Good Jesus Cardio

We get up early every morning so we can exercise before we start our day. A five-mile run will do the trick. Get the blood pumping and the synapses firing. Well … maybe. But a good cup o’ coffee works fine for me.

Now, I know there are those of you who love your cardio. You’re that person who could run a marathon. Maybe not a sprint, but if it’s got length and requires endurance, it’s yours. However, today, I want to talk about another kind of endurance. We’ll just call it good Jesus cardio.

A few months ago I heard a great sermon at my sister’s church. The pastor, who stated he had no particular talent, praised God that he was at least given perseverance. He said he may not be able to do anything well, but he would complete the job no matter how long it took. He also added that the road to failure is littered with talented people who couldn’t hack it. And though I must disagree with the pastor on his assessment of his own skills—I always enjoy his down-to-earth, though poignant sermons—I loved what he said about perseverance. Perseverance is the heart of the Body of Christ. It’s that part we need to exercise so we can run the marathon of life … and it is a marathon. So good spiritual cardio work is imperative to running, what the Apostle Paul called “The Race.”

The story of Joseph in Genesis is one of the best examples of perseverance in the Good Book. Joseph spent years being mocked by his brothers, more years as a slave and then even more in jail. Every time, he worked diligently and prospered, yet something always seemed to ruin his efforts. And yet, he maintained a strong faith in God and His purposes. God used all of those experiences to make Joseph the man he became and to place this Hebrew in a position of power in Egypt. Only an act of our Creator could do such a thing.

This is the kind of endurance we need through trial. We need to trust that God is still there even when life seems to block Him from view. Second Peter, verse nine tells us that if we are missing this quality (among others), we are nearsighted and blind, and have forgotten that we are cleansed from our past sins.

As writers, we need lots of this stuff, especially if traversing the world of the pre-published. It is a journey. I’ve heard estimates stating the average time for an author to become published from the time they start writing is between six and ten years. I’ve ONLY been at it, seriously, for two—sigh! Those who listened as I began the journey and excitedly asked, “How’s the book coming,” no longer ask. I wonder if they are afraid to bring up my “failure,” not realizing, it’s early yet. I haven’t failed. If I quit, then yes. But I don’t plan to do that any time soon.

So, every now and then, I go back to Joseph, read how at every turn, no matter how diligent his efforts, he was thwarted. Yet he remained faithful to the call and the Lord who gave it to him. I meditate on that a while and continue on.

Persevere!

Connie is a trained counselor, who likes to lace a little fun into the serious stuff of life. Visit her at: LivingtheBodyofChrist, and InfiniteCharacters.com.

Running to the arms of God

Tuesdays with Tiffany
by Tiffany Colter

Sometimes I get scared.

Do you ever feel that way? Learning all the different parts of living the writer's life can be VERY scary. You're putting yourself out there daily to rejection and pain, with splatterings of victory.

Not trying to sound negative; it's just part of the writer's life.

A few nights ago I was in bed, sound asleep, when our 5 year old came in. She was scared. She'd had a bad dream and something bothered her in her room. She was on my husband's side of the bed and I heard her say, "Daddy, can I sleep with you?"

He made room for her, hugged her, kissed her, and brought her in to bed. For some reason I instantly thought of all of you blog readers. I saw something in that moment, that one mundane act...

When we are going through our lives there are moments when we become afraid. We feel lonely. We need reassurance. During those times God brings us beside Him and comforts us. We stay warm and close to him for a season. But we can't stay there forever. Just like happened with my 5 year old, after a bit God takes us back to where we were and let's us try again. Our daughter stayed in bed with us for an hour or two and then we carried her safely back to her bed. She needed to try doing it again, but she knew we were right down the hall if she needed us.

The same is true with God. He is there waiting for us if we need Him, but He knows it is safe for us to return...

Even when we're unsure of ourselves.

So if in your writing or marketing you feel unsure, you're scared...get close to God. Find your place of comfort...then trust Him when He carries you back to "your bed" and tells you to try again.

Your Coach for the Journey, Tiffany Colter

Coffee, Tea, & Me

You know, there's a lovely prayer I once read. It's the Tea Cup Prayer. I lent the book out years ago and don't remember where it went. Sad really. But the good writing that stuck with me over all this time still influences my thoughts.

The gist of the Tea Cup Prayer is that you put your thoughts visually into the steam that rises up toward heaven.

I love that idea because it meshes really well with one of my favorite verses, Romans 8:26.

How?

So glad you asked ;-)

Sometimes we mistakenly believe that our prayers can only be heard if they are spoken. But Romans 8:26 says that the Holy Spirit searches our hearts and minds and takes our needs directly to God. (Angie's paraphrased version.)

One day, 16 or 17 years ago, I hit bottom. I couldn't even voice the pain in my soul. I didn't think God could hear me anymore. Then I read that verse. I was surprised, but I needed so badly to be able to pray in images rather than words. The grief, pain, need was too great for words.

Then later, I read the Tea Cup Prayer and more fully understood the concept of silent prayer. I'm sure there are many ways to pray silently. It just so happened that this idea struck a chord.

Now whenever I can take a moment with that first hot drink, I watch the steam rise and curl toward heaven. I picture the faces of people I want to pray for, I place my fears and needs into the aroma, and I release the pent up feelings as the aroma lifts to the nostrils of God.

