Five Minute Friday — More

Posted on March 8, 2019 by wisdomfromafather

It’s Friday and Five Minute Friday time!

You know the drill. We get our weekly prompt, let the spirit flow for five minutes, post, link up in the Community section at www.fiveminutefriday.com and — best part — visit other writers to support and encourage them.

For the past few months, I have also been sharing testimonials from fellow writers as outlined in Five Minute Friday: A Collection of Stories Written in Five Minutes Flat. This week, I’ll share some words from Jen’s heart.

“FMF gave me a voice when I had none. In the midst of a messy divorce and really sad time it brought me community. I had an outlet for my words, thoughts, and feelings that was safe and welcoming and where my sharing, honesty, and being real was encouraged. Rather than hiding from what felt like the worst failure of my life (which is what I wanted to do for years), FMF helped me find myself again, little by little, one week at a time.”

Amen!

With that, the timer has been set so it’s time to tackle this week’s prompt — MORE. GO …

More of You, Lord, less of me.

That’s a pretty high bar … and may not exactly be accurate.

Certainly, the goal is to have the Light of Christ shine through us. And it has variations. He must increase; I must decrease, says John (Berean Study Bible). He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less (New Living Translation). Jesus must become more important, while I become less important (Contemporary English Version).

Where I take a slight veer, however, is the less of me part. The intent certainly is for us to get out of the way so that Light can shine. The problem is we were created by God the way we are. For some of us it’s bravado; for others charisma; still others it’s a quiet demeanor. For some it’s preaching or teaching; or other it’s writing and sharing; for others it’s through the example of quiet and prayer. There is no magic formula … and there is no way to diminish our role in the presentation of God’s Light and Truth.

I have a role in bringing the Lord to the forefront. You have a role in bringing the Lord to the forefront.

I understand the temptation to think we are more important than the message. It’s an easy trap. That’s what I fear. So I would modify the phrase to “More of You, Lord, through me as You need. Let me be the instrument You need and use.” STOP

THOUGHT TO REMEMBER: Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant. — Robert Louis Stevenson

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Longer Days …

Posted on March 7, 2019 by wisdomfromafather

Okay. It was minus 11 this morning when the sun started peeking over the horizon and woke up Angelina somewhere around 5:30. I convinced her to go back to sleep — for about an hour — before the thump-thump-thump of her tail and the bright sunlight forced my  sleepy eyes open. When we walked outside, the sun was really bright against the deep blue sky … but it was also minus six degrees.

Welcome to my world.

I don’t mind the snow or even the cold of winter. I welcome the bright sunshine. But we’re at the time of the year when Spring battles Winter. The days are starting to get longer. The temperatures are — believe it or not — starting to moderate. We’ll actually see the 40s next week — after, of course, a predicted 3-5 inches of snow this weekend.

It’s the “days are getting longer” that concerns me. As the days get longer, Angelina wakes up a little earlier and earlier. I’ll get a reprieve this weekend when we shift to Daylight Savings Time and today’s 5:30 will be 6:30. But I know that “extra” hour will be short-lived and it won’t be long before I get a wake-up call from my faithful friend back at 5:30 and even earlier as we march toward Summer.

It is sunrise that determines her sleep. One day last week, I woke around 4 for a potty visit. She remained curled up at the bottom of the bed completely nonplussed … until, of course, first light. Fortunately, she does lay back down when I tell her to — usually with her head on my knee or her paws resting on my back {I wish I could teach her to give a massage} — until her tail gets the best of her about an hour or so later.

This all means my daily routine changes. It will mean my afternoon nap will almost become mandatory. It will mean my attention during my Hallmark movies will be challenged {I mean, I had to watch a mystery three times — count ’em — three times before catching all the clues that lead to solving the crime}. It very well could impact my bedtime.

I love the little mutt. She brings me joy and is a good companion. But I wish she had a better sleep pattern.

