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Parched Patch.

Mon, 12 Jul 2010 12:06:00 -0400

It's raining today. All day.

I'm sure it has nothing to do with the fact that on Saturday my husband and I pruned back to nothing the bush that blocked the sprinkler head that should have been watering our parched lawn. And nothing to do with the little sprinkler I bought to give the grass a longer watering than the automated sprinkler would.

It's terrible what a lack of water will do to a patch of grass. Our poor patch has been deprived of water for at least two summers now (I know; we should have figured out the problem much earlier) so you can imagine its state. Varieties of weeds I have never before encountered moved in. The few blades of grass that clung tenaciously to the hard dirt cried out (I could hear it!) for help, for life-sustaining water.

Our body does that, too. It cries out for water. Dehydration is not pretty, and it's dangerous.

Our souls and spirits need water too, the kind that can be found only in one place. Sometimes, even though everything around us is good and we are happy with the circumstances of the moment, if we are quiet we can still tell that something inside is dry.

All we need is the soul refreshment that comes from looking at his face, and the spirit life that comes from the water of his word. But sometimes, it takes us a while to figure out what the problem is and how to fix it.

When we do, though, it doesn't take long for restoration to begin.

"Oh God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longest for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is" (Psalm 63:1).

Time Giver

Wed, 07 Jul 2010 11:24:00 -0400

When I was a child I often heard in church, "God is no man's debtor."

There's a lot in the Bible to support that statement: the whole sowing and reaping concept found in Corinthians; the "give to the the poor and God will repay" concept found in Proverbs; the "put first the kingdom" teaching in Matthew, to name several.

When you think about it, many of the Old Covenant Laws had to do with repaying what was taken from someone; hence, "an eye for an eye" was required.That wasn't exactly a "win-win" situation, but maybe whoever caused the loss of an eye needed to know the immensity sin he had committed. As I wrote in What's in A Name, the Old Testament is all about the destructive nature of sin while the New Testament is about the life-giving power of grace brought through Jesus. Grace and life bring wholeness.

In fact, the word "peace" in the Bible means wholeness. When Jewish folk say "Shalom" they are asking, "How is your peace?" In other words, "Are you whole? Is there something missing that needs replacing?" It just makes sense that it is in God's nature to give back, perhaps in abundance, what is given to him or given to others in his name.

I'm convinced it's true, even when what you give is time

My husband and I were chatting last night about when he was in a doctoral program in Texas years ago. When he brought home his first stack of readings we both were scared! And I was even more terrified for him when I found out it was for one week! When Sunday came, Glenn looked at the box of readings and was sorely tempted to stay home and read. But he had already made a quality decision that he would go to church every Sunday morning. He felt that without that one quality decision, he would have to make the same decision every week, and might spend years attending church only sporadically.

He held to it, and I don't recall any Sunday when I sat in church without Glenn.

Last night during our chat I remembered that, in spite of the fact that at one point in the process he was way behind everyone in his cohort, he ended up finishing before them all. And even before several of those in the group ahead of his.

Last night was the first time we connected the early completion of the dissertation to his commitment to take time away from the work to attend church with the family.

Not necessarily connected?

Maybe not. But I doubt it, perhaps because I like to let the Bible explain my experience (not the other way around) and because God really is no man's debtor.

I don't think it's in his nature. He's a giver.

Hurry Up and Wait

Fri, 02 Jul 2010 09:43:00 -0400

Why do we hate to wait?

We rush to grow up, get married, make money, buy a house, spend money, change locations, make decisions.

To those of us who are chronically in a hurry, waiting can be an extremely dangerous occupation.

While we're waiting for something to happen, whether that something is good or bad, we feel so much pressure to act that the resulting stress seems unbearable. We may not know exactly what to do, but we think we should do something! We think anything would be better than waiting.

And there lies the danger: Doing something is not always better than doing nothing. Doing the wrong thing can be devastating. It can take us off the right path, or shut us down just before a breakthrough. Sometimes the only "doing" required is waiting, whether it is for nature to take it's course, waiting for God to work, or waiting to hear what our next move should be.

Some of the best things in life can't happen without the passing of time. Perhaps that's why we're told to let "patience have her perfect work."

The "work" of patience is to hold us firm until we lack nothing, until what God has spoken is fulfilled.

Time and waiting are often our friends. Patience always is.

Ripples

Sat, 26 Jun 2010 11:18:00 -0400

Sometimes, when my father would go to the farm, a few of us kids would pile in the back of the truck and go with him to pick berries, swim, or whatever else tickled our fancy for a few hours in that wonderful Newfoundland summer air and sunshine.

Sometimes, if there was not much of a breeze and the water was smooth, we'd be drawn to skipping rocks. We all knew our best bet for excelling in this was to find the smoothest, flattest stones and angle the throw just right. Something about a rock skipping effortlessly with four or five landings, creating ripple after ripple in that smooth expanse, brought a joyful sense of accomplishment, of power.

