Wednesday, January 30, 2008

The Discipline of Service

[February 2008 newsletter article]

Last month, I started a series of articles on spiritual disciplines, with a discussion of the inner discipline of meditation. This month, let us explore the outer discipline of Service.

When Jesus called us to be his disciples and we responded, he charged us to daily take up our cross and follow him. . . . follow him into service to the world he died to redeem, through the church he rose to establish. We take the word ‘service’ for granted. For instance, we refer to Sunday morning corporate worship as a worship SERVICE. We gather in our beautiful sanctuaries, with padded pews and climate controlled environment. We greet those we know and love, and together we sing and pray and proclaim God’s word. Is that SERVICE? Who served? Who was served? This sounds more like pleasure than service.

Jesus gave us the example for service. At the Passover dinner just before he was arrested, they were need of their feet being washed. It was the custom. Yet, everyone knew that only the least of people washed feet. Even among those blessed to be Jesus’ closest companions, no one wanted to be the least. So finally Jesus himself took the towel and the basin and washed their feet! Can you imagine?! Would we be any less appalled than Peter, who did not want a Savior who washed feet? We want a God who is powerful and sophisticated, who acts like . . . well, like GOD. That is the God that we want to follow and imitate. What if we become too sophisticated, too cultured, too reverent, too refined, to follow the example of Jesus? In John 13, Jesus says, “If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to was one another’s feet, for I have given you an example that you should do as I have done for you.”

Jesus illustrated for us true service, rather than the self-righteous service so common in our world. Self-righteous service requires rewards. It seeks notice and applause, (always with the appropriate modesty, of course). True service finds satisfaction in the knowledge that God has seen. Self-righteous service needs to see results – an increased attendance from visits and cards written, a new building built as a result of the capital campaign, professions of faith from the new ministry. True service is free of the need to calculate results. One plants, another waters, but it God, who in His time, gives the increase. Self-righteous service chooses whom to serve. It invites to church those who will be faithful givers, or whose presence we will enjoy. It prefers to serve the pleasant rather than the unpleasant, friends rather than enemies, the lovely rather than the unlovely. Self-righteous service is insensitive, demanding the opportunity to help. True service listens with patience and tenderness, can withhold service as freely as perform it, and can serve by waiting in silence even.

There are many ways to serve of which you may not have thought before. Let me suggest just three.

  • The service of not having our way. Sometimes we insist on doing things the way we have always done them, or being in charge of events to insure they go as we would prefer. Without intending, we can even quench the Holy Spirit of God as we insist on our preferences, rather than allowing God to do a “new thing” that changes the status quo we value. Dare we serve by allowing change?
  • The service of hospitality. Invite someone to a few moments outside the rush and bustle of life. Your house doesn’t have to be perfect. You don’t have to bake unless you want. You don’t even have to have them to your house – meet at a local restaurant, or park. Serve someone by giving them a few moments of your time!
  • The service of letting others serve you. In so doing, you allow them to respond to God’s leading in their life. Be gracious! It is, in fact, arrogance to think that you are the only one who should get to experience the joy of serving others! Mutual acts of courtesy will knit us together and help us all mature in our faith.

Remember, Jesus said, “whatever you do of one of the least of these of mine, you did for me (Matthew 25:40), so it really is the Lord Jesus Christ you are serving (Colossians 3:24).

Serve the Lord with Joy!

In the Beginning, II

The other creation account is the Elohistic story, in Genesis 1:1 - 2:4a. There are six orderly periods: 1) light, 2) firmament, 3) dry land and vegetation, 4) heavenly bodies, 5) fish and fowl, 6) animals and man. The structure is prose but the intention is poetic. It is a celebration of the sovereignty of God and his creative work.

God is presented differently than in the Yahwistic account. God exists before all of creation. Genesis 1:1 doesn't attempt to explain God or God's origin . . . just begins with a blanket statement that God precedes the story, and creatio ex nihilo is certainly implied (creation out of nothing). God does not form things with hands; he speaks them into existence. This sets Israel's God above the pagan gods of the surrounding cultures. The very words of his mouth are powerful enough to create!

Notice that light was created before the sun, moon and stars. By this point, humankind has realized the significance of the sun in their life -- for seasons, for crops and harvest, for light and heat. So important was the sun (and to a lesser extent, the moon and stars) that many had begun to worship them. The God of Israel CREATED the sun, moon and stars, and they are mere instruments of the LIGHT he created and nowhere close to ascending to God.

The creation of humankind is the crowning point of creation. The human alone is made in God's image, and male and female are created together. Check out Psalm 8:5-6. The humans are made responsible for the management of creation. God remains the owner.

