Come Alive

Life.

To me, life without Christ is just existing. Having a physical body and mind but a soul without Christ is an empty shell.

Our soul aches and longs for the Lord and the Lord alone. We are not complete until we have life in Christ our Lord. There is a void if not filled with the Lord.

I'm not talking about going through the motions. Going to church on Easter and Christmas. Believing that God exists but not caring about what He thinks or His effect on your life.

I'm talking about full on LIFE in the Lord. All in. Believing that the only truth is found in God's Word. Believing that there is ONE true God. Believing that we can't earn goodness, but that righteousness and eternal life is found in believing in a Savior.

I once heard a scripture that has stuck with me for years. It is Ezekiel 37, the Valley of Dry Bones. The scripture is written by the prophet Ezekiel who describes a valley full of dry, dusty, wasting away bones. In the scripture, Ezekiel asks God if the bones can live. God answers Ezekiel by saying:

"Thus says the Lord God to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall LIVE. And I will lay sinews upon you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall LIVE, and you shall know that I am the Lord." Ezekiel 37:5-6

The scripture goes on to describe the bones beginning to rattle and sinews and flesh covering them but no breath.

"So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army." Ezekiel 37: 10

I can't help but type up the entire rest of the passage, it is just that powerful:

"Then he said to me, 'Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. Behold, they say, 'Our bones are dried up and our hope is lost; we are indeed cut off.' Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I will open your graves and raise you from your graves, O my people. And I will bring you into the land of Israel. And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I OPEN YOUR GRAVES, and RAISE YOU FROM YOUR GRAVES, O my people. And I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I am the Lord; I have spoken, and I will do it, declares the Lord." Ezekiel 37:11-14

I can't help but be astounded every time I read this passage. That we have a Lord who can breath life into the dead. Not just dead, like recently, like a physical body, but so dead that the bones are decaying and dusty. Our God is the one who saves. That is why we can rest easy, knowing that as believers we can pray and share Jesus and do our part but ultimately it is our GOD who saves. It is God and only God who can breath life into the dusty, decaying dead. ME. I was dead in sin. My God saved me.

I love the idea of the "exceedingly great army". That God has set apart His people- those that love Him and obey Him. These people have had life breathed into them. Not just physical life but true life- eternal life, spiritual life. The kind of breathable life that reminds us that there is nothing on Earth that will satisfy the way God will. That reminds us that we have a Creator, a Maker. God breathes life into His chosen, and those become His army. Not just an army, but an exceedingly great one.

I will gladly follow my Lord into any battle. I would gladly give my physical Earthly life for my Lord- easily and willingly knowing that my true life is in my soul, my eternal life.

I love the great mental picture that this passage represents and for this reason it is one of my favorites. Imagining God simply BREATHING. And thousands rise. Flesh attaches to bone. An army arises. It is unbelievable.

Of the army that I have already met, they are amazing. Strong, brave, courageous. Men and women who serve and give and love. They know what world they belong to. They know where value lies. I can't wait to meet more of the army. To one day join the entire army.

But until that day, all I can say is WOW. How can I deserve to go from death to life. I don't. Lord God, I am thankful. And I gladly serve my Lord God each day knowing where my true LIFE comes from.

{Taken at Alyeska Ski Resort, Girdwood, Alaska}

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What I Am Learning About I'm Sorry and I Forgive You

"I'm sorry" and "I forgive you" are words I have heard constantly throughout my life. Sometimes so often that they are empty in meaning, dull, and dreary.

But what I am finding in my own counseling is that those phrases are so far from boring. They bring life, restoration, and peace. I used to think that these words were like an equation. One had to be said after the other. If one of them wasn't said, it was incomplete. A lot of my interactions involving HURT revolved around these phrases: I hurt you, I say sorry, You hurt me, I forgive you.

Of course, real life is so much more complex than the recess playground forced "I'm sorry" and "I forgive you"s. And I am so glad that it is because I have learned more out of the complexity, the richness, the depth.

"If possible, as far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all." Romans 12:18

As far as it depends on you. As far as it depends on you. As far as it depends on you.

