Sound the Alarm

Facebook is very good about reminding me what I was doing on this same day last year or three years ago or ten years ago. Unfortunately, they are not very good at helping me remember what I was doing yesterday! Even so, it's interesting to get these reminders.

A few weeks ago, I was reminded of an event from our road trip in 2015. That was an interesting trip. Three months all around the country. Al was working, doing training on a new product, and I tagged along. For moral support. And just because.

Anyway, my Facebook memory reminded me of a night in Billings, Montana, where we were sleeping very soundly until being rudely awakened from our sleep by the blaring of the fire alarm. Fortunately, it was a false alarm.

A couple of weeks later, we were in the Chicago suburbs on the day for routine testing of all the smoke detectors and the alarm system in our hotel. As a result, all morning long, alarms were sounding.

That evening, Al and I were both startled by the sound of an alarm coming from our phones. It was a severe weather alert, warning of the possibility of flash flooding due to severe storms in the Chicago area.

If you live in an area prone to tornadoes or other storms, you likely are familiar with the sound of the storm alarm as well, particularly at this time of year.

Alarms are important. An alarm is defined as any sound, outcry, or information intended to warn of approaching danger.  

Paul Revere sounded an alarm to warn that the British were coming. The fire alarm warns of impending danger from fire. The storm alarm alerts us to danger from a coming hurricane or tornado or severe thunderstorm.

The Old Testament prophet Joel had something to say about alarms.

"The day of the LORD is near, and it will come as destruction from the Almighty. Blow a trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm on My holy mountain! For the day of the LORD is coming; surely it is near."  (Joel 1:15; 2:1 NASB)

Blow a trumpet. Sound an alarm. The day of the Lord is near.

If it was near in the prophet Joel's day, how much nearer is it now!

It is time for us to be sounding the alarm. It is time for us to wake up and pay attention. It is time that we who name the Name of Jesus are about the business of sharing Him with others. It is time for us to wake up! It is time for us to be sounding the alarm!  

The day of the Lord is near, much nearer than ever before. And we live in a world where we are surrounded by people who need to know Jesus!

People need the Lord. People need to know Jesus in a personal way, not just to know about Him. And people need to know that Jesus is coming again, that the day of the Lord is near.

It's time to sound the alarm!

 

"People, get ready.  Jesus is coming." (lyrics by Crystal Lewis)

 

 



"Knowing the time, that it is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep; for now salvation is nearer to us than when we first believed."  (Romans 13:11 NASB)

Some Thoughts About Getting Older

Over the weekend I celebrated another birthday. I love a good celebration! Since my stroke in November 2016, birthdays have become more special, and every day is a reason to celebrate! These months since the stroke have given me a new appreciation for life. A new awareness that each day is a precious gift not to be taken for granted. And every birthday celebration has become an even greater reason to celebrate.

Birthdays bring inevitable thoughts about getting older. I can remember when, once upon a time, I thought anyone who had passed their 60th birthday was really old. Having passed that milestone several years ago, I no longer think of it in quite the same way. Because the truth is, I really don't think of myself as old. I don't feel old. At least, not on most days. Of course there are the inevitable aches and pains and wrinkles that come with this season, but I really don't feel "old".

Birthdays also bring me to thoughts of Jonathan Edwards, that great American preacher of days gone by. I remember reading several years ago that Edwards had seventy resolutions for his life, all of which he wrote while in his early twenties, and which he read every week for the rest of his life. I'm particularly drawn to his Resolution 52:

"I frequently hear persons in old age say how they would live, if they were to live their lives over again. Resolved, that I will live as I shall wish I had done, supposing I live to old age."

As I am celebrating another birthday, Johnathan Edwards' resolution continues to be my resolution, for the coming year and for however many years lie ahead:  to live as I shall wish I had done.

A Fesh Start

When I began thinking about this post, I planned to say "Welcome to August". But since we're already a week into the month, that probably wouldn't be the best way to start. Since it took me longer than expected to get my brain wrapped around this topic, instead of thinking about a new month, I'll focus on a fresh start. That's what August gave us with this new month. A fresh start. A clean page on the calendar.

When I turned the page on the "official" family calendar on the side of the refrigerator, I smiled. It's my birthday month. We will be continuing our anniversary celebration with a cruise later in the month. And it's one month closer to fall and cooler temperatures!

We often think of a new month as a clean slate. A time to start over. But if your calendar looks anything like mine, it isn't exactly a blank page. There are a number of activities already listed. August is shaping up to be another busy month.

