Looking Through the Lens of Love

Last night's youth staff meeting we discussed our individual lenses. In other words, what lens do we view ourselves in as well as what lens do we use to view others? Tonight during my devotional I read about God's command to love one another and realized that both lessons were connected. Allow me to give you the long and short of it:

Showing love must start with a change in my perception: I don't deem someone as worthy of MY love but as worthy of Christ's love through me. Note to self--that applies to EVERYONE.

Therefore,
if someone's behavior makes me view them as unlovable -- WRONG.
if someone's personality causes me to view them as unlovable -- INCORRECT.
if another's personal betrayal demands my view change to unlovable --ERRONEOUS
if another's unkind words incite a heart to punish by not loving -- FALLICIOUS AGAIN!!

I'm sure you get the picture. All I have to do is re-read 1 Corinthians 13 to realize I've got a long way to go. However, even today a small victory was won, when I chose to return some angry words with a kind calm one. Like the old song says, "He's still working on me...."

Have a great week and polish up that lens of love.

I wanted too...but

I really wanted to blog, but I couldn't think of anything happy or edifying to say, so I decided to heed the Bible and my mother: "If you don't have anything nice to say, keep your mouth shut." That's the Alicia Translation of Eph 4:29. Hope you all had a better Monday than I did.

If I was a Cat, I'd Have Lost Two Lives Today

So this morning in the usual calm of getting ready for school, my son suddenly remembered that he was supposed to be at school by 6:45 AM in order to attend an out of town fieldtrip. (One he had been anxiously awaiting) He reminded me of this at 6:39 AM! Needless to say, I panicked; he panicked. I was currently only wearing the top half of my outfit when he made his announcement. I crazily put on the first thing I could find -- a pair of dirty jeans -- and begin yelling, "Let's go, let's go! Get to the car now!!!!" We managed to leave the house by 6:45. I said a quick prayer before leaving that the traffic would be light and moving fast. So NOT what we found when we hit North Monroe, AND it began to rain. Anyhoo, while trying to beat a yellow light, I realized that I couldn't and decided to stop. (Remember, it was raining.) Needless to say, my tires didn't agree, and we slid 10 feet into the intersection. Luckily, the light had just changed and no traffic was moving. After my heart resumed its normal rhythm, I backed the car up and reminded myself that no field trip was worth three lives. (Cat life #1 gone.)

Now, in a somewhat calmer mode, I begin the last 10 minutes of our trip. The car in front of me was feeling the need for a Sunday afternoon drive, so when the road went to four lanes, I pulled over into the other lane to proceed with a safe passing. However, the other car decided to not check their blind spot and slowly eased over into that lane as well. I found myself between a car and rock median. With quick thinking, I managed to avoid certain wreckage; however, cat life #2 disappeared.

I am happy to report that we arrived just as the last class was loading the bus. Cademan hurtled from the vehicle onto the sidewalk and sprinted to the bus. He made it! I took a breath --I think it was for the first time since 6:39 that morning. However, my adrenaline didn't come down til sometime after 9:30.

Cademan had a wonderful day came home bearing gifts for the mom that did whatever she could to get him to that field trip. I will proudly cook those bag of grits, and be thankful that the Lord protects us even when our stupid humanity prevents us from thinking straight.

37 Things

Well today is the big day! I turned 37-years-old this morning at 6:02 AM. In honor of my special day, I though I'd list 37 things that you may or may not know about me.

