Interrupted by Grace {Day 3}: When Illness Strikes

Yesterday started with fearful sobbing coming from Katherine's room, at 2:30am.  The smell when I opened the door told me there was laundry to put in the washer and a sick child to bathe.  Poor girl.  It was four before she was willing to be left again in her freshly sheeted crib.

I slept in till seven (should it even be legal to say that?), and the rest of the day was approached in a laid back fashion.  Brian started feeling sick late morning.  After school work was done, we played some Mall Madness, everyone took their usual afternoon rest time, and we watched a movie in the afternoon.  Brian crashed into bed before he could eat dinner and Katherine started throwing up about the same time - more laundry, another bath.  Really, the whole day was pretty strange, strange peaceful.  I even got to have a quick trip out with just Elizabeth after dinner to get a few necessaries.  She's good company, that girl.

As I processed the day while forcing myself to do chores before heading to bed, it hit me that I never needed a nap!  The Good Lord had sustained me through the day and not once did it occur to me to think about, let alone complain about, the interrupted sleep.  That was not what I expected when I had crawled back into bed at four a.m.

God interrupted me by grace in revealing Himself as my Sustainer!  Boy, was I grateful.

God also used the day to address how much I want to complain (I really like to complain, don't tell anyone) about how hectic life is with an active toddler and three talkative kids.  Forgive me, Lord.  A sick and sluggish Katherine is the saddest thing.  And a day with hardly a question from Brian about how the world works?  Awful.  I would much rather have floors littered with toys at the end of the day and have barely had a moment's mental peace, than see my kids in such helpless states as they were yesterday.  I'm thankful for the perspective a sick day provided.

God is good, even when the circumstances are not.

How has He been good to you in the last 24 hours?

Interrupted by Grace {Day 2}: That's Why it's Called Grace

For an intro to this series, click here.

On Monday, we had a super-duper fun day.  It was the last school day of the month, which we always reserve for a field trip, and the good Lord had given us prefect weather for a zoo visit with a bunch of friends.  It was also Opening Day of the baseball season, a big deal around here, because baseball is our family's sport.  I was happy from head to toe, decked out in my Pirates gear.  We had a great day seeing friends, being outside and observing the animals.

That evening, after the exhilarating day, I couldn't bring myself to do any chores.  So, Tuesday morning I woke up to dishes that needed washing and a to-do list too long for the day.  In my quiet time I talked with the Lord about my desire to use the day well, honor Him, enjoy the time with the kids learning, etc.  After that, my impatience mounted throughout the morning as I kept making that list the focus of my attention, Elizabeth took an eternity to complete a math page that she knew how to do quickly and I moved from messy room to messy room in my house feeling like a failure.

On top of all that, I knew that by the end of the day I had to write a blog post to start off a month of being on the look out for where God was interrupting me by grace.  The accuser started saying to my mind, Honestly, if those nice people who read your writing knew what you were really like, they'd think twice about taking your word on anything!  I started believing him.  He had a very good point.

But the evil one, as true as his accusations may be, does not have the final say.  In obedience, at lunchtime I asked my kids to forgive me for my impatient and unloving attitude toward them.  (I really, really hate when I have to apologize.  My pride is a beast, friends.)  Those precious little ones forgave this undeserving mom, and the rest of the day went of without a hitch - much of the list was completed and we got to the park to play for a little while.  Praise God!

Another thing happened throughout the afternoon, as I wondered how in the world I was going to get a blost* in before midnight!  My Father, the Good Shepherd, said to my heart, Dear one, you're about to embark on a month of writing about being interrupted by grace.  If you deserved it, it wouldn't be grace.

Gosh.  He was right.  I believed Him.  He had a better point than the accuser who was right about my guilt, but has no right to condemn a child of the King.  Be still my soul.

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.  ~ Colossians 3:1-3

*     *     *

For the sake of getting enough sleep this month, I'll be writing about the previous day.  I hope you don't mind.  :)  Do you have any good interrupted by grace stories to share from the beginning of your April?

Have a great day!  (We're in the throws of a stomach bug over here, but more on that tomorrow.  ha!)

*This is my condensed word for blog post.

Interrupted by Grace {Day 1}

I have about one and a half hours to get a post written on April 1st in my corner of the world.  Welcome to the third annual Interrupted by Grace April series!

The first time around, Katherine was about six weeks old.  Brian and Elizabeth were three and seven.  A friend, (Hi, Chrissie!), had asked how things were going and I texted back that I was surprised by the many ways I had been interrupted by grace in the transition.  Those first six weeks of a baby's life are intense - intensely wonderful and intensely horrible - aren't they?  Phew!

