Face your Fear

Fear is only an opportunity to grow ones faith… that is if you chose to challenge it.
So there I was, 11years old, hands griping on for dear life to the side of a rock, scared to even look over the edge of a 20ft cliff. I couldn’t breath, I remember Mama standing below and Mr. King walking about as if it were no big deal, “it’s not the high, you’ll be fine. Just climb back down.”
15years old and not even two feet out of the elevator atop The World Trade Center looking at the huge window over NYC, calling for Daddy to come rescue me. I could feel the building dancing in the wind. I don’t think I took even one breath the whole ride back down. The elevator door opened and I ran for a pillar three times my size and wrapped myself around it swearing I would NEVER go that high in the air again!
In my early 20’s I visited the Grand Canyon with my sister, we looked over the edge. I stood there looking at the miles below us, how beautiful are Gods creations!
A few years later I found myself climbing up 20ft ladders, standing on roofs to get a job done. I would stretch with one foot in the highest rung to get the paint in the corner, holding my breath of cores. Sure I was a little tense, but I did it.
Age 29, I hop on a plane with a man by the name of Dusty, we have known each other for almost a full 20 minutes, we strap some harnesses on and clip together. Standing on the edge of the plane’s door 13,000 feet in the air… I take some deep breaths; look all around, “3! 2! 1!” I hear Dusty yell, and down we go. About 100sum odd MPH, and you know what I felt? The air kissing my face, the wind dancing with me and the view… amazing! And not one ounce of fear. It was more like freedom! He pulls the chute and we start to simple float for a while in the air. It was the most amazing exhilarating thing I’ve ever done in my life… so far that is :-)

Betsy, the lady who runs the drop zone at Skydive AZ in Eloy Arizona, had these words to share with me when I landed. “You stared your own mortality in the face, took a leap, and lived. Now that you’ve done this, (sky dived) know that there is nothing in this life you can’t do. Nothing in the world you can’t face, no trial you can’t get thru. You can do anything girl!” Ya know what, I think she’s right. Paul says it in Philippians, “I can do all things thru Him who gives me strength.”

I know of a young lady who was assaulted earlier this year and has only recently made the decision to report it. You see, she knows the assailant and out of fear, for the last 8 months she has lived with this dark shadow over her, always looking offer her shoulder, afraid to be in a crowd, or go to the store alone, despite the best efforts of loved ones around her, it wasn’t until she was willing to challenge that fear and face reality that she was able to “function normal” again. It was this young ladies story that inspired me to face my own fears. (you’ll hear more about her in another blog)
Ladies it’s time to take the power away from what scares us.
Another friend of mine was telling me about her daughter’s fear of the boogie man. She had watched Monsters Inc. and going to bed that night she insisted that there was a boogie man under her bed and a big blue monster in her closet. So mom standing at the door, with daughter warped around her leg, dad heads in with a flashlight, looks in the closest and shines the light around, looks under the bed and aside from the dust bunnies, nothing hiding under there. Wide eyed little girl climbs into bed with dad standing guard, a kiss goodnight and it’s off to dream land. She faced her fears with Daddy by her side, and a flashlight.
My sisters, there are boogie men out there, I won’t lie to you. If you jump out of a plane without a chute, you’re not brave, you’re a dead dummy. Walking by yourself in a dark parking lot is not the wisest decision either, but never leaving your home or not taking a risk here or there will turn you into the scary bird lady who lives on the corner and eats little children and cats. Well that’s what the neighborhood kids will think, until they are willing to challenge their own fear and discover you’re just a lonely lady who’s scared of your shadow. (Ok, that’s s bit extreme, but you get the idea) Here’s what I’m trying to say, “Only Thing We Have to Fear Is Fear Itself”: (FDR’s First Inaugural Address). Fear will prevent you from some amazing moments in life, keep you from destiny and could even kill you. It causes regret and spite and can’t be that good for your heart either. Fear will stop you, not protect you. It’s time to take that power away from our fears and turn it into trust we put in God. Yes, God! In Psalms 91 it talks about how God is our protector.
Or in Ezekiel he is JEHOVA-SHAMMAH (the LORD is There)
He IS ABHIR: 'Mighty One', ("to be strong") Gen. 49:24; Deut. 10:17; Psa. 132:2, 5; Isa. 1:24, 49:26, 60:1.
He IS our MAGEN: "Shield" Psa. 3:3, 18:30.

