My Birthday and Shiny Stars

What a great day to be alive! I'm quietly celebrating my 12th ANNUAL 29th Birthday today. After all, if Lucille Ball could be perpetually 29 years old and a "natural" red head, why can't I? ha ha ha

I awoke this morning with the phrase "shine like the stars" stuck in my brain. I had been mulling it over in my sleep for some time apparently. So when I got up, I looked it up in the Bible (I remembered reading it there before). I came across 3 references to the phrase in Daniel chapter 12, Matthew chapter 13, and in Philippians 2.


The first reference is in the context of a vision which came to Daniel. It talks about the end of days
when "those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever." (Daniel 12:3)

The second comes from the context of Jesus explaining the parable of the weeds to his close friends. It also speaks of the end of the age when the world is finally sorted and "the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father." (Matthew 13:43)

The final reference comes from Paul's letter to the people at Philippi where he admonishes them to "do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life..." (Phil. 2:14-16)

I want to shine, to hold out the word of life to others. Paul also said in 2 Corinthians 3-4 that we are not like Moses whose face became radiant after meeting with God, but whose radiance eventually faded. Ours is a radiance which increases more and more.

"We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to keep the Israelites from gazing at it while the radiance was fading away. But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away. Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit."

John wrote that "the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ." I keep thinking of that story of Moses from Exodus 34.

"When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the testimony in his hands, he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the Lord. When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, his face was radiant, and they were afraid to come near him." But Moses called to them and met with all of them and told them what God had said.

"When Moses finished speaking to them, he put a veil over his face. But whenever he entered the Lord's presence to speak with him, he removed the veil until he came out. And when he came out and told the Israelites what he had been commanded, they saw his face was radiant. Then Moses would put the veil back over his face until he went in to speak with the Lord."

Can you imagine? If the glory that came from Moses' face-to-face encounters with God literally made his face so brilliant that people could not look at him, can you imagine what our countenances would be since we have been given a covenant relationship with God which is eternal?

Paul writes: "Now if the ministry that brought death, which was engraved in letters on stone, came with glory, so that the Israelites could not look steadily at Moses' face because of its glory, fading though it was, will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious? If the ministry that condemns men is glorious, how much more glorious is the ministry that brings righteousness! For what was glorious has no glory now in comparison with the surpassing glory. And if what was fading away came with glory, how much greater is the glory of that which lasts!"

And we get to do this: Hold out the word of life to others! YAY! Again, I find myself praying: "May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in your sight, Oh Lord, my strength and my redeemer." As we participate with God, we begin to shine like the stars in the universe and no amount of darkness can extinguish or block its light forever. Woo hoo!

And the winner is....

GRATITUDE! Yep! I'm back to that old theme. Gratitude is the foundation upon which we build our lives; fulfilled lives. Think of someone you know who always sees the glass half empty. They may make more money than they have ever made in their lives, have a nice house and cars, a family, a good job, but they are unhappy because they are always waiting for the ax to fall. They are always waiting for bad news. And when bad news comes, they think, "AHA! See? I was justified in thinking the worst would happen."

Now think of the person you know who sees the glass half-full. Some people might accuse them of being unrealistic. Not at all! It's just that they CHOOSE to focus on the good rather than the bad. When some thing bad happens to them, they look for the silver lining. Sure, they experience disappointment, just like the "realists". But they learn that life is not all heart-ache and disappointment. They find stuff to rejoice in even at the worst of times!

But how do they do that? What if you've been a half-empty bloke your whole life because you thought it was the "realistic" viewpoint? What if you want to change that habit, that attitude now? How do you change an attitude of skepticism to a positive outlook?

You start with gratitude. Think of all the things you are grateful for. I'm working on my list today too.

I'm grateful for a cup of coffee and a quiet house to do grant research and a computer with internet connection.

I'm grateful for the word of God.

I'm grateful for encouraging friends and not-so-encouraging family. Because the Bible says "faithful are the wounds of a friend" and a "brother was born for adversity." My family tells me stuff about myself that I don't want to hear sometimes. It can be pretty brutal at times, but I'd rather they were honest with me than have them lie to me. This way, I can grow and mature, as painful as it is at times.

I'm grateful for good health.

I'm grateful that God promised to supply all my needs according to his amazing riches.

I'm grateful that God calls me friend, even though I don't deserve it.

I'm grateful for good words and honest teaching from guys like Ed and Mark Gungor. I caught Mark on TBN last night while flipping through the channels. It was good to laugh.

And now comes that part that I sometimes have to live by faith, though I don't know how or when or any details:
I am grateful that God has already prepared a home for me in Portland and that he is making a way for me to go to grad school, because he said, "those he calls he also equips." And he told me not to worry about tomorrow or what I'll eat or drink or wear. My heavenly Father already knows what I need and he won't abandon me. I am grateful that
the creator who keeps the planets and stars spinning in space also cares about me. He is opening a door that no man can shut. He will open the heavens and pour out a blessing that no man can contain.

