Holding My Breath

Hello, friends! Happy Fall. All that rain finally left and, momentarily, took the hottest heat with it. So nice to be able to take a deep breath outdoors!

I have been thinking about breathing lately. Waiting for school to start always feels like holding my breath underwater. I know the relief is there, but I can’t feel it, until suddenly there it is! And then the running around panting starts and doesn’t let up until Christmas is over.

Anyway, that’s not why I have been thinking about breathing. Over the summer I did a lot of painting. I’m not very good at it, but I’m trying to get better, and I noticed that I get a much steadier line next to the trim if I hold my breath.

Now, when there is painting happening at my house, it usually indicates a time of transition. We have historically either just moved or are about to move. We are buying a house or listing a house or moving furniture to accommodate a new baby or a growing-up baby. The household is in an uproar, more so I mean than the usual clamor.

We are not one of those families where one person makes all the decisions on wall color no matter how much I have hoped that we would be. So if someone is finally painting that means that we are at the end of some major, ahem, discussions.

Discussions of this nature are also strained by the circumstances surrounding whatever life change we have just undertaken. New cities mean new churches and schools and jobs. Uncertainty prevails and patience is low. Conversations about paint become deeply personal, filled with hidden meaning. One person will feel like their breath has been wasted on whatever input the other person didn’t follow. The silences between the discussions are often syncopated by deep sighs or exasperated huffs. All of these things take up oxygen.

When I noticed that holding my breath made my painted line go smoother it hit me that holding my breath might make all the paint color negotiations, and therefore the life transitions, go more smoothly too. I wondered whether the Bible might say something about breathing being related to speech. Because, you know, maybe it didn’t, and then I could go back to sighing until I got my way.

Alas, the Bible did have much to say on the subject of breathing, and it was a bit more serious than I was prepared for.

I found several references to God blasting people with the Breath of His nostrils. Or clearing ground with his hot breath. So first of all, yikes. It did not in any place that I could find mention anyone besides God doing this which indicates to me that it’s not okay for people to use breath as a rebuke. Or it’s only okay if you’re holy already, which definitely leaves me out. So much for blasting people with my hot breath over the color of the laundry room.

Also dismaying was how closely linked the words for breath and breathing are to the same meaning as what we would think of as our spirit or soul. It’s the essence of you that goes when you die and leaves behind your lifeless body. I’ll spare you the Hebrew words if you’ll check out the following verses:

Psalm 33:6, 104:29-30 (God’s breath or spirit lives in us.)

Psalm 135:17, Jeremiah 10:14 (Nothing we create holds any spirit or breath.)

Isaiah 42:5, Ezekiel 37:1-14, Daniel 5:23 (God gives the breath of life. The Ezekiel passage is especially vivid. The Daniel one especially humbling.)

Psalm 146:4, Ecclesiastes 3:19 (The breath He gives us is temporary.)

Let’s just say that whenever I look for simple little self-betterment texts in the Bible, it almost always reveals the pridefulness of my nature. In other words, in connecting my breath to my speech I was thinking too shallow and too small.

My breath indicates a connection to my Maker. It is the essence of His life in me; it’s the tangible presence of His creative force. Each time. Ponder that for a minute. Each breath is His gift. Just because I have one breath today does not mean that another will follow tomorrow.

Having read these, I just want to be much more careful how I dole them out. With each breath am I giving life or laying waste? Do I create or destroy? Am I giving relief and refreshment or something different?

Changes

Hi, friends! Just checking in with a quick note to say I'm thinking about you this summer.

How do you like our background? Well, after waiting around for a while to see if God would send someone who "does computers" I decided just to jump in and try it myself. It's so pink that I'm not sure I'll be able to stand it for very long. The fact that it looks different is a huge praise, though. I know the banner needs work. I'll have to keep at it! Pray for me. Nothing steals my joy like modern technology.

