January 6 - A Secret Place (1/6/13)

January 6th - A secret place

Do you have a secret place? A quiet place, safe and serene. A place to talk to God, listen to Him, observe the beauty of His world or just quietly absorb the truths of His Word? Is it under a tree in the back yard? At a park near your house? On your porch, in your cozy bed on a cold winter morning, or a comfy chair in front of a fire? Can you go there when you aren't there? Close your eyes and be there, smell the outdoor smells, the smoke from the fire, hear the birds sing or just hear nothing…quiet…peace? Ok, imagine there are 6 precious loved ones running around, laughing, screaming and playing…cold outside, they are inside and you are not alone. Is the quiet place still there? Do you need to hide in a closet? Or sit outside in the driveway in your car? How long do you need to be there to feel refreshed?

For two blessed days I have been away from my usual. My normal 

routine was given up for the blessings of keeping three of my grands while my middle daughter and son in law got a well-deserved anniversary weekend. My resourceful oldest daughter and husband were the keys to the success. Their youth and experience played an enormous part in the wonderful time we had. So grandkids for 24/7 was not bad at all! It was delightful! There is something terrific about being "in charge" for a temporary amount of time. Your rules can sort of imitate the parents' rules without too much damage if you aren't perfect. A tiny slip up in bed time ritual, or forgetting to brush every single tooth for two days, won't do irreparable harm. The number one goal for all three of the adults was safety! And we succeeded there! My heart is full of gratitude to the team of three. It also made me appreciate again the work children can be and the pride I have in all of my children as parents! They are great at it! I can also testify to the joy of being the grandparent. It is a role that is the best of the best…. a little bit strict (very little) but a lot of love! Just lavishing them with love every chance I got! That was the best part!

In all the hustle, bustle, laughter, tears and survival tactics, I did find a short time to go to my quiet place. Just a few minutes with my Bible and a breath of God's Word, and it was multiplied to me. I was fine, I was filled up and refreshed in Him. I closed my eyes, opened the book with all the answers, asked God for His blessing and it was given. All was well, and all is well.

"He that dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in Him will I trust. ..He will give His angels charge over you, to keep you safe." Psalm 91:11

Pray: Thank you, Father, for the refreshment of time with You. Your protection is the source of peace in the midst of chaos and noise. Your presence is the protection for all those who trust in You. You are the amazing God of the secret places. 

Amen

January 5 - Who's the winner? (1/5/13)

January 5 - Who's the winner?

I watched an amazing football game last night. It had been advertised and "hyped" in the paper and television. Parts of it were amazing. There was lots of cheering and emotion on both sides. But when the final seconds ticked away, there was a winner. The winner was thrilled; the loser dismayed. Just like in life, the score reflected a victory for one of the teams. Today in "Jesus Calling" I read about a different kind of victory: the victorious life. Last night, the team that made the fewest number of mistakes were the winners. But in achieving the victorious life, you must make mistakes in order to win. That fact seems counterintuitive and somehow just wrong. However, we must remember that God doesn't measure the way the world does. When we make mistakes, it points to our own neediness and inability to be perfect.

Today I am not setting out in my day to "mess up" and fail. My goal today is to be good, Christ-like, sin-free and perfect. What are the chances I will succeed? Zero…nada…no way. When I fail, as I most certainly will, I look to the one who can forgive me. I live in dependence on Him not in perfection (and for that I am glad).

Just like the 10 Commandments were not set up by God so that we could keep them. No, God gave them so we would have a set of goals to attempt, a measure of perfection that we couldn't possibly achieve. Hooray! We are not losers because we are losers and are already forgiven. Living in dependence on God's forgiveness is true perfection. The more we fail the more we grow. Unlike the football team who achieved a victory last night that lasts for a day, a year or someone's record book, we can achieve the victorious life. The best way to live after all!