Even so, there's something refreshing about turning the calendar page. A new month means new opportunities. New adventures. New challenges to be faced.  

Turning that calendar page also means moving on. Leaving the previous month behind. Letting go of all the less-than-we-might-have-liked-them-to-be moments. The new month is time to let all that go, and time to move forward. 

Every day is a fresh start. An opportunity to move forward. Whether it's a new job. Or no job. Or a weight loss plan that has gone off track. Or frustration about a relationship or a health issue. Or time for school to start. Every day is the gift of a fresh start. An opportunity to try again. To move forward. 

A couple of years ago, as we moved into August, I was completing a writing project. Beginning a new month moved me into a new season, from writing to editing. Editing can be a tedious process: checking spelling; replacing one word with another; rearranging sentences; formatting; doing it all again; and then doing it all again; and again. Editing gave me an opportunity for a fresh start. To look at what I had written with fresh eyes.

Editing is not just for books or magazine articles. Sometimes our lives need some editing as well, and a new month is an ideal time to stop and consider what might need to be edited in our lives.  

Editing some things out of my life is an area where the Lord has been really dealing with me. As in, what things in my life need some correction. What additions need to be made? What things in my life need some fine-tuning. What things in my life need to be deleted.  You may find that to be true in your life as well.

Here are a few questions to help you get started in your editing process.

What foods need to be deleted from my life? What foods need to be added?

What habits need to be deleted from my life? What habits need to be added?

What corrections need to be made in my speech?

What needs to be deleted?  In my activities. In my recreation. In my reading. In my TV watching. In the way I spend my money.

What needs to be added?  In my activities. In my recreation. In my reading. In my TV watching. In the way I spend my money.

 Life is a process. And all those processes need some editing from time to time.

What better time than today to take some time to consider what changes might need to be made. There's no time like the present to do a little editing and make a fresh start.


"But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord."  (Philippians 3:7 NASB) 

Learning to Rest

"Rest is a necessary part of useful action. It is not something to be overlooked, neglected, or denied." - Alistair Begg 

I came across this quote some time ago and it really struck a chord with me. This idea of rest is one I've been pondering for a while. Perhaps it would be more accurate to say that I have been pondering the lack of rest, or resting or restfulness, that characterizes life in 21st century America. Certainly since my stroke I have done a lot more resting than I ever did before. But taking time for rest is the exception rather than the rule in our culture. 

Rest:  (noun) the refreshing quiet or repose of sleep; refreshing ease or inactivity; relief or freedom, especially from anything that wearies, troubles, or disturbs; mental or spiritual calm, tranquility.
(verb) to refresh oneself, as by sleeping or relaxing; to relieve weariness by cessation of exertion; to be at ease; to be quiet or still. (definitions taken from Dictionary.com)

Would anyone dispute that people are very busy these days? Over-worked. Over-tired. Stressed. Always in a hurry. In need of some rest and relaxation.

Unfortunately, people don't seem to know how to rest any more. And somehow we have come to equate being busy with being productive. Which is not necessarily the case. As a culture, we're always on the go. Always busy. Always in a hurry. Always have too much to do. And if we aren't busy and in a hurry and on the go, we seem to think there's a problem. That something is wrong with us or wrong in our lives because we aren't busy enough. We complain about being too busy and we complain when we aren't busy. When we don't have every minute of every day filled with some activity, we complain that we are bored. And somehow we have convinced ourselves that if we take time to rest, there is something wrong with us. That we must be deficient in some way if we admit a need for rest and relaxation. That we must be terribly lazy if we choose some down-time.

None of that is actually true. But we have convinced ourselves that it is. And so the result is that we don't rest. We don't allow ourselves time to rest. Maybe we don't even know how to rest.

But our bodies were designed to need rest. And not getting enough rest has consequences. Among these consequences, according to webmd.com are illness, including serious illnesses like heart disease and stroke; forgetfulness; depression; weight gain; aging skin; and a host of other things. So it would seem that this might be something we should pay more attention to!

We need to learn how to rest. I'm not just talking about getting a certain number of hours sleep each night. I'm talking about resting. Relaxing. Building some leisure into our schedules. Being intentional about resting and relaxing. Taking some time to do nothing. To take a nap. Or read a book. Or daydream. Time to rest.

We need rest in more than just a physical sense. We need to learn to rest spiritually as well.

"Rest in the LORD and wait patiently for Him."  (Psalm 37:7 NASB)

The word that is translated rest in this verse means to be silent, to be still, to stand still. It depicts the state of being motionless. It indicates the absence of emotional distress and the ability to be quiet and relax.

