The Things That Keep Me Awake At Night

 Don't say I didn't warn you. The following is unedited and was the brain dump that woke me up. I have NO idea what this is all about. Apparently, it doesn't matter what I think. It is.

Truth is truth, whether you believe it or not. Truth is not dependent on your belief. It will be truth even if you don’t accept it. And it will be truth, if you accept it. 

You can disbelieve in the wind, but your unbelief will not affect the direction it blows. Neither will your belief in the wind. The wind and truth are unaffected by your view of it. 

Truth is reality and is perfect. As such, you can not change it. If you attempt to change truth, it is no longer truth nor perfect. You will have created a construct that is flawed and is not truth.

You can’t prove the truth, neither can you disprove it. No matter what you do or think, the truth is unaffected by you. It remains when all else does not. Truth IS.

Jesus said he was the way, the truth, and the life. No matter what you believe, you can’t change it. You can’t prove it. Neither can you disprove it. You can only believe or disbelieve and neither of those things will alter the truth. It will still be Truth when you and I are dust.

You can deny truth. But your denial is irrelevant. Truth is not dependent on your belief. It is still truth.

Pilate said, “What is truth?” when he stood before it. He could not recognize it because he did not recognize truth. His failure to recognize truth did not affect it. When he washed his hands, his actions made his question irrelevant. Belief and disbelief both do not affect truth.

Truth does not depend on your understanding. It is truth, even if you don’t understand it, recognize it, or believe it. Truth is outside your influence. 

Where's the Prayer Meeting?

I posted this on Life on the Ledge in error on the 3rd of this month. I guess I was just not with it. Anyway, putting it here. 

 I was reading my Bible Sunday morning and ran across a verse that I don’t recall ever reading or hearing preached. The verse is interesting to me because as I read it, I was led to some other interesting verses that set me to thinking about prayer.

Many people often ask when to pray and how often or if they should pray at all. One would think that, if there was a specific scripture in the Bible that comes close to an answer, then everyone, every Christian, would be plastering it on the wall in a fancy plaque, embroidering it onto pillows, cross-stitching it on fabric, wearing it on a shirt, or writing about it in a book. And yet, I don’t know of one book out there that answers the question, “When should I pray?”

Yet, there it is in Exodus, summed up in two verses. The minimum daily requirement is twice a day.

Exodus 30:7-8
7. And Aaron shall burn thereon sweet incense every morning: when he dresseth the lamps, he shall burn incense upon it.

8. And when Aaron lighteth the lamps at even, he shall burn incense upon it, a perpetual incense before the Lord throughout your generations.

As far as I can recall, Jesus never told his disciples how often to pray. He gave them a formula in the Lord’s Prayer on how to pray but he didn’t say a thing about how many times a day we are to pray according to that formula. Could it be that Jesus, knowing this scripture was there, expected everyone to know how often they were to pray?

I decided to do a search of the word “incense” in the Bible in an attempt to better understand how it was being used. I found that incense, in scripture at least, seems to represent prayer and there are many Old Testament scriptures that mention incense, hundreds, in fact. I recount only a few here that I felt were important and support my theory.

Leviticus 16: 13 describes praying for mercy. “And he shall put the incense upon the fire before the Lord, that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat that is upon the testimony, that he die not: . . .”

Exodus 30:27 mentions an altar of incense. That would be an altar of prayer. In Numbers 7, the formula for the dedication of the altar is described and one of the things mentioned is an offering. “One golden spoon of ten shekels, full of incense...” This is an financial offering given with prayer.

Next in Numbers 16, God was about to destroy the people because they were mad with Moses and talking about him. The day before God had destroyed Korah and his family for the same offense. The Hebrews were scared to death then, but the next day they were complaining about it. God had just about had enough of this whining bunch of wimps who couldn’t follow directions without someone drawing a picture. Here is what He tells Moses and Moses acts quickly to save the people.

Numbers 16: 45-47 45.
45. Get you up from among this congregation, that I may consume them as in a moment. And they fell upon their faces.

46. And Moses said unto Aaron, Take a censer, and put fire therein from off the altar, and put on incense, and go quickly unto the congregation, and make an atonement for them: for there is wrath gone out from the Lord; the plague is begun.

47. And Aaron took as Moses commanded, and ran into the midst of the congregation; and, behold, the plague was begun among the people: and he put on incense, and made an atonement for the people.

When I read this, I felt the sense of urgency that Moses must have felt. He’d had several conversations with God. He had seen people struck down and swallowed up. He knew what that one statement from God would mean for Israel. He and Aaron acted quickly and interceded on behalf of the people with fiery prayers, not just in the temple, but by running among the people with burning incense. Total destruction of Israel was averted.

In 2 Kings 22 Josiah is king and the priest comes to him when he finds the book of the law in the house of the Lord. The book is brought to Josiah and read to him. Upon hearing it, he is so upset he tears his clothes, a sign of grief. The book revealed to Josiah that the nation had not been keeping the law. He sent his priest to talk to a woman who lives in the college. Whoa, dude! An educated woman preacher! Who said it was a male dominated society?

Here is what she said to them in 2 Kings 22:15-17
15. And she said unto them, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Tell the man that sent you to me,

16. Thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will bring evil upon this place, and upon the inhabitants thereof, even all the words of the book which the king of Judah hath read:

17. Because they have forsaken me, and have burned incense unto other gods, that they might provoke me to anger with all the works of their hands; therefore my wrath shall be kindled against this place, and shall not be quenched.

(Note of interest: she doesn’t even call the King by his title or name until she is repeating what the Lord has told her. She refers to him as “the man” -- an educated woman, unimpressed with titles.)

Josiah sets about to destroy every place where incense has been offered to other gods! He purges the nation of false priest, religions, and gods.

Psalms 141:2 also emphasizes that incense represents prayer in scripture.

Psalms 141:2
2. Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense; and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.

Prayer is important and in scripture, it is compared to incense drifting up to God. The lifting of the hands is a sign of surrender. So this verse could be said to signify surrendering to God and petitioning or worshiping him. When should you do this?

