Month: October 2021

If the Shoe Fits, Wear It

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I went on a field trip today…a field trip with 100 screaming, jumping six-year-olds…to a place where they teach you how crayons are made. There was noise, there was stress, there was a free mediocre pizza lunch…and at the end of the day, I got out of my car and thought: “I did it, I survived.”

And then I looked down at my feet and realized…I’ve been wearing two different shoes all day.

😳😳😳😳😳😳😳😳😳😳😳😳😳😳😳😳😳😳

I can’t. Believe. I did this. 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️

And it wasn’t even two different pairs of cute shoes at that. 🤣😩🤣 One shoe was a leopard-print casual style and the other was a ratty old gym shoe that I wear when I work in the yard. 🙄

Now before you think I’m completely nuts — there is a perfectly logical explanation for this.

You see, I bought the leopard shoes a few months ago because I thought they were they were cute. But after wearing them a couple of times, I realized that while they are comfortable to walk in, they are a pain to drive in…the heel does this funny thing that makes it very uncomfortable to wear while pressing the pedals.

Because it was going to be about an hour’s drive to the field trip location, my plan was to wear the ratty shoe on my right pedal foot while I was driving, and change into the other leopard shoe after we arrived.

On the way there, my son was riding with me and said he needed to make a bathroom stop. This put us a little behind schedule, but when nature calls, there’s not much you can do! When we finally arrived, the bus had already unloaded and everyone was waiting for us. Not wishing to cause the group any further delays, we quickly jumped out of the car and joined the rest of the class…unbeknownst to me, with two completely different shoes on. 😳🤣

You see — I thought I had it all planned out…I thought I could change at the last minute and no one would even know. But you know what happened? I got too comfortable…I put that old ratty shoe on and didn’t even notice the difference…all stinkin day.

I think that’s also the way it goes for us when we try to have “one foot in the world” and “one foot in the church” (pun intended 😉).

Maybe we have one group of people that we dress, talk, or act a certain way around…and another group that we would be ashamed to act that way around. We think we can change at the last minute, keeping our ratty shoe behind closed doors, and no one will ever know the difference.

But the problem with keeping up appearances is that they’re hard to keep up. And eventually, we get so comfortable in our ways that it becomes part of who we are…we can’t cover it up anymore. The Bible says evil companions corrupt good morals. (I Corinthians 15:33)

Those two shoes didn’t belong together. Just like we as Christians are told that we don’t belong being “yoked together” with people who are practicing the evil ways of this world. “Don’t team up with those who are unbelievers. How can righteousness be a partner with wickedness? How can light live with darkness?” (II Corinthians 6:14)

The good news is…my son never even noticed my shoes either (I guess the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree 🤣). The truth is, he was too busy having fun with his classmates to even care — on the car ride home, he told me it was the “best day ever.” ❤️

God also calls our hearts to be like those of little children (Matthew 18:3-4). A long time ago, a fashion faux pas like this would have ruined my whole day. But I think my kid was right on this one — Despite the stress, despite the noise, despite the pizza, and despite the shoes…I think this was one of my best days ever, too. ❤️

Until next time…

-PWAP

It All Comes Out in the Wash

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Sometimes I feel like I’m raising The Odd Couple.

One of my boys is a Type-A, uptight, judgmental, perfectionistic, rule-following, early-bird/neat-freak who always plans ahead and has a memory like a steel trap. My other son has a tendency to be a little more…well, lackadaisical.

I can’t imagine where they get any of these traits from? 🙄🤔 Bless their hearts…and my nerves.🤣

This brotherly dichotomy reveals itself in any number of ways on a daily basis —For example, one puts his dirty clothes in the hamper while the other one has a tendency to put his anywhere but the hamper.

This was particularly evident one Sunday morning as I gathered up the boys’ “church clothes.” As I pulled a shirt from the dresser drawer, a pungent odor invaded my nostrils and my eyes instantly fixated on a large mystery stain tattooed to the front of the garment. It appeared to have been wadded up and shoved back into the drawer after the last time it was worn…which by the look and smell of it, was possibly decades ago. 🙄 The mixture of shock and horror that surged through my entire being can only be described as a combination of an out of body experience and something straight out of a 90’s Tide commercial. However, when I regained consciousness, I conceded there was no time to mourn this casualty of war. And with a weary sigh, I began rummaging around for an acceptable alternative.

After a minute or so, I was thankfully able to find a more suitable article of clothing. This one was a fairly new shirt — it had probably only been washed once, had no stains on it and still smelled as fresh as a daisy. Sounds like a winner to me! 😬

There was only one problem…despite the fact that the shirt was clean, I couldn’t ignore that it was also noticeably wrinkled.

So, I folded down the ironing board and waited for the iron to heat up. As I stood there in the laundry room staring at those wrinkles and thinking of how to tackle that set-in stain, I realized that in some ways, we as humans are all a lot like those shirts.

