Assisting Each Other Out of the Swamp

Martin Luther said,"...we must never despise anyone who sins but must generously bear with him as a companion in a common misery. We must help one another just as two people caught in the same swamp assist each other. Thus we must 'bear one another's burdens and fulfill the law of Christ' (Galatians 6:2). But if we despise the other, we shall both perish in the same swamp."

I love this quote!

Thankful For Their Sacrifice

Every year, on the Sunday closest to Veteran's Day, the pastor will ask that those who have served in the military stand up and be acknowledged and thanked at the beginning of the worship service. Whenever this happens, my dad is one of the last ones to stand, and, if you know him well enough to read his face, it says "reluctance".

You see, he says he doesn't feel like he really served. Not like his brother, who, as an Army clerk had to interview and sort out the people being released from the Nazi prison camps, and try to help them find their missing family members, or inform them of their deaths. Not like his young uncle, who spent three years fighting his way across North Africa and up the Italian peninsula. Not like another uncle who was a WWI flying ace over France. Dad was a dentist in the Air Force, stationed safely on a training base in Wyoming, post-Korean Conflict. He doesn't think he deserves any special recognition for that.

I do. Imagine this scenario: You have worked and struggled to get through college and dental school with no money to speak of, you're married, and you are looking forward to getting out and starting your practice and having a family. A military recruiter comes to the dental school and says "We have dentists who served all the way through WWII, and then were called back up for Korea. We need to let them out. We're going to be drafting all of you to replace them. If you really want to choose your service branch, you might as well enlist, because you're going into the military either way."

So Dad enlisted in the Air Force. He served two years of active duty, and quite a few more in the Reserves. He never complained about it, he never resented being told he had to serve. He just did it. I can't imagine people doing this so willingly now, can you? We were all glad to see the draft go away, and an all-volunteer military is a great thing in so many ways, but we did lose something with that change. We lost the idea that citizenship isn't always convenient.

I think he should stand up and be recognized for accepting that inconvenience, don't you?

So, today, I'm thanking him, and all the other veterans, for their sacrifice to their country.

The November 30 Day Thankgiving Challenge.

Thankful For The Voice

I'm thankful for my singing voice.

Now, before you think I'm just pridefully boasting, let explain why I'm saying this.

I think there are a lot of people who have natural musical ability and that's why we have so many children who enjoy band and choir in school and love listening to music. It's why we so enjoy singing together at church. It's why communities support orchestras, musical theater, music festivals. Far more people than not love music.

Then, there is the next category up, which I think gets into the nature/nurture debate. These are the many people who love music, have natural ability, and get good at actually producing it in some way. They receive encouragement from their families, take lessons, hear positive feedback from their friends, and have the discipline to really work hard at their practicing. A lot more people could be in this category than there actually are, in my opinion. As a former music educator, it was always my goal to convince children and their families that most people have at least some ability, and, if it is nurtured, they can have a lot of enjoyment from it their whole life long. I wish every child could have the chance to learn to read music, play an instrument, and sing as well as their voice will allow.

But, having been fortunate enough to have been born into a family that gave much encouragement like this, I got to have one more little thing. You see, in our family each generation seems to produce a person or two with The Voice. My great-grandmother was locally famous for her beautiful voice, the sort of voice that was wanted at weddings, funerals, and public events. My grandmother was the same way. I remember her singing solos in church and around town, and, though she was probably past her prime by the time I heard her, she was good! Then, when the DNA scrambled and created little ol' me, I got The Voice, too. And then it manifested itself in my oldest son.

It's a big, rich, rangy voice. And we didn't do a thing to deserve it. It was installed with our larynx in the womb. Having it doesn't make us better than anyone else. We could squander it by not using it, or ruin it by smoking, or look down on it because it's "more opera than pop". We could cave to performance anxiety and never wind up sharing it. We could get big-headed about it and forget that it is a gift.

I feel that it was given to me to worship with, like the crown I will get to throw down at the feet of Jesus when I get to heaven. It makes me happy to the core of my being every time I get to do that.

So, I'm thankful that I have something I didn't deserve at all, but can use in the most satisfying way.

I'm thankful for The Voice.

The November 30 Day Thanksgiving Challenge

Thankful For Those Who Stand Firm

Today is the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church.

