My Favorite Bible Passage Is...

Isaiah Chapters 61 and 62

I love the beautiful language of Isaiah and the symbolism of the coming Messiah, Jesus. Love that He binds up the brokenhearted, frees captives, replaces mourning with joy, removes shame and disgrace, clothes me with garments of salvation, and delights in me!  Wow!

"...to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion--to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.  They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor."

"for the Lord will take delight in you..as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so will your God rejoice over you..."

This is one of many things that so stirs my heart about God.  This is one of many things that my heart has a hard time believing, but I long to know this, really know it.  And some days, I do.

I have longed to be delighted in.  And I am.  By the God of the universe.  How sad that many days, I live as though He isn't even here.  I let myself get distracted so easily.

Have you ever really pondered the idea that God delights in you?  He wants your heart.  All of it.

I want to be so aware and full of His presence, that I become "a planting of the Lord for the display of His splendor."

I want the world to see Him in me.  It will always be an imperfect reflection.  I fail miserably, at times, to let Him shine through me.  

It's not about performance.  It's not about "getting it right."  It's more about yielding and trusting and letting Him shine.  It's about opening my heart to the idea that He delights in me.  And loving Him back...

I Did What I Said I'd Never Do Again....

Fun, Passionate, Analytical and Expressive...not afraid to laugh at myself but not self-deprecating.  Love to travel, write, reflect, enjoy meals with friends, laugh as much as possible, and dream big.  I enjoy a balance of time alone and time with dear friends.  I'm an inspirational Blogger..I think I have a book or two in me.  Growing in Grace...recovering legalist. Emotional Health is very important to me...Low Drama!

Young at heart...most people say I seem younger than my years.  I am a sincere follower of Jesus and long to know Him better.  That means I take scripture seriously...if you are looking for a hook-up, I am not your woman.  Premarital sex if off the table.  I am practicing faithfulness...first to God, second to myself, and third to my husband, whom I have not met. Could he be you?

Okay...so here it is.  My profile on Christian Mingle.  I said I'd never, ever do Internet dating again.  I did a total of 10 years on Match.com and E-Harmony combined.  I have many, many funny stories.  Some sad.  But it ended up being a lot of work for no long-term reward.  

I mentioned in my last post that I have been feeling ready again.  One night I got curious and decided to peruse the guys on Christian Mingle.  I filled out a profile. I decided to be 100% upfront about who I am and what I want.  No holds barred. This time, I am what I am...it is what it is.  No apologies.  I am not ordinary, not average.  I am unique.  Wonder what will happen....stay tuned...

Thankfulness

At Brenda & Glenn Young's beautiful Charleston Home...

I feel ready for a relationship again...not sure what God will do.  I have felt ready before and I was wrong.   I have friends praying and the teens that I mentor are praying.   They're all over that! They love to talk about relationships and hear stories from my past.  

Yesterday, I was a little disappointed and I took a minute during my day to remind myself of the truth.  This is what I wrote:



I am so thankful for my freedom.

I am so thankful that I am not financially dependent on someone else.

I am so thankful that my world is large and my friends, generous.

I am so thankful for my physical health.

I am so thankful for my spiritual journey.

I am so thankful for my emotional health.

I am so thankful to be “unstuck.”

I am so thankful that I am content.

I would love to have a healthy man to share my life with;

I am thankful today that my happiness does not depend on it.

Thank you, God….

Who Are You?

Hellloooo out there! 

Who are you?

Yes, I mean you.  You, who are reading these words.

I am naturally curious about you.  I know that my friends read my words, but it seems that there are some of you whom I have never met.

I don’t know how much accuracy there is to the Blog Statistics I see…

If they represent people and not just random search engines, then some of you are from:

United Kingdom

India

Ukraine

Belarus

Germany

Austria

Kazakhstan

Russia

Australia

Canada

Latvia

Zambia

Could this really be true?  Isn’t technology amazing?

