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It’s a beautiful crisp fall morning. The sun is out but you can feel the nip in the air. How I wish I’m still at home and in bed snuggling but alas it’s another football game today on an early Saturday morning.

I’m particularly entertained today by the cow bells from our team and the other team. One day I will succumb and give in.

Wish you could hear our middle school coaches. Man! They are a passionate lot. I wonder every day why they still have voices after a game or a practice. Their body language is very entertaining too.

My auditory sense is on overload today – cowbells, screaming coaches (and Parents), whistles, music, and more. I feel invigorated, vibrant, and alive. I needed this jumpstart on a Monday morning and not the drudgery that I feel (hope I’m not the only one) five days of the week.

What I am most inspired about today is the pickup game of football happening on the other side. I see it all the time when you bring younger kids that are not part of the team. They all become friends instantly. There are no silos, no stereotypes, no marginalizing, no racism, no class types and any other hang ups we have developed as adults. These kids just play and have a good time until the game ends. What a humbling piece of pie for all of us.

So today I encourage you to find your (internal) cowbells to set your rhythm to an awesome rocking and rolling. Forget about the drudgery of the past five days. Shake the cobweb blues and stand out in the sun.

While you are it, get into a pickup game in your mind. What’s holding you back? That person you keep bumping into might just become a really good friend. You never know who you will impact until you decide to say hello.

I have been mulling over what I have been writing about. I don’t profess to be great. By no means I am a prolific writer nor a profound philosopher or a great pundit. I just love to ponder and sometimes words of wisdom (or that’s how I call) come to mind. Words start forming in my head and I feel the need to write. I often let those words left unsaid because I was just too bogged down with the busyness of life.

There are many platforms in which I can blog but I choose to bring positivity and hope in the every day life. In our quest to be Great often the mundane gets unnoticed.

Like today in this football game. These mighty mites players are playing their hearts out. Behind these players are their coaches who are unpaid but give their time and effort because they love their sons and of course the game. I salute them for their passion and their dedication to their children.

I also do not want to forget the moms, dads, grandparents, and other family members who bring these boys to practice 3 days a week. We sacrifice so much. I understand and feel it because I am there with you.

We are part of the myriad of people that do the every day life. Our stories do not bring headlines. Our struggles are real but often overshadowed.

These are the stories I want to tell not because I know it all. My words may not bring a ripple effect but if I can offer up a word of encouragement and hope to one when it’s needed the most then I have fulfilled my purpose.

I leave you with this picture I took the other day. I see this every day because I want to be reminded.

Hope your weekend will be great!

As I promised on my last post, I am sharing my middle school retreat experience with you. I hope you will have a great laugh with me.

My last summer camp was when I was 17 years old (I believe) and it was on a nice beach in the Philippines. I was young and did not care where I slept as long as I could spend time with my friends. I realized that at 42, I have morphed into a creature of comfort. Just keep that in mind as you read the rest of the story.

We were sent a list of what to bring to the fall retreat. I packed everything they listed and checked it twice like Santa (sleeping bag, clothes, towels, shoes, and more clothes) except for the most important thing – CANDIES!!! 1^st major mistake of this fall camp. I did not have anything to bribe the kids with and more importantly, my son did not have anything to share with new friends. Candies, chips, and more candies go a long way in camp. My saving grace was that our team found two boxes of candies during a “crate” hunt.

I did mention that I am a full time working mom so I spend my days in front of my laptop, on conference calls, and meetings and more meetings. I listen to the news on public radio because it is convenient. I read my news online when I have time. My kids tell me what’s going on but I am only listening half the time because my mind is on another task at hand. I have no idea about what is popular these days except on what I see on Facebook since I don’t have any other social media account. I hope I am not the only one like this. So here goes my 2^nd major fail –  I had no idea about those you-tubers that they were talking about or the popular singers or actors. No clue whatsoever!!! The girls were looking at me like I was suddenly like their grandma. Yes, I felt older than dirt.

I was dying inside with mirth. It was a breath of fresh air to see that with these kids, it did not matter what title you have or what your station in life is (whether you’re rich or poor). I was just another boring adult that did not know how to have fun or know the fun stuff in life. The things that we care so much about or worry about do not matter to them.

Since every story has to have a rule of three to make it compelling, here’s my 3^rd major fail – breakfast! Why did I think that camp breakfast is like a hotel’s free breakfast bar? So, on Saturday morning I woke up early so I could take a walk and see the sun rise because I never get a chance to just enjoy the beginning of the day. I walked for an hour and took pictures (see below). Just imagine that and my hunger. Yes, I did think that there was going to be a hot buffet of eggs, bacon, and fruits. Yes, there were apples and oranges alright. Main entrée was pop tarts or granola bar. I burst out laughing. I am not complaining ok. I would have gladly eaten the granola bar but I have nut allergies so no can do. Pop Tarts have a new meaning to my life now.

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My morning view of this breathtaking place

Working with these kids has revived in me the passion that I used to have. They worship passionately and pursue God unpretentiously with all their heart and soul. Man, what would it take for us adults to be like this? Just imagine the roar of revival echoing around us and within us.  No wonder these kids think that being an adult is boring.

I guess what I am trying to share with you is that it is never too late. There are a lot of new things to discover so don’t be afraid to say yes to a new adventure. Go out and spread your wings. Be in the Zone! Be prepared for the unexpected because that’s when you will gain your pearl of wisdom or your humbling experience. Don’t be afraid to laugh at yourself for the silly stuff. Don’t sweat at the small stuff. It will all be fine in the end.

