Josh 22:1-5
22:1 Then Joshua called the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh,
2 And said unto them, Ye have kept all that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, and have obeyed my voice in all that I commanded you:
3 Ye have not left your brethren these many days unto this day, but have kept the charge of the commandment of the LORD your God.
4 And now the LORD your God hath given rest unto your brethren, as he promised them: therefore now return ye, and get you unto your tents, and unto the land of your possession, which Moses the servant of the LORD gave you on the other side Jordan.
5 But take diligent heed to do the commandment and the law, which Moses the servant of the LORD charged you, to love the LORD your God, and to walk in all his ways, and to keep his commandments, and to cleave unto him, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul.
Iway annotcay eakspay igpay atinlay
I’m not kidding, I cannot speak pig latin.
The comedian, Bill Cosby said one time that the word “obey” was a fun word to say. He said it sounded like a pig latin word, “O-Bey”. He then went into a hilarious routine about the disobedience of his children.
The word “obey” is in the Bible 69 times. This does not include the other forms of the word such as “obedience”, etc. Obedience is very important in the structure of the Kingdom of God. It is, actually, a vital fiber in the well-woven fabric of every part of our lives. Obedience is important in the familial structure, in our public social order, & so forth, & so on. Obedience is inevitable. A person may say they do not believe in living a life of obedience. They may purport to be a free-spirit and thus they choose to not obey society’s rules. But they are still yet obedient. They are obedient to the rules of the “free-spirit”, which says, “Do not conform”. They are not obeying the rules of a certain aspect of society, but they are obedient all the same, just to a different set of rules! Romans 6:12 refers to sin that reigns in our bodies and how we may find ourselves obeying its evil desires. Oh, yes. We all obey, and we choose which rules we obey.
Throughout the Old Testament you’ll see the act of a sacrifice to be vital to God’s relationship with humanity. And yet, as important as a sacrifice is to God, his word says that obedience is better than sacrifice. (We obviously do not offer the blood of animals today, but we offer the sacrifice of praise!) The Bible tells us over & over to “obey the voice” of God. In general we do not have a problem with the concept of obeying the voice of God. (Unless we happen to be closely associated with Psychiatrists, then we’re concerned about ANY voices we may hear!) But in general, Christians have no problem with this foundational belief. It’s the other instructions of obedience that our society & sometimes even our own flesh struggle with. But the Bible instructs us to:
Obey the commandments of the Lord, (Deuteronomy 11:27)
Obey the truth (Romans 2:8)
Obey your parents (Ephesians 6:1)
Obey your employer (Colossians 3:22)
Obey the gospel (2 Thessalonians 1:8)
Obey the written instruction of the Apostles (2 Thessalonians 3:14)
Obey government officials & the laws of the land (Titus 3:1)
Obey your spiritual leaders (Hebrews 13:17)
That’s a lot of pig latin: Obey! Obey! Obey!
The older we get, the harder obedience is! The definition is simple: to comply with or follow the commands, restrictions, wishes, or instructions.
It also means, to submit or conform in action to.
Simple, but hard… And quite necessary.
Do you know what the antonym of obedience is? Rebellion. And unfortunately, 1 Sam 15:23, lets us know just how strongly God feels about rebellion, “rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. “ (Yikes!)
If we’re going to be blessed by God for our obedience, we’re going to have to take note of something important in our opening passage of scripture (Josh 22:1-5). These people were blessed not simply for their obedience to God, but because they had also obeyed both Moses AND Joshua. Obedience is a purposeful behavior that we conform to and God blesses us for doing so. There is no grey area with God. He blesses obedience & curses rebellion.
It may seem easier to learn to speak pig latin than to actually obey the authority figures God has placed in our lives; from our pastor, to our boss, to whoever else there may be. Whether you understand Pig-latten, or not, choose to “O-bey”.
essingblay omescay omfray obedienceway
Oh, forget it! I’m trying to say, “Blessing comes from obedience!”
You can listen to Soul Java in audio on your computer, or download it to your iPod player at iTunes, or other mp3 devices @ http://deneerichardson.com , and http://deneerichardson.podbean.com/.
Monday, August 10, 2009
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Unity Equals Behavior
Eph 4:1-3
4:1 I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called,
2 With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love;
3 Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
Listen to these 5 scenarios & answer these questions to discover your own level in “unity” within your local church.
1. The department you are involved in at church is going on a field trip to a state park. You’re not a nature lover; do you go with your department or stay home?
2. Your pastor is pulling on the congregation for more demonstrative worship; do you join the others in the aisle, or up front, or decide God knows the sincerity of your heart & remain worshipping at your seat?
3. You are a member of the outreach team and you’re going with them to pass out tracts in the park, do you ride with the group in the van, or take your own vehicle?
4. A leader in the pulpit has just announced something that causes a big bulk of people to show excitement by clapping, shouting, some are even standing; do you join the raucous even though you have no idea why they’re so happy, or do you sit back, staring in shock at all the crazy loons?
5. The department you are involved in at church is going on a field trip to ANOTHER state park. You’re STILL not a nature lover; do you go with your department or stay home?
If you are like me, you answered that you prefer to stay home, that God knows the sincerity of your heart, that your own vehicle is, in fact, a gift from God, and the crazy people acting all excited about, God knows what, can sure keep up the show, its entertaining! And you’re STILL allergic to nature, and the leader KNOWS you prefer AC, & tile… Come on!
I didn’t say I DID those things, I said its what I preferred. It is truly the opinion & thoughts that run through my head. As a matter of fact, the older I get the more I want my own way… But by being in a leadership position at my church I see the affect my desired behavior would have on a group, and I really feel the burn particularly when I am not the decision-maker of the group.
When Paul wrote to the church at Ephesus it was not happenstance that he used the word, “Endeavor” in connection with the word, “unity”.
Dictionary.com tells me that “Endeavor” means:
1. to exert oneself to do or effect something; make an effort; strive.
2. to attempt; try
3. a strenuous effort
When I see people cheering in a sports arena, there doesn’t seem to be any “exerting” going on, or “strenuous effort”. Team spirit seems so easy! But… Oh, yeah. I forgot that cheerleaders exist for a reason. Even game attendees need a little reminding to get their act “together”. You see, there is no “spirit of unity” until there is a BEHAVIOR of unity. You may smile with pride when someone says, “Your church has so much unity!” But if YOU, PERSONALLY have not been exhibiting a pattern of behavior consistent with unity, that compliment does not belong to you, neither can you soothe your conscience because you’re a “member” of said unified congregation.
Believe me when I say “I know the feeling…” I’d like to tell you how much I dislike riding with a group on a bus or van, but I’m not gonna take the time. I don’t even like carpooling with anyone but my family! Why? Because I feel the need to have the freedom to choose the restaurant that better suits my diet instead of some of the greasy spoons the group prefers. On & on I could go telling you my preferences that seem so out of tune with the group’s plan. But personal preference is NOT what unity built on. Unity is ALL about the opposite of “me & my needs”. The foundation of unity is described in verse 2 as being “lowly”, “meek”, and “longsuffering”. To really be “in unity” requires SERIOUS selflessness.
The real irritating part about unity for me is not being able to fully understand how it all works. Really, how can something like riding in the same vehicle be unity? Why does it matter? Why does it matter if I join in a cheer that I know nothing about? So, I’ve come to this conclusion; I can’t pinpoint exactly HOW it matters, I just know that somehow it does. And furthermore, the end result is worth the selfless acts of unifying myself. Because even though with my limited brainpower I don’t understand HOW it works, I know that the memories made on those trips when I’d preferred a different restaurant but chose to bite the bullet & ride on the bus are lifelong memories that outweigh what I was feeling at the time. Furthermore I feel a closeness & bond with those people because of the experience. I know that the times I’ve jumped up with the rest of the church clapping and howling in complete ignorance was actually fun and I found out later what I was cheering about! The end result of unity is always rewarding & even spiritually powerful!
Look at some examples in the Bible of stories showing how unity brought either rewarding or tragic results:
In Gen. 11:6, even God determined that HE HIMSELF could not stop a unified people from building a tower.
Because the 10 spies were so unified in their DOUBT God could not bring the children of Israel into their promised land, Numbers 13:32.
A jail with guards could not hold a unified Paul & Silas in Acts 16:26.
A starving Israel was saved by the unity of Jonathan & his armor bearer in 1 Sam. 14:6, 13.
Nothing of real substance can be done without unity. Your pastor needs you to unify. Your department needs you to unify. Your God needs you to unify. And don’t kid yourself, Unity equals behavior.
You can listen to Soul Java in audio on your computer, or download it to your iPod player at iTunes, or other mp3 devices @ http://deneerichardson.com , and http://deneerichardson.podbean.com/.
4:1 I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called,
2 With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love;
3 Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
Listen to these 5 scenarios & answer these questions to discover your own level in “unity” within your local church.
1. The department you are involved in at church is going on a field trip to a state park. You’re not a nature lover; do you go with your department or stay home?
2. Your pastor is pulling on the congregation for more demonstrative worship; do you join the others in the aisle, or up front, or decide God knows the sincerity of your heart & remain worshipping at your seat?
3. You are a member of the outreach team and you’re going with them to pass out tracts in the park, do you ride with the group in the van, or take your own vehicle?
4. A leader in the pulpit has just announced something that causes a big bulk of people to show excitement by clapping, shouting, some are even standing; do you join the raucous even though you have no idea why they’re so happy, or do you sit back, staring in shock at all the crazy loons?
5. The department you are involved in at church is going on a field trip to ANOTHER state park. You’re STILL not a nature lover; do you go with your department or stay home?
If you are like me, you answered that you prefer to stay home, that God knows the sincerity of your heart, that your own vehicle is, in fact, a gift from God, and the crazy people acting all excited about, God knows what, can sure keep up the show, its entertaining! And you’re STILL allergic to nature, and the leader KNOWS you prefer AC, & tile… Come on!
I didn’t say I DID those things, I said its what I preferred. It is truly the opinion & thoughts that run through my head. As a matter of fact, the older I get the more I want my own way… But by being in a leadership position at my church I see the affect my desired behavior would have on a group, and I really feel the burn particularly when I am not the decision-maker of the group.
When Paul wrote to the church at Ephesus it was not happenstance that he used the word, “Endeavor” in connection with the word, “unity”.
Dictionary.com tells me that “Endeavor” means:
1. to exert oneself to do or effect something; make an effort; strive.
2. to attempt; try
3. a strenuous effort
When I see people cheering in a sports arena, there doesn’t seem to be any “exerting” going on, or “strenuous effort”. Team spirit seems so easy! But… Oh, yeah. I forgot that cheerleaders exist for a reason. Even game attendees need a little reminding to get their act “together”. You see, there is no “spirit of unity” until there is a BEHAVIOR of unity. You may smile with pride when someone says, “Your church has so much unity!” But if YOU, PERSONALLY have not been exhibiting a pattern of behavior consistent with unity, that compliment does not belong to you, neither can you soothe your conscience because you’re a “member” of said unified congregation.
Believe me when I say “I know the feeling…” I’d like to tell you how much I dislike riding with a group on a bus or van, but I’m not gonna take the time. I don’t even like carpooling with anyone but my family! Why? Because I feel the need to have the freedom to choose the restaurant that better suits my diet instead of some of the greasy spoons the group prefers. On & on I could go telling you my preferences that seem so out of tune with the group’s plan. But personal preference is NOT what unity built on. Unity is ALL about the opposite of “me & my needs”. The foundation of unity is described in verse 2 as being “lowly”, “meek”, and “longsuffering”. To really be “in unity” requires SERIOUS selflessness.
The real irritating part about unity for me is not being able to fully understand how it all works. Really, how can something like riding in the same vehicle be unity? Why does it matter? Why does it matter if I join in a cheer that I know nothing about? So, I’ve come to this conclusion; I can’t pinpoint exactly HOW it matters, I just know that somehow it does. And furthermore, the end result is worth the selfless acts of unifying myself. Because even though with my limited brainpower I don’t understand HOW it works, I know that the memories made on those trips when I’d preferred a different restaurant but chose to bite the bullet & ride on the bus are lifelong memories that outweigh what I was feeling at the time. Furthermore I feel a closeness & bond with those people because of the experience. I know that the times I’ve jumped up with the rest of the church clapping and howling in complete ignorance was actually fun and I found out later what I was cheering about! The end result of unity is always rewarding & even spiritually powerful!
Look at some examples in the Bible of stories showing how unity brought either rewarding or tragic results:
In Gen. 11:6, even God determined that HE HIMSELF could not stop a unified people from building a tower.
Because the 10 spies were so unified in their DOUBT God could not bring the children of Israel into their promised land, Numbers 13:32.
A jail with guards could not hold a unified Paul & Silas in Acts 16:26.
A starving Israel was saved by the unity of Jonathan & his armor bearer in 1 Sam. 14:6, 13.
Nothing of real substance can be done without unity. Your pastor needs you to unify. Your department needs you to unify. Your God needs you to unify. And don’t kid yourself, Unity equals behavior.
You can listen to Soul Java in audio on your computer, or download it to your iPod player at iTunes, or other mp3 devices @ http://deneerichardson.com , and http://deneerichardson.podbean.com/.
Friday, July 31, 2009
Mmmmmm, Good
Ex 35:25-26, KJV
25 And all the women that were wise hearted did spin with their hands, and brought that which they had spun, both of blue, and of purple, and of scarlet, and of fine linen.
26 And all the women whose heart stirred them up in wisdom spun goats' hair.
Ex 28:3-4, NIV
3 Tell all the skilled men to whom I have given wisdom in such matters that they are to make garments for Aaron, for his consecration, so he may serve me as priest.
1 Kings 4:29-30, KJV
29 And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding exceeding much, and largeness of heart, even as the sand that is on the sea shore.
30 And Solomon's wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the children of the east country, and all the wisdom of Egypt.
School is back in session! Our children and grandchildren, nieces and nephews are receiving knowledge into their little brains like a sponge takes up water. But knowledge is nothing if it is not accompanied by wisdom. Each and every one of us has the ability to have wisdom. Wisdom is not limited to the smart, the holy, the preacher, or any other. Wisdom is available for whoever will ask for it and live by it.
Usually I think of needing wisdom for decisions, and we do! But wisdom is more than simply making good choices. Here is Strong’s concordance definition: skilful, wisdom, wisely, wit.
Your ability to organize your home is wisdom. Your skill at sewing is wisdom. Your talent to write is wisdom. These “talents” aren’t merely genetic; they are gifts of God to be treasured. Glow when you’ve done a good job – you’ve just opened your present from God!
I’ll take it one step further: Its possible for you to be lacking in a specific area, utterly, totally can completely, NOT talented, but if there’s a need & you you seek God for “wisdom”, (or the skill) God can give you abilities that you were not born with. Then we should use our wisdom to live fulfilling lives, to bring up our children to seek after wisdom, to help others, to make the Kingdom of God grow...
A life full of wisdom is Mmmmmm, good.
You can listen to Soul Java in audio on your computer, or download it to your iPod player at iTunes, or other mp3 devices @ http://deneerichardson.com , and http://deneerichardson.podbean.com/.
25 And all the women that were wise hearted did spin with their hands, and brought that which they had spun, both of blue, and of purple, and of scarlet, and of fine linen.
26 And all the women whose heart stirred them up in wisdom spun goats' hair.
Ex 28:3-4, NIV
3 Tell all the skilled men to whom I have given wisdom in such matters that they are to make garments for Aaron, for his consecration, so he may serve me as priest.
1 Kings 4:29-30, KJV
29 And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding exceeding much, and largeness of heart, even as the sand that is on the sea shore.
