Off Grid Drop

Before my husband and I married, a coworker gave me a prayer printed out on a sheet of paper that I've continued to pray throughout the years. Without looking at it, I've managed to remember a small portion that I find myself praying over Tim. "Take away his heart of stone and give him a heart of flesh." Some days I find myself needing to pray it over myself instead. In our wedding, our pastor referenced the strand of 3 cords that isn’t easily broken. I believe with all my heart that marriages must have the third strand (God). He has been the glue every time I’ve needed him. Let’s get one thing straight… I am not a marriage expert! I’ve been married before, but this time, it’s different because I allow God to handle things. So many times, I want to lash out (and I have), but the freedom you find when you take a deep breathe and give it back to God, is indescribable. The Bible talks about husbands and wives submitting themselves to one another. This is taken out of context many times. Submitting yourself to someone else is not giving them control over you. I like to think of it as being available to support the other person. There is no perfect marriage or relationship. We’re all sinners, period, but with God, he can turn a mess into a message, and praise God that’s what he continues to do with us. I sometimes say that Tim and I have absolutely nothing in common. Like, how did we end up together? I’m quickly reminded of how we balance one another out. I’m one way, and he’s completely opposite, and vice versa. He’s helped me to look at situations differently, and I would like to think I’ve helped him do the same. Let me just encourage you my friend, I’ve felt how you feel, I’ve cried tears, too. I’ve been so mad, I thought I would never get past the hurt, but God can fix what’s broken. Here’s your part. Just stop, pray, give it to God, and move on. Sounds a lot easier than it actually is, I know, but trust me, if you can learn to do this, remove yourself from the equation, and let God do what only he can do, IT WILL WORK!!! I'll end with this. Psalm 28:7 says, "But you, Lord, do not be far from me. You are my strength; come quickly to help me." We must call on His name in times of trouble. He also tells us in Matthew 7:7 to “Ask and it will be given to you; seek, and you find; knock and the door will be opened to you. The second part of James 4:2 says "You do not have because you do not ask God. Sister, what are you waiting on? Ask Him! Praying for you and glorifying Him, Lynn

First off, I want to be crystal clear about something. I’m not okay with missing my first, and only grandson’s, first birthday party. I mean, what are the odds that I would get sick the very weekend we’re having a huge birthday bash at our house? Y’all, my husband went all out! Crawfish, waterslides, jumpy house, cake, and whatever else he mustarded up in the past 24 hours. It looks like a zoo in our front yard, but I’m excited for our little man. Oh, did I mention how much I love being a Lolli? I feel a little young to be a grandmother, so I had to go with something cool. Maw-maw just wasn’t the thing for me, at least, not yet. I quarantined myself to our camper in the backyard, just to take precautions, not wanting anyone else to get sick, especially with the whole family coming over tomorrow. I’m still not certain that my husband is taking me seriously. I mean, do I need to show you a doctor’s excuse? Trust me, I didn’t plan for this to happen. Does he not realize that I’ll be missing out on the pickle and nacho table, as well as the birthday cake? Hello! I’m sure once it’s all over with, he’ll say that he hated I felt bad and missed the party, but for now, I think he’s realizing that he’s having to do a lot of the work that I would have done. Either way, the party must go on and there will be the cutest ever little one year old boy smashing his baseball cake, because he’s Rookie of the Year! Back to the camper. So, I’m here, among the four walls, with my cans of chicken noodle soup, some crackers, and a few of those mini packs of M&M’s I snatched out of the candy bowl on my way out of the backdoor. I packed my toothbrush, a pillow and blanket, my laptop, Bible, and some water. If Door Dash delivered this far out, I’d have it made! The boys left for the movies. I slip back inside the house for a quick shower and realize as I’m headed back to the camper, that I feel different than I normally would have knowing that we were hosting a birthday party at our house. Did I mention that my husband went all out? Normally, I would be super edgy and uptight with everything on my mind. Can I get an Amen? So, I began to consider the situation and how I would have normally felt and responded verses how I feel right now. It’s deep, hang in there with me! I realized for the first time of how anxious I get about things, that I really shouldn’t. I mean, it’s okay to have a lot to consider and prepare for with company coming, but is this the main reason I’m not more outgoing? If you know me well, you know that I joke around and say that I’m not very hospitable, and for that reason, I’m trying to venture out of my comfort zone and plan a lady’s event at our church for the end of this month. I’ll follow up with more details on the event in a later blog, but gathering a bunch of women and planning out an evening of food and fun is not what I would consider a passion of mine. I say that with love, so please, don’t get me wrong. Bear with me for a moment. I’m deliberately making my self uncomfortable for a reason, hoping God will use me in ways I haven’t allowed him to do before. Back to my anxiety. I realize how much I let it get in the way of things. Sometimes I wonder if I’m OCD or do my kids just not hear me the first time I ask them to do something? Like, where did I go wrong, and is it too late to fix the broken parts of me? If it were left up to me, then yes, it's way too far gone, but praise God, he tells us it’s never too late, that he can fix what’s broken, comfort the uncomforted, and bring a peace that surpasses everything! I’ll take 2 of those with whip cream and a cherry on top please! Sometimes we must let go and let God. When we try to fix everything ourselves, we make a bigger mess, get in his way, and then we’re all in a tizzy with a large side of anxiety splattered all over our plates. I don’t know about you, but I want to live in freedom! I don’t want to worry about every little detail. Time is too short! I want to soar on eagle’s wings and fly! Okay, got carried away there for a minute, but you get the point. There’s no reason to let anxiety steal our joy. God wants us to live life abundantly and if I’m constantly worried about the table toppers, balloons, and parking for the party, I’ll miss the moment, the reason, and the fullness he offers us. I’m tired of missing out! I’m sick of anxiety! I want more and know that God offers so much more than this. When Satan tries to bind, stress, and bury us in our weakness, he thinks he’s won, but when my God frees, loves, and gives us life abundantly, we have everything to be worry free and thankful for! What’s holding you back today? Does anxiety and fear sleep on your doorsteps? Does depression rattle your mind and keep you bound by chains? It’s time to say, “Enough is enough!” Out with Satan and in with Jesus! I think He's okay with us having our party, and our cake, too.

