Checkers or Chess?

     Popular trauma surgeon Dr 

Red Duke told me one day, "Some people do life like they are playing Checkers and what they should be doing is living life like a game of Chess." Now considering what he does for a living I am sure he has seen his share of silly antics and rash decisions that has gotten people in intersting trauma situations! It is true that some people just don't think before they do things and because of it they rely on the intelligence and quick thinking of others to save them.

In Checkers, all the game pieces are the same except for red and black colors and they move in the same way. You win when you have either trapped your opponent or you can overtaken all their pieces off the board. Now Chess sounds like about the same game except that each piece in Chess is differently shaped and have different rules and abilities. While Checkers sometimes involves random luck; you have to have a strategy to win at Chess!

In life we cannot just wander around and be random and hope to be sucessful at anything! We have to think before we speak and do things. People can get hurt by our bad judgements and our random actions. We need to be a people that have a strategy and a plan! 

God needs you to understand that life isn't a game of chance...it is something that has been thought out and planned for thousands of years. He has strategized so that you can win in the end. In order to win at Chess you have to trap the other parties King and you announce "Check Mate" meaning, "the king is dead." Well at least we know this...OUR King is alive but the strategy is still the same. Say "Check Mate" to the King's that shouldn't be ruling in your life,

Our King is coming and we need to be ready and waiting and have a heavenly strategy for finding others to take along us!

Adjust that Crown, 

Jonna

What is your Rub Rating?

Wyenbeek Machine

In my pursuit of a good fabric I have learned something! (imagine that!)  Upholstery fabric has a Rub Rating; it is a abrasion resistance test made by a Wyzenbeek machine that tests fabric rubbing together in two perpendicular directions until it tears. So a "rub" is the ability of a fabric to resist surface wear caused by flat rubbing contact with another fabric. The Wyzenbeek Method is a standard test used in the United States. So a rating of 30,000 double rubs is a great choice for high traffic areas or commerical use and a 15,000 double rub rating is an average household rating.

How is this information useful? Well I am glad you asked. Our durability and abraision resistance on a daily basis needs to be at least 30,000 double rubs! Think of how many people we "rub" elbows with on a daily basis either at work, church or strangers that we encounter. We have a great incidence of getting irritated quickly and having a break down. I know that all of us have experienced road rage or maybe even cafeteria rage...when people cut in line. ha ha. These breakdowns can cause a tear in our testimony and although that happens to all of us sometime or another; we really we need to take our irritability factor much more seriously because it is the opposite of love.

"Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on it's own way; it is not irritable or resentful, it does not rejoice at wrongdoing but rejoiceth in truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things and endures all things."  1 Corinthians 13: 4-6

Consider your rub rating. When you are in contact with others are you wearing them out or are you adding to the quality and value of their life? Some of the most beautiful and expensive fabrics in the world are the ones that are the most tightly woven and with higher thread counts. The quality of your life is directly proportional with how you interact with others and the love legacy you leave. We all want to have a life that is not wasted and we certainly want one that endures the test of time. 


Adjust that Crown!
Jonna  

Our love story

Donald: You have read stories of “Love at first sight” well this isn’t such a story. Understand our first encounters with each other were both memorable. My first introduction to Jonna was, me introducing myself to her and then introducing her to someone else. Then her first recollection of me was me standing on top a car (the roof) yelling at someone across the parking lot. I believe her question to a friend was “who is that idiot?” Yep you guessed it…I was the proverbial idiot.

Jonna: It is really funny when you realize that we both double dated with each other's best friends when we were teenagers! When those relationships didn't pan out; well we just decided to get together. The first time we actually met was at church...big surprise! Don was a loud talker and always the center of attention and I was very quiet and well mannered and liked to stay out of the spotlight. And yes...one of my first memories of Don was after that church service in the parking lot of a Pizza Hut and he was standing on one of the vehicles hoods and jumping up and down yelling something and then while eating pizza he made his "pizza pie" eat the salt and pepper shakers as well as the napkin dispenser on the table. Of course Don probably remembers that I didn't eat because I didn't want to get sauce on my new outfit and that I was somewhat repulsed at everything he did....sounds like a great beginning!

Donald: I will never forget what she looked like that night. Jonna was wearing a Polo shirt with the collar popped because that was the style of the day. Her smile lit the room up…matter of fact it still does. Her eyes…to borrow a line from a popular song of today, “Oh her eyes, her eyes, make the stars look like they’re not shining” are so captivating. Brown eyes have never seemed so bright. Her hair was long and blonde back in the day. She was absolutely beautiful. But as we talked I realized she was beautiful inside and out. So I had to ask her on another date.

Jonna: What “repulsed” me about Don is actually what I craved. I loved watching him be so happy and alive and entertaining with those gorgeous blue eyes. Yes...even jumping on that car hood! When he spoke everyone around him stopped and listened. He contains such wisdom, charisma, charm and of course incredibly good looks and I found myself getting sucked in like I have NEVER before in a relationship. Don's outlook on life was and is so carefree and spontaneous and so much fun! I was so busy “acting” proper and being well-behaved that I found myself boring but I so wanted to participate and break out of my shy-box!

Donald: I knew she was “the one” within two weeks…I think it took her a couple of years! But on one hand I’m grateful our love story isn’t a fairy tale because the stuff we have been through together, our commitment to one another, a fairy tale love story couldn’t hold up to the challenge. We dated for two years before we were married. I was extremely sick during those days with Crohn's disease and she was confident and strong. I’ll also never forget the night I proposed. We went out to a nice dinner and then we went for a walk on the beach. It was a full moon…I know for a fact that we had never gone to the beach at night before, we had gone plenty of times during the day but never at night. So as we walked down the beach on that full moon-lit evening…I asked her to marry me. When I pulled out the ring I was so glad the moon was bright because the light of the moon made the ring seem larger and more brilliant. I was the happiest guy in the world when she said yes…matter of fact the only other time since then that makes me so happy is the fact that she continues to say “yes” everyday.

