Fallen: A Good Person in a Good World with Issues

Today, my favorite pastor preached a sermon entitled "Issues."

He read us Psalm 51:

A David Psalm, After He Was Confronted by Nathan About the Affair with Bathsheba

51 ^1-3 Generous in love—God, give grace!
    Huge in mercy—wipe out my bad record.
Scrub away my guilt,
    soak out my sins in your laundry.
I know how bad I’ve been;
    my sins are staring me down.

^4-6 You’re the One I’ve violated, and you’ve seen
    it all, seen the full extent of my evil.
You have all the facts before you;
    whatever you decide about me is fair.
I’ve been out of step with you for a long time,
    in the wrong since before I was born.
What you’re after is truth from the inside out.
    Enter me, then; conceive a new, true life.

^7-15 Soak me in your laundry and I’ll come out clean,
    scrub me and I’ll have a snow-white life.
Tune me in to foot-tapping songs,
    set these once-broken bones to dancing.
Don’t look too close for blemishes,
    give me a clean bill of health.
God, make a fresh start in me,
    shape a Genesis week from the chaos of my life.
Don’t throw me out with the trash,
    or fail to breathe holiness in me.
Bring me back from gray exile,
    put a fresh wind in my sails!
Give me a job teaching rebels your ways
    so the lost can find their way home.
Commute my death sentence, God, my salvation God,
    and I’ll sing anthems to your life-giving ways.
Unbutton my lips, dear God;
    I’ll let loose with your praise.

^16-17 Going through the motions doesn’t please you,
    a flawless performance is nothing to you.
I learned God-worship
    when my pride was shattered.
Heart-shattered lives ready for love
    don’t for a moment escape God’s notice.

^18-19 Make Zion the place you delight in,
    repair Jerusalem’s broken-down walls.
Then you’ll get real worship from us,
    acts of worship small and large,
Including all the bulls
    they can heave onto your altar!

 He told us we were good people, because we are created in God's image, and He called us good. With issues.

We live in a good world-- that God created, and He called it good. With issues.

We live with other people; people God created, people God called good. With issues.

And He explained that God loves us, and His world, and His other people-- with our issues. It's not even something He has to tolerate. He sees our ashy issues as something that He can turn into beauty.

And it's those very issues-- those very inclinations, sin-cycles, personality traits that you try to change-- that He wants from you.

"Bring them to Me," He pleads. Only He can see the beauty in the broken pieces now... Only He can know how Only He can work.

But if you bring Him your issues, He'll let you in on it... He'll show you the picture too.
He might flip the canvas around every once in a while so you can watch His progress.
He might let you sit at the Potter's Wheel, seeing His whole artistic process.
He might let you read bits and pieces of the saga, leaving you guessing as to the end.
But someday, I believe, He'll show you the Big Picture... His masterpiece of you... His mosaic of your issues.

Shared with Michelle DeRusha.

More Than You Can Handle

Happy Belated Sunday!

For Every Season

Image derived from Fallen Leaves by Andrea_44 via Flickr

 

What season are you in?

 

Are you beginning something?

Are you in the middle of a storm?

Are you at the end?

 

 

As you delight in His seasons, in His grand design of life, for His planet-- remember that your life and your seasons are His delight.

 

Praise Him for your springs, for your beginnings, for your births, for your fresh leaves

Laze with Him through your summer, through your time of contentment, through your sunshine

Recognize Him with your autumn, with your reminiscing, with your harvest, with your golden-ness

Hide in Him through your winter, through your storms and snow, through the bite of frost

 

Be His delight.

 

 

 

This post is part of our 31 Days of Fall series from October 2013.

 

Shared with Time-Warp Wife

 

Falling in Love: The Story of Your Birth

As part of our 31 Days of Fall, we'll be falling in love on Saturdays this month. Our first story is about the birth of P, our super special bundle of joy, and how I fell in love with him . This is not a method birth story, so no contractions or episiotomies, (but we love to hear about those from you strong mommas out there!) but more of a love story. Feel free to share links to your own birth stories in the comments-- I would love to hear about your experiences!

