Do you struggle with whose voice to listen to? I find myself wanting to say, "You are not my Shepherd!"

Do you ever wonder which voice you should listen to? I know I do. It seems that there are so many voices out there that say, "Follow me!" This past week, I have been meditating on John 10:1-21. It is the story of the Good Shepherd. I noticed that the voice I follow is pretty important. Three things I observed about the  Good Shepherd's voice is that it leads, gives life, and speaks truth. It doesn't steal, kill, or destroy. 

Listen to today's Bible story and let me know what you learn about the Good Shepherd or His voice. 

The Good Shepherd

I have posted pictures of the process I went through in trying to recall this story. It was very hard for me to recall. Honestly, I felt like every time I tried to tell it, I would get confused. I used about seven different strategies to help me recall this story. Graphing it helped me grasp the organizational flow. And finally the push through of telling it and recording it a few times to listen to and double check myself, finally enabled me to get through to recall. It sure took patience to help me get to the place of understanding so I could tell it. This made me think of how Jesus used different analogies to help the Jews that were listening that day to understand. Jesus used truth, the illustration of the sheep and listening, the gate and freedom to come and go and enjoy life in the full, the shepherd and the hired man's response to the wolf. Why?  Could it be because He really wanted the Jews to understand that He was going to invite the Gentiles to join His flock alongside them?  Or could it be that He wanted the disciples to see how He would invite both Jew and Gentile into the same pen? One flock in unity! Jesus showed patience in explaining to the Jews when they did not understand. He wanted them to listen to His voice as He sought to give life to the full to those that listen. 

I also noticed there were several references about the Good Shepherd giving life. And that there is a knowing of the Good Shepherd both for the sheep and Father. I noticed that knowing meant the sheep would hear His voice, follow Him, and know the Father. The implication is that His voice gives life to the one who knows His voice. 

What might you have discovered about the Good Shepherd and hearing His voice?  I would love to hear! 

I struggle with insecurity and pride

Do you battle with insecurity or pride?

"Insecure leaders inevitably destroy people; secure leaders develop people... God reduces prideful leaders but resources humble leaders" (John C. Maxwell leadership Bible). 

On any given day I can be caught in the spin of insecurity and the pit of pride. It truly is the crazy cycle. No wonder God calls us to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. How do we guard ourselves from living in this crazy cycle? Look at the words develop and resource. If I take the time to ask in my insecurity how I can help the people or process develop this will give me a focus that is not about me, but about building others up which in turn gives me confidence because it casts off fear.

If in my pride I ask, how can I resource someone else? This gets me off my high horse and puts me where they are at which makes things less about me and more about them. Essentially, in both of these it is about dying to self and thinking of the other first. Hard to do when I am thinking about me. It gets easier the more I think about others. If I honor you, I find honor comes back to me. It is quite beautiful.

Today, what if we stop and ask ourselves, How can I develop you or give you resources? Remember, a resource can be as simple as a smile, a handshake, or a hug. Or if we asked, How can I help you move closer to your goals?  How can I help you move closer to God? May our good LORD find cause to resource and develop us today! 

I love submission

I recently discovered that Hebrew letters were first depicted with symbols and that each symbol represented a meaning. I found this utterly intriguing. I honestly do not know why someone did not show this to me sooner! I feel like I have years of learning that would have been filled with countless “ah-ha” moments if I had only known sooner. I love the fact that the Hebrew language started with the oral and pictorial language. I feel this supports why we prefer stories and pictures to help us engage in learning! So, I have set about on a journey taking a specific word that I would like to know more about the original meaning and action that was expected in that time for a Hebrew. I have had so much fun spending time picking a word and looking it up! I KNOW! I AM A TOTAL GEEK! This makes me want to belt out singing, “That’s okay, my God loves me anyway!” But, I digress.

So, I am to lead the section for our staff on submission based on Spiritual Disciplines by Richard Foster. I read the chapter a few weeks ago. The only thing I can pull up since is that a spiritual discipline is meant to give me freedom. But, when I think about submission and all I have been taught, told, and demanded to live by freedom is the last word I would choose to describe submission or submit. Now, do not get me wrong! I am not one of those females that is going around demanding my way. I get it! I am to die to myself as a follower of Christ (Matthew 16:24). I know this and as hard as it is at times, I seek to live by it. I know that in our marriage which I believe is a good one for the most part. Oh, don’t get me wrong. I have tried to take authority and he has totally surrendered it at times. We both have messed up. But, what I do know is that when both of us are willfully and lovingly submitting to God, we get it right and it feels so good to submit because who doesn’t want to submit to someone that is walking in righteousness (Ephesians 5:21). It is beautiful, compelling, and well quite honestly, joyful.

