Personal Lessons

  The Accountability of Words I have to admit that my mouth and words have gotten me into more trouble than I care to confess, and it is a strong temptation to hide my shortcomings and excuse myself from this lesson. But the very experience I will describe in a bit served as the basis for this lesson.  My nature is not quiet or unassuming, and Jesus's words in Matthew 12:36 give me pause and make me tremble about this issue.  I say to you that for every idle (careless, unprofitable, barren) word men may speak, they will give an account of it in the day of judgment. The latest lesson in this matter unfolded in the realm of modern technology and did not involve my actual mouth. Still, it led to a humbling lesson about words and provided a vivid illustration for this study. The foundational story in the next couple of paragraphs will launch into a much broader discussion of the accountability of words and how we use them. I will also discuss the power of words and move beyon...

  Where It All Began  In Aug. of 2008, our church was invited to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, to help clean up the city after a devastating flood in June that year, and Kris, our church secretary, and I responded.  I wish I could say I had noble motives for going, such as sincere sympathy for those I was going to help, but I must be honest and say I went to distract myself from the misery I was in at the time. I reasoned that if I was going to be miserable, I might as well be useful rather than sit around and feel sorry for myself. I believe I was in the middle of a course correction from the Lord. That lasted a little over a year and a half. In that year and a half, I experienced such profound anxiety that I lost much sleep, weight, and sometimes hope. "I will allure her, Will bring her into the wilderness, And speak comfort to her. I will give her her vineyards from there, And the Valley of Achor (trouble) as a door of hope" — Hosea 2 This event began at the end of 2007, when th...

  Toe Shoes In a previous hub, I addressed the spiritual applications of running as understood from my own experience. About a year ago, I began this highly productive sport in more ways than one. This hub will address a more practical aspect of running.  When I started running about a year ago, I wore a pair of Nikes I bought in high school. They were $40.00 for a pair in 1982. They were not in perfect shape. I quickly realized good shoes were essential for running.  I researched the best shoes online and stumbled across the "Five Finger Toe Shoes." They looked ridiculous, yet I wondered why anyone would make a shoe like that. I decided to buy a regular pair of ASICS running shoes and wait a while to see whether these shoes were simply a fad or what they claimed to be.  I had forgotten about them until my husband and I were in Atlanta in March. A man stepped into the hotel elevator where we were staying, wearing a pair of the "Five Fingers." I started researching a...

  Wasting Time I was doing a little reading this morning from my interlinear Hebrew Bible. Psalm 101, to be exact. After watching a few seemingly innocent television programs on a channel that broadcasts sitcoms from the 70s, such as "Family Affair" (you remember Buffy, Jody, and Sissy?), "My Three Sons," and "Petticoat Junction." I did notice subtle social and cultural agendas laced throughout the storylines. They were still easy to ignore because they were undoubtedly nothing as blatant, irreverent, or decadent as our modern sitcoms. That makes it ok. (sarcasm intended) "A little leaven leavens the whole lump."  — Galatians 5:9 I justified watching them because of their supposed innocence, and I was also looking for a mindless activity and distraction from the present stresses of life, schedule, and conflict. In other words, I had rare time off after a hectic summer and wanted to vegetate. After realizing I had wasted an hour and a half on ...

  Even when I walk in a dark valley, I fear no evil because you are with me. — Psalm 23:4 Winter 2008 I decided to go for a walk one cold and anxious morning at 5:00 a.m. It was so dark that I couldn't see my feet or the road I was walking on. I couldn't even see the dogs I brought for comfort. I could only hear their collars clinking. I hoped they were relying on other instincts besides sight so we wouldn't head off into the ditch. It genuinely reflected how life has been feeling lately—darkness, random fear, and loneliness. Yet hopeful of moving forward.  Don't ask me why I was doing this. I'm still not quite sure myself. I'm sure my dogs were wondering the same thing. I was about to turn back because I was frightened. I'm unsure what I was scared of- maybe just the dark itself- but I decided to push through it and continue my journey. I read this quote in an email when I got home. "Faith, walking in the dark with God, only prays Him to clasp its hand...