Let me encourage you to keep at it too. Summer is the right time to get in God's word. Don't wait for a study to come along. Summer is free and easy. Pick a book of the Bible you have never read before. Mine this week has been Lamentations. Before you roll your eyes, let me tell you that what shocks me so often about reading the Bible is that it almost never conforms to what you expect. Not all of Lamentations is sad. There are some wonderful promises here.

For instance, I have been looking for a verse that I had "lost" a few years ago. It was very encouraging to me when my children were babies, but per my typical pattern I didn't memorize the reference or write it down. Last year I remembered it and started looking for it, convinced that it was in Psalms. Couldn't find it, but, you know, Psalms is long. Anyway, I opened up Lamentations yesterday, and lo and behold, there it was! I had underlined it and everything. So exciting. Am I a geek? Maybe, but I am one encouraged geek.

Here it is so you can look it up: Lamentations 3:22-23. Keep going on through v.26 if you have the time, and then come back later and pick up the context in all of Chapter 3. Chapter 3 is so where my head is at during February and March.

Our souls need encouraging during summer because autumn keeps getting larger and larger on the horizon. Soak in it now, and store it up. You'll need it before long.

Enjoy your summer days however you spend them!

Holiday Stress--Own It!

Hi there! It’s mid-December. Do you know where your Christmas presents are? Having two holiday birthdays in our family means that I often struggle to keep up with all the presents I’m supposed to be responsible for this time of year. I do pretty well with the presents, actually, but those birthday cards that come in the mail from the long-distance relatives don’t always stay where I put them.

It happened this week. I lost a birthday card from Nanny in San Antonio. It had money in it and everything. I found it already--just in time for the party. Not soon enough however to save me from having a complete come-apart.

Have I taught y’all that word yet? Come-apart is a Dothan term for hissy fit. Otherwise known as a howling spell, but the kind that the less spoiled rotten of us have. It may present with light tears or a full-on falling down kicking and screaming on the floor kind of thing. I usually throw myself crosswise across the bed, but, you know. It varies.

I was clicking along through Thanksgiving with all kinds of major important tasks to hold down and check off. I won’t say I was fine, but I was praying through it. Not having quiet time exactly, but definitely letting God in on my days. Then one little temporarily missing birthday card sent me into full-blown meltdown.

Now you think I’m going to chastise you with all sorts of verses about being still and the joys of simplicity. But I’m not. I’m going to ask you a question.

Does it really make sense for us to try to relax during the holidays? Women? Sisters, daughters, mothers? I ask you. Is this realistic? Or is this one more way for Satan to guilt us into immobility? Doesn’t the birth of the Saviour mandate celebratory sorts of behavior? Should we be daunted by the extra work and the estrogen levels it brings? Or is this the kind of celebration that merits our above average ambitions?

Here’s another question: Which honors God more? A woman who flies apart over a birthday card, and, in order to avoid more such episodes, decides to forgo any further once-a-year stress-inducing activities, like cooking Christmas dinner. Or a woman who cries the tears, considers them a normal reaction to the battle she is fighting, and after having dried them continues on in a manner worthy of her calling. With God as her witness, she embarks on an unapologetic, riotous, highly decorated season of feasting in honor of her Jesus come to earth. Complete with appetizers and hand tied bows.

Can we defend our amped-up activity levels during the holidays? Biblically, I mean.

Well, let’s see.

In defense of Christmas cards: Phillipians 1:2-3, 7-8

In defense of meal planning: John 6:4-5 (See? Planning ahead for meals is a Christlike endeavor. When great multitudes of people come to visit, they have to eat.)

Re-read John 2. (It has always seemed to me that this first miracle taking place at a wedding meant, among other things, that Jesus is okay with our celebrations of life. This time I had to laugh at what a prominent part Mary plays in this story. If she hadn’t stepped in would this have been the first miracle? Do you think she was stressed out on behalf of her friend? Was she trying to save the family some stress?)

