Retreat

Retreat (ri-treet) v. to withdraw after being defeated or when faced with danger or difficulty, to go away to a place of shelter. Retreat n. withdrawal unto privacy or seclusion, a place for this. A period of withdrawal from worldly activities for prayer and meditation. 

Last week I had the privilege of going on a prayer retreat with our Sunday School class. I “withdrew from difficulty”. I went to “a place of shelter” and “withdrew into privacy or seclusion”. It was a “place of withdrawal from worldly activity for prayer and meditation”. Retreat. Rest. Refreshment. Restoration. Renewal. Heaven! 

Many years ago I took my leadership team to a resort not too far from Atlanta. It was quiet with chalets nestled around a small lake. We had spent the afternoon together followed by dinner at a nearby restaurant. That evening as we gathered for dessert in one of the cabins I announced that the next day we would be enjoying a day of silence. In other words we would not speak from the time we got up until six o’clock that evening when we would once again meet for dinner. The response was interesting. I can’t say any one of the twelve women thought that was a good idea. Was it fear of boredom or wasted time? Or was it fear of just being alone for so long? Or was it just the unknown? After all we are very close friends and the chance to get together was always a treat. Our previous retreats had always involved a speaker and discussion. Silence was NOT what anyone expected…and yet, because I am the leader (?) they reluctantly agreed. 

It was during those twelve hours that I learned a valuable lesson. Silence really is golden. My mind began to calm down and be undivided and I could think clearly. My body began to truly relax. Prayer came easily and because I wasn’t in a hurry, I could read the Word slowly and deliberately. And in that silence, time seemed to stand still and I truly experienced the presence of God and true fellowship with Him. 

As we gathered together that evening the report was the same. All of the ladies had found it to be invaluable. They too had experienced so much of what I had. In that quiet place, God had met them there. 

I should not have been surprised. God tell us clearly in his word, “Be STILL and KNOW that I am God.” But this weekend I picked up more motivation that I had somehow missed these many years. Jesus says when we pray we should go into an inner room, close the door and pray in secret. And our Father in heaven who hears us in secret will repay or reward us. Amazing! 

Lance Brady was our speaker at the prayer retreat this weekend. He gave four great messages encouraging us to become praying people, to make prayer a priority in our lives. It was during his unpacking of this verse that the word “repay” hit my heart. Lance explained that God understands the conflict in our souls, the seemingly waste of time silence and isolation may appear, but God says He will reward us for secret time in the closet. I want to know God. 

I want a reward. Perhaps the reward is that I will truly come to know God in a ever deepening way. And that would be the best reward of all. 

But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees in secret, will repay you 

Matthew 6:6

One Perfect Life

One of my professors, the late Dr. Howard Hendricks, said we would do well to spend our whole lives studying the life of Jesus Christ. It is not only an inspiration but a statement of challenge. How many of us have actually spent even more than a few months studying the complete life of Jesus?

For the last couple of years I have wanted to do an in-depth study of Jesus, the man. What was it like to be with Him, to be taught by Him and to learn from His example? He was a man…God, yes, but God in human form. And because of that He did have emotions, He did get tired and yet He chose to do the Father’s will at all points. 

I want to see Him, really see Him as He was, as He is, at the wedding at Cana, walking on water, healing the leper. For so many months other responsibilities and studies have bogged me down. Yet now seminary is behind me, the Be Amazing Study is ready to go to print and I have a little free time. I want to become familiar with Christ’s travels and what the places were like that He visited and exactly what did He do in each one of those cities, towns and villages. I want to “see His face” when He healed the leper and I want to “see” the leper” when he realized a life of isolation, pain, poverty and sorrow were behind him. I want to experience the conversation with the woman at the well and see the results as the townspeople came rushing out to meet Him. 

I was reading World Magazine recently and they highlighted a new book by John MacArthur, 'One Perfect Life'. He has always been an author who could take hard things and put them into words I could understand. I bought it immediately and have been drinking in every word! It is a masterpiece. He has arranged all of the verses in the Bible that have to do with Jesus in chronological order. Then because he knew I was easily distracted, he has sectioned the book into smaller “bites”, smaller chapters. So my goal is to “see Jesus” and from that develop an even deeper love for Jesus the Man, Jesus our God and Jesus my dearest friend. . . 

