Please, can I have a drop to quench my thirst?

People Are Thirsty

Every time I come in from this Africa-hot Texas weather I beg for water, sometimes in a not-so-pleasant manner. This heat makes me sticky and irritable. I’ll be “glistening” all summer while searching for refreshment.

Others also look for cold water. Some head to rivers and lakes (my prayers for those involved in Arkansas’ flash flood). Others turn to vendors and waiters. I heard of a rich guy that was burning up in the heat. He could not buy a drop of water and was desperate for a cold drink. No one helped. “Send Lazarus over here to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue” (from Luke 16:24), he begged, while knowing he was shut off from the life-giving water.

Drinks All Around

His desperation created in me a desire to help. I wanted to dig a well, pipe in some relief, do something. It was too late for him, but I could share my life-sustaining drink with others before they reach the same horrifying end.

I decided to tell as many as I could about the water that flows deep, puts out the heat and satisfies our thirst. Such water is found in Jesus. He offers living water and to the one who drinks it, no more thirst (John 4:10-14). I want to be the pipe bringing life, the well that overflows, the spout that pours sweet words of hope, life and redemption. I want no one to go thirsty like the rich guy. I promise to share my drink.

The Choice to Drink Deep, or Not

I may not be able to make others taste, but I can be a pleasant, enticing glass that holds cool and refreshing water. My acceptance and love can leave people with a desire to know more about me and my God. In these irritable, hot, hazy days of summer, fill my cup Lord, and make me a pleasant presentation of your living water.

On the last day, the climax of the festival, Jesus stood and shouted to the crowds, “Anyone who is thirsty may come to me! Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.’ ” (When he said “living water,” he was speaking of the Spirit, who would be given to everyone believing in him.) (John 7:37-9)

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Some days an extra something special is needed to get a smile. Where contentedness is elusive and stress is the norm, a deep sigh of rest is refreshing. That’s the kind of smile I needed when I looked out my back door window.

On the porch were a bunch of chairs. Red chairs. They had been old, rusty church castaways when I rescued and painted them. Don’t they look fun and inviting?

On this Memorial Day, I’m going to go out into the Africa hot sun, grill some meat and take a deep restful sigh. Yes, sir, I’m going to smile and be thankful for blessings both grand and simple.

Consider grabbing an old rusty chair and either dream of how to recreate it or just sit in it while remembering blessings. May you get to relax and smile this Memorial Day.

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On the porch I sat.

It was a beautiful spring day, but I had a wazoo of weeds, a long unwanted list, and a dry, empty longing. Whether it was the paralyzing pace, or the brilliant sun’s warmth, I had to simply sit.

I didn’t want to do anything. I’d lost my excitement and anxiety reigned in its place. I wanted to shut down and turn off the to-do file.

Way too much happening. My oldest child was about to get married, the next in line graduating and headed off to school. At home, the remaining last child was uneasy, teasing about running off. Anything seemed more appealing than being left with the “crazy old parents.” Add wedding showers, graduation parties and the search for the right dress to the less-than-simple schedule and . . .

I quit.

I was done.

Done for, anyway. The clock was ticking. I’d fought Father Time like he was a bad weed. I’m ashamed to say that when my kids were in grade school, I even stopped giving them birthday parties.

I prepared the babies to be grown-ups, but when the exchange took place, I noticed I missed the class preparing me. Surely after I’d invested my life into these kids, they couldn’t leave.

But try as we may, life changes faster than clock hands during spring forward.

Kids change. They age. And our denial is forced to a halt.

So on that bright spring day, I sat on the porch.

And I discovered, again, my desperate need. The need to fertilize my faith, plant inner growth and gulp the Living Water. The life giving, thirst quenching water of trust in God, good for all seasons.

I remembered life’s summers may come and go, but Jesus remains the same.

Today. Tomorrow. Yesterday.

The same.

I trust him.

You can too. Won’t you join me for some Living Water refreshment on the porch?

