Climb Higher

We just returned from a wonderful family vacation in the mountains in North Georgia. Our first day we decided to tour a few of the popular hiking trails and we landed upon some beautiful waterfalls and landscapes where it was impossible to believe there isn’t a God. The landscapes of His creation are overwhelming! 

Every time I stood in front of those rushing waters, rumbling down the side of the mountain, I thought about God and His amazing power and might. He spoke the mountains into existence and with the same voice told the waters where to go..... if you have any doubt in who God is, take a hike up a mountain. 

The hike up is hard, but worth the view from the top. If I would have stayed in the car, given in to many of my excuses and chosen not to climb the mountain I would have missed the experience of the mountain top. I may have heard the rushing waters from the bottom and even experienced some of it’s left over, puddling around my feet in the pool of water at the base of the mountain...but I would never have seen it’s origin. I would never have been able to see the might and beauty of it’s entirety. 

When we stop climbing we miss the view. When we stop climbing we forfeit the beauty. 

The climb to higher ground is a spiritual one, though some physical work may also be required. The climb is rough and traveling light is necessary. We didn’t take much up the mountain, a bottle of water, bug spray, of course the camera phone to capture these awesome pictures. Oh and one of the kids may have had a pack of gum in their pocket but nothing more, because traveling light was a priority. We needed to conquer ground, quickly. 

Traveling light on this road of life will require us to let go of the past, and let go of other hindrances to our progress that weigh us down. Burdensome thoughts, negative thinking, the desire to control things we can not change...these heavy things don’t help us to climb, they keep us sitting at the bottom of the mountain, wishing we could be at the top. 

When you decide to climb you resist the urge to listen to the whispers of the doubting spirit that try to talk you out of the “hard work”. Instead with every level higher, you renew your mind and encourage your spirit. 

Torrey and I picked up the rear for most of our trip up the mountain (that means we were in the back, ha). I should note we are at least 25+ years older than our company of kids and their friends and that would have been a good enough excuse, but age didn’t stop us either. We changed our attitude and we started to "think" like we were 25 years younger, we encouraged one another (YOU need an encourager in your life!), and we believed we could do it. Oh friend I am so glad we did, the view was worth it.  

The experience was unexplainable, never could the others have put into words what they saw, we had to take the challenge to experience the climb for ourselves. 

The experience you forfeit because you decide not to climb can never be articulated to it's full capacity by others, you must get up, get going and experience the climb for yourself. 

There's so much more ahead for you beyond the valley. Yes the christian is required to go through the valleys but we are also encouraged to walk out of them. How? Renew your mind, mature your thought life, and change your attitude. Encourage yourself and those who climb with you and BELIEVE God is able to get you to the mountaintop. He can, you just have to be willing to climb. Go get your hiking shoes, I'm ready to go with you!


Blessings, Polly

When I said, "YES"!

When I said "YES", He changed my wavering days into days of purpose. He wiped away my past and showed me a favored future. Instead of walking alone, He now walks with me. He gave me hope when I was hopeless and He clothed me in His righteousness when I was unworthy. He transformed my mind.

He traded my ashes for beauty and crowned me with His everlasting love. What others may have thrown away and discarded in me, He uses for His purpose. 

He gives me shelter under the loving care of His mighty arm and covers me. I am my beloveds and He is mine. 

He walks with me and talks with me, and the love letter of His word comforts me daily. He continues HIStory in my heart, in my next step, in my future and in my legacy. I will forever share my love story because He has changed my life.

I still have uncertainty about the future and this life on earth has made me shed a few tears, but He has promised never to leave me or forsake me! He has made me a home in heaven, where one day I will see Him face to face.

I've said, "yes" many times but the most significant yes was to Jesus! He can change your life, He's just waiting for you to say "yes".

Blessings, Polly

Give Yourself A Break

Each of us has an internal dialogue of conversation going on every day. In fact we probably talk more to ourselves than we do anybody else. This can be an important concept to evaluate considering a positive self image is necessary in order to be successful in this life.

So what do you say to yourself? Who do you say you are? What are you speaking to the inner chambers of your heart? That repeated conversation that captivates your attention at random moments throughout the day, that unconscious interruption that comes out of no where, most of the time that voice tells us who we're not.

"You'll never be capable of handling this situation?"

"You don't measure up to the qualifications they need for that job?"

"You'll never change!"

"You have no will-power, you can't commit to anything more than a day."

"You don't measure up."

"They don't like you, they'll never accept you into this family."

Constantly our brain bombards our heart with conversations like these, acknowledging everything that has ever been wrong with us. These recordings continuously replay negative thoughts of who we are not, until we believe that's who we are!

