Flying Solo

Thursday Thumbprint

Spend some time this week paying attention to desires that you have never seen come to fruition, but yet still remain real and present and alive. Journal your thanks to your Father that they are still there at all. And then begin to ask Him to place in you a spirit of expectation. Don’t be afraid to expect something from God. Remember David said, “My expectation is from you.” David knew expectation was okay. But he also knew where the expectation needed to be placed. Ask the Lord if you have your expectations in the wrong place. Then listen for Him to speak to you. Write down what you feel Him saying to you.

To share your Thumbprint moment email [email protected]

Wednesday 1 on 1 with Robin cont......

Robin, thank you for so candidly sharing your story with us last week. I’m sure a lot of our readers saw themselves in different elements of your story. As we are talking about desire this month, I thought of how difficult your family life was and yet at such a young age you still pursued your desires and started doing gymnastics. I’m sure an element of it was escapism, but there had to be an element of desire in that too. Looking back at that now can you see how God was pursuing your heart even then?

  

When I look back I absolutely see where God was working in my life.  I loved gymnastics.  I did it 30-40 hours a weeks and wouldn’t have had it any other way.  I never thought about what I was missing out on, I only thought about staying focused an excelling at my sport. I was very well aware at a young age that it made me feel special.  It wasn’t just a sport to me it was a way a life.  I was disciplined and by being disciplined I became really good at something.  It was escapism but it was also something that defined me.  I didn’t want to be defined by my family and at young age that is usually what defines us, I had something else that defined me, it made me different and it made me feel strong. I got teased a lot in high school because I was so short…but it never bothered me, in fact I would just laugh and say, “Do you even know what I can do???” It gave me confidence that I carried with me throughout my life.  My coaches became “fill-in” parents and role models, and my gymnastic colleagues were not just friends, they were sisters.  In fact the very first kid I met in gymnastics was Jill Teskey. I was seven and now almost 40 years later we are still amazing friends and, well, family. I was so fortunate to have the escape and for that I am so thankful to God.

Now, at this new place of faith here in Nashville, how do you see that your desires have changed and been reshaped from the time of coming to faith in Christ and then through this new season of faith since you moved here?

 

Since moving to Nashville and coming into this season of renewed faith in Christ I have found my desires have changed.  I feel God has brought me to a humble and honest place where I can really dissect what it is that I really desire.  I was mad at God for a long time…. There are still moments of anger at how stripped down I feel. I have been forced to lay down my ego and live in an uncomfortable place. However, in that discomfort I have become more open and really honest with myself, and yes my desires have changed.  I really desire a strong and trusting relationship with the Lord.  I have really come to understand the damage of my past and how I never felt complete without the love of a man in my life.  I still desire to have that man in my life who will take care of me in a way I have never known, the difference is I am now seeking that man out with a fuller heart and the knowledge that I am already loved and cared for.  So when I find that “man” it will just be icing on the cake….and in the mean time I already have the cake.

Tuesday Tips

Everyone feels more confident about anything they do if they have knowledge. Walking into a gym can be incredible intimidating. How do you work the treadmill? What is this machine for? Where are my biceps? Just signing up at a gym is scary. 

The best way to start is to sign up with a trainer. Now you can get a trainer and count on all of their knowledge and just do as you are told. If they are a good trainer you will get a good work out. A lot of people love to have the brain work taken away and like to count on their trainer. However, trainers are expensive so utilize their time. 

Take the hour not only to workout but to learn. A great trainer will guide you and teach you so eventually you can do it on your own. Gain the knowledge so you can step into the gym on your own, feeling confident that you are doing it right. 

There are ways to make a trainer affordable. Eliminate something else from your life for one month…like eating out then allocate that money for 5 sessions with a trainer. Tell them what your goal is… A simple, concrete work out routine that you can duplicate on your own.

