Anyone that knows me will tell you that I love pictures. I love to take pictures, organize them, and attempt to capture every special moment. My obsession with photos became much more pronounced when we had kids. Mike had to develop film so often that he developed a friendship with the lady at the photo shop. He quickly realized that I needed a digital camera. I have since owned a few digital cameras. I adore these cameras because I can take hundreds of pictures a day in my attempts to fully capture the moment. I have tried in vain to capture Maria’s smile, Jacob’s stern look, or the perfect sunset.
I love pictures so much because a part of me is terrified that I will grow old and forget the small details of the past. I want to remember the feel of the ocean on my face, the smell of my granny’s biscuits, and the hum of the fan on a hot, steamy summer afternoon. Through my pictures, I hope to capture enough of each special moment to trigger the full memory.
The problem with my photos is that sometimes I spend so much time standing behind the lens of my camera, attempting to find the right lighting, trying to set up the perfect background, and observing the scene before me, that I fail to participate in the moment. I am often so focused on observing and analyzing the moment that I fail to become actively engaged in the moment of time that is unfolding around me.
Many of us live our lives like this. We stand back from life and analyze our environment. We judge the decisions and actions that others take and observe the activities around us. We know that if we stay behind the camera, we are safe. However, if we step out from behind the camera and begin to participate we may get hurt. If I spend my time taking pictures of the church members at the church picnic playing kickball I don’t have to worry about making a fool of myself due to my poor athletic abilities. If I spend time observing others in worship, I can safely ensure that I won’t get emotional or caught up in the spirit. If I simply analyze the relationships of those around me, I will never be hurt because I will never open myself up to true intimacy. If I simply read about the homeless and the hungry and the hurting in the news, I will not have to fear putting myself in danger, getting sick, or getting dirty.
God could have remained in Heaven and ruled over us from a distance. However, this is not the way of our God, who longed to have an intimate and true relationship with us. God did not remain safely detached behind a camera, but instead God sent Jesus to be an active participant in our world. Jesus touched the sick and fed the hungry. He risked being hurt when he formed relationships with his disciples. Jesus loved through action and experience.
If we are to be true followers of Christ, we cannot simply observe the world around us. We must be engaged participants in the world - acting out our faith as we love others.
Sunday, May 20, 2007
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Global View
Yesterday I had a conversation with a friend about her child starting school this year. She told me that she could not begin to describe how stressful the experience of deciding on the appropriate school (private, public, Christian, home school) can be. I told her that I did not even want to think about it. I had already started to stress about where my kids should go to school, if they would be ready for school, etc. I was stressed because I want my children to have the "best" of everything – the best opportunities, the best education, etc.
Last night, I received a magazine and was immediately convicted when I read an article. The article was about "honor killings" and "honor suicides" that are taking place in Turkey. According to the article, when young girls "disgrace" their family by talking to a boy or wearing Western cloths, the country sometimes has "Honor killings" of the person that disgraced the family. Now Turkey is attempting to join the European Union, and a new trend has emerged. Honor killings are down, but suicides are up. Many girls that were in the article had been sent messages stating that if they did not kill themselves the family would kill them.
I was immediately convicted because I am so myopic in my view of the world. While I, like many Americans, am stressed about buying the right cloths, living in a good neighborhood, and ensuring that my family has the "best", others in the world are searching for their next meal, being sold into slavery, or being tormented. It is sad that as Americans, we all know when Britney Spears is in rehab, but we have little or no knowledge about the suffering and the sadness that is happening in the larger world around us.
Psalm 139:13-16 says:
For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother's womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,
your eyes saw my unformed body.
All the days ordained for me
were written in your book
before one of them came to be.
This description of God's love is not limited to describing Americans, or Christians, or people that look and act just like us. This passage speaks of the love and care that God used to knit each member of the human race together in their mother's womb. As Christians, I fear that we often fail to realize the value and beauty of all human life.
I do not know the answer to the world's problems, but I was convicted when I realized that I cannot begin to find answers if I am not even aware of the problems.
Last night, I received a magazine and was immediately convicted when I read an article. The article was about "honor killings" and "honor suicides" that are taking place in Turkey. According to the article, when young girls "disgrace" their family by talking to a boy or wearing Western cloths, the country sometimes has "Honor killings" of the person that disgraced the family. Now Turkey is attempting to join the European Union, and a new trend has emerged. Honor killings are down, but suicides are up. Many girls that were in the article had been sent messages stating that if they did not kill themselves the family would kill them.
I was immediately convicted because I am so myopic in my view of the world. While I, like many Americans, am stressed about buying the right cloths, living in a good neighborhood, and ensuring that my family has the "best", others in the world are searching for their next meal, being sold into slavery, or being tormented. It is sad that as Americans, we all know when Britney Spears is in rehab, but we have little or no knowledge about the suffering and the sadness that is happening in the larger world around us.
Psalm 139:13-16 says:
For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother's womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,
your eyes saw my unformed body.
All the days ordained for me
were written in your book
before one of them came to be.
This description of God's love is not limited to describing Americans, or Christians, or people that look and act just like us. This passage speaks of the love and care that God used to knit each member of the human race together in their mother's womb. As Christians, I fear that we often fail to realize the value and beauty of all human life.
I do not know the answer to the world's problems, but I was convicted when I realized that I cannot begin to find answers if I am not even aware of the problems.
Monday, May 14, 2007
Discrimination
This article was in the Winston-Salem Journal. Much of this article rings true - it is sad that in our society we babble on and on about how much we value family and value mothers. Yet the majority of employers and corporations can produce little evidence of the value they place on motherhood.
Third Gender: Workplace bias against moms a harsh reality..
By Ellen Goodman
THE BOSTON GLOBE
Sunday, May 13, 2007
BOSTON - It's become a Mother's Day tradition on a par with candy, flowers and guilt. While advertisers wax poetically about the priceless work of motherhood, economists tally up the paycheck for the services she performs.
This year, salary.com estimates the value of a full-time mom at $138,095, up 3 percent from last year. The monetary value of a second-shift mom is $85,939, on top of her day job.
But, alas, the check is not in the mail. Nor will mom find it next to the maple syrup on her bed tray. Motherhood is what the economists call a monopsony, a job for which there is only one employer. And it's a rare child who's saved up to fill mom's piggybank, let alone a 401(k).
The real story of the Mother's Day economy is less rosy. This is what to expect when you are expecting - expecting to be a mom and a paid worker at the same time. You can expect to be mommified.
Mothers are still treated as if they were a third gender in the workplace. Among people ages 27 to 33 who have never had children, women's earnings approach 98 percent of men's. Many women will hit the glass ceiling, but many more will crash into the maternal wall.
Here's a Mother's Day card from a study just published by Shelley Correll in the American Journal of Sociology. Correll performed an experiment to see if there was a motherhood penalty in the job market. She and her colleagues at Cornell University created an ideal job applicant with a successful track record, an uninterrupted work history, a boffo resume, the whole deal.
Then they tucked a little telltale factoid into some of the resumes with a tip-off about mom-ness. It described her as an officer in a parent-teacher association. And - zap - she was mommified.
Moms were seen as less competent and committed. Moms were half as likely to be hired as childless women or men with or without kids. Moms were offered $11,000 less in starting pay than non-moms. And, just for good measure, they were also judged more harshly for tardiness.
"Just the mention of the PTA had that effect," says Correll.
"Imagine the effect of a two-year absence from the work force or part-time work."
If this is true in the lab, it's true in real life. Joan C. Williams, who runs the Center for WorkLife Law at Hastings Law School, says discrimination against women may have gone underground, but "the discrimination against mothers is breathtakingly open. Mothers are told, 'You belong at home with the kids; you're fired.' "
In the stories from the center's hot line and in the growing case law they've accumulated on family responsibility discrimination (FRD), you hear about women overtly denied promotions for having a child, told to have an abortion to keep a job, or rejected for a new job because "it was incompatible with being a mother." Family emergencies are treated differently than other timeouts. And things are at least as bad for dads when they take on mommy's work of caregiving.
I'm not suggesting that mothers quit the PTA, hide the kids or even sue, although the 400 percent increase in FRD suits has, um, raised some corporate consciousness. But at the very least, we have to turn the story line around.
No, mothers are not actually a third gender. More than 80 percent of American women have children and 80 percent of those are employed by the time their kids are 12. The reality of the workplace affects us all.
The much-touted mommy wars are as useful in solving our problems as a circular firing squad. And tales of women "opting out" of professional careers squeeze out the tales of women being pushed out.
As for the idea that women's lives are an endless array of choices?
Williams says ruefully, "An awful lot of what gets interpreted as a mother's choice to drop out is really a 'take this job and shove it' reaction by mothers who encounter discrimination."
How many mothers would choose to spend more time at home if the fear of re-entry weren't so daunting? How many would choose to stay in the work force except for one sick child, one snow day, one emergency room visit?
And how many dads would choose to live up to their own family ideals?
On Mother's Day 2007 there is still a deep-seated bias that puts the image of a "good mother" at odds with that of an "ideal worker."
Until we wrestle down the beliefs and the rules of the workplace, our annual homage to the family-values keeper will be as sentimental as this year's $138,095 paycheck.
Third Gender: Workplace bias against moms a harsh reality..
By Ellen Goodman
THE BOSTON GLOBE
Sunday, May 13, 2007
BOSTON - It's become a Mother's Day tradition on a par with candy, flowers and guilt. While advertisers wax poetically about the priceless work of motherhood, economists tally up the paycheck for the services she performs.
This year, salary.com estimates the value of a full-time mom at $138,095, up 3 percent from last year. The monetary value of a second-shift mom is $85,939, on top of her day job.
But, alas, the check is not in the mail. Nor will mom find it next to the maple syrup on her bed tray. Motherhood is what the economists call a monopsony, a job for which there is only one employer. And it's a rare child who's saved up to fill mom's piggybank, let alone a 401(k).
The real story of the Mother's Day economy is less rosy. This is what to expect when you are expecting - expecting to be a mom and a paid worker at the same time. You can expect to be mommified.
Mothers are still treated as if they were a third gender in the workplace. Among people ages 27 to 33 who have never had children, women's earnings approach 98 percent of men's. Many women will hit the glass ceiling, but many more will crash into the maternal wall.
Here's a Mother's Day card from a study just published by Shelley Correll in the American Journal of Sociology. Correll performed an experiment to see if there was a motherhood penalty in the job market. She and her colleagues at Cornell University created an ideal job applicant with a successful track record, an uninterrupted work history, a boffo resume, the whole deal.
Then they tucked a little telltale factoid into some of the resumes with a tip-off about mom-ness. It described her as an officer in a parent-teacher association. And - zap - she was mommified.
Moms were seen as less competent and committed. Moms were half as likely to be hired as childless women or men with or without kids. Moms were offered $11,000 less in starting pay than non-moms. And, just for good measure, they were also judged more harshly for tardiness.
"Just the mention of the PTA had that effect," says Correll.
