Author: Laura Crosby (Page 46 of 54)

Two Things to Remember When You’re Feeling Insecure

May 1, 2015 /

IMG_4142Every time I’m on a run and approach someone running towards me here’s what I think they’re thinking:

What?! Look at that chubby old person! What is SHE doing out here with the REAL runners? 

Ok, now your turn. Maybe it’s not running, but your thing might be:

  • Every time I walk into a room of couples here’s what I think they’re thinking…
  • Every time I show up at church here’s what I think people are thinking…
  • Every time I have people over to my house here’s what I think they’re thinking…
  • Every time I meet another mom here’s what I think she’s thinking…

When I’m running and those destructive thoughts fill my head I remind myself of two things: Continue reading

One Party and Four Reasons You Should Try It

April 29, 2015 /

One time John and I went to a party where a guy was accidentally set on fire.

It kind of put a damper on a very fun evening, but we all took him to the hospital to get checked out and his heavy fisherman knit sweater saved him from being badly burned.  It ended up being a great story we tell and a cautionary tale for those who think making flaming Rice Krispy Treats might be a good idea. (NOTE TO FILE: do NOT pour the brandy and light the flame at the same time. Fire tends to travel up the liquid stream and on to pourer)

I share this because I was talking to daughter, Katy recently and suggested a party like the one we attended years ago and have copied since.  It might be called “The Stretch Yourself and Get to Know Some New People While Making a Mess Together Party”.

There’s no one right way to do hospitality. But always, hospitality is about “There you are!” not “Here I am!”

It’s about welcome not wow. Knitting together hands and hearts with thanksgiving and a little laughter. And this party did all of those things. Continue reading

4 Benefits of Hanging With Sheep

April 27, 2015 /

My family has accused me of being a tiny bit obsessed with sheep. IMG_3678They’re tired of me yelling for John to stop the car on foreign roads so I can take a picture. But they’re cute. And I feel like sheep and the guys who hang with them have a lot to teach me.IMG_3537

In a community of young married couples I shepherd (unintentional pun), we’re studying David, my favorite Bible guy.  He was a musician, a leader, a poet, a crappy father, a great friend, a soldier, an adulterer, and…a shepherd. In short, a renaissance man before the renaissance.

Of all his roles, the one I love the most, the one I learn from the most, is shepherd. Continue reading

When the Holy Spirit Whispers “What about you?”

April 24, 2015 /

This is my copy of a drawing I saw last week that has haunted me.

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At the International Justice Mission Global Prayer Gathering (What a mouthful!), a staff person from India, now a lawyer, shared that he had been born into the lowest cast – a Dalit. He was considered a non-person.

He shows a drawing of what his grandfather was required to do. He had to walk with a broom tied around his neck, trailing it behind, so it would wipe out his footprints, leaving the impression that no one had been there. Because he was “no one”.

My first response is horror.  How could anyone treat others like that??  But then that pesky Holy Spirit whispers to ME:

“What about you?” Continue reading

Flying Bass and Important Stuff

April 22, 2015 /

Bob Goff tells the story of speaking at a men’s event where, in advance, he bought a 7 ft. inflatable, remote controlled “flying bass”. He had a boy release the flying bass above the audience in the middle of his talk. Of course everyone kept curiously looking up at the fish hovering over their heads like a drone.  It’s hard to pay attention to the speaker with a flying bass present. His point was that our problem is that we’re keeping one eye on Jesus and one eye on the bass in the room. We’re distracted.  We have so many “flying bass” that distract us from the kingdom of God – from the eternal Words of Life that have the potential to change our days.

I mentioned recently, that I have been using a YouVersion plan for reading through the Bible in a year – an attempt to keep my eyes off the “flying bass” and on the important stuff.  This morning my reading included Moses’ blessing of the Twelve Tribes of Israel before he died. His blessing of the tribe of Benjamin was a great reminder of what we should not be distracted from. It is  a gift for all of us and such beautiful encouragement that I wanted to pass it along.

“God’s beloved;God’s permanent

Wow, I love this! As people adopted into God’s family through Jesus, this blessing, this promise is for us too.

As I read these words, I have to ask myself, do I live like this is true?

Do I live with the confidence and peace of a beloved child within whom God dwells?

Do I live with the grateful awareness of being encircled by God all day long?

Have I thanked Him?

May we all focus on the amazing truths of this verse and not be distracted by “flying bass” today!

 

 

The God Who Rescues

April 19, 2015 /

For the past couple of days I’ve been at the International Justice Mission Global Prayer Gathering in Washington D.C.

