Repost: Joy Comes In The Morning/Give Thanks In All Circumstances

This week, I’m going on vacation with my family. I thought I’d take this opportunity to republish some old posts from the archives. Feel free to leave comments here or on the original post. Enjoy, I’ll be back next week!

Today’s post was originally posted in October 2010 as two separate posts.  Both posts were written at a pretty crazy time in my life.  My wife was in the hospital, my blood pressure was spiking, and I was running on fumes.  It’s great to look back to see where I’ve been and to realize how God has been faithful to me along the journey.

JOY COMES IN THE MORNING

Life is interesting and crazy and all other kinds of adjectives. I’m thankful for it, despite the roller coaster ride that I’ve been on as of late. If things could get a little crazier yesterday, they did. I was on my way to the doctor’s office yesterday morning for a follow-up checkup for my blood pressure (great timing), when my daughter calls me from her cell phone…”Dad, the basement’s flooded.” I told her, “OK, well I’ll check it when I get home. There’s nothing I can do about it now.” When I hung up the phone, I asked aloud, “God, I don’t think I can take too much more right now.” Needless to say, my blood pressure reading was a little high when I got to the doctor’s office. It’s nothing to get overly concerned about, but I have to go back again in three months for another follow-up.

At any rate, so far today has been fine. I’m relearning to take each day one at a time. This morning, I was reading in Psalms 30, and I was reminded of the joy that comes in the morning.

¹ I will exalt you, O LORD,
for you lifted me out of the depths
and did not let my enemies gloat over me.

² O LORD my God, I called to you for help
and you healed me.

³ O LORD, you brought me up from the grave;
you spared me from going down into the pit.

⁴ Sing to the LORD, you saints of his;
praise his holy name.

⁵ For his anger lasts only a moment,
but his favor lasts a lifetime;
weeping may remain for a night,
but rejoicing comes in the morning.

⁶ When I felt secure, I said,
“I will never be shaken.”

⁷ O LORD, when you favored me,
you made my mountain stand firm;
but when you hid your face,
I was dismayed.

⁸ To you, O LORD, I called;
to the Lord I cried for mercy:

⁹ “What gain is there in my destruction,
in my going down into the pit?
Will the dust praise you?
Will it proclaim your faithfulness?

¹⁰ Hear, O LORD, and be merciful to me;
O LORD, be my help.”

¹¹ You turned my wailing into dancing;
you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,

¹² that my heart may sing to you and not be silent.
O LORD my God, I will give you thanks forever.

GIVE THANKS IN ALL CIRCUMSTANCES

So as an addendum to my previous post, we spent the afternoon cleaning up the basement – throwing away carpet, using the shop-vac to soak up the water, drying out some things, and throwing some things away. Tonight, I had to laugh when Isaac prayed at dinner time, “…dear God, thank you that we got to clean the basement….” My kids loved it that we got to clean the basement. Isaac reminded me of a few verses in I Thessalonians 5.

¹⁶Be joyful always; ¹⁷pray continually; ¹⁸give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

Learning to be joyful always and to give thanks in all circumstances isn’t always easy. I feel like my kids have been great examples for me. Their faith is amazing. Their ability to be thankful for things that drive me crazy is incredible. My kids remind me over and over to make lemonade out of the lemons of life. I am blessed beyond words.

What “disasters” are you thankful for today?

Repost: Lemons Into Lemonade

This week, I’m going on vacation with my family. I thought I’d take this opportunity to republish some old posts from the archives. Feel free to leave comments here or on the original post. Enjoy, I’ll be back next week!

Today’s post was originally posted in September 2010.  Most of the text comes from a devotional that we were using with our son, Isaac.  The truths still apply today.

I just had to share the thoughts from Isaac’s devotion for yesterday:

From The One Year Every Day Devotions (Devotions to help you stand strong) by Stephen Arterburn and Jesse Florea:

Have you ever heard someone say, “When life hands you lemons, make lemonade?”

As goofy as it sounds, this saying holds a lot of truth. First, it says that life will hand you lemons. It doesn’t say if, and it doesn’t say life might hand you lemons. It says when.

Lemons are the bad things that happen in life. Maybe a pet dies. Maybe your best friend decides not to be your friend anymore. Perhaps you’re not treated fairly by a teacher. Whatever it is, you’ll have to face your share of lemons in life.