I feel compelled to point out that if you are a subscriber to evolutionary theory, the order is roughly compatible. Vegetation existed before lifeforms. Marine lifeforms existed before flying lifeforms. Later came land-based lifeforms, and man came last to the show. So I wonder how such "unevolved" humans came to realize that?? [You didn't miss the sarcastic humor there, did you??]

In the Beginning, I

Genesis means "in beginning," and opens with two accounts of creation. Both express the Hebrew faith in God as creator of the universe.

The Yahwistic Creation Story appears in Genesis 2:4b-25, and is the older of the two traditions. The order of creation is man, garden, trees, animals, and woman. Humans are the bookends, the focus, of creation.

Humans alone are animated by divine breath, separating him and setting him above the rest of creation. Our formation out of the ground acknowledges what people knew to be true about a body following death -- from dust we came; to dust we will return.

In Semitic culture, the power to name represents authority. Adam's naming of the creatures further supports his position as separate from, and above, the creation, but also puts him in a position of responsibility for it.

The location is cryptic -- "in the east." Geography is not the focus of the story, and that concern is equally absent in the description of the rivers. Cartographic pursuits were never intended, and such pursuits not only miss the point, but perverts the purpose of the account being preserved in the Bible. Interestingly enough, anthropologists believe that the African continent is where life began, and it is east of the culture of this creation story.

Eden means "delight." This was a GOOD place, idyllic, perfect. Personally, I think heaven will be a lot like Eden -- the context God chose for his interaction with humankind -- yet infused with the constant (rather than visiting, see the Fall) presence of the glory of God.

Notice that woman is made from Adam's side -- not from his heel that he should oppress her, nor from his head that she might oppress him, but from his side that they might stand together, completing and complementing one another. And she must have looked gooooood. Let me paraphrase Adam: "Now, that's what I'm talking about! THIS is the right stuff! I didn't know I had it in me!" We'll come back to the leaving and cleaving when we talk about Jacob, Leah and Rachel.

The obvious question, to me, is WHY did God put a tree in the middle and then tell them they couldn't eat it? Ever put something out on a table and told a child not to touch it?? We'll come back to this when we talk about the Fall.

Friday, January 25, 2008

Creation or Evolution

Before I attempt to discuss my thoughts on the stories of early Genesis, I must address the issue of Creationism vs. Evolution. There are actually four categories, in my opinion:
1. Creationists
2. Evolutionists
3. Secular scientists who have some doubts about evolution
4. Christians who believe some aspects of modern scientific dating and evolutionary theory
While you would think that members of categories 1 and 4, and those in 2 and 3, would have much in common, but that is NOT the case. To most evolutionists, everyone else is an idiot, without reason. To many creationists, any consideration of modern science other than creation theory is blasphemy, and you will go to hell. The former opinion doesn’t surprise me, and but the latter makes me ANGRY.

Creationists act as though acceptance of a literal six 24hour period creation and young earth timeline (6,000 – 10,000 years) is a litmus test for Christianity. I could not disagree more strenuously. Here the litmus test: For God so love the world that he sent his only begotten son that whosoever believes in him will have eternal life (John 3:16), for whoever confesses with his mouth that Jesus is Lord and believes in his heart that God has raised him from the dead will be saved, for with the mouth one confesses and is justified, and with the heart belief is made salvation (Romans 10:9-10). Jesus never laid out a doctrine to which to subscribe. He said, “Follow me.” Those who did learned as they went.

The Church has been wrong. At one point in time, we believed we (the Earth) were the center of the universe. We strenuously opposed all evidence to the contrary, persecuting Copernicus and Galileo for daring to believe differently. Even before we were a separate faith, we could be incorrect. The disciples once asked Jesus, “Who sinned, this man or his father, that he was born blind?” Do you remember what Jesus said?? “NEITHER .” (John 9:3)

Science is not the enemy of faith. Science is a wonderful field that helps us better understand the creation in which we have been placed, and over which we have been charged with care. In understanding the creation, we become further awed by the Creator! At this point, science and religion appears at conflict, but I believe that is because we now see through a glass dimly (1 Corinthians 13:12). God’s ways are higher than our ways, and his thoughts higher than our thoughts (Isaiah 55:8-9). In other words, we don’t understand everything! One day, we will . . . but not today.

Until then, we should not be afraid to examine the current science, as long as we do so with a clear understanding that reverence of God is the beginning of wisdom. Not the beginning of secular wisdom, or scientific wisdom, but ALL wisdom. In fact, there isn’t secular wisdom and sacred wisdom. Attempts to make such arbitrary divisions are why we have so much hypocrisy in The Church, as people attempt to divide what happens in church on Sunday from what happens in the rest of the world Monday through Saturday, to disconnect their beliefs from their actions. There is only Wisdom, and God is the source of all of it.