This morning I decided that I should go and look up submit or submission in Hebrew in the original pictograph form to see what it meant and as is the case any time I seek to learn more our GOD has a way of surprising me and blessing me. If you do a basic Google search on submit you have to work pretty hard to get past “wives submit” to try to find someone that is actually teaching from the original context. So, I just jumped to the original Greek (5293) word “Hypotasso” because this is the word that everyone quotes from Ephesians 5:22. As I was scanning a whole host of dictionaries, etc. I wrote down the word SUBMISSION. I realized SUB… MISSION. Okay, wait! How cool is that! Look there is a “sub” “mission” in submission. Hold on! You will get it in a moment.  “Hypo” means to be under or to place and “tasso” means arrange. Stant Litore spelled it out so beautifully. Litore pointed out that submit is a military term and that we cannot forget the context of where this section is placed.[1] To submit to one another in Ephesians 5:21 follows the passages about waking up because the days are evil and our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against principalities (Ephesians 5:14-20). Litore then reminded the reader that it comes before we are told to put on the full armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-18). We cannot forget that this is a military term couched in a military position in the context that Paul wrote it. Okay, wait! That does not sound very weak to me! You need to know the lioness was rising in me with great interest. In fact, you might just hear me roar! Litore pointed out that in fact if we truly are submitting to one another then we will set ourselves up to support our spouse as we fight against the enemy. Hhhhmmm. But, wait! There is more!

I kept searching because I needed to know. How is that I have been taught so much for so long about submission and no one told me that I should be in a military stance as a protector of my spouse? Y’all! That is seriously messed up! If I can protect my Greg and my children from harm I am so there! Envision yourself standing firm against the enemy or anything that should rise up against your spouse. Envision coming alongside your spouse and fighting against anything that might seek to harm them. Wait… this sure sounds like the Holy Spirit to me! A long time ago, I learned a really long word and was so profoundly impacted by it that I memorized it, internalized it, and assimiliated it into my life and teaching. The word is sunantilambanomai. It is the Greek (4878) Word for help. It is used to describe the Holy Spirit and how the Holy Spirit comes alongside us, together with us, and with whatever is against us to assist us. As a woman being called the “helper” I owned that and made it my definition. Today, I just found it supported in the Greek for submission. BUT WAIT! There is more!

 

 

My “Sub” “Mission” in Hebrew in the pictograph even supports this! WHY HAVE I NOT BEEN TAUGHT THIS! The Hebrew spelling for submission is “Shin”, “Lamed”, “Chet”. I posted a drawing of the letters and pictograph at the very beginning of this post. So, with each pictograph letter there is a definition that is used. Shin is defined as “teeth, press/destroy, or separate.”[2] Lamed is defined as “shepherd, staff/teach, or to/from.[3] And Chet is defined as “wall, fence, or separation.”[4] I have not taken Hebrew. I have always been afraid to study it because I have it in my head that I am not good with languages, but I am beginning to think that I could learn Hebrew by using the pictographs. If I may make a stumble at a definition based on the meanings intended from those images. Submission or to submit is to press in or destroy as a shepherd or teacher the wall, fence or separation that is at work. Now, think on that for a moment. What if as a spouse I took this as my mandate? As I love and serve my Greg, I am to press in or destroy as a shepherd or teacher anything that provides a wall or separation for him. But, then I asked, “What is the wall separating him from? Is it me? Is it God?” BUT WAIT! There is more!

As I was scrolling, I noticed that there were numerous references to the word “davar” as a part of the root of submission! Holy WHAT?!!!! WOW! Oh my goodness! What for it! “davar” is the Hebrew word for “WORD!” Essentially, the implication is that if I am “DAVAR” then I am submitted to God’s plan or under God’s plan. It means that I am willing to speak, write, illustrate, or experience the WORD of GOD and do likewise with those around me. So, if I am “davar” then I am seeking to live my life in obedience to the Word of God fighting against any principality that sets itself up against God’s plan. Drop the holy mic, y’all! Seriously, I can honestly say, “I love submission!” Do you understand that to live in obedience brings blessing? Thereby, if I take the time to arrange myself for the battle to stand up against anything that will hinder my Greg’s walk with the LORD then I will be blessed. So, does that change your view of submission? It sure does for me!

All-day I have been pondering my newfound old/new truth! I realize that so many times in our marriage, I have been been the one set up against Greg as the enemy. UGH! Seriously, that is not okay! And there have been times that Greg has been set up as the enemy against me. That is messed up as well. We are married to one another to be mutually serving each other so that we can stand against the enemy of God and then in turn GOD willing do so for others as well. We actually rob ourselves of the blessing when we do not submit to one another. I want to live in blessing. I love submission. Don’t you!