The second part of that saying is the hardest to follow – “make lemonade.” In other words, take the bad things that happen and make the best of them. Look for the positives. Find the good part.

Sometimes finding the good part is really difficult. When a friend turns her back on you, it hurts. Sure, you can make other friends. But it hurts right now. Making lemonade is probably the last thing you want to do. That’s why it may be a good idea to add another sentence to that saying: “When life hands you lemons, make lemonade. And God is the ultimate lemonade maker.”

God can take the worst situations in your life and make something good from them. At first, you may find it hard to see the good, but over time you’ll look back and see how God turned bad things to positive experiences in your life. And here’s the best part: while you’re waiting for God to make things better, you can hide in him. Use that time to get to know him better. Take comfort that God love you, cares for you, and can use bad things to make you stronger and more like him. When things get tough, look to God and take comfort in his strength.

Psalm 141:8 But my eyes are fixed on you, O Sovereign LORD; in you I take refuge….

What’s going on in your life that needs to be transformed from lemons to lemonade?

Repost: Zip It! Be Slow To Speak…

This week, I’m going on vacation with my family. I thought I’d take this opportunity to republish some old posts from the archives. Feel free to leave comments here or on the original post. Enjoy, I’ll be back next week!

Today’s post was originally posted in September 2009.  The post references some events that were current at the time, but the underline thoughts remain the same.

There are many examples of public figures speaking before they think. Last night, Republican Representative Joe Wilson from South Carolina put aside political appropriateness when he was quick to call President Obama a liar during his televised speech on health care reform to Congress. Several weeks ago, President Obama was called on the carpet after he accused the Cambridge, MA police force of acting “stupidly” in the arrest of Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. I’d like to think that both of these men regretted opening their mouths before thinking after they said these things.

It’s easy to point the finger at these public figures – after all, leaders are expected to be above reproach, and they should know better. And they are easy targets. Upon further thought, I know we’re all guilty of this kind of speaking without thinking. I was reminded today of a time when I was in junior high, and I was at a dress rehearsal for a musical that I was in at our church. Believe it or not, I was selected to sing a solo (who would have thought). As a result, I was equipped with a wireless microphone. During one of our breaks while I was in the men’s room, I said some things that I later regretted. When I returned from the break, I discovered from one of the sound people that my initial words were shared loud and clear in the sanctuary thanks to the wonders of wireless technology. Thankfully, they quickly muted my microphone. But it didn’t stop the feeling of embarrassment and regret that swept over me when I found out.

In all the cases above (including mine), the regret came after being caught. Did we ever stop to think that God can hear us even if no one else can? Did we ever stop to examine our hearts. I’m reminded of two passages that speak to this. First, in the first few verses of Psalm 139, we’re told that not only does God know our words but he even knows our thoughts:

¹ O LORD, you have searched me
and you know me.

² You know when I sit and when I rise;
you perceive my thoughts from afar.

³ You discern my going out and my lying down;
you are familiar with all my ways.

⁴ Before a word is on my tongue
you know it completely, O LORD.

Secondly, in the first chapter of James, instructions our given that we should be slow to speak:

¹⁹My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, ²⁰for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires. ²¹Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.

Sounds easy? I’m not so sure. I know that my thoughts and words are not always what they should be. So where do I go from here? I think it starts with being more in tuned to God, becoming more aware of times we think and say things that aren’t appropriate, and seeking God to help make a change.

Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Psalm 51:10

Have you tasted shoe leather recently?  How’s it taste?  What did you do to get that taste out of your mouth?

Glasses

When I was a kid, I had to wear glasses. They were corrective lenses to help with my far-sighted vision. By sixth grade, I no longer needed the glasses. Since then, my vision has been perfect – often measuring better than 20/15 (which is better than 20/20 vision).

On Tuesday, I visited the eye doctor for the first time in a long time. I probably should have visited the eye doctor sooner, since glaucoma runs in my family. But I didn’t based on my past perfect vision and my general busyness.

You may recall that I have been battling headaches (including migraine headaches) for the past five or so months. One of the side effects of migraine headaches is temporary blurred vision. And supposedly, vision problems can sometimes be the root cause of migraine headaches. Based on this, I figured it was a good time to have my eyes checked.

