Divine Refusal

I am learning, over the years, to handle expectations.  People often want me to read this book, check out this article, get involved with this cause.  Sometimes it is right on track and very helpful to me.  But sometimes it is not.  It is all good stuff, but it is not all stuff that God calls me to do. 

Last week I wondered, “What if I refuse to meet these expectations?”  Jesus often refused to do what people asked or expected him to do.  I went through the book of Mark (and some other passages) and found numerous times when Jesus refused to do something others expected of him.

He refused to get involved in an argument between brothers (Luke 12:14).  He refused to control his disciples’ obedience to Sabbath laws.  He refused to come when his family called him.  He refused to let a healed demoniac travel with him.  He refused to appoint James and John to his ruling cabinet.  He refused to tell the Pharisees where his power came from.  He refused to testify at his trial.  He refused to drink wine mixed with myrrh as he died on the cross.

The key is that Jesus allowed only the Father to direct his actions.  The Holy Spirit led him.  Jesus did not explain himself or apologize for any apparent neglect.  He always treated people with love, even when he was harsh with them.

 Of course Jesus had his critics.  They did not understand why he would not follow convention or bow to the wishes of others.  It made people mad.  But Jesus was not afraid of that.  He had a mission from the Father, and he would not be diverted from it.

 I need to stay in such close relationship with God that I have a real sense of his calling upon me.  Then I can know what God wants me to do and to refuse to do.  And, like all of us, I will have my critics.  But there is a real sense of freedom in knowing that I only need to please an audience of One.

Thunderstorms

I enjoy thunderstorms.  I know they can be dangerous, though.  When Lisa and I were engaged, living in Ft. Worth, TX, we had  a real scare.  It must have been a Saturday, b/c we were both off of work.  Our respective apartments were just across the sidewalk from each other.  We were coming back to our complex from shopping when we saw a huge storm coming up.  The cloud was huge and almost black. 

By the time we got back to my (soon to be “our”) apt., the storm began to rage.  I had no radio, so I went across the courtyard to Lisa’s apt. to get her boom box.  I could barely maneuver through the wind.  I got back to our apt. and could not figure out how to use the radio.  The power was out and I figured the boom box batteries were dead.  (They weren’t.  I just couldn’t find the right switch.)

With no TV or radio, we could only wait and watch.  The storm blew out one of our windows in the stairway, leaving glass shards stuck in the opposite wall.  A serious storm.  Later we found out that it was not a tornado, but a storm with straight line winds of up to 90 mph.  Someone actually died in that storm.

Having said that, I still like storms.  I like the thunder and lightning.  I love the sound of the driving rain and the wind.  These storms are especially fun at night, offering glimpses of daylight in the chaos.

So now I’m on my porch, waiting for a storm, but it’s just sprinkling.  Come to think of it, I wouldn’t mind seeing a little sunshine before it gets dark…Surely we are caught up with rain for a while.  

Get it straight

I do like to be organized.  Our moving process to our new house is continuing, but we still have more stuff to move.  Fortunately we are absorbing and putting in place all the stuff we are moving.  Unfortunately, that makes the process slow, and there is still more stuff.

 I had hoped to get the house all empty by the end of this month.  Not going to happen.  I really want to get it in top shape to sell this month or next.  We are closer, though.

 The good news is that things are well organized at the new abode.  It’s amazing how much better one can organize with enough space.  It is even easier to clean with more space. 

 Now I can get things in place, know where they are, and get to them when I need them.  It just feels better knowing that I don’t have a big mess lurking behind every closed door. 

 That’s true spiritually, too.

Blogging or 'Booking?

I have noticed that since I began Facebooking, I have cut back on my blog posts. Coincidence? I don’t think so. Blogging is a way to share thoughts, both profound and inane. Facebook is a way to keep up with friends’ lives. And people can share profound thoughts there, too.

I try to check up on people by Facebook regularly, and post “what’s on my mind” every couple of days.

During my daily life I am constantly thinking, “That would be a great thought for my blog.” Sometimes the ideas evaporate, and sometimes when I try to articulate them, they don’t seem all that important after all.