I am going to tell you something friends, I have seen a few things in my short 29 years, and still have A LOT to learn over the next 29+ years, I have met some people from all around the world and have some stories of my own, and here’s what I know thus far about life. I have no clue, no idea how to survive without Christ. Yes, bad things happen to good people. No, we really don’t have control. Not everyone wants the best for you. I don’t believe in fate? People will lie to get what they want. Integrity is a hard virtue to find in people these days. Good people do exist. And peanut butter with dawn dish soap will get gum out of your hair. Yeah, there are a few more lesions I’ve learned but these fit with this Blog. My friend the Garden Lady says this; “Walk as thou you are, so that you will be.” for the young lady who was assaulted it means to walk tall. For the little girl afraid of the boogie man it means trusting her daddy when he says there’s no monster under the bed. And for me, it means to take my fear (of highs in this story) stare it down and life free!
Take the power back sisters! Turn your fear into trust and live free!
What’s next for me? Scuba diving!

the search for water

So there I was, deep in the woods of Pine Arizona. Its dark, only the light of the moon and my handy-dandy flashlight to guide me thru the mountainous terrain; my quest was to find the water source. I have taken this trek many times before, however things were a little different. The path was overgrown from the spring rain and my land markers were no longer visible from the path… and it was 9 o’clock at night. So unprepared in my flip flops and shorts and little light I wonder into the night brush on a hunt for water.
I was out there for about 10minutes, had wondered into two different ditches, just about biffed it and was almost eaten alive by one monstrous spider when it occurred to me that there was another way. I remembered that there was a path by the road, it was not a short cut, but once I got up on the road and was able to look at the bank from a different angel I saw all the poison ivy I could have been wondering in and I noticed it was a little easier to see some land marks and look for the green lid in the dark and covered by green ivy (btw).
So I walked up and down the path right around the area I thought the switch was in and moving brush around… I found it! I slid down the bank and reached in to lift the spider covered lid, reached my hand into the pit, felt for the leaver and there it was. The water is now on. Success!
Trying to explain why it took me 20 min to do a 3 min job was to understand that even thou I’ve completed this task a few times before, it is always important to be prepared. Circumstances change, so even the seemingly “mundane” tasks in life we tackle, we should always be equipped for the assignments at hand, life can throw some unexpected events into our lives.
This little adventure reminded me of another lesion I learned from my friend, The Garden Lady.
One day we were walking in her garden and she was showing me all her plants and soil, we were talking about different seasons and seed and all this great garden stuff, when she handed me a knife and told me to go cut me some tomatoes. (Love tomatoes!) They were covered with bird netting, cause you got to protect fruit that is vulnerable to attack. And I gota say, man, were they the best tomato’s I’ve ever had! Then we came to her cucumber patch, it was big and growing over the pool fence. The Garden Lady said you can’t get to the cucumbers from this angel, ya see in life we are so “gun-ho” to get what we want that we approach things from the wrong angle, we miss the point and get frustrated and miss out on some good fruit in life. Sometimes you have to go at it from another direction. As she unlocked the pool gate and lead me to the other side of the cucumber plant she handed me the knife again and said here, it’s not a short cut, you’ll get a little scratched up, but you can reach them from here, the reward will be worth it.
Later that afternoon I had one of the best fresh salads in the world!