So on Tuesday, the initial feedback was that I don’t have glaucoma and my vision is still pretty good. In fact, the nurse initially measured me at 20/20 vision. When the doctor came in, he agreed that my vision was indeed pretty good; however, I was getting to the “magic” age wear reading glasses may be a help.

So after some initial measurements with his fancy lenses, it was determined that I indeed need reading glasses. It was a bit of a blow, but I am game for trying them if they’ll help to keep the headaches away.

It was kind of amusing when he sent me into the office area to look at frames for my new glasses. He had just put drops in my eyes to dilate my pupils for the glaucoma test. I could hardly see a thing, and they wanted me to pick out new glasses! Thankfully, Leanne was 5 minutes away, and she was able to come to the office to pick out my new specs.

I don’t have to wear them unless I’m reading, so you may not see me wearing glasses very often. But don’t be surprised if you see someone looking like Clark Kent reading the paper, working on his blog, or with his nose stuck in a book. It just might be me.

As for the headaches, the last two weeks have actually been getting better. I stopped drinking caffeine which wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. And the doctor changed around a medication. I am so thankful that the migraines have been non-existent over the past two weeks, and I have had very few regular headaches those of which could probably be attributed to caffeine withdrawal.

Unfortunately, my vision will continue to get worse as I get older.  These are the facts of life.  The reality is that my vision has never been truly perfect despite what the eye doctors have said along the way.  As a matter of fact, your vision hasn’t been perfect either.  In the book of I Corinthians, Paul talks about the fact that we can’t see completely yet.  But there will be a time when our vision is made perfect – when we see face to face the love of God.

For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. I Corinthians 13:12

And so as I start the journey of wearing glasses, I now have a daily reminder of what I have to look forward to – the day when I’ll see my Savior face to face.  I won’t need glasses, contact lenses, or lasik eye surgery.  Everything will be perfectly clear.  I can’t wait!

Do you wear glasses or contact lenses?  Have you ever had surgery on your eyes?

The Famous One

Over the weekend, I visited friends in my hometown of Mount Holly, NJ.  It was such a wonderful experience to see old friends, to enjoy great picnic food, and to catch up on happenings of our families.

When I arrived at the picnic, one of my friends immediately greeted me as the “famous author”.  I’m guessing he was partially joking around with me, but the more we talked the more I could tell he was curious about the blog and he was serious about his admiration for my blogging.  The was more than flattering coming from a guy who is the CEO of a medical technology company and who graduated from an ivy league school.

Fame.  (I want to live forever, I want to learn how to fly… sorry for that TV reference.  If you didn’t get it…nevermind.)

I guess if we’re honest, we all want to be known for something.  We want to be famous.  I want to be known as a writer, an author, and a blogger.  I want to be known as a husband, a dad, and a son.  I want to be recognized as a leader.  I want this kind of fame.

I’m sure that you want to be famous also.

It’s flattering.  It feels good.  It’s nice to be recognized.

But there’s a fame I strive for way more than my own.

I want to make God’s name famous.  Whether I’m writing, leading, or just plain living, I want my words, my actions, and all that I do to bring fame to my God.

Lord, I have heard of your fame;
    I stand in awe of your deeds, Lord. 
Repeat them in our day,
    in our time make them known;
    in wrath remember mercy.

Habakkuk 3:2

And so, I appreciate the kind words of my friend.  But it means so much more to me if my writing brings fame and glory to God.  Have you heard of His fame?

What are you famous for?

Superpower

When I was a kid, I thought it would be so amazing to be able to fly. I can remember running down the hallway of our house into the living room and jumping into the couch. I believed that for a brief second I was actually flying. Believe it or not, I’ve felt that feeling on the basketball court a few times (not recently). It’s a feeling that you are floating through the air. But it only lasts for a quick moment. It doesn’t last.

As a kid, I also played with the idea of being invisible. Perhaps, this superpower would be more amazing than flying. You could walk into a room without anyone noticing. I could sneak into the kitchen and get a bowl of ice cream, and I could eat it undetected – as long as nobody was in the kitchen when I came in to see the freezer open and close.

