Occasionally, I find myself indulging in some pretty self-centered thoughts. For instance, when I walk outside at night and the weather is absolutely perfect...not too cold, not too hot, a hint of humidity, a light breeze and the stars seem close enough to touch; I tend to think God put all that together just for me. Now I'm aware everyone else can feel the breeze, see the stars and enjoy the night as well, but maybe not appreciate it the way I do. What about stumbling across some wonderfully isolated, country road with cows, tall grass and wildflowers as far as the eye can see? Not that many people would get to see that...surely that's for me, too. Or those intensely gray days that promise rain. Usually those bring everyone's spirits down, well, everyone except me. They lift my mood like nothing else. On those days in particular I really feel pursued by the Lover of my soul.
I just want to sit and bask in His extravagant love and affection. The Lord knows what makes me laugh, what makes me cry, what makes me sigh dreamily, and what will be a source of great delight. He knows me. He slowly and tenderly draws my hear out, and calls me to higher heights with Him. "My Beloved speaks and says to me, 'Arise my love, my beautiful one, and come away...'" (SOS 2:10).
I'll admit, it's hard to keep from running the streets shouting of the awesomeness of my Creator, sometimes. I suppose it's not too different from being in love with a man...except men give a dozen roses; God gives a field full. "Behold, yee peoples, the work of my Beloved! Make note of the stars in the sky, the flowers in the field, the cool breeze on a hot day, the contagious laughter of a child; all the handiwork of the Lover of my Soul!" I am proud to call Him mine, and thanks to the blood of the Lamb that was shed for me, I am His. Hallelujah!
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Friday, February 20, 2009
Thoughts on communication
Something I've been thinking about lately is the communication, specifically interpersonal communication. Finding the balance between listening to the person or people you're conversing with, and contributing your own thoughts to the conversation can sometimes be difficult to do. I feel people tend to be a bit misguided in the art of active listening. Here are some communication tips that I find useful (I'm by no means, an expert, but I've learned a few things over the years):
Active listening does not mean you're continuously interrupting the speaker to ask questions about what they've said or to paraphrase the entire conversation thus far. If the speaker can't get a full sentence out without being interrupted, they don't feel like you've been listening to them.
Speakers generally have an ebb/flow pattern in their speech that lends itself to allowing their audience to "break in" with the occasional question or remark, and during the "ebb" is the time to show you've been listening.
To go along with the last tip, speakers need to help their listeners by taking a breath every so often. Basically, break up the long windedness. If you feel like you've been talking too much...you probably have.
Remember, you're not the only one with something to say. If you've just introduced a new topic or you've been laying out an argument for a while, stop talking, and give others a chance to speak to what you just said.
Take your cue from the amount of time other people have been talking, if you're in a group setting. If you're going around the group sharing information or introducing yourself, pay attention to what others have said before you. For example, if everyone else has said "Hi, my name is Jane Doe, and I'm from Pickleton, North Dakota. I attend Snazzleton University, where I'm studying Deep sea fly fishing" or something along those lines...you should follow suit. Do not go into a 10 minute rant about what you hate about said major or your hometown, then follow that by another 10 minute rant what you thought of a certain class you took, and so on and so forth.
Pay attention to the setting of your conversation. If the person you're speaking to is obviously doing something (working, talking on the phone, rushing to a destination, etc.), realize this isn't the best time to talk to them. Unless the information you have to share is of an urgent nature, save it until it's more convenient for them to listen.
Along those lines...if you and a friend (or someone who you're already in an established relationship with) are going to a social event together, do not dominate that person's time and isolate them from everyone else. You have ample opportunity to speak with them at other times, so this is not the proper setting to carry on a 20 minute conversation with them.
One last tip...if you find yourself thinking "man, everyone else has been really quiet", that probably means you've been talking too much.
Active listening does not mean you're continuously interrupting the speaker to ask questions about what they've said or to paraphrase the entire conversation thus far. If the speaker can't get a full sentence out without being interrupted, they don't feel like you've been listening to them.
Speakers generally have an ebb/flow pattern in their speech that lends itself to allowing their audience to "break in" with the occasional question or remark, and during the "ebb" is the time to show you've been listening.