A Little About PCOS

I'm thrilled to be sharing my birth story for my first child. I was first inspired to write this when I read this excellent post, and then excited to share it @ Intentional By Grace.

At the age of 18, I was diagnosed with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, and later with Insulin Resistance. Many women with these conditions have difficulty conceiving and maintaining healthy pregnancies.

One of the problems women with PCOS face is a progesterone deficiency. Progesterone is a hormone your body produces naturally. It increases rapidly during the first trimester, then drops off. Because women with PCOS often do not produce an adequate level of progesterone naturally, they often miscarry early in pregnancy.

If you know someone who has struggled with early-term miscarriages, please refer them to The PCOS Foundation.

A Love Letter to P

I wanted you from the time I held my first baby doll; I wanted you. Deeply, in my soul, was a desire to create you and love you and nurture you. God put that desire in my heart. God put my longing for you in my heart so that I would bring wonderful you into this world for His plans.

One day, when I was a lowly intern working for Child Protective Services in Gadsden, Alabama, a beautiful lady named Betty listened to my fears that I would never get married and have you. She told me that God had put that desire in my heart, and that He would never have put it there, without having a perfect plan to fulfill that desire.

I held that whispered truth in my heart, until I heard the Next Whispered Truth. Your father and I had met already, but that is another story for another time. I was sitting in the balcony of the church that Daddy was pastoring when we met, watching him play with children. I heard the Next Truth not with my ears, but with my heart. “You will have his children one day,” was clear like a bell, and warm like pajama pants. I knew it was true; I knew it was God's own secret promise to me... to be revealed in His perfect timing.

Daddy & I got married, and I wondered when you would come. Sometimes, mommies have problems waiting for their babies. Sometimes, mommies wait a long time, and we cry and pray, because we have that God-authored desire within us. When you are older, you will understand this more. I will tell you the story of Hannah and how she longed for Samuel, her baby boy. You will begin to understand.

The truth is, Mommy was afraid of waiting like Hannah. Mommy was afraid that she might have to hurt and cry, and that was scary for me. See Mommy has some things about her organs that are different... and other women like Mommy have had to wait for babies because their organs are different. Nana Jejo and Granmother were afraid, too, but they didn't tell me until later. But guess what? God didn't make us wait. He sent you!

I thought you were there, growing in my belly. I had an inkling, and I told Daddy one Sunday morning. He was making your Kenzie some pancakes. He said, “Okay, I have to go make pancakes.” You may notice Mommy talks a lot more than Daddy... this is because Daddies like to think about things while they make breakfast.

Sure enough, we went to a doctor, and she told us you were there, growing away, right in Mommy's belly. I was very happy (but also still a little scared, you know, because of that thing with my different organs). So I talked to the doctor about that, and she said she would test Mommy and see.

Later, the doctor's nurse called. They said that something was wrong, and they wanted to do an ultrasound, which is a fancy way of saying they wanted to take your picture. So Daddy and I went and got your picture taken, and they couldn't find you. Mommy sat in a huge waiting room, watching all the beautiful Mommas with big, pregnant bellies, and brand new Mommas with tiny, sleeping bundles of perfection and wanted to yell. I was hurting, and mad, and grief-stricken, and I wanted to know why in world they didn't have a “Your Body Doesn't Work Right, So Sit In Here” waiting room.

The doctor told Mommy that you would not be born. She told Mommy that this was okay, that it happens a lot, and that Mommy could try again to have another baby. Andma was there. She watched me smile and ask very intelligent questions to the doctor. She watched me thank the doctor politely, and watched me hold it together as the lab technician stuck my arm to draw out blood. She walked with me to the car, where she put her arms around me, and with tears in her eyes, explained to me, “You can understand this all scientifically and medically, but it's okay for it to hurt.” Mommy cried-- a lot. Mommy cried most of the way home.

