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Monday, November 23, 2009

"I'd like to thank..."

All eyes are on her as she humbly walks up the grand steps up to the glittering stage and is greeted by the handsomely attired power-couple (whose names the press has somewhat cleverly hyphenated). They give her the award and it feels heavy and electric in her hands. She moves forward, chin ducked just a little, trying to take it all in- the lights, the applause, the fruition of years of work- all culminating here and now. She leans into the microphone and the crowd’s cheers respectfully come to a close. “Thank you” she says, not remembering how to begin the practiced speech. She pauses, smiles, and holds the award up, and points at a few people in the audience, as a silent acknowledgement to what they have done for her. Pausing once more, she begins again. “I’d like to thank…”

We’ve seen that awards ceremony on TV, time and time again. The speeches range from an exercise of polished words to minutes of stumbling through a haze of amazement, and from seemingly sincere to disingenuous. Many of the speeches acknowledge that co-workers, bosses, and family have helped them make it to this moment.

With this week being Thanksgiving, I couldn’t help visualize the variety of thanksgiving that is done in these and other settings, both secular and faith-focused, publically and privately. Giving thanks, true thanks from the heart, is always appropriate, not just on the one day our nation sets aside for giving thanks, but each and every day. Take a moment to consider how you give thanks. Do you recognize who it is that provides you with all that you have? Do you recognize that you didn’t get to where you are all by yourself?

My family has adopted a time of acknowledging our thanks around the Thanksgiving table. It is our custom to pray before meals, but during Thanksgiving we make a point of sharing a few words about those things of which we are specifically thankful. Together, we recognize that God is our Provider, and that he has generously given us each other, to love, care for, support, and encourage each other. It is a time to talk about being content with what God has provided throughout the year.

In the good times, in the difficult times, I am steadfastly sure that God is there in the midst of things, whether he is rescuing, protecting, comforting, or binding up our wounds. I am thankful in all these circumstances. I am thankful, for my family, my family in faith, my friends, old and new, near and far. Also, I am thankful that God not only works in my life, but in theirs as well. I hope this week is full of joy for you all, and that you can find plenty of things of which you are thankful.

“I will give you thanks, for you answered me; you have become my salvation” (Psalm 118:21).

“Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thess 5:16-18)

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Running. Praying. Hoping.

I ran this morning. For those of you who don’t know, being an early riser is not my forte. For me, mornings are usually quiet, a time of prayer, a time of gathering my thoughts and preparing for the day. But today, I woke up earlier than normal, had some quiet, and then felt the urge to run in the morning. By the way, it is a gorgeous day out today- blue, blue sky, 54 degrees, the air is crisp and sweet, and the atmosphere seems electric, charged with thoughts of hope. Cooling down from my run and continuing with prayers and thoughts, in part for a particular friend, my phone rang. Twas that very friend. And that is one picture of how God works. He hears when we call out to Him. He does answer us, sometimes in surprising and unexpected ways. Prayer is not a one way droning recitation of names on a list. It is not just talking to a wall or speaking magical words that cause the universe to bend at your own will.

Prayer is communicating with the One who is responsible for the whole of creation and chooses US as worthy of being in not just a dialogue, but in a loving and caring conversation between the perfect nurturing parent and His children whom He loves beyond all measure and all understanding. I remember so many days during my youth, when I’d curl up in my mom’s lap and she’d ask me how my day had been. If it was good, she’d be excited for me. If it was a hard day, she’d hug me and talk with me till I felt better and ready to face the world again. There were times when I think my dad (aka “MacGyver”) knew I needed a challenge and he’d let me help him with projects in the garage. He’d listen to my questions and show me new things and new ways of overcoming obstacles- obstacles with wood, metal, and life.

My parents listened. They answered me by speaking, guiding, showing, teaching, and sometimes by sitting there silently, allowing me to work through the problem under their tutelage. I didn’t get everything I wanted, and hindsight says, “GOOD” though it was a hard thing to hear back then. Now they weren’t perfect, but God is. He listens and answers with His perfect ways- sometimes with inaudible words for my heart, sometimes with silence while I work through things under His gentle guidance, and sometimes with a clear “no” which is hard to accept at that moment.