30 And Solomon's wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the children of the east country, and all the wisdom of Egypt.
School is back in session! Our children and grandchildren, nieces and nephews are receiving knowledge into their little brains like a sponge takes up water. But knowledge is nothing if it is not accompanied by wisdom. Each and every one of us has the ability to have wisdom. Wisdom is not limited to the smart, the holy, the preacher, or any other. Wisdom is available for whoever will ask for it and live by it.
Usually I think of needing wisdom for decisions, and we do! But wisdom is more than simply making good choices. Here is Strong’s concordance definition: skilful, wisdom, wisely, wit.
Your ability to organize your home is wisdom. Your skill at sewing is wisdom. Your talent to write is wisdom. These “talents” aren’t merely genetic; they are gifts of God to be treasured. Glow when you’ve done a good job – you’ve just opened your present from God!
I’ll take it one step further: Its possible for you to be lacking in a specific area, utterly, totally can completely, NOT talented, but if there’s a need & you you seek God for “wisdom”, (or the skill) God can give you abilities that you were not born with. Then we should use our wisdom to live fulfilling lives, to bring up our children to seek after wisdom, to help others, to make the Kingdom of God grow...
A life full of wisdom is Mmmmmm, good.
You can listen to Soul Java in audio on your computer, or download it to your iPod player at iTunes, or other mp3 devices @ http://deneerichardson.com , and http://deneerichardson.podbean.com/.
What Are You Packing?
John 6:5-11
5 When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, "Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?" 6 He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do.
7 Philip answered him, "Eight months' wages would not buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!"
8 Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, spoke up, 9 "Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?"
10 Jesus said, "Have the people sit down." There was plenty of grass in that place, and the men sat down, about five thousand of them. 11 Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.
12 When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, "Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted." 13 So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten.
NIV
One of the reasons I like homeschooling is that I don’t have to pack Morgan’s lunch everyday. A petty reason to homeschool indeed, and certainly not the only reason I do, but the fact remains that I do not like to pack lunches. There’s no sense in packing left-overs, the reason they’re left-overs is because my family didn’t like it in the first place! Then I pack “kid-friendly”, albeit chemical-full, prepared lunches. They like these, until they see some other kid’s lunch, instantly making theirs unsatisfactory. So, now a morning ritual that shouldn’t cause a second thought is suddenly a stressful “event”:
“Are the teacher’s going to approve of the nutritional content?”
“Will the other student’s ridicule my kid’s lunch?”
“Will other children find my child’s lunch trade-worthy?”
Alright, so I stress too much over my kid’s lunch! The point is that lunch is an “event” every morning for every mother with a child in school.
In our day of understanding salmonella poisoning, fish is the last thing we’d pack. But there was a day when a certain mom could think of nothing better to pack than fish and barley loaves. Perhaps the kid was a real eater. FIVE loaves and TWO fish?! Or maybe he didn’t eat so much, but perhaps she packed enough for him to share with a couple people nearby. Imagine her surprise that evening as she heard how SHE ended up feeding more than five thousand people! And we don’t even know her name.
I’ve got to pose this question to you today: What are you putting in your child’s basket? No, I’m not talking about food. I’m talking about what you are instilling in your child that God will use someday? Are you teaching your child the art of sharing? Are you teaching your child how to speak politely to strangers? Are you teaching your child submission to authority? These things may seem small and insignificant to you, just as that mother’s fish and bread must have seemed. And unfortunately, because they seem so small its real easy to a long time without making sure our children are functioning properly. But if you’ll do your best even on the “small” things you’ll find God using your child to accomplish big things thru your daily contributions into your child’s brain. What you put in your child’s basket today makes the possibilities of tomorrow amazing!
So, what are you packing?
You can listen to Soul Java in audio on your computer, or download it to your iPod player at iTunes, or other mp3 devices @ http://deneerichardson.com , and http://deneerichardson.podbean.com/.
5 When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, "Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?" 6 He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do.
7 Philip answered him, "Eight months' wages would not buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!"
8 Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, spoke up, 9 "Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?"
10 Jesus said, "Have the people sit down." There was plenty of grass in that place, and the men sat down, about five thousand of them. 11 Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.
12 When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, "Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted." 13 So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten.
NIV
One of the reasons I like homeschooling is that I don’t have to pack Morgan’s lunch everyday. A petty reason to homeschool indeed, and certainly not the only reason I do, but the fact remains that I do not like to pack lunches. There’s no sense in packing left-overs, the reason they’re left-overs is because my family didn’t like it in the first place! Then I pack “kid-friendly”, albeit chemical-full, prepared lunches. They like these, until they see some other kid’s lunch, instantly making theirs unsatisfactory. So, now a morning ritual that shouldn’t cause a second thought is suddenly a stressful “event”:
“Are the teacher’s going to approve of the nutritional content?”
“Will the other student’s ridicule my kid’s lunch?”
“Will other children find my child’s lunch trade-worthy?”
Alright, so I stress too much over my kid’s lunch! The point is that lunch is an “event” every morning for every mother with a child in school.
In our day of understanding salmonella poisoning, fish is the last thing we’d pack. But there was a day when a certain mom could think of nothing better to pack than fish and barley loaves. Perhaps the kid was a real eater. FIVE loaves and TWO fish?! Or maybe he didn’t eat so much, but perhaps she packed enough for him to share with a couple people nearby. Imagine her surprise that evening as she heard how SHE ended up feeding more than five thousand people! And we don’t even know her name.
I’ve got to pose this question to you today: What are you putting in your child’s basket? No, I’m not talking about food. I’m talking about what you are instilling in your child that God will use someday? Are you teaching your child the art of sharing? Are you teaching your child how to speak politely to strangers? Are you teaching your child submission to authority? These things may seem small and insignificant to you, just as that mother’s fish and bread must have seemed. And unfortunately, because they seem so small its real easy to a long time without making sure our children are functioning properly. But if you’ll do your best even on the “small” things you’ll find God using your child to accomplish big things thru your daily contributions into your child’s brain. What you put in your child’s basket today makes the possibilities of tomorrow amazing!
So, what are you packing?
You can listen to Soul Java in audio on your computer, or download it to your iPod player at iTunes, or other mp3 devices @ http://deneerichardson.com , and http://deneerichardson.podbean.com/.
Engage the Blade!
Matt 17:18-21
18 And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he departed out of him: and the child was cured from that very hour.
19 Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out?
20 And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.
21 Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.
A wonderful friend of mine and my husband’s told us this story about his father recently:
After a couple of hours of mowing under the berating heat of the Florida sun and pressing humidity, his father came indoors for a rest. While lounging on his couch, covered in sweat, exhausted and cooling off with the A/C and a soda, a nagging sensation gave way to dawning realization - he had forgotten to engage the blade!
The disciples did everything they knew to do to deliver a young man of an evil spirit, yet to no avail. Jesus came on the scene and without breaking a sweat he rebuked the devil and it departed out of the boy! Jesus told them, “this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.” The disciples simply had not learned to “engage the blade”!
Sometimes spanking your kids fifty times a day gets no results! Sometimes nothing, from begging to sweet-talking, can get your spouse’s attention! Sometimes the most creative Sunday school lesson doesn’t work! Sometimes the best choir song doesn’t “happen” in a service! Why? Perhaps we’ve not been praying, or, (gasp!) even fasting? Those who do not live a spiritual life will continue to face the results of fighting fire with fire – which is always, frustration. But for those who involve God in our lives, (& don’t forget, God is a spirit and can only come in contact with us by spiritual means) we can fight the fiery darts of this world with the power of “a rushing mighty wind” (Acts 2:2), or “rivers of living water” (John 7:38)!
Don’t continue to exhaust yourself with no results - engage the blade!
You can listen to Soul Java in audio on your computer, or download it to your iPod player at iTunes, or other mp3 devices @ http://deneerichardson.com , and http://deneerichardson.podbean.com/.
18 And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he departed out of him: and the child was cured from that very hour.
19 Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out?
20 And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.
21 Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.
A wonderful friend of mine and my husband’s told us this story about his father recently:
After a couple of hours of mowing under the berating heat of the Florida sun and pressing humidity, his father came indoors for a rest. While lounging on his couch, covered in sweat, exhausted and cooling off with the A/C and a soda, a nagging sensation gave way to dawning realization - he had forgotten to engage the blade!
The disciples did everything they knew to do to deliver a young man of an evil spirit, yet to no avail. Jesus came on the scene and without breaking a sweat he rebuked the devil and it departed out of the boy! Jesus told them, “this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.” The disciples simply had not learned to “engage the blade”!
Sometimes spanking your kids fifty times a day gets no results! Sometimes nothing, from begging to sweet-talking, can get your spouse’s attention! Sometimes the most creative Sunday school lesson doesn’t work! Sometimes the best choir song doesn’t “happen” in a service! Why? Perhaps we’ve not been praying, or, (gasp!) even fasting? Those who do not live a spiritual life will continue to face the results of fighting fire with fire – which is always, frustration. But for those who involve God in our lives, (& don’t forget, God is a spirit and can only come in contact with us by spiritual means) we can fight the fiery darts of this world with the power of “a rushing mighty wind” (Acts 2:2), or “rivers of living water” (John 7:38)!
Don’t continue to exhaust yourself with no results - engage the blade!
You can listen to Soul Java in audio on your computer, or download it to your iPod player at iTunes, or other mp3 devices @ http://deneerichardson.com , and http://deneerichardson.podbean.com/.
Don't Cook, Cater!
Luke 10:38-42
38 Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house.
39 And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet, and heard his word.
40 But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me.
41 And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things:
42 But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.
Martha was likely a widow, the eldest sister, and she probably owned the house which is why it was her prerogative to invite Jesus into her home. Who knows what went thru her mind when she heard Jesus was coming thru Bethany? Who knows what household chores she had to push aside to rush out the door to catch up with him? Perhaps she had to push past friends and neighbors who wanted a minute of her time. I can only imagine what all it took to “receive him into her house”.
The word “cumbered” in verse 40 literally means “pulled away” and “pulled apart”. So Martha finally has HIM in her house but she gets so busy she feels “pulled away” from the excitement happening with Jesus. And she has so much to do she’s feeling “pulled apart”. I believe if she would have asked what He wanted, (catered to HIS needs) instead of doing what she thought was best (cooking for an army) He would have said, “I’d like nothing better than for you to sit right here by Mary.” As a matter of fact He did say that without her asking! Jesus said, “one thing is needful”. In other words He was saying, “I don’t need those things you’re driving yourself crazy over. I need YOU here with me.”
Here I am, sitting at my computer writing & recording. There you are possibly sitting at your computer reading this blog, or if you’re like me, your listening to this audio blog on your iPhone while you fold laundry, or run errands. Regardless, we can hardly relax in our multi-tasking world because we’ve got so much to do. Here we’ve worked so hard to have a godly home where Jesus feels welcome. We’ve got the Family Bible sitting out in the open. We tuck our children in bed with a prayer. We really have JESUS in our home but we’re so “cumbered”. We’re so pulled away from Jesus because we’re doing so many really good things! And we’re so busy & stressed by the good things that we feel like we’re being “pulled apart”; as they say, “coming apart at the seams.”
Let’s be responsible and take care of our families, our houses, our families education & growth, our commitment to our local church; but cater to Jesus’ needs first – and all He needs is for you to sit at His feet!
Hear the audio blog @: http://deneerichardson.com/#/audio-blog/4532364166
38 Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house.
39 And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet, and heard his word.
40 But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me.
41 And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things:
42 But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.
Martha was likely a widow, the eldest sister, and she probably owned the house which is why it was her prerogative to invite Jesus into her home. Who knows what went thru her mind when she heard Jesus was coming thru Bethany? Who knows what household chores she had to push aside to rush out the door to catch up with him? Perhaps she had to push past friends and neighbors who wanted a minute of her time. I can only imagine what all it took to “receive him into her house”.
The word “cumbered” in verse 40 literally means “pulled away” and “pulled apart”. So Martha finally has HIM in her house but she gets so busy she feels “pulled away” from the excitement happening with Jesus. And she has so much to do she’s feeling “pulled apart”. I believe if she would have asked what He wanted, (catered to HIS needs) instead of doing what she thought was best (cooking for an army) He would have said, “I’d like nothing better than for you to sit right here by Mary.” As a matter of fact He did say that without her asking! Jesus said, “one thing is needful”. In other words He was saying, “I don’t need those things you’re driving yourself crazy over. I need YOU here with me.”
Here I am, sitting at my computer writing & recording. There you are possibly sitting at your computer reading this blog, or if you’re like me, your listening to this audio blog on your iPhone while you fold laundry, or run errands. Regardless, we can hardly relax in our multi-tasking world because we’ve got so much to do. Here we’ve worked so hard to have a godly home where Jesus feels welcome. We’ve got the Family Bible sitting out in the open. We tuck our children in bed with a prayer. We really have JESUS in our home but we’re so “cumbered”. We’re so pulled away from Jesus because we’re doing so many really good things! And we’re so busy & stressed by the good things that we feel like we’re being “pulled apart”; as they say, “coming apart at the seams.”
Let’s be responsible and take care of our families, our houses, our families education & growth, our commitment to our local church; but cater to Jesus’ needs first – and all He needs is for you to sit at His feet!
Hear the audio blog @: http://deneerichardson.com/#/audio-blog/4532364166
Monday, July 27, 2009
Guilt, Be Gone!
I do a LOT of work for, about, with my church and sometimes I feel guilty about doing so much. The reason this has caused me some grief is that my church has a LOT of activities. As part of the leadership of the church I'm in a position to worry about "doing too much". Now, activities that have no "spiritual goal" behind them are no brainers; I Chuck 'em! But if I can point to an exact outcome that increases God's Kingdom I can’t see how I can give those up!
When I say I’m busy, I do mean BUSY! Besides the fact that I homeschool, blog, write & record music, (www.deneerichardson.com), have regular household duties, and so much more, I have a very intense church schedule.
For instance, starting with the 1st day of the week:
Sunday: morning worship service, choir practice, evening worship service
Tuesday: Bible study/worship service
Wednesday: Teach personal Bible studies, Orchestra
Thursday: ConnectPOINT @ the church
Saturday: Family prayer
PLUS, there are major events we (me & my fam) are heavily involved in:
Spring: Touch the Future, a ministers conference
Summer: two weeks of children's camps, Campmeeting, my girls' conference, Hadassah, Bible Quiz state & National finals, VBS, & more!
Fall: General Conference, Friend Day
Winter: THE HOLIDAYS!!! (We take advantage of this time of year to do a lot of personal evangelism.)
There are times of the year when I am fully, utterly, & completely exhausted and I worry about myself, my family, & my church. But here’s the thing; from my earliest days I had a hunger to not only hold the label of “Christian”, but to be a servant of God’s. As a child I would cry & tell God, “If you can use anything, you can use me.” As a teen I would sincerely tell God, “You can use me till you use me up.” My priorities have ALWAYS been to “seek first the kingdom of God & his righteousness.” Its what I watched my parents do, its what I saw the people I admired do, and its what I determined I was going to do! I’m not spinning my wheels on “cool stuff to do”! I am very deliberately determining what I want to accomplish and I am engaging myself in activities to reach those goals!
Do I get tired & stressed out? Of course I do! Did I feel guilty wondering if I’m ruining my health, my kids fun, my house’s cleanliness? Yes, I do…
…or rather “did” until I read this passage:
Mark 6:30; “…for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat.”