I know. You don’t have time right now to read. That’s okay. You’ll catch it in January maybe. Or April. Whenever. God has time for you to spare.

One more question: Can God handle your stress? I dare say He can. Don’t forget that. He may not want you to stop working, stop doing. He may want to transform you through the very force of your efforts. He may want you to tap into His power to do more than you would have thought was possible. Every memory of the holidays is an altar to remind future generations that what you believe is worth the celebration. We don’t make a big deal out of it. It is a big deal. It is worth the stress. Worth the tears. Worth the battle.

Go work hard right now. Hang in there. Do your absolute very best and whatever that entails at your house in your family. Jesus surely deserves it.

Take care. And Merry Christmas!

More encouragement to pray

Hi First Friends! It's stormy weather here today. Hope you're staying dry. I'm praising God that the storm has weakened. During the hurricanes a few years ago we got our worst damage from a tropical storm, so I tend to get a little punchy when I hear those words.

I received a note today from Susan Hill regarding the Moms In Touch prayer event at the ROC this Saturday. Whether or not you plan to attend, I thought this quote from one of the ladies in the group was a terrific encouragement to pray.

"These moms, like you and me, care deeply, yet know well the reality of the pressures on our kids in these crazy times in this crazy beach town. We choose to deal with this stress and feeling of lack of control by bringing our cares each week to the foot of the cross, and handing them over to our GOD who can help. We've been doing this for years, and have seen countless prayers answered.

Fast forward to this Saturday, and get a glimpse of this group and hear the stories of moms like you and I, as we join together for a morning of prayer. Across the nation, thousands of moms will be watching via video and praying together. Be assured you can participate as a SPECTATOR only!! You will not have to talk or pray in front of the group!!! Just come and be blessed by seeing how our mighty God can be a victor over anything in your child's life!! "

I love the way this event encourages us to deal with stress by taking it to the cross. Isn't that a great reminder for the holiday season?

Don't you love her for saying "You will not have to talk"? It's funny to think of being a spectator at a prayer event. We were all raised to keep our eyes closed. However, relieving yourself from talking during prayer time can be powerful. One of my favorite verses on prayer has always been Ecclesiastes 5:2. Go look it up. Don't forget to wear your slippers. When I walked across the kitchen just now to get my Bible I stepped on a bean from dinner. Yuck!

Did you read it? Doesn't that go against everything we usually say about prayer in Sunday School? Now read verse 7. Wow, right? So different from the way we usually pray. Let's take traveling as an example.

In our usual method of prayer you must make sure God knows which airline you are flying on, and you have to make sure He has your flight numbers. You cover the time, the date, cities of departure and destination. Then you must give some attention to the people in the seats on either side of you. You can thank Beth Moore for that. You must cover the pilots and their families. You'd rather be praying for your own family, but you know that they are better served by you keeping your plane in the air. This is one way to interpret "God cares about the details" and it's valid. There is no wrong way to pray. When I'm already upset, though, this method exhausts me. I'd truly rather take my chances with the Department of Homeland Security than get up and look at my calendar so that I don't inadvertently wind up praying for someone else's flight.

Here's how I picture the Ecclesiastes method of prayer with air travel. You sit down for quiet time and can't focus because you're so worried about the flight. Push your Bible to one side or place your finger on a verse you can meditate on. Now. Ask yourself this question. Which do I fear more: death or God? Tell God something simple like, "I'm frightened, and I want to fear you more than I fear this." Now wait. Sit there with your finger on your verse and don't talk any more. When the worries creep back in ask yourself the question again. Open your eyes to read your verse and repeat the steps. See what happens.

Susan's event is this Saturday from 9 to 1 and it's free. Just let them know you're coming at www.Momsintouch.org.

Do You Pray Better Than a Fifth Grader?

First off, my apologies if this title makes your stomach tight. I know, and you know, that prayer is not a contest. If you’re praying at all, you’re doing it right. However, I had a prayer experience this week that had me thinking about that game show where the grownups compete with school children and the way that some things change and some things stay the same, especially concerning prayer.