Exodus 30:7&8
7. And Aaron shall burn thereon sweet incense every morning: when he dresseth the lamps, he shall burn incense upon it.

8. And when Aaron lighteth the lamps at even, he shall burn incense upon it, a perpetual incense before the Lord throughout your generations.

How you pray is important. What you pray is important. Who you pray to is important. And yes, when you pray is very important. And if you want to pray more than twice a day, it sure can't hurt you.

• Footnote: One of the few places in the Bible where one is told “when” to pray is in 1st Thessalonians 5:17 -- Paul said to “Pray without ceasing.” Considering the Old Testament events surrounding the use of incense, one can understand the importance of his instructions. For a perspective on Paul’s  verse, https://renderedpraise.blogspot.com/2008/01/time-place-to-pray.html to read “Time, A Place to Pray”

Just Ask

 I'd like to sit right up there.

Where?

There, on that ledge up there, where the trees are shady and the flowers are blowing in the breeze. 

Ah. Yes, that's a nice ledge. 

I don't see a way up.

Hmm. No. You don't. 

.....

What?

It isn't very far... well it doesn't look far. Certainly not as far as that last bit. So where is the trail?

Oh. You can't get there from here.

You're kidding. Right?

No. But there is a bench right over there under that overhang you can rest on.

I see it. It's kind of hard and the top isn't smooth.

No. That's true. I suppose I should have someone fix that. 

.....

Is something wrong?

Yes! 

How can I help you?

{Harump} I'll just sit here on this patch of scrub and take a break. Please, join me.

Thank you. I will. 

At least the sky is beautiful.

As long as you look up, you'll be fine. 

Doesn't feel that way. That ledge up there... it's so pretty. Have you been there?

Of course. There is the loveliest pond there. You can stretch out on the grass and watch the fish jump. Might see a deer or two. Oh and those flowers ... they smell like heaven.

.....

I'm sorry. 

I'll just stay here for awhile. Maybe I'll figure it out. 

You might. 

......

Of course, you could just ask me to take you there.

.....

Don't look surprised. That's all you ever have to do. Just ask.

Oh, oh please. Now?

Sure. Let's just rest a bit. Stop worrying about it. I've got everything under control. 

Really?

Yes.

#Conversations With Him

I Can't Imagine

Image from Pixabay

The other day I heard a new song about the Lord's Prayer. It was on the radio in the car, though I don't remember the name. I rarely listen to the radio anywhere. I liked the song. 

A few days before this, I was listening to something or reading about prayer and it covered the Lord's Prayer. I had one of those profound moments that seem to happen more often these days. On the off chance you're not familiar with this prayer, it is located in Matthew 3, Mark 11, and Luke 11. It is:

After this manner, therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.  Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen. Matthew 6:9-13.

In my mind, the last line of the prayer seemed to echo over and over, becoming a prayer itself. "For Thine is the Kingdom, and the Power, and The Glory, Forever!" It seemed to just roll over and over. I was overwhelmed by that one line for sometime, unable to fathom why I had never heard it before. I have heard this prayer hundreds, if not thousands. Most school children of my generation could recite it without missing a word. And yet, in that moment, it was as if I had never known the last line of that prayer. 

No, it wasn't rational. It made little sense. A week later, I still don't know why this struck me in such a fashion. It just did. 

All I could think of in that moment was, what if the whole world prayed that one line together? What if one country stood and prayed that one line loudly? What if in every meeting, in every ballpark, in every school, in every store, in every street, car, and bus? What if that line was the end of every prayer we prayed, every petition we uttered? 

What if every cry in the darkest place was "For thine is the Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory Forever!"

What would happen? 

I can't imagine.

Food for Thought

A few weeks ago, May 19th to be exact, I was reading my Bible and had a few thoughts come to mind. I intended to share them then but if I stop reading to do something else I don't go back to it. So I just jotted the thoughts down and continued. Well, I forgot to get back to it. I can't remember the context of what I wrote. However, the importance of the words remains.

Jesus said he was the light of the world, but he also said we were to let our light shine. Light is a funny thing. It illuminates things, makes it easy to see. It also has a unique characteristic. The darker the surroundings, the brighter the light seems. If the light is bright enough, it can actually banish the dark. The dark may still be around us, but as long as we have our light, it can't come near us. When moths see light, they swarm around it for warmth. If our light shines bright enough, it will draw others to our light.

Jesus also said "you are the salt of the earth". Salt is so important to the flavor of most foods. Mashed potatoes, for example, without salt are just a mashed up root. You can add butter to it but it will only be marginally better. No pun intended. You add the salt and you can hand me a fork. 

Salt is also an antiseptic. If you wash a wound in salt water, it will cleanse it and the wound will heal much faster. Salt on window ledges and doorways will keep out ants. Here's the thing. Salt in the box is useless. It must used to be effective. It adds flavor to virtually anything it touches and cleanses. 

Jesus also mentions leaven in the Bible. Leaven is simply another word for yeast. It is necessary in most bread making to make the loaf rise. Leaven, like light and salt, has special properties. First, it is alive. It is a living fungus that, when given sugar and water releases carbon dioxide, and that's what makes bread fluffy. However, if you don't use it, it will die. Once leaven dies, you must throw it out. If you use it, your breads won't rise. They may still be bread, but no one is going to want to eat that.

Light, salt, and leaven. Interesting foods. And the Bible says we are to possess the properties of them all. We should strive to give light to those in darkness, flavor and cleansing to those hungry and wounded, and expand our influence to every person we meet.

 

Ten Days of Praise Again: Day 1

I feel as if I'm drifting on some current that I can't see. I don't know where I am in the stream of time or location. I just drift along, in a quarantine daze, waiting for the next bend in the river.

I've been seeing several challenges on Facebook about posting 10 selfies, 10 albums, etc. In 2015 I took up a personal challenge to blog 10 days of praise. The parameters were simple. Write a post of praise for ten days. Not a post thanking God for things. Not a post listing needs for God to answers. Just posts praising God. Here's the original post:

From Ten Days of Praise: Day 1
I bury myself in the dirt of depression, dejection, and disappointment. I do not know why or how that happens. I spend days in despair at the problems that arise with the sun. Yet, you are the resurrection, the way, the truth, and the life. I should not be buried. I'm alive because of your greatness, your grace, and your goodness.