Not to mention, I still don’t have any idea who PATEXAN is, or some others of you from the USA…

If you post under Anonymous, I will not know who you are.

Would you do me a favor?

Add a comment to this post about yourself.  I moderate the posts.  I will not make it public if you ask me not to…

Please tell me who you are, how you found this Blog, and what interested you about it?

Do you need someone to join with you in praying about something?  You can share that, too, if you like.

Please make sure to tell me if you want your comments kept private, and I will not post to public.

If you would like a personal response (not posted here), include your email address.

I am excited to meet you!

Janice 

Asking Can Be Hard

In August, I began getting emails at work inviting me to take part, along with other LiftOne and Carolina Tractor work-mates,  in the American Heart Association Charlotte Heart Walk.  I like to walk.  That's not a hard thing for me to do.  My initial hesitation involved raising money.  I hated the thought of asking people to donate money, even though it wasn't for me personally.  

So I mulled over the idea.  I realized that heart disease has hit home with me, as my mom passed away from a stroke in 2004.  I also realized it was likely to occur again in my family.  I myself am more susceptible to heart disease now that I have undergone chemotherapy. 

I decided to jump in and go for it.  This would be a good thing that I could join in at work to help others, to help families like my own, and to help foster more of a sense of camaraderie in my work place.  It turned out to be so much fun!

The first thing I did was to upload this photo of my mom and dad to the Heart Walk site, to put a face on this disease.  I decided to walk in Mom's memory...to honor her life.  

This is my favorite picture of the two of them.  They are sitting on the front steps of my childhood home.  Dad is saying something silly and Mom is smiling.  I love them so much.

After posting the photo, I had to decide on a fundraising goal.  Being apprehensive about asking for money, I started out with a modest goal of $350. When the money started coming in, I feared that if people saw that I met my goal, they would not give.  I raised it to $500.  Then I raised it to $1,000.  Then I decided not to raise it again but to ask people to help me to double my goal.

LiftOne in Blue, Carolina Tractor in Yellow..One Big Team

I  am known for being an "all or nothing" kind of person.  Sometimes this doesn't serve me well.  In cases like this, it comes in handy.  When I set my mind to something and I commit, I'm all-in.  I sat down on Labor Day to write an email to potential donors (I sent well over 150 of them!).  My first draft was lame.  I had to chuck it...I was actually going to start out by talking about how much I hate asking people for money.  It didn't feel right to begin that way.  

I heard a voice, "You have not because you ask not."  No, it wasn't an audible voice.  It is actually a quote from Scripture, from James 4:2, to be exact.  It's a passage that has crossed my mind and heart more than once this year.  I had decided at the beginning of this year, that I was going to take God at His word.  
I am choosing to believe God for more than I could ask or hope for...so here was another opportunity to test my faith.  If I did not ask, I would not receive.

How can asking hurt?  What's the worst-case scenario?  Some may be offended. Well, that is not my intention.  If they are offended, that is out of my control. Some people will say no.  That is okay.  I will not be offended if their answer is no. Some people will say yes.  I am providing an opportunity and the choice is theirs. There is nothing to fear.  It may sound silly, but I did have to have this conversation with myself.

It was exciting when people began to respond.  I started getting surprised almost every day.  I decided to send hand-written, old-fashion, "snail-mail" thank-you's to all of the individuals who donated on my web page.  It was fun to connect with these folks and send them a personal thank-you.  A thank-you for giving to the Heart Association and a thank-you for helping me to honor my mom.  

Once I exceeded $1,000, I was given "super-star status" and the privileges were a special parking place and free breakfast on the morning of the event.  I was also given a lei of faux flowers to wear on the walk.  

The LiftOne Team 

Another surprise bonus benefit of participating in the walk was getting to know a lovely co-worker better, Karen Thompson.  Karen was our Team Leader at LiftOne. It was great fun to go by her desk and share progress as well as laughs.  She definitely made the event more fun.

