Crazy Love - Time to reflect

I started reading Francis Chan's "Crazy Love" last night. Wow. So powerful and so so real in the way he communicates.

He has a companion web site www.crazylovebook.com that has two videos that you should watch. I'll make it easy by embedding them here.

The first one is "The Awe Factor of God". This video is on the www.crazylovebook.com site and also on YouTube.


It is impossible to watch that and not think about how this world "so isn't about you". We were made to worship.

But if talk of worship is greek to you, then watch the second one "Just Stop and Think".



Lord, I pray that these videos touch hearts today and that 2009 would be a year of falling in love with you with a Crazy Love - crazy, relentless, all-powerful, unconditional love, like you give to us freely.

Chicke Fitzgerald

Antidote to disappointment in relationships - the Love Dare

UNCONDITIONAL LOVE is eagerly promised at weddings, but rarely practiced in real life. As a result, romantic hopes are often replaced with disappointment in the home. But it doesn’t have to stay that way.

A major source of disappointment in a relationship is when our expectations aren't met.

I'm learning that the issue of expectations is one that is often easily fixed by improving communication, if you recognize the real issues at hand and to deal with the other person in love.

My husband used to get irritated with me when I didn't do something that he expected me to do. The problem was that he wasn't telling me what he expected (I know you never have this in your relationships!), or if we had discussed me doing something specific, he often would leave of the little detail of when he expected me to have whatever it was done.

Even simple things could cause a major fight. One example is when recently he asked me to help with the laundry (I'm fortunate that he normally takes care of it) and he expected it to be done in a few hours, taking care of each load right when it finished. That was the picture that he had formed in his mind (his expectation). I had in my mind that as long as I worked it in by the time I got to bed (multi-tasking a dozen things in between), that was ok. In the end, it wasn't the laundry that was the issue, it was how we were communicating. In the past when I would ask him why he didn't tell me what he wanted, he would respond that he "shouldn't have to". Maybe this is a guy thing, but I just couldn't figure out how to transform myself into a mind reader.

Now I'm not usually slow, but we've been married for 18 years and it just occurred to me this week to ask him to write down his expectations so that we can discuss them and both be on the same "page".

The fact is that I love him and don't want to let him down and I especially don't want to be a source of irritation to him. After years of this same issue recurring, combining love and communication was a great way to solve the problem.

Other sources of disappointment in relationships can be lying and inconsistent behavior. I wish I could provide as easy an antidote to those challenges. I know for a fact that dealing with people who disappoint you by trying to extract justice (pointing out their errors according to the law that you've laid down) doesn't work. It doesn't bring about perfection, nor does it instill a desire to change.

We must instead look at the model of hope that comes from serving a God that does not lie and cannot change. His way when we let Him down involves mercy (not getting what is actually deserved) and grace (getting what is not deserved - His unmerited favor).

Hebrews 6:17-20

17Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath. 18 God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged. 19 We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, 20 where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.

Anchors hold a boat firm in a storm. Verse 19 of chapter 6 says that our hope in God is an anchor for our soul. The fact that He can't change and doesn't lie is our hope. So even if you have a spouse, a child, or a friend that continually disappoints you, hold firm to your anchor. Mirror His unchangeable nature of love in your dealings with him/her and know that eventually, love and grace will win out.

In the recent movie Fireproof, the main characters in the story were in a dysfunctional marriage. The husband was given a copy of a book called the "Love Dare", which had a 40 day plan of demonstrating love outlined for him.

I won't spoil the story, but if you are in a marriage that has been filled with disappointment and it can't be fixed by simple changes in your communication, try the Love Dare. Give God a chance to fix your relationship. Go see the movie if it is still playing near you.


"Lord God, my heart and mind always vears back to justice and the law when I am disappointed by someone. Your mercy is beyond my comprehension and grace is beyond my nature. Change me to look more like you today and everyday that we get closer to standing beyond the veil with you, our High Priest."

Chicke Fitzgerald

Happy Holidays from the Fitzgerald Family

Happy Holidays. Here is the Fitzgerald year in pictures in lieu of our normal holiday letter.




See you next year!

