Go! Just go!

Overwhelmed by information?

Got too much to do? Too little time? Perhaps it's time to clear the path. To pare your life into its wonderful essentials.

Many of our key choices won't rest on saying yes to great opportunities. Instead, the bulk of life-changing decisions involve saying no to unessentials and lesser things.

"Minimalism" and "living with less" is a current fad. Why? We have TOO MUCH surrounding us. Our brains get confused and overwhelmed by trivial. Details demand to be touched or negotiated.

Collecting too much of a good thing?

How was your morning? In the closet, did your trousers,  jackets, and shirts (blouses)  hang willy-nilly. Did choosing your outfit take more than a few minutes?

Instead of an easy 10-minute routine, did you root through the "plenty" in the bathroom for basics? Sort through skin cream / makeup and scramble for a fresh tube of toothpaste? Hesitate about which shampoo to use in the shower? Argh. Was there even time for a shower? Were you running late with too much to do before you left the house?

Was the rest of the day similar? Were you exhausted and discouraged by nightfall ... because you had too many plates and too much on those places. Did you drown in the details?

The top shelf "during":
piles pushed to one side
to install separators

As readers know, I'm on a clearing streak.  I've been sorting things I no longer use out of my life. This morning the top rack of my closet fell victim to my efforts. I'm glad I forgot to snap a picture of the before, with sweaters and tops leaning on each other. I recorded the during and after.

EEEK. That's all I can say. Eeek!

The top shelf "after': sorted into types (turtlenecks,
sweaters, T-shirts, etc.)

I'm no perfectionist: so what if the folded stacks lean a bit. I'm no minimalist: I kept clothes I've recently worn. I'm not obsessive about details: who cares about color coding? As with cooking, my creative method is to stand in front of the possibilities and quickly pluck items to go "into the soup" or on my back.

But I've been startled by this common sense, which eluded me before. As the house gets more orderly, it's becoming easier to define other choices. To say "Yes" to things that God is calling me to, and "No" to expectations that don't align with what I hear in prayer, meditation on God's Word, or from the counsel of those I trust.

Just the basics, please!

Some mornings when my toes touch the ground, I hear a little voice urging, "Go girl! Just go!" The hurdles and obstacles to a productivity seems fewer and further between with so many "NO!s" in the recent past.

How would you define your recent choices? Is there time to think? To reflect? Then to move "full steam ahead" once your course is charted?

Or is your life cluttered with so much "good" that the way forward seems impossible?

Read more:
*A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold. Rich and poor have this in common: The Lord is the Maker of them all. Proverbs 22:1-2 NIV

*Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.”

The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. Lamentations 3:22-26 NIV

*God says, “From this time forward I make you hear new things, hidden things that you have not known.” Isaiah 48:6

*Let anyone with ears to hear listen! Luke 8:8

Moravian Prayer: Holy Redeemer, as we face another day, enable us to spend quality time in communion with you. Touch our listening ears and teach us how to have a closer walk with you. In your name we pray. Amen. 

It's my fault. Really.

Check out more cartoons at
Cathy Thorne's site.
http://www.everydaypeoplecartoons.com

"Rosemarie, you are not a victim. It's your choice how you live." Sitting on the piano bench next to me, Dr. Jack Rozell undercut my excuses for a habitual indulgence that made me feel trapped and awful.

I remembered Pastor Jack's comments, listening to an excellent presentation on taking responsibility for our actions. (Click to watch the 2 minute video by Dave Martin). Martin ties the judgement of God to personal accountability. In other words, God could not judge us if he hasn't given us the ability to make choices about how we live and think. The fact that we can make decisions means we're not mere victims of circumstances.

Check out more cartoons at
Cathy Thorne's site.
http://www.everydaypeoplecartoons.com

Bad things happen to us but WE choose our responses. Evil is all around but we can live in God's goodness. Shall we forgive and release our souls to freedom? Do we move forward or live in the past? Will we choose others' good over selfishness? Are we replacing unhealthy habits with healthy ones? It's up to us.

Of course, we must depend on God for the strength to accomplish our goals. We seek His wisdom to make decisions. And we are grateful for every day where he covers us with his provision of new life.

Remember, if you're living in the past or choked up by a bad decision, you get to decide whether to stay frozen by fear or regrets ... or move forward. Choose well!

“The problem that we have with a victim mentality
is that we forget to see the blessings of the day.
Because of this, our spirit is poisoned instead of nourished. ...

"Your complaints, your drama, your victim mentality,
your whining, your blaming, and all of your excuses have
NEVER gotten you even a single step closer to your
goals or dreams. Let go of your nonsense.
Let go of the delusion that you DESERVE better
and go EARN it! Today is a new day!”
― Steve Maraboli, Life, the Truth, and Being Free

Read more:
*(Thanks, Tillie!) I lift up my eyes to the hills—where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.
 