Once we get back in after our morning walk, she’ll usually curl up on my lap as I check my phone and start my daily laptop routine. This morning, however, she was stretched out in a sunny spot on the rug. It took all I had not to throw something at her!

THOUGHT TO REMEMBER: You wouldn’t worry so much about what others think of you if you realized how seldom they do. — Eleanor Roosevelt

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Midweek Mirth

Posted on March 6, 2019 by wisdomfromafather

One of the misconceptions about being a Christian is non-Christians think we don’t know how to have fun or have a sense of humor. Trust me, if the Big Guy can have a sense of humor when it comes to dealing with us mere mortals, so can we.

The difference for Christians is we don’t have to debase ourselves or others to generate a smile. Laughter at life or ourselves is a gift from God.

So, let’s smile a little!

Many of you know, fish is a Catholic staple during Lent. In that spirit, I’ll share this tidbit…

Lost on a rainy Lenten Friday night, a priest stumbles into a monastery and requests shelter there. Fortunately, he’s just in time for dinner and was treated to the best fish and chips he’s ever had.

After dinner, he goes into the kitchen to thank the chefs. He is met by two brothers, “Hello, I’m Brother Michael, and this is Brother Francis.”

“I’m very pleased to meet you. I just wanted to thank you for a wonderful dinner. The fish and chips were the best I’ve ever tasted. Out of curiosity, who cooked what?”

Brother Michael replied, “Well, I’m the fish friar.”

Father turns to the other brother and says, “Then you must be …”

“Yes, I’m afraid I’m the chip monk …”

And now for the bonus …

 Relatively Speaking

“Did you see how pleased Mrs. Smith looked when I told her she didn’t look a day older than her daughter?” a woman asked.

“No, I didn’t notice Mrs. Smith,” her husband responded. “I was too busy watching the expression on her daughter’s face!”

THOUGHT TO REMEMBER: When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, “I used everything You gave me.” Erma Bombeck

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More Exposure

Posted on March 5, 2019 by wisdomfromafather

I’m IN!

The Author Academy Awards selection committee has approved the submission of both Heaven Shining Through and Wisdom From a Father and both books are listed on the Author Academy Awards site.

Heaven Shining Through is listed in the Best General Fiction category. Wisdom From a Father is listed in the Best General Nonfiction category.

The top 10 finalists in each category will be announced Aug. 20 at 8 p.m. at a virtual press conference.The judging centers on popular vote, social contribution and overall presentation (cover, content, flow and originality).

Family, friends and colleagues are encouraged to vote for either or both books on the Author Academy Awards home page! General Fiction is page 5, while General Nonfiction is page 6.

I appreciate it … and I’ll keep you posted.

THOUGHT TO REMEMBER: Give the ones you love wings to fly, roots to come back and reason to stay.

 

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How Small/Big Is Your God?

Posted on March 4, 2019 by wisdomfromafather

Dick Innes of Acts International provides us with this week’s Words for the Week.

Many people write to Acts International needing counseling for personal problems. Many, too, are seeking answers to questions about God that many of us struggle with from time to time. From time to time I, too, have questions about God that I cannot even begin to fathom, and I often tell others that we won’t have answers to some of these questions until we get to Heaven.

It reminds me of something Michael Green wrote in Illustrations for Biblical Preaching.

Augustine, while puzzling over the doctrine of the Holy Trinity, was walking along the beach one day when he observed a young boy with a bucket, running back and forth to pour water into a little hole. Augustine asked, “What are you doing?” The boy replied, “I’m trying to put the ocean into this hole.”

It was then Augustine realized that he had been trying to put an infinite God into his finite mind.

THOUGHT TO REMEMBER: “Understanding” is much deeper than “knowledge”. There are many people who know us, but very few who understand us.

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Love Crossing Borders

Posted on March 3, 2019 by wisdomfromafather

Our reflection today comes from ​Ann Jacobs, who assists Mennonite Mission Network to further relationships with African-American Mennonite congregations. She helps congregations become more informed of resources, services and agency partnerships in support of the congregation’s vision for mission.

