In our day of social media, a nineteenth century hymn has some good advice....

My first task today?  Dealing with a self-centered obnoxious person.  I sat down at the computer and was very tempted to write a facebook post sharing my frustration.  After all, if I had to start Monday morning dealing with someone's obnoxiousness the least I could do was share the experience with the 2000-some friends who share my page, right?

While foraging through my emotion-muddled vocabulary to find the right words to share my thoughts, a tune filtered through the fog to my mind...and with the tune came the words associated with it.

Edmund Lorenz, author of "Tell it To Jesus"

"Are you weary? Are you heavy-hearted?
Tell it to Jesus, Tell it to Jesus
Are you grieving over joys departed?
Tell it to Jesus alone.

Do the tears flow down your cheeks unbidden?
Tell it to Jesus, Tell it to Jesus
Have you sins that to men's eyes are hidden?
Tell it to Jesus alone.

Tell it to Jesus, Tell it to Jesus
He is a Friend that's well known
You've no other such a Friend or brother
Tell it to Jesus alone."

In the social media driven world in which we live, if we are not careful, we can begin to view the events of our lives as status updates and tweets, publicizing the pettiest events with anyone who cares to listen. We need reminding that not every frustration, emotion, struggle, and detail of our lives is for public consumption.  Often, we share simply out of the very real need for camaraderie in this world of isolated togetherness.

But I wonder, sometimes, if in our rush to share with everyone else we miss out on the camaraderie of the deep spiritual intimacy that results from following the counsel in those five little words: Tell it to Jesus alone.

Alright...now it's time to turn off the computer screen and do just that.

Memories of My Daughter On Her 20th Birthday

20. In family devotions asking her to come up with a Scripture that reminded her of her brother and she choose John 10:20 "He hath a demon and is mad. Why listen to him?"
19. The time she spent her hard earned money to buy me a singing card for Mother's Day and presented me with a lovely card of Merle Haggard singing, "Mama Tried."
18. The time she consented to lead a song during worship and blew us all away with that great voice of hers.
17. When she was 4 and hid up in the tree for about an hour and watched us while we searched the entire neighborhood for her.
16. When we started foster care and discovered that she is an absolute natural with a baby in her arms and a toddler on her hip.
15. When I realized that she is indispensable for throwing a dinner party because she has a great eye for details and order and instinctively knows where to put all the utensils and dishes for a beautiful table.
14. The music that she fills the house with on the piano and the guitar...even though she likes to do it in the basement where she thinks no one is listening...I still turn things off upstairs just so I can hear her.
13. The way she loves to sneak up on people and take pictures of them while they are sleeping.
12. The braces she got in 8th grade (the exact same day that she had a speaking part in the school program) and how concerned she was that she would still have them in college....she got them off just before HS graduation....and we had a supper that night of popcorn, nachos, gum, and Doritos.
11. How she loves to decorate the Christmas tree JUST RIGHT.
10. How excited she was to purchase her first car that she paid for in cash with her own money that she had worked hard to earn.
9. The way she very bravely tackled her fear of strangers and different places and spent a summer living in a basement on the south-side of Chicago doing outreaches in Ford Heights and Chicago Heights...and learning to love another culture.
8. How she convinced me that I needed to begin painting my toenails at age 43 and then painted them for me - taking great care to choose a color that didn't make me look too "worldly."
7. How she would not hit the buzzer in JBQ even though she knew every one of the answers and when, during a time out, I promised her ice cream if she would answer a question she jumped in and answered the very next question....and then never hit the buzzer again.
6. The time she took the initiative to join the high school med program at University of Nebraska Med Center and learned about all the different opportunities available to her and came home very proud of the banana that she had expertly sutured.
5. Her incredible ability to be extremely nervous about doing something and then stand up and pull it off without even breaking a sweat.
4. Her personal drive to enroll in and fund her training as a certified nurses assistant while she was still in high school and the incredible value that she brings to her job at Fox Run Assisted Living Center....and the conscientious way she does her job and loves on her residents.
3. How she loved Spam and prunes as a kid.
2. The mother/daughter trip we took to Italy to fulfill a dream of climbing Mt. Vesuvius and the bravery that she showed in staying there after I went home in order to help out some kids that she really cares out.
1. The day she was born...and they placed a beautiful blond hair blue-eyes baby in my arms after a fairly easy labor...and I knew that I was just beginning the adventure of being a mother with a daughter...who is so very different and yet so very much like me.

