Somehow, the mail we've been receiving, the devotionals we receive, the books in our house, keep shoving me toward the concept of "what makes a hero". I'm currently trying to unload our vast collection of books, and I keep running into biographies and going, "I need to keep that and read it." I also voraciously read current books, magazines, etc., and I noticed I am particularly drawn to autobiography, personal testimony stories, etc. I read one just yesterday in a secular magazine in which a mom was queried about her marriage, her career, her children, etc., and it was just fascinating to me. I finally came to and realized, "note to self: you like biography."
Why? Why is memoir and biography such a fascinating genre? And what does this have to do with heroes?
We read biography to read about our heroes. We want to find out how our hero ticked. What made him tick, what made him want to survive, what kept him going, what drove him. These are human concerns. This is the human condition: the will to survive. Hence our need to read biography and memoir/autobiography.
Memoir is a genre that is definitely popular right now. In fact, I think it has seen its apex, because unfortunately memoirs are all starting to sound the same right now, at least in book review magazines. They all sound the same: "a harrowing tale of abuse, terror, and redemption." Trust me. I've read a lot of them, and they are all the same. Celebrity reveals details of horrible childhood. Celebrity grows up and becomes a celebrity. Celebrity falls into the ditch of addiction, alcoholism, crime, etc. Celebrity goes to rehab and figures it all out. All is forgiven. Book gets written. Film at 11.
I'm not kidding! I've read plenty of them!
So anyway, today in the mail we received Randy Alcorn's excellent newsletter and what is the subject, but .....biography. Specifically, he writes about Charles Spurgeon. In the newsletter he says that he believes Spurgeon may have the most writings in print of anyone on the planet. I couldn't believe it! I've read some of Spurgeon's books but did not realize this about him. I didn't know he was so prolific! Did you? Now my interest is piqued. What did he write? What did he have to say? When did he live? How long did he live? Where did he live? What made him tick? And so on.
Bottom line: don't call me the next few days. I will be checking out all the Spurgeon biographies and reading up on my Spurgeon. Need to find out about this guy. Will let you know what all the fuss is about :). He's probably my next hero.
Love Lisa
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Running a 5K
Hi, I'm sorry it took me so long to followup. I promised I would write about my first 5K. Now I have officially run my second 5K so I really have to follow through on my promise, and I will write about both 5Ks.
Yesterday was my 2nd 5K. This was again the Tallmadge (OH) Memorial 5K race. Two years ago I ran this race for the first time ever. Keep in mind I am totally not an athlete. This activity is simply for the purpose of staying in motion (bodies in motion stay in motion, bodies at rest stay at rest, simple physics.) Ever since I turned a certain age and started having trouble getting out of bed in the morning, I realized the wisdom of this statement.
This year my time was 5 minutes slower than that of 2 years ago, for which I will not apologize. I was accompanied again by my friend from church, and we got to talkin' during the race, and I just lost track of what was happening, and next thing I knew we were pullin' up the rear so to speak. But when we "came to" and realized that the oldest runner in the race, a 79 year old lady, was ahead of us, we knew we had to get to work. So we sprinted down the last stretch and we dusted that lady. whew! so 36 minutes and some odd seconds for our time this year.
Two years ago, my inaugural race, I had made a huge mistake. I thought I was being cool and I started running the race route ahead of time so as to get to know its little intricacies, etc. However being the novice that I am, I read the map wrong and I made the turnaround earlier than I was supposed to, so my pre-race times were excellent by virtue of running a short 5K. So on race day I had Erica and Tom running with me and when we got to the supposed turnaround, I..uh.. turned around. And my compadres informed me we were not to the turnaround yet. I was floored, devastated, stunned, hurt....and exhausted. I could not believe I had made such an egregious error in map reading. So we kept going and somehow, somehow, I ended up with a time of 31 minutes and some odd seconds. Google the 2009 race results and you'll see an official time, but you won't see the truth of the matter, that our church's elder and children's director had to basically pray me in to the finish line. it was so embarrassing. My tongue was hanging out of my mouth, face was beet red, and I thought I was gonna die. My bad. Next time I'll know better.
anyway this year it did go much better even though our times were slower. My goal was not to gain a better PR but to keep at it, just be diligent and keep in motion. I know that we are to run with endurance the race that is set before us. Paul tells us that. He fought the fight, he stayed in the race. He ran to win. But to finish is to win.
Many Christian athletes use the "running a race" analogy to talk about their faith. I love the metaphor. Really, the Christian life is not a sprint nor a 5K. It is a marathon. It is one foot in front of the other. It is to get back up when you fall. We did see a poor young lady who fell at the first turn and she was crying. Help was on its way but it still hurts when you fall down. And falls will occur. That was a good reminder.
So I like running/jogging/walking/racing as both a way to keep myself limber and as a reminder of my faith walk with Christ. I am grateful to those who walked/ran before me and showed me how to run the course. I need to remember to read the map correctly and to follow it. I need to not mis-read it and thus try to take any shortcuts. It's not a sprint. It's a marathon. Praise God for His Word!
Yesterday was my 2nd 5K. This was again the Tallmadge (OH) Memorial 5K race. Two years ago I ran this race for the first time ever. Keep in mind I am totally not an athlete. This activity is simply for the purpose of staying in motion (bodies in motion stay in motion, bodies at rest stay at rest, simple physics.) Ever since I turned a certain age and started having trouble getting out of bed in the morning, I realized the wisdom of this statement.
This year my time was 5 minutes slower than that of 2 years ago, for which I will not apologize. I was accompanied again by my friend from church, and we got to talkin' during the race, and I just lost track of what was happening, and next thing I knew we were pullin' up the rear so to speak. But when we "came to" and realized that the oldest runner in the race, a 79 year old lady, was ahead of us, we knew we had to get to work. So we sprinted down the last stretch and we dusted that lady. whew! so 36 minutes and some odd seconds for our time this year.
