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Monday, May 29, 2017

The LulaRoe Scandal

I am a lazy fashionista...which I think makes me the opposite of a fashionista...but whatever. I've carried extra weight since way before I could blame it on having children and to be honest, shopping in stores or at the mall over the last few years has been almost non-existent. I just really can find 100 things I would rather do instead. In fact, my most frequent answer when someone asks me where I bought such and such shirt or dress is....wait for it...Amazon. Really??? yes....really.

Until earlier this year...when I started seeing these LulaRoe posts all over Facebook. Have you heard about these buttery soft leggings and blouses and dresses??? I'm pretty sure I was late coming to the party. So a friend was having a Facebook party and invited me...and then I got connected with a dealer consultant that was a sweet as she could be....and then a friend from church started connecting me with people that were having sales...and then I saw a popup party on Davis Street and whipped my car around in such a fashion that would have made the Dukes of Hazard honk their Dixie horn. Packages were arriving at an alarming rate....one or two a week for several weeks in a row...and since I've never been much of a clothes shopper....Bruce was supportive...yet surprised by my compulsive behavior.

It was one night about 8 o'clock that I realized things had gotten out of hand....I was watching a 2 hour live feed on leggings. LEGGINGS!!!! What in the world!!! And although there's nothing wrong specifically with shopping or watching TV or a buttery soft legging extravaganza...it hit me.....I was out of control.

There had been signs...conversations at school filled with talk of these leggings...the conversion of friends who had joined the legging lifestyle...the weeks that went by waiting for the mail lady to deliver the next order, my denial of the scandal of the ripped Lularoe leggings and friends sending me  memes mocking my apparent obsession.

But that night...on the couch with my phone in hand, eating up our unlimited data plan, I was struck with the thought of all I could be doing. The rest I could be giving my body, the planning I could be doing for the next day, the conversations I could be having with my family, the books I could be reading...and the fellowship I was not engaging in because of this crazy legging obsession....sheesh!

And maybe it's not leggings for you..but we all have things we are obsessed with...even good things...things that occupy more time than we ever thought they would or that we would allow. Things that are hard to step away from because something in us can justify our reasons for the obsession. But it's clear, when we step away for just a minute...we have a problem. No, we might not need professional counseling (yet) but we know in our hearts that God isn't pleased with our time management system.

Recently I reacquainted myself with this verse in Ephesians 5:16: Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. I'm pretty sure I'm preaching to the choir when I say the world is evil...and even though there are a thousand things on our to do lists, we are to make the most of every moment. In fact, this whole passage in Ephesians calls us to be wise and pay attention so we know how to live. We are to invest our time in holy things...things that build up, things that last, eternal things, Biblical things...Why??? Because the world we live in screams for us to invest in temporal, short lived success and enjoyment. The world/enemy wants us to be fully invested in anything that doesn't draw us closer to Christ. Think about the things that take up your time....family, sports, work, church, friends, fitness, music....any of these things can be used to satisfy us temporarily. Even good things. These things will fade instantaneously when Christ returns...if not before.

Listen, I love LulaRoe....and my leggings....so buttery and soft...but the enemy can use something as innocent as leggings to distract us from the most important things. The better things...the redeeming things. So buy your leggings, shop your malls....but in the end, keep things prioritized..don't let your leggings run your life! Redeem the time.

That's the story I tell....

Gina

Disclaimer- No LulaRoe Leggings were harmed in the writing of this story. 

Thursday, May 25, 2017

Do you care?

I thought raising little ones was hard. Like the terrible twos...the feisty fours and the sassy sevens...

And I am sure in that season...it was. Because each moment of child rearing has it's own challenges.

But now, I'm knee deep in the teen years and we're facing proms and boys and driving and college prep tests and I am beginning to realize my time is becoming more limited and my influence less loud. And I find myself praying...and asking God for more chances to do this parenting thing right.

I'm not alone. I work with women who are sending kids off to college, I'm friends with moms with kids of all ages and I hear it over and over again and again.... I don't know if I am doing this right. Yep...that's the long and short of it. By the time they hit 18 months...we are already questioning and wondering and doubting.

Or we aren't. Because let's be real....there are some parents that just don't have the same concerns as you. Like the parents who lets their kid eat sugar cereals for breakfast, or lets their kids stay up too late or who doesn't use the booster seat until their kid turns 8. They just don't care, do they???

I'M KIDDING!!! Of course parents, or at least most of us, care. I think that's what makes us fearful that the job we are doing is not good enough. And let's be honest...there are some days it just isn't. There are days when my patience runs thin, my go getter is gone, and I don't want to make one more trip to take someone to Walmart. There are days I'm frustrated and empty and tired.

And that's where I am learning to teach my kids about God's amazing grace. That grace that gives mom a second chance at responding, that grace that reminds us all that sometimes there's more than one way to skin a cat, that grace that hugs instead of reacts, says it's "ok" when I know it really isn't and as they learn to give grace to mom, they are actually learning one of the best attributes I could teach them....and even though these moments are humbling and embarrassing, I am learning too. I'm learning to receive grace. I am learning to ask forgiveness and I am learning to be accountable for my actions. Things I need to be teaching them also.

