I watched most of the State of the Union last night and have to say it was one of the more enjoyable presidential speeches in terms of delivery. I do like President Obama's easy style and willingness to be casual at times for humanity's sake. I agreed wholeheartedly with several of his "plans" and objected vehemently to many others.
I don't know that these speeches actually ever give us a picture of the actual state of the union, rather they seem to indicate where we hope the union will eventually go. And that's always done with more eloquent and inspiritional wordsmithing than details of any kind.
I wonder what it would look like if all us bloggers had a state of the union address once a year. Can I claim my Christmas letter?
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Encouragement
You know how sometimes you run into the same theme everywhere you go for a week?
Dan and I lead a couples small group through church and one of the ways the church supports us in that effort is to arrange for us to meet with pastors who can encourage us in our role. They provide us with resources to help us better lead the people in our group. This month some of the reading materials they gave us was from a book called "Encouragement."
A couple of weeks ago, I was at a bible-study for mom's of middle school girls where we are following along with the book they are studying in their youth group. The current chapter was all about the story of how Elizabeth (the mother of John the Baptist) encouraged Mary (the mother of Jesus) when she first found out she was pregnant. Can you imagine? Picture this - you're about a middle schooler's age, an angel tells you you're pregnant even though you've never been with a man, and that the baby is going to be the savior of the world. Then imagine trying to explain it to your fiance, who remember you have yet to "be" with and who has some serious doubts. So you make your way to visit an older, trusted relative and upon your arrival she totally encourages and affirms you without a shadow of doubt. You can check this remarkable scene out in Luke chapter one.
It was suggested we follow up with our daughters about what it means to encourage - so Caitlin and I looked up the definition in the dictionary and it says "to give courage to; to inspire with courage, spirit or confidence. To stimulate by guidance, approval, etc." Those are great talking points, because typically people define encouragement as helping someone feel better about themself or their situation. But it's a lot more than that - it's giving courage to someone who might not have enough of their own to carry on in a difficult circumstance. It has an element of hope in it - showing someone a promise or reminding them of one they may have forgotten.
Encouragement is considered a spiritual gift by many and can be demonstrated through something as simple as a handwritten note, a phone call, an email, some time together or a simple gesture - like a hug. But most often it includes words.
The reading materials from the Encouragement book stressed how all words that are spoken should be used to edify each other as part of a commitment to being God's instruments in each other's lives. There was a lot of emphasis on the words we used (and didn't use) to encourage others.
I like words. I like positive words in particular. I'm sure if you've read this blog for any length of time, you know I often have plenty to say. I'm seldom at a loss for words. Maybe sometimes I should be. All this reading has made me think more about the words I choose. Especially with my husband and kids.
So I was contemplating these thoughts on encouragement (and this is just a sampling of where it popped us this week - there were more in other books I'm reading where it wasn't so obviously presented, and on radio talk shows, etc.) and thinking about how I can be more encouraging to my family, friends and co-workers, when the very next morning I got some upsetting news. My agenda quickly changed from a desire to be an uber-encourager to attempting to produce some actual work without an emotional breakdown.
Guess what happened?
I received two separate emails and one handwritten note from people with deeply encouraging words. Two of them were about the same thing - and expressed such appreciation for something I did (which is actually a routine part of my job) I was overwhelmed by their response. The other - the handwritten note came from a guy whose PDA is like an extension of his hand. I mean I've never seen this guy use a pen and paper - he takes meeting notes on his blackberry. He can text faster than a 16 year old girl. But he took the time to write me a note thanking me for some help with something at work. I don't directly support any of these people and they didn't know anything about my bad news, but on the same day within hours of each other they managed to find the time and inclination to encourage me with words that inspired, stimulated and guided me.
Just another example of God's grace in action. Reminding me I need what I seek to give and making sure I got it. I hope the next time I encourage someone it's as well timed...and maybe even a little unexpected.
