The Christmas Soundtrack...

Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi


Mardel asked about Christmas Music on her blog; I started to answer in the comments and then realized it was WAY too long for a comment; better to just do a post...lol...

We have accumulated quite a collection of Christmas CD's over the years; and we have a 5-CD changer, so the music goes in and stays for a bit, then slowly gets rotated out.  That's been the SOP since, oh, forever ago....as long as we've had a 5 CD table (and this is the second one...).

And of course, there are Rules.   Christmas music goes into the CD the day after Thanksgiving, but it's obscure Christmas music.  Not-very-Christmassy Christmas music.  Stuff that is new and unfamiliar, or rather untraditional, or annoying to certain members of the family.  The mix changes frequently with less popular stuff in the changer.

That is the mix until Dec. 1.  On December 1st, some Mannheim Steamroller will enter the mix.  Some Narada.  Straight No Chaser.    I try to keep one instrumental group, one solo/acoustic instrumental, one a capella  group in the mix as we start in with the music that we love.

But the SERIOUS Christmas music...the stuff that was on the cassette tapes that we listened to when making the drive to and from Indiana for Christmas all those years we drove up with the kids...that doesn't go into the changer until the last week of Advent.

The Christmas Day list (or New Year's Day, depending on when we were actually in our house) hasn't changed since we got the 1st 5-disc changer, I don't think.

The inaugural Mannheim Steamroller Christmas CD, Andy Williams, Charlie Brown, a delightful (pun intended) CD I picked up from a bin at the Christian bookstore sometime in the early 90's from the Oklahoma Woodwind quintet (and I've looked for other recordings by that group with no luck).  I managed to find a couple of more copies the following year and gave them as gifts; it's a favorite from everyone in the family who has it.  And, finally, John Denver and the Muppets.

This was the playlist the kids liked growing up; it's what's in the CD player when we celebrate.

After Christmas, I still leave in seasonal music through Epiphany....or when I have to take the trees down, if I have to before Jan 6.  But it's all instrumental and sometimes just winter-related.  Windham Hill has a series called 'Winter Solstice' that is particularly nice.

Funny how traditions get hung up on even small details.  But maybe that's the point of traditions...

Enjoy your Christmas soundtrack...whatever it is!

Contributing

Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

Two weeks ago I sat down to write the Friday something and, when I had it all written out, realized it discussed the topic-of-the-month for our churches' women's ministry blog, which is now soliciting submissions from folks in the ministry or who have been influenced by it.

So, instead of posting it here, I submitted it there.  And that used up all my blogging time for the day.

It got selected for publication and went live last Friday, so I thought, 'Oh, great!  I'll link it up!'

But wouldn't you know.

Somehow the format gremlins got into the wordpress account that day and turned off the word wrap on the paragraphs.  Several just ran right off the page into oblivion.

My friend Paulette, who's editing the submissions, worked on it for about three days trying to get  it fixed (it had happened to one other post earlier in the week as well).  Finally, she pasted the submissions into Notepad and then back into the posts, which somehow stripped out all the weird formatting and all the words showed up in their proper spots.

Of course, it also stripped out the italics and the bold that I'm so fond of using, but, hey, at least it's readable.  You can read it HERE.

You can also click around and read the other submissions as well; this month's topic is  'She is Worth'...which hearkens to our women's conference theme last fall.  And you will quite soon see that there are some fabulous wordsmiths amongst our ladies.

I am coming down the home stretch on the Master's of Ministry; I should finish class number 10 this weekend.  I just ordered the books for the final two classes; I may make it by the goal I gave myself of the end of April yet.

But blog posts will likely be scarce between now and then. 

Perfection not required

Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

Sometimes you stumble across something on the 'net that truly generates an 'aha!' moment.

Whilst waiting for a late load of laundry to come out of the dryer last night, I followed a link from Facebook.

It was posted back in April by Dr. Pamela Ovwigho; an interesting bit of research she titled 'The Power of 4" (click that link for the article).

Basically, she found that
The life of someone who engages scripture four or more times a week looks radically different from the life of someone who does not. In fact, the lives of Christians who do not engage the Bible most days of the week are statistically the same as the lives of non-Christians. 

The article goes on to list a number of statistics of just how much engaging in the Scripture at least 4 times a week changes behavior.  But what jumped out at me was her statement that the lives of Christians who do not engage the Bible most days of the week are statistically the same as the lives of non-Christians.   

That would be...the same percentage of divorces.  The same rate of pornography addiction. The same...the same...the same... as non-Christians. 

And it wasn't dependent upon what church was attended, or how often, or whether or not they claimed to be spirit-filled, or how much time they spent in prayer...not even how much time they spent studying the Bible. She was looking solely at how often they engaged the Bible. 

