Ask God to show you your excuses. Sometimes, we’ve been going through the motions so long, we don’t realize it anymore. Confess them to him.
Crosswinds: a haiku
I waited for you
in the breeze of the shadows –
Even still, I wait.
I needed to clear my head today, so I found a bench in the shade and read a novel during lunch. Things feel like I’m at a crossroads right now – changes, uncertainty, all up in the air. I’m waiting to hear from God – to receive direction – yet, I also know that he gave me common sense. Sometimes I’m unsure whether to trust my gut or wait for clarity. For now, I wait.
Prayer prompt for Wednesday, May 4
Make a point to smile and speak to a stranger today. Find something to compliment them about. Bless their day with God’s love.
Prayer prompt for Tuesday, May 3
Do you ever feel like you’re on auto-pilot? In what ways are you just going through the motions in your faith-walk? Talk to God about it.
500th blog post
Today’s prayer prompt was my 500th blog post … how fortuitous that it also sums up much of what I’ve gone through in life since I began blogging back in ’08. I started writing for a class project in grad school, then I kept writing posts as a form of journaling — basically talking to the wall, since I had no readers — but it was cathartic, nonetheless.
Here we are now, three years later, and what a journey it has been. It hasn’t always been pleasant, but it has certainly been a growth process. Thank you for joining me on this adventure!
Prayer prompt for Monday, May 2
Don’t let “Monday” be your excuse to be a grump today. Make a conscious choice to have a pleasant day. Don’t let the enemy steal your joy!
Prayer prompt for Sunday, May 1
What’s your excuse today? What is distracting you from worshipping God fully? Identify it; pray about it; release it to God.
The Act of Worship (Prayer devotional for the week of May 1)
ACT I: SCENE ONE
(GREETER stands near a doorway. A downcast family of four approaches led by MOTHER, who is adjusting the collar of her son’s shirt. FATHER follows, holding a toddler.)
GREETER
(smiling at the family) Well, good morning! How are you folks today?
MOTHER
(obviously exasperated, but quickly turns her scowl into a smile and makes eye contact with GREETER, responding with a falsely chipper tone of voice) Oh, fine, fine. And you?
GREETER
(shaking FATHER’s hand) Glad to hear it. I’m doing well, thanks.
(FATHER offers a half-smile and walks across the stage with toddler. MOTHER stops to smooth her son’s hair and wipes an imaginary smudge from his cheek with her thumb. He starts to shrug away, but she takes his hand and leads him reluctantly off-stage.)
—
Is the story above just the beginning of a stage play, or could it describe many of our own families this morning? We wake up late. The kids are whining for donuts. Someone can’t find socks. The kids are fighting in the backseat. We’re in a rush. Our favorite parking spot in the shade is taken. The kids are still fighting.
Then, we walk through the doors of the church, plaster on happy faces and act like nothing is the matter. We’re here to worship God, after all – no frowns allowed! Let’s be real. God sees right through our fake smiles. Worship shouldn’t be a performance. In fact, the prophet Isaiah once received a warning from God in a vision, and God told his people: “Quit your worship charades. I can’t stand your trivial religious games …” (from Isaiah 1, The Message)
This week’s focus is on making excuses, so let’s quit acting and drop the charade. Instead, let’s make our lives an act of worship.
How is that even possible?
The two big kids came along to cheer on their little brothers at the baseball game this morning, then we had plans to go to a nearby park and meet some friends after the game. We ended up staying for three hours! Seven boys total played, ran, explored and climbed to their hearts’ content.
Anyway, No. 2 ran into a friend from school at the ballpark whose little sister was on the opposing team (the K-1 teams are co-ed). They climbed the small hill behind the bleachers to watch the game, and I overheard the following conversation between them while one of the boys was up to bat:
Friend: “So, is he really your brother or your cousin?”
No. 2: “Both.”
Friend: “How is that even possible?”
No. 2: “Well, they used to be just my cousins, but then their dad died. Now, my mom takes care of them, so they’re my brothers now.”
Friend: “Oh, ok.”
The way he explained it so matter-of-factly touched my heart. Two years ago, I wondered if this crazy life of mine would ever seem normal again. Today, we took a big step in that direction.
Burgeoning talent showcase
Living and working in a university town has some wonderful perks, like being able to attend free- or low-cost events on campus such as last night’s Black Glasses Student Film Festival. I love doing activities like that together with my boys. It is great memory-making time, exposes them to different aspects of college life, and besides … I’m not so naive as to think that they’ll continue to want to hang out with their ol’ mom in a few years! I have to enjoy “date” nights while it’s still cool.
I invited No. 2 to go with me, but he politely declined. (It was a Friday night, after all, and he wanted to play video games and stay up late.) No. 1 readily accepted the invitation, and we had a ball. He said as we were driving home that No. 2 was really going to regret not going. 🙂
The short films – 16 in all – ranged from trailers for full-length features to comedy clips to drama to stop-motion. I was floored by the talent of our students! I was impressed by the well developed stories, outstanding cinematography and mind-blowing computer graphics. I also recognized several Theatre students who acted in the films. Love it!
We got to vote for the Audience Choice Award, and although our picks didn’t win, the one that did was actually both of our next-favorite. It was a tough choice, and I was proud of all the student filmmakers. Some of these kids’ names will be on the big screen one day!
faith, sweat & tears 