More Background Information

Timeline
Prehistory --- dates unknown --- Genesis 1-11
Patriarchal period --- circa 2000-1700 BC --- Genesis 12-50
National Formation period ---circa 1700-1000 BC --- Exodus, Numbers, Joshua, Judges
Monarchy --- circa 1020-587 BC --- Samuel, Kings, Chronicles
Exile in Babylon --- 597-538 BC
Restoration and Reconstruction --- 538-63 BC --- Ezra, Nehemiah

Four Eras
Creation to Flood
Flood to Abraham
Abraham to Moses
Moses and Sinai Legislation

Two Complementary Traditions

In the Old Testament, there are several intertwined narratives: Deuteronomic, Priestly, Yahwistic and Elohistic. I need only mention the last two right now, as they impact Genesis, Exodus, and Numbers; the others will come up later.

The Yahwistic tradition is earlier than the Elohistic tradition, written in the southern kingdom of Judah sometime around the 10th century BC. When we say "written in the 10th century BC," we do not mean "created in the 10th century BC." We mean that this is the point at which the author pens the oral traditions. [And one should note that the sequence of these histories are more firmly established than their position on the timeline.] It's called "the Yahwistic tradition" because of the preference the author shows for the divine name Yahweh, the peculiarly Israelite personal name for God. This is the larger of the two traditions, and begins with the Exodus, then expands to include the Sinai covenant and conquest of Canaan. The moving backwards, the author gathers stories of the patriarchs -- Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob -- around a common theme of the promise made to Abraham. Finally, the primeval, prehistory stories are added.

The Elohistic tradition covers the same span of time; however, it wasn't written down until about a century later in the northern kingdom of Israel. It's called "the Elohistic tradition" because of the author's preference for the divine name Elohim (the common Semitic name for God). This history is not as broad in scope or content, which may mean that it is only partially preserved. It appears to be based on the Yahwistic account, with which the author may have been familiar, given it being an older account.

The two traditions were combined by Judean authors soon after the fall of the northern kingdom in 722/721 BC. They naturally gave preference to their southern (Yahwistic) account, but interestingly, the preserved parts are often counterpoints rather than confirmations. The authors were doubtlessly aware of the differences of the two traditions, yet they did not eradicate one in favor of uniformity. Apparently they were able to do what many modern Christians and secular "thinkers" are not able to do today -- find them complementary, rather than contradictory.

By the way, much of this information came from that textbook that I mentioned. It's People of the Covenant: An Introduction to the Old Testament, by Flanders, Crapps, and Smith. Mine is the 2nd edition. The book now has a slightly revised title, People of the Covenant: An Introduction to the Hebrew Bible, and in its 4th edition. Y'all know me -- I now have a 4th edition ordered; I want to be sure what I'm sharing represents the best research and conclusions.

Notes are Hard

At the beginning of this month, I started using The One Year Chronological Bible to read through the Bible this year. It's New Living Translation, and I've been enjoying it. [It also comes in other translations.] As often happens with me, what started as a simple decision has evolved into something larger. New insights sparked by this translations have led me to compare the reading in this translation -- NIV, NRSV, and ESV. Now that I've started the book of Job, I've added The Message and Amplified versions. Then I decided to pull out an undergraduate Old Testament Survey text to read alongside.

It's been an INCREDIBLE journey. [Yes, I realize it's only been 25 days.] The readings inspired me to write a sermon series for January on some of the Genesis stories that we've largely relegated to children's Sunday school. I planned to share my thoughts from my devotional time here on the blog, and shared this plan with several friends and my churches. As of now, I haven't done so. It was harder than I expected. Why?

Well, writing all my thoughts down coherently is HARD. I don't really journal. It's a left over from childhood, when the privacy of my diary was violated and I was punished for something written there -- a thought expressed, not an action committed. So many of these thoughts aren't written down. They're floating around in my head.

Even the ones that make their way into my sermons aren't available to just cut-and-paste into publishable form. You see, I don't preach from a manuscript. I tried, but preaching isn't reading a speech. It's more dynamic and fluid than that. I often lost my place in the manuscript. Since it wouldn't be delivered as written, I stopped bothering. Using more of an outline works better for me. They're not even really outlines; they're not that organized. Just phrases and references, so I don't forget a verse that went with that point, or a story to illustrate it, or even the point itself.