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Getting nowhere, but doing it fast?

It’s like I’m on an endless treadmill, battling the bottomless clothes-basket and scrubbing the forever dirty-dish. After that comes the endless next thing—errand, meeting, project, appointment, and, as always, the bills. So much stuff needs attention, must be done. I’m over scheduled, under focused and beside myself. It’s like I’m a hamster running on a mini Ferris wheel, with no way to get off, and no end to this race.

All the striving and running left me empty. Even with some measure of success, like cleaning all the dishes or completing a presentation with applause, I got bombarded by the next task and the sense of a fruitless chase.

Chasing Vapors.

Much of our life is spent “chasing the wind” (Eccl 4:4-6). King David’s son (Eccl 1:1), said, “Nothing under the sun is truly new” (Eccl 1:9, NLT), but we break our necks to make things new. We work hard to make a mark, leave a legacy, or influence others. We act like everything is up to us. We think if we don’t do it, it won’t get done and then, well . . . we’re convinced the sky will fall, our kids won’t turn out right, and we will be the ultimate, epic failure. So we stay busy attempting to catch what can’t be caught.

One Way.

The empty exercise caused me to seek God for his view, his take on what I should do. The scripture writer experienced the same pointless pursuits, and his search for answers ended in a summation of life, the reason for existence, the ONE THING that fulfills our longing. “Fear God and obey his commands, for this is everyone’s duty” (Eccl 12:13, NLT) was found to be the underlying meaning of life. And it echoes in other scriptures like “be still and know…God” (Ps 46:10), and the greatest commandment to love God and love people (Matt 22:37-40).

Do you, like me, struggle with this one life-simplifying thing? Does life’s summation to love and obey God seem too spiritual to be relevant? Are you running life’s treadmill, chasing vapors hoping for an end? Have you ever wondered why we work so hard but have no progress?

When we focus on loving God and loving others, we purify our running around. God helps us sift through what we do. He forgives our mistakes and failures while giving us daily direction. Our track becomes focused and the distractions pale in comparison to this satisfying life-purpose.

We beat the busyness.

My renewed focus gives me a clarity, ability and the enlightened truth—it isn’t all up to me. Although I still run, I feel light in my shoes, unburdened, and sort of like a super hero.

I’m going somewhere.

Peace.      Still.      Rest.

Peace in a World of Disturbance

The Burden.
Ever push to make things happen? When I do, I become anxious, worried, and stressed. All actions feel like my responsibility. Like it’s my fault when it doesn’t go well. Or when it does, the credit is mine. During these times, everything seems to key off of me, what I do, or don’t do, if I’m good enough, or not. I don’t like the stress of that kind of responsibility.

The Freedom.
When I place myself in the presence of sovereignty, I have peace. Overriding the swirl of troubles, struggles, and circumstances, a peace prevails. My actions become obedience to the sovereign God instead of an ambition to control. I realize the results don’t hinge upon my behavior or ability. God’s responsible for the results. I’m responsible for obeying. By sitting down in submission to him, I find a peaceful freedom.

The Counsel.
“Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for him to act” (Ps 37:7). I should work physically while sitting still in God spiritually. But I forget that God’s in charge, and get busy, working, feeling responsible for the outcome. When things don’t go right, the responsibility turns into temptations to take control, get frustrated, and become angry. Psalms 37:8 states, “Stop being angry! Turn from your rage! Do not lose your temper—it only leads to harm.” “Be still,” or “Stop being angry!”

The Choice.
I must choose. “Be still,” or push-through-with-all-I’ve-got. The choice leading to peace is simple, but the “Be still” follow through isn’t easy. The option keeps coming back and needs a fresh resolve. Sometimes I make the right choice, and others…

Anyhow. Do any of you, like me, search for peace in a world of disturbance?

