Gelotology

The study of laughter and humor and the effects on the body is called Gelotology. (that kind of makes me laugh) Who knew that one belly laugh burns about 3.5 calories! Well if my math is correct I would need to have about 200 good belly laughs to have a really great workout!! Maybe if I work on my laughter more I can finally ditch that gym commitment....hmmmmmmm.

Proverbs 17:22 "A merry heart doeth good like a medicine but a broken spirit drieth up the bones."


I don't know about you but dry bones doesn't sound like a good thing! And if a healthy person laughs 100 to 400 times a day then I need to get busy! I need to stop taking things so seriously!!!

Have you ever had that exhausted feeling after a good laugh? You know, the one where your side hurts, your eyes water, you can't catch your breath, your find yourself snorting and your body's totally spent? Well according to some studies a good giggle can do some pretty wonderful things!

Unfortunately -- watching funny movies all day long won't lead to perfect health (in fact, being a couch potato will do more harm than good especially while holding a bag of cheetos), but remembering that laughter has powerful benefits should get you to smiling.  :))

Laughter decreases stress, help us cope with tough situations, it can improve your blood pressure, helps manage pain, amps your social skills, reduces aggression and boosts your immune system! So the Bible definitely knew what it was talking about when it said it was like a medicine! Now of course it doesn't cure all ailments in life BUT it definitely helps a healthy lifetstyle be better. B cells (used to fight infections) and T cells (attacks viruses and manages immune responses) respond positively to laughter! These are just one of the MANY different responses the body has in response to a good LOL!

Now I know that there are inappropriate times to laugh and no one really wants to be laughed at BUT we have got to stop taking our lives so seriously and start seeing things in a lighter way. You have got to find someone that you can be silly and crazy with and just laugh. We all need to learn to laugh at ourselves as well. We can all do some pretty incredibly funny things and lets not have so much pride that we can't just admit that we tripped and fell. It IS funny! Share it and help someone else's immune system! I think I am responsible for some pretty healthy people out there....ha

Adjust that crown!

Jonna

Sketches

If someone were to sketch you without seeing you but by your own description of yourself...what would it look like compared to what others would say about you? This is a very interesting video and hopefully it will make you stop and think before you tell others or think too much about your perceived flaws. Women especially are so hard on themselves (me included) and we seem to mirror what others have told us or focus on one very small insignificant negative and of course make it so much bigger. This video is a must-watch :)) Remember who's kid you are and adjust that crown! --Jonna

Dormancy

Dormancy - a state of quiet (but possibly temporary) inaction; "the volcano erupted after centuries of dormancy", the state of being inactive for a season. I absolutely LOVE tulips and it is amazing to see what they come from. Have you ever seen their bulbs? They are dry, brown, rough and just plain ugly and the process reminds me of the hard shelled chrysalis of a butterfly. In time and in the proper conditions and season, a beautiful flower will emerge. Fortunately though bulbs in their dormant stage are tough and are actually called storehouses, but still they must be handled properly for them to mature and flower as they should. Tulip bulbs are just stored potential and are so very attune to the environment around them. Bulbs have to have a certain amount of cold weather to trigger a bio-chemical process that causes them to bloom. If the weather is unusually warm too soon then the flower may bloom too soon and if it is cold too long then they will not flower until much later. It is so amazing that something so small and insignificant in our own eyes has been made with such ingenuity. In the word there is a scripture that is one of my favorites:

26 Look at the birds, free and unfettered, not tied down to a job description, careless in the care of God. And you count far more to him than birds. 27 "Has anyone by fussing in front of the mirror ever gotten taller by so much as an inch? 28 All this time and money wasted on fashion - do you think it makes that much difference? Instead of looking at the fashions, walk out into the fields and look at the wildflowers. They never primp or shop, 29 but have you ever seen color and design quite like it? The ten best-dressed men and women in the country look shabby alongside them. 30 "If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers - most of which are never even seen - don't you think he'll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? 31 What I'm trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God's giving. 32People who don't know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. 33 Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don't worry about missing out. You'll find all your everyday human concerns will be met. 34 "Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes."                                                         Matthew 6:26-34

There are a few lessons here to be learned. First, Like a tulip we cannot look at someone or a situation and think we know what is going on, because there is a dormancy period that we all go through before we bloom and you don't know if they are about to sprout! God is working on all of us and we are all in different seasons of growing and in changing environments. Secondly, Don't get upset at time factors because you want to be flowering and thriving at just the right time in your life. That time frame may not be what we understand or want but we have to trust the one that made us. We have so many factors that can hinder us or enhance us and we want to be in tune to what God's timing is. If we get too anxious we might bloom too soon and not last because the cold season isn't over.  Thirdly, like a beautiful tulip we may be gorgeous and colorful and find the next day we are ugly and rough due to our  circumstances...just know that you need to embrace the dormancy stage of your life. Tulips are just flowering for a few weeks and then go right back to a rest stage to store up energy. There are times to be quiet and still and to not be in the forefront..that is when we are working on the next phase of our lives and for the next step God is going to lead us to. 