That kind of rest comes from knowing who God is, by having confidence in His character, by not only believing in God, but by believing God. By trusting Him. It comes from a settled assurance that God is who He says He is, that He has done everything He says He has done, and that He will do everything He says He will do.

Rest. We need it. Both physically and spiritually. But it doesn't always come naturally to us. We have to be intentional about resting.  

We have to learn how to rest. The first step is to be still.  

"Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."  (Psalm 46:10 ESV)

A Handwritten Note

I have the joy and privilege to gather every Thursday morning with some very special women for Bible Study. I love these women. They challenge me and pray for me and encourage me. What a blessing!

We are currently doing a study in the book of Haggai in the Old Testament using Jennifer Rothschild’s study Take Courage to guide our study. 

Haggai is one of those Old Testament prophets you might not have given a lot of attention to. His book is only two short chapters, but as we have learned from our study, it is full of encouragement. Full of the challenge to take courage. And that’s important for us in our world today. There are all kinds of reasons for us to be frustrated and disheartened and discouraged, just as there were back in Haggai’s day. But in the middle of their discouragement came a word from the Lord through Haggai to them, and to us. Be encouraged. Take courage!

As I was studying this week, I began to think about ways to encourage others. And that led me to thinking about sending notes. More specifically, sending handwritten notes.

When was the last time you got a handwritten note in the mail?  

It's a lost art, really. And that's sad.

We sometimes get notes via e-mail. Or maybe we get texts.  Or tweets. Or Facebook messages.

But what about a handwritten note. In an envelope. With a stamp on it.

We may get a birthday card or a Christmas card, and those occasionally come with a hastily scribbled personal message. But not often.

During my recovery from knee surgery a few years ago, and again during my stroke recovery, I was often encouraged by messages from friends and family members. Texts, messages, e-mails, Facebook posts. Even a number of get-well cards that came via snail mail! I read each one, treasuring each message.  But the ones that meant the most to me came in an envelope, with a stamp, and were not only signed, but contained a hand-written note. Sometimes just a sentence. Sometimes two. Occasionally a paragraph. Handwritten and intended just for me. What an encouragement!

Handwritten notes are rare these days. They occasionally come for birthdays or Christmas or during times of sickness. But even then, they are rare. Even more rare are the handwritten notes that come just because.  I think that's incredibly sad.  

Perhaps we're in too big a hurry. Or we're too stressed. Or perhaps it's because we have managed in our culture to condense all our communications to 140 characters, electronically transmitted. Perhaps it’s the cost of postage.

I have a box in my closet, and a file folder in my desk drawer, of handwritten notes I've received over the years. Some on fancy stationery. Some on a cute card. Some on plain, lined, notebook paper. Some on the cover of the church bulletin. I always save handwritten notes. When I first began this habit, I had no idea that one day they would be nearly as extinct as the dinosaur!

Sometimes, particularly on tough days or dreary days or days when nothing seems to be going right, I reach into the folder and pull out a note. And reading the note again encourages me. Lifts my spirits.  

That's the power of a handwritten note. Its effect goes far beyond its initial reading; it lasts and lasts and lasts.

Could it be time for us to revive the art of note writing? To slow down a bit and send a word of encouragement, a word that will last.  

Yes, it will take time. And effort. And yes, we will have to perhaps buy some note cards and envelopes. And yes, stamps are expensive. But what is it worth to encourage someone today?

When was the last time you encouraged someone? When was the last time you sat down and wrote a note? On paper. With a pen.

Why not do it today? I dare you.

"....encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near."  (Hebrews 10:25 ESV)

Perception vs. Reality

When we lived in the mountains of Western North Carolina, we often woke to foggy mornings like this one. When I would look out the front windows, or when I stood on the front porch, on mornings like this, visibility was very limited. All I could see was shades of black and white and gray.  

Even though I knew there was a world out there, I couldn’t see it. 

 

Reality was this beautiful view on the other side of the fog. But I couldn’t see it. My perception was not my reality. It looked like I was cut off from the rest of the world. And if one of those foggy days happened to be a day when the internet was down, then I really did feel isolated. Cut off from the world. Because my communication channel was cut off. Most of the time, once the reset button on the router was pushed, communication was restored and all was well.

I recently read the story of Joseph Scriven. I was not familiar with Scriven's story, but I haven't been able to get it out of my mind. Joseph Scriven was an Irish poet whose fiancée drowned the night before they were to be married. Grieving deeply, he decided to move to Canada and begin a new life there. Out of this experience and several others, he penned these words:

What a friend we have in Jesus,

All our sins and griefs to bear!