A few days later, another nurse called. She said, “We reviewed your blood work. Your progesterone has doubled own its own. Dr. [name withheld] is on vacation, but we had another doctor that works with us look at it, and she wants to prescribe you this.” God sent our first doctor on vacation, P! Mommy went to get the medicine that the second doctor wanted me take, but I had to wait. The pharmacy couldn't fill it until the next day. Mommy was scared again... what if something happened to you in the meantime? How could I wait 24 hours? When would could I get off this jubilant/despairing rollercoaster?

Listen closely, child, to the next part. I drove home. I prayed hard. I told God that I was afraid my body couldn't hold you, couldn't keep you safe-- so I asked God to hold you for me. I prayed—silently, out loud-- until I reached a certain stop sign. I sat at that stop sign (I will take you there someday), and said, “I don't know what else to say.” Then something different happened. Mommy opened her mouth, and something different came out. A prayer language, little one, was being spoken for you. The Holy Spirit was speaking to God the Father for us-- for me and you.

Fast-forward, about 8 months. Mommy and Aunt Charity are looking a new picture of you. We think your fist is by your face. The ultrasound technician says no, that's your foot. Mommy is only 5'2”. There was no where else for you to grow! We decided to meet you the next day.

Mommy and Daddy were in the room when you cried for the first time. Daddy says my face lit up, and hasn't looked the same since. Daddy held you first. There's a picture of Kenzie holding you with the same look that Daddy had. I've shown it to you probably 100 times by now.

When babies are growing in their mommies, they are in a big bubble filled with a special kind of water. The doctors who delivered you said that you and I had more special water than they had ever seen. Nana called this the evidence that God was holding you, like Mommy prayed for.

You are an absolute blessing from God. You were prayed for and planned for and loved beyond measure. No one can bring to the world or to others what God has planned to do through you. My prayers for you never stop.

We all love you, beautiful boy!

Love, Mommy

 

 

Shared with The Purposeful Mom

Being the Heart of the Home

Attention Ladies:



image derived from knitted heart by mararie via flickr

You are the heart of your home!

 

We all know that keeping our physical hearts healthy is important.
 

But what do we do to keep the heart of the home healthy?

The Mayo Clinic provides five great steps to keeping up our cardiac health. Let's use the same advice to keep our spiritual hearts, and thus us, as the heart of our homes, healthy.

 

1. Don't smoke or use tobacco.

So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you.

Colossians 3:5

First things first: do away with the things that are hurting you. Flee from the things that drag you down. Just as tobacco clogs our lungs and constricts our blood flow, sin brings us down.

This is not a one-time step. Ever hear a former smoker say they still want a cigarette occasionally? Or a recovering addict say that they'll never be "cured?"

We need to die to flesh daily, making our commitment fresh everyday.

 

2. Exercise for 30 minutes on most days of the week.

So that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

Hebrews 6:12

When we workout, our hearts get much needed exercise. Are you exercising daily?

Do you find yourself being stagnate, or are you looking for ways to grow, to improve? It's tempting to curl up on our hypothetical couches and become spiritual couch potatoes. It's tempting to become comfortable and lazy with where we are. But we need exercise! We need to challenge ourselves, to try new things, to constantly seek to grow and become more like our Lord.

Are you getting enough exercise?

 

3. Eat a heart-healthy diet.

Man does not live by bread alone...

Deuteronomy 8:3

Whole-grains, lean protein, fruits & vegetables, cut the fat: the heart diet.

Dear one, consume the things that are good for you. Listen to songs that uplift you. Pour over Scripture. Find friends who speak truth to you.

And cut your fat. You know what I'm talking about here... the fluff that you use to make yourself feel good, or those delicious time-wasters that end up sucking up hours of your time.

Please know that I'm not saying that we should never do things that make us feel good, or help us relax (refer back to point 2!). But as mature, Godly women, we know when there's something shrouding us from our true identity in Christ-- and we need to address it.

 

4. Maintain a healthy weight.

Cast your burden upon the Lord and He will sustain you.

Psalm 55:22

When we gain weight, our hearts have to work harder to pump. The added weight makes it difficult for your heart to send oxygen-rich blood to your lungs, causing shortness of breath.

