Holiday Hangover

The holiday season is almost over. Wow, who can believe it? I'm overstuffed and overwrung with holiday hype. Don't get me wrong, I love my family and our get togethers. As a matter of fact here's a cool picture of my grandkids in the new jammies we bought them.

But after all the hustle and bustle of preparing, and the excited indulgences, I find myself longing for my normal routine. There's comfort in the steadiness of the day to day. I like getting up at 5am and sitting in the softness of the early morning light. I enjoy the craziness of my job in Volunteer Management and look forward to my destress routine at the end of a long day.

So, I for one am ready to shake off my Holiday Hangover and get back to the normalcy of my crazy life.

Funny isn't it? Before Christmas, we can't wait for it to come. And now that's it's over, we collapse on the couch and are glad it's over.

SURPLUS Versus SACRIFICE

My home had a blessed visitation recently. Nick and Pam Sisco, and their two precious children, Allanah and Steven, stayed at our house for a few days. They are missionarries and are home on furlough from Ghana.

I don't know how many people really realize what missionaries go through. Of course, the media brings their sufferings to our attention when it's extreme - think Martin and Gracia Burnam but the majority of the time our missionaries hardships and sacrifices go largely unnoticed - and sadly unsupported in the western world.

My friends ,for example, are required to give up their home in Ghana every 4 years. They must pack all their belongings into a storage unit of some kind and leave it in Ghana . Then they spend the next 18 months to 2 years traveling in a mini-van and depending on the good-natured people of the United States and Canada to put them up for a night or two and/or become a financial supporter so they can raise the necessary funds to return to their first love - Ghana.

(Let me pause here to stress this is not their choice, this is normal protocol for all of the UPCI missionaries. )

I wonder how many North American pastors and their wives would be willing to sell their homes every 4 years, leave all their belongings in a Public Storage, and live out of a car, a hotel or another pastor's guest room for 2 years?

Makes you stop and think doesn't it?

I tell you all of this not so you will feel sorry for Nick and Pam Siscoe or anyone else like them. (They wouldn't want you to ) But to share how deeply touched I was by their beautiful spirits and sacfricial giving. In Ghana the Sisco's are lucky if they have electricity 4 out of 7 days. They consider themselves equally blessed if the city water is provide 3 days a week. They do without alot of conveniences and they live on a very tight budget - all for the sake of God's kingdom.

Their quiet example of true Kingdom Living and sacrificial giving convicted me to the core of my being. My giving - either of time or money - is mostly out my abundance. I pay my tithes, attend weekly services and teach Bible studies - but I want for nothing really. My home is comfortable, my closet is full ,and groceries abound in my house. And here are my precious friends with so little of the material things - no home, limited finances and possessions -yet they glow with the contentment and joy of the Lord.

How pleased Jesus must be with Nick and Pam Sisco! They remind me of the story of the widow's offering in Mark 12:41-44

"Jesus went over to the collection box in the Temple and sat and watched as the crowds dropped in their money. Many rich people put in large amounts. ...Then a poor widow came and dropped in two pennies. ...He called his disciples to him and said, "I assure you, this poor widow has given more than all the others have given. ...For they gave a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she has." "

Nick and Pam left today to the next place on their itinerary. I'd worked most of the day and when I came home, the house was spotless - Pam had cleaned it. The sheets on the beds they stayed in had been washed and neatly folded and a beautiful, hand-carved elephant family was sitting on my kitchen counter with a lovely thank-you note.

I started to cry. Even in their hardship. Even in this humbling journey of seeking financial support - they had given so deeply of themselves. I knew they had brought those hand carved elephants from Ghana in hopes of selling them for income. And yet, they - like the widow - had given so sacrificially.

Oh, God. Change me. Change all of us 'westerners'. Birth in us a love for those who serve on foreign fields and teach us to give and sacrifice like they do. In Jesus Name. Amen.

ADDENDUM: Want to help Nick and Pam? Consider a donation. It's tax deductable.

Balloon Boy Observations

It saddens me to think the lengths a parent will use a child to further it's own agenda. The Balloon Boy incident is just one example: http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20091020/ennew_afp/usairaccidentballoonmedia_20091020074009

Think of the exampled lessons in this incident:

• Lying is okay


• Pre-planned deception is acceptable


• It doesn't matter what it costs or who is distressed or hurt as long as I get my way.

And I'm sure there's more I haven't thought of.

