Monday, April 30, 2012

Google is a verb.

My cousin is driving me crazy.  I was complaining to him that I couldn’t figure out something on the computer, and he told me, You can do more than you think you can.  Then he proceeded to tell me to persevere in Google until I’ve figured out what I need to know. 

I whined that sometimes I find the answer I’m looking for, but then I don’t understand what I read. 

Well, Google each of the words until you do understand what you read.  Keep searching. 

Proverbs 2:3-5 says, “If you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.” 

Right now I’m trying to change of a behavior of mine so that I’m living the way God wants me to, and I keep whining to the Lord that I just can’t seem to figure it out.  As my cousin talks about Google, though, the advice sinks into my soul.  Access to unlimited, free information means having no excuse for not learning to do something new.

To be transformed we need a Bible and some determination.

Friday, April 27, 2012

the end of the month

I was feelin’ a bit poor this week.  With my job cut, the end of the month is rushing up a bit faster than it used to.  There were a few empty shelves in the fridge.  Seemed like we were down to bare bones. 

Then I got on Facebook and took a few minutes to watch a video my friend had posted.  He leaves on a trip to Zimbabwe soon, and he put a few documentaries about Zimbabwe on line so we could get a feel for what he’s heading into. 

It’s a country being poorly run, and it has gone to a gold-only society.  No cash is accepted anymore, so people are literally panning for gold all day long, only to find enough to buy maybe a loaf of bread.  I watched little children standing in the mud with shovels. 

Old people who aren’t strong enough to dig and pan are dying. 

They interviewed one young teenage girl who had been horribly beaten up by her grandma –because they were starving. 

When did you eat last? the interviewer asked the young girl.  After a look of complete hopelessness, she spoke through a badly swollen mouth.  Three days ago. 

After watching that video, I made another trip to my kitchen and saw so much food.  Rice, flour, cereal, apples, peanut butter…  Food stored up. 

Colossians 3:15 says, “Be thankful.” 

I almost wept as I poured brown rice into the rice cooker for dinner last night.  Rice, beans, chicken, lentils, salsa.  Thanks to God for my wealth poured from my lips, which were not swollen from a beating. 

Are you in a tough spot?  Thankfulness changes everything.

Thursday, April 26, 2012

leavin' on a jet plane

Thank you, John Denver, for that 1966 song stuck in my head.  (I’m so old.)  Except it’s such a sad song, and jet planes are really exciting. 

I waited at the airport this week for a friend flying in from Scotland, and I wished I had a plane ticket.  It’s so exciting to pack up bags and go off on an adventure to explore some new place.   

I said to someone else who was waiting for them, “I can’t wait to see how my friends are changed after being overseas.”  She thought surely they wouldn’t be any different just because they went on a trip. 

That would be sad.  What a waste to face fears, endure the stress of obtaining a visa, cross the ocean, see new terrain, experience new culture, meet new people -and not be any different because of it. 

I always want to be changing.  Going someplace new.  Seeing new sites.  Absorbing new people into my life.  Tasting things I’ve never tasted before.   

I don’t mean world traveling, as fantastic as that would be.  I mean every day.  Every day seeing things in a new light, loving new people in a fresh way, being obedient in the scary things that take me to a new place I’ve never been before. 

“I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”  (Philippians 3:14  NIV) 

Heavenward.  Now that’s going somewhere.  Toward something.  Pressing forward to a new place.  Following God’s call means always having a bag packed and never really staying comfortably in one place for too long. 

Does your walk with Christ feel airport-ish?

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Look better.

I most love to be with people who look into my soul.  When they interact with me their eyes and body language and questions probe deeply to who I really am. 

I paused in my Bible reading recently when I saw that Moses and Aaron were praying and said, “O God, God of the spirits of all mankind…”  (Numbers 16:22  NIV) 

God’s eyes and body language and questions probe deeply into the spirit of a man. 

Samuel says, “The Lord does not look at the things man looks at.  Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”  (1 Samuel 16:7  NIV) 

God would never run errands and casually pass people by without looking them in the eye.  He would never say “thank you” to a grocery store carryout or to a bank teller without giving thought to the condition of that person’s spirit.  Would God ever once allow himself to be superficial with people? 

What I wouldn’t give to be described as “Christy of the spirits of mankind”.   

