Recently, I was blessed to see a shooting star. How cool is that?! I ask myself why we get excited to see one. For me, it's one of the many signs that our universe, in all its glory, is bigger than we can even begin to comprehend. Rather like God and eternity. Our finite little minds can not fully wrap themselves around the vastness.
A shooting star has a magical quality, and like magic, it's over almost before you realize what is happening. Your eye sees it as a tiny stream of light as it zips into darkness but there is nothing tiny about it. Think how large it really must be for us to even see it in the first place. Think how much energy is expended in that fire trail that propels it across the sky. Think of the happenstance that had you right there at the exact moment, to see the final dance of the star before it's gone.
In our lifetime, we are a lot like that shooting star. In God's big picture we are but a fleeting streak. Our energy comes not from a trail of fire but from the fire of the Holy Spirit in us. The Lord gave us the gift of the Spirit as a comforter, a guiding source of knowledge, that tiny voice within that tells us when we're headed down the wrong path or steers us toward the right one. The power of the Holy Spirit is greater than the burst of energy the shooting star burned in it's final flight. You and I contain all that resource in us. Makes you wonder why we wallow in the muck & mire when we have that power, doesn't it? We have a choice, the shooting star didn't.
We can learn to acknowledge the Holy Spirit power or refuse to recognize the power and authority He gave, maintaining status quo. As for me, I'd like to burn bright with the power of the Spirit. I still have too much 'human flesh thinking' and am my own dimming factor but I'm working on it. I'm praying about it, seeking the Lord and asking for help in ridding myself of the 'stinking thinking'.
When my time is over and I get to head on home to the Lord, I pray I will have lived that others may see my Holy Spirit fire trail and want one of their own.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Monday, June 29, 2009
The Ramblings of a Heat Weary Gardener
My THREE YEAR PLAN to turn my hilltop back yard into a maze of continuous-growth food source is half done. The time, 3 years, is half done.....not the plan I have on paper.
My PLAN included the raising of rabbits for the freezer. We did this for while and the rabbits certainly did their part; they multiplied like....well, rabbits. Turns out the breeding & raising of the rabbits is the easy part. The 'harvesting' of the rabbits turned out to be our downfall. Neither of us being from a hunting background, the harvesting was quite stressful. After a while, we determined that we loved the rabbits and babies; just couldn't deal with the harvesting. Bye-bye, freezer rabbits.
The building of more raised beds is necessary. The PLAN calls for a minimum of five raised beds; this meant adding one or two a year. With just the one, I can put food on our table; the PLAN was to put food on all the tables of our six grown children and their families. The PLAN was optimistic! The reality of purchasing materials, building the beds, trucking in garden soil, buying/planting bedding plants and/or seed.....well, like i said, the PLAN was optimistic. My vision of the completed food bearing back yard still has a way to go.
I do have the beginnings of a second raised bed that is merely the left over landscaping timbers stacked in a triangle shape with the left over garden soil dumped in. I raised a few cantaloupe in that excuse of a bed last year. This year I have a few sunflowers that came up on their own. Didn't have the heart to dig them up; they did, after all survive when so many other things don't! Thought they deserved a chance to make their mark in the world.
The PLAN also included planting more fruit trees, one or two per season. To-date, I have one small fig tree I have been coaxing out of the ground for 2 1/2 years, one grapefruit tree that seems to attract every grasshopper in this area in spite of my nurturing, the dried remains of another fig and the corpse of a red maple I planted 5 years ago. For whatever reason, it just never put on leaves this year. My Honey says it is dead and we should cut it down. In my visionary way of thinking, I have not been able to give up on it. A neighbor on another hill informs me that it very well may be dead. She then went on to tell me of two different trees they had planted over the years in one particular spot. When the first one died after several years, they dug it up and found the roots just hanging in mid-air in a void under the tree! That's right, the ground had just disappeared under the root ball; roots dangling in the hole. They planted a second tree after filling the hole with soil, happened again! Apparently, they decided, constant watering eventually washed away the ground under the tree. Remember, we live in the Texas hill country and our hills are mostly rock, very little soil.
Were it not for our pioneering spirits that make us continue to dream and plant, we would be wise to just let nature take her course and be happy with the native vegetation. You don't see many vegetables growing in native vegetation, so we push on year after year in hopes of forging a veggie garden where once there was none.
For anyone unfamiliar with south Texas let me explain that we are fairly locked in by rocks and hot weather. By hot, I mean the hell kind of hot, the 90+ degrees at 10PM kind of hot. Soaring three digit temperatures during the day heat up all the rock quite nicely so we maintain heat well into the night. All that thermo-geological stuff may be desired in other parts of the world but here, not so much.
Add to that, there appears to be a large invisible umbrella over our particular area and, on the off chance any rain does pass through to this part of the state, we don't get it. It can rain all around us but not ON us. We are under the umbrella. From our hilltop vantage point I can watch the rain move across the hills north of us. I can see billowing dark clouds as they sweep in from the south east off the Gulf of Mexico teasing us with possibilities of rain. From the west, great storms are possible. In fact, one pulverized our home seven years ago with softball size hail but the rain seems to stop around Hondo, eight miles west of here. It's the darnest thing. So we water that which we want to grow. We don't have real grass lawns, just stuff, hill country vegetation. Lots of wilderness looking stuff. So we take great care to water our meager attempts at a garden.
We're a hardy lot, we gardeners in south Texas. Big dreamers, too. I have a PLAN & I'm sticking with it. Time is running out, say a little prayer for me and the PLAN, won't you? Rain dance wouldn't hurt, either!
My PLAN included the raising of rabbits for the freezer. We did this for while and the rabbits certainly did their part; they multiplied like....well, rabbits. Turns out the breeding & raising of the rabbits is the easy part. The 'harvesting' of the rabbits turned out to be our downfall. Neither of us being from a hunting background, the harvesting was quite stressful. After a while, we determined that we loved the rabbits and babies; just couldn't deal with the harvesting. Bye-bye, freezer rabbits.
The building of more raised beds is necessary. The PLAN calls for a minimum of five raised beds; this meant adding one or two a year. With just the one, I can put food on our table; the PLAN was to put food on all the tables of our six grown children and their families. The PLAN was optimistic! The reality of purchasing materials, building the beds, trucking in garden soil, buying/planting bedding plants and/or seed.....well, like i said, the PLAN was optimistic. My vision of the completed food bearing back yard still has a way to go.
I do have the beginnings of a second raised bed that is merely the left over landscaping timbers stacked in a triangle shape with the left over garden soil dumped in. I raised a few cantaloupe in that excuse of a bed last year. This year I have a few sunflowers that came up on their own. Didn't have the heart to dig them up; they did, after all survive when so many other things don't! Thought they deserved a chance to make their mark in the world.
The PLAN also included planting more fruit trees, one or two per season. To-date, I have one small fig tree I have been coaxing out of the ground for 2 1/2 years, one grapefruit tree that seems to attract every grasshopper in this area in spite of my nurturing, the dried remains of another fig and the corpse of a red maple I planted 5 years ago. For whatever reason, it just never put on leaves this year. My Honey says it is dead and we should cut it down. In my visionary way of thinking, I have not been able to give up on it. A neighbor on another hill informs me that it very well may be dead. She then went on to tell me of two different trees they had planted over the years in one particular spot. When the first one died after several years, they dug it up and found the roots just hanging in mid-air in a void under the tree! That's right, the ground had just disappeared under the root ball; roots dangling in the hole. They planted a second tree after filling the hole with soil, happened again! Apparently, they decided, constant watering eventually washed away the ground under the tree. Remember, we live in the Texas hill country and our hills are mostly rock, very little soil.
Were it not for our pioneering spirits that make us continue to dream and plant, we would be wise to just let nature take her course and be happy with the native vegetation. You don't see many vegetables growing in native vegetation, so we push on year after year in hopes of forging a veggie garden where once there was none.
For anyone unfamiliar with south Texas let me explain that we are fairly locked in by rocks and hot weather. By hot, I mean the hell kind of hot, the 90+ degrees at 10PM kind of hot. Soaring three digit temperatures during the day heat up all the rock quite nicely so we maintain heat well into the night. All that thermo-geological stuff may be desired in other parts of the world but here, not so much.
Add to that, there appears to be a large invisible umbrella over our particular area and, on the off chance any rain does pass through to this part of the state, we don't get it. It can rain all around us but not ON us. We are under the umbrella. From our hilltop vantage point I can watch the rain move across the hills north of us. I can see billowing dark clouds as they sweep in from the south east off the Gulf of Mexico teasing us with possibilities of rain. From the west, great storms are possible. In fact, one pulverized our home seven years ago with softball size hail but the rain seems to stop around Hondo, eight miles west of here. It's the darnest thing. So we water that which we want to grow. We don't have real grass lawns, just stuff, hill country vegetation. Lots of wilderness looking stuff. So we take great care to water our meager attempts at a garden.
We're a hardy lot, we gardeners in south Texas. Big dreamers, too. I have a PLAN & I'm sticking with it. Time is running out, say a little prayer for me and the PLAN, won't you? Rain dance wouldn't hurt, either!
Friday, June 26, 2009
Good Morning, Sunshine!
My house faces northeast. My kitchen is in the front of my house so my beloved new kitchen windows provide an excellent view which, thankfully, includes the morning sunrise. The morning sun, in part, was the inspiration for getting the new windows; I love morning light! I can't get a lot of full impact sunlight on my person, but the early morning light is friendly enough and it fills me with joy. Standing at the window sipping coffee, I was witness to another glorious morning making itself known. This time of year, high summer, the sun comes up (as seen from my vantage point) behind a couple of tall trees. First the pink glow, then the golden rays peeking between the leaves create a dramatic foretaste of the majesty to come when the sun finally rises above the treetops and lights up the world.
The morning light being more gentle allows me to attend to my garden. This morning's watering duties revealed a need for attention. A few days ago I pulled up all the Brussell sprouts and cabbage. They had been plagued by a mysterious pest that rendered them unusable. I also removed the floundering tomato plants. It hurt to pull up the plants I had cared for so long. I kept telling myself there was a reason Jesus cursed the fig tree that did not have fruit, so it made no sense to waste precious water on plants that could not produce edible food for my family. The upside was that it freed up garden space for more beans and Swiss chard. I sowed seeds for both and prayed for a bountiful harvest.
This morning I found a lot of the Swiss chard seeds exposed on top of the soil. My Honey watered the garden the other evening for me. He was not aware the newly sown chard seeds were very particular and easily disturbed. When planted, they are covered in very shallow soil. Consequently, the very water they need to germinate can expose them, rendering them useless.
They are unusual looking little suckers to begin with but blend easily with the compost and mulch mixed in the soil. Once I spotted the first one I began the search and rescue mission for as many as I could find. I simply pushed them back into the soil and covered them again. I had already watered that area, so I was careful not to disturb their ground. This is the first year of growing this healthy and beautiful veggie, so it has been a learning experience from the start. The first batch of chard is doing well, but I did notice that it grew in sporadic patches. Now I know why. The new seeds were planted in and around the more mature chard. Planting in intervals will assure a continued bounty into the late fall. Assuming, of course, I can keep the seeds in place long enough to grow!
Do you feel a parable coming on? You should, you know I love them! This one is just too obvious for words.........but that won't stop me.
Luke 8:4-15 When a great multitude came together, and people from every city were coming to him, he spoke by a parable. "The farmer went out to sow his seed. As he sowed, some fell along the road, and it was trampled under foot, and the birds of the sky devoured it. Other seed fell on the rock, and as soon as it grew, it withered away, because it had no moisture. Other fell amid the thorns, and the thorns grew with it, and choked it. Other fell into the good ground, and grew, and brought forth fruit one hundred times."