If you have one of those recordings it's time to destroy it. 

This negative self image keeps you in
bondage and hinders your potential. So what, you've made a few mistakes, you didn't get the job you planned for, you still have a bad habit you haven't been able to break, your in-laws still don't give a rip about you and it's been twelve weeks and you haven't lost a single pound. Give yourself a break! Stop being so hard on yourself and instead of feeding your thoughts with who you are not, start telling yourself who you are and who you will become.

God thinks you are pretty amazing and He knows you have undeniable potential. As a matter of fact He went to great lengths to prove it, He sent His only son Jesus Christ to die for you. Now that's amazing!

So start today by telling yourself who you are in Christ. Remind yourself daily you are loved and accepted by the one who holds your future. Don't let comments or mistakes of the past confound you in the prison of failure. Release yourself to be free, to be all that GOD has called you to be. I'll be the first one to tell you, with God you can do it!

Blessings - Polly

Stay Focused

When my daughter was just old enough to talk she always repeated things to her Father and I as if we didn't hear her the first time. As she got a little older her technique for communicating important information was still to repeat it but it always was proceeded by, "Mom, are you listening to me?" Waving her little arms toward her face she would motion with her index fingers to her eyes, "Right here Mom, right here, I have to tell you something."  If in her opinion I or her father, didn't engage enough eye contact she would literally grab my face with her tiny chubby toddler hands and turn my eyes towards her begging, "Please Mom look at me, I need to tell you something." What my toddler had to tell me was never life threatening or an emergency, as it would appear but it was important to her and she wanted my complete and undistracted attention focused on her.

Now that Karson is a teenager we joke with her about her behavior as a toddler and she will sometimes now in her cute but annoying way, mimic her toddler behavior just to get a laugh from us and the not so funny smirk from her older brother.

Life can so easily throw distractions our way weekly, daily and for some even hourly: Flat tire, loss of a job, illness, diagnosis of a disease, death, financial loss, tragedy, terrible news via a phone call, war or a government shut-down. It's easy to get side-tracked and focused on our problems, especially when they seem to come on the hour every hour. By the end of a typical day we are exhausted physically and mentally, consumed with the what if's, the how comes, and the why not's! 

All the while God is waiting for our attention. He is wondering why we continue to focus on the problem instead of the problem solver. I sometimes amuse myself and think He may be looking down waving his arms like my toddler and saying, "Hey you, focus on me!" Then with His loving and caring hands he would grab my face and turn it back towards heaven and he says, "Now why are you so pre-occupied with temporary circumstances? Lean not unto your own understanding, my child....just trust me!'

Oh the lessons we can learn from our children. When we turn our focus COMPLETELY on God He gives us peace and in His peace we are able to stop focusing on the problem and start praising the one who can solve the problem. 

Distractions are inevitable, choose what you will do with them. Be determined to keep your eyes upon the Lord who is "able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think". (Ephesians 3:20-21)

Do you desire to be victorious in overcoming distractions, then look to the PROBLEM SOLVER, keep your focus towards him and the things of this earth will grow strangely dim. 

polly herrin

His Voice

She now walks in places she never dreamed possible. Her past no longer haunts her. The mistakes she made she is now wiser for. There's a new gleam in her eye, a steady confidence in her step. She's moving....yes, she's moving forward.

 

She's very aware that adversity is still certain to be around the corner, voices of opposition are still waiting to tell her who she is not, but this time, yes this time she has learned one valuable and important truth:

 

God has not changed His mind about her...

 

Regardless of what the world would say, regardless of the opinions of her friends and enemies, she is determined to hear His voice. His voice says, "I am with you" and His voice declares, "I am for you". His voice so tender and sustaining, affirming all she had forgotten. His voice catapults her forward into her destiny, all because she was determined to hear Him speak and to follow.

 

Blessings, Polly

Who Told You That?

After the fall, Adam tried desperately to explain to God that he was ashamed and afraid because he was naked. I love the way God responded, He asked Adam, "Who told you that you were naked?"

Obviously by his actions Adam had been influenced by a voice other than the voice of God. Up until this point God never mentioned to Adam that he was "naked", although he had been naked the day before and the day before and the day before... What voice convinced Adam he was naked? What voice told him God wouldn't accept him that way, leaving him feeling so inadequate and ashamed that Adam felt he had no other choice but to hide?

If you've lived in this world long enough there have been other voices competing for your attention. Voices that have spoken loudly and without relent, in complete contradiction to the voice of God convincing you to hide behind the veil of secrecy ashamed and afraid. Convincing you to hide from a loving Father full of grace and mercy.