Jonna: He has always had a heart for the things of God and wanted to do GREAT things with his life. He talked about a ministry style that hit my heart...that God loved us so much and had more Mercy and Grace than we ever even thought! It excited me because of my religious style of upbringing to find someone that wanted to do things different and "out of the box' and I felt myself falling in love so fast and so deep with this amazing man. When he finally asked me to marry him one night on the beach...I was thrilled and excitedly said yes!


I said "yes" to full-time ministry as well as "yes" to a chronic disease of which both brought many challenges, victories as well as blessings down the road. I didn't realize that the "in sickness" part was going to come so quickly though! What I witnessed in my husband during the struggle of his life was a faith that was so strong and unwavering and I would watch him minister and pray for people and see them healed while he was still so incredibly sick. One day God chose to heal him and I got to be a part of that wonderful miracle! No greater time in my life; other than the birth of my two boys will ever compare to that moment.

Donald: I know couples are supposed to have songs and I’m not real sure if “we” do…I know the song that makes me think of her is the song “Cherish” by Kool and the Gang. I cannot hear it and not think of Jonna. See love stories are more than the oooh and the gooh…it is how you stay together during the difficult days. When your spouse is sick for twelve years and you don’t leave, you love him in spite of it and through it. When your wife decides to go back to school you celebrate it and help her dreams come to pass.
You've heard the saying, “Marriage is made in heaven…but so is Thunder and Lightning!” But boy, doesn’t it create a beautiful show when the heavens are lighting up?

Jonna: Don has officially gotten me “out of my box” and sometimes he probably wonders if he created a monster! But over the years he has been my encourager to go and do and be the best that I can be. It was him who watched the kids and went the extra mile when I decided to fulfill a dream of mine to be a nurse. When I didn't think I could make it....he was there telling me all the reasons why I could. He has helped me out of my shyness and continues to lovingly push me to speak my heart and to be the person that God intended me to be. I am so blessed to be doing life with Don and I thank God that I was positioned at the right time and the right place to connect with him....I know that it was God's plan all along!

Don & Jonna: Everyone has a beautiful wedding day and so much time and thought and money has been put into that one event. We had 7 bridesmaids and 7 groomsmen and well....it was more like a circus! But in all of that all you have when that day is over is likened to a seed. At first glance the seed really isn't very pretty and there just isn't much to it. Trust me...the first few years of our marriage weren't very pretty! But just like a seed if you diligently take the time to plant, water and nourish it; it can bloom as a wonderful flower that has the potential to be even more beautiful every single year.

Marriage, like life, brings with it many joys and also many challenges. And we also know that love, while beautiful, does not always show its prettiest face. There are days when we may find it hard to express the depth of our love for one another. Sometimes it is difficult to find the right words to say “I am sorry” or “I forgive you”; “I need you” or “I am hurting”. There have been days we wondered, "what in the world did we get ourselves into?" But we have found that even when things don't smell like fresh flowers and all those feelings and goosebumps aren't there...well...there is still something that is deeply rooted in our lives that is powerful and it is sacred as well as fragrant and it is just waiting to bloom. Sometimes we just have to move in faith to get past issues for that thing to come forth. There is nothing more beautiful than a maturing flower that catches your attention and causes you to stop and stare in wonder. That is our prayer for our love and our marriage as well as yours.

You may find yourself today as you read this; that you don't feel like you are living a love story...it is likened more to a horror story! Don't lose heart and don't give up....plant that thing in prayer and water it in time and in faith look for it to bloom into a new thing. Speak to the King in Him or the Queen in Her and you will start to see a King or Queen rise up. Whatever the situation; love, understanding, acceptance and forgiveness has the ability to make things grow the right way.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Don & Jonna

The Redeemed

I was cleaning out an old wallet of mine the other day and ran across some gift cards I had received as a gift...I excitedly went to my computer to check on balances. One of them had only .47 cents on it but the other $50! Wow.....how did I overlook that? Well according to Time magazine more than 40 Billion dollars worth of gift cards were left unredeemed in the last 7 years! Were they lost in the holiday trash or maybe stashed away for a rainy day and just forgotten? I am quite confident after checking with my husband and kids and realizing that we all have a gift card that is at least one year old that has never been used; that everyone has as least one in their posession!

More than half of us either didn't find anything we wanted with our giftcard or accidentally let our cards expire! 75% of people carry a card around with a balance on it that is insignificant and will eventually just throw it away. Another 1/3 of people just don't like the store or restaraunt or forgot they even had it when they visited the establishment. We have unredeemed potential in our pockets!!!

There is value in you that is just waiting to be redeemed! Imagine the billions of people on our planet that were created for greatness and have potential that is untapped, forgotten about or are considered insignificant and not valueable.  Redemption used in the Bible refers to the purchase price paid to secure our freedom; specifically in reference to the saving activity of God. Christ’s death was the purchase price and gift to us so that we can have a better life.

"In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace." (NIV Ephesians 1:7)

God redeemed the world 2,000 years ago through Christ’s death on the cross and placed that amount on a card for you and I to use. Christ’s death was the ransom price paid instead of us. Today, think about the value of the gift God gave you. How valuable is it to you? Have you redeemed it by faith? Do you continue to use it to serve others? Do you have your card stashed away for a rainy day?

