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Yesterday I took Matthew and Aaron to Six Flags.  Aaron earned a ticket at school last year and Matthew got a coke can with a “buy one get one free” coupon.  How could I say no?  We arrived when it opened and stayed until 9PM.  This was their first visit to a Six Flags park and they were excited and thrilled by the rides.  Something struck me deeply within the first hour. 

I don’t do rides like I used to!  I remember riding the Scream Machine at the Atlanta Six Flags as a teen and loving it.  I remember a church youth trip where I nagged our Sr. Pastor (Pastor Pete Phillips) who seemed like an old man  at the time (probably around 50)  to ride the roller coaster with us.  He did and hated it.  I also don’t have the energy I used to.  By evening my legs were tired and my feet hurt from all of the walking.  I also noticed that getting my hair and clothing soaked from the water rides was not as exciting.  As I wondered why I did not get as excited about going on Kingda Ka (tallest coaster in the world) at 128 mph (yes, 128 mph) I looked around at other mom’s even younger than me who were sitting while watching the kids ride.  Finally I had to ask a small group of them if they had been on any of the many roller coasters at the park.  Their answer encouraged and relieved me.  I was encouraged that I was not the only mom that had decided to sit the ride out.  I was relieved to find that sitting out may not confirm I am ready for the old folks home.  Some of these women were in their early 30’s.  Several shared as they aged their bodies had changed and they get queasy on the rides.  Some shared they got headaches and other misc. ailments.  What we had in common is that the window of opportunity of running from one thrilling ride to another had been replaced with getting more pleasure from watching our children ride.  As I watched my boys ride some of the tallest and fastest coasters in the world I had another thought.

Every person in life will be given windows of opportunity.  A window is open for a while and then it closes. Forever.  We are given windows of opportunity in many areas….

We have a certain amount of time to build a good relationship with our parents, one day that window will be closed.

We have a certain amount of time to build a good relationship with our spouse, one day that window will be closed.  Forever.

We have a certain amount of time to build a good relationship, to build good memories and a strong Biblical foundation with our children, one day that window will be closed.

We have a certain amount of time to build a relationship with people, or to resolve a  conflict with someone, and then that window is closed. Forever.

We have a certain amount of time to share Christ with someone, and then that window will be closed.  Forever.

Sometimes we are given a window of opportunity to grow in certain areas with the Lord. Sometimes we are given a special ministry window of opportunity. 

Sometimes we are given a window of opportunity for a job or starting a new business.  We may have a window of opportunity in getting a good education.  Sometimes we may have an opportunity to be mentored by someone we can learn much from.  One day that window will be closed.  Forever.

What window of opportunity are you staring at today?  Is it a relationship?  A new ministry?  A new job?  What opportunities have you not taken that today you regret?  Is there an opportunity you are grateful for saying yes to?  We would love to hear from you.

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Living on Purpose is here!  LOP is as planner and organizer for busy Christian women.  What separates this tool from Day-timer, Franklin and others is that it covers all facets of your life. It includes mission and life goals, family, ministry, etc. It is a two page per day planner but also has weekly schedule, two year calendar, budget, expenses, personal growth plan, prayer, email, special projects and much more.  At the end of each week LOP will guide you through how to evaluate and redesign your next week so that you are living out your priorities.  It will help you to weed out the good from the best. 
 
Effective for any Christian woman who desires to:
 

• Become the person God desires
• Know your purpose
• Live your priorities
• Enjoy the journey 

Order your book for only $16 today at www.winfluence.org under resources or check your local Christian bookstore.  You can also order via email at dseeley@winfluence.org.                                                                                    
 