Please don't think that those notes don't reflect time and research. In fact, I am able to spend MORE in that phase of the process when I don't spend it in the writing and editing. Though some would insist on the benefits to be gained from the discipline of a manuscript, I think my sermons are better, stronger, with more research and prayer, and less grammar and editing.

In order to share those notes here, in written form, I then need to do some of that grammar and editing. Some would call that lazy. I would say that I'm trying to be true to my New Year's commitment to SLOW DOWN. Frankly, I wasn't sure anyone would really notice or mind if I didn't. Yet, enough of you have "reminded" me that guilt over not "keeping my word" has kicked in. I will be rectifying this situation and starting my devotional posts shortly.

Holiday Rant (Blog Challenge #3)

Suzanne's 3rd challenge is to "Rant and rave! What holiday drives you nuts? Think of a holiday people fuss over. Write about loving and/or disliking that holiday."

Well, I've drug my heels with this one long enough. At least three times, I've begun to pen my feelings in response to this challenge. Though this is the same thing I've been saying for a while now, I am nonetheless shocked at the intensity of my feelings, and the caustic nature of the words I am drawn to choose. I've tried to dial it down -- perhaps without success. Since I'm not known for keeping my mouth SHUT, those of you who read may be less surprised than I am.

Christmas and Easter

I like Christmas and love Easter, and I hate the way we celebrate both!

What makes the difference between love and like? Well, several things.

  • First, Fall is my favorite season, and I have to pack my fall decorations away all too quickly to put up Christmas decorations.
  • Second, I'm not a fan of cold weather. Now, if we could put Christmas in July, I'd be ALL FOR THAT! Seriously. And we could for all the seasonal accuracy it holds religiously. I see a strange protest formings . . . picket lines with people in shorts and Santa hats carrying signs and chanting, "Christmas in July! Christmas in July!"
Oh, sorry! Got off on a tangent . . . .

I hate the way we celebrate them. At Christmastime, my fellow Christians run around saying, "Jesus is the Reason for the Season" when he's really NOT. Christians (back before we Protestants broke from the Roman Catholic Church) superimposed a celebration of Christ's birth on a pagan holiday in an effort to encourage conversion and reduce "sinning" by participation in the pagan festival. You can judge for yourself how successful that plan has been, but be careful of pointing accusatory fingers, considering the similar tactics many Protestant churches use with Halloween. At least our Catholic brothers were trying to impact the culture in SOME WAY.

Oops. Got off on another rant . . . . See why this has taken me so long???

Back to the point. The scant Biblical evidence does not support a mid-winter birthday party for Jesus. But, if it we were calendarically (is that a word??) correct, he really doesn't seem to be the REASON for the season. He's more like an afterthought.

Religiously speaking, Easter is much more significant to our faith. While Jesus could never have done the things he did if he had never been born . . . . he could have lived without doing those things. It is his substitutionary and atoning death which is the crux of the Christian faith. Yet, Easter doesn't really carry the same significance in the lives of most Christians as Christmas. Of nominal Christians, more will go once a year on Christmas than Easter.

Perhaps they are simply responding to the behavior of the churches. Churches emphasize Christmas more than Easter. Our sanctuaries are decorated more elaborated. We have more special programs. More churches will have Christmas Eve services than Ash Wednesday, Maundy Thursday or Good Friday services -- more Midnight Masses than Easter Vigils.

Why are we surprised that the world doubts the sincerity of our faith, when we fight the crowds to overspend on Christmas gifts and then are too tired to go to the Christmas cantata, and blow off Easter with a half-hearted Egg hunt which leaves us so "spiritually" satisfied (though rooted in another pagan festival) that we skip the Sunrise service??? Too bad there's no time or peace for a "Silent Night" and too much silence for a rousing chorus of "Christ the Lord is Risen Today!"

Ok. There's rant. Remember that, at least this time, I was ASKED. Now you'll forgive me if I don't hold my breath for anything to change (and there's my cynicism). Everyone else seems content with the way things are.

Meaningful Words on Other Blogs

Here are some articles on other blogs that have really been meaningful to me lately.

I am not endorsing ALL that these authors have written (for I've not read EVERYTHING they've written), nor do I mean to imply that these authors might endorse ANYTHING I've written. But these specific posts have been meaningful. Hope you enjoy!

Chicken and the Egg, by Jim Daly, posted January 23, 2008
Think you've heard every take on "Which came first, the chicken or the egg?" Not until you've heard this one, too.

Stuck on You, by Daisy on The Lesser Road Academy Blog, posted January 17, 2008
You'll never look at glue the same way.

Our Faith is Not an Emotion, by Dr. Del Tackett, posted January 22, 2008
Having lost my mom, I really connected with the emotions -- and hope -- expressed in this poignant, "bare" moment he shares concerning the loss of his father. Though it's been ten years, the tears came right back. I'm SOOO glad that we do not mourn as those with no hope.

