Develop a Meaningful Devotional Life Painlessly

I've taken the liberty to re-publish a previous post (this first appeared inSeptember). I feel it coincides nicely with what I posted a few days ago about meditation.


I've come to two conclusions:

1. I am a Mary forced to live as a Martha. I would relish the opportunity to sit at Jesus' feet and learn from him but most of my life I've been called to cook and serve and then clean up.
2. Monks have it easy because their lives are centered on contemplation, studying the Word of God, and praying. I know they perform important tasks in many areas of service but their main focus is worship.

 All Christians struggle to develop the habit of meeting with God regularly. That is where real worship and growth take place and yet we find it difficult to schedule. It was especially true for me during the busy years of managing family life, running a home, and teaching school. 


Here are some things I learned:

• Baby Steps. Try scheduling a time for reading the Bible and prayer once a week. Then make it twice, working up to every day or almost every day.
• No Guilt. Think of this as a special time with Someone who loves you deeply--an appointment.
• Make it Pleasant. The setting can be a familiar, comfortable place or a different place each time. If a cup of coffee or tea or a cookie makes it nice, then indulge.
• Adapt to your Schedule. When raising four young children, I could barely greet the morning chaos with any semblance of alertness. Often I had my devotional time at 11 or 12:00 at night, long after the family was tucked into their beds. When all the kids reached school age, mid-morning worked for me until I started teaching. Then it was that dreaded 5:15 a.m. time, that actually grew to be quite effective.
• Be creative:
• Let your car become a Chapel on Wheels as you listen to audio versions of the Bible. A good one is Word of Promise Audio Bible with Jim Caviezel reading the words of Jesus. This is an excellent dramatic presentation with sound effects and a musical score accompanying 600 professional readers. It can be downloaded or purchased at www.FaithPlanet.com
• Take 15 minutes of your lunch break to read and pray. One of  my fellow teachers at a large public high school sat at a picnic table eating lunch and reading his Bible every day.
• Walk and meditate during your lunch break. Scripture verses on index cards enable you to walk, read, and pray all at the same time.
• Combine a devotional time with whatever exercise program you endure.
• Think of one 30-minute activity you can give up for your appointment with God:  television, computer time, sleep, etc.

 

A family of quail that visited my backyard during my morning devotional time on the patio.

Helpful Resources

Devotional Books:

• Jesus Calling by Sarah Young
• Our Daily Bread - www.odb.org
• Words of Hope - www.woh.org
• Meeting God in Quiet Places by F. LaGard Smith
• My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers
• Online devotionals by your favorite Christian author or speaker

Something happens along the way and your time of devotions becomes a Holy Habit, something you look forward to as pleasant rather than a chore.

You really miss it when you miss it!

 

"The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing." (Zephaniah 3: 17)


Remember:  No guilt, just steady effort. You will benefit and God will smile. 



(Let me know through your comments what works for you and I will share it in a future post.)

A New Trend

I smiled and rolled my eyes when I heard about one of the newest trends. Actually, it is one re-hashed many times over, and that is, meditation. An author recently was interviewed about his new book that chronicles his improved life since he started meditating every day. "Yes," he writes. "It changed my life."

In another instance, I read that some schools in San Francisco are requiring students to spend 30 minutes each day, in class, meditating. Who is the idiot who dreamed that one up? One more requirement for the classroom teacher to enforce!

I can just imagine my former students, all high school seniors, "meditating" 30 minutes in my English classroom. Come to think of it, maybe some were meditating when they fell asleep during my Shakespeare lessons.

At the elementary level, how in the world do you get young children to sit still and concentrate on something (on what?) for 30 minutes? And who's to say any educator is broad-based enough to respect all faiths when directing his/her students in a time of meditation?

God's Advice:

I always chuckle when I read advice from modern writers that reflects something God teaches in the Bible.

For instance, the vegetarian diet can be traced back to the Garden of Eden, before meat was introduced into mankind's menu. Likewise, the value of healthy eating and exercise easily can be seen in the famous story of Daniel and his friends in the lions' den and the flaming furnace of King Darius.

Many mental health issues are addressed in the Psalms and the book of Proverbs. The Sermon on the Mount gives good advice on living a life of Godly principles. All the teachings in the Bible are designed for our benefit. It shows us how to live on earth and how to experience eternity in the presence of God. It's the best psychology/sociology book we'll ever read.


