You're Invited: Resources for Lent

(This is reposted from February 2015)

Yesterday was Ash Wednesday.  Depending on your Christian tradition, you may have left a solemn service with a cross of ashes on you head or the day slipped by without a thought about it.  Many denominations join the church from throughout the ages to observe this holy day and kick-start forty days of self-examination and repentance in preparation for joyous celebration on Easter morning.

I don't remember attending services in my youth or hearing many folks talk about Lent, except for my Catholic friends who mostly gave up chocolate for the duration.  I was glad I didn't have to do that!

As I have learned more about Lent in my grown-er-up years, the more I love when the season arrives.  Such an invitation is offered to us!  We are beckoned in to be brave, look at our characteristic sins, take seriously the depth of the damage they cause, confess them, and move toward God through His healing and transformation.  His healing and transformation!

Last night at our service, there was an insert in the bulletin that began with these words:

Ash Wednesday and Lent offer us an opportunity to 'go subterranean.'  That is, these times in the Church Calendar bring to our attention the monstrous things that often lurk in the dark basements of our lives -- things we'd rather bury than confess.

Ash Wednesday and Lent help us to excavate these crippling sources of harm and then bring them into the light of God's mercy and healing.  I invite you to accept the rather heavy Lenten invitation to 'go subterranean' with us. ... (emphasis mine)

I want to pass on to you the invitation to 'go subterranean,' too!  Scriptures says that when we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  If you are in Christ, already your place is secure before the throne of God.  You are His kid!  (John 1:12-13)  But Lent offers us the opportunity to GROW!  As our pastor outlined in his sermon last night, we remember, we return, we obey, and we draw near to God.

Strange, isn't it, that examining the darkest places of our hearts can strengthen our relationship with the God we offend?  And yet, only doing so in His presence and with His Spirit at work in us, can we find any freedom or hope!

Here are some resources you might find helpful in this season:

• Your Bible  I think this is your first and best option for drawing near to God! Each of the Gospels is around 20 chapters.  You can read a chapter every two days during lent, or read through the Gospel twice during lent.  The Word of God is living and active, it is one huge way we get to know God.  Perhaps rather than giving up, you can add daily Scripture reading to your days this Lent.
• On Keeping a Holy Lent  This is a pamphlet by a fellow named Craig R. Higgins.  You can find it here, and you will not be disappointed.  Learn more about the history of Lent and a series of questions to challenge you in the exercise of repentance in this season.  I also wrote about the pamphlet once, and you can read that here.
• Respectable Sins  That is the title of a book by Jerry Bridges that will rock your world.  If you like books and you feel like you're not that big a sinner, this is a book for you!  (And me!!)  I might dust it off and give it a re-read this Lent.  The subtitle is Confronting the Sins We Tolerate.  Perfect for Lent, right?  I think so to.   You can pick it up from amazon.  Looks like there's also a small group companion for it.  Hey, you could start a small group during Lent, too!  Just sayin'.

I know some of you probably have other Lenten resources to suggest; many local churches offer daily devotions.  Feel free to suggest your favorites them in the comments.

Lent is not a season to become a "better Christian," to give up a vice for its own sake or to prove the strength of your will power, or to completely ignore because it's just some old ritual.  Lent, as Higgins says, "isn't about giving up chocolate, it's about giving up sin!"  And it "is the spiritual equivalent of an annual physical exam; it's a time to take stock of our lives, our hearts."

I pray that these days leading up to Easter, that glorious day, will be a time of God's blessing you in new and wonderful ways as you draw away from sin and near to Him!  He is the one who heals and transforms!!

PS  Sundays in Lent are days of feasting, not of fasting; they are not included in the 40 count.  So if you are fasting from something for Lent, remember that Sundays are not included.  Sundays are always the Lord's day, for celebration and feasting!

New Year, New You? Resource Suggestions

Happy New Year!  Last time I wrote I encouraged you to consider how you'll get into the Word this year, first and foremost, above all other resolutions or commitments you might make for the next twelve months.  Please read that post; it is my new-years gift to you, my readers.  (And, also, seriously guys, thanks for reading; you bless me!)

At the end of that post I promised I'd offer some suggestions for where to start.  I have a page on this here blog called Deepen Your Roots (see it there at the top?) with some suggestions of how to grow in your faith.  There I offer several ideas: Bible studies, books, and general tips.  But it has been a while since I've updated that, so I can add some things here.

• Love God Greatly has become a favorite of mine.  They offer mostly 8-week studies throughout the year on various devotional topics, books of the Bible, or people in the Bible.  Starting Monday they will begin a series called "Choose Brave" or you can use one of their previous studies which you can find on the site.  Their resources are free, BUT if you order a journal all the proceeds go to help with translation costs for their international ministry - super cool!  With each study they include M-W-F blog posts and you can join an online group or start one of your own, to have accountability for your Bible study.  Read more on their website, or let me know if you have any questions.

• Read through the Bible!  This is an ambitious undertaking, but certainly not impossible.  I have done it several times and it is amazing what you learn about God and how He interacts with His people.  This year I'm going to give a chronological Bible my husband bought a few years ago a read-through. It's only $8 on Kindle if you wanted to join me.  But there are lots of different read through the bible options out there.  Do some exploring!  There's a link to another option in the Deepen Your Roots above, too.  I enjoy the schedules that have you read Old Testament, New Testament, Psalms, and Proverbs; helps a lot when you're in OT law books which can be a little dry!  Do some poking around to find something that would work for you.  And feel FREE to read through the bible in 3 or 5 years instead of 1!

