christianity

After Being Wrong – 4 Attitudes To Soaring Again Now!

/ Lori Lawe / Leave a comment
a bird is flying in the air with its wings spread

We all know that God is sometimes wrong, as definitively proven HERE. That’s obvious! Many of us intellectuals know that!

But I was amazed when I was wrong!

Many of you often trip up and fall and are wrong about many things. I, of course, can’t relate to this, but my editor says I must be honest, or she won’t publish my work anymore, so okay! I WAS wrong! (At least once)

In fact, this happened as recently as . . . (Do I HAVE to be THAT honest?) TODAY.

I know. Once your shock has subsided, I’ll fill you in on the startling details and give excellent advice with four subtle attitude shifts to get you back soaring into God’s plans and purposes!

So here’s what happened:

I thought God said something, but He didn’t.

The good news is that giants of the faith are losers like us, so we can learn from them!

For example, HERE we learn of someone who heard from God and assumed that the other guy SHOULDN’T travel because if he did, he would get hurt. It turned out that the one who heard from God was wrong because the guy WAS still supposed to travel.1

The point is that toddlers fall as they learn to walk, and we, by necessity, sometimes look like losers as we grow spiritually.

Are we willing to look and feel silly and be wrong sometimes BECAUSE WE ARE LEARNING to keep our ears attached to perhaps hear a muffled whisp of the hints on the wind of what God may be saying and not to leave our ears lying around on the floor again?

Are we willing to step out in faith and try something but be wrong?

The last time I admitted that I was wrong, my friend said, “The fact that you AREN’T sure whether God is speaking or not makes me more likely to believe that God DOES speak through people.”

I don’t quite understand how my humility drew him to that conclusion. However, it got me thinking that maybe humility IS helpful for something after all.2

The point is, we don’t always FULLY understand God because we AREN’T God!

As my husband kindly reminded me yesterday, and seems to remind me often lately, “You’re not God.” This reminder is always helpful, so I remind you of that, too!

You’re welcome!

Good luck!

One last random, deep thought to profoundly help you is to remember that when you are confused, good advice is to listen to your children! This advice works surprisingly frequently for me! My children are sometimes much more spiritually mature than I am, which is exasperating!

For example, about this current wrestling that I am facing over being wrong, my (annoying) child said, “God answers everything in His own way, Mom. I wouldn’t worry about it too much.”

Each one of these people of faith died not yet having in hand what was promised, but still believing. How did they do it? They saw it way off in the distance, waved their greeting, and accepted the fact that they were transients in this world.

The Message

So, remember that it’s okay if we’re spiritually wrong sometimes! And as promised, here are four attitude shifts to start soaring again the next time we (must regretfully admit we) are wrong. Remember:

  1. You are learning!
  2. You are growing in humility! (This is necessary because we are wrong sometimes. But I’m learning that humility has some advantages!3)
  3. You are held in God’s hands even though we have no idea what is going on most of the time!
  4. You aren’t God, remember?

God, help us all to soar, and when we fall, to get back up and try again, we pray. Please keep our butts and hearts soft from all the falls and help us to get up and try again. Be the wind under our wings more and more often, we pray.

As the song below plays, how do you sense God pouring love into your heart and gently correcting you about some misconception you have about Him?

Photo credit – Bird soaring by Elize Bezuidenhout on Unsplash

1 (Related to this, as a general principle, my Pastor says we shouldn’t tell others what to do by using the language, “God said you should . . .” but I find that advice tedious.)

2 (Manipulating people to believe you . . . ? That’s a JOKE people! A JOKE!)

3 Ibid – Means same as the above footnote (I.e. STILL joking)

Thank you for liking me! I like you too! (Proven HERE, HERE and HERE!) Let’s journey together!

We Travel For This One Hidden, Self-Deceived Reason

/ Lori Lawe / Leave a comment

I’m feeling sad because today is the last day of our holidays.

I’m surprised because I’m going home to an awesome life! I mean, I take great pains to portray an image of having a fantastic life for you! (Why else would you read this stuff?)

I tenderly opened the depths of my heart to my empathetic husband, and he said something along the lines of, “Well, of course, you’re not happy to be going home! You’re a nutcase there!”

