A Joyful Noise

Last night some friends and I went to a concert at another church. My co-worker sings in the choir of this church, and she had invited me to their spring concert. Her church is quite different from mine--it's very formal, what I call "high church", with robe-wearing ministers, a huge pipe organ, the whole nine yards.

The music was absolutely beautiful, particularly the orchestra that came in from Birmingham especially for this concert. But I have to admit that my favorite parts of the concert were when we audience members were invited to sing along to the "congregational hymns". Some of the hymns were familiar to me, and there were one or two that I had never heard so sort of had to fake it for a while. Luckily I have a pretty good musical ear and am able to pick up tunes rather quickly.

I've always loved to sing, and enjoyed performing as part of a chorus in junior high and high school. I greatly enjoy going to concerts, but there's something special about being able to participate in the concert rather than just be an audience member.

One of my favorite ways to express love to God is through song. I daresay it's one of His favorite ways to receive it, too. Tonight I was thinking about the distance that the Old Testament followers of God had to keep between themselves and God. For the most part, their communication had to come through prophets or priests. But I wonder if singing was particularly special to them, if through song they felt more connected to God. Perhaps that was where the joyfulness in making a "joyful" noise comes into play--being able to express their love and praise to God and reflect His love for them through song, in ways that transcended just talking to a priest or offering a sacrifice.

The ability to express ourselves through song, through art, even directly through prayer, is a special blessing, one that I take for granted far too often. It's a beautiful thing to be able to witness God's majesty, to see His power and sovereignty at work. But to be able to join in and actively participate with Him--now that is incredible. That is cause for breaking into song, no doubt.

Psalm 145

A psalm of praise. Of David.



1 I will exalt you, my God the King;

I will praise your name for ever and ever.


2 Every day I will praise you

and extol your name for ever and ever.


3 Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise;

his greatness no one can fathom.


4 One generation will commend your works to another;

they will tell of your mighty acts.


5 They will speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty,

and I will meditate on your wonderful works.


6 They will tell of the power of your awesome works,

and I will proclaim your great deeds.


7 They will celebrate your abundant goodness

and joyfully sing of your righteousness.


8 The LORD is gracious and compassionate,

slow to anger and rich in love.


9 The LORD is good to all;

he has compassion on all he has made.


10 All you have made will praise you, O LORD;

your saints will extol you.


11 They will tell of the glory of your kingdom

and speak of your might,


12 so that all men may know of your mighty acts

and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.


13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,

and your dominion endures through all generations.

The LORD is faithful to all his promises

and loving toward all he has made.


14 The LORD upholds all those who fall

and lifts up all who are bowed down.


15 The eyes of all look to you,

and you give them their food at the proper time.


16 You open your hand

and satisfy the desires of every living thing.


17 The LORD is righteous in all his ways

and loving toward all he has made.


18 The LORD is near to all who call on him,

to all who call on him in truth.


19 He fulfills the desires of those who fear him;

he hears their cry and saves them.


20 The LORD watches over all who love him,

but all the wicked he will destroy.


21 My mouth will speak in praise of the LORD.

Let every creature praise his holy name

for ever and ever.

Reflections of the Father

I love children, I really do--especially when they're well-mannered, calm and not clamoring for attention. Of course, all children are precious, but there something just a wee bit more precious about those who can sit still and behave compared to those who run amok.

I'm always impressed when I meet or witness well-behaved, polite children. To me, it's evidence of good parenting. Likewise, when I run across bratty-acting children, I tsk-tsk under my breath and wonder why on Earth the parents haven't taken a belt to little Junior's hindquarters.

Fair or not, many times children (young and grown alike) are judged according to who are parents are and their character, for better or for worse. Likewise, parents are often judged according to how well-behaved their children are or aren't. When their children are behaving, that reflects positively on the parents. When the children are caught misbehaving, the parents suffer from a poor reflection upon themselves, whether deserved or not.

Perhaps that's why it's important to consider how our behavior as children of God reflect on Him. I've heard many times that the main reason that people reject Christianity is not necessarily because they disagree with Jesus' teachings, but rather, the people who proclaim to follow and live by those teachings do not actually do so. When you hear of church splits, preachers being "written up" by other congregations, and nasty diatribes against other churches levied from the pulpit, it's not hard to see why non-Christians would be turned off by the call to Christianity.

Certainly--and thankfully--not all Christians and churches act this way. But it's an unfortunate fact that it can only take a few misbehaving children to taint the Father's whole family in the eyes of some non-believers.

