Today Terry and I were talking about the several times we've sold homes and moved. Why is it that we live in a house for 5, 10, 15, 20 years or more, and don't keep up with the little things? Dirty spots on the walls, paint chipped off of baseboards, stain needing re-doing on the deck...just make your own list. Then, when you're selling your home and getting it ready to show, suddenly you notice all these things that need to be done to "spiff" it up. Why didn't you do it before? I can say that until we look at the house, room, front door, through the eyes of a prospective buyer, we really kinda get used to seeing it that way and really don't see the flaws. Probably many of us are that way with our cars as well.....empty water (coke?) bottles, little scraps of paper, lone french fries......and that sand that gets on the carpets from continually getting in and out of the car. It could be that guys take a little better care of their cars.....I've met some fanatics, sure you have too. But there are those certain people who, every time we get into their cars, they say the same thing. "Oh, I've really got to clean this car!" And you know what? It never happens.....but I guess they just want us to know that THEY know it's in need of a good cleaning.
Maybe that's how it is with life (ya think?). I think that God wants constant fellowship with us for a very good reason. He told us to meet regularly with fellow believers.....He definitely wants us to read and memorize His word, and He wants us to keep short accounts with our family and friends. Meaning.....dust, paint, clean.....our lives regularly. If there's something wrong between two (or more) of us, we need to address it immediately and not let it go any longer. We need to "clear the air" with each other AND with the Lord often. He wants to hear from us every day. A.W. Tozer said, "No Christian, if he is right with God, should ever need to hide anything in his life." Of course, God sees it all anyway....we just think we're hiding something. But it's the same with us as we told our kids......if you're not doing anything wrong, why are you hiding?
The older I get, the more I realize that God made it that way for our protection. He is our Father and He wants us to come to Him with absolutely everything. When we are so close to Him and checking with Him about each aspect of our lives, we seem to find it easier to live the way He wants us to. Didn't we also tell our kids, "you become like the people you hang out with"? My goal is to become more like Jesus every day, so I need to "hang out" with Him all the time. My sister was telling me about a devotional she read that said our prayers need to be just like breathing, like our heartbeats......regular and constant. "Pray without ceasing," we're told.
The man I love
Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina
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Showing posts with label devotionals. Show all posts
Showing posts with label devotionals. Show all posts
Monday, May 24, 2010
Saturday, May 8, 2010
Our "Schedule".....
One thing I absolutely LOVE about being in most of the 30-something foreign countries I've visited is that no one seems to be in a hurry. Oh yes, the Italians drive and talk faster than most everyone else I've encountered, but even so, every time I (and whomever else....) get picked up to go somewhere, there are still the little niceties....whether it's Beni or Carla, or some of my other friends in other places (Drew in Brazil, Elke and Jean in France), they always take several minutes to greet the person at whose place we are staying....whether or not they know them personally, there is time for conversation about the person and his or her family. In America, it's always "hurry up, we've got to be at ----- by 2 o'clock!" It used to bother me that whenever I was overseas somewhere, no one was EVER on time. (funny that Vio just came into the guest house to tell us that Beni called and said instead of noon, he'd pick us up at 1pm.....perfect "timing") Eventually, the realization came to me that the reason for the tardiness is that everyone other than most Americans I know is way more interested in having a relationship than in keeping a tight schedule. Of course I understand the need for schedules.....airlines (really?) trains, meetings, dr. appts., etc., but on the other hand, maybe we need to take a little lesson from the others instead of assuming that we're superior because we've got more spaces on our calendars (ahem...I mean i-phones) filled in. Over-scheduling is......maybe not the ultimate goal. Many people have said it - so I'm not sure the original source - but the quote is: "show me your calendar and I'll show you your priorities."
Whoa.....she's done quit preachin' and gone to meddlin'......
