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Tired of Being Stressed?

January 5, 2017 By admin

Photo by Dreamstime

The only way to keep my sanity is to periodically retreat to a place where life’s frantic pace slows down…where the pressures to produce and perform are foreign. There is such a place, and I can get there from here, if I’m willing to make the effort.

You might think Yosemite’s natural beauty would automatically have protected it from exploitation and over development. In reality, from the very beginning, Yosemite has needed active protection. Early entrepreneurs saw the area as a place for making money from hotels, sheep grazing and logging. Later, the Hetch Hetchy Valley was dammed to provide water and power for San Francisco. Today, the park is challenged by the sheer number of visitors and the effects of too many automobiles. Preserving the park’s unique quality requires constant effort. Effort worth making, to be sure.

Sabbath is a time set aside every week for the special enjoyment of God, family and creaton. On Sabbath, we share food and worship together. We avoid the routines of earning a living or a degree. We refuse to be sucked in by the demands of house and car maintenance or the allure of shopping. For us, Sabbath is a park in time, a magnificent open space in our lives where we experience in a special way the presence and grace of God.

As with Yosemite, Sabbath requires determined protection. Given the demands in today’s world that all of us be “available” 24/7, the tranquility and openness of Sabbath can be preserved only by deliberate effort. Just as a weekend in Yosemite erases any doubt about the wisdom of our efforts to try and protect its beauty, so our experience of Sabbath’s tranquility affirms the value of our efforts to preserve it.

Consider this an invitation to savor this magic time, to celebrate the special sense of connection with God, and enjoyment of family, friends and creation that comes with experiencing Sabbath. Find a church that worships on the seventh day Sabbath and sample the blessings that God had in minds when he carved in stone the ancient words, “Remember Sabbath, to keep it holy.” You’ll discover joy, wonder and love in this 24-hour “park in time.”

Read more at the source: Tired of Being Stressed?

Article excerpt posted on en.intercer.net from Spiritual applications.

This is Christmas

December 22, 2016 By admin

Photo by Pixabay

So this is Christmas–the day everyone’s been hollering about; scurrying around and shopping for; putting up decorations and spending their last ounce of energy for! This it the day that some thought would never come–and others wished never would; the day that some sleep in on, eat plates filled with food on, and stuff garbage bags full of colored paper on!

What is Christmas for? Is it for the kids? The merchants? The religious people? The party-goers? Who knows?

Before Bethlehem, what did the world do on December 25? What did they do without shopping malls, candy canes and chestnuts? What did they do before the First Noel–before Scrooge and the little elves? Before Santa Clause?

Before Mary fell writhing in pain onto a pile of hay in a dark stable corner–shaking and shuttering as new life squeezed through her loins, were there any silent nights? Did Christmas really start with blood and tears? With the smell of fresh dung? With a sense of disappointment and fear? With uncertainty? Did Joseph and Mary know it was Christmas?

How did we get from there to here? Who added the lights and tinsel? The, dashing through the snow? Perhaps we’ll never know. But one thing we do know is that everyone knows about shopping and spending money. At least they know about the Christmas they’ve been shown.

For me, the only Christmas that matters is the one we often forget. We may not call it Christmas, but it is that seed of hope that’s nestled next to despair–when your best friend dies; when life turns sour; when worries blot out the sun; when you’ve just learned that you have six months to live; when hope bleeds all over the floor and you feel like the dung in the stable–it’s then that you’re ready to believe and wonder! It is then that the baby, the blood and the star make the most sense!

This is Christmas!

Read more at the source: This is Christmas

Article excerpt posted on en.intercer.net from Spiritual applications.

Holiday Stress

December 21, 2016 By admin

Photo by Dreamstime

Dear God: I’m stressed out! Christmas is just around the corner and there’s way too much going on! The traffic is crazy and I keep bumping into people who are downright rude! I need an extra shot of grace to help me rise above the rat race and all the negative stuff!

Remind me again what it’s all about! The shepherds, the baby Jesus, the desperate attempts by Jospeh to find a room for his expectant wife. That must have been stressful! Forgive me for thinking that Christmas is about snowmen, Christmas bells and shopping! I know, it’s OK to celebrate the season with its homespun traditions, but it’s a problem if we forget what it’s really about!

