Kate's Take

"Expect It"

I never thought of myself as "an intern." I thought of myself as doing God's work...which meant working beyond what I could see #wholeheart.

Today was a defining day. Today was "an act of God," because no one else could have pulled it off. Sure, He had helpers, obedient followers that I was sure to thank and am still in awe of their generosity and kind words. All I have to say is that it was an honor to serve. It was an honor to work with God. It is an honor to work for God.

Team Building, Missions, Basketball, and Sharing Our Love for God

LipscombSports.com - Dominican Travel Blog - Day 1: Travel Day

LipscombSports.com - Dominican Travel Blog - Day 2: Sugar Cane Village

LipscombSports.com - Dominican Travel Blog - Day 2: Lights out

LipscombSports.com - Dominican Travel Blog - Day 3: First Two Wins

LipscombSports.com - Dominican Travel Blog - Day 4: Off Day

LipscombSports.com - Dominican Travel Blog - Day 5: Church and Bisons win

LipscombSports.com - Dominican Travel Blog - Day 6: La Romana Orphanage

Fear

Fear shook me like a rag doll yesterday. My beloved horse that I have had for 18 years, Rocky, hurt his eye Friday and I've been treating it with medicine from the vet. The vet said to call him Tuesday if it wasn't any better. Well, Tuesday morning I saw a white glob within his eye and the vet was concerned it was an ulcer. I consulted with friends and comments were made like: "they can sew his eye shut, may have to remove it, this is probably the end because you can't afford surgery . . . and Rocky is 28." Choking I continued to drive to work and the vet was going to come while I wasn't there (not an option I like since it was a veterinarian's carelessness that caused my first horse to break his leg). The more time that passed, the more consumed I became with fear until I was convinced that these may be Rocky's last moments on earth and at least he was clean.

I broke all the rules I tell my clients not to do. I took hold of several cognitive distortions, long lost friends reunited for the afternoon. And I gave Satan a foothold. I left work. The vet that was supposed to be there at lunch . . . didn't show until 5. I could have seen my clients.

Rocky is fine, his eye will heal. However I got off track. Staying on track requires a constant reaching.

Away

In counseling I rely heavily on past experiences. Intimately tasting pain has supplied me with knowledge that cannot be explained. I wrote this poem in 2002 while trying to gain understanding for my current state.

Genetics - How a Horse Gets His Color

My father determined my color, along

with my first white horse.

Mr. Herbert, the horse trainer said: “you wanna

sell em?” A white horse is always dirty.

Mr. Herbert, one bullet in his head –

found him last month in the creek bed.

The creek we used to ride through.

I loved that creek.

Source of great fear at first, scared

I’d get down and never find a path up.

Peeking through the trees – lush green hills.

My motivation.

Green hills are harder to find now.

A happy memory of my past.

And here I am now – stuck, sunken.

Looking for a pathway up.

Say What? Hearing From God

It seems as though so many of us are in a mess, literally and figuratively. Not only with all of the storms do we feel like we are drowning - we are also drowning in our loss of direction. We just seem to be swept down the stream of negative thoughts. So how do we anchor? How can we see the light in the darkness?

My question to help people anchor is - what does God say?

I can only answer for myself, but here is how I seek to find out what God is trying to tell me.

1. I ask for wisdom and revelation knowledge about a situation.

2. I pray God all the junk that is in my head. Your thoughts have to be cleared!

to be continued...

Lost in Waiting

Picture: By Kate Smylie, "Brushfire in the Sky"

Words: By JonesBones5 (JonesBones5.com)

“How much of human life is lost in waiting.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

It’s difficult…when you have been given enough information to either bring anxiety or hope, but not enough information to bring comfort and peace.

A friend of mine waits for results of a medical test for her child.

Another friend waits in the waiting room at the hospital while his spouse undergoes surgery.

A little girl on the other side of the world waits for her mother to come home. She has been abandoned.

We hope for news that brings comfort, someone saying it’s all going to be ok…but sometimes the news isn’t what we want to hear.

Waiting on God, going through the rollercoaster of emotions, preparing for the answer no matter the outcome…this is a hard place to live. We wait. We tarry. We are tempted to become anxious. We are tempted to make irrational decisions…but we are told to…

Trust…have patience…

Wikipedia defines patience: Patience is the state of endurance under difficult circumstances. Patience is the level of endurance one’s character can take before negativity.

All of us go through it at one time or another. We all have those moments when we must wait. I am not always the most patient person in the world when it comes to waiting. I like my answers NOW. I have been praying about something for a while, and I continue to wait, and it makes me crazy at times.

I don’t want to stop living while I wait.

To Wait – In Hebrew, Qavah, Damam. To bind together, look patiently, expect, hope, look eagerly. To grow dumb, be silent, be still.

So what ever it is you’re waiting on today, whether it’s as simple as the sunshine to reappear, your tax return, or your waiting to meet your future spouse, take comfort in the fact that the Almighty has not forgotten you. Often I have to remind myself that His timing in all things is perfect and he is hearing my prayers.

Psalm 62: 5-8 My soul, wait in silence for God only, For my hope is from Him. He only is my rock and my salvation, My stronghold; I shall not be shaken. On God my salvation and my glory rest; The rock of my strength, my refuge is in God. Trust in Him at all times, O people; Pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us. Selah.