Jesus used a subject matter that was relevant to the people and their lives; planting seed and growing food. He wanted them to understand and grasp the concept. After all, he went right on to explain it. Different people respond differently when confronted with the truth. Some of the sown seed (representing the Word of God) is eaten by birds (snatched away by satan). Some falls on shallow soil and fails to survive in the hot sun (hearers not rooted in the truth). Some is choked by thorns (cares and desires of this life). But some of the seed falls on good soil and produces a crop (hearers who accept God’s truth and produces spiritual fruit).
Having a garden is like being able to put your hands on this parable; it's all right in front of you, every aspect of it. You can dig into it and learn more all the time. God is everywhere; in the sunrise His majesty, power and life giving energy show us every day that He will not fail to show up. He's always there, just as the sun is always shining. The garden provides food we need to live and its valuable life lessons are ever present; we just need to be 'hearers who accept God's truth' and receive them.
Look around, People! You can see God in everything if you want to. As for me and my house, we want to!
The morning light being more gentle allows me to attend to my garden. This morning's watering duties revealed a need for attention. A few days ago I pulled up all the Brussell sprouts and cabbage. They had been plagued by a mysterious pest that rendered them unusable. I also removed the floundering tomato plants. It hurt to pull up the plants I had cared for so long. I kept telling myself there was a reason Jesus cursed the fig tree that did not have fruit, so it made no sense to waste precious water on plants that could not produce edible food for my family. The upside was that it freed up garden space for more beans and Swiss chard. I sowed seeds for both and prayed for a bountiful harvest.
This morning I found a lot of the Swiss chard seeds exposed on top of the soil. My Honey watered the garden the other evening for me. He was not aware the newly sown chard seeds were very particular and easily disturbed. When planted, they are covered in very shallow soil. Consequently, the very water they need to germinate can expose them, rendering them useless.
They are unusual looking little suckers to begin with but blend easily with the compost and mulch mixed in the soil. Once I spotted the first one I began the search and rescue mission for as many as I could find. I simply pushed them back into the soil and covered them again. I had already watered that area, so I was careful not to disturb their ground. This is the first year of growing this healthy and beautiful veggie, so it has been a learning experience from the start. The first batch of chard is doing well, but I did notice that it grew in sporadic patches. Now I know why. The new seeds were planted in and around the more mature chard. Planting in intervals will assure a continued bounty into the late fall. Assuming, of course, I can keep the seeds in place long enough to grow!
Do you feel a parable coming on? You should, you know I love them! This one is just too obvious for words.........but that won't stop me.
Luke 8:4-15 When a great multitude came together, and people from every city were coming to him, he spoke by a parable. "The farmer went out to sow his seed. As he sowed, some fell along the road, and it was trampled under foot, and the birds of the sky devoured it. Other seed fell on the rock, and as soon as it grew, it withered away, because it had no moisture. Other fell amid the thorns, and the thorns grew with it, and choked it. Other fell into the good ground, and grew, and brought forth fruit one hundred times."
Jesus used a subject matter that was relevant to the people and their lives; planting seed and growing food. He wanted them to understand and grasp the concept. After all, he went right on to explain it. Different people respond differently when confronted with the truth. Some of the sown seed (representing the Word of God) is eaten by birds (snatched away by satan). Some falls on shallow soil and fails to survive in the hot sun (hearers not rooted in the truth). Some is choked by thorns (cares and desires of this life). But some of the seed falls on good soil and produces a crop (hearers who accept God’s truth and produces spiritual fruit).
Having a garden is like being able to put your hands on this parable; it's all right in front of you, every aspect of it. You can dig into it and learn more all the time. God is everywhere; in the sunrise His majesty, power and life giving energy show us every day that He will not fail to show up. He's always there, just as the sun is always shining. The garden provides food we need to live and its valuable life lessons are ever present; we just need to be 'hearers who accept God's truth' and receive them.
Look around, People! You can see God in everything if you want to. As for me and my house, we want to!
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Truth and Consequences...Part Two
Truth and Consequences ...Part 2
In life, there are often long term consequences for short term stupidity. That may sound harsh to you but it is true. We can not make the ugly pretty by making the words sound softer in our ears. One stupid or poorly considered decision can lead to a lifetime of unpleasant consequence just as one good action can lead to a thousand good consequences.
Too often, we look for someone else or some reason to blame for consequences we are responsible for. It just plain feels better to think we had no ownership of our unpleasant consequences. The infamous "They" are to blame. The common cry is that we had not choice, THEY and THEIR actions are the reason we did what we did. We are no different than a five year old blaming his three year old sibling: "It's his fault, I only hit him because he took my cookie!"
"Well, if my wife treated me better I wouldn't have to look at porn." "If my boss paid me more I wouldn't have to resort to padding the hours on my time card." "It's not my fault my parents don't give me an allowance; taking one lousy shirt isn't going to make this bankrupt this store anyway." "If she hadn't made me so angry I wouldn't have to tell her off."........the list is endless.
Sometimes we Christians even give credit to the devil for our behavior when all he had to do was sit back and watch! It is true that he roams around looking for ways to kill, steal and destroy in our lives, but our flesh can be as pesky and troublesome as he is. Temptations are everywhere. The choices we make determines the consequences we face. God makes provisions, gives us an open door to walk away from temptation; the option to choose direction of action is ours.
1 Corinthians 10:13 (The Message)
No test or temptation that comes your way is beyond the course of what others have had to face. All you need to remember is that God will never let you down; he'll never let you be pushed past your limit; he'll always be there to help you come through it.
2 Peter 2:9 (The Message)
So God knows how to rescue the godly from evil trials. And he knows how to hold the feet of the wicked to the fire until Judgment Day.
There is a difference between punishment and consequences. In our culture, the word consequence is frequently used in place of the word punishment. It is possible they may overlap, but for the sake of this writing, we are dealing with direct and indirect consequences of choices we make.
In life, there are often long term consequences for short term stupidity. That may sound harsh to you but it is true. We can not make the ugly pretty by making the words sound softer in our ears. One stupid or poorly considered decision can lead to a lifetime of unpleasant consequence just as one good action can lead to a thousand good consequences.
God forgives us when we confess and repent, BUT He does not take away the consequences. Using that as the standard by which we live our Christian life may help in understanding the cause and effect concept. Cause and effect, reaping and sowing.....same thing.
Too often, we look for someone else or some reason to blame for consequences we are responsible for. It just plain feels better to think we had no ownership of our unpleasant consequences. The infamous "They" are to blame. The common cry is that we had not choice, THEY and THEIR actions are the reason we did what we did. We are no different than a five year old blaming his three year old sibling: "It's his fault, I only hit him because he took my cookie!"
"Well, if my wife treated me better I wouldn't have to look at porn." "If my boss paid me more I wouldn't have to resort to padding the hours on my time card." "It's not my fault my parents don't give me an allowance; taking one lousy shirt isn't going to make this bankrupt this store anyway." "If she hadn't made me so angry I wouldn't have to tell her off."........the list is endless.
Sometimes we Christians even give credit to the devil for our behavior when all he had to do was sit back and watch! It is true that he roams around looking for ways to kill, steal and destroy in our lives, but our flesh can be as pesky and troublesome as he is. Temptations are everywhere. The choices we make determines the consequences we face. God makes provisions, gives us an open door to walk away from temptation; the option to choose direction of action is ours.
1 Corinthians 10:13 (The Message)
No test or temptation that comes your way is beyond the course of what others have had to face. All you need to remember is that God will never let you down; he'll never let you be pushed past your limit; he'll always be there to help you come through it.
2 Peter 2:9 (The Message)
So God knows how to rescue the godly from evil trials. And he knows how to hold the feet of the wicked to the fire until Judgment Day.
The reality is very basic, we can not stroll through life mindlessly following after our flesh. We can not live by the old mentality "If it feels good, do it!" God could have given us over to basic instinct to live as animals driven by need for survival. But we were created to communicate and fellowship with Him; so we were given minds that are capable of thinking through concepts, considering options and weighting consequences. We have free will to choose our actions and behaviors. With the free will, we are also choosing the consequences that come with it; good or bad. This is why we alone are responsible, the owners of the consequences we bring into our lives. This is what direct consequences are, the circumstances that come into play in our own lives as a direct result of choices and/or actions we have made ourselves.
Using an example from the excuses above, let's look at the chain reaction of consequences set into play.
Sam decided to add 10 hours to his time card because he's stretched for money. He felt they owned him anyway for the years he had worked there.
His supervisor catches the deviation but let's it slide.
Sam got away with it, so he does it again....and again.
His supervisor is out sick, so the department Manager is doing payroll. He sees the extra hours and knows no one is suppose to be working overtime because he has to approve it. He calls Sam in for an explanation.
Sam gets an attitude with the Manager. The Manager knows that the job can run over budget if overtime pay isn't monitored carefully. Sam just stepped over the line in his anger for being called on the carpet and the Manager fires him. Now Sam tells the Manager that a lot of people are doing it, it's no big deal and calls the manager several ugly names as he slams out of the room.
Sam has to go home and tell his wife he was fired. Not wanting to do that, he stops for a beer. He's angry so he drinks more beer and gets in a fight after shooting off his mouth. He's thrown out of the bar, jumps in his truck to leave but hits a car on his way out of the parking lot. The car's owner calls the police that arrive to find Sam on his face in the parking lot with a testy car owner sitting on him. Sam goes to jail.
Sam's wife, Pam, is frantic. She does not have the money to get Sam out of jail. Time marches on and now she has no more money to buy food for the kids or pay the already late light bill. Rent comes due and that goes unpaid as well. Pam realizes Sam doesn't even know she's pregnant with their forth child, she had planned to tell him the day he was fired but it was all but forgotten in the chaos.
Meanwhile, Sam is being a guest of the county and eating three meals a day in an air conditioned building. He can't call Pam anymore because their phone was turned off. The court appointed attorney says it will be another 45 days before Sam will get out.
With the utilities off and no food, Pam has no choice but to take the kids and move back in with her parents. They live in another city 300 miles away. Her dad rents a u-haul, drives to get Pam and the kids, loads up their possessions and drives the 300 miles back. Pam's mother is rushing around to make room for her daughter and three grandchildren in the small house they downsized to when Pam's dad retired. Sam is watching TV in the common room on the day this takes place.
Remember the supervisor that let Sam slide when he first started padding his time card? His records were audited and he as fired when the Manager discovered his practice of letting his favorite workers add hours they did not work.........
The Manager, though not aware of the what the supervisor had been doing, was held accountable in a difficult and unpleasant meeting with the owner of the company. He was demoted to supervisor and had to take a substantial pay cut in the process.........
Sam's decisions started a snowball effect in the life of his family. He felt entitled to the extra money and decided to take it. He decided to stop at the bar. He chose to drink. He chose to drive after drinking. He owns the choices and consequences. All the consequences he had to deal with were a direct result of his choices.......he still blames the Manager for firing him, he blames the car owner for calling the police, he blames Pam for not getting him out of jail and abandoning him.
Pam, her children and parents are dealing with indirect consequences, collateral damage, of Sam's actions.
Continued in Part 3 - Indirect Consequences and Those They Hurt.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Truth and Consequences
I ask God to show me what He would have me write about. This morning I've spent a good deal of time sitting at the computer waiting for that divine inspiration. I fine tuned my 'hearer' so I would be sensitive to a whisper, if that was how the guidance came. Meanwhile, I read several of the previous posts, then looked through files of earlier pieces I've written in hopes that something would jump out at me as the inspired subject about which God wanted me to write. Nothing.......
I sat with fingers on the keyboard at the ready, though my head groggy, my body achy; I was physically lagging as a consequence of the trip we made this past weekend. My body struggles with issues and takes longer to recuperate than I would like. However, I know this is a consequence of a trip before I ever pack a bag and I go regardless. It's a choice I made knowing the consequences up front. As I am acknowledging said consequences, it was as if I heard an audible, "There you go!"
So, consequences it is today! Isn't it just like God to use the everyday issues of life to teach us a lesson if we are just willing to listen for and hear it?
