Talk with Laura...

I Confess.....

2011-10-13T13:19:00.001-07:00

I Confess…

It’s a Skittles and coffee kind of day. I discovered the Skittles in the pantry and their appearance is just about as pristine as mine is. I think one of the grandchildren must have left them behind. The crinkled primary colored package just fits into the palm of my hand. I spill their rainbow colors onto the desk and warm my hands around the very large cup of coffee.

A nagging headache…probably due to my vow last night to cut down on my caffeine consumption…hence the coffee (de-caf) rather than Coca Cola. Up too late last night and up too early this morning. My thoughts as fragmented as the sentence structure and punctuation of this writing. And I wonder, how do they do it? You know the ones I mean, all those women who look like they have it all together. Polished, smooth, unflustered…how do you get there? My mind cries out to them, show me how, take me too! Instead, I pull my sweatshirt hood over my head and reach for another Skittle.

There are blessings in days like today. It is a blessing to realize that once again I must fight down the spirit of competition that so often drives me to a place of negativity. It is so damaging to relationships to elevate others too much, just as it is equally damaging to diminish others. It truly is about balance. It is a blessing to be reminded that I don’t have to have it all together to enter into the presence and the peace of God. He loves me in my entire flawed and scarred splendor.

I never want to take advantage of His grace and to use it as an excuse for lack of striving, but neither do I want to measure the clarity of His presence by the degree of my productivity and external polish.

It has been a fabulously difficult week, a rollercoaster time of laughter and tears, and I have felt His presence and comfort through it all.

I accept His grace. I reach for the last Skittle. All is well.

My El Dorado

2011-10-05T07:20:00.001-07:00

I think my neighborhood was designed for autumn. As the sun climbed into the trees this morning, its light radiated from the golden leaves, turning the uppermost canopy into a woodland El Dorado. My feet crunched through the early drifts of leaves, hearing the promise of their transformation into heaping mounds of dusty color. The jays were talking with one another their chatter less raucous in the honor of this beautiful morning.

The tall grasses in my yard are heavy with their seed heads. The birds will enjoy their bounty when the snows come this winter. The rains of last week bent several of them over to such a degree that as I walk through them it is as if a garden honor guard greets me.

The staccato of the roofers’ hammers, which was the counterpoint to my activities yesterday, has ceased. I paused to admire the difference new shingles made on the house. The house now looks cozier, ready to button up for the colder weather ahead. I know that winter is coming but today I revel in the autumn.

The day ahead is full of difficulties and the need to accomplish more than is possible. My feet hit the floor this morning with more dread than delight, but the beauty of the morning has called me away from a day wrapped in sheer determination and into a day of soul satisfying awareness of the Lord. He alone is my internal El Dorado, His infinity willing to indwell my finiteness, His power willing to order my day. I am grateful.

Let the heavens be glad the earth rejoice!

Tell all the nations, “The Lord reigns!”

Let the sea and everything in it shout his praise!

Let the fields and their crops burst out with joy!

Let the trees of the forest rustle with praise,

for the Lord is coming to judge the earth.

Give thanks to the Lord for he is good!

His faithful love endures forever.

I Chronicles. 16:31-34 NLT

All Is Well

2011-08-01T21:13:00.001-07:00

August 1, 2011

Monday

It’s been an amazing weekend. In honor of our youngest granddaughter’s birthday her parents rented the local swimming pool. Family and friends gathered together to splash and celebrate. There is a special age[i] that when reached all people who have seen you in your swimsuit become dear friends…there isn’t anything in the world you wouldn’t do for them…they have too much information now! After all the laughter and activity, the house has settled into a summer afternoon peacefulness.

It’s the kind of afternoon where the drone of the fan reminds me of summer naptimes at Grandma’s house. How strange it still seems to be the keeper of the grandma traditions rather than the recipient.