She published another post a week or so later, detailing just what she meant by 'engaging the Bible' ...and it is surprisingly basic.

Receiving the words of the Bible through reading or listening
Reflecting on the meaning of those words
Responding to them in your own life


Receive - reflect - respond.   

You don't have to spend hours with  a Zodhiates text to engage with the scripture...in fact, you could spend hours with a Zodhiates text and not engage with what you're reading at all.  It's not about time.

It's about, well, paying attention.

And those who do that a minimum of 4 times a week...have statistically significant differences in their lives from those who don't.

Many, many years ago, I took a group of kids to a major youth crusade event.  In the course of the teaching, the kids were encouraged to sign a personal statement of intent to have a daily quiet time.  Just for their own commitment...not to be turned in or necessarily shared with anyone. In our discussion of the event at our next group meeting, most of the kids stated something to the effect of  'I knew I couldn't keep it up, so I didn't sign it.'

They knew they wouldn't be perfect, so why try?

But the study shows...perfection is not required.   

Most of us go to church twice a week; if the service actually engages the attendees in the Word,  that means doing personal study only twice a week.  Two days out of 7.    That's kinda like batting .286.

Not a huge, difficult commitment...but one that is statistically proven to change lives.

Three 'R's' , four times a week.  

It will make a difference.

The Cookie Notice

Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

I happened to check around on one of the other tabs connected to the blog this morning and I read the following notice:


European Union laws require you to give European Union visitors information about cookies used on your blog. In many cases, these laws also require you to obtain consent.

As a courtesy, we have added a notice on your blog to explain Google's use of certain Blogger and Google cookies, including use of Google Analytics and AdSense cookies.

You are responsible for confirming this notice actually works for your blog, and that it displays. If you employ other cookies, for example by adding third party features, this notice may not work for you.

So I did a little more checking and found that a really ugly notice pops up at the top of the screen if you happen to be visiting from the European Union:

 This site uses cookies from Google to deliver its services, to personalize ads and to analyze traffic. Information about your use of this site is shared with Google. By using this site, you agree to its use of cookies.

 This is a generic notice provided by Google to comply with the EU's requirements.  So I thought I'd do a little 'splainin' :

The only use of cookies THIS blog makes is to see who's visiting. I use a hit counter that generates a list letting me know who visits (IP/ IP address; city/state/country; the link they came on, the page they landed on, the page they left on and how long they were here; all of which can be blocked if you're savvy enough) .

I check the list periodically just to see if anyone is reading. It shows me that only a few folks have found their way over, and that over half the visits are my mother.  Seriously.  A busy day is one in which I have more than six visits.   And of those six who are not my mother, most land on the post, glance at it, and leave.  Guess it wasn't what they were looking for.  Sometimes I think I should ditch  the stat counter and then I can maintain the illusion that there are folks who are reading. ;-)

That's all the use I will ever make of cookie information. I am very honored that anyone would click through from where ever you found a link...face book, a search engine, whatever...and allow me to share a bit.  If you'd like to leave a comment letting me know you stopped by, that'd be great, but really, I'm just glad you're here.

Now I must go eat a cookie, because I have suddenly developed a craving...

Looking Myself in the Authentic...

Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

Procrastinating again, I cruised through my bloglovin' feed and read Mary's post with a question ... 'What does Authentic mean to you?'

And I thought I'd dash off a quick little answer in the comment section, but I suddenly found myself writing much more than a comment and peeling back some things I hadn't even realized were overgrown. 

Authentic is...hard.

I try.  I really try.  I don't want to have to maintain something I'm not.  And I really  believe that the best Christian life is one with no pretense about it.

But I'm a Tigger.  Tiggers bounce.  And sometimes they bounce people into the water and don't even know it.  And sometimes those people think it happened on purpose and get their feelings hurt.

Even Tiggers get distressed if they find they've hurt someone.  Especially if they hurt them by bouncing.

Authentic has to be disciplined.

I have had authentic friends...but time passes and people change and while those folks are still good friends all they see now is the cute table on the slightly lumpy rug (that's an analogy from Mary's post).  I don't know if I have anyone in my circle of friends that I would be willing to allow to help me clean under that rug.  And that's not their fault.  It's mine.

Over the years, I have backed away...and now, I keep people at arm's length.

And I just sat and stared at that sentence for a full two minutes.  I  keep people at arm's length.  

Why?

Because I'm less likely to bounce into them...cause them pain...be misunderstood.

That's fear at work.

Fear is never authentic.  It's probably the biggest barrier to authentic.

So, if we say that authentic is what is left after the fear has been removed...we have something that looks a lot like love.

Because perfect love casts out fear like a light casts out darkness.