I practiced this yesterday when I was sitting at a stoplight.  I looked at individual people in their cars and put some energy into wondering what was going on in their spirits.  Forcing myself to see them. 

God of the spirits.  God of the spirits.  God of the spirits.  This is my new mantra for when I’m mingling with mankind, to train my mind to see people the way God does. 

Do you look at hearts?

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

breaking the 10th commandment

I was having a great day yesterday -working on a Bible study, doing fifteen billion loads of laundry (which I enjoy –that is sick), and enjoying some sunshine.   

Then I sat down at the computer and read a blog by a beautiful woman who has been a great encouragement to me as I attempt to write.  I scrolled through all these pictures of her doing something I have secretly dreamed of doing for years. 

Just like that I was coveting. 

“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house.  You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”  (Exodus 20:17  NIV) 

Anything that belongs to my neighbor? 

I stood doing dishes trying to figure out what caused this ugly feeling to rise up in me, and I decided it is because of a secret worry that good things are scarce.  Worried that if she has that good opportunity then maybe there is nothing left for me.  Like God’s goodness is a lottery ticket -she had the lucky number, and that’s the end of the game for me. 

Is it possible that she can have an amazing opportunity to use the gift God has given her to influence the world.  And so can I?  

If I look over the fence and long for what my neighbor has, I might miss what God is backing onto my driveway.  God’s goodness in my own yard.  God’s plan for my own fruitful life.  Surely God’s goodness won’t run out right before he gets to my house.

Monday, April 23, 2012

deadly perspective

I’ve heard this Bible story my whole life, and I can even sing it in a cute little song with hand motions.  “Twelve men went to spy on Canaan –ten were bad and two were good.”  Except the song gets faster every time you sing it, and I always have to drop out because I can’t keep up with the ten fingers –thumbs down –two fingers –thumbs up when it gets too fast. 

This weekend I was reading the story of the 12 spies for the umpteenth time, and I was shocked to read something I had never noticed before, something we don’t sing about with the grade school kids. 

All 10 spies who explored the promised land and came back with a bad report about it were “struck down and died of a plague before the Lord”.  (Numbers 14:36-37  NIV)   

What cute little hand motion do you use for that? 

God sent them in as spies to see a land that was “exceedingly good”, and they came back with only a vision of giants and impossible cities to conquer.  They were filled with fear, which they shared liberally with all their friends. 

A capital crime in God’s judgment.  Twelve men went to spy on Canaan, ten were dead and two were good. 

After reading this story with fresh eyes, I very quickly took stock of where God seems to be leading me and what perspective I have of it.  Paul says, “We live by faith, not by sight.”  (2 Corinthians 5:7)  I’m taking that a little more seriously today. 

As you scout out the tasks God seems to be putting in front of you, are you going in with eyes of faith or fear?  Answer carefully.

Friday, April 20, 2012

intensive

My university offered intensive classes in between semesters where you could get an entire class credit in a very short time, going to one class every day, all day long, for two weeks. 

God offers these. 

My experience over three decades of walking with God is that every once in a while, when he wants to push me to do something new, he intensifies his teaching to focus on one thing. 

I’m enrolled in one of these classes right now.  If you were reading my blog posts from earlier this week, I shared with you that God has gotten in my face and asked me to start being obedient in one action.  I’m afraid to say it out loud to all of you, because that makes me even more accountable to obey.  Here it is, though, because several of you have been curious!   

God is teaching me to be bold in telling people about him. 

I have had an intense experience in the last several months where everything I read, everything I hear is all about the same thing –telling every person I can about the good news of God’s forgiveness.  Despite my close walk with God, I have serious fear and anxiety issues about talking to people about him.  That’s stupid, because I love him so much, so he is giving me a spiritual boot in the back side to get me to open my mouth and talk to people about his love. 

Anyway, that’s my own personal lesson.  The point is that sometimes God is ready to shove us forward in obedience, and he comes at us hard when he wants to do this.  I would say only one thing to you today:  Pay attention.  Watch for it.  Recognize the intensive when it begins to occur.  I even keep a journal sometimes, because God’s work in my life comes so hard and fast that I can barely keep up.  I journal because it’s amazing to have him so real and so caring to work in my life on such a one-on-one, personal level. 

Jesus says, “If you love me, you will obey what I command.”  (John 14:15  NIV) 

It is my experience, also, that if I perform well in an intensive he escalates them.  It seems like they’re coming more rapidly and with greater magnitude these days. 

