How NOT to spill God's coffee

I was sitting on my couch this morning, cup of coffee in hand, reading a book about how to have a better relationship with God. All of a sudden … out of nowhere … Filly Puppy jumped on the couch and spilled my coffee! Despite my feeble attempts to teach him not to jump on the furniture and despite the hot coffee on his nose, he was a happy puppy wanting some love and attention.

I wonder how many times we jump on God’s couch and make Him spill His coffee? We tend to go about our day, settled in a routine. We are fairly (or in some cases, very) independent and are fully capable of making it through the day. Then all of a sudden something happens. A death … an accident … a break-up … and we jump on God’s couch. “Hey, God … I need you. Please help me through this crisis.”

That’s not what God wants from us. He would much rather we sit down with Him on a daily basis and have a cup of coffee with Him. He wants us to chat about our day, ask His advice, praise the many blessings He has given us. He wants to have a relationship with us – not just come to him when we need something.

Now, just as I couldn’t be but so mad at Filly Puppy for wanting some love, God is there for us and answers our prayers. He will not abandon us. But imagine if we had been meeting with God every day and building that relationship. Imagine if we’d been talking with God … and listening to God on a regular basis. Perhaps He may have already given us the strength, the faith, the answer to our crisis. Perhaps we wouldn’t need to jump on His couch and spill His coffee.

What is church?

‘What is Church’. The first thing that popped into my mind is something Drexel has said many times – ‘we are not a country club for the righteous, we are a hospital for the wounded’. That’s the way it should be – but is that the way it is? Not specifically at WGBC, but ‘church’ in general. I personally think that WGBC ‘gets it’. I think that our focus on the children’s ministries, NorthStar, Costa Rica, CARITAS and the countless other ways we reach out to people speaks volumes to what our definition of a church is. Not that other churches aren’t wonderful, and not that we have all the answers.

I think the true test of what a church is doesn’t happen within the walls of the building. It is what happens when you walk off of the church property. Do you take it with you to work on Monday morning? Do you have it with you on Saturday night? This lesson teaches us that church is about teaching/learning; breaking bread; fellowship and prayer. Nowhere does it mention pews, steeples, Sunday or preachers! (sorry, Drexel)! So, if that is the definition of church – teaching/learning, breaking bread, fellowship and prayer – what does it mean on the sign out front that says Walnut Grove Baptist Church. It’s not describing the building. It’s describing the people who use the building for the purpose of teaching, breaking bread, fellowship and prayer.

WE are the church – not the bricks and mortar. And unlike the bricks and mortar – we don’t ‘live’ in the building. (although…) J We leave the building – but we are still the church. When we go to work on Monday morning we are still the church. When our kids go to school – they are still the church. But are our actions, our words and our deeds always representative of the church? It is much easier inside the walls – where all of the people that are there are ‘like us’. We hold similar beliefs, attend similar programs, and are very comfortable expressing our faith. When we go outside of the walls – we aren’t so sure. People are different – may have different beliefs, may not believe at all. But still, we are the church.

There’s a joke about a woman driving down the road … honking the horn, darting in and out of traffic. A policeman pulls her over and asks for her ID. He says to the lady, “I’m sorry, I saw the bumper sticker on the car “I love Jesus” and the fish emblem and saw the way you were driving … I thought sure the car was stolen.” Even in the car driving down the road – we are the church. Is what we do and say reflecting what we believe?

This week, try to incorporate some of the components of what church is - teaching, breaking bread, fellowship and prayer – into places with other bricks and mortar. Make a conscious effort to ‘be church’. As a hospital for the wounded, sometimes we need to send the rescue squad to pick someone up!

Unplugged

It’s hard to believe it's the middle of July – summer is half over and we haven’t done half the things we wanted to do. Time just seems to fly by – and we complain that we don’t have time for anything.

As a society, we’ve become accustomed to ‘instant gratification’. Technology has allowed us to send documents across the country in under 30 seconds, fix a ‘home cooked’ dinner in under 15 minutes, and view pictures instantly. But it really wasn’t all that long ago that the only way to get documents across the country was by mail – and wait about a week. A home cooked meal involved actually peeling real potatoes. Do you remember life before digital cameras? You had to take your film to the store (or send it away in those little envelopes), wait for it to be developed and go get them – usually to find that the picture you wanted didn’t turn out quite like you had hoped! It wasn’t that long ago that a busy phone line was common, and if you wanted to tell someone something – you had to wait until you got home to call them – and then wait for them to be home!

We create all of these bits of technology to make our life easier – to give us more time. If I can fix dinner in 15 minutes as opposed to 60, then I’ll have time for xyz. The problem is, we don’t have more time – we just get more busy! If people are working 60 and 70 hour weeks now – what in the world did they do before internet, cell phones and UPS Overnight???

I remember when I was a little girl, and we lived back in the country. This was before cable tv, microwaves and cell phones. We popped Jiffy Pop on the stove, played outside, and called people mostly when we needed to ask them something. One thing that I remember is that sometimes the lights went out. I used to love it! Why?? Because there was nothing that we could do! It was usually too dark to go outside – and nothing worked – not even the water. We were ‘forced’ to find something else to do. I remember playing games by candlelight and camping in the den by the fire because the rest of the house was cold. To my parents, I’m sure it was torture – to me as a kid, it was the best life had to offer!

Why is it that we buy our kids a $400 playhouse and they play in the box! Why is it that a toddlers favorite toy is a pot and a spoon! Because they aren’t yet consumed by the ‘benefits’ of technology – and have the ability to enjoy the simple things.