• She Reads Truth has come highly recommended by several people, though I have never followed any of their studies.  Here's what it says on their home page:  We create beautiful, accessible Bible reading plans and resources, using old and new technology, for women and men worldwide to grow in biblical literacy and affection for God and His Word.  Sounds like a perfect place to poke around for a plan and get started!

• Every Day With Jesus Devotional Collection by Selwyn Hughes is a series of great little devotional guides about different topics.  Years ago my Gram introduced me to these.  They are fabulous!

• Daily devotional readers are a perfect place to get started with the habit of feasting on God's Word.  I can recommend three.  Click on the photo of each to learn more.

  

Alrighty, I think that is enough to get you started.  While you are eating healthy today to recover from the last month of 2018, pull out your Bible and let the crunch of your celery serenade your first Bible reading of 2019!

May 2019 be the year you fall in love with God and His Word, to His glory, honor, and praise!

Heather

On Mentoring

As I begin to write about mentoring, I wonder why you are choosing to read it.  Are you longing for someone to mentor you - to help you figure out how to figure out how to do this life that seems more complicated the older you get?  Or are you wondering how to be a mentor - seeking guidance about how to get started or what to do next?  More than likely it's the first set of reasons.  We all long to have a mentor, but cannot imagine ever feeling put together enough to be a mentor.

This past semester our church college ministry (Yay, CCO!) invited church members to mentor a student or two.  One young woman, requested me specifically as a mentor, so I was approached and asked to do so.  Friends, I am the kind of person who wants to help everybody all the time everywhere.  I know that I cannot do so, and have been in a season of saying "no" to a lot of things.  But I knew this was supposed to be a YES!  We were paired up, and the church provided us with a wonderful little book called The Gospel-Centered Life to work through together through the spring semester.

Let me tell you why this book was so wonderful: it hurt!  Every chapter and activity not only probed my mentee's heart, but it cut through my defenses as well.  Together we shared about our sin, where we get tripped up most often, what embarrasses us, how hard some of our relationships are.  Apart we tried putting into practice things we were learning, because we knew God had good in store for us and we have confidence that He can transform us.  Together we would marvel at the goodness of God and the beauty of the Gospel.  Apart we'd pray for one another and send texts during the week to encourage one another or just to say, "Hey, friend!"

And that's the best thing I learned through this mentoring experience!  When God invites us into someone's life as a mentor, it's not about dumping our life-experience or knowledge into them from a distance.  It's about sharing life together in an intentional way.  It's about being the real you, so together you get to see that God is at work in the ordinary and through the imperfect folks He calls to be His own.

Your church may not have an official mentoring program, but I know there's a gal or a guy (if you're a male reading this) out there who would love it if you'd invite them out for coffee or over for dinner (or whatever dudes like to do).  How desperately we all want to know and be known by another; we spend so much time in this life pretending.  Someone coming along behind you wants a relationship with someone a few steps ahead of them to run alongside them and cheer them on.

I'll leave the prompting and the details up to the Holy Spirit, but in summary, here's the deal:

• To be a mentor, all you need to be is YOU.  I firmly believe you are the best at that!

• To be a mentor, you don't even need to use the word mentor.  Simply pursue a relationship intentionally.

• To be a mentor, walk with the Lord yourself each day.  He provides all we need to grab the hand of another and sojourn from here into eternity, or at least for a semester!

• To be a mentor, an outside resource can be a great help.  My friend and I are going to read Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis "together" while she's home with her family this summer.

K, all!  I don't have time to really proofread this, so it is what it is!  Haha.  Have a blessed day and may the Lord lead you to that person or group of people who need a relationship with you, for the sake of the King and His kingdom.

A Few of My Favorite Advent-Season Resources

I don't know about you, but this time of year makes me so glad in my heart!  I told my husband the other day that I love all the Christmas songs, even the really terrible cheesy ones that are incredibly dumb.  They still mean it's Christmastime, so I'll take it.  ("Santa Baby", anyone?)  Maybe I subscribe too much to the "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em" philosophy, and maybe you'll never read my blog again now that you know this about me (hahaha!), BUT before you go I do have a few meaty and wonderful resources that I use to enrich this season every year.  I have recommended them before, but they may be new to some of my readers.  I've got two books and an album for ya!

Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus, ed. Nancy Guthrie is a collection of sermons by well-known preachers, past and contemporary, on Christmas topics.  I have read it every year for many years after asking our pastor in Cambridge for a recommendation for good Advent reading material.  It is a gem and worth having in your collection.  You can order it through Amazon.

The Christ of Christmas, by James Montgomery Boice is also excellent.  Boice put together this book from Christmas sermons preached over more than a decade.  He is a wonderful Bible scholar and a passionate lover of Jesus Christ.  This is also available on Amazon.

And finally, some music for quiet time by the tree, in the car, or while you wash dishes: Andrew Peterson's Behold the Lamb of God.  Friends, I cannot recommend this album enough.  It is not a typical Christmas album, like those artist put together because every artist is supposed to have a Christmas album.  Instead, Peterson tells the entire Biblical narrative in songs.  It's good, people.  SO. GOOD.  If you do not have it, buy it now!

May the Lord enrich your Advent season with great wonder at what He has done, in the world and in your life.  Amen!