It’s thrilling.  And horrifying. 

Are you in one of God’s intensive courses right now?  Get a notebook and make a list about what he’s teaching you in one subject. 

Then practice what you learn.

Thursday, April 19, 2012

let me tell you a story

My favorite activity as a parent has been reading my children a book, with their warm bodies tucked in under my arms and their Johnson & Johnson shampoo all up under my nose. 

It’s fun reading a book… for the first 20 times. 

Like the train book I read to Caleb night after night that my husband and I can still quote.  Whoo whoo!  Wheels-a-turnin’! 

Or the Winnie the Pooh stories that I think my 17-year-old would sit still for even now if I were to pull one out.  The wonderful thing about Tiggers is Tiggers are wonderful things! 

Why will a child pull out the same tattered book at bedtime night after night, even if you try to hide it behind other books hoping she won’t find it? 

Last night I told the story of the prodigal son to a room full of grade school children and adults, and they sat and listened to me as if they had never heard it before. 

The son demands his inheritance, runs away and squanders it on wild living, and then returns home in complete poverty.  He knows he has sinned against heaven and his dad, and he doesn’t even deserve to be treated like a son, but he hopes to return home for at least a job and some food. 

He tries to explain his position to his dad, but it’s hard to get his story out as his dad is hugging and kissing him, calling for a robe, a ring, sandals, and steaks to be laid out on the BBQ.  My son has returned!  (Luke 15:11-24)

This story I have heard over and over and over and over again, the story I’ve seen on flannel graph in Sunday School and have heard acted out in Vacation Bible School, this story makes a lump come up in my throat.   

The son has messed up everything, and his dad is hugging and kissing and laughing with joy at his return.  This is how God feels about me. 

Maybe all you need to make it through today is to pick up that tattered Bible you’ve read so many times and find yourself a good story.

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

when abject poverty is a good thing

I sat and looked at the checkbook register, which showed a whopping balance of $11. 

And two weeks until a payday. 

Fresh out of college and living in a new town, we had barely started our jobs and were living in a sad, tiny little apartment where cigarette smoke wafted from next door and Guns and Roses blared all night from upstairs.  We had never been that low before. 

I held the checkbook in my hands and prayed, “Lord, help us.” 

The next day I opened the mail to find an envelope from an elderly woman from the church where I grew up.  She lived in an assisted living facility on a fixed income, but she sent us a check for $500.00. 

I will never forget that in our poverty God took care of us.  I consider it one of the richest moments of my life. 

Jesus says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”  (Matthew 5:3  NIV) 

When we get to the lowest place in our soul, not financially but poor in energy, poor in love, poor in hope, that can be the richest time we ever experience.  I’ve been there before, too -holding my life in my hands and wondering how I can possibly make it another week. 

Jesus puts the word “blessed” (which means happy) and “poor” in the same sentence. 

Take your worn out soul to the Lord and declare bankruptcy.

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

on the edge of living -part 2

Today I have my pout on.  I’m 43 years old, but I can scowl my eyes, pinch my lips together, and huff through my nose like the most obstinate 2-year-old. 

God stands in front of me, bent down eye-to-eye, telling me from his word exactly what he wants to do.   

And I do. not. want. to. do. it.   Hmmmmph. 

It’s something that I feel like a failure at.  Something that scares me.  Something I don’t think I can do. 

(Don’t you want to know what it is?  I’m not going to tell you.  Because if I say it out loud then I’m really going to have to do it.  Aaaaaggggghhhh!) 

Here I stand, on the very edge of obedience, wanting to go for it with all my heart but feeling overwhelmed and ignorant and afraid.  On the edge of living the life God wants me to live.  Experiencing a deep desire to obey because I love him but struggling with the difficulty of it. 

Like the broccoli I used to hide under my plate, hoping mom wouldn’t notice and then I could just offer to clear the table.  Like she couldn’t figure that one out.  Trying to hide this command from God and hoping he won’t notice I didn’t do it. 

I will hasten and not delay to obey your commands.”  (Psalm 119:60  NIV) 

God will not look away.  He just keeps staring me in the eyes and telling me what he wants me to do. 

To quote Winnie the Pooh, “Oh bother.” 

I’m just gonna have to do it.