One of the things I prayed about was that God would give me a message that would resonate and jumpstart my heart. He did by way of Exodus 33. Even Moses had his moment of doubt even after all the miracles God has performed through him. In spite of it all, God was patient and faithful. He gave Moses this promise on verse 14 “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”

Are you ready to start this journey with me? I would love to hear from you. I want to know that I am not the only one in this journey.

It has been awhile since my last post and let me tell you – it has been hectic and a different kind of journey. I feel the need to talk about how to start something new, exciting, and totally out of character for you (including me). A new season that may require for you to get out of the comfort zone and take a small step. I don’t know what is going on with you so let me tell you about mine and hopefully this may encourage you to take a small step of faith.

The Phone Call

My trepidation started with a phone call more than a month ago. No, it was not the phone call announcing I have won millions of dollars (or my fantasy of receiving a huge inheritance from a long-lost uncle or aunt). I have been praying about volunteering and serving at Southeast (my local big church) but in reality, I was so afraid of the commitment. My schedule was already full – I am a full time working mom and my kids have a hectic schedule (meaning sports) and I am piling more.  I barely have time to work out and get my hair done every day.

Word of Wisdom – Don’t let that stop you. If you are in the same predicament of stepping out of your comfort zone, I say GO for it. It is time. You can do it one step at a time. Your confidence will level up, trust me you are going to start believing in yourself. It does not matter how old you are or what stage of life you are in. Courage begins with stepping out of the shadows.

Back to my seemingly innocuous story, I responded to an email about volunteers being needed at the middle school ministry. I stored that email for a week before I responded (thinking they probably just needed someone to be behind a registration desk). God has an odd sense of humor and had other plans in mind (which if he told me I would have said a big fat NO). I was told they needed help with filling up small group leader for the 6^th graders. I was so glad we did not FaceTime because my face fell and was thinking “seriously, I just want to be behind the scenes!” I knew I should have said yes right away but true to form (because fear had a grip on my heart), I replied with “let me pray about it.” Who was I kidding? I was vacillating. I was paralyzed with doubts and concerns.

In the Zone

I was never more of out of comfort zone than when I attended my first leader session (I said yes, the next day after the phone call). I was petrified (to say the least) and for a minute I felt like I was a high school freshman all over again. The room was full of people who already knew each other – teenagers and adults alike. It was a novel feeling because I have never been afraid to meet new people. I have led people all my professional life and yet the idea of being a small group leader of 6^th graders is touching my sense of inadequacy. Every Sunday morning (3 Sundays), I would have an internal debate about quitting because I feel so incompetent – in short, my super abundant confidence is failing me. Big Time!!! My co-leader and the other leaders around me seem to have it together. They know what to do and I sit there with my 6^th graders trying to grasp at straws on how to connect with them (yeah pity party).

However, every week I see the hard work that the staff put together to ensure our middle schoolers have the best experience each week. I saw the genuine love and passion in their hearts and in the other volunteer leaders to lead these children to Jesus. I am humbled to be in such great company whose hearts burn for Christ and my chips started falling away. More importantly, I see the faces of these young boys and girls and their unbridled desire to know God.

Last week, I made a decision (and said it out loud to my husband) that because there is such an internal struggle within me, I will give it my 100% because I need to learn how to get out of my bed of contentment. I want to give it my all and with all I have to give. So, I signed up on the last day of the registration (yes, I procrastinated for 2-3 weeks) for the fall retreat as a leader (my son attended too!). I will tell you all about it on my next post because now looking back just a day after, I can now see how ridiculous I was with my fears, doubts, and worries.

Decide and GO

Does my story sound familiar to you? What is holding you back?  By the way, that is the new series that Southeast is teaching us so it may be worth your time to check the Overcome Series. You have to resist those negative thoughts because you can do it. God is not done with your story yet. All you have to do is make a decision and step out. I leave you with this picture taken during our photo scavenger hunt as a reminder that you can pile and balance one stone at a time. As Paul said with confidence to the Philippians – he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus (Philippians 1:6).

10 hours plus 2 in two days and summer has officially touched us. After a few hours in the Emerald Coast, the Florida sun has kissed our skins to deep red. My freckles (or my sun spots as I call it) are emerging like the stars in the deep dark night – only they are red spots not the pretty twinkling lights. What a perfect Sunday! Sun, beach, and sand. I choose to forge the  algae (or seaweed, really doesn’t matter, they were all green).

Look at my view for today.

(Iphone 6S Plus photo by Vian Wheatley)

And tonight, I hear the crickets in this hot and humid Alabama night alongside the shrieks of my boys swimming in the hotel pool. The stars are not out but the night predators (aka bugs) are out for blood. The bugs think they are scoring big on their new Asian dinner.

This is going to be our new tradition for the next four years. A quick getaway between the two very humid states as we watch our daughter bloom into a young adult. I still do not know how I feel about her moving on to college so far away from home. Will I cry? They tell me I would.

The next two days will be a new journey for all of us. She is officially making her first big move towards freedom – college orientation and registration. Exciting times for her and for us but it is making me sad at the same time. My little girl has grown up. It is time for her to rise up and shine. I have always told her that her future is so bright she just has to see it for herself. I am actually excited for her in this new chapter of her life.

I have to end this post now because the bugs are having a feast around me. I end this with Michael Buble’s “Feeling Good” on repeat in my head. I hope you are also ending this day on a high note because you are feeling good!

Birds flying high

You know how I feel

Sun in the sky

You know how I feel

Reeds driftin’ on by

You know how I feel….

It’s a new dawn

It’s a new day

It’s a new life

for me

And I’m feeling good

I’m feeling good