Gratitude is like a pair of prescription glasses which help us see the glass half-full because we change our focus from what is not there (or lack) to what is there (abundance). You can call them rose colored glasses if you want. But seeing the world as rosy doesn't seem to be a bad thing to me. Now where did I put those glasses again?

Still focused

I'm still focused on the power of my words and my attitudes. Fear has been creeping around lately, but I refuse to give in to doubt! I will not submit to its crippling influence.

I am determined to live this one life to the full, by faith in God's word and holding on to his promises.

Naysaying the naysayers

What does one do with the naysayers which surround us? Daily, well-meaning people ask me HOW I will pay for graduate school. How will I afford to live? Why don't I settle for a job as a substitute teacher elsewhere (mind you, it IS summer time now)? Why would I possibly go into debt to get a graduate degree or degrees at this stage of my life? These are legitimate questions.

I have answers. I have the most sound, logical arguments, but they do not hear. I am a silly woman in their eyes; nice, but a bit batty or eccentric. Worse, a dreamer. And yet, dreams lead us to aspire to something greater than what we currently are or maybe to aspire to the greatness that lies within us.

I have no magic carpet or magic lamp with a genie to grant my wishes, but I do have a dream and Hope! I recently re-read the story of Pandora's Box as told by Nathaniel Hawthorne. He ends the tale with this line:
"And all the rest of their lives when Troubles would come back and buzz about their heads, they would wait patiently till Hope, the fairy with the rainbow wings, came back to heal and comfort them."

Pleasant dreams

I love that expression. "Pleasant dreams," we say as we wish someone a good night. However, I think that I'll adapt it to daytime use. I love the word "pleasant". It's so seldom used these days, but it has such a warm, fuzzy, benign, happy, glowing meaning.

Of course, I wish your dreams will come true as well. So today, I bid you "pleasant dreams" as you pursue your goals and go through the motions of everyday life. I had to include this note from The View from Mrs. Sundberg's Window, a weekly post about Garrison Keillor's show, Prairie Home Companion. If you are not a regular listener to the radio show which airs every Saturday evening from 5:00-7:00pm on NPR, you don't know what you are missing.

Anyhooo, Mrs. Sundberg posted this note called "Radiate, Flicker and Glow" on June 9, 2009:

Listened to the show Saturday and it was not bad. It had been cloudy and gray all day, and raining on and off, so instead of sun, I had a lot of lights on. I know it might seem wasteful, but I like a lot of light. I like to see what I'm doing, if nothing else, but if there's any warmth to be had, I like that, too. I like words like "glow" and "bask" and "illuminate" and if I can get a vitamin from being in the light, well, light up the ultraviolet bulb.

Don't get me wrong. A good candle or two certainly can do the trick, especially on a dreary day. And there are certain days which call for candlelight. I light one up on days when the house smells musty after a long winter. I light a candle on days when someone I love is far away or struggling or having surgery. I light a candle on days when I'm remembering something significant to me alone, and I might not even explain it to anyone. (I light a candle every year on the date of my conception, and that's all I'll say about that except that it's in December and I was born nine months to the day later.) Some days I light a candle simply because I'm feeling crappy and a flickering flame is enough to distract me into feeling better.

They say each of us has an aura about us, a kind of field of energy that reacts and expands in light and color. I don't know for sure about this, but I swear I've met people who are lit up and shine, who radiate and flicker and glow, and I also know people who are burnt out and dull and, well, kind of dead. You know? 'Minds me of a song I love. "This Little Light of Mine, / I'm Gonna Let It Shine..." Let it shine? Heck. Light up the whole prairie, Honey. For as long as ever you can.

You can read other posts here: http://www.publicradio.org/columns/prairiehome/sundberg/2009/06/09.shtml

Pleasant dreams!

Rain, water, and words

It never ceases to amaze me that Bible verses I read or memorized many, many years ago have suddenly become alive to me; filling my mind, my consciousness.

I was re-reading what Paul wrote to the church at Corinth in his second letter about generosity. Apparently, the people of Corinth had gotten so excited about the opportunity to help others out that they decided to send money to other people who were struggling. Paul was coming to collect that gift. He knew they didn't have tons of money, but in their eagerness to be a part of what God was doing, they had made a promise to give a certain amount. Certainly no one twisted their collective arm. They were just so enthused about giving that they had made a promise.

Paul was reminding them before he came to be sure to have the money ready so he could take it those who were in dire need, and to continue giving out of a cheerful heart and not under compulsion. As I was reading again about the law of Karma (or reaping and sowing), I kept thinking about an old verse from Isaiah about how God's word is powerful and effective. Just like rain waters the earth and makes the earth productive, God's words accomplish his purposes.

Maybe it was the phrase which Paul used in II Corinthians 9:10, "seed to the sower and bread for food" which triggered the memory of the ancient writings of Isaiah in Chapter 55.

But this is all too good not to record all of what Paul and Isaiah both wrote concerning God's power and his words and our participation WITH him. Paul writes in II Corinthians 9:6-12-

"Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. As it is written: 'He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor; his righteousness endures forever.'

Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. This service you perform is not only supplying the needs of God's people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God."

Isaiah wrote this (55:10-11): " As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it."

I love this. Paul is not only talking about financial blessing (though it is the main point of his discussion), he is also talking about us having everything we need at all times so that we can be a blessing or joy to others. This is where we get to particpate WITH God. When we understand his word(s), we begin to speak life and hope and healing to those around us. But it's not just empty words. We also get to give!

When we begin to understand that Jesus IS the word of God; that he sustains ALL things, the whole universe is held together by his powerful word, then we begin to see that he also fought and won battles of the mind and spirit through the spoken and written, revealed word of God. When he was being tempted after fasting for 40 days, he overcame temptation by speaking the word of God. He understood that God, who was able to make water appear in the desert out of plain rock (Exodus 17: 1-7) or to make bitter water sweet (Ex. 15:22-25) and bread or manna to appear from the skies (Exodus chapter 16), was able to supply everything he needed. He recognized that HE was the bread from heaven. God's word is more sustaining than food or water.

This is why John called him the word of God which came down from heaven and lived among us. This is why Jesus said in response to temptation: "Man does not live on bread alone, but every word which proceeds from the mouth of God." This is why he quoted the written words of God. He knew that they are powerful and effective.

And we get to participate in this same incredible gift of God when we understand the power of his word at work in our lives. When we understand what HE says about us, we know that nothing is impossible. We begin to ask God, "What do you want to accomplish?" We begin to pray things like David did: "May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in your sight, Oh Lord, my strength and my redeemer."

We understand that words are not static, but kinetic. It is the greek word "logos". According to Webster, logos is a philosophical concept which means "1) reason, thought of as constituting the controlling principle of the universe and as being manifested by speech, or 2) the eternal thought or word of God made incarnate in Jesus Christ (John 1)."

It always comes down to this: Will I choose to speak negative words? Or will I choose to speak words of life and act in such a way that my words are not hollow? Will I choose love? Will I choose life?

Building a foundation

I keep returning to the concept that everything starts with gratitude. Gratitude is the foundation on which I hope to build my life.

Today, I am grateful for nice memories with my family. My brother and his wife and kids all went to a lake where we practiced kayaking. It was great fun and very relaxing.

A group of Mexicans had gathered nearby and were blasting their tex-mex music... I love it! Who could ever remain unhappy if they heard zydeco or tex-mex music? It's so upbeat and dance-able and a veritable celebration of everything that is life!

Lovely day!

Ohh la la! Pour m'amuser, j'ecoute l'Europe 1!

De temps en temps, je tourne a la radio française a fin de m’amuser. Selon moi, elle est drôle. J’adore les accents français et la musique si heureuse. Je viens d’écouter la musique de Hawaii Five-O ce matin ! Et son rire ! Vous savez ce que je parle, le rire fameux de Maurice Chevalier. Il me fait rire toujours et me fait souvenir de mes étudiants de français qui me faisaient rire avec ses bêtises.

Et en plus, ce que je remarque, c’est que les français emploient souvent la phrase « J’imagine… ». Ca, c’est ma devise. Je chant tout le longue de la journée, « J’imagine…et tout est possible. »

From time to time, I turn to French radio to amuse myself. In my opinion, it is funny. I love those French accents and their happy, happy music. I think I just heard the theme song from Hawaii Five-O this morning. Oh, and that LAUGH! You know the one; the Maurice Chevalier laugh. It cracks me up every time and reminds me of my former French students who used to make me laugh with their impersonations.

Besides that, I’ve noticed that the French often use the phrase “I imagine…” That’s my motto! All day long, I repeat to myself, “I imagine…and everything is possible.”

Oh, if you want a real hoot, try putting this small excerpt through an online language translator. I promise it will come out something like those “English” Tee-shirts one finds in Japan. My sister sent one years ago and I wear it with pride. Not to mention I get a giggle from the puzzled, confused looks on people’s faces as they try to understand:

I’LL STICKY ABOUT MY FAVORITE THINGS

INDIVIDUALITY

I’D LIKE TO BE FAMILIAR WITH FASHIONS,

BUT I WON’T BE CARRIED BY THEM

THOSE WHO ARE STICKY ABOUT THEIR WAY OF LIFE

ARE NEVERTHE-LESS WONDERFUL!

HA HA HA HA HA HA HA. I LOVE IT! It cracks me up every time! Believe me, I’ve had my fair share of “gaffes” or “faux pas”. I have stuck my foot right in my mouth plenty of times in other languages…and I lived to tell about it, though I was pretty sure at the moment that I would die of embarrassment. One thing I’ve learned in my attempts at language acquisition is you will make colossal mistakes, but if you can laugh at your miserable blunders, you’ll have great stories to tell another day!

Faith, Mystics and in-class Participation

Thanks to Ed Gungor for really turning the light on for me in so many ways over the past 20 years! Ed writes about When Faith Is Mystical in his latest notes on Facebook. See www.edgungor.com.

