Now What?

By Brenda Black

You know you've either arrived or you are an old has-been when you start getting invitations to share your wisdom. I'm still pondering which category I fall under, as I plan for two school events where I'll answer questions about career choices and next steps for the next generation.

Oh, to be young and full of potentiality. It sounds exciting...and terrifying! I remember those “simpler” days when destiny was shaped more by fantasies of dreams becoming reality than true preparation for the real world. Junior high and high school years were a time for exploration and someone else footing the bill and assuming the responsibilities. Humans at that age think time lasts forever, until suddenly it's graduation day. The questions fly at these young adults like pointed darts whizzing past their heads: “Where are you going to school?” “What are you going to major in?” What do you want to do with your life?” “Any idea where you want to live?”

Their answers are hits and misses on the target of life, mostly just thrust toward a point two to four years down the road, with hopes they hit a bullseye. I mean, who actually, truly, honestly knows exactly what they want out of life at 17 or 18 years of age? Not many of us. Oh sure, we all have likes and interests and skill sets that cause us to migrate toward career choices. There are some who've known since they were eight what they want to do to make a living. For the most part, the rest of the human race just hopes something hits them in the face that they love and for which they can be paid.

So, May rolls around, and countless fresh-faced teens, who are headed to their twenties, embark on their journeys to success. They hear the commencement speeches and march to “Pomp and Circumstance.” They count the cards laden with cash and shop for dorm room furnishings. Then they ponder, like this 50-something, just what do I want to be and what do I want to accomplish?

May I offer a little advice...pray about it! From the classes you take to the roommate you select, ask for godly wisdom. In big decisions and small, seek counsel from the One who knows you best. God created you and has a purpose for your life. The plan is in place; your task is to pursue it. From one who's always sensed a particular calling to communicate, I've learned that if you listen with your heart as well as your head, you'll find your way and you'll discover your destiny.

Go forth, young grads, filled less with fear and more with promise. For the Lord goes before you and will whisper in your ear profound wisdom, IF you listen. “Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, 'This is the way; walk in it,' Isaiah 30:21.”

Caught Up in a Marvelous Moment

By Brenda Black

Getting caught up in the moment makes a memory stick in your mind. Sounds, sights, and songs each have a mysterious quality that burrows its way into the recesses of the brain and the very soul of a man. There is power in the spoken word. There is meaning in an image. There is emotion in a song. When Jesus entered Jerusalem, surely the throngs of people who lined the streets, waving palm branches and tossing their cloaks on the dusty path before Him were overwhelmed by all they saw and felt. They were caught up in a marvelous moment that happened long ago, yet impacts us to this very day.

His celebrated arrival seemed like a military victory. It was instead a prelude to death. In just a few days, the Lord Jesus Christ taught his followers of the need for His holy sacrifice. He imparted His mission. He compelled them to action. He loved them completely, in spite of their abandoning Him. 

He died for them.

He taught. He cried. He served. He suffered. He died.

All of a sudden, that triumphant parade felt like a mockery. Hopes crushed. Dreams dashed. Hearts broken and grieving. Lives altered significantly, having spent time with this King, yet so helpless to stop His suffering. Soldiers brutally crucified this loving leader! His enthusiastic followers cowered and shuttered in disbelief as Jesus died before their tear-blurred eyes.

The loud “Hosannas” that rang just a few days earlier, were silenced by sobs and wailing. The kind King, the gentle Lamb, the Friend of sinners and the Wise Teacher dead.

How could any event erase the heart-wrenching embedded memories of heinous sounds and visions? Only one moment makes such a difference – the Resurrection!

HE LIVES!