Actually, on reflection, he phrased it closer to, “You’re more stressed out trying to get a million things done at home.”

After I yelled at him and sulked for a while, I had coffee with Jesus, and that’s when I realized my husband was right.

(Don’t you hate it when that happens? I still haven’t admitted it to him, though. He is living under my condemnation, which increases the power balance in my favor for a while. I’ll be less mad at him the next time I do something stupid, and the power shifts in his favor. There’s some more free marriage advice! You’re welcome! Good luck!)

But we’re not done talking about this end-of-the-vacation-sadness thing.

The insight I had today is that the reason why we travel is . . .

. . . to get away from OURSELVES.

I mean, away from that feeling of wanting to be Jesus, get everything done, help everyone around you, and learn how to live a better life and stuff like that.

Wait. We’re not supposed to want to BE Jesus. It’s hard to keep all of that theology straight!

I left my To-Do list at home for just a week while we were on holiday. I left my neurotic rambling to try to figure out how to live a purposeful life closed up in my journal. Instead of powering through these lists and creating more lists, I simply enjoyed drinking fresh coconut water by the beach and laughing with the people I love.

And so it’s not that we need to get away from a particular PLACE to relax.

I’ve realized with startling insight and uncharacteristic blindness to my motivations that what I need to get away from is actually just ME.

Do you have any Type B  friends? Type B people seem to be more relaxed and don’t seem to wind themselves up so tightly about whether their life has meaning and unimportant stuff like that. I don’t happen to hang around any Type B people.

We don’t get along.

But perhaps the point of this trip is that shifting ever so slightly into that place where we put the responsibility for the meaningfulness of our lives onto the broad shoulders of Jesus is one of the ways that the weights can fall off of our lives so we can rise and soar like we’re meant to.

worms eye view photography of eagle flying across the sky

He energizes those who get tired, gives fresh strength to dropouts. For even young people tire and drop out, young folk in their prime stumble and fall.
But those who wait upon God get fresh strength. They spread their wings and soar like eagles

The Message

So no, I am not saying that Type B people have something we can learn from because I’m definitely not humble enough to admit that yet!

However, admitting that I’m not God is a good start!

And we all start somewhere!

I hope this helps you!

You’re welcome!

Good luck!

As the lyrics of the song below sing, “It’s all I can do to get up in the morning . . . But where else can I go . . . but to you?” do you see Jesus holding out his arms to you like a father, bidding his small child to rest in his arms? As you quietly rest in his arms and take some deep breaths there, what do you sense him saying to you as the rest of the song plays?

God, we carry burdens and responsibilities that are too big for us. We finally, reluctantly, hand them over to you, and we receive the peace of knowing that holding your hand as we live our lives allows you to carry the responsibility for a life well-lived. Wake us up to how we try to carry what only you have strong enough shoulders to bear.

Photo credits – Dog in car window by Avi Richards on Unsplash, Eagle soaring by Rachel McDermott on Unsplash

Thank you for liking me! I like you too! (Proven HERE, HERE and HERE!) Let’s journey together!

Are You Led By A Nose Hook To Death? Or By God To Life? One Way Is Better!

/ Lori Lawe / Leave a comment
a cow laying down in the grass next to a tree

I was an older teenager, finishing up a college degree and looking around me 360 degrees to figure out what direction to travel next.

I felt a spiritual pull to learn more and delve deeper into divine mysteries.

But I also wanted to travel.

Suddenly, my brain figured out the answer of how to merge the following heart’s cries for:

– spiritual digging into the depths

– travel

– figuring out which direction to go next

“I know!” my brain thought. “I will go to the ends of the earth and tell people all about Jesus!”

I stopped for a moment to pray, seeking my blue ribbon and crowns (that I would throw to the ground in humility before God if I received – of course!). God said,

NO

A firm NO.

Instead, it seemed He was suggesting I go to a center of learning, learn a bit more about Him, get out my pen and paper and sort out my thoughts to eventually delete the thoughts that didn’t align with the character of Jesus.

“Sounds like a drag!” I thought.