I have been THIS busy! I completely understand this! And my guilt was washed away when I put it all together:
1. I am a Christian.
2. I seek to walk in Christ’s footsteps.
3. It is Christ-like to be “too busy” about God’s kingdom.
Jesus and his disciples weren’t “too busy” spending their time & energy playing video games, or watching TV, or even working their careers. (You’ll remember that Jesus & his disciples were carpenters, fishermen, accountants, etc.) If you’ll read the entire passage you’ll find them exerting themselves in two-by-two evangelism, teaching, travelling, etc. You’ll find them disconcerted by the news of John the Baptist’s beheading. THEN after they get back to Jesus and he decides they all need to take a well-deserved vacation… Wouldn’t you know it, but the crowds show up by the thousands and instead of a vacay they are back at work again! Jesus, just as tired as the rest of the disciples, couldn’t bring himself to relax just yet because he had an understanding of what it would take to accomplish his goal, and at this exhausting period of their lives Jesus performed the miracle of feeding five thousand with five loaves and two fish.
…THEN he took a break and got that much-needed rejuvenation! (You’ll have to read my other blogs to know how important I believe a vacation is.)
So, if my Master-Mentor, my Savior, my Jesus exhausted himself to the point of not being able to find time to do the basics of life, like, EAT; well, that’s exactly what I intend to do! Sure its tough to juggle it all; putting enough attention on my kids so I don’t win the whole world and lose my own children, or finding the time to clean my house. It can be hard to give some focus to my own health, education, and well-being. I will certainly do all these basic things, but I will not stop placing a high priority on the growth of God’s kingdom, even to the point of exhaustion! The fact that I worry about everyone’s health & well-being keeps me constantly evaluating the cause and effects of what I’m involved in and where it fits in the priorities of life. In the times of dealing with an overly-full schedule it seems like I’ll never get through that stressful period; when, in fact, life is but a vapor! This life goes by MUCH too quickly. And as I evaluate what’s on my schedule I will chuck those things that Jesus deemed less important. (Luke 9:60, “Let the dead bury the dead.” Matt 6:25, “Take no thought for food, drink, clothes…” Matt 19:29, “Forsake houses & family…” All of these in context with Matt 6:33, “seek ye first the kingdom of God… & all these things will be added to you.”) As for me and my house, with this new insight, I will recommit to stand on a decision I made a long time ago; I am a Christian and I will seek to do no less than Christ did.
Guilt, be gone!!!
Hear the audio blog at: http://deneerichardson.com/#/audio-blog/4532364166
When I say I’m busy, I do mean BUSY! Besides the fact that I homeschool, blog, write & record music, (www.deneerichardson.com), have regular household duties, and so much more, I have a very intense church schedule.
For instance, starting with the 1st day of the week:
Sunday: morning worship service, choir practice, evening worship service
Tuesday: Bible study/worship service
Wednesday: Teach personal Bible studies, Orchestra
Thursday: ConnectPOINT @ the church
Saturday: Family prayer
PLUS, there are major events we (me & my fam) are heavily involved in:
Spring: Touch the Future, a ministers conference
Summer: two weeks of children's camps, Campmeeting, my girls' conference, Hadassah, Bible Quiz state & National finals, VBS, & more!
Fall: General Conference, Friend Day
Winter: THE HOLIDAYS!!! (We take advantage of this time of year to do a lot of personal evangelism.)
There are times of the year when I am fully, utterly, & completely exhausted and I worry about myself, my family, & my church. But here’s the thing; from my earliest days I had a hunger to not only hold the label of “Christian”, but to be a servant of God’s. As a child I would cry & tell God, “If you can use anything, you can use me.” As a teen I would sincerely tell God, “You can use me till you use me up.” My priorities have ALWAYS been to “seek first the kingdom of God & his righteousness.” Its what I watched my parents do, its what I saw the people I admired do, and its what I determined I was going to do! I’m not spinning my wheels on “cool stuff to do”! I am very deliberately determining what I want to accomplish and I am engaging myself in activities to reach those goals!
Do I get tired & stressed out? Of course I do! Did I feel guilty wondering if I’m ruining my health, my kids fun, my house’s cleanliness? Yes, I do…
…or rather “did” until I read this passage:
Mark 6:30; “…for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat.”
I have been THIS busy! I completely understand this! And my guilt was washed away when I put it all together:
1. I am a Christian.
2. I seek to walk in Christ’s footsteps.
3. It is Christ-like to be “too busy” about God’s kingdom.
Jesus and his disciples weren’t “too busy” spending their time & energy playing video games, or watching TV, or even working their careers. (You’ll remember that Jesus & his disciples were carpenters, fishermen, accountants, etc.) If you’ll read the entire passage you’ll find them exerting themselves in two-by-two evangelism, teaching, travelling, etc. You’ll find them disconcerted by the news of John the Baptist’s beheading. THEN after they get back to Jesus and he decides they all need to take a well-deserved vacation… Wouldn’t you know it, but the crowds show up by the thousands and instead of a vacay they are back at work again! Jesus, just as tired as the rest of the disciples, couldn’t bring himself to relax just yet because he had an understanding of what it would take to accomplish his goal, and at this exhausting period of their lives Jesus performed the miracle of feeding five thousand with five loaves and two fish.
…THEN he took a break and got that much-needed rejuvenation! (You’ll have to read my other blogs to know how important I believe a vacation is.)
So, if my Master-Mentor, my Savior, my Jesus exhausted himself to the point of not being able to find time to do the basics of life, like, EAT; well, that’s exactly what I intend to do! Sure its tough to juggle it all; putting enough attention on my kids so I don’t win the whole world and lose my own children, or finding the time to clean my house. It can be hard to give some focus to my own health, education, and well-being. I will certainly do all these basic things, but I will not stop placing a high priority on the growth of God’s kingdom, even to the point of exhaustion! The fact that I worry about everyone’s health & well-being keeps me constantly evaluating the cause and effects of what I’m involved in and where it fits in the priorities of life. In the times of dealing with an overly-full schedule it seems like I’ll never get through that stressful period; when, in fact, life is but a vapor! This life goes by MUCH too quickly. And as I evaluate what’s on my schedule I will chuck those things that Jesus deemed less important. (Luke 9:60, “Let the dead bury the dead.” Matt 6:25, “Take no thought for food, drink, clothes…” Matt 19:29, “Forsake houses & family…” All of these in context with Matt 6:33, “seek ye first the kingdom of God… & all these things will be added to you.”) As for me and my house, with this new insight, I will recommit to stand on a decision I made a long time ago; I am a Christian and I will seek to do no less than Christ did.
Guilt, be gone!!!
Hear the audio blog at: http://deneerichardson.com/#/audio-blog/4532364166
Monday, February 23, 2009
Attempting the Ever Elusive "Me Time", wrap-up
If you've been reading my blogs for the last week you know I have spent four days alone while my husband took the kids to ski.
This alone time has done WONDERS! The kissing is better, the smiles are more genuine, the love is free-er.
The trick was not falling into the trap of, "I need to get out of town." Or, "I need a pedicure!" At least that was the case for me. Initially I was making the ski trip plans for four people, but after Christian agreed that he could handle the children on his own I opted to stay home. The comfort of my home was so refreshing! I didn't have children to clean up after, I didn't have meals to prepare. It was one of the most rejuvenating vacations I've ever taken. I still got my laundry done, my Bible studies taught, my work-outs performed; I had a productive week, but I didn't have to multi-task to do it! It was awesome!
So, my advice is that the next time there is a 2 or 3 day trip planned, IF YOUR HUSBAND WILL AGREE, let him and the children go while you stay home and refresh. Your goal will be to get bored. After you've been bored you'll enjoy multi-tasking again! You'll get to refresh in the comfort of our own home.You can sleep in our own bed, on our own pillow. Fix low-fat, low-cal, low-carb meals without disgusting the children! Watch movies or listen to recorded books while you fold laundry. You may even clean out a closet... But that's ALL you'll be doing, not cleaning out a closet while you teach math AND while you are on hold with the pediatrician WHILE you mentally prepare for the children's service. ...you just clean out the closet. sigh.
The downside is fighting off those pesky maternal worries: "I hope he remembered her medicine." Or, "Oh, God, please don't let them blow a tire and die on the highway!" And there's always the fact that you know he's going to let them eat whatever they want! But, for a few days anyway, they'll be just fine. Ignorance is bliss when it comes to oatmeal or sugar donuts for breakfast. They could just as easily have a wreck with you in the car. And you'd be surprised how often kids remember their own medicine.
Our family has enjoyed the results of our "split vacation" so much we are crossing our fingers and hoping to be able to do this once a year...
I hope you get a chance to do it too.
This alone time has done WONDERS! The kissing is better, the smiles are more genuine, the love is free-er.
The trick was not falling into the trap of, "I need to get out of town." Or, "I need a pedicure!" At least that was the case for me. Initially I was making the ski trip plans for four people, but after Christian agreed that he could handle the children on his own I opted to stay home. The comfort of my home was so refreshing! I didn't have children to clean up after, I didn't have meals to prepare. It was one of the most rejuvenating vacations I've ever taken. I still got my laundry done, my Bible studies taught, my work-outs performed; I had a productive week, but I didn't have to multi-task to do it! It was awesome!
So, my advice is that the next time there is a 2 or 3 day trip planned, IF YOUR HUSBAND WILL AGREE, let him and the children go while you stay home and refresh. Your goal will be to get bored. After you've been bored you'll enjoy multi-tasking again! You'll get to refresh in the comfort of our own home.You can sleep in our own bed, on our own pillow. Fix low-fat, low-cal, low-carb meals without disgusting the children! Watch movies or listen to recorded books while you fold laundry. You may even clean out a closet... But that's ALL you'll be doing, not cleaning out a closet while you teach math AND while you are on hold with the pediatrician WHILE you mentally prepare for the children's service. ...you just clean out the closet. sigh.
The downside is fighting off those pesky maternal worries: "I hope he remembered her medicine." Or, "Oh, God, please don't let them blow a tire and die on the highway!" And there's always the fact that you know he's going to let them eat whatever they want! But, for a few days anyway, they'll be just fine. Ignorance is bliss when it comes to oatmeal or sugar donuts for breakfast. They could just as easily have a wreck with you in the car. And you'd be surprised how often kids remember their own medicine.
Our family has enjoyed the results of our "split vacation" so much we are crossing our fingers and hoping to be able to do this once a year...
I hope you get a chance to do it too.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Attempting the Ever Elusive "Me Time", 3
Today I have not yet been able to get to my desired place of boredom...
I woke this morning running late for my Bible study.
The Bible study went great! We talked about the creation of Angels and the fall of Satan & his angels... We talked about how we have authority over Satan and his imps. It was powerful! (The phone rang in the middle of it and my student nearly jumped out of her skin, she was so focused! LOL)
After my Bible study I ran home to write my Women of the Word Bible study, which takes several hours. (It may seem like a long time, but I'm not just studying for them, I'm writing them and I don't want to say things that are untrue... It takes a long time to research this stuff!)
I had a fun, quick dinner with my parents and sister, ran home & finished my Bible study. Ran to the church to teach the Bible study, and now I'm home blogging...
Of course everything I've done today I've enjoyed immensely! I LOVE teaching, writing, creating... But it doesn't bore me. It makes me want to do it more, and do it more ALONE! This is not the point of my "Me Time"!
I called & texted Christian several times throughout the day because I miss them. I wanted to make sure they slept alright, were safe, were having fun... The call kept going straight to his voice mail so I knew his power was off, which of course just made me more nervous! When he finally called me the signal was stinky. Bummer. So he texted me that they were fine, skiing, and they would call me when they got off the slopes. They did call and I feel more relaxed now. =)
So now, finally, my opportunity to get bored...
Wish me blessings!
I woke this morning running late for my Bible study.
The Bible study went great! We talked about the creation of Angels and the fall of Satan & his angels... We talked about how we have authority over Satan and his imps. It was powerful! (The phone rang in the middle of it and my student nearly jumped out of her skin, she was so focused! LOL)
After my Bible study I ran home to write my Women of the Word Bible study, which takes several hours. (It may seem like a long time, but I'm not just studying for them, I'm writing them and I don't want to say things that are untrue... It takes a long time to research this stuff!)
I had a fun, quick dinner with my parents and sister, ran home & finished my Bible study. Ran to the church to teach the Bible study, and now I'm home blogging...
Of course everything I've done today I've enjoyed immensely! I LOVE teaching, writing, creating... But it doesn't bore me. It makes me want to do it more, and do it more ALONE! This is not the point of my "Me Time"!
I called & texted Christian several times throughout the day because I miss them. I wanted to make sure they slept alright, were safe, were having fun... The call kept going straight to his voice mail so I knew his power was off, which of course just made me more nervous! When he finally called me the signal was stinky. Bummer. So he texted me that they were fine, skiing, and they would call me when they got off the slopes. They did call and I feel more relaxed now. =)
So now, finally, my opportunity to get bored...
Wish me blessings!
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
A Tribute To Lola Roehm Richardson
Of all the flavors and varieties of people on this earth Lola had incredibly deep respect for those fellow human beings with a handicap, most particularly, those that faced life with tranquility in spite of their more difficult circumstance. Lola never did realize how special she really was.
She was born to a mother who had been in labor for so long she had passed out into a comatose state. (Or the doctors put her there, either way, she was out cold when the baby was born & for some time after.) She awoke to find that she had given the world a baby girl and her husband had dutifully named their firstborn after both their mothers, Bessie Lola. Both Lola and her mother, (who also happened to be named Lola) hated the name, Bessie.
Lola was a bright child who excelled in school. But she was not merely a "book-worm". She was a real, honest-to-goodness girly-girl, through and through. She loved lovely things. She delighted over fancy things. She couldn't resist soft things. As a matter of fact, one day as she was leaving school she discovered the most unique plant she had ever seen; it had rounded edges, no leaves, and was covered in the most sumptuous, irresistible fur. Wanting to take in the fur to its full extent she intended to rub that silky fur and grabbed the plant with both, wide open hands... only to learn what a cactus was! BOTH her hands were covered in the tiny needles and it took a very long time to extract them all.
Lola loved her children with the same abandon she displayed toward that cactus; her whole heart. She told me a story about how after her divorce from my husband's dad she began to see another man. She truly liked being with this man and entertained the thought of remarriage. One day she was in a car with her boyfriend and her son. Her little son did what I've seen countless boys do, he put his feet up on the dashboard. The scolding that she watched her son receive from her boyfriend grieved her greatly and she stopped seeing that man. Was she happier because of her decision? She thought so when she told me the story. Did her son turn out to be a better person because she put him before her own romance. I really believe so. I've seen so many single mothers desperate for a man to depend on sacrifice her children's confidence and futures on the altar of temporary romance.
Lola took great pride in her education. She earned her Masters degree while rearing two children alone. She taught elementary school for over thirty years. She was favored by the schools she worked for, she was admired by the interns lucky enough to work in her classroom, she was appreciated by her peers, and her children loved her. She was also an accomplished musician, singer, and music teacher. She had many piano students who will likely be playing in their respective churches this Sunday. There are many praise and worship singers in various churches who sang their first solo in her children's choir. Her love for music went beyond today's culture of ear buds stuck in our ears, blocking the world out. Her love for music was displayed by touching it as she did that cactus, all over, with wide-open hands, experiencing it to its fullest.
She was adamantly against abortion. Long before I knew her she had an abortion*. I sat in the backseat of a taxi with her once and she told me with tears in her eyes of her regret at having that abortion. She said, "When I look at Christian and Robin now and see how special they are I can't help wondering what my other two children would have been like." She's the only person who's ever talked to me candidly about her experience in having an abortion. She has convinced me of its evil.
