reAL-ationship

I could have a million titles for this blog, because as I rode my bike around the lake this beautiful Sunday afternoon, my thoughts were going in a million directions... but to start...

When Luke and I went to North Carolina for SIMStart, a weekend where you get to know more about SIM and meet missionaries who have served all over the world, I realized that much of my focus for missions had been misplaced. Rather than focusing on God's Greatest Glory and the joy of building relationships with His people so they in turn build relationships with Him, I looked at it as a task to accomplish - one more thing to add to a list of accolades - one more way to prove myself to other people, particularly those doubting that we could do it. Therefore, I was also looking at the preparatory stages as simple steps to get through in order to reach the ultimate goal, or "accomplishment." Without going to much into it all, I left realizing that I want nothing more than to serve God and love His people - but wait on His perfect timing. There's no need to rush into the field and miss what He has for us here... In fact, I don't have to be afraid that He will get mad at us if it takes a little longer to get there - because He's the one who will get us there!

So as far as looking at our lives here as steps in the process rather than opportunities to serve God in our daily lives, it even extended to our church. I had looked at it as "training for the field" and ignored the potential for powerful relationships here in the present. Now I am slowly learning how to be more intentional about my relationships, rather than just focusing on the tasks at hand.

Whew, okay that was a big introduction, but what does being "intentional about relationship" look like? Well, take this afternoon for example. I headed out on my bike, and anyone who knows me well, knows that when I get going exercising, that is when I'm least likely to be relational. I typically just want to be fast. First step at being relational (which I wish every cyclist would do), was the simple acknowledgement of others on the road or trail. i.e. the simple phrase "on your left" as I passed other riders. Don't know how many times I've about had a heart attack because someone sneaks up behind me and sprints past with hardly a grunt. That one's easy though - three words - and you're gone. Doesn't interrupt the ride, and makes it a tad safer. Stopping my bike to talk to someone? That takes a little more convincing. But, I also find it to be true that there are people that we greet cordially with a "hello, how are you," and there are people we love to talk to because they "get us" or we "get them."

So, it was time for some "Free Advice" from my good buddy Roderick, because, well, he "gets me." (Read the blog from two weeks ago to learn more about Roderick). I originally thought I'd wait till my second loop around the lake, so as not to cut into my ride, but afraid he'd leave his post early to watch the Super Bowl or avoid sundown, I pulled off in my first loop as I rounded the corner and saw the sign. Not intending for much beyond a simple "hello" and "thank you" for his encouragement and generosity so I could get on with the ride, we instead instantly jumped into a conversation like friends who had known each other for years. And then I figured out why I felt I needed to stop today. As I explained that Luke was at work, Roderick looked at me and said, "He really respects and admires your abilities and discernment with people." "WHAT?" Well, remembering that Roderick is also a very "discerning person" I didn't doubt his intuition, but he went on to explain with a story of an elderly couple he knew where the man didn't express his emotions much, but his wife was very strong and he remembers telling the wife that her husband truly respected and loved her dearly - and the wife said that confirmed what she had always thought but never really believed.

Why was that so important to me? Another thing I realized/revisited at SIMStart was my inability to fully trust people - to trust that they truly love me as me and value who I am over what I do. I am scared to death that when I let people in all the way, they'll see the real me and run away kicking and screaming. Even Luke, he has 99.5% of me, but I have to keep just a little bit, because if he doesn't like me, I can say it's because he doesn't have all of me. But, if I give 100% and he doesn't truly love me, that means it's really me. But Roderick, he could see Luke's heart as Luke nodded along with Roderick's observations two weeks ago. Roderick doesn't process with words - but he sees inside people. Myself being a woman of words, I had to hear the words from Roderick of what he saw inside my husband - that Luke loves me for me - wholly and completely.

