Attention Women! This Is For YOU!!!

I've mentioned before, that when I meet a new kid - especially one of my kids' friends, I usually introduce myself as Maggie-is-Awesome.  I tell them that I will answer to "Mrs. Buckley," but that I honestly prefer either "Maggie-Is-Awesome," "Darth Magius," or "Magius Malfoy" (if you don't get the last two references, you need to stop reading this, and go out an BUY and WATCH "Star Wars" and "Harry Potter" ..... like, NOW).   

The need to continually remind others that I'm not a dork (which in turn probably gives just opposite message) likely stems from my elementary school years as being... well... a dork.  (Who needs psychotherapy?  See how easy that was to figure out?!)  But I've got a message for all my gals today... just in case you aren't feeling it, YOU are AWESOME.  But don't just take MY word for it...

Remember...

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
    your works are wonderful,
    I know that full well.

-Psalm 139:14 NIV

Embrace it.
♥ Mags

Meeting God... A Story.

Stumbled upon this story on Facebook - thought it was too good not to share...!


A little boy wanted to meet God.

He knew it was a long trip to where God lived, so he packed his suitcase with cookies and six cans of lemonade and he started his journey. When he had gone about three blocks, he met an old woman.

She was sitting in the park just staring at some pigeons. The boy sat down next to her and opened his suitcase. He was about to take a drink from his lemonade when he noticed that the old lady looked hungry, so he offered her a cookie.

She gratefully accepted it and smiled at him. Her smile was so pretty that the boy wanted to see it again, so he offered her a lemonade. Again, she smiled at him.

The boy was delighted! They sat there all afternoon eating and smiling, but they never said a word. As it grew dark, the boy realized how tired he was and he got up to leave, but before he had gone more than a few steps, he turned around, ran back to the old woman, and gave her a hug.

She gave him her biggest smile ever.

When the boy opened the door to his own house a short time later, his mother was surprised by the look of joy on his face. She asked him “What did you do today that made you so happy?”

He replied, “I had lunch with God.” But before his mother could respond, he added, “You know what? She’s got the most beautiful smile I’ve ever seen!”

Meanwhile, the old woman, also radiant with joy, returned to her home.

Her son was stunned by the look of peace on her face and he asked, “Mother, what did you do today that made you so happy?” She replied, “I ate cookies in the park with God.”

However, before her son responded, she added, “You know, he’s much younger than I expected.”

Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.


One of my favorite songs is Give Me Your Eyes by Brandon Heath:

Give me your eyes for just one second

Give me your eyes so I can see

Everything that I keep missing

Give me your love for humanity

Give me your arms for the broken hearted

Ones that are far beyond my reach.

Give me your heart for the ones forgotten

Give me your eyes so I can see

Each of us has the potential to BE an agent of God in our everyday, ordinary life.  We can allow God to work through our hands, our hearts, and our minds, BUT that means pushing aside our own wants for the needs of others.  When was the last time you allowed God to work through you?  And what can you do tomorrow to reach out to another?

:) Mags

See Me.

Please forgive any incoherent thoughts today.  I finally went to sleep after 11PM last night only to wake up at 2AM... and never returned to sleep!  When your mind is full, sometimes sleep is elusive.  But everyone once in a while, I feel a strong calling to write something very specific on this blog, and today, I have a message to share.

I know this will come as a surprise to those of you who know me in person, but as a child, I was a "Kick-Me-Kid."  You know the one:  I was last-picked at gym-- likely because I was terrible at any sport involving a ball... or climbing... or running... or sweat.   I had a hard time making friends-- because I was, (pick one)-- needy, bossy, afraid of confrontation, teacher's pet, attention-hogging, who knows.  I was a teacher's kid-- as in my Mom was THE English teacher for our school-- and nothing says "popular" like the straight-A kid of the English teacher. (note:  sarcasm)  Add to this that my school only had 15 kids in my GRADE, and you've got one nice recipe for

LEFT. OUT.

Fortunately, things changed for me when I went to high school for several reasons.  First, there was a HUGE ocean of students in which I could hide OR thrive:  440 kids in my grade alone... and all kinds of kids!  Tall kids, short kids, smart kids, arty kids, techy kids, bandos, hoods, goths, singers, student-counsel-power-people, homecoming queens and kings.  The sea of students was huge and wide and diverse... and heavenly.