*picture by MJ Photography

Great Master, touch us with Your skillful hands;
Let not the music that is in us die! ~Streams, p. 335

That line of poetry pierces into the struggle for my passion and alludes to the difficulties of life. Job said:

Is not all human life a struggle? Our lives are like that of a hired hand…who longs for the shade…waiting to be paid. I, too, have been assigned months of futility, long and weary nights of misery (Job 7:1-3).

Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior. (Habakkuk 3:17-18)

Things aren’t always rosy and cheery, BUT things can always be good in God. It’s a perspective. A matter of where you place your hope, of what to surrender and to whom. If everything fails, God will not.

How do the successful deal with challenges? What is their strategy? And what can we learn from them? I look for people of passion, people who love God and have a single-hearted devotion to be and do all God wants. Vonda Skelton is one of those people.

I met Vonda years ago at a Christian leaders conference, and I’ve invited her to join us today. She is the keynote for Capture Me!, the 2009 iGETitLIFE Women’s Event, and the author of Seeing Through the Lies and the Bitsy series for children. She’s the mom of two and MaMa to a crew. Vonda lives with her husband, Gary, in South Carolina. You’ll fall in love with her feisty yet gentle Southern ways as she shares where she’s going and how she’s getting there. Join me as I glean tips for leading and living my life. Let’s get started and don’t forget to ask your questions or leave comments.

Robin: Vonda, what would you say is your mission, your purpose? Why do you do what you do?

Vonda: I know this sounds silly to some, but I do what I do because I can’t NOT do it. I’ve always loved writing, loved the stage, loved the creative process, but for most of my life I considered all that stuff just selfish self-indulgences. And even though I’d never done any of these creative things professionally, I found they always seeped into my life. They just appeared in my nursing school projects, neighborhood children’s parties, birthday party entertainments, children’s SS classes, children’s church or Bible School programs, and Christian Women’s Club leadership roles. I didn’t set out to be creative in these areas, it just crept its way in time after time. I’d be working on something and POOF! there it was—a skit, a song, a costume, a monologue. They wouldn’t leave me alone!

The day God revealed to me that He could take all those passions and interests and use them to bring Himself glory was an exciting day! For the first time in my life, I felt I was doing what I was created to do! So, to get back to your question, I do what I do to bring glory to God.

The look of a leader worth following!!

Robin: That’s awesome. I read a great book, The Dream Giver, about living and serving in the passions and interests that God places in us. Our life’s work becomes an act of worship. When you write or speak, how do you sense God’s pleasure?

Vonda: The best way I can describe it is that it feels like climbing up into a big ol’ cushy recliner, snuggling up to my Father, and hearing His heartbeat. I remember so vividly doing that with my daddy…and all would be right with the world. I love sharing His love, His grace and mercy, His forgiveness. I love that He can take my messes and use them for His glory. I love that no hurts are wasted in God’s economy.

Robin: That’s a comfy feeling, but doesn’t these same acts of worship become a chore at times? A drudgery? How does that happen?

Vonda: Oh, I know the answer to that one! It’s when I get too busy doing all the “stuff” of the ministry. You know, the bookkeeping, the letters, the contracts, the paperwork. It’s when I get away from my calling and have to work outside my area of passion and gifting. But it has to be done. I keep reminding myself that I’m sure Jesus didn’t enjoy everything He had to do to bring His message to the people.

Robin: Ouch. I guess you’re right. Jesus probably didn’t enjoy the cross. Since some things about your mission are enjoyable and others aren’t, how do you decide what you should do?

Vonda: That’s just it—there are too many things that I love to do, that I feel called to do. I love teaching God’s Word, love sharing stories of God’s grace and forgiveness, love sharing my mistakes in hopes that someone else can avoid them, love watching kids’ eyes light up when they realize they can write, love giving women the opportunity to laugh at my mess-ups of life, love letting women know that none of us has it all together but that we’re all struggling to live up to His calling and be who He created us to be.

Some say, “Just make a mission statement and don’t do anything that doesn’t fit that statement.” Great concept but doesn’t work in reality for me. Whether I’m speaking to a group of women or a group of writers or a group of kids, for me, it’s all ministry and it’s all good.