"Imagine the effect of a two-year absence from the work force or part-time work."
If this is true in the lab, it's true in real life. Joan C. Williams, who runs the Center for WorkLife Law at Hastings Law School, says discrimination against women may have gone underground, but "the discrimination against mothers is breathtakingly open. Mothers are told, 'You belong at home with the kids; you're fired.' "
In the stories from the center's hot line and in the growing case law they've accumulated on family responsibility discrimination (FRD), you hear about women overtly denied promotions for having a child, told to have an abortion to keep a job, or rejected for a new job because "it was incompatible with being a mother." Family emergencies are treated differently than other timeouts. And things are at least as bad for dads when they take on mommy's work of caregiving.
I'm not suggesting that mothers quit the PTA, hide the kids or even sue, although the 400 percent increase in FRD suits has, um, raised some corporate consciousness. But at the very least, we have to turn the story line around.
No, mothers are not actually a third gender. More than 80 percent of American women have children and 80 percent of those are employed by the time their kids are 12. The reality of the workplace affects us all.
The much-touted mommy wars are as useful in solving our problems as a circular firing squad. And tales of women "opting out" of professional careers squeeze out the tales of women being pushed out.
As for the idea that women's lives are an endless array of choices?
Williams says ruefully, "An awful lot of what gets interpreted as a mother's choice to drop out is really a 'take this job and shove it' reaction by mothers who encounter discrimination."
How many mothers would choose to spend more time at home if the fear of re-entry weren't so daunting? How many would choose to stay in the work force except for one sick child, one snow day, one emergency room visit?
And how many dads would choose to live up to their own family ideals?
On Mother's Day 2007 there is still a deep-seated bias that puts the image of a "good mother" at odds with that of an "ideal worker."
Until we wrestle down the beliefs and the rules of the workplace, our annual homage to the family-values keeper will be as sentimental as this year's $138,095 paycheck.
Tuesday, May 08, 2007
God's Pleasure
In the movie, Chariots of Fire, Eric Liddell states, “I believe God made me for a purpose, but he also made me fast. And when I run I feel his pleasure.” I love this quote because so often I become focused on all that is “required” of me by God, and I forget that God created me to feel joy and to bring pleasure to God.
Many of you can probably relate to Eric. For example, I know that many musicians and singers feel God’s pleasure when they play music or sing praises to God. However, for many of us, it may be more difficult to identify an activity that we participate in that allows us to feel God’s pleasure.
The main reason that I cannot identify activities that cause me to feel God’s pleasure is because I never slow down enough to simply take pleasure in the moment. I tend to rush to work, rush while at work, rush to do things at home, and even when I am supposed to be “relaxing” with friends or enjoying church activities, I am often thinking of things that need to be done instead of simply savoring the moment. In fact, I rush around so much that people have even told me that they can see my energy in the way that I walk – I walk fast and with a purpose.
While being organized and working hard can be good, there is a problem with work when it interferes with spending quiet time enjoying God’s creation. There are many reasons that we do not take the time to enjoy God’s creation and to “feel God’s pleasure.” For one, we live in a society that glorifies filling every moment with “productive time.” Many attorneys that I know brag about working 90 hour weeks and not having a vacation in 5 years. Parents schedule every moment of their kids’ lives with sports, dance, music, school, and other activities. When we do try to take a moment to simply breathe, we often feel guilty because others will jealously say, “I wish I had the time to relax.” As adults, we also complain that the older we get, the faster time flies. We state that when we were kids time seemed to crawl, but as adults it flies by in a flash. However, time is not racing past us - we are racing through time.
If you want to find ways to feel God’s pleasure, the solution is simple, but difficult to apply day to day. All that is required is to slow down for a moment and be fully in the moment (without worrying about tomorrow, without thinking about all you have to do). Take time to drink your coffee slowly – engage all of your senses as you smell the coffee, taste the coffee, and feel the warmth in your hands. As I have shared in the past, when I was in the hospital on bed rest for 12 weeks with Jacob, I had to learn to savor the small moments. When I showered (which was the only time I had alone in my day, away from hospital staff, etc.), I took time to smell the soap, to feel the warm water on my back. During these brief moments, I felt God’s pleasure as I enjoyed the wonderful world that God created.
Psalms 104: 24, & 33-34 says:
How many are your works, O LORD!
In wisdom you made them all;
the earth is full of your creatures.
I will sing to the LORD all my life;
I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.
May my meditation be pleasing to him,
as I rejoice in the LORD.
As you slow down, take a moment to meditate on the many works of the Lord – then you will feel God’s pleasure.
Many of you can probably relate to Eric. For example, I know that many musicians and singers feel God’s pleasure when they play music or sing praises to God. However, for many of us, it may be more difficult to identify an activity that we participate in that allows us to feel God’s pleasure.
The main reason that I cannot identify activities that cause me to feel God’s pleasure is because I never slow down enough to simply take pleasure in the moment. I tend to rush to work, rush while at work, rush to do things at home, and even when I am supposed to be “relaxing” with friends or enjoying church activities, I am often thinking of things that need to be done instead of simply savoring the moment. In fact, I rush around so much that people have even told me that they can see my energy in the way that I walk – I walk fast and with a purpose.
While being organized and working hard can be good, there is a problem with work when it interferes with spending quiet time enjoying God’s creation. There are many reasons that we do not take the time to enjoy God’s creation and to “feel God’s pleasure.” For one, we live in a society that glorifies filling every moment with “productive time.” Many attorneys that I know brag about working 90 hour weeks and not having a vacation in 5 years. Parents schedule every moment of their kids’ lives with sports, dance, music, school, and other activities. When we do try to take a moment to simply breathe, we often feel guilty because others will jealously say, “I wish I had the time to relax.” As adults, we also complain that the older we get, the faster time flies. We state that when we were kids time seemed to crawl, but as adults it flies by in a flash. However, time is not racing past us - we are racing through time.
If you want to find ways to feel God’s pleasure, the solution is simple, but difficult to apply day to day. All that is required is to slow down for a moment and be fully in the moment (without worrying about tomorrow, without thinking about all you have to do). Take time to drink your coffee slowly – engage all of your senses as you smell the coffee, taste the coffee, and feel the warmth in your hands. As I have shared in the past, when I was in the hospital on bed rest for 12 weeks with Jacob, I had to learn to savor the small moments. When I showered (which was the only time I had alone in my day, away from hospital staff, etc.), I took time to smell the soap, to feel the warm water on my back. During these brief moments, I felt God’s pleasure as I enjoyed the wonderful world that God created.
Psalms 104: 24, & 33-34 says:
How many are your works, O LORD!
In wisdom you made them all;
the earth is full of your creatures.
I will sing to the LORD all my life;
I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.
May my meditation be pleasing to him,
as I rejoice in the LORD.
As you slow down, take a moment to meditate on the many works of the Lord – then you will feel God’s pleasure.
Tuesday, May 01, 2007
Picking Blackberries
I, like most people, am very busy. I spend most of my day rushing from place to place. Amidst this busyness, I have created a set of “rules” that I live by. My rules are often rigid and sometimes, upon reflection, seem absurd. However, the rules give structure to my busy life, which sometimes feels out of control.
For example, I love to play with my kids. I desperately want to be a “fun” mom. However, I find myself getting stressed out when the kids get too messy, or when they mix all the play dough together, or when they break crayons. These activities do not fit with my structured “rules.”
The problem with my business and my rules is that I sometimes miss out on life, which is moving on and being lived around me. I am so concerned with doing things the “right” way, that I often miss out on the experience of the relationship.
In Exodus Chapter 3, Moses saw a bush burning in the distance. He walked to the bush and this happened:
When the Lord saw Moses coming to take a closer look, God called to him from the middle of the bush, “Moses! Moses!”
“Here I am!” Moses replied.
“Do not come any closer,” the Lord warned. “Take off your sandals, for you are standing on holy ground.
I love this translation of the verse because it does not state, “Take off your sandals, for this ground is holy ground.” Instead, the verse states that the ground is holy ground. I am so busy and consumed by the right way to do things that I fail to notice that the very ground that I am standing on is holy. We are constantly surrounded by the powerful presence of God, and we are standing on holy ground, if we just take the time to notice.
Elizabeth Barrett Browning stated this best in her poem:
Earth’s crammed with heaven,And every common bush afire with God; And only he who sees takes off his shoes;The rest sit round it and pluck blackberries
When we are too “busy” to see the holiness around us, we might as well be sitting round mindlessly picking blackberries. However, when we slow down and take the time to watch and listen, we will discover that the earth is “crammed with heaven” and even the most common bushes are afire with God. Only those who see will take off their shoes - the majority will simply fail to see the holiness and the miracles around them.
For example, I love to play with my kids. I desperately want to be a “fun” mom. However, I find myself getting stressed out when the kids get too messy, or when they mix all the play dough together, or when they break crayons. These activities do not fit with my structured “rules.”
The problem with my business and my rules is that I sometimes miss out on life, which is moving on and being lived around me. I am so concerned with doing things the “right” way, that I often miss out on the experience of the relationship.
In Exodus Chapter 3, Moses saw a bush burning in the distance. He walked to the bush and this happened:
When the Lord saw Moses coming to take a closer look, God called to him from the middle of the bush, “Moses! Moses!”
“Here I am!” Moses replied.
“Do not come any closer,” the Lord warned. “Take off your sandals, for you are standing on holy ground.
I love this translation of the verse because it does not state, “Take off your sandals, for this ground is holy ground.” Instead, the verse states that the ground is holy ground. I am so busy and consumed by the right way to do things that I fail to notice that the very ground that I am standing on is holy. We are constantly surrounded by the powerful presence of God, and we are standing on holy ground, if we just take the time to notice.
Elizabeth Barrett Browning stated this best in her poem:
Earth’s crammed with heaven,And every common bush afire with God; And only he who sees takes off his shoes;The rest sit round it and pluck blackberries
When we are too “busy” to see the holiness around us, we might as well be sitting round mindlessly picking blackberries. However, when we slow down and take the time to watch and listen, we will discover that the earth is “crammed with heaven” and even the most common bushes are afire with God. Only those who see will take off their shoes - the majority will simply fail to see the holiness and the miracles around them.
Monday, April 23, 2007
Onion
This weekend was a great weekend. Mike & I went to Abingdon VA and rode our mountain bikes 34 miles on the Creeper Trail. The entire trip was fun. One of the best parts of the trip was something small that happened while waiting to watch a movie. Mike asked if I wanted to play air hockey. I said yes. Mike was literally shocked when I beat him. Mike was so surprised because I have no athletic ability, I stink at video games, etc. He had no idea that when I went to church camp, I LOVED air hockey and played it a lot. I loved the moment, not only because I am very competitive, but also because after nine years of marriage, we are still learning about one another. It was exciting to think that there are parts of my personality and my past that are still left to be discovered.