But I searched online for something that would meet both my desires and the direction it seemed God was directing me (Aren’t I spiritual and obedient? Did you NOTICE my willingness to follow God where He leads? Subtle clue there that you have MUCH to learn from me!)

Anyway, I compromised with God and found a spiritual school that was:

– In Costa Rica (fun!)

– In Spanish (Why not learn a language on the side?)

– And yes.. the other stuff God wanted – a place to learn more about God, yada yada.

So I waved goodbye to Canada and flew to Costa Rica, where I began with a month of intensive language training, several hours each day, in a small room in downtown San Jose.

And I learned a lot about God that year.

It turned out God was right!

I did have a BIT (Slight – a SMALL amount) to learn about God before I opened my mouth and spewed my slightly wrong “wisdom” for all to see! (Good thing I got that out of the way way back then! That’s how you know that now you can trust me implicitly, by the way).

You’re welcome!

Good luck!

How is God leading you, friend? Do you have a hook in your nose and are following where it seems your desires are leading you, even if it’s to the death of your growth and joy or something else that should be important to you? If so, this isn’t the gentle guidance of God.

Like a gold ring in a pig’s snout is a beautiful face on an empty head.

The Message

He is sitting next to you, head in His hands, his heart ripping every time you step in a direction opposite to His leading.

In the other direction, the one He is leading:

He bids you to learn to fly

silhouette of bird flying

Are you ready to take one step towards following His gentle leading, steering you towards increased fruit in your life and those around you?

the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness . . .

The Message

As the song below plays, and after a moment of thankfulness, consider asking God which direction He may be leading you. If it is the opposite direction to where you thought you were headed, can you speak with a trusted friend to help sort out the knots in your heart and life so that you are taking God’s best steps for you towards the life of abundant fruit He so longs to give to you?

Footnotes

*For example read more HERE

Photo credit: Cow with nose hook by Taliwang Mengaji on Unsplash, Bird soaring by Naveen Chandra on Unsplash

Thank you for liking me! I like you too! (Proven HERE, HERE and HERE!) Subscribe below to soar together!

Ashamed Of The News? Surprise! Look Down! Peace Is Right Here Waiting To Be Found!

/ Lori Lawe / Leave a comment
person hands with black liquids

I felt shame when I read in the news that the Christian organization that I love had allegations of “sexual misconduct” splattered across their building.

I felt shame when I read in the news that the country that we are associated with, that is our friend, has allegations of “extortion” splattered across that beautiful landscape.

Why did I feel shame?

  • I am standing a bit close and am splattered a little by the mess.
  • “Sexual misconduct,” “extortion” and other stuff like that is wrong.

Similarly, I read Lord of the Flies this week, and when Jack stole Piggy’s glasses and purposely smashed them, that was wrong.

Jack stole Piggy’s glasses just before he and his cronies felt justified to do worse stuff.

And so, if we wonder where some parts of Christian culture and some parts of American culture are headed, check out Lord of the Flies to find out.

Thankfully, Jesus is seated on his throne, far, far above those who define themselves by His name. Thankfully, He sits far enough above us that the splatters of dirt and messes we make on Earth don’t reach His robe. His identity is not affected by what we do in His name.

HE defines US, instead.

And this is the good news.

Jesus, when He walked on Earth for thirty-three years didn’t intentionally pick up the banners to support the various political or religious quarrels of His day, and so neither will I.

Instead, I will continue to receive the love the Father so generously pours out when I stop to listen to His whispers.

And I will give away some of the overflow of the love I receive to others.

Jesus’ kingdom of love is the only powerful kingdom still standing thousands of years after Jesus roamed a tiny piece of Earth for thirty-three years. This kingdom of love is the only powerful kingdom guaranteed to stand indefinitely in the future. (For example, a dozen uneducated followers in a remote unknown town have turned into almost one third of the planet who claim to follow Him.*)

Thankfully, I’ve found a leader I am always proud to serve.

And so, I can curl up next to Him, feel the comfort of His presence, and know that since I’m His child, bearing His name, I can soar on the wind of His presence into whatever turbulence I encounter in the world.

Who defines you, friend?