To go along with the last tip, speakers need to help their listeners by taking a breath every so often. Basically, break up the long windedness. If you feel like you've been talking too much...you probably have.
Remember, you're not the only one with something to say. If you've just introduced a new topic or you've been laying out an argument for a while, stop talking, and give others a chance to speak to what you just said.
Take your cue from the amount of time other people have been talking, if you're in a group setting. If you're going around the group sharing information or introducing yourself, pay attention to what others have said before you. For example, if everyone else has said "Hi, my name is Jane Doe, and I'm from Pickleton, North Dakota. I attend Snazzleton University, where I'm studying Deep sea fly fishing" or something along those lines...you should follow suit. Do not go into a 10 minute rant about what you hate about said major or your hometown, then follow that by another 10 minute rant what you thought of a certain class you took, and so on and so forth.
Pay attention to the setting of your conversation. If the person you're speaking to is obviously doing something (working, talking on the phone, rushing to a destination, etc.), realize this isn't the best time to talk to them. Unless the information you have to share is of an urgent nature, save it until it's more convenient for them to listen.
Along those lines...if you and a friend (or someone who you're already in an established relationship with) are going to a social event together, do not dominate that person's time and isolate them from everyone else. You have ample opportunity to speak with them at other times, so this is not the proper setting to carry on a 20 minute conversation with them.
One last tip...if you find yourself thinking "man, everyone else has been really quiet", that probably means you've been talking too much.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Undignified and okay with it
Dwelling on our sin, our short comings, our sorrows, heartaches and secret miseries can be incredibly easy to do. We allow shame to weigh down our worship, guilt to paralyze our praise. No, we're not perfect right now, but we are being perfected. Our God is merciful, gracious, loving, kind, patient, jealous for our love, righteous, holy, beautiful, mighty, compassionate, nurturing, faithful, unchanging, passionate,funny...give a million people a million years and they'd never finish this list. They'd run out of words and still find the description of our King lacking!
When I first started my quiet time a couple of hours ago, did I feel like praising Him? No. Did I feel like looking outside of myself? No. I came with my list of frustrations, hurts, worries and everything else. Am I wrong to take those things to Him in prayer? Of course not. He cares very much about our burdens; about what's on our hearts and minds. After a certain point, however, we've got to look up. After a certain point, we've just got to stop talking and let Him hold us. So during the course of this time I've gone from standing in front of Him with my list is problems, to sitting in His lap with His arms around me. It's a good place to be.
When I Think About The Lord (not sure who wrote the words)
When I think about the Lord,
how He saved me, how He raised me,
how He filled me with the Holy Ghost,
how he healed me to the uttermost,
When I think about the Lord,
how he picked me up, and turned me around,
how He placed my feet on solid ground
It makes me want to shout:
HALLELUJAH!
Thank you, Jesus!
Lord, You're worthy of all the glory, and all the honor, and all the praise!
It makes me want to shout:
HALLELUJAH!
Thank You, Jesus!
Lord, You're worthy of all the glory, and all the honor, and all the praise!
When I first started my quiet time a couple of hours ago, did I feel like praising Him? No. Did I feel like looking outside of myself? No. I came with my list of frustrations, hurts, worries and everything else. Am I wrong to take those things to Him in prayer? Of course not. He cares very much about our burdens; about what's on our hearts and minds. After a certain point, however, we've got to look up. After a certain point, we've just got to stop talking and let Him hold us. So during the course of this time I've gone from standing in front of Him with my list is problems, to sitting in His lap with His arms around me. It's a good place to be.
When I Think About The Lord (not sure who wrote the words)
When I think about the Lord,
how He saved me, how He raised me,
how He filled me with the Holy Ghost,
how he healed me to the uttermost,
When I think about the Lord,
how he picked me up, and turned me around,
how He placed my feet on solid ground
It makes me want to shout:
HALLELUJAH!
Thank you, Jesus!
Lord, You're worthy of all the glory, and all the honor, and all the praise!
It makes me want to shout:
HALLELUJAH!
