47 years ago today….I was born.

My Celebration

Today I will celebrate my life!  My God given life - my abundantly blessed life – my 47 years on this earth – my health – my family & friends – my faith – my future!

I will celebrate with those I love and I will enjoy all the delights of the day! I will probably continue to celebrate throughout the week as well.

Yes, birthdays are a great time to celebrate life but they are also a time to reflect on the past and contemplate the future.

My Reflection

As I look back on my life, there is much for which to be thankful.   Mine is a life truly blessed.

• I was blessed to be born to a father & mother who loved life, loved the Lord and loved each other

• I was blessed to be born in America – land of the free and home of the brave!
• I had the wonderful experience of growing up with two sisters and a brother to play with, fight with, share with (no matter how unwillingly at times) and make memories together!

• I moved many times growing up in a military family which produced positive character qualities in my life as well as the awesome friendships that I made throughout the country
• I had a very unique and amazing high school experience, especially my senior year and senior class.  It was stellar and stands out as a highlight of my youth

• As a 16 year old, I encountered the Lord in a very personal way that has clearly affected most of my important decisions since that day in 1979

• I had a life changing summer at Hume Lake in 1981

• I experienced and got to be involved in  a season of amazing revival at the University of the Pacific through Chi Alpha ministries  in the early 80’s

• I had the honor & joy of being the youth pastor to the most amazing group of teenagers from every high school in Stockton & Lodi for four years.

• After praying for six years,  I was given by God the very best man that I could ever imagine to marry and share a life together. I am still in awe of God’s gift to me.

• I became passionate about the ministry of Christian education during my early years at Brookside Christian . It was my time at this school that molded me, shaped me and caused me to grow immensely.  The students & staff from that era  are precious friends and will always hold a prominent place in my heart.

• I have been blessed by God with children.  Truly there is nothing better in this life than the gift of children.  Sometimes I stop and wonder what I did to deserve these wonderful blessings.  I look at them in awe and thankfulness….they are my life!

• I  was “forced” into homeschooling by our life circumstances (as I would have never decided on my own to homeschool) and this has been the single best thing for my children and our relationship.  I will never give it up now!

• My Creative Memories business has brought a richness to my life that is beyond anything I could have ever imagined.  I have gotten to use and improve my gifts & talents, invest in others lives, experience amazing opportunities and make life long friendships in this committed community of consultants.

• Jim Elliot Christian High School is a miracle and I got the opportunity to be a part of  this one of a kind school.  After 11 years this school and the people involved continue to bring me joy, love and inspiration every day! I can only hope and pray that it will never end.

Now in my reflection of the past there are also regrets, sorrows, things I wish I could change and life lessons to be learned:

• I regret my indiscretions and poor decisions of my youth as well as the way I often treated my mother  & older sister when I was a teenager
• I did not fully use the intellect that I have been given to study and learn throughout my high school & college education years
• I would offer greater grace and show more compassion to the youth who were put under my charge as a youth pastor and teacher
• I would be more humble and vulnerable to those around me
• My older children would not have spent anytime in daycare and I would have trusted the Lord for His provision as He always proves Himself faithful.
• I would have been more frugal with my finances, especially during the more prosperous years
• After years as a high school & college athlete, I would have made healthy eating & daily exercise a life long habit, instead of  a “up & down” lifestyle
• I lost my father when I was 33 years old…I wish I could have been given more time here on this earth with him
•  I would have lost my temper less with my children, not “sweat the small stuff”  and spent more time praying with them and teaching them the Bible as well as studying and meditating on it myself
• I would have held my tongue and attempted to only speak words of encouragement, love and appreciation to my family

 My Contemplation

Reflecting on the past is always a good starting point for contemplating the future.  Looking at the positive & the negative of your past can help you purpose in your heart to plan a better tomorrow. 

The next time your birthday rolls around what do you want your life to look like?

What do you want to do, accomplish and change in the next 5 years, 10 years, 20 years?

What were you born to do?  What is your unique and special purpose here on this earth?

When you are at the end of your life (which when you are my age, if you have done the math,  you are aware that there are fewer years ahead of you than behind you)…what will you want your life to have looked like? What will be your legacy? What difference will you have made in the lives of your family, friends, church, workplace, city, country or world?

As I do every year around this time, I will once again be contemplating these questions and be purposeful about making needed changes in my life and making a plan to do and be all that God has for me in this life,  that He has given me.

When the final day of my life…my “deathday” arrives I want to not only be ready but I want to have lived a life that glorified God and I want to leave a legacy to future generations of Lambdin’s that will inspire them to live a purposeful life fulfilling their destiny.

It’s the day after.

Today could have been so very different for us all.  Instead of waking up this morning with the good news warming our hearts of the “Miracle on the Hudson” – the incredible crash landing of a US Air commercial plane into the Hudson River in New York – in which everyone survived, we could have been watching horrific videos and looking at photos of a fatal air crash.  We could, today have been grieving along with the thousands of friends and family members who had lost loved ones instead of rejoicing as we watched the joyous reunions and grateful passengers who were saved from an untimely death.  Instead of having a new national hero in “Sully” the US Air pilot as well as the New York  Ferry workers and first responders to admire, appreciate and be in awe & amazement of , we could have had to listen to commentators and experts talk about what went wrong and how the pilot could have possibly avoided a disaster.