More recently, I’ve thought that it would be helpful if somehow I could be in multiple places at the same time. Especially as our kids are involved in different activities, I would love to be at work, be at home, and be at the track meet or other activity all at the same time. We often joke at the office that the cloning machine is broken.

But in reality, these superpowers remain out of reach. It’s probably a good idea that we can’t do all these things. My guess it that we would have a hard time using these powers selflessly. I’m also guessing that possession of these superpowers would cause us to stray from God. We would fail to realize the amazing power of our Creator.

But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. 2 Corinthians 4:7

What superpower would you like to have? How would this be useful?  Who is your favorite superhero?

Discipline – Thoughts On Discipline From Our Talk At MOPS

I am someone who doesn’t enjoy change.  On top of that, I’m fairly disciplined about most things in my life.  For example, I’m pretty disciplined about my workout routine.  While training for three different marathons, I followed an 18-week written schedule, and I documented my progress on a spreadsheet.  For the most part, I stayed on track throughout the entire four months of training.  On the other hand, I would like to be more consistent in my prayer life.  It seems easy to pray at meal times and dinner times; however, I seem to fall short the rest of the day despite the scripture that calls for us to pray without ceasing (I Thessalonians 5:17).

The topic of discipline is multifaceted.  We often talk about living a disciplined life (“When it comes to working out, that guy is sure disciplined”).  Last night, Leanne and I had the opportunity to share at a MOPS (Mothers Of Pre-Schoolers) on the topic of discipline.  In this session, we will talk about the reasons we discipline our children.  As we delved into this subject, there are a few things we kept in mind.  First, we discipline our children because we love them (not because we want to be mean).  Second, God has placed us in a position of authority to help protect and guide our children while giving them clear and safe boundaries. While we were asked to speak as “experts” on the subject, it’s important to understand that we’re not perfect.  Our parents weren’t perfect in the parenting, and I’m sure if you’re reading this that you’re not a perfect parent either.  It’s important to understand though that we can make a difference in the lives of our kids if we decide to take this subject seriously.  We all have different backgrounds when it comes to the subject of discipline.  As couples, it’s important that we get on this same page, so we can be unified in our approach to discipline.

Here are a couple of passages from the Bible to get us thinking about this subject:

And have you completely forgotten this word of encouragement that addresses you as children? It says, “My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he chastens everyone he accepts as his child.”

Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate children at all. Moreover, we have all had parents who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live!  Our parents disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness.  No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.  Hebrews 12:5-1

My son, keep your father’s command and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.   Bind them always on your heart; fasten them around your neck.   When you walk, they will guide you; when you sleep, they will watch over you; when you awake, they will speak to you.   For this command is a lamp, this teaching is a light, and correction and instruction are the way to life,  Proverbs 6:20-23

Here are some of the key points from our talk last night:

• We discipline our kids because we love them.  “If you love your children, you will be prompt to discipline them.”  Proverbs 13:24
• Discipline is NOT meant to harm our children – “Fathers do not exasperate your children.”  Discipline is not meant to scar; it’s meant to correct.
• Help them make good choices in the future – shape their hearts (help them understand what they did was wrong).  When we discipline our children, it’s important to talk and to pray together.
• When we discipline our children, the punishment should fit the age of the child and the “crime.”
• Sometimes living with the consequences of their actions is the appropriate discipline for an inappropriate action by our children.
• Consistency is critical.  We create confusion in boundaries and expectations when we aren’t consistent.  Also, we notice that when things aren’t going right in our home, it’s often a sign of inconsistency on our parts.
• Through discipline, we have an opportunity to teach our kids about God’s grace.

Here’s the cool thing.  If you feel like you’re not getting it right when it comes to discipline, today is a new day.  You can change your family for eternity – starting today – by how you approach discipline.

What did discipline look like in your home when you were growing up?  If you’re a parent, what does discipline look like now?  In what areas do you need some work?

Solitude Reflections

Yesterday, I shared that I was taking some time for solitude – some time away from my normal routine to listen for God.  I’d like to share my reflections on this time.

As I sat on my front porch yesterday morning, the skies were still fairly dark and the water was still dripping down the gutter drain pipes after a night of rain.  It’s a challenging this to clear ones mind of all the distractions and thoughts.  For some reason, I kept repeating the phrase “Seek first the kingdom of God” as I tried to center my thoughts away from me and onto God.  Over and over again, “Seek first the kingdom of God.  Seek first the kingdom of God.  Seek first the kingdom of God.”  And that’s when it happened.

