Friday, May 27, 2011
Monday, May 23, 2011
Honor
A few weeks ago Jeff Nolt, the awesome pastor at my church (come visit!), gave an incredible message on honor. He focused on King David as an example of what it really looks like to honor someone. David wept and mourned when Saul died (2 Samuel 1). Yet how often am I quick to criticize people who have my best interests at heart? As far as I know no one is trying to kill me (like Saul was after David) or do anything remotely horrible to me, and yet I have difficulty honoring people?!
Once Bill Johnson mentioned how interesting it will be in heaven to look at our lives and see the repercussions that our words had. To trace the effects of the criticism we made, and how that played out into holding people back from reaching their fullest. That thought gripped my heart with conviction! I'm quick to complain, thinking that venting is necessary and healthy. I tell myself the negativity really only hurts me, and I fail to realize how it plays out into "the big picture." Bill Johnson talks a lot about creating a culture of honor, celebrating each person for who they are. Vital.
"The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit." [Proverbs 18:21]
"...clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." [1 Peter 5:5-7]
I love my family. They are the easiest people for me to honor. I feel challenged to look at the way that I honor my family and put that into practice in every other relationship. I'm thinking most specifically of honoring God. I ask God how to honor Him, I pray that my life will honor Him, but sometimes I'm unsure how to do that. I feel like today a new key came to me: honor the Lord like you honor your family, Chelsea - and then some.
It's a joy to tell people about my family. I want to be more like that with the Lord - bursting with so much pride that I can't wait to talk to people about how great God is and how much I love Him. Telling people the details of how He has been there for me, all He has carried me through and saved me from.
The Lord has been with me for life, He lives inside of me - now is the time for me to proclaim that. The Lord defended me and I did nothing to deserve that. If there has ever been a picture of loyalty, a picture of love - it is Jesus Christ at the cross. That is truth I struggle to grasp, but it sinks in more and more every time I realize the depth of my sin and the depth of His love and forgiveness, along with my desperate need for Him to fill every part of my life.
"It is good to praise the Lord and make music to your name, O Most High, to proclaim your love in the morning and your faithfulness at night ... for you make me glad by your deeds, O Lord; I sing for joy at the works of your hands. How great are your works, O Lord, how profound your thoughts!" [Psalm 92:1-5]
I love my dad and my mom and how they balance each other out. I love the way that God designed family and created everything so perfectly. Moms and dads to balance each other out and provide for their children.
My mom sacrifices so much to be the best mom possible for my brother and me. She is a patient listener and wise adviser. She is brilliant and beautiful. My dad has a calming effect on me, and when he hugs me it still makes me believe that everything will be okay. Just like when I rode on his shoulders when I was little and didn't have a care in the world. He can be so perfectly sensitive and it is much appreciated. I value their input so much. They make me feel absolutely loved and always make me laugh - always. (And I mean really, can you ask for anything more in life than love and laughter?)
They are open with their lives, never hesitant to be honest about their struggles and tell me the truth. Their honesty has been a blessing and our transparent relationship is a gift I can't imagine living without. I love to honor my earthly family and I want to do the same for God. I want to go above and beyond honoring the Lord.
There is something about hearing a person honor their family, or honor any person for who they are, that creates a great respect. And for someone who doesn't have what the person is talking about, it creates a thirst and a hunger. I know, for example, that just hearing about families whose parents are not divorced stirs a desire inside of me. Whenever something is not the way that the Lord intended it, people long for it to be set back into place as He originally intended for it to be. (Whether they recognize that as the reason for their discontent or not.)
As we begin to honor God in our speech and actions, being extra intentional about truly honoring Him - then people will be drawn to the Father. People will sense that love relationship, the depth of the intimacy we have with God, the authority that we carry because we are walking in right relationship with Him ... people will sense all of that and if they are not at that point they will begin to hunger and thirst for a real relationship with Him.
The part of their life that is not in alignment will be commanded to attention and when they choose to surrender it all to God, it will come into alignment and be a source of joy instead of a source of pain as it may have been in the past. God wants this for you, now. Receive it. Live in it.
