Ordinary Things and Thoughts on 33

I am 33 today. And I woke up this morning and can’t get this out of my head. “Do ordinary things with extraordinary love.” Or paraphrased: “Do small things with great love.”

I've heard it many times, but it's like I am hearing it with new ears. I think that will be my mantra this year.

My Facebook feed and phone has been lit up with Happy Birthday messages and sweet compliments all morning. Way to make a girl feel special.

But I know deep inside I am not an extraordinary person. And I don’t mean that in a self-degrading way. This doesn’t mean I don’t have confidence or am feeling low or anything like that. I 100% believe and recognize we are filled with the power of the Holy Spirit. I love the book of Ephesians and thinking about God’s presence and power in our lives.

But what I am saying is that I am an ordinary person and my days are filled with ordinary tasks.

I am a mom of three. I have nursed three babies, changed countless diapers, wiped noses, calmed tantrums, snuggled hard, disciplined, cooked more meals than I can count and cleaned up afterwards. It’s hard work. Some days I feel like I deserve a medal because we all got dressed and I cleaned all the toilets by 8 am. And other days I lose my temper and feel like I failed miserably.

Sometimes it can get lonely. And it can feel like no one says thank you. And I can get in a real pity party really fast.

Other days it feels like the greatest gift in the world.

But how many moms have done this before me and will continue to do this after me? How many moms are doing this right along with me?

So to learn to do these things with a smile on my face and joy in my heart, day in and day out. That’s a goal and that’s a gift. Do ordinary things with extraordinary love.

I’ve done nonprofit work for the last decade. I’ve worked in databases, crunched numbers, done fundraising. It was fun work and it was hard work. I was promoted and I was making a good wage. I took great joy and had great “pride” in my work. And I love, love the nonprofits I have had the joy to work with. But sitting in an office, day in and day out. It was ordinary. Working in Excel, ordinary. Sending thank you notes to donors. Ordinary.

But put God in the equation and multiply the efforts by all the staff members and thousands of donors. Then you see lives changed. Lives transformed. Lives healed. Now, that’s extraordinary. But me and my role? Ordinary.

My role now with Noonday: whether you see it as direct sales or a mission field (or both), what I personally do is pretty ordinary. I get dressed, put (a little) makeup on and get ready for the day. I take photos and share them. I gather with women at trunk shows, and I tell people about our products and our artisans in other countries. I have fun and I laugh and sometimes I get nervous. Sometimes my words come out well and sometimes I fumble. Sometimes I take my baby and he cries and I feel like I messed up.

But when you combine my ordinary efforts with the efforts of women all over the world who are Ambassadors, well, then there’s impact. There’s thousands of families whose lives are changed for the better by the opportunity Noonday creates. There’s great joy in this work. There’s also great challenge that can go along with it because it is heart and soul.

My husband is a teacher. He prepares lessons plans. He drives to and from work each day in a Prius. He grades papers. He doesn’t get paid “a lot” by today’s American standards. He works hard and loves his job. Combine him with all the teachers at the school and all the teachers across the world. Well, we all can agree that this is important work and many would say, THE most important work. He is part of something so much bigger than himself. The ordinary tasks he does all day long are a huge part of shaping lives. And he takes great joy in that. 

My favorite book of the Bible is hands down Ecclesiastes. It's been my favorite for years. Funny, since the phrase I remember the most from the book is the repeated phrase that “It’s all meaningless!” But before you think I’m crazy, let me explain. Solomon talks about all the “great” things he did. He built palaces and made money and did all these things. He did them well, but only to see others come after him and “destroy” what he did. So what was the point?

Now that sounds totally depressing but then there’s this:

The best thing in life, he concluded, was to eat, drink and be merry. Enjoy your life, your work and your loved ones. Don't sweat the small stuff. Don't toil. Don't fret. (All paraphrased.)

So that’s my mantra this year. Eat, drink, be merry. Enjoy my babies and my work. Continue to do my ordinary things and be brave. Continue to fight for others. Continue to love in small ways and trust that God will take my small ways and give them significance for His glory. Recognize that each phase is a season and there is a time for all things to begin and come to an end.

I will continue to recognize my own humanity and the “meaninglessness” of it all. Because it will all fade away. Because there’s something much bigger after this life.

The minute we put ourselves on a pedestal and think we did the great things – that’s the minute we crumble. That’s the minute we lose the point.

Alternatively, it is so easy for our efforts to feel too small or too ordinary or meaningless at times. 

But when our efforts are combined with God's power? They can become extraordinary.

