Step One: Your Mind
Peggy Mack
October 23, 2013
Morning devotions are such a wonderful addition to waking up each morning and yes, I am so blessed because I am retired and have the peace of leisure mornings. I can remember flying out the door in the rain with toddlers and diaper bags in tow trying to get them to Mrs. Everitt's home to care for them while I taught first grade in an inner city school. I arrived at school by 7am and have no idea, in looking back, how I ever pulled that off. You do what you have to do and what you love. So, this morning, in my studies I discovered a Bible verse that has my mind joyfilled with the thought that I can do more than put Christ in my thoughts.....I can, with the Holy Spirit, have the mind of Christ in me. Here's the verse:
1 Corinthians 2:13-16
New International Version (NIV)
This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words. The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit. The person with the Spirit makes judgments about all things, but such a person is not subject to merely human judgments, for,
“Who has known the mind of the Lord
so as to instruct him?
But we have the mind of Christ.
We have the mind of Christ. I find that to be such an amazing gift from God. How often I have needed God to crawl inside my head and to take over for me or to direct me so clearly that I would not stumble and fall and make critical mistakes. I needed Christ in my crisis. I needed to think clearly, calmly and wisely.
Robert Schuler was one of my favorite inspirational authors and his Power of Positive Thinking was a book my dad often quoted in his last years. While mother was in Birmingham having open heart surgery on her mitral valve ten weeks after dad had died, I sat alone in the cardiac surgical waiting room at UAB hospital reading his book. The surgery took longer than I was indicated to me and I found myself going from the filled and noisy waiting room to the first floor chapel. Throughout that long day and the next ten days of her stay there I made it my choice to stay in a positive mind and close to prayer. I was not trying to impress anyone. I knew this was a day of my own episode of survival while mother's life and heart were in the hands of Dr. Pasifico. I overheard other families dealing with those same frightening challenges of having a loved ones life hanging in the balance. One family of six gathered every hour on the hour and stood in a circle in family prayer. The love for each other and the family member who was in surgery was amazing to witness as was their belief in prayer. Another family, whose son had been shot were gathering as they learned the news and were filled with visible anger and promises to get even. The rage within in them was so great that you could feel it like a heat wave moving throughout the room. Another young couple sat holding hands, talking softly and watching televisio and often wiping away tears. Then finally, I noticed an elderly man sitting along and staring out the window. His shoulders were down and his eyes were filled with deep sadness. He appeared utterly lost and alone. You see a lot in a surgical waiting room and often they are so powerful that they stay in your memories for decades as these have for me.
Over the next week our family members were listed in critical condition and were being cared for in the Surgical ICU. I slowly introduced myself to them and carried on conversations and welcomed them each morning when we returned for our daily vigils. We were allowed ten minutes of visitation every four hours so the majority of our day was spent in a vigil, getting a bite to eat from the cafeteria or taking advantage of other services offered to us. The elderly gentleman was Mr. T. I do not want to mention his name so I refer to him as Mr. T. His wife had experienced numerous mild heart attacks and they were doing an open heart procedure to replace a valve and do other things which would hopefully prolong her life. I became friends with the mother of the group who had joined hourly for prayers and learned her son had a congenital defect that needed repair. It was effecting his level of activity and his ability to breathe. The three of us were offered a group therapy session to offer ways to alleviate the stress from spending 12 hour days at the hospital and seeing our family member so weak and in critical condition. We were incouraged to place our minds in another place. We were taught to visualize a place of peace that brings us comfort and a sense of well being. I found the sessions to be helpful and a distraction break I looked forward to each day. I was amazed that in the midst of the strong medicinal smell of a hospital, the screaming unpredictable sirens, the intermittent gut wrenching calls for code blue and the sad, worried expressions on so many faces, we could actually remove our consciousness to a place of calm, peaceful, solitude.
I remembered phrases I had heard as a child like, "Why don't you put your mind to good use?" or "Put your mind in gear before your mouth." or "You can get that done if you just put your mind to doing it!" All of these phrases and a few dozen more tell us that man acknowledges the ability to consciously reframe our thinking and guide it to think other thoughts. I find that simply amazing that we have that capability. But we do!
We are admonished and encouraged to PUT ON THE MIND OF CHRIST . 1 Cor 2:13-16 NKJV. We have control of our own thoughts and the thoughts we allow in our minds. The craze of WWJD can be extended to WWJT. What would Jesus think? Hopefully as we mature we involve planning and a thinking process prior to our actions during the day. Living the life of a mature Christian is not a Sunday morning block of time that we reserve for Him and then go merrily along the rest of the week living "our" lives. We are encouraged to enter every room, every activity and event, every meeting with others, every doctors appointment (you get the idea) with our mind in Christ. Our image of Christ as our precious Savior who suffered and died and was resurrected and ascended into Heaven is the way we most readily see Him. We are taught to acknowledge His life that way when we repeated the Apostles' Creed. His disciples encourage us to see Him, also, as someone who once lived as a man on earth, who faced the needs, the sorrows, the emotional challenges of anger and mental exhaustion. Christ is our friend. He is our conduit to speaking in prayer to His Heavenly Father.
Yesterday, I was facing a challenge I literally dreaded. I admit it. I do not like my neurologist. I assume because he has practiced for twenty years that he is knowledgeable in his field of study. He has little personality. He is about as friendly as Oscar the Grouch. I have been having some chronic symptoms and do not know which ones are connected to what else. I feared with my recent "bolt of light" that surged through my head last week leaving me with a blinding headache, it was not minor. I feared he would hear my description and make a snap judgment demanding my driver's license. I listened as he was talking to his nurse outside my door and I whispered a prayer of peace and guidance for his decisions. I imagined Christ behind my chair lifting his arms and showering me with peace and comfort and calm. The doctor sat down and asked, "how are you?" I responded, "I feel well but I do have a few symptoms and would appreciate your professional help in sorting them out for me?" "Go ahead", he said. And so the meeting went. What amazed me was how the negative thoughts I had left me with the moment of prayer and visualizing Christ in the room with us. What amazed me that the usually bristly, curt physician was soft spoken and compassionate. Instead of his normal behavior of reacting and jumping up with a quick decision, he took his time, asked questions and listened intently. He made the decision to focus on my continued problems with vertigo and to allow that one "glitch in the brain" and to watch for any further activity. He confirmed my concerns about my meds causing some of the "fuzzy headiness" and we had a plan.
Putting our mind in Christ is not a phrase that only applied to the small church members in Corinth. It is a wonderful plan for how to face each moment of everyday in our life. It should be part of our "survivor" plan for making the most of each day. I want to continue to encourage you to keep Christ close. Rely on him in those "have mercy" moments to step in close by you and to shower you with blessings that you need to get through with the best results. I admit it is going to be a challenge to bring Christ into my mind on my next trip to Walmart but it is well worth the practice, I have decided, since Christmas crowds and traffic are around the corner. Don't you agree?
Because God gave us free will and free thought, we are able to go through life never thinking of Christ, at all. We can wake up and face a day of challenges and never invoke Christ to walk with us. That is our choice. We are also capable of opening our mind to evil thoughts, thoughts of negativity and ill will toward others. We are capable of saying phrases that judge others and demean their existence. God lets us do that because we control our own thoughts and make our own choices. But God has ultimately given us the gift of life. He has blessed us with gifts to help continue His mission to reach others' lives in a positive way. He is pleased when our thoughts are in Him and He in turn, abides in us.
There is no major effort needed to begin the process. We do not have to plan what we are wearing to church to be in communication with God. Church is an extension of our faith that involves fellowship with others who love God. Walking in Christ, living in Christ is right here for the thinking. We are encouraged to actually "Put on the mind of Christ". It is one more gift we have been given in this amazing life of ours. All it takes is our conscious decision to face life with Christ in our hearts and MINDS.
Dear Heavenly Father,
We are blessed with your endless gifts of love. As your children, we are still free to think our own thoughts and make our own decisions. Remind us you are here with us and that we are in conversation with you, You are in us and with us. What a blessing it is to realize that you are not a distant God in our universe but One who is pleased with us when we open our minds to welcome you.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen
Sunday, November 17, 2013
Daily Decisions: Mini-Crossroads
Daily decisions: Mini Crossroads
Peggy Mack
November 12, 2013
We often refer to monumental changes in our lives as crossroads where a decision we made had an immense effect on us and the rest of our lives. Hopefully, most of our crossroad decisions were positive ones that helped us along the way of life as we grew in faith and became better people.
This morning I realized there are mini-crossroads each day which have little monumental effect but can alter a chain of events that effect our lives. I was brought into a memory of those days, now some ten years in my past, when I was teaching Kindergarten. My co-workers and I were constantly part of inservice training events that allowed us to stay up-to-date in teaching concepts without having to take college courses while teaching and caring for our families. I was drawn to early childhood workshops and loved those which focused on "positive reinforcement". We learned to change our vocal directions to children. For example, instead of saying, "Stop running!" We were encouraged to give a positive direction of the goal we had for the child. "Walk, please. We walk on the sidewalk. We walk." The instructor told us that young children heard the last word we speak, so if you say, "Stop running!" All they hear is RUNNING. And you can predict a negative outcome. The child simply continues their negative behavior.
