If we are the Body

Hello one and all! Happy Thursday! So recently I've been listening to my little Pandora at work during the day, and one specific song has been played a few times now, and I have forgotten the power of the words. It's by one of my favorite Christian bands - Casting Crowns. Here are the lyrics:

It's crowded in worship today
As she slips in Trying to fade into the faces
The girls' teasing laughter is carrying farther than they know
Farther than they know

CHORUS But if we are the Body
Why aren't His arms reaching
Why aren't His hands healing
Why aren't His words teaching
And if we are the Body
Why aren't His feet going
Why is His love not showing them there is a way
There is a way

A traveler is far away from home
He sheds his coat
And quietly sinks into the back row
The weight of their judgmental glances tells him that his chances
Are better out on the road

CHORUS But if we are the Body
Why aren't His arms reaching
Why aren't His hands healing
Why aren't His words teaching
And if we are the Body
Why aren't His feet going
Why is His love not showing them there is a way

Jesus paid much too high a price
For us to pick and choose who should come
And we are the Body of Christ

If we are the body
Why aren't His arms reaching
Why aren't His hands healing
Why aren't His words teaching
And if we are the body
Why aren't His feet going
Why is His love not showing them there is a way

Jesus is the way


Okay, so if we take this song literally, it's time for me to shape up! The world around me so often takes my focus off of things eternal and throws them on myself. This song just goes to show how important our actions are and how incredibly vital it is for Christians to be loving towards anyone and everyone that comes into our midst. God calls us to love one another, forgiving each other whatever grievances we have. Living a life of faith and trust in the Lord, and having His light shine through each of our lives, so that we may impact the world around us. If we are the body, why aren't our arms reaching to those in need of Christ? Let's get on the band wagon and reach out to those around us.... for we are Christ's earthly hands used to touch lives.

Serve?

Wow, an entire month has passed since I last updated the local Tenacious Insights! I'm so sorry! Over the past month a lot has changed in my life, and I'm so grateful for the amazing growth and insight that I've been gaining during this time. Recently, the Lord has really been showing me the importance of serving those around me. Even if it's just opening the door for someone, saying hello, or just being nice to someone each day - I'm called to be an optimistic, happy, encouraging person.

This past weekend at Church, pastor Mike spoke on the importance of being aware of our abilities and putting our abilities to use in our daily living and serving. Of course, this got me to thinking, "what am I good at?" and "how can I use my abilities to serve those around me?". At this point I know that I'm good at coaching and mentoring young women in their footsteps - hence the Cheer Coach position. Everyday I spend with these girls I'm extremely blessed by their joy and innocence. It's amazing for me to see them grow throughout the year, and see the women they have become at the end of a crazy year of challenges and excitements. What a blessing! However, I know I can do so much more, and I truly want to!

Pastor Mike reminded us that our abilities are God Given, our abilities can be used to please God, and our abilities reaveal God's plan for our lives. Luke 16:10 comes to mind here "Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much". AMEN to that! This verse really caught my attention - it reminded me of the few things God has given to me to take care of within my life - work, cheer, family, home, etc. - but how many times do I let things fall through the cracks and get forgotten? The Lord calls me to be aware of and thankful for the "little things" in life and to strive to make them better. If I can't even handle taking care of the necessities of life, how am I ever to be trustworthy enough to do great things for the kingdom? Let's be honest... it comes with perseverance and hard work!

So how do we serve sacrificially? By evaluating what your ablilites are (are you good with people? Do you like working with kids, youth, or adults? Do you enjoy the outdoors or more inside stuff? What are you most passionate about?) usually these questions will help us at least find a few answers as to what our abilities may be. Another suggestion was to ask those around you what they see as your skills/assets and how you can use those in service. . . good stuff! Once we've figured out our abilities - Dedicate them to the Lord and then activate your abilities. This is the toughest part of the journey. How many times do we think we should do something but never act on it? I know for me it's daily. Instead of letting those opportunities fall away - why not act on them immediately in some way?

Going along with all of this chat about serving, my boss took the local GFC team for a day in the City to see in which ways we - as a company and individually- could be better used in our own backyard. We went everywhere from soup kitchens, Korean Churches, Refugee Placement Companies, Youth outreach projects, to Churches in the most dangerous parts of the city. It was one of the most incredible events I have ever had the opportunity to be a part of. Seeing the amazing dedication each of these places had for their tasks was so encouraging, and seeing our amazing city from a whole new place was fantastic. Even riding in the bus all over the city, and really taking in surroundings that I so often just pass to get to my desitnation - really made me think about the ways in which I can serve.

