Five Reasons Why Early Morning Rocks

When my alarm went off at 4 a.m. this morning, my first thought, I confess, was, Oh no! Not yet!  But then I remembered what I have to look forward to today and hoisted myself out of bed.
When I was young, I used to believe there was only one 4 o'clock and that was the one that came after school.  No one was awake at the other one.  Why should I even care that it existed?  The whole world was sleeping.
Fast forward to today.  Living in the musician world, I often see early morning from the other side-- like we had a wedding or some far-away gig and played until late then returned home early in the morning.  Those days/nights are fun on occasion, but that's not what I'm talking about.
What I love most is getting up when everyone else in the house is lost in the rhythm of their breathing, when the new mercies of the Lord are the freshest.  On these days, when I don't mindlessly massage that snooze, I can get more done before 8AM than some people will do all day.
So this morning I want to reflect on the beauties of the early EARLY morning hours and why I love them so much.
1.  QUIET... ahh.
The quiet is so rare and wonderful.  One can read, think, write, pray, all the things that can't be done when little ones are up asking for food or to turn on the TV.  In the precious minutes just before sunrise, no one is asking if  remembered to pay a bill and no one is telling me how their friend was mean to them.  Now don't get me wrong... I LOVE talking to my family and spending time with them, but sometimes I need some time with my own thoughts and to hear God speak to me in that still small voice.  I can't always hear what He is saying in the hubbub of responsibility and scheduling.  I need this time and believe it is essential for well-being, for creativity, and for inspiration.
2. The morning is COOL, both figuratively and LITERALLY.
Around here in the summer, it gets HOT, sweat-your-clothes-down-to-soaking-wet, humid hot!  And I guess I'm a little bit soft and a little too in love with my AC, but I don't want to get out and do too much in the 90 degree and more heat unless there is a pool involved.  So the morning, when the sun hasn't warmed up the oven of East Texas quite yet, is just right for getting some more strenuous activities done.
3. Workout done!
I cannot even describe the feeling of knowing that I have already worked out before I head off to work or whatever my daily responsibility may be.  First a workout wakes me up.  Who needs coffee? My Texas Fit Chicks instructor has a class in the early morning that is so inspiring. To get up and work out with some awesome ladies who also got up to work out just fires me up.  And at 5 in the morning it's serious business, so I feel super focused. Another morning workout option I like is BeachBody on Demand.  This is a relatively new discovery of mine.  I have purchased several of their programs over the years but with this internet subscription, I have access to try all of them.  I love the freedom to try all those infomercial workouts with just a click.  So I log on, choose a workout, and in 30 to 45 minutes, I am all sweaty and done.  Or I may work out by running on my...#4.
4. Red Dirt Trail
Getting out on my trail in the early morning, just after the sunrise means I get to see the earth afresh, just as it wakes up.  What a beautiful thing to feel the morning breeze, hear the birds and bugs, and anticipate the sun as it gently kisses away the dew.  These morning moments truly remind me of the beauty that lives at the Hand of our Creator.  Being out with nature in the cool of the morning inspires me in so many ways.
5. The feeling of ACCOMPLISHMENT
When I get on up, I am always amazed at how much I can get done.  I will look back and realize I've done dishes and laundry and cleaning.  I might blog, work on our business website, or stream encouraging videos from websites like danijohnson.com.  I may even do my lesson plans or online training.  It's amazing how much more focus I have in the quiet when I just get up.
It's 7 a.m. and I've already conquered several things today. 
I hope the rest of the day is just as productive for me and for you too!  Grace to you from the Red Dirt!

Honor God and Family...me first?

