As we studied Paul's second missionary journey this week in BSF, the realization of our need for community, fellowship and relationships struck me a little deeper. Additionally, I had a few opportunities in my personal life as well, to solidify this truth. As the technological word continues to advance, relationships seem to deteriorate. Paul did not have the option to text the new churches to inquire as to how they were coming along. Not only that, he and his buddies needed to walk there. How many of us will walk to our neighbors house to check on them?
I work in the veterinary field. A sales rep gave a presentation this past week and he kept calling our clients "pet parents". This is just wrong! If God had wanted animals to be our equaled companions He would never have made Eve. Animals have many purposes, but to replace or fill the role of children or a spouse is not one of them. I believe that technology has been a major factor in the deterioration of human relationships and boosted the bond with animals.
Stay with me here. These two seemingly different ideas do mesh together. The ability that we have to get information instantly has its benefits, but socially it will be the demise of community and fellowship without an effort to keep those two concepts alive. The desire of convenience and the tendency toward isolation add to this dilemma. I am an introvert by nature. To socialize takes effort for me and it can be draining. Texting has offered me the freedom to save myself a phone call or a visit in person. I like that. But it isn't healthy to fall into a pattern of this behavior. This week offered two separate instances where this principle played out in my life. Both my sister and my dear friend "needed" to talk in person (voice to voice) to be encouraged and comforted. The result of this "time" invested in these relationships was beneficial to them, but as it turns out, was to me as well! Go figure. Logically I know this, but it until it impacts us personally it is easy to forget that aspect of relationship.
How does this relate to "pet parents"? I love my dogs and my horse. When life is hard it is nice to hang out with them. They don't talk back, my dogs love to cuddle and they are comforting. They like just being with me. It takes no effort on my part but I get a lot from them. The "pet parent" comment reminded me that we are MADE to have relationship with other people. Obviously people are longing for comfort, companionship and unconditional love that animals offer but we are not getting it from human interaction. In case you haven't learned this yet, relationships are hard! They take effort and time. They take compromise and they allow us to see the negative aspects of our character. And as technology increases the freedom to avoid relationships increases. Because human nature is lazy and takes the path of least resistance, we all have the potential to fall into this trap.
The next time you reach out to a friend, family member, co-worker etc. do it "Paul style". Take the time to see them in person, go walking with them, spend time investing in their life and their need. It truly is mutually beneficial, but it is also God's design for the human race. Why do you think they call it "Face Time"? We desire and long for the benefits of relationship, we just don't want to invest the effort and time. Who can you invest in this week? Stop the texting and the social media messaging and connect with them personally. It will put a smile on their face and yours!
Sunday, January 26, 2020
Sunday, January 19, 2020
Saturation Point
One of my favorite subjects in college was chemistry. To examine and understand (at least a little) the intricacies of atoms and molecules and their structure, attraction and repulsion of each other intrigued me greatly. To realize the detail in which God created everything in existence is beyond words and even imagination, at least for me.
Yesterday, my husband and I were discussing our desire for certain things to become second nature for us. Specifically, our thoughts and responses in daily situations to instinctively go to God, whether it be reflected through prayer or behavior. This topic lead me to the thought of the saturation point in terms of chemistry. The saturation point of salt water is when you have added so much salt to the glass of water that the water molecules are full and can no longer attach to the salt molecules. The result of this is the remaining salt settling on the bottom of the glass. I want to be "saturated" with Jesus.
I think in many places throughout God's Word this idea is conveyed, but not illustrated through chemistry. When we are told to pray without ceasing. Does the writer mean that 24/7 we should be on our knees praying? No. That certainly is not a realistic interpretation, however, the idea of continual prayer is if we are "saturated" with Jesus. The result would be an instinctive and second nature response to our daily interactions which in turn would result in continual prayer. I did a word search for "filled" and found so many more expressions of the word than I ever expected. Such as Ephesians 3:19 "and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God." Philippians 1:9-11 "And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God". And 1st Peter 1:8 "Though you have not seen Him , you love Him; and even though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy."
