Doing is Smarter than Saying

In a letter to her husband John, shortly before the American Revolution, Abigail Adams wrote, “We have too many high-sounding words, and too few actions that correspond with them.”

H-m-m-m-m.

Now, I like high-sounding words – and I like arranging and rearranging them in sentences, paragraphs and points that convey deep thoughts. I like them so much, I spend a fair amount of time writing letters in my head, or having conversations, with many high-sounding words, imagining all the points I could make to help people I love, on how avoid the potholes and brick walls that I hit square on. Mrs. Adams prods me to reconsider all the good advice I am tempted to give. She would ask me, what deeds back up all your advice? In other words,

“Remember, people will judge you by your actions, not your intentions. You may have a heart of gold -- but so does a hard-boiled egg.” (An anonymous quote)

Once in a while I am asked for advice – not as frequently as I am asked for my prayers, though. Here again, it’s not what I say, but what I do, believing God is stirring up the prayers He will answer in His time.

When I am asked, what I would say, are summed up by two principles, and a set of powerful examples: (emphases added)

The true secret of giving advice is, after you have honestly given it, to be perfectly indifferent whether it is taken or not, and never persist in trying to set people right. ~Hannah Whitall Smith ( a woman who lived with many disappointments)

In giving advice seek to help, not to please, your friend. ~Solon (An architect of Athenian democracy)

“Keep your mouth shut, be pleasant and try to be useful.” (My mother and mother-in-law)

God, please make a woman of deeds and doing – instead of pontificating! But when I need to speak, give me the courage to speak the truth in love. Keep me from saying anything I am not doing myself. And stir up in me prayers, believing whatever I ask in Christ’s name You will do.

John Lennon & My New Food Processor.

It took me long enough to decide; Saturday I did. I bought a food processor. With discounts and rebates I saved twenty dollars. Which is good because the trip to the Urgent-care was $25.00.

Unpacking the machine with care, I had been mindful of the sharp blade; warily I picked up the chopper with my left hand and it flew out, grazing my thumb and to fingers and palm. Catching it with my right hand, it sliced a moon shape into my third finger. Scrambling to help, Doug assembled the first aid station, and went to work – when the bleeding did not stop, we headed over to the professional band-aiders. They fixed me up and renewed my tetanus vaccination.

And our adventure happened on a Monday. Needless to say, my agenda changed. So, now, I gaze now across my desk at the sunshine and shadows that are today’s gifts – and agree with Robert Fulghum: “If you break your neck, if you have nothing to eat, if your house is on fire, then you got a problem. Everything else is inconvenience.”

I reflect that God, who knew I needed a way to the Urgent-care, saw to it the luncheon that would have occupied my hubby was canceled. He also saw to it the snow and ice were totally gone, too. He put me into the care of capable, kind folks in a clean facility. There, I thought about our soldiers. And my friends who are undergoing rehabilitation, cancer treatment, and palliative care as their lives end. So many I know and love, and more whom I know only by reputation have had their plans “changed.” “Life is what happens to you while you are busy making other plans,” John Lennon observed.

The food processor gleams on the counter – almost saying, “Want to play again.” Well, not today, or, even tomorrow. Some of the recipes that convinced me of my need for a food processor involve “moisture.” I can hunt and peck out my tale – but I can’t do much else that involves moisture. Therefore, I am putting off all those amazing recipes for health and fitness for a few more days.

Sometimes the littlest things in life are the hardest to take. You can sit on a mountain more comfortably than on a tack. ~Author Unknown

A link to an article really worth your time

Preemptive Peacemaking

http://www.christianitytoday.com/le/2011/winter/preemptivepeace.html

It will take about twenty minutes to peruse -- but many hours to ponder.

Blessed are the peacemakers -- for they shall be called the sons of God.

“Nobody Expected the Spanish Inquisition” (Monty Python)

We are still hampered by ice and cold – as news reports detail riots in Egypt, demonstrations in Yemen, and a cyclone in Australia. I watch on TV in comfort and relative safety. The end of the world hardly seems probable – but we are twenty-four hours closer to it than we were yesterday.

I grew up amidst fears of a nuclear holocaust; “On the Beach” was a movie that haunted my imagination for decades – until all the players who had bombs seemed to learn how to play together. But now new players have joined the game – and I have begun to think a bit more about how quickly life could change – or end.

Have you considered from how much you have been shielded – just today? Each day I am stunned!