Thank you for family and friends that I can spend time with. But most of all, thank you for Jesus!

I love you. Amen!

FaceTime

December 12, 2016 By admin

Photo by Pixabay

I’m getting to that age (aka, old-ness) when I find myself saying, “We didn’t have THAT when I was a kid.” I’m constantly amazed at how quickly technology races forward. Just the other day I was explaining to my teenager what a “Pen Pal” was. How I used to write letters—with paper and pen and envelope and stamp—and send them to a girl my age who lived in another part of the world. “Oh, like e-mail?” she said.

Uh, yeah. Something like that.

When my husband first deployed with the US Navy, we were newlyweds. I remember standing at the pier and waving as the ship moved into the harbor and watching all the children waving as well. It made me so sad to think of the months that would go by without even hearing the sound of their parent’s voice—let alone seeing their face.

But now we have video conferencing on our cell phones! On my iPhone, it’s called “FaceTime.” With a simple touch of the screen, I can suddenly SEE as well as talk to my husband. And when he deploys again next summer, my children will also be able to see and talk to him. This is so wonderful for children in military families who struggle to live without Daddy or Mommy for six to 12 months at a time.

It’s not as good as having him home with us, but it’s also a far cry from letters my grandmother wrote when my grandfather was serving overseas. Letters that would take months to arrive and more months for responses to be received.

I’m so thankful that we don’t need pen and paper or “FaceTime” to contact our heavenly Father. It is such a blessing that at any moment of the day, I can come directly to my Lord in prayer. I don’t have to navigate through any human intermediary, wait in line for a response, leave a message at the beep, pay extra for faster downloading speeds or check to see if “you’ve got mail.” I can speak to him right from my heart.

And one day, we’ll improve on “FaceTime” when we see him “face to face” (1 Corinthians 13:12).

Don’t Eat the Pie

November 28, 2016 By admin

Photo by Pixabay

As the wise man said, “Healthy laughter is better than Pepto Bismol” (Proverbs 17:22).

Roger and I were the hosts of an early morning radio show in California’s Napa Valley. Callers regularly bombarded our airwaves with stories that could have been on Comedy Central.

One holiday morning our first caller was the cook from a nearby Board and Care home. She was laughing so hard that she could hardly talk.

“Each year I make a dozen pumpkin pies for our residents and the families who visit,” she finally settled down enough to share. “I made the pies last night, and was really proud of myself for doing such a perfect job! Then, as every good cook must do, I tasted a thin slice, just to be sure they would be a memorable dessert.”

“My mouth was instantly on fire! I drank two glasses of water and one of milk, but nothing took away the flames!”

Now she was laughing so hard it took a minute or two to calm her down enough to describe the disaster.

“In my hurry to get the pies done, I grabbed the wrong container and substituted Cayenne Pepper for cinnamon! In twelve pies!!! And it’s nearly time for dinner!”

We all laughed till our sides hurt, imagining her surprise, and wondering how the guests would have enjoyed the pies.

An hour later the cook arrived at the radio station with one of the pies for us to taste “live.” It was far worse than she had described!

Later in the day, at a very special family holiday dinner, I set the remains of the “pepper pumpkin pie” among the desserts, along with a couple glasses of milk. The guests included cousins Debbie and John who were up from San Francisco…but since John played trumpet in the San Francisco Symphony and had a concert that evening…they had to leave early.

They mistakenly took two giant pieces of the pie with them, having no idea of the surprise to come. We waited, and hoped they had water, milk, and Maalox in the car. When they called, their hysterical laughter was from a pay phone at a Quick-Stop.

“We each took one giant bite of the pumpkin pie,” Debbie gasped, “and immediately discovered that there was no water in the car! It took us nearly ten minutes to find this store, and we’re surprised the car didn’t catch fire!! Whatever you do, don’t eat the pie!!!”

Eat well over the holidays, but watch out for the pumpkin pie!

Read more at the source: Don’t Eat the Pie

Article excerpt posted on en.intercer.net from Spiritual applications.

Tired of Being Stressed?

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This is Christmas

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Holiday Stress

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FaceTime

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Don’t Eat the Pie

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