When we allow the weight of anxiety, the drive to be perfect, fear, stress, self-doubt, self-pity, and shame to accumulate around our home and in our life, we make it hard for us, as the heart, to operate. Chris's grandfather recently passed away after being admitted to the hospital during an episode during which his heart was functioning as 10% capacity.

Just as our physical hearts begin to suffer and weaken under added weight, so too, do we, the heart of the home suffer and weaken under burdens.

And just as our heart can suffer long-term damage the longer we carry extra pounds, the same is true for us.

The good news? The Lord tells us we can put our burdens, our extra weight, on Him. He does not tire or weaken.

Put your weight on Him; see how easier it becomes to breathe.

 

5. Get regular health screenings.

Search me, O God, and know my heart.

Psalm 139:23

Are you keeping your appointments with the Great Physician? Are you allowing your Heavenly Father to examine your heart, and to make suggestions on what you might need to change? Has He prescribed a course of treatment for you? Are you following it?

When we visit our doctor, he or she listens to your heart with a stethoscope. What are they hoping to hear? A strong, steady heartbeat.

God listens to your heart, too. He longs to hear a strong, steady heart beating for Him.

Pray for the Lord to help you understand the condition of your heart. Ask Him to care for your heart.

 

Shared with My Daily Walk in His Grace for Winsome Wednesdays, Raising Homemakers, Raising Arrows, AWise Woman Builds Her Home, Deep Roots at Home, Mercy Ink, Abiding Woman, Growing Home, Live Called, Christian Mommy Blogger, and Walking Redeemed 

How to {Really} Help New Bloggers- pt.4

Click here to read parts one, two, and three of this series.

In this series, we've talked about some of the most important things established bloggers can do to help new bloggers, and why you should want to. Here are twelve more actions you can take to intentionally help your Little Blogger Sisters (and brothers)!


1. Pray for us.
2. Encourage us.
3. Comment on our blogs. Remember your first comments? Just "Great post!" had you floating on air.
4. Follow us... pick one of your social media platforms and follow everyone using that platform. Yes, everyone!
5. Pick one or two of us that you really like... reach out to us.
6. Introduce us to your fellow bloggers.
7. Give us credit if we inspire you-- publicly.
8. Link to us. (Content Idea: A blog-roll post of the top 5 new bloggers you loved this year.)
9. Accept our guest posts. Or even ask us to guest post.
10. Suggest resources to us that are a good fit for us.
11. Answer us.
12. Coach us.

By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. --John 13:35 ESV

We're here. Be here with us.

In what ways can a more experienced blogger help you? Comment below and share this post to spread the word!

How to {Really} Help New Bloggers- pt. 3

In this series, I'll be offering a newbie perspective on what experienced bloggers can really do to help and encourage new bloggers. Although most of these posts will be useful for any niche, I'm talking specifically to faith bloggers. Click to read part one and part two of this series.

 

Post about Etiquette

I'll wager that most new bloggers have Googled "blog etiquette" more than once. And while the rules of the blogosphere may seem like common sense to you, an established blogger now, they probably weren't always so clear.

--Is emailing someone you've never actually met appropriate? What should you say (or not say) in an email?
--Should you respond when someone retweets you? Should you respond when someone thanks you for retweeting them?
--Is asking for a follow in a comment on someone else's blog in poor taste?
--What's a blog roll and a button swap?
--Is it creepy if I "like" several posts in a row on FB, even if I really do like the post?

Each social network has different rules, and each niche has different "unspoken" norms, and each blogger has a preference. How do we wade through all this?

Obviously, it would be very poor etiquette to call someone out on a faux pas in a comment, a tweet, a FB post--anywhere "public." Is it okay to email someone if you think they're messing up?

The best thing you can do is to blog about the topic. By spelling out the mystery of blogiquette in posts, you spread the knowledge (and the love) without calling anyone out personally.

If the "Ins & Outs of Do's & Don'ts" is a post you're considering, consider making it a series. Here's some content-generating ideas to get the writing juices flowing:
--Ask your social media followers for suggestions on blog etiquette questions they're afraid to ask.
--Recount some of your newbie mistakes... and how you learned from them.
--Ask opinions from your fellow bloggers. Ask them to share their secret pet peeves they wish someone would address.