The word "full" is a synonym for saturated. I find this to be quite interesting. I don't think that I am reaching, to surmise that to be "saturated" with Jesus would result in also being saturated with joy, knowledge and righteousness which by the way, lends to peace (Hebrews 12:11 "For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it."). It's a "win-win" situation. Filling ourselves with Jesus is promised to fill us with the wonders of the Holy Spirit.
I definitely want to reach my "Jesus saturation point". Will I reach that before I reach heaven? Not if I don't try and even then maybe not. But I know I want to be more saturated tomorrow than I am today. How saturated are you? Is there room for more Jesus in your heart and your life?
Yesterday, my husband and I were discussing our desire for certain things to become second nature for us. Specifically, our thoughts and responses in daily situations to instinctively go to God, whether it be reflected through prayer or behavior. This topic lead me to the thought of the saturation point in terms of chemistry. The saturation point of salt water is when you have added so much salt to the glass of water that the water molecules are full and can no longer attach to the salt molecules. The result of this is the remaining salt settling on the bottom of the glass. I want to be "saturated" with Jesus.
I think in many places throughout God's Word this idea is conveyed, but not illustrated through chemistry. When we are told to pray without ceasing. Does the writer mean that 24/7 we should be on our knees praying? No. That certainly is not a realistic interpretation, however, the idea of continual prayer is if we are "saturated" with Jesus. The result would be an instinctive and second nature response to our daily interactions which in turn would result in continual prayer. I did a word search for "filled" and found so many more expressions of the word than I ever expected. Such as Ephesians 3:19 "and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God." Philippians 1:9-11 "And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God". And 1st Peter 1:8 "Though you have not seen Him , you love Him; and even though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy."
The word "full" is a synonym for saturated. I find this to be quite interesting. I don't think that I am reaching, to surmise that to be "saturated" with Jesus would result in also being saturated with joy, knowledge and righteousness which by the way, lends to peace (Hebrews 12:11 "For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it."). It's a "win-win" situation. Filling ourselves with Jesus is promised to fill us with the wonders of the Holy Spirit.
I definitely want to reach my "Jesus saturation point". Will I reach that before I reach heaven? Not if I don't try and even then maybe not. But I know I want to be more saturated tomorrow than I am today. How saturated are you? Is there room for more Jesus in your heart and your life?
Sunday, January 12, 2020
That Pecking Bird!
I LOVE to sleep in! I mean really LOVE to sleep in. I don't get to do that very often but to sleep until 8am (or later if blessed) is such a treat! My husband is so good to keep the dogs quiet and to bring me a cup of coffee when he thinks I may be awake. (God is so GOOD!) Anyhow, last year there were a few times I had the chance to sleep in but wasn't able to on account of a bird. That's right a stinking bird. It was a Northern Flicker which likes to peck on old dead trees, usually to nest in. However when they can't find a good tree, siding of a house will suffice. These birds are really pretty but not at 7am when I am trying to enjoy a "sleep-in" day and they are pecking on the siding of my house!
As I pondered this bird for a bit, I wondered if it knew something that I didn't about my home. Was there a weak spot in the siding? Maybe some sort of insect in the wall? Or was it just pecking to peck and disturbing my slumber for no good reason! Anyhow, this bird found a spot on the side of the house that happened to be the exterior wall of my bedroom. Go figure. It woke me up and I was a little bit more than irritated. I opened the window and yelled, but another trait of the Flicker is they are pretty brave. It stayed put and continued to peck away. By now, I am pretty frustrated. I pulled out the screen and got on the roof (my bedroom overlooks the roof of the garage). It was intent on the task at hand ... pecking! There was a pinecone on the roof and I threw it at the bird. I missed, but it did fly away ... for a very short time. And today's blog was born!