So...I have to admit something:  if I have fear in my life that is an obstruction to authentic relationships, then I do not have love fully operating in my life.

That's a lot to ponder in the next day or two...or month...

Musing on .... Comments and discussions

Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

Not what you're thinking. ;-)

I had two different experiences reading comments on other blog posts today...or, rather, I had a variation on the same experience reading comments on two other blogs today.

The first was this morning; I happened to check Face book, mostly to see if there were any posts about storm damage in Indiana, but someone had linked a blog post they liked and I clicked through and read it.

It was a piece about character, basically, and it was well written and I agreed with it.

Then I read the comments.

Most were favorable, but there was one commenter (there's always one) that felt compelled to argue against the points made by the author.  Then there were comments arguing with the one who disagreed.  Then there were defensive comments on both sides.  The one who disagreed expanded his argument to include his opinions about faith and morality, making blanket statements that both were without value.

I quit reading there.  Grieved.  He has a right to his opinion, obviously, but what was the point of telling people of faith that their faith is worthless?  How could he possibly have a clue of the value of another person's faith?  But I was also grieved at some of the harsh things that were said to/about him by folks who defended the original article.

Then, later today I read one of the blogs in my subscription list.  The author had done a (very fair, actually) assessment of a product, but the product developer had an issue with the constructive criticism and emailed some rather condescending correction to the reviewer.

Who posted the communication on her blog.

Comments ensued, ranging from supportive to indignantly supportive of the reviewer until the product developer joined the fray and began defending her position.  She seemed utterly clueless as to why her position and the way she stated it had upset people.  Three or four responses later, I quit reading.

Again, I wondered why folks would take such tones with each other.


I learned a long time ago that mere writing does not convince anyone of anything if they don't want to be convinced.

I once carried on an email conversation with someone whose views of God and spirituality were quite different from mine.  However, when the discussion would reach a critical point, the other person would just say something to the effect of 'you write better than me' and drop the discussion, rather than see the point I was trying to make. 

Nothing I wrote changed anything.

Without relationship, without credibility, the best discussion, most complete apologetics, loftiest truths are seen as just a way with words.

And, you know, there is really very little credibility on the internet.  I know I have no credibility; so why write things that could be offensive?

On the other hand,  how can I share the convictions of my heart and not offend someone who doesn't share them?  Or, more to the point, how can I share the convictions of my heart and at least get that person to not have a knee-jerk reaction to them, but consider the possibility that I have those convictions for plausible reasons?

That, I believe, is the fine line a faith blogger has to tread.  I don't know if I actually walk that line or if I maintain too much of a safe, non-threatening, virtually useless distance away from that line.  If Beer Lahai Roi is boring,  it doesn't matter what I write...no one will read it.

But, you know, I think I'm ok with that.  Maybe nobody will read it.

Maybe I just needed to write it.

I'm slowly coming to the conclusion that a blog isn't for the audience...it's for the author. 

And if there IS an audience, that's fine.  But if there isn't...that's fine, too.

Because I've really just about decided that no comments at all is better than comments that are a war of words.

Hebrews, Chapter 1 discussion

Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

Suzanne has posted the first installment of the online study of Hebrews; just looking at how she dug into that first chapter is an education in Bible study in and of itself.

I read chapter one last week, marveled at the author's use of OT scriptures,  reveled in the amazingness of Jesus, and waited to see what she'd say.

She listed all the names and titles given to Jesus in that chapter...which made me go back and  look at it again and pay real attention to what each one of those names and titles were, instead of just being dazzled by the whole list.

Then Suzanne contrasted them with what other major religions say about Jesus.

It's pretty eye opening to see the discussion laid out like that.

But here's one thing she said:

In our society today we see an eagerness to assimilate facets from all religions into one modge-podge belief system.  

I read that and thought, 'That is the TRUTH!'

And then I thought about the kingdom of Judah before they were defeated and carried away into captivity.

That is exactly what they did.

They tried to maintain the worship of God, even while they participated in the pagan belief systems around them;  trying to stay in God's favor by going through the motions of worship in the temple while they also did all they could to appease the idols of their unbelieving neighbors.  A 'modge-podge' indeed.

And we all know how that turned out.

All the more reason for us to make sure of our faith...where it is placed, and how we exercise it...to not let any of the opinions of people affect how we relate to the One who is

God's Son
Heir to all things
Creator of the World
The Radiance of God's Glory
The Exact Imprint of God's Nature
The Upholder of the Universe
Superior to Angels
Inheritor of the Most Excellent Name
God whose throne lasts forever
Whose scepter is the scepter of uprightness
Layer of the foundations of the earth
One who stays the same, whose years have no end

Wow.

On to chapter two...