In the next two weeks our lives will be undergoing another transition. Tom and his wife Britny will be moving to their apartment at college, the friend who has been staying with us for a little over a year will be getting his own apartment, and once again it will be Steve and me. Some days that idea sounds more of a blessing than on other days.

As our lives and roles change it is easy to feel a little lost. If you are like me, there is such comfort in the familiar, but here I am, in a place where the unfamiliar looms large, casting its shadow across my days. Then I catch sight of a familiar hand reaching out of the shadow of the unfamiliar. Peace settles over me as once again as I notice “Laura” written on the palm. All is well.

¹⁶ See, I have written your name on the palms of my hands.

Isaiah 49:16 New Living Translation

[1] Feel free to substitute “size” instead of “age”

Rest for the Soul

2011-07-25T08:30:00.001-07:00

I went the wrong way on my walk today. It was an intentional “mistake.” Instead of turning left, I turned right and the walk for physical exercise was transformed into a place of rest for the soul.

The rains of the weekend have brought on a cooling of the temperatures that returned the pleasant to my walk. For the past week walks have been more of a test of endurance and discipline rather than a joy. The unrelenting heat had turned the pavement into a demonic torment but today it returned to the friendly path which I had previously known. The glaring sun that had stolen any softness and grace from the landscape was blessedly absent. The early morning fog provided a gentling of the previous harshness, its soft gray transforming the line of trees in the distance into a mystical place inviting exploration. A new flowerbed in a neighbor’s yard which had not made sense to my eye as I zipped by in my car now revealed its beauty as I strolled by, its plants dripping with glistening flecks of moisture.

There are so many images I wish I could share with you; the cat lounging in a drive, the sounds of my neighbor’s voices as they talked with one another as they worked together completing a task in the yard before the heat of the day comes on, the tiny wren sitting on a branch that was just inches away from my face, and the soft cooing of the mourning doves. But more than any of those images I long to share with you the peace that pervaded my walk. I thought of you as I walked…those who enter into my life through the reading of these random thoughts, and I prayed for you.

The day has just begun. There is much to be done, both the known and the unknown, but for these moments in the misty, gray dawn there is peace and that is enough. God is near.

Blessings, Laura

The Danger of Easy Prayer

2011-07-21T12:10:00.000-07:00

It is so easy to offer up the easy prayer: the prayer that is more of an investment of time rather than the investment of the spirit. To invest our spirit and heart into prayer is to go to the most vulnerable of places. The place of invested prayer requires a true submission to the will of God. The place of invested prayer is the place where we understand deeply that our will and our ideas may not be in line with the will and ideas of God. The place of invested prayer says that we are willing to surrender, totally surrender the illusions of the seen for the reality of the unseen.

We see the physical world…while invested prayer trusts the unseen world. The unseen world is the place of clarity while the seen world is an environment of funhouse mirrors…all distortion and illusion.

We see physical needs…God knows healing in both this world and the next. We see material needs…God is in control of all blessings. We see wars of guns and weapons…God sees our distraction from the spiritual battles that are of even greater consequence. We see deficit…God sees transformation. We see our own superiority while God sees our hearts.

We must approach prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart. We must approach prayer with the understanding that we are being given an audience with the divine Father. We must devote ourselves to prayer that seeks to being glory and honor to the will of God rather than an easy prayer which removes another thing from out to-do list.

2 Colossians 4:2 NLT

² Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart.

There's still Good News!

2011-06-29T14:00:00.001-07:00

The grandchildren have been playing with my laptop computer again. They always ask permission, and when their request is granted they play their games with great enthusiasm. That’s the problem…their enthusiasm.

They know that one of the stipulations for using Grandma’s laptop is that they are not to touch the screen, but the game gets exciting; the other children offer the player advice, then the next thing you know…fingerprints and smudges are all over the screen. They didn’t mean to break the rule; they didn’t mean to leave a mess; they just got carried away. Sounds familiar doesn’t it?