He will not let your foot slip—he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord watches over you—the Lord is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep you from all harm—he will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore. Psalm 121 NIV

*As a face is reflected in water, so the heart reflects the real person" Proverbs 27:19 NLT

*Isaiah said, “Woe is me! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips.” Isaiah 6:5

*Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer everyone. Colossians 4:6

Moravian Prayer: Holy Father, thank you for another day in your vineyard. Anoint our lips to speak words that are pleasing to your ears and uplifting to all those we encounter this day. Amen.

Staying focused at Christmas

The holidays are busy times.

Think about it. More meetings. Parties. Home. Office. Starbucks. Restaurants. Food. Diet. Children. Parents. Relatives. Money. Presents. Stockings. Wrapping. Gift bags or paper. Late nights. Early mornings. Sleepovers. Travel.

How do we stay focused? I love this tip from John Carmack:  

 Focus is often a matter of deciding what things you’re not going to do.

1. Recognize "Yes" as an option. It's merely an alternative to your other option: "No."
2. Align all holiday possibilities with your values. If you are saving money, buying expensive (or unnecessary) presents is not an option. Staying up late at the office party may not serve your value of getting your work done that week.
3. Where will you meet people? If your house needs cleaning, invite people over and get stuff moving toward organization. (My mom's tip: no matter what the rest of the place looks like, the LR, kitchen, and bathroom have to be clean!) If you'd be stressed out by having people over, find a favorite coffee shop and restaurant for meeting friends and coworkers.
4. Be considerate of others. Don't choose a pricey place for someone barely making ends meet - unless you're willing to foot the bill. Some people would prefer visiting a home while others are too shy to show up at a house.
5. Emphasize hospitality over status. Whether or not you put on the Ritz or go all-out with glitz, don't intimidate others by pointing out your ability to host a great party. Make sure everyone feels welcome. Make everyone feel special: connect people to each other by sharing their best traits and accomplishments.
6. Choose what gives you pleasure. You might have to show up at the office party and that difficult relative's place. But you can space those "MUST"s with visits with beloved friends and calls to old acquaintances.
7. Schedule down-time and close family time. Find time to rest and relax so you are refreshed for obligations. Put those hours on your calendar and don't let anything interrupt them that you wouldn't allow to interrupt other appointments.
8. Be thankful. For what you have. For what you don't have and don't need.

In general, make the season simpler rather than more complex. Merry Christmas to you and yours!

Read more:
*The path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day. Proverbs 4:18

We are not of the night or of darkness. So then let us not fall asleep as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. 1 Thessalonians 5:5-6

Moravian Prayer: Dear Jesus, as we awaken from our sleep and the light of day streams into our window, may you be our first thought. Before we even stand, Lord, may we praise you. Amen.

Difficult words, on choosing what is right

Sometimes we have to say things we don't want to say. Occasionally, our conviction as believers goes against every politically correct assumption. I had to make an un-PC statement today and it wasn't easy or fun.

I'm not an American citizen so it's somewhat puzzling to me how the government promotes changing morality and values. At issue today is the issue of homosexuality sanctioned as holy matrimony. With enough lobbying and enough ads, it seems even Christians believe that people living in opposition to God's partnership of man and wife should be allowed the benefits of "what God joins together."

Who established the institution of marriage? If we believe it was God, who had human interests and his own nature in mind, how can we meddle with the definition of marriage as he established it? He put together one man and one woman, noting they'd leave their parents and cleave to each other. There's never a hint in scripture that male-male relationships or female-female relationships should have the same bond and intimacy. In fact, in the larger scope of relationships, such behavior seems to be a punishment for forsaking God's laws (Romans 1-2), hurting those who indulge in it as well as those who sanction it.

Studies show that those abused in childhood are more likely than others to choose such a harmful lifestyle and other deviant behaviors. Random sampling studies show how children without father-mother role models struggle to learn various normal social interactions, in contrast to selective population studies done by pro-gay groups that show no difference. Yet anyone who dares to publish a study to contradict gay-rights activists is tarred and feathered socially and academically.

So I have to say I'm saddened and a bit sickened as I write this blog. I'm tempted and broken in other areas. I have to continue to seek God's forgiveness and help for my own sins. Some of my friends struggle with sexual temptation in various areas. I don't condone their behavior, nor would they condone mine when I would choose to sin in my own areaa of brokenness.

How I wish society hadn't morphed toward accepting deviant behaviors in this area and others. A generation ago, believers would have been appalled by any idea of their neighbors (never mind they themselves) voting to legalize homosexual relationships through holy matrimony. In this generation, after all the promotions, ads, and false claims of "healthy relationships," from what I'm reading on FB, many of my Christian friends are supporting the Washington bill to give gay couples the right to marry.