Over centuries, floods, hurricanes, earthquakes and man-made cataclysms have destroyed millions upon millions of souls. Christ described two times that people were caught unaware – in the days of Noah and in the days of Lot when disasters destroyed them all. (Luke 17:26-29) Our hope is God, who knows how to rescue us! (2 Peter 2:6-7)

Some people lived through the holocaust, the bombings of Dresden and Hiroshima; some survived the 2005 tsunami, and 9-11. But His plan of a rescue doesn’t mean my life won’t change, though my life is spared. In the 6th century BC, when the Babylonians marched the women of Zion into captivity they lived through a horrific siege – never to participate in Temple worship again.

When Isaiah saw the coming Babylonian exile, he urged the people to look away from disaster and consider God:

And He will be the stability of your times,
A wealth of salvation, wisdom and knowledge;
The fear of the LORD is his treasure.
(Isaiah 33:6)

Recent news has reminded me of “Fire and Ice” – a poem by Robert Frost, who pondering the end of the world, wondered whether it would be preferable to die by fire or ice – passion or hate?

When my world is upended, it doesn’t matter how I will die – how shall I then live?

Noah and Lot did not expect a flood or a firestorm; yet, in their own ways were preachers of righteousness in a world very much like our own – though our sin seems on steroids! The women who were marched to Babylon didn’t expect that would happen in their lifetime. But they kept their faith in the coming blood sacrifice.(Isaiah 53) And they trained up the generation who went back to Jerusalem, rebuilding the walls and eventually the Temple.

Tomorrow when I open the papers, the news may be as unexpected as street riots in Egypt, the 1933 hurricane that reshaped waterfront property in Annapolis, or the planes that hit the Towers and the Pentagon on 9-11. Or, I may get unwanted news about loved ones or my own health.

How shall I then live?

But how can people call for help if they don't know who to trust? And how can they know who to trust if they haven't heard of the One who can be trusted? And how can they hear if nobody tells them? And how is anyone going to tell them, unless someone is sent to do it? (Romans 10:14-15 The Message)

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I Wasn’t Thinking

"Nothing is ever a complete failure; it can always serve as a bad example." Carlson's Consolation (from Murphy's Laws)


In Dallas, the temperature rarely has been cold enough for long enough to burst water pipes. Because we have vacuum breakers on the outdoor hoses, we didn’t worry about them freezing – unlike in Maryland. So with milder temperatures, we forgot you have to removes the hoses from the spigots to make the vacuum breakers function

Now we had a good warning that temps would plummet tonight – in fact if I heard it once I heard it a ga-zillion times: tonight will be the coldest night in 15 years.

So, an hour ago, snugged before the fire, we heard the TV weatherman warn about outside pipes; we looked at each other and swung into action. Doug suited up; I got some pliers. Out he went, and quickly discovered both outdoor faucets had frozen, with the hoses firmly attached. As he wrestled, with disengaging them, a young neighbor came to help.

I guess we will know later if or how much damage our lack of foresight will cost.

This is an uncomfortable reminder of one or two other things I forgot – like giving to the homeless shelters. We give, but on an inconsistent basis. I’ve known about their needs: the Dallas Morning news covers it; so does our church as a part of our urban ministry. Same Kinda Different as Me, a collaborative book by Ron Hall and Denver Moore was a powerful testimony to the pain and redemption of homelessness right in the D/FW area. But I tuned out my conscience’s pings – even last night when I wrote about the coming storms.

That’s really what “I wasn’t thinking” means.

So, I looked up quotes on excuses on my two favorite sites: Christiansquoting.com and Quotegarden.com. I found a few thought provokers:

“He that is good for making excuses is seldom good for anything else.” ~ Benjamin Franklin

“My great concern is not whether you have failed, but whether you are content with your failure.” - Abraham Lincoln, 1809 - 1865

The person who really wants to do something finds a way; the other person finds an excuse. ~Author Unknown

And oftentimes excusing of a fault
Doth make the fault the worse by the excuse.
~William Shakespeare

I don’t want to forget about what someone from Australia said after reading  yesterday’s blog about the monster cold storm enveloping 2/3 of their country. The writer described a set of storms hitting Australia this week in areas already devastated by floods of biblical proportions. It’s a storm on the scale of Katrina.

Here’s a reminder of how to start helping:
(The Not-For-Profits Reminder)

American Idol -- Sucked In – Early

I am in, when I thought such an admission would never be mine. For the past two years, we’ve tuned in at the end of the season, watching the final contenders for "American Idol." But last night I taped it, intrigued by the few minutes I saw – so many people who went to great lengths to show their talent in hopes of fame and fortune. I watched the remainder today and again was impressed by how hard most contenders tried, and how decisive but mellow the judges seemed, and how differently the ones who were turned away from a trip to Hollywood behaved. Some took it in stride, many cried, a few railed against the judges – and a couple swatted at the invasive cameras. Everybody seemed to have supportive families.

