Tag: Opportunities

Get Out of That Rut!

On June 29, 2022

Ever felt stuck in a rut? The idiom comes from the early pioneer days when covered wagon wheels would get stuck in the grooves or channels of a dirt road where prior wagons had passed. The wheels would get bogged down by the deeper holes or forced along a specific track.

Ruts can be an emotional state. As much as I look forward to summer relaxation and fun, there’s a part of me that has been on the go, driving kids to sports events, youth groups, and attending end-of-the-year school functions. My life has been what’s next, next, next for so long that when I can’t list off a few things that need to be done immediately, I start to feel edgy. I have to force myself not to create busy work. It takes a couple of weeks before I can relax and be okay without running around at Mach two with my hair on fire (to quote from Top Gun).

In his book, MaxOut, entrepreneur and business personality, Ed Mylett, talks about how we move to what is familiar to us – specifically with emotional states. The question is, what state is our status quo? Is it angered, stressed, fearful, anxious, worried, or depressed? Are we returning to harmful emotions because they’re familiar, like how dogs return to their vomit? How do we move toward the good emotions, like those derived from the fruit of the spirit – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control?

God, in His goodness, gave us the answer in Philippians 4:8, “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” I know what you’re probably thinking (or at least I was). Easier said than done. True, but when we also look at how God made our brains, the genius of our creator is awe-inspiring.

We have a Reticular Activating System or RAS, where our brains focus on what is deemed essential and filter out most other stimuli. The RAS is why when you get a particular hairstyle or specific fingernail color, it pops up everywhere. Ring tones are a famous example; once you choose one, it sounds like everyone has the same one. This is because we’ve told our brains to look for this information and not let it slide by us.

If we concentrate on what is worrisome or stressful, our brains will filter for anxious stimuli. If we focus on what is excellent or praiseworthy, our brains will reward us with positive and encouraging stimuli. When we ruminate on our dreams and God’s purpose for our lives, opportunities, connections, and learning lessons will pop up on our radar.

Over time, by merely redirecting our thoughts, we can jump the rails of our negative rut and get on a life-giving path.

Don’t miss a post! Sign up for my weekly blog by clicking here.

Brand New Possibilities

By Lorri Dudley

On July 23, 2020

In Uncategorized

It’s never a good time to be inconvenienced, but often it’s worth it. I can’t tell you how many nights I’d be exhausted and looking forward to getting the kids in bed so I could slump down on the couch and veg. I’d be the drill sergeant hurrying them to brush their teeth, put pajamas on, and say their prayers. I’d turn off the light, kiss them on the cheek, tiptoe to the door, and then I’d hear, “Mama?”

I often considered pretending not to hear so I could walk out and join my husband, who’d somehow escaped to our couch oasis, but my convictions always stopped me. I’d pause and say, “Yes?” and that’s when my son would ask one of those stop-the-tape questions: “Does God answer all of our prayers?” “Why do some kids think we shouldn’t step on ants because then we’ll become one in their next life?” Or “Why doesn’t everyone go to heaven?”

Unprepared as I was with my brain mush and my body ready to collapse, an opportunity beckoned. Even though everything in me begged for the couch, I sat down on his bed and was able to have some fantastic conversations. For instance, my oldest asked if he could pray for anything and then proceeded to ask God to make him taller than his younger brother (which led to a talk about God’s answer isn’t always yes). Sometimes my boys gave me revelations I hadn’t considered, like my youngest telling me he couldn’t wait to go to heaven so he could breathe underwater. When I questioned why he thought that, he told me, “Well, there’s no death in heaven, so that means we can breathe underwater.” I told him we’d find out when we got there.

Often, we have to pass on comfort to embrace an opportunity.

Over the last few months, life has gotten significantly harder. We can’t go to certain places without a mask. We can’t interact like we used to. We can’t even walk in specific directions. We might be exhausted and fed up and hoping to get back to the comfy couch of our pre-pandemic lives, but this is when we need to have our ears open for “Mama?” Right now, our neighbors, friends, and family members are having questions. The world has become an uncertain place, but we can be their blessed assurance. We can be peace during the pandemonium. We can be hope in desperation.

God is doing a new thing, but we must be listening to perceive it. Even if inconvenienced, our hearts must be ready and willing for new possibilities.

See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland. – Isaiah 43:19

Don’t miss a post! Sign up for my weekly blog by clicking here: Lorri’s blog.

Architect, designer, and builder meeting over blueprints

The Rebuild Starts Today

By Lorri Dudley

On April 9, 2020

In Easter

“The rebuild starts today” is the attitude my husband has taken for his businesses. It may be a bit early, but it changes the mindset to start planning for how we’re going to come out of this pandemic. For two weeks, it feels like we’ve been ostriches sticking our heads in the sand. Perhaps it’s time to raise our heads. It’s never too early to strategize about available options and develop a foundation to rebuild, maybe with a new perspective.

