Choosing the Best Thing

I recently finished reading the book "Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World" by Joanna Weaver. I had read the book several years ago, but felt compelled to pull it off the shelf and read it again. The subtitle is "Finding Intimacy with God in the Busyness of Life". Certainly easier said than done, wouldn't you agree?

This book is based on the account of Mary and Martha, two sisters from Bethany, and a visit Jesus made to their home. You can find their story in Luke, chapter 10. The premise of the book is based around what Jesus said to the two sisters......"Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; but only one thing is necessary, and Mary has chosen the good part." You see, Mary was sitting at the feet of Jesus while Martha was running around in the kitchen, distracted from her Guest by making preparations for all the other guests.

How often I find myself distracted.....by the pressures of life, by commitments and responsibilities, by the busyness of life, by whatever has captured my attention at the moment......distracted by the "tyranny of the urgent". This book is not a deep theological exegesis of this passage....rather, it is practical advice on how to make intimacy with God a reality in the busyness of our modern lives. It helps us to understand that this intimacy is a choice and a process. That it requires intentionality on our part. No matter how much we long for a Mary heart, we still live in a Martha world. We have to carve out time to sit at the feet of Jesus.

One of the practical suggestions offered in the book comes from another author, Robin Jones Gunn, a Christian novelist, who shares that she lights a candle for her time alone with Jesus. The candle becomes both a signal to her family that she is meeting with the Lord as well as a symbol of the intimacy of the moment, meeting with the Light of the World. What a powerful visual symbol. We often light candles for special occasions, intimate dinners, when guests are coming. How fitting that we would light the candle as we sit down for intimate conversation with our Savior! I think I'll adopt this idea, beginning today.

Lord Jesus, the prayer of my heart is deeper intimacy in my relationship with you. Help me not be distracted by the busyness and/or the sillyness of life. Help me to choose the best thing. Amen.

All That Really Matters

I was asked recently to name my most embarrassing moment. Impossible! There are far too many to name, and I'm sure I've forgotten more of them than I actually remember. If I were to begin a list, I would have to start with all the boneheaded things I have ever done. Again, far too many to name, even without considering the things I didn't consider boneheaded at the time or the boneheaded things I don't even remember doing. I would also have to list all the klutzy things I've done, which are also far too numerous to mention. Remember, I'm the one who shattered her ankle just walking the dog. And, it should be noted, that incident was not the dog's fault.....the dog who weighed no more than 8 pounds at the time. I, on the other hand, weigh considerably more!

It occurs to me that many of the things which have embarrassed me over the years have much to do with what I thought other people thought. I have always had a gift for reading between the lines. I am so good at it, in fact, that I read things "between the lines" that aren't even there at all! It further occurs to me that I have spent entirely too much time being concerned with what other people think.

What it boils down to is this: in spite of all the boneheaded and klutzy things I've done, all the things I've said that were tacky, or insensitive, or just plain stupid, what other people think really doesn't matter. (That is not meant to imply that I think it is OK to be tacky or insensitive or rude.) What really matters is what Jesus thinks. What really matters is that my attitudes and actions and my words are pleasing to Him.

"Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my rock and my Redeemer." (Psalm 19:14)

Sometimes there are no words.....

A Day to Celebrate

This is an historic day in America. As one who grew up in the era of separate schools, separate restrooms, separate water fountains, I am proud today that my country has moved past that. I celebrate that we have elected a black President. I celebrate the process of electing a President. I celebrate that we have a peaceful transfer from one presidency to the next. I celebrate being an American.

Barack Obama is now my President. I admit that I did not vote for him. He was not my choice. In fact, my choice was a man named Huckabee! But the election is over and we move on. I am grateful that I live in a country where I am free to express my opinion. I am thankful for all the men and women who have gone before me, who sacrificed so much, who gave their lives for the privilege of this freedom. I thank President and Mrs. Bush for their service. And I commit to pray for President and Mrs. Obama, just as I have prayed for previous presidents and their families. It is my duty to pray for them. It is also my great privilege.

