1, 2, 3….............

8/19/10……………look at Me. (Me meaning the Lord) That’s been my customary reaction to spiritual things----sort of like a “rule.” Instead of 3 strikes you’re out, when something intersects with my life 3 times that means, a heads up for ole Dots.

As a result, I’ve been meditating in Psalm 71. This is a psalm of lament that expresses the faith of an older person, who has trusted God for many years but is still feeling attacked whether verbally or physically or both. I, as well as most folks, can understand his need for God as a refuge.

As I first began meditating on this psalm, I was indeed seeking solace---and not because of aging or gray hairs. (v. 18) My strength, both physical and emotional was spent. I was hurt. I needed a rock, refuge, Someone trustworthy on whom to lean.

On Sunday, Cole concluded his sermon suggesting this psalm for consideration---that for me was affirmation #2. I decided to camp out there a little longer. Affirmation #3 came in the Tuesday’s Upper room devotional reading, Psalm 71:17-21. God began to change my focus. He has been with me when I (Isaiah 43:2) “passed through the waters….and was not overwhelmed.” (I only temporarily felt as if I were drowning) This new focus in the same psalm reminds me that there is none like God---God who has seen me through many troubles and calamities will revive me again. Now I must continue to proclaim his wondrous deeds and ask him, “ do not forsake me until I proclaim your might to another generation.” (Psalm 71:18) My grands come to mind.

The Upper room gives a L2L (Link2Life) as way to encourage practical application of the scripture’s teaching. I’m calling mine D2D (Dare to Dance) to encourage myself and others to dare to go forth and dance (celebrate) these life truths with others. I’m going to pick up the phone and call a friend.

1,2,3….and....1,2,3……………….doesn’t it make you want to dance.

ALONE..........

8/16/10……………….for a reason or a season. In the scriptures, we read that Timothy had Paul by his side for awhile and then Paul went to Macedonia and Timothy went to Ephesus, without his mentor. How alone Timothy must have felt. 2 Kings 2 tells of Elisha the prophet being separated from his predecessor/mentor, Elijah. My Utmost for His Highest speaks of such times as these---when we are left alone and often think we can’t go on without our "spiritual sidekick".

“It is not wrong for you to depend on your “Elijah” for as long as God gives him to you. But remember that the time will come when he must leave and will no longer be your guide and your leader, because God does not intend for him to stay.” (My Utmost 8/11)

Alone at Your “Jordan” (2 Kings 2:14) The Jordan River represents …… separation…..no fellowship with anyone else, …. no one else can take your responsibility from you. You now have to put to the test what you learned when you were with your “Elijah.” You have been to the Jordan over and over again with Elijah, but now you are facing it alone. (emphasis mine) There is no use in saying that you cannot go— the experience is here, and you must go. If you truly want to know whether or not God is the God your faith believes Him to be, then go through your “Jordan” alone.” (My Utmost 8/11)
Alone at Your “Jericho” (2 Kings 2:15) Jericho……the place where you have seen your “Elijah” do great things….when you come alone to your “Jericho,”.…. a strong reluctance to (emphasis mine) ……trust in God, wanting, instead, for someone else to take it for you.…….remain true to what you learned while with your “Elijah,”.……..(My Utmost 8/11)
Alone at Your “Bethel” (2 Kings 2:23) At your “Bethel” you will find yourself at your wits’ end (emphasis mine) but at the beginning of God’s wisdom. When you come to your wits’ end and feel inclined to panic— don’t! Stand true to God and He will bring out His truth in a way that will make your life an expression of worship. Put into practice what you learned while with your “Elijah”— use his mantle and pray (v.13-14)…..determination….trust in God,…..do not even look for Elijah anymore. (My Utmost 8/11)

After a while, we have to learn to “go it” alone though as believers we never truly face anything alone. Our Emmanuel, “God with us” is always present.

Though I have been blessed at different stages in my Christian walk to have a prayer partner, as well as a mentor or “discipler,” there have been many times where God has chosen for me to “go it” on my own. This week, I want you to “go it” on your own in meditation. Take time to be alone---in His presence. Ask the Lord to guide you to a verse/passage just for you. Pick up your Bible and begin reading---maybe in 2 Kings or the Psalms or one of the Epistles. Allow the Spirit of God to speak to your heart and teach you from his word.

Home Alone

8/14/10 To some this phrase brings delightful anticipation. To many it brings sadness, fear and dread. To others, a calm resolve of acceptance.