Dan and I lead a couples small group through church and one of the ways the church supports us in that effort is to arrange for us to meet with pastors who can encourage us in our role. They provide us with resources to help us better lead the people in our group. This month some of the reading materials they gave us was from a book called "Encouragement."
A couple of weeks ago, I was at a bible-study for mom's of middle school girls where we are following along with the book they are studying in their youth group. The current chapter was all about the story of how Elizabeth (the mother of John the Baptist) encouraged Mary (the mother of Jesus) when she first found out she was pregnant. Can you imagine? Picture this - you're about a middle schooler's age, an angel tells you you're pregnant even though you've never been with a man, and that the baby is going to be the savior of the world. Then imagine trying to explain it to your fiance, who remember you have yet to "be" with and who has some serious doubts. So you make your way to visit an older, trusted relative and upon your arrival she totally encourages and affirms you without a shadow of doubt. You can check this remarkable scene out in Luke chapter one.
It was suggested we follow up with our daughters about what it means to encourage - so Caitlin and I looked up the definition in the dictionary and it says "to give courage to; to inspire with courage, spirit or confidence. To stimulate by guidance, approval, etc." Those are great talking points, because typically people define encouragement as helping someone feel better about themself or their situation. But it's a lot more than that - it's giving courage to someone who might not have enough of their own to carry on in a difficult circumstance. It has an element of hope in it - showing someone a promise or reminding them of one they may have forgotten.
Encouragement is considered a spiritual gift by many and can be demonstrated through something as simple as a handwritten note, a phone call, an email, some time together or a simple gesture - like a hug. But most often it includes words.
The reading materials from the Encouragement book stressed how all words that are spoken should be used to edify each other as part of a commitment to being God's instruments in each other's lives. There was a lot of emphasis on the words we used (and didn't use) to encourage others.
I like words. I like positive words in particular. I'm sure if you've read this blog for any length of time, you know I often have plenty to say. I'm seldom at a loss for words. Maybe sometimes I should be. All this reading has made me think more about the words I choose. Especially with my husband and kids.
So I was contemplating these thoughts on encouragement (and this is just a sampling of where it popped us this week - there were more in other books I'm reading where it wasn't so obviously presented, and on radio talk shows, etc.) and thinking about how I can be more encouraging to my family, friends and co-workers, when the very next morning I got some upsetting news. My agenda quickly changed from a desire to be an uber-encourager to attempting to produce some actual work without an emotional breakdown.
Guess what happened?
I received two separate emails and one handwritten note from people with deeply encouraging words. Two of them were about the same thing - and expressed such appreciation for something I did (which is actually a routine part of my job) I was overwhelmed by their response. The other - the handwritten note came from a guy whose PDA is like an extension of his hand. I mean I've never seen this guy use a pen and paper - he takes meeting notes on his blackberry. He can text faster than a 16 year old girl. But he took the time to write me a note thanking me for some help with something at work. I don't directly support any of these people and they didn't know anything about my bad news, but on the same day within hours of each other they managed to find the time and inclination to encourage me with words that inspired, stimulated and guided me.
Just another example of God's grace in action. Reminding me I need what I seek to give and making sure I got it. I hope the next time I encourage someone it's as well timed...and maybe even a little unexpected.
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Happy New Year!!
It's the night before the first Monday after New Years. All the resolutions start tomorrow if you do that sort of thing. I decided I would make a resolution this year, basically because the church sermon this morning asked me to and it was delivered by my boss.
The challenge was to become more like Jesus Christ.
That's a resolution I can get behind.
In his sermon he noted that recent research estimated about half the population make resolutions, but only about 8% keep them.
That sounds about right.
Especially when you consider that most people's resolutions have to do with their physical appearance. We all want to drop ten pounds, right? Or maybe 20-25. I'm going to shoot for that too, but it's not my priority. I think there can only be one at a time. So I'm not even going to bother making additional resolutions this year. Instead I'll concentrate on the one and know that if I make any progress at all it's bound to positively affect many other areas of my life.