30 Days of Encouragement {Day 10}: Encouragement Fuel

I was going to get into more exposition of the Hebrews passage today, but I feel prompted by the Spirit to share something different.  At the beginning of the series we defined encouragement as the action of giving someone support, confidence, or hope that is grounded in Christ and points them to Him.  For such encouragement to take place, the encourager needs to have a store to draw from.  That fuel will come primarily from God's Word.

We will only have words to share to encourage one another to the extent that we are fueling up on the Scriptures!  As we acquaint ourselves with the God of the Bible and His message, His love, His concerns, His guidance, and His abundance, we will have more and more to pour out into the lives of others.

To that end, I want to share a website with you Love God Greatly.  They lead regular, year round, six week Bible studies on books of the Bible or topics, providing free Bible study materials, a few blog posts a week, encouraging video clips to go along with them, and weekly challenges.  I participated in a couple last year and they were great!  You will learn how to study Scripture as well as the Scriptures themselves.  My friend, Pam, gave testimony at the conference this past weekend to how effective and live-changing this method of study has been in her life, and she's been a Christian for a good long time!  Cool, huh?

I believe the Lord wants me to share this with you today because a new series started yesterday and it is on The Names of God.  THIS IS A PERFECT WAY TO FUEL UP TO BE READY TO ENCOURAGE.  We cannot understand what everyone is gong through, but we can come along side and lead them to the Lord and let Him care for their deepest needs.  Knowing God's many names, and studying His ways, equips us to minister to others - and our lives will be transformed along the way, too.  I have a hunch!

If you click on the word BLOG at the top of the Love God Greatly website you can get to a page with all the recent blog posts.  Or if you want a quick link, the Introduction Post is here.  The first post, from yesterday, is here, which includes all the Bible study materials at the bottom.  Also, there are many translations of the studies you can find here; perhaps you can think of a friend to invite.

I was not planning on doing it, but now that I'm typing this, I might jump on board, too.  Let me know if you decide to! 

30 Days of Encouragement {Day 3}: What is Encouragement?

Yesterday I announced this month's daily series: 30 Days of Encouragement!  I suppose it's a bit misleading.  While I hope the blosts (rhymes with ghosts and is my hybrid word for blog posts) are uplifting, the primary purpose of the series will be to lead us in thinking about how we can be people who encourage others.

To discuss any topic, it helps to begin by defining terms.  For this series, then, we must define encouragement.  My first stop for definitions is usually a dictionary.  Here's what the internet offers:

en·cour·age·mentinˈkərijmənt,enˈkərijmənt/
noun
noun: encouragement; plural noun: encouragements
the action of giving someone support, confidence, or hope

That about sums up what I would say encouragement is.  Often we need encouragement when we're down, grieving, facing a challenge, or feeling hopeless.  We need someone to come alongside us to say, "Keep going!  I'm on your side!  You can do it!  I love you and believe in you!"  Or we need someone to simply sit beside us and say those things with their presence rather than words.  Maybe you remembered, with deep gratitude, people doing this for you when you did yesterday's "assignment," thinking of people who have encouraged you over the years,

Christian encouragement takes encouragement to another level, though, because the support, confidence, and hope come not from ourselves, but from the eternal, unchangeable God at work in us to point another human to Christ.  In preparation for Saturday's talk in Illinois, I reread a book that was given to me a few years back called: Encouragement: the Key to Caring by Larry Crabb and Dan Allender.  (Now the title is Encouragement: the Unexpected Power of Building Others Up.)  They suggest, The final goal of encouragement is to move people along in their walk with Christ.  Wow.  Doesn't that speak of something far greater than simply a pat on the back or a quick kind word?

With that goal in mind, I think of encouragement coming from the depths - the depths of the well of God's Word and the power of His Spirit - and speaking into the depths of the person being encouraged.  I also think, Holy cow!  This is quite a task.  I want to be a real and true source of encouragement to those around me for the Lord's sake, but I have so much to learn and will need a lot of practice!

This series is a chance for us to do those things: learn the "how-tos" of encouragement and put them into practice.  So today, I leave you with this Biblical definition of encouragement:

encouragement: the action of giving someone support, confidence, or hope that is grounded in Christ and points them to Him

That kind of encouragement can change people's lives!

See you tomorrow, friends.  Till then, keep your eyes and hearts open for opportunities God provides today for you to encourage another!

Thanksgiving Follows Halloween, Thank God! (And Giveaway Winner Announced)

Many homes have decorations out this time of year.  Fake spider webs, orange pumpkin-shaped lights, ghosts, and witches adorn the front porches and windows of many homes.  Other stoops boast harvest scenes: tastefully arranged hay bales, pumpkins, corn stalks, and scarecrows.  Driving around town, one minute I am enjoying the lovely harvest-themed adornment of one house, only to be taken aback two doors down by a gory scene on a front lawn or a creepy face staring at me through a blood-decorated window.

Perhaps you can guess which decorations I like better?  <wink>

All kidding aside, as I was running the streets a few mornings ago, I got to thinking about how beautiful it is that Thanksgiving follows Halloween.  While I love the kiddie, neighbor-meeting fun of the latter, I am forced to acknowledge the dark side of the day.  I mean, the costume shops alone make sure their windows and front displays are anything but welcoming!  Death, darkness, and gore are celebrated or at least embraced "all in good fun".  But the truth is, none of those things are fun, or funny.  Evil is a reality - a spiritual reality - that wants to consume us and keep us from the good God has for us.  (See my last post.)

