Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Ancient Contemporary Language

Holy words long preserved
For our walk in this world
They resound with God's own heart
Oh, let the ancient words impart

I was watching a documentary last week about the story, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Considered one of the first pieces of Arthurian legend, many have attempted to translate it into modern English. Some choose to translate it as close to the original alliteration that was employed around 1370. Others choose to translate the meaning of the original words and not so much the method of the words. But no matter how it is translated, some have also chosen to follow the way of life that is in the story. A Pagan minister gave a short tour of some holy rocks and discussed the ways that Gawain and the knight may have worshipped or attempted to live.

Words of Life, words of Hope
Give us strength, help us cope
In this world, where e'er we roam
Ancient words will guide us home

During the Middle Ages, many pre-Christian works of literature gathered dust on monastery shelves. In the late 1400s, Francesco Petarch, an Italian poet, rediscovered many of the works. Petrarch was angry that the words had been forgotten. Frenchman Michel de Montaigne felt that he found truth in 1571 by going back to the ancient Greek philosopher, Socrates.

Ancient words ever true
Changing me and changing you
We have come with open hearts
Oh, let the ancient words impart

Today we often quote Franklin, Lincoln, and Jefferson. We recognize the wisdom of the words that these great men spoke. Some return to the stories of Sophocles or Shakespeare. And some return to the words of the Ancient One, the origin of wisdom and of words. He was the first to speak, and he has never stopped speaking to those who will listen.

Ancient Words was written by Michael W. Smith

Monday, July 29, 2013

Why Gaze in Envy?

"You women are nuts!" my brother-in-law informed me the other night on the phone. He and his family have moved within the last year, and his wife is having trouble finding a place to fit in. To explain the problem I have to first tell you that his wife, Polly, is young, cute, attractive, and thin. She is intelligent, a part-time nurse, and a full-time mom and wife. She knows her Bible, believes what it says, and follows what she reads, knows, and believes. As they say on Foyle's War, she is morally hygienic.

So why doesn't she fit in, even at church? Because when other women look at her, they think they don't measure up, and so they ignore or exclude her. Knowing women as I do, I imagine that they feel inferior to Polly and don't want the humiliation of trying to be her friend and then being snubbed by the "beautiful, popular girl." What they don't realize is that she only wants the same thing they do, friendship.

Polly is in her 30s, not a young girl, not a teenager, not even a 20-something. The women who have ignored her are her age or older. So when will women start acting like women instead of girls? Probably never.

I have a friend in her mid-40s who refuses to wear polish on her toes because she will "look like a circus elephant." She often feels unattractive because her weight is not the "American standard." When I look at her I only see kindness and compassion shining out of her beautiful, light-colored eyes. When she laughs the whole room chimes with happy bells. It is a gift to know her.

Another friend, in her 30s, says she has an inner fat girl who tells her awful things about herself. This friend is training for a triathlon, but she isn't strong enough to tell the fat girl to shove off.

Yet another friend berates herself because she doesn't know how to clean house, cook well, or be a homemaker the way "everyone else does." She is intelligent, mothers two great boys, and wants to serve God.

Other friends suffer from depression, but they won't tell you because then they would look like failures. Marriages suffer, but no one is the wiser because people will talk about them. Two of my favorite teenaged students suffer from anorexia because they have to excell, have to achieve, have to have something that makes them special. My heart aches to know that this is only the beginnng of a lifelong struggle they will face because they were born female.

"Mount Bashan, majestic mountain,
Mount Bashan, rugged mountain,
Why gaze in envy, you rugged mountain,
at the mountain where God chooses to reign,
where the Lord himself will dwell forever?" Psalm 68

Mount Bashan is greater, more majestic, than Zion, yet it was on Zion that God chose to dwell. There are two lessons in these verses:

1. Looks aren't everything. What people see as fabulous, the Lord may choose to pass over. The Lord, the creator of the entire universe, has chosen me, and you, to be his dwelling place. He doesn't need us to be the thinnest, prettiest, smartest, best mother and homemaker, or most mentally healthy. In fact he doesn't need us at all. What he desires is that we need him.