Is Matriarchy the Shape of the Future?, by Albert Mohler, posted January 17, 2008
My initial fear that this article was going in the direction of the women's submission issue was pleasantly dispelled, then quickly replaced with new concerns. As the mother of sons, I'm interested in why boys aren't going to college and how I can keep my sons from falling victim to this trend. [I have my suspicions as to the reason. Do you?]

Thursday, January 17, 2008

History of Noccalula Falls

Yesterday, the boys and I went to a class about the history of Noccalula Falls. I don't know WHY I was surprised to see as many homeschoolers there as there were. I should have been surprised there were so many OTHER people there.


I'm not including a link because the Gadsden-Etowah tourism website and the City of Gadsden website have broken links and "under construction" since 2005 in the sections about the Falls. The gentlemen teaching the class has written a book, I believe, but I cannot find it at Amazon.com. I will try to find more information at next week's class. I would definitely like to read it, because the tidbits he shared were VERY interesting.
One of those stories was that the oldest carving in the park is under the Falls. So, of course, we set off in search of it, and FOUND IT!

The first picture is of the carving itself. It's hard to see, but it is right in the middle of the photo, and says FAXON 1859. I'm not sure what Faxon means -- a family name, or a company perhaps. At one point in time, according to stories, there was a dance floor under the Falls. Was this perhaps the name of it?? I don't know. I just know that 1859 is OLD, before my time old, pre-Civil War old, and that made it "Cool" according to my boys.









The second picture is of the boys pointing to the carving. Can you tell from the picture how hard it was to see?? I had almost given up on our finding it, and we owe it to the eagle eyes of BOYS. I would have looked right over it.

The third picture is my guys silhouetted against the Falls. Now, Granny has a horrible fear of my boys drowning in the Falls. A number of people have done just that. So I want to say that our boys were not alone under the Falls. There were TWO adults with them. Also, notice the distance between where my boys are standing the edge of the rocks. We were VERY careful. Granny, no worries. We were VERY careful.

The last one is of my guys climbing rocks at the Falls. It's from a previous trip, but there was more of this on yesterday's trip, too.
These were all taken with my phone, so they aren't very good quality. The light spray under the Falls annoyed focus apparently, and it doesn't have a flash. But it was the best I could do since my camera was home downloading photos off the card.

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Snow!

We almost never get snow in Alabama, and it certainly didn't resemble the pictures friends in Washington and Canada share, but it WAS snow. These flakes were HUGE -- almost the size of quarters. The boys and I were hiking in the Noccalula Falls gorge when it started. By the time we climbed out and made it home, the flakes were beginning to stick. My boys were hilarious -- making snowballs, catching flakes on their tongues, and even riding their scooters. It was breathtaking. It was beautiful. What a blessing!

Saturday, January 12, 2008

America's Got Talent: Terry Fator - Unforgettable

Have you seen this guy?! He's a VERY ventriloquist! I'm posting this performance because I love this song. Don't we all have some "unforgettable" people in our lives -- loves, friends and even enemies we'll never forget? So to all those "unforgettable" people in my life, especially my Joseph . . . .

Authenticity and Wounding Words

This week has been a difficult week for me. Besides the usual challenges of getting back into out post-holiday routine, I unexpectedly ran into someone I used to know. What ensued was a difficult and painful (though probably inevitable) conversation, during which the other person said many very hurtful things to me, including calling me a liar and fake. The words were wounding. They stung like the sting of a 1000 wasps, and cut me to the bone. With mind spinning, I grappled with how to regain my equilibrium. This struggle has led me to a several day contemplation of the issues of the power of words and authenticity, some of which I thought I might share, in hopes it helps someone else as well.

Growing up, we hear the phrase “sticks and stone may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” Yet, this isn’t true at all. Physical blows inflict physical wounds on our bodies. While verbal blows may leave no physical scars, they wound our hearts and crush our spirits. There is a connection between words and our physical state. Proverbs 12:25 says a kind word cheers up the heart of an anxious person, and 15:30 says good news gives health to the bones. Positive words can make us feel physically better, elated and joyful; harsh words can make us feel physically ill and depressed. This must be why James instructs to get a grip on our tongues (3:3-12)!