Enter: Thanksgiving.  What better celebration to follow the chaos, darkness, and death of October 31!  I am reminded of the Gospel:

As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air ... But, because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in our transgressions - it is by grace  you have been saved.  Ephesians 2:1-2 & 4-5

Halloween is not the end of the story!  All this world has to offer us is Halloween, with its death and darkness.  But God, who is rich in mercy, is not content to leave us there.  He gives life to the dead, shining His light into the darkness.  Those where are dead in their transgressions can enter the abundance of the Lord.  Happy Thanksgiving, indeed!

I am grateful for the juxtaposition of these two annual celebrations and the object lesson they provide.  The word that rang in my head on that run, and has been since, is abundance.  Halloween is emptiness and depravity.  Thanksgiving is feasting and abundance.

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.  ~Jesus, (John 10:10)

Let's celebrate!

*     *     *     *

Maybe you lovely ladies that entered the giveaway would now finally like to know who won!  Well, here you are:

Congratulations!

I'll be in touch about getting your new book to you!

Open for 2015 {Week 36}

Every Tuesday evening around seven women start arriving in our home.  They grab a cup of tea or water from the dining room and then make themselves comfortable in the living room.  Out of their bags they pull their Bibles, notebooks, pens, and their copy of Sally Clarkson's Mission of Motherood, this fall's discussion book.

It has been several years since my first read through the book.  I remember how it changed my life as a mom.  Sally's biblical encouragement opened my eyes to mothering by following Jesus' example, looking at the way he taught, guided, admonished, and did life with his disciples.  At the time, all I knew was that I wanted to get my preschooler to obey me, but she didn't always want to!  Then I would get mad, my default when I'm not getting my way.  It was a sorry cycle.  Mission of Motherhood gave me new ideas and new hope.

Reading through the book again this fall - with a couple more children added to the mix and all older than Elizabeth was when I first read it - I am disappointed I have read it over and over throughout the last several years!  The principles of mothering by faith, not formula, are timeless.  The work has gotten both more fun - because older kids are lots of fun - but also more challenging, as there are more decisions to be made, more focused character training is necessary, and their questions are getting tougher!

Honestly, I am not up to the task.  I am well aware of my own flaws, (I still default to anger when I am not getting my way), and of my flimsy strength to keep on in the good fight of the faith.  Rereading Sally's book as my oldest is on the cusp of puberty and my youngest is busy being three has given new wind to limp my sails.  There's hope!  We're all gonna make it because God is faithful and because He can transform me, and my kids.

May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.  1 Thessalonians 5:23-24

This blog post is way behind, but being OPEN to transformation was the theme that was emerging mid-September.  Doesn't is sometimes seem like giving up or being mediocre is really the best option?  The phrase "I just can't adult today" has become a funny refrain in our lives and on our Facebook feeds.  I find it hilarious!  But I think it is indicative of how hopeless and ill-equipped we often feel to handle what is before us.  God promises over and over in His Word that He can transform us, from the inside out!  And that He will give us hope for each day.


So, to the weary mother who feels like she's failing, God says, I gave you these little ones, because you are the mother I had in mind for them.  Trust me; love them; don't fear; keep giving; I love you!  I will not abandon you and I will provide for all your needs, from forgiveness of your sins to food on the table.  I can change your life and your family's life!  Press on in faith.

When I first read Mission of Motherhood, I watched God do amazing things in our family as He gently pointed out areas in my life in need of change.  I began to enjoy my relationship with Elizabeth, rather than thinking of her as a job, a drain on my time, or a project.  I had the privilege of being her mom!

I wonder what God will do this time around,

if I OPEN up my heart to the transformation He has for me?

Time to Take Action:
I tell you these things to lift up your hearts and encourage you.  Dear one, you might feel stuck, but you are not!  The change you are looking for, however, will not come with a better plan or more self-discipline.  You need to be transformed by the Living God.  Thankfully, that's His business!  First, He cleanses us of all our sin through faith in Christ, then spends the rest of our lives molding us into His likeness by the power of His Spirit in us!  This is not just for moms, but for all people who would believe.

Will you take Him at His word and let Him transform you?

Here are some verses for reflection:

Ezekiel 36:24-28For I will take you out of the nations; I will gather you from all the countries and bring you back into your own land. I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. Then you will live in the land I gave your ancestors; you will be my people, and I will be your God.

Romans 12:1-2Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

2 Corinthians 3:16-18But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

photo credit

Open for 2015 {Week 32}

Hey folks!  I really feel like I've got nothin' for ya this week, so we'll see how this post unfolds.  Being out of the blogging routine has me forgetting to look for ways the Lord wants me to be OPEN.  I wonder what I've missed!  In January, for accountability, the routine, and the fun, I committed to blogging twice a week, Tuesdays and Thursdays.  Summer as utterly derailed me!  Perhaps the fall will revive the routine.

Thankfully good things have been taking the place of writing. August has been a peaceful, low-commitment month with the family, and I've been enjoying more regular reading, exercise, and Bible study.  We resumed school early this year so we could keep hosting Monday morning playgroup, so we're nearing the end of week three.  Speaking of which, can I just give God a big word of praise for how He is bringing moms and little ones into our home every week?  I am in awe and so thankful!