"The righteous cry out and the Lord hears them; He delivers them from all their troubles. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves this who are crushed in spirit." Psalm 34:17-18

"The victory is ours…with God we will gain the victory." Psalm 60:12

Pray: Father, today let us live the victorious life in Your blessed forgiveness. Help us to look to You for the joy in the victory! Amen

January 4 - Do you like me? (1/4/13)

January 4 - Do you like me?

The question for the day is "do you like me?" Do you care if people like you? I really didn't want to address this topic, but it won't let go, so I'm going there. I need to discuss something about me. Now that sounds self-centered, doesn't it?

Remember when Rick Warren said, "It's not all about you." And he is so right, but to get over myself I need to confess this to you. I really want you to like me. You may say everyone feels that way, but truth is, some people don't care if you like them or not. With me, it has always been important to be liked. As a child I learned early on that I could please people by certain behaviors. If I smiled sweetly, spoke politely (for the most part), gave hugs, looked adults in the eyes and obeyed them when they could see me, they would like me. Teachers were easy: they just wanted a peaceful classroom, a student who tried very hard and did her homework. Worked like a charm. With adults it worked mostly the same. With my peers, I found they liked me better when I was pleasant, was bossy when they needed to follow someone, helped them with their homework or problems, and said what they wanted to hear for the most part, too. Tada! I was popular. When I was around a person, I had a sense of what that person needed and filled it if I could. Generally, I was tenderhearted toward people and found out early on that most people had things about them that I liked, too. Sometimes I had to look harder to find it, but it was always there. I also liked shy people. One reason is that I had a very shy brother and early on, I saw how painful shyness can be. Since I wasn't shy, it was easy to help them. I could be their spokesperson or make them feel comfortable. Shy people were drawn to me because I saw it and really wanted to help, to make them feel comfortable, at least with me. Scott used to joke that one of the reasons he married me was that he never had to feel shy or make "small talk" at a party. Funny how opposites often attract. Ok, so I could do popular. That is not the problem or if you look at it another way, it is the problem.

God made me this way. He put a "friendly" gene in me. This is one of the gifts that has a double-edge to it. It can be bothersome, especially if I want to be in a hurry or efficient. It can be embarrassing to others, particularly your children. But the real down side is that I am a "people pleaser." It hurts when I think I am not liked or popular. I like to think that people like me and that can also be a handicap. When I am called to step out, step up and boldly tell others of the "good news" of Jesus, it can be difficult for me. Boldness is not the same thing as friendliness. After all the hearer (could be you) may not want to hear about salvation. Maybe "religious" people turn them off, or make them uncomfortable. Remember, I want you to be comfortable in my presence. But, I do believe God can use a "people pleaser." 

If you are not like me, please know that I "get" you. We have something in common. Yet wanting to please others more than anything else does not please God. Why? Because He wants the first desire of our hearts to be to please Him at any cost. Even at the cost of being popular. So, does He want me to stop being friendly? Of course not. For me, that would almost be like stopping breathing. What He does want is for me to use my "friendly" gift for Him, to win others to Him, to draw them to the reason for my joy. God wants us to be friendly and joyful in Him alone. To give out the real joy that only comes from forgiveness of sin. I do want to be your friend. I am sincerely interested in you. In addition to liking me back, it is my desire for you to know Jesus. So as I talk to the strangers in my world or friends or family, I am asking God to help me give out the message of the one true friend we have in Jesus Christ. I hope you still like me after this self-centered rambling message. I want Jesus to be honored by my friendliness today and that you also know Him as your best friend.