Yes truly….today could have been a much different day. 

As I enjoyed the heartwarming stories, positive reports, words of gratitude to God and heartfelt appreciation that overflowed on the Internet and in the news media today, my thoughts turned towards those 155 people who for a moment yesterday thought that this just might be their last day on this earth.  I wondered if today they had a new outlook on life?  If they felt like they had been given extra time here for a reason? If their lives from this moment on would change?  If they would begin to seize the day?

Yes, I am sure that they will hug their loved ones a little tighter and hold them a bit closer in the upcoming weeks. But will their daily lives change?  Will they begin to actually do those things that they have always wanted to do or pursue their passions with new fervor?  Will they begin to look for their purpose in life – using their unique God given gifts to do great things? Will they begin to see their life from this point on as a gift from God, a bonus round or exciting tie breaking overtime?  Having come so obviously close to death and been spared will they have a new drive to fulfillthier greatest dreams?

Then I thought about my life? 

• Am I living my life on purpose, using my God given gifts to do great things? Yes, I believe I am.  Are you living your life “on purpose” or just wandering through this life without direction? Are you using your unique gifts and talents to do great things?
• As far as my seeing each day as a gift from God, bonus round or overtime?  No, I don’t think I really do.  And yet I should. I have actually been in a “crash landing” of a twin engine 3 passenger Cessna airplane in 1981 – so the past 27 years have been a “bonus” and yet I have not lived them all like that. (I’ll dig up a photo I have of me standing in front of that plane on that fateful day and post it here tomorrow)  Perhaps you’ve been spared from cancer, or survived a car accident or lived through a natural disaster and have been given a “bonus round” or second chance at life.  But even if we haven’t had a life or death experience we should never take for granted our life or assume we are “owed” 75 years here on this earth. Each day is a gift.
• Am I working towards fulfilling my greatest dreams -  well, yes…but lately I have been “stalled”.  As a believer in setting goals & having dreams I have always written out my dreams and in recent years, since I began my Creative Memories career, I transferred that list into a dream album.  My thoughts today on this “Miracle on the Hudson” and the 155 people whose lives were spared caused me to get that dream album off the shelf and do some evaluating as to where I am at in pursuing and fulfilling those dreams.  While I can tell you I have accomplished quite a few, yet there are still dozens left to accomplish….and for some…time is running out. What about you?  Do you have your dreams and goals written down and are you working regularly to accomplish these things?

So with a renewed vision, fresh perspective and energized drive, I will be getting up in the morning and living my life with purpose while working to pursue my dreams and enjoy the day as my gift from God!

My prayer for the year 2009 is that we would all be blessed beyond measure!

The dictionary definition of the word blessed: divinely or supremely favored; fortunate; blissfully happy or contented. 

Who wouldn’t want a year full of God’s favor, fortune and to be blissfully happy and vastly contented?  Sounds divine, doesn’t it?

But how do we receive these blessings?  Is there anything we can do to bring about God’s favor and fortune? Is there a way to live each day in blissful happiness and contentment? 

I believe there is and I know where to find the key.  The Bible says in Psalm 1 -

How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the path of sinners, Nor sit  in the seat of scoffers!

But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night.

He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, Which yields its fruit in its season And its leaf does not wither; And in whatever he does, he prospers.

As a believer I spend time in church each week  worshiping and hearing the Word of the Lord. I fellowship regularly with other believers.  I listen to Christian messages on the radio, Internet and on CD’s. I read books and devotionals written by Christian authors.  However….as I evaluate recent years I have failed to daily delight in and meditate on the Word of God.  I have not hungered and thirsted for His Word.  I have not loved and longed for His Word.  I have simply not made time to read, meditate on and memorize the Bible and make it a top priority in my life.

This year I will be doing  just that.  No matter what is happening in my life, I will take the time to read the Bible and meditate on its message.  Today I will begin a daily reading plan that will result in reading through the entire Bible in one year.  (I will be using the daily reading schedule found at Back to the Bible - that gets emailed daily to my in box – but there are lots of great options out there – Crosswalk.com and Walk thru the Bible  are two more great resources)

Here’s to a blessed 2009!

I don’t usually watch the Academy Awards (or any television for that matter), but last night I caught bits and pieces of this grandiose event.

Why is it that I found myself getting misty eyed everytime the award winners got up on stage to accept their award? After all I don’t know these people personally nor have I even seen most of the films honored. (My two personal favorites in 2007 were -

“Amazing Grace”  and

“The Ultimate Gift”    neither of which received any Oscar nods but are FABULOUS movies that I highly recommend you see on DVD!)

No, my heart was stirred because it is very inspiring and touching to see others earn awards, be honored, or achieve a lifetime dream…..there is something simply magical about it. Perhaps it because we all have dreams and desires in our lives and for a small moment we can imagine accomplishing our goals, winning wonderful awards or achieving a lifetime dream.