2. God blesses each as he desires. Why are we envious of each other's blessings? Do oak trees envy maples their red colors in the fall and dye their leaves to avoid the golden yellow that will certainly show? Do the Rockies wish they could be as voluptuos as the Himalayas, but say, "At least we aren't as flat as the Appalachians"? Does Niagara feel inferior to Victoria Falls? I mean, not only is it taller, it's named for a queen, for goodness sake! No. Instead, they beautifully bask in the blessing that God gives, instead of sulking in the darkness because God gave a blessing to someone else as well.

Last night I stood before my husband and asked a nervous question, "Do you find me attractive?" Yes was his response. "Did you find me attractive when I was 22 pounds heavier?" I managed. Again, his answer was yes.
"So why do you like me either way?" I ventured.
His answer was the only right answer. It is the answer that God says to each of us. God doesn't care about our looks, our mind, or our possessions. All he ever says, all he ever cares about, all he requires is,

"Because you're mine."

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Accidental Adoption

In May our cat was hit by a car. I found her dead in the front yard. She was a sweet cat, but not tame enough to pick up and pet. She wouldn't swish her tail around your legs and trip you up like cats do. She was a wild cat that adopted us because we occasionally put out food for her. We didn't put out too much food, because we wanted her to catch mice, too.
So when she died, Matt asked if we should go find another cat. My response was no. Why would we go get a cat when all of the other cats have just shown up on their own? Just give it a little while, I assured him, we'll have a cat soon.
And then sure enough, a few days later, I was in the feed room when I heard a scuffle behind the scrap wood. A momma cat and her 5 kittens had decided to camp out in our barn for a while. I left a little food, and they stayed around.
About that same time, a man came knocking on the door. I have dealt with him before, selling him chickens, and then taking in his chickens when his neighbors disapproved. Now he was back asking if I could take 14 chicks off of his friend's hands. Of course I hemmed and hawed, and then said yes, I would adopt the little balls of fluff.
 Our dog, Captain, was adopted when he started causing trouble for his first family. I know a lot of you were in shock when I took Captain on. I must admit I was in shock myself, and I am not quite over it yet! He was to catch moles that were causing problems in the back yard, but he seems to have made more problems of his own.
All of these adoptions were unexpected and sudden. They were adopted for what they can do for us- eat mice, lay eggs, be butchered, or catch moles. But they were also adopted because of what we could do for them- provide a home and care.
 
I was adopted by my father not because of what I could do for him, but only for what he could do for me. I don't catch mice at his mansion, have never laid an egg and hope to not be butchered, and I find moles disgusting and only worth ignoring. But I was adopted anyway.
 
Last November, we adopted a little girl in Swaziland. It was thought out and intentional. We chose her for her country, her birthday, and her hilly countryside. She seemed like the right girl for us. There is nothing that she can do for us financially or physically. We can't hug her, cook her dinner, or even play a game with her. But we can write her letters, send her small gifts, and pray for her continually. Compared to all of the other adoptions that happen around here, it might seem insignficant, but I know it is having eternal results, just like my own adoption.
 
"Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue, but with actions and in truth." 1 John 3:18


Sunday, July 21, 2013

Retreat Results

I headed out Friday for a quiet day retreat asking God to speak. I had headaches all last week. They started at the base of my neck and seized my skull in a headlock. As we drove northwest, pain stabbed my left shoulder blade.
It took all morning, but hiking through God's natural stress-reducer eased my aching muscles and soothed my tired brain.

Lying on a blanket under a shade tree I began to hear God's whispers through the long slender leaves of the nearby locust. "Just be yourself."

