Of Mentors, Voices & What comes 'After this...'

Feeling the need to step out of the grind of politics for a few moments, friends. It does get rather grueling, no? Let's switch gears...

I am taking a delightful writing course taught by author Susan Woodring. In one of her recent blog posts she posed questions, "Who is your writing mentor? Have you ever met him/her?" After knocking this around, I offered a comment: "Distilling my answer to 2 'mentors,' they'd be Peggy Noonan and Beth Moore . Peggy for her deceptively 'easy' style that holds such beautiful wisdom, & Beth for the way my spirit responds to her 'teaching.' Wow."

While I've met neither of these women, I have had a snail-mail exchange with Beth Moore, because it was essential that she know how the Holy Spirit spoke to me through her. See, this piece of writing came to me partly as a result of her ministry. I sent her the following letter, along w/ a copy of that piece:

Dear Beth,

It was me.

We’re doing your Revelation series. Last week we viewed session 4 during which you quote Rev. 4:1. You stopped, looked into the camera and said, “‘After this…’ Somebody needs to hear this today: there is an ‘after this.’ You do not have to stay where you are.”

That somebody was me. I needed to hear those exact words from my Father, to be assured that ‘this too shall pass,’ there is an ‘after this.’

Beth, this ‘season’ has been a very difficult one for me...[ed. for personal content]

So. Here I am. I know that I know that our Lord is working. And then I wonder, ‘Will I ever move from here? Will I ever be free of it?’ And then I hear your voice saying, “Somebody needs to hear this today: there is an ‘After this.’” Imagine my surprise at such a clear & direct answer to this intensely personal question! Beth, thank you for your sensitivity to the prompting of the Holy Spirit, & for repeating His words: ‘After this…’

I’m sure others needed to be assured that with the Lord there’s always an ‘after this…’. But I am convinced that one was in a Methodist church on 2-23-2010. And it was me. And I heard, & I know that there is an ‘after this…’ Thanks be to God!

Jesus loves us, this we know...

A few weeks later I received a lovely letter from "Nancy," of Living Proof Ministries . Because of the scope of Mrs. Moore's influence, I did not expect to hear from her. Noting the personal, specific nature of Nancy's response, I know that Mrs. Moore had, indeed, heard from me. That was all I was after.

Back to 'writing': Mentoring is not about the celebrity of another person, it's about using their influence to help 'hear the voice.' As Mrs. Woodring has said, "I can't begin a story until I hear its voice."

Indeed.

And for me so far, the 'voice' shows up in odd & surprising places: like when conversing with my holly bushes, or when someone I'll never meet stops on a dime at a prepositional phrase.

I don't know where my story is going, but I know there is a Voice, & I am listening.

~~

"1After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, "Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this." ~ Rev. 4:1

~~~

National Day of Prayer: Part II

“Obama Sits out National Day of Prayer as Millions Pray for him.”

So said the title of an article I saw while researching this. I’ve already done the piece that tags him for it…but just, if you will, read that line one more time & let the irony sink in…

Let me be clear. Mr. Obama is not the end-all-be-all to the spiritual life of our nation. Far from it. What is the hope for our nation’s spiritual health? It certainly isn’t with our political leaders, though they can lend credence, or not, to what average folk are trying to live.

Allow me to share a bit of what Beth Moore said in a NDofP promotional video. She says,

“We are people that are in trouble, we are people that are vulnerable. We are people that are no longer secure in ourselves, but there is an answer. And prayer is the way we seek that answer. Our security & our hope is in our God, & our God is still with us. His question to us today is are we still with Him?"

Addressing a crowd of thousands on the Capitol grounds, Mrs. Moore focused on four themes for times of crisis.

* "Look at what God has already done," she said. "Look at his Word from Genesis to Revelation and think as wide and broad as you can and petition God to show his power," Moore said, "the way he did for Abraham, Paul, Silas, Timothy…"

* "One day of corporate prayer offered in sincerity, unity and humility can have a titanic effect, not only to the immediacy of need, but for generations to come," Moore said. "Our nation does not need us to lose our faith, even when there are those who vehemently oppose us. They are
greatly affected by our prayers; they just don't know that. We've got to resist cynicism and defeatism."

* "God esteems a faithful remnant. Let the remnant pray like crazy, and they will be heard," she said. "No one and nothing can keep us from revival, but we ourselves."

* "God holds his people responsible for righteousness, not results. The moment you & I obey God, we are a success!" she said.

Be encouraged, friends. As Mrs. Moore said, God "has not given up on this nation. We're not in a godforsaken world, after all. As the remnant cries out, he hears us!"

And I believe her. More importantly, I believe HIM! God has not forsaken us, dear friends. Believe with me, & let us claim ourselves that faithful remnant.

Claim it; then live it!

God esteems faithfulness, obedience.

We are to be obedient.

We are to be faithful.

We are to PRAY LIKE CRAZY!!

Join me?

~~~

Obama diminishes National Day of Prayer

So this is where the rubber meets the road, friends.

If you don’t believe that secularists in government are pushing God out of the public square, then here you have it from the horse's mouth himself. President Obama – secularist - has taken it upon himself to disengage himself & his staff from Official Observance of the National Day of Prayer .

Established in 1952, by the Truman administration, then strengthened & fashioned into an honored tradition by subsequent Presidents, the National Day of Prayer is marked by a myriad events throughout the nation’s capitol on the 1st Thursday in May each year. The White House has traditionally marked the day with an interfaith service somewhere on the grounds, but not Mr. Obama's White House. Not only is the White House stepping away from it, they’re not even sending a scout from the Executive Team to the main event on Capitol Hill, according to CNN’s Kristi Keck . Here's how low this goes: even during the Clinton Administration, task-force leaders held low-profile observances, including some at Lafayette Park across the street from the White House.