My old friend Webster has this to say regarding the word consequence:
1: a conclusion derived through logic : inference2: something produced by a cause or necessarily following from a set of conditions
I have learned and my children (and grandchildren) have been told, every choice or action has a consequence; sometimes they are good , sometimes they are not. My intent was that they pray, learn to use wisdom and thoughtful deliberation rather than emotion to make choices; learn to weigh out possible consequences of their choices before taking action. God wants the same from all of His children. Often, our choices are driven by our fleshly desires rather than compliance with God's word or any spiritual contemplation of cause and effect.
Isaiah 48:17 (NLT) This is what the Lord says-your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: "I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is good for you and leads you along the paths you should follow."
I sat with fingers on the keyboard at the ready, though my head groggy, my body achy; I was physically lagging as a consequence of the trip we made this past weekend. My body struggles with issues and takes longer to recuperate than I would like. However, I know this is a consequence of a trip before I ever pack a bag and I go regardless. It's a choice I made knowing the consequences up front. As I am acknowledging said consequences, it was as if I heard an audible, "There you go!"
So, consequences it is today! Isn't it just like God to use the everyday issues of life to teach us a lesson if we are just willing to listen for and hear it?
My old friend Webster has this to say regarding the word consequence:
1: a conclusion derived through logic : inference2: something produced by a cause or necessarily following from a set of conditions
I have learned and my children (and grandchildren) have been told, every choice or action has a consequence; sometimes they are good , sometimes they are not. My intent was that they pray, learn to use wisdom and thoughtful deliberation rather than emotion to make choices; learn to weigh out possible consequences of their choices before taking action. God wants the same from all of His children. Often, our choices are driven by our fleshly desires rather than compliance with God's word or any spiritual contemplation of cause and effect.
Isaiah 48:17 (NLT) This is what the Lord says-your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: "I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is good for you and leads you along the paths you should follow."
Just as my physical issues are a post-trip reality for me, our choices determine what we will deal with as a result. It would be easy for me to say I hurt because of (bla, bla, bla), making the physical issue the reason. However, the actual reason for the pain today is because I made the choice to go on the trip. The 'hurt' is the consequence of my choice made with thoughtful deliberation. The physical issue is part of my reality, but MY CHOICE to go on the trip is the reason I am hurting today. My choice, my consequence. (Are you still with me?) I 'own' the consequence......the reality of the physical issues is not responsible, that is simply a circumstance. I weighed my options with the knowledge of how my body would be affected and determined I was willing to pay the cost (the body pain) of going.
Continued...........
Friends, once I received divine inspiration and started writing, the Lord poured out many points that need to be addressed; far too many for one simple posting. I will continue sharing in the next post. I want to write what comes from God, not just my opinion, so I will write as long as He provides. My prayer is that He uses me to help teach and encourage others. My prayer is that I write only Truth every morning.
Lynn
Monday, June 22, 2009
Answered Prayer
This Sunday I had a very moving, emotional time in church. I had just stood up to say 'thank you' to the congregation from a young woman in our church that had undergone a complicated surgery for cancer. The church family had been providing dinner for her family since she was released from the hospital. She had asked me to extend her gratitude to everyone for all the help. I had just starting speaking on her behalf when she walked in the door. An awesome surprise! Isn't that just like God? It felt as if I was witnessing a holy moment as this walking example of answered prayers came through the door! As a church, we have been praying for her since the diagnosis. So to see her walk in was a living example of God's greatness and mercy. I cried through the next half of the service because I was so moved.
Too often, we take God's greatness for granted. Some people say God doesn't 'do' miracles today; that all that ended with the back cover of the Bible. Makes me sad for them! Not only are they incorrect, but they are missing the delight found in everyday life that God is doing. Not every miracle or act of God's hand comes in a bolt of lightening. For me, it only takes a look up into the night sky or the magic of a tiny hummingbird or seeing a weed grow up through concrete to remind me that there is power much greater than I. A power of such magnitude I can't even begin to comprehend. A vivid sunset reflects glorious beauty, a rainbow the gentle reminder, a cool breeze and refreshing water evidence of a loving Father.
Looking back over my life I can see so many answered prayers. Every time I think on all that God has done in my life, my faith grows stronger. God's greatness is displayed all around us, every where, every day. I encourage you to make some time to reflect on the works of God in your own life. Big ones, little ones, they are all examples of God's greatness and His love for you.
Too often, we take God's greatness for granted. Some people say God doesn't 'do' miracles today; that all that ended with the back cover of the Bible. Makes me sad for them! Not only are they incorrect, but they are missing the delight found in everyday life that God is doing. Not every miracle or act of God's hand comes in a bolt of lightening. For me, it only takes a look up into the night sky or the magic of a tiny hummingbird or seeing a weed grow up through concrete to remind me that there is power much greater than I. A power of such magnitude I can't even begin to comprehend. A vivid sunset reflects glorious beauty, a rainbow the gentle reminder, a cool breeze and refreshing water evidence of a loving Father.
Looking back over my life I can see so many answered prayers. Every time I think on all that God has done in my life, my faith grows stronger. God's greatness is displayed all around us, every where, every day. I encourage you to make some time to reflect on the works of God in your own life. Big ones, little ones, they are all examples of God's greatness and His love for you.
Saturday, June 20, 2009
To Our Readers
Dear Readers.....
There is a function available to have a message sent to your email address notifying you that a new posting has been made on Truth in the Morning. If you would like to have this feature, please send an email to lynnbermea@gmail.com.
We are always wanting to improve our site and make it more user friendly. We would appreciate it very much if you would sign-up as a Follower on the main page below the listing of the recent blog names. Please take a few minutes and sign-up.
We are also interested in any feedback you care to share. Let us hear from you.
Looking forward to sharing with you soon,
Lynn Bermea
There is a function available to have a message sent to your email address notifying you that a new posting has been made on Truth in the Morning. If you would like to have this feature, please send an email to lynnbermea@gmail.com.
We are always wanting to improve our site and make it more user friendly. We would appreciate it very much if you would sign-up as a Follower on the main page below the listing of the recent blog names. Please take a few minutes and sign-up.
We are also interested in any feedback you care to share. Let us hear from you.
Looking forward to sharing with you soon,
Lynn Bermea
Friday, June 19, 2009
Because I Said So
Remember when you were a kid and your parents would tell you to do something or you asked for something and they would say "No" ? Remember asking "Why!!??!!" "How come????" "Why not?????" and without much pomp & circumstance they would say, "Because I said so." Did that ever happen to you? Happened to me. Remember telling yourself you would never be so cruel to YOUR children? Remember how unfair that answer....or non-answer felt?
Ever say that to your own kids? I know I did. Rather than explaining the big picture of why they needed to go to bed even if their best friend got to stay up an hour later than they did on school nights or why they couldn't ride to the mall with that boy nearly 5 years older than they were, I would sometimes resort to the old standby, "Because I said so"
Children cannot understand the consequences of choices they want to make because they do not have the wisdom, experience or foresight to know what those choices could bring. No amount of explaining will satisfy a two year old or hostile preteen or make a difference when it's something they really REALLY want to do and, let's face, everything is something they really REALLY want to do at any age. So, it's "Because I said so."
In our faith life we deal with that very issue. Our heavenly Father CAN see the big picture where we can not. He knows the consequences of our choices and actions long before we ever take a step. Sometimes, His answer is "Yes" and we like that a lot. Other times, we get a "No" and we do not like that one at all. Often, we get a "Not now" and we are not much happier with that than we are the "No". Sometimes He watches as we jump off the proverbial bridge in spite of His warnings. We are no different than the insistent two year old.
As our heavenly Father, He guides us with His written Word, the Bible. He speaks to us through the Holy Spirit; through a sermon we might hear, through the counsel of a Christian friend. Sometimes we resent His answers as much as we resented our parents when they would utter those dreaded words. We may have come a long way from our teen years but obviously we still have some growing to do! When we are satisfied with the holy "Because I said so" we will be much closer to where we need to be.
Ever say that to your own kids? I know I did. Rather than explaining the big picture of why they needed to go to bed even if their best friend got to stay up an hour later than they did on school nights or why they couldn't ride to the mall with that boy nearly 5 years older than they were, I would sometimes resort to the old standby, "Because I said so"
Children cannot understand the consequences of choices they want to make because they do not have the wisdom, experience or foresight to know what those choices could bring. No amount of explaining will satisfy a two year old or hostile preteen or make a difference when it's something they really REALLY want to do and, let's face, everything is something they really REALLY want to do at any age. So, it's "Because I said so."
In our faith life we deal with that very issue. Our heavenly Father CAN see the big picture where we can not. He knows the consequences of our choices and actions long before we ever take a step. Sometimes, His answer is "Yes" and we like that a lot. Other times, we get a "No" and we do not like that one at all. Often, we get a "Not now" and we are not much happier with that than we are the "No". Sometimes He watches as we jump off the proverbial bridge in spite of His warnings. We are no different than the insistent two year old.
As our heavenly Father, He guides us with His written Word, the Bible. He speaks to us through the Holy Spirit; through a sermon we might hear, through the counsel of a Christian friend. Sometimes we resent His answers as much as we resented our parents when they would utter those dreaded words. We may have come a long way from our teen years but obviously we still have some growing to do! When we are satisfied with the holy "Because I said so" we will be much closer to where we need to be.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Tick Tock, Tick Tock....
Many years ago, in my pre-Honey days, I was actively seeking a position with a ministry entity which would require me to live and work in another country. This had long been a desire of my heart, so I was quite excited about an interview with a representative of a ministry I was researching. All these years later, I can not remember the man’s name but for the sake of this writing, I’ll call him Bob. Long before Bob was a recruiter for the organization, he spent decades in the mission field. I found his stories and experiences fascinating.
Since we both had been in Africa, I joked about learning to live on 'African time’. Basically, time as we know it means nothing to the average African. If you are told it will take an hour to get somewhere, you can expect the trip to be longer. Waiting for services, forget about it! You’ll get it when you get it. No amount of urgency or frustration on your part will speed up the process. You’re on African time.
Bob smiled, nodding his head. The difference, he explained, is that Africans do not base life on the almighty 24 hour dictations we do. Tapping his watch, he said we Westerners live by scheduled time, it’s important to us. We need it because we have created our lives around it. But in Africa, relationship is more important, not the hours in the day.
For instance, in America if we tell people we are having a party at 7 o’clock, people start showing up around 7 o’clock. In Africa, the party does not start at 7 o’clock on a timepiece. Their party starts when they meet their friends on the road walking to the destination. The party is not limited to festivities at a destination. The party starts on the journey with friends. Their party begins before ours and probably lasts longer; they do have the walk home.
People oriented vs. Time oriented. Life takes on a slower pace; a more relaxed mentality prevails. Perhaps, our advanced Western civilization needs a time out from time constraints. I rather imagine that’s how it was when Jesus walked the earth. He walked everywhere with people along for the journey. Relationships happened, ministry happened, miracles happened and not a Timex in sight.
Tick tock, tick tock, it is not about the clock……
Since we both had been in Africa, I joked about learning to live on 'African time’. Basically, time as we know it means nothing to the average African. If you are told it will take an hour to get somewhere, you can expect the trip to be longer. Waiting for services, forget about it! You’ll get it when you get it. No amount of urgency or frustration on your part will speed up the process. You’re on African time.
Bob smiled, nodding his head. The difference, he explained, is that Africans do not base life on the almighty 24 hour dictations we do. Tapping his watch, he said we Westerners live by scheduled time, it’s important to us. We need it because we have created our lives around it. But in Africa, relationship is more important, not the hours in the day.
For instance, in America if we tell people we are having a party at 7 o’clock, people start showing up around 7 o’clock. In Africa, the party does not start at 7 o’clock on a timepiece. Their party starts when they meet their friends on the road walking to the destination. The party is not limited to festivities at a destination. The party starts on the journey with friends. Their party begins before ours and probably lasts longer; they do have the walk home.