I know there are many people who look at what I'm saying right now, and they think, "That's all fine for you, but I don't believe in some 'name-it-and-claim-it' scam." Well, neither do I! See? How lovely! We agree!

When I talk about believing in your heart and speaking with your mouth in order to "create" things, I'm not talking about some kind of spiritual blackmail or manipulation of God. First of all, I don't think we CAN manipulate God or he wouldn't be God. Secondly, we only deceive ourselves if we think that this is some "pie in the sky" philosophy in which we can control everything.

And it's not about trying to trick myself or con myself into believing something in order to amass wealth. It's so much more than that superficial, self-serving concept. This is about participating with God.

As a high school teacher, I put a lot of emphasis on "in-class participation", because I knew that if my students were engaged, they would just "get it." They didn't have to struggle to comprehend French or Spanish. In a way, it just came to them if they only participated wholeheartedly in class. If they paid attention to what they heard in class, language acquisition was theirs!

And that's kind of how it is with us. God knows that when we engage with him wholeheartedly, when we seek to know him personally, when we stop trying to manipulate ourselves into some kind of manufactured belief or faith and just begin to BE around him, to converse with him, then we'll "get it". That's when we begin to understand that what we believe in our hearts (our attitudes) and what we say with our mouths DOES, indeed, create realities on some level. But it's not about what I want! It's about getting around God and asking him for insight; asking him what HE wants. Then when we pray, we start saying things like "your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven", and we mean it!

That's when we begin to relate to guys like Daniel and Joseph and Abraham from the Old Testament and we start to get glimpses of heaven, the future, or the other dimension. And then we speak about what we have seen by faith. And then we are assured that what we ask for will be given to us, because we aren't just asking for our stuff, but we are asking for the stuff that God gives us glimpses of. Does that make sense?

And this is the mystical part...we don't always see things clearly. Sometimes we get a glimpse, maybe in a dream or maybe just an impression in our minds, or maybe someone says something and we think, "YES! That's just what I've been thinking but couldn't articulate!" And that word resonates in our spirits and we just know that it is true. That's where faith comes in. Faith sees what cannot be seen.

The cool part is that we get to participate in the way God created the universe. We know now through Quantum Physics and Mechanics that God created the universe to respond to the words we speak. Oh, not just the "I claim a million dollars" kind of crap, but the get-around-Jesus-and-start-to-know-his-mind kind of stuff. That's when we have full confidence that what we ask for will be done.

The Book of Hebrews is full of this stuff; examples of people who participated WITH God, not outside of God; not people who tried to manipulate God or the universe, but people who loved God and couldn't wait to be around him. And a side-effect of knowing God was this exciting possibility of getting to participate WITH him in creating stuff. The Bible says that Daniel's powerful words, born out of relationship with God, are still accomplishing today what God intended.

That's why Jesus made the analogy of the vine and the branches, because he knew that apart from him we can do nothing, just like a branch on a grape vine can produce nothing if it's not attached to the main vine where life comes from. But, lest we forget, the object of a branch on a grape vine is to produce good fruit. And here comes that concept again: It is by grace that we have been and are being saved, and even that is by faith which didn't come from us, but was a gift from God, so that no one can boast. It didn't come by doing or by works, and yet Paul says "We are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." (Eph. 2:10)

Ah, here's the thin line, the spider web on which we hang our hopes: It's the age-old "to do is to be" and "to be is to do". Do, be, do, be, do, be, do... Without faith, it's impossible to please God. Faith without works is dead, but faith is not from us, lest anyone think that he/she somehow manipulated God... Hoooo boy. The whole purpose of faith is to open our eyes enough, beyond what our mortal eyes can see, in order to acknowledge God and find relationship with him and to get with HIS program.

I can't say it enough: this is NOT about manipulation or selfish control or some kind of magical mumbo-jumbo. It's about loving God. When you love someone, you want to be around that person. You try to plan your days around being with that special someone. You can't seem to stop thinking about him/her. And when you are with that person, everything seems so alive and you want to know what makes that person tick? What are his/her goals or dreams?

Maybe that's why Jesus kept breaking it down to this one commandment: "Love God with everything that makes you who you are, and love your neighbor as yourself." When we love God, all the other stuff; participating in creation, believing and speaking, even miracles and really cool wonders, are just a side-effect. We don't love God just to have power! No, we love God and get to know him, and sometimes he displays his incredible power in us. But mostly, we get to stand in awe and mind-blowing gratitude of an almighty God who condescended to become one of us so he could become the open door to a relationship with the Father, a God who calls us friends.

And when we do have faith, the kind that could move mountains, we recognize that it doesn't come from us, but it's a gift from God and is a result of LOVE. And out of gratitude for his love which he pours into our hearts, we want to be a part of some form of kindness or love for other people and so we speak words of life, love and hope. We want others to "get it", too. We want them to be called friends of God, because we know the incredible joy that comes from knowing Christ.