1. I love to read, but I'm a snob about it (if it isn't amazing by the end of the first paragraph, I don't bother with it)
2. I hate the newspaper.
3. I've never had a real nickname.
4. I'm a writer.
5. I'm a nerd and proud of it.
6. I've cut off a chicken's head before. (Sorry to all my PETA friends, but it's helpful to realize that something gives its life for you so that you can sustain yours.)
7. I won an all-expenses-paid trip to Disneyland when I was in second grade.
8. I've jumped off the top of a telephone pole in order to catch a trapezee that was 3 feet up and 3 feet out.
9. Standing in the book aisle at Lifeway makes me cry. (If you truly want to know, I'll give you the full story.)
10. I love to watch musicals. (life would be great in a world where every situation could turn into an amazing song and dance. Even better when everyone around you knows the words and the dance moves too!)
11. I married my high school sweetheart.
12. I went to an all girls college. (for only one semester)
13. I cry when I watch the Showcase Showdown on The Price is Right.
14. I traveled the US in high school and college performing with a drama group.
15. I can tie a knot in a cherry stem with my teeth.
16. My real name is pronounced "a LEE c uh." My father is really the only one who ever called me this.
17. I used to be a cheerleader.
18. I played volleyball in high school even though I was only 5'2"
19. I passed out in class in 10th grade while listening to a lady describe how the doctors cut her face off to remove a tumor.
20. When I get nervous or upset, my neck turns bright red.
21. My IPOD contains all three HSM soundtracks and two Miley Cyrus CD's. (AND it's not because I have an 8-year-old daughter)
22. I've been to Ecuador.
23. I drank Chicha! (If you don't know what that is, do a Google search on Shuar Indians to find out)
24. I've never had a beer or smoked a cigarette in my life.
25. My favorite color is Pink.
26. Both of my children are named after the mothers in my life (my mom and my mother-in-law).
27. I love going camping with my friends and family.
28. I play a mean Guitar Hero.
29. I played the piano for 11 years - I was somewhat of a Concert Pianist. (Yes, I still wish I could play today)
30. I very rarely spend over $9.99 for an item of clothing.
31. I broke my femur in a very bad car accident in 8th grade which caused me to miss a month of school. (By the way, if there was one year I'd never relive it would be 8th grade.)
32. I love dogs but HATE cats.
33. I love to sing.
34. I used to be a medical transcriptionist.
35. Candy (not chocolate) is high on my list of favorite things.
36. My favorite place to be is on the beach when the sun goes down.
37. I love Jesus and want my life to be all that He has planned.

There it is! I hope you feel like you know me a little better. I know that tonight when I lay down to sleep, I'll think of 50 other things that were much more interesting. Maybe, I'll share those on my 38th!

Rock Star

Free time is plentiful and I'm bloggin again. Well, at least I changed my Fall background. This background is from the set called "Rock Star." I felt a little like a needed a rock star image, so I went with it. AND it was PINK! Who could resist? Plan to blog something more important soon, but we'll see :)

Comments Anyone?

Okay, so I know I have a fair amount of blog readers out there who actually read and enjoy my blog simply because you make verbal comments to me after you've read one that speaks to you. However, since many of you don't blog yourselves and recieve my blogs by email, you may not realize that you can actually go on my blog and make a comment. The blog is so much more fun to look at than just a simple black and white email :)

Follow these instructions to visit the blog and make a comment:
1. go to http://alichall.blogspot.com
2. click on the word comments located at the bottom of the blog you would like to comment on
3. type in your comment in the box
4. if you have a google or yahoo email account, you can simply enter it in the appropriate box OR simply choose the Open ID box to leave a comment
5. Hit "Publish your Comment" and VOILA! you send smiles to me :)

One of the main reasons I post is so that I may encourage others to ponder their relationship with Christ, family, and friends. It is my desire to challenge others to wholeheartedly pursue their relationship with HIM, so that every relationship they have here on earth is strengthened.

If I do that in any way, let me know. If I don't hear from you, I'll take that as a sign that God wants me to use my time more effectively.

A special thanks to all my "buddies" who consistently encourage me in my writing. One day you'll all be immortalized as a character in a book or a topic of an article;)

Can't wait to hear from you!

My Obsession

What do pom poms, baby dolls, and Ricky Schroeder have in common?  Not much, except for the fact that I had a passion for them when I was a young girl.  During its television run, I never missed an episode of Silver Spoons, starring my favorite blonde-headed obsession, Ricky.  My pom poms were always shaking for  I spent every waking moment ( and probably a few sleeping moments) practicing cheer  moves and cartwheels.  When I wasn't cheering or watching TV, I was playing house, school, and  grocery store with my baby dolls.  Those passions encouraged me to dream of one day becoming Ricky Schroder's wife and mother of his children while maintaining a career as a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader.

