Who Do You Trust?

July 29, 2015July 28, 2015 / morgancreynolds / Leave a comment

I can remember sitting on the edge of the bed with each of my children. Or sometimes it was sitting with them curled up next to me on the sofa. We were having one of our many heart to heart talks. To me, those are some of my most treasured moments. As they poured out their concerns or dreams from their tender hearts, I intently listened. Sometimes, I didn’t have an answer; lots of times I did. The one thing I remember teaching them is this,

“If it matters to you then it matters to God.”

Sometimes, their concern was over a lost toy or an unfortunate situation. Other times, their concern was the bigger-than-life dreams they were dreaming. Either way, I often brought them back to this one thought.

If it matters to you then it matters to God.

In this life we need hope. Not a misguided and misplaced hope, but a hope rooted in the strength and care of God. This isn’t a false hope. It was never promised that God was our genie in a bottle looking to grant every wish. They understood that. We might not get the response we want, but God gives the very best He knows we need.

God looks at our hearts with care. He sees all the things in future days we can not see. He sees where our choices lead. He knows what we need. But, the really cool thing is God cares about the things we care about. He created us and knows us.

This is a great comfort for my soul. Our desires are not petty or insignificant. In fact, if He knew us before we were ever in our mother’s womb, wouldn’t that include what our desires and interests would be? We are not created out of chance.

This thought always seemed to comfort my children. And, in the the process, I was aiming for a deep heart connection with the One who created them. I know they take this thought with them even now. Now, they are older. The stakes are quite a bit higher. Just the other day my oldest needed a reminder. I think we all need to be reminded at points along the journey. When the cost is higher or the dream is bigger and when we aren’t talking about lost childhood trinkets, we need to remember. Now, we are talking about which paths to walk, which choices to make, which dreams to dream. Or, maybe it is about provision in the real world—having real needs in this real world. But, perhaps, it is something you think is small and insignificant, and doesn’t even warrant an audience with God.

If it matters to you then it matters to God.

Fear need not rule the day. Our Father hears and knows. He’s got us. Who do you trust? I mean, REALLY trust. Are you trusting in yourself to get things done and to make it happen? Do you have dreams and desires and believe you are the only one to get it done? Maybe that is your life track record–“If it is to be then it’s up to me!” No one ever sat with you and really listened to what was burdening your soul. Well, I’m here today to tell you it matters. It all matters.

Does it matter to you? Then it matters to God.

He’s not a magic genie looking to grant you three wishes. But, He does care about what keeps you up at night and aches in your heart. Trusting only in ourselves leads to a weary and worn soul.

Things haven’t turned out quite how you wanted? Things don’t really look like what you dreamed of in your heart? He cares. And, what’s even best, He sees the right answer for every situation. Scripture teaches us to cast our burden on Him because He cares for us. I’m amazed at all of the times God has revealed Himself to my children. Children. He has proven Himself over and over to them. And, even though they are children, they have experienced some tough stuff. And so, they are learning He can be trusted.

You may not be a child anymore, but He is waiting to listen. If He will reveal Himself to a child, He will reveal Himself to you. What is it that matters to you? What is aching in your soul?

If it matters to you then it matters to Him!

Where Is Your Life?

July 22, 2015July 21, 2015 / morgancreynolds / 2 Comments

It’s been a really great summer. Sleeping in (my favorite!), road tripping around the area, reconnecting with friends, reading, watching my boy play ball, and playing taxi. Pretty much loving life and feeling grateful. We enjoyed a great day for our anniversary. We kept it simple and relaxing. And I am so thankful. My kids are pursuing their passions, living life and having a good time doing it. God is blessing their lives and you can see His love for us.

In the last few years, I haven’t always been able to say that. Maybe that’s you, too. We’ve experienced financial reversal, faced rejection, suffered at the hands of people and felt like we were going through hell. I realize that isn’t the warm and fuzzy thing to say. Suffering depression, anxiety and PTSD was never on the order list we sent up. When 4 out of 5 in your family have to be medicated just to handle daily life, I’m telling you, that’s not what you order up. Who does?

But, it happens. Life happens. I remember a couple of years ago, living life with a teenager and just being thankful we were dealing with normal teenager stuff. We had come a long way. Moving from constant crisis mode to dealing with everyday issues was such a relief. I even found some much needed humor in that.

A few years ago, I was walking the neighborhood, thinking life would never get back to normal. I just wanted it to so desperately. Whatever that was supposed to be. What I thought was normal life, happened to be a private hell for someone most dear to me. That was an eye opening thought. A paradigm shift.

Life changes—often on a dime. We had more stuff going wrong and our lives turned upside than I had ever thought possible. But, following dreams and doing big things, often stirs up the waters. We weren’t living the status quo; life threw not-status-quo stuff back at us.

But, here we are a few years out and life has smoothed out just fine. In the heat of it, when your neck is being scorched by the fire and heat, life looks pretty much like it is never again going to smooth out. That seems like a very distant memory. I got you on that one. We are looking eyeball to eyeball, and I say, I know it. It hurts. It really hurts.