Last week, I finished up Purity of the Heart is to Will One Thing, by Soren Keirkegaard.*  I joked with my husband that now I feel like I'm off the hook for reading anything for, like, a year.  Serious brain-stretcher!  Suddenly in the middle of a day I'll be thinking about some theme from the book that snaps me out of over-focus on the temporal and on myself.  Kierkegaard talked so much about "the Eternal," i.e. God, and the many ways we think of Him wrongly or deal with Him deceptively or fail to comprehend that none of life is to be lived in comparison to anyone else.  The latter point is the one that really gets me.  Kierkegaard rightly, but painfully, reminds the reader in the closing chapters of the book that when all is said and done, it will be each individual before God.  We are each responsible to God.   He states, In eternity you as an individual will only be asked about your faith and about your faithfulness.  p 210

That's a real humdinger, isn't it?!

The thrust of the whole book is that to be pure in heart, we must forsake all double-mindedness will only one thing, the Good.  He gets the root of the idea from James 4:8,

Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

Kierkegaard flushes out the many ways we are double-minded: willing other things or pretending to will one thing but not, in fact, willing one thing.  And he argues that to will one thing, we need to be conscious of who we are, which means we need to have space in our lives for contemplation and confession.

While the text is convicting, it by no means leaves the reader feeling hopeless.  That reminds me of 2 Corinthians 7:10,

Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.

Early in the book, he speaks of the two companions God gives us to help us on the narrow way of willing one thing: repentance and remorse.  It is the Lord who leads us to repentance that we might know better His love - He always forgives! - and desire more to live in His way.

Hm, I guess this speaks to being OPEN to purity of heart: to be transformed by God through quieting my mind, to be willing to acknowledge and confess my sin, to desire to will one thing.  For I do believe that as we move toward willing one thing, we walk into living life as we were designed to live it.

Time to Take Action:

I'll leave you with James 4:8 again and a couple of Kierkegaard quotes for personal meditation.

"Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded."

"Father in heaven!  What is man without Thee!  What is all that he knows, vast accumulation though it be, but a chipped fragment if he does not know Thee!  What is all of his striving, could it even encompass a world, but a half-finished work if he does no know Thee: Thee the One, who are one thing and who art all!"  p 31 (opening lines of the book) 

"For confession is a holy act, which calls for a collected mind.  A collected mind is a mind that has collect itself from every distraction, from every relation, in order to center itself upon this relation to itself as an individual who is responsible to God.  It is a mind that has collected itself from every distraction, and therefore also from all comparison.  For comparison may either tempt a man to an earthly and fortuitous despondency because the one who compares must admit to himself that he is behind many others, or it may tempt him to pride because, humanly speaking, he seems to be ahead of so many others."

There, that should keep us busy!  Blessed be the Eternal One, who is our Faithful Companion and Loving Father.  Come near to Him!

*Special thanks to my dad for giving me this book, many years ago!

Open for 2015 {Week 29}

With the end of the musical the two older kids were in this summer, the end of July approaching, and the first stretch of sunny days, it finally felt like summer vacation started last week!  Since we finally had rehearsal-free days and almost nothing on the calendar, I decided the kids and I needed to have a vacation week.  We went to the pool almost every day, saw the Minion movie, played mini golf, enjoyed relaxed mornings at home, and spent a day at an amusement park with dad and grandparents.  Of course, in the midst of it we still had to grocery shop, wash clothes and dishes, prepare meals, and tidy the house now and then, but in the relaxed context of a "vacation week" even the chores didn't seem so daunting.   What a beautiful week it was!

I was so tickled to gaze on the blankness of the end of July and all of August calendar.  What peace for my frantic soul!  There was an opportunity for the kids to try out for the second summer play at the Playhouse, but for our sanity I made the decision not to let them try out.  My heart was a bit pained, knowing they would miss out on The Fantastic Mr. Fox, which is such a fun story.  But we have been working our way through the book Margin in Sunday School, and I knew Wisdom was telling me we needed to get back to family dinners and evenings together in August, before everything picks back up in the fall.  A margin in our time would provide that.  Of course, I was still disappointed I couldn't have my cake and eat it too: a peaceful schedule with play participation!

Mid-week, the temptation came.  I received a message from the previous show's director that there was still a need for actors for Mr. Fox.  Ooooh, such a great opportunity!  Should we just do it?  There is a need.  Maybe I was wrong about not participating.

Temptations don't have to be evil, you know.  There are many good things that can pull us away from what is best.  I knew the right thing was to decline the good thing for something better - something I needed, something the kids needed, something the family needed - a free August.  Remembering that our friends had not gotten a chance to try out, I told the director our kids were not available, but perhaps our friends were still interested.

Man, I really hate to feel like I am letting someone down.  And making decisions for your kids that are wise is not always easy; THERE ARE SO MANY COOL THINGS TO BE A PART OF!  Being open last week meant being willing to "choose the better over the good," a little phrase I heard someone share at a leadership training camp I went too way back in year 2000.

The biggest challenge is letting the Lord guide us in wisdom, so we can make decisions that honor Him.  I have gotten back into reading a chapter of Proverbs a day and I love how the opening chapters talk so much about wisdom and how good she is to those who seek her.  I will leave you with these verses from the beginning of Proverbs 2 for contemplation:

My son, if you accept my words
and store up my commands within you,
turning your ear to wisdom
and applying your heart to understanding—
indeed, if you call out for insight
and cry aloud for understanding,
and if you look for it as for silver
and search for it as for hidden treasure,
then you will understand the fear of the Lord
and find the knowledge of God.
For the Lord gives wisdom;
from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.
He holds success in store for the upright,
he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless,
for he guards the course of the just
and protects the way of his faithful ones. 