I know some of you may be chuckling to yourself, "What silly dreams?"  But before you laugh, think about all the times you wrote your name and attached it to Elvis Presley's or maybe even one of those mop-haired Beatle boys.  What about Tom Cruise's? Or could it be that you were obsessed with Barbie's wonderfully pink world of sports coupes, beach houses, and RVs which were occupied by the entire Barbie ensemble?  Some of you may have covered your rooms in collections of stuffed animals, Cabbage Patch dolls, tie-dyed clothes, or even Beanie Babies.  Whatever it was, I am sure that you can identify with being obsessed with something during your younger years.

If the childhood obsessions do not come back so quickly, maybe reminiscing about more recent times can help.  As a woman in today's world, we have a tendency to become obsessed with all the different roles society tells us to play.  Our career can lead us to being overly passionate about climbing the corporate ladder or pursuing a better education.  Our desires for the perfect family can initiate an obsession for angelic, popular, and successful children, or for the strongest and most romantic marriage.  In addition, our passion to obtain a higher social position can lead us to be obsessed with our body image and having the right wardrobe.  While a little passion about each of these can be helpful and productive, too much can be frustrating, controlling, and ultimately destructive.

Most people would agree that having an obsession or uncontrollable passion is  a negative thing, but what if you were given a magnificent obsession that consumed every thought, word, and deed and also gave your life a glorious purpose instead of destroying it. Can such a thing exist, you ask?  This singular positive obsession is an uncontrollable passion for Christ.  When it is pursued with devoted prayer and Bible study, the results can only be positive.  In contrast, take a look back a what those childhood collections of stuffed animals and Cabbage Patch kids gained you - nothing.  Matthew 6:19 encourages our obsession with God: "Do not store up for yourselves treasures here on earth where moth and rust destroy and thieves break in and steal.  Store up treasure in heaven where moths and rust cannot destroy and thieves cannot break in and steal."  By "collecting" bible study time, prayerful moments, and fellowship with other believers, you store up a treasure in heaven that is priceless and can never be taken away or lost.  Similarly, those innocent fantasies we had for various movie and rock stars never became a reality -- Ricky Schroder never showed up at my door with flowers, and he surely never asked me to become his wife and mother his children.  Yet my God promises, "If you seek Him, He will be found by you" (1 Chronicles 28:9).  My obsession with seeking God promises that I will find Him.  In addition, remember those walls we decorated with Teen Beat posters, album covers, pictures of beauty queens, collections of dolls and stuffed animals; eventually, each one was taken down and put away.  However, our passion for Christ compels us to redecorate the rooms of our hearts with His word.  This new interior design is invincible: "The grass withers and the flower falls but the word of the Lord stands forever" (Isaiah 40:8). This God obsession continues to be positive as we plaster His word all over our lives: "Hide His word in our heart, so that we might not sin against Him" (Psalms 119:11, NIV, italics mine).  Finally, even those adult passions can lead to our downfall: "For what does it profit a woman to gain the whole world -- with a perfect family, super-model body, successful career, and inspiring marriage -- yet lose her own soul" (Luke 9:25, NIV, italics mine).

No matter what we choose to be obsessed with here on earth, it will lead to our destruction unless we choose to be obsessed with God. This magnificent obsession never destroys, never disappoints, never fails, never falls short of our dreams, and never goes unfulfilled.  The Old and New Testament encourages us several times to love God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength.  That is the definition of obsession - loving something so much that it consumes your whole being -- mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually.  May it become our prayer to find and obsession with Christ that produces a gloriously fulfilling life just like the words to this chorus so aptly state: 

Give me one pure and holy passion

Give me one magnificent obsession.

Give me one glorious ambition for my life

To know and follow hard after You.

After all these years, my pom poms have been shelved, baby dolls passed down to my sweet little girl, and Ricky has married someone else, but my obsession with the Lord still burns white hot.