Detox the FIGHT INSIDE

I've been listening to a song lately that has reached deep into my spirit.

If I am really honest, it has truly broken me.

I love music and words, but to bring such an emotion has been rare 

The song is called "Fight Song" by Rachel Platten

I know nothing about this lady, or her story, I just KNOW her words have went to my very CORE.

The words match my story

My past, my truth, my hurts...

Have you ever been going ONE direction in life

A constant direction and suddenly there is a 180% turn?

I believe we all have these moments in time but they look different

Perhaps your change was the death of a close relative, a job change, a move change, a physical change, a car wreck, a divorce and the list could go for days

Those moments where there is a "jerk" and from that moment on every single step you take is no longer in the same direction you had been going
And the direction is completely out of your control

It shocks our system

Humans like surprises as times, good surprises

but changes we didn't expect or desire, well now that's something totally different

These lines in the song make my gut hurt because they carry such truth for me personally

"It's been two years, miss my home, there's a fire burning in my soul" and
"All those things I didn't say,  like wrecking balls inside my brain" and then
"losing friends and chasing sleep, ...... I'm into deep"

Then the chorus goes...

"This is my fight song, Take back my life song, Prove I'm alright song

My powers turned up, starting right now I'll be strong, 

I'll play my fight song

and I really don't care if anyone else believes,

I still gotta a lotta fight left in me."

At my core, I'm a fighter, a pusher, a go getter

I don't mean, put on boxing gloves and go to war,

I mean, when passion strikes my soul and I believe strongly in something

I am going to FIGHT for it

So the day my husband sent me this song and said it reminded him of me
I cried

A deep down, get alone by yourself and cry .... cry

Not because I have a fight

That's what caused this internal struggle for me
No, I felt the opposite

I felt like I had given up, and given into something I couldn't explain

Somewhere along this NEW path in a different direction I had lost my fight

all the newness

all the chaos

all the change

has led me to pure 100% exhaustion

and I realized my little fight wasn't going to help anything

Some people use the term, "shut down" when they are done with something

and that's exactly what began to rise to the surface of my truth

I was truly shut down, no fight left

I was once that girl with a fight and I desperately wanted it back

I wanted to dream again

Get up with purpose and choose to live undefeated

I became addicted to the words, and they grew within and one day they......

Sparked something
I slowly began to hear the "other words" in the song
"Like a small boat, in the ocean
Putting big waves into motion,
Like a single word can make a heart open
I might only have ONE match but I can make an explosion"

I realized, all I needed was ONE match
One fight left
I began to search for that fight
What is it?  Where is it?  Had I grown up so much, and into a "normal mediocre life"
That somehow I lost the fight?
Is this what LIFE is all about as an ADULT?

ABSOLUTELY NOT!
I began to realize, I was not ever THE FIGHTER inside me
It was Jesus Christ
Jesus died to WIN ALL MY FIGHTS FOR ME
This song hurt me because I finally realized.....
Something truly monumental
I didn't lose my fight
I lost sight of the ONE who FIGHTS FOR ME
I went down this NEW PATH thrown at me
Trying to FIGHT alone
God never left ME, he loved ME
I just allowed human nature to over power ME
I thought I was supposed to be so strong and brave
And it quickly became exhausting

And so I could write forever what the song has brought to life inside me
but I will end with this today.....

My FIGHT SONG has already been written by GOD
He created ME
He created YOU
He doesn't want any of US
To FIGHT in this life
HE wants to FIGHT for US
So let's drink this FIGHT INSIDE US DETOX SMOOTHIE by letting go of anything we want to FIGHT
Let God cleanse our CHANGE IN DIRECTION, our HURTS, our LOSSES....
Let HIM FIGHT FOR US.

HUGS SJ

Detox Tech Devices/ a testimony

I have been struggling over this blog entry for over a week.  I know what it has meant for me, and I just can't stay quiet anymore.  My friends and family have heard my testimony from a week ago, and now I believe is the time for me to share on this blog.  This entry is different from my others, because it is an experience.

I am probably very similar to the majority of the American world right now in this;  I have an iPhone.  The luxury of the world is at my fingertips 24/7.  I never have a minute to be bored or silent in my thoughts or QUIET before the Lord unless I deliberately UNPLUG.