Misery loves company.  Anyone else out there struggling to do what you know God is telling you to do?

Monday, April 16, 2012

on the edge of living

We live just a half an hour from a ski resort, and my husband often talked about how he wished our whole family could go skiing together.  I would remind him my only skill is reading books.  No one ever injures himself when reading a book.  I would shake my head and say no way, not me. 

But one December I had a brave moment and decided I would learn how to ski as a Christmas present to him.  I talked my cousin’s wife into giving me ski lessons, and we secretly loaded up on a week day and drove up the mountain.  I filled with fear as we drove higher, and all my bravado dissipated.  I came close, so close, to turning around and going home. 

Pulling up some courage, I kept going.  Made it through the ski rental process without passing out.  Shuffled my way from the rental house to the top of the bunny slope (which is much, much steeper than everyone makes it out to be).  And there I fought a battle with terror.  The tips of my skiis edged out over the slope, and I got to the place where one more scoot would have me sliding down hill to my certain death.  Death, I tell you. 

It’s quite a conversation you have with yourself before you decide to go for it.   

That’s where I am today.  Life edged out over a slope.  Because I know there’s something God wants me to do, and my bravado in wanting to obey him has brought me to a place where now I just have to make a decision to act.  The time for talk is over.  I’m scared to death. 

Scared to turn around and stay the same.  Scared to push forward and do something new and scary.  I heard Francis Chan say that being a disciple of Christ is not for cowards.  This is true. 

I will hasten and not delay to obey your commands.”  (Psalm 119:60  NIV)   

I will. 

I made it to the bottom of the hill that day.  Alive.  Many Saturdays of wonderful family skiing followed my courageous tip of the skiis. 

What command has God put in front of you that makes your stomach come up in your throat?  Will you do it?

Friday, April 13, 2012

running on E

Our friends came in bragging last night because their new hybrid Prius registered 67 miles to the gallon on the way to our house.  Gloating unabashedly. 

Of course, they were parked right next to our friend’s suburban as they said this. 

I’ve being thinking the last few days about the fuel efficiency of people.  It’s astounding the amount of encouragement we require.  We’re guzzlers.  I feel like I can barely make it a day if somebody doesn’t give me some kind word. 

Encourage one another and build each other up…” 
1 Thessalonians 5:11

Thursday, April 12, 2012

the pain of no

No matter where I turned yesterday I bumped up against God’s no in people’s lives.

No, there’s still no work.
No, you were not chosen.
No, your home life is not going to change any time soon.
No, you did not pass. 

By the time I crawled into bed I could not breathe with the weight of everyone’s pain pressed against me. 

This morning I woke up feeling the agony of it.  I cried out Lord, where is the comfort for all of these people? 

And as I lay in bed this is what he said: 

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.  Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”  (James 1:2-4  NIV)   

Pure joy was what I saw in the face of the young woman who showed me her engagement ring last night.  Pure joy was what I saw in the eyes of the adults who watched a few hundred kids walk into church on “crazy hair” night.  Pure joy was when I got to hold the roly-poly three-month-old boy with no bones yet –just an armful of baby-powder-smelling goodness. 

Isn’t completeness everything we’ve ever hoped for?  Don’t we long to wake up and actually have a day where we lack nothing in our souls?  If you knew that’s what your painful no was bringing to you, wouldn’t you open your arms and say yes to it?   

Yes, Lord.   

Welcoming in the pain, because there’s something you know.  The pain has a purpose.  It’s the test of faith, and if you can stick it out there’s everything you ever wanted on the other side of it. 

Rejoice, my friend who was not chosen. 
Rejoice, my friend when you go home to craziness and fighting.
Rejoice, my friend when you wake up and know you’re going to have to take the class over. 

And I will rejoice if I call up my medical transcription website and there’s no work again today.  I’ll just get down on my knees and say thank you to the Lord who cares about if I’m ever complete. 

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

lessons from a raspberry bush

Finally a beautiful spring day, and I joyfully grabbed work clothes, pruning shears, and gardening gloves. 

Every few years the oldest raspberry shoots die and have to be cut out.  It’s not difficult to tell the old ones from the new.  The old are dry and brittle, dark and dying in color.  The outside is rough and peeling off.  The new shoots are smooth, green, pliable, and straight. 



Looking at these bushes I see myself. 

