Lent Day 28: Writer's block

Writers moan about being blocked. About words vanishing as they think about what to capture on the screen or paper. About the empty-head syndrome that baffles and frustrates them, keeping them from good work.

Each career choice has its own version of writer's block:

• Violinists get carpal tunnel syndrome. 
• Composers can't hear the music.
• Secretaries think they'll lose their mind if they have to write up one more meeting.
• Construction workers have joints freeze up and have to wait for healing.
• Pastors experience burnout and need a sabbatical.
• Doctors lose interest in staying current with research and dread the arrival of patients.

 How do you cope when you feel dead in your tracks?

1. Stop, withdraw, or step back. Don't try to push past the physical, mental, spiritual, or emotional obstacles. Examine how you got into this state of mind or body.
2. Think about the last time you rested. Have you been pushing yourself beyond reasonable limits? 
3. Build in a sabbath routine. Even while you're paused, design a day a week that belongs to you for building relationships and spiritual rejuvenation. God insisted that His people rest one day a week. Jesus did it. Why would we need to be more busy or more focused than He? During my dissertation process, I took one day a week for a complete writing break. I'd return to work after space to relax. My mind was clearer, my thoughts more organized, and writing went quicker after the break.
4. Establish a realistic schedule. God does not plant and gift us with unrealistic expectations. He doesn't demand a 14-hour workday: why should we?
5. Emphasize the life-giving aspects of your work. Do you love to interact with people? Does a brick perfectly mortared give you great satisfaction? Does a carving beautifully crafted make your heart sing? You may still have to haul out the cleaning materials, wipe away the mess, and churn out reports. But focusing on the best parts makes the less interesting things more bearable.
6. Keep learning. Refine what you know. Hone your skills. Pay attention to new developments. You might even want to train for another job that suits you better.
7. Pay attention to things that unblock you and give you energy. That way, you can keep refreshing yourself to prevent such blockages in the future.

From "Real Simple"

What do you remember most from the last time you had a "block?"

Read more:

*Your promise revives me; it comforts me in all my troubles. Psalm 119:50 NLT

*If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, Lord, who could stand? Psalm130:3 NLT

*In Jesus Christ we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace. Ephesians 1:7 NLT

Moravian Prayer: Gracious God of new beginnings, there are times when the deep pains of life overwhelm us. Help us to hear anew your invitation to release our distress to your gentle Spirit, which offers love, forgiveness, and life anew. Amen.

Making resolutions?

T'is the last day of 2012. Time to look back through the journal to see what progress or what weaknesses lie exposed. Do you review the year as I do?

I started the year exhausted, working 10-14 hours, 6 days a week, on my dissertation. Once that was done, I partied. I've never celebrated as joyfully as this year - the dragon was slain, the un-doable done.

Then I rested. My journal shows a lack of momentum for months afterwards. I was so mentally drained that it was hard to focus. So I did very little. I puttered. I played piano. I painted a bit. I read a lot of nonsense and light fiction. I watched Korean dramas and followed Spy and Arrow on Hulu+

In November things started to heat up again. "Take up your bed and walk already!" was the message I heard during devotions. I started Monvee (from "mon vie," a spiritual discipleship program hosted by our church) and began to read enriching books. Someone added me as their accountability partner and a friend coached me through some sessions of a "Get Unstuck Bootcamp." (Click here for the website.) I added some exercise classes.

And suddenly I was in motion again. Thank God!

My 2013 resolutions are intended to foster spiritual life, better physical health, strong relationships, and mental vigor. Real Simple says we need 4 tips to keep our resolutions (click here for the full article):
1. be specific
2. make goals public
3. substitute "good" behaviors for "bad"
4. keep track

I don't have any earthshaking goals. It seems that keeping the ones I always choose is hard work enough:

• read more scripture
• pray and wait in expectation
• be more grateful
• read and write
• do art
• be hospitable
• and work hard at whatever is at hand

What is your most desired resolution for 2013? Why?

Read more:
*Some wandered in the wilderness lost and homeless. Hungry and thirsty, they nearly died. 'LORD, help!' they cried in their trouble, and he rescued them from their distress. He led them straight to safety, to a city where they could live.