 I have spent the last six weeks or so reading about all of the things I have to do in order to promote this new book. I need to use Twitter, FaceBook, websites, blog tours, and more. It has overwhelmed me to say the least. I have been trying to blog the way the "formula" says, and it has often felt so forced, so fake.

 And now, God says to just be myself? How can I do all of those things and still just be myself? Doesn't he know I have been myself for 43 years, and I still don't have a writing career? I just don't see how that is going to work. Fear's waters raged over me again.

And yet, the wind continued to whisper.
So my writing career may be very short-lived. I may have to work at a convenience store when the kids leave home. I might even be a lesson to other authors about what not to do when starting your writing career. But what I won't be is less than what God designed.

I will be myself.

Thursday, July 18, 2013

Suffocation

Suffocation is often undetectable. I remember a story not too many years ago of a family in WV waiting on a school bus. The road was snow covered and as the family waited in the warm car for the bus to arrive, the carbon monoxide slowly poisoned them. There wasn't enough oxygen to keep their minds and bodies alive. Unsuspecting of any problem, they passed away.

Tuesday I was taking Captain for his morning walk when I thought about the need for some time alone with God. Maybe Friday would be a good day to get away, alone, to listen attentively. Then I started thinking about all of the other things that need to be accomplished: lectures to prepare for school, summer cleaning, platform lessons, and so it went. I decided that I just don't have time to retreat right now and my dog walking will have to fulfill my quiet time needs. I will find time this fall to be alone with God for a day.

Wednesday morning I started my day with the usual Bible reading and devotional, only this was the devotional: "Come away with me for a while. The world with its non-stop demands can be put on hold. Most people put me on hold, rationalizing that someday they will find time to focus on me. . . . I have called you to follow me on a solitary path, making time alone with me your highest priority and deepest joy." Jesus Calling, July 17

I can not tell you how many times this little devotional book has been spot on with what I am struggling with or doing. I have learned to listen and obey. So tomorrow I will be heading out to a quiet place. I plan to be silent, to listen, to sit still in God's presence, to draw deep breaths from the Spirit's lungs. I need the clean air of the Lord's mountain so that I don't suffocate.

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Mothers Hide Things

My mother used to hide cakes. She would bake a cake for a work meeting at school, and didn't want my brother and me to eat it, so she hid it on top of the piano. Often she covered it with a towel so that we wouldn't notice it, but the top of the piano was probably a good spot without the towel; we didn't practice much.
My mother-in-law hid things from her children in the fireplace. No one would think to look in there for a bottle of Coke, and then there would be a special drink at a party or get-together. Oreos were also hidden, but in a drawer, not the fireplace.
Right now I have a box of Peeps hidden for when I want to give Matt a special treat. There is also a bag of Starburst Jelly Beans hidden in the closet; those are my favorite Easter treats. Bags of candy get hidden in drawers, presents are hidden in secret spots, and sometimes things are "hidden" right in plain view.
Food isn't all that mothers hide, though. They hide bad news by not telling the children. They sugar-coat the truth so children won't be terrified. Mothers hide the tears of pain when a child says they hate them. They hide frustration that the same problems are still causing trouble. Mothers hide fears, worries, concerns, and regrets.
Mothers are the ultimate hiders, and they do it all for your sake. Go seek your mother today and give her a big hug. I bet she hides a tear of joy, too.

Saturday, July 13, 2013

Listen to HIS voice

That you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. . . Deut. 30:20a

Thank you God for this day. I've got to finish pricing the books. Please watch over Owethu and keep her healthy. Wonder how Marie's doing after the surgery? Better send her a card. Be with Jonathan as he looks for a job. Oh, I've got to remind him to check on the SGA dates. Help me to hear you today as I write. Help me to send your message out so others can have a close relationship with you. I better check my notebook and see where I am on that story.

There are a lot of voices in my head, all speaking at once it seems. It's a veritable rock concert in my head. You know what people do at rock concerts? They use ear plugs to block out the loudness of the noise.