Christian and Robin. Her two crowning achievements. She raised them on her own. It was never easy. Early in my husband's life he talks of the various homes they lived in, unlike myself who has lived in four houses my entire life. They have very few school portraits because she would always forget to turn the slip in with the check to get the pictures back. Christian says that their house was always messy. These are the things that blocked Lola from realizing how special she really was all along. As far as she was concerned everyone she worked with had a sparkling home with the Good Housekeeping stamp of approval. She truly thought that every other parent was kinder to their children than she was. From her vantage point no one else ever had their electricity turned off. Her outlook of mankind was in general so positive that she felt she could never live up to their standards. Little did she realize that, messy house and all, she was far exceeding the average qua.
Christian moved to central Florida to be with me and we started our family. Robin's husband is an engineer for GE and consequently they have lived in various states. (Each of Robin's four children were born in their own state!) Lola created the most amazing, magical moments for our families when she brought us together for Kousin Kamp. She got the idea from Focus on the Family. Every Summer all the grandkids came to her house. (The first year there were four grandkids, there ended up being six!) They had such a great time with their grandmommy! She made them all matching shirts with their names on them. Christian always stayed at her house to help; he was the Kamp Kounselor! Robin and I had what we dubbed "Sister-in-law camp". If a child was wearing diapers they were too young to be at Kousin Kamp, so they stayed with us. Those are memories that are deep-seated in me. They conjure the best of emotions and sense of belonging.
One day Christian received a call from the pastor's wife where Lola was one of the music directors. Evidently, while in the middle of playing the Hallelujah! Chorus in a church service she stopped. She simply could not play anymore. To my knowledge she never played the piano again. We rushed to Pensacola where she lived. Robin, Christian, and Lola's two sisters, Helen and Jaye, spent months with various specialists trying to come up with a diagnosis. She had a very rare degenerative brain disease called, Progressive Supranuclear Palsy.
We watched Lola, in the last five years of her life become the person she always admired; a handicapped person who faced life with amazing peace. Don't get me wrong, she was stubborn and independent, both qualities that make care-taking difficult. But mad at God? No. Sad and depressed? No. When Lola passed from this life she was found lying on her side, in her most comfortable position in her own bed, in her own house. Her face was relaxed and peaceful.
February 13th, 2009, marked one year since her passing. It feels like its been five years since she left us. I truly miss her. But I see her clap her hands when I watch my daughter stand in choir and clap. I hear her teach when I listen to my husband explain mathematics or grammar to our children. Her voice will still echo through my thoughts critiquing something, and her giggle somehow is heard when my son says something funny.
...Oh yeah, and when I walk through my messy house I know it doesn't mean I'm a loser; it just means I have a lot on my plate.
Thank you, Lola.
*I can't remember if Lola told me she had two abortions or one abortion and one miscarriage. To her they were both traumatic.
She was born to a mother who had been in labor for so long she had passed out into a comatose state. (Or the doctors put her there, either way, she was out cold when the baby was born & for some time after.) She awoke to find that she had given the world a baby girl and her husband had dutifully named their firstborn after both their mothers, Bessie Lola. Both Lola and her mother, (who also happened to be named Lola) hated the name, Bessie.
Lola was a bright child who excelled in school. But she was not merely a "book-worm". She was a real, honest-to-goodness girly-girl, through and through. She loved lovely things. She delighted over fancy things. She couldn't resist soft things. As a matter of fact, one day as she was leaving school she discovered the most unique plant she had ever seen; it had rounded edges, no leaves, and was covered in the most sumptuous, irresistible fur. Wanting to take in the fur to its full extent she intended to rub that silky fur and grabbed the plant with both, wide open hands... only to learn what a cactus was! BOTH her hands were covered in the tiny needles and it took a very long time to extract them all.
Lola loved her children with the same abandon she displayed toward that cactus; her whole heart. She told me a story about how after her divorce from my husband's dad she began to see another man. She truly liked being with this man and entertained the thought of remarriage. One day she was in a car with her boyfriend and her son. Her little son did what I've seen countless boys do, he put his feet up on the dashboard. The scolding that she watched her son receive from her boyfriend grieved her greatly and she stopped seeing that man. Was she happier because of her decision? She thought so when she told me the story. Did her son turn out to be a better person because she put him before her own romance. I really believe so. I've seen so many single mothers desperate for a man to depend on sacrifice her children's confidence and futures on the altar of temporary romance.
Lola took great pride in her education. She earned her Masters degree while rearing two children alone. She taught elementary school for over thirty years. She was favored by the schools she worked for, she was admired by the interns lucky enough to work in her classroom, she was appreciated by her peers, and her children loved her. She was also an accomplished musician, singer, and music teacher. She had many piano students who will likely be playing in their respective churches this Sunday. There are many praise and worship singers in various churches who sang their first solo in her children's choir. Her love for music went beyond today's culture of ear buds stuck in our ears, blocking the world out. Her love for music was displayed by touching it as she did that cactus, all over, with wide-open hands, experiencing it to its fullest.
She was adamantly against abortion. Long before I knew her she had an abortion*. I sat in the backseat of a taxi with her once and she told me with tears in her eyes of her regret at having that abortion. She said, "When I look at Christian and Robin now and see how special they are I can't help wondering what my other two children would have been like." She's the only person who's ever talked to me candidly about her experience in having an abortion. She has convinced me of its evil.
Christian and Robin. Her two crowning achievements. She raised them on her own. It was never easy. Early in my husband's life he talks of the various homes they lived in, unlike myself who has lived in four houses my entire life. They have very few school portraits because she would always forget to turn the slip in with the check to get the pictures back. Christian says that their house was always messy. These are the things that blocked Lola from realizing how special she really was all along. As far as she was concerned everyone she worked with had a sparkling home with the Good Housekeeping stamp of approval. She truly thought that every other parent was kinder to their children than she was. From her vantage point no one else ever had their electricity turned off. Her outlook of mankind was in general so positive that she felt she could never live up to their standards. Little did she realize that, messy house and all, she was far exceeding the average qua.
Christian moved to central Florida to be with me and we started our family. Robin's husband is an engineer for GE and consequently they have lived in various states. (Each of Robin's four children were born in their own state!) Lola created the most amazing, magical moments for our families when she brought us together for Kousin Kamp. She got the idea from Focus on the Family. Every Summer all the grandkids came to her house. (The first year there were four grandkids, there ended up being six!) They had such a great time with their grandmommy! She made them all matching shirts with their names on them. Christian always stayed at her house to help; he was the Kamp Kounselor! Robin and I had what we dubbed "Sister-in-law camp". If a child was wearing diapers they were too young to be at Kousin Kamp, so they stayed with us. Those are memories that are deep-seated in me. They conjure the best of emotions and sense of belonging.
One day Christian received a call from the pastor's wife where Lola was one of the music directors. Evidently, while in the middle of playing the Hallelujah! Chorus in a church service she stopped. She simply could not play anymore. To my knowledge she never played the piano again. We rushed to Pensacola where she lived. Robin, Christian, and Lola's two sisters, Helen and Jaye, spent months with various specialists trying to come up with a diagnosis. She had a very rare degenerative brain disease called, Progressive Supranuclear Palsy.
We watched Lola, in the last five years of her life become the person she always admired; a handicapped person who faced life with amazing peace. Don't get me wrong, she was stubborn and independent, both qualities that make care-taking difficult. But mad at God? No. Sad and depressed? No. When Lola passed from this life she was found lying on her side, in her most comfortable position in her own bed, in her own house. Her face was relaxed and peaceful.
February 13th, 2009, marked one year since her passing. It feels like its been five years since she left us. I truly miss her. But I see her clap her hands when I watch my daughter stand in choir and clap. I hear her teach when I listen to my husband explain mathematics or grammar to our children. Her voice will still echo through my thoughts critiquing something, and her giggle somehow is heard when my son says something funny.
...Oh yeah, and when I walk through my messy house I know it doesn't mean I'm a loser; it just means I have a lot on my plate.
Thank you, Lola.
*I can't remember if Lola told me she had two abortions or one abortion and one miscarriage. To her they were both traumatic.
Attempting the Ever Elusive "Me Time", 2
On my way to have coffee at BD Beans I spent $2 and washed the bird poo off my car. I figured that if I were going to be pampered for the next few days I might as well not do it in a poo-laden chariot. (I don't have a garage & my parking place abide beneath a canopy of oak trees.) By the time I got to BD Beans it was 12:30pm, so rather than only have coffee I ate their amazing chicken salad croissant sandwich. Waaaay to expensive for a chicken salad sandwich... But I only had to buy one, (instead of at least two, & usually four,) so I SLOWLY ate it with pleasure. I read an entire magazine which included an article before I even touched the sandwich. I actually let it sit there for at least five minutes while slowly munching on the chips that came with it. The waitress asked with concern if the sandwich was to my liking. I smiled and told her about my goal to get really bored. I tried to ignore her envy since that only brings me guilt, NOT an emotion conducive to relaxation.
I got about a 1/4 of my research done for my Bible study while there, paid my bill & went to the grocery store for a "single woman's" grocery list; 6 frozen dinners & lemon Italian ice! I also stopped at the DollarTree for some cheap-o "get bored" supplies; bubble bath, pedicure supplies, a couple books, (neither one of them for relaxing. I need a few "the cat who..." mysteries for that.) I have fed my horses, cats, & dogs, spoken to my husband (they made their plane!)
Now I think I'll go toward my first step of boredom; a bubble bath. A bubble bath is virtually useless. You can't work on your computer from there for obvious moisture reasons. If you start a really good book in there your arms get tired. If you talk on the phone in there you risk NOT relaxing. I'll think I'll try to watch a movie... Maybe Stargate. Christian hates it but M&M love it... I'll figure out why.
I got about a 1/4 of my research done for my Bible study while there, paid my bill & went to the grocery store for a "single woman's" grocery list; 6 frozen dinners & lemon Italian ice! I also stopped at the DollarTree for some cheap-o "get bored" supplies; bubble bath, pedicure supplies, a couple books, (neither one of them for relaxing. I need a few "the cat who..." mysteries for that.) I have fed my horses, cats, & dogs, spoken to my husband (they made their plane!)
Now I think I'll go toward my first step of boredom; a bubble bath. A bubble bath is virtually useless. You can't work on your computer from there for obvious moisture reasons. If you start a really good book in there your arms get tired. If you talk on the phone in there you risk NOT relaxing. I'll think I'll try to watch a movie... Maybe Stargate. Christian hates it but M&M love it... I'll figure out why.
Attempting the Ever Elusive "Me Time"
So, a rare event has occurred for this homeschooling mother of two: I AM ALONE!
Really! For four days my husband and children have gone on a vacation without me. Let me tell you how it came about...
About two weeks ago I had come to the realization that I needed some SERIOUS "Me Time". An hour long pedicure might help, but I knew sixty minutes of fluff were not the real need. I told my husband and we were planning how to exactly remedy the situation. ...then we found CHEAP plane tickets!
I like me. But other people sound so much more compassionate, warm and fuzzy than I seem to myself. The cold, hard truth is that I'm a loner. My "love language" is Acts of Service, not Touch, or Quality Time... Do a job for me and leave me alone and I am IN LOVE, baby!!! Because this is my nature to homeschool requires real focus to present an environment of warmth and fun. I could tell that I was not enjoying my children properly, nor presenting myself in a manner for them to enjoy. I needed a break.
So, when we found these tickets my first impulse was, "Yipee! LETS go skiing!" I love skiing. I've done it since I was nine years old. One of the first trips I took with my husband was a ski trip. My kids were on skis by the time they were four years old. But I had to do what I had to do... Christian was completely comfortable taking the kids by himself to ski and thus remedy every one's needs... (He's such an amazing man.)
So, here I am. I've been alone for about 45 minutes. The things I plan to do besides my regular activities (orchestra rehearsal, bible studies, Hadassah meeting, etc.) is reorganize the Christmas storage closet and possibly begin the first draft of the All New 2010 Easter Drama. If I get bored enough I may touch my ever-growing To Do List, but the most important thing for me to do to get recharged for my family is.... (are you ready for this? This is the key to recharging...)
GET BORED!
If I get bored enough (or so I've learned from experience) it'll be like the last few weeks of Summer vacation when I was a kid. I couldn't wait to see my friends, I couldn't wait to use my new pencils and paper! (Christian always laughs at me for that one.) I couldn't wait to do the most dreaded thing of all: GO TO SCHOOL! So, I plan to get bored so I can enjoy what is truly a delight, a fulfillment, and a passion; being a good mom. (Hey! Even chocolate can get mundane without a break! LOL)
So, I'll blog more than usual to keep track of my activities. If I succeed or fail you can learn from my example! (Ain't I so sweet, looking out for you that way?)
I'm off to BD Beans for coffee while I prep my Bible studies, then to the grocery store for grub for me and the pets, maybe to the library.... hmmmm the possibilities are limitless.
Wish me blessings!
Really! For four days my husband and children have gone on a vacation without me. Let me tell you how it came about...
About two weeks ago I had come to the realization that I needed some SERIOUS "Me Time". An hour long pedicure might help, but I knew sixty minutes of fluff were not the real need. I told my husband and we were planning how to exactly remedy the situation. ...then we found CHEAP plane tickets!
I like me. But other people sound so much more compassionate, warm and fuzzy than I seem to myself. The cold, hard truth is that I'm a loner. My "love language" is Acts of Service, not Touch, or Quality Time... Do a job for me and leave me alone and I am IN LOVE, baby!!! Because this is my nature to homeschool requires real focus to present an environment of warmth and fun. I could tell that I was not enjoying my children properly, nor presenting myself in a manner for them to enjoy. I needed a break.
So, when we found these tickets my first impulse was, "Yipee! LETS go skiing!" I love skiing. I've done it since I was nine years old. One of the first trips I took with my husband was a ski trip. My kids were on skis by the time they were four years old. But I had to do what I had to do... Christian was completely comfortable taking the kids by himself to ski and thus remedy every one's needs... (He's such an amazing man.)
So, here I am. I've been alone for about 45 minutes. The things I plan to do besides my regular activities (orchestra rehearsal, bible studies, Hadassah meeting, etc.) is reorganize the Christmas storage closet and possibly begin the first draft of the All New 2010 Easter Drama. If I get bored enough I may touch my ever-growing To Do List, but the most important thing for me to do to get recharged for my family is.... (are you ready for this? This is the key to recharging...)
GET BORED!
If I get bored enough (or so I've learned from experience) it'll be like the last few weeks of Summer vacation when I was a kid. I couldn't wait to see my friends, I couldn't wait to use my new pencils and paper! (Christian always laughs at me for that one.) I couldn't wait to do the most dreaded thing of all: GO TO SCHOOL! So, I plan to get bored so I can enjoy what is truly a delight, a fulfillment, and a passion; being a good mom. (Hey! Even chocolate can get mundane without a break! LOL)
So, I'll blog more than usual to keep track of my activities. If I succeed or fail you can learn from my example! (Ain't I so sweet, looking out for you that way?)
I'm off to BD Beans for coffee while I prep my Bible studies, then to the grocery store for grub for me and the pets, maybe to the library.... hmmmm the possibilities are limitless.
Wish me blessings!
Friday, February 13, 2009
True Love...
Love is patient, love is kind, and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, 5 does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, 6 does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Don't ask yourself is this describes your spouse's actions toward you, but rather, your actions toward your spouse.
Love is NOT a feeling. Feelings are nice, but they are merely chemical reactions in your body. No, love is not a feeling, IT IS A CHOICE! You CHOOSE to humble yourself & show patience, kindness, not be provoked, and all the other attributes 1 Corinthians 13 shows us.
Make this Valentines Day one of TRUE love. One of forgiveness. One of DECISIONS.
And don't forget that when the decision to love is more difficult than you can bear; GOD IS LOVE. Seek his face & he will help you.