How often have we chosen to listen to some other voice, besides the voice of God? Imagine the grieving heart of our Heavenly Father when we choose to believe something other than what He has said about us.

Who told you it was too late to start over? Who convinced you, that you didn't belong? Who threatened that you could never be forgiven? Who intentionally made you feel incapable, inadequate and unaccepted? Who whispered you'd never accomplish anything significant? Who said you couldn't do it? Who lied to you? Who threatens,  you will always be lonely?Who refuses to forgive you? Who has denied you a second chance? 

It certainly was not God!

He said, "You are the head and not the tail." He declared, "You are an overcomer!" He gave you "all authority in heaven and earth" and He promised, "In your weakness you would be made strong." God said, "He loves you unconditionally" and nothing can change His mind about you! He promised, "To never leave you or forsake you" and that His desire is for you to be blessed beyond measure.  He proved that you were worth dying for!

It's time to press the mute button to the voices that contradict God! You don't have to get in the ring with the enemy and argue your point. You just have to remind him, God's word is final.

Blessings, Polly

2013 - Just Let Some Baggage Go!

I've tried, believe me I have, but since an early age I've had this desperate need to be prepared especially when it relates to packing.

Don't ask me to pack the car for a DAY TRIP! I'll include enough food for two weeks, and I'll pack a few pillows, blankets and extra clothes for everybody just in case we have an emergency and need to spend the night somewhere. I seriously drive my family crazy.

I just don't know how to travel light.

...and when I check in at the airport, I will be the passenger with that extra piece of luggage solely for those necessary outfits, in addition to the ones I have already packed. Who knows what the weather is going to be when you arrive at your destination and besides, a girl has to have a few options on stand by!

Hey don't act like you have never been caught with a few excess bags!

Maybe even today I could find you over at the baggage carousel loading up. Don't remember seeing that baggage carousel? That's because it was not in the airport, it's the one in your mind and the bags you grabbed aren't made of leather, decorated in Vera Bradley designs or manufactured by Samsonite. Nope;  these are made of burdens!

I saw you pick up the suitcase of REGRET, and the second bag is filled with GUILT. Over your shoulder you tote a bag of WEARINESS and another labeled HOPELESSNESS and if that wasn't enough you have to have your briefcase of UN-FORGIVENESS, where items are stored in chronological order and kept close, so later in the day you can rehearse them. Oh and don't forget the purse of SHAME, filled with MISSED OPPORTUNITIES, MISTAKES and FAILURES, it's small but hefty and always with you. Pretty soon you are pulling more stuff than the skycap and you wonder why month after month and year after year you are so tired, so weary, so exhausted.

I'm hear to scream to you today, "Drop some of that baggage! You can't get to where you're going if you are distracted and burdened with needless weight."

The truth is God has a great race for you to run and under His care you will go where you've never been before, never served before and in ways you've never dreamed, but you have to be willing to leave some stuff behind. How can you give hope, when you can't let go of your bag of hopelessness. How can you teach forgiveness to someone who needs it, when you have a briefcase of files from the past of those who have hurt you? How can you expect to make it a better year, when you hug so tightly to shame? How can you lift someone else's load if you have too heavy of a load yourself?

To get to the place God has destined you to go, you must travel light! To run the race He has prepared, you have to discard the excess baggage. There are just some things you were never intended to carry.

I remember a trip we were taking from Tampa to Baltimore and we were trying to catch our connection in Atlanta. Of course we had more bags than my husband and I could carry alone... mostly my fault I'm sure. We were trying to hurry and catch the tram that seemed far off in the distance and only came every five minutes.  We didn't have time to go and retrieve a cart, so we grabbed our bags off the carousel and placed them anywhere we could on our bodies. We looked utterly ridiculous and  unfortunately we were unsuccessful in our attempts, there were just too many bags for us to carry. My son noticing our dilemma, attempted to pick up a large and heavy duffle bag. Immediately the skycap came over and laid his hand on my 5 year old's shoulder and said, "Son put that heavy bag down, it's too big for you. I'll carry it for you!"

That's what your heavenly Father is whispering to you today, "It's time to put down some of the bags you are carrying, they're too heavy, you were never intended to carry them in the first place!"

Psalms 68:19  - Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens.

Let 2013 be a year you Let Go of the baggage you were never meant to carry and allow God to pick up the load. Run your race with less of you and more of Him! I promise you'll get there faster.

Blessings, Polly

Saying Goodbye Is Never Easy

I approach this weekend with bitter sweet emotions as I sit on my living room floor amongst the packed moving boxes and sixteen years of wonderful memories. Where has the time gone? It seems like yesterday my husband and I rented a large uhaul truck loaded it with our simple but treasured items and made the 20+ hour drive from Salisbury, Maryland to Plant City, Florida with our 18 month old baby boy. We didn't know a soul here, well except Pastor Mitch Corder, who hired us and even then we had only known him for a few short weeks.

