I think right now I know a little bit about how the Grinch felt with all the noise that he didn't understand. Today we are getting our ducts (not to be confused with ducks) cleaned. And the noise is horrendous.
Here I sit with my granddaughter that I am supposed to be teaching and we can't even hear each other for all the noise. I knew I was in trouble when I saw this huge machine with an even bigger hose and another smaller machine on top of that. They went up in the attic to "clean up".
For about the first 15 minutes a dust storm was coming into my house from all the vents. It was so bad that we almost had to break out the flashlights, on low beam of course, to find each other. At this point one of the workmen calls down that it will get better "in a minute" (I want whatever timepiece this young man was using because somehow he was getting more that 24 hours in a day.).
After the "dust storm" the weather did begin to clear and all that was left was the insufferable noise of a metal brush rotating in a metal duct with the world's largest vacuum cleaner roaring with suction right above my head. I have to admit, the worst part of the whole thing was the interruption of my busy schedule.
I am sometimes that way with God. He will tell me, "that lady over there needs someone to talk to," or "that person really needs something to eat," and I whine about how busy I am.
But God will shame you into doing what He tells you if He has to. I was stopping by a fast food restaurant to get myself some dinner when a homeless man approached me and told me he needed $.85 to get something to eat. The amount struck me as a little odd since all the homeless people I knew would ask for a dollar or five dollars, but I was in a hurry as well as a little afraid of him because it was a bad part of town, so I told him the truth...I didn't have $.85 and entered the restaurant. I ordered what I wanted to eat to go because I had a pile of papers to grade that night sitting in my car. The cashier told me the total and I paid her in cash (this was before debit cards were accepted in fast food restaurants). She gave me my change and by now I bet you can guess how much it was. Exactly $.85.
I felt so ashamed of myself for not inviting the man to come in and have dinner with me. I felt ashamed of not being willing to give up that small amount of money to one of God's children.
I thanked the cashier quickly and practically ran out of the place to find the old man. He was almost to the sidewalk and I didn't know his name, so I shouted, "Hey, buddy!" How he heard me over the traffic or knew I was talking to him is still a mystery to me. But he did and turned around to find this crazy lady running down to him holding $.85 in her hand. I asked him if he still needed $.85 and he said, a little fearful of this wild-eyed woman running in heels with one hand outstretched , "Yes, ma'am." (He showed more respect to me than I did to him :( ).
I gave him the $.85 and he went straight in and bought something to eat while I stood there telling God how sorry I was that I ignored him. I would like to tell you I went back in and had dinner with him, but once he got his hamburger, he was gone and I couldn't find him.
It's a lesson I have never forgotten. Now I work very hard to realize that there are no chance meetings, only Divine appointments. If I am teaching a class and only one student shows up, it is always because that student needed some one-on-one time or wanted to talk about something that was private. While I could be grumbling about the lack of commitment of the other class members and call off class, I just can't because I know God orchestrates where we are and who we are with every hour of every day.
When you are having a busy day and you feel God nudging you to go out of your way to do something for him, don't say, "Not now, I don't have time." Don't make God shame you into doing His will because you know he could just get a rock to do it. I can tell you ignoring God is painful, like the noise of the duct cleaning. But just like the cleaning, doing what He asks is well worth it to be able to breath the sweet clean air of obedience. I try to keep all my Divine appointments these days. All because of a haggard old homeless man...or was he an angel sent to teach me? I'll never know this side of heaven.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Thursday, February 19, 2009
The Backyard Wars
Yesterday was such a spring-like day that I started thinking about putting out the humming bird feeders. Now, I know it is not March yet, but I miss the pure excitement of the backyard wars.
My feeders all have at least four perches from which the hummingbirds can drink nectar. I have five feeders. So I should be able to feed at least 20 hummingbirds, right? Wrong! It seems that humming birds, like humans, can be very territorial. One humming bird will lay claim to one feeder and refuse to allow any other humming bird to have a drink, even though there is more than enough to go around. I have to refill my feeders every two days because I have so many humming birds, but that one little bird spends most of his/her time trying to unsuccessfully protect that one feeder. In fact I have heard them hit each other so hard that you would think they would crack their little noggins.
Isn't it silly how jealous one humming bird can be over a silly little feeder that, if left alone, will have enough to feed not only him, but three to five of his closest friends? There is enough to go around and the feeder is always full.