Learning how to honor others can be particularly hard sometimes, especially when you don't know how to accept honor for yourself. 
I think as human beings, we tend to lean toward extremes.  For example, we might expect those around us to do this or that and get all in a tizzy if they don't, even when they have no idea we even wanted them to do something.  Be very cautious of the "I deserve" attitude.  It can sour quickly and cause you more trouble than you need.  The other extreme is to say, "oh it doesn't matter" or "I don't care" or "whatever you think" all the time to other people.  This can cause you to constantly get walked on, pushed around, or maybe even bull-dozed by others.  This is also VERY dangerous because eventually you might switch to survival mode which can just throw you back to the other extreme. Sadly, I have been guilty of both extremes and have suffered the consequences of both. :(
The happy medium is  realizing that every blessing we have is only given by grace, not because we deserve it. Along with that we all have to give ourselves permission to state how we're feeling and to let our loved-ones know that we need something from them.  If you let them know what you really think, your honesty will give them a chance to honor you, which will in turn bless them.  It can be a beautiful circle.
The Bible calls for us to be bold like lions (Proverbs 28:1) and innocent like doves (Matthew 10:16), and Jesus Himself tells us to love our neighbor as ourselves (Matthew 22:39).  Funny how we catch that neighbor part; we dissect it and discuss it, asking who is our neighbor and all that jazz, but many of us miss the SELF part.  When you really hear what Jesus is saying, He is telling us that we must love ourselves first-- not in a narcissistic way but in a good stewardship, taking care of our heart, mind, body, and spirit way.  Our bodies are His temple, remember (1 Corinthians 6:19).  We should take care of what He has given us. 
When we take care of ourselves, feeding our spirits well with scripture, nourishing and nurturing our bodies with proper food, exercise, and rest, we are so much better prepared to honor the wonderful family and friends God has given us.  AND we are honoring God when we spend time with Him and follow His direction.
When we are content, we can "always be eager to practice hospitality" like the Apostle Paul tells Christians in Romans 12:13.  We can "love each other with genuine affection and take delight in honoring each other." Romans 12:10
Grace and Sunday SunSHINE to you and yours on this lovely weekend! 

Belt of TRUTH (Warrior Wednesday #2)

My precious daughter and her equally adorable teammates took softball pictures this spring, and they are the cutest dang pictures I have ever seen.  All these 7-8 year-old angels, dolled up and in their uniforms, are just a sight to see!

My VERY favorite picture in the set is their game-on, serious shot, with black smudges under their eyes, and no smiles allowed.  Part of the reason I liked that particular picture is that the girls, all the parents, and the photographer worked so very hard to capture it.  At least one girl would smile or giggle every time.  But when that last photo was taken, they looked like a group who meant business-- gear at the ready and winning on their minds.  
Much like these young ladies, we have to get our gear on, and be ready to face the battle with fierce focus.
It's Warrior Wednesday, and, as promised, we are going to look a little closer at Ephesians 6:10-20, the "whole armor of God".

Today let's look at the first part of verse 14-- the BELT.
"Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist..."(NIV)
Reflecting again on my little ball player, I remember the belt that went to her uniform.  Funny, the thing was totally useless.  Oh, it was part of the uniform, totally cute, and fine for others, but for my girl, it became more of a burden.  Why? It wasn't about truth.  She's so tiny but tall, that the only softball pants that came near fitting had elastic in the waistband and no belt loops.  That pretty yellow belt became more of a nuisance to her, as she fought to keep it in place the whole game.  Last few games, my husband instructed her to lose the belt.  He had strong opinions about this needless thing keeping her mind off her game.
Even now, that useless yellow belt makes me think about what a belt is supposed to be and why Paul used it as the symbol for TRUTH.  We may have to think back to Paul's time when a belt was not just an accessory to bring an outfit together aesthetically.  

Originally, a belt was truly for holding up a person's pants or other bottoms.  Think about this: in battle, a soldier can't fight while using one hand to hold up his pants and the other to hold onto his weapon.  That's ridiculous!  A belt holds up your pants, not only to keep your hands free but also keeping you from being embarrassed by showing your behind, literally.
Likewise a belt is useful to hold onto many tools, a weapon, a canteen, even a cell phone.  On stage, playing music, my husband uses his BELT pack to send his guitar signal to an amp so he can move around instead of being tethered by a chord to one spot.  