I loved this theory. It worked so well for me because I love being a positive person. So if you observed my teaching techniques you might hear me saying, "Sit quietly." or "I like the way the GREEN team is working together quietly." It made my day so pleasant and I saw the kids respond well to it. Those who were off track seemed to do well in self-checking and self-adjusting as we went through our scheduled activities. They, too, wanted to receive positive recognition and to be reward with praise.
At this point when I arrived at the mini-crossroad in my career to "give positive commands", I altered my own attitude about teaching and others' concepts of how I maintained discipline in my classroom. I was so pleased with the results. In contrast, at the beginning of my career some twenty years earlier, I was working with a seasoned teacher with "old school" beliefs in tough love. She, too, in her career had made a decision about how to best maintain discipline in her classroom. She chose to "take care" of disruptive by responding with screaming in the faces of the little rule breakers. "How many times do I have to tell you to stop running?, she would bellow. The silent response I made for the little one was, "a zillion times!" Why? Because she made the choice to focus on the negative behavior. She drew attention to it which in turn, reinforced the bad behavior. She never learned. She never waivered. She had made a choice.
Where am I going with this in reference to our Christian lives, you may ask. Both of us had the same goal: safety in the classroom. We did not want the students to be injured which often occured when a child ran in the classroom. We had arrived at a mini-crossroad that demanded a choice. We experienced a thousand of those in a career that lasted decades. The choice was ours in how we responded. How many times in our family or friendly relationships have we identified a challenge and at the mini-cross road made a decision on how best to handle it. Here comes the Christian influence injected into our lives where we walk the walk and talk the talk. When at a mini-crossroad, how do we react? Do we select the direction that leads our family or friend through our positive guidance or praise when they are on the right track or do we choose the path where we respond with expected disappointment when they fail or criticism when they do the wrong things? Since we know we are all sinners, then we accept that we are prone to failures. If that is the case, we should not focus on the negative behavior or response. If we want to see them respond positively, we would do well to focus on good choices, on successful steps, on concerted efforts.
What should our response be in that mini-crossroad moment? What would our Christian response be? Think of someone in your neighborhood, your family, your Sunday School class, etc. When you think of someone who opens up to you with their shortcomings, what is your response? Frustration and criticism are not Christian responses. Write down their challenge on a sheet of paper. Write down your probable response. If it is negative or critical. Stop and reconsider a more positive, encouraging response. I have seen it work in the classroom for decades. The amazing gift from it all was that I loved teaching. I loved going into my classroom each day and being the head encourager, the chief positive influence, the source of patience and forgiveness. After all, I was not teaching for a paycheck. I was teaching because God called me teach when I was in fourth grade, way back in 1960. Once I felt that spark, I never looked back. Teaching was a gift from God. Be a light in someone's life. Be a positive source of encouragement. Watch the love grow and the challenges fly by with ease. Keep your eye open for mini-crossroads. We have choices to make each day. Like the old Gospel song says: The old crossroad now is waiting....which one are you going to take? One leads down to destruction. The other leads to the Pearly Gates.
Dear Heavenly Father,
Help us to be aware that in addition to the major decisions of our lives, those crossroads that will alter our lives in a defining way, let us realize that there are mini-crossroads we face each week. Those decisions can help us way in your light and follow your lead or send us off on our own foolish ways. Be with us Lord. Help us to hear and to respond to your guidance in a positive way each day.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen
Peggy Mack
November 12, 2013
We often refer to monumental changes in our lives as crossroads where a decision we made had an immense effect on us and the rest of our lives. Hopefully, most of our crossroad decisions were positive ones that helped us along the way of life as we grew in faith and became better people.
This morning I realized there are mini-crossroads each day which have little monumental effect but can alter a chain of events that effect our lives. I was brought into a memory of those days, now some ten years in my past, when I was teaching Kindergarten. My co-workers and I were constantly part of inservice training events that allowed us to stay up-to-date in teaching concepts without having to take college courses while teaching and caring for our families. I was drawn to early childhood workshops and loved those which focused on "positive reinforcement". We learned to change our vocal directions to children. For example, instead of saying, "Stop running!" We were encouraged to give a positive direction of the goal we had for the child. "Walk, please. We walk on the sidewalk. We walk." The instructor told us that young children heard the last word we speak, so if you say, "Stop running!" All they hear is RUNNING. And you can predict a negative outcome. The child simply continues their negative behavior.
I loved this theory. It worked so well for me because I love being a positive person. So if you observed my teaching techniques you might hear me saying, "Sit quietly." or "I like the way the GREEN team is working together quietly." It made my day so pleasant and I saw the kids respond well to it. Those who were off track seemed to do well in self-checking and self-adjusting as we went through our scheduled activities. They, too, wanted to receive positive recognition and to be reward with praise.
At this point when I arrived at the mini-crossroad in my career to "give positive commands", I altered my own attitude about teaching and others' concepts of how I maintained discipline in my classroom. I was so pleased with the results. In contrast, at the beginning of my career some twenty years earlier, I was working with a seasoned teacher with "old school" beliefs in tough love. She, too, in her career had made a decision about how to best maintain discipline in her classroom. She chose to "take care" of disruptive by responding with screaming in the faces of the little rule breakers. "How many times do I have to tell you to stop running?, she would bellow. The silent response I made for the little one was, "a zillion times!" Why? Because she made the choice to focus on the negative behavior. She drew attention to it which in turn, reinforced the bad behavior. She never learned. She never waivered. She had made a choice.
Where am I going with this in reference to our Christian lives, you may ask. Both of us had the same goal: safety in the classroom. We did not want the students to be injured which often occured when a child ran in the classroom. We had arrived at a mini-crossroad that demanded a choice. We experienced a thousand of those in a career that lasted decades. The choice was ours in how we responded. How many times in our family or friendly relationships have we identified a challenge and at the mini-cross road made a decision on how best to handle it. Here comes the Christian influence injected into our lives where we walk the walk and talk the talk. When at a mini-crossroad, how do we react? Do we select the direction that leads our family or friend through our positive guidance or praise when they are on the right track or do we choose the path where we respond with expected disappointment when they fail or criticism when they do the wrong things? Since we know we are all sinners, then we accept that we are prone to failures. If that is the case, we should not focus on the negative behavior or response. If we want to see them respond positively, we would do well to focus on good choices, on successful steps, on concerted efforts.
What should our response be in that mini-crossroad moment? What would our Christian response be? Think of someone in your neighborhood, your family, your Sunday School class, etc. When you think of someone who opens up to you with their shortcomings, what is your response? Frustration and criticism are not Christian responses. Write down their challenge on a sheet of paper. Write down your probable response. If it is negative or critical. Stop and reconsider a more positive, encouraging response. I have seen it work in the classroom for decades. The amazing gift from it all was that I loved teaching. I loved going into my classroom each day and being the head encourager, the chief positive influence, the source of patience and forgiveness. After all, I was not teaching for a paycheck. I was teaching because God called me teach when I was in fourth grade, way back in 1960. Once I felt that spark, I never looked back. Teaching was a gift from God. Be a light in someone's life. Be a positive source of encouragement. Watch the love grow and the challenges fly by with ease. Keep your eye open for mini-crossroads. We have choices to make each day. Like the old Gospel song says: The old crossroad now is waiting....which one are you going to take? One leads down to destruction. The other leads to the Pearly Gates.
Dear Heavenly Father,
Help us to be aware that in addition to the major decisions of our lives, those crossroads that will alter our lives in a defining way, let us realize that there are mini-crossroads we face each week. Those decisions can help us way in your light and follow your lead or send us off on our own foolish ways. Be with us Lord. Help us to hear and to respond to your guidance in a positive way each day.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen
A Guaranteed Stain Remover
A Guaranteed Stain Remover
Peggy Mack
November 9, 2013
A few weeks ago, one of my friends posted another great household helpful hint on Facebook and I gave it a try. It simply said mix equal parts of hydrogen peroxide with Dawn Detergent and it will take out stubborn stains. I had a navy top with an embroidered lighthouse and accent brass buttons on the shoulders. It is so classy and it has so many of my favorite things on it. It's navy. It has a lighthouse, an embroidered one that has beautiful colors. And finally, I have always been a fan of brass buttons. The problem with my shirt was a quarter sized grease stain right on the belly. I had tried Tide stain stick and Spray and Wash and all the other "guaranteed" stain removers to no avail. I still would not get rid of that shirt. After all, it was new. It just had one big grease spot on it.
I was skeptical when I followed the directions to mix the peroxide and Dawn in a small dish and to apply with my finger tip to the greasy, unyeilding stain. But I thought, "what have I to lose?" If it doesn't work, I can't wear the shirt and that's where I have been. If it DOES work, I finally have my beautiful shirt! So I followed the directions to apply generously and massage in to the fabric. Then I dropped it into the wash cycle and dry cycle. Low and behold! There it was before my own eyes. The stain was gone! Since then I use that little magical concoction on everything and get the same great results. Who knew?