We would soon find out that Plant City was a small agricultural community that hosted the best strawberries in the nation, and the most caring group of people in the South East. It didn't take us long to make new friends on the soccer fields, basketball courts, baseball diamonds, school or community events. We were welcomed with open arms into our church family as Youth Pastors, serving several years in that position and then onto serve other positions in the church like Worship Arts Pastors and now Executive Pastors, as it grew and the need arose. Looking back through old picture albums we are both proud and honored to have led the most AMAZING youth in all of Florida because they were Soul'd Out to Christ. (Hence the name we chose for the group.) Today they aren't so young, toting toddlers and preschoolers of their own and some even moving to other states, yet they still make us proud when we see and hear of their dedication and commitment to serving Jesus Christ.

The next few years we were privileged to help hire some new staff some of whom went on to serve in other ministry opportunities through the US, we helped to implement our church daycare, our School of Music and Family Care programs, build a new sanctuary (currently the PCCOG) that we reside in now. Fast forward almost two decades later and my heart is heavy knowing we will leave behind many wonderful friends and friends who have become family, whom we love so dearly! Yet we know without a doubt, this is the will of the Father.

David said in the book of Psalms, "The steps of a righteous man (woman) are ordered by God!" I have to believe that every detail of a believer's life is strategically and intricately ordered by the Sovereign hand of God and He doesn't make mistakes. It's safe to say, in our lives and I'm sure many of your lives, there may have been times you and I have questioned His will, and we've wondered if maybe somewhere along the way He had closed His eyes, taken a nap, or completely forgotten about us. But the older I get and the more I spend in His presence reading His word, I find just the opposite is true. When doing great things for the Lord, we will often times travel down paths we may not have selected for ourselves, but God knew we needed to travel them, to refine us, purify us, strengthen us and build our faith in Him!

Like Job, some of you have suffered seasons of disease and sickness, loosing houses and lands, often you've questioned where God is and how could He be directing your life. Others are like Joseph, who was pursued by the hands of his jealous family members because of the evidence of a favored life. He was intentionally rejected, thrown into a pit and left to die by those who he loved deeply. Joseph had to wonder if this was part of God's will and I'm certain He questioned where God was those thirteen years of hell!

What about Esther, born in unfavorable circumstances with life's odds against her, she was destined for greatness but had a rough beginning. Who would have ever imagined a jewish orphaned girl would endure such tragedy yet still be in the perfect will of God! And David, the one whom God called, "A man after my own heart" was allowed to suffer persecution from a tyrant jealous King who hated him because he was favored by the Lord and positioned for the throne. Saul drove him to the caves, running for his life, tired, abandoned, weak in spirit and mind, yet He was still in the very center of God's will!

Today the world has painted a different picture and yes sad to say even in the church we sometimes have suggested a life with hardship, sickness, abandonment, strife and warfare is not God's will, but that my friend couldn't be farther from the truth! God uses all of these circumstances for and to His glory. The real truth is, if you didn't need a miracle, you would never need God.

Job, Joseph, David and Esther each needed God to show up miraculously on their behalf in order to accomplish something they couldn't do within themselves. We must recognize that God delights in making you triumph! He delights in positioning you in places and situations where you can't make it on your own, and yes He even allows the enemy to harass, taunt and threaten you for a season, just as He did in Job's life.

The good news is, God planned your victory before He allowed your struggle. He has positioned you in the midst of the season of difficulty and He has made a way of deliverance for you. You may not see it in the natural realm right now, but you don't have to see it, God has already planned it! David reminds us that "God works all things for our good" and if He has allowed this difficult season in your life, it's for a reason------that He may be glorified. All you need to do friend is trust Him completely and I promise you won't be disappointed. He has the master plan and He knows the beginning and the end of your story, therefore you can be confident in Him. It's History....(HIS - STORY), He is the author and no matter what direction your story may take, you can be confident He is working it all for your good. When we come to the place where we know it's all about Him and has nothing to do with us, we can make those detours alot easier.

So today although we say goodbye to sixteen years of wonderful experiences, great people, and treasured memories, we know that we know that we know, He is in control and we are confident in the decision we have made. It is with great anticipation we press on toward the prize, that Christ has set before us, finishing the race knowing He has ordered our every step. Until we meet again whether here on earth or when we are called away to our eternal home, please never forget, to keep it ALL ABOUT JESUS!

Blessings, Polly