Well, the flu has officially hit our home and the kids are dropping like flies.
Our first daughter to get sick had relatively mild symptoms. She was ill for three days and took one extra day with no fever before going back to school.
Our oldest daughter still at home was the second to get sick. She started with a cough on the same day her sister got sick. Her cough grew progressively worse but no other symptoms surfaced the first five days. The fifth night was a rough one for her. Her cough was so bad that every three seconds she was hacking away. She had woke up our two year old with her coughing, and as I lay in bed trying to help her fall back asleep, I counted the time between coughs. Well, in the morning there still were no other symptoms and because it's the end of the quarter and she insisted she was fine I let her go to school.
Not even two hours into the day, I get the call that she is sick and needs to come home. 102.4 fever and ALL the symptoms are now present. Just like that! By evening, I think she may have pneumonia and we take her to the late night clinic to make sure. No, lungs are fine. It's just influenza the doctor says and there's nothing they can do for her.
Fast forward a few hours to 3 AM. Daughter number three wakes up crying with 102.4 fever. Great. We Tylenol up and drink a glass of water and two hours later she falls back to sleep.
We had decided not to get the flu shot but even if we had expected to get it our area doesn't even had any vaccinations available yet to the general public. We, like a lot of people, will have had the flu by the time the vaccinations are available.
As I lay awake with my daughter last night, I just prayed to our Sovereign God for healing and no further complications. That's where I place my trust!
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Monday, October 26, 2009
Nehemiah - How One Man Made A Difference - Part 3
"Many hands make for light work."
Have you ever tried to tackle a big task all by yourself? How successful are you when you are left to do all the work yourself?
I've been watching the baseball playoffs so I will use them as my visual example.
Imagine the New York Yankees take the field against the Philadelphia Phillie's. However, today the warm up tosses around the bases don't look quite the same as normal because let's pretend that today the Yankees are a one man team. The Philly batter stands at the plate and the only person in the infield AND the outfield is Andy Pettitte. Andy, even on steroids, is not going to be able to pitch, catch, field, and bat his team to a victory all by himself.
I know this sounds like a ridiculous example because baseball does understands the concept of teamwork. By splitting up the infield and outfield into manned areas they are able to cover a lot of ground.
Nehemiah introduces this concept in Chapter 3. He divides up the work into smaller sections assigning a group of people to each section. Everyone from the High Priest, to the goldsmiths, to the perfume makers, to the local rulers, and just plain ordinary folk are each assigned a section of the wall to work on. Everyone can help. Some more than others but everyone is expected to contribute.
Nehemiah also understands that assigning portions of the wall to people who actually live in the specific area, generates a personal sense of responsibility because it directly affects their own security.
The people do not get too tired, too overwhelmed, or too frustrated at a lack of progress because the chunk of work is small enough to be able to see an impact being made. They can see the wall getting higher and higher everyday. Whereas, too big of a section, although lengthwise might be making progress, it wouldn't seem like it to the people unless the wall was actually getting higher, too.
When I worked in manufacturing, a phrase was used a lot in our improvement projects, "A mile deep is better than a mile wide". It was meant to keep us focused on making a lasting, immediate impact in one area instead of trying to tackle more than we had the resources to at the moment. Nehemiah is thinking the same thing. Let each group make a lasting, immediate impact in a small section of the wall building it all the way up, instead of expecting the entire first layer all the way around the city to be layed before moving on to the next layer.
So, the next time I have to tackle Spring/Fall cleaning, a party to prepare for, or even grocery shopping, I would be wise to implement Nehemiah's concept of many hands/ little tasks = big results. Even our two year old can help.
Be a visionary leader today by delegating and creating a sense of teamwork!
Have you ever tried to tackle a big task all by yourself? How successful are you when you are left to do all the work yourself?
I've been watching the baseball playoffs so I will use them as my visual example.
Imagine the New York Yankees take the field against the Philadelphia Phillie's. However, today the warm up tosses around the bases don't look quite the same as normal because let's pretend that today the Yankees are a one man team. The Philly batter stands at the plate and the only person in the infield AND the outfield is Andy Pettitte. Andy, even on steroids, is not going to be able to pitch, catch, field, and bat his team to a victory all by himself.
