Steady in a Storm
Peggy Mack
August, 2013
It has been one month since I made the commitment to practice my faith by setting aside the first 30 minutes of each morning for devotions and Bible study and prayers.
As part of my promise to live my faith, I have been trying to make Sunday worship a part of our weekly plans. In recent weeks I feel like I have been mutinied and was determined that tomorrow we would be in church. The past two weeks there has been a reluctance on my husband's part to do something as simple as choose what he is going to wear and have it ready Saturday night before bedtime. I go through that routine because he was on his own and independent for the past 26 years and is used to taking care of his own clothes from laundering to ironing, so it has been a win-win situation for me.
Until two weeks ago, when he woke up Sunday, had not pressed his slacks and could not get them pressed in time for church. I had not realized we were down to one good shirt and pair of slacks with his recent weight gain. The following week, I made the same request and Sunday morning, we could not go because of another clothing issue. I cannot remember what it was. By now, I was beginning to feel the tension and the resistance although he says he loves the church we have found together. My plan this week was to take him shopping early Saturday morning for new slacks and shirts so we could move past the last minute problems.
We were successful in finding one pair of gorgeous slacks at Penney's. They were $45 and more than I would spend on myself but I was focused on this goal to worship. We drove to Tanger Mall and found, again, only one shirt but we were pleased. On the way home, I asked, "What is it you need to get these ready by tonight.?" I need to wash and iron the shirt and press the slacks and I want to get my black shoes and polish them. "Ok, I said. Great! I don't want to miss church tomorrow. We'll leave at 8"
Three hours later I am coloring my hair and I hear a scream...a scream from the laundry room. "NO! No!" is all I hear. And then I look. He's standing at the ironing board and the new, charcoal grey, gorgeous slacks are on the board. He looked at me. I looked at him. And he said, "I'll pay you."
I was heartsick in an instant......it wasn't about the $45. It was this sinking feeling that roadblocks keep being thrown in front of every effort I make to do something as simple as go to church.
In the past I would have let it escalate. Reclused myself and felt lost. That's how I deal with stressful issues, retreat and ache and give up.
I could not help but believe that the Devil knew me well enough to believe I would do just that, give up on trying to keep my promise to go to church.
But today is different. Today is part of my journey to being a maturing Christian and having a living relationship with Christ. I am new at it so it is a bit like having training wheels on a bicycle. But I am still on the bike and making progress. But I will figure it out with time and practice and determination.
My friend, Dottie, had posted a devotional from Chris -------which dealt with our natural instinct to go into a mode of panic, demanding resolution when something happens in our life, much like a boat on stormy waters that begins to bounce uncontrollably on the waves.
When that happens, we have to make a coscious choice. We have to practice choosing to be calm when our nature is to panic.
Here's an exerpt that helped from Chris ......'s devotion:
"Conformed to be Free
God’s Spirit is conforming us to the image of Christ. That means that we should be reforming from the image of the anxious people around us—that urgency and panic should be disappearing from our lives. So the question we should ask ourselves daily, or even hourly, is this: What am I worried about today? Whatever the issue, the way we deal with it will tell us volumes about what we think of God.
Christians should be people who float in the current of God’s Spirit, not bounce on the waves of circumstances. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t care or that we should be lazy and irresponsible. It does mean, however, that our compassion and fruitfulness are never defined by heavy burdens and overwhelming demands.
Other people measure love and concern by the degree of anxiety and hands-on compulsions we exhibit. Jesus doesn’t, and neither should we. Sometimes the most compassionate, responsible approach is to trust and to wait. The tyranny of the telephone—the tyranny of anything, for that matter—can never be allowed to rule the Spirit who lives within us."
The words of this devotion were exactly what I needed on this day....and its message changed my way of handling life.
So, I chose to pray and I chose to talk to God about how hard I had worked to get us to church only to know that we would not make it now. And then peace came over me and I thought about what Bill's mom would tell me if she could, "That's my son, be good to him". And I prayed the Lord's prayer and spoke the words out loud, "Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us." And finally, the thought came to me. This is a pair of pants....that's all it is....pants. If you want to feel disappointment and cry, think about how you would feel if the storm you face is Bill having a stroke or heartattack. It's just pants!
When Bill returned, he walked in with a new pair of pants from Belks! We are going to church in the morning. He was angry at himself and I told him that learning to forgive others begins with forgiving yourself. And I repeated to him several times, "It's just pants. It's just pants. You are important to me. These are just pants."
The ruined pants are gone, in the trash, never to be mentioned, again. Forgiven and Forgotten.......it was "just a pair of pants". I have Bill and Bill's love.....and a new chance to practice "floating" and not bouncing on the waves. I have seen God working in our own home and I am a witness to the difference God makes if we only call on Him.
Dear Heavenly Father,
I thank you for the gift of Dottie and her willingness to share devotions and other words of encouragement with others. I thank you for Chris --------- and his message of remaining calm in a storm and training ourselves to "float" through a difficult situation. I thank you for the time I had to learn and live a lesson in faith. Most of all, I thank you for my husband, Bill.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen
Sunday, November 17, 2013
It's Just Pants
It's Just Pants!
Peggy Mack
August 17, 2013
It has been one month since I made the commitment to practice my faith by setting aside the first 30 minutes of each morning for devotions and Bible study and prayers in order to learn more and develop a private, personal, daily conversation with God.
As part of my promise to live my faith, I have been trying to make Sunday worship a part of our weekly plans. In recent weeks I feel like I have been mutinied and was determined that tomorrow we would be in church. The past two weeks we were not successful due to last minute issues and I felt a growing disappointment with each week.
Part of the problem was that I had not realized we were down to one good shirt and pair of slacks for Bill and needed a new, more comfortable size. My plan this week was to take him shopping early Saturday morning for new slacks and shirts so we could move past the last minute problems.
We were successful in finding one pair of gorgeous slacks at Penney's. They were more than I would spend on myself but I was focused on this goal to worship. We drove to Tanger Mall and found, again, only one shirt but we were pleased. On the way home, I asked, "What is it you need to get these ready by tonight.?" I need to wash and iron the shirt and press the slacks and I want to get my black shoes and polish them. "Ok, I said. Great! I don't want to miss church tomorrow. We'll leave at 8!" I knew we had made it!
Three hours later I am coloring my hair and I hear a scream...a scream from the laundry room. "NO! No!" is all I hear from Bill. And then I look. He's standing at the ironing board and the new, charcoal grey, gorgeous slacks are on the board. He looked at me. I looked at him. And he said, "I'll pay you." I knew without him telling me, they'd be scorched and burned beyond salvaging.
I was heartsick in an instant......it wasn't about the money. It was this sinking feeling that roadblocks keep being thrown in front of every effort we make to do something as simple as go to church.
In the past I would have let it escalate. Reclused myself and felt lost. That's how I deal with stressful issues, retreat and ache and finally give up. I could not help but believe that the Devil knew me well enough to know I would do just that, give up on trying to keep my promise to go to church.
But today is different. Today is part of my journey to being a maturing Christian and having a living relationship with Christ. I am new at it so it is a bit like having training wheels on a bicycle. But I am still on the bike and making progress. I will figure it out with time and practice and determination.
This morning, my friend, Dottie, had posted a devotional from Chris Tiegreen, which dealt with our natural instinct to go into a mode of panic, demanding resolution when something happens in our life, much like a boat on stormy waters that begins to bounce uncontrollably on the waves.
When that happens, we have to make a conscious choice. We have to practice choosing to be calm when our nature is to panic.
Here's an exerpt that helped from Chris Tiegreen's devotion:
"Conformed to be Free
God’s Spirit is conforming us to the image of Christ. That means that we should be reforming from the image of the anxious people around us—that urgency and panic should be disappearing from our lives. So the question we should ask ourselves daily, or even hourly, is this: What am I worried about today? Whatever the issue, the way we deal with it will tell us volumes about what we think of God.
Christians should be people who float in the current of God’s Spirit, not bounce on the waves of circumstances. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t care or that we should be lazy and irresponsible. It does mean, however, that our compassion and fruitfulness are never defined by heavy burdens and overwhelming demands.
Other people measure love and concern by the degree of anxiety and hands-on compulsions we exhibit. Jesus doesn’t, and neither should we. Sometimes the most compassionate, responsible approach is to trust and to wait. The tyranny of the telephone—the tyranny of anything, for that matter—can never be allowed to rule the Spirit who lives within us."
The words of this devotion were exactly what I needed on this day....and its message changed my way of handling life.
So, I chose to pray and I chose to talk to God about how hard I had worked to get us to church only to know that we would not make it tomorrow. Peace came over me as I thought about what Bill's mom would tell me if she could, "That's my son, be good to him". And I prayed the Lord's prayer and spoke the words out loud, "Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us." And finally, the thought came to me. This is a pair of pants....that's all it is....pants. If you want to feel disappointment and cry, think about how you would feel if the storm you face is Bill having a stroke or heart attack. It's just pants!
When Bill returned, he walked in with a new pair of pants from Belks! He had left the house determined to make this right. We ARE going to church in the morning. He was angry at himself and I told him that learning to forgive others begins with forgiving yourself. And I repeated to him several times, "It's just pants. It's just pants. You are so important to me and these are just pants."
The ruined pants are gone, in the trash, never to be mentioned, again. Forgiven and Forgotten.......it was "just a pair of pants". I have Bill and Bill's love.....and a new chance to practice "floating" and not bouncing on the waves. I have seen God working in our own home today and I am a witness to the difference God makes if we only call on Him.
Dear Heavenly Father,
I thank you for the gift of Dottie and her willingness to share devotions and other words of encouragement with others. I thank you for Chris Tiegreen and his message of remaining calm in a storm and training ourselves to "float" through a difficult situation. I thank you for the time I was given to learn and live a lesson in faith.
Most of all, I thank you for my husband, Bill.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen
As a post script: The last thing Bill said that night to me was, "I am sorry". And I replied, "What pants?" The next morning I woke with a new, clear understanding forgiveness is about surrendering your pain, disappointment, frustration, loss of trust to God and saying I have tried and I can not find a way to heal my heart. Heal my heart so I am in a place of forgiveness. When that moment comes...you experience....total peace. Now ....who chooses to hang on to the burdens of negative thought and pain....over a total sense of peace. I heard God whisper....and Peg, as for all your sins......the ones you asked forgiveness for....I say..."what sins!?"
I better understand God's forgiveness for all our sins.....and I am in awe and filled with gratitude.
Peggy Mack
August 17, 2013
It has been one month since I made the commitment to practice my faith by setting aside the first 30 minutes of each morning for devotions and Bible study and prayers in order to learn more and develop a private, personal, daily conversation with God.
As part of my promise to live my faith, I have been trying to make Sunday worship a part of our weekly plans. In recent weeks I feel like I have been mutinied and was determined that tomorrow we would be in church. The past two weeks we were not successful due to last minute issues and I felt a growing disappointment with each week.
Part of the problem was that I had not realized we were down to one good shirt and pair of slacks for Bill and needed a new, more comfortable size. My plan this week was to take him shopping early Saturday morning for new slacks and shirts so we could move past the last minute problems.
We were successful in finding one pair of gorgeous slacks at Penney's. They were more than I would spend on myself but I was focused on this goal to worship. We drove to Tanger Mall and found, again, only one shirt but we were pleased. On the way home, I asked, "What is it you need to get these ready by tonight.?" I need to wash and iron the shirt and press the slacks and I want to get my black shoes and polish them. "Ok, I said. Great! I don't want to miss church tomorrow. We'll leave at 8!" I knew we had made it!
Three hours later I am coloring my hair and I hear a scream...a scream from the laundry room. "NO! No!" is all I hear from Bill. And then I look. He's standing at the ironing board and the new, charcoal grey, gorgeous slacks are on the board. He looked at me. I looked at him. And he said, "I'll pay you." I knew without him telling me, they'd be scorched and burned beyond salvaging.
I was heartsick in an instant......it wasn't about the money. It was this sinking feeling that roadblocks keep being thrown in front of every effort we make to do something as simple as go to church.
In the past I would have let it escalate. Reclused myself and felt lost. That's how I deal with stressful issues, retreat and ache and finally give up. I could not help but believe that the Devil knew me well enough to know I would do just that, give up on trying to keep my promise to go to church.
But today is different. Today is part of my journey to being a maturing Christian and having a living relationship with Christ. I am new at it so it is a bit like having training wheels on a bicycle. But I am still on the bike and making progress. I will figure it out with time and practice and determination.
This morning, my friend, Dottie, had posted a devotional from Chris Tiegreen, which dealt with our natural instinct to go into a mode of panic, demanding resolution when something happens in our life, much like a boat on stormy waters that begins to bounce uncontrollably on the waves.
When that happens, we have to make a conscious choice. We have to practice choosing to be calm when our nature is to panic.
Here's an exerpt that helped from Chris Tiegreen's devotion:
"Conformed to be Free
God’s Spirit is conforming us to the image of Christ. That means that we should be reforming from the image of the anxious people around us—that urgency and panic should be disappearing from our lives. So the question we should ask ourselves daily, or even hourly, is this: What am I worried about today? Whatever the issue, the way we deal with it will tell us volumes about what we think of God.
Christians should be people who float in the current of God’s Spirit, not bounce on the waves of circumstances. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t care or that we should be lazy and irresponsible. It does mean, however, that our compassion and fruitfulness are never defined by heavy burdens and overwhelming demands.
Other people measure love and concern by the degree of anxiety and hands-on compulsions we exhibit. Jesus doesn’t, and neither should we. Sometimes the most compassionate, responsible approach is to trust and to wait. The tyranny of the telephone—the tyranny of anything, for that matter—can never be allowed to rule the Spirit who lives within us."
The words of this devotion were exactly what I needed on this day....and its message changed my way of handling life.
So, I chose to pray and I chose to talk to God about how hard I had worked to get us to church only to know that we would not make it tomorrow. Peace came over me as I thought about what Bill's mom would tell me if she could, "That's my son, be good to him". And I prayed the Lord's prayer and spoke the words out loud, "Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us." And finally, the thought came to me. This is a pair of pants....that's all it is....pants. If you want to feel disappointment and cry, think about how you would feel if the storm you face is Bill having a stroke or heart attack. It's just pants!
When Bill returned, he walked in with a new pair of pants from Belks! He had left the house determined to make this right. We ARE going to church in the morning. He was angry at himself and I told him that learning to forgive others begins with forgiving yourself. And I repeated to him several times, "It's just pants. It's just pants. You are so important to me and these are just pants."
The ruined pants are gone, in the trash, never to be mentioned, again. Forgiven and Forgotten.......it was "just a pair of pants". I have Bill and Bill's love.....and a new chance to practice "floating" and not bouncing on the waves. I have seen God working in our own home today and I am a witness to the difference God makes if we only call on Him.
Dear Heavenly Father,
I thank you for the gift of Dottie and her willingness to share devotions and other words of encouragement with others. I thank you for Chris Tiegreen and his message of remaining calm in a storm and training ourselves to "float" through a difficult situation. I thank you for the time I was given to learn and live a lesson in faith.