Then you will understand what is right and just
and fair—every good path.
For wisdom will enter your heart,
and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.
Discretion will protect you,
and understanding will guard you.

Time to Take Action:  Are you in the midst of needing to make some decisions right now for yourself or your family?  Ask the Lord for wisdom to see the better rise to the top over the good things.  Ask Him for the strength to say confident yeses and nos where needed.  And then trust Him, by making the decisions to which He guides you.  May He bless you as you seek Him!

Open for 2015 {Week 27}

Finding myself in a reading void, I pulled a book off the shelf to give it another go.  In 2002 my father gave me Purity of Heart is to Will One Thing, by Soren Kierkegaard.  My previous underlines stopped about three chapters in, i.e. I never finished.  Starting anew, I know why I never got through it.  What strange writing!  I feel very challenged trying to sift my way through his words: the style of argumentation and the repetition.  This time, though, I will conquer; I'm on chapter 6, approaching the half-way mark.

Despite the challenge, the main point is coming through, purity of heart is the opposite of double-mindedness. And as I am confronted with my double-mindedness, my fortress of pride is taking a beating.  Here is the verse from which Kierkegaard's treatise was birthed:

Come near to God and he will come near to you.  Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.  James 4:8

If I want purity of heart, which Jesus said will allow me to see God, I need to let go of (or, better, be rescued from) my double-mindedness.  Being OPEN to purity of heart means being OPEN to exposure, admitting my double-mindedness to myself, God, and others.  Mr. Kierkegaard addresses some of the ways we are prone to double-mindedness: wanting reward more than God, living for God out of fear of punishment, and other chapters I have not gotten to yet.  Already I feel beaten up by the truth in his words, not sure I want to go on to those chapters!  Knowing that he closes the book with several chapters under the heading "WHAT THEN MUST I DO?" is the driving force pushing me through the tough stuff; at least there's hope coming.  I hope!

After several days of ego-bruising reading with my Danish philosopher buddy, our pastor got up in the pulpit on Sunday and had the audacity to talk about idols!  Geez, Lord, are you trying to tell me something?  The pastor is in the middle of a sermon series on work, and this Sunday he did not shy away from talking about the idolatry of work, preaching out of the story of the tower of Babel in Genesis 11.  He specifically highlighted two ways we idolize work: money and fame.  As with all idols, what makes them such is when a good thing becomes the ultimate thing.  With almost everything Ryan said I was able to shake my head in agreement: I know what you mean; that's me, too; yep, that hits the nail on the head.

Idols are pretty, shiny, alluring, and seem to offer the satisfaction our hearts desire.  Instead, they always leave us longing for more, if they don't destroy us.  How much money is enough?  Just a little bit more.  How much prestige and honor is enough?  Just a little bit more.  Something good happens to boost our faith in our idols, but too-soon we find ourselves wishing the boost had been juuuust a little bit higher.

I have always found this verse from Jonah 2:8 convicting:

Those who cling to worthless idols

forfeit the grace that could be theirs.

Every idol is worthless.  Every idol keeps us from God's loving-kindness.  

Our idols keep us from the Lord, so far from Him.  The verse from James 4:8 reminds us of our need to have our hearts purified for us to see God.  Our double-mindedness, as we try to love and serve other masters along with God, leads us further away from Him, not to mention how it keeps us from what He longs to give us and how He wants to use us.  Recognizing our idolatry is an invitation to repent!  Verses nine and ten of James four continue in this way:

Grieve, mourn, and wail.  Change your laughter to mourning, and your joy to gloom.  Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.

He will lift you up!  What a promise!!

God is not looking for success stories.  He is looking for humble servants who know they can trust their Lord.  He can free us from idols that chain us to worry, doubt, and fear, for He knows our needs before we even ask Him.

Running through town this morning in the quiet of the early hour, I thought about how desperately I want to be free.  Those who belong to Christ are already free; our place as heirs in the Kingdom of God is secure.  Blessed truth of the Good News!!  But we are not Home yet, so we must learn to keep our eyes fixed on our Father, forsaking all other pretty, shiny, alluring idols that try to turn our head.  Purity of heart starts with purity of sight, eyes only for our Lord.

James, earlier in chapter four, reminds me of one BIG way to keep my eyes steady:

What causes fights and quarrels among you?  Don't they come from your desires that battle within you?  You want something but don't get it.  You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want.  You quarrel and fight.  You do not have, because you do not ask God.

You do not have, because you do not ask God.  We are often at war with ourselves and at war with those around us, and we - believers, saved by grace, loved by God, oh so secure in Him - forget about God.  We forget that we can seek and trust Him for forgiveness, for hope, for restoration, for guidance, and for provision.  I spent too many hours last week worrying, warring within myself and at war with my family and my circumstances.  I was so thankful when my eyes passed over those words: You do not have, because you do not ask God.

Feebly, I am asking, ashamed that I wait so long, every time, to remember my God.  I plan to keep asking and see if we can't shed some of these idols together.  Boldness will come, so will glory - His!

Time to Take Action

What do you want that you do not have?  What are you longing for?  How are you worshiping at the feet of idols waiting for them to fulfill you and your requests?  What is going on in your heart?  I can direct you to only one place, a person.  He is safe and He is able.  Humble yourself and He will lift you up.  May you know freedom in Him.

