When Worlds Collide

Have you ever had one of those weeks months where everything seems to collide? When everything just seems to pile on top of each other until you are ready to cry "Uncle!" That's what it been like for me.

Here's what my life has been like for the past few weeks:

Speaking at a Mother's Day tea
End-of-school parties
More end-of-school parties
End-of-school teacher's gifts
24-hour stomach flu (kept me flat on my back)
Computer crashing
Eighth grade promotion
Promotion dinner for family
High School graduation
HS graduation dinner for family (2 days apart)
Catch-up work because of computer crashing
Husband and 4-out-of-5 kids going camping
Mom making food for said camping trip
Me and 5th child (Dylan) getting ready to go on a 2-week trip to Europe with high school.

That list doesn't even contain my normal work load. I'm guessing your life looks a lot like that sometimes. I'm not complaining about it, just commiserating with women who know what it's like when everything collides.

So, I'm writing this post to sign off for awhile. At least for two weeks while I'm gone.

But I want to leave you with a great piece of advice by author David Allen. I'm just finishing his book "Getting Things Done." In the final section, he's talking about how to overcome the anxiety of having too much to do. Actually, he says, we always have too much to do. The anxiety, he believes, comes from having a broken agreement with ourselves, or someone else.

He's right. I feel horrible when I have too much to do because I always feel like I'm letting someone down. I often feel that way about this blog.

Allen's suggestions for dealing with negative feelings is simple:

1) Don't make the agreement. In other words, say "no."
2) Complete the agreement. In other words, just do it.
3) Renegotiate the agreement. Redefine your expectations of what, when or how you will get something done.

That's great advice for me. I know my personality will always lead me into managing a gazillion projects at once. So I need to learn to manage those projects so I don't always feel like a failure.

The most important thing for me to remember when everything collides is that God is still loves me when I don't get everything done.

God still believes in me when I let someone down.

God still has and will equip me to follow Him wherever He leads.

God still longs to spend time with me in the midst of my busy schedule.

I still desperately need God more than anything else.

In His Love,

Glynnis

A Lesson Learned the Hard Way

Tonight I'm asking for prayers, and sharing a word of advice for my friends who depend on their computers.

The two are intertwined, so I think if I share the prayer request, you'll understand the advice. First, what happened:

Last week, my computer froze up a few times. It hadn't happened before, so I thought I must have had a lot of spyware on it. I tried to get rid of it, but the freezing-up happened again. Then on Wednesday I had trouble getting on my computer it was so slow. But, coincidentally, I had the 24-hour flu, and didn't get out of bed except for a few hours.

By Thursday, it was clear that something was very wrong with my computer. On Friday, I got the bad news: my hard drive had crashed. Worse still, the technician couldn't get any data off it. Even worse, my last back up had been about a month ago.

So, now I'm waiting for him to come back on Monday with a new hard drive. And one more attempt to pull data off the old drive.

Herein lies the prayer request. Please pray that he is able to get some Word documents off for me. I've done a lot of work in the past month that will be difficult to re-create. Specifically for the P31 Woman magazine, and She Speaks.

I'm kicking myself for a few things this weekend. Of course, the first is not backing up my work!!! I know better. The second is not taking better care of a piece of equipment that allows me to do so much ministry. I became complacent because it was a relatively new computer - out of warranty, though.

So my advice to you my friend if you depend on your computer - Back it up every day. And have regular maintenance to make sure it's free of bugs and viruses. The internet is getting more and more malicious. Not surprising - since so many Christians are using the Internet to encourage each other and share the Gospel! I'm reminded once again we have an enemy who hates what we are doing. (And, by the way, I'm not afraid. 'Cause my God is bigger than him!)

On Monday, I will be subscribing to Carbonite, which backs up automatically every night, but only the files I have changed. I'm not recommending this service, only sharing what was recommended to me by a friend, and then confirmed by the computer tech.

I believe that every lesson we learn in this life comes with a price. This lesson was an expensive one for me. My apologies to those of you who posted a comment on communicating with teens. As soon as I have computer and e-mail access, I'll post the winner of the Starbucks card. I pray it's Monday afternoon.

In His Love,
Glynnis

Ooooo I wish I hadn't said that!

As a mom of teenagers (one almost an adult), I'm finding my speech needs to change. It seems once a day, I'm saying something I wish I hadn't said. It's not always bad stuff, just thoughtless things. Things that if I were speaking to or about a five-year-old might be appropriate. But not for a 17 year old.

For instance, I learned that my 17-year-old son did not appreciate it when I told a neighbor his grade in chemistry. My intent was to make her feel better about how her daughter struggled in a class. I can see now I should have done that a different way.

This is one reason I've struggled with what to write about on my blog. I love reading women's blog when they share the cute things their kids did and said, even when they are naughty. But I've got four teenagers and one pre-teen at home. It gets harder to know what to share and what not to share. So it's safer not to share much.

I also regret how I talk to my kids at times. My intent is never to hurt my children, but sometimes it happens. I voice suspicions that should never even make it to my head. Comments about their friends can raise their protective instincts. I give my opinion when it's not asked for. I'm too passionate about subjects too early in the conversation and shut them down.

I'm learning that talking to teenagers is a bit like navigating a field of landmines. At least it is for me because I talk WAY too much. Even as I'm talking sometimes, an alarm goes off in my head telling me to stop talking NOW. Most times I hit the "snooze" button and plow ahead.