Don't ask yourself is this describes your spouse's actions toward you, but rather, your actions toward your spouse.
Love is NOT a feeling. Feelings are nice, but they are merely chemical reactions in your body. No, love is not a feeling, IT IS A CHOICE! You CHOOSE to humble yourself & show patience, kindness, not be provoked, and all the other attributes 1 Corinthians 13 shows us.
Make this Valentines Day one of TRUE love. One of forgiveness. One of DECISIONS.
And don't forget that when the decision to love is more difficult than you can bear; GOD IS LOVE. Seek his face & he will help you.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Saturday, February 7, 2009
What Miracles God Hath Wrought, Resurrection
My maternal grandmother was a full-time worshipper. But she was also a full-time praiser. When I tell you that she would squeal and dance everywhere, I do mean everywhere; grocery store, city bus, parking lots, amusement parks... Nothing was off-limits. All she had to do was start thinking about how good God was, or start humming a church song and after a chorus or two she'd delve into an old fashioned, pentecostal "fit"! I was nine years old when she died but I clearly remember helping my mom pick up her purse and its scattered belongings in various public places. (In her "spin dance" her purse would fling off her arm!)
Nellie Mae Butler had the grace to live in the era pre-birth control and she birthed fourteen children! No twins, just one baby after the other. (She raised 15 children because she took in her deceased sister's son.) All of her children knew the "get mom's purse" drill when she started dancing. They also had a system for guiding her out of the public eye if they could! They'd just surround her and start walking, she had no choice but to dance her way into the house if she was in the yard, or to the car if she was in the parking lot! One of the time I remember picking up her purse and its insides from the parking lot was right after she had her blood pressure checked. The nurse commented on how good it was for a woman her age. That was all it took! Nellie started telling her about how her health was attributed to God. How God had protected her so many times! How God had healed her and given her grace to face tragedy. She was telling my mother about the conversation when the joy of her God overwhelmed her and off she went!
However, tragedy is not held at bay merely because people are happy, thankful, or good people. One day Nellie was riding in a car along with some other people. There was no air conditioning in the car so the windows were rolled down. This was in the late 40's or early 50's so car seats for babies and children were unheard of. Nellie's newest child, Earl, was being held in the backseat. As they were crossing an intersection a person ran a stop sign and hit them square in the side, causing Baby Earl to fly out of the opened window and smash into the curb. It was a terrible wreck. Earl died on impact.
Nellie ran to the curb and picked up her baby. People gathered around. Emergency vehicles began to arrive. A police officer had confirmed that all hope was gone and they left the grieving mother her last few minutes to hold her baby. With tears streaming down her face Nellie told her God, "You've given me 12 healthy children. You've never taken any from me. If you want to take this one you can. I will love you anyway."
By surrendering her baby to God she was surrendering her own happiness. She was sacrificing her own emotions and maternal instincts. Nellie was not praising this time, she was worshiping.
When she uttered, "I will love you anyway." A miracle happened; That baby gasped for breath! People went running in all directions to get help when they saw all was not lost! The policeman was in shock! My grandmother was in shock!
When the doctors at the hospital saw him their diagnosis was that he would "be a vegetable all his life." (They had such tactful lingo in those days!) They said he would not walk or talk. But they didn't know Nellie's God!
My Uncle Earl is alive and well to this day! He is a husband, father, and grandfather. He was in the top of his classes in school, he was a star football player in high school. Every job he's ever had he's been a favorite of his employers and has excelled to management. He never misses an opportunity to tell people about how he was resurrected from the dead!
Nellie Mae Butler had the grace to live in the era pre-birth control and she birthed fourteen children! No twins, just one baby after the other. (She raised 15 children because she took in her deceased sister's son.) All of her children knew the "get mom's purse" drill when she started dancing. They also had a system for guiding her out of the public eye if they could! They'd just surround her and start walking, she had no choice but to dance her way into the house if she was in the yard, or to the car if she was in the parking lot! One of the time I remember picking up her purse and its insides from the parking lot was right after she had her blood pressure checked. The nurse commented on how good it was for a woman her age. That was all it took! Nellie started telling her about how her health was attributed to God. How God had protected her so many times! How God had healed her and given her grace to face tragedy. She was telling my mother about the conversation when the joy of her God overwhelmed her and off she went!
However, tragedy is not held at bay merely because people are happy, thankful, or good people. One day Nellie was riding in a car along with some other people. There was no air conditioning in the car so the windows were rolled down. This was in the late 40's or early 50's so car seats for babies and children were unheard of. Nellie's newest child, Earl, was being held in the backseat. As they were crossing an intersection a person ran a stop sign and hit them square in the side, causing Baby Earl to fly out of the opened window and smash into the curb. It was a terrible wreck. Earl died on impact.
Nellie ran to the curb and picked up her baby. People gathered around. Emergency vehicles began to arrive. A police officer had confirmed that all hope was gone and they left the grieving mother her last few minutes to hold her baby. With tears streaming down her face Nellie told her God, "You've given me 12 healthy children. You've never taken any from me. If you want to take this one you can. I will love you anyway."
By surrendering her baby to God she was surrendering her own happiness. She was sacrificing her own emotions and maternal instincts. Nellie was not praising this time, she was worshiping.
When she uttered, "I will love you anyway." A miracle happened; That baby gasped for breath! People went running in all directions to get help when they saw all was not lost! The policeman was in shock! My grandmother was in shock!
When the doctors at the hospital saw him their diagnosis was that he would "be a vegetable all his life." (They had such tactful lingo in those days!) They said he would not walk or talk. But they didn't know Nellie's God!
My Uncle Earl is alive and well to this day! He is a husband, father, and grandfather. He was in the top of his classes in school, he was a star football player in high school. Every job he's ever had he's been a favorite of his employers and has excelled to management. He never misses an opportunity to tell people about how he was resurrected from the dead!
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
What Miracles God Hath Wrought, He's In Control
I know that God is a healer. I have seen him give sight to the blind. I have seen him deliver people's bodies of cancer. He has healed my body many times! He has healed my son's body many times. But, for whatever reason, he has not healed my son of deafness. Madison is not totally deaf, he is Severe Hard of Hearing. He is almost completely deaf in his right ear and his left ear hears fairly well without a hearing aid. But believe me, teachers, friends, & family KNOW when he's forgotten to put on his hearing aids!
Madison got his hearing aids when he was two years old. Because he wasn't talking yet we assumed he was born not hearing. However, a few years ago we ran across an old video tape of the Thanksgiving after Madison's birth, (He would have been around 3 weeks old,) and it certainly appears that he was hearing like a normal newborn. He would "startle" when the silverware drawer opened, which was often since it was Thanksgiving. He would turn to face the voices in the room. He would give his attention to the door when it opened or closed. There were so many indications that he was hearing normally.
As Madison was coming up on his 1st birthday we had a skiing vacation planned. However, Madison came down with a cold & I was concerned about taking him into even colder weather than we have in FL. I decided that I would have the rest of the family go without me and I would join them when Madison was feeling better. We were scheduled to leave early Monday morning. It was a Saturday and the pediatrician's office was closed. To keep from losing my plane ticket I went to the emergency room for the magical "doctor's note", that is suppose to make teachers, employers, & airlines give us a break! The doctor checked Madison out and said he had a low-grade fever. He wasn't concerned because there was a virus going around. He looked in Madison's ears and said they "might be a little pink", but certainly not infected. He told me to take the trip, Madison would be fine. So I took the trip along with everybody else.
Monday night Madison's temperature skyrocketed to a scary 104. I had a baby sister die of spinal meningitis; a fever TOTALLY freaks me out due to my experience with her. Believe me, I was not a little fearful - I was crazy afraid! Nothing brought his fever down; cold compresses, Tylenol... I honestly can't remember everything we tried, I just remember nothing worked. I was praying and praying for him. I would hold him and walk the hall praying for him. I would lay on the bed with him and pray. I fell asleep while rocking him and praying. God was well aware of me all that night and late into the morning on Tuesday.
Where we were vacationing was not in a luxurious resort; we were out in the boonies! It was a 30 minute drive to the closest store, & that was a tiny convenience store. It was over an hour drive to the nearest pharmacy, which was the Clarion, PA, Wal-Mart Pharmacy. So, after my very scary night I decided to call his pediatrician and see if he would prescribe some antibiotics. But just as I was about to call him my mother piped up with a good idea: "Go ahead and get the phone number for the Clarion Wal-Mart Pharmacy so you can give it to the doctor."
Brilliant! I picked up the old, rotary telephone and dialed three numbers; 4-1-1. It was a rotary phone, I didn't slip and punch more numbers . I didn't dial an area code. There's not a doubt in my mind that I dialed 4-1-1.
The phone rang... and rang... and rang longer than it usually does when you call information. When a woman finally answered the phone she said, "Clarion Wal-Mart Pharmacy."
I was in shock! I knew I was calling 4-1-1 TO GET Clarion Wal-Mart Pharmacy. I wasn't sure what was going on so I asked, "Where did I call?" She repeated, "Clarion Wal-Mart Pharmacy." I couldn't believe it! I knew this was a sign from God that he might not be handling things the way I wanted him to, but HE WAS IN CONTROL! I said quickly, "Can you please give me your number!" Not know that she was a part of an amazing act of God she very busily rattled off the number. I got off the phone shaking my head. I went and told everyone in the house. Then I remembered to call Madison's doctor who did indeed prescribe antibiotics.
After watching that video of Madison's first Thanksgiving I am convinced that Madison lost his hearing due to that severe ear infection. I don't know why God didn't heal him then. I don't know why God doesn't heal him now. But God showed me from the very beginning of Madison's hearing loss that HE WAS IN CONTROL.
He's been in control ever since! Madison's hearing aids can cost anywhere from $1,500 to $2,500. He's gone through 3 sets of hearing aids; we've not paid for a single hearing aid yet! God has made a way EVERY time! I can't count how many times he's lost his hearing aids. (I mean, he IS a hyper, little boy!) Every time I go to look for them, (in a completely freaked out state,) I pray, "God, you've either got to heal that boy or show me those hearing aids because you know I can't afford to replace them." I find them every time!
...and Madison's speech is GREAT for a kid that can't hear! He gets along well with his friends who all hear normally! I could go on and on telling you the big and small things God has done to show that he is in control of this situation.
Can God heal Madison's deafness? Absolutely! Will he? I don't know... I fast and pray, but I always reiterate, "You know what's best for Madison."
I'm so thankful to serve a loving, compassionate, IN CONTROL God.
Madison got his hearing aids when he was two years old. Because he wasn't talking yet we assumed he was born not hearing. However, a few years ago we ran across an old video tape of the Thanksgiving after Madison's birth, (He would have been around 3 weeks old,) and it certainly appears that he was hearing like a normal newborn. He would "startle" when the silverware drawer opened, which was often since it was Thanksgiving. He would turn to face the voices in the room. He would give his attention to the door when it opened or closed. There were so many indications that he was hearing normally.
As Madison was coming up on his 1st birthday we had a skiing vacation planned. However, Madison came down with a cold & I was concerned about taking him into even colder weather than we have in FL. I decided that I would have the rest of the family go without me and I would join them when Madison was feeling better. We were scheduled to leave early Monday morning. It was a Saturday and the pediatrician's office was closed. To keep from losing my plane ticket I went to the emergency room for the magical "doctor's note", that is suppose to make teachers, employers, & airlines give us a break! The doctor checked Madison out and said he had a low-grade fever. He wasn't concerned because there was a virus going around. He looked in Madison's ears and said they "might be a little pink", but certainly not infected. He told me to take the trip, Madison would be fine. So I took the trip along with everybody else.
Monday night Madison's temperature skyrocketed to a scary 104. I had a baby sister die of spinal meningitis; a fever TOTALLY freaks me out due to my experience with her. Believe me, I was not a little fearful - I was crazy afraid! Nothing brought his fever down; cold compresses, Tylenol... I honestly can't remember everything we tried, I just remember nothing worked. I was praying and praying for him. I would hold him and walk the hall praying for him. I would lay on the bed with him and pray. I fell asleep while rocking him and praying. God was well aware of me all that night and late into the morning on Tuesday.
Where we were vacationing was not in a luxurious resort; we were out in the boonies! It was a 30 minute drive to the closest store, & that was a tiny convenience store. It was over an hour drive to the nearest pharmacy, which was the Clarion, PA, Wal-Mart Pharmacy. So, after my very scary night I decided to call his pediatrician and see if he would prescribe some antibiotics. But just as I was about to call him my mother piped up with a good idea: "Go ahead and get the phone number for the Clarion Wal-Mart Pharmacy so you can give it to the doctor."
Brilliant! I picked up the old, rotary telephone and dialed three numbers; 4-1-1. It was a rotary phone, I didn't slip and punch more numbers . I didn't dial an area code. There's not a doubt in my mind that I dialed 4-1-1.
The phone rang... and rang... and rang longer than it usually does when you call information. When a woman finally answered the phone she said, "Clarion Wal-Mart Pharmacy."
I was in shock! I knew I was calling 4-1-1 TO GET Clarion Wal-Mart Pharmacy. I wasn't sure what was going on so I asked, "Where did I call?" She repeated, "Clarion Wal-Mart Pharmacy." I couldn't believe it! I knew this was a sign from God that he might not be handling things the way I wanted him to, but HE WAS IN CONTROL! I said quickly, "Can you please give me your number!" Not know that she was a part of an amazing act of God she very busily rattled off the number. I got off the phone shaking my head. I went and told everyone in the house. Then I remembered to call Madison's doctor who did indeed prescribe antibiotics.
After watching that video of Madison's first Thanksgiving I am convinced that Madison lost his hearing due to that severe ear infection. I don't know why God didn't heal him then. I don't know why God doesn't heal him now. But God showed me from the very beginning of Madison's hearing loss that HE WAS IN CONTROL.
He's been in control ever since! Madison's hearing aids can cost anywhere from $1,500 to $2,500. He's gone through 3 sets of hearing aids; we've not paid for a single hearing aid yet! God has made a way EVERY time! I can't count how many times he's lost his hearing aids. (I mean, he IS a hyper, little boy!) Every time I go to look for them, (in a completely freaked out state,) I pray, "God, you've either got to heal that boy or show me those hearing aids because you know I can't afford to replace them." I find them every time!
...and Madison's speech is GREAT for a kid that can't hear! He gets along well with his friends who all hear normally! I could go on and on telling you the big and small things God has done to show that he is in control of this situation.
Can God heal Madison's deafness? Absolutely! Will he? I don't know... I fast and pray, but I always reiterate, "You know what's best for Madison."
I'm so thankful to serve a loving, compassionate, IN CONTROL God.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Friday, January 30, 2009
Miracles God Hath Wrought, $$
One thing I have marvelled over in my adult life is the fact that no matter how much money a person has, its never enough. We make a decent living now, but we still have to budget to pay our bills. I've seen millionaires have to budget to pay their bills... Such is life! [sigh]
When Christian and I were first married we would not buy gifts for each other at Christmas time because we spent all of our available money on our families. We celebrated Christmas January 25. It was great. Everything was on sale! It was much more private and personal. However, after we had children we felt that they should be a part of the traditional part of Christmas and that's when we started exchanging gifts on December 25.
This one particular year, as it happened, we did not have enough money to buy gifts for our children and our families. One evening as Christian was balancing the checkbook he said a prayer, "Lord, if we had just $200 dollars more we could have a decent Christmas." That prayer was made late on Saturday night.
Sunday morning I was doing my "job", which happens to be my passion and calling, and I was leading in worship. God's presence moved through that auditorium in an awesome way. (It is truly such a delight to be the Music Director at Souls Harbor, they are so ready to praise and worship God.) Anyway, a man walked up to me after service and said, "While you were up there singing this morning I thought, 'that's a $200 song!'"
