I grew up in a small Texas town of less than 2,000 people. My parents took me to church faithfully. I would like to say I listened attentively to the pastor’s every word. Truth be told, my best friend and I had other things vying for our attention. We would pass notes, play tic-tac-toe, and draw funny faces on the missionaries’ pictures on the back of the bulletin each week.
Have I mentioned that I can’t read long passages without my eyes glazing over?
In fact, many times my eyes have glazed right over on just this one verse.
For instance, did you know that our struggle isn’t against people?
I love seashells.
And I love all kinds. Even broken ones.
My husband? Not so much. He only wants to keep the perfect ones.
The Barna Group recently released a new report: Reviving Evangelism, which revealed that almost half of American Christians between the ages of 23 and 38 think it’s wrong to share their faith.
As I dropped my youngest son off at baseball practice, the rain pelted down. And the wind blew tree branches into the roadway.
Probably by now you have seen the cute little smiley faces that come with texts. These are called, emojis. The younger generations communicate all kinds of things with these little pictures. There are emojis that cover the entire spectrum of feelings, and there are even rules that go along with using the right emoji. The intensity of the emotion might be expressed with repeated emojis. Emojis make all the difference to those who use them prolifically to convey just the right feeling or intent to the other person. And how you communicate often depends on the status or depth of the relationship.
If you are not really current in pop culture (or have a teenage girl nearby), you might not even realize that "fleek" is a word. It's slang, but it means, perfect, flawlessly styled, and looking great. Teenage girls commonly describe perfectly styled eyebrows as "on fleek."
My daughter cracks me up with all the things she says. One of those phrases is, wait . . . what? This is what she says every time she misses something or wants something repeated.
When teenagers want to convey that something touches your heart, they might say that thing "gets you in the feels." Another example is if someone is emotional, or she wants to talk about her feelings, she would be, "in her feels."
So I have a teenage daughter. I am learning new things by the minute. She is filling my life with laughter and terror all at the same time! It's a roller coaster, and I love it. This week I'm going to catch you up to speed with communication in the style of a teenager.
The incorporation of frugality into one’s life has its place. Greediness does not. Many of us make sure we get everything we have earned because we believe we deserve it. God’s Word surprises me, at times, because his instructions are very practical and specific. His divine approach is refreshing, especially when I see the subjects that are important to God through detail and repetition throughout the Bible. While reading Deuteronomy 24, I was reminded of the intricacies of Old Testament Law. God instructed the Israelites not to go over the branches a second time!
The nuisance of being stuck in the mud on a country dirt road is frightening if a tow truck is not around the corner. Wheels spinning, dirt and smoke billowing contribute to frustration. Cell phone in hand—whew! Help is on the way.
Last year was one of the most difficult years of my life while enduring ongoing and worsening health issues surrounding my beloved husband and brother. Several months before the medical journeys began, God led me to a Bible study on spiritual warfare. I tried to wiggle my way out of it, but my Savior knew I was on the threshold of experiencing new types of brokenness and vulnerability—new enemy territory.
The dollar bills I keep in the console of my car are sweet reminders of my youngest grandson. While in my car one day he said, “My Dad has thousands of dollars in his car so that he can give to homeless people.” Wow! Out of the mouths of babes. I sense caution sometimes about when and why I should give a handout to a person regardless of their disheveled appearance. Obviously, personal safety is an important issue because our world is a dangerous place—just as it was when Jesus walked on this earth.
A stroll through the familiar vineyard of John 15 today, ladies, should refresh our sense of the simplicity of life in Jesus.
Ladies, there’s that word remain again; only this time it’s coupled with an invitation to ask. Not just to ask though—to ask whatever you wish. Seems simple. I’m more than willing to ask for what I wish; but not so fast—lots of hidden innuendo in Jesus’ words.
Perhaps you have heard of the My One Word experiment, designed by Mike Ashcraft and Rachel Olsen to encourage you to live—really live—by the word you pick for the year. Well, look no further. In the first ten verses of John 15 Jesus uses the word remain eleven times, in multiple combinations of: remain in me and I will remain in you; remain in my love; let my words remain in you. Seems to me ladies, we need to take the hint from Jesus and remain in Him.
In 1961 the Broadway show Carnival opened, its theme song, Love Makes the World go ’Round by Bob Merrill, an immediate hit. Such legends of my day as Paul Anka, the Everly Brothers, Bing Crosby, and Johnny Mathis included it in their repertoires. Of course it was about romantic love: “a silver song, making the earth whirl softly”.
In 1948 A.W. Tozer (1897-1963) wrote in his classic, The Pursuit of God: “Every age has its own characteristics. Right now we are in an age of religious complexity. The simplicity which is in Christ is rarely found among us.” Imagine how Tozer would feel if he were alive today. Nothing is simple--our schedules are loaded, our deadlines frantic, and the world distracts, not to mention the complexities of the “religious”.