I think that often times, we assume that we know all there is to know about another person, about God, about the Bible, etc. Because we reach that “comfortable” place, we stop investing the time, energy and effort into asking questions and seeking to learn more about others and God. The beauty of this past weekend was that after 9 years of marriage, Mike and I were both dedicated to spending time continuing to get to know one another. We were both pleasantly surprised to learn new things about one another.
I often fail to read some of the old stories in the Bible over and over again because I know them so well. For example, I could easily recite the stories of Noah and the Ark, of Adam & Eve, of David & Goliath. However, if we simply assume that we know the stories by heart and there is nothing more to be learned, we will miss out on some tremendous revelations and blessings. I think that the scripture and God can be like an onion. When we read a story or pray the first time, we peel back a layer of the onion. As we smell and hold the onion, we think that we know all there is to know about the onion. However, if we continue to invest the time and energy in looking at the onion, we will discover that the onion has many layers. As we peel back the layers, we see more and more of the onion. The onion is still an onion, but we discover layers upon layers. The same can be said for our relationship with God and the scripture. Even if you have read the Bible cover to cover, you have still only peeled back a layer of the onion. As we live life and have new experiences, different aspects of the scripture will speak to us – in essence – we will be peeling back another layer of the onion.
Are you satisfied with simply observing the outer skin of the onion, or are you willing to invest the time and energy to peel back the layers?
I think that often times, we assume that we know all there is to know about another person, about God, about the Bible, etc. Because we reach that “comfortable” place, we stop investing the time, energy and effort into asking questions and seeking to learn more about others and God. The beauty of this past weekend was that after 9 years of marriage, Mike and I were both dedicated to spending time continuing to get to know one another. We were both pleasantly surprised to learn new things about one another.
I often fail to read some of the old stories in the Bible over and over again because I know them so well. For example, I could easily recite the stories of Noah and the Ark, of Adam & Eve, of David & Goliath. However, if we simply assume that we know the stories by heart and there is nothing more to be learned, we will miss out on some tremendous revelations and blessings. I think that the scripture and God can be like an onion. When we read a story or pray the first time, we peel back a layer of the onion. As we smell and hold the onion, we think that we know all there is to know about the onion. However, if we continue to invest the time and energy in looking at the onion, we will discover that the onion has many layers. As we peel back the layers, we see more and more of the onion. The onion is still an onion, but we discover layers upon layers. The same can be said for our relationship with God and the scripture. Even if you have read the Bible cover to cover, you have still only peeled back a layer of the onion. As we live life and have new experiences, different aspects of the scripture will speak to us – in essence – we will be peeling back another layer of the onion.
Are you satisfied with simply observing the outer skin of the onion, or are you willing to invest the time and energy to peel back the layers?
Monday, April 16, 2007
Pain
This week has been a tough week. First, our book club recently discussed A Child Called It. The book is the true story of a man who was the victim of one of the worst child abuse situations documented in California. The book is very difficult to read, especially because the child was mistreated and reduced to a meaningless existence by the person that should love him and protect him – his mother.
This week was also difficult because of the heartache that I have witnessed in many friends that I hold near and dear to my heart. Lately, some of my friends, who are beautiful, lovable and wonderful women, have been mistreated. These incredibly strong and special women have been torn down and treated as if they are unlovable. To make matters worse, these women have been treated this way by family and friends that should love them unconditionally.
Today I also heard about the tragedy at Virginia Tech. My heart weeps for the parents that lost children, for the friends that lost classmates, for the professors who lost students.
When I hear about the terrible pain and heartache in the world, my heart aches. I so desperately want to change things. I want to step into the situation and “fix” the problem. At times I cry out to God: Why is there so much suffering? Why do the people who should love us the most (our spouse, parents, siblings) sometimes abuse us and hate us? Why does my heart ache, yet I feel completely powerless to make things better? Why do innocent people have to suffer? Why are some people born into poverty and despair that I cannot comprehend?
I wish that I could tell you now that I have the answer to these questions. Although I do not have the answer, I do know one thing without a doubt. While I cannot “fix” the world’s problems, I can be a shoulder to cry on for a friend in need. Although I cannot rescue every abused child, I can show love to my children and to the children that I encounter in my daily life. Although I cannot change the tragedy at Virginia Tech, I can lift up the heartache of those involved to God in prayer. Even though I cannot prevent others from being born into poverty and sadness, I can help a few families repair a home on a mission trip. Although I may feel powerless, God gives me the power to love others and to let them know that they are loved.
It is often said that we, as Christians, may be the only Jesus that the world ever sees. During this time of heartache and pain, I believe this with all of my heart. I know that I cannot bring back the victims of the shooting, and I know that I cannot take away the pain of my friends who are suffering. However, I can love them with the love of Christ. I can let them know that they are beautiful, and that they are loved.
In Ephesians 3:17-19, Paul writes of Christ’s love:
“And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.”
It is our duty to love others, so that they too may experience this unexplainable love through our actions. Like Paul, I too will pray that the hurting of the world may have power to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and I will pray that they may each experience this love that surpasses understanding. I will strive, through my actions, to show them the love of Christ.
This week was also difficult because of the heartache that I have witnessed in many friends that I hold near and dear to my heart. Lately, some of my friends, who are beautiful, lovable and wonderful women, have been mistreated. These incredibly strong and special women have been torn down and treated as if they are unlovable. To make matters worse, these women have been treated this way by family and friends that should love them unconditionally.
Today I also heard about the tragedy at Virginia Tech. My heart weeps for the parents that lost children, for the friends that lost classmates, for the professors who lost students.
When I hear about the terrible pain and heartache in the world, my heart aches. I so desperately want to change things. I want to step into the situation and “fix” the problem. At times I cry out to God: Why is there so much suffering? Why do the people who should love us the most (our spouse, parents, siblings) sometimes abuse us and hate us? Why does my heart ache, yet I feel completely powerless to make things better? Why do innocent people have to suffer? Why are some people born into poverty and despair that I cannot comprehend?
I wish that I could tell you now that I have the answer to these questions. Although I do not have the answer, I do know one thing without a doubt. While I cannot “fix” the world’s problems, I can be a shoulder to cry on for a friend in need. Although I cannot rescue every abused child, I can show love to my children and to the children that I encounter in my daily life. Although I cannot change the tragedy at Virginia Tech, I can lift up the heartache of those involved to God in prayer. Even though I cannot prevent others from being born into poverty and sadness, I can help a few families repair a home on a mission trip. Although I may feel powerless, God gives me the power to love others and to let them know that they are loved.
It is often said that we, as Christians, may be the only Jesus that the world ever sees. During this time of heartache and pain, I believe this with all of my heart. I know that I cannot bring back the victims of the shooting, and I know that I cannot take away the pain of my friends who are suffering. However, I can love them with the love of Christ. I can let them know that they are beautiful, and that they are loved.
In Ephesians 3:17-19, Paul writes of Christ’s love:
“And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.”
It is our duty to love others, so that they too may experience this unexplainable love through our actions. Like Paul, I too will pray that the hurting of the world may have power to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and I will pray that they may each experience this love that surpasses understanding. I will strive, through my actions, to show them the love of Christ.
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Dance Until It Rains
Lately I have struggled with the nature of prayer. I have asked myself some very difficult questions. For example: (1) Does God still miraculously heal people of illnesses today, or does he use modern science to heal others? (2) Are our prayers not answered because we fail to have enough faith? (3) When we say that prayers are not answered because “it was not God’s will” or “it was not God’s timing”, does that mean that prayer is futile because we will never be able to change God’s will? These questions are just a sample of the many questions that I have pondered. I often feel like Curious George – I have so many questions – and my attempts to find the answers often lead me to mischief and/or despair.
I have a dear friend and mentor that is helping me with some of these difficult questions. My mentor is an Episcopal campus minister. The thing that I love most about him is that he always accepts me just as I am. He loves me for who I am, not who he wants me to be. He often listens to my questions, without trying to change me or judge me. When I brought some of these questions to him, he stated the importance of going on the journey that I am taking. He could not emphasize enough that asking these questions is a part of the journey that will ultimately lead me to a deeper and more fulfilling relationship with the Creator of the Universe. However, he also emphasized that I will have to come to terms with the fact that I will never have all the answers, and if I attempt to find all of the answers, I will be doomed to a life of frustration.
His advice has helped me tremendously. Too often I ask the questions because I want a definite answer. I believe that finding the right answer is the ultimate goal and end to my journey. My mentor has shown me that the questions, not the answers that I so desire, may be the end result. Perhaps the power of the Holy Spirit and our relationship with Christ grow through asking the questions, not finding the right answer. Perhaps life is ultimately about the quest for knowledge instead of the actual possession of knowledge.
My mentor left me with one other thought to ponder. He told me the story of his conversation with a member of an Indian tribe regarding the Rain Dance. My mentor asked the tribe member the success rate of the rain dance. The tribe member responded that the Rain Dance was 100 percent effective. My mentor was astounded and questioned him – did he truly mean that 100 percent of the time it rained? The tribe member responded, “We don’t stop dancing until it rains.”
Perhaps prayer is not about always getting the answer to our prayers that we desire. Prayer is also not about getting the answers to all of life’s mysteries. Instead, prayer is about being connected to God and to the world around us. Through prayer, we learn to experience God on a more intimate level that cannot be obtained through logic and reason.
I hope that we will also refuse to stop dancing until it rains …..
I have a dear friend and mentor that is helping me with some of these difficult questions. My mentor is an Episcopal campus minister. The thing that I love most about him is that he always accepts me just as I am. He loves me for who I am, not who he wants me to be. He often listens to my questions, without trying to change me or judge me. When I brought some of these questions to him, he stated the importance of going on the journey that I am taking. He could not emphasize enough that asking these questions is a part of the journey that will ultimately lead me to a deeper and more fulfilling relationship with the Creator of the Universe. However, he also emphasized that I will have to come to terms with the fact that I will never have all the answers, and if I attempt to find all of the answers, I will be doomed to a life of frustration.
His advice has helped me tremendously. Too often I ask the questions because I want a definite answer. I believe that finding the right answer is the ultimate goal and end to my journey. My mentor has shown me that the questions, not the answers that I so desire, may be the end result. Perhaps the power of the Holy Spirit and our relationship with Christ grow through asking the questions, not finding the right answer. Perhaps life is ultimately about the quest for knowledge instead of the actual possession of knowledge.
My mentor left me with one other thought to ponder. He told me the story of his conversation with a member of an Indian tribe regarding the Rain Dance. My mentor asked the tribe member the success rate of the rain dance. The tribe member responded that the Rain Dance was 100 percent effective. My mentor was astounded and questioned him – did he truly mean that 100 percent of the time it rained? The tribe member responded, “We don’t stop dancing until it rains.”
Perhaps prayer is not about always getting the answer to our prayers that we desire. Prayer is also not about getting the answers to all of life’s mysteries. Instead, prayer is about being connected to God and to the world around us. Through prayer, we learn to experience God on a more intimate level that cannot be obtained through logic and reason.