Fast forward 20 years and imagine Falcon Heene as an adult. A pattern of lying and deception could cause him to have trouble being a faithful mate, or of becoming an employee with integrity, or a parent that can be trusted.

My hope and prayer is that Falcon Heene and his siblings will have people in their lives who will teach them a better way. It's the children that lose in situations like these. Long after Richard and Mayumi Heene have faded from the national scene, Falcon Heene and his brothers will no doubt struggle with when to tell a lie and when not to. And the fact that Falcon, and others like him, may grow up thinking telling untruths is okay is a very sad commentary on our world.

Rejection

My heart is heavy today and I feel compelled to write about the pains of rejection. I can think of no other loss so great as that of not being wanted by someone you love so desperately. Maybe it's a mother, a spouse, a sibling or a lover. Who it is doesn't matter near as much as the utter worthlessness one feels when one you love doesn't love you back. Especially, when it's a biological relative. Your psyche tells you that genetically, your father or brother or __________ (you fill in the blank) must love you. Afterall, you share the same bloodline. But when even one of your own flesh wants nothing to do with you, the level of despair sinks to a new low.

And yet God tells us in Psalm 27:10 that

"When my father and my mother forsake me, then the LORD will take me up."

And the reality is that if Lord takes me up then nothing else should matter. I'm not 'there' yet in my thinking, but I'm on the road to this kind of transformed thinking.

God help me to really grasp my value in You. Because I know that You will never, EVER reject me! And for that I am eternally grateful.

Pumpkin Patches & Suffering

I went to the Morton Arboretum with my granddaughter yesterday to paint pumpkins. http://www.mortonarb.org/for-kids.html. It was a little cold, but alot fun. There were pumpkins and people of all sizes and shapes.

October is always pumpkin month with the onset of cold weather, changing leaves and Halloween. While, I personally do not celebrate Halloween, sitting near a pumpkin patch and painting a pumpkin made me think of hot apple cider, jack-o-laterns and roasted pumpkin seeds.

It dawned on me there is a spiritual application to all of this: pumpkins are sliced, scraped and gutted in order that they might be transformed into their creators image.

(Okay, it's a little of a stretch but bear with me. )

Doesn't our Creator allow similar splicing and gutting to transform us? Granted He doesn't use an actual knife, but sometimes life's circumstances certainly make us feel as if we've been stabbed. And don't we at times feel as if we've endured gut-wrenching circumstances? And isn't God's ultimate goal to makes us shine forth with His light - aka a candle inside of us?

An author name Beecher puts it this way:

"Do not be afraid to suffer. Do not be afraid to be overthrown. It is by being cast down and not destroyed; it is by being shaken to pieces, and the pieces torn to shreds [gutting], that men become men of might..."

So this Halloween season as you see jack-o-laterns sitting on porches may it not remind you of the evil one's celebration day. No, instead, let it be a visual reminder that although you may be in the midst of a God ordered transformation process, one day you will sit on His heavenly porch and shine forth His glory for all to see!

Sharing the Gospel

I met a friend for dinner tonight at Panera Bread. (mmm, I love Panera) The soup and sandwhich were yummy, and after some general catching up we settled into our bi-monthly Bible study. She's a new believer and wants more of God, yet is not sure He's fully trustworthy.

On the surface, I can't say I blame her. She looks around her and sees the heartache in the world and wonders how a good God can let such things happen. But, after discussing the freedom God grants humanity to make their own choices and the results of some of those choices she was more reconciled to the idea of God's intentions being admirable.

It got me thinking that sometimes even as a seasoned believer, I approach God the same way. It's a sort of a "God, how could You....?" or in reality, "God, how dare you! "As if I had a right to my own life and it's outcome.

The reality is that I have no rights. God holds all the cards. He is the one who determines when I'll draw my last breath.

It makes me think of the last few chapters of Job when God shows up in a whirlwind and basically lines Job out:


Then the LORD answered Job from the whirlwind:
"Who is this that questions my wisdom with such ignorant words? Brace yourself, because I have some questions for you, and you must answer them.
"Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell me, if you know so much. Do you know how its dimensions were determined and who did the surveying? What supports its foundations, and who laid its cornerstone as the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy? (Job 38:1-7)

I don't know about you, but I'd rather trust Him at the outset than have him show up in cloud.