I know this sounds like a ridiculous example because baseball does understands the concept of teamwork. By splitting up the infield and outfield into manned areas they are able to cover a lot of ground.
Nehemiah introduces this concept in Chapter 3. He divides up the work into smaller sections assigning a group of people to each section. Everyone from the High Priest, to the goldsmiths, to the perfume makers, to the local rulers, and just plain ordinary folk are each assigned a section of the wall to work on. Everyone can help. Some more than others but everyone is expected to contribute.
Nehemiah also understands that assigning portions of the wall to people who actually live in the specific area, generates a personal sense of responsibility because it directly affects their own security.
The people do not get too tired, too overwhelmed, or too frustrated at a lack of progress because the chunk of work is small enough to be able to see an impact being made. They can see the wall getting higher and higher everyday. Whereas, too big of a section, although lengthwise might be making progress, it wouldn't seem like it to the people unless the wall was actually getting higher, too.
When I worked in manufacturing, a phrase was used a lot in our improvement projects, "A mile deep is better than a mile wide". It was meant to keep us focused on making a lasting, immediate impact in one area instead of trying to tackle more than we had the resources to at the moment. Nehemiah is thinking the same thing. Let each group make a lasting, immediate impact in a small section of the wall building it all the way up, instead of expecting the entire first layer all the way around the city to be layed before moving on to the next layer.
So, the next time I have to tackle Spring/Fall cleaning, a party to prepare for, or even grocery shopping, I would be wise to implement Nehemiah's concept of many hands/ little tasks = big results. Even our two year old can help.
Be a visionary leader today by delegating and creating a sense of teamwork!
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Nehemiah - How One Man Made a Difference - Part 2
My hope is that you are taking the time to read the book of Nehemiah as you read my post. I found it to be filled with so much wisdom and so applicable in today's world.
In Chapter 2, we see that at least four months have pasted since Nehemiah first learned of the condition in Jerusalem. The first important thing to note is that he is still sad over the issue! A sadness so intense that it affects his demeanor and overtakes his posture in front of the King to the point that the King notices.
As Christians, we are called to live joyful lives because of the hope we have and so that others will notice and inquire of the source of our joy. However, Nehemiah's usual joy is masked by his sadness and the King senses this as a sadness of heart.
To speak with the King was to be done with great fear and trembling and with honor and respect. Nehemiah was afraid to answer the King's question when the King inquired of what caused Nehemiah's sadness but he faced his fear and shared his concern with the King. The King asked Nehemiah what he wanted and to my amazement Nehemiah had a very detailed plan and boldly laid it out for the King. The King was willing to help and offered everything Nehemiah had asked for and even offered up more.
Nehemiah had spent these last four months figuring out what to do and thinking ahead to what he would need. He was prepared with an action plan and ready for when God would open the door for him. He faced his fears and spoke with the King and was happy to find the King receptive to his concern and to his goal to fix it.
Do we prepare for action while we patiently wait on God's perfect timing for a door to be opened? Nehemiah could have rashly rushed ahead with his plan, not waiting for the King's help, and probably in disrespect to the King, but he would not have been successful this way. He knew to wait upon the Lord and in the meantime prepare.
Even if we prepare and patiently wait for God to open the door, once it's open we sometimes freeze in fear. We let our insecurities prevent us from seizing the opportunity and we miss the chance to be the one to do something about it. God will see to it that what he wants to happen will still happen. It will just be someone else who does it. Someone who didn't freeze. Someone who trusted in the providence of God for success.
The next part of the story I want to note is that opposition immediately begins to form against Nehemiah and his plans. Anytime we are doing God's work in this world we should expect opposition and persecution. The world will always want to ravage against the plans of God. It's a good indication that you ARE doing what God wants if you are experiencing grief from the people of the world. However, don't lose faith because God is bigger than anything they could throw at you and he will frustrate the plans of the wicked.
Once Nehemiah arrived in Jerusalem, and before he shared his plan with any of the inhabitants, he secretly went to investigate the wall damage for himself. Nehemiah did a personal inventory and saw with his own eyes the extent of the damage. He probably finalized his plan after seeing exactly what needed to be done not relying on the words of others but seeing it for himself. If we are to lead an effort, we should thoroughly investigate it firsthand, and ensure our plan will be effective and adjust if necessary.