I hope that we will also refuse to stop dancing until it rains …..
Sunday, April 01, 2007
Changing Others
Today the sermon was about the power of Palm Sunday. In the message, Mike emphasized that because of Christ, we do not have to live in defeat (1John 5:4), discord (Phil 4:7) or despair (1 Peter 1:3). One statement in the sermon really struck me – Mike stated that the choice to live in victory (instead of defeat), in peace (instead of discord), and in hope (instead of despair) is ours. God will not force us to accept these gifts.
This struck me because I struggle constantly with my desire to change others. I know that sounds terrible, but it is true. Anyone that knows me will tell you that I am compassionate and love people. They will also tell you that I am fiercely loyal to my friends and family. In fact, I love my family and close friends so much that I often take on their burdens and try to convince them of the many ways that they need to change their lives in order to be happier and more fulfilled. For years, I have convinced myself that this is not a problem because I have pure motivations – I want my family and friends to have joy, to be happy, to have peace, to have a life of fullness and passion. I hate to see people that I love suffer and in despair. Thus, I often try to take control of the situation and convince the people in my life that if they will only do ______ (you fill in the blank) their life will be better.
As I sat in the sermon today, the power of Mike’s statement hit home. God is all knowing, the creator of the universe, yet he does not force us to do anything. As our creator, of course God loves us with a complete and unconditional love, yet he allows us to make poor decisions and sometimes to even live in despair. I am not omnipotent, yet I constantly try to control my destiny as well as the destiny of those around me.
Perhaps even more powerful, however, is the fact that God does not force happiness, joy, victory or peace upon us because God exhibits something that I cannot begin to comprehend – unconditional love. As I sat in the service, I realized that if I am constantly trying to change those around me, I am not loving them as they are and where they are. Instead, I am trying to mold them into what I want them to be. I was humbled to realize that once again, my pride had deceived me. I had convinced myself that by wanting the best for others, I was justified in trying to change them. Instead, I am failing miserably at one of the most important tenants of Christianity – to love others unconditionally, as they are. Christ didn’t try to change those that encountered him – instead he simply loved others and allowed the experience of unconditional love to radically and forever change their lives.
The challenge this week is to think about whether you are truly loving people how they are and where they are. I am slowly and painfully learning that I cannot change others, and I cannot control their happiness. If I want others to have victory, peace, hope, joy, and happiness, the only sure way to help them is by loving them the way they are, not the way that I wish them to be.
This struck me because I struggle constantly with my desire to change others. I know that sounds terrible, but it is true. Anyone that knows me will tell you that I am compassionate and love people. They will also tell you that I am fiercely loyal to my friends and family. In fact, I love my family and close friends so much that I often take on their burdens and try to convince them of the many ways that they need to change their lives in order to be happier and more fulfilled. For years, I have convinced myself that this is not a problem because I have pure motivations – I want my family and friends to have joy, to be happy, to have peace, to have a life of fullness and passion. I hate to see people that I love suffer and in despair. Thus, I often try to take control of the situation and convince the people in my life that if they will only do ______ (you fill in the blank) their life will be better.
As I sat in the sermon today, the power of Mike’s statement hit home. God is all knowing, the creator of the universe, yet he does not force us to do anything. As our creator, of course God loves us with a complete and unconditional love, yet he allows us to make poor decisions and sometimes to even live in despair. I am not omnipotent, yet I constantly try to control my destiny as well as the destiny of those around me.
Perhaps even more powerful, however, is the fact that God does not force happiness, joy, victory or peace upon us because God exhibits something that I cannot begin to comprehend – unconditional love. As I sat in the service, I realized that if I am constantly trying to change those around me, I am not loving them as they are and where they are. Instead, I am trying to mold them into what I want them to be. I was humbled to realize that once again, my pride had deceived me. I had convinced myself that by wanting the best for others, I was justified in trying to change them. Instead, I am failing miserably at one of the most important tenants of Christianity – to love others unconditionally, as they are. Christ didn’t try to change those that encountered him – instead he simply loved others and allowed the experience of unconditional love to radically and forever change their lives.
The challenge this week is to think about whether you are truly loving people how they are and where they are. I am slowly and painfully learning that I cannot change others, and I cannot control their happiness. If I want others to have victory, peace, hope, joy, and happiness, the only sure way to help them is by loving them the way they are, not the way that I wish them to be.
Monday, March 26, 2007
Work Is A Sacred Trust
I found this article on Christianity Today, and I found it so refreshing. It is so nice to see Christian websites that are posting articles about the value of Christian women working outside of the home (instead of the usual articles that I see which make working mothers feel like the worst people on earth). I hope you enjoy this as much as I did!
Work Is a Sacred Trust
by Nancy OrtbergMarch 22, 2007
The summer I was 15, I locked myself in the bathroom. Not for the typical reasons. There was no fight with my parents or disappointing love interest. I wasn’t trying to hide tears or cool down a temper. I had just received my first paycheck.
It wasn’t just the paycheck I loved. That was just symbolic. It was work I loved. I loved the feeling of doing something that mattered, something that helped other people, something that I could accomplish.
Growing up, I awoke each morning to the smell of coffee and the sight of my dad in his crisp white shirt and tie, sitting at the breakfast table reading the newspaper. His aftershave gently filled the room and there was a sense of anticipation in him as he readied to start the work day. My dad loved what he did, and he was good at it. That was a dynamic combination.
Every morning my mother drove me to school. After she dropped me off, she continued on the few more miles to her workplace. In the 1960s, I had one of the very few moms who worked. She was always dressed up for work and her mood seemed to match. My mother loved what she did, and she was good at it. That is a dynamic combination. “Thank God it’s Friday.”
“I hate my job.”
“Can’t wait until I retire; then I can start living.”
I don’t get that.
I love to work. I love getting up in the morning and getting dressed for work. I love looking over my calendar for the day and seeing what lies ahead. I love working with a team to make things happen. I love the relationships at work; I love the tasks. I love dreaming and imagining what might be, what the future could look like, how we could make a difference. I love starting to change things, and setting things in motion that might make those changes happen. I love celebrating the wins along the way and learning from the losses. I love watching the team getting healthier and happier as it gets better and better at the work it does.
I love how when people are led well. Not only do they accomplish great things, but they become better people in the process. There is that kind of redemption in work.
God gave work to Adam and Eve before the fall. Work was not the result of sin; it is another way of working out the image of God that resides in all of us.
Work is a sacred trust and there are a few things you can do to treat it as such in your role as a leader:
1. Yourself. I first heard the concept of “self-leadership” when I was on staff at a church. Here’s the main idea: You are responsible for carving out a life that has a rhythm that renews you. It is not anybody else’s job. As a leader you take responsibility for your own self-renewal which includes things like reading, planning alone time to do thinking and processing, and maintaining a schedule that allows you to keep your promises, which is one of the key jobs of a leader. Self-leadership will not only increase your leadership capacity and skills but will also work to prevent burnout.2. Others. Leadership is the promise of development. People need three things to grow: opportunities, challenges, and relationship. It is your job as a leader to be sure, over time, that your people are getting all three. They need opportunities to use their abilities to make a difference, challenges that stretch them without breaking them, and relationships in which they are known and celebrated and told the truth about themselves.
One of my most memorable moments working on staff at a large hospital was when I was speaking for the first time to one of the top executives. I introduced myself and she immediately said, “I know who you are.” I was 22 years old. I have never forgotten that phrase. It was powerful to be noticed and made me want to do a good job.
3. The Organization. Organizations—not just individual people—are important. Organizations, as a collection of people, allow us to accomplish things we could not do on our own. As a leader it is your responsibility to make sure that meetings are compelling, that they are places where collaborative (not consensus, which Patrick Lencioni defines as “mutually agreed upon mediocrity”) decisions are processed and made, a place where goals are set and people are held accountable for those, where short-term and long-term gains are celebrated and lack of success is autopsied and learned from.
Leadership is a sacred trust.
Work Is a Sacred Trust
by Nancy OrtbergMarch 22, 2007
The summer I was 15, I locked myself in the bathroom. Not for the typical reasons. There was no fight with my parents or disappointing love interest. I wasn’t trying to hide tears or cool down a temper. I had just received my first paycheck.
It wasn’t just the paycheck I loved. That was just symbolic. It was work I loved. I loved the feeling of doing something that mattered, something that helped other people, something that I could accomplish.
Growing up, I awoke each morning to the smell of coffee and the sight of my dad in his crisp white shirt and tie, sitting at the breakfast table reading the newspaper. His aftershave gently filled the room and there was a sense of anticipation in him as he readied to start the work day. My dad loved what he did, and he was good at it. That was a dynamic combination.
Every morning my mother drove me to school. After she dropped me off, she continued on the few more miles to her workplace. In the 1960s, I had one of the very few moms who worked. She was always dressed up for work and her mood seemed to match. My mother loved what she did, and she was good at it. That is a dynamic combination. “Thank God it’s Friday.”
“I hate my job.”
“Can’t wait until I retire; then I can start living.”
I don’t get that.
I love to work. I love getting up in the morning and getting dressed for work. I love looking over my calendar for the day and seeing what lies ahead. I love working with a team to make things happen. I love the relationships at work; I love the tasks. I love dreaming and imagining what might be, what the future could look like, how we could make a difference. I love starting to change things, and setting things in motion that might make those changes happen. I love celebrating the wins along the way and learning from the losses. I love watching the team getting healthier and happier as it gets better and better at the work it does.
I love how when people are led well. Not only do they accomplish great things, but they become better people in the process. There is that kind of redemption in work.
God gave work to Adam and Eve before the fall. Work was not the result of sin; it is another way of working out the image of God that resides in all of us.
Work is a sacred trust and there are a few things you can do to treat it as such in your role as a leader:
1. Yourself. I first heard the concept of “self-leadership” when I was on staff at a church. Here’s the main idea: You are responsible for carving out a life that has a rhythm that renews you. It is not anybody else’s job. As a leader you take responsibility for your own self-renewal which includes things like reading, planning alone time to do thinking and processing, and maintaining a schedule that allows you to keep your promises, which is one of the key jobs of a leader. Self-leadership will not only increase your leadership capacity and skills but will also work to prevent burnout.2. Others. Leadership is the promise of development. People need three things to grow: opportunities, challenges, and relationship. It is your job as a leader to be sure, over time, that your people are getting all three. They need opportunities to use their abilities to make a difference, challenges that stretch them without breaking them, and relationships in which they are known and celebrated and told the truth about themselves.
One of my most memorable moments working on staff at a large hospital was when I was speaking for the first time to one of the top executives. I introduced myself and she immediately said, “I know who you are.” I was 22 years old. I have never forgotten that phrase. It was powerful to be noticed and made me want to do a good job.
