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When we Carry Things too Heavy

Posted on20. Jul, 2010 by Karen True.

I was barely a toddler when the milkman paid us regular visits. He dropped off bulky bottles fresh from the dairy, and my Dad and I carried in the milk. Norman Rockwell would surely have been inspired to immortalize the scene. That is, until the day I dropped the glass bottle, spilled the milk and ended up with 13 stitches. My Dad still shudders when he recalls the incident. I still have the scar.

The scar reminds me that it hurts to carry things that are too heavy.

Wrath, revenge and anger are burdens we were never meant to bear. Those are God-sized chores that weigh down a human soul like a child on a grown-up’s errand. Just ask Jonah.

Jonah was God’s prophet. A prophet’s job description was simple. God wrote the speeches. Prophets delivered them. God assignment for Jonah was to warn Nineveh of its coming doom. We get only as far as the second sentence in the story when we learn that Jonah “ran away from the Lord.” (Jon. 1:3) God’s man went AWOL, and not until the end of the story do we learn why.

Jonah was greatly displeased and became angry. He prayed to the LORD, “O LORD, is this not what I said when I was still at home? That is why I was so quick to flee to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity. (Jon. 4:1-2)

The irony is that Jonah was among a rare group of prophets whose missions actually saw short-term success. The people of Nineveh turned to God while the prophet sat snarl-faced and clenched-fist on a hillside outside the city.

I wish I’d been there to tell him. It hurts when carry things that are too heavy.

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Church in the Barn & Other Life Changes

Posted on21. May, 2010 by Karen True.

The University of Wisconsin-Green Bay has changed the default font on campus computers. Why, you wonder, do I care? It turns out that their new font, Century Gothic, is thinner than the Arial font they used for years, and it uses about 30% less ink. This small change will go a long way toward making those pricey ink cartridges last a while longer and might save up to $30,000!

This little discovery reminded me that small things add up to big things and brought two thoughts to mind.

I wonder how much I could save by changing the font on my computer.

I wonder how a few small life changes might make a big difference in the end.

Little is the New Big

The cancer ordeal that our family went through this past December was a big deal. Thankfully, it turned out to be “no cancer” after all, but we walked enough of the journey to be slapped around a bit with the realities of life and death. Such a whipping has a way of realigning priorities, so I’ve been making some changes. Here are the starting four:

Diet: Carrot juice, berries, almonds, hearty grains and lots of veggies are in. Dairy is out. (Except for Parmesan…Who can live without Parmesan?)

Job: No work after 6 p.m. Period. (almost) These hours are now focused on relationships and rest, and that’s a very good thing.

Church: As of this past weekend, our family no longer makes the 20 minute or so drive to the “big church.” We are now worshiping at a house church with an eye toward reaching out to our community. We don’t actually meet in a house. We meet in a barn (not the animal lodging kind but a very comfortable metal building kind of barn). Our “Church in the Barn” is still connected to the “big church,” and we are an experiment and a new church in the making. We watch the “big church” service on DVD, sit together as families and discuss the message afterward. We had 64 people there for our first service. That’s what you see in the picture above.

Focus: Blogging is now a priority rather than a sideline. It’s where I express what God is doing in my life at the moment, and I find that God speaks to me as I type. Good reason for writing.

Small tweaks in my schedule. Not as small tweaks in my diet. Some meaningful changes in daily habits. None have been earth shattering. Some have proved challenging. Others are a welcome change. Life has brought a new season, and the aim is simply being faithful in small things for I’m noticing that big things are really just collections of small things.

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A Classroom Called Life

Posted on18. May, 2010 by Karen True.

December 2009 is nearly half and year away. Just when I think it has become ancient history, its deeply etched memories surface. Not the usual Christmas memories. Memories of a close brush with cancer. Two words and surgery changed all that, so here I am nearly six months later, fully recovered and the fear of cancer old news. The dread may be gone, but the fragility of life remains fresh. Staring cancer in the face has a way of making you sit up and pay attention in this classroom of life.

Pray to live like Zac Smith. Knowing that death may be around the next corner. And with a heart for the glory of God. It’s the only lesson that really matters.

Zac Smith to be with Jesus on Sunday. His service is today. Pray for his family. Please.

See my husband’s post for more of Zac’s story.

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Rest is a Hot Topic

Posted on15. May, 2010 by Karen True.

I have often been astonished by how often I’ve picked up on a similar theme that runs through my personal time with the Lord, something I might hear on the radio and another thing I might read or come across in conversation. I used to think it was coincidence. Now, I know it’s God.