 How can I spend day after day after day wallowing in my misery when you stand right there, with your hand extended to help me up? You, oh Lord, are the light unto my path, the lamp to my feet, and the peace that passes all understanding.

On the darkest days, you, Oh Lord, are my light to guide me through the darkest tunnels, and illuminate the deepest crevasses. You are the hope of the day and the assurance of the night. When I can walk no more, you carry me.

You are so much more than the sum of all my problems. You are worthy of all my praise.

********

Today, I will add here. You are the source of all my Praise!

Join me, if you dare, in writing Praise Posts for 10 days and sharing them. During this crisis, let us lift our heart, hands, and our words to God and give Him all the praise.

Surfing the Stars

I've stood in a forest on a cool morning at daybreak and filled my lungs with the clean scent of the woods. I've sat on warm sandy beaches and watched the waves rolling in, the ocean breeze blowing in so hard it scraped my hair back even as the sand baked everything that touched it. I've stood on mountaintops in the Alps and stared out over a valley far below and it made me dizzy. As a kid I lived in the country and I lay on the warm summer grass and stared up into a night sky and lost my breath at the feeling of falling into space.

I can't ever forget those sensations. Even now, years from them all, I remember. The feeling inside me, that something is expanding until I can't contain it. I couldn't put a name to it but it was as real as the skin on my bones.

There is a limitlessness that opens up in me, as if I'm suddenly hollowed out and there is nothing that can fill the space. I become this vast forest, the restlessness of the rolling ocean, the towering height of the mountain. And the stars, oh, the stars whisper to me, begging me to explore them.

Silly, isn't it?

Admittedly, I was young when I lived these moments. Not even 30. I think I'd do nearly anything to relive them. Stand in the forest, sit on the beach, climb the mountain, and lie in the grass on a summer night watching the stars all sound like heaven to me. I'm awed by them even in memories. It is unlikely I'll ever do any of it again.

Oh, I can watch the sky in my backyard but there is nothing like a sky with no city light to dim its glory. There are documentaries that can provide me with astounding images of forest, oceans, and mountains. They can't connect me. There won't be the breathlessness, the warmth, or the enormity of it all.

There is only one place I've been able to experience anything like all those sensations. When I am sitting in the presence of God, whether it is in church or in a private time of prayer. There is this moment, it always seems brief, that I touch something so clean, so warm, and so vast that I can't explain it. That hollow place expands to the point I don't exist anymore or if I do, I'm infinitesimally small. That's when the wonder sets in.

That something so vast, so good, so great could have an interest in something so small and not good boggles the mind. My mind can't understand it. My spirit can't believe it. My soul craves it. To sit with the Savior, for one moment, is as wonderful as surfing the stars.

How I wanted to surf the stars! Maybe that's something I will get to do someday.

New Year Blessings

May the One Eternal God smile on you in this new year. May He grant you grace and mercy. May He bless your going out and your coming in. And may you cultivate a desire to learn of Him, grown in Him, and live for Him. May you quench the thirsting of your soul by drinking from the living waters that flows from the eternal fountain.

God Bless and Happy New Year!

Rosh Hashana Reviewed

In May, I went through files of my college writing, mostly to decide what to keep and what to toss. I ran across my freshman English 101 journal. I hated that journal but that's another story.

The journal was mandatory and so a lot of it is drivel - and tediously boring - just to meet the requirement. Still, as with all writing, you run across some hidden gems. This post, in my opinion, is one such gem. I post it here as it was written but with editing. Believe me, it was necessary.

Rosh Hashanah

I spoke with the Rabbi from the local temple about Rosh Hashanah. I was surprised and impressed by what I learned.

Rosh Hashana means New Year. It is a celebration of the creation of the world and is celebrated In Temple by prayer and praising God for the creation. 

The holiday also marks the beginning of the Penitential Week. The week following Rosh Hashanah is spent in reflection of and repentance for the sins of the past year. This would be a time for prayer and good deeds.

In Israel, the holiday is celebrated for one day. In much of the rest of the world, it is celebrated for two days. The holiday ends at Yom Kipper. This is a day of fasting from sunset to sunset, and most of the time is spent in prayer for forgiveness for personal and community sins.

There is a story told about these two holidays. It is said that God writes in a book the names of those who are going to live and those who are going to die. The individual has the week to reflect and repent. After Yom Kipper, the book is closed and sealed until the next year. 

The two holidays are considered the high point of the spiritual year for Jews.
-- October 4, 1989

When Is Rosh Hashanah

This year Rosh Hashana begins at sunset on Sunday, September 9 and ends at sunset Monday, September 10. Yom Kipper begins the following week. 

Summing it Up

Rereading this journal entry, I'm again impressed by this holiday. I understand why it would be the high point of a spiritual journey. In fact, the whole process appeals to me for some reason. I'm a Christian and not Jewish. However, there is a spiritual component to this particular holiday that I feel a connection to that I like. 

Imagine this. What if the whole world took a day to praise God for the creation, which includes humanity, and the following week spent time to ask forgiveness for our personal sins and those of every community? Can you even grasp the impact that would have on the planet? The world would be turned upside down. 

Honestly, it isn't even about being Jewish or Christian. The whole thing feels primal to me as if it is ingrained in my DNA to praise God for the creation. I frequently find myself doing just that. I can be sitting in a park or my backyard, marveling at the beauty that surrounds me. I start thanking God for this magnificent planet and the blessing of it. I usually begin to feel that I'm unworthy of such a gift and ask God to forgive me and help me be a better steward of his creation. It seems natural to do this.

I haven't studied much about Jewish holidays in any real sense and I think the reason for my journal entry was the topic was probably suggested by the professor. I think Jewish holidays float on our calendar so I suspect the date varies year to year. I'm glad I did it and I'm glad I found it again.

Who Are You?

I had a thought recently. I can't remember what led to it but I think it was something I read. At any rate, this verse came to mind. 