One week ago, I had a doctor's appointment and like most of my appointments for me or my children, I am fingering away at my iPhone, checking emailings, Facebook, playing games, reading stories, etc.  So I walk in, sign in at the front desk and go find a comfortable couch to relax on and use my iPhone. I immediately felt a tug on my heart, it was kind of surprising at first.  "Put your phone away!"  "Look up, talk."  I thought this whole notion was just crazy.  Who am I really hurting by playing a good ole' game of suduko, I mean, I'm friendly most other days, but today is my day off, can't I just play a game and relax?  The feeling became stronger and stronger, and finally I shut off my phone, put it away in my purse dangling from the couch and held my hands and glanced around.  There SHE was.

I whispered, "Lord, what do you want me to say?  If anything?  I'm not sure what you are doing, but I am going to trust you."  I took some deep breaths and realized how ridiculous it was for someone with my extrovert personality to be scared to speak to strangers, I mean speaking to strangers has always been something I enjoyed, BUT I realized, I haven't done it as much since the world of TECH has overtaken my mind, perhaps If I am really honest even my heart?  I swallowed deeply and smiled.  SHE looked down quickly, panic was rested in her big eyes, there was hurt.  "Lord, what do I say, she doesn't look like she wants to talk?  Give me words to these feelings inside."  Just as I began to say how are you today, the nurse called HER name.  As she stood in her early youth, long blond strands down her shoulders, very thin I noticed a small "bump" around her tiny form.  What does God want me to do now I prayed.  She is leaving, I wasted too much time.  I smiled again as she walked out of the waiting room and just sat there silent.

A few moments later I was called back, and weighed and had my blood pressure taken and all that WONDERFUL stuff, then something very odd happened.  I was placed in ANOTHER waiting room. This has never happened to me at THIS doctor.  It has at other places but not here, they usually don't call me unless there is an open room.  Hmmmm.  I sat down and reached for my iPhone again, when I heard light footsteps entering and I looked up....YUP, there SHE was.  Now we were alone in a tiny 6 chair waiting room, almost knee to knee.

"Lord, be my words, I don't understand what you are asking of me, but I will obey."  We began to chat, and I found out a lot of "her story" most of which I am choosing to not share on social media for many reasons, but I will share, she is still in High school and pregnant.  She was alone for her first ultrasound.  I could see and hear her fear, and God only asked of me to encourage, uplift, love on and pray for this young beautiful child who had a hard road ahead.  I was obedient to the best of my ability.

I was emotional as I left the waiting room last Friday.  I deeply wanted to build a relationship with this girl.  I wanted to walk this journey with her but that doesn't make sense right?  I mean I don't even know her.  God laid her deeply on my heart and I began to tell close friends and family to pray for this young lady I don't even know.

THEN, that moment God shakes you to your core happened.  That moment you realize GOD is so much BIGGER than our little, pitiful attempts at life.  5 days after my doctors visit, I found out this girl IS connected to my life.  Again I am not ready to share this on social media, but KNOW it's a GOD THING.  God is BIG!  ENORMOUS!  Soak HIM in.

Like I said earlier, I was hesitant to share this story and wanted to make sure I kept what needed to be confidential, confidential.  But God kept tugging at my heart to share for this reason.  Had I NOT allowed HIS voice to pierce my heart last Friday at the doctors.  Had I not, shut off my IPHONE and listened to HIS voice.  I would have missed HIM.  That's the message of today's blog.

DETOX TECH DEVICES more than LESS.  Allow God to use YOU as a LIGHT in your COMMUNITY.  Tech is a good thing, but don't let it come in between the voice of God in your life.  There is a world around us hurting and longing for God, let's share HIS LIGHT with them, instead of glaring at the LIGHT on our devices.

HUGS, SJ

Detox those FABULOUS FEARS Smoothie

I absolutely LOVE my job!  I feel so blessed to have a job that is AWESOME.  Before you get jealous, I must tell you, anything AWESOME comes at a high price.  I have a deep struggle that I don't like to admit publicly.  But in the midst of God wanting to cleanse me from toxins that are keeping me from a vital and healthy spiritual life, he wouldn't let me shake admitting this struggle.

The past few days I have sensed a great fear inside me.  I didn't know why, or where exactly it was coming from. When I notice somethings not right, I go to the scripture as soon as I can, and I read and pray, and pray and read.  Then, "low and behold" this morning as I taught the Bible lesson to the children I am responsible for at church this verse, "Wait patiently for the LORD.  Be brave and courageous.  Yes, wait patiently for the LORD." Psalm 27:14  Then I had the kids help reenact Exodus 32.  I love when God teaches me, as I hear myself teaching the kids.  When I hear God through my own words, that's when I know how BIG God really is, and how much he longs to teach me every single nugget of truth from HIS words, and thankfully not mine.  I heard God, not me.