My parents were folks who demonstrated love to all.  Because they demonstrated love, it continues to live on in our family’s lives. Through their love we were taught to welcome or acknowledge “the stranger.” If we avoid strangers or even people we despise, we risk opportunity to witness Christ. As we reduce our speed, anxiousness and hesitance, and draw near to our first love, God’s love compels us to love others. Perhaps, God sets up these opportunities described in Leviticus 19:33-34: When a stranger sojourns with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong. You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.

When Christians slow down to discover people who enter their path, we witness love crossing borders. I think these are opportunities to share the gospel. The following poem was considered in memory of my mother and father.

Give what’s left of me away to children

And old folks that wait to die, and if you need to cry,

Cry for your brother and sister walking the street beside you.

And when you need me, put your arms around someone and give them what you need to give me.

I want to leave you something, something better than words or sounds. Look for me in the people I’ve known or loved, and if you cannot give me away, at least let me live in your eyes [heart] and not in your mind, you can love me most by letting hands touch hands, by letting bodies touch bodies and by letting go of children that need to be free. Love doesn’t die, [lost] people do. [You know where I am] So, when all that’s left of me is love, give me away [to those who need to find love].

I was very close to both of my parents; them being missing from my life has shaped the need for me to give and receive love in important ways. This poem helped me to gain purpose and to continue in the legacy of my parents, while paying attention to others on the journey. The work of drawing others to Christ is something that is felt with our hearts and spirit and not always understood in the mind. As we respond to God’s love, we are given a renewed sense of purpose, which leads us to victory – all the way to eternity.

People are influenced and shaped by their culture, community and environment. The many paths I cross can create challenges. These experiences encompass races, cultures, age differences, faith communities, systems, feminist and womanist circles of all races, then my own cultural diversity. Living with deep cultural differences requires the determination to be centered in the promises and truth of Scripture. The safe way to carry intercultural relations is to embrace the Spirit of God’s love, and desire that love to flow out to others. Galatians 5:22 says, Let’s not fail in the commandment to love, because nothing can escape God’s deep permeating love. That subverts borders.

THOUGHT TO REMEMBER: There is only one way to avoid criticism: do nothing, say nothing and be nothing. — Aristotle

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Prayer Time

Posted on March 2, 2019 by wisdomfromafather

As we build this community prayer platform, we ask the Lord to listen to our petitions with full confidence they not only are heard but acted upon by God according to His holy will. I know the requests are on my prayer list and I hope you consider putting them on yours as you place your petitions before the Lord Sunday.

This has been a week where many have been touched by their journey through the valley of the shadow of death. Joseph, the largest and strongest of Amber’s triplets, passed away Friday (March 1). Recently released from neo-natal care, he developed an infection in his intestines that spread quickly through his body.  The two girls remain hospitalized. Freya, the largest girl, was born at 3 pounds, 3 ounces.  Finley, the tiniest baby was born at 2 pounds, 6.8 ounces and and has heart problems that ultimately will require surgery.

Sarah, only 37, also died this week, leaving a big void for her family.

Other petitions sent in were for prayers for Drake, who remains hospitalized. He is still rejecting food through his feeding tube so that will delay his coming home.

Andrew heard a “crack-thump” in his chest which brought both pain and a lot more trouble breathing. His right lung isn’t working properly and there is another swelling on the chest wall and in the neck, making talking very hard. Barb has brought home communion from church so he can have it every day, but she has to say the Lord’s Prayer. Andrew can’t get through it without losing his voice and coughing.

Ed asks for prayers for comfort, healing and a rapid recovery for a dear friend’s wife who fell and broke her wrist and had surgery. She is recovering well and just started bi-weekly physical therapy.

Kevin asks for more prayers for his brother and himself. Besides having a bone on bone hip and debilitating arthritis, he has a totally pinched sciatic nerve bilaterally, and a leg infection that won’t heal. He has wound nurses coming to the house to change dressings and a soft cast has been put on to help with swelling.He also asked for prayer for his dog Bella who has ear infections in both ears.

