Preserving Distinctions - Dueteronomy 22:5 (NIV Life App Foot Notes/Version & CSB Version )

Sexual orientation is a hot topic in 2024 and it got even hotter after what happened at the Olympics with the distasteful Lord's supper depiction.  From the 80's to today there has been such a huge shift in us as a people group/nation and not in a good way. 

I came across this verse in the Bible.  You always need to read the verses prior to and after the verse for context but the context was very clear in the verse, before and after as well.  

I love my life application NIV Bible.  It's been one of my faves to study and read from.  The verse is pretty straight forward no matter what version you read it from.  It's a very clear message to the world at large of God's intentions with us as well.  

This was in my life apps footnotes on this particular verse as well:

    "This verse commands men and women not to reverse their sexual role....It's not the clothing style that offends God, but using the style to act out a different sex role.  God had a purpose in making us uniquely male and female."

Further down in verses 13-30 in my footnotes it goes into why God included all these laws about sexual sins:  "Instructions about sexual behavior would have been vital for 3 million people on a 40 year camping trip.  But they would be equally important when they entered the promised land and settled as a nation....sexaul sins have the power to disrupt and destroy the church.  Sins involving sex are not innocent dabblings in forbidden pleasures, as is so often portrayed, but powerful destroyers of relationships.  They confuse and tear down the climate of respect, trust, and credibility so essential for solid marriages and secure children." 

Such great instructions in just those few words.  Instructions to live by and make a life worth living by.  When I look at the world today and the many ways that folks are "identifying" as sexually and I look at this scripture I see how we, as a people group, are getting it so incredibly wrong.  None of what goes on and has become the norm today was ever God's intention for us.  When we read God's Word we see that he had a purpose of procreation in mind with everything that he created because he uniquely created male and female in all that he created so that we could have babies so that we could grow a nation after His own heart and so that we would have plenty of food to replenish our bodies by.  

In another footnote it stated:  "Don't think of God's laws as arbitrary restrictions.  Look for the reasons behind the laws.  They are not made just to teach or restrict, but also to protect."

God's protection over our lives and over our nation is so very important.  Without it the devil runs a muck like what we are seeing all across the world today and especially in our country.  

Just let this sit with you.  Chew on it and process it.  Allow God through His Holy Spirit to lead, guide and direct you when it comes to this dicy topic.  

I just want to be clear though that I will always side with God and His Word.  Folks can say or do what they want but His Word is His Word and He's the same yesterday, today and forever.  He doesn't change and I'm sticking with Him. 

Tim's Coach did this👇...

Tim's coach gave him this postcard at training last night.  It's the first coach he's ever had to do something like this for him.  He loves how encouraging the sport of weightlifting is.  He's needed an environment like this all along.  He's definitely motivated by encouragement.  This card made his day/week/month/year!!!  Tim loves this sport so much.  What a huge difference it's made in him in just a year's time.  He's completely changed and a much happier young man.  His dad and I love, love, love seeing him so happy.  

In hindsight his dad and I see how when he got any encouragement whatsoever that he soared in the sport he was doing.  Most times the encouragement came from coaches that weren't his personal coach.  They were coaches at a mixed training session.  We did try however to get his coaches to understand that he needed to be motivated differently but a leopard doesn't change their spots when it comes to how a coach does their coaching.  I'm just glad that Tim made the change he did when he did because it's made a world of difference in him both at home and at training. 

To everything in life there is a season.  What we thought would be a lifetime was only a season for our son in his last sport.  Where he is now is an amazing fit for him and we aren't calling it his lifetime sport because we just don't know what the future holds but he loves this sport way more than he loved the other sport he was doing.  That's huge in his world.  Right now we are enjoying this season that he's in with him.  He takes videos of some of his training and it's the first thing he shares with us when he comes out of the gym after his training session. Unlike his other sport there's not really a spot where we can watch him train.  He's so much more talkative about weightlifting and sharing with us all that he is learning too.  It's made our tight knit family even tighter and we love that.  We love supporting him in all that he does.  He's such a great young man who is looking/sounding like a full grown man daily.  So much changing going on with him.

This👇...

