Walk by Faith

I attended a women's tea gathering at a local church with my mother. It was a lovely brunch where I got to meet some wonderful women and fellowship about family, life and everything in between. After we ate, we heard a message from Janelle Webster and these are her notes. I will also add some of my own personal thoughts that came to me as she spoke.
Janelle started off by showing us a group of shoes. She said most women have many pairs of shoes ( I know I do!) and she shared some of the shoes she has in her own closet and how they can be related to our relationship with God:

Slippers- slippers are comfortable, slippers feel great. When you wear slippers you normally don't go out, you just stay in one place because it's comfortable. Our relationship with God can grow comfortable. You want to go out but what for? You are comfortable with where you are so why not just stay there? Even if you are told you need to change, you don't because it's too comfy right here.

Army boots- These boots are tough, hard, they symbolize discipline and routine. You wear these boots to get the job done, they are extremely durable. Our relationship with God can become routine like, where our relationship is a check list. Prayer: check Devotion: Check Worship: Check and it's almost like your relationship is a duty rather than a......relationship.

Flip flops- These shoes are very casual. I have a pair of flip flops that I personally go to even when it's a cold day. If I can't find them I think, "Oh man I have to put on real shoes." But at times, we put on flip flops so casually without even thinking about it and our relationship with God becomes so casual that we do things without thinking ( I went through that earlier where I started to loose focus and sight and almost fell off and God had to bring me back on)

Stiletto- These shoes are some of my favorite shoes, they are so colorful and big and shiny, they are just so good looking. But boy they can be a pain to wear! I love heels but after awhile they just flat out hurt my feet, it's difficult to wear them but man do they look good. And often our relationship with God becomes so painful and hard to deal with it, but we don't want to face truths of what is happening so we put on this image that on the outside we have it all together, we look all good and shiny on the outside but on the inside we are in pain. We are crying, hurting ad just wanting to get rid of it all but we don't want anyone to know it so we continue to act like we are doing ok, we keep up that "It's all good" image.

Rain boots- When storms come we pull out the good 'ol rain boot. Now these are not boots we put on often, only when a storm comes. God at times become our protection only during the storms because we feel that we do a pretty good job at protecting ourselves during everyday life that we only wear God during the storms. For me, I took it as I only run to God and make Him my protection and source of comfort when things get difficult, much like a rain boot, God is seasonal.

Shoes that are falling apart- We all have that one pair of shoe that we have worn so much that it's falling apart, it's like wearing a rag ( for me it was a pair of heels that the heel was worn down to the tip) With this shoe we are wearing, our relationship with God is barely a relationship at all, we are so worn down and falling apart that it's on the brink of being thrown out.

Athletic shoes- These are really good shoes. These shoes represent that we are active! We are moving, pushing hard, moving forward towards what God has for us. We are on the go and that's a great place to be - on the move!  I always wear my best athletic shoes when I'm about to go on my longest and most enduring hikes. Janelle said and I agree that this is good place to be in with God, when you are moving with Him.

Nurse shoes- I don't have a pair of these shoes but I have seen them often out and about. Nurse shoes are white, they are clean and they can symbolize purity. With God, we can get to a place where we are pure at heart. My mom took the nurse shoes, you are healing with God, you are getting comfort. God is helping you heal and is nursing you.


Now of ALL of these shoes Janelle said a great combination to be at in our walk with God is to become the white tennies shoe.


White tennis shoe- these shoes are comfortable, durable, reliable, keeps us moving, they are ( like the nurse shoe) are pure and clean. We move into a place with God where our relationship is not about us but about loving God and loving others. We are moving with God, we are going and we are also examining ourselves along the way as we pursue him.


Yet often in life, circumstances will cause us to change our shoes - we have on our white tennis shoes but then circumstances happen and we change shoes. I can honestly say that in the year 2014 I have put on every single pair of shoes listed and it's only April so I clearly have some ground to cover and stability to gain. As circumstances in life happen, God wants us to keep our shoes on and keep going - don't let your faith change. God is constant so our faith in Him should remain constant. He's not to change His love for us and we need to walk by faith and keep going with Him.


As a reminder to walk by faith - all of the women received tiny shoe key chains. Mine is green ( favorite color!)

WonderCon 2014

WonderCon took place place at the Anaheim convention Center in Anaheim California. It was Easter weekend which is really interesting because it's a holiday weekend but whatever I still love to go to conventions and so I went my best friend Geneva and my dad. This was my dad's first convention and he was really excited to go! His first cosplay was Neo from The Matrix and I thought he looked amazing!

