Tag Archive | Christ

Feeling Stuck…Look Up!!!

A while back I took a piece of greenery from our bathroom and used it to decorate in our bedroom. Who knew this one simple decision would have such a profound effect on me and my mental clarity???

Sound dramatic? Well, for me it was…

THE LAMP AND ECHO DOT CORDS WERE SHOWING!!!

Anyone who knows me is aware that visual order is essential for my mental health and well being. Visual chaos drives me insane and the exposed cords on my bathroom counter were driving me NUTS!!!

I tried several different types of stems and arrangements but nothing looked right. Running to the store to pick something up was not an easy option because it’s hard on my mother to transfer in and out of the car and leaving here at home is just not an option.

So, for weeks now, I have been STUCK!!!

My gaze was focused on the visual chaos of the cords
My brain was constantly scanning the house for anything that would work
Putting my makeup on and getting dressed in the morning was down right difficult

All I could focus on was the chaos and emptiness…I needed something quick!

LOW AND BEHOLD, THERE IT WAS…ALL I HAD TO DO WAS LOOK UP!!!

Yep, the very greenery was right there in my bathroom above my cabinet! My first thought was, “oh no, I can’t move that. It belongs in there!”. Then, I realized, it really didn’t because I had not even recognized the greenery was up there or that it could be an option to resolve my issue.

So, guess what I did this morning…Yep, you guessed it!

Whoa…Wait! What’s that piece of paper sticking on the mirror you ask? Isn’t that visual clutter???

Nope…That’s my Love Note from my Granddaughter.

It is right where she posted it and will stay there to serves as a daily reminder…

I AM LOVED!!!

So, why did I share this? Because perhaps there is something in your life that has you “STUCK” and this might help you get unstuck!

People often feel stuck because:

They may feel they are not able to implement change
They are unable to process past trauma or emotional wounds
They don’t understand why things are the way they are
They struggle with:
- Motivation
- Over-thinking
- Low confidence
- Low self-worth
- Fear

How to stop feeling stuck:

Take a break
Pray
Make a gratitude list
Go to bed earlier
Take a mental health day
Do some inner work

OR…JUST LOOK UP!!!

Look Up & Have a Blessed Day,

The House is On Fire

Aug9

What an awesome lesson my daughter presented to “The Fall Out” (a group of 5th, 6th, and 7th graders) last night. Below is the summary of the lesson written by my daughter Brandi Booth…

Great Bible study and fellowship time tonight! Tonight we talked about Trust & Obey! “The House is on Fire” activity went something like this:
There were four different rooms in our house that had an adult in each waiting for the kids to come and try to round them up. The adults were instructed that no matter what…they were to ask questions only…and refuse to be lured out of the house.
The Fall Out was told that they had 2 minutes to get everyone out of the house, before it “burned down.” The only rules for them were (1) they couldn’t tell the adults that the house was on fire! (2) they were not allowed to use force!
After the two minutes, and a million scams, bribes, and attempts to get the adults to evacuate…the house “burned down” with everyone in it!

Sometimes God wants us to “move” and we may not always know why…but ultimately if we stay in one spot and refuse to budge and only ask questions…eventually the house will burn down. We have to TRUST God! He sees the big picture…actually, He’s the Artist! He knows the right timing for everything! As hard as it may seem, even when we don’t understand something (or like it!)…we should OBEY God. Just like The Fall Out demonstrated tonight…God will do everything He can to get you to move…but, ultimately obedience is up to us and if we wait to long…we may be ignoring His protection…or miss out on a blessing!

Whenever we submit to His will and plan, it brings glory and honor to His Name through us! That is a powerful witness and testimony! Are you limiting yourself to what God has planned for you by your refusal to move or are you delaying His blessings by asking questions? Your next question could be the last chance you get to obey! Trust in Him and obey His calling for your life.

Is Your House On Fire?