So, what if we strike that happy balance? Where we humbly obey and don’t get proud when we “succeed.” Where we don’t worry if what we are doing is too small. Where we let the Spirit move within us and we are content where we are.

That is the goal for me right now. And for a type A, over-analyzing, recovering perfectionist…that’s a hard goal.

Do ordinary things with extraordinary love. Doing my best to put it into practice.

Thanks for reading.

The Why Behind the What...and "Owning It"

"The Why Behind the What...and "Owning It."' I hope that is a good title for this post today. This post is about me and life lately and what I am doing as a Noonday Collection Ambassador. I hope you will take a few minutes to keep reading.

So many people ask me: “How’s the jewelry stuff going?” or “How’s the Noonday stuff going?”

Thanks for being kind and asking how I am doing, even if you maybe don't understand what Noonday is and why I am doing it. This is exactly what I used to ask my friend and fellow ambassador, Amber, when I would check in with her about it. 

Now being on the other side of it, it is so different. It is so much more than “jewelry stuff.” It is so much more than sales and the commission check I get each month, although I am grateful for the blessing of a little bit of income for my family. So for those who are interested, here is a little bit of the why behind the what I am doing. This is also for me to read and reflect back on in a year or a few years as my life changes.

For me, it is taking the verse Isaiah 58:10 seriously and being the hands and feet of Christ, making opportunity for people that are "the hungry and oppressed." As uncomfortable as it makes me that others are oppressed and I am not, this is the reality. I’m not sure why I get to walk around some of the nicest cities near Nashville, enjoying safe, clean playgrounds and school campuses, shopping at Whole Foods while drinking my greens, and delighting in the luxuries of online shopping. But I do. And it’s easy to be comfortable with those things and there is nothing wrong with those things. In fact, those are some of my favorite things to enjoy.

And this is where it gets heavy, and this is not meant to create guilt. In my heart and in my head, I cannot sit in silence simply enjoying life and all those things while others are suffering. This is who God made me to be. I knew in college, I wanted a job that would "help people." That was about the extent of what I knew. Then that desire became, "I want to help girls with eating disorders" and that's why I went to work with Mercy Ministries for 9 years. Now it is a bigger question of "How can I help people?" again. I recently learned I am Enneagram Type 2 - the Helper, so this makes SO MUCH SENSE. This is who God wired me to be, even though I feel so small in a world so big. Even though I feel helpless and like I couldn't possibly be helpful, I'm "owning it" as people say these days.

There is real-life poverty right here in Nashville and all across the world. There are real-life slums and real-life people who don’t know how they are going to make ends meet tomorrow. There is real-life trafficking happening, real-life injustice. It may not be a part of my real-life, but it is a part of the lives of many. I wondered for so long how God could use someone like me to create an impact in such a big world with such big problems, and I am now feeling a sense of purpose being part of a organization, partnering with like-minded people, working to create actual solutions to combat the injustices that so many are facing. 

I know so many great people with great hearts, and we know we are called to help, but I don’t think we always know how. There is a part of us that is at a loss when thinking about these things because we also know we are called to take care of our own needs and our own families and maybe we are struggling to make ends meet and pay our bills each month, too. I have told myself so many times: “When the kids get older, I will volunteer more” OR “When I have more money, I will be able to donate more…” OR “When this happens, then (fill in the blank).” And all these things are true. I do intend to do those things. But also, I find myself asking, "What can I do, right now?" "How can I work towards solutions, right now?" "How can I teach my children to work and to love others, right now?" 

It is me reading Proverbs 31:17- “She sets about her work vigorously, her arms are strong for the task...” and not being able to stop thinking about it. I am not thinking so much about my hands and my work, but thinking about the artisans working and making new lives for themselves and their families because they were given opportunity. They just need opportunity. They need opportunity to not place their children in orphanages. They need opportunity to put food on the table. They don’t need a handout or one-time help, but sustainable, ongoing opportunity. People need jobs. People need to provide for their families. People were created to flourish.

So, that’s my update. I feel incredibly called to do this. But it is stretching me so hard right now. I have so much pride, and at the same time, so much self-doubt to work through. I am uncomfortable with posting selfies and jewelry and sale flyers and thinking that some might see it as superficial or unimportant. It is hard to try to explain all this in a 60-second update when someone asks how I am doing and how it's going. (Especially if I think they are maybe just asking to be polite.) I don’t like asking others to host trunk shows, but that is a part of what makes this work possible. I so strongly crave to be seen as genuine in this, and so the sales part makes me feel on-edge.