Most of all, I thank you for my husband, Bill.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen
As a post script: The last thing Bill said that night to me was, "I am sorry". And I replied, "What pants?" The next morning I woke with a new, clear understanding forgiveness is about surrendering your pain, disappointment, frustration, loss of trust to God and saying I have tried and I can not find a way to heal my heart. Heal my heart so I am in a place of forgiveness. When that moment comes...you experience....total peace. Now ....who chooses to hang on to the burdens of negative thought and pain....over a total sense of peace. I heard God whisper....and Peg, as for all your sins......the ones you asked forgiveness for....I say..."what sins!?"
I better understand God's forgiveness for all our sins.....and I am in awe and filled with gratitude.
Drowning the Gratitude Jar
Drowning the Gratitude Jar
Peggy Mack
August 29, 2013
I woke this morning at 4:45am, not because I have to but, because I seem to flourish in the early hours of each day. I usually take Rooney, our mixed terrier, outside for a few moments and I return to make coffee so Bill can have a fresh pot waiting for him when he wakes. I prefer one of those new fancy Keurig single cup coffee makers.
This morning I know I have learned a lesson, but I am not certain what it is, so I have taken to writing to organize and clear my thoughts.
You see I decided, while making coffee in the Keurig, to quickly fill a mug with water and add it to the coffee maker reservoir. At the same time, in my sleepless state I reminded myself that I needed to write out a thought of gratitude for my gratitude jar. Somewhere in those two thought processes, I got the wires crossed in my sleepy brain and poured 12 ounces of water in my gratitude jar soaking each tiny slip of paper. I have hundreds now having started the jar last November.
My first reaction was to dump the water quickly. Having done that, I grabbed two kitchen towels and began methodically and carefully peeling each slip from the watery clump of soaked paper. As I did that, I kept hearing the thought, "salvage what you can." In the midst of a foolish mistake, I was given a focus. "Salvage what you can!"
As I methodically worked to ease one soaked slip from another I realized how unneccessary it is to criticize ourselves when we make mistakes. There should be a manual for forgiveness and focus issued to each of us for those times when things seem so foolish and appear to be a disaster.
Step one seems to always be to say, "You idiot!" But why are we programmed that way? Why is criticism even part of a mistake. I cannot tell you the number of times I witnessed parents, usually rushed to drop off kids at school and to get to work, who realized the child forgot to grab something on the way out of their house and into the classroom. Often the forgotten item was a packed lunchbox. The first reaction when the child said, "Mom, I forgot my lunchbox!", was to say "I told you so!" or "I can't trust you to remember anything!" or "You'd forget your head if it weren't screwed on to your shoulders". When you looked at the child you could feel the shame, embarrassment and deep sadness over disappointing her parent.
This morning I revisited those first feelings of recognition when you realize you have made a mistake. Those first feelings revolve around, "What am I going to do now?" and "Why did I do that?"
There is no room for criticism or degrading thoughts and comments when a mistake occurs. The manual on how to deal with mistakes in life should begin with: focus on what can be done to make this as right as possible. "Salvage what you can!"
So I gently separated the slips in the darkness of my own kitchen not knowing when the sun rises what I will face. There is a possibility the ink has smeared and my thoughts of gratitude are lost, but there's also a chance they have been saved in time to make choices later as to what can be done now.
How we treat ourselves and others in making mistakes should have rules. As Christians, the first step we need to take is to throw out negative words of criticism in our homes. There is no need in a moment when mistakes take over normalcy that we should go to degrading ourselves or others.
Our first step should be to "Salvage what we can" and the second should be to make a plan for how to move forward. For me and my slips of gratitude, I am going to let them dry and I will evaluate what I have with the morning sunlight.
For the little Kindergartener who forgot her lunchbox, I often intervened by quickly offering to pay for the child to have a school lunch and the parent could pay me back within the week. As the mother rushed out of my classroom still fuming, I followed close behind and said, " You are leaving your daughter feeling embarrassed and hurt that she has let you down. Go back in there and hug her, tell her you love her, smile at her and tell her to have a great day!"
There is no need for words of criticism in a world when mistakes are normal parts of our lives. As the day goes by today, I encourage you to pay attention to your own thoughts and whether or not you use words of criticism on yourself or others. Ask God to remove angered criticism from your walk with Christ and from your home. We are called to be gentle, humble, kind, caring and at peace. There is no excusable reason and no room for degrading ourselves or others.
I began my early morning hours by dumping a gigantic glass of water all over small, colorful slips of paper in my gratitude jar and I gained insight into how we can positively handle the mistakes in ourselves and with others. All in all, there was little lost and a whole lot gained.
Dear Heavenly Father,
We are prone to make mistakes on a daily basis. In those times, please call our first reactions which lead us to criticize and replace them with thoughts to "salvage what we can" and to "make a plan" on how to make things right, again. You ask us to forgive others and that includes times when we feel frustrated and upset. Teach us to feel your presence and to seek your calmness in the tiny storms of life,
In Jesus' Name,
Amen
As a footnote: I returned to the two towels covered with soaked pieces of gratitude and discovered, they all dried and are fine. I dried out the gratitude jar and placed the slips back in the jar. All is well.
Peggy Mack
August 29, 2013
I woke this morning at 4:45am, not because I have to but, because I seem to flourish in the early hours of each day. I usually take Rooney, our mixed terrier, outside for a few moments and I return to make coffee so Bill can have a fresh pot waiting for him when he wakes. I prefer one of those new fancy Keurig single cup coffee makers.
This morning I know I have learned a lesson, but I am not certain what it is, so I have taken to writing to organize and clear my thoughts.
You see I decided, while making coffee in the Keurig, to quickly fill a mug with water and add it to the coffee maker reservoir. At the same time, in my sleepless state I reminded myself that I needed to write out a thought of gratitude for my gratitude jar. Somewhere in those two thought processes, I got the wires crossed in my sleepy brain and poured 12 ounces of water in my gratitude jar soaking each tiny slip of paper. I have hundreds now having started the jar last November.
My first reaction was to dump the water quickly. Having done that, I grabbed two kitchen towels and began methodically and carefully peeling each slip from the watery clump of soaked paper. As I did that, I kept hearing the thought, "salvage what you can." In the midst of a foolish mistake, I was given a focus. "Salvage what you can!"
As I methodically worked to ease one soaked slip from another I realized how unneccessary it is to criticize ourselves when we make mistakes. There should be a manual for forgiveness and focus issued to each of us for those times when things seem so foolish and appear to be a disaster.
Step one seems to always be to say, "You idiot!" But why are we programmed that way? Why is criticism even part of a mistake. I cannot tell you the number of times I witnessed parents, usually rushed to drop off kids at school and to get to work, who realized the child forgot to grab something on the way out of their house and into the classroom. Often the forgotten item was a packed lunchbox. The first reaction when the child said, "Mom, I forgot my lunchbox!", was to say "I told you so!" or "I can't trust you to remember anything!" or "You'd forget your head if it weren't screwed on to your shoulders". When you looked at the child you could feel the shame, embarrassment and deep sadness over disappointing her parent.
This morning I revisited those first feelings of recognition when you realize you have made a mistake. Those first feelings revolve around, "What am I going to do now?" and "Why did I do that?"
There is no room for criticism or degrading thoughts and comments when a mistake occurs. The manual on how to deal with mistakes in life should begin with: focus on what can be done to make this as right as possible. "Salvage what you can!"
So I gently separated the slips in the darkness of my own kitchen not knowing when the sun rises what I will face. There is a possibility the ink has smeared and my thoughts of gratitude are lost, but there's also a chance they have been saved in time to make choices later as to what can be done now.
How we treat ourselves and others in making mistakes should have rules. As Christians, the first step we need to take is to throw out negative words of criticism in our homes. There is no need in a moment when mistakes take over normalcy that we should go to degrading ourselves or others.
Our first step should be to "Salvage what we can" and the second should be to make a plan for how to move forward. For me and my slips of gratitude, I am going to let them dry and I will evaluate what I have with the morning sunlight.
For the little Kindergartener who forgot her lunchbox, I often intervened by quickly offering to pay for the child to have a school lunch and the parent could pay me back within the week. As the mother rushed out of my classroom still fuming, I followed close behind and said, " You are leaving your daughter feeling embarrassed and hurt that she has let you down. Go back in there and hug her, tell her you love her, smile at her and tell her to have a great day!"
There is no need for words of criticism in a world when mistakes are normal parts of our lives. As the day goes by today, I encourage you to pay attention to your own thoughts and whether or not you use words of criticism on yourself or others. Ask God to remove angered criticism from your walk with Christ and from your home. We are called to be gentle, humble, kind, caring and at peace. There is no excusable reason and no room for degrading ourselves or others.
I began my early morning hours by dumping a gigantic glass of water all over small, colorful slips of paper in my gratitude jar and I gained insight into how we can positively handle the mistakes in ourselves and with others. All in all, there was little lost and a whole lot gained.
Dear Heavenly Father,
We are prone to make mistakes on a daily basis. In those times, please call our first reactions which lead us to criticize and replace them with thoughts to "salvage what we can" and to "make a plan" on how to make things right, again. You ask us to forgive others and that includes times when we feel frustrated and upset. Teach us to feel your presence and to seek your calmness in the tiny storms of life,
In Jesus' Name,
Amen
As a footnote: I returned to the two towels covered with soaked pieces of gratitude and discovered, they all dried and are fine. I dried out the gratitude jar and placed the slips back in the jar. All is well.
If I Could Only Lift Your Pain
If I Could Only Lift Your Pain
Peggy Mack
August 30, 2013
On this morning of August 30, 2013 I am deeply aware of the grieving hearts of others. Facebook, a 21st century form of communication, has opened my world to the awareness that we have new ways of making a positive difference in others' lives. However, in that level of caring, we can also become aware of the burdens others have in life and feel helpless and hopeless in making a true difference. In recent months, I have learned to form my morning prayer list based on the needs and requests of others and I hold them in my heart.
Today, on this one single Saturday alone, nearing the end of summer, I am acutely aware of so many who are grieving today. They have experienced great loss of a loved one and feel immense sadness. It is in those moments, I see how little a few typed words can do to help in the comforting of those whose hearts are broken.
Three of my friends will be attending funerals today for someone so dear to them that they cannot imagine life without them. Three of my friends or acquaintences are still deeply grieving for someone who was their world and they no longer have them to be near each day. And finally, one of my dear friends has lost two beloved pets within a few short weeks for medical reasons and parted with them in the office of a veterinarian. It is such a public, cold, sterile place for one to say good-bye to a precious companion and imagining the depth of sadness feels like a gigantic, rogue wave washing over them.
What can I possibly say or do that has any effect on today's happenings for them? What do I do with all this grief? Having known grief in the loss of several beloved persons in my life and the loss of a beloved pet, I have a true sense of their thoughts and feelings this week. I am connected to them with an empathetic heart. But sympathy and empathy only soothe in the moment and do little else to lift the burden of heartache. An old hymn began singing in my mind's memory, "Can we find a friend so faithful who will all our sorrows bear? We should never be discouraged. Take it to the Lord in prayer."
While holding them each and all in prayer, words came to me in poetic form. You see, I don't always write in prose, though it has, in recent months, become my favorite form of expression. Once in awhile, the heart leads its way with a poem.
For those whom I love....whose hearts are heavy with grief today.....know that you are in my prayers.....and I walk with you in love.
If I Could
Peggy Mack
August 29, 2013
If I could lift your pain away
I would carry it beyond the seas,
the stars, the moon and leave it
far into the universe's night.
If I could mend your broken heart
I would soothe it with my perfect words
the touch of healing filling my fingertips
As you feel their healing power.
If I could comfort you with words
I would find the perfect thought and phrase,
Erase this weight of life's sad state
And replace it with pure love and grace.
Oh it is......
in times like these
I sense the limits of my power....
and through your loving friendship
I have learned...
within these moments
of helplessness
I find my power...
not within my own life's walls...
but in God's precious power.
I cannot lift your pain away,
mend your broken heart
or comfort you from a distance...
but God can...
and He does....
He hears your prayers....
He feels your needs.....
and blesses you...beyond belief....
and whispers to your heart......
Blessed are they who mourn,
for they shall be comforted.
"I cried out to you O Lord. I begged the Lord for mercy. You have turned my mourning into joyful dancing. You have taken away my clothes of mourning and clothed me with joy, that I might sing praises to you and not be silent." ~Psalm 30:8,11-12~
Peggy Mack
August 30, 2013
On this morning of August 30, 2013 I am deeply aware of the grieving hearts of others. Facebook, a 21st century form of communication, has opened my world to the awareness that we have new ways of making a positive difference in others' lives. However, in that level of caring, we can also become aware of the burdens others have in life and feel helpless and hopeless in making a true difference. In recent months, I have learned to form my morning prayer list based on the needs and requests of others and I hold them in my heart.
Today, on this one single Saturday alone, nearing the end of summer, I am acutely aware of so many who are grieving today. They have experienced great loss of a loved one and feel immense sadness. It is in those moments, I see how little a few typed words can do to help in the comforting of those whose hearts are broken.
Three of my friends will be attending funerals today for someone so dear to them that they cannot imagine life without them. Three of my friends or acquaintences are still deeply grieving for someone who was their world and they no longer have them to be near each day. And finally, one of my dear friends has lost two beloved pets within a few short weeks for medical reasons and parted with them in the office of a veterinarian. It is such a public, cold, sterile place for one to say good-bye to a precious companion and imagining the depth of sadness feels like a gigantic, rogue wave washing over them.
What can I possibly say or do that has any effect on today's happenings for them? What do I do with all this grief? Having known grief in the loss of several beloved persons in my life and the loss of a beloved pet, I have a true sense of their thoughts and feelings this week. I am connected to them with an empathetic heart. But sympathy and empathy only soothe in the moment and do little else to lift the burden of heartache. An old hymn began singing in my mind's memory, "Can we find a friend so faithful who will all our sorrows bear? We should never be discouraged. Take it to the Lord in prayer."
While holding them each and all in prayer, words came to me in poetic form. You see, I don't always write in prose, though it has, in recent months, become my favorite form of expression. Once in awhile, the heart leads its way with a poem.
For those whom I love....whose hearts are heavy with grief today.....know that you are in my prayers.....and I walk with you in love.
If I Could
Peggy Mack
August 29, 2013
If I could lift your pain away
I would carry it beyond the seas,
the stars, the moon and leave it
far into the universe's night.
If I could mend your broken heart
I would soothe it with my perfect words
the touch of healing filling my fingertips
As you feel their healing power.
If I could comfort you with words
I would find the perfect thought and phrase,
Erase this weight of life's sad state
And replace it with pure love and grace.
Oh it is......
in times like these
I sense the limits of my power....
and through your loving friendship
I have learned...
within these moments
of helplessness
I find my power...
not within my own life's walls...
but in God's precious power.
I cannot lift your pain away,
mend your broken heart
or comfort you from a distance...
but God can...
and He does....
He hears your prayers....
He feels your needs.....
and blesses you...beyond belief....
and whispers to your heart......
Blessed are they who mourn,
for they shall be comforted.
"I cried out to you O Lord. I begged the Lord for mercy. You have turned my mourning into joyful dancing. You have taken away my clothes of mourning and clothed me with joy, that I might sing praises to you and not be silent." ~Psalm 30:8,11-12~
Can God Be Found in Facebook?
Can God Be Found in Facebook?
