Airplanes and people and thoughts!

The dynamics of people are the best at the airport, boarding a plane, sitting next to strangers and especially exiting the plane! I always wish for people that will talk but it rarely happens! Sleep or headphones seem to prevail! This morning I even found sleep, rare for me! 

You see people in a hurry, working on laptops, reading, eating and mostly alone! We are all onsies on our way to our group. It's an odd feeling to be alone but yet surrounded by so many people. 

Do we follow such strict rules anywhere else in life? Pack luggage accordingly, take out liquids, stand in lines, put our arms over our head to be scanned, hope we don't have to check our carry on. It's amazing to stop and think that we just automatically do and never question it. It's the part of us that wants to follow when required.  What happens when it's time to exit the plane?   Lots of people ready to leave all at the same time and manners seem to get lost at our place of departure. I always wish for etiquette to prevail like it does at a golf range or library.

All kinds of people, old, young, tall, short, happy, unhappy, tired, creative looking, business looking and all going somewhere.  We all love the convenience of flying but do we all see the opportunities! I personally miss out much of the time being focused on feeling good and anxious. I can't read on planes so I watch people and wonder about their heart. I choose to start praying for all the people and their hearts. 

Today being September 11th makes me think about these people around me being the ones to help, protect, cling to and say goodbye with in tragedy.  It seems strange to think about but G-d made us that way and in times of need I think are true self and His love stand out most.  We really do care for others and desire connections, it's just easy to pretend for two hours we don't.

What do you think of when flying? Any tips on engaging people on airplanes?  Please share.

Thoughts as a mom lately!

So G-d has been prompting me to share my thoughts as a mom lately and what I have been learning.  My life has changed so much and yet it is the same in the ways that matter.  I love G-d more then ever, my husband, my children, my home and my season of life.  He has put me in Arizona and for that I am very thankful.  I don't know how to explain it but it is where I am meant to be and grow and expand.

My parenting has definitely taken a new direction with 4 teenagers in the house.  It is fun, crazy, busy, changing, full of conversation and going way too quickly.  It starts out so simple and then it just goes speeding by you and only because I pray do I make any sense of it and feel at peace in the middle of all the changes and hormones.

Prayer is the tool and reading G-d's word that has equipped me for each and every stage of this journey as a mom.  It is the only way I remove fear, anxiety, crabbiness, distractions and lonliness.  Those feelings completely overwhelm me at times.  They take over when I'm not hiding G-d's word in my heart and trusting Him with all of it.

Prayer is simple and yet so difficult.  It's talking to my best friend and its safe, freeing and also very convicting.  I realize so many things when I let Him speak to my heart and my mind.  I am a prayer journaler so I have for years kept journals of my prayers to G-d.  If you ever want to know the real and raw me that would be the source and some of my most intimate and desperate thoughts and emotions.  I need to do it that way, see it on paper, stay focused and not think a zillion things and try to pray, remind myself, go back and see where I have come from and how He has answered and just write a letter from my heart.

Update to this post:  I have 3 teenagers in the house and 1 away in college.  I was asked by many if I was sad or doing okay with her leaving home.  Honestly, I was so excited for her I could not begin to be sad.  I miss seeing her daily and her contribution to our home but this season is so amazing for her I would never want to take away from it by focusing on me.  I raised her to be independent, self sufficient and ready for learning and opportunities so she will do great.  Her siblings have had a bit of a tougher time without her but are adjusting and reconfiguring their relationships and roles in our home.  My prayers for my children will not change and my trust that He has them covered and protected remains the same.

If you need a good resource to help you with praying for your children I recommend "Praying the Scriptures for your Children" by Jodie Berndt and also "Praying the Scriptures for your Teenagers" also by Jodie Berndt.  The chapter on Teens Driving was a huge blessing and much needed.  I always joked I'd rather potty train 50 more kids then teach my kids to drive.  So far, we've made it thru two and two more to go and I think those that work in the student driving industry are pretty crazy and amazing!

Comment if you have other resources you recommend or areas of life not at peace so I can pray for you friends!

Today I chose the wrong language!

I have had a series of opportunities lately to learn and grow in my understanding of G-d, conscious language, thought, communication, dreams, connection, friendship and more.  It never seems to come from one place when G-d decides to guide and challenge me, usually everywhere I look!  I've always found in my walk that I don't get to experience a lot of naiveness but always fully aware and challenged.  I will admit that half the time I'm good with it and the other half I'm stubborn, irritated, not willing and try to ignore G-d and all the "awareness" He is giving me.

My big learning recently was the words I use such as I want, I hope, maybe, I want to have and upgrading to I can, I am, I will, I choose, I have, I love, I create, I enjoy.

Did you know we actually speak from our heart?  So what I'm learning is that I can't just say these words, I have to say them with my heart and believe them.  This quote really connected the dots for me "Your greatest weakness shall be your greatest strength!  I would not say something I didn't believe in.   Believe means Be Alive!"  Bob Stevens

I choose to allow myself to agree and love my words, not fix them.  I choose to not coach others words and let them discover in their own way and time.  I am renaming my world and reversing my patterns as I realize those words impacted my heart and thoughts.  Heart already has pure speech I heard recently and that I give what I will receive.  I can use language that will bless others and myself.