But I am getting past all those fears and little voices telling me those things. I am working on "owning it." I am trying to find balance in how to be a voice for those I am called to be a voice for. And I am trying to create a marketplace for them. I pray God uses me despite my insufficiencies, because I believe this is important. 

This is stirring up so much within me and I hope it stirs up action in the lives of others as well. This is way more than “jewelry stuff” for me. It is heart and soul. It is necessary. It is part of my growing process as I learn and discover how God will allow me to serve others and fulfill the calling on my life. I am so thankful for those who see the purpose and support me and, therefore, support Noonday Collection. To those that made it through this post, thank you.

Good Friday Reflections - and Entering Through the Needle

Easter is coming and soon we will celebrate His resurrection.  

But today is Good Friday and I reflect on his death. And I can't help but admit to myself that Jesus makes me uncomfortable.

Because God wired me so that when I am all in with something, I am really all in.

Because lukewarm is not okay in my eyes and it never has been.

So when I sing songs lyrics like “All I need is you,” I can’t help but question the motives in my heart. Is all I REALLY need and want Jesus?

Because sometimes I say I want Jesus, but what I really want is the Jesus that I get to pick and choose.

I want abundant life to mean comfortable life.

I want to think that His immeasurable works and abilities means that He will answer every prayer, every whim of my heart.

I can very easily choose to try make it all about me.

The Son of God says follow me. He does not even promise a place to lay our heads.
Well, I want my own home, and a nice one at that. I want it decorated and full of things that make me happy, and I want it clean.

He says pray for daily bread.

I don’t want daily bread. I want to buy what I want when I want, even if it’s on a credit card. I want beach vacations that we can’t afford and a full bank account.

I don’t want to worry about how to pay a bill or how I will retire or pay for my kids' college. I want more than enough.

He says pray and wait patiently.

I don’t want to wait. I want results NOW.

He says it is a blessing to suffer.

I don't want to suffer. I want 100% health and happiness and to never experience trials.

I don’t want to carry a cross.

He says to trust.
Sometimes I don’t.

He says to pray, to immerse myself in the word.

Sometimes I’d rather watch TV, to escape from reality.

He says it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the Kingdom of God.

Sometimes I feel poor and sometimes I feel rich based on who I am around. Perspective.

We live with credit cards but we live in the richest country in the world. We have Amazon prime and Instagram and so many resources and opportunities right in front of us. We are swimming in our stuff, Goodwilling on a regular basis.

But sometimes I feel like I don’t have enough. There is always someone with more.

Jesus says be humble.

My heart is proud and wants attention. I can find myself branded by my achievements, craving affirmation, struggling to keep up with it all.

Jesus says He will direct our steps.

I want to be my own boss, make my own rules.

Faith is supposed to move mountains but sometimes I feel stuck.

I am having trouble entering through the needle. I am in the Bible belt but sometimes being a part of the Kingdom feels hard to do here. It’s sobering when you realize you really take things for granted.

So I repent and the tears fall.

I remember the Spirit I received the moment I surrendered.

The peace comes.

His presence surrounds me.

I thank Him for his forgiveness.
I thank Him that He loves sinners just like me. 

For His death. His resurrection.

For James 4 that says: "Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, your sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Grieve, mourn and wail...Humble yourselves before the Lord and he will lift you up."

When I say, All I need is you, do I mean it? Will I really get there?

Lord, help me understand the way through the needle.
Help me to really understand the implications of being a follower of Christ this Easter Sunday.
Help my heart to really mean it when I say, "All I need is you."

on fear and faith

Wow, I haven't written in almost three years. I've been wanting to write again for quite some time, but just never got around to it. Having babies will do that to you. I have a lot of thoughts I want to share in the coming months and hope you'll join me so that we may encourage one another.

For now, my very first post (now that I'm back) is on the topic of fear. How fitting, given my blog title. I hope you will stick with me through the history part at the beginning of this post as I share some very real, personal thoughts with you towards the end.

As some of you know, last fall I tasked myself with reading the Bible chronologically. Right now, this journey is taking me through 2 Kings, 2 Chronicles and Isaiah all at once! It has been a long six months of soaking in words from the Old Testament. Lots of Rebellion. Repentance. Miracles. Deliverance. Repeat.

It’s fascinating, frustrating and hard to read, all at the same time. I like learning history and seeing a grander picture of God. Trying to understand the Old Testament is, for me, like putting a bunch of puzzle pieces together. Ya’ll know me. Any opportunity to analyze and over-think things is a great opportunity, indeed.

