Praise the Lord! It's Required!

   As a normal rite of passage in the life of a missionary kid, I moved away from Honduras (home) and attended boarding school in Tennessee in 11th and 12th grades. Yes, all by myself. I assure you this was considered normal tradition, and not a disciplinary measure. Honestly! But, boy, I was heartsick! And sure missed my mom, if you must know…   
   Mr. and Mrs. Harper (not their real names) were the resident house parents of the girls’ dormitory. Much to our amusement, Mr. Harper’s perfunctory situational assessment was always, I mean, ALWAYS, “Well, Praise the Lord, Praise the Lord!” Being experts in the art of female teenage behavior, we tested Mr. Harper’s ever-present praise and worship mindset as often and as ruthlessly as possible.
   “Mr. Harper! I’ve just set fire to my room with my curling iron!” “Well, praise the Lord!” Honest to goodness, at Homecoming? For the half-time entertainment and homecoming queen coronation, Mr. Harper parachuted out of a perfectly good airplane onto the playing field. He landed directly on the 50 yard line, breaking his leg in the process. As the EMTs toted him off the field, from the stretcher he triumphantly pumped his fist in the air, smiled (or grimaced, perhaps), and shouted, “Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord!”

                    Oh Father, that hurt, that was harsh, my confidence is shaken.

     Have you ever wondered, how can I summon up wholehearted praise and worship? I hurt, Lord.
   I find useless, mind-numbing platitudes in times of sorrow distasteful and disrespectful. At my sister’s funeral? Well-intended, fine Christian folks walked up to me and said things like, “She’s in a better place,” or God needed her with Him.” Uhhh—no! I needed her here with me! A much better place would be here, with me!”
   But, this is what I’ve learned: No matter the hurt, I must praise my Father. I must thank Him, whatever the circumstances. When I am happy, I enjoy myself and praise Him. In times of pain, when I suffer, I thank God for the trials because I know, without doubt, that these difficulties will, in time, yield truly awesome results. When I hurt, I tell my Father, and my surrendered heart of worship always brings a beautiful, life-changing encounter with God. No matter what my external circumstances, God is with me and for me. He desires and commands my praise.
      Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy. (Psalm 126:5) and The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. (Psalm 34:18)
   Here is another token of assurance: We are part of Christ’s family. Have you ever been caught up in a moment of angst or really struggling, when, all-of-a-sudden, you are overcome by an unexplained warmth, calm? Someone in the Family of Christ is praying for you. You are feeling the arms of Jesus, the Great Comforter, loving you because someone, somewhere, is praying you through. So don’t give up! God WILL show up. And while you’re waiting, praise Him. Praise Him, Jesus our Blessed Redeemer.
   Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!

Notes for the Distracted

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Philippians 4:8.

   I confess. I am an easy target for the enemy. Sometimes I think I must have an enormous bull’s eye painted on my forehead.
   The enemy is fully aware of how my mind works, and offers constant distraction to my wholehearted commitment to what is true, noble, and lovely.
   That is why I am a chronic note-taker. Ideas come to me in small sparks of enlightenment and I must write them down at that precise moment or “poof!” they are gone forever.
   Then, when feeling reflective, I simply empty my Bible, pocketbooks, jeans pockets, glove compartment, and desk drawers of my bits of paper containing randomly scribbled moments of epiphany, then translate my notes into something that will stick with me for awhile…keep me committed to the Father.
   Let’s be honest--we’re all easy targets. Somewhere along the line, we’ve lost, or never acquired, the emotional resiliency God commands of us. We’ve misplaced the ability to check negative thoughts against actual facts. The enemy knows this and creates in our minds common harmful distortions: “I can’t believe I’m so stupid!” or “Ugh, I HATE me.” Or “Why is he so mean?” And before you know it, your commitment to the Father’s way begins to slip.
   He maketh me to lie down in green pastures; He leadeth me beside the still waters. Psalm 23:2
   According to my random notes, it’s a simple and liveable theory. Replace negative thoughts which are distorted, into positive reality God-based patterns. And when we’re struggling, cry to Jesus as the desperate father did:
  Right away the boy's father cried out, "I do believe! Help me overcome my unbelief!" Mark 9:24.
   The Apostle Paul was a chronic letter writer. This is what he says: I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through Him who gives me strength. Philippians 4: 12, 13
   Now, those are some notes to live by.

Living Wholeheartedly

What does “wholehearted” mean to you?


