by | Life Application
I met Sandy in 2006. He was a tall man, full of life. His smile brightened the room and his gentle voice made me feel safe. I can’t remember a time I left a visit with Sandy and didn’t desire a closer relationship with God. Grace dripped from his words. Safety overflowed in his hugs. Mercy was his twin.
He was “Jesus with skin on,” as they say.
The same doctor diagnosed Sandy and my dad with the same type of cancer in the same week.
Two men I loved, one my father, the other like a father to me, had very different outcomes. My dad gave up his fight six months later, giving into his addiction, but Sandy held on. He fought to keep his life like no one I’ve ever seen.
He was just a selfless man, always looking for the best in others.
To read more about Sandy’s life and how his life impacted me, read the rest of my article at Prodigal Magazine.
by | Life Application
I’m a huge Robert Irvine fan. He’s a great chef and if you watch him enough times, you’ll realize he truly is a great leader.
When I found this Portobello salad recipe I knew I wanted to try it, so I invited my friend Jammie over for dinner to be the guinea pig. I passed the test with flying colors. She loved it.
We used it as a meal and she came up with the idea to toss some sesame sticks on the top, but you could even use it as a side dish.
If you’re avoiding gluten, I used a natural soy sauce alternative, thanks to my friend Dawn, and it was delicious.
Enjoy.
[print_this]
Portobello Mushroom Salad
Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup Devo Balsamic Vinegar
- 1/4 cup soy sauce or Bragg Liquid Aminos All Purpose Seasoning
- 4 portobello mushrooms, cleaned, gills removed, quartered, and cut into slices 1/8 to 1/4-inch thick
- 1 red onion, diced
- 1 cup baby spinach (packed), soaked to remove grit, well rinsed and dried in a salad spinner or with paper towels
- 2 large ripe fresh tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon fresh dill, minced
Directions:
- Heat balsamic and soy sauce or liquid aminos in a skillet and allow mushrooms to poach while the sauce reduces. Remove from heat and let cool.
- In a mixing bowl toss with onion, spinach and tomatoes.
- Serve chilled, family style, garnishing with fresh dill.
[/print_this]
I’m always up for trying new recipes. Share your recommended recipes below…
by | Life Application
Marriage is easy. It’s a piece of cake, right? You meet someone, say “I do,” fly to Maui for the next seven days, then spend the rest of your life dancing in the living room together. I’ve watched my friends and now know everything there is to know about marriage. I’m ready to teach a seminar on how to be married.
I’m totally kidding. Though I have learned things I don’t want to do in my marriage, I haven’t a clue what it’s really like. But the subject line did catch your attention, right?
I may not be an expert at being a wife, but I am an expert on failure.
I know a lot about it. Our paths have crossed many times throughout my lifetime and I’m sure we’ll meet again.
Prior to 2009 failure and I were pretty intimate. We never flew to Maui, but we certainly danced in the living room together time and time again. I was always failing at something, especially follow through.
- I wouldn’t follow through with a job because my boss didn’t see things my way
- I would start to write a book and quit, simply because the motivation wasn’t there
- 10 pounds lost would turn into 20 pounds gained, only to fail at losing it again
- I refused to let relationships go deep because I didn’t want people to know me; the real, shameful me that lurked behind a 330 pound frame
That’s just a brief list.
As God shifted my heart, though, in 2010 I followed through for the first time in my life. I completed a 12-month discipleship program, lost 145 lbs., and finished a 5K race, all in the same year. I failed a lot to get there, but I had finally finished something.
We can’t succeed in our future until we let go of our past.
Today, I still fail, but it’s a different kind of failure. It’s the kind of failure that causes me to step out of my comfort zone and pursue something bigger than me. I fail at writing a good blog post. I fail at giving someone encouraging words. I fail at eating that salad versus the greasy pizza that calls my name.
But guess what?
I pick myself up and keep going. I write a different blog post. I apologize to my friend and speak life over her. I go for a walk outside and the next meal I’m back on track.
Failure shapes us. It makes us dependent on God. It causes us to try again. It provides us the opportunity for second chances, if we’re willing to take them.
We can’t conquer failure if we don’t follow through. We can’t fail at something mediocre to succeed at something great if we don’t try. It’s up to us, really. Failure shapes us, regardless of how we deal with it.
The question to ask yourself: How do I want failure to shape me?
by | Life Application
Since publishing my first book, Dear Dad, I’ve had many people tell me they want to write a book, too. It amazes me the number of stories that haven’t been told.
