Desperation

How did I go from being a twenty yard sprinter to a marathon runner with my spiritual discipline of daily reading?

Repeated failure. I would plan to be a wonderful, patient, soft-spoken mother. I studied the scriptures from time to time when it was convenient and I asked God to help me. But I failed to be even tempered. I often yelled at my precious girls. I had unfinished internal business, but I didn't know how to address it.

Change came when I finally realized how desperately I needed God's help. On my own, I couldn't be kind, Christ-like with our sometimes testy daughters. Stale bible reading and my own efforts couldn't consistently produce the results I longed for.

That was the turning point. Desperation. It caused me to cry out to God for help in making baby steps toward change. I yearned to be deeply open to God's voice in the Scriptures. I listened for the Spirit's voice as I corrected my children, and I obeyed the Spirit's voice as the Lord corrected me. As I taught them, I listened. The Lord taught us all to act like loved daughters.

Desperation led me to life change. I learned the vitality of depending on God and the transforming power of His word.


For Your Consideration

“This is the word of the LORD ...: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the LORD Almighty. (Zechariah 4:6, NIV)

Have you ever been desperate to learn from God? To hurdle attitudes that keep you away from God's power?

What was  the outcome?

Pointers for Focus

Here are some things I've found useful for keeping my focus during my personal prayer time and bible study.

1. At the outset, invite the Holy Spirit's help. Ask for understanding and the ability to apply what you read. It is His pleasure to teach and counsel you. It's an amazing privilege that God has given us.

2. Keep notepaper beside you. That way you don't have to keep distractions flickering for attention. When you jot them on paper, it allows you to refocus.

3. Plan to let your voice mail get the phone during your allotted time. You can always return the call later. Often times it's a sales call or an appointment confirmation reminder.

4. Set a timer if you are on a tight schedule and you won't have to keep looking at the clock. With some practice, you'll get a better idea of your time flow.

5. Either choose a time when your children are asleep, or clearly explain that except for blood you are not to be disturbed. (I think of Susanna Wesley whose "At Prayer: Do Not Disturb" sign was her apron thrown over her head.) Whether or not you have young children, the challenge is to find a suitable time and place that works with your household traffic and schedules. Then lovingly but firmly communicate -- to roommates, husband, children-- your priority to be fed by the Living Word.

6. Start with short times and keep them as regular as possible. The more often you do it, the easier to find a rhythm that works for you.

7. Use a study bible with an easy to understand translation. Explanations from culture, geography, and history all enhance the meaning. It's easier to apply the reading to your life when you understand it!

7. A devotional is often a great asset. And... if you search the scriptures for nuggets before you read the comments, your insight will stick much longer than if you passively read someone else's discoveries. Although, I must say I have learned a great deal from others.


In my next blog I'll tell you what helped me with consistency.

Regular Challenge

We commonly battle being consistent with our "quiet times," "devotions,"  "time with the Lord," or whatever name we use for time alone with the God of the Scriptures. Developing this holy habit has its challenges.

We sit and the phone rings, or we think of the phone call we forgot to make. We excuse ourselves for just a minute while we quickly complete a task. Once out of our quiet place, unwashed dishes and unfinished jobs seemed to have signs "You could finish this quickly. Now."

Then if we have little ones at home, we hear "Mom... Mom... Mom." Chubby hands pull our jeans and innocent faces pull our eyes away from focused time where we learn God's ways.

As a single person then later a mother of young children, I was often frustrated by not having a regular quiet time, then when I finally sat to open my bible, distractions kept popping up, keeping my eyes darting and my heart hostage.

I found help from many others who walked ahead of me. I will share ideas I found in the next blog. Meantime, perhaps you can share what you've learned too.




For Your Consideration

Is there any thing that keeps you from meeting regularly with the Savior? What practical steps might you take to overcome it?

What have you found that helps you have a consistent devotional life? What works for you? I'd love to hear your ideas.

Eucharisteo

I recently read A Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp. She  beautifully writes that accepting grace, experiencing joy, and giving thanks are all a part of appreciating what Jesus Christ offers us at Table.

