One of the first tasks today, as every day, was to talk the dog outside to do her "business". We went out, not for exercise or playtime, but with that sole purpose in mind. But then there was a distraction. With spring in the air, squirrels and chipmunks are on the move. And so off Molly went, chasing the poor squirrel who had the misfortune to be crossing our driveway at that precise moment. Any thought of our original purpose was lost as she ran full throttle after that squirrel. Eventually she gave up the chase and came to the back door, ready to come inside.....never having accomplished the original purpose for going outdoors in the first place.
It occurred to me that this is such an illustration of my life......and perhaps not just me, but most of us, if we were really honest! We get up and begin our day with a purpose, with tasks to be accomplished, with goals for our day, maybe even with a list (6 most important things!!). And then something happens. We are distracted. And maybe the distractions are even worthwhile and/or necessary tasks. Often the distractions are not worthwhile endeavors, just time-wasters. But at the end of the day, the result is the same......the original purpose, the list goes undone.
I think this may be especially true in the spiritual realm. We are committed to staying on track, to living a focused life, a purpose-driven life if you will. We have goals to be accomplished.....a certain time in prayer or Scripture to be studied and/or memorized, as examples. And then "life" happens and we are distracted. Result: at the end of the day, we still have not done what we set out to do.
What's the solution? We certainly can't go through life as automated robots, "performing" only the tasks on "the list". We must be flexible to respond to life as it happens.......to the child who is suddenly running an unexplained fever, to the phone call from a friend or family member with a need, to fatigue, to any number of things as they happen. But how do we maintain our focus, our purpose, in spite of this? How do we avoid the so-called tyranny of the urgent? What does it look like, in real life, to be focused, purposeful, disciplined?
So often my life is more like "For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing." (Romans 7:19)
But what I want it to be is "let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith". (Hebrews 12:1-2)
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Prayer
"Prayer pulls the rope down below and the great bell rings above in the ears of God. Some scarcely stir the bell, for they pray so languidly; others give only an occasional jerk at the rope. But he who communicates with heaven is the man who grasps the rope boldly and pulls continuously with all his might." -- Charles H. Spurgeon
"Evening, morning, and at noon will I pray." (Psalm 55:17)
"Pray without ceasing." (1 Thessalonians 5:17)
What powerful words from this great preacher of days gone by, and what powerful exhortation from the pages of Scripture. As the old hymn says, "oh what peace we often forfeit, oh what needless pain we bear, all because we do not carry everything to God in prayer."
"Evening, morning, and at noon will I pray." (Psalm 55:17)
"Pray without ceasing." (1 Thessalonians 5:17)
What powerful words from this great preacher of days gone by, and what powerful exhortation from the pages of Scripture. As the old hymn says, "oh what peace we often forfeit, oh what needless pain we bear, all because we do not carry everything to God in prayer."
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
What a Day!
It's a foggy, wet, gloomy day here in the mountains. I almost expect to see a headless horseman galloping by! (That's a reference to The Legend of Sleepy Hollow for you non-literary types.)
It doesn't feel much like spring either.....not only wet and foggy, but cold. I'm looking forward to a sunnier day, hopefully very soon........which reminds me of a passage in 1 Corinthians 13......
"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. But for right now, until that completeness, we have three things to do to lead us toward that consummation: Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best of the three is love. (1 Corinthians 13:12-13 The Message)
Seeing God clearly and knowing Him fully! That's what I'm looking forward to......the day when the mist clears and we no longer see dimly. What a day that will be!
It doesn't feel much like spring either.....not only wet and foggy, but cold. I'm looking forward to a sunnier day, hopefully very soon........which reminds me of a passage in 1 Corinthians 13......
"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. But for right now, until that completeness, we have three things to do to lead us toward that consummation: Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best of the three is love. (1 Corinthians 13:12-13 The Message)
Seeing God clearly and knowing Him fully! That's what I'm looking forward to......the day when the mist clears and we no longer see dimly. What a day that will be!
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Pursuit
I've been spending some time in A. W. Tozer's The Pursuit of God lately. So allow me to share a passage that I've been camped out in.
Tozer writes (many years ago) "In this hour of all-but-universal darkness one cheering gleam appears....increasing numbers of persons whose religious lives are marked by a growing hunger after God Himself.....eager for spiritual realities....they are athirst for God, and they will not be satisfied till they have drunk deep at the Fountain of Living Water......It is not mere words that nourish the soul, but God Himself.......the Bible is a means to bring men to an intimate and satisfying knowledge of God, that they may enter into Him, that they may delight in His Presence, may taste and know the inner sweetness of the very God Himself in the core and center of their hearts."