For the last few days, I have been a member of the first group. My quiet house is a refuge---no one home but me. That’s a big contrast to last week’s hub-bub. (Which I also loved.) With everyone gone, even hubby, I’m going to milk it for all it’s worth. I’m going to enjoy “no cooking” needed---I can recycle pantry and fridge items for days. I plan on sleeping without a fan---hubby needs the noise to block the tinnitus induced ringing in his ears. I will not select channel 827 on the remote (PGA GOLF)---I probably won’t even turn on the TV. I can pray aloud and sing (a joyful noise) without worrying about being derisively labeled a “happy-clappy.”

Yet, I know I can feel this way because my “aloneness” is temporary and times of separation can be good. I have seen couples struggle when both retire and neither is ever home alone. Mother used to say she married Daddy for better or for worse but not for lunch----lunch/daytime was her time.
Others are facing a life of “home alone.” Just last week, high school chum, Candy Harned Wynn lost her hubby, Jack, only 7 months after onset of an illness. Her’s is not temporary. Her’s is not by choice. Yet, she has sought the only one who can comfort her in her time of aloneness. In an e-mail yesterday she wrote, “There were so many blessings throughout this whole journey, special "gifts" that gave us such encouragement, hope and affirmation that God was present with us every step of the way. I truly hope to share those with you someday in the near future.” Candy knows the God who “will never leave thee nor forsake thee.” (Hebrews 13:5)

My “home alone” time is not only temporary in nature, but also short in time frame. I know that the one who does dishes (a lot), listens to my laments and rubs not only my back but also my feet will soon be coming home. That makes this aloneness different from loneliness. I am not lonely, just alone---that’s a lot more bearable.
Plus, if I do get lonely I can always go turn on the golf channel loud enough so that I can still hear it when I leave the room. Then it will seem like I am no longer “home alone.”

ANNIVERSARY ANGST

8/9/10 Anniversaries are special but along with them comes a certain amount of angst. #1 is remembering! Then there’s ……..The gift, traditional or modern. The location, trip or just restaurant. The pressure--- for a memorable activity. The finances.
Wedding anniversaries also have a way of changing as the years go by. The first one is often another mini honeymoon of sorts----not ours. We had a new baby and no money for travel but we still gave gifts of “paper” because I like that tradition and we ate the top of the wedding cake that had been in the freezer for a year. (That SeeQuees birth control pill was taken off the market.)
Children and budgetary parameters kept us creative for many years.

10th we splurged at Folks Folly so the gift was 1 tin cup (actual gift b/c budget still very limited) Cup later ended up rusting in the sand pile. So much for romantic notions.
Our 13th was lunch at Doeblers Dock. We went on a Saturday for the “special,” 10¢ shrimp and oysters. Anniversary was actually on a Monday that year. Restaurant was overlooking (sort of) the Mississippi River and we had all 3 kids in tow----also not exactly romantic but they loved it, especially the walking tour we created.

Our 15th in Hot Springs AR at the renown Hamilton House, a treat from friends Boyd and Deborah (kids too just not at dinner)
From the mid-80s to the early 90s, Larry’s position as coach of the US Racquetball team gave us opportunities to celebrate anniversaries in exotic places: Le Meir in Hamburg, Germany and an outdoor restaurant in Caracas, Venezuela.

(I remember an iguana running under my feet---now that’s memorable.)

We shared our silver anniversary (25th) with dear friends Sam and JoLynn---inn hopping in our favorite mountainous state, North Carolina. She and I had our tea times while the guys had their tee times. The biggest splurge was a night at Greystone Inn in Lake Toxaway, NC. I rationalized that “grey” sounded “silverish”---so I booked it.
Our 30th found us as empty nesters with a little spare change so the gifts were memorable---tickets to symphony in the garden (though Josh & Molly came too) and a fall weekend "alone" (so no pics) at the Hemlock Inn in North Carolina--- with a great side trip to Franklin to spend a night with Marge and Larry. We still laugh about our “tie” joke. (Makes me blush just to type it!)
Last summer we celebrated our 40th with the help of many of my blog readers who submitted (40) red gift ideas for our ruby celebration. What fun that was!
Now we are in a new season and our anniversary reflects that---but we still celebrate---because we are growing old together.
This year we will be together---at the Baptist Hospital for Women w/ Mommar as she undergoes surgery for uterine cancer. Though there will be angst, it won’t be from worrying about a location or a memorable gift. This anniversary will actually be a fulfilling of those 1969 vows “in sickness (we include family here as well) and in health, for better or for worse” which we made unto the Lord on this day 41 years ago.