It's pretty easy for me to act Christ-like when I'm at church, or when I'm with my family or hanging out with my Christian friends. But when I go into the workplace, or to the grocery store, or (and this is a biggee) when I'm driving, the challenge to represent my Father well becomes more intense. I wish I could say that I always pass with flying colors, but I'd be lying. But I'm trying to remember that how I act when someone cuts me off in traffic or when I'm waiting on a painfully slow clerk at the grocery store is a reflection of how others, especially non-Christians, see God.

Some days I do a better job of reflecting His glory than others. The good news is that His glory is not limited to my actions. Nevertheless, I'm trying to be more conscious of doing all things for the glory of the Father. I want to be a good reflection of Him.

On My Mind...

-Sad football news today: Former Alabama star running back Shaun Alexander was released by the Seattle Seahawks. He's been plagued with injuries and recovering from a recent wrist surgery. Hopefully he'll be back to playing form soon and get nabbed by a good team. I'd love to see what he and Peyton Manning could do on the same team, so I'm rooting for the Colts to pick him up.

-I'm not digging this fashion trend of empire-wasted shirts for women. They look like maternity tops. I've seen a few women at church wear them lately, and I wondered if they were pregnant but didn't dare to ask. I'm sure they're comfortable, but I don't want to look pregnant unless I actually am.

-"Hannah Montana" star Miley Cyrus is writing her memoir. The girl is FIFTEEN! The publishing deal is reportedly in the seven figures. For a teenager's memoir. I'm not saying that the girl won't have great wisdom and insight to share despite her tender years, but if there's any doubt about whether or not we glorify youth, here's some proof.

-One of the most ridiculous headlines I've seen recently was the one proclaiming that Martha Stewart's dog had died. Why is this news??? Apparently the dog had appeared several times on her television show; still, why is this news? Don't get me wrong, I'm a huge dog lover. Losing one's beloved pet is never an easy thing. But why this rates a headline on CNN is beyond me.

Earth Day

The earth is the LORD's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; for he founded it upon the seas and established it upon the waters. (Psalm 24:1,2)

Today, April 22, is Earth Day. While I don't consider myself an environmentalist, per se--I'm not a tree hugger, I don't always remember to recycle, if I had kids I'd choose disposable diapers over cloth ones in a heartbeat--I do think that it's good to take time to acknowlege God's creation of and dominion over the Earth, as well as the entire universe.

One of the primary ways I connect with God is through nature. There is something about watching ocean waves pound the surf or viewing majestic mountain peaks rising far above the ground that reminds me that God is in control, and that He created all the beauty around me.

My dad recently sent me a link to a site that has gorgeous pictures of America's national parks. If you've got a few minutes, check it out and catch some glimpses of God's glorious creation.

Will Life Get Any Easier?

I suppose that I should stop thinking that the Christian life is supposed to get easier the older I get.

Granted, there are some things that come more easily to me now, twenty-one years into my walk with Christ. Prayer is becoming more and more a first response than a last-ditch effort. I think I'm a little less prone to hold a grudge than I was last year, or the year before that, or the year before that. I'm actually beginning to crave time in God's Word, not just learning facts that might come in handy should I ever appear on "Jeopardy!", but learning who God is and how He is and how much He loves me.

While I'm truly grateful for the witnessing ways in which I have grown in my walk with God, I am keenly aware of those areas in which I still struggle. There's a great temptation to become frustrated over my seeming lack of maturity in these areas. It seems that for every battle I win, every bad habit or sinful attitude conquered, another warrior springs up to take the defeated one's place. Some days I limp home, battle-scarred and weary, feeling very much defeated. A voice nags at me, Shouldn't you have conquered that habit by now? Shouldn't you struggle with that less by now? If you were a "real" Christian you wouldn't sin so much, you wouldn't do X, Y, or Z. Can you relate?

At life group on Sunday we talked a little about the constant battles we face and how often we give in to temptation, despite our years of faithful Christianity. Someone pointed out that recognizing our sins is not necessarily a bad thing--the more we sense our sins, the more we sense our need for God. It is a mature Christian who can see her own sins, and who recognizes how unworthy she is to stand before God. In recognizing our extreme sinfulness and unworthiness, we also recognize God's extreme holiness, and His extreme grace in forgiving us and seeing us clothed in righteousness by the blood of His Son.

So perhaps realizing what a screw-up I am is not such a bad thing after all. Not that I should be content to be a screw-up, but maybe I need to accept that there will always be battles to face, and there will always be some days when I trudge home in defeat--but that defeat is only temporary. Truly, the ultimate battle has already been won. My walk with God may not necessarily be getting easier, but it is getting better all the time.

What do you think? In what ways has your Christian walk become easier through the years? In what ways has it become more difficult?

Just Say "NO!"

Just today, I was asked to be part of a planning committee for an upcoming event at church. I was flattered. I was excited. I was tempted to say yes.