Now Nehemiah gathers the people and points out the problem. The problem was already obvious to the people who had been living there and if Nehemiah would have stopped there no more would have been done. If any one of these people had already had a plan if would have been implemented already. I can just hear someone in the crowd shouting, "Thank you Captain Obvious". Right?
However, Nehemiah not only has a plan, he also has the confidence of success because God has already blessed the endeavor. The people see him speak with confidence and leadership and they buy into the fact that maybe, just maybe, this plan will work. The fact that God has blessed it helps convince the people the hard work will be worth the effort and they get on board with helping to make it happen.
The people get excited about the prospects and the opposition is right there trying to thwart the effort before it even begins. They use ridicule and intimidation to make the people insecure about their ability to do this task. You've heard this talk before. What are you thinking? Who do you think you are to even attempt this? You don't know the first thing about tackling this problem.
What is one to do when the opposition begins to whittle away at your wall of resolve and confidence to more forward? Well, Nehemiah shows us the only way to protect your resolve is to stay vertical. Pray to the Lord! Let God deal with the opposition so you don't have to waste your time and energy fighting with them, or trying to prove yourself to them, or trying to win them over to your side. Just let God deal with them. Also, trust that God is bigger than us and will pave the way for success. This is not to mean we are to just sit around and wait for God to stop the opposition and provide us with a clean slate to start on. No, we are to plunge ahead and trust that God will provide along the way all that is needed at that particular moment. Trust that God will reward the efforts of the righteous and thwart the efforts of the evil.
Thinking back to the list of problems our country is in today from part one of this series, or from a personal list you made yourself, and keeping in mind the ones that invoke great emotion with you, think about the following questions.
1. What can you do today to begin researching this problem more thoroughly?
2. What can you do today to begin preparing an action plan for making a difference in this area?
3. Are you willing to be in prayer with God about what to do and how?
4. What are your fears about doing anything in this area?
5. Do you trust God is big enough to overcome any obstacles?
Imagine if God called you to solve a problem. Imagine if you accepted the challenge in his strenght. Imagine the good that would be done because one person said yes to God. Imagine the difference it would make for the people who are affected by the problem today. Imagine how you would feel being responsible for changing the course of people's lives for the better. Dream a little dream. Or, better yet dream a big dream today with God!
In Chapter 2, we see that at least four months have pasted since Nehemiah first learned of the condition in Jerusalem. The first important thing to note is that he is still sad over the issue! A sadness so intense that it affects his demeanor and overtakes his posture in front of the King to the point that the King notices.
As Christians, we are called to live joyful lives because of the hope we have and so that others will notice and inquire of the source of our joy. However, Nehemiah's usual joy is masked by his sadness and the King senses this as a sadness of heart.
To speak with the King was to be done with great fear and trembling and with honor and respect. Nehemiah was afraid to answer the King's question when the King inquired of what caused Nehemiah's sadness but he faced his fear and shared his concern with the King. The King asked Nehemiah what he wanted and to my amazement Nehemiah had a very detailed plan and boldly laid it out for the King. The King was willing to help and offered everything Nehemiah had asked for and even offered up more.
Nehemiah had spent these last four months figuring out what to do and thinking ahead to what he would need. He was prepared with an action plan and ready for when God would open the door for him. He faced his fears and spoke with the King and was happy to find the King receptive to his concern and to his goal to fix it.
Do we prepare for action while we patiently wait on God's perfect timing for a door to be opened? Nehemiah could have rashly rushed ahead with his plan, not waiting for the King's help, and probably in disrespect to the King, but he would not have been successful this way. He knew to wait upon the Lord and in the meantime prepare.
Even if we prepare and patiently wait for God to open the door, once it's open we sometimes freeze in fear. We let our insecurities prevent us from seizing the opportunity and we miss the chance to be the one to do something about it. God will see to it that what he wants to happen will still happen. It will just be someone else who does it. Someone who didn't freeze. Someone who trusted in the providence of God for success.
The next part of the story I want to note is that opposition immediately begins to form against Nehemiah and his plans. Anytime we are doing God's work in this world we should expect opposition and persecution. The world will always want to ravage against the plans of God. It's a good indication that you ARE doing what God wants if you are experiencing grief from the people of the world. However, don't lose faith because God is bigger than anything they could throw at you and he will frustrate the plans of the wicked.