3. The Organization. Organizations—not just individual people—are important. Organizations, as a collection of people, allow us to accomplish things we could not do on our own. As a leader it is your responsibility to make sure that meetings are compelling, that they are places where collaborative (not consensus, which Patrick Lencioni defines as “mutually agreed upon mediocrity”) decisions are processed and made, a place where goals are set and people are held accountable for those, where short-term and long-term gains are celebrated and lack of success is autopsied and learned from.
Leadership is a sacred trust.
Wealth
This Sunday Mike spoke about wealth – the top American Idol. The sermon emphasized that money is not the problem, but instead the problem is wealth. The problem with wealth is that we often view our wealth as “ours” – we fail to realize that all that we have is a gift. Because we only have the blessings that we have as a gift, God has commanded us to be generous and share these blessings with others. Our focus should not be, “What can I get?”, but instead, “What can I give – what can I do to be more generous?”
I reflected on this sermon and the scripture. Matthew 6:18-21 says:
"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
I am struck by the phrase, “where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” The primary problem with each idol in our lives seems to start with a problem of perspective. I tend to have a perspective that is completely focused on what I do NOT have as opposed to focusing on what I do have.
For example, when it comes to beauty – I focus on the fact that I don’t have a perfect figure, I don’t have perfect teeth, I still have acne, etc. Instead, I should focus on what I do have – the ability to run and be healthy, a face and body that is free form scars and problems. When it comes to work, I tend to focus on what I do NOT have. I focus on the fact that I am unable to work from home or be a stay at home mom. Instead, I should be thanking God for blessing me with a job that allows me to work 4 days a week, for blessing me with an outstanding boss, for giving me a position where I can help others and impact the world around me. When it comes to family, I focus on what I do not have. I often long for another baby, or sometimes I wish that my kids were better behaved. Instead, I need to be thankful that I have an incredible husband and two healthy, beautiful children. Finally, when it comes to wealth, I focus on what I do not have. I wish for a larger SUV or van to transport our family, I would love to have a bigger house, a bigger yard, & a house on a farm. I would love to travel the world, etc. I could go on and on with a long list of material possessions that I would love to have. Instead, I should be thankful that I have a house, that I have a car, that I have food to eat. As we learned on Sunday, only 8% of the people in the world have a car – so we are incredibly wealthy by comparison. Over 1billion people live on less than a dollar a day, so how could I ever complain that our family does not have enough money?
The problem with this negative perception of the world is that it seeps into every aspect of your life. I often spend time wishing that I could sing or play an instrument in our praise band, when I should be focusing on the gifts that I have already been blessed with! The other problem with this negative focus is that it creates in us a thirst that will never be quenched. If you are always focusing on what you do not have, you will never be content and fulfilled because you will never have enough. However, if you can learn to focus instead on the many blessings that you do have, you will learn that you have more than enough, and you probably have plenty left over to share.
The challenge this week is to try to change your perspective. Once a day, try to focus on something positive in your life – a blessing from God. Take time to thank God for the blessing. By doing this, you will begin to change your perspective – you will begin to focus on what you do have instead of what you lack. This will also help you begin to acknowledge that all that you do have is truly a blessing – not something that you have earned, but something to praise God and thank him for, and perhaps it is even something to share.
I reflected on this sermon and the scripture. Matthew 6:18-21 says:
"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
I am struck by the phrase, “where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” The primary problem with each idol in our lives seems to start with a problem of perspective. I tend to have a perspective that is completely focused on what I do NOT have as opposed to focusing on what I do have.
For example, when it comes to beauty – I focus on the fact that I don’t have a perfect figure, I don’t have perfect teeth, I still have acne, etc. Instead, I should focus on what I do have – the ability to run and be healthy, a face and body that is free form scars and problems. When it comes to work, I tend to focus on what I do NOT have. I focus on the fact that I am unable to work from home or be a stay at home mom. Instead, I should be thanking God for blessing me with a job that allows me to work 4 days a week, for blessing me with an outstanding boss, for giving me a position where I can help others and impact the world around me. When it comes to family, I focus on what I do not have. I often long for another baby, or sometimes I wish that my kids were better behaved. Instead, I need to be thankful that I have an incredible husband and two healthy, beautiful children. Finally, when it comes to wealth, I focus on what I do not have. I wish for a larger SUV or van to transport our family, I would love to have a bigger house, a bigger yard, & a house on a farm. I would love to travel the world, etc. I could go on and on with a long list of material possessions that I would love to have. Instead, I should be thankful that I have a house, that I have a car, that I have food to eat. As we learned on Sunday, only 8% of the people in the world have a car – so we are incredibly wealthy by comparison. Over 1billion people live on less than a dollar a day, so how could I ever complain that our family does not have enough money?
The problem with this negative perception of the world is that it seeps into every aspect of your life. I often spend time wishing that I could sing or play an instrument in our praise band, when I should be focusing on the gifts that I have already been blessed with! The other problem with this negative focus is that it creates in us a thirst that will never be quenched. If you are always focusing on what you do not have, you will never be content and fulfilled because you will never have enough. However, if you can learn to focus instead on the many blessings that you do have, you will learn that you have more than enough, and you probably have plenty left over to share.
The challenge this week is to try to change your perspective. Once a day, try to focus on something positive in your life – a blessing from God. Take time to thank God for the blessing. By doing this, you will begin to change your perspective – you will begin to focus on what you do have instead of what you lack. This will also help you begin to acknowledge that all that you do have is truly a blessing – not something that you have earned, but something to praise God and thank him for, and perhaps it is even something to share.
Monday, March 19, 2007
Pride & Family
Mike has been preaching about the Top 4 American Idols. This week he spoke about Family as an idol. This message was difficult for me because I realize that my family is an idol for me.
Luke 14:25-27 states:
Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be my disciple. And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.
Mike explained that the word hate, when translated, actually means “love less”, such that Jesus was saying, If you don’t ‘love your family less than me….” Mike then explained that we often say, “I only want what is best for my family.” However, that is the problem because we should say, “God, I want what is best for your family.” When we say we want what is best for our family, we are focusing on what we want - we are being selfish, controlling, and prideful. Even with this explanation of the scripture, it is still difficult to apply to my life.
If you asked me before this sermon if my family was an idol in my life, I would insist that my family is not an idol. However, as the old saying goes, “actions speak louder than words.” Even though I insist that I trust God with my family, my actions prove otherwise. For example, I worry about whether Jacob should be in preschool, whether I am doing a disservice to my family by working outside the home, whether my children are being treated fairly by their friends, whether I have my kids involved in too many or too few activities, etc. I also try to control the outcome of my family’s lives. For example, the deepest desire of my heart is that my kids, my husband, my parents, and my family be happy. I often put pressure on myself to make events “perfect” so that my family can be happy. I think that if I can just convince my husband or my kids to change a few things about their lives, they will be happy. I actually think that I can control their happiness!
The problem with this is that it is a symptom of my pride. I never thought that I had a problem with pride, but I do. Although I say that I trust God to do what is best for my family, I believe in my heart that I not only know what is best for my family, but I believe that I can control my family to ensure that only the best things happen for my family.
C.S. Lewis wrote:
According to Christian teachers, the essential vice, the utmost evil, is Pride. Unchastity, anger, greed, drunkenness, and all that, are mere fleabites in comparison: it was through Pride that the devil became the devil: Pride leads to every other vice: it is the complete anti-God state of mind.
* * * *
The Christians are right: it is Pride which has been the chief cause of misery in every nation and every family since the world began. Other vices may sometimes bring people together: you may find good fellowship and jokes and friendliness among drunken people or unchaste people. But pride always means enmity - it is enmity. And not only enmity between man and man, but enmity to God.
Because of Mike’s sermon, I have realized that my desire that my family be “happy” is what I want for my family. I need to prayerfully ask God to forgive me for my pride, and I need to trust God with the family that he has blessed me to care for. I have learned that God did not put me on this Earth as an “owner” of my family, but I am instead entrusted to care for them and love them.
I would like to challenge each of you to prayerfully consider the idols that you may have in your life. In doing so, consider what your actions say about your idols, not just what you would tell others about idols in your life. Your idol may not be your family, but may be beauty, work, or something else. Ask God to show you your idols and to help you rid yourself of the idols that stand in between you and a closer relationship with God.
Luke 14:25-27 states:
Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be my disciple. And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.
Mike explained that the word hate, when translated, actually means “love less”, such that Jesus was saying, If you don’t ‘love your family less than me….” Mike then explained that we often say, “I only want what is best for my family.” However, that is the problem because we should say, “God, I want what is best for your family.” When we say we want what is best for our family, we are focusing on what we want - we are being selfish, controlling, and prideful. Even with this explanation of the scripture, it is still difficult to apply to my life.
If you asked me before this sermon if my family was an idol in my life, I would insist that my family is not an idol. However, as the old saying goes, “actions speak louder than words.” Even though I insist that I trust God with my family, my actions prove otherwise. For example, I worry about whether Jacob should be in preschool, whether I am doing a disservice to my family by working outside the home, whether my children are being treated fairly by their friends, whether I have my kids involved in too many or too few activities, etc. I also try to control the outcome of my family’s lives. For example, the deepest desire of my heart is that my kids, my husband, my parents, and my family be happy. I often put pressure on myself to make events “perfect” so that my family can be happy. I think that if I can just convince my husband or my kids to change a few things about their lives, they will be happy. I actually think that I can control their happiness!
The problem with this is that it is a symptom of my pride. I never thought that I had a problem with pride, but I do. Although I say that I trust God to do what is best for my family, I believe in my heart that I not only know what is best for my family, but I believe that I can control my family to ensure that only the best things happen for my family.
C.S. Lewis wrote:
According to Christian teachers, the essential vice, the utmost evil, is Pride. Unchastity, anger, greed, drunkenness, and all that, are mere fleabites in comparison: it was through Pride that the devil became the devil: Pride leads to every other vice: it is the complete anti-God state of mind.
* * * *
The Christians are right: it is Pride which has been the chief cause of misery in every nation and every family since the world began. Other vices may sometimes bring people together: you may find good fellowship and jokes and friendliness among drunken people or unchaste people. But pride always means enmity - it is enmity. And not only enmity between man and man, but enmity to God.
Because of Mike’s sermon, I have realized that my desire that my family be “happy” is what I want for my family. I need to prayerfully ask God to forgive me for my pride, and I need to trust God with the family that he has blessed me to care for. I have learned that God did not put me on this Earth as an “owner” of my family, but I am instead entrusted to care for them and love them.
I would like to challenge each of you to prayerfully consider the idols that you may have in your life. In doing so, consider what your actions say about your idols, not just what you would tell others about idols in your life. Your idol may not be your family, but may be beauty, work, or something else. Ask God to show you your idols and to help you rid yourself of the idols that stand in between you and a closer relationship with God.
Saturday, March 17, 2007
Where Is Patrick?
Jacob had a preschool party for St. Patrick's Day on Thursday. Jacob was not motivated to go to school, so Mike told Jacob that he needed to go to school to celebarte St. Patrick's day. Jacob asked, "Is it Patrick's birthday?" Mike tried to explain that there is no Patrick - that it is a holiday. Just before they arrived at school, Jacob said, "I can't wait to see what Patrick looks like." When I got home from work, I asked Jacob if they had a party. He said, "No, Patrick was not there."
