Maybe I’ll Light The Night!

I was never a big fan of Halloween.

After 9/11, I totally decided to turn off all the lights in front and go to the back of the house.  I couldn’t answer the door anymore.

A kid came to my front door the year before with a mask that shot blood out of it. My one year old at the time was just mortified.

So, that was the end of it for me.  No trick or treaters anymore.

But then, a few weeks ago the station started a promotion called “Lite the Nite”  and it changed my mind. 

October 31st is the only time complete strangers come to your door.

What would Jesus do?  Would He hide?  I don’t think so. 

I think I am willing to be bold.  I am going to experiment; to stand up for my faith and give out good candy and maybe some glow-in-the-dark bracelets.  I’m going to get my kids to help, maybe have them meet some of the neighborhood kids.

I don’t want people passing by my house and saying, “Oh, we never go THERE!”

I think it’s time to step out of faith and not hide in fear.  I’m not saying we celebrate Halloween and put our kids in witch costumes…I’m saying maybe it is time to be in the world and not hide.

Let’s be a light to the world…and let it shine!

Which Sailor Are You?

This morning I was awakened by that stirring feeling.   It’s the kind you get when God really wants to show you something.  It’s a “Come, let Me show you something” type of call that speaks to your heart and not your head.

And, those are the best calls.  AT&T cannot reach out and touch someone any better than God can!

I said last night that I needed grace.  And although that is true, there is something that God showed me I need so much more.

Look at Matthew 14:22-32 with me….

Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go

on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. 

After he had dismissed them, he went up on mountainside by

himself to pray.  When evening came, he was there alone, but the

boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the

waves because the wind was against it.  During the fourth watch of

the night Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake.  When the

disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. 

“It’s a ghost!” They cried out in fear.

But Jesus immediately said to them, “Take courage.  It is I. Don’t be afraid.”

“Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”

“Come,” he said.

Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus.

But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried, “Lord, save me!”

Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him.  “You of little faith,” He said.  “Why did you doubt?”

And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down  Then those who were in the boat worshiped Him saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”

Which sailor are you?  Are you often the one who stays in the boat because you fear too much?  I know that I am very much like those other sailors.  I need FAITH!!!

I want to be Peter, but I fear the failure.  And not trying is so much safer because at least you don’t say, “Oh, I failed at that.”  Not trying is my safety net.

Or is it?

I think Peter was THE ROCK as Jesus said.  He went for EVERYTHING he could in life.  Sometimes it got him in trouble, but God still saw his heart.  And knew him to the very core.

I look around my house and my waves are massive in my mind….clutter, laundry, dishes, toys, yesterday’s mail, third grade schoolwork, last weeks newspapers.  I attempt to organize it during the day, but in the end, I fail.  So it gets ignored for a while, until I can’t stand it again.

What if I’m going about this the wrong way?  What if I’m looking too much at my waves, and not looking enough at the One who made them?

What if I could keep my blinders on and focus on Jesus and HAVE FAITH that all things DO work for good for ME because I LOVE HIM and I am CALLED for HIS purpose.

Not my purpose.  HIS!!

I think so many times we are so busy that we forget how big God is and that He cares about every little detail.  I think we lose faith so easily.

My son, Ben, has come downstairs and sat in my lap.  He has just informed me that he wet his bed!  Talk about little details.  So I guess this is where my test begins!  LOL!

Let’s make a deal; just for today, let’s focus on Him and the blessings He’s given us.  In faith, let’s remember the waves are not as big as God and decide that we can walk on the water.

Then, report back here and hit the comment button to let me know how your day went.

Good faith (not luck) Sailor!!!  Talk with you soon; I’ve gotta go change some sheets!

 

It Boggles the Mind

It was bound to happen, sooner or later.

My daughter, who is 2 months away from turning 9, went to school yesterday with makeup on her face.

I didn’t see it until I was helping her out of the car with her backpack in the carpool line.

“What is THAT?”  I asked her.

