Enjoy the Journey

Don't you hate it when people tell you to "Enjoy the journey"?  What an overused cliche. I really had a problem with this concept, as I pride myself on 'getting there' faster and more efficiently than the next guy. What is the hurry?  I'm not sure. I wonder if I've spent too many years in Business 101 and set one too many timely goals. While some folks may need to be nudged off the couch, I have wasted equal amounts of life striving, DOING, and rushing to the NEXT thing. I never learned how to BE. I missed alot of the present hurrying to my future. God is changing this in me.

My husband and I were recently talking about the differences in our temperaments in this arena.  He is an idealist and visionary.  He loves to 'enjoy the journey'.  We laugh about a picture someone shared with us of the two of us walking through the woods. My husband is leisurely lollygagging down the path, gazing at the sun peeking through the tree tops, fully engaged with the moment.  I, however, am frantically looking for the correct path, wondering where in the world the map and compass are, and fretting about how slow we are moving!

So if there is a goal or a future to be apprehended, I tend to want to take the fastest jet, or the express train, and sleep until we get there!  But apparently, God is NOT in a hurry. He insists on taking the scenic route with all the 'surprise' stops along the way.  He says things like; ENJOY, listen, smell, taste, feel, relax, trust, and REST. He wants to take me on a fabulous ROAD TRIP! 


Then, when I DO finally get into the RV with God, I find myself trying to have control of the steering wheel, the speedometer, the map and the timing of the rest stops!  What do you do with a control freak choleric personality that has the heart of an orphan, trying to DO IT ALL BY MYSELF?   
You do like the picture above...you lean back on the driver and toss your feet out the window and chant... "I trust you Daddy!  Take me for the ride of my life!"

The Eagle Who Spoke to Me

He's back!  We think this is the same eagle who visited last year in September. He hunts the swamp across from our house.  We just sat at the end of the driveway after church and admired this glorious bird of prey gliding effortlessly on the thermals.  He appeared to be having the time of his life in spite of a fierce and blustery wind.  Instead of working frantically to overcome the headwinds, he RODE them like a ride at the fair!  He banked right, then left, then straight up into the heavens.  He would suddenly turn to 'fall' zooming directly to earth, and all at once hovered in one place...all without once flapping his wings!  I felt God speaking to me in an instant. 

What an awesome visual answer to my prayer, "Father! How in the world do I accomplish all the important 'stuff' of life without working myself to bitterness or reverting back to the task master spirit of 'driver'?"

It's so easy to slip back into the OLD way of life, to listen to 'driver' yell in my ear... Be self-sufficient! Pull yourself up by your bootstraps, woman!  Buck up and do it!  You have to be productive until you drop into bed to be VALUEABLE.  You are what you DO.  Time is fleeting, you have so much to DO!  All lies designed to keep me running on the hamster wheel, missing the abundant LIFE with the false thrill of busyness and DOING.

Lets just say it out loud. "The 'TO DO' list will never be DONE!"  There. We said it. Painful truth for all of us who are Choleric or have believed the lie of the orphan, thinking that we are alone in this world, that no one will rescue us or help, that it is all up to us. Our Father does not want us to fret, frantically trying to do the impossible, fighting fruitlessly against the powerful winds of perfectionism and performance for identity.

Mr. Timely Eagle was a reminder to listen to Holy Spirit; what is He asking me to do today.  How?  When?  When am I done?  When do I stop and rest and say "good job - you're done for today'.  God is the author of BALANCE and true success in all the areas of this life he has given me - family, health, motherhood, business & ministries.  I set a plan of action with God's discernment and then choose to be "faithful'.  Mother Theresa said "I do not pray for success.   I ask for faithfulness."    One of my all time favorite mentors, also given the National "Spirit of Success" award said... "Tracy, are you being ambitious or faithful?"  I choose to be FAITHFUL.

Parenting Drive Thru

Startled awake by a tentative teenage whisper…”Mom?”
This is a morning I was going to sleep in – thus the ‘tentative whisper’. “Mom, I missed the bus” followed by a litany of reasons why it wasn’t her fault again. Before I throw off the covers, I first have to throw off the parenting battle in my mind. You know the one. The ‘Good Cop/Bad Cop’ routine like the one in the movies where the cartoon angel sits on one shoulder and the cartoon devil sits on the other...

Good Parent - “If you continue to rescue her, she’ll never learn responsibility’.
Bad Parent – “You merciless woman! You want her to remember her mama as full of grace & mercy - don’t you?”
Good Parent – “Yes, but she isn’t learning! I only have three more short years to equip her with what she needs to make it in the world as a responsible adult!”
Bad Parent – “She’ll be FINE. She’s only fifteen for goodness sake. Look at her eyes! Don’t make a big deal out of this now and ruin our morning of ‘peace’.”