Because there, I finally found people who "got" me-- People who didn't see a "kick me" sign on my back, but saw the "SEE ME!" sign up front.  People who ignored the "needy" and saw "funny" ... "clever" ... "hilarious," even.  People who (grudgingly?) accepted the "bossy" (the trait that would later make me a really good first grade teacher), but also saw the creative writer, the dancer, the musician (mostly heart vs. talent, but a musician nonetheless!), the thinker, and the loyal friend.  And now I'm blessed - because I have found good, solid, help-you-bury-the-body-in-the-backyard-friends who accept me in all my quirky, funny, awesome glory.  And to be honest, I don't have to be friends with people who don't!  What a freeing concept!  I can be polite and friendly, but I don't have to open myself up to people who don't get it.  And that is... well... awesome. :)  Because God made ME awesome - just like he did with you:

For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. -Ephesians 2:10 NIV

He is the Rock, his works are perfect,
    and all his ways are just. -Deuteronomy 32:4 pt 1 NIV

I wish my "kid"-self could have known such great things lay ahead!  

Another child I know is dealing with a version of the same issue right now.  This child is quirky, goofy, creative, hilarious, witty, sarcastic, and more.  And for the most part, he has "never met a stranger."  But he and another kid he'd really like to be friends with just. don't. get. each. other.  They don't speak the same language, and I'm not talking about English!  I'm talking sarcasm vs. literal, goofy vs. serious, free-thinking-vs-straight-arrow.  It's frustrating them and for both families because they bring out the worst in each other.  However, I was reminded last night (or possibly early this morning, remember I've had just 3 hours of sleep), that God made all sorts of masterpieces:  the silly ones, the serious ones, the creative ones, the mechanical ones, the bossy ones, the quiet ones.  ALL of these children are important in their own way - and they have all been bestowed with amazing gifts that will serve them well later in life (EVEN IF those same gifts are hard to handle now).  

These two kids might have to settle with "friendly" vs. "friends." -- Which is such a hard lesson to learn!  Because it is NOT okay for either kid to be in a situation where EACH one makes the other one feel badly.  But for both of them, it is important to remember that their respective quirks and gifts have meaning and significance; they just might not know yet what for.

I’m absolutely convinced that nothing—nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable—absolutely nothing can get between us and God’s love because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us. 

-Romans 8:39

God has GREAT plans for you, Kid.  Embrace them, because

YOU

ARE

AWESOME.

Suck it, Satan! Part II

Ever have one of those days where you realize Satan is up and running with his "A-GAME" while you are still crawling out of bed...?


I'm having that kind of day...

• My son fumbled with this prescription allergy medicine - and the bottle slipped from his hands... spilling little pink pills on the kitchen floor.  I was scurrying around trying to get them all before the dog ate one... while assuring my son that the 5-second rules doesn't apply for prescription meds...
• Then, I had to go grocery shopping - which is like a scavenger hunt now because our local Kroger is re-vamping, re-modeling, and re-arranging the entire store - so it took me at least twice as long to find what I needed... and the cashier's computer jammed up... where the cashier oh-so-helpfully let me know that it was MY fault for having both paper coupons AND electronic coupons which gum up the machine....
• While I was excited to remember to pick up some pretty nail polish at the store (it's spring... sandals-weather!), there was apparently a hole in my grocery sack because it fell out and broke.... on our kitchen floor... spraying metallic-pink nail polish all over the WHITE kitchen tile and grout.  So desperate was I to paint my toenails, that I scooped up the broken bottle and quickly opened the regular end, dipping the little brush into the spilled blobs of paint to paint my toes before it dried.  THEN I cleaned it up and put away the groceries... ;)
• After the groceries were stored, I stopped down to visit a friend and her cute dog... who decided to pee on my jeans... the cute jeans I WAS going to wear to an event at our church tonight.
• My friend was making these special cakes for the church event.  One wouldn't hold together and effectively disintegrated while I was there... at least I got to eat the broken cake and it's yummy icing (score!), but she'll have to make a whole new cake.

And it's only noon.

Today is one of those days where Satan has planned ahead, gotten his act together, and is letting his little, irritating gremlins run free.  Nothing big - no huge catastrophe - but a bunch of little things that have pushed me into a truly foul and funky mood.  

But I remembered a post I did in December 2010 called "In a Nutshell... Suck it, Satan!" and I decided to just shake off this bad mood, count the many blessings, be thankful for the days that aren't a mess, and tell Satan to go bother somebody else!