Peggy Mack
September 8, 2013
In these last few weeks of summer, I am looking back on my new found adventure in faith. It is one that includes being more committed to a disciplined approach of opening my mind and heart to God's presence through quiet morning devotions. I always looked at "suggested daily devotions" as a routine too restrictive to my free spirit and not unlike brushing your teeth, washing your face and taking your vitamin. I felt it was one more "to do" in a long list of many for my already tight morning schedule. Retirement has brought me so many new joys, but this may be the finest of them all! I truly have time to spend with God in meditation, prayer and reading each morning.
In this new summer adventure into faith, I am able to take time to notice special words of encouragement, hope and faith from (who would believe it?) Facebook. Let us be honest for a moment. We must be "part of the world, but not in the world" as we are admonished in:
Romans 12:2 and be ye not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
You cannot make a positive difference in others' lives if you have become monastic in your faith for fear of being exposed to the "negative" influences we see. I love that the United Methodist Church, who I "friended" on Facebook, by the way, leaves me a positive thought and a Bible verse to consider with each new morning. The same is true of a special congregation in the Golden Isles of GA, named The Grace Place, which is a Baptist Church lead by and attended by many high school friends. Both Facebook sources seem to be a beacon of light as I read through all the daily posts.
Each morning, as I weed through the cranky discourse associated with current events and politics and the endless recipes which make me salivate while trying to read, I can keep up with friends recent adventures. It is interesting mix of negative thoughts of hopelessness intertwined with words of encouragement, strength and hope. I remember shortly after the most recent Presidential election, I was overflowing with fury and dissatisfaction with the results and was "babbling" not "bubbling" over with contempt. I was in the world without any connection to God each morning. I was "all me" running amuk on the internet with confusion and revulsion, until finally one morning, I woke and was silent. I made the personal choice to "give it up." All the angst was making me weary and causing me to begin each new day with negative thoughts. The more I struggled with the fear for our country, the more I seemed to seek out others who were ranting and raving, also. This search for those who agreed with me lead me to end a friendship with a songwriter whose friendship I valued for five years. Something had to be done to end the negative, destructive effect it was having on my life. I was not only "in" the world, but I was "of" the world. And when we are "of the world" we are subject to losing sight of God's light and His love and blessings.
Dear Heavenly Father,
Our great, daily challenge in being part of our world through its many new forms of technological communication is to be "of" the world but not "in" the world. By being part of the Facebook community we can become aware of the daily needs of others who ask for prayers, support and suggestions. We can offer them words of encouragement, hope and prayer. Our challenge is not to be "in" the world where our focus becomes one filled with anger, discord and divisiveness. Help us find ways to be a light reflecting your message of love and hope and salvation.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen
Peggy Mack
September 8, 2013
In these last few weeks of summer, I am looking back on my new found adventure in faith. It is one that includes being more committed to a disciplined approach of opening my mind and heart to God's presence through quiet morning devotions. I always looked at "suggested daily devotions" as a routine too restrictive to my free spirit and not unlike brushing your teeth, washing your face and taking your vitamin. I felt it was one more "to do" in a long list of many for my already tight morning schedule. Retirement has brought me so many new joys, but this may be the finest of them all! I truly have time to spend with God in meditation, prayer and reading each morning.
In this new summer adventure into faith, I am able to take time to notice special words of encouragement, hope and faith from (who would believe it?) Facebook. Let us be honest for a moment. We must be "part of the world, but not in the world" as we are admonished in:
Romans 12:2 and be ye not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
You cannot make a positive difference in others' lives if you have become monastic in your faith for fear of being exposed to the "negative" influences we see. I love that the United Methodist Church, who I "friended" on Facebook, by the way, leaves me a positive thought and a Bible verse to consider with each new morning. The same is true of a special congregation in the Golden Isles of GA, named The Grace Place, which is a Baptist Church lead by and attended by many high school friends. Both Facebook sources seem to be a beacon of light as I read through all the daily posts.
Each morning, as I weed through the cranky discourse associated with current events and politics and the endless recipes which make me salivate while trying to read, I can keep up with friends recent adventures. It is interesting mix of negative thoughts of hopelessness intertwined with words of encouragement, strength and hope. I remember shortly after the most recent Presidential election, I was overflowing with fury and dissatisfaction with the results and was "babbling" not "bubbling" over with contempt. I was in the world without any connection to God each morning. I was "all me" running amuk on the internet with confusion and revulsion, until finally one morning, I woke and was silent. I made the personal choice to "give it up." All the angst was making me weary and causing me to begin each new day with negative thoughts. The more I struggled with the fear for our country, the more I seemed to seek out others who were ranting and raving, also. This search for those who agreed with me lead me to end a friendship with a songwriter whose friendship I valued for five years. Something had to be done to end the negative, destructive effect it was having on my life. I was not only "in" the world, but I was "of" the world. And when we are "of the world" we are subject to losing sight of God's light and His love and blessings.
Dear Heavenly Father,
Our great, daily challenge in being part of our world through its many new forms of technological communication is to be "of" the world but not "in" the world. By being part of the Facebook community we can become aware of the daily needs of others who ask for prayers, support and suggestions. We can offer them words of encouragement, hope and prayer. Our challenge is not to be "in" the world where our focus becomes one filled with anger, discord and divisiveness. Help us find ways to be a light reflecting your message of love and hope and salvation.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen
In The Blink of An Eye
In the Blink of an Eye
Peggy Mack
October 5, 3013
I remember when my family were members of Holy Nativity Episcopal Church in Panama City and our priest was Father Bob Battin. What a delightful, faith filled man he was and what wonderful sermons he wove into our hearts each Sunday. At the end of his sermons he asked God the words to the same prayer which I no longer remember, but in the prayer was the phrase, "and Lord make us aware daily of the shortness and uncertainty of life.....". I often remember that phrases when I am shocked by the loss of someone whom I "never suspected" was facing the end of his/her life. You can almost smell the sent of the candle after the flame is snuffed out and all that is left is an ever fading trail of grey smoke and a memory of the flame.
Yesterday, Bill and I had finished a normal, routine visit with our family doctor and were on our way to North Myrtle Beach for a treat of cheeseburgers and a fresh salad at Steak "n" Shake. Okay I admit it, the doctor mentioned that we could chunk off a few pounds to be healthier so instead of ordering a milkshake and fries to go with our burgers, we ordered a fresh salad, which I admit, was delicious.
I lost my train of thought there and must go back to our travels to the restaurant. We were caught up in busy traffic on business 17 near one of our tourist attractions, Broadway at the Beach when traffic came to a complete halt. Oh No! I thought, this has to be a wreck. It took fifteen minutes of crawling two miles an hour to see what had us in this snarled mess of traffic. We quickly assessed that one SUV had rolled and was now windowless and driver doorless with the roof smashed, but not cave in completely. And then we saw a head light, a piece of chrome, a motorcycle seat and the sheet covering a body. My heart sank. As we were directed to drive on, Bill told me how difficult being a policeman can be when you arrive at scenes like this and he tried to run what he had just seen through his mind to determine what could have caused such a horrific scene.
We went on to dinner and caught ourselves thinking of the person who had been on the motorcycle We finally had to promise to "let it go" so we could eat a meal and try to refocus on what we needed to do.
Once we returned home, Bill asked me to google for any information that might give us a clue. I found a report stating that local law enforcement were asking anyone who saw the wreck to report in to help them complete their report. The man on the motorcycle had been killed and his passenger, a female, was in critical care in ICU.
Oh no! I thought! I remember two dozen years back when my husband and I had a motorcycle and loved riding country highways and out to the beach. One day, Allison, who was maybe, 14, told us she did not want both of her parents on that motorcycle at the same time. I reassured her that we would be fine, but now, I saw how ridiculous a promise that can be. We cannot promise anything. We live our lives today in each moment we are given.
I prayed for this man whom I did not know and his passenger and could not help but wonder if it was a dad and mother. The man, we learned today, was from Virginia down in Myrtle Beach to enjoy the fall Bike Rally and to have fun. He was only 43 years old and now his life is over. His passenger was the lady he was dating, most likely a mom and her family, I am certain was driving down her last night to hold a vigil by her bed in the hospital.
Life is real. It is not a fairy tale. As Father Bob once told us, the life of a Christian is like the beauty of a rose bush. We reflect God's love from within us and others cannot help but see that gentle beauty but we have to grow within the thorns. We face the same hardships, dangers and losses. We face immeasureable grief and face all the challenges others face. Finally, our lives are truly in God's hands. We have no crystal ball. We have no calendar marked with the day we will die. We must, in our love for this life God gave us, remember to be aware daily of the shortness and uncertainty of life. There should never be a cry of "why me?" but "why not me?". After all, I am one of God's creations and while I live on Earth no matter how strong my faith, I will face adversity for adversity is written into this book of life. What is not written is how we choose to live and how we choose to get through adversity.
Some of the people in traffic yesterday were furious. They were impatient and angry for being slowed down from whatever they were doing as if accidents and traffic are not something we can predict will happen in our life. They had no reaction to seeing the devastation on the highway and the person who had lost their life. Others, like myself, felt the loss of a human being who had no knowledge that in the blink of an eye, through no fault of his own, his life was ended at 43.
I am still thinking about him, the love of his life who fights in a local hospital to survive and their families far from home who are grieving and praying and feeling so lost. We are compelled while on this earth to reach out through prayer and acts of kindness when we see others in need.
For the truth is, we know not the day or the hour that our God will call us home. All we know for certain is that life is uncertain and life as we know it can be over in the blink of an eye.
Dear Heavenly Father,
My heart is troubled for those who have lost a beloved father, friend, brother and son. I wonder how many others are dealing with grief today and ask you to do what I cannot. Please comfort all those who mourn and grieve. Please deliver a peace which passes our human understanding but cradles them when they cannot sleep. Please Lord, draw those who are broken hearted close to your heart so theirs will mend. Do what I cannot, Lord. And for those who have been blessed with a beautiful day, remind us to tell those we love how we feel and to make us aware daily of the shortness and uncertainty of life.
In the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ,
Amen
Peggy Mack
October 5, 3013
I remember when my family were members of Holy Nativity Episcopal Church in Panama City and our priest was Father Bob Battin. What a delightful, faith filled man he was and what wonderful sermons he wove into our hearts each Sunday. At the end of his sermons he asked God the words to the same prayer which I no longer remember, but in the prayer was the phrase, "and Lord make us aware daily of the shortness and uncertainty of life.....". I often remember that phrases when I am shocked by the loss of someone whom I "never suspected" was facing the end of his/her life. You can almost smell the sent of the candle after the flame is snuffed out and all that is left is an ever fading trail of grey smoke and a memory of the flame.
Yesterday, Bill and I had finished a normal, routine visit with our family doctor and were on our way to North Myrtle Beach for a treat of cheeseburgers and a fresh salad at Steak "n" Shake. Okay I admit it, the doctor mentioned that we could chunk off a few pounds to be healthier so instead of ordering a milkshake and fries to go with our burgers, we ordered a fresh salad, which I admit, was delicious.
I lost my train of thought there and must go back to our travels to the restaurant. We were caught up in busy traffic on business 17 near one of our tourist attractions, Broadway at the Beach when traffic came to a complete halt. Oh No! I thought, this has to be a wreck. It took fifteen minutes of crawling two miles an hour to see what had us in this snarled mess of traffic. We quickly assessed that one SUV had rolled and was now windowless and driver doorless with the roof smashed, but not cave in completely. And then we saw a head light, a piece of chrome, a motorcycle seat and the sheet covering a body. My heart sank. As we were directed to drive on, Bill told me how difficult being a policeman can be when you arrive at scenes like this and he tried to run what he had just seen through his mind to determine what could have caused such a horrific scene.
We went on to dinner and caught ourselves thinking of the person who had been on the motorcycle We finally had to promise to "let it go" so we could eat a meal and try to refocus on what we needed to do.
Once we returned home, Bill asked me to google for any information that might give us a clue. I found a report stating that local law enforcement were asking anyone who saw the wreck to report in to help them complete their report. The man on the motorcycle had been killed and his passenger, a female, was in critical care in ICU.
Oh no! I thought! I remember two dozen years back when my husband and I had a motorcycle and loved riding country highways and out to the beach. One day, Allison, who was maybe, 14, told us she did not want both of her parents on that motorcycle at the same time. I reassured her that we would be fine, but now, I saw how ridiculous a promise that can be. We cannot promise anything. We live our lives today in each moment we are given.
I prayed for this man whom I did not know and his passenger and could not help but wonder if it was a dad and mother. The man, we learned today, was from Virginia down in Myrtle Beach to enjoy the fall Bike Rally and to have fun. He was only 43 years old and now his life is over. His passenger was the lady he was dating, most likely a mom and her family, I am certain was driving down her last night to hold a vigil by her bed in the hospital.
Life is real. It is not a fairy tale. As Father Bob once told us, the life of a Christian is like the beauty of a rose bush. We reflect God's love from within us and others cannot help but see that gentle beauty but we have to grow within the thorns. We face the same hardships, dangers and losses. We face immeasureable grief and face all the challenges others face. Finally, our lives are truly in God's hands. We have no crystal ball. We have no calendar marked with the day we will die. We must, in our love for this life God gave us, remember to be aware daily of the shortness and uncertainty of life. There should never be a cry of "why me?" but "why not me?". After all, I am one of God's creations and while I live on Earth no matter how strong my faith, I will face adversity for adversity is written into this book of life. What is not written is how we choose to live and how we choose to get through adversity.
Some of the people in traffic yesterday were furious. They were impatient and angry for being slowed down from whatever they were doing as if accidents and traffic are not something we can predict will happen in our life. They had no reaction to seeing the devastation on the highway and the person who had lost their life. Others, like myself, felt the loss of a human being who had no knowledge that in the blink of an eye, through no fault of his own, his life was ended at 43.
I am still thinking about him, the love of his life who fights in a local hospital to survive and their families far from home who are grieving and praying and feeling so lost. We are compelled while on this earth to reach out through prayer and acts of kindness when we see others in need.
For the truth is, we know not the day or the hour that our God will call us home. All we know for certain is that life is uncertain and life as we know it can be over in the blink of an eye.
Dear Heavenly Father,
My heart is troubled for those who have lost a beloved father, friend, brother and son. I wonder how many others are dealing with grief today and ask you to do what I cannot. Please comfort all those who mourn and grieve. Please deliver a peace which passes our human understanding but cradles them when they cannot sleep. Please Lord, draw those who are broken hearted close to your heart so theirs will mend. Do what I cannot, Lord. And for those who have been blessed with a beautiful day, remind us to tell those we love how we feel and to make us aware daily of the shortness and uncertainty of life.
In the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ,
Amen
Faith Without Works
Faith Without Works
Peggy Mack
October 6, 2013
Fall has arrived in South Carolina and the air is crisp and cool and clean. There is less of an awareness of the more humid, ocean breathe that blankets this Southern coastline in the summer. I admit that although I have spent 90% of my lifetime living near a coastline, I have never been one for the beach life. I prefer tall timbers and lakes, I do believe, and higher elevations, if only the less challenging ones which seem to offer cool breezes that are easier for me to breathe.