I saw this quote and had to use it as a caption with his weightlifting picture.  It serves as a great reminder that we should never ever give up but keep going and making forward progress.  Tim is all about doing that.  He knows when he fails that he also learns and that when one thing ends something else begins so his efforts never die and that when he's been told no about something that another opportunity is coming.  Tim has no quit in him and he never gives up but keeps pressing forward.  We love seeing the determined young man that he's becoming.  One thing is for certain and that is that he will never ever be a follower.  He will always be a leader.  Leading by example for others who want to be leaders as well.  He wants to be the kind of leader that he wishes some of the coaches he has had in the past had been for him.  Not all coaches are great coaches.  Tim's learned hard lessons from the bad coaches he's had through the years and he knows exactly what kind of coach he wants to be some day and he also knows what he doesn't want to be as well.  He really gets that everything that happens in life teaches us.  Life can be a good teacher or a hard teacher but either way it will teach you.  We are so thankful for the strong level head that Tim has.  God has an amazing plan for him and we can't wait to see it all unfold as he continues to grow into a full grown man.  

Getting After It...

We've been getting after it on projects recently.  So glad that Tim is at an age where he can be a tremendous help when we are doing big jobs.  Now that we can tackle jobs as a family they go so much faster.  

However, Tim has started school again.  It's great that he does all online schooling so that he can work at his own pace and we can help his dad run our business too.  Plus he has time to also do his Olympic Weightlifting workouts as well.  Prioritizing is the key.  Tim's learning all about that right now with all that he is doing.  

Here's a couple of shots from a recent commercial client that we've been doing all the carpet in their entire facility.  

Sophomore Year...

Tim is starting 10th grade this year.  He is growing up so fast that I'm still adjusting, even a year later, to him being a high school student.  He is such a driven young man.  His dad and I are so proud of all that he has accomplished so far in his young life.  We look forward to all this school year holds for him.  We know that God is looking over our boy because he is His and we only have him on loan from God.  We are so grateful to be entrusted to his care for the short time that we have him and pray that he allows God to continue to guide and direct his life as he grows into a man.  

Here is his first day of school picture.

Better Later Than Never...

We were so feverishly busy in June finishing up school and Tim getting ready for USA Weightlifting Nationals that I forgot to post his report card and now it's time for school again.  Between his Popsies passing and funeral to end of school year to Nationals to my Aunt passing it was a very crazy June for us.  So here's his report card from his freshman year of high school.  You may have to click on it to make it larger so that you can read it.

Sunsets...

Sunsets are so beautiful.  My favorites are the ones at the beach but every so often we have an absolutely beautiful one here at home. We had one such sunset this past week when we came in from Tim's training session one evening and I was able to get a picture of it for you all to enjoy here.

Quote from Kobe Bryant...

"Are you just putting in the time, or are you maximizing every moment?

When it comes to achieving greatness, it's not enough to simply show up. True progress comes from being fully engaged, mind and body, in every second of practice."  ~Kobe Bryant (Mamba Mentality)

Tim engages both mind and body with all that he is doing with weightlifting.  He understands, better than most, that you can't achieve anything great by just showing up and that you have to maximize every moment.

Kobe Bryant was an amazing athlete that we loved following.  His work ethic was incredible.  He was one of the greats that Tim really appreciates and is glad that he has his book that he can look at and read over and over again.  He shared such depth of wisdom in the time that he had on this earth.  What a blessing he was to young athletes.  

Are You Creating A Better You?

No truer words could ever be spoken.  Tim exemplifies this.  He grinds.  He pushes.  He has taken every defeat/setback that life has thrown at him and turned them into stepping stones.  

Tim has had so many things to overcome in his young life.  I look at him in amazement at how God has watched over and protected him through all that he's been through over the years.  From a broke finger on his growth plate that took several months to heal, to an undiagnosed strip throat that turned into a life threatening situation that resulted in 5 years of aftermath from it and to a loss of most of the salt in his body that led to yet another life threatening situation that landed him in PICU.  Somewhere in all of it he also had a foot fracture.  All of that and he's continued to push forward and not give up but use it all as stepping stones in his moving forward.  He also never gave up faith either because God saved him from death twice.  He's got a plan for our boy and Tim keeps that ever before him as he seeks to find out what that plan is as he grows into a man. We look forward to all that God has in store for him as well.  And we are all ever so thankful for his protection over Tim and us through the years.