How often before March 15^th, when asked, “How are you?” did we respond, “busy”? The world was running, running, running, and then abruptly stopped. In An Echo in the Darkness part of the Mark of the Lion series by Francine Rivers (one of my favorite series), the mother of the hero has a stroke and can no longer talk. Her life changes overnight. No longer a prominent matriarch of Roman society, God reaches her through this suffering and uses it as an opportunity to redirect her focus to pray for the spiritual salvation of her misguided daughter.

It’s time for us to raise our heads and see the opportunities God is creating for us. Maybe we should acknowledge the new shift in priorities. How are we using the extra family time we didn’t have before the pandemic? Or if living alone and can’t see friends, maybe God is giving us a chance to pray more or read our Bible.

Many of us have been glued to the news channels, following what’s going to happen next, which only tends to be bad news, followed by more bad news. In Philippians 4:8, the Bible tells us to dwell on things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy. Easter changes the direction of focus from death to new life. The stone was rolled away. The tomb lay empty. Jesus rose from the dead. This is our opportunity to also rise from the monotony of our deadened mindsets. We hold a chance to be renewed with life.

Let me back up a bit to Philippians 4:1. Paul reminds us to stand firm in the Lord. Not relax, sit, or lie, but to stand firm. In Philippians 4:2, he begs for unity—to be of the same mind in the Lord—not turning on each other, bickering, or nitpicking, but let your gentleness be evident to all (Philippians 4:5).

In 4:4, Paul tells us to “Rejoice in the Lord always.” But then he makes it a point to repeat himself to drive it home, “I will say it again, rejoice.” At Easter, we have so much for which to be joyful. The world may shake with fright, but we know Jesus has risen from the dead, and the grave no longer has a hold over us.

We have hope because we have a good God. We don’t need to fear because we have a great God.

In Philippians 4:6, it says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” We don’t need to worry. Because God commands it, we can toss anxiety away like that moldy leftover smelling up the fridge. Instead, through prayer and praise, we can tell God what has been on our minds, and in Philippians 4:7 God promises that His peace, “which transcends all understanding,” will guard our hearts and minds.

So, rise and rejoice, Easter is here!

Don’t miss a post! Sign up for my weekly blog by clicking here: Lorri’s blog.

We’re Still Here!

By Lorri Dudley

On February 7, 2019

In Uncategorized

Over the last month, “We’re still here!” has become the mantra of the New England Patriots. Tom Brady, who has been called old man, washed up, peaked, and diminished, showed America he still has plenty in his tank when he and the Patriots worked together to win Superbowl LIII.

Tom Brady, loved or hated, has to be admired for the fact he doesn’t accept being mediocre. He refuses to quit. He didn’t throw in the towel when he was the 199th sixth-round draft pick back in 2000. He wasn’t content to stay in Drew Bledsoe’s shadow. He wasn’t complacent after one Superbowl win, or a second, or third. Even after a record of six Superbowl wins, he still has no plans to retire.

Tom Brady doesn’t just coast through life and neither should we.

“Let everything that has breath praise the Lord” (Psalm 150:6). It doesn’t mean only praise God when we’re in the mood or on the good days when we have more energy. It doesn’t state until you’ve read the Bible all the way through, led a church group, or taught Sunday school. It says if you have breath praise the Lord, and I can pretty much guarantee that if you’re reading this you still have breath.

You’re still here.

It is not a time to coast or grow complacent. We are to keep fighting the good fight until Jesus takes us home. Now, I’m not saying to grab a soapbox and go out and start preaching on a street corner, nor am I meaning to guilt you into taking on additional responsibilities. What I am asking is to look for opportunities to praise God through your words, actions, and deeds. If you keep your eyes peeled and your heart available God will provide.

Each season is unique.

Tom Brady doesn’t play the same way he did back in 2001. He has adapted to different players, strategies, and his own physical body. My husband and I are also not able to serve in our church in the same capacity we did before we had children. With the kids evening sports schedules, we can’t even participate the same as we did when they were young. But we still have breath, and God has given us other avenues unique to this season for us to be able to praise him and be salt and light to others.

How is God calling you in this season? Is He tapping you on the shoulder saying, “remember me? Come back to me. My arms are open wide.” Or is He nudging you to challenge yourself in other ways: lead a church group, bring a meal to a neighbor, watch a single mom’s kids, encourage a co-worker, write a blog. God works in mysterious ways, and He has a way of fitting you into that plan.

Because you have breath,

And, because you’re still here.

