What I'm Doing Now...

. . .now is the time of God's favor...

2 Corinthians 6:2

It was a Sunday afternoon, not unlike any other Sunday afternoon. I was mourning the loss of the lazy weekend, Brian was tuning in to the latest and greatest sporting event, and the pups were passed out in their bed. Then, the phone rang. 

The short of it was that a minister in our new church called and asked me if I'd be interested in talking about taking a job as a ministry assistant. I was honored and intrigued. I'd been asking God to reveal my new role, you know? So, I set up a meeting for the following morning, and ended the conversation with a smile on my face. "Perfect!" I thought, "I could totally do this job and like it!"

I told Brian about the phone call and we talked about all of the potential positive aspects of the job. I was excited and flattered that anyone would even consider talking to me about it. 

We went on about our day, and as I was closing down the house for the night, I heard the familiar sound of my cell phone's text message alert. Quickly, I picked up my phone and saw that I had a message from one of Kaleidoscope Ministries' founders. I had been volunteering with the ministry as a tutor and mentor. The message read, "Is it too late for me to call you?" 

"No." I immediately replied, wondering what this was all about. 

As the conversation unfolded, I found that, they too, wanted to talk to me about taking a job with Kaleidoscope. And, they wanted to visit with me the following day, also. Again, I was intrigued and flattered. When the conversation ended, I immediately burst into happy tears because of God's provision.

For weeks, I'd been feeling quite insignificant. I felt ineffective in God's kingdom and very much like I wasn't living at my highest level of influence or potential. Have you ever felt that way? It was the age-old question, Does what I spend my time doing have any eternal consequence? 

Blame it on the cancer or on the fact that I'm just introspective to a fault, but I'm always questioning my motives and actions. It's a souvenir of facing my own mortality.  I just want to be certain that I'm stewarding my days well. 

Well, to wrap up a story that lasted a week, I was offered a job with Kaleidoscope, and I took it! It's a new season for this wonderful nonprofit, and I feel up to the challenge of a fresh start! For me, and for them. 

What's awesome, but not surprising when I consider the character of God, is that this new role allows me to draw from all of the experiences that the Lord has allowed me to have - experiences in children's ministry, women's ministry, public education, nonprofit fundraising, board membership, single adult ministry, volunteer recruitment. All of it. Every single adventure that God has allowed me to have has equipped me to serve in this exciting, new capacity. 

Bring it! 

Check out our website!  Kaleidoscope Ministries  midlandkm.com or find us on Facebook! 

There's No App For That

Be still in the presence of the LORD, and wait patiently for him to act. 

Psalm 37:7

What are you waiting for right now? Your coffee to kick in? Your kids to finish their breakfast? The traffic light to turn green? We are always waiting for something. Life just kinda moves like that, doesn't it? It's such a "hurry up and wait" world. 

If you're like me, you go through periods of immediate deadlines and extreme urgencies, and then things calm down and you wait, and wait, and wait...

And, before we know it, the cycle repeats again. 

Waiting for inconsequential things like a traffic light or the ding of a microwave isn't all that difficult; we're accustomed to those short waits. But, man, what about the major things? What about when you are single and waiting for the perfect mate? Or when you desperately want to start a family, and you are waiting for a pregnancy? Or when you are waiting on the doctor to call and deliver test results? What about when you are unemployed and waiting on a potential employer to offer you a job? Or, your waiting on the Lord to redeem a devastating divorce? Or waiting on a prodigal child to return to God? 

I've been in many situations when the wait was almost unbearable. You know those times when you just want to eat a gallon of cookie dough ice cream, throw on your fat pants, and bury your head under a pillow until a sunnier day comes along? Yeah, those kinds of waits. What then?

In this digital day, we can streamline almost everything with the use of a smartphone application - from catching up on headlines, to making a grocery list, to adjusting the temperature of a room that is a continent away. It's so easy to want to wait upon the Lord with the same philosophy. 

