11-20 gifts I am grateful for

11. Dwindling piles of ironing
12. My prayer group
13. CASA, case workers, and those working in the court for children
14. Knock out roses
15. Grandchildren and all their talents and interests
16. Family connections
17. Neighbors and their generosity
18. Church and opportunities for children and adults to make connections
19. Music and the joy it gives in participating and enjoying
20. Husbands who like to cook

Gratitude

Naming and giving thanks for those things that give you joy, satisfaction, or serenity helps you to focus on blessings rather than be affected by negatives. Giving thanks for something that is not quite enough makes it more than enough. Several years ago I did a gratitude journal while reading Sarah Ban Breathnach. I highly recommend it and have decided I will do it again this summer. Since I am reading One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp, I plan to try to name one thousand gifts I am grateful for and give thanks to God for each of them.

1. It is Memorial Day, so I am thankful for all those who have, are, and will serve to protect us and our freedoms. May we live honorably and as servants to others to honor those sacrifices and God's blessings to this country.

2. Sunny days and blue skies after the many days of rain and storms.

3. The privilege of participating on other's lives and seeing their children grow up. Happy Graduation to Tyler.

4. The blessing of getting to know the loving, calm, wise, and serene nature of elderly friends and family. I'm thankful for the 90th birthday party I will be attending for a former member of our church shut in committee who now is one of our precious shut ins. Happy 90th Pat.

5. A husband who puts a fan out for me when i lay out to help keep me cool and bug free.

6. Texting as a wonderful way to share something fun quickly and easily with friends and family

7. Technology in general, as a way to share with those we might not otherwise keep as close touch with.

8. Time off work to take a deep breath, reflect, and smell the roses.

9. Beautiful flowers and birds in all their colors.

10. Most importantly and above all, God's love, grace, and forgiveness through the sacrifice of Jesus.

Beth Moore - Living Beyond Yourself

My prayer group is doing their first Bible Study. We have read lots of books by great Christian authors and discussed them--as well as doing lots of chatting. It is new to dig into study where you look up tons of verses because they aren't written there for you. Its been good. With a Southern Baptist childhood, I'm kind of going back to my roots. The point of this study so far has been the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and all that does automatically for us as Christians, but more importantly what is available that is often not pursued. We do have to request and give permission for complete filling by the spirit and many of us never do that or realize there is more to gain by doing so. This involves the fruit of the spirit including love, joy, peace, patience, faithfulness, kindness, gentleness, goodness, and self-control. Aren't these qualities we would all like to have?

Our DVD for the end of unit 2 focused on being in tune to the spirit for guidance in decisions. As God may be trying to tell you either A) yes, do this, B) yes, I want you to do this, but be prepared that it will be difficult--and you should not question because of those difficulties that you should have done it, or C) no, I do not want you to this at all--maybe because there is hidden potential for evil, but also it may be because this is just not the ministry I have in mind for you now. As Beth says, if God is telling you these things, don't you want to be able to hear Him?

She uses the analogy of resonance. I was not aware that when playing middle C on the piano, for example, that all the strings for other C's and harmonizing notes do a slight vibration as well. We want to be in that kind of resonance with God so when He plays a note, we are in tuned to what He is telling us. I have always thought of it as the Holy Spirit planting thoughts in my mind.

Here are the three ways the Holy Spirit helps us hear what He is saying: 1) Perceiving is simply sensing what He is telling us, 2) Discerning is not just telling right from wrong so you can avoid wrong, but alo knowing which of all needed good things out there that God wants YOU to focus on, and 3) Having insight for things you may not have the familiarity, point of reference, and backround experience for personally. God gives you what you need to deal with new situations or to help others. Beth gives the example of flying to New York on a practically empty flight after 9/11 when she was asked to speak to a meeting of church leaders. She was praying to God on the way that she had no background experience (file) to pull from in something like this. He put her at ease by telling her He had the file, and she should just let him guide her.

I would highly recommend this study workbook even if you don't have access to the DVDs to watch.

Its not weakness, its lack of knowledge

A tragedy has happened in a family. This family has had a multitude of problems. Did it start with a young lady who left her home to escape the physical abuse from her father at the age of 14? Did this poor male role model of a father define her own single criteria for a future husband--one that doesn't hit. When this woman's husband ended up being disrespectful and unfaithful as a husband and father, what kind of role model was he? Is this why his own daughter didn't have very high expectations for who might father her own children? Is this why some young girls desperately seek love from any male?

Men who are not kind, loving, and have a work ethic do not build the self-esteem and expectations in their daughters that they deserve to be treated with respect. The two boys in the third generation of this family were loved, but lacked some important knowledge often learned from role models. Four illegitimate children are the result and their own lack of providing good fathering skills because they were never given all the tools themselves.

Probably the biggest tragedy in all this is society's attitude about being weak if you don't deal with problems well. As a result, people feel shame and won't admit they have a problem they don't know how to deal with and don't ask for help. Instead, they "buck up", which means burying your feelings and not dealing with them. This can be very dangerous. One of these two third generation young men had a very sensitive nature and probably didn't want anyone to worry about him. He didn't deal with his feelings; instead he took himself out of the equation of life entirely. He has left 2 sons without a fatherly role model at all and a nephew who he was a role model to with a vision of finding him in a horrible state that will never be erased entirely.