Got some of your favorite tips you want to share email them to [email protected]

 

Monday Musings

It was Mother’s day about seven or eight years ago and like seemingly every year before I had to walk by the lady in the foyer passing out the roses. I didn’t take one, because they weren’t for me. They were for the mothers. And like I did most mother’s day, after I fumed under my breath that they did this stupid rose thing anyway, I sat in my pew praying for the day that I could take one of those roses for myself. Even though today they made me sick because they were a reminder of an intense unfulfilled desire. 
Where do you put thatstuff? Where is the cubby for “ridiculously long unfulfilled desires?” Where is the recycle bin for “still ain’t got it do you?” Where is the little place in your mind and your heart where you put away the pain of those unfulfilled desires? I don’t know that I even knew, until the remnants of a failed marriage washed up on the shore of my life and left me with enough debris that it felt like Hurricane Hugo had come through. But you know what I found. I found that I didn’t need a place to toss my desire,  I needed a place to take my desire. 
And so, I found myself taking all of those desires to my Father in a way I never had before. Even the secret places. And I quietly and brokenly laid them at his feet and said, “I don’t know what you’re going to do with all of this mess, but here it is. And you can either heal it, take it, or bring it.” What I discovered in that sloppy surrender was a very present Father, who took very little of my desires. Instead, you know what He did? He gave me hope that I would one day have them.
I remember after the divorce papers declared me to be “single”, every time I saw a child I just had this huge smile come across my face, because I knew, somehow, someway God would give me children. There was not just desire, but expectancy. And I discovered that expectancy is where faith soars. David wrote in the Psalms, “My expectation is from You.” And I have learned that there is no more fulfilling place to place our expectation than on our Father. 
Maybe you and I don’t need to be looking for recycle bins to toss our unfulfilled places of desire. Maybe instead we need to be expecting. Because expectancy produces faith and faith produces fulfillment. 
I love roses you know. Even though I think on mother’s day every woman walking through the door should get some, because women give birth to new things everyday. And now when I see roses, or pick up a dozen to put in my family room, I think of my expectation not my lack. Pick up something today that places in you a place of expectancy. And begin to be amazed at what God will do.

 

Sunday Reflections

This is your time. Reflect with us about your week, your friends and what God has become to you. This is your space. Your time.

Saturday Dinner and A Movie

 Lobster Pasta

Ingredients

1 large (2 pound) fresh lobster
3 tablespoons butter
1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes
4 tablespoons olive oil
4 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 cup heavy cream
1 (8 ounce) package dried spaghetti
1 tablespoon butter
1 clove garlic, minced
1 bunch fresh parsley, chopped

 

Directions

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the lobster and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, until bright red.
As soon as the lobster starts cooking, melt 3 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and 3 cloves of garlic. Cook and stir just to release the liquid. Do not let them brown.
When the lobster comes out of the pot, place it on a cutting board and use a big knife to cut it in half lengthwise. Place the halves meaty side down into the skillet with the onion and garlic. Cook for about 3 minutes.
Bring another pot of water to a boil and season with a little salt. Add the spaghetti and cook for 8 minutes, or until tender. If you want to save time and a pot, you could boil the pasta in the lobster water since it is already boiling, just add salt.
Add the tomatoes to the skillet and turn the heat up to high to bring to a boil. Add the olive oil, salt, pepper and cinnamon. Cook, stirring constantly for 5 to 7 minutes. Slowly pour in the cream, stirring constantly. The sauce will become a nice pink color. (Take a sniff, mmmmmmmm.) Turn the heat down to medium-low. Keep warm, stirring occasionally until the pasta is done.
Drain the spaghetti and place on a large serving plate. Stir in the remaining butter and garlic. Pour the tomato sauce over the spaghetti and arrange the two lobster halves in the center. Sprinkle all over with parsley and serve.

Do you have a favorite recipe and Movie you would like to share? Email [email protected]

 

Movie:

 

In 1949, Julia Child is in Paris, the wife of a diplomat, wondering how to spend her days. She tries hat making, bridge, and then cooking lessons at Cordon Bleu. There she discovers her passion. In 2002, Julie Powell, about to turn 30 and underemployed with an unpublished novel, decides to cook her way through "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" in a year and to blog about it. We go back and forth between these stories of two women learning to cook and finding success.

 

Fridays with Ken

Ken, at the beginning of a New Year we often look back at the things that we desired to see happen in the year before, yet still haven’t come to fruition. How do we hold onto our desires even when they are unfulfilled?

We’re only free when we trust our desires into the hands of God.  Trusting Him doesn’t mean that we’re going to get what we want.  What it does mean is that we’re willing to let God shape our desires into a desire for Him.