Have you ever seen people who say “I love you” but never show it?  What about a church?  I have seen churches say they love kids, youth, seniors or the community but never show it.  I have seen churches who say they care about people dying without Christ yet give more to their building fund than to missions or to the community.  Wednesday night I experienced a church love the community, kids and families.  AsburyUMC in Madison Alabama (www.asburyumc.ws/) had their annual “Back to School Night” and the boys and I spent a couple of hours with them.  They had tons of stuff for the kids like a water slide, moon bounce, rock climbing, and other inflatable activities.  They had face painting, a local Christian radio station, (88.1 FM) with a van playing music along with giveaways.  They had tons of FREE FOOD like hot dogs, BBQ, popcorn, drinks, ice cream, and snow cones.  My 12 year old ate 5 snow cones I am embarrassed to say.  They had ministry info tables.  They had tons of free stuff for kids that shared the Gospel.  They had Karaoke.  They had bingo with free prizes.  And much more.  All of this was free for the community and my boys loved it.  Thank you Asbury, Pastor Alan Weatherly, Pastor Jimmy Aycock and all of the other wonderful staff and volunteers who made this happen.  You certainly ministered to a tired church planter’s wife and their two boys who are in town for a few days.  May God richly bless you for your ministry to us. 

Now before you email me that your church cannot afford an event of this scale let me inform you of something.  When I served with The Navigators at UCSD my budget was low to non-existent.  But I put on events all the time.  Fun events on campus and many other activities where anyone could attend and receive without us expecting anything in return.  I was able to do this by getting donations from companies and organizations.  Most will do stuff like this because it is a tax write off if you are a 501c3.  It does take more work and more planning if you cannot finance it yourself but it can be done even if you have a budget of zero. 

I wonder if we sometimes limit what our ministry can do because we don’t know where the money will come from.  Or maybe our vision is small because we look at what we are capable of instead of who God is.  I have certainly done this, have you?  There have been times when I think “How can we do this” because we don’t have the financial or people resources.  Today I feel drawn to John 15 and also to Jeremiah 32:17.  How about you?  Is there something you would like to do at your church or in missions but hesitate because you don’t have what you think you need?

Any experiences out there of big ministry on a little budget?

A few days go I got up early, grabbed a cup of coffee at a drive thru and went to the library in Hoover to use my lap top.  I was disappointed to find the library closed but decided to sit on a bench outside and wait over an hour for it to open.  As I pulled out a notebook to begin working a man walked up and after finding the library closed asked if he could sit down.  Seeing that the man had a kind face and was in his 70’s I said yes.  The next hour was one of the most fascinating I have had in a long time.  Bill was a former military and FBI special agent who had lived all over the world.  He has been married for 54 years next month and raised 4 children. It was interesting to hear his stories but what I found most encouraging was his passion and gratefulness for life with a desire to continue growing and giving to others.After retiring from the FBI he took a position teaching ROTC at the high school I attended.  He was actually there at the same time as I was but we did not figure that out until the end of our hour together. 

When the library doors opened we went our separate ways.  I was richer and more encouraged to live a life of passion, putting everything I’ve got into everything I do. 

While staying at a hotel a few nights ago the boys wanted to go swimming.  As a matter of fact, all they talked about during the last two hours of our drive was the importance of finding a hotel with an indoor pool.  They were so excited.  Checking into the Holiday Inn.  Getting into our room. Digging through their suitcases for that new summer swimsuit.  I was almost running to keep up with them as they hurried to the pool room.  Arriving last to the swimming pool I was surprised to find them dry and just standing.  They put one toe and and declared it to be too cold.  “Jump in” I said.  You’re wasting swim time.  The pool closes soon.  They hesitated.  They doubted if they should. They had fear the water might not feel warm enough.  My boys wasted lots of time thinking it over. When they finally took the plunge they had the time of their lives.

As I watched them swim I wondered how many times have I missed out on great opportunities because of fear of the unknown of even because it was difficult.  Several of those times came to mind. As a matter of fact, the greatest blessings of my life have been times when I have felt the fear and done it anyway.  When fear overcomes us it is easy and tempting to “spiritualize” why we are not doing it.  I think we can misuse the phrase “God told me” when it concerns something that takes us out of our comfort zone. 

What about you?  Are you thinking of taking a plunge but holding back due to fear or because it will take you out of your comfort zone?  We would love to hear your experience in this.