Now, I’m not saying technology is bad – if it weren’t for e-mail, I wouldn’t be able to send these messages! I spend a small fortune each month on ‘technology’. Like I said, Summer is almost over. I know lots of you had awesome summer vacation plans – once-in-a-lifetime trips. But here’s my challenge to you. Take a vacation from technology – take a week off from cell phones, Wii, computers, Blackberries and yes, even TV.

Now, before you hyperventilate – hear me out. What would happen if – when you got home from work, you turned the phone off, left the computer alone and didn’t turn on the TV? What would happen if for one week – your family gave up the devices that were created to save us time? Maybe we’d be surprised to find out just how much time we have for the things that matter most.

Have a wonderful week!

The paperwork behind the question: What happens when I die?

I apologize for the delay in my ramblings last week. My grandfather (my dad’s dad) is in the hospital receiving ‘comfort care’. His lungs are not strong enough to support the much needed heart surgery, and his heart is not able to support his lungs. He is not expected to make it long.

Over the past week or so, many questions, thoughts and opinions have come up. Should we allow CPR if necessary or let him go? Are any organs going to be viable for donation – and if so, should we do so? Who gets what, who makes decisions, which funeral home, and on and on the list goes. These questions aren’t unique to my family – they are questions that almost always must be asked. Working in a nursing home for several years, I talked with families who were admitting their loved ones – knowing they would likely never come home. I had to ask some of these questions and the looks of despair, fear and uncertainty brought me to tears more than once. In many cases, they are asked at the same point we are asking them – when emotions are running high and the decision must be made now.

It’s tough to talk about – difficult to think about the fact that our bodies are going to die. We don’t like facing our own mortality. But believe me – as hard as these questions are to ask, it is much easier to ask them when you don’t need to. It’s easier to think logically rather than emotionally, and it’s easier to answer the questions with the knowledge that it’s not going to happen any time soon – rather than knowing that it is. Even one funeral director I spoke with told me that if you pre-plan for a funeral – even if it’s only weeks in advance, you will spend 10%-20% less – simply because decisions are not based on emotion or impulse.

Make sure your family knows your wishes – and make sure it’s in writing. Have a will. Even if you don’t have much to leave, even if you have only one child – it makes the red tape easier to navigate if it’s written in a will. If you have children – make sure you specify who gets custody should something happen to both parents. If you don’t, you may be rolling over in your grave at who may be raising your children!

Here are a few things that are important to have. You can get them all off of the internet very inexpensively. Although a notary public is required to witness signatures, it is not necessary for a lawyer to prepare them. And I’m a notary if you need one. I am by no means an expert, but please look into preparing these documents – regardless of your age or circumstances.

Durable Power of Attorney – Make sure it’s durable – if not, it expires at death. This does NOT give consent to make medical decisions. When you identify your power of attorney, make sure that you have a conversation about your wishes. Don’t assign someone and then not tell them what your wishes are.
Living Will – this indicates whether you wish to be kept on life support. You can also indicate organ donation in a living will.
Medical Power of Attorney – this allows your designee to make medical decision. A ‘regular’ power or attorney, or durable power of attorney do not account for medical decisions. Again, make sure the person that you designate knows your wishes. This will be the person that makes decisions about your medical care when you aren’t able to. Make sure they know what you want. Usually the Medical POA and the Durable POA are the same person – but it’s not necessary.
Last Will and Testament– There are templates online to prepare a simple will. If there are many children, split families, or a large amount of assets involved, you may want to involve an attorney for this one.

The Ten Dollar Difference

I was reading a passage in a book called “Experiencing God” this morning. It cautioned us against just ‘doing something’ for God. ‘I think God would like this ministry to be here’ – and then trying to put it in place without asking Him first. The passage said to look around you … see where God is working, and then join Him.

I was tossing this idea around in my head as I was driving to work – trying to see where God was working around me. I thought of the Newcomb’s – giving up everything they have to go to Thailand – because God is working there. I thought about Pavas and the folks that are helping them find hope in a hopeless community – because God is working there. I thought about things like St. Jude’s Research Hospital, Christian Children’s Fund and Feed the Children. Surely God is working there.

As my mind wandered, I thought that if I won the lottery, I would renovate an old hotel so that people who have lost their jobs and homes could have a place to stay until they got back on their feet. I’d build a youth center so kids would have a positive place to go rather than get in trouble on the street.

Then God brought me back to reality. By this time, I was standing in line at Food Lion. There was an elderly man counting out dollar bills for his purchase. He didn’t have enough and was pulling things out of his bag so he could pay for what he had. I didn’t catch all of that – because I was daydreaming about what wonderful things I could do with a few million dollars. What caught my attention was the lady in front of me. She told the cashier not to take the items out of the bag and handed her $10 so that the man could keep the items he needed. That is where God was working this morning. He was working in a woman – who didn’t look like she had much to spare – but was willing to reach out to someone who was in need.

It doesn’t take millions of dollars to change the world. It just takes a minute – and $10. (It only takes $3 to have a roof in Pavas). Now, there were at least 5 people who saw God working in this woman. If we all make a $10 difference in someone’s life, imagine the difference down the road.

God calls us all to serve Him. He calls every single one of us to make a difference for His Kingdom. Some of us are called to other countries. Some are called into ministry. Some of us are called to make differences in the lives of the people we come across - $10 at a time.

Look around you ... see where God is working ... join Him!