Flowers are wonderful creations I believe were made for us to enjoy so don't forget that you were also created to be enjoyed by the CREATOR....the one that thinks you are GORGEOUS no matter what stage of life you are in. 


Adjust that Crown!

Jonna

Loving the Unlovable

Today was a somewhat challenging day at work filled with helping intoxicated and drug addicted people get back on their feet and matching them with available resources including bus passes, shelters, clothing and of course food. The problem lies that as they begin to sober up they are angry....mainly at themselves for relapsing, spending all their money or being ticketed for various things...but they take it out on the one helping them. I was called about every name imaginable and was threatened in many different ways just by HELPING them. I would say that at one point I wanted to give a few of them " a piece of my mind"! After all, I deserve respect, right? I mean...I earned my RN license and I have authority here to do what I want. In a moment I can call the police over to escort these people off the property...they better not mess with me!

As one patient began to act out because she wasn't getting the attention or the medications she wanted she started tearing out her very-tightly knotted and very dirty weave out of her head and throwing the pieces on the floor....I began to laugh and I could not stop. Now...I know that it does not sound very professional BUT I felt like I was losing it. The lady (who was not in her right mind) said, "You think your better than me? I see you laughing at me. I am not crazy....I just don't have anybody or anything. Just because I am homeless doesn't mean I don't deserve respect."

Well those words rang true to my heart. I wasn't loving these people, I was looking down on them. I was judging them by their smells, their dirty clothes and bad behavior. Perhaps Jesus' teaching to "love your neighbor as yourself" (Mark 12: 31, NIV) is one of the absolutely hardest ones to grasp. Sure, that seems easy enough—until you really think about what it means. He didn't say "like" them. He said "love" them. And you don't get to pick who your "neighbor" is...It's everyone around you whom you might come in contact with.....even at work.

I'm thinking Jesus' expectations were a tad bit too high. I mean, can you truly love someone like you love yourself? The neat thing is that he wasn't in the heavens just commanding us to do this...he was here on earth experiencing it. At the Last Supper, Jesus was in the same room with a bunch of betrayers and he knew it and what he did was wash their feet. Wow...kinda a hard thing to do, huh? These guys didn't deserve his love and respect but he loved them anyway. Jesus didn't pretend....he actually served them.

Serving gives us an easy way to see how we should love. It's not just some mushy emotion but an action. When you serve someone it has a way of changing the way you see them. If you are trying to really help someone with your whole heart then it's very hard to think they're worthless. You are giving them everything you have. Serving is getting your wants, desires, titles or agendas you have for yourself and putting it on the back-burner for someone else with a spirit of humility and respect. But of course none of this is possible in our own abilities....it takes the Holy Spirit to strengthen us and give us that supernatural ability and that is accomplished by drawing near to God. Love will flow out of us naturally because we are His vessel.


Loving someone doesn’t mean we have to agree with them or their choices. Loving someone means we hope our actions on their behalf work for their benefit, to build them up, maybe even change their bad attitudes or help them to become easier to love and most importantly, that they learn to be a little more like Christ themselves. Of course they may not respond or do anything to show appreciation for what we have done. In fact they may reject everything we try to do for them making us want to just throw in the towel in frustration. But we know that God never gave up on us so we are never going to give up on people.....because they are all in fact our brothers and sisters and no one EVER should EVER give up on family!

Adjust that crown,

Jonna

Keep Swimming Around!

      Two  frogs fell into a deep cream bowl,

One was an optimistic soul.

But the other took a gloomy view,

"I shall drown," he said "and so will you."

So with a last despairing cry,

He closed his eyes and said his "Good-byes."

But the other frog with a merry grin,

Said "I can't get out, but I WON'T give in!"

So he swam around until his strength was spent.

For bravely trying,  the frog thought, 

"I will at least die being content."

So on he swam until it would seem.

His struggles began to churn the cream.

On top of the butter at last he stopped,

And out of the bowl he happily hopped.

What's the message here? It's easily found.

If you can't get out - keep swimming around!

                                          ~Author Unknown

This is just one of my all time favorite poems. My husband used this in a sermon illustration once and it is just endearing! It is funny how at times we actually think that we aren't going to make it out of a situation or hard time. God loves us and wants to help us but we have to be WILLING to work towards our blessing or toward our unanswered prayers. We cannot just sit by when things get a little tough and throw up our hands in despair. Timing is everything and sometimes the hardest of the times is right when the "storm" of our lives are about to break.  Having perserverance and enduring the struggle WILL get you somewhere and despite what other's around you say or do...you bravely keep on swimming because you will in time come out....ON TOP!