Ok, so how does all this relate to the TRUTH spiritually?  Here's my take: The BELT of TRUTH is the actual Word of God in us, on which we hang all that we need.  The TRUTH holds up our pants, so to speak, keeping us from being embarrassed.   People can argue with the TRUTH, but in the end it's still the TRUTH.  It holds up.  Wrap it around you.  It will make your work easier as it provides a place to keep all you need to survive battle.  You can hang a lot on the TRUTH.  
But be careful.  Don't rely on fake and useless belts.  The BELT of TRUTH will not move around and distract you.  The TRUTH is the TRUTH.  It will not let you down.
Next Warrior Wednesday: the Breastplate of righteousness.  
Until next time, Grace and Truth to you from the Red Dirt!

Warrior Wednesday: Training for Spiritual Battle

Weapons are not a foreign concept to me.   I am in no way offended by guns, ammo, or knives of any kind.  I was brought up around all kinds of fire power and mindfully taught about the dangers and seriousness of guns, as well as the usefulness and focused purpose of them.  

In the same way I was taught to respect these powerful tools, we teach the children in our family that weapons are useful but require thought, strategy, and skill, just like any other tool.

The weapons of spiritual warfare are no different.  We have been given a powerful set of battle gear that can be used to defend us against the Enemy's schemes or to advance in strategic offense against him and his forces.  But do we put in the time and practice we need to properly use this gear, and do we teach our children how to use and respect it?

Right now, in my stack of summer reading, is the book Fervent by Priscilla Shirer.  If you have seen the movie War Room, you have seen this author.  She is the actress who plays the main character in the movie, which portrays a woman whose world is turned around through the power of strategic prayer.  War Room is the inspiration for Shirer's book, a study on strategic prayer.

Did you know that PRAYER is one of our most powerful weapons?  And did you know it is NOT the only battle gear we possess?

In this world where we live, we will be pushed around by fear, worry, prejudice, and many other ungodly things-- did you catch that? UNgodly.  These things are NOT from God.  These types of powers in our lives only take our minds off of God and His blessings.  The Word of God tells us that we have not been given a spirit of fear but of power, of love, and self-discipline and that instead of letting worry consume us, we should think on whatever is good and holy and pure and true.

So why does fear keep tripping us up?  Why do we bathe in worry?  That's where I believe we don't take time to skillfully employ the weapons we've been given.  Ephesians 6 tells us to put on the full armor of God.  We have gear to protect us from head to toe, plus a shield and Sword to go forward into battle, and the encouraging Battle Cry that we are more than conquerors who have already won. 

In short, we are warriors.  That's why we need training for battle.  I invite you to join me for the next few Wednesdays as I study each piece of the battle gear-- the full armor of God.
In the meantime, grace and prayers to you on this Warrior Wednesday. 

Perfection & Pressure Again?

There seems to be a recurring theme in my life this week.  Everything I read or watch or pray seems to reiterate the idea that we all put too much pressure on ourselves.  There seems to be this ultimate quest for perfection.
The facts remain, though.  None of us can be perfect, no matter how much we plan, or work, or study. Excellence can happen, but perfection is not possible in our humanity.  We will only achieve perfection when we are called Home to Heaven and become like Jesus.

So why do we choose to lock ourselves up in a prison of pressure?  In our earthly quest, we do not reach perfection.  What we do instead is create a trap for ourselves.  We become slaves to our self-inflicted impossible expectations.  All this focus on our to-do list can sometimes take our minds off the Father.  And hasn't He told us that if we seek Him first, He'll give us all we need? Matthew 6:33
I posted something about this in January of this year.  Is a repost cheating? Oh well, nobody's perfect. ;) Here it is again. 
There's something inside of me that wants everything to be perfect right now... Like if I think of it, it should become what I want it to be the minute I think of it. Whether it's a clean house, a craft project, a lesson plan, I want it right then & there, and done to perfection.

