Seasons...change

I took a drive yesterday.

Might seem like that is no biggie, but up here in the Adirondacks? In the fall? Well... It is magical. The colors were vibrant and the sun was streaming through my window and I kept sighing. Over and over again.

A change in seasons.

Having lived in Florida for much of my married life, I can honestly say that I have a brand new appreciation for all the seasons up here. I love watching the summer turn to fall in the bursts of color and the drop in temperature. I was all bundled up for my outing yesterday and my hubby smiled and kissed me, "you love being cozy," he said. It's true! I still get a bit giddy when the first snow blankets the ground and covers the trees with its icy tentacles. I love the refreshing promise of spring with the first little buds in my garden pushing through the cold ground and bringing new life and sunshine and beauty... I love the seasons!

Lovingly, the Creator, the Great Artist orchestrates them; the seasons. He whispers to the seeds in the frozen ground, "It's time".

He holds the storehouses of snow, He "fathers the drops of dew". (Job 38).

I am astounded by the idea that anyone could look at the brilland reds and golds at fall and not think that it is the miraculous work of the Creator. Makes me think of that verse in Romans 1 that speaks of His "invisible qualities and divine nature" being clearly seen.

There was a pounding in my heart yesterday as I took in those "invisible qualities", they were clearly seen by me. I almost felt like shouting, " I see You!"

I was moved for many reasons yesterday. We are in a season of change in our own lives as well. Perhaps that is why my heart was so reflective.

We have been thankful for this season here at Word of Life. Thankful for the rest, for the healing, for the friendships and for the great opportunities that we have had to regroup, refresh and regain perspective. It has been...a gift from God to us in every sense of the word. We are truly thankful for these past two years here. Deeply thankful.

But, as with any change of season, there is the inevitable change part. The great difference between the leaves changing and my own heart is the beauty of my will. It pleases Him to yield myself to it and to prayerfully condition my heart to listen to His voice and to respond in obedience. My life is now "hidden in Christ." The trees do as their Maker commands. No questions asked. They do as they have been created to do. I will do the same, trusting that the seasons will bring forth fruit and harvest. If not, then I will remain like a barren field, never seeing the miracle of growth.

Tozer talked about this in my devotional book this morning. The title was "Miracles follow the plow". What a vivid picture. Two types of fields. The fallow field and the cultivated field.The fallow field is as he describes, "smug, contented, protected fromt he shock of the plow and the agitation of the harrow." He goes on to say that this type of field will never know fruit because it is afraid of the plow and the harrow.

The cultivated field has yielded itself to the adventure of living. He says, "The field has felt the travail of change; it has been upset, turned over, bruised and broken, but its rewards come hard upon its labors. The seed shoots up into the daylight its miracles of life, curious, exploring the new world above it...nature's wonders follow the plow."

We are leaving our home here in Schroon Lake and in January we will be moving to Broadalbin, New York and Rob has accepted a position as the Interim Senior Pastor at a church there. We are so excited to see what God will do in and through our lives. We covet your prayers! How often we have nearly turned back out of fear of the plow and the harrow! And yet...

The Creator says to us, His created ones, "It is time", and our hearts respond, trusting that He, as promised, will complete the work in us that He began.

"For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." Ephesians 2:10

Born after Midnight

"Our Lord died an apparant failure, discredited by the leaders of established religion. It took the resurrection to demonstrate how gloriously Christ had triumphed. Yet today the professed church seems to have learned nothing. We are still seeing as men see and judging after the manner of man's judgment. How much eager-beaver religious work is done out of a carnal desire to make good? How many ho...urs of prayer are wasted beseeching God to bless projects that are geared to the glorification of little men? How much sacred money is poured out upon men who, in spite of their tear-in-the-voice appeals, nevertheless seek only to make a fair show in the flesh? The true Christian should turn away from all this. Especially should ministers of the gospel search their own hearts and look deep into their inner motives. No man is worthy to suceed until he is willing to fail. No man is morally worthy of success in religious activities until he is willing that the honor of succeeding should go to another if God so wills.