A gift is given for the receiver to use. You have many gifts inside of you just waiting to be "cashed in". Thankfully this gift of salvation has no expiration date but what I do know about it is that the sooner you redeem it...the quicker you can live a fuller and happier life of faith, hope and love. This Jesus is the best gift anyone of us can ever receive and use. We ARE the redeemed!

Adjust that Crown, 

Jonna

I am loved and it feels GREAT!

Do you remember the feeling the first time you fell in love? My how the world seemed more colorful and you had a skip in your step and a twinkle in your eye? Well...what happens to that feeling over time? Well we all know that "feelings" fade and you have to start working at keeping the "sparks alive" if you are in a relationship.

It takes hard work to have commitment, trust and a person that you can share your dreams and goals with. Love actually starts changing over time from the goose bump moments to a solid stable love that isn't so easily moved. One that isn't based on dates and fun times only; but on life experiences....the good, bad and the ugly times.  Communication and sharing with each other and listening to each other's hearts over time forms a bond that cannot easily be broken. This is what I see in my parents marriage; they will be celebrating 50 years on February 2nd. They are devoted to each other and love each other with all their hearts...they even can complete each other's sentences! They are faithful and have each other's well being as their number one priority. They kiss in front of us, hug and say they love each other all the time...So sweet.

Experts say that our brain has pleasure centers that are so very powerful and when triggered releases a chemical called dopamine which produces euphoria, energy, sleeplessness and is similar to a cocaine high! No wonder they say that "Love is Blind"! Love can be addictive in quality and can cause you to do some silly stuff. But just like a high...after a bit of time....the feeling wears off and you are off trying to either find a new relationship or a new drug because you just have to have that "feeling". And thankfully most people in long relationships have found out that matured and true love goes so far beyond the feelings of euphoria.  What most married couples have cannot even be explained and is truly a beautiful thing that cannot even be put into words...

Being the Love month and all...I wanted to encourage you that whatever relationships you are in...I  hope that the most important one is with your savior Jesus Christ. I know that we all have precious memories of when we asked Him into our lives and most of us can remember the "doo dads" and the emotions involved with that. But just like our physical relationships with others; our relationship with God has to be worked on as well. We have got to invest into it to get close and to hear His heartbeat and will for our lives. We cannot rely on the "high" we originally got long ago...we have to have grown and matured a little and moved on to the trust and committed relationship that only TIME can bring.

Even in the hard times and in the good times I know and I trust who Jesus is in my life. Every sunrise is made for me and every breath comes from Him. I cannot be upset with Him and most certainly could never walk out on Him. Just like He would NEVER walk out on me or leave me. Jesus loves me more than anyone could and will ever love me. I feel kisses from him when I see a butterfuly and I feel hugs from him when he gives me peace in the storm. There is NO other relationship more coveted or more pure than the one between THE creator and his beloved.

I want to know the heartbeat of God for my life. I don't want to wonder what He wants for me...I want to KNOW because of my close relationship with Him. I want to finish His sentences when He talks to me and I want His best interest in mind in EVERY thing I do! In order to do that I have to be devoted and faithful and I need to know that 50 years from now...He is going to be there for me just like He is today. God is the sweet lover of my soul and for that....I want to sing!

Adjust that Crown,

Jonna

You are HERE!

Have you ever been lost and stopped at one of those big mall signs and started looking for the large red dot that says, "you are here?". My how handy those things are! You just look up the store you are trying to find and then start out from the dot right to where you need to be. I am defintely directionally challenged so those large maps are a life saver.

Today I saw an elderly couple looking at one of those maps at the large hospital I work at. I hardly even know where I am going half the time but I couldn't resist the urge to help out any way I could. They looked puzzled and frustrated and were so close to the map that the man almost had his nose pressed against it. ha. To make it even funnier....it is one of those high tech touch screens and they kept touching it repeatedly so it would never stay on the right screen to help them.  I asked how I could help them and they said, "we don't know where we are and we don't know where we are going." I chuckled and said, "well...I can only help with so much." They smiled and together we found the "you are here" dot on the sign and looking somewhat intelligent; I managed to give them directions to their destination. They were suprised that it wasn't near as confusing as what they were making it out to be. I watched them meander slowly down the hall and made sure that they made the appropriate turn, and when they did...I went on my way with a smile.

The cool thing about being "lost" is that God always knows right where you are at. You might not have a clue about what in the world you are doing and feel all alone and frustrated...but he has you marked and knows "you are here" and according to Isaiah 43:16 He will make a road through the sea, and even through rough waters just for his kids. Thank goodness we have the Bible as our map...it has all the answers we need. Although sometimes it can be daunting and confusing...He will give you revelation if you just ask!

The beauty of it all is that you can start right where you are AT! Even though you feel lost and frustrated..there is hope! That is how God is. He meets you right where you are and uses what you think you don't have as well as what you think you can't do or be. He sees the "dot" and shows you the way out of your circumstances and situations and no matter where you are...He has a plan for your life.

God will point you in the right direction and even lovingly watch you; making sure you make the appropriate turns...He cares for you dearly and wants the best for your journey and will even smile at you as you go. So when you are feeling overwhelmed and alone and unsure of what to do...go to the map and find yourself....it will put it all in perspective. You will find out..you really aren't that far off from your destination after all.

Adjust that crown!

Jonna

Learning from Thumper

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I just love in the Disney cartoon Bambi where the little bunny Thumper is reminded to watch what he says and what he does. It is so cute how after being reminded by his mom, he has to repeat the wise words from his father, "If you can't say nothing nice then don't say nothing at all." This is such great wisdom that we can use in our lives everyday by what we say and do. 

Have you ever had a thought and was so tempted to speak it out or do something but felt prompted not to? Well...wisdom will do that. Wisdom is not obtained in one day..in fact it is a culmination of experiences and/or misadventures that brings a person to a point that they have a new level of understanding and behavior. Thankfully we can learn by other's mistakes and we have the ability to be "ahead of the class" so to speak IF we allow ourselves to be open and teachable.