And now we find ourselves believing and praying things like:
"In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence...For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to KNOW this love that surpasses knowledge- that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more that all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen." (Eph 3: 12, 14-21)

Yippee! I feel like dancing like a prospecting, old coot who just found gold in a remote, mountain stream! I didn't find the treasure because I'm good-lookin' or rich or intellectual. Nope, God was nice enough to let me stumble onto the riches of knowing him because he said, "if you seek me, you will find me." And not only do I get the treasure of knowing him, but once in a while I stumble on the secrets/ the mysteries/ the gems that come from knowing him. And I get to share it with the whole world! Neat-o! Yippee! Woo hoo! I think I'll dance a jig!

Capturing thoughts

As the happiness experiment continues, I find myself able to take my thoughts captive more easily. Yay! The discipline is beginning to pay off! Negative or judgmental thoughts are being replaced by thoughts of peace and joy.

I've even begun punning again. I'm not one for sophisticated wit or humor. Nope, I thrill to a good pun, or physical comedy. It's true. Watching someone else get hurt (only in a movie or TV Show) just makes me roar! An old Charlie Chaplin or Abbott and Costello, possibly a Laurel and Hardy flick, and I'm practically peeing my pants. But the pun....ahhh, I love a good pun.

So last night, as I was clearing up the dishes after dinner and throwing away some potato peelings, I found myself overcome by an urge to sing in my best Tom Jones-lounge-lizard style impersonation,
"Peelings....nothing more than Peelings,
trying to forget these peelings from spuds.
Teardrops running down on my face
'cause we had onions with those peelings and grub.

Peelings, whoa whoa whoa,
peelings again on my arms,
peeeelings..."

Hey,at least my sister-in-law found it funny.

Hoo boy! Self-control...

See? Now this is the character trait which I dreaded writing about because, frankly, I have not mastered the art of self-control. And self-control is one of THE overarching character traits which puts so many of the others into effect.

Patience, gentleness, kindness, love, peace, and goodness....even faithfulness, all are exercised under the umbrella of self-control. Without self-control, I find myself reacting to people rather than responding in a way which builds them up. For example, take my 9 year old nephew... please! (Ba dump dum!)

Call it a personality clash, but we find ourselves at odds at all times. If I say it's a great day, the kid will disagree with me. If I say something is true, he says "No, it's not." If I say I like something, he finds something to dislike about it. In general, the kid is contrary, argumentative and down-right disagreeable!

And now I've been wanting to cultivate these good character traits in my life...It's so easy when others are agreeable! But what about the "nephews" in our lives who are not so easy to get along with? Now comes self-control!

Can I bite my tongue when he disagrees or openly rebels against good sense or wisdom? Can I love him enough to stop my harsh tongue from criticizing? Arrrrrgh! I want to answer his negative words and sadly misguided attitudes! I want to point out that he is wrong and nearly unteachable when he refuses to listen to wisdom! I want to scream!

Instead, I find myself walking away from him to avoid an argument. I'm trying to get some tools in place to help me deal with him; to help me love him in a way that HE needs. Even when I fall back into my old way of thinking and acting, I catch myself more quickly now and pull away. I want him to know that I love him and that when I DO correct him, it's because I want HIS good! I want him to be able to make friends and KEEP them! I want him to be able to get along with others. I want him to be happy!

So, I think I found a new tool to help me from now on. Rather than argue with him, which is pointless because he only takes it personally that I disagree with him on ANY point, regardless of the truth, or lack thereof, of his position, I start humming or singing a tune which reminds me that it is only the KINDNESS of God which leads us all to repentance. And now, I feel better because I didn't get into a silly argument with a headstrong child, and singing always lifts my spirits. And he feels better because I walked away from another argument. Maybe one day, he'll hear the words of the song and they will sink into his consciousness.

Or maybe I could make that verse in James be my new mantra: "Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry."

And now I can concentate on other areas of my life which need self-control...eating healthily, getting plenty of sleep and exercise, making the most of every moment, time management, advanced research for school, more languages to learn, practicing guitar, writing....so many disciplines to pursue daily and NO time to argue pointlessly or waste emotional energy.

Kindness and Gentleness

I still keep thinking of that quote by Mark Twain which says that "kindness is the language which even the deaf can hear and the blind can see". We often think of movies like Pay It Forward when we think of kindness or Random Acts of Kindness. Just doing something nice for someone else is so rewarding. I can't seem to stop humming an old song: It's your kindness which leads us to repentance, Oh Lord. Knowing that you love us, no matter what we do, makes us want to love you."(Leslie Phillips)

Titus 3:3-5 says we used to be foolish and disobedient too. We were deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. But we also lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating each other. BUT when we saw the kindness and love of God, we were saved, not because of anything we did, but because God is merciful.

A gentle answer, we are told, can turn away anger or wrath. Wrath always makes me think of some kind of determined, destructive vengeance. Philippians 4:5 says "let your gentleness be evident to all." Peter, who is probably best known for sticking his foot in his mouth, often, was also a truly humble guy. He recognized when he was stubborn or opinionated and repented. He knew what it was to suffer for the sake of Christ. And after all the torture and hardship he endured, he still writes: "Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give a reason for the hope that you have. BUT do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander."