God will allow His servant to succeed when he has learned that success does not make him dearer to God nor more valuable in the total scheme of things. We cannot bury God's favor with crowds or converts or new missionaries sent out or Bibles distributed. All these things can be accomplished without the help of the Holy Spirit. A good personality and a shrewd knowledge of human nature is all that any man needs to be a success in religious circles today.

Our great honor lies in being just what Jesus was and is. To be accepted by those who accept Him, rejected by those who rejected Him, loved by those who love Him and hated by everyone that hates Him. What great joy should come to man?

We can afford to follow Him to failure. FAITH DARES TO FAIL. The resurrection and the judgment will demonstrate before all the worlds who won and who lost. We can wait." -Tozer

Eyelashes on my cheeks

She looked up at me with her big, round blue eyes. She was fluttering her eyelashes, not really blinking. She looked so innocent. She said what she needed to say and walked off.

Let me rewind to fifteen minutes before the fluttering.

Morgan had been going on and on and on and on last night about a "situation" in her world.

This is a side note here, but I must tell you that I am learning not to scuff off these "situations" not matter how trivial or pointless they may seem to me...in her world, they are HUGE. Not taking the time to sit and listen to every detail would result in her not sharing with me which would be...devastating for the future. (Cue Cat's in the Cradle by Harry Chapin and insert here.)

So, she went on. "This girl did this and then she said that and then..."

I listened, I nodded, I agreed. (For the most part.) Towards the end, when she was telling me how she reacted to this other little girl doing this and then saying that, I felt the nudging of the Holy Spirit to say to this beautiful little creation of mine,

" I hear what you are saying. Wow. That must have been very frustrating for you. I am so sorry that this girl has hurt you." Then the pause. I went in for the kill.

"Would you like to have some advice?"

This is where it happened. The fluttering. The big, round blue eyes thing. Here's what followed.

"Not if its about me."

"Oh." I said.

Just a few words. But, this was a game changer. She walked away. No... she RAN away as if she was running from the boogie man. Okay. Point taken.

I am sure that the parenting books would tell me that I missed an "teaching opportunity" with her, but to be honest, the teaching was done BY her to my own heart from my own Heavenly Father and the point was taken.

The goal in sharing that little story wasn't too (necessarily) exploit my child, but to tell you how thankful I am for the whispers of God in my ears. Times like these where He is asking me to respond.

I woke up this morning thinking about that story and praying that I am never too old, too wise, to "full of it" to be in a position for my Heavenly Father to say to me, "Here's some advice..." and for my hard heart to be soft to His tender leading in my life in such a way that I desire for him to expose my weaknesses.

Truthfully, I am personally much more comfortable with the role of teacher that I am with the one of student. James exposes the problem with that mentality in the 3rd chapter of his book when he said,

"Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.

For we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body. "

How thankful I am that the changing of my inward man is being done by the Holy Spirit of God (1 John 2). As I abide in Him, He points out areas in my life where I should change grow and bloom.

How often, though I flutter my eyes up to my Heavenly Father after He has revealed a truth to me, through His Word, or through his tools and I walk away because I just came to Him to be HEARD, I didn't come to be CHANGED.

How many times have I missed out on the richness of His loving, guiding teaching because I set MYSELF up as the teacher.

Lord, give me ears to HEAR your truth and the meekness to RESPOND.

Unconventional Wisdom # 55

It's the Journey, Stupid

He was a young man who was going somewhere. Everyone thought so, including him. He was idealistic, ambitious, and gifted--the perfect match for a culture which worshipped productivity. He had a lot to learn. He was me.

I saw Christian service as the highest expression of spiritual life, and I poured all the enormous energy of youth into every conceivable kind of ministry: youth work, evangelism, seminary, church-planting, music, radio, and pastoring. Then I capped it off with the big Kahuna of Christian work, a missionary career.

