Apraxia is a tricky word!

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This post has been a long time coming. It is something I have sat down to write time and time again, but I never seem to find the right words. Which, is ironic, because that is exactly what Apraxia is. One year ago on May the 1st we received a diagnosis for Judah of Apraxia of Speech. If you have never heard of Apraxia, like me, it is a neurological disconnect between the part of the brain that remembers the muscle patterns you need to create a word... and your lips. Our sweet Judah had been in speech for years because of all the ear infections he had as a baby ( 16 infections before his first birthday and then he got tubes), or so we thought, but he really had not made any progress. He was obviously intelligent, and he could craft some of the coolest engineered "machines" to get to things he wanted; a pull system attached to a toy ride on train to yank open a kitchen cabinet, a stacked tower of toys with an umbrella to unlatch the pantry, a ruler and string attached to his carseat so he could reach the buttons on the dvd player... etc. so there was no question about the pink substance between his ears, we just had no explanation for why he wasn't speaking.

On top of that, he began to lose words. By lose, I mean, he knew the word mom and used it regularly for a while and then poof, one day it was gone and I had no name. For months he would get my attention by grabbing my face, or my leg and pointing at things he needed or wanted. This grew frustrating for both of us and his patience with us grew thin. I was nearing the end of my pregnancy with Hollis and Judah was about to age out of home therapy and enter an Early Childhood Special Ed classroom where he would get more one on one time with a teacher and a speech pathologist. Judah's first day of Pre-k actually ended up being the day I had Hollis, so I missed that. But, while I was on bedrest recovering from my c-section (God bless the c-section Mama's) Judah was struggling! I am sure in an ideal world, one would not toss their 3 year old, non-verbal child who literally had 20 words in his vocabulary IF we counted animal sounds and vroom vroom, beep, weee, as words, into a classroom full of speaking children while adding a new baby to the home dynamic. BUT, that is what we had to do, so part of me was thinking this was just regression from stress and being de-throned as the smallest human in the home..... and part of me thought there was something else going on. I gave it about a month, and then when things weren't better, I began googling. I came across an article about Childhood Apraxia of Speech and as I read it I sobbed. THIS WAS MY CHILD, I didn't want it to be, but it answered so many questions to why Judah was struggling. I showed the article to Joe and my mom, then I started to draft an email to Judah's teacher. I asked her if in his speech sessions, or in class if anyone had ever suspected Apraxia, and if this was something I should pursue with his pediatrician. His amazing teacher wrote me back almost immediately and said "Mrs. Perry, you aren't going to believe this, but, the speech pathologist was just talking to me yesterday about how she thought Judah had Apraxia and she asked me what the best way to approach breaking the news to you and his dad would be. We would love for him to see a pediatrician and get a formal diagnosis. Please keep us informed so we can best support you all and Judah during this time." Ya'll God is so good. If I had been blind sided with this info after school one day, I would have been defensive of my sweet boy, but instead God stirred my own heart and led me to the answer before the diagnosis came. We later saw his Pediatrician and a LSP and both were in agreement that Childhood Apraxia of Speech was the official diagnosis. We cried. I cried every time I talked about it for a month! I was angry my sweet boy would have YEARS of work ahead of him and even then he would always have struggles to communicate. We invested in a good children's sign language DVD series, as recommended by the SLP to help while we waited on word development and we all learned to sign as a family. Over the past year Judah has received specialized speech classes for children with his particular issues 5 days a week! He was placed in a Early Childhood class with a signing teacher so he could learn even more signing until his words came. This immediately began to relieve his frustration and when his stress level dropped life for all of us got easier. He made one friend at school, and then another, he was not "alone" anymore. I turned in my cap as VP of PWOC and took on Judah's needs as my full time job. He started receiving OT as well to work on some food issues, swallowing issues, and motor planning issues all linked to his Apraxia. Even with COVID we have continues therapy via the laptop at home. 12 crazy, intense, and hard months later I can happily say that Judah can speak! We are still a long way from full communication but, he rarely needs me to translate for him anymore and he uses both signs and words to express himself. He has gone from an anxious and disconnected little boy who used to spend hours in his "mind palace" playing alone, to a boy who loves having friends and introduces himself to everyone we see on family walks outside!

