When I was a little girl, I loved G.A.'s (Girls in Action). I remember one of the earliest verses I learned was James 1:22 "Be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only." I identify with that verse. I am a doer. If you've read other blogs of mine, you'll know that I make no apologies for staying busy. I like to be busy.
One of the things I struggle with is the fear of failure (again, noted in previous blogs). I'm afraid that if I don't get it done, it won't get done. That's incredibly egocentric (self-important) and can at times be a real sin battle in my life. But it's honest. That verse, be ye doers, has stuck with me. I love to work, but with it comes its anxieties.
Several months ago, I confided in a friend some of my anxieties and struggles. Yesterday, he handed me scripture cards--1" X 2" cards that had a subject and a verse. For instance, "Worry" and a verse "Matthew 6:34 For do not worry about today..." As I looked at these verses, I thought of two things:
First of all, I had a great childhood. I couldn't have asked for better parents. My parents are godly people who raised me to know what was right from wrong. Even though there were times I tested it, I knew from them what was right, and I also knew that they loved me. Sometimes that love was tough love. But some of my fondest memories growing up were of us kids eating breakfast and Mom pulling down a scripture card--much like my friend gave me yesterday. She would read it to us and ground us in scripture every day. We didn't memorize it...we simply heard it and started off our days with it. She gave me that same box of scripture cards for my children to begin with them. I have to admit, I haven't been as diligent as she was, but I now see the importance and plan to do better.
Secondly, "Be ye doers of the word and not hearers only." It says, "not hearers only", which supposes that you ARE a hearer BEFORE you are a doer. So often, we are so busy "doing" for the Kingdom, that we forget to listen. What better way to listen than to ground ourselves in Scripture?
I treasure these scripture cards from my friend. I put them in my desk drawer, and will pull them out daily...especially as I struggle with some of the issues laid out in those cards. My husband wants a copy as well. We both thought it was an amazing gift from a godly friend.
So, as you face issues that you struggle with, there are several steps you can take:
Go to your copy of scripture or http://www.bible.com/ . Type in the search engine the thing that you struggle with, and it will list out countless verses to help you with that specific issue. Make your own scripture cards.
Another suggestion is a wonderful little book by Selwyn Hughes. Hughes passed away several years ago, but Dennis and I had the opportunity to hear him speak and we were so touched by his simple testimony, powerful faith, and his tangible application of scripture for our lives. The book is entitled, "Hope Eternal".
I'm so thankful to God for the people He places in our lives. I'm thankful for my godly parents. I'm thankful for my godly husband. I'm thankful for my precious children. I'm thankful for godly friends like the one who took the time to write out the cards for himself, and then wasn't afraid to share them.
Lord, help me to listen today to what Your Word has to teach me. Help me to cast my anxieties and burdens on You. Help me to first "hear" Your directives for my life, and then "do" with my entire being. Thank You, for being our Hope, our Rock and our Deliverer.
Friday, January 25, 2008
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Simple Prayers
Matthew 18:3 And Jesus said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven."
This weekend, our church had a Spiritual Formation retreat. I had the privilege of working with the children, 1st-6th grades. The worship of children is always an amazing sound. They are uninhibited, shameless worshipers. We sang Undignified and had a great time being silly and shouting out. But, then, we sang God of Wonders, and the sound coming from the hearts and voices of those children was sweet, but strong. They meant what they sang--the lyrics of Praise to our God of Wonders, the Lord of all creation. I memorized it--burning it forever in my mind. It was such a picture of pure, perfect, impassioned worship. I could feel God's presence in that room as he sat smiling down upon them.
I hadn't planned to do anything more than music that morning. I planned to finish up my duties and then go down and hear the speakers for the retreat. But God had other plans for me. We had more children than expected, and our Children's Minister asked me to go with him and take the 1st and 2nd graders on a prayer walk around the church. Their prayers were amazingly simple, but pure, honest, true prayers. It was such an incredible blessing to hold hands with these children, and hear them take turns at each stop, praying for the people that would inhabit that particular room throughout the week. They looked over the city of Arlington and prayed for our leaders. They looked over at the Youth building, and prayed that the older kids would be good examples to them. They prayed over the Preschool rooms, and prayed that they themselves would be good examples to the Preschoolers. They prayed for their parents, they prayed for our staff, they prayed for Mission Arlington.... Thank you, God for the privilege of hearing those prayers and sharing in that time with them, and with You!
As we entered one of the 3rd grade Sunday school rooms, I saw a list of prayer requests on the wall, in the handwriting of the children that attend that class every Sunday. One read, "Dear God, please help my Mommy while she is in the hospital." Another read, "Dear God, please help my sister be okay." But the one that struck me the most was from a little boy. It simply said, "Dear God, help me be smarter." What wisdom that little boy had in his prayer!
It reminded me of Solomon in 1 Kings 3. God tells him, "Ask for whatever you want me to give to you" and Solomon asks for wisdom--or more specifically--"a discerning heart". 1 Kings 4:29 says, God gave Solomon wisdom and very great insight, and a breadth of understanding as measureless as the sand on the seashore.