Two years ago, my inaugural race, I had made a huge mistake. I thought I was being cool and I started running the race route ahead of time so as to get to know its little intricacies, etc. However being the novice that I am, I read the map wrong and I made the turnaround earlier than I was supposed to, so my pre-race times were excellent by virtue of running a short 5K. So on race day I had Erica and Tom running with me and when we got to the supposed turnaround, I..uh.. turned around. And my compadres informed me we were not to the turnaround yet. I was floored, devastated, stunned, hurt....and exhausted. I could not believe I had made such an egregious error in map reading. So we kept going and somehow, somehow, I ended up with a time of 31 minutes and some odd seconds. Google the 2009 race results and you'll see an official time, but you won't see the truth of the matter, that our church's elder and children's director had to basically pray me in to the finish line. it was so embarrassing. My tongue was hanging out of my mouth, face was beet red, and I thought I was gonna die. My bad. Next time I'll know better.
anyway this year it did go much better even though our times were slower. My goal was not to gain a better PR but to keep at it, just be diligent and keep in motion. I know that we are to run with endurance the race that is set before us. Paul tells us that. He fought the fight, he stayed in the race. He ran to win. But to finish is to win.
Many Christian athletes use the "running a race" analogy to talk about their faith. I love the metaphor. Really, the Christian life is not a sprint nor a 5K. It is a marathon. It is one foot in front of the other. It is to get back up when you fall. We did see a poor young lady who fell at the first turn and she was crying. Help was on its way but it still hurts when you fall down. And falls will occur. That was a good reminder.
So I like running/jogging/walking/racing as both a way to keep myself limber and as a reminder of my faith walk with Christ. I am grateful to those who walked/ran before me and showed me how to run the course. I need to remember to read the map correctly and to follow it. I need to not mis-read it and thus try to take any shortcuts. It's not a sprint. It's a marathon. Praise God for His Word!
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Bible Study Fellowship
Great study this (my first) year, the book of Isaiah. My understanding is next year will be the Acts of the Apostles. Anyway, I have really enjoyed BSF. It was hard to get into the strict and streamlined format, but it is meant to get you into the Word daily and to figure out answers for yourself, not to be spoonfed any answers. This week we studied the "Little Gospel" Isaiah 53. As we studied it I remembered my Dad. He memorized this passage and recited it in church one year long ago. After he died I wanted to honor him somehow so I memorized it too and recited it in church last Easter. This week as we pored over it in BSF, I realized that having memorized it, I was better able to actually study it and remember phrases and sentences. This truly enhanced my ability to understand the passage. I have heard about people who memorize whole passages, whole books of the Bible, not just merely as a feat of "look what I did," but rather, to really immerse the self into the Scriptures. To really have that buried deep inside. When tough times come, the passages, having been rooted down into the mind and heart, get called up and can help one to bear fruit (blossom) at that difficult time.
The AWANA program at churches is a great start to this. Kids get the Word buried into their hearts at an early age. Years and years later those words can bear fruit in lives. Praise God.
"He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to Him; there was nothing in his appearance that we would desire Him. He was bruised for our transgressions; crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that was meant for us was put on Him; and by His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned each one to his own way, and the Lord laid on Him the sins of us all." .....He was oppressed and afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth. ....by oppression and judgment He was taken away...and who can speak of his descendants? He was cut off from the land of the living. ........Yet.....it was the Lord's will to crush him and cause him to suffer. ... and though the Lord makes his life a guilt offering, he will see his offspring and will prolong his days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in His hand."
The Word of the Lord is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword. It is powerful.
The AWANA program at churches is a great start to this. Kids get the Word buried into their hearts at an early age. Years and years later those words can bear fruit in lives. Praise God.
"He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to Him; there was nothing in his appearance that we would desire Him. He was bruised for our transgressions; crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that was meant for us was put on Him; and by His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned each one to his own way, and the Lord laid on Him the sins of us all." .....He was oppressed and afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth. ....by oppression and judgment He was taken away...and who can speak of his descendants? He was cut off from the land of the living. ........Yet.....it was the Lord's will to crush him and cause him to suffer. ... and though the Lord makes his life a guilt offering, he will see his offspring and will prolong his days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in His hand."
The Word of the Lord is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword. It is powerful.
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Back On!
G'day.....back on the blog after a lengthy absence. Short posting today to get myself reacquainted with this site an' stuff.....
Today I am promoting our church's "Run for the Rug" campaign. We are asking folks to participate in the Tallmadge Memorial Day 5K and Fun 1-Mile Run, as we are raising funds for carpet for our youth room and nursery areas. (Oh! Better tell the church's name! Tallmadge Alliance Church, Tallmadge Ohio!!)
Erica Smith and I are starting a get-ready class; this will begin the first Saturday in April. We'll go for one hour (I think it starts at 9:30 am) and this class will hopefully assist us in gaining confidence and endurance to run the 5K. (The class I took two years ago for this was called "Couch to 5K" if that tells you anything about me!!!)
Next posting, I'll tell you about my first 5K experience. What a joke!! I did survive it though.
p.s. If anyone needs a laugh (and I needed one last night), go to the library and pick up past issues of Consumer Reports. It's a good magazine but the reading can be tedious, especially all those rankings with the red dots. Whoa! Need my glasses for those! Anyway I'm not saying, read the magazine, (but read it if you so desire). Instead I'm saying...... go to the back page of the magazine as they have product "bloopers". People send in pictures of product packaging, advertisements, etc., with all kinds of errors and weird stuff. It had me in stitches last night. Tom said "you and I don't have exactly the same sense of humor" when I showed him what I was cackling about and he went, "huh".