How many times have we gotten carried away with something which God has given us permission to do! Our enthusiasm quickly changes into leaning into our own understanding and then becomes distorted by own agendas and objectives. The project is soon covered with our fingerprints and smudges. The image of God becomes vague. The end result is what we once offered to God as an act of worship and thanksgiving has become a feeble monument to our own abilities and efforts.

There is still “Good News” for us! Just as the grandchildren are not forever banned from the computer, we are not forever banned from the work of God. The grandchildren’s fingerprints are cleaned off the screen with little effort. Our monuments to self are just as easily wiped out by the hand of God. We learn, move on, and God calls us again to HIS WORK. We have learned to walk in attentive humility, listening for HIS voice, and putting to death our own objectives and agendas. The image of God becomes brilliantly sharp and clear, and we are content.

It was beautiful!

2011-06-08T06:24:00.000-07:00

The invitations had been sent, the music chosen, the food was prepared, the flowers ordered, the clothing for the groom and the bride had been purchased, hair and make-up….The list just went on and on. That morning I had said that I needed another week to complete all that I thought needed to be done before the wedding could take place. But the time had arrived and the things left unfinished on the list could not stop it.

It was time. The groom stepped into the sanctuary and waited for his bride. The words of the Song of Solomon filled the sanctuary “My beautiful one, arise and come with me. I am my love’s, my beloved is mine.” And although I had already seen the bride before she entered the sanctuary, it took my breath away to see her as she walked toward her groom. I thought I knew how beautiful she would look but I was wrong. She truly was radiant.

I heard the words of love and commitment exchanged, and I once again understood why the images from a wedding are used to describe the relationship between the Church and God. We think that we know the Church…but there is nothing that can totally prepare us the beauty that will be hers on that glorious day of The Great Wedding.

How often we fail to realize that we are to be in constant preparation for The Great Wedding. The time will arrive regardless of our state of readiness. The Lamb’s beautiful bride will meet her beloved groom and those who are ready will be a part of that magnificent celebration.

How are we doing on preparing for the wedding? How are we doing individually? How are we doing in our local churches? How are we doing as the Church universal?

The time is coming and we must be ready!!! Let’s throw off all that would hinder us and get ready for the wedding!

Revelation 19:7

⁷ Let us rejoice and be glad
and give him glory!
For the wedding of the Lamb has come,
and his bride has made herself ready.

Celebrate!

2011-05-31T06:32:00.000-07:00

There’s going to be a wedding! Our youngest is getting married. He will enter into the journey of love that his older brothers and sister have already entered. The lists are epic as we enter into the final week before the ceremony. We are counting…we are counting the days, we are counting the responses from friends and family, we are counting chairs, and we are counting pennies! We want everything to go as smoothly as possible. And while I know that there will be glitches in the day, I am praying that they will be small ones! As the day draws nearer I find my mind returning time and time again to the wedding at Cana and the major glitch of running out of wine before the celebration was over.

Why did they run out of wine? Was the count off? Was their list incomplete? Did more guests attend than responded to the RSVP? Regardless of the reason the parents are left with hours and hours of planning crumbling before their eyes. What will they do now? As I read the story from the gospel of John chapter 2, my heart pounds. I know how this story ends, but how will it end for us on June 3?

Isn’t this story a perfect example of the many struggles that we have in our own faith journey? We know what God can do and we know what he has done in the past but what about our present? Will we be rescued? Will the water be changed into wine or will the embarrassment of ‘not enough” be ours?

The truth is that I don’t know how things will go on June 3, but this I do know…God will be present. I know this because he has promised to never leave us nor forsake us. The ultimate reality is not the question of God’s presence but rather the question of our willingness to see his presence and guiding hand in our personal faith journeys. We must continually re-center ourselves on his presence rather than on the distractions of life and as we rediscover the center of Christ we will be able to trust his guiding hand in the process.