People of faith have been doing meditation for centuries. It's called Daily Devotions or Quiet Time with God, or whatever you call your time of reading the Bible and praying. It is the most beneficial meditation you'll ever do and it doesn't even require deep breathing or a strange yoga position or weird background music. All you need is your Bible and your time.

 Focusing on God and his goodness is extremely beneficial. Try it and it surely,

"Will change your life."

 

 

Next Post: Some helps for a rich devotional life.

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Parenting Styles

I came across a new term recently: "Free-range Parenting." According to the news report, it's an answer to the Helicopter Parents' Syndrome. What a hoot. Free-range makes it sound like Mom and Dad are raising chickens.

A family in Maryland is in trouble with Child Protective Services because they allow their two young children to walk a mile to school, passing a large park along the way. The mom was interviewed and vowed they would fight their right to teach their children street smarts and independence at an early age.

I'm not getting in on the argument, but I will caution those of us in the older generation who have already raised our families.

Be careful about labeling or criticizing the young parents who are currently in the throes of the most difficult job in the world.

It's so easy to slap a label on someone (like Helicopter or Free-range) without remembering the stress of dealing with the very real issues of home life. It's like, "We've raised ours, now we get to criticize the way you're raising yours."

Note to friends in my generation: don't ever forget how tough it was to raise children. The day to day issues as well as the large, looming, life-threatening ones. Stress, stress, stress.

Most of today's parents are doing the best they can with what they know. Let's cut them some slack.

It would have been scary if someone had labeled my parenting style. What would they call me?

• A Camouflage Parent - Recently my daughter mentioned how much freedom I gave her and her siblings in allowing them to walk quite a long way, through some alleys, to their elementary school. What she didn't know as a child and what I confessed to her, was that I followed along, discreetly hiding in bushes while watching the children walk to school each morning. When I knew they were close to the schoolyard, I turned around and went back home. I told her, "Honey, there were lots of moms hopping from bush to bush." Wouldn't Bil Keane, the cartoonist, have had a field day drawing a picture of that image?

• I-Think-I'm-In-Control-But-I'm-Not Parent - When our adult kids gather, it's fun but a little frightening to hear the stories of their childhood antics--those things their dad and I didn't know about. It's amazing they all survived. I thought I knew what was going on in our home but there are some genuine surprises. Whew.

• We Made Our Mistakes in Love Parent - This is probably the most accurate label for our parenting. We made mistakes, lots of mistakes, even after reading all the pop-psychology books on raising children. But...we always loved the little turkeys and whatever mistakes were made, they were cushioned by unconditional love. If my children know that, then we did our job.

 Involvement vs. Independence

It's very difficult for parents of any generation to be involved in their children's lives and yet give them the gift of independence. My heart goes out to you who are struggling with this right now.

Perhaps a good resource is to look to God for real parenting advice. After all, he is the Perfect Parent:

• He gives us unconditional love
• He gives us free will
• He gives us protection
• He is involved in our lives
• He gives us second, third, fourth, etc. chances for do-overs

Homework Assignment:  Read the parable of the Prodigal Son [Daughter] in Luke 15: 11-32.

The parable really should be titled, "The Parable of the Waiting Father.

(Book recommendation from a reader: Prodigal God by Tim Keller)

 (Feel free to share this post with someone struggling in the task of raising children.)

People are More Important than Things

 A lesson from my past followed by a wonderful recipe:

            Crash! As soon as the soapy antique china platter I was drying slipped from my young hands, I knew there was not going to be a good ending. Sure enough, it shattered into tiny pieces with shards flying all over my elderly Great Aunt Lona’s kitchen.

            My heart sank and my eyes quickly filled with tears—tears I tried desperately to stifle. My mother, who was hand washing the dishes, gasped and stared at me with a wide-eyed look of silent shock.

            I was ten years old, an awkward young girl in the clumsy, prepubescent state of development. My parents and I had driven from our home in Ohio to Virginia to pick up my grandfather and take him to Florida so he could visit his siblings, whom he hadn’t seen in ages. It was a memorable trip for him but also for me because I got to see Florida and to meet Aunt Lona and Uncle Den for the first and only time. They were Granddad’s brother and sister, neither who ever married. I knew them from family stories shared around the dinner table and from their letters (sent snail-mail, of course).

