fear/worry — peace/still ??

I can count on one hand the number of times that sickness has stopped my husband in his tracks.   He may get a cold or a sinus issue but he plows right through.  This past Friday afternoon he got knocked right off his feet (figuratively speaking.)

I thought it would be a 24 hour thing and he would be up and at ‘em Saturday.  Instead Saturday found him alternating between the bed and the recliner.  By Saturday night it became evident that he would not be preaching the next morning.   The verse from  2 Timothy came to mind – “preach the word; be ready in season and out of season…………..”

What did God want me to share?

Psalms 46:1-3  I find that I am quoting verse 1 a lot lately, either in person, on the phone, by text, and even on facebook.   We don’t have to look far to see trouble.  We do not face it alone.  God is indeed a very present help in trouble.

“We will not fear.”    Fear is a great peace robber.  It is virtually impossible to stay in peace while allowing fear to take hold of your emotions.    Most of the things people worry about never happen.  Don’t get caught up in fear’s trap.

Fear and worry ruin a perfectly good day and disrupt a good night’s sleep.

When you notice fear, worry or dread knocking at your door remember God is a very present help in trouble.  Place your focus back on Him and you will find your peace returning.  Instead of dwelling on the situation, going over it and over it, take it to God in prayer.  Leave it with Him. Trust Him to work things out.

“Oh what peace we often forfeit.  Oh what needless pain we bear.  All because we do not carry everything to God in prayer.”   He is the living God.  The Great I AM.   The creator and sustainer of the universe and He is an ever-present help in trouble.

Let’s look at the end of this chapter.

Psalms 46:10  I am going to take it one word at a time.

BE:  state of being

Acts 1:8 tells us that we are to BE witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and the utter most parts of the earth.   (For me that breaks down to my city, state, neighboring state –or county and neighboring county–and the world.)   Notice that it doesn’t say DO witnessing.  It is possible to DO witnessing and not BE a good witness.  Be is who we are – 24/7.   And we can be still in the midst of any circumstance.

Be STILL:  quiet confidence – a heart of peace.   Not in a state of turmoil or wrapped up in fretting about the situation.

Be still AND:  this lets us know that there is more.  It isn’t just be still.

Be still and KNOW:  know that you know that you know that God is in control.  He has a plan.  He will make a way where there seems to be no way.   We will not be shaken.  We know God is greater than anything we face.

Be still and know THAT:  that – pay attention to what comes next – emphasis

Be still and know that I:  one true God.   God tells Moses  in Exodus 3:14  “I am who I am”  God is all-knowing, all-powerful, and always with us.

Be still and know that I AM:  present tense.  Right where we are, there He is.

Be still and know that I am GOD:  He is the living God.    What you magnify just gets bigger.  Instead of spiraling downward with fear and worry, place your focus back onto God.  Let Him fill you with peace.

Whatever you are facing, God has a plan.    Don’t let fear and worry rob you of the truth that you know.  God is with you!  He loves you!

“Be still and know that I am God” — Psalm 46:10

til next time

growing old or just growing?

Life is what happens while you are making other plans.  How true that is.

I’ve been thinking about growing old.  It kind of sneaks up on a person.

age 7 or 8  — I am playing football on the road in front of our house.  I didn’t think about just how stupid that was.   That is until I skinned up my knee.  Ouch! The scar has gotten smaller with age.  The memory of the event, quite possibly,  has grown with age.

age 16 -17  — Ah, freedom!  I have a license to drive.  The world is my playground.  OK, maybe not the world, but certainly a 25 mile radius!

Choices were all around me.  As I look back I clearly see the hand of God protecting me on lots of occasions.    i.e.  My boyfriend, who was taking me to my Junior prom, ended up in jail  for drug possession one week before prom.  Try explaining that one to your God-fearing, church going, loving parents.  Truth is I did not know that he was selling. (It did explain some questions that I had.  Like how he could afford his Cadillac and the fact that he always seemed to have money.)

That whole process made me very aware of the importance of relationships and the company you keep.

age 26 – 27  I have married my best friend  and we have  the most adorable twin boys.   Life has taken on a whole new dimension.   Again the hand of God is evident in our lives over and over again.    i.e. My sister, the boys and I were in her little red Pinto traveling down the highway when we hit a patch of ice.  The car is sliding sideways down the road headed right for a vehicle that had stopped.  Just as we were about to hit the other car, our car swerved around it.  I can still see the driver’s eyes as we passed by.  Think what you want, but I know that it was God.

age 37-38  The boys are growing up and it is time for me to take the next step in my life.   I went through the process required to be an official minister.  At that time the church was going through some issues.  I was stretched  in ways that I had not been familiar with before.  Again the hand of God in my life.  Sometimes He works in miraculous ways.  Other times He takes our hand and walks us through.

the 40′s found us empty nesters for a while.  That was harder than I imagined.  Big changes took place.   God walked us through.   It is exciting to see the men that our boys have turned into.  Why does it seem like just yesterday we were playing trucks or reading books together?