I'm In - Hebrews Online Study

Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

I'm finding that all my mental creativity is getting poured out at work; trying to figure out ways to make the new software do what we need it to do while I simultaneously teach the procedures to folks who also need to know how to use it.

I really, really enjoy work like this; I just wish I had time to work through the processes before I had to go live with them.  Fortunately I figured out a way to give myself mulligans...i.e, that didn't work, so label it a false start and try again.

But, what all that means is that the blog is languishing for lack of creative energy.  The Siesta Scripture Memory Team has given me some blog material when I haven't had time to develop my own thoughts, and I've been working on memorizing the verses, even if I don't make it to the conference event.

Then, today I found another source for discussion.  I did all seven years of Bible Study Fellowship some time ago (there may be more than 7 now; I've heard rumors of new studies), and for six of those seven years my teaching leader was Suzanne Matthews.  Suzanne has a real desire to dig deep and a real gift of communication.

Not too long ago, I discovered Suzanne's Blog (Coffee, Tea & Thee, on the sidebar).  Now she has announced that she's going to do an online study of the book of Hebrews, and I decided to join in.

She put up the first post in the study today, listing six reasons to study Hebrews, then asked her readers 1) which of those six reasons tugs at the heart and 2) why would each individual personally need to study Hebrews.

And she assigned us to read Chapter 1.

So, true to the 'I really need to post something now and again' mode in which I seem to be operating for at least a little while more, I'm going to participate.  And you, my faithful friends and family (Hi, Mom and Aunt Linda!)  are invited to come along.  You can click through and leave comments on Suzanne's blog, or, if you've got your own bloggy space, write it up over there and leave a link.

Anyway, that's a lot of introduction.  I first decided to use my ESV edition, since I wanted to get the fresh perspective of unfamiliar wording, but I could. NOT. find. it.  And I had it just a couple of days ago; I've no clue where I put it.  Not in any of the usual places.

I sighed and pulled out the NIV.  But, since this Bible is less than a year old, it's not marked up yet.  So I will have a bit of a new perspective after all...

So.  Question One.

Of the six reasons Suzanne listed, the one that stood out the most to me was reason number 5:

5. It was written because Jesus is the answer to every. human. need. Hebrews is the clearest and most systematic presentation in the entire Bible of the Lord Jesus Christ. - See more at: http://ctandthee.com/blog/#sthash.cKikTVLr.dpuf

 It was written because Jesus is the answer to every. human. need.  Hebrews is clearest  and most systematic presentation in the entire Bible of  the Lord Jesus Christ.

Hebrews has always intrigued me because the author so plainly links Jesus to the Old Testament.  Which would be necessary, of course, if he (she? ;-) ) were writing to a predominately Jewish audience.  So I will enjoy exploring that.

But I need to study Hebrews (Question 2) because I need to be reminded of everything Christ is, and therefore who I am in Christ.  The year the BSF class did  'Acts of the Apostles' (which included a look at a number of the epistles those apostles wrote, including Hebrews), my 'Wow!' revelation for the year came from Hebrews.

I'm sure I'll mention it when we get there. ;-)

Chapter one is an amazing logical argument for the superiority of Christ, based on Old Testament scripture.

It has really only been fairly recently that it struck me that every  OT verse cited in the NT was written from memory.   The only copies of those priceless scriptures were in the synagogues, not in the libraries of the common folks.  Not counting the ESV that I seem to have mislaid, I could grab about 6 different translations from various bookshelves about the house.  If I want to quote a verse, I can pull out the book itself and look it up by chapter and verse.

The NT authors had nothing more than their memory.  Which makes me want to work a little harder on those SSMT verses...

5. It was written because Jesus is the answer to every. human. need. Hebrews is the clearest and most systematic presentation in the entire Bible of the Lord Jesus Christ. - See more at: http://ctandthee.com/blog/#sthash.cKikTVLr.dpuf

5. It was written because Jesus is the answer to every. human. need. Hebrews is the clearest and most systematic presentation in the entire Bible of the Lord Jesus Christ. - See more at: http://ctandthee.com/blog/#sthash.cKikTVLr.dpuf

A little i dotting and t crossing....

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

I finally figured out why so many have posted that they are  "claiming my blog on Bloglovin' "...it's so they can see the stats of who is using that reader to follow them.

I don't have to post that for folks to follow me; but I DO have to post that little promotional link for me to 'claim' my blog and see if anyone comes by here via their service.

To be honest, I'm not sure I really like using that site myself;  the little synopsis it offers of each post is not necessarily enough for me to decide if I want to read it or not, so it's been way to easy to get in 'skim' mode and miss something I like. And the 'frame' interferes w/commenting (you can click the X in the 'frame' to get rid of it, I've learned).