"Don't you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God." James 4:4

"Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command." John 15:12-14

"Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness, and he was called God's friend." James 2:23

Pray: Help us today, Father, to be friends to each other, to love You more than the world and to give out the truth boldly to a needy people. Amen

January 3 - Second Chances (1/3/13)

January 3 - Second Chances

A second chance….ok, I am not talking about the dreaded New Year's Resolutions which we agreed are off limits. I did read in the newspaper that 60% of people have already broken their resolutions anyway! Here I am talking about getting another chance to get something right. Maybe it is a habit we are trying to establish. The key is not to add to our "to do" list but subtract from it in order to be successful. This is the great part: we can take away a useless or troublesome activity in order to add something positive without missing a step. One second chance I am giving myself is to get to sleep earlier, in order to be more rested for what I want to accomplish and for the fun I want to have the next day. So far, I have only pushed bedtime back by 30 minutes, but I already feel the extra energy from more sleep. The equation for me is like this: subtract one television show or a second newspaper and add an hour of sleep. It seems simple but the reality is tough for me. There is no one here to tell me to "go to bed, for heaven's sake!" So, I stay up, fall asleep in my chair, wake up at 2 am, go to bed then and wake up the next day tired. My example is silly to some of you, but I'll bet you can think of a better way to use your time, too. And I can't wait to hear who you "accidentally" encouraged yesterday!

Here is the thought for today: "It is not every day you find someone who will give you a second chance, much less one who will give you a second chance every day! In Jesus, I found both!" This is not an original quote, I write down sayings I love on pieces of paper everywhere, mostly in my Bible where I found this one. But I cannot find the source of this one for the life of me. Probably Max Lucado or Ron Holland, but I thank whoever said it! A second chance to get extra sleep will help me to succeed this time! Even if it is in having fun with the grandkids!

"If You, God, kept records on wrong doing, who would stand a chance? As it turns out, forgiveness is Your habit, and that's why You are worshipped." Psalm 130:3 (The Message Bible)

"God gives us chance after chance." Job 33:29 ESV

Pray:

Heavenly Father, we praise You for the second chances You give us every day. Even if we fail, we know "there is no shadow of turning with You, You change not, Your compassions fail not, great is Your faithfulness, Lord to us." 

Amen

January 2 - Overheard Praise (1/2/13)

January 2 -  Overheard Praise

Overheard praise! There is no more effective praise than that which is overheard! Take a closer look at one of my resolutions for 2013. It is number 3 on my list: to encourage someone every day. I just can't let this one go until I give you an example of how this impacted my life. Here is what happened to me.

I grew up in the tiniest house you can imagine.There were basically only four rooms. No wonder my Mom always said, "Go outside and play!" And she meant all day! There wasn't much room for privacy or secrets in our home. The bedroom my sister and I shared was right next to the kitchen and the walls were thin. My Dad left at 5:30 am for work, and it seemed we were always asleep while they talked. One morning, I overheard an interesting conversation between my parents. I must have been 7 years old at the time because of the discussion. My parents were talking about me! Of course, I then became wide awake, straining to hear what they were saying. My Mom told my Daddy that the teacher, Mrs. Polk, thought I was very smart and could just skip the second grade! Wow, skipping the second grade was not that big a deal to me, but being called "smart" was amazing. You see our school, like our house, was small. Adamsville School was a three room school with grades 1-3 in one room, 4-6 in another, and 7-8 in the third. There were three teachers for about thirty kids total. When I was in first grade, the teacher would give us an assignment to do while she taught second grade, then third grade got the same treatment. Apparently, I had become bored and just joined in with the second graders. Remember this was a poor community with a lot of migrant workers who travelled around picking pecans and doing other seasonal farming jobs. Some of the children at my school were only there for the winter months, and then they left to help their parents. Sadly, many of them never got past 8th grade. No one thought much about the unfairness of this, and many of the workers stayed in temporary houses (like shacks) on the farm where I grew up. My being ahead of these poor children wasn't saying a lot about my intellect, but I do credit an awesome Mom, Dad and extended family who valued education above all things. And I already knew how to read. On days when it was too messy to "go outside and play" my Mom read to us and I learned to read from her. Ok, that is the background of the situation. 

Adamsville School was an amazing place. We had terrific teacher, a small "family" of students and lots of attention. And guess what? I overheard that I was smart! I proceeded to try to be smart, because I believed it. No one told it to my face, but I overheard it! That is the key.