            Believe it or not, it was interesting to meet these relatives and especially to watch the three old siblings interact. They were quite lively and their eyes twinkled as they shared antics of their growing up years. I didn’t know my reserved Southern Gentleman grandfather could laugh so much.

            And then I dropped the dish. It was antique, like most everything in Lona’s house, and possibly very valuable. It probably belonged to her dead mother or grandmother, I thought, making myself even more miserable.

            “Oh, Honey,” said Aunt Lona, noticing my distress. “Don’t you fret. That old thing? I’ve been trying to get rid of it for years!” I couldn’t believe my ears. My mother, who hadn’t said a word, let out her breath and I choked and sniffled, still trying not to cry. My aunt’s response amazed me. Her kindness warmed me, even though I was very embarrassed.

            I never saw Aunt Lona again after that trip but, of course, I’ve always remembered her lovingly. Her legacy lives on in our family through her recipe for delicious Pound Cake. This Southern classic has a truly wonderful taste and texture because it contains half a pound (why not a whole—“pound” cake?) of rich, cholesterol-laden, artery-clogging creamy butter, lots of fresh eggs, and enough sugar to gag a hummingbird. However, as delicious as her pound cake recipe is, I remember Aunt Lona for recognizing a ten-year old girl’s feelings are far more important than any possession, no matter how valuable. The fact I recall it now, many decades later, indicates it is an important incident in my life.

When must I practice her philosophy?

My time, agendas, and material possessions are too often seen as precious commodities and so I need to remember Aunt Lona’s message when:

• a friend calls with a problem, interrupting an already over-scheduled day
• when an elderly person shares details of a story I’ve heard a zillion times
• when I break or lose something of sentimental value, like my late mother’s delicate china teacups
• when a teenaged son or daughter wants to talk far into the night altering my plan for a good night’s sleep
• when a little one comes charging with muddy feet across my just-scrubbed kitchen floor to show me a butterfly on his finger
• when a spouse deserves my attention more than a phone call or a hobby or a television show
• when a family member backs the car out of the garage and hits the second family car parked in the driveway (it’s been done!)
• when a child needs me to drop whatever I’m doing and give him or her my undivided devotion.

Thank you, Aunt Lona, for teaching me people really are more important than things.

Southern Pound Cake

(Alona Faris)

5eggs                           ¼ t. salt

1 2/3 C. sugar              2 C. flour

½ lb. butter                  1 t. vanilla

            Set eggs and butter on counter to have at room temperature. Cream butter and sugar; add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each egg. Add flour gradually. Add salt and vanilla. Bake 1 hour at 350° in buttered non-stick angel food pan. (If using Bundt pan, bake approximately 45 minutes.)

Stay Healthy in 2015

Well, Reader-friends. You are quite an active bunch. Last week I asked for your input about different ways you exercise to keep the tickers going strong and the muscles toned. (Maybe not toned but at least working at optimum level.)


Here is a list of activities I compiled from your responses:

• Tai Chi Chih - walking the dog
• (I'm assuming that's an advanced yoga position, not a cocker spaniel.)
• Swimming
• Running
• Biking
• P90X
• (The four activities above are from someone training for summer marathons. Did you get that? Marathons, plural. Torturous. I have no idea what P90X is but I gather the gym rats will know.)
• Hiking, especially the beautiful mountain trails in Arizona
• Cycling
• Biking
• (There's a huge difference between cycling and biking. I bike through the neighborhood, my son cycles on 40-mile rides, and my 60-year old neighbor cycles ten miles a day.)
• Swimming laps
• Working out at the local gym, with and without trainers
• Walking
• Measuring daily steps with a pedometer
• Ten-thousand seems to be the standard. I have a friend who is known to walk around her house just before bedtime in order to meet her goal of 10,000.

There you have it. I hope this list encourages you to take charge of your activity for 2015. God created our bodies with fantastic functioning and the more we keep things moving, the better we feel. Of course there are limitations when health issues arise, but for the most part, exercise in moderation is a good thing.

Advice from Proverbs for  you walkers and hikers:

"Let your eyes look straight ahead, fix your gaze directly before you. Make level paths for your feet and take only ways that are firm. Do not swerve to the right or to the left; keep your foot from evil." (Proverbs 4:25-27)

The Apostle Paul writes this advice to his young friend, Timothy:

"...if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not receive the victor's crown unless he competes according to the rules. (2 Timothy 2: 5)

That's for those of you who enter marathons. I know, I know. Paul was advising Timothy about staying strong in the faith, but the metaphor is interesting.