That is what jealousy looks like. When someone is in "love" but behaves jealously, we are just like the one "lord and master of the feeder" hummingbird. We surround the one we love and fight off anyone who might want to access that person for fear the other person will drink up all the sweet nectar of their love. We spend way to much effort fending off "invaders" instead of taking drink after drink of the love that is offered. That is why when God decided to talk about love, He decided to advise against jealousy. Because people don't know how to be jealous for one another like God is, we just know how to be jealous of someone.
Well, it is time to get back to cleaning the feeders since March is not far off. This year I am going to hang the feeders all in one group. The humming bird experts say that way there is so much activity that one bird can't take over a feeder. Hmmmm...Maybe that's what God wants us to do. To hang in groups so that no one feel isolated or left out. It also prevents jealousy because there is not enough energy or time to fight off everyone. Yeah, that's what I'll do, I'll make them all "groupies" so that no one gets "jealous."
My feeders all have at least four perches from which the hummingbirds can drink nectar. I have five feeders. So I should be able to feed at least 20 hummingbirds, right? Wrong! It seems that humming birds, like humans, can be very territorial. One humming bird will lay claim to one feeder and refuse to allow any other humming bird to have a drink, even though there is more than enough to go around. I have to refill my feeders every two days because I have so many humming birds, but that one little bird spends most of his/her time trying to unsuccessfully protect that one feeder. In fact I have heard them hit each other so hard that you would think they would crack their little noggins.
Isn't it silly how jealous one humming bird can be over a silly little feeder that, if left alone, will have enough to feed not only him, but three to five of his closest friends? There is enough to go around and the feeder is always full.
That is what jealousy looks like. When someone is in "love" but behaves jealously, we are just like the one "lord and master of the feeder" hummingbird. We surround the one we love and fight off anyone who might want to access that person for fear the other person will drink up all the sweet nectar of their love. We spend way to much effort fending off "invaders" instead of taking drink after drink of the love that is offered. That is why when God decided to talk about love, He decided to advise against jealousy. Because people don't know how to be jealous for one another like God is, we just know how to be jealous of someone.
Well, it is time to get back to cleaning the feeders since March is not far off. This year I am going to hang the feeders all in one group. The humming bird experts say that way there is so much activity that one bird can't take over a feeder. Hmmmm...Maybe that's what God wants us to do. To hang in groups so that no one feel isolated or left out. It also prevents jealousy because there is not enough energy or time to fight off everyone. Yeah, that's what I'll do, I'll make them all "groupies" so that no one gets "jealous."
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Deer Hunting
Church was wonderful Sunday. None of the people came up repeatedly telling us they were sorry for our loss (maybe they read my blog). When we asked for prayer for our family we got a sort of collective "I am so sorry" and that was it. We were then allowed to enjoy the service and worship without carrying a burden of sorrow.
Things are better this week. It is a cloudy, rainy day which would depress most people, but the weather has been warm and all the frogs are "singing". My granddaughter from the city who lives with the bump, bump, bump of some one's "super woofer" either next door or traveling down the street, calls it noise, but I like to call it singing. If you sit and listen long enough, it is so soothing and relaxing it lets you forget for a time that there is anything wrong in the world.
You know, around here "deer hunting" takes on a whole new meaning. There are lots of meadows, ponds, harvested fields, and woods as you go down the road. Last year alone there were 120 "accidents" that involved a car and a deer (or two). The first year I lived here I was in the middle of town on a road bordered by two undeveloped pieces of land and I bagged my first deer with a 2000 gray Dodge Stratus, or rather he bagged me. The deer died, the deputy who came to make the report took it to process it, and it cost my insurance $3000 to fix my front end. The second deer that season, was a HUGE buck that came out of nowhere when I was about a mile from my house (they say most accidents happen within a mile of your home). Fortunately, this was not a head on collision. I swerved and he lost half his "rack" (horns for you city people) and I lost my passenger side rear view mirror. As I got out of my car to assess the damage, a neighbor pulled up to ask if I was all right. I told him yes and told him my "deer hunting" story. His response was, "I need to take you deer hunting." When I explained it was the gray car he replied," Then I need to take your car hunting." Such sympathy kind of makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside doesn't it? By the way, that deer owes me. I saved his life by ruining his rack. And he never even said thank you or returned my rear view mirror!
So I was ready when my husband called last Tuesday to tell me he had hit a deer or rather the deer had hit him. He was about 5 or 6 miles down our road when a doe came out of the woods, jumped a fence and hit the passenger side of his gray truck (are we seeing a pattern here?). She bent the door so it wouldn't open and really messed up the back quarter panel. We figure the insurance is out about $2000 on this one. And the doe? I am afraid she got the worst end of her crash landing. She ran about as far as the meadow before she fell. The sheriff's deputy had to shoot her to keep her from lying there suffering.