Thank You, Jesus!
Lord, You're worthy of all the glory, and all the honor, and all the praise!
Monday, February 2, 2009
Sometimes it's okay to be angry
The time has come for the daughters of the King, to fight for their brothers. I don't know about you ladies out there, but I am beyond sick of the images that flood and taint the minds of the men in my life. I'm tired of the junk that the world throws their way, and expects them to swallow. I'm frustrated with other women either wittingly or unwittingly causing MY brothers to stumble. Yes, it is PARTIALLY a man's responsibility to "take every thought captive to obey Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5)," but we, as women, shouldn't make it difficult for them.
I urge you, ladies, to rethink the way you dress, the way you act, and the words that spring forth from your mouth. In a culture, nay, a world saturated with sexual imagery, men have few, if any, places to retreat from the constant bombardment. If you are married, perhaps it's time to talk to your husband about severely limiting what comes into your home, be it racy cable shows, questionable Internet sites, or even your magazines with scantily clad models. Earlier, I was listening to a local AFR (American Family Radio) station, and a woman called in, saying she and her husband had made the commitment to stop watching broadcast football games (like the Superbowl). They felt the cheerleaders, commercials and other unsavory things associated with it were not worth tainting their minds.
Evaluate your wardrobe, what statement are you trying to make with the things you wear? Your husband is the only man who should be enjoying your body, physically and visually. I'm constantly rethinking what I wear for fear of offending some unsuspecting man.
We must also question what we say, lest it lead to an inappropriate conversation. We all know we are not to jest coarsely or carry on in discussions filled with sexual dialogue, but there are little things we say that may be just as bad. For example, we need to be careful in the way we describe things. Describing a racy outfit or skimpy dress can be just as bad as wearing it. Even talking about the physical appearance of another man (in excess) is something we need to work on. Modesty starts on the inside and works it's way outward. Change doesn't happen overnight, but change does happen with determination and prayer. Commit to yourself to fight for the honor and purity of your brothers in the Lord.
"(13) Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother. (14)I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself, but it is unclean for anyone who thinks it unclean." Romans 14: 13-14, ESV Bible.
Please know that I say these things, not because I'm perfect, but because I need to hear them as much (if not more) than you.
To any random guys who may be reading this, if your sisters are doing something, or saying anything that causes you to stumble, TELL THEM! If we don't know there's a problem, we can't fix it.
I urge you, ladies, to rethink the way you dress, the way you act, and the words that spring forth from your mouth. In a culture, nay, a world saturated with sexual imagery, men have few, if any, places to retreat from the constant bombardment. If you are married, perhaps it's time to talk to your husband about severely limiting what comes into your home, be it racy cable shows, questionable Internet sites, or even your magazines with scantily clad models. Earlier, I was listening to a local AFR (American Family Radio) station, and a woman called in, saying she and her husband had made the commitment to stop watching broadcast football games (like the Superbowl). They felt the cheerleaders, commercials and other unsavory things associated with it were not worth tainting their minds.
Evaluate your wardrobe, what statement are you trying to make with the things you wear? Your husband is the only man who should be enjoying your body, physically and visually. I'm constantly rethinking what I wear for fear of offending some unsuspecting man.
We must also question what we say, lest it lead to an inappropriate conversation. We all know we are not to jest coarsely or carry on in discussions filled with sexual dialogue, but there are little things we say that may be just as bad. For example, we need to be careful in the way we describe things. Describing a racy outfit or skimpy dress can be just as bad as wearing it. Even talking about the physical appearance of another man (in excess) is something we need to work on. Modesty starts on the inside and works it's way outward. Change doesn't happen overnight, but change does happen with determination and prayer. Commit to yourself to fight for the honor and purity of your brothers in the Lord.
"(13) Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother. (14)I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself, but it is unclean for anyone who thinks it unclean." Romans 14: 13-14, ESV Bible.
Please know that I say these things, not because I'm perfect, but because I need to hear them as much (if not more) than you.
To any random guys who may be reading this, if your sisters are doing something, or saying anything that causes you to stumble, TELL THEM! If we don't know there's a problem, we can't fix it.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)