Chaplain’s Corner – Spiritual Discipline

Feb28

“The joy of the Lord is your strength.”  Nehemiah 8:10

The spiritual disciplines are designed to bring us closer to God.  I like how John Ortberg describes these spiritual disciplines as practices, because they do take practice.  Just like when we practice a musical instrument or sport, we can benefit from instruction, coaching, and repetition in our spiritual walk.  Practice should make the spiritual discipline easier, and it should help us to improve.

In Ortberg’s book, How to Have the Life You’ve Always Wanted, the first spiritual discipline he writes about is the practice of celebration.  That got me hooked!  He says that we are invited to rejoice in every moment of life because every moment of life is a gift.  He says that when we are not fully present, not aware of the voice and purpose of God, we are almost literally killing time.  And this is what really got me:  He said that when I wait without experiencing joy, it is likely because I am preoccupied with self.  Busted!

That reference to killing time reminded me of a message from Rick Warren a few years ago in one of his Daily Hope devotions.  He said, “We all have the same amount of time every week: 168 hours. It’s what you do with it that counts! You only have a certain number of days you’ve been allotted in this world, and if you blow them, you’ve blown it! If you waste time, you’re wasting your life. If you kill time, you’re committing suicide. Your time is your life.”

We all want to spend time doing Kingdom work, but this is a reminder that our thought life is as much or more important to our daily walk.  I challenge us all to practice focusing our minds on God, His attributes, His faithfulness.  I challenge us all to intentionally look for God at work and celebrate every good and perfect gift.  I challenge us all to have a biblical perspective as we view our lives and evaluate others and our relationships with them.  And remember, when we wait (whether it’s in the grocery line, in the doctor’s office, or for the meeting to start), think on God and be joyful.

This is what we have to rejoice about:  “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16.  Hallelujah!!

Blessings,

Judy

Chaplain’s Corner – Loving God

Feb21

“Love the Lord With All Your Heart, Soul, and Mind.”  I don’t know about you, but I struggle a bit with this, the first and greatest commandment according to Jesus (Matthew 22:36-38).  I want to love God, I say I love God, but am I really loving God the way He wants me to?

Among all the attributes we know about God, one is that He is a God of emotion.  God he delights, and he grieves.  For example, Jeremiah says this of God in Jeremiah 3:17 “The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.”  And Psalm 78 is a description of what God has done for us in spite of our disobedience.  Verse 40 reads: “How often they rebelled against him in the wilderness and grieved him in the wasteland!”

We are made in the image of God, and that is also why we have emotions.  We delight and we grieve.  For example, I have seven grandchildren, and I dearly love them all.  Among those grandchildren are two sets of sisters.  One set of sisters absolutely adores each other.  They look out for each other, they run to each other’s aid, they are very affectionate with each other.  To witness this makes me very happy. The other set of sisters fight like cats and dogs. They are sometimes hurtful to each other and complain about the other endlessly.  This makes me so sad to see and hear.

Consider this:  As an imperfect human, if I can love my grandchildren as much as I do, how much more does my heavenly father love them?  And even though I love them, if their actions can either delight or sadden me to such a great degree, how much more so will our heavenly father be delighted or saddened to see them act like they do?  What is the application for us?

I challenge you, during this season of Lent and forever after, to put into practice an effort to make all your actions (thoughts, words, deeds) delight God and to eliminate all actions (thoughts, words, deeds) that would make God sad. This is one important way that you and I will demonstrate that we love the Lord with all our hearts, souls, and minds.

Blessings,

Judy

Chaplain’s Corner – Lent

Feb14

Today is the beginning of Lent which represents 46 days before Easter, not counting Sundays, when we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Some denominations formally observe Lent; however, most Protestant denominations do not.  We often hear people say with satisfaction, “I’m giving up thus and so for Lent.”  While fasting is a recommended spiritual discipline, Jesus says that we should fast in private: “When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward<https://www.gotquestions.org/what-is-Lent.html> in full.  But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen” (Matthew 6:16-18<https://biblia.com/bible/esv/Matt%206.16-18>).

The key to observing Lent is to focus on repenting of sin and consecrating oneself to God. Lent should not be a time of boasting of one’s sacrifice or trying to earn God’s favor or increasing His love. God’s love for us could not be any greater than it already is.

So should we observe Lent?  Personally, I recommend observing the Lenten season as a way to increase our focus on our daily walk with God.  But rather than eagerly waiting for Lent to be over so that we can resume our “normal” ways, hopefully during our Lenten observance we will grow to a “new normal” resulting in a stronger walk with God for the remainder of our lives.

For the last few years, and for this year once again, I will read The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren.  It has 40 chapters, and I read one chapter per day which takes me through most of Lent and for me is a wonderful guide, along with God’s Word, for my personal spiritual journey.

Blessings,

Judy

Chaplain’s Corner – Introduction

Feb7

After thirty plus years in the private sector, I joined Nashville Rescue Mission as their first Senior Director of Human Resources in October, 2012.  I had just turned 60 when I took the job, and planned to retire from the Mission at an appropriate age.  That appropriate age occurred this past January, but our CEO approached me with the idea of working part-time in a newly-created position of Staff Chaplain, effective January 1, 2018.  This position has been such a blessing to me; I can hardly believe my good fortune.

In February, I began writing a weekly column for the Mission, called Chaplain’s Corner, since my office at the Mission is in a tiny corner office.  This is the first one–an introduction:

I am so pleased and honored to be serving as your Chaplain. I am out of town this week, but I want you to know that I am praying for you every day. I am praying for you all generally, and I am praying for each one of you specifically if you have given me a prayer request.  Let me know how I can pray for you.