For two weeks I am traveling cross country with my two boys, age 10 & 12.  Without Todd.  Travel with children is the only way to go.  Kids put a whole new perspective on everything and remind us of the little things we need to be grateful for that we somehow seem to forget as we age.  Here are a few comments made during the 1000+ we have put on our car so far:

• Wow!  Look how green that grass is.  I sure miss seeing that much grass! (We live in NYC :-) 
• Look at that bridge, I love being up so high!
• Can we eat at Cracker Barrel? There are so many, they must be good.
• Look at that sunset?  Awesome!
• How cool for the hotel to buy our breakfast!
• Look at those cows. Love to see those. Have not seen cows in a long time.
• Look at all the churches.  Why are there so many churches in some parts of America and so few on Staten Island?
• I love the sun. It feels so good on my skin coming through the window.
• The coffee smells so good in your cup. Can I have some of it?
• Mom, can we stop and use the bathroom? I’ve been holding it for two hours and I have to go right now. (in the middle of no where)

Appreciate your prayers during our trip!

Yesterday we talked about the importance of who you hang with.  Today I thought about a sermon I heard over 20 years ago by John Maxwell, the Senior Pastor of Skyline Church in San Diego.  During the sermon he asked if anyone had kids who were in trouble or struggling in school.  He was speaking about children under 18.  Though I was single at the time he gave some excellent advice that I never forgot.  If you have a kid who is in trouble ~ grades falling, bad attitude, making poor choices, etc. he said what you need to do immediately is look at their friends.  Who do they hang with?  Look at this and you will see who is influencing them.  The best way to help them is to change their friends.  Change who they hang with.  Thoughts?

I heard Oliver North share that “Half your life will be defined by the people you hang around.”   John C. Maxwell writes that the five most influential people in your life will impact who you become.  Scripture teaches that bad company corrupts good character. 

Who do you hang around?  Another way to ask this is where is your time spent? What you watch on television or see in movies will impact who you are and your world view.  Who do you hang with on the Internet?

Who are the five most influential people in your life?  These people will influence who you become.  What worldview do they hold?  What do they think of your life vision and goals?  What they think will impact who you are becoming.

There have been times in my life where I needed to evaluate who I was spending time with.  I have continued to learn that just because someone is a Christian and active in church does not mean that we share the same passions and priorities.  God has taught me that I can minister to anyone but I need to choose my closest friends carefully.  Because those closest to you will impact who you are today and what you are becoming.

Pull out your datebook and look at the past month.  Who did you spend time with?  Is your datebook empty of people who are impacting your life in a positive way?  Do you spend so much time in ministry to others that you lack the peer relationships or mentoring that will stretch and challenge your life?  Who are you doing life with?  Who is modeling what you would like to do?  Who are your heroes?  Your network is your net worth.

Yesterday I spent time with a friend who informed me about another who was recently diagnosed with terminal cancer.  It is an aggressive cancer with a prognosis of 3-4 months.  This woman is a wife and mother of small children.  We are praying for a miracle but also know that at a time such as this we are forced to face the possible reality of the situation.  As I lay in bed last night I prayed for her healing as I grieved for the husband and children.  If you are reading this blog would you stop for a moment and pray for this woman in NYC? 

I woke this morning thinking about a movie that Todd and I rented for a date night called “The Bucket List.”  Did you see it?  Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson were in this movie.  Both men are diagnosed with terminal cancer and have different heart attitudes on life.  One man is very rich, angry and bitter and the other hard working, middle class and grateful.  Morgan Freeman makes a list of things he would like to do before passing.  I enjoyed the story.  At the end of the movie you are forced to think about your own bucket list. 

What about you?  Life is a gift but none of us are guarantee tomorrow.  Have you made a bucket list?  What are some of the things on your list? 

In the  “Living on Purpose Day Planner & Organizer” I have included  a page for you to list things that you want to do in your lifetime.  On this page you can write down anything in your wildest dreams that you would like to see come to pass.  Small or big things you want to do, places you want to go, talents or skills you want to develop, etc.  If you had to write this list today what would you put on it?

Had a great weekend with my children, Matthew and Aaron.  I believe one of the bests gifts you can give your kids is your time. We hung out a lot and I tried to make even the Saturday chores fun.  One of the things I continue to learn about children is that as you spend time together they do open up and share deep things from the heart.  As I tucked them in one asked “what do you like about being a mama?”  My reply:  “What I love most about being YOUR mother is that every night when I tuck you in it feels like Christmas Eve and when you wake and walk into the room it feels like Christmas morning.”   One replied “Even in August?”  Yes, son, even in August.  Merry Christmas. 

“Every good and perfect gift is from the Father.”  James 1:17