People oriented vs. Time oriented. Life takes on a slower pace; a more relaxed mentality prevails. Perhaps, our advanced Western civilization needs a time out from time constraints. I rather imagine that’s how it was when Jesus walked the earth. He walked everywhere with people along for the journey. Relationships happened, ministry happened, miracles happened and not a Timex in sight.
Tick tock, tick tock, it is not about the clock……
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Rub-A-Dub-Dub
With all the hub-bub about ecology and conserving our resources, it really becomes necessary to look at how you and your household live. I, for one, have evolved over the years toward this end. I am living much more ecologically friendly since I made a mission trip to Africa where my eyes were really opened for the first time.
Prior to said trip, I was a serious bath person. I had candles lining every flat surface in my bathroom to add ambiance during my long, steamy soaking baths. I played soothing music, lit my favorite incense (Perfumes of Ancient Times) and had within handy reach a basket full of my favorite bath oils, salts, pumice stones, scrubbies, etc. I was picky about towels, too. They had to be big, soft, thick and beautiful. A glass of wine sometimes completed this picture of tranquility. I loved bath time! I always felt like I washed away the world and all her troubles, leaving only peace and luxury behind. Very self-indulgent.
Then I went to Africa and stayed in a village. Women and children made daily trips to the one village well carrying any kind of container they had. Most times they carried two or three at a time. Some balanced one container on their head while they had one in each hand. This was their water for cooking, bathing, washing clothes, any and everything. They did not take water for granted.
Our mission team was getting our water from the same well; we were respectful of their resource and conserved water for the precious commodity it is. Two to three inches of water in a dish pan for daily grooming was heated over the fire. I washed my hair using only the amount of water in a plastic drinking bottle. It can be and was done!
My eyes were open to a lot of things during that trip. The simplicity of life in that village really intrigued me. They washed clothes by hand in washtubs, cooked over an open fire and walked every where. No electricity or fuel required. Their little one room round huts were basically used for sleeping and/or getting out of the elements during bad weather. No A/C spinning a meter. Life was lived outdoors where they had constant interaction with one another. They actually knew their neighbors.
After returning home I found I could not take a bath, I simply could not! The thought of using that much water for one bath, for personal pleasure, made me physically ill and very remorseful. I became a shower person overnight and they are quick showers at that! To this day, I take very short showers. When asked how I could be so fast, I just say I know where all my parts are and they stay in the same place; it is not a hide and seek endeavor. This makes people laugh and I take those opportunities to challenge and encourage them to take shorter showers. No matter how long the journey, it begins with the first step.
Since that first eye-opening experience and the changes it inspired, I make a point of looking for other ways to be more earth friendly and responsible; just doing my part.
Prior to said trip, I was a serious bath person. I had candles lining every flat surface in my bathroom to add ambiance during my long, steamy soaking baths. I played soothing music, lit my favorite incense (Perfumes of Ancient Times) and had within handy reach a basket full of my favorite bath oils, salts, pumice stones, scrubbies, etc. I was picky about towels, too. They had to be big, soft, thick and beautiful. A glass of wine sometimes completed this picture of tranquility. I loved bath time! I always felt like I washed away the world and all her troubles, leaving only peace and luxury behind. Very self-indulgent.
Then I went to Africa and stayed in a village. Women and children made daily trips to the one village well carrying any kind of container they had. Most times they carried two or three at a time. Some balanced one container on their head while they had one in each hand. This was their water for cooking, bathing, washing clothes, any and everything. They did not take water for granted.
Our mission team was getting our water from the same well; we were respectful of their resource and conserved water for the precious commodity it is. Two to three inches of water in a dish pan for daily grooming was heated over the fire. I washed my hair using only the amount of water in a plastic drinking bottle. It can be and was done!
My eyes were open to a lot of things during that trip. The simplicity of life in that village really intrigued me. They washed clothes by hand in washtubs, cooked over an open fire and walked every where. No electricity or fuel required. Their little one room round huts were basically used for sleeping and/or getting out of the elements during bad weather. No A/C spinning a meter. Life was lived outdoors where they had constant interaction with one another. They actually knew their neighbors.
After returning home I found I could not take a bath, I simply could not! The thought of using that much water for one bath, for personal pleasure, made me physically ill and very remorseful. I became a shower person overnight and they are quick showers at that! To this day, I take very short showers. When asked how I could be so fast, I just say I know where all my parts are and they stay in the same place; it is not a hide and seek endeavor. This makes people laugh and I take those opportunities to challenge and encourage them to take shorter showers. No matter how long the journey, it begins with the first step.
Since that first eye-opening experience and the changes it inspired, I make a point of looking for other ways to be more earth friendly and responsible; just doing my part.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Holy Spirit
I think many people have misconceptions and even fears about the Holy Spirit. Someone asked me once to tell them about the church I was attending at the time. In doing so, I said it was the most spirit-filled church I had even been in. This seemed to offended them because their reply was that they liked to believe the Holy Spirit was in their church, too. I found that incredibly sad and very telling.
People have a tendency to fear and/or make fun of things they do not understand. Sadly, it is the most educated, more economically powerful countries that have the most difficulty with things of the spiritual world. Is it because they are so educated they know better? I don't think so. I believe it's because we've gotten into the frame of mind that we, ourselves, can play god and anything can be explained in a test tube. If it can't, it must not be real or valid. Having spent time in that African village and in the jungle of the Yucatan where there are no test tubes, I can tell you with certainty, those people do not doubt the spiritual realm one bit.
I'm not talking about 'hocus pocus' kind of things, but a 'spirit' Jesus said would be our Comforter. Do you think for one minute He would have said 'a comforter' if it was scary and evil? No, nor would He send anything scary or evil to live inside of you. This isn't the time or platform for an in-depth discussion on the Holy Spirit but it is the time to tell you to read the Bible, look up every reference to the Holy Spirit. Knowledge is power, in this case, Holy Spirit power.
Pinocchio had Jiminy Cricket as his voice of conscience. We are far better off, we have the Holy Spirit to guide us, enlighten us, lead us, comfort us. If the Holy Spirit isn't something you are comfortable with, you simply do not know enough about the Holy Spirit.
My prayer for each of us today is that the Lord will pour out an amazing desire to know the Holy Spirit better; that He will cause us to have a spiritual thirst that can only be quenched by the Word and enlightenment by, of and through the Holy Spirit. That when we lay our heads down tonight before sleep that we know the Holy Spirit as we have never known Him before and give thanks to God for sending Him.
People have a tendency to fear and/or make fun of things they do not understand. Sadly, it is the most educated, more economically powerful countries that have the most difficulty with things of the spiritual world. Is it because they are so educated they know better? I don't think so. I believe it's because we've gotten into the frame of mind that we, ourselves, can play god and anything can be explained in a test tube. If it can't, it must not be real or valid. Having spent time in that African village and in the jungle of the Yucatan where there are no test tubes, I can tell you with certainty, those people do not doubt the spiritual realm one bit.
I'm not talking about 'hocus pocus' kind of things, but a 'spirit' Jesus said would be our Comforter. Do you think for one minute He would have said 'a comforter' if it was scary and evil? No, nor would He send anything scary or evil to live inside of you. This isn't the time or platform for an in-depth discussion on the Holy Spirit but it is the time to tell you to read the Bible, look up every reference to the Holy Spirit. Knowledge is power, in this case, Holy Spirit power.
Pinocchio had Jiminy Cricket as his voice of conscience. We are far better off, we have the Holy Spirit to guide us, enlighten us, lead us, comfort us. If the Holy Spirit isn't something you are comfortable with, you simply do not know enough about the Holy Spirit.
My prayer for each of us today is that the Lord will pour out an amazing desire to know the Holy Spirit better; that He will cause us to have a spiritual thirst that can only be quenched by the Word and enlightenment by, of and through the Holy Spirit. That when we lay our heads down tonight before sleep that we know the Holy Spirit as we have never known Him before and give thanks to God for sending Him.
Monday, June 15, 2009
One of Life's Riches
This morning I was reading some old writings from years past while waiting for divine inspiration for today's posting. I started seeing a pattern in my closings I had not realized before now. Very often, I closed with saying, "Call a friend, kiss a baby....". Every time I saw it I smiled. I can only guess that closing came from a subliminal effort to encourage people to reach out to those they love and do something that makes you feel good...such as kissing a baby! These writings were over a number of years and I do not remember purposely making those points but I did it often.
We were blessed this past weekend to have seen some old friends and felt the warmth that comes from being with and talking to those you love. Too often we get wrapped up in our day to day busy and put off talking to someone we really care about. For me, I know this to be true. I realized a few years back that too much time had passed since I talked to a relative I considered to be important in my life. How important could they feel to me if so many years had flown by since we last spoke? Not very!
I had a daily, weekly and monthly routines created and printed out in a binder to help me stay on track keeping up with the chores of our home. If it was not on one of those routines, it might not happen, so I re-wrote the weekly routine to include making time to call two someones I had not spoken to in a while. This may sound silly but it helped create the mentality of purposing to stay in touch with loved ones better. I still practice that today. The telephone commercial about reaching out and touching someone may be obsolete now but the heart of the message is still a good one.
So this is me encouraging you to call a friend, kiss a baby.......your life will be richer for it.
We were blessed this past weekend to have seen some old friends and felt the warmth that comes from being with and talking to those you love. Too often we get wrapped up in our day to day busy and put off talking to someone we really care about. For me, I know this to be true. I realized a few years back that too much time had passed since I talked to a relative I considered to be important in my life. How important could they feel to me if so many years had flown by since we last spoke? Not very!
I had a daily, weekly and monthly routines created and printed out in a binder to help me stay on track keeping up with the chores of our home. If it was not on one of those routines, it might not happen, so I re-wrote the weekly routine to include making time to call two someones I had not spoken to in a while. This may sound silly but it helped create the mentality of purposing to stay in touch with loved ones better. I still practice that today. The telephone commercial about reaching out and touching someone may be obsolete now but the heart of the message is still a good one.
So this is me encouraging you to call a friend, kiss a baby.......your life will be richer for it.
Friday, June 12, 2009
The Hell Storm
This morning I read a message from a friend talking about driving home during a hail storm. He said hearing the hail hit the metal of his car and wind shield was unnerving; it sounded like his windows would be broken out. Reading all this, I had flashbacks to a very stormy evening here when a violent storm blew through firing softball size hail at our house. It, too, sounded and felt like we were in a war as the hail beat against our home, breaking windows and sending shattered glass like bullets across the interior of our home. We actually had glass embedded in walls across the rooms from the broken windows. Every room in our home was damaged except for the smallest room in the house. How or why it was spared was beyond me.
At that time, the grandchildren, ages five to nine, had just come to live with us. In fact, they had only been here two weeks. This stormy night was frightening to one and all. My Honey had me get into a corner between a divider and the fridge to shield the children. He covered us, along with our dogs huddling with us, with comforters to keep the glass shards from hitting us. As we sat under our tent, we sang every kid Jesus song I could think of as loudly as we could in hopes of drowning out what sounded like machine guns firing at us. My Honey walked the floor in reverent prayer rebuking the storm winds and damaging hail; shouting out in prayer to the Lord to protect our family. It was very intense, violent and can best be described as the hail storm from hell.
When it ended, the silence was almost as deafening as the storm had been. It was so dark, so eerily quiet. It felt unnatural. We could not put a foot on the floor without stepping on glass and water. The children shell shocked. Our animals cowering. Our home of three weeks now riddled with destruction. It was a bleak night, especially after the storm.
Through it all, God protected us. That one little room which escaped damage gave us a dry, glass free place to bed the children down once we could calm them down. Without power or water, all we could do was sit in the dark on the least soggy sofa praising the Lord for bringing us through the storm.