Getting ready at my house, Geneva was a smashing Ezio Auditore da Firenze from Assassins Creed and I was Hipster Slave Leia with my hipster Jabba 

We decided not to attend panels but just stick to the convention floor. It was so large this year, it took is almost six hours to walk the entire floor. We saw comics of course and I picked up a great read X-Men: God Lives Man Kills.

I ran into this really interesting dancing bear I think? But I took a picture and got a free button 👍

I can easily say the best part of WonderCon was meeting Alison MacInnis Power Rangers Lightspeed 

As we walked by the voice actors section, I got a pic of Lou Ferrigno

I also got a funny pic of Cas Anvar as he was talking, he was very sweet! 

Me being the Back the Future fanatic I am, I got a great shot of Claudia Wells and the replica on her booth table

I was able to stop by and say Hello to the beautiful Winner Twins. I love this picture of them holding two super heros, children cosplayers are the greatest!!

photo by WinnerTwins

I was very happy to see my friend Justin Orr and I got not one but TWO of his Ducktales print 

I felt SO accomplished when I got to Frank Beddors booth and purchased his Looking Glass Wars trilogy! He even signed them for me!! I also got yo be featured in his portal - when that picture comes through I will update this blog - but the show overall was great fun! My best friend got amazing art work and my dad was the happiest I have seen him in a long time! 

Oh I want to throw this in there: my awesome nerdy friend Sean Long got engaged at WonderCon and I am so happy for him!!! You can click here for the video. 

I want to get engaged at a Con! But anyways, until next time ✌️

Be like the little children

My mother told me to go to work and observe the behavior of children. Why? I was in depression and dwelling on past mistakes AGAIN and fallen into anxiety, worry, shame, regret, anger - should I go on? 

So I went to work and observed my students behavior and this is what I saw and will compare it to the Bible. 

1. Children don't dwell on mistakes or getting hurt

 Philippians 3:13 "Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended it, but this one thing I do: forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before." 

I watched a child run towards a yellow bouncy ball but she tripped and fell down. She made a sad face briefly but then got up and ran and picked up the yellow ball. She didn't sit and dwell on the fact that she fell down and say over and over, "I fell down! I can't believe I fell down. I can't have that yellow ball now because I fell down." Nope. She got up and picked up the ball and kept going. Which is what we need to do.

2. Children live in the moment

Matthew 6:31-34  "So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.  Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."

 

Each time I went into work to play with children, they never mentioned anything from the day before but anticipated what the day would bring. They also never asked about tomorrow. Each child I would play with just played, lived in that present moment. As each minute went by they just continued to anticipate the day. They never once said, "I had a bad day yesterday so I'm going to be sad today." or "I'm worried I will get hurt tomorrow so I will not play today, I will just sit and worry about tomorrow." I saw those eyes roll but adults do it all the time. Live in worry.Fear. Regret.

3. Children hear the teachers and TRUST

John 10:27 "My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me."

I talk to my children all day, all the time. I never stop talking in my classroom which is why my throat hurts at the end of each day. But when I tell my children, "We are going to have snack today", a child has never once asked me, "Are you sure we're having snack today?" or "Are you really going to give me snack today?" Sounds silly right? But we do it all the time, I have done it. Even when God has clearly told me He would provide for me, or give me something I have been needing I still worry in my head, "Is it really going to happen? Are you sure God?" Yet children, they hear something and they believe it and they know it will happen. It never comes as a worry, a question or a concern. They just accept and TRUST.

4. Children enjoy the day by doing things that make them happy

Proverbs 17:22 "A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones."

Nehemiah 8:10 "Nehemiah said, "Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength."

When I come into work, I ask my children what do they want to play with. As they play with their toys, draw with crayons, play with puzzles, dance to music, the expressions on their face shows that they are truly enjoying what they are doing. I understand that not everyone was dealt a decent hand in life, but no one in this world can mentally and physically force myself or anyone to NOT enjoy life. As I stated in a previous blog, I have the liberty and freedom to truly enjoy my life and do what I love and anyone else can to.

I had a child once sit outside and just look at the sky, he told me the sky was pretty blue and told me what shapes the clouds were making. He simply was enjoying the sky itself, nothing else. If all else around you is failing, just see the sky and see all the beauty God has made for us to enjoy. It's free. And feels the gust of wind blowing all around you as if it's hugging your body and bringing you a moment of peace.

Life is simple but humans.......we complicate the hell out of it. And we shouldn't have to.