Just like an ugly stain on a crisp white top, each sin we commit is a blemish, an unsightly spot on the fabric of our lives. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23)

Without the proper stain remover, the shirt with the mystery stain would probably end up discarded, no matter how expensive it was. Likewise, without the blood of Jesus Christ which cleanses us from all sin (I John 1:7), we would be cast out as well (Matthew 25:41, Revelation 20:15).

But as I ironed, I thought…even clean shirts are oftentimes in need of a little touch up.

You see, Christians may be washed clean, but we still have our wrinkles. We all need God’s grace daily to iron them out as we seek to emulate Christ in our daily lives (I John 2:6, I Corinthians 11:1, Ephesians 5:1-2, Ephesians 4:22-24, John 14:15).

Just like shirts can’t wash or iron themselves (but oh, how I wish they would…😜), neither can we wash or “iron” ourselves. We all have dirty laundry. Come to Jesus, bring Him your set-in stains and your wrinkles, and “though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow.” (Isaiah 1:18) Praise God!

Until next time…

-PWAP

Unleash the Beest

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Hands down, the 2020-2021 school year was the toughest school year we’ve ever faced as a family. Due to the pandemic, we weighed the options and decided to have our boys learn virtually. My oldest was a third grader at the time and my youngest was just starting kindergarten.

The younger one lasted no more than one week before I was down at the principal’s office unenrolling him from virtual kindergarten — I shouldn’t have been surprised this was where things were headed when about half way through his first day of virtual learning, he turned to me and said: “Ummm…how much longer is this?!? I’m like wasting my whole day…” 😂😂😂 —Believe me, it takes a special kind of kid to earn the title “Kindergarten Drop-Out.”

Thankfully, the older one had a little more perseverance than that. Though it was difficult to say the least, I was proud of him for sticking it out. ❤️

If you forced me to look on the bright side of the whole traumatizing experience, I would confess that one perk of having my son learn from home was the opportunity to hear him interact with his teacher and classmates — I was surprised at how mature, confident, and professional he sounded as he independently navigated the Zoom app.

That is, except one time when his teacher said, “Class, you can use this time for catch-up work…” To which I overheard him reply, “Ok, should we do our mustard work also?” 🤦‍♀️😂😂🤣 Thankfully, his mic was miraculously still on mute…🤭😳😂

By the end of the year, I had come to the conclusion that I would never wish virtual learning on my worst enemy. And though I still have PTSD (and a newfound appreciation for teachers) from it, I will say that I also learned a few other things from the whole experience. Things about my son…things about myself…and surprisingly enough, even things about wildebeests.

One particular week, my oldest was given a reading comprehension assignment that included a passage about migratory animals. Oddly enough, as I was checking over his work, something about the passage on wildebeests struck a chord in me. I never thought I would find myself relating to a wildebeest ( no comments from the peanut gallery, please 😒🤣)…but I suppose stranger things have happened.

According to the passage, these “beests” have to cross a river teeming with crocodiles 😳 in order to get to the fresh grass on the other side, a crucial resource needed for survival. They know not all of their herd will make it across alive, but they have to take the chance and cross anyway…they have to keep moving forward or they will all die.

I then I thought…isn’t that just like our lives? Especially over the past couple of years…what other choice do we have, but to move forward to survive…yes, it’s scary, yes there are risks, but if the wildebeests can find the courage and the strength to keep pressing forward despite the challenges and possible perils, then so can we. ❤️

So, if I could take one virtual lesson that I learned and share it with you today…it would be to go out there and unleash your inner beest today — choose to face whatever it is that is challenging you with the same courage and willpower of those brave animals, because you know what? The grass may literally be greener on the other side, just as it was for these wildebeests. ❤️

I’m praying that it is for you today. 🙏

Until next time…

-PWAP

Chicken Soup for the Soul

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I know a lot of you are used to seeing the stuff I post on Facebook and are probably reading this blog so far and thinking…will you please quit rambling on and just start sharing some more funny stuff about the kids already!?!! Lol! 😂Patience Iago, patience…🤣. Don’t worry, these kids are unfortunately supplying me with plenty of material on a daily — make that hourly basis over here, so don’t worry I’ll be writing about them again soon.

So as many of you know, recently I’ve shared some blog-type posts on my personal Facebook page. But if you’ve spent any amount of time on Facebook lately, you’ve probably come to the same conclusion I have — Facebook is like the fast food of the internet…it’s just scroll-thru instead of drive-thru 😂. Now, don’t get me wrong, I love a Big Mac just as much as the next red-blooded American, but sometimes don’t you want something…more? Millions of us log into Facebook daily looking for a quick bite…a nugget of information if you will — a news headline, a funny meme, a pretty picture, an inspirational quote, etc. But it still seems like it’s never quite filling…and we end coming back for more.