As a family we are all about creating a better us.  As we continue to make steps forward in life we do so with making the best of it in mind and creating a better future for us and our loved ones for generations to come.

What A Difference...

So the 2 upper photos were taken a year apart showing the change that happened while he worked with a body coach to get to the optimum weight that he needed to be at for the sport that he was doing at the time. He was still doing Elite TaeKwonDo Sparring at that time and had to maintain a weight division that just wasn't realistic for his body type.  He struggled so much to stay in the division that would even give him a hill of beans chance at accomplishing what he wanted to in the sport and in the end it still wasn't enough.  It just wasn't worth it to continue.

The 2024 photo is a year after weightlifting training where he's been able to eat, grow & gain muscle mass. He's been so much healthier and happier in this sport.  In just a few months time he took Gold at the WSO Championship.  In 10 months time he came in 4th at USA Weightlifting Nationals.  There has been such a huge change in our son physically as you can see in the photos but there's also been a huge change in him mentally.  Mentally he's in such a great place.  He's the best we've ever seen him.  

What he wants to accomplish hasn't changed but the avenue to accomplish it has for certain changed.  We love where he is at this time in his life and we so enjoy supporting him in any way that we can.

2 Reasons I Don't Usually Fit In...

This is not only true of Tim but also of myself and his dad too.  He may look like his dad but he's a mixture and me and his dad in his personality.  

Tim has drive.  He doesn't know the meaning of the word quit.  He keeps moving forward no matter what.  He doesn't care what others think and he's a very strong minded individual just like his dad and me.  

Most teens don't understand Tim.  They didn't understand me either.  Tim gets along more with adults than peers his age.  I had to grow up fast being the oldest of 7 kids.  I was like a second mom to my brothers and sisters.  I knew how to cook and clean at a very young age and had to help my mom a ton growing up.  Tim is an only child and at a young age was articulating well above his years in conversations with others because being an only child most of the conversations he had were with his dad and I.  We never did baby or little child talk to him because we wanted him to be a well spoken kid as he grew up and he is every bit of that today.  He finds his peers act so childish and his peers probably feel that he doesn't act his age.  He doesn't care though.  Tim is Tim and that's all there is to say about that just like I am who I am as well.  Tim doesn't change to please anyone other than God and neither do I or his dad.  

There'd be no denying Tim was ours even if we wanted to which we don't.  He is Scot and I through and through.  Watching his mind think in how he talks now makes his dad and I so happy.  He's got such a great head on his shoulders and we hope that he will always be this way.  

God has amazing plans for Tim.  Tim will never be a follower of the crowd.  He will always think for himself and not give two hoots about what anyone else thinks about him.  He is so like me and his dad in that regard.  

Here's to continuing to not fit in and being your own person Tim.  Keep doing you.  And Keep following God.  

Meet Announcement...

Tim's next Meet is WSO State Championship on October 20th!  Pray that he doesn't have any more injuries between now and then and that he's able to get back up to speed fast so that he can be lifting at his best for this Meet.  Thank you!

You Can't Change What You're Willing To Tolerate! ~Ron Carpenter

Sometimes, the chains that bind us are the ones we've grown accustomed to.  But God doesn't want us to live in bondage - He wants us free!

We can't accept the things that weigh us down; we have to hate those chains enough to run toward Jesus and stretch out our hand in faith.

Are you ready to stretch out your hand in faith to God today? He's ready to restore what's been withered in your life.

#BreakTheChains #FreedomInChrist #NewBeginnings #LetGoAndLetGod #FaithfulGod #RonCarpenter 

Tim's Back...

Tim's Chiropractor released him to be able to train again on Monday.  Yesterday was his first official day back lifting.  He was so excited that he was dancing a jig saying, "I get to lift today" over and over again...LOL! Even though he's not lifting the weights he wants to be lifting he's just happy to be lifting again.  He knows that he will work back up quickly to what he was lifting before the shoulder injury.  It was a minor injury but his coach is happy to have him back.  All he's been able to do for several weeks is lower body and Tim says that only doing lower body just sucks.  He was having to see everyone else lifting and he couldn't.  That is a bitter pill to take when you are as driven as Tim is and love to lift as much as he does.  