Sometimes the stories seem so long ago and far-removed from me. And sometimes, a lesson from God smacks me right in the face. Today was one of those days.

Today’s story – King Hezekiah and the people of Judah being faced by the Assyrian army. (Did I just lose you right there? Hopefully not.)

A little background. Hezekiah is king of Judah. This is about 300 years after Saul, David and Solomon, so Israel and Judah had had a lot of Kings at that point. God had spoken many, many times to His people warning them of the dangers of idolatry and rebellion against Him. At this point, the Assyrian army has overtaken Israel and many of the Israelites have fled to Judah. Now Judah is being threatened by the Assyrian army.

In the passage I read today, the leader of the Assyrian army is taunting Hezekiah and the people of Judah.

“Come now, make a bargain with my master, the king of Assyria. I will give you two thousand horses, if you can put riders on them…

Do not let Hezekiah deceive you. He cannot deliver you! Do not let Hezekiah persuade you to trust in the Lord when he said, ‘The Lord will surely deliver us; this city will not be given into the hand of Assyria.’

Make peace with me and come out to me. Then every one of you will eat from his own vine and fig tree and drink water from his own cistern, until I come and take you to a land like your own – a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards.”

He continued to taunt the people. He told them would have to eat their own filth and drink their own urine if they did not side with the Assyrian army.

Sorry, that’s graphic, but that’s the story.

When I read this, it resonated so deeply within me today. This leader of the army was doing everything in his power to make Hezekiah and the people of Judah make a FEAR-BASED decision. He tried to make them fear their God wouldn’t provide for them and even gave them the false promise that he would provide better.

Did trusting in more horses, chariots, or weapons sound appealing? Sure. Would better food and the promise of provision seem appealing? Sure.

Sound familiar? It does to me. There are lots of examples in the Old Testament of God’s people being told not to trust in chariots or numbers or the ways of the world because God is sovereign over those things. He provided miracle after miracle proving his abilities, his power. Parting the Red Sea. Manna from Heaven. The wall of Jericho. The Exodus. Too many stories to name.

I found myself asking myself the question: What do I put my trust in? I say I trust in God, but really, do I? When I’m honest with myself, I know I have allowed fear and anxiety to cripple me in so many forms, on so many days.

I get crippled thinking about finances. The future. Fear over if I’m making the best choice by working less and being home more. Fear over if I’m making the best choice by working at all. Fear over if I’m making enough of a difference as a Christian. Fear over whether I’m a good enough mom. Fear over friendships. Fear over family relationships. Fear over…well just about anything.

Now a shift to the story, and I hope this doesn’t scare some of you off.

I have had TWO dreams in the last few months about large pythons. Huge snakes. In one dream, I ran for my life, but the snake lunged after me and started swallowing my arm. Terrifying. In the other dream, the snake was high overhead me, coiling around the branch of a tree. In my dream, I knew the snake was currently choking the tree, then coming after me.

This is how I’ve let fear take me over at times. Literally, choking the very life out of me. 

Have you ever felt that way?

I have tried to figure out how I’ve let fear into my life. I think fear creeps in, little by little. I think I've allowed it to because I’ve struggled with “hearing” the Lord…or “feeling” Him at times. I’ve had a lot more time at home the last year and half, time with my beautiful children, but also time away from all the busyness of a desk job. Lots of time to think. To analyze. To become paralyzed by fear.

I am beyond tired of living in fear. 

The ONLY thing I should be fearing is the Lord. Period.

Prov 1:7 – The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.

Phillipians 2:12 – Continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling.

Friends, family, those I love…if you are struggling with fear, with anxiety, depression…this is not from God. I think of that huge python…choking the life out of me in my dreams. I have seen the python choking the life out of some of you as well. 

I think of that army commander in the story, taunting God’s people. Twisting the truth. I think of the very garden where it all started…with the creepiest snake of all.

The perfect answer to solving the problem of feeling fear…I don’t know.  It’s hard to tell you someone struggling with faith and fear to “just trust God.” Let’s be honest about that. 

What I do know is this.

Faith gets activated in hard times. Faith gets activated in trials. God didn’t promise we would all have it easy. In fact, we are told to pray for our DAILY bread. Not to have the next five years figured out. Not to have the perfect plan. Just what we need for that day. So I’ve tried clinging to that in moments of fear. I just need to make it through this day. I just need the Holy Spirit to guide me through my decisions for THIS day.