So much starts with honor. Honoring God. Honoring other people. So I'm asking the Lord to expand my view of honor and increase my understanding of what that means ...
Once Bill Johnson mentioned how interesting it will be in heaven to look at our lives and see the repercussions that our words had. To trace the effects of the criticism we made, and how that played out into holding people back from reaching their fullest. That thought gripped my heart with conviction! I'm quick to complain, thinking that venting is necessary and healthy. I tell myself the negativity really only hurts me, and I fail to realize how it plays out into "the big picture." Bill Johnson talks a lot about creating a culture of honor, celebrating each person for who they are. Vital.
"The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit." [Proverbs 18:21]
"...clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." [1 Peter 5:5-7]
I love my family. They are the easiest people for me to honor. I feel challenged to look at the way that I honor my family and put that into practice in every other relationship. I'm thinking most specifically of honoring God. I ask God how to honor Him, I pray that my life will honor Him, but sometimes I'm unsure how to do that. I feel like today a new key came to me: honor the Lord like you honor your family, Chelsea - and then some.
It's a joy to tell people about my family. I want to be more like that with the Lord - bursting with so much pride that I can't wait to talk to people about how great God is and how much I love Him. Telling people the details of how He has been there for me, all He has carried me through and saved me from.
The Lord has been with me for life, He lives inside of me - now is the time for me to proclaim that. The Lord defended me and I did nothing to deserve that. If there has ever been a picture of loyalty, a picture of love - it is Jesus Christ at the cross. That is truth I struggle to grasp, but it sinks in more and more every time I realize the depth of my sin and the depth of His love and forgiveness, along with my desperate need for Him to fill every part of my life.
"It is good to praise the Lord and make music to your name, O Most High, to proclaim your love in the morning and your faithfulness at night ... for you make me glad by your deeds, O Lord; I sing for joy at the works of your hands. How great are your works, O Lord, how profound your thoughts!" [Psalm 92:1-5]
I love my dad and my mom and how they balance each other out. I love the way that God designed family and created everything so perfectly. Moms and dads to balance each other out and provide for their children.
My mom sacrifices so much to be the best mom possible for my brother and me. She is a patient listener and wise adviser. She is brilliant and beautiful. My dad has a calming effect on me, and when he hugs me it still makes me believe that everything will be okay. Just like when I rode on his shoulders when I was little and didn't have a care in the world. He can be so perfectly sensitive and it is much appreciated. I value their input so much. They make me feel absolutely loved and always make me laugh - always. (And I mean really, can you ask for anything more in life than love and laughter?)
They are open with their lives, never hesitant to be honest about their struggles and tell me the truth. Their honesty has been a blessing and our transparent relationship is a gift I can't imagine living without. I love to honor my earthly family and I want to do the same for God. I want to go above and beyond honoring the Lord.
There is something about hearing a person honor their family, or honor any person for who they are, that creates a great respect. And for someone who doesn't have what the person is talking about, it creates a thirst and a hunger. I know, for example, that just hearing about families whose parents are not divorced stirs a desire inside of me. Whenever something is not the way that the Lord intended it, people long for it to be set back into place as He originally intended for it to be. (Whether they recognize that as the reason for their discontent or not.)
As we begin to honor God in our speech and actions, being extra intentional about truly honoring Him - then people will be drawn to the Father. People will sense that love relationship, the depth of the intimacy we have with God, the authority that we carry because we are walking in right relationship with Him ... people will sense all of that and if they are not at that point they will begin to hunger and thirst for a real relationship with Him.
The part of their life that is not in alignment will be commanded to attention and when they choose to surrender it all to God, it will come into alignment and be a source of joy instead of a source of pain as it may have been in the past. God wants this for you, now. Receive it. Live in it.
So much starts with honor. Honoring God. Honoring other people. So I'm asking the Lord to expand my view of honor and increase my understanding of what that means ...
Friday, May 20, 2011
frequently asked questions
i was posting a question for my online class in the "frequently asked questions" tab and got inspired/distracted to write this ...these are a few questions i get a lot. i love a good question. feel free to ask me anything, especially if you'd like to see a blog on it.