John and I have been privileged to partner with IJM, fighting on behalf of the oppressed in the name of Jesus since Gary Haugen started this organization.

If you know anything about IJM you know that they are committed to prayer – not just talking about it, but doing it as if their work depends on it. Because they know it does.

The Global Prayer Gathering is full of reminders of God’s character, praise for His faithfulness, hard stories, and lots of prayer.

One of the stories that has impacted me the most over the past two years comes from Ghana on Lake Volta, the largest man-made lake in the world. There, experts estimate that tens of thousands of children work in Ghana’s fishing industry and one IJM study found that 60% are likely slaves. So, we have been praying and IJM started laying the ground work for rescuing these child slaves.

Three years ago when they were doing research and putting in place necessary partnerships with government agencies, they came across a slave in a wooden boat on Lake Volta named Gideon.  Gideon had been brutally abused, trafficked when he was 11 years old. He begged IJM investigators to take him with them, but they couldn’t until systems with local law enforcement were in place.

Can you imagine how hard it was to leave Gideon behind that day on the lake? Continue reading

What I’ve Been Reading

April 17, 2015 /

A couple weeks ago I posted on Facebook that I had been reading too many serious non-fiction books and I needed some lighter fiction to read on vacation.  People weighed in with some great suggestions and although I am a slooow reader I took them up on several and thought I’d report back.  So here’s some fiction and a couple of terrific non-fiction books you might want to check out. Continue reading

What to do With all the Big Feelings

April 15, 2015 /

I’ve shared before that the emotional trajectory of any given day (or hour) of my life can look a little like this.

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Even if this isn’t your norm, perhaps there has been a day or two…

It seems that lately, many people around me have been facing circumstances that have thrown them for a loop even if usually their emotional life looks more like a merry-go-round than a monster roller coaster. So what do you do with all the Big Feelings?

One of the things I love about Scripture is that it’s so authentic, that often I may be experiencing something or feeling an emotion and one of the Bible people seems to jump off the pages and say “Me too!”

The community of young married couples I shepherd has started a study of David. I’m thinking David might have been a roller coaster kind of guy – a musician, shepherd, warrior, leader, and writer… As part of our study, this week we have agreed to read a Psalm written by David every day, starting with Psalm 3.

I love the Psalms because I feel kind of like a voyeur, peaking over someone’s shoulder, reading their journal.  The Psalms are just so dang real!

The Psalms are FULL of All Of The Big Feelings.

Can you say drama???

But the great thing is that the Psalms model how to deal with that drama.

Religiosity may say stuff or deny – don’t admit the messy feelings.

Secularism may say emotion is god – it rules all.

But the Psalms give us a third way to deal with our emotions.  Continue reading

An Open Letter: 5 Things to Consider When Seeking God’s Direction

April 13, 2015 /

Dear M&A,

It’s hard to believe you’re coming up on your second anniversary!  In those short years you’ve faced many hard decisions, huge change, and intense challenges. Now, at the end of grad school, you face some more. More open doors and some that may shut. All with their own set of consequences.

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I’m writing you this now because Dad and I have been where you are. And I’m writing it here because you’re not alone. Many who read this are trying to discern God’s will – trying to decide:

  • Should I quit this job?
  • Move to this place?
  • Marry this person?
  • Break up with that person?
  • Start a graduate degree?
  • Take this risk?

So today I want to tell you about a time early in our marriage when we were trying to discern God’s will. We felt like we had outgrown the setting we were in and were prompted to open ourselves to a move. We prayed, sought counsel, and explored options.  In the end Dad received a call to a large church across the country in a place where we knew no one. In a place with a different pace of life, different culture, and different values.

In both the process of deciding, and the reality of living the following two years, I think we learned some things about God and His ways. I’d love to share some of our lessons, just as I’d love to hear what you are learning in this season. Continue reading

We Need More of This

April 10, 2015 /

The other day, John and I walked into the Apple store right at opening.  This is what greeted us.

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It’s not a great picture, but all the staff (all 30 or whatever of them) lined up and CHEERED us in, clapping and woohooing!

Now cynics may be mumbling “Bah humbug! Marketing…” but not me.  It didn’t matter that the employees who were cheering  didn’t know us.  To me they were saying we’re in this together and we’ve made it through another day and night and we’re still here. We all deserve a cheer.

We need more parades, more “atta boy’s” and “atta girl’s”.

As I write these posts I try to think of you who are reading on the other side of the screen… Continue reading

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