"Having a little was just enough"....

This is my favorite lyric from the song “Boondocks” by Little Big Town... For those of you who are country buffs, you know you can't help but crank it up when it comes on the radio!  Since we have been discussing finances at HDC, I have been finding that songs like these are helping me to put things into perspective. Growing up, my family didn’t have a ton of money, new cars or a huge house; but what we did have was love. And we had so much love that my brothers and I never had much time to notice the material things that some other kids had. I feel that this topic is so relevant and sometimes difficult to confront in such a money hungry world.

   

My mom always told us that we were rich in blessing. Even though my parents didn’t have a ton of money, they welcomed in every kid on the block and provided for them like their own. I definitely learned from my parents the difference between what you want and what you need. I remember having no cupboard doors in our kitchen for years, which I now use as an excuse to my husband when he says, “Melinda, do you not know what it means to close a cupboard door?!” Haha. 

I also remember my mom driving around a beat-up old limo-  Yes, I said limo- but beat up. What the heck? I remember her driving us through Del Taco in it, and we were so embarrassed.... but at the same time we loved that thing. It was classic. I also will never forget when my dad was a tow truck driver. He would drop me off at high school in that thing and sound his sirens so everyone would look. I was so mad at him. But the funny thing was, everyone in our town knew our family for these things. And they all loved us for it. They loved that they could come over to our house and be accepted for who they were. They knew we were real. 

I learned at a very young age what was most important in life. My parents taught us to love before anything else. These experiences were very humbling for me, and they make great stories now!  The older I get, the more thankful I am for that. I do not need millions of dollars to be happy. And I do not need to go through life trying to impress people. I am much more concerned with being a true friend and showing them that I am genuinely interested in their lives than making myself look good on a superficial, on-the-surface kinda way.

  As cliche as it sounds, I definitely  learned to appreciate the little things. I hope my children one day will come to know this as well. Call me naive, but life is certainly more rewarding this way. Check your motives once in awhile: Are you spending your life helping others, or impressing others? Thanks Marc and Deb, for teaching me the importance of achieving my goals;  but more importantly,  to realize that having a little was just enough. 

"Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment". - 1 Timothy 6:17

He has been waiting so patiently for me...

There once was a place,

a dark and cold place.

A place I was forced to go,

this place made me weary.

It made me empty and stole my soul,

This place made me envy.

It blinded my heart,

and made me hate.

It told a lie to the world, 

announcing I was full of filth.

This place sucks out more, 

I hate it, but I need it. 

This place tells me I am worthless,

and I believe every lie.

This place has nearly won,

I see no good, I am just waiting to die.

Just when I am ready to fall to the ground,

I see this face.

This face is nothing like that place.

I see beauty and hope for the first time,

I see strength, courage, and inspiration. 

What is happening now,

that old place haunts me still.

This face shines with love and mercy,

so foreign but I need a taste. 

Can this face really save my pitiful soul,

my life has been nothing but mere existence. 

I long to live,

I long to embrace all this is pure.

This face appears over and over again,

I fall to my knees and make this sacrifice.

I try to look back but this face consumes me like air, 

I begin to see a world without all that strife. 

I begin to feel whole and clean,

I have ran for so long without a drink of this water,

and suddenly, I am serene. 

My thirst is quenched,

I can finally rest.

This face cradles my heart,

his promise is true and is all I need.

There once was a place, 

a dark and cold place.

My LORD so desperitly trying to show his face,

I resisted until I could walk no more.

And it is now that I can finally see; 

his beauty and sovereign grace,

 has been waiting so patiently for me.

Written by: Mindy Clark

The flaw in women- For the ladies!

As little girls, many of us dreamt of the day when our prince charming would ride up on that white horse and declare his love for us, finally promising us the long awaited “happily ever after”.  Okay, this is a beautiful dream, but how can any man on earth really live up to that? It’s sad that we put so much pressure on them to be so perfect. Let’s face it, men are not perfect... and guess what? Neither are we. We have to understand this before we can expect to have healthy relationships.

Now, I’m not saying that you should just go for any guy. When it comes to finding a man, you need to have certain standards. For example, first and foremost I wanted a man who was a Christian and loved the Lord with his whole heart (On his own, without me trying to push it on him). I wanted a man who set goals for himself. I also wanted a man who would encourage me and support my dreams. 

Often times, we expect way too much. We want a guy who is romantic every second of the day, a man who never makes us cry, a man who always cleans up after himself, a man who will let us control his life.... STOP! This man does not exist. There are a ton of guys out there that have a lot to offer women, just give them a chance to be themselves. Men want to be loved for who they are, just like us.  My husband is my best friend. He is my life partner. He is here to help me live the best life possible through Jesus Christ, and that is my job to him as well. A marriage is a beautiful thing. But we need to realize that our spouses are not here to be our lives. Jesus is working on great plans for our lives, and our spouses are here to be our number one supporters, to help us be the best we can be through Christ. 