Keep a cool head. Stay alert. The Devil is poised to pounce, and would like nothing better than to catch you napping. Keep your guard up. You're not the only ones plunged into these hard times. It's the same with Christians all over the world. So keep a firm grip on the faith. The suffering won't last forever. It won't be long before this generous God who has great plans for us in Christ—eternal and glorious plans they are!—will have you put together and on your feet for good. He gets the last word; yes, he does.

1 Peter 5:8 (Msg)

Suck it, Satan.

God has my back.

And He is BIGGER than you.

:) Mags

Finding God in Adversity...

As much as I would have loved to have come up with this myself, this post was copied from the Cowboys-4-Christ Facebook page.  Please support them by "liking" their page.  




----------------------------------------
A daughter complained to her father about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it, and wanted to give up. She was tired of all the fighting and struggling. It seemed as though in solving one problem, two more would arise.

Her father, took her to the kitchen. He filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to a boil.

In one he placed carrots,
in the second he placed eggs,
and the last he placed ground coffee beans.

He let them sit and boil without saying a word. The daughter impatiently waited, wondering what he was doing. In about twenty minutes he turned off the burners.

He fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl.
He pulled the eggs out and placed them a bowl.
Then he ladled the coffee out and poured it in a cup.

Turning to her he asked. "Darling, what do you see?" "Carrots, eggs, and coffee," she replied. He brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. He then asked her to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg. Finally, he asked her to sip the coffee. She smiled as she tasted its rich aroma.
She humbly asked. "What does it mean Father?"

He explained that each of them had faced the same adversity, boiling water, but each reacted differently. The carrots went in strong, hard, and unrelenting. But after being subjected to the boiling water, they softened and became weak.
The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior. But after sitting through the boiling water, the insides became hardened.

However, the ground coffee beans were unique. After they were in the boiling water, they had changed the water. 

"Which are you," he asked his daughter.
"When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond?
Are you a carrot,
an egg,
or a coffee bean?
----------------------------------------


In the face of adversity, how do YOU respond?
Do you become weak?  Do you become strong?
Or do you do even more... and take that hardship, and turn it into something amazing.


Consider Bethany Hamilton, Nick Vujicic, or this little boy:

Those people are testaments to doing MORE than surviving.  Those people are like the "coffee" - they changed the atmosphere and the people around them - by sharing their stories (both the good things AND the hard things), and by going out and LIVING... out loud.

But, some scars people have are hidden... pushed deep down in a dark place so that they can manage each day without falling apart.  To these people I give my prayers and encouragement that they find, at least ONE person, to whom they can unburden themselves.  Because sometimes, all you need is to open the door a crack to start the healing.

A favorite show of mine is Grey's Anatomy.  In one of the episodes, the Chief of Staff stops one of his interns from wallowing in her perceived failures with this quote:

Chin up.  Put your shoulders back, walk proud, strut a little.

Don't lick your wounds; celebrate them.

The scars you bear are the signs of a competitor.

You're in a lion fight.  

Just because you didn't win [that time] doesn't mean you don't know how to roar.

The scars you have, whether they be physical, mental, or emotional, do NOT have to define you.  You are not broken.   And sometimes... many times... surviving = winning.  And you are never alone in your fight... God is with you.

God's the one who rebuilds Jerusalem, 
      who regathers Israel's scattered exiles. 
   He heals the heartbroken 
      and bandages their wounds. 
   He counts the stars 
      and assigns each a name. 
   Our Lord is great, with limitless strength; 
      we'll never comprehend what he knows and does. 
   God puts the fallen on their feet again 
      and pushes the wicked into the ditch.

Psalm 147:3 (MSG)

So when you are faced with a hardship, a problem, or a catastrophe, at the very least, try to be the egg - get stronger with each hard moment.  And eventually, you might find that you can become the coffee bean.  Because you can affect others with your strength, endurance, and perseverance.  That's #WINNING. 

