People who live on milk are like babies who don’t really know what is right.  Solid food is for mature people who have been trained to know right from wrong.  We must try to become mature and start thinking about more than just the basic things we were taught about Christ.  Hebrews 5:13-6:1 (CEB)

I’ve been experimenting lately with making waffles out of protein powder.  So far, the flavor is pretty good, (like Cocoa Puffs) but the consistency is a bit off (very crispy).  As I sat crunching on my waffle this morning that’s not really supposed to be crunchy, I thought about the above passage of Scripture.

As Jesus people, I think our flavor is often right, but we lack consistency.  Most of us who profess a faith in Christ want to be close to him.  We desire to grow in our faith, to become mature believers.  However, we often lack consistency in doing the things that get us there.  We don’t make time to read Scripture, our prayers are interrupted by work or kids or burning dinner, we forgo weekly worship for sports or brunch or extra sleep.  We aren’t maturing in our faith because we’re not consistently practicing it.

I know what you’re going to say, “But I….”

1. …don’t have time to read my Bible

2. …don’t understand the Bible when I try to read it

3. …have to take my kids to sports activities

4. ….only have Sunday mornings to spend with my family

5. …get really bored in worship

6. …don’t feel God speaking to me

7. …get distracted when I try to pray

8. …don’t know if God is really listening

I get it, I truly do.  I’ve said many of these same things myself.  But here’s the thing…we are called by the One who created us to actually grow in spiritual maturity.  God doesn’t want to be a babysitter.  God wants to be in a mature relationship with his children!  What an amazing honor that is!!  However, we can’t have that relationship if we’re not willing to put in the work required to maintain it.

So, what do we need to do in order to become mature Jesus people?  My friends, we need consistency…

1. Read the Bible. 

Find a translation that speaks to you (a.k.a. that you understand).  Go to Bible Gateway and read through various translations to see which one you like.  Set aside an extra 10 minutes in your day to read some Scripture.  Write verses down that speak to you and post them around your house/office/car.  Start small.  Read through the book of Philippians, Ruth, or 1 John.  And pray.  God’s Spirit reveals the Scriptures to us, so ask God for that Spirit while you read.

2. Pray often.

Prayer is a conversation.  It doesn’t have to be fancy or poetic.  Just talk to God.  Thank God for the day, for the coffee, for the warm clothes fresh from the dryer.  Thank God for the work you have to do, even if it’s annoying.  Tell God what you’re thinking about.  He knows, but he also likes to hear it from you.  What are you struggling with?  What are you worried about?  Who are you worried about?  Just talk…in the car, while pouring your coffee, while standing at the copy machine, waiting in line, or tossing clothes in the wash.  Just talk…

3. Engage in worship.

Go to church.  Worship with fellow believers.  Maybe you don’t like the music or the sermon or the liturgy…who cares?  If you ask God, he’ll show up.  So, ask God to speak to  you during worship, regardless of the songs that are sung or the message that is delivered.  Focus on God.  Listen to the words of the hymns.  Take time to pray.  Pay attention to the message.  Praise God for all he has done.  And, ask for his presence to guide you in worship and to speak to you.

Let’s grow up, if God is willing, the author of Hebrews writes.  I think God is willing…we just need to practice consistency.

Blessings and Peace,

Sara

 

 

 

We must give our full attention to what we were told, so that we won’t drift away.  Hebrews 2: 1 (CEB)

I remember once, when I was a girl, getting ready to walk out the door for school.  My mom said, “Don’t forget your raincoat.”

I looked out the front door at the beautiful sunny morning.  “Mom, it’s sunny.  I don’t need it.”  That afternoon, as I walked home from school in the pouring rain, I thought about that conversation.  Needless to say, the next time my mom told me to grab a raincoat, I listened.

My mom has always had some sort of innate sense about the weather.  She pays attention to the forecasts, watches the signs of nature, and trusts her experiences.  She knows what she’s talking about.