Josh’s stepdad had a massive heart attack and needs lifting up.

Horace was rushed to the emergency room with chest pains. He seeks prayers as they await tests.

On the power of prayer, Priscilla,who fell on the ice and was taken to the hospital with possible complications with the pregnancy was discharged with no restrictions.

Jay is still battling double pneumonia, but showing some signs of improvement.

We come to You, Lord, because prayer is the least yet the greatest thing we can do for each other. When two or more are gathered in Your name, we confidently know You are with us. What better company can we have? You reign and we trust You! We may be broken and battered but know You heal and quiet the soul. You are the source for all that happens in our lives. We thank You for the progress being made by Priscilla and Jay. We thank You for the many blessings we have received this week — some we unfortunately didn’t notice. Nonetheless, those blessings are ever-present in our lives. We thank You for healing. We thank You for slowing us down. We thank You for providing us our daily needs — no more and no less. We thank You for being with us, listening to us, walking with us on this journey. We thank You for the support of our family and friends … for seeing the extraordinary in the ordinary — sunrises, sunsets, flowers, kids laughing, adventures, good news amid the bad news. We also know we can come to You with our concerns and they will be heard. We lift up those family members and friends who are battling various physical, emotional, financial, career or spiritual issues and ask not for Your guidance and healing (although that would be welcomed) but to keep reminding us we are not alone in our battles. Specifically we lift up Freya, Finley, Drake, Andrew, Ed’s friend, Kevin, Josh’s stepdad, Horace, and Amber’s and Sarah’s families and the families of all those You have called home. We grieve … You celebrate. We pray for obedience to Your Will so Your “Son” Light shines through us through the power of the Spirit. And we come to You through the confidence of the words taught by Your Son Jesus. Amen.

Keep your joys and concerns coming. They have been and will be included during my prayer time and I trust they will be on your lips as well as you approach the altar. All it takes is a couple of keystrokes under the “Contact Me” button on the top bar {or to the right if you’re not a follower yet}. I hope it becomes your best friend as you navigate around the site so we can all be viable prayer warriors. You can also comment or reach me at wisdomfromafather@gmail.com.

THOUGHT TO REMEMBER: Some people feel the rain. Others just get wet. — Bob Marley

 

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Five Minute Friday — Search

Posted on March 1, 2019 by wisdomfromafather

Happy March! Happy first Five Minute Friday of the month!

You know the drill. We get our weekly prompt, let the spirit flow for five minutes, post, link up in the Community section at www.fiveminutefriday.com, and — best part — visit other writers in our group to support and encourage them.

For the past few months, I have also been sharing testimonials from fellow writers as outlined in Five Minute Friday: A Collection of Stories Written in Five Minutes Flat. This week, I’ll share some words from Robin’s heart.

“I first heard of Five Minute Friday, or FMF — as it is known — in October 2015 when I was participating in a 31-day writing project. Many of the bloggers participating in the 31-day write project would post an FMF blog. I was intrigued and inspired by the words chosen to write about and what was written by so many. I’m not a professional blogger; just a home-schooling mom who enjoys sharing what the Lord is teaching me. I could write every day; however, being a homeschooling mom and a pastor’s wife, I don’t have time to sit down and write. That’s one reason the FMF prompts appealed to me. Being able to sit down and write for five minutes was refreshing. It is VERY helpful that the ‘word’ for the week is posted on Twitter the night before. I can check it out and sleep on it. As someone who loves to write, this exercise stretches me — a very good thing. The best part about FMF is the community of bloggers in it. I have found precious ladies all over the country I enjoy connectnng with each week. I find myself readings the blogs throughout the week. The Lord calls us to fellowship and community. That’s what FMF is. It’s a blessing and a privilege to be part of it.’

That’s common– fellowship and community .. blessing and privilege.That’s why I heartily encourage you to join us. And we’d love to have you in our circle!

With that, I’ll get off the soap box and down to work. The prompt is SEARCH. The timer has been set, so let’s see where the neurons GO...