:)

A Squashed Sandwich... Part 2 of "A Fork In The Road"

This post is a follow-up to "The Fork In the Road" Discussion.  If you haven't read it yet, you should probably read that first. :)

----------------------------------------------------------

There was a girl in my 4th, 5th, and 6th grade classes in elementary school who, every day at lunch, would reach over with her fist, hover over someone's sandwich or bag of chips, and then slam her fist down - crushing the food flat underneath.  Since each grade level at my small school only had 15 kids in it - half of them girls, you pretty much HAD to sit with this bully (let's call her "Hester*") or face sitting alone in the cafeteria.  At least, I was safe in the knowledge that Hester was an equal-opportunity squasher; by statistics alone, I had a 6-in-7 chance of keeping my sandwich intact.  But at least one day every couple of weeks, I knew that I'd be eating squashed peanut butter & jelly - or have to forgo lunch altogether.  :(

I was thinking about this as I talked to people about my last blog post on purity and forks.  That post was largely concentrated on people who CHOOSE to have sex in high school (or younger - *sigh*), but I was reminded by more than one person, that there are too many girls (and boys, even) who have had sexual behaviors forced upon them without their consent.  I remember hearing statistics in my junior high sex education class: that 1-in-4 girls would be sexually assaulted in their lifetime.  (That was the mid-1980's).  And I remember looking around at my classmates thinking, "Surely that can't be right? - That would mean that, statistically, 2 of my female classmates could face that sometime!"


The current statistics are even more sobering-- and have moved to 1-in-3 vs. 1-in-4.  According to RAINN, 44% of rape victims are under age 18.  Every 2 minutes, someone in the U.S. is sexually assaulted.  And there is an average of 207,753 victims of sexual assault each year, aged 12 and older.  Approximately 2/3 of all assaults are committed by someone known to the victim, and 38% of rapists are a "friend" or acquaintance.


That means YES - quite possibly, that girl you sit next to in chemistry class... might be dealing with a friend-of-the-family hurting her.  The withdrawn girl on the bus... could be being molested by her uncle.  That "promiscuous" girl that everybody "knows"... may just be acting out because she has been raped already - so she figures why bother "protecting her virtue."  The goth girl who pushes everybody away... she is trying to be as "ugly" as possible so she won't be raped again.


And it's even quite possible that one of your friends - someone to whom you share your secrets (the boy you are crushing on, the math test you failed, the normal everyday angst of high school) has been stuffing down her own horrible secrets of abuse so that she can forget... just for a minute... and feel "normal" by listening to your "problems."  It is quite possible that you'll never know what horrors your friend faces each evening when she gets home from school


These kids-with-secrets didn't ASK to be raped... or assaulted... or abused.  Like my lunchtime sandwich smashed by Hester's angry fist, they were attacked by ruthless bullies who get off on the "power" of hurting other people.   And I imagine it would be easy for them to think that God does not care about them.  Like Jenny in Forrest Gump who prayed "Dear God... make me a bird... make me a bird so I can fly far, far away (from her abusive father)," these kids might be wondering WHY God allows this pain and suffering to happen at all.


I don't want my next words to sound empty or condescending or out-of-touch, but I truly believe that while God may not have unleashed a bolt of lightening to smite your attacker, He was with you - each horrible minute - crying with you and helping you endure... and survive.  While He will not stop a human, one of His children, from making a free-will choice, He is heartbroken when one of His children commits such an evil and horrible act upon another.  At the same time, he feels every ounce of pain and suffering and shame you experience.  God, as Jesus, felt pain, hopelessness, embarrassment, heartache, sickness, suffering, and more at the hand of Pontius Pilate and his angry mob.  And every day, when people are cruel and inhumane to other people, I believe he feels double the pain - the pain of the victim as well as the pain and brokenness of the deranged or sick perpetrator of the attack(s).


While God won't interfere with anyone's free will, I believe, if you ask Him, he will gladly offer strength, healing, peace, and comfort - by placing other people in your life who will lift you up and support you as you deal with certain horrors and memories.  You were NOT alone then... and you are NOT alone now.   Surround yourself with kind and caring friends and family - you don't have to continue to stuff down these secrets... because the people who truly love you will support you and allow you to unburden your mind to them.


And while you may feel dirty or soiled like the Sharpie'd up forks from the last blog post, I believe that when you give your life to Jesus, and when you give your burdens and your secrets over to God - not only does He clean your fork... He gives you a whole new one.


To the people who read this who are holding horrors in their minds from their childhood or after, I pray that you will find strength and peace and healing.


Most sincerely,
Mags


PS - April is Sexual Assault and Awareness Month.  To find out how you can help, please visit RAINN and read about 7 easy ways you can support Survivors of Abuse.




*Not her real name... exactly.

Fork In The Road... An Object Lesson on Purity

The other morning, our 8-year old son, Luke, was eating small, dill pickles.  As he chattered on about various topics, he eventually paused, held up his pickle, and asked me, "Mom... do you know how I know THIS pickle... is mine....?"


