Let There Be Singing

Widows of Burundi, singing praise to God

Our brothers and sisters in Iraq are on the run for their lives. Christians are under attack in Nigeria. Followers of Christ are being persecuted on nearly every continent of the world, many of them imprisoned, raped, or murdered for no reason other than that they are Christians.

But the suffering in the world today is not limited to Christians. At the moment, 62 countries are engaged in wars, with 555 militia-guerilla groups involved (Wars in the World website). The possibility of resolving these conflicts seems nearly hopeless. Another major issue, healthcare, offers staggering statistics. According to the website Global Issues, 21,000 children around the world die every day. Over 1000 people in West Africa have lost their lives to Ebola.

On our own streets in North America we see hatred and violence; in our schools and neighborhoods we witness intolerance and bullying. Children are snatched from their homes, people we look up to hang themselves. Addictions, mental health problems, broken relationships, poverty, innumberable social issues... everywhere around us we see the landscape littered with victims of our world's woes.

How should we respond when we see our world falling apart around us?

The scriptures tell us that we should sing. No head-in-the-sand ostrich music. No whistling in the dark. No strains of I am strong, I am invincible. We are called to sing songs of praise to the God who rules over all.

Sing praises to God, sing praises;
sing praise to our King, sing praises.
For God is the King of all the earth;
sing to him a psalm of praise.
God reigns over the nations;
God is seated on his holy throne.
The nobles of the nations assemble
as the people of the God of Abraham,
for the kings of the earth belong to God;
he is greatly exalted.
Psalm 47:6-9

One of my favorite Old Testament stories is found in 2 Chronicles 20. King Jehoshaphat found himself  and the Israelite army facing the armies of three nations and he cried out to God."We have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us," he prayed, "We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you" (13). The Lord responded: "Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God's" (15). The people fell before the Lord in worship; some from their group began to praise God with loud voices. Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the Lord and to praise him for the splendor of his holiness as they went out at the head of the army, saying: "Give thanks to the Lord, for his love endures forever." As they began to sing and praise, the Lord set ambushes against the [enemies] and they were defeated (21-22)

It was no talisman, this singing, no good luck charm. They did not sing in order to get something from God. Singing was their response to the faithful God of all the earth.  They praised him for the splendor of his holiness. They praised him because his love endures forever. They praised him because he is worthy. They lifted their eyes from their circumstances and hoped in God.

It was the same attitude of Paul and Silas had when they were in prison (Acts 16:16-40). It's not a place you would expect to find a prayer meeting and songfest, but we are told that about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God and the other prisoners were listening to them (23). In response, a violent earthquake shook the prison, the chains of all the prisoners were loosed and the prison doors flew open. Is that not a testimony to the power of God! When the jailer found all of the prisoners still in the jail, he was converted to Christ. I'm guessing more than one of the prisoners was too.

What should be our response to the terrible things in our world today? We should look to the God of the whole world, the God who knows what is happening and who alone can set things rights. Even in the bleakest situations, God is still God. He calls us to pray and to sing his praises.

Let us, like Jehoshaphat, pray: "We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you." Let us remember that the battle is the Lord. And let us sing and praise God, who is faithful.

Let there be singing.

Bye-Bye, You Big Bug-a-Boo

Good sense tells me it would be better not to post this blog, and maybe not even to write it. But if you read it here you will know that I have turned a deaf ear to good sense and am letting you in on a journey I have begun.

Among the bug-a-boos of life, dealing with stuff is the one most likely to lay me low. Never mind all the reasons -- and there are many. I simply have not found a way to get my house in order.

Some of you will have no idea what I am talking about because it comes so naturally to you, and you have my permission to quit reading now if you'd like. I have envied you and hidden my stuff from you when you've come over. Somehow, though, that doesn't seem too healthy, nor does it resolve my problem. So I am taking action. I am going to share my progress with you, not so that you can see what a mess I am, but to encourage others who might have a similar issue, and to help keep myself accountable.

It's mostly the paper work that gets me. It's been piling up for years as there have been extraordinary amounts of forms, reports, information and just plain junk that have come into our home. I lack proper systems for dealing with it all, so one of my first goals is to figure out appropriate systems.

I am not doing this alone. Perhaps that is one of the biggest mistakes we make, to tackle a project for which we are not well equipped on our own. There are times when we need to think something out with another person (or persons) so that we can see the project with fresh eyes.

I have two people. One is helping me get started and will be available if I need her for counsel along the way.

The other is my accountability partner, Glenda. We've been friends for 40 years and we love and trust one another. She has her own project that she is working on and we'll be in touch on a weekly basis, sharing our progress, our disappointments and successes, and maybe a scripture for the week.

OK, so here's what I'm going to do. I plan to turn this room into an office. Those boxes are full of tax records, medical and school reports, paper supplies, and past and current paper work to be finished, filed, or shredded. All of our son's books, toys and games are still in the room that he moved out of a couple of years ago. The room needs a thorough make-over. I'm excited and I'm nervous. But I am ready.

If you are still reading this, I suspect you somehow identify with the need to get a part of your life in order. So here is a look into how I am approaching this massive, potentially overwhelming project that has taunted me for years.

1. I have brought it to the Lord. My worth is not gauged by how well I can organize my stuff. He loves me, pure and simple. He created me with gifts and strengths, but organizing stuff was not one of them. I have accepted that.

2. I have found people to help me, one with expertise in this area and one to cheer me on.

3. I am making a plan*.

4. I am breaking it down into doable tasks.

5. I am going to put one foot in front of the other until I have come to the end of this journey.

6. Then I'm going to celebrate! I've already invited Glenda over for tea in my new office on Monday, June 2. It's a date I don't plan to break.

* * * * * * *

*My plan includes making a mind map to help me think through what I need to do to see my vision for a new office a reality. I'll share it later. In the meantime, here's a link to 11 free mind mapping apps that you might want to check out.

The King's Speech

Marcus Buckingham grew up with a terrible stammer.  There was a tradition in his British all-boys school that a senior student should be assigned to read the lesson to the younger students and the dreaded day came when Marcus was called upon to read.  The 13-year-old stood before the 300 boys gathered and began to read -- without impediment!  That is the day, says Marcus, that he learned the secret of speaking that works well for him: to imagine he's speaking to a crowd, even if he is only conversing with one or two.

As I sat in the sixth row on the floor of the packed Key Arena in Seattle last October for the Women of Faith conference, I heard the articulate, entertaining Marcus Buckingham for myself.  He's a stellar example that a speech difficulty can be overcome.

But it isn't easy.

Last night we agonized with King George VI as he struggled to overcome his stuttering, as portrayed in the movie, The King's Speech.  Although there were no high speed chase scenes in the film, no murders, no spies, still I felt a great deal of anxiety listening to a well-intentioned man trying to utter even a few words.  The tremendous amount of work necessary for him to become a public speaker required confronting issues in his life much deeper that an uncooperative tongue.  The well-chosen actors all did their part to make the re-telling of this victory in the life of King George compelling and rewarding.

King George had his speech problems.  You've got your own problems; I've got mine.  Dealing with them can be excruciating.  But oh, the joy, the triumph, that awaits the one who is willing to face those problems and persevere!