“What?” She answers.

“You have makeup glitter on your face!” I told her.

“I don’t!!” She denied she put anything on.

It was OBVIOUS she was not telling the truth.  She has “that look” on her face when she lies.

I’m in the carpool line searching frantically for a handiwipe.

Found them!  AHA!

I wiped it off.  She continued telling me she didn’t do anything.

Later that day, I picked both the kids up and we went out for ice cream.  I broke the news to her.

“No Disney Channel for 3 whole days….No TIVO of any Disney programs.”  And I took the play makeup away.

Surprisingly, I didn’t get as much objection out of her as I thought I would.  I thought I would get the dramatic, award winning tantrum.  But I didn’t.

So, today since we were not doing television, I decided to get a few board games out.  One ended up being Boggle Jr.  We had never played before.

So we sat down with both the kids and played.  Ben did the 3 letter words, Rachel spelled the 4 letter words by looking only at the picture card and not the letters.

The game went pretty well.  Until Rachel forgot how to spell bowl.  She could not think of the W.

Then, THE Oscar/Emmy Award winning tantrum struck. 

She was angry at herself for missing that word.  She was frustrated and started screaming, “I hate myself, I’m stupid!”

Thank God my sweet husband had the day off and heard all the commotion.

We explained to her that everyone makes mistakes.  We also pointed out to her that the voice she was listening to was NOT the voice of TRUTH.  It was the voice of the Enemy.  We told her that it is important for her to remember who she is and WHOSE she is.

So many of us adults face that too.  It’s like the Casting Crowns song, “The Voice of Truth”:

“But the voice of Truth tells me a different story,

The voice of Truth says do not be afraid…”

“After all the voices calling out to me….I will listen and believe the voice of Truth.”

It boggles my mind that even at this tender age I see my child face the decision of which voice to listen to.  Does she listen to what God whispers in her ear or does she listen to the lies that Satan gives her?  Lies like “you are stupid,” and “you’ll never get it.”

As long as I am able, I will pray that she and her brother hear the voice of Truth and choose to follow it.

Who are you?  WHOSE are you?

A Deeper Love

A funeral is for the living.

It sounds weird, but it is so true.  A funeral is all about the family of the one who is gone and getting together to share their grief and their love.  And for Christians, it is a homecoming and a bittersweet tribute. 

It was not easy, sitting there, looking at the casket that was so tiny.  My best friend was there and we linked our arms together and cried until we had no tissue left.  We knew that this little one was in the arms of the Lord; yet it was still hard to experience.

And while the service was beautiful and the mood was tearful, there was a real message of love.  The uncle who did the eulogy said he feels that the purpose of this 5 month old, so frail and broken, was to show them how to love.  It somehow took the love this family had to such a deeper level that they now realize that the love they had for each other before was NOTHING compared to the love they have now.

Our lives, no matter how short or long, are but vapors.  Jesus Christ’s brother James said so in the Bible.  And every moment that we spend has to count for something.  I want mine to count for God.

Which leads me to ask you; Do you know Jesus?  I don’t mean “do you go to church,” or “do you have a faith,” but do you truly know that He is your only one way ticket into Heaven?  Because if you don’t, there’s still time. 

Being a great person doesn’t cut it.  None of us are perfect.  That’s why God made a way.  He takes what you know as love to a deeper level.  He gave His Son as our sacrifice and that allows us to live eternally when we commit our lives to Him. 

Take the free gift of salvation.  Accept that Christ died for you and ask Him to make your life count for Him. 

Then watch your love go to a deeper level.  You won’t regret it!

Blessed Are Those Who Mourn

I’m fighting back tears.

Usually I can handle the fact that people die and things happen that aren’t meant to understand or explain.  But today is different.  I got hit with sad news.

A funeral for a baby!

A friend of mine, Kimberly Matthews, had twin boys.  Connor was somewhat healthy, the other boy was not.  Christian had problems with his lungs and his heart.  The parents and the doctors did everything they could to prolong his life.  At age 5 months, he died last night. The funeral is Friday. 