Thankfully, God is as present when life is intense as He is any other time.  And, like I said, there He was, interrupting me with grace as I wondered when Brian would stop throwing toys in response to having a new family member and if I'd ever get to hang out with Elizabeth, just us, ever again.  Oh yeah, and I'm pretty sure I was jonesin' for a full night sleep, too!

Well, Brian did.  Elizabeth and I have.  And sleepfull nights became a reality in my life again.

So, here we are, in 2014, embarking on another April interrupted by grace.  The point?  To be on the look out throughout the month of April for ways God interrupts me by grace and to invite you to do the same where you are.  I'll tell my stories, and, dear readers, I hope you drop a testimony of your own in the comments now and then.

Here's a little blurb from my initial post of 2012 for further explanation:

My friend, Sarah, inquired about what exactly I mean by interrupted by grace.  Good question!  The general idea is this: the Holy Spirit dwells within us and can speak into our hearts throughout our days, but often we are far too busy or distracted to remember this reality, let alone listen for His voice.  Shortly after Katherine was born, I noticed that sometimes I'd have surprising moments of peace or joy where I felt prompted to just stop for a moment to reflect on the delightful fullness of life, the depth of Christ's forgiveness of my sin, or some other blessed thought.  I called this being interrupted by grace - Spirit-breaths of fresh air in the staleness of life lived on autopilot.

I believe these grace interruptions can take many forms, so I don't want to stifle the Spirit's creativity for reaching you.  But here are some ways the Lord might interrupt you with grace, either in the midst of complete chaos/fear/pain, a fantastically perfect day, or somewhere in between:

• something a friend, family member, or co-worker says or does that leads you to reflect on God's love

• an edifying song that comes to mind "out of no where" that leads to repentance or simply encourages you

• feeling like you just need to stop for a moment and give thanks

• a call or letter at just the right time

• scripture coming to mind when you need it

Sometimes God's graceful interruptions are profound.  Sometimes, we simply need a little sunshine, and He provides.  Great or small, it is good and right to praise the Giver of such reminders grace in our too hectic, too selfish, too distracted lives.

So again, welcome!  I'm excited to see where God takes us all this April.

You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. ... If Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness.  ~Romans 8:9a, 10

Peace,

Heather

Spiritual Disciplines: Celebration!

This is it!  Today I'll conclude the Wednesday series on the Spiritual Disciplines, as laid out by Richard Foster in his book, Celebration of Discipline, ... on a Monday.  Tomorrow, the beginning of April, I'll begin a series called "Interrupted by Grace."  But more on that later.  For now, let's talk about Celebration in the life of the Christian!  Here's the quote that Foster has at the beginning of this, the final chapter of his book:

The Christian should be an alleluia from heat to foot!

-Augustine of Hippo

Feeling convicted?  Boy, I sure did the first time I read that quote.  Yet I agree whole-heartedly!  Here's why:

The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to [Jesus].  Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:
The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to preach good new to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to release the oppressed,
to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.

Luke 4:17-19 & Isaiah 61:1-2

Why should God's people be people who celebrate?  Because Christ has sent us free, opened our ears and eyes to the good news!  God the Father sent the Lord Jesus, and He was obedient unto death, even death on a cross (Philippians 2).  Jesus fulfilled His earthly mission then sent the Spirit to live in the hearts of His people to sustain and change them.

Foster picked the perfect way to end a book about the Spiritual Disciplines. He says, p 191,

Celebration is central to all the Spiritual Disciplines.  Without a joyful spirit of festivity the Disciplines become dull, death-breathing tools in the hands of modern Pharisees.  Every Discipline should be characterized by carefree gaiety and a sense of thanksgiving. (emphasis mine)

Celebration - rejoicing in the Lord, who He is and what He has done - breeds joy.  Joy gives us strength.  In fact the Bible says in Nehemiah 8:10, Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.

And Paul commands the Philippians, Rejoice in the Lord always.  And again I say, Rejoice!

Rejoicing in the Lord, celebrating because we have been set free from domination by anxiety, fear, sin and death, saves us from many self-inflicted paths of woe and sin!  And you know what the path to that joy is?  Obedience.  The Christian will find his greatest joy when He hears the words of the Lord and heeds them.  Our Father does know best, my friends.  He created us to walk in His ways.  He created us to love Him first, our neighbor second, and ourselves last.  He enables His created ones to be restored to joy, out of darkness, by saving us and calling us to obedience.