Plus, they have 'sponsored posts'...as near as I can tell, that's advertising...stuck in the feed now and then. Until I figured out what was going on,   I'd sit and stare at the  link trying to figure out who I 'followed' that would post such a thing.  Now it doesn't throw me, just annoys me.

But it is a reasonable alternative to the down-to-mere-hours-of-life-left Google Reader, so it's here to make it easy for folks to link up if they like.

And fulfilling my obligation to post the link on my blog. ;-) 

Link Worth Watching

Ok, I admit it...I'm posting this mostly so my mother can see it.

This video was played at the overnight prayer meeting we had at church last weekend.  It's about 35 minutes long, but...wow, well worth it.

Jonathan Cahn address at the 2013 Inaugural Prayer Breakfast


I've been told that a prayer service spontaneously erupted at the end of the message....

Facing Fear

Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

I intended to write a little essay today about real-life home decorating/design and how the world sets us up to be unsatisfied with our environment, but before I could even begin to put it together I found that Beth Moore had blogged an assignment for her readers.

This is real Bible-study homework and my plans to gripe about false standards flew out the window and I decided to dig in and see what 'Mama Beth'  had laid out for us.  We're actually supposed to answer in the comments section, so I will likely edit today's post to respond properly instead of linking back, but I thought I'd share the process here...and as I read through I realize I may be biting off way more than I'm comfortable chewing anywhere other than in my journal...but, well, it's about being transparent and getting out of the comfort zone, right?

Deep breath and a little prayer...God, use this to break and heal what needs breaking and healing in me...

1. Please go to a website like Bible Gateway or to your Bible software if you have it and look up Isaiah 30:15-18. Please read it thoroughly in 3 different translations. In your response to this first exercise, please tell me what 3 translations you read then copy and paste the one that spoke the most blatantly to you. (In your answer you will have the abbreviations to three translations and then the full text in one of them. Make sense?)

I cheated a bit; having a plethora of translations available on my shelf rather than go online.   I decided to look up the passage in my ESV, and also my Parallel Bible, where I paid particular attention to the NIV and the Amplified.  I have to say, the one that spoke most deeply to me was, of course, the Amplified:

For thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel,  In returning to Me and resting in Me you shall be saved; in quietness and in (trusting) confidence shall be your strength.  

And you would not, But you said, No!  We will speed our own course on horses!  Therefore you shall speed [in flight from your enemies].  You said, We will ride upon swift steeds [doing our own way]!  Therefore shall they who pursue you be swift, so swift that One thousand of you will flee at the threat of one of them; at the threat of five you will flee till you are left like a beacon or a flagpole on the top of a mountain, and like a signal on a hill.

And therefore the Lord [earnestly] waits  -- expectant, looking and longing -- to be gracious to you, and therefore He lifts Himself up that He may have mercy on you and show loving-kindness to you; for the Lord is a God of justice.  Blessed -- happy, fortunate [to be envied] are all those who [earnestly] wait for Him, who expect and look and long for Him  [for His victory, His favor, His love, His peace, His joy and His matchless, unbroken companionship].

2. Look up the word “threat” in any good English dictionary and write the full definition. After you write the definition, please share how it hits you and how you feel most threatened in this season, if at all. Keep in mind that nothing trips the switch on our insecurity like feeling threatened. Be careful as always in this community not to over-share by telling things about other people who wouldn’t necessarily appreciate it.

Threat: 1) An expression of an intention to inflict pain, injury, evil, or punishment on a person or thing.  2) An indication of impending danger or harm  3) A person, thing, or idea regarded as a possible danger; a menace (American Heritage, 1971)

I have a recurring dream, that I have mentioned before in a random questions response, in which I find myself paralyzed by a fear of heights.It's a crazy thing, but I have gradually come to see this as an expression of the fear of aging...not a fear of death, mind you, but a fear of the loss and change that comes with the passage of time.  That fear has gripped me in odd moments over the past year and a half or so;  sometimes there has been an event that triggered it; sometimes it was just the possibility of such an event. Sometimes it just seemed to come from nowhere.  There are some scenarios that I am just not prepared for in a practical sense, let alone emotional. I know that life is an uncertain thing.  I also know that, unless Jesus comes to get us, the loss and change, in some fashion, is inevitable; I suppose now that I'm past 50, the reality of that is starting to soak in. It's the primary reason I selected Is. 41:13 for my first SSMT verse.


3. What does “fleeing” tend to look like in your life? In other words, how are you most prone to flee? And, are you in fleeing mode right now?