There are two lessons here. First, we must watch our own mouths. Our words can be weapons or soothing balm. Starting a quarrel is like breaching a dam (Proverbs 17:11). I’m moving out of the way of THAT! This must be why the psalmist asks God to set a guard over his mouth, and stand guard over the door of his lips (141:4) -- to prevent his being swept away in the deluge. How we will we use our words? Second, we must guard our hearts. Sometimes people will maliciously and intentionally use their words to hurt. Others will do it unintentionally. They're just reflexively biting -- lashing out at whoever gets in their pain because they are in pain. On yet other occasions, their words – however harshly delivered – are true. Ouch! If we are guarding our heart, we will be able to discern in which of these situations we have found ourselves.

And if any deceit is found in our heart, we must seek to be more authentic. Authenticity is a “buzz” word in our society. For all the talk ABOUT it, there seems to be very little OF it. One of the surest signs of maturity and confidence is consistency. When we know with certainty who we are, we are not tentative about how we ought to behave, and find behaving accordingly an achievable expectation. In other words, we do the right thing all the time. Reputation is who everyone thinks we are, and character is what we truly are, even when no one else is looking. Oh, how important it is that we are authentic! Character truly does count. Chinks in our character, even those momentary stumbles, have long-lasting and far-reaching implications in our lives. We may never convince some people that we have changed, that we now have character, that we are now living authentically, that the temporary stumble they observed does not represent who we truly are. This is the consequence of our lack of authenticity. Yet, we know that people (ALL people, even those we don’t think can, and even US) truly can change! And it’s never too soon or too late to do so! Don’t be angry with those who don’t believe us. Until someone has experienced the transforming work of God, it is difficult to understand how “the old has gone, the new has come” (2 Corinthians 5:17). We will not win this debate with words. Only by living our lives, consistently, authentically will we convince our skeptics. Our actions will speak louder than any words.

May we not wound others with our words.
May our hearts be healed from the wounds others’ words have inflicted.
May we be authentic!

Thursday, January 10, 2008

Mad TV Bob Newhart Skit - Mo Collins - Stop it

I've been laughing and sharing this video since Kip McClurg (Bellevue UMC) shared it with me on a recent Emmaus walk. I'm posting it here so you don't even have to go to YouTube to see it. So much of life actually is this simple. Though not EVERYthing falls in this category, in general, our choices determine our course. Hope you enjoy the laugh!

Wednesday, January 9, 2008

Waking Up! (Blog Challenge #2)

Suzanne's 2nd challenge is to talk about the first half hour after waking up.

Every day is different here. Since bedtime is usually around midnight, getting up varies from 5:00 - 6:30, depending on what I have to do and what time I must be there. The most important thing to know is that I AM NOT A MORNING PERSON. This doesn't mean that I'm hard to wake up. I can hit the floor moving if needed, but I don't like mornings. I do not enjoy waking up -- whatever time it may come. I HATE alarm clocks. Perhaps because the dreadful things are symbolic of mornings. Occasionally, an alarm is a necessary evil, but it is one to be avoided whenever possible. Even my dear hubby has learned that his alarm clock should not go off for long, and NEVER more than once.

Upon rolling out of bed, the first destination is the bathroom. You know, necessities. Then I make my bed. If I don't do it RIGHT THEN, it wouldn't get done. Next stop is to find some caffeine. I'm such a miserable grump in the mornings that I won't even make coffee. I'll drink hubby's if it's made; otherwise, it's a delicious, cold class of Diet Dr. Thunder to rivet me out of my stupor.

Now, when I call myself a grump, it's not that I'm grumpY. I'm not mean to people. I'm quiet. I just need some time to wake up. If you allow me that, I'll be fine. If you insist on talking and making me talk, then I will not only FEEL grumpy, I will ACT grumpy. [Ask my husband. It's a lesson he learned quickly. Bless his precious heart, he's a morning person.]

The next few activities take me beyond the 1/2 hour. I have my morning devotion time. This usually lasts about an hour. Then I grab my computer to check email and message boards before hopping in the shower.

On "quick" wake-up days, I have to abbreviate some things-- like postponing my caffeine until I'm headed out the door, not checking email, or shortening my devotion time.

So that's my morning!

Monday, January 7, 2008

Tag!

I've been tagged by Suzanne, so here goes...

  • 2 favorite scrapbook topics: My children and our vacations.
  • 2 best places I've been to: Hawaii and Disney World
  • 2 things I do everyday: Use the computer and eat popcorn.
  • 2 things everyone knows about me: I spend too much time on the computer, and I homeschool my children.
  • 2 places I wish to visit: Israel and Scotland/Ireland
  • 2 things you may not know about me are: I love horror movies, and I am an United Methodist pastor.
  • 2 favorite foods are: chocolate! and Mexican (uhm, yep, ALL of it)
Okay, now I'm supposed to tag two people: So Jayne and Stacey, consider yourself TAGGED!