The Celebration is not in having enough to go around but rather the true celebration of life is in being surrounded by the presence of Christ which is more than enough! Let’s Celebrate!!

Facing The Storm

2011-05-25T14:23:00.001-07:00

I used to rush out to meet the storms. As the winds blew and the hail pounded the earth I would run outside and watch the spectacle as the sirens wailed a counterpoint pleading with me to take cover. But I was mesmerized by the power of it all, and I didn’t want to miss a second of it…until we moved to Kansas. There in the birthplace of tornados I learned that the power of a storm wielded a cruelty that could not be equaled. Homes were destroyed and lives were lost as those swirling columns of air indiscriminately danced across the prairie. I learned to hide from the cruel cloud and to pray that its power would pass far from where I resided. I learned to take shelter and wait for the storm to reach its point of exhaustion.

I used to rush out to meet the storms. As the drama of life was played out I would run to the excitement and participate in spectacle of self-centeredness as the Spirit would call a counterpoint of warning. But I was mesmerized by the excitement of it all and I didn’t want to miss a second of it…until I moved into the will of God. There in the birthplace of love I learned that the self-inflicted dramas of life wielded a cruelty that could not be equaled. Homes were destroyed and lives were lost as the swirling destructive leading of self-centeredness indiscriminately danced across the decisions of life. I have learned to slay the cruel cloud of self and to pray that its power would pass from me so that a place where Love could reside would be created. I learned to take shelter in the cleft of the rock and wait for the storm of self to reach its point of exhaustion. Then I find the peace that passes all understanding because then I can see and trust the guiding hand of Love, and I know the power of His death and resurrection. I now know that this Love is more powerful then the spectacle of self-centeredness and the call of the Spirit is the mesmerizing song of true Love.

What A Difference A Day Makes

2011-05-17T18:18:00.000-07:00

What a Difference a Day Makes

Yesterday was not a sterling day. It started out well. I awoke refreshed and delighted to meet a new day. A beautiful rendition of the hymn “Jesus Lover of My Soul” was playing in my memory. As I took my early morning walk I saw a Blue Heron in flight across a blush pink sky. What a sight! My daily devotions spoke to my spirit. A beautiful beginning to a promising day!

I don’t know what happened next, but in spite of all my spiritual preparation the day turned sour. So I did what any Christian would do…I returned to prayer. After a time of personal prayer my heart was still heavy and my spirit lacked peace, so I e-mailed some friends and asked them to pray for me. I knew that that they would and I know that they did…but the anticipated lightening of my spirit did not come. As I worked around the house I sang hymns and continued to put up silent prayers, but my family soon began to avoid me. They thought I was being DIFFICULT! DUH…I was feeling DIFFICULT! And I couldn’t get away from me!!

So what are we to do when these days hit? Those days when we do all the “right things” and yet there is still a heaviness of spirit.

Laura’s Rules for “One of Those Days”

1. 1. Don’t get caught up in feelings of guilt. The spiritual disciplines of prayer, praise, and scripture reading are not vending machines that are guaranteed to supply us with a great day. Continue to practice the spiritual disciplines; they are an expression of our faith. The evil one will try to tell us that days like these are the result of a lack of favor with God. Don’t buy into that!

2. 2. Remember that faith can grow during a bad day as well as during a good day. We are promised that one day our faith will become sight…but right now faith is faith…which means that what we often see or feel is not the eternal reality.

3. 3.Exercise “Spirit-Control.” “Self” is not your friend on day like this. Self will tempt you to speak and do things that are not the will of the Father. Lean into the Spirit and if necessary forget your cell phone so that you have to think twice before you make that call!

4. 4. Chocolate is a blessing and not a crutch! Just remember to savor a small amount rather than fall into chocolate gluttony. When I found out the CVS had large Hershey bars on sale yesterday, I did NOT go there.

5. 5. And remember “What a difference a day makes.” I promise tomorrow will be different. There will be new joys and new trials, but this spiritual heaviness is not forever!