I said no. And I did not apologize for it.

I’m already heavily involved with our ladies’ ministry team at church, and between that and my upcoming mission trip, I decided that those two ministries would be enough to keep me occupied this year, so I’m limiting my involvement in other ministry areas.

Saying no to ministry opportunities is not easily done, particularly for us women. It is one thing to say no to things that we know are wrong. It is harder, however, to say no to those things that are good, but perhaps not what God wants us to be doing right now. And too often we take on too much responsibility of all these good things that we are too worn out and stretched to do those things that are best, those things that God really wants us to focus our time and talents on.

Of course, this is not a new problem. Way back in the New Testament, Martha earned her reputation as a hard-working, overloaded woman who was too busy getting supper ready to take time to spend at Jesus’ feet.

As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!"

"Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her." (Luke 10:38-42)

I have a feeling that Martha is far from being the only New Testament woman who tried to do too much. That tendency probably goes all the way back to Eve. And it can be a trap for men as well, although I think that women tend to fall prey to it more often. Martha let her busyness distract her from resting in the company of her Lord, and, sadly, that temptation continues to our generation today.

Saying no, especially to the good things, can be hard to do for a multitude of reasons. Sometimes we say yes out of a sense of obligation or guilt. Sometimes it's because we reason that if we don't do it, no one else will. Sometimes it's because it's an ego boost to feel needed. Sometimes it's because we worry that the person asking us to do whatever will think poorly of us or not like us anymore if we say no.

Saying no does not come naturally to me. But I'm learning to exercise that option more often. The fewer distractions (even good ones) that I have, the better I'm able to concentrate on those ministries and activities that are best. What's best for me may not be what's best for you, and vice versa. We have to trust God to give us the wisdom to choose what is best for each of us,a nd to act accordingly. Saying no, I'm learning, gets easier the more often you say it.

The Challenge Is On

On Sunday Buddy challenged us to spend 21 consecutive days without complaining. Talk about a challenge! Those of us who accepted the challenge were given a silicone bracelet to wear on our right wrist. Whenever we catch ourselves (or someone else catches us) complaining, we are to move the bracelet to the other wrist, and the 21 days starts all over again.

Yesterday (aka Day 1) was not a success for me, I'm humbled to report. I had lunch with a former co-worker and ended up doing a lot of complaining--about the slow service at the restaurant, about office politics, etc. Suffice it to say, my bracelet got moved back and forth a fair amount of times during the course of the day!

So my challenge starts again today. Maybe today will be better.

Attitude Adjustment

This has been a particularly frustrating week at work, not in dealing with the work itself, but in dealing with some co-workers. Normally our little staff is a very close-knit group that works extremely well together. Lately, however, a great amount of negativity has infiltrated our little work family. This week emotions have been running high, with an exceeding amount of sensitivity, complaining, gossip, and overall bad attitudes running rampant.

I wish I could say that I was staying out of it all, but that's not the case. I've found myself developing a bad attitude over others' bad attitudes! I've complained about the complainers and engaged in gossip and overall have not been a positive presence at work this week.

Things came to a head last night when I went to my Wednesday night class. We spent a few minutes reflecting on several thought-provoking questions about our day and ways that we exhibited the fruit of the Spirit (as well as ways that we did not). I was humbled to realize that I was very hard-pressed to think of a time that day that I had exhibited fruit of the Spirit, although I could name plenty of times when I showed that I was lacking that fruit. It's so easy to point the finger at others and blame them for a bad day, but ultimately it comes down to my attitude, not theirs, that determines my outlook.

While I wish that God would change the hearts and attitudes of those I work with, really it's me that needs the attitude adjustment. I'm thankful for His forgiveness and mercy, that He gives me a fresh start and that today can be different from yesterday. And I am determined that today WILL be different. My attitude does not have to be dependent on the attitude of others. I can show joy and peace in the midst of a stressful work environment. I can refrain from joining in the complaining, gossip and other sinful activity. When I allow the Holy Spirit to work in me, all things--including a better attitude!--are possible!

A Game for the Ages

What a great game! What a thrilling clutch 3 to send the game into OT! And what a sad reminder that not excelling in the fundamentals (like free throws) can sometimes be the difference-maker in the outcome.

Of course, I had to stay up after the game to watch all the post-game reports, cutting down of the nets, and "One Shining Moment". This game was totally worth staying up past my bedtime for, but I'm glad that it only comes around once a year. I'll need some extra caffeine today to prop me up.