I had ideas. I had objectives. I was driven to change the world for God, and boy, would He be impressed.

In reality, I had simply baptized a secular view of worth based on productivity and called it vision, for which I graciously gave God all the undeserved credit. Mine was an entrepreneurial brawn. Whatever relationship I had with Him served as a means to this end.

I expected Him to change me, but I assumed that those changes would fall along the lines of making me more skillful and more powerful, in order to serve Him even better. It certainly never occurred to me that God might attempt to fix what wasn't broken or to relegate one of His star players to the bench.

Not surprisingly, God was not quite as excited about my program as I was. In fact, He rebelled. And when He quit facilitating my grandiose plans, I lost confidence in Him.

After more than a year of wrestling with God, this crisis of faith led to a paradigm change. He patiently showed me that the heartbeat of Christianity was not a superstar Christian service but loving God. Attitude was more important than activity. As I began to focus on doing everything as an expression of love for God, I found new meaning in my walk with Him.

Unfortunately, I was not yet weaned from my dependence of doing. I still saw my work for God as the primary expression of my love. And I had a plan, a vision of how God ought to use me, allowing me to maximize my efforts and to shout, "I love you" as loudly as possible. God just didn't grasp my strategy, which made Him seem kind of dense for an omniscient being. And when He didn't open the appropriate doors of service, I ran out of things to say to Him.

I was starting another crisis. This time, however, I had a great deal more experience upon which to reflect. And that reflection brought me face to face with several powerful realities:
1. God didn't seem concerned about when or even if my goals were fulfilled.
2. A lot of wonderful but completely unexpected ministry happened along the way to the accomplishment or non-accomplishment of my agenda.
3. My productivity orientation, rather than facilitating my expression of love for God, instead obscured my view of Him. It was a pagan idol, my own personal Asherah pole.

I was poised for yet another paradigm change, yet more than a little conflicted. I felt that God, rather than appreciating all I had to offer, was asking me to become something I was not, to do something I could not.

"I'm a dreamer and a schemer, " I told Him. "I've got overcoming talent. I'll work like a dog. But I'm no good at waiting and listening, just doing and talking. Give me a job, not a journey. Give me logic, not mystery. Give me a plan, not a promise. Save my soul, but not myself.

So God says, " Let's take a walk." Leaving the well-marked path behind, we meander for hours through a barren wilderness. I am becoming increasingly exasperated by the seemingly aimlessness of the excursion.

At last, I can't stand it any longer. "God," I boldly whine, "Just where in the world are we going?"

"Here."

I look this way and that, my frustration continuing to mount. "Here? What's here?"

"I AM."

I look back. My hometown, the Quad Cities of Activism, Pragmatism, Ambition, and Pride, is only a speck on the horizon. The day is too far gone to return. I have no idea where we are headed, so I can't very well proceed on my own.

In this desolate place, defined only by the two persons occupying it, there is nothing to do, nothing to plan, nothing to accomplish. I am restless. Why would God choose a destination which is, in fact, nowhere at all?

Suddenly, my flesh tingles with the giddy rush of discovery. In a moment, from nowhere and from everywhere, the elusive answer floods my consciousness:
The journey is the destination, a journey away from myself and toward God.

It's a little embarrassing to admit that I have not unearthed a hidden treasure but simply stumbled upon the obvious., a truth forever apparent but never apprehended. And, yet, belated enlightenment is better than eternal ignorance.

"It's the journey, stupid," I remind myself--today and tomorrow and for the rest of my life.

-Scott Garber, 2001
Unconventional Wisdom

Ephesians 3

"I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith-that you, being ROOTED and GROUNDED in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that suprpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen."

I love the idea of being "grounded". So many in this sin-wrecked world are floundering and hurting and being tossed around like literal rag dolls. The idea of being rooted somewhere and grounded somewhere makes me feel so secure.

I have done a lot of moving in my 13 years of marriage. It has been a journey to be sure.

