July went quickly this year because we were out of town for half of it!  We began our two-week outing with a visit to Cocoa Beach with my brother Lawson, his family, and my folks.  Phil and Clayton showed their adventurous spirit on top of surfboards.  I showed my spirit of adventure by wearing a swimsuit in public. (No, there will be no pictures!)
 
After having fun at the beach, Connor went to "Camp Jolly," which means he spent a week with my brother and parents while Phil, Clayton and I went to Port Canaveral to board the Carnival Glory for a 7-day Caribbean cruise to celebrate Clayton's high school graduation! 
 
Built in 2003 in Genoa, Italy, Carnival Glory is a 110,000-ton piece of magnificent relaxation!  We visited Nassau, Bahamas; St. Thomas; and St. Martin. In Merigo, the capitol of St. Martin, we had lunch in an outdoor café.  I enjoyed black beans and rice and delicious fried plantains.  When I lamented to the beautiful sun-soaked server that we can't buy plantains in our grocery store, she said, "Oh, Lady, you just get green bananas and fry them!"  So after our fabulous vacation ended, Clayton and I got some green bananas, 2 cups of oil, and made the best mid-western "plantanos" you've ever tasted!
 
If you've never tasted fried plantains, you simply must.  Visit a Cuban restaurant, order black beans and rice, some crisp Cuban bread, fried plantains, and then crown the experience with flan! Oh, girl...you will exclaim, "Aye, caramba!"  By the way, one of my favorite Cuban restaurants is called Tropical Breeze Café in Dade City, Florida. 
 
For my cruise reading, I tried something different and I really enjoyed it.  Sea of Glory, by Nathaniel Philbrick, tells the story of one of the most ambitious voyages of discovery--the U.S. Exploring Expedition of 1838-1842.  It included six sailing vessels and a crew of hundreds who set out to map the Pacific Ocean.  What I really loved about this New York Times Best Seller was how the author recreated this little-known but hugely important piece of maritime history, with all of its success and scandal!  His storytelling was so compelling that at times I felt like I was riding the waves along with the crew, gazing at magnificent icebergs, and feeling the unfairness of the insecure Lieutenant Wilkes as he mistreated my new friends on the expedition!  Somebody should have given that grumpy Lieutenant Wilkes some plantains!
 
So, give these things a taste test:
 
1. Take a cruise on the Carnival Glory--or at least take a canoe and enjoy your nearest lake!
 
2.  Fried plantains--make them yourself or go to a Cuban restaurant.
 
3.  Sea of Glory by Nathaniel Philbrick.

 

What God Has Been Teaching Me Lately 

 

Do you like the way you do life?  Does it work for you, or do you work for it?  

Several summers ago, I decided the answer to the first question was, "No. No, I don't like the way I do life." 

The answer to the second question was, "No. Life isn't working for me; I think I am working for it!" 
 
Life had become so full.  It was like an insatiable master who was demanding and was driving me beyond my desires and often my abilities.  But the irony was that I had created this "slave-driving" life without even realizing it.  So, I spent a little time studying my life!  
 
Have you ever studied your own life?  You may be surprised by what you learn.  I consciously became an observer of my life and not just a mindless participant. What I discovered was the beginning of making life work for me. 
 
I observed that I needed boundaries.  Where were the boundaries in my life?  It didn't take long to discover that the reason I couldn't locate my boundaries was because there were none!   Life had just become one giant free-for-all!  Like a pinball in a machine, I pinged, bounced, rolled and sped with the momentum of the game.   It wasn't that the "game" was bad--it was just that it never stopped, it seemed to have no rules, and I wasn't the one pulling the trigger making the ball roll! It was others' expectations, my prior commitments, and some old habits that were in charge now. 
 
I learned if I don't set my own boundaries, they will be set for me.  There is only One whom I trust to set boundaries for me, and it was His guidance I pursued in my new quest.  The psalmist said that God had drawn the boundaries in pleasant places (Psalm 16:6).   So, that's what I began to pursue--boundaries that were set in pleasant places.  The purpose for my boundary pursuit was not self-indulgence; it was stewardship.    
 
I don't think I'm the only woman who lacks boundaries.  Am I?  The boundaries I discovered and began to implement will be the subject of the next few Fresh Grounded Thoughts.   Here's something to whet your appetite!
 
The boundaries I discovered were in these areas:
 
1.  Simplicity 
If I add, I must subtract.
If everything has a cost, can I afford it?
Does this choice I am making add complexity or simplicity to my life?
Do I have a place in my home, calendar, or heart for this?
Who or what will I have to neglect to add this?
 
2.  Privacy
Do I actively pursue and engage in solitude?
Is there any part of my life that I feel it's my right to keep private?
Can I say no to someone with out explaining why?
Do I give myself the liberty to let the phone ring?  Do I think it's okay to let it go to voice mail and listen to it when it is a better time for me, rather than allowing it to disturb my privacy?
 
3.  Work/Leisure
Do I choose when I can and will work, or do others choose that for me?
Do I carve out time to have a hobby?
Does my motivation to work stem from guilt or performance?
Are others' work and leisure ethics my own?
 
4.  Friends/Family
Am I proactive or reactive in relationships?
Did I choose my friends, or did my friends choose me?
Do I make the effort or sacrifice to invest in my friends and family, or are they the last to get my attention because I know they understand?
Do I allow personal honesty or others' expectations to govern my relationships?
Am I intentional about being a friend?
 
A sage man who had spent years in public ministry once told me, "Jennifer, you will find that everyone will love you and will have a wonderful plan for your life." 

He was right.  That great advice applies to you as well.  Everyone will love you and will have a wonderful plan for your life.  Your boss will love you and will think of an incredible plan for your life.  Your husband will love you and have a great plan for you.  Your kids love you and have a fabulous plan for what you can do every minute of every day!   Your friends, neighbors, church and family all think you are great and the plans they have for you are without limit!  It's not that their plans are bad; it's just that maybe their plans aren't best.  That's why we need boundaries...so we can live out the best plan for us. 
 
There is One who truly loves you more than He loves Himself, and it is His plan for you that is absolutely wonderful.  His plan is trustworthy, and when accepted, it will give you life that really works--life with boundaries that are drawn in pleasant places. 
 

Well, that's what's been percolating in me lately...

A Special Offer for Special Friends

 

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During the month of August, if you order Jennifer's 3 Message CD Set, you'll receive a bonus CD with her popular message about being a good steward of the gifts God's entrusted you with, whether they are easy gifts or are gifts wrapped in difficult packaging.
 

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