Wow. REAL-ationships. That was so worth stopping. As we parted ways and I finished my ride, I rode into our apartment complex only to find a group of kids around a bike turned upside down, and as I rode by on my "big bike" one of them asked me if I could fix his bike. I thought there was no way and just told him I wouldn't know how. But then again, what is usually wrong with a kid's broken bike? Usually just a chain off the wheel, so I circled back around, and yep - the chain had come off. So I slipped off my seat, laughed when they said my hands would get dirty, and spent a few minutes working that stubborn chain back onto the wheel, assuring them they would get to ride a "big bike" someday too, and that they should see my husband's "really big bike." REAL-ationships. A few minutes of a fairly easy task, and I became a hero (heroin?).

So maybe we should all give a few more minutes, a little more often. I know I was blessed a lot more than my friend Roderick by our chat, despite his smile and gratitude for our visit. Helping those kids definitely touched me much more deeply than it touched them. God has a purpose for you today, not just a year or two down the road -- and guess what? If you listen for it, and follow it, you'll likely be the one who is blessed.

After all, didn't God say, "It is not good for the man to be alone...? " (Gen. 2:18)

"Nationals" this Weekend

As a cheerleading coach for an All-Star gym, we spend much of our time and effort preparing our squads for competition. After all, since they don't cheer for any team, the whole point of being on the squad is to compete, right? And no competition should be bigger than nationals.

At least, that's what you would think.

Nationals, by obvious definition, should include teams from all over the nation. Small gym nationals, then, would contain small gyms (125 people or less) from all over the nation. 150 teams signed up for the two day competition at the Dallas Convention Center. Looks like there should be a good showing. People from all over.

But apparently "Nationals" really means "teams from the great nation of Texas". There is 1 (uno, eins, ONE) team from outside of Texas. Where is it coming from? Louisiana. And not even eastern Louisiana. We're talking located on the border of Texas where the closest big city is Dallas, not New Orleans. Most of the teams are from within an hour or two of Dallas, and we competed against most of them at the beginning of December. And we got last.

I can't WAIT to spend my whole weekend with pre-adolescent, screaming girls covered in glitter, layered in makeup, and wearing ill-fitting outfits. Oh, all-star cheerleading. This love-hate relationship is definitely beginning to lack the love.

And, to agree with Tiffany, our children will never be all-star cheerleaders.

Thank you, Dallas area public schools

I know that Dallas shuts down when hit with "Winter Blasts". I get it. It is just not safe out there. Businesses are closed, highways are shut down, and citizens are warned to stay inside. I've been here long enough to learn that this is standard procedure. So when we had a "winter storm" last night and found ourselves buried under an inch or so of ice, it was no surprise that the news broadcasts announced that every school within 100 miles of here would be closed today. And we were reminded of this fact until 11 am, as the local news took over the airways and forewent any regularly scheduled programming to inform us of this.

So, the roads were bad, and school was canceled. I guess they didn't realize that by noon all the ice would be gone, there would be no clouds in the sky, and the temperature would get up into the 40s. So all the kids were home, parents were left to scramble to figure out what to do with them, and by the time the afternoon rolled around they were ready to dump them off on us. And that they did. We had better than average attendance at our tumbling classes tonight, and the kids were more rambunctious than normal as well. I actually spent 5 minutes with one of my classes doing sitting practice. All they had to do was sit. Just sit. And they couldn't do that.

So thank you, public schools, for not having class today. It really made my life easier. Really.

Sand

SAND:

1. A fine, often loose, debris of rocks, typically mostly quartz

2. The stuff that gets stuck in your shoes when walking on the beach

3. A light reddish- or brownish-yellow color

4. The preferred method of de-icing the streets in Dallas, because, you know, that's effective.

Winter BLAST, 2009!

The freezing line has officially passed through the Metroplex.

Schools are closing.

Businesses are sending employees home early.

Water is falling from the sky, sometimes in the form of ice chips.

Temperatures are expected to continue to drop into the mid-20s.

As a warning to all DFW residents, head to the local grocery store now and load up on water and canned goods, as this could be the beginning of the apocalypse. By this afternoon you may not be able to leave your home. If your door isn't frozen shut, the roads are a death trap. Be like a good boy scout - be prepared. This could be the end...













You have GOT to be kidding me.