Once Nehemiah arrived in Jerusalem, and before he shared his plan with any of the inhabitants, he secretly went to investigate the wall damage for himself. Nehemiah did a personal inventory and saw with his own eyes the extent of the damage. He probably finalized his plan after seeing exactly what needed to be done not relying on the words of others but seeing it for himself. If we are to lead an effort, we should thoroughly investigate it firsthand, and ensure our plan will be effective and adjust if necessary.
Now Nehemiah gathers the people and points out the problem. The problem was already obvious to the people who had been living there and if Nehemiah would have stopped there no more would have been done. If any one of these people had already had a plan if would have been implemented already. I can just hear someone in the crowd shouting, "Thank you Captain Obvious". Right?
However, Nehemiah not only has a plan, he also has the confidence of success because God has already blessed the endeavor. The people see him speak with confidence and leadership and they buy into the fact that maybe, just maybe, this plan will work. The fact that God has blessed it helps convince the people the hard work will be worth the effort and they get on board with helping to make it happen.
The people get excited about the prospects and the opposition is right there trying to thwart the effort before it even begins. They use ridicule and intimidation to make the people insecure about their ability to do this task. You've heard this talk before. What are you thinking? Who do you think you are to even attempt this? You don't know the first thing about tackling this problem.
What is one to do when the opposition begins to whittle away at your wall of resolve and confidence to more forward? Well, Nehemiah shows us the only way to protect your resolve is to stay vertical. Pray to the Lord! Let God deal with the opposition so you don't have to waste your time and energy fighting with them, or trying to prove yourself to them, or trying to win them over to your side. Just let God deal with them. Also, trust that God is bigger than us and will pave the way for success. This is not to mean we are to just sit around and wait for God to stop the opposition and provide us with a clean slate to start on. No, we are to plunge ahead and trust that God will provide along the way all that is needed at that particular moment. Trust that God will reward the efforts of the righteous and thwart the efforts of the evil.
Thinking back to the list of problems our country is in today from part one of this series, or from a personal list you made yourself, and keeping in mind the ones that invoke great emotion with you, think about the following questions.
1. What can you do today to begin researching this problem more thoroughly?
2. What can you do today to begin preparing an action plan for making a difference in this area?
3. Are you willing to be in prayer with God about what to do and how?
4. What are your fears about doing anything in this area?
5. Do you trust God is big enough to overcome any obstacles?
Imagine if God called you to solve a problem. Imagine if you accepted the challenge in his strenght. Imagine the good that would be done because one person said yes to God. Imagine the difference it would make for the people who are affected by the problem today. Imagine how you would feel being responsible for changing the course of people's lives for the better. Dream a little dream. Or, better yet dream a big dream today with God!
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Nehemiah - How One Man Made a Difference - Part 1
The Book of Nehemiah opens with a inquiry of how Nehemiah's fellow kinsmen are doing in Jerusalem. Twelve years earlier, the King of Persia had signed a decree allowing the surviving Israelites to move back to Jerusalem after spending 70 years in captivity in Babylon. Nehemiah is the cup bearer to the King and when visitors arrive from Jerusalem, he inquires of the well being of the cherished city.
It is here that Nehemiah learns that the city is once again in physical and spiritual shambles.
In Nehemiah chapter 1, we are given insight into how Nehemiah handled the news he heard.
1. Nehemiah weeps upon hearing of the state of Jerusalem. He has an immediate emotional response.
2. Nehemiah mourns, fasts, and prays to God.
There are many things wrong in our country or cities today. A quick list looks something like this but I'm sure each of you could add many more to the list.
1. The breakdown of the family.
2. Abortion
3. Homosexual agenda
4. Greedy corporate leaders
5. Leadership acting outside of God's will
6. Depression and Suicide
7. False teachers in the Church
8. Materialism
9. Evolution theory taught in schools as fact, even in some Christian schools
10. Prevalent violence and sex in the media
Do any of things things in shambles today cause you to weep in a deep immediate emotional response like Nehemiah did when he heard the state of Jerusalem?
Are you willing to seek God's heart in these matters and inquire of how you might play a part in repairing one of these areas?
