When Bumps become Potholes #EverydayJesus

Welcome to another week of our Everyday Jesus link-up. Be sure to link-up below this post, comment on your neighbor’s blog and share with your friends… Because Jesus is everywhere, every day! 

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It’s been more than two years, and I still don’t love running with a stroller.

Now don’t get me wrong, I am so grateful for the ability to run– or should I say “yog.” (That’s jog with a soft “J.”) But given the choice, I would rather let my daughter go to “school” and play with her friends instead of load her up and push her down the sidewalk.

Although it still isn’t my favorite thing, I am sort of getting used to it. Now I am less shocked about how heavy that stroller with a kid plus our junk and  a tiny dog attached is when trying to push it up the hill with already-jelly legs. And “embracing” that running into the wind just adds a new level of conditioning.

One thing I am still not accustomed to is how a tiny bump in the road or sidewalk can eventually make a big difference.

I have been running on the same 2-mile-out-and-back path for months now. And some of the bumps are growing bigger.

So big that they are nearly potholes for my poor discount jogging stroller. [Read more…]

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Dear Dad #WilcoWednesday

Welcome to Wilco Wednesday! If you are a new around these parts, “Wilco” is Army-speak for “Will Comply.” Think of it as saying “Roger, God. Got it. Will do.”  So that is what Wednesday here at 7 Days Time is all about– exploring his decrees and seeking guidance for what complying with Him looks like in everyday life. The best part? He loves us for who we are, not what we do.  Remember: He doesn’t want perfection, just obedience.  Joining us today is my dear, wonderful, beautiful and encouraging friend Kristen. Share. Enjoy. Interact. And let’s respond to God’s call with  a hearty “Wilco, Lord!” 
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Dear Dad,

I was at PWOC this morning; we were evacuated – calmly, quietly, quickly, asked to leave. We’d been evacuated for a possible gas leak months ago, but this was different. All was quiet, no sirens. Chaplains and CID descended amid the surprising quiet chaos of a hundred women, mostly mamas waiting for their children to also emerge from the building unharmed.

I knew before I was told; I knew in my gut someone was threatening to take their life. The day, in fact the past week, had seemed to have a shroud of darkness over it. Not literal darkness like Northwest winter is prone to, but spiritual darkness. Besides ruining two desserts I was going to bring that morning I, like so many of the fellow women, had had weeks that just didn’t seem to have gone at all right. Husbands deploying or already gone, kids sick or gone haywire, messing up things we can do with ease; it was in the air. [Read more…]

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Why We Need Ugly Moments

Crying is okay here.

Via National Acrobat @ Flickr

It had been a long time since I cried during church.

Crying on Sunday during worship used to be kind of my thing for awhile. Shortly after I really started walking close to Jesus a few years ago, Sunday church service would all but bring me to my knees. I had always struggled with being vulnerable… after all, I was the tough farm girl that everyone called the “Rock.”

But during that season of life, I was hurting. It was in the middle of the biggest storm to date and my heart was hurting. A deployment, a terrible job, no sleep, miles from friends/family… crying in church was a regular occurrence.

Afterwards, things simmered down for awhile but soon fired back up again. Hubs was working a ton of hours with his job and I was trying to keep my eyes focused on Jesus, battling the fear that our second pregnancy would end in miscarriage like our first.

So I cried a lot in church then too. [Read more…]

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21 Truths: God Hates Sin

Hate is such a strong word.

And I think it is an overused word, kind of like love.

Consider all of the different ways we use these two power-packed words.

I love those shoes. I hate this weather. I love the K-State Wildcats. I hate lima beans. I love Saturdays. I hate people who cut me off in traffic.

I could probably write an entire blog post (or book!) following that love-hate pattern, but you get the point. Love and hate are pretty common words, and pretty over used ones at that.  [Read more…]

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Reflection of Redemption (Five Minute Friday)

Greetings all! It’s Five Minute Friday time… Whoot!

In short: Each Friday (OK, any Friday that my tiny 9-month-old baby human will allow) I link-up with Lisa Jo Baker. She gives us a prompt. And we write.

For, yep, you guessed it- five minutes.Five Minute Friday

It’s not something we over think or excessively edit. We just write. And it’s always a joy (and sometimes surprising) to see what happens.)

So let’s get moving.

Today’s prompt: REFLECT

AND GO! [Read more…]

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The Rule of 4.0

“Moooommmm… I… didn’t…do…good…on… (sob)…my (gasp)… Chemistry… (sniff)…tessssttttttt. I…won’t…get…an.. A!” 

That is a real (ok, paraphrased) excerpt from a conversation that I frequently had with my Mom on the phone my freshmen year of college at K-State.

Chemistry was a nightmare. And when I bombed that first test, I was convinced my life was over. Seriously. Up until that point, I had only gotten a “B” on a report card ONCE in my life, and that was my freshmen year of high school in Algebra. (What IS it with freshmen year? And boo on math.) [Read more…]

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