So, why am I sharing this now? Because MAY is Apraxia Awareness month and I could not let it go by without sharing our story. Because now that I am on the otherside of this year I can tell you the work was worth it 100%. Because I want you to know what Apraxia is so you can recognize it, and be compassionate to the mom who is crying with her child because she doesn't know what he wants and he(she) doesn't know how to tell her. We had many, many times when Judah was asking for something and we had no idea what it was. I would say things like "Is it a place? A food? A movie? A toy?" sometimes he would be able to help me guess other times he would just sob in frustration. I would grab his little face and say "I know those words are stuck in your head and I know you are so mad I can not understand you, but I am trying baby". Slowly they came, slowly we got better at guessing, and Judah is the best charades player I know! I am sharing because Judah has not let Apraxia hold him back, and I am so grateful to every person who has had a hand in supporting us through this journey. We have years of work ahead of us, and more challenges will come, but if this past year has shown me anything, it is that Judah is the perfect name for our son, because he is mighty like a lion, fierce, and strong in ways I don't think I possibly could have been at 3 or 4. Judah also means PRAISE and I can not praise God enough for the blessing he is to us, or the sweet upbeat disposition he has kept in spite of the struggles he has had. Apraxia is a tricky word, but God gave Judah an engineers brain and each day he gets one day closer to solving this problem!

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Apraxia is a tricky word!

Keeping your Gate

Many of you know I have been the Vice President of a women's ministry in Kansas the last several months which has taken a lot of my time and energy, but has been such a wonderful blessing from the Lord. Like many ministries nationwide, we have really had to fight tooth and nail this year to prove the validity and value of the ministry work we do here. There have been many battles, both in the physical realm with paperwork and operating procedures, and in the spiritual realm. We like to think of what has happened here as a “field clearing” because now the ground is tilled, everything has been unearthed, nothing is in the dark, and we have started to build a fresh foundation.  Foundations are the most important part of a building, and sometimes, because they are beneath what we see on the surface, they are also the parts that get overlooked. But, if the foundation begins to fail, the building collapses and is no longer useful.

So, as we have fought these battles the last few months, I have been in deep prayer about WHY this ministry that does so much and obviously bears fruit in people’s lives is having to fight so hard to prove its worth. I think the answer is really simple. As women, as  military wives, and moms, we are blessed with the job of “Gate Keeper” to our homes. In most cases women here have husbands who are deployed, or in the field and we really become the only steady foundation for our families within the walls of our house. That’s why it is vitally important that we stay plugged in to God, because it is a lot of weight on one person.  If I was your enemy and I wanted to break your faith, your sanity, your family, or your marriage…. What is the easiest way to take a building out? You take out the support beams that are holding that foundation in place! Women's ministry is that support for a lot of homes (military or not). It has been my support for over 9 years and when God moved us to a post without an active women's ministry, He called me to make my own version of it there. Why??? BECAUSE when we as women are plugged in to fellowship with Christ, and Christian women, we are stronger. Satan is smart, and we live in a time when he doesn't even need to hide himself anymore and people still refuse to acknowledge he is here. God, however,  is so much bigger than anything that get’s thrown at our gates!! Isn’t it so encouraging to have the connections and support you find when women gather together in Jesus name? We pray for each other, mentor one another, and share the burdens that this crazy military environment gives us. We watch each other’s children, bring each other meals, we even come help exterminate mice for each other (you know who you are). The Hymn "and they will know we are Christians by our love" comes to mind, when I contemplate the ways this community has stepped up in hardship this year to love on one another.  Here is a little of what the bible says about how important we are as “keepers” of our homes.

Titus 2: 3-5 says, “(Older) women likewise are to be reverent in their behavior, not malicious gossips nor enslaved to much wine, teaching what is good, so that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be sensible, pure, keepers at home, being kind to their own husbands, so that the word of God will not be dishonored.”

Proverbs 31 speaks of a virtuous wife: Her husband is known in the gates, when he sits among the elders of the land. She is the keeper of her household, and eats not the bread of idleness. Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates.

As you can see, from these two passages (and there are many more!), the woman’s role as Gatekeeper is valuable and important! Women are the builders, repairers, and guards of the gates of her home.

