Day 204 Gross National Happiness

The Happy Planet Index measures human well-being and environmental impact. It starts from the idea that most of us want to live long and fulfilling lives and tries to measure how successfully this can be done without infringing on the rights of people in other places and in future generations to do the same.

The index, very basically, is an equation: life expectancy x life satisfaction ÷ ecological footprint = HPI. Is it possible to measure that sort of happiness?

GNH, Gross National Happiness, could be one answer. The name comes from Bhutan, where then King Jingme told a reporter, "In Bhutan, we don't just care about gross national product, we care about gross national happiness."

In the book of Isaiah, God declares, "In those days people will live in the houses they build and eat the fruit of their own vineyards. Unlike the past, invaders will not take their houses and confiscate their vineyards. For my people will live as long as trees, and my chosen ones will have time to enjoy their hard-won gains. They will not work in vain, and their children will not be doomed to misfortune. For they are people blessed by the LORD, and their children, too, will be blessed." (Isaiah 65)

Maybe, this time of global enconomic reset, it's also time for all nations to ask themselves the true meaning of prosperity, development, happiness and contentment. And Christians should join in the debate.

Have a vigorous "happiness" discussion with your friends over your next coffee break and ask them to do the Happy Planet Index online survey.

Day 203 Momentarily...God's a White Guy

For the eyes of the Lord run back and forth across the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him.  2 Chronicles 16:9

Day 202 Where Beauty Is

Give unto the Lord the glory due to His name;
Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.
Psalm 29:2

Day 201 Do not Despise the Day of Small Things

How often do you feel like your efforts for God are attacked by the enemy or just plain insignificant? It's easy to get  discouraged and not even want to try again. BUT God delights in taking insignificant actions, efforts, and words and making something out of them.

Down through history you can see this pattern:
- Moses' rod that delivered a nation from Egypt (Exodus 4:1-9)
- The jawbone of an ass that Samson used to kill a thousand Philistines (Judges 15:14-16)
- Five smooth stones that took down the giant Goliath (1 Samuel 17)
- The handful of meal and a jar of oil that sustained a widow through a famine (2 Kings 4:1-7)
- Five barley loaves and a couple fish that fed a multitude (Matthew 14:13-21)
- The mustard seed Jesus said would become a great tree for nesting birds (Matthew 13:31-32).

What little thing, what dream, what false start, have you despised? Your small church, your tiny Bible study,  your  daily ministry for Christ?

Do you despise failures? Don't. Surrender them to the God who delights in taking our weakness and showing His strength.

Take another look at your dreams, this time through God's eyes: "Not by might, not by power, but my Spirit says the Lord Almighty!" (Zechariah 4:6)

Day 200! Just Do it

"Just do the next thing you’re reasonably certain Jesus wants you to do."
Claire DeGraaf

Day 199 Just Plain Yokes

"Take my yoke upon you and  learn from me, for I am gentle and humble of heart, and you will find rest for your soul." Matthew 11:29

The yoke Jesus is talking about in this verse shows a lot about how we learn his gentleness. You know a yoke is a heavy wooden bar that a farmer places across the necks of two oxen so that they work together. The purpose is to get twice as much work done--but mostly the yoke is a training tool.

When a young ox reaches the point when it can start plowing, the farmer teams it up with an older, more experienced animal. This way, the younger, more stubborn ox is forced to walk in step with the bigger, stronger animal which leads the way.... It's not the most flattering description of a disciple, but that's what it is!

Guess what--Jesus wants to be yoked with his rebellious people so that we can learn from him. He doesn't force his yoke on us: he offers it humbly and carries its weight. If you just keep in step with Jesus, his gentleness will soon become yours as well.

Help Sarah to walk beside you today, listening to your teaching, and enjoying the rest only you can give. Amen.

Day 198 Nothing Wasted

"I will trust Him.
Whatever, wherever I am, I can never be thrown away.

If I am in sickness, my sickness may serve Him;
in perplexity, my perplexity may serve Him;
if I am in sorrow, my sorrow may serve Him.

My sickness, or perplexity, or sorrow may be necessary causes of some great end, which is quite beyond us.

He does nothing in vain." 

John Henry Newman

Day 197 Solid Ground

"The Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one." 2 Thess 3:3

Faithfulness is especially anchored in God's character. God is faithful and keeps his promises, no matter what. God's faithfulness means he is "full of faith." That means something about his dedication as well as his reliability: a faithful person not only has a strong faith; that person is someone in whom others have faith. A faithful believer not only trusts wholeheartedly in God; that person is someone others know they can trust.

God is faithful, and his covenant faithfulness is the sure foundation on which our faith securely rests.