Lord, like Solomon and this precious 3rd grade boy, help me not to live within my own abilities, but to grow in Your wisdom.
This weekend, our church had a Spiritual Formation retreat. I had the privilege of working with the children, 1st-6th grades. The worship of children is always an amazing sound. They are uninhibited, shameless worshipers. We sang Undignified and had a great time being silly and shouting out. But, then, we sang God of Wonders, and the sound coming from the hearts and voices of those children was sweet, but strong. They meant what they sang--the lyrics of Praise to our God of Wonders, the Lord of all creation. I memorized it--burning it forever in my mind. It was such a picture of pure, perfect, impassioned worship. I could feel God's presence in that room as he sat smiling down upon them.
I hadn't planned to do anything more than music that morning. I planned to finish up my duties and then go down and hear the speakers for the retreat. But God had other plans for me. We had more children than expected, and our Children's Minister asked me to go with him and take the 1st and 2nd graders on a prayer walk around the church. Their prayers were amazingly simple, but pure, honest, true prayers. It was such an incredible blessing to hold hands with these children, and hear them take turns at each stop, praying for the people that would inhabit that particular room throughout the week. They looked over the city of Arlington and prayed for our leaders. They looked over at the Youth building, and prayed that the older kids would be good examples to them. They prayed over the Preschool rooms, and prayed that they themselves would be good examples to the Preschoolers. They prayed for their parents, they prayed for our staff, they prayed for Mission Arlington.... Thank you, God for the privilege of hearing those prayers and sharing in that time with them, and with You!
As we entered one of the 3rd grade Sunday school rooms, I saw a list of prayer requests on the wall, in the handwriting of the children that attend that class every Sunday. One read, "Dear God, please help my Mommy while she is in the hospital." Another read, "Dear God, please help my sister be okay." But the one that struck me the most was from a little boy. It simply said, "Dear God, help me be smarter." What wisdom that little boy had in his prayer!
It reminded me of Solomon in 1 Kings 3. God tells him, "Ask for whatever you want me to give to you" and Solomon asks for wisdom--or more specifically--"a discerning heart". 1 Kings 4:29 says, God gave Solomon wisdom and very great insight, and a breadth of understanding as measureless as the sand on the seashore.
Lord, like Solomon and this precious 3rd grade boy, help me not to live within my own abilities, but to grow in Your wisdom.
Monday, January 7, 2008
Delight
I love this word. There's something about it that immediately brings joy to my heart and a smile to my face.
Today, my friend Carol called me and left a message on my voice mail. It was a message of her praying, and her 3 year old, precious son, Will, belly-laughing while she prayed. Will delighted in that prayer...that special prayer that he prays with his Daddy every night. I delighted in hearing Will belly laugh. It brought an immediate smile to my face. I was teaching violin at the time and shared it with one of my students, and we laughed and smiled at Will's delight.
I immediately thought about how God feels when we spend that pure, wonderful time just praising Him and enjoying His presence. What's even more amazing is that He delights in us.
Psalm 18:18b-19 says, "but the LORD was my support.
19 He brought me out into a spacious place; He rescued me because He delighted in me."
This entire Psalm is filled with David's adoration of the Lord. David truly was an unceasing, uninhibited, unquenchable worshiper who delighted in God, and in whom God delighted.
This blog is short today, because I'm turning on my iPod to "O Praise Him! All this for a King!" and spending some time delighting in the Lord....Thank you, Carol and Will, for reminding me how important it is to sit back and delight in Him.
Today, my friend Carol called me and left a message on my voice mail. It was a message of her praying, and her 3 year old, precious son, Will, belly-laughing while she prayed. Will delighted in that prayer...that special prayer that he prays with his Daddy every night. I delighted in hearing Will belly laugh. It brought an immediate smile to my face. I was teaching violin at the time and shared it with one of my students, and we laughed and smiled at Will's delight.
I immediately thought about how God feels when we spend that pure, wonderful time just praising Him and enjoying His presence. What's even more amazing is that He delights in us.
Psalm 18:18b-19 says, "but the LORD was my support.
19 He brought me out into a spacious place; He rescued me because He delighted in me."
This entire Psalm is filled with David's adoration of the Lord. David truly was an unceasing, uninhibited, unquenchable worshiper who delighted in God, and in whom God delighted.
This blog is short today, because I'm turning on my iPod to "O Praise Him! All this for a King!" and spending some time delighting in the Lord....Thank you, Carol and Will, for reminding me how important it is to sit back and delight in Him.
Friday, January 4, 2008
Waiting....not my Forte!
I have been convicted lately about the fact that I tend, in my sinful nature, to operate out of my own strength, and not out of the Lord's strength. This happens especially when I'm tired or weary. So, today I was doing a search on verses in Scripture to help me with this issue in my life. My search criteria was "Be strong in the Lord". Many verses came up, but the one that stopped me in my tracks was this one:
Psalm 27:14 Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.
