South African Terence Parkin won the Olympic silver medal in the men’s 200 breaststroke in Sydney in September of 2000. Though this is an accomplishment in itself, it is even more remarkable that Terrence has been deaf since birth.Terence did not hear the cheering, the splashing of the water or the background noises in the swimming pool. Strobe lights announced the start of each race and launched him off the pad into the water.What a feat to make the Olympics, to make the final match, and then win a medal on top of having a disability.Coach Graham Hill noted that Terence’s biggest strength is his deafness. “He doesn’t listen to the nonsense around him”.Keeping my mouth shut and listening more to God seems to be a lesson God is telling me lately. I laugh at the old adage that is why He only gave us one mouth and two ears. We need to listen more to Him, respond to His holy strobe light and forget the nonsense that the world throws at us.I ponder once again what is written in Proverbs … [Read more...]
Jesus Calling – Book Review
Jesus Calling If you could write down the words Jesus speaks to you, what would they be? Sarah Young has written a unique 365 day devotional called Jesus Calling. In her faith walk, she intentionally began to open her heart more and “began to listen to what He was saying.” Young writes, “I had been writing in prayer journals for years but that was one-way communication; I did all the talking, I knew that God communicated with me with the Bible, but I yearned for more. I decided to listen to God with pen in hand, writing down whatever I believed He was saying… my journaling had changed from monologue to dialogue.” Each day in this devotional is written as if Jesus Himself was speaking. The gift size book has one or two paragraphs daily with a message tied to a Scripture. The author encourages the reader to read each entry slowly and to keep a journal to record any thoughts you receive as you listen to God. Having a daily devotion time is a foundational practice for … [Read more...]
Are You God’s Tapestry?
God's Tapestry One of my favorite stories: When I was a little, my mother used to embroider a great deal. I would sit at her knee and look up from the floor and ask what she was doing. She informed me that she was embroidering. As from the underside I watched her work within the boundaries of the little round hoop that she held in her hand, I complained to her that it sure looked messy from where I sat. She would smile at me, look down and gently say, "Child, you go about your playing for a while, and when I am finished with my embroidering, I will put you on my knee and let you see it from my side." I would wonder why she was using some dark threads along with the bright ones and why they seemed so jumbled from my view. A few minutes would pass and then I would hear Mother's voice say, "Come and sit on my knee." This I did only to be surprised and thrilled to see a beautiful flower or a sunset. I could not believe it, because from underneath it looked so … [Read more...]
Finding the Extraordinary in the Ordinary and Finding God
Ordinary. Mundane. Routine. Common. Does this sound boring to you? We have entered the church season called the Ordinary Time running now until Christ the King Sunday, the last Sunday before the beginning of Advent. A long drawn out season of 33 or 34 Sundays, depending on which calendar the church follows. Ordinary time gets its name from the word “ordinal”, which means counted time and we count each Sunday as in the First Sunday after Pentecost, etc. The liturgical color for this season is green – very appropriate for summer time and for the idea of a fresh growth and new life. So how do we keep growing during ordinary times of our lives? How do we find the extraordinary in the ordinary and find God? Richard Foster in his wonderful book Prayer – Finding the Heart’s True Home, writes about the sanctity or holiness in the ordinary. “We pray the ordinary in three ways: first by turning ordinary experience of life into prayer, second, by seeing God in the ordinary experiences … [Read more...]
The Spirituality of Beholding God’s Love
I witnessed love this week. I watched my daughter Katie, holding her newborn baby, Kyla. With protective arms, supporting her daughter's still wobbly head, Katie smiled and hummed a quiet tune. It was like no one else was in the room. Their eyes, fixated on one another, radiated an intense love. Amazing love. Amazing Love. I, a mere creature, a human, can never fully comprehend how much God loves us. Yet when I observed this tender and adoring exchange between a mother and child, I caught a glimpse of the Divine. “Listen to me…you whom I have upheld since you were conceived, and have carried since your birth. Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you.” Isaiah 46: 3-4 Throughout our earthly journey, God continues to hold each of us in His protective arms, supporting our wobbly fears. Like a baby’s full reliance on a mother’s care, our faith rests in his promise … [Read more...]
Follow the Rules – Rules for Life for a Healthy Spirituality
Do you follow the rules? What are the rules for life for a healthy spirituality? Some people never stray far from the boundaries in life. Others push the edges or outright break all barriers. Some just rebelliously refuse to even consider any guidelines. In this age of individualism, why would anyone even consider a rule for life? What is a rule for life, anyway? A Rule for Life is a collection of guidelines for living. It can also be called a Way of Life. Its purpose is to help us keep our sense of balance by intentionally addressing all aspects of life: physical, emotional, socially, spiritually, etc. Debra K. Farrington in her book, Living Faith Day by Day, encourages us to pick a practice under each of the following areas: 1. Foundations (putting God at the center of your rule and your life) 2. Prayer (finding a prayer type and rhythm that works for you) 3. Work (approaching your work as part of your spiritual life rather than something divorced from it) 4. Study … [Read more...]
Be Thou My Vision – Singing my Daily Prayer
“Those who sing, pray twice” I have been using my favorite hymn as part of morning devotions this week: Be Thou My Vision. This haunting Celtic tune lingers with me all day. Even though the words are old English with the Thou’s and Thy’s, every time I pray its message, I feel the presence of God. Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart; Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art. Thou my best Thought, by day or by night, Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light. Be Thou my Wisdom, and Thou my true Word; I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord; Thou my great Father, I Thy true son; Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one. Be Thou my battle Shield, Sword for the fight; Be Thou my Dignity, Thou my Delight; Thou my soul’s Shelter, Thou my high Tower: Raise Thou me heavenward, O Power of my power. Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise, Thou mine Inheritance, now and always: Thou and Thou only, first in my heart, High King of Heaven, my Treasure Thou … [Read more...]
Where is All the Time Going?
Where is All the Time Going? Time - Where does it all go? ARRRGH! I just looked at the clock. Something is wrong. The time thief stole two hours this morning. I can’t believe this! I thought it was only 9:30, but every clock in the house (and I did look at other clocks to verify this mystery) shouts: NO, STUPID, IT IS 11:30! Where is the time going? People warmed me when I retired that I would begin to wonder how I ever worked a 40+ hour week as a fulltime mother and still got things done. “You will be busier than ever in retirement.” “Just wait, time will go so fast.” And I have discovered their predictions to be true. Or are they? Maybe the truth is how I use time. Where is the time going? I make plans prayfully, but soon find what I thought would take one hour, takes three hours. Or even worse – takes all day to complete. I carefully plot my daily to-do list, but discover the day evaporating before I know it. And is 2009 really half way done already? … [Read more...]