When I looked at him quizzically and asked, "How?," he replied by sticking out his tongue and licking all over the pickle.


He's right about one thing.... that is definitely HIS pickle.


And that funny episode rattled around in my brain for a few days until this morning, when I started thinking about my sons and the road ahead of them regarding purity.... and a white plastic fork.


(Don't ask me how my brain works... just go with it!)


This is untested - as I don't run a teen group and my kids are too young for this talk... for now.  So if you use it, please let me know how it goes.

Fork In The Road

An Object Lesson on Purity

by Maggie Buckley, 2012

Intended Audience:  Junior High or Older

Materials

• White plastic forks
• Sharpie Markers
• CAKE! (or some other awesome dessert)

Instructions

Pass out one plastic fork to each student as well as a Sharpie Marker (any colors - having each kid with a different color will help illustrate this better).

Adapt this conversation for your group:

Take your fork, and color on it with your Sharpie marker. You don't have to color the whole thing - just make enough of a mark to show you've been there.  Imagine you are using the fork for real - the marker symbolizes your spit/germs/etc.  But obviously, for germ reasons, we are not all going to lick the forks!  Instead, we are going to color with markers to show that we "used" it.

Now pass the fork 2 to the left.  THIS is now your fork.  Claim it by coloring on it.

Pass it 3 to the right.  THIS is now your fork.  Claim it by coloring on it.

Pass it 2 more to the right.  THIS is now your fork.  Claim it by coloring on it.

Continue passing the forks around in different directions and patterns until the forks are all yucked-up with marker.

Then bring out the gooey dessert.

• If all of these people had "licked" or "used" your fork for real, how interested would you be in using the fork to eat this cake?
• How many people would prefer that I give them a new, clean fork?
• Notice that while you all had fun coloring the forks, but when it actually came time to USE the fork, you didn't want the dirty, germy, used-up forks; you wanted a nice CLEAN un-marked fork.
• Notice that sometimes, when you got another fork, someone had colored where you would like to have colored on the fork.  You had to move over and find a new place.

Now imagine that fork was your body.

When you make decisions about sex you are like the fork.  Every time you choose to have sex or intimate behaviors with someone, it is just like when your fork was colored on by someone else .  And when you choose to have sex or intimate behaviors with multiple people, you are used over and over just like the forks that were colored on again and again.  And, as with a permanent Sharpie marker, those experiences never go away.  They are always stored in your brain - comparing experience to experience.

When you receive God's wedding gift to you (sex) on your wedding night, you *SHOULD* be able to enjoy it without worrying who else has been there too.  And your spouse deserves the same consideration.

Choosing abstinence may not be the world view or the "popular" path... But if you wouldn't even eat cake with a fork that had been used by 1...2...5...10+ other people, why in the world would you share the most intimate of moments with a person who had similarly been so used?!

In a bar, the best liquor is kept on the top shelf - hence the expression "Top-Shelf Liquor."  This is the most expensive and typically viewed to be "the best" when it comes to liquor.  Middle-priced liquor is on the middle shelves - and the bottom shelves, the "well," holds the cheap stuff.  Not many people buy the "Top-Shelf" liquor - because it's too expensive and they are just as content with something cheaper or more common.  "Top-Shelf" liquor is considered exclusive... special... priceless.  Not many people experience a "Top Shelf" drink.

When you are looking for your future husband or wife, you need to be looking for a "Top-Shelf" person.  You are deserving of a "Top-Shelf" Spouse!  Find someone who didn't choose to be common, used, average, or cheap.  Find someone who valued their body enough to treat it as an exclusive treat for their future spouse.

Back in high school, we studied Robert Frost's poem, "The Road Less Traveled."  In it, Frost ponders the choice of which path to take when you come to a "fork" in the road:

TWO roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both... Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.

He took the path LESS traveled - the exclusive one - the one NOT already trampled by a myriad of other people... that THAT has made all the difference.

Cherish yourself and your body.  Treat yourself as a "Top-Shelf" person and look for the same in the person to whom you will pledge your faithfulness and the rest of your life.

You are worth it.

:) Mags

You are God's Masterpiece!!!