If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; 

John 14:7a

Graduation

Did you hear the cheers? I have a hunch some came from heaven, more came from my assistant professor who grades my papers and has helped me in several ways, many came from my family, but the most came from me! At 5:12 PM yesterday I pressed “send”, and with that my last paper went to Dallas Theological Seminary where I have been student on and off for about 13 years. Along with the paper and assurance that I have completed all of the course work, came an enormous sense of relief. I have lived under the pressure of papers, readings and projects due for a long time now. When you are paying $1500 to take one class per semester the pressure to get all you can get out of the experience is heightened. Though I have enjoyed much of it and have learned a great deal, I have also seldom had the luxury of just reading for fun, or wasting time on the frivolous or lingering in a shop. Why? Because there was something hanging over my head, one more thing I had to finish, one more text book I had to read. You know the feeling if you have had any experience with the education system. Even fourth graders know what I am talking about!

And so with the press of the send button on my computer, my life instantly became less complicated, less frenzied, less demanding. I am looking forward to having some free time, some me-time, and some friend time. I have graduated.

The whole concept of graduation is intriguing. The word itself means “a process of gradual change”. Yet with some graduations the change takes place quickly. Years ago I attended my granddaughter’s preschool graduation ceremony. It had all of the pageantry one can expect from four year olds. Yet in her life little changed. But it won’t be long before that same grandchild will be graduating from High School and then college and that will bring about enormous changes in her life.

My “graduation” will be May 10 and after that I will receive a piece of paper that says I have completed the course work for a Certificate in Graduate Studies from Dallas Theological Seminary. For me, little will change except the satisfaction of knowing I accomplished a goal. So sometimes graduation brings about an enormous change in life and sometimes, like my degree and the preschool certificate, little changes.

But there is coming a day, when I will graduate from this world into the next. It will be the ultimate graduation, the ultimate change. All that I do now is simply course work for what is to come. Sometimes it is very hard (reminds me of my Soteriology class that just about did me in) and sometimes it is simply pure joy (like Dynamics of Christian Leadership). Yet everything is in preparation for THAT day. I have come to see that a life worth living is never free from pressure. I don’t want to graduate with a D- but would so love to graduate with honors…honors for the One who is my all. I have a chance to spend my class time on earth working for the glory of Jesus Christ. And Scripture tells me there will not be a diploma waiting for me but perhaps a crown and the voice of the one I love saying, ”Well done good and faithful servant.” And then all of the work, time and sacrifice will be worth it. Graduation Day is coming!

2 Timothy 4:7

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness….

Pay Attention

I wasn’t paying attention. I was driving to my dermatologist’s offices and was paying little attention to where I was going. I had a lot of things bartering for attention in my brain. I had groceries to buy and a house to clean and three papers to finish for seminary and …the list goes on so I won’t bore you. But the point is I WAS NOT PAYING ATTENTION.

I had just turned on Westside Parkway and decided that if I turned left at the light I might be able to land somewhere near where I was going. And so without thinking I made a left turn. Just as I got half of my 1998 Toyota Forerunner into oncoming traffic, a Chevy Malibu came out of nowhere and ran right into me.

Many thoughts descended upon my brain at once. Here are a few:

1. Hey…how come HE did that!
2. He should have turned into the other lane and missed me.
3. He should have stopped sooner.
4. He wasn’t paying attention.
5. He…he...he…

But then as I sat there reeling, reality set in. I WAS WRONG. It was totally my fault. Though I wanted more than anything to blame it all on the other guy, the truth was the blame was all mine. I was NOT paying attention and ended up in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Distractions come so easily and can cost us dearly. For me it is a large fine and a dented car that doesn’t look smart. But I have thought often of how blessed I was that I did not kill someone. It leaves me shaken. Sometimes the consequences of not paying attention can be lifelong and even eternal. Busyness can distract me from the Word. Outside activities can distract me from the home. Work can distract me from intimacy with my husband. And blaming others can distract me from owning up to my mistakes and dealing with them in a mature and wise way.

Proverbs 5:1 gives us some good advice:

My son, pay attention to my wisdom;

Lend your ear to my understanding,

That you may preserve discretion,

And your lips may keep knowledge.

Proverbs 5:1

So are you paying attention? The consequences could be greater than you could ever imagine.

SHARE!

There is something secure about hanging on to our stuff. And it apparently makes interesting script as now we have television shows of people who have taken this (hoarding) to an art form…with dismal results. But the truth is, it is hard to share. I see that in my grandchildren….when they were two or three all of them had such a hard time with this concept. And so they got older and we hounded them out of much of the selfishness. Now when they have a friend over they will share (perhaps for only a short time) their stuff. Sharing is indeed hard.

I know adults who won’t share no matter what and they feel justified in doing so. And as we look at THOSE people, I confess I think it is not an attractive character trait. It is small. It is selfish. It is greedy. Yet, lurking within me (and I bet you!) I can still find myself hanging on to my stuff.