Let me explain. Wednesday night at Awana we did a prayer walk. If you have ever helped with Awana, or been in the church when Awana was going on, then you know that it is not for the faint-hearted. Combine an after dinner hour in midweek with confined spaces and varying degrees of hunger and hosility. It makes for a sweaty, cranky bunch. They all need to get a spanking and go straight to bed. I’m talking about the leaders mostly, but some of the children too. It serves the purpose, I guess, but it’s not pretty. You don’t automatically think, “We should try a worship service.” Unless you are Miss Jean. For last week’s activity time, we had a prayer walk in the chapel.

I’m no stranger to prayer walks with children. It’s one of my favorite tricks for burning off that last 30 minutes before parents come to pick them up from VBS. It gets them moving, changes their scenery and lets them do something real. As I said before, I think that all prayer is real whether or not everyone has their eyes closed or is quiet or is pretending to be a ninja or whatever.

My Wednesday night attitude, however, doesn’t generally allow for a lot of creativity or good feelings or flexibility. I need to get in the zone and get the job done. So full of myself and my humanity, I marched my three little charges up the giant staircase and into the chapel to pray without ceasing for thirty minutes until I could go home.

It was pretty much as I had expected. They were into it for a while. They took turns reading the cards and bowed their heads. But then one wanted to go this way and one that way; they started fighting over who could stand where. One had to go to the bathroom, and one wanted to pray for her family members, specifically and in great detail, at every single station. More and more groups poured into the chapel and started moving through the stations. The volume level went up. Some got a bathroom break so we did too, and then we got done with the stations and sat down on a bench to wait.

Maybe it was the low lighting. I started looking around and watching and got that still, small feeling in my chest that God needed me to pay attention. Y’all, I’m not kidding. All those children walking around praying reminded me of us. You know, the grownup church. They were jockeying for position. There were fights over who got to be in a group with whose friend. Some think they can’t pray, and some think they really can. They were bored. They had the world weariness of a group of God’s children who have seen it all and done it all but are too weak to do anything different.

Usually these displays of our fallen nature render me sad and depressed, but this time somehow it made me smile. I can’t explain it. I think Jesus showed up for the Awana prayer walk. Those children, they were beautiful. They laughed and fought and talked and walked and complained and wrote and hugged and hit each other. They prayed and prayed and prayed and prayed and prayed. And they were us.

They prayed even though they were bored. A few were into it, but most prayed because there wasn’t anything else to do and someone was leading them. You could tell they weren’t going to pray when they got home. Isn’t that just like us?

We will never grow up. We will continue walking, fighting, posing and pretending. We know that everything we do is temporary and we want to do something real. And that is why we must pray. Prayer brings Jesus down from the realm of eternity into our everyday. Grace falls and changes us, as they say, from a common use to a holy use. I tell you if God can make me smile at Awana, He can make your kitchen table glow like the ground under the burning bush. Like the faces of the children in the chapel. I think the glow is always there. The glow is His presence. It’s just that when you pray, He invites you to glimpse it.

Just in case you’re not convinced I’m adding some verses on prayer that I’ll be mulling over this week. Join me, won’t you?

Luke 11:1 (A good catch phrase. To be repeated several times a day as needed.)

Luke 18:1-17 (The publican probably is most closely related here. How cool that it’s attached to the story about Jesus and the children. Have you ever been taught the story of Jesus and the children as being about prayer? I don’t think I have.)

1 Thes. 5:17 (Always a friendly reminder!)

Welcome Back, Blogger!

Hello, friends! I’m back after a lazy, freewheeling summer hiatus and a purposeful back-to-school transition. Tell the truth, now. You thought I had forgotten you. Yes, you did. You thought that I had gone out and made new friends and forgotten all about Walkin’ and Talkin’. No, no. I would miss our virtual stroll. After a summer of actual sitting by the pool I need the exercise. (Virtual exercise counts, right?)