I was reading some Scripture today and wanted to share it with you. My heart skipped a beat when I read it. Yes! I felt it! I knew it! Psalm 16 is a great chapter. Take a look at it with me.

Keep me safe, my God,

for in you I take refuge.

I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord;

apart from you I have no good thing.”

I say of the holy people who are in the land,

“They are the noble ones in whom is all my delight.”

Those who run after other gods will suffer more and more.

I will not pour out libations of blood to such gods

or take up their names on my lips.

Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup;

you make my lot secure.

The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;

surely I have a delightful inheritance.

I will praise the Lord, who counsels me;

even at night my heart instructs me.

I keep my eyes always on the Lord.

With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.

Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;

my body also will rest secure,

because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead,

nor will you let your faithful[b] one see decay.

You make known to me the path of life;

you will fill me with joy in your presence,

with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

Verses 5 and 6 really lit up for me. Go ahead! Check those out again! Many of the first years of living in Virginia were beyond hard. It has been a challenge testing everything we were made of and then some! But, we’ve come out on the other side. We’ve fought hard and won! We trusted in Him and depended on Him to get us through. We took refuge in Christ. We kept our eyes on Christ. I really don’t know where we would have ended up if we hadn’t had Christ. People will disappoint you; people will betray and reject you. Christ is forever the one where our hearts find peace.

So, back to the present. Life is good. Life is beautiful. When you taste the bitter, the sweet is so much sweeter! When you walk through the darkness, the light is that much brighter! When you lose things precious, the blessings are that much more treasured. You have to experience the sad to appreciate the joy.

Such is life. My life boundaries are falling in pleasant places. That makes me happy. We are doing life. It’s not perfect, but what is? But, it sure is beautiful!

I Love Big Books and I Can Not Lie!

June 22, 2015June 22, 2015 / morgancreynolds / 2 Comments

There are two things I really love. One is reading and the second is summertime. Oh, my goodness! I am addicted to books. Reading and summertime go hand in hand. To be able to read without limits is a summer daydream.

My dream of having a home library is well on its way. Ever since working as a hostess for a Christmas party during college in a home with a gorgeous library, I dream of having a home library. This library was unlike anything I had ever seen. Up to that point, I really hadn’t seen one in a home. This library came complete with mahogany wood and a ladder. I was smitten!

Well, we aren’t to the mahogany wood or ladder yet, but thousands of books we do have. I want my kids to have great books at their fingertips. Never mind we now have instant access to electronic books, the real black ink on paper is what really satisfies me.

Our community library is like heaven to me. Oh! the possibilities that wait for me there! I remember as a kid going every couple weeks to the library during the summer. I would walk the shelves looking for fantastic reads. The famous Little House on the Prairie series and stories about nurses or historical fiction filled my days. Oh, the smell of a library and the cool little check out cards that were stamped when you checked out your great finds! That was my dream job as a 13 year old. I wanted to scan the books, stamp the dates and slide that cardboard name card back into the special, little pocket. Summer childhood memories.

I remember going to college and the love of reading was stomped into the ground. So much reading; so much boring reading. But, after my eldest child was born, the love was sparked once again. This time I devoured books! They were my escape. I couldn’t get enough. I was introduced to some great Christian fiction authors and read all of their works. This reading brought light back into my soul. Reading is powerful. Books are powerful.

I have compiled a list of books I want to read this summer. I tend to be a little finicky and picky these days. I usually freestyle on the books. I wasn’t sure I could come up with a refined book list. If they don’t grab me by page 75, our relationship may come to a screeching halt. I heard somewhere if a book doesn’t pull you in by page 100, put it away. Life is too short and there are too many amazing books to force yourself to read dull books! So, that is my philosophy. Although, it is with great reluctance, this cutting off of a book not worthy of my time.

I have divided the books into three categories. I will work at these books all summer. Some may go by the wayside; something new may be added in. But, this is the start.

Personal Spiritual Growth

The Next Christians by Gabe Lyons

The Best Yes by Lysa Terkeurst

The Sacred Romance by Brent Curtis and John Eldridge

Abundant Simplicity by Jan Johnson

A Confident Heart by Renee Swope

Your Legacy by Dr. James Dobson

A Ragamuffin Gospel by Brennan Manning (not pictured)

Personal Enrichment

The War of Art by Steven Pressfield

Daring Greatly by Brene Brown

Words Fail Me by Patricia T. O’Conner

The Jesus-hearted Woman by Jodi Detrick

Things I Want My Daughters to Know by Alexandra Stoddard

The Nesting Place by Myquillyn Smith

Fiction

The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown

Somerset by Leila Meacham

All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

Find Me by Laura Van den Berg

Keep in mind I am a fluid reader. I will have more than one going at a time. Some of these may lose their fire for me. I certainly may add different titles along the way. That’s okay. Reading should be enjoyable! I just learn the lessons I can from the book and move on. My legalistic self, often feels like there is a running tally and list of books I started, but put down. But, guess what? There isn’t!