So over all, there was one place in particular that I really thought I could be useful in. It was a homeless youth home in downtown that offers a place to hang out, food, clothing, toiletries, etc to those kids living alone in the city. AMAZING! Even if I were just able to serve a meal every now and then or fill their shelves with food would be such a blessing to me and to them. I could even get my Cheer girls involved with it, and make it that much greater. I'm really praying what exactly my role could be for this... and how to get started. But, as I said earlier, sometimes we just have to step out in faith knowing that the Lord place this desire on my heart to further his plans for our city. I LOVE IT!

Okay, now I'm getting really excited! Until we meet again my friends... upward and onward! :-)

Excellence

Excellence. What does that word mean to you? To me it's near perfection, when the negative things in life cannot keep you down, and you're always racing for increased success. Today, while I was rummaging through more stuff in my house and packing more of the junk I've accumulated through the years, I came across this quote that I haven't seen since I was in High School. It reads:

"Excellence is the result of caring more than others think is wise; risking more than others think is safe; dreaming more than others think is practical; and expecting more than others think is possible."

I remember when I first got this quote. My mom has always been sentimental with little sayings and the like. At the time I was really frustrated with my Cheer Career and trying to figure out why I was injured so much and why it just seemed so hard to get along with everyone. My mom just gave me a card with that quote inside. I cried - of course! But it the words within it are amazing.

Through the years since then, many, many people have asked me why I have such a good attitude even in the more negative and disappointing circumstances. I guess it partially comes from what is said in this quote. I care about people when others give up on them. I risk things and relationships in my life for the betterment of someone else. I dream bigger than anyone I know. And I expect more than many people this is even possible. Wow... that really just made me seem conceited. But that's not my point. I try my hardest to prevent or my own personal laziness from holding me back from achieving and being the person that I've always dreamed I would become. I've had SO many huge goals thoughout my life... and yes, I may never gain each and every one of them. However, I hold true to the saying "Shoot for the stars and land on the moon."

Why not dream big? Why not become the person your soul is calling you to be? Why not risk your life or your comfort zone for the betterment of someone else? Why not care or have the compassion for something that makes your heart sing, or even break? What is holding us back from achieving all we've ever dreamed of doing?

Honestly, it comes back to fear... the paralyzing, lying, prevention feeling that overtakes so many. I challenge us to rise above the fear and start achieving more, dreaming more, risking more, and expecting more. We will be met with success because we did.

He Ain't the Leavin' Kind

Concerts are one of the many highlights of my life. I always love going to see a band play and interact with their crowd. It's just fantastic! This weekend I went to the Rascal Flatts concert with two of my co-workers and to say it was great is putting it mildly. I don't know what it is about their music, but it serisouly just strikes me in the deepest part of my heart. I have so many wonderful memories of songs like "These Days" and winning the State Championship for softball. I remember "See Me Through" as I was going through a tough time with a special someone in my life. The words of "Dry County Girl" give me hope of a fantastic future with the love of my life. "Take me there" let's me dream about the next guy that comes into my life who is able to truly love and care for me, and want me to show him my life. And "No Reins" is my life story at this point - an amazing song of re-defining oneself. I LOVE RASCAL FLATTS!

One of the most moving songs of last night was "He ain't the leavin' kind" off of the album, Me and my Gang. I don't even know where to begin with this song.... FANTASTIC! Truly. Every single time I hear it I start to cry because I realize how great and awesome our God is. Even in our darkest and most depressing hour, where fear looms in the corners of the soul - this song reminds us that God is NOT the leaving kind. He will never leave us or forsake us. He is standing beside us through each and every step of our life. And I love the fact that Rascal Flatts - who are not a proclaimed Christian Group discuss the power and importance of God in our lives.... here are the lyrics - enjoy! :-)

They tried their best to drag him out
of a courthouse down in Montgomery
And now they wanna kick him out of school
and take him off our money
they can take those words off of paper and stone
But He ain't gone, no

*Chorus*He ain't the the leavin' kind
He'd never walk away
even from those who don't believe
and wanna leave him behind
He ain't the leavin Kind

She stayed mad at Him for a lot of years
for takin' her husband
started losin' her faith
and thinkin' that her life meant nothin'
But when she looks at those kids she raised all by herself
She knows she had some help,yeah, she knows

*Repeat Chorus*No matter what you do
No matter where you go
He's always right there with you
Even from those who don't believe
And wanna leave Him behind
He ain't the leavin' kind

No, NoHe ain't the leavin'
He ain't the leavin' kind
Woo, woo
He ain't the leavin'
He ain't the leavin' kind


Enjoy your weeks! And don't forget that our God is not the leaving kind!