Several years ago I longed for a large van that would hold me and my family and all their friends. I wanted a blue one yet knew it was an impossibility as it was far out of our price range. Beloved spotted one on a used car lot, swung in, found it was absolutely do-able, bought the car and it was mine. I named it Big Blue. It had every bell and whistle on it AND it was diesel which meant we got about 30 miles to a gallon. I Loved, loved, loved my van!

So the day came when I got a phone call from the youth pastor. He wanted to borrow MY VAN for a week, load it with a bunch of unruly (my term) teenagers and drive it hundreds of miles away for a youth camp. My first thought was “ARE YOU KIDDING?!!” My hand gripped tightly around the phone as I said “Hmmm… let me pray about it!” - which simply meant- “Not a chance!”

Beloved thinks different than I do and for that I am grateful. He said, “Well, of course they can use it! After all it belongs to God!”

Really? I thought it belonged to me!

So I pried my fingers off the van and gave the youth pastor the keys and watched Big Blue go out of the driveway knowing full well it would never be the same! And it wasn’t.

One week later it came back. The seat belt holders were both broken. There was a slight stain on the beautiful blue carpet. No, it wasn’t the same. But in some ways it was better. It came back with stories of such adventures and great fun. The trip had been an awesome success and lives had been changed. And soon word got out that Big Blue was available and from then on it was used by everyone. Friends took it on vacation. Youth groups felt it was theirs and used it often. Others used it to move from one place to another or haul large things in it. And our family had awesome and made great memories in Big Blue. And in the end it went to college with Cameron. After she and Jay were married and living in the tiniest apartment on campus, we are sure it became a guest room.

Letting go can be hard. But hoarding our stuff can be even more painful because it enslaves us. Looking back, I can’t even begin to list the great blessings Big Blue was to so many people and through their blessings we were blessed. It totally freed me up to say yes anytime and every time someone asked for it. It became a pleasure.

A month ago we asked Matt and Leslie Buchholz if we could use their gorgeous, totally fabulous home for filming all of the Be Amazing teaching segments. This would require them, along with their baby and three year old, to move out of their home for five days. There would be about twenty-five people in their home during that time using their kitchen, rearranging their furniture, using their electricity and anything else that was needed. They did not hesitate. They simply said “Sure”. And so they packed up and moved out and we and our film crew moved in.

They understand something that took me years to grasp. Everything DOES belong to God and should be used for His glory and for the betterment of others. And of course it will never be the same. In taking down some equipment a chunk of the wall came off. We tracked in dirt and even though everyone tried to be ultra careful, things did not remain the same. They were different.

BUT, in it all, God received the glory and soon we will have twenty-four teaching sessions that we pray will change the way women think about their roles, their families and their homes. And there were twenty-five people who stood in awe of Matt and Leslie Buchholz. They have served as a great example for the rest of us. Share! It is worth it!

A most enormous thanks to Matt and Leslie for serving as such an awesome picture of Jesus Christ to all of us who took part in the filming of Be Amazing. For sure you both truly are!

Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

Luke 6:38

A Great Team-A Great Work

I am taking my last class at Dallas Theological Seminary. It is on the Dynamics of Leadership. I love it…mainly because I agree with everything I am being taught! But one of the points from this week’s lesson has really spoken to me. The point was this: “Few great things are accomplished by one person.” Now just think about that for a minute. I know you will immediately come up with great artists like Michelangelo. He probably worked alone. And yes there was Hemmingway but those guys are few and far between. Let’s think a bit grander. How about space travel? And then there are automobiles and complex computer systems and great hospitals and football teams. Actually my list is way too long for a blog but you get the idea. Great things DO happen when a team of people who are bent on a goal work together in harmony to achieve a singular purpose.

Last Monday our “team” sat at my dining room table for about the hundredth time and poured over every detail of yet another teaching lesson for the Be Amazing Study. It is SO tedious. You can tell who the detail folks are: Eleanor and Traci. Ok that is only two but that is all we need. Then there are those who fade out after about three hours: Michele and Linda. And then there are the rest of us: Robin, and me who can easily support Linda’s and Michele’s plea to wrap it up! But we have pressed on to MANY hours on enough occasions that our heads were spinning and we walked away exhausted and went home to do the cooking and laundry and grocery shopping, etc that is part of our life! This May marks two years we have worked on this project and it will be many more months until it is complete.