Here in North America, Christians have the luxury of legally gathering for worship, speaking freely, sending their children to Christian schools if they like, and participating in the political process. Occasionally I hear a conversation where someone expresses the feeling that Christians are being persecuted in this country. I disagree. We experience some social discomfort once in a while as a result of choosing a counter cultural lifestyle, but that's happening to other non-Christians as well who live a little out of the mainstream. We are occasionally derided or ostracized for things like refusing to have sex outside of marriage, giving birth to children we knew would have special needs, or asking our employers to respect our need to set aside time to worship on Sundays, or a small handful of other things. But let's be honest; this is nothing more than peer pressure. It is not to be compared to having to meet in secret, fearing loss of employment or educational opportunities, and worse- much worse.

In the last two months Christians have been burned alive, beaten, raped, and had their homes burned in Orissa, India. They have been jailed and beaten in an attempt to silence them before the Olympics in China. They have been threatened, burned out of their homes, and beaten in Mexico for refusing to cooperate with drug lords. They have been forced to meet in secret and had their Bibles and other reading materials confiscated and burned in Vietnam. They have had to hide from the Mafia in Italy for refusing to pay protection bribes. A young woman in Saudi Arabia was burned to death by her father for converting to Christianity from Islam, and her death is not being treated as a murder. If you were to peruse the Voice of the Martyrs website, you would see that the list goes on and on.

Interestingly, the focus of this International Day of Prayer is not on praying for the persecuted:

"The theme this year is “Pray for the Persecutors.” Praying for people who bring so much harm to our brothers and sisters can be a difficult task, one that we can only hope to do if we ask Christ to work through us. But this Sunday, Christians across the world will pray that those who persecute will come to know Christ, just as Paul did. In 1 Timothy 1:13-16 Paul writes, “Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners – of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life.” Join us this Sunday as we pray for the persecutors, asking God to use our lives to draw them to Him."

So today I want to express my thanks for the example of bravery and faithfulness persecuted Christians set for me. My faith is too easy, not that I wish for difficulties. They prove that following Christ is important. Important enough to suffer and sometimes die for. I don't ever want to forget them.

The November 30 Day Thanksgiving Challenge

Thankful For Enjoyable Jobs

Today I'd like to express my thanks to God for the provision of both of my jobs.

Prior to the birth of my first baby, I taught K-8 music in a rural school in northern Illinois. Once we started our family, we chose to have me stay home. I always did something to bring in a little extra income, usually something I could do from home, that did not require me to use child care, but I considered myself primarily a home maker.

When my youngest started first grade, I was starting to think I should find something steadier, but I could also see that it would be good to have someone at "mission control" after school, since we had four children, and they were getting pretty busy with friends and activities. Within a week of school starting that year, the principal approached me with a proposal. Would I like to work at the school as a crossing guard, and lunchroom and recess supervisor? She knew I enjoyed children. She also knew I didn't have a car available to me. Since the school was just a block away, transportation was not a problem, and the job obviously worked around the children's school schedule., allowing me to keep up with them after school and on days when school wasn't in session. Perfect! I eventually gave up the lunchroom and recess part of the job after five years, because my mom needed my help after a stroke, but I was able to keep the crossing guard job, and I still do it. Despite the occasional week of sub-zero weather, I truly like this job, because I get to enjoy the neighborhood children.

My other job, as the Music Coordinator at church, came my way in an equally Providential way.

As my last child started her senior year of high school, I began to pray that God would show me what the next phase of my life should be. I did not want to do the "empty nest syndrome" thing, and I knew He had a plan for me. I just need to know what the heck it was! Well, in February of that school year, the person who was music director at that time quit rather abruptly. It was six weeks before Easter, which is usually a big deal in music ministry. Pastor Randy, after consulting with the Music Board, called me and asked if I would step in temporarily to get us through the spring while the Board did a search. Of course I said yes; how could I not? You can't have Easter without wonderful music! I assumed the Board would find someone soon, and so I just focused on that last couple of months of the choir season. At that time the music director did not work in the summer, so I was still focusing on finding some sort of job for the fall. Then, in the middle of the summer, I got a call from the chairman of the Music Board. They were pretty happy with what I had done. Would I be interested in the job? Would I! I LOVED getting back into choral directing!

So, I have two jobs I truly like that just fell into my lap! That's definitely something to be thankful for.

