Spirit of the Red, White and Blue

 

        Hey y'all!!
   I know I've mentioned in past posts that this is my favorite holiday, and it is! I just love the festive colors, the fireworks, and the togetherness of family and friends joining to celebrate such an important day. So this year, here is my 4th of July prayer for our nation. You're welcome to pray along:

Father,
 

Bless the leaders of our nation.

Please give them the wisdom and guidance,
 To lead us in the years to come.
 

*
 

Bless our troops; the men and women,
Fighting for our freedom.

Please keep them safe, send angels to protect them,
 And bring them home soon.
 

*
 

Bless the firefighters and policemen,
Who face danger every day.

Please protect them as they lay their lives,
On the line for our safety.
 

*
 

Bless the nurses comforting patients in the NICU, 
And the doctors saving lives in the ER.

Please give them the energy and strength,
To keep performing their daily miracles.
 

*
 

Bless the stay-at-home Moms and the hardworking Dads,
Providing for their families.

Please give them the rest and strength they need,
To raise the next generation.
 

*
 

Bless the cancer patients fighting for their lives.

Please give them the comfort, bravery, and the strength, to keep fighting. Please provide a cure.
 

*
 

Finally, please bless our nation on this special day. Remind us, as we celebrate, that today is more than BBQs and fireworks. It's about family, about friends, and about freedom.

Amen.

* God bless America *

Happy Fourth of July Everybody!!!

 

A Walk of Inspiration; the Man who Defied the Limits

     So let’s talk about inspiration.
    What is it?
    When someone does something amazingly well? Or when something unexplainable happens and changes everybody’s point of view? Things can be inspiring (like a nice piece of artwork) and places (like a Cathedral) but people can be even more inspiring. Acts of kindness, acts of faith, or acts of talent that make history; all of these are inspirational.

    Well, Nik Wallenda is one of those inspiring people. He made history Sunday when he completed his high wire walk across the Grand Canyon, and I felt compelled to write about him and his feat because I found it very moving.

    Nik comes from seven generations of high wire performers,

So his talent for areal feats is in his genes.

He began training when he was a kid; now that's dedication!

He is truly a master of his craft.

   The whole world was watching with bated breath as he defied gravity. He was practically walking on air 1,500 feet above the Little Colorado River Gorge on a cable only 2 inches thick. He faced winds that were over 20 mph, battled the dust and the heat, all without a safety tether or a net to catch him if he fell.

    But what amazed me most was his attitude. Before his walk, he gathered with his family and preacher Joel Olsteen to pray. Then, the whole way as he was walking, we could hear Nik praising God and calling out to Jesus; all he wanted was to bring glory to the Lord. When the winds rose and the wire shook, Nik began praising God's name to calm his fears. It reminded me of Peter walking across the water; he did not look at the danger but turned to God instead. It was a magnificent thing to see someone with such great abilities also with such great faith. He put his body and his life into the hands of the One who truly can keep him safe.

It says in Philippians 4:13:

"I have strength for all things in Christ Who empowers me,

[I am ready for anything and equal to anything,
Through Him Who *infuses inner strength into me;

I am self-sufficient in Christ's sufficiency]."

(amplified version)

    Nik's feat was an inspiration. The strength of his faith and the depths of the confidence he has in himself and in Christ is what sets him apart. He proved that if you set your mind to something, you really can do anything.  

    There are many different kinds of artists. If you have an undying passion for something (whether its computers, writing, painting, dancing, singing, performing, sports... anything!!) and you put 110% of your heart, your soul, and your life into that one thing, then you are an artist. And Nik is definitely an artist.


Click here to relive parts of Nik's amazing walk across the Grand Canyon!! 

 

To Daddies World-Wide:

Happy Father's Day!!!

 

To all the awesome Dads out there,

Who taught their sons to throw a baseball,

Who were their daughters' first dances.
 

From the new Daddies to the Grandpas,

Thank you for all you do,

For all you've taught us,

For loving us,
And protecting us.
 