Spending time alone with God is often a good way for me to hear his voice, but sometimes the rock concert turns up the volume. I have no doubt it is Satan in control of that knob. Today I refuse to block out my Lord with ear plugs. I refuse to shout overtop of the din.

Today, I listen to HIS voice.

Friday, July 12, 2013

White Suit Wondering

It was Mother's Day. The boys and my husband had offered to take me out for lunch, but I prefer my own cooking, so we had a lovely lunch at home. Afterward, we all enjoyed an afternoon nap, and then Matt and I headed out to visit a friend at the hospital.

We stopped by Sheetz to gas up the truck, when I spotted a man across the street in a white 3-piece suit. He cut quite the figure there, tall and trim with a white fedora placed neatly on his bowed head. He held fresh flowers in his hands and appeared to be praying.

He stood near the traffic light, and stop and go traffic zoomed noisily past. The sun shone brightly, the day was gorgeous, and no one else seemed to notice the man in the white suit.

He was standing in front of a grave marker, placed too near the road for mournful meditation. His Mother's Day was not marked with happy conversation around the table and an easy afternoon nap. He stood alone in a graveyard passed by busy traffic and thoughtless people. Out of place, out of time, out of sync with the busy world.

Sometimes I feel that way, too. Alone with my thoughts I am out of place and time, singing a tune that the rest of the world never hears. I wonder if God is across the street at the gas station, saying a silent prayer that I will enjoy this day, even if it isn't like everyone else's.

The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing. Zephaniah 3:17

Thursday, July 11, 2013

Woodstock Whinings

"I can't think anymore. It's like there's a rock concert in my head!" I complained to Matt.
"Welcome to my world. I feel like that a lot," he replied.
"I don't think there's ever a rock concert in your head," I shot back. Then I tried to cover with, "Your's is more like Bluegrass."
"Too late," he sighed. He knew that I didn't think his problems could be as bad as my own.

Self-absorption. It happens at any age. Your problems are so much bigger than anyone else's. No one understands what you are going through. No one really cares. And the whining begins.

I listened to my dog's high-pitched whining this morning. He thought we should be heading out for our walk, but the rain was changing my time table. Captain didn't care that I had other things to do. He didn't want to wait. It was all about HIM.

That was when I realized that my thoughts and prayers were all about ME. Please, God, don't let my prayers be as annoying as the whining of this dog, I begged.

Then I stopped to give the dog some attention. I stroked his ears, patted his belly, and talked to him a bit. He still didn't get the walk that he was complaining about, but he knew that he was cared for. I am still asking God for some things that I have asked for for many, many, many years. And God strokes my hair while he whispers, just wait a little longer.

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

Katie and Rory, No Fear

Photo: As I was going through the massive amount of papers that were sent home at the end of the school year, I found this journal that Rory had written toward the beginning of the year. Made my day.
My friend Katie found this journal entry her daughter Rory wrote in Kindergarten. In case your Kindergarten skills fail you, it reads: When I get a shot I feel very scared, but when my mom is near me I don't feel scared anymore."

Katie is a great mom. She loves both her daughters with a love that cannot be measured. Her daughters know that, too. But Rory doesn't say her mother takes away the shot, or tells the doctor "NO", or even that her mom takes the shot for her. Rory's fear is removed by the presence of her mother.

Can't you just see Katie preparing Rory for the day's visit? "You have a doctor's appointment today."
"Do I have to get a shot?" Rory trembles.
"Yes. But I'll stay with you the whole time."
Rory's eyes brim with tears as she tries to be brave, but she can hear the doctor walking down the hallway. Katie moves next to the bed and holds Rory's hand. Wrapping her other arm around Rory's small body, Katie whispers, "It'll be ok. I'll be here the whole time."

Jesus knew that something really scary was going to happen. He went with his friends, his very best friends, to a lonely garden and asked them to stay with him. They fell asleep, not once but twice, while he asked his Father to be near him. Friends were not enough. The only way he could get through the coming ordeal was if his Father held his hand.