We are commanded to cast our cares up on him.

So hard to do, when you don’t feel like God is answering your prayers. When there is no audible voice to be heard. No magic answer telling us to choose right or choose left when making a big decision. I have been so recently frustrated with this. And I know I am not alone in that. But what right do I have to be angry with God? If you read Job you will get a big wake-up call on that.

Instead, when I feel like I can’t hear him or feel him, I am clinging to the words of the Bible…Romans 8. That when I don’t know what to pray, the Holy Spirit is GROANING on my behalf.  Groaning. Let that soak in a minute. So sometimes, these days, I just shut my mouth. I am approaching prayer that way lately because when I pray I just keep saying the same things and letting the same fears cloud my thoughts. Holy Spirit, you know how best to pray for me and those I love. I’m just simply selfish when I do the talking.

I am also learning this:

If I am making a decision out of FEAR, not faith, then it’s not a good one. I am still letting that one sink in and learning to avoid those decisions.

Friends, I encourage you to shut out fear and to be aware of it if it is controlling your life. Don’t let your life be choked out from you. Some of the fruits of the Spirit are peace and joy. No, I do not believe we will have these feelings every moment, but if you are living in fear every moment, or even in a lot of your moments, then rest assured, Satan is after you. 

Join me in a heart-check if fear has crept in. You are not alone. This has been going on from the very beginning. Thankfully, God is a forgiving God. He will wrap you in His arms tightly and not let go. We must not waste our time fearing, but spend our moments faithfully clinging to him with every part of us. You don’t have to let fear cripple you anymore today. Join me in walking this out - faith, not fear!

I hope this blesses you today.

And if you've made it this far, thank you! I promise, my next post won't be this long.

Life, conflict and allowing God to mend things.

This has been a season where God has really been opening my eyes to the hurt that exists in the world and also to how fragile and precious life truly is. Last month, a very loved member of our church passed away from a heart attack. I had really only met him a few times, but I can truly say, the entire church body has mourned this loss during this time. He was one of those people that was constantly ministering to others, just simply loving others through conversation and by his example.

Ever since his death, I have been thinking of my own life, and how God orders my steps and I don't know what the next day holds. This can be exciting, or terrifying, depending on how you look at it. When God helps you understand his sovereignty, and how you are not in control, He can really also shape inside of you the desire to truly put pettiness and "worldly behavior" aside.

Truthfully, most of the "pain" I have experienced in life has been through the actions/behaviors of myself and others. I think it is very easy for people to forget how much they have the potential to hurt other people through what they say or do. I also don't think people realize how GREAT their potential is to LOVE other people and influence them through what they do.

To put it most simply, believers need to understand that, as believers, you really should be developing the heart to love each other, sinful behavior at all, because you are asking God to make you forgiving and selfless. Like, don't gossip about each other. Or allow yourself to get jealous of one another. For the love, don't de-friend each other on facebook due to a disagreement. Or walk in anger with another.

God has taught me a lot about confrontation in the last few months. Yes, I work in a ministry, and he has been teaching me about this! Each day, I pray for any areas in my heart that are unclean. Any areas where I have unresolved feelings for another person. Yes, I get crazy feelings sometimes - I admit it. Sometimes, my feelings are due to things another person said or did, and I've also found that it is possible to fabricate feelings or situations in your mind about another person that really aren't even true! Regardless of why you feel negatively about another person, it is important to address it head on.

In my experience, I've learned that it is better to walk to someone directly and say, "Hey, you really hurt my feelings by what you said," or "Hey, you know, I was a real jerk when I said such and such. See, I'm stressed out, and I let things get to me, and I'm sorry for what I did." It really can be simple if you pray about it beforehand and let the Holy Spirit lead you.

By ripping the band-aid off and talking things out, we make ourselves extremely vulnerable, but the end results are that you develop a greater understanding of each other's hearts and are actually demonstrating God's love rather than allowing the enemy creep in to develop anger, jealousy or even fear. This is really important in marriages, too. I think a lot of marriages could likely be saved if spouses learned to communicate in a better way.

I read a great example in the Bible today in the book of Acts 15. Paul and Barnabas had been traveling together ministering and preaching to the Gentiles. In verse 17, Barnabas wants to ask Mark to join them, and Paul disagrees, because apparently Mark had "abandoned" them in the past - or in other words, ticked him off. So they parted ways. BUT if you read the notes in your Bible, and look in 2 Timothy 4:11, Paul asks for Mark to join him in his final days. He says "He is helpful to me in my ministry."