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[1] Hudson, Carmen Rane, et al. “The Misleading Translation of ‘Wives, Submit," ... and a Tale of Battle-Ready Women.” STANT LITORE, 18 Apr. 2019, stantlitore.com/2018/06/25/misleading-translation-wives-submit/.

[2] “The Ancient Pictographic Hebrew Language · Mini Manna Moments.” Mini Manna Moments, 13 Nov. 2019, www.minimannamoments.com/ancient-pictographic-hebrew-language/.

[3] Ibid.

[4] Ibid.  

Do you have have a bad attitude?

Sometimes, my attitude just gets the best of me. It really frustrates me when this happens because I know it is my job to master my attitude. 

In Genesis 4, God tells Cain you must master the sin crouching at your door!

Click on the link to get the full story. 

Have you ever struggled with bad attitude? 

Well, here is my second round in teaching myself how to create Doodly's! This time I tried to write a short summary of the Big God Story. My goal was to stay under three minutes. Trying to think of images and creating them was fun, but kind of hard, too! 😉 I had to learn how to record my voice and upload it into Doodly! In case you did not know, Doodly is not very user friendly when it comes to audio. There is no auditing audio! UGH! It has to be a perfect recording so I used my phone's recording device. Well, that was after recording it professionally in Audacity on my huge Yeti mic and Doodly not accepting it as a download! O boy! So much to learn! I am still trying to master the doodle paths. I am not there yet. But, I did discover that if I use color then it will show up! THIS SO EXCITED ME! So, I am going to give a challenge. Can you create the Big God story in under three minutes and tell it in a creative way and share it for us to see? I would love to see some really great artists put me to shame and challenge me to grow. I imagine some poets out there could come up with great content, too!

How to lead a Zoom Bible Study

How to lead a Zoom Bible Study

What are qualities of a resilient person?

Why is resilience important?  Recently, I was on a trip for work and I was reminded of resilience by the airline steward. As he stood and gave us the typical before flight instructions telling us that when the mask drops in the case of an emergency that we were to put on our masks first before helping others. This reminded me of the importance of resilience. We cannot give what we do not have! Professor of Leadership and Organizational Behavior, George Kohlrieser, states, “It is often forgotten that one must learn to lead oneself before being able to lead others successfully. Self-leadership provides the backbone for the effective leadership in groups.” When companies build in resilience training it opens doors for resilience to grow. When a company recognizes that our human economy plays an important role in our effectiveness at work and in relationships, we are more likely to be creative and productive. This builds in the natural response of retention because resilience when honored will grow the mental, emotional, social, physical, and spiritual well-being. This always makes for better employees and better work environments. Resilience training provides a framework for relationships to prosper and grow because doors are opened so that communication and conflict resolution skills are able to flourish because people are serving out of balance and stability rather than crisis. How can growing your resilience improve your work environment? Where do you think your team needs to seek out resilience training? 

So, we find ourselves asking, what are qualities of a resilient person? Who in your life have you observed resilience? A mentally resilient person tends to be able to adapt well to new circumstances because they gather information and then seek to be strategic in how they engage their resources to help them and others persevere! An emotionally resilient person will use positivity to help themselves self-regulate to find the internal strength to be calm or mindful in the moment to help them bounce back. Physically resilient people know how to use rest and recovery to their advantage so that they can endure physical challenges without further injury. This is what makes them stronger in the long run! While a spiritually resilient person knows that there is a source of strength outside of themselves that they can call upon. This gives them peace of mind and a sense of contentment despite their circumstances because they use their core values as their moral compass. Spiritually resilient people find ways to empathize with others and serve them on the journey.  This frees them from being so self-focused and reminds them that they must take care of themselves so they can take care of others. The Founder of the Resilient Institute, Dr. Sven Hansen points out that, “Our ability to function, deliver, and thrive depends on how we leverage our mental, emotional and social strength, so any program that wants to a develop more resilient workforce and culture needs to focus on all aspects of the emotions and mind to care and listen with empathy which is difficult in burn out.”  Essentially, we should build resilience in times of peace as much as we might grow in resilience in a time of crisis. Training ourselves to develop resilient awareness and strategies will make us stronger. Which qualities do you struggle with personally or in your work environment? What can you do to grow this area of your life? 

