How will you LIVE?

Rich Quin passed on Sunday January 11, 2015 at the age of 36 after battling colon cancer.

I have wanted to express my feelings and thoughts about Rich, but it was just too hard to write.  Perhaps I was hoping it was all a dream.   No. Rich was not healed on this side but my belief is he is healed now.  

Then God led me to Isaiah 55: 8-9 NLT

8 My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.

9 For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways
and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.

Instead of me trying to understand Rich not being here anymore I decided to be thankful for the impact Rich had on my family. I am thankful that our paths crossed even for the limited amount of time.   I know he can't read this, but maybe this will help his family as they begin their journey of life without him. Please continue to pray for his family.

Romans 12:15 NIV Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.

Dear Rich,


Thank you Rich for showing us all that we CHOOSE how we will live life despite our circumstances. You reminded me to be ALL IN especially in my walk with Jesus.

Thank you Rich for being a genuine friend to my husband Rance.  I remember the first time we met you and Kim right before our prayer time at Heartland; you and Rance immediately began talking about sports. Go Figure! He values sincere friendship and you will never be forgotten.  I believe you both held each other accountable to be godly men for your families.    He could always count on you to give him a hard time about the New Orleans Saints. You always gave us great suggestions about food. Boy am I a foodie so I really looked forward to the suggestions.  I am sure Rance has so much more to say about your friendship.

I hate that you were unable to take those pictures you wanted to take of my family.  When you offered I honestly thought to myself, "Is he serious?"

Thank you Rich for caring about others even during your time of need.  Your life had purpose and you my friend fulfilled that purpose.  You lived boldly, you fought a good fight!

Thank you to the family for sharing Rich with all of us.  Lessons learned.

Ponder on the question:  How will you choose to live? 

HOW TO BE PERFECT?

I know that title got most of your attention.  10 steps to being perfect. Yeah right! It is a joke people.

There are NO Steps for you to be perfect. It is not happening.  Truthfully no one is perfect but Jesus.  As I was sitting in marriage class yesterday I zoned in on those words. I have heard it before, I knew that it was true, but at that moment that was all I could hear.  Maybe I needed to be reminded of that.  Matthew 5:48 48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.  
Of course I had to do some homework on the definition. I normally don't write when I look up Greek translations, but then I realized we study everything else we definitely need to get in the habit of studying God's word.   I started thinking what does this word mean in the Greek, clearly God is not trying to tell us that we are perfect.  I knew that was not the case.  According to Strong's Concordance, "perfect" in the Greek is teleios  (tel'-i-os) meaning complete in all its parts, full grown, of full age, completeness of Christian character.  
Now I am no theologian or anything, but from this definition I gather we need to become more spiritually mature.  

Babies don't stay babies, they do grow up.  You can't eat baby food forever. Chew on that!

People will FAIL you.  People will HURT you.  Only you can control how you will respond. I have learned so much about offering people grace. Give people some leeway.  I never really understood how to do that, but then I am reminded of all the times God forgives me and gives me grace I don't deserve. We always wan God to give us grace.  There is nothing we can do to earn it either.  How dare I not do the same for someone else?
I am reminded of Matthew 6: 15   15 But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

These are some of  the cliches I've heard that will not help us to forgive and show grace to others.  

• I forgive and don't forget- this takes time but you can't continue to bring the offense up
• You  hurt me once, but you won't hurt me twice-No we are not a doormat, but if we are genuinely being relational we will get hurt, or offended at times. 
• I can't forgive that one

I have to seriously check myself when I want to justify why I shouldn't forgive.  Sometimes I ask questions like " Why does this keep happening?" "You just don't understand God" That last question makes me laugh now.  Yeah I am sure we have it so much harder than Jesus did.  I mean have any of you been nailed to a cross lately? I am just saying. It really does put things in a different perspective. 

There is no justification.  Jesus forgives me for everything, even things people don't even know about. OUCH!!