Love Lee ♥

Let There Be Light

Jun5

For all who have visited our home in Jones Creek know all too well the importance of light in my life. In-fact, anyone who passed our home could see the lights from the street as the electric candles burned in every window to illuminate our home.

These electric candles burn 24/7 as a symbol of life to all who pass by. Life, love, and hope that filles our home served as a beacon for all to join us in our celebration. In-fact, prior to moving, I received a card from a neighbor thanking me for keeping the candles burning throughout the night. She suffered from a chronic illness and spent many sleepless nights gazing out her window across the street at our lights stating they served as a symbol of hope for her. One of the saddest moments I experienced when we moved was unplugging my lights and packing them away.

As I unpacked boxes in our new home, I came across the lights. I debated about putting them in the windows but got side tracked and put the box aside and totally forgot about them. After dinner last night, Richard said, “Hey Babe, can you come here for a minute?”. I followed him outside to the front of the house and Oh My Gosh…The entire front of the house was glowing! He had unpacked my lights…

Let There Be Light…We are Home Now!

Love Lee ♥

You are my lamp, O LORD; the LORD turns my darkness into light. 2 Samuel 22:29

A Burning Heart

Jan24

I frequently come in from work after dark and last night was no different. As I pull through the gate and made my way down the drive toward home I saw a yellow-orange glow. Then, the closer I got the bigger the glow got.

YES…That man of mine had built a fire!!!

We love to sit out in the evenings around the fire pit and discuss the events of our day. However, last night the discussion was delay a bit as our daughter had walked over to enjoy the fire with us. At some point in the conversation she realized she got a little chilled and decided to stand and move closer to the fire. As she stood over the fire watching it burn, she exclaimed…”Cheyenne come look…There is a burning heart inside the log”. Cheyenne reluctantly got up off the ground where she was playing with her dog and walked over to take a look. Then I heard “Wow…that is cool mom”. While their excitement peaked my interest, it wasn’t peaked enough to cause me to hoist myself up out of the chair I had waited for all day .

After the girls headed home and Richard and I shared the highlights of our day while Richard “tinkers” with the fire. As he looked into the fire he said, “You really should come see this burning heart. The girls weren’t kidding it is really beautiful”. Now for Richard to tell me it was beautiful, I knew I needed to take a look. Looking down into the hollow log the opposite end of the log was shaped like a heart and the embers were glowing with brilliant color…vibrant oranges, deep blue reds, and brilliant yellows.

As I stood and stared into the log, I couldn’t help but think…

Wow…I could see the glow of burning heart from the road but it wasn’t until I got close that I could see the buried embers and feel the intense warmth of the burning heart.

You know…it is very much the same with Jesus. From a distance we know He is there…but it is not until we get close enough to Him that we are able to see His “Burning Heart”

David Crowder says it best!!!

“How He Loves”

He is jealous for me,
Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree,
Bending beneath the weight of his wind and mercy.
When all of a sudden,
I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory,
And I realise just how beautiful You are,
And how great Your affections are for me.

And oh, how He loves us so,
Oh how He loves us,
How He loves us all

Yeah, He loves us,
Whoa! how He loves us,
Whoa! how He loves us,
Whoa! how He loves.
Yeah, He loves us,
Whoa! how He loves us,
Whoa! how He loves us,
Whoa! how He loves.

We are His portion and He is our prize,
Drawn to redemption by the grace in His eyes,
If grace is an ocean, we’re all sinking.
So Heaven meets earth like an unforseen kiss,
And my heart turns violently inside of my chest,
I don’t have time to maintain these regrets,
When I think about, the way…

He loves us,
Whoa! how He loves us,
Whoa! how He loves us,
Oh how He loves.
Yeah, He loves us,
Whoa! how He loves us.

He Loves Us With His Burning Heart!!!

Love Lee ♥

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM THE RANCH…2011

Dec24

Greetings Our Precious Family and Friends!!!