Now that he's back he works towards getting ready for the WSO State Competition.  That's his next big Meet.  He can't wait because it is also the first Meet that he did when he started lifting last year.  It will be a full circle moment for him this year.  He gets to see how far he's come in a year's time at this Meet.  What great fun that will be for him.

Weightlifting has been a whole new world and one that Tim has embraced.  He loves being able to pack on the protein and eat.  We couldn't believe how fast he went from 112 pounds last year to 130 pounds.  It was like a snap of the finger and he's stayed at that weight all year long and he hasn't had to work at staying at that weight either.  Seeing him at such a healthy weight has not only made him happy but his dad and I too.  We love seeing him healthy and happy and not having to stay on such a specific and strict diet that wasn't healthy for him.  We can see now just how unhealthy it was now that he's been doing Weightlifting for a year.  A year out of the old sport and a year into the new sport has given us so much perspective that at times it blows our minds.  We've been shaking our heads that we stayed as long as we did in the other sport and wishing we had made the change so much sooner than we did.  Everything happens for a reason though.  And seasons change.  Everything Tim's done over the years has helped him with what he is doing now.   Some of what he went through was very hard but it prepared him for this moment in time in his life.  He is such an amazing and strong young man.  

Sometimes life throws us lemons and we make lemonade.  We just have to make the most out of it is all!  That's just what Tim is doing and we are so happy for him and proud of him.  We can't wait to see all that God has for him in the future.  

Here's Tim flexing his muscles...LOL! 

People Come & Go...

Growing up I was told time and again that people will come and go in your life but the real ones will stay forever.  When I saw this meme on social media and I couldn't help but share it because I know how very true it is.  

From my youth to now I have had so many people come and go in my life.  Some when they went out of my life were harder than others because I was so close to them.  But, when it's time to move on whether in life or in death there's nothing that can be done to stop it from happening.  All we can do is let go ourselves and continue to move forward with our lives.  

Saying that last statement is easier said than actually done.  There have been times when I held on too long when I should've let go and moved on way earlier than did.  Sometimes even after they were already gone from my life I clung to the memories way longer than I should.  Hanging on more often than not can be to ones detriment.  It can keep you from a life that God has for you that is much better than the life that is behind you.  

The real people in your life that are meant to be there for a lifetime are the ones that God will orchestrate to always be there as well.  He will make ways that will keep them in your life.  I have a handful of those types of people in my life.  Along with God they are a constant in my life.  Ones I hold close to my heart.  Ones that I make an effort to remain close to as well and they to me.  

Real happiness happens from the people in your life that you are meant to walk out this life with.  Those that make a difference in your life and you in theirs.  Lives that are intertwined together forever.  They are happy when you are happy and sad when you are sad and vice versa.

Those that are only in our lives for a season are a bit of a harder pill to take.  Especially if they have been let in close as if they were going to be in your life forever.  There's no way to know who will be lifetime and who are seasonal though.  If there was a way to know then there would be things about life that would be altogether more simple, better and different.  That's for sure.  

Keep your lifetime people super close though.  Make sure they know how important they are to you.  Make a difference in their life.  And above all be happy with your life and a blessing to those of utter importance to you.  

Who Has Your Ear?

No truer words were ever spoken.  Whoever you give your ear to will have your future.  They will either direct and guide your life in a positive direction or a negative one.  You'll either make a difference or you won't.  You'll either let life happen to you or you will happen to life and make a way forward that brings glory and honor to God for generations to come.  Be careful who you let have your ear and lead you.  Make sure their life is going a direction that you want yours to go also.  Your life is the some total of those who you associate with and influence your life.   

God's Way is....

This is something I remind myself of daily.  I'm an imperfect person but I serve a perfect God and I love Him with all of my heart and soul.  And even when I don't understand I know that His way is always the best way forward.  God has a higher purpose for everything that happens in life.  We don't know what that purpose is but we just have to trust Him and continue to move forward with Him.  

Member of the Month Again...

Tim and his fellow youth team members were chosen as members of the month for their performances at USA Weightlifting Youth Nationals this year.

It's such a blessing that Tim was chosen twice in a year's time for this. He so loves it at the gym and would live there if he could. It was great encouragement for him to receive this honor again as well since he's been fighting back from a shoulder injury for the past several weeks.

