Somebody's Eyes are Watching....

If you talk with me for more than five minutes, there are 2 things that you'll very quickly find out:
1) I drink a lot of coffee. (You'll learn this because I probably have a coffee cup in my hand while we talk.)
2) My nieces and nephews, all 6 1/2 (very, very, soon to be 7 when Will decides to grace us with his presence) of them, mean the world to me.


We had a great week last week at the Anderson household;  were able to almost all be together for a few days (which is very difficult when you're talking 9 adults and 6 kids.) It was full of loudness, laughter, and just great family bonding time.


But it was also full of life lessons for me, as is often the case when I'm with the nieces and nephews. It always happens in the most simple things. And this time it came compliments of Emma, or Eminemers, as well call her.


We were all sitting outside, and I had one of my favorite accessories on; a scarf. The kids were playing and carrying on, when suddenly Emma comes over to me, sits down on my lap, takes the scarf off of me, and puts it on herself, yelling "Look, I'm Aunt Licia (Lee-sha)!" (The only people who call me that are family, so don't get any ideas.)


And the lesson didn't even hit me full force at first. I was just thinking, awe. I'm such a cool aunt and these kids think I'm awesome! But then as she went back to the swings with my scarf still on, and proudly exclaiming that she was Aunt Licia, my thoughts took a more serious turn. Do I really want her to be me? Do I want to her to emulate my life when she's 23? Do I want her to grow up and be just like me?


And the resounding answer, of course, was no. There's a lot of crap in my life that I hope my nieces and nephews never have in their lives. There are a lot of moments I wish I could take back in my teen and adult years that I hope my nieces and nephews never choose.


And that, of course, led to the realization that these kids are watching me. They're watching what I'm saying, and where I'm going, and what I'm doing, and how I'm talking. And while they aren't old enough to be on social media, all the teens that I've built relationships with at church are. Which I've kind of already addressed this issue in my social media post.


But the fact is, somebody's eyes are always watching. What are they seeing? Are they seeing me be two-faced? Am I acting one way around certain people and then another around other people? Am I being the kind of person I want my nieces and nephews to strive to be?


Look at your life. Somebody's eyes are watching. What are they seeing?


Striving to be someone worth looking up to,
AA

Things I love...Coffee Edition

This is my work mug! 

I am apparently known as "mug girl" to some of the new families at our church. If you go to my church, then this probably makes total sense to you. But for those of you who don't, the reason for this new moniker is the fact that I am rarely seen in church without a coffee mug. Rarely as in almost never.


Because I just genuinely love coffee. I'm like Lorelei Gilmore when it comes to my enjoyment of coffee.


It all started when I was a freshman in college, and started working at the school coffee shop. We used to have a "Flavor of the Week" every week, and naturally, people would ask the baristas if they enjoyed the flavor or not. And in order to answer that question, you had to drink the coffee. And that is when my love of coffee began.


But you know what I don't like about coffee? That is has the same origins in a lot of cases as chocolate. If you didn't read my post about chocolate, take a minute and do so here. (And expect a Welcome to the Dark Side....of Coffee post to be up at some point this weekend.)


So because of my stance on trying to be as ethical as possible in my spending power, I began the difficult search for fairly traded, or at the very least directly traded coffee. (These terms will make more sense after you read the coffee post, which isn't up yet. I probably should put that one up first. Hmm.)


And this is very difficult because:
I make coffee via French Press. Because it's so much better than coffee brewed through a brewer. So...
I grind my own coffee beans, because you need coarsely ground beans for a French Press. And almost all ground coffee in the stores around here are finely ground to use in traditional coffee pots. So...
I buy whole bean coffee. Which is a lot harder to find in general, let alone in a fair or direct trade variety. And every time I found a whole bean, fair trade variety that I liked, it would vanish from the stores. Ugh.


So I got really super excited when I saw that Toms started their own roasting company. I'm already a huge fan of Toms shoes, and have gotten my entire family into their awesome One for One campaign.


The One for One of Toms Roasting Company which you can check out here, gives a week of clean water for every bag of beans sold. Yay for doing good with my love of coffee! And better yet, they are committed to fair and direct trade methods. Yay for ethical coffee!