When I was in college, I had an assignment in my Art For The Elementary Teacher class to construct something that showed a change between "fantasy and reality."  I created a life-size paper-mache horse mask that turned into a glittery unicorn when you inserted the horn up through an opening in his head.  It's huge and unwieldy, but I was quite proud of it (got an A+), and even though I took that class nearly 2 decades ago, the horse head is still in our basement and has followed us through two moves.  My husband even wore it when our son was 2 and dressed as a cowboy for Halloween - letting Jack upon his back in a "horsey-back" ride while they went trick-or-treating. :)

This is a masterpiece to me - it might not be the prettiest thing to you, but I worked hard on it!  But what if my horse had a mind of it's own... the free will to make it's own choices?  Even though I spent hours... days!!... crafting him with my own two hands, what if the horse decided that I really didn't know what I was doing after all?  What if the horse was positive that what I really meant to create was this:

I would be frustrated, angry even!  That's not what I meant to create!  I CREATED what I meant to create!  I smoothed on the paper-mache.  I brushed the strokes of paint.  I attached the long, black mane!  I didn't mean for a green mane, or a hoop pierced through my horse's face, or pink, bloodshot eyes.  I certainly didn't mean for pink zebra stripes to mar his majestic face!


A friend of mine posted this crazy-disturbing link to people who have mutilated their bodies with extreme piercings, full-body tattoos, and something horrendous called "scarification-cutting" where people carve and brand pictures into their skin!  These pictures make me sad.  I can't imagine the pain receiving these mutilations - and I can't imagine the pain that person might be in who felt they NEEDED these "adjustments" to their bodies.


And I couldn't help but wonder what God thought of these "improvements" to his masterpieces...


Ephesians 2:10 (NIV) says, "For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."


Deuteronomy 32:4 (NIV) says, "He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just.  A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he."


God doesn't make mistakes.  God doesn't CREATE mistakes.   When Adam and Eve allowed sin into their lives, they paved the way for all kinds of sin to creep into ours.  And while we have the free will to mar and mutilate our bodies in a whole variety of ways, or choose activities and actions that blatantly go against the teachings of the Bible, or assure ourselves that "God" was the wrong one, it doesn't make it true.  And it doesn't make it okay.


I struggle with weight.  I fluctuate between 4 different sizes depending on how I take care of this body.  I can blame a low metabolism (yeah, I don't actually have this), fast food restaurants (French fries are such a weakness!), the rain (it's too depressing to exercise), the sun (it's too hot to exercise), God-"made"-me-love-food (so it's not my fault), my skinny friends (why can they eat anything and I can't?!!), whatever.  The bottom line is that MY poor choices can turn this body into a blobby mushbag, and my wiser choices can help keep it working better and longer.  The choices *I* exercise over this body are my responsibility alone.  The choices *I* make to mar one of God's masterpieces are, again, my responsibility.


Perhaps if we start to view ourselves as being "fearfully and wonderfully" made, in God's image, we would be less likely to justify our poor choices that hurt and harm our bodies, and more likely to take ownership of the masterpiece we have been entrusted to care for.

Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out; 
      you formed me in my mother's womb. 
   I thank you, High God—you're breathtaking! 
      Body and soul, I am marvelously made! 
      I worship in adoration—what a creation! 
   You know me inside and out, 
      you know every bone in my body; 
   You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit, 
      how I was sculpted from nothing into something. 
   Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth; 
      all the stages of my life were spread out before you, 
   The days of my life all prepared 
      before I'd even lived one day.

Psalm 139:13-16, The Msg

Take care of you,

:) Mags

I Found God on the Clearance Rack...

I love a good bargain!  I have a cozy winter fleece (that heavier Sherpa fleece material) that I once found for just $2.00 on the clearance rack at Kohls.  It makes me smile every time I get to wear it - because it is one of my favorites... and it was so ridiculously cheap...(and because wearing it means it's finally really COLD... my very favorite weather!).


But while I love to find massively discounted "THINGS" on clearance, I certainly wouldn't want a PERSON to feel that they are so "worthless" that if there was a people-clearance rack, they would be on it.  I saw this quote today on Facebook:

If you're not being treated with love and respect, check your price tag.  Perhaps you have marked yourself down.  It's YOU who tell people what you're worth by what you accept.  Get off the clearance rack and get behind the glass where they keep the valuables!  Value yourself more... because if you don't, no one else will!

We all have times when we feel worthless, low, cheap, or on that clearance rack.  Sometimes it's the result of how we let others treat us - or how we treat ourselves.  But God views EACH of us as unique and priceless... each of us matters.

What's the price of two or three pet canaries? Some loose change, right? But God never overlooks a single one. And he pays even greater attention to you, down to the last detail—even numbering the hairs on your head! So don't be intimidated by all this bully talk. You're worth more than a million canaries.