I Give Up

2011-05-11T17:02:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,

This writing has seems to have found a common place with many of you. Although I have shared this with some of you through Ladies’ Day and e-mails, I share it with you again at the request of some of your sisters in Christ.

God bless you this day!

I Give Up

Luke 14:25-33

Lord I come before You today…

I feel lost…but You know where I am.

I feel exhausted…but You are my strength.

I feel confused…but You give wisdom to all who ask for it.

I feel overwhelmed…but You are my peace.

I feel non-productive…but You are the Creator.

I feel overworked…but You call me to rest.

I feel unheard…but You hear every prayer and thought of my heart.

Today Lord, I give up. You have said that to be your disciple is to know the cost. You don’t try to hide this from me. To be your disciple: “In the same way, anyone of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.”

The problem is Lord that the more I give up the more you give.

I give up to you today my: family, friends, relationships and honor, my dreams and my goals, my self-esteem and the other sources of my identity. I give up my desire to be liked and affirmed, my praise and my self-justifications. I give up my voice so that only Yours may be heard. I give up my strengths so that I may know Your strength and power. I give up my desire for recognition so that others, as well as myself, can only see You. I give up my “rights” so that your Justice will be achieved. I give it all to You.

Take my time Lord…the time I have before me and the time I think I have before me. Guide my will so that it is fully lost in Yours. May there be no distance between Your will, my will and my actions.

I GIVE UP…Praise the LORD…I GIVE UP!

Floods of Life

2011-05-05T06:21:00.000-07:00

This morning I watched the video of the blowing of the Birds’ Point Levee in Missouri. The bright flashes of light against the dark sky as well as the delayed rumble of the explosions fueled my imagination. In my mind’s eye I saw the muddy water cascade over the ruined levee as it dug a crevasse into the once fertile soil. One group had been ordered to sacrifice to save the greater number. My heart broke.

I grew up along the Illinois River. In some of greatest floods of the last century I saw the wind whip waves over the tops of levees. I felt the pounding power of that water as it battered the sodden dirt barrier, and I knew the terror of the realization that even the earth under our feet was not to be trusted. I had traveled that river at flood stage and had seen how its waters had swept away the familiar. The floods were powerful; they could forever change the trajectory of the river, and what we had once mistaken for permanence was moved into the realm of memory. It is no wonder that we often use flood language to describe some events in our lives, and it is no wonder that God uses flood language as well to reassure us of His love and abiding presence.

During a time of flooding in my hometown where the ground water rose so high and for so long that many homes were lost, including the home where my sister lived and which had been connected to our family for almost a century, Isaiah 43 took on a deeper meaning for me.

Isaiah 43:1b-3

“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.
² When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers,
they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.
³ For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior;

Beloved of God, some of us are facing rising waters in our lives, for others the heat of the flames can be felt, but in this I put my trust: God is with us. Take confidence in that this day. He loves us, and He will not leave us…even when what we once believed to be permanent has just been moved into the realm of memory.

Beloved of God, some of us are on high ground. Our rejoicing flows easily from our lips, and our hearts leap with joy for each new day, but in this we can put our trust: God is with us. Take confidence in that this day. He loves us, and He will never leave us…even as the familiar remains familiar.

Take heart! On Christ the solid Rock we stand!

Blessings,

Laura

Sitting with Children

2010-06-23T09:30:00.000-07:00

I love to sit with children. Oh, not babysitting for that defines the roles of who takes care of whom, but rather I love to sit with children. To sit with children is to reengage my own wonder and imagination, something which we adults have regulated to the unnecessary. But the children know.

Children stop long enough to wonder. To wonder where the white goes when the snow melts, to wonder if worms really like the dirt or would they rather eat peanut butter, to wonder what glue God uses to make flower petals stay on the stem.