Saturday, January 5, 2008

The Discipline of Meditation

[I will be posting my church newsletter articles here this year. This is the January 2008 article.]

“Psalm 42:7 reads ‘Deep calls to deep.’ Perhaps somewhere in the subterranean chambers of your life you have heard the call to deeper, fuller living. You have become weary of frothy experiences and shallow teaching. Every now and then you have caught glimpses, hint of something more than you have known. Inwardly you long to launch out into the deep.” (Celebration of Discipline, Richard Foster)

Does that paragraph describe you? If you’ve ever felt that way, or desire to feel that way, join me to explore spiritual disciplines this year. No, not discipline like in the Army, or the kind disbursed in the principal’s office, but the kind that deepen, strengthen, and enhance our relationship with God. These are practices reserved for spiritual giants or contemplatives in secluded monasteries. A deep and thorough knowledge of theology isn’t required. All that is required is a longing after God, and the attitude of your heart matters more than the mechanics of the discipline. Ready? Let’s go!

This month, let’s talk about meditation. Christian meditation differs distinctly from its Eastern and secular counterparts. Eastern meditation attempts to empty the mind and detach from the world; Christian meditation attempts to fill the mind and attach ourselves to God. The concept is thoroughly biblical, mentioned more than 58 times in the Bible. The stress is upon changed behavior as a result of our encounter with the living God. It is, simply put, hearing God’s voice and obeying what we hear. Most often, what we hear isn’t earth-shaking or dramatically prophetic, but is mundane and remarkably practical. Meditation is related to both study and prayer, but is distinct from both.

Too often, our time with God consists of reading His word (which certainly we ought to do) and praying (which certainly we ought to do). If God wishes to tell us something, he must interrupt us! At some point, to truly grow with God, we must learn to LISTEN. Jesus says his sheep know his voice and will follow him (John 10:27). We must train our ears to recognize his voice. We must press the ‘mute’ button of the world. To do this requires that we give some part of each day to meditation.

There’s no way to completely cover the topic here. I recommend the following books: Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster [on which these articles are based], and From Mind to Heart: Christian Meditation Today by Peter Toon [which is apparently out of print. How very grateful I am to the person who gave me my copy now. So, try The Art of Meditating on Scripture by Peter Toon instead.] There are many others, I’m sure.

I will share an exercise here, to get you started. I will be sharing others in Sunday evening Bible study.

Exercise.
Let’s use the parable of the grain of wheat, John 12:24-26. Take your Bible and find a comfortable seat, where you can put both feet on the floor. Read those verses several times, slowly. Consider what Jesus was saying. Focus on the grain of wheat. It represents you. Then sit your Bible aside, and put your hands on your knees, palms up. Have you fallen to yourself? If not, what in you need to die so that Christ can live through you? Are you bearing much fruit for Christ? What would that look like? What prevents you from bearing fruit? Maybe you don’t even want to die to yourself at this point. You’re scared of what you might be asked to give up for God. So tell God that. Then wait . . . and listen . . . for just five little minutes. Set a timer if you need, but stay in that place, and see what God says. End with a simple prayer, such as “Lord, let me be your wheat, sown for your harvest. Give me fresh hope and joy in serving you all the days of my life.”

May Christian meditation invigorate your spiritual life in this New Year!

Thursday, January 3, 2008

Favorites

Today I thought I would share some of my favorite websites, message boards and blogs.

  • First, there's Suzanne's blog O' Scrappy Day. Suzanne is an avid scrapbooker, and her creativity inspires me. Her sense of humor is amazing, and you'll enjoy getting to know her and her family through the snippets she shares on her blog. You can also find some other awesome scrapbook blogs and sites linked from there.
  • Then there's Jayne's Feeling Scrappy. There's both a website and a message board. Jayne is one of the most creative and talented women I've ever met. Her photography is breathtaking! Check out the website. Visit the message board, and then take one of her classes.
  • E-MEALZ EASY AND DELICIOUS DINNER RECIPES My latest, best find is E-Mealz. Each week, these ladies prepare 7 meal plans for you, using what's on sale in your grocery store (you can choose from several or do a general one). They even give you the shopping list. Meals are numbered, so you can easily eliminate any you don't want to use. I subscribe to the Weight Watchers menu plan, so they even calculate WW points for each menu! My family is eating healthier, and more at home, than ever before . . . and for less per week than I can waste in a vending machine!
  • Plugged In Online is a great source! They review movies, television programs and music, and provide warnings about things that might concern you. Sometimes they are more concerned about something than *I* am, but at least I have a heads up. I can make an informed decision about whether to let my children listen or view the movie. I know when we should skip something, when I should view it WITH them, and when we'll need to discuss something they've seen or heard. I've used them with movies for a long time, but the music reviews are coming in very handy these days, too.
  • North Alabama Conference of the United Methodist Church. I'm UM, and in the North Alabama Conference. This is our conference website. I recommend the eVoice -- a weekly email newsletter written by Bishop William Willimon. Dr. Willimon is former Dean of the Chapel at Duke University, and our present bishop. He is an extensive author. Though I do not always agree with everything he writes, I respect him and his position. His writing often challenges me, stretches me, and causes me to evaluate and wrestle with my own opinions.
  • Mountain Lakes District. I'm not only UM, and in the North Alabama Conference, but in the Mountain Lakes District within that conference. I'm sharing this one primarily because it's a project I've been working on. It won't win any website awards, and has much work that still needs to be done, but it's taking shape, don't you think?

