Bumps vs. Forks
I woke up this morning thinking about defining events. Perhaps it was because I often help women determine what those are in their own pilgrimage on this earth. Anyway, someone shared with me recently that there is a vast difference between bumps and forks in the road of life. Bumps create sudden impact that throws off our delicate sense of balance and forks literally hurl us totally in a different direction. These thoughts made me think about my own life and some of my own defining events:
Coming to know Christ at 12 (fork)
Broken promise about a trip to California for high school graduation (bump)
Moving from Iowa to California at 18 (fork)
Marrying a pastor at 21 (fork)
Suffering in the early years of my husband's ministry (many bumps)
Bearing two children (fork)
Becoming more consecrated in my personal relationship with God at 30 (fork)
Meeting a covenant sister in Christ (friend of the heart) at 40 (fork)
Starting a formal mentoring ministry at 50 (fork)
Losing my dad at 55 (bump)
Losing my six year old nephew two weeks later (big bump)
I am very thankful at this thankful time of year that God has made His presence known to me through all of the above bumps and forks. He helped me make vector changes that kept me moving in a righteous direction for His glory. Psalm 1:6, "For the Lord knows the way of the righteous."
I also take great comfort in the fact that as He has worked with me in the past, He will continue to work with me in the future. I am resting in the confidence that future bumps and forks will be watched over by His gentlemanly presence in my life. And so, I find that I am very thankful for His many blessings at this Thanksgiving time!
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Monday, November 10, 2008
I've been thinking about language...
Venting: A Chance to Speak Express Frustration Graciously
The Scottsdale Tribune has a column on the Opinion page entitled The Vent. Individuals e-mail their comments to vent@evtrib.com or phone comments to (480) 898-6806. Every once in a while I read The Vent to see how our society is expressing itself. One day back in June of 2008 I read this comment directed to someone who shot and killed a grandmother. "You are a dirty little coward. I hope the gates of hell open up and invade your dreams with the slimiest demons there can be and eat your soul until you are nothing but a quivering, blubbering mass in the gutter where you belong."
I kept this particular column because of the imaginative language this person used in venting his or her opinion. I am not sure I could come up with this particular line of verbiage if my life depended on it! And so, here is a model of how to say something intensely without using filthy language. And this leads me to the topic for this blog...language.
Each time I open my mouth, I must make a choice about the way I will speak, the language I will use. Most of the time when I think about language, I think about the very practical Scripture in Ephesians 4:29 that instructs me not to use "corrupting talk" or evil speech, meaning "rotten" or "putrid" speech. Instead, I am to use talk that is good for building up and giving grace. To "give grace" is to speak in a way that benefits others.
Every once in a while, when the occasion calls for it, it is important to know how to say something potently strong but with language that is not foul or objectionable. Let's be honest, it takes no effort or creativity to reinforce our headlong downward spiral as a society into bad choices in morals, manners, actions and language. On the other hand, it takes great wit and wisdom to vent in a vigorous and emotional way while still choosing to convey dignity and honor on others who are listening or as in this case reading us. Hats off then, to our expressive venter, who made the choice to do it the hard way and who is still remembered for it!!!
The Scottsdale Tribune has a column on the Opinion page entitled The Vent. Individuals e-mail their comments to vent@evtrib.com or phone comments to (480) 898-6806. Every once in a while I read The Vent to see how our society is expressing itself. One day back in June of 2008 I read this comment directed to someone who shot and killed a grandmother. "You are a dirty little coward. I hope the gates of hell open up and invade your dreams with the slimiest demons there can be and eat your soul until you are nothing but a quivering, blubbering mass in the gutter where you belong."
I kept this particular column because of the imaginative language this person used in venting his or her opinion. I am not sure I could come up with this particular line of verbiage if my life depended on it! And so, here is a model of how to say something intensely without using filthy language. And this leads me to the topic for this blog...language.
Each time I open my mouth, I must make a choice about the way I will speak, the language I will use. Most of the time when I think about language, I think about the very practical Scripture in Ephesians 4:29 that instructs me not to use "corrupting talk" or evil speech, meaning "rotten" or "putrid" speech. Instead, I am to use talk that is good for building up and giving grace. To "give grace" is to speak in a way that benefits others.