So this is where the history buff in me gets a little nerdy; did you know there were 12 gates around Jerusalem each with a different purpose and  regular crowd?

There was a Fish Gate, Sacrifice Gate, Refuse (Garbage) Gate, The Fountain Gate, Valley Gate, Old Gate….etc. God really spoke to me as I continued studying, fascinated by the many segregated entrances to Jerusalem. Nothing fishy ever passed through the sacrifice gate because it was Holy and only those things acceptable to God were allowed in. Different groups of people were even separated into which gate they could enter. As women we are constantly assessing things in our home and family lives : Which gate needs to be repaired in your home? What needs to be brought in through our gates? What needs to be thrown out of our gates? What needs to be built and sometimes…. What needs to be torn down. As we begin a new year in 2019 lots of us are also assessing resolutions, weight loss goals, financial goals, and making more evaluations about WHO we want to become. Attaining these goals is going to require some heavy lifting, some elbow grease, purging more, loving deeper, and focusing on the core belief that we want to be reflections of God. Because if God isn't at the center, you will likely be part of the mass gym drop out that happens around Valentines Day, just sayin....
If you are struggling to define your 2019, to establish goals you feel are attainable for you this year, if your foundation needs some work.... let me encourage you with these.

"O afflicted one, storm-tossed, and not comforted, Behold, I will set your stones in antimony, And your foundations I will lay in sapphires.” Isaiah 54:11

And

Matthew 7:24-27

24 “Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. 25 Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock. 26 But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. 27 When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash.”

As we build together this year and work to become better versions of who we were in 2018, I want you all to take stock in what God is doing. Own the choices you make this year. Use the gifts and talents God has given you to do many small, but great things. Be the guard of your gate, do not let garbage pile up where it doesn't belong, let in those things worthy of a strong foundation, things that bring you joy, and peace!

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Keeping your Gate

The Parable of The Yellow Gummy Bear

Before I became a Mom, (I feel like I could begin so many stories this way, because really- wisdom comes with experience, am I right?!) Anyways…. Before I became a Mom, I never knew you could ruin someone’s whole morning by handing them the wrong colored sippy cup. But, as I have learned this is a REAL thing ya’ll! A few weeks ago I was grocery shopping with all 3 children,  on pay day,  at the commissary.  In my defense,  I didn't realize it was payday till we saw the giant snaking line and by then it was too late. So we finally get to the checkout and my younger two are melting. We have eased over into that magical period of past lunch time to nap...and they have had neither. When from the corner of my eye I see some momentary golden, salvation; a whole bag of Haribo Gummy Bears. I let the cashier quickly scan them and hand them to my children. (because we all know that shopping with 3 or more children needs to be an Olympic sport!) So- I hand my children this bag of gummy bears allowing me a few quiet minutes to check out. We get to the car and I buckle kids in carseats, unload groceries, sit in my chair and I reach my hand inside for some sweet gummy rewards, only to find the ONLY color left is the yellow gummy bears. I am holding a bag of rejected, sad, lonely little yellow bears. I'm exhausted and annoyed so my drive home I start asking some silly questions: why is this bear everyone’s least favorite? If the Haribo people know it is everyone’s least favorite WHY do they keep making it, and furthermore,...WHY is there more of it than there are any of the other colors??? Or maybe I just feel like they make more of the yellow, because that is all I ever get to enjoy  
As things often go with me …I was sitting there watching the kids play in my yard, much later in our afternoon,  thinking about this silly yellow gummy bear and how it relates to the other flavors and why it is so sad and lonely and God told me to grab my bible. I opened it up to 1 Corinthians 12:12 -19“ The BODY is a UNIT! Though it is made of many parts and though all it’s parts are many, they form together, ONE BODY. So, it is with Christ. We are all baptized under ONE Spirit in Christ, whether JEWS, or Greeks, Slaves or FREE. Now the body is made up of many parts, A foot doesn’t say “I am not a hand so I do not belong to the body” and cease to exist. And if an ear should say “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body, it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But- in fact GOD arranged the parts of the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. “
You all- I AM the yellow gummy bear sometimes. I generally get along with everyone, but sometimes I am the one who is picked last, who doesn’t fit, the square peg in the round hole! BUT in Jesus, none of that matters. When we are fixed on God’s love and His will for us, God will transform us- like- here- let me make that square peg into playdoh and now Bailey fits in to whatever job/ministry/calling I need her to. Because building God’s kingdom takes every color, every talent, every part of the BODY in line with God’s vision.
SO back to my little yellow friends, anyone who is a chef will tell you that often dishes need something that contradicts the other flavors to actually create balance. Like when salt is added to caramel, it actually intensifies how sweet and rich the caramel tastes. Citrus is often used on fruit salads, not just as a preservative, but because it brings out the sweetness of the fruit. With a hint of bitterness the sweetness shines. In the BODY we will all experience people who may leave a bitter taste in our mouths (pun intended) but from now on I want you to look at those people who are a tad salty and remember that our God (who is NEVER coincidental, but highly INTENTIONAL) placed them in your life to give you the opportunity to be sweeter! How you use that opportunity is the important part, because they aren’t going anywhere and the hand can’t just wish the feet didn’t exist because they aren’t as soft or graceful as the hand. But, the hand can massage lotion on the feet, scrub it’s callouses and as a whole the body becomes healthier because of the work of that hand when it was challenged.  
Learn to LOVE the Yellow Gummy BEARS in our lives. 