When the lyrics of the song below sing, “You are the peace that settles around us,” are you ready to reach down in humility and pick up this peace, friend, carrying it close to your heart? God, we pray that everyone reading these smudged, messy, and grimy words will be surprised to find a handful more of peace they can carry today.

Footnotes

*Have you carefully examined some of the evidence for why?

Photo Credit: Dirty hands by Stormseeker on Unsplash

Thank you for liking me! I like you too! (Proven HERE, HERE and HERE!) Subscribe below so we can soar together!

Everyone Can Learn From Snails – 3 Lessons

/ Lori Lawe / Leave a comment
yellow snail on purple flower
Photo by Dustin Humes on Unsplash

There was a snail on the inside of her forearm.

She was our waitress and the sight of the snail was jolting.

But luckily, I FULLY “get” modern fashion trends, including tattoos of snails!

(The snail on her forearm was a tattoo, not a real snail, if you haven’t figured that out yet. Don’t you like my artistic writing? Sometimes, you are completely confused when you read this, but that’s called “art,” not “bad writing.” I’m surprised you don’t know the difference!)

As proven here, I FULLY understand all contemporary styles, including tattoo trends, of course! It’s not like I don’t! But I still thought, “REALLY? – A SNAIL?”

Anyway, I tried to shake off the vision of the weird snail tattoo and order my lunch like regular people who don’t care about that stuff.

That’s when I noticed it.

On the wall of this restaurant, next to the beautiful, artistic photos of the “regular” animals – foxes, bears, salmon, killer whales, eagles, there was a painting of . . . you guessed it – a snail.

(There was also a prominent human smiling skull above all these photos, but OF COURSE, we expect that! See here for a CLEAR explanation of this type of fashion trend. You’re welcome!)

“What the deal with the snails?” my mind pondered, against its will.

I researched snails on Wikipedia – or I mean – I used my innate fashion wisdom to begin to unravel this enigma for you. Fertility symbol from ancient Egypt? Greek symbol of hard work?

“Why the heck do you have a SNAIL tattoo of all animals!” I accidentally blurted as she distractedly approached to take our order. Her eyes were fixed on me, not unlike when we turn a camera lens dial, trying to get it to focus. She was assessing whether she should bare her heart or smack me upside the head.

I suddenly and regrettably remembered the last time I asked a person, “WHY did he have THAT tattoo!” He very firmly told me to (equivalent of) stick my head up my rear end (what a WEIRD saying!) and not to ask such personal questions. “But the tattoo is THERE – for all to see!” I wanted to protest. He was bigger than me, so I nodded, took my coffee from him, and looked down submissively.

But a SNAIL!? Really! WHO can keep their curiosity at bay!

Luckily, this stranger opened her heart to me after sizing me up.

I’m not sure why. She did HAPPEN to be smaller than me. Perhaps I intimidated her with my ( – what it that Trump has? – ) POWER LOOK.

Photo: Regular look
Photo: POWER look

Or maybe she could inherently sense that I was lost on this journey of life, too, and could use some direction.

“Well,” she gushed, “I feel that a snail fits because I am always rushing around and want to slow…”

Rest. God reminded me as she spoke. My word for the year was Rest.

And our hearts melded into one – this stranger and I. It wasn’t the first time this had happened.

two white-and-black birds flying
Photo by Patrick Hendry on Unsplash

I excitedly told her about last month when our church was celebrating its fifteenth-year anniversary. The year Fifteen, God highlighted somehow in my Spirit. I was to research this.

Two ancient feasts that symbolize Rest occurred on the 15th of the month. Jesus’ body was placed in the tomb on the 15th, symbolizing Rest. However, this is not a rest as in doing nothing, but a rest that comes as a bulb in the spring gathers water and warmth from the soil before it does what it must – produce a bloom, creating life from death.

It’s a rest that comes from sitting close to the One we love, listening to His whispers, picking up our shovels in response, and then doing some gardening.

Live in me. Make your home in me just as I do in you. In the same way that a branch can’t bear grapes by itself but only by being joined to the vine, you can’t bear fruit unless you are joined with me.

The Message

(Everyone can learn to slow down to listen to our hearts.)

And so, what are the lessons we can learn from snail tattoos, if we are listening?