Let them praise the LORD for his great love and for the wonderful things he has done for them. For he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things" Psalm 107:4–9

*My eyes fail with watching for your promise; I ask, “When will you comfort me?” Psalm 119:82

*Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it. Proverbs 3:27

*Be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves. James 1:22  

*May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and through grace gave us eternal comfort and good hope, comfort your hearts. 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17

Moravian Prayer: God of endings and beginnings, may we bring glory tonight as we close this year and begin another. May our faith in your promise remain strong as you breathe your spirit upon us.

Gracious and giving Savior, forgive us when we withhold our power. Forgive us when we act on the behalf of a brother or a sister. Let us be fed by worship this day and go out to be your hands and feet. Amen.

Oh so quiet!

Today's the weekday American Christians normally call a day of rest. Except that most of us go-go-go-full-steam ahead after church. We've bought into the culture's religion of "more is better," and our Sundays are spent running errands, catching up on the 101 to-dos, and "DOING" rather than resting.

The students on the Holy Lands tour remarked how awful it was that Israelis worked six days a week "and only have one day off." Ahem. Note to self and students: that's one day less than most of us work. After our 5-day workweek, we fill up our weekends with duties, activities, and emotional highs and lows. Then we're exhausted rather than refreshed for the week ahead.

What would it actually feel like to unplug all the technology, phones, and computers, not to drive, and to set aside time for friends and family? Restful.

Our son and his mother-in-law flew in this morning from Montana, visited here long enough to have breakfast and pack Melissa and Kinsey's things, and scooped up the young mom and baby (who have been here since Tuesday evening).

A day of rest

Our house feels quiet. The Vitamix is washed (used to make baby food this morning). The toys are picked up and put away. I can hear the washing machine swirling water through Melissa's bedding. The dishwasher is rinsing the breakfast dishes. The filters in the fishtanks are bubbling. I'm listening to the click of the baby food jars as they seal (yum: 1. mixed veges and potatoes; and 2. mixed veges, beets, halibut).

A few things still sit in the entry, waiting for our youngest son's trip to return his brother's car. Jono will take lunch over and eat with Timo, Melissa, Marilyn, and Kinsey, and return to them any left-behind objects.

My pedometer reads 11,000 steps - and it's not yet 11am.  Kinsey, the dogs, and I have already done our walk (7:30-8:30pm) and I have no more duties to fulfill today. Usually we'd be in church but I am resting. I'm seriously taking the rest of the day off.

We act as though this happened...

I am utterly grateful for a God so good that he designed a day of rest. He's no sloth, lazing about the universe doing nothing. But he's not a heathen god or idol who is never satisfied with our worship and efforts. He's also not an American taskmaster, demanding more effort and more production until we drop in burnout.

Knowing our human inclination to "do" rather than "be," he graced us with the Sabbath - a day of recuperation, enjoyment of his presence, and connection to other people. Thanks be to God.

 I'm unpacking that gift today!!! My Sabbath ends at 11am tomorrow. YAY for rest!

Read more:

*Behold, here I am, let him do to me as seems good to him. 2 Samuel 15:26 (NASB) 

*The Lord reigns, let the nations tremble; he sits enthroned between the cherubim, let the earth shake. Great is the Lord in Zion; he is exalted over all the nations. Let them praise your great and awesome name — he is holy. Psalm 99:1-3 NIV

*Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Matthew 6:10

Moravian Prayer: We covenant with you, O purposeful Providence. Your will is written in our lives and works and is lived out in the world you created and saved through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Lent Day 27: Thankful for recovery sabbaths

"Do you ever rest?" my sis asks me. The simple answer is yes. Deeply, deliberately, and defensively.

After each big event (whether that's been hosting big events, watching my grandbaby born, or defending my dissertation), I shut down production and ignore work for a mini-sabbatical.

Instead of hitting the trail, I putter. After a day of exhausting stress Tuesday, I read the Bible, baked bread (easy method below), walked the dogs, napped, and incorporated the celebration leftovers of kale and cauliflower into a ramen supper Wednesday. Nothing I did had a measurable impact - except in recovery.

My mom remembers a neighbor commenting on my teen energy, "Sie hat sieben Ziegen an einem Schwanß" (She has 7 goats by the tale). I've left such unflagging enthusiasm behind, obviously.

The secret of clear thinking, sound decision-making, and good work lies in seasons of meditation and rest. World religions focus their meditations on achieving "nothingness" and emptying the mind. In contrast, Christ calls us to revive our souls from emptiness by filling up with his abundance.