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The Parable of The Yellow Gummy Bear

A Clean Stable

Guys, it has been a while. I have so longed for the time to sit down and put my heart on paper, but life just hasn't given that to me and I depend on sleep to function. In the past 9 months we moved across the country, put the kids in new schools, new groups, and found new therapist's. We had all the normal adjustments of a new assignment but the added bonus of Joe being gone for 75% of it. Doing all of this as a "geographical single parent" has been hard. My heart could not have handled it without an enormous dose of God's grace. Ok, pity party over.... because the thing that got me so excited this morning was something God showed me in my quiet time. As a recovering perfectionist I KNOW atleast one other Mom needs to hear this message today, so from God's lips to your eyes....here we go.

I have been procrastinating two minor household items because as a recovering perfectionist I literally can feel the judgemental eyes burning my flesh as workers comb through my home. We have 3 lightbulbs that need replacing and are not the kind I can do myself, and we need pest control (because jumping spiders). So, I finally gave in and set up these appointments on Friday. Then I got home and decided to tackle some cleaning, mainly vacuuming rooms and fans upstairs. I set the kids up with a new movie, gave each a bowl of popcorn and ran upstairs for 10 minutes of quick work. I came downstairs between rooms to check on the kids and our youngest had pushed a chair from the dinning room to the kitchen, climbed on to the counter and sat himself next to the coffee maker. He was COVERED in my Method bathroom cleaner and had obviously squirted some into his mouth because he smelled minty fresh. I panic. I'm washing his mouth out, stripping his clothes and calling poison control simultaneously. Thankfully, Method really is a safer cleaner because its active ingredient is Citric Acid, not Ammonia or Bleach, so other than an upset tummy we were ok! But, can I tell you the defeat as a mother when you have to call poison control!?! I thought I checked the boxes, everyone was safe, the cleaner was waaay up on the counter and yet stuff happened anyways.

All weekend I was terrified to leave the kids alone to keep cleaning because toddlers are downright suicidal and obviously my 5 and 7 year olds are too into themselves to notice Baby Houdini and his crazy antics when I'm not in the room. Into the wee hours last night and starting early this morning yours truly was cleaning like a mad woman; sorting laundry piles, and trying to find the counter under piles of school papers. The kids slept past 6 (which never happens) and I felt this tug on my heart to spend some time with God and take a break from my cleaning. I opened my Bible and started praying "God show me something new. Let me hear what I need for today". Today Inwas reading Proverbs and Proverbs 14:4 jumped at me "without oxen a stable stays clean, but you need strong oxen for a large harvest". Y'all #truth. My house would be so much cleaner and it would stay clean if I did not have children. But, that is NOT the calling God put on my life as a mom, and I have zero doubts I was meant to be a mom... it is my passion. God said in the first chapter of Genesis "Be fruitful and multiply". He said in Psalms "the fruit of the womb is a reward". He said in Matthew 9:27 "The Harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few". God knew Motherhood would be messy. He knew there were days that we would crave a clean stable and a quiet morning. But without the mess of motherhood we wouldn't have a new generation of harvesters ready to pick up where we leave off. Our future begins in our playroom; in teaching children to share, to take responsibility, to respect one another, to be loving and to help one another. It is messy and exhausting but YOUR work Mama is so valuable. Stop worrying what the maintenance man thinks of your dusty baseboards, or that you had to move laundry from the floor to the bed for the pest guy. Today, be Mom in all her glory and love on those messy little oxen with all your soul.