Adjust that Crown, 

Jonna

Road Rage

A man was being tailgated by a stressed out woman on a busy street. Suddenly, the light turned yellow just in front of him. He did the right thing, stopping at the crosswalk. The tailgating woman hit the roof, and the horn, screaming as she missed her chance to get through the intersection.

As she was still in mid-rant, she heard a tap on her window and looked up into the face of a police officer. He took her to the police station where she was placed in a holding cell. After a couple of hours, the policeman opened the cell door and said, "I'm very sorry for this mistake. You see, I pulled up behind your car while you were blowing your horn, flipping off the guy in front of you, and cussing a blue streak at him. I noticed the 'What Would Jesus Do?' bumper sticker, the 'Follow Me to Sunday School' bumper sticker, and the chrome-plated Christian fish emblem on the trunk. Naturally, I assumed you had stolen the car!"

 

I know that story seems far-fetched but how many of us has experienced some kind of road rage on our commute to work? We may be the victim of it or....the perpetrator! I find myself calling people dumb or an idiot out loud while I am driving. I have also been guilty of throwing up my hands in disbelief or staring at a driver while I pass them as if to say, "Where did you learn to drive?" While this may seem innocent enough; in comparison to the above the story, it isn't a healthy thing at all. I know I have shared before where a member of one of our churches stuck their middle finger out at Don & I as we pulled out in front of them. (Don was driving) Now of course when she realized it was us she about had a heart attack I am sure! Later at church she avoided us and we didnt bring it up. Ha. Compassion and love and especially patience are all wonderful fruits that we need to see grow in our lives and we need to be aware of just what we are producing and giving out to others.

"Create in me a clean heart oh God and renew a right spirit within me." Psalms 51:10

What the problem is that we want our own way and when we don't get it and exactly "how we want it when we want it" we get angry. What we have to realize is that the situation is beyond our control and no beating on the steering wheel, honking of our horn or fist pumping in the air is going to change that. But as a Christian, are we supossed to act this way? Galatians 5:22-23 tell us about how we are to be developing character and qualities that are Christ-like in our lives and from what I see we have to PRACTICE them daily. I am not saying do them perfectly...I am saying practice them daily. Eventually they may become second nature in our lives. 

I am not saying that we aren't supposed to get angry....it is normal to do that...there are a whole lot of things that I get angry at! We are not to sin in the midst of our anger. We have a choice on how we handle ourselves in those situations. Make sure you are listening to some good music that lifts your mood and puts your thoughts on our creator. Praying on my way to work definitely helps...I find myself asking God to "help that crazy driver in the red car".  If I keep my focus on HIM then things are always better and my choices always seem clearer and easier. I have even gotten a revelation from God once that a person that I was upset at (who almost side-swiped me) was going through something and the realization hit me like a ton of bricks that I was lacking a heart of compassion. And according to Webster: compassion is the sympathetic awareness of others' distress. Now while that sounds over-saved (as my boys would say) it is so true! Who knows...we might be the maniac driver that someone out there is watching and praying for...ha...that would be ironic!

Take a mental note of your posture and presentation of yourself. How is your tone and body language? If your heart isn't right....it will come out one way or another. Usually our frustration is stemming from the fact that we are running late or because of an accident and is it fair to take it out on others? It only takes a moment to get your perspective and priorities in order via a prayer. God wants us to rely on Him especially when things aren't going right in our eyes.  So slow down and take a deep breath because everything is going to be alright. Remember to adjust your crown and....ahem...your attitude today because we are here to make a difference. :)

Jonna

Name Change!

I decided to change my blog name as you can tell. Although Sparkle is a fun name; it didn't truly relfect the true reason why I write. I believe that we are all chosen by God to be his daughter; His princess. So it is incredible that most women i know; including me, struggle with identity issues. We have insecurities that take over our minds and affects our decisions, actions and gets all tangled up in our relationships and of course blurs the view that we have of our Heavenly Father. The enemy knows exactly how to keep us down and we somehow succumb and live life way below what we are intended.

You may be thinking, "Really Jonna, a crown?" Well...yes! Why not! Kings and Queens rule their kingdoms and what that means is that they want their people to be safe, fed and to prosper. So if we went about our day wanting the best for people then what would be wrong with that? What if every word that came out of our mouth would encourage, lift up someone, or end a struggle? We have within us the ability to speak life and to make someone's day. What i am saying is that we as royalty need to start ACTING like royalty.

Our Father has brought his here for a purpose and what do we think we are going to do in Heaven? Rule and reign with Jesus for a thousand years? What does that mean? If we can't even figure out who we are HERE how are we going to do that THERE? Yes...I have a LOT of question marks in this blog! ha

¹⁶ For the Holy Spirit speaks to us and tells our spirit that we are children of God. ¹⁷ If we are children of God, we will receive everything He has promised us. We will share with Christ all the things God has given to Him. But we must share His suffering if we are to share His shining-greatness.            Romans 8:16-17 NLT

So my blog's new name is just a reminder of who we are in Christ. It isn't who you ARE that holds you back, it is who you think you are NOT. As an ambassador of Jeus we have the RIGHT, the ABILITY and the wonderful OPPORTUNITY.