It takes solitude and quiet to hear the voice of the Shepherd. When stress, grief, or change unbalance our focus on God, we need to draw into silence and renew our strength in God's presence. It took me two days of drawing away from studies to refocus. I could have panicked about the deadlines looming, but my body and soul needed to step away.

I took a walk in the sunshine and had a healthy breakfast this morning. Now I'm ready to tackle dissertation revisions. On the clock, I'm two days behind. Yet, while the deadline hasn't changed, my heart is happy and excited to do good work.

The gospel writers spotlight a few events from Jesus life while admitting that the world's books could not contain everything he accomplished. They took time to record nights of prayer and times away with his disciples that might have been Jesus' sabbath seasons. He also celebrated the weekly Jewish day of complete rest.

Who are we to think our work is more important or our bodies more capable than his? Don't let anyone force you into living like you're super-Jesus. Such a blasphemy of overwork pays only in collapse and burnout, not in better ministry or healthier persons.

Read more:

*Lord, there is no one like you to help the powerless against the mighty. 2 Chronicles 14:11 NIV

*The LORD directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the LORD holds them by the hand." Psalm 37:23-24 NLT

*Jesus said, "The farmer plants seed by taking God's word to others. The seed that fell on the footpath represents those who hear the message, only to have Satan come at once and take it away. The seed on the rocky soil represents those who hear the message and immediately receive it with joy. But since they don't have deep roots, they don't last long. They fall away as soon as they have problems or are persecuted for believing God's word. The seed that fell among the thorns represents others who hear God's word, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life, the lure of wealth, and the desire for other things, so no fruit is produced.

And the seed that fell on good soil represents those who hear and accept God's word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted!" Mark 4:14–20 NLT

*Paul wrote: My God will fully satisfy every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19 NLT

Moravian Prayer: Christ Jesus, you are our mighty fortress and in you we find our sin and evil is conquered. Thank you for breaking the rod of the oppressor and winning our salvation. We dedicate ourselves anew to you this day. Amen.
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BREAD: leftover dough from making pizza (I saved 1/2 c. Trader Joe's pizza dough). Add 2-3 c flour, 1-2 c water, and (optional) 1 tsp sugar and 1 tsp salt. Use your hands to stir and knead until the flour is absorbed. If it's runny and wet, add a few tbsp flour. If it's hard and dry, add a few tbsp water.

Cover. Let sit on counter 1-5 hours. Put in fridge or break off the piece of dough you'd like to bake. Always leave 1/2-1 c dough in the bowl as starter, to which you add flour, water (and maybe sugar and salt). Repeat the steps above endlessly.

Baking:

• Preheat the oven to 400 (softer crust) or 425 (crisper crust). 
• Sprinkle on the middle of a clean baking sheet: 3-5 tbsp of any combination of cream of wheat, cornmeal, rolled oatmeal (or other grains), sunflower seeds, flax seeds, etc. You can use more or less, depending on how big you want to make your bread loaf or bun.
• Pinch off the amount you want to bake from the dough, then roll it in the grains and seeds. Make sure there's enough on the pan so the baked bread won't stick.
• Let it rise to about 2/3 or double the size. I put the pan over a bowl of hot water to make it rise faster. (Don't touch the water but let the heat rise under the bread.)
• Bake (approximate baking times below). When bread is done, a knock with a knife sounds more like a tap than a thud. 
• Set the dough = Softer crust: wrap in a clean dishtowel for 20-30 minutes. Harder crust: cool on a wire rack for 20-30 minutes.
• OH YUM YUM YUM. Hot fresh bread.

Hints: use the middle rack of the oven with a regular cookie sheet. Use the bottom rack of the oven if you have a bread pan, or non-stick or double-layered cookie pans. If you don't have a convection oven to circulate heat, put another preheated clean cookie sheet on the upper rack (above the bread) to heat the top of the bread.

Baking times:
@400: 20-25 minutes for a bread bun or small loaf; 35 minutes for a medium loaf; 45-50 minutes for a large loaf
@425: reduce baking time by 5 minutes.

Bread-baking is an art. An easy one though. You'll have fun with this and get the "feel" of bread without hours of kneading. Then, be creative:

• Mix and match the flour portion by subbing whole grain, soy, teff, etc. flours
• Add unusual seasonings like 1 tbsp of olive oil and 1 tbsp of Italian seasonings (rosemary, basil)
• Add mashed potato flakes and 1 tsp black pepper.
• your creative ideas here!
  