In the Battle

This Week's Sermon Outline

Graduation!

How you think

TEN WAYS TO UNTWIST YOUR THINKING

1. Identify the Distortion. Write down your negative thoughts so you can see which of the ten cognitive distortions you’re involved in. This will make it easier to think about the problem in a more positive and realistic way.

2. Examine the Evidence. Instead of assuming that your negative thought is true, examine the actual evidence for it. For example, if you feel that you never do anything right, you could list several things you have done successfully.

3. The Double-Standard Method. Instead of putting yourself down in a harsh, condemning way, talk to yourself in the same compassionate way you would talk to a friend with a similar problem.

4. The Experimental Technique. Do an experiment to test the validity of your negative thought. For example, if, during an episode of panic, you become terrified that you’re about to die of a heart attack, you could jog or run up and down several flights of stairs. This will prove that your heart is healthy and strong.

5. Thinking in Shades of Gray. Although this method might sound drab, the effects can be illuminating. Instead of thinking about your problems in all-or-nothing extremes, evaluate things on a range from 0 to 100. When things don’t work out as well as you hoped, think about the experience as a partial success rather than a complete failure. See what you can learn from the situation.

6. The Survey Method. Ask people questions to find out if your thoughts and attitudes are realistic. For example, if you believe that public speaking anxiety is abnormal and shameful, as several friends if they ever felt nervous before they gave a talk.

7. Define Terms. When you label yourself “inferior” or “a fool” or “a loser,” ask, “What is the definition of ‘a fool’?” You will feel better when you see that there is no such thing as “a fool” or “a loser.”

8. The Semantic Method. Simply substitute language that is less colorful and emotionally loaded. This method is helpful for “should statements.” Instead of telling yourself, “I shouldn’t have made that mistake,” you can say, “It would be better if I hadn’t made that mistake.”

9. Re-attribution. Instead of automatically assuming that you are “bad” and blaming yourself entirely for a problem, think about the many factors that may have contributed to it. Focus on solving the problem instead of using up all your energy blaming yourself and feeling guilty.

10. Cost-Benefit Analysis. List the advantages and disadvantages of a feeling (like “No matter how hard I try, I always screw up”), or a behavior pattern (like overeating and lying around in bed when you’re depressed). You can use the Cost-Benefit Analysis to modify a self-defeating belief such as, “I must always try to be perfect.”

Christians, Depression, and Medication

This clip is from one of my favorite blogs, "In the Name of Love." I think that Bianca brings up some very valid points. I want to add that I believe, more often than not, if you visit a doctor or a psychiatrist they will give you medication to treat your sadness and numb the pain - they are PRO MEDICATION. They do not consider situational versus clinical (chemical imbalance) depression. The medication that they prescribe to treat depression is highly addictive. People learn to depend on the drug to resolve the issue instead of their own strength and in Christian circles, their own faith. My rule of thumb is that if you are NOT having suicidal thoughts, consider weekly counseling for one year (or less depending on the situation) and see if you can resolve issues sans medication. If you are able to get out of the bed and feed yourself more days than not, consider counseling. If you are able to drive to work, consider counseling to assist you. Healing takes time and I would rather people think HOPE versus I need a QUICK FIX medication. One more time: If you are having SUICIDAL THOUGHTS seek hospital treatment or call your local crisis line.

Weeds

Every year I get excited about the potential of a new crop that will abound with vegetables and beautiful flowers. I know that if I till the dirt, add fertilizer, place the seeds and the plants in the exact perfect position that they will grow. Happy easy drink and be merry.

So what happens when weeds grow? When the evil green worms seek to devour my precious cherry tomato plants in the middle of the night? When beetles chomp on my sweet basil?

If you let the weeds and the worms go too far you won't have much of a garden left. However with more force and determination you can restore the garden and give breath the choking plants.

- Ms. Smylie

Lean not on to my own understanding

August 11, 2010
Waiting in Faith - From Charles Stanley
PSALM 33:18-22

Our culture is not one that teaches patience. Just watch the frustration of drivers behind a car that doesn't start moving the instant the traffic light turns green. Because of a two-second delay, tempers flare and horns honk. Living in a fast-paced culture programs us to expect everything instantly, and that includes answers to our prayers.

At times, I have been very impatient and frustrated with the Lord when He hasn't operated according to my schedule. I've even tried to manipulate the circumstances so I could present Him with the solution and ask for His blessing. But delayed timing from my perspective is perfect timing from His viewpoint. An omniscient God who is the Creator and Ruler of time can never be late.

Waiting on the Lord requires faith. Just because we can't see what He's doing does not mean that He is inactive. Our heavenly Father works outside of our visible realm, arranging and orchestrating events to bring about His plan for our lives. His work is like a seed that is planted deep in a garden—we cannot see the underground process. But just as a plant eventually appears, we can likewise trust that in time, the Lord's ordained outcome will become evident.

The solution to whatever problem you are facing is in God's hands. By steadfastly clinging to the truth of His love for you, His knowledge of all things, and His power over every obstacle, you can confidently walk by faith and not by sight. In time, your eyes will see proof of His faithfulness.

From Ms. Smylie: Things I like to avoid: Giving God a time limit, being anxiously consumed in my head, and thinking that I can figure things out by myself.