I’m all sorts of happy with my list! I get all excited when I come upon different reading lists. Practically giddy! So many new books and so many to yet cross my path. What are you reading? I would love to hear about the books you have in the stack beside you! Speaking of stacks…I have them! I’m never going to be a crazy cat lady, but I just may end up as the crazy book lady! My dream of having a home library is well on its way to great books!

Do I Have To?

June 15, 2015June 14, 2015 / morgancreynolds / 2 Comments

I have experience.

Lots of it. Some of it has come with kicking and screaming, but I have experience, nonetheless. “What experience?” you may ask.

Well, it is …..

stick-to-it-ativeness.

Yeah. It’s not as beautiful as it sounds. Trust me. Everyone has one of two tendencies. That is to fight or flee. And, actually, I am by nature a flee-er. Many times the option of “flight” seems pretty alright to me. So, honestly, I don’t come by this naturally.

But, I am married to….you guessed it! A fighter.

No, not a fighter, as in, he can’t get along with people and stirs up conflict. He is the kind that won’t run from a battle. He knows what is needed and will fight to see it happen. He’s not a quitter. His philosophy is, “I may not be smarter or more talented than others, but I can certainly outlast anybody!” Um, clearly, this has made for some great fun over the years.

I like comfort. I don’t like to go through the stretching and retching part of life. I like for everyone to like me. I want no hardships and certainly no sacrificing. I want dreams and projects to flow smoothly. I really don’t want conflict, hate it in fact. I certainly don’t want to be judged or misjudged. I like for the tasks I set my hand to to flow without hiccups or roadblocks of any sort. I want everyone to agree with me and my opinions. And, I certainly do NOT need or want rejection.

It hurts. The hard stuff hurts.

Life tends to bring along those moments when we must choose.

There isn’t any way around it. Someone or something intrudes into your dream or boundaries. Something important is at stake. The life or death of it depends on whether you stay and fight or run and flee. Maybe it’s your family, a child, a dream, or a way of life. Maybe it’s your calling or vocation. Perhaps it is fighting injustice or standing up for what or who is right. Whatever it is, you will have to choose.

Either way, everything hangs in the balance.

I’ll give you 3 examples from my life. Perhaps you can relate.

First of all, my husband and I started a new church back in 1994. We were young. We were inexperienced and truthfully didn’t have a clue as to what we had joined up for. We were still trying to figure out who we were at the tender age of 24. We had seen great success stories and figured we could pull off something just like those. It took 7 years to reach the goal of 100 people. It took even longer to acquire our own facility. We worked hard. It certainly wasn’t for a lack of hard work and sacrifice. We barely survived on the meager salary.

About the third or fourth year in, I was done. We had faced apparent failure on many levels. I wanted to quit so badly! My husband? Oh, yes, I know he did. But, we didn’t leave that congregation until 2008. He would pacify me by telling me to just give him until May. If things didn’t turn around by May, we would think about going somewhere else. Well, he knew that once winter was over in Iowa, things always look better at some level, come May. I figured him out, finally, about the third year of being told that. I’m slow.

Second story. In 2008, our family moved to Virginia to our second congregation. This seemed as if our dreams were answered in one fell swoop. Not long after moving here, it seemed as if we had stepped into a nightmare. This was a very different hard than our Iowa challenge. We faced intense obstacles, setbacks, reversals, personal attacks, rejection, strife, and twisted plots. The personal and professional price has been high. This church was in deep crisis and they weren’t in the mood to be helped. So many times I could have been packing boxes on a moment’s notice. All my husband needed to do was give me the word. I was more than done!

Final story. The first three years in Virginia seemed like they were from hell. We took a huge financial hit when the real estate bubble burst and we needed to sell our house and move to Virginia. Then, my son came to us and told us he had been sexually abused for three years by an authority figure. Then, my other child was diagnosed with a serious medical condition after months of intense, unexplained pain and slow debilitation. Then, my father passed away after battling Alzheimers for 13 years. This all happened within the first three years after moving to Virginia. There were moments during those very difficult years I began to question the presence of God in my life. I wasn’t so sure He could be trusted.

Here’s the deal.

At any given point in my life, I desperately wanted to throw in the towel. The pain felt greater than the reward. And, yes, there have been some serious sacrifices made that only God will be able to make right. But, we didn’t quit. There were no magic formulas or bribes to hold us steady. The only promise we had to go on was God would see us through. It might be painful, it might look ugly, but we would make it if we just didn’t quit. “Those who quit remember the ordeal. Those who endure remember the adventure.” That has become a life value of sorts.

There are many giftings we don’t possess. There are quite a few things we do well; there have been many mistakes along the way, too. But one thing which doesn’t require talent or gifting is something we do have—“outlast-attude”. We can outlast just about anything.

You have to dig deep. You have to stare your giant in the face and stare it down. It’s not easy. But, find the grit and the depth of character to outlast anything life throws your way. Needless to say, I’m thankful my Honey had enough hutzpah for the both of us!

Your whole life and legacy depend on it. Everyone who follows after you, depend on it. It’s not just about you anyway. It never has been.

Amberly reynolds

sweet sage lane

dream

Who Do You Trust?

Where Is Your Life?

I Love Big Books and I Can Not Lie!

Do I Have To?