The other day, my second grader brought home notecards to study for a science test.  As we were reviewing, I realized that he had mixed up the definitions for “adaptation” and “camouflage”.  As much as I insisted that I knew the definitions, he refused to listen.  What would his mother know about science class? (Okay, in truth, not a lot.  I’m an English nerd.  But, 2nd grade science I think I’ve got a handle on!)  We finally emailed the teacher.  And, guess what?  Mama knew what she was talking about!

How often do we, as Christians, think we know better than God?  How often do we fail to give our full attention to what God is telling us and stubbornly go our own way?  How often does our own way lead to a great big mess we’re asking God to clean up?

The writer of Hebrews tells us that we need to give our FULL attention to what God has told us (and is telling us).  God wants our full attention on him not because he’s some sort of celestial know-it-all, but because he loves us.  He wants to care for us, to guide us, to support us, to heal us, to empower us, to make us better than what we are now.  Ultimately, God wants to share this life with us.  But we have to give him our full attention.  We have to listen.  And, yes, we have to obey.

If God says, “Take the raincoat”, we have to be willing to take it, regardless of the fact that it’s a beautiful sunny morning.  God knows what’s coming.  He sees the whole picture.

Give your full attention to what you have been told, so you don’t drift away.

Blessings and Peace,

Sara

Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you,  so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody. 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12

The quiet life…I always thought that the writer’s life was the ideal quiet life.  In my mind, it included days spent contemplating higher things, taking walks to admire God’s handiwork, sipping coffee and perusing Scripture with my dogs curled at my feet.  I pictured Emerson and Thoreau rambling around the New England countryside.  Funny, how the mind works, isn’t it?

Yes, my days are now spent in quiet, but it’s hardly the quiet life.  With a handful of freelance projects rolling at once, my brain bounces around like our puppy who spends his day running back and forth from our boys’ room dragging out one toy after another.  While there is quiet around me, my head is full of noise.  I have deadlines to meet and am often stuck in the “me” bubble forgetting all else and striving for a finish line that isn’t really the one God has set.

When Paul talks about Christians living a “quiet” life, he’s not really talking about solitude.  Of course, we need quiet time for reflection, meditation, and prayer, but most of us don’t live a monastic life.  When my boys get home (or are awake),  quiet is completely thrown out the window with shouts, whoops, pounding feet, squeals, calls of “Mama–so and so did this!”, the barking of dogs and the Disney Channel.  Seriously, a barroom brawl could not eclipse the decibel level in our house.  But that’s okay–it’s life–and I wouldn’t trade it.

So, when Paul tells the Thessalonian church to lead a quiet life, he’s really telling them “Lead your own life.”  Look at the very next sentence…”You should mind your own business…”   In other words, don’t be a drama queen.  Don’t gossip.  Don’t get caught up in the drama of the world around you.  Instead, do your work.

Did you catch that?  Do your work–the things God has placed before you to accomplish.  It might not be fun or flashy (like writing hundreds of assessment items), but it’s your work.  And when we work with a focus on God, people notice.  They see us working; not gossiping, slandering, criticizing, or tearing down.  Rather, they see us building up, encouraging, comforting, supporting….in short, they see us practicing God’s love and living in God’s peace.

Living the quiet life is not actually about quiet.  Living the quiet life is about living a life of focus.  It’s about setting our sights solely on the work God has entrusted us with and called us to do.  It is about honoring God with our hands, our minds, our hearts, and our mouths.  The quiet life is a God centered life.  How quiet is your life right now?

Blessings and Peace

Sara

 For this is what the Lord says:

Although Israel’s rebellion against God occurred thousands of years ago, humanity has not ceased to carry that rebellion on throughout the generations.  If we’re being honest with ourselves, we all have turned our backs on God at one time or another.  Our idols might look different than they did during Isaiah’s time, but they are there non-the-less.  I think the fact that they are not golden calves or Asherah poles makes them harder to recognize.  But anytime we put something before God, anytime we turn to someone or something other than God to meet our needs-give us purpose-fulfill us-deliver us, then we are practicing idolatry.