Life is a constant quest … a search of who we are, where we’re going, how we are getting there and what is important.

From our earliest days as babies. we start searching our surroundings. As we grow, we search out possible careers and develop our interests. As we get older we search for friendship and  make decisions on our careers. If we’re lucky, we’re able to match our careers with our passions.

The same is true for our mind and our spirituality. It’s a constant search. Initially our faith may be be formed by our family and environs. As we become “enlightened”, we may search out a deeper meaning for those beliefs … some solidifying their beliefs and other, unfortunately, falling away.

And that’s the right sequence. We have to search out options to form opinions. If we don’t, we’re mere proverbial lemmings following the crowd, often over the cliff.

Even Jesus’ first followers had to go through this search process. They generally totally misunderstood Jesus and His teaching. They often had to be reprimanded for their secular thinking. They had to come to their own “Ah Ha” moment, being it betrayal, doubt, petty pride, persecution, blinding light.

So do we. We have to search our souls to find our own “Ah Ha” moment … that moment when we understand what’s behind the Words. And that can be scary as our preconceived thoughts often unravel. It is, though, incumbent upon us to search and dig a little deeper than the words on paper … STOP

… We have to search out the context. We have to search out the intent. We have to search out the nuances. And we must be open to letting the Words speak to us. Of course, this can be disconcerting. But it’s an important step in our search to understand our faith. I also believe it makes our faith deeper and more unshakeable.

THOUGHT TO REMEMBER: The secret of life … is to fall seven times and to get up eight times. — Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

 

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Life

Posted on February 28, 2019 by wisdomfromafather

Life. It has a funny way of taking turns and twists you never imagined.

Sometimes, when you are at your lowest, a sudden event picks you up. Other times, when you are riding a high, a sudden event reels you back into reality. Sometimes the struggles seem to overwhelm us as we attempt to walk a little closer with the Lord.

Of course, those of us with a belief system know the tugs and pulls are orchestrated for our good over the long haul … to keep us grounded and to keep us focused on the Lord — yes, even in those dark moments.

Right now, I am being challenged. Over the past few months, some of the goals I sought started slipping away. More recently, my health and the health of my family has been under attack. And I can’t help but feel the slings of Satan — especially as I have attempted to convert this space into a more God-glorifying spot.

I have to be honest, in those dark days of doubt it is easy to question the presence of God. And there have been many who have fallen away precisely because of the trials and tribulations they were presented with.

But I also have to be honest and say, for me, Satan’s slings guide me closer to my Lord. At my lowest times, I realize I have no where nor no One to rely on but God.

That doesn’t minimize the hurt, but it does put it in perspective. It’s part of the “surrender” part of being a Christian.

THOUGHT TO REMEMBER: There is no success without sacrifice.

 

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Midweek Mirth

Posted on February 27, 2019 by wisdomfromafather

One of the misconceptions about being a Christian is non-Christians think we don’t know how to have fun or have a sense of humor. Trust me, if the Big Guy can have a sense of humor when it comes to dealing with us mere mortals, so can we.

The difference for Christians is we don’t have to debase ourselves or others to generate a smile. Laughter at life or ourselves is a gift from God.

So, let’s smile a little!

Birthday

Mike and his mother were in the doctor’s office for his pre-school physical. The receptionist, completing his medical history, asked, “What is your birth date?”

“February 25,” Mike answered.

“What year?” the receptionist asked.

“Every year,” was Mike’s matter-of-fact reply.

And now for the bonus …

Having a Spell

A second grader came home from school and said to her grandmother, “Grandma, guess what? We learned how to make babies today.”

The grandmother, more than a little surprised, tried to keep her cool. “That’s interesting.” she said. Tepidly she asked, “How do you make babies?”

“It’s simple,” replied the girl. “You just change ‘y’ to ‘i’ and add ‘es’.”

THOUGHT TO REMEMBER: The best way to prepare for the future is to take care of the present.

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