For some of you, blogging about blogiquette might not be a good fit for your blog or your mission. And that's okay.

If that's you, comment on or share posts about it. You many even guest post on the topic on a blog whose mission lines up with blog etiquette content. Guest posting is a great way to post something that may not be a good fit for your own blog.

What bloggy faux pas did you learn about the hard way? Share you experience with us!

Meet back on Monday for the final part of this series.

How to {Really} Help New Bloggers- pt.2

In this series, I'll be offering a newbie perspective on what experienced bloggers can really do to help and encourage new bloggers. Although most of these posts will be useful for any niche, I'm talking specifically to faith bloggers. You can read part one of this series here.

Imagine that you're in church next Sunday. You've just finished Sunday School, and it was amazing! Everything your leader said stirred your heart, and she said it so beautifully, so eloquently. You even like her outfit.

The wonderful, Godly lady that teaches your class is standing at the front, collecting her things. You see that she is quite busy trying to put her notes back in her bag, finish up her water so she can find a trash can and throw it away, and make it to the nearest restroom and into her seat before worship starts.

You think, "I really want her to know how much I enjoyed Sunday School. I want to encourage her, and let her know that someone was listening. I want to thank her for allowing God to use her in this way."

You struggle with the decision of whether to approach her or not. You're a little awed by her and don't want to look silly. You decide to go for it. "I'll just be really brief," you say.

So you slide quickly to the front of the room, and smile. "Thanks for such a great lesson! I really enjoyed it... I loved what you said about honoring our husbands. You're really a great speaker."

She just looks at you, and walks away.


I'm guest posting today over at  Blogging on the Side. Meet me there to continue and find out how to help new bloggers...

How to {Really} Help New Bloggers + and why you should want to...

In this series, I'll be offering a newbie perspective on what experienced bloggers can really do to help and encourage new bloggers. Although most of these posts will be useful for any niche, I'm talking specifically to faith bloggers.

Chances are, if you're even semi-successful at blogging, you've had help along the way. Someone pointed you in the right direction. Maybe you were lucky enough to have a mentor, a "big sister" blogger friend, or were invited into a group that helped and encouraged each other. And that's awesome!

That should be reason enough to pay-it-forward, as it were, to new bloggers who are coming along.

But just in case it's not, let's think about this.

¹² Then Jesus said to his host, “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. ¹³ But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, ¹⁴ and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”  Luke 14:12-14 NIV

Jesus is at a Pharisee's home, eating at a banquet. There are probably several officials and politicians, church leaders, and other bigwigs at this party. The Bible says that Jesus was being "closely watched." It was another one of those, "Let's-trap-Jesus-by-asking-an-ambiguous-question" scenarios.

But he was closely watching the attendees of this dinner party as well.

He had some very good advice for them: (1) don't think more highly of yourself than you ought to... you'll only be embarrassed at the end, and (2) don't just hang with your clique, or the people who can repay or benefit you.

This is good advice for bloggers, too.

As successful bloggers, are you tempted to think more highly of yourself than you ought to? Are you just interacting with other successful bloggers, or those with even more readers, or Twitter followers, than you?

Or are you earnestly trying to help, and disciple, new bloggers?

New bloggers need training and encouragement just like new believers.

Of course Jesus followed his own advice:

¹⁴ When the hour came, Jesus and his apostles reclined at the table. ¹⁵ And he said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. ¹⁶ For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God.”
¹⁷ After taking the cup, he gave thanks and said, “Take this and divide it among you. ¹⁸ For I tell you I will not drink again from the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.”
¹⁹ And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.”
²⁰ In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you. -- Luke 22:14-20 NIV

He knew at this point, there was nothing the disciples could do for him. Eating the Last Supper with them wasn't about what Jesus would get out of it; it was about what he was doing for them.

The focus of blogging, especially in the faith arena, is to impact others. And while our missions are all different, we should ultimately be pointing to the Father.