Adjust that crown!

Jonna

Horizontal Jesus

“It's what I like to call the horizontal Jesus. Vertical Jesus are the songs that say 'Lord I love you, Lord I praise you, Lord I thank you' and horizontal is 'I'm in a situation. This is the problem. How can I apply you now horizontally?'

"There are more problems in the world because he's not being applied horizontally. We are all waiting for someone to save the day, make things better. As a child of God, I just believe that Jesus is our hero, he is the one that came to save man's life, to save man's soul, to restore people back to themselves with a love that's real – an unconditional sacrificial love.”      --Kirk Franklin                                                                                             

 I didn't realize that God was into Algebra or Geometry. Ha. But I love this quote and this concept. May we not forget that God wants to be the center of every decision and every relationship that we have. He wants to be the axis on which our lives rotate.

Remember to adjust your crown!

Jonna

Have you lost your marbles?

I heard a story the other day about an older guy giving a younger guy advice.

He told the young guy about how 20 years or so earlier he had decided that he would stop taking his weekends for granted. He felt he had spent years wasting his days on sleeping until the afternoon, watching television the rest of the day and eventually falling asleep in his recliner. He felt there was something wrong with that picture, and decided to do something about it.

So he bought a bunch of marbles.

He grabbed an old glass jar from his garage and poured a ton of marbles in – one marble for each Saturday he had left in his life. He was 55 at the time, and assumed he had about 20 years worth of Saturdays left – about 1040 marbles in total.

Every Saturday from that day on, he’d start his day by going to his garage. He’d grab one of the marbles and carry it with him throughout the day, and at the end of the day he’d throw it away or give it away to someone. He said it reminded him that this particular day in his life would never come again. Having that marble in his pocket would make him think...how am I going to use this marble today to influence someones life?

He was telling this guy this story because on that day, he had picked the last marble out of jar. His eyes welled up a bit as he thought about the 20 years of Saturdays that had come and gone, and how dramatically different they were than the ones that proceeded them. How each one had a sense of urgency, of intention. How each was an opportunity to make his life a little bit better, the lives of his loved ones a little bit better.

He told the young man that he felt so fortunate, not only that he had been able to experience all those Saturdays, but that he’d been given more than he had planned. He said every single Saturday after this one was a gift, and his heart was filled with gratitude.

As he walked away from the young man, he told him to remember to number your days.

That story Pastor Don shared at Mercy Gate Church a few weeks ago and it really stuck with me because for almost 44 years I’ve taken my days for granted. They’ve lacked this kind of gratitude. They’ve never had the urgency that comes with the realization that you’re never going to get that day back.

I have always felt that life was going so fast; especially since adulthood. Months just fly by and now years seem to as well. Time is a precious thing and we need something to assist us sometimes to slow things down a bit and help us be more purposeful. So when my husband handed me his first marble the following Saturday;  I came close to tearing up. He was tellng me that I was very important to him and that he wanted to give me his TIME. Now how are you going to use yours?

Don't just lose your marbles but be intentional and GIVE them away....

I have 1,352 marbles left to reach 70 years old...I am definitely going to use them more wisely than the first 2,283!

Choosing to see the Good

It is funny in life how we can quickly jump to the negative! I think about "people-watching" and I know all of us have done this sometime or another. It is quite fun and very entertaining.......especially if you are bored and at the airport and have hours to burn. We see a person or a couple and come up with a scenario of their lives...we pick out their occupations, what they are talking about etc. just based on their looks and our perception of their behaviors and of course how they are dressed. Never in those scenarios do we rarely make up stories that are good and wholesome about people...it is always some outlandish thing and is usually totally inappropriate! Okay...that is how I do it anyway. ha

Philippians 4:8 (MSG)^8-9

^"Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into a life of peace."

But what if when we looked at people that we instantly gravitated to the positive? What if negative NEVER even crossed your mind? What if you people-watched and thought about scenarios that were wonderful and good and appropriate? Now that just doesn't sound as fun, does it?

We can see the good stuff in people but it takes time and of course it takes making a good choice. We have to choose to push the negativity to the back of our minds and do not "dare" let it come out. Okay...I know this by experience! Years back I had to work on what came out of my mouth that was negative and when I felt that I mastered that I then had to work on keeping the thoughts out of my head! It is a day by day process that takes time but it is well worth it!

When we see the good in others it makes us happy and cheerful. You see, it is so easy and EVERY person has the ability to point out the negative and bad. It is those who choose to see either what is good or the "potential good" in others that is so rare and hard to find.