In the midst of hail and hell, God's hand was on us. Life will throw hell storms at us; the Bible tells us we WILL have troubles and problems. Troubles and taxes, things you can count on in this earthly life. The storms and troubles of life are a given; how we deal with them is what makes the difference.
For example, during this hail storm from hell, we all felt fear. Being afraid is not bad in and of itself. It's a human reaction to a bad situation; giving that fear power over how you act is where the trouble comes in. I had four children under that pile of blankets and all I could think of was to protect them. Of the four, two were hysterical; screaming, crying, nearly coming out of their own skin. The other two were just as scared but, seeing their siblings out of control, seemed to know that helping me focus them by singing the Jesus songs was a better solution. We held on tightly to the panicked ones and sang as loudly as we could. I wanted the children to know it is Jesus we cry out to in times of trouble. It helped me to hear my Honey praying with authority; his leadership brought comfort.
How often have you heard it said, "All we can do is pray."? I wish people would say, "The best we can do is pray." because crying out to Jesus is the most powerful action we can take. Storms will come, all hell will break loose and situations will look bleak and dark. Remember that one room shared damage? Think that was coincidence? No. God provided a dry place to rest the weary. Remember how my Honey covered us with comforters? Jesus said he would send us a comforter; the Holy Spirit is called our comforter in the Bible. Though our home on top of this hill was literally rocked on its foundation, Jesus is The Rock on which we stand.
I doubt I will ever forget that stormy night, but mostly I'm thankful for our Life Insurance with The Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit. When you do business with THAT company, you really are in good hands!
At that time, the grandchildren, ages five to nine, had just come to live with us. In fact, they had only been here two weeks. This stormy night was frightening to one and all. My Honey had me get into a corner between a divider and the fridge to shield the children. He covered us, along with our dogs huddling with us, with comforters to keep the glass shards from hitting us. As we sat under our tent, we sang every kid Jesus song I could think of as loudly as we could in hopes of drowning out what sounded like machine guns firing at us. My Honey walked the floor in reverent prayer rebuking the storm winds and damaging hail; shouting out in prayer to the Lord to protect our family. It was very intense, violent and can best be described as the hail storm from hell.
When it ended, the silence was almost as deafening as the storm had been. It was so dark, so eerily quiet. It felt unnatural. We could not put a foot on the floor without stepping on glass and water. The children shell shocked. Our animals cowering. Our home of three weeks now riddled with destruction. It was a bleak night, especially after the storm.
Through it all, God protected us. That one little room which escaped damage gave us a dry, glass free place to bed the children down once we could calm them down. Without power or water, all we could do was sit in the dark on the least soggy sofa praising the Lord for bringing us through the storm.
In the midst of hail and hell, God's hand was on us. Life will throw hell storms at us; the Bible tells us we WILL have troubles and problems. Troubles and taxes, things you can count on in this earthly life. The storms and troubles of life are a given; how we deal with them is what makes the difference.
For example, during this hail storm from hell, we all felt fear. Being afraid is not bad in and of itself. It's a human reaction to a bad situation; giving that fear power over how you act is where the trouble comes in. I had four children under that pile of blankets and all I could think of was to protect them. Of the four, two were hysterical; screaming, crying, nearly coming out of their own skin. The other two were just as scared but, seeing their siblings out of control, seemed to know that helping me focus them by singing the Jesus songs was a better solution. We held on tightly to the panicked ones and sang as loudly as we could. I wanted the children to know it is Jesus we cry out to in times of trouble. It helped me to hear my Honey praying with authority; his leadership brought comfort.
How often have you heard it said, "All we can do is pray."? I wish people would say, "The best we can do is pray." because crying out to Jesus is the most powerful action we can take. Storms will come, all hell will break loose and situations will look bleak and dark. Remember that one room shared damage? Think that was coincidence? No. God provided a dry place to rest the weary. Remember how my Honey covered us with comforters? Jesus said he would send us a comforter; the Holy Spirit is called our comforter in the Bible. Though our home on top of this hill was literally rocked on its foundation, Jesus is The Rock on which we stand.
I doubt I will ever forget that stormy night, but mostly I'm thankful for our Life Insurance with The Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit. When you do business with THAT company, you really are in good hands!
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Zoned for Impact
I had a 'light bulb' moment this morning, thought I'd share. We're a praying family, it is part of our daily life. But have you ever noticed that sometimes your prayers feel like you're repeating a broken record, feel a little dry and uninspired? Do you have a hard time staying focused on what you're even doing? My guess is that we've all experienced this, but I may be the only one and if so, then this is for me only.
This morning while out doing my coffee/garden review, I started my prayer time. I've felt like I've been in a prayer slump recently and really want to get out! Like all of you, my days are busy and I often feel like I'm rushing through the prayers to 'get them over with'. Father, forgive me!!
Remember, I'm walking the garden area, a time of peace and contemplation, so all the better to start prayer. The raised bed is really just one long box so the plantings are divided, zoned for organization. So as I meandered from one zone to another this morning the light bulb moment hit me! Why not zone my prayer time?
While that may sound a bit calculated and cold, it made sense to me. Rather than trying to run through a mental list of everything I want to pray for and hoping I get it all, why not break it up into smaller prayer zones. You know, one prayer zone could be when I pray for my family, another when I pray for our ministry, another when I pray for our government and leaders, etc. Nothing gets left out.
I could use my morning garden review for simply praising the Lord. Later, straightening the kitchen, I could pray for the family. While folding laundry, pray for our missionary friends. By breaking my prayers up by subject and time zones, I can focus on that particular prayer need. All of our days have some sort of routine and rhythm to them. Some days we have total chaos and nothing is normal but for the most part, there is structure of some sort. If I make my prayer zones fit my normal daily schedule the prayers would be fresher and focused.
I'm tired of praying dry desert prayers! My temperament isn't like that, my prayers shouldn't be either! I feel deeply, love deeply and I want my prayers to be prayers of substance, too! I'm not taking the reverence out of prayer time; there certainly is a time for hitting your knees in prayer. My zoned prayer theory is not to replace that, it is in addition to that. It is a continuous dialog of prayer throughout the day.
Anyway..that was my light bulb moment and I'm going to try it. It may not be for you; it may not even be for me but I'm going to give it a shot and see how it goes. If you decide to try it too, let me know if it works out for you.
This morning while out doing my coffee/garden review, I started my prayer time. I've felt like I've been in a prayer slump recently and really want to get out! Like all of you, my days are busy and I often feel like I'm rushing through the prayers to 'get them over with'. Father, forgive me!!
Remember, I'm walking the garden area, a time of peace and contemplation, so all the better to start prayer. The raised bed is really just one long box so the plantings are divided, zoned for organization. So as I meandered from one zone to another this morning the light bulb moment hit me! Why not zone my prayer time?
While that may sound a bit calculated and cold, it made sense to me. Rather than trying to run through a mental list of everything I want to pray for and hoping I get it all, why not break it up into smaller prayer zones. You know, one prayer zone could be when I pray for my family, another when I pray for our ministry, another when I pray for our government and leaders, etc. Nothing gets left out.
I could use my morning garden review for simply praising the Lord. Later, straightening the kitchen, I could pray for the family. While folding laundry, pray for our missionary friends. By breaking my prayers up by subject and time zones, I can focus on that particular prayer need. All of our days have some sort of routine and rhythm to them. Some days we have total chaos and nothing is normal but for the most part, there is structure of some sort. If I make my prayer zones fit my normal daily schedule the prayers would be fresher and focused.
I'm tired of praying dry desert prayers! My temperament isn't like that, my prayers shouldn't be either! I feel deeply, love deeply and I want my prayers to be prayers of substance, too! I'm not taking the reverence out of prayer time; there certainly is a time for hitting your knees in prayer. My zoned prayer theory is not to replace that, it is in addition to that. It is a continuous dialog of prayer throughout the day.
Anyway..that was my light bulb moment and I'm going to try it. It may not be for you; it may not even be for me but I'm going to give it a shot and see how it goes. If you decide to try it too, let me know if it works out for you.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
One Little Thing
At my house, the only thing that doesn't change is that things are going to change. A chronic remodeler/decorator, I find change stimulating and exciting. I know everyone does not share that thinking and that is okay. But at our house, you can count on it.
My Honey never knows what he will find when he gets home. Fortunately for the both of us, he's flexible about it. Besides, if I make a change he doesn't care for, he knows will be gone soon enough. If he really does not like something, I change it again to make him happy. We're a good team.
We recently became Empty Nesters again. For the first time in a long time, I feel I have the freedom to situate our home to suit us and only us. With children in the home, things must be Family Friendly. We held weekly dinner prayer/fellowship services in our home for quite a while, so I had to factor in accommodating Groups of People into the Family Friendly plan. And if all that was not enough, (and don't you think it should be?) we started a kitchen remodel, so we lived with the Tools and Wood Everywhere plan added in for over two years. Can you picture it....Groups of People stepping over and around Tools and Wood Everywhere? You can call our home life a lot of things but ordinary is not one of them.
So now, here we are Empty Nesters again and the decor possibilities are endless. Well, as endless as they can be in 1136 square feet. We are limited only by my imagination and woefully thin wallet. What I lack in financial resources I make up for with creative thinking! I am intrigued and inspired to find ways to re-create high dollar design ideas into obtainable decor options for the budget challenged such as myself. Anyone with more money than sense can go out and hire a designer and/or buy a decorated home. It is far more satisfying to me to watch a colorless box of a room become an inviting oasis of warmth and comfort birthed from the very core of its sculptor. I had a friend that said, "A woman's home is the outer reflection of her inner being." When who and what you are can be obvious the minute someone steps foot into your room, you have done a good job. NO formulas, NO fads, NO trendy purchases will ever replace the god-given creativity you already possess. Just tap into it and dare to do it!
So, all that said, here is what I wanted to impart this morning. It does not require an extreme home makeover to change things in a big way. No big budget required, small changes refresh and stimulate. A few days ago, I rearranged our main living area. It is one open space that encompasses our kitchen, dining area and living room. It is a long rectangle shaped space with the kitchen at one far end. We possess three large couches (Family Friendly and Groups of People) left over from prior needs. I moved the 1st into the dining area so we can comfortably sit and drink coffee or visit. I turned the 2nd around to face the kitchen so my Honey does not have his back to me while I prepare meals. It's very cozy and comfortable. The 3rd, I turned back to back to the 2nd in the center of the room facing the book shelves and created what we now lovingly call our Library at the other far end. It's awesome, a pretty place to read without a TV! I love it. My "office" previously was cramped into a teeny space in the dining area. It now resides in the Library and it has made a huge impact on my frame of mind when writing. We have lived with this new arrangement for a several days now and continue to find it perfect for the TWO of US. It's not Family Friendly, does not consider Groups of People and we do not see Tools and Wood Everywhere. It fits our lifestyle as Empty Nesters. We love it!
That was not a small change, I had to set the scene for the small change to make sense. Pay attention, here it comes.
My desk, such as it is (I'm waiting for the perfect desk to become available & affordable), is located in the new library as I mentioned. This was a vast improvement from the cramped corner I had in the dining area. I cannot stand to face the wall so I sat off to one side of the desk. Not a perfect situation but workable. Then I had an inspired light bulb moment! Here's the small change that made a huge difference: I turned my chair & computer so I was facing into the Library and away from the main living/kitchen. Now the view from my work space is of a pretty and relaxing room rather than the room where all the activity and life takes place. With the front door open, I can see the hills of Bandera and all the glorious beauty between here and there. One small change took my creative work space to one that inspires rather than distracts. No more effort was required than to move my chair from one side of the desk to the other and the results are tremendous.
Here's my challenge to you, look for one little thing to change the room of your choice. It does not have to cost you anything other than a few minutes of creative thinking. This exercise of creativity just might inspire you to continue the treasure hunt for other little things you can do to invigorate and stimulate your environment. Write me and tell of your first One Little Thing.