Children ask questions out of awe rather than out of discontent. Marian Bantjes puts it this way: “To wonder is to ask questions. To experience wonder is to experience awe.”

We are to stand in awe in the presence of God, but then if God is everywhere then should not awe be a constant feeling for us rather than a unique experience?

The loss of awe is the loss of wonder, the loss of wonder is the loss of questions, and the loss of questions is the loss of understanding who we are and who God is.

Stop for a moment and sit with a child for the abundant life is found in how and with whom we spend the moments. Notice and wonder and be awed.

Our Father has something special He wants to show us today. Multitasking was meant for computers, wonder and awe were meant for people. Sit with a child today and rediscover the Father.

John 10:10 (New Living Translation)

The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.

What It Takes

2010-02-16T15:36:00.000-08:00

More snow! And I am thrilled. I am one of the few who will admit that I love the snow. It’s not a popular stand to have right now, but there it is none the less. I love the snow as it falls, as it drifts, and yes, I even love to shovel snow.

There are those who see the winter as a season characterized by drabness. There are times that I agree with them but then there are times such as these; a time when everything is draped in white, when the winds come and sculpt the snow into surreal shapes, and I am filled with joy.

Most of us have something that reminds us that we are not in step with the majority of people. Being out of step with those around us is not always bad. It introduces a sense of diversity that enhances relationships. But there is One with who to be out of step is incredibly dangerous. We find ourselves in the position where to continue in this discordant relationship puts our souls in incredible danger.

Sometimes drabness will creep into our relationship with the Lord. We begin to feel out of step with Him and wonder when the relationship will once again be filled with light, and we will once again desire to grow closer to the Lord, no matter what it takes.

There is no such thing as a vital Christian faith without a continual desire to grow closer to the Lord. We understand that as we walk this journey of faith that we will never arrive at completion. There will always be more to learn about God. We long to know Him more and more deeply and to feel His presence more keenly.

There are three main points which are necessary to this growth in and through grace.

1. We must have a correct concept of God

2. We must have a correct concept of self.

3. We must be willing to change.

If any of these three things are absent then at the best spiritual growth is stunted and at the worst spiritual growth is impossible. We must look to God to understand who we are. Through the presence of His grace He allows is to see what we really are and consequently we see Him as He truly is. But this vision is not enough to allow us to experience growth. By the power of the Holy Spirit we must allow this knowledge to transform our very minds. The knowledge of God alone is not enough. Even the demons believe in God and yet they shudder. So to know that God is God and we are not is an incomplete understanding. We must be willing to act on that knowledge and to present ourselves to Him as a living sacrifice. We must be willing to change.

The Church has long recognized the need for self-examination and of time for a fresh infilling of the Holy Spirit. The need is so great that we set aside specific times to gather and examine the state of our souls both individually and as a community of faith. Our district is calling us to come together to think on these things.

The Great Awakening services will begin February 23 at Portland Church of the Nazarene, the twenty-fourth at Muncie South Side, the twenty-fifth at Elkhart Northside and the twenty-sixth at Fort Wayne Grace Point. We are inviting the Holy Spirit to reveal, renew, and refill us, and by doing so that we will be empowered to do great things for the Lord.

My dear sisters of faith, when we make these three points a matter of intense prayer and motivation in our daily walk, then we will become stronger daughters of the Father and the Body of Christ will flourish.

Oh, and for those of you who do not love the snow like I do…I saw ten robins in my backyard this morning! Spring is on its way!

Christmas Clearance

2009-12-31T12:41:00.001-08:00

Well, it has come upon us. Another season of the year. There seem to be a multitude of ways in which we mark the passing of seasons. Some people use the calendar, some use the weather, and some use the ads in the papers and on television. If we allow the retail market to determine the seasons of the year, then things can become very confusing. After the “Back to School” sales comes a season which I have decided to call “HallowThankMas.” (I think that I should get this copyrighted!)