I would be lying if I said that there is a desire in my heart to "belong" somewhere. To be grounded. To date this has not be God's best for me as God has given me a passionate and sensitive, God-fearing man that I have been blessed to follow. I am comforted by the idea; the thought that I can be grounded in my soul to the anchor of God's love and that will bring me purpose and wholeness and identity no matter where He takes me physically. His love for me gives purpose and identity. It is my home.

I am constantly meeting wonderful, delightful, well-meaning Christians who are on a pursuit of loving God without the crucial understanding of His love for them. It is a self-willed motivation to be obedient to God and to try and make Him pleased with us. The end result of this type of obedience results in pride or self-loathing. Not freedom.

I have found that my resting place is in the truth that God is NOT pleased with my goodness. He is not impressed with my righteousness. Understanding God's heart rests in His work on the cross. His love grounds me. It gives the tree of my life fruit and that fruit is a direct result of the soil of God's love.

Wishing to fight and combat the sin that is in my heart is anchored to His immeasurable love for me. It is only this understanding that motivates my obedience to Him.

"It is the awareness of His love and ONLY THIS

that will equip us to wage war against sin.

Until we really grasp how much He loves us, we'll never be able to imitate Him. We won't come near to Him if we're afraid of His judgment. We won't repent and keep pursuing godliness if we don't believe that our sin doesn't faze His love one bit. We won't want to be like Him if we believe that His love is small, stingy, censorious, sever. And we'll never be filled with His fullness until we begin to grasp the extent of His love." ~Elyse Fitzpatrick

Choosing to Praise

My father has had a chronic illness for all of my life. It hasn't defined him.

My mother has been there beside him the entire time. Not just there physically, but with a smile on her face, a light in her eyes and joy in her heart she has purposfully chosen to embrace what God has chosen for her.

The last ten or so years have hit my mom physically in a way that no one can explain. She has continued, through her tears, to open up her hands in worship to God without a voice, but with a heart full of sacrificial praise.

In the midst of my own heartaches, I have been tempted to wallow. To crawl back into bed. Believe me, there are those days for ALL of us. And sometimes I think they are necessary for survival. But, staying there isn't an option.

It is a choice

I have kept this poem in my bible for several years. It always means somthing new to me as I journey along. My mother wrote it. It means so much more to read this knowing that the author understands what it means to feel pain, to watch a love one suffer, to experience the loss of a dream and to put passions on hold.

My parents, and all those who I have had the privelage of watching as they journey through this life, are heroes of my faith because they are fleshing out what it looks like to be real in the the pain and feel the pain and be angry at the pain but to also understand that hope is not found here on this earth. Because of SIN we are dying, but because of RIGHTEOUSNESS (not our own) we are being renewed day by day. Because of the cross, one day all the suffering of earth will be gone. That is our hope. We don't find hope here on this earth because outside of Him, there is none.

Today, friend, whatever it is that you are facing. Whatever pain you are enduring, I pray that this will bless you as it always blesses me. I pray that you will CHOOSE to praise the only One who can bring freedom, hope and light to your life.

"Choosing to Praise"

Oh, Lord, I need to talk to you.I'm feeling down today.

I need to know Your heart and feel Your presence as I pray.
You welcome me to boldly comebefore Your throne of grace.

Before I ask, You know my needs,

and every tear You trace.
You tenderly embrace me there and whisper "I am here!

"That's when I pout out all my heart

into Your list'ning ear.
And even as my tears fall downon Your Almighty breast,

Your everlasting arms uphold

and give my spirit rest.
Your faithfulness renews my hope.

Your love meets every need.

Your rest restores my wearied soul;

Your peace...it comforts me.
Before I know, my burdened heart

is filled with glorious praise.

To You, Oh God above all gods,

up-lifted hands I raise!
For You have done great things for me!

How wondrous are Your ways!

How great, Lord, is Your faithfulness,

with mercies new each day.
If I could count Your glorious deeds,

The stars would be outnumbered.