Robin: Sounds like your mission statement would have to include lots of inspiration and encouragement for others. What helps you determine you’re headed in the right direction and making progress? How do you evaluate your success?

Vonda: I don’t know that success is the word I would use because that has such a negative connotation in today’s society. Today’s success is measured by the paycheck, the notoriety, the name recognition. By those standards, few of us ever qualify. But when I look at what I know God has called ME to do—minister to women, writers, and children, I feel His nod of approval through the confirmation of those I speak to. I mean, how can I feel that I’m not on the right track when a precious sister comes to me and says, “Your message changed my life”?

Listen—it’s not me, it’s not my good works or anything I’ve done to reach any definition of success, it’s only through the story of His power, the demonstration of His love, that anyone can be changed. I feel like the woman at the well who went back to her town and said, “Let me tell you about a man who told me everything I ever did!” The Bible tells us many in her town were saved. Was it because of her? No. Was it because she was a great orator who knew the techniques of persuasion? No. Was it because she was successful by their standards? No. It was because of the message. His message. His grace. His love.

Robin: That’s a powerful picture. A struggling woman used to share God’s message. I’m curious. When setbacks come, and they always do, how do you deal with them? How do you get back on track?

Vonda: I just stay busy. I find if I have lots of different projects going on, I’m not so focused on the “success” of one particular one. So when I have a project that I just know is going to be the next Christy Award winning book, or the next Oscar winning movie, and instead it ends up in the rejection pile, I can whine to my close friends (who love me in spite of the whining) and then move on to the next project. But then there are those times…you know what I mean…those times when you get up and fall down and get up and fall down…and nothing seems to be working…and people won’t leave you alone so you can do what you know you’re supposed to be doing…when you feel pulled in a hundred directions and you think you can’t take another…uh…um…what was the question?

Robin: Hmm, I guess you might get a little frustrated when things don’t go your way, but you always return to your mission of inspiring and encouraging others. A mark of a good leader is not giving up when the road gets rough. Besides being remembered for faithfulness to your mission, is there anything else you would like to say?

Vonda: Oh, how I want to pen words that will make a difference for eternity! I want heaven to be different because of my obedience to His calling. The money truly isn’t the focus. (Although I wouldn’t be OPPOSED to making gobs of money if God decided to send it my way! I mean, just imagine all the good I could do with a gazillion dollars! Wouldn’t that be AWESOME?!?!?) But I sincerely want to be remembered as someone who wrote the truth, shared the truth, believed the truth, and lived the truth. If I made a lot of money and achieved the world’s standard of success, but didn’t portray the Truth on the pages of my life, my life would have been nothing but a lie. And that, dear friends, would be true failure.

Robin: And we don’t want to be failures. Do we? Thanks Vonda. Can’t wait to be with you in September at Capture ME!, the iGETitLIFE Event.

Check out Vonda’s book, Seeing Through the Lies: Unmasking the Myths Women Believe, to find out how to live in the Truth.

Make a comment. What is your individual calling or sweet spot? How do you handle obstacles? What standard evaluates your success?

Related leadership posts: Stepping into Success, Successful Life and Leadership, 5 Tips to Lead a Successful Life

*picture from www.getentrepreneurial.com

Suffering~God’s Purpose for Me

I don’t wanna!! I don’t like it. Why does it have to hurt and disturb the core of my being? I must accept it. The following is from my devotional this morning:

The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me. (Ps. 138:8)

There is a divine mystery in suffering, one that has a strange and supernatural power and has never been completely understood by human reason. No one has ever developed a deep level of spirituality or holiness without experiencing a great deal of suffering. When a person who suffers reaches a point where he can be calm and carefree, inwardly smiling at his own suffering, and no longer asking God to be delivered from it, then the suffering has accomplished its blessed ministry, perseverance has “finish[ed] its work” (James 1:4), and the pain of the Crucifixion has begun to weave itself into a crown.