This kind of pursuit is what Tozer describes as "following hard after God." And this kind of pursuit, this following hard is the deepest desire of my heart!
Tozer writes (many years ago) "In this hour of all-but-universal darkness one cheering gleam appears....increasing numbers of persons whose religious lives are marked by a growing hunger after God Himself.....eager for spiritual realities....they are athirst for God, and they will not be satisfied till they have drunk deep at the Fountain of Living Water......It is not mere words that nourish the soul, but God Himself.......the Bible is a means to bring men to an intimate and satisfying knowledge of God, that they may enter into Him, that they may delight in His Presence, may taste and know the inner sweetness of the very God Himself in the core and center of their hearts."
This kind of pursuit is what Tozer describes as "following hard after God." And this kind of pursuit, this following hard is the deepest desire of my heart!
Monday, March 23, 2009
Purpose
"God made us to be worshipers. That was the purpose of God in bringing us into the world." - A. W. Tozer
"God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth." (John 4:24)
Friday, March 20, 2009
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Continuing the Conversation
Continuing the worship/service "conversation", I am really bothered by a prevailing attitude I find among many Christians that worship equals music/singing. Note how often we refer to the congregational singing in our church services as the "praise and worship", thereby implying that the other parts of the service are not opportunities for praise and/or worship. Even the term "praise and worship" bothers me to a degree, in that it implies two different things. I suppose that praise is loud and lively, while worship is not??????
I think that all this is an indication that we don't really understand what worship is. Certainly there are many different expressions of worship. Music is one of those expressions. Not just the quiet, contemplative music, but the energetic music as well. Worship music takes many forms.....the classic hymns of the church that have stood the test of centuries, the so-called contemporary music that is being written currently, and all the music in between that was written to honor God. Which is the whole point, isn't it?? Is it not the purpose of "worship" to see God as He is, to honor Him as God, to give Him the glory, the "worth-ship" due Him simply because He is God? To limit this expression to one kind of music, even to limit that expression to music alone, I believe is to misunderstand what worship is.
Let me be clear......I love music. I love all kinds of music. And I often express my love and adoration for God through music, both as a "performer" and as a "listener". But I don't believe that worship is limited to music, whether vocal or instrumental. I often worship God as I walk down the driveway and find myself in awe of the beautiful world He has made......in complete silence as I listen to the sounds of the birds and the wind, of the world around me......as I read His Word......in prayer. I don't believe worship is so much about the structure we give to it, the music we choose for our church service, whether or not we lift our hands or clap our hands or sit or stand. I believe worship is an attitude of the heart as it is directed God-ward.
And another point. If we refer, as is often the case, to the church service as the "worship service", why do we then refer to the singing part of the service as the "worship"? If it is a worship service, then shouldn't everything we do be part of our worship? Otherwise, why are we doing it?
I think that all this is an indication that we don't really understand what worship is. Certainly there are many different expressions of worship. Music is one of those expressions. Not just the quiet, contemplative music, but the energetic music as well. Worship music takes many forms.....the classic hymns of the church that have stood the test of centuries, the so-called contemporary music that is being written currently, and all the music in between that was written to honor God. Which is the whole point, isn't it?? Is it not the purpose of "worship" to see God as He is, to honor Him as God, to give Him the glory, the "worth-ship" due Him simply because He is God? To limit this expression to one kind of music, even to limit that expression to music alone, I believe is to misunderstand what worship is.
Let me be clear......I love music. I love all kinds of music. And I often express my love and adoration for God through music, both as a "performer" and as a "listener". But I don't believe that worship is limited to music, whether vocal or instrumental. I often worship God as I walk down the driveway and find myself in awe of the beautiful world He has made......in complete silence as I listen to the sounds of the birds and the wind, of the world around me......as I read His Word......in prayer. I don't believe worship is so much about the structure we give to it, the music we choose for our church service, whether or not we lift our hands or clap our hands or sit or stand. I believe worship is an attitude of the heart as it is directed God-ward.
And another point. If we refer, as is often the case, to the church service as the "worship service", why do we then refer to the singing part of the service as the "worship"? If it is a worship service, then shouldn't everything we do be part of our worship? Otherwise, why are we doing it?
Monday, March 9, 2009
Something to Think About
I recently received an e-mail from a friend who had also read Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World. I think she summed up what I and so many of my friends have tried to articulate after finishing the book.....the "either/or" attitude most of us generally have toward Mary and Martha and the reality that what God intends is not "either/or" but a balance of both. Worship and service are not mutually exclusive! In fact, often we find our greatest times of worship can occur simultaneously with our service! And that's something to think about......