Recently I had one of those magical moments where a longtime dream became a reality.  One of my passions is Christian education! I believe the impact that a Christian school and faithful Christian educators has on young people can change the world. I have seen the influence first hand as my husband and I have spent over two decades in this life changing ministry. Because of that I have always dreamed of being able to help provide scholarships for students who did not have the financial means to attend Christian schools yet wanted to be there. 

The one obstacle to this dream was…..money. You see when you are in Christian education, more often than not your salary is…well let’s just say…”great is your reward in heaven!”

Just two weeks ago at the Jim Elliot Christian High School Founders Gala, my dream became a reality with the introduction of the Dan and Beth Lambdin Scholarship Fund!  I felt just like one of those Academy Award winners as I stood up in front of hundreds of people amidst the glamour and glitz of this fancy affair, dressed to the hilt and received a plaque announcing this fund that I had been dreaming of for years! It was glorious.

Dan and I are beaming after the scholarship fund announcement!

Why is it that many don’t dream at all, others just continue to dream with no results and some actually achieve their greatest dreams and desires? I believe those who dream, believe and achieve have some things in common:

1. They actually have a specific dream.

Those winning Oscars last night had a specific dream of winning that award. They knew that someday they wanted to be taking that coveted Oscar home. I’m sure many of them had actually visualized themselves up there accepting that honor. None of them had vague hopes or fuzzy fantasies. They knew they someday wanted to be at the top of their field and the “proof” of that would be their nomination or winning of an Oscar.

If you are going to achieve your greatest dreams they must be specific and measurable. They can’t be fuzzy or vague. You have to know exactly what you want. Seven years ago at the National convention for my home business (as I was receiving my Senior Directors Chair – another magical moment achieving a dream) we were challenged by the main stage speaker to write down our specific dream.  It was at that moment that I wrote down that I wanted to have a scholarship fund for JECHS students.

 What is your specific dream? (or dreams – if you are anything like me – you have many!) Take that first step and write them down today.

2. They tell others their dream

One of the single best thing you can do to move your dreams closer to reality is to tell others your dream!  While this is so simple, many people do not do it.  They keep their dreams to themselves, afraid of failure or of looking foolish to others. Telling people your dreams – propels you into action, holds you accountable  and helps solidify your belief in that dream!

I have told hundreds of people over many years my dream of having a scholarship fund.

3. They are committed.

No one achieves great things in life without a rock solid commitment to their dreams & desires. Everyone who won an Oscar was committed to their career. How can you tell what it is you are actually committed to in life? One simple formula:

Time = Commitment

Look a where you spend your time and I promise that is where your commitment lies. There is no way you can expect to have a successful business without putting in time (the same is true for your marriage, parenting or anything else you want to have success in.) It’s not that you can’t do ok or even accomplish a measure of success by just being involved in your career BUT you will never “win an Oscar” by just being involved – you must be committed. (my standard analogy here as to the difference between being “involved” or “committed”….a big yummy bacon & egg breakfast takes two animals…a chicken & a pig…the chicken is involved in making the breakfast, the pig is COMMITTED!)

4. They work hard!

Sorry….there is no way around it. Everyone who has accomplished anything great…..works hard. It takes sacrifice, sweat, shortness of breath, stretching out of your comfort zone and pain while you are working towards your goals & dreams. There is no easy road or short cut to rewards. As the popular saying goes – “no pain, no gain”.

5. They involve others in their dream.

Every one of those receiving Oscars thanked others – the people that helped them get to where they were – friends, family, co-workers, agents.  Not one of them attempted to say they did it on their own.  And likewise none of us will accomplish our dreams without the help, input, coaching, training and support of others.

The Dan and Beth Lambdin scholarship fund already has over $6,500 in it thanks to the generosity of others who believe in Christian education and believe in us!  And the scholarship fund will only continue as others join with us in donating money to help young people attend our school.  My personal goal is to provide 10 full scholarships and 20 partial scholarships each year. That translates to $100,000 – which may seem like a lot to you – but if just the folks who read my blog each week decided to contribute something we would be right there!  I keep dreaming BIG!

6. They stick with it.

Quitting is not an option. They are like super glue – holding fast to their dreams despite what is happening around them. No matter what disappointments, discouragement’s, or road blocks they had to endure, they did not quit. This tenacity and perseverance alone is one of the single most important qualities you can develop in your life to ensure your success!

It took seven years from the time I wrote down my dream of a scholarship fund for it to become a reality.  There were many roadblocks standing in the way, many discouraging days, many detours and times when I just couldn’t see how it was going to happen but I just kept pressing on, believing and working to make the dream a reality.

Are you ready to begin to make your dreams a reality?   

Can’t you picture it? Wouldn’t it be great? Your time to shine & sparkle like the stars!

Decide today what your dream is. Write it down, tell someone (I would love to hear your dream!) - then make the commitment, work hard, involve others & don’t quit! And soon you too will be hearing -

“And the winner is…YOU!”