One way to grow resilience is to look for circumstances where resilience is observed. Look for the quality and then consider why that quality is important and how to grow that quality in you. For example, we can discover resiliency characteristics within the animal kingdom.  The animal kingdom seems to have numerous examples of resiliency. I have chosen four creatures to consider. For example, the fire ant. I know it is a creature most of us do not want to encounter because they bite and leave a painful sting when they do! When we were escaping the floods in Houston, we were dodging enormous fire ant colonies floating precariously around us in the flood waters. We were so afraid that if we were hit by one that they would jump on us and sting us all over. This is not a good thing! Curiosity caught my attention by the fact that they traveled in a massive colony through the floodsso I researched and discovered that fire ants can exist this way for months because they interconnect their legs as they move about.  Apparently, an ant can stay under water for as long as twenty-four hours so, the colony keeps moving. They never let go of each other and they always make sure that no ant stays under water too long. This way they all survive and make it through. They are always aware of their need for each other and the importance of protecting one another. The two characteristics that I decided to cultivate in my life from observing the fire ant was keeping a communal approach and to always be looking for the one that needs to be lifted up that might be drowning. What if we had the attitude of community awareness that no one was left below or behind too long?

Emperor penguins show resiliency by also being communal. When the mother penguin goes off to sea for two months for food the male penguin will sit with the baby egg on his feet. The male penguins will huddle together to fight the bitter cold and keep each other warm while protecting the eggs from predators inside their penguin huddle. The male penguins will not eat for the entire two months and in some cases losing as much as two thirds of his body weight. The male penguins use each other for warmth, a barrier to the 90-mile winds and the -40F temperatures, and predators.  What if we lived out sacrifice and shared responsibilities like the emperor penguins? How would our team or family change if we were willing to work together to fight off the elements? What kind of sacrifices can we make to help our team? 

Another animal that you might like being on the resilience list is the rat. These pesky rodents are built for resilience. Their persistence to chew through something is quite astounding. They do not give up. I realize that this is not okay when it is your house, but there is something to be said for persistence paying off. But, what really surprised me about this creature was based on some research some scientists did on rats. Honestly, I do not know that it is necessarily the best methods, but what they discovered is important. Scientists were testing to see how a wild rat versus a domestic rat by survive in adverse circumstances.  Would a wild rat swim longer than a domestic rat? They expected it would, but that is not what they discovered. They found that a domestic rat would out swim a wild rat and survive every time. The scientists came up with a hypothesis that the domestic rats lived with hope because they had someone that would help them survive. So, the scientists set about doing research on giving hope to a rat in bucket that was drowning and not giving hope to another rat. They discovered that rats that were rescued once would always swim longer. Scientists concluded that hope of rescue always made rats more resilient. They came to the conclusion that hope produces resilience. What if we developed hope in each other and lived out persistence? What if we found ways to rescue one another at work and at home? How can we help each other move through? How can we communicate that we are a team that will rescue one another and never let one of our own drown? What might building hope look like for you and your team?

The tardigrade is the said to be the most resilient creature.  It can survive under the most stressful of circumstances. Scientists call tardigrades survivors because they can withstand outer space, be frozen and thawed, dehydrated, and radiated and still bounce back to life. This little creature is adaptable! It will curl up in a small ball and wait it out. If necessary, it will release a special protein that protects its body and then wait until the circumstances change. Essentially, the tardigrade has good genes. There is a special genome that it passes on to the next generation. I realize that we do not have a say in our genes, but we do have a say on what we will intentionally pass on to the next generation. We can determine to pass on characteristics of resilience by learning them and sharing them. What if we made it a determination to make it a mark of our team or family to be known for resilience? What if we were determined to show that we know how to adapt, reduce when we need to, release when we must, and when we can reproduce ourselves in others? Imagine the possibilities!

How are you being challenged right now to be resilient? Which animal characteristic did you like most? Which one do you want to grow in? Which one do you feel your team or family might need to grow in? Imagine the possibilities and determine to be the one to build into the next generation of your team or family the resilience characteristics to bounce back! 😊 Shalom Y’all!

[1] Kohlrieser, George. “Resilient Leadership: Navigating the Pressures of Modern Working life.” REAL WORLD LEARNING. No. 42. 2014

[2] Hansen, Sven. PhD. How to Build a Culture of Resilience. Resilience Institute at https://www.youtube.com/user/DrSvenHansen/featured

[3] Incredible Floating Fire Ants Help Develop Waterproof Materials and New Robotics. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://inhabitat.com/incredible-floating-fire-ants-help-develop-waterproof-materials-and-new-robotics/

[4] H., Y. (2020, October 07). How To Be Resilient like the Emperor Penguin? Retrieved from https://medium.com/in-fitness-and-in-health/how-to-be-resilient-like-the-emperor-penguin-8a95730ae62f#:~:text=Emperor penguins are known,resilient living creatures on earth.&text=They travel over 50 miles, catch and feed the young.

[5] The Remarkable Power of Hope. (2014, May 07). Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/kidding-ourselves/201405/the-remarkable-power-hope

[6] Dvorsky, G. (2016, September 20). Scientists Finally Figured Out Why Tardigrades Are So Indestructible. Retrieved from https://gizmodo.com/genes-hold-the-key-to-the-water-bears-indestructibility-1786814698