Bill and I were riding southbound on Hwy 31 talking about what we refer to as "this and that" when we came to a part of open forest land in North Myrtle Beach that had been devastated by a forest fire four years ago. It had destroyed 30,000 acres of land and engulfed dozens of beautiful homes. The homes have since been rebuilt and neighborhoods are more beautiful than before the fire. But the open forest land was covered with young pine trees. When we drove past them I noticed that the blackened 20 foot stakes in the ground still stand as reminders of how fire can leave us with permanent damage. I rode lost in thought as I stared at the tiny black silhouettes of what once was a vibrant, young forest. That is when I realized there was new growth on, maybe, 20% of those scorched reminders of devastation. New growth! There were tiny tufts of green pine needles midway up the smoky trunks!
Those images lead me to remember a Bible verse:
James 2:14-26
New International Version (NIV)
Faith and Deeds
14 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? 15 Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
I confess in my walking away from actively attending church I was convinced within my heart that I was a Christian. I never stopped having faith. I suppose if I am searching for proof of deeds I can quickly say I was still doing good deeds. But I now see there is a difference between being thoughtful and doing good deeds with Christ as your focus in each day. I don't know how to explain in words how I see things differently now. I can only say I am aware of how my understanding has changed slowly with my new walk in faith.
Practicing religion is not the same as having a deep, living, active faith but they do walk hand in hand. Once I read Rick Warren's, Purpose Driven Life, I was able to see there is a faith based reason for being active in a church. Yes, man has distorted, changed, interpreted and altered the first church created centuries ago and with all things when man gets his mind and hands on something, there is often parts of religious history which are not near the model Christ designed. And yet, beyond all those criticisms and "reasons" for not attending church there is this. We are called to worship God in the commandments and when we do we are surrounded by others who are faithful and in many cases, doing good deeds for Christ. Life is so unpredictable and having a connection to a church "family" is a wonderful life preserver that can carry you through challenging times. I have come to understand that while we worship God we are showered with blessings like words from the Bible or the pastor's sermon that feel as if they were chosen for us alone. We are lifted spiritually by the music, the handshakes and smiles and the laughter of little children. So many blessings await our attending church. One of the silent blessings is a calling to reach out to others in our week, to be a blessing to them. We are inspired to do good deeds and to care for others through prayer and through action.
I see myself as a Christian of faith who much like those singed forest trees is showing new growth. I can see with my own eyes how my faith is coming alive and changing on a daily basis. I am in a place where I feel showers of blessings and feel my growth in faith.
I am so humbled by how God continues to forgive my endless walking away from living a faithfilled life and finding ways to call me back. I can only imagine how He is doing this with all of us on a daily basis. There are little nudges out there that speaks to us. As for me, I was busy, self confident in my own "good" self and unwilling to be open to how God works through us. I am grateful God found a way to speak to my heart.
Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank you for your endless efforts to call us to a life of living faith. You speak to us through your beautiful world far from man's own structures. You speak to us through those who share our interests. You speak to us through your Holy Word. You speak to us through invitations to be part of a church family. Open our hearts and minds to those invitations because you have endless blessings waiting for us and it is in having a living faith that we walk closer with you and serve you best.
In Jesus' Holy Name,
Amen
Peggy Mack
October 6, 2013
Fall has arrived in South Carolina and the air is crisp and cool and clean. There is less of an awareness of the more humid, ocean breathe that blankets this Southern coastline in the summer. I admit that although I have spent 90% of my lifetime living near a coastline, I have never been one for the beach life. I prefer tall timbers and lakes, I do believe, and higher elevations, if only the less challenging ones which seem to offer cool breezes that are easier for me to breathe.
Bill and I were riding southbound on Hwy 31 talking about what we refer to as "this and that" when we came to a part of open forest land in North Myrtle Beach that had been devastated by a forest fire four years ago. It had destroyed 30,000 acres of land and engulfed dozens of beautiful homes. The homes have since been rebuilt and neighborhoods are more beautiful than before the fire. But the open forest land was covered with young pine trees. When we drove past them I noticed that the blackened 20 foot stakes in the ground still stand as reminders of how fire can leave us with permanent damage. I rode lost in thought as I stared at the tiny black silhouettes of what once was a vibrant, young forest. That is when I realized there was new growth on, maybe, 20% of those scorched reminders of devastation. New growth! There were tiny tufts of green pine needles midway up the smoky trunks!
Those images lead me to remember a Bible verse:
James 2:14-26
New International Version (NIV)
Faith and Deeds
14 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? 15 Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
I confess in my walking away from actively attending church I was convinced within my heart that I was a Christian. I never stopped having faith. I suppose if I am searching for proof of deeds I can quickly say I was still doing good deeds. But I now see there is a difference between being thoughtful and doing good deeds with Christ as your focus in each day. I don't know how to explain in words how I see things differently now. I can only say I am aware of how my understanding has changed slowly with my new walk in faith.
Practicing religion is not the same as having a deep, living, active faith but they do walk hand in hand. Once I read Rick Warren's, Purpose Driven Life, I was able to see there is a faith based reason for being active in a church. Yes, man has distorted, changed, interpreted and altered the first church created centuries ago and with all things when man gets his mind and hands on something, there is often parts of religious history which are not near the model Christ designed. And yet, beyond all those criticisms and "reasons" for not attending church there is this. We are called to worship God in the commandments and when we do we are surrounded by others who are faithful and in many cases, doing good deeds for Christ. Life is so unpredictable and having a connection to a church "family" is a wonderful life preserver that can carry you through challenging times. I have come to understand that while we worship God we are showered with blessings like words from the Bible or the pastor's sermon that feel as if they were chosen for us alone. We are lifted spiritually by the music, the handshakes and smiles and the laughter of little children. So many blessings await our attending church. One of the silent blessings is a calling to reach out to others in our week, to be a blessing to them. We are inspired to do good deeds and to care for others through prayer and through action.
I see myself as a Christian of faith who much like those singed forest trees is showing new growth. I can see with my own eyes how my faith is coming alive and changing on a daily basis. I am in a place where I feel showers of blessings and feel my growth in faith.
I am so humbled by how God continues to forgive my endless walking away from living a faithfilled life and finding ways to call me back. I can only imagine how He is doing this with all of us on a daily basis. There are little nudges out there that speaks to us. As for me, I was busy, self confident in my own "good" self and unwilling to be open to how God works through us. I am grateful God found a way to speak to my heart.
Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank you for your endless efforts to call us to a life of living faith. You speak to us through your beautiful world far from man's own structures. You speak to us through those who share our interests. You speak to us through your Holy Word. You speak to us through invitations to be part of a church family. Open our hearts and minds to those invitations because you have endless blessings waiting for us and it is in having a living faith that we walk closer with you and serve you best.
In Jesus' Holy Name,
Amen
The Devil Made Me Do It
The Devil Made Me Do It
Peggy Mack
October 6, 2013
Last July I had two separate conversations with friends from the Golden Isles of Georgia and both mentioned how they loved the book, Jesus Calling written by Sarah Young.
Within that same week I was buying groceries at my favorite coupon honoring, low discount, specials of the week grocery store. Heaven knows how much I love to stretch my budget and loathe paying full price for a steak when I could keep two dollars in my pocket if I wait for steaks to go on sale. I attribute that totally to our mother who loved spreading out the Wednesday newspaper on the dining room table and circling items on sale. She would build her weekly menu by those sale items and then add whatever else she needed to complete each meal. She could maneuver ads, coupons and a grocery list with great ease and satisfaction and I thank her so much for those lessons which leads me to say this.
It was totally out of my character to pause at the "Gospel" book shelf in the grocery store where my eyes went directly to a soft, faux leather bound copy of Jesus Calling. My budgetary mind drew my hand back at first, but I allowed myself to thumb through the pages. At one point I turned the book over, saw the price of $14.95 and began putting it back on the shelf. I never buy books in a grocery store and certainly not with $15.00 I could be using to save money on groceries. Then my hand reached out and I picked it up, again. This is another example of so many God moments in my life. They are like little nudges. You know the ones where a voice inside your heart whispers, "Pick it up." At that moment, it is a tussle between the gentle voice of the heart and the frugal grocery shopper. This time, the small voice won and I proudly unpacked it with my bags of bargains and set it aside.
The next morning, I faithfully followed my new promise to begin my quiet morning with meditation and prayer and excitedly opened Jesus Calling. Over time it has come to be my second go to source for enlightenment. The first will always be the Bible because God speaks to us through others who have written those books and through God's own words from Christ. This book, Jesus Calling, is an amazing gift from Sarah Young. She shares her deep faith through what she senses are messages God wants us to hear along with prayer and Bible verses which are her basis for writing. If you find a copy be certain to read her story at the beginning of the book. Most of us skip the author's introduction, I know, but this time it is so precious and so important.
Within the next week, I received a message from Sandy Williams whom I know through working on a songwriter's site. She was going to send me a copy of, you guessed it, Jesus Calling. God wanted to make certain, I suppose, that I had not only bought it but was using it. The book appears to be a blessing to so many. I believe Sarah Young's book is so valuable because it has a daily message by dates and can be used day after day, year after year. And with each new year, depending on where our lives and faith walk lead us, we will be enlightened in new and different ways. It is not a read cover to cover and put on the shelf kind of book but will be a wonderful source to have in your collection of devotional sources.
I love being acutely aware of opportunities and God "nudges". Of course, I am also aware that our soul is in a constant tug of war with another voice. It is the voice I call the "I deserve it!" voice. That one often whispers to me when I pass the fresh made salt water taffy candy store at Broadway at the Beach. I remember in the 70s a comedian named Flip Wilson whose favorite character was Geraldine. She was an old church lady all dressed in a floral dress with lacy colar wearing white gloves and carrying a Bible. Every now and then she would justify her misbehavior by saying, "The devil made me do it!!" Well, I am saying that when I go near that candy store this little voice nudges me and says things like: "You deserve it! It won't hurt you! You know you want to go in here! You are going in there to buy some for others! You'll only buy a small amount!" Just the other day I posted a picture on Facebook of a Dunkin Doughnuts ad and my high school buddy, Sandi, said and why did you eat doughnuts?" And I proudly giggled and typed back, "Because I can and I wanted to!" That afternoon the doctor told Bill he needs to lose weight and get control of his sugar intake. We were doing so well but the last blood work caught us misbehaving. So while I admit I am telling my secrets to the world, it is for the purpose of stating, "Beware of what you think you deserve" and do not attribute those whispers to God. He speaks to the heart and not to our stomachs. Go on, laugh. God loves a cheerful heart.
Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank you for gently nudging us to find positive ways to walk in faith. You leave it up to us to answer those callings and to discern between those and temptation. Give us the wisdom to know the difference.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen
War of the Tongue
War of the Tongue
Peggy Mack
October 7, 2013
Being more round than I am jolly, I have often acknowledged that the reason I have battled with my weight since age 5 was because of my tongue. A few years ago, I explained to my husband that all of our organs would appreciate our eating less or no sugar, more fresh fruits and vegetables and non-processed sources of protein. Our body needs good nutrishes food. Since I consider myself intelligent and educated I am at a loss to explain my craving for creamy desserts, mounds of ice cream, rich casseroles, fresh bakery breads, etc,etc. other than to say it's my tongues fault. My taste buds are short circuiting my brain and telling it what to crave. With that theory in place for many years I was pleased to by fluke be watching Joyce Meyer this morning. Bill's habits are set. In the morning he wakes for his first fresh brewed cup of coffee, grabs the remote(s) in hand and turns on the morning news. This morning, though we cannot completely explain it, Joyce Meyer was on and we watched. Somethings I do not even try to logically explain, I just enjoy the moment.
Joyce's message was all about the war between the needs of the flesh and the desires of the Soul. She was, if you can believe this, speaking to women about weight loss. She had me laughing and recognizing myself within seconds. How many times have we complained about our weight, witnessed a friend who drops weight in a way that seems too easy and the first thing we want to ask is, "How did you do it?" She went on to explain that we need to stay within our own walk with Christ. In our walk we know God is answering our prayers, giving us enlightenment and giving us the gifts of Jesus in our walk and the Holy Spirit to inspire and strengthen us. If I already have the knowledge of what my body needs then I do not need to search for others' secrets. Some of our challenges are solved quickly for us and other times, our challenges ask us to be patient, to walk each day with faith in God and to DO what we know God wants us to DO. We will see miracles in life but they are not instant gifts that fall out of the sky and they may never happen in our own life or may come once in a lifetime. We do not grow, she said, by having a miracle. We grow in faith when we struggle, we walk daily in faith and we DO the work God gives us to reach our goal.
The flesh uses our tongue, she suggested, to do two things. The tongue screams to our brain, "I need" and "I want" and it flourishes on the whispered voice that says, "No one is looking". The flesh is what guides addictions to millions of things that are here to tempt us in life. And the Word tells us, "Everything in moderation." That works for most things including eating, celebrating, etc,etc, but it will not work for addictive drugs. There is no moderation to those because the flesh will lie and say, "I can handle a little of this" and it only takes once to begin addiction.
The spirit says, "walk with me". The spirit gives us gifts of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
Notice the last one of those, again. Self-control. The spirit gives us the ability to have integrity which is defined as doing the right thing when no one is looking.
The spirit gives us strength and patience and fills us with goodness and enlightenment.
So now, when I make excuses for not taking care of myself with my choices of food, I understand that it is not my tongue. My tongue responds to my flesh which screams, "I need, I want" or it responds to my spirit which says, "I lean on Christ to guide my heart and mind in good things for me."
The other quick safety net that is available for me is this. If it truly is something "I need" like a glass of water AND it meets my guideline for something good for me, then it passes the test.
If it is a Snickers bar in the checkout lane and I hear that little voice saying, "I need that because I am tired and hungry" that goes into the flesh column making excuses for why I am going to abandon my walk in faith to eat healthy food. Mrs. Meyer lit a firecracker which sparked and quickly fizzled out and she said,
"that's how the flesh works"....It starts with a huge spark and fizzles. Have you ever swore that you just had to have something to eat? For me, those candy bars are sparklers. My mistake is not eating something healthy first and drinking a glass of water before I shop. I go into the battle of shopping in a grocery store without preparing myself. I go into the grocery store without DOING what I need to do to make shopping easy and enjoyable.
Her final thought was the fact that we are given the gifts of the Holy Spirit, including SELF-CONTROL, but we must walk in the Spirit and we must DO what is required of us. It is up to us to DO the work. It is up to us to give our concerns and needs to God and to understand that while He is with us, it is our challenge to DO the work. She consoled me by saying, you do not grow from a miracle, you grow when you make a commitment like giving up smoking and you drag and you fight and you struggle day by day until you are delivered from it. They call it a "real battle" for a good reason. A few, like my husband, gave up smoking three packs a day when he faced surgery. He threw them away and has not smoked in 11 years. He was delivered. But for most people, it is a long, hard battle with set backs. The good news is that when you walk in the Spirit you are not facing it alone.
What is it you have in your life today which seems like an endless battle? Life is a constant challenge. Are we allowing the flesh who screams, "I need, I want" to dictate our decisions in our marriage, our personal choices, the way we behave with co-workers or with church members or are we walking in faith and listening to God speak to our hearts? There is a silent war of choices going on within us and we are asked to choose. So I forgive my tongue. It is the battle of flesh and spirit within me. Now, here I go, the lady who failed Weight Watchers eleven times, going back into battle to get my eating to a place of good health. I do not want you to wish me luck. Instead, I ask you to pray I will heed the spirit and deny the flesh. Can you see me shaking my head in doubt of myself? It is okay. I know my past. Now, I will approach this with a new attitude and a new plan.