Right now, in my life, this is a time of uncertainty. The most frustrating part is that I can't pinpoint all that is uncertain. I can't limit it to one area of my life. It seems that everything is going by so fast, that everyone is so busy, that there's hardly time to catch my breath. I'm not afraid of doing it all. I'm just not sure what all I'm doing--what I'm really contributing that is meaningful. So, for me, it's been a season of evaluation.
After reading that verse, I pulled up the entire Psalm 27, and here's how it begins:
1 The LORD is my light and my salvation— whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid?
Do you just feel the burdens of life being lifted away just in the reading of those words? I certainly do. Immediately, the Lord takes control away from us, and places it squarely upon his GIANT shoulders. Immediately I think, "What am I worrying about?" then, I continue reading:
4 One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple.
Just think about the beauty of the Lord. Take a moment to seek a glimpse of Him. Rest at His feet...all the days of my life...not just today.
5 For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle and set me high upon a rock.
6 Then my head will be exalted above the enemies who surround me; at his tabernacle will I sacrifice with shouts of joy; I will sing and make music to the LORD.
He always points us first to Him, and then to our fellowship with each other. I sat last night at our satellite church and worshiped with believers over there. It was a sweet time of fellowship and we made music to the Lord, and when I left, my heart was truly filled with joy at what had been accomplished in that place.
7 Hear my voice when I call, O LORD; be merciful to me and answer me.
8 My heart says of you, "Seek his face!" Your face, LORD, I will seek.
Just be still. Seek His face.
11 Teach me your way, O LORD; lead me in a straight path because of my oppressors.
Continue to ground yourself daily in His teachings. This is such an incredible reminder for control freaks like me that DAILY I must surrender my ways to His. I must daily release control and yield to His ways. The straight path is not always the easiest--you may have to cut through a mountain--but His straight path is always the best.
13 I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.
If we take time to look, we'll see it. If we are too wrapped up in our lists, our busy-ness, we'll miss the goodness. Take time throughout this week to notice the goodness of the Lord in this land of the living.
14 Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.
This verse is so affirming for me. I want to "do" all the time. I feel that if I'm not doing something, I'm accomplishing nothing. What an incredible reminder that it's really okay--even in this day and age of rushing around and getting ahead--it's really okay to WAIT.
Lord, help us to walk in Your ways. Help us to wait on Your direction. Fill us with peace and joy as we wait on Your Guiding Hand. We love You. We are Your servants. Use us.
Psalm 27:14 Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.
Right now, in my life, this is a time of uncertainty. The most frustrating part is that I can't pinpoint all that is uncertain. I can't limit it to one area of my life. It seems that everything is going by so fast, that everyone is so busy, that there's hardly time to catch my breath. I'm not afraid of doing it all. I'm just not sure what all I'm doing--what I'm really contributing that is meaningful. So, for me, it's been a season of evaluation.
After reading that verse, I pulled up the entire Psalm 27, and here's how it begins:
1 The LORD is my light and my salvation— whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid?
Do you just feel the burdens of life being lifted away just in the reading of those words? I certainly do. Immediately, the Lord takes control away from us, and places it squarely upon his GIANT shoulders. Immediately I think, "What am I worrying about?" then, I continue reading:
4 One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple.
Just think about the beauty of the Lord. Take a moment to seek a glimpse of Him. Rest at His feet...all the days of my life...not just today.
5 For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle and set me high upon a rock.
6 Then my head will be exalted above the enemies who surround me; at his tabernacle will I sacrifice with shouts of joy; I will sing and make music to the LORD.
He always points us first to Him, and then to our fellowship with each other. I sat last night at our satellite church and worshiped with believers over there. It was a sweet time of fellowship and we made music to the Lord, and when I left, my heart was truly filled with joy at what had been accomplished in that place.
7 Hear my voice when I call, O LORD; be merciful to me and answer me.
8 My heart says of you, "Seek his face!" Your face, LORD, I will seek.
Just be still. Seek His face.
11 Teach me your way, O LORD; lead me in a straight path because of my oppressors.
Continue to ground yourself daily in His teachings. This is such an incredible reminder for control freaks like me that DAILY I must surrender my ways to His. I must daily release control and yield to His ways. The straight path is not always the easiest--you may have to cut through a mountain--but His straight path is always the best.
13 I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.
If we take time to look, we'll see it. If we are too wrapped up in our lists, our busy-ness, we'll miss the goodness. Take time throughout this week to notice the goodness of the Lord in this land of the living.
14 Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.
This verse is so affirming for me. I want to "do" all the time. I feel that if I'm not doing something, I'm accomplishing nothing. What an incredible reminder that it's really okay--even in this day and age of rushing around and getting ahead--it's really okay to WAIT.
Lord, help us to walk in Your ways. Help us to wait on Your direction. Fill us with peace and joy as we wait on Your Guiding Hand. We love You. We are Your servants. Use us.
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On Top of Pecos Baldy
...what a memory!