Bottom line, let's do everything we can to take care of our physical bodies, no matter what age or state they're in.

Happy and healthy 2015 to you all.

Push Yourself

Are you exercising yet? Going to the gym? Dusting off that old yoga DVD? Welcome to January.

We all play tricks to establish self-discipline as we vow to get back into an exercise routine. Years ago, when I first took up jogging, I started slowly--a half a block jogging, rest of the block walking. Gradually, I increased the jog and decreased the walk. Eventually I got up to three miles of non-stop jogging, a plan that worked for many years.

Pushing myself gradually works for me, whether it's cutting down on coffee (yes, family, I tried that once) or completing a difficult task or exercising. Now, it's a bicycle for me, thanks to a bad back and sensitive knees. Just when I feel I want to quit and go home, I ride a little bit farther. That increased effort results in more mileage and a better workout.

It works for other things, too, like difficulties in life. When you're struggling in a tough situation, it's good to remember you are capable of going a little farther, enduring a little more pain or discomfort. We have inner strength that isn't realized until we're pressed, physically or emotionally. (It's the "squeezed-grape-into-wine" metaphor at work.)

Sometimes a quote jumps out of a piece of writing and grabs me, entering my brain with force. That's how it was with Oswald Chambers' December 22nd entry in his devotional My Utmost for His Highest:

"Every man [woman] is made to reach out beyond his [her] grasp."

The message is clear:  Press on, reach down deep, endure. If you're going through a difficult, frightening, painful, or grievous situation, you have more strength than you realize. Deep within you is God's Holy Spirit providing divine strength. Call on him.

"The Lord, the Lord, is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation." (Isaiah 12: 2)

"So do not fear, for I am with  you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." (Isaiah 41: 10)

(Sidebar:  Oswald Chambers' writing is very austere and sometimes so deep I understand only every other sentence. He also has some funny British-isms that are a hoot to read but make understanding difficult. Often, though, there's a nugget that hits right to my heart, like this quote above.)

What exercise program are you vowing to take up during the new year?

Leave a comment and I'll report in a future post what readers are doing to stay healthy. Who knows, maybe it will inspire us all to try something new.


 

Second Chance for Perfection

Many years ago, I purchased a small package of erasers to replace some pencil tops. It seems my children liked to chew on brand new pencils, leaving me with bent metal bands. Sound familiar?

As I cut open the plastic wrapping, I noted this phrase on the carton: "A Second Chance for Perfection." In an instant, that company's slogan hit me as a statement of theology. That's what Jesus Christ does for me. He gives me a second chance for perfection.

I am a sinner who cannot earn life with God on my own merit. It's only through the sacrificial life, death, and resurrection of Jesus I can achieve the perfection (cleansing) that allows me to fellowship with God forever. Through him, I have that second chance. Imagine, all that on an eraser package!

What a relief to know I can share God's message with others even though my lifestyle and personality are imperfect. How cleansed and renewed I am when I reflect on all Christ does for me. I dare not ignore that second chance for perfection.

Let's praise God for his goodness to imperfect people.

If you've never fully accepted Jesus' love and forgiveness, he's holding out another opportunity to you right now. It's time. Do not wait any longer.

Hosanna People

As I browsed through a holiday craft bazaar, I spied several small, stuffed dolls hanging on a Christmas tree. They were plain little peasant ladies in burlap dresses and calico bandanas. Each carried a banner above her head reading, "Rejoice" or "Peace" or "Hallelujah." They were called Hosanna People and their message was simple, yet bold. Amid all the lovely elegant decorations, they captured my attention and spoke to my spirit.

His Banner Over Me is Love...

 Isn't that what we're called to be--Hosanna People? When I recognize who God is, then surely I must live under a banner of praise and joy. Too often the banners I carry reflect self-rightousness or unloving attitudes rather than devotion.

King David was a true Hosanna person. Psalms 146 through 150 are called the Hallelujah Psalms because each begins and ends with "Hallelujah," which means "Praise the Lord." What a fitting climax to the most meaningful songbook ever written.


Oh, that I could go through my complicated life as a simple, smiling peasant, living under a banner of praise. Join me and let's enter the new year as Hosanna People. We need it and the world needs it.

2015 will be a great year if we begin and end by praising God, and if we look to him in faith every day in between.

May you all have a blessed new year, filled with praises to God!