Mr. Obama’s reasoning for dismissing the National Day of Prayer?

~ Pause ~

(I can hear the Lefties squealing all the way from here…*sigh*…So, yes; this morning after rolling out of bed & eating his Wheaties, Mr. O signed a piece of paper saying it’s National Prayer Day. Okay. So?)

~ Back to my point:

The President’s Press Secretary says that prayer is a private matter to Mr. O. Indeed it can be; but herein lies my problem… Our President can publicly bow (with the WORLD watching) to a Saudi King (who has zero investment in America’s welfare), but can’t publicly bow his head to God Almighty, whose very name appears (for now) on our currency & Who we (for now) acknowledge in our pledge of national allegiance? Can Mr. O not even send a member of his Exec. Staff to the Capitol as a proxy? Isn’t there even a Page, an intern or an elementary-school-kid-on-a-field-trip who can skip over to the Capitol & at least grab a biscuit off the buffet while Beth Moore says a prayer?

If our Nation’s executive office eschews observance of the day our nation sets aside for recognizing the power of prayer, then why should we get involved? If our secularist President -- whose every move is as choreographed as it is scrutinized -- doesn’t think his country & her people’s public acknowledgement of God is worth even a few minutes of silence in the Rose Garden, well, then why should we care?

And that’s my point. Exactly.

The rubber has met the road, friends. I think there may be skid marks.

~~~

For such a time as this...

Hi friends~

I started this blog because of Sarah Palin. Not because she's a smart, lovely woman who had a meteoric rise in politics. Rather, that she gave me hope that the voices of millions of conservative women (including mine) would finally be heard on women's issues. She gave me hope that conservative women could now join in the Women's Conversation of our time, & that the Left would no longer monopolize "issues that women care about." Get the Big Idea sprang forth - for better or worse - & then big ideas began to build. At the risk of sounding quirky (again...) I believe that God continued to whisper through "Read My Lipstick", "The Big Ben Silent Minute"& other small incidents.

Then, remember a few weeks back, when I found myself at a loss for words? I have continued find myself at a loss for words in recent weeks, not really knowing where this is going...where the proverbial ball of this-season-in-my-life is rolling. I know God has a perfect plan, but I'm a little fuzzy on the particulars lately, & that gets a little uncomfortable from time to time. (Can anyone relate?)

Here's the thing about trusting God, the notion that He has designed each of us for this generation, for this very time in history, for His purpose: I get it with my head (& occasionally I really get it), but when the details get blurred by life, trusting can take on a certain gritting of the soul. It's in these times that I find myself surprised by the tenderness of God's voice (like in the Dec. piece). Sometimes I find myself waiting, only to learn that "being still & knowing, staying & resting" is the point. And even if I don't see clearly, God is there; always moving & working toward His purpose for my life. And - if I pay attention & listen - I just may catch a vapor of His Spirit passing over me.

One such vapor passed me two days ago. I've had a desire to be in a study, & I've certainly been seeking God's purpose. On the "upcoming studies" table @ church, the Esther: It's Tough Being a Woman study nearly leaped off the table into my arms. I know Esther's story: a woman who had a destiny; & even when she seemed powerless, God used her toward a profound purpose.

I signed up immediately. If anyone can teach about purpose, it's Esther! This was God's gift to me, & I know the Word will speak about living "for such a time as this."
Here's the promo video:

Beth Moore's Esther, Web Promo from LifeWay on Vimeo.

God is continuing to work, friends, in the seen & unseen. I know it. We all are here "for such a time as this." We all have a voice & God intends to use it!

~~~

Women of privilege. Tough questions.

Jesus said, “From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; & from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.” Luke 12:48

Tall order?

What does it mean to be a Christian woman in America?

Does our American-ness give us a unique perspective on God?

Does our Christianity give us a unique perspective on life?

Working backward:

Does our Christianity give us a unique perspective on life? Yes. It’s Grace, & freedom through Grace. Freedom to be exactly who we’re supposed to be for the Glory of God.

Does our American-ness give us a unique perspective on God? Yes. Indeed, it does. Stay with me…

If you own the computer through which you view these words, if you’re sitting in a comfortable place, safe from enemies; if you are a woman & you can read (at all), then you’re among a privileged minority of women in the world. American women have these privileges simply because of where we live. Regardless of our socio-economic status, level of education, etc., American women are collectively – by comparison to the rest of the globe – privileged.

We’re part of a nation that elevates women through education, opportunity in the marketplace, access to healthcare for ourselves & our families, & freedom to worship freely without fear of torment. Those who claim ownership of American ‘women’s issues’ will beg to differ with me, but that’s their right. (Get it?)

And yet we don’t realize, don’t truly understand, how deeply fortunate we are; & that this ‘fortune’ is from God. Even as I write, I confess that I don’t have a working understanding of women’s experiences around the world. A Thousand Splendid Suns was enough for me. At least in my head, I get it.

At a Beth Moore event a few years ago, a friend & I scanned the sea of 20,000 women’s faces & asked each other, “What would God do if all these women claimed His will in their lives? What would He do in our churches, our communities, in our country? What a movement of God’s power we would see, & it could be through women!” It was a humbling, awesome prospect.

What does it mean to be a Christian woman in America? Our American-ness, if we’re paying attention, gives us a unique perspective on what God can do with us & our privilege, if we yield it to Him. First, we have to claim it. We have to step out of ourselves, our yearning to complain, our materialism, & acknowledge our blessings. God has mercifully allowed us privilege & blessing in order that we may be a blessing, a force for good in the world. We must be willing to step out of ourselves, step up to our blessing & humbly approach God. When we begin to do that, I believe He will use us to be a blessing in our homes, our communities, our country, & ultimately in our world.

Tall order? Yes. What a privilege.

~~~