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June’s Monthly Muster

June 27, 2019 by Lauren 36 Comments

Photo by Renáta-Adrienn on Unsplash

I don’t know where these “lazy days of summer” other people speak of are.  If you see one can you send it my way?  I hate to continue a theme by complaining about the busyness of June like I did in May, but good gravy! 

I’m over here in the fetal position hoping for a day to sleep in.

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We kicked off the month with a low-key official celebration of my mom and dad’s 50th wedding anniversary with family and friends.  I wrote a letter to them.  If you missed it you can catch it here.  And that same night my youngest bussed to Colorado for Student Life camp with our church.  While she enjoyed fun days and cooler temps, I adjusted to driving Shelby, my special abilities daughter, to dayhab so I could work.  Instead of the school bus picking her up in our driveway, I added about 2 and a half hours of driving to each day with the drive.  Talk about a grind!  Thankfully after Shelby enjoyed a week at Camp Summit (which is a hoot for her and much needed respite from caregiving for my husband and me), we were able to get her insurance to cover a brand new facility closer to home.  A darling little church opened their doors to this much-needed ministry to families like ours and I could not be more grateful.  The first morning at Ability Connections I plugged the address into my navigation app and breathed a huge sigh of relief at the 10 minute drive time.

 

Mid-month we enjoyed a visit from the oldest and his family.  At 45 I am young(ish) to have 4 grandchildren and for this I am thankful.  I might or might not still be recovering from all the fun.  While they were still in town, my 14 year old Allie left to spend a week volunteering with children’s choir camp at my mom and dad’s church.  Allie attended this camp for as many years as she was eligible and loves it so much she still wants to be involved – especially now that her younger cousins are old enough to go.  After their final production Allie came home on a Sunday and started volunteering at our church’s Active Camp (like a sports version of VBS) the next day.

 

In between all her church activities and other social butterflyesque adventures, Allie is working toward her goal of playing volleyball for her high school next year.  These “strongly encouraged” endeavors include conditioning 3 days a week at 8am in a cross-fit-type gym where making it through the 90 plus minutes without throwing up is a major accomplishment.  She is also attending “optional” clinics with the high school coach, clinics at her old volleyball club, sand volleyball and private lessons.  In our uber competitive area, if she doesn’t make a team it will not be from lack of effort but strength of competition.  Side note:  After typing all that out I need to go take a nap.

 

While my steady, hard-working husband is adjusting to a demanding new job (which we are so thankful for) I am shuttling, coordinating rides and trying to hold down my two part time jobs.  I also began attending a new class at our church called “Intro to Biblical Counseling”.  We are using Instruments in the Redeemer’s Hands:  People in Need of Change Helping People in Need of Change by Paul David Tripp for curriculum.  I cannot recommend this book enough.  I must admit that calling what is being taught “counseling” makes me a little uncomfortable.  During a time of great need I sought the support of a Christian Licensed Professional Counselor and have a great deal of respect for the training and expertise it takes to walk someone through life’s traumas.  I prefer the book’s label of “personal ministry”.  My goal in taking part in the course is to learn ways to be a better friend to those I come in contact with as I point them to Jesus.

 

I do have some book recs from this month, too.  Although not nearly as many as last month.  Prototype:  What Happens When You Discover You’re More Like Jesus Than You Think? by Jonathan Martin and Peter Scazzero’s Emotionally Healthy Spirituality:  It’s Impossible to Be Spiritually Mature, While Remaining Emotionally Immature.  Both messages of encouragement and inspiration for the believer.  And to dumb myself down between challenging reads I indulge in a free subscription to People magazine.  Don’t judge.  I wouldn’t pay for it but somehow it keeps coming to my mailbox.  And the latest picture of Prince Harry and Meghan doesn’t tax my brain.

 

On the boob tube, I’ve been savoring the last few episodes of Life in Pieces.  If you have yet to discover it, this is the last season.  And it is truly one of the funniest shows on television.  My husband, teenager and I (an activity all together?  Yes, it can happen) watched the movie Passengers – sort of a last man on earth without the earth.  Pretty good.  I’ve been catching up on my usual podcasts, but tried a new one that has lots of potential.  The team at Family Ghosts unearths and investigates tall tales and hidden secrets within families.  I love history and I love family.  These stand-alone episodes have plenty of both.  One word of caution, I am very sensitive (read prudish) when it comes to language so I delete the episodes labeled explicit so I cannot speak to the appropriateness or lack there of for those.

 

I have one final recommendation and it’s an audio book.  You can read it, but I think you might be doing yourself a disservice.  I Ain’t Doin’ It:  Unfiltered Thoughts From a Sarcastic Southern Sweetheart by Heather Land almost made me wet myself from laughter.  If you’ve got a summer road trip coming up, get into it! 