MORNING AND EVENING

"My prayer life must be brought entirely under the control of Christ and His love. Then, for the first time, will prayer become what it really is, the natural and joyous breathing of the spiritual life, by which the heavenly atmosphere is inhaled and then exhaled in prayer." - Andrew Murray

This quote resonates with me. I inhale the beauty of God's goodness in my morning prayer. If I linger long enough to really connect with Him, I face the day with a lightness of spirit and a renewed love for my fellow man. With the softening of morning prayer I am more able see past my co-worker's challenging dispositions and love them unconditionally. Prayer in the morning sets the stage for this.

And then, once the stresses and trials of the day have accumulated, I find myself in need of an evening detox before the Lord. It is in my evening prayer that I empty myself of all the spiritual impurities that have attached themselves to me. Then and only then am I able to lay my head down in sweet rest.

Personal Stewardship

God always seems to deal with me in themes. Lately He's been talking to me about my personal stewardship. Yes, part of personal stewardship is finance related, but there are so many other areas that are often overlooked:

• Time ~ How do we manage it? What percentage of each 24 hour period is spent in front of the television? Reading our Bible? Praying? Attending to our spouse's needs? In self-care? In self-improvement?
  

• Our Home ~ What does it mean to be a good steward of our home? I think part of the answer is found in Rom 12:13:
  

"Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality."

This is an area I really need to work on. My home is very nice, but often it's a struggle to keep it in enough order than someone could just drop by. Part of my personal stewardship goal is to spend a few 15 minute spurts tidying up my house each day. This idea came to me via The Fly Lady. If you haven't heard of her unique approach check her website out at http://www.flylady.net/pages/FLYingLessons_Decluttertips.asp

• Our Body ~ Boy this is a real hard one for me. If you've seen my pictures you know I am a very large woman. Yesterday I was going through my wedding album. It saddened me to realize how much weight I've gained over the last 25 years. I've prayed about my weight often, but today as I was meditating on this concept of personal stewardship, it occured to me that I am responsible for being a good steward of my body too. (I doubt this is an orginal idea, but it was a new, heartfelt concept for me). Again, the Holy Bible confirms this:

"Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body."

(I Corinthians 6: 19-20 NIV)

What areas of personal stewardship do you deal with?

I'd love to hear about it.

Let's pray and encourage one another to excellence!

PRE-DAWN PRAYER

My alarm goes off at 5am on weekday mornings. I usually hit the snooze a couple of times and manage to be up and staring bleary eyed over my morning coffee by 5:30am. My normal workday routine is coffee and Bible reading until 6am. Then I pray until 6:30am, get ready and leave the house by 7am.

But God has been dealing with me all week to get up even earlier. I can feel Him wooing me - drawing me. I feel as if He has special treasures for me that will only come from pre-dawn communion with Him.

"And in the morning, rising up a great while before the day, He went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed." -Mark 1:35

Andrew Murray has this to say on this topic: "While others still slept, He went away to pray and to renew His strength in communion with His Father. He had need of this, otherwise He would not have been ready for the new day. The holy work of delivering souls demands constant renewal through fellowship with God."

Oh God, help me to seek You early and with the freshness of the morning.

What about you? What time do you pray?

ROLE MODELS

In the news this weekend some high profile athletes have been a big disappointment. I don't follow sports too closely, but when internationally known athletes throw fits and belittle former teammates on national televesion I feel compelled to comment.

Michael Jordan, while being inducted into the Hall of Fame used the occasion to settle scores from 10-15 years ago. See http://www.hispanicbusiness.com/news/2009/9/12/michael_jordan_offers_scalding_hall_of.htm

And then there was Serena William's outburst at the U.S. Open http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZcDn8JWCLo

Don't these high profile individuals and others like them have an obligation to be an example? I fear the message impressionable children recieve is 'If I'm big enough, smart enough or successful enough I can treat others how I please.'

How sad for Michael Jordan and Serena Williams to have the riches of fame, but be poor in human kindness.

How sad for the children of the world to see Michael Jordan and Serena Williams disrespect so many.

May God raise up holy and righteous athletes and national leaders to example common decency. To show the world how to play fair, and be a team and prefer others more than yourself. The Holy Bible puts it this way:

Phil 2:3-4
"Don't be selfish; don't live to make a good impression on others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourself. Don't think only about your own affairs, but be interested in others, too, and what they are doing..."
(Philippians 2:3-4 New Living Translation)

Does anyone know any righteous role models? I'd like to hear about it and share it with everyone I know. My goal is to undergird in prayer those who are exampling Christ.

Until next time...