I am grateful for the wisdom, ministry and delightful real humor of Joyce Meyer and pray for her continued health and ministry.
Dear Heavenly Father,
My husband and I are at that crossroad where we must focus on delicious, healthy food and let go of those desires for scrumptious, finger licking solutions to our cravings. We are not easy to work with at all. We have stumbled and we have fallen, but now, it is time to get real with you. Walk with us and lift us when we fall.
And thank you, Lord, for leading us to watch Joyce Meyer this morning. I will not try to explain it. I will only acknowledge the moment and give thanks.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen
Peggy Mack
October 7, 2013
Being more round than I am jolly, I have often acknowledged that the reason I have battled with my weight since age 5 was because of my tongue. A few years ago, I explained to my husband that all of our organs would appreciate our eating less or no sugar, more fresh fruits and vegetables and non-processed sources of protein. Our body needs good nutrishes food. Since I consider myself intelligent and educated I am at a loss to explain my craving for creamy desserts, mounds of ice cream, rich casseroles, fresh bakery breads, etc,etc. other than to say it's my tongues fault. My taste buds are short circuiting my brain and telling it what to crave. With that theory in place for many years I was pleased to by fluke be watching Joyce Meyer this morning. Bill's habits are set. In the morning he wakes for his first fresh brewed cup of coffee, grabs the remote(s) in hand and turns on the morning news. This morning, though we cannot completely explain it, Joyce Meyer was on and we watched. Somethings I do not even try to logically explain, I just enjoy the moment.
Joyce's message was all about the war between the needs of the flesh and the desires of the Soul. She was, if you can believe this, speaking to women about weight loss. She had me laughing and recognizing myself within seconds. How many times have we complained about our weight, witnessed a friend who drops weight in a way that seems too easy and the first thing we want to ask is, "How did you do it?" She went on to explain that we need to stay within our own walk with Christ. In our walk we know God is answering our prayers, giving us enlightenment and giving us the gifts of Jesus in our walk and the Holy Spirit to inspire and strengthen us. If I already have the knowledge of what my body needs then I do not need to search for others' secrets. Some of our challenges are solved quickly for us and other times, our challenges ask us to be patient, to walk each day with faith in God and to DO what we know God wants us to DO. We will see miracles in life but they are not instant gifts that fall out of the sky and they may never happen in our own life or may come once in a lifetime. We do not grow, she said, by having a miracle. We grow in faith when we struggle, we walk daily in faith and we DO the work God gives us to reach our goal.
The flesh uses our tongue, she suggested, to do two things. The tongue screams to our brain, "I need" and "I want" and it flourishes on the whispered voice that says, "No one is looking". The flesh is what guides addictions to millions of things that are here to tempt us in life. And the Word tells us, "Everything in moderation." That works for most things including eating, celebrating, etc,etc, but it will not work for addictive drugs. There is no moderation to those because the flesh will lie and say, "I can handle a little of this" and it only takes once to begin addiction.
The spirit says, "walk with me". The spirit gives us gifts of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
Notice the last one of those, again. Self-control. The spirit gives us the ability to have integrity which is defined as doing the right thing when no one is looking.
The spirit gives us strength and patience and fills us with goodness and enlightenment.
So now, when I make excuses for not taking care of myself with my choices of food, I understand that it is not my tongue. My tongue responds to my flesh which screams, "I need, I want" or it responds to my spirit which says, "I lean on Christ to guide my heart and mind in good things for me."
The other quick safety net that is available for me is this. If it truly is something "I need" like a glass of water AND it meets my guideline for something good for me, then it passes the test.
If it is a Snickers bar in the checkout lane and I hear that little voice saying, "I need that because I am tired and hungry" that goes into the flesh column making excuses for why I am going to abandon my walk in faith to eat healthy food. Mrs. Meyer lit a firecracker which sparked and quickly fizzled out and she said,
"that's how the flesh works"....It starts with a huge spark and fizzles. Have you ever swore that you just had to have something to eat? For me, those candy bars are sparklers. My mistake is not eating something healthy first and drinking a glass of water before I shop. I go into the battle of shopping in a grocery store without preparing myself. I go into the grocery store without DOING what I need to do to make shopping easy and enjoyable.
Her final thought was the fact that we are given the gifts of the Holy Spirit, including SELF-CONTROL, but we must walk in the Spirit and we must DO what is required of us. It is up to us to DO the work. It is up to us to give our concerns and needs to God and to understand that while He is with us, it is our challenge to DO the work. She consoled me by saying, you do not grow from a miracle, you grow when you make a commitment like giving up smoking and you drag and you fight and you struggle day by day until you are delivered from it. They call it a "real battle" for a good reason. A few, like my husband, gave up smoking three packs a day when he faced surgery. He threw them away and has not smoked in 11 years. He was delivered. But for most people, it is a long, hard battle with set backs. The good news is that when you walk in the Spirit you are not facing it alone.
What is it you have in your life today which seems like an endless battle? Life is a constant challenge. Are we allowing the flesh who screams, "I need, I want" to dictate our decisions in our marriage, our personal choices, the way we behave with co-workers or with church members or are we walking in faith and listening to God speak to our hearts? There is a silent war of choices going on within us and we are asked to choose. So I forgive my tongue. It is the battle of flesh and spirit within me. Now, here I go, the lady who failed Weight Watchers eleven times, going back into battle to get my eating to a place of good health. I do not want you to wish me luck. Instead, I ask you to pray I will heed the spirit and deny the flesh. Can you see me shaking my head in doubt of myself? It is okay. I know my past. Now, I will approach this with a new attitude and a new plan.
I am grateful for the wisdom, ministry and delightful real humor of Joyce Meyer and pray for her continued health and ministry.
Dear Heavenly Father,
My husband and I are at that crossroad where we must focus on delicious, healthy food and let go of those desires for scrumptious, finger licking solutions to our cravings. We are not easy to work with at all. We have stumbled and we have fallen, but now, it is time to get real with you. Walk with us and lift us when we fall.
And thank you, Lord, for leading us to watch Joyce Meyer this morning. I will not try to explain it. I will only acknowledge the moment and give thanks.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen
The Secret Bridge
The Secret Bridge
Peggy Mack
October 8, 2013
Fall is arriving abruptly this year, it seems with the help of remnants from a tropical storm that touched the shores along the Gulf Coast and moved northwestward to SC and the Atlantic Ocean. We have been promised a day of endless rain and along with it the temperatures will change from the mid eighties to the low sixties midday. As we listened to the weather report last night, we simultaneously announced that our Tuesday would be our first unofficial "jeans" day.
I woke thinking about fall and one of my favorite things to do. I love exploring state parks and garden trails. The leaves are beginning to sense they need to change and burst into color. The air is changing from the muggy, oppresive air which is difficult to breathe to the crisper, cooler air allowing those deep breaths and sighs of "ahhh!". I never know on those simple walks in nature what gifts of nature I might encounter leaving me smiling and in awe of God's world.
One of the benefits I have discovered in my walk in faith is discovering new ideas or concepts from authors of faith. In years past, I had avoided reading "man's" thoughts on faith because they were interpretations of how they saw and felt and experienced God in their life and I wanted the only real source, the Bible. My mentor's direction to add devotionals as part of my morning meditation opened up my mind to reading what others have to say. One of the authors who has my attention is Max Lucado. I had purchased his Everyday Blessings which is literally no bigger than a softball in the palm of your hand. His daily thoughts are simple and to the point. In addition to that book, Dottie gave me his God's Inspirational Promise Book. What I am learning is that yes, the thoughts in devotional books are those of the author, but they are written with their own enlightened knowledge they have received in their personal walks in faith. My attitude has adjusted to allow for the offerings of others in addition to my main source which remains the Bible.
I tread carefully on this journey as I would walking a trail new to me in a state park. I want to lean on sources recommended to me by others who have studied longer and are more confident on who they rely on for knowledge in faith. One of my greatest struggles seems to be in getting myself committed to attending a church service every Sunday rain or shine. I want to tell myself the problem is based on the fact that I had backed away from the church for a decade or more and had become alienated by the minutia of inner disagreements and the over planning of committees that I am in no hurry to rush back into beiing a part of to worship God. I laugh in thinking one of my solutions is to sit in the back, interact as little as possible and scoot back out the door. I have never been one for a lot of standing, smiling and as Daddy called it, "glad handing". I admit it. I am not a "group oriented" person. So I am a fair day Christian at this point and not happy with myself. In college I was part of a group discussion which dismissed religion as organized efforts of man to control our beliefs. Well, in some ways, I suppose I still have less than positive thoughts about why there's a zillion denominations and although they seem to be accepting each other more these days and finding ways to worship together and respect their histories, I remain lukewarm about the need for denominations and man's interpretation of Christ's first plans for "the church."
I have often thought about others who stand not far from where I am standing in loving this walk of discovery and love for God. How does one get from choosing not to acknowledge God unless there's an emergency which is when we all seem to cry out, "Oh God help!" to a place where worshipping God in a church is second nature?
Today Max Lucado gave me that secret bridge. He showed me how to allow myself time to move smoothly through this transition in growing in faith. I know I am supposed to go to church every Sunday. I know it is where I will worship God and bless others while being blessed myself, BUT tell myself you ought to and you have got to are not going to get me out my door and in through the church doors.
The secret bridge that you might consider offering someone who engages in a conversation with you about faith instead of simply saying, "You ought to come to my church" is this. There is a bridge you can take that will help you along the way and if you would like, come join me in church. As Mr. Lucado says, "Simplify your faith by seeking God for yourself. No confusing ceremonies necessary. (And I would add...none until you are ready) No mysterious rituals required. No elaborate channels of command or levels of access.
You have a Bible? You can study. You have a heart? You can pray. You have a mind? You can think."
I have seen members of churches who have it all figured out, you know, the schedule of going to church every Sunday. There are folks who have not missed a Sunday in 40 years! They have that part of faith figured out and running smoothly. But there are those of us who believe in God and are in a "transition phase" in our growth in faith. We are moving from the "me" phase of only talking to God when we are frightened, worried or frustrated. You know those conversations. "God help me!" and "Why me, Lord?" We are transitioning into a closer daily walk with God. Eventually are hearts, minds and souls will reach that place of enlightenment where other knowledgeable theologians and writers have been.
For me, I needed permission to keep growing. I needed time to move from wanting to go to church but dreading the things that effect me as a person in the Sunday morning things that I would have to adjust to, not to mention the challenge of getting to know a few hundred new acquaintenances. It is a formidable task for some including me. Thanks to our mother, I have memories from the past of how this can all eventually become second nature to me and I lean on those memories now.
In the meantime, Max Lucado gave me a gift today. He showed me a secret bridge in my faith walk that will get me comfortably from where I was to where I want to be. I open my frailties to you to suggest that as you meet and speak with others and an opportunity comes for you to open your mouth and say, "Come to my church Sunday" that you allow for the fact that some might need a secret bridge. If you see someone who has visited your church a few times or has joined your church but they are not active every Sunday, rather than judge in your mind's their lack of commitment, allow for the possibility that they need a bridge to get them there. A phone call or a lunch date where faith in life becomes a part of the conversation or in my case, a conversation with a friend who offered me a way to organize my morning prayers has been such a gift.
If someone visits your church they are on a faith walk. There is a reason they have felt compeled to come to worship. Some will need help in their transitions from not attending to making it a part of their life like breathing in fresh, clean, cool air.
If you are sensing a new awakening in your faith and find the challenge of going to church just that, a BIG challenge. Allow yourself to be yourself. Allow yourself to begin with a Bible, your heart and your mind. Support your beginning steps with conversations with a mentor who can answer questions and encourage you as you grow in faith.
Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank you for secret bridges in our lives that help us move from where we were to a closer walk with You. Open up our minds to understanding how others may find some steps in their journey more challenging than others and open our hearts to being a positive source of strength and light.
In Jesus" Name,
Amen
Peggy Mack
October 8, 2013
Fall is arriving abruptly this year, it seems with the help of remnants from a tropical storm that touched the shores along the Gulf Coast and moved northwestward to SC and the Atlantic Ocean. We have been promised a day of endless rain and along with it the temperatures will change from the mid eighties to the low sixties midday. As we listened to the weather report last night, we simultaneously announced that our Tuesday would be our first unofficial "jeans" day.
I woke thinking about fall and one of my favorite things to do. I love exploring state parks and garden trails. The leaves are beginning to sense they need to change and burst into color. The air is changing from the muggy, oppresive air which is difficult to breathe to the crisper, cooler air allowing those deep breaths and sighs of "ahhh!". I never know on those simple walks in nature what gifts of nature I might encounter leaving me smiling and in awe of God's world.
One of the benefits I have discovered in my walk in faith is discovering new ideas or concepts from authors of faith. In years past, I had avoided reading "man's" thoughts on faith because they were interpretations of how they saw and felt and experienced God in their life and I wanted the only real source, the Bible. My mentor's direction to add devotionals as part of my morning meditation opened up my mind to reading what others have to say. One of the authors who has my attention is Max Lucado. I had purchased his Everyday Blessings which is literally no bigger than a softball in the palm of your hand. His daily thoughts are simple and to the point. In addition to that book, Dottie gave me his God's Inspirational Promise Book. What I am learning is that yes, the thoughts in devotional books are those of the author, but they are written with their own enlightened knowledge they have received in their personal walks in faith. My attitude has adjusted to allow for the offerings of others in addition to my main source which remains the Bible.
I tread carefully on this journey as I would walking a trail new to me in a state park. I want to lean on sources recommended to me by others who have studied longer and are more confident on who they rely on for knowledge in faith. One of my greatest struggles seems to be in getting myself committed to attending a church service every Sunday rain or shine. I want to tell myself the problem is based on the fact that I had backed away from the church for a decade or more and had become alienated by the minutia of inner disagreements and the over planning of committees that I am in no hurry to rush back into beiing a part of to worship God. I laugh in thinking one of my solutions is to sit in the back, interact as little as possible and scoot back out the door. I have never been one for a lot of standing, smiling and as Daddy called it, "glad handing". I admit it. I am not a "group oriented" person. So I am a fair day Christian at this point and not happy with myself. In college I was part of a group discussion which dismissed religion as organized efforts of man to control our beliefs. Well, in some ways, I suppose I still have less than positive thoughts about why there's a zillion denominations and although they seem to be accepting each other more these days and finding ways to worship together and respect their histories, I remain lukewarm about the need for denominations and man's interpretation of Christ's first plans for "the church."
I have often thought about others who stand not far from where I am standing in loving this walk of discovery and love for God. How does one get from choosing not to acknowledge God unless there's an emergency which is when we all seem to cry out, "Oh God help!" to a place where worshipping God in a church is second nature?
Today Max Lucado gave me that secret bridge. He showed me how to allow myself time to move smoothly through this transition in growing in faith. I know I am supposed to go to church every Sunday. I know it is where I will worship God and bless others while being blessed myself, BUT tell myself you ought to and you have got to are not going to get me out my door and in through the church doors.
