"Trey Tuesday" - July 31, 2018

Celebrate Life!

Jay and Rachel and Joe are at high school Young Life camp, and Bella was entrusted to us for a week of "Camp Cathy"!  :) We have enjoyed time together playing cards, cooking, sliming, trying to train animals, driving (don't tell Rachel!), and eating lots of ice cream!  :)

I asked God for an opportunity to talk to Bella about Trey.  To ask her what it was like having lost a little brother to cancer.  Especially now that Bella is a 13 year old young lady.   Well, God answered my prayer!

After a busy day, Bella was open and comfortable and very much at peace and trust talking about Trey.  Bella said that they rarely remember the Trey days in a sad way!  :) They often laugh about something Trey said or did.  They share stories and sayings of Trey's!  They are happy about the days that they had with Trey!  They celebrate his life, rather than mourn his death!  :) What a beautiful way for Bella and her family to navigate the journey God has set before them!  <3

"Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away."  Isaiah 35:10

"Trey Tuesday" - July 24, 2018

Phone a Friend

Remember the game show that allowed you one chance to, "Phone a Friend" and ask for help?  The contestants needed to wait until they were totally desperate in order to reach out and ask for that one little morsel of help.

Life isn't really like that.  We can ask for help any day!  :)   When was the last time that you slowed down enough to allow someone in?  Yes, yes, I know....it's easier to do things yourself.  Easier.  Faster.  More simple.  More private.  Quieter.  Butttttt.....in God's divine fashion a wonderful math equation unfolds when we allow a friend in close.  Burdens lessen, troubles divide, treasured moments are multiplied, and blessings are added!  Plus....it's good practice for trusting in God's provision.

Soooo...What's on your plate?  What is too heavy for you to bear alone?  What skill set do you need?  Who can exponentially bless your efforts?  It's time to phone/text/visit a friend.

"Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ."  Galatians 6:2

"Trey Tuesday" - July 17, 2018

A Test

Did you ever hear the saying, 'Happiness depends on happenings, but joy depends on Jesus'?  It's one of those sayings that makes you say, "Hmmmmm....."

Do a quick test:

What makes you smile?

A refreshing ice cream cone?
A perfect score?

A sunrise?

What makes you laugh?

An evening with friends?
A questionable joke?
An internet video?

What brings you joy - true, Godly, warms-you-to-the-heart, Joy?

A precious baby?

An answered prayer?

A victory after battle?

Can you feel the difference?  Smiling and laughing touch us on the surface.  Joy reaches deep in to the heart.  Trey shared joy everywhere he went - chemo, check ups, surgeries, etc.  Strength from the Lord could be seen in Trey's life.  It made Trey - and those around him - feel better!  :)

How are you and those around you feeling today?

"A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones."  Proverbs 17:22

"Trey Tuesday" - July 10, 2018

GPS


Do you name your gps?  What voice do you hear when you tap in to your favorite map app?

On a recent trip to Maine we relied heavily on the gps on Waze to navigate the journey to our remote destination. It was wonderful!  Until....."she", our Waze voice, directed us down every back, windy road ever created.  At the end of a longgggg journey the last thing we expected was traveling any road that includes the word, "Narrow"!  What we didn't know was why "she" was directing us this way.  What were we avoiding?  What were we missing by going the back way?  Yes, we gained headaches and stomachaches, but we arrived safely at our destination!

GPS...hmmmm...God's Protective Solution.  We may not understand it.  We might not predict the way.  We may not even want to go that way.  God, however, has a much bigger, better view.

Believe you me, I'm not endorsing blindly following your commercial gps...ever...but I am highly recommending totally trusting our Almighty GPS...every time!  :)

"I keep my eyes always on the Lord.  With Him at my right hand, I will not be shaken."  Psalm 16:8

"Trey Tuesday" - July 3, 2018

In the Weeds

Ever feel like you are lost in the weeds?  Tangled and stranded in the web of overgrowth and briars?  Whether it's work or family or friends or health, we all feel lost in the weeds from time to time.  What is God doing when we're stuck there? 

I learned a lesson in the weeds this week.  This is one of my favorite seasons: my black raspberries are ripening daily!  I prepare for this in the springtime, trimming and supporting stalks, keeping the plants off the ground and off each other.  I also spend hours weeding so my precious berries can receive the most sunshine and rain.  I want the best for them!

Until this year.  I was out picking berries when I ventured over to a new berry patch I had started last year.  It is small.  I didn't get around to weeding and "helping" this row of plants.  The stalks are hidden amongst the tall, wild weeds.  The plants look lost and forgotten.  And then I saw the berries!!!  The biggest, darkest, juiciest berries were nestled safely in the thicket!  They were warmed by the sun, but not dried out.  They were protected from the hungry birds and the deer.  There in the weeds, they were thriving!  They were growing stronger than the others!

Ever feel like you are lost in the weeds?  Tangled and stranded in the web of overgrowth and briars?  That may be right where God is growing you!  Right where He needs you to be for you to shine for Him!

"Each person should remain in the situation they were in when God called them."  I Corinthians 7:20