The week after Christmas is always fun with all the family still in town from the holiday! Last night we had a family movie night at our house. The scene was just as I like it. My overstuffed comfy brown couch packed full of cousins of all ages, Danny and I snuggled with pillows and blankets on the floor and several others perched on chairs around the living room. (It would have been a little better if Danny and I were on the comfy couch and the kids were on the floor!) The kids selected an epic film to watch as we ate leftover goodies from Christmas. The movie pick was The Lord of the Rings -Fellowship of the Ring.
Anyway, while we were watching it I had a moment. It was an exchange between Frodo and Gandalf that really made me stop and think. Frodo was overwhelmed with the awesome responsibility and burden that came with the One Ring that he inherited from his uncle. The task given to him was to return the One Ring to the place from whence it came and destroy it by casting it into the fires of Mount Doom. I'm sure I am oversimplifying here but the gist is that if he failed in his mission evil would overtake the world. That was a pretty heavy burden for such a little hobbit.
And so Frodo was having a very understandable little pity party for himself. This is how the conversation went:
"Frodo: I wish the ring had never come to me. I wish none of this had happened. Gandalf: So do all who live to see such times, but that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us."
Gandalf's wise answer has echoed in my mind ever since I heard it. Haven't we all felt like that at one time or another when something catastrophic has occurred? "I wish none of this had happened!" Or maybe you have a calling on your life that you know in your heart of hearts you must fulfill but it comes at a high cost. It would be a whole lot easier to just walk away. Something inside you may wish you had never been asked to carry that burden. But that is not for us to decide. Things beyond our control happen. God calls us to bear burdens that we would not necessarily choose to carry. But that is not for us to decide.
What we have to decide is what we will do with the time given us. God knows what you can handle. He made you. He knows that when He brings you through that adversity or when He leads you in your calling that it will have a profound and invaluable effect on you and those you come in contact with.
So what will you do with the time that you've been given? Will you dig deep and find the strength that you already possess and carry out that which you have been called to do?
I love how God works. I have been praying a lot about my talk for AWAKEN 2011 Arise and Shine. This subject goes right along with what I have been meditating on. I am going to be talking about Joseph and all the adversity that he endured but I promise you it will be encouraging!
I hope that you will join us in February (if you are a woman/young lady). We are looking forward to a great time together!!
Click here to enjoy the movie clip...
Love,
Tracey
Tracey's Blog
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Thursday, November 18, 2010
A cup of HOPE
A funny thing happened to me the other day. Maybe it was just a coincidence...but then again...
One morning a few weeks ago I was spending way too much time on Facebook while sipping my morning tea and I came across a link posted by a friend. The link was to a website promoting a new book called Your Secret Name by Kary Oberbrunner.
The premise of the book is that as we journey through life we pick up names based on what others speak over us, or experiences that we have had, or choices that we have made. Some examples of those names could be ABANDONED or FEARFUL or REJECTED or FAILURE...you get the idea. In his book, Kary relays the fact that God has given each one of us a new name based on the verse in Revelation 2:17 that says "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it." On the website there is a box you can click on that says, "TAKE THE TEST" (to find out what your secret name might be).
Now, I have to admit I was a little skeptical at first and was thinking maybe it was a little gimmicky but I am a sucker for those kinds of tests so I proceeded. As I looked through the list of potential names that I may have acquired the one that jumped out at me was DEPRESSED. I could have picked a few but I have battled that several times in my life so I really related to that one. I clicked on it and the next page said:
God's secret name for you could be:
HOPE
When I read the name HOPE it resonated with me so deeply that I took a long, deep breath and exhaled slowly as if I was actually breathing it in and allowing it to move through me. I thought...yeah...my secret name is definitely HOPE. I've known it for some time now. Hope is what has gotten me through many seasons and it's become my story. It's what drives me to want to reach out to others and share it. If you've ever felt hopeless then you know what I mean. Once you grasp it you want to give it away because there is an unending supply - plenty to go around.
So that was pretty cool but it gets better...
After I shut off my computer, I went about my day and ended up at the International Mall (don't know how that happened!) Mid-way through my shopping excursion I decided to stop at Starbucks for my afternoon pick-me-up. I ordered my Grande Cafe Misto with whipped cream. My barista grabbed a cup and her pen and started to ask my name as they usually do. Here's how it went...
Looking down at the cup she started to say "What's your name" but then she looked up and only got out "What's your..." before she stopped mid-sentence, cocked her head to the side and said decidedly, "I'm going to call you HOPE". Then she wrote it as my name on my cup!!