This is the point. If someone praises you to your face, it doesn't feel very true. That could be flattery. But what is said behind your back, those words you accidentally overhear, those are usually pure, honest, sometimes painful, unvarnished truth. We may not like what we hear, but it is clearly what people really think about us. And overheard praise is the most believable kind. It can be life-changing, heart-stopping and powerful! It can build one up or tear one down. Attempt this exercise today. It works especially well with children, but I have tried it on adults, too. Even 92 year olds like to hear good things about themselves! Be sure they are within hearing distance; speak loudly or whisper where they can hear, which is always attention-getting. One basic, non-negotiable rule is that the statement has to be true, not fabricated. Find that true nugget in your child, spouse or friend, and let them overhear you speak well of them. Sit back, then, and watch the blessings descend, the quality blossom, and the growth of the nature of the person occur. Let me know if you try this and how it works out for you. Another little idea, is to jot down a poem or idea on a slip of paper. Leave it lying around and let them "accidentally" find it. Same idea! After all, this poor little country girl heard she was smart! Don't burst my bubble, ok? It made we work hard enough to do well in school and that was a miracle to me!

"Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near." Hebrews 10:23-25

Pray:

Dear Father, Let us speak praise of the praiseworthy today. Give us Your eyes to see others as You see them. Show us the ones among us who need a kind word or an encouraging thought to spur them on to be the best You designed them to be. 

Amen

January 1: New Year's Resolutions (1/1/13)

January 1 - New Year's Resolutions

 New Year's Resolutions! What do you think of them? Is making a promise to do something better in 2013 a good thing? Or is it something dreamed up by health clubs and Weight Watchers? Somehow the media like television, newspapers and the internet seem to be in on the conspiracy. I heard one thoughtful soul lament that if it was up to most of us, we would skip this exercise of promising to change. After all the statistics prove that only 8% of people are successful. Seriously! And the rest of us 92% beat ourselves up over our failure. New Year's Resolutions have always made me feel anxious and a bit sad. I was sort of enjoying all the rich food and lazy mornings. January 1st came, and I was depressed. But I always tried. Let's see: losing weight was always my number one. And getting more exercise. How about quitting a bad habit like watching "The Bachelor?" Or quitting smoking? Or doing something like actually reading the book assigned by my book club? Or going to bed by 10:30? News over, lights out! Giving blood seems like a good one, too. I need so much improvement (at least I don't smoke or plan to start again).

Here is a fundamentally unique idea: a psychologist commenting on the high rate of failure suggested the following: Commit to doing less, not more. For instance, if you add an hour of exercise a day, something else will have to go. Maybe it is shopping for dinner fixings and suddenly, you are no longer cooking for your family. Or if you go to school to learn French, you no longer have time to pick up your kids from school. Your stress level goes up as your time has to adjust to doing more things. So, his theory is to stop doing things, like watching less television and spending more time playing scrabble with your kids. Something like that. All of the above is just mildly interesting to me. I have another idea for us.

Let's not be so hard on ourselves. I promise not to ask you what your resolution is, or if you have already fallen off the wagon into the ditch. Here are 5 things I plan to do, but won't publish anywhere but here:

1. Take time each day to read God's Word. I am not setting a time on it. I'm finding my best time, yours might be different. I even downloaded the "Jesus Calling" app onto my iPhone. That way it is with me wherever I am. There are lots of great tools like that.

2. Praying daily. I refuse to be intimidated about other's definitions of prayer time. I pray all over the place and in strange places, with people and alone, reading a touching story and calling out to bless those I read about. A Facebook friend is in trouble and I don't wait to pray until "bed time" or "quiet time." That works for me. If I have time, I like to jot down the prayers in a notebook or on a piece of paper. But anything that works for you is what works for God. I believe that.