Thursday, March 5, 2009
The Promise of Spring
A lot of our snow melted yesterday. It isn't all gone yet....there's still a lot of snow in the woods and in the shaded areas......but a lot has melted. The down side of that is how dreary everything looks without that beautiful, pristine white snow. Brown grass, dormant shrubs, mud and slush everywhere.....yuck!
The bright spot is the crocuses! These beautiful yellow and purple blooms have popped up from the snow, and the daffodils are beginning to appear. Yellow and purple.....the colors of spring! These hardy little plants bring with them the promise of spring, the promise of better days soon to come. Thank God for the promise of spring! (Is that a song lyric? It sounds as though it should be!) Seeing those beautiful purple and yellow blossoms gives me hope that winter is soon going to be only a memory. Spring.....flowers, green grass, leaves on the trees again, warm sunshine.....definitely something to look forward to!
I think we may have more hints of spring in the next few days. The weatherman is promising sunshine and spring-like temperatures. I wonder if this is the real deal or just a tease?
The bright spot is the crocuses! These beautiful yellow and purple blooms have popped up from the snow, and the daffodils are beginning to appear. Yellow and purple.....the colors of spring! These hardy little plants bring with them the promise of spring, the promise of better days soon to come. Thank God for the promise of spring! (Is that a song lyric? It sounds as though it should be!) Seeing those beautiful purple and yellow blossoms gives me hope that winter is soon going to be only a memory. Spring.....flowers, green grass, leaves on the trees again, warm sunshine.....definitely something to look forward to!
I think we may have more hints of spring in the next few days. The weatherman is promising sunshine and spring-like temperatures. I wonder if this is the real deal or just a tease?
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Books
I love to read! Reading has been one of my favorite things since I was a very small child, about age 4, and could actually read books for myself! My next door neighbor, who was several years older than I, shared her Dick and Jane books with me and I learned to read. Long before I ventured into the hallowed halls of O. P. Earle Elementary School as a timid first grader, Dick and Jane and the rest of the gang were my good friends! In the many years that have passed since then, I have read many, many books......far more than I could begin to count.
As we entered 2009 one of my goals was to read deep rather than wide this year. I enjoy reading all kinds of books....both fiction and non-fiction.....I love mysteries, crime thrillers and historical romances as well as biographies, books on Christian living, books about prophecy and end times.....all kinds of books! I'm not sure that I am completely accomplishing my goal, as some of the books I have read so far this year would certainly not qualify as "deep", although some do. Among the goals yet to be accomplished are to re-read the novels of Jane Austen and Charles Dickens, two of my all-time favorite authors.
In any event, to keep myself focused on the goal, I have decided to make a list of the books I have read so far. I'll add to this list periodically as the year progresses, and in the end, we'll see if I have accomplished what I set out to do. So, here goes......here's what has been read so far (not in any particular order, except as I have remembered them):
Thorn in My Heart (Liz Curtis Higgs)
Fair Is the Rose (Liz Curtis Higgs)
Whence Came a Prince (Liz Curtis Higgs)
Grace in Thine Eyes (Liz Curtis Higgs)
Israel, My Beloved (Kay Arthur)
Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World (Weaver)
Having a Mary Spirit in a Martha World (Weaver)
The Atonement (John Grisham)
Epicenter (Joel Rosenberg)
Divine Justice (David Baldacci) note: this sounds like a "Christian" book, but the title actually comes from the name of the fictional town in which the action primarily takes place....Divine, Virginia)
Heart and Soul (Maeve Binchy)
Bruchko (Bruce Olson)
Season of Blessing (Beverly LaHaye and Terri Blackstock)
Scarpetta (Patricia Cornwell)
Rivals for the Crown (Kathleen Givens)
Tail Spin (Catherine Coulter)
I'll update the list from time to time. In the meantime, if you know of a good book, I'm always open to recommendations!
As we entered 2009 one of my goals was to read deep rather than wide this year. I enjoy reading all kinds of books....both fiction and non-fiction.....I love mysteries, crime thrillers and historical romances as well as biographies, books on Christian living, books about prophecy and end times.....all kinds of books! I'm not sure that I am completely accomplishing my goal, as some of the books I have read so far this year would certainly not qualify as "deep", although some do. Among the goals yet to be accomplished are to re-read the novels of Jane Austen and Charles Dickens, two of my all-time favorite authors.