Anyway one of my favorites is the picture of the "black hole award". This is when you buy a box of something in the store like pasta or healthy bars and you open up the package (good-sized box) and there lo and behold in the wayyyyy bottom is five small healthy bars or some pasta or something and the rest of the package is just......air.
My next favorite is the "complete salad" concept. The package will say "contains one complete meal" and it's some kind of big salad thing in a package, complete with bacon bits, cheese shred, croutons, dressing in a packet, plastic bowl, some chicken cut up for you........only read the fine print and it says "Add salad." Grrrrrrrrrrrrr.
The last one was touting the "Oregon Department of Educaton" ...."aren't you tired of incompetant educateors" or something like that. We were like, uh, yeah, we are tired of those.
More later......"The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; new every morning; great is thy faithfulness, O Lord; great is thy faithfulness." Love, Lisa
Today I am promoting our church's "Run for the Rug" campaign. We are asking folks to participate in the Tallmadge Memorial Day 5K and Fun 1-Mile Run, as we are raising funds for carpet for our youth room and nursery areas. (Oh! Better tell the church's name! Tallmadge Alliance Church, Tallmadge Ohio!!)
Erica Smith and I are starting a get-ready class; this will begin the first Saturday in April. We'll go for one hour (I think it starts at 9:30 am) and this class will hopefully assist us in gaining confidence and endurance to run the 5K. (The class I took two years ago for this was called "Couch to 5K" if that tells you anything about me!!!)
Next posting, I'll tell you about my first 5K experience. What a joke!! I did survive it though.
p.s. If anyone needs a laugh (and I needed one last night), go to the library and pick up past issues of Consumer Reports. It's a good magazine but the reading can be tedious, especially all those rankings with the red dots. Whoa! Need my glasses for those! Anyway I'm not saying, read the magazine, (but read it if you so desire). Instead I'm saying...... go to the back page of the magazine as they have product "bloopers". People send in pictures of product packaging, advertisements, etc., with all kinds of errors and weird stuff. It had me in stitches last night. Tom said "you and I don't have exactly the same sense of humor" when I showed him what I was cackling about and he went, "huh".
Anyway one of my favorites is the picture of the "black hole award". This is when you buy a box of something in the store like pasta or healthy bars and you open up the package (good-sized box) and there lo and behold in the wayyyyy bottom is five small healthy bars or some pasta or something and the rest of the package is just......air.
My next favorite is the "complete salad" concept. The package will say "contains one complete meal" and it's some kind of big salad thing in a package, complete with bacon bits, cheese shred, croutons, dressing in a packet, plastic bowl, some chicken cut up for you........only read the fine print and it says "Add salad." Grrrrrrrrrrrrr.
The last one was touting the "Oregon Department of Educaton" ...."aren't you tired of incompetant educateors" or something like that. We were like, uh, yeah, we are tired of those.
More later......"The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; new every morning; great is thy faithfulness, O Lord; great is thy faithfulness." Love, Lisa
Saturday, February 13, 2010
The Day our Black Lab Saved Our Lives
We have all heard stories about how dogs have saved people's lives.
Here's our own story. It occurred last Saturday February 6, 2010, when northeast Ohio got one of "those "snowstorms" that we used to get in the 1970s and 1980s, that just never seem to be "popular" anymore.
So that day, Tom and I are supposed to be at our annual church meeting at 9:00 am. I am "out to lunch" mentally as I usually am; I have no clue about the snowstorm, and I am just checking my email, reading my books, and Tom goes outside starting to shovel/plow/etc. as he is more aware of his surroundings than I am. After he comes in at 7:30 am I say to him, are you going to be done in time for us to get to the meeting by 9 am?
He looks at me like, do you even KNOW what kind of a storm we got overnight? and he says, we are gonna be lucky to get out of our driveway by MONDAY at this rate. I look out and then start to get a clue as to how bad the storm was.
So Tom calls Pastor John and tells him, look, we are not getting out of this place any time soon, as we have four feet of snow in our driveway and the plow went out on us - AGAIN. So Pastor John cancels the meeting (not just because of us, obviously, as Tallmadge also got a foot of snow). So Tom goes out to deal with the driveway. The plow is not working, again, (who'da thunkit?) so he starts shoveling by hand. I am thinking that by noon he will have had a heart attack.
I call sister Debbie at 10 am to see if they will dig us out and no one answers the phone. I start to think maybe she is avoiding me? Who wants to dig out a driveway that is an eighth of a mile long, when you have your own long driveway to clear?
So I do what you are not supposed to do; I open up the YELLOW PAGES and start looking for snow plow guys. I call one guy and he says "Do you know how bad this storm was? It'll be a miracle if I get to you today". Additionally, Tom, unbeknownst to me, has asked our neighbor to plow us out, but he was not sure if he would be able to come over.
So I decide about 11 am that since we are snowed in, I will do an "oven clean" -- supposedly automatic thing you do - push "oven clean" and it "cleans the oven." So I push the button and think nothing further of it. About a half hour later I notice a couple of things:
1) Ginger our Leonberger, 8 years old, is very sleepy and simply, well, not moving.
2) Jenna our 4-yr-old starts crying and says, Mom I dont feel good. !!
3) I don't feel so good myself.
4) Princess, our beagle, is acting frantic - but this is per her usual activity, so I am unfazed.
5) Hoss our black lab is acting normally - a spazz. I ignore him.
6) So then I am upstairs folding laundry and Rocky our other black lab, who has "a couple of extra pounds on him" (we call him "portly" rather than fat) somehow manages to climb up the stairs and just starts huffing and puffing at me and looking pleadingly at me. I said, what's wrong, Rocky? and he just waddles that body back and forth pleading with me, and I said to myself finally, "something is wrong".