1. why is your blog called not your ordinary anything?
two of my very best friends, becky and sarah, thought that we should create a television show about ourselves. we all agreed that we need to be discovered by a producer who will make a reality show about our friendship and each of our lives. (call us vain if you must, but don't act like the thought has never crossed your mind about your own life.) i think sarah came up with the title 'not your ordinary anything' for that show. we're still waiting to be discovered, but in the meantime when i decided to make a blog i stole that title. so far they haven't shunned me for that cheap move, thanks girls.
later when i was listening to the "she ain't your ordinary girl" song by alabama i added some of the lyrics to the sub-heading cause i thought they went along nicely.
it's a fitting blog title because i'm not ordinary and my blog does not really fit into any normal category - i don't write about parenting, fashion, politics, business, food, etc.
2. why don't you dye your hair?
i love it the way it is. i've never dyed it and i'd rather spend that money on other stuff.
3. what do you think about the future of newspapers?
they're in transition. weekly locals will always exist in print, or at least until all of the baby boomers die off. as for larger publications, they will probably completely transition to all digital eventually. but there's something people like about a sunday newspaper, so i have trouble believing that will ever fade into oblivion - or at least i hope it doesn't in my lifetime.
4. would you date a guy with tattoos? earrings?
okay, so only my dad has ever asked me that, but he asked me so many times that it fits into this list of frequently asked questions. and yes dad, i would. even if only to watch your reaction and see how long it was before you asked him about it and to listen to that interaction. HA. maybe i'll go find a hottie with sleeves. he hasn't had to sweat much raising me, maybe it's time to change that ... ;-)
5. so are you related to chelsea clinton?
yes, because we're all related by first names right? gosh the ashleys are everywhere, they just know how to reproduce - and don't even get me started on those mikes!
6. has anyone ever told you that you look like natalie portman?
yesss! (but feel free to tell me again, i love hearing it! much more than being told i look like anne frank or elaine from seinfeld.)
7. why are you laughing?
answers vary.
8. what do you want to do with that? [in reference to my soon-to-be completed degree in journalism]
well, my dream answer would be: move to any awesome city and write for a magazine or newspaper. get some experience and then freelance, writing about whatever they want me to while i travel internationally. maybe write a weekly column. interview people and write their stories. getting paid to blog would be rad.
seize whatever opportunities i can, because it's a difficult field to break into and sometimes i question why i ever chose it because although i love it, it's not easy. but i've always had this crazy thought that doing what you love is more important than doing what's easy or practical - something like that. sometimes easy and practical is way more tempting, but i figure if i try this first i can always resort to that later. take the risky way first so at least i'll know that i tried and gave it my all.
1. why is your blog called not your ordinary anything?
two of my very best friends, becky and sarah, thought that we should create a television show about ourselves. we all agreed that we need to be discovered by a producer who will make a reality show about our friendship and each of our lives. (call us vain if you must, but don't act like the thought has never crossed your mind about your own life.) i think sarah came up with the title 'not your ordinary anything' for that show. we're still waiting to be discovered, but in the meantime when i decided to make a blog i stole that title. so far they haven't shunned me for that cheap move, thanks girls.
later when i was listening to the "she ain't your ordinary girl" song by alabama i added some of the lyrics to the sub-heading cause i thought they went along nicely.
it's a fitting blog title because i'm not ordinary and my blog does not really fit into any normal category - i don't write about parenting, fashion, politics, business, food, etc.
2. why don't you dye your hair?
i love it the way it is. i've never dyed it and i'd rather spend that money on other stuff.
3. what do you think about the future of newspapers?
they're in transition. weekly locals will always exist in print, or at least until all of the baby boomers die off. as for larger publications, they will probably completely transition to all digital eventually. but there's something people like about a sunday newspaper, so i have trouble believing that will ever fade into oblivion - or at least i hope it doesn't in my lifetime.
4. would you date a guy with tattoos? earrings?
okay, so only my dad has ever asked me that, but he asked me so many times that it fits into this list of frequently asked questions. and yes dad, i would. even if only to watch your reaction and see how long it was before you asked him about it and to listen to that interaction. HA. maybe i'll go find a hottie with sleeves. he hasn't had to sweat much raising me, maybe it's time to change that ... ;-)
5. so are you related to chelsea clinton?
yes, because we're all related by first names right? gosh the ashleys are everywhere, they just know how to reproduce - and don't even get me started on those mikes!