You see, Nehemiah didn't let his immediate response pass by. He didn't let his grief turn into apathy. He didn't accept the condition and just let it continue as status quo.
Instead, Nehemiah sought God's heart in the matter through prayer and fasting.
Fasting is a way to get closer to God, to hear what he has to say about something, to get clarity and focus, and to know the heart and will of God in a matter.
It's through this exercise in self sacrifice that Nehemiah first sees sin as the cause and in great humility seeks repentance, both for the people of Jerusalem, and for himself. His sin is as much to blame as those living there. Often times we are eager to point out the sin in the lives of others but neglect to connect the dots that our sin is just as much to blame for the problems of the world today. Nehemiah lets God shine a light into his own heart and he repents of his own sin.
It's also through this process that Nehemiah moves from helpless bystander to someone with a vision for repair and a resolve to be the one to initiate it. He took the time to inquire of God's heart and will in the matter, and he is now armed with both a certainty of what to do about the problem and that he would have success because it was from God.
Have we ever allowed ourselves to move from grief over an issue to resolve to do something about it?
If there is something on the above list that leaves you in great despair, God may be calling you to do something about it. I believe our strong emotions are there for a reason. To get our attention. To move us to act. Emotion without action is wasting the emotion.
Problems sometimes seem so big, so far reaching, and so beyond my ability to do something about it, so we just concede that it's not for me to worry about. We tell ourselves that it's for someone else to tackle. Someone with more competent skills than I and we let our emotion slip into apathy.
What if everyone thought the same way? What if everyone wasted their emotion with inaction?
God gave Nehemiah a vision of what he wanted to happen in this situation. God helped Nehemiah set a goal and gave him the resolve to tackle it. It wasn't done in the strength of Nehemiah but in the strength of God.
If left up to us, we would waste every motivating emotion. However, we all have the opportunity to call on the Lord for guidance, strength, vision, and resolve.
The questions we must ask ourselves are this.
1. What problems speak to us through grief, sadness, anger?
2. Are we willing to ask God if the strong emotions we feel toward situations are a sign that God wants to use us to invoke change?
3. Are we willing to allow God to transform us into action?
It is here that Nehemiah learns that the city is once again in physical and spiritual shambles.
In Nehemiah chapter 1, we are given insight into how Nehemiah handled the news he heard.
1. Nehemiah weeps upon hearing of the state of Jerusalem. He has an immediate emotional response.
2. Nehemiah mourns, fasts, and prays to God.
There are many things wrong in our country or cities today. A quick list looks something like this but I'm sure each of you could add many more to the list.
1. The breakdown of the family.
2. Abortion
3. Homosexual agenda
4. Greedy corporate leaders
5. Leadership acting outside of God's will
6. Depression and Suicide
7. False teachers in the Church
8. Materialism
9. Evolution theory taught in schools as fact, even in some Christian schools
10. Prevalent violence and sex in the media
Do any of things things in shambles today cause you to weep in a deep immediate emotional response like Nehemiah did when he heard the state of Jerusalem?
Are you willing to seek God's heart in these matters and inquire of how you might play a part in repairing one of these areas?
You see, Nehemiah didn't let his immediate response pass by. He didn't let his grief turn into apathy. He didn't accept the condition and just let it continue as status quo.
Instead, Nehemiah sought God's heart in the matter through prayer and fasting.
Fasting is a way to get closer to God, to hear what he has to say about something, to get clarity and focus, and to know the heart and will of God in a matter.
It's through this exercise in self sacrifice that Nehemiah first sees sin as the cause and in great humility seeks repentance, both for the people of Jerusalem, and for himself. His sin is as much to blame as those living there. Often times we are eager to point out the sin in the lives of others but neglect to connect the dots that our sin is just as much to blame for the problems of the world today. Nehemiah lets God shine a light into his own heart and he repents of his own sin.
It's also through this process that Nehemiah moves from helpless bystander to someone with a vision for repair and a resolve to be the one to initiate it. He took the time to inquire of God's heart and will in the matter, and he is now armed with both a certainty of what to do about the problem and that he would have success because it was from God.
Have we ever allowed ourselves to move from grief over an issue to resolve to do something about it?