Giving thanks, eucharisteo, intentionally observes life's details and looks for God's invisible footsteps.  Ann's uncommon phrases arrested me to experience her delight and frustration. Whether her circumstances were ugly or beautiful, her eucharitsteo (giving thanks) always led her to encounter God's presence.

Ann gave me a magnifying glass that reveals details that I'd stopped seeing. The simple discipline of thanksgiving is easy to overlook. But, as I practice jotting down my reasons for thanks, I become more observant, see God's finger -- tracing love -- even in shadows.  It brings light and fresh joy.

If you haven't read this book, consider doing so. Her style is unusual, poetic, and will provoke you to draw close and discover Christ's table set for you in surprising places. The Lord spreads His nourishment not only in organized gatherings of  the church. He spreads His table for you in your everyday places.


For Your Consideration

Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
(1Thessalonians 5:18, NIV)

Is it difficult for you to give thanks in life's routine?

Would you consider keeping a thanksgiving journal for 21 days? Notice the results and decide if it's worth continuing.

Ruts or Rhythms

After I shared that I would ask God to dislodge me from unproductive ruts this year, my husband commented. Ruts reminded him of confinement. I pondered. How about productive ruts, then? Don't we need ruts to streamline most of our activities?

But the more I thought, I liked rhythm over rut. Rhythm has musical connotations and I love music. Dance. Movement. Change. Even when we practice, repetitively, to master dance steps or calligraphic strokes, practice scales or conquer syncopation, rhythm's melody lifts us above the mundane. It reminds us that we are part of God's grand symphony.

In a rut, we easily lose perspective. Our spirits wilt and enthusiasm wanes. But, when we look for the Creator's purposes in our rhythmic activity, we climb out of our pothole. When we remember God's purpose even in mundane work, we revive, become more productive, persevere in our activity.

So, as I practice God's presence in 2012, I'm asking for new ways of reconfiguring the ordinary. I'm listening for the Holy Spirit's song.

It's bringing new delight in the Lord. Purposefully listening for my Jesus' rhythms, I'm drawn into His dance.

I trust His lead. I can learn these steps. This rhythm is no rut.


For Your Consideration

Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. (Colossians 3:17, NIV)

How might giving frequent thanks in your routine give you ears to hear God's rhythm for you?

What does it mean for you to speak and act in the name of the Lord Jesus?

Failed Resolutions

The year is turning to a new number and my new year resolutions are still avoiding paper.

I've written resolutions, thought them, planned them, and left many lying unattended. They gather dust on the desk of procrastination. Ink clearer than follow through.

Guilt snaps at my heels and I feel like I've failed. Good intentions waves as 2011 leaves.

I take myself and fumbled follow-through to my Lord. After all, He knew the outcome before I did. Knew the challenges I would face and the strength I would need. He knows the thoughts and intents of my heart and loves me as much as in 2010 or any year of perceived success.

How does my Lord see my heart? How does HE evaluate my actions?
Will I let Him instruct me from both perceived failure and success? Will I embrace Love patiently drawing me close, melting away guilt and put downs?

Dearest Lord, please help me and my friends wisely assess the year.

Help us see with Your eyes. Gain sight in Your light. Help us accept the things we cannot change, give us courage to change the things we can, and the wisdom to know the difference. (From Reinhold Niebuhr) We pray this in Your name, O Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Remember Me

On several occasions, my Sittu (Lebanese grandmother) would say, "Remember me when I am gone."

She listened to our disappointments, gave us sound advice, and lived what she taught. She was creative, wise, and knew how to stretch food for yet another dinner guest. She had definite ideas how things were to be done, and she could measure a person's character at a glance.

Her time management taught us "Never go empty handed to the kitchen," and included planning the number of rows a day to complete so her crochet projects could be finished on time. She completed beautiful, warm blankets for her twenty grandchildren and their babies.

Generous love evoked our admiration and an unconscious desire to be like her. It was easy to remember her after she left for heaven.

Some of Jesus' last words to his disciples were "Do this in remembrance of me." The Last Supper, representing his death for us and our hope of being reunited by the resurrection, helps us remember Him.

Because of who Jesus was and what He did, we remember with deep gratitude.

Then as Jesus' generous love evokes more of our own, as He builds His character into us, we remember.

For His sake. For our sake. And also for the sake of the world He loved.