To put it in a nutshell, what I am learning is that these phrases are about our own selves, not the other person. We can say that we are sorry for hurting someone. And we should, willingly and joyfully, especially when we know Jesus Christ and see what He has done for us. But the response of the person we are saying sorry to is up to them. They can choose to reject our apology or get angry or defensive or they can accept it and forgive us. Whatever they choose, our job is to do our part. As far it depends on you. And we can leave the rest to God and let it go. We cannot control the people around us or their responses.

The same goes for forgiveness. Forgiveness is about our story and our journey. Forgiveness is about recognizing when someone has hurt us and caused us pain and letting go of the hurt and bitterness. We can choose to seek restoration by letting others know that they have hurt us but also letting them know that we have chosen to forgive them. But forgiveness is still about our journey of letting go. Letting go of the need to hate and to hurt and to hold on to pain. No matter how a person responds when you forgive them, it  doesn't change the fact that you have forgiven them. A person may respond hatefully when you say you have forgive them. That is their choice. It doesn't negate your forgiveness.

Sometimes forgiving someone in person in a face to face setting is not practical. For example, if the person you need to forgive has passed away, you cannot see them in person. But you can still forgive them. You can write a letter to them and read it out loud. Again, forgiveness is about YOUR journey. YOUR process of letting go of bitterness. Sometimes the process of forgiveness might be more traumatic than purposeful. For example, forgiving your rapist in person. But in almost all cases of hurt, I feel that the Lord calls us to seek restoration, to seek peace. In person. Face to face. Speaking out loud. "To live peaceably with all". The enemy wants division, tension, conflict, hate, anger. The Lord desires peace and restoration.

Other things I am learning are that forgiveness doesn't mean that what the person did to you was right. It doesn't condone or support or defend what they did to you. But you can still forgive them. Forgiveness also doesn't mean the common phrase "forgive and forget". You don't have to have amnesia and pretend like it didn't happen. But you can forgive them.

You can forgive a person even if they never apologize for what they did or try to manipulate you or make excuses. Again, your forgiveness does not depend on the other person's response.

This is powerful and huge and changing the way I see myself and others. It is changing the way I see pain and hurt. And it is reminding me that things might be out of my control, but I am in control of my life and the way that I respond. I am in control of my thoughts and emotions.

People often see conflict and argument and hurt as the worst possible thing. Avoid it. Run away. OR Fight back. Revenge. Hurt back. Neither of those options are what God asks of us. Even if you don't believe in God, forgiveness has been statistically shown to decrease anxiety and bring greater life satisfaction. Conflict allows us to see others in a new light. Often, relationships can grow deeper after conflict. Everyone can recognize they are not perfect. We are all messy, imperfect, sinful beings. We hurt each other. We misunderstand. We cause pain. But we are also capable of great love, of great compassion, of great mercy, of great forgiveness.

We can still be in relationship and have had conflict. We don't need to be bitter and count up past hurt and past wrongs. We don't need to do that because not a single person is perfect. We can stop adding up all the ways someone has hurt us and we can start letting go, for our own good, for our own journey, for our own moving forward.

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Spring Break 2016

This Spring Break, we had lots of visitors and we LOVED it!! I decided to do a staycation for spring break and it was the BEST decision. I love living in Alaska and you learn to appreciate your state so much when you are showing visitors around. You see its beauty in a new light. 

Here are some little snapshots of our time. It was SO restful and fun. I already miss the snow a tiny bit but I am also ready, ready, ready for summer!

Cross country skiing with my Sage girl

Skiing at Alyeska Ski Resort- It was incredibly beautiful the day we went.

Me and my Hillary who came from Dallas to visit me!

Alyeska Resort- Girdwood, Alaska

Hill and I took a trip down to Seward so she could see a little more of Alaska. It happened to be on a weekend that we got the MOST snow we have had ALL winter. Alaska- you never fail to surprise us. But, Hillary and I loved it and enjoyed exploring the little town. We went to the Resurrect Art Coffee House- 320 3rd Ave, Seward, AK 99664. An old church building that was turned into a coffee house and art gallery- my kind of place! SO relaxing and peaceful. 