Several weeks ago, God began pointing my thoughts to a topic I’ve never considered much: Rest. And lately, that’s what I’ve been reading, studying, writing and pondering. And go figure, a couple of weeks ago my pastor, Randy Frazee, talked about…you guessed it: Rest. Then today, I’m perusing the feeds in my new RSS reader (feedly.com) and came across a recent post at Stuff Christians Like and the topic of choice was: Rest.

Yes, God, you have my attention.

I thought He might have yours too, so here’s a video of Randy’s message. It’s stellar (but I think he might have been peeking at my notes:). And a link to the Stuff Christians Like post, Resisting Rest. You know, at this point it would just be wrong to say you’re too busy to continue, so put your feet up and keep on clicking…

MRFL – Week 2 – The Solution: Restructuring Our Relationships and Time – Randy Frazee from Oak Hills Church on Vimeo.

God is still speaking on the hard work of rest and Sabbath, so I’ll keep on writing. More soon.

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A Good Story

Posted on13. May, 2010 by Karen True.

Seven books in The Chronicles of Narnia is never nearly enough. My children still long for more. Now, that’s a good story.

Last year, Susan Boyle’s story captured the attention of the world. That is a good story too.

I’m intrigued by the way we never outgrow a well told tale, and Donald Miller’s book, A Million Miles in a Thousand Years, has me contemplating whether I’m living story worth telling. More on that another day, but for now, here is a good story in the making.

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Getting Somewhere Good

Posted on11. May, 2010 by Karen True.

The Hebrew people thought the first things you do each day should be the most important things.

This recent comment from our pastor must have made an impression on My Boy. I was surprised when he came to my room Saturday morning and asked, “Mom, can we snuggle?” in place of the usual, “Can I play Wii?”

“Do chickens have feathers,” I thought.

So we snuggled and talked for probably 15 minutes, which on the 10-year old boy-o-meter is the mathematical equivalent of a lifetime. Then he fixed his giant brown eyes directly on mine and told me how it felt good to do the right thing. When I asked what he meant he gave this explanation…

Well, Mr. Randy (that’s our pastor) said you show what you think is important by what you choose to do first each day. I wanted you to know that you’re more important than the Wii, so I chose to spend time with you first.

This was followed by a big smile from My Boy. A dramatic pause. Misty eyes for me. And then the inevitable…

So, can I play Wii now?

I think we’re getting somewhere good.

Just Wondering: How do you start your day?

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Parable in the Dirt

Posted on06. May, 2010 by Karen True.

The ancients saw Sabbath as a 24-hour idle and missed the mark. I miss it too when I tend toward the other extreme by viewing rest as little more than a lazy escape from the dailyness of life. It’s not that I think R & R is wrong, but it’s not the point of Sabbath either.

One of those mystifying Levitical commands offers a hint about the true meaning of Sabbath.

The LORD said to Moses on Mount Sinai, “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘When you enter the land I am going to give you, the land itself must observe a sabbath to the LORD. For six years sow your fields, and for six years prune your vineyards and gather their crops. But in the seventh year the land is to have a sabbath of rest, a sabbath to the LORD. Do not sow your fields or prune your vineyards. Do not reap what grows of itself or harvest the grapes of your untended vines. The land is to have a year of rest. (Lev. 25:1-5)

There’s a parable in the dirt.

I had to read that a couple of times too. It says the dirt needs a break. Pointers like these don’t often jump right out and reveal themselves as great spiritual truth. This one sure didn’t, but it’s starting to make sense to me.

Moses didn’t have a clue about the benefits of crop rotation when he put pen to papyrus to write these words. He had learned, though, that God’s mysteries had a point even though they might first appear to be, shall we say, a bit off beat. Talking to a burning bush and witnessing a large body of water spontaneously divide itself in two would have a way of refiguring your thinking.

But seriously. Who can afford to take a year off? Where would the food come from? What were the farmers supposed to do for a whole year while the land took it easy?

Now, I think we’re getting somewhere.

If the land rested, the people would too. And they’d do more than just kick back. They’d be forced to really depend on God. Now there’s a novel concept of faith. “Remember the Sabbath,” is God’s way of saying, “Remember to depend on me.” I’ve provided for the last six years. How about you take a break and let me take care of the future?

Learning that I might have ovarian cancer this past December flipped all of my control tendencies into high functioning status. Trying not to be shaken by the shock, I decided to over-manage this thing by phone calls, long lists of questions and demands rather than dependence. It didn’t take long for my attempts at controlling the uncontrollable to wear me out. So, I did the only thing there was to do. I gave up and realized that I had been encroaching on God’s job description while ignoring my own. God controls. I depend. And rest.

There’s a reason for all of this.