If there is something on the above list that leaves you in great despair, God may be calling you to do something about it. I believe our strong emotions are there for a reason. To get our attention. To move us to act. Emotion without action is wasting the emotion.
Problems sometimes seem so big, so far reaching, and so beyond my ability to do something about it, so we just concede that it's not for me to worry about. We tell ourselves that it's for someone else to tackle. Someone with more competent skills than I and we let our emotion slip into apathy.
What if everyone thought the same way? What if everyone wasted their emotion with inaction?
God gave Nehemiah a vision of what he wanted to happen in this situation. God helped Nehemiah set a goal and gave him the resolve to tackle it. It wasn't done in the strength of Nehemiah but in the strength of God.
If left up to us, we would waste every motivating emotion. However, we all have the opportunity to call on the Lord for guidance, strength, vision, and resolve.
The questions we must ask ourselves are this.
1. What problems speak to us through grief, sadness, anger?
2. Are we willing to ask God if the strong emotions we feel toward situations are a sign that God wants to use us to invoke change?
3. Are we willing to allow God to transform us into action?
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Too Busy to Blog
I just noticed my last post was almost a month ago. Where does the time go? I guess I have been busy.
My husband and I took a vacation to Hilton Head, SC. Well, it was a full vacation for me and a work trip/vacation for him. Our first three days there he had to work the Dealer Summit for his company during the day and we attended the dinners together each night. We stayed an extra few days since we had a babysitter for the kids and since we just celebrated our 5 year wedding anniversary. I met lots of neat ladies from all over the United States during my alone time there and developed friendships with some of the wives of my husbands' coworkers. I had a great time and can't wait for the next Dealer Summit. Every other year the event is held locally but on the alternate years they switch between Orlando, Fl, San Antonio, TX, and Hilton Head, SC. I'm looking forward to the next destination.
We've also had sick kids. I've discovered our youngest (first time she was sick) doesn't get cuddly or clinging when she is sick. Instead she gets cranky and aggressive. My nerves have really been tested, as well as my patience.
Our 20 year old daughter had her tonsils our on Monday and has come home to recuperate. She's not too happy right now either.
Our youngest turns 2 tomorrow and so we are having her birthday party on Saturday. I haven't begun planning yet because I've been busy caring for sick people. I guess I'll tackle house cleaning on Friday and food preparation on Saturday before guest arrive.
I am hoping to be able to get away to bible study tonight but first the girls have dentist appt's and homework to finish before I can leave.
Well, that's just a synopsis of where my time has been spent this last month and why I haven't been able to blog. I hope to get back to this soon though. I hope all my readers are doing well and staying close to God.
I've been really looking to God these past few weeks for perseverence and strength because my life has really been on hold caring for others. It's great to have someone to lean on.
My husband and I took a vacation to Hilton Head, SC. Well, it was a full vacation for me and a work trip/vacation for him. Our first three days there he had to work the Dealer Summit for his company during the day and we attended the dinners together each night. We stayed an extra few days since we had a babysitter for the kids and since we just celebrated our 5 year wedding anniversary. I met lots of neat ladies from all over the United States during my alone time there and developed friendships with some of the wives of my husbands' coworkers. I had a great time and can't wait for the next Dealer Summit. Every other year the event is held locally but on the alternate years they switch between Orlando, Fl, San Antonio, TX, and Hilton Head, SC. I'm looking forward to the next destination.
We've also had sick kids. I've discovered our youngest (first time she was sick) doesn't get cuddly or clinging when she is sick. Instead she gets cranky and aggressive. My nerves have really been tested, as well as my patience.
Our 20 year old daughter had her tonsils our on Monday and has come home to recuperate. She's not too happy right now either.
Our youngest turns 2 tomorrow and so we are having her birthday party on Saturday. I haven't begun planning yet because I've been busy caring for sick people. I guess I'll tackle house cleaning on Friday and food preparation on Saturday before guest arrive.
I am hoping to be able to get away to bible study tonight but first the girls have dentist appt's and homework to finish before I can leave.
Well, that's just a synopsis of where my time has been spent this last month and why I haven't been able to blog. I hope to get back to this soon though. I hope all my readers are doing well and staying close to God.
I've been really looking to God these past few weeks for perseverence and strength because my life has really been on hold caring for others. It's great to have someone to lean on.
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