I cast the cares that rob my sleep

on You, who never slumbers.
It's you, my God, who is my joy!

It's You who meets my need!

It's You who satifies my soul

as on Your word I feed.
My every hope is built on You...

How firm is that foundation!

There is no other one but You

who offers me salvation.
I will my heart to wait on You;

You do well in all things!

With strength renewed,

I'll rise and soar

as if on eagles wings.
I raise my head to see Your face...

Your smile of grace astounds me.

And even as I turn to leave,

Your presence still surrounds me.
Because I am Your child,

I know;all things work out for good.

You promise purpose in my pain,

and I will trust Your word.
In spite of all I may endure,

I will, by faith, proclaim...

"I may not understand Your ways,

but I choose to praise Your name!"

~Patty Fischer

September 17, 2007

Thank Heaven for little girls

"Fathers be good to your daughters, daughters will love like you do. Girls become lovers, who turn into mothers, so mother's be good to your daughters too..."

I love the lyrics to this song. It is secular in its origin, but so profound in this day in age.

This blog post is dedicated to men who have been given the great gift of raising daughters and to the daughters of those men.

I happen to be one of them. A daughter, that is.

I have had the great joy of being cared for, nurtured and loved deeply by my hero. My dad. Much of who I am today is because of the time and the investment and the example that he set for me. I have a great mother, too, to be sure, but a girl needs a strong and capable man to set the course for her life in nearly every area of life.

In his book, "Bringing us Girls", James Dobson states that "a daughter's sense of self-worth and confidence is linked directly to her relationship with her dad."

Woah.

This is no small under-taking! My dad has spent the better part of my life letting me know how beautiful, special, valued and wanted I was. He was real and honest about his struggles. He wasn't perfect, but he was teachable and vulnerable with me always. Some of my favorite memories included long talks late into the night while we would travel. He would teach me about everything from constellations to how I would know I was in love. He spent hours with me on homework and would agonize over every poor grade. He led our family spiritually by growing in his relationship with God first and then allowing that growth to spill over onto us. This happened not only in family devotions in the evenings, but in every single area of our lives. I cherished that time with him. He is still there for me, though he has shifted his focus to not only investing into me, but now into the man who has taken his place.

I have loved, delighted in, really, watching my sweet husband, woo and court the other little ladies in this household. He is setting the standard so incredibly high for any potential suitor. And I love it!

I love that he tells them that they are beautiful and reads to them at night. I love that they delight in his attention and his affection. I love to hear him teach my girls in the same way that my dad taught me. They trust him implicitly. (To a fault sometimes, since I know now just now much of their information is complete fabrication.) I love that they need him.

So much of who we are hinges on being loved by our daddies.

A delightful read is Harry Harrison's little book, "Father to Daughter: Life Lessons on Raising a Girl". It is a compilation of short proverbs in the form of quips and suggestions.

As a daughter and a mommy to girls who adore their daddy, I found these thoughts touching and insightful! I will admit to having the occasional lump in my throat as I read through them today.

* Accept the fact that your little girl will melt your heart anytime she choose

* Take part in her life now. Don't wait until she's 15 to try and develop a relationship.

* Sing to her while you're rocking her. She'll love hearing your voice- and it's a great way to pass the time at 1 am.

*Remember, if you yell at a boy not to play with a wall socket, he'll either stomp off or do it anyway. A girl will cry.

* Her mom will show her how to bake chocolate chip cookies. You show her how to dunk them in milk.

* Teach her how to count. First her fingers, then Cheerios, M&M's, dandelions, and fireflies.

* Be prepared to watch Walt Disney movies with her some 200 times. Each.

* Never lose the wonder of watching her and her mother together.

*Relish the moments when she toddles up and for no reason at all throws her arms around your neck. Resist the urge to buy her the world.

*Trust her mom to understand the mystery of little girls. You have yet to figure out the mystery of the big ones.