We think of gentle-hearted people; genuinely kind people who seem to do no harm to others. So often their gentleness is more than preventing cruelty to animals or some such kind behavior, but it most often involves the way they respond to others. Gentleness doesn't have to win an argument. It doesn't have to try to prove itself "right". It only seeks to softly answer another. It seeks the good of the other person.

Frankly, I used to watch Hell's Kitchen with Chef Gordon Ramsey, but had to stop watching. I can't watch a grown man yell at, scream at, berate and demean another human being. I realize Mr. Ramsey had a hard life and probably had very few role models, so I don't fault him. But I just cannot sit and watch him verbally beat up another. I think, "How sad that he doesn't realize how much harder people would work for him if he built them up, sought their good, and treated them with gentleness." Gentleness is NOT weakness. On the contrary, it takes great strength, incredible self-control to turn away wrath or anger.

In reality, a gentle answer is a wise answer. There are two kinds of wisdom: the world's wisdom which tells us to "look out for number one", and then there's God's wisdom which sees beyond the immediate to the long-term results of our words and actions. James wrote (3: 13ff): "Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in humility that comes from wisdom. But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such 'wisdom' does not come from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. (Yikes!) For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice. BUT the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness."

I find it interesting that James didn't say ambition is wrong. He distinctly said "selfish ambition." Wanting to do great things or make a contribution is not wrong or evil. But selfish motivations cause trouble in our relationships, in our lives.

Oh, how many times do my selfish motivations get me in trouble? It's usually my words which get me in trouble. But James is adamant about this, I deceive myself if I think I'm a religious person and I don't keep a tight rein on my tongue. James says my religion is worthless if I can't get my words under control. Here's a wise saying I should pay more attention to: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life God desires. (James 1:19-20)

The good news is that we can walk in gentleness and kindness. We CAN control our words and attitudes. The more we get around Jesus, the more we'll be like him because we'll see him as he is. Then we can be assured that we can respond like Paul to harsh treatment. He learned to bless when others cursed him, to endure when persecuted, and to answer kindly when slandered. (I Cor.4: 12-13) He knew that being in relationship with Christ brings incredible freedom! And God reflects his amazing glory in us, transforming us into his likeness with ever-increasing glory.

In other words, the more we hang out with Jesus, the more we are transformed into something amazing! And the more we are transformed by love, the more we recognize that we are like earthy vases. Inside us is this incredible treasure which just shines and glows and makes people want to be around us! But the more we experience Love, the more we realize that we are just clay jars. The amazing thing is the treasure...(Hint: the treasure is God's love for people). Paul said it like this, "We have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us."

Or put it like this, we are just plain, wooden treasure chests. No one gets excited over the treasure chest (except for the Antiques Road Show). The thing they get excited about is the TREASURE that's inside!

Yay! The more we walk in love and gentleness and kindness, the more people want to be around us. Not only that, but we get to show them that the love, kindness and gentleness comes from God and not from us! Now THAT is good news!

Everyone Loves A Parade

Well, my "playdar" (as my friend says to describe that ability to find fun in anything) didn't even have to be on to register this funny little tidbit. I just heard of a 4th of July parade which featured a Lawn Chair Drill Team. Apparently, one woman claims that the only way she and her friends could get into the parade was to hoist their aluminum lawn chairs and do a dance down the parade route! I love it.

And let's not forget the men on parade with their riding lawn mowers in synchronized spins and sashays! Square dancing takes on a whole new meaning after one sees it performed by men on riding lawn mowers.

That's what I love about America! People love to celebrate. Happy Birthday, America!

Faithfulness

Ha ha ha ha ha ha. The irony just hit me. I meant to blog about faithfulness yesterday and kept getting distracted by reading about other subjects.
Faithfulness...it's that stick-to-it-ness that carries us through even when we don't feel like doing something. It's loyalty, duty, and all those other ty's that we tend to ignore or pretend don't apply to us anymore.

Am I wrong? Perhaps it's just me, but I get uncomfortable when someone mentions the word "duty". I don't want to be locked in to a job or task or possibly a person long-term.

And yet, I appreciate those friends who have stuck with me all these years, proving themselves faithful, even when I fall short. Faithful, loyal...we often think of our dogs when we hear these words. Why? Because Max and Sam (my beautiful cocker spaniels) don't quit on me or abandon me just because I lost my temper or I had other obligations all day. They are always happy to see me and want to be at my side. They come back to me when I let them run. They don't forget me in pursuit of some new scent. They certainly don't follow anyone else. They are loyal to me.

And now comes the application or reality. Am I faithful? Have I been loyal to the one's in my life? How can I live faithfully? LOL-, well for one, I could have taken a few minutes yesterday to write this down and kept a consistent journal.

And now today, I will meditate on the character traits of faithfulness and goodness. My first inclination is that these two traits cannot be seperated. Is it possible to be good without being faithful? Is it possible to be faithful without being good? I don't mean "is it possible to DO good without faithfulness?" This the distinction- doing and being.

