How To Live Even After You Die

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My husband's eighty-eight year old grandmother died last Friday. It has been a tough few days. But we have been blessed and even gratefully overwhelmed by the outpouring of love from so many people.


"Nanny" was a blessing. As I pondered her life and listened to multiple stories of her relationships with others, her life challenges me in many ways.

• Share the love of Jesus. Though Nanny was not an outright evangelist, it was evident in the way she lived and loved, that she loved Jesus. And she started her days with Him, reading her devotional and praying. 
• Love deeply and faithfully. She was married for 62 years, had four children, six grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren. And none of them ever doubted her love for them. (We that married into the family never doubted her love, either!)
• Tell people you love them. Before she left you or hung up the phone, she would always tell you she loved you.
• Appreciate others. At Christmastime, she made pies and cakes for all her doctors, her postal carrier, her Avon lady, and many special friends. 
• Be hospitable. She was determined to have all twenty of us over to her house for Christmas Eve. Even as the family grew and the house seemed to shrink, she always wanted to host us in her home.
• Remember names and birthdays even if you have to write them down. It amazed me that she remembered people and special occasions far better than this much younger mind. She was always the first to call on your birthday. Always. Even at 7 am. :)
• Attend events that are important to those that are important to you. Honestly, with the exception of a few hot ballgames and some out-of-town events, she and Papa were always there. Even after her stroke several years ago, she went with cane in hand. 
• Invest in the lives of others. Whether through a note, a card, a word, or her attendance, she showed that she really cared for others. She knew how much I love to speak and teach, and so she would always book me for her senior adult luncheon at her church. Every year. And even though I got paid with fried chicken and homemade pie, it was one of my favorite speaking engagements. I knew she believed in me.
• Give your time and energy to serving the Lord and others. She served in many volunteer roles throughout the years. Even in the last few years as her health deteriorated, she served on the counting team and the senior adult leadership team at her church. In her late 80's! 

Nanny really lived a blessed life. But what is most remarkable to me is the way she continues to live even though she has died...because of her legacy. (And of course, she lives eternally because of her relationship with Jesus!) 
So the challenge for you and me: Live this life in such a way that even after you die, your life continues. Not because of any big accomplishment. But simply because you invested in the lives of others. 

So don’t lose a minute in building on what you’ve been given, complementing your basic faith with good character, spiritual understanding, alert discipline, passionate patience, reverent wonder, warm friendliness, and generous love, each dimension fitting into and developing the others. With these qualities active and growing in your lives, no grass will grow under your feet, no day will pass without its reward as you mature in your experience of our Master Jesus. 2 Peter 1: 5 - 9 (The Message)

This post was written in loving memory of Freddye Jones McQuaig, 1923 - 2012.

Won't you join me in living a life that matters? Would love to hear from you today. If you are reading this by email, click here to comment.

Living for ONE,




Kelli


Linking with Jen at Finding Heaven Today...

Balancing Life Series: First Things First

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Funny how God works.  A few weeks ago I posted a blog about juggling life and how important it is to have a family dinner. If you haven't read it, here's another chance...


So then life got super crazy right after that. Whether the enemy wanted me to look like an idiot, or God was growing my character, I don't know. The bottom line is balancing my family along with everything else became almost impossible. How do I have a family meal when I am taking care of my mom, being the taxi to two kids that are going in opposite directions, and still trying to be a decent wife that washes laundry occasionally and doesn't have cereal as a meal every night? Oh, and I forgot to include MINISTRY. Wow.


Let's face it. Life can be overwhelming at times. And beware, if you ever do a blog post about juggling life, be assured that you will have the opportunity to do that juggling life act for all the world to see.


So, what did I do? I had to take a step back and look at life and ask the Lord, "What do I need to do and what do I not need to do?"  


First things first. I realized that without my time with the Lord, I could do nothing. I would be a pitiful juggler. But with Him, I am learning.


My time with the Lord is and must be a priority. First things first. In order to be able to do anything else He has called me to...be a wife, mom, minister, daughter, sister, friend,etc., I have to spend time with Him.


I have found that my time with the Lord cannot be one of the things that I try to juggle. He actually steadies my feet and gives me the coordination to juggle the other stuff. So, when your life gets crazy and you are dropping more balls than you are catching, you might try seeking God in these ways.