One of my “go to” verses is from Isaiah 41:10.

“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

This is such a personal verse. It’s like God is speaking to me. This is a verse that gives me comfort and encouragement, and I pray that this verse will comfort and encourage you.

Blessings,

Judy

Garden Update – April 25, 2014

Apr25

This is the most fun time because everything in the garden is going on.  I am fertilizing and watering, still planting some seeds.  I’m also picking vegetables to eat (more on this in a bit), and I’m pulling weeds and spraying roundup on a new planting area.  There are very few bugs which is a real bonus.  My dirt is perfect, but I do wish we had more rain. The cold cold winter has been hard on some of my plants:

The hydrangeas, nandina, and butterfly bush are alive, but nearly everything above ground is dead so it’s like starting over.  I think the roses did okay, but too soon to tell.

The redbud and dogwood trees are fine, just late blooming.

The plum tree doesn’t have any blooms–all frozen.  The three apple trees are in various stages of fruitfulness from lots to nearly none. (sprayed and fertilized)

Most of my perennials are coming back.

My herbs did pretty well:  tarragon great (used it in the potato salad for our Easter dinner), thyme partial, mint okay, chives great.  However, my beautiful rosemary plant–maybe three years old–seems to be dead as a doornail.  I’ve started some rosemary seeds, and more parsley.  I have some thyme and sage inside that I’ll replant, and some coriander seeds to plant.

I think the blueberries will be fine–seem to have lots of buds.  (fertilized)

I’ve weeded, mulched, sprayed, and cut back where needed.

In my vegetable garden, I planted all the cold weather plants in early March, and because of the cold weather the seeds were dormant until early April. Besides the asparagas, onions, and garlic that were already planted, I’ve got romaine, kale (2 kinds), spinach (some from last fall), beets, chard, scallions, green peas, sugar snap peas, carrots, and radishes.  Everything is up and looking healthy.  We’ve been eating asparagus.  The other night we had a great salad of kale thinnings, spinach, and romaine thinnings.  Last night I had a salad of spinach and beet green thinnings.  Also very good.

The green house–oh my!  I have figs, the hydrangea is blooming, the lavender,  tomatoes and peppers are doing well, and the cucumbers have bloomed and have baby cucumbers!!!  I’ll plant these in the garden in the next few days–working on hardening them off now.

My hanging baskets and planters are doing okay but could be better.  Hopefully they will do better when they get outside in the sun.

It’s fun, and healthy.

First Planting – 8 Weeks Before Last Frost

Feb9

What a delight!  I organized all my seeds and also moved some supplies to my new greenhouse to get it ready.  Emailed the girls to let them know what I had to share.  Planted some peppers into little peat pots right on time (8 weeks prior to first full frost).

Change

Jan31

Change is good.  Change is….change.

What has changed?

Jim is home now, seven nights a week.  That is good.

He is being productive (that’s not really a change, but worth noting considering his circumstances and the ambiguity of his immediate future).

As of January 17, we don’t have to worry anymore about the police coming to the house to arrest Jim.  That is good.

As of January 18, we have some new experiences and knowledge about the legal system that we didn’t know before.  That can’t hurt.   Bonding out.  Posting bail (same as bonding out).  Arraignment.  Simple assault.  Aggravated assault.

Even in the knowing, our friends have been nothing but supportive, although I have learned something valuable.  When friends tell us something traumatic, I listen, but I’ll also share a similar event, thinking that it would be a comfort for them to know we have a shared experience.  Now this is what is happening to me.   It’s okay, and even sweet in a way, but what I really want is for someone to hear how traumatic this was for ME.  I’m not sure if it’s what I need, because it’s pretty self-serving, but it is sure a lesson for me for when I am listening to someone else.  I need to listen with a truly loving and caring heart for them, regardless of what memories is brings up of my own.

Most of all I am learning to abide in the knowledge that God will deliver us.  I don’t know how, but I am thanking Him already.  1 Thess. 5:18.  My prayer is that God be glorified in whatever happens and that Jim and I are willing to be obedient and trusting, no matter what.

Cheers!

Jan12

Church today, and then an information session about the upcoming missions trip to South Africa to be led by Pastor Tim and Angela Mills.  I attended.  I’ve been on several mission trips and trying to decide about God’s will in this one for me.  I’m still not sure.  One concern is money, of course, but isn’t it with most everyone.  God calls us to sacrifice, and if there were no sacrifice, would it really accomplish all that it should?  I would love it if Jim and I could both go, and I think I could take a personal leave without pay.  Oh, wow.  Just thought about the implications of that!  I didn’t offer to anyone to day that Jimmy lost his job this week.  I thought about it during prayer requests, and thought about characterizing it as a praise–because he will now be home.  However, we do still have some concerns, and aside from those, I really and truly do want this to be all good.  1 Thess. 5:18–in all things give thanks for this is the will for God for you.

Lunch with Mom and Dad.  We go to a local meat and three, Jay’s on Dickerson Road.  Mom and Dad go every Sunday, my brother Dennis every Sunday that he isn’t working, and me only occasionally.  However, they still know that I’m Judy, their daughter.  They scurry to find  a table (I got there first), ask me what I want to drink and then bring all the others as well.  Big glass of ice water for Dad, a small glass of ice water for Mom, and a big glass of sweet tea for Dennis.  They hug and smile, and hug and smile.  Mom couldn’t remember what she usually gets, so Cathy told her and Mom said yes that would be fine.  I imagine that happens every week.  Then as we left, Mom said she compares Jay’s to Cheers, because everyone is so friendly, and yes, they know your name!  Mom is so gracious and so cute in her helplessness.