We have “perfected” twenty-four lessons and have one (an introduction) go. And then we will begin working on our final talks for filming the end of March. So for the next two weeks the schedule will be tight and much will be demanded of us. God has answered so many of our requests! Wonderful Anita Renfroe graciously filmed 24 -2 minute segments for us. Today we have much of the funding we need, all through prayer. And He has kept us focused and united.

BUT as I look back over our time spent working as a team I marvel at how much we have accomplished. We have six minds pooling thoughts and ideas together. We have six set of eyes looking at the grammar and format of each page in the workbook. We have sensitive ones who can pick up an innuendo from the page that does not inspire the soul. We have those who can encourage the rest of us to press on and together we have a vision.

The Bible says “Where there is no vision the people perish”, but I know we have pushed the walls out on this vision. We are dreaming big. No, we are dreaming so big it can only be a heavenly work if it is accomplished. I hope you are sitting down and I pray you will not laugh. We are asking God to “turn the hearts of women back to their home and to an attitude of righteousness to prepare a people for the coming of the Lord”. (Luke 1:17) That’s it. And so every week we lay that before the Throne of Grace and ask the Lord to hear and answer our prayer.

Won’t you join us?

…the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body

for the building up of itself in love.

Ephesians 4:16

New Year, New Adventure

We put the Christmas decorations away a couple of days ago. The house goes from looking festive, shiny, simply screaming out “party”, to simple, quiet and calming. It is always a letdown in many ways and yet there is a part of me that is tired of sugar coated everything (I can’t believe I am saying that!) and festivating (my new word and yes, you may use it) and am ready for a schedule, a purpose and a plan. I am ready for a bit of calmness and reflection and quiet. It is not that I don’t love, love, love Christmas. I DO! Every single part of it, but after too much of everything …shopping, spending, eating, partying ,late nights and later mornings, …I am ready for real life to return.

And so this week, I am back at my desk, no cookies in sight ( well there is a box of toffee sitting just out of reach that Bevy so graciously made and brought in yesterday) and back to focusing on Big Dream Ministries and the New Year. I have always thought there is great freedom in following hard after God and a very special freedom in leading a ministry that never moves unless we clearly sense a “Go” from the Good Shepherd. It really puts the future in His hands. Will the ministry grow or will it be no more? Will we be able to produce one more study or twenty or none? We don’t know.

But in this great freedom I confess that there is occasional anxiety. I want to know every curve, every fork, and every detour along the way. I want to know for sure where we are going and what it will be like when we get there. I want to know the future and sometimes can’t understand why every now and then God won’t pull the curtain back a little bit for me to see it. But then this Christmas I think in some ways He did that.

While I was reading the Christmas story for about the tenth time this month I was caught off guard with one verse. An angel of the Lord appeared to Zechariah while he was doing his priestly duties in the temple and informed the old man that he was going to have a son by his equally old wife. And then he said this…now pay attention to these words...

“And it is he who will go as a forerunner before Him (Jesus) in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers back to their children, and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous; so as to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” Luke 1:17-18

Turn hearts… turn the disobedient…..prepare for the Lord. There it was. A clear summary of what we are trying to accomplish through our new study, “Be Amazing”. We want to turn the hearts of women back to their families, their children, their husbands…and turn them to an attitude of righteousness, of obedience. And the reason is a good one. Christ is coming soon. So we may be able to be a small tool that can prepare a people for His return.

So what would that look like practically? Well it would pretty much put an end to abortions, not because there would be no “unwanted babies”, there simply would not be babies that were not wanted. There would be marriage and in that environment children would be born…not a by-product of a one night stand or casual sex without marriage, but the child would be a welcomed member of society. A woman WOULD have control over her own body and she would choose to control it until there was a safe and loving family in which to bring a child.

There would be an enormous dent in pornography if women chose to keep their clothes on, to exhibit no behavior that would cause lust, to behave in ways that demanded and received respect. Sorry Hugh Hefner, you would have to take the bathrobe off and put on a suit and go get a job doing something other than using women for your own purposes. Teens would put sexting aside for perhaps higher goals other than exploiting their bodies, and in doing so may even gain more respect for themselves.

And perhaps home would cease being war zones or drop-off stations. There would actually be someone there creating a refuge, a calm place for not only love to grow but also character and integrity development. Perhaps there could be exceptional kindness and a greater value on wisdom and sensibility.

And perhaps children would not have gaping holes in their soul that are frantically trying to be filled with sex and drugs and alcohol. Perhaps they could look to their mother as the best example on how to live life wholly and successfully.

And perhaps on the day when that trumpet blows, there will be a huge army of women answering the call and leaving behind a nation that was blessed greatly by their very presence. Just perhaps.

The wise woman builds her house…..

Proverbs 14:1