I don’t know much else about this decade plus phenomena – but the episode last night, the one with the fiance who entered to win for his fiancee who was unexpectedly and horribly injured in an accident before their wedding was the hook. His wining would make her happy again – and the judges extended their good wishes to her in her recovery.

How hard they all worked to make a good showing – to earn their spot, and receive recognition for their talent – singing. Thousands times thousands of competitors showed up just for the opportunity to be judged, again and again.

I got to thinking: I wonder . . . what if I took a cue from my fellow Americans and

1. I took the talents I have, apart from singing, and fought for the right to have them judged?

2. I valued the judgment of my services by the poor and needy as highly those who received the professionals’ judgments?

3. I was as excited to perform for Christ as those contenders were to face Steve Tyler, Jennifer Lopez and Randy Jackson?

Wow . . . I wonder where I could be at the end of the season?

Being Alive

At four-thirty this afternoon, I rustled my stumps and headed out for a walk in the sparkling sunshine, blue skies, crisp breezes – fifty -plus degrees. As I rounded one corner, heading for another, the melody filled my memory – Tis the gift to be simple –

It was sung most recently at the service commemorating those who lost their lives in Arizona, and for those whose battle for life goes on.

Being able to walk on a sunny Saturday afternoon, securely meant more to me than I can say – and as I walked I did it for myself, but also for all couldn’t join me – the folks who died and were injured in Arizona – our soldiers, the souls blown up by suicide bombers – flood-ravaged Australians, the babies who died in Philadelphia (http://www.worldmag.com/webextra/17549) – but especially for those who were too busy or distracted to enjoy their lives – it was quite a gift.

'Tis the gift to be simple,
'tis the gift to be free, . . .

So, too, are the gifts of walking, thinking – daydreaming of loved ones – having dinner with valued friends – living because someone – an unknown hero or heroine to me - stands guard, fights, or dies for me.

Simplicity, order, and freedom cost more than I can repay – more than I can reckon. Thank you.

Running Aground, Again and Again.

Most people who drink enjoy smooth sailing with their drinks; some who need pain killers seem to control their drug intake. But some of us carry too much ballast; we misread the water depths; misjudge the winds and find ourselves running aground, again. Each time we do a bit more damage. It’s hard for you to watch us wreck ourselves; when we come to, it’s hard to see the damage we’ve done – we can’t figure out how to make things right. So, we have a little something to help us get it together.

Do you know someone who can’t stay straight? Someone who can’t let the chemicals alone, whether it’s a little bitty glass of white wine – that never seems to run dry – to smoking crack cocaine, from taking too many pain pills to downing too many beers, or bourbons? Some seek euphoria. More seek deadness – quieting pain, real or imagined. At some point the drink or the drug is the most important object of affection in their lives; at some point, the substance becomes personal, the only one who understands, comforts, or relieves the pain.

A drug of choice that becomes “human?”

Years ago a friend who did a lot of 12-step work said alcohol (and drug) abuse is the closest many of us get to seeing demon possession.

Wow. That’s dramatic, I thought.

Over the years, I have come to think my friend may have been on to something. Get close to a drunk or drug addict, and you may find the “God-shaped hole” seems filled with a deceiving chemical. Mercifully, God is filling my heart’s holes with Himself – a real and powerful protector against the deceiver His enemy is.

We all know somebody who is abusing chemicals – drugs or alcohol. We sit next to them in church; sometimes they even may be our preachers; we work with them, and car pool to little league with them. Maybe their addiction is not yet full-blown; maybe they haven’t crossed all the lines that define addiction for us.

Not yet, anyway. Pray for them! Given time they will die, become insane, or get sober.

What then can we say or do for the soul, run aground again by life’s storm and demons’ gales? As mad as they make us, as deeply as they hurt us – pray that we remember they are not the enemy. (Ephesians 6:12-13) How then are you and I praying for the souls we know who are caught by chemical addictions? How are we serving them? Would we pray the harder if we knew Satan is literally destroying them? (1 Peter 5:8-9)

Home – Again.

Early in December we returned to our former home in Maryland to celebrate Christmas and the new year, leaving our current home in Texas. While there, we camped out in an apartment we had formerly used, and so felt quite at home. Time passed too fast – and we left before we could see so many dear friends and family. Oh! For the time to catch up with no interruptions.