I have been studying the book of Romans using a guide book from the series by Stan Jantz and Steve Bickel entitled, Christianity 101. I am readin the book: Romans, Understanding God's Grace and Power which teaches in tablespoons of information and then asks questions as a follow-up. I am learning more about God's grace and power through Paul's writing to the church of Rome and learning the meaning of big theological terms like "justification". I have often described myself as Pooh Bear, a bear of very little brain and stuffed with fluff. I am one of those who benefit from "keeping it stupid". So, this format by Stan and Steve is perfect for my understanding.
As I read the chapter on Chapter 4 of Romans, I began to see examples of Abraham and David. Three faiths build their doctrine on Abraham so I consider him a mighty source of information on man's relationship with God. Those three faiths are Christianity, Judaism and Islam. Abraham, whose life was filled with good works was not complete until he was justified by God. His sins were removed by God and that occured when all Abraham brought with him was his unwavering faith in God. His good works were admirable but he was born into sin, as we all are, and had to have faith in God to have his sins forgiven, to be declared no longer guilty or justified by God's grace through faith.
Romans 3:22-24
"..even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by the grace through redemption that is in Christ."
David was well known for his faith in God. He was also human and had a long list of sins. David wrote in Psalms of his wonder at God's love and forgiveness for mankind. Our faith in God is what we bring but it is not enough. If it were not for God's ability to absolve us of all our sins, we would forever be doomed.
Psalm 32:2
"Yes, what joy for those whose record the Lord has cleared."
I love illustrations and leaned on them heavily to teach new concepts in my years in early childhood education. The older and wiser I got, the more I realized hands on activities that illustrate a concept are far more valuable than information alone in a book and work for all age groups well.
This morning I imagined if we created a "sin" cloth. Work with me here. Allow yourself to imagine if you were participating in one of those ads for detergent. They submit a family's clothing to grass stains, mud, ketchup, blood and wine and smear them gleefully with tough stains.
What if you took your "sin" cloth and wrote using those stainmakers, each sin that you can remember. You know the ones that linger in your memory. Imagine that little "sin" cloth now bearing the truth of your sins for all to see. In your faith, acknowledge that you are forgiven through your belief in Christ and are given the opportunity to wash away your sins because you believe. Sink that little "sin cloth" into the washer and add Christ's love (the Dawn detergent) and God's absolution (the peroxide). All you bring to the activity is your sins and faith that something amazing is going to happen. When the wash cycle is completed and you lift the cloth from the machine. You know, because you believe, when you unfurl the cloth, it will be washed clean. All those nasty sins that have weighed you down are gone! Your sins are gone! Yes, we will sin, again. It is human nature to sin. Think of laundry. Oh come on....for one moment anyway. I dislike laundry because it is a never ending task. As soon as I seem to have everything sorted, laundered, dried, folded or hung and delivered, there is more dirty laundry. The Good News is that in our faith, God invites us to come to Him often to wash away our sins. We are blessed with renewed spirits and clean hearts. The Good News comes when we "believe" that the powerful combination of faith in Christ and the grace and mercy of God will wash our sins away. We will be found not guilty. We are guilty as sin but found not guilty by God's mercy and justification. What a freeing, amazing image for us to cling to and to share with others!
Romans 4:24-25
It shall be imputed to us who believe in Him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead, who was delivered up because of our offenses and was raised because of our justification.
Romans 5:1-2
Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord, Jesus Christ through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
Beyond the amazing gift of having our sins washed away we are granted peace in our souls, in our minds and in our hearts. We are no longer burdened with guilt and regret. The stains have been removed. We stand in a sweet place of grace and are filled, instead, with a hope that causes us to rejoice in God's glory.
What burdens do you carry that are left over from guilt, regret and sin? Write it down on a peace of paper. In a moment of silent prayer and communication with God. Give each one, one at a time, to Christ through faith KNOWING that this burden will be removed. Erase the words. Know that God has taken that sin and washed it away, erased it from your heart. Continue until your page is clear of all those sins, regrets and guilt. Let go of your deep sadness and feel God's peace enter. Praise God with words of gratitude and joy. By freeing yourself of self-thoughts of worthlessness and guilt you are opening yourself to God's healing grace and mercy. Watch how He transforms you into a giving, loving, serving person of faith. Will you sin? Guaranteed. Will He forgive your contrite heart? Guaranteed. Walk in peace and love and faith. God is so amazing. He blessed me with a story this morning and used laundry as my example and He knows how much I hate doing laundry. I am left feeling joy and peace and laughing at the thought of it all.
When you try to explain "justification" to others, be sure to take the good news to a level of understanding that will remain with them forever. Encourage them to imagine or even make the "sin" cloth and see if they understand the concept of being "justified by God's grace through our faith in Jesus Christ". We bring the faith but it will not wash away our sins. It is in Christ's sacrifice for us that we are washed and in God's forgiving grace that our sins are removed. Praise God for His abiding love and endless forgiveness in our lives. Oh how blessed we are and how lost we would be without Him in our lives. Share the good news. Share the joy. Share the message of hope. And try that good mixture of peroxide and Dawn. It works great!
Dear Heavenly Father,
What a gift! What an amazing gift! You have washed away our sins in spite of our guilt with the blood of your Son, Jesus Christ. Justification is such a big word and yet, we understand that when we stand before you in judgment, our lives will deserve a verdict of guilty for we are, by nature, sinners. And yet, at the moment of declaring our guilt we will hear you say, "not guilty"! Our sins have been washed away! What a gift! Thank you dear, Lord, for our salvation!
In Jesus' Name,
Amen
Peggy Mack
November 9, 2013
A few weeks ago, one of my friends posted another great household helpful hint on Facebook and I gave it a try. It simply said mix equal parts of hydrogen peroxide with Dawn Detergent and it will take out stubborn stains. I had a navy top with an embroidered lighthouse and accent brass buttons on the shoulders. It is so classy and it has so many of my favorite things on it. It's navy. It has a lighthouse, an embroidered one that has beautiful colors. And finally, I have always been a fan of brass buttons. The problem with my shirt was a quarter sized grease stain right on the belly. I had tried Tide stain stick and Spray and Wash and all the other "guaranteed" stain removers to no avail. I still would not get rid of that shirt. After all, it was new. It just had one big grease spot on it.
I was skeptical when I followed the directions to mix the peroxide and Dawn in a small dish and to apply with my finger tip to the greasy, unyeilding stain. But I thought, "what have I to lose?" If it doesn't work, I can't wear the shirt and that's where I have been. If it DOES work, I finally have my beautiful shirt! So I followed the directions to apply generously and massage in to the fabric. Then I dropped it into the wash cycle and dry cycle. Low and behold! There it was before my own eyes. The stain was gone! Since then I use that little magical concoction on everything and get the same great results. Who knew?
I have been studying the book of Romans using a guide book from the series by Stan Jantz and Steve Bickel entitled, Christianity 101. I am readin the book: Romans, Understanding God's Grace and Power which teaches in tablespoons of information and then asks questions as a follow-up. I am learning more about God's grace and power through Paul's writing to the church of Rome and learning the meaning of big theological terms like "justification". I have often described myself as Pooh Bear, a bear of very little brain and stuffed with fluff. I am one of those who benefit from "keeping it stupid". So, this format by Stan and Steve is perfect for my understanding.
As I read the chapter on Chapter 4 of Romans, I began to see examples of Abraham and David. Three faiths build their doctrine on Abraham so I consider him a mighty source of information on man's relationship with God. Those three faiths are Christianity, Judaism and Islam. Abraham, whose life was filled with good works was not complete until he was justified by God. His sins were removed by God and that occured when all Abraham brought with him was his unwavering faith in God. His good works were admirable but he was born into sin, as we all are, and had to have faith in God to have his sins forgiven, to be declared no longer guilty or justified by God's grace through faith.
Romans 3:22-24
"..even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by the grace through redemption that is in Christ."
David was well known for his faith in God. He was also human and had a long list of sins. David wrote in Psalms of his wonder at God's love and forgiveness for mankind. Our faith in God is what we bring but it is not enough. If it were not for God's ability to absolve us of all our sins, we would forever be doomed.
Psalm 32:2
"Yes, what joy for those whose record the Lord has cleared."
I love illustrations and leaned on them heavily to teach new concepts in my years in early childhood education. The older and wiser I got, the more I realized hands on activities that illustrate a concept are far more valuable than information alone in a book and work for all age groups well.
This morning I imagined if we created a "sin" cloth. Work with me here. Allow yourself to imagine if you were participating in one of those ads for detergent. They submit a family's clothing to grass stains, mud, ketchup, blood and wine and smear them gleefully with tough stains.