I was absolutely speechless. I must have gone white as a ghost because I was so shocked. I just stood there staring at her like "How did you know my secret name???????????????" She quickly realized that she had completely freaked me out so she started pointing at my shirt and said, "you know...HOPE" with this really nervous pleading smile. Poor girl!
Apparently in my rush to get dressed that morning I had thrown on my shirt that says HOPE and then (because I have serious short term memory issues) had totally forgotten that I had it on. Here I was thinking she was an angel from heaven disguised as a Starbucks barista confirming my secret name to me in person and she was just naming me from my shirt!
Anyway, I go to Starbucks a lot. I wear shirts that say things on them quite often. I have never had anyone write anything on my cup besides the name I have given them. Sooooo even though she was just a regular earthly barista I thought it was a pretty awesome coincidence!! I wish I could have told her the story but there was an enormous line behind me. I just smiled and told her that she had just made my day. That seemed to make hers :)
I had the pleasure of speaking with Kary (the author) on the phone about his ministry. He is passionate about the same things that we are at For the Girls International - helping people discover who God created them to be and helping them live out their purpose in freedom and grace!
So what is your secret name? Check out the website when you have a minute. What you find out might surprise you or maybe confirm what you've known all along. Let me know what you think.
One morning a few weeks ago I was spending way too much time on Facebook while sipping my morning tea and I came across a link posted by a friend. The link was to a website promoting a new book called Your Secret Name by Kary Oberbrunner.
The premise of the book is that as we journey through life we pick up names based on what others speak over us, or experiences that we have had, or choices that we have made. Some examples of those names could be ABANDONED or FEARFUL or REJECTED or FAILURE...you get the idea. In his book, Kary relays the fact that God has given each one of us a new name based on the verse in Revelation 2:17 that says "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it." On the website there is a box you can click on that says, "TAKE THE TEST" (to find out what your secret name might be).
Now, I have to admit I was a little skeptical at first and was thinking maybe it was a little gimmicky but I am a sucker for those kinds of tests so I proceeded. As I looked through the list of potential names that I may have acquired the one that jumped out at me was DEPRESSED. I could have picked a few but I have battled that several times in my life so I really related to that one. I clicked on it and the next page said:
God's secret name for you could be:
HOPE
When I read the name HOPE it resonated with me so deeply that I took a long, deep breath and exhaled slowly as if I was actually breathing it in and allowing it to move through me. I thought...yeah...my secret name is definitely HOPE. I've known it for some time now. Hope is what has gotten me through many seasons and it's become my story. It's what drives me to want to reach out to others and share it. If you've ever felt hopeless then you know what I mean. Once you grasp it you want to give it away because there is an unending supply - plenty to go around.
So that was pretty cool but it gets better...
After I shut off my computer, I went about my day and ended up at the International Mall (don't know how that happened!) Mid-way through my shopping excursion I decided to stop at Starbucks for my afternoon pick-me-up. I ordered my Grande Cafe Misto with whipped cream. My barista grabbed a cup and her pen and started to ask my name as they usually do. Here's how it went...
Looking down at the cup she started to say "What's your name" but then she looked up and only got out "What's your..." before she stopped mid-sentence, cocked her head to the side and said decidedly, "I'm going to call you HOPE". Then she wrote it as my name on my cup!!
I was absolutely speechless. I must have gone white as a ghost because I was so shocked. I just stood there staring at her like "How did you know my secret name???????????????" She quickly realized that she had completely freaked me out so she started pointing at my shirt and said, "you know...HOPE" with this really nervous pleading smile. Poor girl!
Apparently in my rush to get dressed that morning I had thrown on my shirt that says HOPE and then (because I have serious short term memory issues) had totally forgotten that I had it on. Here I was thinking she was an angel from heaven disguised as a Starbucks barista confirming my secret name to me in person and she was just naming me from my shirt!
Anyway, I go to Starbucks a lot. I wear shirts that say things on them quite often. I have never had anyone write anything on my cup besides the name I have given them. Sooooo even though she was just a regular earthly barista I thought it was a pretty awesome coincidence!! I wish I could have told her the story but there was an enormous line behind me. I just smiled and told her that she had just made my day. That seemed to make hers :)
I had the pleasure of speaking with Kary (the author) on the phone about his ministry. He is passionate about the same things that we are at For the Girls International - helping people discover who God created them to be and helping them live out their purpose in freedom and grace!