  1. We are all sailing together on this crazy journey of life and encounter the same storms, though we may not have the language to talk about our travails to each other. (Do you also need a snail tattoo?)
  2. There is more, there is more, there is more . . . (Do you also need to slow down a little, friend?)
  3. Jesus is sipping coffee even now and waiting for you to join Him. (Do you have time to exit this reality for a few minutes to find the water your soul needs to grow its blossoms?)

As the song below plays, consider taking a few deep breaths and then asking God, “How do I need to slow down a little, like a snail?”

Jesus is handing you a sandwich. Got time to take a bite? (May you, too, find your inner or outer snail.)

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Social Media Consuming Your Joy? (May You See Breakthrough)

/ Lori Lawe / Leave a comment
person holding clear drinking glass
Photo by Anastasiia Voitenko on Unsplash

I was flying, soaring like a bird, arms outstretched.

Not paying attention, and then AH! – What is that there in the sky? – And a sharp turn that spun me in circles as I nosedived. I was spinning and spinning, the hard ground beckoning closer.

And life sometimes feels like that, with the highs, lows, and pitfalls to avoid and crashing out of control.

One second, a youth raising my hand with all my effort, in fervent desperation to be picked for that promotion or opportunity.

And then, decades later, I’m too, sitting by the side of the road, homeless and friendless, holding my donation cup and wondering if I can find a few coins or some hope to get me through today’s dark night.

(Actually, I’ve never even been close to being homeless, but sometimes my interior life feels just as jumbled as their exterior life appears visibly.)

What do you do when life spins out of control and takes you with it?

Social media is good at depicting the moments in life when we are soaring in the sky like an eagle, enjoying the ocean view. And we’ve all had a few moments like these. But where do we go when the rain comes, we get kicked out of our nest, and our wounds and brokenness keep us stranded, exposing us to the weather as we sit and wait and wonder what to do next?

And as we hold out our cup seeking donations and hope like the other homeless people, as we look through the busy people rushing by us, we finally have the eyes to see that Jesus is crouched beside us, holding a blanket and a snack and offering his arms for a hug.

Got time for some comfort?

After writing the above, I went for a walk with her, the new friend.

She said this:

“Like everyone else, I was enjoying my life and had many good times.”

I imagined her Facebook and Instagram pages as she spoke.

“But then I suddenly crashed, realizing that my social drinks after work couldn’t easily be set aside, though I tried everything I could using my own strength. When I finally turned to Jesus and asked for help, things suddenly didn’t get easy, but He gave me the strength to put that dark chapter behind me. I am six years alcohol-free,” she continued.

“And people say I have fantastic strength to do that alone, but I know it wasn’t on my own – God gave me the strength.”

Her story fits here, that’s all.

What do your social media pages say, friend?

How are you really doing?

If you’ve recently crashed too, got time for a drink?

Jesus . . . cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. 

The Message

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How To Hear God’s Invitation That Will Make You Dance With Him (Part 1)

/ Lori Lawe / Leave a comment

girl twirling around room
Photo by Laura Fuhrman on Unsplash

“That’s crazy!” My husband responded.

But we are trying not to use that language. So we corrected each other. “That’s normal life as a Christian,” we corrected ourselves.

But deep down, we thought, “That’s kind of crazy.”

The crazy hasn’t become routine yet, though if you peruse through this writing, some published and some not (I’m working on it!), you may see hints, blips, or sparks of true Christian livening peeking through the darkness of this writing.

You may see moments where He has been showing up.

And though it is not every day that such experiences happen, they are happening more frequently, as we have been pressing into Him in prayer, scouring our Bibles like thirsty drunks, and asking more profound questions of others in our community.

As we surrender more fully and squeeze moments to pray from the busyness of the day, we have noticed His tangible presence more often. He is always with us – yes – but perhaps a more mute version of Jesus is who we expect. And actually, it is not that Jesus is mute but, more accurately, that we’re deaf. The volume of the noise of our life is turned up so high that we can’t hear Him for the headache-inducing drum beat.

Anyway, here is what happened.

I paid for my to-go coffee and snack.

Leave a tip, I sensed the Lord nudge as I hesitated on the “Add a tip” button.