The November 30 Day Thanksgiving Challenge

Thankful For Four Seasons

How can I put this? I'm thankful for...prettiness? I think that's it. There is something pretty about every season, and just when you think you've seen enough irises, or enough pure white snow, or enough brilliant trees, you get a big change. When that happens, I run around thinking "Oooh, look at that! And that! And that!"

I would not do well in, say, southern Arizona, where it's basically the same all year round. So I'm thankful that I live here, with four beautiful seasons.

The November 30 Day Thanksgiving Challenge

Kitty Thankfulness

If Cinnamon could type, she would have a blog. It would probably say a lot about going in and out, which lap she was sitting on last, and whether there was food in her bowl.

If she joined the November 30 Day Thanksgiving Challenge, she would undoubtedly be thankful for her dear, warm, purring friend, The Laptop.

Thankful For The Wednesday Night Chefs

On Wednesday nights during the school year we have a huge AWANA children's ministry program going at our church. About 250 children come on those nights, and believe me, the building is rocking! Choir rehearsal is also on that night, and it's fun to wade through all those children and their young parents to get to the choir room. Through our closed door we can frequently hear the shrieks of delight as the children play games in the Crossing. There's no doubt, AWANA is one of the most exciting things going on at our church.

It takes a lot of adult leadership to pull off a ministry like that. To make it easier for people to volunteer and get there right after work, our Children's Ministries Coordinator, Ellen Dyke, decided we needed a meal for the volunteers at the church, so folks don't have to worry about supper, or run through a fast-food place on their way. This has been a real blessing to all involved, not just for the convenience, but for the time to visit with each other. I take advantage of it, too, because I'm often over there getting some conducting prep done before rehearsal. It's been a great way for me to keep connected with the younger families, since, once your kids are grown, you can easily lose track of the nursery set. We eat, talk, dandle babies, and laugh at the cute things the preschoolers do and say. Good times!

This wouldn't be possible without two unsung heroes, the volunteer chefs, Traci and Ana Marie, who cook it all up for us. Traci, who has a degree in dietetics, has been doing this for a couple of years now, and has it down to a system. She has meals planned out through the end of the year and posted on the church website, so people know what's coming up. She purchases the food needed for about 50 people, and gets to the church around 3:30 on Wednesday afternoon to get things going. Joined by Ana Marie, it is all cooked and ready for folks as they start arriving at 5pm. The meal is well balanced, interesting, and kid-friendly, since the workers generally have to bring their little ones along. Recently a switch from disposable plates and cups was made, to restaurant-style crockery plates and glasses, with real metal cutlery to boot. Traci and Ana Marie, and Traci's husband, Grant, then clean up the kitchen and run things through a dishwasher. (By the way, Traci is my daughter-in-law.)

It's so often the case that the best ministry at church is being done by people who get little recognition, and, for that matter, don't even seem to want it. This Wednesday night dinner, meant simply as a convenience, has turned into a real relationship builder. So that's what I'm thankful for- these two ladies, who make that all possible every week.

The November 30 Day Thanksgiving Challenge

Randy Alcorn On Voting

"Voting isn’t something you do every year or two. We cast multiple votes each day. We cast votes for heaven or hell, for grace or truth. For self-control or self-indulgence. For the Spirit or the Flesh. For abiding in Christ, or independence from Christ. For wisdom or foolishness, and for blessing or curse.

"Every decision we make, every action we take—and the heart attitude with which we conduct our lives—casts a vote for one kingdom or another. Every vote counts. God tallies them. Eternity will be affected by them.

"You can still talk to parents and kids in your neighborhood about the value of unborn children, and offer support and help as needed. You can go to city streets and homeless shelters and offer your service. Your ballot may not have made a difference, but your vote to love your neighbor will. God won’t overlook it, as He won’t overlook a single cup of water given to little ones in His name.

"Our next chance to vote is right here and right now, whether we spend time with God, pray for His help, read His Word, serve our family, help the poor, give to help the dying and needy in the Sudan, entertain this thought, speak these words, watch this television program, or click on this internet site.

"The key to change and influence in this world is not, and never has been, politics. It is faithfulness to Jesus. In the end, which will never end, acts of faithfulness—many of them quiet, some seen only by God—are the votes that will count, bringing the eternal results that will matter. “For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Ephesians 2:10). "

HT: Justin Taylor