Inside my soul are two different people standing right next to each other.  The old selfishness up close to the new servanthood.  The old bitterness just an inch away from the new grace.  The old stiffness and unwillingness to obey standing side-by-side with the new, soft heart that wants to bend to God’s will.



My friend talked about her raspberries.  The bushes didn’t put out any fruit last year.  We don’t know what’s wrong with them. 

So I mentioned pruning, and she didn’t know it was necessary.  I told her that old stuff has to be cut out for the bushes to produce well. 

Jesus says, “If your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away.”  (Matthew 5:30 NIV)



Today my back hurts. It’s hard work cutting away those dead shoots. Some of them are really thick, and my hand and forearm ache from working the shears. My legs hurt from squatting near the ground for so long. 

Hard work.

You don’t get a freezer full of fruit if you’re not willing to take a sharp edge to the old, dead stuff.  






What old thoughts and habits need to be cut and tossed out from your life?

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

do you despair?

Anne of Green Gables was the first chick flick Matt watched with me when we were dating.  He’s a good man. 

One scene from the movie preaches often to my mind. 

Says the orphan, Anne Shirley, to her new caregiver, Marilla, as she follows her up the stairs.  Can’t you even imagine you’re in the depths of despair? 

Marilla Cuthbert turns around sharply on the stairs and says firmly:  No I cannot.  To despair is to turn your back on God. 

Paul says to the disciples of Jesus, “Do not be anxious about anything.”  (Philippians 4:6  NIV)   

Back to God.  Face to the problem.  Ann Voskamp, in her book One Thousand Gifts, describes this way of living as atheism. 

Back to the problem.  Face to God.  This is discipleship. 

Which one defines you?

Monday, April 9, 2012

the favorite child

Years ago my mother-in-law showed me a poem to describe how she felt about her three boys.  It was written in 1971 by Erma Bombeck and is entitled I’ve Always Loved You Best.  Erma says “To the Firstborn…I’ve always loved you best…To the Middle Child…I’ve always loved you best…To the Baby…I’ve always loved you best.” 

An excellent parent has this ability to love deeply, making each of her children feel like the favorite. 

I know that’s what has happened when Paul describes himself, in Romans 1:1 (HCSB), as “Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus…and singled out for God’s good news.”   

Singled out.  The favorite child. 

Singled out, Paul?  I feel that way –like God has especially chosen and called me to do something for him in a way only I can.  I thought I must be the one God loved best. 

Then I read Paul’s very own words to disciples of Jesus.  “A manifestation of the Spirit is given to each person to produce what is beneficial.”  (1 Corinthians 12:7  HCSB) 

Each person singled out. 

To each one a special gift is given to produce something beneficial to everyone.  This is God’s extraordinary parenting love to us and his mad method of revealing himself to the world. 

What have you been singled out by God to do?  Don’t be shy to say it out loud.  You know he loves you best.

Friday, April 6, 2012

when can I be happy?

She has senioritis –counting the days until graduation. 

So I made her this paper chain.  Every day after school she rips off another loop, and the chain gets shorter. 




Yesterday she announced, “Only 35 school days left!” 

It’s exciting to count down to the end of four hard years of work, but I leave her this note:  Live, daughter, live.  Don’t just hurry up to move on to what seems easier and more exciting.   



“O satisfy us in the morning with your lovingkindness, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.”  (Psalm 90:14) 

Joy and gladness all our days.  Every single loop. 

I sat in the living room for an hour making that paper chain –choosing pretty paper and thinking about how much I love my little girl with every twist and every piece of tape.  Don’t hurry, daughter.  Let each one of these days be special.  Be filled up with the goodness God has in this day before you shorten the chain. 




It’s okay to want to get to the end really badly –heaven and eternal life with God –counting the days until we can live a life with no more tears in it.  But there's a satisfaction to have today.  Joy for right now.

When are you expecting to be happy?

Thursday, April 5, 2012

what would you do if you were rich?

I teach a lesson to a roomful of children with their clothes turned wrongside out (the crazy theme for our club tonight). 

I tell them how rich we are.  Did they think they were rich when they walked in the door?  No, they answer.  But I tell them how other kids in the world don’t have water or don’t have clean water.  How kids go hungry.  I tell them about seeing a boy their age in Africa who was wearing a dress (a tattered, too-big dress –obviously the only clothing he can find).  I tell them about hundreds of thousands in Lima, Peru who have no doctor. 