In the cartoon, Thumper has to repeat at two different instances some things that his father just told him that very day. One was about not saying anything if it isn't nice and the other was about not eating just the flowering part of a plant and then leaving the green stems. His mother is there reminding him and getting him to repeat the advice outloud so that he will remember and also be accountable to the people around him.

What things have the Father reminded you of lately? He speak to us all and gives us words of wisdom, promises and encouragement. The Bible is overflowing with fabulous things that we need to make a part of "us". We need to repeat them daily and live by them because they bring life and hope. And if we have something wonderful in us then we have the ability to give something wonderful to others as well. 

What can we learn from Thumper? Well, that none of us are perfect and most of us need reminding from time to time of who we are and what we should be saying and doing. We all need a mentor that we are learning from because we never should stop growing and NEVER should stop learning. We need to respect those in authority over us and appreciate what they offer us and know that even if we are in a situation that is less-than tolerable...well...there is always something beneficial to be gleaned. 

2 Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we're in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed - that exhilarating finish in and with God - he could put up with anything along the way: cross, shame, whatever. And now he's there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. 3 When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls! 4 In this all-out match against sin, others have suffered far worse than you, to say nothing of what Jesus went through - all that bloodshed! 5 So don't feel sorry for yourselves. Or have you forgotten how good parents treat children, and that God regards you as his children? My dear child, don't shrug off God's discipline, but don't be crushed by it either. 6 It's the child he loves that he disciplines; the child he embraces, he also corrects. 7 God is educating you; that's why you must never drop out. He's treating you as dear children. This trouble you're in isn't punishment; it's training, 8 the normal experience of children. Only irresponsible parents leave children to fend for themselves. Would you prefer an irresponsible God? 9 We respect our own parents for training and not spoiling us, so why not embrace God's training so we can truly live? 10 While we were children, our parents did what seemed best to them. But God is doing what is best for us, training us to live God's holy best. 11 At the time, discipline isn't much fun. It always feels like it's going against the grain. Later, of course, it pays off handsomely, for it's the well-trained who find themselves mature in their relationship with God. 12 So don't sit around on your hands! No more dragging your feet! 13Clear the path for long-distance runners so no one will trip and fall, so no one will step in a hole and sprain an ankle. Help each other out. And run for it! 14 Work at getting along with each other and with God. Otherwise you'll never get so much as a glimpse of God. 15 Make sure no one gets left out of God's generosity. Keep a sharp eye out for weeds of bitter discontent. A thistle or two gone to seed can ruin a whole garden in no time.                             Hebrews 12: 1-15 The Message Bible

Make sure you are repeating the wise words from your Father today...it will bring life to you as be a blessing to the people you encounter. I love you much and don't forget WHO and WHOSE you are...children of the Most High God :))

Adjust that crown!

Jonna

Legacy

What you doing today will be mirrored by your kids and grandkids. What will they remember you by? Most of us do not have a expansive amount of money or things that will be passed onto the next generation but what we do have is eternal. What your priorities are now and what you do everyday will be repeated by the generations after you. Legacy is something we all want to leave. No where in human history is someone who wants to live their life and make no mark. We all want to leave a lasting impression.

I know that I want my kids to live better, be better educated, circumvent the issues and the trials that I had to go through and sail further and higher in life than I have. I want them to step on my shoulders and do things that I only dreamed of. But most importantly I want them to be spiritually minded and live for God in a way that is wiser than I. I want to leave a legacy of love and passion for the Kingdom of God. I want God to be happy with what I pass on as well.

The legacy that God is impressed with is founded and centered on what is most important to Jesus Christ. A lasting Legacy is like passing the baton to the next generation so that they can do greater things for the Kingdom of God. Having fingerprints all over people's lives is something that will be mirrored into eternity. And leaving a  legacy that is etched upon the

"A Legacy worth living for is found in men and women who carry on His mission for His glory. We cannot do this by ourselves, but each one of us can be responsible that our lives contain the aroma of Christ that impacts others and they choose to live for Him. It is not our glory, but His glory reflected through us; it is not our legacy, but His legacy continuing through us. There is nothing greater than a coporate Legacy and I believe that Mercy Gate Church best days are yet to come"      Pastor Don Gibson

Legacy in the greek: "A legatum" was a bequest or legacy. The words derive from the verb, "lego", which means, “to send with a charge.” Leaving your Legacy is like leaving a CHARGE to the next generation...what could be better and more powerful then that?

Adjust that Crown, 

Jonna

My Charleston Chew

Ever had high expectations about an event or a situation and when it occurred you were left feeling sad and disappointed because it didn't turn out as planned? Yes, unfortunately I have too. In fact, the greater my expectation the greater my capacity for disappointment.

I was reminded of one such upset when I received a candy bar as a gift on Christmas. When I was in kindergarten we drew names to exchange gifts for the holidays. I got the name of a girl that was in my class that i didn't know very well but at that moment I knew exactly what I wanted to buy her! We received an Avon magazine in the mail and in it was a necklace that had a solid perfume locket attached to it that I wanted so very bad!! It would be the perfect gift! My mom told me that it was too expensive but I pleaded and even gave up an ice cream cone and told my mom to put money towards it. The day she told me she ordered it I was so very excited!

The day of our class party came and I had my gift wrapped perfectly and was so proud! We gave out our presents and I watched as she opened it. She smelled the perfume and wrinkled her nose and without a word skipped away with her friend. I felt sad that she seemed to dismiss such a great gift so quickly and didn't even seem to like the perfume. My sadness faded a bit when I realized I was holding my gift from her...it was a strangely shaped gift! The thoughts of what it could be going was dancing in my head. But as the paper slid off the very long and skinny item...my eyes started to sting...it was a Charleston Chew candybar!