6. has anyone ever told you that you look like natalie portman?
yesss! (but feel free to tell me again, i love hearing it! much more than being told i look like anne frank or elaine from seinfeld.)
7. why are you laughing?
answers vary.
8. what do you want to do with that? [in reference to my soon-to-be completed degree in journalism]
well, my dream answer would be: move to any awesome city and write for a magazine or newspaper. get some experience and then freelance, writing about whatever they want me to while i travel internationally. maybe write a weekly column. interview people and write their stories. getting paid to blog would be rad.
seize whatever opportunities i can, because it's a difficult field to break into and sometimes i question why i ever chose it because although i love it, it's not easy. but i've always had this crazy thought that doing what you love is more important than doing what's easy or practical - something like that. sometimes easy and practical is way more tempting, but i figure if i try this first i can always resort to that later. take the risky way first so at least i'll know that i tried and gave it my all.
Thursday, May 19, 2011
update: why i'm not my age
it turns out that it doesn't really matter how unscientific my process for determining true mental age is. a lot of scientists are criticizing the blood tests that offer clues to longevity. (i mistakenly referred to those as a new prescription medical test that shows your true biological age, oops.) here's an article that gives you the real deal on that, instead of my confusing gibberish ... http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/19/business/19life.html?_r=2
the other update i'd like to add to my last post is a little lesson i learned: do not say you are good at pushups. or you will leave your computer to go to bootcamp and they will have you doing diamond pushups. you will wonder why you ever typed that you're good at pushups and question if this is punishment for saying so. then you will do burpees and regular pushups in between running suicides and you will know you are being punished for saying you were good at pushups. but it will all be okay, because pushing your body to the limit and being sore the next day is worth it.
the other update i'd like to add to my last post is a little lesson i learned: do not say you are good at pushups. or you will leave your computer to go to bootcamp and they will have you doing diamond pushups. you will wonder why you ever typed that you're good at pushups and question if this is punishment for saying so. then you will do burpees and regular pushups in between running suicides and you will know you are being punished for saying you were good at pushups. but it will all be okay, because pushing your body to the limit and being sore the next day is worth it.
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
why i'm not my age
there is a cafe close to campus where i spend a lot of time studying. the people who work there aren't welcoming at all, they look at you weird when you actually sit at a table and study for awhile. as if everyone is only allowed to get takeout because they just want to be in there alone so they can sing to whatever music they're playing.
well i don't know what they wish they were doing, but there are definitely times they shoot me looks and i want to say, "hey i don't mind if you sing, go ahead." but then they'd probably just say, "what the h are you talking about weird girl who is always wearing gym clothes? i was only looking at you because you're laughing out loud at your computer screen. AND you're singing, do you not realize you're singing?" no actually, i didn't, but i do have a tendency to sing without realizing it. i like music, it happens, okay?
whenever there are people "my age" in there talking really loudly about something, i wonder how old i really am. i wonder how i am 23 and yet consistently agitated at the immaturity of my fellow college students. and it's high time i stop answering "yeah maybe" every time someone invites me to go to the village.
if you're not from lancaster, or even if you are and you don't know what the village is, let me explain. or maybe i shouldn't, because i've never actually been there and i've only built up this entirely hypocritical idea of what it is and why i do not have any desire to go there. ever. so me explaining wouldn't be fair. at all. ask around, and depending who you consult, you might hear that it's an awesome club with great cheap drinks and lancaster needs more like it. or maybe you'll hear it's a sleazy club and a hot spot for date rape and std's.
the point is that i need to stop saying maybe whenever i get invited, because we all know ... well clearly we don't all know, because people still invite me, which is flattering actually, so carry on with the invites ... but anyway, we all know that i am not going to go there.
the village is the focal point of the majority of conversations at that cafe along with hooking up, way too much alcohol, and the drama that results from all three. add high pitched squeals, profanities in place of an intelligent vocabulary, excessive usage of the word "like" (this coming from a girl who overuses the word herself) - and no wonder i'm asking, what's my age again?