The secret bridge that you might consider offering someone who engages in a conversation with you about faith instead of simply saying, "You ought to come to my church" is this. There is a bridge you can take that will help you along the way and if you would like, come join me in church. As Mr. Lucado says, "Simplify your faith by seeking God for yourself. No confusing ceremonies necessary. (And I would add...none until you are ready) No mysterious rituals required. No elaborate channels of command or levels of access.
You have a Bible? You can study. You have a heart? You can pray. You have a mind? You can think."
I have seen members of churches who have it all figured out, you know, the schedule of going to church every Sunday. There are folks who have not missed a Sunday in 40 years! They have that part of faith figured out and running smoothly. But there are those of us who believe in God and are in a "transition phase" in our growth in faith. We are moving from the "me" phase of only talking to God when we are frightened, worried or frustrated. You know those conversations. "God help me!" and "Why me, Lord?" We are transitioning into a closer daily walk with God. Eventually are hearts, minds and souls will reach that place of enlightenment where other knowledgeable theologians and writers have been.
For me, I needed permission to keep growing. I needed time to move from wanting to go to church but dreading the things that effect me as a person in the Sunday morning things that I would have to adjust to, not to mention the challenge of getting to know a few hundred new acquaintenances. It is a formidable task for some including me. Thanks to our mother, I have memories from the past of how this can all eventually become second nature to me and I lean on those memories now.
In the meantime, Max Lucado gave me a gift today. He showed me a secret bridge in my faith walk that will get me comfortably from where I was to where I want to be. I open my frailties to you to suggest that as you meet and speak with others and an opportunity comes for you to open your mouth and say, "Come to my church Sunday" that you allow for the fact that some might need a secret bridge. If you see someone who has visited your church a few times or has joined your church but they are not active every Sunday, rather than judge in your mind's their lack of commitment, allow for the possibility that they need a bridge to get them there. A phone call or a lunch date where faith in life becomes a part of the conversation or in my case, a conversation with a friend who offered me a way to organize my morning prayers has been such a gift.
If someone visits your church they are on a faith walk. There is a reason they have felt compeled to come to worship. Some will need help in their transitions from not attending to making it a part of their life like breathing in fresh, clean, cool air.
If you are sensing a new awakening in your faith and find the challenge of going to church just that, a BIG challenge. Allow yourself to be yourself. Allow yourself to begin with a Bible, your heart and your mind. Support your beginning steps with conversations with a mentor who can answer questions and encourage you as you grow in faith.
Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank you for secret bridges in our lives that help us move from where we were to a closer walk with You. Open up our minds to understanding how others may find some steps in their journey more challenging than others and open our hearts to being a positive source of strength and light.
In Jesus" Name,
Amen
Lessons From Morning Glories
Lessons from Morning Glories
Peggy Mack
October 10, 2013
This morning I was blessed with a surprise on a cloudy, windy, grey day. Bill called to me and said, "Peg, you have got to see the morning glories!" It is October. A chilling wind has been in the air for several years and yet, long after all our summer plantings have completed their flowering and have been cleared out for our beautiful fall pansies. Never mind!, says the Morning Glories long forgotten and ignored growing by the side of our storage shed. They flourished, these little, fragile bursts of color that unfurl with each new morning resting on rich, green, heart shaped leaves. And all we did last Spring was buy a package of seeds for one dollar, place them in tiny cups and they took hold. They grew slowly, so slowly that we had both given up on one tray of them. Bill had placed them in the top of the trashcan and I grabbed them at the last moment and set them under a bush that cornered the shed. The other tray, he planted on the side of the shed and placed a simple wooden latticed frame against the shed for them to crawl up, if they made it. We watched unimpressed all summer as they weakly creeped up the frame never producing a single flower. We began to second guess our decision to plant them and decided that South Carolina is too hot in the summer for the flowers who love to grow on mountainsides. And yet, we have planted them every years because my dad often called me to wake up with, "Rise and shine Morning Glory!" When Bill and I were writing to me while we were early in our relationship, he would tell me how his dad loved Morning Glories and had taught him how to plant them in window boxes on the railing of the deck, run cotton string from the roof line to the boxes and watch them crawl up the string. When we married, we began planting them in the boxes in memory of both of our dads.
You see the love for Morning Glories began with memories of the dads we miss daily. Those memories were the seeds planted in our hearts and minds that motivated us to plant them. Both he and I still had memories that bordered sadness when they came to visit. As grief slowly lets go of its smothering grip and becomes memories it transitions into a final phase of memories that often bring a smile. Those Morning Glories were the final phase for us with those memories we carry in our hearts.
The Morning Glories that burst forth from their buds and unfurled in brilliant colors this morning brought us sheer amazement, joy and happiness. Because of the seeds our dads first planted and our little pack of seeds that we planted mid-summer we have moved from memories of sadness to memories of joy and gratitude for two great dads.
Dear Heavenly Father,
When we feel our efforts are failing and we begin to doubt our decisions remind us that all things happen in their season. When patience fails us and faith leaves us in our own efforts to do good speak to our hearts and remind us that a walk of faith is just exactly that...a walk....of faith. Thank you for moving our deep grief to a place of grateful memories. Thank you for opening our eyes to the beauty of your world and allowing it to refresh and bless our lives.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen
Peggy Mack
October 10, 2013
This morning I was blessed with a surprise on a cloudy, windy, grey day. Bill called to me and said, "Peg, you have got to see the morning glories!" It is October. A chilling wind has been in the air for several years and yet, long after all our summer plantings have completed their flowering and have been cleared out for our beautiful fall pansies. Never mind!, says the Morning Glories long forgotten and ignored growing by the side of our storage shed. They flourished, these little, fragile bursts of color that unfurl with each new morning resting on rich, green, heart shaped leaves. And all we did last Spring was buy a package of seeds for one dollar, place them in tiny cups and they took hold. They grew slowly, so slowly that we had both given up on one tray of them. Bill had placed them in the top of the trashcan and I grabbed them at the last moment and set them under a bush that cornered the shed. The other tray, he planted on the side of the shed and placed a simple wooden latticed frame against the shed for them to crawl up, if they made it. We watched unimpressed all summer as they weakly creeped up the frame never producing a single flower. We began to second guess our decision to plant them and decided that South Carolina is too hot in the summer for the flowers who love to grow on mountainsides. And yet, we have planted them every years because my dad often called me to wake up with, "Rise and shine Morning Glory!" When Bill and I were writing to me while we were early in our relationship, he would tell me how his dad loved Morning Glories and had taught him how to plant them in window boxes on the railing of the deck, run cotton string from the roof line to the boxes and watch them crawl up the string. When we married, we began planting them in the boxes in memory of both of our dads.
You see the love for Morning Glories began with memories of the dads we miss daily. Those memories were the seeds planted in our hearts and minds that motivated us to plant them. Both he and I still had memories that bordered sadness when they came to visit. As grief slowly lets go of its smothering grip and becomes memories it transitions into a final phase of memories that often bring a smile. Those Morning Glories were the final phase for us with those memories we carry in our hearts.
The Morning Glories that burst forth from their buds and unfurled in brilliant colors this morning brought us sheer amazement, joy and happiness. Because of the seeds our dads first planted and our little pack of seeds that we planted mid-summer we have moved from memories of sadness to memories of joy and gratitude for two great dads.
Dear Heavenly Father,
When we feel our efforts are failing and we begin to doubt our decisions remind us that all things happen in their season. When patience fails us and faith leaves us in our own efforts to do good speak to our hearts and remind us that a walk of faith is just exactly that...a walk....of faith. Thank you for moving our deep grief to a place of grateful memories. Thank you for opening our eyes to the beauty of your world and allowing it to refresh and bless our lives.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen
A Christmas Gift for Savannah
A Christmas Gift for Savannah
Peggy Mack
October 11,2013
I know what I am giving Savannah, my bonus granddaughter of 11, for Christmas. It is $120. That doesn't sound exciting, I know. It feels cold and no more like Christmas than a toothbrush. But I had a clear thought this morning and it zapped me like one of those lazer beams. I want to give her a gift of understanding how to make money last all year. I figured out, with my little budget, it is what I can afford for my plan. Now of course, she will have other gifts, but this one is my favorite "bright" idea.
I am not going to just hand her six $20 bills. I want the money to have a message that will last all year and may make a difference in how show handles money before she begins working to help save for college. She is in a perfect age group of 9-11 to begin understanding, handling, being responsible for and learning how money works to make your life strong for the things you want to accomplish. When I was 10, mother was teaching a lesson on money and budgeting for a Girl Scout badge The fog leaves me there with no other memories of how the lesson went. My excuse is 53 years have passed and much has happened in my life since that time. And yet, her efforts to teach me how to budget have me making a budget each month as I pay my bills and live with a promise to check my bank statement daily. You never know how a tiny lesson from long ago will leave a positive gift for the future.
So here is my plan for Savannah's Christmas Gift
Before Christmas I am going to purchase a colorful, printed, paper box from Tuesday Morning. I saw them last week. They are perfect and I love them.
I will wrap it all in Christmas paper and bow with a Christmas card on top of the package to open first.
The Christmas letter will state:
Dear Savannah,
This year I am giving you $120!! But this is a special $120. It comes with a BIG challenge. Your challenge is to use this money, slowly, carefully and wisely. ONLY open ONE envelope on the 1st of EACH month.
Don't worry! I will help. I will text you or call you each month to remind you to open your envelope. Today I can show you the instructions and the challenge!
Merry Christmas, Savannah! Welcome to the challenge! I know you will do well!
Love,
G'ma Peg
PS...There will be a Christmas reward next December if you do well AND...Next year, if you meet the challenge, I will give you $240 for Christmas!!!!
By next Christmas you will be able to see how you have made money last all year and made it do special things!!!!
Open your savings boxes next Dec and give:
$12 to the church
$12 to the Firefighters Association or other charities that do good works
$36 for your college
$50 on gifts for others...or yourself.
Inside her box will be taped to the top a list of what to do. In the box will be 12 envelopes Inside each envelope will be a total of $10; one $5 bill and 5 $1 bills with a printed sheet with instructions. There will be three, small, metal piggybanks labeled Church, Good works, College Savings.
The instructions will state:
$1 to God's church
$1 to good works
That leaves $8.
$3 to savings for college
$5 for you to enjoy or to buy a gift
I was listening to one of the wizards on finance the other day on television and he was pointing out two things. Kids cannot be successful adults with family budgets if they are not taught how to budget as kids. He goes so far as to set a place at the table for "savings and investments" written on the name tag. The kids are visually aware that when they are discussing what they "want or need", they are aware that part of money in the family is set aside for savings and investments. I wish I had been better at managing money and had looked at budgeting, not as a tedious, boring task but the key to making money last and work for our joy and success in making it do what we want it to do.
The %s are off for Savannah but since she has no bills her main bill that she is facing is college. She will see that as painful as it is to save, there's still not much saved at the end of the year and the $50 she had to spend is gone and most of it she will not be able to explain how she used.
There's so many good lessons in here. One of the toughest is learning to render unto Caesar what is Caesar's and the other is being responsible for showing gratitude to God by giving. Learning how to handle money is not a lesson taught in schools and has to be a lesson taught at home.
We have a young population who believe their parents are endlessly wealthy and in spite of their mumblings, they always come up with the cash, gifts, etc. The message to kids is get money-spend money.
The number one reason for divorce in America today where the divorce rate is 60% and 90% of those are over money. What an attack on marriage and families in our country.
I cannot fix those statistics but I have a chance to make a tiny difference like my mom did long ago with a young, impressionable child. Who knows how it might help her decades from now?
Dear Heavenly Father,
Teach us to use our money with wisdom and responsibility. Help us to see that when we treat money as a gift from you, you can guide us to use it to do good works and to provide a joy filled life for ourselves. Encourage us to teach our children and grandchildren how to make money a positive part of their life.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen
Peggy Mack
October 11,2013
I know what I am giving Savannah, my bonus granddaughter of 11, for Christmas. It is $120. That doesn't sound exciting, I know. It feels cold and no more like Christmas than a toothbrush. But I had a clear thought this morning and it zapped me like one of those lazer beams. I want to give her a gift of understanding how to make money last all year. I figured out, with my little budget, it is what I can afford for my plan. Now of course, she will have other gifts, but this one is my favorite "bright" idea.
I am not going to just hand her six $20 bills. I want the money to have a message that will last all year and may make a difference in how show handles money before she begins working to help save for college. She is in a perfect age group of 9-11 to begin understanding, handling, being responsible for and learning how money works to make your life strong for the things you want to accomplish. When I was 10, mother was teaching a lesson on money and budgeting for a Girl Scout badge The fog leaves me there with no other memories of how the lesson went. My excuse is 53 years have passed and much has happened in my life since that time. And yet, her efforts to teach me how to budget have me making a budget each month as I pay my bills and live with a promise to check my bank statement daily. You never know how a tiny lesson from long ago will leave a positive gift for the future.
So here is my plan for Savannah's Christmas Gift
Before Christmas I am going to purchase a colorful, printed, paper box from Tuesday Morning. I saw them last week. They are perfect and I love them.
I will wrap it all in Christmas paper and bow with a Christmas card on top of the package to open first.
The Christmas letter will state:
Dear Savannah,
This year I am giving you $120!! But this is a special $120. It comes with a BIG challenge. Your challenge is to use this money, slowly, carefully and wisely. ONLY open ONE envelope on the 1st of EACH month.
Don't worry! I will help. I will text you or call you each month to remind you to open your envelope. Today I can show you the instructions and the challenge!
Merry Christmas, Savannah! Welcome to the challenge! I know you will do well!
Love,
G'ma Peg
PS...There will be a Christmas reward next December if you do well AND...Next year, if you meet the challenge, I will give you $240 for Christmas!!!!
By next Christmas you will be able to see how you have made money last all year and made it do special things!!!!
Open your savings boxes next Dec and give:
$12 to the church
$12 to the Firefighters Association or other charities that do good works
$36 for your college
$50 on gifts for others...or yourself.
Inside her box will be taped to the top a list of what to do. In the box will be 12 envelopes Inside each envelope will be a total of $10; one $5 bill and 5 $1 bills with a printed sheet with instructions. There will be three, small, metal piggybanks labeled Church, Good works, College Savings.
The instructions will state:
$1 to God's church
$1 to good works
That leaves $8.
$3 to savings for college
$5 for you to enjoy or to buy a gift
I was listening to one of the wizards on finance the other day on television and he was pointing out two things. Kids cannot be successful adults with family budgets if they are not taught how to budget as kids. He goes so far as to set a place at the table for "savings and investments" written on the name tag. The kids are visually aware that when they are discussing what they "want or need", they are aware that part of money in the family is set aside for savings and investments. I wish I had been better at managing money and had looked at budgeting, not as a tedious, boring task but the key to making money last and work for our joy and success in making it do what we want it to do.
The %s are off for Savannah but since she has no bills her main bill that she is facing is college. She will see that as painful as it is to save, there's still not much saved at the end of the year and the $50 she had to spend is gone and most of it she will not be able to explain how she used.
There's so many good lessons in here. One of the toughest is learning to render unto Caesar what is Caesar's and the other is being responsible for showing gratitude to God by giving. Learning how to handle money is not a lesson taught in schools and has to be a lesson taught at home.