Every once in a while, when the occasion calls for it, it is important to know how to say something potently strong but with language that is not foul or objectionable. Let's be honest, it takes no effort or creativity to reinforce our headlong downward spiral as a society into bad choices in morals, manners, actions and language. On the other hand, it takes great wit and wisdom to vent in a vigorous and emotional way while still choosing to convey dignity and honor on others who are listening or as in this case reading us. Hats off then, to our expressive venter, who made the choice to do it the hard way and who is still remembered for it!!!
Saturday, October 18, 2008
I've been thinking about what matters...
Laurel Is With the Lord
I read Gary Nagel's brief but poignant e-mail message with a sober heart. It said:
Laurel is with the Lord.
She lost her battle with cancer on September 17, 2007.
I had mentored Laurel in 2004 and 2005. She was a mature woman but a new believer at the time. I turned on my printer and downloaded the e-mail for my records. A few days later, I pulled Laurel's file and right there in the front of the folder was a message from Laurel herself, signed by her hand, dated Monday, May 2, 2005, 7:28 pm.
"Once upon a time there lived a Princess in a far off land...STOP. This is how I would have liked my story to begin but not even close. When I first began with Prickly Perspectives, I was asked to "harvest wisdom from my past." I quickly crossed out the word "harvest" and replaced it with "salvage." This was a grueling experience and I had great resistance to recounting my life, especially my childhood years. I didn't understand why it was important to examine painful times and in some instances, unearth long buried memories. After completing the course, spread out over half a year, I feel I have grown like a plant fed with MiracleGro. I had such a fragmented understanding of God and even doubted whether what I was learning was true. After a particularly difficult Christmas holiday, I was about to give up. The only thing that made me keep my January appointment was the knowledge that I would find comfort in my hour and a half with Holly. Somehow she always managed to give me some hope for a better tomorrow. I was hanging by a thread. It was hard for me to trust anyone on such a personal level especially when my own parrents taught me gross lies and had molded me into a child with a skewed view of the world."
Then, she went on to say:
"Now, on my last day of personal time with Holly I am sad not to have more mentoring ahead. However, she gave me wings to lift up and to fly high. Remarkable changes have taken place and that old person I was is no more. There may be some small traces of the unsettled, hopeless woman I was but for the most part I have a new vision, a new direction. There were times when I felt she should be spending her precious time with someone more worthy. She never gave up on me even when I gave up on myself. She got through the many layers of barriers and brought God and me face-to-face. I felt a love I had never known. Everythings looks so beautiful. I look forward to each day with great promise. Never will I be able to thank Holly enough for performing a spiritual CPR on me whose insides were so close to being dead. And, as I write all this, I realize the hand that was working. Thank you, God, for orchestrating my time and my life-changing sessions with Holly. I pray that I live worthy of my new found life."
Memories flood my mind as I re-read these words once again. I am so glad I was available for Laurel and that my help made a difference. I also decided to commemorate her here in my blog and say that her life mattered to God, and because it mattered to God, it mattered to me.
I read Gary Nagel's brief but poignant e-mail message with a sober heart. It said:
Laurel is with the Lord.
She lost her battle with cancer on September 17, 2007.
I had mentored Laurel in 2004 and 2005. She was a mature woman but a new believer at the time. I turned on my printer and downloaded the e-mail for my records. A few days later, I pulled Laurel's file and right there in the front of the folder was a message from Laurel herself, signed by her hand, dated Monday, May 2, 2005, 7:28 pm.
"Once upon a time there lived a Princess in a far off land...STOP. This is how I would have liked my story to begin but not even close. When I first began with Prickly Perspectives, I was asked to "harvest wisdom from my past." I quickly crossed out the word "harvest" and replaced it with "salvage." This was a grueling experience and I had great resistance to recounting my life, especially my childhood years. I didn't understand why it was important to examine painful times and in some instances, unearth long buried memories. After completing the course, spread out over half a year, I feel I have grown like a plant fed with MiracleGro. I had such a fragmented understanding of God and even doubted whether what I was learning was true. After a particularly difficult Christmas holiday, I was about to give up. The only thing that made me keep my January appointment was the knowledge that I would find comfort in my hour and a half with Holly. Somehow she always managed to give me some hope for a better tomorrow. I was hanging by a thread. It was hard for me to trust anyone on such a personal level especially when my own parrents taught me gross lies and had molded me into a child with a skewed view of the world."