It is in this experience of complete suffering that the Holy Spirit works many miraculous things deep within our soul. In this condition, our entire being lies perfectly still under the hand of God; every power and ability of the mind, will, and heart are at last submissive; a quietness of eternity settles into the entire soul; and finally, the mouth becomes quiet, having only a few words to say, and stops crying out the words Christ quoted on the cross: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Ps. 22:1).

At this point the person stops imagining castles in the sky, and pursuing foolish ideas, and his reasoning becomes calm and relaxed, with all choices removed, because the only choice has now become the purpose of God. Also, his emotions are weaned away from other people and things, becoming deadened so that nothing can hurt, offend, hinder, or get in his way. He can now let the circumstances be what they may, and continue to seek only God and His will, with the calm assurance that He is causing everything in the universe, whether good or bad, past or present, to work “for the good of those who love him” (Rom. 8:28).

Oh, the blessings of absolute submission to Christ! What a blessing to lose our own strength, wisdom, plans, and desires and to be where every ounce of our being becomes like a peaceful Sea of Galilee under the omnipotent feet of Jesus!

From Streams in the Desert

Come Lord Jesus, into our storm and calm us.

Life’s Purpose: Distracted, Assured, Engaged (Acts 1:9-12)

Searching for life’s meaning and purpose is an age old quest. We question, “Why? What for? What now?” The disciples had given three years of their lives following Jesus and now what? As soon as Jesus finished talking he was taken from them. He had just given them their life’s purpose (see verse 8). He had just given them their job description, the purpose and meaning for all they were to do. His last words give us a meaning to life as well. Be covered by the Spirit (see previous post Finding God in Sequels, Unknowns, & Promises), Tell everybody about what God has done.

As the words still hung on Jesus’ lips, he was taken from them in a cloud. His mission, his job was done. He said in John 19:30, “It is finished.” Right before their eyes, a cloud hid him and he was whisked away to heaven. Clouds have been God’s chosen chariot all throughout history (Luke 21:27, Dan. 7 13). God’s presence is hidden in a cloud, for his glory cannot be looked upon with human eyes or death would be the outcome (Exodus 33:20). Jesus was returned to his glory and position in heaven, the fulfillment of his ruling his kingdom.

God was working right next to them on the ground as they stood distracted by staring hard into the clouds for Jesus. We need to be careful to not to be distracted by mystical searches in the clouds or by mundane routines of earthly pursuits to the point we miss God working amongst us.Two men, most likely angels, appeared out of nowhere to give them assurance. In this case, God used some spectacular white robed guys to assure some pretty distracted believers. Yes, believers can be distracted and need assurance. And God is big enough to deliver.

We have a work to do and God will do his part. Jesus will come again in the same way he left. The disciples had to first go to Jerusalem according to verse 8. We can see, according to verse 12, they engaged their work after being assured by the angels.

An interesting tidbit about prophecy is involved concerning the place where all this happened. They were on Mt. Olives a little more than a half mile to the east of Jerusalem. Jesus left them on Mt. Olives and since he is to come the same way he left, a good supposition is that a cloud and Mt. Olives might be significant. The prophecy of Jesus’ return from long before he walked the earth is, “On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will be split in two from east to west, forming a great valley, with half of the mountain moving north and half moving south.” (Zech.14:4) And a prophecy from long after the passage in Acts is, “Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of him. So shall it be! Amen.” (Rev. 1:7)

We have no need to be distracted searching the clouds for some sign of God, because believers are assured of his return with all eyes able to see him. Instead, believers can live out their purpose, engage the mission that gives life meaning—being covered by the Spirit and telling others about God and the amazing things related to Jesus.

1. If you’ve found practical meaning for your life, would you share it?
2. What kinds of distractions commonly keep people from living out their purpose?
3. What ways can we be given the assurance we need?
4. What are some realistic ways to engage our mission in our culture?