Take a moment and consider the idols which exist in your life.  What pulls you away from God?  What are you placing before God?  What, other than God, has power over your life?

The following is a Prayer of Confession from the United Methodist Book of Worship.  We recite this prayer once a month as part of our Holy Communion liturgy.  I offer this prayer to you today for your own personal use. I have changed the collective “we” and “our” in the original prayer to the singular “I” and “my” for this purpose. And remember, as Isaiah writes so eloquently, “Though your sins be like scarlet;they shall be as white as snow.”

Merciful God, I confess that I have not loved you with my whole heart.  

I have failed to be an obedient servant.  

I have not done your will.

I have broken your law.

I have rebelled against your love.

I have not loved my neighbors.

I have not heard the cry of the needy.  

Forgive me, I pray.  

Free me, for joyful obedience.

Through Jesus Christ my Lord,  Amen.

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send?  And who will go for us?”  And I said, “Here am I.  Send me!”  Isaiah 6:8

The Lord has sent a message against Jacob; it will fall on Israel…the LORD will cut off from Israel both head and tail, both palm branch and reed in a single day… Isaiah 9:8, 14

Isaiah’s call story is one of the most dramatic and memorable in all of Scripture.  The prophet is given an all-access pass into the throne room of God.  Isaiah sees the Lord, surrounded by the great hosts of heaven, enthroned in all of His glory, speaking to His divine council.  Fearing for his life, Isaiah cries out, “I am ruined!”–for no one was ever to see the face of God and live.  And yet, God had brought Isaiah into this most Holy of Holy’s for a specific purpose.  God was looking for a messenger–someone who would go to His rebellious people and warn them of the catastrophic consequences their apostasy would have.  The Lord says to Isaiah:

“Go and tell this people: Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving.  Make the heart of this people calloused….until the cities lie ruined and without inhabitant, until the houses are left deserted and the fields ruined and ravaged, until the LORD has sent everyone far away and the land is utterly forsaken.”  Isaiah 6:9-10, 11-13

I don’t know about you, but I’m not sure my first response to this holy request would be, “Here I am.  Send me!!”  In fact, I’m pretty sure I would have been looking over my shoulder for someone (anyone) else to take that job.  God was telling Isaiah to walk into the places of highest power and tell the leaders of Israel and Judah that they were leading their people into destruction.  God was telling Isaiah to speak out against the idolatry of the people–the pagan practices which had become acceptable in the eyes of society.  This was not a message of peace and prosperity.

Woe to those who make unjust laws, to those who issue oppressive decrees, to deprive the poor of their rights and withhold justice from the oppressed of my people, making widows their prey and robbing the fatherless.  Isaiah 10:1-2

The earth is defiled by its people; they have disobeyed the laws, violated the statutes and broken the everlasting covenant. Isaiah 24:5

Woe to those who rise early in the morning to run after their drinks, who stay up late at night till they are inflamed with wine…Woe to those who draw sin along with cords of deceit…Woe to those who call evil good and good evil…Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own sight…Woe to those who are heroes at drinking wine and champions at mixing drinks, who acquit the guilty for a bribe, but deny justice to the innocent.  Isaiah 5:11, 18, 20-23

Isaiah was calling the leaders of Israel to account for their corruption and oppression–for leading the people into acts of idolatry and for encouraging debauchery, greed and selfishness.  Isaiah was speaking out against a society which had become godless and defiled to the point that the sacrifices the people raised in the Temple were no longer a pleasing aroma to God.

And yet, God’s purpose in sending Isaiah with such a hard message to swallow wasn’t an act of spite or vengeance.  Rather, God wanted to remind His people of whose they were; of WHO they were, and of who He IS.