What if you took your "sin" cloth and wrote using those stainmakers, each sin that you can remember. You know the ones that linger in your memory. Imagine that little "sin" cloth now bearing the truth of your sins for all to see. In your faith, acknowledge that you are forgiven through your belief in Christ and are given the opportunity to wash away your sins because you believe. Sink that little "sin cloth" into the washer and add Christ's love (the Dawn detergent) and God's absolution (the peroxide). All you bring to the activity is your sins and faith that something amazing is going to happen. When the wash cycle is completed and you lift the cloth from the machine. You know, because you believe, when you unfurl the cloth, it will be washed clean. All those nasty sins that have weighed you down are gone! Your sins are gone! Yes, we will sin, again. It is human nature to sin. Think of laundry. Oh come on....for one moment anyway. I dislike laundry because it is a never ending task. As soon as I seem to have everything sorted, laundered, dried, folded or hung and delivered, there is more dirty laundry. The Good News is that in our faith, God invites us to come to Him often to wash away our sins. We are blessed with renewed spirits and clean hearts. The Good News comes when we "believe" that the powerful combination of faith in Christ and the grace and mercy of God will wash our sins away. We will be found not guilty. We are guilty as sin but found not guilty by God's mercy and justification. What a freeing, amazing image for us to cling to and to share with others!
Romans 4:24-25
It shall be imputed to us who believe in Him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead, who was delivered up because of our offenses and was raised because of our justification.
Romans 5:1-2
Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord, Jesus Christ through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
Beyond the amazing gift of having our sins washed away we are granted peace in our souls, in our minds and in our hearts. We are no longer burdened with guilt and regret. The stains have been removed. We stand in a sweet place of grace and are filled, instead, with a hope that causes us to rejoice in God's glory.
What burdens do you carry that are left over from guilt, regret and sin? Write it down on a peace of paper. In a moment of silent prayer and communication with God. Give each one, one at a time, to Christ through faith KNOWING that this burden will be removed. Erase the words. Know that God has taken that sin and washed it away, erased it from your heart. Continue until your page is clear of all those sins, regrets and guilt. Let go of your deep sadness and feel God's peace enter. Praise God with words of gratitude and joy. By freeing yourself of self-thoughts of worthlessness and guilt you are opening yourself to God's healing grace and mercy. Watch how He transforms you into a giving, loving, serving person of faith. Will you sin? Guaranteed. Will He forgive your contrite heart? Guaranteed. Walk in peace and love and faith. God is so amazing. He blessed me with a story this morning and used laundry as my example and He knows how much I hate doing laundry. I am left feeling joy and peace and laughing at the thought of it all.
When you try to explain "justification" to others, be sure to take the good news to a level of understanding that will remain with them forever. Encourage them to imagine or even make the "sin" cloth and see if they understand the concept of being "justified by God's grace through our faith in Jesus Christ". We bring the faith but it will not wash away our sins. It is in Christ's sacrifice for us that we are washed and in God's forgiving grace that our sins are removed. Praise God for His abiding love and endless forgiveness in our lives. Oh how blessed we are and how lost we would be without Him in our lives. Share the good news. Share the joy. Share the message of hope. And try that good mixture of peroxide and Dawn. It works great!
Dear Heavenly Father,
What a gift! What an amazing gift! You have washed away our sins in spite of our guilt with the blood of your Son, Jesus Christ. Justification is such a big word and yet, we understand that when we stand before you in judgment, our lives will deserve a verdict of guilty for we are, by nature, sinners. And yet, at the moment of declaring our guilt we will hear you say, "not guilty"! Our sins have been washed away! What a gift! Thank you dear, Lord, for our salvation!
In Jesus' Name,
Amen
Cookbooks, Mysteries or Adventures: What to Read?
Cookbooks, Mysteries or Adventures: What to Read?
Peggy Mack
November 14, 2013
We are in a generation of easily accesible reading material. Centuries ago a book in a home was a treasured prize to be cared for and read dozens of times. In my growing up years, reading a book was more accessible because there were book stores on corners and newspapers delivered to your doorstep and some grocery stores were selling weekly editions to a collection of encyclopedias or geography books or first readers for children. My mother showered us with books like Nancy Drew for occassions that brought gifts and I treasured opening a new book, feeling the crisp pages, smelling the essence of print on paper and staring at the book cover and wondering what surprises were in store for me. Now books are available electronically to our fingertips whenever we desire to read. Thousands of titles are there for our Nooks or Ipads or other devices. We never have to leave our "comfort zone" to begin sinking into a book. So what do we choose to challenge and entertain our brains? My preferences seem to zone in on the latest cookbooks, a good mystery thanks to Nancy Drew or a non-fiction adventure book which carries my untraveled self to far corners of the universe thanks to my mother's purchase of six geography books from all the continents on Earth.
Recently in my resurgence of interest in connecting to my faith, I have made the commitment to read devotionals each morning and to select a chapter in the Bible which has my interest. What I have come to realize is this. If your mind is on cookbooks, it can effect your other choices during the day which might include deciding to try a new recipe, making a grocery list, purchasing the necessary items, creating the new dish and testing it on the family for a final vote.
If you sink yourself into a good mystery novel, you might find yourself interested in forensic science or visiting an historical place where the novel takes place or reading more about the geographical area and deciding to do more research or finally, even taking a few courses in forensics!
You get my point by now. What you read determines where your mind decides to focus. What you read leads to choices you make for other parts of your life. That is a huge revelation to me! With that understanding you can see why it is so important to avail yourself of all of God's graces including knowledge of Him through His word and the educated writings of other Christians. When you begin your day with thirty minutes of reading your devotional, Bible verses, study materials you have chosen for yourself or Sunday School materials, you are opening your mind to further knowledge and understanding of God and all His ways of communicating with us.
For example, I share this with question with you. What has been concerning you the past two days in a personal relationship? For us, there is a concern over a relationship between two brothers. If left to the two brothers, I seriously doubt that peace between them would ever come to fruition. There's a loss of trust and too much stubborness to go around. But this morning I was reading "Jesus Calling" by Sarah Young for November 14th and this Bible verse at the bottom of the page jumped out at me. Literally, it smacked me on the forehead and I was enlightened to how this obviously difficult situation which was going nowhere can become with God's loving help and guidance a reunion of love and peace. A cookbook would not have given me the answer nor a murder mystery.
Here's the Bible Verse and what I refer to as, the ANSWER:
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.-Colossians 3:23
You see, as they continue to struggle through trying to get past the hurt, there are going to be more challenges and more disappointments and more opportunities to say, "See I told you so!". Only God can get us past the pain and to a place of healing and renewed joy. And the answer may truly lie in where we focus all our energies. When dealing with each other, we must continue to remind ourselves that we are doing this for God. Why? Because He knows that a heart once badly hurt and filled with hatred and mistrust cannot glorify God. A heart broken cannot sing. We cannot reflect God's amazing loving power if we are tarnished with disappointment and pain. Go and heal those relationships. Is it going to be easy? I seriously do not see it being easy at my house. But there has been this little whisper nagging at one brother. It keeps telling him that things are not right and need to be mended. And when God whispers, it is up to us to do what is written in Colossians. We are to work with all our heart and to work for the Lord and not for man.
I would not have been blessed with that gift this morning in a cookbook, mystery or adventure story. Even though I love all three of them, they are not the recipe to a life well lived. They will not solve the questions to why is life so difficult? And they cannot show me where to go to find peace, comfort, hope, joy, love and contentment. Those, my dear friends, are located in God's word and in the books written by other people who have been enlightened by the Holy Spirit.
Dear Heavenly Father,
Open our hearts and minds to the possibilities of all that lies within the words in our Bible and in our devotion books. Teach us not to dread our time of reading and studying but to go after the information with an excitement and hope that our minds and hearts will receive the message you have for us in our daily life. What do you have for us that will serve as a guiding light? Thank you so much for your Holy Word.
In Jesus' Name I pray,
Amen
Peggy Mack
November 14, 2013
We are in a generation of easily accesible reading material. Centuries ago a book in a home was a treasured prize to be cared for and read dozens of times. In my growing up years, reading a book was more accessible because there were book stores on corners and newspapers delivered to your doorstep and some grocery stores were selling weekly editions to a collection of encyclopedias or geography books or first readers for children. My mother showered us with books like Nancy Drew for occassions that brought gifts and I treasured opening a new book, feeling the crisp pages, smelling the essence of print on paper and staring at the book cover and wondering what surprises were in store for me. Now books are available electronically to our fingertips whenever we desire to read. Thousands of titles are there for our Nooks or Ipads or other devices. We never have to leave our "comfort zone" to begin sinking into a book. So what do we choose to challenge and entertain our brains? My preferences seem to zone in on the latest cookbooks, a good mystery thanks to Nancy Drew or a non-fiction adventure book which carries my untraveled self to far corners of the universe thanks to my mother's purchase of six geography books from all the continents on Earth.
Recently in my resurgence of interest in connecting to my faith, I have made the commitment to read devotionals each morning and to select a chapter in the Bible which has my interest. What I have come to realize is this. If your mind is on cookbooks, it can effect your other choices during the day which might include deciding to try a new recipe, making a grocery list, purchasing the necessary items, creating the new dish and testing it on the family for a final vote.
If you sink yourself into a good mystery novel, you might find yourself interested in forensic science or visiting an historical place where the novel takes place or reading more about the geographical area and deciding to do more research or finally, even taking a few courses in forensics!
