Blog Fog

Okay - I'm in a fog. I don't know what to write about and my blog is due. I cannot just not post. It's not in me. I am nothing if not reliable. I think it was that Bonus Thursday blog that threw me off. Oh well.

I looked around others blogs for ideas. There was a cute "A to Z" filler blog that I could have used, but I was uninspired even by that. Yup, I'm in a blog fog.

Dictionary.com definition #3 says fog is "a state of mental confusion or unawareness; daze; stupor." Okay, maybe fog is too strong of a word. Maybe its just a haze. (Definition #2 - vagueness or obscurity, as of the mind or perception; confused or vague thoughts, feelings). I'm in a blog haze...but as a writer I have to say that doesn't have the ring to it that Blog Fog does.

Okay, this is the point where I wrap it all together, right? Bring it to the point that sometimes I get hazy in my relationship with God. I even found a bible verse. But I can't quite seem to pull it off.

I hope this foggy post won't cloud your day. And if it does, do what I'm going to do. Try spending some time in the Son.

1 Corinthians 13:12 --We don't yet see things clearly. We're squinting in a fog, peering through a mist. But it won't be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright! We'll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us, knowing him directly just as he knows us! (The Message Bible)

Psalm 119:105 -- Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.

Blog Mission Statement

What is the mission statement of my blog? That was the question asked by Becoming Me on her Blog Mission Tour. Honestly I hadn't thought of this before.

"Chatty mom" was the name I originally picked, so I could comment on others blogs and not be "anonymous" anymore. One day I noticed a button that said something like "Click here to start a blog." Ummm, okay. And I think chatty mom was taken as a blog, so I became "Chatty Kelly."

Now I could participate in other blogger's "Mr. Linky" blogs. I could have a voice. But would anyone want to listen? And what would I say?

Well, they say write about what you know? What do I know? Well, the only think I know for sure is Jesus loves me. (This I know for the bible tells me so). So my blog is devotional in nature. It's goal is to share with you that Jesus doesn't only love me, but he loves you too. (And this is where I'd like to say "but I'm his favorite." But I won't, because while I think it's funny to say it's just not true.)


So, my mission statement:
The goal of my blog is to share God's love in a fun and sometimes funny way, that is easy to relate to and, if you're not careful, you just might learn something...and I usually do too!

ROCKin'

1. rock - noun, a stone of any size.
2. rock - noun, a firm foundation or support.
3. rock - verb, to dance to or play music.
4. rock - verb, To disturb the mental or emotional equilibrium of; upset.

"Don't want no rock to take my place" was the lyric we sang at church on Sunday. It was referring to the story in the bible where the Pharisees are rebuking Jesus to quiet the crowd who are singing his praises. Jesus replies "If they keep quiet, the stones will cry out." (Luke 19:40).

Can you imagine a God so powerful that if people ceased praising him, that the rocks themselves would cry out? I'm in awe. And a little ashamed that maybe I'm not doing my part. Am I letting a rock take my place? Are you?

Which got me thinking about the firm foundation (#2) we have in Jesus, our Rock. Are you singing praise to him, rocking (#3) even when your world is rocked (#4). Surely, you don't want a rock (#1) to take your place? So, I propose the following bumper stickers, (and their translations in case you haven't had your morning coffee yet):

Don't let a rock rock your Rock. (Don't let a stone praise your God).
When you're rocked, rock the Rock! (When you're disturbed, praise God).
I rock, You rock, rocks rock the Rock! (I praise, You praise, stones praise God).
If the Rock I'm rockin', don't bother knockin'! (If I'm busy praising God, please don't interrupt).

So next time you're between a rock and a hard place, remember to rock the Rock. As a matter of fact I might rock the Rock around the clock.

I don't know about you, but I thought my blog rocked today. SMILE!

Psalm 66:4 -- All the earth bows down to you; they sing praise to you, they sing praise to your name." Selah

Psalm 148:7 - 13 - - Praise the Lord from the earth, you great sea creatures and all ocean depths, lightening and hail, snow and clouds...Let them praise the name of the Lord.

Revelation 5:13 -- Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing: "To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!"

Ch-Ch-Changes

I'm changing churches. This isn't a new change...I've been visiting the new church since April. But I'm not happy about it really. I loved my old church, but the denominational changes occurring were getting too liberal for my family. Add some internal changes as well and all those little changes added up to a big change for my family -a new church.

I don't think I'm alone in the fact that I don't like change. Change is uncomfortable. But in this case I feel as if I'm following God's call to change churches, and like it or not, I'm being obedient. What change is God calling you to make in your life?

Maybe your experiencing a job change? Maybe your child is going away to school for the first time? Maybe your traveling across country to speak and don't like leaving your kiddies behind? Maybe its your decision to make the change, or maybe you don't have any choice at all. How do you feel about the changes in your life?

