Reflections and Responses

I wish I were better at sitting still. I'm not good at just waiting to find out the outcome of a decision. I tend to jump in and try to control things myself (hmm, think I've blogged about that before). I want to be better at sitting still, enjoying restful moments when I've put things in God's hands. I want to get better at recognizing when I've done all I can do about a situation, and my action steps are just to wait and be still. Normally, when I feel I've reached the end of my ability to work on a situation, I will rest for about 5 seconds and then jump in and try to solve it from another angle. However, I want to recognize - and REJOICE IN - the times when I've used up the resources I have and need to simply TRUST GOD and be still. Truly, that is an AWESOME place to be. The responsibility is no longer mine. I've submitted my request to God, done all I felt led to do, and can then stop striving. I can simply trust Him to work things out according to ...

I had dinner with some good friends one night this week at their house, and their precious nieces were present as well. These girls are both under the age of 5 and could not have been more fun. After they gave me a tour of their rooms and introduced me to their stuffed animals, I had the privilege watching them interact with their daddy when he came home. They began squealing as soon as they heard his car hit the driveway, and they attacked him as he walked in the door. He, too, was excited to see his precious daughters. They clung to him for a while, and then all three of them rolled around on the floor, laughing and giggling. Then they played what I later learned is a common game at their house: chasing their dad around the house in a circle, running laps and squealing with delight. Later, the girls put on a "show" for us, which consisted of jumping around the living room dancing wildly to Christian music. They were completely free in their dancing, swinging arms, legs, hea...

Whew! What a few weeks it has been. I've been flooded with blessings, but of course, there have been some interesting moments along the way too! I'll back up and start from the beginning. Christmas was absolutely wonderful - one of the best of my entire life, truthfully. John did not have to work for the first time in 3 years, so we were able to enjoy the entire weekend together, which was great. We also were grateful to participate in Passion City Church 's first ever Christmas Eve service, which was at an outdoor venue. Both of our families were present, which was uber-special on multiple levels. On Christmas day, we had a fun breakfast together at our apartment and then our families merged for one big lunch together in Cumming, which was a blast. Then we visited with the rest of John's family with a snowy backdrop. Unreal, and so special. I used to think that Christmas was way more special/enjoyable for children, but now I firmly believe that it is more significant f...

It's amazing to think at how different life is for John and I this Christmas compared to last Christmas. Christmas can be a time of nostalgia and reflection as one year comes to a close and minds begin to spin, dreaming and plotting out courses and goals for 2011. A few things that are different for the Harpers at Christmas 2010 compared to 2009: - We live in Atlanta versus Cumming. - We are involved in Passion City Church. - Our family has expanded (hey, we got a cat, that counts!) - We both work at different places than we did last year. - We are busily preparing for Passion 2011 this year, where we will be as soon as Christmas has passed. - John's family is joining mine for one big Christmas lunch this year, which is a blessing. - Our families have both experienced various job and life changes. - John joined a hunting club and bought an old truck that allowed him to spend many happy mornings in the woods doing what he loves. - We were affected by wonderful memories we made i...

I kind of feel like I have been living the last few weeks on autopilot. Do you ever feel this way? My days have been so full that I'm just going through the motions, sliding (more like racing) from one activity to the next, but not fully present anywhere that I am. I almost feel like I have started a mental countdown in my head for everything that I do (ex: Christmas and Passion 2011), and I'm watching time as it passes by rapidly instead of BEING in and seizing every moment. I'm enjoying moments, but I'm letting them happen to me instead of approaching life proactively. Living this way has a numbing effect, making me not fully aware of everything around me. I'm just existing and floating from one moment to the next without really synthesizing anything mentally. I don't like to live this way. I wonder if it is a defensive mechanism I have put up in order to avoid being overwhelmed by the many things that are happening around and to me. I told a friend the other ...

I really dislike how it's not okay to be "not okay" in our culture. Let me explain. In the Bible, some of most inspiring key players (say, David and even JESUS!) struggled and had low low's. As He was dying, Jesus asked God to take the cup from Him, if it was His will. He was struggling. It was a low low. Fast forward to 2010, and somehow our culture completely shuns brokenness. In fact, we assume someone is weak or has a flawed personality if they are down. Most of the time, we don't even ADMIT when we are struggling because we fear how others will perceive us. We fear rejection, gossip, and that others will think badly of us if we admit we are dealing with sadness, fear, depression, or sin. The enemy loves it when we keep our seasons of struggle hidden from others. Evil thrives in the darkness. When we don't tell anyone about our struggles, we isolate ourselves and basically wilt, receiving nothing to alleviate our pain. When we are honest about struggles, c...

“Gratitude is the inward feeling of kindness received. Thankfulness is the natural impulse to express that feeling. Thanksgiving is the following of that impulse.” - Henry Van Dyke I stumbled upon these words from Henry Van Dyke this morning and was taken aback. His explanations of these similar words are poignant, though I was challenged by the truth that "thanksgiving" is a verb. Merriam-Webster is in agreement with Van Dyke in his treatment of the word as an action. It is defined there as: "1. the act of giving thanks." In our (sometimes warped) culture, thanksgiving is way more about receiving than giving anything. On Thanksgiving (the holiday), we receive excessive amounts of food while also receiving a few days of vacation from our livelihoods. Most of us feel very grateful toward God in our hearts but do not act on our feelings or truly GIVE thanks. I challenge you to pray about thanksgiving (the word in general and the holiday) and ask God how He wants you...