I ask him to see, hear, and accept my prayers. I ask him to breathe them in. I picture the curling mist streaming into the throne room. Then I imagine God's eyes closing as he inhales. His chest lifts with the breath. And his eyes open.

They glow love and compassion.

They look directly into my soul.

He lifts his hand toward me.

The answer is already on the way.

I thank him.

I rest, waiting for the answer to arrive.

Enjoy your coffee or tea in a new way today,
Angie
PS Please visit me over at God Uses Broken Vessels for my daily posts :-D

Christmas Tree Day

Today our family introduced our Japanese exchange son to the tradition of putting up the Christmas Tree. We went to an old tree farm here in town. Chose, cut, and brought home our chosen beauty.

It is really fun looking at our traditions through the eyes of someone who has no idea why we do them. Things we take for granted like is it always a pine you decorate or the simple act of hanging ornaments.

Having someone who doesn't know-and asks questions-really reminds us not only why we do things, but helps us examine our reasons for some of the traditions we do as a family.

The most restful time for me though, is sitting by the tree with all the house lights off and all the tree lights on. There is this sense of fullness, peace, and awe. For the next few weeks, I will find reasons to send everyone off to bed so I can sit by the shining tree all by myself.

I'll rest there, safe in the waiting of Advent. I'll ponder the future and past. I'll wonder what God has in store for me, my family, my friends. I'll anticipate, dream, set future hopes.

Advent-a time of anticipation. Anticipation is an excited waiting and expectation. The beauty of it is that you cannot DO anything, but wait. Slow down, anticipate, and hope with a sense of awe.

Somehow, that is a glorious way to rest in this rushing, racing, roaring world. Do you think that a few times this season, you could settle in to anticipate the Lord by your tree?

Twinkle little lights, imitate the sky, point my heart to the true hope of the world.

Angie
Visit me over at my daily blog too:-)

Mission Impossible Monday: Standing still

One of my favorite Old Testament stories is about Moses and the Israelites when they’ve just left Egypt. They’d only been gone a short time when God directed Moses to turn back and camp by the Red Sea. God planned to harden Pharaoh’s heart and have him send armies to pursue the Israelites – not so the Israelites could be destroyed, but so they could see God perform a miracle and so the Egyptians would see that He was Lord.

Moses did as he was told, and God took the plan from there. Pharaoh sent all his horses, horsemen and troops to overtake the Israelites. The Israelites were stuck between Pharaoh’s army and the sea – and neither option looked good. They immediately began to whine at Moses, demanding to know why he’d brought them out into the desert to die and claiming they had wanted to stay in Egypt as slaves. “It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!” they cried (Exodus 14:12b).

Then Moses gave an incredible answer: “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still” (Exodus 14:13-14).

What happened next? God told Moses to hold his staff out over the sea, so Moses did. The Lord drove the sea back with a mighty wind and dried the ground so the Israelites could cross in safety.

Not exactly the answer the people had expected, but it sure did work! And God definitely showed everyone exactly Who He was and what kind of power He had.

I wonder how hard it was for the Israelites to stand there, watching Pharaoh’s army bear down upon them and wondering what in the world was going to happen next. Did they have enough trust in Moses yet to believe the message he passed on, or did they still tremble in their sandals? Then when the wind came and the sea parted, did they nearly collapse in shock, or did they jump for joy? And how did it feel to walk through two tremendous walls of water that you knew were only being held in place because of God’s hand?

Lots of questions, and lots of lessons to be learned. But how does it all relate to writing? In quite a few ways, when I’m honest with myself.

I write because I believe God has called me to, just as He called the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt. It looks like a grand thing and I’m excited about doing it, but sometimes my excitement can get in the way. I want to plot and plan and whip out things to submit. I love an idea and can hardly wait to put in on paper and share it with someone. I hope and pray for acceptance instead of rejection, and do whatever I can to “help” the process along.

But maybe that’s not my job sometimes. Maybe my job is to listen for God’s voice and just stand still. Stop worrying about plot points or character bios or how to write for a particular publisher. Stop wondering if I’ll ever need an agent and who that person might be. Stop trying to plan it all myself. Wait for God to take over.

Of course, sometimes I fall to the other extreme, and want to stop when God wants me to go on. I get discouraged when someone rejects an article or query, or when a reader gives me comments that aren’t what I’d hoped for. I let writer’s block get the best of me or let other things take away my writing time.

For whatever reason I find myself there, I need to turn away from the army that’s bearing down and look at the open, dry ground instead. I need to remember that if God has called me to this, then it is my job to follow His direction and do the best I can with the gifts He has given me. No matter how many rejections or disappointments I might face, God has laid out a path for me to follow – straight through the seemingly impossible obstacles and on to the version of the Promised Land He has for me.

I don’t know exactly what’s there or when I’ll arrive, other than it will be just the way God wants it. The God who has the power to move heaven and earth is the same God who will see me through. I just have to be still – and then follow.

What kinds of writing obstacles are in your way this week? Are you stuck between the army and the sea, wondering what to do or which way God wants you to go? We’re here to encourage and uplift each other, and consider it a privilege to pray for each other. Share your requests with us in the comments section, and know you’ll be in our prayers this week.