Character Corner

Leave a comment Posted on Character Corner, Daily Blogs

Minor Delays

Putting things off doesn’t  make them easier…

For instance, take this post:

I had wonderful intentions to get it up sooner, but then decided to wait. 

Bad idea. 

My evening took an unplanned turn and here I am at a quarter to midnight writing about procrastination. 

I’ve read that it’s good to have 5-10 posts ready in your queue. This is sounds like heaven to me because, much like heaven, I have yet to arrive. 

My favorite Christian song right now is “One post at a time, sweet Jesus, that’s all I’m asking from you!”

Daily blogging is fun. 

Is it challenging?

Absolutely. 

Are there days you talk about a lack of planning?

Yes. 
  

Leave a comment Posted on Character Corner, Daily Blogs

Overcoming Off Days

I had such a hard time staying on track at work. While I was talking to one student, the name of a school course completely left my mind. 

One minute the title was there and the next?

Poof!

My want to vaporized so every task–even my interaction with fellow classmates–was an act of will. 
Things eventually turned around, but that wasn’t until much later. 
The smartest choice at times like these is to keep your mouth shut. You won’t get into trouble later that way. 

Plus, when I’m cranky, it’s easy for me to complain…

This leads to more guilt and only digs the hole deeper. 

The truth is everyday will not be awesome. You’ll be off kilter and need help getting back on track. 

Pray, talk to a friend, take a walk, nap–whatever it takes to work through the funk. 

The key is to not create unnecessary messes to be dealt with later when you’re back to normal. 

Leave a comment Posted on Business Sense, Character Corner, Daily Blogs

Getting past minor snafus 

I had a messy moment at work today. 

My attitude needed adjusting and perfectionism tried to pick a fight with me–and at the same time, too!

I am a Christian, which means I don’t have to be controlled by feelings, but I’m also human. 

Choosing to not react to my feelings and frustrations is tough. 

The situation I faced was not a big deal at all. Some poorly written instructions collided with my first time using a computer program. 

Despite the challenges, Step 1 of my project was completed. 

The minor snafus of life are true tests of our ability to respond instead of react. 

I didn’t fail the test, but I didn’t make an “A” either. 

It’s easy for me to become cynical about whatever I perceive to be the problem. 

Not everything, though, has to be a tragedy. 

Life happens. 

Most of the things that irritate me are small in scale. I just have to get over myself. 

It’s not the end of the world to make mistakes, to mess up, to drop the ball. 

What’s important is to learn from your mistakes and move forward. 

Did you hear me?

Move forward!

Quit your pouting.  

And if you can’t tell already, this post is more of a note to myself. 

Leave a comment Posted on Character Corner, Daily Blogs, Faith Journeys

Time for Action

Isn’t it amazing how the things we get all worked up over are so small on the importance scale?

I ran into a few technical problems this morning with the PowerPoint for the conference at work. 

Guess what?

We all had a great time worshipping the Lord even though things weren’t running smoothly as planned. 

Majoring on minor details is the fastest way to lose sight of what’s important. 

I’m not saying to do sloppy work, but you can’t freak out when things aren’t “perfect”. 

Perfection will cripple you any chance it can. 

You’ll wait forever to do something under the premise of the “perfect moment” when the best time to do it–whatever “it” is–is now. 

The book of James tells us to be doers of the word and not hearers only. 

What are we waiting for?

Christians are told over and over not to sit around dreaming about what will one day happen. 

Maybe the reason God hasn’t done this or that (preachers have a new list every week) is because He’s just waiting on us to do something. 

It’s not like we don’t know what to do. God wrote it down for us. 

Leave a comment Posted on Book Nook, Character Corner, Daily Blogs

Walk to Beautiful

I did something last night that I haven’t done in a long, long time: I stayed up until 2 AM reading a book. 

Good stories, especially true stories, intrigue me more than anything.

Walk to Beautiful by Jimmy Wayne is a captivating story of one man’s troubling childhood and how he became successful despite the trials. 

walk to beautiful

There was no way I could put the book down.

No matter how many chapters I said were the last.

No matter how many times I told myself, “30 more minutes, Audra.”

How could I stop now? The story was holding me captive! 

Jimmy lived in a world raging with violence and with no sense of normalcy, but he still had hope.

This one fact is amazing to me.

 

We are all hardwired to hope, which is why I think the saddest thing to see is hopelessness prevail. A sense of utter hopelessness is the #1 reason people commit suicide.

What I love about Jimmy’s story is how he wrestled hopelessness to the ground, tied it up, and ended it’s life–not his own.

Inspiration is awesome, no doubt, but inspiration that leads to change? Yes! Sign me up!

The biggest obstacle Jimmy faced as a boy was loneliness because people saw him as another juvenile delinquent when he was just an innocent kid. He only knew darkness; he’d only seen glimpses of light.

Many children in foster care face the same challenge. They want to do better, but no one’s ever modeled what that was for them. Or, in the worst of cases, they’ve succumbed to hopelessness.

All it takes, though, is one person reaching out to help. 

And that’s all I could think about last night as I turned page after page….

 

 

 

 

 

Leave a comment Posted on Character Corner, Daily Blogs, Faith Journeys

Good dirt is important

I got to play in the dirt today! 

My fun spring break activity was visiting my friend Nina and helping her get some gardening projects done. 

We re-potted some thyme and spinach, moved a cold frame, and planted potatoes, onions, and garlic. 

Digging around in the dirt is my favorite part of gardening. I enjoyed the dirt stains on my jeans (and having muddy hands). 