I am very behind on everything that I need to do. We have been sick and work has been crazy due to some changes that are happening there. I haven't ordered pictures since Christmas, and I have not updated pictures since then. I barely have time to keep up with little things like laundry.
I was doing great on my workout routine until I got sick two weeks ago. I was going to the gym 4 days a week & exercising some at home on the other days. I felt much better, but it is hard to get up at 5:30 am to exercise. The other frustrating part is that I have not lost any weight!
LASIK has been great. I went back to the doctor and he said my eyes are still dry, but not extremely dry. He said that he thinks my eyes will continue to improve. He is very happy with how well I am doing, especially since my prescription was so bad before the laser surgery.
This April will be my 10 year college reunion. It is hard to believe that I have been out of college for 10 years. I hope that I will be able to see a lot of my friends, although it seems that some people will not be able to make it.
I dyed Easter eggs with the kids this week. That was probably not the best activity for a three year old and a not quite 2 year old. The kids lost interest quickly, and we ended up with more broken/cracked eggs than not.
I think that Maria's age is my favorite age. She is so much fun right now. She is learning to talk and is really cute when she says certain words. She still loves to be hugged and adores us. She is also happy the majority of the time and rarely has temper tantrums. I am trying to enjoy this stage because soon enough we will begin potty training, tantrums, independence, etc.
We had book club last week. We discussed the Memory Keepers Daughter. I think most of us enjoyed the book; however, some felt that the author was too descriptive and too wordy at times. Next month we will discuss A Child Called It. I think it will be a very difficult book for me to read, not only because I have kids, but because I am very compassionate.
I am very behind on everything that I need to do. We have been sick and work has been crazy due to some changes that are happening there. I haven't ordered pictures since Christmas, and I have not updated pictures since then. I barely have time to keep up with little things like laundry.
I was doing great on my workout routine until I got sick two weeks ago. I was going to the gym 4 days a week & exercising some at home on the other days. I felt much better, but it is hard to get up at 5:30 am to exercise. The other frustrating part is that I have not lost any weight!
LASIK has been great. I went back to the doctor and he said my eyes are still dry, but not extremely dry. He said that he thinks my eyes will continue to improve. He is very happy with how well I am doing, especially since my prescription was so bad before the laser surgery.
This April will be my 10 year college reunion. It is hard to believe that I have been out of college for 10 years. I hope that I will be able to see a lot of my friends, although it seems that some people will not be able to make it.
I dyed Easter eggs with the kids this week. That was probably not the best activity for a three year old and a not quite 2 year old. The kids lost interest quickly, and we ended up with more broken/cracked eggs than not.
I think that Maria's age is my favorite age. She is so much fun right now. She is learning to talk and is really cute when she says certain words. She still loves to be hugged and adores us. She is also happy the majority of the time and rarely has temper tantrums. I am trying to enjoy this stage because soon enough we will begin potty training, tantrums, independence, etc.
We had book club last week. We discussed the Memory Keepers Daughter. I think most of us enjoyed the book; however, some felt that the author was too descriptive and too wordy at times. Next month we will discuss A Child Called It. I think it will be a very difficult book for me to read, not only because I have kids, but because I am very compassionate.
Sunday, March 11, 2007
Prayer: Put Your Best Face Forward
I love social networking sites like myspace (www.myspace.com). I love these sites because I have found old friends and met lots of interesting people. For those of you that are unfamiliar with these sites, you can upload pictures of yourself, design a page with colors you like, and set up a profile with your interests and facts about you (favorite books, tv shows, etc.)
This week I thought a lot about myspace. One thing that is so striking about myspace is that the profiles always seem to paint such a positive picture of the person. In fact, I would venture a guess that most of the descriptions on myspace are not so much descriptions of who we are, but are instead descriptions of who we want the world to believe we are. For example, if you read my profile, you will find out that I work as an attorney at a job I love, that I have a beautiful family that I adore, and that I love to read, have intellectual debates, and drink flavored coffee and tea. Every picture on the page is a flattering photo that captures either my family or me at our best – smiling and happy for the camera. They will also find that I have over 130 “friends.”
Everything that is on my profile is true and accurate. However, those that are closest to me know that simply because the words and pictures that are on the page are true and accurate does not mean that the profile paints a complete picture of who I am. My closest family and friends will tell you that I am not always smiling. They also know that sometimes I get frustrated with my family, and sometimes, despite all of my friends, I feel lonely. I often feel guilty about working outside the home and feeling torn between my career and my family. And although I do enjoy a good intellectual debate, sometimes I am just tired and not up for it.
I know that at this point you are probably wanting me to get to the point. The point is this – myspace is sort of like a personal ad. If you are smart, you are going to “advertise” the best qualities about yourself and your life. However, this is not a phenomena unique to social networking sites. The majority of us lead our lives the way that we treat a social networking site. We let others see the part of us that we want them to see. We show them the characteristics of us that we feel are most appealing. We do this in an attempt to gain love, affection, respect, power, and status. I think that we also try to do this with God. We spend much of our prayer life trying to show God the part of us that we think he wants to see. We are not “lying” to others or to God when we do this - we are simply not revealing the whole of ourselves.
Psalm 17:1-5 (The Message) states:
1-2 Listen while I build my case, God, the most honest prayer you'll ever hear.
Show the world I'm innocent—
in your heart you know I am.
3 Go ahead, examine me from inside out,
surprise me in the middle of the night—
You'll find I'm just what I say I am.
My words don't run loose.
4-5 I'm not trying to get my way
in the world's way.
I'm trying to get your way,
your Word's way.
I'm staying on your trail;
I'm putting one foot
In front of the other.
I'm not giving up.
I think this scripture speaks for itself. How many of us can say to God, “examine me from the inside out, surprise me in the middle of the night – You’ll find I’m just what I say I am.” How many of us could say that to our nearest and closest friends and family?
In order to grow, we have to be real. Being real means that sometimes we have to reveal to God and to others, as well as acknowledge to ourselves, that we have weaknesses, fears, sins, and problems. It is only when we are honest with ourselves, others, and God that we can begin to change.
This week I thought a lot about myspace. One thing that is so striking about myspace is that the profiles always seem to paint such a positive picture of the person. In fact, I would venture a guess that most of the descriptions on myspace are not so much descriptions of who we are, but are instead descriptions of who we want the world to believe we are. For example, if you read my profile, you will find out that I work as an attorney at a job I love, that I have a beautiful family that I adore, and that I love to read, have intellectual debates, and drink flavored coffee and tea. Every picture on the page is a flattering photo that captures either my family or me at our best – smiling and happy for the camera. They will also find that I have over 130 “friends.”
Everything that is on my profile is true and accurate. However, those that are closest to me know that simply because the words and pictures that are on the page are true and accurate does not mean that the profile paints a complete picture of who I am. My closest family and friends will tell you that I am not always smiling. They also know that sometimes I get frustrated with my family, and sometimes, despite all of my friends, I feel lonely. I often feel guilty about working outside the home and feeling torn between my career and my family. And although I do enjoy a good intellectual debate, sometimes I am just tired and not up for it.
I know that at this point you are probably wanting me to get to the point. The point is this – myspace is sort of like a personal ad. If you are smart, you are going to “advertise” the best qualities about yourself and your life. However, this is not a phenomena unique to social networking sites. The majority of us lead our lives the way that we treat a social networking site. We let others see the part of us that we want them to see. We show them the characteristics of us that we feel are most appealing. We do this in an attempt to gain love, affection, respect, power, and status. I think that we also try to do this with God. We spend much of our prayer life trying to show God the part of us that we think he wants to see. We are not “lying” to others or to God when we do this - we are simply not revealing the whole of ourselves.
Psalm 17:1-5 (The Message) states:
1-2 Listen while I build my case, God, the most honest prayer you'll ever hear.
Show the world I'm innocent—
in your heart you know I am.
3 Go ahead, examine me from inside out,
surprise me in the middle of the night—
You'll find I'm just what I say I am.
My words don't run loose.
4-5 I'm not trying to get my way
in the world's way.
I'm trying to get your way,
your Word's way.
I'm staying on your trail;
I'm putting one foot
In front of the other.
I'm not giving up.
I think this scripture speaks for itself. How many of us can say to God, “examine me from the inside out, surprise me in the middle of the night – You’ll find I’m just what I say I am.” How many of us could say that to our nearest and closest friends and family?
In order to grow, we have to be real. Being real means that sometimes we have to reveal to God and to others, as well as acknowledge to ourselves, that we have weaknesses, fears, sins, and problems. It is only when we are honest with ourselves, others, and God that we can begin to change.
Sunday, March 04, 2007
Prayer: Silence
I am reading a challenging and fascinating book, A Center of Quiet: Hearing God When Life Is Noisy by David Runcorn. The book is great, but I can’t seem to get past the first chapter. I have this problem because the book challenges the reader to spend some “quiet time” alone with God daily. I know many of you may not find this shocking, but when this book talks about quite time, it is not referring to prayer time (when I am talking to God), and it is not referring to Bible study. In fact, the author points out that the evangelical style of “quite time” is the discipline of daily prayer and Bible reading. Although these disciplines are essential to the Christian, and have their place, what is often missed by many of us is the need to actually sit in SILENCE and open ourselves up to God. The author states that he learned to be disciplined and structured in his prayer and Bible reading from evangelical Christians, but it was the Catholic and Orthodox traditions of the church that revealed the need to follow Jesus into the desert so that he could learn to be alone and silent before God.
This is difficult for me. I am such an extrovert that I hate to be alone. And, to make matters worse, when I try to be silent, my mind becomes even noisier as I think of the many things I need to do that day. All of these are obstacles to silence, not to mention the fact that I work as an attorney, have a husband and two small children, along with numerous other responsibilities.
According to the book, this is normal. The author also understands that busy people may not be able to run off for 2 hours of silence. However, he encourages the reader to think of a few of the moments and places that the reader could be quite during the day.
No matter how busy we are, we can each find 5 minutes in our day to be quiet. Once you have found this time, try this exercise from the book:
Choose a comfortable but alert posture. Sit quietly for a moment, letting your body settle down. Let your breathing find its rhythm. Deepen your breathing slightly. Let your body relax and then breath in with the prayer “Lord Jesus Christ” and breathe out “Have mercy on me.” By doing this, you will be inviting Christ to clear out the clutter and noise within. Quietly repeat the prayer for a while on the rhythm of your breathing. When you are ready, be completely silent for a moment, and then, if you wish, close with a prayer of your own.
This is difficult for me. I am such an extrovert that I hate to be alone. And, to make matters worse, when I try to be silent, my mind becomes even noisier as I think of the many things I need to do that day. All of these are obstacles to silence, not to mention the fact that I work as an attorney, have a husband and two small children, along with numerous other responsibilities.