Make a choice today to be unique and "see" only the things that are the best, the beautiful and the things that we can praise each other about. The scriptures say that if we practice this lifestyle then God who makes everything work together will work us into a life of peace with Him. Now who doesn't want that?

Keep Sparkling for Him

Jonna

Semi Colon Life

Now I will not even pretend to know a whole lot about grammar...because I don't! I am unsure how I slid by unnoticed in English I and 2 in college but somehow I charmed my teacher and managed to make the required grades. And as you can tell I love to fill my blogs with lots of periods and exclamations marks...which I use because I feel like they represent gaps in between thoughts. It just makes sense to me!

But there has always been something so cool about the semi-colon. I use it in the middle of long sentences and thoughts when I feel like I need to take a breath. The semi-colon is a combination of a stop and a continuing on... a period and a comma joined together. Kinda conflicting but yet very interesting.

Living a semi-colon life is all about pausing and re-evaluating where you are at; readjusting and then moving on. I think we all need that in our life! 

Just when you think that things are coming to an end or that you think that you can't go any further....God is there to say, "hey I got this!" and there you go again! Jeremiah 29:11

You Are Graciously Adorned

Jonna

Retrospect Faith

I was driving to work on Good Friday and was thinking, 'God, how can we call this a "good" day when it was so horrifying?'. And as I was visualizing in my mind the gruesome scenes from the movie I had watched, "The Passion of the Christ" a word 'Retrospect' popped into my head.  Retrospect is the act of looking back and reviewing events or situations with new information and with a new perspective.

Of course we as Christians can experience Good Friday and appreciate what Christ did for us on the cross that day BECAUSE we are in the future looking back. We know that 3 days later something AMAZING happened! This is why we can rejoice and be happy and not go around and be mournful and sad. Of course let us not lose the significance of just how traumatic and painful that day was for all involved....because it is THAT experience that truly signifies how great of a savior that we have that He would go through all that for us!"

It makes me think too of the children of Israel and all their complaints and lack of faith through their journey. I want to slap them and say, "didn't you remember the sea being parted, the manna arriving daily, the birds being provided, the fire by night and clouds by day that led you and kept you safe!?" Couldn't they just believe God based on the fact that over and over he had provided for them! But we too tend to be blind to our retrospect blessings and provision.

“And these stones shall be for a memorial to the children of Israel forever”  First, the memorial stones were to be a reminder of their own personal experience. Notice that in verse 6 that this memorial will cause the children to ask; “What do these stones mean to you?” These stones are first of all to be a reminder those who were present of their personal experience, what they saw, heard and felt. To paraphrase, “Tell your story, Keep a clear memory of what God did for you. Keep on telling your stories so that you never lose your own sense of awe and wonder of what God has done in your life.”     Joshua 4:6-9

What memorials have you built? Do you tell others what God has done for you? Do you celebrate and testify of the goodness of God in your life? If you do then you will not easily forget the next time you are in a situation that you think is going to overwhelm you. Just like the Israelites who were obedient in building the memorial we forget to go back and remember and give thanks at the amazing provision that was laid out before us! But the memorial wasn't so much for just them...it was for their descendants. You see Retrospect Faith isn't just about US but about the people who observe and look up to us in how to walk out this Christian life.


In life we experience all kinds of events that aren't pleasant and sometimes we look up at the sky and wonder, "What in the world are you thinking God? What am I  going to do now?" And then hours, days, weeks, months or even years later like a light bulb we understand what was going on and why we had to go through the trial like we did.....we were in a process and God wanted us to have faith in just who He is. We need to remember in those times that He has been more than faithful and look back at the memorials we have built at the times he healed us, saved us, delivered us from our mess and then we will not have a faith crisis and meltdown. Each time you go through a thing with great faith it gets easier and easier...it will become a way of life for you. You will actually start believing that with God all things are possible! With this mentality is when God will show up like we have never seen before! God is in control and just like He has delivered us before....He will do it again and again and again....it's all about Retrospect Faith.



Keep Sparkling for Him
Jonna

Your Growth Chart

As a child I remember a particular area in our garage where my mom and dad would periodically gather all the kids and mark our heights with the date and our names. That moment when a pencil, pen or whatever was available made a mark in the wood trim was so exciting! I couldn't wait to see how much I had grown and then compare it. I remember trying to stand on my tippy toes or tilt my head up so that my mark would be higher...ha...but my mom had her accurate methods and would make sure it was correct! After all of us kids were married my parents sold that house...unfortunately I never thought of taking a picture of our "chart"...........I would give anything to have it now.