Clean water. That's something we take for granted. When's the last time you had to worry about getting diseases from unclean drinking water? When's the last time you had to travel anywhere outside of your house to get clean water?


1/3 of the world's population lacks sufficient access to safe drinking water and proper sanitation.
Every year, 3 million people die prematurely due to water-related illness in developing countries.
Unsafe water is a huge problem. Read more statistics about the epidemic of unclean water here.


It's estimated that close to 1/10th of the global disease burden could be alleviated with cleaner water in poverty-stricken areas. You can read all about the water problem in Haiti here, but this article could be about the water problem in any developing country. Clean water is essential to life. What an awesome thing to be a part of, with a simple, easy change in my daily habits.


So not only is this coffee right up my alley (no pun intended) because of it's ethical, world-changing nature, but it is also really good coffee! I am in the process of trying every single roast that they offer. I'm about half-way through my third bag. So far, the Honduras blend is my favorite, but the Guatemalan and Peruvian blends are also really, really good.


You can order this coffee in either ground or beans, so there's a variety for everyone!


If you are a coffee drinker like me, I encourage you to think about the ethical ramifications of your actions. Toms coffee is very reasonably priced, and is a quality way above what you would find in the average grocery store. (At least in my area.)


Let's get out of our little "Me" bubbles and do some good in the world through our everyday actions! What are you waiting for? Go order a bag of coffee and give a poverty stricken area a week of clean water! Order yours here, and be a part of a world-changing project!


Thankful for world-changing coffee,
-AA

Social Media can Be....

(disclaimer: This post is solely about me and a life lesson I'm learning. This is in no way directed blatantly or inadvertently to anyone other than this girl right here.)


If any of you follow me on social media like Facebook or Twitter, then you've probably noticed that I've started posting a ton of positive, encouraging, motivating type quotes and pictures. And other than the fact that I've always been a quote-appreciating person, here's the reason why.


Think of all the crap that is on social media daily. I mean seriously. People use social media as a platform for complaining. A platform to passive-aggressively jab at other people. A platform to stir up trouble, or gossip, or spread rumors. A platform for arrogance, rudeness, selfishness. A lot of the stuff floating around social media should, in reality, be kept private.


I was challenged by a situation a few weeks ago to really stop and think about the way I was using social media. Was I improving people's feeds by what I was posting? Or was I adding to the negativity and the crap that abounds?


And so began my self-appointed challenge to change the way I use social media. Because, to be honest, most people don't care that I dyed my hair last night, or that I have the coolest friends ever. But I have no idea how a quote or some positive message is going to help someone else today. Or tomorrow. Or next week.


What I do know, is that I have no chance of impacting the world for the better if I participate in the spreading of crap via social media. And it's all too easy to do. It's easy to say things on social media we wouldn't in real life. It's easy to start or perpetuate fights when we hide behind our computer screen. It's easy to get caught up in the narcissistic attitude that the world wants to be updated on my daily activities and wants to see countless selfies everyday.


And so I decided enough was enough. It's time to stop being so self-centered, and start thinking of other ways that social media can be used. And for me, it's breaking up he monotony of the crap with positive thoughts to ponder for the day. Because there is quite enough negativity in the world without me adding to it. But there can never be too much positivity in this world. What a simple way to help make the world a better place.


As I said in the disclaimer, this post is solely about me and my journey. So if you're reading this and are offended, know that that is not my intention. And if you are offended, maybe you should ask yourself why...because chances are the problem isn't the words of my journey in this post.


Determined to spread more positivity,
AA

"Let's put Away the Shopping Cart...and Pick up the Shovel."

...or, 5 Really Bad Reasons to Leave Your Church.

Isn’t social media great sometimes? Sure, it has its share of problems…narcissism and needless (and sometimes endless) drama abound. But it can be a great platform to catch up with friends and family that live far away, or to share your thoughts, convictions and inspirations with others. 

One of my friends on Facebook posted this article the other day (which was actually back in January), and I just felt compelled to do a blog post about it. The original article is here.  I’m just going to summarize the author’s points and give some of my thoughts on each point he poses. While I am not a Pastor, as the author is, I have been a PK (aka Pastor’s kid) for my entire existence, and have a more inside look than the average church goer.