I heard about a teen blogger – one that my older daughter follows – who committed to try to blog every day for a month. If blogging is about sharing life, then that’s a pretty good goal. I always want to share more often on my blog, but time slips away.

I just don’t want my life to be like that, slipping away without my doing the most important things. It takes a mind and heart in tune with the Holy Spirit, to do what really matters. That’s a goal worth trusting him for. (Not striving for. Striving always gets me worn out and wrung out, and doesn’t do much for the Kingdom.)

I did it.

I finally got on Facebook. That’s part of why I haven’t blogged for awhile. At first I just wanted to save face; I didn’t want to admit that I was still such a ‘net recluse. Since I signed up on Thursday night (I think), I have been spending time on Facebook rather than blogging.

It was not too hard to get it figured out. I actually uploaded a few pics. There’s still a lot more to figure out. Like who I should let onto my page, and what they should see. So many decisions.

But I do see that I can connect with friends from high school, college and other realms. I scrolled through and found a bunch of people I would like to get back in touch with. I haven’t initiated that yet, because I’m still learning the lay of the land in Facebookdom.

It was weird when I first signed up – there were a few folks who were already waiting to be my friends. At least I knew all of them, and wanted to be friends. Then the Facebookies suggested other people I might want to be friends with. It was amazing. Must have been about 40 people on the list. I knew all but one of the people, and I asked to be friends with most of them.

How did they know that I knew these people? That is a little creepy. At least they didn’t try to match me up with a bunch of weirdos or terrorists.

Now I’ll know all about my friends, and open the window into my own life.

As for Twitter, I don’t even have a texting package for my cell phone. Won’t Twitter just kill me with texting fees? Or do I have to Twitter on the phone? So much to learn.

For now, I’ll work with Facebook and begin recruiting more people to sign up. I would invite you to see my page, but I’m not sure how to do that. You can probably figure it out…

Catching Up

Soon I plan to get my Facebook account set up. Everywhere I hear about people’s Facebook pages. A friend in Florida told me last summer that I really should connect that way. Yeah, yeah, I thought. Now even my technophobe friends are signing up. Our church, reportedly, even has a Facebook page. And I thought I was so slick for blogging.

Some friends are also after me to begin Twittering – or is it Tweeting? I don’t even text much from my cell phone. But this is all the wave of the future, I understand.

Actually, I have been wanting to start a Facebook page for some time. I even tried it one time, and I never received the confirmation email. I can’t let that stop me. It seems too important to skip.

We just moved into a new house over the weekend – only a couple of miles from our last address – and so everything seems new. It may be the perfect time to begin some new techie habits. Soon I’ll be referring you to my Facebook page. Heh, Heh.

Reflective Reading

Eugene Peterson, the writer of The Message, has a unique perspective on reading God’s word.  I recently read an interview in which he describes his method of reflective reading.  Years ago, he says, he began reading the Psalms as poetry.  He recognized that the Psalms are poems, and you have to read poetry differently than prose.

 On a first reading of a poem, you usually don’t understand it, he says.  It takes ten or more readings to “get it.”  Now that makes sense to me.  I actually find that I have to read most things repeatedly.  This in-depth reading can be applied to all of scripture.  It is not reading large chunks of scripture, nor is it a technical study of background or grammar.

 He refers to an ancient method of scripture reading called “lectio divina,” which is Latin for “spiritual reading.”  This is the opposite of speed reading.  It is seeking to be immersed in the heart of God.  It is reading for transformation.  As we read a passage over and over, we focus on four elements of interaction with the Word:  listening, reflecting, praying, and obeying.

 This method of scripture study seems to lend itself to reading the Bible aloud.  It allows the Holy Spirit to take charge and speak to our hearts.  He changes us inwardly, so that we actually become more like Jesus.

 This doesn’t happen in a 15 minute devotional time squeezed in between a shower and breakfast.  Nor can it happen while we check the latest headlines and the weather.  We need to step back from the urgencies of life and take time with God.  That’s where real living is.