Right there on the spot he put $200 in my hand!
When Christian says, "Sing it, girl." He ain't kidding!
When Christian and I were first married we would not buy gifts for each other at Christmas time because we spent all of our available money on our families. We celebrated Christmas January 25. It was great. Everything was on sale! It was much more private and personal. However, after we had children we felt that they should be a part of the traditional part of Christmas and that's when we started exchanging gifts on December 25.
This one particular year, as it happened, we did not have enough money to buy gifts for our children and our families. One evening as Christian was balancing the checkbook he said a prayer, "Lord, if we had just $200 dollars more we could have a decent Christmas." That prayer was made late on Saturday night.
Sunday morning I was doing my "job", which happens to be my passion and calling, and I was leading in worship. God's presence moved through that auditorium in an awesome way. (It is truly such a delight to be the Music Director at Souls Harbor, they are so ready to praise and worship God.) Anyway, a man walked up to me after service and said, "While you were up there singing this morning I thought, 'that's a $200 song!'"
Right there on the spot he put $200 in my hand!
When Christian says, "Sing it, girl." He ain't kidding!
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Miracles God Hath Wrought, Eyeglasses
I firmly believe in the working of miracles. I believe God uses human beings to perform these miracles. I believe God can work a miracle without the aid of a human being. I've been feeling inspired to tell some of the miracles I have witnessed in my life. Here's one:
A few years a go there was a man visiting our church service. He was a tall man that I gauged to be in his late 50's or early 60's. He was a sharp dressed man who wore glasses. His wife sat with him in service. There were obviously not used to our "style" of worship. Though not mocking they stood in their pew with their hands clasped respectfully in front of them waiting for the next portion of service. We, on the other hand, were clapping, singing, raising our hands, and though I can't remember exactly I wouldn't be at all surprised if some were dancing. (We tend to do that often at Souls Harbor!)
After Pastor was finished preaching he told the congregation that we were going to join in groups of 5 to 8 people and we were going to pray together. If anyone did not want to participate they should simply be seated and no one would bother them. Well, this visiting couple remained standing so those around them forming groups brought them in their group with them. My brother, who never misses an opportunity to be a part of someone receiving the Holy Ghost for the first time went into the midst of this group to lay hands on this couple. ("Lay hands on": put his fingers lightly on the forehead of one he's praying for. It was done over and over in the Bible. Its awesome!) Well, my brother leans toward the short side of a lot of men and this man was on the tall side of most men. This forced my brother to stand on the pew to lay hands on him. (Another common practice in our church. Whatever it takes to facilitate faith!) Jason, (my brother) had prayed for this man a mere 20 or 30 seconds when he, BOOM! Fell straight to the ground between the pews, knocking his glasses from his face! This shocked us all because he was such a stoic individual beforehand!
His wife didn't seem in the least bit perturbed so the people around kept right on praying in the Holy Ghost while my brother got down on the ground to check on the man. The man prayed on the ground for a couple minutes. When he had finished praying he opened his eyes and began to stand up. He rubbed his eyes and looked around. He closed his eyes very deliberately and opened them again, looking around. With complete bewilderment he shook his head and asked, "Where's that man that prayed for me?" My brother had been there all along and reaching out his hand he said, "Hi, I'm Jason." The man, shaking his head in awe said, "Who are you?" And without waiting for an answer said, "I've worn glasses all my life. I've never been able to see without my glasses. But I can see perfectly clearly right now! I felt like lightening went through me when you touched me." Still in bewilderment he began to cry.
Unfortunately, I never saw the man again. But I will never forget his testimony. God shows his hand and power in the most amazing ways!
A few years a go there was a man visiting our church service. He was a tall man that I gauged to be in his late 50's or early 60's. He was a sharp dressed man who wore glasses. His wife sat with him in service. There were obviously not used to our "style" of worship. Though not mocking they stood in their pew with their hands clasped respectfully in front of them waiting for the next portion of service. We, on the other hand, were clapping, singing, raising our hands, and though I can't remember exactly I wouldn't be at all surprised if some were dancing. (We tend to do that often at Souls Harbor!)
After Pastor was finished preaching he told the congregation that we were going to join in groups of 5 to 8 people and we were going to pray together. If anyone did not want to participate they should simply be seated and no one would bother them. Well, this visiting couple remained standing so those around them forming groups brought them in their group with them. My brother, who never misses an opportunity to be a part of someone receiving the Holy Ghost for the first time went into the midst of this group to lay hands on this couple. ("Lay hands on": put his fingers lightly on the forehead of one he's praying for. It was done over and over in the Bible. Its awesome!) Well, my brother leans toward the short side of a lot of men and this man was on the tall side of most men. This forced my brother to stand on the pew to lay hands on him. (Another common practice in our church. Whatever it takes to facilitate faith!) Jason, (my brother) had prayed for this man a mere 20 or 30 seconds when he, BOOM! Fell straight to the ground between the pews, knocking his glasses from his face! This shocked us all because he was such a stoic individual beforehand!
His wife didn't seem in the least bit perturbed so the people around kept right on praying in the Holy Ghost while my brother got down on the ground to check on the man. The man prayed on the ground for a couple minutes. When he had finished praying he opened his eyes and began to stand up. He rubbed his eyes and looked around. He closed his eyes very deliberately and opened them again, looking around. With complete bewilderment he shook his head and asked, "Where's that man that prayed for me?" My brother had been there all along and reaching out his hand he said, "Hi, I'm Jason." The man, shaking his head in awe said, "Who are you?" And without waiting for an answer said, "I've worn glasses all my life. I've never been able to see without my glasses. But I can see perfectly clearly right now! I felt like lightening went through me when you touched me." Still in bewilderment he began to cry.
Unfortunately, I never saw the man again. But I will never forget his testimony. God shows his hand and power in the most amazing ways!
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
God's Got Gas!!!
I know! I know! The title of this blog is totally tacky as it implies that our Lord has flatulence. But now that I have your attention, let me explain. =)
Today I was running late for an appointment at my son's audiologist. My plans were to swing by the gas station before picking up my son because my needle had indicated for DAYS that I was running on empty. But before I swung into the gas station near my house I made last minute decision. "Pick up Madio, then go get gas."
So I picked up Madio; but then I remembered that there were a list of pianos in the classifieds for sale and we desperately need a new piano. I'm not kidding! I'm not using the word "need" lightly We're the music directors at a large church. We have a studio in our house. We write music. A piano is a basic need for our family. My kids both are avid piano students. I have added to the need by making it part of my new year's resolution to play the piano myself. So, while alone at home, feeling the liberty of being alone & just really going for it artistically, I felt my cheerios just enough to grab the top, highest note & sliiide my hands in a dramatic, loud, ANOINTED manner, dropping them into the position of my newly learned chord. I BROKE MY PIANO! Its 150 years old. (Again, no exaggeration.) Three of its keys were already sunken, & now the most used A-flat key is flush with the rest of the piano! I broke the black part right off! So I need a piano.
As I was finishing up my fourth phone call my foot felt the all-too-familiar "nothing". You know that feeling when you press the pedal & there should be a rev, an acceleration but instead you go slower? That's what we did; we went slower. I had forgotten to stop by the gas station! I turned on my hazard lights & coasted as far as I could. I really did not want to push my car. Its so embarrassing to push a car! Thankfully I coasted into a church parking lot & kept coasting until I had made a complete U-turn facing the highway again. My son was saying, "Aw, man! Man!" (I'm not sure what man he was calling on.) I knew I should have gotten gas. I knew it was my fault and that I had no reason to bring God into the mix. But... I happen to know that he likes me. I don't know WHY he likes me! I fail him. I whine to him. But he still likes me! ...and I know it.
So, I closed my eyes and said aloud, "God, please forgive me for not taking care of getting gasoline. I know I should have. But I need to get Madio to this appointment and I'm asking you to get me to a gas station. In Jesus' name. Amen."
I turned the key and sure enough; VROOM! My car started up like it had a full tank of gas! I pulled out on the highway, no coasting! I drove about a quarter of a mile and there was the gas station ahead on the right. I did not coast. I drove right up to the pump. Like the spoiled Princess of the King of kings I am, I put in my measly fifteen bucks and got my son to the audiologists.
One of these days I'll tell you my grandfather's gas story. (No beano needed.) But today, that's mine!
Today I was running late for an appointment at my son's audiologist. My plans were to swing by the gas station before picking up my son because my needle had indicated for DAYS that I was running on empty. But before I swung into the gas station near my house I made last minute decision. "Pick up Madio, then go get gas."
So I picked up Madio; but then I remembered that there were a list of pianos in the classifieds for sale and we desperately need a new piano. I'm not kidding! I'm not using the word "need" lightly We're the music directors at a large church. We have a studio in our house. We write music. A piano is a basic need for our family. My kids both are avid piano students. I have added to the need by making it part of my new year's resolution to play the piano myself. So, while alone at home, feeling the liberty of being alone & just really going for it artistically, I felt my cheerios just enough to grab the top, highest note & sliiide my hands in a dramatic, loud, ANOINTED manner, dropping them into the position of my newly learned chord. I BROKE MY PIANO! Its 150 years old. (Again, no exaggeration.) Three of its keys were already sunken, & now the most used A-flat key is flush with the rest of the piano! I broke the black part right off! So I need a piano.
As I was finishing up my fourth phone call my foot felt the all-too-familiar "nothing". You know that feeling when you press the pedal & there should be a rev, an acceleration but instead you go slower? That's what we did; we went slower. I had forgotten to stop by the gas station! I turned on my hazard lights & coasted as far as I could. I really did not want to push my car. Its so embarrassing to push a car! Thankfully I coasted into a church parking lot & kept coasting until I had made a complete U-turn facing the highway again. My son was saying, "Aw, man! Man!" (I'm not sure what man he was calling on.) I knew I should have gotten gas. I knew it was my fault and that I had no reason to bring God into the mix. But... I happen to know that he likes me. I don't know WHY he likes me! I fail him. I whine to him. But he still likes me! ...and I know it.
So, I closed my eyes and said aloud, "God, please forgive me for not taking care of getting gasoline. I know I should have. But I need to get Madio to this appointment and I'm asking you to get me to a gas station. In Jesus' name. Amen."
I turned the key and sure enough; VROOM! My car started up like it had a full tank of gas! I pulled out on the highway, no coasting! I drove about a quarter of a mile and there was the gas station ahead on the right. I did not coast. I drove right up to the pump. Like the spoiled Princess of the King of kings I am, I put in my measly fifteen bucks and got my son to the audiologists.
One of these days I'll tell you my grandfather's gas story. (No beano needed.) But today, that's mine!
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
S'mores Toast Recipe
This has become a new fav for me and Christian. (I made it up!)
Ingredients:
1 slice of bread. (We use whitewheat.)
1 tbsp Nutella
1 tbsp Marshmallow Fluff
Directions:
Spread the bread with the Nutella (try not to plunge your finger into the midst of the yummy chocolate goodness!) Spread a layer of marshmallow fluff over the top of the Nutella. Pop in the toaster oven (or broiler) until the desired doneness of the marshmallow fluff. (For me that's a slight brown glaze, for Christian that's a nearly solid black top.)
Remember your new year's resolutions and try not to eat too many!
Calorie: 184, Fat: 6.4, Carbs: 29.2!!!, Protein: 3.5
Ingredients:
1 slice of bread. (We use whitewheat.)
1 tbsp Nutella
1 tbsp Marshmallow Fluff
Directions:
Spread the bread with the Nutella (try not to plunge your finger into the midst of the yummy chocolate goodness!) Spread a layer of marshmallow fluff over the top of the Nutella. Pop in the toaster oven (or broiler) until the desired doneness of the marshmallow fluff. (For me that's a slight brown glaze, for Christian that's a nearly solid black top.)
Remember your new year's resolutions and try not to eat too many!
Calorie: 184, Fat: 6.4, Carbs: 29.2!!!, Protein: 3.5
Monday, January 26, 2009
Richardson Family Bible study, 1/26/09
Tonight’s family Bible study had so many wonderful moments; I laughed, I cried; I truly enjoyed myself.
We started our Bible study tonight before having dinner and the kids were “starving”. So as soon as the burgers were finished we took an intermission. Leading up to that intermission Christian taught how God did not accept Cain’s offering, how he accepted Abel’s because it was a blood sacrifice. (We assume it was because Abel’s was a blood sacrifice.) Christian taught how Jesus would be that ultimate, perfect blood offering to atone for all our sins. Morgan came alive at this point! She said, “Oh, now I know why when the soldiers pierced Jesus’ side blood and water came out! The water was like a spiritual picture of water baptism!”
Thank God for a spirit of revelation right in our living room!
After our Burger Break we were back, bursting with questions and comments. At one point Madison asked in a shocked, disgusted tone, “Do you mean Ham had to marry his sister?!”
I fell over laughing as Morgan, very haughtily said, “No! They didn’t get married Madison, they just slept together.”
Of course Christian brought as all back on track by saying, “First of all, Ham already had a wife. It was Cain and Abel who married their sister. And they did get married.”
The last of that conversation was Morgan saying, “Stop laughing, Mommy.”
When Christian told us that even after the flood people still disobeyed God. Christian said, “humans began to wander further and further from God. Madison shook his head and said, “I’m not gonna ever leave God.”
That brought about the “I cried” part.
After the Bible study we all went our separate ways to get ready for bed. The final words we heard as our daughter, Morgan, rounded the corner upstairs, out of our sight was, “I love the Word!”
We started our Bible study tonight before having dinner and the kids were “starving”. So as soon as the burgers were finished we took an intermission. Leading up to that intermission Christian taught how God did not accept Cain’s offering, how he accepted Abel’s because it was a blood sacrifice. (We assume it was because Abel’s was a blood sacrifice.) Christian taught how Jesus would be that ultimate, perfect blood offering to atone for all our sins. Morgan came alive at this point! She said, “Oh, now I know why when the soldiers pierced Jesus’ side blood and water came out! The water was like a spiritual picture of water baptism!”
Thank God for a spirit of revelation right in our living room!
After our Burger Break we were back, bursting with questions and comments. At one point Madison asked in a shocked, disgusted tone, “Do you mean Ham had to marry his sister?!”
I fell over laughing as Morgan, very haughtily said, “No! They didn’t get married Madison, they just slept together.”
Of course Christian brought as all back on track by saying, “First of all, Ham already had a wife. It was Cain and Abel who married their sister. And they did get married.”
The last of that conversation was Morgan saying, “Stop laughing, Mommy.”
When Christian told us that even after the flood people still disobeyed God. Christian said, “humans began to wander further and further from God. Madison shook his head and said, “I’m not gonna ever leave God.”
That brought about the “I cried” part.
After the Bible study we all went our separate ways to get ready for bed. The final words we heard as our daughter, Morgan, rounded the corner upstairs, out of our sight was, “I love the Word!”