Happy hunting!
My Honey never knows what he will find when he gets home. Fortunately for the both of us, he's flexible about it. Besides, if I make a change he doesn't care for, he knows will be gone soon enough. If he really does not like something, I change it again to make him happy. We're a good team.
We recently became Empty Nesters again. For the first time in a long time, I feel I have the freedom to situate our home to suit us and only us. With children in the home, things must be Family Friendly. We held weekly dinner prayer/fellowship services in our home for quite a while, so I had to factor in accommodating Groups of People into the Family Friendly plan. And if all that was not enough, (and don't you think it should be?) we started a kitchen remodel, so we lived with the Tools and Wood Everywhere plan added in for over two years. Can you picture it....Groups of People stepping over and around Tools and Wood Everywhere? You can call our home life a lot of things but ordinary is not one of them.
So now, here we are Empty Nesters again and the decor possibilities are endless. Well, as endless as they can be in 1136 square feet. We are limited only by my imagination and woefully thin wallet. What I lack in financial resources I make up for with creative thinking! I am intrigued and inspired to find ways to re-create high dollar design ideas into obtainable decor options for the budget challenged such as myself. Anyone with more money than sense can go out and hire a designer and/or buy a decorated home. It is far more satisfying to me to watch a colorless box of a room become an inviting oasis of warmth and comfort birthed from the very core of its sculptor. I had a friend that said, "A woman's home is the outer reflection of her inner being." When who and what you are can be obvious the minute someone steps foot into your room, you have done a good job. NO formulas, NO fads, NO trendy purchases will ever replace the god-given creativity you already possess. Just tap into it and dare to do it!
So, all that said, here is what I wanted to impart this morning. It does not require an extreme home makeover to change things in a big way. No big budget required, small changes refresh and stimulate. A few days ago, I rearranged our main living area. It is one open space that encompasses our kitchen, dining area and living room. It is a long rectangle shaped space with the kitchen at one far end. We possess three large couches (Family Friendly and Groups of People) left over from prior needs. I moved the 1st into the dining area so we can comfortably sit and drink coffee or visit. I turned the 2nd around to face the kitchen so my Honey does not have his back to me while I prepare meals. It's very cozy and comfortable. The 3rd, I turned back to back to the 2nd in the center of the room facing the book shelves and created what we now lovingly call our Library at the other far end. It's awesome, a pretty place to read without a TV! I love it. My "office" previously was cramped into a teeny space in the dining area. It now resides in the Library and it has made a huge impact on my frame of mind when writing. We have lived with this new arrangement for a several days now and continue to find it perfect for the TWO of US. It's not Family Friendly, does not consider Groups of People and we do not see Tools and Wood Everywhere. It fits our lifestyle as Empty Nesters. We love it!
That was not a small change, I had to set the scene for the small change to make sense. Pay attention, here it comes.
My desk, such as it is (I'm waiting for the perfect desk to become available & affordable), is located in the new library as I mentioned. This was a vast improvement from the cramped corner I had in the dining area. I cannot stand to face the wall so I sat off to one side of the desk. Not a perfect situation but workable. Then I had an inspired light bulb moment! Here's the small change that made a huge difference: I turned my chair & computer so I was facing into the Library and away from the main living/kitchen. Now the view from my work space is of a pretty and relaxing room rather than the room where all the activity and life takes place. With the front door open, I can see the hills of Bandera and all the glorious beauty between here and there. One small change took my creative work space to one that inspires rather than distracts. No more effort was required than to move my chair from one side of the desk to the other and the results are tremendous.
Here's my challenge to you, look for one little thing to change the room of your choice. It does not have to cost you anything other than a few minutes of creative thinking. This exercise of creativity just might inspire you to continue the treasure hunt for other little things you can do to invigorate and stimulate your environment. Write me and tell of your first One Little Thing.
Happy hunting!
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Good Soil
The first light of dawn found me wandering through our gardening bed still in my jammies and with coffee cup in hand. Every morning I can't wait to get out there to see the tender little seedlings making progress; becoming full fledged veggie plants. We live on top of a hill and, for gardening purposes, that means we have to haul in garden soil and create raised beds. We are sitting on a big rock and it keeps making baby rocks like there is no tomorrow.....raised beds, it is!
Looking over the bed, you'll see some plants are doing very well while others are looking rather pitiful. What makes the difference? They came from the same seed packet, started in the same flat, received the same water, sunlight, fertilizer, planted in the same soil and get the same amount of attention. What makes the difference? I'm not talking about comparing different varieties, lets talk about just the tomatoes for instance. What makes one tomato plant thrive and look so healthy while 2 plants over there is one that looks like it's gasping for air? Oh, the sad one is growing but it isn't thriving. It may provide us with tomatoes for a meal or two but it certainly isn't all it could be.
Then, there are the plants that shot up in the starter flats but, having the faced the reality of life in the ground, have shriveled up & died. What makes the difference?
We're like that, you know, we Christians. We're all given the same opportunity to know and thrive serving God; to seek Him and truly make Him Lord of our lives. We all are given the same access to Bibles; some read them and some don't. We live in a country where we have the freedom to attend any church we want and worship, at least most Christians do. Some live in countries where they have to meet after dark in the shadows behind closed doors and curtains or face prison and torture. Most of us, however, do have that freedom and privilege and yet many come up with ten different reasons every Sunday morning why they aren't going to church....any church.
Some Christians, like Monday morning quarterbacks, have all the answers about what everyone else is doing wrong. They may not attend a church but they know what's wrong with churches. Some use other people as their reason; flawed people using other flawed people as their reason for not attending. Others, like the familiar quote, blossom where they are planted and become true servants of the Lord serving their churches and communities. What makes the difference? Same opportunities, same soil, same God...what makes the difference? I could get all theological and spell out a few theories and philosophies, but it's really very simple.
Unlike our friends the seeds, we have a choice. We can choose to soak up God as we open our hearts and lives to Him and His will. OR we can choose to live acknowledging Christ as Lord with our words but not our lives; we'll grow some but we won't thrive. OR we can and will shrivel up and die without the Living Water that is Christ. As for me and my house, we shall serve the Lord!
Wishing you rich soil, gentle rains and sunny days.....
Looking over the bed, you'll see some plants are doing very well while others are looking rather pitiful. What makes the difference? They came from the same seed packet, started in the same flat, received the same water, sunlight, fertilizer, planted in the same soil and get the same amount of attention. What makes the difference? I'm not talking about comparing different varieties, lets talk about just the tomatoes for instance. What makes one tomato plant thrive and look so healthy while 2 plants over there is one that looks like it's gasping for air? Oh, the sad one is growing but it isn't thriving. It may provide us with tomatoes for a meal or two but it certainly isn't all it could be.
Then, there are the plants that shot up in the starter flats but, having the faced the reality of life in the ground, have shriveled up & died. What makes the difference?
We're like that, you know, we Christians. We're all given the same opportunity to know and thrive serving God; to seek Him and truly make Him Lord of our lives. We all are given the same access to Bibles; some read them and some don't. We live in a country where we have the freedom to attend any church we want and worship, at least most Christians do. Some live in countries where they have to meet after dark in the shadows behind closed doors and curtains or face prison and torture. Most of us, however, do have that freedom and privilege and yet many come up with ten different reasons every Sunday morning why they aren't going to church....any church.
Some Christians, like Monday morning quarterbacks, have all the answers about what everyone else is doing wrong. They may not attend a church but they know what's wrong with churches. Some use other people as their reason; flawed people using other flawed people as their reason for not attending. Others, like the familiar quote, blossom where they are planted and become true servants of the Lord serving their churches and communities. What makes the difference? Same opportunities, same soil, same God...what makes the difference? I could get all theological and spell out a few theories and philosophies, but it's really very simple.
Unlike our friends the seeds, we have a choice. We can choose to soak up God as we open our hearts and lives to Him and His will. OR we can choose to live acknowledging Christ as Lord with our words but not our lives; we'll grow some but we won't thrive. OR we can and will shrivel up and die without the Living Water that is Christ. As for me and my house, we shall serve the Lord!
Wishing you rich soil, gentle rains and sunny days.....
Monday, June 8, 2009
Truth for This Morning and Every Morning
The subject today is one near and dear to my heart. I've addressed this subject more than once and will do so again because I truly believe it is vital. God first in our lives means God first with our time, too. Life has a way of making demands on our time and attention; demands we feel we have to meet. I'm telling you, not one of us is so important that anything we could ever do is more important than spending time with God.
Years ago, when starting a new job, I noticed my supervisor sat at her desk reading the Bible before work every morning. At that time in my life, I was not walking out a faith walk; yet I was intrigued by her faithful habit. One day, I asked her why. She told me that she had learned the tone for her whole day was set by how she spent the first hours and giving the first time to being with God made her day much smoother. This made an impression on me and I never forgot her simple, life changing lesson.
We all struggle with the things of the world that we need to attend to, sometimes to the detriment of our faith walk. The struggle is not finding time but utilizing our time more wisely. I, for one, have struggled to find a balance between home and having the hours I need to devote to research and writing. Often I feel like I'm not sufficiently caring for either one. I borrow hours one day from the home to spend writing. Then the next day I borrow precious productive morning writing time for home responsibilities.
You know what, I can't do either one without giving time and attention to my private God time. How could I? He is my source, my strength and my inspiration. If I don't fill the well with His living water, I don't have the ability to dip into the refreshing that comes only from Him, much less pour it out in serving Him. How can I write Bible studies without time in the Bible? I can't!
You may be saying you don't write Bible studies so it's different for you. Sorry, my friend, but that thinking is wrong! Anything we touch, anything we undertake, we are able to do only because He has given us the gifts, talents, jobs, desires, etc.. Anything! Everything!! So, with that in mind, let's not get the cart before the horse. God first every day makes the rest of the day go much more smoothly. I now know this because I live this.
Practicing what I preach, this is me wishing you a Jesus-filled day!
Years ago, when starting a new job, I noticed my supervisor sat at her desk reading the Bible before work every morning. At that time in my life, I was not walking out a faith walk; yet I was intrigued by her faithful habit. One day, I asked her why. She told me that she had learned the tone for her whole day was set by how she spent the first hours and giving the first time to being with God made her day much smoother. This made an impression on me and I never forgot her simple, life changing lesson.
We all struggle with the things of the world that we need to attend to, sometimes to the detriment of our faith walk. The struggle is not finding time but utilizing our time more wisely. I, for one, have struggled to find a balance between home and having the hours I need to devote to research and writing. Often I feel like I'm not sufficiently caring for either one. I borrow hours one day from the home to spend writing. Then the next day I borrow precious productive morning writing time for home responsibilities.
You know what, I can't do either one without giving time and attention to my private God time. How could I? He is my source, my strength and my inspiration. If I don't fill the well with His living water, I don't have the ability to dip into the refreshing that comes only from Him, much less pour it out in serving Him. How can I write Bible studies without time in the Bible? I can't!
You may be saying you don't write Bible studies so it's different for you. Sorry, my friend, but that thinking is wrong! Anything we touch, anything we undertake, we are able to do only because He has given us the gifts, talents, jobs, desires, etc.. Anything! Everything!! So, with that in mind, let's not get the cart before the horse. God first every day makes the rest of the day go much more smoothly. I now know this because I live this.
Practicing what I preach, this is me wishing you a Jesus-filled day!
Friday, June 5, 2009
WWJD
WWJD....What would Jesus do? I had a book, In His Steps, by Charles Sheldon, that told a story about a church and its pastor that challenged the congregant members to live their lives based on that question for a full year.
Not all accepted the challenge, only a handful. Those that did were to make every decision, action and word based on how they thought Jesus would. Tough row to hoe, that one! Lives changed dramatically as they moved through this challenge. They had to accept the fallout and consequences of these decisions; there were many. Relationships lost, money given away, jobs changed, miracles happened, people saved; life as they knew it was over. Through it all they grew in their understanding of Christ and learned how difficult the task to live a life based on Him; they came to love Him more and handed down that legacy.