So here we go. 5 Really Bad Reasons to Leave Your Church:

1.     1.  “I’m Not Being Fed” – I love the way the author addresses this point, so let me defer to him to begin my discussion of this point: “Your primary call in the church is to contribute, not just to consume. As a Christian, you shouldn’t require spoon-feeding for the rest of your life…Remember, your call is not just to be a disciple, but to make disciples.” Wow. What an in-your-face statement. We live in a society that is all about me. Chances are good that if you go to a good, Bible-preaching church and you aren’t being fed, the problem doesn’t lie with the pastor.

Pew-sitters. Since taking over the direction of the Children’s Programs at my church with one of my closest friends, I have experienced more and more the problem with getting people to do things in the church. It’s always the same ones serving week after week, on the worship teams, teaching in the classrooms, and helping with the maintenance and upkeep of the ministry and grounds. When did we adopt the mindset that my primary function in the church is to sit in the pew and be ministered to, instead of being a partner and conveyor of ministry? Where do we see people that just showed up, did their time, and then left in early church History? Everyone has a part to play. Maybe you can’t sing a note, but you know how to click a button to run powerpoint. Maybe technology is so not your thing, but you can drive a van. Maybe the thought of driving a 15-passenger van scares you, but you can rock babies in the nursery. If you aren’t contributing, you have absolutely no grounds to complain about not being fed.  The church’s primary function is not to cater to the pew sitters. It is to work together to further the Kingdom.

2.      2. “It’s getting too big” – I don’t really have much to say about this one. Which I’m sure comes as a relief after the longish rant that accompanied the first point. Growth can be a good thing, if done in the proper manner (i.e. staying faithful to the Truth and Great Commission). We are told to make disciples. Which means adding to our numbers. Which means growth.

3.      3.  “I don’t agree with everything that is being preached” -  If you are looking for a church where you agree with every word uttered from the Shepherd, you’re going to be looking for the rest of your life.  Now here’s the thing. There are some major doctrinal issues that need to be in alignment between you and your church/Pastor. Things like the deity of Christ, the work of Salvation through Christ alone, the character of God the Father…these are points on which you should not waiver. But there are other, secondary theological points that ought not to be sticking points. In the grand scheme of things, does it really matter if we are saved through election or free will? No. What matters is that we are saved by the Grace of God through the finished work on the Cross. Does it matter if you are a literal 6-day creationist or a deistic evolutionist? No. What matters is that God created the heavens and the earth.  Maybe if we would spend less time arguing the secondary theological points and more time acting as the body of Christ, we wouldn’t be hearing things from the world like “I don’t like the church. They’re all just a bunch of hypocrites.” Or “I like Jesus, but not the church”.

4.     4.  “My Needs aren’t being met” – This one goes along with the first point with the narcissistic mindset in which we view the function of the church. Maybe if we spent a little less time on what the church can do for me, and a little more time on what we, the church, can do in the world, we wouldn’t need secular organizations to do in our communities, in the world, what we should be doing. We have dropped the ball on this one, church. And many times, the world is doing OUR job. Again, let me quote the author, “The church doesn’t exist to meet your needs. You are a part of the church that exists to meet the needs of the world. Put away the shopping cart and pick up the shovel.” 

5.  Unresolved Conflict – Where there are people, there will be conflict. There will be different personalities, opinions, characters. You will NEVER find a church where there isn’t conflict. Why? Because we are all people. We are all subject to sin time and time again. The flesh takes over. One day we will be holy, as He is Holy, but we aren’t there yet, and we will never be there as long as we are on this earth. So there will always be conflict. If you are looking for a church without conflict, you will be church hopping the rest of your life.

Now, I understand that there are many complexities not addressed here. I understand that there are valid reasons for leaving a church. In my experience, however, the amount of people that leave for valid reasons are few, and the ones who leave for reasons such as the ones listed above are many. A lot of times the reasons listed above are an excuse to leave a church because you were offended by something that was said or done. Let’s spend more time partnering together as the Church, and less time focusing on me.  