I go downstairs and Ginger is still not moving and the kids are crying and saying they're sick. So I look around and the place is filled with smoke and I realize - finally - either
a) it is carbon monoxide poisoning or
b) just smoke from the OVEN as it is being cleaned and Tom just baked a pie in it the other day so there is sugar dripping and now it is baking and smoking at 500 degrees and basically we are getting ready to have a fire here or we are carbon monoxide poisoned.
So I "come to" and figure out what is going on, and I yell at the kids to get upstairs NOW and shut all doors and I get the dogs outside then I turn on all fans and open up all windows, etc., then I yell at Tom to come in, this is an emergency, and all the while I am thinking, if I have to call 911 Fire, there is NO WAY they can get up this driveway as we don't have it plowed!!!!
arghhhhhhh
So we finally get things under control, turn off oven clean, keep fans moving, kids are ensconced safely upstairs with windows open, etc.
I prayed to God for help. Like this: "HELP US!" (not mincing any words this time)
After a while things are better, the oven finally starts cooling down, the smoke is clearing, we can breathe. I start to realize that we nearly died. Just at that moment I begin to hear this really loud noise outside and there is another angel of mercy, our neighbor, plowing us out.
I also realize that Rocky our black lab saved our lives.
So later that night I reward him with a big juicy steak and we all hug him and thank him for saving our lives. He's laying, "resting" on the couch, and he looks up at me as if to say, "well, you guys are my family, and I had to do what I had to do .... I love you guys and I would do anything for you. I would only ask for one thing ... it would be a small smackerel of food"... (like winnie the pooh).
I also realize that Ginger our 8 year old Leonberger had probably been thinking, in her coma-like state, "Well, I guess this is the way I'm gonna die.....smoke inhalation..... huh... what a way to go" (she was doing better very quickly after the smoke cleared, by the way).
I realize that Hoss our other black lab simply thought there was a roast in the oven that we were going to feed him as he is always mooching food. This is a dog with legs and arms like Gumby that can stretch and leap onto countertops and scarf down whole steaks and roasts and your entire dinner if you don't watch out.
So, just wanted to share this story to say that we are glad to be alive; we are glad that Rocky saved us from an untimely death; we are thankful for our neighbor; we are thankful that we can pray to God even in a panicky way, and that He hears our prayers.
Love, Lisa
Here's our own story. It occurred last Saturday February 6, 2010, when northeast Ohio got one of "those "snowstorms" that we used to get in the 1970s and 1980s, that just never seem to be "popular" anymore.
So that day, Tom and I are supposed to be at our annual church meeting at 9:00 am. I am "out to lunch" mentally as I usually am; I have no clue about the snowstorm, and I am just checking my email, reading my books, and Tom goes outside starting to shovel/plow/etc. as he is more aware of his surroundings than I am. After he comes in at 7:30 am I say to him, are you going to be done in time for us to get to the meeting by 9 am?
He looks at me like, do you even KNOW what kind of a storm we got overnight? and he says, we are gonna be lucky to get out of our driveway by MONDAY at this rate. I look out and then start to get a clue as to how bad the storm was.
So Tom calls Pastor John and tells him, look, we are not getting out of this place any time soon, as we have four feet of snow in our driveway and the plow went out on us - AGAIN. So Pastor John cancels the meeting (not just because of us, obviously, as Tallmadge also got a foot of snow). So Tom goes out to deal with the driveway. The plow is not working, again, (who'da thunkit?) so he starts shoveling by hand. I am thinking that by noon he will have had a heart attack.
I call sister Debbie at 10 am to see if they will dig us out and no one answers the phone. I start to think maybe she is avoiding me? Who wants to dig out a driveway that is an eighth of a mile long, when you have your own long driveway to clear?
So I do what you are not supposed to do; I open up the YELLOW PAGES and start looking for snow plow guys. I call one guy and he says "Do you know how bad this storm was? It'll be a miracle if I get to you today". Additionally, Tom, unbeknownst to me, has asked our neighbor to plow us out, but he was not sure if he would be able to come over.
So I decide about 11 am that since we are snowed in, I will do an "oven clean" -- supposedly automatic thing you do - push "oven clean" and it "cleans the oven." So I push the button and think nothing further of it. About a half hour later I notice a couple of things:
1) Ginger our Leonberger, 8 years old, is very sleepy and simply, well, not moving.
2) Jenna our 4-yr-old starts crying and says, Mom I dont feel good. !!
3) I don't feel so good myself.
4) Princess, our beagle, is acting frantic - but this is per her usual activity, so I am unfazed.
5) Hoss our black lab is acting normally - a spazz. I ignore him.
6) So then I am upstairs folding laundry and Rocky our other black lab, who has "a couple of extra pounds on him" (we call him "portly" rather than fat) somehow manages to climb up the stairs and just starts huffing and puffing at me and looking pleadingly at me. I said, what's wrong, Rocky? and he just waddles that body back and forth pleading with me, and I said to myself finally, "something is wrong".
I go downstairs and Ginger is still not moving and the kids are crying and saying they're sick. So I look around and the place is filled with smoke and I realize - finally - either
a) it is carbon monoxide poisoning or
b) just smoke from the OVEN as it is being cleaned and Tom just baked a pie in it the other day so there is sugar dripping and now it is baking and smoking at 500 degrees and basically we are getting ready to have a fire here or we are carbon monoxide poisoned.