Sadly, there's another part of me in constant battle with the first part.  This other part knows that perfection cannot be met. This part of me gets overwhelmed with all the ideas that cannot be finished. This part of me often paralyzes me, keeping me from getting anything done.

I feel that no one understands this part of me. They must see it as laziness, flakiness, unreliability.  So already bathed in the fears of imperfection and incompletion, I cover myself with a layer of guilt and the worry that I'm not enough-- that I can't measure up. Then to top it all off I dress up in bitterness accessorized by a sharp tongue. I do not feel good in this outfit & it makes my loved ones miserable.

Why is it that no matter how much I plan or how hard I work, something always seems to be left undone? Time is always running out, and I always feel guilty about something that I didn't do?
I don't think it's just me.  So many of us are way too worried about what others think when we should really only be worried about what God thinks.  What freedom we would experience if we lived in the confidence that comes with knowing we followed Him, but instead, we overwork our bodies, our minds, our relationships in this quest to impress.

 I know in my heart that God's wish for me is that I'd break free from this binding uncomfortable outfit, that I'd unravel this cloak of fear, worry, and guilt. My Father wishes that I'd do what His word says in Colossians 3, clothe myself "with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience," and over it all to "put on love".

I know what He wants, yet even though I try to do His will, I can't seem to shake free from my chains of doubt, weariness, and just down-right stubbornness. Anybody else feel like this?
Guess where those chains came from.  You know the answer.  They were forged in the same fires that the Enemy always uses.  He's studied us closely and he knows just how to weigh us down and bind us up.  But we belong to a "Chainbreaker".  (Check out that amazing song by Zach Williams if you get a chance.) Jesus can and will loose those chains!  He can free you from the accessories of guilt and busyness that the Devil tricks us into wearing.  In Jesus, we can be clothed in the freedom garments of Colossians 3.

Times like these, when I'm feeling used up & not enough, I need these words from Psalm 34:5, "Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame." It means everything to know that if I keep my eyes on the Lord, I will be alright. Or when I just don't want to do anything because I know I can't finish, I am motivated to keep moving by these words from Galatians 6:9, "Let us not grow weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." 

Note: Georgia Font Highlighted type is new today 7/13/2017.  Check out the original post "What to Wear" 1/23/2017 by clicking below. 
 https://graceguitarsandreddirt.blogspot.com/2017/01/what-to-wear.html

Hand Picked

When I was a little girl, I used to love to pick flowers-- all kinds.  They were pretty and I wanted them-- to give to Mama, Granny, even my Daddy sometimes.  In fact, I still choose a few wildflowers once in awhile to add a little color to my space.  I pick them and have always picked them with pleasure and with purpose.
Fast forward to my daughter; she is not much different than her mama.  Since she was tiny, she has picked flowers for us and brings them, eyes twinkling, bestowing them hopefully upon a happy receiver.  But oh, how disappointed she is when they are haphazardly strewn aside in her notice! "Mama, you didn't even care about the flowers I brought," she'll say.  I cringe each time, thinking how I have not been an example of thankfulness to her, how I have made my little flower wilt without the water of my delight.  And now those blossoms, so purposely picked will be wasted.

I can't help but think how flowers are a picture of us, as Christians.  Each lovely bloom different in appearance and fragrance, planted in varying fields and gardens for different purposes and plans, then picked by God for specific needs, events, and blessings. 

A wedding is one of those events that is very specific to its key players.  Not one of the many weddings I've been blessed to attend has ever been the same-- no duplicate dresses, no copied playlist, no replicated menu, and the FLOWER arrangements are always different!
Now from what I know of wedding planning, I am quite sure that each bride very strategically picked these flowers.  Maybe by color, or season, or preference.  Maybe by price, or availability, or current trends.  I remember, for my own wedding, having very specific blossoms in mind and even NOT picking a certain type of flower after finding out that its strong fragrance might be offensive to my groom's very sensitive allergies.