Luke 12:6-7 (The Msg)

You have worth.
You are valuable.
You are PRICELESS.


So if you are feeling like you've been placed on the clearance rack, how have you gotten there?  What can you do to get off?!  Stand up for yourself!  Pray for wisdom in your choices, strength to deal with others' un-Christianlike behaviors, and the peace of mind to follow through with what you know is right.  Surround yourself with Christian friends - people who can love and support you... and treat you right.


You have worth.
You are valuable.
You are priceless.
And God loves you.


You don't belong on the clearance rack.  NO child of God belongs on the clearance rack!  

Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out:

you formed me in my mother's womb.

I thank you, High God—you're breathtaking!

Body and soul, I am marvelously made!

I worship in adoration—what a creation!

You know me inside and out, you know every bone in my body;

You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit,

how I was sculpted from nothing into something.

Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth;

all the stages of my life were spread out before you,

The days of my life all prepared before I'd even lived one day.

Psalms 139:13-16 (The Msg)  

So stop letting people walk all over you!  Stop letting events "happen" to you and start being proactive in living the life God has planned for you.  Whether that means disengaging yourself from bad influences, or taking control of your finances, or ceasing the endless train of bad decisions you've been making.  God has big plans for you... so start praying and talking with God to find out what those plans may be!  You know He has your best interests at heart - and that He considers YOU to be so precious, so valuable, and so loved!

“God created human beings in His own image. In the image of God, He created them. Because you are made in God’s image, you are a reflection of His glory and valuable. God loves you and made you to be like Him."

Genesis 1:27

You have worth.

You are valuable.

You are priceless.

God loves you.

Act like it.

Thinking of you today,
:) Mags

I Found God in Falling Skies...

I'm constantly looking for a Buffy-replacement.  So far, nothing has matched my all-time favorite show, and most shows I end up liking don't make it past one season (No Ordinary Family, V, etc.).  But, I've found new one on Sunday nights on TNT that I am loving...!!  It's called Falling Skies with Noah Wyle.  Alien invasion, great action, and intriguing characters are just what I like... and I discovered a happy surprise while watching it... There's a Christian character!  And for once, she's not a freaky religious caricature of what a Christian is truly like!!!


"Lourdes" (played by Seychelle Gabriel) is a pre-med student whose college education was interrupted by the alien invasion of the Skitters and Mechs.  She helps in the clinic of one of the resistance bands, and routinely (normally!) displays her Christian faith in each episode.  We see her pray before each meal, openly discussing her faith to the other characters (even if they don't agree - or even have any faith of their own), and... my favorite... when she prays over photos of each of the missing children posted to a bulletin board.  She doesn't preach - she leads by example, and she doesn't back down when other characters make fun of her or dismiss her faith as "pointless."


This character does what we, as Christians, should ALL be doing... letting her actions show others that a faith in God will give us strength in the hard times, enable us to see outside of ourselves to help others, and though our everyday, ordinary actions, show how our faith in God has transformed our heart, our mind, and our actions.


People are usually leery of those "freaky, religious people" infiltrating the workplace or social settings outside of church.  I confess that I have a BIG freak-o-meter, myself!  I can't stand meeting pushy religious people who seem to be play-acting their faith.  The trick is to be "normal" - to "naturally" share your faith in small, authentic ways... to gently lead others by example.  God can change someone's heart; He doesn't need you do do His job.  But you can open a door by being the kind of person who represents God authentically with honor, integrity, and honesty.  There is a great article about naturally sharing your faith in the workplace HERE.


Falling Skies is not a religious show.  It is a show with guns and bad language and survival in a post-invaded world.  There is violence, and fear, and grief, and hard choices... the alien-invasion part may be make-believe, but the human feelings are common in many situations in our real-life world.  But God makes our life better when we let Him work through us naturally... in everyday, ordinary places... and allows us to lead others to Him.


What can you do to share your faith naturally?

The World Is Not a Stage

 ¹ "Be especially careful when you are trying to be good so that you don't make a performance out of it. It might be good theater, but the God who made you won't be applauding. ^2-4"When you do something for someone else, don't call attention to yourself. You've seen them in action, I'm sure—'playactors' I call them— treating prayer meeting and street corner alike as a stage, acting compassionate as long as someone is watching, playing to the crowds. They get applause, true, but that's all they get. When you help someone out, don't think about how it looks. Just do it—quietly and unobtrusively. That is the way your God, who conceived you in love, working behind the scenes, helps you out.