Image Credit

You Love Them, but Do You Like Them?

A couple of weeks ago, I borrowed a book on CD from our church library, A Woman After God's Own Heart, by Elizabeth George.  I had listened to most of the first disc over a couple laundry folding and ironing sessions at home, but yesterday had the chance to listen to a large chunk of the book driving to and from Pittsburgh.  The topics covered included marriage, motherhood, and time management.  I felt very spurred on to love and good deeds by Mrs. George's words of wisdom and Biblical guidance!  I was also struck by how much of her message was similar to other female Bible teachers I know who have dug deeply into the Scriptures to seek out the what and the how of following God as a woman.  It is good to find consistency!

The last school day of each month, we field trip!

Mrs. George shared about how much their home changed when she and her husband became a Christians.  Life was lived more intentionally; they really wanted to obey and honor God.  As a mother, she knew she had to discipline and guide her children, but quickly became a dictator.  She knew something was missing.  She found out what as she studied her Bible even more: affection.  The Word of God taught her not only to teach her children obedience, it also set her free to like and enjoy them!

As she shared this, I was reminded of my own transition from seeing my kids as little beings to manage and teach obedience to seeing them as people to like, enjoy, and cherish.  Sally Clarkson's words were my start down that path; God used her counsel through her books to change my heart.

Mrs. George explained that as she was reading Titus 2, seeking out what young women should be learning and doing, she came across the line, Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children. As she's fond of doing (you learn from her book) she got her husband's study books and looked up what love meant in that passage.  It is not the unconditional love we know God has for us and that we know we are to have for our kids.  Rather it is a word for affectionate love!

Friends, you love your kids, but do you like them?  As Sally might ask, have you studied them, gotten to know their likes and dislikes, their gifts and talents, their hopes and fears?  Do you think of your children only as a huge drain on your time, energy, and finances?  Or does your heart swell with affection for them when they come to mind?

I know, I know, our kids are not always likable.  Neither are we!  I also know that practicing liking one's children transforms the home.  Our job as moms is not simply to manage and discipline our kids.  Another part of our calling is to love them, affectionately.

My encouragement to you today is to give liking your kids a go!  Sit down with them and talk, play a game together, take a walk, go for ice cream, and just enjoy the little or big one(s) God has placed in your care.  I know rearing kids is not easy; it is hard work as a sinner to help to tame a younger sinner and teach them to walk in God's ways.  I am familiar with the weariness.  But I have also found that liking my kids and enjoying their company makes the hard parts more tolerable and makes me want to help them more, because my affection for them won't let me desire any less.

Press on, parents.  God is with you!

Interrupted by Grace 2015: Soul-Filling or Soul-Sucking

I'm blogging daily in April. Learn more about the series here

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On Sunday evening at our Own Your Life book study group, the topic was owning your emotional health.  The thrust of the chapter is that a wise woman takes good care to fill herself up so that she has a well out of which to give to others.  And empty well refreshes no one!

Our hearts and souls are vessels to hold all that we deem valuable.  If loveliness of values, greatness of thoughts, and civility of life are treasured there, the people who come into our presence will draw beauty from our lives.  p 133

Sally had many suggestions of "soul-filling habits" and encourages her readers to think about how to weave some of them into their lives.  At the end of the chapter she suggests choosing one thing to do in the coming week to fill up your soul.  A great idea that, during our group time, we each took time to think about and share what we committed to do this week.

In contrast to soul-filling intentionally with good things, our hearts can be filled with the junk that life after the Fall offers us.

If ugliness, anger, coarseness of spirit, resentment, criticism, and darkness permeate the moments of our existence, then our souls will reflect the darkness hiding and residing in our hearts.  p 135

So another thing I asked our group to do on Sunday night was think of one thing they could let go of this week to make space in their soul for the good stuff!  That's what brings us to yesterday's interrupted by grace moment.

For ages I have wanted to get my Facebook checking habits under control.  Often I'll make some weak commitment to myself, not tell anyone, and then go right back to checking every time I have a spare millisecond in the day!  During our discussion my friend Julie mentioned how looking at Facebook at a random time introduces all kinds of thoughts and ideas that at the moment distract her and pull her away from what she wants to or needs to be thinking about and/or doing.  That resonated with me.  That is exactly what happens!

I knew then that I needed to reign in my Facebook checking to eliminate the soul-sucking nature of it.  And I knew I'd have to share my commitment with the group - to only look a few set times a day - so I would get some accountability.  Mondays aren't normal school days around here, so yesterday was my first day to really try out the less Facebook time.  I was interrupted by grace with the clarity of thought most of the day, the increased desire to focus on the kids and be present for them, and embarrassed by how much I thought, I'll check Facebook, throughout the day.  Usually my motivations for checking are for selfish, I-hope-I-have-a-notification reasons, so this process is convicting!  But I want more room for others and for the Lord in my soul and maybe this little step will help me grow in wisdom and have a soul filled with more good reserves.

What's cool, is that Sally gets these ideas from the Bible!

“No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers. A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of."  ~Jesus, Luke 6:43-45

Feel free to join in our group's activity for this week and choose a soul-filling habit to start and a soul-sucking one to reign in or kick to the curb!  For more ideas, definitely pick up Own Your Life, by Sally Clarkson.  Our group has been enjoying and benefiting immensely from reading it.

Interrupted by Grace 2015: Listen to Your Elders!