You get my point by now. What you read determines where your mind decides to focus. What you read leads to choices you make for other parts of your life. That is a huge revelation to me! With that understanding you can see why it is so important to avail yourself of all of God's graces including knowledge of Him through His word and the educated writings of other Christians. When you begin your day with thirty minutes of reading your devotional, Bible verses, study materials you have chosen for yourself or Sunday School materials, you are opening your mind to further knowledge and understanding of God and all His ways of communicating with us.
For example, I share this with question with you. What has been concerning you the past two days in a personal relationship? For us, there is a concern over a relationship between two brothers. If left to the two brothers, I seriously doubt that peace between them would ever come to fruition. There's a loss of trust and too much stubborness to go around. But this morning I was reading "Jesus Calling" by Sarah Young for November 14th and this Bible verse at the bottom of the page jumped out at me. Literally, it smacked me on the forehead and I was enlightened to how this obviously difficult situation which was going nowhere can become with God's loving help and guidance a reunion of love and peace. A cookbook would not have given me the answer nor a murder mystery.
Here's the Bible Verse and what I refer to as, the ANSWER:
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.-Colossians 3:23
You see, as they continue to struggle through trying to get past the hurt, there are going to be more challenges and more disappointments and more opportunities to say, "See I told you so!". Only God can get us past the pain and to a place of healing and renewed joy. And the answer may truly lie in where we focus all our energies. When dealing with each other, we must continue to remind ourselves that we are doing this for God. Why? Because He knows that a heart once badly hurt and filled with hatred and mistrust cannot glorify God. A heart broken cannot sing. We cannot reflect God's amazing loving power if we are tarnished with disappointment and pain. Go and heal those relationships. Is it going to be easy? I seriously do not see it being easy at my house. But there has been this little whisper nagging at one brother. It keeps telling him that things are not right and need to be mended. And when God whispers, it is up to us to do what is written in Colossians. We are to work with all our heart and to work for the Lord and not for man.
I would not have been blessed with that gift this morning in a cookbook, mystery or adventure story. Even though I love all three of them, they are not the recipe to a life well lived. They will not solve the questions to why is life so difficult? And they cannot show me where to go to find peace, comfort, hope, joy, love and contentment. Those, my dear friends, are located in God's word and in the books written by other people who have been enlightened by the Holy Spirit.
Dear Heavenly Father,
Open our hearts and minds to the possibilities of all that lies within the words in our Bible and in our devotion books. Teach us not to dread our time of reading and studying but to go after the information with an excitement and hope that our minds and hearts will receive the message you have for us in our daily life. What do you have for us that will serve as a guiding light? Thank you so much for your Holy Word.
In Jesus' Name I pray,
Amen
Blessings Became an Opportunity to Bless
Blessings Became An Opportunity to Bless
Peggy Mack
November 13, 2013
My little mentor and I were chatting in Facebook this morning and talking about how sometimes a thought she has in Ga. becomes a silent inspiration for something I am writing in SC and we never know it until we discuss it later that evening. Then we go through one of those, "get out of here! Are ya kidding me?" kind of moments because both of us know something amazing happened to cause our brains to be on the same wave length and to experience it together later in the day. This has happened five or six times now in the months since Maddie's passing in July. And we are left in awe and both respond, "it's another God moment!"
I was telling Dottie of something that occurred to me Sunday in church. When I was getting an outfit ready to wear that morning, I remembered a wine collored purse with black trim and decided I needed to go "hunt it up" to go with the clothes I had chosen. As I dug through the purse for a hopeful, but not likely stray $20 bill my hand came across something metallic in the bottom of the purse. I pulled out a written metallic word attached to a key chain that had probably sat inside that purse for five years.
The word was "Blessing". I do not remember who had mailed it to me as a sign of love and encouragement and support during those years that were dark and frightening in my home in Panama City. So many friends became my angels on earth and would send me coffee cups with messages, angels for my room, and words of positive thoughts to carry me through to a better time and place. At the time I had no idea where my future lay or how I was going to arrive there all in one piece with my sanity in tact. All I really had was my faith and my friends who showered me with loving concern and often surprised me with gifts in the mail.
So this little metallic reminder of the blessings I received five-eight years ago were the visual and physical source of my strength reminding me that no matter what I was facing, I was truly not alone. Sunday I reattached the "Blessing" to my purse using the key chain. Off to church we went. During the service I reached down on the floor for my purse to get my offering check and I heard this tiny "ping" sound as I saw my "Blessing" break apart. Part of the word was laying on the floor. I was heartsick as I picked up the piece and dropped it into my purse. Silly me, I thought. It was just a little something. Nothing major had been lost and I went on with the worship service.
When I lifted my purse at the end of the service I looked at the key chain, again, and saw that it had broken and left five letters attached spelling "Bless". Nice! I thought. At least it didn't break leaving me with "Ble" or "Blessi". It had left me with a recognizable word. I was content, again.
This morning I realized there was a moment of realization for me in that happenstance of an event. When I was struggling to make sense of life and to find a way to stay on my feet in the storm, God surrounded me with endless signs of love and encouragement. All of them were such great "blessings" to my life. But now, I am in a place of contentment, joy and love. I asked God for one gift as I found my way. I asked to be truly loved before I died. He blessed me with the sweetest of husbands who seems to be such a perfect complement to my own personality. He finds ways to show or say I love you everyday and I am at a place where I have no doubt that I am loved. And, I never saw him coming. I was showered with more blessings than I even ever dreamed.
So now, I realized this morning, it is my turn to live a life where I can bless others through my sharing of faith, my time, my giving and my love. Blessings have turned into Bless for a reason. And I have a reminder hanging on my purse.
I won't go so far as to say it was a "sign". There's no need to go there. The truth is that the metal had probably gotten bent in packing and gave way. God does not have to make things fall off to get our attention. What He does do, is open our eyes to the message that comes with it. In my heart I know I have moved from that time when I desperately needed blessings to a time when my heart is so full of love and contentment that I can bless others with God's help and His loving guidance. Here I am, Lord. Send me.
Dear Lord,
It is a beautiful morning and there are people ahead of me in my errands today. Let me be a blessing in their lives. Let me leave them with a kind word of encouragement, the sound of my laughter, a thought that will lift them up as they work or bring them hope. Open my mind to your desires for my life and let me serve you with a happy heart.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen
Peggy Mack
November 13, 2013
My little mentor and I were chatting in Facebook this morning and talking about how sometimes a thought she has in Ga. becomes a silent inspiration for something I am writing in SC and we never know it until we discuss it later that evening. Then we go through one of those, "get out of here! Are ya kidding me?" kind of moments because both of us know something amazing happened to cause our brains to be on the same wave length and to experience it together later in the day. This has happened five or six times now in the months since Maddie's passing in July. And we are left in awe and both respond, "it's another God moment!"
I was telling Dottie of something that occurred to me Sunday in church. When I was getting an outfit ready to wear that morning, I remembered a wine collored purse with black trim and decided I needed to go "hunt it up" to go with the clothes I had chosen. As I dug through the purse for a hopeful, but not likely stray $20 bill my hand came across something metallic in the bottom of the purse. I pulled out a written metallic word attached to a key chain that had probably sat inside that purse for five years.
The word was "Blessing". I do not remember who had mailed it to me as a sign of love and encouragement and support during those years that were dark and frightening in my home in Panama City. So many friends became my angels on earth and would send me coffee cups with messages, angels for my room, and words of positive thoughts to carry me through to a better time and place. At the time I had no idea where my future lay or how I was going to arrive there all in one piece with my sanity in tact. All I really had was my faith and my friends who showered me with loving concern and often surprised me with gifts in the mail.
So this little metallic reminder of the blessings I received five-eight years ago were the visual and physical source of my strength reminding me that no matter what I was facing, I was truly not alone. Sunday I reattached the "Blessing" to my purse using the key chain. Off to church we went. During the service I reached down on the floor for my purse to get my offering check and I heard this tiny "ping" sound as I saw my "Blessing" break apart. Part of the word was laying on the floor. I was heartsick as I picked up the piece and dropped it into my purse. Silly me, I thought. It was just a little something. Nothing major had been lost and I went on with the worship service.
When I lifted my purse at the end of the service I looked at the key chain, again, and saw that it had broken and left five letters attached spelling "Bless". Nice! I thought. At least it didn't break leaving me with "Ble" or "Blessi". It had left me with a recognizable word. I was content, again.
This morning I realized there was a moment of realization for me in that happenstance of an event. When I was struggling to make sense of life and to find a way to stay on my feet in the storm, God surrounded me with endless signs of love and encouragement. All of them were such great "blessings" to my life. But now, I am in a place of contentment, joy and love. I asked God for one gift as I found my way. I asked to be truly loved before I died. He blessed me with the sweetest of husbands who seems to be such a perfect complement to my own personality. He finds ways to show or say I love you everyday and I am at a place where I have no doubt that I am loved. And, I never saw him coming. I was showered with more blessings than I even ever dreamed.
So now, I realized this morning, it is my turn to live a life where I can bless others through my sharing of faith, my time, my giving and my love. Blessings have turned into Bless for a reason. And I have a reminder hanging on my purse.