How comforting it is to know that our faith rests on the solid ground of God's promises! Help Sarah grow in her faithfulness to You. Amen.

Day 196 Our Refuge

God is our refuge and strength,
an ever present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear
though the earth give way
and the mountains fall
into the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake
with their surging.

There is a river whose streams
make glad the city of God,
The holy place
where the Most High dwells.
God is within her,
and she will not fall;
God will help her
at break of day.

Psalm 46:1-6

Day 195 New Clothes

"As God's chosen people, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with kindness...." Colossians 3:12

Acts of kindness not only bless other people. Like beautiful clothes, they adorn our lives as well.

God, help Sarah to dress in the clothes of kindness today so that others experience your love through her. Amen.

Day 193 A Fine Foundation

"We are like dwarfs sitting on the shoulders of giants. We see more, and things that are more distant, than they did, not because our sight is superior or because we are taller than they, but because they raise us up, and by their great stature add to ours."

- John of Salisbury, Metalogicon, 1159 AD

Day 192 Lies "Religion" Tells Us

A Health and Wellness Gospel teaches that the purpose of being Christian is to avoid difficulty. But what really happens in the Christian life is that believers develop character that is adequate to meet difficulty when it comes.

Being a Christ follower doesn't make life easy; rather it works to make us great enough for life.

Day 191 She would know....

Faith sees the invisible, believes the unbelievable, and receives the impossible.

Corrie Ten Boom

Day 190 A Conspiracy of Peace

Okay, okay. Since we talked about peace-building this weekend, there has been a conspiracy of peace going on around me--so I'm letting you know that it might be good to make a mental note.

1. The Sunday NPR "On Being" segment about peacebuilding that I sent to your email. Article noted in the show? "The Moral Imagination: the Art and Soul of Peace."
2. Bible study memory verse for this week? "Let the peace of Christ rule in you richly." Col. 3:16a
3. Mom's daily reminder on the kitchen sink? "I will give peace and qietness unto Israel." 1 Chron. 22:9d
4. Mom's daily devotional for today? "Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace." Col 3:15 (In fact, the whole month is about peace!) The devotional for today talks about the prayer of St. Francis and reminds us that "like all of God's blessings, the gift of peace is not intended to be something we keep to ourselves. The God who made peace with a rebellious creation through the death of Jesus calls us to be peacemakers in his world. This is striking testimony to God's willingness, his incredible humility, to place the advancement of his peace in our hands. 'Let the peace of Christ rule.' God doesn't require, but wants us, to participate in the glory of Christ's rule over creation. He wants us to live up to the high calling of peacemaking."

Increase Sarah's desire to let your peace flow out of her to a hurting world.

Day 189 The Bodyguard

I lift up my eyes to the hills--
where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord,
the Maker of heaven and earth.
He will not let your foot slip--
he who watches over you will not slumber;
indeed, he who watches over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.
The Lord watches over you--
the Lord is your shade at your right hand,
the sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.
The Lord will keep you from all harm--
he will watch over your life;
the Lord will watch over your coming and going
both now and forevermore!

Psalm 121

Day 188 The Other Shortest Verse in the Bible

We know the shortest verse in the Bible, right? "Jesus wept." But there's another verse that's just as short later in the New Testament: "Rejoice always." (1Thess. 5:16)

Interesting that these two verses that have entirely opposite meanings emotionally get juxtaposed this way. Sitting next to eachother though, they fill out the idea of Godlike joy.

Jesus, who we know fulfilled the command of Godly joy perfectly also embraced grief fully, and he asks us to do the same as his followers.

Grief and circumstances will come and go during our lifetimes, but joy that is grounded in staying connected to Jesus will remain.

It's a promise.

Love, Mom

Day 186 Take that Up Escalator

How to Turn a Disagreement into a Feud:

1. Be sure to develop and maintain a healthy fear of conflict, letting your own feelings build up so you are in an explosive frame of mind.

2. If you must state your concerns, be as vague and general as possible. Then the other person cannot do anything practical to change the situation.

3. Assume you know all the facts and you are totally right. The use of a clinching Bible verse is helpful. Speak prophetically for truth and justice; do most of the talking.

4. With a touch of defiance, announce your willingness to talk with anyone who wishes to discuss the problem with you. But do not take steps to initiate such conversation.

5. Latch tenaciously onto whatever evidence you can find that shows the other person is merely jealous of you.

6. Judge the motivation of the other party on any previous experience that showed failure or unkindness. Keep track of any angry words.

7. If the discussion should, alas, become serious, view the issue as a win/lose struggle. Avoid possible solutions and go for total victory and unconditional surrender. Don't get too many options on the table.