What I did forget was how to get on the blog. Just momentarily, but still. Forgot the password, forgot the address, forgot everything. After a few minutes of typing in various combinations--wretched use of eternal minutes that I will never get back--it finally let me in. I hate computers. When your Bible study teacher tells you that God will stretch your boundaries for His service, pay attention. I never thought I would be working in such a technical field. I’d really rather write each woman in the church a pencil-and-paper note every week. Sometimes I actually think it would be faster. This week, however, I have some encouragement that can’t wait.

Go look up Psalm 27:13. Go ahead. I’ll wait. It’s a good one. It’s my new theme verse for fall, and it’s funny.

All of Psalm 27 is about trust. In my Bible the subtitle is “A Psalm of Fearless Trust in God.” David is having some trouble with the toxic people in his life. He tells us about evil doers who “devour his flesh,” false witnesses who “breathe out violence,” and parents who won’t help him. They’re probably out of town the way my parents always are when I am having a crisis. I love David. He’s so extreme. He, like me, never passes up an opportunity to have a colorfully detailed vent. He vents to the Lord, and I vent to my bathroom mirror, but whatever.

Then in verse 13 he switches gears and says “I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.” Don’t you love his nonchalance? As it to say he hasn’t even started to get upset. “I would have been worried about these violent breathers, but then I remembered the Lord. I would have tried to shake off all these people trying to bite me, but then I thought of my faith. I would have sent my parents a pouty text, but then I remembered Jesus and all.” It makes me chuckle every time I think of it.

I encountered this verse several weeks ago and can assure you that it plugs nicely into almost any situation. When you lose your keys: “I would have despaired, unless I had believed.” When you get home from the grocery store with lots of nice items, except the one thing you went there to get: “I would have despaired unless I had believed.” When your child puts you down, and then slams the door in your face: (Take a deep breath first and with power) “I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.” Okay, that one’s not so funny, but you get the picture. It’s an antidote for that wave of panic or that rising anger in your throat.

Try it and see if it doesn’t restore your inner chuckle. (Yes, even rueful laughter counts.) What’s your favorite verse to fight off despair? Send me a comment. I panic often, and I could use the extra help. I have a couple more notes about the second part of the verse, but I’m out of time right now. I’ll be back. Keep your heart rate up!

Storms

We certainly have had some stormy weather lately! In honor of our April showers join me in contemplating what Pat Evans has to say about "Storms." This is an excerpt from her devotional book Honey for a Woman's Heart, used with her permission. Stay dry and enjoy!

Storms

" . . . The righteous will live by faith." Habakkuk 2:4b

Living here on the Gulf Coast, we are used to storms and even hurricanes. We are used to high winds and lots of rain. Several years ago, my pastor preached from the little book of Habakkuk giving us three simple points that we can apply to our lives today.

Chapter one: "Looking at the storm brings confusion."
My husband and I have sat on our back porch and looked at hurricane force winds and horizontal rain, wondering what was this storm going to do to us, to our property. It always brings confusion.

Chapter two: "Looking through the storm brings confidence."
It's here that the Lord says to Habakkuk, "the righteous will live by faith." When we look through the storm with faith in our Abba Father, we do receive confidence because He is Almighty God, sovereign and in control even of the rain and wind. He is the King of kings and the Lord of lords.

Chapter three: "Looking beyond the storm brings comfort."
Habakkuk prays to the Lord, ". . . I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, O Lord. Renew them in our day, in our time make them known."

The little book is ended with the magnificent praise: "Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD. I will be JOYFUL in God my Savior. [Because] The Sovereign Lord is my strength; He makes my feet like the feet of the deer, He enables me to go on the heights."

He takes away my confusion in the storm; He brings me confidence through the storm; He brings me comfort as we look beyond the storm and though we may not see it we can know He is our strength and we can be joyful!