Not dealing well with problems is not about weakness. Its about having knowledge and tools. No one would expect you to go bake a souffle without knowledge and tools. No one should expect anyone to deal with serious problems and crisis without knowledge and tools. Lets pray that those who need help will not be ashamed and embarrassed to ask for it--from God and people. "Bucking up" is only the answer with minor disappointments and skinned knees--not serious problems and life crisis.

TV--Now and Then

Sometimes I wake up with things on my mind on want to write about them. This morning it was television. I don't remember watching much TV as a child. I was pretty much outside all the time, and the thing I remember doing is playing baseball down the alley with several neighborhood kids. Now this was a nice grass covered overgrown "used to be"alley--perfect as a neighborhood gathering place. I remember more the Saturday morning shows like Sky King (I even had his autograph), Lone Ranger, Lassie, and Mickey Mouse Club (which may not have been on Sat). I think when I was a little older I watched Donna Reed, Father Knows Best, and Andy Griffith. I especially remember I must have been early teens with Donna Reed because I so wanted my shirts to fit like they did on Shelley Fabares. Anyway, the point being, I have lived through a lot of television and occasionally realize that it has so gradually changed that I am not even always aware of it. Shows used to be about families (even a child being raised by his father and great-aunt) and their everyday life lessons. Children generally experienced a life delimma and choice that they learned a lesson from during the show. How wonderfully appropriate for families to watch together on TV. Now most comedies and many dramas revolve entirely around sex. It has happened gradually over the years. During the Dick Van Dyke years, we became aware of TV rules about the parents' bedroom scenes. Usually there were twin beds, but if not, everyone had to have a foot on the floor during those scenes. They did not want anyone thinking about sex--just the family dynamics and interractions.

Now many, many shows revolve around sex--with a sense of humor and in a serious mode and both in, but mostly out of marriage. We have seen this so much, we become numb to it, accept it, and often don't stop and think about the impression it is making on our children. Sex should not be thought of as a recreational activity. Most mature adults can handle some sex humor, but for children and teenagers, it is helping to form their view of the world. I remember what I told my children when they were old enough that I knew I had no control of what movies they would be going to. I told them if they stopped feeling embarassed by things they saw that were inappropriate, they were seeing too much of it. I think I've seen too much of it. I enjoy sometimes going to channels that show some of those older shows. I even laugh more now at things like Beverly Hillbillies than I ever did before. Perhaps I am longing for just plain humor unrelated to sex.

Ortberg

I have a friend who keeps me supplied with good Christian reading. She usually is more of a reader than I am, so the books sometimes get stacked up on me. I manage to eventually read them though because I respect her judgment of the value in the ones she likes. She has exhausted the book lists of Yancey, Lucado, and some others. She has discovered John Ortberg and is now reading everything she can get her hands on by him. Therefore, I will be too. Thanks Sue for keeping me reading these inspirational works.

The two books I have now started on simultaneously are "Everybody's Normal Till You Get to Know Them" (you have to love this title) and "The Life You've Always Wanted". Today's comments address the first.

Ortberg compares all of us to the "as is" merchandise at a sale. We all have imperfections that may not show up right away. His statement about us loving being a part of a Christian (or any) community we dream of but not so fond of the reality of the Christian community we know is often correct. It reminds me of the girl who mourns the loss of a boyfrined who lied and cheated. She is not mourning that boy at all; she is mourning what she wished her boyfriend had been like. He also makes a point that those who think the Bible is full of righteous people haven't read it. Neither the Bible or churches are full of "normal" or righteous people. That means we are not "normal" either and should be cutting others as much slack as we hope they cut us. Our backgrounds of experience and knowledge make us all so unique and complicated, and then that is further complicated by the different ways we react to these experiences. We need to embrace and love each other as much for our quirky qualities as for our "normal" qualities.

The Jewish word, shalom, that we think of as meaning peace actually means so much more:
"the webbing together of God, humans, and all creation in justice, fulfillment, and delight" (p. 19)
Note, this is not about normal or perfect people; it is about relationships where fair treatment, a soul full of love, and a heart full of joy is the standard between imperfect people and with their perfect God.

Imagine a world where that is the norm. Shalom!

Not too late

For those of you, like me, who finally lost control, got caught up in preparations for Christmas, and didn't finish the Advent reading and lost focus--You have until Wed (All King's Day--end of the 12 days of, etc...) to finish the advent readings, reflect on where you went wrong, and still appreciate the true meaning. Now that its more peaceful, you can remind yourself to fill yourself with God rather than food and activities. You can choose to believe and receive His gift and guidance for what is best--remembering that He works all things together for good AND His idea of you reaching your best achievments may not be the same as yours. His idea is better. His plan for your new year can be beyond any of your possible expectations, but it may not be anything like you expect. May you feel God's blessings, seek to serve Him by serving others, and follow His guidance.