As it turns out, the bird didn't necessarily sense anything abnormal with my home, but it still made me think of Satan and his negative nature. He senses the weaknesses (sin) that we have and he pecks away until he has a hole big enough to nest. "Google" had a few remedies for keeping this bird from pecking on my home, but I just kept throwing pinecones at it, (and missing) and filled the small hole it had started, with caulking. It eventually went somewhere else to make a nest.
How do we deal with Satan when he has found a weak spot? Do we just keep shooing him away or do we shore up the "weakness" so that he can't get a foothold? If the Flicker bird is not removed from the situation, much damage can be done and such is the case with Satan. If we don't address the attacks he will continue to advance and much damage can be done to our lives as well as the lives of those around us. If you sense the presence of the enemy prowling around your door or pecking on your siding, I suggest that you investigate as to why he is prowling and put some tactics in place to keep him from causing damage. Prayer, time in God's Word, repentance of any known sin in your life and continual fellowship with mature Christians are just a few of the preventative actions we can take to help keep Satan, the pecking bird, from doing damage. I can tell you right now that throwing things at him probably won't get him to leave and even if it does, it won't be a long-tem fix!
As I pondered this bird for a bit, I wondered if it knew something that I didn't about my home. Was there a weak spot in the siding? Maybe some sort of insect in the wall? Or was it just pecking to peck and disturbing my slumber for no good reason! Anyhow, this bird found a spot on the side of the house that happened to be the exterior wall of my bedroom. Go figure. It woke me up and I was a little bit more than irritated. I opened the window and yelled, but another trait of the Flicker is they are pretty brave. It stayed put and continued to peck away. By now, I am pretty frustrated. I pulled out the screen and got on the roof (my bedroom overlooks the roof of the garage). It was intent on the task at hand ... pecking! There was a pinecone on the roof and I threw it at the bird. I missed, but it did fly away ... for a very short time. And today's blog was born!
As it turns out, the bird didn't necessarily sense anything abnormal with my home, but it still made me think of Satan and his negative nature. He senses the weaknesses (sin) that we have and he pecks away until he has a hole big enough to nest. "Google" had a few remedies for keeping this bird from pecking on my home, but I just kept throwing pinecones at it, (and missing) and filled the small hole it had started, with caulking. It eventually went somewhere else to make a nest.
How do we deal with Satan when he has found a weak spot? Do we just keep shooing him away or do we shore up the "weakness" so that he can't get a foothold? If the Flicker bird is not removed from the situation, much damage can be done and such is the case with Satan. If we don't address the attacks he will continue to advance and much damage can be done to our lives as well as the lives of those around us. If you sense the presence of the enemy prowling around your door or pecking on your siding, I suggest that you investigate as to why he is prowling and put some tactics in place to keep him from causing damage. Prayer, time in God's Word, repentance of any known sin in your life and continual fellowship with mature Christians are just a few of the preventative actions we can take to help keep Satan, the pecking bird, from doing damage. I can tell you right now that throwing things at him probably won't get him to leave and even if it does, it won't be a long-tem fix!
Sunday, January 5, 2020
My Apologies
WOW! January of 2020! I can't believe how time flies by. It feels like it was just 2016 and according to my last blog post, it was! I sincerely apologize for the lack of attention that I have given to this site. If you have an interest in knowing what has been keeping me away, read on.
It really comes down to one thing: Spiritual laziness. I have allowed the acronym of BUSY (Being Under Satan's Yoke) to occupy my time. Work has been very stressful and time consuming and life at home while good, is similar. And what gets pushed out first? Time serving the Lord or even sitting at His feet. How sad. Can any of you relate? I suspect, yes.
A New Year offers opportunity to reflect back and we all tend to do that even if is just a little bit. I don't usually dwell on a New Year but this year is different. It is 2020 for goodness sakes!! A mile-marker and a year that I would love to have go down in the record book of my life as a game-changer.