It was a to-go item. Do they need a tip? I sensed God’s compassion for the barista for a moment. What would it be like to work in this cafe that hardly anyone comes to, and people are brisk all day as they get their coffee? He looked downcast, and I unwillingly felt my heart go out to him.

I had just quickly snipped that I wanted X decaf coffee with one pump of X syrup, and . . . I was in a hurry, ok?! So . . .

I didn’t leave a tip.

Did I hear from God? Maybe not. How can one REALLY be sure anyway and . . .

After paying for my coffee, I handed back the Interac machine, and my mind involuntarily returned to the growing rush of to-do items coming at me during my day like an ever-increasing tsunami. But then, I again sensed that still small voice, gently and patiently. Leave a tip. He spoke again as if I hadn’t just ignored Him. That’s when I noticed a tip jar.

I am trying to grow in obedience, and if I’m honest, all that change in my wallet is a drag, so I dropped one of the heavy, annoying coins into the tip jar.

Immediately after this, I felt a profound wave of God’s love for this young person working as a barista. I felt God say the word Mine, and I knew this young man was one of God’s children, whether he realized it himself or not. At the same time that I heard those words, I felt God’s love for him, which was overwhelming. It made me want to cry. Of course, theologically, this is only a tiny bit of God’s love for this person, but that small amount felt so overwhelming to me.

And that was enough.

Sensing more love for another is enough. God showed up. Love was passed, invisibly, imperfectly to another because God showed up.

But there was more.

And there was a surprise. But perhaps these surprises should become less surprising because we are learning to dance with God. And I’ll finish this story next time.

For now, how do we accept God’s invitation to dance with Him?

  • We expect God to speak, not only at church but even and especially in the most mundane of places. (Did you hear God asking you to dance?)
  • We get up after we fall. That day, would I tip the second time He nudged me? (What is God patiently whispering to your heart again?)
  • We obey the nudges of His Spirit. We get up and dance. (Will you rise from your seat and take His outstretched hand?)
  • We open our hearts to God’s love for others, as our hearts overfill with His love for us, as we are held close to His cheek, dancing with Him. (Will you let God open your heart to sense his love for those around you?)

As the song below plays, consider giving some thanks to God and then ask Him, “How are you asking me to dance? Do I hear Your invitations?” Sit quietly as the song plays. What does your heart sense?

God told them, “I’ve never quit loving you and never will.

Expect love, love, and more love! . . .

You’ll resume your singing,

grabbing tambourines and joining the dance.

The Message

God, help us hear your invitation to dance with You more clearly, we pray. Clean out our ears. Clean out our hearts to notice the people You love all around us, we pray. Help us learn to touch them with the love for them that You want to pass through Your arm, to our hand, to touch their hearts, we pray.

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Longing For A Better Life? Rejoice In The Gift Of A Smack Upside Your Head!

/ Lori Lawe / Leave a comment
woman in pink bikini lying on round concrete fountain
Photo by Alessio Roversi on Unsplash

When we were newly married, my husband left his shoes on the floor instead of the shoe rack, and I tripped on them.

When I tripped on them again, I politely asked him not to do this anymore.

Then I cried and hoped tears would implore him to put his shoes away after taking them off, a life lesson that was perhaps taught on a day he was absent from Kindergarten, so he never learned, even 45 years later.

Manipulative, imploring tears didn’t work either.

I tried anger, and nope – Nothing.

It looks like this one bad habit came WITH my husband, and so we fudged along, as couples who have been married for a long time do, until even this habit became “cute.”

Until it wasn’t.

After I broke my ankle, and for some reason, the “leaving shoes/ slippers” in the middle of where I am walking seemed to get a steroid hit. I found myself tripping over my husband’s shoes multiple times a day. So, I did the only rational thing a rational person WOULD do in this situation!

I began throwing his shoes outside.

However, this wasn’t the magic bean solution I had hoped for.

(Did I mention that I offer marriage advice as well?*)

And why, you are asking, are you airing your dirty shoe laundry ALL OVER the internet? Good question. It’s because of what happened next.

I poured out my poor, misunderstood heart (She didn’t QUITE have those words to describe me, though – Why not?) to a friend.