Never being one to just “cut to the chase,” I realize some of my lengthier posts aren’t exactly bite-sized enough for Facebook anymore. Like my college composition professor once told me, “Your papers are too wordy…” His words rang shrilly in my ears as I faked a pleasant smile and nodded. On the outside I was calm and diplomatic, but on the inside I was Stephanie Judith Tanner in every episode of Full House— “How Rude!” 😤😂

His words may have been a hard pill to swallow for me at the time, but I’m at the point in my life now where I’m ready to actually own my quirks and my flaws: Hey, you may call it being “too wordy”…but I just call it having just a little more to chew on. So, take that, Professor. 🤭

About 20 years ago, you may remember there were a series of books called “Chicken Soup for the Soul” that were pretty popular. In fact, I think at the time, their cult following was rivaled only by that of Beanie Babies…😂. To be quite honest, I had quite a few of those books (and Beanies 🤣) myself. I’m guessing if you’re over the age of 35, you probably did too.

Each of the books in the “Chicken Soup for the Soul” series contained a collection of heart warming stories that either made you laugh, made you cry, or made you think. Isn’t that the point of all good writing? 

Personally, I’ve always liked to share stories too…but my writing style is probably a little more… “Soup, Salad, and Breadsticks for the Soul” than just plain chicken soup 🤣— what can I say, I love my carbs!?! 🥖 And the best part is that, unlike Olive Garden, here the calories don’t count…and better yet, you don’t have to figure out how much to tip your waiter. 😊

As a Christian, one of the main ingredients of this blog will always be my faith in Jesus. So, I realize some of the posts I’m “cooking up” might not suit everyone’s taste buds, and that’s fine.

In contrast, if you are someone who is currently hungering and thirsting after righteousness, this blog is a great place to start, but it’s definitely not meant to be the sole source of anyone’s spiritual nutrition. If you’re looking for the “meat and potatoes” of the Word so-to-speak, I encourage you to open up your Bible or attend a local worship service. Dig into it a little bit for yourself. The book of Matthew is a great place to start. (And if you need suggestions for further study or places to meet with fellow Christians, always feel free to message me.)

I’m certainly no Bible scholar and I don’t have all the answers…but I can tell you that Jesus has prepared a place for you at his spiritual table, where a feast is waiting, one that can truly satisfy the craving of our souls. More than a Facebook post, more than a blog, and more than anything material we have on this earth. While I did nothing to help prepare the feast (kind of like my Dad at Thanksgiving 🤣), I’m thankful to freely share in the meal and invite others in as well.

Until next time…

-PWAP

Hey Pen Pals!

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Hey Pen Pals. It’s me. Your friendly neighborhood Pen Gal…😉

Isn’t it mind-boggling to think that in the not-so-distant past, people actually used real pens and real paper to write real letters to each other? (in cursive, no less! 😮 …Shocking, I know.) Sometimes these letters were exchanges between old friends living miles apart, while in other instances the correspondence involved complete strangers! With a sense of faithful anticipation, these pen pals would write a letter and patiently wait days or even weeks for a response to arrive…by modern standards, this sounds nothing short of a torturous process, right?

In this day and age, we have an unprecedented opportunity to communicate instantly with people from across the globe, all with the push of a button (some pushing more buttons than others, ahem…if you know what I mean 🙄). But despite the fact that ink and stationary have given way to iPads and autocorrect, I feel as if the spirit of pen pals lives on through, well…the modern day blog. Blogging is a lot like letter writing — except that you’re usually writing to more than one person at a time (that is, of course, if there is more than one person actually reading your blog…😂). But, you get the idea — it’s a place to share, connect, and learn about people on a more personal level.

Arguably, no group of letters has stood the test of time longer and with more vigor than those penned by the apostles of Jesus to the early church. ❤️ In fact, we’re blessed to still be reading some of these letters today! Books of the Bible like Romans, Corinthians, Galatians, and Ephesians are all letters originally written to a specific group of Christians for their encouragement and instruction almost 2000 years ago! Though to some the content of these letters may seem antiquated, to us who are being saved it is the power of God (I Corinthians 1:18). Yes, we believe these letters are inspired by God and still profitable for us to live by even today (II Timothy 3:16-17).

And while it may be slightly presumptuous to consider the apostle Paul my own personal pen pal (…or maybe “Pen Paul” would be a more appropriate term here? 🤔), nevertheless, I can’t help but feel a personal connection when I’m reading his letters to the early Christians. The words on those pages have served as guideposts for my own life and have in large part made me who I am today.

Reading and studying these letters has brought me to salvation in Christ by showing me that:

1. I have sinned. (Romans 3:23)

2. Jesus Christ is the Son of God who died to offer me forgiveness of those sins. (I John 1:7; Romans 5:8)

3. I can accept that gift of forgiveness through belief and baptism. (Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38; Acts 22:16)

4. Because of numbers 1-3, I have the hope of living eternally in Heaven when this life is over. Praise God! (Romans 6:23; Hebrews 11:16)

This world is not my home — I’m just a Pilgrim, a weary traveler in search of a Heavenly city…with a couple of stories to tell to pass the time along the way. Maybe you’re a weary traveler too…maybe we could follow the footsteps of Jesus together? I haven’t got it all figured out…but I do have a map, a light, some stories, and a pen…(okay, okay…and sometimes a pun… 😉) and I don’t know about you, but I could use some company. So, what do you say…will you travel with me? 

I hope so. Until next time…

-PWAP