Today I read this quote. I wish I could attribute it to someone, but I can't:

SILENCE IS OFTEN MISINTERPRETED BUT NEVER MISQUOTED

I'm making a commitment today, and broadcasting it on my blog. I will talk less with my teenagers and allow them to talk more. I will guard my words and pray that I only speak encouraging, kind and positive words. I will avoid "innocent" questions that are really designed to make my point. I will not repeat their youthful mistakes to anyone without their permission.

Being a mother is like being on the biggest learning curve ever! That's because the subject matter I'm trying to learn about keeps changing. I guess I should go back to my student mode, and take a few more note.

Any tips about talking with teenagers? Share them on the blog today, and on Thursday, I'll pick a random winner to give a Starbucks card to. So make sure to include an email address so I can reach you.

In His Love,
Glynnis

A Place of Truth

I hope you are having a wonderful Monday. I'd like to extend a warm welcome to any Encouragement for Today readers.

I know this is always a difficult day of the week for many. After a restful weekend, it's hard to get back in the swing of work. Today, I pray God fills you with a sense of anticipation about what He's going to do this week in you and through you.

It's actually been a very rough weekend for me and my family. So I'm definitely praying for a week of healing and hope. I should clarify. Nothing has actually happened to anyone in my immediate family, but this past week and weekend, I've walked through extraordinarily difficult times with three people I love.

To honor confidentiality I won't mention any details. However, three people I am very close to, and love dearly, have all been deceived by someone they trusted and just recently discovered it. And I'm not just talking something minor. Each situation has been devastating. Life-shattering. Heart breaking. Trust crushing.

I've been through grief and anger with each one of them. I'm mad at our enemy who plots our destruction. I'm sad that we live in such a fallen and broken world, where sin invades hearts and people turn far from God's truth and love. Honestly, it makes me long for heaven, and I find myself thinking often of the day when no one will lie or deceive others.

I find those thoughts entering my prayers often. Through this, God continues to remind me of one very important truth: HE WILL NEVER LIE TO ME.

God's truth never changes. God never changes. His promises were true yesterday, they are true today, and when (if) I wake up tomorrow, they will STILL be true.

When I feel like I can't take the lies anymore, I grab my Bible and hold it close. Then I open its pages and soak in the reality of God. It is a Book FILLED with truth. Truth we can build our life on. I know I have.

If you've been lied to recently, or suspect someone is lying to you, my heart breaks for you too. Although you may never know the full truth of every situation, you can know truth. God's truth. And God's truth will bring you peace, comfort, healing and hope.

John 8:31-32: Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."

In His Love,

Glynnis

Uniquely Designed or Freak of Nature?

This past weekend I joined Facebook. After years of resisting, I talked myself into it after seeing how a dear friend stays connected with other friends, and how she networks with others in the writing community.

Well, on Friday at about 4 p.m. I joined Facebook. I hand-picked about 30 people who I know well to invite as "friends." However, I must have checked, unchecked, highlighted or clicked on something, because within 15 minutes I started getting acceptances from people I didn't invite. And people I don't know! Then I got an email from the moderator of a writing group for which I am a panelist. Apparently, I'd invited her to be my friend ... only I didn't.

Her response wasn't warm and fuzzy. It went more like this - Isn't this illegal?

She was referring to using the writer's group in that manner. Only I hadn't ... but I had. So I've been apologizing left and right. How embarrassing! On the bright side, I've got lots of new friends on Facebook!

Now to the point of my post. On my first full day as a Facebook member, I got a note from a friend who had taken a brain dominance test. She discovered she was right brained. Hmmm ... I thought ... so am I. At least I've always thought that because I'm left handed. Years ago I learned that people are dominant on the side of the brain opposite of their handedness. Since I've been left-handed since birth, I assumed I was right-brain dominant.

I thought that explained why I love music and why I like to write. Then I took a brain dominance test myself. I didn't think it was right. So I took another, then a third. They all said the same thing: I'm extremely left-brained. Which REALLY explains a lot.

I explains why I've never fit the mold of a creative person. I love to cook, but I never (I mean never) create a recipe. I'm not a creative writer. I've never been able to make up a bedtime story. I've never been drawn to art - but I can color really well within the lines. I've wondered why I'm not more creative, and why I can break down a task, but I can't see the forest for the trees. It explains one reason I've always wondered why I don't seem to fit any molds.

So the question begs to be asked: Was I uniquely created like this, or am I a "freak of nature"?

Since I personally know the Creator of the Universe, and He loves me, I choose to believe that for some reason, God uniquely created me just like I am:

A writer who never kept a journal.
A singer who can't hear the 2nd and 4th beat to start people clapping.
A really good home cook who can't make dinner without a recipe.
A Christian writer and speaker who has had to conquer every fear about following God.
A professional who loves new technology, but can't figure out what she can't see.

The message God has given me this weekend is I don't have to be like other people. And when other writers say that ALL writers MUST write or they feel like they will die - I'm still called to write. And even though I have trouble keeping a beat - I'm still called to sing. And even though I'll never be a Food Network star, I'm still called to make great dinners for my family. And God will hold my hand when I'm afraid. So that's okay too.

I just don't know how I'm going to figure out technology. Maybe that's why God gave me teenagers.

So, I fit no mold, but that's okay. God must have had something in mind when He created me. I guess my job is to trust that He knew what He was doing and follow Him with all my heart. Even though I might look kind of freaky to others. :-)

In His Great Love,
Glynnis