WWJP?

Lately I’ve been considering my social networking time.  There’s a really good reason why we’ve never had video games or cable TV at home.  Addicting.  I’m sorry to say that after all these years I have still been unable to set good boundaries with my personal entertainment, so I’ve found a workaround – don’t have it available.  The few leisure activities I do have are enough to fill endless hours if I allow it.  

One of those activities is checking and posting on FaceBook.  It’s fun and seems harmless enough.  Today I started to wonder though – What Would Jesus Post?  I have an eclectic group of friends (loose term here) on FB.  They are all harmless I believe and I don’t really take an issue with anyone.  If I did, I’d simply “unfriend” them.

Instead, the thought came to mind that as a Christian, I need to be careful of what I say, how I say it, and speak up in love when something is just wrong.  I have a hard time doing this so instead, I just try to ignore a post and wait for others to take its place.  Sometimes this works, sometimes not.  The ones that especially get me are the “Please copy and post to your page if….”  I don’t know who starts these, but I hate to see them coming.  I don’t have a lot of FB friends (83 is minimal compared to most people) but even so, there are some posts that come my way that make me cringe.

If Jesus were alive today would he have time to FB?  Maybe – it would be a great way to get a message out there!  But then again, he was more of a face-to-face kind of guy who took his time really getting to know people and making a real difference in their lives.  But let’s just say for the sake of argument that he has a page out there and has access to mine (he really does anyway, you know??). 

Posts that attack a specific group of people are probably top on my list of “dislike”.  I don’t care what your political beliefs are, and you are certainly entitled to them, just as I am to mine.  But when you take on a whole group of people, nothing really good can come from it.   All Republicans are not alike.  All Democrats are not alike.  All Arabs are not alike.  All Mexicans are not alike.  All Americans are not alike.  Taking it a little further –Not all illegal immigrants are criminals. Not all American citizens are law-abiding.  Not all Christians are Christ-like. 

 

Political rants that attack one party or one candidate are by default ignorant.  Yes- I said it.  Ignorant.  You cannot possibly speak on behalf of an entire group of diverse people.  Unless you are ranting about yourself as a candidate or elected official, you probably don’t know the whole story and while you can and should make informed decisions, labeling people is just wrong.

I don’t know the answer to the Miss America all-time question regarding World Peace.  But I do know that we get further away from it every time we carelessly dash an entire group of people to the rocks without considering who they are as individuals.  I don’t believe Jesus would post comments about the fall of America and blame it on illegal aliens.  I’m pretty sure he also wouldn’t condone the posting of profanity or lewd comments and photos, but I’ll save that topic for another day

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My prayer for today:  Jesus, help me to consider my words, my thoughts and my actions BEFORE I hit the “Comment” button.  Remind me to ask WWJP.  Amen.

Today is the first day of the rest of...

Everyone has heard the phrase - "Today is the first day of the rest of your life".  It's supposed to remind us that each day represents a forward-looking opportunity and reminds us that our yesterdays are history.  Well - there are some days that truly are landmarks of change in our lives.  I had one this week.

Sara married her best friend on Friday night.  We have spent a little more than a year preparing for this day, and even then, the last few hours were packed with last-minute activities.  The wedding was beautiful, so many great friends and family were there, and it truly was a magical evening.

Saturday morning brought the realization that with all the festivities finished, a little reflection might be in order.  Being a great procrastinator, I decided to wait a day and spent Saturday in my own personal rehab mode.  Today I'm ready to consider the future and contemplate what might come next.

The answer:  Nothing comes to mind.  I'm in a short lull -  when the kids return from their honeymoon, they will be packing up and moving to South Carolina.  I think when that happens, maybe the reality that change is in the air will hit.  For now, I'm coasting in neutral.  I think that is okay.  Sometimes we need to just idle and take a 360 view of what surrounds us.  I don't feel pressured to go in one particular direction.  I know that when the time comes, I'll make some decisions that will certainly alter the course I've been on for the past 24 years.  But in the meantime, I'm going to enjoy the scenery and appreciate the joy that comes from knowing you did an okay job of raising a pretty great girl!

A Long Time Coming

To my young friends out there- growing up is a life-long process.  It is not something you achieve.  I've learned this lesson many times in the brief weeks of 2011. 

The year started with the sudden death of my oldest brother.  He was a complicated man who appeared to be one way to the public, but had some dark demons that left their marks on those closest to him.  I learned that no matter what we try to tell ourselves, our actions have life-long consequences, whether good or bad, and they always affect others around us. 

Within a week of my brother's death, some really difficult things happened in my spiritual life.  God allowed me to see things up close that challenged me to not just see but to act.  In the company of other grounded Christians, I did take a stand and the price was high.  However, God is so faithful; He gave me courage and strength to get through some difficult days and nights.  I learned that even when you can't see where the road leads, you have to be faithful to follow.

In the midst of that challenge, my health took a tough turn.  A sinus and ear infection invaded my life and for almost 6 weeks, I have been less than myself.  I'm now coming out to the other side and am appreciating the health that I do have and looking forward to enjoying life again.

Last week my future son-in-law took a bad fall and sits now with a fractured tibia, waiting for the doctor's decision regarding surgery or no surgery.  He is dependent on others for the basic things in life.

Through all of this the lesson has been clear- trust and rely on God for your strength and He will not fail you.  Difficult times are certainly going to come.  We don't see them around the corner, but they are there.  Maturity happens when you navigate those difficult times, trusting God to guide your steps.  He will bring new people into your life and may remove others.  In any case, His will is perfect. 