What then did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? Look, those who wear fine clothing are found in kings' palaces.  But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet. Matthew 11:8-9

The verses are a part of a statement issued by Jesus about John the Baptist. The disciples had come with a message from John asking if Jesus was, in fact, the Messiah.  He sent the disciples back to John with a clear answer. He related his miracles, which in essence said, "Yes, that's who I am."

It occurred to me that a lot of people are asking that same question even today. "Who are you?" The question sounds simple but I suspect it is visceral, rather than just curiosity. Perhaps it is incised on our souls and we can't help but ask it?

If you read the whole chapter, you can see that Jesus gives an overview of how the people received John and compared it to his own reception. They saw John's stellar but stringent life and called him a devil. They saw Jesus living life just as those around him, working, spending time with his family, associating with all manner of people and called him a drunkard and a glutton.

I can hear the priest, their voices scathing and looking down their long noses. "Who are you?"  I can hear the cripple, his voice stressed and eyes pleading. "Who are you?"

The frightened, the lonely, the destitute, the wounded, the broken, the dejected, the hopeless, and the lost in the middle of their despair, have screamed the question. "Who are you?"   On my worst days, when the pain is so bad I can't cry, when my body hurts, my heart hurts, and my mind can't hang on to a clear thought I ask the same question. "Who are you?" 

Yes, even those who have believed all their lives have moments when we ask that question. I'm sorry if it offends anyone, but if you say you never asked, I won't believe you. Everyone has experienced a time when the bottom drops out of their world and they don't know which way is up. It is a cliched experience that we all have at some point. Don't worry if you haven't, you will. And in the middle of that moment, when all seems lost and broken, and confusion is smothering the life out of you, the question will be there. From the deepest, darkest core of your being, something will whisper in desperation, "Who are you?"

At some point, you'll hear it. It may not happen instantly. In fact, it may be hours, days, weeks, or years before you hear it but if you're listening, you'll hear it. It will be like a whisper on a breeze, floating into your mind when you are so overwhelmed with life that you can't help but think it.

"Who are you!"

We're not the first to ask.

"Who is like You among the gods, O LORD? Who is like You, majestic in holiness, Awesome in praises, working wonders? Exodus 15:11

All my bones shall say, Lord, who is like unto thee, which deliverest the poor from him that is too strong for him, yea, the poor and the needy from him that spoileth him? Psalm 35:10 

Who is like unto the Lord our God, who dwelleth on high, Psalm 113:5

You'll find the answer buried in the dark and despair, beneath pain and grief, and the weight of hopelessness. You'll have to rip open the wounds, uncover the fear, and relive the thing that brought you to this place. You'll have to dig to find it. For all precious treasures are buried beneath the weight of the world. Hidden from all but the determined seeker.

Who did you come to see?

Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised in the city of our God, in the mountain of his holiness. Psalm 48:1

For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods. Psalm 95:3 

Ah Lord God! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee: Jeremiah 32:17

What is Blessing?

For the last couple of days I've been reminded several times of how blessed I am. The sensation of being blessed has just been overwhelming. This set me wondering why it is often so hard to notice when we're blessed. I know many of us say, "I'm blessed." But as Inigo Montoya* once said, "I do not think that word means what you think it means."

We're all blessed just to be above ground and breathing. That's not what I'm talking about. We are here by decree. God placed us here. He didn't place us here as a blessing. At least, I don't believe so. He placed us here so he could spend time with us. That is a blessing of sorts but may folks don't believe in God, are not religious, or have miserable lives. So, just being alive and present is not necessarily a blessing to many.

What is a blessing? Pentecostals often say, "He got a blessing" when someone shouts under the influence of the Holy Ghost. Others say a financial windfall is a blessing. Some of us considered the "A" on our report card a blessing. I guess those can all be defined as blessings. The report card probably occurred because you worked hard, not because God gave it to you. He gave you the intelligence to achieve it but  believe me, he didn't make it easy. The windfall could be because of hard work made possible by the strength he gave you. Winning the lottery... not so much. It is a game of chance. Many folks think the universe came about the same way, by chance. So, that's isn't a blessing either. Chance negates God's participation. Nothing God is involved in is subject to chance.

The dictionary defines blessing this way:
1 a :  the act or words of one that blesses
   b :  approval, encouragement
2    :  a thing conducive to happiness or welfare
3    :  grace said at a meal

I think the words approval and encouragement are what I recognize as blessings. We designate so many things as a blessing that I think we lose sight of what the bare bones of the concept really is. God's approval and his encouragement are the basis of real blessing. To have his approval and be encouraged by him when life is a mess is an amazing blessing. You may not recognize the blessing at the time, but eventually, you can look back with clarity and see just how much you are blessed.

Face it, it is easy to feel blessed when the bills are paid, there's food on the table, and a roof over your head. It is much harder when the bank account is empty after you paid for all that. Writing that tithe check is a struggle when a bill collector just told you to sell something to pay them. When the baby is sick and you have no one to call it is hard to feel blessed. When your spouse dies and you sit in an empty house alone you don't feel blessed. You don't even feel God at times.

I've experienced every one of those things. I know how I felt. Alone, forsaken, and destitute. Not blessed. When I couldn't take my kid to the doctor because I had no money and no insurance. When my husband and I had nothing but temp jobs for over a year. It is a horrible feeling. But I remember we still managed to survive, pay the bills, and keep our house. I remember getting a job I applied for after I promised to pay extra tithes for one year if God would give me the job. Do you know, when faced with it I hesitated. But I did it... for two years. We were better off financially than we'd ever been before.

Was it a blessing? What was the blessing and who was blessed? Check the first definition. An act by which one blesses. I wasn't the one getting blessed. God was. He took me at my word and I had to follow through.  I blessed him.

And he blessed me. With his approval and encouragement. I wanted to pay the extra that second year. I loved being able to do it. I recognized the graciousness of God allowing me the ability to do so.