The lessons I learned are there;
1)Be prepared in and out of season for all occasions
2)Protect the “fresh fruit” in you life and allow it to grow
3)When life happens, look at all the angles and think about your approach.
And 4) When life gives you lemons, grab the vodka, a friend, two lawn chairs and enjoy the moment! (lol)
But seriously, in keeping with the theme of this blog, sharing stories about life, it is important to remember that third lesion; looking at all the angels and taking the best approach in dealing with… well, life.
Tell me friends, are you prepared and willing to take the time to respond to life rather then react? Do you have a story about some life lessons you had to learn the hard way?

What If Jesus were to spend a day here?

I had a conversation with a girlfriend the other day and we were wondering what Jesus would look like if he were to walk the earth in our day here and now.
Joan Osbourne asked the question back in 1995; “What if God was one of us, just a slob like one of us just a stranger on the bus trying to make his way home” she asks what his name would be and what would his face look like. I think this song caused a lot of people to start to ask the question, “who is he?”
Almost ten years later Todd Agnew released; “My Jesus” a song that asks the same questions Osbourne did but poses these questions to the Church. Both songs from vary different people asking the deep heart questions that are already on all of our minds.
So back to this conversation I had with my friend Dee. We were both going thru a rough time. Ya know when life just seams to jump out at ya and pulls your hair and drags you down a road you really didn’t want to walk down? Well that’s where we were. I was telling my friend about a “come to Jesus” talk I had with… Jesus. I was SO mad and had this crapy attitude and just couldn’t understand the “whys” of life, or where God was when I needed him. I yelled at the top of my lungs at God and said; “WHERE ARE YOU? I NEED YOU AND YOU’RE NOT HERE! SHOW UP, WOULD YA!” I took a deep breath and I got this vision in my head, but it ran deeper then just my minds eye, it was like I had been transported to another place in time. I was walking on a beach (I LOVE the beach) the crisp air from the ocean, I could smell it, it was so sweet and the cool breeze graced my face. As I was walking the shore line bare foot of cores, I heard my name, “Hey Ra, over here” (Rara is a family name, very special name to me) so I look up and I see these two beach chairs and there was a man sitting in one, holding a cold beer, wearing sunglasses and one of those cheesy beach hats guys ware, waving me over. I walked closer, I could smell his sweet cigar and this guy stood up, embraced me with the biggest hug EVER, and we sat there had a beer and watched the ocean wash back and forth on the sand for hours. It was the most peaceful my heart had been in a while. I look over at this man and he had the biggest grin on his face, no one said a word, words weren’t’ needed. The sun had set, and it was time to go. We got up, the man held me so tight and safe in his arms and he whispered in my ear so tenderly, “I’m always with you. Always.” Just as quick as I found myself on the beach, I was back in the deserts of Arizona, but now I had a peace that truly is beyond my understanding.
So my friend and I talked a little longer and imagined and pondered what Jesus would be like if he were to come “hang for a day” here on earth. Would he meet me for a drink after work? Would he squat down on Mill Ave and have a cigarette with the street kids? Would he meet you at Paradise Bakery for lunch or over at Starbucks for an Iced Mocha? Would he ride a Harley? Would he be down at the bar drinkin scotch, dirty with a cigar hangin with the boys? If Jesus were to come visit you for a day, what would that look like? Here’s another question for ya, how do you introduce Jesus to your friends? Is he a clean cut man who opens doors for you? Is he a little rough around the edges, but knows your heart deeply. Is he so Holy that you have to make an appointment and go visit him in his office, or does he meet you and the park and walk in the grass barefoot and no shirt?
I guess my point is this girlfriends, that vision of Jesus on the beach spoke to a need in my heart that only Jesus could speak to. I was talking with another friend the other night at the bar and the Jesus on the beach means nothing to her, she needed to know that Jesus would meet her at the bar and have a drink with her and touch her heart. There is something I have learned over the past two years about sharing and introducing Jesus to people who don’t KNOW Him. Ya gota find where Jesus can be good news to them. Listen to their brokenness, and allow Jesus to speak to their hurt. All we (believers and followers of Jesus) have to do is listen. God handles the rest.
Here are the lyrics to the two songs I mentioned.