In any event, to keep myself focused on the goal, I have decided to make a list of the books I have read so far. I'll add to this list periodically as the year progresses, and in the end, we'll see if I have accomplished what I set out to do. So, here goes......here's what has been read so far (not in any particular order, except as I have remembered them):
Thorn in My Heart (Liz Curtis Higgs)
Fair Is the Rose (Liz Curtis Higgs)
Whence Came a Prince (Liz Curtis Higgs)
Grace in Thine Eyes (Liz Curtis Higgs)
Israel, My Beloved (Kay Arthur)
Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World (Weaver)
Having a Mary Spirit in a Martha World (Weaver)
The Atonement (John Grisham)
Epicenter (Joel Rosenberg)
Divine Justice (David Baldacci) note: this sounds like a "Christian" book, but the title actually comes from the name of the fictional town in which the action primarily takes place....Divine, Virginia)
Heart and Soul (Maeve Binchy)
Bruchko (Bruce Olson)
Season of Blessing (Beverly LaHaye and Terri Blackstock)
Scarpetta (Patricia Cornwell)
Rivals for the Crown (Kathleen Givens)
Tail Spin (Catherine Coulter)
I'll update the list from time to time. In the meantime, if you know of a good book, I'm always open to recommendations!
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Snow Days
A lot of friends and family have been excited over the last couple of days because of the snowstorm that hit the southeast. Many of these people have rarely, if ever, seen snow! They have been positively giddy at the prospect of a day off from school or work! All this excitement has taken me down memory lane to the snow days of my childhood.
Growing up in South Carolina back in the day, we didn't get the kind of snowstorms that our northern neighbors did. But when it did snow in SC, we took the day off. There was no school. Many businesses did not open. Much of that was due to the fact that because we seldom had significant snowfall, we were not equipped (with snow plows, etc.) to deal with it. So, we stayed home!
Those were such fun times. We layered on all the clothes we could find......back then there were no down-filled jackets, no lightweight-yet-warm-and-waterproof fabrics, so we wore lots of clothes! Because our gloves and mittens weren't waterproof either, we often put plastic bags secured with rubber bands over the gloves in an attempt to keep our hands dry. Then, sufficiently bundled up, out the door we went to play.....snowmen, snow angels, snowball fights....playing until we were too cold and wet to stand it any more, and then we came back in, stripped off all the wet clothes which were hung to dry in anticipation of our next outdoor venture, put on dry clothes and made hot chocolate. Made it, not with a packet of mix and some water that were microwaved, but with real milk heated on a stove, into which we stirred the chocolate and then topped it with marshmallows! Yum!
Indoor activity on snow days included board games, blocks or Lincoln Logs, maybe reading a book. We did not play video games or pop a DVD into the player or listen to our I-Pod......those things hadn't been invented yet!! But, oh what fun we had!!
Growing up in South Carolina back in the day, we didn't get the kind of snowstorms that our northern neighbors did. But when it did snow in SC, we took the day off. There was no school. Many businesses did not open. Much of that was due to the fact that because we seldom had significant snowfall, we were not equipped (with snow plows, etc.) to deal with it. So, we stayed home!
Those were such fun times. We layered on all the clothes we could find......back then there were no down-filled jackets, no lightweight-yet-warm-and-waterproof fabrics, so we wore lots of clothes! Because our gloves and mittens weren't waterproof either, we often put plastic bags secured with rubber bands over the gloves in an attempt to keep our hands dry. Then, sufficiently bundled up, out the door we went to play.....snowmen, snow angels, snowball fights....playing until we were too cold and wet to stand it any more, and then we came back in, stripped off all the wet clothes which were hung to dry in anticipation of our next outdoor venture, put on dry clothes and made hot chocolate. Made it, not with a packet of mix and some water that were microwaved, but with real milk heated on a stove, into which we stirred the chocolate and then topped it with marshmallows! Yum!
Indoor activity on snow days included board games, blocks or Lincoln Logs, maybe reading a book. We did not play video games or pop a DVD into the player or listen to our I-Pod......those things hadn't been invented yet!! But, oh what fun we had!!
Monday, March 2, 2009
Thankful
I'm feeling very thankful today. Not that I don't have reason on a daily basis to be thankful, but today I'm feeling particularly thankful.
It snowed here in the mountains yesterday.....across the southeast actually. Snow in the mountains is not all that unusual in the winter, but perhaps a little more so in March. It was not snowing when we left to go to church. It was snowing some by the time we left church around noon. We stopped for gas and also at a favorite local restaurant for a bite to eat. I noticed as we were eating that the snow was coming down more heavily, in large, puffy, wet flakes.