Easter Sunday undoes the disappointment of Palm Sunday's short-lived victory. Easter Sunday redeems the traitorous act committed on Thursday. Easter Sunday obliterates the finality of Good Friday! From the time Jesus mounted a donkey and waved to the masses, to the miraculous moment He dropped grave clothes and adorned Himself in glorious immortality, we recount history this week. We have the position in time to see the whole story and know how it ends. All the sights and sounds, from jubilant choruses to haunting dirges to astonished praises, we see on this side of the cross and the empty tomb. When we read again about the moments that changed the world, it's easy to commiserate with the downcast and be awe-stricken with those surprised by the outcome. We have the privilege of reliving that moment when death was replaced by eternal promise, every day of our lives.

As you celebrate Easter in 2015, never forget how it all began. Remember the journey and think on the sacrifice, but most importantly believe in the end of the story. A Risen Savior reigns more than 2000 years later! Because He lives, our souls and our senses are touched again.

©Brenda Black The Word's Out

Valentine to God for a Job Well Done

By Brenda Black

Feeling blessed and a little bushed after a load of work in January. But the fruit of my labor and the hand of the Lord is looking lovely for February. My Valentine to God and thanks from me will be nine feature articles, cover stories, editorials and news stories that will appear in four different publications! Better than chocolate is seeing the graphics and script I prepared come to life in a national t.v. commercial, airing in the month of love. Having two separate regional advertising campaigns designed and distributed to a four state region makes my heart skip a beat. Booking speaking engagements months in advance is such a treat. Selling hundreds of ads in one week and editing and designing a profound and inspirational book are all icing on the cake. A gigantic newsletter and multiple email blasts signed, sealed and delivered as promised, brought a hug to more than one of us. The cakes I made and got to eat too, included promotions for five organizations and churches for their upcoming events. Brochures, post cards, banners, logos, speeches, commercials, interviews and articles; editing, layout, photography and websites -- January was demanding, but February is looking pretty sweet, and I have the Lord to thank!

I love my Lord and long to honor Him in all that I do --

"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving," Colossians 3:23-24.

Looking for gift inspiration? How 'bout a book by Brenda. 

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Tenacity Wins the Race

By Brenda Black

I tearfully watched as one after another of thousands of runners willed their wearied legs toward the finish line. Some ran for the first time a race that far and hard. Their grimaced lips and tear-filled eyes revealed the pain of the process and relief for its culmination. Some tested their endurance for the hundredth race, cruising past in steady strides, with experience breathing in and out as evenly. From the first timers to the Olympic qualifiers, each one reached their destiny powered by tenacity.

Half wincing, half intrigued, I witnessed a man pull nails out of a board with his mouth, in pursuit of a Guinness World Record. His tenacity demanded steely concentration, as well as tough teeth! In a room filled with photographers, judges and reporters, he never lost focus, but annihilated the nails and beat the clock as if he ate hammers for breakfast.

A young, female doctor who owns a brand new clinic is home on maternity leave, planning how she'll juggle a newborn and 8,000 small and large animal patients. She tells me she'll take her race one leg at a time and handle the tough test of dual commitment and a divided heart. She's filled with tenacious optimism and determined to balance family and career.

They all remind me yet again of the amazing potential of the human spirit and body when one puts his or her mind to something and compels the heart to follow. While their examples are inspiring, it is also humbling to think of how little I often expect from myself. A bit of pain or inconvenience and I might be prone to take the shorter, easier route. At the end of that decision, I have to wonder, did the short cut leave me more fulfilled or empty. Will I know that I left it all on the field and played this game of life to win, pushing the limits of my own human possibilities, if I never do the hard stuff or try something out of my comfort zone?

Stepping out in faith and fortitude takes effort. Marathon runners don't wake up on race day and go 26.2 miles without building up the stamina, one step, one mile at a time. Guinness record breakers know the target before they ever make the attempt, and they practice, practice, practice. Moms count the cost and factor in the blessings to be the best they can be for their babies, in spite of the tears and trials. After weighing the odds and looking to the prize, the tenacious go to work to see their dreams become reality.

How about you? What's on your radar or your bucket list? Have you decided it's time for a little self-improvement? The only one who can make it happen is you.

Take the first step. Keep the focus. Find the balance. Be tenacious and finish the race.