Everyone has a story.
We’ll chat for a bit about the book, then the question comes…
I want to write a book. How do I get started?
Here’s how you write a book. You sit down at the computer, type 33,000 words, send it to a publisher, and wait for people to knock at your door because the bookstores have sold out. (Insert sarcasm here)
Seriously though, the first thing I tell people is to be prepared to commit. It’s not an overnight process. It’s hard work. It’s time-consuming. Writing a book can be draining, both emotionally and physically.
(more…)
by | Faith Lived Out, Life Application
Father’s Day was Sunday. Why would I be talking about it now? Because those words still linger in the hearts of young boys and girls, as well as grown men and women. Today. In the moment.
Since publishing my new book, Dear Dad, last month, I’ve heard countless stories from those who grew up without a father and how it’s still affecting their lives today. It breaks my heart. It makes me angry.
I find myself wanting to grab every dad by the collar of his shirt, get in his face and ask, “Are you seeing this?”
However, the more people I talk to, the more I realize we are living in the middle of a spiritual attack. Satan loves the absence of a father. Why wouldn’t he?
Last week I met a man named Joseph. He assisted me in getting a phone upgrade, which turned into two days of an adventure, after bringing my parents back to the store and upgrading them to phones that weren’t prehistoric.
It turns out his father was killed when he was a boy. In the blink of an eye his life changed. He grew up without a dad. He turned to drugs. He tried to fill the void of his father’s absence with other things. Abandonment was all he felt, like so many of us who grew up without fathers.
It saddens my heart to see so many hurting, but it angers me even more. Now I’m angry enough to stand up and fight. To fight a battle that we can win. To fight with prayer.
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. – Ephesians 6:12
Satan attacked my father with addictions and his absence caused terrible pain in my life. I tried everything to fill the void: drugs, alcohol, food, relationships.
But the victory is mine because I have overcome!
You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. – 1 John 4:4
We may be in a battle, but we are the victors! We must continue to fight to good fight. Pray for fathers. Pray for the fatherless. The devil can’t stand up to Scripture, which means he can’t stand up to us when God’s Word is rolling off our lips.
Don’t let the absence of your father steer your life today. Stand up and proclaim victory, for God is father of the fatherless.
Join me in prayer today for all fathers. May they let God guide the course of their lives. May they invest in their families. May they stand on the truth.
by | Life Application
Gay pride parades. They’ve been around for years – since 1970 actually, when the first parade hit the streets of New York City.
I’ve never been to a gay pride parade before, but I want to go. Why? Not because I’m eager to see drag queens (I’ve seen the shows plenty of times back in the day), or rainbow flags parading the street. I want to see people. True, genuine people who are fighting for something they believe in, whether it’s right or wrong.
I imagine there will be plenty of “Christian” activists on the streets as well, chanting their fair share of lingo as the LGBT community yell out their slogans, too.
I picture this in my mind, and maybe I’m over analyzing. If I were to go to the Gay Pride parade, where would I stand? In the streets with the gogo dancers or on the other side of the street with the Christians?
I would have to choose neither. I don’t want to stand up for a cause that doesn’t line up with God’s Word, but I also don’t want to stand up with a religious cause that doesn’t stand up to God’s Word, like staring at Bill and Bob holding hands with contempt in my heart because of their lifestyle choice, while my own life is in shambles because my sin is different and not as present.
I don’t want to stand with a big chunk of wood in my eye and preach Bible verses to real people because that’s what we’re “supposed to do.”
But aren’t we supposed to do something?
Yes we are. We are to love as Jesus loved, just like he said in John 13:34. We are to love with grace and truth the way Jesus did.
If Jesus were at the gay pride parade, would he hold a sign and chant? (tweet that)
So, what can we do as Christians? Randy Thomas, Executive Vice President of Exodus International, couldn’t have said it any better.
Leave the little tracts and testimonies on brightly colored paper at home. Don’t make any signs quoting the Old Testament and look to do acts of service instead of bullhorn evangelism.
Guess what? Jesus can be at the gay pride parade. If you are a follower of Jesus Christ, then He is in you. And according to Ephesians 2:10, we were created in Christ Jesus to do good works. So, lets do it.
Pass out water to thirsty people standing for a cause. Smile. Trust the Lord to provide His light to the world through you.
Randy wrote an amazing blog the other today that gives some great ideas on how to put labels on your water, invite the LGBT community to church, and more. Check it out here.
Let’s stop pretending and actually love like Jesus loved. Who’s with me? Leave a comment below…