This is a hard question...I suppose 'fleeing' is actually getting so busy with stuff that I just can't pay attention to the thing that is intimidating me. Actually, a friend pointed this out to me a number of years ago...that I use 'busy' as 'avoidance'... when I was even less obligated than I am now.  Judging by the amount of 'stuff' I have to which I seem to be obligated, I must really be in serious fleeing mode.  Not good.  Question for myself:  How can I reduce my commitments so that I can take care of ...whatever it is that I am actively avoiding?

4. Compare or contrast the Isaiah text (30:15-18)  to 1 Peter 5:8-9.

I suppose the most meaningful comparison would be to match translations, so here's 1 Peter 5: 8 - 9 in the Amplified:

Be well-balanced -- temperate, sober-minded; be vigilant and cautious at all times, for that enemy of yours, the devil, roams around like a lion roaring [in fierce hunger], seeking someone to seize upon and devour.  Withstand him; be firm in faith [against his onset], -- rooted, established, strong, immovable and determined -- knowing that the same (identical) sufferings are appointed to your brotherhood (the whole body of Christians) throughout the world.

Whoa.  The text that comes to mind to me for 1 Peter 5:8 is the NIV, which starts off  'Be self-controlled'.  But how pertinent to me at the moment is the Amplified's  phrasing, 'Be well-balanced'?

If I'm trusting God completely with EVERYTHING, then I am not leaving  my spiritual center of gravity; I am balanced.  Trying to take care of it myself would mean leaving the place of trust -- the place of balance -- whether it's because I'm running away from something or trying to fix something that is out of my control.

I don't need to react to the perceived threat of the enemy's roaring; I need to pay attention so that I know God's direction through the struggles that are common to all of us.

5. One of my translations this morning for this text was The Message. Here it is on the card I wrote out.

Do you perchance need to hear the words “settle down!” as much as I do? If so, why?

Oh yeah.  And I perceive that this is going to be a continual settling down...over and over again, focusing on Him and not on what is trying to make me flee.

6. Finish your assignment with any particular personal insight you gained from it and, most of all, what you discern God is saying to you through it.

I saw that most of the things that cause me to want to flee -- whether it means picking up and running away or just getting so busy that I don't deal with what needs to be dealt with -- are threats.  Not actual impending harm...just threats.  I'm reminded of a 'Rocky and Bullwinkle' series in which the villain turned out to be a really teeny, insignificant individual who intimidated folks by the size of his shadow.

It is the shadow that is threatening me.  Not an actual reality...just a shadow.  

Yes, though I walk through the  [deep, sunless] valley of the shadow of death, I will fear or dread no evil; for You are with me; Your rod [to protect] and Your staff [to guide], they comfort me. -- Ps 23: 4, AMP

If you stop fleeing from something...that means you turn around and face it.

But I am not facing it alone.

Longfellow Was Right

Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day
Their old familiar carols play
And wild and sweet, the words repeat
Of  peace on earth, good will to men.

I thought how, as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom
Had rolled along the unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

And in despair I bowed my head, 
'There is no peace on earth, ' I said,
'For hate is strong and mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good will to men.'

Then pealed the bells more loud and sweet,
'God is not dead, nor doth he sleep;
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail
With peace on earth, good will to men.'
-- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, 1863

We all -- every one of us -- have the power to choose.  That some people choose evil and innocents suffer still shocks us.

But 'God is not dead, nor doth He sleep' is a word we must recall, even if we don't understand.

'I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace.  In the world you will have tribulation.  But take heart; I have overcome the world.' - John 16:33, ESV

This was not a pat, feel good statement made by someone passing by a grieving soul; this was Jesus, just a few hours before he was to undergo his own excruciating tribulation...yet he was speaking in the past tense.  With his suffering in front of him, he spoke his victory.  That has always astonished me.

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.  Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. -Heb. 4: 15-16

The grace and mercy is given to help us in time of need but...grace and mercy is also given to us so that we may help others in time of need.  But we must go to the Source, Who is not dead and Who never sleeps.

Pop quiz!

Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

Mama Beth has posted a pop quiz for the Siestas...the followers of her blog.  The challenge is to answer the questions without looking up the answers.

I started to do it in the comments, but decided it was worth a blog post.  So here goes... (I went back and edited it to put the right answers in where I could...)

1. Have you been in the Scriptures today?
Um, sort of.  I went to a Bible study tonight and I also reread some old blog posts from the study of Philippians...

2. If so, what’s the primary verse you remember?
Phil 3:10 - He works in us to will and to do according to His will (paraphrased)

3. What is the major theme God seems to have going with you right now? (Answer in a phrase)
 It's not about the destination...it's about the journey.

4. What is your favorite translation of the Bible just for the pure pleasure of reading?
 NIV

5. By what Name did God tell Moses He would be known throughout all generations?
 I AM

6. To what individual did Jesus say, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me?”
Philip

7. How long had the man at the pool of Bethesda been an invalid?
 ooo, honest...guessing here.  28 years?  (Answer: 38 years.  I thought that was too long...)