The pastor at my old church once shared the cycle of growth through change and it goes something like this:

Healthy things grow.
Growing things change.
Change challenges us with all kinds of pain.
The pain of challenge invites us to turn to God and trust God.
Turning to and trusting God results in obedience.
Obedience to your Heavenly Father makes you healthy.
And, HEALTHY THINGS GROW…

You get the point. These changes do produce growing pains. But here’s praying that the changes that you and I are experiencing will produce the healthy results of trusting God. And here’s praying that God will meet our changing needs as we continue to grow in Christ.

***Update - I don't mean to imply I don't enjoy the new church - I do. I just think change is so hard.***

2 Corinthians 4:16,17 -- So we’re not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside; where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace. These hard times are small potatoes compared to the coming good times, the lavish celebration prepared for us.” (The Message Bible)

Luke 5:31 -- Jesus heard about it and spoke up, "Who needs a doctor: the healthy or the sick? I'm here inviting outsiders, not insiders—an invitation to a changed life, changed inside and out."

Romans 12:1 -- So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.

Guilty by Association

Think about the kid in your 2nd grade class that ate the paste. You know the one I mean. Now imagine all these years later that someone suggests you name your child (or dog) after this person. Ewwww! Not that name. I could NEVER pick that name. That's the kid who ate the paste!

I got my toe nails painted coral at the salon the other day. Women's Day magazine said coral was "THE" hot color for summer. When I got home, my daughter said "That looks like the color Nanny always gets." It did. Suddenly I didn't feel stylish, but grandmotherly.

In both these examples, the item itself is fine, but by association becomes "guilty."

Did you know that as Christians, we are the only bible some people will ever see? So what are you saying about Jesus, by association? I know I have a tendency to come on strong. I am hot or cold, black or white, should always or should never. I have recently come across a verse that convicted me.

1 Peter 3:15 says "Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect." Oh, I've given alot of answers for my reasons for believing in Christ. But I haven't done it with gentleness and respect. I've come on strongly, and I may have turned some people off.

And Jesus was found guilty, by association.

The irony is, that just as Jesus is found guilty by his association with me; I have been found not guilty by my association with him. "For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him." (John 3:17) Jesus died on the cross, found guilty of my sins, so that I can stand here now and say NOT GUILTY...by association. And so can you.

1 Corinthians 15:51 - - It was sin that made death so frightening and law-code guilt that gave sin its leverage, its destructive power. But now in a single victorious stroke of Life, all three—sin, guilt, death—are gone, the gift of our Master, Jesus Christ. Thank God! (The Message)

James 2:10 -- For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.

John 3:16 - - For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

REJECTED!

Have you ever been rejected? Have you ever felt rejected? What does rejected mean? Well, according to Webster's Pocket Dictionary it is "to cast away as worthless." OUCH! I believe we have all felt that sting. But lately I'm setting my self up for some rejections.

You see, writers write. BUT published writers submit. (I learned that at my writers conference). So I have been submitting some articles for publication. And guess what. I have gotten rejected...cast away as worthless. Ouch.

But I'm in good company. In the bible, David was rejected. He was rejected by his father & brothers as the littlest - yet he was chosen by God. How about Jesus? Talk about rejected, he was crucified. And yet, he is God's son; and will live and reign forever. I'm certainly not comparing myself with either of these bible greats. No, I fall far short.

My point is, we have all felt the sting of rejection. Perhaps you were rejected by your number one college choice, perhaps that cute boy from your 7th grade class rejected you, maybe you were the last picked in gym class - rejected, or maybe that person you admired and worked up the courage to introduce yourself to made you feel rejected. But you don't need to feel cast away as worthless.

We have been chosen by God, as adopted heirs to the throne. If we get rejected 1 million times, we are still children of God. So - hooray for us!

The dictionary showed me something else about the word reject. It's the word that follows it: rejoice. Isn't it ironic that rejoice should follow rejection? But I can rejoice, in spite of being rejected.

I may not be the best writer in the world...but Jesus loves me. This I know.

***One Last Thought - this blog is not looking for comments on how foolish an editor was for rejecting my piece or anything of that nature. Being rejected is how I will learn to improve my writing, and what a particular editor is looking for. It is a learning process for me, and the wonderful lady who recently rejected my work reads my blog. So no negative comments please. This is a blog to comment not on the fact that I was rejected - but that we all were chosen. Chosen to be children of God!***

Isaiah 41:9 -- {the Lord said} "I took you from the ends of the earth, from its farthest corners I called you. I said, 'You are my servant'; I have chosen you and have not rejected you."

Galatians 4:7 -- So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir.

John 14:23 -- Jesus replied, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.

Tuesday Bonus Blog

Question of the Day, as posed to me by my nearly 9 yr old daughter:

"Is the reason dogs don't wear clothes, that the Adam Dog and the Eve Dog didn't sin against God?"

Okay, who can answer that one for me?

Proverbs 10:1a -- The proverbs of Solomon: A wise son {or daughter} brings joy....
Proverbs 15:30 -- A cheerful look brings joy to the heart, and good news gives health to the bones.