I won't go so far as to say it was a "sign". There's no need to go there. The truth is that the metal had probably gotten bent in packing and gave way. God does not have to make things fall off to get our attention. What He does do, is open our eyes to the message that comes with it. In my heart I know I have moved from that time when I desperately needed blessings to a time when my heart is so full of love and contentment that I can bless others with God's help and His loving guidance. Here I am, Lord. Send me.
Dear Lord,
It is a beautiful morning and there are people ahead of me in my errands today. Let me be a blessing in their lives. Let me leave them with a kind word of encouragement, the sound of my laughter, a thought that will lift them up as they work or bring them hope. Open my mind to your desires for my life and let me serve you with a happy heart.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen
The Happy Rock
The Happy Rock
Peggy Mack
November 17, 2013
Where do I go to find the Happy Rock? It seems all of the world is searching for happiness. When you are fighting sad thoughts or bouts of depression the one thing we seem to want is happiness.
Several years ago I was in a marriage of thirty plus years that, at times had been working so well it seemed. Our lives revolved around our faith and we gave of our time in gratitude to serve in various projects and assignments. All seemed to go so well and we would probably label those as our "happy" years.
So how did we end up not speaking to each other? How did we end up battling depression, both of us, at the same time? I can remember standing in the kitchen in tears and saying, "All I want is to be happy." And his response was, "Don't expect me to make you happy. You go find happy wherever you want. Go to Nashville. Go see friends, etc...etc..etc." I was so shocked by his response that in the weeks that followed I discovered a cartoon in a magazine and tore it out. It was a little girl sitting on Santa's lap and he said,"Don't look at me to make you happy!"
I can remember searching in vain for "happiness" for over two years to stop the endless fear, pain, tears and exhaustion I felt. Toward the end, before I finally left home, I remember saying to myself, "There is no happiness for me. It's simply gone and belongs to someone else." Slowly I began opening up my sealed vault of faith and renewing my connection to God through little prayers of begging. God, please, get me through this!" "God, please help me sleep tonight!" "God please help me find my way!" I no longer even asked for "happy" believing it belonged to others but not myself. I could not tell you how I had ended up in such a dire, hopeless place within my own home. I only knew I had arrived.
This morning I was reading from my copy of "Christianity 101: Romans: Understanding God's Grace and Power". The emphasis was on the fifth chapter of Romans. And one of those "HEllllooooooo" moments struck me. The authors were suggesting that the reason we often turn to faith is to find happiness in our lives. We reach a point of discontent from running ourselves into a ditch and we decide to try going to church or reading the Bible or talking to a friend whose faith is far stronger than our own. We seem to need to be in a mess before we turn to God. Over time I have learned how almost ridiculous that sounds to "turn to God". The truth is He created us. He never left us. He never abandoned us. He resides in our hearts, minds and souls. So where's He been while I was living through Hell on Earth? Well, the truth is, I locked my heart down to His whispers. I closed the vault that offered me peace, grace, comfort, consolation and hope. I decided to run my own ship. "I have got this one!", I boldly announced to God. I stopped praying. I stopped thanking Him for the endless gifts I had. How arrogant of me to never acknowledge Him and to claim I was a Christian! We had a four bedroom home with four bathrooms in an elegant neighborhood within walking distance of the beautiful bay. I had two amazing children and three adopted pets. I had a teaching job filled with so much joy. Did I think to thank God? No, I did not!
Who ran our marriage of 32 years into the ditch? We did with our shutting God out of our home by ignoring His endless gifts and assuming we could "handle" it. So I learned the hard way that in the absence of God, all Hell breaks lose in a million different ways. I was in two car wrecks within a year. My hair began to fall out until I was bald over one-third of my head. I was physically ill and working on being mentally ill as well. My husband was doing no better. I would like to tell you that we found God and all worked out happily ever after, but it did not. The train wreck we created was so monumental that we closed another door, on our marriage.
This morning I read that God never promised us happiness anywhere in the Bible. He promised that we would face trials and tribulation, heartache and loss, disappointment and fears. Now that does not mean if we proclaim God as our creator we can plan on a boatload of misery. That is not the case. We are going to face all of those whether we are believers are we close the vault door to a relationship with God. It is going to happen. The difference in living in an active faith is that what we do when hardships come. You know, the ones that feel like gigantic rip tides dragging us farther out to sea? We can do like I chose to do and become deeply fearful to the point of it attacking my health and destroying my home. Or we can turn to God in great times and sing praises to His name. We can claim our faith in a simple way. We believe Christ was born, he lived a life filled with examples of how to live, he suffered a horrible death though innocent and He rose again. We can cling to the hope and promise of our salvation which says in spite of our sinful nature that leads us into messes and confusion all the time, God says we are forgiven and sends us out to share our faith, not through pushing our faith on others, but by kind and decent and good acts. In those tiny moments, when we feel that nudge to do something good, we are given a chance to actually experience the love of God. Sometimes it is so amazing that we feel sheer joy. We are surprised by our own actions which are difficult to explain. We feel all choked up to the verge of tears. And why do we go through all those physical changes? We are close to God and we feel God's love.
There is no Happy Rock. We can search for it until our last breath and we will never find "Happy". What we can find is a life of praise, a life of believing, a life of learning patience when those rip tides threaten to drag us far out to sea and finally a life time of tiny moments when we open our heart so wide in doing something good and unexpected that we feel God's love. I no longer search for the Happy Rock. I think finally, after sixty-three years of life and a wagon load of experience, I can safely say, the best life for anyone is a life in Christ. When happiness comes at Christmas and birthdays and surprises like my daughter flying in to see me on Mother's Day and keeping it a total secret I will thank God for my happiness for He is good.
Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank You for teaching this slow learner that I cannot create lasting happiness on earth for myself. Thank You for speaking to me through the books I am studying and Your Holy Word. Thank You for those absolutely amazing moments when I walk away from a tiny good deed that you have lead me to experience and I walk away with tears on my cheek knowing I have felt You right here with me. I have felt Your love. Amazing Grace! I once was lost, but now am found, was blind but now I see.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen
Peggy Mack
November 17, 2013
Where do I go to find the Happy Rock? It seems all of the world is searching for happiness. When you are fighting sad thoughts or bouts of depression the one thing we seem to want is happiness.
Several years ago I was in a marriage of thirty plus years that, at times had been working so well it seemed. Our lives revolved around our faith and we gave of our time in gratitude to serve in various projects and assignments. All seemed to go so well and we would probably label those as our "happy" years.
So how did we end up not speaking to each other? How did we end up battling depression, both of us, at the same time? I can remember standing in the kitchen in tears and saying, "All I want is to be happy." And his response was, "Don't expect me to make you happy. You go find happy wherever you want. Go to Nashville. Go see friends, etc...etc..etc." I was so shocked by his response that in the weeks that followed I discovered a cartoon in a magazine and tore it out. It was a little girl sitting on Santa's lap and he said,"Don't look at me to make you happy!"
I can remember searching in vain for "happiness" for over two years to stop the endless fear, pain, tears and exhaustion I felt. Toward the end, before I finally left home, I remember saying to myself, "There is no happiness for me. It's simply gone and belongs to someone else." Slowly I began opening up my sealed vault of faith and renewing my connection to God through little prayers of begging. God, please, get me through this!" "God, please help me sleep tonight!" "God please help me find my way!" I no longer even asked for "happy" believing it belonged to others but not myself. I could not tell you how I had ended up in such a dire, hopeless place within my own home. I only knew I had arrived.
This morning I was reading from my copy of "Christianity 101: Romans: Understanding God's Grace and Power". The emphasis was on the fifth chapter of Romans. And one of those "HEllllooooooo" moments struck me. The authors were suggesting that the reason we often turn to faith is to find happiness in our lives. We reach a point of discontent from running ourselves into a ditch and we decide to try going to church or reading the Bible or talking to a friend whose faith is far stronger than our own. We seem to need to be in a mess before we turn to God. Over time I have learned how almost ridiculous that sounds to "turn to God". The truth is He created us. He never left us. He never abandoned us. He resides in our hearts, minds and souls. So where's He been while I was living through Hell on Earth? Well, the truth is, I locked my heart down to His whispers. I closed the vault that offered me peace, grace, comfort, consolation and hope. I decided to run my own ship. "I have got this one!", I boldly announced to God. I stopped praying. I stopped thanking Him for the endless gifts I had. How arrogant of me to never acknowledge Him and to claim I was a Christian! We had a four bedroom home with four bathrooms in an elegant neighborhood within walking distance of the beautiful bay. I had two amazing children and three adopted pets. I had a teaching job filled with so much joy. Did I think to thank God? No, I did not!
Who ran our marriage of 32 years into the ditch? We did with our shutting God out of our home by ignoring His endless gifts and assuming we could "handle" it. So I learned the hard way that in the absence of God, all Hell breaks lose in a million different ways. I was in two car wrecks within a year. My hair began to fall out until I was bald over one-third of my head. I was physically ill and working on being mentally ill as well. My husband was doing no better. I would like to tell you that we found God and all worked out happily ever after, but it did not. The train wreck we created was so monumental that we closed another door, on our marriage.