PS – If you would like join me and contribute to to the new Dan and Beth Lambdin Scholarship Fund to help students attend a fabulous Christian High School and have their lives influenced to go out and positively impact the world – you would bless me beyond measure!  Just click here to donate to this fund!  Or you can send a check to (please specify it is for the Lambdin Scholarship Fund):

Jim Elliot Christian High School

2695 West Vine St

Lodi, CA 95242

You will receive a tax deductible receipt.

How many of you watch “It’s a Wonderful Life” during the holidays? (if you are like my family, it is a tradition!)  At one point during that movie George Bailey says – “Aren’t you tired of just dreaming about things?”  I think about that line a lot during the holiday season.  It seems that many people are just going through life – day by day – doing what they need to do to get by, but not really living the life that they dream of living and not really ever doing the things they sincerely want to do. Let me share with you how I stopped just “dreaming about things” several years ago during the Christmas season.

One of my dreams - ”someday” – was to have dear darling Dan and I renew our wedding vows.  The year previously we had attended the “I Still Do” conference (now called  ”Weekend to Remember” put on by Family Life Ministries – I highly recommend it) where we received a beautiful marriage covenant certificate that we brought home and put high up on a shelf in its plastic covering to do “something” with at a later date.  Well on December 16 that year, I looked up at that certificate and said to Dan – “Let’s renew our vows for our 15th anniversary” (which was just four short days away).  To which he smiled and replied “Do you want me to rent a tux?” (gotta love that guy!)

And that is exactly what we did - four days later we had a meaningful ceremony here in our home with our closest friends.  The girls all dressed up in their red velvet Christmas dresses and carried candles and flowers.  I bought a new dress, shoes & had my hair done up & Dan rented the tux.  We even had music, flowers, a cake and toasted with a bottle of Martinelli’s to many more years of blessings from the Lord. (We are getting ready to celebrate 21 years later this month!) It was an awesome and memorable moment.  It was a highlight of our marriage and the girls were impacted greatly about the importance of finding a godly, loving & kind husband to spend their lives with.  I am filled with joy just reliving it again as I share it here with you.

And the beautiful marriage covenant certificate hangs prominatly in our living room today for everyone to see our covenant to one another and to the Lord.

But do you know how easy it would have been to NOT have renewed our vows – just to have continued on to say – “someday” we’ll do that. We could have easily talked ourselves out of it by saying - Yes, but…

....maybe we should wait until our 25th anniversary?

…we only have four days to plan it – how can we pull it off? …our friend, Donnie, who married us has a Christmas dinner to go to that night and can’t come..…we aren’t giving our friends enough notice. …I don’t have anything to wear

…I have so much to do this week

…we really shouldn’t be spending the extra money (we decided to use our anniversary trip fund to pay for it…so the girls put together their money and treated us to dinner & a movie and then when we came home they had a sign on the door that said “The Robinhood Hotel” and they had cleaned our room spotless – put sparkling cider & candles in the room & acted like they were innkeepers – too cute!)

The “yes….but” list could go on & on.  We chose not to listen to that voice but to begin living our dreams and doing what we really want to do in this life – right now! It is now a priceless memory that we will cherish forever!

Are you tired of just dreaming about things? Are you ready to begin living the life you want to live this year?  I see so many people around me waiting to really live, waiting to fulfill their dreams.  We’ll do that -

• after…we get married
• after…we have kids
• after…the kids get older
• after…we’ve moved to a new house
• after…we have more money
• after…I get that degree
• after…the house is clean
• after…the laundry is done
• after…(fill in the blank)

OR we are constantly saying I’ll do that -

• next week
• next month
• next year
• or if its a diet…next Monday

Its time to stop waiting & stop putting off living the life we dream of and its time to begin to “start doing” the things we really want to do.  Put away the excuses, destroy your “yes…but” list and begin today to live that “wonderful life”.

Some things we must wait to do because we lack the finances but many of our dreams -things we want to do, or see, or experience – we could do now or at least in the foreseeable future (enough to start planning, working and saving for), if we really wanted to.

What are your dreams?

What is the life you want to be living?

What are you doing to make it happen this year?

Take some time here during this ”most wonderful time of the year” and right before we turn over the calendar to 2008 and really reflect on your life and the changes or rearranges you want to make happen.  What would your “wonderful life” look like? What do you want to see come to pass this year?

As you read this weeks motivation….don’t just “save it as new” or put it in your filing cabinet as something to get to later.  Take some time today and sit down with your pad of paper & a pen and make that dream list.  Write out what your “wonderful life” will look like this year. Include your personal goals & dreams, your family life, your marriage, and even your career. Then begin to set things in motion to have those dreams become realities!  

We only get one wonderful life – lets stop just “dreaming about things” and start living it today!

Greetings to you all on this lovely crisp, clear, cool autumn morning!  What a beautiful day. 