One thing I have noticed with all these deer hunting all us humans is that it always happens suddenly. Most of the time, you never even see them coming and then there is the crash and the damage. Kind of the way our loss came to us last week- unexpected, sudden, and damaging. But God in His Word tells us part of the reason these things happen. Paul in writing the Corinthian church for the second time( I often wonder if they were slow learners) says in Chapter 1 verse 7, "So our hope for you is secure in the knowledge that you share the encouragement we receive, no less the sufferings we bear."
It seems to me that if there were no "bad things" that happened in our lives, then how would we recognize the good things? If we did not sin, how would we know the joy of salvation- a joy even the angels cannot feel. God does not "cause" the bad things to happen. Those are the product of either our own sin or a fallen world (yes, stuff happens). And He knows in advance that the bad things are going to happen. But Paul is saying that if nothing bad ever happens to you so that you can encourage someone else, then you have no hope. As bad as the bad things are, I think I would rather have the joy of being able to encourage someone and the security of hope.
So when the deer are hunting you, remember that it won't last forever (in "God's time" it is barely a blink of the eye), it will get "fixed" by God; you may not like how He fixes it, but He will fix it ; and you will be able to go on with your life with the hope that only God can give. So don't let the deer get you down, you'll be hunting them next November!
Things are better this week. It is a cloudy, rainy day which would depress most people, but the weather has been warm and all the frogs are "singing". My granddaughter from the city who lives with the bump, bump, bump of some one's "super woofer" either next door or traveling down the street, calls it noise, but I like to call it singing. If you sit and listen long enough, it is so soothing and relaxing it lets you forget for a time that there is anything wrong in the world.
You know, around here "deer hunting" takes on a whole new meaning. There are lots of meadows, ponds, harvested fields, and woods as you go down the road. Last year alone there were 120 "accidents" that involved a car and a deer (or two). The first year I lived here I was in the middle of town on a road bordered by two undeveloped pieces of land and I bagged my first deer with a 2000 gray Dodge Stratus, or rather he bagged me. The deer died, the deputy who came to make the report took it to process it, and it cost my insurance $3000 to fix my front end. The second deer that season, was a HUGE buck that came out of nowhere when I was about a mile from my house (they say most accidents happen within a mile of your home). Fortunately, this was not a head on collision. I swerved and he lost half his "rack" (horns for you city people) and I lost my passenger side rear view mirror. As I got out of my car to assess the damage, a neighbor pulled up to ask if I was all right. I told him yes and told him my "deer hunting" story. His response was, "I need to take you deer hunting." When I explained it was the gray car he replied," Then I need to take your car hunting." Such sympathy kind of makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside doesn't it? By the way, that deer owes me. I saved his life by ruining his rack. And he never even said thank you or returned my rear view mirror!
So I was ready when my husband called last Tuesday to tell me he had hit a deer or rather the deer had hit him. He was about 5 or 6 miles down our road when a doe came out of the woods, jumped a fence and hit the passenger side of his gray truck (are we seeing a pattern here?). She bent the door so it wouldn't open and really messed up the back quarter panel. We figure the insurance is out about $2000 on this one. And the doe? I am afraid she got the worst end of her crash landing. She ran about as far as the meadow before she fell. The sheriff's deputy had to shoot her to keep her from lying there suffering.
One thing I have noticed with all these deer hunting all us humans is that it always happens suddenly. Most of the time, you never even see them coming and then there is the crash and the damage. Kind of the way our loss came to us last week- unexpected, sudden, and damaging. But God in His Word tells us part of the reason these things happen. Paul in writing the Corinthian church for the second time( I often wonder if they were slow learners) says in Chapter 1 verse 7, "So our hope for you is secure in the knowledge that you share the encouragement we receive, no less the sufferings we bear."
It seems to me that if there were no "bad things" that happened in our lives, then how would we recognize the good things? If we did not sin, how would we know the joy of salvation- a joy even the angels cannot feel. God does not "cause" the bad things to happen. Those are the product of either our own sin or a fallen world (yes, stuff happens). And He knows in advance that the bad things are going to happen. But Paul is saying that if nothing bad ever happens to you so that you can encourage someone else, then you have no hope. As bad as the bad things are, I think I would rather have the joy of being able to encourage someone and the security of hope.
So when the deer are hunting you, remember that it won't last forever (in "God's time" it is barely a blink of the eye), it will get "fixed" by God; you may not like how He fixes it, but He will fix it ; and you will be able to go on with your life with the hope that only God can give. So don't let the deer get you down, you'll be hunting them next November!