Earlier this week, my high school principal’s daughter passed away.  She was only 30.  The cause?  A disease called Trigeminal Neuralgia.  Never heard of it.  I looked it up.  It mostly happens to people over the age of 50.  The right side of their face begins to have an incredible amount of shooting/shocking pains.    Ellen Engler Burk lived for four years with this disease and leaves behind a husband.

“Only The Good Die Young, ” is one of my least favorite songs.  And, unfortunately, it seems to be the cliche thing that people say when young people die.  Why can’t there be a better explanation?

And then, there’s the, “Well, I guess heaven needed them more than we did,” comment.  That’s no good either.

Sorry to be so morbid, but I really believe there’s not a good answer for why.  Sometimes the only thing we can do is cry.

Jesus said, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”

Today, I am mourning.  Not just because of Christian or Ellen, but because it is a reminder that life is so short, and that every day is precious. 

Hug your loved ones, tell them they are special.  You never know how long you have with them.

And, please pray for The Matthews and The Englers.

Oh, GET REAL!!

It hit me last night.  I was at our church home group talking to some of my dearest friends, and BAM!  A light bulb moment.

I have to get real.  Completely, “Velveteen Rabbit” real.  The defenses have to come down; I have to be transparent.

There’s been a block there; I know EXACTLY what it is!  That is what hit me last night!

It all started when I was a “green” live news reporter at a radio station in San Antonio.  I had been sent to a small area called Smithsons Valley outside of San Antonio where a terrible tragedy began to unfold.

There was a truck overturned on a country roadside.  It took the life of a local high school kid.  When they opened up the truck they discovered that he had been shot in the head.  NO other passengers.  When they went to inform his parents, the police knocked on the door of his house and found everyone–mom, dad, sibling, shot to death inside the home.  The whole family GONE!  The how and why are still a mystery to me to this day.

These events unfurled while I was working.  Each discovery more gruesome than the next.  I then was sent to the school that next morning to talk with kids that knew the student.  It was heartbreaking.  There were not very many kids who could string together a sentence.

The anchor at the radio station threw the live report to me.  I had my information written and I was ready.

I delivered every piece of information they needed to know.  The problem was, I was very “somber and sad” sounding in doing it.  I didn’t cry, I just did not sound stoic.  I thought that was the right thing to do because it was a terrible scene and I didn’t want listeners thinking that I was a heartless person.

I thought WRONG.

When I got finished with that live report, the news director called me back and COMPLETELY CHEWED ME OUT!!  Up one side; down the other.  “How could you do that?  We don’t show emotion in our newscasts!!  We are professionals here!  You NEVER put emotion in your work.  You report the FACTS and you put on your game face!!  You come back to the station with your soundbites–NOW!!”

That experience molded me to not feel emotion at work.  Dead bodies, fires, terrible accidents; I learned to block my “feeler” and desensitize myself.

So, fast forward to over a decade later and my boss here at KSBJ says, “Anne, you need to let listeners get to know you.  They want to know who are you?  What do you deal with on a day-to-day basis? ”

As I told that story last night, my “knower” got hit hard.  I need to let go of that experience and be that gal again–the one who cares and can laugh and cry at work.  Where did she go? 

I spent about an hour in my Bible and prayer today about that very issue.  God is showing me that it is based in trust.  I need to stop fearing your perception of me and start trusting that God is doing a new thing here.  

So, goodbye to the stoic, hello to the new/old me–it’s time to get real!!

By the way, in case you were curious, that news director is now here in Houston at a big news station!  I doubt he even remembers that incident or me.  Funny how God works in mysterious ways.

So, here’s to getting real.

Just Add Vinegar?