We can obey the Lord because He is trustworthy, faithful, and true.  The Scriptures remind and assure us of this, as do many experiences in our personal histories.  We are set free in Him, because we no longer need to be concerned.  Foster cites the verse, Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and petition, present your requests to God...  And he says, The Spirit of celebration will not be in us until we have learned to be "careful for nothing" ... until we trust God.  Celebration and joy come out of that freedom of resting in Him and setting our minds (as Paul goes on to say in those verses in Philippians 4) on things that are true, honorable, right, excellent, etc.

And so, Celebration is a discipline.  We make a decision to train our will to focus on the higher things in life  (p 195).  Circumstances can be swirling around us in tornado-strength gusts, but the joy of the Lord is our strength.  Celebration in the Lord is our chosen way of living an thinking, because we cast our cares on the Lord and entrust the present and future to Him.  Oh the security we have in the arms of our God through the blood of Christ and the seal of the Holy Spirit!

Celebrate!

Celebration has many benefits.  Foster highlights three (p 196-197).

• Celebration saves us from taking ourselves too seriously.
• Celebration is an effective antidote for times of sadness that burden our hearts.
• Celebration gives us perspective on God and ourselves.

Celebration also takes on many forms, such as, shouting, singing, dancing, laughing, imagining, playing, establishing new traditions, reveling in long-observed holidays, and so on and so forth!  Let the Lord move in your heart with His joy as you embrace celebration as a way of life, dear Christian.  He will set your heart free!

*     *     *

Friends, I have immensely enjoyed taking the time to read through Fosters book and share summaries with you.  Jan, thank you for the suggestion to do so!  I pray that, as I have experienced, you've been encouraged to pursue God with more vigor, relying wholly on His loving-kindness given to you in Christ.  We are not saved by our pursuit of the Disciplines, the saving has already taken place, but we grow closer to the Father, Son and Spirit in and through such practices.  How profound that God wants to be in relationship with us?  It gets me every day!

I love at the very end of the book, Foster summarizes the content up in a few succinct paragraphs.  So you'll have to get your hands on a copy to see how He does it!  In fact, since I got no takers for the book give away, (maybe I summarized too well!!), the first to comment on this post gets a copy from me.  :)

Tomorrow I'll begin the third annual April Interrupted by Grace series.  Throughout the month I'll share stories from day-to-day life about seeing God's interrupt me with His grace.  The point is for you and me to practice being on the look out for God at work in our lives, which I think is a great follow up to studying the Spiritual Disciplines.  Cool, how it worked out, huh?  God is good.

I hope you'll join me and even share some of your stories throughout the month of April.  See you tomorrow!!

Spiritual Disciplines: Guidance (And a Chance to Win Foster's Book)

Good afternoon!  This week I read Foster's chapter on the spiritual discipline of Guidance, which he chooses to include in the 'corporate disciplines' category because God does guide the individual richly and profoundly, but he also guides groups of people and can instruct the individual through the group experience.  (p. 176)

I don't have much experience with this, but Foster's sites how God led and guided the people of Israel and then the way he led the early church as they gathered to fast and pray.  Good insight, Mr. Foster!  He points out how the church today could gather in similar ways to "discern the mind of the Lord" in decisions for the whole body or in helping individuals make decisions.

The phrase that jumped out at me from his discussion of the early church based on Acts 15:28 was:

They dared to live on the basis of Spirit rule;

no fifty-one percent vote, no compromises, bu Spirit-directed unity.

Wouldn't that be wild?  To have the patience, courage and faith to bring a decision you're trying to make (to go into missions, to get married to a specific person, etc.) to the Lord with the body, and await the Spirit's direction in prayer and fasting.  This certainly flies in the face of our cultural tendency toward indiviualism!

Foster goes on to give examples from church history between us and the apostles as well as offering warnings against the abuse of this discipline, e.g. not letting leaders lead or manipulating people into doing things.  He also says this:

Spiritual direction is first born out of natural, spontaneous human relationships.  a hierarchical, or even organizational system, is not essential to its function and is often destructive to it.  The ordinary kinds of caring and sharing that belong to the Christian community are the starting point for spiritual direction.  Out of them will flow "kingdom authority" through mutual subordination and servanthood. (p.186)

I don't have much more to say today!  This week feels full and I feel scatter-brained, so I need to call it quits there.  BUT, if you want to get more from this chapter, and the rest of Richard Foster's book Celebration of Discipline, I'd love to send you a copy!  I'll have a little end-of-series give-away on Monday, March 31.  Drop me a comment before Sunday night to let me know you'd like me to put your name in the hat, and I will!  Thanks for joining in on this series.