The flaw that many women have is that we so often put men before Jesus. Before you get married, you need to love Jesus more than anything else in the world. As single women, we focus so much of our attention on finding Mr. right, that we lose sight of our main focus- Jesus. Men and women are both sinners. That is why we desperately need Christ daily. Many single women think- “Once I get married, my spiritual life will be perfect and complete”. But the truth is, spiritual growth is a life-long journey, and should never be a destination. God is the only one who will fulfill our lives every second of the day, and he is the only one that brings true joy. When we expect a man to fulfill our hearts the way that Jesus is supposed to, we are let down over and over again. I think it's safe to say that the same is true for men. A man should never rely on a woman to to fulfill his heart completely. Humans are just way too unstable in comparison to the love of Christ. 

I want you to know that I did not write this with the intention to put men down and emphasize the fact that they are not perfect... that is not my point at all. My point is that young women need to truly love Jesus with their entire mind, body, and soul before loving a man. You need to be completely consumed by his word and promises. You need to breath him like air. Through this, you will learn to love yourself-- and loving yourself will bring you more confidence. Men like confident women, Because confident women know that nothing in life is better than a surrendered life to Christ.

             God wants to completely bless your life, but first he wants it all to himself. I thank God everyday that he continually reminds me to fall in love with him. Because the more I fall in love with Christ, the more blessing he shines upon my marriage. Thank you Jesus for allowing me to fall completely in love with you before giving me my husband, so that I can love him the way he deserves to be loved. And thank you for daily helping me to overcome this flaw that many women have.... we just have big hearts!

Trash the dress...

So, Travis Hoehne has asked me to do a photo shoot for him called "trash the dress", which entails me scuffing up my wedding dress a bit, or maybe a lot! Maybe with dirt, mud etc. I know most brides usually preserve their dresses for safe keeping... but I thought this would be way more exciting, and uhhh maybe crazy? Go big or go home. (Okay, I must admit I asked my Mom's permission first since she bought the dress. Okay, okay I asked my husband too...Haha. Yay.) So we will soon see the outcome of this artistic vision Travis has for this shoot... stay tuned! And good-bye white dress!

Today...

   "Send forth your light and your truth, let them guide me."

       -Psalm 43:3

Props to Liberty....

Nowadays it's refreshing to turn on the television and see something that promotes simple goodness- Random acts of kindness.  Yes, I know Liberty is using it to advertise for their company but props to them by doing in a way that reminds people not to get too busy to lend a helping hand. Jay Leno cracks jokes on the commercial on his late night show, but hey, he's bringing attention to something that gives a great message. I hope I never get so caught up in my own life that I forget to help someone. We are all in this life together. This is my favorite commercial:

It's up to you and only you.

“Do what you can, with what you have, where you are”.        -Theodore Roosevelt

You may have heard this quote before, if not, remember it. It is such a great way to look at life. Last night at Seven, Pastor Tom talked about Jesus feeding thousands of people from one  tiny meal that seemed worthless. The one thing that stuck out the most to me was when he said, “If you want God to bless you with a lot, then give thanks and make the most out of the little he has already given you”. Think about this for a minute. Do you focus more of your attention on what you wish you had, rather than constantly thanking God for what you have right in front of you? In this competitive world, it is so easy to look at other people’s lives and wish we had what they had. But the reality is, no matter where you go in life or what you do, there will always be someone better. So stop comparing yourself with others, and begin to focus on how amazing and talented you are in God’s eyes. 

Our lives basically reflect what we spend most of our time thinking about. If you focus on failing, or getting hurt, or having bad luck; that is what will most likely continue to happen in your life. If you train yourself to replace all of your negative thoughts with positive thoughts, your life will begin to feel more positive and productive. Focus on the things you are good at, rather than dwelling on what you are lousy at. Take one day at a time. Take one task at a time. Realize that every tough situation you are in, is to prepare you, and give you wisdom to do something great later on. 

Don’t spend your life worrying.  Wake up everyday giving thanks for the little things you have. Even things like, “Thank you God for this bed I have to sleep in. Thank you God that I have a tooth brush. Thank you God that I am able to take a warm shower this morning. Thank you God that I have the physical capability to go to work/school. Thank you God for loving me exactly the way I am, and show me how I can use all of the things you've given me to further you kingdom.” There is purpose and meaning in every single breathe you take. Don’t let life pass you by, there is so much beauty to be found, and so much to learn. Do the very best you can, no matter what you have in front of you, and no matter where you are. This is the only life we get, let’s do amazing things with it! It’s up to you and only you.