This morning, as I ran, I prayed for family, for new and long time friends, for people nearby and across the planet, for those who follow Christ faithfully, and for those (non-Christians and Christians alike) who have yet to understand the all-encompassing unconditional love that Christ has for them, regardless of the label they wear. Today is a new day, full of hope, full of possibilities, and there is no way that I can leave this computer and go out into the world without the full head and heart knowledge that Christ lives, loves and leads no matter what happens in the next moment.

Take a moment to look around today and open up, even just a little bit, to the possibilities that are out there. What if you asked God to listen you today? What if you gave Him room and time to answer you? What if….?

Monday, November 16, 2009

Not a Bad Monday

Monday gets a bad rap. Monday blues, and all those euphemisms that tell the world how much we would rather be anywhere than in the office on Monday morning. This weekend, like most, was packed with plenty to think about, pray about, talk about, plenty to plan and ponder, and plenty to do. Then comes Monday, and though I knew I had a stack of stuff waiting for me in the office, I didn’t grimace at the thought of dealing with it. Truth be told, Mondays don’t bother me and I love getting to do what I do, but paperwork has never been a particular joy.

This morning began like most, at home, with a time of quiet: prayer, getting centered, thinking about projects and people, and preparing for the day. Before I even walked out the door I had dealt with situations that tug at my heart and people that I care about who are struggling with life’s questions and problems. Part of my daily prayers are pleas for guidance in how to respond with compassion, love, wisdom and boldness. So by the time I set foot in my office today, my heart and brain were already in full forward motion.

There is so much going on around me- people with problems (some who want help and others who reject it), people with hurts, people who are upset, and all of these things have the capacity to weigh one down and usher in a feeling of hopelessness. Monday blues. Hopelessness. Those two could easily work in concert with each other and play a dreary tune in a minor key that would become an anthem of lament.

As easy as it could be to fall into that train of thought, I just can’t be pulled down today (or most days for that matter) because I am a person of hope. I see obstacles as a hurdle to jump, not a wall to smash up against. When I find a stack of papers and reports to fill out, I must find a way to overcome my enormous distaste for pencil pushing. When I’m working to plan out an event and come face to face with problems that hinder the project, I see that as a challenge to get creative and figure out how to accomplish the goals of that project or event. Mom would say I’m a little bull-headed, … but in a good way now (my homage to the wonderful teen years), yet I digress…

Say what you want about Rick Warren, but I read a retweeted comment by him saying, "Never let an impossible situation intimidate you. Let it motivate you to pray more, trust more, be more creative." I’m the glass half full girl, not in a blind-to-the-world Pollyanna “everything will be okay” kind of way, but fully realizing the reality of the world around me. I’m surrounded by artwork in my office that reminds me of HOPE and that though things are not always great, that the possibilities for them to become great are… well, great.

Today’s been a good day, full of opportunities to overcome obstacles and to pursue the heart-grabbing, awe-inspiring, grin-producing, faith-increasing moments that are there, … just waiting for me… just waiting for you. I wonder… I wonder what tomorrow will bring.


Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. (Romans 12:12)

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Miller Time

Monday 3:39 pm- I just realized that it is only 3 hours and 21 minutes till the Donald Miller book tour. I hope I’m not placing too much pressure on him to be brilliant. I’ve wanted to hear him speak ever since I finished his first book. My daughter told me I should read “Blue Like Jazz,” a “must-read” according to her. Okay, okay… I confess that I thought “how nice” and then promptly ignored it in lieu of other activities. But her continued … ahem… “encouragement” eventually moved me to make time for reading. Suffice it to say that she was right and we have since had great conversations about that book.

Time passes. Miller writes another book, this one entitled, “A Million Miles in a Thousand Years.” But this time, it only takes the brief suggestion of a daughter and a friend to go get the book and devour it. I’ve read it only once (the implication here is that I will be reading it again) and I’m looking forward to hearing whatever it is Miller will be sharing tonight.
Monday 6:45 pm- Arrived at the venue and we have located seats as close to the front as possible. I pull out my notebook and pen. I don’t want to miss anything. I notice I’m not the only one with that thought.