One for the world

This week at the local church house Easter was in the air. Amazing worship, families decked out in their Easter best, and time with Jesus that -for some reason- is far more powerful than every other Sunday. Something about Christianity that many people don't really realize is that people who die normally don't come back to life. Therefore, Jesus' resurrection was distinct, unique - a life and death had differently than every other human on the earth.

Pastor Mike taught that our questions about faith are appropriate for us to ask. Often we are afraid to ask the quesitons - especially about our faith, simply because we think questioning authority is bad. However, Christ wants to answer our questions and give us the knowledge and understanding of our faith. So questions are accepted daily and openly with Christ. Pastor Mike also encouraged us to seek the answers to our quesitons through Biblical teachings and texts. And lastly he encouraged us to be rid of our doubts after our answers are found.

Now all of this teaching was great- and I so appreciated it. But my mind could not stop thinking about how often the world disappoints me. It's amazing to me that so many people I come across are terrified to let their faith rule and guide their lives. They are victims to the world and the powerful, negative influences it has over people. And I can honestly say that I have been there and done that. The world is my constant disappointment. The place where TV, the internet, and media in general are my prophets. When I'm in the world -the place I go for answers is the TV, the internet, the media, and people. And how often are the teachings of the media and human nature much more detrimental to the overall wellbeing of all of us?

Honestly, it's hard to grasp the idea that Christ and faith can give someone so much peace and overall confidence in life. This is especially true when someone has never experienced the freedom of the Christian faith. It is through Christ that an unexplainable peace comes over you even in some of the most difficult times of life.

This has been true in my life over the past six months or so. I was in a relationship with someone for about 2.5 years - and that's a lot of time to spend with someone. I got to know this guy on a very personal basis and I truly believe that we know more about each other than many people know about us. Our relationship was not what it was supposed to be, and we ended it. I'm not going to sit here and lie to you - it was awful. You can't even put into words the feeling of heartbreak. It was through this time that I called out to Jesus like I never have before and He met me where I was - devastated, alone, and truly scared. It's been a few months now since that all happened- and I can say that I'm stronger now than I ever have been before. I'm more confident and focused than I have been in over 3 years. I'm happier now than I have been in a long time. And I'm beginning to find the true me that has been pushed aside for so long.

I wish so much that I could share this astounding joy with everyone I come into contact with. I wish I could just walk up to everyone and give them the freedom and the peace that I feel. Yes, I still hurt over the break-up, and yes I'm still frustrated and confused and hurt because of what happened. However, I had a choice to make when that break-up happened - and if I chose the world - I would NOT be okay right now. Honestly, I would probably be in a severe depression, contemplating ending my life, and constantly reminding myself of the bad parts of my life instead of the good - beating myself up over the failure of a relationship. And I could almost bet, that I would be trying to fill the void that my ex left in my heart with someone else. But I didn't choose that path....

With Christ and his prophets (of David, Solomon, Paul, Billy Graham, etc) there is freedom, peace, love, joy, compassion, everlasting hope, and strength to get through each day. Choosing Him is a hard choice to make and a terrifying one. It's SO hard to give up our power as humans and put aside our pride. But it's one of the most powerful and amazing feelings in the world to know in your heart of hearts that everything is going to be okay, and that Christ is standing beside us, picking us up when we fall and carrying us home. Sure, it's no walk in the park being a Christian - but the overall calm and encouragement we receive in Christ is....AMAZING!

So which will you choose today? The way of the world and constant diappointment and depression. Or the way of Christ and eternal life, joy and hope? Choose life my friends - you will never be disappointed that you did!

Footprints (SO TRUE!)

One night I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord.
Many scenes from my life flashed across the sky.
In each scene I noticed footprints in the sand.
Sometimes there were two sets of footprints,
other times there were one set of footprints.

This bothered me because I noticed
that during the low periods of my life,
when I was suffering from
anguish, sorrow or defeat,
I could see only one set of footprints.

So I said to the Lord,
"You promised me Lord,
that if I followed you,
you would walk with me always.
But I have noticed that during
the most trying periods of my life
there have only been one
set of footprints in the sand.
Why, when I needed you most,
you have not been there for me?"