Are you pointing your fellow bloggers to the Father, particularly the new ones? Are you encouraging them and teaching them how to point to the Father as well?

Come back Wednesday for Part Two of this series!

5 Ways to Incorporate Bible Stories into Homeschool Lessons



Image derived from photo by photo boy via flickr



 

It's not all reading, writing, and arithmetic, but the freedom to teach our children the most important lessons-- the lessons about our Heavenly Father. And also, you get to go on all the fieldtrips.

The first way most of us begin to teach our children about our faith is in the form of Bible stories. We buy My First Bibles with cute rhyming summations of stories like David & Goliath, and even the Christmas story. Some of us tell stories of Moses for bedtime stories or on long trips in the car.

The really cool thing is incorporating lessons about history, literature, science, and all the rest with those Bible stories. My child needs to know that my faith in Jesus pervades everything I do, that I hold a Biblical worldview, and all the ideas I hear, and books I read, and even the conversations I have are filtered through the scope of my faith. He needs to know that my prayer for him is that the same will be true for him, and in an even greater sense than for me.

So, here's a peek into how I put things together:

Daniel & the Lions' Den

Scripture: Daniel 6

Summary: Daniel is thrown into a den of lions, basically a death sentence, for continuing to pray to God. God delivers Daniel from being killed by lions, and Daniel emerges unharmed because he trusts God.

Connect: Children around age 4 & 5 will enjoy trips to the zoo or a wildlife preserve to see real-life lions. Talk about how God created lions, and point out different parts such the tail, the mane, and the sharp teeth and claws that God gave lions to hunt and eat with. Explain why we can't pet lions-- how wild animals like lions are dangerous to us. Tell the story of Daniel-- helping your child understand what a miracle it was that the lions did not harm Daniel!

As children grow older, you can revisit this teaching method as you begin to teach biological classification (species, class, etc.), anatomy of animals, and ecosystems (how lions are predators).

Act it out!: Take a fieldtrip to the zoo or wildlife preserve.
 

Moses in the Reeds

Scripture: Exodus 2

Summary: Moses' mother hides baby Moses among reeds in a basket to keep him from the Pharaoh who wants to hurt people like Moses. Moses is found by Pharaoh's daughter, and he is raised as part of Pharaoh's household. He grows up to play a big part in God's plan to free His people.

Connect: This story can be used when exploring water plants like reeds, or for older children, ecosystems. It's also a good story to illustrate social science themes like adoption and families, and for much older children, political science & history of slavery,  or genocide. Children of all ages will enjoy learning about Egypt, including architecture, art, climate, history, & archaeology.

Act it out!: Travel to Egypt (just kidding!) Visit a museum that has Egyptian artifacts on exhibit. Go play in a pond or near a stream to find reeds.

Bonus: Have your little ones write something that they want to trust to God on a rock, stick, or leaf (something biodegradable, please!) Leave it in the reeds!
 

The Burning Bush

Scripture: Exodus 3

Summary: God speaks to Moses through a bush that is on fire, but doesn't burn. He calls Moses to speak to Pharaoh about releasing the Israelites from Egypt.

Connect: This another great story for introducing science such as heat, fire, conversion of mass, & phases of matter (gas, solid, liquid). By demonstrating that when we set a bush on fire, it burns-- you'll again help your child understand that this "burning bush" is a miraculous event. This story is also a good illustration of why our sanctuaries and churches are treated with special respect (think "Take off your shoes, Moses.") Also, don't neglect to use this story when teaching kids about how our differences (speech impediments, autism, eye-glasses, Down syndrome, any number of special needs, red hair) make us special, and how God uses the things about us that are special and unique to glorify Him.

Act it out!: Set something on fire! (And then put it out...)
 

Noah's Ark

Scripture: Genesis 5:32-10:1

Summary: After seeing that men were becoming wicked, God tells Noah to build an ark & sends a flood over all the Earth. In the end, God protects Noah & his family, and all the animals with them, because Noah obeyed God. God makes a promise never to flood the Earth again.

