"It's supposed to be hard. If it wasn't hard, everyone would do it. The hard... is what makes it great!"
-Tom Hanks in A League of Their Own

One of my favorite quotes… one of my favorite actors… one of my favorite movies. If you are not as obsessed with baseball as I am, you may have missed “A League of Their Own.” It's Hollywood's version of the AAPGBL (All-American Girls Professional Baseball League), a women's baseball league set up during the war from the 1940s to the early 1950s. At one time in my life (about 12 years ago), I actually wanted to try out for the Colorado women’s professional baseball team. I know, crazy dream… one of many that I never chased after.

Some recent things in my world have gotten me thinking more about this quote, and my mind has gone back to times in my life when I have let the “hard” keep me from going after my dreams. One in particular was during my freshman year at ECU. During the first couple of weeks of the semester, I actually went to the first day of tryouts for the tennis team. There were 6 of us trying out for 1 spot, and instead of giving it my all, I quit after the first day. Chicken.

No more looking back. From this moment on, I cannot allow the "hard" of something to keep me from giving my all. My spiritual walk is a prime example of this. Satan has been after me all week. Sometimes, I feel like I just keep banging my head against the wall... 1 step forward, 2 steps back.

The same mistakes. The same selfish ambitions. The same self-consuming thoughts. The same pride.

Over and over again...

This cycle seems too "hard" to break. And in my OWN strength, it is.

God never told us that His way would be easy. He only told us that He would see us through. HE alone is our strength. HE alone is our creator and HE created each one of us with a purpose. If we are too afraid to go through the "hard", how can we really see His true purpose for our lives? This is a challenge to go forward... stop looking back... do what HE wants you to do, no matter how tough, no matter what it takes. The only way to true LIFE is to push on through the hard parts, letting HIM lead you! Don't be chicken!

"For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind." - 2 Timothy 1:7 (NKJV)

"Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever!" - Ephesians 3:20-21 (NIV)

www.growwhereyoureplanted.org

Sometimes, our kids give us perspective-changing moments that make us realize just how smart they really are...

Jeffrey gave me one tonight.

We were on our way home from church, and he started singing "We Fall Down." He sang it like this, "We fall down, we lay our crafts at the feet of Jesus." Well, as you all know, I am quite the perfectionist, and one of my pet peeves is wrong lyrics. Interesting how a precious 3-year-old can change that.

After trying to correct him... oh... maybe 20 times (and listening to him tell me over and over again that he was right), I finally just let him sing it his way. The funny thing is... I started thinking about the word "crafts"... Hmm... we lay our crafts at the feet of Jesus? What CRAFTS have I been trying to "show off" to Jesus lately? What have I done in my own strength and then tried to convince Him that it was His idea? Wow... God speaks to us in so many different ways, and I believe He was talking to me tonight through our persistent, persuasive little Jeffrey.

After giving this some more thought throughout the night, I think I like Jeffrey's word better. I want to lay all of MY "crafts" at Jesus' feet.... let them go... let go of my own strength... and let HIM decide what "crafts" HE wants to accomplish through me.

(If you are reading this on Facebook, click on the link below to go to my blog and watch Jeffrey sing "We Fall Down"... his way.)

www.growwhereyoureplanted.org

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I am a nut about personality tests!! Every time I come across one that I haven't taken before, I have to see what new thing I can find out about myself! :)

At Center Grove, we have a class called "PLACE". When you take it, you'll find out quite a bit about yourself, including personality type, spiritual gifts, abilities, passions, etc... everyone should take it.

My personality type is a "C"... analytical, conscientious... but I have almost as much "D" in me... drive. Basically, I am a competitive perfectionist. Does anyone else find it ironic that I am a "C-D"? :) Anyway, the combination of these 2 personality types can be good, as long as they are controlled by the Spirit. However, if they are controlled by the flesh, they can be a very dangerous thing.

As I have seen the "D" in me come out strongly over the past couple of weeks, I have sensed it controlling me more and more. The competitive drive leads me to go after something that I want... and sometimes, it comes out as wanting my way no matter what it takes.

We all have desires, and as we learned last night from Dr. Corts, we all have a "glove" that fits us perfectly. When you want something in life (maybe your "glove"), there comes a point when you have done all you can do to try to "make" it happen, and you have to just LET IT GO and let God work. If HE wants it for you, He'll make it happen! BE STILL!

This morning, I cried out to God to break me of this "selfish ambition" that I have been allowing to control me. It's not about me, it's about Him, and if something is not glorifying Him... it should not have a place in my life. My best friend asked me not long ago, "if it's not God's will, do you really want it anyway?" Hmmm...NO! I just have to remind myself of that sometimes...

What is controlling you? Are you allowing the Holy Spirit to control your "personality type"? Or are you letting selfish ambition creep in and guide your thoughts, words, and actions? I want to challenge all of us to really dig deep and check our motives BEFORE moving...

Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. -Philippians 2:3

www.growwhereyoureplanted.org

It's been one of those weeks where I need this reminder, a simple song with a powerful message:

Falling on my knees in worship
giving all I am to seek Your face
Lord, all I am is Yours

My whole life I place in Your hands
God of mercy, humbled I bow down
In Your presence at Your throne

I called, You answered...
and You came to my rescue and I
wanna be where You are...

My whole life I place in Your hands
God of mercy, humbled I bow down
in Your presence, at Your throne

I called, You answered...
and You came to my rescue and I
wanna be where You are...

In my life, be lifted high
In our world, be lifted high
In our love, be lifted high
-"Came To My Rescue" - Hillsong United



Nothing that we "accomplish" is of our own strength... God is in complete control of everything. This past Sunday, we were on the mountain. God showed Himself so clearly, yet today I confess that I have let "self" get the best of me... I am so thankful for His grace. I am so thankful for His unconditional love. Even when I mess up, He still loves me and accepts me the same.

www.growwhereyoureplanted.org

I love romantic comedies. I would venture to say that most females (including myself) live for the “magic moment” in these movies… you know, when the perfect-looking “Ken” and the perfect-looking “Barbie” just “know” and then they kiss. Here are some of my favorite magic moments…

• 27 Dresses – “I cried like a baby at the Keller wedding.”
• 13 Going on 30 – after they jump off the swings
• You’ve Got Mail – “I wanted it to be you SO badly!”
• A Walk to Remember – “I think I might kiss you." “I might be bad at it.” “That’s not possible.”
  

And the list goes on and on… Especially today, on Valentine’s Day, I have wanted to watch whatever romantic comedies are on TV!!! Why is it that we like to watch stories about other people’s lives so much??

Obviously, real life is not like the movies… I am a firm believer that Hollywood is one of Satan’s biggest schemes. We can let ourselves get so caught up in the “perfect world” we love on the big screen that we miss the incredible life God has given us… I have been guilty of this many times in my life.

Just a challenge on Valentine’s Day to really think about and appreciate what you’ve got. I am a perfectionist (sometimes to the extreme), so this reminder is as much for myself as it is for anyone else… If we demand and expect too much perfection, we really can miss what is right in front of our faces. Life is hard, but God is good, and we all have SO MUCH to be thankful for! I don't know about you, but I want to be the "hopeless romantic" toward the wonderful man God has blessed me with!!

Make sure to read the thoughts below the song...


"Grace" by Laura Story

My heart is so proud;
My mind is so unfocused.
I see the things You do through me
as great things I have done.

But now You gently break me
and lovingly You take me.
You hold me as my Father
and mold me as my Maker.

I ask You, "How many times