Chicke, Michael, Kiera and Sergey (and JoJo)

The Gift of Grace

Hebrews 4:15-16 We do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weakness, but one who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore draw near with confidence to the throne of GRACE, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

I'm wondering today at the use of "receive" and "find" as it relates to mercy and grace (in that order).

I began understanding mercy under Pastor Fred Sindorf's teaching about the mercy seat at the Risen Savior church in Milwaukee (well, West Allis to be exact).

I definitely experienced God's mercy in those days - unmerited favor or more simply, not getting what you deserve. Mercy is the direct opposite of justice - getting precisely what you deserve.

But in the 30 years hence, I still lived somewhat under the law/justice mode, expecting punishment whenever I didn't live up to God's standard. Make no mistake, I know that God was not happy with some of the choices that I made, but it was my choices He hated, not me.

It was only 3 years ago when Michael and I went to a Tres Dias weekend that I "found grace". Or should I say, it found me. I now fully understand the rest that is possible through his sympathy with our frailty, instead of expecting punishment. And I know that someone else stood in for my punishment, which is the ultimate form of grace.

I want to share with others His rest, which is understanding His GRACE.

Lord, use me to demonstrate the peace and rest possible through your grace. Thanks for the gift of grace and serenity in the midst of chaos.

Chicke

God's Gift - Our Treasure

2 Timothy 1:6 Kindle afresh the gift of God which is in you.

2 Timothy 1:14 Guard, through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us, the treasure which has been entrusted to you.

Everything we need to get through life is ours. Power, love and discipline are the tools - God's gift to us.

We don't earn gifts, they are given at the giver's pleasure. These gifts are a treasure and the Holy Spirit is their guardian in us.

I need to call on the Holy Spirit to remind me daily that I already have ALL that I need as a child of the King. I will today kindle the gifts.

Lord, thank you for power, love and discipline. They are all that I need. I accept your gift of power over sin and situation, unconditional love and discipline in all areas of my life.

Amen!

In God We Trust

Ever wonder why people put their trust in little pieces of green paper? While works of art in their own right, as the current state of economy proves, they are in fact, not worthy of our trust.

The acts of less than 100 men and women, leaders in finance, government, banking and insurance have brought this country and in fact the world economy to its knees. Which, by the way, is right where God would want us to be under the circumstances!

The thing that we often miss is that even our money has a reminder to us of its own frailty and that we as a country should remember that it is in God that we must trust.

God is not in recession and His economy is not in a shambles. His laws are about giving, not hoarding and about loving and sharing, not living in fear.

Step into His throne room and lay your needs at His feet. He's "especially fond" of you and He's waiting.

Chicke Fitzgerald

What is your Jericho?

I've been reading Wayne Cordeiro's book, the Divine Mentor, in which the lead role is played by the Holy Spirit himself. The book lays out how important it is to seek the wisdom of the various men and women in the Bible, so that we don't make the same mistakes that they made, and that we can follow them when they were successful as well.

Today, I was reading the first two chapters of Joshua. As the story goes, Moses dies and his servants go and tell Joshua that he is "up". He's the one that God has chosen to lead the people (who have been wandering for 40 years across a desert that is only 120 miles wide....) to the Promised Land.

He listens to them. God's words, spoken through them, are peppered with "be strong and courageous" several times, which leads me to believe that what he is about to do is not a slam dunk.

Then, as he takes them across the Jordan to Jericho, he uses a harlot to keep the scouts safe. God rarely makes the obvious choice - the one that the religious people would make. He uses the weak to confound the strong.

After she set up a ruse to confuse the leadership of Jericho, the scouts go back to Joshua to report. They didn't say "We think we can beat them". In Chapter 2, verse 24, they said "Surely the Lord has given all the land into our hands and all the inhabitants of the land, moreover, have melted away before us". I like the confidence, which only comes from knowing the one who sent them.

From time to time, we all have Jerichos before us and deserts behind us. I have been wandering, not for 40 years, but for 2 years in what has seemed at times like a desert. Now, I face my own Jericho, and like Joshua and his men, I know that the Lord has surely given it all into my hands and that what seems to be like a wall before me will melt away before me. Thank you Lord!

What's your Jericho? Who will he use to show you the solution?