I like this. Eventually, God reconciled the two men. I would like to think that God mended whatever disagreements or discomfort they had. At the very least, he showed Paul that Mark was valuable.

So, there it beauty in reconciliation. My charge today - just love others that are trying to walk with God as you are. Address conflict head on, in a reasonable way, and see what God does with it. At that point, you will be more effective in helping the hurting than being the one getting hurt in the midst or even doing some hurting of your own.

Perfect Preparation

This morning, as I reflected on a few things I've been praying about for awhile, I really sensed the presence of the Holy Spirit and heard the following: "The perfect preparation of the Lord takes time."

As I think about my son's upcoming first birthday, it amazes me how much he has grown in the last year, but in light of what I heard this morning, I find myself thinking today about that time period of preparation while I awaited Owen's arrival. For nine months, he grew in my womb, and God was developing every detail - every eyelash, every finger and toe, his heart and other organs, etc. (Yes, I am a little bit emotional this week.) My son is a beautiful reflection of the work of God's hands. "For You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother's womb." Psalm 139:13.

Our God is a God of details.

As I've mentioned in an earlier blog, Will and I want to move into a new home in the coming months or year, and we've been praying fervently about this. Well, when I think about the things I just said, I have a peace knowing that God is working out every detail on our behalf, and this time period of preparation will be well worth the wait. He has to line up the buyer for our townhome, line up the perfect house for us to be listed on the market, give us wisdom and favor to work out our finances, prepare our hearts, prepare the seller's hearts, prepare our realtor, etc. This kind of stuff takes time.

Yes, God can move in a second. But in situations past, I know I've definitely thought to myself - wow, the hand of the Lord has been on this for months and had this not happened at such and such time, then this wouldn't have happened later on. It all just seems to work out in the end, and not by coincidence. The waiting is never fun, but when God sweeps in and takes action, the end results are worth it!

This was just a beautiful reminder this morning, and I encourage you in whatever God is preparing you for and whatever you are waiting on. It may be that perfect soulmate, that perfect job, financial provision, something to do with a friendship, etc. "Whatever is good and perfect comes down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens." James 1. These things take time sometimes. Remember today that the perfect preparation of the Lord takes time!

Don't settle...

Hebrews 2:1 says - "We must pay more careful attention to what we have heard so that we do not drift away."

I believe God calls believers to be alert, cautious and discerning at all times. Something we must be aware of today is what we fill our minds with on a daily basis. We know the basics. Read your Bible. Pray. Love one another. We know that these are the right things to do.

But I believe God calls us to do more than this. Part of growing intimate with God is to become more of a stranger to the world. This can even mean being weird at times.

One area that really stands out to me is the choices we make with movies and media.

I love comedy. But it has become increasingly obvious to me that there are going to be less and less available "good shows" to watch. I used to LOVE How I Met Your Mother and The Big Bang Theory, just to name two examples. The first few seasons are hilarious and the writers are genius in my opinion. It seems to be a growing trend, however, that in order to maintain viewers, more and more jokes about sex and one-night stands must be incorporated into the writing, especially the later the season of the show.

As Will put it - the first few seasons, the writers can keep you watching with their wit alone. But after that, they rely on sex to keep people watching.

There is a new show, Mad Love, which stars the girl from Scrubs (her name is escaping me now.) So, the show has only had like 3 or 4 episodes. Will and I happened to catch an episode a couple of weeks ago, and already, the main premise of the show was that the sister of the main girl comes into town and sleeps with the creepy friend of the main guy on the show and then everyone lies about it. Then the cat comes out of the bag, the main girl gets mad, then she apologizes and everything is okay.

Wow - how disappointing. We are only a few episodes in and ALREADY relying on sex for the main joke of the show.

Okay, so am I the only one who doesn't want to watch a show without a scene of someone in the bed with someone else, with nothing on but a blanket?? This is also in like EVERY movie you will ever rent now. People - this is not real life. Or, at least, not real life as God intends it to be.

So why has this become the norm? Why do we keep paying to see this? Why are we settling for mediocrity?

I ask you, as my friends, and as someone who is actually taking the time to read this, to OPEN your eyes if they are not already open to this. Again, "We must pay more careful attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away."

Don't just accept reading your Bible as enough. Not only should we be filling our minds up with good things, but we should refuse to put less than good things in. Make choices about what you choose to pay attention to. Even if this means turning the TV off or not watching the rented movie all the way through. I encourage you today to not settle for less in your life. Take a stand and refuse the norm.