Every trip reminds me a bigger trip home awaits – one my mind can’t fully comprehend. It’s a trip that scares me as much as it thrills me. No interruptions – and all the time in the world to be with God, and reconnect with those who went before me. I believe there is one way to get to that Home – many I know and love, do not. They have chosen their own paths.

But to everybody I love – I hope you will hear my heart’s song for you, expressed through Cindy Bauchspies' wonderful music, Peaceable Kingdom. 

Enjoy!

(Picture information: Sheep Going Home by Sue Campion)

Praying for Haiti

Recently I wondered how I could pray some of the imprecations David did in Psalms – like “Knock out all their teeth, Lord!” ( Psalm 3:7 – my paraphrase ) I can pray it wholeheartedly today. I listened as a young woman in the Frontline interview about Haiti hung her head and said, “All I have left is my faith.”(Frontline: The Battle for Haiti http://tinyurl.com/4btedoy)

Because of how her country was before the earthquake, and then the earthquake, she and her countrymen have lived for over a year in conditions Americans, even our poorest, do not. I thought her comments would describe this grief; they covered far more.

When the quake leveled this island’s buildings, it also opened the gated in prisons and jails, and terrible folks were unleashed. They now control the population – doing unspeakable things to women and children.

The woman who spoke was composed; as I listened, I was not. Her suffering reminded me of women who went through the Babylonian siege and then captivity. (2 Chronicles 29:3-11) It’s one thing to read history – it’s another to see it played out in front of you as current events– the human heart really is capable of anything. (Jeremiah 17:9-10)

The church in Haiti needs help – even from faint-hearted folks like me. Now is not the time for debating or discussing the mustard seed – plant it! James said to a group of Christians about to live through severe trials:

“You can no more show me your works apart from your faith than I can show you my faith apart from my works. Faith and works, works and faith, fit together hand in glove . . . (James 2:14-20 The Message)

God let my light shine – for I have much and have been spared more.

Isaiah told King Ahaz:

“If you don't take your stand in faith, you won't have a leg to stand on."(Isaiah 7:9 The Message)

Let me pray like good works don’t matter, and give in the same manner Christ has given me!

And the prophet Isaiah also told those who would lose everything:

[God] is the stability of your times – a wealth of wisdom, salvation and knowledge: The fear of the Lord is His treasure.” (Isaiah 33:6)

God, hear my prayer:

Arise, O LORD!
Deliver [Haiti], O my God!
Strike all [her] enemies on the jaw;
break the teeth of the wicked.
From the LORD comes deliverance.
May your blessing be on your people. ( Psalm 3:7-8)

Change of Plans

We hoped to be in Knoxville Tennessee. tonight. A winter storm changed our plans. Checking all the reports, it appears the wear long the route to Dallas may be dicey if not treacherous. So, we changed course and will lay low for another 24 hours.

Would that other decisions in life could be so plotted! Would that there were some spiritual internet that spelled out the cautions for the next twenty-four hours. With even a bit of warning, I could stay away from potential disagreements, trials or even troubles.

Wait a minute – what is the book of Proverbs if not a advanced warning system? What is Psalm 19, or Psalm 119?

Hmmmm . . .

Getting up-dated road condition reports from the on-line weather channel can save my life and may keep me from harming other drivers. Soaking in God’s word is a surer life saver – as well as a preserver against the carelessness that harms others. Knowing it, believing and trusting it means enjoying a straighter path home than any internet site can offer. (Proverbs 3:5-6)

God, I believe; help Thou my unbelief.

"Words! Words! Words! I'm So Sick of Words!”

Eliza Doolittle sang, and I wonder: How many words does it take to describe evil?

It appears a mentally disturbed person legally bought a weapon, murdering and injuring many people: a federal judge, a child, an US Congresswoman, and five other souls. We don’t know how he could do this, or why. This has not stopped speculations – and common decency doesn’t seem much of a restraint with so many open mikes.

The talking heads inundate viewers and listeners with so many words unconnected to facts – and all are caught up in a swirl of unmediated grief, shame and horror. Do those who operate the news think the more they talk the more they can keep the evil at bay?

Could all these news “stars” just shut up – maybe enforce silence, broken only by solemn music? Maybe they could give us time to think about the fact that what is normal in Mexico and Iraq and Afghanistan just visited the USA, destroying the lives of several people on a sunny morning in a suburban shopping center in Arizona?