So I got to thinking about ripples, and the power of making them.

Good ripples and bad ones.

The Bible tells us that life and death are in the power of the tongue. Part of that power is in the ripples one little word can create.

Sometimes words slip out of our mouths because of frustration or disappointment, words we don't really want to create harm. Left alone, those words may bring a world of devastation to a relationship. Hurt that years won't be able to heal. Unlike the stone's ripples which fade away, ripples made by unkind words can only be stopped by asking for forgiveness. Time doesn't heal everything.

But good words! They are wonderful! They have life in them, for the speaker and hearer. Those ripples keep on and on, too. Upon every remembrance the beautiful waves they created in the first place start all over again.

A man hath joy by the answer of his mouth: and a word spoken in due season, how good is it (Proverbs 15:23).

Benjamin's Work

Wed, 23 Jun 2010 11:05:00 -0400

I just read a note from a young man named Benjamin. He's a writer.

Benjamin isn't published yet, but I've heard him read from his manuscript and he's good. He has a story and a distinct voice, and the heart to get both on paper and out into the world.

His note today was about a verse of scripture that spoke to him this year at Write! Canada, a verse that he decided wasn't all that encouraging. It was the one that talks about us having "threescore years and ten"-- the later years full of trouble.

Mind you, I think that was directed specifically to the wilderness travellers who had decided they wouldn't enter the promised land, so I don't get too bent out of shape by it at my tender age.

But point taken: We aren't here forever.

But then Benjamin noted something that the psalmist goes on to say, repeatedly, "establish the work of our hands for us." It almost sounds as if he's desperate for it.

Now, that makes perfect sense. The psalmist sees time going by too quickly, and there isn't much of it, and he feels an urgency to work.

Truth is, as I see more wrinkles show up and the grey hair lightening, I find as a writer/teacher I'm more in a hurry to get "words" out there. Maybe when we realize the passing of time, whether we're young like Benjamin or have a few more years behind us than he, we become more and more anxious to accomplish something, to leave something here. To give something. Something of value.

And that makes sense too. We were made in the image of a Creator and a Giver.

I remember a few years ago when my mortality took on more pronounced reality. I looked, then, at what I was leaving behind and wondered why I hadn't even tried to do what had been in my heart to do--to write What's In A Name. Thankfully, I recognized the little nudges I was getting in that direction, and took action. I've written much more in the several years since then, and still feel nudges.

As for Benjamin, I was impressed and happy to see that this young man has learned, early, that our strength, and the ability to leave something good behind, is found in the Source from whom we came.

To be sure, the Source from whom springs the desire.

He is willing and able to answer that prayer; the work is not ours alone.

Surely, when all is quiet, our hearts know it's true.

Perfection

Tue, 22 Jun 2010 15:09:00 -0400

I've just been working on my revised version of What's In A Name.

I took the book to Write!Canada, the annual conference of The Word Guild, to show to a couple of editors in order to get their perspective on substantive editing. One suggested my introduction should be my first chapter. The other one liked it just the way it was and warned me about the trap of perfectionism.

It seemed everyone harped on it--well, maybe mentioned it in passing. Workshop leaders, continuing class leaders, and the plenary speaker all indicated that the pursuit of perfection can become debilitating. Not that we shouldn't be diligent to do our very best and use every means to be excellent. (I appreciated Joel Freeman saying that time spent trying new things is never lost time). But perfectionism can shut you down, if you let it, because nothing will ever be good enough if it is not perfect.

And I sit here now and wonder why I consider perfection a worthy goal. Why many of us do.

Is it because our spirits know we came from perfection and want to return to it?

But I remember what came to me while workshop leader Ann Voskamp was reading a blog post she had written about her son bringing her a gift of a carved wooden spoon. She caressed it in her hands as she read.

"Is it perfect?" he had asked, "Will I make another one?"

I won't do justice to her words, so I won't try. But at one point, after telling him it was perfect and she wanted him to fill up the house with them, she held his small face in her hands and said, "You are perfect!"

As she spoke I thought about how often we're told that, because of Jesus' sacrifice, we're perfect in God's eyes. And I thought about how often I think God must not see too well if he thinks I'm perfect. The truth is, even if I'm forgiven and have the gift of righteousness, I'm not perfect. If I can see it, surely God can!

But then I saw something wonderful!

Ann's little boy is not perfect in her eyes. He perfect in her heart!

My daughter is not perfect in my eyes. She's too much like her momma and daddy to be perfect. But she's perfect in our hearts. Completely and always.

I get it now.

My Father has eyes that see, but I'm perfect in my Father's heart.

Surely, when I've done my very best, and my offering, the work of my hands, comes from my heart then it, too, is perfect in his heart.

And that's enough.

My Find

Mon, 21 Jun 2010 10:54:00 -0400

In April I happened upon a blog by a young woman who lives on a farm somewhere in Ontario. I thought it was the most beautiful use of the language I had read in a long time. The words gently touched my heart and I was compelled to share it with my Facebook friends right away.