Heroin's Harness

I visited a friend yesterday who's son died of a drug overdose. The shock and sense of loss hung thick in the air. Comforting the bereaved is never an easy task but in this situation it proved even more challenging. The usual, 'Oh he's in a better place now' was clearly not appropiate. So instead, I just sat close to her and talked about old times. We looked at pictures and swapped stories of his prior antics. I think the time we spent gave her some comfort.

But on the drive home, instead of sadness, I felt anger and a strange resolve welling up in me. 'The Enemy and his hook of Heroin addiction will not have free reign in my circle of influence' I determined. I will do my part. I will use my gift of writing and the avenue of prayer to fight Heroin's hypnotic sway.

And then it all came together in my mind:

Over the summer the Lord Jesus has been dealing with me to pray specifically for the schools in my community and for my grandkid's schools. I didn't question the Lord's request, but I didn't give it any deep thought either. I just dutifully added the names of the schools to my prayer list. But now, I realize, part of this pull to intercede for the schools is to keep a shield of holy protection so the drug lords and demonic influence cannnot prevail.

Thank-you God for the awareness! I will pray diligently!

And, I will seek to support organizations that are already helping those with addictions or the families of those who've lost a loved one. One I've discovered already is http://www.celebraterecoveryonline.com/ .

Will you join me? Share your stories or pray with me that we might stand together in Jesus name.


-Debbie

GOD'S GLORY

I've been thinking alot lately about my purpose in life. When God created me, what did He create me to become? Jeremiah 29:11 gives this answer:

"For I know the plans I have for you," says the LORD. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope."

Thank-you Lord. I'm thankful you intend good towards me and do not plan to destroy me. But what specifically do you plan for my future? I know I was created for Your glory. The Bible is full of references to Your purpose for all of humanity. (Leviticus 10:3, Exodus 14:4, Psalm 19:1) But how do you want to use me to give You glory? My writing for instance. Which of my articles give You the most glory? And what is it specifically that I write that pleases You? How can I best give you glory in my role as a wife and mother? What about in my work, or in my extended family or with my neighbors?

And so my prayer [s] continue daily always seeking to please the One who chose my blue eyes and gave me freckles. I want to give Him glory in all that I do. I am the created thing, He is the Creator. He formed me in my mother's womb. He chose my ancestors. He predisposed me to certain genetic traits. He gifted me for a unique purpose. Once I get this - I mean really get this - life gains new perspective. Max Lucado put's it like this in his book It's Not About Me:

"What you are to a paper airplane, God is to you. Take a sheet of paper and make one. Contrast yourself with your creation. Challenge it to a spelling contest. Who will win? Dare it to race you around the block. Who is faster? Invite the airplane to a game of one-on-one basketball. Will you not dominate the court?"

And so it is with us. He who made us knows, sees and understands all. What is our purpose? To give Him glory? To do our very best in every tasks He assigns us.

"1 Cor 10:31
31 So then, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you may do, do all for the honor and glory of God. " (I Corinthians 10:31 Amplified Bible)

STORMS

It rained today. It lightened and thundered. The clouds were black and omnious. At one point the wind was blowing so strong it looked like it was raining sideways. But, I felt smug and safe watching it all from inside my warm, dry house. I was safe. The storm wasn't threatening me at all. It was merely a climatic event to be observed - and enjoyed.

I have fond memories of watching other rainstorms with my grandfather. We'd sit on his screened in porch andwatch for tornadoes while listening to the wind whistle it's way across the cornfields. It was oddly comforting. We were inside. The storm was outside. We were dry. Everything outside was wet. We enjoyed the cleansing freshness. Others were treking through mud. We were soothed by the rythmic patter while animals no doubt scurried for shelter.

In other words, the storm was around us, but it did not invade us. We enjoyed its benefits but we did not feel its pain.

And isn't that what Jesus tells us about weathering life's storms ? Whether they are financial storms, marriage storms, health storms or work storms the message is clear: Jesus is with us so what are we afraid of? He's promised the storm will not invade us or overtake us. We are to enjoy it's benefits - look for the silver lining - but otherwise relax and let Him take care of it. He'll shelter us. He'll protect us. He'll speak peace into our rocking boat. (Mark 4:36-39; Isaiah 43:2-3; Psalm 107:30, Isaiah 4:5-6)