Rulers and tape measures are great tools; unless they are used to measure my hips! Measurement defined: "the extent, dimensions, quantity, etc., of something ascertained especially by comparison with a standard." As a child I was compared and measured against my siblings in how I grew and my parents would try to predict how tall each of us might be by what my brother and sisters were at a particular age. I remember when my kids were younger...their pediatrician would graph their height and weight on a "growth chart" and compare them to the national averages. I couldn't believe it when Dr Wong told me that he thought that Corey would be 6'2 and that Trey would be 5'9". I made the unfortunate mistake and told the boys what the doctor had said and Trey wasn't having any of that! Trey would try to stretch and pull on his legs, run around the yard and jump high to try to change his fate with no avail! I even tried to get Trey to eat spinach and green "growth" veggies so that Corey wouldn't grow taller than him...he didn't go for it. Well...the prediction wasn't right. Corey is currently 5'9" and Trey is 5'11". Unless Corey has a massive growth spurt at almost 21....I don't think it is going to happen :)

 

I am so glad that in the Kingdom that we are not compared to each other but we are measured by what God determined for us. He marks each one of us as one of His kids and predicts and proclaims the best for us. Now what we do with the potential growth that each of us has access to is totally up to us. We have the choice and free will to determine our destiny to go higher in God or just be average. I know that I want to do more than just exist but to be victorious and give 100%.  I believe that as we stretch ourselves and learn, overcome obstacles and make time for God in our daily relationship that He keeps a count and celebrates that we are on the designed path for our lives! He wants us healthy, mature and of course above average in everything we do.

Keep Sparkling!

Jonna

What voices are you listening to?

Most of you know that I work at a Level One Trauma Center in downtown Houston, TX. It is one of the busiest Emergency Rooms in the United States and is the only hospital in the Houston area that has a Psychiatric Center that is open 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. With that being said I see and experience LOTS of VERY interesting things during my work day. Unfortunately one of the growing needs and concerns is in Mental Health whether that is due to addiction, trauma, psychiatric crisis etc. Questions regarding suicidal thoughts and plans are now a basic question that we ask every patient that walks through the door.

Almost every patient that states that they are actively suicidal and having thoughts or plans to hurt themselves also state that they hear voices. Every single incident that I have talked to patients about voices they say, "The voices are telling me I am worthless, stupid, ugly, never going to amount to anything, waste of time, no one loves me.." Never do they ever tell me that the voices are saying anything good or positive about them. Most say there are multiple voices and they argue amongst themselves about how 'bad I am and why that I should die and not live'. The patients sometimes tell me, "the voices are so loud and they never leave and they are driving me crazy so all I want to do is die so that they will finally stop and I can finally rest." This admission of course is mind-boggling and so incredibly sad. I have my own thoughts about what these patients need in regards to deliverance and often times feel such a strong demonic presence that I am rebuking Satan all the while working. These shifts are my most exhausting but I am so blessed that I have a group of people that pray for me daily that covers me and gives me an extra hedge of protection.

The reason why I am sharing this is because sometimes we too hear voices...maybe not on the same level as what I just wrote about...but we listen to lies of the enemy and it can be just as destructive. It is truly amazing how we can decree and declare the promises of God over our lives and feel infallible and that we are going to go out and kill giants with our mighty sword and we are prepared with the armor of the Lord! But someone says something about us and we are suddenly naked in the corner sucking our thumb and are listening to voices telling us that we are rejected, unloved and unfit to do anything for the Kingdom!

The fact is this...when we are weak in our communion with God; those are the times that we fall prey to the enemy. I have experienced this before and found myself in a deep pit of depression and then suddenly my eyes were opened and I thought, "Why did I even think like that? What in the world was I doing?" If you will allow it; the enemy can actually place blinders on you and you don't even realize it! That is why you have got to let people speak into your life...friends, pastors and leaders can hold you accountable and ask the hard questions to help you know if you are going the right way or not. You also need to stay in the Word and in prayer so that you can discern the voice of God.

"When the enemy shall come against you like a flood the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him".                                      Isaiah 59:19

In reality the enemy can come against you but the Spirit of the Lord will like a flood swallow up the lies that Satan throws at you and send them and him packing downstream! The Word also states that you need to demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ! (2 Corinthians 10:5)  For the Lord has great plans for YOU and they are to prosper you and not to harm you, He has plans to give you a hope and a future. (Jeremiah 29:11) You just need to listen for His voice in your life and discern and ignore all others :))



Keep shining for Him,

Jonna

God...Make Me Like a Duck!

There is nothing like observing a family of ducks swimming in a pond or lake. It is one of the most beautiful things. They swim so majestically and effortlessly like they have not a care in the world. The ducks webbed feet are paddling away underneath the water but look as calm as can be above it. 

I remember one cold day that I brought my two sons to a local park that had a pond and playground. As we sat there enjoying the view of the ducks; my oldest son Trey asked, "Mom, why is it that the ducks don't wear coats and we do?" I remember chuckling at his innocence and answered him, "Because God made them with waterproof coats. The cold and the water cannot touch their skin so they stay warm and dry and safe." Trey being the inquisitive and persistent 6 year old asked another question, "Then why didn't God give us that kind of coat?" I was surprised at that question and scrambled to find a good answer and in my attempt stated, "Because we need to take off our coats and the ducks need to keep theirs on." I wish I could tell you that the questions stopped at that point....but they continued. What sweet memories.