We love you very much,

And hope you have a blessed day!!
 

 <3

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall...

    Want to know a secret? Sometimes, I stand in front of my bathroom mirror and all I see are the things that I hate about myself. It's like my imperfections just jump out at me and I'm like: "Oh gosh, does everyone see this, too?" and then these hurtful thoughts start running through my head and it makes me really sad.

    I don’t know, perhaps I'm the only one who does this. Or maybe we've all felt insecure about ourselves at sometime, or have been convinced of things about ourselves that aren’t true. Tell me, do others' opinions ever make you feel like this?:

I shouldn’t smile; crooked teeth need to be hidden.

Scars are ugly; skin needs to be flawless.

I’m not hungry; my waist band says so.

I should wear makeup; flaws must be covered up.
 I should wear contacts; glasses make me look weird.
 

    Why do we put so much pressure on how we look? I mean, we're meant to be snowflakes, not Barbie and Ken dolls; we aren't all made from the same mold! We look like us, unique and imperfectly perfect. We have frizzy hair, zits, braces and freckles; we don't look like the models in the magazines. And that's okay!

 

   Why would we want to? We shouldn't have to measure up to anyone else's standards. We shouldn’t be judged by what number is on the tag of our clothes or the color of our eyes, our skin, or our hair. Please forget what they've said; their words do not determine you. The truth is you look awesome just the way you are and that's fact!
 

    We shouldn’t judge ourselves, either. Why do we stare at our reflections and criticize every little thing? We don't deserve that! We should love the person in the bathroom mirror; that person looks great just the way (s)he is!

*

So to the girl hiding her smile:

Go ahead and grin, princess,

You never know who might fall in love with it.

*

To the kid who hates his glasses:

You know what, handsome?
Clark Kent and Peter Parker wore glasses, too.

*

To the young woman who hates her body:

Don’t listen to what the scale says, sweetheart,

It does not weigh your worth; you're beautiful the way you are.

 *
 

    Let’s stop judging and hating how we look. We only have one body and it's perfect just the way it is! So the next time you walk by a mirror, why don't you stop and take a look at yourself, find three beautiful truths about you, and give yourself a smile. And remember:

 

 

Learning to Fly

Hey,

    Can I ask you something?
    Do you have something that you really, really want to do but something else is holding you back from doing it? Do you have a dream you want to see fulfilled, but there's just something standing in your way? I do, and I know very well how it feels to want something with all my heart but to have fears and doubts keep me from trying.
    Maybe we all experience this from time to time; having something hold us back (whether it's pain, fear, doubt or whatever else might hinder us). Maybe we all have this war going in within our minds:

*

What if it goes wrong?

But what if it goes right?

What if I get hurt?

What if it's worth the fight?

What if I make a mistake?

What if you don't?

What if I can't?

How will you ever know if you don't try?

*

    I believe that we are each born with a pair of wings, but for many, fear clips our feathers and we can't fly. Whether it's the fear of rejection, of getting hurt (physically or emotionally), of the unknown or trying new things, these fears fuel those "what ifs". They hold us back and they become chains on those wings we've been given to fly.
    So, please, let's not build those walls so high we can't climb over them. Let's break the chains. Time is really, really short and we only have today. We can't let another moment pass us by without at least trying to see what we can really do. Think about it:

*

What if the person you really like,

likes you back?

What if that trip you're leery to take,
turns into an amazing adventure?

What if the opportunity you're not sure if you should accept,

will transform your life?
What if that dream you want to chase,
will make you the next Picasso, Tolkien or Astaire?

*

 

 

   You could be anything you want, but how will you know what you're capable of if you don't step out and try?

   We need to take a chance this summer. We need to risk the unknown. We need to throw caution to the wind because life is much too short to put our dreams on a shelf and just let them be, simply because we're scared. Fear is hard to overcome, but it can be done!  How else will we know what we're truly capable of?

 

Believe in yourself,

Because you deserve to soar.

J