Name: Tim Neal

What city were you born in? Raleigh, NC

What do you do when you're not training at Athletic Lab (occupation, hobbies, etc)?

I'm a Sophomore in High School and I enjoy gaming with my friends.

What's your favorite exercise? Hang Snatches

Least favorite? RDL's

What do you feel has been your greatest accomplishment since you started training? Doing my first USA Weightlifting Nationals placing 4th overall while doing Meet PR's in both Snatch and Clean & Jerk.

What motivates you in your training?

Working to beat personal bests so that l can be the best I can possibly be in weightlifting.

Happy Birthday in Heaven Pop/Popsie....

Scot, Timothy and myself don’t want to let this day go by without giving a shout out to the greatest Pop and Popsie who ever lived, Franklin Neal. Although he’s no longer with us he will forever be in our hearts and memories. There isn’t a day that goes by that we don’t miss him immensely. He was a man with such a huge well of wisdom. We could call him up with any issue we were tackling and he’d help us fix whatever it was just by talking us through it. We loved and cherished every single moment we had with this great man. Pop/Popsie we hope you are having a grand time celebrating in heaven today.

#4everinourhearts #4everinourmemories #familyiseverything

Make A Habit...

 

Everyday people come to our minds that we don't let know that we are thinking of them.  Often times we get so busy with living life that we just forget to stay in touch with them.  Days and even weeks go by with no words passed between them and us.  They can never know how much we truly care if we don't make an effort to keep them as a part of our lives.  It's important that those we love and care about know it and that we make a point of letting them know every opportunity that we get.   

As I'm getting older I see the importance in this more and more.  It's so sad that we don't see the importance in this when we are young only as we get older does it really matter.  It should matter when we are young too though.  

I fear this next generation coming up will not care at all of the importance of this.  I see everyday the horrific ways that our young people are acting all in the name of their causes.  Also all in the name of it's my right to act and be any way that I want.  It's sad really and it's heart breaking to see the state we are in today.  

Our only hope is God.  That God will bring us back to what is really important in life and it's our relationships.  Our families.  Our friends.  Our devotion to God.  It's really all that matters.

Why Not You...

This young Olympian, Noah Lyles (Sprinter),  won his first Gold medal and he shared a message for anyone who have what he has:

"I have asthma, allergies, dyslexia, ADD, anxiety, and depression.  But I will tell you that what you have does not define what you can become.  Why Not You!"

Most definitely why not you?  It's what we say to Tim all the time.  He has so much potential within him to do great things and be an amazing influencer for others seeking to accomplish goals like his as well.  Tim desires to be the best that he can be in Olympic Weightlifting and if that leads him to an Olympic Medal someday to God be all the Glory.  He is so driven and has such greatness within himself.  He has the support of his father and I plus the support of an amazing coach and a great group of individuals that he trains with.  That makes all the difference in the world.  

Had his dad and I put him in traditional schooling he would have been labeled with ADD for sure.  He's a high energy young man who has strived and done quite well being home schooled where he can take breaks and get his energy out then come back and do more school.  It's a schedule that has worked swimmingly for a kid with such high energy.  

But his high energy is serving him quite well in Weightlifting.  He has such a huge drive.  He sets goals and goes after them with everything he's got.  I hasten to think of where he would be had I put him into traditional school and then them having had put him on ADD meds to calm him down.  He'd have been a very different person for sure and not the incredible young man that we have the pleasure of encouraging and cheering on as he goes hard after his goals today.  

Bottom line, just like Noah (the Olympian) said, WHAT YOU HAVE DOES NOT DEFINE WHAT YOU CAN BECOME!!!  

Something we tell Tim all the time is this scripture verse:

Jesus said these words!!!  I hold to all the scriptures but especially to those that are direct quotes of Jesus.  I hold them in higher importance.  One thing we tell our son all the time as he's going after his goals is that if he's interviewed to always give glory to God first and foremost.  Make sure that He is glorified above all else because it is He who has gifted him with all that he's been able to do in his young life.  After all, With God All Things Are Possible!!!  

Encouragement for Accomplishing Goals....

