We have 3 weeks left of the mudslinging and the negative ads, and there are a whole lot of us scratching our heads wondering who is really telling the truth. I have said more than once, "I hate politics," and watching the debates tonight just supports this loathing. While I'm sitting here, seething, I am being reminded of the times that I, too, have been "political". So here, in no certain order, are some lessons I am learning from the campaign/debates:
1. Tell the truth ALWAYS! There are hundreds of "fact checkers" and you will be held to your word. Also, no one believes your BS, so you might as well just be honest.
2. Don't exaggerate to make a point (a personal weakness of mine)! It goes along with point number 1. When you exaggerate, people know, and they won't be able to believe anything you say.
3. When something doesn't go the way you plan, admit you made a mistake, learn from it, and move on. Quit blaming someone else and making excuses. We know it was you.
4. When someone is talking, LISTEN! Don't talk over them. Don't bully your way through a conversation. It's rude and it just makes you look like a jack-ass!
5. Honor goes a long way. Just because you fundamentally disagree with someone, doesn't give you the right to personally attack them. The truth is that both of you are probably going to fail on some level, and neither of you know everything. BE NICE!
6. At some point you have to quit talking and just do something. NIKE already!
and last, but by far the most important....
7. There is only ONE Savior, ONE Hope, One Solution, and you are not Him (neither am I - so we can all breathe a collective sigh of relief).
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Saturday, October 13, 2012
Coke or Water?
This week I had the not-so-pleasant experience of dehydrating myself. I had recognized the signs a few days prior to the painful side of dehydration, but I ignored them, because I wanted to drink a Coke, not water. I love the sweet, fizzy flavor of most sodas, and the caffeine jolt is just what I need to get me through the afternoon blehs. But, at 4:30 on Wednesday morning, I started kicking myself when I was jarred awake by my body screaming for water.
In the Bible, the Holy Spirit is often referred to as "living water". I have often thought about "living water" versus "still water", and I have heard many sermons, teachings, and scientific explanations of how living water is better than stagnant water. There has been no greater illustration of this in my life than my previous cat, Glory. I adopted her from the shelter when she was 1 year old, a beautiful long hair kitty, and with a name like Glory, how could I resist? I brought her home, and I was startled the first morning when I was awoken by her screams from the bathroom. I ran in there and found her in the bathtub, crying and crying. It took me a few minutes, but I finally turned on the bathtub to a slight trickle. She immediately started drinking from the water as it came out of the faucet as if she were completely dehydrated, which made no sense to me since there was a full bowl of fresh water just two steps away. This began a long standing morning tradition of getting up and turning the bathtub on while I got ready for work.
Of course, she would drink water from her bowl when I wasn't home, but as soon as I walked in the door, she refused. She wanted "living water". I think that we're wired the same way. I'm not saying that we drink from bathtubs, but have you ever seen bottled "pond water"? We buy bottles of "spring water", why? Because it's clean! And we need water. I read this morning that a 10% drop in hydration can be fatal. That doesn't seem like very much, but I'm telling you, after this week, I believe it! But I think that that we need more than natural water.
Confession: Sometimes I drink cokes when I need the LIVING WATER.
Sometimes I watch tv, when my spirit is crying out for some time in worship. Sometimes I play games on my phone when I am needing to read the Word. Sometimes I skip church and sleep in. Sometimes, my spirit gets dehydrated. In those times I am more easily swayed by my emotions, I get confused, I get tired, and my faith muscles cramp up, and it is painful (both for me and those around me).
Now, I'm not talking about a checklist for "good Christians" here, nor am I saying that tv, games or sleeping in are wrong. I'm talking about heart needs. As a married woman, I need quality time with my husband, where we can stay connected and deepen our relationship. If we don't spend that time, we start to drift apart, which can create all sorts of open doors to things that no one wants to walk through. It's the same concept with God. My heart needs to stay connected to Him. He is love, peace, joy, life, and when I disconnect, I find myself withering in the wilderness of doubt and depression. The signs are usually clear, so the question really becomes, "Will you listen?" I can't promise that I always will, but I can tell you this - I never want to be dehydrated again.