but today as i worked on my online class at the cafe there was a group of older women instead of the usual college riff raff, since it's summer. and do you know what? i wanted to join in their conversation. i could relate to the conversation of people talking about their grandchildren more than i relate to the strangers my age.
franny was livid about the recent bridal shower she'd been to and the lucrative requests from her granddaughter for expensive gifts. there was an older man at another table and she told him that he's lucky he never has to go to these things. he said he's seen a few on TV and it's nothing he wants to take part in. she said that's exactly right, especially when there are seven bridesmaids who don't stop squealing.
it was hilarious. she also made fun of some woman who had a purse so full of junk that she needed a separate strap on her belt to carry her phone because there was no way she could ever find it in that purse. who needs to carry a purse like that? i don't know franny, but can you please be my grandma? not even my grandma, can you just be my new best friend?
on the radio this morning i heard about a new prescription medical test that reveals your true biological age. that's great, except not really. i can already tell you if you don't exercise and all you eat are bacon burgers, you're prematurely aging. if you don't wear sunscreen and you smoke, you're prematurely aging. etc etc blah blah blah, we're all kidding ourselves if we don't know by now what keeps us healthy.
what i want is a test that shows your true mental age. it would measure things like emotional stability, life experience, opinions, and who knows what all else - to determine your true age.
i exercise and eat okay, so i am not worried about my biological age. i think i took an online test once and i was actually younger than i am. my true mental age however is much more up in the air. for instance, i don't like to go out after work when i get out at 11. for every other hostess it's an off night when they don't go out after work. i barely like to watch a movie with people after work. i'm tired, i want to sleep. that alone would up my age from 23 to 43. and the way i criticize people's overuse of technology? who knows, that could automatically set me at 83. that i still use snail mail? 83 again.
but then there is the number of push-ups i can do, i think that would make me 16? the severity of how ticklish i am - age seven? the way i tend to doggy paddle instead of swimming correctly - age four? the way i love chocolate milk - age five? sticking my head or hand out the car window and also doing that arm pump to get mack trucks to honk - age nine?
so maybe in the end between all the quirks i possess of other ages i would even out to about 23. i should probably copyright or trademark this, or do whatever you do to an awesome idea or invention so one one plagiarizes it. because i've clearly got a very scientific formula going to determine something that everyone cares about. siiike. (saying sike - i don't know if that knocks me down to age 11? or if that adds 20 years because that word is so ancient and no one says it anymore?)
well i don't know what they wish they were doing, but there are definitely times they shoot me looks and i want to say, "hey i don't mind if you sing, go ahead." but then they'd probably just say, "what the h are you talking about weird girl who is always wearing gym clothes? i was only looking at you because you're laughing out loud at your computer screen. AND you're singing, do you not realize you're singing?" no actually, i didn't, but i do have a tendency to sing without realizing it. i like music, it happens, okay?
whenever there are people "my age" in there talking really loudly about something, i wonder how old i really am. i wonder how i am 23 and yet consistently agitated at the immaturity of my fellow college students. and it's high time i stop answering "yeah maybe" every time someone invites me to go to the village.
if you're not from lancaster, or even if you are and you don't know what the village is, let me explain. or maybe i shouldn't, because i've never actually been there and i've only built up this entirely hypocritical idea of what it is and why i do not have any desire to go there. ever. so me explaining wouldn't be fair. at all. ask around, and depending who you consult, you might hear that it's an awesome club with great cheap drinks and lancaster needs more like it. or maybe you'll hear it's a sleazy club and a hot spot for date rape and std's.
the point is that i need to stop saying maybe whenever i get invited, because we all know ... well clearly we don't all know, because people still invite me, which is flattering actually, so carry on with the invites ... but anyway, we all know that i am not going to go there.
the village is the focal point of the majority of conversations at that cafe along with hooking up, way too much alcohol, and the drama that results from all three. add high pitched squeals, profanities in place of an intelligent vocabulary, excessive usage of the word "like" (this coming from a girl who overuses the word herself) - and no wonder i'm asking, what's my age again?