HallowThankMas commemorates the blending of the holidays which we observe October through December, the holidays of Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas. Regardless of what you may call this time of year it is followed by another great holiday tradition called “Clearance” and that is where we now find ourselves.

True retail magic happens during “Clearance.” Items which were very valuable and in high demand are suddenly, overnight, demoted in importance and value. Now, that which was previously greatly sought after, is thrown any which way into a secondary aisle and bears a new brightly colored sticker which says that it value is at a fraction of what it was a mere twenty-four hours ago. It is an amazing transformation. And while I love shopping “Clearance” it is an attitude of which we must be careful. “Clearance” is a great concept when it comes to wrapping paper and decorations, but it is a dangerous thing when it is applied to the message of Christmas.

Too often when we pack away the decorations, we also pack away our attitudes of “Peace on Earth…Goodwill to Humanity” ideas. Resentfulness and bitterness re-enter our hearts. The persons for whom we willingly made contributions during the Christmas season, we can now think of as lazy or undeserving, or even worse we ignore their need altogether. That is when we have “Clearanced Christmas.” The children whom we wanted to be certain had a present under the tree…we no longer worry of they have lunch or supper.

Dear friends, I challenge all of us to read the Christmas story throughout this coming year, to value the lessons of Christmas, and to be people of the Word every moment of this new year.

Happy New Year! May you be richly blessed with peace, love, and joy.

2009-12-11T08:58:00.001-08:00

As I write this, the winds are howling and the sleet, which from a distance masquerades as snow, is pinging against the window. The outdoor decorations are straining against their anchors as the wind attempts to tear them loose, and I am reminded of the scene from the Christmas classic “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” when the weather is so terrible that the question is raised “Will we have to cancel Christmas?”

Sometimes that question can come into our minds regardless of the weather outside because the climate inside in our hearts and minds is in such turmoil. I had decided in my infinite wisdom (sarcasm) that the best way for me to get through this holiday season, the first without my brother, my dad, and my very dear friend Jenny, as well as several loved from our congregation, was to stack my calendar so full that I wouldn’t have time to be sad. How foolish! Now I just find myself crying and exhausted! I know that for a variety of reasons many of you find yourself in this same place.

It’s not too late for us to get back on track. Here are some ways we can find our way back from exhaustion and into the joy of Christ:

1. Remember that the voice of perfection is the voice of oppression.

Sometimes the flaws create the fondest family memories (Such as the year I put the turkey in to cook and forget to turn on the roaster. Lunch was very late that year!)

2. Your salvation is not tied to how much decorating you have done. Who said that the tree has to be decorated all the way around? There just might be a good reason that the tree looks best in the corner.

3. Pray for God to illuminate HIS priorities on your day. A day walked in the priorities of God leads to a night of God-blessed sleep and rest.

4. Do what you like to do! I like to iron so while you are decorating homemade cookies, I am ironing cloth napkins, and while you are hanging up clothes straight from the dryer, I am at the store buying cookies. It’s all good!

5. Find someone to hug. Nothing says Christmas and the love of God like a hug from a sticky, peppermint covered toddler. Nothing says Christmas and the love of God like a hug shared with a friend as you both cry. Nothing says Christmas and the love of God like a hug given to a lonely person who longs to connect with someone.

But most of all: Cry when you want, laugh when you want, and pray always. Do all three with great enthusiasm. Then we can find our way out of exhaustion and into the joy of Christmas.

Have a blessed Christmas.
Laura

Where Faith Grows

2009-10-16T11:43:00.000-07:00

It is amazing where faith can grow. It is not a hot-house orchid that requires specific amounts light and moisture. Faith grows in the darkest of places, drawing unseen light from the One above and living water from the True Source. The light is not visible to the human eye…yet it is there. The life-giving waters are often not felt…yet they are there.

Faith grows in the torrential downpour of pain, sorrow and suffering. When difficulties overwhelm the person of faith, threatening to drown them…faith is there…protecting the soul and flourishing in spite of the inescapable floods.