Jesus answered and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.” ~John 4:13-14
In the Bible, the Holy Spirit is often referred to as "living water". I have often thought about "living water" versus "still water", and I have heard many sermons, teachings, and scientific explanations of how living water is better than stagnant water. There has been no greater illustration of this in my life than my previous cat, Glory. I adopted her from the shelter when she was 1 year old, a beautiful long hair kitty, and with a name like Glory, how could I resist? I brought her home, and I was startled the first morning when I was awoken by her screams from the bathroom. I ran in there and found her in the bathtub, crying and crying. It took me a few minutes, but I finally turned on the bathtub to a slight trickle. She immediately started drinking from the water as it came out of the faucet as if she were completely dehydrated, which made no sense to me since there was a full bowl of fresh water just two steps away. This began a long standing morning tradition of getting up and turning the bathtub on while I got ready for work.
Of course, she would drink water from her bowl when I wasn't home, but as soon as I walked in the door, she refused. She wanted "living water". I think that we're wired the same way. I'm not saying that we drink from bathtubs, but have you ever seen bottled "pond water"? We buy bottles of "spring water", why? Because it's clean! And we need water. I read this morning that a 10% drop in hydration can be fatal. That doesn't seem like very much, but I'm telling you, after this week, I believe it! But I think that that we need more than natural water.
Confession: Sometimes I drink cokes when I need the LIVING WATER.
Sometimes I watch tv, when my spirit is crying out for some time in worship. Sometimes I play games on my phone when I am needing to read the Word. Sometimes I skip church and sleep in. Sometimes, my spirit gets dehydrated. In those times I am more easily swayed by my emotions, I get confused, I get tired, and my faith muscles cramp up, and it is painful (both for me and those around me).
Now, I'm not talking about a checklist for "good Christians" here, nor am I saying that tv, games or sleeping in are wrong. I'm talking about heart needs. As a married woman, I need quality time with my husband, where we can stay connected and deepen our relationship. If we don't spend that time, we start to drift apart, which can create all sorts of open doors to things that no one wants to walk through. It's the same concept with God. My heart needs to stay connected to Him. He is love, peace, joy, life, and when I disconnect, I find myself withering in the wilderness of doubt and depression. The signs are usually clear, so the question really becomes, "Will you listen?" I can't promise that I always will, but I can tell you this - I never want to be dehydrated again.
Jesus answered and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.” ~John 4:13-14
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
This is a Gift?
Have you ever received one of those gifts that just made you scratch your head? Have you ever politely said thank you, while secretly wondering what you were going to do with it or what the giver was ever thinking?
Today, I was listening to Jason Upton's Glimpse cd, and there is a song in which he is singing about forgiveness and looking at our friends forgetting they were our enemies. Later in the song, he starts talking about the scene in the Garden of Gethsemane when Peter cut off the servant's ear. Jesus healed the servant, and told Peter "Those who live by the sword will die by the sword." Jason then points out the next question that Jesus asks Peter, "Shall I not drink the cup that my Father has given me," saying that true freedom is looking into the eyes of your betrayer and saying "you are a cup from my Father."
While I have heard this song and statement several times, today it struck me to the core. As you might have guessed from the recent posts, it has been a season in which there is one who has been causing much pain in my life. In fact, I would say this one has been a "betrayer" of sorts, with a lot of kindness to my face, but backstabbing any other time. With all this going on, I have been so focused on my failure to respond to this "trial", and the angst and pain of picking up offenses, laying them down, then picking them up again, only to stay on this hamster wheel of forgiving my very own Judas. But today, I was forced to consider that maybe this Judas is a "cup from my Father," a gift?
The Bible tells us that Jesus endured the cross for the joy that was set before Him. I wonder if He thought, "Gee, Dad...thanks for this one!" It's almost like getting a treadmill for Christmas (which I do not recommend gifting anyone unless he/she has point blank asked for one-but that's another post). For me, this would be a practical gift, but nothing I would just love. I know exercise is important, but it just does not bring the same joy to me that it does to my crazy work-out loving friends. Yet, what if the treadmill was not the real gift, but rather something that was needed to prepare me for what the real gift is? What if the gift is a trip to Mt. Kilimanjaro, and in order to fully experience the beauty, I need to be able to climb the mountain? In order to be able to climb the mountain, I need to be able to walk farther than the distance it is from the couch to the refrigerator. For Christ, the gift was restoring us to His Father, being in relationship with us, being seated on the right hand of the Father.