So I "come to" and figure out what is going on, and I yell at the kids to get upstairs NOW and shut all doors and I get the dogs outside then I turn on all fans and open up all windows, etc., then I yell at Tom to come in, this is an emergency, and all the while I am thinking, if I have to call 911 Fire, there is NO WAY they can get up this driveway as we don't have it plowed!!!!
arghhhhhhh
So we finally get things under control, turn off oven clean, keep fans moving, kids are ensconced safely upstairs with windows open, etc.
I prayed to God for help. Like this: "HELP US!" (not mincing any words this time)
After a while things are better, the oven finally starts cooling down, the smoke is clearing, we can breathe. I start to realize that we nearly died. Just at that moment I begin to hear this really loud noise outside and there is another angel of mercy, our neighbor, plowing us out.
I also realize that Rocky our black lab saved our lives.
So later that night I reward him with a big juicy steak and we all hug him and thank him for saving our lives. He's laying, "resting" on the couch, and he looks up at me as if to say, "well, you guys are my family, and I had to do what I had to do .... I love you guys and I would do anything for you. I would only ask for one thing ... it would be a small smackerel of food"... (like winnie the pooh).
I also realize that Ginger our 8 year old Leonberger had probably been thinking, in her coma-like state, "Well, I guess this is the way I'm gonna die.....smoke inhalation..... huh... what a way to go" (she was doing better very quickly after the smoke cleared, by the way).
I realize that Hoss our other black lab simply thought there was a roast in the oven that we were going to feed him as he is always mooching food. This is a dog with legs and arms like Gumby that can stretch and leap onto countertops and scarf down whole steaks and roasts and your entire dinner if you don't watch out.
So, just wanted to share this story to say that we are glad to be alive; we are glad that Rocky saved us from an untimely death; we are thankful for our neighbor; we are thankful that we can pray to God even in a panicky way, and that He hears our prayers.
Love, Lisa
Friday, August 21, 2009
What is Truth? Thoughts on Texting and Tweeting
Lisa writing here....
I don't expect to make any new friends from this post. I actually should get some criticism, because I am about to lodge some darts about the use of technology, and here I am blogging on a computer, on our website or blog or whatever it is called, about the very same thing. But sometimes I think it's okay to use the available technology to invoke a critique or a "step-back-and-let's-think-about-this" type of moment.
Tom has written a new devotional on "What is Truth" and I am now getting it ready to be sent off to the wonderful lady who makes these things look beautiful on paper. I have been convicted every day as I type it out and consider the verses he refers to as he looks at the "notion," if you will, of Truth.
Truth has become a relative concept, hasn't it, in this postmodern age? Truth has spread its boundaries. Truth's edges are bleeding out into "acceptability" and "just don't hurt anybody" and "political correctness". Truth is no longer black and white. Remember President Clinton's rejoinder when he was under fire for his indiscretions....he said at one point, something to the effect of, "that depends on what the definition of 'is' is." Huh? Let's just grind up the word "is" and give it ten definitions.
No. I need Truth to be something more concrete, something more comfortingly permanent, than a dictionary listing of 10 definitions. Truth must be finite and it must be unflinchingly the same over time. Truth must not waver.
Now I get to technology. I am going to pick on cell phones, Twittering or whatever you call it, and texting. I am really sick of these things. I see people texting as they walk. One young lady had to link arms with her friend so she would not fall as she texted while they walked through the rec center. I see grandmas with cell phones and texting while they hoist their grandkids into shopping carts. I can't go anywhere without my cell phone ringing. It rings during church. If I don't bring my cell phone with me now, I get yelled at by family who "needed" to get ahold of me (during church---arggh!) I saw a guy take a cell phone call during a wedding. If you are doing something fun and you want to tell someone about it, you don't have to wait 'til you get home and call someone - you can just text them and even take a picture of it on your cell phone and download it and show them.
Conversation now is immediate, rapid, short bursts of "this is going now" and "I must tell so-and-so." Truth is melded now with immediate gratification. Truth is whatever is happening now.
I have a problem with this because Truth is not whatever is happening now. Truth is a Person. Truth is permanent. Truth is Jesus Christ and what He did at the cross. Truth is by its definition, since it is Christ, accompanied by Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Gentleness, Faithfulness and Self-Control. There is no self-control with Twitter, cell phones and texting. You have to agree with that. It's so readily available and so immediately transmitted that it can't possibly feed Self-Control in us. No, it actually feeds Greed. It feeds more. Aren't we addicted to this stuff? Aren't we addicted to the immediate gratification that comes from these forms of technology? We're like high school kids hoping to get a note back from our friend like I used to do during school.
All this to say, none of these forms of technology can possibly transmit the kinds of Truths that are going to help us in eternity. I think we're just spinning our wheels when we engage in these things to any extent. Sure they're great and it's fun and it's amazing what technology can do these days, and yes I have grudgingly started carrying around a cell phone, and yes Tom and I now have a blog, but look at how often we post (not terribly often), and look at our postings; they are not just sound bites or "this is what I did at 5:30 p.m.". We are trying to make sense of life in relation to God's eternal Truths.
God doesn't use a cell phone; He doesn't Tweet; he doesn't text. He GAVE us a text. It's called the Bible. If you need a sound bite or a pithy bit of wisdom on any topic, look up the Proverbs, use the concordance in the back if you need to, and find amazing Truths written by the Author of Truth, our Lord God.
That's MY text for the day. I hope I didn't offend anyone but I think Jesus Christ spent his entire ministry offending people with the Truth. I want to be more like Him so instead of tweeting and texting I am going to spend more of my time reading the most important Text written, and "tweeting" my thoughts in the form of prayers up to the Lord.
I don't expect to make any new friends from this post. I actually should get some criticism, because I am about to lodge some darts about the use of technology, and here I am blogging on a computer, on our website or blog or whatever it is called, about the very same thing. But sometimes I think it's okay to use the available technology to invoke a critique or a "step-back-and-let's-think-about-this" type of moment.