After the bloody rampage in Tucson Americans can’t make any sense out of the evil,  although we have more than fifty hours of commentary on cable and network news. The folks I usually listen to are as inane as the ones I avoid: all are reporting gossip, repeating baseless opinions and asking embarrassingly intrusive questions to people still processing the horror of what they saw or heard, or tried to help.

“Gotcha”sound bites repeated ad nauseam do not equip us to stand against evil – much less stand together. ( Isaiah 57:1)

A Tea Party Stunt?

Reading aloud the US Constitution before Congress convened may have been a stunt. But it sparked quite a response in me. The last time I read the Constitution was in ninth grade, and I couldn’t list what my rights are or how many of our nation’s wrongs were resolved by amendments. And as I watched the media’s take on the ground-breaking event, I only saw snippets on C-span and other news outlets. So, I still do not know what the Constitution states.

I heard one commentator, who thought the reading was a silly and expensive exercise, state that legislators are elected to tell us what is going on. This gave me pause. What do I think the legislators should be doing? How can I judge my representatives’ performance if I don’t know what their job description is, and is not?

I wonder what Abigail Adams would think of my ignorance?
She wrote in a letter in 1775:

“I am more and more convinced that Man is a dangerous creature, and that power whether vested in many or a few is ever grasping, and like the grave cries give, give. The great fish swallow up the small, and he who is most strenuous for the Rights of the people, when vested with power, is as eager after the prerogatives of Government. You tell me of degrees of perfection to which Humane Nature is capable of arriving, and I believe it, but at the same time lament that our admiration should arise from the scarcity of the instances.” (Abagail Adams)

It may have been a stunt, but it is one that reminds me how careless I am of so costly a gift: Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. And the freedom to express my opinions – and yours to read.

Taking It Personally

Jeremiah 18

Lots of politicians this week will make a public oath with their right hands on the Bible. The Bible seems an anchor of sorts, linking words and deeds. But most politicians will speak and do what they think right – with little heed to what the Bible teaches about political leaders, much less spiritual needs. So, I can spot their hypocrisy – can I spot my own?

The older I get, the more helpless I see that I am, no matter my good intentions. The closer others invite me into their lives – the fewer answers I have to their deeply felt needs: Singleness, a marriage coming apart, infertility, debt, disease, unruly kids, loss of a job or vision – old age. Knowing God and using His word to speak to Him, and to hear from Him are just about all I know for the troubles I face – that and having the courage to actually do what He says! (Micah 6:8)

Studying the Bible and learning to pray sound like dissembling solutions – and they may be. But, I offer the following introduction to women in the Bible to women who feel helpless and hopeless. God helps the helpless – including powerful politicians and the wealthy, which most American women are, comparatively. (Isaiah 25:4) In the midst of our pain, you and I are just the kind of women God seeks out!

Can you use this to get started studying your Bible this week?

God has shown us what HE wants HIS women to be like, so he carefully recorded information about many women for a reason. They were not perfect — they had problems — they struggled with unbelief — but they obeyed at a critical point in their walk with God — and HE blessed them. Their faith was the assurance of the things they hoped for, the conviction of things they could not see. For by faith in God the women of old gained approval. (Heb 11:1-2)

What He said about these women may help you to pray more intelligently. What about her life impresses you?

How does the record of her life encourage your prayer life?

Pick one or two women and listen for God to form some specific prayers about issues in your life:

Tamar: Overcame came a dysfunctional family. Her name may mean "like a palm." Because of the value of palm trees in the East, the idea of this name connotes wealth and beauty
Scripture references Genesis 38:6-30; Ruth 4:12; 1 Chronicles 2:4; Matthew 1:3

Rahab: A “working girl” changes professions
Scripture references: Joshua 2:1, 3; 6:17-25; Matthew 1:5, Hebrews 11:31; James 2:25

Ruth: An outcast’s faithfulness
Scripture references: The Book of Ruth, Matt. 1:6
What about Naomi's life impresses you?

The wife of Uriah, Bathsheba: An adulteress restored
Scripture references: II Sam. 11:2,3; 12:24; I Ki. 1:11-31; 2:13-19; I Chr. 3:5; Matt.1:6

Here's more:

Hannah: Giving over her most treasure possession – her first born son.
Scripture references: I Samuel 1; 2:1-21
How does her prayer life inform yours

Abigail: The woman with beauty and brains — and a troubled marriage
Scripture references: I Samuel 25:1-42; II Samuel 3:3

Sarah – Married to a difficult man
In Gen 21:1: "Then the LORD took note of Sarah as He had said, and the LORD did for Sarah as He had promised." What do you know about Sarah's life? Her life was recorded by Moses in Genesis. She became the mother of nations. Look up Isaiah 51:2; Romans 4:19; 9:9; Hebrews 11:11; I Peter 3:6

Mary: The mother of our Lord Jesus Christ
Scripture references: Matthew 1;2; 12:46; Luke 1; 2; John 2:1-11; 19:25; Acts 1:14
Read the Magnificat. (Lk 1: 46-55) What do you learn about prayer from Mary?

