ three times. He had to have felt he'd blown it as a disciple. Instead of guilting Peter, Jesus asked him to affirm his love.

Maybe you really blew it with God in 2011. Maybe you feel like it's too late or you've gone too far. Listen to what Jesus said to Peter in John 21:15, "So when they had eaten breakfast Jesus said to Peter, 'Simon, son of Jonah, do you love me more than these?" Do you hear Jesus? He's not about humiliation or guilt or condemnation. He's about RESTORATION!

Jesus asks you, "Do you love me?" If your answer (like Peter's) is "Yes, Lord" then you are restored. Jesus longs for relationship with us. He wants us to love him.

As we begin a new year, it's great to set goals. Just remember Jesus is not asking you for resolutions to try harder. Henry Blackaby says, "If your resolve to obey God last year did not help you to be faithful, it will not make you successful this year."

My number one goal for 2012? To love Jesus more. I am resolved to love Him more than my schedule, responsibilities, money, friends, children, or anything else. Will you join me?