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As I speak internationally to English speakers as well as through an interpreter, some of my greatest joys have been speaking to groups where participation from the audience is possible. Not only do I value the input of those in my conferences, but if they are actively involved (share testimonies, participate in prayer, read Scripture aloud), it is obvious that everyone is with me. I am interested in theological study, Christian writing, historical application of Biblical principles as well as writing as a craft and the current status of the publishing industry as a whole. As a result, I find myself following blogs of those whom I have learned to trust who contribute information in those fields. It occurred to me that blogs are the internet equivalent of audience participation in a conference setting. So, this blog is a result of that discovery. As much as possible (sometimes when I travel I do not have internet access), I will be making weekly posts of how everyday life is related to what God has revealed about Himself in His Word - maintaining one focus on that most important relationship. I would welcome your participation.

Friday, August 30, 2013

Stand Up Straight



As a young person, I remember being reminded to stand up straight. That was good advice. Not only do I look different when I sit up straight and stand straight, I feel better.

To improve posture, a young girl might walk through her home with a stack of books on her head. In that upright position, it is impossible to look down or to the left or to the right without toppling the books. Her gaze must be forward. Her concentration is straight ahead.

The expression, "He is no slouch," means he is not lazy and doesn't mind working. Slouching gives the appearance of laziness.

Slouching is not good for your health. Slouching while standing or sitting can cause spine alignment issues. Office workers are particularly susceptible. Every inch you hang your head forward can add ten pounds of pressure on your spine.

If you work at a computer for several hours a day, you know what I'm talking about. Your chair and your sitting position are very important. As back pain is a common work-related injury, many companies have found it necessary to make sure their working environment is ergonomically correct.

I spent a few years working in a chair I loved but it was giving me a backache. My husband bought me a better chair and the problem went away.

Standing erect is not only good for your posture. It is imperative for your spiritual life. Those who are upright are disciplined in righteousness, justice and integrity. Upright is defined as an object that is vertical or erect or a person that is honorable or honest. In the Amplified Bible, the word upright is often translated as consistently or uncompromisingly righteous, one who walks uprightly, in right standing with God, or moral and spiritual rectitude in every area and relation.

An upright person is not perfect, but focused. Occasionally the books will fall. The posture of a focused Christian will improve with time and practice. The more determined one is to love God and please Him, the more disciplined he will be.

The upright godly person walks with wisdom, looking forward, considering the steps of the path before him and is determined not to let distractions turn him aside from the path God has chosen for him.

...His secret counsel is with the upright (Proverbs 3:32 NKJV). ...His confidential communion and secret counsel are with the [uncompromisingly] righteous [those that are upright and in right standing with Him] (Proverbs 3:32 Amplified). 

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Look on the Bright Side



Like so many other people, I enjoy watching The Wizard of Oz. It is one of my favorite movies. There have only been a few child actors with as much talent as Judy Garland, who played Dorothy. Over the Rainbow became her signature song, but sadly she did not leave her clouds far behind her "where troubles melt like lemon drops." She went on to have an incredibly successful career, but all of her talent, fame and money didn't bring her happiness. Instead of believing “behind every cloud there is a silver lining” Judy said that “behind every cloud is another cloud.” Judy was obviously someone who thought the glass was half empty instead of half full as well.

If you can leave the clouds behind you, it makes a difference. If you fly, you know that from an airplane, you can view the most beautiful sunshine on top of a solid cloud layer. You are seeing the world from above. Before you broke through the clouds, the day may have been as dark and gloomy as any you had ever known. Although the sun was obscured for a time underneath the clouds, it was always there. The difference you feel when the sun finally peeks through the clouds and brings warmth and light is nearly tangible.

Of course, it all depends on your perspective. Dark days of depression are often lifted even when the clouds are still there and the sky is grey. Your circumstances may have even gone from bad to worse. What changed? Do grey days take the sun away or do they just tempt you to forget it is there?

God is everywhere at the same time, above and below the clouds of life. If we could see things from His perspective, it would make all the difference. He is good all the time even when circumstances seem to tell you otherwise. He has a plan and it is good. The bright side of life is there. It is found in Jesus.

Praise the Lord! Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; for His lovingkindness is everlasting. (Psalm 106:1).

It is good to give thanks to the Lord and to sing praises to Your name, O Most High; to declare Your lovingkindness in the morning and Your faithfulness by night...I will sing for joy at the works of Your hands (Psalm 92:1-4).

For I know the plans that I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope (Jeremiah 29:11 NAS).

Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Vintage Values

I enjoy collecting antiques and have several pieces. They were made so well many years ago that they have stood the test of time. Antique furniture was often made by hand. Now most furniture is mass produced by machines. In the past, only hard sturdy woods were used for furniture. A great deal of modern furniture consists mainly of pressed wood or particle board which doesn't stand up to moisture or major usage. You can often see these pieces of furniture in front of homes awaiting pickup for transport to the city dump.

Vintage glass, especially that which was produced just before, during and for a few years after the Great Depression are of special delight to me. Although not the finest glass, they are beautiful.

Prior to the Great Depression, there were over one hundred manufacturers of colored glass. After the Great Depression ended there were less than half that number. Although bankruptcy closed many of these companies, fire was a prominent reason for shutdown. If the company was destroyed by fire, the owners could not afford to rebuild.

During the lean years, much of this glassware was distributed free as promotional pieces - placed in oatmeal, cereal or soap boxes or given away at the theater or gas stations.

During the Great Depression, companies made production of each piece last as long as possible. I have some pieces of red depression glass, which is ordinarily a deep ruby color, which are practically orange or opaque because they were cast at the end of the dye lot. The company was stretching production by producing as many pieces as possible before they had to add new dye.

Antique furniture and Depression Glass are becoming scarce. Rarity of the pieces have resulted in a spike in prices. Some people have paid thousands of dollars for
the rarest pieces of Depression Glass. In order to stock antique furniture, buyers often go to old farms where they might find a piece stored in fragments or even left out in the elements. The experts know how to put them back together but it takes a concerted effort to bring them back to their former glory.

Those who work on and collect vintage merchandise will only do so if they believe it is worth it. They believe there is value in the vintage piece itself.

Unfortunately, society's values have gone the way of antique furniture and Depression Glass. Personal standards of behavior have changed dramatically. One's principles and judgments of what is important in life is much different in the twenty first century than it has been in the past - especially in America.

A society's values are reflected in their practices in the workplace, involvement in their churches and community and the entertainment they enjoy. The traditional values of America can now be placed in the vintage category - mainly because those values were based on biblical standards.

It is worth the effort, however, to do what we can to restore America to the values it once held. Biblical standards have stood the test of time because they were given to God's people by God - who never changes.

...in the last days... men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God...You, however, continue in the things you have learned...the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work (2 Timothy 3:1-4, 14-17).

Wednesday, August 7, 2013

The Necessary Ingredient for Washing Dishes

Many homeowners in America have an automatic dishwasher in their kitchen. I don't. I have had one in the past but I don't miss it. Many of my dishes don't fit in a dishwasher and my pots and pans are supposed to be washed by hand anyway. 

I do have one good looking dishwasher I really appreciate - my husband!

Over the years of washing dishes by hand, I have learned the value of soaking dishes. I run a sink full of water while I am cooking and try to keep the dishes washed up but it is not always possible to finish them. Sometimes it is necessary to leave them until a later time. Maybe we have company and we just want to sit and visit. Maybe we eat dinner and then sit down to watch a good movie. 

If I do need to wait to wash dishes, I make things a lot easier for myself if I leave them soaking in water. When I neglect to soak them, food hardens and becomes difficult to remove. It takes more elbow grease, time, detergent, cleansing powder and/or scouring pads and sometimes frustration to clean dishes that have not been soaked. I learned that lesson the hard way. Although I don't mind washing dishes, I do mind spending more effort, time and money than necessary.

Volunteer washing dishes at Our Father's House soup kitchen
Whatever method you use to wash dishes - automatic dishwasher or hand washing - it takes water to get them clean. Advertisers claim their best automatic dishwashers remove caked on food from the dishes, usually with better or more water jets than other models. If you wash dishes by hand, soaking them accomplishes the same thing.

Like dirty dishes, we are caked with the grime and dirt of the world. Occasionally, I have heard someone say they were reluctant to come to God because of some evil they had done. Embarrassed, they wanted to get cleaned up first. 

We don't come to God because we are clean. We come to God because we need cleansing. Only God can remove the sin in our lives. Through Jesus Christ, the Living Water, He did so. Those of us who trust Him as Savior and Lord get the cleansing we need. 

Without Him, we remain filthy. In Him we become clean and pure.

But we are like an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6 NKJV). Jesus answered and said to her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, 'Give me a drink,' you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water."... "He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, 'From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.'"..."If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (John 4:10, 7:38, 1 John 1:9)... just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless (Ephesians 5:25-27 NASB).