Keep reading! Read about these women —

Deborah, (Judges 4 & 5; Hebrews 11:32-34;)
Dorcas, (Acts 9 36-43)
Jeosheba, Joash's aunt, (2 Kings 11) and
Salome, who wanted the best for her boys. (See Mat.20:20-24; 27:56; Mark 10:35-40; 15:40, 41;16:1,2)

Build your own list! A good resource is All The Women in the Bible by Herbert Lockyer.

Remember: "The LORD is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth. He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him; He will also hear their cry and will save them. (Ps 145:18-19)

You Believe What?

Many years before I became a Christian, an Episcopal priest at my local church assured me there was no such thing as a devil – Satan, when I went to the priest for help. I was frightened because of a message my roommate gave me about a telephone call from someone who presented a real and dangerous temptation for me. It so frightened me I fled to the church, about twelve blocks from my home. I blurted out my fear that I felt the devil was after me – or something to that effect – and he laughed reassuringly and told me not to worry. Embarrassed, I left his office. I never again went to that church. Yet, the impression of evil from that phone message still resounds. It represented a clear choice. I decided not to return the call.

So, the reader might ask: “Do you believe in an actual devil, one named Satan?”

Yes, I do. But many Christians do not.

In a study by George Barna, many Christians – those who do not claim to be “born-again ” -- see Satan not as a living being but is “a symbol of evil.” Moreover, many of those polled do not believe in the divinity or sinlessness of Jesus Christ – or the power of Holy Spirit; He is a symbol – not a living entity. The poll also found we tolerate many other faiths because we often are not well informed on what the Bible teaches. And, Christians believe, “the Bible, the Koran and the Book of Mormon are all different expressions of the same spiritual truths.”
( Barna Group)

So, beginning 2011 – and the fourth decade that I have been a Christ-follower – I believe the battle in the heavenlies still rages, though Christ has defeated Satan. And I believe a wise woman is never to be without her armor – no matter how out of fashion that suit seems!

. . . God is strong, and he wants you strong.So take everything the Master has set out for you, well-made weapons of the best materials. And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to everything the Devil throws your way . . . You're up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it's all over but the shouting you'll still be on your feet. Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation are more than words. Learn how to apply them. You'll need them throughout your life. God's Word is an indispensable weapon. In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters. Keep your eyes open. Keep each other's spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out. And don't forget to pray for me. Pray that I'll know what to say and have the courage to say it at the right time, telling the mystery to one and all, . . .

(Ephesians 6:10-20 The MESSAGE)

Resolved: Be Like Ebenezer Scrooge!

You can't run away from trouble. There ain't no place that far. ~Uncle Remus

Last night, New Year’s Eve, the news wasn’t great – wars and rumors of war, murderous storms, and looming economic woes swirled together. So, too, as 2010 expired, many of us wrestled with disappointment, age, grief and illness – but for one moment we who watched the television, held our collective breath, feeling a thrill of hope that with the dawn, things will be better. The glittery, lighted ball dropped, setting off the crowd’s building fervency into kisses and hugs and hollering, as the television cameras panned Broadway and 42nd in NYC. And I, too, experienced a rush of emotion that I, too, have a fresh start in a new year that portends better times.

This morning the mercy is I am alive – and that you are too dear readers. But as Uncle Remus observed, “[We] can't run away from trouble. There ain't no place that far.” All the scary stuff that haunted me last year – the fears, doubts, worries, and bad attitudes – showed up as if on cue. So, on New Year’s morning 2011, while I know I can’t hide from troubles, I choose to face “trouble” as Scrooge did when he awoke and realized he had not died; it was still Christmas.

When he awoke that Christmas morning, Scrooge was changed, though his outer man was not. He still had the same aches and pains, the same list of self-made problems and problems beyond his control. But, Scrooge had resolved: "I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year." So when he realized he had not died, he rejoiced exceedingly and immediately set out to do good, first to those he had treated so dismally – then to the larger community. He acted on what he had learned about his failures.