So before I form words or let anything leak from my lips, I throw up a cry for help… “Help me Lord! Quick – I have three seconds to open my mouth with the Wisdom of Solomon!”

I feel like I just drove up to the fast food speaker and yelled out… ‘Quick, I want a large remedy, two juicy bits of insight, and one come back, hold the sarcasm. And… supersize that please!”

Please tell me you are familiar with this oh-too-frequent storyline at my house. Are you wondering what kind of insty-wisdom I doled out on this particular morning? I think I blew right past the first drive through window at “HELPMEJESUS” and started in on a calm, but predicable rant of mom-isms which my daughter was expecting as the high cost for her small crime. Unfortunately, it’s a ramble for which she could have written the script.

We failed at our effort to intercept the bus in our neck of the woods and I resigned myself to drive all the way to the high school in my pajamas and slippers. Only then did I breathe deeply in surrender and allow God to fill my mouth (and heart) with the real deal. I focused on the purpose of parenting and let go of my selfish motives. My job is to teach and prepare. I explained once again the real world consequences would ‘cost’ her something if mom wasn’t here to rescue her. What might they be? Taxi fare, having her pay docked if it were work or staying late to redeem the time, trading a neighbor babysitting for a ride… or the unthinkable, barbaric alternative… WALKING!

So she coughed up five dollars of hard earned babysitting money for gas and agreed to scrub the kitchen floor tonight to trade me for my precious time. I even earned a fabulous ‘tip’ - a Caribou coffee card! Even MORE fabulous was that I received a full sentence thank you upon dropping at school, WITH EYE CONTACT! My mama heart was encouraged.

Ok, so not all my parenting moments end on such a hopeful note. Home now, I sit down to talk to God about it, enjoy another sip of the Fufu Coffee my daughter bought and sigh heavily. I look into his face again, my perfect Father, the ultimate parent. His loving eyes and knowing smile cause me to melt in humility. I am struck with one question…
“How do you manage to keep teaching and parenting ME all these 47 years?”

I often imagine him turning to Jesus at times, sadly shaking his head, saying… “Tracy just doesn’t seem to be learning this lesson. She’ll need to know this for her future. We can’t move on until she ‘gets it’ and is equipped for what is ahead. Let’s give her another situation to practice.”

Unlike me, God as my parent is not easily angered or frustrated. He does not measure his parenting competency by my behavior, failures or successes. When I ‘miss the bus’, when I am slow to learn, he doesn’t rant and rave, he doesn’t panic and fear that time will run out, or that he will deplete the stash of love or patience to stay fully engaged. He is so good at this parenting thing! He perseveres with us as his children, never failing, never giving up hope. He promises “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you and help you.” “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” “I will finish the good work I started in you long ago. I will continue teaching, growing you, molding you, shaping you, until the day I come to get you”.

He is a good Father. I want to GROW UP and be like my heavenly Daddy. Although I will always be a parent and the seasons will change, these last three or four years in our home, I will be frequenting the ‘FAST WISDOM’ Parenting Drive-thru a lot! I know where my help comes from. And I am assured of this; My children will not just ‘survive’ my raising them. They will flourish because the perfect parent is overseeing their very lives, their instruction, their preparation for the future. He will not allow my shortcomings to negate his purposes for them. He not only parents me, he is parenting my children. My portion of the parenting race he gave me to run is nearing the finish. My job is to pass the baton to him. As a track runner knows, the last runner is the Anchor. He is the best. He can make up any lost time and bring the victory for the whole team! Thank God!

More to nibble on…
Deuteronomy 31:8
John 14:18
James 1:4
Phil 1:6

Tango on the High Seas?

What could be more romantic than to waltz under the starlight on the deck of a cruise ship? Or maybe dancing a late night Tango in a dimly lit nightclub is more your style. Others may think moving to the rhythms of merengue and salsa music at a beach party sounds more like them. It really doesn’t matter because it all sounds like fun doesn’t it? Well then run, don’t walk, or simply surf on over to http://www.lovelikeyoumeanitcruise.com/ and join us and an unbelievable line up of presenters and performers for a fabulous 5-day cruise for Valentine’s Day 2011.
FamilyLife & Premier Christian Cruises have partnered to bring you the first ever fully chartered Christian marriage cruise. The hosts for this memorable event are Dennis & Barbara Rainey. The list of other remarkable presenters and entertainers is too long to list here. Simply click on the link above to explore the possibilities!
The Palmer’s will be bringing their unique combination of dance instruction and marriage enrichment to the party as well. What could be more fun than holding your one and only in your arms as you learn a step or two at one of Stuart and Tracy’s enlightening and entertaining dance sessions? The Palmer’s guarantee a pain free experience that is “better than therapy and much less expensive”, according to one of their student couples!
You won’t want to miss this opportunity to invest in each other and Love Like You Mean It!
We’ll see you on the dance floor and at the beach!