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A Clean Stable

Being BOLD {in love} It's not all about Me.....

Several months ago I was able to help facilitate small groups for a Womens Conference here in GA called Planting Roots. As part of the conference there were some really fun skits, amazing worship, small group time, prayer, and fellowship. Those are the core of any great retreat! But this one skit stood out to me in particular. The lights were dim and then they slowly rose to meet a woman in the middle of the stage wearing GIANT ears! She was walking around the stage chatting with God a million miles a minute,  much like we women do when we talk to our very best friend on the phone for the first time in ages, and we finally get a break from the Paw Patrol Marathon taking place in our living rooms. ;) So, she is gabbing away and then she pauses "God did you get that?" then she continues.... a few minutes later "hello, is anyone listening?" .... on she goes ...talk talk talk. Finally she is quiet waiting for an answer long enough to catch a whisper "I think you've got something in your ear, can I take it out for you?". "What" she replies? "Me? No way, I shower every day and I have impeccable hygiene! But if you see something, yeah get it I guess". So the voice grabs her by the ear and pulls out about 6 different items that were clogging her ears "worry, bitterness, anger, pride, sin, and selfishness." Then the woman's  giant ears fell off, and her head looked a lot more normal :) she was able to finally have that two way conversation with God she had been desiring and she was a lot lighter than she had been a few moments before.

photo borrowed from Grizzly Flats 

So that brings us to the third part of the Being Bold {in love} series; the L- Listen. Do you know research shows that the reason most people get into arguments is because we listen to each other while planning a response, instead of listening to hear. I know that sounds silly, but it is true... we are so busy trying to form quick responses and get our thoughts across that we forget to digest what the other person has said. This problem is only magnified when you add in the lighting speed at which we can text, email, and message now-a-days and that tone and inflection are often lost in written conversations. When did we stop hearing? When did we stop pausing to listen for a response? What do we have lurking in our ears that is keeping us from communicating with God and with each other the way we are called to?

 "And he said to them, “Pay attention to what you hear: with the measure you use, it will be measured to you, and still more will be added to you. Mark 4:24" We are all given a measure, a portion, a part of God's bigger plan. We are all handed the guide book, and we are all accountable for how we use what we are given. To be BOLD for Christ the belief is the base for which all the others are built, the offering of yourself up to be used by God is transformation of your heart, but the real action is the ability to clean out our ears & truly listen. We have to be listening to God all the time or we will miss that call when it comes, that sometimes gentle nudge that says "I need you to do this for me". That nudge may look like this, a mom who woke up at 4:30AM today so she would have the time required to blog in obedience to HIM. It may be taking a different route home because there is a lost puppy and a girl praying for that puppy to come home, and you will chance upon it because you went right and not left. It could be the person in the pharmacy who can't afford their 20.00 medicine and God tells you to step in and bless them. Those may seem like little things, but they add up to a life that is pretty BOLD and BEAUTIFUL.  

In the same breathe if we aren't listening to God we probably aren't listening well to each other either. Being a good example for Christ means being a good companion and friend to those we do life with. When a disaster strikes people are quick to box up canned goods or donate old clothes, stuffed animals, and blankets. But do you know that there are warehouses of unused items like that sitting in most major disaster locations? We get this "fuzzy warm" feeling like we did something great by handing off our old jackets and blankets to someone "in need" but did we listen to the need? Did we take the time to hear them? "The King will reply, 'Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me'." Matthew 25:40. It is easy to toss in an extra 5.00 to buy a bouquet for someone at work who lost a loved one. It is harder to bake them a meal, and go sit with them and hug them while they cry. Sometimes what is needed most is for us to box ourselves up, and let God work through us to love on others. When you make that Offer, be prepared to Listen for what comes next, be ready to love! Last bit of scripture because I want to make sure you heard it, and then I am off to get my babies ready for school " Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says." James 1:22

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Being BOLD {in love} It's not all about Me.....