Saturday, February 7, 2009
The Church Face
Well, today is better than yesterday. My heart is not as heavy and my soul not as downtrodden. I was even able to laugh at a totally ridiculous video someone sent us in the email. Smiles are always good, even when you are grieving.
What makes this grief so hard to work through is that we don't get to say goodbye. It's a life that is just over. It makes you think long and hard about how fragile this mortal life is.
God has been wonderful these past 28 hours. Every time I start to slip into that kind of contemplative depression that is so much a part of the grieving process, He brings to mind another piece of His word that comforts me. How do I know it is God? Because I have never memorized a single verse in my entire life I am ashamed to say. Yes, we had memory verses in Sunday School, but I stored them in short term memory just so I could say them that Sunday. You see, my mom was the Sunday School teacher.
However, I have spent many years learning about and teaching the Bible. I am finding that one thing scientists say is true. Every word you read, speak, or listen to is stored in the brain God created. Think of it like a giant computer with unlimited memory. I'm not saying to not memorize verses. I have been rereading Fahrenheit 451 and in it there is only one written Bible in the whole world and the main character has it. However, his professor friend tells him that if that Bible is destroyed (and it is) that there are people all over the country that have memorized one book of the Bible so that when the current society has destroyed itself, they can reconstruct the Bible one book at a time. Science fiction? Maybe not so much.
God had taken me today to a couple of verses that, until today, made little sense to me. James 1: 2,5 say,"My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials...; If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally, and without reproach, and it will be given to him." Is God really asking me to go to church tomorrow and put on a happy face even though I feel broken inside? That's the way many Christians interpret that verse. But that is not what it means at all. It seems to me that it means feel your pain, experience your trial, but in all that don't forget what God has done and is doing in your life.
I feel joy that I have a loving Heavenly Father that cares about every little detail of my life. I feel joy that when I disappoint Him, I am still the apple of His eye. I feel joy, particularly now, that He comforts me and hides me beneath the shadow of His wing. I feel joy that He chose to save ME. Trust me, He could have made a MUCH better selection, but for whatever reason, He wanted me. He could have chosen a rock, but instead He wanted me.
That is what I feel that verse telling me right now. God is telling me NOT to put on my happy church face and NOT to say everything is fine when it is anything but fine. No, God is telling me to be who I am when I go to church tomorrow. If I feel a little standoffish, that's okay (I don't deal well with everyone saying the same, "I'm sorry for your loss." That's where the wisdom comes in. Sometimes all I need is for someone to give me a hug and say nothing.). If I feel like crying, that's okay. I have told many a person in the congregation that if you feel you have to apologize every time you cry during a service, then you are in the wrong church.
When I walk in the doors of church tomorrow, wherever I am in this painful journey, I will be the person God created me to be. There is nothing that we suffer that Christ has not already suffered and I know tomorrow, if no one in the whole building understands, He will. He has been there. done that, and got the tee shirt.
What makes this grief so hard to work through is that we don't get to say goodbye. It's a life that is just over. It makes you think long and hard about how fragile this mortal life is.
God has been wonderful these past 28 hours. Every time I start to slip into that kind of contemplative depression that is so much a part of the grieving process, He brings to mind another piece of His word that comforts me. How do I know it is God? Because I have never memorized a single verse in my entire life I am ashamed to say. Yes, we had memory verses in Sunday School, but I stored them in short term memory just so I could say them that Sunday. You see, my mom was the Sunday School teacher.
However, I have spent many years learning about and teaching the Bible. I am finding that one thing scientists say is true. Every word you read, speak, or listen to is stored in the brain God created. Think of it like a giant computer with unlimited memory. I'm not saying to not memorize verses. I have been rereading Fahrenheit 451 and in it there is only one written Bible in the whole world and the main character has it. However, his professor friend tells him that if that Bible is destroyed (and it is) that there are people all over the country that have memorized one book of the Bible so that when the current society has destroyed itself, they can reconstruct the Bible one book at a time. Science fiction? Maybe not so much.
God had taken me today to a couple of verses that, until today, made little sense to me. James 1: 2,5 say,"My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials...; If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally, and without reproach, and it will be given to him." Is God really asking me to go to church tomorrow and put on a happy face even though I feel broken inside? That's the way many Christians interpret that verse. But that is not what it means at all. It seems to me that it means feel your pain, experience your trial, but in all that don't forget what God has done and is doing in your life.
