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Cheryl Mendoza

How He speaks to me…..Or… can't He just call my cell when He wants to talk?

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Someone else’s box.

So I really love to write, and I typically have 20 things going through my head at one time, so I always feel like it should come freely and with ease.  The only problem is, most time it doesn’t.  By the end, it feels more like child birth than anything else.  Times of struggle, gasping for each new line.  Then at times there is rest and a moment where new insight is revealed.  So for me, it is not always easy.

This morning though, I was really inspired and wanted to just sit and get my thoughts down on paper.  It all started when I read a blog, “Fcuk Pretty.” Well the title had me interested, and when I went to read it, the post had me hooked.  I enjoyed the writing and honesty, but most of all I loved the commonality.  In my own life, I could relate to some of the feelings and statements that she was relaying in the post.  What is the best part though?   It was her.  I looked at some of the information about her, and I knew that I would not naturally be a part of her circle of friends.  (influence?)  To me though, that is exciting.

Again, we find so many ways to separate ourselves from each other, and I am done with that.   It is boring.  I want to risk meeting people who are different than me, the ones that I am not “supposed” to talk to.  I want to know their story, and how it may have hurt them or brought them strength.  I want to hear about the things that separate us, because when I look at them through the lens of eternity, those things become meaningless.

What do you think?  Are you tired of being labeled and put in someone else’s box?

Here is the link to the original post: https://wordpress.com/read/feeds/33316213/posts/1045939154

Seems the link may be having issues.  Where is my IT guy?  Please cut and paste…it will get you there.  Sorry for the difficulties….but I do recommend reading it.  Thanks!!

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Time for another Adventure

Dinner is almost done and I am exhausted.  It is going to be a couple of long weeks as we are getting ready for VBA.  I am sure you see signs where you live about VBS, or Vacation Bible School.  Here though, we do Vacation Bible Adventure.  Both our Senior and Youth Pastors have daughters that work at Disneyland, so that should give you the indication what the place starts to look like.  Sets are going up all over the campus in anticipation of the 1,000 or so kids who will attend.  During the week, I tell storiesVersion 2to preschoolers.  Today I went and started to get our sets “built”, more like taped together, for the stories.  I was happy to have one of our students come out and help me today.  I had a picture from Pinterest of what I was looking for, but after showing her that, I gave her free reign to create.  I think she did a fantastic job.  It is a really cute whale….my pic is not so good though.
This whole undertaking is HUGE!  It takes so many people, using so many different talents to put these great environments together.  It is always exhausting, but always amazing to be a part of such a wonderful group of people.  Are you having your own Vacation Bible School?  Or Adventure?  If you are, leave a comment about what encourages you the most about being involved in this kind of event.

So I kind of cut her out of the picture because she is a young lady, and I try to be aware of any parental concern.

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Level of the least discriminating audience

Lowest common denominator.  Again, this math concept came back to me as I have been listening to the election coverage and heard it being used.  I know what you are thinking, politics and math? It was actually Stephen Hawking who used it, and while he was talking about a particular presidential candidate, I actually think about this all the time.   It is pretty funny because it is a mathematics term, and I hated math.  As I am getting older though, I am finding that math is making its way into my everyday life more often.  The best is when I use algebra as an object lesson for my sons.  My mother, the math teacher, would be proud.  My sons though, are pretty much over it.

math1
Just had to put a math graphic in here for fun. 

Back to my point.  I find that in a lot of things, people tend to go to the lowest common denominator.   Myself included.  I always wonder why?  Whether it is comedy. Where most jokes nowadays are more hurtful than funny, but everyone laughs.  Or it could be politics, where we jump on a bandwagon of the candidate who is talking the loudest, singling out an enemy and promising what they are going to do for you.  Or even the church where we pretend to do instead of really doing what we believe, because it is just easier that way.   Again why?  Maybe we are working, trying to make ends meet?  More concerned with getting the kids picked up from daycare than who will be the next councilman, senator or president?  Worrying about our weight, health, jobs, spouses  and children.  Which are all good things to worry about.  Too tired at the end of day trying to make life better, that we don’t have the energy to really ask, what makes a better life?   Too distracted to ask ourselves, do I really want to live a “lowest common denominator” kind of life?

I know that is a life I really don’t want.  Unfortunately, I believe that is a life I have lived too much of already. So I am now trying day by day not to accept that “uncommon” life as my own.  It is harder than it looks.  I get up, I write, I read my bible, exercise (ok so not every day yet), and I try to be encouraging.  Every day I fight the desires to wallow in self-pity, doubt, fear, pride and anger.  (Well that was an honest sentence for you) Each day is a new opportunity, and maybe more importantly a different opportunity.  So I take strength in the words of Paul, the man who wrote most of the new testament not the Beatle.  “I do not understand what I do.  For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.”  He sounds as confused as I feel many times, but I love his honesty.  I take great comfort in the fact that if Paul didn’t have it all down on his own, than I am not doing so bad.  My Mom was right when she said, “it’s not what you know, but who you know”, and for that uncommon life, I am counting on Him being my Who.

If you want to check out where Paul said that:   Romans 7:15 NIV

Please leave a comment if the post encouraged, challenged or made you think.  

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