Monthly Archives: November 2013

A Flood of Strength

Posted on by under Pianissimo (Gentleness), Put A Sock in It (Self-Control), Tailwagging (Kindness/Goodness)

Most people understand that these are challenging days given all of the uncertainty we are facing: foreign military challenges, a fragile economy, implementation of the Affordable Healthcare Act, and partisan politics suppressing the diplomatic art of compromise. If that wasn’t enough, there is a barrage of man-made and natural crises, as well as constant reports of horrific violence and grave poverty.

It makes me think back to the way the world was described immediately before the flood, corrupt in God’s sight and full of violence.  And then there is Noah, a righteous man among the people, communing with God and living out his faith.   I cannot imagine the despair Noah and his family must have experienced living among these miserable people and sharing in God’s anger.  I am thankful that God puts other believers in my path who encourage me.  Unlike the times of Noah, our Christian social network, better known as the body of Christ, serves as our support.  It strengthens us when we might otherwise burn out and become disillusioned within our personal and ministerial lives.  We don’t just take from this network, but we also give life to its framework.  Each of us has a role to play in the lives of other believers.

Encourage One Another and Build Each Other Up

Encourage One Another, Build Each Other Up

So instead of becoming jaded at the plight of the world – its violent and corrupt inhabitants, homeless and hungry people, greedy hearts – we need to cheer each other on in our spiritual walks and in our respective calls to serve others and offer hope to the lost.  If you see a fellow follower gathering groceries for those in need, go through your pantry and help fill up her bags. An old, out-of-date can in the cupboard is literally a missed miracle in another pantry.  If someone is hosting a car wash to raise funds for their ministry, pull in for a few minutes, start up a conversation as they lather up your vehicle.  Don’t do it because your $5 will save the world, it won’t.  Do it because your investment of time with a positive, affirming conversation might give one of those volunteers the push they need to take their next step in faith or provide confirmation that they are on the right path.  If you see someone within your circle of influence struggling with life, offer a cup of coffee, a friendly ear, and earnest prayer.  My personal favorite is to reach out through snail mail with personal notes containing scriptures carefully chosen for the person whom I am writing, but I certainly take advantage of a convenient text message when my time is short.

I know I am not doing all I can to encourage others, and it’s probably a sure bet you aren’t either.  There are missed opportunities everywhere, so let’s up our game.  There are a little over 7 billion people in the world, and purportedly about a third of those are Christians.  Yet according to a recent article in the New Republic, loneliness is a public health crisis, and that most certainly extends into our Christian communities.  We need each other.  We were designed for community, and we were designed to work together as one body.

We know folks in the community who attend our local church.  We know coworkers and friends who are Christians.  I’m going to resolve to see each of these interactions in a fresh way—how can I honor God in affirming this person?  If she needs a kind smile or friendly hug, I hope I’ll be the one to provide that compassion.  If he has need of honest feedback, I trust that God will guide my words to gently nudge him.  If someone is in need of prayer, I will pray for courage to ask him if he would like me to pray with him.  If it’s a reassuring phone call that’s required, let me be the one to dial her number.  If it’s charity for a friend’s struggling ministry, let me be generous.  Lest I forget the lessons from the Book of Job, let me show up and sit quietly when my presence is required but not my words.  In our exuberance to assist, we can forget that at times the best thing to do or say is nothing at all but just be there and sit beside that Christian brother or sister as life’s trials must be endured.

Let us be a flood of strength for each other; and in those waters, let the blood of Jesus flow.

A Change of Season, Part 2

Posted on by under Campfire Flames (Faithfulness), Tailwagging (Kindness/Goodness), Weeding the Garden (Growth)

On this crisp morning, it seems fitting to continue with the analogy of our Christian life in respect to a tree in autumn.  I wrote about the changing leaves that are visible to the world last week, but what about the root structure?  Those are the unseen things in my private life, things that are behind the scenes and below the surface.  “Be strong and rooted” is a favorite saying during a yoga pose when using my legs, feet and toes as a base.  Isn’t that also a great motto for my life with Christ?  Be strong and rooted.

Our roots need to be where the nutrients are most abundant.  To me, that means doing with less TV and its numbing influences and spending more time journaling.  Call me a Jesus freak, but I love reading my Bible, asking for divine providence.  I prefer the NIV, and personally read the Ryrie Study Bible, but often interlace my readings with different versions because the translations vary, bringing depth to a passage’s meaning. When I am on the road, I have a mobile app downloaded that provides convenient access to God’s word.  I have one of those thick, heavy Bibles with four translations in it on a bookshelf, but the reality is it catches many more dust bunnies than nimble fingers perusing its pages.  I find BibleGateway to be a much more efficient way to search and compare translations.  On occasions, I want to dive in deeper.  That’s when I go to the Blue Letter Bible to look at the verse and its word sources.  Finally, when I think God is trying to show me something through the Word, I Google the relevant words to my subject, scroll the list of search results, and then read commentaries by various authors with different perspectives on my targeted subject.

Surface Root for a Maple TreeI would describe what’s above as surface roots, but there is another type of root that goes beyond wisdom, understanding and knowledge.  Taproots provide the anchor and strength for a tree.  For the Christian, it’s that personal relationship we have with the Holy One.  The Bible says to pray without ceasing.  That’s a really tall order when we’re in the grind of everyday life.  Rather than a divine order, change your perspective and look at it as a conversation with a beloved friend.  Having a conversation with a friend sounds much more doable.  This can provide a great base of stability, and, for me, it has added a dimension of spiritual flow unlike any other.

Here are some examples of how I put this into practice.  There are times when I am driving down the road and get cut off.  Instead of my old response, which was to give the highway salute, I now catch myself and take that opportunity to turn the situation around and transform it into a blessing.  The dialogue in my head typically goes something like this.  Idiot!!  You just cut me off!  Oh, Jesus, please forgive me for my unkind thoughts.  Please forgive all of humanity for our insensitivities and arrogance.  I do not know why this has just happened, but please protect both the person in the vehicle and the people that are near this person’s car so that no one gets hurt.  Be with the driver now and throughout the day so that she may live in the moment to experience your love, joy, and peace.  Please bless her and her family with your favor.   In Jesus’ name, amen.

Recently I had been fretting over where my wedding rings had been misplaced.  I looked everywhere and then some.  Finally one morning I decided to pray about it.  My mistake, among others, was waiting until I had exhausted every human means before turning it over to my Omniscient Friend.  I prayed, God, I know this isn’t a biggie in the scheme of things, so I’m not asking you to personally attend to this, but could you send to my aid an angel or someone of your appointment?  Thanks and amen.  I left my concern there before God and stopped looking (remember, I had already exhausted every place which had come to mind).  That evening I opened a door under my vanity and something caught my eye that shouldn’t have been there, my glass case.  I picked it up, and inside the glass case I found my rings.  I must have stuffed them behind closed doors to hide my mess from guests at a dinner party we hosted a few weeks ago.  I laughed.  God is good, I chuckled, even in the minutia of my life.

I’ve come to the conclusion that the small stuff is designed to give us confidence in God so that when the big stuff hits, when we find ourselves on our knees and in great need during one of life’s many storms, we have confidence to leave it at the feet of Jesus and know that the Holy Spirit will guide our every move.  I need this reassurance again and again because I am really good at forgetting the lessons learned in the past.  God’s love is my taproot, and I am thankful for a really patient and forgiving Sacred Friend.

This week’s challenge is to see the places within our daily lives where our prayer life needs to be incorporated or bolstered, and then starting a conversation with our Sacred Friend there in those spaces.