Putting on the armor of faith protects us from the slings and arrows of this world.  I highly recommend that you seek that armor out, polish it up and put it on!  In the end, it will be the protection that never fails you.

Long time no see....

Can you really be a blogger if you only post randomly?  It isn't that I don't have thoughts...it's more like I have too many of them to sift through and try to make any sense out of them!  I have an ADD mind - it goes here for a moment, then heads over there, makes a u-turn, and starts down yet another path. 

Today I'm enjoying some quiet time with a little Mozart in the background, pondering the future.  I still see so many possibilities for when I grow up, but seriously...when do we get to the point where we say "I'm all grown up now"?  For me, I don't see that day coming any time soon.  There are just too many possibilities!

In the last few months, my sisters and I embarked on a crazy path based on a pure whim!  We saw an interesting lamp in a shop and thought....we could do that.  And low and behold...we did!  Well....not so much we as in one of us did most of the work, but we are all contributing in different ways.  The end result- some of these lamps are now in a shop in Vista on consignment.  What if we hit it big?  What if Oprah sees one and asks us to come on her show?  What if Donald Trump wants to be an investor?  See what I mean?  The possibilities are endless!

The other trail leads in a totally different direction.  I attended a Christian-based conference for school board members on governance that was truly awesome.  That sent me down this trail that I've started down before but never made it very far.  I want to do some consulting for groups who have issues with communication, conflict (not how to cause it - we have plenty of that!), time-management, and any other thing that keeps a group from going somewhere great!   My future son-in-law has given me the name of my business -Second Street Consulting.  Doesn't that sound classy?  What if Oprah wants me on her show?  What if Donald Trump wants to meet me?  See where this is going yet???

Sometimes that strength of Ideation is a killer.  So many ideas, so little time....

Let Freedom Ring

“He is sifting out the hearts of men before His judgment seat”…we sang these words in church this morning in honor of the 4th. They are from The Battle Hymn of the Republic. I have been “sifting” thoughts lately and finally pulled out some thoughts to share.


As Americans, we can celebrate the many hard-won freedoms we have as a result of those who valiantly fought, and often died, in service. We can celebrate our freedoms, wave the flag, light some fireworks, and think of our soldiers in far-off places today. We can lay wreaths at the graves of those who paid the ultimate price, and cry a tear as we grieve their loss.


As Christians, we can also celebrate freedom today. We can choose to honor a God who has made this country strong. We can worship freely (for now) and live a life that reflects the ultimate sacrifice that Jesus made – one man on one cross for all who live, died, and for those to come.


Sometimes the freedoms of country and Christ conflict. When they do, we have to decide which is more important. We scream about our freedom of speech – the right to say whatever we want, whether in public, in private, or in print. We will not be told to watch our language, to consider what our words might say to others, or to give thought before we speak. No – we speak to be heard. The freedom in Christ is the freedom to use words that honor and encourage; they are words that do not blaspheme; they are words that are carefully chosen to reflect who we are as part of the body of Christ. They are words that encourage others to ask about this God we serve.


The apostle Paul said he was free to do all things; but not all things were useful in his ministry. In Christ, there is nothing in creation that is inherently evil. However, there are certainly things that can be abused, misused, and twisted to cause others to stumble. We live in a country today that screams about the freedom to use chemicals and substances to enhance our performance, to make us feel better, to help us relax, or just to have fun. We say we aren’t hurting anyone, but is that true? Our children are watching and learning. Our friends and co-workers who have heard our Christian testimony also hear us talking about how hard we partied and see our images online that reflect our behavior as we take advantage of these freedoms. We profess our faith on Sundays and profane it with our freedoms the rest of the week.


Some contemporary writers who profess Christ omit important parts of the gospel in their works. They speak of a God who loves but rarely of one who judges. They cleverly weave their words to lull us into thinking we have permission to live to a lower calling rather than to strive to the highest. Our American freedoms should never be taken for granted. But one day, we will no longer subject to them. My freedom in Christ is eternal and I need to live today as if I really believe that.


I’ll close with the opening line – “He is sifting out the hearts of men before His judgment seat….Our God is marching on!”


Here’s a red, white and blue food tip today: Take some raspberries, blackberries (these are really dark blue in my book!) and sprinkle with sugar – place in freezer for 1 hour and then enjoy!!!

Change Is In the Air

In a little more than a year, life will change in a big way.  Sara is engaged and with a lot of love and prayer, will be married in 2011.  While it sounds far enough away, the time will fly by.  There will be hours of planning, shopping, decisions to be made, decisions to change, people to see, and much to collect in the way of memories.

After the big day, however, a new chapter of life begins. Most of the time, you hear about how the lives of 2 single people change when they marry.  No one talks about the life of a parent who gives away that most precious of all gifts, a daughter, to a young man who will command her love and attention.

I don't want to start whining, but the movie What About Bob comes to mind here.  Bill Murray plays a funny nut case who drives his psychiatrist, played by Richard Dreyfuss, to extreme measures.  Throughout the movie, Murray's character asks "what about me?".  And that's sometimes how I feel.  What about me?  I've spent the past 24 years raising a pretty challenging little girl into an amazing young woman, and now that most of my work is done, what's next?

They say life is scary when you get married and start a new life.  I can tell you - life is just as scary when you're on the other end of that deal - so I'm planning to hang on tight and see where this roller coaster takes me next!