Thank You Notes? Really?

There are few things in life that you get excited about finding in your mailbox. A hand written thank you note ranks right up there just below Publishers Clearinghouse prize money! In fact, it could be one of the most powerful 'pick me ups' available, yet less expensive than that cup of fu-fu coffee!

When was the last time you received a hand written thank you note? Who was it from? How did it make you feel? Did you smile? Did you save it for day or two, or several?

If one of your 'love languages' happens to be Words of Affirmation, then you may be like me. I have a bulletin board full of little thank you notes from a variety of people in my life. From happy clients, special friends, or my own mother, there is nothing quite like three or four sentences of sincere, specific gratitude to make you feel valuable and appreciated. Wouldn't you agree?


Why would you be motivated to send a thank you note in your busy day? For just that reason... today's crazy, busy, high tech world needs the human factor to interupt the merry-go-round of schedules with a tiny hint of civility and old fashioned manners. The simple truth is, it takes so little time and effort to bring such tangible JOY to the recipient, not to mention the pleasure it will bring you to recount your gratitude.


Ready to try it? Here are a few quick tips to help make it easy:

Be Timely: The sooner you send a thank you note the better. If you wait, you may forget! Within a week is the goal.

Be Specific: Mention the gift and describe how you will use it. Mention the kind act and how it blessed you.

Be Brief: It doesn’t need to be a book. A few thoughtful and sincere sentences are enough.

Be Prepared: Create a ‘Thank You Note Box’ with small cards, a pen, stamps and address labels.

So my question for you is this... will you take ten minutes to send one of these drug free UPPERS to someone in your life?

This article can save your job! Share this with anyone who likes to use social networking.

By Rachel Zupek

How social media can hurt your career
As social media becomes the latest branding strategy, networking technique, job seeking tool and recruitment vehicle, it's also becoming the latest way for people to get job offers rescinded, reprimanded at work and even fired.

Everyone has "my-job-sucks" moments, but it's probably best for your career not to have them online.