According to the book, this is normal. The author also understands that busy people may not be able to run off for 2 hours of silence. However, he encourages the reader to think of a few of the moments and places that the reader could be quite during the day.
No matter how busy we are, we can each find 5 minutes in our day to be quiet. Once you have found this time, try this exercise from the book:
Choose a comfortable but alert posture. Sit quietly for a moment, letting your body settle down. Let your breathing find its rhythm. Deepen your breathing slightly. Let your body relax and then breath in with the prayer “Lord Jesus Christ” and breathe out “Have mercy on me.” By doing this, you will be inviting Christ to clear out the clutter and noise within. Quietly repeat the prayer for a while on the rhythm of your breathing. When you are ready, be completely silent for a moment, and then, if you wish, close with a prayer of your own.
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Prayer: Love One Another
On Sunday, Mike shared that the Bible is a difficult book to understand, especially if we try to understand it alone. This is because the Bible is a living book, that is meant to be interpreted and read by a community of believers. We began to put this into practice at our Bible Study last night. We focused on what it means to really love God and love others. We discussed the following verse:
“Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." Matthew 22:37-40
In this verse, Jesus states that the most important command is to love God with all your heart soul and mind. The second greatest command is to “love your neighbor as yourself.” However, in John, Jesus stated, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." John 13:34-35
At our Bible study, we discussed the way that these two commands were the same. Each command instructs us that it is of the utmost importance to God that we love others. We discussed what it means to really love. We also discussed what is different about the verses. In Matthew, we are instructed to love others as we love ourselves, but in John we are instructed to love others as Jesus loved us.
A few things became clear to me in this study of these verses. First, God is the source and essence of love. (“God is love." I John 4:8). If we are to love as God loved us (with an unconditional love), we must know God and be filled with his love. Although many people that do not love God may be able to love others with an “earthly” love, we can only love others with an unconditional love if that love comes from God. Second, God knows our hearts and knows how much we love him and love others. However, the only way OTHERS will know how much we love God is through our actions in loving others. Thus, Jesus instructed us to love others to so that others would see that we love God by our actions.
The challenge this week is to think of one person that you can show God’s love.
Remember, you can also read the prayer email update at http://bethleann.blogspot.com/
Also, as an outreach, the Refinery will be collecting eyeglasses to donate to the Lion’s Club. Please bring your glasses to church and we will deliver them!
“Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." Matthew 22:37-40
In this verse, Jesus states that the most important command is to love God with all your heart soul and mind. The second greatest command is to “love your neighbor as yourself.” However, in John, Jesus stated, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." John 13:34-35
At our Bible study, we discussed the way that these two commands were the same. Each command instructs us that it is of the utmost importance to God that we love others. We discussed what it means to really love. We also discussed what is different about the verses. In Matthew, we are instructed to love others as we love ourselves, but in John we are instructed to love others as Jesus loved us.
A few things became clear to me in this study of these verses. First, God is the source and essence of love. (“God is love." I John 4:8). If we are to love as God loved us (with an unconditional love), we must know God and be filled with his love. Although many people that do not love God may be able to love others with an “earthly” love, we can only love others with an unconditional love if that love comes from God. Second, God knows our hearts and knows how much we love him and love others. However, the only way OTHERS will know how much we love God is through our actions in loving others. Thus, Jesus instructed us to love others to so that others would see that we love God by our actions.
The challenge this week is to think of one person that you can show God’s love.
Remember, you can also read the prayer email update at http://bethleann.blogspot.com/
Also, as an outreach, the Refinery will be collecting eyeglasses to donate to the Lion’s Club. Please bring your glasses to church and we will deliver them!
Saturday, February 24, 2007
Laser Vision (LASIK)
As many of you know, I had LASIK yesterday. My surgery was at 2:15. I spend the majority of Friday morning wishing that the surgery had already passed. I tend to be very nervous and worry, but I simply tried not to think a lot about the risks. I had read extensively about the procedure and knew what I was getting into.
We showed up at WFUBMC at 2:15. The nurse gave me a "mild sedative". We were then taken back to the room where they would perform the surgery. I sat on the table and put my hair up in a net. I was not allowed to wear any makeup for the 2 days before surgery and the day of surgery. I also washed my face 2 times a day with antibacterial soap. No make up was tough!
I sat on the table and Mike held my hand. I laid down and I saw a machine with some flashing red and green lights above me. The doctor talked throughout the procedure. First, he put drops in to numb my eye. Then he put numbing medicine around my eyelids. He then taped my eyelid up so that my eye was taped open. He then took something to "mark" on my eye. I did not feel anything. He then put a device over my eye and told me I would feel some suction and that I should stare at the lights above me. The instrument was a microkeratome,a nd it was used to create thin, circular flap in my cornea. I felt some pressure, but no pain. My vision gradually went black. When he took the suction off, they put water in my eye. At that point, I could sort of see the red and green lights above me but they looked hazy, as if I was looking through vaseline. He told me that all was going well. The surgeon then folded the flap back (mike said it looked like a thin filmy substance) and he told me to stare at the lights. I stared into the laser and they had to pulse for about 30 seconds. He said the laser would track my pupil. I smelled a slight smell like burning hair. The laser stopped and he washed my eye. He then folded the flap back and smoothed it out. He did the procedure on the right eye first then the left.
The entire procedure took very little time. When I walked out, my vision was very blurry. I sat in the car with my eyes closed, and each time I opened my eyes, my vision had improved some. My vision was still hazy but for the first time since fourth grade I could read some road signs. When I got home, I went to bed. Mike woke me up at 8 pm to take my medicine and for the first time ever I could see the alarm clock! I was so excited.
Saturday I went back in for a check up. I found out my vision was 10/25 and it may continue to get better. Before the surgery, I could not see the eye chart - I could only see a white blob on the wall. My eyes are still a little dry, but so far so good!
We showed up at WFUBMC at 2:15. The nurse gave me a "mild sedative". We were then taken back to the room where they would perform the surgery. I sat on the table and put my hair up in a net. I was not allowed to wear any makeup for the 2 days before surgery and the day of surgery. I also washed my face 2 times a day with antibacterial soap. No make up was tough!
I sat on the table and Mike held my hand. I laid down and I saw a machine with some flashing red and green lights above me. The doctor talked throughout the procedure. First, he put drops in to numb my eye. Then he put numbing medicine around my eyelids. He then taped my eyelid up so that my eye was taped open. He then took something to "mark" on my eye. I did not feel anything. He then put a device over my eye and told me I would feel some suction and that I should stare at the lights above me. The instrument was a microkeratome,a nd it was used to create thin, circular flap in my cornea. I felt some pressure, but no pain. My vision gradually went black. When he took the suction off, they put water in my eye. At that point, I could sort of see the red and green lights above me but they looked hazy, as if I was looking through vaseline. He told me that all was going well. The surgeon then folded the flap back (mike said it looked like a thin filmy substance) and he told me to stare at the lights. I stared into the laser and they had to pulse for about 30 seconds. He said the laser would track my pupil. I smelled a slight smell like burning hair. The laser stopped and he washed my eye. He then folded the flap back and smoothed it out. He did the procedure on the right eye first then the left.
The entire procedure took very little time. When I walked out, my vision was very blurry. I sat in the car with my eyes closed, and each time I opened my eyes, my vision had improved some. My vision was still hazy but for the first time since fourth grade I could read some road signs. When I got home, I went to bed. Mike woke me up at 8 pm to take my medicine and for the first time ever I could see the alarm clock! I was so excited.
Saturday I went back in for a check up. I found out my vision was 10/25 and it may continue to get better. Before the surgery, I could not see the eye chart - I could only see a white blob on the wall. My eyes are still a little dry, but so far so good!
Thursday, February 22, 2007
Lent
The season of Lent is upon us. We had a beautiful Ash Wednesday Service last night. Mike shared this scripture:
Ephesians 4:28 (New International Version): He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need.
I loved Mike’s take on the season of Lent. According to the verse and Mike’s challenge, it is not enough to simply give something up. If you give something up, it leaves an empty space. Thus, we were challenged to fill the space that is left by what we give up by taking on something positive. We each wrote down what we are giving up and what we are taking on.
I have decided to give up sweets, sodas, sweet tea, etc. I chose this not only because this will be a true sacrifice, but also because like many people, I tend to turn to sweets and crave sweets when I am stressed and to help me with an emotional need. I have decided to take on encouraging acts for others. When I crave sweets, I plan to focus on something outside of myself – I plan to write an email to encourage a friend, send a note to someone that is lonely, or do something nice to brighten someone’s day. I hope that by taking the focus off of myself, I will be able to be more Christ like.
On another note, I have been working out regularly at the gym. I get up at 5:30 am 4 mornings a week to work out for an hour. I lift weights 2 days a week and do aerobic activity 4 days a week. When I have time I still do Yoga. I have not lost weight, instead I have gained. However, I can tell that I have toned up and my cloths fit better. If nothing else, I am much less stressed and at least I feel healthier!
I am having laser vision surgery tomorrow. I am nervous, but at the same time I am so excited. I have worn glasses since fourth grade. My vision is so bad that I cannot see anything on the eye chart – I only see a white blob. I also have astigmatism. For about the past year I have not been able to wear contacts. I am excited about the freedom that I will have from glasses.
Ephesians 4:28 (New International Version): He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need.
I loved Mike’s take on the season of Lent. According to the verse and Mike’s challenge, it is not enough to simply give something up. If you give something up, it leaves an empty space. Thus, we were challenged to fill the space that is left by what we give up by taking on something positive. We each wrote down what we are giving up and what we are taking on.
I have decided to give up sweets, sodas, sweet tea, etc. I chose this not only because this will be a true sacrifice, but also because like many people, I tend to turn to sweets and crave sweets when I am stressed and to help me with an emotional need. I have decided to take on encouraging acts for others. When I crave sweets, I plan to focus on something outside of myself – I plan to write an email to encourage a friend, send a note to someone that is lonely, or do something nice to brighten someone’s day. I hope that by taking the focus off of myself, I will be able to be more Christ like.
On another note, I have been working out regularly at the gym. I get up at 5:30 am 4 mornings a week to work out for an hour. I lift weights 2 days a week and do aerobic activity 4 days a week. When I have time I still do Yoga. I have not lost weight, instead I have gained. However, I can tell that I have toned up and my cloths fit better. If nothing else, I am much less stressed and at least I feel healthier!
I am having laser vision surgery tomorrow. I am nervous, but at the same time I am so excited. I have worn glasses since fourth grade. My vision is so bad that I cannot see anything on the eye chart – I only see a white blob. I also have astigmatism. For about the past year I have not been able to wear contacts. I am excited about the freedom that I will have from glasses.
Monday, February 19, 2007
Accountability
This week, I read a challenging article from Christianity Today. The article was about caring enough to confront those that we love. Basically, the article focused on the fact that as Christians, it is much easier to be cheerleaders than correction officers. However, the article stressed that, “if we truly love people, we want what’s best for them – and sometimes that best requires confrontation and discipline.” (Caring Enough to Confront, www.christiantiytoday.com).