Now, let's think of ourselves as God's flowers.  Though we did not choose the garden or field or forest where we were planted, the place we took root has a lot to do with how we've grown up.  We were planted with purpose. We may have had to fight against weeds, and creatures, and shadows to continue to grow, but that became part of our beauty.  Whether pruned and tenderly cared for or growing wild, we grew as the result of God's sunshine and rain in our lives.  
And now our  God hand-picks us for His specific purposes.  Each of us, by design, has a place where we belong, where we can give glory to the Great Gardener. We are all beautiful and serve a purpose, but we don't all fit every situation-- like those overly fragrant flowers I wanted for my wedding.  I had seen pictures.  They were gorgeous!  They would have been beautiful next to my red & yellow roses, but a miserable sneezing husband would not have made for a happy day; those flowers were simply not the right pick for us.  (Proverbs 19:21,Jeremiah 29:11, Romans 8:28)

The same is probably true for that job you did not get, that house you thought you wanted, or the one who broke your heart.  But don't worry.  You won't wilt on the vine.  Your blooms will not be wasted on an unappreciative receiver.  Just wait for the Master Gardener.  He will pick you for the right occasion.  Meanwhile, grace to you as you soak up the sunshine of His love. (Psalm 4:6; Psalm 84:11)

LIFE gets in the WAY?

I really love this writing thing.  There have been seasons in my life when I thought, this is it! This is what I want to do and I am pretty sure I'm good at it.

BUT as we all know, life gets in the way.

WAIT...what? Really? 

If life gets in the way of LIFE, isn't that completely counterproductive?  Isn't writing my PASSION?  That thing that God planted in my heart? That thing that connects me to points and people in the world that I would never otherwise meet? 

 So today I asked myself, "Are you really gonna do this?  Really let another day go

by without writing a single word?"

Then the question comes to mind: why do we allow the stuff of life to get in the way of our passions?  I'm just guessing, but I am 90% sure that I am not the only one.  How many of us are walking through life like some kind of zombie, just making it from one day to the next?  We may have entered into our adult lives like hyped up puppies chasing our favorite kid, but now we're just living like the old hound dog on the porch, maybe a lazy tail-wag once in awhile when someone says our name.

WHAT HAPPENED TO US?

Why the sudden (or maybe gradual, hard to notice) loss in fervor?

Hmm.  Fear? Complacency? Loss? An enemy lurking around like a lion, looking for someone to devour?(1 Peter 5:8)  Sounds like he could be up to something.  A little scheming to get us off track perhaps?

I just WONDER what this world would be like if every single Christian got fired up and really started to pursue his or her God-given passion with everything they had.  OH MY GOODNESS! Wouldn't that be something?

What's sad is that so many of us have forgotten.  So many of us have let other "must-dos" get in our way.  AND SO MANY of us have given way to fear.  UGH! Why do we worry?  Why must we be weighed down by this human trait that no one taught us but we've been warned about so many times?

I'm calling you out today to "do what is right and do not give way to fear" (1 Peter 3:6).  Remember your godly passion or find it.  Do SOMETHING today in pursuit of that passion.  We only have one life, and for all we know, only one day.  Be vigilant in what God placed in your heart.  He was not just kidding around when he gave you your talents.

Think of it this way...

How will you make an impact if you never take a swing?  

The dollar that is never put to work never earns a dime.  Your talent can collect dust in your pocket like the lazy, wicked servant in Matthew 25:26, or you can hear, "Well done." 

 Even if you fail... your work is not in vain.  there is NO BETTER CLASSROOM than the wake of your own failure.  Oh how many lessons of truth have I learned from my messes!  But maybe that's a conversation for next time.  See ya soon!

Tell me in the comments about your renewed fervor for your passion or tell me how you've learned a lesson from your failures.