Happy Are the Peacemakers
It is vital that we human beings to live in a peaceful environment. When a person is fearful of another, or anger is constantly triggered, or they abide in an anxious environment more than an unpleasant emotion is experienced. The adrenal glands flood the body with stress hormones, such as adrenaline and cortisol. The brain shunts blood away from the gut and towards the muscles, in preparation for physical exertion. Heart rate, blood pressure and respiration increase, the body temperature rises and the skin perspires. The inside of your body begins to work hard even if all you’re doing is sitting in a chair! You, your family, your coworkers could begin to experience health problems directly stemming from a lack of peace in your environment. Studies have shown that the constant flood of stress chemicals that accompany recurrent unmanaged anger, fear, etc. can eventually cause harm to many different systems of the body. Some health problems include:
Headache
Digestion problems, such as abdominal pain
Insomnia
Increased anxiety
Depression
High blood pressure
Skin problems, such as eczema
Heart attack
Stroke
Jesus demonstrated to us how to create a peaceful environment one day while taking a boat ride. While he slept a storm erupted that scared his fellow travelers out of their minds. Then they woke him up. Please allow me to view Jesus through my own perspective. Since I really, really do not l like to be awakened I think Jesus was not happy about being brought out of his slumber. I know, all you morning lovers see Jesus as springing from his cot with a wide-spread stretch and hustle to get on the job. But not me and I ‘m pretty sure Jesus pretended to keep sleeping for a couple seconds to see if they’d go away. When they didn’t, he opened his eyes to a bare minimum, a tiny slit that allowed his facial muscles to register annoyance with a hint of “pity me”. When they pulled on him enough he got up and did not stretch, for that would ruin ANY hope of actually being able to fall back to sleep, & of course that’s exactly what he intended to do. (According to my way of thinking.) As he shuffled, eyes still in slit mode, irritation finally made its way to his throat when he realized that the spray of water would definitely ruin his chances of falling back into the blissful slumber he had been so enjoying. A low guttural growl finally brings him to the awareness of the situation.
Of course the disciples had never heard the Sunday school story about Jesus calming the storms. His followers didn’t have a New Testament KJV, NIV, or TLB to read. Here they were treading water in their boat, likely bailing their heads off while Jesus is napping! When they said (Mark 4:38) “Don’t you care if we drown?” They didn’t think he would actually calm the storm; they simply wanted him to join their bailing efforts! This was an “all hands on deck” situation and no one likes to watch someone else take a luxurious nap while they’re working hard! Misery loves company, as they say. But Jesus wasn’t about to join their drama. Jesus refused to be pulled in by their fear. He was not going to allow himself to be sucked in to their frenzy.
Mark 4:39 He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, "Quiet! Be still!" Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. NIV
I have heard my whole life that Jesus will bring calm to my storm. And he has, does & will continue to intervene in my life’s storms. But Jesus did not intend to calm storms for those disciples anymore. He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?" Faith to do what? FOR CALMING YOUR OWN STORM! Christ said that with faith we can move mountains; why couldn’t we calm a storm too? There is a beautiful song that I have sung for many years that says, “I know the Peace speaker. I know him by name.” I’ll sing the song many more times. It ministers & brings hope. But I have come to the conclusion that I do indeed “know the peace speaker.” I truly know the name of the “peace speaker”; for my life it is, Denee Elaine Richardson! For your life the peace speaker is none other than yourself.
The famous, King James Version phrase says, “Blessed are the peacemakers.” The Living Bible puts Matthew 5:9 like this, “Happy are those who strive for peace.” If we want a peaceful home we must use our God-given authority and demand it be so! When our children are fighting among themselves we have got to step into that storm and say, “Be quiet! Be still!” When we find ourselves continually bickering with our spouse we’ve got to tell them, “Be quiet!” NOT REALLY! (That would be the fight to end it all, for sure!) But you’ve truly got to tell someone to be quiet and still; yourself. You know one of the meanings of the word “peace” is, “to be friendly, to make amends, end, finish.” At some point you’ve got to face the facts that your marriage, your social life, or your work environment is one big storm and everybody is bailing frantically to save their own skin. That bailing comes out in spiteful words, or haughty looks. Its hard work and you may either be bailing along with everybody, or found a of a type of slumber, a way to tune everybody out. Well, your slumber just may be adding to the problem. Don’t bail and don’t sleep. Instead walk to the front of that ship and say “Be quiet!” by sending a note of appreciation to a co-worker. Say “Be still.” with flowers and an apology to a spouse. Demand peace by playing a game with your children. Strive for peace by humbling yourself.
Happy are those who STRIVE for peace. Indeed, creating a peaceful environment requires some work. You will have to exert yourself vigorously. You’ll have to try hard. The job is sometimes strenuous. But the end result is happiness.
Jesus will bring peace to your storm, but so can you.
Headache
Digestion problems, such as abdominal pain
Insomnia
Increased anxiety
Depression
High blood pressure
Skin problems, such as eczema
Heart attack
Stroke
Jesus demonstrated to us how to create a peaceful environment one day while taking a boat ride. While he slept a storm erupted that scared his fellow travelers out of their minds. Then they woke him up. Please allow me to view Jesus through my own perspective. Since I really, really do not l like to be awakened I think Jesus was not happy about being brought out of his slumber. I know, all you morning lovers see Jesus as springing from his cot with a wide-spread stretch and hustle to get on the job. But not me and I ‘m pretty sure Jesus pretended to keep sleeping for a couple seconds to see if they’d go away. When they didn’t, he opened his eyes to a bare minimum, a tiny slit that allowed his facial muscles to register annoyance with a hint of “pity me”. When they pulled on him enough he got up and did not stretch, for that would ruin ANY hope of actually being able to fall back to sleep, & of course that’s exactly what he intended to do. (According to my way of thinking.) As he shuffled, eyes still in slit mode, irritation finally made its way to his throat when he realized that the spray of water would definitely ruin his chances of falling back into the blissful slumber he had been so enjoying. A low guttural growl finally brings him to the awareness of the situation.
Of course the disciples had never heard the Sunday school story about Jesus calming the storms. His followers didn’t have a New Testament KJV, NIV, or TLB to read. Here they were treading water in their boat, likely bailing their heads off while Jesus is napping! When they said (Mark 4:38) “Don’t you care if we drown?” They didn’t think he would actually calm the storm; they simply wanted him to join their bailing efforts! This was an “all hands on deck” situation and no one likes to watch someone else take a luxurious nap while they’re working hard! Misery loves company, as they say. But Jesus wasn’t about to join their drama. Jesus refused to be pulled in by their fear. He was not going to allow himself to be sucked in to their frenzy.
Mark 4:39 He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, "Quiet! Be still!" Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. NIV
I have heard my whole life that Jesus will bring calm to my storm. And he has, does & will continue to intervene in my life’s storms. But Jesus did not intend to calm storms for those disciples anymore. He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?" Faith to do what? FOR CALMING YOUR OWN STORM! Christ said that with faith we can move mountains; why couldn’t we calm a storm too? There is a beautiful song that I have sung for many years that says, “I know the Peace speaker. I know him by name.” I’ll sing the song many more times. It ministers & brings hope. But I have come to the conclusion that I do indeed “know the peace speaker.” I truly know the name of the “peace speaker”; for my life it is, Denee Elaine Richardson! For your life the peace speaker is none other than yourself.
The famous, King James Version phrase says, “Blessed are the peacemakers.” The Living Bible puts Matthew 5:9 like this, “Happy are those who strive for peace.” If we want a peaceful home we must use our God-given authority and demand it be so! When our children are fighting among themselves we have got to step into that storm and say, “Be quiet! Be still!” When we find ourselves continually bickering with our spouse we’ve got to tell them, “Be quiet!” NOT REALLY! (That would be the fight to end it all, for sure!) But you’ve truly got to tell someone to be quiet and still; yourself. You know one of the meanings of the word “peace” is, “to be friendly, to make amends, end, finish.” At some point you’ve got to face the facts that your marriage, your social life, or your work environment is one big storm and everybody is bailing frantically to save their own skin. That bailing comes out in spiteful words, or haughty looks. Its hard work and you may either be bailing along with everybody, or found a of a type of slumber, a way to tune everybody out. Well, your slumber just may be adding to the problem. Don’t bail and don’t sleep. Instead walk to the front of that ship and say “Be quiet!” by sending a note of appreciation to a co-worker. Say “Be still.” with flowers and an apology to a spouse. Demand peace by playing a game with your children. Strive for peace by humbling yourself.
Happy are those who STRIVE for peace. Indeed, creating a peaceful environment requires some work. You will have to exert yourself vigorously. You’ll have to try hard. The job is sometimes strenuous. But the end result is happiness.
Jesus will bring peace to your storm, but so can you.
Saturday, January 24, 2009
A Long Thought About Divorce
I’ve always wondered why the scripture didn’t spell out in detail why “God hates divorce”. (Malachi 2:16) From this passage we can know surely because divorce is a violent act. (This chapter uses the words “treacherous” & “violence”. Ooooo.) But I have been living in a country plagued with divorce long enough to figure that there are other reasons besides how a woman is treated to hate divorce. I shall now offer my humble opinion:
1. The “violence” to the spouse.
Today’s spouse may say of the other, “I don’t love them anymore. They don’t love me.” & that is sufficient grounds for a divorce. After all, should that person have to live in a home where love is not given? Should that person be required to resist all happiness that stems from the realm of romance?
Malachi chapter two lets us know that divorce is a sparkly, pretty cloth. Its “legal” & that makes it alright. It’s a perfect covering for the ugly, gory, bloody ripping apart of a marriage.
I’ve NEVER seen a divorce be nonchalant. Even for the spouse that the scripture gave them a “right” to divorce. (Matthew 19:9 “except it be for fornication”.) Even for that one who is disgusted by their spouse's choices of immorality. Even they are left mutilated by the ravages of divorce.
2. The affect on the children.
Need I say more?! I’ve seen children live with fighting, brawling parents turn out with a stronger disposition & greater confidence than kids who’ve gone through a divorce. (I don’t mean physical fights. I mean loud, shouting matches.) I’m not saying that it’s a good thing for children to have to live in an environment where parents yell at & degrade each other all the time. But I am saying that as difficult as that is for a child, divorce is a million times worse. I don’t have enough time or space to go in to all the negative affects divorce has on kids… Thank God, I don’t have enough time or space.
3. The affect on extended family.
“Oh, what?! Are you kidding me? We’ve got to consider in-laws, & aunts, & cousins?”
Yep. And Nieces, and nephews… & the list goes on. Why is it no one ever thinks about how a sister-in-law is going to explain to her children why Uncle won’t be around the tree for Christmas? The ideas divorce conveys concerning lack of worth in astounding. We instill in people’s mind that they are unvalued when they are “just a niece”, or “her grandparents”, or “his Aunt”. These people are FAM-I-LY! They have spend time worrying about you. If you’re lucky enough, praying for you. They spend time, when they could be living care-free, pondering your difficulties! I read sometime ago about a certain culture (I wish I could remember who this was!) that the couple’s first month of marriage was spent moving from house to house of their new family. They’d spend a week with Uncle Joe, a few nights at a cousin's, a week with the parents or grandparents. The purpose of this was to instill the understanding in the young couple’s mind that they were a part of something much bigger than themselves. They were not two independent decision makers. Everything they did affected the entire family. How true it is!
4. The future family.
So, you just HAVE to divorce that lousy, no-good-for-nothin' spouse. And life is going to be PERFECT with your soul-mate, who is out there, somewhere, right now looking for you!
This stems from a phone call I received many years ago. My friend who had been in an unhappy, selfish marriage, was divorced by her husband (who had been cheating on her!) She was now remarried to a man who literally served her. They are still married and he is a joy to behold. His love for her is like Christ’s love for the church, truly. I answered the phone with the normal, “Hello?” and the first words I heard were a sobbed out,
“Now I know why God hates divorce!”
She commenced to tell me all about her husband’s ex-wife’s annoyances. The jealousies she felt toward this woman. The trials of dealing with “his & mine”. Before she had to concern herself with getting her children to two sets of grandparents houses for holidays, now she delicately scheduled the kids to be at FOUR sets of grandparents! Of course sometimes “his ex” was responsible for getting “his” kids to "her" parents, but if it wasn’t on the exact day they wanted it was a big fight. The children were played like pieces on a chess board.
After listening for quite some time I had the audacity to open my big trap & say, “I hate to tell you this, but once your grandkids come you’ll be dealing with “his ex” even more!”
I should have been shot on the spot for that remark.
But its true! In the moment, all a suffering spouse can think of is getting a divorce. “Surely a divorce will make life peaceful again! Surely a divorce will allow some joy to enter my life again!”
Perhaps there will be happiness again. But with that happiness may come even more difficult surroundings.
So, is a person to stay in an abusive marriage? NO! NO! NO! Leave that spouse TODAY and go get some help and protection.
Is a person to stay in a loveless marriage?
…maybe.
You should weigh out all the possibilities and decide which ones you can live with best.
Most importantly, make sure that you study the scripture to know what God has to say about divorce. After all, crossing my opinions is no big deal. I won’t strike you with lightening. I won’t write nasty things about you. I’ll just let you go on… being WRONG! (just kidding.)
But seriously, you don’t want to cross God’s opinions. Will he strike you with lightening? Will he write nasty things about you? Truly, the Bible does show him doing that sometimes, but I don’t imagine him to do that to you. However, it may make it harder in your own mind to have an open relationship with your Creator; and personally, there is no punishment harder to deal with than that.
1. The “violence” to the spouse.
Today’s spouse may say of the other, “I don’t love them anymore. They don’t love me.” & that is sufficient grounds for a divorce. After all, should that person have to live in a home where love is not given? Should that person be required to resist all happiness that stems from the realm of romance?
Malachi chapter two lets us know that divorce is a sparkly, pretty cloth. Its “legal” & that makes it alright. It’s a perfect covering for the ugly, gory, bloody ripping apart of a marriage.
I’ve NEVER seen a divorce be nonchalant. Even for the spouse that the scripture gave them a “right” to divorce. (Matthew 19:9 “except it be for fornication”.) Even for that one who is disgusted by their spouse's choices of immorality. Even they are left mutilated by the ravages of divorce.
2. The affect on the children.
Need I say more?! I’ve seen children live with fighting, brawling parents turn out with a stronger disposition & greater confidence than kids who’ve gone through a divorce. (I don’t mean physical fights. I mean loud, shouting matches.) I’m not saying that it’s a good thing for children to have to live in an environment where parents yell at & degrade each other all the time. But I am saying that as difficult as that is for a child, divorce is a million times worse. I don’t have enough time or space to go in to all the negative affects divorce has on kids… Thank God, I don’t have enough time or space.
3. The affect on extended family.
“Oh, what?! Are you kidding me? We’ve got to consider in-laws, & aunts, & cousins?”
Yep. And Nieces, and nephews… & the list goes on. Why is it no one ever thinks about how a sister-in-law is going to explain to her children why Uncle won’t be around the tree for Christmas? The ideas divorce conveys concerning lack of worth in astounding. We instill in people’s mind that they are unvalued when they are “just a niece”, or “her grandparents”, or “his Aunt”. These people are FAM-I-LY! They have spend time worrying about you. If you’re lucky enough, praying for you. They spend time, when they could be living care-free, pondering your difficulties! I read sometime ago about a certain culture (I wish I could remember who this was!) that the couple’s first month of marriage was spent moving from house to house of their new family. They’d spend a week with Uncle Joe, a few nights at a cousin's, a week with the parents or grandparents. The purpose of this was to instill the understanding in the young couple’s mind that they were a part of something much bigger than themselves. They were not two independent decision makers. Everything they did affected the entire family. How true it is!
4. The future family.
So, you just HAVE to divorce that lousy, no-good-for-nothin' spouse. And life is going to be PERFECT with your soul-mate, who is out there, somewhere, right now looking for you!
This stems from a phone call I received many years ago. My friend who had been in an unhappy, selfish marriage, was divorced by her husband (who had been cheating on her!) She was now remarried to a man who literally served her. They are still married and he is a joy to behold. His love for her is like Christ’s love for the church, truly. I answered the phone with the normal, “Hello?” and the first words I heard were a sobbed out,
“Now I know why God hates divorce!”