And she’s a great friend.

The kind who may even kick you in the rear once or twice, and your life often starts looking up after the pain.

Here is what she said the following week, “Lori, I’ve finally figured out the solution to your shoe problem!” she began excitedly.

We found a quieter corner of the church so she could impart her wisdom.

“Every time you stoop to pick up shoes and put them on the shoe rack, this is an opportunity for you!”

“Huh?” I asked, confused, remembering how my blood boils in righteous indignation at the sight of misplaced shoes.

“Yes,” she continued. “You can pray for where his feet go, and that the souls of his walking will be soft, and that God will lead his feet to travel wherever He wills for him and . . .” She was gushing now. “And I’ve calculated how long this will take you. It will be about 3 minutes of your day.”

She was right, of course.

And after the bruise on my butt heals where she kicked me, I think things are looking up in our marriage, too!

She gave me some INCREDIBLE, UNIQUE advice I could NEVER have figured out on my own!

And that’s why we need a community that loves us.

Because after the pain comes the healing.

If you reason with an arrogant cynic, you’ll get slapped in the face;
    confront bad behavior and get a kick in the shins.
So don’t waste your time on a scoffer . . .
Save your breath for the wise—they’ll be wiser for it.

The Message

Recent update on this situation: After this conversation with my friend, I asked God what to do about this situation. (Novel idea!) I envisioned my husband and I discussing this situation over a glass of wine, dinner, and a date.

On the date, he saw things in a new light – It seems my rational mouth spoke more forcefully than throwing his stuff outside.

The following week, he said, “Darn! I didn’t put my shoes away!” and ran to get them before I got to the front door.

“Darn! I lost my opportunity to pray for your feet!” I said, watching him put away his shoes instead of me.

God’s way is better. God is good. To Him be praised.

(And let’s thank God for a whack from a friend, too.)

Need a whack?

Reach out anytime!

You’re welcome!

Good luck!

Footnotes

*More marriage advice is coming in tomorrow’s post!

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Advice: Stop Being Afraid Of The Wrong Thing! Become Fearless (By Fearing This)! Part 1

/ Lori Lawe / Leave a comment
girl in white hoodie jacket lying on green grass
Photo by Khashayar Kouchpeydeh on Unsplash

When she was in the hospital, only a few days before her death, my fierce, feisty, 89-and-a-half-year-old grandmother fixed her intense blue eyes on me and said the one thing I never thought she would say.

“Lori,” she said, “I never thought this would happen so soon!”

She was talking about death.

My mind was like one of those old-fashioned calculators that was overheating, trying all different ways to understand what she was saying to me. In the end, was she saying that she was 89 and a half years old and hadn’t figured out that she could die soon? Yup.

That’s exactly what she said.

Of course, the fact that we die was not a truth that my grandmother was wholly unaware of. This fact approached her through all the deaths she witnessed during the Great Depression and the Second World War. However, this knowledge seemed to approach her from the side, not head-on. Unfortunately, she suffered from anxiety in her long life and feared a lot of stuff. But she was too busy fearing other stuff to remember to fear everything!

And so, you’re probably afraid of the wrong things, too.

You cringe at home, cornered up against the wall, afraid. I know. I can see you.

Actually, I can’t see you, but we all kind of live that way.

Sometimes, it feels like a blanket of fear settles over us all. And this fear comforts us somehow, just like a blanket comforts us from the cold. The only problem is that as it comforts, it also eats away at our souls, destroying us.

a neon sign that says fear eats the soul
Photo by Amelia Vu on Unsplash

I pondered how to avoid fear as I read the book The Night The Angels Came about missionary Chrissie Chapman, who chose to spend her life in war-torn Burundi instead of peaceful Britain.

One day, she had a really bad week.

It was a bad week in a way that our first-world minds can’t really wrap our heads around. For example, her child was kidnapped. Yup. Seriously. That same week, a grenade was accidentally thrown into their yard as civil war was fought outside their house, and a gunshot bent the frame of her bedroom window.

Then, she was held up at gunpoint for a bag of rice due (in part) to food scarcity.