Tom has written a new devotional on "What is Truth" and I am now getting it ready to be sent off to the wonderful lady who makes these things look beautiful on paper. I have been convicted every day as I type it out and consider the verses he refers to as he looks at the "notion," if you will, of Truth.
Truth has become a relative concept, hasn't it, in this postmodern age? Truth has spread its boundaries. Truth's edges are bleeding out into "acceptability" and "just don't hurt anybody" and "political correctness". Truth is no longer black and white. Remember President Clinton's rejoinder when he was under fire for his indiscretions....he said at one point, something to the effect of, "that depends on what the definition of 'is' is." Huh? Let's just grind up the word "is" and give it ten definitions.
No. I need Truth to be something more concrete, something more comfortingly permanent, than a dictionary listing of 10 definitions. Truth must be finite and it must be unflinchingly the same over time. Truth must not waver.
Now I get to technology. I am going to pick on cell phones, Twittering or whatever you call it, and texting. I am really sick of these things. I see people texting as they walk. One young lady had to link arms with her friend so she would not fall as she texted while they walked through the rec center. I see grandmas with cell phones and texting while they hoist their grandkids into shopping carts. I can't go anywhere without my cell phone ringing. It rings during church. If I don't bring my cell phone with me now, I get yelled at by family who "needed" to get ahold of me (during church---arggh!) I saw a guy take a cell phone call during a wedding. If you are doing something fun and you want to tell someone about it, you don't have to wait 'til you get home and call someone - you can just text them and even take a picture of it on your cell phone and download it and show them.
Conversation now is immediate, rapid, short bursts of "this is going now" and "I must tell so-and-so." Truth is melded now with immediate gratification. Truth is whatever is happening now.
I have a problem with this because Truth is not whatever is happening now. Truth is a Person. Truth is permanent. Truth is Jesus Christ and what He did at the cross. Truth is by its definition, since it is Christ, accompanied by Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Gentleness, Faithfulness and Self-Control. There is no self-control with Twitter, cell phones and texting. You have to agree with that. It's so readily available and so immediately transmitted that it can't possibly feed Self-Control in us. No, it actually feeds Greed. It feeds more. Aren't we addicted to this stuff? Aren't we addicted to the immediate gratification that comes from these forms of technology? We're like high school kids hoping to get a note back from our friend like I used to do during school.
All this to say, none of these forms of technology can possibly transmit the kinds of Truths that are going to help us in eternity. I think we're just spinning our wheels when we engage in these things to any extent. Sure they're great and it's fun and it's amazing what technology can do these days, and yes I have grudgingly started carrying around a cell phone, and yes Tom and I now have a blog, but look at how often we post (not terribly often), and look at our postings; they are not just sound bites or "this is what I did at 5:30 p.m.". We are trying to make sense of life in relation to God's eternal Truths.
God doesn't use a cell phone; He doesn't Tweet; he doesn't text. He GAVE us a text. It's called the Bible. If you need a sound bite or a pithy bit of wisdom on any topic, look up the Proverbs, use the concordance in the back if you need to, and find amazing Truths written by the Author of Truth, our Lord God.
That's MY text for the day. I hope I didn't offend anyone but I think Jesus Christ spent his entire ministry offending people with the Truth. I want to be more like Him so instead of tweeting and texting I am going to spend more of my time reading the most important Text written, and "tweeting" my thoughts in the form of prayers up to the Lord.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
I Am A Rich Lady
Do you remember the Little Rascals movie in which Spanky, Stymie and the others found a treasure chest in a cave? Their eyes popped out of their heads when they saw all those delightful treasures. They packed their pockets full of coins, jewels and precious gems, then tried to walk home with their pants bulging. Then, sure enough, their pockets burst and there went all the jewels, just spilling out onto the ground; Spanky and Stymie just stood there, with nothing to say. Just -- "wow. I'm rich, and yet there it all goes. And it's okay."
I feel like Spanky and Stymie right now.
Let me explain.
This summer I met a new friend. Her name was Carol. Carol was 74 years old. She attended our church and always sat near us in the pews, but we never got to know her, I'm ashamed to say. She walked slowly, with a cane, and just came to church faithfully every week and sat in that same seat and worshipped the Lord quietly.
However, she was not quiet at her place of residence. Carol lived at a place called Tower 43. She was called affectionately by our church the "resident evangelist" at Tower 43 because she was responsible for bringing quite a few people to the Lord during her time there. She brought new members to our church. She would frequently call the church office and ask for prayer for new and old friends and family members. She regularly attended the Bible study at Tower 43. She was always making cookies and food for her neighbors there. I think if you were her neighbor, then you were her friend. She was that type of person.
Well, anyway, Tom and I had been writing these 30-day devotionals for our church body, and Carol was reading them. I didn't know that until she started writing us thank-you notes and telling us how much she appreciated them. I also found out that the very act of her reading them was astounding, because in addition to her other medical troubles, Carol was also half blind. But this did not deter her in her pursuit of reading God's word and meditating on it.
One day this summer she wrote us a note and specifically asked us to come visit her. With trepidation we piled our kids in the car and drove over to Tower 43. I was so afraid the kids would break something in her apartment. I was afraid the whole visit was going to be a disaster as kids typically don't like these kinds of visits. Boy, was I wrong. This lady was ready for us. She had cookies. She had candy. She had chocolates. She laughed and whooped and smiled and when Jenna went over to hug her, her eyes got really big and she just ate up that hug like it was the best thing that ever was given to her. (Well, actually, Jenna's hugs are pretty great. That's why we renamed her "Jenna Joy" - she gives people joy just by being herself. She and "Aunt Carol" got along great.)