It's been a fantastic Christmas break - the kids have been off for two weeks and I only worked four days during that time and Dan only worked two! We've had several wonderful, low-key celebrations during that time with family and friends. We didn't keep any kind of regular schedule so tomorrow morning might be a little dicey. It will probably take a few days to adjust to the old routine, but that's okay. So in the interest of not making the first morning "back" any more difficult, and with the intent to behave more like Jesus, I'm going to go to bed before midnight. Hey look. Twenty minutes to spare.
The challenge was to become more like Jesus Christ.
That's a resolution I can get behind.
In his sermon he noted that recent research estimated about half the population make resolutions, but only about 8% keep them.
That sounds about right.
Especially when you consider that most people's resolutions have to do with their physical appearance. We all want to drop ten pounds, right? Or maybe 20-25. I'm going to shoot for that too, but it's not my priority. I think there can only be one at a time. So I'm not even going to bother making additional resolutions this year. Instead I'll concentrate on the one and know that if I make any progress at all it's bound to positively affect many other areas of my life.
It's been a fantastic Christmas break - the kids have been off for two weeks and I only worked four days during that time and Dan only worked two! We've had several wonderful, low-key celebrations during that time with family and friends. We didn't keep any kind of regular schedule so tomorrow morning might be a little dicey. It will probably take a few days to adjust to the old routine, but that's okay. So in the interest of not making the first morning "back" any more difficult, and with the intent to behave more like Jesus, I'm going to go to bed before midnight. Hey look. Twenty minutes to spare.
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Driving Lesson
I was driving to work the other day after all the snow fell. The roads were pretty clear, but the people were still driving a little cautiously. Things were moving better than I expected, but those of you who've been a passenger in my car know I have a tendency to get impatient pretty easily while driving. I don't know why it is that I can wait in line at the grocery store with a decent amount of grace, but when I get behind the wheel all bets are off.
The left lane is for passing.
My kids have been the most effective microscope on my behavior on the road. When I hear the sarcastic accusations drip from their mouths with disdain because someone hesitated at a green light or didn't use a turn signal or drifted into our lane because they were on the phone, I know where they heard it first. And it hasn't gone unnoticed that I get asked in the car more than any other place, "Mom, are you okay?"
So, it's just like God to use my car as an object lesson and speak clear as day to me this particular morning while I was fuming behind a commercial van.
You know the kind I mean, right? The big white one with no back windows to see through so you really have no idea what's going on in front of them.
I hate not being able to see what's going on in front of me. Especially on the road. I want to know if there are cars backed up for miles or if there's plenty of room to accelerate if I could just get around this one big van. And the trouble is, I can't follow too closely because I can't see through the non-existent windows, so for all I know everyone in front of him is breaking.
So I'm driving behind this van becoming increasingly agitated because I think I'm going to be a few minutes late now. The van is driving much slower than I would be, I can't get around him try as I might and I don't know what the hold up is.
And that's when I started to get this dawning realization that God was telling me that He's in the van. No, I haven't wigged out. He wasn't literally in the van. It was an analogy - following Him in my walk of faith was like being behind this van.
I can't see what's ahead.
I can only rely on Him to lead the way at an appropriate pace. Not my pace, but His, which might be a lot slower. So I can't speed up when I feel like everything is taking too long.
I can only trust Him to break when necessary. Instead of lagging way behind for fear of crashing if I follow too closely.
I can only resist the urge to pass Him and get in front which might cause me to miss a turn or end up behind a much worse driver.
I can only believe I will get to my destination at the right time, after having traveled on the right route.
But I know how I get in the car and so I'm thinking, I'm not patient enough or skilled enough to follow at the right distance and not be tempted to pass in my frustration. And that's when I hear God basically say, "Right. That's why we need a trailer hitch between us so you can stop driving altogether and not worry about you getting too far behind or way off course."