I had a wonderful weekend celebrating my daughter Rebekah’s Honor Star crowning.  After three years of very hard work & determination she completed a rigorous program that included earning 27 badges, memorizing countless scriptures & the books of the Bible, reading the entire New Testament, completing many service projects and much more! She is one of only four girls from our local church and a hundred girls from the Northern California/Nevada district that achieved this accomplishment. I was so very proud of her.

It got me to thinking…of the thousands of girls who start out and participate in this program….what is it that makes only a small percentage of them achieve this honor?  Everything is available for them to be successful:

• The program is hard but the plan is all laid out and easy to follow. 
• There are teachers and sponsors available to encourage, assist and keep the girls on task.
• There are weekly meetings to help them complete their assignments.
• There are even fabulous incentives — what young girl do you know who would not want to wear a long beautiful white dress, be crowned with a sparkling jewel laden tiara, be given flowers and escorted by her handsome prince of a father while being recognized on a local & district level?
• And of course there is the wonderful feeling 0f pride for accomplishing a goal. 

And yet even with all that, only a few who begin the program end up being crowned.

So what is it exactly that makes some “go for it” and others pass it by or quit in the middle??? I am sure that there are many reasons but one stood out crystal clear to me this weekend.  All the girls receiving their rewards…..

Wanted it desperately!

There is a lot involved in achieving any accomplishment but it can often come down to sheer determination and will.  Do you really want to achieve your goals in life?  Whether they are business goals, personal goals, financial goals, physical goals, or family goals – do you really want to accomplish them?

As a high school field hockey player (on a very competitive team)…..we use to say this cheer before every game…. “You’ve got to want it to win it & we want it more!  S — C — O — R — E…..score team score!”

I grew up with a Mom who use to say on a regular basis…. “Where there’s a will…there’s a way!”

And as a high school teacher when counseling a young person who was frustrated that life was not going the way they wanted it to I would often say…. “Make it happen!”

A lot of what we achieve or do not achieve in life boils down to this:

Do we really want it?

Are we willing to do whatever it takes to make it happen?

What do you really want in your life? What do you really want to do, have or accomplish? (staying home with your kids, private school tuition, losing those extra pounds, stopping that bad habit, having a fulfilling marriage, starting your own business, working at your “dream job”, getting a degree, traveling, additional income to “make ends meet” or for some “extras” in life….the list goes on & on!)

If you really want it…..you need to put your determination and will into making it happen!

Start today! I know you can!

It is a Monday. It is the 1st day of October. It is the beginning of fall.

As I turn the calendar over to a brand new day, week, month & season…..I can’t help but feel that in a small way today is a new beginning, a fresh start, a chance to do new things in a new way, a blank slate with no mistakes on it.  One of the things I loved about being raised in a military family & moving every few years growing up, was the ongoing opportunity to start over & begin again.  As we pulled into our new city, I remember thinking that I could be & do anything I desired.  I had no reputation to live up to or to try to change or overcome.  No one knew my personality or preferences, my strengths or weaknesses, my failures or successes.  No one even knew my name.  I could start completely over and become anyone that I wanted to be.

Now the bottom line is that no matter where we go, our basic God given personality does not change and we still operate in our areas of strength and still have weaknesses to deal with.  But….within those areas there is still a great deal of room for personal growth & change and we can always work on our character flaws as well as trying new and different things.  As I sat in the back of our latest station wagon  (you rember the ones with the wood laminate paneling & the back seat that faced the rear…oh the memories!) driving across the country I had lots of time to think about my life and what I wanted it to look like.  I remember consciously deciding to be more friendly & outgoing with one move, to be a better student with another and to overcome negative peer pressure and be a leader rather than a follower after moving in high school. I even changed my name several times, as is evidenced by school work my mother saved for me. (When you are named Virginia Elizabeth & your parents called you Beth…I had many options to go by new names….my real first name, my formal middle name or variations of either…Ginny,Gin,  Liz, Lizzy, Betty, Betsy  etc…. It was quite amusing when those first friends would come to the door & ask for “Ginny” and no one in my house had any idea who that was!)

Who is it that you want to be today?  What do you want to change about your life?

Are you tired of that extra 20, 30 or 40 pounds hanging around your waistline and want to change your physical appearance, become healthier or fit into the closet full of “skinny clothes”? You can begin a healthier lifestyle today – eating less, exercising more. (darn it! It really is that simple…what are we waiting for?) Forget your past failures…it is a new day!

Do you want to finally get that home business up & going and accomplish your personal goals?  It is a new week! Start making those phone calls, marketing your services, brush up on your skills, make a business plan and begin to work that plan now.

Is there something about your character that you want to change? Do you want to stop gossiping, complaining, worrying, being negative, mean spirited, crass or condescending?  Are you arrogant, argumentative, short tempered, stubborn, selfish, a perfectionist, always playing the victim, dishonest or lazy?  (ouch! That’s an overwhelming list that I find myself “guilty as charged” in many areas.)  We can begin now to improve our character.  Pick something that you want to work on and ask for assistance from family or friends who can point out to you when you fall back into this sin. I have found one of the best ways to overcome character flaws is to actively do the exact opposite. For example – instead of gossiping say something complimentary about the person you were about to talk about, instead of complaining look for & talk about the good & positive things in life, instead of being a perfectionist let things go on purpose, when you feel like being lazy force yourself up off the couch and get going on a project.