Joan Osbourne; One of Us
If God had a name, what would it be
And would you call it to his face
If you were faced with him in all his glory
What would you ask if you had just one question
And yeah yeah God is great yeah yeah
God is goodyeah yeah yeah yeah yeah
What if God was one of us
Just a slob like one of us
Just a stranger on the bus
Trying to make his way home
If God had a face what would it look like
And would you want to see
If seeing meant that you would have to believe
In things like heaven and in jesus and the saints and all the prophets
And yeah yeah god is great
yeah yeah god is good
yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah
What if God was one of us
Just a slob like one of usJust a stranger on the bus
Trying to make his way home
He's trying to make his way home
Back up to heaven all alone
Nobody calling on the phone
Except for the pope maybe in rome
And yeah yeah God is great
yeah yeah God is good
yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah
What if god was one of us
Just a slob like one of us
Just a stranger on the bus
Trying to make his way home
Just trying to make his way home
Like a holy rolling stoneBack up to heaven all alone
Just trying to make his way homeNobody calling on the phone
Except for the pope maybe in rome


Todd Agnew; My Jesus
Which Jesus do you follow?
Which Jesus do you serve?
If Ephesians says to imitate Christ
Then why do you look so much like the world?
Cause my Jesus bled and died
He spent His time with thieves and liars
He loved the poor and accosted the arrogant
So which one do you want to be?
Blessed are the poor in spirit
Or do we pray to be blessed with the wealth of this land
Blessed are they that hunger and thirst for righteousness
Or do we ache for another taste of this world of shifting sand
Cause my Jesus bled and died for my sins
He spent His time with thieves and sluts and liars
He loved the poor and accosted the rich
So which one do you want to be?
Who is this that you follow
This picture of the American dream
If Jesus was here would you walk right by on the other side
or fall down and worship at His holy feet
Pretty blue eyes and curly brown hair and a clear complexion
Is how you see Him as He dies for Your sins
But the Word says He was battered and scarred
Or did you miss that part
Sometimes I doubt we'd recognize Him
Cause my Jesus bled and died
He spent His time with thieves and the least of these
He loved the poor and accosted the comfortable
So which one do you want to be?
Cause my Jesus would never be accepted in my church
The blood and dirt on His feet might stain the carpet
But He reaches for the hurting and despises the proud
I think He'd prefer Beale St. to the stained glass crowd
And I know that He can hear me if I cry out loud
I want to be like my Jesus!I want to be like my Jesus!
I want to be like my Jesus!I want to be like my Jesus!
Not a posterchild for American prosperity, but like my Jesus
You see I'm tired of living for success and popularity
I want to be like my Jesus but I'm not sure what that means
to be like You JesusCause You said to live like You, love like You but then You died for me
Can I be like You Jesus?
I want to be like you Jesus!
I want to be like my Jesus!

Getting Started

Well hello Blogger world! My name is Wimmer and I am here to share stories with you from women around the world and right here in our own back yard. This Blog has been created with the intent to share the good the bad the ugly and beautiful stories of life as a woman.
It is my option that all women share these three things in common, 1) we all want to be loved and accepted, 2) we all have fear and 3) we all have a stories to tell about the first two.
So I invite you to read, comment, ponder and share your own stories of life. from how to cook up a mean pot roast, to how to raise a family on your own, from moving from victim mode into living as a survivor from the trials of life. Share with us your struggle and addiction and what side of the fence you decided to live on.
I hope to encourage you with sorties of triumph and inspire you to fight strong in defeat. I wish for you to discover with me, "who you are and whose you are". Come along with me my sisters; come join me in a journey of adventure and discovery into the heart of a woman.