But it all started with becoming a helpless baby, enduring life as a human (working in business, dealing with church politics, and trying to please his parents as well as his friends all at the same time), and then walking through the most painful three days known to man (betrayal by a good friend, false accusations, excruciating punishment and death, and separation from God). That's some gift, eh?
James 1:17 says, "Every good and perfect gift is from above, and comes from the Father of Lights." As I noted last night, He had only good gifts for us. So, if you are faced with a Judas (which means "praise", by the way), and your "gift" isn't feeling very good, there is something good that God is wanting to give you. It might be the gift of peace, or the gift of expanded grace and patience, or the gift of forgiveness leading to a deeper revelation of His love. It could be that this Judas is preparing you for beauty like you've never seen or experienced. So, while it feels counterculture and unnatural, rejoice in the treadmill, press through and work it out. Kilimanjaro will be worth it all!
Today, I was listening to Jason Upton's Glimpse cd, and there is a song in which he is singing about forgiveness and looking at our friends forgetting they were our enemies. Later in the song, he starts talking about the scene in the Garden of Gethsemane when Peter cut off the servant's ear. Jesus healed the servant, and told Peter "Those who live by the sword will die by the sword." Jason then points out the next question that Jesus asks Peter, "Shall I not drink the cup that my Father has given me," saying that true freedom is looking into the eyes of your betrayer and saying "you are a cup from my Father."
While I have heard this song and statement several times, today it struck me to the core. As you might have guessed from the recent posts, it has been a season in which there is one who has been causing much pain in my life. In fact, I would say this one has been a "betrayer" of sorts, with a lot of kindness to my face, but backstabbing any other time. With all this going on, I have been so focused on my failure to respond to this "trial", and the angst and pain of picking up offenses, laying them down, then picking them up again, only to stay on this hamster wheel of forgiving my very own Judas. But today, I was forced to consider that maybe this Judas is a "cup from my Father," a gift?
The Bible tells us that Jesus endured the cross for the joy that was set before Him. I wonder if He thought, "Gee, Dad...thanks for this one!" It's almost like getting a treadmill for Christmas (which I do not recommend gifting anyone unless he/she has point blank asked for one-but that's another post). For me, this would be a practical gift, but nothing I would just love. I know exercise is important, but it just does not bring the same joy to me that it does to my crazy work-out loving friends. Yet, what if the treadmill was not the real gift, but rather something that was needed to prepare me for what the real gift is? What if the gift is a trip to Mt. Kilimanjaro, and in order to fully experience the beauty, I need to be able to climb the mountain? In order to be able to climb the mountain, I need to be able to walk farther than the distance it is from the couch to the refrigerator. For Christ, the gift was restoring us to His Father, being in relationship with us, being seated on the right hand of the Father.
But it all started with becoming a helpless baby, enduring life as a human (working in business, dealing with church politics, and trying to please his parents as well as his friends all at the same time), and then walking through the most painful three days known to man (betrayal by a good friend, false accusations, excruciating punishment and death, and separation from God). That's some gift, eh?
James 1:17 says, "Every good and perfect gift is from above, and comes from the Father of Lights." As I noted last night, He had only good gifts for us. So, if you are faced with a Judas (which means "praise", by the way), and your "gift" isn't feeling very good, there is something good that God is wanting to give you. It might be the gift of peace, or the gift of expanded grace and patience, or the gift of forgiveness leading to a deeper revelation of His love. It could be that this Judas is preparing you for beauty like you've never seen or experienced. So, while it feels counterculture and unnatural, rejoice in the treadmill, press through and work it out. Kilimanjaro will be worth it all!
Monday, October 8, 2012
Fear of the Unknown
"Fear creates increased pessimism about the future." ~ from a webinar I attended at work.
The class was about leading through "disruptive change", and smack in the middle the speaker drops this line. It was as if he was living in my head. Confession time: I have been a little (ok maybe a lot) pessimistic about my future, mainly at work, but in other areas too, and when he said that there was a correlation between fear and pessimism about the future, it stopped me dead in my tracks.
I wouldn't have called it "fear", per se, but there has been a lot of uncertainty about where I will be working, in what capacity I will be working in...you know overstaffed + over budget = a lot of ???????. And if I were to be completely honest (which is the point of this blog), I've been afraid. Afraid of having to go backwards instead of forwards in my career. Afraid that my new boss won't like me. Afraid that I will not be successful. Afraid that I will have to move. Just plain afraid.