"On that same day [when] evening had come, He said to them, Let us go over to the other side [of the lake]. ...And leaving the throng, they took Him with them, [just] as He was, in the boat [in which He was sitting]. And other boats were with Him. ...And a furious storm of wind [of hurricane proportions] arose, and the waves kept beating into the boat, so that it was already becoming filled. ...But He [Himself] was in the stern [of the boat], asleep on the [leather] cushion; and they awoke Him and said to Him, Master, do You not care that we are perishing? ...And He arose and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, Hush now! Be still (muzzled)! And the wind ceased ( sank to rest as if exhausted by its beating) and there was [immediately] a great calm ( a perfect peacefulness). ..He said to them, Why are you so timid and fearful? How is it that you have no faith (no firmly relying trust)? ...And they were filled with great awe and feared exceedingly and said one to another, Who then is this, that even wind and sea obey Him?" (Mark 4:35-41 Amplified Version)

GRACE-FULL LIVING

E.M. BOUNDS said "There's no arriving at a high state of grace without much praying, and no staying in those high altitudes without great praying."

Those words resonate with me. Just about the time I think I'm flowing in the love of Christ somebody comes along and rocks my boat. Suddenly, they're under my skin and making my life miserable.

There is a place where difficult people can't touch you. I've been there before. But to get there - and more importantly to stay there takes alot of prayer.

So I guess it comes down to this: Would I rather struggle with the individual who's frustrating me or struggle in prayer with my Lord? The obvious answer is with my Lord.

Oh, Jesus, make me so full of Your grace that nothing can drag me down.

"Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? or who shall stand in His holy place? He that hath clean hands, and pure heart." Psalm 24:3-4

What Impresses Jesus?

Today was a day of many frustrations. My computer needed servicing at work, a coworker was angry and confrontational, and things that are normally easy seemed extra difficult to accomplish. Funnily enough, just this morning in my quiet time, I felt the Holy Spirit prompt me with this question:

WHAT IMPRESSES JESUS?

MMMMM, I wondered, what does impress Jesus? Then the answer came: LOVE

After all the Holy Bible says to love your neighbor as yourself, and that others will know we are His disciples by the love we have one for another, (Matthew 19:19, John 13:35, 15:12 and 15:17)

So maybe that is my life lesson for the day. Even on a bad day, look for ways to love. When others are angry, respond in love. I'm not a pro at this by any means. Actually, today frustrated me so much I had to keep reminding myself that "love is not proud, seeketh not its own, vaunteth not itself, keeps no record of wrongs.." (I Corinthians 13)

Oh Jesus, help this ball of dirt to do better!

God In the Details

It always amazes me what happens when we truly invite God into our day. He actually does work miracles big and small. (as a long time woman of faith this should not surprise me the way it does,but non the less I'm awed anew each time)

Case in point: In my day job, I am a Volunteer Manager. I had been struggling with what to do about Sam*, one of our longtime volunteers. He has dementia and was really starting to falter. His volunteer job was pushing people in wheelchairs from place to place within the hospital. I hated to pull him out of this role becaue he loves it so much but for his own safety I had to. I prayed about it and asked God to go before me when I talked to Sam* about changing his volunteer job. It worked. Sam* responded well to my suggestion that we move him to a desk job. (Small victory!) But even in his new desk assignment he was struggling.

What now? I prayed. Help me Lord. Sam is so sweet and tender hearted, I don't want to hurt his feelings, but what should I do?

Then yesterday, Sam didn't show up for his volunteer job. This was highly unusual as he's extremely dependable and always early. It turned out his family had moved him to a retirement home. Later, Sam called to tell me of his new place and said he won't be able to volunteer anymore. This was a huge blessing. Sam will come back one more time for a 'retirement celebration'. He was able to leave with his dignity intact and I didn't have to remove him.

I am in awe and praise God for caring enough to get involved in the little things.

150 Pounds Later

150 Pounds Later

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Random Thoughts

Lately, my creative energy has been all over the map. I am a writer and have been challenged recently as to which way to focus my talents. I also have been contemplating what kind of relationship I want with the world wide web. In particular, you or anyone like you who cares to read what I think. Some in the writing field say to 'build a platform'. Their theory is to make everything you do online about your particular book project or writing topics. I tried this and it wasn't fulfilling. Yes, I have certain projects I'm working on, but basically I write whatever God lays on my heart. Besides, I'm much more interested in building relationships with others than in promoting my platform. So, today I deleted my other platform based blogs (they weren't getting me anywhere anyway) and I decided to just be me. I will post as God leads and enjoy the journey. Thanks for listening. I do hope I am able to offer something of interest and that you'll visit often and leave your thoughts. www.dsimlergoff.com