Seriously – I keep thinking, yeah, I’ll write on my blog.

But when that blank white screen comes up I can’t think of a thing.

So, we’ll just do some quick takes to get something out here.

First – one of the women at church has a wicked sense of humor, and a fun life, and writes so well about it all. I love reading Erin’s blog. Now, if we could just find time for dinner so I can hold Annie before she’s too big!

Reading Erin’s blog is similar to chatting with my co-worker in Boulder with 2 small children. No matter how bad my day is, I’m not cleaning up poop or dashing off to remove something from a small mouth. It always puts my whole day back into perspective.

Speaking of, work has actually been going well. I don’t think anything there has changed. Still crazy schedule and too much work and demanding users who can’t read the pages of helpful documentation I have put out there. But I have found Christian artist Mandisa, and her song These Days has become my anthem around here. I printed the lyrics and put in my prayer journal, I play the song often during the week (along with all the other songs on her latest album), and I work hard to remember that my happiness is not the point. And if God is using this for my good, then cooperating is a whole lot better than pitching a little (or big) fit.

These Days

I’m running again. Having a treadmill for days when the weather is questionable or my schedule just means I have to run when it’s still dark and cold outside has definitely helped. But the weather has been so nice that I’ve run outside a few times lately too. Part of me wishes it would get a little bit easier. But I also know I’m not working at it seriously enough to really get better. It isn’t something I want to devote that much time to. So, I’ll just plod along.

Speaking of running, a friend (who is moving out of state, boo hoo) wants us to run the Princess Half-Marathon at Disney in FL next February. The good news – she doesn’t run faster than me, so we’ll be able to just go at it slow and steady and enjoy it!

I had 2 friends over for dinner last Friday and it was so wonderful. Great conversation – about all kinds of things. I love the friends I have in my life right now. I am truly blessed!!!

Last note – on Library Thing, I’m hanging with a group that is reading through some of Steinbeck’s shorter novels. We’ve read Cannery Row and The Wayward Bus. This month is The Winter of Our Discontent. I read The Grapes of Wrath a year or so ago with our little book club at church and enjoyed his writing then. It’s been a pleasure to work through some of these books. Looking forward to the rest of the year.

Night all!

A few weekends ago I spent a Saturday listening to the ARP Women’s Ministry Coordinator, Elizabeth Burns, present a session on “Re-thinking the Ministry of Women” in Gastonia. This was a bit of a sacrifice for me, because at the same time was the annual Elder/Deacon training under Mark Ross and I try hard not to miss an opportunity to hear Mark Ross. But they were recording him so I’ll eventually get to hear it. And there are fewer opportunities right now to hear Elizabeth Burns speak.

The first session (before lunch) was a good set-up of why we need women ministering to women. Pastors and Elders fill important roles, and women ministering to other women are also important.

She spent time explaining why God must be our all in all. We must be an intentional Christian, not an incidental Christian. She mentioned that God is the only one who can corral our emotions and keep them in check.

The reminder that woman’s purpose is to be holy and to glorify God, not to be busy was important. We can fill our schedule with “good” things but miss out on the better things. We get too busy with the many distractions in the world. We are supposed to be in the world, but not of the world.

She had us spend some time alone filling out a worksheet to help identify where we spend our time. The goal, of course, was to think about our priorities and if we are doing the right things. None of the things on the list were wrong, but all are open to an unhealthy balance. Spending more time on ourselves, other people, technology, instead of time with God and doing what God wants us to do.

This questionnaire wasn’t always easy and fun to fill in. It can be irritating to be expected to think about the things we do, find most of them are either necessary (to keep our job) or other-centered (taking care of the needs of others). But as the day wore on, I found my heart opening a bit more to admit that perhaps some of the needs of others were more my assumptions and self-imposed requirements, rather than things I really needed to be doing. Can I relax my grip on some things, un-schedule a few things?

We need to remember that the world places value and worth on the wrong things as end goals. We become convinced that everyone else is content and satisfied and happy. This is where true ministry happens. As we reveal truth – about our lives not being perfect and about our Savior being the perfect answer to it all.

After lunch she continued to build on this.  Women’s Ministry should be about showing how to live as Christians. We should be encouraged, refreshed in spirit, and built up in faith. Then others will be drawn to those same qualities and seek the ultimate answer. We need a place of safety, confidentiality, and godly love. I loved this description because it is exactly what I feel my Circles provide for me.

She encourages this kind of ministry to be once a week, not just once a month. We need an umbrella of godly sanctuary and it should become all consuming. Only when God is our all in all can we find the indwelling of the spirit to power true ministry.

The second session worksheet was a series of statements we often make when discouraged or overwhelmed and verses where God’s statements show the truth.

Then she ended with a definition. Ministry is a lifestyle of devotion to advancing others’ faith and comes at personal expense.

My own conclusion: I need to count the cost and recognize my own dependency on Christ, but choosing not to be in ministry is not an option.

I love books, as anyone reading this blog knows. One source for books this year has been Cruciform Press. They publish one book a month, it is a fairly small but powerful book each time. I have a subscription so every book comes to me. This has worked out well because I’ve received a few that I wouldn’t have put in the time or effort to buy, but have found to be a worthy book to read, share, and revisit.

Tonight I picked up Innocent Blood by John Ensor. It is an interesting book in a lot of ways. If you want to learn more about why Leviticus and Deuteronomy actually have some parts worth reading, this is a good book. I have read both of those books more than once. Sometimes a skimming, sometimes a more dutiful reading. But what he has pulled out, the verses and the understanding of them, is new to me. And convicting.

The topic of the book is the need for Christians to have courage, faith in a powerful and almighty God, to stand up and defend the innocent, to defend them and prevent the shedding of innocent blood. That concept is not new to me. I still remember reading Oswald Chambers 2 years ago and getting a clearer understanding of why I should not confuse trying to insist on my own rights with the need to be willing and able to defend the rights of another. This book is a good continuation of that truth.

Of course, while talking about the need to defend the innocent, the primary issue this book raises is abortion. As the author points out, it is the primary issue of our day. In the past slavery and caring for the elderly were the issues that needed to be raised. Right now, in this world we live in, it is definitely abortion. And he has a very powerful chapter showing why anyone suffering from bloodguilt (be it abortion or some other heinous crime) needs the gospel in all it’s truth and grace and glory.

He also shows the difference between responding to innocent lives in danger by accident vs lives in danger of malicious evil. Responding to an accident is usually easy and instinctive. But helping someone being attacked or intentionally hurt requires us to put ourselves in danger, it interrupts our life, and it requires us to face the consequences.

During my EMBA class, one of the discussions we had one day was about the importance of helping someone. The issue posed by a classmate was someone heading to an important business meeting in India that had the potential to bring thousands of jobs and help thousands and thousands of Indians who would otherwise not have jobs or continue to live in poverty or die of starvation. Say that person came upon an accident and a man injured who needed help. Should he help that one man, missing the meeting and missing the opportunity to help all of those thousands of others?

I didn’t state my position very well, but I knew it was wrong to walk past that man. One concern is that if someone can walk by someone hurt by accident, they have lost a part of their humanity, and it will easier to walk past the next one. And even to sacrifice people for some better goal. The ends does not justify the means.

Anyway – consider a subscription to the Cruciform books. Consider how you can help defend innocents. Think about being prepared when your faith must become courage. And I’ll do the same.