What a privilege to carry

Everything to God in prayer!

Oh, what peace we often forfeit,

Oh, what needless pain we bear,

All because we do not carry

Everything to God in prayer.

 

What's the common thread here? What ties these somewhat disparate things together?

 

Communication. And perception. What it feels like isn't always reality. Feelings aren't always reliable.

 

Some days, like those really cloudy days in the mountains, or on days when I’m spending most of my time home alone, it feels like I'm cut off from the world. But I'm not.

Joseph Scriven felt deep despair. Yet in spite of that he learned deep truths about God and about prayer.  Truths which he shared with us by writing these words we have come to know as the hymn What a Friend We Have in Jesus.

 

The reality is that, no matter the circumstances and no matter how I may feel, I can always communicate with my heavenly Father. On the clear days. On the foggy days. When the internet works. When it doesn't.  In the happy times. In the sad times. And in all the in between times. In all circumstances. About everything. About anything.  

 

The picture of fog reminds me of that this morning. It gave the illusion that I was completely cut off from the world, isolated and alone.  

 

But it's only an illusion. Perception isn't reality.

 

The reality is that I am never alone. And the reality is that I can communicate, through prayer, with the One who knows me best and loves me most. What a privilege!

 

"Draw near to God and he will draw near to you."  (James 4:8 ESV)

 



The Tale of the Sock Drawer

 

Where did they all come from?  Do socks have some inherent trait that causes them to multiply like rabbits in the privacy of the sock drawer?  

So many socks. Black socks.  White socks.  Gray socks.  Multi-colored socks.  So many socks.

How many socks does one woman need?  Not this many would be the correct answer!  

Yesterday, after thinking about it and putting it off for a while, I decided to clean out my sock drawer. Oh. My. Word. 

And that over-stuffed sock drawer doesn't even contain all the seasonal socks, with their Christmas trees and autumn leaves and pumpkins. Nor does it contain all the compression socks that were part of my knee replacement journey.

Where did all those socks come from? The answer, of course, is obvious. I put those socks in the drawer.  And I continued to buy new socks while never discarding any of the old, worn out, no-longer-with-a-mate socks.  

I must bear responsibility for the mess in the sock drawer. Just as I must bear responsibility for the clutter in the pantry that leads to too many cans of this and not enough of that. Just as I must bear responsibility for too many of the almost-identical, same-color shirts that hang in my closet. And just as I must bear responsibility for all the books on our overloaded bookshelves and tucked into every nook and cranny around the house. Well, that really isn't the same thing, is it?  (I'm sure every book lover will agree with me!)

I'm not sure I rise to the level of being called a "sock hoarder", but I may be getting dangerously close!  I really had no idea there were so many socks in that drawer. I should have counted them, but I probably would have been shocked at the number, and then far too embarrassed to share the number with you!

The sock drawer looks much neater now. The number of socks is manageable. The worn-out socks, the I-never-even-wear-these socks, the I-don't-even-like-these, and these-don't-even-fit socks have all been discarded.

How did my sock drawer get to be such a mess? The answer is simple, really. It happened because I wasn't paying attention.

Not paying attention leads to clutter in the sock drawer. And in the pantry. And in the closet.

In the same way, not paying attention leads to clutter in our minds as well. Unless we make careful, deliberate choices - about what we read, about what we watch, about what we listen to - our minds can end up as cluttered as my sock drawer.

I need to pay attention to what I put into my sock drawer, and I need to remember to take out what isn't needed.

It's a life principle, really. Pay attention. Not just to the sock drawer or the pantry, but to what goes into your mind.  

Remember that old computer saying?  GIGO.  Garbage In/Garbage Out.  

Think about that next time you pick up a book or a magazine, or the next time you sign onto social media.  Think about that the next time you start to watch a television show or something on Netflix. Think about that when you're choosing music for your playlist.

Don't let your mind end up as cluttered as my sock drawer.  Fill it with good things instead.

"Finally brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things."  (Philippians 4:8 NASB)

My sock drawer had some good things in it. Some nice socks. Some socks that fit well. Some socks that were useful. But it also had some things that didn't need to be there. The clutter made it hard to discern which was which, so a clean-up was needed.

Taking time to clean up our thinking - to declutter our minds - is even more important than cleaning out a sock drawer.

Do you have any clutter you need to deal with today?


"Create in me a clean hear, O God." (Psalm 51:10)