• Mornings. Whether I have ten minutes or forty, I savor it. I am reading Jesus Calling and the correlating Scripture. If I have more than ten minutes, I try to read some Old Testament and some New Testament. And then have some prayer time. I am not a morning person...but I am even less of one without some time with Jesus. So, maybe you are not a morning person either, but I can guarantee that you will be less snarky after some time with the Lord. 
• Moments. I have to grab them when I can with God. Like when I am sitting next to Mom in the chemo room and she has drifted off to sleep. Or when I am waiting to pick up my kids from an activity. Or when I am in-between appointments at the office. Moments of rejoicing. Moments of desperation. Moments of just thanking Him. Moments of dreaming with Him. Moments of quiet rest in Him. Moments of enjoying Him.
• Mundane. Sometimes our lives seem so ordinary. But God is always...yes, always wanting to bring some extra to that ordinary. Do we notice it when He does? I will never forget the day that I was taking the kids to school, running late, and a peacock crossed the road. But I will save that story for another day. ;) Or the time Jesus asked me out on a date. (You can read about that here.) And one of my favorite times when God spoke through my cell phone. So let's look for Him...He is always at work!

Let God steady you so you can juggle life a little easier this week. Seek Him in the mornings (if you dare!), in the moments, and in the mundane. And PLEASE share... we'd all like to give Him praise on your behalf! If you are following by email, then comment here!  And make it a priority to come back Wednesday when we will be discussing...priorities. 

I appreciate you. 

Living for ONE,

Kelli

linking with Jen at Finding Heaven Today and the SDG community

Overcoming the Nevers: A Book Review and a Giveaway!: eMpowering Mondays

I had the blessed opportunity to meet several hundred women who have a similar calling as me this past July at the She Speaks Conference. Though I learned pages and pages of ideas and tools from the conference, my greatest gain has been the relationships that I have developed. Many of these friendships were not started at the actual conference. In fact, I have never seen some of these women in real life. Our commonalities drew us together and we have nurtured our relationships via phone calls, text messages, emails, Twitter, and Facebook.

Teri Johnson is one of those women I have not had the privilege of actually hugging in person! I was reading on Twitter one day that Teri was publishing her first book and I responded by supporting her and offering to review it with my readers – that was Labor Day weekend. Our relationship that began virtually morphed into real life phone calls. I am now honored to call Teri my friend. And now, I am excited to tell you that her book is OUT and I have already read it and want to recommend it to you! AND BE SURE TO READ TO THE BOTTOM TO SEE HOW YOU CAN WIN YOUR OWN SIGNED COPY!

The book is titled, Overcoming the Nevers. It’s a catchy title – and Teri explains that the “nevers” in our lives can be positive (I never thought I would go to seminary, but I did!) or negative (I never thought I would live in fear, but I have.) Teri focuses on the negative “nevers” because those are the ones that leave us in a state of disappointment, failure, regret, insecurity, anxiety, fear and shame. The “after-effects” of those “Nevers” are what keep us from living life – a full life, a joyful life, a content life. We begin to believe lies about ourselves – lies of inadequacy, of never measuring up, of insignificance. The pain surrounding these “after-effects” and lies often causes us to resort to unhealthy behaviors.

 

Overcoming the Nevers is about experiencing freedom in our lives as we triumph over our Nevers and their lingering effects. As we gain victory, we begin to see how God has uniquely created us and has an incredible plan for our lives.  Teri uses the analogy of a garden to talk about our lives. She reminds us that “whatever we feed and focus on grows.” She highlights the tools that we need to tend to that garden of life – to weed out the feelings and behaviors that need to be removed and to nurture the growth of seeds and plantings that enable us to be who God created us to be.

This book is empowering! I realized that though my “Nevers” are different from Teri’s and most likely different from yours, I still have them. For example, I never thought I would go through depression. I thought that my personality did not lend itself to depression. And yet, a few years ago, that is exactly where I found myself. I am confident that whatever your “Never” is, by the grace of God, you can overcome it! I am thankful to Teri for sharing her incredible journey with God through Overcoming the Nevers. It is a powerful collection of tools for anyone desiring to live the radical, abundant life Christ desires for us!

Some of my favorite quotes:

“By acknowledging our powerlessness we are actually empowered, and this cultivates strength.”

“Wrong thinking can also prevent us from experiencing joy and being fully alive. When we decide something is true, that “truth” adheres to us, even if it’s false. Believing messages about who you are, that are simply not true, is wrong.”

“We are inviting Him to separate us from what we’ve uncovered and discovered, what He revealed to us in our lives that is not pleasing to Him... We are asking Him to heal us, restore us, refine us, and transform us.”

“We will clean our house daily with the ultimate goal of our inside matching our outside – wholeness.”