I have RA, fibromyalgia, and take tons of medication. I've asked for healing. Over and over and over. God hasn't healed me. Standing in church last Sunday I had to sit down. With no warning, I felt as if I'd been hit by a bus. In moments, pain swept over my whole body. I was in church, worshiping God and was hit with terrible pain. I thought I'd have to leave immediately. Where's the blessing?

My son saw how sick I was and asked the pastor to come pray for me. Did the pain leave? It eased up but it did not leave.  I went home in pain. But I feel so blessed.

In recent months I've begun to think that being blessed is not a state of being. It is a state of mind. It isn't something you can see, taste, or touch. Blessings are not things, places, or people. It is a brain thing. How your mind sees your condition and situation determine whether or not you're blessed. You can look at a broken leg as a disaster. Never mind that the other person in the car crash died.  Perhaps they went home to be with the Lord.  Who got blessed?

Blessing isn't location based. It isn't positional. It isn't health based. It isn't wealth based. Blessing is relationship based. How you view the chaos around you is important because it determines your relationship with others, particularly God. Wallowing in pity may feel good for about a minute. If it didn't we wouldn't do it. Admit it, you feel justified in your misery. Well, I do. But it doesn't matter. Misery doesn't affect blessing. Because it is relational, not emotional. God loves me when I'm miserable, probably more than when I 'm happy. Because he wants to comfort me.

That is blessing.

Stop thinking your situation is hopeless. Maybe it is. Maybe there is no cure, no fix, no money, no friends. But God wants to comfort you right where you are because your relationship is where you find him.

It is ok to feel bad. It is ok to cry. It is ok to be angry, sick, disgusted, annoyed, frustrated, or furious. Those are emotions God gave us. The Bible says "Be angry and sin not." Recognize that God is in the storm and in the calm. He's in the fire and the flood. In the midst of turmoil he seeks to hold your hand and walk you through it. Or he's waiting on the other side for you to walk to him.

That is the blessing.







*The Princess Bride

Set A Watch Over Your Children

http://www.tommynelson.com/school-day-prayers/

I really love this little chart I found on Pinterest!  I often pray with Sarah before she leaves the house for school, particularly on days when she seems to be having a bad morning. I'm sorry I didn't do that with my boys. I've learned a lot since then but I did pray for them. In hindsight, maybe not enough. I've made a point to pray with Sarah before she leaves for school.

Why pray for your children before they leave for school? School, particularly in the 21st century is a hard place for children and they need a lot of help to get through it. If you are too old to remember how hard it was for you, something is wrong.  It is also no longer a place where wholesome and ethical values are likely to be taught. Rather the reverse is more likely. In fact, it is a place that your child could die.

Certainly, today our children need a prayer covering more than any generation ever has before. The spiritual attack on them is designed to corrupt every area of their lives: mental, emotional, spiritual. They face stress, anger, low self-esteem, resentment, jealousy, hatred, malice, and even sexual attacks both physical and mental. Bullying is clearly spiritual in nature for both the bully and the person bullied. Every area of their life is under attack in a school environment, particularly if they are attempting to live as a Christian. They are a target.

It is your responsibility to protect your children from any attack on them from any source. So, if you aren't praying for your children before they walk out that door, remember you are sending them into the lion's den. You are leaving them defenseless against attacks from all areas of their life. The stress will affect performance. Sometimes, the stress kills them.

The above chart is a really good guide to what kind of things to pray about and really, you don't have to have an hour-long prayer to cover these things. Read it with your child, let them know why you're going to pray about these things for them and follow the KISS method. Keep it simple, silly. Every point can be prayed for in a few words before they go out the door. You can add any points that you think need to be added.

Also, let them know that you will be praying for them during the day. Later, when you have prayer time you can expand on it but the important thing at this point is to let your children know that you are sending them out with a prayer covering and that you will continue to pray for them while they are at school. I promise you, the benefits to your children are enormous. The faith of children is legendary and if you've raised them to believe in prayer, the comfort they get from knowing you've prayed for them is huge.

Here is the link to School Day Prayer  blog where you can print this chart off for yourself and read the blog post about it. The site has other great items you might be interested in.

My Struggle to Escape The Web

On July 30th I deactivated my Facebook account for an unspecified time. I'd like to think I can last for 30 days. I'll be happy to last a week. What drove this decision? Let's just say I received several signs, although, maybe it was more like a billboard.

On a trip to Arkansas to pick up my granddaughter and to see my son I ran across a library book sale and picked up a half a dozen books for $1.00. Several were Christian books. One of these I'd been looking for but it is out of print. Interesting, huh? A second I'd never heard of but it struck a cord.

As soon as I started reading the first book several things began to happen. First, I was hit with problems I didn't understand. The devil knows where the chinks in my armor are located and he managed to get his spear into them. It was two days before it dawned on me and although I was upset, at least I understood. Sometimes, knowing makes painful things bearable, sort of like an analgesic.

I finished the first book very quickly, but the second one I'm still working on. I'm totally blown away by the content because it is filled with things I've wanted to know, prayers I've actually prayed.

The second event the billboard. God wanted my attention. While in Arkansas a woman I have never seen before, whose name I do not know, and who I probably will never see again walked up to me and made a statement of two sentences. Then she walked away. I won't share what she said but there is no way she could have known what she knew. I've prayed about it and gnawed on it but I can't find any sense to it. She knew something about me she shouldn't and couldn't possibly have known. In fact, there is not a single soul in the world who knows what she knew but me and God. She didn't know the people I was visiting and we did not converse outside of her statement to me. It disconcerted me.

Why now? Well, for the first time in a long time, I was without the ability to get on social media for a week. What do you know, I hear a Voice. One I should have heard all along. If I'd been paying attention to something besides memes, politics, or the endless stream of meaningless status updates.

The cumulative impact of these events propelled me. I wanted to go home. As soon as I got home I knew I had to make changes. I decided I needed to cut out as many distractions as possible. I want to finish the book I'm reading and I want to explore the ideas in greater depth. I want to increase my time reading and studying my Bible. I want to pray more. I want to listen even more. I'm setting some goals in regard to these and my writing. I have to factor in dirty dishes, laundry, cleaning the house, my illness, my pain, and naps.