Sabbath gives us time to rest from physical work so we can focus on the essential spiritual work of learning to depend. It’s easy to bury myself in my work. The kind that delivers on self-reliance and feeds my sense of independence. And there you have it. The reason for Sabbath. And for the parable in the dirt.  God gave the dirt a rest, so I could rest in knowing that life is neither all about me or all up to me.

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Things Moms Say, #1

Posted on06. May, 2010 by Karen True.

Every Mom needs a stash of tried and true phrases with which they can “train up” their children. Anita Renfroe’s rendition of parenting cliches is the best ever. I have used most of them from, “If all your friends jumped off a cliff, would you jump too,” to the ubiquitous, “Because I said so!” Every now and then, though, I try to cultivate a new pearl of wisdom with a bit more lasting value. So here is one of my best shots…

God hates sin because it hurts the people He loves.

Every now and then one of my kids will say something hurtful about themselves. 

I’m not good at anything.
I’m just dumb.

We’ve all thought similar things about ourselves, but when I hear my own children say such things, I feel the mama bear rise up in me and say, “You can’t say that about someone I love!”

I don’t like it when someone does something hurtful to people I love…even when that person is themselves. Neither does God.

I’m not sure where we got the idea that God is the great referee in the sky who is for the other team. Watching with an eye for failure.  Cheering when we fall. Ready to kick us when we’re down. That’s not the God of the Bible.

God has zero tolerance for sin but not because He’s checking us against the great playbook in the sky. God doesn’t put up with sin because it hurts those who are nearest to His heart. Mess with His dear ones, and you’ve got some explaining to do…even if the one you’re messing with is yourself.

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Bible Verses that Make Me Laugh

Posted on29. Apr, 2010 by Karen True.

You might say the Bible really does have something to say for every life situation. Here are several case(s) in point…though this might be taking a little far.

Dental Hygiene for Husbands: My breath is offensive to my wife. (Job 19:17)

A Refrigerator in Need of Cleaning: Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch. (Col. 2:21)

Table Manners: Then I turned, and lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and behold a flying roll. (Zec. 5:1, KJV)

Van Rides: If only you would be altogether silent! For you, that would be wisdom. (Job 13:5)

Naptime and Diaper Changes: Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed. (I Cor. 15:51) \

Hope for the Parents of Teenagers: They admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. (Heb. 11:13)

And my two personal favorites have great potential to become life verses for women through different seasons of life. The first fits just right before marriage and children…Men hotly pursue me all day long. (Ps. 56:1)

And after a baby or two…All the fat is the Lord’s. (Lev. 3:16)

The Bible is the most read, most loved and most misunderstood book of all time. I turned to it when I was trying to figure out what I believed, when life offered more questions than answers, when I needed hope, when I need to worship and for just about any other reason you might think of.  And while these verses have stopped me in my tracks a time or two to make me laugh, here are a couple that rock my world every time I read them for completely different reasons.

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. (Matt. 11:28-30)

Seriously. Amazing. He really means it. Jesus has a corner on rest for people like us who live in a world like this. Frantic. Uncertain.

In a world of never enough, He invites me to rest. In Him. No matter the speed of life.

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Rest is Hard Work

Posted on24. Apr, 2010 by Karen True.

You’d think that a God-given license to rest would be enough of an excuse for us to take a break, but we even make rest into work. Ever return home from a “vacation” more exhausted than when you left?

Work honors God. And so does knowing when enough is enough. Our cycle of work, achieve and spend was never God’s intention. Work is His idea, but using it to define our lives and fill our pockets is our own design.

I built houses for myself and planted vineyards… I amassed silver and gold for myself, and the treasure of kings and provinces… I became greater by far than anyone in Jerusalem before me… Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun. (Ecc. 2:4, 8, 9, 11)

When we use our work to serve ourselves, it loses significance. When work becomes who we are, we lose ourselves. And knowing that the ability to do work is a gift changes everything.

• Wealth comes from God. But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your forefathers, as it is today. (Deut. 8:18)
• Power comes from God. No one from the east or the west or from the desert can exalt a man.  But it is God who judges: He brings one down, he exalts another. (Ps. 75:6-7)
• Knowledge comes from God. He changes times and seasons; he sets up kings and deposes them. He gives wisdom to the wise  and knowledge to the discerning. (Dan. 2:21)
• Talent comes from God. We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. (Rom. 12:6)

We are creatures in need of purpose, so God gave us work. But we are also creatures in need of balance, so God gave us rest. Rest comes from depending on God to provide. Work is meant to serve God, and that’s about just one thing…

Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?” Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.” (Jn. 6:28-29)

In God’s economy, His ultimate work brings us ultimate rest…

There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his. Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest. (Heb. 4:9-11)

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