She commenced to tell me all about her husband’s ex-wife’s annoyances. The jealousies she felt toward this woman. The trials of dealing with “his & mine”. Before she had to concern herself with getting her children to two sets of grandparents houses for holidays, now she delicately scheduled the kids to be at FOUR sets of grandparents! Of course sometimes “his ex” was responsible for getting “his” kids to "her" parents, but if it wasn’t on the exact day they wanted it was a big fight. The children were played like pieces on a chess board.
After listening for quite some time I had the audacity to open my big trap & say, “I hate to tell you this, but once your grandkids come you’ll be dealing with “his ex” even more!”
I should have been shot on the spot for that remark.
But its true! In the moment, all a suffering spouse can think of is getting a divorce. “Surely a divorce will make life peaceful again! Surely a divorce will allow some joy to enter my life again!”
Perhaps there will be happiness again. But with that happiness may come even more difficult surroundings.
So, is a person to stay in an abusive marriage? NO! NO! NO! Leave that spouse TODAY and go get some help and protection.
Is a person to stay in a loveless marriage?
…maybe.
You should weigh out all the possibilities and decide which ones you can live with best.
Most importantly, make sure that you study the scripture to know what God has to say about divorce. After all, crossing my opinions is no big deal. I won’t strike you with lightening. I won’t write nasty things about you. I’ll just let you go on… being WRONG! (just kidding.)
But seriously, you don’t want to cross God’s opinions. Will he strike you with lightening? Will he write nasty things about you? Truly, the Bible does show him doing that sometimes, but I don’t imagine him to do that to you. However, it may make it harder in your own mind to have an open relationship with your Creator; and personally, there is no punishment harder to deal with than that.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Both Sides of the Coin
I have an acquaintance, which shall remained unnamed, who suffers from all that is associated with a family member being brutally murdered. When I am with my friend I do a lot of head-nodding, I say, "uh-huh," I truly feel pain for my friend but it would be ludicrous for me to say, "I know how you feel." I don't know the load of this burden & I pray I never do.
As much as I believe forgiveness is a necessity for salvation, (Jesus said, "If you don't forgive men their trespasses your heavenly Father will not forgive you...") I'm at a loss to look such suffering people in the eye & say, "You must forgive that murderer." I hope that I would if I were in that position. I hope I would not sink into the black hole of anger & malice. The pain of sliding down into the Hole of Hate is, I know, as awful as the pain of loss itself. I've seen those consumed by hate resort to pills & booze. I've seen marriages ruined because of an ever consuming need for revenge. I've seen children's futures ruined because their parents were eaten up by hate & anger.
And though I can utter the words, "The Bible says to forgive," I can't personally, within myself, understand how difficult it must be to forgive someone who killed your flesh & blood. Also, how can a person not FEEL disgust toward such a murderer? I can't help when I feel happiness. I can't help when I feel sadness. How can people not feel anger?
The conclusion I've come to is that while we can't help how we feel, we can help how we behave. One of the behaviors we can allow to become a habit is that every time we feel that unbidden anger rise up we can, right then & there, hit our knees & ask God to help us feel differently. For God would not tell us to do something that is impossible. If we are to forgive such atrocities, surely he will step in & help where we have no control. Also, whereas we cannot control a feeling we can control our thought patterns.
The Bible tells us to "gird up the loins of our mind." When you think of the word "gird" remember that its short for "girdle". What's the purpose of a girdle? To restrain. Of course the word "loins" has to do with a man's reproductive system. So we must "restrain the reproduction of our thoughts." If a man sees a tall, shapely woman he can't help but think, "She's beautiful." But if he allows his thoughts to dwell on that woman, even though he may not even know her name, if he does not control his thought processes he'll find himself, as Jesus said, committing adultery in his heart. So be they thoughts of lust or hate, our thought patterns MUST be altered to that which is good.
Usually those feelings of hate & anger come after an unbidden thought. A thought pattern may go something like this:
"This was Bethany's favorite flower. I'd spend my entire paycheck buying out this store if she were still with us."
Without ever thinking about the killer the feelings of hate come simply because of thinking about the loss of the loved one. So, what's a person to do? Never think about their loved one again? NO! (I can't stress that enough. Its healthy to think about & shed tears over the loss of a loved one.) But instead when you think about them & realize the anger that you're feeling START DIRECTING YOUR THOUGHTS ON PURPOSE. Think:
"This was Bethany's favorite flower. I'd spend my entire paycheck buying out this store if she were still with us." The unbidden feeling comes. "Bethany liked to put these flowers in her bedroom window. I'm going to honor Bethany right now. Who do I know that is sick? I'm going to buy this flower & take it to them."
This thought process made you aware of other's pain besides your own. This thought process gave honor to & focus on the loved one while distracting your emotions from the deep-seated pangs of hate.
Also, lest we lose our balance in the realm of forgiveness, dare I bring up that there are two sides to every coin. While Jesus did say, "Turn the other cheek," & "Forgive those who spitefully use you", & we know he himself said while dying on the cross, "Father forgive them for they know not what they do." We should not forget that forgiving someone for what they did to you, & forgiving someone for what they did to someone you love MAY be different. (Goodness, am I messing with traditional "forgiveness doctrines"!) Indeed, we find Jesus "taking care of business" when certain Temple officials were abusing the people Jesus loved. They were doing more than abusing the people Jesus loved, they were abusing His rules! Jesus DID NOT look at that situation & say, "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do." Rather he made himself a whip & took matters into his own hand! (Ouch!)
I admit (& it may be obvious) that I don't know all the hows, whys, & whats about forgiveness; but I do want to be right with God. I want my friend to be right with God. I ultimately told my friend that I felt the only course of action in dealing with the anger felt toward this murderer was to daily ask God's mercy be present, to ask him to help with the myriad feelings, to "gird up the loins of the mind", & to speak openly & honestly with the Creator. God can can do miracles with honesty.
"God, help us be more like you. When we are weak you are strong. Help me to know the balance of how to forgive & how to stand for what's right. What is humanity that you think about us & want to spend time with us? Thank you for your help & involvement in our lives. In Jesus' name, Amen."
As much as I believe forgiveness is a necessity for salvation, (Jesus said, "If you don't forgive men their trespasses your heavenly Father will not forgive you...") I'm at a loss to look such suffering people in the eye & say, "You must forgive that murderer." I hope that I would if I were in that position. I hope I would not sink into the black hole of anger & malice. The pain of sliding down into the Hole of Hate is, I know, as awful as the pain of loss itself. I've seen those consumed by hate resort to pills & booze. I've seen marriages ruined because of an ever consuming need for revenge. I've seen children's futures ruined because their parents were eaten up by hate & anger.
And though I can utter the words, "The Bible says to forgive," I can't personally, within myself, understand how difficult it must be to forgive someone who killed your flesh & blood. Also, how can a person not FEEL disgust toward such a murderer? I can't help when I feel happiness. I can't help when I feel sadness. How can people not feel anger?
The conclusion I've come to is that while we can't help how we feel, we can help how we behave. One of the behaviors we can allow to become a habit is that every time we feel that unbidden anger rise up we can, right then & there, hit our knees & ask God to help us feel differently. For God would not tell us to do something that is impossible. If we are to forgive such atrocities, surely he will step in & help where we have no control. Also, whereas we cannot control a feeling we can control our thought patterns.
The Bible tells us to "gird up the loins of our mind." When you think of the word "gird" remember that its short for "girdle". What's the purpose of a girdle? To restrain. Of course the word "loins" has to do with a man's reproductive system. So we must "restrain the reproduction of our thoughts." If a man sees a tall, shapely woman he can't help but think, "She's beautiful." But if he allows his thoughts to dwell on that woman, even though he may not even know her name, if he does not control his thought processes he'll find himself, as Jesus said, committing adultery in his heart. So be they thoughts of lust or hate, our thought patterns MUST be altered to that which is good.
Usually those feelings of hate & anger come after an unbidden thought. A thought pattern may go something like this:
"This was Bethany's favorite flower. I'd spend my entire paycheck buying out this store if she were still with us."
Without ever thinking about the killer the feelings of hate come simply because of thinking about the loss of the loved one. So, what's a person to do? Never think about their loved one again? NO! (I can't stress that enough. Its healthy to think about & shed tears over the loss of a loved one.) But instead when you think about them & realize the anger that you're feeling START DIRECTING YOUR THOUGHTS ON PURPOSE. Think:
"This was Bethany's favorite flower. I'd spend my entire paycheck buying out this store if she were still with us." The unbidden feeling comes. "Bethany liked to put these flowers in her bedroom window. I'm going to honor Bethany right now. Who do I know that is sick? I'm going to buy this flower & take it to them."
This thought process made you aware of other's pain besides your own. This thought process gave honor to & focus on the loved one while distracting your emotions from the deep-seated pangs of hate.
Also, lest we lose our balance in the realm of forgiveness, dare I bring up that there are two sides to every coin. While Jesus did say, "Turn the other cheek," & "Forgive those who spitefully use you", & we know he himself said while dying on the cross, "Father forgive them for they know not what they do." We should not forget that forgiving someone for what they did to you, & forgiving someone for what they did to someone you love MAY be different. (Goodness, am I messing with traditional "forgiveness doctrines"!) Indeed, we find Jesus "taking care of business" when certain Temple officials were abusing the people Jesus loved. They were doing more than abusing the people Jesus loved, they were abusing His rules! Jesus DID NOT look at that situation & say, "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do." Rather he made himself a whip & took matters into his own hand! (Ouch!)
I admit (& it may be obvious) that I don't know all the hows, whys, & whats about forgiveness; but I do want to be right with God. I want my friend to be right with God. I ultimately told my friend that I felt the only course of action in dealing with the anger felt toward this murderer was to daily ask God's mercy be present, to ask him to help with the myriad feelings, to "gird up the loins of the mind", & to speak openly & honestly with the Creator. God can can do miracles with honesty.
"God, help us be more like you. When we are weak you are strong. Help me to know the balance of how to forgive & how to stand for what's right. What is humanity that you think about us & want to spend time with us? Thank you for your help & involvement in our lives. In Jesus' name, Amen."
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Matters of the Home
I love life! I like what I do; homeschool my kids, write music, teach Bible studies, & many more things less interesting & more exciting. But I really don't "get" domestic pride. (There it is! Out in the open for the entire world to see!) I have friends who take great pride in decorating. They know the names of the paint that cover their walls, (Blissful Morning, Sandy Dune.) They've got nick-knacks that harmonize with the ambiance of the room. Their furniture is their pride & joy; what their furniture is covered with is of great importance!
Honestly, I’ve had my couch for eleven years & even I can see its in bad shape. Two-by-fours are hidden beneath the cushions to keep my guests’ bottoms from sinking to the floor, for heaven’s sake! I NEED a new couch! However, I got this one from Sam’s club, two of my living room chairs were given to me, & my recliner was picked up from the side of the road with a “free” sign attached to it. I obviously have no sense of pride when it comes to my furnishings. & I have no sense of pride because I am completely illiterate of all things domestic. I seem to be incapable of roasting a simple rump of beef. My children sadly shake their heads when they’re called to the dinner table, & I don’t want to eat it either!
Give me an event to plan & I come ALIVE! Give me a song to write & I nearly crawl out of my skin with understanding. I can handle choreography, I have insight for setting a stage, I am empowered with the gift of promotions; but, Lord, don’t send me to clean my room!
I will spend an hour cleaning a room that would take my mother ten minutes. When I start putting my husband’s sudoku puzzles away I see a better way to stack his nightly reading materials, then… "Oh, look at how messy his bedside drawer is. Oh, my goodness! There it is! I’ve been looking for that. I’d better put this in my purse right now. Hey! There are those hooks I bought at the hardware store. I’ll get those up right now so I don’t forget again. Look at these stairs! That’s disgusting! I’ll go ahead & vacuum these. Oh, no! the belt’s broken! Fine. I’m exhausted anyway. I’ll just sit down for a minute… Well, since I’m sitting here I might as well check my email... That’s right. I’ve got to get that postcard designed for Hadassah." ...& all I was trying to do was clean my own room!
So, all you Domestic goddesses, enjoy your craving for cleanliness & organization. Revel in your need for cubbies & hooks. Just know that as much as I want to be like you; as many books as I’ve read, seminars I’ve attended, & prayers that I’ve prayed, I am, & seems like I’ll forever be... well, there is no name for me, I'm just somebody who likes doing what she's good at & is forever trying to improve upon what she stinks at.
Sounds like life, huh?
Honestly, I’ve had my couch for eleven years & even I can see its in bad shape. Two-by-fours are hidden beneath the cushions to keep my guests’ bottoms from sinking to the floor, for heaven’s sake! I NEED a new couch! However, I got this one from Sam’s club, two of my living room chairs were given to me, & my recliner was picked up from the side of the road with a “free” sign attached to it. I obviously have no sense of pride when it comes to my furnishings. & I have no sense of pride because I am completely illiterate of all things domestic. I seem to be incapable of roasting a simple rump of beef. My children sadly shake their heads when they’re called to the dinner table, & I don’t want to eat it either!
Give me an event to plan & I come ALIVE! Give me a song to write & I nearly crawl out of my skin with understanding. I can handle choreography, I have insight for setting a stage, I am empowered with the gift of promotions; but, Lord, don’t send me to clean my room!
I will spend an hour cleaning a room that would take my mother ten minutes. When I start putting my husband’s sudoku puzzles away I see a better way to stack his nightly reading materials, then… "Oh, look at how messy his bedside drawer is. Oh, my goodness! There it is! I’ve been looking for that. I’d better put this in my purse right now. Hey! There are those hooks I bought at the hardware store. I’ll get those up right now so I don’t forget again. Look at these stairs! That’s disgusting! I’ll go ahead & vacuum these. Oh, no! the belt’s broken! Fine. I’m exhausted anyway. I’ll just sit down for a minute… Well, since I’m sitting here I might as well check my email... That’s right. I’ve got to get that postcard designed for Hadassah." ...& all I was trying to do was clean my own room!
So, all you Domestic goddesses, enjoy your craving for cleanliness & organization. Revel in your need for cubbies & hooks. Just know that as much as I want to be like you; as many books as I’ve read, seminars I’ve attended, & prayers that I’ve prayed, I am, & seems like I’ll forever be... well, there is no name for me, I'm just somebody who likes doing what she's good at & is forever trying to improve upon what she stinks at.
Sounds like life, huh?
Monday, January 19, 2009
Search for Truth, Family Bible study, Jan. 19, '09
I'm LOVING our family Bible studies! We've had family Bible studies before, but they've mostly been impromptu; stemming from Bible memorization, an item in the news, the Pastor's sermon, etc. This is the first time we've set out to teach a series & its been delightful!
Tonight's lesson was about the fall of humanity. When Christian told about the God declaring that the serpent would lose his feet & would instead sliver around on his belly they started singing (to Carmen's old song, "I've Been Delivered") "He's been defeated!" It was hilarious! Especially the realization that the original version fit so well; "defeated by the hand of the Lord!"
Morgan was very excited to learn that the "tree of life" is mentioned again in the book of Revelation. She said, "Oh that's great! I always daydream that I live on a beautiful paradise island that's a big, beautiful garden!"
The wrap up was about how Jesus Christ was the "seed of the woman" that would crush Satan's head. We talked about how the "princes of this world" did not realize that they'd crucified the Lord of glory, & how they surely would not have; for it was by the stripes Jesus bore on his back that we have our healing, & it was by the shedding of his blood that we can partake in forgiveness, & by Christ's burial that we can be "buried with him by baptism", & by his resurrection that we are filled with the Holy Ghost!
We ended the Bible study with a powerful moment of prayer.
Thank God for His divine plan!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)