Is that enough for today? Yes, I know you're already shocked. I've updated my blog 1/2 as much this week as I did ALL OF LAST YEAR. Once you've picked yourself up from fainting, check out some of the above links.

Wednesday, January 2, 2008

Blog Challenge #1

In my last post, I said that Suzanne was sponsoring a blog challenge. Today was the first challenge: blog about your favorite wall hanging (family portraits excluded).

First, though, you must sit through a story. Since she excluded family portraits, I had exactly TWO things from which to choose, not that I want it that way. In fact, about 10 weeks ago, when I updated the master bedroom, I had plans of buying some wall art . . . but never got around to it. Now I'm motivated to follow through on that. Thanks, Suzanne. But since I only had two to choose from, this would be EASY! Piece.Of.Cake. I snapped the picture and headed to the computer. My new computer has a card reader slot -- no USB card reader needed, right? WRONG! MY card won't fit. Off to find the card reader. Now guess what. No, really, guess. The reader needs to be installed, so I hunted down the CD, but it wouldn't install. Exasperated, I head over to the Fujifilm website. ARGH! The driver won't work with Windows Vista. Now I need the cord to hook my camera directly to my computer, which prompted an intense search since I have used that cord since I got the camera several years ago. But I found it. Whew! Actually, I didn't find "it;" I found "one." Seriously doubt this is "the" one since it's a strange color. Probably goes with a child's video came something. Whatever. It worked. Now, you've been subjected to this story just so Suzanne will know how much effort I invested to complete her challenge. :-p Why can NOTHING be easy?!


Now, the challenge. . . .
This is a crocheted piece, on the wall in our dining room, above our wedding portrait. My husband used to work for a medical services company, delivering liquid oxygen to homebound patients, one of whom made this piece for him. He and I weren't married then--not even dating--but I love it for two reasons. First, I cannot crochet, and though several have tried to teach me, the creative ability necessary to plan stitch patterns like these boggles my brain. Second, it is a tribute to my husband. She spent a chunk of time on this piece, and to give it away is an amazing act of generosity. Our creative endeavors are more than outlets for our creativity; they are a way to touch those around us. This wasn't a casual gift. She chose Joseph. She saw in him what I see in him -- compassion, kindness and an ability to connect with others -- and this piece reminds me of those endearing qualities.

New Year, New Beginning

As you can tell, I've haven't been good about updating my blog. I was concerned about that when I started. But I've learned a few things these last several months. Want me to share? Sure. Listen closely. Write it down if you must. YOU CANNOT DO EVERYTHING, BUT YOU CAN KILL YOURSELF TRYING. So I'm learning to slow down.

It's a new year, and a new beginning. So I've been considering how his year will be different from other years. So here are my commitments.

  • I will not take more than one class per semester. Between homeschooling, ministry, family, and seminary, I've been drowning. This means it will take me longer to get my M.Div. but at least I'll be alive (and with a family intact) to enjoy it.
  • I will spend one hour a day in spiritual practices: study, meditation and prayer. No more cutting corners at 20 minutes on busy mornings. If I'm too busy for this, I'm too busy.
  • I will exercise 3 days a week.
  • I will take one day a month for me! Perhaps I will spend this day in my PJs all day long, or go shopping alone, or scrapbook with a friend.
  • I will "date" my husband twice a month. At least twice each month, Joseph and I will spend some time together, alone, reconnecting with one another.
  • I will update my blog regularly. Yep, made it a commitment. I'm participating in a friend's blog challenge. Suzanne is one of my bestest friends in the whole world. She'll keep me on track, I'm sure! She does a GREAT job with her blog. Check it out! O'Scrappy Day
  • Finally, I will say NO to things that contradict these commitments.

So how's that?! New year, new beginning. What are you beginning this year?