God the Father loved Jesus. He held his hand as long as he could. He whispered words of encouragement as the "doctor neared the door", and then the murderers tore down the garden gate. The night was black, the friends were gone, the fear was reality.

But now the worst thing that could happen did. In Jesus' most anguished of moments, his Father let go of his hand and left for the waiting room. The sins of the world hung on the cross with God's Son, and God could hold Jesus' hand no longer. He wouldn't take away the crucifixion, or tell the sinners "NO", or even take the crucifixion on himself. (Don't go all Godhead Trinity on me at this point, but remember Jesus was fully man.)

I can't imagine Katie allowing such a terrible thing to happen to Rory. I know I wouldn't allow it to happen to my sons. And yet, God commanded it, and Jesus obeyed. Thank you, Jesus.

"There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The man who fears is not made perfect in love. We love because he first loved us." 1 John 4:18-19

"Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends." John 15:13

Monday, July 08, 2013

Watch-And-Seek

"OK, I'm going to hide this green crayon and you see if you can find it," I instructed my two young students.
"Should we close our eyes?" eight-year-old Gracie asked.
"No, you can look," I responded.
I hid the crayon and then asked which one wanted to find it. Six-year-old Lainey's hand shot up. Off she ran to "find" the crayon that I had hidden. She ran straight to it and victoriously raised the crayon for us to see. Now it was her turn to hide the crayon.
"It's hard to hide it in this room," Lainey said. "Can I go in the other room?"
"Sure," I said and followed her into the other room.
Lainey giggled and tried to sneak the crayon under a table. Seeing me watching, she sneaked into the bathroom. I followed close behind.
"I can't hide it from you if you keep watching!" Lainey exclaimed.
And there was my opening. "Can God see everything?" I asked.
"Yes, He's everywhere."
"So is it possible to hide anything from Him?"
Light sparked in Lainey and Gracie's eyes. They grasped the lesson. You can't play Hide and Seek with God. You might as well lay it all out in the open. It's already there anyway!

Sunday, July 07, 2013

Hot Summer Beach Read

Wondering what this summer's latest beach read is? Beowulf, of course! It has war, romance, conflict, and suspense. And even after all of these years, Beowulf still dies at the end. I tried reading it again to see if it changed, but nope, still dead.

So if I have already read it, and nothing new happens, why did I read it again? Well there is the little issue of refreshing my memory before I teach it in a couple of months, but really I am better for having read it again. Look at these great quotes:

What we did was what our hands helped our hearts to perform.

The help I gave him was nothing, but all I was able to give.

Sometimes people wonder why they should read the Bible again. It's an old book, one that you might be forced to read in some class, but certainly not an enjoyable read. And yet there are some great quotes in there, too.

Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable- if anything is excellent or praiseworthy- think about such things. Philippians 4:8

For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life. John 3:16

This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. 1 John 3:16

The Bible still ends the same: Jesus still dies and is raised to life again. We are still offered life-giving grace and mercy. BUT the last words of Revelation are not really how it ends. You get to write your own ending to this story. What will your's say?

"The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God's people. Amen." Revelation 22:21
 
 

Saturday, July 06, 2013

Nature's Symphonic Abundance

Nary a ribbit is uttered, but the air is filled with the deep bass of a cello warming up, the plucking of rubberband guitars, squeaky dog toys, and lots of misses on the Operation surgery game. I never knew until we moved to East Carolina how many different frog languages there are.

Two week's worth of rain have left the land completely saturated: a frog's paradise. The locusts scream their song, while large, brown grasshoppers wing on the wind. Killdeer call from the edge of the cornfield. The hawk has returned to the pines and sends out its lonesome lyrics. The music is deafening to those who will hear.