Are you wanting to be a better wife and mother? Do you want to be purposeful about having a “dream marriage” and raising children who will grow up confident knowing they are loved, valuable and have a great purpose to make a difference in their corner of the world?  Today is the day!  Text message your dear darling hubby at work & tell him you love & appreciate him and you can’t wait for him to come home. Hug your kids, pray for them and begin planning how you can help shape their lives through training, teaching & role modeling the qualities you want them to have. 

Do you desire to know the Lord more intimately? Do you want to develop a daily discipline of prayer & reading the Bible? This is a lifetime quest and battle for everyone who loves the Lord and wants to know Him. The amazing thing is that God Himself is just waiting to love us, speak to us, teach us & help us with each & every new day!  Read Lamentations 3:22-26    The LORD’S lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, For His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. “The LORD is my portion,” says my soul, “Therefore I have hope in Him.” The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, To the person who seeks  Him.

Yes, it is a bright new day! A sparkling new week! A brand new month! A fresh new season!   Take some time today to think about what you want your life to look like and what you need to begin to do to accomplish that.  Put aside the past with all its mistakes and failures and begin a fresh new life today full of hope for the future that it will be all that you dream & desire.

In honor of the bright, talented, goal setting, driven, intense, persuasive, strong willed, lovely, going to change the world  #4 Lambdin lady  – Rebekah – who is turning 12 years old tomorrow, I am posting an updated Monday Motivation that I wrote seven years ago shortly after her 5th birthday. It is very timely in my own life as I am currently saying “after this day” in a couple areas of my own life.  Here it is from October 2000.

This morning I was snuggling in bed with my 5 year old, Rebekah, who wants to break her life long habit of…sucking her thumb! 

While we were laying there talking she put her head down on the pillow & popped her thumb in her mouth.  I gently reminded her that she had made a commitment to stop sucking her thumb on her birthday a few weeks back.  She pulled her thumb out of her mouth, smiled wryly at me and said with confidence “Oh Momma…I will stop sucking my thumb…..after this day“, and then promptly put that thumb right back in her mouth.  After quizzing her about why she was putting it off, why she didn’t just stop today and then going over all the compelling reasons as to why she should stop, she finally said with exasperation “it’s toooooo hard, Momma!”

Hmmmm, now doesn’t that sound familiar? Isn’t that pretty much what we all do when something is  just to hard or will take to much time, effort & energy?  We tell ourselves we will do it – “after this day”.  What types of things are you putting off doing? Do any of these hit home with you?

• going on that diet or exercising regularly & eating healthy
• starting that home based business (or really beginning to actually work at the one you’ve already started)
• getting on a budget or having a financial plan and sticking to it
• doing something with our precious photographs (you know the ones that you say are so important that they are first thing you’d save in a fire or flood?)
• finally quitting smoking, drinking, gossiping, overeating, complaining (or whatever your bad habit or vice is…we all have them)
• getting together with, writing a letter or calling that old dear friend of ours who we have not connected with recently
• writing those long overdue thank you notes
• beginning to work toward achieving that personal dream you have in your heart
• volunteering your time or giving your money to that organization you really believe in
• going to church, joining that Bible study or spending consistent time in the Word and prayer
• being bold and opening my mouth and sharing my faith with those who need the Lord
• mending that broken relationship or asking forgiveness
• being purposeful about creating a meaningful family life & raising children who have your values, morals & faith
• _______________________________ (list what you are putting off until “after this day”)

But unfortunately, too often for many of us “after this day” never comes.  Saying or thinking we will do things “after this day” just helps us to justify the fact that we are not doing what we say we want or need to do! It gives us a false hope that perhaps someday we really will.  Telling ourselves “after this day” pacifies us just like Rebekah’s thumb pacifies her.  

Our “after this day” often sounds like this -

• after….this crazy, busy, out of control week (month, season or even year)
• after….my kids start school (go back to school, get out of school, graduate from school or leave home)
• after….I get organized (settled down, clean my house or office desk)
• after….I have this baby (the next baby or the last baby)
• after….the holidays (my birthday, vacation or that special event)
• after….I get that job (quit that job, finish that assignment or retire)
• after…everything is perfect! (“when the moon is in the seventh house & Jupiter aligns with Mars”  to quote a popular 70’s song that often makes me laugh at myself  & others when we make crazy excuses that we are waiting for just the right time!)
• after…..____________________(fill in the blank with your favorite reason to put off something)

Of course occasionally it is appropriate to wait or put off something until a better time but more often than not it is simply just an excuse to not do something or at least get started in that direction.  Let’s get honest with ourselves today and first decide what is it that you REALLY want to do.