but today as i worked on my online class at the cafe there was a group of older women instead of the usual college riff raff, since it's summer. and do you know what? i wanted to join in their conversation. i could relate to the conversation of people talking about their grandchildren more than i relate to the strangers my age.
franny was livid about the recent bridal shower she'd been to and the lucrative requests from her granddaughter for expensive gifts. there was an older man at another table and she told him that he's lucky he never has to go to these things. he said he's seen a few on TV and it's nothing he wants to take part in. she said that's exactly right, especially when there are seven bridesmaids who don't stop squealing.
it was hilarious. she also made fun of some woman who had a purse so full of junk that she needed a separate strap on her belt to carry her phone because there was no way she could ever find it in that purse. who needs to carry a purse like that? i don't know franny, but can you please be my grandma? not even my grandma, can you just be my new best friend?
on the radio this morning i heard about a new prescription medical test that reveals your true biological age. that's great, except not really. i can already tell you if you don't exercise and all you eat are bacon burgers, you're prematurely aging. if you don't wear sunscreen and you smoke, you're prematurely aging. etc etc blah blah blah, we're all kidding ourselves if we don't know by now what keeps us healthy.
what i want is a test that shows your true mental age. it would measure things like emotional stability, life experience, opinions, and who knows what all else - to determine your true age.
i exercise and eat okay, so i am not worried about my biological age. i think i took an online test once and i was actually younger than i am. my true mental age however is much more up in the air. for instance, i don't like to go out after work when i get out at 11. for every other hostess it's an off night when they don't go out after work. i barely like to watch a movie with people after work. i'm tired, i want to sleep. that alone would up my age from 23 to 43. and the way i criticize people's overuse of technology? who knows, that could automatically set me at 83. that i still use snail mail? 83 again.
but then there is the number of push-ups i can do, i think that would make me 16? the severity of how ticklish i am - age seven? the way i tend to doggy paddle instead of swimming correctly - age four? the way i love chocolate milk - age five? sticking my head or hand out the car window and also doing that arm pump to get mack trucks to honk - age nine?
so maybe in the end between all the quirks i possess of other ages i would even out to about 23. i should probably copyright or trademark this, or do whatever you do to an awesome idea or invention so one one plagiarizes it. because i've clearly got a very scientific formula going to determine something that everyone cares about. siiike. (saying sike - i don't know if that knocks me down to age 11? or if that adds 20 years because that word is so ancient and no one says it anymore?)
count on me
oh i like this song, and today i'd like to dedicate it to all of my family and friends. i am blessed with more amazing friends and family than i can count on all of my fingers and toes. and i love you!
Count On Me//by Bruno Mars
If you ever find yourself stuck in the middle of the sea
I'll sail the world to find you
If you ever find yourself lost in the dark and you can't see
I'll be the light to guide you
Find out what we're made of
What we are called to help our friends in need
You can count on me like one, two, three
I'll be there and I know when I need it
I can count on you like four, three, two
And you'll be there 'cause that's what friends
Are supposed to do, oh yeah, ooh, ooh
If you toss and you turn and you just can't fall asleep
I'll sing a song beside you
And if you ever forget how much you really mean to me
Everyday I will remind you
Find out what we're made of
What we are called to help our friends in need
You'll always have my shoulder when you cry
I'll never let go, never say goodbye
You can count on me 'cause I can count on you
Count On Me//by Bruno Mars
If you ever find yourself stuck in the middle of the sea
I'll sail the world to find you
If you ever find yourself lost in the dark and you can't see
I'll be the light to guide you
Find out what we're made of
What we are called to help our friends in need
You can count on me like one, two, three
I'll be there and I know when I need it
I can count on you like four, three, two
And you'll be there 'cause that's what friends
Are supposed to do, oh yeah, ooh, ooh
If you toss and you turn and you just can't fall asleep
I'll sing a song beside you
And if you ever forget how much you really mean to me
Everyday I will remind you
Find out what we're made of
What we are called to help our friends in need
You'll always have my shoulder when you cry
I'll never let go, never say goodbye
You can count on me 'cause I can count on you
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