"You crown the year with your bounty, and your carts overflow with abundance. The grasslands of the desert overflow; the hills are clothed with gladness. The meadows are covered with flocks and the valleys are mantled with grain; they shout for joy and sing." Psalm 65:11-13

Thursday, July 04, 2013

Celebrate Good Times

Bare feet in green grass. Chilled watermelon dripping down chins. Cousins playing freeze tag. Aunts and uncles chatting under the shade tree. Grandma and Papaw on the front porch. Lightning bugs shimmering. Fireworks in the distance. Stars twinkling. Popsicle-sticky yawns. The Fourth of July.

"Let's have a feast and celebrate." Luke 15:23

Picture from commons.wikimedia.org

Wednesday, July 03, 2013

The Time You Are Given

Darkness surrounds the Fellowship as they wander through the underground passages of ancient evil. "I wish the ring had never come to me. I wish none of this had happened," Frodo anguishes.
Gandalf, the wise wizard, responds, "So do all who live to see such times, but that is not for them to decide. All you have to do is decide what to do with the time that is given to you."

Frustration surrounds, problems threaten, and life is joyless. It happens to everyone, to some people more than others. As the song goes, "I never promised you a rose garden."

As each generation of this world has passed through, they have had to decide what to do with the time that was given to them. Some chose well, others not so much. But it was theirs to decide to do with as they would.

Not even God's chosen ones were issued a life of ease. Noah faced the loss of all civilization, Abraham faced battles, bandits, and childlessness. Moses had to deal with facing off the leader of the world and then leading a thankless people. David faced giants, conspiracy, and a coups de tat. Of course there is the very Son of God, who faced mocking disbelief, torture, and death. Jesus even promised that we will have a difficult time: "In this world you will have trouble." John 16:33

As the fighting continues, part of the Fellowship is lost, killed, destroyed. They certainly face trouble in their world. Frodo holds the ring that must be returned to the fire from whence it came. Tears flow down his cheeks as Frodo makes his decision: he will return the ring to Moldor.

Climbing into the rowboat, Frodo sets his face toward certain hardship and most likely death. He is alone, but determined to make the right decision.

Suddenly, Sam bursts onto the shore and follows Frodo into the water. Though he cannot swim, Sam trudges through the deepening water to be with Frodo. Frodo keeps Sam from drowning, and Sam assures Frodo that he does not make this journey alone.

Jesus gives us the same assurance, "And surely I will be with you always, to the very end of the age." Matthew 28:20

Have you decided what to do with the time that you have been given?

Tuesday, July 02, 2013

Do You "Speed" Even If You Go the Speed Limit?

Route 50 is an old, major highway that winds east-west across West Virginia. I used to travel home on Interstates to Morgantown and then take the main road to my parents' home in Grafton. But last year I thought I would try the scenic route, and I have been hooked ever since.
In today's fast-paced world it doesn't make much sense to drive the curvy, hilly, death-gripping road, but the scenic vistas of tree drenched hills and mist covered mountains make the slow speeds worth it. And actually, when I have timed it, I seem to make better time than on the Interstate.
Last week's return on Route 50 made me notice something else. The posted speed limit is 55, but within a mile the yellow "dangerous curve" speed limits were marked at 25, 35, 50, and then 40. So why is the speed posted at 55?
The law is that you must go no more than 55. That is the fastest you can legally go on Route 50. But the lawmakers also know that it isn't smart to go 55 all the time on Route 50. It is wise to slow down a little, or even a lot, in order to keep yourself and others safe.
It struck me that that is what Paul is talking about when he tells the Corinthians (ch 8-10) that they (we) are free to do as we wish, but that sometimes our freedom should be curtailed for the benefit of others.
1 Corinthians 10:23-24: "Everything is permissible"- but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible"- but not everything is constructive. Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others.
So you can go around the dog-leg curves at 55, but more than likely you will not live to tell about it. You can attempt to race around "kiss your butt coming and going" curves, but someone will kiss this world goodbye.
Slowing down in the dangerous curves of life can actually get you where you want to go a little faster. And you will enjoy the view along the way.