 

I close with a request.  It would be inauthentic of me to tell you about my month without telling you that I am struggling with parenting my teen.  I am poured out, worn out, and plum out of ideas.  To get very real, I’ve spent the better part of this week in tears.  I’m being broken and humbled and driven to my knees and I plead with you to pray for me.  And if there is anything I can pray for you about, email me at lauren@laurensparks.net.  I would consider it an honor.  Love you, thank you, and hope July treats you well.

 

 

Sharing is caring! If you liked this post, please share to your favorite social media accounts. And if you want to make sure you don’t miss anything, subscribe!

 

And look up these great writers I link up with every week:

InstaEncouragements, Literacy Musing Mondays, Hello…Monday,

Dream Team link up, The Good. The Random. The Fun.

BloggerClubUK, Tea and Word Tuesday, Purposeful Faith,

GraceFull Tuesday Link-Up, Different Dream,

Let’s Have Coffee, Welcome Wednesday, Recharge Wednesday,

Worth Beyond Rubies, #TellHisStory Link Up, Porch Stories,

Encouraging Word Wednesday, Tune In Thursday,

Stories of Hope, Moments of Hope, IHeart Verse Link Party,

A Blogging Good Time, Fresh Market Friday, Feature Friday Time,

Friendship Friday Blog Hop, Faith on Fire, Traffic Jam Weekend,

Faith ‘n Friends, Dancing with Jesus, Grace & Truth, Booknificent

Lastly, my posts may contain affiliate links. If you purchase anything from one of these links, I will receive a few pennies to help offset the cost of this website at no additional charge to you. Thank you in advance for your help.

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An Alarming Trend

June 17, 2018 by Lauren 20 Comments

 

In 2015, I first wrote of my love for People magazine and it’s long-standing position as my “Favorite Guilty Pleasure”.  You can read the original confession here.  It comes to my house free every week (it started as an airline miles for mags thing and has continued to be the gift that keeps on giving) and it provides me a mental vacation from the sometimes more challenging books and Bible studies I may be consuming.  Then I always pass it on to a friend who shares the same affection for this light-weight fare, but who also doesn’t love it enough to pay for it.

 

This issue, however, was not the fluffy time waster to which I have grown accustomed.  This issue broke my heart.  Not because I had any kind of personal connection to the cover stars, but because of the devastating rate at which I hear of a new suicide now.  Just last week the centers for disease control released a report showing that suicide rates went up by more than 30% in half of the United States between 1999 and 2016.  Experts are “struggling to understand why numbers have risen so dramatically.”  Based on these two stories alone we can deduce that money, fame, prestige, celebrity nor even adventure can make a person happy.  It’s a hard thing to study, but contributing factors are often isolation, job stress, relationship problems, addiction, mood disorders and anxiety.

 

My friend Stacey, a Licensed Professional Counselor, gave me the following analogy:  Suicidal thoughts are like standing on the 100th floor of a skyscraper that is completely on fire.  People down on the street are saying, “Don’t jump!”  But you are standing in a building of flames and at least if you jump you avoid the torture of being burned alive.  To truly “save” the person, we can’t just dissuade him/her from jumping.  We have to run into the building and put out the fire.  In plain speak, we have to offer hope.

 

As believers in Christ, we have the hope the world needs. 

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As believers in Christ, we have the hope the world needs.  Satan is the father of lies and an accuser who is constantly telling us that we are hopeless, that no one loves us and that no one can help us.  But in Jesus, we find unconditional love, purpose, truth, abundant life, and acceptance.  And maybe most importantly, we have hope.  “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,”  1 Peter 1:3 NASB.  In Him we know that our present suffering won’t last forever.  We know that He can work ANYTHING we experience for our good (Romans 8:28).  We know that one day, through Jesus, all evil will be abolished (Romans 16:20).  And we know that “He will wipe away every tear…and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain;”  Revelation 21:4.

 

I don’t mean to over-simplify this issue.  I’m not naive enough to think that Christians never kill themselves.  And mental illness is very real and very complex.  But I do know that there is always hope and there is always help.  Focus on the Family has a free hotline at 1-855-771-HELP (4357) staffed by licensed professional counselors offering guidance from a biblical perspective.  As does Hope for the Heart Ministries at 1-800-488-HOPE (4673).  Both can also provide a list of Christian counselors in your area for continued care and follow up.  For urgent assistance around the clock, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is available at 1-800-273-8255.  The local church is also a great resource to find help for you or someone you know who is struggling.

 

It’s a big battlefield out there, but we serve a VERY BIG GOD.  Offer hope.  Tell others about Jesus.

 

“For I know the plans I have for you, ” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”  Jeremiah 29:11 NIV

 

 

 

 

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About Me

I love Jesus, my husband and caffeine. The order of these can change depending on how tired I am. When my two daughters, stepson, and 4 grandchildren get to be too much, I practice yoga. God graciously allows me to share our adventures, victories and flub-ups from my laptop. May He be glorified here.
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