Wow, this year has flown by and while so much has changed in our lives since 2010, we remain very much the same. This year Richard and I spent time celebrating life events with our family which included birthdays, weddings, graduations, Tae Kwon Do, and basketball. In May family and friends joined us for the 5^th Annual Smith Family Reunion which was filled with lots of food, fun, laughter, and lots of MEMORIES!!! Our lives are so enriched by the moments we have with those we love.

Then in October, heaven gained an Angel and we lost our Nana (Richard’s mother). This Christmas will be especially hard for us as Christmas was Nana’s favorite holiday and Christmas Eve will not be the same without her.

It was also in October we moved to the “Ranch”. We sold our home and moved into our 38 foot motorhome…Talk about a huge task!!! All our belongings which were in our 3,100 SF home are now housed in 3 different storage buildings and have no clue where to find anything!!!

I am sure about now you are probably thinking we have lost our minds…I assure you we have not!!! We will be building a home on our daughter and son-in-law’s ranch right across from our precious granddaughter!!! Wooohooo…talk about making some incredible memories…In-fact we have already started!!! A huge thanks to our son-in-law, Robi for getting a place for the RV set-up while we were busy moving…We would not have made it without his help!!!

Since moving into the RV, we’ve added a deck, put up a fence, made time for play breaks, and even taken a trip to New Mexico for Thanksgiving where we spent quality time with Brandi and Robi in Taos before driving to Albuquerque for time with Uncle Russell, Aunt Karen, and Richard’s cousins…Making Those Memories!!!

Richard continues to work for BASF as a process technician and for Alston Group LLC as a technical writer. Lee Ann celebrated her 10th Anniversary at Angleton Danbury Medical Center and continues to focus on the Revenue Cycle and Case Management. We both are keenly aware of how blessed we are to have such wonderful employers and incredible co-workers.

While life is very simple now…It is a great life!!!

We pray during this Holiday Season God will surround you with His peace and you will take time to bask in His presence throughout the entire year…

Merry Christmas and Lots of Love

Beneath His Sheltering Wing…

Love,

Richard and Lee Ann ♥

There Is A Winner Within

Sep19

Wow, who would have thought…

Landau Eugene Murphy Jr takes the stage and appears to be the least likely person to audition much less win America’s Got Talent.

As you will see in the video, none of the judges were expecting to hear such a spectacular audition. In-fact their body language and reaction to Landau’s appearance indicates they have absolutely no confidence in his ability. In-fact, the judges had judged him before he had even opened his mouth.

As I watched this episode of America’s Got Talent and then watched again in the video, I couldn’t help but wonder…How would we respond if Landau had walked through the doors of our church and sat down next to us? Oh I know, we all would like to believe we would welcome him with open arms. But, would we really?

As much as Christians hate to admit it we are such a judgmental group of people. I’m sure you are thinking… “Not Me!” Are you sure about that? Below are some scenarios, as you read them being totally honest with yourself…What would be your gut reaction to this person who decides to sit next to you in church?

A 15-year-old female wearing Daisy Dukes
A derelict who reeks of alcohol
An elderly man who’s clothing smells of old urine
A teenage boy wearing a baseball cap
A group of young men wearing black trench coats
A woman in her 40’s wearing a t-shirt and no bra
A young mother with a screaming baby
A teenager eating a hot dog and drinking a coke

Hmmm…did you get up and move from your pew, ignore them, or embrace them?

I would venture to say if we are totally honest with ourselves if we did embrace them, we did not embrace them with our heart but in gesture only.

My friend, we cannot continue to judge a book by its cover. We must open up the hard external cover of broken lives and begin to read the pages chalked full of experiences. We must begin to see the internal person; the one screaming to come out.

We are so bound by tradition and religion we lose track of who we are and our calling. We are called to love the “Unlovely” and the “Rule Breakers”.

“Church is not a household for saints. It is a hospital for sinners.” ~Robin Butler

“Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn others, or it will all come back against you. Forgive others, and you will be forgiven. Luke 6:37

Don’t Judge the Book by Its Cover…

There Is A Winner Within!!!