In Exodus 32 the Israelites were waiting for Moses to come back down from the mountain where God had given him the 10 commandments.  He was up there for 40 days and 40 nights.  We all know, they couldn't wait that long for a God to worship, so what did they do?  Created their own God out of their own possessions.  JUST as the words came out of my mouth, it was truly a lightbulb moment for me from the mouth of 4th grade girl.  It went like this:
Me:  "When you aren't patient enough to wait on God..." and before I could finish she said "that's SIN."  I KNOW this.  I teach this, and yet today instead of thinking about all the ways God speaks to these children through his word and how is this story relevant to them.  I came home and read it for myself over and over and realized how very often I don't have the patience to wait on God.  Then I had to admit to myself when I don't I am SINNING.  I wanted to go deeper, I prayed to God this afternoon.  Reveal my sin when I don't wait.  What is the root?  And I discovered for me, it is FEAR. I actually admitted out loud, I am FEARFUL sometimes to wait, because I am FEARFUL I won't get my job done, or FEARFUL of what others are saying if I'm not constantly doing, going, moving, producing. Am I really fearful God isn't faithful, NO I know God is faithful.  I have been believing a lie, and in that lie to myself, I have sinned.

I am ready to DETOX this fear once and for all.  These detox smoothies aren't just a one time deal.  Sometimes we may have to drink one specific one several days in a row, maybe even months to shake one of those deep rooted toxins that went unnoticed by ourselves.

Today's Detox FABULOUS FEARS Smoothie:
1.  A big scoop of WAITING on the Lord
2.  While your Waiting for that smoothie to soften:
3.  Be BRAVE and
4.  Be COURAGEOUS and most importantly
5.  PATIENTLY WAIT, by never losing hope, even if God has not answered your requests in 40 days and 40 nights, still don't sin by creating your own answer to your own prayer.  What God has to answer your prayers is so much better than any idea or beautiful thing we could dream up.  So do NOT fear, your prayer won't be answered or that God didn't hear it.  He will answer it, in His time and in His way.

HUGS, SJ

Detox Selfishness EXTRA Thick Smoothie

Anybody out there love a nice GREEN smoothie?  I LOVE the color green, in fact I crave one specific GREEN detox smoothie, filled with nutrition but also wonderfully fruity flavored.  However, recently I tried a NEW recipe and it was absolutely AWFUL.

My morning routine at home ends with me making up a special morning smoothie with my Nutri Bullet, then I get straight in the car and drink it on my long ride to work each day.  This is my morning meal.  Once in the car, with nothing left until lunch... I take a huge gulp... and instead of a fruity addictive, smooth drink, I GAGGED.  I did not want to swallow it.  To be even more detailed, (I don't mean to be gross but....in light of the point)  it tasted like I threw up into a cup with "chunks" and then drank it.  Of course now I'm driving down the highway with a huge gulp of AWFUL smoothie in my mouth and a CLOSED drink container with only a straw coming up, and absolutely no where to spit it out.  What do you do going 65miles an hour with throw up tasting smoothie in your mouth?  That's right, you swallow it.  YUCK.  And then you don't get breakfast for the day.  But it LOOKED so good in my large clear smoothie container.  It was packed full with powerful nutrients, but hard to swallow.

Todays God Smoothie for me, was also hard to SWALLOW.  It comes from the book of Peter Chapter 4.  This Chapter in Peter is stock full of GOOD spiritual nutrition for us.  To make room for good, we have to detox something bad.  The big S word will be what we are detoxing today.

Those of us drinking smoothies to physically getting healthy have goals:  look better, feel better, cure illnesses, end all the medications, lower blood pressure, balance your diet and the on and on.  Let's begin with this thought today on why we need to drink God smoothies, ultimately there is only one reason:  To THINK and BE like Jesus.  If this is your desire then today's smoothie will be a tough one to swallow.