I feel joy that I have a loving Heavenly Father that cares about every little detail of my life. I feel joy that when I disappoint Him, I am still the apple of His eye. I feel joy, particularly now, that He comforts me and hides me beneath the shadow of His wing. I feel joy that He chose to save ME. Trust me, He could have made a MUCH better selection, but for whatever reason, He wanted me. He could have chosen a rock, but instead He wanted me.
That is what I feel that verse telling me right now. God is telling me NOT to put on my happy church face and NOT to say everything is fine when it is anything but fine. No, God is telling me to be who I am when I go to church tomorrow. If I feel a little standoffish, that's okay (I don't deal well with everyone saying the same, "I'm sorry for your loss." That's where the wisdom comes in. Sometimes all I need is for someone to give me a hug and say nothing.). If I feel like crying, that's okay. I have told many a person in the congregation that if you feel you have to apologize every time you cry during a service, then you are in the wrong church.
When I walk in the doors of church tomorrow, wherever I am in this painful journey, I will be the person God created me to be. There is nothing that we suffer that Christ has not already suffered and I know tomorrow, if no one in the whole building understands, He will. He has been there. done that, and got the tee shirt.
Friday, February 6, 2009
Lay Your Burdens Down
I have told you many times about my dogs. Now that all my children are grown and I am almost housebound, they have come to be like my children (don't worry Cesar, they are still dogs). Just like Cesar Millan says, I am learning a lot from my dogs. Today I have learned about burdens.
As I have told you before, my yellow lab has this "stick", at least that is what she thinks it is. It is about 6 feet long and a good 3 inches in diameter. To me, that qualifies as a log, but she seems insistent on playing fetch with her "stick". She can't even lift it unless she picks it up right in the middle. I have spent day after day watching her drag that stick around the hillside trying to carry it around. It is in fact funny to watch her try to carry that stick that is way too big for her to carry. Yet, she thinks she can handle it all alone.
Today my family is burdened. We have suffered a loss and it is painful to the very depths of our collective soul. It is at present a burden.
I have tried, just like my dog and her log, many time to carry my own burdens. I pull and tug and wear myself out, trying to handle the pain all by myself. For some reason, I seem to think I need to give God the day off and can handle this all by myself. Some days I will give the burden to God and then ashamed that I can't "handle it myself", I pick it back up and carry it a while longer. Today I couldn't do that, the burden was too heavy, too painful.
So as soon as I heard about our loss, I cried as the shock turned to acceptance, and then I went straight to God for comfort and help. The first verse He took me to was Matthew 11:28, "Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest." It has only been a matter of hours since I was notified and already I feel weary from the burden continually pressing down on my very soul. I qualify for that one.
The next place God lead me to was Matthew 5:4, "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted." I know I need that. I need God to pick us up into His lap, wrap his loving arms around us, hugging us tightly, drying our tears, and saying, "There, there My children. you will probably never understand why this happened, but rest assured that I know why, I am still in control, and it will be all right."
Isn't God's Word wonderful? John 16: 20b states, "you will grieve, but your grief will be turned into joy." He is telling me that the heartache and grief I feel will not last forever, like it feels right now, but will someday end and He will return my joy. What a tremendous promise of hope for us, that this too shall end.
While not a day goes by that I am not grateful for the loving care of my Heavenly Father, today I am more deeply grateful than I have been in a long time. Grateful for not only His words of promise to me, but also the close relationship that we have cultivated over the years. I Peter 5:7 says, "Cast all your anxieties on Him for He cares for you." Today, I am working on casting all my cares on Him because without Him, I couldn't make it through.
As I have told you before, my yellow lab has this "stick", at least that is what she thinks it is. It is about 6 feet long and a good 3 inches in diameter. To me, that qualifies as a log, but she seems insistent on playing fetch with her "stick". She can't even lift it unless she picks it up right in the middle. I have spent day after day watching her drag that stick around the hillside trying to carry it around. It is in fact funny to watch her try to carry that stick that is way too big for her to carry. Yet, she thinks she can handle it all alone.
Today my family is burdened. We have suffered a loss and it is painful to the very depths of our collective soul. It is at present a burden.
I have tried, just like my dog and her log, many time to carry my own burdens. I pull and tug and wear myself out, trying to handle the pain all by myself. For some reason, I seem to think I need to give God the day off and can handle this all by myself. Some days I will give the burden to God and then ashamed that I can't "handle it myself", I pick it back up and carry it a while longer. Today I couldn't do that, the burden was too heavy, too painful.