It seems that several of the days' conversations have all wound their way back to wisdom.......maybe God's trying to teach us all something.....Lisa and me from US, and Beni, Eugenia and Carla......well, we're listening. One of the days Alex (Carla's 17-year old son) was in on the "wisdom" conversation, and he interjected....."it's easy to be wise....just think of something stupid and then don't say it!" So, I guess that about wraps it up.
Alex accompanies Beni on many of his out of town trips to preach.....it's great one-on-one time for a kid who has been raised by a single mother, and Beni enjoys pouring his wisdom into the "son" that he has taken under his wing. Alex is a great photographer too, so any photos you might see on facebook just might be some taken by him. They were in a church one Sunday and the pastor of the church asked Beni to ask Alex if he might have a message (for the church). Alex pulled out his cell phone and began to scroll down...........true story.
Yesterday the church picnic was quite fun. It's so wonderful to see brothers and sisters who truly care for each other.....it was so evident in their play, their conversations, their hugs and smiles.....and I've heard many stories from people about how loving and caring someone else has been at a difficult time in their lives. Loved talking with Mary Dugulescu, widow of Peter.....and hearing how so many people in the church have continued to invite her over for dinner every Thursday night for the last 3 years since her husband died (on a Thursday night). Do I take that much time to care for someone else? I will remember that and try not to worry so much about my own inconvenience, but about the other person.
There was great grilled chicken, sausages that were rolled by hand just prior to placing on the grill, and wonderful potato wedges with the ever-present garlic sauce.....sour cream and LOTS of freshly grated garlic. Yummy, but POTENT. They began with a wonderful time of praise music, everyone young and old, singing their love for God......the pastor prayed and then a race to be first in line for the food! The teenaged boys were so polite and offered to have me go in front of them. Fortunately the rain held off but it stayed somewhat overcast so therefore it didn't get too hot. Surrounding the open area where most of the "action" was, were about 20 tiny wooden A-frame cottages, just large enough for 2 cots with walking space in between them. A miniature "porch" with 2 steps led out into the grassy area.....they had set up a sound system on one of these porches, and played many of our American contemporary Christian CDS, some Romanian CDS, and there were football (soccer?) games, kickball, badminton, volleyball.....one of the teenagers "called" the games from there. The pastor asked me to play several songs on the violin, so I set up right there by the sound system. My music was laid on the porch railing....had 2 clothespins just lying on the music to "secure" it from a light breeze, and someone held up the microphone for me to play into! At one point, a soccer ball came careening up and hit my ankle! What a funny place to play a violin, but I've always promised God that I'll do whatever He wants me to do, wherever......and this definitely fits into the "wherever" category.
Later on in the afternoon, people wandered back for more food......the pastor called for small groups to pray together, we had another short musical worship time and then the need for that "all-church" photo. Since my camera seemed to be the best quality (thanks, Mandy) they used it.......LOTS of laughter as everyone tried to pose, then squeeze together, babies crying and the pastor's daughter/amateur photographer pointing at someone to turn around, scooch down (there's no Romanian translation for that, by the way) or make a better smile! After a corporate prayer, we all cleaned up and began to pile into cars (or for most of the church members, the bus) for home. Good timing! I'm positive the mosquitoes GREW from the time we arrived till the time we left......they may even be bigger than the ones we designated as our national bird in Wisconsin! Just as we got into the car, a few raindrops began to fall.....off and on till we arrived at the guest house, where we literally got inside and the sky opened up.....thunder and lightning.......pouring rain most of the night, but it was nice and cool for sleeping. We really had fun at the church picnic....been a while since I've attended one of those!
Time to pack......in one way I can hardly believe our time here is over....yet in another way it feels as if we've been gone just about forever! I really miss my hubby!!!
Whoa.....she's done quit preachin' and gone to meddlin'......
It seems that several of the days' conversations have all wound their way back to wisdom.......maybe God's trying to teach us all something.....Lisa and me from US, and Beni, Eugenia and Carla......well, we're listening. One of the days Alex (Carla's 17-year old son) was in on the "wisdom" conversation, and he interjected....."it's easy to be wise....just think of something stupid and then don't say it!" So, I guess that about wraps it up.
