A Few Things I learned from My Dad

I had a great father and am a blessed woman because of him.   In honor of Fathers Day, I will share a few things my dad taught me.

1.  You have two ears and one mouth.  Use your ears twice as much as your mouth.
2.  Cash is a great gift to give because people don't return it.
3.  If you are feeling urgently pressured to do something with the notion that it is from God, it's probably not.  God doesn't force or pressure us.
4.  Take time for lowly, downcast, sick, and poor in spirit.  There is true blessing in visiting the unseen.
5.  Getting it done is more important than making it perfect. 
6.  Saying "I love you" has a huge impact.  I remember the day when my dad first told me he loved me.  I think I was in second grade.  It made a lasting impression.  He has been good about saying it since then.
7.  If an "expert" says something that doesn't sound right or make sense, get another opinion.
8.  Don't think you are indispensable at your work place.   
9.  If you pay income taxes, it means you are making money.
10.  Once you have made your point, stop talking. 

Strength in Weakness

I had a friend ask the question, "Is the common saying 'God will not give you more than you can handle' a Biblical statement?"  I thought I would share what I wrote to her, so my response is below:

Here are some thoughts related to the question you posed. I think we are given more than we can handle by ourselves everyday. From a very practical standpoint, we enlist the services of physicians, attorneys, counselors, accountants, engineers, plumbers, electricians, IT people, designers, etc. because we do not have expertise in all of those areas and cannot possibly do everything alone.  There is nothing wrong with not being able to handle something ourself. We are built for community and to lean on each other and the Lord for strength. Seeking help is not wimpiness, it is wisdom. I am still actively learning this.

Many people commonly rephrase/misquote another area in the Bible by saying, "when I am weak, then He is strong," but that is not what the Scripture says. Instead it says "For when I am weak, then I am strong." He doesn't become stronger in my weakness (He is already strong), but it is in my weakness that I can acknowledge His strength, and I am able to more fully appreciate the depths of His love, mercy, and grace.
On a personal note, the Lord has been showing me more and more of my own weakness, both physically and emotionally, over the past 8+ months--this has been quite a journey. Last month during a very low moment where I was feeling frustrated with the pain and weakness in my leg and the emotions that went with it, my physical therapist said to me, "You are strong." Then my trainer said the same thing to me shortly thereafter. They were seeing strength in me that I certainly did not see or feel. So I hope it encourages you to know that even when you feel weak, others see the strength you carry because you are filled with the power of the Holy Spirit.

"But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong." (2 Corinthians 12:9-10).

Saying Goodbye

Today I go back to the US after three weeks in South Africa.  It is an amazingly beautiful place.  The weather has been fantastic as it is summer here in the Southern Hemisphere.  It is actually hard to believe it is really December.

Saying goodbye is never easy.  I am leaving a wonderful family who is doing a good work here.  Building relationships and then leaving is not fun, but it is better to have built the relationships and say goodbye than to have never known such remarkable people.  I am blessed even in saying goodbye.  Love continues and is not confined to our physical boundaries.  We will meet again.

The silver lining is that I will be saying hello to my fabulous friends back home.  

People are People

I write this in South Africa as I am watching the waves from the Atlantic Ocean crash onto the shore.  A few years ago, I set a goal to travel somewhere abroad each year and called them "perspective trips."  Since 2005, I have met this goal except for one year (2009) where I couldn't leave because of work.  The trips have been to Africa, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia.  I have observed much cultural diversity, but one of the things that has been consistent throughout my journeys is that people are still people.  

We have emotional, physical, and spiritual needs.  We all feel joy, excitement, sadness, loneliness, and pain.  We are prone to selfishness and other sinful behaviors.  People are people. 

What I have seen in each culture is that we still need to fight for Godliness in our surroundings.  Even though initially the behaviors may look a little different because of the cultural strongholds, we are all fighting the battles in the spiritual realm. "For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places." (Ephesians 6:12 ESV)

Sometimes we get the idea that we need to go to the other side of the world and suffer in order to truly live for Jesus.  However, the best and most effective place for each of us is to be where God has called us.  Sometimes he calls us to a place for a long time and sometimes it is for just a short visit, but if we are listening and obedient to His voice, we can journey in joy.

Storm Clouds

I wrote this one week ago while I was on a very long flight.  At the time I wrote this, Israel was being barraged with rockets.

Have you been taking note of the events in Israel lately?  It seems like the news reports are a coming directly out of the Prophets.  Events are intensifying.   I notice that many people want to ignore what is happening in Israel, but the events there are not insignificant.  It is easier and more comfortable to sleep or be entertained than to be watching and praying, but we need to be on alert.

Things seem so dark and threatening, but even with storms on the horizon I know who walks with me.  I wrote this poem when during my freshman year in college after I had a vision.  I can still see the vision, and the best way for me to describe it is by sharing this poem with you.  