The Lord replied,
"The times when you have
seen only one set of footprints in the sand,
is when I carried you."

Lessons Learned

Hi all! Welcome back to the local Tenacious Insights! So this week I've dug back into the local Country Music that I LOVE so much! In fact... some of my good girlfriends and I are going to the Rascal Flatts concert when they're in town. LOVE THEM!!! Anyways, I was listening to a Carrie Underwood song called "Lessons Learned". Here's how it goes:

There's some things that I regret,
Some words I wish had gone unsaid,
Some starts,That had some bitter endings,
Been some bad times I've been through,
Damage I cannot undo,
Some things,I wish I could do all all over again,
But it don't really matter,
Life gets that much harder,
It makes you that much stronger,
Oh, some pages turned,Some bridges burned,
But there were,Lessons learned.

[Chorus:]And every tear that had to fall from my eyes,
Everyday I wondered how I'd get through the night,
Every change, life has thrown me,
I'm thankful, for every break in my heart,
I'm grateful, for every scar,
Some pages turned,
Some bridges burned,
But there were lessons learned.

There's mistakes that I have made,
Some chances I just threw away,
Some roads,I never should've taken,
Been some signs I didn't see,
Hearts that I hurt needlessly,
Some wounds,That I wish I could have one more chance to mend,
But it don't make no difference,
The past can't be rewritten,
You get the life you're given,
Oh, some pages turned,
Some bridges burned,
But there were,Lessons learned.

[Chorus:]And every tear that had to fall from my eyes,
Everyday I wondered how I'd get through the night,
Every change, life has thrown me,
I'm thankful, for every break in my heart,
I'm grateful, for every scar,
Some pages turned,
Some bridges burned,
But there were lessons learned.

And all the things that break you,
Are all the things that make you strong,
You can't change the past,Cause it's gone,
And you just gotta move on,
Because it's all,Lessons learned.

Okay, I know I say this alot, but I LOVE music!! It's able to put emotion into words and describe the feelings of life that happen everyday. This song is amazing to me simply because it says exactly how I feel. Over my life, I've made mistakes. I've diappointed people. I've hurt those closest to me. I've broken hearts and mine has been broken. Bridges have been burned far more than I would have liked. However, EVERY single problem, trial, issue, challenge, whatever you call it that I have faced has made me who I am today. Yes, they broke me and devastated me, but they have made me so much stronger and so much more able to see and have compassion and love for those around me.

Yes, I've been extremely hurt and disappointed through the years, but I've just got to get up everyday happy for the day I have ahead of me. Looking to see how I can help those around me, and seeing the needs in others - that's why I'm here. These lessons... although harder than anything sometimes to get over - are lessons truly learned and incredibly life changing.

So here's to disappointments, trials, heartaches, and sufferings - for they are Lessons Learned!

A Word on Socialized HealthCare

If you think health care is expensive now - wait until it's free!

Hi Everyone! So most of you know that I'm currently a licensed Insurance Agent and I work for an amazing company. I have a girl in my office that was writing a paper on the issue of Universal healthcare. In my job, she asked me a bunch of questions relevent to the topic and whether or not I believe in what I do. So what exactly do I do? I work to get Small Busineses and Individuals Medical, Dental, Long Term Care, Disability, Life Insurance, as well as Financial Planning. I thought I would share with each of you my concerns about the idea of socialized or Universal Healthcare. These are the answers I gave my friend:


1. I absolutely agree with and believe in what I do for a living. I'm not the type of person that enjoys having a job just to have a job and pay the bills- I value the fact that I'm helping people understand the whole Healthcare system and finding the best fit for them. I truly believe that I'm helping others through my work and I know that my clients very much value my feedback and advice. So I LOVE being an Insurance Agent! :-)

2. The Current Healthcare system is definitely flawed- however, every system in this country has some kind of flaw somewhere. Overall, I think we have a pretty great Healthcare System working for us - definitely one of the best in the world. Often times, As Americans, we forget how blessed we are to have the things we do - and we begin to de-value everything within our lives. This is also true of our healthcare. Since we live in a "now" mentality we are impatient to wait for change or won't work together with the Insurance Companies with any issues we have - we just throw our problems to the government and expect them to take care of us.