This was posted from USA Weightlifting Bronze Medalist, Hampton Morris,  

    "I really struggled to find my rhythm in our training hall. I had waves of stress and had to fight pretty hard to over come the stress most days. I am really grateful for my family coming and helping me relax and for USAW for allowing me to move to the hotel to be with them. It really made all the difference.

    This was probably the worst day and it was definitely the worst manifestation of my stress. The pressure of performing, the different training environment, and the hard, consistently hard, sessions culminated in a lot of frustration, some tears, and finally a nose bleed that ended the session.

    l am sharing this to say, if you have a goal worth fighting for. Talk to your support.  Get help. Talk about your issues. Never stop pushing and fighting, instead find another way with help.

    This turned out really well for me and we did something truly special about a week later, ending another decades long drought in the men's side. I hope my fight inspires others to fight hard for your goals too."

My Guys...

Outside of my relationship with God my guys are my world.  They are everything to me.  

Ya know, life has so many twists and turns in it.  I was raised in such a poor family.  My folks hardly ever had two pennies to rub together when we were growing up.  Our clothes were from the great designer Good Will or Hand Me Downs.  Most of our food was government food.  It takes being picked on to a whole new level when you're on free lunch in school too.  But that was my childhood.

My young adult life was so confused and messed up.  I held no hope that I would have a good future at all.  I worked more than one job to pay the bills.  I tried the best I could to live a life pleasing to God but failed miserably more often than not.  At one point I didn't even want to live anymore.   

My life took a turn for the better though when I really took my relationship with God more seriously and made him a priority in my life.  It wasn't too many years after I did that that I met my husband Scot.  We both have such a love for God and even though we have failed miserably at times in our relationship with God we have never wavered in our love for him.  Once you've really experienced God for yourself no amount of making sinful decisions will be able to rip that love from your heart.  A real experience overrides anything else!  It always has and it always will!  

Then came along our son to bless our lives.  He truly has been such a blessing.  He is so smart and so loved and he's never had to suffer the way I did growing up.  He and his dad have a great relationship and that blesses my heart so very much.  Even though Scot and I have been the farthest thing from perfect godly parents we have done our best to pour into our son a love for God and right living so that he can make better decisions with his life than we did with ours when we were young.  Tim is already making better decisions and not living like I did at his age.  He's not made even close to the same mistakes that I did so he's already ahead in that regard.

To say my guys are my world is an understatement.  So many bumps, curves and twist have happened in my life but God gave me the greatest blessings in my life by giving me Scot and Tim.  I can't imagine what my life would have been like without them.  It's getting harder to remember what it was like before them.  Everyday is an adventure/journey but we do it together and that's all that matters.  My life is full and overflowing because of all that God has done in my life.  I know I don't always do or say things the way God would because I'm only human and I make mistakes but one thing is for certain I will always love him and my guys with a love so deep that it reaches to the moon and beyond.  That will never ever change!  

Mending Fences...

 

Cattle farmers are always mending fences not because they want to but because it's necessary in order to keep their cattle on their lands.  Cattle bust through fences a lot but you can't expect them to mend what they've done.  It's laughable to think of them mending what they've broken.

Same is true of anyone in leadership positions as well.  If they have caused the problem you can't very well expect them to mend the problem because they don't see that they have done anything wrong in the first place.  

So this quote makes perfect since and one that we need to keep in mind when allowing folks to stay in positions of authority when we have the power to replace them and put someone into leadership that can mend things and make things better for us all.  Just a little food for thought.

Barabas...

 

This quote leaves us much to consider.  Barabbas was a criminal who deserved to be punished.  Jesus was not a criminal and didn't deserve what they did to him but alas we would not have had a path to heaven without his sacrifice so there's that.  

We are in a period of time in American history where the crowds are screaming free Barabbas and Crucifying the principals our country was founded on and putting them on the alter to be burned and in it's place comes greed, lust and pure evil of every kind imaginable similar to that of Sodom and Gomorrah.  

I pray every day that blind eyes will receive their sight so that they can see the truth instead of believing the lies that are perpertrated on so many each and every day.  I pray for opportunity for the message of Jesus to be received.  For peoples lives to be turned to him so that this country can get back on track with God's plan and not our own.  After all God's plan is the best plan that any of us could follow because he's always got our best interest at heart as his sons and daughters.