I'm three days in. I wish I could say the last few days without Facebook have been a breeze. They haven't. Things present themselves with the tag, "You could put this on Facebook if you hadn't deactivated your account." It is annoying, so much so that I am using it as a tool to keep me off. That statement alone tells me how much Facebook has wrapped itself around my life, into my spirit and mind.

A friend once told me he smoked and I was surprised. I told him that I never thought he'd be controlled by anything. He wrote me later and told me he was trying to quit smoking because of that statement. I've reached that same place. I refuse to allow my mind and spirit to be trapped and distract me from what is really important.

Yes, I miss hearing from family. I miss contact with my "friends". I miss sharing special things with them. And yet, have I really been doing that? Do I actually hear from anyone? Does anyone really "contact" me? Who exactly am I sharing with? I don't want to admit that I don't really know. I no longer even know my family. Do I know people on facebook? No, I can count maybe 20 people that I've physically met, that I am unrelated to and some of my relatives, I've never met.

The truth is none of us have ever shared anything real on Facebook. We post photos, memes, other people's opinions, other people's values, and other people's ideals. We've offered condolences, prayers, and encouragement. But how sad that we've never felt a real pat on the back, a real hug, a real smile and thumbs up. We've said it is because of distances. But how many of us are sitting in a room with someone right now and we're all staring at a computer or phone screen? We are fakes. The more apropos name for Facebook would be Fakebook. Even the name is false. It is neither a book nor a real face.

As a writer, I'm told that I'm required to have a following on social media, the bigger, the better. Do the "followers" even realize they're nothing more than a number? They have no value outside the internet. Oh, they're told they do... by form emails and sales pitches. But the truth is, it is the numbers that matter. We are just a number in "You have X numbers of friends". Shut off the computer and you're nobody.

I'm not saying you can't develop relationships online. There are dozens of folks I've had internet conversations with, some for more than a decade, that I have come to call friend. I've made an effort to learn more about who they are, what is going on in their lives, their troubles, trials, and triumphs. We've talked on phone calls. I appreciate their sharing themselves. Many I'll never meet face to face but I value them. But there are far more I don't have a clue about.

What I'm saying is that any object or hobby that demands so much attention without offering anything to improve me as a person, that takes away from improving my life or the life of those around me, and that prevents me from living a real life doesn't deserve my attention. Any app/program that insist I drop real interactions to follow the latest drama of someone I don't know or even someone I do know is not profitable and a waste of time.

I've been facing a shortage of time for a while now. Autoimmune diseases rob you of everything. I got more done when I had a full-time job than I do now. I accomplished so much when my husband was driving a truck and I was a full-time student with two adolescents. He was home twice a month for three days. I had to do it all but it got done. I remember getting up at 6 a.m., putting the boys on the bus at 7:30, getting to class by 8 a.m, home by 3 p.m. cooking supper, helping with homework while I cleaned house and got the boys in bed by 9 p.m. I started on my homework then and my bedtime was 1 a.m. 5 days a week. We had time to play games and read stories. Saturday was laundry day and Sunday was God's. Know what was different back then? I didn't have any social media. I graduated with honors and went to work and still did all that work. And the world never knew.

I suppose it boils down to priorities. I'm resetting mine today. When I hear or see things that are blatantly the voice or presence of God despite my lackadaisical attitude, I need to pay attention. I should have been paying attention. Time is in OUR control. How we use it is up to us. Everyone has 24 four hours a day - 168 hours a week. The average job is 40 hours a week. That leaves 128 (equivalent to 3 more full-time jobs) for God, cleaning, cooking, laundry, and family time. And in my case, college. If something isn't getting done, we need to reset our priorities. What is going on that required 168 hours a week?

For anyone calling themselves Christian these things can be counterproductive spiritually. I need to ask questions: What did I neglect today in favor of social media? Did I read my Bible today or Facebook? Did I pray today or check Facebook? Did I spend time with my family without social media or my phone? How much time did I actually spend on Facebook compared to the real world demands of living and time I spent with or for God?

How dedicated are you, really? I can't answer for you, but I know I can do better.

They call it The Web for a reason. It is a snare, a trap for the unwary. Being wrapped up in a web is one step away from death. The spider eventually spears the victim and sucks the life out of them. I'm cutting myself loose. I refuse to be ensnared by social media or anything else. I refuse to have my life become a tangled cocoon that can't carry on a conversation with the people in the room with me. It is both insulting and disrespectful and the cocoon looks stupid. I want to experience life, with living breathing people.

More than anything else, I want to keep having these conversations with God. Pardon me while I cut the web away.

10 More Days of Praise: Day 10 - The Mathematical Character of Praise

Today I wrap up  my 10 More Days of Praise and I'm actually a couple of days off track. At first that bothered me but I remembered that life happens and it is usually beyond my control. I was suffering from fatigue one day and simply couldn't sit up. Another day, things just seemed to get in my way. At some point, you just have to let go and forgive yourself from being human. There are days when nothing goes right and you just have to start over. 

I've enjoyed my two praise challenges. I learned a lot about myself, my attitude, and my failings. I also learned that keeping an attitude of praise is a mathematical problem. I started with just doing a post a day. By the end of the first 10 days, I found that it multiplied. I caught myself uttering small praises about things throughout my day. During the second 10 days, I was more mindful of the need to praise God for simple things as well as big ones and the impact of doing that was positive, even if the day was negative. 

The sum of twenty specific days of praise is that over the two months the challenges covered, I've probably managed to praise him several times over. And I find I want to praise him more. 

I don't know if I'll ever do these challenges again. I may keep them in reserve as a way to remind myself of the need for praise in my life, Just in case life gets hard and it becomes difficult to give praise for anything.

You don't have to do what I've done. You can just get a habit of praising God every day for something. If you decide to try my method, I'd love to know how it works out for you.

For me, the challenge is over but the praises continue. 

Lord, you are more than worthy of our praise. I praise you for your lovingkindness. I praise you touch of your hand when I'm so tired I can hardly move. For all the times life is hard and unmanageable, I praise you for your care and compassion. I praise you because you are the air I breathe, the food that I eat, and a comfort in times of stress. I praise you, Lord, just because you are Lord.