Something to Think About

Pascal, the French philosopher, said, " Nearly all the ills of life spring from this simple source: that we are not able to sit still in a room."

God said, "Be still, and know that I am God." (Psalm 46:10)

Heroes

This is a post about heroes. It is not a post about the TV show. I have never watched that show and have no idea whether or not the characters are heroic. This post is about my personal heroes, men and women whose character, attitudes and/or actions inspire me.



The first hero I would like to mention is the US Airways pilot who "landed" his plane in the Hudson River yesterday, and who then didn't leave the water-filled plane until he had walked completely through it not once, but twice, to be sure no one was left behind. That pilot is a hero.



I heard President Bush's farewell speech last night. He mentioned a doctor from California who had lost a son in Iraq and who then, at age 60ish (don't remember his exact age, but far older than most men and women who join the armed forces) petitioned to be allowed to serve and is about to deploy to Iraq. That doctor is a hero. He and all the men and women who volunteer to serve in our nation's military are heroes in my book.



Speaking of President Bush, he is someone I admire greatly. While I may not agree with every decision he has made as President, one of the things I admire and respect so much about him is his willingness to make tough decisions without regard to whether or not those decisions will be popular. I thank him for all he has done to protect this country. He's one of my heroes.



I have some heroes a little closer to home, some dear friends who merit the title "hero." So that I won't embarrass them, I won't call them by name, but I will tell you about two in particular who are heroes to me. One dear friend, whom I have known for more than twenty years, suffers from severe rheumatoid arthritis as well as diabetes. In spite of the pain that I know she endures, I have never heard one word of complaint from her. In a world of whiners, she is my hero. Another friend is a living example of the Scripture "the joy of the Lord is my strength." She radiates joy! She is one who definitely walks her talk. Again, in spite of some difficult life circumstances, I have never heard anything negative from her......she is truly a "glass half full" kiind of person......a definite hero.



Kay Arthur is my hero. More than twenty years ago I attended my first Precept Upon Precept Bible Study and heard her teach via video. I was hooked! Not only have I learned so much about the Bible from hearing her teach, I have learned how to study the Bible for myself, how to experience the joy of discovery without having to depend on commentaries or Bible teachers. I have learned to let the Bible interpret itself, and to let the Holy Spirit be my Teacher. Thank you, Kay, for this precious gift. You are a hero in my book!



Hebrews, chapter 11, in the Bible is a listing of heroes of the faith, a Hall of Fame of Faith if you will. These men and women who have walked the walk of faith and left their example are heroes. Moving from chapter 11 to chapter 12, we find one of my favorite passages of Scripture:

"Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses (i.e. the "heroes of chapter 11") surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."



Verse 2....."fixing our eyes on Jesus"......is the goal of my life. You see, Jesus is my Ultimate Hero! And while many may have heroes in this life...celebrities, athletes, etc....and follow their every move, seeking to be just like them, my goal in life is to keep my eyes firmly fixed on Him and to "run with endurance" the race set before me. For all He has done in my life and for all He will do, Jesus is my Hero!

It's Cold Outside!!

It's cold outside! I'm not talking cool, or even regular cold. I'm talking bone-chilling, freeze-your-face-off cold! And the forecast is for it to get colder before it gets warmer. I should go ahead and apologize to my friends in the Upper Midwest. I realize that the cold I am experiencing is nothing when compared to what is going on there right now. Having lived in Minnesota for several years, I understand that (although I don't think it was ever as cold when I lived there as it is now).

I am very aware of how cold it is, having just walked the dog. Now can someone please explain to me why, when it is this cold and the wind is howling and the dog's ears are standing straight out at right angles to her head, it takes fifteen minutes to find the perfect spot to do her business??!! Wouldn't you think that maybe she had noticed how cold it is?? Wouldn't you think those flying nun ears would have been a clue?? But no.......she meandered up and down the driveway to find that special place to leave her deposit. I will never understand dogs!