That’s the mercy of having a new day – even a new year if God permits. I can act on what I have learned – on what God has shown me: He didn’t die and leave me in charge! I am not in control of people, places or things. I can control myself, however, God willing. (Titus 2:12-14) Surely that is cause for rejoicing, exceedingly! My letting go of trying to be a god in other people’s lives may mean they are freed to seek the real God on their own. Or, not.

Will 2011 be a turning point toward personal peace and affluence – when wars cease, the rumors of war squashed, and nature subdued? Probably not. But this good day, January 1 on the 2011 calendar, is a gift, filled with new mercies, new opportunities, and the real help of an unchanging, infinite and personal God – Happy New Day!

“ For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future . . .”

(Jeremiah 29:11-14)


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IF GOD "TEXTED" ME . . .

For several years, I was moderately scornful of texting, and frankly, it irritated me until I tried it. I am texting now, having I upgraded to a keyboarded call phone when a new friend confided that it helps in keeping up with her thirty-something kids who don’t return calls, but do return texts. So, too, my forty-something friends, and even my over-fifty comrades return my texts promptly with cheery responses. My contemporaries and older are not so chatty.

Maybe their thumbs are keeping them from texting? Mine sure do.

My thoughts come fast – but the minuscule letters and symbols foil my aging thumbs! And sometimes I inadvertently hit “send,” delivering incomplete messages replete with embarrassing typos. Nonetheless, when I hit “send,” my phone shows me a blue mail box that means it is sweeping my thoughts and gaffes to another’s phone. Then, that special text message chime I set, sounds – woo-hoo! Reminds me of the same thrill “You’ve got mail!” evoked before spam overran my e-mailbox.

What if God texted?

In a sense God is “texting” with all His creation – whether in the heavens, on earth, or in His relationships with people. (Psalm 8:3-5, 19 and 119) And I thank God He keeps on texting. (John 20:31, 3:16-17) I am so grateful His messages are never erased and never need correction. (1 Samuel 15:29)

If God actually texted, His messages would be as profound and personal (Jeremiah 33:1-3) And I would never be out of His network! “Is there anyplace I can go to avoid your Spirit? . . .” (Psalm 139:7-12, The Message)

His messages might be quite brief – alarmingly brief, and Oh so pithy! I’d hate to receive the one Belshazzar got: Mene, Teqel, Peres –

“ . . . God has numbered the days of your rule and they don't add up. . . . You have been weighed on the scales and you don't weigh much. . . . " (Daniel 5:26-31, The Message )

How fast can I reply, Luke 18:13, with no typos? “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!”

At the close of 2010, when I reflect on how I lived these past 365 days, alas, that message to Belshazzar, it isn’t so far off the mark for me. I did not rule well all God entrusted to me; I was a poor steward of all the riches He’s put at my disposal, especially time; I did not tend relationships as carefully as I might. And I neglected to choose the better as Mary did; I have gotten so involved with my worries and troubles that, like Martha did, I missed time with You. (Luke 10:41)

It’s all the more precious then His word to me, and thee, dear readers, is simply condemnation – but comfort. (And conviction)

"Come. Sit down. Let's argue this out."
This is God's Message:
"If your sins are blood-red,
they'll be snow-white.
If they're red like crimson,
they'll be like wool.
If you'll willingly obey,
you'll feast like kings.
But if you're willful and stubborn,
you'll die like dogs."
That's right. God says so. (Isaiah 1:18 The Message)

God, help me to hear and read your messages today with as much anticipation I hear and read texts from my loved ones –

Happy New Year – His final word is Jesus: God with us, Immanuel, for He shall save His people from their sins! (Hebrews 1:1-3)

Looking Away from A Water-Stained Floor

We finally met on the fly, in the DFW airport; I was picking up some family, and she had flown in to speak about disability issues at Dallas Theological Seminary. She didn’t know me, but she had been introduced to me through her music, and then her art. So, I have known of her for over thirty years. Her voice is clear, her paintings and drawing as pristine and moving as her sketches and paintings. Her writing is as powerful as her music and art. And most mornings I hear her speak when I read the daily e-mail her ministry sends.

This morning, the devotional, written in 1993, was about spiritual blessings – her point was we are more blessed than angels:

“. . . What are our spiritual blessings? Peace that is profound. A soul that is settled. Assurance of joy. Grace to let go and give. Life eternal, rich and free. A home in heaven. A best friend in God. Truly, we have more than the angels.”

It’s easy to say Amen when life is sweet; it’s another matter to say that when illness, grief, disappointment and other pains assault us. Yet, my “friend” speaks as a quadriplegic, and now a breast-cancer survivor. (2010) She has the right to tell me – and you, dear reader, to “Snap out of it!”