Living BOLD for Christ p2

GOD WANTS YOU! 

This is where it gets real. This is that Mary and Martha moment where God asks you to look around at your house and accept it as it is.

Luke 10:41-42 " But the Lord said to her, 'My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details!

There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.' "

Thats right, the time for "getting things in order" is past and you have to just accept the mess for what it is and be ready to sit with Him, hear His voice, ready to be used. Today we address the O in the living BOLD {with love} for Christ model. Last week we discussed the B- belief. When we know what we believe and we have really dug deep roots for ourselves the rest has a firm foundation to grow on. But sometimes life happens and things get messy! 

{this video of my bigg'ins is one of my favorites from when they were little- that is liquid eyeliner on their faces}

I absolutely love watching this video, I remember the curiosity in myself that made me wonder about the giggles coming from the bathroom and prompted me to grab my cell for video proof. I remember the look in both their eyes when they knew they had been caught being a little naughty. I also remember the theatrical argument Reagan put up as she tried to convince me that these obviously couldn't be my children! How funny that she truly believed a little black makeup on her face would change the way I see her; enough to make her unrecognizable to the woman who grew her inside her belly. 

But don't we do the same thing with Jesus sometimes? Don't we try and push the blame elsewhere? Don't we hide behind a mask of "black eyeliner" because we think our Heavenly Father will be angry or disappointed with us? Don't we forget that in our fear, or shame.... that we could never fall too far to be unrecognizable to our maker?

So I am going to jump out of the puddle of ooey gooey mommy memories for a minute and dive in to the bible as we talk a bit about David. 1 Samuel Chapter 17 opens by describing in great detail Goliath from Gath; the 9 foot 6 inch man who wears 170+ lbs of armor and makes men run just by talking! Saul the King is terrified of Goliath, he has drifted from the Lord and he feels vulnerable. But, then in verse 26 David (the small boy) says “What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and removes this disgrace from Israel? Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?” David saw Goliath for what he really was, because he was so close with the Lord He was literally walking with the power and authority of God. Goliath was a bully, a problem, an evil... and he needed to go. (AWESOME) We all know how this story goes (I hope you do. If not please read it!). David didn't have huge muscles, David didn't have cutting edge weapons or super powers. He had 5 stones..... a sling shot....and God on his side. Do you know how many stones David had to use to take down that 9ft 6inch man? 1!  He walked away that day with 4 stones left in his pocket and I can't even imagine what the faces of those who doubted around him looked like. God doesn't require much friends, He can use a boy and 1 stone to slay a giant, he can use YOU to slay giants! 

The key action here, the one that moves us from belief into living for God is the OFFER. Here is my mess God. Here are my mistakes, my failures, my broken heart, my skinned knees. God life has been tough and I have not used myself the way I should have. But, I am willing to do better. I am willing to set aside my shame and put my heart and life in your hands. God I want you to use me! I want to slay giants, I want to hear your voice, I want to leave an impression that resonates so deeply with others that they hunger for more of you. Accept your mess, lay it down, take your stones.... and listen! Be prepared, because I promise that once that offer is made God is going to move. He has been waiting patiently for you to realize your strength friend, and we need all the warriors we can get in the Tribe of The Living God! Slaying Goliath for most of us probably looks more like; kicking that bad habit you have been promising you would, letting go of emotions that are affecting you ability to love, trust, or relate to others the way you wish you could. Healing can absolutely be a Goliath. Whatever that mountain in your life is, or 9ft monster.... God wants to help you get it out of the way so you can move on to greater things. Welcome to the tribe. 