But, there's no app for that. 

Waiting on the Lord is a discipline. Regardless of how advanced this age of technology becomes, God's Word will always hold true. When those moments of difficulty arise, the Bible says, "Be still in the presence of the LORD, and wait patiently for him to act." 

Let's try not to solve it or simplify it, but instead, get quiet before God and rest in His impeccable timing. Wait.

Lindsey Pond

You Can't Take The Bird Outta The Dog!

For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. 

Ephesians 2:10

Meet Jethro. He's a German Shorthaired Pointer and the youngest of our three pups. My husband and I don't have kids, so our dogs have nicely assumed the role of children. He's almost 2-years-old, and at this point, I'm not sure that he'll ever truly grow up. He's inexhaustible, so on most days, I try my best to walk him at least 2 miles, just so that we can stand to live with him. It's not that we don't like him. In fact, he's the most loving and affectionate of our dogs. He's a companion, through and through. 

It's just that, when we first moved into our new house in a new city, we noticed that Jethro was pacing the floor, darting from one front window to the next, over and over again, for hours, days, weeks! We'd scold him and force him to lay down on his bed, but as soon as we turned our backs, there he was, pacing again! Back and forth! Back and forth! He was making us crazy with his restlessness! 

One day, I wondered, "What is so exciting that he constantly feels the need to be peering out the window? He's the nosiest neighbor on the block!" (And, in a competition with me, that's saying something!)

So, I crouched down right beside him. We were head-to-head. And, I followed his lead, looking out one window and then running to the next. 

Aha!

Doves! We had a covey of doves nesting in the shrubs in our flower beds. There was a whole swarm of them! A dozen, at least! 

Finally, we knew why our pup was behaving like a maniac! He was doing what God created him to do -- hunt birds. He used every open window to sharpen his hunting instincts. He was driven to victory by scouting out and pointing those little flighty fiends. And finally, we just gave up and adopted the motto, "You can't take the bird outta the dog!" So now, sweet little Jethro spends a mere 4 hours a day hunting birds from the comfort of his climate-controlled home. 

For us to require poor Jethro to not do what God made him to do would be ridiculous. He had the instincts, the talents, and the abilities to sniff out and hunt down a bird from miles away. Regardless of my aim to control him, he's always gonna be a bird dog! There's just nothing I can do to stop that.

Friends, guess what I've learned lately? God's gifting of us works in the same way. God has created each of us with unique talents, abilities, and skills. He's made each one of us to be His workmanship, or masterpiece. And, like Jethro, He's given us jobs to do that will use those skills.

I'm in a season of searching right now, and maybe you are, too. I'm seeking God boldly to find out how to use my talents, abilities, and skills in my new hometown. Care to join me? 

May God, the Author of our stories, be a Lamp to our feet today and a Guide to our eternal futures. 

Here's to praying!

I'll Be Back

“Come now, let’s settle this,” says the Lord. “Though your sins are like scarlet, I will make them as white as snow. Though they are red like crimson,  I will make them as white as wool."

Isaiah 1:18 

As the time drew nearer and nearer for us to return him to his home, the little kindergarten guy my husband, Brian, and I mentor became increasingly defiant. In spite of my warnings that we'd be leaving our house and headed to his in an hour....then 30 minutes....then 15 minutes....then 5 minutes.....and then NOW! He just wasn't ready to leave. 

I had to prod him along to get him out the door of our home. Then he moved along at the blazing speed of a sloth on the sidewalk as he slowly meandered his way to the car. By no small miracle, we got him in the car and buckled. 

We tried our best to engage him in conversation on the 10 minute drive to his house, but he covered his ears and hummed loudly, so as to clearly ignore our efforts. He repeatedly asked us to leave him alone and stop bothering him, which we knew to be quite the opposite of what his heart truly desired. 