I read a devotion to my kids this morning about obedience.  In it there is a story of a little girl who follows a recipe for cake.  This cake has a little vinegar in it.  The girl doesn’t understand why a recipe would call for that, but she obeys and puts it in.  Later, her daddy says, “What makes this cake taste so good?”  And she replies, “Vinegar!”  The lesson goes on to say that many times God puts something in our lives and asks us to obey, but we often don’t understand why.  Why did a guy I dated in college die from hemophilia at the age of 20?  Why did I go through such a difficult bout of depression when I was engaged to be married?

This lesson about vinegar challenges me.  There are times in my life that things go sour and I think, “Ugh! Why can’t this just stop?” 

Today is one of those days.  I want to go to the KSBJ 25th Anniversary concert, but I can’t go if it is raining because I have to go with my kids by myself.  My husband works late tonight and can’t attend.  Going anywhere in the rain by myself with the kids is not a great idea!

I wanted to spend a fun day at home with the kids.  We were going to put on a puppet show.  Instead, I got two very fussy, bickering children who can’t seem to go 10 minutes without screaming or saying, “Meanie! You are a meanie!”  Several time outs later, and I feel like I could be a meanie!  Sigh, I am a good parent only through God’s grace.  Yet somedays they really test me!

Then I realize there is a reason for the vinegars of life.  It is to compliment the rest of life.  Honestly, what is a salad without a good salad dressing?  Or a brisket without a good barbecue sauce?  And how can anyone treat a sour load of laundry?  Vinegar!  1/2 cup of vinegar, wash again, and life is as good as new!

Now, excuse me while I deal with my 4 year old son.  He’s screaming, “Meanie!” at his sister again!

Chocolate Vinegar Cake

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

2 cups cake or all-purpose flour

Sift above together into a mixing bowl.  Melt 2 squares bitter chocolate.  To the dry ingredients add:

1/2 c shortening

1 1/4 cup cold coffee in which 1 tsp. baking soda has been dissolved plus 1 tsp vanilla

Mix slowly until the flour is all wet, add melted chocolate and 2 whole eggs, beat 4 minutes. 

Have pan buttered and oven heated and then add 1 tablespoon vinegar.  Stir just long enough to mix it into the batter and IMMEDIATELY pour into pans (loaf cake–9×12 inch or so) and put right into the oven as the leaven begins to work (as soon as the soda and vinegar get together).  Bake 35 minutes at 350 degrees, until the cake springs when lightly touched with a finger. 

I got it!!

I’m so excited!  Just a day before my birthday Chuck Pryor came in while I was filling in for Susan O’Donnell and made the announcement–I’m the new Sunday Night talk show host!  This is a dream come true for me.  It’s funny how God knows our dreams and sets things in motion without us ever really asking.  What a great birthday present!

This all started when Chuck emailed me and asked me if I would consider trying out for the Sunday Night show.  I had been filling in for both the Morning and Afternoon Show for almost two years.  I had never done an hour of live talk before; let alone a call in show!  I was thrilled and a bit nervous.  A friend of mine said, “You go in there and tell him, this is where I shine.”  It’s good to have friends who see things in you that you don’t see.  I thought about that as I went to meet with him.  I got up the courage, said it to him, and as I did I prayed, “Lord, please let that statement be so!”

So my first show was Father’s Day, June 17th.  I chose to do a show on Santa Maria, a great organization here in Houston that helps women get off drugs and alcohol; and allows them to take their kids to the rehab program.  My husband said, “So, you wanted to start with something non-contraversial?” (LOL)  That show was amazing.  We had so many calls and many of the people were so broken.  It made me realize my friend was right; I could do this but it was not me who would shine.  It was Jesus living through me.  Everything I do is for Him.  Not me.

So, here I am, planning show after show.  Every show I do I think about the listeners.  What would they like to know about and learn about?  How would they ask my guests a question if they were in the room?

Then, I was given web blog training.  I will be getting a Sunday Night show page in a couple of weeks.  But until then, I can start my own blog.  They showed us how to do that yesterday.  So here I am, blogging!  What a kick!

Every Sunday is an opportunity to give Houstonians information about things that affect their lives.  I look forward to doing just that!