SecondIron's Blog

Sharpening Iron to Live Second

When Do You Finally Tell Your Story?

Everywhere you look lately, you read or hear about people telling their story. The question is when do you finally tell your story? Whether it is a story of success, recovery, or disastrous brokenness. Everyone has one to share. Until recently even I hid behind the pages of my story. Burying the pain, awkwardness and sin behind the curtains so that no one could see. It was not that I was any better or any different from anyone else. My story was my story, or so that is what I had been conditioned to believe. It was not until I was able to face my past head on that I could finally breathe, at last, give my story to Him to read.   Although He was the author all along, scripting my every step. I spent most of my life trying to edit the ink with a pencil and eraser. Not until on bended brokenness, was I was able to kneel down amidst my filth and give Him credit. It was not until I faced my mortality in a third world country, years later that I finally was able to give Him the glory, and truly humble myself into serving others. For years, I occupied a pew in one church or another. I went through the motions year in and year out. Attending mass because I felt it was the only way I could make it through the week. It became more of an obligation than a source of repentance. I felt unforgiveness within the […]

3 Lessons Learned from my Latest Mission Trip

Just over four months ago I would not have known anything about Haiti beyond what you read or might see on TV. After I asked a simple question at a fundraiser back in August and, in turn, received a challenging question that would end up changing my heart. An offer to have me travel to Haiti and see what the nonprofit was doing first hand. Little did I know as I write this I have been to the country twice now and had my heart shattered and slowly rebuilt. When anyone steps outside of their comfort zone they tend to never be able to go back like they used to be. Similar to when you pack for a trip or try to put something back in its original packaging, things just never are the same. As I revel in the Haiti honeymoon hangover of this past weekend’s trip I figured I would share some lessons learned from my latest mission trip shared with the Haitian people. Lessons that will leave me forever changed, longing to go back and willing to take you along the next time I go if you are so inclined. Lessons Learned from my Latest Mission Trip Joy is Real As Americans, real joy  seems to come few and far between. Sure there are some people who are overly happy that it is borderline annoying. Yet real joy still seems to be missing. We complain about the simple things in life, yet in Haiti, they are happy and joyful over the simplest […]

My Father the Hero (Guest Blog)

As I slowly recover from the writing frenzy of November and prepare to edit the 50k+ words written I have had my blog taken over once again  by another guest blogger Brooke as she shares a story about her father, her hero. According to Brooke she is just a girl with scrapes and bruises, grateful to be picked up each & every time by my Abba. My prayer is that my life shines with of glimmers of His grace. I’m the wife of a realtor. Addicted runner. And best auntie eva. Blog link: https://awkwardlygraceful.wordpress.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/awkwardlygraceful/?fref=ts Twitter: https://twitter.com/AkwdlyGraceful Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/awkwardlygraceful/   An icy day 5 years ago changed my dad’s life forever. A small act of heroism cost him his livelihood. In the moment life seemed unfair, and with each ripple I’m discovering that I am simultaneously right and wrong. Rather than some grand gesture, my father’s story was an act of every day courage. He didn’t deliberately set out to be a hero, but rather showed up, did his job, and worked a small miracle for a stranger. 9-1-1 dispatch received an emergency call from someone staying near the local ski resort, but thanks to the ice storm our county had been hit with, the first responders couldn’t make it up the mountain. Dispatch, in turn, called the street department and my dad and his snow plow went to work. Or at least they tried. The ice was too much for the plow as well. He got out of the truck to make some […]