Connect: I use this one even with our toddler to help him identify animals. Some other ways to connect this story include: prisms & rainbows, weather, and topography (think: sending out of the dove.)

Act it out!: Use prisms, or the sprinkler, to make rainbows. Bubbles work too. Go in search of a rainbow after a rain shower. Pull up and examine topographic maps. Some libraries and museums have touch-and-feel maps of various terrain. Go for a hike and talk about elevation.
 

The Good Samaritan

Scripture: Luke 10:25-37

Summary: Jesus tells the parable of a Jewish man who is robbed and beaten on the road. The man is cared for by a the Good Samaritan.

Connect: This story is an excellent way to teach children to be kind and to have empathy. But for older children (think 13+), it's an important illustration of political science/current events (Israel & Palestine, Syria) and civil rights.

Act it out!: Visit the a civil rights museum. More importantly, put the parable to action by finding a way to help someone else.

 

 

 

Shared with A Wise Woman Builds Her Home and Intentional By Grace for Fellowship Fridays

 

Struggling to be Heard



listen to me... by Michela Mongardi (keela84) via flickr

We recently started a new Bible study. My husband is presenting some of the material he recently covered in one of his Course of Study classes at a nearby seminary. It's based on his New Testament class, and some of his topics include the Messianic Secret, Markan priority, and the criterion of embarrassment.

 

This material was... not received well.

 

It was very frustrating for him, because his initial exposure to this material was exciting and challenging to him. He was sure that it would be the same for the Bible study group.

 

It wasn't.

They just weren't that into it.

 

It brought up so many thoughts for me.

--Didn't Chris pray about starting this Bible study before he decided to do it?

--What was his purpose for the study? What was his mission?

--Did he allow his own excitement and desire to delve into the more... historical analysis of Scripture keep him from hearing God's voice about it?

I still don't know the answers to these questions, even though we've discussed them. I don't ask these questions in a position of superiority or to interrogate. I ask them because of my love for Chris & the church we've been asked to serve.
 

And although I find these sort of topics intellectually interesting, they don't speak to my spirit like they do for Chris. Maybe our precious congregants are more like me.

 

I can understand Chris's frustration.

What do we do when we encounter those who aren't ready to hear what we want to say?

Sometimes it's someone who isn't a believer; other times it's our children refusing to listen to our wisdom.

It can be your best friend, who, despite your best advice, does her own thing anyway. Or it could be your employer, who makes you think you must be speaking a foreign language, for all that's getting through to her.

It might be your pastor, who comes to visit, but changes the subject when you begin to unburden your heart. It might be your congregants that let you know that they don't like your Bible study.

 

If we count the number of times we are not heard, misunderstood, or shut down, we can become disheartened.

 

But Jesus has already borne this burden for us as well. Scripture is full of examples of people who would not hear what he had to say. The rich man went away sad, because he didn't want to hear the answer Jesus gave him.(Matthew 19:21-22). The disciples asked him questions that would surely have seemed inane had he not been Merciful God-- requests like

--show us the Father. (John 14:8)

and

--let us sit at your right and left hands (Mark 10:37).

 

Did Jesus feel the frustration of not being heard?

 

What should we do with our frustration?

 

1. Pray about you

Pray about your intentions. Are you presenting something because it interests or speaks to you? Are you talking because it makes you feel smart or wise? Or are you prayerfully considering what you should say to this person that will benefit them?
 

2. Pray about them

Then pray for your listener. If you feel that what you are saying is indeed something they need to hear, then pray for a softening of their heart, pray for time and opportunity.
 

 3. Present your message

Present your message in the best time and place for the other person. Teenagers are notorious for being ready to talk when you're busy doing something.

Speak (or write) with respect and love for the other person.

 

4. Put it down

Sometimes you're not the one. Sometimes you don't get to reap this particular harvest. Sometimes your husband will come home from a conference with a new nugget he learned there-- that same nugget you've been trying to give him for months.

Christine @ Grace Covers Me said this best: "I can't change anyone--not myself, not my husband, not my children, not people in our church. This truth elevates the role of prayer in my life: I can ask God to bring change and be a part of change through prayer."