Another thing I'm having a little trouble with. Can someone explain how this bitter, bone-chilling cold fits into the concept of global warming?? Just wondering.....

Water from the Spring

In my part of the country we have experienced unbelievable drought in the last several years. I have experienced this in an up close and personal kind of way. You see, our home water supply is a mountain spring. Last year that spring dried up. Which means.......no water! It is not a good feeling to turn on the faucet and get nothing! Not a drop! So, besides being terribly inconvenienced, we had to buy a lot of bottled water and look for an alternative water supply. Water was piped to our reservoir from a well located farther up the mountain. This was proving to be a reasonable solution to our problem, until cold weather came and we realized that the pipe connecting the well and reservoir had never been buried. Result.....the water in the pipe froze and there we were again - no water! I confess that I did not have a particularly positive attitude during these experiences.

Thankfully, over the last several weeks we have been blessed with abundant rain and snow, and the result is that our spring is revived. We are no longer dependent on the well, but are once again getting wonderful, pure water right from our spring. Thank you, God!

I've been thinking about how this is a picture of many Christians' lives. I have often heard people describe their Christianity as stale. I have experienced "dry seasons" in my own life. What does that have to do with my spring? Well, before we get to that, let me make clear that the account of my dry spring and alternative water source is in no way an endorsement of seeking an "alternate source" for your Christian growth. It is in fact quite the opposite.

Our spring dried up because it was no longer being fed by its source (in this case the water table deep in the mountain). Our Christianity "dries up" when it loses its connection to the Source. How do we keep that connection? I believe by consistent communication......through prayer, through time in the Word of God, as well as through fellowship with other believers. Our spring dried up because it was no longer being fed (our rain gauge measured 6 inches of precipitation for the entire year 2007!). Just as a tomato plant, for example, cannot be stuck in the ground and expected to grow and bear fruit without being fed and watered, neither can we expect to grow in our faith without being fed and watered by the the Water of the Word. I think this is what Paul was talking about when he told the Philippian Christians to "work out" their salvation.....not to work "for" it, but to "work it out". Salvation is a free gift, but growth requires effort on our part. It must be intentional.

Then we can be what God intends us to be...."like a watered garden and a like a spring of water whose waters fail not." (Isaiah 58:11, Amplified Bible). There may be many reasons why our spiritual lives turn stale, but they don't have to stay that way. God is willing to give us His strength daily for our weakness, His freshness for our staleness. And isn't that exciting?!

Just Wondering.....

We made a trip to the mall today. I say "trip" because it is about an hour's drive to get there. On the way home, instead of my usual nap (I wasn't driving!), I entertained myself - and my husband/chauffeur - by reading road signs. Some of the road names are very picturesque - Crooked Creek Drive, Misty Meadows, Wildflower Lane. I like those! Some, like Ruth, Hill, Bruckner, Beardsley, appear to be named for the people who live on those particular roads. That makes sense. But then there are the others.....roads with names like Hardscrabble, Pigpen, Possum Trot, Lotawatah, Bear Wallow. And my personal favorite - Shake Rag Road. Who thinks of this stuff????

Lessons from the Snow

It's snowing this morning. As I sit here drinking my coffee and looking out the window at the mountains (or at least what I can see of them through the snow!), I find myself drawn to a verse in the Psalms. It's not about pure white snow, or fresh starts, or being clean or any of the other things one might associate with freshly fallen snow. Rather, I think it relates to new beginnings, this new year with all its uncertainties. As we begin this new year, the economy is in terrible shape, unemployment is on the rise, and there is stress everywhere we turn. None of us is exempt from all this....whether we are personally affected or know someone who has lost/is in danger of losing a job, has way too much month at the end of the money, etc., etc. There is additional uncertainty when we consider that a new President will take office in just a few days time. What will that mean for the country, for the economy, for our personal situations? Where do we turn for answers?