I inherited my skinny nose and small mouth from my paternal grandmother. One memory I have is her sitting in a rocking chair by the window with curtains billowing in the breeze, reading the Bible at night. We hand down all kinds of things, shouldn't a strong faith legacy be one of them? She never talked to me about it that I recall but I can still picture it. My maternal grandfather was a tent revival preacher;not as a vocation but as a passion and calling. I don't recall him ever talking to me about it either but I went to revivals with him in the summers. They each deposited their faith in me.
Not everything we inherit from our family is a good thing. Diabetes runs in my mom's family; that's not cool. Prejudices are common inheritances; the foods we eat are, too. There are so many things in our lives that we've inherited; they came without intent for the most part. Does it not stand to reason then that we should intentionally pass down constructive, positive, live-giving, faith building, Jesus following practices?
No one starts out planning to mess up their own lives, not to mention messing up their kids, but we do. We can't change the past but we can change the future. If we choose to make our lives the example of a WWJD mentality, we can choose what we hand down to our children. If we walk it, talk it, live it and eat it, we can start building up the 'account' we pass down. If we make ourselves aware, holding our own actions, thoughts, deeds and words to that standard, we are making daily positive deposits into their future.
I don't know about you, but I've made too many mistakes to even try to count. I shudder to think about the size of that account! While I can't empty it out and start over, I can work to dwarf its size by building up a new inheritance account.
I have to challenge myself every day regarding my actions; asking myself if Jesus would act the way I am acting. It's frustrating when my flesh is screaming out and I realize I am not yet where I want to be. However, I want to saturate my children and grandchildren with a good inheritance mentality. I want all the automatic stuff they do to be based on WWJD.
Our kids are all grown. The best I can do is be a better role model now than I was before. I can lead only by example. I do not believe the bank is closed for making deposits into their inheritance, so whatever I put in at this point has got to be good. I have to live WWJD to be able to pass it down. I do not hit the mark every time. There is a lot of work left to do in me, but I choose to pass down the WWJD mentality whatever the cost to me personally.
It is a challenge, just as in the book. There are consequences; some good, some painful. The end result is drawing closer to a Christ-like life and character. If it was easy, it wouldn't be a challenge, would it? So, what do you think Jesus would do?
Not all accepted the challenge, only a handful. Those that did were to make every decision, action and word based on how they thought Jesus would. Tough row to hoe, that one! Lives changed dramatically as they moved through this challenge. They had to accept the fallout and consequences of these decisions; there were many. Relationships lost, money given away, jobs changed, miracles happened, people saved; life as they knew it was over. Through it all they grew in their understanding of Christ and learned how difficult the task to live a life based on Him; they came to love Him more and handed down that legacy.
I inherited my skinny nose and small mouth from my paternal grandmother. One memory I have is her sitting in a rocking chair by the window with curtains billowing in the breeze, reading the Bible at night. We hand down all kinds of things, shouldn't a strong faith legacy be one of them? She never talked to me about it that I recall but I can still picture it. My maternal grandfather was a tent revival preacher;not as a vocation but as a passion and calling. I don't recall him ever talking to me about it either but I went to revivals with him in the summers. They each deposited their faith in me.
Not everything we inherit from our family is a good thing. Diabetes runs in my mom's family; that's not cool. Prejudices are common inheritances; the foods we eat are, too. There are so many things in our lives that we've inherited; they came without intent for the most part. Does it not stand to reason then that we should intentionally pass down constructive, positive, live-giving, faith building, Jesus following practices?
No one starts out planning to mess up their own lives, not to mention messing up their kids, but we do. We can't change the past but we can change the future. If we choose to make our lives the example of a WWJD mentality, we can choose what we hand down to our children. If we walk it, talk it, live it and eat it, we can start building up the 'account' we pass down. If we make ourselves aware, holding our own actions, thoughts, deeds and words to that standard, we are making daily positive deposits into their future.
I don't know about you, but I've made too many mistakes to even try to count. I shudder to think about the size of that account! While I can't empty it out and start over, I can work to dwarf its size by building up a new inheritance account.
I have to challenge myself every day regarding my actions; asking myself if Jesus would act the way I am acting. It's frustrating when my flesh is screaming out and I realize I am not yet where I want to be. However, I want to saturate my children and grandchildren with a good inheritance mentality. I want all the automatic stuff they do to be based on WWJD.
Our kids are all grown. The best I can do is be a better role model now than I was before. I can lead only by example. I do not believe the bank is closed for making deposits into their inheritance, so whatever I put in at this point has got to be good. I have to live WWJD to be able to pass it down. I do not hit the mark every time. There is a lot of work left to do in me, but I choose to pass down the WWJD mentality whatever the cost to me personally.
It is a challenge, just as in the book. There are consequences; some good, some painful. The end result is drawing closer to a Christ-like life and character. If it was easy, it wouldn't be a challenge, would it? So, what do you think Jesus would do?
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Resting? Really?
Did the title of today's writing catch your attention? Real resting isn't as simple as it sounds. Once, years ago, I had a doctor tell me that I didn't rest even when I rested. I had to ponder that for a while. In my pondering, I was exercising the very thing he was talking about. I may physically be sitting or lying down but my mind still whirled a hundred miles an hour. I tend to analyze things, everything. While this can and is beneficial in it's place, it also serves to make you weary when carried on all the time. Physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually weary.
I ran into an old friend once and the first thing out of her mouth was to ask me if I still analyzed things to death. Wow, that hit me like a ton of bricks! Rather re-enforced what the doctor told me. So, it’s safe to assume I know this struggle. As I’ve grown in the Lord and my spiritual walk, I’ve learned to give over that analyzing obsession to God and give things to Him. Not an easy task for a habitual thinker. I still analyze some things but it’s not like before. Then I did not lean on Him but on my own ability to reason. Then I believed in Him but did not walk in faith, trust Him to handle my weighty issues or leave anything to His timing, for that matter.
Webster defines ‘rest’ many ways. One that struck me (yes, I looked it up) was #4(a) relief from anything distressing, annoying, tiring, etc (b) peace of mind; mental and emotional calm; tranquility
Without giving God all of our trust and faith, we do not possess the aspects of ‘rest’ Webster was defining above. I’ve learned to wait & rest on the Lord as I’ve matured in my Christian walk. A rather obvious example is waiting for the complete healing of my body. I know my body is healed by the strips Jesus bore on His. I know I am healed. My body still has physical pain and limitation every day but the time will come when that is no longer a factor in my life. That ‘time’ will come on His timeline, not mine. The really cool thing is that I’m ok with that. I trust Him enough to know He will take care of His business in His perfect timing. I don’t even analyze this at all, I KNOW it as a truth in my life. I can rest in that knowledge.
Without putting yourself in a mental tizzy, take a look at how you rest. Make a point to 'purpose' your resting time so it can be recuperative to your mind and body; not just horizontal contemplation time. If you focus on listening to your breathing, your mind is happily busy but in a calming way rather than jumping from one thought to the next. It takes practice. Those pesky whirlwind thoughts will try to creep in. Tell them 'No!' and don't give them another thought. Listen to your breathing, let the relaxing rhythm melt the tension in your body and mind. It works.
The irony is that we have to actively work at resting.....now that's funny! Wishing you a restful day.......
I ran into an old friend once and the first thing out of her mouth was to ask me if I still analyzed things to death. Wow, that hit me like a ton of bricks! Rather re-enforced what the doctor told me. So, it’s safe to assume I know this struggle. As I’ve grown in the Lord and my spiritual walk, I’ve learned to give over that analyzing obsession to God and give things to Him. Not an easy task for a habitual thinker. I still analyze some things but it’s not like before. Then I did not lean on Him but on my own ability to reason. Then I believed in Him but did not walk in faith, trust Him to handle my weighty issues or leave anything to His timing, for that matter.
Webster defines ‘rest’ many ways. One that struck me (yes, I looked it up) was #4(a) relief from anything distressing, annoying, tiring, etc (b) peace of mind; mental and emotional calm; tranquility
Without giving God all of our trust and faith, we do not possess the aspects of ‘rest’ Webster was defining above. I’ve learned to wait & rest on the Lord as I’ve matured in my Christian walk. A rather obvious example is waiting for the complete healing of my body. I know my body is healed by the strips Jesus bore on His. I know I am healed. My body still has physical pain and limitation every day but the time will come when that is no longer a factor in my life. That ‘time’ will come on His timeline, not mine. The really cool thing is that I’m ok with that. I trust Him enough to know He will take care of His business in His perfect timing. I don’t even analyze this at all, I KNOW it as a truth in my life. I can rest in that knowledge.
Without putting yourself in a mental tizzy, take a look at how you rest. Make a point to 'purpose' your resting time so it can be recuperative to your mind and body; not just horizontal contemplation time. If you focus on listening to your breathing, your mind is happily busy but in a calming way rather than jumping from one thought to the next. It takes practice. Those pesky whirlwind thoughts will try to creep in. Tell them 'No!' and don't give them another thought. Listen to your breathing, let the relaxing rhythm melt the tension in your body and mind. It works.
The irony is that we have to actively work at resting.....now that's funny! Wishing you a restful day.......
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Winds of Adversity
I felt compelled to share a story this morning of a situation God used to teach me a life lesson. Have you noticed I like life lessons? So very often, God places them right in front of us; we just need to be paying attention.
This story is true and happened when the grandkids were living with us. It was a chilly and gusty school day morning. It was more gusty than chilly. I was standing at the bottom of the hill with the kids waiting for the bus. It comes from a general north direction, so, I was facing the full force of the wind. Donovan had a heavy jacket with a hood, so he simply turned his back to the wind. Daniel had a heavy jacket but no hood; he stood under my arm so his ears would be covered. Sometimes he faced the wind because he just couldn't stand not looking for the bus. Other times he turn his back to the wind, but still under my arm. Douglas had on a light jacket and no hood. He snuggled as close to me as he could and I had both gloved hands covering his ears. Hannah had a heavy long coat with a hood. When facing the wind, she complained about it being in her face. With her back to the wind, she complained about her back getting too cold. Like I said, it was more gusty than chilly, but the north wind made it seem much colder than it actually was.
Here is the life lesson. God stands facing all things in life for us, head on. We have a choice about how we receive that protection and covering from Him. We can choose to stand apart from Him (like Donovan) defiantly turning our back to adversity, which never works because adversity doesn't care which way you face. It will pound you regardless. Or, we can get up under the arm of God knowing we need His protection, but pop out (like Daniel) simply because we do not trust Him enough to watch over our lives for us. We just have to see for ourselves. Or we can (like Hannah) stand apart, in spite of her warm jacket and hood(blessings), complain anyway. She had the longest, heaviest coat of all yet complained and grumbled the most. Or we can (like Douglas) snuggle up to God, reaping the reward of His warmth and protection, trusting Him completely to watch out for us.
The wind was the same on all of us, it was the different ways we reacted to it that made all the difference. The Lord showed me this lesson while out in the chilly wind. His perfect timing allowed me to 'see' what He wanted me to get. I believe, had I been there complaining about having to face the wind and protecting the kids, He would not have not shown me that lesson because I would not have been ready to receive it.
I'm very thankful that the Holy Spirit lives in me and that I've learned to be still and listen for that quiet voice. We CAN & DO drown out the voice of the Holy Spirit when we are caught up in the hustle and bustle of our noisy lives. Today, take the time to be still and just listen. I shudder to think of the lessons I've missed because I was too busy to pay attention.
One short final note, each of the children handled things that morning in true keeping with their character. Your 'Character' is who & how you really are. We can all put on our 'nice face' for the world to see but when faced with the cold wind of adversity, our character jumps out large and refuses to be ignored! Ask the Holy Spirit to show you what people see when they look at you in times of adversity. What does your character say?