I'm blogging daily in April. Learn more about the series here.

Today I want to share another's words with you, because her words were my grace interruption  as I started the day yesterday.  Sally Clarkson is an author and woman whom I greatly respect.  Her Biblical counsel was used by God to change my life as a wife and mother.  I can never express enough gratitude for her or to her.  Yesterday she shared a blog post called, "Balancing Life and Controlling our Circumstances is not even Biblical!"  Catchy title, right?  Makes ya want to read.  So I did and, boy, was I grateful.

A typical day in the living room of our home.
And, yes, they complain when it's time to pick up!

Often it is tempting to make light of the comments and advice of those who have gone before us.  We think, If I hear, "Enjoy them, they grow up so fast," one more time I'm going to scream!  But I am learning that listening to our elders, anyone who is ahead of us in this little thing we call life, could be the very best thing we do for ourselves and our families.  So today I leave you in Sally's hands, because I was so touched by her words yesterday and pray you will be, too.  Life can always be meaningful; Praise God!

From Sally:

Last month, I was with a group of young women speaking at a small group Bible study. At the question and answer time, so many wanted me to give them a formula to assure them that they were doing all of the right things to be sure their children would turn out ok.I also realized that because I made it to 60 and I am still alive, my kids made it through their years into adulthood with faith in tact, with vision for life, and still loved us, that somehow, I must have “done all the right things” or perhaps was more in control of my life.

Reality is I have never been in control and there were never formulas I could count on. Each child was extremely different. Each year was a new kind of stretch to my life, I always had challenges and kept looking for the time when life would settle down.

Expecting to be able to control life, children, husbands, friends, church, family is a road that leads to disappointment. We cannot make life behave by just trying harder or getting the right book, planner or instruction. Truth is, God wants us to rest, to leave our burdens in His hands, to learn a little more every day, how to walk by faith, love and become more patient, work hard and enjoy our days that He has given. As I thought about these things, I remembered an article I wrote some years ago, right in the middle of the “messiness of life” that I hope will encourage you.  Continue reading here: http://sallyclarkson.com/balancing-life-and-controlling-our-circumstances-is-not-even-biblical/

*     *     *

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Open for 2015 {Week 7}

As I expected, with the weeks marching by, I am thinking less about this year's theme word, OPEN.  I am thankful for the huge sign in the kitchen to remind me, and more thankful to the Spirit for His kindness in reminding me now and then.  Sometimes it is so frustrating, living in a finite body with a finite mind and a sinful nature so close at hand, isn't it?  I look forward to the timelessness of heaven and the beauty of a heart focused only on my Lord, no longer constantly at battle with the world, the flesh, and the devil.

But for now, here we dwell.  Here, we are in the crucible of transformation, learning to live by faith in joy and sorrow, ease and trial, in preparation for an eternity of bliss.

Sheep herding trials in Scotland, 2011

One great trial and challenge is the number of voices we hear every day in our heads, luring us in different directions, whispering to us about our worthlessness and how unlovable we are, chiding us with guilt and insecurity, leaving us hopeless, afraid, and defeated.

Do you hear this cacophony of voices day-in and day-out like I do?

For our book study this week, we read and discussed chapter three of Sally Clarkson's book, Own Your Life.  The chapter is titled, Listening to New Voices, Owning Your True Identity.  It was such a relief to sit in a room with a bunch of other ladies and hear how damaging, lying voices have and do effect the way we think about ourselves and how we make decisions.  We are not alone!  But, even better, it was balm for our souls to be reminded of the ONE VOICE we should be listening to and how gentle, loving, kind, and patient He is compared to the demanding, condemning, shaming voices that constantly ring in our ears.

Sally shared several verses in the reflection section at the end of the chapter: Jeremiah 31:3, Romans 8:1, and 2 Corinthians 5:17, which I've posted below.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!

And she issued this challenge, which I am trying to be OPEN to: at the beginning of each day, spend at least a couple of minutes acknowledging the newness of life that [God] provides for you.  Every morning, regardless of what has happened the day before or way back in the past, in Christ you walk, (I walk, all God's people walk), in newness of life.  Every day!  The old has gone, the new has come.

That is true truth about your identity.  Doesn't it make you want to walk with your head held high, loving God and your neighbor with greater passion and devotion?

Man, I want to be OPEN to listening to the sweet voice of my loving Shepherd, and OPEN to boldly telling the other voices to be gone!  It is going to take a lot of practice....

Time to take action:  What voices are you listening to and letting define you or, worse, defeat you?  The worst voices are the ones with a little bit of truth in them, but that are still big fat lies!  Are you tossed and beaten down by the voices?  Listen, dear friend,

Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.  Romans 8:1

None.

If you belong to God, you are a new creation!  His voice does not condemn.  His Spirit may convict us of sin, but will not shame us.

Will you join me in meditating on Romans 8:1 and 2 Corinthians 5:17?  Stop right now and rejoice in the Lord, saying The old has gone, the new is here, right now!  I have been made new.  Thank you, Jesus!  Confess your sin of listening to the voices rather than to God's sweet, still voice.  Be assured He forgives you.  And walk today, and tomorrow, and the next day, and the next, in newness of life.

I wonder how OPENNESS to true truth will transform us, our families, and our neighborhoods!  Oh, let's find out by listening to the Shepherd's voice, rather than the thieves and the robbers.

“Very truly I tell you Pharisees, anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.”  John 10:1-5