Some time later when I wanted to visit her site again, I couldn't remember where it was. I didn't have the FB savvy to realize I could scroll down and find the link, or even just check out my links! So I gave up.

This past weekend I attended Write! Canada, the annual conference of The Word Guild. At some point I asked someone about this "girl who lives on a farm and blogs" but she didn't know who it was.

Later, I went to a workshop on blogging by Ann Voskamp. At the beginning of her presentation, she read her first blog post. I listened enrapt as her words came together to paint a masterpiece. Breathtaking. I wanted them to hover around my ears for a while, they were so lovely.

I had never quite experienced that before, except perhaps years ago when God's words became life in my heart. Now, although Ann's words weren't revealing Biblical truth to me, they revealed truth about me to me, without judgement, without shame. With understanding and with beauty. In her honesty and purity of expression, as she "peeled back" her own heart, she peeled back my own.

And that was good.

And yes, it was her!

Find her beautiful words here:

www.aholyexperience.com

Carried

Thu, 10 Jun 2010 10:03:00 -0400

Last week I vacationed at Disney World with my husband, daughter and son-in-law, and his parents and brother. We spent most days at one of the Disney parks: Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Animal Kingdom, etc. It was fun and fabulous. Magical, even!

Late every evening, on the shuttle home, I saw something precious. After the heat and excitement of wonderful Walt Disney World, tired children were carried in their fathers' arms, most of the cherubs sleeping and completely oblivious to their surroundings. Some of them seemed cuddled and comfortable; others were simply splayed out (no other way to describe it) arms and legs hanging loose, completely supported by nothing but Daddy's strength.

Not one father looked wearied by his precious burden. Actually, they looked happy. It could have been that they were happy to be leaving the park after all day, but it seemed to me they were just happy.

It made me wonder if when God says, "Be still and know that I am God," he's really saying, "Let me carry you now. Just rest."

We're told to walk by faith, and sometimes even to fight the good fight of faith. Even in the midst of the walk and the fight, there's a rest that comes from believing he's with us and in us and he is our strength and victory.

And sometimes, because we're human, when we've fought the good fight and feel too tired to even walk, he will carry us.

"...and underneath are the everlasting arms" (Deuteronomy 33:27).

Believing like Jesus

Tue, 11 May 2010 11:50:00 -0400

Jesus was having a few interesting days in Jerusalem.

He had just annoyed the well respected Pharisees by healing a sick man who was lying near at the pool called Bethesda near the Sheep Gate. Maybe the healing itself could have gotten a pass, but it was the Sabbath, and, adding even more offence to healing on that day, Jesus told the man to pick up his bed and walk! ON THE SABBATH!

Then, when they challenged Jesus about it, he told them, "My Father has been working until now, and I have been working."

To tell you the truth, I don't know what he meant by that, exactly, although he talked later about only doing what he saw his father doing, somehow connecting his works to God's, but the fact that he called God his father really was the last straw. Making himself equal with God?

They tried to kill him for it!

So Jesus goes into a long (page and a half) discourse about the Father and the Son and their relationship, and then gives two witnesses that he is really the Son:

John said it
The works said it

But then Jesus says he needs no evidence of who he is other than that of one, his father.

"There is another who bears witness of me and I know that the witness which He witnesses of me is true...You search the scriptures because you believe that in them you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of me. But you are not willing to come to me that you might have life."

Jesus knew that what God said about him in scripture was true. He needed no other witness.

Do we believe what God has said about him...and about us...in scripture? Or do we look for another witness?

"Jesus said to him, 'Go your way, your son lives.' So the man believed the word Jesus spoke to him and he went his way" (John 4:50).

Jesus Loves Me

Thu, 06 May 2010 10:05:00 -0400

On Tuesday evening I spoke at a Women's Ministry Banquet at a church here in London. There was a very talented group of girls there to perform, students of the pastor's wife. The last of their offerings was the simple and simply beautiful Jesus Loves Me. I would have gone, just for that.

What peace it brought at just that moment. (I was a little nervous as I always am before a talk.)

It got me to thinking about a blog post I wrote some time ago about how we love him because he first loved us. When I put that together with the fact that out of our love for him, we can love people around us, (He who says he loves God but hates his brother, lies and the truth is not in him. ) a thought emerged:

What if, when I'm feeling agitated with someone, I just stopped and said to myself, "Jesus loves me!" or "My father God loves me!"? Would it have the same effect that little song did?

So I've been trying out my theory. Of course it's just been a couple of days, and I don't get upset with people very often so my data base is very small, but so far, it seems to be working. Somehow, it calms me down and I don't feel the need to follow through on my irritation with nasty words or even just thoughts.

Just yesterday some people did something that disturbed me and I was about to go into a mental tirade about them, but I stopped and said,"But God loves me!" As I thought about that I could feel my irritation leave.

A challenge for you: Just give it a try. Test my theory for me. You could even let me know how it works for you.