Spiritual Disciplines: Worship

Worship is the human response to the divine initiative.

Celebration of Discipline  p.158

What do you think about that?

I love how concise and precise Foster defines worship.

On Sunday mornings, I say to the kids, "We are going to worship!"  Okay, okay, so sometimes it's said more like this, "Hurry up and get in the car!  We are late for worship!!"  In those cases, I'm stopped in my tracks by the word worship.  'Church' can become too associated with the building, similar to saying, we're going to the grocery store.  A building is lifeless.  Worship is alive!  We're not going there to check a chore off of the to-do list; we're going to participate in something living and active with the people of God.  Our people, because of what God has done for us in Christ.  Wow!

"Put on your seat belts, kids.  We're going to worship!"

Thinking of our regular Sunday morning activity in this way has changed my attitude toward church attendance.  So, buckle your seat belts, 'cause that's what we're gonna talk about today!

Of course, we go to church to receive: there is teaching; sacraments are performed; absolution is spoken.  But we also go ready to give and participate: songs are sung to God; money clinks into the plate; sins are confessed; requests are spoken.  Worship should be serious business for the Christian, serious meaning something not taken lightly, but rather approached intentionally and purposefully.

Worship is the human response to the divine initiative!

What is Worship

It helps to know what we're talking about.  So pulling from Scripture and Foster's (most excellent) chapter on the subject, let's clarify some things.

• Who do we worship?  We worship God, who has revealed Himself in Scripture.  He is the only one worthy of our worship.  Matthew 4:10

• What do we do in worship? We worship God.  Whatever we do in worship must center on Him and be done in response to Him.  Foster emphasizes that forms are secondary, though not irrelevant.  The forms are not the worship; they only lead us into the worship.  p 159

• When do we worship?  Anywhere and everywhere all the time, worship is appropriate, good, and right!  We should be listening for God all throughout our days.  Then, we specially gather with 'holy expectancy' with other believers for corporate worship (traditionally this is done on Sundays) every week.

• Why do we worship? Well, in once sense, we worship because we're told to.  Remember the 10 Commandments?  But do you also remember the words God spoke before delivering them?  And God spoke all these words:  “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.  God rescued them from slavery, just as He has done us from sin, at His initiative. In worship we respond to God, who is worthy in His being and for what He has done for us.

• How do we learn to worship? As with all of the disciplines, Foster says, We learn to worship by worshiping.  And I love what he draws out in this chapter about how we learn, individually and corporately: Christ is our leader and teacher.  Foster calls Christ our Present Teacher.  It reminds me of the prayer of St. Patrick, about Christ being with us, before us, behind us, etc.  What a great comfort, having our Present Teacher there with us as we learn to worship through our days and learn to worship together on Sunday mornings or in smaller groups during the week!  Also, postures and behaviors that are appropriate for worship are found throughout Scripture.  These are good to have in our heads, so when the Spirit prompts we know that it is from Him and not our imagination.

Closing Thoughts

One of Jesus's accusations of the Pharisees in Matthew 15 (quoted from from Isaiah 29:13) was that they worshiped with their lips, but their hearts were far from God. So tragic; they were so close, yet so far.  Let this not be true of the Church of Christ!  Worship that is not directed toward God is idolatry.  But praise be to God, we are all professional idolaters who can be transformed in to worshipers of God!  Get your heart, mind, body, and spirit into worship!*

Foster also reminds us that the "divine priority" is worship first, service second.  Putting the second first is idolatry.  Let us serve out of our worship, keeping the "divine priority" as our priority!

Finally, be cautious as you begin to intentionally practice the discipline of worship.  You'll probably get carried away sometimes by the Spirit of the Lord!  <wink>

Praise the Lord, my soul;

all my inmost being, praise his holy name.

Praise the Lord, my soul,

and forget not all his benefits—

who forgives all your sins

and heals all your diseases,

who redeems your life from the pit

and crowns you with love and compassion,

who satisfies your desires with good things

so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

Psalm 103-1-5

*You can learn more about some details of those things in this chapter in Celebration of Discipline. Oh, I really think you should read this book, because I can't summarize it all here!  I'm still planning to give one away in a few weeks.  :)

Spiritual Disciplines: Confession

Over the last few months, Wednesdays have been "Spiritual Discipline" days following the Table of Contents of Richard Foster's book, Celebration of Discipline.  To see a list of topics covered thus far, click here.  To read today's post, don't click anywhere, just keep reading!