This morning I read that God never promised us happiness anywhere in the Bible. He promised that we would face trials and tribulation, heartache and loss, disappointment and fears. Now that does not mean if we proclaim God as our creator we can plan on a boatload of misery. That is not the case. We are going to face all of those whether we are believers are we close the vault door to a relationship with God. It is going to happen. The difference in living in an active faith is that what we do when hardships come. You know, the ones that feel like gigantic rip tides dragging us farther out to sea? We can do like I chose to do and become deeply fearful to the point of it attacking my health and destroying my home. Or we can turn to God in great times and sing praises to His name. We can claim our faith in a simple way. We believe Christ was born, he lived a life filled with examples of how to live, he suffered a horrible death though innocent and He rose again. We can cling to the hope and promise of our salvation which says in spite of our sinful nature that leads us into messes and confusion all the time, God says we are forgiven and sends us out to share our faith, not through pushing our faith on others, but by kind and decent and good acts. In those tiny moments, when we feel that nudge to do something good, we are given a chance to actually experience the love of God. Sometimes it is so amazing that we feel sheer joy. We are surprised by our own actions which are difficult to explain. We feel all choked up to the verge of tears. And why do we go through all those physical changes? We are close to God and we feel God's love.
There is no Happy Rock. We can search for it until our last breath and we will never find "Happy". What we can find is a life of praise, a life of believing, a life of learning patience when those rip tides threaten to drag us far out to sea and finally a life time of tiny moments when we open our heart so wide in doing something good and unexpected that we feel God's love. I no longer search for the Happy Rock. I think finally, after sixty-three years of life and a wagon load of experience, I can safely say, the best life for anyone is a life in Christ. When happiness comes at Christmas and birthdays and surprises like my daughter flying in to see me on Mother's Day and keeping it a total secret I will thank God for my happiness for He is good.
Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank You for teaching this slow learner that I cannot create lasting happiness on earth for myself. Thank You for speaking to me through the books I am studying and Your Holy Word. Thank You for those absolutely amazing moments when I walk away from a tiny good deed that you have lead me to experience and I walk away with tears on my cheek knowing I have felt You right here with me. I have felt Your love. Amazing Grace! I once was lost, but now am found, was blind but now I see.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen
Saturday, November 16, 2013
A Season of Giving
A Season of Giving
Peggy Mack
November 15, 2013
This all began a few short weeks ago when my friend, Gordy, posted a message saying we will celebrate Christmas with a manger and a focus on the Christ Child. Then last week our daughter in law sent us a message through Facebook. She told us that the New Year was bringing more expenses for them with their oldest's second college semester, our daughter-in-law is relocating her business and our son has some major repairs on the outside to tackle thanks to one chomping, smiling, black Lab adolescent who thinks Shaker siding is attached dog biscuits. He seems to think he lives in a gingerbread house. Following those words she asked if we could cancel our plans to give endless piles of gifts to the adults as well as the children. It would be a drastic change to the way Christmas has been for five years. She and Chris had decided that, with the opportunity, we would turn our focus back to the Christ Child.
As I read the message, I felt unexplainable peace and joy. We are facing some necessary improvements on the RV including an airconditioner unit and six tires. Do not even ask me what that short list will cost me by the time they are completed. And with the gift of aging comes added medical expenses. I was feeling the pressure of loading up my Kohl's card once again, because my goals of last January to deposit money each month into a Christmas fund had failed. I wrote her back with enthusiasm over the possibility of truly letting go of the frenzied shopping spirit and, for whatever reason, redirecting our focus on the Christ Child.
A few days later, I woke with an inspiration to make this a season of giving. If we were not going to put all our energy into "hitting the best sales" and "grabbing the best bargains", I would surely have to fill the void in a positive way. I am not willing to let go of the "spirit of giving" even though the gifts would not be arriving at my door in an endless parade of letter carriers and UPS deliverers as they had in Christmas 2012. The neighbors, last year, started teasing me for having so many good looking visitors at our door. I filled an entire bedroom with gift bags stuffed with all sizes of surprises for twelve people. I remember the sheer glee of wrapping each new gift as it arrived and keeping a running account of each bag to make sure they were all coming out "even". I loved arriving with twelve gigantic gift bags at their home to fill the room with Christmas joy. But I had not brought Christ in my heart with me.
This season of Christmas will be different. The two girls are beyond the stories of Santa which teach our children their first experience in how to believe in someone we cannot see. The stories of Santa prepare them for a lifetime of knowing what it is like to not only believe, but to know, that God is real and is always with us. Our girls are beyond Santa now. They are still young enough to have a list of the things they want for Christmas and we will all bring gifts for them. There's nothing like watching kids opening gifts from their family, seeing their surprised faces and hearing the thank yous ring like chimes in the Christmas wind.
So what do I do with this opportunity to change my Christmas behaviors? Do I sit sadly by wishing I had gifts to buy? Do I regret buying all that floral wire and reams of Christmas ribbon to make beautiful bows for an anticipated one hundred gifts? Do I nibble away on bonbons while watching a month of Hallmark Christmas shows? What do I do with a different kind of Christmas?
I made a new commitment. I made a commitment to give, in some way, each day, what I can until the day after Christmas. I have no list. I have made no plans. I am going to wake each morning asking God, in our morning conversations of prayer and listening and thinking, to touch my heart with an opportunity to give. A few ideas are, as a farmer might say, "in the hopper and waiting to be delivered."
So far, I found a way to gather all the coats in my closet that no longer fit and take them to Brookgreen Garden to a gardener/friend of Bill's. There were seven coats of various descriptions and two still had tags on them. "Oh, Mr. Bill," he said. "This is gonna make one fine Christmas." I had never imagined that he might need them for gifts, thinking they would help fight the cold that had arrived too early this year.
Bill and I were having an early dinner at Ryan's after church and I overheard a mother and four little ones scrambling into chairs as they yanked off coats to get the "seat by mom" first.
" Oh phoeey!" I thought. "There goes a peaceful meal." Within seconds I realized that was not the case. Those kids sat quietly while the oldest one set the table for the family. Dad arrived from parking the car to ask them to join hands as he lead the blessing. They left the table in teams that were second to none in logistic planning to fill their plates. When they returned, all I heard was soft conversations laced with giggles. I was moved to do something. I took a $5 bill out of my wallet and went to get it changed into ones. When I returned I shared my plan with Bill who said his usual, "go for it". I walked up to the table and told a fib. I told them that when Bill and I go to eat on Sunday we choose a family of children with nice manners and asked if I could give each one a dollar for their wonderful behavior. The parents, though stunned, said it would be fine. I felt myself getting choked up with sheer joy in the moment. Each child said thank you and the oldest one broke ranks to get up and give me a hug which brought the younger ones up to follow his lead. "You have a wonderful family", I said and returned to my seat.
God moves us to do things we would never think to do otherwise and in this season of the Christ Child all we have to do is take our minds, our focus and our hearts off the bedlam and craziness of shopping in mass crowds or on line with plastic that will load up our accounts and divert it back to the reason for Christmas.
I now have eleven bags of clean, in good condition, clothing to give to an agency who can use them. My list of inspirations, yet to come, are to donate to the charity of Billy Graham to give to the people of the Phillipines who now, have nothing and live in the open elements without food or water as they grieve for many family members lost in the storm. I, also, have it on my list to give to the Wounded Warrior Fund to say thank you in a small way for our disabled and in need veterans. Today, when a friend asked me to mail her my snail mail address the thought of Christmas cards for soldiers away from home on active duty crossed my mind.
Yesterday, I saw on Facebook that my neighbor who has remembered every single birthday and anniversary of ours for the past five years by sending a card in the mail to us as part of our celebration. Ask my friend, Sandi Grebey Lloyd. She will tell you I fail miserably in the card in advance policy for all occassions. If Hallmark relied on me to "think of others with a card" I would bankrupt them. At first, when I saw Laverne's name, I thought, oh how am I going to get a card delivered by tomorrow? I can't! Then I was inspired. Bill made it possible by going to buy the ingredients we needed and he made Pumpkin cookies with raisins and pecans and iced with cream cheese icing. I prepared a plate of fresh cookies and wrote a message for her in a birthday card and took them to her kitchen door.
Our granddaughter has answered her calling to study in college to become a teacher of autistic children. It is a dynamic and brave commitment to make with her young life, but she has made it after working in the Godding School which serves autistic children and their families. It was through her volunteer work that she heard the call to become a teacher in this field of education. I have made a commitment to buy her college textbooks for the next four years. It will require some small sacrifice and the act of saving, neither I am well practiced at doing. However, I am learning to feel that nudge from God and to answer the challenge or the calling. You cannot hear God calling over the noise of the Christmas frenzied loud speakers at Wal-Mart. You cannot see which direction you should place your focus when your eyes are glued to the latest gadgets "just in time for Christmas". You cannot feel God nudging your heart when you are furious with the traffic, especially the driver poking along ahead of you that just made it through the intersection of the last split second of a caution light.