 “I am the Lord YOUR God!” God says.  “I teach you what is best for you.  I direct you in the way you should go.  If only you had paid attention to me.  If only you had followed the perfect path I laid out for you, your peace would have been like a river and your well-being would be like the waters of the sea.” Isaiah 48:17-18

But the people’s hearts were stubborn.  Their ears were deaf.  Their eyes were blind.  The message didn’t sink in.  And so God was forced to ask, once again, “Whom shall I send?” 

Blessings and Peace,

Sara

29 years.  That’s how long it’s been since the Kansas City Royals have entered postseason baseball.  29 years.  I was 9 years old during the Royals’ glory days.  I remember packed stadiums and eager anticipation and the awed voices as names like “Brett” and “White” and “Saberhagen” and “Quisenberry” were banded about.  It was an exciting time, full of hope and pride and possibility.

And then it ended.  The drought came.  The excitement faded.  The stadium emptied.  The heroes of the glory days faded into ghosts.  Hope gave way to despair and then to apathy as it seemed the Royals were never again going to stand in the light of the postseason.

But then it came.  Inexplicably, unpredictably, astonishingly–it came.  One chance.  One opportunity to change the course of a 29 year drought.  One game.  One shot.  29 years condensed into 9 innings.  Could they do it?  Could they set aside the disappointments and failures and heartache of 29 years?  The 7-3 deficit in the middle of the sixth inning would tell you no.

But this story doesn’t end there.  This team of young players could have succumbed to the legacy of defeat the organization has carried on its back for 29 years.  They could have checked out, given up, moved back into the void of failure and missed opportunity.  They could have.

 

What they decided to do, however, was to fight.  Four runs and two innings later, the chronic losers had clawed and scratched their way into a tie ballgame.  And when the opposing team scored a single run in the top of the 12th inning, the Royals dug deep one more time.  With two outs and one last ditch effort, the Royals came back for the win.

The stadium erupted.  The players swarmed each other on the field.  29 years–a generation of losing.  But the players never-gave-up.

 

As I fist-pumped in the living room and texted my sister, I thought about my own frame of mind earlier that day.  I had been working on a difficult endeavor.  It seemed hopeless, pointless.  I felt like a failure.  I told my husband I was going to give up, chuck the whole thing, and never strive for anything ever again.  That would be easy.  But watching the Royals scrape their way to a victory last night made me think, maybe easy isn’t really the best option.

The Apostle Paul writes in the book of Philippians:

Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.  Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead,  I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.  Philippians 3:12-14

Paul could have given up numerous times.  He was imprisoned, beaten, cursed, and threatened throughout his ministry.  No one would have blamed him for seeking early retirement far away from Judea.  But Paul pressed on because it was what he was called to do.

I don’t know what 29 year drought you’re going through right now.  I don’t know how it will all shake out in the end.  But I know that, for me, it’s time to dig deep and strive on.  So keep fighting–and watch some baseball.  You never know where inspiration might strike. 🙂

My friend Amy L. Sullivan just published her first book.  For those of you who don’t know Amy, let me just tell you–she’s amazing!  I met Amy a few years ago through a blog network of Christian women writers.  While we’ve never IRL, she’s a definite soul sister!!  She’s witty and sarcastic and sees the humor in every situation, including giving birth to her second child on the side of the road.  (Seriously, you should buy the book just for THAT story alone!)

But Amy is more than just a witty writer.  She is a change agent.

When I first met Amy, she was on this crazy mission to change the culture of her family from self-focused to others focused.  Over the course of a year, Amy and her family intentionally lived out Jesus’ call to love others as he loved us by getting out and serving in their community.  They did all sorts of things,like serving meals at a homeless shelter, hosting “Almost Sleepover” parties to raise items for a local women’s center, making muffins to save animals, charging family members to flush the toilet to raise money to dig a well, and attempting to make shoes out of milk cartons and old jeans!