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Living BOLD for Christ p2

B to the O-L-D

Today's diving in to how to live BOLD in love we talk about the B- Believe. I don't think there was ever a better example of belief in my life than my Grandmother, Patricia. Referring to yesterday's post, down to her very roots she knew who she was, and she knew what in life made her most happy- serving others. She was a quiet and soft spoken woman who's heart was truly the servant of God. This photo is one of very few I have left of her. She passes away in 1998 from breast cancer. That third photo over her left shoulder is me. She had each of her children's families and grandchildren's portraits on display equally, so no one ever felt favorited. She was compassion, and grace. When she was receiving chemo my mom was very cautious about bringing us around to visit her, because little kids are always carriers of some bug. But, my Grandma lived by faith and she believed God would protect her; she wouldn't get sick unless she was supposed to. So, she never let worry keep her from kissing us all over!

Have you ever met someone like that? Someone who is so obviously a believer and follower of Jesus that when it would be so easy for them to protect themselves they chose to put their well being on the line because they wanted to be there for others? (note; this is NOT an endorsement for abusive or harmful relationships. As a survivor of abuse do not try and love your abuser into wellness. It does not work.) This is those moments when it would be easier to just stay home and do "you", but you instead choose to go deliver a meal to a family who's mother has been under the weather. This is that moment when its raining and there is an older woman carrying her groceries alone, so you step in and help her get to the car dry and you get soaked while loading those groceries for her. This is those moments when what we believe becomes the way we live.

So what do you believe?

If you have found your faith in Jesus Christ, then you know part of our belief is a call to action. A call to live a life that sets us apart from others, just by the deeds we do daily. The key to living boldly, and having a belief that transcends the day to day in order to touch the lives of others is so simple.... it is LOVE. Love is the language that doesn't need words, it is felt and defined by our souls. If you have accepted Christ's love for you- that is step 1. If you have chosen a life that follows His teachings- that is step 2. Step 3 gets a little tricky it is action required because you "believe". I once had a Spanish Professor who told me that when examining our knowledge we should always look at the photograph not the mirror. She would joke that in the mirror she was still a 20-something swimsuit clad "hot stuff".... but in photographs she was a 40-something who ate too much Ben and Jerry's and needed to hit the gym. We can often lie to ourselves when we are self examining, but a photograph is more truthful. If you had paparazzi following you around today snapping photos of each of the mundane tasks that make up your routine, what would they see? Would the see you believing that God is going to get you to work right when you are supposed to get there... even if you get stuck in traffic? Would they see you using your belief to spread joy to someone who is struggling? Would your belief in a mighty God be visible in the steps you take, or the words you choose? How can you deepen you belief in Christ so that when those snap shots are taken you are seen listening, praying, patiently waiting and believing the answer, opportunity, lesson, or blessing is already on it's way? 

Have you had a taste of that Living Water today? Has your bible been cracked? Has your head bowed, even for a short pause? Have you shown love to someone today, whether they deserved it or not? Just like God called "the least of these" to write this blog, He invites us to love the least of these because we have all been"less than" once. Be that flower. Let your roots grow deep and long! Soak up the eternal springs of goodness, and let your faith be so well rooted that when those daily tasks shake us up, our belief is what spills out, not our emotions or tempers. "Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but those who choose not to believe have condemned themselves because they did not believe in the name of God's only son" John 3:18 

As the Lent season begins tomorrow my homework for each of you is to make a mental note to choose to believe God will come through in at least one situation this week you would normally take upon yourself to solve. Last night I had the joy of speaking with a dear friend who just moved to Japan. She told me that one of her worries with raising a 2 year old and twin 9month olds was how to break her 2 year old of a pacifier without breaking her heart, since her time is now juggled between 3 small people with big needs. So she prayed about it, she believed God would take care of it because she didn't have the answer. Then one day her daughter just dropped the pacifier and was done. She laughed and told me that taking time to notice when God has stepped in to answer a prayer like that is half the battle most days because she is just busy. Most of us would not think to even ask God for something so small. I would probably have googled it and read 3 articles on it before I even thought to pray about it. (no judging I am being honest here, remember?). But there is our loving Father, looking down from heaven more than capable of helping with every need, every pacifier, and every situation. The big ones and the small ones all matter to Him.

So there you go! Believe, it is so easy! Know truth, read God's word, and grow. Watch for the next blog post about Offering the O in the B.O.L.D. for Christ series.

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