Do you really want to lose that weight & live a healthier life?  Do you really want to make extra income, have less stress and be able to enjoy some financial freedom that owning/working a business, budgeting or planning can bring you?  Would you love to have your photos and memories organized, preserved and available to be easily enjoyed regularly? Are you tired of bad habits, character flaws or unhealthy lifestyles controlling you?  Do you long to have restored relationships with loved ones? Do you want to have the personal fulfillment & blessing of giving of your time, talent or treasure to a worthy cause?  Do you need to be in a growing relationship with God? Do you want to live a meaningful life and pass on your values, morals & faith to your children?  Do you have a dream or goal that often wells up in your heart and mind that you would love to see become a reality?

What is it that you want to do that you keep putting off until another time?  Perhaps it is time to STOP saying  “after this day” and start saying TODAY IS THE DAY!  Forget the past failures, present hardships and put away the many excuses. Begin this very day to do the things you need to do to move you closer to accomplishing your life goals & your dreams! 

Here’s to starting….TODAY!

2007 update:  Rebekah did eventually stop sucking her thumb but not until she was forced to by the orthodontist who put a palate expander in the roof of her mouth.  She was nine years old by that time and had to suffer the pain & problems of extensive dental work in part because of her “after this day” decision.  There is almost always some type of consequence to putting off important things in our lives until “after this day”.  A life lesson that has hopefully been learned well so she can avoid in the future having an “after this day” mentality.

She is now a twelve year old and a tenacious “go getter”!  She is all about planning, working & accomplishing her goals & dreams.  And her attitude is always….Let’s do it NOW. Here is her current “short list” of things she wants to do and/or accomplish -

• Start her own business this year (actually 2 different businesses – a “Moms morning out” and a trash can cleaning business)
• Make lots of money (she wants to buy a high quality digital camera, travel, add to her beauty product collection, give money to missions and save.)
• Travel to Hawaii & Texas in 2008
• Glorify God by being kind & compassionate to others
• To consistently help the homeless & hungry by having fast food gift cards & water in the car ready to pass out at any given time.

Rebekah – You go girl! Happy Birthday

Photo by Sallee Photography

I am a flower quickly fading
Here today and gone tomorrow
A wave tossed in the ocean
A vapor in the wind

from Casting Crowns song – “Who am I?”

I have spent the past few days pouring over photos of a mans life in preparation for a slide presentation for his memorial service today.  He lived 64 years and from what I can tell thru those photos he packed a lot of living, loving & laughing into those years.   

The photographs depicted a man who loved & stayed committed to the wife of his youth, a man who was actively involved in his childrens lives bringing him joy and fulfillment, a man who had children that adored him, a man who had stayed close with his extended family, a man who enjoyed fishing, photography & the outdoors, a hard working man who once proudly served his country in the military and a man who smiled a lot, laughed and enjoyed life.

To some he lived a long & fulfilling life, to others his life was cut short.  To me……he lived a lifetime.  His lifetime happened to be 64 years.  His appointed time covered 768 months or 3,328 weeks,  or 23,296 days.  Each and everyone of us has been given our own lifetime to live.  We do not know is how long that appointed time will be.  It could come to an end just around the next bend or it could be next week, next month, next year or in the next decade or beyond.  We could have thousands of weeks or days left to live or we could have just a few months or years.  We just do not know. (and in this world of “knowing”  and being in control of almost everything…this really bugs some of us!)  All we do know for sure is that one day all of our lives will come to an end. (as my dear darling hubby tells his Junior/Senior world view class  – “Here is an accurate statistic for you  –  10 out of 10 people die”)

At the end of my appointed lifetime ….what do I want the photographs of my life to depict? 

I want people to see someone who lived -

I strive to live my life with compelling purpose & with passion.  I hope to make a difference in the lives of those around me. I live to glorify God! I want to have energy, enthusiasm & excitement. I desire to live a fulfilling life and to have very few regrets.

I want people to see someone who loved -

I love the Lord my God. I love my dear darling hubby. I love my wonderful children. I love my large extended fabulous family. I love my dearest life long friends. I love my former students and their families. I love my co-workers & clients. I love my large circle of friends from different seasons of life & different parts of the country.

I want to love those who are hard to love - the destitute, the outcast, the unlovable. I want to love those who see me as their adversary or who make my life difficult. I want to love with an unconditional love.

I want people to see someone who laughed -

I want my life to be joyful & filled with memorable moments. I want to smile a lot. (as my daughter reminds me often… “Smile Mom! It releases endorphins!”) I want to be less intense and more relaxed (ie: stop sweating the small stuff) I want to laugh a lot!

 When your appointed lifetime comes to an end….what do you want the photographs of your life to depict? 

Can someone please tell me when the month of August ceased being summertime?  

Isn’t August still a time for “floatin’ fools in the swimming pools”, mouthwatering backyard barbecues with friends, carnivals & state fairs, baseball games, enjoying ice coffee & conversation on the patio in the cool of the evening after a sweltering day. (Ok, ok…so I live in California…my apologies to those of you who live in the weather ravaged parts of the world where its still HOT & HUMID at 9pm), late night ice cream sundaes in front of a newly rented movie and sleeping in as late as you want in the morning! It is truly the best of the “dog days of summer” …no schedules, no agenda…just enjoying the easy living of summer!