Then, she went on to say:
"Now, on my last day of personal time with Holly I am sad not to have more mentoring ahead. However, she gave me wings to lift up and to fly high. Remarkable changes have taken place and that old person I was is no more. There may be some small traces of the unsettled, hopeless woman I was but for the most part I have a new vision, a new direction. There were times when I felt she should be spending her precious time with someone more worthy. She never gave up on me even when I gave up on myself. She got through the many layers of barriers and brought God and me face-to-face. I felt a love I had never known. Everythings looks so beautiful. I look forward to each day with great promise. Never will I be able to thank Holly enough for performing a spiritual CPR on me whose insides were so close to being dead. And, as I write all this, I realize the hand that was working. Thank you, God, for orchestrating my time and my life-changing sessions with Holly. I pray that I live worthy of my new found life."
Memories flood my mind as I re-read these words once again. I am so glad I was available for Laurel and that my help made a difference. I also decided to commemorate her here in my blog and say that her life mattered to God, and because it mattered to God, it mattered to me.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
I've been thinking about dreaming...
FOLLOW YOUR DREAM!
A craftsman in medieval times would work for months on a special piece that displayed his finest artistic skill. Finally, when the work was finished, he would present it to the craftsmen's guild in hopes of achieving the rank of master. The work was called his masterpiece.
In Psalm 139 we see God, the master craftsman, lovingly at work on His masterpiece - a precious child! This Psalm has a profound impact on the way I view myself, especially when I realize that I am not only His child, but His artwork as well!
In instructing Moses about how to proceed with creating the Tabernacle in Exodus 28:3, God says, You shall speak to all the skillful persons whom I have endowed with the spirit of wisdom... The term "skillful" persons here means the "wise of heart" whom God has endowed with artistic skill. This passage clearly states that God gifts His children with a unique contribution or kind of wisdom regarding their place in His world.
My faith rests on Scriptures like these, which tell me God has a unique plan for me. He has given me "a way of seeing" which is a form of wisdom to stir my heart and lift me to fulfill His purposes. He even keeps me motivated by placing dreams, His dreams for me, in my heart.
God placed a dream in my heart to move from Iowa to California where I married a man who committed his life to ministry. He placed a dream in my heart to raise two strong sons. Who, but God, knew that the rearing techniques I learned in my home were His training ground for teaching me how to minister to an ever-widening circle of men and women. God also placed a dream in my heart to reach out to single women, professional women, women alone at church, by providing a safe harbor called Women of Substance.
A recent dream God has placed in my heart is to give myself away in mentoring women in deep and substantial ways through my SoulWork curriculum. What is the bottom line? His dream for me keeps me pressing forward into each new day with a clear vision and grateful anticipation for all that lies ahead.
What about you? Do you have a dream? If not, have you asked God for His dream for your life? When you know it, I encourage you to follow it with all your heart!
A craftsman in medieval times would work for months on a special piece that displayed his finest artistic skill. Finally, when the work was finished, he would present it to the craftsmen's guild in hopes of achieving the rank of master. The work was called his masterpiece.
In Psalm 139 we see God, the master craftsman, lovingly at work on His masterpiece - a precious child! This Psalm has a profound impact on the way I view myself, especially when I realize that I am not only His child, but His artwork as well!
In instructing Moses about how to proceed with creating the Tabernacle in Exodus 28:3, God says, You shall speak to all the skillful persons whom I have endowed with the spirit of wisdom... The term "skillful" persons here means the "wise of heart" whom God has endowed with artistic skill. This passage clearly states that God gifts His children with a unique contribution or kind of wisdom regarding their place in His world.
My faith rests on Scriptures like these, which tell me God has a unique plan for me. He has given me "a way of seeing" which is a form of wisdom to stir my heart and lift me to fulfill His purposes. He even keeps me motivated by placing dreams, His dreams for me, in my heart.
God placed a dream in my heart to move from Iowa to California where I married a man who committed his life to ministry. He placed a dream in my heart to raise two strong sons. Who, but God, knew that the rearing techniques I learned in my home were His training ground for teaching me how to minister to an ever-widening circle of men and women. God also placed a dream in my heart to reach out to single women, professional women, women alone at church, by providing a safe harbor called Women of Substance.