Matthew 18:15-17 states:
“If your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother. But if he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you, so that by the mouth of two or three witnesses every fact may be confirmed. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.”
The Bible is clear that when another believer is in a pattern of sinful behavior, we as believers, are to lovingly confront the believer in private. I want to emphasize that this does not mean that we need to be the sin police and point out every single sin that we observe in our fellow believers. However, when we witness a fellow believer in a pattern of sin, it is our obligation to hold them accountable.
This is a very difficult thing to do. For this reason, we should consider the following. First, are we motivated by the right reasons? We should only confront another believer that we feel is in a pattern of sinful behavior if we are doing it out of love for the believer (we should not do it out because we are hurt, or angry, or because we want to make ourselves feel better). Second, we need to pray! We need to ask God for guidance and wisdom. Third, we need to look to the Bible. (see Timothy 3:16-17 – “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness …”). As the article states, “Christians have different opinions on matters ranging from drinking to managing money; it’s not our place to impose our viewpoints on others. When it comes to scriptural principles, however, we have grounds for confrontation.” (Caring Enough to Confront, www.christiantiytoday.com)
As I shared this Sunday, one of the most important gifts that we can give believers and unbelievers alike is a glimpse of unconditional love. Unconditional love, however, does not mean that we turn our head to every bad and self destructive behavior. Sometimes unconditional love means loving someone enough to risk making them angry in order to point out God’s truth for their lives.
Remember, you can also read the prayer email update at http://bethleann.blogspot.com/
Also, as an outreach, the Refinery will be collecting eyeglasses to donate to the Lion’s Club. Please bring your glasses to church and we will deliver them!
Matthew 18:15-17 states:
“If your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother. But if he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you, so that by the mouth of two or three witnesses every fact may be confirmed. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.”
The Bible is clear that when another believer is in a pattern of sinful behavior, we as believers, are to lovingly confront the believer in private. I want to emphasize that this does not mean that we need to be the sin police and point out every single sin that we observe in our fellow believers. However, when we witness a fellow believer in a pattern of sin, it is our obligation to hold them accountable.
This is a very difficult thing to do. For this reason, we should consider the following. First, are we motivated by the right reasons? We should only confront another believer that we feel is in a pattern of sinful behavior if we are doing it out of love for the believer (we should not do it out because we are hurt, or angry, or because we want to make ourselves feel better). Second, we need to pray! We need to ask God for guidance and wisdom. Third, we need to look to the Bible. (see Timothy 3:16-17 – “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness …”). As the article states, “Christians have different opinions on matters ranging from drinking to managing money; it’s not our place to impose our viewpoints on others. When it comes to scriptural principles, however, we have grounds for confrontation.” (Caring Enough to Confront, www.christiantiytoday.com)
As I shared this Sunday, one of the most important gifts that we can give believers and unbelievers alike is a glimpse of unconditional love. Unconditional love, however, does not mean that we turn our head to every bad and self destructive behavior. Sometimes unconditional love means loving someone enough to risk making them angry in order to point out God’s truth for their lives.
Remember, you can also read the prayer email update at http://bethleann.blogspot.com/
Also, as an outreach, the Refinery will be collecting eyeglasses to donate to the Lion’s Club. Please bring your glasses to church and we will deliver them!
Sunday, February 11, 2007
Prayer Week 5: Practicing the Presence of God
When Mike approached me about leading the prayer ministry, I felt very ill equipped. Of course I pray, but I also knew that I was not the prayer warrior that I envision the leader of a prayer ministry to be. In fact, I sometimes struggle with prayer. I struggle because I don’t always know what to say, or how to ask for what I need. I also struggle because sometimes when I sit down to pray, I get distracted and lose track of my prayers. Another struggle that I sometimes have is what I should pray for – for example, I struggle with the will of God – can my prayers and requests really change the will of God? Do my prayers matter? Is God listening?
During Christmas of 2003, one of my dearest friends gave me a book, The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence. I read the book a few years ago, but when I saw the book on my shelf again, I felt drawn to it. When I read this book now, it is as if it was written just for me. The book is a collection of letters and interviews with Brother Lawrence. Brother Lawrence served his brothers by working in a kitchen – a task to which he naturally had a great aversion (maybe this is why the book speaks to me – I also hate the kitchen!) However, Brother Lawrence is not at all like me. Despite working in the kitchen, which he naturally did not like, Brother Lawrence accustomed himself “to do everything [in the kitchen] for the love of God, and with prayer, upon all occasions.” (page 20). I quickly learned that Brother Lawrence viewed even the most menial task as a way to praise God and worship him. In an interview, he stated that we should give ourselves up to God, and “seek our satisfaction only in the fulfilling of his will, whether He lead us by suffering or by consolation, for all would be equal to a soul truly resigned.” (page 16)
When asked how he found himself in constant communion with God, he responded that he tried to do all “for the love of God, seeking Him only, and nothing else, not even His gifts.” (page 17). He stated, “we ought to act with God in the greatest simplicity, speaking to Him frankly and plainly, and imploring His assistance in our affairs, just as they happen.” (page 19). Brother Lawrence stated that finding himself in the constant presence of God was not easy at first, but he accomplished this by having “no other care at first but faithfully to reject every other thought, that he might perform all his actions for the love of God.”
Needless to say, these passages have challenged me. This book has clearly pointed out the reasons I have problems with prayer. First, I make prayer too complicated. I worry about the proper way to ask for things, and I am concerned with praying the “churchy” way. However, as Brother Lawrence stated, we should simply “act with God in the greatest simplicity, speaking to Him frankly and plainly.” Prayer is not complicated. It is simply a conversation with God.
I was most challenged by the motives behind Brother Lawrence’s prayers. I often ponder whether I can change the will of God with my prayers. However, this is a moot point. Prayer for Brother Lawrence was not about changing his circumstances. Prayer was also not about seeking his gifts. How many of us can say that? The majority of my prayers tend to be asking God to change this situation or that situation in my life. I also spend a lot of time asking God for his gifts.
However, Brother Lawrence’s prayers do not focus on his outward circumstances at all. When Brother Lawrence prayed, he prayed to be closer to God, he prayed to “perform all his actions for the love of God.” This is a hard pill to swallow. Most of us would rather beg God to change our lives and fix our circumstances. Then we become discouraged, angry and bitter when God does not “answer” our prayers. However, the point of prayer is to draw us closer to God – closer to a complete and constant communion with God. Through prayer, our relationship with God should develop to the point that our prayers are simply prayers for God’s will – because our will will become God’s will.
This is hard – I know it is hard for me because I am selfish. It is scary and hard to ask to be more like God, and it is terrifying to seek only to live life for the love of God. However, in the book, it is clear that Brother Lawrence was at peace and content in the presence of God.
If we truly seek peace, and if we want our prayers to be answered, we have to start by having frank and honest discussions with God. Most importantly, we have to begin to take the focus off of our external circumstances, and we have to begin to pray for our inner souls. We have to seek to live a life by which we perform all of our actions for the love of God.
The challenge this week is to pray to do everything in our lives (even the tasks that we hate) for the love of God, and with prayer, upon all occasions.
Remember, you can also read the prayer email update at http://bethleann.blogspot.com/
Also, as an outreach, the Refinery will be collecting eyeglasses to donate to the Lion’s Club. Please bring your glasses to church and we will deliver them!
During Christmas of 2003, one of my dearest friends gave me a book, The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence. I read the book a few years ago, but when I saw the book on my shelf again, I felt drawn to it. When I read this book now, it is as if it was written just for me. The book is a collection of letters and interviews with Brother Lawrence. Brother Lawrence served his brothers by working in a kitchen – a task to which he naturally had a great aversion (maybe this is why the book speaks to me – I also hate the kitchen!) However, Brother Lawrence is not at all like me. Despite working in the kitchen, which he naturally did not like, Brother Lawrence accustomed himself “to do everything [in the kitchen] for the love of God, and with prayer, upon all occasions.” (page 20). I quickly learned that Brother Lawrence viewed even the most menial task as a way to praise God and worship him. In an interview, he stated that we should give ourselves up to God, and “seek our satisfaction only in the fulfilling of his will, whether He lead us by suffering or by consolation, for all would be equal to a soul truly resigned.” (page 16)
When asked how he found himself in constant communion with God, he responded that he tried to do all “for the love of God, seeking Him only, and nothing else, not even His gifts.” (page 17). He stated, “we ought to act with God in the greatest simplicity, speaking to Him frankly and plainly, and imploring His assistance in our affairs, just as they happen.” (page 19). Brother Lawrence stated that finding himself in the constant presence of God was not easy at first, but he accomplished this by having “no other care at first but faithfully to reject every other thought, that he might perform all his actions for the love of God.”
Needless to say, these passages have challenged me. This book has clearly pointed out the reasons I have problems with prayer. First, I make prayer too complicated. I worry about the proper way to ask for things, and I am concerned with praying the “churchy” way. However, as Brother Lawrence stated, we should simply “act with God in the greatest simplicity, speaking to Him frankly and plainly.” Prayer is not complicated. It is simply a conversation with God.
I was most challenged by the motives behind Brother Lawrence’s prayers. I often ponder whether I can change the will of God with my prayers. However, this is a moot point. Prayer for Brother Lawrence was not about changing his circumstances. Prayer was also not about seeking his gifts. How many of us can say that? The majority of my prayers tend to be asking God to change this situation or that situation in my life. I also spend a lot of time asking God for his gifts.
However, Brother Lawrence’s prayers do not focus on his outward circumstances at all. When Brother Lawrence prayed, he prayed to be closer to God, he prayed to “perform all his actions for the love of God.” This is a hard pill to swallow. Most of us would rather beg God to change our lives and fix our circumstances. Then we become discouraged, angry and bitter when God does not “answer” our prayers. However, the point of prayer is to draw us closer to God – closer to a complete and constant communion with God. Through prayer, our relationship with God should develop to the point that our prayers are simply prayers for God’s will – because our will will become God’s will.
This is hard – I know it is hard for me because I am selfish. It is scary and hard to ask to be more like God, and it is terrifying to seek only to live life for the love of God. However, in the book, it is clear that Brother Lawrence was at peace and content in the presence of God.
If we truly seek peace, and if we want our prayers to be answered, we have to start by having frank and honest discussions with God. Most importantly, we have to begin to take the focus off of our external circumstances, and we have to begin to pray for our inner souls. We have to seek to live a life by which we perform all of our actions for the love of God.
The challenge this week is to pray to do everything in our lives (even the tasks that we hate) for the love of God, and with prayer, upon all occasions.
Remember, you can also read the prayer email update at http://bethleann.blogspot.com/
Also, as an outreach, the Refinery will be collecting eyeglasses to donate to the Lion’s Club. Please bring your glasses to church and we will deliver them!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