Storm clouds shake
As raindrops mingle with tears
Then it stops.
There is darkness all around
Yet I have to squint as I look up
And you reach down, smile, and hold my hand.         Copyright 1996

This picture of the Lord smiling and holding my hand in the middle of darkness and difficulty has brought me much comfort.  I hope it will do the same for you.

If you are reading this post and do not know Jesus as Lord of your life, today is the day to do that.  Your life will be changed.  Do not delay.  Believe and receive the good news that Jesus (Yeshua) died for you so that you might have eternal life.  

Strength Reality Check

I want to be strong.  We work very hard to be strong, to not show our weaknesses, and when our weaknesses are exposed our egos are bruised.  Just watch children on a playground saying, "you can't hurt me" while they bite their lips to keep from crying.

This week I had a strength reality check (or maybe I should say a weakness reality check).   I was tested by doing a series of functional movements to see which exercise class I would be able to take.  The results were less than stellar.  My strength and flexibility were not good enough to join a class, but will require one-on-one sessions.  This was a bit of an ego-burster--just when I thought I was doing pretty well. 

The truth hurts, but it helps us grasp reality. 

This was another way for the Lord to speak to me about my weakness (physically, emotionally, and spiritually).  He has been speaking to me about weakness for several months, and it continues to be the message of the day (I guess I haven't fully grasped it yet).  Even the sermons at my congregation have been on this topic for the past several weeks.   I need to acknowledge my weaknesses and rely on His strength.

We are not self-sufficient.  We cannot do everything on our own.  We need help.  Recognizing our dependency on the Lord is critical.   "Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall."  (1 Corinthians 10:12 ESV)


"For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked."   (Revelation 3:17 ESV)

"But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong."  (2 Corinthians 12:9-10 ESV)

Taped Up

I had a minor setback earlier this week.  Actually, it happened the previous week.  I was having a hard time sitting for more than 20 minutes at a time because of pain in right side.  I thought it might go away and was inclined to ignore it and tough it out, but I thought maybe this wasn't the best idea.  Last Monday, I was able to get an appointment with my PT and she found that my right sacroiliac joint was stuck, which was causing me the pain.  She got me reset, and then taped my back for a few days.  Wow, I had no idea that a couple pieces of tape across my low back could actually make such a difference in helping me feel more stable, and it was a great reminder for me to sit straight.  The tape is now removed, and I am trying to continue having better posture, so hopefully I don't end up in that place again.  I have to focus in order to counteract the learned behavior of slouching.

I am reminded of how we can get stuck in our spiritual lives and sometimes need a little help from a friend to get us moving again.  We also need some "tape" in our lives to remind us to stay walking on the straight and narrow path.  Maybe this is reading or reciting Scripture or even putting it on your wall.  Maybe this is listening to worship music or meeting with a prayer group.  We all need let ourselves be reminded, so we will continue walking in God's truth.  Life will be better in the long run even though the discipline is not easy.      

"You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates."  (Deuteronomy 6:5-9 ESV) 

Waiting on Promises

Over the past two weeks, I had two different people (who don't know each other) in two different circumstances tell me that they felt like they had a word from the Lord for me--they said the same thing.  This certainly made me sit up and take notice.  One person saying something is reason to pause and listen, but having it confirmed by someone else in a totally unrelated situation is reason to really pay attention.  

One of the first things I thought was, "What am I supposed to do about that?"  For what reason were these individuals given this insight to give to me?  Should I do something to help it along?  

A friend of mine reminded me of the passage in Genesis where Sarai offers Hagar to Abram, so that Abram will have an heir.  (An interesting side note is that this was also the Torah portion for the week, and I ended up leading a Bible study on it this weekend.)  Anyway, regarding the Sarai, Abram, and Hagar situation, I have commonly thought, "How could they be so silly?"  If God promised an heir, then He was going to do it.  However, looking at the timeline of the first promise of an heir to Abram until Isaac was born as at least 14 years.  That puts things in a slightly different light.  God's timeline is so different from ours. 

I don't know why God made Abraham wait so long for a promise that Abram probably perceived as happening immediately.   Perhaps Sarai and Abram thought that they needed to help it happen.  I can imagine them discussing this promise from God and saying, "Maybe God told us about having an heir, so we would try another approach to make it happen."  We don't know how long they waited before coming up with the Hagar plan, but it may have been a few years.

So, I write this to say that waiting for God to do what He has promised can be difficult--especially when we are so accustomed to getting things very quickly.  I need to remind myself to not try to get ahead of God with my ideas.  Perhaps God gives us a preview, so when it comes to pass, we will know it is was not just a fluke, but a carefully planned event from above. 


"And we desire each one of you to show the same earnestness to have the full assurance of hope until the end, so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises."  (Hebrews 6:11-12 ESV)