The memories are just beginning, my precious daughter...never stop dreaming and, in God's time and God's plan, never stop running after those dreams.

You is kind. You is smart. You is important.

Me and Jonathan Edward's - Resolution #1

I have always been a New Year's Resolution type person because I love setting new goals and having something to use as a tool to evaluate my progress. Some resolutions get repeated every year, some get tweaked, some serve their time and are crossed off the list, and some are just ridiculous and get tossed by January 21. For the past 4 years I have had at least one resolution that has stayed the same: to be more fun. I mentioned this one to the children at breakfast recently to see how I was doing. I, personally, felt that I had been more fun but, apparently, the children didn't notice. Note to self: have more fun WITH children in 2013...or at least when they're watching.

I also like to read through other people's resolutions. Sounds voyeuristic, I know, but you can learn an awful lot about another person by looking at their immediate and long-term goals. I have a framed print in my office of 70 Resolutions of Jonathan Edwards, pastor and theologian of the First Great Awakening. He wrote these over the years of 1722 and 1723.


I read one or two of these every day.  Some of them I really identify with, some are hard to understand, and some I don't even like.  Since one of the resolutions that I have completely ignored this year is to be more faithful with blog writing I am going to try a brief weekly post on each of these resolutions - for my own benefit and anyone else who stumbles across them.

His first resolution is this: "Resolved, that I will do whatsoever I think to be most to God's glory, and my own good, profit and pleasure, in the whole of my duration, without any consideration of the time, whether now, or never so many myriad's of ages hence. Resolved to do whatever I think to be my duty and most for the good and advantage of mankind in general. Resolved to do this, whatever difficulties I meet with how many and how great soever."

I like the way he puts the priority of his decision making: 1. Is this to the glory of God? If no, then cross it off the list. If yes, move on to question 2. Is this to my own good? It may be for the glory of God but is this something that God has given to ME to do? If no, then cross it off my list for the time being or delegate it on to someone else or make it a matter of prayer that the right person will take it on. If it is something that I should do then question 3 comes into play: How do I do it in a way that it works for the most good for the advantage of mankind in general?

So, here's a resolution for me on April 22, 2013: Resolved, to make my decisions about my time based on three things - 1. God's glory 2. My personal place and priorities as I understand them and 3. To do those things in a way that would be of the best advantage for others.

...including blogging.

An Open Letter to My Politically Minded Friends Who Also Happen to Be Christians

Dear friends,

Scrolling through my facebook news feed this morning and reading our morning greetings to the world around us I wondered what our Lord must think of the things we say and write.   I know that the political environment in which we find ourselves is not what so many of us want for our country.  Many of my dear friends are frightened, concerned, and, yes, angered by policies being established for us.

But I feel that I must speak out on an issue that concerns us and the way we represent Christ in the public square.

As an American I have the right of free speech granted to me by the first amendment in the Bill of Rights. This must be treasured, protected, and defended.

However, as a Christian, my highest authority of belief and conduct is not the Constitution of the United States. It is the Bible....and the Bible specifically puts limits on my freedom of speech. As an American, I have the right to be rude, offensive, disrespectful, and obnoxious.  As a Christian, I do not.

As a Christian, the following boundaries are placed on my speech:

1.  Spreading slander is not part of the Christian's freedom of speech.

Proverbs 10:18-20
He who conceals his hatred has lying lips, and whoever spreads slander is a fool. When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise.

Proverbs 12:17-19
A truthful witness gives honest testimony, but a false witness tells lies. Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing. Truthful lips endure forever, but a lying tongue lasts only a moment.

Colossians 3:8
But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips.

FOLKS, LISTEN!  Starbucks has not refused to send coffee to Marines. Barack Obama was not sworn into office with his hand on the Koran nor has he sworn to replace the National Anthem with "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing." Parents who lost their children in the school shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary were NOT paid actors carrying off an elaborate hoax. These are all SLANDEROUS lies....and when we pass them on with either our mouths or our keyboards we are involved in SINFUL behavior. Careless use of the "share" button does not please our Lord.

2.  Coarse joking is not part of the Christian's freedom of speech.

Ephesians 5:4
Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving.

Proverbs 26:18,19
Just as damaging as a madman shooting a deadly weapon  is someone who lies to a friend and then says, “I was only joking.”