Newlyweds' News Brief

8/8/10 My heart is filled to overflowing with gratitude for time with family these last few days---so rare, when various cities of distance and time zones become the “great separators.”
How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity! (Psalm 133:1)
Our pleasantness always includes a lot of laughter. Yet, at the same time we’re missing anyone who’s not there. In Florida it was the newlyweds. This time it was the Texans. Usually even in the midst of the frivolity, a pall of “dreading the leaving” can settle over me if I’m not careful to stay in the moment. So here are those moments of joy, briefly.

• 8/5/10 Arrival of newlyweds, Josh & Megan postponed because flight cancelled again---they’re 2 for 2 with Delta this year---they arrived just one day late. (We & many others want Southwest Airlines to fly into Memphis---maybe we should begin a campaign.)
  

• 8/6/10 Typical Memphis welcome---golf for guys, shopping for girls and BBQ, sweet tea and Nora’s pound cake, served with homemade ice cream & Flippen’s peaches for OOT family visitors.

• 8/7/10 Electricity outage had breakfast changed from “cooked” & served inside to bagels & fruit served alfresco.

• Cooler temps and breeze help Memphis humidity but Uncle Josh still takes a wading pool dip (fully clothed) w/ his niece & nephews.

• “Young folks” from 5 states (7 if you count Evan, from S.C & John, IL.--represented by their parents) gather in downtown Memphis at the “classic” Earnestine and Hazel’s to welcome the newlyweds---soul burgers, fried dill pickles, and hot wings. Mmm-m-m good. (*classic is a euphemism for a seedy, former brothel turned bar, turned “the” party place for juke box dancing and piano sing-a-long)

My generation, in the 60s, had “Sing –a-long with Mitch Miller---as we followed the lyrics on our TV screens by watching the superimposed ball that bounced over the words. Saturday night, Josh & Megan’s generation had “Sing-a-long with Lex” as they followed the rhythmical bouncing of Mr. Bonner’s head and the creative words inserted if memory failed. Megan even remembered all the words to “ I Feel the Earth Move Under My Feet.” The newlyweds loved it!!

• 8/8/10 Final breakfast with visiting family followed by church and Josh’s buddy, Les, coming for lunch, a Pottery Barn trek and a much needed Sunday afternoon nap. Owen joins Uncle Josh and Aunt Megan for dinner.
  

• 8/9/10 Not here yet but I’m already feeling that “hurt” that I get as I say good-by to my kids knowing it will be a long time (hopefully, Christmas) before I see them again. Maybe it will be 3 for 3 and their flight will be cancelled!!

Meditation Skills.........

8/2/10 ….."those skills needed to help one gain a stronger “grip” on trustworthy words” is what I had written on yesterday’s church bulletin note page. Sunday’s sermon answered two questions: 1. How can I emphasize the importance of meditation? 2. What would help others glean truth from meditating on a passage of scripture?
Meditation is God-ward and is both inward and outward. (It's God-ward so that's important!)
Pastor Cole quoted Martin Luther, 16th C theologian, who required that his students ponder 3 questions on every passage of scripture. His questions seem to deal with both aspects---inward (praise & confession) & outward. (petitions)

1. How does this passage lead me to praise God?
2. What sins do I need to confess in light of this text?
3. What do I need to ask God in relation to this text?
   

I selected today’s text, II Corinthians 2:14-16 for your practice. Linger over these verses---ponder the words, tether your mind to what this passage says. Ask the questions.

14But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place.
15For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing;
16to the one an aroma from death to death, to the other an aroma from life to life *And who is adequate for these things?

Use Luther’s meditation skills and see what God’s trustworthy words say to you. Are they as relevant for meditating today as they were in the 16th Century?

*The answer to v. 16 question is in II Corinthians 3:5

Exercise in futility

8/1/10 Exercise. I need it. I want it----sort of. (I seem to want the benefits without all the work.) The decline started after age 50---or the excuses began.