Faith grows in the arid places. When the cool refreshing breezes are not felt, and the difficulties scorch the soul… yet faith will grow there.

Faith grows in solitude. When all have deserted us and no friendly hand is felt, yet faith will grow there as well.

Faith grows when we are surrounded by the multitudes. When we feel desperate for space…faith will find the smallest space to plant its seed and flourish.

Faith can grow anywhere because it is not dependent on human power, circumstance, or our physical surroundings. Faith is dependent upon God who has promised to never leave us nor forsake us. Faith is dependent upon God who abides on the mountaintop. We will find Him when we ascend to those spiritual heights. Faith is dependent upon God who abides in the valley, the very depths of Sheol. We will find Him when we descend into the place of spiritual despair. He is the wings of the morning and the song of the night.

Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? There is no place, no circumstance which would exclude us from the opportunity to grow in faith.

Faith allows us to see our possibility regardless of the reflection in the mirror of circumstances.

The need for faith is not eternal. For now we live by faith and not by sight but one day our faith will become sight. All that has been unseen in this place and time will one glorious day become the visible reality, and it is faith which

The Voice of Perfection

2009-09-17T06:59:00.000-07:00

It was a morning when my walk was shrouded in the subdued world of fog. The white mist muffled the sounds and colors of the neighborhood, turning the familiar into the unfamiliar. But the magical quality of these changes was lost on me. What would normally fill me with a sense of wonder and now became fodder for my melancholy thoughts. The increasing heaviness of my thoughts was absorbed by the mist so that its usual gentle touch was transformed into a heavy burden.

The crunch of the gravel along the road accompanied the cadence of my thoughts, and the failures of my life flashed before my eyes in a rhythmic procession. Failures in relationships, activities which were attempted and those which were not, the inability to meet the perceived expectations of those around me…even the memory of laundry which needed to be completed and closets which needed to be cleaned gathered around me and life seemed gray and doomed to uncertainty and failure.

As the voices of the uncertainties of life grew heavier in the silence of this subdued world, a thought of the heart entered the dismal discourse. The voice of hope, which refused to be silenced by the mist of despair, threw a ray of reason into the dialogue. It was a favorite quote of mine, that “perfectionism is the voice of the oppressor.” And the interior battle of dialogue began. The fog countered, “But this is not about perfectionism, this is about failure…failures which cannot be denied.” The ray of hope responded that all failure is determined as such when it is measured against a standard which is perceived a success. Consequently then the standard is one of perfection then failure is assured. The cadence of my footsteps provided a counterpoint to the conversation.

An unexpected beauty entered into the dialogue as I noticed a spider web drenched in dew. As I soaked in this illumination of beauty yet another voice entered into the conversation. The question presented from the heart asked: “Is this beautiful?” My awed response was, “Lord, you know it is beautiful.” My response was quickly followed by a second question: “Is it perfect? Without a flaw?” As I looked closer I discovered that a pie shaped wedge was missing from the circle of silk and diamonds. My humble answer was “Lord, you know that it’s not perfect.”

The Lord had used a simple spider web and drops of moisture to show me that the beauty of my life and of yours is not dependent upon the perception of perfection. We often set for ourselves a level of perfection that is not from God. What we see as imperfection is more likely to be impatience with our own growth as well as the temptation to look through lenses which assume our own completion.

The following morning my world was once again shrouded in a blanket of fog. I paused as I walked past where the spider web had been the day before. I wondered if the web would still be there in its beautiful imperfection. My heart surged when I saw a dew drenched spider web…perfectly formed. What I had perceived yesterday as flawed had merely been incomplete. The same was true of my walk with the Lord.

My prayer for all of us today is that we will set aside the standards of perfection which hinder and burden us and instead rejoice in the beauty of a relationship which is in a constant state of transformation. What is perceived as failure may merely be an incompletion.