I remember crying but not a whole lot more about that day. To make matters worse, on the way home I fell asleep on the bus and was awakened by laughing students and I am sure I cried again from embarrassment. 

I had an emotional attachment to that gift and certainly an unrealistic expectation about it. Just because I wanted the gift doesn't mean someone else would. And just because I would have received gratefully doesn't mean that I should have expected someone else to receive the same way. My mom found out by my teacher days later that the girls family was very poor and have been going through some very hard times. I actually needed to be happy that I got anything at all!

So this Christmas my brother in law being the sweet man that he is...bought me the horrible Charleston Chew Candybar and we all just sat around and laughed! I hate that candybar..every year somebody buys me one as a reminder! Ugh.

For many, disappointment is a common thread in life. Please consider too that disappointment with situations and with people might have more to do with you feeling disappointed with yourself. If you have high expectations for others, it may be because you have high expectations for yourself. In fact those self-expectations are probably so high that it's practically impossible to ever meet them! This is just one of the ways in which we self-sabotage ourselves! You might see the world as unfair or unfriendly because things don't happen the way you think they should or because people don't behave the way you think they should. You have to be careful not to get stuck in the cycle of disappointment! 

Life is unfair and there are many questions we will never know the answers to. As God's kids we need to take life in stride and not place too much on our fellow man. I tell people all the time to not put Pastor Don or I on a pedestal...only God should be exalted. Give room for people to show their weaknesses because we all have them. Instead of being hurt;  acknowledge the disappointment with the person and clear the air. Holding onto disappointment is a slippery slope and causes a root of bitterness. Learn to laugh at your own faults and that will help you excuse the faults in others. 

I still have to remind myself that I should only expect the highest things from God. He is the only one who NEVER disappoints. You disappointed in someone? Well put yourself in their shoes....because the Charleston Chew you might get from them just may be the very best thing they have at the time to give and you need to recognize and be grateful for that. 

You Are Graciously Adorned!

❤ Jonna

10 Covenants for Living!

According to John Maxwell, The 17 Indisputable Laws of Teamwork, there

is a list of 12 covenants used by Lou Holtz, the football coach at the University of South

Carolina. At the beginning of each football season Holtz would quote the

“twelve covenants” to his players to remind them of their mission. I 

have left out the last two b/c they pertained to football only : 

• We will accomplish what we do together. We share our success, and we

never let any one of us fail alone.

• We are all fully grown adults. We will act as such, and expect the same

from the people around us.

• We will not keep secrets. Information that affects us all will be shared by

all of us, and we will quickly and openly work to separate fact from

fiction.

• We will not lie to ourselves or to each other. None of us will tolerate any

of us doing so. We will depend on each other for the truth.

• We will keep our word. We will say what we mean, and do what we say.

We trust the word of others to be good as well.

• We will keep our head. We will not panic in the face of tough times. We

will always choose to roll up our sleeves rather than wring our hands.

• We will develop our abilities and take pride in them. We will set our own

standards higher than our most challenging opponent, and we will please

our fans by pleasing ourselves.

• We will treat our locker room (home/church/workplace)
like home and our teammates like friends.

We spend too much time together to allow these things to go bad.

• We will be unselfish and expect that everyone else will exhibit this same

quality. We will care about each other without expectations.

• We will look out for each other. We truly believe that we are our

brother’s keeper.

I don't know about you...but if we all lived by just these 10 covenants our world would be a much better place!

Adjust that Crown,

Jonna

Real or Artificial? That is the question!

Every year at Christmas we go out and find a real tree to decorate for the holidays. We look for one with good height and normally grab one that is wrapped up in twine to come home surprised about it's shape. We let it set for hours to give it time to unfold it beautiful limbs before we start placing lights and the zillion ornaments that I have collected over the years. 

I totally expect imperfections and work with it and appreciate the trees uniqueness. The large gaping hole in the side can be camouflaged or the whole tree can be turned! The longer limbs can be trimmed and the top as well. The sap is sticky but the smell is amazing! Oh and don't forget to water it because the dog loves tree water! 

With the fake tree we bought this year; it was so easy to take it out of the box and before you know it...it was up.  Weighing only a few pounds it is so easy to move and turn. It is totally symmetrical and perfect that as I started fluffing up the moveable limbs I realized that it can be quite exasperating! The perfection was a problem as I found myself fluffing the left side to match the right and actually went to bed that night without decorating it! The next day I continued adjusting the very pliable limbs to the extent of three days! Crazy? Yes! Artificial trees are not good for OCD people! Sure the lights are already on but despite that I sat back and found my experience lacking. What was it about this tree that was so frustrating to me? My whole life I have had real and despite the overwhelming call for this fake convenience...I was regretting my purchase! 

I think that first of all there is no substitute for the REAL thing. You can try your best to replace it and act like you have the original but in the end...it's just a fake reproduction of something that you would rather have. What do you have that is fake in your life?

Sometimes being real can be messy and can leave you exposed and quite vulnerable to criticism and to the opinions of others. But being your authentic self is an extroidinary and beautiful thing not only to you but to God. He made us to be lights to the world and nothing can replicate the value and healing powers of natural light. Don't be tempted to live a lie and act like something you are not. What you end up doing can be compared to the mess of untangling a long string of Christmas lights....It's disasterous and brings frustration!!

Be real even through the good, bad or the ugly because you are the living, breathing testimony to somebody. Someone out there needs to see the gaps, the impefections and sticky messes you get yourself in so that they can have hope that they can make it in this life too!