 

Karen and Janice at Heart Walk 2013

 
Our company's goal for LiftOne was $2,000.  I secretly thought I might be able to do that myself but I didn't verbalize it until close to the end.  On the day before the walk, I was just $150 shy of $2,000.  I donned a headband called a "Heart Bopper" and carried a basket around the office and asked for spare change.  I collected $86!  I called some friends in PA who had said they were going to give and got a commitment. 

When it was all said and done, my total raised was $2,266!  LiftOne raised $6,021 (with company match added).  If you are reading this and you contributed on my page, thank you so very much!  I was touched by how many generous people are in my life.  I was proud of you all. 

I asked and I received.  I received more than I had hoped for...and I received different things than I had asked for...new friends, laughter, confidence, connection...what a treat.

I have already been asked to fill Karen's shoes next year as champion of our company's efforts in the Heart Walk 2014.  I already have some good ideas.  They may involve Heart Boppers.  Stay tuned....


 

James 4:2

New International Version (NIV)

2 You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. 

My Simple Prayer

Father, forgive me for giving power away in my life…

for wanting to see myself through the eyes of others…

for camping out in their praises and for wallowing in their criticism.

I have spent my life trying to please others to convince them that I matter,

and all the while it has been me who has needed to be convinced. 

Most importantly,  it is through Your eyes which I need to see myself.

Janice at 2 or 3 years old...

And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.  Matthew 18:3

So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith,  Galations 3:26

Perspective

I couldn’t let September pass without an entry…so better late than never.

My word for today is “Perspective.”

There is a wisdom that comes with age and the passage of time.  I wish that I could give that away to my younger friends.  I cannot.  Each of us must learn certain things on our own.

I have often lamented with friends who are my age that I wish I could go back and redo certain periods of my life, knowing what I know now.   What would it be like to live through my 20’s and onward feeling pretty and intelligent and confident?  I can’t imagine.  Surely I wouldn’t make some of the same mistakes.  Surely not.  But somehow, there would be other mistakes, then.  Maybe mistakes of pride?  Realizing my inadequacy brings me to my knees…I am reminded daily of my need for God and that is a good thing.

Do I trust You, Lord, that You redeem all things?  Yes.  So…my journey has not been wasted.  Nothing is wasted with God.  

Just the phrase “do I trust you, Lord?” takes me back to the 1980’s and one of my favorite artists from that era…Twila Paris.  Here is a medley from You Tube that doesn’t sound quite as dated as the original track from her album.  She has one of the purest voices. 

Of all that I have learned over the years, nothing has impacted my life greater than a deeper understanding of Grace.  I still have so much to learn…but I am a lot further along the road than I once was.  Grace means that I am free to run home when I fall down.  Grace means my Daddy-God’s (Abba-Father’s) arms are always open for me.

 I can receive Grace from God…receive far beyond what I deserve.  That’s what Grace is.  I have heard that Mercy is not getting what I deserve and Grace is getting so much more that I deserve.  I am living a Grace-filled life.  More than I deserve because of who God is.  It’s not all up to me.  What a lovely, freeing and beautiful thought.  Today, I have the Perspective of seeing God’s overarching Grace on my life from the beginning to where I stand today.  And that same Grace will lead me home.

My Perspective has been refined by Grace.  As I have believed more deeply, I have received more freely.   I can look back on the years and see God’s hand.  As I have learned to receive Grace, I have learned to give it.  And I have learned to look back over the years and extend it to myself…extend it to the girl I once was as well as to who I am today.  This, to me, is the secret to happiness and contentment.  

Romans 8:28 

²⁸ And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who^[a] have been called according to his purpose.

 

Joel 2:25

²⁵ “I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten—
    the great locust and the young locust,
    the other locusts and the locust swarm^[a]—
my great army that I sent among you.  New International Version (NIV)