Chicke Fitzgerald

Fully surrendered, wholly devoted

Surrender is an interesting concept. In the natural world, it is giving up and from the world's perspective it is losing.

In God's world, surrender is the first step toward victory -- winning instead of losing. With hands lifted up, putting whatever has been holding us back in His very capable hands.

I'm not talking about just getting on your knees when something is bothering you, I'm talking about a radical act of spiritual surrender, that is, complete surrender of one's life, breath, thoughts, feelings and actions to Him.

I know that given the chance, if I insist on control, that I am actually walking blindly, not knowing what is around each corner. He sees it all. Why would I trust my life to anyone else, including me?

Sometimes we're missing miracles that God so wants to do in our lives - because we refuse to relinquish control. I'm ready for my miracle!

What God says about authority

As we await the outcome of the election tomorrow, irrespective of who we have voted for, we must remember what God has to say about authority:

Romans 13:1 Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.

The amazing thing about our post-election future is that whether you are for or against the one that is elected tomorrow, our country is squarely in God's hands.

He is bigger than any candidate's economic plans, stronger than any candidate's experience, wider than any candidate's influence and his reach is deeper than any candidate's pockets.

I waited over an hour on Friday to vote my conscience, but my hope is in the Lord.

Chicke Fitzgerald

Hope is based on believing in One who does not change

We've all been victims of being told one thing by another person, only to find out later that it is not true. That kind of duplicity makes it very difficult to have faith in that person. And in a relationship, if that trust has been broken, it is very tough to have any level of hope for the future.

My husband and I were talking this morning about what it must be like right now to be part of the uncommitted group that doesn't yet know who to vote for.

With all of the he said/he said (as well as a little he said/she said thrown in for good measure) in the media and in the candidates' own commercials, I suspect the decision at the polls for the undecideds will all come down to fundamental values that separate the basics of the Democratic and Republican party platforms.

The proof of the pudding as to the voracity of their claims and campaign retoric will be in the behavior of the victor in January when the new President takes office.

Although campaign ads can be very confusing and the lack of birth certificates and association with known terrorists can be scary, come January it is a fact that we will have a new President and we are called to support those in authority, even if we don't support all of their views.

I take heart in knowing that as sure as the laws of gravity will not change, neither does the nature of God and in the end, His control is really all that matters.

James 1:17 tells us, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” And the meaning of Numbers 23:19 could not be more clear, “God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should change His mind. Does He speak and then not act? Does He promise and not fulfill?” No, God does not change His mind. These verses assert that God is unchanging, and unchangeable. I am SO glad.

While I do know who I am voting in just 11 short days, at the end of the day, my hope is not in him for our economy and the safety of our country, but in the God that made heaven and earth.

Joshua 24:15
But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD."

Chicke Fitzgerald
One who seeks His face in all that I do

Woman of Worth - WOW

I just got back from the latest women's weekend of the local Tres Dias community here in Tampa. The theme for the weekend was Women of Worth. All I can say is WOW.

There were 30 women that attended and nearly 100 of us that served them on the weekend.

Imagine those service ratios in a hotel or on a cruise or in a restaurant. That service model can only thrive in God's economy.

Those 30 women left the 3 1/2 day encounter totally transformed. The bold became meek and the mild ones left courageous. It is impossible to be in the presence of Jesus and not be changed by his amazing grace.

While this may have been just a favorite hymn before the weekend, these women left truly understanding the unmerited favor - unearned gift that they have received and their worth does not come from WHO they are but WHOSE they are.

They were set free in ways that would be hard to imagine if you do not know his unending love and amazing grace on a personal basis.

I have plans for you!

Did you ever have someone approach you with that line?

Perhaps it was a spouse asking you to pack a bag for a surprise weekend trip, or an employer who asks you to have lunch and when you look worried, they say "I have plans for you!", you know that you are not facing a pink slip.

Jeremiah 29:11 says

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.

If there is anything better than knowing that someone has plans for you, it is knowing that those plans are for prosperity, hope and a future!

Especially in these troubled times when it would appear that there is anything but hope ahead, it is just wonderful to know that there is One that not only has a plan for you, but that loves you more than you can ever know.