I grew up in an exciting, lively, joyful Christian missionary home in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. My mother and father are loving, generous, Godly individuals. They are living proof that Jesus lives within the hearts of men--and women! From a very early age, I acquired the talent of “blending” and behaving appropriately, and consequently became the consummate performer. Some would see that as a talent…not me. It was survival. And, I knew how to “behave,” I just didn’t know how to “feel”. My heart was never in “it”, whatever “it” was. I was simply too busy trying to blend--blending was very important!

Throughout the years, lack of introspection and reflection on my part--merely surviving and staying busy, led me down a road I would not wish on any other. Instead of a committed relationship with my Savior and Lord, I became more involved in a world that took me far away from my richly culture childhood. From one hurt to another, temporary indulgences, disposable feelings—I never experienced a committed relationship to my Savior. You know why? Because my heart was not in it. My heart wasn’t “whole”.

My heart was broken and in bondage by alcoholism, relationship toggling, bouts of depression, isolation, and abandonement issues. I couldn’t give my heart wholly to God, because my heart was shattered and numb from bad usage. I knew the words to say, I just didn’t allow myself to feel the words. I knew how to comfort others; I just didn’t know how to allow God to heal me.

It was a very painful journey, I will not lie. My eyes were opened to things I did not want to see. I didn’t like me very much. I still struggle with that. But I discovered the meaning of Wholehearted in 2008, because God healed my heart.

See, I believe that if you have a broken heart, you can’t do anything whole-heartedly. Wholehearted commitment is not an obligation; it is a privilege and an invitation to connect with our Lord through Jesus Christ. If you are truly committed to your church, your choir, your Sunday School class, your community—you are whole-heartedly committed, because you want and desperately need to nurture your relationship with the Father.

Now, daily, I remember where and how I was. I’ll never forget how He made my heart whole.

“Oh Lord, I want to serve you with all my heart…with all of my whole, healthy heart. I know where I was, I know where you’ve brought me. Thank you for your grace. Thank you for your love. Thank you for saving me and bringing me to you Lord. My deepest desire is to serve you and know you Lord. I am committed to you Lord, whole-heartedly.”

Becoming wholeheartedly committed to your life with the Father is the most liberating experience you’ll ever have.

Greater Things Are Yet to Come...My Honduras.

Aaauuuggh! I Can't Focus!

Be still and know that I am God! Psalm 46:10


It’s early morning; got my coffee, my Bible, my highlighter, my journal…kitty get off my lap, I can’t see my Bible. What in the world were my neighbors thinking, partying until 2 this morning!? March madness, or something. Kitty! Please! You’re distracting me. I’ll tell you what is distracting, it’s the sound of those neighbors of mine until 4 this morning…I wish I’d mailed that tax return in earlier, we sure could use…hey, I wonder what time mom’s doctor appointment is today? I’d like to take her and keep her company…I know I entered the time in my phone…where is my phone? I sure could have used a few more hours of sleep…if only those crazy neighbors…my goodness it’s almost 7:00, I’d better focus, have to get breakfast ready…


The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure. 1 Corinthians 10:13 NLT.


Sigh. If only my partying neighbors hadn’t just now gone to bed a little before 6 this morning, I’d be better equipped to focus on what I just read. What did I just read?


Sound familiar? Sometimes, I find it difficult staying focused on Bible passages and my conversation with the Father during my “God time”. Even worse, I am guilty of skimming the verses and then not really understanding what I just read, then have to re-read several times until the passage “gels”.


So, what to do in this era of attention deficit disorders—real, imagined or self-imposed—to stay focused during our Bible study? I pray constantly for the discipline and the tools to wholeheartedly study my Bible. I’ve taken classes, conducted research, and read books on how to better study God’s word. I recognize that I require structure and discipline in the form of devotionals, guidelines, and prayer lists. Also, I must set aside the same time each day for my Bible study. Yet, even with these tools, I find myself straying from time to time. Don’t you?


When this happens, I always gently chide myself, and bring my heart back around to the Father, remembering: the stronger my desire to enjoy my Father and His word, the more vigorously the enemy will try to steal my attention! The enemy will go to great lengths to entertain and divert my thoughts away from Jesus.


What we focus on in any given situation will determine our attitudes and our responses. We must fill our minds and hearts with the right thing: Focus on Jesus, not the circumstances around you--things left undone, chores—all of those things will happen when they are supposed to. Right here, right now, in our time with the Father, Jesus is the center of our attention.