How about to Psalm 121? "I will lift up my eyes to the mountains; from whence shall my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth."

Or to put it another way, as paraphrased in The Message: "Does my strength come from the mountains? No, my strength comes from God, who made heaven, and earth, and mountains."

So, no matter what comes my way, my strength is not in myself and does not come from my circumstances, but from God. And He's much more reliable than the economy, or politics, or the weather. He is the same yesterday and today and forever!

Maybe that's the lesson from the snow today, as it has covered all the "regular stuff" I usually see. Don't look at the "regular stuff"......it's time to take our eyes off the circumstances and keep them firmly fixed on the Source of our strength!

Lessons from the Fog

There is some really thick fog here in the mountains this morning. So thick, in fact, that earlier this morning I could barely see the trees right in front of my house! It's a little clearer now. Looking at that dense fog brought a Scripture passage to mind.....some verses in 1 Corinthians chapter 13. In "The Message" it reads this way: " We don't yet see things clearly. We're squinting in a fog, peering through a mist. But it won't be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright! We'll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us, knowing him directly just as he knows us."

And thinking about that passage brought an old gospel song to mind......."What a day that will be, when my Jesus I shall see......" What a day indeed!! And thinking about that brightens this otherwise very gloomy day considerably!!

That's Awesome!

Awesome is such an overused word. That being said, I had an experience this morning that is worthy of the word. As we drove up the church driveway on a rainy Sunday morning, there above the church building we saw not one, but two rainbows......the most beautiful rainbows I think I have ever seen. Both ends were visible, the colors in both rainbows were vibrant and there they were, right over our church. Of course, no camera to be had, but trust me.....this was an awesome sight! After we parked the car, we joined others on the porch admiring the beautiful sight. Then we went inside to our Sunday School class, where we opened our Bibles to the passage for the day......Psalm 19:1 - "The heavens declare the glory of God." Now that's awesome!

Happy New Year!



I confess that I have not made any "resolutions" for the new year. Every "resolution" I ever made was broken almost immediately! So I have given up "resolutions". I have, however, set some goals for the year. As I looked at my goal list, I find many similarities between my goals and many formerly set "resolutions". An example, I have a goal to lose weight this year.....and exactly how much weight is something I prefer not to disclose! The difference is, I have very concrete reasons for wanting to lose this weight......more than just wanting to fit into a particular pair of jeans or look better in that really nice black dress. My reasons have to do with my health, my blood pressure, my cholesterol levels, the pain in my arthritic joints and with with a not-so-very-far-away significant birthday (one with a zero in it, about 18 months from now!). So, beyond just saying I want to lose xx pounds, I have formulated a plan for achieving this desire.....thus it becomes a "goal" rather than a "resolution". I have a target goal, a target date, and specific steps in mind to achieve this goal. All those years as an independent beauty consultant taught me something!



Meanwhile, as I look ahead toward this new year, it's also a good time to look back and reflect on the "good things" of the past year. I'm no David Letterman, so I don't have a Top Ten List, but these are some of the "good things" of 2008 (in completely random order):

• reconnecting with old friends on Facebook.


• spending time with my grandchildren and making memories with them.


• celebrating 36 years of marriage to my very best friend


• an Alaska cruise in September


• making new friends


• being there to celebrate my grandchildren's birthdays


• watching AJ fishing for the first time with his daddy and his Opa.


• riding the carousel in the mall with Christopher


• having all the family...children & their spouses, grandchildren, parents, my brother and his wife.....around for Christmas.


• the view out my front window (7 mountain ranges!!)

That list could go on indefinitely. I am so blessed. So as I face a new year with its list of goals for all the areas of my life, I'm looking forward to lots of new "good things" and to all that this new year has in store. And today as I sit, I reflect back but I also look forward with great anticipation for all that God will teach me as I sit and wait on Him.