Adjust that Crown!

Jonna

Mercy Me!

 “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven.” (Luke 6:36-37)

An apology doesn’t make everything okay. It doesn’t take away the hurt feeling of betrayal, fix heartbreak or even re-establish trust...but at least it is progress and a beginning. In the same way, forgiving someone isn't saying that everything is okay. It doesn’t give back time, effort, or friendships and it definitely doesn't numb the emotional hurts and pain. But it’s the start of God’s work in and through us.

God is about reconciliation and restoration and that means NOT giving us what we deserve. In Matthew 18:23 Jesus tells a parable about a king who forgave one of his slaves a large sum of money. The very same slave came across another slave who owed him a very small amount of money. Instead of showing him the same kindness he had received, he grabbed him, choked him, and threw him in jail. The king heard what happened and became angry saying, “Should you not have shown mercy for your fellow slave, just as I showed it to you?” (vs. 33).

We’ve all seen the effects of withholding forgiveness as well as the humility to receive it. Amongst family members, friends, neighbors, or co-workers relationships are broken and people’s hearts are hardened. Does anything good come from us trying to give someone what we think they deserve? Rather Romans 2:4 says, “do [you] not know that God’s kindness leads you to repentance?” It’s not the yelling, name-calling, getting even, or giving a piece of our mind that restores a relationship, it’s love, grace, mercy, and forgiveness. And I never feel better after giving someone a "piece of my mind"....in fact what I actually did was give them my peace, my self control, my long suffering as well as my dignity!

Mercy breaks down our defenses and our pride, and so we can begin the journey to reconciliation. It is paying it forward for what Christ did for us on the Cross! We were all sinners until HE came into the picture. Now we have this great advocate that leads us, guides us; when in all actuality we are so very undeserving. 

Once you start giving Mercy you will see that Mercy will also come your way. It is what attracts people to Christ. Mercy is just an attribute of love that can only come from the Father. God help us be people of mercy! 

"But he’s already made it plain how to live, what to do, what God is looking for in men and women. It’s quite simple: Do what is fair and just to your neighbor,
be compassionate and loyal in your love,
And don’t take yourself too seriously—
take God seriously"! Micah 6:8

Adjust that crown!

Jonna

Can you Feel the Kick?

I love reading the account of Mary, the pregnant and soon to be mother of Jesus visiting Elizabeth while they were both with child. It is the “prequel” to the well-known story of the birth of Christ. Luke 1 states that when Mary greeted her older relative; that Elizabeth's baby leaped and in turn she loudly spake a blessing.

You may not be physically pregnant, but we all carry a promise from our Father. It may be in form of a word, a blessing, an unexpected miracle, a vision, a dream concerning you, your family, or your children. When we as bearers of the Word of God hang out together; that "something" should kick inside us. In turn we should be leaping and speaking blessings and encouragement to each other. We have got to surround ourselves with people who speak to the promise and hope that in us. Mary knew she could go to Elizabeth...no one can identify with you like someone who is carrying life like you are. 

There are many people that make the "baby" kick within me. The hope of salvation, the excitement of life, the dream of greater things to come and the truths of God just rise up in me when I am in their presence.

This Christmas you are carrying Jesus wherever you go...you can make a difference in people's lives. You can be a light without saying one word. You have the ability to re-ignite something that might have been burned out in someone a long time ago. The Holy Spirit in you can awaken what has been dormant in a moments notice. You and I can cause a little leap and shout and the dead to come back to life. We have hope for the world living within us!

“My soul magnifies my God, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.”

Like Mary, may we realize the enormity of our task; we carry the salvation of the world in ourselves just waiting to be birthed in the hearts and lives of everyone we encounter! Do you feel the kick?

Adjust that crown,

Jonna

The Christmas Spirit

Are you guilty like me of not "feeling" the christmas spirit especially when it is 80 degrees outside and all the songs on the radio are singing about a "white christmas" or "frosty the snowman"? So you put that fake tree up and spray it with evergreen scent and untangle all those lights that you thought you carefully packed away the year before. Then you painstakingly climb that ladder and about break both your legs trying to put lights outside of the house bigger and better than anyone in the neighborhood and yet after all that you still are not "feeling" it? So the obvious next thing to do is bake some cookies, candy and then go out into the chaos with all the other shoppers and wait in long lines to buy just the right gift and wrap it with the perfect paper and gorgeous bow and place it under the tree. You sit back and look at your handiwork but you just have this feeling that something is missing! Then finally the temperatures fall and you get to wear that sweater that you love (but everyone thinks is ugly) and you with delight turn the fireplace on and drink in all the ambiance! Ahhhhhh finally....you "feel" like it is Christmas! But yet....if only it would snow....

The problem is that we are looking for something and we aren't quite sure what it looks or feels like. The Jewish community at the time of Christ's birth missed out because they had come to expect the Messiah to be revealed in great glory and splendor and not in a manger and in less-than royal circumstances. In fact they still are looking for their messiah!

 We all equate God with glamour, glitter and glory and sometimes miss Him in the little things. We have to remember that He chose to show himself to some of the most dirtiest and lowliest of professions and in a way none of us would ever imagined! 

I believe that His arrival was to show us that His ways are not like ours. Everything man thinks is true and right are actually the opposite. The things we care about this time of year are not what He cares about at all. Now don't get me wrong...I believe the gifts and ambience of the season are WONDERFUL things! But what we yearn for are actually things we cannot buy or create. HE created the only thing that truly will make us have that Christmas spirit..it is the love of our Father in having Jesus come to this world as a baby to save a suffering and sinful humanity. What we are looking for lives within us as Christians and that is all we need. 

