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.)

The Mighty Saguaro

You can always tell a newcomer to Arizona when they pronounce the saguaro cactus as "sa-goo-row" instead of the proper, "suh-whar-oh" with the accent on the middle syllable. It's almost unforgivable when a new weather person does this on local television. They end up apologizing with a red face.

Photo taken at the Lake Pleasant Visitors' Center

The saguaro is a magnificent phenomenon found only in the Sonoran Desert--that is in Arizona, northern Mexico, and just a smidgen in southeastern California. It's the mother of all cacti and the one seen on countless photos trying to lure visitors to the Southwest. I've lived in Arizona over forty years and I still am amazed at their stature and uniqueness.

Some interesting trivia (in case you ever compete on Jeopardy):

• most saguaros develop arms as they grow older, as many as 25
• beneath their prickly outer shell is a wooden spine, hollow in order to hold water
• they are slow growers--1/2 inch a year and live to be about 200 years old
• they grow in a very limited span of elevation, 200-foot window, I think
• they produce white, waxy flowers in the spring and red fruit in the late summer
• they obtain most of their moisture during the summer monsoons and very little from the more frequent but weaker winter rains
• their roots are shallow, 4 to 6 inches deep, and radiate out as far as they are tall
• they have one tap root which goes deeply into the ground--2 feet
• birds and owls make nests in the crook of a saguaro's arm (cactus wren is the Arizona state bird)
• when they die, the wooden spines are used to make furniture, fences, roofs, etc.
• it is against the law in Arizona to kill a saguaro

Well now, using this stately plant as a metaphor for living the Christian life is just too easy, but I'll go there anyway. 

If we are to exist in a harsh world (the desert) we must accumulate nourishment (water in the hollow cavity of the cactus). We must grow our roots deep into God's word, his instruction manual (the tap root), and we must be patient to grow steadily (1/2 inch a year).

We could get really sappy and consider the importance of growing arms, reaching out to others, but that makes even me gag. Metaphors can be overdone and I'm sure the saguaro cactus is sick of being held up as a model for strong Christian living. We could also point out the obvious:  we produce beauty in our lives (white, waxy flowers) and produce results from our testimonies (summertime fruit).

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control." (Galatians 5: 22-23)

The one fact, however, that surprises me is that they obtain most of their water to store up for survival from the rainstorms of the ridiculously harsh summer, not the rains of the comfortable winter climate. Obviously, God created them to adapt to and endure the desert.

What does that say about us? Growth in God is a major theme of this blog and I know from personal experience, God grows me more fully during the times of distress and tragedy in my life than in the relaxed times of comfort and peace. I'm always striving for peace but he speaks to my heart and teaches me to rely on him during those awful times--times I'd rather do without.

So, Mighty Cactus. I admire your strength, uniqueness, survive-ability, longevity, and even your strange beauty. I must remember to burrow my tap root deep into the Word of God and seek my nourishment from him through study and prayer. Maybe I can even get to the point of being grateful for those tough times when God teaches me the most. Hmmm. Don't know if I'm there yet.

"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." (1 Thessalonians 5 16-18)

I think they look like whiskers on the hillside

Some perspective on their enormous size

For more fascinating information on this strange plant go to http://www.dbg.org/



If Southwestern gardening interests you, go to a friend's blog at www.azbackyardeden.blogspot.com
She is a master gardener and her backyard is 
 incredible. 


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"Carry One Another's Burdens"

Do you attend a support group for a problem you’re struggling with? Such groups are valuable if they lead to growth and are not merely sessions of re-hashing old grievances.

We get social support from friends and family in many ways. It may be:

• Coffee with a friend
• Game of pick-up basketball, racquetball, pickle ball (yes, there is such a thing)
• Book club
• Work or volunteer project
• Calls, texts, e-mails
• Visits to your hospital bed or waiting room

Social interaction is vital to our survival in a very brutal world. Treasure your groups of friends or family.