I am truly enjoying having my son and daughter  live with us while they are in transition.   It is a new chapter in all our lives.    The house is bustling with activity once again.

Life marches on and truly waits for no man.

I am approaching that 50 mark.  Some days I just don’t know how that can possibly be.  Then there are other days.

Lately I have been aware of how people older than I behave.  I have said on many occasions, usually at work, that I do not want to be like that when I grow up.   Then I think of my Opal.  She turned 100 last year.  I want to be like her when I grow up.  She is proof that you don’t have to be cantankerous and unhappy as you age.

Growing old does kind of sneak up on you.   I am grateful that through all the years God’s grace has been indeed more than enough.   With each situation my faith grows.

I know this next decade will be an exciting journey.

til next time

r u looking for a job?

Looking for a job?  Thinking about turning in a resume?

Here’s a  few things for you to consider.

Pay attention to the instructions in the job advertisement.  If it says to bring it in then don’t mail it.  If it says to mail it in then don’t bring it in.  After all this is the first step in weeding out  the competition.  If you can’t follow simple directions it  will hinder you from getting to step two (the interview).

If you made a mistake on the resume don’t cross it out (in red or any other color) and do not write the correct information on top.  Fix it and then print out a corrected copy.

If your pages print out badly and you feel you must offer an excuse for why that is – recognize that it just needs to be reprinted.

Don’t use standard copy paper.  Yes there is actual resume paper out there.  It does make a difference in how it looks.

Don’t turn in a dirty resume.  If you spilled something on it on the way to your destination, go back and reprint it.

Spell check and proof readers are your friend.  Spell check won’t catch everything.  Ask someone to look it over.

Keep it concise.

Be sure to have your phone number listed on there. If you list an email address double-check that it is correct.

If you are personally dropping off your resume know that this is the first impression the office will have of you.  Never underestimate the person at the front desk.   Dress appropriately.  If you are applying for an office job skip the jeans or shorts.  Be pleasant.

Don’t use short cuts in your wording.  A resume is not a cell phone.

Listing – References available upon request – is appropriate.  Unless you happen to know people who work at the business and would give you a great reference, then of course include them.

This is by far not an all-inclusive list but it surprises me how often these simple things are overlooked.

til next time

caffeine is not my friend

I had my follow visit to the ENT this past week.

Good news is that my overall hearing has actually improved. That was a wonderful surprise – both to me and my doctor.

The test that was done to check out my inner ear was not as good.   It is a test that emits sound waves into your ear.   On one ear I passed three out of five.  On the other ear I passed two out of five.  Unfortunately there is nothing that can be done about that.

The ringing is still there.  Some days, it is absolutely horrible.  Other days, I hardly notice it.

So he gave me all my options – such as they are.  He again stressed the importance of reducing salt, no caffeine, and reducing stress.  Sigh!  The salt is not a problem.  Attempting to eliminate caffeine does not reduce my stress.

Here is how that played out.  When I tried it last time I did not notice any significant change in the ringing.  What I noticed was that I was way more tired.

At work the thought of making decaf coffee would send some of my coworkers over the edge.  Not to mention that I absolutely love fountain pop and there are very few places that have good caffeine free fountain pop.

However, I did try to go no caffeine.  Like I mentioned though, it really wasn’t helping the ringing.  I missed my morning coffee at work so I decided one cup wouldn’t hurt.  That led to two cups.  This in turn led to -  “well I guess one soda at lunch won’t make any difference.”   Funny how that led to two sodas at lunch.

Which meant that when I went back to the doctor I was not caffeine free. 

Hmmm, kind of the same way in our Christian walk.   For example, grumbling should be avoided.  It does no one any good.  Yet how easy is it to complain or mutter?  (Check out my 30 challenge to not complain)  How easy it is to justify something that is so unhealthy.

It takes discipline to remove that bad habit.  It requires making a conscious effort to guard your mouth.

It is a daily thing.

Life sometimes comes at us very quickly and things happen that we don’t like but complaining about it won’t help.   Grumbling will not get you out of the mire.  It will only keep you down.  I’ve yet to see anyone get into the solution while complaining and murmuring.

So I left the doctor’s office with renewed commitment to walk this walk caffeine free.

The next day I opened at work so I made a  pot of decaf coffee and put it in a thermos.  Then I made real coffee for the rest of them.    I have a plan for Monday.  I am buying a small coffee pot to have in my office.

Choices — it comes down to choices.

til next time