Matthew 11:29-30 says, "Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." He means "yoke" like the one that binds oxen together when they pull a cart side-by-side. That's the verse I thought of when God was telling me I needed to be hitched to Him. When you're "yoked" to someone, you can't get ahead and you can't fall behind, you go at the same pace in the same direction to the same destination.
Funny how sometimes He blocks your vision for awhile so you can see better.
The left lane is for passing.
My kids have been the most effective microscope on my behavior on the road. When I hear the sarcastic accusations drip from their mouths with disdain because someone hesitated at a green light or didn't use a turn signal or drifted into our lane because they were on the phone, I know where they heard it first. And it hasn't gone unnoticed that I get asked in the car more than any other place, "Mom, are you okay?"
So, it's just like God to use my car as an object lesson and speak clear as day to me this particular morning while I was fuming behind a commercial van.
You know the kind I mean, right? The big white one with no back windows to see through so you really have no idea what's going on in front of them.
I hate not being able to see what's going on in front of me. Especially on the road. I want to know if there are cars backed up for miles or if there's plenty of room to accelerate if I could just get around this one big van. And the trouble is, I can't follow too closely because I can't see through the non-existent windows, so for all I know everyone in front of him is breaking.
So I'm driving behind this van becoming increasingly agitated because I think I'm going to be a few minutes late now. The van is driving much slower than I would be, I can't get around him try as I might and I don't know what the hold up is.
And that's when I started to get this dawning realization that God was telling me that He's in the van. No, I haven't wigged out. He wasn't literally in the van. It was an analogy - following Him in my walk of faith was like being behind this van.
I can't see what's ahead.
I can only rely on Him to lead the way at an appropriate pace. Not my pace, but His, which might be a lot slower. So I can't speed up when I feel like everything is taking too long.
I can only trust Him to break when necessary. Instead of lagging way behind for fear of crashing if I follow too closely.
I can only resist the urge to pass Him and get in front which might cause me to miss a turn or end up behind a much worse driver.
I can only believe I will get to my destination at the right time, after having traveled on the right route.
But I know how I get in the car and so I'm thinking, I'm not patient enough or skilled enough to follow at the right distance and not be tempted to pass in my frustration. And that's when I hear God basically say, "Right. That's why we need a trailer hitch between us so you can stop driving altogether and not worry about you getting too far behind or way off course."
Matthew 11:29-30 says, "Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." He means "yoke" like the one that binds oxen together when they pull a cart side-by-side. That's the verse I thought of when God was telling me I needed to be hitched to Him. When you're "yoked" to someone, you can't get ahead and you can't fall behind, you go at the same pace in the same direction to the same destination.
Funny how sometimes He blocks your vision for awhile so you can see better.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Feeling It
It's starting to feel like the Christmas season to me. Maybe because it's snowing. Or maybe because we decorated the tree tonight that's been standing bare in our living room for four days sucking water faster than I can pour it from the stand. It could be because the kids and I sat and watched "A Charlie Brown Christmas" - one of the very few Christmas specials on T.V. that actually quotes the story of Christ's advent from Scripture when Linus tells Charlie Brown what Christmas is really about.
We were at two consecutive Christmas parties on Sunday and Monday night and the food and the company were wonderful at both - that sure helps ease you in to the Christmas spirit. We sang Christmas carols at the one last night. Dan was a trooper because he had to leave the house at 4:30 this morning to catch a 6:00 am flight to New Jersey to meet with a client for three hours and then go directly back to the airport where his flight was delayed about 2 and 1/2 hours because of the snow. Thankfully he landed around 7:00 and was home around 8:00. And to be honest as much as I feel badly for him, I was thankful the delay meant he wouldn't be home in time to take the kids to Awana and we were able to have a down night which we all really needed.
Shockingly, even with Dan gone, I made a real dinner after eating out three nights in a row at parties!
The Christmas cards are still on the floor waiting to be started, as is the annual letter I write and the photo to be developed. I'll get to them eventually. It was way more important to sit with the kids and watch the Christmas specials tonight.