It is possible to DO something good without being faithful; a kind word to a stranger, a smile, perhaps a donation. Faithfulness implies relationship and an internal sense of integrity. I love that word; integrity. It conjures an image of a whole like a wheel or even a complex machine which could not function without ALL of its pieces. Every part is integral to the function of the whole.

Doing and being...It always come down to this. Function...that's the doing part. The whole...that's the being or existing. Maybe it's like art. I can appreciate art, perhaps a painting or sculpture or even performance art. It exists and I enjoy it for whatever it is.

Then there's "functional art" like bowls and vases and beautiful pieces of pottery which can serve not only as something lovely to behold but also can double as a tool or utensil. Some might argue that all art is functional in that it evokes feelings of joy or anger or calm or moves us to action and that, as such, it has served a purpose. I propose that we are all God's art, functional art. Ephesians 2:10 says that we are God's workmanship (his masterpiece or work of art), created in Christ Jesus to do good works. This was always God's intention for us even before he created the universe.

And now we come down to the age old argument: which is better- to be or to do? Jesus had this argument thrust upon him once when he was hanging out with some friends in Bethany. Mary was listening and conversing with Jesus and the disciples, hungry to know more about what Jesus was saying. Martha, her sister, was getting ticked off, starting to feel unappreciated because she was "doing all the work" while her sister just talked.

So Martha, who thinks that doing is better than being, tells Jesus: "Hey, make my lazy sister get up and help me. I'm working my fingers to the bone trying to get dinner and there she sits, chatting with you guys."

I love Jesus' response. He doesn't berate Martha for "doing", but he does notice that she seems to be worried about a lot of stuff and is feeling overwhelmed when in reality only one thing is needed. What is that one thing?

He said Mary knew what it was. "Mary has chosen the better thing," he said. She recognized that Jesus wouldn't be around forever and she embraced the moment. Martha wasn't wrong for making preparations or doing. She just lost sight of the fact that Jesus came to her house to hang out with her, to just be with his friends. I'm guessing Martha's love language is doing stuff for other people, while Mary's language of love is listening actively.

Ah, I have much more to write about this delicate balance, this tight rope I find myself on so often, between being and doing, but I need to mow the lawn for my brother and clean the house while they are out of town. Because we love not only in words but in deeds. And because I recognize that faith (or love) without actions is dead. Didn't John write, "Dear children, let us not love with words or language but with actions and in truth"?

I'm TRYING to be patient!

Perhaps, I am too impatient, but I have so little to write about patience. My gut instinct tells me that when I walk in peace and love and gratitude, then patience abounds, because I begin to see the whole picture. Details irritate me less. People irritate me less. I become more understanding. Proverbs 14:29 says a patient man has great understanding..so he doesn't get easily riled or ruffled.

We know that love is patient. The opposite is also true, impatience is NOT love. Patience implies endurance...like running a long-distance race. We don't expect to get to the finish line in 10 seconds. We know that we have to run and slog it out for 26.2 miles if we are running a marathon. We don't win if we stop at 26 miles. We don't get a prize if we quit or give up at 15 miles. Patience sees the end goal and the prize and plods ahead in order to gain the reward.

Paul wrote about it in his letter to the people at Corinth in Greece. "Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore, I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize."

In China they have an expression which says you should be able to swallow an entire ocean, so you will not lose face. It's no credit to you if you lose your temper. Losing one's temper in China is considered VERY bad form and shameful. We know this and yet we snipe and gripe and get irritated with one another. But we are the losers. We are the ones who look bad. The nastiness in our hearts betrays us when we become impatient with others. We become the bad guy.

Maybe patience sees others through eyes of grace and faith. When we see ourselves and others like C.S. Lewis once spoke about in his famous sermon called "The Weight of Glory"; maybe when we see that we are helping others to either eternal glory or eternal hell, we begin to treat each other with great patience, knowing that that is how God treats us. When we see the potential in others, rather than the behaviors or words which irritate us, we begin to respond to others with patience, knowing that we are also flawed and in need of great grace.

Then we are less quick to judge, less quick to react in anger, less likely to berate, less driven to be "right" or to win arguments, less impatient. THEN we become patient, long-suffering, enduring, persevering.

Patience is, in a sense, a resignation to God's timetable; understanding that God exists outside of our time-space continuum. That's why Peter wrote that we should be patient and understand that to God a day is like a thousand years and thousand years like a day. His timing is perfect because he is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Time didn't even exist until the fall of man, when death was introduced to the world. And now we measure our days, but the wise man is patient until the Lord's coming.

James gave us the example of a farmer who waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and patiently waits for the autumn and spring rains. So we, too, must be patient and stand firm, because the Lord's coming is near. And James continues the thought with this warning: "Don't grumble against each other, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door!"