Sweet Sunday

Sundays are my day off from studies. We headed for church this morning, talking in W's class about the nature of God as community (Trinity) among us. Ah, the sweet dance of communion with God, who points to every other member of the godhead but himself. There's no shout of "I'm the important One," but a sharing of beauty and truth and character. Only an invitation from God to us, to join the sweet pleasure of knowing and being known... and still loved.

The class is about 25 people. Some are friends, but most barely know each other, so if you've wanted to get the basics of Christian faith (whether you are a Christ-follower or curious to know what we believe), please join us. You'll be welcomed and fit right in. We meet at 9am, Cedar Park Christian Church, Bothell 98011, in the school building across from the main hall. Anyone can point you in our direction. Pour a cup of coffee or tea, grab some breakfast goodies, and c'mon in!

Rather eavesdrop online? Prefer to sleep in? Click on: Christian Thought for weekly updates or to join the conversation.

Afterwards, we picked up a few groceries for lunch, and had family and friends put their feet under our big round table (seats 11, so relatively "empty" today with 9 people.) W made Major Grey chicken with rice, and I added a few sides. Yum. We got to play with Kinsey, our first grandchild, who is 6 months old, sending her home exhausted. "She'll sleep on the way home and be ready to go," said her mom.

We love the time to visit and reconnect with others, whether at church. Tomorrow's a busy week. I have an exam Wednesday afternoon. I'd appreciate prayers, if you're willing to put it on your calendar. I'm terrified about it because it's extremely important, but feels open-ended (on tutorials, written for the dissertation). Also, I'm a newby at Skype, which is the format.

Today, I got to step away, love on God and people, and rest in God's care for us. We all need balance as the week begins. Hope you enjoyed the day, too. Blessings on you all in the opportunities and challenges of the week ahead!

Read more:
*Watchword for the Week - Trust in him at all times, pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us. Psalm 62:8

Jonah 3:1-5,10; Psalm 62:5-12; 1 Corinthians 7:29-31; Mark 1:14-20

*God made human beings straightforward, but they have devised many schemes. Ecclesiastes 7:29

*Christ says, "If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free." John 8:31-32

Moravian Prayer: You are the way, the truth and the life. We gather today to share your truth with each other. Bless us and enable us to discover insights about love and faith while we are together. Amen.

Beauty all around

I love the desert's sunshine on sage grasses, violet shadows, and its heat. We just spent three days in Winthrop, ensconced in a luxury resort, thanks to a raffle ticket from the university where W works. Though it was cool at night, day temperatures were pleasant, obviously September rather than July.

Beauty ambushes those who pause to look. We gazed over valleys from behind deer-proof flower and herb borders planted on the edge of the mountain. Far below, cars ran their courses like toys, while above the hawks swooped over the fields where deer grazed. "So much blue!" exclaimed my husband, enjoying the vista under its big sky umbrella.

The town nearby (Winthrop) is slow-paced and artsy. We strolled the streets, watched a glassblower make a pumpkin, complete with twisted stem, and dropped in on "Sage Hens," a small gallery run by two women who have raised kids and are playing and working at art. Wonderful stuff, all of it. W bought me a painting I couldn't forget, 2 chickadees swept onto branches by the artist's brush. The shop was closed when we stopped by on our way out of town, so we called... sure enough, one of the "hens" was on her way in. Lovely!

We may go back some time, perhaps for a special anniversary. That God gave us this gift seems extraordinary, and we were determined to enjoy it fully.  We are not "luxury" spenders, either for vacations or for work. The pleasures of driving back through the forest that hems the asphalt, the crisp mountain air of the North Cascades Pass, the sheer abundance and variety of plants, rock, and water along the way... 

ah, we came back refreshed and grateful for the beauty God lavishes on us. We are thankful for eyes that see, noses that smell, tongues that taste, ears that hear, and fingers that touch. Our small Sabbath renewed us as no mere sleep could. We came away from our routines to listen and admire God in his splendor, playing among his creatures in nature. How Good he is to share his love for beauty with us!

Read more... *For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him. 2 Chronicles 16:9 a NIV

*Your love, O LORD, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies. Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, your justice like the great deep. O LORD, you preserve both man and beast. How priceless is your unfailing love! Both high and low among men find refuge in the shadow of your wings. They feast on the abundance of your house; you give them drink from your river of delights. For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light. Psalm 36:5-9 NIV