**Strengths of current system- FREEDOM OF CHOICE! You can choose your own plan to best fit your Medical Needs. Overall GREAT healthcare where you can see any doctor and have the freedom to get a second opinion at any point. Costs are another plus - most Businesses will pay for their employees health insurance costs - thus keeping the costs low. And higher risk people (AIDS, cancer, Coronary Artery Disease) are placed in a different payment pool so the healthy people don't have to be penalized in cost for the unhealthy.

**Weaknesses- Cost- The costs are increasing due to Increased Technology, New ways of doing procedures, increased Doctors Costs (they have to insure themselves for malpractice suits), Prescription Drug Cost, Hospital Services, and Increased Usage. What MOST people don't understand is that most Medical Insurance companies are NON-PROFIT organizations - which means in essence that legally they are NOT allowed to keep more than 3% of their annual revenue. That means the money is NOT going to the Insurance Companies but DIRECTLY to the consumers, doctors, hospitals, etc. for their increased everything (see list above). So the cost is a good thing in that we get better coverage overall - but it's a bad thing because it costs so much.... Talk about a conflict!

*BTW - EVERY governmentally supported Medical system is broken and barely functioning. We see this most greatly in Medicare. The system is running out of money because the Baby boomers are retiring and they didn't populate the earth enough to pay for their high cost Medical Bills (that's us - they didn't have enough kids to pay it forward). :-) HA! But serisouly, Medicare is a dying system that is a MESS To work with and no one in the government has any answers on how to fix it. Payments are not paid out according to the bills sent for patients. Medicare does not pay 100% of everything and does not pay for Preventive Care at all - and if you want good coverage for your Medicare you WILL have to buy a public Market "Supplement" or "MedAdvantage" Plan. So the government is proving left and right that they cannot support their own "Universal Healthcare" for old people. And you will still have to pay HUGE amounts of money out of pocket for the quality care so many are looking for.

3. Universal Healthcare is problematic simply because we lose the ability to CHOOSE. The government begins to make our decisions for us. With Capitalistic Medical (what we have now) Doctors, Hospitals, and Pharmacy's have the ability to "compete' for clients and usage. This encourages better growth and better care by the Hospitals and Doctors to keep people coming back to them. However, with Universal Healthcare competition is stifled and thus doctors will all be paid the same for the services rendered.

Another problem with Universal Healthcare is COST. People have this notion that the government has extra money lying around just waiting to be spent on us, the people. I'm not sure if you know this, but our national DEBT or DEFICIT is like at 7 trillion dollars at this point - and rising everyday! I would say that we don't have ANY extra money lying around. So then, how do we pay for everyone's healthcare? Oh simply by taxing the people more of course. And everyone likes having more cash in their pocket instead of paying the government more money - wouldn't you rather get the whole $1 instead of only $.70 cents of it? I think so.... :-) There are conservative estimates out there that if Universal Healthcare comes into effect many people can see their taxes rise up to 50% of their total income. So if you make $50,000 a year, $25,000 of it goes directly to the government and probably about $15,000 of it will be for healthcare (regardless of age and health history).

Yet another issue is FORCED participation. This means that with most of the plans out there you won't even legally be able to get a job unless you are enlisted in the Governmental Medical Plans. So if you don't want to pay for the cost of Insurance you will still be FORCED to pay for it anyway. And you lose your freedom of choice in the meantime.

We see another problem that has to do with ETHICS - because competition is stifled Individuals getting care are often placed on waiting lists for care (see video below). A great example of this is found in Canada where many Canadians are coming to the US for care because their doctors are overworked so much that some terminally ill people are turned away for care. So if you want to live America is the key to freedom from illness. For example, the Doctors in Canada see two patients one is 60 and one is 40. The 60 year old is in great health and takes care of his body, but has prostate cancer. The 40 year old also has cancer, but he is inactive, overweight, and diabetic. The Doctor can only treat and heal one person - and he sees the 40 year old as having more years to live because he's younger. So he treats the 40 year old and the 60 year old dies. Why in the world should doctors be making the choice of who deserves to be treated or who gets to live another day?? I don't think that should be the choice of the doctor but the choice of the PATIENT. Ethics my dear Watson... Ethics! :-)

I'm a little passionate about this -if you haven't noticed. :-) I've had many conversations with friends and family members about this. And in all honesty, Socialism is the way to demolish a society. We see this in Germany, North Korea, France, and many other countries. When we rob the rich to pay for the poor we are stifling economic growth and encouraged Small Business and Competition. Hopefully this little informaton has shone light upon a topic that is greatly influencing our world today.

Example Video!: http://www.freemarketcure.com/brainsurgery.php