Psalm 100

Recently my pastor, Ed Young did a message series called "That Thing We Do" that was about living a lifestyle of worship.  I found myself sitting up eagerly in my seat on that first Sunday morning of the series when he began referencing Psalm 100.  You see, I have a long history with that particular chapter of the Bible that all starts with a 5x7 bubblegum scented, scratch-n-sniff sticker.  Not the start you expected? Well, let me give you the story.


At the age of five my parents enrolled me at Cathedral in the Pines Christian School for kindergarten where I immediately fell in love with my teacher, Mrs. Larson.  One day she issued a challenge to our class: the first student to memorize ALL of Psalm 100 would win an oversized, scratch-n-sniff sticker.  The joyous thing about being five years old is that a sticker is already a big prize.  An OVERSIZED, SCRATCH-N-STIFF sticker was like winning the mega millions lottery.  I should also mention, that I can be a tad bit competitive (No need to snicker, fam).  Needless to say, I went home determined to win.  I told my mom the mission, and being a Christian woman and a teacher, she was thrilled to help me with my assignment.  Now my memory may be off a bit, but I'm pretty sure I memorized it in one or two nights. I can definitely say that the day I raised my hand in class to announce I was ready to  recite Psalm 100, my fellow classmates were shocked.   I stood before the class and spoke from memory and got it right the first time.  My prize was placed in the most logical place I could think of, the inside cover of my Bible.  I spent many  a Sunday morning sniffing that Bible.


I never forgot the verses and to this day can recite it from memory, King James Version at that.  However it was twenty years before I gave my life to Christ, twenty years before I began to understand what the words meant.  In the years since I became a Christ-Follower, the words have taken on new nuances and meaning each time I have read them. They have served as a reminder to be thankful, joyous, and ever conscious of my place in God's economy.  However, in these recent weeks, the words that I know so well have been both convicting and encouraging.  Going through a very difficult personal season, the verses and Pastor Ed's messages have made me remember that no matter how bad things may seem to be in my life, I always have reason to be thankful, to praise God, to share that joy with others and that with all that God has done for me, I may have seasons of grief or sadness, but I never had cause to despair or lose hope.  I had allowed my grief to overshadow my joy and cause to me to forget to hope, but, as always, God's words to me pulled me out of that place.


You may have heard someone recommend scripture memorization and thought, "I can't do that" or "why bother when I can just go read it", but let me tell you it is worth it.  When you are driving down the highway or in a meeting at work or in an argument with your spouse and you can bring to your mind God's word to help you remember what is true and not just focus on what you feel, there is NO substitute.  Think about what you struggle with regularly; think about your areas of weakness, and find verses that will encourage you when you face those situations.  If you don't know where to start, allow me to recommend this one:
 

Psalm 100

A psalm. For giving grateful praise.

 ¹ Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.
 ² Worship the LORD with gladness;
   come before him with joyful songs.
³ Know that the LORD is God.
   It is he who made us, and we are his^[a];
   we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

 ⁴ Enter his gates with thanksgiving
   and his courts with praise;
   give thanks to him and praise his name.
⁵ For the LORD is good and his love endures forever;
   his faithfulness continues through all generations.

Easter: From a Woman's Point of View

As a woman following Christ, I frequently look in the Bible for female examples to follow. Don't get me wrong, I don't think that women can only learn from the women of the Bible.  I find myself connecting greatly with Joseph and Peter all the time. However, it is natural that women want to see specifically how Jesus interacted with the women of His time to give us a clearer picture of how our God in heaven sees us and relates to us.  This Easter weekend, I decided to look at the women in the Easter story.  The women who loved Christ, followed Him faithfully, and stood and watched the horror that was His death.  The women who are named as witnesses of the crucifixion even when many of His faithful disciples ran and hid.  The women who tended to the bloody and broken body when Jesus was brought down from the cross.  The women who were the first to see the resurrected Christ because they were going to tend to Him even in death.  
    
This reminded me that as women we are not better than men, just different.  God has given us specific roles to play in His Kingdom knowing that He has specially equipped us to handle certain situations in ways that men are not equipped by Him.  Our empathy, our compassion, our grasp of our emotions, and our ability to stand strong with those we love through their worst moments are gifts from God.  These are gifts we should embrace, encourage in one another, and take every opportunity to put to use for His glory.  The roles we have been given to play as daughter, sisters, wives, mothers, and friends all call upon these gifts at different times.  As women we are caretakers, comforters, encouragers, nurturers, and confidantes.  He has given us compassion, discernment, and strength wrapped in graceD.   It is how He designed us, and it is how we must live.  In doing so, we position ourselves to see His will more clearly and demonstrate His love to others.  We position ourselves to recognize His presence and hear His commands.   We position ourselves to be like those women who first encountered Christ on that Easter Sunday morning so long ago. 


So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”  Matthew 28:8-10

There's No Place Like Home

You've heard the saying, "home is where the heart is."   I came to understand the meaning of this phrase at a young age. We moved from my birthplace of Beaumont, TX just before my tenth birthday. Our new home?  Yanbu, Saudi Arabia.  It is hard to find two more different locales than that.  I never imagined the land of sand, camels, and giant sunsets would ever feel like my home, but three years it was as hard to leave as Texas had been.  Then the suburbs of Washington D.C., also know as Northern Virginia, took over the "home" spot and after my high school graduation, Waco, Houston and Dallas all took turns at hosting my belongings.  Now "home" is in several places, and it has nothing to do with where my bed, makeup brushes, or shoes reside.  Home is where I feel most comfortable and most comforted.  Home is where I'm loved unconditionally and confronted most honestly.  Home is wherever I can be with my family and hear the truth about myself and the love that they offer because of, and in spite of, that truth. 