 

Tell me in what ways you struggle to be heard.

Shared with Live Called for Thrive @ Home

 

Aria

After lunch, my toddler takes a nap. I sit down at my laptop in my kitchen.

My mind and my heart are near bursting with all the thoughts and words and ideas that fill me.

 

I open one post or one document. I think for four seconds. I open another. I cannot still my mind. I cannot seem to put on the screen what I want to say about hospitality or forgiveness, so I move on. I end up staring at my laptop, watching in horror as my trains of thought wreck, or derail, or refuse to leave the station.

 

Why do I struggle so much to write when that seems to be all I want to do?

 

I hear the voice of doubt in the back of my mind. He whispers that I have no authority to write about love, no credentials to speak about peace or honesty.

 

What can I possibly say that other bloggers or writers haven't said already and in much clearer prose?

 

But then my Father whispers, too. He says not to worry about having authority or credentials. He's got those.

 

He says that although He has also influenced others to write about Him as well, they didn't write what He has given me to write. My story is different from their stories-- and someone needs to hear my story, just as I needed to hear the one's of those beautiful writers and wonder bloggers.

 

He reminds me that I am not a noisy gong or clanging cymbal. He reminds me that I have a desire to love others through words, and He has placed within me a near-need to write.

 

He's placed a desire in you as well. Whatever your thing is--photography, cosmetology, nursing, mothering, singing-- He is the author of that!

 

Look at your life, your relationships, your growth-- see that you have found truth and gained wisdom. He wants us to share those truths and that wisdom with others. He has called you to do so.

 

The Lord has given you a stage to perform for Him. Perform for Him; delight Him!

 

Do your thing.


Shared with Christian Mommy Blogger

No Explanation Required

Whenever someone seriously hurts me, or my loved ones, or makes me really angry, the first thing I ask is “Why?” In fact, I'm more apt to want to know why you've done the thing you did, than I am to desire an apology.

I'm the kind of person who needs to understand the reason behind the behavior, and call me brainwashed, but I've been taught “all behavior has a reason.”
 
I'm often hurt when people say insensitive things about my husband. I get very angry if you don't pull your weight in a work situation. But if I can understand why someone says hurtful things, or the reason they're a total slacker, I can accept it. I can even appreciate it. I can empathize.
 
So I sometimes spend hours trying to understand the “why's” of other people.
 
It's become an expectation between my husband & me. If one of us messes up, we just know that the other one wants an explanation... not an excuse, but a map of our thought process or feelings that led us to act the way we did.
 
But God doesn't require us to give an explanation. Don't get me wrong, I think that we all answer for our actions in one way or another. But when I go to Him in repentance, in sincere prayer, in heartbreak over the mess I've made, and despair over how I've let Him down, He doesn't require me to explain why.
 
I learned this driving one day, which is when I learn a lot of things. I was talking to the Lord about something in my life that I knew He wasn't pleased about. I was struggling to come up with why I was acting so foolishly. I was searching my own heart for my explanation. I was putting God in a Rachel-shaped box, assuming He wanted the same laundry list of what was behind my sin that I want from others.
 
But I was wrong. The Holy Spirit imparted to me that it was okay that I couldn't explain myself, that I didn't even know for myself what was behind my actions. It was okay because I was acknowledging my mistake to God. It was okay because I was upset about it, because I knew it was upsetting to Him. It was okay because I wanted to move away from that problem, I wanted to put it behind me, and refocus my love and the labor of my life on Jesus. It was just okay. I didn't need to explain why—or even know why –because the God who created me already knew why. And the why just wasn't as important as I thought.

The Gardener

The Gardener

Barren field, empty vessel

Void mind, Forgotten heart

Canvass

Secret sins, miss the mark

Come up short, make mistakes

Compost

Whispers on wind, child speaks

Sunset, sunlight, tug on heart

Seed

Blood shed, heart ache

Sacrifice, relationship

Water

Others... just others

Teaching, leading, showing, living

Fertilizer

Beauty, babies, fruit

Arrangement, purpose

Flower