So these teenage years...although full of learning and discipling and mentoring and parenting...there's a bunch of stuff I haven't figured out yet. Stuff that will require extended grace from my kids to me. Because if we care we take real life situations and grab the teaching points and biblical principles and weave them into our conversations and dinner discussions. Because if we care, we admit when the enemy attacks us, and we share with our kids how we can do better next time. Because if we care, we ask for forgiveness and because if we care, we model forgiveness, grace, discipline and lots of prayer. This is a biblical principle outlined, in the Bible, in the book of Deuteronomy....imagine that...God didn't leave us helpless. Our Good Father God, gave us the basics for binding these truths to our children's hearts. (Deuteronomy 6)

That's my story today....
Gina





Tuesday, May 23, 2017

Airport Life


Spending time in airports is a part of my life. My family and I live overseas so we travel quite a bit and in those travels we experience some great airports around the world while there are others that shall we say, need some improvement.

I've found there are airports that excel at efficiently navigating hundreds of passengers through security while others have no soap in the dispenser and a mere three stalls...in the women's bathroom. I'll never understand that. Ever.

Regardless of the airport, one thing all of them have in common are people...and lots of them in every size, shape, color and story of their own. I think it's safe to say that people watching has become a favorite past-time of mine. I'm intrigued by a couple of things:

1. The clothing people choose to wear while traveling. There are those in gym clothes (i.e. leggings and t-shirts) while others are in their best suit and tie. To be clear, I'm not judging nor consider myself a fashionista whatsoever. I typically go the "comfy" route which involves super baggy "cute" pants and a sweater knowing that winter is coming as soon as I get on board. This could also be interpreted as the almost-40-wife-and-mom-I'm-done-trying-to-impress look. You can use your imagination.

2. The shoes people choose to wear. There are those that click their way through the corridor with heels while others choose to flip and flop their way on board. Again, just so we're clear, my preference are my faithful Birkenstocks. I know...you can picture the classiness right?

These observations then lead me to my next question: Where are these people going? Business meetings? Shooting a new workout video? To the beach straight off the plane?

Then there are those that travel with their tea cup hair bow wearing dogs and I don't get that either. But those people usually aren't following their long-legged husband to the connecting flight while navigating three kids away from souvenir shops and making last minute bathroom stops all the while trying super hard not to capsize a fresh cup of coffee all over themselves. Clearly, I don't have the capacity to carry a dog with bows with me at this stage of life.

I've also seen red faced, puffy eyed people saying their goodbyes at the security entrance. I've been that person. "See ya laters" are hard, there's no way around it. But there are also the "hellos" I've observed (experienced!) full of exclamation and joy. In that very moment, nothing is sweeter than being reunited with a spouse, grandparent, child or friend.

One thing all of these people have in common, regardless of what they decide to wear, is their Creator. Whether they recognize Him or not, every single one of us was made in His image. They...we...are HIS children. If we watch close enough, strike up enough conversations, we get to see a glimpse of His handiwork, His likeness, who He is, right here on earth. We have the opportunity to hear their stories, maybe a chance to share a piece of ours and tell them about His love for them.
Even those with their tea cup dogs in tow.

Jaime

Saturday, May 20, 2017

Welcome to The Storytellers

For years I have blogged about my kids, family, ministry and just life in general. Recently, I struggled to write anything that I didn't feel self-conscious about, and so, for the most part, I quit. And then I felt guilty. Kind of like when you quit a diet, working out, sticking to your budget or heaven forbid, when you break into your kid's piggy bank to borrow a few bucks.

Things would happen and I would just about be bursting at the seams to write about it, but it never happened. I would start writing and the enemy would tell me how ridiculous the story sounded, or how it could be misinterpreted or that no one would be interested. And I bought into each lie he whispered.

Until recently. A few friends and I were out to dinner and were talking about things....everything from food to kids to marriage to struggles and heartache and spiritual warfare. And each time one of us would share something, someone in the group would have an encouraging word or a testimony or a verse or story to help the others who were struggling. And it hit me....God gives us this life, this story, to tell....it's not by chance you have the life you have. It's not just luck of the draw that you have the family, job, income or health you have. Whether good, bad or ugly....it's part of your story.

So I've asked a few friends to come along side and tell their stories as I tell mine. I don't guarantee that you're going to relate or love everything you hear. I don't promise that you won't cry, or disagree or think we're crazy....in fact, I can pretty much guarantee you will. But I can tell you we will be real, honest, funny, thought-provoking and as transparent as we can. God's given us this story....and we're going to tell it.

We want you to be an active part in what we are doing here....ask questions, leave a comment, repost if something encourages you. And most of all, if you've got a story to tell (and you do), share it with us and we might just use it on our blog here....you never know who will be encouraged by your storytelling!

Keep telling the story!
Gina

PS...Check out this great Storyteller song!