So what is your secret name? Check out the website when you have a minute. What you find out might surprise you or maybe confirm what you've known all along. Let me know what you think.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
God cares about the littlest things!
Yesterday was one of those days when I was just completely awestruck with how much God loves me and cares about the smallest desires of my heart. This may seem like such a silly little thing to most people but it was a big deal for me.
Last Wednesday I was on my morning run. (yes I’m still running!) I had been listening to Amy Grant the day before on my ipod and for some reason she was on my mind while I was running. I was thinking about how much I admired her. I definitely like her pop songs like Baby Baby but she also has some pretty deep songs too. She is so very real and shares some pretty raw emotion in some of her music. I have always appreciated her lyrics and feel like she sees the world like I do, asks a lot of the same questions I do and comes to the same conclusions I do. I’ve just always felt that there was a connection there. She is about 5 years older than me and I started listening to her when she started making music which was about 30 years ago so we’ve sort of grown up together. My heart broke for her when her first marriage ended and she endured some harsh criticism from some of those in the “Christian” community. I respected the way she handled that whole ordeal and thought she was an incredible example of “grace under fire” (the firing line, that is.) I rejoiced for her when she remarried and the evidence of God’s grace and healing power was written on her face and in her songs.
Anyway, as I was running I was thinking about all this and I thought to myself, “I would really love to meet her.” And then I thought, “Why not?... I could make that one of the things on my list of things I want to do in life. Make it a goal….meet Amy Grant.” So that was it. I didn’t even say it to God, I just thought it.
That very afternoon I was going through my emails and my sister had forwarded to me a newsletter from the local radio station The JOYFM. Her note to me said, “Thought I'd pass this along to you. It's an opportunity to see Amy Grant perform live and meet her after the show, too.” The email went on to say that Amy would be at a bookstore in Brandon on Monday!!! You can imagine my shock and surprise. Could it be that God cares enough about the littlest desire of my heart that He would orchestrate all of these events to fulfill a passing wish? Yes. He does.
So then I started thinking, well too bad I didn’t wish for world peace or something of more significance to the world but that was not the point of this wish-Granting exercise(pardon the pun – it was too easy.) I believe God wanted me to know in no uncertain terms on that day that He hears my every thought and that He is with me. I realize that I will have wishes and desires that may never be filled but I am so very grateful for the big and small ways that He shows me that He loves me.
On Monday I took the day off from work and went to Brandon to check something off my list.
Meet Amy Grant – check
Last Wednesday I was on my morning run. (yes I’m still running!) I had been listening to Amy Grant the day before on my ipod and for some reason she was on my mind while I was running. I was thinking about how much I admired her. I definitely like her pop songs like Baby Baby but she also has some pretty deep songs too. She is so very real and shares some pretty raw emotion in some of her music. I have always appreciated her lyrics and feel like she sees the world like I do, asks a lot of the same questions I do and comes to the same conclusions I do. I’ve just always felt that there was a connection there. She is about 5 years older than me and I started listening to her when she started making music which was about 30 years ago so we’ve sort of grown up together. My heart broke for her when her first marriage ended and she endured some harsh criticism from some of those in the “Christian” community. I respected the way she handled that whole ordeal and thought she was an incredible example of “grace under fire” (the firing line, that is.) I rejoiced for her when she remarried and the evidence of God’s grace and healing power was written on her face and in her songs.
Anyway, as I was running I was thinking about all this and I thought to myself, “I would really love to meet her.” And then I thought, “Why not?... I could make that one of the things on my list of things I want to do in life. Make it a goal….meet Amy Grant.” So that was it. I didn’t even say it to God, I just thought it.
That very afternoon I was going through my emails and my sister had forwarded to me a newsletter from the local radio station The JOYFM. Her note to me said, “Thought I'd pass this along to you. It's an opportunity to see Amy Grant perform live and meet her after the show, too.” The email went on to say that Amy would be at a bookstore in Brandon on Monday!!! You can imagine my shock and surprise. Could it be that God cares enough about the littlest desire of my heart that He would orchestrate all of these events to fulfill a passing wish? Yes. He does.
So then I started thinking, well too bad I didn’t wish for world peace or something of more significance to the world but that was not the point of this wish-Granting exercise(pardon the pun – it was too easy.) I believe God wanted me to know in no uncertain terms on that day that He hears my every thought and that He is with me. I realize that I will have wishes and desires that may never be filled but I am so very grateful for the big and small ways that He shows me that He loves me.
On Monday I took the day off from work and went to Brandon to check something off my list.
Meet Amy Grant – check
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