So as soon as I heard about our loss, I cried as the shock turned to acceptance, and then I went straight to God for comfort and help. The first verse He took me to was Matthew 11:28, "Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest." It has only been a matter of hours since I was notified and already I feel weary from the burden continually pressing down on my very soul. I qualify for that one.
The next place God lead me to was Matthew 5:4, "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted." I know I need that. I need God to pick us up into His lap, wrap his loving arms around us, hugging us tightly, drying our tears, and saying, "There, there My children. you will probably never understand why this happened, but rest assured that I know why, I am still in control, and it will be all right."
Isn't God's Word wonderful? John 16: 20b states, "you will grieve, but your grief will be turned into joy." He is telling me that the heartache and grief I feel will not last forever, like it feels right now, but will someday end and He will return my joy. What a tremendous promise of hope for us, that this too shall end.
While not a day goes by that I am not grateful for the loving care of my Heavenly Father, today I am more deeply grateful than I have been in a long time. Grateful for not only His words of promise to me, but also the close relationship that we have cultivated over the years. I Peter 5:7 says, "Cast all your anxieties on Him for He cares for you." Today, I am working on casting all my cares on Him because without Him, I couldn't make it through.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
God's Representatives
Today, I would like to share a really unique kind of love, a love unlike any other I have ever experienced. The love I speak of is the love of a pastor (shepherd) for his congregation (flock). It is the most difficult type of love I have ever seen man struggle with. Here is a man or woman that is called by God and directed by God yet expected to serve at the "pleasure" of the congregation.
The denomination I belong to "votes" to accept or reject a pastor, therefore, he literally serves at the will and the whim of the congregation no matter how backslidden that congregation may be. Yet, this man is expected to also serve God first and foremost. Do you see the tension here? Add to all of this the fact that the pastor is a human being faced with all the faults and failures inherent in that condition and you can see how impossible his task is.
Yet pastors regularly visit the sick, witness to the lost, pray with the broken hearted, walk along side those that are going through difficult times (I know because a Minister of Music walked with me the two times my husband was hospitalized) and rejoice with those that are rejoicing. They are "on call" twenty four hours a day, seven days a week. Many times their families will go a week or more without seeing them because they have left early to pray with someone before surgery and come home late after some church committee meeting. They also put in forty hours or more on the music that leads us to a state of worship or their sermons for Sunday in addition to all their other duties. I, personally, can't remember ever spending time with any member of a church staff without the phone ringing at least once every fifteen minutes ( sometimes once every five minutes) and people just "poking their head in to say hello, or ask a question." Yet, God gives the the patience to deal with all these interruptions and redeems the time so that they may carry out what HE has called them to do, lead the flock.
Pastors work ungodly hours for little or no pay because church's believe that the "rewards of full time ministry" should be compensation enough. The Bible states that " a workman is worth his hire" and we wouldn't hesitate to quote that scripture when asking for a yearly raise or bonus. Yet we hesitate to do the same thing for our church staff. All in all, pastoring a church must be a labor of love otherwise there would be no pastors and I haven't even mentioned the constant gossip, backbiting, feuding, lack of common respect, and criticism that is a large part of their daily diet.
The pastors I have known have somehow risen above all of these negatives to supernaturally love their people. In spite of working conditions that none of us would submit ourselves to, they find time to give a hug or a word of encouragement to all they meet. They even find time to offer Christ's love to strangers! And they love one and all unconditionally with the love of God!
Every month should be "Pastor Appreciation Month" and I believe that every person out there that has a pastor or teacher that has taken time out of an over packed schedule to talk to them or just to listen to them should start planning now a tangible way to show your appreciation. You don't have to spend a lot of money to show appreciation. We never have any trouble talking when we think something is wrong in the church so take that "talent" and use it to tell the pastor or church staff members in your life how much they mean to you. Let them know that you notice when he is tired from a busy week and offer to do some "secretarial" things for him. Offer to wash his car or take him out to a fast food restaurant for a quick bite. Take him to a coffee shop and buy him a cup of his favorite coffee or buy him a pound of a favorite coffee and present it to him as a token of your appreciation for all the hard, thankless work he puts in every day.
But the best present you can give him year round, is the permission to be human and to make mistakes. Pastors make the effort to love us not matter how unlovely we are. Now we need to take the opportunity to return that love no matter what mistakes or faults we may think exist in his life (How would you like to put your life under that microscope you look at the pastor's life through? Would you pass an inspection like that?) A simple "I love you" would probably shock the poor man/woman so badly you could be the first ones to the restaurant on Sunday!