I look downstairs at my freezer, which is full of food, and I can’t remember what’s in it. So, I have a hard time relating to food scarcity. What a privileged culture we live in, in so many ways.

And yet, I know precisely how author Chrissie Chapman feels because I’ve had bad weeks, too!

I’ve had a bad week where fear was like a blanket, wrapping itself around my neck and choking me, too.

For example, one day this summer there was a clear blue sky, and the birds were singing. I live in peaceful rural North America, where the deer that eat my tulips are the most irritating intruders. (Why? Why do they have to do that?)

And yet, as I looked around, my heart was a cancer full of fear, consuming me.

What about those things in the news that might happen? What about that stuff I read on social media that might occur? And the worst question is, What if I’m worried about the wrong things?

So, as illustrated in the paragraph above, I can exactly relate to Burundian author Chrissy Chapman and her fears!

I’m just like her because my (peaceful) world makes me feel afraid, too!

And so how do we throw off the blanket of suffocating fear?

Let’s talk about that next Tuesday in Part 2 of this post.

For now, let’s constantly ponder . . . (that thing we never think about, that we all pretend will never happen).

You’re welcome!

Good luck!

Shhh. . . but:

(You learn more at a funeral than at a feast)

The Message

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Finding God Is Easy! It’s Just Like Finding Our Abs!

/ Lori Lawe / Leave a comment
woman in gray top
Photo by Tachina Lee on Unsplash

I choked on my coffee and almost fell over when I overheard my daughter’s online science class this morning. Here’s what was said, verbatim, because this is from the online recording.* (I’m not even exaggerating this time!)

Student: “They were so old they should have been hospitalized!” (Lori’s comment: I didn’t know there was an “age” at which hospitalization occurs!)

Teacher: “About how old?”

Student: “I dunno- Maybe 40 or 50 years old!”

My reaction reflected the fact that I personally MIGHT be INCHING toward (or way past) one of those ages this youth deemed as “should be hospitalized.”

That discussion inspired the post today – I know that none of us like to say this out loud or admit that this is a reality, but one day, I started growing older!

At around the same time, I noticed I had lost my abs.

I had always had abs as a youth. I even tree-planted (which means I’m tough), and that’s how I got some of those muscles.

man standing in front of LED bulbs
Photo by Xenia Bogarova on Unsplash

But somehow, one morning, when I woke up, my abs weren’t there anymore! I looked around, trying to find them. Then I learned that when you’re older, a higher percentage of your body turns into fat.

For example, here’s a chart of ideal body fat percentages aligned to age.

“Dang!” I thought that morning. “My abs turned into fat!”

“Oh well,” was my next thought. I had already dejectedly accepted my fate. A took another sip of my coffee and stared at the morning news.

I already said this in another post, but you weren’t listening, so I will repeat it.

(I mean, who has time to listen anymore? Especially when we all have so much to say! We only have 2 hours and 24 minutes to vent our passionate, frustrating irks on social media daily! And no, I’m not talking about me listening to you. I’m talking about you listening to me! Why don’t YOU listen to ME?)

So, I wanted to say I lost weight.

When that happened, I realized that my abs hadn’t turned to fat. They were covered in fat! And when the extra stuff was gone, there they were!

My abs came out from hiding.

Some of you are wondering where God is, as well. Maybe you knew Him for a while or had an experience of Him, just like I had abs when I was younger, but now where is He? Well, here’s the good news:

He’s right there, under your fat!

Under your spiritual fat, that is. He’s been with you this whole time! All you need to do is get rid of some of the junk.

It means we’d better get on with it. Strip down, start running—and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. 

The Message

As the song below plays, ask God, “What garbage do you want me to bring to the curb? And what one next step do I need to take to stretch out my hand to receive the beautiful gift of Your love that You long to pour out on me affectionately?” (I pray you make the exchange, friend.)

And may you find your abs, too! I mean God.

Footnotes

*Yes! They record classes online now! Those poor teachers! Do YOU want your every frustration toward insolent youth recorded? Thank God they haven’t yet figured out how to record every word we homeschooling parents utter! If you find yourself accidentally emitting a mischievous word, here’s a tip to cover up the incident.

You’re welcome!

Good luck!

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