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[Yet another installment in my series on “Godly Success,” based on 2 Peter 1:3, 5-8.]

Cain killed Abel and started a war that hasn’t ended yet. We see it continue with Jacob and Esau, Leah and Rachel, James and John (I bet Jesus didn’t give them the nickname “Sons of Thunder” because they were so kind to one another). My husband, one of six siblings, remembers being repeatedly pounded into the lawn by his next-older brother during elementary school. Our two daughters also had their moments—our favorite was, “She’s breathing my air!”

As an only child, I really didn’t understand sibling relationships. Thank goodness my husband could offer insight on how to deal with dueling sisters! I honestly thought they hated one another until a third party was added to the household. When our girls were in 8th and 10th grades, we became foster parents for a 15-year-old teenage girl. Suddenly, it was a whole new ballgame. Our kids welcomed the newcomer, but in any sort of conflict it was the sisters who presented a united front.

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Permission to Say “No”

Most of us know to say no when someone asks us to do something wrong. But sometimes you have to say no to something good in order to be available when God calls on you. Pete’s friend (we’ll call him “Steve”) discovered just how important saying no can be.

Given the state of the economy, it was no surprise when Steve was laid off from his high tech job a couple of years ago. While disappointed to find himself without an income, he wasn’t overly worried. He had salted away some savings, and figured he’d find another position before too long. After all, he had excellent technical skills, and plenty of experience in his field.

However, Steve was in for a surprise. When he started praying about his job search, God clearly told him, “Don’t look for a job. I’ll bring your next job to you.” That sure ran against the advice everyone else was giving him. How could he just sit around and wait for God to do all the work? Still, he was obedient, and did not send out his resume or fill out applications. And the months passed.

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Rescue Me Anyway?

Our friend really screwed up. He lives in northern Washington and he’d made a quick trip to Colorado Springs to visit a number of ministries here. We’d seen him earlier in the day, but were surprised when he called us around 8:30 that evening. He sounded somewhat worried. Explaining where he was (on the freeway, heading north), he asked, “How long does it take to get to Denver International Airport from here?”

“About an hour and a half, if traffic is good. Why? What time’s your flight?”

There was dead silence for a moment. Then he slowly told us, “I have a rental car to turn in. And my flight leaves at 9:15.”

Oh-oh. He should have been waiting at the gate already, not 70 miles south of the airport!

(How do you pray in a situation like this?)

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Follow Your Heart

It’s graduation season and millions of graduates are getting all sorts of advice, some useful, and some not so much. The useful advice tends to be practical: eat your veggies, spend less than you earn, sort your laundry. (My college’s team color was an intense, bright red. By the end of the first month, most of the guys in my dorm had new t-shirts—and pink underwear.)

The more esoteric advice leaves a lot to the imagination: “Strive.” “Live your dreams.” “Be all that you can be.” Strive to do… what? The value of much advice like this depends largely on what a graduate’s goals are. Do they want to make the world a better place? Or is their goal to amass as much stuff (money, fame, power) as possible?

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Review: Jesus Calling

Feeling frazzled? Need a quick break? Having a hard time getting your mind off your “to-do” list and onto God? Or, could you just use a big hug right about now?

A while ago, I mentioned that some wonderful friends had gotten together and bought me a copy of Jesus Calling, by Sarah Young (published by Thomas Nelson). As the subtitle explains, it’s a year-long devotional centered on “Enjoying peace in His presence.” Ten minutes with this book (and maybe a cup of tea) will help you calm down, refocus, and remember that God is with you always.

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Lucky

A couple of years ago I wrote a post about creating memorials to God’s faithfulness. I then told a story about our trip to Costa Rica, and how God showed up in incredible ways. Here is another story, about what happened when it was time for Pete to fly home from the 1995 conference in Korea that I mentioned a bit ago:

Pete had been gone for six long weeks, and the kids and I were eagerly anticipating his homecoming. I’d had a dream that he missed his flight, and I was so agitated that I emailed him and urged him to allow extra time for the airport. As a result, he left the hotel two hours earlier than normal.

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Surprise!

We’re all familiar with surprise birthday parties. Well, late Sunday night (and just in time for Mother’s Day), our daughter and son-in-law experienced a surprise birth! Yup, our new granddaughter arrived five weeks early, weighing in at 5 lbs, and measuring 17 inches. My husband and I are now grandparents. So far, it’s pretty amazing.

We’re in Colorado. Our daughter and her family live in Washington. We have yet to meet our grandchild. We’re definitely going to rectify that soon, but at this point we’ve only seen a couple of ultrasounds from the past eight months, a cell phone picture of her at less than an hour old, and I’ve heard her cry over the phone. Yet we already love her to pieces.

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(not) God

It’s amazing what you can find online. CNN picked up this story that first appeared on thesmokinggun.com:

Why would anyone tattoo “God” on their forehead? I can only assume that she considered it a label. She thinks she is God. That’s a pretty common New Age belief—see this post at SpiritLibrary for just one example.

As doctrinally correct Christians, we would recoil at proclaiming ourselves God. Or even god. We know better, right?

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What’s Your (Prayer) Style?

In honor of the National Day of Prayer, which happens this Thursday, I’m devoting today’s post to prayer. In my many years as a Christian I’ve noticed that, just as we worship according to widely different traditions, we pray in different ways, too. Here are a few styles you’ll probably recognize from your own experiences.

The Shouter
Heads are bowed, the room is quiet, our thoughts are focused on God… and someone leads off with a 150 decibel “O GOD!” Or perhaps it’s a pastor in front of the congregation, praying in his or her “preaching” voice. Do they think God is hard of hearing? Or are they concerned with keeping everyone else awake?

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Happy Earth Day, God

Maybe it’s because Earth Day is this weekend. Maybe it’s just that I’ve added some new friends on Facebook (one of whom posted this card). But lately, I’ve noticed a trend—Christians are under attack for their lack of involvement in the environmental movement. For the most part, I think we deserve it.

I know there are Christian environmental organizations (Google “creation care” sometime), and they’re working hard and making a difference. I wonder, though—why aren’t there more? Why don’t we hear about them? Why doesn’t anyone care?

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