We have a young population who believe their parents are endlessly wealthy and in spite of their mumblings, they always come up with the cash, gifts, etc. The message to kids is get money-spend money.
The number one reason for divorce in America today where the divorce rate is 60% and 90% of those are over money. What an attack on marriage and families in our country.
I cannot fix those statistics but I have a chance to make a tiny difference like my mom did long ago with a young, impressionable child. Who knows how it might help her decades from now?
Dear Heavenly Father,
Teach us to use our money with wisdom and responsibility. Help us to see that when we treat money as a gift from you, you can guide us to use it to do good works and to provide a joy filled life for ourselves. Encourage us to teach our children and grandchildren how to make money a positive part of their life.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen
Is This My Twilight Zone?
Is This My Twilight Zone?
Peggy Mack
October 12, 2013
In my phone call with my buddy this afternoon I realized that I could compare the events of last night to an episode of "The Twilight Zone" where what appears normal becomes an eery travel into the unexpected, the unknown and even the unrecognizable. You wonder where you are and how you got there and how you can get back to "normal".
You see, I had committed last week to attending a weekend of events for our 45th high school reunion and was on my way yesterday morning with my sweet husband of four years. The weather could not have been more perfect and the setting was serene, straight out of the old south with tall magnolias and giant live oaks dripping in moss and framing our quaint hotel.
Bill and I registered at the hotel office and carried our luggage into our room. We then proceeded to the reunion registration room on site at the hotel. I had within me some understandings ahead of time. I understood that I had only attended the high school sixteen months and would not remember others like my classmates who had been together since Kindergarten. I understood that after forty-five years we would no longer look like the 17 year olds we once were. I understood that our minds would struggle with connecting the person we were talking to with our memories. I felt comfortable with all that because I knew we would all be experiencing those uncomfortable social moments. What we shared was long lives and experiences that had brought us back together to meet anew and to honor the memories of those who have passed away. I was there to meet face to face with a half dozen "new" friends that I have come closer to in this walk in faith and to "check on" those who have had major medical challenges this year and were commited to be with us. I had my Bill to lean on and to share conversation with and felt confident in who I was.
The train wreck inside my mind occured with a collision of moments that seemed to pile on each other like the crumpled cars of a passenger train. As others arrived I began seeing those faces I could not connect to anyone whom I remembered from high school and softly reassured myself that it was well worth the challenge. I had a chance to hug and laugh with a few of my "new" friends and to sit with my friend, Pat, from high school who quickly began whispering names and information to me as we shared a bite to eat. "That's "so and so", you remember! He is now a mayor." Her moment by moment, person by person commentary was a life line that helped give me confidence that I could get through the evening leading to a relaxing fun weekend.
And then the brakes began squealing within me. She pointed out a smiling, laughing lady and told me her name and I acknowledged that I did remember her from school and had a flash back of her dressed in a cheerleader uniform. Ah, got it! I thought. Then she pointed out a lady all the way across the room and said. That's ------! You were friends! You know! Then the wreck inside my memory....! I stared at that lady like I was a stalker in the night. She look back at me to see who was the perverted brain rudely glaring at her. All the while, my mind is running through gigabites of jumbled damaged memories and I've got "NOTHING!" How could the lady who I vaguely remember not trigger a single memory? That's when my heart started racing and then began pounding to get out of my chest. My breathing became labored and my throat began closing up. I felt the walls closing in on me. Pat had left the table to talk to others and I asked Bill to get me out to the poolside area.
That made a huge difference for me. I was able to step away from the train wreck and to finally get a few deep breaths and slow my racing mind. I asked him to take me back to our room and that's when the decision to end the weekend began forming in my mind. I had always understood that others would not recognize me but I did not expect my own mind to betray me and leave me without my own memories.
That's when I asked the obvious question out loud. "If they do not know me and I do not know them, then why I am here?" Why would I attend three more planned events to set myself up for more challenging moments and potential train wrecks? Was I willing to risk another panic attack or bringing on a seizure to keep from disappointing those who had asked me to come?
My seizures have left my memory with tiny holes in it like slices of baby Swiss cheese. I cannot count on my own mind to get me through situations which require remembering anything in my past beyond last week. So the best I could do in this moment in the "Twilight Zone" was to remove myself and to spend time gathering my scattered thoughts. I am still not completely at peace with how it all happened and why I seem so lost, but I have one thing that remains certain with me. My commitment to morning devotions will return with in the morning. My focus will be on asking God to return my sense of peace and a better understanding.
I share all these private, vulnerable moments in my life with you in hopes they make a positive difference in your life. Life taught me a new lesson. It does that sometimes. While I am extremely grateful to each person who worked so hard to make a perfect reunion weekend, it was not an event I could handle. I am so willing to help others in their struggles in life. Now, I readily admit, I have my own. I like to tell myself that I am solid as a rock, but life teaches me differently. It has taught me that even in those unexpected times of confusion and turmoil, God remains solid and strong, all powerful. My world may have been rocking and crashing, but God did not flinch. A voice inside my panicked thoughts told me to go and walk outside. My thoughts this morning were telling me to begin accepting what had happened and to return to slowly return to place of peace. That is what I offer to you. If you are troubled, decide to find a place of less turmoil and work toward that place of peace. Our focus in this life is not on what others think of us or whether or not we fit in with what is going on around us. The center of our life is Christ.... always. Focus on His love and His strength. Whatever challenges life toss us at us, the reassurance is this. We will be fine.
On my way northward on I-95 this morning I text my buddy and said, "We are fine." I was fine. I was not at a place of understanding and peace, yet, but I knew I was fine. I knew I had made the right decision based on what had happened. I had made the best choice and was on my way home to a place of comfort and peace.
I do plan to return to the little town where I graduated from high school. I would love to share a meal with the folks I have reintroduced myself to over the past year or so. I love so many things about my "new" friends. My mind connects to their faces and I know something about who they are now and what is important to them. I value the friendships I have made since the far distant days of high school. Lesson learned...peace returned. For me, the past is a silent fog. My focus is today. God has all my tomorrows.
Dear Heavenly Father,
You walk with us in our daily lives through the close relationship we have in Christ. When we find ourselves in turmoil and feel out of control, you remain steady and strong. Thank you for whispering words of peace and comfort and understanding and directing me to a place of comfort and peace. Not all days are easy. But I can find my way through them with Christ who is my strength.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen
Peggy Mack
October 12, 2013
In my phone call with my buddy this afternoon I realized that I could compare the events of last night to an episode of "The Twilight Zone" where what appears normal becomes an eery travel into the unexpected, the unknown and even the unrecognizable. You wonder where you are and how you got there and how you can get back to "normal".
You see, I had committed last week to attending a weekend of events for our 45th high school reunion and was on my way yesterday morning with my sweet husband of four years. The weather could not have been more perfect and the setting was serene, straight out of the old south with tall magnolias and giant live oaks dripping in moss and framing our quaint hotel.
Bill and I registered at the hotel office and carried our luggage into our room. We then proceeded to the reunion registration room on site at the hotel. I had within me some understandings ahead of time. I understood that I had only attended the high school sixteen months and would not remember others like my classmates who had been together since Kindergarten. I understood that after forty-five years we would no longer look like the 17 year olds we once were. I understood that our minds would struggle with connecting the person we were talking to with our memories. I felt comfortable with all that because I knew we would all be experiencing those uncomfortable social moments. What we shared was long lives and experiences that had brought us back together to meet anew and to honor the memories of those who have passed away. I was there to meet face to face with a half dozen "new" friends that I have come closer to in this walk in faith and to "check on" those who have had major medical challenges this year and were commited to be with us. I had my Bill to lean on and to share conversation with and felt confident in who I was.
The train wreck inside my mind occured with a collision of moments that seemed to pile on each other like the crumpled cars of a passenger train. As others arrived I began seeing those faces I could not connect to anyone whom I remembered from high school and softly reassured myself that it was well worth the challenge. I had a chance to hug and laugh with a few of my "new" friends and to sit with my friend, Pat, from high school who quickly began whispering names and information to me as we shared a bite to eat. "That's "so and so", you remember! He is now a mayor." Her moment by moment, person by person commentary was a life line that helped give me confidence that I could get through the evening leading to a relaxing fun weekend.
And then the brakes began squealing within me. She pointed out a smiling, laughing lady and told me her name and I acknowledged that I did remember her from school and had a flash back of her dressed in a cheerleader uniform. Ah, got it! I thought. Then she pointed out a lady all the way across the room and said. That's ------! You were friends! You know! Then the wreck inside my memory....! I stared at that lady like I was a stalker in the night. She look back at me to see who was the perverted brain rudely glaring at her. All the while, my mind is running through gigabites of jumbled damaged memories and I've got "NOTHING!" How could the lady who I vaguely remember not trigger a single memory? That's when my heart started racing and then began pounding to get out of my chest. My breathing became labored and my throat began closing up. I felt the walls closing in on me. Pat had left the table to talk to others and I asked Bill to get me out to the poolside area.
That made a huge difference for me. I was able to step away from the train wreck and to finally get a few deep breaths and slow my racing mind. I asked him to take me back to our room and that's when the decision to end the weekend began forming in my mind. I had always understood that others would not recognize me but I did not expect my own mind to betray me and leave me without my own memories.
That's when I asked the obvious question out loud. "If they do not know me and I do not know them, then why I am here?" Why would I attend three more planned events to set myself up for more challenging moments and potential train wrecks? Was I willing to risk another panic attack or bringing on a seizure to keep from disappointing those who had asked me to come?
My seizures have left my memory with tiny holes in it like slices of baby Swiss cheese. I cannot count on my own mind to get me through situations which require remembering anything in my past beyond last week. So the best I could do in this moment in the "Twilight Zone" was to remove myself and to spend time gathering my scattered thoughts. I am still not completely at peace with how it all happened and why I seem so lost, but I have one thing that remains certain with me. My commitment to morning devotions will return with in the morning. My focus will be on asking God to return my sense of peace and a better understanding.
I share all these private, vulnerable moments in my life with you in hopes they make a positive difference in your life. Life taught me a new lesson. It does that sometimes. While I am extremely grateful to each person who worked so hard to make a perfect reunion weekend, it was not an event I could handle. I am so willing to help others in their struggles in life. Now, I readily admit, I have my own. I like to tell myself that I am solid as a rock, but life teaches me differently. It has taught me that even in those unexpected times of confusion and turmoil, God remains solid and strong, all powerful. My world may have been rocking and crashing, but God did not flinch. A voice inside my panicked thoughts told me to go and walk outside. My thoughts this morning were telling me to begin accepting what had happened and to return to slowly return to place of peace. That is what I offer to you. If you are troubled, decide to find a place of less turmoil and work toward that place of peace. Our focus in this life is not on what others think of us or whether or not we fit in with what is going on around us. The center of our life is Christ.... always. Focus on His love and His strength. Whatever challenges life toss us at us, the reassurance is this. We will be fine.
On my way northward on I-95 this morning I text my buddy and said, "We are fine." I was fine. I was not at a place of understanding and peace, yet, but I knew I was fine. I knew I had made the right decision based on what had happened. I had made the best choice and was on my way home to a place of comfort and peace.
I do plan to return to the little town where I graduated from high school. I would love to share a meal with the folks I have reintroduced myself to over the past year or so. I love so many things about my "new" friends. My mind connects to their faces and I know something about who they are now and what is important to them. I value the friendships I have made since the far distant days of high school. Lesson learned...peace returned. For me, the past is a silent fog. My focus is today. God has all my tomorrows.
Dear Heavenly Father,
You walk with us in our daily lives through the close relationship we have in Christ. When we find ourselves in turmoil and feel out of control, you remain steady and strong. Thank you for whispering words of peace and comfort and understanding and directing me to a place of comfort and peace. Not all days are easy. But I can find my way through them with Christ who is my strength.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen
What Good is There in Adversity?
What Good is There in Adversity?
Peggy Mack
October 14, 2013
James 1: 2-4
Psalm 107: 21-22
My husband and I have been married almost four years. Early in our daiting we loved exchanging stoires of our fathers. The memories were sweeter when shared with someone we cared about and trusted and we were learning to trust each other.
One of Bill's favorite conversations between he and Pup involved this advice. "You never ask an old person how they are feeling because they will gon and one with what is ailing them." And never start hanging around old folks because all they talk about is ailments and Social Security and it will make you old." My own life experiences with a few people tells me Pup's advice to Bill was true. So, what good is there in adversity?
With my recent medical events which evolved into a seizure, I began to think of Pup's advice as people began to ask me how I was feeling. I responded, "I am fine. Honest! I am doing better everyday." I have never found complaining is helpful in healing and moving on to better days. It makes your friend or family member feel down and concerned and does the same for me. And besides, I do not want to be thought of as one of those "old folks" with ailments.
I admit I am not one with patience for litanies of agonies although I do understand their challenges and discomfort and hardships with life. I grew up with a Dad who battled cancer until it won. Even in the battle, he made others smile. I have so many memories of him making nurses and doctors and visitors laugh out loud. I never heard a single complaint though he spent the last six months of his life on an NG tube for feeding. In those months he never had a single drink of water or bite to eat and not one word of complaint. He was a positive man of joy and focused on the joy of each day he was given and I was blessed to learn and watch how to face adversity.
Today I woke to a devotional about adversity. What a wonderful message in Jesus Calling by Sarah Young. "Pain and problems are opportunities to demonstrate" our trust in Christ. In James 1: 2-4 we read, "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,[a] whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." Can you imagine when we face adversity, we are told to consider it pure joy!
As James tells us, adversity teaches us to dig down deep inside our hearts, minds and souls where we never go when life is good. We are asked to perservere. It is in that process of perserverence we become more mature, more trusting, and more complete in our faith. It is a time to find the joy in all the blessings God is showering us with as we walk in faith. We are given the opportunity to share our enlightenment with others and share our joy and complete faith in God's never ending love for us no matter what we face. We are blessed with the assurance, "Jesus is Mine!". It is in adversity we experience blessings we cannot imagine if only we perservere.
Adversity alters our plans for how we expected life to be and says, "Now, fight through this challenge with confidence in God's love and His endless blessings." We have all seen advertisements for the Wounded Warrior Project. We see our American heroes face a mountain of adversities as they adjust to a life they had not expected. They are challenged to perservere with the blessings of caring medical support, family, friends and organizations and faith. We see those who fight through the adversity become active and joyful in spite of their adversities. It is not the life they planned but it is, nevertheless, a life that can be filled with love, success and joy.
I am part of an aging population. We are a family of "kids from the class of '68". And many of us now, are facing medical adversitites. Our challenge as individuals is to perservere. We are encouraged by God to "consider it pure joy" and not become negative complainers who take their ills and share them as if they are badges of courage. Courage and perserverence are found, not in whining and negativity, but in reflecting God's love and joy.
God never fails us. In our trials and adversities we are challenged to dig deep and push through where we experience blessings that lift us to a place of joy. When I experienced the past weekend, I was taken by surprise in all that was happening to me. When I had the seizure I had to deal with the after effect that it has of a sense of my mind being exhausted and a torrential headache. But today, I am past the "change in plans" and ready to accept the challenges. I know God is with me. I know that with God comes blessings and love.