Looking for my shovel,

AA

Thankful Thursday

I was pretty consistent this week with my daily "5 good things that happened today" journaling challenge. So here are some things that made me thankful this week:

1. Seeing the sunshine!
2. Have a Frozen sing-a-long with my 1st and 2nd grade girls in our church program!
3. Spending time just talking about life with one of my closest friends!
4. Being productive and crossing things off my to-do list!
5. Weekly sister bonding time!
6. Spending time with Violet and Kai, who are the funniest kids on the planet!
7. Having a cup of tea and reading a good book before bed!
8. Teaching the 4s and 5s at church! They are my all time favorite age group to teach!
9. Spending the afternoon outside!
10. Finishing a book on my "books I need to finish this year" list!


What things have you been thankful for or stopped to appreciate this week? It's easy to get caught up in the chaos of daily living and forget to just stop and be thankful. So take a minute and think back over the positive moments in your day so far!


Excited to live another day,
AA

Domestic Violence is a BIG DEAL!

Think domestic violence isn't a big deal? That it's "their problem" and that you shouldn't get involved? That the victim can just get out at any time and choose to stay? Think again.

+ Did you know that about every 9 seconds a woman in the US is assaulted or beaten? And every day at least 3 women are murdered by their husbands or boyfriends?

+ Did you know that domestic violence is the leading cause of injury to women - more than car accidents, muggings, and rape...COMBINED?

+ Studies estimate that nearly 10 MILLION children witness some form of domestic violence.

+ Men who, as children, witnessed domestic violence in their home are twice as likely to abuse their wives than men from nonviolent households.

These are pretty startling statistics, if you ask me. No one should be a victim of domestic violence. A lot of times it's easy for us to look at a victim and say "Why does she stay with him? Why doesn't she just leave?" But instead, we should be asking, "Why is he abusing? How can we help?" Because abuse is NEVER the fault of victim, and ALWAYS the responsibility of the perpetrator. Because abuse is all about power. And many times, the victim is conditioned (like Pavlov's experiment with the dogs) to believe that she is powerless to do anything, especially leave.

And that is where we come in. Take a minute to read the article linked below, and share it on your favorite forms of social media. For every 100 shares (which literally takes a few seconds of your time), a donation of $7 is made to an Organization called the Sheepfold. Learn more about them here.

One of my favorite non-profits is also supporting the Sheepfold this week and has some pretty stellar clothing designs, jewelry, accessories, and a ton of other cool stuff. For each item purchased, $7 is donated to the Sheepfold. Check them out here.

Now it's time to read the short article which briefly covers 3 signs of domestic abuse. As always, with knowledge comes responsibility. So what will do you about it?

Dreaming of a world where domestic violence is eradicated,
-AA

(all the stats listed in the beginning of this post were taken from : http://domesticviolencestatistics.org/domestic-violence-statistics/

Food for Thought...

I'm a quote person. I love finding compelling quotes and pondering them, or passing along encouraging quotes to my friends, or journaling about a particular thing that I read or heard that really got my mind going.

I also write a quote to dwell upon for the week on my bathroom mirror. Now this may sound odd, I guess, but think of all the not-awkard-to-talk-about time you spend in the bathroom. Washing your face, getting ready for work, doing your hair, brushing your teeth, washing your hands, putting on makeup...the list goes on. So the bathroom mirror, for me and my routines, is a good place to put something that I want to see and think about. For me, doing my hair doesn't take much thought, as the motions are pretty much muscle memory at this point. The same with brushing my teeth...or any number of things on that list I just mentioned.

This week's quote has just really stuck in my mind, and I've found myself dwelling on it a lot:

"Strive not to be successful, but to be of value."

 [Albert Einstein]

 

This idea of being a person of value has just really caused me to stop and think about my life, and how many things are deterring me from being of value. Wasting time watching shows on Netflix for hours at a time, instead of being productive, or getting enough sleep so I can alert at work the next morning. Making decision based solely on me and not considering the far reaching effects of buying that candy bar that supports slave labor just because I'm craving candy. Spending money on clothes and shoes when I don't even wear half of what I own already. Just normal, everyday things that are hindering me from being a person of value.

 

 

I encourage you to ponder this quote in your own life, and maybe make some simple changes to help you become a person of value, instead of just striving to be "successful".

 

 

Continuing to ponder,

-AA