Pray with Simplicity

 ⁵"And when you come before God, don't turn that into a theatrical production either. All these people making a regular show out of their prayers, hoping for stardom! Do you think God sits in a box seat?

Matthew 6:1-5 (Msg)

You can win more people to Christ with your everyday, ordinary behavior than you can preaching at them.  Leave the preaching to the Pastors, and lead by quiet example.  Your example just might be the one thing someone else needs to come to know Christ.

Take care of you and yours,

:) Mags

I Found God in Fake Rabbits...

One of our pastors told us this story on Sunday:
A pastor went to visit a home.  At the house, lived a retired greyhound racing dog.  As the pastor waited to talk to the family, he decided to talk to the dog.  "Why are you retired?" he asked.  "You look to be pretty healthy." 
The dog looked at him and said, "I am healthy.  But I quit."  
"Were you not any good?" asked the Pastor.
"I was very good.  I won the races many times," replied the dog.
"Were you treated poorly?"
The dog considered this.  "Conditions for a greyhound are not the best," he admitted. "But that's not why I quit."
"Then why?" asked the Pastor.
"Because," answered the dog.  "The 'rabbit' I was chasing wasn't even real."

Think of all of those greyhounds... chasing that fake rabbit.  Around and around they go thinking that they will be successful... thinking that they will snag that bunny.  Yet every time, the race suddenly ends, the rabbit disappears, and the dogs shake their heads in confusion.

"It was right there!" 
"I almost had it!"
"Just another second...!"
"Why are we stopping??!"

How many times do we chase fake rabbits?
How many times do we work, and work, and work for something only to see that it wasn't nearly as good as we thought it'd be?   A new car... a promotion... expensive clothes...?  How many of us remember the days in high school or college where we were encouraged to make "Goal Lists?"  Where will you be in 5 years?  In 10 years?  How often did these lists include things like I will be the boss of my company....  I will make a 6-figure salary...  I will have a big house and nice car....

I once had a neighbor who moved away because she wanted an "executive house" -- a house that reflected the stature of her husband's very "important" job.  Nevermind that her current house had 4 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms, a screened-in back porch, and really cool neighbors*. (*wink)  Ignore the fact that her only child had already left for college and it was just her and her husband.  The need for something MORE overshadowed being grateful for what she already had.  And how long would it be before the new "executive house" was suddenly not flashy enough...?

Mark 10:17-21 talks about the rich man who wants the "secret" to getting into Heaven...

¹⁷ As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. “Good teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

   ¹⁸ “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone.¹⁹ You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, you shall not defraud, honor your father and mother.’”

 ²⁰ “Teacher,” he declared, “all these I have kept since I was a boy.”

 ²¹ Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

 ²² At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.

If God came to you today, and told you he could give you a ticket to Heaven right now IF you would give up everyTHING to follow Him, would you do it?

I think for most of us, including me... that would be very hard.  My mind would be racing... trying to weigh the pros and cons of a "sure thing ticket" vs. keeping my stuff and finding another way...

Fortunately God isn't exactly say that... but He is telling us that STUFF can get in the way of our relationship with God.  It could be physical STUFF like overspending on your house, cars, vacations, etc.  It could be the poor choices you make with your time, talents, and money.  It could be the secrets you keep:  adultery, cheating, porn, addictions.  While all of this STUFF might make us feel safe or in control, it becomes a substitute for trusting God.  As our pastor reminded us:

Until you LET GO of what possesses you, you will never be FREE to follow Jesus.

My husband and I are big fans of reality TV - and the Hoarders show is especially disturbing.  These people are plagued with an addiction that forces them to collect STUFF:  be it food, supplies, or animals.  They are tormented with the feeling that there is never enough... and it leads them to unspeakable living conditions.

While we may not stockpile 300 cans of green beans (unless you're one of those Extreme Couponers and it was a really good deal...), we still have our own Hoarding issues.  We hoard our THINGS:  our TV's, our cars, our electronics, our hobbies, our money.  And while God doesn't need us to dump everything, He does want us to put our stuff into perspective.  

It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle 

than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.

Mark 10:25

He who dies with the most toys... still dies... and leaves one heck-of-a garage sale.

NONE of our THINGS will get us into Heaven.

So be generous.  Use what you need.  Share your blessing with others.

And, stop chasing the fake rabbits.

:) Mags