Alex accompanies Beni on many of his out of town trips to preach.....it's great one-on-one time for a kid who has been raised by a single mother, and Beni enjoys pouring his wisdom into the "son" that he has taken under his wing. Alex is a great photographer too, so any photos you might see on facebook just might be some taken by him. They were in a church one Sunday and the pastor of the church asked Beni to ask Alex if he might have a message (for the church). Alex pulled out his cell phone and began to scroll down...........true story.
Yesterday the church picnic was quite fun. It's so wonderful to see brothers and sisters who truly care for each other.....it was so evident in their play, their conversations, their hugs and smiles.....and I've heard many stories from people about how loving and caring someone else has been at a difficult time in their lives. Loved talking with Mary Dugulescu, widow of Peter.....and hearing how so many people in the church have continued to invite her over for dinner every Thursday night for the last 3 years since her husband died (on a Thursday night). Do I take that much time to care for someone else? I will remember that and try not to worry so much about my own inconvenience, but about the other person.
There was great grilled chicken, sausages that were rolled by hand just prior to placing on the grill, and wonderful potato wedges with the ever-present garlic sauce.....sour cream and LOTS of freshly grated garlic. Yummy, but POTENT. They began with a wonderful time of praise music, everyone young and old, singing their love for God......the pastor prayed and then a race to be first in line for the food! The teenaged boys were so polite and offered to have me go in front of them. Fortunately the rain held off but it stayed somewhat overcast so therefore it didn't get too hot. Surrounding the open area where most of the "action" was, were about 20 tiny wooden A-frame cottages, just large enough for 2 cots with walking space in between them. A miniature "porch" with 2 steps led out into the grassy area.....they had set up a sound system on one of these porches, and played many of our American contemporary Christian CDS, some Romanian CDS, and there were football (soccer?) games, kickball, badminton, volleyball.....one of the teenagers "called" the games from there. The pastor asked me to play several songs on the violin, so I set up right there by the sound system. My music was laid on the porch railing....had 2 clothespins just lying on the music to "secure" it from a light breeze, and someone held up the microphone for me to play into! At one point, a soccer ball came careening up and hit my ankle! What a funny place to play a violin, but I've always promised God that I'll do whatever He wants me to do, wherever......and this definitely fits into the "wherever" category.
Later on in the afternoon, people wandered back for more food......the pastor called for small groups to pray together, we had another short musical worship time and then the need for that "all-church" photo. Since my camera seemed to be the best quality (thanks, Mandy) they used it.......LOTS of laughter as everyone tried to pose, then squeeze together, babies crying and the pastor's daughter/amateur photographer pointing at someone to turn around, scooch down (there's no Romanian translation for that, by the way) or make a better smile! After a corporate prayer, we all cleaned up and began to pile into cars (or for most of the church members, the bus) for home. Good timing! I'm positive the mosquitoes GREW from the time we arrived till the time we left......they may even be bigger than the ones we designated as our national bird in Wisconsin! Just as we got into the car, a few raindrops began to fall.....off and on till we arrived at the guest house, where we literally got inside and the sky opened up.....thunder and lightning.......pouring rain most of the night, but it was nice and cool for sleeping. We really had fun at the church picnic....been a while since I've attended one of those!
Time to pack......in one way I can hardly believe our time here is over....yet in another way it feels as if we've been gone just about forever! I really miss my hubby!!!
just for "free"
PRAYER REQUEST: First of all, praise for the good night's sleep for both Lisa and me! Today we're going to a church picnic and I've been asked to "bring your violin"....there's a first for everything, and I believe this will be the very first time a violin will have been played at a picnic (at least for me!)
Nothing has happened yet, except I'm up and drinking my coffee.....reading the Bible reading and devotional for today. It looks to be less "wet" than yesterday.....several rain showers throughout our Friday. The whole 'structure' of this mission trip has been different than what I'm used to experiencing, and I know this is God just telling me to wait on Him, relax in Him.....in essence, "Free Fall" into His arms. Not to confuse this with plain ole' chilling. I'm realizing there is a gap between the last 2 sentences. Maybe wisdom would be to know and live the difference.
