What do your actions stand for?

The other night, I had a mini-conversation with some great people and the entire conversation centered on a few points. The main point was that no matter where you are, or who you are, people are watching. Another point was that it amazes me how one bad/negative attitude can change things so much more easily than a positive attitude can. I'll save that for another day though, I have several thoughts on this.
I get frustrated when I hear someone having a conversation about a church service they attended while they are sipping a glass of wine or beer. Do they not realize that people make opinions based on what they see rather than what they know? I know a lot of people who try to portray a good, clean life and then once Friday night hits, well, you get the point. These people, I feel, are taking the fact that God's mercies renew every morning and abusing this privelege we have. Yes, God's mercies are brand new every morning, and I am SO thankful to Him for this. However, if you claim to live for God then do it, all day every day. Not only when it is convenient but when your friends go out, if the place is shady, don't go.
For me, you want to associate yourself with places that reflect the kind of life you want to convey to others. If you spend your weekends at a bar or a club, you are going to convey a party lifestyle to those around you. Now, my major malfunction with these people who say one thing and do another is this. If you think you can hide thise behavior and lead a double life without people knowing, you are wrong, on so many different levels. Why would you want to put your influence on someone's life in jeopardy by doing this. If you are at church on a Wednesday night and then sipping an ice cold "root beer" on a Friday/Saturday then come sunday morning sitting in the front row again, what message are you conveying? Get over yourself, live the life God has called you to live because no matter who you are, people are always going to be looking for one tiny slip up so they can nail you, and even more so the church for it. For real, what are you saying with your mouth? Now, what are your actions saying about you? Do they line up?

Thanks for being married 39 years.

Yesterday was my parents’ 39th anniversary. I’m so thankful to be able to say this because growing up, almost every single friend of mine split their weekends between houses. Frankly, being raised by these two is a blessing. Here’s a story about my dad just to give you a sense of the head of our household.
My dad is a quiet man, he doesn’t typically talk to you unless he knows you, and when he knows you, you won’t stop laughing. He was always our coach and when we got too old for him to coach our teams, he was at every game. I remember when I was in third grade, I had just gotten a new bike and the weather was warm enough to ride it. My older brother Andy and I went with our dad to the track at Hale High School because it was just across the street. Dad was running and Andy and I were riding our bikes. I remember him looking at me and saying “Sis, you don’t need to race, you aren’t quite there yet.” My brother said “Ready, settie, GO!” and we were off. My dad just watched and said as we sped past him “You might want to slow down.” You see, the track was a gravel-ish track and I slid a little on the turn. I had scraped the entire side of my face and shoulder, everything on the right side was scraped and nasty. My dad ran up, picked me up, brushed everything off (keep in mind, I bit it hard and was bleeding, but nothing was broken), and picked up my bike. His next words to me were, at the time, I thought harsh, but I’m so thankful for them now. “Get back on and let’s ride home.” My brother was so afraid he would get in trouble that he hadn’t said a word the entire time except for when I went down, he screamed that I was badly injured. I love my brother. So, I was crying and making a tiny scene but I got back on my bike and rode home with my dad holding the handle bars.
My parents don’t really do big things for their anniversary anymore, well, they never really did, but to them, they were just happy to be together and it was the little things that counted. So, my dad went to bed on Monday night and my mom made him promise he wouldn’t get her anything because she already had the best present of all time in him, so he just smiled and kissed her goodnight. I got home from class last night and on the dining room table was a huge vase of yellow roses. Every year, my dad takes about an hour out of his day to pick out the best card and get my mom something very special. The significance of the yellow roses: My mom has always loved yellow roses, but my oldest brother Rick is a Marine and the yellow rose is a symbol for a Marine Mom.
A closing story about my dad. When my brothers were talking to him about asking their current wives to marry them, my dad took them fishing or running, whatever guys do. I never knew what they talked about until I asked him one night and he actually told me (You see, the guys in my family still see me as a three year old) that all he talks to them about is how they better be absolutely positive about this decision because there is no going back, marriage is a forever thing and he would never tolerate a quitter. I just love my family.

Thanks mom and dad for getting married and staying married.

There once was a tree.

Has anyone read Shel Silverstein's The Giving Tree? I hope you have, if you haven't, please, stop what you are doing and go find a copy at this very moment. Find a nice quiet area and read it, three times. That is where the name of this blogspot comes from. I think I love this book so much because my ultimate hope is that I live my life giving to people, serving others without expectations.

I am not sure exactly what I'm going to write about here, however, I love sharing my life with people, whether they are random strangers or my closest friends. Making connections with people is such an important part of a person's life. One of the most important things a person should know about my life is the magnificent and limitless God that I serve has completely changed my life. I have found my home in Guts Church and since I've made it my home, my life has been become an abundantly amazing life. Eevery day for the past six years I am completely blown away by the people I serve under and with at this church. Every day for the past six years I have seen God's promises fulfilled not only in my life but those around me. I will share with you a few stories along this road.

I am so thankful for the life that I get to live and I'm so excited to get to share this all with you.