The other opportunity that has connected more dots for me in this area is beginning to read the Torah the last three weeks.  I did not realize I could gain so much from Deuteronomy and have always skimmed it or avoided it.  My takeaway from last week was Deuteronomy 25:15 "A perfect and honest weight shall you have, a perfect and honest measure shall you have, so that your days shall be lengthened on the Land that HASHEM, your G-d gives you."  I pictured my words as my weight and measure and G-d abhors dishonesty.  My word is my authority and what is new and different for me is that I dream and speak of my dreams.

I have also been reading the book "Good to Great in G-d's Eyes" by Chip Ingram and just finished the chapter Dream Great Dreams.  I never have coincidence always lots and lots of "awareness"!  G-d speaks loud and clear to me when I choose to listen.  My takeaway from this chapter was Write it down, Read over my dreams regularly, Pray over them and Watch for G-d's intervention.  A quote from the book I want to share is this "To dream of doing great things for G-d's glory is a biblical goal, and being able to articulate the result we want to see keeps us focused on our priorities and helps us perceive through obstacles and difficulties."  Chip Ingram

So this week has been super amazing and also full of a crazy amount of deep thoughts, readjusting my mind, crazy dreaming, moods and overall the beginning of a new upgrade in my heart, words and mind.  Today I chose to fail miserably and wallow in I'm tired and I can't do it and the world is against me until my best friend and husband reminded me to just stop and be and not get ahead of myself or off course.  He is inspired, encouraged and also attracted to this new "Christie" language.  Putting all of this into words has been so helpful and brought so much of it together.  I will share more of my dreams in this blog and my journey to create and enjoy the life He has given me.

Feel free to ask questions and I'd love to hear your comments and thoughts on this reflection question from the Good to Great book.

How can you tell the difference between a self-inspired dream and a G-d-given one?  What would happen to each kind if you brought it to the cross?

Questions to reflect on 2011

I found these great questions on a blog called (in)courage me for reflecting on 2011 and love this kind of stuff and learn a lot from taking time to do it. Here is the link to the blog:
20 Questions for a New Year's Eve Reflection (or anytime)

1. What was the single best thing that happened this past year?
2. What was the single most challenging thing that happened?
3. What was an unexpected joy this past year?
4. What was an unexpected obstacle?
5. Pick three words to describe 2011.
6. Pick three words your spouse would use to describe your 2011 (don’t ask them; guess based on how you think your spouse sees you).
7. Pick three words your spouse would use to describe their 2011 (again, without asking).
8. What were the best books you read this year? 
9. With whom were your most valuable relationships?
10. What was your biggest personal change from January to December of this past year?
11. In what way(s) did you grow emotionally?
12. In what way(s) did you grow spiritually?
13. In what way(s) did you grow physically?
14. In what way(s) did you grow in your relationships with others?
15. What was the most enjoyable part of your work (both professionally and at home)?
16. What was the most challenging part of your work (both professionally and at home)?
17. What was your single biggest time waster in your life this past year?
18. What was the best way you used your time this past year?
19. What was biggest thing you learned this past year?
20. Create a phrase or statement that describes 2011 for you.

I plan to work on these questions over the next month and share some of what I learn, please feel free to share your thoughts or learnings.  Thanks!

Loving others...

I pray every day for God to help me love others and to truly have compassion and I fail every single day. I know that God does not want me to give up on this area and that He specifically places in my life opportunities to love others.

My sinful character chooses to criticize, be annoyed, irritated and disappointed rather then see the person from the inside and just love them no matter what...character is a challenge and love is so beyond my comprehension. God loves me and I expect it and desire it and need it but I so struggle to give it, see it and dwell on it.

I tried to memorize the love chapter in 1 Corinthians and I have to admit that I completely failed and gave up, why was it so difficult? I'm pretty sure it wasn't my getting old memory but the challenge of memorizing words that I really can't grasp or live and the conviction was my barrier.

I must try again and truly meditate on each word and God's amazing, overwhelming, fantastic, perfect LOVE!

Do you love easily without hesitation or do you struggle to love?

Luke 10:27 (NIV)
27 He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’[a]; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[b]”

the rock eternal

The verse I have on my page is very important to our family. I was reminded of it this past weekend. I purchased a wall vinyl of the verse to put on our bedroom wall and procrastinated for the last six months to actually put it up. It is finally up thanks to lots of pushing and prodding from Nate. I am so glad he made us finally get it up because it encourages me every day as I walk into my room that I have the Lord, the Lord to give me perfect peace.

One of my kids asked why the verse doesn't say God in it and then we talked about other names for God - I want my kids to learn to call on God and praise Him with His various names - names of endearment that are encouragement to us.

They also asked why it says the Lord two times - my thought was that it was to remind us that it is the Lord without any doubts or hesitations and to not give any credit to anyone else. I also think God knew we need to hear things more than once to make it stick.

We claimed this verse for our marriage and placed it on our wedding cake and now it is a part of our home to continue to strive towards trust in our relationship with God.


Isaiah 26:3-4 (New International Version)

3 You will keep in perfect peace
him whose mind is steadfast,
because he trusts in you.

4 Trust in the LORD forever,
for the LORD, the LORD, is the Rock eternal.