Aunt Carol (that's what she told us to call her) told us all about her life. She told us how she and her dear husband Paul ministered at Word of Life camp at Schroon Lake in the Adirondacks in New York. This just happened to be a camp that I had attended in high school, that had a powerful effect on me spiritually, and I could not believe she had spent years of her life ministering there.
After she told us her story, she just encouraged us by telling us she "needed" our next devotional (which we had been dragging our feet on finishing); she told us she was ready to go to heaven, but that there was still work to be done here, and so whatever the Lord willed, she was fine with that. I figured, oh this lady has years of work to do left, she's just expressing a peace with her life.
I immediately warmed up to this lady and relaxed. The visit was so unexpectedly fun and encouraging, and we had so much in common, that I thought to myself, "I really like this lady and I hope we become friends. I wanted to get to know her better." We left Carol's apartment that day and I told Tom, "Something tells me this was an important day." Little did I know.
Well, as usual I dragged my feet on going back over there, and two weeks later, her nephew told us at church that Aunt Carol was in the hospital as she had maybe had a slight stroke. That day, after our regularly scheduled nursing home visit, I drove over to the nearby hospital where Aunt Carol was. She was astounded to see me, but very happy. She felt she had just had a small stroke and was hoping to go home the next day. I held her hand and she encouraged me and I got to pray for her.
Well, she never made it home. I prayed for her during the week and sent a card, hoping she would get better, but she didn't. I do not know the details, but the next thing I knew (this was just about a week later), Pastor said she was near death.
Jenna and I drove to the hospital to see her on the Friday of our church's Vacation Bible School and Jenna danced for her. Aunt Carol was very weak but she saw Jenna dance and she told us she loved us. She told me that our family had such a wonderful ministry and she encouraged us to keep on with it, and not to give up. (How did she know I needed to hear that at that very moment?) She said she was sorry she would not get to read our next devotional, and that she was ready to go home to see her Paul, and she said she loved us. I begged her to get better through my tears. Selfishly I was not ready to see this new friend slip out of my grip so quickly. It wasn't fair.
She passed away four days later. I lost my new friend just as I was getting to know her.
So why do I say that I am rich, you might be asking? I'll try to explain.
Carol gave me many gifts during our short friendship. She gave me, among other things:
1) encouragement. "Keep playing that piano!" "You have a wonderful family". "You have a wonderful ministry." This just made me hold my head higher and feel like I wanted to keep pressing on in areas where I had been feeling very discouraged. Wow!
2) a smile - her smile was so infectious. She was just so friendly and inviting to us.
3) a sense of humor. She was hilarious.
4) hope. This lady did not lack hope by any means.
5) faith in the knowledge of where she was going. She was looking ahead to her new home and her new body. She was sure of it.
6) truth. She reminded me, "We are not meant for this world. We are just passing through. This isn't all there is." She did not get caught up in the things of this world. She desired heavenly things, not earthly things.
7) short-term training in how to be a friend. If you lived near her, she had to pray for you. If she met you, she wanted you to have some cookies.
8) short term training in evangelism. If she met you, she wanted you to meet her pastor. She felt this worked more effectively than saying, "Would you like to come to my church?" She said it "worked every time!" She expressed interest in everyone she met, and interest in their spiritual condition.
9) humility. She told me, "I made some mistakes." But she said, "You can't change the past." You don't hear this very often in this age of accomplishment and striving for earthly successes.
The above gifts were given to me in about a four-week period of time. Right now I feel so rich, I feel I am just like Spanky and Stymie with my pockets bulging so greatly that they're needing to spill out onto the ground. And I am dumbfounded and filled with - could it be - joy? I just didn't understand my feelings at her funeral. I just bawled and bawled. This can't be joy. This is grief! so many people still need her! Including me!
As the days have gone by, I am starting to realize that even grief and tears are gifts that she gave me.
Today my pockets are filled with gifts: of joy and grief and pain and wonder and hope and all kinds of things I do not understand. She gave me so much I just don't know what to do with it.
So I am praying to God with these bulging pockets and asking Him to show me what to do with these gifts. I am thanking Him for the gifts that He gave me through his servant, Aunt Carol. She was not here just to minister to me, I know that; and she didn't have to do it either; but she did, even though she was close to death. She gave of herself to all she encountered, until the last minute. In this way she showed me Christ. She gave me the ultimate gift. The gift of Christlike living.
I pray that as my pockets continue to spill out onto the ground, that I will be willing and able to share the gifts. Help me, Lord, to not try to hurriedly gather the gifts back up and shove them back into my pockets. Help me to realize that this life of mine needs to be open and spilled out and given to others. Help me to be more like Carol - and help me to be more like You. Thank you for this indescribable gift of eternal life. Thank you for your servant, Carol Logan.
I am, indeed, very rich. Praise God.
I feel like Spanky and Stymie right now.
Let me explain.
This summer I met a new friend. Her name was Carol. Carol was 74 years old. She attended our church and always sat near us in the pews, but we never got to know her, I'm ashamed to say. She walked slowly, with a cane, and just came to church faithfully every week and sat in that same seat and worshipped the Lord quietly.
However, she was not quiet at her place of residence. Carol lived at a place called Tower 43. She was called affectionately by our church the "resident evangelist" at Tower 43 because she was responsible for bringing quite a few people to the Lord during her time there. She brought new members to our church. She would frequently call the church office and ask for prayer for new and old friends and family members. She regularly attended the Bible study at Tower 43. She was always making cookies and food for her neighbors there. I think if you were her neighbor, then you were her friend. She was that type of person.