If we want to be like Jesus, he went through so much more than we do.  He suffered greatly, he was beaten, and bruised.  Today we are going to focus on how He was "selfless."  We are going to detox by weaning from our old sin habits of expecting to get our own way (from Peter 4:1, 2).  Eeeps!  So for us to get the full nutrition of today's smoothie, before adding any ingredients, we FIRST have to pray for any selfish attitude we have.  The argument with a family member, the new plans at work that others don't agree with, the new special item you want to purchase that you have been saving up for....Get it, Got it, GOOD.  Now it's time to mix those ingredients of how to be like Jesus, and DETOX selfishness.

Ingredients for Selfishness EXTRA Thick Smoothie:
1.  ADD prayer FIRST
2.  LOVE each other as if your life depended on it
3.  Give a meal to the hungry (while you go without)
4.  A bed to the homeless
5.  DO IT ALL CHEERFULLY.
6.  Be generous with the different things God gave you so ALL get in on it.

Alright friends, our smoothie has it's ingredients now let's take a swallow, because yes it will be hard to swallow at times, when that difficult person comes along, or you have to sacrifice something you love for someone who needs it more, BUT if you want to take this DETOX challenge then pick up the cup (God's word and meditate on Peter 4 today) and let's digest this beautiful glass filled with God's bright presence, I would imagine a golden tone and sparkly of course.  Hard to swallow but worth the outcome of becoming more like HIM.

Cheers to YOU all.
SJ HUGS

Detox Worry Smoothie

"To do lists" bombard our Monday Mornings like a bull in a china shop.

Endless things to do at work, at home, for others and with others.

With busyness overtaking our lives and 

Overwhelming work loads drowning us from sweet rest,

WORRY of completeing all our tasks in a timely manner slowly seeps in.

No one has time to waste.

And more importantly no one wants to waste time.

We have to have priorities in place to complete those never ending "to do lists".

So what needs to be detoxed from our overwhelming lists of work?

If we turn to God's word in Ecclesiastes chapter 4 we learn a whole list of things that are a complete waste of time,

And in this book it is written after listing each item that wastes our time; "it's like spitting in the wind."

I sure don't want to waste my time spitting in the wind.  

I dont want to waste any time that God gives me on earth.

So the smoothie I am drinking in today has a very specific recipe:  

Ecclesiastes 4:6

In order to DETOX today you need to add ONE handful of peaceful repose in exchange for 2 fistfuls of worried work. Msg. Version 

So my friends, if you have found yourself WORRYING about all the work you need to do, 

God wants to help you DETOX all that worry starting TODAY!

All you need is ONE handful of God's peace to replace all that built up fistfuls  of worry. 

Let's detox today my friends by letting go of those fistfuls of worry and laying them at the feet of Jesus, Jehovah Shalom= God of Peace

Let's drink ONE handful of God's peace TODAY

And let him take those fistfuls of worry AWAY!

May God's PEACE fill your spirit today.

SJ Hugs

God Detox Smoothies

Detoxing is the NEW thing

Detox, detox, detox for a healthier you

Eat this, NOT that

Drink this, NOT that

Water, water, water but make sure it's purified and not bottled unless its in a BPA free bottle

Bust fat

Speed up your metabolism

We are pulled into an endless focus on ourselves

I want to be healthy

I want to feel good

I want to look good

I, I, I

All this focus on something that is actually good for us

We should definately take care of our bodies, they are God's temple

But our physical bodies are not the only parts of ourself we should take care of or that we should be detoxing

And that my friends is why I feel compelled to ask God what would it look like to detox my spiritual self, my spirit,

My soul?

What would a God detox smoothie look like, taste like?

I turned God's recipe book for the answer

I invite you to join me in this continued Journey to detox from the very toxic things we allow into our thinking on a daily basis

And so my WORD JOURNEY will continue in 2015 with God Smoothies

Sj HUGS

PASSION 11/17/14

Anybody feeling pressure today?  Pressures at work, pressures with health, pressures with money, home and basically everyday life.  Those burdens we choose to carry on our shoulders are weighing us down and taking the life God sent his Son for us to live.  (John 5:24,3:17) None of the pressure you are carrying around is from God.  So let's join together and help each other STOP allowing pressures to weigh us down and make room for the PASSION God has placed in each of us to live freely and saved through HIM.  

I love this quote by Richard Foster...

"The less we are manipulated by the expectation of others, the more we are open to the expectations of God."

So friends, let's do this TODAY!  Let's encourage one another to not let the pressures get the best of us and weigh us down, let's instead exchange PRESSURES with a burning PASSION for our most awesome creator!  

HUGS SJ