J.E. Solinski
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Fitting In…

3/25/2015

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The other day I asked each of my students to write down what they felt were the top five concerns among teens today. They didn’t have to put them in order, and I didn’t want them to put their name on it. The result was somewhat surprising but really shouldn’t have been. On almost every card turned in, one item showed up––fitting in.
     I think my students might have believed that “fitting in” is strictly a teen concern, but the truth is we are relational beings. God made us that way, and at every age, we worry about and sometimes struggle with being accepted. We want to find others who think like us, feel like us, believe like us. Those are the ones with whom we can be ourselves.
     If we can’t find a group or if that group excludes us, sometimes we will change who we are to fit the group that is willing to include us. Many times, though, this dissonance causes unrest and discontent in our very soul.
     Paradoxically, tied to this idea to “fit in” is our desire to “stand out” at the same time. Once we have a place, once we feel safe and feel valued, now we want others to take note of us as an individual, to notice our special gifts, to praise us or recognize us for something that we alone did. I found it extremely interesting that as I was looking for a graphic for “fitting in” and then one for “standing out” the exact same pictures came up. The one yellow umbrella in the sea of grey ones, but remember, they are all umbrellas to start with. The one red rose in the field of yellow ones, but again, they were all roses to begin with.
     As usual God had this figured out from the very beginning. He created the most solid of all relational foundations through not only reconciling us to Him through the sacrifice of his Son, but also providing that sacrifice as the cornerstone of the body of Christ. But then God spent time creating each one of us individually. As Jeremiah 1:5 says, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you . . .” and Matthew 10:30 says, "But even the hairs of your head are numbered.” He gave us special talents and gifts, both spiritually and worldly.
     Rest secure knowing that not only do you have a place to belong in Christ but that you also are unique.

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Perspective

3/18/2015

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I am a golf junkie. Though I played competitive tennis through high school and college, over the years I have decided that walking on grass is a lot nicer than running on hard court. Therefore, I jumped ship, closeted my rackets, and invested more time and money into a sport that brings 80% heartache most of the time, more than any other pastime I have ever pursued.
    So being the lover of golf that I am, on Sunday, September 28, 2014, I was up by 4 a.m. and in front of the TV watching the Ryder Cup and praying that the US could overcome a 10-6 deficit by having a miraculous comeback in the singles on foreign soil. It wasn’t unheard of. The Europeans had accomplished such a feat just two years earlier on American soil.
    I had texted my friends informing them that they probably wouldn’t see me at the early church service as I would be glued to the TV watching the contest to the bitter end. (Obviously, I had my priorities.)
    Well, by 7:30 in the morning, it was apparent the miracle was not going to occur. By 8:15 Europe  had won the final point they needed to retain the Cup. Though there were matches still being played that would carry on till 10 a.m. or longer, I didn’t see any need to hang around. I could now make the early service.
    When I entered the foyer to the sanctuary, I noticed an inordinate number of people clustered around the back of the sanctuary by the sound booth. There was also an unusual hush. Normally, the place was bustling with greetings and laughter. Not today. I soon learned why. A long time church and choir member had gone down suddenly. CPR was being administered and the choir was leading all those close by in prayer. A few moments later first responders came to whisk her away to the hospital. I just watched. A third of the way into the service, word came that she had passed away. I sat in my seat caught in my world of messed up priorities.
    An hour ago, I had been listening to golf commentators describing a certain shot or match scenario as “do or die.” Not even close. Suddenly, the immediacy or one’s death again became a reality, and the importance of each person knowing God’s love and saving grace was magnified to the importance it should have always had. Golf is a game. Death is the doorway to meeting God face  to face, whether to be embraced as an adopted son or daughter or to be sentenced to an eternity in hell for rejecting God’s gift.
    Perspective… God’s perspective.

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Mornings…

3/11/2015

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I am a morning person pure and simple. I'm not sure if this is due to nature or nurture  but I do know there are some specific reasons for my preference. First, when I was growing up, sleeping in ended at 8 am––max––at least it seemed like it did. Second, I am an outside person so the more daylight for me the better. Get me outside early! Finally, I have always been more productive in the morning probably because the sooner I finished my work the sooner I was back outside.
     But the best part about the morning is the sunrise. I am fortunate enough to live only a mile and a half from where I work and when I have the chance to walk, I do. My route to work is perfectly situated. I walk east toward the Sierra Nevadas, so as the sun comes up, I watch it rise right over Mt. Lassen. To my left, north, I see the sun begin to hit Mt. Shasta (as seen in the picture, though I am not quite that close). There is a highway to my left, but it is a Northern California highway that runs east/west which means at this time of the morning one or two cars might go by every minute.
     Sunrises in the Northstate are so special that many high school seniors have a Senior Sunrise event to begin their senior year. Our seniors met at dawn on the campus lawn facing Lassen and watched the eastern sky as it began to light up: from indigo blue to cantaloupe orange to cerulean blue to the brilliant sunrise. It was pretty special––at least for about a minute––until they realized they had time to go get breakfast before classes started. Then they were gone. Precious moment over.
     I know mornings are a special gift from God both figuratively and literally as we can see in scripture for after a night of sorrow, “joy comes in the morning” (Ps. 30:5); we see that God’s compassion's and mercies are “new every morning” (Lam. 3:23); and, of course, our Lord rose from the dead “very early in the morning” (Luke 24:1).
     Enjoy your mornings this week.

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Blossoms…

3/4/2015

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Last week I drove down to visit relatives in Vacaville. There really is only one direct route and that is to take Interstate 5 to the 505 until you get there. Since Redding is the biggest city north of Sacramento, the drive south is basically all agricultural . . . olive groves, rice fields, and almond orchards. The almond orchards are what caught me completely by surprise.
    Here it was mid-February and already they were in full bloom. What I saw was miles and miles of what you see in the picture. I know my first reaction should have been one of concern because this early bloom was caused by warm weather much too early in the year, and California is already suffering from drought conditions, but it was just too beautiful not to enjoy.
    I grew up in Fresno, California, in the heart of the San Joaquin Valley and in the springtime there is an abundance of blossoms: peach, apple, orange, plum, pistachio, almonds, so many that they have a designated Blossom Trail for people to follow so they can see the variety of blossoms and not miss anything.
    One would think that after seeing these blossoms year after year, I wouldn’t notice the beauty anymore as oftentimes happens when we become accustomed to the our surroundings. But I think there is something different and special about blossoms. They catch us off guard. They appear when we aren’t looking. They are delicate and short lived but remind us of the wonderful fruit that is to come.
    I thank God for the season of blossoms and wonder if as young Christians we are spiritual blossoms to Him: beautifully delicate and precious with the potential of so much fruit.

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    Author

    Jody Eileen Solinski spent her career teaching in the California public school system where she enjoyed helping young adults take their place in society. A native Californian, she enjoys the outdoors and so loves living in Northern California where she can enjoy the beauty of God’s creation up close.

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