Seriously, let's all make a concerted effort to start returning the love our pastors show every day. Like us, they, too, need to feel the love of fellow human beings. Do something today to show your pastor you love him/her. I KNOW they will appreciate it!
By the way, no, my husband is NOT a pastor and has never been a pastor. I am writing from the heart of one who has been loved, comforted, mentored and cared for by a Minister of Music and his loving wife for ten years. This is my tribute to their calling and their willingness to follow and trust in God. They have been my example and I hope one day to be as close to God and as willing to serve Him as they are.
The denomination I belong to "votes" to accept or reject a pastor, therefore, he literally serves at the will and the whim of the congregation no matter how backslidden that congregation may be. Yet, this man is expected to also serve God first and foremost. Do you see the tension here? Add to all of this the fact that the pastor is a human being faced with all the faults and failures inherent in that condition and you can see how impossible his task is.
Yet pastors regularly visit the sick, witness to the lost, pray with the broken hearted, walk along side those that are going through difficult times (I know because a Minister of Music walked with me the two times my husband was hospitalized) and rejoice with those that are rejoicing. They are "on call" twenty four hours a day, seven days a week. Many times their families will go a week or more without seeing them because they have left early to pray with someone before surgery and come home late after some church committee meeting. They also put in forty hours or more on the music that leads us to a state of worship or their sermons for Sunday in addition to all their other duties. I, personally, can't remember ever spending time with any member of a church staff without the phone ringing at least once every fifteen minutes ( sometimes once every five minutes) and people just "poking their head in to say hello, or ask a question." Yet, God gives the the patience to deal with all these interruptions and redeems the time so that they may carry out what HE has called them to do, lead the flock.
Pastors work ungodly hours for little or no pay because church's believe that the "rewards of full time ministry" should be compensation enough. The Bible states that " a workman is worth his hire" and we wouldn't hesitate to quote that scripture when asking for a yearly raise or bonus. Yet we hesitate to do the same thing for our church staff. All in all, pastoring a church must be a labor of love otherwise there would be no pastors and I haven't even mentioned the constant gossip, backbiting, feuding, lack of common respect, and criticism that is a large part of their daily diet.
The pastors I have known have somehow risen above all of these negatives to supernaturally love their people. In spite of working conditions that none of us would submit ourselves to, they find time to give a hug or a word of encouragement to all they meet. They even find time to offer Christ's love to strangers! And they love one and all unconditionally with the love of God!
Every month should be "Pastor Appreciation Month" and I believe that every person out there that has a pastor or teacher that has taken time out of an over packed schedule to talk to them or just to listen to them should start planning now a tangible way to show your appreciation. You don't have to spend a lot of money to show appreciation. We never have any trouble talking when we think something is wrong in the church so take that "talent" and use it to tell the pastor or church staff members in your life how much they mean to you. Let them know that you notice when he is tired from a busy week and offer to do some "secretarial" things for him. Offer to wash his car or take him out to a fast food restaurant for a quick bite. Take him to a coffee shop and buy him a cup of his favorite coffee or buy him a pound of a favorite coffee and present it to him as a token of your appreciation for all the hard, thankless work he puts in every day.
But the best present you can give him year round, is the permission to be human and to make mistakes. Pastors make the effort to love us not matter how unlovely we are. Now we need to take the opportunity to return that love no matter what mistakes or faults we may think exist in his life (How would you like to put your life under that microscope you look at the pastor's life through? Would you pass an inspection like that?) A simple "I love you" would probably shock the poor man/woman so badly you could be the first ones to the restaurant on Sunday!
Seriously, let's all make a concerted effort to start returning the love our pastors show every day. Like us, they, too, need to feel the love of fellow human beings. Do something today to show your pastor you love him/her. I KNOW they will appreciate it!
By the way, no, my husband is NOT a pastor and has never been a pastor. I am writing from the heart of one who has been loved, comforted, mentored and cared for by a Minister of Music and his loving wife for ten years. This is my tribute to their calling and their willingness to follow and trust in God. They have been my example and I hope one day to be as close to God and as willing to serve Him as they are.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Super Bowl?
I have been gone this week for two reasons. One was that I was homeschooling my teenage granddaughter Monday and Tuesday which is the bright spot in every week. The second is that I was busy making my house "Southern Living" perfect because we were having some friends and family over for the "Super Bowl". I was forced to do my spring cleaning and it's 23 degrees outside. Oh, well, at least it is done for this year and I can spend my spring tending to my flowers instead of my house.