Do you ever wonder or feel like you’re just going through the motions? Day in and day out, same routine. Wash, dry, fold, sweep, mop, cook (I’m a pro at ham sandwiches) You get the point! Some of us love simplicity. If you’re like me, it’s a necessity. I personally don’t enjoy big crowds or loud music, (unless I’m jamming out to praise and worship music-so if you see a crazy lady in a Jeep with her arm stretched out just know I’m in my zone lol) I personally thrive in quiet atmospheres. My ideal place is a spa, away from the world, a soft cozy robe with cucumber lemon infused water in hand while relaxing in a comfy lounge chair with my eyes closed and nothing to think about. Sounds enticing right? Unfortunately, those times are very few, but that little piece of heaven is my happy place, where I can get away from it all. Some live those days often and it’s totally fine. There is absolutely nothing wrong with selfcare. Don’t ever feel guilty for breaking away for some ‘me time.’ Jesus broke away many times while he was here on earth. Even though fully God and fully human, he needed rest. He would go away from the crowds to reconnect with God. Since we’re instructed to be more like Jesus, we need to break away, too. I know some of you are thinking that there’s no way. You have kids, ballgames, engagements, spouses, careers, animals, deadlines, and so on. Do you realize that Satan will do whatever he can to fill our schedules to distract us from what we need most, time with God, time for ourselves, time doing what really matters? He masters in disconnection, chaos, trouble, doubt, fear, and just plain busy. He wants our schedules so crammed packed that we never crack open our Bibles, think to pray, and what about doing for others? He makes sure there’s absolutely no time for that! Do you feel me sister? Our priorities are vital to our lives, souls, and mental health. What does your day-to-day schedule look like? Have you factored in prayer time with the one who made you and knows you better than you know yourself? Have you stopped long enough to read one verse out of the Bible and to consider it’s meaning for your life? Did you know that the Bible, God’s instruction book, user manual, if filled with everything we’ve been through, are going through and will go through in our lives? I can assure you that there’s a story within its pages that relates specifically to your life right now. I want to encourage you to pause, break away, whether it’s for 10 minutes or 2 hours and reconnect your heart and mind with the number one thing your body requires for survival. I often get caught up with different things that keep me from doing what matters most, and that’s connecting with God daily for strength, knowledge, discernment, hope, love, patience, and everything else needed to make it through the day. This is when problems and darkness present itself. We were made for so much more than going through the motions. You, my friend, are not here by mistake, reading this right now. God knows you and sees you right where you are. He knows your thoughts, fears, and desires. He wants the absolute best for you, and for you to thrive! He gives us everything we need to be successful in this life. You don’t have to be the best. Just be you! Don’t look at others and wish for their life. I can assure you it’s not picture perfect as it might seem. Social media and pictures can be very deceiving. We’re all sinners, every one of us. There’s no such thing as the perfect person, relationship, or family. Each have their own issues you may never see. There’s more for your life than what you think. He wants you to have it all and live abundantly! Take some time to reconnect with God. He has so much he wants to show you! Glorifying Him, Lynn

I was recently asked to give input on some relationship issues. Wait, you’re asking me? I’m the one who use to run when things got hard, thought it was my way or the highway, and say that I was done before it even started. So, again, are you sure that you want my input? This person insisted, so thankfully after God entered the equation and my life, I try hard to do things a bit differently (emphasizing the word hard, because with me at times, it’s hard as heck!!!) It’s against my norm, not my nature, foreign, but I agreed and gave my two cents worth. Note… I highly recommend not asking for everyone’s opinion in certain matters, especially relationships. There are way too many different opinions that can cause utter confusion and that’s not what God is. He is clarity. He fixes broken things. Look to him first and foremost for all answers! I personally have thought throughout my life that I could always ‘change’ a person. Ha! I was terribly wrong! God and God alone is the only one who can truly change someone, so if that’s what you’re trying to do right now, it’s not going work. Save yourself some time, effort, and brain cells. My response to the inquiry was just that. You can’t change the way a person is. You can’t ‘train’ them to be a certain way. Odds are, the way they are now is the way they’re going to be, so you will need to dig deep and decide if this is what you really want. Do you want to spend the rest of your day, week, month, year, or lifetime playing this ongoing game of confusion, disappointment, and nonsense? Just saying… As my sweet mom would say, ‘Take some words of advice.’ We need to pray about anything and everything. Not sure which way to go? Pray about it. Don’t know what to do about something? Pray about it. Wondering what you should wear today or eat for lunch? Pray about it. There is nothing, absolutely nothing too big or too small that God can’t handle. My gosh, he has the entire world in his hands! So, next time you feel like you just can’t do it all, sweet friend, pull the emergency brake immediately! Your answer is a prayer away. Not sure what to ask him or how to hear him? Two words, The Bible. It’s our instruction manual for LIFE! Do you really think he made us and didn’t give us instructions or direction? Of course not! Everything you need to know about anything is between those pages. If you’re like me and don’t understand everything, don’t fret! There’s plenty out there these days that will simplify it for you. Most importantly, ask God to make it clear. He will! Glorifying Him, Lynn