Monday 8:54 pm-
The post-tour-bus-ride-home-discussion question of “What did you think” is touched upon. There was a lot to take in tonight, some of which I converse about, some I retain and ponder awhile.

Monday 11:04 pm- I’m finally settling in to finish my thoughts, but my thoughts are still meandering about and not ready to settle down. I can only say Donald Miller’s talk was insightful, entertaining, inspirational and challenging. I appreciate his take on narrative and how we use it (cognitively or without realizing its usage), and his definition of what makes a good story. He shared that a good story has “a character who wants something and overcomes conflict to get it.” A compelling story as a character sacrificing something for others, and it contains conflict. When you merely look at these writing “tricks” as for writers only, you miss out on the richness that it brings to the discussion of what makes a great story in real life.

For quite some time before this book even came out, I was contemplating the narrative of life and how important our stories are. This book has taken that thought to a higher plain and has beautifully described the writing process. His talk tonight connected it to the living process. Too many gems in my notes and in his book to share. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is a writer wanting to write great stories, and to anyone who is ready to live a great story out there. Read it, then go live a great story.

Friday, November 6, 2009

A Nano-Second

I tried to look like I was not looking. The light should have turned green at any second, and I would have only slightly rolled to a pause by then. Besides, I was in a hurry. I had just made a short trip across town to borrow a book from my daughter at her church and take it back to my church. My boss was waiting for it. I didn’t have time to roll to a complete stop and look like I was looking at him… him… the man with sign that said “hungry…”

This had nothing to do with me being afraid of or really wanting to ignore the homeless man. I’ve stopped and helped them plenty of times. It’s not that I didn’t have money in my purse. I did. You see, I was excited about getting back to the office to discuss this new book about… worship, and talk about… worship. So, time and my zeal for doing the new thing God had been showing me about… worship… had me NOT looking at the man on the corner.

Now, in my mind, this whole scenario and dialog within my head lasted an hour. In “actual” time, it lasted a nano-second. In “real” time, I pulled up toward the red light, saw the man standing there and that the light would remain red long enough that I would stop right beside him. I paused that nano-second before coming to a complete halt, and then turned to look at him. I knew, not just what I would do if I were a “good Christian”, but I knew what I really wanted to do. The window came down. “You hungry?” I asked, and he nodded I asked if there was a store on the other side that had food. He nodded and headed that direction to meet me.

Now I have to laugh at myself here, shaking my head over my nano-second hesitation. After all, for some time now I’ve been asking God for those little gems of moments where I can be out of the office and in the community at large where I can meet people and visit with them. Here, on a big in-my-face silver God-delivered platter, was exactly what I had been asking for- and I had been in a hurry to talk about… worship. Pul-eeeeze! What if the light there had been green? I have to laugh and give God a wink and a nod, because He has this way… His unique way of bringing things to my attention so that even if I take that nano-second pause, I’ll see past myself and listen to that voice, “Stop. Pay Attention. Listen. Act.”

This is the day I got to meet Alfredo. Just as I have done many times before with others, I went with this man into the store and had the honor of asking him what he needed. I handed him a basket and repeated the mantra over and over, “What else do you need?” It took a while to convince him I was serious, but finally, the basket was full, he was satisfied, the purchase was made, and we ended up outside visiting.

I say this, NOT to show how wonderful I am or to get my super-Christian points of the day (I did consider doing the “There was this woman who saw a homeless man on the curb” thing instead of “I saw this man…”). I am merely pointing out how close we come to missing out on the very things we pray about- the very things we ask God to show us and provide for us. I was a nano-second away from missing out on the conversation that came after Alfredo tucked his groceries into the recesses of his cart. I was a nano-second away from missing out on what Alfredo had to teach me. I was a nano-second away from missing out on the honor of feeding and caring for a man loved dearly by Christ.

Be diligent in prayer. Be bold in continually asking for the Spirit to guide you. Be careful to listen, and ready to act accordingly. It’s amazing what God can and will do- within a nano-second of time.