No wonder I've been miserable these last few weeks. Somehow, I have lost sight of the fact that I am so perfectly loved by a Father who never makes mistakes, whose promises are amazing, and who knows what He is doing. I lost sight of the fact that He says, "For I know the plans I have for you...plans for a FUTURE and a hope, " and "Every good and perfect gift comes from the Father." If He only gives good and perfect gifts, and He holds the plans for my future, what am I so scared of?
And we all know the verse that says, "Perfect love casts out fear," right? So, I immediately jumped to condemning myself for not believing in His perfect love, for allowing fear to come in. And as I repented for the 100th time this week for this same "sin" of unbelief, I wondered if maybe it wasn't a "sin" after all. Maybe it wasn't "unbelief", but maybe I just need a greater revelation of who He is and His love for me. Maybe that's why God put this prayer in the Bible - maybe, just maybe, He knew we would need this prayer answered in our lives (I stole that "maybe" from Pastor Terry Moore @SojournChurch-thanks, Pastor!). So, instead of repenting for the 101st time, I am going to pray this prayer over myself and my family. Will you join me?
"For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you [and me], according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your [and my] hearts through faith; that you [and I], being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you [and I] may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen." ~Ephesians 3:14-21
The class was about leading through "disruptive change", and smack in the middle the speaker drops this line. It was as if he was living in my head. Confession time: I have been a little (ok maybe a lot) pessimistic about my future, mainly at work, but in other areas too, and when he said that there was a correlation between fear and pessimism about the future, it stopped me dead in my tracks.
I wouldn't have called it "fear", per se, but there has been a lot of uncertainty about where I will be working, in what capacity I will be working in...you know overstaffed + over budget = a lot of ???????. And if I were to be completely honest (which is the point of this blog), I've been afraid. Afraid of having to go backwards instead of forwards in my career. Afraid that my new boss won't like me. Afraid that I will not be successful. Afraid that I will have to move. Just plain afraid.
No wonder I've been miserable these last few weeks. Somehow, I have lost sight of the fact that I am so perfectly loved by a Father who never makes mistakes, whose promises are amazing, and who knows what He is doing. I lost sight of the fact that He says, "For I know the plans I have for you...plans for a FUTURE and a hope, " and "Every good and perfect gift comes from the Father." If He only gives good and perfect gifts, and He holds the plans for my future, what am I so scared of?
And we all know the verse that says, "Perfect love casts out fear," right? So, I immediately jumped to condemning myself for not believing in His perfect love, for allowing fear to come in. And as I repented for the 100th time this week for this same "sin" of unbelief, I wondered if maybe it wasn't a "sin" after all. Maybe it wasn't "unbelief", but maybe I just need a greater revelation of who He is and His love for me. Maybe that's why God put this prayer in the Bible - maybe, just maybe, He knew we would need this prayer answered in our lives (I stole that "maybe" from Pastor Terry Moore @SojournChurch-thanks, Pastor!). So, instead of repenting for the 101st time, I am going to pray this prayer over myself and my family. Will you join me?
"For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you [and me], according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your [and my] hearts through faith; that you [and I], being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you [and I] may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen." ~Ephesians 3:14-21
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Love in the Real World
In my world this week, love has looked like:
1. holding the elevator for a stranger with full hands
2. honoring a co-worker, even when I fundamentally disagreed with everything he was saying
3. not rolling my eyes at something someone said
4. not nagging my husband about the impending lease renewal
5. getting up to take the dog out, so Paul could sleep a little longer
6. not telling my friends about what that other person did that just pissed me off
7. not cussing out the driver that cut me off, then slammed on his brakes.
8. choosing to pray for and bless the politician I would like to see in a different career
Confession: I only did a couple of things on this list.
#NeedMoreLove #NeedHim
1. holding the elevator for a stranger with full hands
2. honoring a co-worker, even when I fundamentally disagreed with everything he was saying
3. not rolling my eyes at something someone said
4. not nagging my husband about the impending lease renewal
5. getting up to take the dog out, so Paul could sleep a little longer
6. not telling my friends about what that other person did that just pissed me off
7. not cussing out the driver that cut me off, then slammed on his brakes.
8. choosing to pray for and bless the politician I would like to see in a different career
Confession: I only did a couple of things on this list.