Don’t miss a post! Click here to sign up for my weekly blog to be emailed to you: Lorri’s blog

Go Ahead and Look Foolish

By Lorri Dudley

On January 31, 2019

In Uncategorized

“Excuse me, sir. May I have the honor of brushing your hair?” Beth Moore tells a story of being in an airport and seeing an elderly man with long, ratty, unkempt hair. As she waited for the boarding call, God nudged her to brush an elderly man hair. No way, she argued with Jesus, but He wouldn’t leave her alone until she approached the man with the strange suggestion. The elderly man consented, and after she worked out all the tangles, she noticed he was crying. It turns out the man had been in the hospital and was flying home to see his wife. God knew the man had been embarrassed about his messy appearance and needed his hair brushed before he returned home to his bride. Because Beth Moore obeyed and was brave enough to appear foolish asking a man if she could brush his hair at the airport, an elderly man’s prayers were answered.

Don’t let fear of feeling foolish kept you from God’s blessing. “In God I have put my trust. I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?” Psalms 56:11NIV

I haven’t done anything as extreme as asking to brush a stranger’s hair. But, there have been times when I’ve wrestled with God because I didn’t want to appear foolish. I’ve argued with Him about not wanting to hug a stranger. I’ve explained to Him that there is a big difference between writing and public praying because you can’t go back and edit spoken words to make them sound better, but He told me to pray anyway. He’s asked me to reach out to old high school acquaintances and complete strangers. Sadly, sometimes, I haven’t obeyed, but the times that I have, I’m not certain who was blessed more, the person I was prompted to help or me.

Trust God’s bigger plan. Don’t let pride stand in your way. “So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.” – Hebrews 10:35-36 NIV

Noah probably felt foolish building an ark in the desert. Sarah probably looked foolish knitting baby booties at age ninety. The Israelites probably felt silly silently marching around Jericho ready to crumble the walls down with their trumpet blasts. King Saul and two armies thought David foolish for going after a giant with nothing but a slingshot. And I’m certain the blind man probably felt awkward hearing Jesus spit into the mud and standing there while he rubbed it on the man’s eyes.

I don’t don’t believe God uses these scenarios to get a good laugh. These are opportunities for us to humble ourselves to let it all ride on God’s plan. It allows God to grow bigger in our lives and for us to become smaller. And, history has shown, God will reward those who aren’t afraid to obey his prompting.

So go ahead, be brave enough to be foolish.

No Snow, No Problem

By Lorri Dudley

On February 22, 2018

In Uncategorized

There they stood teetering at the top of the steps, big smiles on their faces, ready for the treacherous challenge…

Wait… Let me backtrack a little. My family enjoys watching the winter Olympics. During the last winter Olympics in Sochi, we spent family time watching the Women’s freestyle skiing mogul event. If you’re not familiar with it, moguls are artificially made snow bumps that the skiers maneuver through like a gauntlet using turning techniques which is 50% of the score. The rest consists of 25% air stunts and 25% speed. It was the first time my kids had seen anything like it, and we were all glued to the screen cheering on the American competitors.

Soon, however, I noticed the room had grown quiet. My husband and I looked about for the kids, only to find all three boys at the top of the stairs standing on our toy box cushion. They were prepped and ready to try their own mogul course with the pillow as their makeshift skiis and the steps as the moguls. After recovering from heart palpitations, I asked them if they thought this was a good idea. Each responded, “I can do it,” without any hesitation.

All I thought about was the chance of injury. The high probability of not only failure but painful bone breaking failure, resulting in our spending the weekend in the ER. I must admit, though, I liked their attitude.

When I heard about the Nigerian Women’s Bobsled team, I flashed back to this memory. Yes, Nigeria has never had a bobsled team. Yes, no country on the African continent has ever qualified for the Olympics. Yes, Nigeria’s climate is considered tropical. Yet, these three amazing women said, “We can do it.”

A lack of snow didn’t stop them. Adigun, their brakeman, built a bobsleigh for training purposes (nicknamed the Mayflower) that runs on track, turf, and other surfaces. Adigun was quoted by a CNN as saying, “We want to be able to be something that people can really be able to be proud of.”

So how do we gain back our “we can do it” attitude? How do we face life’s trials and opportunities with the faith of David as he faced Goliath? It’s all in how we look at ourselves. When we look in the mirror, we see our weaknesses. The devil goes to town with it. He reminds us of our past failures, makes us think we’re not good enough, or don’t have what it takes. But, when we look in the mirror, what we should see God’s reflection peering back at us. We need to realize the Holy Spirit dwells within us, and it’s in God’s power not our strength. God has prepared in advance the work he has for us (Ephesian 2:10). He has given us what we need for this moment (2 Peter 1:3).

Let me leave you with one last quote from Onwumere, Adigun’s teammate from the Nigerian Bobsled team.

“This journey has taught me that self-improvement is on a continuum. Even when we get to the Olympics, it’s still like, “What happens next?” And that’s what life is about, just always wanting to improve.”

So what does God have next for you?

Don’t miss a post! Sign up for my newsletter here: Lorri’s newsletter