Before the party last night I was at a wake for a wonderful woman a mere two years older than I am who lost her battle with cancer but won her victory in Christ. She is now completely healed and in the company of the One whose advent we're celebrating now. I am rejoicing for her, but at the same time mourning with her husband and young daughter.
Tonight I'm thankful to Janet for the very precious reminder that it was much better to decorate a tree and sit with my kids eating popcorn, not knowing what tomorrow brings than to have spent the time driving the kids to Awana in the snow, writing out the Christmas cards or shopping for presents on-line. Tonight was a gift. Maybe that's why it feels like Christmas.
We were at two consecutive Christmas parties on Sunday and Monday night and the food and the company were wonderful at both - that sure helps ease you in to the Christmas spirit. We sang Christmas carols at the one last night. Dan was a trooper because he had to leave the house at 4:30 this morning to catch a 6:00 am flight to New Jersey to meet with a client for three hours and then go directly back to the airport where his flight was delayed about 2 and 1/2 hours because of the snow. Thankfully he landed around 7:00 and was home around 8:00. And to be honest as much as I feel badly for him, I was thankful the delay meant he wouldn't be home in time to take the kids to Awana and we were able to have a down night which we all really needed.
Shockingly, even with Dan gone, I made a real dinner after eating out three nights in a row at parties!
The Christmas cards are still on the floor waiting to be started, as is the annual letter I write and the photo to be developed. I'll get to them eventually. It was way more important to sit with the kids and watch the Christmas specials tonight.
Before the party last night I was at a wake for a wonderful woman a mere two years older than I am who lost her battle with cancer but won her victory in Christ. She is now completely healed and in the company of the One whose advent we're celebrating now. I am rejoicing for her, but at the same time mourning with her husband and young daughter.
Tonight I'm thankful to Janet for the very precious reminder that it was much better to decorate a tree and sit with my kids eating popcorn, not knowing what tomorrow brings than to have spent the time driving the kids to Awana in the snow, writing out the Christmas cards or shopping for presents on-line. Tonight was a gift. Maybe that's why it feels like Christmas.
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Not so fast
Today was a busy day - I had an early meeting at work so I woke up at 6:00 and left the house well before 8:00 am. The meeting is a weekly staff meeting and I'm always so grateful it's in the middle of the week, because the first 15-20 minutes are spent doing a devotional and singing three songs of Praise to God.
I cannot imagine a much better way to begin a work day.
After the meeting there was plenty to do, and almost all of it was urgent, but it didn't create panic or stress because we'd taken the time to reflect before we even began.
During lunch I ran an errand to pay a bill at Kohl's. Wednesdays are senior discount day at Kohl's. There are lovely old people everywhere navigating the dozens of kiosks in the aisles at their own liesurely pace. I only get 30 minutes for lunch, but I managed to wait fairly patiently in a long line at Customer Service where the employees feel no sense of urgency whatsoever and then found a majorly discounted sweater with the exact type of collar I'd been looking for forever in the perfect color for the holidays (red) and a Christmas gift for someone else on the way out.
After work I had to run to Walmart. Again. I was there yesterday. But for some inescapable reason 10 minutes after I get home from Walmart each week I immediately notice a half dozen items we are completely out of and can't wait to buy (like toilet paper, shampoo and milk, etc.). There are a thousand other people in Walmart all in a hurry to get home but I manage to find all the items on my shopping list calmly by stopping every so often to check them off.
I got home and got dinner in the oven and then helped the kids finish their homework, instead of trying to do both at once to save time which, let's face it, always ends badly. Mostly because of my inability to truly multitask for any length of time without great frustration.
After dinner I took Caitlin to her youth group meeting and met with several mom's of the other kids in the youth group for a Bible study during which we took turns reading and talking about the lesson. No one even glanced at the clock for the first hour of a 90 minute meeting.