10 More Days of Praise: Day 9 - Somewhere the Sun Shines

Courtesy Pixabay.com

There are only 24 hours in a single day. If you tithe your time you should be giving God two hours of your time. Aren't we lucky that tithing time is not a Biblical requirement. Got only required a 10th of the increase from your labor.

They why is it so hard to just spend a little time on praising God?

Generally, my blog post required anywhere from 30 minutes to a couple of hours, depending on what I'm writing about and how hard it is to find a graphic. Sometimes, the graphic takes a while. I have to get something I can use for free. Because I'm not employed, money is so tight Lincoln screams when I open my wallet.

We're at day 9 of my personal challenge. I lost a day in there somewhere but I've been under the weather and I'm not going back to find it. Today is the day the Lord has made and while rejoice is a rather strong word for someone with a cold, I will be glad in it. I'm glad to be alive. Some days I feel a bit closer to the other so any day I'm breathing, I'm glad.

Praise God for all the days he has given me. I'll praise him now for all the days ahead that he has promised me. I don't know how many there are, but I praise him for them anyway. I know that he holds my future and I am confident that he knows what is best for me. I praise him for his wisdom.

Today the sky is overcast and I'm still struggling with a rotten cold. Just beyond those clouds the sun is shining. I praise you, Lord, for a beautiful day, somewhere.

10 More Days of Praise: Day 8 - The Worst Moments of the Day

That would be me today. I've got another cold, the second one since school  started in August. It does not bode well for me. I'm supposed to be praising God. I have two days to go, but I'm not in any kind of mood to praise anything.

It doesn't matter. At my worst, God is still worthy of praise. At my worst, I can't afford not to praise him. He is a loving, caring, attentive Savior and although I don't feel very loved, cared for, or attended to most of the time, it doesn't change who he is or his character.

So, for today, despite feeling more like a blob of misery, than an instrument of praise, I still praise you, Lord for all your wonderful works to us. I still praise you, despite my feelings of rejection and dejection. I want to  lie down but for now, for just this time, I lift my voice to you in praise. I write of your goodness and mercy, of your greatness and glory. You are El Shaddai ( The All Sufficient One), Jehova Jireh (My Provider), Jehovah Rapha (My Healer). You encompass every need and area of my life and for all that you are, I praise you.

I don't feel well today, but in my worst moments, God is always deserving of my praise.

What do you do in the worse moments of your day?

For more names of God: https://www.blueletterbible.org/study/misc/name_god.cfm

10 More Days of Praise: Day 7 - How Often Do I Praise Him?

While at an airport a few years ago, I watched a cab driver get out of his cab, open his trunk, take out a small rug, spread the rug on the sidewalk, kneel down, and start bowing. I don't know how long he prayed. I was sitting on a bench waiting for my ride, but it was more than a minute or two. I think I was the only one watching him. No one stopped, stared, or commented.

I considered his behavior odd, the way we consider Mormons at the front door odd. As I sat there I thought about how lax we are as Christians. If I remember correctly, at the time I even prayed for a moment, for God to help me be more in tune, to take more opportunity to talk with him.

That Muslim cab driver at the airport made an impact on me. Not to become a Muslim, but to become more of a Christian. I wanted to have the kind of faith that made me want to stop what I was doing and give God a moment of my time. Did I leave the airport changed? I don't know, but I do know that since then I desire more time with God.

Since the mid-90's I have always made it a point to pray in my car, every time I go somewhere. At that time, I was driving all over, making roughly a 30 mile round trip to the university for my own classes, sometimes twice a day, shopping, and getting kids to and from their school if necessary. At home, I was so frantic trying to get meals, do homework, help the kids with homework, and go to school myself that I had virtually no spare time. Prayer was a problem.

I began to take time when I was between classes at home, to pray but it felt like it wasn't enough. I realized I was spending more than an hour in my car on an average day. So, when I saw a classmate leaving the school singing like a madman in his truck, I came up with a plan. I laughed at him, but it occurred to me that if he could do that, why was I worried about anyone noticing me if I prayed in the car. So, I began to use my drive time to and from school to pray. As soon as I clicked my seatbelt I began to talk to God and for every trip there and back, I would pray aloud. Some days I would not even remember the drive home.

It became such an ingrained habit that one Saturday as my oldest son and I were going to the store, as soon as my seatbelt clicked, I started to pray. He said, "Mom, what are you doing?" I stopped and looked at him. I didn't know what to say. For a moment, I hadn't even realized he was there or what I was doing. I know now I should have explained, but I was so stunned by what had happened, I couldn't think of what to say. Later, I did tell them about my car prayers.

I had become so used to getting in the car and buckling my seatbelt and then starting to pray on my drive to school that one day it became a natural part of getting in the car. I don't travel as much since I graduated, but I still pray in the car at times when I'm alone. It is still a place I can be sure that nothing will interrupt me. I've sat in my car, in my garage and prayed. Just because it was a quiet, solitary place I knew nothing would interrupt me.

I suspect that the Muslim never noticed me watching him. His routine was so ingrained that nothing around him made one bit of difference to his behavior. He set about the business of prayer. Everything else just disappeared. I can relate.

What about us? How often do we take time to give our God praise? Are there minutes when we stare into space that we could use to just give him praise for his faithfulness? Do we have long commutes that we can use to spend time talking to God? And more importantly, are we making an impact on those who are watching us?

The man in the airport does his prayer routine five times a day and we make jokes about it. How many times do we give our God praise? How many times should we give praise to our God? Is he not worthy of as much? He's worth even more. David thought so. In Psalms he said, Seven times a day do I praise thee because of thy righteous judgments. Psalm 119:164

Seven times a day! We balk about church once a week. We complain we don't have time to stop for half an hour and talk to God. David was praising his God seven times a day. He was counting. And he was running a kingdom. You're running to the store, the gym, the club. You're running around chasing children. You're ... what are you doing that is so important that you can't stop and give God praise, even once a day?

