Is it a 12 ouncer or a 16 ounce day?

I have some dear friends from Kanakuk who've worked with me for the past couple of summers. One of them is the Head Cook, while the other is the Bean Queen. I know you all know what the Head Cook does but what on Earth is the Bean Queen, right? The Kamp I worked at was a family kamp, therefore we had a coffee shop...the Bean Queen is in charge of the coffee shope- she makes wonderful coffee drinks that make your day magnificent.




The Bean Queen, myself, and a wonderful woman named Donna would meet in the morning in the Bean at 7:15 Donna would have her goldfish, I would drink diet coke (and the occasional latte) and the Bean Queen would have some tasty treat as well. We'd sit at the table and solve all the worlds problems...Our friend the Head Cook, could never join us (she of course was already preparing meals) but occasionally she'd drop over and announce, "Bean Queen.. its a 12 ounce ounce day" or even on some days she'd say, "Okay... its a 16 ouncer today." You knew by the ounce-age of the cup what the stress level in the kitchen was.



Today as I walked out of my house heading to the car I was refreshed. It's a beautiful day, sunny, slightly chilly- very refreshing. It's mornings like this that I am reminded that the Lord's mercies are new to us EVERYDAY.



Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed,for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. Lamentations 3:22-23



Did you wake up today thinking it was going to take a 16 ouncer to get you going? Do you feel like you messed up so bad yesterday- you couldn't make things right today? I don't know about you, but this verse is something that gives me great joy! Talk about refreshment. If those words don't help you relax & get ready for a new day I don't know what will. Take time in the Word & in prayer to let the Lord rejuvinate you! What I think you will find is that not only is He going to fill your cup, but when you fix your eyes on Him, He'll also let it overflow...



Psalm 23:5 "You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows."



Romans 15:13 "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."



2 Corinthians 1:5 "For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows."



2 Corinthians 4:15 "All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God."



1 Thessalonians 3:12 "May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you."



Praying you take time with the Lord today to be rejuvinated, refreshed, ready for a new day. Let the Lord work through you to show those you come in contact with that there is POWER in His name, He brings COMFORT (that you can offer them in believing in Jesus), He gives GRACE- and we give Him THANKS for that, and He fills us with LOVE that overflows onto to those who've never experienced His LOVE before. Show people who Jesus is today... its you're choice - I think we all need to experience Jesus today- don't cut yourself short or someone short from experiencing a full cup...
Psalm 34:8 "Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him."  Be blessed!

Simple words, yes...but oh so true!

Yesterday as I drove to the walking track I heard a news update (I haven't had a tv in 3 ish weeks, so I'm out of the loop on life information). They talked about some Presidental topics (him meeting with Israel and Palestine officials), and some hightened safety concern issues. As I got out of my car and began to run the Lord convicted me, "Andrea, when was the last time you prayed for the President, or even our country?" "Uh, Lord, that's a good question." Ya needless to say as I begin to run, I began to pray.

My absence of praying for our country, started another thought of prayer in general and how key it is in our walk with the Lord. This summer I worked at a family kamp were I got to spend some quality time with some pretty cool 5 & 6 year olds. The theme was WIPEOUT, and the goal was to teach these young guys what they needed in their life to keep them (the I and the U) from experiencing a WIPEOUT. One of the topics was prayer, and this is part of the story we used to teach this concept. In this story you will see a Cheif Surfer (A guy who is the best surfer of all, people came from miles around to watch him surf, and to learn how to surf just like him. You see he also wrote a book that explained surfing, that was passed from generation to generation). The other little guy in the story is Sammy, he was 5 and he wanted to grow up and be the best surfer around. His parents had bought him the surfing book by the Cheif Surfer and read it to him daily, but honestly he didn't understand everything they read to him until...