Joni then explained how, though profoundly afflicted, she is content with every spiritual blessing God has given her in Christ. She quoted from The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment, written in the 17th century by Jeremiah Burroughs:

"Luther says: 'The sea of God's mercies should swallow up all our particular afflictions.'If you pour a pail full of water on the floor, it makes a great show, but if you throw it into the sea, there is no sign of it. Afflictions considered in themselves are great. But let them be considered in the sea of God's mercies and then they are not so much. They are nothing in comparison."

Maybe you hurt for good and sufficient reasons this morning, dear reader – I know I’ve got “good” reasons to be less than upbeat. But just for today, I will consider Joni Eareckson Tada’s wisdom and look away from water staining my floor, and consider the ocean of grace that sustains me in ways too numerous to count. I pray you can, too.

Love in Christ,

bwsmith

Mary’s “Work” – Believing the Inconceivable

What did Mary understand after Gabriel spoke?

She understood that God would bring forth a living human being from a virgin womb – as He had said to Isaiah seven centuries earlier – and as the angel Gabriel declared to her.

What did Mary do? She believed what God said. ( Luke 1:38) Elizabeth, speaking for God declared Mary was blessed because of what she did – she believed God. ( Luke 1:40-45) Mary examined the fulfilled promises of God. (Luke 1:46-55) And she believed what seemed impossible but what was promised – she, a virgin, would bring forth a son.

Incredible! Inconceivable!

Yet, my religious convictions – which I call my faith – rest squarely on this promise, that God would bring forth a child whose conception was unique. (Isaiah 7:14; John 1:13) I repeated this conviction for decades before I confessed it:

“We believe in one God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible.

“And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds, God of God, Light of Light, Very God of Very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father by whom all things were made; who for us men, and for our salvation, came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the Virgin Mary, and was made man, . . .” (The Nicene Creed)

His conception was as unique as His mission, a mission defined by His name, Jesus – because he will save his people from their sins; Immanuel – God with us. (Matt 1:20-23) And, before a unique moment in time, I recited what I did not understand:

“. . . and was made man, and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate. He suffered and was buried, and the third day he rose again according to the Scriptures, and ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of the Father. And he shall come again with glory to judge both the quick and the dead, whose kingdom shall have no end . . . ” (The Nicene Creed)

Once a year – but every day – I remember that God, who so loved the world, gave His Son,

“. . . Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death- even death on a cross!” (Phillipians 2:5-8)

The longer I walk with Christ, the less I understand – and the more precious the examples of women like Mary become to me:

Believe God,
Remember His faithfulness when what He says sounds inconceivable; when what He asks looks impossible.

Mary exemplified what I can do when nothing makes sense – she believed in the One whom God sent. (John 6:29) And, still a virgin, nine months later she and her betrothed, Joseph, beheld her Son; a baby, named by Joseph, Jesus. ( Matthew 1:20-2:1)

“. . . And I believe in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and Giver of Life; who proceeds from the Father and the Son; who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified; who spoke by the prophets.

“And I believe one holy catholic and apostolic Church. I acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins; and I look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.” (The Nicene Creed)

May God fill our hearts with the Hope that does not disappoint. Merry Christmas!

The painting is "The Annunciation" by Henry Ossawa Tanner  , an artist worth knowing!

Refreshment at a Food Court

Chase Bank in Ft. Worth wanted to take down a Christmas tree, lest it offend some – the Grinch is alive and well. But so, too, is the Spirit who has been stirring souls this year to form a praise choir that amazes, encourages, and dumbfounds their impromptu audience – first at a department store in Philly and then a food court in Canada: Handel’s famous chorus, sweeps over them. The opening chords literally silence folks who then crane their necks to pinpoint the music’s origin. Some rise and sing, others smile as they take photos – others sit quietly – even reverently.

What a blessing these sightings have been – and what a portender of how it might be when the Lord returns. We will be going about our daily business – eating and drinking, and suddenly He will appear – every eye will see.

Technology greatly enlarges our vision. Over 11 million hits on Youtube saw and heard the Lord praised:

Hallelujah! (Praise God!) sung 49 times Hallelujah!
For the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth.
Twice His rule is described, and then explained:
The kingdom of this world is become
the Kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and of His Christ;
and He shall reign for ever and ever – a fact repeated three times.
And then five times, the choir says of Whom they sing:
King of Kings, . . .
and Lord of Lords, for ever and ever.

God help me not just to tear up and sing along with a powerful piece of Christmas "music."