At last, we pulled up to his house and Brian and I got out of the car to walk him to the door. As Brian opened the backseat door, the boy flopped over two rows of seats and into the cargo space in the back of the large SUV. 

I walked to the back of the car to open the cargo door, and as I made my way to the back, he flopped over the seats a second time and landed back in the front of the vehicle. 

We did this song and dance for about 5 minutes and then we cornered him. Brian got hold of his legs and slowly pried his little body out of the car, limb by limb. He set the boy down on the sidewalk and went to close the cargo door, when the little lad hopped right back in the car and we began the whole dance again in front of three of his five little siblings who now stood around the car inquiring about their brother's unusual behavior. 

Finally, we did get him out of the car and into the yard, at which point we relinquished control to his mother who was inside with the other children. 

As we pulled away, our little guy threw up his hand in a vigorous goodbye wave, and a flood of forgiveness fell over us. 

When I replayed these events in my mind, I couldn't help but glean a tiny peace of understanding. Isaiah 1:18 says, “Come now, let’s settle this,” says the Lord. “Though your sins are like scarlet, I will make them as white as snow. Though they are red like crimson,  I will make them as white as wool."

Even though this little boy had tried my patience and made me want to scream, I never once thought, "I'm done with you. I don't ever want to see you again!" 

God looks at me, and at you, through the same lens. I know that I'm guilty of hopping out of God's plan for me. I know that I've figuratively put my hands over my ears and yelled at God, "I DON'T HEAR YOU!!! LEAVE ME ALONE!" 

As we drove further away from his house, we began planning the next time we'd see him. We devised a great date with him that he's sure to love. We decided that, no matter how he behaves, we'll be back. 

And, I know that, even more than my ability to forgive, which can be so small, God looks on me with the same forgiveness. I know that as I'm running from Him, He's looking on me and planning our next encounter with a loving heart. I can just imagine Him saying, "Yeah, this didn't go well, but, don't you worry, I'll be back."

Today, Precious One, may you and I relax in God's unconditional love and forgiveness. Rest assured, He'll be back. 

That's not what I do...

I know, LORD, that our lives are not our own. We are not able to plan our own course.

Jeremiah 10:23

God is in the process of wrecking me, I think. I'm fairly certain this grand 'ole move out to Mudville, Texas was about more than just a great job opportunity for my very talented husband. Before moving here in November, I never had to think of things to fill my days. I had plenty to do, and plenty that just never got done. Not so in the new place. 

I anticipated that this would be the case, though, so I started looking for day-fillers before we even moved. I perused dozens of websites for many organizations, looking for just the right one where I could be a big 'ole blessing to them. One of them was this awesome non-profit that works with women with criminal records and their children. As I read their mission and goals, I thought, "Oh, how I could just single-handedly FIX all of those poor little lost women's lives." Are you nauseous, yet? 

I was immediately praying, "God, show me how I can plug into this ministry. How can I change these women's lives?" 

God does, indeed, answer prayers! Our first week in town, I had a chance meeting with the director of the organization, and I immediately asked her, "What are your greatest needs right now?" Without skipping a beat, she replied, "Tutors and mentors for the kids." 

But, I don't do kids anymore. I work with women. That's what I do. 

I desperately tried to strike up the negotiations with God, but He wasn't having it. He quickly reminded me that I had prayed and asked how I could change these women's lives, and His very clear answer was, "Through their kids."

You see, Dear Ones, God is changing more than my mailing address. He's changing my attitude. He is reminding me that my job is to do what He asks, not what I determine. 

My prayer is that my new routine will be listening to God first, and then making the quick reply, "Okay, God, that's what I'll do, and may your name be made famous in the process."

Blessings!

But, I'm a Tyler Girl!