And then I read them Jesus’ words. 

It is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.  (Matthew 19:23) 

We’re the rich ones, kids.  We’re filthy rich.   

Did you eat more than one meal today? Did you have a choice of what clothing to wear?  Were you able to take a bath?  Yes, they say.  We’re the rich ones. 

And we cannot serve both God and money.  (Matthew 6:23) 

Class is over, and this one beautiful child asks could she please talk to me for a minute.  So we find a step, and I pat for her to sit snuggled up close to me.  And she tells me how she and her friends went in together to come up with $3.00 so their poor friend could buy a recorder for the school music class.   

Entering the kingdom of heaven requires a strict view of money.  Money is for sharing not for loving.  Money is for easing stomach hunger and for buying a slum-living little boy some pants and a shirt.  Money is for buying a recorder for a friend who can’t afford one. 

What would you do if you were rich?

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

the ingredient for peace

A while ago I tried a new soup recipe –cream of broccoli –and made the foolish mistake of putting it on the table without tasting it first.  We all took our first bites and then immediately looked at each other with the same face. 

Needs salt! 

Jesus commands his disciples, “Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with each other.” (Mark 9:50) 

Relationships without salt are…missing something.   

Isn’t that what we say when we put in our mouths a bite of food that lacks salt?  This is missing something.  And we squinch up our eyes in thought, trying to put our finger on what it needs. 

Jesus tells his disciples “You are the salt of the earth.”  (Matthew 5:13) 

I have a relationship with a sister in Christ that I keep hoping will get better.  Like sitting at the table staring at a bowl of soup, hoping the next bite I take will taste better than the first. 

Have salt. 

Be salt. 

And be at peace with each other. 

I was doing dishes, and God was talking hard to me about what I need to do to make things more peaceful with this friend.  I have to admit it made me slightly grumpy to have God put responsibility on me. 

I need to make the effort.  I need to put in the energy.  I need to pursue peace. 

I am the salt. 

Are you in a relationship with a brother or sister in Christ that seems to be missing something?  You have what it needs.  Be salt. 

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Pinterest as an opportunity

I joined the masses and created a Pinterest account recently.  (It’s funny that my spellcheck just highlighted Pinterest –I wonder when that word will make it into the dictionary.) 

There I sat with zero boards and no pins, and I realized that before I could begin creating I had to answer some really deep questions.  Who am I?  What do I really care about?  When anyone in the world looks at my Pinterest page, what do I want them to see about me?

I sat down at the computer and started randomly creating boards and pinning things that are important to me and that appeal to me.  Then I sat back and looked at my soul expressed in images on the computer screen.  I thought, Wow, so that’s who I am. 



Jesus said to his disciples, “You are the light of the world.  A city on a hill cannot be hidden.”  (Matthew 5:14)   

A city on a hill.  My life out on the worldwide web.  I’m not sure Jesus had Pinterest in mind when he said that, but the internet has certainly given us an opportunity to show ourselves.  Most likely the sinfully delicious browny recipe I pinned will not help anyone in their relationship with God, but I hope an overall viewing of my boards will.    

Do people see the light of Jesus when they read your Facebook posts, look at your Pinterest boards, receive your tweets, etc.?

Monday, April 2, 2012

a successful build

I’m trying to write.  My cousin’s trying to get through med school.  My daughter’s trying to fund college.  My son’s trying to learn guitar so he can play with the band at church.  My friends are trying to start a new business project.    

It seems we’re all striving to accomplish something.

As I work toward my own goal I keep running into this truth from Psalm 127:1.  “Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain.” 

In vain means “emptiness, nothingness, worthlessness”.  Nobody’s striving for that. 

So I’ve shaped my personal goal around a prayer.  Lord, unless you build my writing and my platform, everything I’m working toward is empty. 

Unless the Lord is the one building up our life projects, every ounce of energy we put into them is worthless. 

So I’ve shaped my personal goal around a prayer.  Lord, do you like the floor plan?  Is my design for my life your design for my life? 

The Lord has the muscle and the resources and the contract expertise.   

So I’ve shaped my personal goal around a prayer.  Lord, I’m working.  I’m giving it all I’ve got.  But I know you’re the only one who can make this happen. 

Try attaching this phrase to your big plan:  Unless the Lord builds.