Good stuff, huh? 

I want you to win your own signed copy of the book!  You can enter the giveaway by:

1.  Commenting on this post – share with us maybe why you would love to read this book! Teri Johnson will be joining the blog comment conversation as you comment...so give her some comment love and some questions!
 
2.    Following this blog if you are not already...you can subscribe over on the left via email, Google Reader, or Networked Blogs.
 
 
3.    Sharing this book review post via Twitter or Facebook and leave a comment letting me know that you did that!
 
4.    Following me on twitter at http://twitter.com/kelliwommack and let me know!
 
 
5.    Following Teri’s blog http://keepingitpersonal.com where I have the honor of being a monthly contributor and let us know in the comments.
 
6.    Follow Teri on Twitter at http://twitter.com/keepitpersonal

You can also order a signed copy of the book or an e-book by going to http://keepingitpersonal.com/overcoming-the-nevers/

or order a copy from Amazon.com http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/159932251X/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=keepitpers-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399373&creativeASIN=159932251X

Teri is the President and Founder of Keeping it Personal.  She is a writer, speaker, and sought-after personal growth expert.  Great conversations while sipping coffee and soaking up as many sunsets as she can, make her tick — along with running and taking pictures.  She’s passionate about helping others; an encourager and a cheerleader to many.  Teri lives a joy-filled life deeply devoted to her husband, her two boys, and her relationship with God.

As always, I am grateful for your reading this blog. You are the reason I write. Now, go...Overcome your Nevers!

Unwrapping the gift of abundant life,

Kelli

The Power of Choice: eMpowering Mondays

When I look at my life and I feel so overwhelmed by the to-do list, the time crunch, the necessities of the day, I forget to remember that I have choices. That my to-do list is ultimately full of things that I have placed there. That my time crunch is often because I have not managed my time wisely. And when I evaluate those necessities of the day, I find that they are often  not really necessities for living at all.

So I have choices. Choices are powerful. Though my feelings lead me in one direction, I can choose to go another. 

Though choice is an individual right or power, those of us who follow Christ realize that choices made in obedience to Him are impossible without His Power. 

Paul says in Romans 7: 15 - 20: (Message Version)

"What I don't understand about myself is that I decide one way, but then I act another, doing things I absolutely despise... my decisions, such as they are, don't result in actions...I've tried everything and nothing helps. Is there no one who can do anything for me? The answer, thank God, is that Jesus Christ can and does. He acted to set things right in this life of contradictions where I want to serve God with all my heart and mind, but am pulled by the influence of sin to do something totally different."

Paul understood what we face today.  That we have choices, and we make decisions. But without the power of Jesus Christ, we cannot make the choices that we really need and desire to make.  

choosing to exhort our children rather than exacerbate them

choosing to praise rather than preach

choosing to guide rather than gain control

choosing to give love rather than giving lectures

choosing to show patience rather than showing power

choosing to give thanks rather than giving threats

choosing to be joyful rather than being pitiful

choosing to be kind rather than cruel

choosing to show gentleness rather than showing grievousness

choosing to be faithful rather than faithless

choosing to exhibit self-control rather than self-gratification

choosing to pray rather than presume

Lord, grant us your Power to make powerful choices.

Are these kinds of choices difficult for you? Is there a way that I can pray for you today? I would love to hear your comments. 

Unwrapping the gift of choice,

Kelli

A Reason to Love Getting Older

Today I am linking up with Five Minute Friday again.  (I have had a rough week, so I needed a little break.) The rules are as follows:

Write for 5 minutes flat – no editing, no over thinking, no backtracking.

Here goes.  The topic is older.

Ryan is older today. Hard to believe that it has been eight years since he entered this crazy world. Crazy as I see it. He sees it as wonderful. Ryan often says, "This is the best day of my life!" Yes, he has taught us to enjoy our moments and live them outrageously. One thing you can say about Ryan is he always goes all out.

So, if Ryan is older today, I guess that makes me older, too. I am one day closer to the 40 mark.  It will happen in less than two months.  I was looking forward to a big bash to celebrate...but now the closer it gets, the more I want to party quietly.  That is so unlike me. Sounds old. 

Whatever the case, I am reminded a verse in my favorite book of the bible, 2 Corinthians.  "Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day." Now, that's a reason to love getting...older.   

(2 Cor. 4:16)

That's it. 

How do you feel about getting older?

Happy Friday love to all of you!

Unwrap the gift of life today!

Kelli

Five Minute Friday