We know that God’s timing is perfect, but waiting on Him can often get us to quench our desire in “fast food” lanes instead of “five-star” restaurants. What have we done with our desire when we do that?

We live in a culture of demand.  To choose quenching our own thirst means that we’re shallowing out our desire or choosing something lesser.  It clearly is an expression of a lack of faith in God.  Simply put we miss out on God’s best.

Ken Edwards is a graduate of the University of Arkansas and has earned a Master of Divinity, Master of Arts in Marriage and Family Counseling and a Master of Arts in Religious Education of Southwestern Seminary. But his discernment matches his education and for me often the greater gift. He lives with his wife Janet and three children in Franklin, Tennessee. And this is him enjoying what he loves, the mountains in Wyoming. Except he's usually behind the camera. And he has been kind enough to spend Friday’s with us. What he is offering us regarding his time is a gift. I hope we will take advantage of it.

Got Question's for Ken? Email your questions to [email protected]

 

Thursday Thumbprints

Today, write a journal entry to Your Father about the things that you desired to see happen last year that you didn’t see happen. Then, spend some time focusing on the desires you did see come to fruition this past year. Then, begin to write down what your fears are regarding what seems to be your “waiting” season. Take him into that fear. And then release it to Him. Thanking Him that if He is in the kitchen you can rest assured that what is coming out will be worth the wait.

Do you want to share your thumbprint email it to [email protected]

Wednesday 1 on 1 with Robin cont..........

Robin, thank you for so candidly sharing your story with us last week. I’m sure a lot of our readers saw themselves in different elements of your story. As we are talking about desire this month, I thought of how difficult your family life was and yet at such a young age you still pursued your desires and started doing gymnastics. I’m sure an element of it was escapism, but there had to be an element of desire in that too. Looking back at that now can you see how God was pursuing your heart even then?

When I look back I absolutely see where God was working in my life. I loved gymnastics. I did it 30-40 hours a weeks and wouldn’t have had it any other way. I never thought about what I was missing out on, I only thought about staying focused an excelling at my sport. I was very well aware at a young age that it made me feel special. It wasn’t just a sport to me it was a way a life. I was disciplined and by being disciplined I became really good at something. It was escapism but it was also something that defined me.  I didn’t want to be defined by my family and at young age that is usually what defines us, I had something else that defined me, it made me different and it made me feel strong. I got teased a lot in high school because I was so short…but it never bothered me, in fact I would just laugh and say, “Do you even know what I can do???” It gave me confidence that I carried with me throughout my life. My coaches became “fill-in” parents and role models, and my gymnastic colleagues were not just friends, they were sisters. In fact the very first kid I met in gymnastics was Jill Teskey. I was seven and now almost 40 years later we are still amazing friends and, well, family. I was so fortunate to have the escape and for that I am so thankful to God.

Now, at this new place of faith here in Nashville, how do you see that your desires have changed and been reshaped from the time of coming to faith in Christ and then through this new season of faith since you moved here.

Since moving to Nashville and coming into this season of renewed faith in Christ I have found my desires have changed.  I feel God has brought me to a humble and honest place where I can really dissect what it is that I really desire. I was mad at God for a long time…. There are still moments of anger at how stripped down I feel. I have been forced to lay down my ego and live in an uncomfortable place. However, in that discomfort I have become more open and really honest with myself, and yes my desires have changed. I really desire a strong and trusting relationship with the Lord.  I have really come to understand the damage of my past and how I never felt complete without the love of a man in my life. I still desire to have that man in my life who will take care of me in a way I have never known, the difference is I am now seeking that man out with a fuller heart and the knowledge that I am already loved and cared for. So when I find that “man” it will just be icing on the cake….and in the mean time I already have the cake.

Tuesday Tips

A trick to getting started with an exercise plan is to:

1. First of all make small goals.  Place your running shoes where your slippers usually are right by the bed, wake up and put them on right away.

2. Your first day may consist of only five minutes of walking outside or on a treadmill, this is your staring point. 

3. Add a minute each day until you get to thirty minutes by that time guess what?   You have formed a habit.  The habit starts making you feel better and often motivates a change in how you eat.  Start small and build upon it…it’s clichÈ  but “Rome wasn’t built in a day”  so don’t set yourself up for disappointment, start with small and achievable then build upon that start.

Got some of your favorite tips you would like to share email them to [email protected]