God’s Support Group

What would it be like to be a part of a support group made up of characters from the Bible? Imagine sitting in a circle in the basement of a drafty old church drinking terrible coffee from Styrofoam cups and sizing up the other members of the group:

Hmm. Who is that old guy with the beard and long stick in his hand? His name tag reads Moses. Wonder what his problem is?

And the young man with an eagerness about him? Timothy says his “Hi, my name is…..” sticker. Next to him is another old guy—A. Paul (the A stands for Apostle). They seem to be friends because Paul keeps chatting in Timothy’s ear. Quite a talker, that one. Timothy is attentive but I did see him roll his eyes once when Paul wasn’t looking.

Not many women in this group, other than the classy one with a regal appearance and good posture. She has two names on her tag:  Sarai – Sarah. There is an elderly woman with a wrinkled face. What did she endure to earn such a time-worn countenance? Her name is Jochabed and she must be important to Moses because he is very attentive, re-filling her coffee cup and adjusting her shawl.

The list could go on but you get the drift. The Bible is full of rich characters who relied on God. Wouldn’t it be terrific to select the character who suffered what we currently deal with and sit next to them for a one-on-one? We could ask how they stayed strong in their walk of faith.

That is precisely what we can do when we study people in the Bible. God teaches us through stories of ordinary folks who chose to follow him.

There are several good online resources to help us research Biblical characters:

www.universalteacher.org.uk/bible/biblepeople.htm

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_major_biblical_figures 
www.encinardemamre.com/en/People_and_characters_in_the_Bible.html

Also, the back of your favorite Bible, the one with pages, might have a good Subject Index that lists names, places, and topics.

Check out this list of issues and characters:

Physical, emotional tragedy - Job
Fear - Caleb, Joshua, Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego, Daniel, the boy David
Depression - Elijah, King David
Sin & Remorse - David, Peter
Shady Past - Paul, woman at the well
Out of Comfort Zone/Inadequacy - Timothy, Moses
Difficult or Dangerous Task - Ananias, Esther, Mary
Sending Children off (Empty Nest) - Jochebed, Mary
Rebellious Children - David (Absalom), Prodigal Son & Waiting Father parable
Swinging Emotions - David & the Psalmists
Following others' Leadership - Sarah, Ruth
Worry - Jesus (Sermon on the Mount)

The search will benefit you and you’ll enjoy visiting with your new group of friends.

Hope the coffee’s fresh!

Greetings!

Welcome to my blog. I'm venturing into unknown territory here so please be patient with my learning curve. I am determined to produce something of value for anyone taking the time to read what I share. My goal is to help readers deal with life's issues by leading them to trust God who cares and understands.

• Growth is important. When something or someone ceases to grow, stagnation sets in. It's important for plants, people, and organizations to keep improving. My posts will focus on a person's development in his or her walk with God. The process is sometimes painful, sometimes happy, but always beneficial if it leads to knowing him more fully. I welcome you to join me on an adventurous journey of growth.

• Why should you read my blog? Ouch. Valid question. The answer centers on who I am:  a Christian woman with a faith strengthened through surviving various stages and issues of this thing called life. I do best when I remember to rely on God and his resources. The Bible has long guided me and prayer has sustained me through the curve balls life has thrown. I'm a wife, a mother of four grown children, a grandma of ten, a former high school teacher, and a writer. I've experienced the life of a stay-at-home mom as well as that of a full-time educator. I've done it all, just not all at the same time. 

• You, my readers, are very busy people and I hope to respect your limited time. You are most likely stressed, overworked, over-scheduled, wearing too many hats, trying to do it all, and needing to survive various problems or situations. Here is the good news:  the Bible has answers for whatever issue you are facing in modern life. Really. Convincing you of that is one thing I hope to accomplish through these writings. Stay with me long enough to see for yourself and then proceed on your exciting journey to grow with God.

Thank you for investing your time in reading this blog. I promise to make it worthwhile.

"The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth."

(Psalm 145: 18)