Many of us know how to relax (some of us perhaps TOO much!). Many others of us feel that "relaxing" is a waste of time. I lived a life for 24 years where both the circumstances and the people I lived with were not conducive to enjoying some "down" time. There were 18 children to raise.....along with the prevailing notion that in our family, one should always be striving to improve oneself either mentally or physically and therefore, just reading a novel, listening to music, or even daydreaming were stupid activities. We had to keep our 18 kids busy and fill up every second of their day.....if they're too tired to get into trouble that's good, of course, but it can also produce adults who don't even know how to take some time off. Even God rested after creating the whole world! He created our minds and bodies to need regular times of rest and relaxation. Having been raised in a family where the relationships were far more important than the careers, where music was not only enjoyed, but used as a ministry tool (my mom was the church organist for 38 years, my sister played flute and I violin...and we all sang together), and dad used to love planning our summer vacations.....after returning home, he taught us to savor the memories.....I am much more prone to want to enjoy every moment, whether or not it is a scheduled, life-improving activity!
But I believe that "Be still and know that I am God" (Ps. 46:10) is way different than crashed out on the sofa in front of the TV for hours at a time. To me, it almost implies a deliberate and even active, focus on who God is....choosing to crawl up into His lap and lean back close to His heart. Many of us DO daily devotions.....read the passage, give a little nod to our Lord....."hey, good morning, nice to see you again, gotta go network!" and check that off our to-do list. We show up at church, drop a check in the offering, and pat ourselves on the back because "enough" people saw us at church....maybe even on their TVs because we "just happened" to be sitting in the area where the cameras pan the congregation. We pride ourselves on knowing the worship songs, maybe raising our hands at the proper places (usually the chorus, right?) and even underline some verses in our Bibles.
Don't get me wrong, I love to underline favorite verses, so I can go back and meditate on them again......but what I want more than than a Bible that's marked up, is to have a life that has the definite mark of my Lord in whatever I do. I am extremely blessed to have hopped off a folding chair as a 5-year old girl at a tent meeting....to "go forward" and ask Jesus to come into my heart. George Sweeting will always be special to me, because it was he, as a young traveling evangelist/chalk artist, who drew a picture of Jesus walking on the water and gave the invitation that was earmarked for me.
Yet, I know that I had nothing to do with it. God placed that desire in my heart in the first place, and all I can do is continually thank Him for drawing me to Him so early in my life. Parents and grandparents who were very committed, quite fundamental believers, gave me a wonderful foundation and heritage, and though I had Eph. 6:1 read to me more often than I want to admit, I will always be grateful that they cared enough about me to drill obedience and respect into my life.
Maybe it's a sign of getting old that it seems American teens and twenty-somethings today are becoming much less caring of their parents. Or maybe it's just a sign that that's exactly what's happening! After all, family is where you live....parents were given an assignment by God, and one can't just discard a parent if they say something one doesn't want to hear. When I think of how much I love my own children, yep, all 18 of 'em, (20 if you count my two wonderful step-daughters) it's just a teeny fraction compared to how much my Father loves me!
I've been trying to read a Proverb a day.....and I'm hoping to keep this up for the rest of my life. (interesting how there are 31 of them....) and I think, "ok, now I'm old enough".... but I continue to need more wisdom. I love Chris Tiegreen's devotionals (Walk thru the Bible, Atlanta, GA)....and to quote from May 4, "wisdom isn't flashy, rarely impresses, and never demands. Folly is brash, showy, and frequently pushy."