Well, anyway, Tom and I had been writing these 30-day devotionals for our church body, and Carol was reading them. I didn't know that until she started writing us thank-you notes and telling us how much she appreciated them. I also found out that the very act of her reading them was astounding, because in addition to her other medical troubles, Carol was also half blind. But this did not deter her in her pursuit of reading God's word and meditating on it.
One day this summer she wrote us a note and specifically asked us to come visit her. With trepidation we piled our kids in the car and drove over to Tower 43. I was so afraid the kids would break something in her apartment. I was afraid the whole visit was going to be a disaster as kids typically don't like these kinds of visits. Boy, was I wrong. This lady was ready for us. She had cookies. She had candy. She had chocolates. She laughed and whooped and smiled and when Jenna went over to hug her, her eyes got really big and she just ate up that hug like it was the best thing that ever was given to her. (Well, actually, Jenna's hugs are pretty great. That's why we renamed her "Jenna Joy" - she gives people joy just by being herself. She and "Aunt Carol" got along great.)
Aunt Carol (that's what she told us to call her) told us all about her life. She told us how she and her dear husband Paul ministered at Word of Life camp at Schroon Lake in the Adirondacks in New York. This just happened to be a camp that I had attended in high school, that had a powerful effect on me spiritually, and I could not believe she had spent years of her life ministering there.
After she told us her story, she just encouraged us by telling us she "needed" our next devotional (which we had been dragging our feet on finishing); she told us she was ready to go to heaven, but that there was still work to be done here, and so whatever the Lord willed, she was fine with that. I figured, oh this lady has years of work to do left, she's just expressing a peace with her life.
I immediately warmed up to this lady and relaxed. The visit was so unexpectedly fun and encouraging, and we had so much in common, that I thought to myself, "I really like this lady and I hope we become friends. I wanted to get to know her better." We left Carol's apartment that day and I told Tom, "Something tells me this was an important day." Little did I know.
Well, as usual I dragged my feet on going back over there, and two weeks later, her nephew told us at church that Aunt Carol was in the hospital as she had maybe had a slight stroke. That day, after our regularly scheduled nursing home visit, I drove over to the nearby hospital where Aunt Carol was. She was astounded to see me, but very happy. She felt she had just had a small stroke and was hoping to go home the next day. I held her hand and she encouraged me and I got to pray for her.
Well, she never made it home. I prayed for her during the week and sent a card, hoping she would get better, but she didn't. I do not know the details, but the next thing I knew (this was just about a week later), Pastor said she was near death.
Jenna and I drove to the hospital to see her on the Friday of our church's Vacation Bible School and Jenna danced for her. Aunt Carol was very weak but she saw Jenna dance and she told us she loved us. She told me that our family had such a wonderful ministry and she encouraged us to keep on with it, and not to give up. (How did she know I needed to hear that at that very moment?) She said she was sorry she would not get to read our next devotional, and that she was ready to go home to see her Paul, and she said she loved us. I begged her to get better through my tears. Selfishly I was not ready to see this new friend slip out of my grip so quickly. It wasn't fair.
She passed away four days later. I lost my new friend just as I was getting to know her.
So why do I say that I am rich, you might be asking? I'll try to explain.
Carol gave me many gifts during our short friendship. She gave me, among other things:
1) encouragement. "Keep playing that piano!" "You have a wonderful family". "You have a wonderful ministry." This just made me hold my head higher and feel like I wanted to keep pressing on in areas where I had been feeling very discouraged. Wow!
2) a smile - her smile was so infectious. She was just so friendly and inviting to us.
3) a sense of humor. She was hilarious.
4) hope. This lady did not lack hope by any means.
5) faith in the knowledge of where she was going. She was looking ahead to her new home and her new body. She was sure of it.
6) truth. She reminded me, "We are not meant for this world. We are just passing through. This isn't all there is." She did not get caught up in the things of this world. She desired heavenly things, not earthly things.
7) short-term training in how to be a friend. If you lived near her, she had to pray for you. If she met you, she wanted you to have some cookies.
8) short term training in evangelism. If she met you, she wanted you to meet her pastor. She felt this worked more effectively than saying, "Would you like to come to my church?" She said it "worked every time!" She expressed interest in everyone she met, and interest in their spiritual condition.
9) humility. She told me, "I made some mistakes." But she said, "You can't change the past." You don't hear this very often in this age of accomplishment and striving for earthly successes.
The above gifts were given to me in about a four-week period of time. Right now I feel so rich, I feel I am just like Spanky and Stymie with my pockets bulging so greatly that they're needing to spill out onto the ground. And I am dumbfounded and filled with - could it be - joy? I just didn't understand my feelings at her funeral. I just bawled and bawled. This can't be joy. This is grief! so many people still need her! Including me!
As the days have gone by, I am starting to realize that even grief and tears are gifts that she gave me.
Today my pockets are filled with gifts: of joy and grief and pain and wonder and hope and all kinds of things I do not understand. She gave me so much I just don't know what to do with it.
So I am praying to God with these bulging pockets and asking Him to show me what to do with these gifts. I am thanking Him for the gifts that He gave me through his servant, Aunt Carol. She was not here just to minister to me, I know that; and she didn't have to do it either; but she did, even though she was close to death. She gave of herself to all she encountered, until the last minute. In this way she showed me Christ. She gave me the ultimate gift. The gift of Christlike living.
I pray that as my pockets continue to spill out onto the ground, that I will be willing and able to share the gifts. Help me, Lord, to not try to hurriedly gather the gifts back up and shove them back into my pockets. Help me to realize that this life of mine needs to be open and spilled out and given to others. Help me to be more like Carol - and help me to be more like You. Thank you for this indescribable gift of eternal life. Thank you for your servant, Carol Logan.
I am, indeed, very rich. Praise God.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)