The past couple of weeks have been hard ones, as I faced a heartbreaking loss.  I struggled to swim through the grief, despair, and disappointment, and  I knew that I needed to find an island where I could rest and recover my strength.  I needed a place where I could find my feet and stand firm again on the solid ground of God's truth.  I found that island at "home".  At my home in Dallas with my husband where his words, his love, and his steadfastness held me upright.  At my home in Houston where my parents met me with wisdom, comfort,  and their own stories of Christ's faithfulness through hard times.  At my home in Germany, where my sister shared my grief and prayed for my wounded heart.  At my homes, in the suburbs of Washington D.C., Dallas, Plano, Houston, Lantana, Miami, and more where my friends loved me via phone and email with prayers, encouraging words, and true empathy. Home is where I feel safe and secure.  It is where I know God loves me far beyond what can be measured. It is where the words of Psalm 102 come alive, 


"The children of your people will live in security.  
Their children's children will thrive in your presence." 


No matter how great the sorrow, disappointment, or loss, I am never alone or abandoned.  I am always in the presence of God, comforted by His grace, mercy, and love.  He keeps me surrounded by those who love me, support me, and encourage me, and He uses their words , their arms, and their physical presence to show me His love.  I am always at home, and there is truly no place like it. 

Springing Forward

I despise springing forward.  I really do.  I love sleep and when you love sleep, anything that takes away sleep is bad.  When it is time to fall back, I love it.  I get an extra hour of sleep and for about three days I feel like I've gotten an extra hour of life each day.  I don't change my clocks for days and enjoy knowing it is actually an hour earlier than it feels.  However, it all comes back to haunt me in the spring when Daylight Savings Time steals that hour back from me.  I have to change my clocks early on Saturday to begin to convince myself I haven't lost anything and its going to be okay.  I realize, I'm a bit crazy.  Don't worry, I do have a therapist. 

However, this year I have not really focused as much on the hour lost, as the term used.  Spring forward.  Somehow, it feels more like an encouragement from God than a reference to the time change.  Spring forward into a new adventure.  Spring forward into a new season. Spring forward into the wonderful things that I have planned for you.  Spring forward into troubled times, knowing I will be there with you.  Spring forward, my child, and I will catch you.  

The LORD will work out his plans for my life—
for your faithful love, O LORD, endures forever.

Psalm 138:8

This year, I'm excited to spring forward and see what He has next for me. 

Look Out, You're Surrounded!

One of my favorite perks of my new-to-me car is that I get to take it to the dealership to get it washed whenever it needs it.  The free car wash coupled with a waiting area that offers sodas, coffee, and sometimes ice cream makes for a two-fold treat.  I like that I get to sit in the designated waiting area and enjoy my coffee/coke/ice cream while reading the novel I brought along in relative quiet, all while someone else does the work of making my car clean and shiny.  However, the last two times I've gone for my little thirty minute oasis, my peaceful time has been interrupted by people who seem to be unaware that they are surrounded by, well, other people. 


Last time, it was a woman discussing her personal business at full volume with someone on her cell phone.  While trying to enjoy my vanilla ice cream and cinnamon cookie, I could not help but learn that she had recently lost a parent, and after that loss had discovered a heretofore unknown sibling.  I, along with everyone else in the waiting area, learned of her discomfort with this new sibling and all the ways it was making settling the estate harder.  The entire time I was there she held two different phone conversations on this subject.  After such an experience, you can imagine my relief when, today, I walked into a quiet waiting room filled with people peacefully reading or playing with smartphones. However, a few minutes after taking my seat I was hit with the well-known voice of the movie preview voiceover guy describing an upcoming film.  A few quiet seconds would pass before the voice would come back to describe another film.  To my surprise, the source of the movie previews was an older gentleman's iPhone as he enjoyed the Movie Trailer app at full volume.  On both occasions, these two individuals were oblivious to the silent glances thrown their way.  They missed the body language of their fellow customers plainly telling of their discomfort.  They were clueless to the comments quietly made as people hoped they would overhear and be more considerate.  They just went on with what they were doing as if they were alone in the room.


These moments lead me to wonder, do they not realize that we can hear everything they can hear? Are they so focused on themselves that they are unaware of those around them and how their actions are impacting others?  Then, it hit me.  We all do this.  Not necessarily the loud use of cell phones in public places, although many of us are guilty of that too, I'm sure.  No, I'm talking about the ability to be so overly self involved with our own problems, needs, interests, or concerns that we are blind and deaf to those who surround us.    How often do we go to work, school, the gym, playgroup, or wherever so focused on ourselves, that we miss the silent glances from someone needing our help, the body language of another who is hurting, or even the quiet comments that if we were tuned in we would recognize was someone wanting to be considered, noticed by us?  The words that came to my mind as I was convicted of this bigger issue are from Philippians 2:3-4.  Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. (NLT)  However daunting my own problems or concerns may be at any moment, I am always supposed to be taking an interest in the needs of others.  I believe God knew just how easy it is for us to be so into our own stuff that we can create an invisible bubble around ourselves and never look outside of it.  


The fact of the matter is, we are constantly surrounded by others, others we impact.  The question we must ask ourselves is, are we looking within and having a negative impact as we bombard them with our selfishness, or are we looking out and preparing to impact them for the kingdom of God?