Which one am I? Do I expend energy trying to impress everyone? Do I need designer everything and the latest gadget to show how important I am? Is more of my time spent on my outward appearance than on my inner attitude and character? Do I continue to honor my parents' training and heritage, though they're Home now? Every time I go through the Bible.....Proverbs especially, I'm amazed at how many verses equate wisdom with honoring one's parent. Apparently God really places a high value on obeying that commandment of honoring our parents, and I still reflect on what a rich life my parents passed on to me. No, we didn't have a lot of money....I remember a day when I was outside the kitchen window playing, and I heard my dad say to my mom we only had $500 in the bank, and the company where he was working was closing down, laying off all employees. My recollection is that no matter what, we were in God's hands and so even my earliest memories were of total dependence on Him. We always had a roof over our heads, food to eat, and family to love, and that was enough. New clothes came, usually at Christmas. New shoes, at Easter. Otherwise, my mom sewed all my sister's and my dresses. I never felt poor, and though my sister and cousins and I were the first generation to go to college, my parents and grandparents were wiser than most other people I knew.......the older I got, the smarter they got! (how DOES that happen?) All I knew was that God said if I wanted things to "go well with me", and "live long" that I needed to obey and honor them, and that was a very wise thing to do. This seems to be a generation when many children think they have the RIGHT to "cut parents off" from their lives, and it scares me that they don't understand there will be consequences.....maybe not right away, but ultimately we all have to stand before God and answer His questions. Not that we are to be legalistic and Pharisaical, but I've always been taught that a sign of my love for my parents and for God is my wanting to obey His commandments. Is this wisdom? I hope so.....I can tend to ramble (ya think?), but maybe the older I get, the more okay with that I am. I know I want to be blessed, and there's a verse that tells us, "yea, rather blessed are they that hear the word of God and do it..." Ok, I want the blessing....guess that means I need to not only read, underline, carry the biggest Bible I own to church, but actually prove my love for God by obeying His word.....maybe that is a good start on growing in wisdom.....Prov. 1:7 says the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction." Lord give me more wisdom......(and just maybe, a little nice weather for the church picnic today! :-)
Nothing has happened yet, except I'm up and drinking my coffee.....reading the Bible reading and devotional for today. It looks to be less "wet" than yesterday.....several rain showers throughout our Friday. The whole 'structure' of this mission trip has been different than what I'm used to experiencing, and I know this is God just telling me to wait on Him, relax in Him.....in essence, "Free Fall" into His arms. Not to confuse this with plain ole' chilling. I'm realizing there is a gap between the last 2 sentences. Maybe wisdom would be to know and live the difference.
Many of us know how to relax (some of us perhaps TOO much!). Many others of us feel that "relaxing" is a waste of time. I lived a life for 24 years where both the circumstances and the people I lived with were not conducive to enjoying some "down" time. There were 18 children to raise.....along with the prevailing notion that in our family, one should always be striving to improve oneself either mentally or physically and therefore, just reading a novel, listening to music, or even daydreaming were stupid activities. We had to keep our 18 kids busy and fill up every second of their day.....if they're too tired to get into trouble that's good, of course, but it can also produce adults who don't even know how to take some time off. Even God rested after creating the whole world! He created our minds and bodies to need regular times of rest and relaxation. Having been raised in a family where the relationships were far more important than the careers, where music was not only enjoyed, but used as a ministry tool (my mom was the church organist for 38 years, my sister played flute and I violin...and we all sang together), and dad used to love planning our summer vacations.....after returning home, he taught us to savor the memories.....I am much more prone to want to enjoy every moment, whether or not it is a scheduled, life-improving activity!
But I believe that "Be still and know that I am God" (Ps. 46:10) is way different than crashed out on the sofa in front of the TV for hours at a time. To me, it almost implies a deliberate and even active, focus on who God is....choosing to crawl up into His lap and lean back close to His heart. Many of us DO daily devotions.....read the passage, give a little nod to our Lord....."hey, good morning, nice to see you again, gotta go network!" and check that off our to-do list. We show up at church, drop a check in the offering, and pat ourselves on the back because "enough" people saw us at church....maybe even on their TVs because we "just happened" to be sitting in the area where the cameras pan the congregation. We pride ourselves on knowing the worship songs, maybe raising our hands at the proper places (usually the chorus, right?) and even underline some verses in our Bibles.