A recent dream God has placed in my heart is to give myself away in mentoring women in deep and substantial ways through my SoulWork curriculum. What is the bottom line? His dream for me keeps me pressing forward into each new day with a clear vision and grateful anticipation for all that lies ahead.
What about you? Do you have a dream? If not, have you asked God for His dream for your life? When you know it, I encourage you to follow it with all your heart!
Friday, May 2, 2008
I"ve been thinking about believing...
Our Children See Their Future in Our Eyes
I was sitting with a friend recently who was describing her frustration with one of her children. She was in the throes of the teenage years when it seems our kids take three steps forward and two steps back as they grow toward adulthood.
As I listened and related, I thought back to my own frustrations and inadequacy in raising our two sons. So many times I came to the end of myself! What I mean is, I suffered an inevitable loss of patience. Of course, that is exactly when I became moldable clay in God's hands.
After times of soul searching and coming up empty for the challenging task of parenting, I would come humbly before Him. He graciously placed His vision for my boys into my heart and soul. As a mother, the effect of this change of vision makes all the difference! He exchanged my limited resources and narrowed vision of their future with His limitless ones. Then, when my boys looked into my eyes, they saw their future as bright and hopeful.
"Picture a crown a few inches above your children's heads, and then watch them grow into it, " someone has said. What a helpful word picture! We do produce a picture of their future for them and if our relationship with our kids is strong, they will respond positively to being loved, trusted and believed in. After all, doesn't it bring out the best in each of us?
Internal attitudes become tangible through the window to the soul - our eyes! The Biblical principle is that I become like what I focus on and what I want to focus on is that my Father God loves me, trusts me and believes in me. So fellow child of God, focus on Psalm 46:10 which says, Be still and know that I am God because the future of our kids depends on it!
I was sitting with a friend recently who was describing her frustration with one of her children. She was in the throes of the teenage years when it seems our kids take three steps forward and two steps back as they grow toward adulthood.
As I listened and related, I thought back to my own frustrations and inadequacy in raising our two sons. So many times I came to the end of myself! What I mean is, I suffered an inevitable loss of patience. Of course, that is exactly when I became moldable clay in God's hands.
After times of soul searching and coming up empty for the challenging task of parenting, I would come humbly before Him. He graciously placed His vision for my boys into my heart and soul. As a mother, the effect of this change of vision makes all the difference! He exchanged my limited resources and narrowed vision of their future with His limitless ones. Then, when my boys looked into my eyes, they saw their future as bright and hopeful.
"Picture a crown a few inches above your children's heads, and then watch them grow into it, " someone has said. What a helpful word picture! We do produce a picture of their future for them and if our relationship with our kids is strong, they will respond positively to being loved, trusted and believed in. After all, doesn't it bring out the best in each of us?
Internal attitudes become tangible through the window to the soul - our eyes! The Biblical principle is that I become like what I focus on and what I want to focus on is that my Father God loves me, trusts me and believes in me. So fellow child of God, focus on Psalm 46:10 which says, Be still and know that I am God because the future of our kids depends on it!
Keep me so focused on You, Lord,
that when my precious children and grandchildren
see their future in my eyes,
they will be inexorably drawn to You
and the difference Your presence makes in a life!
Amen.
Sunday, February 17, 2008
I've been thinking about belonging...
Where, Oh Where, Do I Belong?
belonging: a sense of a close or intimate relationship
A friend shared with me her experience with a famous lady in Christian circles, Vonette Bright. My friend did not know Vonette personally, but when they found themselves standing together in a lobby of a hotel, they began talking. Vonette volunteered that she planned to meet friends for lunch and then, moved by a desire to include my friend, she promptly took her by the arm and exuberantly said, "COME WITH US!"
We can all imagine the joyful surprise and delight of belonging even in a situation where we are not known. How much more do we long to belong where we are known? Especially when we believe we are known and loved deeply?
intimate relationship: a relationship marked by a warm friendship developing through a long association
When God commissioned Joshua to be the military leader of the Israelites in chapter one verse five of the book of Joshua, God said, I will not leave you or forsake you. In Hebrews 13:5, we are reminded that God makes the same promise to each and everyone of His children, I will never leave you nor forsake you.