Realistically we know that we’re unable to just focus our heart and minds at one setting and expect to be permanently locked in. Circumstances change, new diversions arise. We must bring ourselves back, front and center, in each situation, each new day. There is only one requirement for wholehearted Bible study: Jesus, Jesus, Jesus. He must be our focus.

His Word--His Voice

     I have bionic-strength hearing. Ask my husband who, much to his disappointment, is never able to startle me, and he will tell you that my hearing ability is sometimes maddening. When in a crowd, I hear bits and pieces of several different conversations, babies crying, the overhead lights buzzing, a mobile telephone on vibrate, the squeaky wheel of that one grocery cart five aisles over…I hear all of these “noises” simultaneously. It’s not uncommon for me to experience sensory overload. Today as I was wavering between gratitude for and delivery from this ability, I thought, “Lord forgive me, I don’t want to ever be out of range of Your voice!”
     Amidst the chaos and confusion, I am always able to clearly hear God’s voice in His word. Job 33:14 says, “God does speak, sometimes one way and sometimes another—even though people may not understand it.” God wishes to communicate with us through His word, to tell us His ways and His will. As new Christians we wonder how to distinguish between our thoughts and desires and God’s will. How do we know God’s will? Ephesians 5:17 admonishes disciples of Jesus Christ “Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do.”
     There is only one reason we question His will: we’re not “tuned in” to His word. Once we’ve matured in our walk with the Father we understand that God’s primary way of showing us His will is through the Bible. We must refer to His instruction not only daily, but situationally.
     Just imagine God has handed you a personal instruction manual that you must follow procedurally in order to perform your job. For each situation that arises, you must check the instruction manual. After a period of training, you begin to know His voice, and recognize an overall purpose and focus. Then, once you’ve mastered several trials and made a few errors, even a fractional detour from the manual will seem silly. God’s will is clearly defined in His manual, and He would never ask us to do something that was in violation of His instruction.


Having trouble knowing His will? Let His manual be your guide.


The Sovereign LORD has given me His words of wisdom, so that I know how to comfort the weary. Morning by morning he wakens me and opens my understanding to His will. The Sovereign LORD has spoken to me and I have listened. Isaiah 50:4,5 NLT


 

Wholehearted Prayer--Pray (Outloud) Confidently!

In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And He who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will. Romans 8:26, 27.


     Are you a good pray-outloud-er? My missionary kid peers and I didn’t call it “leading prayer.” We said that so-and-so was a great pray outloud-er. As MKs we judged our missionary “aunts and uncles” on their praying outloud abilities…this was our gauge: when their prayers vehemently called upon God’s name and scripture was quoted with sermonesque voices, frightening us or at least making us slightly squirmy, they were good outloud prayers.

   I am sadly lacking in pray outloud-er abilities. Though my faith is strong, my love for serving the Lord unquestionable, and I’m a fairly confident public speaker, I often find myself lacking confidence when asked to lead prayer in a large group. I used to frequently “borrow” prayers from The Book of Common Prayers. Did you know that The Book of Common Prayer has specific prayers for (#32) The Good Use of Leisure Time, and (#43) Rain? I’ve even sponged from #17 for Bro. Brent: The Church Musicians and Artists.
   Once, I was tasked with saying a blessing for a corporate Thanksgiving dinner, only I wasn’t allowed to use the words God, Jesus, Holy Spirit, or Son. Even The Book of Common Prayer couldn’t help me with that! As if asking me to pray outloud to a group of 200 agnostics wasn’t uncomfortable enough, I couldn’t even petition my Father! This event rated high on my “slightly squirmy” scale, for completely different reasons.
   I can only speak for myself, but I believe it’s not just speaking anxiety that makes us lose focus at the thought of praying outloud. Sometimes, our hearts condemn us…disappointment has a way of turning prayers into silence. It can be hard to pray when we are bitter and angry toward people, or when we feel that God has let us down. Other times, our lack of confidence in ourselves because of sin, past hurt or damage makes us feel less than adequate about approaching our loving Father outloud and publicly.
   In times like these, I remember, God understands our feelings. He has made a way for us to come with confidence to His throne of grace, even when we have lost confidence in our own ability to find His attention in prayer. God Himself prepares our heart to pray, the Spirit of Christ leads us to the throne of grace and keeps us there, then presents our objects of prayer, and draws our soul into deep sympathy with God.
   If we forget about trying to impress the public, and trust God’s integrity, His character, compassion, love, wisdom and righteousness, it does not matter how, when, or where we petition Him, only that we do. He knows our desires, no matter how we express ourselves. Thank you Holy Spirit!



Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow. James 1:17 NAS