Hope is what we look for and when we see that baby in a manger we see our future which is laced with forgiveness, freedom and the love that every human life longs for. When we look at the star on our tree we are reminded of our God who in the heavens looks down and smiles at us. The twinkling lights remind me of all the angels who are dispatched in the supernatural to protect me. The gifts are a result of the blessings God has given me with family and friends. The ornaments are every good thing he longs to give me. Everything about Christmas leads me to Him if I choose to see it. 

Don't feel the Christmas Spirit? Well look outside yourself...Christ is in everything and we can choose to feel it or not. Don't miss this special season because it doesn't look or feel right....HE lives in me and you and for that WE will celebrate! 

Adjust that Crown, 

The Empty Chair

At many tables this holiday season there may be an empty chair. This symbolic empty chair may represent a relationship that is now broken, a family member that you haven't spoken to in years or possibly a prodigal child who hasn't yet come home. High emotions are felt when you realize that this person will not be there and you may experience sadness, regret and maybe even the feeling of incompleteness.  If you find yourself in this predicament you need to ask yourself if that chair needs to really be empty? Maybe there is something you can do. You can be the key to making a difference in someone's life by doing one small thing....reserving some space at your table.

You see I had a person live with me and my family for a few years and he was like a son to Don and I and suddenly he was gone without explanation and without any communication from him. I let time go by and I did not pursue the reasoning. I was just hoping that "He would come back and we would work it all out" but of course that never happened. This situation has tore at my heart for over 6 months and I decided finally that I was going to do something about it. This Christmas my goal is to have him at my table. I haven't done a thing to reach out to him YET but I have the plans to make it happen. I feel that we let people and situations go WAY too easily and as time goes by it gets easier to push back the emotions and the hurt and you find yourself wanting to forget. It just seems easier that way. God places people in our lives so that we can learn and grow from our experiences. We cannot grow and learn if we are not willing to follow through with the hard things. There is something I can do about this situation and I will not let another month go by without making it right. I don't care if he isn't living right and I am prepared if he reacts in anger and tells me all the things that I did wrong. I will listen and be ready to act in love. Justin will come home and our relationship will be reconciled and God can do the rest. He will be my filled chair this holiday season.

Jesus was critized heavily because he did not hesistate to break bread and share his table with broken people. He did not just include perfect people and he didn't wait until people "got it all together" to invite them....He ASKED people to come to Him just as they were. Jesus used communion as the first step towards reconciliation. He sat and shared a meal with people that He knew were going to turn on him! You see there is nothing more personal that we can do than to invite someone to your table. When you ask someone to come into your home and you share your blessings and you wait on them and serve...it is doing just what Jesus did. Sharing from your cup and your plate is one of the most intimate things anyone can do. Especially in this day and age when it is so much easier to ask others to go out and eat...it is being hospitable without any of the work! Maybe you need to ask someone that has no family and is alone for the holidays, or you need to invite that family member you have been at odds with, or open your home to the homeless who is cold and has no other place to go. Matthew 25:40 says, "For when you do unto the least of these...you do it unto me".

Everyone of us has a empty chair. We have room for one more. Just like the time of Jesus birth when there was no room in the inn...they looked beyond the ordinary and actually found some extraordinary space. We need to open up our hearts and the doors of our homes and ask others to come in. One meal may not fix the overall problems in this hurting world or the dysfunction in your family;
but one more filled chair can be an answer to someone's prayer. Hope in this world is found when we give forgiveness, kindness, compassion and most of all give to others what God so richly has blessed us with.  

Fill a chair this holiday season and God will fill your life with blessings that you never even thought of asking for.

Merry Christmas!
Jonna Gibson

*The Law of the Garbage Truck

Have you ever been in such a great mood with a skip in your step and enjoying the chirping birds and the perfect weather and life was just so very grand? THEN...you encounter someone grumpy and hateful and you try really hard to input your positive mind-set into the situation but the unthinkeable happens? They do not respond favorably???


It train wrecks you and all the sudden indignation rises up and this person just continues to spew rudeness your way and you find yourself mirroring their attitude. You walk away shocked and awed! How could they treat you like this? They were so hurtful and rude and I WAS in a fabulous mood but I told them a few things! Then you continue your day in a fog and even find yourself short with people and repeating the event to others over and over; finding yourself justified in your behavior. The birds chirping is giving you a headache now and the humidity is aggravating and making your hair bushy and my how I feel exhausted.....

Well this has happened to me a time or two...I was minding my own business and BAM...I got ran over by a Garbage Truck! The Law of the Garbage Truck is a book about personal growth and can help you learn how to respond to people who "dump" on you as well as deal with negative situations that are beyond your control. Let me share this story with you from the book:

"One day I hopped in a taxi and we took off for the airport. We were driving in the right lane when suddenly a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us. My taxi driver slammed on his brakes, skidded and missed the other car by mere inches! The driver of the other car whipped his head around and started yelling at us! My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy and remained friendly. I was shocked and asked, 'Why in the world did you just do that? That guy almost wrecked your car and sent us to the hospital!' The taxi driver said, 'People are like garbage trucks; they run around full of garbage, full of frustration, anger and disappointments and as their garbage piles up it naturally falls on others. You just have to learn not to take it personally. Just smile, wave and move on. Don't take their garbage as your own and then spread it around to others and make it a part of yourself.' I couldn't believe what I was hearing but as I let it sink into my head that day I realized that this man had something powerful and this is how the Law of the Garbage Truck was written."

You have to recognize hurting people and try to empathize with why they are behaving a certain way and process it quickly so that you do not find yourself REACTING to what you see. Life is truly 90% of how you TAKE things and 10% of what you MAKE it. You can have a great day and a great life and take things wrong and find yourself bound up in hurt and bitterness and spreading it everywhere you go. Choose to let garbage lie and not pick it up and add it to your load. This is a mind set that if practiced daily can become a natural way of life for you.