Don't get me wrong, I love to underline favorite verses, so I can go back and meditate on them again......but what I want more than than a Bible that's marked up, is to have a life that has the definite mark of my Lord in whatever I do. I am extremely blessed to have hopped off a folding chair as a 5-year old girl at a tent meeting....to "go forward" and ask Jesus to come into my heart. George Sweeting will always be special to me, because it was he, as a young traveling evangelist/chalk artist, who drew a picture of Jesus walking on the water and gave the invitation that was earmarked for me.
Yet, I know that I had nothing to do with it. God placed that desire in my heart in the first place, and all I can do is continually thank Him for drawing me to Him so early in my life. Parents and grandparents who were very committed, quite fundamental believers, gave me a wonderful foundation and heritage, and though I had Eph. 6:1 read to me more often than I want to admit, I will always be grateful that they cared enough about me to drill obedience and respect into my life.
Maybe it's a sign of getting old that it seems American teens and twenty-somethings today are becoming much less caring of their parents. Or maybe it's just a sign that that's exactly what's happening! After all, family is where you live....parents were given an assignment by God, and one can't just discard a parent if they say something one doesn't want to hear. When I think of how much I love my own children, yep, all 18 of 'em, (20 if you count my two wonderful step-daughters) it's just a teeny fraction compared to how much my Father loves me!
I've been trying to read a Proverb a day.....and I'm hoping to keep this up for the rest of my life. (interesting how there are 31 of them....) and I think, "ok, now I'm old enough".... but I continue to need more wisdom. I love Chris Tiegreen's devotionals (Walk thru the Bible, Atlanta, GA)....and to quote from May 4, "wisdom isn't flashy, rarely impresses, and never demands. Folly is brash, showy, and frequently pushy."
Which one am I? Do I expend energy trying to impress everyone? Do I need designer everything and the latest gadget to show how important I am? Is more of my time spent on my outward appearance than on my inner attitude and character? Do I continue to honor my parents' training and heritage, though they're Home now? Every time I go through the Bible.....Proverbs especially, I'm amazed at how many verses equate wisdom with honoring one's parent. Apparently God really places a high value on obeying that commandment of honoring our parents, and I still reflect on what a rich life my parents passed on to me. No, we didn't have a lot of money....I remember a day when I was outside the kitchen window playing, and I heard my dad say to my mom we only had $500 in the bank, and the company where he was working was closing down, laying off all employees. My recollection is that no matter what, we were in God's hands and so even my earliest memories were of total dependence on Him. We always had a roof over our heads, food to eat, and family to love, and that was enough. New clothes came, usually at Christmas. New shoes, at Easter. Otherwise, my mom sewed all my sister's and my dresses. I never felt poor, and though my sister and cousins and I were the first generation to go to college, my parents and grandparents were wiser than most other people I knew.......the older I got, the smarter they got! (how DOES that happen?) All I knew was that God said if I wanted things to "go well with me", and "live long" that I needed to obey and honor them, and that was a very wise thing to do. This seems to be a generation when many children think they have the RIGHT to "cut parents off" from their lives, and it scares me that they don't understand there will be consequences.....maybe not right away, but ultimately we all have to stand before God and answer His questions. Not that we are to be legalistic and Pharisaical, but I've always been taught that a sign of my love for my parents and for God is my wanting to obey His commandments. Is this wisdom? I hope so.....I can tend to ramble (ya think?), but maybe the older I get, the more okay with that I am. I know I want to be blessed, and there's a verse that tells us, "yea, rather blessed are they that hear the word of God and do it..." Ok, I want the blessing....guess that means I need to not only read, underline, carry the biggest Bible I own to church, but actually prove my love for God by obeying His word.....maybe that is a good start on growing in wisdom.....Prov. 1:7 says the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction." Lord give me more wisdom......(and just maybe, a little nice weather for the church picnic today! :-)
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