Excuses. Everybody has them but the truth is, I have lost sight of my priorities. Being BUSY does that. It is a very successful way for the enemy to distract and occupy our time so that our relationship with God becomes 2nd, 3rd, 4th etc.. I have had a few wake up calls over the past couple of years and it has taken me this long to get serious about making changes. Man, we can be so DENSE! (Some day the Lord may chose to use those wake-up calls as posts!)
I am still a Children's Leader in BSF (Bible Study Fellowship) and I enjoy that very much but I would be lying if I said that I was giving it 100%. I would estimate closer to 65-70%. I work about 50 hours a week as the Practice Manger of a veterinary hospital and try to engage in normal relationships and activities outside of those things. People who are good at "Time Management" would probably say: "So what's the problem?". I however, struggle in this area. So, I am prayerful and energized to make 2020 a little, no, ALOT different. I don't have a plan in place just yet, but I have been praying about it and returning to my blog is part of what I feel the Lord is recommending. I would love to have my readers help keep me accountable. If you feel led to email me and give me a nudge when I am slacking, go for it! We are all in this together.
Outlandish goals just set us up for failure so I am not planning to do that, but I know that a weekly to bi-monthly post is not unreasonable. God gives me opportunities daily, that I can share, but something "Blog" worthy, at least a couple of times per month.
I do pray for all of you a healthy and prosperous 2020 and if any of you can relate to my above sentiments, find someone who will hold you accountable for some changes. Then make them. I remember back to 2011 when I was going through my divorce. The divorce was not my choice, but I will tell you that I had the sweetest time ever with the Lord and would not change that for anything! I was closer to Him then, than I had ever been before and sadly, since. But that is my choice. He hasn't gone anywhere. He is no further or closer than He was then. I am the one who has moved.
It really comes down to one thing: Spiritual laziness. I have allowed the acronym of BUSY (Being Under Satan's Yoke) to occupy my time. Work has been very stressful and time consuming and life at home while good, is similar. And what gets pushed out first? Time serving the Lord or even sitting at His feet. How sad. Can any of you relate? I suspect, yes.
A New Year offers opportunity to reflect back and we all tend to do that even if is just a little bit. I don't usually dwell on a New Year but this year is different. It is 2020 for goodness sakes!! A mile-marker and a year that I would love to have go down in the record book of my life as a game-changer.
Excuses. Everybody has them but the truth is, I have lost sight of my priorities. Being BUSY does that. It is a very successful way for the enemy to distract and occupy our time so that our relationship with God becomes 2nd, 3rd, 4th etc.. I have had a few wake up calls over the past couple of years and it has taken me this long to get serious about making changes. Man, we can be so DENSE! (Some day the Lord may chose to use those wake-up calls as posts!)
I am still a Children's Leader in BSF (Bible Study Fellowship) and I enjoy that very much but I would be lying if I said that I was giving it 100%. I would estimate closer to 65-70%. I work about 50 hours a week as the Practice Manger of a veterinary hospital and try to engage in normal relationships and activities outside of those things. People who are good at "Time Management" would probably say: "So what's the problem?". I however, struggle in this area. So, I am prayerful and energized to make 2020 a little, no, ALOT different. I don't have a plan in place just yet, but I have been praying about it and returning to my blog is part of what I feel the Lord is recommending. I would love to have my readers help keep me accountable. If you feel led to email me and give me a nudge when I am slacking, go for it! We are all in this together.
Outlandish goals just set us up for failure so I am not planning to do that, but I know that a weekly to bi-monthly post is not unreasonable. God gives me opportunities daily, that I can share, but something "Blog" worthy, at least a couple of times per month.
I do pray for all of you a healthy and prosperous 2020 and if any of you can relate to my above sentiments, find someone who will hold you accountable for some changes. Then make them. I remember back to 2011 when I was going through my divorce. The divorce was not my choice, but I will tell you that I had the sweetest time ever with the Lord and would not change that for anything! I was closer to Him then, than I had ever been before and sadly, since. But that is my choice. He hasn't gone anywhere. He is no further or closer than He was then. I am the one who has moved.
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