Only God could know the work that was sure to crop up in my life by moving me out of a place that was full and familiar to a place that is new and scary. For almost 30 years, I called Tyler, Texas my home. I adored everything about it and so many of the people in it. I loved my church, my friends, my family, my doctors. All of it. As I drove through town, so many places held memories for me. I had history there, people knew me, and it was a rare occasion for me to go anywhere and not see a familiar face smiling back at me. I knew the struggles people had faced, the accomplishments they'd made, and the legacies they'd left, both good and bad. It was my home. My scene. My life. 

It wasn't until God moved me out of that familiarity that I realized how much He desires my dependence on Him. There have been more than a few moments since The Big Move that I've cratered under the feelings of being unknown. 

On the one hand, fighting a very public breast cancer battle in Tyler was difficult, but on the other, I knew that place had my back. Sure, I've always trusted the Lord, but it is so much easier when you have a network of people who can walk alongside you. But, what about when you don't. What then?

This new season and new chapter has been so rewarding and refreshing. God has convicted my heart on so many levels. He's forced me to remember that my identity is in Christ and not in any other relationship or involvement. He's allowed me to empathize with those who have no one. He's given me the challenge of being a friend to the friendless. 

But, it grieves my heart that it took me until now to feel what the lonely feel. To use the words of my kidding sister, "I don't need another friend. I've already met my quota", has so often been my motto. Sick, right?!?

So, here I am in a new place, meeting new people, and being a new kinda girl. I'm no longer that Tyler girl who was perfectly content in my contained little life with plenty of friends and plenty of opportunities for fun. No. Now, God is teaching me to be a friend, to truly love, and to show His kindness to all those I encounter. I'll keep you posted on how this all works out. But, for now, this is what I know for sure, wherever we are, we are to love with the kindness and gentleness of the Savior, whether that be in our comfort zone or 428 miles away (but who's counting :) from it.

May the God of all hope prompt your heart along with mine to love richly today. It's the only thing that counts. 

Western Winds of Change...

It has been months since I last updated my blog. I've been otherwise engaged/resting/overcoming writer's block. Honestly, I don't have a good excuse, other than I lost interest for a while. 

But, these days, I've been very reflective. God's put a lot on my mind and in my life, and I feel the need for an outlet. Thus, I'm back. And, I couldn't be happier about it. 

Almost 2 years ago, I made the jump from public education to church ministry. Sure, there were many variables that governed that decision, but mostly we (Brian and I) felt that was God's plan and hand. After all, God had been calling my heart to spend my time ministering to women for several years prior to presenting the opportunity. Sometimes, it takes me a while to catch on to His preparatory work in me. :)

So, I've been doing that - ministering to women - for about 2 years. In many ways, it's been the most fulfilling 2 years of my life. I've been healthy, happy, and humbled beyond belief. I've learned so many things about people and even more about myself. I've been stretched and grown in ways I didn't know needed tweaking. It's been awesome. And challenging. And hard. 

And, just as I was starting to really feel like I "owned" my ministry job, another twist and turn presented. A new career opportunity came up for Brian, and it was a good one, one that we couldn't possibly pass up. And, it wasn't in Tyler. 

The fact that I actually admit to feeling like I understood the whole ministry thing is so arrogant, and quite possibly could be the very thing that God unravels next. After all, no one owns God's ministry but God, Himself. 

So, what's next for me? For us? 

Today, I finished up my last day of Bible Study with my precious Tuesday Morning Group. Those ladies are all young moms who are giving their all to being the best wives and mamas they can be. They have my heart and my extreme admiration as I watch them function in a selfless role. I'm in awe of their lives and accomplishments. 

And, in exactly 30 days, a big 'ole moving truck is going to pull up to my beautiful home in Tyler and load all of its contents and move us to Midland. And, we are thrilled. 

We see God's hand in this process. Our home sold within about 18 hours on the market. We found a home in the extremely competitive Midland market. And, this is it...

And now, we are just waiting with humble expectation to see what God will accomplish through us next. 

We are excited about our new adventure, our new journey, our new chapter. Stay tuned...