This story is true and happened when the grandkids were living with us. It was a chilly and gusty school day morning. It was more gusty than chilly. I was standing at the bottom of the hill with the kids waiting for the bus. It comes from a general north direction, so, I was facing the full force of the wind. Donovan had a heavy jacket with a hood, so he simply turned his back to the wind. Daniel had a heavy jacket but no hood; he stood under my arm so his ears would be covered. Sometimes he faced the wind because he just couldn't stand not looking for the bus. Other times he turn his back to the wind, but still under my arm. Douglas had on a light jacket and no hood. He snuggled as close to me as he could and I had both gloved hands covering his ears. Hannah had a heavy long coat with a hood. When facing the wind, she complained about it being in her face. With her back to the wind, she complained about her back getting too cold. Like I said, it was more gusty than chilly, but the north wind made it seem much colder than it actually was.
Here is the life lesson. God stands facing all things in life for us, head on. We have a choice about how we receive that protection and covering from Him. We can choose to stand apart from Him (like Donovan) defiantly turning our back to adversity, which never works because adversity doesn't care which way you face. It will pound you regardless. Or, we can get up under the arm of God knowing we need His protection, but pop out (like Daniel) simply because we do not trust Him enough to watch over our lives for us. We just have to see for ourselves. Or we can (like Hannah) stand apart, in spite of her warm jacket and hood(blessings), complain anyway. She had the longest, heaviest coat of all yet complained and grumbled the most. Or we can (like Douglas) snuggle up to God, reaping the reward of His warmth and protection, trusting Him completely to watch out for us.
The wind was the same on all of us, it was the different ways we reacted to it that made all the difference. The Lord showed me this lesson while out in the chilly wind. His perfect timing allowed me to 'see' what He wanted me to get. I believe, had I been there complaining about having to face the wind and protecting the kids, He would not have not shown me that lesson because I would not have been ready to receive it.
I'm very thankful that the Holy Spirit lives in me and that I've learned to be still and listen for that quiet voice. We CAN & DO drown out the voice of the Holy Spirit when we are caught up in the hustle and bustle of our noisy lives. Today, take the time to be still and just listen. I shudder to think of the lessons I've missed because I was too busy to pay attention.
One short final note, each of the children handled things that morning in true keeping with their character. Your 'Character' is who & how you really are. We can all put on our 'nice face' for the world to see but when faced with the cold wind of adversity, our character jumps out large and refuses to be ignored! Ask the Holy Spirit to show you what people see when they look at you in times of adversity. What does your character say?
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Spending Time Wisely
Time is a valuable commodity. I bet if you made note of how often you referenced time in a week you might be surprised. Most of us frequently say:
'I don't have time...' or 'if I can find the time...'
What we're really saying is: 'I am choosing to spend my time doing something else'.
That may not be what you tell yourself but the botttom line is just that; you are making a choice about where you spend your valuable commodity, time.
First, let me clarify that I am as guilty of this as anyone. On the surface, it apparently appears to a lot of people that I have an abundance of free time. Because I work out of my home, there are those that believe I do not work at all. My commute is very short. It is a total of eight steps from my bedroom door to my computer. I've considered moving my office from the hub of our home to the back room for a variety of reason. For one, it would bump up the commute to thirty two steps....I need the exercise. For another, I might not seem as available to those passing through my 'office' if they had to take the time to walk down the hall to find me. Another reason would be to get away from the hum of the washing machine I am hearing at this very moment. Multi-tasking, a perk of working at home or a curse of working at home? I could list all the reasons I'm considering the move but that would take more time.
Where and how we choose to spend our time is not always up to us. When in our places of employment, there are those that have authority over how we utilize our time for their purposes. They are paying for that authority and we should honor that. That is scriptural, not just my opinion.
Family and home needs dictate a bulk of our time. There are just some things we must do to maintain our homes and households no matter what else we have going on. Laundry is a constant, dirty dishes multiply like rabbits if you ignore them for any length of time; pets, children and spouses demand to be fed on a regular basis....the list goes on and on. These are non-negotiable time eaters.
The real danger comes when we assign such importance to our time that we ignore spending time with God, the Creator of our 24 hour day. It is far too easy to get caught up in the day-to-day details of our lives. We determine what makes the list of our priorities. We make choices every day about how we will spend our time. None of us are so important that we cannot carve out a dedicated time to spend with the Lord every day. We think we are. We think our schedules are just so jam packed that we can not squeeze one more thing in. We rush from one activity to another; then fall into bed too late for a proper night's rest and wake up still feeling tired. All that just so we can do it all over again. No time of refreshing with the Lord. Sorry, Lord, maybe tomorrow if I can find the time.
People make time for the things they deem important. Maybe it's watching a ballgame on TV. Maybe it's shopping for yet another pair of shoes. Maybe it's sitting in a bar with friends. They WILL make time for that which is important to them. Count on it.
The next time you think you don't have time for anything else, take a moment of time and ask God to first forgive you for not spending time with Him; then ask for wisdom in how to manage your time better. He'll take the time to listen when you take the time to talk to Him.
'I don't have time...' or 'if I can find the time...'
What we're really saying is: 'I am choosing to spend my time doing something else'.
That may not be what you tell yourself but the botttom line is just that; you are making a choice about where you spend your valuable commodity, time.
First, let me clarify that I am as guilty of this as anyone. On the surface, it apparently appears to a lot of people that I have an abundance of free time. Because I work out of my home, there are those that believe I do not work at all. My commute is very short. It is a total of eight steps from my bedroom door to my computer. I've considered moving my office from the hub of our home to the back room for a variety of reason. For one, it would bump up the commute to thirty two steps....I need the exercise. For another, I might not seem as available to those passing through my 'office' if they had to take the time to walk down the hall to find me. Another reason would be to get away from the hum of the washing machine I am hearing at this very moment. Multi-tasking, a perk of working at home or a curse of working at home? I could list all the reasons I'm considering the move but that would take more time.
Where and how we choose to spend our time is not always up to us. When in our places of employment, there are those that have authority over how we utilize our time for their purposes. They are paying for that authority and we should honor that. That is scriptural, not just my opinion.
Family and home needs dictate a bulk of our time. There are just some things we must do to maintain our homes and households no matter what else we have going on. Laundry is a constant, dirty dishes multiply like rabbits if you ignore them for any length of time; pets, children and spouses demand to be fed on a regular basis....the list goes on and on. These are non-negotiable time eaters.
The real danger comes when we assign such importance to our time that we ignore spending time with God, the Creator of our 24 hour day. It is far too easy to get caught up in the day-to-day details of our lives. We determine what makes the list of our priorities. We make choices every day about how we will spend our time. None of us are so important that we cannot carve out a dedicated time to spend with the Lord every day. We think we are. We think our schedules are just so jam packed that we can not squeeze one more thing in. We rush from one activity to another; then fall into bed too late for a proper night's rest and wake up still feeling tired. All that just so we can do it all over again. No time of refreshing with the Lord. Sorry, Lord, maybe tomorrow if I can find the time.
People make time for the things they deem important. Maybe it's watching a ballgame on TV. Maybe it's shopping for yet another pair of shoes. Maybe it's sitting in a bar with friends. They WILL make time for that which is important to them. Count on it.
The next time you think you don't have time for anything else, take a moment of time and ask God to first forgive you for not spending time with Him; then ask for wisdom in how to manage your time better. He'll take the time to listen when you take the time to talk to Him.
Monday, June 1, 2009
Walk On, Head Up
This is the start of a new week. New opportunities, new challenges. I am determined not to let the 'nay sayer's' in my world affect my efforts. Remember, for every one person that stands in support of you, there will always be at least five others telling you that which you have set your sights on is impossible.
Apparently, they don't know God. I'm 5'3" tall & 55 years old so it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out I'm not all that physically strong in my own power. Look in any direction and you'll find multitudes with more education, better looking, all kinds of gifts I don't possess having apparent success. I live in a tiny village between two small communities in a small house on top of a small hill. We live a simple life with none of the common 'toys' some believe are necessities. When you add all that up in the world's economic system, I don't look like much of a driving force. Between the three of us, Me, Myself & I, not one of us is very impressive at all. And that's ok! I don't have to impress or reflect worldly success. My God, though not visible with the human eye, stands beside me in every endeavor I undertake. I've learned the difference between what I want and what He leads me to do. So, since I have chosen to do what He wants me to, I can walk with my head up, full of confidence. It's not confidence in my plan or my abilities; it is confidence that He is there and in control.
A little over seven years ago I stood in a hospital hallway not knowing whether my husband was alive or not; though no one I knew was in sight, I was not alone. My heart ached to know what was going on with my Honey but no one seemed to be able to tell me. I knew God was the reason I was standing upright and not in a puddle on the floor. That day has been repeated four other times and God never failed to show up to hold me up.
When you step out in a new direction, even one ordained by God, expect all kinds of folks to laugh out loud. They may have known the person you were before God; they may know the skeletons in closets you moved off and left a long time ago. Scoffing, doubt, disbelief, nay-sayer's all around! They can't hear the marching orders from the Lord; they can't see He is in charge and you are simply the worker bee. You may be rejected, lied about, challenged and dismissed. People will give you no credibility what so ever. You can't help that, you don't serve them; which is usually their biggest problem. I know this because all of the above has happened to us personally.
When you stand on the Rock, your feet are planted in Him and He is always there. We do not have to be strong, He is our strength. We do not have to be clever, He is all knowing and His wisdom is above anything on earth. We do not have to be good looking, His glory shines through us. We do not have to live in a fancy house, we're going to live in His house! No matter how large the enemy looms at any given moment, God is bigger.
Yes, we can walk in confidence. All we really have to do is be willing to submit to the Lord and then walk in the light of His glory!
This is me, confidently and courageously facing this day!
Apparently, they don't know God. I'm 5'3" tall & 55 years old so it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out I'm not all that physically strong in my own power. Look in any direction and you'll find multitudes with more education, better looking, all kinds of gifts I don't possess having apparent success. I live in a tiny village between two small communities in a small house on top of a small hill. We live a simple life with none of the common 'toys' some believe are necessities. When you add all that up in the world's economic system, I don't look like much of a driving force. Between the three of us, Me, Myself & I, not one of us is very impressive at all. And that's ok! I don't have to impress or reflect worldly success. My God, though not visible with the human eye, stands beside me in every endeavor I undertake. I've learned the difference between what I want and what He leads me to do. So, since I have chosen to do what He wants me to, I can walk with my head up, full of confidence. It's not confidence in my plan or my abilities; it is confidence that He is there and in control.
A little over seven years ago I stood in a hospital hallway not knowing whether my husband was alive or not; though no one I knew was in sight, I was not alone. My heart ached to know what was going on with my Honey but no one seemed to be able to tell me. I knew God was the reason I was standing upright and not in a puddle on the floor. That day has been repeated four other times and God never failed to show up to hold me up.
When you step out in a new direction, even one ordained by God, expect all kinds of folks to laugh out loud. They may have known the person you were before God; they may know the skeletons in closets you moved off and left a long time ago. Scoffing, doubt, disbelief, nay-sayer's all around! They can't hear the marching orders from the Lord; they can't see He is in charge and you are simply the worker bee. You may be rejected, lied about, challenged and dismissed. People will give you no credibility what so ever. You can't help that, you don't serve them; which is usually their biggest problem. I know this because all of the above has happened to us personally.
When you stand on the Rock, your feet are planted in Him and He is always there. We do not have to be strong, He is our strength. We do not have to be clever, He is all knowing and His wisdom is above anything on earth. We do not have to be good looking, His glory shines through us. We do not have to live in a fancy house, we're going to live in His house! No matter how large the enemy looms at any given moment, God is bigger.
Yes, we can walk in confidence. All we really have to do is be willing to submit to the Lord and then walk in the light of His glory!
This is me, confidently and courageously facing this day!
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