These days summer seems to come to a screeching halt by the end of July as more & more schools are choosing early start dates instead of the traditional day after Labor Day….1st day of school. My life has been affected by this evolution….with dear darling hubby working at an educational institution that began mid August & # 2 daughter attending there, the charter school I homeschool thru following suit, soccer practices already in full swing for the fall season & even the local neighborhood pool cutting back their hours to weekends & “after school” (even though its 98 degrees outside!). It has even dampened my September 1st birthday celebration that use to always be the last week of summer vacation with no worries, no school, no homework! (and I didn’t care about missing out on cupcakes in the classroom…I’d take a vacation time birthday party over that anytime!) Yes, in my world …it is & should still be summer with all its many wonderful diversions!

So since I refuse to conform to this “new” definition of August…for me today begins the final week of summertime before school starts.  It is a time to continue to enjoy the lazy days of summer while beginning to form a plan for the upcoming school year.

Next week when we officially begin lessons (as a homeschooling family our philosophy is “life is school” but we do complete lessons!) we will all be up a bit earlier in the morning, getting supplies together, and making sure the kids are properly dressed…before getting out the camera for the first day of school pictures. (the rest of the year they can do their school work in their PJ’s for all I care…but have to have those pictures!) 

Having personally been entrenched in education for over 21 years (11 as a high school teacher & administrator and the past 10 years as a home school teacher)… I always see this time of year as a new beginning. A fresh start to a brand new school year that I can make into whatever I want it to be.  The past school year (with all its failures, mistakes as well as successes) is over and gone, only to be remembered through report cards, school records and the scrapbook or yearbook.

I always loved that feeling! I had an empty lesson planner and a school year calendar sitting blank in front of me and I would create whatever type of year I wanted. I could continue to fine tune & develop the things that were successful and make them even better. I could try brand new, perhaps even “risky” ideas in hopes of inspiring my students in their quest of learning.  As I sat there with my yearly calendar, my goals & objectives and my weekly lesson plans…the sky was the limit as to what I could do & accomplish that new school year. BUT one thing was always certain….I never started a new school year without a “plan”. None of us would accept our children’s teacher telling us that they had no specific plan for the year…no goals or objectives….that they were just going to see what happened.  We would leave that classroom (in shock!) and head to the principals office demanding a new teacher!  

YET…that is exactly what many of us do with our lives.  We just “let it happen” without any goals & objectives and with very little planning and then we wonder why its “not working” for us? I want to challenge you today, during this week before new beginnings(like the start of a new school year, even if your kids started weeks ago!) to begin to make a plan for your year. Forget the past…and make today a fresh new start.  

Begin with the end in mind!

Well, maybe not the very end (although that’s an excellent way to live….thinking about what you want your life to have looked like when you are on your death bed!) Let’s start with this –  Next August what do you want your life to look like?  What personal or family habits do you want to cultivate? What new traditions do you want to establish or new ways to celebrate life? What do you want to teach your children? What do you want for your marriage and/or family relationships? Do you have any new skills you want to acquire or talents you want to improve upon or use? Where do you want to be spiritually, physically, emotionally, mentally & financially?

After you write out your dreams, goals, objectives…..take each of them and make a list of what needs to happen to accomplish them. Then “calendar” those things into your year & write out your life’s lesson plans.

Here is one example -

Goal: To get caught up & stay current on my family photo albums

Ways to accomplish this:  weekly time set aside to journal, monthly workshops, yearly retreats

What to put on the life lesson plan & calendar:  Journaling time every Sunday afternoon for 1 hour (during baby’s nap), First Friday of the month attend a 4 hour workshop to complete albums, Every August go on a scrapbooking weekend retreat with friends.

Here is a “heavier” example

Goal: The family to mature spiritually over the next year.

What needs to happen to accomplish this: church involvement, regular family prayer & devotions, scripture memory, cultivating personal time with God, becoming missions minded, developing meaningful spiritual traditions around the holidays etc…

What to put on the life lesson plan & calendar: Calendar in weekly church attendance,yearly mission trip or other local outreach opportunity (like working at a local soup kitchen or passing out blankets to the homeless). Decide on best time for family prayer & devotions and make it happen. (even if you begin with once a week rather than daily) Pick a verse to begin memorizing and post it around the house (bathroom mirrors, fridge, car dash board etc..) – practice together daily at a family meal or while driving to school. Research making holidays meaningful & implement one thing to each holiday this year. Provide a “quiet time” at home (even if it is just 15 minutes) for cultivating a relationship with God thru the word & personal prayer & meditation.

So as the summer winds down & the new school year begins - Write out your dreams & goals for this year, make a life’s lesson plan & then put  that plan into action! Don’t continue to just let life “happen”  BUT rather “MAKE IT HAPPEN”.  You will reap great rewards for your efforts.

Here’s to next August as you are enjoying the “dog days of summer” basking in the sun by the pool, you’ll also enjoy looking back at your many accomplishments of the past year & basking in the glory of a life well lived.