One day Sammy met the Chief Surfer on the beach. He saw first hand how well the Chief Surfer surfed and he wanted to surf just like Him. His parents bought him the book the Chief Surfer had written to teach young and old to ride all kinds of waves and they read it to him daily. Sammy would then go to the beach to put into practice what his parents read the night before; yet surfing didn’t happen as easily as he thought it would. Until one day he got the chance to talk with the Chief Surfer himself, and ask Him to help teach him the things he’d been reading in the book.  What great knowledge Sammy earned from spending time with the Chief Surfer. After this first encounter with the Chief Surfer Sammy knew he must daily find a way to meet with Him and talk about his struggles with surfing. The Chief Surfer listened with great ease and gave such wisdom to the answers given to the young boy; He was also there to celebrate the days and times Sammy successfully conquered the big waves. Every day the young boy would go to the beach to not only put into practice what the Chief Surfers book said, but also to spend time with the Chief Surfer so he would better understand who the Chief Surfer was and how He surfed as well as He did. Spending time with the Chief Surfer in conversation showed Sammy a new way of surfing. This way of surfing didn’t free him from experiencing wipeouts, yet he could tell when following the lead of the Chief Surfer the wipeouts were never as bad! Because of the time spent together on the beach, Sammy knew when he did experience a wipeout the Cheif Surfer would be there to pick him back up and put him on his feet!


Just like Sammy daily spent time with the Chief Surfer we get to daily spend time with Jesus. This time spent talking with Jesus is called prayer. Praying is a time where we get to talk with Jesus and tell Him how we are feeling (happy, mad, glad, sad), if we need help doing something, or asking Him to forgive us if we’ve done something wrong. Sammy spent time with the Chief Surfer and learned a lot about surfing and that is exactly what we will experience when we daily spend time talking with Jesus about life and how He wants us to live. We will begin to better understand who Jesus is and how we can grow to be more like Him every day. What a blessing it is that the Lord has provided us His word the Bible as well as a tool such a prayer where we can communicate with Him. The Lord knows us so well from the inside out and He wants us to take time to know Him as well, and we do that by living what the Bible tells us in 1 Thessalonians which is to pray always.
How often as big people do we get into the place of praying only on occasions? We are called to pray continually- I challenge you (and myself) what has the Lord put on your heart lately that deserves some attention through prayer? Open the lines of communication today and let the Lord be the filter by which you do everything by first seeking Him in prayer.

2 Chronicle 7:14 If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

                                           Simple words? yes...But oh so true.. be blessed!

Running in freedom...

"In my opinion, there is 3 types of runners: 1) those who don't understand why people run, 2) those who are committing daily to running (yet still not so sure why they are doing it) and 3) those who look forward to running daily and the way they feel after it is done. I myself am some where between and 1 and 2 yet at one time was completely engulfed with being a type 3... I LOVED RUNNING! Man, I want to back back there ago... so what right? Why are you writing a note about it....

Well today, I woke up and went to work out with my Mom (who is a total complete type 3 runner- go her!) I climbed on the treadmill, thinking through... would I run today, or would I just walk?? The thought went through my mind, I want to climb on the treadmill daily, letting myself freely run! I remember when I first started running in high school, and I enjoyed running I was in shape then- so it was fun, it was easy. Then I went to college, didn't run for a while and decided to start it up again... it wasn't so easy. Often when I'd head out for a run I'd go drudgingly... thinking this is going to be hard...not really wanting to go. But- I soon found when I committed to running daily, and went with a cheerful attitude the run was absolutely freeing! As I began running daily, committed, with a good attitude, I quickly became a type 3 runner! IT WAS UNBELIEVEABLE... so what's my point, right?

As I thought about what it felt like to run freely, I was reminded of something my cousin-in-law said to me when I was at that point in my life. I was expressing to him how excited I was to go for a run, I stated, 'I LOVE RUNNING!' He said, 'There is no way you love running, its not possible!' Actually it is possible, he just doesn't know because he hasn't experience running in the way I had."

Just like in our walk with the Lord I feel like there are 3 places where one could be. 1) would be the one who doesn't understand why we believe or follow someone names Jesus. 2) would be those who have committed to following the Lord, but do it drudgingly as if it is something they HAVE to do (or maybe they ran freely once & completely wiped out over a speed bump). 3) would be those who wake up excited daily to follow the Lord because they have found the freedom in which He brings!

In your life, if you are a type one person who is wondering why on Earth people would choose to follow or commit to the Lord I'd love to continue this chat with you, feel free to message me! I would love to share with you why I believe, and what the Bible says about who the Jesus is.