None of my acts are extraordinary. They are things my strong Christian friends do in bigger ways than me all the time. I am, as you remember, the stumbling and falling kind of Christian. For me, these small acts are the beginning of an attitude change in how to actively serve God. They are a change in how I celebrate Christmas. This will be another season of giving for me, but instead of shopping til I drop, my heart and mind are focused on those who have needs and those whose hearts could use a sign of love and care and joy.
Without those one hundred gifts neatly wrapped in a dozen giant gift bags I struggled to imagine Christmas. Through God's love and inspiration and guidance I am truly loving this season of giving and there are five weeks more to look forward to more ideas and inspirations. I wish for all of you a blessed and wonderful season of giving.
Dear Heavenly Father,
In this rushed madness of Christmas shopping speak to our hearts and minds of the greatest gift ever given, your son, Jesus Christ. Help our eyes to see the Christ child in the bright Christmas lights on those evergreen trees and remind us that the promise of salvation is forever. Inspire our minds with everyday actions that may not seem much at the time, but with Your presence become lasting memories. Lead our paths to worship your Christ Child, to hear the voices of angels singing Christmas songs that will touch our hearts and open them to more kind acts.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen
Peggy Mack
November 15, 2013
This all began a few short weeks ago when my friend, Gordy, posted a message saying we will celebrate Christmas with a manger and a focus on the Christ Child. Then last week our daughter in law sent us a message through Facebook. She told us that the New Year was bringing more expenses for them with their oldest's second college semester, our daughter-in-law is relocating her business and our son has some major repairs on the outside to tackle thanks to one chomping, smiling, black Lab adolescent who thinks Shaker siding is attached dog biscuits. He seems to think he lives in a gingerbread house. Following those words she asked if we could cancel our plans to give endless piles of gifts to the adults as well as the children. It would be a drastic change to the way Christmas has been for five years. She and Chris had decided that, with the opportunity, we would turn our focus back to the Christ Child.
As I read the message, I felt unexplainable peace and joy. We are facing some necessary improvements on the RV including an airconditioner unit and six tires. Do not even ask me what that short list will cost me by the time they are completed. And with the gift of aging comes added medical expenses. I was feeling the pressure of loading up my Kohl's card once again, because my goals of last January to deposit money each month into a Christmas fund had failed. I wrote her back with enthusiasm over the possibility of truly letting go of the frenzied shopping spirit and, for whatever reason, redirecting our focus on the Christ Child.
A few days later, I woke with an inspiration to make this a season of giving. If we were not going to put all our energy into "hitting the best sales" and "grabbing the best bargains", I would surely have to fill the void in a positive way. I am not willing to let go of the "spirit of giving" even though the gifts would not be arriving at my door in an endless parade of letter carriers and UPS deliverers as they had in Christmas 2012. The neighbors, last year, started teasing me for having so many good looking visitors at our door. I filled an entire bedroom with gift bags stuffed with all sizes of surprises for twelve people. I remember the sheer glee of wrapping each new gift as it arrived and keeping a running account of each bag to make sure they were all coming out "even". I loved arriving with twelve gigantic gift bags at their home to fill the room with Christmas joy. But I had not brought Christ in my heart with me.
This season of Christmas will be different. The two girls are beyond the stories of Santa which teach our children their first experience in how to believe in someone we cannot see. The stories of Santa prepare them for a lifetime of knowing what it is like to not only believe, but to know, that God is real and is always with us. Our girls are beyond Santa now. They are still young enough to have a list of the things they want for Christmas and we will all bring gifts for them. There's nothing like watching kids opening gifts from their family, seeing their surprised faces and hearing the thank yous ring like chimes in the Christmas wind.
So what do I do with this opportunity to change my Christmas behaviors? Do I sit sadly by wishing I had gifts to buy? Do I regret buying all that floral wire and reams of Christmas ribbon to make beautiful bows for an anticipated one hundred gifts? Do I nibble away on bonbons while watching a month of Hallmark Christmas shows? What do I do with a different kind of Christmas?
I made a new commitment. I made a commitment to give, in some way, each day, what I can until the day after Christmas. I have no list. I have made no plans. I am going to wake each morning asking God, in our morning conversations of prayer and listening and thinking, to touch my heart with an opportunity to give. A few ideas are, as a farmer might say, "in the hopper and waiting to be delivered."
So far, I found a way to gather all the coats in my closet that no longer fit and take them to Brookgreen Garden to a gardener/friend of Bill's. There were seven coats of various descriptions and two still had tags on them. "Oh, Mr. Bill," he said. "This is gonna make one fine Christmas." I had never imagined that he might need them for gifts, thinking they would help fight the cold that had arrived too early this year.
Bill and I were having an early dinner at Ryan's after church and I overheard a mother and four little ones scrambling into chairs as they yanked off coats to get the "seat by mom" first.
" Oh phoeey!" I thought. "There goes a peaceful meal." Within seconds I realized that was not the case. Those kids sat quietly while the oldest one set the table for the family. Dad arrived from parking the car to ask them to join hands as he lead the blessing. They left the table in teams that were second to none in logistic planning to fill their plates. When they returned, all I heard was soft conversations laced with giggles. I was moved to do something. I took a $5 bill out of my wallet and went to get it changed into ones. When I returned I shared my plan with Bill who said his usual, "go for it". I walked up to the table and told a fib. I told them that when Bill and I go to eat on Sunday we choose a family of children with nice manners and asked if I could give each one a dollar for their wonderful behavior. The parents, though stunned, said it would be fine. I felt myself getting choked up with sheer joy in the moment. Each child said thank you and the oldest one broke ranks to get up and give me a hug which brought the younger ones up to follow his lead. "You have a wonderful family", I said and returned to my seat.
God moves us to do things we would never think to do otherwise and in this season of the Christ Child all we have to do is take our minds, our focus and our hearts off the bedlam and craziness of shopping in mass crowds or on line with plastic that will load up our accounts and divert it back to the reason for Christmas.
I now have eleven bags of clean, in good condition, clothing to give to an agency who can use them. My list of inspirations, yet to come, are to donate to the charity of Billy Graham to give to the people of the Phillipines who now, have nothing and live in the open elements without food or water as they grieve for many family members lost in the storm. I, also, have it on my list to give to the Wounded Warrior Fund to say thank you in a small way for our disabled and in need veterans. Today, when a friend asked me to mail her my snail mail address the thought of Christmas cards for soldiers away from home on active duty crossed my mind.
Yesterday, I saw on Facebook that my neighbor who has remembered every single birthday and anniversary of ours for the past five years by sending a card in the mail to us as part of our celebration. Ask my friend, Sandi Grebey Lloyd. She will tell you I fail miserably in the card in advance policy for all occassions. If Hallmark relied on me to "think of others with a card" I would bankrupt them. At first, when I saw Laverne's name, I thought, oh how am I going to get a card delivered by tomorrow? I can't! Then I was inspired. Bill made it possible by going to buy the ingredients we needed and he made Pumpkin cookies with raisins and pecans and iced with cream cheese icing. I prepared a plate of fresh cookies and wrote a message for her in a birthday card and took them to her kitchen door.
Our granddaughter has answered her calling to study in college to become a teacher of autistic children. It is a dynamic and brave commitment to make with her young life, but she has made it after working in the Godding School which serves autistic children and their families. It was through her volunteer work that she heard the call to become a teacher in this field of education. I have made a commitment to buy her college textbooks for the next four years. It will require some small sacrifice and the act of saving, neither I am well practiced at doing. However, I am learning to feel that nudge from God and to answer the challenge or the calling. You cannot hear God calling over the noise of the Christmas frenzied loud speakers at Wal-Mart. You cannot see which direction you should place your focus when your eyes are glued to the latest gadgets "just in time for Christmas". You cannot feel God nudging your heart when you are furious with the traffic, especially the driver poking along ahead of you that just made it through the intersection of the last split second of a caution light.
None of my acts are extraordinary. They are things my strong Christian friends do in bigger ways than me all the time. I am, as you remember, the stumbling and falling kind of Christian. For me, these small acts are the beginning of an attitude change in how to actively serve God. They are a change in how I celebrate Christmas. This will be another season of giving for me, but instead of shopping til I drop, my heart and mind are focused on those who have needs and those whose hearts could use a sign of love and care and joy.
Without those one hundred gifts neatly wrapped in a dozen giant gift bags I struggled to imagine Christmas. Through God's love and inspiration and guidance I am truly loving this season of giving and there are five weeks more to look forward to more ideas and inspirations. I wish for all of you a blessed and wonderful season of giving.
Dear Heavenly Father,
In this rushed madness of Christmas shopping speak to our hearts and minds of the greatest gift ever given, your son, Jesus Christ. Help our eyes to see the Christ child in the bright Christmas lights on those evergreen trees and remind us that the promise of salvation is forever. Inspire our minds with everyday actions that may not seem much at the time, but with Your presence become lasting memories. Lead our paths to worship your Christ Child, to hear the voices of angels singing Christmas songs that will touch our hearts and open them to more kind acts.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen
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