Tai chi---I left Southwind Elementary so I left those “postures” with vulgar sounding names and gripped fists behind.
Step aerobics---CUMC---great location but my schedule and my back went in different locations.
Jazzercise---Donna Cross moved to AZ.
Weight training---no plausible excuse, the weights await with “dust” gathering as I type
“Body Electric” (with Margaret ?) on PBS at 6:30 a.m.---at work now by 6 a.m.
VHS tapes with Richard Simmons---no VCRs around here anymore
LES jog/walk chat---Lisa Panigoni moved to FL and I left Lakeland
Pilates-2 tries showed me I don’t have the abs for that.
24 Hr. Fitness classes: Tenelle’s dance class filled up with high school cheerleaders, bottom didn’t fit on seat in spinning classes, water aerobics classes went from 2-3 a day to none, zip, zilch
Yoga at G’town Baptist---Betsy quit teaching.
Water---swimming and aerobics---5-7x a week to 3x a week to just 3x this July---what’s with that?
Walking---still walking unless it’s too hot, too cold, too wet, too dark or Ellen isn’t available.
So what’s the point???? Futility: An action to achieve a goal that is unachievable. Has my intellect taken a back seat to a force (aging)---is my exercise goal really futile or is it mind over matter. Hm=m=m. I might have to sit down and think this out for awhile.

As you can see, I have lots of excuses why I’m not exercising, at least not like I once did. Maybe I need to give up past goals and accept age appropriate ones---like chair aerobics.

Calgon............take me away

7/31-10 No I'm not at a spa--- Since a spa is out of the question, I’m just planning to soak in my tub for awhile. I've decided to use the last of 2 of my “special” bottles of shampoo----you know those really good ones that the upscale hotels/resorts provide. I only have ½ bottle of each, so my first coat will be with Cobb Lane B&B’s (Birmingham) very light sudsing. “The Sea” fragrance of Hotel Del Coronado’s (San Diego) mini-shampoo gel will wrap up my fragrant “splurge.”

These will have a way of opening my mind to memories that will fill my head with good thoughts----thus pushing out the anxieties lurking in the corner. Cobb Lane was a great B&B that I shared with my T-Cup friends last summer between my surgeries and Grandaddy’s funeral---very timely. Hotel Del offers its spa toiletries---if you’ve ever been there, enough said. If not, GO. Go with a high recommendation from me and my "Las Amigas."

I’m saving 2 full mini-bottles for next week’s suds and soak---Lemongrass Sage from the Brown Palace (Denver) and “fresh & clean” from the Greenbrier (West Virginia's top spot for amenities)----because I’ll be back at work with a full family agenda to be juggled on the side as the newlyweds visit and Mommar has surgery.

Today’s Jesus Calling gave me permission to let “Calgon, take me away.” “When you feel flustered or frazzled…..events overwhelm……Slow down your pace of living for a time. Quiet your mind in My Presence.”

Headin’ to the tub to do just that---with a headful of fragrant lather to wash out the worries and take my mind back to Him.

Password Protection

7/30/10 None needed. Only one word and it’s available to all---JESUS. His name gives all the security that one needs and it lasts an eternity.

But I am not ashamed; for I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day. (II Timothy 1:12)

FORGET IT!!!

7/29/10 I do. Lately I seem to forget lots--- especially if numbers are involved. This morning, I couldn’t even remember daughter, Molly’s phone # and it’s one of my “MFC.” (most frequently called) If I am dialing a number and get the prefix wrong it tends to start a brain storm of sorts and it only worsens as I try harder to recall the #. I seem to have a few mental blocks as well and confuse HHS # and Drenda’s # on a regular basis. I won’t even add passwords and pin numbers to the mix because they are impossible---6-8 characters are always required now and have to have letters as well as numbers.

At work old ones have to be changed on a regular basis for sake of security. Trust me, a hacker could get in to my account easier than I. Even when I have it written down I have to remember where I wrote it and where I stored that info----too many options for retrieval is maddening. I think my brain is encrypted and I need to break the code---or at least have a password that doesn’t require so many characters along with punctuation and other symbols. Instructions I’ve been given recommend using a password you can’t forget---“a strong mnemonic passphrase, easy to remember, without writing it down, but hard for others to guess.” Yea, right! I’d be the one having trouble guessing it.

So what’s with this forgetfulness.

Maybe I ought to quit trying to figure out what’s causing it and just learn to live with it. (Though hubby is the one who is really suffering---wearing himself out running interference and trying to give me clues. Sort of like “Charades” around here sometimes.)

“Crazy Ada’s” favorite words to rehash were, “Oh, just forget about it.” A conversation with her was like a stuck record---a “Groundhog Day” of sorts. But…….I’ve remembered them all these years. Now I plan to follow them----and "forget about forgetting," at least for now. Besides Jeremiah 33:3 is still in my memory bank, so I’ll just apply that.

Call to Me and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty things, which you do not know.

I can forget everything else, but Him.