I love humor and I agree with many of you that "political correctness" has gone too far.  But I also must remember that humor does not excuse rudeness. As Christians, many of us would be offended at a post objectifying beautiful women's bodies in a tacky manner for entertainment.  Good for us!  But we will then post unflattering pictures of Hillary Clinton or Michelle Obama and say something like "Sure glad I don't have to go home and look at that every night."  Yes, I know that you are "only joking" but funny or not, posts like that are rude, distasteful, unhelpful to our cause, and unChristlike.  What must Natasha and Malia Obama think of Christ after the way Christians have spoken about their parents?  Are they laughing along with us?  Probably not.  Let's not make Christ and Christianity unattractive and then excuse it by saying "it was only a joke."  I'm not sure God is laughing.

3.  Disrespectful and hateful words are not part of the Christian's freedom of speech.

Proverbs 15:1-2
A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. The tongue of the wise commends knowledge, but the mouth of the fool gushes folly.

Ephesians 4:15
Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ.

Ephesians 4:29
Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.

Speaking disrespectfully (such as making fun of a person's name or the way they look) will not win anyone to our cause. It does not make us look clever.  It makes us look mean.  Words like "faggot, nigger, dyke, slut," etc have no place coming out of the mouth or the keyboard of a Christian.  If we want to make people angry at us and turn off any chance of hearing what we have to say the best way to accomplish that goal is to start off by calling them rude names.

(Side note:  Did Jesus use "name-calling" in His speech?  Such as "hypocrite, viper" etc?  Yes, He did. He used these names as reflections of the character of those with whom He was speaking.  But before we follow Jesus in this practice we need to make sure of three things: 1. We are able to read as accurately as Jesus did the genuine character of people. 2. We do not use these names in malice.  3.  We do it directly to their face and not in a back-handed way on social media.)

4. "Tit for Tat" conversation is not part of the Christian's freedom of speech.

Proverbs 15:28
The heart of the righteous weighs its answers, but the mouth of the wicked gushes evil.

1 Corinthians 2:13
This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words.

1 Peter 3:9-11
Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. For whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech. He must turn from evil and do good; he must seek peace and pursue it.

We have come to believe that someone else's rude behavior justifies our own.  But, according to the Scriptures, we are not free to just gush out words based on our emotions.  We are to weigh our words - thinking about how their weight will affect the person on whom we are pouring them.  We do not respond with the same tactics as those who do not know Christ.  They are not bound to Christ and, therefore, have some freedoms in speech that we do not. They are free to call us vulgar names, slander us, and mock our beliefs.  We are NOT free to respond in like fashion because we are bound to Christ.  When we carry His name by claiming the title "Christian" we are bound to represent Him in word and action....even on social media.

5.  Blessing God while cursing men is not part of the Christian's freedom of speech.

James 1:26
If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless.

James 3:9-10
With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be.

Posting a status update ragging on the people who work with me and then following it up with a post that says "I have the joy of the Lord today!" just rings shallow to people.  It doesn't work.  I shudder when I think that one day I will stand before God knowing that I "will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word" I have spoken.  THIS knowledge of my own accountability before God concerns me WAY more than President Obama's policies and legalization of same-sex marriage.


In summary, Titus 2:10 tells me that I should live in such a way that I "will make the teaching about God our Savior attractive."  Since I take the title "Christian" and my name is connected with that of Christ I am under obligation to make Him attractive by the way I present Him through my own life.  This has caused me on many occasions to have to ask forgiveness for the way I have behaved and spoken.

I want my words to "sustain the weary," "nourish many," and "instruct in righteousness." Because of that I cannot refrain from speaking what I believe from God's Word to be true.  After all, "he who rebukes a man will in the end gain more favor than he who has a flattering tongue"  but I must, somehow under the influence of the Holy Spirit, learn to do it in such a way that my conversation is "always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that (I) may know how to answer everyone" in a way that will cause them to actually listen rather than shut me out because I'm acting like a jerk.

Yes, as an American who has the privilege of having a facebook account, a blog, and a Twitter feed I have full freedom of speech.  But, as a Christian, that freedom is limited to the boundaries of Scripture which instructs me in Titus 2: 7,8 that I must "set an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us."

Will people say bad things about me even if I try to speak as a biblically minded Christian?  SURE! But when they do I want it to be because they are taking issue with the Truth of my statements and not just because I'm acting like an idiotic nitwit. (Hmmm....I wonder if that would count as name-calling.)    :)

Anyway, let us remember today that "the power of life and death is in the tongue"....and in the keyboard.  :)

Love you, guys...we're all in this together!