Random Thoughts of a Supersmock

Yep next month I turn 39 and I have been reflecting a lot about my life, my accomplishments and the things I haven't done yet.   Since I am a type A person.. everything has to have a purpose or goal.  So before I turn the big 4-0.. there are quite a few things I want to do.   What better way to celebrate such a milestone than to make a bucket list of sorts...  I will post the official list on my 39th birthday so stay tuned.  If you have suggestions put them in the comments.   

A dear friend of ours shared something deeply personal with us this weekend. He told us how he has been praying for our family, specifically that Tim would go to seminary and begin preparing for world missions again. He became emotional as he shared how much my mission testimony had impacted him. He said he had been praying that God would show him ways to support us as we seek to go wherever He calls. This brings up so many mixed emotions for me. About seven years ago, we were on that path. We were ready and willing to go, but God closed that door faster than we had opened it. Looking back, we knew we weren't ready. Now, seven years later, I honestly don't know that I want to open that door again. But what I keep asking myself is: why? My list of reasons for wanting to stay right where I am is pretty long: Our lives are here. Friends, church, family, school, work. I have a great job that I love. It provides well for our family, and I work with some amazing people. God is alread...

Every now and then I have to pause and really remind myself that the whispers of the world are wrong! It's those times when I start to get a little depressed for no reason, when I start to compare my life to the life of others, when I wonder why I am wasting my talents and missing out on the things I really enjoy. This world is constantly whispering in my ear... … what are you trying to prove?   … you can’t, and you won’t be anything special. It’s true that even in our best efforts we will never be perfect.   We can study, practice or devote more time to becoming better at something or even special in some unique way but we’ll never truly succeed.   Our shallow motives drive our attention and we always become consumed with idea that we need to prove our worth our value or simply the fact that we mean something.   I often find myself believing the lies that no matter what I do I will never be smart enough, pretty enough, strong enough.  But the true is ...

This week has been one of those weeks I've needed to put in the ear buds and tune out the world...  I have a lot of Google music radio stations saved... something for every mood.   Music from the 90s, 80s, U2, REM, Jazz, Techno, Christian Pop Rock, David Crowder... so forth But today I was looking for something different and I found the Millennial Mixtape .  First, I found it funny because do any Millennial actually know what a mix tape is? Then I clicked it .. and Nirvana came on... What ??  Millennial's know Nirvana?  I can't seem to think a bunch of 10 year old was listening to Kurt Cobain in the early 90s...  Funny how music is classified these days 90's grunge = Millennial Mixtape. 

I was thinking back on my life of the different types of people there are in the world.      Those that are introvert and Those that are extroverts    Those that are optimist and Those that are pessimist    Those that are givers and Those that are takers    Those that agreeable and Those that are disagreeable    Those that build up and Those that tear down I often reflect on what type of person am I .. Sometimes I feel pessimist and sometimes I feel optimist.  Sometimes I give a lot and sometimes I take a lot.  Sometimes I build up others and unfortunately sometimes I tear others down.   No one is perfect but it's import to recognize what type of person you are ... what type of person you would like to be and what type of person you tend to hang around.  I have found myself cutting people out of my life that tend to just tear me down.  They don't really celebrate my accomplishments or j...

My Sophomore daughter is convinced that the only real way to get into college these days is to overwhelm herself with ton's of AP classes and having a GPA of 4.5... because her current 4.0 GPA isn't good enough.   But  high school guidance counselors  convince freshman and sophomores they won't get into college at all, if they don't take these AP classes or have 4.5 GPAs.  My daughter seems to believe that her high school education is highly pivotal to future successes and college acceptance.   Over and over again we try to tell our children to work hard and do their best but to enjoy and live life.   Last night my husband told our daughter about a women who went to his high school.  She was tried and true an academic, was the highest ranked in her class,  with the best GPA ... maybe she was even class valedictorian (and yes I had to spell check that.) She worked so hard in school and gave up a lot of the fu...

Both of my children are pretty great kids.  (Thanks be to God.. he made them!) They are intelligent, kind, compassionate and loving... but even still they both have had run ins with bullies over the years.   Bullying isn't really anything new... it dates backs to the beginning of human beings.  I am sure each of us can all think of someone who was or is a bully.  Someone who abuses their power or takes advantage of others. I have been pretty good at kissing scraped knees over the years .. but when it comes to scraped hearts...  It's been so much harder.  My husband and I often say to each other "man, kids can just be so mean..." As parents we want to protect the innocence or our children but also not shield them from the world.  We don't want them exposed to unnecessary torment even still teaching them to rise above the sinful hearts of others.  It's a very hard balance to turn the check but also not be so naive and let people take ad...