Hold fast to His promise. Ask Him to guide your every step. He is waiting.

The Trapeze

Last week our pastor talked about how trusting God's leading is a bit like jumping from one trapeze to another. The picture at the left is not as clear as I would like, but then neither is the path that God has for us.

The picture is from an "outward bound" type of management training session. I went to one of these workshops nearly 20 years ago when I was with American Airlines Sabre division. It was put on by a firm called SportsMind™. The picture is from an exercise called the trapeze.

The first thing that happens is that you climb a telephone pole that has "steps" nailed to it. On the top of the pole is a little wooden disk, about 12" in diameter or about the size of a small pizza pan. When you get to the top of the pole, you have to climb up on the disk and stand up, turn around and then jump out about 6 1/2 ft to grab a trapeze.

OK, I'm afraid of heights. Actually it is more than that, it is actually a fear of falling off of high things or worse, being pushed.

Sometimes this is what life feels like - scaling something impossible, only to have to balance on something equally impossible and having to jump from there to something even more impossible.

What if I lose my balance? What if I fall?

What I didn't tell you is that at SportsMind, they start by attaching you to ropes that allow your colleagues to hold on to you as you are climbing, and if you fall, they are able to steady the ropes and the carabiners and beley lines keep you from falling as they control your descent.

This is exactly like faith. God never allows us to take those chances without having a solid grasp on the beley lines of our life. He won't let us fall.

Back to my jump. I was scared. Even though the beley lines were there and I knew my colleagues had a good handle on the ropes. But did I trust them?? We hadn't exactly been working as a team leading up to the executive retreat, which was largely the reason we were all there.

I climbed the pole with relative ease, but getting up on the disk was harder than I ever imagined. And turning around to face the trapeze was even harder. When I finally got steady and I jumped, it was amazing. Someone got a picture of me totally in flight. I reached and I caught the trapeze.

What a rush!

I let go and my teammates guided me slowly and safely to the ground.

I wanted to do it again!

If you are just reading this post not having read the one below it, now listen to the song by Twila Paris. "Do I trust you Lord" is the refrain of the song.

Do I trust you Lord? You bet.

Chicke Fitzgerald

The Warrior is a Child

This weekend as I looked at all of the things that I am facing in my life, at least in the natural realm, I was feeling particularly weak and discouraged and quite frankly, tired.

I am frequently inspired by songs, which is why the best thing I could possibly do each morning is go out for a walk with these songs loaded on my iPod.

The song that kept coming to my mind yesterday was one by Twila Paris called "Warrior is a Child". (click on the link to hear the song on You Tube)

In that song, she says that although people look at her and see how strong she is (which is an observation that many of my colleagues make of me), at her core, she is the the child that "goes running home when she falls down" and that her Almighty is the one that "picks her up when no one is around".

Lately I've been winning battles left and right
But even winners can get wounded in the fight
People say that I'm amazing
Strong beyond my years
But they don't see inside of me
I'm hiding all the tears

They don't know that I go running home when I fall down
They don't know who picks me up when no one is around
I drop my sword and cry for just a while
'Cause deep inside this armor
The warrior is a child

Unafraid because His armor is the best
But even soldiers need a quiet place to rest
People say that I'm amazing
Never face retreat
But they don't see the enemies
That lay me at His feet

They don't know that I go running home when I fall down
They don't know who picks me up when no one is around
I drop my sword and and cry for just a while
'Cause deep inside this armor
the warrior is a child

They don't know that I go running home when I fall down
They don't know who picks me up when no one is around
I drop my sword and look up for a smile
'Cause deep inside this armor
Deep inside this armor
Deep inside this armor

The Warrior is a Child

My strength comes not from who I am, but from whose I am.

I know that no matter what battles I face, his armour is the best.

Deep inside this armour, this warrior is a child. His child.

Chicke Fitzgerald

Living in the Cone of Uncertainty

On a call that I have with a group of executive women in my industry each week, this week a number of us who live in Florida were talking about being residents of hurricane alley. We regularly monitor what is called the "cone of uncertainty" as weather scientists and pundits alike attempt to predict where a hurricane will make landfall.