If you fall into the category of following Jesus, because it's what you HAVE to do....WAKE UP! You are missing out on some serious blessings of knowing the Lord! You've seen and experienced the Lord, you've had little tastes. (In running terms, you've ran enough to know that at the end of a run you feel great!) Buckle down, choose daily to let this be your life! See as you commit to the Lord, as you read His word, He transforms your life- that is where the freedom comes! Just like when I ran drudgingly, you are making living life for the Lord a chore. To think you might be missing out on something the world has to offer, is a joke- it's a lie! (We are told in John 10:10, "The theif comes to steal, kill and destroy, but I have come to give life and give it to the full.") If you are wondering what a life completely sold out to the Lord looks like, find a friend in the next category- ask them to walk alongside you to experience Jesus in a new way. Trust me, it will be life altering!

This group could also be some of us who once ran freely. We know what its like to hunger for the Word, to desire to live a life which is worthy of His calling, & to be filled with joy in all circumstances. BUT we wiped out on a speed bump... you didn't see it coming, and you didn't know how to prepare for it. The Bible has wonderful news for you! Acts 3:19 says, "Repent then, and turn to God, so that your sins might be wiped out, that times of refreshing might come from the Lord." Turn away from where you are, ask forgiveness from the Lord, and let Him refresh your life so you can once again RUN IN FREEDOM! It's right at your fingertips... you can taste the sweet grace right now! Just ask, and let Him renew you....

The group of running freely followers of Christ... daily seeking the Lord, growing in Him, and letting Him lead your every move isn't the easiest path to follow. It's narrow, sometimes you feel alone. (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"). PRESS ON! Continue to grow, and find someone to help you along the journey. We might not have all the answers, but we have a book that does. LOVE PEOPLE, the world today is looking for that ONE true love that never changes (Hebrews 13:8). YOU HAVE IT...share it. I love the idea of saying, "preach the gospel at all times- if necessary use words"...LIVE IT. Daily ask the Lord what should be apart of your life...what conversations need to take place, who need encouragement. When the Bible talks about the Holy Spirit coming in John 15 it says, "When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of Truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me. And you must also testify, for you have been with me from the beginning." As you believed, you were blessed with the Holy Spirit, LET HIM LEAD YOU. SPEAK about what the Lord is teaching you, LISTEN to the proding of the Holy Spirit, and FOLLOW.

To close up I'll say, one sure way of people knowing, understanding, or beginning to see how we believe is to share, we MUST share how or why we RUN IN FREEDOM... the FREEDOM that only comes through a relationship with Jesus Christ.

As I thought about running in freedom, I thought about these verses:

Galatians 5:1 "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by the yoke of slavery."

Psalm 119:45 "I will walk about in freedom, for I have sought out your precepts."

Dig into the Lord's rich word...you'll be amazed at the FREEDOM you'll find when you apply it to your life. PICK up your feet and walk (after all we are the ones that have to get out of the boat)... FOLLOW freely in the direction the Lord has called you... You will simply be AMAZED... be blessed!

Worldly wisdom, Godly wisdom...which will you choose??

"If you live a life guided by wisdom, you won't limp or stumble as you run. Carry out my instructions; don't forsake them. Guard them for they will lead you to a fulfilled life. Proverbs 4:11-12

Proverbs is a book about wisdom, the Lord's wisdom and how it can be ours. Because we are the Lord's children we can be certain that we also can have the Lord's wisdom & knowledge along with discernment. CAN is the key word here, more often than not we choose to over look the process by which we gain wisdom. How does one gain wisdom? And not just wisdom, but Godly wisdom?

2 Peter 1:3-4 says: 'His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.'

The promises that verse 4 speaks of are found in the Bible, promises like the one found in Proverbs promising that if we carry out the Lord's instructions you will have a fulfilled life. Once again the key word here, is IF...