Today as I sat with my friend, the laptop turned off and my TV silent I was ready to face the challenge of silence so my brain could rest. It was smarter to turn everything off than to risk another seizure and more damage. I had been through the drill of silence after a seizure for many years. And then, my phone rang and I saw the name of an old friend on the screen. He has been facing his own adversity in recent weeks. Not one moment was wasted by either of us on commiserating. We both accept these challenges of aging. We compared recent humorous stories and voiced concern for each of us that we continue choosing to do the "right" things for the best outcomes. We laughed a lot and shared joy. And when we hung up, I felt an immediate showering of God's blessings! I felt JOY!
I remember the Bible verse, "Keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus." We not only love Christ with our hearts but we are admonished to keep Christ in our MINDS. There is no room for negativity, complaining and as Daddy referred to it, "singing the blues" when Christ is in our minds. When Christ is in our minds we remain strong and can face any adversity through faith. God is ever faithful to us. Life promises to present us with adversity as we age and we are left to find the positive in the storm. We are asked to share our insight with others to lift them up and to share the joy we experience. And through our perserverence we become more mature Christians and draw closer to God.
I knew I was fine this morning when I woke up with my plan to rest my brain. I was surprised and filled with joy when God blessed me with messages from a dozen friends, all voices of support and then the phone call of a dear one who faces adversity himself. What joy is mine! What blessings I feel! I can only imagine what lies ahead of me as I age but I know this for certain. Through adversity there can be joy in remaining faithful to God. That's what is good about adversity!
Psalm 107:21-22
New International Version (NIV)
21 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love
and his wonderful deeds for mankind.
22 Let them sacrifice thank offerings
and tell of his works with songs of joy.
Dear Heavenly Father,
How amazing that you can take our worries and adversity and turn them into blessings, joy and a more mature walk in faith! You ask us to keep our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus and to ignore negativity and fear. You ask to persevere as we face challenges and in return we are showered with blessings from you. How wonderful you are Heavenly Father! How blessed we are! Joy is ours!
In Jesus' Name,
Amen
Peggy Mack
October 14, 2013
James 1: 2-4
Psalm 107: 21-22
My husband and I have been married almost four years. Early in our daiting we loved exchanging stoires of our fathers. The memories were sweeter when shared with someone we cared about and trusted and we were learning to trust each other.
One of Bill's favorite conversations between he and Pup involved this advice. "You never ask an old person how they are feeling because they will gon and one with what is ailing them." And never start hanging around old folks because all they talk about is ailments and Social Security and it will make you old." My own life experiences with a few people tells me Pup's advice to Bill was true. So, what good is there in adversity?
With my recent medical events which evolved into a seizure, I began to think of Pup's advice as people began to ask me how I was feeling. I responded, "I am fine. Honest! I am doing better everyday." I have never found complaining is helpful in healing and moving on to better days. It makes your friend or family member feel down and concerned and does the same for me. And besides, I do not want to be thought of as one of those "old folks" with ailments.
I admit I am not one with patience for litanies of agonies although I do understand their challenges and discomfort and hardships with life. I grew up with a Dad who battled cancer until it won. Even in the battle, he made others smile. I have so many memories of him making nurses and doctors and visitors laugh out loud. I never heard a single complaint though he spent the last six months of his life on an NG tube for feeding. In those months he never had a single drink of water or bite to eat and not one word of complaint. He was a positive man of joy and focused on the joy of each day he was given and I was blessed to learn and watch how to face adversity.
Today I woke to a devotional about adversity. What a wonderful message in Jesus Calling by Sarah Young. "Pain and problems are opportunities to demonstrate" our trust in Christ. In James 1: 2-4 we read, "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,[a] whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." Can you imagine when we face adversity, we are told to consider it pure joy!
As James tells us, adversity teaches us to dig down deep inside our hearts, minds and souls where we never go when life is good. We are asked to perservere. It is in that process of perserverence we become more mature, more trusting, and more complete in our faith. It is a time to find the joy in all the blessings God is showering us with as we walk in faith. We are given the opportunity to share our enlightenment with others and share our joy and complete faith in God's never ending love for us no matter what we face. We are blessed with the assurance, "Jesus is Mine!". It is in adversity we experience blessings we cannot imagine if only we perservere.
Adversity alters our plans for how we expected life to be and says, "Now, fight through this challenge with confidence in God's love and His endless blessings." We have all seen advertisements for the Wounded Warrior Project. We see our American heroes face a mountain of adversities as they adjust to a life they had not expected. They are challenged to perservere with the blessings of caring medical support, family, friends and organizations and faith. We see those who fight through the adversity become active and joyful in spite of their adversities. It is not the life they planned but it is, nevertheless, a life that can be filled with love, success and joy.
I am part of an aging population. We are a family of "kids from the class of '68". And many of us now, are facing medical adversitites. Our challenge as individuals is to perservere. We are encouraged by God to "consider it pure joy" and not become negative complainers who take their ills and share them as if they are badges of courage. Courage and perserverence are found, not in whining and negativity, but in reflecting God's love and joy.
God never fails us. In our trials and adversities we are challenged to dig deep and push through where we experience blessings that lift us to a place of joy. When I experienced the past weekend, I was taken by surprise in all that was happening to me. When I had the seizure I had to deal with the after effect that it has of a sense of my mind being exhausted and a torrential headache. But today, I am past the "change in plans" and ready to accept the challenges. I know God is with me. I know that with God comes blessings and love.
Today as I sat with my friend, the laptop turned off and my TV silent I was ready to face the challenge of silence so my brain could rest. It was smarter to turn everything off than to risk another seizure and more damage. I had been through the drill of silence after a seizure for many years. And then, my phone rang and I saw the name of an old friend on the screen. He has been facing his own adversity in recent weeks. Not one moment was wasted by either of us on commiserating. We both accept these challenges of aging. We compared recent humorous stories and voiced concern for each of us that we continue choosing to do the "right" things for the best outcomes. We laughed a lot and shared joy. And when we hung up, I felt an immediate showering of God's blessings! I felt JOY!
I remember the Bible verse, "Keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus." We not only love Christ with our hearts but we are admonished to keep Christ in our MINDS. There is no room for negativity, complaining and as Daddy referred to it, "singing the blues" when Christ is in our minds. When Christ is in our minds we remain strong and can face any adversity through faith. God is ever faithful to us. Life promises to present us with adversity as we age and we are left to find the positive in the storm. We are asked to share our insight with others to lift them up and to share the joy we experience. And through our perserverence we become more mature Christians and draw closer to God.
I knew I was fine this morning when I woke up with my plan to rest my brain. I was surprised and filled with joy when God blessed me with messages from a dozen friends, all voices of support and then the phone call of a dear one who faces adversity himself. What joy is mine! What blessings I feel! I can only imagine what lies ahead of me as I age but I know this for certain. Through adversity there can be joy in remaining faithful to God. That's what is good about adversity!
Psalm 107:21-22
New International Version (NIV)
21 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love
and his wonderful deeds for mankind.
22 Let them sacrifice thank offerings
and tell of his works with songs of joy.
Dear Heavenly Father,
How amazing that you can take our worries and adversity and turn them into blessings, joy and a more mature walk in faith! You ask us to keep our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus and to ignore negativity and fear. You ask to persevere as we face challenges and in return we are showered with blessings from you. How wonderful you are Heavenly Father! How blessed we are! Joy is ours!
In Jesus' Name,
Amen
The Perfect Table
The Perfect Table
by Peggy K. Mack
July 26, 2013
Have you ever been asked to help someone with a challenge she has in her life? You are concerned about her and love her; as a person, a friend, a family member and a child of God. You pray about her situation. You think about what might help her find a resolution and you spend time with her in conversation. You offer your thoughts, support and prayers.
Days, weeks, and maybe even months go by and you see no changes in her approach to the situation. It appears she has not taken any of your suggestions. You feel as if your friend is not listening to you. You may begin to feel invisible, exhausted and "all talked out". Your thoughts lead you to a "what's the use" attitude. Where do you go with this? What can you do?
In a conversation I had with a friend this morning, I remembered a time many years ago. My mother had purchased a "perfect" kitchen dinette set and was so pleased that the top of the table was a laminated bright yellow pattern to accent her kitchen wall paper. She was so pleased with her purchase. Over the next few years, she would have run-ins, literally, with one of the table legs as she brought our meal to the table. The first time she broke her little toe, half of her left foot turned dark blue and the doctor told her the only thing she could do was tape her toe to the other toes for support and wear a bedroom slipper. Dad suggested that the table leg was poorly designed and she might want to consider getting rid of the table. She would not hear of giving up her "perfect" table.
A year later, she got up to get second servings for Dad and broke her little toe, again. She didn't have to call the doctor. She elevated her foot and iced it. Then Mom taped it to her other toes and went to work for several weeks with a bedroom slipper. The healing process was slow and walking was painful. Dad begged her to let him replace the table with one that had a pedestal under it instead of the four metal legs. She did not want to discuss giving up her "perfect" table. The final straw came while I was away at college. She broke her little toe the third time and she said little. She iced it, taped it and got her slipper ready for work in the morning. But this time, she looked at Dad and said, ''I'll decide in the morning if I want a new table or I will wear shoes in the kitchen." Finally she found a way to say, ''Maybe, just maybe, the table was not so perfect after all''. Maybe she would let Daddy locate a pedestal style table, and if not, she would wear shoes in the kitchen.
The purpose of telling you this story is to show that maybe it is not your fault that your special person is not changing her life, in spite of the fact she claims to be miserable and insists on asking for your assistance. The problem lies in the fact, that in even though your friend is feeling pain, she may not be willing to let go of what is causing her pain. Unless and until, she makes the commitment to change, she will continue to experience the pain. What do you do in a situation like this? You offer to help her make a plan for what she believes will help her. And then, you say, "I will talk to you about anything in the world, but let's leave this alone until you feel you are ready to take those first steps toward that change you want to make."
My dad was wise enough to offer a solution to mom and when she refused, he let it go. He supported her in every other way. But the table was not up for discussion. Did it hurt him to see her break her toe? You bet it did. But he knew her so well. He knew she was strong willed and determined and until she decided her toe was more important than her table, she would not change.
Be patient with your friend. But be firm and clear about how you feel and confirm with them your belief that you know they can do it. Then let go. God break down the wall that has her paralyzed. Accept the fact that you may not be the one to help her and she may never make the changes that would help her life. Ask God to show her what you cannot. God can break down the wall that has her paralyzed. Ask God to show her what you cannot. It is our job as a Christian to pray for those we love. We must ask God to take over when we see with our own eyes that everything we have done is making no difference. We give and we do as much as we can and we give it to God to complete what we cannot.
When did we decide that if we do not get through to them, nothing will change? How foolish of us to forget that God is with us and in us and working through us. And God is guiding her now. When she reaches the point of being tired of feeling the hurt and feeling the fear or whatever else she is feeling, your friend will walk away from the pain. Not all do, but that is where faith and hope and patience are an important part.
Dear Lord,
It hurts us when someone we love is hurting and wanting help and searching for a way out. Help us to find the right words to aid them. Let us see when all we are doing is not making a difference. Remind us that you are always with us and we have done all we can, you will lead them to healing. We will love them, pray for them and keep their company, but we cannot do it all.
Amen
The Serenity Prayer
God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.
Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His Will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him
Forever in the next.
Amen.
--Reinhold Niebuhr
Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will direct your paths.
Proverbs 3: 5-6
by Peggy K. Mack
July 26, 2013
Have you ever been asked to help someone with a challenge she has in her life? You are concerned about her and love her; as a person, a friend, a family member and a child of God. You pray about her situation. You think about what might help her find a resolution and you spend time with her in conversation. You offer your thoughts, support and prayers.
Days, weeks, and maybe even months go by and you see no changes in her approach to the situation. It appears she has not taken any of your suggestions. You feel as if your friend is not listening to you. You may begin to feel invisible, exhausted and "all talked out". Your thoughts lead you to a "what's the use" attitude. Where do you go with this? What can you do?
In a conversation I had with a friend this morning, I remembered a time many years ago. My mother had purchased a "perfect" kitchen dinette set and was so pleased that the top of the table was a laminated bright yellow pattern to accent her kitchen wall paper. She was so pleased with her purchase. Over the next few years, she would have run-ins, literally, with one of the table legs as she brought our meal to the table. The first time she broke her little toe, half of her left foot turned dark blue and the doctor told her the only thing she could do was tape her toe to the other toes for support and wear a bedroom slipper. Dad suggested that the table leg was poorly designed and she might want to consider getting rid of the table. She would not hear of giving up her "perfect" table.
A year later, she got up to get second servings for Dad and broke her little toe, again. She didn't have to call the doctor. She elevated her foot and iced it. Then Mom taped it to her other toes and went to work for several weeks with a bedroom slipper. The healing process was slow and walking was painful. Dad begged her to let him replace the table with one that had a pedestal under it instead of the four metal legs. She did not want to discuss giving up her "perfect" table. The final straw came while I was away at college. She broke her little toe the third time and she said little. She iced it, taped it and got her slipper ready for work in the morning. But this time, she looked at Dad and said, ''I'll decide in the morning if I want a new table or I will wear shoes in the kitchen." Finally she found a way to say, ''Maybe, just maybe, the table was not so perfect after all''. Maybe she would let Daddy locate a pedestal style table, and if not, she would wear shoes in the kitchen.
The purpose of telling you this story is to show that maybe it is not your fault that your special person is not changing her life, in spite of the fact she claims to be miserable and insists on asking for your assistance. The problem lies in the fact, that in even though your friend is feeling pain, she may not be willing to let go of what is causing her pain. Unless and until, she makes the commitment to change, she will continue to experience the pain. What do you do in a situation like this? You offer to help her make a plan for what she believes will help her. And then, you say, "I will talk to you about anything in the world, but let's leave this alone until you feel you are ready to take those first steps toward that change you want to make."
My dad was wise enough to offer a solution to mom and when she refused, he let it go. He supported her in every other way. But the table was not up for discussion. Did it hurt him to see her break her toe? You bet it did. But he knew her so well. He knew she was strong willed and determined and until she decided her toe was more important than her table, she would not change.
Be patient with your friend. But be firm and clear about how you feel and confirm with them your belief that you know they can do it. Then let go. God break down the wall that has her paralyzed. Accept the fact that you may not be the one to help her and she may never make the changes that would help her life. Ask God to show her what you cannot. God can break down the wall that has her paralyzed. Ask God to show her what you cannot. It is our job as a Christian to pray for those we love. We must ask God to take over when we see with our own eyes that everything we have done is making no difference. We give and we do as much as we can and we give it to God to complete what we cannot.
When did we decide that if we do not get through to them, nothing will change? How foolish of us to forget that God is with us and in us and working through us. And God is guiding her now. When she reaches the point of being tired of feeling the hurt and feeling the fear or whatever else she is feeling, your friend will walk away from the pain. Not all do, but that is where faith and hope and patience are an important part.
Dear Lord,
It hurts us when someone we love is hurting and wanting help and searching for a way out. Help us to find the right words to aid them. Let us see when all we are doing is not making a difference. Remind us that you are always with us and we have done all we can, you will lead them to healing. We will love them, pray for them and keep their company, but we cannot do it all.
Amen
The Serenity Prayer
God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.
Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His Will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him
Forever in the next.
Amen.
--Reinhold Niebuhr
Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will direct your paths.
Proverbs 3: 5-6
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