I want to praise him with my whole heart. That is my goal. I started my 10 Days of Praise a month ago. It was a phrase that ran through my head in the middle of the night. So I did it. It wasn't enough. So, I started 10 More Days of Praise. It still isn't enough. Imagine every professing Christian praising God seven times a day. Imagine every Christian praising God even once a day!

The blog has helped me start a routine of praising God. I already had times when I just stopped and prayed. But face it, do your prayers focus on God or your needs? I don't want to just pray for needs. I want to spend time telling God how much he means to me. How long do you think a marriage will last if all you do is hand your spouse a list of items you think need to be taken care of? Sometimes, try praying without mentioning a single need. Tell God the only thing you want is to spend that time talking about his grace, his mercy, his faithfulness, his majesty. I think you'll be surprised at the outcome.

Lord, you are the air that I breathe. I praise you for the amazing works of your hands. You are the Great I Am, the Rose of Sharon, Lion of Judah. There is none like you and none as worthy of praise as you. I give you all the praise and honor for your sacrifice at Calvary on my behalf. I bless you with praise and desire to draw always closer to you.

How often do you give God praise?

10 More Days of Praise: Day 6 Reasonable Service

Praise is mentioned 248 times in the Bible. I was so surprised when I saw that figure. I know that Psalms has many mentions of praise, but only about half that figure is in the Old Testament. The other half are in the New Testament.

So, it is just as important today as it was in the days of Moses, Joshua, and Solomon. We owe God so much and praise is one way that we can give back for some of the blessings that he's bestowed on us. Praising God for his greatness, the works of  his hands, for his love and mercy are the least we can do to honor God.

The psalmist knew the importance of praise. He spent a lot of time extolling the virtues of God through his praise. Let my mouth be filled with thy praise and with thy honour all the day.--Psalm 71:8 

And it isn't just David that knew praise was necessary. Even a pagan king learned the importance of praising God. Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honour the King of heaven, all whose works are truth, and his ways judgment: and those that walk in pride he is able to abase. --Daniel 4:37

Praise is our duty to the God who gave us life, gave his own life so we could be saved. For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen. --Romans 11:36 

Just a few short verses away, Paul states I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. -- Romans 12:1

Our reasonable service? Reasonable to lift up praise to the One who created us? Reasonable to give praise to the Creator of the universe, not just this dusty planet he provided for us, out of an entire universe of other planets that he could have chosen as his favorite? We won't ever know until we are in his presence if he did such a thing but until then, we owe him our praises now.

O Lord, thou art my God; I will exalt thee, I will praise thy name; for thou hast done wonderful things; thy counsels of old are faithfulness and truth. --Isaiah 25:1

10 More Days of Praise: Day 5 - Halfway to Success

I'm not at all in a praise frame of mind today. I'm rather downcast and sad and very tired this morning. I can't tell you exactly why because I don't really know. I could list a slew of reason, but they wouldn't mean much to anyone without background.

That's how life is, isn't it? There are days when we're just overwhelmed by a host of concerns, real and imagined, and we can't put our finger on exactly which one is giving us the mulligrubs.

However, I've made a pact to give God 10 More Days of Praise and I take my agreements seriously. Once I say I'm going to do something for someone, most especially God, I do my very best to keep my word.

But I don't feel like praising God today.

If we go by our feelings, we'll never find the time to give God the praise he so deserves. There will always be another pain, heartache, grief, accident, obligation, or souffle to get out of the oven. If we can't find the time to give God praise, I suspect more than the souffle is at risk of burning.

He has made me and supplied my needs. That is what he promised to do. He's kept his word. He also said he'd give me the desires of my heart if I just find my delight in him. I struggle to do that. Do you? So many things in life draw us away from delighting ourselves in God. I don't mean a dance at the altar or a dash around the church. Those are wonderful, to be sure, but generally only occur once or twice a week. That's not the only way to delight yourself in the Lord. I'm talking about continuing delight.

Have you ever seen a child eating their favorite ice cream? Have you ever seen them tumbling with puppies or kittens? Rolling in the floor with their father? How about story time with Mama? The look on their faces and the sound of their giggles are what is known as delight. They are enjoying the moment to the maximum.

There are so many ways to find delight in God. Our service, not only to our church but our families, those in need, the lonely, dejected, depressed, and forgotten all need someone to make them feel loved.

When I find ways to do things on His behalf, even if it is writing a blog post solely to give him Praise and share it with people I may never meet, speak to, or know in my life, I obtain a sense of happiness. When I write these posts I delight myself in Him because when we minister, in whatever way we are able, we minister to Him.

I learned in my last 10 Days of Praise that even on a bad day, writing one post that gives God praise was enough to lift my spirits, even if something hit me to tear me down later in the day. What I gained from the last round lead me to want to do it again.

I am halfway in my 10 More Days of Praise and I realized that it was about this same point I had problems the last time. I don't know if five is some sort of magic number or if halfway is just the natural point that struggle seems to catch up. I know that I had a rough time starting today. But I can't let that stop me. The rewards far outweigh the cost.

Take time today to give God all the praise. I can't improve on Psalms today. This says it best. Take a deep breath, let it out and as you do, give him praise.

Praise ye the Lord. Praise God in his sanctuary: praise him in the firmament of his power.
Praise him for his mighty acts: praise him according to his excellent greatness.
Praise him with the sound of the trumpet: praise him with the psaltery and harp.
Praise him with the timbrel and dance: praise him with stringed instruments and organs.
Praise him upon the loud cymbals: praise him upon the high sounding cymbals.
Let every thing that hath breath praise the Lord. Praise ye the Lord. --Psalm 150

10 More Days of Praise: Day 4 - This is the Day

This is the day the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it. The sun came up and I was able to get out of bed with relative little pain,  most if it in my back. I praise God this morning because of his eternal goodness. Because he has saved me, I will praise him. Because he has kept me, I can praise him. 

Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, who only does wondrous things and blessed be his Name forever. You are worthy, Lord, of my praise. 

Therefore I will give thanks unto thee, O Lord, among the heathen, and I will sing praises unto thy name. 2 Samuel 22:50