The truth is that as you read the Word (and hide it in your heart Psalm 119:11) and let it be THE light that guides your path (Psalms 119:105) you are promised, He will make your paths straight (proverbs 3:5-6). You are also promised in Pslam 37:4 that 'if you delight in the Lord, He will give you the desires of your heart.' See because as you begin to know the Lord, and His word your desires will become His desires. You will be transformed and will start living out His characteristics (like the fruits of the Spirit Galatians 5:22-25)" You will be fulfilled as you live out the plan and path He has for you! I love the verse in Proverbs that says, "In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps." Once again showing, seeking the Lord, and being diligent in His word is the first step to following and growing in Him.

Here's what you need to know...there are two types of wisdom: Godly wisdom, and worldly wisdom. Worldly wisdom is taking matters into my own hands & thinking if I have control I can make everything come out right. Godly wisdom reminds me the Lord is in control & when He is leading me to do something I need to trust & obey taking steps to follow Him. We serve an irrational God in the eyes of the world, but in all truth He is the rational choice. He knows what is best for you (Jeremiah 29:11 says, "For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.") Don't let what the world would choose stand in the way of what the Lord has for you. Throw out the IF's and CAN's and let the Lord take control leading you in His wisdom. Worldly wisdom, and Godly wisdom... which will you choose??

So I found a pair of shoes to run in today...

They are not new to me, nope not at all. Actually they are really old. When I picked them up out of my mom's closet this morning, she told me they were completely worn out, and had no support. I just needed a pair of shoes to wear (I couldn't find mine at the time) so I put them on. The longer I wore them, the more I realized how much I liked them...

What most people don't know is that I have REALLY flat feet. It's kinda a joke in my family. They aren't the most fun things in the world (my feet that is) because finding shoes that actually don't hurt my feet are a rarity. So lately I've been really frustrated. I've been trying to run, YET have been VERY unsuccessful because I go to run (the heart and the desire is definately there) but my feet will hurt SO stinking bad that I never run as far as I want to.

Well today after realizing how much I enjoyed wearing the new to me but VERY worn out pair of shoes, I thought I might as well try to run in them. So I begin my run, and as I continue I realize with what freedom I can run when my feet are not aching. As I thought about how nice this was I began to think back on the number of times I've broken in a pair of shoes for the sake of finally being of a mold that fits well to my feet. Sometimes the process is short, other times (like the last pair of shoes) it can take a reall reall long time. The pain is not good, its not easy, but I know it had to happen if I wanted to reach the point of experiencing a good fit to run in.

This thought of pain, and the process of molding my shoes to the shape of my feet reminded me of different I've experienced in life. Times when I struggled with self image, confidence, finding a purpose, being lonely, etc. Very painful times, which while going through them I kept asking the Lord why?? I desired to follow the Lord, I did follow the Lord. I was faithful. Lord, then why all this pain? Even in the midst of the pain, I knew and trusted the Lord had a purpose.

See, looking back had I not gone through those times, I would have never realized the importance of knowing scripture to fight off lies, I wouldn't know the importance of community and accountability. I wouldn't know how to relate to the girl who is going through an eating disorder, or someone who feels like they could up and leave and no one would ever know. But my experiences, and what the Lord has taught me and brought me through gives me an old truth in my life to present to someone as a new truth in theirs. Without them (the experiences) I wouldn't be molded into more of the person the Lord created me to be.

Kinda like the shoes I ran in today. New to me, but old to my mom. She wore them, she broke them in, but I reaped the blessings of a good run. We as believers are called to run the race. And for some along the way as we break in our shoes (as we enter in and out of different situations) we might encounter some pairs that might take a little longer to break in. The pain might last a little longer as we are molded and shaped for the journey we are to go on. As a community of believers we need not be afraid to give up our old running shoes so people can more easily run th race the Lord has called them to run. Through living life with the Lord we are given countless opportunities to share life with people. Don't be afraid to speak out, let the Lord use those old shoes (that may have been a painful time for you - but now it allows you to run in freedom) to bless others because you've already walked that path.

On this note as well...if you are struggling in life, don't be afraid to let people know. If you don't share, they will never know how to help carry the burden for you. And I can almost promise someone has been there before, or they know someone who has. And friends, don't wait for someone to come tell you what's going on in their life. Take time to ask, that's what friends are for, right?

Be blessed!