And while Amy and her family were working to change the lives of others, something extraordinary happened.  They found their own lives changed, as well.  By living an others-centered life, Amy discovered that her family was spending much more quality time together.  In sharing more, they learned to love better.  Her children learned empowerment.  If there’s a need, they can problem-solve a solution!  But most importantly, Amy and her family found themselves in the center of God’s perfect peace.

Take a moment to hear from Amy herself:

Amy makes me want to live a better story.  She inspires me and empowers me to love better.  And, she will do the same for you.  So go visit Amy on her website!  Check out her book on Amazon.  Better yet, BUY her book on Amazon!  I promise you, it will make a world of difference, and a difference in the world.

Blessings and Peace,
Sara

“May God give you
        showers from the sky,
        olive oil from the earth,
        plenty of grain and new wine.
May the nations serve you,
        may peoples bow down to you.
Be the most powerful man among your brothers,
        and may your mother’s sons bow down to you.
    Those who curse you will be cursed,
        and those who bless you will be blessed.”  Genesis 27:28-29

I’ve always tried to pray for my children.  It’s usually the same prayer, over and over again.  I ask for God to be with them, for his Spirit to be upon them.  I pray that they grow in his love and live their lives in service to him.

Of course, there are other prayers, as well.  Prayers for healing when they are sick, prayers for peace when they are anxious, prayers for understanding when they’re struggling.

But this year, as my boys headed off to school once again, I wanted to give them something more.  I wanted to impart something to them before they left home–something they could carry with them through their day–something that would remind them of who they are.  I wanted to give them a blessing.

 But what is a blessing, exactly?  And how can we make the act of blessing a meaningful practice?

In its most literal sense, a blessing is a gift from God.  It is something God bestows upon his people for the purpose of protecting them or uplifting them.  Scripture is full of the promises of God’s blessings on his people.  Follow me, God says.  Walk in my ways and you will be blessed above all nations.  Blessing is at the heart of the Old Testament covenant.

Jesus, in his final meal, blessed the bread and wine that became for us the body and blood of the New Covenant.  He blessed his disciples before ascending to heaven and imparted on them the gift of the Holy Spirit as they went out and proclaimed the Gospel message.

Throughout his letters, the apostle Paul offered the blessings of grace and peace to the churches he was shepherding through opposition and persecution.  And while the benediction of grace and peace may have been a common practice, I don’t believe that Paul wrote these words as a “feel good” conclusion to a difficult situation.  Rather, I believe that Paul wrote these words fully believing and anticipating the Holy Spirit’s power to dwell within them.  This wasn’t a generic “sincerely”.  This was a true imparting of God’s power and being.

So, what does that mean for us, exactly?  Do we have the power to bless as Jesus and the apostles blessed?  I think so.  I think we can offer our own blessings to our children, our spouses, our churches and our communities.  That’s not to say that trouble won’t come, that we will be happy, prosperous and well.  But I think that when we speak a blessing, the Spirit is there.

My blessings on my boys in the morning are very simple. My husband always chuckles because I co-opted the formula from The Help.

 I look them in the eyes, place my hands on their heads, and speak words of affirmation.  To my oldest, I remind him that he is kind, he is a good friend, he is a hard worker.  These are all qualities that I see in him and qualities that I want him to continue to develop.  To my youngest, I remind him that he too is kind, a hard worker and a problem solver.  Most importantly, I remind them that they are loved.

I don’t know what kind of an impact this will have on my boys’ days at school.  But I like to think that it makes some difference.  If nothing else, they hear words of love and affirmation as they begin their day.  And isn’t that at the heart of the Gospel message anyway?