It's happened so many times -- publicized and not -- that one would think we could learn from others' mistakes. (But, if that were the case, I wouldn't have anything to write about, now would I?)
A recent Tweet by a potential Cisco employee, for example, turned ugly when he decided to tout a recent job offer:
"Cisco just offered me a job! Now I have to weigh the utility of a fatty paycheck against the daily commute to San Jose and hating the work."
Unfortunately for "theconnor" (the handle for the would-be employee), Tim Levad, a "channel partner advocate" for Cisco, saw the tweet and responded with this:
"Who is the hiring manger, I'm sure they would love to know that you will hate the work. We here at Cisco are versed in the Web."
Terrible tweets
Everyone has their "My-job-sucks," "I-hate-my-co-workers," or "Give-me-more-money" moments. But, they seem to forget that as employers increase their online presence using social networking sites as recruitment and branding strategies, it might be best for their career not to have these moments on the Internet.
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Paul Wilson, a freelance/corporate Web marketer and blogger, found several of such moments on Twitter, a social networking and micro-blogging site, and posted these "Top 10 Tweets to Get You Fired" [sic'd]:
1. "hate my job!! i want to tell my bosses how dumb they are and how meaningless this job is, then quit, and be happy!"
2. "So my job was to test all the food at the new resturant, can I just say, ughew. I'm going to taco bell then twistee treat."
3. "Workin... This job sucks worse then the economy!"
4. "I'm going to work! Walmart! Must find better job! I hate it when chicks there have a deeper voice than me and refer to me as foo!"
5. "Also I'm really bummed that I'm working today, i asked off so i could study but my boss is a ******* **** ***** ***** who can't read."
6. "Coworker smuggled out a chair for me. Currently being paid to SIT around and listen to John Barrowman on my iPod. I don't hate my job today!"
7. "having sex dreams of people you work with makes for an awkward day."
8. "smoking weed at work is so [EDITED] great :)"
9. "It's bad when you overhear the n00b programmer say "I used to work at McDonalds with him" and you wonder if he is talking about the CEO..."
10. "Huh, with my boss on twitter, maaaybe I should take down that sexy picture of her... but her reaction will be priceless!"
Facebook fired
Twitter is not the only culprit in career self-destruction. Facebook, a popular social networking site, has housed its fair share of user firings:
Kimberly Swann, a former employee for Ivell Marketing and Logistics of Clacton, U.K., thought her job was boring -- and she said so on her Facebook page, according to an article in The Daily Telegraph. Swann was called into her manager's office and handed a letter that cited her Facebook comments as the reason for dismissal:
"Following your comments made on Facebook about your job and the company we feel it is better that, as you are not happy and do not enjoy your work we end your employment with Ivell Marketing & Logistics with immediate effect."
An MSNBC article remembers Kevin Colvin, the legendary young intern who e-mailed his boss, claiming a "family emergency" would keep him out of the office around Halloween. His co-workers (and Facebook friends), however, saw a photo of Colvin dressed as a fairy at a Halloween party time-stamped on the same day of the "emergency." Colvin's boss responded to him with an e-mail CC'd to the entire company, firing him and including the incriminating fairy picture.
In March 2009, the same MSNBC article cites Dan Leone, a Philadelphia Eagles stadium employee, who was fired after slamming the football organization for trading a player in this status update:
"Dan is [expletive] devastated about Dawkins signing with Denver. . .Dam Eagles R Retarted!![Sic]"
Two days later, the head of event operations said they needed to talk about his Facebook status; instead, he got the boot.
Social networking don'ts
If you want to use your profile to get hired or -- or at least not get fired -- here are three basic rules to keep in mind:
1. Don't announce interviews, raises or new jobs
As exemplified by "theconnor," how you talk about any of these sensitive topics on your social networking site is key. If you're unemployed, writing "Interview today -- wish me luck!" would be OK, or if you got a job, something along the lines of "So excited about my new job!" is totally acceptable. If you're currently employed, however, I don't think your boss would be too happy to see something like, "Trying to con my boss into giving me a $5K raise. SUCKA!"
2. Don't badmouth your current or previous employer
Just like in an interview, keep your rants about your boss or company to yourself. If hiring managers see that you're willing to trash a colleague online they assume you'll do it to them, too. Plus, there's always the possibility of getting fired if someone sees your negative comments.
3. Don't mention your job search if you're still employed
If your boss knows you're on the lookout for a new job, feel free to advertise it in your status. If you're keeping your search below the radar, however, don't publish anything, anywhere. Even if you aren't connected to your boss online, somebody can get the information back to him or her.

Why Does God Delay on Purpose?

I found this encouragement by Rick Warren the perfect description of the trials of my heart in the last two years...

How God Builds Your Faith: Difficulty
by Rick Warren
"This means tremendous joy to you, I know, even though you are temporarily harassed by all kinds of trials and temptations. This is no accident—it happens to prove your faith, which is infinitely more valuable than gold" (1 Peter 1:6-7 PH).


In order to build your faith, God will give you a dream, then He'll urge you to make a decision, but then He'll allow a delay, because in the delay He matures you and prepares you for what is to come.

The truth is you'll have difficulties while God delays. This isn't because He doesn't care about you or that He's forgotten your circumstances; rather, it's one of the ways He pushes you toward the deep end of faith.

As God delays, you'll face two types of difficulties: circumstances and critics. This is a natural part of life. God designed it this way because He knows we grow stronger when facing adversity and opposition.

When Moses led the children of Israel out of Egypt into the desert toward the Promised Land, he had one problem after another. First there was no water. Then there was no food. Then there were a bunch of complainers. Then there were poisonous snakes. Moses was doing what God wanted him to do, but he still had problems.

David was anointed king, and then for the next several years he was hunted down by Saul. Joseph had a dream of becoming a ruler, yet he was sold into slavery and thrown into prison on a false charge where he languished, forgotten. Imagine the difficulties Noah had building a floating zoo!

The Bible says that when Moses died, Joshua was appointed the new leader. Moses led the people across the desert and then Joshua led them into the Promised Land. Did he get the easy part? The Bible says that when the Israelites entered the Promised Land there were giants in the land. Even in the Promised Land there were problems!

God does this because He is building our faith and character. When we finally come to a place where the difficulties become so bad, where we've reached our limit, where we've tried everything and exhausted all our options, it is then that God begins a mighty work through us: "I know, even though you are temporarily harassed by all kinds of trials and temptations. This is no accident—it happens to prove your faith, which is infinitely more valuable than gold" (1 Peter 1:6-7 PH).