8. For what courageous statement is Queen Esther most well known?
 "If I perish, I perish"

9. What did Potiphar’s wife keep of Joseph’s?
 His coat/cloak

10. What three men did the Apostle Paul consider to be the pillars of the church?
  Peter, James and... John (? I think?)  (answer: yes!)

11. What day of the week did the Apostle John receive his first post-ascension vision of Christ?
 The Lords Day...Sunday...the first day of the week

12. Those of us who are in Christ have not received a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear. What exactly did we receive instead according to that same context?
A spirit of love, power and a sound mind  (I may have mixed up my translations; the NIV says 'power, love and self-discipline')

13. Name three characteristics of the Proverbs 31 woman.Try to answer first from memory.
She rises while it is yet dark; her lamp does not go out at night, she makes her arms strong for her tasks

14. Who fell asleep during one of Paul’s sermons and dropped out of the window?
  Eutycus (hope I spelled that right)  (answer: close.  Eutychus)

15. When Isaiah saw the Lord high and lifted up, how many wings did the seraphim around Him have?
Six.

16. What two godly men had a falling out in the Book of Acts? Who was it over?
 Paul and Barnabas, over whether or not they would take John Mark with them on their second missionary journey.

17. Name five sets of married couples in the Bible.
Adam and Eve, Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, Ruth and Boaz, Joseph and Mary

18. In one word, what is your biggest challenge right now?
Order

19. Name two people you’ve encouraged today.
Debbie and Kathy

20. Why did Jesus marvel in Mark 6:6?
  Ack!  It was either someones great faith or someone's lack of faith.  Don't remember which story is in Mark 6...  (Answer:  the lack of faith in the folks in his hometown)

21. Are you actively getting to practice loving someone you’re pretty sure can’t stand you right now? (No names please) If so, how long have you been in this process?
Um, not so much at the moment...

22. What are the names of the firstborn son and his brother in Genesis 22:21?
 Esau and Jacob?  Maybe?  (answer: Uz and Buz, sons of Abraham's brother Nahor)

23.What would the sons of Korah rather do than dwell in the tents of wickedness?
 I'm not even going to try to guess at this one; I can think of several possibilities but I honestly don't know what the answer would be. (Answer:  Be a doorkeeper in the house of the Lord.  Which was one of the possibilities... ;-) )

24. Who penned the Book of Hebrews?
 Ha ha ha!  Trick question!  No one knows for sure.

25. What runaway slave did Paul send back to his master, asking him to receive him graciously as a brother?
 Onesimus

Bonus: Are you memorizing a Scripture right now? If so, tell it to us!
 Um,  I'm in between memorizing verses... :-D  I'm working on memorizing the five fold purpose of our girls' ministry...which seems harder to me than scripture, for some reason ...
To win girls to Jesus Christ through love and acceptance
To teach them to obey everything Jesus commanded us - developing girls spiritually and mentally
To provide encouragement, support and accountability through lasting Christian relationships
To provide an environment for girls to develop their gifts and abilities
To acquaint them with the Great Commission of Jesus Christ our Lord

Remembering

You all know where you were.  Probably without trying, you can be back in that moment and feel it all fresh.

In my feedburner this morning there were a couple of amazing stories that have come out of that time; one was listed more than once.

If I find more such articles today, I'll come back and link them here, too.  Because I can't say it better than it is said already; you won't be sorry if you click through...

Tragedy and Triumph

Ordinary Heros, Extraordinary Results  (be sure to watch the video about the boatlift..)

A Whisper in Due Season

Have you got a dream inside you that you think will never see the light of day?  The kind of thing that you tentatively share, only to hear things like, 'That's nice, dear.'...and you realize that no one sees this how deep this thing is planted in your heart?  Do you take it out now and then and look at it and think, 'This really isn't that big of a deal.  Why can't I just put it down and go on?' ...but you can't, because you know some part of you will shrivel and die.

But there are times when it is tempting.  Because once it's dead, it won't hurt any more.  It will just be a numb place.

I have a dream like that.   One I have wept over and fasted over and still do not have any reasonable expectation that it will ever, in my grandfather's words, amount to a hill of beans.

But it's my dream. One of the true passions of my heart. And I'm getting very discouraged.

Doing my daily internet check after work, as I cruised down the blog posts in google reader I skimmed through Beth Moore's latest post.  A narrative that I registered as very sweet and was just about to click to the next entry when the last line caught my eye.

I know your season's coming.