So when times get tough and I struggle with belonging, I must remind myself that there is one place where I do belong without a doubt. I belong with my friend, Jesus, and with those who keep company with Him. Jesus, moved by a tremendous desire to include me, continually calls out exuberantly, "COME WITH US!"
belonging: a sense of a close or intimate relationship
A friend shared with me her experience with a famous lady in Christian circles, Vonette Bright. My friend did not know Vonette personally, but when they found themselves standing together in a lobby of a hotel, they began talking. Vonette volunteered that she planned to meet friends for lunch and then, moved by a desire to include my friend, she promptly took her by the arm and exuberantly said, "COME WITH US!"
We can all imagine the joyful surprise and delight of belonging even in a situation where we are not known. How much more do we long to belong where we are known? Especially when we believe we are known and loved deeply?
intimate relationship: a relationship marked by a warm friendship developing through a long association
When God commissioned Joshua to be the military leader of the Israelites in chapter one verse five of the book of Joshua, God said, I will not leave you or forsake you. In Hebrews 13:5, we are reminded that God makes the same promise to each and everyone of His children, I will never leave you nor forsake you.
So when times get tough and I struggle with belonging, I must remind myself that there is one place where I do belong without a doubt. I belong with my friend, Jesus, and with those who keep company with Him. Jesus, moved by a tremendous desire to include me, continually calls out exuberantly, "COME WITH US!"
Thursday, February 14, 2008
I"ve been thinking about loving...
Being Deeply Loved and Loving Deeply
I saw a meaningful Valentine's message on a card this week that caught my attention. It said,
I saw a meaningful Valentine's message on a card this week that caught my attention. It said,
Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength:
loving someone deeply gives you courage.
-Lao Tzu
Maybe it is because I am reminded on Valentine's Day about being deeply loved and about loving deeply that this message strikes a cord. I do believe being loved deeply by someone does give me STRENGTH to keep going, to keep trying, to keep believing, to keep saying "this is who I am" to the world. I also believe that my depth of love for others gives me COURAGE to try to right the wrongs, to speak for those who have no voice, to defend and stand up for what is good. Why else would I continue to do these things?
It is very interesting to note that according to God's Word COURAGE is the virtue that enables me to practice the rest of the virtues consistently and it is the foundation to a life of loving deeply. In the New Living Translation, 2 Peter 1:5-7 says that my faith, based on my choices to apply the promises of the previous verses, will produce a life of moral excellence (courage). A life of moral exellence leads to knowing God better. Knowing God leads to self-control. Self-control leads to patient endurance and patient endurance leads to godliness. Godliness leads to LOVE for other Christians, and finally you will grow to have geniune LOVE for everyone.
This is truly a Valentine message to shout about! STRENGTH and COURAGE, mixed up together and rooted in a life of faith, create in us the ability to become beautiful living and loving Valentines to everyone around us! Happy Valentine's Day!
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
I've been thinking about growth...
An Acrostic for GROWTH
My mission statement is, "I exist to serve by stimulating growth for the glory of God." My life verse is Hebrews 10:24 which supports my mission, "Let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds."
The emphasis of this verse in Hebrews is on the phrase, "Let us consider" meaning my effectiveness in stimulating growth is qualified by how much time I have spent listening and understanding!
God recently gave me an exciting acrostic for growth:
Greeting
Risky
Opportunities
With a
Trusting
Heart
A risky situation involves exposure to danger. I define "risky" as something that is exhilarating because the opportunity combines both excitement and fear. However, when these two things are present I know God is in it! My heart is excited at the possibility but I am fearful that I will fail.
Isn't that the leap of faith that God requires of me to grow? I choose to rise to the challenge and engage with God without evidence that I will succeed. I leap with a trusting heart!
My mission statement is, "I exist to serve by stimulating growth for the glory of God." My life verse is Hebrews 10:24 which supports my mission, "Let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds."
The emphasis of this verse in Hebrews is on the phrase, "Let us consider" meaning my effectiveness in stimulating growth is qualified by how much time I have spent listening and understanding!
God recently gave me an exciting acrostic for growth:
Greeting
Risky
Opportunities
With a
Trusting
Heart
A risky situation involves exposure to danger. I define "risky" as something that is exhilarating because the opportunity combines both excitement and fear. However, when these two things are present I know God is in it! My heart is excited at the possibility but I am fearful that I will fail.
Isn't that the leap of faith that God requires of me to grow? I choose to rise to the challenge and engage with God without evidence that I will succeed. I leap with a trusting heart!
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