In the midst of it all...

When we go through things in life, regardless of if they are fair or not, we have to deal with them head on.  We can't run because, eventually, it will catch up; we can't hide because, eventually, it will find you.  There are so many times when my preference would be to give up and say I'm done, but is that reality?

Of course not, you can never really give up unless you check yourself into a mental institution (which has been known to happen).  Life still happens in the midst of it all.  Work still happens in the midst of it all.  Friends still happen in the midst of it all.  Family, ministry, goals, relationships, etc. still happen in th midst of it all.

We have to allow ourselves to flow in the midst of it all in order to stay sane, keep our faith and not focus on ourselves (not saying that is a bad thing because sometimes the focus has to be on us for healing and restoration)

Let's be about our Father's business and let him take care of ours.

What are some ways that you can keep going and continue being productive, normal members of society in your current situation?

Small Business Owner

I now have a title...I'm a small business owner.  For so long, I have sat in the background and watched people pursue things that seemed to make them happy.  I think sometimes dreams can seem so far away, but they really don't have to.

At first, I was nervous and overwhelmed because a lot goes into organizing and planning a business.  Then I made peace with it, took some time and hashed it out.  If it weren't for Regina it wouldn't have happened!  I'm so excited about it.

It is called A Penny For My Thoughts and it is an editing business.  The key is that my company is more affordable than other freelance editing businesses because it just costs a penny per word!  Check it out at http://www.pennyformythoughts.net/.  Also, I have a weekly blog that is updated every Monday with tips and helpful lessons for writers.  That can be found at pennyperword.blogspot.com. 

Do you have any business aspirations?  What are they and have you taken any steps to see it fulfilled? 

Purpose of My Blog

I titled this blog in such a way that you could be deceived into thinking that I would be telling you the purpose of my blog....I wish I could.

I'm asking all of you who may read this, who know my strengths and my weaknesses, what is the purpose of my blog?  What SHOULD be the purpose of my blog?  What would be most helpful, needed, wanted in our lives right now?

I'll be waiting and in the meantime, I will post all the randomness that is in my head. 

So Bad Things Do Happen To Good People

This age old question seems to hover around our minds and ultimately taunt our hearts.  Why me?  Why not someone who "deserves" it?  Isn't that what we are really saying?  We are implying that someone else deserves this more than we do.  Although I would like to see myself as a good person, the truth is that I have lied, cheated, stole, murdered in my heart, and acted ungrateful at some point in my life.  Some would tell me to not sweat it because that is only human.  EXACTLY!

Aren't we all human?  Haven't we all fallen short of God's expectations?  So, if that is the case, who am I to say that someone else deserves this pain more than me?  Sure it hurts and I DON'T want it.  I don't even want to write about this because I have then acknowledged the very thing that could have been my excuse to sulk.  But it has to be exposed.  If it isn't then I'm stuck and God is too good for me to be stuck.

Our purpose in our pain is not always clear, but that is why bad things happen to "good" people...it's the purpose.  There is one regardless of what you believe. Unfortunately, if you don't believe that this world was divinely created with a purpose then your pain really is purposeless and that makes it hurt even worse.  Through my pain, I am learning how to identify with the One that endured pain for me.  I am learning what it means to sacrifice and love those who have ultimately hurt me.  I'm in training for the moments in this lifetime when someone, anyone needs to have the decency to stand up for someone who may or may not "deserve" it.  I'm putting myself in a place where God can use me in any situation. 

That means the payoff is huge!

That means the withdrawl I can make after this time of pressured deposits is exponentially more lucrative than before.

Thank you God!

If life was all about feeling good and getting what we wanted, how would we learn anything?  If that was really what life was all about, who would be helped?  Sure things would feel better more often, but as soon as you attempted to dig deeper inside yourself to see what was really there, you would be left empty, disappointed and scared that what you see is really all there is to you.

I won't have that problem.