Ike is the latest of the named storms that Floridians are monitoring. When they first started talking about Ike, Tampa where I live, was smack dab in the center of the cone of uncertainty. This morning, the forecast for Tampa is now clear as a bell.

One of my friends on the call mentioned that life was often like living in the cone of uncertainty. That created a mental picture that over the weekend I haven't been able to shake. I joked about writing a book with that title, but my faith blog is a much better place for this tome.

Uncertainty comes from having external events (or other people) that influence control over your situation. It can come from within as well, when you haven't yet made a decision.

In the hurricane vernacular, the external events are high pressure and low pressure systems, water temperature, winds and the like. And even your own decision to get everything valuable out of the first floor of your home, board up or evacuate.

In life, we have the economy that is swirling around us, often feeling like it is bearing Category 4 winds and metaphorically fearing 10-20 foot storm surge that could result from being laid off, not getting that next consulting contract or not getting funding for a business. For some it is not being able to pay a mortgage, or make payroll or just not having money to make ends meet and having to severely trim or cut your lifestyle.

We also have other people's actions and decisions that impact most everything that we do. This starts as high as with the government and the impact that the coming presidential election will have on our lives and goes down as finitely as the decisions and actions of those that we live and work with, or those that we are responsible for.

For those few days where a hurricane is actually bearing down on a particular area, the responsible thing to do, particularly as it is looking highly likely (e.g. the center of the cone), is to prepare "Plan B". Or you could sit and cower in fear I suppose, doing nothing more than watching it come closer and closer and it getting darker and windier outside.

In those same storms of life, we have the same choice. We can let worry overtake us and give voice to the fact that "I'll never have the money to pay my taxes in April, or I know our current savings will run out in October", or we can make sure that we realize that we aren't in control of the winds and that, while it is prudent to have a Plan B, the best things is to take your worries to the feet of the one that created the winds.

Here are the lyrics from one of my favorite worship songs by Chris Tomlin, called "You do all things well". Listen to it by clicking on the link.

Mountain Maker
Ocean Tamer
Glimpses of You
Burn in my eyes
The worship of heaven
Fills up the skies

You made it all
Said, "let there be"
And there was
All that we see

The sound of Your voice
The works of Your hands
You do all things well
You do all things well
You do all things well

Star creator
Wind breather
The strokes of Your beauty
Brushed through the clouds
Light from the heavens
Touching the ground

Imagination runs wild
And breathes the breath of life
Across the fields
Across the miles

My favorite line of that song is the one about the power of words. "He said let there be, and it was". If indeed we are created in His image, our words have power as well. I want to harness his creative word in my life and for his "imagination" to run wild on my situation, breathing the breath of life into our companies and into our finances!

I take refuge today not in a storm shelter, but in the shadow of the wings of the Almighty God.

If you find yourself living in a cone of uncertainty, take heart. Psalm 57 was written by King David when he fled from Saul into a cave, being fairly certain that he was going to be destroyed.

Psalm 57, verse 1
Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me!
For my soul trusts in You;
And in the shadow of Your wings I will make my refuge,
Until these calamities have passed by.

Whatever calamities, percieved or real are facing you, and whatever the velocity of the winds are that are whipping at you, as you work to create your own "Plan B", try also calling on him as your refuge.

Although some days I get caught up in fear as to the effects of my own personal cone of uncertainty, today I woke up knowing that the shadow I see is not the great storm approaching, but the soft underside of the wings of the Almighty.

And I breathe the same sigh of relief as seeing the cone for Ike now far west of Tampa, while at the same time praying for those in His path that they will call on the same power to keep them safe.

Chicke Fitzgerald

Achieving New Heights

I have been very fortunate to have an executive coach and friend, John, that is pushing me to achieve new heights. He speaks from personal experience (http://www.achievingnewheights.com/), having tackled the height of all heights, Everest.

In the picture above, there is a mountain ahead. There is fog at the bottom and there is water on either side of the path. Anyone who has climbed a mountain, like John, will tell you that doing so requires not only preparation, but vigilance and keeping your eyes wide open. On the path above, if you don't remain focused on the goal, the prize, you may stray off the path and find yourself in dangerous waters. Metaphorically of course.