It's extremely unpopular to say that God judges the wicked. But it's certainly biblical to say that he withholds his protection from them and nations that support wickedness. May God have mercy on our souls and on the nation. He who made us knows that we are dust and that we need him to live life well each day.

Read more:
*What are human beings that you are mindful of them, mortals that you care for them? Psalm 8:4

*He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy. Blessed is the man who always fears the Lord, but he who hardens his heart falls into trouble. Proverbs 28:13-14 NIV

*Though the wicked hide along the way to kill me, I will quietly keep my mind on your laws." Psalm 119:95

*God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us. Romans 5:8

Moravian Prayer: Father, you give us so much more than we deserve. Show us the way to live like you; to give to others more than we think they deserve and more than we think we can afford. Amen.

Review... and a resolution

The end of another calendar year, and time to kick in my annual tradition of review. Today I'll look at the past year for significant changes. For God's work and help.

I wrote lots of entries in my 2011 morning pages. After I finished one journal, I'm partway through another. The snapshots of grace-in-process keep accumulating in blogs. (Yes, a writer writes. Always words, spilling onto page upon pages.)

This morning, I listened to a half hour of scripture, read aloud from Genesis--Jacob through Joseph's brothers selling him into slavery and then devising an elaborate cover story for their dad, and Daniel--Nebuchadnezzar dreaming, falling into insanity, and returning to glorify God. What stories! (What a mess and what beautiful redemption, time and again.)

We may view people in scripture with pity because of their lack of Western technology and manners. But they were like current people: self-aggrandizing, under pressure from family and work, committing sins of deception and unfaithfulness. What messes we create for ourselves, doing wrong and trying to wiggle out of the consequences. How we hurt ourselves and others in the process! Yet, the biblical characters turn again and again to ask deep questions, "Does any of this mean anything? Does life have value and purpose?"

Jesus was funny, a good teacher who drew crowds of people interested in being near him. He healed, blessed, and encouraged, even though he knew the suffering that he would endure, the weight of our killings, the lying, the stealing, the treachery, the tears caused by our adultery and harlotry, the poverty caused by refusing food and help in the name of gods and culture, and our intentions for revenge and harming others. The only people he ridiculed and exposed were those who presented masks of holiness and veneers of rule-keeping. Oh, Jesus ripped into them big-time!

Jesus knew human nature and the awful task ahead. But he kept his perspective on what life is like, sheltering in the presence and unguarded towards God. His life shows abandonment to abundance. Joyous beauty. Peacefulness. Companionship. Exuberant good works. Humour. Cheerful focus on God's goodness.

As I review the year, I want to know, "How have I made a difference to God and those around me? Can God accomplish the purposes He created me for? Can God speak clearly about what pleases him and other things that I need to lay aside to enjoy what he has planned?" Or do I really want to hear what God says?

Am I courageous enough to release my willfulness and expectations completely, come what may? My heart pounds to think of how awful 2012 may be, what challenges, illness, distress, and deaths. What loss of comforts and pleasures may lie ahead?

Wait! Wait! That's not at all how Jesus showed us how to live. He recklessly embarked on a life OPEN to God. "I've come to do the will of my Father," he said. His whole life could have been clouded by humanity's tendency toward darkness and scarcity. Instead, he also opened himself to all the pleasures of being human. He laughed, played with children, traveled in a company of intimate friends and family, and lived life to the full. "I've come to give you life, and that more abundantly," he told his followers.

That's just what we all want! Our heads admit that God's nature is marvelous beyond comprehension. That he loves us and provides all our needs. He shares his infinite resources and blessings with those willing to obey him.

Our hearts feel the shame of how short we fall, how poorly our efforts measure up, and how often we wander away. So we shun God's forgiveness to live in hovels of our own making rather than palaces of grace lit by the Creator's nearness.

What would we ask God on this last day of 2011, if he spoke to us face to face? Are we brave enough to say, "Here we come, all yours! Where you lead, we'll follow, whatever it costs," or "Here we are, send us!" Maybe our lives, amid sorrows and horrors aplenty, would be set on fire with beauty and joy and pleasures beyond human comprehension.

Today, I'm in, pounding heart and all! How about you?

Read more:
Psalm 150 Malachi 1-4; Revelation 21:22-22:21

*Lord, they came to you in their distress. Isaiah 26:16 (NIV)

*Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all consolation, who consoles us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to console those who are in any affliction. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

Moravian Prayer: On this eve of a new time and new day, we pray, giving Father, that you guide us as in ages past. Feed us with your word, calm our fears, and simply hold us close. Following your example, may we never cease to kneel at the feet of our friends. Amen.