Forgetful Me

They did not remember his power and how he rescued them from their enemies. They did not remember his miraculous signs in Egypt, his wonders on the plain of Zoan. (Psalm 78:42-43)

Silly Israelites. After all that God had done for them--protecting them during the ten plagues that wreaked havoc on Egypt, delivering them from their lives of slavery in Egypt, parting the Red Sea so that they could cross on dry land, providing for them so well during their forty years in the wilderness that even their sandals didn't wear out, bringing them manna and quail every day, destroying their enemies, handing over the Promised Land to them--after all of that, the Israelites still had bouts of amnesia. They still forgot all the miracles and wonders and rescues made by God on their behalf. No wonder He got frustrated with them.

It's easy for me to read the stories of the Israelites and laugh in pity at their short memories. Then I am reminded of how quickly I forget what God has done for me. Even though God has brought me through trials in the past, when I approach a new one, my own short-term memory starts to kick in. Instead of relying on God's track record and trusting that He'll come through for me yet again, I find myself worrying and fretting over this new circumstance.

I imagine it must sadden and frustrate God to see us worrying over such things when He has proven Himself to be faithful time and time again. How thankful I am that He is gracious to forgive us when we doubt Him and question whether or not He'll meet our needs this time around. How thankful I am that He knows our shortcomings and sees that we are as dumb as sheep and need a faithful, wise Shepherd to guide us. And how thankful I am for the way that He uses Scripture, stories from other believers, and other ways of reminding me of His faithfulness in the past, the present, and the days yet to come.

Is God Enough?

Yesterday I attended a ladies' fellowship day at Hunter Hills. The theme was "Lies Women Believe", based on Nancy Leigh DeMoss' book by the same name. There were great speakers and breakout sessions, but one group session in particular really stuck with me.

In that session, the speaker shared some personal testimony about how she had been discontent in her life circumstances. Up until that point, her life had pretty much gone according to her plans. Suddenly, she found herself enduring painful circumstances that she had definitely not planned on.

In the midst of these circumstances, she felt God asking her, "Am I enough? Even if you don't get what you want, if your circumstances don't change, am I enough for you?" She gradually came to a point where she could honestly and whole-heartedly say that God IS enough for her, regardless of her circumstances.

In asking myself the question, "Is God enough?", I can see that there have been (and probably will still be) times when the answer was "no", or at least, "I'm not sure." Now, I know that God is enough, but sometimes it doesn't feel that way, especially when I'm not getting the answers I want.

That is one of Satan's greatest lies--the lie that we need more than God to fulfill us or bring us joy or peace or whatever else we're seeking. It's easy to feel like I can completely rely on God when everything's peachy-keen, but when things don't turn out how I envisioned, my faith can waver. It's then that I realize how much focus I'm putting on my circumstances rather than on God.

This weekend provided a much-needed reminder to turn my attention to God rather than my life. I realize how often I value others' opinions of me or their acceptance of me more than God's opinion and acceptance of me.

Is God enough? Oh yes, more than enough.

Recommended Reading

A few recommended posts from around the blogosphere:

-This article on loving others well from Crosswalk

-This post on the everlasting peace that comes from spending time with Jesus, written by Lysa TerKeurst

-This thought-provoking post on the A Place for the God-Hungry blog about living fully until you die (a favorite theme of mine, naturally!)

Happy reading!

Flower Power

I absolutely love flowers of pretty much any kind. For some unknown reason, I failed to inherit my mother's green thumb, so I'm usually better off buying flowers that someone else cultivated rather than try to grow them on my own. Much as I love keeping fresh flowers in my house, I often see that as an unnecessary expense and usually only treat myself to flowers once in a blue moon.

This past weekend, however, God surprised me with not one but two sets of "real" flowers. The first came from an awards banquet that our association had Friday night. The centerpieces were gorgeous arrangements of yellow roses, red tulips, orange lillies, and other sunset-colored flowers. Absolutely stunning. We had enough arrangements left over to divvy up among our staff, so I was able to take an arrangement home, where it is now on display on the coffee table in my living room.

The second set of flowers came from my very own backyard, but once again, I can't take credit for it. I've lived in my house for nearly 8 and a half years now. Last spring I noticed for the first time an iris growing in my yard--and I've never planted any irises. The other day I noticed that the iris had sprouted again, only this time there were two blooms on the stalk. I cut the two blooms and placed them in a small vase that I placed in my bedroom. When I wake up in the morning, and before I go to bed at night, I can see those beautiful purple and yellow irises.

In both instances, I had nothing to do with the sowing of the flower seeds and bulbs, the cultivation of the soil, the watering of the flowers--and yet I still benefited from their growth. God knows how much joy flowers bring me. How gracious and loving He is to surprise me with flowers this week! And if He is so generous in even these "little" things, how much more is He in the "big" things? I think sometimes He gives me these little unexpected treats just to remind me of how much He loves me and is faithful to me.

I hope that you're experiencing some treats from God this week as well!