What I have never understood is what makes the Super Bowl so super? Don't get me wrong. I have watched more super bowls than most women. My dad watched every one during his lifetime and what daddy watched we kids had to watch because it was too cold outside to play. So there we sat, watching the super bowl and listening to Daddy yell at the NFL team (this was so long ago that there was an AFL and a NFL with no NFC or AFC).
I thought I had "lucked out" when I married a man who just wasn't that in to football. For 30 years we didn't watch the super bowl, not even at church super bowl parties. Then came last year when a neighbor invited us to his super bowl party. We had a blast just socializing with the neighbors while the football game ran and demanded silence as the best of the best of the commercials aired.
That was that. He was hooked, not on the super bowl, but the party. His brother was suppose to host this year's "wing ding" but he had to cancel at the last minute so Phil brought the whole "kit and kaboodle" over to our house and invited the neighbors. Now all you women out there know what that means- MAJOR CLEANING. God forbid that one of those people find a dog or cat hair or a speck of dust under a bed or couch. Then there is the food that must be prepared. I must pause here and thank my loving husband. He went out and bought all the food so that I would not have to cook anything. Once again he became one of my best blessings.
The party began along with the football game. It was a good game, though I missed the best part because I was playing scrabble with the women and my step-nephew. But I could hear the whooping and hollering from the den and periodically we sent my grandson to check the score. I have never heard so much excitement over just another football game. And the disappointment the coach of the losing team felt and how he tried to get the media to focus on the "Cinderella" season his team had had.
Isn't that the way we tend to act with our significant other? I know I do. They work and work and strive for long periods of time to be loving, considerate, and caring, and all we see is the time they screw up (to quote the President). They may do a great job, say, picking up after themselves or straightening up the house, or keeping the dishes washed and the trash out, but you let them forget to carry out the trash one time and we are all over them for not doing their "job". You know, if the trash bothered us so much, why didn't we take it out?
What I am trying to say is don't let your relationship turn into a series of super bowls. Be sure to notice when he/she is helping out and going out of the way to be courteous and loving. And don't get "historical" over one mistake or slight. You see, relationships are like football seasons, they are composed of many "games" and many "wins" and some "losses". Don't boil all those "games" into one moment in time, one "super bowl", because relationships are made up of two humans that will definitely fail you multiple times. But what makes a romance is the season, not the super bowl.
What I have never understood is what makes the Super Bowl so super? Don't get me wrong. I have watched more super bowls than most women. My dad watched every one during his lifetime and what daddy watched we kids had to watch because it was too cold outside to play. So there we sat, watching the super bowl and listening to Daddy yell at the NFL team (this was so long ago that there was an AFL and a NFL with no NFC or AFC).
I thought I had "lucked out" when I married a man who just wasn't that in to football. For 30 years we didn't watch the super bowl, not even at church super bowl parties. Then came last year when a neighbor invited us to his super bowl party. We had a blast just socializing with the neighbors while the football game ran and demanded silence as the best of the best of the commercials aired.
That was that. He was hooked, not on the super bowl, but the party. His brother was suppose to host this year's "wing ding" but he had to cancel at the last minute so Phil brought the whole "kit and kaboodle" over to our house and invited the neighbors. Now all you women out there know what that means- MAJOR CLEANING. God forbid that one of those people find a dog or cat hair or a speck of dust under a bed or couch. Then there is the food that must be prepared. I must pause here and thank my loving husband. He went out and bought all the food so that I would not have to cook anything. Once again he became one of my best blessings.
The party began along with the football game. It was a good game, though I missed the best part because I was playing scrabble with the women and my step-nephew. But I could hear the whooping and hollering from the den and periodically we sent my grandson to check the score. I have never heard so much excitement over just another football game. And the disappointment the coach of the losing team felt and how he tried to get the media to focus on the "Cinderella" season his team had had.
Isn't that the way we tend to act with our significant other? I know I do. They work and work and strive for long periods of time to be loving, considerate, and caring, and all we see is the time they screw up (to quote the President). They may do a great job, say, picking up after themselves or straightening up the house, or keeping the dishes washed and the trash out, but you let them forget to carry out the trash one time and we are all over them for not doing their "job". You know, if the trash bothered us so much, why didn't we take it out?
What I am trying to say is don't let your relationship turn into a series of super bowls. Be sure to notice when he/she is helping out and going out of the way to be courteous and loving. And don't get "historical" over one mistake or slight. You see, relationships are like football seasons, they are composed of many "games" and many "wins" and some "losses". Don't boil all those "games" into one moment in time, one "super bowl", because relationships are made up of two humans that will definitely fail you multiple times. But what makes a romance is the season, not the super bowl.
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