Today we enter the last subsection, The Corporate Disciplines, which include Confession, Worship, Guidance, and Celebration.  We'll begin with Confession.

You know what confession has to do with, right?  Sin.

Do any of you try to avoid, hide or cover up your sin, brushing them under the rug like dust bunnies, hoping to mask their presence?  We really are pretty nice people, after all.  Yet sin is not so easily hidden from our own hearts and minds.  Those dust bunnies grow into unbearable dust storms in our souls and we walk around trying to "act normal" while blinded and burdened by unconfessed and unforgiven sin.  The weight of which often leads us further into darkness.

Confession is an alternative, THE alternative.  If we deny our sin we deceive ourselves and call God a liar.  But when we confess our sins God is faithful and just to forgive our sin and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  Woah and Hallelujah!  In confession, the weight of wickedness can be lifted and replaced by the precious weight of glory, because God is faithful and just.

Why Corporate?

If we confess or sins and God forgives us, why is this included in the corporate disciplines.  Well, how many of you lovely ladies and gents have confessed a sin to God and know in your head that you are forgiven, but guilt still eats away at your conscience?  C'mon, raise your hand; I'm raising mine!

We all know how difficult it is to cling to Truth and let go of the bondage, even though we believe God's Word to be true and know that He has and does forgive His people in Christ.  This is why Foster plops this topic down in the Corporate Disciplines section; we need to confess our sins to one another* - not willy-nilly to every brother in sister in Christ that we meet, but with discernment, bringing our burdened hearts to another, fruit-bearing believer to hear him or her as the voice of the Lord in our lives saying, You are forgiven.  The cross covers that too.  You are not defined by your sin, but by your identity in Christ.  Go, be free then, to love and serve the Lord.

This also makes me think of confession in the course of a worship service.  On a given Sunday morning, so many are gathered and offering up their confessions to the Lord at some point in the service.  How sufficient is the blood of Christ!  So many receive the elements when communion is served.  So many sinners saved, so many sins forgiven.  Blessed be the name of the Lord!  We need to confess to God, to one another, and with one another for the strengthening of our faith and the health of the body.

Elements of Confession

Foster offers three elements of confession borrowed from St. Alphonsus Liguori: examination of conscience, sorry, and a determination to avoid sin.  A note on each:

1. Examination of conscience is time to ask God to search our hearts and reveal our sin to us.  Something like David's petition in Psalm 139:23-24.
2. Sorrow is a way of taking the confession seriously, (p. 152).  We can look to David again on this point, in Psalm 51:4, "Against you and you alone have I sinned ...."
3. A determination to avoid sin is not a pull-yourself-up-by-your-bootstraps attitude, but rather a desire to be delivered from sin and be ruled by God.

Often when God reveals sin to me, I feel bad about it.  Then, I stop there.  Rather than finding freedom in the discipline of confession - letting God search my heart and then letting him be the one to release, heal, an transform me - I wallow, feel defeated, and figure "it will always be this way."  How inspiring to be reminded that God is in the business of forgiving sin, and we can learn to confess and be set free!  Our pride would keep us from the practice, but the Spirit in us can prevail over our pride and we can grow in humility and faith.

What a relief!

What a fellowship,

What a joy divine,

Leaning on the everlasting arms!

He's Not Angry

Finally, a sweet or maybe shocking reminder before we close, one our pastor in Cambridge was fond of repeating:  If you come to God, He will not be angry with you.  Foster says it this way at the beginning of the chapter,

Love, not anger, brought Jesus to the cross.  Golgotha came as a result of God's great desire to forgive, not his reluctance.  Jesus knew that by his vicarious suffering he could actually absorb all the evil of humanity and so heal it, forgive it, redeem it.  p 144

Stop suffering for that which has already been suffered.  Go.  Confess your sin to another, trustworthy, kind believer, and be healed, believe you are forgiven, and walk as a redeemed child of the Lord!

*     *     *

I don't know that I've done this chapter justice.  Foster shares some great stories and so much encouragement to move toward God in confession.  I've only pulled out a few highlights and added what comes to my mind.  I would encourage you to read Celebration of Discipline sometime.  In fact, I plan to give away a copy.  Keep your eyes peeled for the giveaway announcement in a couple of weeks!  :)

*"God has given us our brothers and sisters to stand in Christ's stead and make God's presence and forgiveness real to us."  p 147