Why that jerked my head around like a calf on a rope I don't know, but it did.
I re-read, closely, the paragraph just above, and somehow the words spoke straight to me and, to my surprise, tears flooded my eyes:

Don’t be discouraged. Don’t decide it can’t matter all that much. “For God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love that you have shown for His name in serving the saints, as you still do.” (Hebrews 6:10) 

Some days, a whisper like that is enough to put hope back where it goes...

The Offspring can Write

So, yeah, I'm off Facebook pretty much for the duration of the fast...at least, as much as possible.  I've checked in a time or two because I needed to communicate with some folks and that was the best way to catch 'em, but I haven't been spending time reading posts.

So The Actor walked in a couple of days ago and asked me if I had read the Note he posted to Facebook.

Um, nope. 

He really wanted me to read it; it had been generating some interesting comments.  I probably should've just gone and read it, but since I'm so close to the end I told him I would read it this weekend.

Then, this morning My Sweet Baboo sent me a link.  A blogging buddy of ours picked up on The Note and got The Actor's permission to post it as a guest post on his blog.

Not making any comment about spelling and grammar...but if you want some food for thought and a glimpse into his thinking, here's the link:

This is Christianity

The Leadership Institute is making a difference.   I am greatly encouraged.

Short Day

The corporate fast finished up with a 24-hour prayer/worship event, with a service at 7 PM last night.  I didn't manage to get to church yesterday for the open worship time, but the choir was involved with the service so My Sweet Baboo and I did make it to that.

My Sweet Babboo went straight from work, I went from the house so we had both vehicles at church.  He and the Actor were both planning to  stay the night; I wasn't sure I'd manage it but when the closing prayer time rolled around at 7 AM I was still there.

I went to bed at 7:45 this morning and slept until a little after 1.  And, as both kids needed to be at church tonight, I went back.

So...I spent most of the afternoon updating the background on the sewing blog.  I'm not blogging there because of the fast, but I've been meaning to update the template for a long time.  I'd originally tried the new Layouts on this blog, but got frustrated because I could NOT get it to allow me to add side bar links and reverted to the old classic templates.

I think they've got the bugs worked out of it; I'm moderately pleased with how it's looking.  I still have some work to do, but it is working better than the old template, which had some problems.

Maybe one of these days I'll update things around here, too...

And when I'm more awake I'll talk about the all night service. ;-)

Invisibility Revisited

 Posted by Lisa Laree to  Beer Lahai Roi

After yesterday's post on being invisible,  I began to wonder if I had posted Nicole Johnson's piece on being invisible and I did a little search on my blog for 'Invisible'.

The posts that came up surprised me. I didn't realize I had talked about invisibility before.  I read over them and was chagrined that  I seem to be still learning those lessons.

However, the post on diamonds made me smile.  Invisibility is a grand thing if it means His light shines through.

And I found I have not posted the link to Nicole's Women of Faith presentation on being an Invisible Woman.  It's definitely worth sharing, so as we're contemplating being the implications of being invisible, I'll let Nicole speak to us about it:

Helping with the Research

Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi

Lysa TerKeurst has asked for input for her upcoming book. Technically, these questions were supposed to be answered in her comments, but, well, I didn't want to fill up a whole comments page by myself...

How would you define unglued?

I'm going to define it this way:Unglued-- losing the restraints that keep one's behavior reasonable and acceptable to oneself and/or one's peers

What does coming unglued look like for you?
For me, there are degrees of 'unglued'...sometimes it's a full-fledged raging temper tantrum (usually involving repeated irresponsibility or disobedience on the part of one or more of my children), but more commonly it's a word unfitly spoken, devoid of grace or empathy when I feel I've been judged, unappreciated or marginalized.

What factors contribute to you feeling unglued?
Fatigue, being taken by (unpleasant) surprise, being pressed for time or pressured into agreeing to something I do not feel I've had time to process and think through. Frustration at not being heard. Particularly if several of those conditions occur at the same time.

Do you tend to explode or stuff? I rarely explode anymore; I am learning better ways of handling the bad stuff. But when I do explode, it's a doozy that leaves me feeling like a humiliated failure. Mostly, now, I stuff. Stuffing is not necessarily bad if it can be worked through at a later time, but if it isn't dealt with it will become fodder for the explosion.

What would you want to make sure I cover in a book like this? How to repair the damage after the glue has failed...I have a hard time getting back to comfortable around folks to whom I have exposed my less admirable traits.

Is there anything else you’d like to add?
There is some small comfort in knowing that we all mess up from time to time, but it doesn't really help alleviate the humiliation of having to own my character flaws in front of other people. Thank God for those mercies that are new every morning...

That's MY King!

I linked this on Facebook, but it's worth reposting here! This brings tears to my eyes every time I watch it...what a message!
That's My King! - S.M. Lockridge

The grave couldn't hold Him!!!

He is risen!