Blessings and Peace,

Sara

The whole earth is filled with awe at your wonders;
    where morning dawns, where evening fades,
    you call forth songs of joy.  Psalm 65:8

Yesterday morning dawned dark and stormy.  I rose to greet the day with a mood to match the ominous clouds outside.  All of my insecurities arose with me that morning, rolling across my mind like the thunder outside.  You’ve failed…You’re going to fail…You won’t be successful…Don’t try…Don’t strive…You’re not good enough…Give up your dreams/ambitions/desires…Don’t reach for anything more…

And so I sat down…in the middle of my kitchen floor…on the little step-stool I use when reading my Bible in the morning.  Hugging my Bible to my chest, I poured out all of my tumultuous thoughts before God, big fat drops of doubt and fear splashing down before the One who knows a thought before it enters my mind.

 “I can’t do it,” I said.  “I’m not talented enough.  I’m not cool enough.  I’m never going to sell a book.  This women’s ministry is never going to get off the ground.  I’m just going to be underemployed my entire life, so you can have my dreams back and I’ll just go be average and never dream about anything again.”

I lowered my Bible to my lap and opened it to where I had left off in the book of Acts the day before.  Secretly, I was hoping for some divine promise to wend it’s way like a lightning bolt straight from the page to my soul– some reassurance that all was going to be fine, that my fears and insecurities were unfounded and that God was going to take care of everything and we’d have a nice 30 second soundbite worthy of K-Love’s encouraging story of the day.

The truth is, God and I have never really had that kind of relationship.  In my life, God often waits through the storm, letting the winds whirl and swirl around me–a quiet Presence standing still as the front passes by.  God is okay with me getting a little windblown and wet.  Perhaps he feels it builds faith.

After reading a bit, I stood up from the little step stool, pushing back the clouds that threatened to engulf me.  I went through my morning routine, making lunches, getting boys up and dressed, digging out a broken umbrella for car rider duty at school.  And while the storm hadn’t completely moved on, God’s presence was like my little broken umbrella.  It kept me dry enough.

 

I pressed on through my work, giving my students the best of my abilities, providing encouragement when needed, but remaining quiet and still as students worked to problem-solve unfamiliar words.  As I was was coaching my kiddos through the rough waters of reading, it occurred to me that sometimes, we need God to be silent in the midst of our own personal storms.  Because if God stilled all of our storms, then we would never grow.  We would never grow in our faith.  We would never grow in our hope.  We would never grow in our strength.  And we would never grow closer to him who gives us strength.  

By the end of that gray and stormy day, the sun was shining in a cornflower blue sky.  Huge, fluffy white clouds perched on the horizon.  And I heard, once my own storm of doubt and insecurity had passed by, God speaking into the bright clear blue.  

You know, whatever you pursue or don’t pursue is your choice.

I gave you gifts and talents.  It’s up to you to decide what you do with them.

But consider this: you and I communicate a lot through those gifts.  

Whether or not you choose to make a career of them doesn’t matter to me.  

What matters is that you do them, because it’s how we talk.

And as long as we’re talking, you’re not a failure.  

As long as we’re talking, you’re doing exactly what I designed you to do.

There are always going to be stormy days.  It’s a natural part of life.  And, if we’re willing, those storms can serve a tremendous purpose.  Those storms, which the Enemy so hopes will destroy us, will actually make us stronger.  Because even though it might feel like we’re being buffeted along by the wind, God is there all the time.  His love and his peace act as an umbrella over us, protecting us as the storm passes by.  

I don’t know what your personal storm is today.  Maybe it’s your marriage, your career, your children or your health. Maybe you struggle with insecurity and doubt like me.  Perhaps you’ve been waiting/longing/begging God to shout “Be STILL!” to the wind that howls all around you.  

But, what if God is whispering, “be still” to you?  What if he’s asking you to weather the storm? Or, an even scarier thought, to walk through it?  

I think that the sun looks more radiant after a storm.  The earth seems fresher somehow–cleansed and rejuvenated.  The grass sparkles, there are rainbows on the pavement, and there are puddles to gleefully play in.  There is promise, there is possibility, there is joy.  

And we would never find any of it if we hadn’t been through the storm.

Blessings and Peace,

Sara