There it is again....my words and attitudes! It's not enough to be patient or even to endure, but I must add to it a cheerful, thankful attitude. In fact, I doubt it is possible to BE patient with others if I don't already recognize grace and gratitude in my own life. So it's back to gratitude and love as a foundation. On that I build patience and character.

Here it is again in Romans 5: 1-5- "Therefore, since we have been justified through FAITH, we have PEACE with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by FAITH into this GRACE in which we now stand. And we REJOICE in the HOPE of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also REJOICE (even) in our sufferings, because we KNOW that suffering produces PERSEVERANCE; perseverance, CHARACTER; and character, HOPE! And we know that HOPE does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his LOVE into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us." WOW! That is powerful. I get patience or perseverance by walking in relationship to God, understanding his grace and peace.

So I have to stay connected to God....kind of like that branch/vine thing he talked in the gospel of John (15). Without him, I can do nothing. But when I'm connected to him, all things are possible and I get to produce really neat fruit that is a blessing to others!

Peace, man....

Today, I'm focusing on peace. When you think of peace, what comes to mind? a tranquil pool? a meditational garden? or a peace rally with activists chanting angrily? Maybe you think of hippies and the anti-nuclear proliferation symbol, the peace sign. Maybe you think of flowers inserted in guns.

We think of peace as the opposite of war and turmoil. And yet to have peace, we must strive. Even if you just want a peaceful bath, you have to make an effort to draw a bathtub of hot water. We like candles and frou-frou scents or herbal soaps to calm us. Maybe a cup of chamomille tea...ahhhhhh. The Hebrew word for peace is shalom. According to Zondervan's New International Version of the Bible, shalom means "harmony, wholeness, soundness, well-being and success in all areas of life" (1992, p.1134) Peace is resting...

But again it takes EFFORT to have peace, to walk in peace, to bring peace. The writer to the Hebrews talked about rest and peace. He writes in chapter 12, verses 14-15: "Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up among you to cause trouble and defile many."

So he implies that it takes effort to walk in peace. We don't just walk in peace naturally. Notice how he also warned us to be careful of what we think and say to others, "let no root of bitterness (attitude and thoughts) grow up among you and cause trouble (or sow discord by gossiping about someone) and defile many (the rumor weed has a way of spreading)."

In another place, Paul wrote to some of his friends encouraging them, "As far as it lies with you, be at peace with one another." Paul recognized that we are only responsible for ourselves. We cannot control how someone else may respond to us, but it is our responsibility to be at peace as much as we can contribute.

What I really find interesting is that the writer to the Hebrews connected belief with rest or peace, and unbelief with turmoil. First of all, the writer reminds the readers that they should keep their focus on Jesus, in whom all things are held together in the universe and who is the radiance of God's glory, the exact representation of God's being, sustaining all things by his POWERFUL WORD.

Go back and read Hebrews Chapters 3 and 4, especially now that you know that what we believe in our hearts and speak with our mouths literally creates realities as it shifts subatomic particles and moves the universe. I'm telling you, you will get beside yourself with joy! You will begin to see these old writings in a whole new light. You won't want to stop reading this whole book of Hebrews and then you'll want to read the Book of John and you will be blown away! And then you'll read the book of James (who was Jesus' brother) and you'll think "how did I NOT see all this before?"

The unknown writer to the Hebrews says, "Hey! The people who saw miraculous event after miraculous event were intended for rest and peace, but they hardened their hearts." They spoke against Moses, but more importantly they grumbled and complained against God, and so God said, "Okay, you don't get to enter into the rest I had designed for you." And an entire generation died in the wilderness because of their unbelief and complaining!

Except for two guys who dared to believe God, Joshua and Caleb. And they said, "So what if the people in the land are bigger than us and have more advanced weapons? God has given us this land." And they got to see the walls of a city which were more than 30 feet thick literally crumble without raising a sword or going into battle. They sang songs of victory before the victory was even theirs!

Are you getting it? They saw the future (that's where those pesky tachyons come into the equation). Tachyons are particles/waves which move faster than the speed of light. Think of deju vu. They saw it and believed it and then used their voices to shift matter! and BOOM! After 7 seven days of walking around the city and praising God for the victory, it collapsed.

So back to Hebrews 3 and 4, God says some of the people who saw miraculous stuff still didn't believe so they were denied peace. BUT there still remains a rest for the people who will dare to trust God. The writer says it like this: "Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it. For we also have had the gospel preached to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because those who heard it did not combine it with faith!" God always intended us for a Sabbath-rest. He always intended for us to have peace.

Verses 10 and 11 say that since there is still a promise of rest for us, "let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following their example of disobedience." God says we can have peace!

Jesus said, "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives." His is the kind of peace that transcends all understanding.

Paul wrote to his friends who were arguing over food, "Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification." He encouraged the people in Ephesus, "Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you."

He ends with this hope for his friends: "Peace to the brothers, and love with faith from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace to all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love." I believe Paul understood the power of his words spoken on behalf of his friends when those words are coupled with faith and a sincere love. And that is how those same friends faced torture and death at the hands of people who just didn't understand. They faced it with joy and peace in their hearts!