I got home around 9:30 pm, tucked the twins into bed and cleared out some email, read a couple of friends' blog entries and then came to my own. I thought...what did I learn today?
I learned you can move slowly through a fast day and get a lot of meaningful things accomplished.
But now I'll quickly go to sleep.
I cannot imagine a much better way to begin a work day.
After the meeting there was plenty to do, and almost all of it was urgent, but it didn't create panic or stress because we'd taken the time to reflect before we even began.
During lunch I ran an errand to pay a bill at Kohl's. Wednesdays are senior discount day at Kohl's. There are lovely old people everywhere navigating the dozens of kiosks in the aisles at their own liesurely pace. I only get 30 minutes for lunch, but I managed to wait fairly patiently in a long line at Customer Service where the employees feel no sense of urgency whatsoever and then found a majorly discounted sweater with the exact type of collar I'd been looking for forever in the perfect color for the holidays (red) and a Christmas gift for someone else on the way out.
After work I had to run to Walmart. Again. I was there yesterday. But for some inescapable reason 10 minutes after I get home from Walmart each week I immediately notice a half dozen items we are completely out of and can't wait to buy (like toilet paper, shampoo and milk, etc.). There are a thousand other people in Walmart all in a hurry to get home but I manage to find all the items on my shopping list calmly by stopping every so often to check them off.
I got home and got dinner in the oven and then helped the kids finish their homework, instead of trying to do both at once to save time which, let's face it, always ends badly. Mostly because of my inability to truly multitask for any length of time without great frustration.
After dinner I took Caitlin to her youth group meeting and met with several mom's of the other kids in the youth group for a Bible study during which we took turns reading and talking about the lesson. No one even glanced at the clock for the first hour of a 90 minute meeting.
I got home around 9:30 pm, tucked the twins into bed and cleared out some email, read a couple of friends' blog entries and then came to my own. I thought...what did I learn today?
I learned you can move slowly through a fast day and get a lot of meaningful things accomplished.
But now I'll quickly go to sleep.
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Advent
On the first day of Advent, my true love gave to me.....permission to be a little lazy.
December is quite a busy month around here - yes, yes, for us all I know. But it's also Dan and Caitlin's birthday month, we usually have out of town company and working at a church means business tends to ramp up instead of cool down. I am however, extraordinarily grateful not to be working retail anymore.
So...we have plans for the next 9 consecutive evenings, then a day off, then a packed weekend, and five more consecutive evenings planned.
The good news is we both have some vacation time coming and will be taking it. The better news is we had a really relaxing Thanksgiving weekend - the calm before the storm. The best news is, I'm exercising boundaries much better these days and perfectly willing to back out of any number of said planned evenings if I feel the stress rise.
One of the women I work with (whom I adore) had us all over to her place for lunch yesterday to kind of take stock of all our blessings and encourage each other to enter the season peacefully and concentrate on the real cause for celebration and not the stuff or the events or anything that detracts from the real reason we as Christians celebrate Christmas.
The Word became flesh.
Stunning.
December is quite a busy month around here - yes, yes, for us all I know. But it's also Dan and Caitlin's birthday month, we usually have out of town company and working at a church means business tends to ramp up instead of cool down. I am however, extraordinarily grateful not to be working retail anymore.
So...we have plans for the next 9 consecutive evenings, then a day off, then a packed weekend, and five more consecutive evenings planned.
The good news is we both have some vacation time coming and will be taking it. The better news is we had a really relaxing Thanksgiving weekend - the calm before the storm. The best news is, I'm exercising boundaries much better these days and perfectly willing to back out of any number of said planned evenings if I feel the stress rise.
One of the women I work with (whom I adore) had us all over to her place for lunch yesterday to kind of take stock of all our blessings and encourage each other to enter the season peacefully and concentrate on the real cause for celebration and not the stuff or the events or anything that detracts from the real reason we as Christians celebrate Christmas.
The Word became flesh.
Stunning.
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