Sure you may be happy and positive and try your best in situations but the other person doesn't change or mirror you...it's okay...you planted a seed in their life and walked away richer because you sowed something into someone. You walked away knowing that you shared love...something that doesn't flow naturally in any of our lives. It is a choice to love and serve others and in time you will reap the greatest rewards. Happy and loving people have the best lives because no matter what they are going through...they are putting their hope in someone and something greater than themselves and they have the ability to see their world in rose colored glasses that only God can prescribe.

Matthew 23:26 "Can't you see that if you clean the inside of the cup, the outside will be clean too?"
What a great reminder that we cannot do all this in our own power but in Christ. He cleanses us from the inside out. Psalms 51:10 states, "Create in me a clean heart O God and renew a right spirit in me".  Ask Jesus today to help you to start seeing things the way HE sees them. He wants us to be people who sets others FREE from their trash and filth...but if we keep picking up their stinking stuff and making it our own...well then we become burdened down and unable to do the things that He has called us to do. This I believe has set back the church YEARS behind where we should be!

Become trash-free today and start living "The Law of the Garbage Truck"!



You are Graciously Adorned!

❤ Jonna




-excerpt by "The Law of the Garbage Truck" written by David Pollay

Using your Scars for His Glory

"Because I was willing--not necessarily able, but willing--to take the one step and then another, and another. God has brought me to the most interesting of places. He took what I thought was broken and unworthy...my heart...and made it into something beautiful by giving it to others who were flattened by life and circumstance. This is God's nature. The very thing that the enemy uses to try to destroy your life is the very thing that God uses to help others. God can heal every hurt and can turn your scars into signs of strength for His glory."

"Your past mistakes, hurts and pain can help give someone else a future. Whatever we have gone through enables us to help others. God doesn't waste one experience of our lives. He uses everything to help someone else. He doesn't want us to remain crippled, immobilized, or paralyzed by the past. Instead, He sent us Jesus to show us how to step into the future."

"I have always known that I was not the only one carrying around such pain. We are all broken in some way. We all have wounds. some of us use that as an excuse to do nothing, to serve no one, but rather to sit and nurse our own misery. That is not what God wants, and not the model we see over and over again in the Bible. The biblical model is that God deliberately chooses imperfect vessels--those who have been wounded, those with physical or emotional limitations. Then He prepares them to serve and sends them out with their weakness still in evidence, so that His strength can be made perfect in that weakness. In fact, more often than not, it's our weakness that makes us capable of serving, because those we serve identify with our pain. As always; God works in us so that He can work through us."

----Excerpt from "Undaunted" by Christine Caine

God is able to work all things together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28

Healing doesn't happen overnight. Just as Naaman in 2 Kings 5:1-19 was told to dip seven times in the Jordan river for his healing...it was messy and took time but he made a choice to do it. We can choose to heal, and trust the Great Physician in our lives. With any healing there is pain with restoration like there is pain with my husband's broken arm and his physical therapy; but you endure it because you want your full function back and it will be well worth it! Colossions 3:13  God tells us to bear with one another and forgive one anther just as we have been forgiven. Bearing doesn't sounds like an easy word at all..sounds painful in fact. Forgiveness is a hard road and every day brings a new opportunity. Will we fail on some days? Of course we will...after all we are human. Good thing there is hope in a new day to get things right.

If you find yourself in pain today; work through it. If there has been years...scar tissue might have grown up around the issue and dealing with it makes it that much more painful. You might even find yourself mad at God today. Know this...that is okay....tell God your heart...because in actuality...He knows about it already. He wants to hear from you. He can restore you to your former glory and give you joy, peace and the ability to rise above all the circumstances that used to bog you down.

I have never met a prisoner that didn't want to be free. Jesus has the keys to your freedom and it is right within your reach. Take the keys; because no one can do it for you; and release yourself of the bondage that you were never meant to carry. And through the process (not when your healed-but during) give the keys to someone else....because your ugly scar in your life (your testimony) is what will bring hope and healing to others. And this my sister is how we are meant to live....loving and helping each other and being the light of Jesus in someone else's darkness.


Don't forget to adjust that crown because you are after all... royalty and meant to shine.

Jonna

Consider Job

"Consider Job"....those two words just slapped me in the face! Job is identified as a blameless and upright man who feared God and turned away from evil. God was pointing out to Satan that Job loved him with a pure heart and the enemy was arguing that the love was because of material things. Well the devil was being set up; although he thought he was setting up God. Silly Devil. We all know about Job and in the first chapter he goes from riches to rags; from being blessed to what seems like cursed. All his livestock were killed as well as his children and servants and he was left with only his wife and just when his grief was subsiding Job became plagued with boils all over his body that were excruciatingly painful.

20 Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped. 21 And he said, "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD." 22 In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong.  Job 1:20-22

I can picture Satan surrounded by his 10,000 angels awaiting Job's response. And when Job answers I can also imagine all the multitude of angels in the heavens shouting, "Worthy is the Lord God of Job!"and how mad must Satan have been and I am sure he had to flee at that very moment!

Job must of been something pretty special to God for him to be pointed out. I wonder in our lives if God ever points you or I out? Would He ever say, "Consider Jonna"? I know that I am not perfect but I surely do pray that I get His attention. I want God to be pleased with my attempts and with my love and obedience towards Him.

Now don't get me wrong...I am not asking for trouble! I just want to be known as a child that loves her Heavenly Father way above and beyond any Earthly treasure. When the time of calamity comes to my house and it will come one way or another...I will choose to do what Job did and Bless the Lord!



Adjust that Crown,

Jonna