3. Make a plan to encourage one person every day. Hebrews 13:1 "Keep on loving each other as brothers." Maybe it is the cashier at the grocery store or the man who walks his dog in front of your house. It could be your own child or husband. Just say something nice and true. It has to be true. Find that one thing that is sincerely encouraging and say it, don't just think it. They cannot read our minds, so I plan to be transparent with my words. Who knows what burdens that person is carrying?

4. Live each day as if Jesus was coming back that day. I don't want to wait to do a good thing. I plan to spend my days wisely and playing with a child is very wise! Children never forget honest attention and neither do adults! I would want Jesus to find me busy doing good and taking care of others (and myself…somedays that means a nap!)

5. Cherish and cultivate family and friends. They are God's special gifts to us. Enjoy them, laugh and love them as much as you can. If they are in our lives, they should be in our hearts, and on our radar of compassion and kindness.

So, if you must, resolve to go to the gym every day. But don't make me feel too badly if I only go on Tuesday and Thursday. And consider the list I made. Just don't let it add to your stress. Take God along in 2013. It will be the best adventure you have ever had. I heard He will even go with us to the gym!

"Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test what God's will is--His good, pleasing and perfect will." Romans 12:2

Pray: 

Father, help us to be honest in our devotion to You. Let us resolve to make you our number one priority in 2013 and watch all the other worries fade away.

 Amen

Day 54 of 4: New Year's Eve (12/31/12)

December 31, Day 54 of 4 more years:

New Year's Eve! Why not "old year's end?" The old year is quickly becoming history, that's why. Why do we celebrate this holiday? What is it for? Is it to party, to drink too much, eat too much, blow horns, shoot off fireworks, shoot off guns (please stop that one!), stay up late and kiss at midnight? Well, sure. All of the above have a history, and I decided to check out a few of the more common traditions.

Traditions of New Year's: How about the song "Auld Lang Syne?" I found it was an old Scottish ballad, and the words are just weird and forgettable. But the poet Robert Burns (yes, he was Scottish) published the words in 1796 with a few refinements of his own. The words "auld lang syne" translate to "old long since" and just mean "times gone by." Our American song leader, Guy Lombardo, was the hero here. He popularized the song and made it a New Year's tradition. In 1929, he played it in New York City with his band. Later it was played on the radio, and then television and "tada!" today it is on Youtube! So, when we hear that song, it is officially the new year.

Let's talk about good luck and prosperity in the New Year. Pagan traditions abound. Without a biblical foundation, people through the ages have tried to find a way to stay safe, become wealthy and protect themselves from evil. Here are some practices believed to be magical: 

1. Eat black eyed peas or at least one - an American southern tradition, since black eyed peas cannot be grown where the weather is very cold. Thank goodness for importation!

2. Eat cabbage - theory is it looks like money

3. Can't find either of those, just eat rice - an Asian staple and the abundance is in the number of rice grains

4. Here is a unique one: a symbol of prosperity for the new year that the first person to walk into your home after the sounding of the new year is a tall, dark, handsome man! I'm looking for him!

5. Give a toast - why toast? In olden times, the wine was communally mixed, acidity was a problem in the fermentation, so a piece of burned toast was floated on the top to absorb the bad flavors. The last person to drink from the bottom of the bowl had to eat the toast! And the host or hostess had to take the first drink to be sure it wasn't poison! Glad that is over.

This post could go on and on. I'm really not about educating you concerning the holiday. I was just a little curious. Many of the traditions for New Year's are centered on being loud. Why? To frighten off the evil spirits. Like firecrackers, noise makers of all kinds, shot guns and singing loudly at midnight. 

Some of the practices are funny, but I think it is sad that we still act like a pagan people in many respects. We have the best protection at our disposal every day, not just on New Year's Day. Let's rely on the One who really can keep us safe, provide us with prosperity in Him, and give us joy for the entire year of 2013! Happy New Year's Eve to all of you!

"May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all." 2 Corinthians 13:14

Pray:

Dear Father, please extend Your might hand of protection over your people today. Keep us all safe tonight from the dangers of the world. Protect us in 2013 as only You can and give us joy. 

Amen