In the quest for the mountain, we can get tired. We get discouraged. Each time we focus on ourselves, we find new reasons not to put one foot in front of another. We look around and feel alone.

If we were in fact alone, it would not only seem hopeless, it would be hopeless.

I haven't asked John specifically about what it took to make him successful in his Everest climb, but I do know from reading his website that the support of others was critical.

Over and over in the Old Testament and New alike, you will find the phrase "Fear not, for I am with you". If we change that to today's vernacular, it would say "Don't stress out, for I am right by your side".

This past year has been an extremely difficult one for me personally, for my family and for my companies. I do know that I am not alone. Not only am I surrounded by friends, family and my friend and coach, I have the God of heaven and earth at my side. He is prepared to hold my hand and guide me, when I can no longer keep my eyes open and when I'm so tired or fatigued that I can't take another step. When the fog is so thick that I can't see the way, He gives me uncanny guidance and the most amazing people come into my path.

One thing is for sure. I will reach the mountain top. No one ever promised it would be easy, but God promised that I wouldn't be alone.

Whew! That gives me courage to face another day. How about you?

Chicke Fitzgerald
Tampa, FL

Hurricanes of Life

This week we went through preparation for what we anticipated to be Hurricane Fay. For those that have watched the news and weather this week, you will know that she never materialized, at least not here in Tampa as a Hurricane.

I was sharing with some visitors to Florida this week who were fearful about the potential hurricane, that palm trees bend with the wind, instead of being broken like some other types of trees, which then become a wind hazard.

Frequently we spend time preparing for the hurricanes of life, looking at what might be, what could be, instead of what is. We worry about what might get broken, instead of standing firm, like a palm tree does in the wind.

Psalm 16:8 (New International Version) says:

8 I have set the LORD always before me.
Because he is at my right hand,
I will not be shaken.

Through the hurricanes of my life, I choose to bend, not break and to not be shaken, because my God is at my right hand.

Chicke

Surprise!

You've been there. Someone tells you that they have a surprise and asks you to close your eyes. Or they put their hands over your eyes, get you to move within view of what they have for you to see and then they take their hands off of your eyes and show it to you. That moment holds great delight for both of you. Quite often there was a lot of planning behind getting things in place, or even keeping it a secret.

Some of you like surprises, others can't stand not knowing and rather than the smile you see here on the man's face, it actually makes you terribly uncomfortable, particularly when someone else is guiding you along when your eyes are closed.

Faith should be a delight, just like what you see on these two faces.

Today I feel like God is the one with the surprise. He has something that he is maneuvering me over to see. I can feel his hands over my eyes and can sense his gentle nudging in the direction that he has for me.

It is easy to revert to feeling uncomfortable, even manipulated or kept in the dark, but I know Him so well that I know that what He has for me is not only good, but that I will truly delight in the unveiling of what he has prepared for me.

waiting, with a smile on my face and his hands over my eyes.....

Chicke Fitzgerald

Fireproof - the Movie

A friend sent me the link to this trailer today. Very powerful stuff. There are a couple of things here. One, putting yourself in a place where for a period of 40 days, you take one step at a time toward something you see as impossible. Then, asking for God's help to get you the rest of the way.

My marriage doesn't need help, but I can see that this same principle will move mountains in other areas of my life. Do you have anything in your life that seems impossible right now?

Check out the trailer. And mark Fireproof on your calendar. It will be out September 26th.

Chicke Fitzgerald

Clear Direction

Do you sometimes feel like you are facing a sign post with multiple directions? I do.

I am a serial entrepreneur that often is faced with multiple opportunities at the same time. And often, they are all exciting and get me jazzed.

But alas, as with a fork in the road with signs, you can't keep moving and chase multiple directions. I'm quite sure that there is a scripture reference that addresses that. Probably in Proverbs.... but this morning, I'm working on getting focused. Really focused on the plan that God has for me today.

Psalm 139 says that every day of my life is ordered. That means that if I listen closely, God's spirit will nudge me toward the right direction -- to avoid pain, to be as successful as I can possibly be, to be available for the next fork in the road, to be available for someone that needs me down this particular path.

I'm ready. I want to be on the right path. Nudge me Lord! I'm yours.

Chicke Fitzgerald