Also, tip for all visitors: if you are visiting Alaska, some awesome winter activities include snowshoeing, skiing, cross country skiing, sledding, snow machining, ice fishing, watching the Iditarod. But the summer is where it's at: camping, hiking, wildlife and glacier cruises. It is warmer and greener and bright and more is open. But we had a blast exploring what we could do in the winter! One note is that the Exit Glacier is an awesome one for visitors in Seward, Alaska but it is closed in the winter and doesn't open until May. The road is not maintained to the glacier in the winter but we were told you could hike there but it would take a good while.

Resurrect Art- Seward, Alaska

I loved this: "Coffee is best sweetened by good company" - a little note found at the Resurrect Art Coffee Shop! :)

We took a snow machine tour with Glacier City Snowmobile Tours- I HIGHLY recommend them if you are interested. It was a decent price and our guides were amazing! The website is snowtours.net. 

Hillary and I on our awesome snow machine tour!!

We took a stop at an Iditarod Musher's dog sled training cabin right out of Girdwood- so cool!

Sage and I before our cross country ski. We were LOVING the inches upon inches we got right at the end of March :)

One perk of the snow machine tour was a stop for reindeer dogs for lunch and warming up by the fire! :)

Sagey girl, my best hiking girl.

This hike is AMAZING. Go to Whittier, Alaska. Take the first right out of the tunnel. Look for the Portage Pass Trail. Short one mile ish hike leads to an breathtaking view. Great for beginners or just a fun hike. You can see Portage Glacier from the view and the Prince William Sound when it is clear. Stunning.

Always a great stop: Beluga Point

One of the really cool things for this spring break for me was seeing the NORTHERN LIGHTS! I have seen them before but they were in full swing and so bright and beautiful. I love this crazy state of mine. Alaska- you are full of adventure!

Jenny, Melanie, and Brittany also came to visit!! This is Portage Pass as well with a little more sun!

This is Eklutna Lake. We thought about biking but the snow was still melting- would've been cool to try out some snow bikes in this area- definitely want to try this another time.

Ekluta Lake

Oreo Snow Puppy, Sage Girl.

Brittany, Melanie, Jenny, Annie, and I!

Guest bedroom ready for Hillary to get here!!

We LOVE having guests. Mi casa es su casa. We love sharing our love of Alaska so come stay with us!

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House Updates

One of the things I am learning about owning a home is that you always have projects you want completed. I am continuing to learn about contentment through owning a home- that it is okay to have unfinished rooms, projects, walls. I am learning to love our small little home for exactly what it is is- our HOME. Messy often, but lived in fully. I want to invite others into our home, even if there are uncompleted projects, dirty dishes in the sink, laundry to fold, floors to be vacuumed. It is a struggle, but that is what HOME is- a place to just BE. To BE with others laughing, eating, sharing. To share fellowship and to share LIFE.

I wanted to share some house updates, since it has been awhile. Come stay with us!!

Our gallery wall is one of my favorite little spots in the house. Tony let me decorate it for my birthday a couple years ago and I am so pleased with how it turned out! We got the big frame from a garage sale for FREE! Tony made the state signs and the reindeer canvas. The moose and fish artwork are from one of my favorite places in town, Sevigny Studio on 4th Avenue. The antlers and canoe picture are from Ozarks Antique Store on Old Seward.

Sage is our little snuggly puppy. Mornings are her favorite cuddle time.

Our guest room! :)

Tony made this nightstand, he is such a hard worker and does amazing work!

Tony also made our bed- we LOVE how it turned out.

A little reading list that I am slowing working through.

This is the before and after of our countertops in our kitchen. The top was the original when we bought the house- a solid surface and the bottom is black granite that we got put in. We love it! Next project possibility is painting our cabinets and putting hardware on... so any advice is welcome!!

Our study

Our sunroom- we love this room and it is so much possibility. We want to replace the floors, add some benches, and a table for pouring drinks. I'd love for it to one day turn into a playroom with a fun little teepee or play area.

This map we found in Homer, Alaska at the Art Museum there. It is a hand drawn map of the Kachemak Bay and Homer Spit. Got it framed at Micheals- expensive, but I like how it turned out!

To be fair, I took this pictures after I cleaned the house. If you want an accurate picture, imagine more dirty dishes, piles of laundry, and little piles of dog hair... :)

Our home is your home so come stay in our guest room anytime.

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