My obsession with dirt is a bit odd to some, but it’s such a reminder to me of our lives. 

Most of the time, any problem with your plants can be traced back to the soil. 

Good dirt makes all the difference. 

Nina and I had a lot of fun chatting as we worked. It’s cool to see how the Master Gardener, God the Father, is working in and through our lives as we follow Him each day. 
Covered in dirt, surrounded by kids–real kids and goat kids–the afternoon was filled with good conversation and gorgeous sunshine. 

I couldn’t have asked for a better day.

 This is the first spring break I’ve had in many years and it’s been awesome. 

Leave a comment Posted on Character Corner, Daily Blogs, Faith Journeys

The search for excitement

Some days, for me, have themes. Today’s theme was excitement. 

One of my favorite things to do is get other people to talk about what is exciting to them. 

If you’ve ever wondered about how to carry on a good conversation, this is key. 

There were several times today that the excitement was palpable. And it was awesome. 

Nothing gets me more excited than watching someone else getting excited. 

The reason why is because excitement leads to action. 

Excited people are passionate and zealous to do whatever it is that causes their blood to get pumping and their adrenaline to rush. 

I have a myriad of passions and interests, which all have one common purpose: helping others come to know Christ and the full reality of what it means to be in relationship with Him. 

As a Christian, everything else I love to do is fluff when compared to the Great Commission. 

However, God does want us to use our varying interests as opportunities to share His love with the world through friendship with others. 

This is not earth shattering revelation, but it’s important for us to understand. 

Excitement and enthusiasm are indicators. Look for clues as you talk to people. 

What gets them excited? 

Is it aimed in the right direction? 

The answers to these 2 questions will show you a lot. 

Leave a comment Posted on Character Corner, Daily Blogs, Faith Journeys

Not-so-fun lessons

IMG_1566If you know me, you know that I like when things are fun. The more fun something is, the better! 

And, today, I had to learn a not-so-fun lesson…

 

I had to bite my tongue and walk away from some unnecessary rudeness that was directed towards me. 

What I wanted to do was react–I was angry!

What I chose to do was to walk away and to forgive.

Everything within me wanted to lash out. The words were right there, aimed and ready to be fired.

Honestly! I’m a student at Rhema! I sit under the Word for 3 hours a day. And I can’t control my tongue? 

It was this thought that stopped me from doing something stupid, from tearing someone to shreds over nothing, really. The lady was being herself and I know her heart was not to send me into a frenzy. 

Why am I sharing this story?

Because words matter and reputations are ruined in minutes. 

And here’s a reason even better than not making yourself look like a fool:

Every person matters. Tearing someone down is destroying what God says is most important. 

This is why the Bible talks a lot about how to interact with others–and giving someone a piece of your mind is not one of God’s instructions.

Now, let me throw the grenade, the thought that had me repenting pretty fast: 

How many times have I been forgiven for being careless with my words? 

BOOM!!!!

Put down your weapons, Audra. This is no time to attack.

Some lessons are not fun to learn. The sooner you learn them, though, the sooner you can get back to helping and loving others, which is the most fun you and I will ever have. 

 

 

Leave a comment Posted on Character Corner, Daily Blogs

The Greater Good

I’ve been watching The Voice and it’s fun! The judges fight for good singers. 

They’re building a team of vocalists to compete against each other and the other teams (from what I’ve gathered so far).

Singing  competitions are interesting to me because they showcase the immense amount of talent in our country and around the world. 

Can you imagine if everyone used their gifts and talents for the greater good?

This is where my mind goes when I watch shows like The Voice and American Idol. 

All of that talent…

Most of the stories you hear are about why the singer wants to be famous, to be discovered. 

And there’s nothing wrong with being famous! This is not a post from a bitter wannabe. 

I just wonder if the singers understand the opportunity being placed before them to make a difference. 

Not everyone gets to stand on a platform. Their words and actions aren’t under scrutiny by millions. 

The pressure of fame can be crushing, but it doesn’t have to be. Many celebrities use the spotlight to be a voice for those who don’t have a voice. 

Of course, you don’t have to be a celebrity to make a difference. (I’m assuming everyone knows this truth.)

Watching all of these talent shows, though, has me thinking about the motivations of the heart. 

Leave a comment Posted on Character Corner, Daily Blogs, Faith Journeys

Are you really listening?

The story of Jesus talking to Peter on the seashore is one of my favorites. 

I think we can all relate to Peter because his life is the most relatable of the disciples. This guy was zealous, but made some mistakes along the way. 

Jesus asks Peter, “Do you love me?” 

Peter says, “You know I do.”

Jesus responds, “Go feed my sheep.”

This happens two other times. Jesus is questioning Peter to check his heart while also giving Peter a job to do. 

Peter got a little exasperated at Jesus, but Jesus wasn’t bothered–until Peter compared himself to John. 
“What about John, Lord? What’s his job? Where’s his heart?” Peter asked in reply.  

Jesus was firm in His answer: “What about him? We’re talking about you. If John lives until I return again, is that any of your business?”

Pastor Hagin shared at church tonight how it’s important to work and serve where God has placed you right now. 
Standing firm, staying in position is only possible when you are secure in who you are in Christ. 

Jesus was giving Peter instructions and the next words out of Peter’s mouth are “What about John?”

Maybe God’s been talking to you for a while and you’re too busy looking around at others.

Just something to think about…

I know this is an area where I have to be on guard. 

The comparison trap keeps us from hearing God’s voice effectively because our attention is divided. 

Remember: God is always talking to us. All we need to do is get quiet and listen up.