God sends his messengers of nature to speak into my life.  As I was sitting on my porch trying to quiet my mind, I first heard the loud droning of bull fogs in the pond across our front lawn.  I heard the garbage trucks in the distance as the morning sky began to brighten.  I tried to block out the distractions of life – what will I blog about next, what do I need to do at work today, what will I eat for breakfast.  And then it appeared – a simple sign from God.  A buck walks slowly across my front lawn.

As the deer pants for streams of water,
    so my soul pants for you, my God.
My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
    When can I go and meet with God?
My tears have been my food
    day and night,
while people say to me all day long,
    “Where is your God?”
These things I remember
    as I pour out my soul:
how I used to go to the house of God
    under the protection of the Mighty One
with shouts of joy and praise
    among the festive throng.

Solitude

Webster’s Online Dictionary defines solitude as “the quality or state of being alone or remote from society.”

Why would anyone want to “practice” solitude?

Limited amounts of solitude can give us a chance to get away from the distractions of regular life and routine.  We live in a day and age when we are bombarded with noise, activity, and motion.  These things can crowd out the voice of God.

So for today, I’m going to keep my post short.  I’m going to get away in solitude even if it’s for a short time this morning.  I’ll let you know how it goes.

When was the last time you practiced solitude?  How has God been speaking to you lately?

Slow Down

Yesterday, in four or five conversations with different people the subject of busyness came up. The conversations went something like this:

My friend: “Hey, how are you?”

Me: “Okay, how about yourself.”

My friend: “Good, but I’ve been real busy lately.”

Me: “I hear you. I’ve been busy lately as well. It seems like I’m running from one thing to the next.”

Seriously, this conversation with minor variations was repeated several times yesterday. Why do we allow ourselves to become so busy. Do we like being busy, or do we just like the opportunity to tell others that we’re busy? In all our running around, are we making progress towards something that really matters, or are we just trying to keep up with the neighbors?

Staying busy for the sake of being busy is pointless. And even if our activities result in something good, we still need to analyze our list of activities. Are we participating in activities that match up with our gifts and passions? Are we leaving any space in our schedules for rest and reflection? Are we truly making the most of our opportunities – especially when we’re being pulled in a million different activities?

In the last couple of weeks, I’ve read a couple of blog posts and listened to a podcast or two that deal with this topic. Michael Hyatt talked about the importance of calendar triage in his blog in the past week. The FamilyLife Today with Dennis Rainey Podcast talked about the importance of simplifying our lives in an interview with Dr. Meg Meeker.

These are challenging messages to hear in this culture – especially in the Northeast where everyone seems so ME focused.  So how can we change this?  Here are four simple ideas that could make a huge difference in our journey to take control of our schedules:

1.  Write it down.  Take time at the beginning of each month and at the beginning of each week to write down and review the calendar.  Seeing it in front of you on a calendar will quickly show you if there are any gaps in your calendar for rest and refreshment.

2.  Prioritize and prune.  As you list out your activities and commitments, consider prioritizing them.  You may want to use a number system to assign a priority to each item on your calendar.  Going to church is a top priority in our house, so it gets a 1.  Other things might be a lower priority, so we can assign them a 2 or a 3.  As you review your calendar, consider giving up one of the lower priority activities.

3.  Schedule time for rest, refreshment, and reflection.  Seriously, block off time on your calendar.  Give this a top priority.  Don’t let something else come along and take its place.  This is something we’re still working on at home.  We have tried to make Monday night open for our date night.  This has worked most of the time; however, I must confess that the past couple of weeks we’ve let other things come in the way of this.

4.  Practice sabbath.  I was talking with my good friend, Michael Shaw, yesterday about this very subject.  Michael, who is Jewish, holds the sabbath (sun-down Friday night to sun-down Saturday night) sacred.  He literally shuts down each week during this time.  God’s command for a sabbath was not just meant for us to focus on Him, I believe it was designed to create a regular rhythm of rest in our lives.  It’s important that we find ways to practice the sabbath.

What is one thing that you need to trim off your calendar or schedule this month?  What other suggestions do you have for slowing down?