Many times that day I thought about that question. And I asked God, "why is it that we as humans are so prone to hurt, bitterness and unforgiveness?" At that time in my life I was personally struggling with some relationship issues and had found myself feeling the sting of hurt and I was carrying a heavy load. God literally spoke to me that night in prayer and stated, "Jonna, I want to make you like a duck." I remember crying and feeling heaviness being lifted off of my shoulders. It was the beginning of a healing that I didn't even truly realize that I needed. I had been hauling bitterness and resentment and it had been affecting every part of my life. 

You see God created the duck to live on land, fly in the air and swim in the water so that it could be comfortable in several totally opposite situations. Ducks waddle along on dry ground and can quickly and easily glide across the water at a moments notice and then of course seamlessly take off and fly in the air. Feathers perfectly placed by it's creator act as a barrier to allow water to simply roll off of their body. A duck does not even notice the rain water because it is a creature that is able to adapt to all environments. Water is not something that is unexpected but anticipated as the duck encounters it every day. Therefore, it does not stop to get out of the rain or fight to stay dry but simply goes on with its daily routine. 

When we become Children of God by accepting Jesus Christ, like the duck, we have a dual citizenship. I know this seems far fetched in some ways but hear me out! We live on this planet Earth but our hearts inhabit Heaven. These are two very different places with extremely opposite atmospheres and conflicting principles. Yet we are not to conform to this Earth in order to survive but rather live victoriously until we make our transition into heaven. The Bible tells us that there would be various trials in our lives according to Jame 1:8 and that we need to count it all as joy.

You see ducks aren't just waterproof without any work. They are diligent with "preening" their feather's constantly. Ducks nibble at their feathers and this motion distributes oil from a gland that covers the feathers from head to toe as well as remove scales and parasites. The oil makes the top layer of their feathers water-resistant and causes them to be bouyant and the water to literally, 'roll off their backs'. Being waterproof allows the ducks to stay in the water for long periods of time and not be affected by the cold at all. Without being waterpoof the duck's feathers will become saturated, their heart could stop beating and the heavy weight could cause the duck to possibly drown!

Living successfully in differing environments is definitely not without it's challenges! God though has equipped ALL His creations for adaptability and given all of us tools for survival. Just as ducks expect and anticipate the rain we too should prepare ourselves for adversity and recognize it when it is occuring. The Word of God and His oil of annointing will cause us to be bouyant and rise above all the "stuff" that tries to distract us and hurt us. We have to protect our heart from becoming hardened because we are called to live out our life with love. David wrote in Psalms 69 with a heavy heart because of insults from others and he was crying out to be rescued. If you are struggling today to keep your head above the water you need to know that God has already done His part...now you have to do yours.

Remember that the Lord knows exactly what is going on in your life and He is watching intently! You can easily decide to be that graceful duck swimming and content on knowing that all cares rest on the heavenly Father. When offenses creep up and the cold and wet try to get you down remember to look up and say, "God make me like a duck!" and watch the things that "so easily beset us" in this life just roll off your back leaving you happy, content and amazingly unaffected. 

Jonna

Compassion is a Verb

So many people tell me that I am such a compassionate and loving person. I sincerely appreciate the compliment but it is truly a God-given attribute and it is not without any sad and faulty beginnings. Don't get me wrong...I have always loved people. I grew up watching my mom and dad give literally the clothes off their back to people that were in need. I was raised in an environment of giving, loving and investing in people. And despite that I made a horrible mistake one day that I will never easily forget. 

I was in Junior High and there was a new boy at my school that was close to 6 foot tall, had failed several grades and had some unsual facial features which made him stand out BIG time. Everybody made fun of him and no matter where he was or what he was doing there was always someone calling him names and taking jabs at him. I felt sorry for him. He would just put his head down and never say anything back.       
    

One day after school there was a group of kids outside and I approached the crowd and recognized several of my friends. They were berating this boy from the way he looked, how old he was, the clothes that he wore, etc. I listened to the remarks until it was over. I stood in the group; silent but guilty by association. I wanted to take up for him and tell everyone to be quiet and leave him alone but I couldn't find the courage to speak up. After all...what would my friends say? What would the girl that I wanted to be friends with say if I said anything? I remember the last time I saw him; he was walking home with a few kids behind him. I am sure they were harassing him the whole way. 

The next day we got an announcement at school that our classmate had killed himself. He had went home wrote a suicide note, put a bag over his head, tied it around his neck and inhaled gasoline through a hose. In the newspaper it talked about how his father and him was new to the area and that he had recently lost his mother to cancer. I was devastated and my chest literally hurt. Some of my classmates actually laughed. I cried. 