Love Lee ♥

There Is A Way Out

Sep18

Are you feeling trapped by circumstances beyond your control? Perhaps you can’t make your bills, the kids are out of control, or you are forced to deal with difficult people.

There is a way out!!!

The trap in which we are held prisoner is our mindset. We allow our perceptions to set our limits…Often times we perceive the situation to be worse than it is because we cannot recognize it for what it is.

The Way Out is to Change Your Mindset

Rather than view everything as negative we can choose to view each and everything we endure as our Testimony. Our very own story of how God has been so good to us. Think about it…Would you be able to truly testify of God’s goodness if you never had those difficult challenges in life?

I like to view the adversity as “Walking Out My Testimony”.

I could not testify to God’s provision if I did not know financial ruin.
I could not testify to God’s healing hand if I did not almost died from Lyme’s Disease
I could not testify to God’s comfort if I did not loose a loved one
I could not testify to God’s grace if I did not sin
I could not testify to God’s peace of mind if I did not have to trust Him with my children
I could not testify to God’s love if I had not felt what it was like to be unloved
I could not testify to God’s understanding if I have not been misunderstood
I could not testify to God’s companionship if I had not know what it was like to be alone and without a friend

You see every form of adversity is part of my testimony if I believe God is with me and believe…

There Is A Way Out…

He is my Way Out no matter the circumstance!!!

Love Lee ♥

Powering Up

Aug26

Wow…soft music playing, scented plug-ins, accent lamps…Yep, everything is perfect as I walk out the door for work. A scheduled appointment to show our home was set for the early afternoon. I returned home at 6pm to find a silent house, I can’t smell the plug-ins, and my accent lamps are off.

Yes, you guessed it…the rain storm that blew through took out the power.

Of all days for this to happen! But isn’t that just like our lives?

When we least expect it a storm blows through and we lose our power. With the disconnect from our power source; Jesus Christ, we begin to stop speaking in love, our lights go out, and we begin to stink..

Thank goodness once we plug back into Jesus Christ we power up and our light is restored, our responses are tempered with love, and we take on His sweet aroma…

So, the next time you find yourself out of energy…

Power Up!!!

God is my strength and power: and he maketh my way perfect. 2 Samuel 22:33

Love Lee ♥

Are You Blowing Hot Air

Aug23

Have you heard the phrase “she is just radiant”?

A radiant personality is much like radiant heat.

Radiant heat is a unique transfer of energy that naturally searches out colder objects to warm. Instead of rising like warm air, radiant heat starts by warming the coldest and closest objects from its source.

Radiant heat unlike forced hot air is a gentle slow warming while forced hot air from air vents tends to be dry, dusty and even loud. I am sure you have met that person as well…

So here are some characteristics of a radiant personality?

Sincere
Enthusiastic
Wholesome
Successful
Self-confident
Sense of humor
Good manners
Charm
magnetism
Tender
Original
Spiritual
Pleasant speaking voice
Soft facial expressions

As I typed these characteristics I thought to myself…

Wow, It sounds like I am describing Jesus!!!

Then like an epiphany it came to me…If we have Jesus in our hearts and lives we can’t help but have a radiant personality.

So if your blowing hot air perhaps you need JESUS!!!

Love Lee ♥

Shhh…Listen

Aug17

Growing up as a little girl, I always tried to be respectful and obedient to the voice of my parents; especially when they were expressing their expectations. Primarily because my parents would tolerate nothing less.

It was an expectation!

This morning during my quiet time, I was reminded it is no different with God.

“but whoever listens to me will live in safety and be at ease, without fear of harm.” Proverbs 1:33

Wow…If we are feeling vulnerable, uncomfortable, or in fear…Perhaps we are not listening to His voice!

To ignore my parents voice usually lead to negative consequences but to obey yielded safety, harmony and there was no fear. It is no different with God…Perhaps we need to start listening!!!