*Never, ever, make fun of her.

*Bear in mind that from the very beginning your personality will shape her.

*Ask her about her day, every day. Share her wonder

*Keep her secrets. This way she will begin to trust men.

*Take her for a walk in the woods. Show her what poison Ivy looks like, how to cross a stream, how to find her way back.

*Let her teach you. About what she learned in school today. About the Pilgrims, or multiplication, or manatees. How to sing her favorite song. How to bake a cake. How to braid Barbie's hair.

*Praise her often. Let her know you love the way she is. If you tell her this often enough she might remember it throughout adolescence.

*Make up stories to tell each other at night. Stretch her imagination.

*Surprise her by showing up at her school for lunch, bearing Happy Meals or pizza.

* Remember, society is teaching her its values 24/7. You need to be more determined to teach her yours.

*Never permit her to talk back rudely-to you or to her mother. Or anybody else, for that matter.

*Teach her patience, kindness, and tolerance. If you don't, many years from now you'll wish you had.

*Think before you speak. Even when you don't mean to, you can end up hurting her feelings.

*Never laugh at her dreams.

*Teach her to read between the lines. Remember, though, that she will probably have a better natural ability for this than you.

*Take her out of town to somewhere she's never been at least once a year. This will develop her sense of adventure.

*Remember, she needs a strong self-image before she becomes an awkward teen. A father's love can make all the difference.

*Accept the fact that girls squeal when they're happy or confused or excited or scared or because they just saw a certain boy in line.

*Talk to her often about decision-making and sex. About her peer pressure, about love, about romance, about God. You never know when it will be just the thing she needs to hear.

*If you don't approve of the way she looks before she goes out, send her back to her room to start over. Be gentle but firm.

*Never call her names. No matter how mad you are. No matter what she did. If you do, she'll remember if for the rest of her life.

* The day she is born, ask God to guide you in all aspects of raising her.

*Drag her to church, every week. She may not share your enthusiasm, but after 18 years, the message will have sunk in.

*Teach her to be moral in an age that bombards her with sexual imagery and innuendo.

*Teach her to pray for her enemies.

*Teach her that sometimes God has other plans.

*Teach her how to drive...without making her cry.

*Teach her, by the way you treat your wife, the way a man is supposed to treat a woman.

*Teach her how to look a boy in the eye and say, "NO."

*Teach her that if she acts stupid to attract boys, she'll attract stupid boys.

*If a boy pulls up and honks for her, go out and have words with him. Explain that your daughter answers to a doorbell.

*Wait up for her. Knowing Dad will be greeting her at the door will have a very positive effect on her decision-making process.

*Remember, every girl's heart gets broken. There's nothing you can do to fix it. Hunting down the boy won't help.

*Don't let her moods or anger push you away. She needs you now more than ever.

*Take long walks with her.

*Teach her to respect herself.

*Prepare for the day when you're not the most important man in her life.

*Tell her the three keys to wisdom: not believing all you hear, not spending all you have, not sleeping all you want. This will be difficult for her until she graduates from college.

*Have a look around her room. Take a moment to look at her pictures, her photos, her keepsakes. These are her memories. This was the childhood you gave her.

*Remember, she will break your heart when she leaves. But you will survive.

*Tell her she is the daughter you always dreamed about.

*In the end, let her go.

(Clearing throat to avoid swallowing it...)

The statistics show over and over again, and our society bears witness that estrangement or neglect from earthly dads have a direct effect on how we see our Heavenly dad. But, the opposite must be true then as well.

Good dad's give us a visual image of the most beautiful of all the attributes of our Heavenly Father. His love.

I wish to celebrate the good daddies in this world tonight. Daddies like mine. Lord, knows the bad ones get way too much air time. You are a representation of the love of our Heavenly Father.

What a weighty gift!

Thank you for stepping up to the challenge. These beautiful treasures from heaven need you now more than ever.

"Behold, what manner of love the Father has given unto us that we should be called children of God!"