#NeedMoreLove #NeedHim
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
Not My Favorite Workout
Confession: I think my forgive switch has flipped it's last time, as there is no forgiveness coming from the vents of this heart right now.
I understand that forgiveness is a choice, and that there really is no such thing as a "forgive switch", but this has been one heck of a season, and I could swear that my forgive switch has simply worn out.
I am convinced that the subject of my angst, this person that I would rather strangle than bless, has been placed in my life just to work out my forgiveness muscle. The problem is that my muscle is strained, and I'm not getting any time off to rest. Oh, I had a couple week respit, but now it's like I'm being forced to run a marathon when I haven't even walked a mile. I'm out of breath, everything hurts, and I'm pretty sure that my heart is going to explode.
I know that I need to forgive and bless and pray for this person, but the truth is I just don't want to. I will, eventually, get sick of the battle between my head and the Spirit, and I will forgive for the 491st time. Does this earn me extra jewels in my crown since I've now forgiven more than the required 70 x 7? Probably not, since I've been forgiven 491 million times. The truth is that it's very possible that I may be this same person in someone else's life, needing to be forgiven on a daily basis (while I really do hope that's not the case).
It's amazing to me what unforgiveness and anger and hurt actually do to a person. I have been on edge, fidgety and just downright miserable. And while the solution seems so simple, it's hard to do in real life. It's hard to get past the hurt, the frustration, the helpless feeling of being poked until you're raw. It's hard to forgive when you know that the other person is not going to change and you'll just have to repeat the process again. It's hard, but it's not impossible.
Jesus set the perfect example. He knew that Judas was going to betray Him, and yet Jesus forgave him even BEFORE the full pain of the betrayal set in. How do I know that? He greeted Judas with a kiss and called him friend when Judas was bringing the army to arrest Him. Who does that? The cool thing is that the same Spirit lives in us, and we have all been given a measure of grace, which means we are empowered to do all that God has called us to do. This means we are empowered to forgive. We are empowered to release mercy to our Judases.
Silly me, my forgive switch didn't break. I just forgot to turn it on.
"Freely you have received. Freely Give." ~ Jesus
PS: For those who may be concerned, the person causing me angst is NOT my husband! We are still very happy, healthy, and very much in love.
I understand that forgiveness is a choice, and that there really is no such thing as a "forgive switch", but this has been one heck of a season, and I could swear that my forgive switch has simply worn out.
I am convinced that the subject of my angst, this person that I would rather strangle than bless, has been placed in my life just to work out my forgiveness muscle. The problem is that my muscle is strained, and I'm not getting any time off to rest. Oh, I had a couple week respit, but now it's like I'm being forced to run a marathon when I haven't even walked a mile. I'm out of breath, everything hurts, and I'm pretty sure that my heart is going to explode.
I know that I need to forgive and bless and pray for this person, but the truth is I just don't want to. I will, eventually, get sick of the battle between my head and the Spirit, and I will forgive for the 491st time. Does this earn me extra jewels in my crown since I've now forgiven more than the required 70 x 7? Probably not, since I've been forgiven 491 million times. The truth is that it's very possible that I may be this same person in someone else's life, needing to be forgiven on a daily basis (while I really do hope that's not the case).
It's amazing to me what unforgiveness and anger and hurt actually do to a person. I have been on edge, fidgety and just downright miserable. And while the solution seems so simple, it's hard to do in real life. It's hard to get past the hurt, the frustration, the helpless feeling of being poked until you're raw. It's hard to forgive when you know that the other person is not going to change and you'll just have to repeat the process again. It's hard, but it's not impossible.
Jesus set the perfect example. He knew that Judas was going to betray Him, and yet Jesus forgave him even BEFORE the full pain of the betrayal set in. How do I know that? He greeted Judas with a kiss and called him friend when Judas was bringing the army to arrest Him. Who does that? The cool thing is that the same Spirit lives in us, and we have all been given a measure of grace, which means we are empowered to do all that God has called us to do. This means we are empowered to forgive. We are empowered to release mercy to our Judases.
Silly me, my forgive switch didn't break. I just forgot to turn it on.
"Freely you have received. Freely Give." ~ Jesus
PS: For those who may be concerned, the person causing me angst is NOT my husband! We are still very happy, healthy, and very much in love.
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