It isn't popular sometimes to take a stand and do right when others around you don't seem to be. Since that fateful day I have replayed this scenario in my head a million times and asked myself what I could have done and how it might have ended differently if only I would have stood up for the guy. I cried out to God asking for forgiveness and to take the guilt away. I also prayed that the nightmares would disappear quickly...but they didn't. But slowly God did a work in my heart and I began to look at people through different eyes and I found myself being drawn to those eating by themselves, intervening when someone was being ridiculed, and just being more aware of people in general. I really feel like God placed in me a compassion for people that are hurting and a love for the unloveable. In many ways I feel He gave me another chance and I will NEVER let Him down again.

Compassion is a word of action. It is not observing from the sidelines; it is the heartfelt care for another with both intent and action. It exemplifies the character of God in who He is and how He responds to His children. In fact it is one of the Ten Commandments in "loving thy neighbor as yourself" and let's not forget..."The Golden Rule"! The compassion of Christ carries the notion of tenderness and affection. It is a feeling with and for others that is a fundamental and distinctive quality of God. He is the God of all comfort and the Father of compassion (Psalm 116:5; 2 Corinthians 1:3-5). Christ's compassion has no limits. He ignores categories of people that are set within society and touches those who would come to Him — no matter who they are or what they have done. The poor, disenfranchised, suffering, and marginalized in society are precious to God (Isaiah 61:1; Luke 4:18; 6:20; 7:22). Jesus cares for the oppressed and downtrodden (Luke 4:18,19). 

If we are going to truly be the hands and feet of Jesus then we need to be willing to stand and take action when it is uncomfortable, inconvenient and unpopular. Never think that what you say or do cannot make a difference in someones life.....it could actually be the difference between life or death.

--Shine your light!

     Jonna 

Who is holding you back?

Inadequacy...it is such a nasty word. That one word fills my head full of thoughts of failures and regrets of things that I want to do but haven't tried or failed and never got back up. What is it in the small trip from the brain to the heart that instills such fear and intrepidation! We think too much!

A great word that is just as powerful is potential. It is essentially energy at rest. So in my estimation the only thing limiting us from being something we are not is our own inactivity whether that be in our mind or body.


The trouble with our feeling of inadequacy is that it robs God of marvelous opportunities to show off His power and ability through our weaknesses. Paul said, "Therefore, will I rather glory in my infirmities." Why? Because they gave God such a wonderful chance to show off His perfection (2nd Corinthians 12:9-10). Nothing sabotages our potential more than thinking so little of ourselves that we never really give God a chance. We need to know that we are people of destiny and have a greater calling than what we can do on our own....if you can achieve something without faith than it isn't a big enough dream or vision. You need to think bigger, greater and higher and claim that you are that person even when you don't see it or feel it.

We must never forget who we REALLY are, what we are TO BECOME and how much God LOVES US. We must give God a chance to shine HIS perfection through us.

Adjust that Crown!
Jonna

Prayer of Presidential Proportions

A Prayer of Presidential Proportions:

I ask you, even now, to prepare the heart of the man who will lead this nation over these next four years. I pray that we, as YOUR people, will come together to pray for him and to bless him–whether we voted for him or not. God I pray that He will call out to you. Anoint and equip him to be a UNITER and not a divider. Show him where and how to build bridges and where he must stand on conviction. Help him to be a man of integrity and a man after your own heart. Teach him your ways and lead him in your truth. Protect him–body, soul, and spirit–and draw his heart closer to your own. Be his counselor, be his comforter, and be his strength.
Lord I ask for an unprecedented outpouring of your Spirit in the days ahead. I ask for a release of great healing throughout the nation … and in your church. Some are rejoicing today, and some are weeping–but may we extend great grace to one another even as our hearts respond differently. God forgive us for our small-minded and dogmatic ways. Forgive us for being so lost in our own opinions at times that we fail to see the very valid issues raised by those who think differently than us. Forgive us for turning on each other when we disagree and not showing LOVE. Forgive us for our pettiness and for so often majoring in the minors–help us to make the main thing, the main thing. And Jesus, you forever have been, and forever will be, the only MAIN thing.
Lord, we desire righteousous leaders and a President who will follow you with his whole heart–but even as we express that desire, we acknowledge that our future is not in the hands of a man. Our future is in YOUR hands. You are the Desire of Nations. You are the desire–and hope– of THIS nation. You are Lord of lords and King of kings. Your kingdom WILL come, your will WILL be done, on earth as it is in heaven. And the increase of YOUR government will know no end.
Regardless of who is President–Jesus, you are our King and the only One who will reign forever. For that, we are eternally grateful. Again Lord, thank you for continuing to bless America … may we ever live to bless you.
In your name, Jesus
~Amen