After lunch we began the drive home, about 10 miles up and down hills and around curves. It was a slow trip......lots of people on the road trying to get back home. We turned off the main highway and began the journey (several miles) along the winding mountain road to return home. After we turned off the state-maintained road and started up our road (a privately maintained road), things got more "interesting"! Part of this road is paved and was quite slippery in spots. We managed to make it up past the pond and made it around two sharp turns (we call them switch-backs here in the mountains) and started up the last stretch of asphalt before the road becomes gravel. We didn't make it. We ended up off the road, although not into the ditch thankfully......on the right side of the road, fortunately. The left side is the "fall off the side" side! Al tried to call for help, although he couldn't get anybody on the phone, and I began to pray. Actually, I had been praying for a while (being on the road in this kind of weather always tends to make me nervous), so I guess you could say I began to pray more fervently!
We sat on the side of the road for a while when Al decided he might be able to back down to the switchback, get us turned around, and make it to his parent's vacation house......which we could see from where we were but which was still quite a distance away. The problem with that scenario was that the rear end of the car was pointed in the "fall off the side" direction and we weren't sure if he would be able to control our direction since the road was so slippery and brakes were virtually useless at this point. Meanwhile, I'm still praying!!
Since I am sharing this adventure, you may safely conclude that we did not slide off the side, but were able to back down to the switchback, get pointed in the right direction and make it to Granny and Papa's house! Once we arrived there, Al got back on the phone and finally connected with John (who is responsible to maintain the road). The road was scraped and salted and we resumed our journey up the side of the mountain. Never has half a mile seemed such an impossible journey!! With thanks for the salt, a dependable all-wheel drive Subaru and an experienced driver, we arrived home in one piece!! It's days like this that make me wonder why I thought living on the side of a mountain (literally!!) was a good idea!!! I'm not planning to venture out again until this stuff melts!
Above all through this "adventure", I'm thankful for a loving Heavenly Father who knows my fears and gives me His peace through it all. I'm thankful that He hears and answers prayers. I am thankful that He is my Protector! And I'm thankful that He has blessed me with such a wonderful husband, who also happens to be such a good driver :)
It snowed here in the mountains yesterday.....across the southeast actually. Snow in the mountains is not all that unusual in the winter, but perhaps a little more so in March. It was not snowing when we left to go to church. It was snowing some by the time we left church around noon. We stopped for gas and also at a favorite local restaurant for a bite to eat. I noticed as we were eating that the snow was coming down more heavily, in large, puffy, wet flakes.
After lunch we began the drive home, about 10 miles up and down hills and around curves. It was a slow trip......lots of people on the road trying to get back home. We turned off the main highway and began the journey (several miles) along the winding mountain road to return home. After we turned off the state-maintained road and started up our road (a privately maintained road), things got more "interesting"! Part of this road is paved and was quite slippery in spots. We managed to make it up past the pond and made it around two sharp turns (we call them switch-backs here in the mountains) and started up the last stretch of asphalt before the road becomes gravel. We didn't make it. We ended up off the road, although not into the ditch thankfully......on the right side of the road, fortunately. The left side is the "fall off the side" side! Al tried to call for help, although he couldn't get anybody on the phone, and I began to pray. Actually, I had been praying for a while (being on the road in this kind of weather always tends to make me nervous), so I guess you could say I began to pray more fervently!
We sat on the side of the road for a while when Al decided he might be able to back down to the switchback, get us turned around, and make it to his parent's vacation house......which we could see from where we were but which was still quite a distance away. The problem with that scenario was that the rear end of the car was pointed in the "fall off the side" direction and we weren't sure if he would be able to control our direction since the road was so slippery and brakes were virtually useless at this point. Meanwhile, I'm still praying!!
Since I am sharing this adventure, you may safely conclude that we did not slide off the side, but were able to back down to the switchback, get pointed in the right direction and make it to Granny and Papa's house! Once we arrived there, Al got back on the phone and finally connected with John (who is responsible to maintain the road). The road was scraped and salted and we resumed our journey up the side of the mountain. Never has half a mile seemed such an impossible journey!! With thanks for the salt, a dependable all-wheel drive Subaru and an experienced driver, we arrived home in one piece!! It's days like this that make me wonder why I thought living on the side of a mountain (literally!!) was a good idea!!! I'm not planning to venture out again until this stuff melts!
Above all through this "adventure", I'm thankful for a loving Heavenly Father who knows my fears and gives me His peace through it all. I'm thankful that He hears and answers prayers. I am thankful that He is my Protector! And I'm thankful that He has blessed me with such a wonderful husband, who also happens to be such a good driver :)
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