8. Pass the buck! If you are about to get cornered into a solution, indicate you are without power to settle; you need your partner, spouse, bank, whatever.

Day 185 Not exactly devotional....

...but still good advice:

If you cannot get rid of the family skeleton, you may as well make it dance.
- George Bernard Shaw

Day 184 Logical Permutation of Joy

Ancient Bible scholars said that, "the chief end of mankind is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever."
But to fully enjoy God IS to glorify Him.
So in commanding us to glorify Him, God is inviting us to enjoy Him.

C.S. Lewis

Day 183 Listen to yo' Mama....Teresa, that is

Life is an opportunity, benefit from it.
Life is beauty, admire it.
Life is a dream, realize it.
Life is a challenge, meet it.
Life is a duty, complete it.
Life is a game, play it.
Life is a promise, fulfill it.
Life is sorrow, overcome it.
Life is a song, sing it.
Life is a struggle, accept it.
Life is a tragedy, confront it.
Life is an adventure, dare it.
Life is luck, make it.
Life is too precious, do not destroy it.
Life is life, fight for it.   

                           Mother Teresa

Day 182 Forming the Habit of Prayer

We are told to receive the Kingdom as little children--but there is difference between being childlike and being childish. We are to "grow up" into prayer in our relationship with God. Here's one set of ways to do that. (There is always room for improvement, no matter how old you get!)

• Set aside time. Take time when it can best be found, preferably early in the day. Prayers that are not said in the morning tend not be said at all. (This is SO true!)
• Set a minimum time. Begin modestly but gradually increase in length. Ten minutes is a realistic minimum and a half-hour is within most people's ability.
• Be faithful. Whatever length of time is decided, it should be firmly kept. Without some discipline, prayer tends to be pushed to the margin even by the most devout - there is always something else to do that appears more pressing or more attractive. There are days when prayer seems less easy and spontaneous and concentration is harder. On these days the offering of time is an act of obedience - which is itself an act of faith.
• Have structure. This can give shape on constancy without constricting your spontaneous approach to God. Begin with acknowledging the presence of God. Adoration follows: praise, awe, and love for who He is. Then follow where the personal situation leads. This might mean thanks for particular benefits or mercies to you and others, admission of sins, and requests for your desires or needs, intercession for the help of others. Don't worry if one area monopolizes your prayer time - consider this as a principal need of the day.
• Ask. Prayer is not a shopping list of things you'd like to have, yet it is right to bring your hopes before God, and in so doing to test their quality. But you are encouraged and even commanded to ask, so that your relationship with Him includes all aspects of your life. As you make intercession for others, ask that you be made available to be used in God's service if the opportunity is given.
• Be ambitious but not impatient. All Christians - including the saints - have known periods when there seemed to be no progress. These are times to hold fast to the discipline of prayer, waiting until you are ready to receive God's calling to new understanding and fresh devotion.
• Use a prayer book. There is strength in praying established prayers in addition to your own personal prayers. The insights and phrasing of these prayers can expand your understanding of God. Remember the Lord's Prayer which gives you a perfect pattern for prayer. Commit to praying it with renewed awareness of the words.
• Prayer is relationship. Essentially prayer brings you into contact with God. Your growth in prayer should be a deepening of that relationship with Him. Like a child who runs eagerly with requests to a loving parent, your sincerity and complete honesty are essential for prayer as you run to the Father.

Prayer is to be a good habit, springing from the best that you can offer of your experience, your intelligence, and your love of God.

Day 181 Welcome Home...Again!

You were traveling for most of Ephiphany, so here is a reflection in case you missed it....like we miss you!

Epiphany is the season of revelation… that which was waiting is now revealed… that which was hidden is now out in the open… that which was obscured is now clear… that which was masked in complexity is now plain to see… that which was reserved is now accessible to all… that which was bound in criteria is now free… that which was hope is now reality… Into the darkness has come light… the light has been revealed, and it is love!

god's word vaults across the skies
from sunrise to sunset,
melting ice, scorching deserts,
warming hearts to faith.
the revelation of God is whole
and pulls our lives together.
the signposts of God are clear
and point out the right road.
the life--maps of God are right,
showing the way to joy.
the directions of God are plain
and easy on the eyes.
God’s reputation is twenty-four-carat gold,
with a lifetime guarantee.
the decisions of God are accurate
down to the nth degree.
God's word is better than a diamond,
better than a diamond
set between emeralds.
you'll like it better than strawberries in spring,
better than red, ripe strawberries.

psalm19 : the message

Have ave you experienced a new revelation of the Divine in the last year? where, how, what?… in what ways has that revelation changed you?... how has it led you to reveal more of God in your life? What ripples has it had?... what more questions has it provoked?